MMA news

• Scott Coker: Held-Jensen better fight for Bellator 155 digital stream than Coenen-Dufresne

  18-05-2016 23:30
  
  When news came out that Julia Budd would face former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen for the inaugural featherweight title on the Bellator prelims, there was a fair amount of public consternation. A lot of people disagreed with Bellator’s decision to put a title fight on a digital stream, regardless of the logic behind it.The logic behind it, of course, was to draw more attention to Bellator’s streaming presence, which in a roundabout way it did.Yet when Budd injured herself in t
  
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• Chael Sonnen Creates “Submission Underground” Grappling Event

  18-05-2016 23:29
  
  While some have wondered if Chael Sonnen will return to fighting once his suspension is up, the former UFC title contender has gone ahead and taken on a different project.Sonnen will hold the first "Submission Underground" event on July 17 as the promoter, with the card airing from the Roseland Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. It will stream on FloCombat.com.The card will feature a main event between Jake Shields and Benson Henderson, along with Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs. Vinny Magalhaes, Kenny F
  
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• Video Preview For Tonight’s Episode Of “The Ultimate Fighter 23”

  18-05-2016 23:24
  
  Things - as they usually tend to do - get turned upside down on tonight's episode of The Ultimate Fighter 23.Claudia Esparza's team finds out some bad news, as Joanna Jedrzejczyk tries to get on the scoreboard.Check out a preview for the program, which airs on FOX Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET, in the video below:[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vozMcUhTkY[/embed]
  
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• Photo: Here’s The Reason Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza Couldn’t Fight At UFC 199

  18-05-2016 23:20
  
  Fresh off his destruction of Vitor Belfort, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza was the prime candidate to replace Chris Weidman at UFC 199 next month.However, a torn right meniscus forced Souza to turn the rematch down, opening the door for Michael Bisping's first attempt at becoming UFC champion.Souza suffered the injury prior to the fight with Belfort at UFC 198, but was still able to finish the former champion.[embed]https://twitter.com/arielhelwani/status/733023446062497792[/embed]
  
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• Luke Rockhold Extends Olive Branch To Rival Chris Weidman

  18-05-2016 23:08
  
  Luke Rockhold was looking forward to a second meeting with Chris Weidman at UFC 199 this June.Instead, the reigning UFC middleweight champion will take on Michael Bisping in a rematch of a 2014 contest won by Rockhold.After hearing of Weidman's injury, Rockhold offered his thoughts on social media. And despite the two having plenty of ill-will towards one another, he extended the olive branch for the time being.[embed]https://twitter.com/LukeRockhold/status/732753621318664193[/embed]
  
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• Michael Bisping Calls UFC 199 Title Fight His “Destiny”

  18-05-2016 23:05
  
  Michael Bisping has been on the cusp of competing for UFC gold several times.Now, thanks to his recent win over Anderson Silva and a neck injury by Chris Weidman, "The Count" finally gets his spotlight.Bisping was announced as the replacement for Weidman, taking on middleweight champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 199.In a post on Instagram shortly after the fight announcement, Bisping proclaimed this to be his "destiny" and what he has been "working towards my entire life."[embed]https://www.instagram
  
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• 'Tough road' ahead for Michael Bisping against Luke Rockhold at UFC 199

  18-05-2016 22:04
  
  Michael Bisping has gotten his first UFC title shot, but it's on very, very short notice. MMA Fighting's Luke Thomas breaks down how we got here and what's in store for Bisping against Luke Rockhold at UFC 199.
  
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• ‘Jacare’ Souza injured knee before UFC 198, promises to ‘destroy’ winner of Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping

  18-05-2016 21:15
  
  Ronaldo Souza was offered a shot at Luke Rockhold at UFC 199, but a knee injury prevented him from taking the fight.
  "Jacare" released a statement explaining his injury, and asking for a shot at the winner of Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping. Souza's medical staff informed MMA Fighting that he will likely return to training in four weeks.I got an offer from the UFC to replace injured Chris Weidman in a middleweight title fight at UFC 199, on June 4, against Luke Rockhold, the current champion. Every
  
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• Bellator 154 salaries: Phil Davis earns $60,000 for win over 'King Mo' Lawal

  18-05-2016 20:30
  
  Light heavyweight veteran Phil Davis was the top earner at this past Saturday's Bellator 154 event, securing a $60,000 payday for his main event victory over Muhammed Lawal. The California State Athletic Commission released the event's figures this week to MMA Fighting.
  Davis, a former UFC top contender, edged Lawal in a closely contested fight to pick up a unanimous decision win and earn the next light heavyweight title shot against Bellator champion Liam McGeary. Lawal took home $30,000 i
  
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• Michael Bisping Gets Short-Notice Title Shot Against Luke Rockhold at UFC 199

  18-05-2016 19:26
  
  After 25 Octagon appearances, Michael Bisping will finally get his long-awaited UFC title shot.
  
