angrylittlefeet
F*ck Cancer: Please Donate to “CagePotato’s Fight for ALF”!

Tag: Manny Gamburyan

Manny Gamburyan Earns Spot on UFC Injury Leaderboard, Pulls Out of May 18th Bout Against Hacran Dias


(…and from the looks of him, he might have food-poisoning as well. Photo via FightDay/UFC)

From Vitor Belfort to Paul Taylor to Sean Sherk to James Irvin, we’ve seen our share of injury-cursed UFC fighters over the years — and now it’s time to add one more name to this dubious list. It was announced yesterday that Manny Gamburyan has suffered an undisclosed training injury and will not be able to face Hacran Dias at UFC on FX 8 (May 18th; Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil). This marks the fourth fight that Gamburyan has had to pull out of since returning to the UFC in 2011. A quick recap…

- Following the WEC’s merger with the UFC, Gamburyan was scheduled to face Raphael Assuncao at UFC 128 in March 2011, but was forced out of the match with a back injury.

- Gamburyan was scheduled to face Diego Nunes at UFC 135 in September 2011, but was forced to withdraw due to a shoulder injury.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (5) DIGG THIS

Chad Mendes to Face Clay Guida at UFC on FOX 7, Following Manny Gamburyan Fight Cancellation


(If only he used his moustache powers for good. Photo via Tracy Lee/Yahoo!)

With his UFC 157 appearance up in smoke due to an injury withdrawal by Manny Gamburyan, featherweight contender Chad Mendes has been officially removed from the February 23rd card, and was just given a new match at UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez (April 20th, San Jose). Mendes, who is coming off back-to-back knockout victories in what could charitably be called “rebound fights,” will face Clay Guida, who is coming off a questionable split-decision victory in his featherweight debut against Hatsu Hioki, which followed his Worst Fight of the Year runner-up against Gray Maynard.

For Mendes, the matchup represents a return to tough competition that’s long overdue. For Clay, it’s another opportunity to bounce around the Octagon between takedowns and long stretches of top-control. (I’m just saying, remember the beast-version of Clay Guida who put in legendary battles against Roger Huerta and Diego Sanchez? Well, he got tired of losing fights and changed his strategy a bit. It is what it is.)

In addition to the headlining lightweight title fight, UFC on FOX 7 will feature Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir, Nate Diaz vs. Josh Thomson, and Dan Hardy vs. Matt Brown.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (7) DIGG THIS

Manny Gamburyan Suffers Thumb and Elbow Injuries, Forced Out of UFC 157 Fight Against Chad Mendes [UPDATED]


(Man, could you imagine if he was like four feet closer to his opponent when he threw that punch? Devastating. / Photo via MMAWeekly)

When you think about it, it is really remarkable how successful and durable UFC featherweight Manny Gamburyan has been in his MMA career considering how many serious and ill-timed injuries he’s sustained. The Armenian judoka lost TUF 5 after suddenly injuring his shoulder during the finals against Nate Diaz and has been sidelined multiple times since then.

Well it happened again, just two weeks before another crucial fight for him. SI‘s Melissa Segura first reported via twitter earlier today that Gamburyan has pulled out of his scheduled UFC 157 fight against fellow top featherweight contender Chad Mendes, due to a broken thumb and fractured elbow. Gamburyan later confirmed the report to MMAJunkie.

I just want to apologize to the fans and (UFC President) Dana White and the UFC. I’ve been training really hard. We’ll fight down the road for sure. My team was the main event, and we’ve been training together for many years, and I really wanted to be part of it too,” Gamburyan said, referring to his teammate Ronda Rousey, who will be fighting Liz Carmouche in the UFC 157 main event.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (6) DIGG THIS

Chad Mendes to Be Given Another Easy Paycheck at UFC 157


(Damn, Brittney, where’d you get those vintage Brawlin’ Buddies?)

It’s a good time to be Chad Mendes, Nation. Not only has he been all but cleared of the battery charges he was facing following a massive bar brawl in October, but the UFC apparently feels so bad for sacrificing his undefeated virginity to Jose Aldo at UFC 142 that they’ve thrown him three straight gimme fights against dudes who would be lucky to wash his jockstrap at Team Alpha Male.

