CroCop promising 'new tricks' for Pat Barry fight

CroCop promising 'new tricks' for Pat Barry fight

With one fight left on his UFC contract Croatian heavyweight Mirko ‘CroCop’ Filipovic is promising some “exciting” new tricks for his June 12th meeting with Pat Barry at UFC 115. Filipovic terrorized the PRIDE heavyweight division but has fared less well in the UFC, and if he loses this fight he is surely going to be asked to call time on his career.

“Well we are working hard on just about every part of the game. After so many years in this sport some things need improvements but some are good as they are. I'll always be more comfortable with striking, but I do a lot of ground work, takedowns/throws and other stuff. You can expect some new exciting techniques from me, that's for sure,” he told Croatian MMA site Nokaut.

He also added that “the competition is really strong nowadays. These young lions are talented, well rounded and hungry, what makes them dangerous… Barry is young but very talented, I've seen his fights. I need this win as it's important for my future in UFC. It should be a good fight, I'm sure that we'll deliver an action-packed fight.”

Barry is almost tailor-made for Filipovic as he is also a kickboxing stylist who prefers the feet to the floor. Neither man is likely to be looking for the takedown - especially Barry, who sees facing Filipovic as a huge test and who would be elated to out-strike a man he has looked up to for so long.

Filipovic is coming off a win over Anthony Perosh at UFC 110 in February while Barry is coming off a win over Antoni Hardonk at UFC 104. That win was a personal milestone for Barry as the two used to train together under Ernesto Hoost, who Barry accused of “giving up on me” as a prospect.

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Barnett vs Dos Santos in Australia

Barnett vs Dos Santos in Australia

No dummy, not that Dos Santos.

Josh Barnett announces July 10 IFC fight with Geronimo Dos Santos in Australia

s his license status remains unresolved in the U.S., notable heavyweight Josh Barnett has taken another opportunity overseas.

The former UFC champion meets Geronimo Dos Santos at a July 10 event for the upstart Impact Fighting Championship promotion in Australia, Barnett announced via Twitter on Thursday.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) recently reported, Barnett, who hasn't fought in the U.S. since a January 2009 victory over Gilbert Yvel, wasn't part of an April 20 California State Athletic Commission meeting that was expected to address his failed drug test in August 2009.

Barnett failed the test as part of his license application to fight Fedor Emelianenko and an "Affliction: Trilogy" event that later was canceled. Barnett, whose tested positive for a designer steroid, immediately declared his innocence and informed the commission of his intent to appeal the decision.

The appeal hearing has been delayed multiple times – due to inclement weather and apparently poor communication between the CSAC and Barnett's representatives.

"[The commission] is doing what they want, however they want, when they want," Barnett told MMAjunkie.com. "They weren't all that compliant to begin with, and it wouldn't surprise me if they continued to be not entirely compliant – for whatever reason – at this point.

"But I know that we've tried our best to meet their schedules, deadlines, standards, and present ourselves within the regulation that they lay forth."

Fighters who test positive for steroids are not allowed to reapply for a license for one year, an anniversary Barnett will soon meet. However, George Dodd, executive director of the CSAC, said the fighter may still be asked to appear at a commission meeting before his license is approved or denied.

In the mean time, the IFC event takes place at the Brisbane Entertainment Center in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Barnett (25-5), who just a year ago widely was regarded as one of the world's top two or three heavyweights, looks to build off a January submission win over Siala-Mou "Mighty Mo" Siligia at DREAM.13. It was his sixth win in seven fights, though a brutal (and accidental) low blow early in the fight greatly slowed "Mighty Mo."

Dos Santos (17-8), a well-traveled Brazilian fighter, recently snapped a career-long eight-fight win streak with a loss to Edson Franca (11-3) due to an injury. All 17 of Dos Santos' victories have come via stoppage, 11 in the first round.

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Cheick Kongo: Back injury may delay possible Roy Nelson fight

Cheick Kongo: Back injury may delay possible Roy Nelson fight

While many MMA websites and blogs stated a Cheick Kongo vs. Roy Nelson matchup for UFC 116 was confirmed, the French fighter told us on Wednesday, during our interview with him at the Kongo Smashin' Club in his hometown of Paris, France, that the information was far from being confirmed.

Cheick has sustained a back injury, that he did not wish to disclose until Wednesday, during his fight with Paul Buentello at the UFC On Versus 1 event:

"I have to be able to start my preparation - the thing I haven't done yet. I am still injured [from the Buentello fight]," stated Kongo.

After undergoing several medical exams in the past few weeks, he's now waiting to see whether his injury will require surgery. If this is the case, which is possible, he wouldn't be ready to fight at UFC 116.

"I don't think it would happen at UFC 116. Maybe later but not then" said the French fighter.

He also stated that he did not get any word from the UFC on a fight between him and Nelson.
"I didn't get any word from the UFC [on this matchup], I have my manager Anthony who's working on that, and as of today I'm just actively recovering and nothing else" he concluded.

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UFC 117 Silva vs Sonnen Promo, More Chael Sonnen Quotes

UFC 117 Silva vs Sonnen Promo, More Chael Sonnen Quotes

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The Dream light heavyweight grand prix set for May 29 has been cancelled.

The Dream light heavyweight grand prix set for May 29 has been cancelled.

This was about all Dream had going for it. This was going to be an epic tourney. It could be the beginning of the end for Dream now. They have been putting on some really bad one sided event lately and this was their chance to have some really good shows. Maybe Aoki was right, he "was" fighting for the future of MMA in Japan.

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Are Australian MMA fighters good enough to mix it up in the UFC?

Are Australian MMA fighters good enough to mix it up in the UFC?

Are Australian MMA fighters good enough to mix it up in the UFC? This is a question in which I will attempt to answer, and my answer may sound somewhat biased due to the fact I am an Australian.

Australian MMA has grown exponentially over the years. From the beginning way back in 1997 to the present with UFC 110 in Sydney this year. The rise and support of the Australian public has been on display, and with great enthusiasm.

Looking at some of the best Australian fighters, a few names leap out for those who know of Aussie fighters in the UFC. Present day we have George Sotiropoulos, probably the best known Australian fighter in the UFC. And with his impressive domination of Joe 'Daddy' Stevenson at UFC 110, one of the few Aussies who could earn his shot at the UFC gold. Other names are those of Elvis Sinosic, Chris Haseman and Anthony Perosh. Now, Sinosic and Haseman have fought before, where Sinosic lost by submission (a chin to the eye, many consider an eye gouge which is an illegal move, but was legal when they first fought), the two where meant to mix it up again at UFC 110, but Sinosic had to pull out due to a last minute should injury. So, the rematch never went ahead. Sinosic and Perosh also own and run Sinosic-Perosh Martial Arts (SPMA) in Sydney.

Sinosic has fought in the UFC numerous times. He has fought Michael Bisping (loss via TKO, 1:20 Rd 2), Alessio Sakara (loss via unanimous decision), Forrest Griffin (loss via TKO, 3:22 Rd 1), Renato Sobral (loss via unanimous decision), Evan Tanner (loss via doctor stoppage, 2:06 Rd 1), Tito Ortiz for the LHW title (loss via TKO, 3:32 Rd 1) and Jeremy Horn (win via submission, 2:59 Rd 1). Now, Sinosic's UFC record may not look that impressive with a 1-5-0 (win-loss-draw) record. But, if you look at his opponents, they were/are all top ranked fighters on the UFC roster.

Haseman has fought once in the UFC against Evan Tanner (loss via unanimous decision), and even though he hasn't fought as much as Sinosic in the UFC, many still remember his legendary bout against Tanner. And several others think that he has fought in the UFC many, many more times.

Perosh has fought in the UFC a total of three times. But, has not been successful in any of these appearances. Perosh has fought Jeff Monson (loss via TKO, 2:22 Rd 1), Christian Wellisch (loss via unanimous decision) and more recently Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic (loss via doctor stoppage, 5:00 Rd 2).

