Mixed Martial Arts

[Roman Rapido]

Money always wins. For Dana White, it's all about the greenbacks. The UFC is, first and foremost, a business.

 

 

Dana always win :ninja: no matter what

 

I couldn't agree more. The UFC is a corporation, not a charity or a foundation. The first priority will always be making money and avoiding losses. The athletes and the matches are just a means to to accomplish that end.

[Guiness]

UFC's Dana White: 'I don't know if Holly really knows what she lost'

 

UFC president Dana White never liked the idea of Holly Holm taking a fight before a potential rematch against Ronda Rousey.

White's concern played out last weekend, when Holm (10-1) suffered her first professional loss via fifth-round submission to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 in Las Vegas. The loss cost Holm the UFC's bantamweight championship, which she won in November by knocking out Rousey.

 

According to White, the UFC is now eyeing a third fight between Tate (18-5) and Rousey (12-1) later this year, and he blames Holm's longtime manager, Lenny Fresquez, for the divisional shakeup.

 

"The sad part about that is, listen, he's an old boxing guy who thinks he's smart, and he's not," White said during an appearance on ESPN's Russillo & Kanell. "It's one of those things. I feel bad about it. I feel bad for Holly. I don't know if Holly really knows what she lost. I think she has so much faith in the people that surround her, she feels like, 'Well, they got me this far.'

 

"We had this meeting, and Holly wasn't even in it. Holly, that's your life. You should be in that meeting. Don't leave it to these people. Anyway, Holly made a lot of money. She accomplished great things, she beat Ronda Rousey. But it could have been so much bigger for her, and the sad part is, I don't think she even knows it."

 

When contacted by ESPN.com, Fresquez said Holm was well aware of the risk she took.

 

"Of course, she knows," Fresquez said. "It was a team decision, and Holly is the boss. She wanted to fight, and she got her wish. I think she'll fight Miesha or Ronda next. That's my personal feeling, but who knows what the UFC has cooking? Holly was dominant in that fight against Miesha except for the second and fifth round. She paid for it. Hat's off to Miesha for capitalizing.

"What happens next is the UFC's decision. All I can speak to are Holly's wishes. Holly wants to fight Miesha right away. She wants to fight Ronda Rousey. Even with the title, a fight between Miesha and Rousey doesn't have the glamour a fight with Holly and Ronda does. Yeah, Holly lost. She made a mistake, but she'll learn from it. Everyone saw she's a warrior."

 

Before UFC 196, Holm told ESPN.com she had been willing to accept an immediate rematch against Rousey but was worried the earliest it would happen would be fall. Holm, 34, wasn't willing to wait that long.

 

Regarding the overall health of the UFC following the losses by two of its stars, Holm and featherweight champion Conor McGregor, White didn't seem too worried.

 

"Do you know how long I've listened to people talk, 'What are you guys gonna do when Chuck Liddell leaves? What are you gonna do when [Georges St-Pierre] goes?'" White said. "This is a fight promotion. There's always somebody super talented coming down the pipeline, man. It's always been that way, and it will always be that way."

Edited March 9, 2016 by hahnz

[Guiness]

St-Pierre: Comeback depends on 'a lot of things'

 

LAS VEGAS -- Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre's mere presence at UFC 196 on Saturday drew a lot of attention, but the 34-year-old said there is no update in terms of his long-awaited return to competition.

St-Pierre (25-2), who vacated the 170-pound championship in late 2013, told ESPN.com his comeback still depends on "a lot of things." Both he and UFC president Dana White did confirm, however, the two sides have been in discussion.

 

"The discussion is between myself and the UFC," St-Pierre said. "They know the issues I had in the past and, yeah, we're talking. I can't say anything right now. There's nothing I can say about [uFC 200]. I don't have a name. I don't have anything."