First he got called out by Cody McKenzie, which somewhat justified their insane pairing at UFC 148 (which ended in just over 30 seconds, by the way). And last weekend, Mendes dispatched promotional newcomer Yaotzin Meza in just under two minutes at UFC on FX 6. That’s two fights at 36K a piece with a total fight time of under half a round. No wonder he calls himself “Money,” the dude’s somehow become the most efficient worker in the UFC. Think about that for a second, Potato Nation, then take a moment to wonder aloud why Mendes has been paired against TUF 5 runner-up Manny Gamburyan at UFC 157.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (4) DIGG THIS

Ronda Rousey Has Had a Tough Road to the Top


(Before she became MMA’s sweetheart, Ronda battled through some tough personal bouts growing up.)

We’ve all read stories about how Ronda Rousey became a beast on the mats training with the tough Armenians like Karo Parisyan and Manny Gamburyan as a girl at Gokor Chivichyan’s gym, but few actually know the real battles the bubbly Strikeforce number one bantamweight contender has gone through in her life.

In a recent feature by SI’s Loretta Hunt, Rousey revealed that her precarious life path began early in life as she could not speak until she was six due to complications at birth.

Of any fighter, it’s fitting that Rousey knows the value of making her voice be heard — she couldn’t put together coherent sentences until the age of six.

Rousey was born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck; her body was blue and she wasn’t breathing. She was revived in the delivery room, but when her communicative skills quickly fell behind the norm, the doctors thought she’d suffered brain damage or that she might be deaf.

When she began to talk, Rousey’s words were jumbled and she was sent to speech therapy classes. Frustration was a daily occurrence, as nobody could understand her.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (330) DIGG THIS

GIF of the Day: Ronda Rousey Tosses Nick Diaz Like a Sack of Potatoes


(“Get that trip takedown shit outta here, homie.”)

MMA H.E.A.T. provided us with the footage of Ronda Rousey training with Nick Diaz for today’s GIF goodness.

As Manny Gamburyan and Nate Diaz explain, Ronda’s judo — which earned the 24-year-old a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing — is on a whole other level than other women they’ve trained with. Here is the proof.

Also of note is Nate’s revelation that he would don a gi and pretend he was Karo Parisyan when he helped Nick train for his UFC 49 fight with “The Heat.” back in 2004. It’s safe to say he definitely knew who Karo was when they butted heads on the set of TUF.

Check out the full video spot after the jump.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (36) DIGG THIS

Video: The Pros Weigh In on Penn vs. Diaz

UFC 137 is just a week away, featuring what some believe to be a welterweight number one contender match between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz. If you weren’t convinced by our betting advice for the main event, then perhaps the words of Stephan Bonnar, Manny Gamburyan, Tyson Griffin, and Phil Baroni will do your thinking for you. And from the looks of it, you’re thinking B.J. Penn is going to come out on top, because that’s what the consensus seems to be for these pros.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (18) DIGG THIS

UFC Booking Roundup: UFC 135 and 137 Edition


Remember the good ol’ days?

Another weekend is here, bringing us another batch of fights confirmed by the UFC for future events. You know the drill. This weekend, a total of five fights have been announced, two for UFC 135 in September and three for October 29th’s UFC 137.

Yesterday the UFC announced the addition of a featherweight bout between Manny Gamburyan and Diego Nunes to the prelims of UFC 135. Expect Manny Gamburyan to be fighting with an extra sense of urgency in this one. The TUF 5 runner-up has lost two straight fights in Zuffa, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to Tyson Griffin at UFC Live 4: Kongo vs. Barry. Three straight losses would more than likely grant Gamburyan his walking papers. Likewise, Diego Nunes was last seen at UFC 131, where he lost to Kenny Florian via unanimous decision in Florian’s featherweight debut.

A bantamweight fight between Cole Escovedo and Takeya Mizugaki has also been added to UFC 135. Escovedo was last seen at UFC 130 in May, where he lost by unanimous decision to the impossibly long named Renan do Nascimento Mota Pegado, aka Renan Barao. “The Apache Kid” is 1-3 in his last four fights and needs to build some momentum if he wants to stick around in the UFC. Likewise, since his Fight of the Year worthy performance against Miguel Torres, Takeya Mizugaki has gone 3-3 in Zuffa, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to Brian Bowles at UFC 132.