Going back to our 'young blood' of Aussie UFC fighters, George Sotiropoulos. Sotiropoulos has fought in the UFC more times than Haseman. And has fought some good fighters. His first UFC fight came at The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale, where he versed Team Hughes fighter, (Sotiropoulos was on Team Serra), Billy Miles. George trained in New York with Serra for this fight and won in convincing fashion via TKO at just 1:36 of the opening round. His next foray into the Octagon was at UFC Fight Night 13 against Roman Mitichyan (who didn't make it into the house on TUF 6 due to a fractured elbow in fighter evals), again George won in style beating the Armenian at 2:24 of Round 2 by TKO. George Sotiropoulos is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with, and he hasn't even used his BJJ (he holds a black belt in the discipline) yet.

Sotiropoulos' next bout would come in the form of TUF8 competitor, George Roop. Sotiropoulos would win again in entertaining fashion, sinking in a Kimura at 1:59 of the second round to keep his winning streak alive. After the Roop fight, George faced off against Jason Dent, again winning the bout with his fantastic BJJ skills at 4:36 of round 2 by armbar. The most recent win of George's was on his home turf of Australia at UFC 110 where he dominated veteran Joe 'Daddy' Stevenson to win a unanimous decision.

With this impressive rise through the UFC ranks, who can match George's skills? Enter Kyle Noke. Now, Noke hasn't fought for the UFC, although he is a member of the TUF11 cast under coach Chuck Liddell. Noke is a Queenslander (and I love the bloke out of bias cause I am also a Queenslander, and he's a good figher). Noke won his prelim fight into the house in bloody fashion, scoring takedowns and dropping elbows. His first fight in the TUF tournament was great, submitting Clayton 'Green and Black Hair' Whatshisname by triangle choke to advance to the next round.

Noke has fought on some solid Australian cards such as Warriors Realm, appearing for the promotion a total of seven times. And with a record of 16-4-1 (win-loss-draw) he is one of the more experienced Australian fighters not already to have fought in the UFC. Now, with Noke appearring on this season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, being the second Australian (George Sotiropoulos was the first) to appear on the show, doorways could open up for Australian MMA fighters.

After UFC 110 in Sydney this year, Dana White (UFC President) mentioned, in vague terms, about the possibility of having an Australian team on The Ultimate Fighter show. Similar to season nine USA vs UK.

Now, we can sit and debate as to why Australia hasn't had the most success in the Octagon. Some may say it is because we don't have the best gyms here, and others may say it's because we do not have the instinct to fight. Or lack interest in the past time.

Personally, I disagree with all of these statements. And here's why:

WE DON'T HAVE THE BEST GYMS

Australia has some great MMA gyms. Sure, they may not be up to the calibre of the American, Brazilian or Japanese gyms, but they are good.

In QLD alone, there is CCMMA (part of Kickstart Fitness in Townsville) where Ian Bone was trained (before bailing and starting his own gym), and the likes of Edwin 'The Mexican Bomber' Arana, Fiona Muxlow, Gokhan 'Carnage' Turkyilmaz train.

Also in Townsville there is Body Torque. Body Torque is Ian Bone's gym, after he left CCMMA he started the gym with Australian Muay Thai fighter Brett Johnston. With such fighters on the roster as Aaron Raffin (originally from my hometown), Ian Bone himself, Jimmy White and others.

Gladstone aslso has a good gym, in Gladstone Martial Arts. And in Brisbane there is Integrated MMA, with head coach Danny Higgins. Integrated has great fighters Matt 'Rolling Bear' Cain, Adrian 'The Hunter' Pang, current TUF 11 cast member Kyle 'KO' Noke, Michael Mortimer, Tony 'The Jedi' Rossini and more.

Over the rest of Australia there are good gyms. Sinosic and Perosh's gym SPMA, Jon Leven's gym Customised Fitness Solutions, and many more. Just Google them.

So, can we really argue that the gyms aren't good enough in Australia? Probably, but I say no.

Moving on...

LACK OF INTEREST/INSTINCT

I may be the wrong person to write about this topic because I have been fighting my entire life, I threw my first punch at 8 years old. So fighting is what I was born to do.

Yes, I do understand that not everyone has this natural instinct. My parents, for example, are pacifists. My two sisters have never been in any fights of real substance. And my older brother, well... Anyone who knows my brother and me would swear we are the same person... Enough said.

Popularity for MMA in Australia has grown, quite dramatically. Almost every second male (mainly in the age bracket of 18-25) is wearing a TapOut, Silver Star or TUF t-shirt. Many even have a reasonable amount of knowledge about the newest MMA stars on the international scene, predominately the UFC. And although they may not understand the grappling side of the game, they do understand what it means when one fighter taps out to a submission.

Now, with this much interest in the younger, male demographic, then why is there not as many going to their local martial arts gym and starting to train. When the ROCKY movies came out, boxing gyms were overwhelmed with people wanting to start training to become the next 'Rocky Balboa'. Whether or not they realised that Rocky Balboa was a fictional character is still yet to be seen.

If a fictional character like Rocky can inspire the masses to start boxing with his story, then why can't a real life MMA fighter inspire the masses in a similar way? Take UFC newcomer, Jon 'Bones' Jones for instance. He wrestled in high school and was heading to college to wrestle. But, didn't end up going because his girlfriend was pregnant. Jones started fighting as a way to hook up with some easy money. Picking up several of his unorthodox techniques from Youtube and rarely using his wrestling, Jones has only been fighting for a total of 22 months! Jones' first 6 fights took place in a short time, only 3 months in which he went undefeated. Now sporting a near perfect record of 10-1-0 (win-loss-draw) with his only loss coming via a disqualification against Matt Hamill due to Jones raining down illegal elbows from the mounth position, Jon Jones is one to watch, and one to derive motivation from.

This debate as to why Australian MMA fighters are not on the same level as the rest of the world can go on and on. I have said my piece. My opinion may not be correct but I have spoken honestly from my point of view.

Feel free to suggest your own opinions as to how Australian MMA could improve.

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Commission Will Require Olympic Style Drug Testing Of Overeem

Commission Will Require Olympic Style Drug Testing Of Overeem

We’ve been notified by [Missouri's athletic] commission that testing will be strict. They’re going to use the same sort of testing that the Olympic commission uses, the same sort of testing that they use out here in California. So very strict steroid testing, and they’ve also been talking about [testing for HGH]. I don’t know if they can test for that, but it sounds like they’re gonna go to that level.

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HOLYS**T, WEC 48 ‘Aldo vs Faber’ Early Pay-Per-View Estimates: 150,000-200,000 Buys

HOLYS**T, WEC 48 ‘Aldo vs Faber’ Early Pay-Per-View Estimates: 150,000-200,000 Buys

It appears Zuffa pulled a rabbit out of their hat with WEC 48 Aldo vs. Faber after all.

When it was first announced that WEC 48 would be the organization’s first-ever pay-per-view, no one gave it much of a chance to pull respectable numbers. However, as the final weeks approached, Zuffa threw everyone a giant curveball. Not only did they replace the WEC crew with the “UFC pay-per-view team” to promote the card, they completely stripped the WEC of it’s brand identity. They say the latter was necessary because of television contracts, but it also put many casual fans under the impression that they were ordering/watching a UFC pay-per-view. I’ll let you guys debate whether that was intentional or not, but now that the early numbers are in, one thing is clear.

It worked.

The Spike prelims show drew a million viewers (more viewers than nearly every WEC card has on Versus) with the help of an epic Griffin-Bonnar-esque slugfest in Garcia-Jung, and more importantly the pay-per-view buy rate was on par with Dana White’s targets.

According to sources in the cable industry, early estimates indicate that the show did between 150,000 and 200,000 buys on pay per view, a number that has to be considered a resounding success internally. Bryan Alvarez has the same report in today’s Figure Four Weekly (subscription only).

Assuming these estimates are at least somewhere in the ballpark of the final tally, you have to believe Zuffa considers this a major success.

With that established the next question is, what does it mean for the future of the WEC? Will we see more WEC Fighter A vs Fighter B pay-per-views down the line? Could it convince Dana and Co. to fold the lighter weight divisions into the UFC now that they know the little guys can sell pay-per-views? Or do they have something entirely different up their sleeves?

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Where Does the MMA Org. formerly known as the WEC Go From Here?

Where Does the MMA Org. formerly known as the WEC Go From Here?

With over 14,000 fans in attendance at Sacramento's Arco Arena and more than $1 million in gate receipts, we can probably go ahead and say that this past Saturday was a good night for Zuffa and for Dana White. Whether it was a good night for the organization usually known as the WEC, that remains to be seen.