 

Rodolphe Beaulieu, St-Pierre's manager, added: "There's no status. It's the same as it was two years ago. It's a big step to decide to come back. You have all that legacy, all those wins, sponsors and the good image. It's not an easy thing. I think athletes struggle to know when to stop. The UFC has not offered any fights, but they ask how he is, if he wants to come back. It's an ongoing discussion."

 

One of St-Pierre's reasons for walking away from the sport when he did was the poor state of drug testing at that time. During his absence, the UFC launched a multi-million dollar partnership with United States Anti-Doping Agency to randomly test UFC-rostered athletes year-round. In 2016 alone, USADA has administered 335 total tests on 240 athletes, according to the organization's website.

When asked if he is completely satisfied with the program, the Canadian star's response was somewhat open-ended.

 

"It's better than it was before, but that discussion is also between the UFC and me right now," St-Pierre said.

 

"The system is good," Beaulieu elaborated. "USADA is a critical agency that does the best thing and they have the capacity to do the best testing in the world, including the carbon-isotope ratio [CIR] -- but it's the discretion of doing the tests that is a concern. They have the discretion of when and whom to test. I have an athlete who wants to be tested 20 times in a year. Just because he wants that doesn't mean it will happen, because they have that discretion."

 

St-Pierre, who won 12 welterweight title fights between 2006 and 2013, said he's in a better place mentally than where he was at the time he walked away. Several of those close to him have hinted at a potential comeback over the years, including head coach Firas Zahabi, boxing coach Freddie Roach and training partner Rory MacDonald. At least for now, St-Pierre maintains there is nothing to announce.

 

"Georges wanted to come to the fights tonight," said White on Saturday. "Have we been talking to Georges? Yes, we have. But who knows. I honestly don't know right here, right now if Georges still wants to fight."

[Guiness]

UFC 196: Conor McGregor, Holly Holm Upsets Will Pay Off For UFC Long-Term

 

UFC 196 did not go according to plan. At least, the plan UFC brass had surely hoped would come together.

Of course, predicting favorable outcomes in an MMA event — especially one featuring underdogs with the heart of Nate Diaz and Miesha Tate — is never a safe bet, something UFC President Dana White made clear immediately after the fights.

 

“In 16 years in this business, the one thing you don’t do is plan anything out,” White said at the post-fight press conference. “Because you don’t know.”

Indeed, White, and most of the viewing public, did not expect Conor McGregor and Holly Holm to fall from their respective mantles atop the sport Saturday night in Las Vegas. Their submission losses “shook up the world” of MMA, to quote color commentator Joe Rogan, effectively costing the UFC some of its biggest potential bouts for 2016.

But while the results of the 196 headliners have obviously hurt the promotion’s bottom line in the immediate future, the excitement and parody of the event should strengthen the UFC’s drawing power for years to come.

 

 

What The UFC Lost

Put simply, the mystique surrounding the once-untouchable McGregor, as well as the woman who dethroned the once-untouchable Ronda Rousey, is gone.

McGregor’s dominance over the featherweight division since coming to the UFC is unquestioned, but all talk of heavier-weight superfights — lightweight and perhaps even welterweight championship bouts were in the mix for UFC 200 — has temporarily been put on hold. First, the 145-pound champ must return to the weight class where he excelled to remind fans what he is capable of.

Two big challenges await him: a rematch with pound-for-pound great Jose Aldo (currently the favorite for UFC 200) and first meeting with top contender Frankie Edgar. Both matchups would surely make a worthy main or co-main event for the company’s July mega-card, but a champion vs. champion clash with Rafael dos Anjos or Robbie Lawler would obviously do bigger numbers.

In Holm’s case, the UFC doesn’t lose a lot with her individual profile taking a hit. The real damage is her much-anticipated rematch with Rousey losing its luster. Because Holm lost to Tate, an opponent Rousey has already dominated on two occasions, the trio has entered into a matchups-makes-fights dynamic where none is clearly a cut above the rest.

Rousey, still easily the biggest name of the three, can regain that status by defeating both of them over time. Still, there is no denying that an immediate rematch with an undefeated Holm would have had a much more compelling buildup.

