UFC champ Dominick Cruz: I'm on another level than Urijah Faber

UFC champ Dominick Cruz: I'm on another level than Urijah Faber

GLENDALE, Ariz. – For 25 minutes, Dominick Cruz (17-1 MMA, 7-1 WEC) made Scott Jorgensen look like anything but the top contender for the UFC's first-ever bantamweight title.

Cruz out-struck, out-wrestled, out-shucked and out-jived Jorgensen on the way to a lopsided unanimous-decision win at Thursday's WEC 53 event that further cemented the champ's claim to be the world's top 135-pounder.

And soon after the win, Cruz made little attempt to play the "whatever the UFC brings me" card. Instead, Cruz knows exactly what he wants: Urijah Faber (24-4 MMA, 9-3 WEC).

"Yes," Cruz flatly said when asked if he'd be interested in the matchup.

The pair has some history together. Cruz's lone loss came in a bid for the WEC featherweight title in a March 2007 bout against then-champion Faber. Since then, the two have each traded verbal jabs with each other and openly welcomed the matchup.

Cruz believes he's matured greatly since then and hopes the rematch comes to fruition sooner rather than later.

"When I first came in, I have no excuses," Cruz said. "[Faber] beat me fair and square that day. He was a better fighter than me that day, but it's been three years. That was my very first training camp I ever had with my coach, Eric Del Fierro. Before that fight, I was still working a full-time job, and now I can devote every ounce of energy into fighting to become the best fighter I can.

"I just know that I'm a completely different fighter than I was then. My ground game is better. My wrestling is better. My standup is much better. I have weapons everywhere. I just know I'm on another level than him."

The door was opened to the rematch when Faber recently dropped down to the bantamweight division after competing for much of his career at 145 pounds. While Faber dispatched of Takeya Mizugaki with ease at November's WEC 52 event, Cruz said he'll be more impressed if "The California Kid" is able to do the same against some of the division's more accomplished athletes.

"[Faber] looked good in his last fight," Cruz said. "He finished the guy very quickly, but still, he didn't fight somebody that was at the super-top level at 135 pounds at this particular moment.

"Some of the things that he's going to improve on are just basically trying to adjust to my game. That will be hard for him because it's hard to find people that move as much as I do. There's certain things he can do and certain things he can come up with – good luck, I don't know what – but I'll be ready."

There's been some speculation Cruz and Faber could be cast as opposing coaches in the upcoming 13th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," which begins taping in January.

Cruz has a lingering hand injury he hopes to address shortly, but the 25-year-old said he's be willing to wait on that surgery if it means a chance to coach opposite Faber and fight him at the conclusion of the season.

"I would accept it very much, and I'd be stoked, and it would be awesome because I would get my loss back," Cruz said. "An opportunity like that, I might have to deal with the hand again.

"I'll get my hand checked out, and I'll take it stride by stride – talk to my camp, my coaches. They want what's best for me, and I want what's best for the longevity of my career, as well. This is something that just needs to get taken care of. I've known it because it's been bothering me. Everybody goes into fights with injuries. It's just part of the sport. I've been blessed, and I've been able to tolerate it."

Coaches for the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter" are expected to be announced shortly. Until Cruz's exact plans are determined, he'll have to stick to reflecting on a tactical masterpiece that saw him land 283 strikes to Jorgensen's mere 55, according to CompuStrike.

Cruz's detractors will undoubtedly point out that the win was the UFC champ's sixth decision result in his past seven fights, but he thinks it's imperative to look beyond his method of victory and analyze the performance as a whole.

"I'm always disappointed when I don't get a finish," Cruz told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I am; I mean that. I'm trying to go out there and finish the dude. I almost broke a record with landing punches and kicks. What else can you do? I was trying.

"I'm fighting the best guys on the planet in my division, and that's basically all I can say. These guys are tough. They're not going down. I dropped the dude. I wobbled him twice.

"Everybody says I don't hit hard. Come on. What else do you want me to do? I'm doing what I can, and you know, I really believe that's something I need to improve in my game, and I'm going to. Everybody evolves as a fighter. Everybody has something they need to get better at. That's the next step for me."

Whether or not that next step involved Faber remains to be seen, but for now, Cruz walks away from the WEC as the promotion's final 135-pound champion and heads into the sport's biggest entity as the UFC's first-ever bantamweight champ.

It's a responsibility Cruz doesn't take lightly, and he hopes to to build on his eight-fight win streak just as quickly as possible.

"I still don't know what to think about it, to be honest," Cruz said. "It hasn't set in. It's just surreal. It really is. You hear that a lot, but it really is a surreal moment.

