MMA news

• John McCarthy: The UFC Doesn’t Have To Use Weight Classes

  29-12-2015 23:11
  
  At a California State Athletic Commission’s weight-cutting summit last Thursday, the committee approved a plan to alter and add new weight classes to the unified rules of MMA. Something the committee focused on were studies about the risk factor for concussions being "increased markedly" after a steep weight cut due to a reduced amount of fluid around the brain.Veteran referee and committee member "Big" John McCarthy recently commented on the news, explaining that the UFC doesn't "have" to
  
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• Fabio Maldonado among eight fighters released from the UFC

  29-12-2015 23:00
  
  The UFC has cut eight fighters from its roster, including light heavyweight veteran Fabio Maldonado.
  A source close to the promotion told MMAFighting.com that the UFC has released Maldonado, Chico Camus, Kevin Souza, Ericka Almeida, Bubba Bush, Mickael Lebout, Vernon Ramos and Jumabieke Tuerxun from their contracts.
  Maldonado (22-9) entered the UFC in 2010 with a win over James McSweeney. He then lost three straight, but survived in the promotion for his fighting style, and never backing out fro
  
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• Ronda Rousey's sister on Internet haters: 'Their mothers probably didn't love them enough'

  29-12-2015 22:00
  
  Ronda Rousey has been a polarizing figure in MMA from day one. And since her knockout loss against Holly Holm last month, Rousey has taken an inordinate amount of online abuse.
  Social media has lit up with hate, the vast majority of which has nothing to do with constructive criticism. Much of it has been venomous and unfair against someone who has accomplished an incredible amount in the sport in a short time.
  In an interesting first-person essay for Vice Sports, Rousey's sister Maria Burns
  
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• Anderson Silva on suspension: 'I made a mistake and I’m paying for it'

  29-12-2015 21:30
  
  Anderson Silva blamed a tainted sexual enhancement drug a friend gave him for a positive test for the steroid drostanolone earlier this year when he fought Nick Diaz, and Michael Bisping already fired his first shots leading up to their middleweight clash in London.
  Silva and Bisping will headline a UFC Fight Night card on Feb. 27, and Bisping asked the Brazilian to "leave the viagra out of it" for their bout. "The Spider", who also failed a test for oxazepam and temazepam, responded to Bisping&
  
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• Michael Bisping: 'I'm blown away' by Anderson Silva's 'arrogance' in PED use denial

  29-12-2015 20:50
  
  UFC middleweight Michael Bisping has never earned a UFC title shot. He's come close, to be sure, but has not had an opportunity to compete for UFC gold. That won't change in February when he faces former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in the main event at UFC Fight Night 83 in London, England.
  Why Bisping hasn't is a complicated answer, but it is arguable some of it relates to how many opponents he's faced in key bouts who either had or would eventually test positive for banned substan
  
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• Not Officially Retired, Heath Herring Still Willing to Field Offers for MMA Return

  29-12-2015 20:43 via sherdog.com
  
  Although 43-fight veteran Heath Herring hasn’t competed since 2008, “The Texas Crazy Horse” hasn’t officially hung up his four-ounce gloves, either.
  
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• Lightweight Title Bout Set for M-1 Challenge 64 on Feb. 19

  29-12-2015 20:42 via sherdog.com
  
  Mansour Barnaoui will defend his 155-pound belt against Artiom Damkovsky at M-1 Challenge 64 on Feb. 19.
  
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• UFC Cancels March 5th PPV Event In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

  29-12-2015 20:03
  
  The UFC's plans to hold a pay-per-view event in Rio de Janeiro have been cancelled. The company originally planned to hold UFC 197 in Brazil on March 5th, and had booked an Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort rematch for the show.Anderson Silva, who would've headlined the event, revealed news of the cancellation on a conference call on Tuesday.“(The plan) was to have me fighting in Brazil against I don’t know who,” Silva said, “but with this situation going on in Brazil, eco
  
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• UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman Wishes He Could Fight for Rizin on New Year’s Eve

  29-12-2015 19:28 via sherdog.com
  
  Even in trying times, Mark Coleman is grateful for where he is in life and all that he has been able to accomplish.
  