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• Michael Bisping To Replace Weidman In UFC 199 Main Event Against Rockhold

  18-05-2016 19:12
  
  Well, now we have our new UFC 199 main event.On Wednesday afternoon, UFC President Dana White appeared on ESPN and addressed the situation surrounding the June UFC pay-per-view in Inglewood, California.According to White, it will be Michael Bisping who replaces the injured Chris Weidman in the title fight against Luke Rockhold in the new main event of UFC 199.Rockhold and Bisping fought once before, a fight that Rockhold won via submission after dropping Bisping with a big shot.UFC 199: Rockhold
  
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• Michael Bisping in to face Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 with Chris Weidman out

  18-05-2016 19:12
  
  You can count on "The Count."
  Michael Bisping will step in and face middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in the main event of UFC 199 on June 4 in Los Angeles, UFC president Dana White announced Wednesday on ESPN's SportsCenter. Chris Weidman fell out of the fight Tuesday due to a neck injury.
  White said the fight that "makes the most sense" for Rockhold is Ronaldo Souza. But "Jacare" injured his meniscus in a win over Vitor Belfort last Saturday at UFC 198 and will need surgery, according to Whi
  
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• ‘Jacare’ Souza not an option for Luke Rockhold at UFC 199

  18-05-2016 18:54
  
  Luke Rockhold needs an opponent for UFC 199, but Ronaldo Souza is not an option anymore.
  "Jacare", who defeated Vitor Belfort via first-round TKO at last Saturday’s UFC 198 in Curitiba, Brazil, won’t be able to face the middleweight champion on June 4, sources close to the situation told MMA Fighting.
  According to UFC president Dana White on SportsCenter on Wednesday, Souza was the top choice to replace Weidman. However, Souza hurt the meniscus in his knee against Belfort and will ne
  
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• Seth Petruzelli Talks About How He Got Hired As WWE’s Head Striking Coach

  18-05-2016 18:12
  
  Former UFC fighter and Ultimate Fighter contestant Seth Petruzelli, who is probably best known to casual MMA fans as the man who knocked out Kimbo Slice with a jab in the now defunct EliteXC promotion, recently spoke with FOX Sports about his current job as the striking coach in WWE.Regarding how he became the head striking coach at WWE's Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, which is where aspiring developmental talents try and work their way into the main company, Petruzelli stated the follo
  
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• Jose Aldo vows to pay Conor McGregor back

  18-05-2016 18:00
  
  CURITIBA, Brazil -- Jose Aldo meets Frankie Edgar for the interim UFC featherweight championship on July 9, and talked to the media during UFC 198 fight week about the UFC 200 clash, his thoughts on Conor McGregor being removed from UFC 200, the constants attacks he gets from Irishmen on social media, and more.
  (Editor's note: Hit CC to get questions and answers translated in English)
  
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• Chris Weidman Reveals Injury That Led to UFC 199 Withdrawal

  18-05-2016 17:58
  
  Chris Weidman did his best to make it to UFC 199, but in the end his body simply wouldn’t cooperate.
  
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• Chris Weidman Explains Why He Pulled Out Of UFC 199 Main Event

  18-05-2016 17:56
  
  It was rumored on Tuesday that Chris Weidman had pulled out of his scheduled rematch with Luke Rockhold for the UFC Middleweight title at next month's UFC 199 pay-per-view. On Wednesday, the former champion confirmed the news himself.Chris Weidman took to social media to explain in detail why he pulled out of his rematch with Rockhold, which was scheduled to headline the UFC 199 event in California.Weidman posted the following on his official Facebook page:I just wanna let my fans know as many d
  
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• Chris Weidman explains reason for UFC 199 withdrawal

  18-05-2016 16:26
  
  Chris Weidman posted on his Facebook page Wednesday morning an explanation on why he had to pull out of his rematch with Luke Rockhold at UFC 199. The former UFC middleweight champion admitted he could be sidelined for awhile after surgery on a herniated disc in his neck, and is targeting the November show at Madison Square Garden for his return.
  His entire statement is below:I just wanna let my fans know as many details as possible about whathappened to me because I want them involved as much a
  
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• Live Chat: UFC 198 results, UFC 199 shake-up, Bellator 155 preview and more

