Paula Sack Interviews Demian Maia – UFC 131
Paual talks to Demian about his preparation for his upcoming fight versus Mark Munoz at UFC 131: Dos Santos vs Carwin. Watch the event Live on Pay-Per-View or www.UFC.tv this Sat Jun 11th at 6/9PM PT/ET
Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen Chris Dolman Edson Drago Tomasz Drwal
Read MoreUFC on FX 1 draws announced 7,728 attendance and $334,860 live gate
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Friday’s UFC on FX 1 event drew an announced attendance of 7,728 and a live gate of $334,860.
MMAjunkie.com learned of the figures during the event’s post-fight press conference at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
The Tennessee Athletic Commission will release official tallies in the coming weeks.
Mikhail Avetisyan Luiz Azeredo Luciano Azevedo Ba Te er Ryan BaderÂ
Read MoreUFC on FX 1 Weigh-in Results; Miller and Guillard on target
Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller both successfully made weight for their headlining bout at UFC on FX 1. Guillard tipped the scales at 156 pounds while Miller weighed in at 155 pounds. UFC on FX 1 takes place on Friday, January 20th from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Official UFC on FX 1 Weigh-In [...]
UFC on FX 1 Weigh-in Results; Miller and Guillard on target is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News
Dos Caras Jr  Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin Jason Hollywood Chambers
Read MoreWWE SmackDown! Taping Draws 1,600 Paying Customers
Last Tuesday’s SmackDown! taping in Toledo, Ohio was one of the worst attended WWE events in years as it drew 3,200 fans, with only 1,600 paid.
Following the event’s poor advance, WWE only sold tickets facing the camera so the Huntington Center would appear full on television. SLAM! Wrestling columnist Matt Bishop, who attended the event, described the venue’s appearance: “Tuesday’s tapings of WWE Smackdown, Superstars and NXT wasn’t notable because of what happened in the ring, but rather because of what was happening outside the ringside area. Or more appropriately, …
Clay Guida Jason Guida Melvin Guillard Cody Guinn Jorge Gurgel
Read MoreMiguel Torres-Michael McDonald added to UFC 145
With his short-stint away from the UFC over, Miguel Torres now has his next opponent, as he will face Michael McDonald at UFC 145 on April 21. News of the bout was confirmed by the UFC. Torres was released by the UFC after comments he made on his Twitter account concerning rape that did not [...]
Andre Gusmao Alexander Gustafsson Jaime Gutierrez Dave Gomez Keith Hackney
Read MoreUFC on FX 1 Prelim Results: Charlie Brenneman takes decision over Daniel “Ninja” Roberts with superior wrestling
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Charlie Brenneman bounced back on Friday night from a knockout loss to Anthony Johnson in his last bout, defeating Daniel “Ninja” Roberts by decision on the preliminary card at UFC on FX 1 in Nashville, Tenn.
Brenneman’s superior wrestling game, as well as control once the fight hit the ground, were the story of the fight, as Brenneman scored takedowns at will throughout the 15-minute bout and held position for much of the running time. Roberts threatened with submissions to end rounds two and three, but neither came close enough to stop the bout, and with him on his back for a good 13 minutes of the bout, he lost the decision.
The win puts Brenneman at 4-2 in his UFC career, with Roberts dropping his third straight fight inside the Octagon.
Shane The Engineer Carwin Jason Hollywood Chambers Ryo Piranha Chonan Dan The Sandman Christison Logan The Pink Pounder ClarkÂ
Read MorePat Barry and The Rules of The Game
Marvin Eastman Stav Crazy Bear Economou Yves Edwards Justin Eilers Jon Olav Einemo
Read MoreUFC 142 picks, Vegas-style: Bettors pounding Vitor Belfort
The debate has raged all day – how will Anthony Johnson’s weight snafu affect his fight against Vitor Belfort? The pulse in the betting world is that Johnson is in big trouble at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro.
[Don't miss the action: Watch UFC 142 live on Y! Sports]
Belfort’s number has jumped 40 cents since it was announced Johnson couldn’t make the 186-pound weight limit at middleweight. He actually stepped on the scales yesterday in Rio de Janeiro at 197 pounds. A stipulation was also put in place that Johnson couldn’t replenish his body beyond 205 pounds for another weigh-in earlier today.