"I was able to get better and improve because of the fighters in my division in the WEC. Now I've been able to have the opportunity to win the UFC championship. It's awesome. There's no words to explain it. It's a dream come true. I thank God every day for it."

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Crypt Bookie: WEC 53: Henderson vs Pettis

Crypt Bookie: WEC 53: Henderson vs Pettis

Live, December 16th on Versus
From the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona

Main Card:

WEC Lightweight Championship Bout:
Ben Henderson (c) (12-1-0) vs. Anthony Pettis (11-1-0)

WEC Bantamweight Championship Bout:
Dominick Cruz (c) (16-1-0) vs. Scott Jorgensen (11-3-0)

Lightweight Bout:
Donald Cerrone (12-3-0) vs. Chris Horodecki (16-2-0)

Lightweight Bout:
Jamie Varner (16-4-1) vs. Shane Roller (8-3-0)

Lightweight Bout:
Bart Palaszewski (35-13-0) vs. Kamal Shalorus (6-0-1)

Preliminary Card:

Lightweight Bout:
Danny Castillo (9-3-0) vs. Will Kerr (9-2-0)

Bantamweight Bout:
Brad Pickett (19-5-0) vs. Ivan Menjivar (21-7-0)

Bantamweight Bout:
Renan Barao (23-1-0, 1 NC) vs. Chris Cariaso (10-1-0)

Lightweight Bout:
Danny Downes (6-1-0) vs. Zhang Tie Quan (12-0-0)

Lightweight Bout:
Yuri Alcantara (20-3-0) vs. Ricardo Lamas (9-1-0)

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Ovince saint preux will fight for third time in six weeks on jan. 7

Ovince saint preux will fight for third time in six weeks on jan. 7

Former University Of Tennessee Linebacker Will Seek Seventh Victory In A Row Against Abongo Humphrey;
Woodley-Saffiedine Bout Headlines at Nashville Municipal Auditorium
NEW YORK (Dec. 14, 2010) – There will be no Holiday Season for streaking light heavyweight Ovince St. Preux, who’ll try to make it seven wins in a row when he fights for the third time since Nov. 19 on a STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card presented by Rockstar Energy Drink on Friday, Jan. 7, 2011,at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Aformer University of Tennessee linebacker, Saint Preux (9-4) will be opposed by fellow quickster Ron “Abongo’’ Humphrey (7-2) of Atlanta. The first STRIKEFORCE event of the year will be highlighted by an eagerly awaited confrontation between two of the promotion’s premier, up-and-coming welterweight (170 pounds) stars, unbeaten Tyron Woodley (7-0), of St. Louis, and hard-hitting Belgian, Tarec Saffiedine (10-2).
Originally scheduled to take place on the card, the middleweight (185 pounds) matchup between Yancy “Frisson’’ Medeiros (9-0) of Waianae, Hawaii and John Salter (5-2) of Nashville has been scrapped due to a knee injury sustained by Medeiros.
The 6-foot-3, 27-year-old Saint Preux, of Knoxville, Tenn., will be the first fighter ever to compete on three consecutive STRIKEFORCE events. He is coming off a career-best, thoroughly dominant three-round unanimous decision over UFC veteran, Benji Radach, on Dec. 4, in St. Louis on SHOWTIME. Saint Preux registered a unanimous three-round decision over Antwain Britt during a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Nov. 19 in Jackson, Miss.
“I always thought I was fighting Jan. 7, but when I had a chance to take the fight (with Radach), I took it,’’ said Saint Preux, a member of Knoxville Martial Arts Academy who passed what most expected to be his toughest test in impressive fashion. “That was a good fight and a hard fight that we both took on short notice but there was no way I could turn down fighting in Tennessee.
“I like to stay busy and I’m in the gym training, working out and trying to improve all the time anyway. So why not fight again? Besides, this is like a home game for me.’’
Saint Preux, who won his STRIKEFORCE debut with a 0:47, first-round TKO (punches) over Chris Hawk last April 17 in Nashville, played for the Vols from 2001-2004.
After graduating with a degree in Sociology in ’04, he became heavily involved in MMA, utilizing his impressive wrestling skills and natural athletic abilities. He made history on Feb. 20, 2009, by not only competing in Tennessee’s first sanctioned MMA event, but also by recording the first knockout in the state.
One of six children, Saint Preux has one sister and five brothers. Four of his brothers are twins; one set is older and one set is younger. He has a couple of brands on his body. One is for his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi.
Humphrey, a military son who was born on a base in Vacaville, Calif., will be making his fourth appearance for STRIKEFORCE and third in a row on STRIKEFORCE Challengers onSHOWTIME. In his most recent outing, he was submitted (rear naked choke) in the second round by a red-hot Mike “Mak’’ Kyle at a Challengers event last July 23 at Everett, Wash.
In his outing before last, the previous March 26, Humphrey made George Bush tap (guillotine choke) at 1:44 of the first round on a Challengers card in Fresno, Calif.
The birth name of the 5-foot-11, 33-year-old is “Ronald,” but he prefers to be addressed as “Abongo,” the name of an African warrior spirit believed to protect a village located in The Republic of Ghana. The moniker was bestowed upon him a few years ago after he endured a series of mentally and physically grueling tasks during a rites of passage trip to Africa.
Humphrey’s experience there inspired him to establish a non-profit organization that allows him to introduce other African-Americans to their heritage by bringing them to Africa.
“There are certain things that are lacking in the black community here and one of them has to do with cultural identity,” said Humphrey. “Fighting and doing the community work in Africa is something that really drives and motivates me in life.”
Humphrey was introduced to a national audience as a contestant on BET’s MMA reality series “Iron Ring” where he was a member of a fight team coached by MMA star, “Mr. International” Shonie Carter, and managed by hip-hop artist and producer Lil’ Jon.
Among those Humphrey defeated during his stint on “Iron Ring” were former K-1 USA contender, Jeff “Big Diesel” Ford, and Carlos Moreno, whom Humphrey knocked out with a head kick.
Tickets for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event are on sale at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000 including Kroger and FYE, Ticketmaster online and STRIKEFORCE’s official website. The first non-televised, undercard fight on Jan. 7 will begin at 7:30 CT. Doors will open at 7.
Other televised fights: Undefeated up-and-coming heavyweight prospect and former U.S. Olympic wrestling star Daniel Cormier (6-0) of San Jose faces Devin Cole (18-8-1) of Medford, Ore., and promising Julia “The Jewel’’ Budd (1-0) of British Columbia, Canada, faces Amanda “Lioness Of The Ring’’ Nunes (5-1), of Salvador, Brazil, in a women’s middleweight (145 pounds) match. A fifth televised bout will be announced soon.