If you happened to be a casual MMA fan who stumbled across the preliminary bouts on Spike TV this weekend, chances are you were a little confused. It looked like the UFC. It sounded like the UFC. But where was the ubiquitous UFC logo? Where was any logo?

The closest thing you saw were the words "Aldo vs. Faber" on the microphones, which were being held by recognizable announcers who made no real attempt to let you know exactly what organization you were watching or how you could see more of it in the future. It was almost as if it was just some crazy fight fan's dream brought on by eating too many chicken wings and falling asleep with a Joe Rogan comedy special on TV. You wake up with the vague sense that you saw a Korean zombie do something extraordinary, but there's no way to know if it was real.

This is the paradox for the WEC following Saturday's event. It got greater exposure in the media and more attention from mainstream fight fans than at any time in its history, but the price it paid was a complete elimination of brand identity. It's sort of like a small business getting a great discount on an ad during the Super Bowl, with the condition that it couldn't mention the company name or tell anyone how to buy the product.

It's better than nothing, but it's still not exactly good.

The WEC is at a crossroads. Its fighters proved that with the right promotional push they can put on fights that are just as good, if not better, than any given bout in the UFC, and yet it's still difficult to say whether there are more actual fans of the WEC now than there were a month ago. When the organization returns to the cable hinterlands on Versus, it seems very likely that the fighter salaries, media attention, and fanfare will all go with it.

This makes you wonder, aside from producing one great night of action and a temporary cash infusion, what was the point?

First, the good news. The WEC got a chance to showcase some of its biggest names – guys like Jose Aldo, Urijah Faber, and Ben Henderson. It also got a chance to show skeptical fans that smaller fighters can deliver the kind of fast-paced action that the plodding giants of the sport often can't.

The bad news? After throwing just about every notable fighter on the roster into one event, it's hard to see how the WEC can maintain this momentum going forward.

Aldo's impressive victory has many fans aching to see how he'd do against the UFC's 155-pounders, and Henderson's win completed what amounts to an effective sweep of notable WEC lightweights. For both guys, there's almost nowhere to go but up and out of Zuffa's little brother organization.

That leaves Faber, along with bantamweights Dominick Cruz, Brian Bowles, and Miguel Torres – none of whom got the benefit of the "Aldo vs. Faber" hype to boost their name recognition among fans – to carry them forward.

Back to the smaller venues, smaller audiences, and smaller payouts. At least for a while.

Zuffa really has two realistic choices when it comes to the future of the WEC: It can keep operating it as a second-tier promotion for smaller fighters, building up to one or two pay-per-view events a year, or it can absorb the best of the little guys into the UFC. Both options have their drawbacks.

Choosing door number one implies that only fighters above a certain weight are worth the UFC's time and money, which is insulting to guys like Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung, who fought their hearts out to prove otherwise. Door number two floods the UFC with new weight classes and new champs, and there's always the possibility that casual fans will get confused and give up on trying to keep it all straight in their heads.

At the moment, Zuffa seems to be straddling the fence on this one, but decision time is approaching fast. If Saturday's event taught us anything at all, it's that good fighters – not brand names or company logos – make fights worth watching. And the little guys, they're definitely worth watching. Even if they don't get treated like it all the time.

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Anderson Silva May Suffer From “Middle Child Syndrome”

Anderson Silva May Suffer From “Middle Child Syndrome”

The middle child often has a sense of not belonging.

They fight to receive attention from parents (Zuffa) and others (the fans) because they feel many times they are being ignored or dubbed off as being the same as another sibling (GSP, Brock Lesnar, etc.).

Being in the middle, a child can feel very insecure.

On the flip side, imagine what it must be like to possess confidence levels so incredibly high and powerful, that when a fighter steps into the cage, he already knows that he can beat anyone that the UFC puts across from him.

What result would that have on his levels of performance and psyche?

Well duh…just ask Anderson Silva.

Silva, in case you have been in a NyQuil-induced coma these past few weeks, has been the catalyst to a lot of negative publicity in the sport of MMA.

Screw you Abu Dhabi!! (Just kidding…please don’t kill me).

But you get the point. As far as first impressions go, that definitely sucked.

Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Such is life.

Maybe next week I’ll write about the “MMA Metaphor.”

Society has a funny way of holding a mirror up to itself, don’t you think?

Anyway, I digress.

Is it possible that Silva is super-pissed at the UFC for their continually failed efforts to sign Fedor Emelianenko?

Not likely. It’s not as if Silva would get the first crack at Fedor anyway. That honour would obviously go to the current UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar.

Is Silva angry about his consolation prize—Georges St-Pierre?

The UFC had surely promised to hand over St-Pierre, immediately after the “GSP talks” had started.

Which “talks” you ask?

Well, the “pound-for-pound, best of all time” talks of course.

Fedor was the reigning “King of MMA” (notice I said “was”) for a very long time.

Then came Silva.

Then, not very long after (what…about two months?), the consensus was already starting to shift.

Suddenly, GSP was a legitimate pound-for-pound threat. The hairs on the back of the “Spiders” neck were officially raised at attention.

“How dare MMA fans compare anyone else to my greatness?” thought the all-mighty Silva.

Now imagine a Family Guy episode where Peter somehow convinces Anderson Silva that it’s a good idea to cruise through five uneventful rounds in a personally and professionally disappointing beatdown of Demian Maia at UFC 112, just to prove that he is the “best.”

Oh that Peter…isn’t he a stitch?!

In hindsight, as distasteful as that particular fight was, it was still an incredible and impressive display of passive dominance.

Silva easily could have ended that fight, but instead, he chose not to. We all know that.

After a bit of post-fight reflection, I think that my view on the number one pound-for-pound fighter has once again, shifted back (cripes…make a decision already!).

In my mind, Silva may now be the hands down—number one.

“But James, what about your ‘Golden Boy’ and Canadian MMA Ambassador, Georges St-Pierre?” asked the incredibly good lookin’ fight fan.

Sadly, in this business, you’re only ever as good as you were in your last fight.

Sorry…I don’t make the rules.

With such odd behaviour, does anyone else think that it’s at all possible that Silva wanted to get fired from the UFC?

Think about it.

At the very least, maybe he was daring Dana White to do it?

[INSERT POWER STRUGGLE HERE]

Strikeforce isn’t going anywhere by the way, despite the post-fight brawl on CBS, and Silva getting fired by the UFC…well…let’s just say, Strikeforce and M-1 Global would have been able to come to amicable terms very quickly.

Silva vs. Fedor would surely clear things up for both of these men.

Then again, on second thought…what about Jose Aldo as the best pound-for-pound fighter?

Or how about Ben Henderson?

Special thanks to the WEC fighters for reminding us all why we truly love the sport of MMA. In the future, let’s just hope that the good will continue to outweigh the bad.

For my next article, I will discuss the reason why this sport isn’t going anywhere, any time soon.

Stay tuned.

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White says Aldo one of world's best, WEC champion's next move uncertain

White says Aldo one of world's best, WEC champion's next move uncertain

If nothing else, WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (17-1 MMA, 7-0 WEC) has options.

After a dominating five-round victory over former champion Urijah Faber at this past Saturday's WEC 48 event, UFC president Dana White said he was so impressed with "Junior" that he's already considering where the Brazilian phenom would rank in both the bantamweight and lightweight divisions.

As for the humble Aldo, he'll just sit back and wait to hear what's next.

"Who decides that are my bosses," Aldo said through his manager and interpreter, Ed Soares. "I'll fight whoever they put in front of me."

The line probably isn't too terribly long.

According to FightMetric, Aldo landed an astounding 112 punches to Faber's 24. In an astonishing comparison, featherweights Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung, who engaged in an instant classic slugfest that earned WEC 48's "Fight of the Night," only landed 124 punches – combined.

But the real story of the bout was told through the 27 devastating kicks that Aldo landed (of 29 thrown). The blows left Faber hobbled in the early going, and he struggled to remain upright as the action wore on.

"It's always a part of my strategy," Aldo said of the attacks. "I feel that I have strong kicks. ... Once they started landing, I just went with it."