If you liked Aldo early in the week at minus-220, you missed your chance. There’s been heavy fight day steam on Aldo pushing him to minus-275.
Listen to Yahoo! Sports Kevin Iole, Adam Hill from the Las Vegas-Review Journal give out picks for the top fights on the card during last night’s “MMA Insiders” show on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas.
UFC 142 betting odds:
Best plays in bold
Chad Mendes (+225) vs. Jose Aldo (-275)
Vitor Belfort (-140) vs. Anthony Johnson (+110)
?????Carlo Prater (+425) vs. Erick Silva (-550)
Terry Etim (+245) vs. Edson Barboza (+290)
Mike Massenzio (+415) vs. Rousimar Palhares (-525)
Sam Stout (+105) vs. Thiago Tavares (-125)
Michihiro Omigawa (+180) vs. Yuri Alcantara (-220)
Gabriel Gonzaga (-120) vs.Edinaldo Oliveira (+100)
Antonio Carvalho (-190) vs. Felipe Arantes (+165)
Ricardo Funch (+380) vs. Mike Pyle (-475)
Gary Goodridge Gerard Gordeau Jonathan Goulet Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace
Read MoreKamal Shalorus: ?I feel like a very sharp knife ready to slice through hot butter.?
Elite wrestlers occasionally earn a bad reputation in Mixed Martial Arts based on their inherent ability to put an opponent on his backside, blanketing him for the bulk of the bout to earn a decision win. In that regard UFC lightweight Kamal Shalorus has set himself apart throughout his career, opting to only use his [...]
Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki
Read MoreTechniques and Strategies in MMA
Arman Gambaryan Manvel Gamburyan Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia Leonard Garcia
Read MoreUFC on FX 1 results recap from last night for ‘Guillard vs Miller’ in Nashville on Jan. 20
Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove Clay Guida Jason Guida
Read MoreJose Aldo finishes Chad Mendes in final second of first round
The UFC was back in Brazil tonight with another title-fight and a main card full of interesting match-ups in the form of UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes! Unfolding live from Rio de Janeiro, the show was headlined by featherweight champion Jose Aldo successfully defending his title against undefeated takedown-machine Chad Mendes and also featured a [...]
Jaime Gutierrez Dave Gomez Keith Hackney Matt Hamill Volk Han
Read MoreROUNDTABLE: As it stands, is the UFC’s current pay structure fair?
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Do you feel the UFC’s pay structure as it currently stands is fair? What, if anything, would you change in the present?
RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST?
What’s fair? In a free-market capitalistic society, you get what the highest bidder and you agree is fair. If the Rich Fighting League says you’re worth $20, and the Jamie Fighting League says you’re worth $40, then you’re worth $40. And if you sign the deal with the JFL, then the deal is fair, because you signed the contract. If you think a contract is unfair and you sign it, you’re a moron, shut up.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
??
No, I don’t believe it’s fair. I’m all for the win bonuses, I think that’s a good thing. I also like the KO of the Night, Submission of the Night, and Fight of the Night bonuses they hand out. Those are all good things.? What I don’t like is the skimpy pay all around, especially on the lower rung of fighters. I know the UFC has operating costs associated with running events on pay-per-view, arena costs, etc., but I feel as though they could spread the wealth around a bit more. I think it’s kind of sad that some of these fighters earn maybe $6,000 a fight when they’ve been training for four months. It’s considered abnormal that Jon Jones fought four times in 2011. That’s one fight every three months. For the guys who earn $6,000 a fight that comes out to $24,000 for the whole year. Not only do these guys have living expenses, but they also have to pay for training as well as various other expenses associated with the fighting lifestyle. ?The UFC does more than they have to, but it’d just be nice to see them do a little more.??
ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
As far as pay is concerned, the UFC has done a decent job. Could it be more? Possibly, but without clear, precise knowledge of what the UFC is making, it’s hard to make the distinction that they aren’t paying enough. As a few fighters have mentioned since the ESPN piece that started all of this discussion, they have made more in their few fights for the organization than they might have fighting for any other organization. As far as the structure is concerned, this is a sport. A competitive one in which one fighter faces another for movement up the ladder in the sport towards a championship. Vince McMahon has been stated as saying that he doesn’t give spots, he gives opportunity. The UFC is the same because for every one fighter that may complain about pay, there are ten more that will vie for the same spot just for the opportunity to fight for the top organization in MMA.
ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I do not know enough about the way professional athletes are paid to be an authority on this, but I am shocked when I see the salaries of some of the fighters. How is it possible for some of the UFC stars to make $400,000 as a base salary (not counting the percentage of the pay-per-view-in which some fighters make several hundreds of thousands of dollars in addition to their base pay) and other fighters make as little as $6,000 per fight. This is one of the worst things about the UFC having control of most of our sport. If I could change anything about the pay structure in the UFC it would be to include a minimum salary per fight. $25,000? The UFC makes millions of dollars, and more importantly they make millions of dollars in profit. I own a business and I share my profits with my co-workers because it is the correct way to treat people and the best way to run a business. I also understand that this will not happen any time soon. I am glad our sport is thriving and is doing well. I wish that the UFC would help the lessor know fighters out with more money to take care or their families.They UFC does pay for performance and fighters earn bonuses if the perform well. I will need to let this play out more before I have a more informed opinion.
BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
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This is one I’m somewhat split on as a fan and as an analyst because of the numbers involved. Sure, the way Outside The Lines edited their interview was a dirty move, but to be expected from such a fringe show. The minimum these guys are making in the cage at an entry level is six thousand to show, six thousand to win. That means at bare bones, in their 15 minute fight (if it goes that far) the pay rate is $24,000 an hour. Let’s all do some math; the state minimum wage here in Illinois is $8.25 an hour, so if I were to take one fight in UFC at the base pay rate, it would be the equivalent of working 2,909 hours at minimum wage ? before taxes. To add to that argument, that also means one victorious fight in a year puts them well above the national poverty line. There may not be another sport that actually offers nearly this much compensation for your time, and did I mention you get BENEFITS!
Dana White and the UFC giving all of their fighters injury insurance was a huge news story when he pulled the trigger, and it only added to the undoing of any demon-esque stereotypes the UFC had been tagged with previously. Even if you walk into the octagon for 30 seconds, and get knocked out, boom here you go a check for six grand, and we might bring you back for more. Towards the end of Pride the lower fighters on the ladder were making 10K to show, 10K to win ? but Pride also went under. Dana and the Fertittas have been astoundingly smart with their money and take very good care of their fighters. If I had it in me I would get in shape, get at 205 and make a play for UFC because the money is so good. Is the pay structure 100% fair? Not necessarily, as some of the fighters low on the card deserve better money for the skill set they put on display, but for the most part, I would say that they’re doing good by their fighters.
MATT PELKEY, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
I think its the fairest of the big sports right now. Yes, there’s a huge disparity between the pay of the main eventers and the curtain jerkers, but that’s how it should be. The Brock Lesnars and Georges St-Pierres of the world make multiple millions of dollars per fight because they’re bringing in multiple millions of dollars worth of revenue. The debuting fighters on $5k/$5k contracts ($5000 to fight, $5000 win bonus) are actually overpaid when you consider that no one actually orders a pay-per-view to see those guys. I’d certainly like to see minimum contracts bumped up to at least the $15k/$15k range just to make it worthwhile for the fighters knowing how much coaches and training partners cost, but I don’t see anything egregious about the UFC’s current pay scale.
Ricardo Arona Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio Mikhail Avetisyan Luiz AzeredoÂ
Read MoreVideo of 9 YEAR OLD Edson Barbosa Practicing his wheel kick!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csyYZ7wsoN8&feature=player_embedded#!
Jorge Gurgel Andre Gusmao Alexander Gustafsson Jaime Gutierrez Dave Gomez
Read MoreUFC On FX 1 Weigh-In Results – Guillard 156, Miller 155
Gary Goodridge Gerard Gordeau Jonathan Goulet Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace
Read MoreHominick vs. Yagin Re-Set for Atlanta Event
Antoni Hardonk Dan Hardy Lee Hasdell Musse Hasselvall Daiki DJ taiki Hata
Read More?UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller? Weigh-In Results
All the fighters slated to participate in tomorrow night?s ?UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller? event tipped the scales Thursday inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Please click HERE if you would like to stream Thursday?s weight competition. A lightweight scrap between Melvin Guillard (Pictured) and Jim Miller headlines the freebie fight card. A welterweight [...]
Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi Daniel Acacio Bernard AckahÂ
Read MoreWALKER: The MMA Stock Exchange – A Look at the Rising and Falling in the UFC’s Lightweight Division
By: Brad Walker, MMATorch Contributor
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Here is a brief summary of what I will be doing here; I’m going to look at the current champ from each division and label them “now.” Then I will look at who I feel has the best chance to dethrone that champ and label them “next.” Next I will select two each of the following: fighters with rising stock, fighters with stagnant (unchanging) stock, and fighters with dropping stocks. I will give explanations as to why I feel each one is placed where they are, and feel free to give me any feedback you believe would be a credible argument, after all analysis is partially opinion, now let’s roll our sleeves up and dig in.
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Now: Frankie Edgar. One of the best all-around fighters in the game right now, he has strong points in wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, and great boxing. Frankie is kind of an anomaly; when he first earned a title shot against B.J. Penn I thought he was going to be another lame duck contender, and I could not have been more wrong. Frankie has taken control of the division, and he doesn’t look to stop anytime soon. With the exception of his first two fights against Gray Maynard, Edgar has steamrolled the competition, and finally in his last bout, defeated Maynard. His potential has yet to be reached in my opinion, as I truly believe his striking game will continue to evolve as more opponents try to test his chin. Edgar is a break out star who will continue to shine as time passes, but I don’t expect him to hold onto that strap permanently, as there are more than a few good contenders out there ready to take it.
Next: Gilbert Melendez. The Strikeforce Lightweight Champion, who has spent the better part of the last two years squashing the opposition. I have a hard time believing that there is another lightweight on the planet who can hang with Melendez right now. This is a guy who has gone out there and, unfortunately for him, beaten up lesser talent over the last year or so, with the one exception being Shinya Aoki. Melendez has two losses to his record, both by decision, and both he avenged within a year or so of the loss. I believe anyone that the UFC sends to Strikeforce to fight this guy is going to get smashed, regardless of who it is. Melendez will enter the UFC still holding the Strikeforce strap, and take the Lightweight title away from whomever is holding it at that point in time.
Rising Stock: Nate Diaz. What can I say about this guy that he didn’t state for himself in his last fight with Donald Cerrone? He came out with some of the most accurate and incredible boxing we’ve ever seen in MMA, and took Cowboy out of his comfort zone so badly that Diaz was able to pick him apart. Nate doesn’t have the best record in the division, but since his fight with Gomi ended with such an incredible arm bar Diaz has just raised his game exponentially. I would love to see Dana White make a Diaz vs. Maynard III fight for an upcoming event, just to prove that what Diaz brings to the table now is so much more than he did just a year ago. His incredible 76 inch reach at lightweight certainly doesn’t hurt either, as he can stand and bang with the best in the business, and not get knocked out. Diaz is a future champion one way or the other, but he’s in a very talent stacked division in the UFC, so above all others Nate is going to have to continue to prove his worth in the Octagon. What’s next for Diaz is uncertain, but I would love to see him up against the winner of Miller-Guillard or Gray Maynard again.
Rising Stock: Benson Henderson. This guy is an absolute ball of fire in the cage, and his Jiu-Jitsu game is one of the best in the division. Henderson is going to be facing off with Frankie Edgar for the title in his next bout, and don’t be surprised if he goes home with it. He’s performed very strongly in almost every fight in his career, only having dropped two fights: one to Anthony Pettis and the other to Rocky Johnson, but that bout was at welterweight. Coming off of three consecutive wins, look for Henderson to take down Frankie Edgar and maneuver for a submission to win his first UFC title. I can’t say enough about this guy, he’s a phenomenal athlete, and he knows how to dictate the pace of a fight.
Stagnant Stock: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Honestly, I had a hard time putting Cerrone as stagnant, because as a fan I love this guy to death. On the other hand, as an analyst I had to watch him at UFC 141 and think to myself “What the hell is he doing?” He was off of his game throughout the fight, and only showed quick flashes of the Cowboy we’ve gotten used to of late. This is a guy who has finished 14 of his 17 wins – 13 submissions and 1 knockout – and was a true star in the making. He hasn’t done well in the last couple years against top flight competition, but I think we all want to believe that he can. Cerrone’s strikes are absolutely lethal, and if he drops you, if he doesn’t knock you out, he’s going to choke you out, one way or the other. I’d love to see Cowboy go up against Clay Guida in his next bout, as it would make a very entertaining fight, and a win like that is all he needs to get going.