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• UFC cancels event in Rio de Janeiro due to economic crisis

  29-12-2015 19:18
  
  Less than two months after announcing a pay-per-view event in Rio de Janeiro on March 5, the UFC has decided to change plans.
  Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva revealed the news on a conference call Tuesday, and MMAFighting.com confirmed it with sources close to the promotion.
  "(The plan) was to have me fighting in Brazil against I don’t know who," Silva said, "but with this situation going on in Brazil, economically and everything, the UFC decided to abort this event for now
  
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• Anderson Silva: UFC cancels event in Rio de Janeiro

  29-12-2015 19:18
  
  Less than two months after announcing a pay-per-view event in Rio de Janeiro on March 5, the UFC has decided to change plans.
  Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva said on a conference call Tuesday that the promotion has cancelled its trip to Brazil due to the country's economic crisis, and MMAFighting.com learned with sources close to the promotion that the card is off.
  "(The plan) was to have me fighting in Brazil against I don’t know who," Silva said, "but with this situation
  
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• Sam Alvey injured, out of UFC Fight Night 82 bout against Daniel Sarafian in Pittsburgh

  29-12-2015 18:30
  
  Sam Alvey is injured and out of his Feb. 21 UFC Fight Night 82 bout opposite Daniel Sarafian in Pittsburgh.
  The 29-year-old fighter suffered a broken jaw after absorbing a head kick while training for the fight. The report initially surfaced on the MMA subreddit, /r/MMA, and MMAFighting.com has since confirmed the news with Alvey.
  "My face is a little sore," Alvey told MMA Fighting via text message. "I was greatly looking forward to getting back in the cage. It's been too long."
  In UFC
  
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• UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping conference call audio

  29-12-2015 17:57
  
  On the UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping conference call, former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping will answer questions from the media. The video is expected to begin above at 12 p.m. ET.
  
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• Editorial: The “Reem” Returns To Elite … Again

  29-12-2015 17:57
  
  https://youtu.be/0t3DRlnZU_sAlistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem was every bit as much a "Poster Boy" for PED'S if not more so than Vitor Belfort in the past five years. His hulking physique was second to none in MMA as his weigh-in pics circulated all over the internet. Needless to say this speculation tarnished the credentials of a very accomplished athlete.Even after carrying the Strikeforce title with wins over current UFC champion Fabricio Werdum and finishing Brock Lesner via TKO in his U
  
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• Rizin FF Results (Day One): Aoki Smashes Sakuraba, King Mo Scores Big KO

  29-12-2015 17:53
  
  The end of the Kazushi Sakuraba story continues to be a sad story for one of the biggest legends in MMA history, as "The Gracie Hunter" was stopped in the first round by top Japanese star Shinya Aoki at the first of two Rizin FF debut events in Japan.In addition to the Sakuraba-Aoki main event, the beginning of the opening round of the Rizin FF Heavyweight Grand Prix kicked off. Below are quick-match results from the event.Main Event:- Shinya Aoki def. Kazushi Sakuraba via TKO (punches) in R1Hea
  
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• Best of The MMA Hour 2015 edition (vol. 2)

  29-12-2015 17:00
  
  On this "best of" edition volume 2 of the show, we'll feature some of our favorite interviews of 2015. Here's who you will hear from:
  Daniel Cormier, John Kavanagh, Rory MacDonald, Sage Northcutt, AlIaquinta, Robert Whiteford, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, as well as some otherother memorable moments from this past year.
  The next live episode of the show will air Jan. 4, and it will feature our 2015 awards.
  Enjoy, and happy holidays! Check out part one here.
  Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes (audio feed
  
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• 2015 Fight of the Year: Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald, UFC 189

  29-12-2015 15:00
  
  The bell sounded to end the round. But both men didn't turn toward their corners. They stayed near the middle of the Octagon, facing one another.
  Robbie Lawler leaned his head to the left to spit out some blood -- and possibly a chunk of his lip. Rory MacDonald kept his gaze squarely into Lawler's eyes. Referee John McCarthy got between the two to make sure they didn't continue throwing blows.
  There didn't seem to be any intentions of doing that from either Lawler or MacDonald. The staredown was
  
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• Morning Report: Chuck Liddell says he'll tolerate 'loudmouth' Conor McGregor as long he keeps finishing people

  29-12-2015 14:00
  
  UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell has particular tastes.
  The former light heavyweight champ doesn't shell out praise lightly and even Jon Jones, arguably the greatest fighter of all time, hasn't been spared "The Iceman's" jabs.
  Outside of an unresolved rivalry with fellow former champ Tito Ortiz, Liddell was never much of a talker. But when it comes to featherweight champ Conor McGregor, game recognize game.
  "I'll be honest: I don't like the way Conor talks," Liddell told Yahoo!'s Kevin
  
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• VIDEO: 'King Mo' Lawal scores big KO of Brett McDermott at Rizin

  29-12-2015 12:54
  
  In a night filled with brutal knockouts, Muhammed Lawal knew he had to do something special to stand out at Rizin's inaugural event. And that's exactly what he did.
  On loan from Bellator, Lawal laid waste to his first-round match-up in Rizin's heavyweight tournament, knocking BAMMA's Brett McDermott out clean with a devastating series of right hands midway through the opening stanza.
  Watch the knockout below, including Pride-style ref cam footage courtesy of Zombie Prophet. Lawal meets 
  