Faber didn't make the evening's post-fight press conference. Instead, he was taken to the hospital for observation, and "The California Kid" posted pictures of the damage on his official Twitter account the following day.

Aldo actually expressed some remorse that Faber suffered such painful injuries.

"Every time I step in the octagon, my goal is always to win, to finish fights," Aldo said. "Unfortunately, sometimes the guys go to the hospital.

"One part of me is very happy that I won the fight. The other part of me is sad to see my opponent had to go to the hospital – not only my opponent, but any fighter. I'm one of these fighters. Any time one of these fighters goes to the hospital, it makes me very upset.

Some observers have criticized Aldo for his inability to finish the contest, though White certainly seemed pleased by the performance. Aldo credited Faber for his durability and said the rare lack of a finish – it was his first decision win in seven WEC outings – was due more to his opponent's toughness than his own inability to end the bout.

"Urijah was doing a very good job of covering things up," Aldo said. "The only thing that kept landing was that low kick. I kept going into that hoping that he was opening up, but every time I would go in to try and do something else, he was covering himself up very well. You have to take your hat off to Urijah. He came in with a good strategy to protect himself.

"I don't want to take anything away from Urijah Faber. He was a great champion, and he went in there and fought for five rounds. Some people would have quit. He hung in there and took all five rounds."

Soares, who has recently found himself busy defending another high-profile client, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, for his inability to finish, also saw stark differences in Aldo's win and "The Spider's" recent UFC 112 victory.

"Jose went in there and dominated, and it just feels great," Soares said. "It's a good feeling to see him go out there and put on his best performance. I know he was actively trying to finish. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. But on the other side, hopefully it answered some questions. People were asking, 'What if Jose gets into deeper water or into five rounds?' Well, he just went five rounds with a super-explosive guy, and he proved to the world that he can go five rounds.

"[Aldo] wanted to finish, obviously. I actually thought they were going to stop the fight in the fourth round when he was in side control as long as he did. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, but he dominated, and I'm proud of him and happy."

Despite owning just one successful title defense at 145 pounds, many MMA pundits have suggested that Aldo already has little else to prove in the division.

Manny Gamburyan, who defeated Mike Brown earlier on the WEC 48 card, appears the only immediate threat to Aldo's title, especially with prospects such as L.C. Davis, Josh Grispi and Chad Mendes in need of a bit more seasoning.

Aldo said he'll be just fine with whatever the WEC offers.

"I don't pick my opponents," Aldo said. "Whoever they put in front of me is fine. If it's Manny, then great. Whether the guy is good, bad, ugly, it doesn't make a difference. I'll fight whoever they put in front of me."

Options. Aldo has them, as does the WEC. In fact, White said only one thing is truly certain about the Brazilian: he's one of the best in the world – at any weight class.

"There's no doubt that he's one of the best in the world, period, out of all fighters, not just his weight division," White said. "He definitely should be on the pound-for-pound list.

"Urijah is one of the best in the weight division. Jose is just that much better."

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The White Cage Returns At DREAM.14

The White Cage Returns At DREAM.14

DREAM Producer Keiichi Sasahara today confirmed rumors that the promotion’s next event, to be held on May 29th at Saitama Super Arena, would be returning to the cage.

“The White Cage”, which was first used at DREAM 12, uses a tuna netting called “matrix” and is more flexible than the traditional wire cage. DREAM 14 will also return to the round structure we first saw at DREAM 12 – 3 x 5 minute rounds. For it’s ring events, DREAM currently has one 10 minute round followed by a 5 minute round.

No other rule changes were announced which means elbows to the head of a grounded opponent will still be illegal.

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Tito Ortiz Reportedly Arrested For Domestic Violence (Update)

Tito Ortiz Reportedly Arrested For Domestic Violence (Update)

TMZ is reporting that police units have responded to a “disturbance” call at Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson’s house in Huntington Beach, California. Details are scarce at the moment, however TMZ is also hearing that crime scene investigation units are on scene as well which seems to imply that this is something a lot more serious than a loud argument a neighbor overheard.

Updates will be posted below…

Update: Word is Tito Ortiz has been arrested for domestic violence.

TMZ has learned Tito Ortiz was just arrested for felony domestic violence at the home he shares with Jenna Jameson.

We’re told when cops arrived at the couple’s home in Huntington Beach, CA — Jenna Jameson had “visible injuries.”

We’re told someone called 911 today at 9:53 AM and reported a “disturbance.”

Tito is currently in custody and on his way to a Huntington Beach jail in Orange County, CA.

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MMA Art Gallery Exhibition NSFW

MMA Art Gallery Exhibition NSFW

Nine new paintings from Southern California artist, Jorg Dubin, will go on display this May at Peter Blake Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA. The new works feature subjects from the arena of mixed martial arts fighting. MMA is an ever-expanding sport that draws on the theatre of professional wrestling, the brutal force of boxing and the brash individualism of NASCAR.

Dedicated MMA fans will recognize many of the subjects of the paintings. However, Dubin does not seek to merely record or portray the personalities of the sport. These paintings explore the entire scope of the MMA cultural phenomena – the mindset of the fans, the psychology of the combatants and the vibrant spectacle of the competition. MMA fights present the basest form of conflict – dominance and submission. Dubin depicts this conflict through the juxtaposition of the brute fighter and the demure female form. In MMA, to “submit” is akin to giving up, to saying “uncle”, to lose. However, as a metaphor for human existence, one “submits” to life’s challenges and yet does not succumb. One overcomes.

To overcome and withstand pain while inflicting pain on an opponent is the fighter’s challenge. The ultimate goal of the fighter is to force submission. As humans, we rest on a history of conflict. We cherish victory. To force our hand on our opponent. To be superior both mentally and physically. Yet, in the course of our lives, there are times when we must also “submit” to our struggles, our emotions and to others. Through submission we gain perseverance. Through submission we understand the resilience of the human spirit, a resilience that is more meaningful than any short-lived victory in or out of the ring.

A reception for the artist will be held on May 6, 2010, 6-9pm. The exhibition runs through May 30, 2010

Peter Blake Gallery
435 Ocean Avenue, Laguna Beach, CA. 92651
949-376-9994

www.peterblakegallery.com

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Urijah Faber's Hometown Paper Tells Him to Retire

Urijah Faber's Hometown Paper Tells Him to Retire

One of the tough things about combat sports is that fighters compete so infrequently that every single loss seems like the end of the world. In other sports athletes can usually end a losing streak the next day or the next week, but in fighting losses take on added significance because you won't get a chance to win again for months.

In the case of Urijah Faber, the former WEC featherweight champion who lost to Jose Aldo on Saturday, it's going to be at least a few months before he can put aside the ridiculous notion that he needs to retire.

Here's what Victor Contreras, the Deputy Sports Editor of Faber's hometown Sacramento Bee, writes that Faber should do:

Retire. Retire now, not after another loss in which you're cheered entering the octagon and booed leaving it.

Faber couldn't beat Aldo on Saturday night or any other day of the week. No shame in that.

Aldo is a young, powerful kid. He didn't even use most of his aggressive arsenal against a foe he truly respected.

Faber has made Sacramento proud, restoring pride to a once-great fighting city. He's a true warrior who has survived many battles.

Why risk tarnishing that image or risk the chance of injury?

Take a bow, Urijah.

This is, in a word, stupid. Faber doesn't need to retire at age 30 just because he can't beat Aldo. He has plenty of good fights left in him and should return to the cage just as soon as his badly bruised leg will allow him.