Stagnant Stock: Clay Guida. This one is hard to call too, not only because I share a hometown with Guida, but because the man is one of the more entertaining fighters to watch. Clay comes into every fight toting impeccable balls of steel, and is willing to stand and trade with the best strikers in the game. His submission skills are excellent, and he excels on the ground. The only hole in Clay’s game seems to be his inability to finish fights when it’s absolutely necessary. He shows determination, he’s even shown domination, but we’ve never seen Clay snap into desperation mode. He has a huge fan following that want to see him get to that title fight, and as much as I would love to see it, without reeling off three or four big wins in a row, it won’t happen for him. Clay has every bit of talent necessary to make it work; now he just needs to put them to use and climb back up the ladder. As mentioned earlier, I would love to see him face Cerrone in his next bout.
Dropping Stock: Jorge Masdival. This is a guy who I have never been able to consider a top 10 fighter in the division. He tends to get to the top of the ladder, only to get knocked all the way back down in quick fashion. Oh, and did I mention that he likes to dabble at welterweight too? The opponents he does beat are not the best, and probably never will be. The ones he loses too sometimes aren’t even the best, like Paul Daley or Toby Imada. All around his skill set is pretty good, he possesses great striking for his size, and his wrestling is pretty impressive too. Alas, we must face the fact that Masdival fits the bill as a gatekeeper, not a contender, nor a champion. Could he win a belt? Sure, in fact he has in other organizations, but in the elite ranks of UFC or Strikeforce he’s not going to have Dana White pinning a #1 contender badge on him, ever. Jorge is a good fighter, don’t get me wrong, but he’s going to continue to get beat up by better fighters each time he gets closer to the top. Let’s give him another fight with K.J. Noons and see how he does coming off of a loss.
Dropping Stock: Gray Maynard. I don’t know how to explain why I feel his stock is dropping aside from pawning off his run in the division as a fluke. I could be wrong, hell I hope that I’m wrong, because he’s an extremely exciting fighter to watch and his striking skills are incredible. He has defeated a number of top 10 fighters, only to come up short in back to back fights against Frankie Edgar. We are likely to see a strong comeback by Maynard where he climbs up to another title fight, and he could win a title, I wouldn’t be too surprised. His striking on the ground is downright scary, and his powerful slams are so powerful, he’s actually knocked himself out performing them (TUF 5 Finale). How many fighters out there are so gung-ho on their takedowns that they will knock themselves out to get a guy on the ground? It’s at least a little bit reckless, but Maynard will hopefully bounce back from his current place in the division. I would love to see him either move over to Strikeforce and fight Gilbert Melendez or jump into the cage with the loser of Miller-Guillard after they fight on Friday.
Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans Urijah Faber Wagnney Fabiano Kevin Kimbo Slice Ferguson
Read MoreGSP video: Welterweight champ targeting November return
The sharks are circling in the welterweight division. The target for potential feasting is this November. That’s when UFC welterweight champ George St-Pierre is anticipating his return to active fighting.
GSP tore his right ACL in December and underwent surgery shortly after. Several fighters have tried to return from a similar injury too quickly and paid the price.
On this HDNet Inside MMA video, Phil Davis tells St-Pierre to take his time. GSP agreed saying that he suffered the injury by rushing back from a less severe ailment to his left knee.
“Hard training will be in July and fighting again in November, I’d say could come back in November,” said St-Pierre.
St-Pierre thinks he’ll be fighting before the end of 2012. Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit meet for the interim UFC 170-pound title at UFC 143. But, it’s anyone’s guess who makes it to November in possession on the interim strap.
Tony DeSouza Edwin Dewees Nick Diaz Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe DoerksenÂ
Read MoreAnyone else pumped for Wand vs. Belfort 2 and TUF:Brazil?
Easily two of my favorite fighters by far.
I see Vitor taking it just because he’s such a bad style matchup for Wand and such a great fighter overall.
I see Vitor taking it but I will probably…
Andrew Gardner Tiki Ghosn Dennis George Kultar Gill Allan Goes
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