Mixed Martial Arts

[JustSmile=)]

TUF 10 Preview

 

Man I'm so pumped for this season!

 

I'm not a Kimbo fan but he sure can earn a lot of respect if he wins a couple of fights against these monsters.

 

And if you're an MMA fan, you should be excited for this one as well.

 

But in the end, I believe "Big Country" Roy Nelson will take this one.

[ryujin6190]

‘Cro Cop’ Doesn’t Think Fedor is Afraid

 

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic has no clue why Fedor Emelianenko signed with Strikeforce and decided against testing himself inside the UFC. Like much of the mixed martial arts community, the Russian’s decision left him scratching his head.

 

“I like Fedor as a fighter,” Filipovic said during a pre-fight conference call for UFC 103 on Tuesday. “As a man, I don’t want to insult Fedor, but I don’t understand his attitude. I really don’t understand why he doesn’t want to enter the UFC.”

 

Filipovic -- who will face Brazilian bomber Junior dos Santos in the UFC 103 co-main event on Sept. 19 in Dallas -- lost a unanimous decision to Emelianenko under the Pride Fighting Championships umbrella in 2005. A rematch now seems unlikely since the two heavyweights have opted to hang their hats in different organizations. Emelianenko signed with Strikeforce in August and will debut against undefeated Brett Rogers sometime this fall.

 

“Definitely, the UFC offered him the best possible deal, to pay him more than Dream can offer or Strikeforce can offer, but he’s just refusing to go there,” Filipovic said. “I don’t know why. I think he should take the challenge. I don’t think he’s afraid. Maybe he wants to keep his perfect record. Maybe he thinks the UFC is too tough. Why he’s not there, I don’t know.”

 

Other notes from the conference call included:

 

• Cro Cop sees dos Santos as “one of the young lions in the UFC.” The Brazilian wrecked Fabricio Werdum in his promotional debut and followed with a first-round stoppage against Stefan Struve. “It’s going to be a tough fight,” Filipovic said;

 

• Dos Santos, still somewhat of an unknown commodity in the heavyweight division, welcomed the opportunity to fight Filipovic with open arms. A decisive win could thrust the now world-ranked Brazilian into title contention. “I was very happy with the news. I like to fight the best,” dos Santos said;

 

• Filipovic, despite the fact that he turns 35 this week, maintains his interest in fighting more often. “It depends on injuries. If everything goes well, I expect to fight again before the new year, or at least by January,” he said;

 

• Cro Cop has changed his stance on training. Prior to his first foray into the UFC he disclosed, to the surprise of many, that he had not trained inside a cage. “I underestimated the cage. I feel much more comfortable. I train all the time in the cage,” he said;

 

• With sparring partner Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira entrenched ahead of him on the UFC totem pole, dos Santos claims to be in no rush to challenge for the title. Still, it remains one of his aspirations. “My goal, like any fighter, is to be at the top of the weight class. I’m not worried about that now. I’m not in a hurry to become the champion,” he said;

 

• Cro Cop did his best to avoid questions regarding the happenings after his UFC 99 victory against Mustapha al Turk. UFC President Dana White lashed out publicly at the Croatian heavyweight when it appeared he was spurning a deal with the Las Vegas-based promotion in favor of a return to the Dream organization in Japan. “I wanted to go to the only global organization today. I made my career in Japan, and I liked Pride more than anything, but those days are over. My place is to fight here. I was fair with Dana White. I was fair with Dream. I decided to take the UFC offer, and that’s it,” Filipovic said;

 

• Filipovic believes two straight wins inside the Octagon, starting with dos Santos, could earn him a title shot. However, he admits the depth of the heavyweight division has improved dramatically of late. “There are new fighters arriving, like Junior, like [Cain] Velasquez. It gets stronger every day. It’s going to be tougher and tougher to take the belt,” he said;

 

• Dos Santos conceded that a fight against someone with Filipovic’s reputation brings with it additional challenges. “Obviously, there’s added pressure fighting someone with a big name. I’ve learned to deal with that well,” he said.

[judy2three]

any news for brock lesnar??