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Dana White: UFC won’t do a business deal with CBS because CBS is tarnished now

Dana White: UFC won’t do a business deal with CBS because CBS is tarnished now

A reporter asks if Zuffa would like a deal with NBC, ABC, or any of the major broadcast networks in America:

“You know, I don’t dislike any of them or have any problems. Obviously, you know you guys have heard me talk about Showtime. Showtime blew that whole deal between us and CBS. But I wouldn’t do a deal with CBS, I wouldn’t. I just think they’re tarnished now and I wouldn’t want to be associated with that. “

A reporter asks if Zuffa is actively pursuing any broadcast network deals or is interested at all…

“Not really. If something comes, yeah, but dude, we’re doing just fine where we’re at. We are… you know, we have a game plan. We’re happy with the plan that we have right now. I think it’s great and I think we’re going to do big things over the next couple of years, so you know I’m not actively pursuing any networks. We’re always talking to people about different things and if it happens if it happens but it would have to be the right deal. Like I said, Strikeforce is on CBS because they had to take that deal. They had to do that deal with Showtime. I don’t. I don’t have to do those kind of deals, you know. IFL had to do that deal. They’re bad deals. (Reporter says, “Money wise?”) In every way shape and form they’re bad deals, you know, I was this close, I mean we were so close to this HBO deal and right before it was there I said, ‘You know what man? I don’t like this. I don’t like it. It doesn’t make sense.’ There were a lot of things that I didn’t like about it. You know when you think in your head at the time ‘you know, this will probably be good for the brand, it will take us…’ and it’s not. You have to… we’ve gone this far without making the wrong move. It’s not good to start making the wrong moves now.”

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Fantasy League Season 1 Enter now.

Fantasy League Season 1 Enter now.

Fantasy League Rules.

Fantasy League Rules. See PDF at bottom.

All welcome to join, we are doing a UFC Fantasy League with a Salary Cap format. This is our first season so it could be a bit buggy. We will make any adjustment for season 2 which will start August 1st. If there is something you would like to see changed or added, please speak up and we will do what we can. You pick any 10 UFC fighters and keep your total equal or under 5 million. It is up to YOU to make sure your roster is within the 5 mil cap. If it is determined that you are over, you will be fined 25 points and receive 0 points for the events that you were over the cap. The UFC season will run 3 months in length starting May 1st to July 31st. The winner gets 50,000 Crypt Cash, 2nd place gets 25,000 Crypt Cash and 3rd gets 10,000 Crypt Cash.

* Title Fights- If your fighter win's in a Title Fight, you get 15 points, your fighter loses the title fight you get -7 points
* Main Card Fights- If your fighter is on the Official Main Card, and he win's, you get 10 points, your fighter loses, you get -5 points.
* Preliminary Card Fights- If your fighter is on the Preliminary Card, and he wins you get 5 points, your fighter loses, you get -2.
* Finishing Fights- If your fighter finishes the fight (Submission,TKO/KO,or Stoppage/Cuts) you get an extra 2 points.
* Bonus Points- If your fighter gets (Fight of the Night), (Submission of the Night) or (KO of the Night) your fighter gets an extra 5 points.
* Bad Things-If your fighter tested positive for drugs of any kind, or is suspended for any reason (except injuries), your fighter gets -3 points.
* If your fighter misses weight, your fighter gets -1 point for every pound over.

* Roster Changes - You can drop and pick 2 two fighters at/around the end of each month or beginning of the new month depending on when the events fall. However, you will always need to stay at or below your 5 million dollar budget.

Scoring Summary:

Scoring made simple:

Fights
Title fight: Winner +15 Loser -7
Main card: Winner +10 Loser -5
Preliminary: Winner +5 Loser -2

Bonuses
FOTN/SOTN/KOTN: +5 Bonus
Finish: +2 Bonus

Other stuff
Drug Test: -3
Miss weight: -1 per pound

Roster
Mark Bocek $101,670
Joe Brammer $100,000
Mac Danzig $101,250
Rafael Dos Anjos $100,000
Evan Dunham $106,670
Frankie Edgar $1,000,000
Darren Elkins $100,000
Efrain Escudero $102,080
Terry Etim $107,920
Spencer Fisher $105,000
Kenny Florian $850,000
Takanori Gomi $354,167
Tyson Griffin $429,167
Clay Guida $250,000
Melvin Guillard $100,000
John Gunderson $100,000
Dennis Hallman $100,000
Paul Kelly $100,000
Joe Lauzon $107,080
Dan Lauzon $100,000
Nik Lentz $101,670
Steve Lopez $100,000
Duane Ludwig $100,000
Gray Maynard $758,333
Cole Miller $103,330
Jim Miller $220,833
Charles Oliveira $100,000
Rafaello Oliveira $100,000
Claude Patrick $100,000
Ross Pearson $100,000
Kurt Pellegrino $103,330
BJ Penn $1,000,000
Aaron Riley $100,000
Sean Sherk $470,833
Dennis Siver $100,000
George Sotiropoulos $466,667
Jeremy Stephens $100,000
Joe Stevenson $179,167
Sam Stout $154,167
Thiago Tavares $102,500
Paul Taylor $102,220
Gleison Tibau $106,250
Ronys Torres $100,000
Matt Veach $100,000
Jacob Volkmann $100,000
Matt Wiman $100,000
Andre Winner $100,000

Ricardo Almeida $129,412
Thiago Alves $788,889
Phil Baroni $101,100
Charlie Brenneman $100,000
Matt Brown $100,000
Carlos Condit $104,400
Paul Daley $416,667
Marcus Davis $100,000
Nate Diaz $150,000
Jake Ellenberger $103,890
Jon Fitch $883,333
Brian Foster $100,000
Ricardo Funch $100,000
Jonathan Goulet $100,000
Renzo Gracie $102,220
TJ Grant $100,000
Mike Guymon $100,000
Dan Hardy $683,333
John Hathaway $100,000
Dustin Hazelett $103,330
Johny Hendricks $100,000
John Howard $104,440
Matt Hughes $105,556
Anthony Johnson $294,444
DaMarques Johnson $100,000
Martin Kampmann $107,780
Dong Hyun Kim $105,560
Rob Kimmons $100,000
Josh Koscheck $711,111
Jesse Lennox $100,000
Chris Lytle $101,670
Rory MacDonald $100,000
Rory Markham $100,000
Nick Osipczak $100,000
Julio Paulino $100,000
Mike Pierce $100,000
Georges St. Pierre $1,000,000
Mike Pyle $100,000
Matthew Riddle $100,000
Daniel Roberts $100,000
Amir Sadollah $103,890
Diego Sanchez $261,111
Ben Saunders $106,670
Matt Serra $138,889
Peter Sobotta $100,000
Greg Soto $100,000
Rick Story $100,000
Mike Swick $161,111
Paulo Thiago $366,667
James Wilks $100,000
Yoshiyuki Yoshida $100,000

Yoshihiro Akiyama $247,059
Alan Belcher $106,470
Vitor Belfort $882,353
Michael Bisping $282,353
Nick Catone $100,000
Patrick Cote $194,118
Tim Credeur $100,000
CB Dollaway $101,180
Tomasz Drwal $100,000
Jesse Forbes $100,000
Kendall Grove $102,350
Gerald Harris $100,000
Ed Herman $100,590
James Irvin $100,000
Ryan Jensen $100,000
Rob Kimmons $100,000
Tom Lawlor $102,350
Chris Leben $104,120
Demian Maia $682,353
Nate Marquardt $694,118
Mike Massenzio $100,000
Drew McFedries $100,000
Tim McKenzie $100,000
Dan Miller $188,235
Mario Miranda $100,000
Mark Munoz $100,000
Yushin Okami $300,000
Rousimar Palhares $105,882
Nate Quarry $108,820
Goran Reljic $101,760
Jorge Rivera $100,590
Alessio Sakara $106,470
John Salter $100,000
Anderson Silva $1,000,000
Wanderlei Silva $535,294
Aaron Simpson $100,000
Chael Sonnen $870,588
Steve Steinbeiss $100,000

Ryan Bader $106,470
Stephan Bonnar $102,940
Jason Brilz $100,000
Travis Browne $100,000
Luiz Cane $106,470
Steve Cantwell $100,000
Randy Couture $352,941
Phil Davis $100,590
Cyrille Diabate $100,000
Rashad Evans $735,294
Rich Franklin $288,235
Forrest Griffin $435,294
Alexander Gustafsson $100,000
Matt Hamill $102,350
Jared Hamman $100,000
Quinton Jackson $729,412
Keith Jardine $100,590
Jon Jones $511,765
Kyle Kingsbury $100,000
Chuck Liddell $152,941
Lyoto Machida $1,000,000
Vladimir Matyushenko $100,000
James McSweeney $100,000
(Lil Nog) Nogueira $552,941
Tito Ortiz $107,650
Igor Pokrajac $100,000
Mauricio Rua $935,294
Thiago Silva $417,647
Elvis Sinosic $100,000
Krzysztof Soszynski $102,940
Brian Stann $100,000
James Te Huna $100,000
Brandon Vera $106,470
Rodney Wallace $100,000