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Randy Couture Announces Retirement from MMA on Facebook

Randy Couture Announces Retirement from MMA on Facebook

More than anything, I really hope that I’m not jumping the gun here.

Or worse, jumping to conclusions based on the following message announced on Randy Couture’s Facebook wall about an hour ago (Dec. 14, 9pm ET).

“Appreciate everyone commenting on my fights. I didn't get the memo that they were being shown I think I'm at the end of it! It's time to move on and focus on all the other amazing things going on in my life! It's time. Thanks R”

It would appear that “the Natural” has finally decided to hang up his gloves for good in order to pursue other aspirations in his life.

And I think that’s great.

Therefore, as a farewell tribute, I would like to take a moment to tell you about some of the things that I truly respect the most about Mr. Couture.

For starters, Couture gave (and continues to give) everything of himself into this sport. Without a doubt, you will not find a greater ambassador to the culture of Mixed Martial Arts (let alone the UFC) than this man right here.

He is (not “was”) the epitome of a Champion, and of how a Champion should carry themselves both inside and outside of the cage.

In today’s modern era of what is becoming “sports entertainment,” where some athletes feel compelled to create fake personas in the hopes that their personal villainization will sell more pay-per-views (think Josh Koscheck), Couture has always conducted himself in a respectful and honourable way.

Couture always “kept it real.”

What’s not to love about that?

That level of behaviour is to be eternally commended and I sincerely hope that a lot of young fighters can learn from Couture and take that part away with them when they think about what it means to be a true Champion.

I would consider Couture to be an ideal role-model for all young and aspiring mixed martial artists (or athletes in general) around the world.

As a father and youth football coach, I see a lot of good in Randy, and I sincerely appreciate his efforts to help younger fighters by acting as a coach and as a mentor.

The world needs more leaders like Randy Couture.

For me personally, I would have loved to have seen Couture fight one last time (bring on Machida, eh Randy?! LOL).

Not that it wasn’t completely satisfying to see Couture absolutely dismantle and embarrass the obnoxiously over-confident James Toney this past summer in Boston—because it was.

Then again, if it were up to me, Couture would never retire, but I know that is both selfish and unrealistic.

It saddens me a bit to think that we are losing one of the greatest fighters (and personalities) that our sport has ever seen, but if I honestly reflect on my points mentioned above, I can certainly come to terms with Couture’s retirement much more easily because I know that he will always be a part of this sport in many other significant ways.

There’s a lot about MMA that I don’t like, but the pros always seem to outweigh the cons.

Couture has always been a big part of that.