Check after the jump for the fights added to UFC 137

Read More ADD COMMENTS (445) DIGG THIS

Tyson Griffin’s Featherweight Debut Will Be Against Manny Gamburyan at ‘UFC on Versus 4′

Manny Gamburyan Jose Aldo WEC 51
(And in the background, you can see Jose Aldo getting ready to do this.)

Two months after announcing his intentions to “move to 145 and make a run for that belt,” former UFC lightweight contender Tyson Griffin has his first featherweight dance partner. The Xtreme Couture product will meet Manny Gamburyan at UFC on Versus 4, which is slated to go down June 26th, possibly at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

Griffin is coming off of three consecutive losses (to Evan Dunham, Takanori Gomi, and Nik Lentz), which could make this one of those unfortunate “win or go home” fights. Meanwhile, Gamburyan hasn’t competed since his violently unsuccessful bid for Jose Aldo’s title last September, which broke his three-fight winning streak at featherweight. Gamburyan was booked to face Rafael Assuncao at UFC 128 last month, but was forced to withdraw due to a back injury.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (187) DIGG THIS

Wednesday Morning Link Club: The Dark Passenger

Miesha Tate Bryan Caraway Dexter Halloween MMA costumes
(Bryan Caraway and Miesha Tate as Dexter and some chick who’s about to get murdered. For more MMA fighter Halloween costume photos, hit up FiveOuncesofPain.)

– The Korean Zombie Vows Never To Fight ‘Zombie Style’ Again (MMA Convert)

– Must-See: Front Kick to the Chin Knockout (MMA Scraps)

– Faber The Key To Bantamweight Success In The UFC (Heavy.com/MMA)

– Manny Gamburyan: ‘WEC Fighters Deserve To Be In The UFC’ (SBNation.com/MMA)

– Scott Coker: Melendez vs. Aoki 2 in Works for New Years Eve in Japan (LowKick)

– The Top Ten Audience Reactions in MMA, Vol. 2 (MiddleEasy)

– Mike Brown Campaigning for WEC 53 Fight (Versus MMA Beat)

– The Method to Our Madness: FIGHT! Rankings Explained (FightMagazine)

– Keith Jardine’s Next Fight Postponed by Tropical Storm Tomas (MMA Fighting)

Read More ADD COMMENTS (452) DIGG THIS

WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan — Live Results and Commentary

Jose Aldo Manny Gamburyan WEC 51 weigh-ins MMA photos
(Look, not everybody can pull off the "casual cool" look as well as Dana White. You can’t just put Reed Harris in a Nuggets jersey and expect him to not look like the world’s most uncomfortable pedophile. No offense. / Photo courtesy of the WEC 51: Weigh In Pics gallery on CombatLifestyle.com)

Zuffa may have robbed you of $45 last weekend, but they’re making it up to us with a stacked-to-death WEC card on free TV, on a damn weeknight. Gotta love it. Will Jose Aldo continue his Sherman’s March through the featherweight division, or will Manny Gamburyan let everyone know who he is, bro? Will Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone settle their feud once and for all? Will Miguel Torres and Mike Brown return to old form? Can the Korean Zombie possibly top his last performance against Leonard Garcia? All these questions will be answered after the jump starting at 9 p.m., as we present our liveblog of WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan. If you love organized violence, give us a "hell yeah" in the comments section…

Read More ADD COMMENTS (1,033) DIGG THIS

Video: Check Out Jose Aldo’s Only Loss and a Few of His Incredible Performances

Jose Aldo vs. Luis Azevedo Part 1 - Jungle Fight 5 – November 26, 2005

(Video courtesy YouTube/newmexicoone)

Sometimes when you watch dominant fighters like Anderson Silva, Fedor Emelianenko and Georges St-Pierre compete, you forget that they’ve all tasted defeat. Jose Aldo is another MMA wrecking machine who, although maybe isn’t as far along in his career as the former list, falls under the same category.

If you haven’t seen the fight that gave him his lone blemish on his record, check out part one above and part two below. Paralleling Chael Sonnen’s masterful performance against Anderson Silva at UFC 117 (minus the PEDs), Aldo controlled opponent Luis Azevedo for the majority of the Jungle Fight 5 bout, but the Nova Uniao fighter made a rookie mistake on the ground, giving up his back and just like that he was now a loser.