  18-05-2016 15:45
  
  This is the Promotional Malpractice Live Chat.
  We're still basking in the glow of UFC 198 and the crazy event it was. Cris Cyborg made her UFC debut, Ronaldo Souza moved into the top contender spot (arguably) at middleweight, Bryan Barberena proved tougher than anyone thought and Stipe Miocic became the UFC heavyweight champion of the world. What went wrong with Fabricio Werdum? Who is the greatest heavyweight of all time? We'll talk about all of these results and more.
  Then there's UFC 199's ma
  
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• Pat Curran discusses being the final sparring partner of the late Jordan Parsons

  18-05-2016 15:00
  
  He was there one day and just like that he was gone.
  That's how Pat Curran strains to remember the tragic death of teammate Jordan Parsons.
  Curran, a Bellator MMA featherweight, was the last person to ever spar with Parsons on April 30 at the Blackzilians gym in Boca Raton, Fla. Hours later, in the early morning of May 1, Parsons was struck by an SUV and critically injured. The Bellator prospect died three days later.
  "When I found out the news, I was just like, 'There's no way,'" Curran said. "
  
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• Ryan Bader vs. Ilir Latifi in the works for later this year

  18-05-2016 14:59
  
  The UFC is working on booking a light-heavyweight fight between Ryan Bader and Ilir Latifi, MMA Fighting has learned.
  While that's the fight the promotion wants to make, they have yet to finalize when it will take place.
  Bader (20-5) had his five-fight winning streak snapped in January when he was knocked out by Anthony Johnson, while Latifi (12-4, 1 NC) has won his last three in a row.
  Both men recently expressed interesting fighting via Twitter earlier this year.
  
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• Morning Report: Alistair Overeem 'flabbergasted' Stipe Miocic KO'd Fabricio Werdum so 'easily'

  18-05-2016 14:00
  
  Fabricio Werdum wasn't the only one caught off guard by Stipe Miocic's right hook.
  This past weekend, Miocic surprised quite a few doubters by going into Brazil and knocking out the defending champion Werdum in his own backyard. Heading into the fight some were beginning to argue for Werdum as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history and most expected that were Miocic to win it would have to be by decision. Needless to say that notion was very wrong. Miocic knocked Werdum out cold with a short ri
  
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• The Ultimate Fighter Blog: Eric Spicely - Ep. 5

  18-05-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  The fight between Lanchana and Helen was a total war. They both wanted to win that fight and despite both being kind of inexperienced in some aspects of MMA they both showed a ton of heart and fought hard until the end. It was a very close fight with Lanchana landing hard shots on the feet. Helen tried to work her way inside and didn’t mind eating a few on the way. I gave the third round to Lanchana. She landed more shots, did more damage and did enough to win. Helen did get a takedown and
  
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• The Ultimate Fighter Blog: Amanda Cooper - Ep. 5

  18-05-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
   The ladies step in the cage again as Team Claudia tries to continue our unbeaten streak! In Mixed Martial Arts it's rare to encounter an opponent who has the same style as you, even when you are both strikers. One fighter may favor movement and countering, and the other may prefer damage and pressure. The beauty in MMA is the victor is not always the more skilled athlete, the one with the most experience or even the better record. We often laugh about my home academy because the person on
  
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• The Ultimate Fighter 23: Ep. 5 Recap

  18-05-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  It's a new week but the same story for Team Claudia, as they continue to dominate the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. On Wednesday’s episode, Lanchana Green got a decision victory over Helen Harper in a three-round battle in the women's strawweight division. Thus far, Team Claudia has been unblemished with a perfect 4-0 record, and there's no doubt that's rubbing Joanna Jedrzejczyk the wrong way. Last week, Jedrzejczyk erupted on her team with a very loud tantrum aimed directly at t
  
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• The Ultimate Fighter 23: Ep. 5 Preview

  18-05-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  It's been a tough run on The Ultimate Fighter thus far for strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. After getting the first fight selection of the season, Jedrzejczyk's team has been on a downward slide ever since with three consecutive losses while three of her top fighters - Khalil Rountree, JJ Aldrich and Myron Dennis - have all been eliminated. Jedrzejczyk's anger and frustration with her team has also reached a new boiling point lately, as she believes she's not getting the best effort out
  
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• McDonald, Lineker set to clash in Sioux Falls

  18-05-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  After more than two years away, former world bantamweight title challenger Michael McDonald made a successful return to the Octagon in January with a Performance of the Night submission of Masanori Kanehara. On July 13 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the No. 6-ranked "Mayday" is back in action in a co-main event battle against No. 11-ranked John Lineker.Related: UFC Fight Night Sioux Falls fight card | Michael McDonald fighter profile | John
  
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• Johnson defends title vs Reis at UFC 201