 

 

What The UFC Gained

While the 196 headliners may not have ended how the UFC wanted, the way in which they unfolded before perhaps its largest audience ever could not have been scripted any better.

Save for an overabundance of immediate championship rematches, the UFC does a good job weighing credentials and entertainment value in booking its main events. Yet too often, for reasons ranging from lack of action in the cage to lack of understanding from the viewers at home, these fights fail to impress the casual MMA audience.

On Saturday, fans tuning in — the majority of whom make up that demographic — were given a product that undoubtedly left them interested in seeing (and learning) more about the sport, particularly if McGregor, Diaz, Holm or Tate is involved.

The final fights brought out all the best parts of MMA: high-level disciplines on display for both men and women (grappling for Tate; kickboxing for Holm and McGregor; boxing and jiu-jitsu for Diaz), shocking finishes after the favorites went ahead on the scorecards, and — brashness from Diaz aside — good sportsmanship shown after the fights.

Yes, the UFC lost some marquee matchups — and, with them, millions of dollars in pay-per-view revenue — for the second-half of 2016, but the work done to build its brand will ultimately reward a gamble that many have been quick to call out.

[Roman Rapido]

Hahaha that video was dope!

[Guiness]

i was listening to the ESPN Rusillo and Kanell podcast and they had Dana White on to ask him about UFC 196 and he did confirm that Holly Holm made only 500k as opposed to making 5M if she waited for the rematch with Ronda which he said was Holly's decision because she didn't want to wait too long for the Ronda fight as Ronda has some movie commitments and won't be available until late in the year

[narcprick]

rhonda beats tate and then holly holm will beat rhonda again LOL!

[Guiness]

Cris Cyborg campaigns for UFC 198 fight, rips ‘coward’ Ronda Rousey

 

 

Curitiba-native Cris Cyborg wants to fight at UFC’s first trip to her homeland.

Scheduled for the 42,000-seat Atletico Paranaense soccer stadium on May 14, UFC 198 will be headlined by Fabricio Werdum vs. Stipe Miocic, and the Invicta FC featherweight champion is campaigning for a spot on the card.

"I’m training, waiting for a new challenge," Cyborg told MMAFighting.com via text message," and I would like to thank to everyone who is in this campaign with me #CyborgNoUFCBrasil."

Cyborg (15-1, 1 NC) last fought on Jan. 16, scoring her fifth straight knockout finish under the Invicta FC banner with a first-round win over Daria Ibragimova to defend her 145-pound title. Undefeated for almost 11 years, the Brazilian striker has cancelled her plans of cutting extra 10 pounds to compete at bantamweight, and is open to a featherweight or catchweight fight on May 14.

"Many people ask me who I would like to fight, but the truth is I don’t choose opponents," she said. "They ask how about Ronda Rousey. Fighting Ronda is something that should happen, for the years of trash talk from her. At first I thought this fight would never happen because the UFC was protecting her, but the reality is, after Holly Holm beat her up, she ran away from the rematch, saying she wants to have kids and all that. That confirmed to me what I already knew: she’s a coward with a weak mind that never learned after all these years… In her book, she talks about her being depressed after her Olympic loss, she continues as mature as a 5-year-old, she hasn’t learned the philosophy of the sport.

"After Miesha’s win over Holly Holm, Ronda texted Dana saying ‘I want to come back to work’. Ronda Rousey is just an American product, who only fights those she thinks she can win. A true champion is the one who won’t admit a loss, but not saying she’s still undefeated even losing a fight, but going back inside the Octagon and accepting a rematch. Miesha Tate is a great example. She lost two title fights and the belt, but due to her determination she overcame and fought for it again, and she’s champion now."

It’s highly unlikely the UFC matches Cyborg against Rousey now, so the Brazilian is open to facing either Tate or Holm.