Mostapha Al Turk $100,000
Pat Barry $188,235
Joey Beltran $100,000
Paul Buentello $100,000
Shane Carwin $917,647
Chad Corvin $100,000
Mirko Cro Cop $182,353
Junior Dos Santos $817,647
Todd Duffee $104,120
Gabriel Gonzaga $247,059
Chase Gormley $100,000
Antoni Hardonk $104,710
Heath Herring $101,180
Cheick Kongo $300,000
Brock Lesnar $1,000,000
Jon Madsen $100,000
Frank Mir $711,765
Matt Mitrione $100,000
Roy Nelson $235,294
(Big Nog) Nogueira $558,824
Anthony Perosh $100,000
Ben Rothwell $102,350
Mike Russow $100,000
Brendan Schaub $100,000
Kimbo Slice $150,000
Stefan Struve $105,882
James Toney $100,000
Chris Tuchscherer $100,000
Cain Velasquez $888,235
Gilbert Yvel $205,882

If there is somebody you want to add to your team that we haven't listed, just give them a default value of $100,000. It is up to you to fill your team with current or active fighter and to make sure your roster is within 5 mil.

You might want to print out this PDF to practice with before you pick your actual team. Once you pick your team, you are stuck with them till the end of the first month.
Roster and practice PDF - http://mmacrypt.com/Misfit/FantasyLeague.pdf

Pick your team here - http://mmacrypt.com/forum/misc.php?do=form&fid=13

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Leonard Garcia breaking hands and making fans against 'The Korean Zombie' at WEC 48

Leonard Garcia breaking hands and making fans against 'The Korean Zombie' at WEC 48

For me to be able to put on shows and fight and have guys who are gonna fight me like that guy, that's a dream come true for me. I always said I wondered what it would be like to break my hand in any round and have to continue on in the fight. I told Coach 'I think my right hand's broken' and he was like 'It's gonna be broken until the fight ends anyway so you gotta go in there and finish.' I felt like he hit me with some shots that would have put anyone else down and I hit him with some shots that would have put anyone else down. He's a great fighter, I think he's gonna grow a lot. I heard some boos in the audience. I'm not here for judge's decisions, I'm here to make fans, to give the best fights to my ability and that's what I felt like I did tonight.

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Are UFC-WEC joint shows on the horizon? Dana White says he has "long-term gameplan"

Are UFC-WEC joint shows on the horizon? Dana White says he has "long-term gameplan"

This past Saturday's "WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber" event benefited from a promotional push from its sister promotion – the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported, the reason was simple: to get some preliminary fights on Spike TV as a teaser to the WEC's first-ever pay-per-view event, the WEC branding had to be stripped.

But what about a next step in the UFC-WEC relationship? Could we ever see UFC and WEC fighters competing on the same card?

After the event, MMAjunkie.com spoke to UFC president Dana White about the possibility. In his usual manner, White didn't give a definitive answer – but he also didn't deny a co-promoted show could be on the horizon.

"We know what we're doing," said White, who replaced WEC General Manager Reed Harris as fight-week promoter for the show. "We've got some plans, and as we start to go global and move into all these other countries, there's a long-term gameplan for this thing. I just can't tell you guys what it is."

While much pre-event speculation focused on the possibility of a long-rumored (but long-denied) UFC-WEC merger, White said

the success of WEC 48 should prove that the organization has a solid future of its own on PPV.

"Tonight was the first night, and it was a home run in every way, shape and form," White said. "Those (PPV 'buy') numbers come in Monday, but I'm feeling confident about it. There's a lot of ways for us to gauge – through the website and a number of other things – on the number that we think we're going to do.

"If the polling that we've done is correct, it's going to be a good night."

Of course, if the WEC, which focuses on the sport's lighter weight classes, proves self-sufficient on pay-per-view, a co-promoted WEC-UFC show would appear less likely. Why mix the promotions when each proves successful on its own?

Regardless of what happens in the future, White said the setup used for this weekend proved a wise choice.

"I think it was all the right decision," he said. "No matter what that number is on Monday, I know I did everything the right way."

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So you want to be an MMA fighter, Faber version.

So you want to be an MMA fighter, Faber version.

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Was Garcia vs Zombie the best fight you've seen?

Was Garcia vs Zombie the best fight you've seen?

This is the sickest fights I've seen in a long ass time. I loved it. Just shows you don't needed a damn title or big name to put on a great freaking fight. Where do you put it??

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Leonard Garcia breaking hands and making fans against 'The Korean Zombie' at WEC 48

Leonard Garcia breaking hands and making fans against 'The Korean Zombie' at WEC 48

For me to be able to put on shows and fight and have guys who are gonna fight me like that guy, that's a dream come true for me. I always said I wondered what it would be like to break my hand in any round and have to continue on in the fight. I told Coach 'I think my right hand's broken' and he was like 'It's gonna be broken until the fight ends anyway so you gotta go in there and finish.' I felt like he hit me with some shots that would have put anyone else down and I hit him with some shots that would have put anyone else down. He's a great fighter, I think he's gonna grow a lot. I heard some boos in the audience. I'm not here for judge's decisions, I'm here to make fans, to give the best fights to my ability and that's what I felt like I did tonight.

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Are UFC-WEC joint shows on the horizon? Dana White says he has "long-term gameplan"

Are UFC-WEC joint shows on the horizon? Dana White says he has "long-term gameplan"

This past Saturday's "WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber" event benefited from a promotional push from its sister promotion – the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported, the reason was simple: to get some preliminary fights on Spike TV as a teaser to the WEC's first-ever pay-per-view event, the WEC branding had to be stripped.

But what about a next step in the UFC-WEC relationship? Could we ever see UFC and WEC fighters competing on the same card?

After the event, MMAjunkie.com spoke to UFC president Dana White about the possibility. In his usual manner, White didn't give a definitive answer – but he also didn't deny a co-promoted show could be on the horizon.

"We know what we're doing," said White, who replaced WEC General Manager Reed Harris as fight-week promoter for the show. "We've got some plans, and as we start to go global and move into all these other countries, there's a long-term gameplan for this thing. I just can't tell you guys what it is."

While much pre-event speculation focused on the possibility of a long-rumored (but long-denied) UFC-WEC merger, White said

the success of WEC 48 should prove that the organization has a solid future of its own on PPV.

"Tonight was the first night, and it was a home run in every way, shape and form," White said. "Those (PPV 'buy') numbers come in Monday, but I'm feeling confident about it. There's a lot of ways for us to gauge – through the website and a number of other things – on the number that we think we're going to do.

"If the polling that we've done is correct, it's going to be a good night."

Of course, if the WEC, which focuses on the sport's lighter weight classes, proves self-sufficient on pay-per-view, a co-promoted WEC-UFC show would appear less likely. Why mix the promotions when each proves successful on its own?

Regardless of what happens in the future, White said the setup used for this weekend proved a wise choice.

"I think it was all the right decision," he said. "No matter what that number is on Monday, I know I did everything the right way."

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WEC 48 Main Card Recap

WEC 48 Main Card Recap

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A famous Cincinnati Reds hurler once said that pitching in Dodger Stadium was like wearing a suit of pork chops in a lion's den.

WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo experienced mixed martial arts' equivalent of that – fighting "The California Kid" Urijah Faber in his hometown – and successfully tamed a 145-pound lion.

The fight capped off WEC 48, World Extreme Cagefighting's pay-per-view debut, and took place in front of a soldout crowd at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif.

In his first fight since winning the belt from Mike Brown in November, Aldo used devastating striking – most notably crippling leg kicks – to slow, injure and ultimately defeat the former champ and WEC superstar.

Aldo worked on Faber's lead leg in the first round, and by the second, a noticeable limp followed. In the third, the mounting damage and continued kicks knocked a wobbly Faber to the mat. With no legs and an inability to defend, the crowd favorite was soon picked apart by Aldo's crisp punches and precise kicks. In fact, so needing to protect his legs, Faber left his body and head open to additional blows from the champ.

"I trained a lot of defensive leg kicks, but he's really effective with them," Faber said. "He took my legs away from me. I was losing mobility."