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• Rizin results: Shinya Aoki batters Kazushi Sakuraba, 'King Mo' Lawal punches ticket to tourney semis

  29-12-2015 12:37
  
  Many wondered what Kazushi Sakuraba had left to give to MMA heading into Rizin Fighting Federation's inaugural event. As it turns out, he didn't have much.
  Competing for the first time since 2011, the all-time legend lost in lopsided fashion to Shinya Aoki, wilting under a first-round assault from the ONE lightweight champion in the main event of Tuesday's debut in Saitama, Japan.
  Sakuraba, 46, was never once in the fight. Aoki (39-6, 1 NC) secured an early takedown, moved swiftly into mount, th
  
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• Joseph Duffy: Dustin Poirier Fight Is A Big One For Me

  29-12-2015 09:16
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nig0N8bNqzsDustin Poirier vs. Joseph Duffy has been booked as the main event for the UFC 195 prelims, after originally being scheduled for UFC Fight Night 76 and cancelled. Duffy was forced to pull out of the fight three days before the event, after sustaining a concussion during a sparring session.Duffy was recently interviewed by MMAjunkie at his home training base at Tristar Gym in Montreal to promote the UFC 195 preliminary bout. Here's what he had to say:&ldq
  
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• Rizin Results: Aoki vs. Sakuraba

  29-12-2015 07:03
  
  MMA Fighting has Rizin results for the Aoki vs. Sakuraba fight card at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on Tuesday.In the main event, Shinya Aoki will square off against legend Kazushi Sakuraba. The main card will also feature the first fights of the Heavyweight Grand Prix.Check out the Rizin results below. The second part of the Rizin event will be Thursday.Main event:
  Shinya Aoki vs. Kazushi SakurabaHeavyweight Grand Prix (opening round)
  Vadim Nemkov vs. Goran ReljicSatoshi Ishii vs.
  
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• Title shot a decade in making for Condit

  29-12-2015 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  Nothing is ever as simple as winning or losing, and this is the mantra that’s driving welterweight title challenger Carlos Condit, who faces Robbie Lawler for the 170-pound crown this Saturday in the main event at UFC 195. The overall journey of discovery is what matters the most to Condit. His is one decade in the making and that couldn’t be made without honest self-assessment.“When I first got started, it was because I simply loved to fight and was motivated by the competitio
  
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• The stage gets bigger, but Irish Joe stays humble

  29-12-2015 07:00 via ufc.com
  There is a natural ease about Joseph Duffy that is impossible to miss. With his area of expertise coming in the art of hand-to-hand combat, it would be easy to throw a clichéd tag like “grace under pressure” and the like to describe his personality, but even if that were the case, the larger point would still be missed.The 27-year-old Irishman has obtained a unique level of self-confidence, and knowing what he’s capable of inside the Octagon has allowed the other element
  
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• The moment has arrived for Lorenz Larkin

  29-12-2015 07:00 via ufc.com
  Many fighters use their time in the spotlight as a platform, an opportunity to let the world know who they are and what they stand for. Lorenz Larkin has his platform this Saturday night when he makes his Pay-Per-View debut against Albert Tumenov on the UFC 195 main card, and his aim is clear.“Every fighter wants to fight for the belt – that’s a given,” Larkin said. “But I want exciting fights. I want fights that the fans really want to see and fights that make me e
  
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• Ortega happy to showcase all skills at UFC 195

  29-12-2015 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  Brian Ortega is thoughtful. Prior to his most recent Octagon outing, it was said on UFC.com that the undefeated star of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy was “savage” - in the best way possible. And he confirmed it by scoring a third-round TKO of Thiago Tavares in a memorable Fight of the Night scrap. As for his thoughtfulness, tangling with Ortega is like a “choose your own adventure” book, but all paths lead to the same ending – with “T-City” getting his ha
  
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• Justine Kish brings experience into her UFC debut

  29-12-2015 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  A member of Team Pettis on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, Justine Kish’s stay in the world of reality television was far from what she expected it to be. A torn ACL guaranteed that and took her out of the competition before she was even able to fight. This Saturday, she returns to active duty for the first time since the injury, and the 27-year-old strawweight wants to change the impression newer fans of the sport have of her. It’s not a bad thing, just an inaccurate portrayal.&l
  
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• 'Hot sauce' living the dream as he preps for UFC 195

  29-12-2015 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  Like a lot of kids, current UFC lightweight Scott Holtzman wanted to be a professional athlete when he was growing up. Sports were his obsession. While others were into comic books and video games, his world was consumed by athletics and competition.Childhood dreams became adolescent possibilities and young adult opportunities, with Holtzman excelling with a stick in his hand. After playing hockey at the University of Tennessee, he had a two-game cup of coffee with the Knoxville Ice Bears of the
  