"Miesha Tate is the new champion and I believe that there a lot of things going on in her career now," Cyborg said, "but I believe she would accept challenges in her career. I would fight her, of course. This is a sport.

"Holly Holm showed the world, alongside with (Conor) McGregor when they lost, that they don’t hide behind pillows, and met their fans at the post-fight party. It’s a sport, losses happens," she continued. "I would fight her, for sure. McGregor was a champion but moved up a division and fought. I believe the true fighter accepts challenges. (But) I’m not agreeing with his style outside the Octagon, with his attitudes and disrespect towards his opponents."

 

[jakero]

Conor McGregor is entertaining whether you agree with me or not,

A rematch with Diaz at 155 lbs would be the money fight; of course only after he deals with Edgar

win or lose McGregor is the UFC's cash cow

he has this Chuck Liddell like style, one shot and it's lights out.

but he got his personality and his Misty Mac character going for him.

 

P.S. Edgar will beat him at 145

[Jon Don]

Diaz will drop more F bombs before he drops to Conor's weight. He won't be chasing a fight with Conor unless he's chasing Conor's paychecks.

[jakero]

Diaz will drop more F bombs before he drops to Conor's weight. He won't be chasing a fight with Conor unless he's chasing Conor's paychecks.

 

Diaz is a Lightweight,

and Connor will move up to that weight permanently with either a win or a loss to Edgar

the weight cut too 145 lbs is too much for him

 

I'd say Diaz still beats him at 155 lbs

RDA will brutalize him though

[Guiness]

Frankie Edgar makes strong case to be Conor McGregor's UFC 200 opponent

 

 

The way Frankie Edgar sees it, there’s no one more deserving than him of fighting Conor McGregor at UFC 200 in July.

Edgar (19-4-1), the former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion riding a five-fight winning streak, is said to be in contention with former featherweight champion Jose Aldo of Brazil to fight Ireland’s charismatic McGregor in the main event of UFC 200 July 9 at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

 

While Aldo beat Edgar in 2013 as part of his 10-year-long unbeaten streak, the Brazilian lasted only 13 seconds against McGregor in December, getting knocked out by a sudden punch to the jaw.

“I’ve got a lot of traction, got a lot of buzz going on that this is the fight the fans want,” Edgar told The Times on Monday in a telephone interview. “I know [uFC President] Dana [White] is talking about it in the media, and I think Conor’s a man of his word about fighting the No. 1 guy out there … if that’s what he wants, it’s got to be me.

“The reason you watch fights is to see who’s the better guy, not to watch a guy get knocked out with one punch. I’m not taking anything from Aldo … but I felt he had his chance … and now I think it’s my time.”

Edgar said he suffered a groin injury about six weeks ago that prevented him from substituting for McGregor’s scheduled March 5 opponent, injured lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos (foot).

Stockton’s Nate Diaz stepped in instead and fought McGregor in a welterweight fight at 170 pounds – 25 pounds over the featherweight limit – and McGregor succumbed to the fatigue of carrying the extra weight and to the power of Diaz’s heavier punches, losing by second-round submission in the main event of UFC 196 at MGM Grand.

“[McGregor] put that stuff on himself, he relishes it,” Edgar said. “I’m not surprised he lost, but those fans that support him are sticking by him. He’s still of great value, and he still has the 145-pound title. That’s what has the most value to me. I want to fight for that title.”

Edgar is encouraged by the fact he knocked out top-five featherweight contender Chad Mendes in the first round of their Dec. 11 fight, winning performance of the night. He’s also beaten current bantamweight title contender Urijah Faber, veteran former two-division champion B.J. Penn and another strong contender, Cub Swanson, during his winning streak.

 

“I think it’s my time. After my fight with Mendes, Dana said I can get whatever I want,” Edgar said. “Now, McGregor’s coming back down to 145. Well, that’s what I want.”

 

Edgar, 34, said he expects McGregor’s next opponent to be announced “soon … the next week or so.