Despite his opponent's inability to walk in the fourth round, Aldo followed Faber to the mat after scoring another knockdown via leg kick. Aldo dived into guard and soon took his opponent's back, but Faber somehow escaped. After a similar knockdown, Aldo again followed his opponent to the canvas, passed guard into side control, and blasted Faber with punches while he was trapped in the crucifix position. Referee Josh Rosenthal gave the fighter every opportunity to escape the hold and intelligently defend himself, and Faber somehow survived the attack for more than a minute to make it to the final round.

After his corner told him to keep the fight standing in the fifth, Aldo continued his vicious striking attack. Yet when Faber was knocked to the mat or failed in takedown attempts, Aldo wisely remained upright. The strategy earned him the round and an eventual unanimous-decision win via scores of 49-45, 49-45 and 50-45.

After the dominating performance, Aldo won over the previously hostile crowd.

"We were planning for it to be a tough fight," Aldo said through manager and translator Ed Soares. "I know the crowd here is for Uirjah, but I hold Sacramento close to my heart. It's the first place I fought (for the WEC), and I hope they can adopt me ... in my home away from home."

With his 10th consecutive win, Aldo moves to 17-1 overall and 7-0 in the WEC. Faber falters to 23-4, and with his third loss in five fights, drops to 8-3 in the WEC.

In the night's co-headliner, WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson proved his first win over Donald Cerrone was no fluke and quickly submitted the No. 1 contender for his first successful title defense.

The fighters first met in October at WEC 43, where Henderson earned a hard-fought unanimous decision to stake claim to an interim belt. And after unifying the titles with a win over-then champ Jamie Varner in January, Henderson was booked for a second fight with Cerrone.

Unlike the first meeting, which earned the event's "Fight of the Night" award, the rematch proved a lopsided affair.

After an early takedown failed, a determined Henderson easily secured the second. After a few quick punches, Henderson slapped on a guillotine choke, rolled to his back while in half guard, and prompted the tap-out seconds later at the 1:57 mark.

Cerrone, who sported a huge knot on his forehead after the fight, could do nothing but smile and shake his head in disbelief.

Henderson, who's now won 11 straight fights (seven via submission), gave credit to his jiu-jitsu coach, John Crouch, one of the few who earned his black belt from Royce Gracie.

"I owe everything to him," Henderson said. "He's taught every jiu-jitsu class I ever had."

With the title win, Henderson moves to 12-1 (5-0 WEC) and could get some consideration in the top-10 rankings talk for his division. Cerrone, meanwhile, drops to 11-3 (4-3 WEC) and remains undefeated outside of title fights.

For as long as Manny Gamburyan has been competing professionally, fans and fellow fighters have raved about his judo skills, explosive takedowns and freakish strength. But following his first-round destruction of former WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown, Gamburyan should now get some additional kudos for his striking.

Leading up to the fight – one in which Brown arguably had little to gain and a lot to lose – the ex-champ talked of his need for a win and a desire to reclaim the belt. However, Gamburyan, a former UFC fighter who appeared on "The Ultimate Fighter 5," is the one who looked like championship material in the main-card bout.

A patient Gamburyan continually circled and remained at a distance in the opening minute of the fight. As Brown engaged, Gamburyan tested his ability to counter. The trial resulted in virtually no error, and just two minutes into the fight, he found his mark and blasted Brown with a perfectly timed counter right. Brown dropped to the mat, and Gamburyan followed with additional punches to force the TKO stoppage at the 2:22 mark of the first round.

"I'm improving," Gamburyan said. "All I'm doing is improving. ... I promised you guys I would do genocide, and I did it."

Gamburyan, who's found new life since moving to the UFC's sister promotion, improves to 11-4 (3-0 WEC) with the win. Brown, meanwhile, drops to 23-6 (5-2 WEC) with his second loss in three fights.

In a featured lightweight attraction that pitted NCAA Division I wrestling All-American Shane Roller against prolific striker and fellow contender Anthony Njokuani, the ground fighter reigned supreme.

After a couple failed attempts, Roller scored the early takedown and took the knockout artist to the mat. There, he controlled the bout with his ever-improving jiu-jitsu game and a dominating top position. Additionally, when Njokuani scrambled for an escape, Roller wisely used the opportunity to take his opponent's back and secure a tight body lock from which his opponent would never escape.

And though it took some effort, Roller eventually forced the tap-out from a rear-naked choke. The end came at the 3:07 mark of the opening round.

With the win, which was his third straight in the organization, Roller moves to 8-2 overall and a stellar 5-1 in the WEC. Njokuani, who entered the bout with three wins that all earned "Fight of the Night" bonuses, drops to 12-3 (3-2 WEC).

Over the past year, the WEC's bantamweight title has bounced from new champ to new champ. The entire time, Scott Jorgensen knew a single, close split-decision defeat to Antonio Banuelos back at WEC 41 likely cost him his shot at the belt.

However, in a rematch that kicked off the WEC's PPV main card, Jorgensen got his revenge.

But it didn't come easy.

Jorgensen, who agreed to the fight a month ago when Damacio Page dropped out due to an injury, ate a number of left-handed punches from Banuelos and was dropped to the canvas on one occasion. However, Jorgensen took control in the second round with crisp standup and a stiff right hand that scored a knockdown of his own.

In the third and deciding frame, Jorgensen continued the assault, and Banuelos' busted nose began gushing blood. Banuelos tried to fight through it, but Jorgensen dropped him again midway through the round and closed out the frame with effective ground and pound.

Sensing the loss, Banuelos circled the cage after the fight while muttering profanities to himself. So when the judges read the official verdict – Jorgensen got the unanimous-decision win with 29-28 scores – Banuelos was hardly surprised.

As with Jorgensen's loss in their initial meeting, Banuelos (17-6 MMA, 8-5 WEC), who entered WEC 48 with a three-fight win streak, potentially cost himself a title shot. Jorgensen (10-3 MMA, 6-2 WEC), meanwhile, is sitting pretty with a four-fight win streak and a strong case for title consideration.

SEE ALSO: WEC 48 preliminary card recap: Garcia edges Jung in epic slugfest, Pettis submits Karalexis

MAIN CARD

•Jose Aldo def. Urijah Faber via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 50-45) (to retain featherweight title)
•Benson Henderson def. Donald Cerrone via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 1:57 (to retain lightweight title)
•Manny Gamburyan def. Mike Brown via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 2:22
•Shane Roller def. Anthony Njokuani via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:07
•Scott Jorgensen def. Antonio Banuelos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD
•Leonard Garcia def. Chan Sung Jung via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
•Anthony Pettis def. Alex Karalexis via submission (triangle choke) - Round 2, 1:35
•Brad Pickett def. Demetrious Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
•Chad Mendes def. Anthony Morrison via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 2:13
•Takeya Mizugaki def. Rani Yahya via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
•Tyler Toner def. Brandon Visher via TKO (elbows) - Round 1, 2:36

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GSP: ‘I Want To Fight The Best And Jake Shields Is The Best Right Now’

GSP: ‘I Want To Fight The Best And Jake Shields Is The Best Right Now’

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre continues to work a methodical game plan outside of the cage as he's involved in various projects to raise awareness not only about himself, but about the sport of mixed martial arts.

Having recently returned from his requested duties at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, GSP was up bright and early, alongside close friend David "The Crow" Loiseau, on the 3D shoot of "The Striking Truth", an in-depth documentary into the lives of two of the sports most popular athletes.

"They're going see a movie that's not only about fighting, it's about where we come from and what we have done to achieve where we are right now." St-Pierre said. "Its more about life than about mixed martial arts."

GSP raved about producer-director Steven J. Wong, who spent more than two years living alongside the champion, accumulating hours of footage. At times, Wong surely worried about invading the champion's personal space, but not according to St-Pierre. "Steven is like my best friend, and to be honest, it was like the camera wasn't even there."

Wong, alongside executive producer James Hergott and esteemed director Bobby Razak (affectionately known as "the Fedor of filmmaking"), expect the trailer for "The Striking Truth" to be released around the last week of April or early May, with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage being shown on "MMA Connected", starting April 26th.

In between shooting various scenes around Montreal and within the confines of the TriStar gym, St-Pierre discussed a variety of topics (and rumours) that see him as the focal point of many of MMA's biggest headlines.

