January 22nd, 2008
You are currently browsing the articles from MMA Factor written on January 22nd, 2008.
Believe it or not (based on the lack of collective enthusiasm) UFC Fight Night 12 takes place about 24 hours from now and the fighters all tipped the scales this afternoon at the the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the official weigh-in.
Former middleweight contender, Mike Swick, had no apparent problems making weight for his welterweight debut against Josh Burkman in the main event of the evening.
In fact, the entire field of all 18 fighters made their respective weight limits with apparent ease.
Here are the official results via UFC.com:
170 lbs.: Mike Swick (170) vs. Josh Burkman (170)
185 lbs.: Patrick Cote (184) vs. Drew McFedries (185)
155 lbs.: Thiago Tavares (155) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (154)
155 lbs.: Nate Diaz (155) vs. Alvin Robinson (155)
155 lbs.: Kurt Pellegrino (155) vs. Alberto Crane (155)
155 lbs.: Gray Maynard (155) vs. Dennis Siver (154)
155 lbs.: Cole Miller (155) vs. Jeremy Stephens (155)
155 lbs.: Corey Hill (154) vs. Joe Veres (155)
155 lbs.: Matt Wiman (155) vs. Justin Buchholz (155)
*Note: Fighters are allowed to weigh one pound more than the division limit in non-title fights.
There should be a video highlight package of the UFC Fight Night 12 weigh-in available soon, which we include in this post as soon as possible.
Reminder: The televised portion of the SpikeTV special begins Wednesday, January 23, at 9 p.m. ET. We will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of the main card action at this time when the event begins to air from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
UFC Fight Night 12 quick results, however, will begin to flow earlier than that here at MMAmania.com at about 7:30 p.m. ET with the prelim fights.
Feel free to hit us up before, during and after the show for some good discussion and coverage — it should be a nice night of FREE mixed martial arts (MMA) action.
See you all tomorrow right here at showtime.
Written by admin on January 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Drew McFedries and Joe Veres and Thiago Tavares and Dennis Siver and Alberto Crane and Kurt Pellegrino and Corey Hill and Justin Buchholz and UFC Fight Night 12 and Michihiro Omigawa and Josh Burkman and Jeremy Stephens and Mike Swick and Gray Maynard and Matt Wiman and Nathan Diaz and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Cole Miller and UFC Ultimate Fight Night (UFN) and UFC on SpikeTV and Alvin Robinson and UFC Weigh in Results and Patrick Cote and MMA.
With Akihiro Gono out with a hand injury, MMAmania.com has learned that Chris Wilson (13-3) might step up to face top welterweight contender, Jon Fitch (15-2), at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on March 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
It would mark the Octagon debut for the red-hot Team Quest fighter if and when bout agreements are finalized.
Wilson is a veteran of the International Fight League (IFL) and Bodog Fight. He has strung together four straight wins against solid competitors such as Rory Markham, Jay Heiron and Derrick noble during that stretch.
He’s a tough guy who will be thrown in the deep end against an experienced UFC veteran like Fitch in his Octagon debut. It’s an incredible opportunity, however, to make an instant splash in the organization much like Houston Alexander did when he burst onto the scene to dash the title chances of Keith Jardine.
Fitch, however, is undefeated (7-0) in the Octagon since his debut in 2005. He has also not lost a professional fight since 2002 — more than five years. His rise to the top of the division has been long and hard and it didn’t get much easier with this fight … it’s dangerous.
In the recent past, we’ve called for Fitch to take on Karo Parisyan and Marcus Davis, who are top guys and well-known among fans. Those fights are not going to happen in the immediate future. Therefore, we’ll have to just sit tight and hang on for the ride.
This should actually be a tough fight for both guys if the Wilson who appeared in the footage that I’ve seen shows up in Ohio in top form.
For the latest UFC 82 fight card click here.
Written by admin on January 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC 82 and Chris Wilson and Akihiro Gono and UFC Welterweight Division and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Jon Fitch and MMA.
The last man to hold the Pride FC heavyweight title, Fedor Emelianenko, will return to fight in the United States for the second time ever on April 11 in Illinois, according to a recent interview with Complex.com.
No opponent was named in the write up. And no, it will more than likely not be embattled UFC Heavyweight Champion, Randy Couture. The picture for this post was taken during a recent photo shoot in Los Angeles, Calif., for the Affliction clothing line.
Of course, it’s the dream fight that everyone wants to see and both Emelianenko and Couture want … and it’s perhaps for the same reason (or because it may never happen).
Here’s a snip from Emelianenko:
“If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. That’s it. But I think it’s going to take place because I think that everyone wants it…. If I win, I would be considered one of the strongest fighters ever.”
With a win over Couture it would certainly begin to help repair the image that Emelianenko has padded his almost perfect record with a significant number of questionable opponents.
In the meantime, however, it’s not going to help matters that apparently Dutch kickboxer Semmy Schilt — who Emelianenko defeated once already in 2002 — is now the front runner to challenge the Russian, according to Sherdog.com. It’s certainly better than Hong Man Choi, but there are much better (and deserving) fighters out there such as Josh Barnett, Pedro Rizzo and Jeff Monson.
Oh wait … Chicago’s own, Andrei Arlovski, might be available around that time, too. His UFC contract expires with his next fight, which is rumored to take place in March.
Hmm … a man can dream, can’t he?