He bounced back from the loss, earned his black belt (although you wouldn’t know it considering he hasn’t won by submission since) and hasn’t lost or looked back at the fight with Azevedo since.

We’ve compiled some of Aldo’s greatest performances for you to watch in anticipation of his fight with Manny "I’m Fedor, bro" Gamburyan tomorrow night at WEC 51.

Check them out after the jump.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (168) DIGG THIS

Manny Gamburyan Might Be a Bit Delusional


(Don’t you know who my cousin is, bro?)

Now, I know fighters sometimes say ludicrous things in the heat of the moment when hyping upcoming fights, like Mir saying he wanted Brock to suffer the first Octagon-related death and Mike Tyson saying he wanted to eat Lennox Lewis’ children, but for some reason none of those remarks seem as asinine to me as something Manny Gamburyan said during an interview with MMAWeekly radio yesterday.

When asked about his upcoming WEC 51 fight Thursday night with featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who has drawn comparisons to Anderson Silva for his dangerous and flashy muay thai skills, Gamburyan had the following to say:

“If they’re comparing him to Anderson Silva, they should compare me with Fedor," Gamburyan said without cracking up. "If he’s Anderson Silva, most definitely, I’m Fedor.”

Sure you’re Fedor, Manny — if Fedor wasn’t as good as he is, if he dropped a decision to Thiago Tavares and if he got KTFO by Rob Emerson.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (1,105) DIGG THIS

MMA FightPicker Update: Submit Your Picks for Aldo vs. Gamburyan and WEC 51′s Other Marquee Matchups

WEC 51 Jose Aldo Manny Gamburyan poster

This Thursday night in Broomfield, Colorado, the WEC will be hosting its most star-studded event since Aldo vs. Faber — with many of the same faces squaring off in the cage. In addition to Jose Aldo‘s featherweight title defense against Manvel the Anvil, WEC 51 boasts the bad blood rematch between Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone, Miguel Torres trying to snap a two-fight losing streak against Charlie Valencia, Mike Brown bouncing back against Cole Province, and Leonard Garcia and his Fight of the Year partner Chan Sung Jung returning against new opponents. Set your DVRs now (Versus, 9 p.m. ET) so you don’t have to come crying to us later. And if you’re a FightPicker player, please swing by fightpicker.cagepotato.com or apps.facebook.com/fightpicker to battle your fellow ‘pickers for bragging rights. The complete list of this week’s WEC 51 pool questions can be found after the jump…

Read More ADD COMMENTS (944) DIGG THIS

Gamburyan, Garcia, Henderson Lead ‘WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber’ Salaries


(Somebody should have warned Jose about those adjustable-rate mortgages. Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.)

Zuffa dished out $595,500 in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the fighters at Saturday’s "Aldo vs. Faber" event, with the end-of-night bonus winners coming out way ahead of the pack. Check out the numbers below, and keep in mind that they don’t include additional income from sponsorships or undisclosed "locker room bonuses," or deductions from insurance, licensing fees, or cornrow maintenance.

Jose Aldo: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
def. Urijah Faber: $28,000

Ben Henderson: $91,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus, $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
def. Donald Cerrone: $14,000

Manny Gamburyan: $101,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus, $65,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Mike Brown: $21,000

Shane Roller: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus)
def. Anthony Njokuani: $7,000

Read More ADD COMMENTS (23) DIGG THIS

The Potato Index: ‘Aldo vs. Faber’

Jose Aldo MMA WEC Jurassic Park raptor
(Props: WatchKalibRun)

After laying low for most of the month, the completely arbitrary numerical rankings system known as The Potato Index has been jarred from its slumber following this weekend’s absolutely insane "Aldo vs. Faber" event. And now, it’s time for some scores to be handed down with the wrath of a fat goth chick. Let’s hit it…

Jose Aldo +199
Aldo did what most of us expected him to do, which is run through the California Kid like a hot knife through corn-rowed butter. But his unfortunate stalling in the last round — when he could have put Faber out of his misery at any moment, or at least followed his corner’s advice and let Faber up when he went down — suggested that the WEC featherweight champ is cool with just running out the clock sometimes. It’ll be a problem if it becomes a habit. For now, you can’t get too mad at him, especially since Faber absorbed a level of damage that would have stopped almost any other fighter.

