MMA news

• WSOF 29 Gets Josh Copeland-Mike Hayes Co-Headliner, 2 Other Main Card Bouts

  03-02-2016 23:37 via sherdog.com
  
  The now-complete World Series of Fighting 29 main card will include a heavyweight showdown between Josh Copeland and Mike Hayes in the co-main event.
  
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• Dana White: Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones 2 'probably going to happen in April'

  03-02-2016 23:12
  
  The UFC isn't ready to announce the return of Jon Jones yet, but things are getting closer. UFC President Dana White revealed Wednesday to FOX that Jones' rematch against the man who now holds his UFC light heavyweight title, Daniel Cormier, is "probably" going to take place in April.
  "I don't have the date yet," White said. "I don't have the date or the venue yet, but April is looking like the month."Straight from @ufc President @danawhite: @JonnyBones vs. @dc_mma 2 is happening.
  Maybe soo
  
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• Laila Ali: Holly Holm rematch will be the 'same thing and worse' for Ronda Rousey

  03-02-2016 22:41
  
  Laila Ali thinks things might be different the second time around between Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm. Just not any better for Rousey.
  The daughter of Muhammad Ali, and a legendary women's boxer in her own right, was none too impressed with Rousey's striking skills in fighters with Holm and Bethe Correia. And she believes Holm was just getting started with her second-round knockout of Rousey at UFC 193 in November.
  "I personally do not think that she'll beat Holly Holm [in a rematch]," Ali said
  
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• Cain Velasquez’s back surgery ‘a complete success’

  03-02-2016 21:44
  
  Forced out of UFC 196 with a back injury, former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez underwent surgery on Monday, and called it a "complete success".
  The American Kickboxing Academy product, who pulled out of a rematch with Fabricio Werdum for the UFC belt on Feb. 6 due to the injury, released a statement about the surgery on his Facebook page on Thursday, expecting to be able to train at 100 percent in March.I wanted to update you all on how my injury has been progressing.
  First off, I want to
  
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• MMA Veteran Chris Cariaso Announces Retirement

  03-02-2016 21:37
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPvynk_NkEsOctagon veteran Chris Cariaso announced his retirement from MMA on Wednesday. Cariaso finishes his career with a 7-6 record in the UFC, and a 17-8 overall MMA record.“I’ve decided after 22 years of active fighting to call it a career,” Cariaso told MMAjunkie. “It’s a bittersweet decision, as fighting and competing in a ring or cage is about all that I have known for a lifetime.“The last four-and-a-half years fighting
  
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• UFC On FOX 18 Viewership Down From Previous Events

  03-02-2016 21:31
  
  Last month's UFC on FOX 18 averaged 2,685,000 viewers, which is down from the previous three FOX events which all drew over 2,750,000 viewers. The viewership for UFC on FOX 18 is down compared to the January 2014 UFC on FOX 14 event that averaged 3,049,000 viewers. Anthony Johnson defeated Ryan Bader in the main event, while Ben Rothwell defeated Josh Barnett in the co-main event.For comparison, the January 2014 FOX show, where Johnson scored knockout over Alexander Gustafsson, did 3,049,000 vie
  
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• Benson Henderson Says Reebok Deal Played A Very Big Part In His UFC Departure

  03-02-2016 21:23
  
  Benson Henderson signed with Bellator MMA on Monday, and explained in a recent interview with ESPN that the Reebok deal with UFC had a lot to do with it. The heavily-critcized Reebok deal restricts fighters' outside sponsorships from UFC events.“I won’t lie, it was a very big deal,” Henderson said. “The ability to get sponsors on your own and not have to rely on the amount that Reebok dictates to you was a huge factor. I’d be straight up lying if I said it wasn&rsqu
  
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• Nate Marquardt vs. Thiago Santos verbally agreed for UFC event in Brazil

  03-02-2016 20:30
  
  Nate Marquardt will compete in South America for the first time in his 19-year MMA career, as he faces Thiago Santos in a middleweight bout on May 14 in Brazil. Sources confirmed the match-up is verbally agreed, but contracts are yet to be signed. Combate first reported the news.
  The Fight Night card will be headlined by Ronaldo Souza vs. Vitor Belfort, but the promotion has yet to announce the city and venue in Brazil.
  A former Strikeforce and Pancrase champion, Marquardt (32-15-2) enters the b
  
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• Former UFC Flyweight Title Challenger Chris Cariaso Announces Retirement

  03-02-2016 20:22 via sherdog.com
  
  Chris Cariaso has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts at the age of 34.
  