“I’m trying to think positive. If it’s up to Dana and [uFC Chairman] Lorenzo [Fertitta], I think I’ll get the fight.”

Fertitta did not immediately respond about plans for McGregor's next fight.

"We have nothing done for 200," White told The Times by text message Monday.

 

One key asset for Edgar is his reliability. He’s fought twice a year since 2007, when he fought three times, while Aldo postponed his McGregor fight due to a rib injury in training.

Clearly, the UFC doesn’t want UFC 200 marred by an injury.

 

“That’s not the only fight Aldo has had to pull out of because of an injury. He has a history,” Edgar said. “I’m not sure they want to bank on that guy again.”

[Guiness]

2 former UFC fighters sign with Bellator MMA - Benson Henderson: Bellator gave me an offer I 'couldn't say no to'

 

Bellator made Benson Henderson an offer he couldn't refuse.

The former UFC lightweight champion said that Bellator blew him away with a beneficial contract, other "intangibles" and an incredibly welcoming attitude. That's why Henderson said he chose Bellator over the industry leader. And he added that it wasn't all that difficult.

"Ultimately, it's what's best for myself and my family," Henderson told Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "Bellator presented one heck of an offer you couldn't say no to. They made it pretty easy on me. They opened up the red carpet, they were super nice. Very much taking care of me and showing how much they wanted myself on board, wanted myself a part of their team. When you get that sort of reception, it's hard to say no."

On Monday, Henderson announced on his website that he would be leaving the UFC for the promotion owned by Viacom. "Smooth" had been with the UFC since 2011 and spent even longer under the Zuffa banner with WEC, where he was also a lightweight champion. Henderson has headlined 10 UFC events and is the most high-profile fighter to make this jump.

The Arizona resident said base pay was far down on the list of things that mattered to him. With Bellator, he is able to wear his sponsors while fighting, unlike in the UFC, which has a uniform deal with Reebok.

"For a lot of other fighters, [Reebok] was not the best look for us," Henderson said. "For me, I'll say it definitely affected my decision in the grand scheme of things."

Henderson, 32, also said his Bellator deal allows him to compete in kickboxing and jiu-jitsu tournaments. He said it was not your "run-of-the-mill" MMA contract and Bellator was open to some of his creative ideas, though he did not go into too much detail.

The UFC, Henderson said, was actually third in line. Henderson said ONE Championship came in second after an impressive offer from matchmaker Matt Hume. But that doesn't mean the UFC wasn't also a player in the negotiations.

"The UFC came with a strong offer, but it's the intangibles," Henderson said. "Sponsorships, other things. It's not just the base price.

"Bellator came with a lot of other high tangibles that the UFC just couldn't quite match."

Henderson said before he came a free agent in November after a win over Jorge Masvidal that he wanted to retire as a member of the UFC roster. It was his desire to come back and it did not work out. But Henderson is more than content with that and is excited to embark on a new journey with Bellator.

"Sports are amazing, it's transcendent stuff," Henderson said. "But in the long run the owners of the team, the owners of the leagues, the players themselves, it is a business. You have to make the best business decisions for yourself, for your family. If you have a chance to make this much money or be able to take care of your family in this way, and when you lose out on that just because you were strong-armed, so to speak, or it's looked down upon to look at your options, I say look at your options.

"It would definitely be foolish for any fighter to not at least take a look at his options, take a look at what you could get potentially elsewhere."

Henderson still has options when it comes to weight classes. He's going to be competing at both lightweight and welterweight in Bellator, he said.

"I will say I will be fighting at both weight classes," Henderson said. "I'll be bouncing back and forth. 170, 155. 155, 170. I'm getting to have some fun over there. I love being able to have the option to bounce around and not just being stuck here or stuck there. 'You're not allowed to do this.' But having the option, the ability to get creative and do what you want to do, I love that. Bellator is all about that."

