Tag: UFC (Page 7 of 17)

UFC 130 Preview: Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson

May 25, 2011 / Drew Ellis

The co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 130 is a heavyweight clash between top contenders Frank Mir and Roy Nelson.

Both men need a win to stay among the elite in the division. A loss will send either fighter back down the ladder with a lengthy climb to earn a title shot.

Here is a look at what each fighter brings to the octagon for this bout:

Frank Mir (14-5) – Mir is a former champion in the UFC and he started as a submission expert that was able to quickly finish guys with some very complex submissions. As Mir has evolved with the times, his striking has improved greatly and he has picked up a series of knockout victories over recent years. Mir’s struggles come with over-powering strikers like Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. He was unable to get those fighters to the ground and couldn’t deal with their power in terms of striking.

Roy Nelson (15-5) – Nelson is a large man but he is deceptively strong and a solid grappler. Though built more like Homer Simpson, Nelson is a very experienced grappler and a black belt in jiu-jitsu. He actually defeated Mir in a grappling match a few years back. I feel like Nelson has more punching power than Mir and should have the edge on his feet, but his conditioning could be a factor as Mir is in better shape. Mir also has the experience on the ground in the UFC that Nelson still doesn’t quite have, and that could also be a factor.

Who Will Win: This fight should be close and really is a coin toss. Mir has the experience, but I think this is a bad matchup for him. He has gotten more and more confident in his striking and gone away from the style that made him one of the best. If he tries to trade blows with Nelson, it is going to be a bad night for Mir. I look for Nelson to find a way to earn the TKO during this bout.

Events, Fighters, UFC

Frank Mir Roy Nelson UFC UFC 130

Diaz opting out of boxing match, is match with GSP set to happen?

May 23, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Nick Diaz made it pretty clear that he wants to get paid.

To get paid, the Strikeforce Welterweight Champion was set to enter the boxing ring or accept a champion vs. champion match against UFC welterweight kingpin, Georges St. Pierre.

On Monday, Diaz’ boxing manager, Don Chargin, said in a press release that Diaz will stick with MMA and not enter the boxing ring.

Diaz’ manager, Cesar Gracie, told MMAFighting.com’s Ray Hui that an opportunity has come along that Diaz couldn’t pass up.

“[Boxing] wasn’t just out of nowhere but at this point in time, there’s a certain chance that comes along once in a very long while and it only makes sense to stick to MMA as of right now,” Gracie said. “Nick’s been working really hard to get to this point in his MMA career and it wouldn’t make sense for us to make that transition into boxing right now. If this were a couple months ago or if certain fights had played out differently, we’d definitely be ready to go into boxing, but that’s not how it played out. Don Chargin is a great boxing promoter and he understood our dilemma completely and I thank him for that.”

After meeting with Dana White recently, it seems pretty obvious that Diaz may be getting a bout with St. Pierre in the future. That, or White offered Diaz a big pay increase. My guess is a little bit of both.

Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC

Cesar Gracie Georges St. Pierre Nick Diaz Strikeforce UFC

Early Betting Odds for UFC 130: Rampage, Mir favored

May 23, 2011 / Drew Ellis

This Saturday, UFC 130 takes place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and Bodog.com has released its odds for the five main card bouts.

In the main event, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (31-8) takes on Matt Hamill (10-2) in a light heavyweight contest. This was originally scheduled to be the co-main event, but injuries to both Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar cancelled the planned lightweight title fight.

Jackson comes into the bout as the clear favorite with a money line of -275 while Hamill comes in at +215. Jackson is a former champion and powerful striker while Hamill is more wrestling based and likes to use his long reach to keep from getting into a slugfest. Hamill has won his last five bouts while Jackson has won three of his last four. The winner is likely to be discussed as one of the top contenders to Jon Jones’ championship.

In the co-main event, heavyweights Frank Mir (14-5) and Roy Nelson (15-5) face off. Mir comes into the bout as the slight favorite with odds of -135 while Nelson has odds of +105. Nelson has not fought since August of last year when he suffered his first loss in the UFC to Junior dos Santos. Mir has alternated wins and losses over his last five bouts but is still considered one of the top fighters in the division. Both men bring powerful hands and solid grappling. Mir may be the better submission fighter but Nelson has better striking in my opinion.

For the rest of the odds to UFC 130’s main card, check out the jump.

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Frank Mir Matt Hamill Quinton “Rampage” Jackson Roy Nelson UFC UFC 130

Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

May 22, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Another Sunday night means another MMA on TV update for the week.

Here is a look at all the MMA events you can see on tv or the internet this week.

– On Wednesday, the ninth episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. The quarterfinals continue as both teams picked up a win in the opening two quarterfinal bouts.

– Also on Wednesday, following The Ultimate Fighter, UFC In The Moment: Rampage Jackson debuts at 10 p.m. ET on SpikeTV and then Countdown to UFC 130 follows at 10:30 p.m.

– On Friday, Titan Fighting 18 takes place in Kansas City. The card features former UFC stars Jens Pulver, Drew McFedries, and Rory Markham, among others. The card will air on HDNet Fights starting at 7 p.m. ET.

– On Saturday, UFC 130 takes place from Las Vegas. The main event is a light heavyweight contest between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill. The co-main event is a heavyweight clash between Roy Nelson and Frank Mir. The main card will air on PPV at 9 p.m. ET while two prelims will air on SpikeTV at 8 p.m. ET.

– Sunday has Dream 17 taking place in Saitama, Japan. The Bantamweight Grand Prix quarterfinals will be taking place at the event and also Shinya Aoki will face off with Rich Clementi. Caol Uno and Joachim Hansen will also be in action. Check listings for TV availability.

Dream, Events, Fighters, News, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

Brock Lesnar Dream Frank Mir Junior Dos Santos Matt Hamill Quinton “Rampage” Jackson Roy Nelson Shinya Aoki UFC UFC 130 Ultimate Fighter

UFC eying returns to Montreal, Abu Dhabi in 2011

May 20, 2011 / Drew Ellis

The UFC is quickly filling out its dance card for the rest of 2011 and it appears that there will be two stops coming outside the U.S. to end the year.

Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting.com is reporting that the UFC is looking into possible events in Montreal and Abu Dhabi for December of this year.

Sources with knowledge of the situation said there is “a good chance” the company returns to the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, likely in December, but that nothing is confirmed.
The promotion had been expected to host a show there in March before venue issues nixed the idea. Because there are no indoor arenas and the region has a hot climate, the timing of athletic events requires extra consideration. December through February is historically the coolest month in Abu Dhabi, with daytime high temperatures averaging around 80 degrees.
A December return engagement would bookend a rapidly filling 2011 calendar, as events have already been scheduled late into the year. On Thursday, UFC director of Canadian operations Tom Wright told Montreal radio station The Team 990 that the company could return to the city’s Bell Centre in December.

Rumors are swirling that Georges St. Pierre could face Nick Diaz at the event in Montreal, which would make three-straight events that the welterweight champion would be fighting in Canada.

As far as Abu Dhabi goes, the last time the UFC appeared there was UFC 112 where Anderson Silva had his embarrassing showing against Demian Maia and Frankie Edgar upset B.J. Penn for the first time to win the lightweight championship.