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• Brazilian Garbageman Hopes to Upset McGregor, Holm for ‘Knockout of the Year’ Award

  03-02-2016 19:45 via sherdog.com
  
  The past 12 months saw no shortage of candidates for the 2016 World MMA Awards’ “Knockout of the Year,” which will be given out this Friday at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas.
  
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• Bryan Barberena frustrated, ‘disrespected' by Sage Northcutt's ‘excuses'

  03-02-2016 18:00
  
  Bryan Barberena barely made it home to Glendale before the MMA world tossed an asterisk onto his breakout win over Sage Northcutt.
  Barberena submitted the 19-year-old Northcutt with an arm-triangle choke at UFC on FOX 18, defying the odds and smashing the hype that surrounded the previously unbeaten teenager, even despite accepting the fight on eight days' notice. The win was a massive one for Barberena, one that cemented him as a name to watch in UFC welterweight division in front of millions o
  
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• Lookin' for a Fight Episode 2

  03-02-2016 17:20
  
  In episode two of 'Lookin' For A Fight', UFC President Dana White, former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and Nick 'The Tooth' travel to Alaska where they attend an Alaska Fighting Championship card, go paddleboarding, try dog sledding, and more.
  
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• UFC on FOX 18 rewind

  03-02-2016 17:00
  
  After UFC on FOX 18, MMA Fighting's E. Casey Leydon takes a look back at the memorable sights and sounds of UFC fight week in Newark, N.J.
  
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• Pride, Strikeforce Veteran Sergei Kharitonov Signs with Bellator MMA

  03-02-2016 16:56 via sherdog.com
  
  Bellator MMA has added another noteworthy name to its roster, signing Russian heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov to an exclusive, multi-fight contract.
  
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• Sergei Kharitonov signs with Bellator

  03-02-2016 16:00
  
  Scott Coker is linking up with another familiar face.
  Heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov has signed an exclusive multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA, according to sources close to the promotion. The Russian striker is currently expected to make his debut in May.
  Kharitonov has won his last five fights in a row improving his professional MMA record to 23-5. He last fought for Coker in 2011 when he lost to Josh Barnett in the semi-finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
  Throughout his almo
  
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• Live Chat: UFC Fight Night 82 preview, UFC on FOX 18 results and more

  03-02-2016 15:51
  
  This is the Promotional Malpractice Live Chat.
  It's a busy week in the sport. We'll talk about the results from over the weekend at UFC on FOX 18 where submissions proved to the be the story of it all. Ben Rothwell gets past Josh Barnett with a signature submission while Sage Northcutt gets stopped in his hype tracks as a result of one. Anthony Johnson didn't submit Ryan Bader, but he didn't really need to. We'll talk about all of that and more.
  We'll look ahead to this weekend UFC Fight Night 8
  
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• The path to CM Punk goes through Mike Jackson, who thinks the whole thing is a 'massive troll'

  03-02-2016 15:00
  
  Mike Jackson is the official photographer for Legacy FC. And it's in that capacity that he thought he'd be encountering Mickey Gall next month.
  When Jackson first got a call from Legacy matchmaker Collin Cantrell two weeks ago, he was really confused. Cantrell was talking about Gall and Legacy and a fight in early February. Jackson wasn't really sure where he fit in.
  "In my head I'm thinking, 'Y'all gonna fly me to Minnesota to come take pictures of Mickey Gall?'" Jackson said.
  No, Cantrell expl
  
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• Morning Report: Luke Rockhold says 'it would be an honor' to beat up Anderson Silva