Urijah Faber -74
His hometown paper may be calling for his retirement, the freakin’ vultures, but let’s look at the positives: Faber still has one of the most passionate followings in all of MMA. He will not quit, no matter how bad things are going for him. And although his legacy at featherweight may be ending, there’s still a bantamweight division in the WEC that would probably love to have him. Time to set up Faber vs. Torres?

Read More ADD COMMENTS (22) DIGG THIS

‘Aldo vs. Faber’ Aftermath Notes: Bonuses, Hype, Excuses + Updates on Shields and Silva

Chan Sung Jung WEC 48 Leonard Garcia
(Chan Sung Jung reacts to his decision loss to Leonard Garcia on Saturday night. We feel your pain, buddy. Photo courtesy of MMAFighting.)

— WEC’s fighters are already seeing some benefits from their promotion’s first foray into pay-per-view. Though performance bonuses have totaled just $10,000 for recent WEC events, Zuffa handed out end-of-night bumps worth $65,000 following WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber. Picking up the hefty checks were: Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung for their epic Fight of the Night brawl that ended in a controversial decision win for Garcia; Manny Gamburyan for shocking the world with his first-round Knockout of the Night against Mike Brown; and reigning lightweight champ Ben Henderson, for his quick guillotine choke Submission of the Night over Donald Cerrone.

— Only one bout from the 11-fight card didn’t get airtime on Saturday night: Former bantamweight title challenger Takeya Mizugaki handed Rani Yahya his second straight loss during the prelims, edging out the Brazilian by unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27).

— Dana White was so hot on Jose Aldo after Saturday night’s main event that he’s already talking about a three-title reign. "I had heard that he wants to move down a weight class, win that belt and then go to 155 to fight BJ in the UFC," White said during the post-event press conference. "If he can do that, I don’t know if he can cut that weight and make that light a weight division, but he’d be the first guy to win three titles in three different weight divisions." We’re all for ludicrously overblown hype, but can we wait until Aldo makes a couple more title defenses in his own division first?

Read More ADD COMMENTS (1,284) DIGG THIS

Friday Afternoon Link Dump


(The Diaz brothers discuss competing with class, the delusion that MMA is a sport, and give the definitive answer on who would win in a fight between them. Wonderful stuff from Fight Magazine.)

– Manny Gamburyan vows to "do genocide" on Mike Brown tomorrow night at WEC 48. (Bleacher Report)

– Ben Henderson’s dream job? Exotic food-eater. (Cagewriter)

– BJ Penn shreds Dana White in his new book. (BloodyElbow)

– Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin official for UFC 116 in July. (MMA Fighting)

– M-1 says Strikeforce is to blame for their recent negotiation delays, and Fedor is frustrated at his long layoff. (Sherdog)

– Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida in the works for August. (MMA Weekly)

– Chael Sonnen’s latest bit of anti-Silva propaganda. (Inside MMA)

– Three featherweight fights added to DREAM.14, including Joachim Hansen vs. Hiroyuki Takaya. (Nightmare of Battle)

– TUF 11 "Minority Report" member Kris McCray defends Jamie Yager and says Rich Attonito took a dive. (The Rhino Den)

– 2010 NFL Draft first-round recap. (Scores Report)

– Awesomely sexist vintage ads. (Asylum)

– The Top 29 Best Cities To Live In. (Ask Men)

– 25 Examples of Unintentional Porn. (Holy Taco)

– 8 Bands Worthy of a 3D Concert Film. (Screen Junkies)

– How to Facilitate a Threesome (Made Man)

– Ten-car smash-up at the Texas Motor Speedway. (All Left Turns)

– Jeweler defends store against thieves with samurai swords. (Nothing Toxic)

– Must-see: Variety show erupts during baseball rain-delay. (Break)

Read More ADD COMMENTS (1,145) DIGG THIS

WEC 44 Payouts: Something’s Gotta Give

Jose Aldo Mike Brown WEC 44
("God damn you, Jose, don’t you ever leave me again!" Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

The WEC doled out a meager $276,500 in official salaries and bonuses for their "Brown vs. Aldo" event on Wednesday night, proving once again that short people are paid far less than their taller counterparts. Mike Brown earned just $15,000 for his failed title defense, and only five fighters broke the $20,000 mark. The numbers are below. Keep in mind that they don’t include income from sponsorships and "locker room bonuses" — which in the WEC probably amount to a No Fear energy drink and cab fare back to the hotel — or deductions for taxes, insurance, licensing fees, athletic commission fines, and alimony.