Henderson has always talked about wanting gold and he said he's coming after both Bellator lightweight titleholder Will Brooks and welterweight champ Andrey Koreshkov. It's a new day for him and maybe for MMA as well.

 

"I'm gonna make some big waves," Henderson said. "I'm gonna make a whole explosion over there for Bellator."

Bellator inks veteran UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione

 

For the first time in his professional MMA career, Matt Mitrione will fight for an organization other than the UFC.

Mitrione (9-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC), who first joined the UFC in 2009 after a quarterfinal-round finish on “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” has signed an exclusive four-fight contract with Bellator. Officials today confirmed the signing after Mitrione first announced it on “The MMA Hour.”

A date hasn’t been set for his promotional debut, and financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. However, his deal will reportedly include commentary for the newly announced Bellator Kickboxing.

 

Mitrione, who’s No. 15 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, was riding a three-fight winning streak before recent losses to Ben Rothwell and Travis Browne, the latter coming in controversial fashion. The 37-year-old former collegiate football and NFL player said the time was right for a change.

 

“There comes a time in every athlete’s life, where the scenarios change and the landscape has eroded from what made you fall in love with it initially,” Mitrione stated. “It has become that time for me. After a mutually beneficial free-agency period, I’ve decided to move my career to Bellator.

 

“I’ve enjoyed almost every second of my career and unlike most that switch organizations due to being cut or no longer being able to perform at the sports highest levels, I am bringing a body and skillset that are only getting better, and I cannot wait to test my abilities against the best Bellator has to offer.”

 

[Guiness]

Frank Mir warns Mark Hunt: Tap out or lose your career at UFC Fight Night 85

 

 

When UFC heavyweight Frank Mir locks in a submission, he rarely lets go unless the fight is over. He hopes UFC Fight Night 85 opponent Mark Hunt remembers that fact.

In terms of grappling credentials, the former UFC champion is an all-timer. He’s the only fighter to break two limbs inside the octagon and has used seven different finishing techniques to score eight career UFC submission victories.

Mir (18-10 MMA, 16-10 UFC) is relentless when it comes time to ending a fight with his jiu-jitsu skills. He holds a notable advantage over Hunt (11-10-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) in that area and warns his opponent that he won’t hold back from earning another crippling finish in the FOX Sports 1-televised main event on March 19 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

“I’ve worked a lot of leg attacks,” Mir, who’s ranked No. 12 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings (Hunt is No. 11), told MMAjunkie Radio. “I love leg locks and heel hooks and kneebars. They’re complex and hard to avoid. I feel like if we get down to the ground, defending his legs is going to be very difficult, especially because his main concern is getting up – not worrying about his feet.

“I have the hip drive that when I grab something, it’s not going to be uncomfortable. He’s going to have to make the decision of it he wants to continue fighting or go ahead and lose that fight. When I say continue fighting, I mean if he taps, he can continue on (with his career). Kneebars and heel hooks at his age could take him out of competition for an extremely long time.”

The clash in styles between is about as clear cut as it gets. Mir has a handful of knockout wins, but his forte for the entirety of his career has been submissions. Hunt, oppositely, is a former pro kickboxer who transitioned to MMA. “The Super Samoan” carries arguably the most skull-rattling power in a division full of the sport’s hardest hitters. He can also take a shot like few others.

The contrast in strengths would seemingly indicate Mir has no other choice but to get the fight to the ground. He said that’s clearly his path of least resistance, but not absolutely essential. He said he could cause problems for Hunt on the feet, as well.

“Even when we’re striking, I feel very comfortable that I’ll be winning the MMA aspect of the standup fight,” Mir said. “That’s because there’s takedowns involved. Mark can’t just come in and throw a four-piece combination and a low kick. He has to be worried about me grabbing his leg and taking him down and fighting his way back up. It changes the striking aspect. For my striking, I’ve learned to adapt it right off the bat for MMA. Even my jiu-jitsu, I adapt it very much for MMA.”