  03-02-2016 14:00
  
  UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has been after Anderson Silva for years.
  Unfortunately both men had 2013's they would rather forget. Rockhold was knocked out by Vitor Belfort that May in his UFC debut while Silva suffered his own KO at the hands of Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in July.
  Rockhold hasn't lost since and captured the middleweight strap in dominant fashion when he TKO'd Weidman in December at UFC 194. Rockhold is still very interested in Silva, but believes the "GOAT" has some wor
  
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• UFC statement on Tim Means

  03-02-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Tim Means of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection. USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair review process that is afforded to all athletes before any san
  
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• UFC offers exclusive fan benefits during UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs Thompson

  03-02-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  Las Vegas – UFC® today announced a host of exclusive offers throughout Las Vegas to give fight fans a unique fan experience during fight week for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: HENDRICKS vs. THOMPSON on Saturday, February 6, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Fans who register for a UFC Fan Access Pass at UFCRegister.com will receive a QR code that gives them access to select offers and discounts. Fans who present their UFC Fan Access Pass at the weigh-ins on Friday will get a chance to have t
  
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• Road warrior Nelson eager to get back on track at home

  03-02-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  Roy Nelson is happy to be home. For the first time since his first-round knockout of Matt Mitrione in December of 2012, “Big Country” will be fighting in his hometown of Las Vegas when he faces Jared Rosholt in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night at the MGM Grand.That’s the good news. The bad? No more visits to Sizzler in Tokyo.“No Sizzler, no El Torito in Japan,” he laments. “But it’s good to be back.”Does it feel like over three years though?&ld
  
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• Name, weight changes have Burkman rejuvenated

  03-02-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  There’s a lot of “new” around Joshua Burkman these days. You can start with his name, which isn’t really new, but it’s new to the UFC world that has been calling the former Ultimate Fighter cast member Josh since 2005.Then there’s the return of American Whu-Hitu to the Burkman repertoire, and most notably, a new weight class, as the longtime welterweight moves down to 155 pounds for his Saturday bout against KJ Noons.So where do we begin? How about with the na
  
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• Dragon Ball Z? Tenacious D? Inside Thompson's world

  03-02-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  Jack Black, frontman of the band Tenacious D, asked the question first in his song “Wonderboy,” and the man who owns that nickname – Stephen Thompson – uses Black’s song to enter the Octagon on fight night. So it’s a typical query, right?“Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power?”“I get that a lot,” Thompson laughs before revealing that secret. //
  “It is a definitely a lifetime supply of Dragon Ball Z episodes, and Hot Poc
  
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• Cariaso bids farewell to the Octagon, 'super excited' with UFC career

  03-02-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  Not every fighter will end up in the Hall of Fame or with a stack of championship belts. That’s just not how it works in combat sports. But few weathered the ups and downs of a mixed martial arts career with more class and dignity than Chris Cariaso, who retired from the sport as an active competitor on Wednesday.“I’ve got to move on and start training these other guys and start competing on the other side of the fence,” he said. “It was kind of hard finding the mot
  
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• Benavidez changes approach with sight still set on title

  03-02-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  As one of the more stylish fighters on the UFC roster, Joseph Benavidez’ closet is full of pieces that fit just right and showcase his fashion sense.Whether we’re talking shirts, pants, jackets or shoes, the recently married flyweight is almost always on point when it comes to his sartorial selections and a main tenet of his – and anyone’s wardrobe – is finding and wearing clothing you feel comfortable in.Inside the Octagon, however, the top-ranked flyweight has bee
  
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• UFC Newcomer Abdul-Kerim Edilov Faces Potential USADA Anti-Doping Violation

  03-02-2016 05:41 via sherdog.com
  
  Abdul-Kerim Edilov, who was scheduled to make his Octagon debut last month, has been notified of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation from an out-of-competition sample.
  