Jose Aldo: $36,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus, $10,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
Mike Brown: $15,000

Manny Gamburyan: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
Leonard Garcia: $14,000

Karen Darabedyan: $6,000 (includes $3,000 win bonus)
Rob McCullough: $20,000

Read More ADD COMMENTS (13) DIGG THIS

Featherweight Title Changes Hands Again as Jose Aldo Takes Out Mike Brown at WEC 44


(Aldo vs. Brown. Props: MMA Linker. If the video doesn’t load for you, click here.)

Last night at WEC 44 in Las Vegas, Jose "Junior" Aldo went from exciting prospect to King of the Featherweight Mountain. The 23-year-old Nova Uniao standout picked up his sixth-straight TKO victory in the WEC — as well as his first major title — by shutting down incumbent champion Mike Brown‘s advantages in strength and wrestling while unleashing his own fearsome finishing ability as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

The first round of their main event battle saw both men trade heavy strikes, with Aldo impressively defending Brown’s takedown efforts. Aldo found his moment early in the second frame, rattling the champ with a flying knee and punches, then shoving his off-balance opponent to the canvas when Brown came in with a left hook. Aldo quickly transitioned to back-mount on the ground, and began firing punches to the side of Brown’s head. Brown tried to roll out of danger, but found himself caught in a mousetrap-like body lock that kept him pinned on his stomach. Eventually he turtled, and "Worst Referee in the History of Fighting" Steve Mazzagatti had to step in and do his job.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (32) DIGG THIS

WEC’s Featherweight Class Picks Up Another Top Ten Fighter and a Crazy Armenian

Manny Manvel Gamburyan Anvil UFC MMA WEC Ultimate Fighter
("Brow down, bitches!")

Remember when the WEC’s featherweight division just consisted of Urijah Faber and the handful of dudes who were sent in to get trounced by him? Now we’ve got Mike Brown and Leonard Garcia fighting for the title, and guys like Wagnney Fabiano and Jose Aldo slaying their way up the ladder. It’s an exciting place to fight, and the division got even deeper this week with two high-profile additions to the 145-pound roster.

On Monday, MMA Junkie reported that #10-ranked featherweight Rafael Assuncao was signed to a multi-fight deal, with his debut possibly coming at WEC 40 (April 5th, Chicago). Assuncao is 12-1 with eight wins by submission, and holds career wins over Joe Lauzon and Jorge Masvidal. Most recently he scored a 12-second knockout over Joe "The Triangular Strangler" Pearson at an Ironheart Crown show in November. Though he was previously associated with Unit 2 Fitness in Atlanta, Assuncao will be moving to American Top Team, the home of current WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown. Said Assuncao’s manager Malki Kawa: 

"Hopefully, we’ll get one or two fights against some solid competition and put ourselves in line to challenge for the title. Rafael will be training with American Top Team, so he wouldn’t want to challenge Mike Brown for the title. He hopes Mike continues to have a great run as champion, but if circumstances change at some point, he would definitely like to challenge for the title."
Read More ADD COMMENTS (24) DIGG THIS

“UFC 87: Seek and Destroy” — Live Results and Observational Humor

Georges St. Pierre Jon Fitch GSP UFC MMA
(Photo courtesy of UFC.com.)

It’s time, baby. Jon Fitch attempts to steal Georges St. Pierre’s welterweight belt, Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta throw down in a lightweight #1 contender “definitely in the mix” match, and Brock Lesnar smash face. Hit that “more” link and refresh the page every few minutes to read all the latest from the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. Low prices every day — caged death tonight.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (168) DIGG THIS

Changes to UFC 85, Additions to UFC 87

Carneiro Chonan MMA UFC
(Carneiro and Chonan during a DEEP match in 2005, which ended in a controversial TKO loss for Carneiro due to a cut.)