Confidence has never been an issue for Mir throughout his career. He’s earned two UFC belts, and at UFC Fight Night 85, he makes his 27th UFC appearance, tying fellow former UFC champ Tito Ortiz for the most in company history.

Mir hasn’t won all of those fights, though, and his kryptonite has been hard-hitting knockout artists. Multiple fights have seen Mir’s offensive tactics thwarted and him stopped by strikes. That’s exactly what Hunt’s strategy is going to be, but Mir said he’s ready for it. He said he’s the more dynamic fighter overall, and while Hunt could certainly end the fight in one move, Mir could do the same, but from numerous positions.

“I’ve finished fights from my feet, I’ve finished fights with my ground-and-pound, and I’ve finished fights from my back with a submission, from top with submission,” Mir said. “You name it, and I’ve finished a fight that way. Mark can’t the same thing. If he hasn’t finished the fight by knockout or TKO, how can he finish the fight?”

 

 

 

UFC Fight Night 85 on Saturday Mar 19 10PM EST

[jakero]

BELLATOR MMA's signing of Bendo and Mitrione isn't significant at all

Let's face it Bendo the former UFC LW champ is not a needle mover in terms of ratings and PPV

Mitrione is an average HW at best.

90% of their roster is the top talent in each and every division in all of MMA

[Guiness]

UFC FIGHT NIGHT BRISBANE WEIGH IN

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA8FlXKkFds

[jakero]

Mir vs Hunt

 

Come on son!

 

that's a fight right there

[Guiness]

On the upcoming UFC FIGHT Night event in Brisbane in a few hours. I saw a Filipino fighter in the Featherweight Division fighting in the preliminary card. A guy by the name of Mark Eddiva who was signed by the UFC in 2014. His style is Wushu and he hails from Baguio City. His fighting record is 6-2. The Fighter's stats are listed on the UFC website

 

He is fighting Dan Hooker

 

Edited March 19, 2016 by hahnz

[bughaw1]

On the upcoming UFC FIGHT Night event in Brisbane in a few hours. I saw a Filipino fighter in the Featherweight Division fighting in the preliminary card. A guy by the name of Mark Eddiva who was signed by the UFC in 2014. His style is Wushu and he hails from Baguio City. His fighting record is 6-2. The Fighter's stats are listed on the UFC website

 

He is fighting Dan Hooker

 

eddiva.jpg

Eddiva was on the fight card of ufc fight night manila.

[Guiness]

Eddiva was on the fight card of ufc fight night manila.

 

I didn't see that event. But i did see the TUF: China Finale where he fought

 

Too bad he lost to Hooker with a guillotine choke today.

Edited March 20, 2016 by hahnz

[gwapingsz1]

Hunt won by first round KO.

 

I feel that it was a premature stoppage, Mir's legs gave out yes, but his instincts are still there he looked that he was preparing his guard or he is preparing for Hunt to follow him on the ground. I could be wrong, Mark Goddard is a good referree and he may have seen something I could not.

[gwapingsz1]

that walkout tho..

 

 

The master of the Walk Away Knock Out!

[bughaw1]

 

The master of the Walk Away Knock Out!

I like it that way. He is sure that his opponent will never get up. No need for follow up assault.

[jakero]

I'd like to see Mark Hunt fight Alistair Overeem

[Guiness]

Rashad Evans predicts Daniel Cormier will beat Jon Jones at UFC 197

 

Rashad Evans sees an upset brewing at UFC 197 with Daniel Cormier handing Jon Jones his first legitimate defeat.

Rashad Evans knows Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones better than most so he has an educated take on the upcoming rematch between the two light heavyweights set for UFC 197 on April 23.

While Cormier currently holds the title at 205 pounds, he will enter the rematch with Jones as a decided underdog after losing to the former champion by unanimous decision in early 2015.

Much of the world believes the second fight with Jones and Cormier will ultimately end the same as the first, but don't count Evans among those people.