His recent appearance at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi was rumoured to be a calculated effort by the UFC to have their welterweight champion challenge Anderson "The Spider" Silva once the main event concluded. According to GSP, this was simply not the case.

"That's not true" he said. "My trip to Abu Dhabi was in the plan before. They needed a guy to do the Q&A for the UFC at the weigh-ins and Abu Dhabi is very far, so a lot of fighters couldn't make it because they had to get ready for their fights. Because I just fought I was one that they asked to go there and also because it was a new territory, they needed somebody like a title-holder to go there for the fans.

"I wasn't there to call out Anderson Silva. I don't call out people; I don't want to do this. It's disrespectful and when a guy wins a fight I think that's his moment of glory and there is no way I should step in, but talking about Anderson Silva I was there for the UFC for other purposes."

Unable to hide from the topic of an epic superfight with "The Spider", St-Pierre knows what this fight would mean to MMA, but it's not up to him to decide.

"It would mean the biggest fight in mixed martial arts. Right now, it's not my target. I'm not the kind of guy to call out people."

With St-Pierre working diligently on adding lean muscle to his frame in an effort to gain more weight, Silva, ironically enough, mentioned he would like to cut down to 170 lbs, perhaps creating another option for the UFC to put together this mega-fight.

But GSP noted: "Nobody (from the UFC) talked about a fight with me and Anderson Silva, it was not the plan. Nobody came up to me and tried to make this fight happen ... If he wants to come down to 170 to fight me, maybe I'm not going to have a choice. I'm the title holder and at 170, I want to fight the best."

While the UFC ponders when to put this fight on, Silva is coming off a less-than-stellar performance against Demian Maia, but St-Pierre, who sat cage-side during the bout, believes the criticism isn't necessarily justified.

"When I saw his fight, to tell the truth I'm probably the only one to say that the first three rounds were awesome," he said. "I mean it was a great display of Capoeira mixed with Muay Thai. It was amazing and of course the fourth round and fifth round were disappointing, but Anderson Silva was not the guy who was losing the fight. It was the other guy who was losing the fight, so it's on the other guy to put the pressure on, not Anderson Silva. So in a way, I think the blame is more on the other guy than on the guy who's actually winning the fight."

While the bout with Silva is likely a year or so away, the UFC is apparently holding a mini-welterweight tournament to determine who is next for the champion. Up first are Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley at UFC 113, while Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves are expected to lock horns at UFC 115. On the outside, it appears Martin Kampmann and Paulo Thiago are also in the mix.

But a seventh name might soon be added as a possible challenger, one that is actually one of GSP's favourite fighters to watch: Strikeforce middleweight champion, Jake Shields.

"He's a great submission fighter", St-Pierre said. "He's got great technique and takedowns. He's very good at not getting hit standing up, he's a perfect mixed martial artist and he's going to have a long career. He's a very smart guy and I have a lot of respect for this guy. I love watching his fights."

St-Pierre admitted he rarely watches MMA fights, but does make a point to only spend time watching bouts with fighters that can teach him something, and Shields is definitely one he pays close attention to.

"As a matter of fact, there's only a few guys I like to watch in mixed martial arts, to learn, and he's one of them. I like to watch Jake Shields, Anderson Silva, Mauricio Shogun, Lyoto Machida. I like to watch also Fedor and Sakuraba back in the day, the Gracies, but there are few other guys that I like watching for my own personal learning."

Shields is coming off an incredible performance vs MMA icon Dan Henderson, successfully defending his middleweight title in a bout that many gave the champion no shot at winning. But his performance was overshadowed by a post-fight brawl, which GSP believes many in the MMA world simply blew the incident out of proportion.

"Mixed martial arts haters will use that against us, there is no doubt about it, it was bad for the image of the sport," he said. "But of course, the people that know mixed martial arts, they know it's bad for the image, but it's not going to change people's mind."

While many point the finger at Jason Miller, whose entry into the cage was the catalyst that ignited the melee, GSP reflected back on a time where he was perceived by many as being disrespectful for doing something similar.

"I think it was bad that Jason Miller came into the ring," he said. "You know I made a mistake once when I told Matt Hughes I was not impressed with his performance and I'm never going to do that again. It's totally disrespectful.

"When somebody wins a fight, that's his moment of glory, you don't want to take it away from him. It's very disrespectful and even Dana asks me to go in the ring after a guy's fight and I feel so bad. You know, I do it because he's the boss, so like when Dan hardy beat Mike Swick I had to go in the ring. I was just in the corner; I don't want to call him out or do anything, because that's Dan Hardy's moment of glory and I don't want to take it away from him, so I hate doing that stuff. Sometimes I have to do it for promotion, but your never going to see me call out someone ever again."

It is expected that St-Pierre will return to action in September, pending how the UFC's welterweight title picture pans out, and whether or not the promotion plans on using their welterweight champion as a coach on season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter. Ironically enough, an assistant coach during this season's Ultimate Fighter is Jake Shields, who is assisting Chuck Liddell as they prepare the next star in the UFC's Middleweight Class.

All of this seems to be pointing to a GSP vs Shields title fight, one which St-Pierre would welcome at anytime.

"Shields is amazing. He's of course the guy to beat right now. He's fighting at 185 lbs right now, and he's dominating and beating everyone at 185, and he's (a natural) 170 lbs fighter. He's not only an amazing fighter, he's an amazing jiu-jitsu fighter."

We've all heard Georges St-Pierre say it before, but this time around, it's as if he believes there is only one man to beat, to guarantee that there is no doubt that he is the best welterweight in the game today.

"As a proud champion, I want to fight the best and Jake Shields is the best right now."

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Randy Couture vs. James Toney targeted for August's UFC 118 in Boston

Randy Couture vs. James Toney targeted for August's UFC 118 in Boston

In a match likely to re-ignite the "boxing vs. MMA" debate, a bout between 10-time UFC champion Randy Couture (18-10 MMA, 15-7 UFC) and former boxing champion James Toney (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is targeted for the UFC's first trip to Boston.

Fighters Only was the first to report the possibility of the pairing, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed that while the matchup is far from official, it's in the works for a headlining spot at the event.

Although not officially announced, UFC 118 is expected to take place Aug. 28 at the TD Garden in Boston. Two high-profile lightweight fights are currently on tap for the Northeast event: newly minted champion Frankie Edgar fights the man he deposed for the belt, B.J. Penn, in an immediate rematch of their recent UFC 112 bout, and two-time contender Kenny Florian faces standout Gray Maynard.

The weight limit of Couture vs. Toney is currently undetermined. Couture is now two fights into a second stint as a light heavyweight, while Toney is primarily regarded as a heavyweight in the boxing world.

The position of Couture vs. Toney on UFC 118's card is also unknown at this time, though sources close to the event say it will likely take a headline or co-headline slot.

Toney, 41, won a UFC contract in early March after a protracted trash-talk campaign against UFC president Dana White and several mixed martial arts fighters. The former boxing champion sought the guidance of boxing and MMA coach Juanito Ibarra and at several points welcomed a fight with Couture (though he called out virtually every MMA star he could name).

Toney is currently training with Ibarra in Southern California as he prepares for his MMA debut.

Couture, 46, railroaded fellow UFC Hall of Fame member Mark Coleman in his most recent performance at UFC 109. The win shook off controversy that lingered after his prior appearance, a close decision victory over Brandon Vera at UFC 105 this past November, and put him on track for a shot at the 205-pound title.

When Toney signed, however, Couture expressed an immediate interest in welcoming the boxer to MMA.

Couture lost his heavyweight title to current champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 91. A subsequent setback against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102 prompted a move to the 205-pound class.

He remains one of only two men to hold titles in two different weight classes (He won light heavyweight gold three times with wins over Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort and heavyweight gold against Maurice Smith, Kevin Randleman, Tim Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga).

A part-time actor in addition to his pugilistic responsibilities, Couture's new movie, "The Expendables," is set to premiere on Aug. 12, a little more than two weeks before UFC 118.

UFC 118 is the first major MMA event to arrive in Massachusetts. This past November, the state's governor, Deval Patrick, signed into law a bill that calls for the Massachusetts State Boxing Commission to become the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission and oversee MMA events.

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