Tag: UFC (Page 13 of 17)

Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

nullIt is Sunday night, so that means it is time for your weekly MMA on TV update.

Here is a look at the MMA content that will be airing this week:

– On Wednesday, the fourth episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. Team dos Santos took a 2-1 edge in the prelims last week and regained control of the fight picks. This week, Lesnar brings in fellow wrestler Matt Hughes to work with his team.

– On Thursday at midnight (so to some that is Wednesday night) UFC 129 Primetime airs its second of three episodes. The show is following Jake Shields and Georges St. Pierre as they prepare for their UFC 129 welterweight championship showdown on April 30. The second episode airs on SpikeTV and will be replayed at 1:30 a.m. and 11 p.m.

– On Saturday, Bellator 42 takes place from the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla. The show will air live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET. This event features a main event of heavyweight champion Cole Konrad taking on former UFC heavyweight contender, Paul Buentello. The fight will be a non-title contest. The light heavyweight tournament semifinals will also take place as Tim Carpenter faces off with Christian M’Pumbu and Richard Hale squares off against D.J. Linderman.

Break out the Bengay: Old Fighters want to challenge Royce Gracie

nullThe rumors have been swirling in the MMA community that Royce Gracie will be taking part in the upcoming UFC 134 event that will be held in Brazil.

With the Hall of Famer gearing up for the bout, the question has been, who will be fighting Gracie?

Gracie hasn’t competed since June of 2007 and his most notable fight came in May of 2006 when he was dominated by Matt Hughes at UFC 60

If the UFC is really going to trot Gracie into the octagon in his home country, they need to give him an opponent he can beat.

Well, have no fear UFC, as plenty of elderly fighters seem to want that fight.

It started with Art Jimmerson tossing his name into the hat. You remember Art Jimmerson, he was the guy that fought Gracie at the first UFC with one boxing glove on. A game plan that sharp hasn’t been seen since. Gracie quickly submitted Jimmerson and began his Hall of Fame legacy.

Now, former UFC champion, Dan Severn, wants a piece of the action. Severn, who is now 52-years-old, has been competing regularly in smaller MMA shows. He is requesting a retirement match with Gracie at UFC 134.

Gracie submitted Severn at UFC 4 and the wrestler has been looking for a rematch ever since.

This situation has become a bit of a mess. I respect the UFC wanting to pay respect to Gracie, but he is simply not a fighter that is capable of fighting at a high level, and his opponent surely won’t be able to either.

A fight featuring Gracie can still draw as he is a legend with a fan base, but hopefully the UFC won’t be looking to make any more of these bouts any time soon.

Poker Site Shutdowns Could Impact MMA

nullIn an interesting development in the business-side of MMA, three major poker websites were shut down on Friday due to federal indictments.

According to a report by MMAWeekly.com, poker sites PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker received indictments for illegal gambling and money laundering.

“These defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits,” Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement.

The poker sites have been shut down by the government, and while some people may still be able to access them currently, it will only be a matter of time before they are shut down completely and inaccessible.

The online sites were once a prominent sponsor of the big MMA promotions like the UFC, but those days have passed. Despite the UFC avoiding these sponsors, they are still vital to smaller promotions that have to rely on their sponsorship dollars to stay afloat.

Also, despite the organization not allowing the sponsor, fighters still use sites like these for their own sponsorship. Time will tell what these indictments will do to the fighters’ bankroll.

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Jones not shy about saying he can beat Evans

nullWhen the UFC decided to have a Jon Jones-Rashad Evans title fight take place in the future, I think every level-headed fight fan knew the hype for this fight would get ugly quick.

Clearly there is more bad blood between these two than meets the eye. The pre-fight talk has now begun and it is Jones throwing the first verbal jab.

During an interview with ESPN’s Josh Gross, Jones talked about his superiority over Evans when they trained together.

Jones won’t need to go out on a limb to earn his share of media coverage over the summer as a showdown with Rashad Evans, 31, looms. The bout, Jones’ first scheduled title defense, is likely to take place in September, and puts former training partners and friends in the cage together.

The champion, almost brazenly, claims an advantage in style, preparation and experience.

“We fought each other in practice,” said Jones, who pushed his record to 13-1 with last month’s triumph. “A finish has been possible several times and it has always been me finishing him. I never did it out of respect that he was the elder of the school. It’s against protocol in a way. Some people would do it but I believe in tradition.

“He has a lot to study. I have a lot to study, but I get to study[ing] more in-depth. He gets to study[ing] and gets a headache.”

I am not one for bickering about training and fighting, but the more this story plays out, the more it seems Jones instigated the problems. He was the first to say he would fight Evans when Evans was willing to step aside and now he is the first to degrade Evans and his abilities.

Maybe Jones has reasons to be upset, as Evans isn’t shy with his trash talk either. I am sure there is a lot of back story to this fight that we may never know about. All I know is, I can’t wait for this fight to take place.

Top 10 Light Heavyweight Rankings

nullAfter having released my pound-for-pound and heavyweight top 10 rankings, it is time to unveil my first light heavyweight top 10 list.

1. Jon Jones (13-1): Jones is the easy pick as he has destroyed everyone in his path on his way to the UFC championship. Media pundits are quick to label Jones as an unstoppable champion, but those same words were spoken about Lyoto Machida two years ago. Jones has been unbelievable thus far, but we have still yet to see him overcome adversity in the octagon.

2. Rashad Evans (15-1-1): I put Evans in my No. 2 spot as he has just one loss in his career. It was an embarrassing loss to Machida, but I think it was more due to a poor game plan as opposed to the lack of skills to beat him. Evans has quickness with his hands and feet and has a sturdy base with great wrestling ability. He is a hard opponent to game plan for and really his only weakness may be his confidence in his hands. He is next in line to try to figure out the Jones puzzle and reclaim his spot on top of the division.

3. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (31-8): Rampage has been a hard guy to figure out over the last few years. He seems to be suffering slightly from the evolution of MMA into more of a wrestling style. His grappling skills cost him a decision to Evans and were still lacking in his win over Machida. Jackson still has arguably the most powerful hands in the division and his aggressive nature makes him difficult for anyone. Rampage takes on another wrestler next in Matt Hamill at UFC 130, and a win could put him in line for a title shot.

4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-5): Despite being the guy that dethroned Machida, I still haven’t seen anything real special from Rua in his time at the UFC. He has certainly not been the guy that fought his way to the PRIDE championship. Rua has really struggled with his conditioning in the octagon, and that was a big problem in his loss to Jones. Rua’s edge on Machida may be more about fighting style than talent.

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