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• Video: Main Event Preview For UFC 196: dos Anjos vs. McGregor

  03-02-2016 04:32
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tw6cT3Jj84The UFC uploaded a new preview for the main event of UFC 196: dos Anjos vs. McGregor to their YouTube channel on Tuesday night. The video looks at the build-up for the fight between the two, and examines their most recent bouts.
  Rafael dos Anjos will defend his UFC Lightweight Championship against Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor on March 5th, as McGregor tries become to the UFC's first simultaneous multi-division belt holder. In the co-main event,
  
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• Ronda Rousey’s Mother: She Needs To Leave “Idiot & Fraud” Coach

  03-02-2016 04:17
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMr3p214CfURonda Rousey's mother still hates her coach. Dr. AnnMaria De Mars recently spoke to Submission Radio and made it clear that she hopes her daughter will move on from her "egomaniac fraud" coach Edmond Tarverdyan."I predicted it in advance," De Mars said of Rousey's knockout loss. "Ronda trained with an idiot. She trained with an idiot and a fraud. I would be shocked to find out that guy has any record at all. As far as I know, I saw him fight once and he
  
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• UFC on FOX 18 draws 2,685,000 viewers

  03-02-2016 04:00
  
  Both UFC and Bellator over the weekend did below usual numbers for shows that didn't look on paper like big ratings shows.UFC on FOX on Saturday night averaged 2,685,000 viewers, a number slightly below the past three FOX events. The show would have likely done right about the usual numbers except the main event with Anthony "Rumble" Johnson vs. Ryan Bader in a light heavyweight title contenders fight only lasted 86 seconds. The quick fight meant no time to build a rating, and more importantly,
  
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• USADA: UFC's Abdul-Kerim Edilov potentially in violation of anti-doping policy

  03-02-2016 02:59
  
  Abdul-Kerim Edilov is facing a suspension before ever having made his UFC debut.
  Edilov potentially committed a violation of the UFC's anti-doping policy run by USADA, the UFC announced in a release Tuesday. The possible violation stems from an out-of-competition sample collection.
  As with all potential violations under the UFC's new program, USADA will handle the results management and adjudication process.
  "It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full an
  
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• Jake Shields says WSOF is 'playing bulls--- little games' in contract dispute

  03-02-2016 02:02
  
  Jake Shields says he's open to any resolution to his contract impasse with World Series of Fighting -- whether that's fighting for the vacant welterweight title against Jon Fitch, fighting out the last bout of his contract against someone else, or coming to a new deal.
  But he's not happy with the way company officials have handled the situation.
  "They're playing bulls--- little games with me," Shields told MMAFighting.com.
  Tuesday, WSOF president Ray Sefo posted a story to the company web site s
  
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• Photos: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone Involved In Automobile Accident In New Mexico

  03-02-2016 01:32
  
  Well, it looks like a certain "Cowboy" will be getting another lecture about being safe outside the Octagon in between fights.UFC contender Donald Cerrone was involved in an automobile accident, badly rolling his truck while driving in New Mexico on Tuesday.Cerrone would go on to post photos of the aftermath of his accident on social media. You can check out the pictures below.https://twitter.com/Cowboycerrone/status/694574640920788993Donald Cerrone, who headlines UFC Fight Night 83 in a welterw
  
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• Jake Shields Out of WSOF 30; Jon Fitch to Face Joao Zeferino for 170-Pound Title

  03-02-2016 01:28 via sherdog.com
  
  A contractual dispute between World Series of Fighting and welterweight contender Jake Shields has resulted in the removal of Shields from the company’s upcoming 170-pound title bout.
  
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• CSAC passes emergency weight-cutting rules, including bans on dehydration, IVs

  03-02-2016 01:26
  
  LOS ANGELES -- The California State Athletic Commission's war on dehydration and extreme weight cutting continued Tuesday.
  CSAC passed a package of new, emergency regulations regarding weight cutting at its meeting in Downtown LA. The new rules include a ban on severe dehydration to make weight, the prohibition of IVs to rehydrate and the ability to move back the time of weigh-ins.
  "Dehydration and weight cutting are the biggest problem facing mixed martial arts today," CSAC executive officer An
  
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