Joe Silva’s hands have been full this week piling on fighters for UFC 87, and scrambling to replace them for UFC 85. First, the word on “Bedlam” (London, England; June 7th):

— Ryo Chonan has pulled out of his rematch with Roan Carneiro for unknown reasons. Replacing him will be Kevin “The Fire” Burns, a 4-1 UFC newcomer with possibly the cheesiest nickname we’ve ever heard. The UFC is doing Fire no favors by putting him against “Jucao,” who already boasts wins over Rich Clementi and Matt Horwich.

— Speaking of undercard bouts few people will care about, British fighter Neil Wain has broken his nose and won’t be able to face Antoni Hardonk. Filling in for him will be Eddie Sanchez, who has won his last two UFC matches against Soa Palelei and Colin Robinson, and will do his best to deal with fighting across the Atlantic Ocean on two weeks notice.

As for “Seek and Destroy” (August 9th; Minneapolis, MN):

— Frankie Edgar, who took his first career loss against Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 13, will be returning at UFC 87 against an opponent to be named later. With Sean Sherk indicating that he wants to be part of the first UFC card in his home state of Minnesota, an Edgar/Sherk bout isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Read More ADD COMMENTS (684) DIGG THIS

Ricco Rodriguez Has No Idea

Here’s a preview clip from tonight’s episode of Inside MMA, in which Ricco Rodriguez discusses his participation in YAMMA’s debut event (April 11th, Atlantic City). We’ve already established that the fight surface is a big bowl, but even Ricco still doesn’t know what the enclosure is going to be like, and doesn’t expect to find out until he gets there. For the record, if it turns out to be Plexiglass, Bas Rutten came up with that idea first. Also, horse-jockey Gary Stevens throws in his two cents, God knows why. (Props to TheMMAPost for the video.)

Bonus: Marcus Aurelio’s armbar of Ryan Roberts on Wednesday was damn nasty…

…and Manny Gamburyan is kind of a dick.
MG
(Props: BloodyElbow)

Read More ADD COMMENTS (954) DIGG THIS

Vera, Werdum to Meet at UFC 85; Gamburyan/Cox Added to UFN 13

BV
(Brandon Vera drools all over Frank Mir.)

Hey, good morning.

The latest fight-booking news is that UFC heavyweights Brandon Vera and Fabricio Werdum will likely face each other at UFC 85, which is scheduled for June 7th at the O2 Arena in London. The paperwork hasn’t been signed yet, but the offers are officially out. This would be Vera’s first match after breaking his hand during a loss to Tim Sylvia at UFC 77 in October, and Werdum’s follow-up to knocking out Gabriel Gonzaga last month at “Rapid Fire.” At this point, we’d call the match for Vera, who will likely come out throwing fire in order to avoid a second-straight loss. Brock Lesnar is also rumored to be on the UFC 85 card, against a yet-unnamed opponent, who will probably be someone in the Eddie Sanchez/Antoni Hardonk range. Still, we wouldn’t rule out the UFC sacrificing Lesnar to a bigger name for a giant PPV payday — but then again, there aren’t many bigger names left in the UFC’s heavyweight division.

In other Octagon news, a twelfth fight has officially been added to UFC Ultimate Fight Night 13, which we’re pretty sure is unprecedented. To ensure that at least some fights on the card will be untelevised, the UFC has added a lightweight match between TUF 5 contestant Manny Gamburyan (who happens to be Karo Parisyan’s cousin) and Jeff Cox, who’s sole UFC fight was a submission loss to Gleison Tibau last June. This is the first UFN 13 matchup we’re like “meh” about, but hey, the more fights the better.

Read More Comment(1) DIGG THIS

Videos of the Day: UFC 79 Preview, Serious Knee Damage, Ninja Warrior

Dana White, Joe Rogan, BJ Penn, Joe Stevenson, and Gabriel Gonzaga get us hyped for UFC 80:

(Props: MMA Fever)

Manny Gamburyan performing the leg lock that blew-out Nate Mohr’s knee at UFC 79:

And finally, here’s Japanese MMA star Genki “Neo-Samurai” Sudo competing on the Most Extreme Elimination Challenge-esque TV show Ninja Warrior. So close!

(Props: Bloody Elbow)

Read More ADD COMMENTS (6) DIGG THIS
CagePotatoMMA