[riceb0i]

it's gonna be Brock VS Carwin late this year or early next year i think boss

[anatoly]

can't wait for TUF 10

there's gonna be a lot of trash talking that's for sure hahaha

[judy2three]

it's gonna be Brock VS Carwin late this year or early next year i think boss

 

ahh ganun ba kala ko kasi si minotouro kalaban niya eh sayang

magaling pa naman si nugiera (spelling is wrong alam ko)

 

thanx

 

can anyone defeat brock???

[SevenZeroFive]

'Cro Cop' Doesn't Think Fedor is Afraid

 

...and Cro Cop speaks the truth, unfortunately.

 

can't wait for TUF 10

there's gonna be a lot of trash talking that's for sure hahaha

 

...and for good reason. This lineup is the most stacked since Season 5 with the lightweights & Penn & Pulver coaching. You have 4 former NFL players who are athletically gifted, 3 UFC veterans, former and final IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy Nelson, and Kimbo FREAKING Slice. Not to mention, Rampage & Rashad. This season's gonna be the best since Season 3 (Ortiz vs. Shamrock) and Season 4 (The Comeback).

 

can anyone defeat brock???

 

Of course, Brock can be beaten. It's only a matter of time. Somewhere out there, someone's gonna be much better than Brock will ever be. The question is, when will Brock be defeated. Shane Carwin might be the closest that's gonna happen, but it's hard to tell. Cain Velasquez, another possible option but still hard to tell. Kongo? Unlikely at this point. Cro Cop? Maybe.

[tamago]

Swick is now out of UFC 103 due to an injury

 

Kampmann will now face Paul Daley

[SevenZeroFive]

Swick is now out of UFC 103 due to an injury

 

Kampmann will now face Paul Daley

 

Swick got a concussion while rolling with Koscheck. Dropped Swick up his dome.

 

There goes the #1 contender's match, but Hitman's not getting off Easy. Semtex is a hot prospect, been tearing it up in the UK, and has pretty much the same style as Swick.

[anatoly]

i don't see kampman or swick as a threat to GSP's title unfortunately...so w/ swick going down it doesn't really make much of a diff apart from the fact that the UFC will be given ample time to find a true #1 contender.

it seems GSP has reached the 'leites/cote' part of his title reign

[anatoly]

Of course, Brock can be beaten. It's only a matter of time. Somewhere out there, someone's gonna be much better than Brock will ever be. The question is, when will Brock be defeated. Shane Carwin might be the closest that's gonna happen, but it's hard to tell. Cain Velasquez, another possible option but still hard to tell. Kongo? Unlikely at this point. Cro Cop? Maybe.

definitely carwin/velasquez and noguiera are the contenders for me. kongo's not worth mentioning since he got his butt handed to him quite easily by velasquez. and crocop's a fighter of the past. he needs maybe 2-3 more fights to get back into fighting shape. but i'm convinced he won't reach the form he was once in during his time at pride.

unfortunately the last emperor is in another org. he'd be my #1 pick to take out brock if he was in the UFC.

[King Nothing]

Anyone who knows the date of showing of TUF 10? I saw it at balls unfortunately I could not remember exactly...

[aldrinadj]

i don't see kampman or swick as a threat to GSP's title unfortunately...so w/ swick going down it doesn't really make much of a diff apart from the fact that the UFC will be given ample time to find a true #1 contender.

it seems GSP has reached the 'leites/cote' part of his title reign

 

swick is a threat. he's a good fighter.

[riceb0i]

Swick got a concussion while rolling with Koscheck. Dropped Swick up his dome.

 

There goes the #1 contender's match, but Hitman's not getting off Easy. Semtex is a hot prospect, been tearing it up in the UK, and has pretty much the same style as Swick.

yep and almost the same body type as Quick Swick

 

i don't see kampman or swick as a threat to GSP's title unfortunately...so w/ swick going down it doesn't really make much of a diff apart from the fact that the UFC will be given ample time to find a true #1 contender.

it seems GSP has reached the 'leites/cote' part of his title reign

i dunno boss Mike Swick ain't no pushover if you ask me, but yeah we can wait for Big Dog Almeida to get used to 170 and tear up the division until he runs into GSP

 

definitely carwin/velasquez and noguiera are the contenders for me. kongo's not worth mentioning since he got his butt handed to him quite easily by velasquez. and crocop's a fighter of the past. he needs maybe 2-3 more fights to get back into fighting shape. but i'm convinced he won't reach the form he was once in during his time at pride.

unfortunately the last emperor is in another org. he'd be my #1 pick to take out brock if he was in the UFC.

i'm really not sure about Cain Velasquez chief, he really had a hard time with Kongo as well, i won't really say that he got his butt handed to him by Cain as Cain was eating power shots one after the other he just got lucky with the takedowns and was able to recover, but i doubt if he can withstand dual lunchboxes attached to Brock's arms...