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• High stakes as Bisping, Silva set to fight

  29-12-2015 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  It’s a fight that probably should have happened a few years ago. Both Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping, now set to meet in a February epic in London on UFC FIGHT PASS, admitted as much on a media conference call on Tuesday morning.But even in 2016, the star power that both Silva and Bisping bring has fans giddy with excitement. And for the winner, a huge opportunity awaits.MORE: Buy tickets to Fight Night London | Watch free fights: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort & Michae
  
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• UFC 195 Embedded, Episode 1: 'It sucks getting old'

  29-12-2015 05:04
  
  On the first episode of UFC 195 Embedded, welterweight champion Robbie Lawler enjoys Christmas with his family, Carlos Condit cooks for his son, Stipe Miocic dines with his future in-laws, Andrei Arlovski works out with Maximus in the Albuquerque snow, plus much more.
  
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• Like Conor McGregor, Carlos Condit preaches the movement gospel

  29-12-2015 03:00
  
  The last time Carlos Condit vied for the undisputed UFC welterweight strap, he did so against a man who many believed to be unstoppable.
  That was back in 2012, and up to that point, the UFC title had been defended six consecutive times by Georges St-Pierre, all with relative ease. It is easy to forget now, through the haze of memory, how close Condit came to snapping that streak. A dazzling head kick midway through the bout's third frame put St-Pierre on ice skates, nearly sending the all-time g
  
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• Jodie Esquibel out, Alida Gray in against Angela Hill at Invicta FC 15

  29-12-2015 02:00
  
  Angela Hill has a new opponent for her Invicta debut.
  The Ultimate Fighter alum will face Alida Gray at Invicta FC 15 on Jan. 16 in Costa Mesa, Calif., officials confirmed with MMA Fighting on Monday.
  Hill was supposed to face top strawweight contender Jodie Esquibel. No comment was given on the reason why Esquibel has been pulled, but Esquibel has reportedly tried out for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, which features 115-pound women.
  Hill (2-2) was cut from the UFC after two straight
  
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• Video: Joe Rogan Previews The UFC’s Year Ahead In 2016

  29-12-2015 01:59
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-AaWkWEfwgIn this new video from the YouTube channel for UFC on FOX, Joe Rogan previews the fighters and championship fights that he can’t wait to see in 2016.The UFC's first show of 2016 is UFC 195, which takes place on January 2nd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit.
  Also set for 2016 is a rematch between Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm, Anderson Silva's UFC return to face Michael Bisping in February,
  
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• Matt Brown: “Jose Aldo Deserves A F**king Rematch With Conor McGregor”

  29-12-2015 00:44
  
  https://soundcloud.com/greatmmadebate/should-jose-aldo-receive-an-automatic-rematch-against-conor-mcgregorUFC welterweight Matt Brown spoke his mind on what's been a hot topic lately. He says Jose Aldo deserves a rematch against Conor McGregor after his 13-second loss to him at UFC 194.“I think Aldo should fight Conor. Yeah, I think so 110 percent,” Brown told FOX Sports.“I think Aldo has done everything to deserve whatever he wants at this point in his career. That son of a b&
  
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• Robbie Lawler shoots down recent injury rumor

  29-12-2015 00:32
  
  Robbie Lawler was just hanging out one day earlier this month when he got a few unsolicited calls. Everyone wanted to know how he got injured and if he was out of his fight with Carlos Condit at UFC 195.
  "I got calls saying, 'Hey, are you hurt?'" Lawler said Monday on a media conference call. "[I said,] 'Um, no I'm just sitting here relaxing.' I just had no idea anything was going on, because I don't really get on social media much. So, maybe a couple days later I kind of figured it out."
  Warrio
  
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• Video: UFC CEO Says Company Set Revenue Record In 2015

  29-12-2015 00:02
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5leKNVSXsqwUFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta recently revealed in an interview with CNN Money that his company would generate over half a million dollars in 2015.
  “We’ll generate about $600 million in revenue for the year 2015, which is a record for the company, and it’s fairly significant growth coming off of 2014.”The UFC is coming off three big pay-per-view events projected to do over a million PPV sales each: UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor, UFC 19
  
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• Lorenzo Fertitta Reveals How Much UFC Earned In 2015 (Record Revenue)

  29-12-2015 00:02
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5leKNVSXsqwUFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta recently revealed in an interview with CNN Money that his company would generate over half a billion dollars in 2015.
  “We’ll generate about $600 million in revenue for the year 2015, which is a record for the company, and it’s fairly significant growth coming off of 2014.”The UFC is coming off three big pay-per-view events projected to do over a million PPV sales each: UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor, UFC 19
  
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