  18-05-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  The UFC's most dominant champion, Demetrious Johnson, will return to the Octagon on Saturday, July 30, to make his ninth UFC flyweight title defense against Brazil's Wilson Reis in the co-main event of UFC 201. The winner will then go on to face the The Ultimate Figher: Season 24 champion who will earn an immediate title shot. Both stories were reported first by Megan Olivi on UFC Tonight. UFC 201, which is headlined by the welterweight championship fight between Robbie Lawler and Tyron Woodley,
  
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• Inside the camp: ATT Update

  18-05-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  When American Top Team co-founder and head instructor Ricardo Liborio describes his squad’s new 40,000 square foot facility in Coconut Creek, Florida, he doesn’t mince words. “It’s the Harvard of mixed martial arts gyms.”Featuring over 6,500 square feet of mat space, an octagon, designated areas for weight lifting, cardio, punching bags, and much more, the gym, which opened on January 5, has been an instant hit with fighters and the community. But perhaps the one ad
  
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• Countdown to UFC 200: Best strikers

  18-05-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  Just like picking the best knockouts of the year can be a thankless and grueling task filled with a lot more strong candidates than slots for them, choosing the top 15 strikers in UFC history is one that will likely result in more debates than in any other category.The problem is clear: what criteria earns someone a place on this list? Do you include fighters like Mirko Cro Cop and Wanderlei Silva who are clearly all-time greats but who did their best work outside the UFC? Do you go strictly by
  
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• Bisping gets UFC 199 title shot after Weidman injury

  18-05-2016 07:00 via ufc.com
  
  The injury bug has hit Long Island, with former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman forced to withdraw from his UFC 199 main event title fight against Luke Rockhold after getting injured during training camp.Training camps separate the boys from the men. This sport isn't for everyone. 2 weeks notice? I'm down!!! @ufc #realfighter #fightersfighter— michael (@bisping) May 17, 2016Stepping in to face Rockhold for the UFC middleweight crown at The Forum in Inglewood, California will be a f
  
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• Porn Star James Deen Files Complaint Against Bellator MMA, Viacom

  18-05-2016 05:40
  
  Pornstar James Deen, who was issued California state citations and fines for allegedly exposing his employees to sexually transmitted infections, has filed a Cal/OSHA complaint against Bellator MMA and its parent company, Viacom.
  
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• Bellator 154 Salaries: Headliners Phil Davis ($60K), ‘King Mo’ ($30K) Top Payroll

  18-05-2016 04:48
  
  Phil Davis earned an event-high $60,000 for his controversial win over Muhammed Lawal in the Bellator 154 headliner on Saturday night.
  
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• Chael Sonnen to Launch ‘Submission Underground’ Grappling Series on July 17

  18-05-2016 04:45
  
  Chael Sonnen’s first venture into the grappling world as a matchmaker will feature its fair share of recognizable names.
  
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• Chael Sonnen to launch 'Submission Underground' grappling event series

  18-05-2016 04:00
  
  During his competitive time in professional mixed martial arts (MMA), former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen used his widely-herladed promotional abilities to raise his profile as well as those of his fights. Now retired from MMA, he's still putting those skills to use, but in a different if slightly related context.
  Sonnen is officially becoming a promoter as he launches 'Submission Underground', a submission grappling event based on the superfights model. The first event is set to take
  
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• UFC slightly outrates Bellator head-to-head on Saturday night

  18-05-2016 01:30
  
  Bellator and UFC dueled somewhat evenly in going head-to-head on a Saturday night where nearly 1.5 million fans watched MMA between 8 and 10 p.m. on cable television.The UFC aired the prelims for UFC 198, doing 786,000 viewers, headlined by Demian Maia vs. Matt Brown, a stronger than usual FS 1 main event. It was the lowest prelim number before a pay-per-view so far this year. The head-to-head competition with Bellator was probably at least partially responsible. The prelims for UFC 197 did 835,
  
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• Injury Forces Chris Weidman to Withdraw from UFC 199 Headliner

  18-05-2016 00:50
  
  Chris Weidman has suffered an injury and will not be able to face Luke Rockhold in the middleweight championship headliner at UFC 199, according to multiple reports.
  
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• Invicta FC 17 salaries: Tonya Evinger banks $20,000 for bantamweight title defense

  18-05-2016 00:00
  
  Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger led the salary report for Invicta FC 17, earning $20,000 for her title defense over Colleen Schneider, which Evinger won via unanimous decision. The California State Athletic Commission released the event's figures Tuesday to MMA Fighting.
  In the night's co-main event, ex-UFC fighter Angela Hill banked $14,000 for her split-decision win over former Invicta FC strawweight champion Livia Renata Souza. The victory made Hill the new Invicta FC strawweig
  
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