Written by admin on January 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on M-1 and Fedor Emelianenko and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
The first-ever UFC Heavyweight Champion and PRIDE FC Grand Prix Champion, Mark Coleman (15-8), is rumored to be up for induction into the Hall of Fame at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on March 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
That’s the latest from “Knockout Radio” via MMA.tv.
Coleman is a former NCAA collegiate wrestling champion from Ohio State University and 1992 U.S. Olympian. He transitioned from wrestling to mixed martial arts (MMA) with his Octagon debut at UFC 10: “The Tournament” in 1996. He went on to defeat Moti Horenstein, Gary Goodridge and Don Frye in the same night.
In fact, all three fights ended early. And it was largely because of his takedowns and relentless punishment from the top position. He is widely believed to be the inventor of the oh-so-popular “ground and pound.”
“The Hammer” is now a popular professional wrestler in Japan and is still hanging on to a potential return to MMA action.
Despite all of his success, Coleman has also endured his share comedic and fighting misfortune.
His brutal knockout loss to Pete Williams at UFC 17 is a classic, making the destructions of Sean Salmon, Mirko Cro Cop and Jordan Radev last year look like child’s play. And who can forget his celebration after winning the PRIDE FC 2000 Grand Prix, which saw him bust his ass attempting to leap on the top rope.
The post-fight drama — ripped right from a bad Hollywood script — after losing to Fedor Emelianenko via armbar at PRIDE 32 is also a classic.
Regardless, Coleman is a pioneer in the sport. It’d be fitting to see him honored alongside trailblazers such as Randy Couture, Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie.
Especially since it would be in front of his hometown crowd in the “Buckeye State.”
Written by admin on January 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC Hall of Fame and UFC 82 and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Mark Coleman and MMA.
Controversial EliteXC fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett has run afoul of the law once again — he was arrested for a domestic dispute on Monday, according to ProElite.com.
Bennett will be arraigned on Tuesday, January 22.
This is just the latest transgression for Krazy Horse — the same man who claims to have knocked out Wanderlei Silva backstage at a Pride FC New Year’s Eve show in 2005. He was convicted in Marion County, Fla., for possession and sale of cocaine on August 4, 2000. And he was arrested on charges of assault and false imprisonment in May 2007.
To check out a video montage of all his mug shots click here — it’s rather ridiculous.
Krazy Horse’s latest run in with the law will cause him to miss his upcoming match against Victor Valenzuela at a King of the Cage show in Highland, Calif., on January 24.
Bennett had previously fought Valenzuela twice. He most recently lost in the first round from strikes at an EliteXC show in August 2007. And the pair fought to a draw at a King of the Cage show back in August 2005.
Matt “Warlock” Ver Halen will replace Bennett on the card.
Written by admin on January 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and EliteXC and MMA.
Props: Yahoo!Sports.com
Quoteworthy:
“I’m going to stay in his face and control him. I can guarantee I’ll be in better condition than Mir…. Frank Mir is a black belt in jiu jitsu. I’ve been training a lot in jiu jitsu, and a lot of jiu jitsu defense and a lot of striking and defense. My wrestling workouts have taken a back seat because I did that for 18 years…. Anybody can get knocked out in this sport if you get hit with the right punch with the size of the gloves. I don’t have a weak jaw, but if you get hit in the right spot, anybody can lose. You just try to lower the odds of being in that situation. If I can avoid that, I can win a lot of fights.”
Dave Meltzer does a fine job outlining the match up between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir at UFC 81: “Breaking Point” on February 2 and what it could mean for business if he wins or loses. Lesnar apparently signed a very large contract, which means that the UFC is not going to waste its time (or money) building him up against cans if the experiment doesn’t work out. Right now the sportsbooks favor Lesnar (-145) to win in his Octagon debut — get in on the action now over at BetUS.com before that line tightens if you think Mir can pull this one out.
Written by admin on January 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Brock Lesnar and UFC 81 and Frank Mir and UFC Heavyweight Division and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
David Heath (7-2) will take on last minute replacement Tim Boetsch (6-1) — not Anthony Ruiz (20-10) as previously reported — in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 81: “Breaking Point” on Saturday, February 2, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to UFC.com.
It appears that the MMAWeekly.com report that Ruiz would step in for the injured Tomasz Drwal was either premature or incorrect (or both).
Drwal had to withdraw from the contest with a knee injury sustained while preparing for the fight. This report is a bit peculiar because it contradicts a statement from the UFC just yesterday that the SuperBowl weekend show would “carry on” with only eight match ups.
However, it appears as if the situation has changed within the last 24 hours.
Boetsch most recently dropped a unanimous decision to the super tough Vladimir Matyushenko at the International Fight League (IFL) 2007 Semifinals. Matyushenko went on to defeat Alex Schoenauer to become the first light heavyweight champion in the history of the organization.
Heath will look to erase the horrible memories of his last fight when he was choked unconscious during his last fight against Renato “Babalu” Sobral at UFC 74: “Respect” in August 2007.
The controversial result led to the ouster of the Brazilian veteran and to Heath’s second straight loss — he dropped a unanimous decision to Lyoto Machida at UFC 70: “Nations Collide” earlier that same year.
To check out the most recent UFC 81 fight card click here.
Written by admin on January 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Tim Boetsch and UFC 81 and Anthony Ruiz and David Heath and UFC Light Heavyweight Division and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and UFC Pay Per View (PPV) Events and MMA.