"I am going to go on record and I'm going to go with the upset on this one -- I'm going to go with DC," Evans told FOX Sports while picking Cormier for the win. "For some reason I just feel like DC's going to get this fight. I just feel like he is."

 

There are several reasons why Evans is going with Cormier in the upset over Jones, but at the top of the list were his recent wins over Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson.

Evans trains with Johnson on a daily basis so he knows first hand how tough it is to deal with him but he says watching Cormier gut out a hard fought win over Gustafsson this past October was ultra impressive and enough to convince him that he could beat Jones in a rematch.

"I do see a way that DC beats Jon," Evans explained. "I think the pace DC fought in his last fight, coupled with a few things that he could do better as far as when he takes a guy down and being heavy on top, making sure that they carry his weight when they get back up because that exhausts the guys. That way he's not spending energy.

"I felt like DC did a hell of a fight that fight (against Alexander Gustafsson), fought a really good pace, but a lot of times during that fight he really made it 50/50 as far as the effort he's putting in versus the effort his opponent is putting in. I felt like where his opponent was using 70-percent of his energy and he was only using 40-percent, I feel like he really would have been able to dominate Gustafsson in a way that Jon wasn't able to."

 

 

Jones beat Gustafsson in a razor-thin decision in a bout that's largely considered one of the greatest light heavyweight fights of all time. Cormier also eked past Gustafsson during their fight at UFC 192 but Evans was blown away by how much the former two-time Olympian had improved since falling to Jones just nine months earlier.

Evans also questions the long layoff that Jones has dealt with over the past year while facing a suspension when he was involved in a hit and run accident in New Mexico that cost him the UFC light heavyweight title.

Jones was reinstated this past October, but by the time he faces Cormier for a second time he will have been out of action for nearly 16 months and that kind of ring rust can hinder even the best fighters in the world.

"I think that DC now is a better DC than the first time that Jon fought him. Also I think the layoff is not easy to come back from and Jon's never really had to face this. Jon's never really faced this layoff. So mentally going into the fight, there's some things different. There's some things different as far as USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) thing, and it just has a different feel," Evans said.

"(Jones) has only been gone a year but things just change so fast and it's hard to say what Jon is going to step into the cage. We've only seen one -- the brave, audacious, amazing Jon Jones. We've never seen a Jon Jones that had to really contemplate any kind of technique, any kind of move, will he return and be that same free flowing fighter that's made him one of the greatest fighters in UFC history?"

 

It all adds up to a win for Cormier according to Evans, who believes that it's finally his time to conquer Jones and solidify his spot as the best light heavyweight in the world.

"Mentally, coming into this fight, I think (Cormier) is in a different place. I'm a huge Jon Jones fan as far as his talent and everything in the Octagon, but I just worry that Jon under this new mindset, this new Jon Jones, is he going to still be able to go out there and do the things that we've seen him do so easily?" Evans questioned. "At some point, people do start to show that they are human and things do affect them so I wonder what's the real outcome to how he's internalizing everything that's happened in his personal life?

"I do believe he's so dynamic, but will he return as that same dynamic fighter that we've come to know?"

Evans also took time to clarify a recent comment he made where he mentioned that if Cormier did fall to Jones in the rematch that he should consider retirement.

 

In reality, Evans was speaking more to Cormier's obsession with being the best in the world whether it's wrestling or fighting and if he's no longer going to be in the running for a championship in the UFC, he just doesn't see him moving forward any longer.

"What I was really trying to say with that whole 'DC retiring' is the fact that I've known DC for years. I knew DC before he even put on any MMA gloves or anything like that. I just know competitively speaking, if DC isn't fighting for the gold, DC won't do it," Evans said.

"He's already had such a long career when it comes to wrestling that he's not just going fight if he's not going to have another chance to fight Jon Jones. That's what I meant by that."

Cormier will have his chance to prove Evans right when he meets Jones in the main event at UFC 197 on April 23 in Las Vegas.