Thanks for everything Randy and on behalf of your fans, we wish you all the best in wherever life takes you.

You’ve earned it.

Cheers.

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Salma Hayek To Star In MMA Film, just an excuse to post pictures of Hayek.

Salma Hayek To Star In MMA Film, just an excuse to post pictures of Hayek.

There is a good and bad to every story. I always like to start with the good. My hope is that the good news will still be lingering in your head as I proceed to give you the bad.
The beautiful Salma Hayek is being eyed by Sony (they aren't the only ones eyeing her) to co-star in their untitled MMA fighting movie. Salma currently has two films in the works. The first being The Driver followed by her voicing the character Kitty in Puss in Boots.
The bad news is that Kevin James would be playing the MMA fighter. To see that is a little bit of a stretch is an understatement, but this could be a comedic gold mine....but probably not. This is all we know about the film so far: "It's about a physics teacher whose school is facing cutbacks. In order to save the music teacher's job, James moonlights as an MMA fighter."

http://www.watchkalibrun.com/2010/12...lma-hayek-pics

Kevin James? Who is he playing? Roy Nelson?
Pics of Selma after the jump

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Frank Mir Vs. Brendan Schaub In The Works For Early 2011

Frank Mir Vs. Brendan Schaub In The Works For Early 2011

A fight between former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and “Ultimate Fighter” season 10 runner-up Brendan Schaub is in the works for early 2011.

According to sources speaking to MMAWeekly.com, the bout between Mir and Schaub has at least reach verbal agreements, although no bout agreements have been issued at this point. Mir vs. Schaub would likely end up on one of the cards coming up in March, but an exact date has not been verified.

The match-up between Schaub and Mir locks up the fact that the former heavyweight champion will not be facing Brock Lesnar in a trilogy fight. UFC president Dana White had talked about the match-up but then backed off when fans on his Twitter page seemed very lukewarm about the idea of a third fight between the two heavyweights.

Since his win over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 121, Schaub has made no secrets for his desire to face Mir in the near future.

“If the UFC calls, I’m up for whatever they ask me to do… but I did say I think that next step up from Gonzaga would be a guy like Frank Mir or (Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic). For me, that’s kind of headed in the direction of getting closer to the title,” Schaub told MMAWeekly Radio after his win in October.

“I’m such a fan of Frank Mir and he poses such huge threats to me. I’m trying to get better and the only way to get better is knowing that I have to fight a guy like Frank Mir. That’s the reason (I said I wanted to fight him). Frank Mir is an absolute nightmare… stud jiu-jitsu guy and southpaw.”

It looks like Schaub got his match-up.

As for Frank Mir, the former champion is coming off a win over Mirko CroCop back in September, but not without some criticism for a fairly lackluster fight until landing the knockout blow late in the third round. Mir is 2-1 in his last three fights, and looks to climb back up the heavyweight ladder towards a title shot and faces a very tough test in Brendan Schaub.

Following the fight with CroCop, Mir seemed up for any challenge the UFC presented him including the fight with Schaub so now talk has become reality.

While no date has been determined for the match-up, the fight between Mir and Schaub would likely end up on a card in March 2011. Most of the major fights have been filled for cards earlier than that, and a heavyweight bout like this one will get a major slot on an upcoming show.

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Crypt Bookie: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs Koscheck II

Crypt Bookie: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs Koscheck II

UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2

Live, December 11th on Pay-Per-View
From the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Main Card:

UFC Welterweight Championship Bout:
Georges St. Pierre (c) (20-2-0) vs. Josh Koscheck (15-4-0)

Lightweight Bout:
Jim Miller (18-2-0) vs. Charles Oliveira (14-0-0)

Welterweight Bout:
Thiago Alves (17-7-0) vs. John Howard (14-5-0)

Lightweight Bout:
Mac Danzig (19-8-0) vs. Joe Stevenson (31-11-0)

Heavyweight Bout:
Sean McCorkle (10-0-0) vs. Stefan Struve (20-4-0)

Spike TV Card:

Lightweight Bout:
Mark Bocek (8-3-0) vs. Dustin Hazelett (12-6-0)

Welterweight Bout:
Ricardo Almeida (12-4-0) vs. T.J. Grant (16-4-0)

Preliminary Card:

Middleweight Bout:
Dan Miller (12-4-0) vs. Joe Doerksen (46-13-0)

Middleweight Bout:
Jesse Bongfeldt (21-7-0) vs. Rafael Natal (12-3-0)

Welterweight Bout:
Matt Riddle (5-1-0) vs. Sean Pierson (10-4-0)

Lightweight Bout:
John Makdessi (7-0-0) vs. Pat Audinwood (9-1-0)

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