 

i really don't know why Junior Dos Santos' name is not mentioned as a contender? if he KOs Mirko then i'd say they'll say he's legit, but i'm rooting for CroCop in their fight. Mirko for Life!

 

swick is a threat. he's a good fighter.

yep, a damn good fighter if you ask me

[ryujin6190]

Belfort’s Secret Skill: Karate

 

LAS VEGAS -- Wide stance. A different scream before each attack. The Vitor Belfort I saw at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts was different from the one I’ve followed since he was 15 years old.

 

After the training session, I met with one of his sparring partners, Jayme Sandall -- considered one of the best Shotokan Karate artists in Brazil, along with the Chinzo and Lyoto Machida. While Belfort showered, Sandall revealed that Yoshizo Machida was one of the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s trainers with the Brazilian national team and that he had become close friends with both the Machida brothers.

 

“Actually, Vitor has trained karate for a long time with Vinicius Antony, but he couldn’t stay here for one month before the fight, so he asked me to come and help Belfort,” Sandall said. “I’m really impressed by the way he learns fast. I’m sure people will be able to recognize some differences in his next fight.”

 

Sandall lost to Lyoto Machida in the final of a Brazilian national karate championship and believes the reigning light heavyweight king has spread his art through his rise to stardom in MMA.

 

“Lyoto and his brother, Chinzo, are definitely the best Shotokan fighters we have in Brazil, and the karate community is very happy that they are showing the world how good Shotokan Karate technique is,” Sandall said.

 

After a tough sparring session with Sandall and Xtreme Couture stablemate Ray Sefo, Belfort outlined the benefits of Shotokan Karate.

 

 

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

 

 

Vitor Belfort“I trained karate in 2001 to fight Heath Herring,” said Belfort, who will face former middleweight champion Rich Franklin in the UFC 103 main event on Sept. 19 in Dallas. “People have a lot of respect for boxing and wrestling, but I’ve always had the vision of bringing things that are not being used in the sport, like I did with boxing. After that, I contacted Lyoto. We trained together a couple of times in Rio de Janeiro, and I felt his timing was from karate, so I started to get interested in karate again. Of course, I made some adaptations, as I combined karate with my boxing game. I’m adding a couple of nice things from Shotokan to my game.”

 

Though he maintains a residence in Brazil, Belfort bought a car and rented a house in Las Vegas, where he lives with Sandall.

 

“My idea is to have two bases,” Belfort said. “I keep my family in Rio, and when I have a fight scheduled, I will come to Vegas to train here at Xtreme Couture, which I consider the best place for a MMA fighter to be.”

 

Asked about what aspects of karate impressed him the most, Belfort gave no pause. “It keeps you relaxed all the time,” he said. “You never show what you are going to do; you always do what the opponent doesn’t expect. I should say that karate is the art of hit and not getting hit. What impressed me the most was the reaction time. Jayme is helping me a lot in our everyday training. That’s the interesting thing about MMA; you’re able to combine as many techniques as you can. There is no more of that representing only one art.”

 

Belfort maintains his edge in other aspects of MMA, too.

 

“Today, I’m pretty much focused on my karate training, but I’m also training my muay Thai and boxing with Shawn Tompkins, who is an amazing trainer,” he said. “Today, I should say that karate is the basis of my stand-up fighting, together with boxing.”

 

The 32-year-old Belfort promised an intense encounter with Franklin. He will carry a four-fight winning streak into his first UFC appearance in almost five years.

 

“It’s going to be a pretty much tactical fight,” he said. “No one can make mistakes, and I’m training hard to apply my karate, my boxing and my jiu-jitsu. It’s just about letting the techniques flow and hoping that everything works fine. I already consider myself a winner when I overcome the everyday training, which is the worst part. Franklin is a great fighter, and I truly hope we can make a good show in my return to UFC.”