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• Mayhem Miller On CB Dolloway: I'm Going To Knock His Fart Face Off May 18, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer Jason "Mayhem" Miller turned in a lackluster performance in his UFC debut last December when his gas tank ran dry and he took a beating from Michael Bisping and on May 26th he'll look to redeem himself after nearly losing his job when he takes on CB Dollaway at UFC 146. Mayhem has already vowed to quit MMA if he loses to the former TUF contestant and spoke to UFC.com about why he feels he's going to come out the victor next week: "I just look at who he’s fought in the past, and I look at — you know — I look at who he’s fought in the past, and how I match up with them, and I know that… this should be an easy night for me. On top of that, I trained my ass off. I’m not gonna make this a personal thing with the guy, but at the same time, I’m not gonna pretend to respect him. There’s a stark contrast between me and him. You can see that I’m mentally tough, and I’m a bit of a masochist, so I’ll take the abuse, and go through it. When the going gets tough, this guy quits, and I’m gonna make him quit. I’m going to knock his fart-face off, and I’m going to send him packing. There’s no way around it." Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Mark Hunt Injured, Forced Out Of UFC 146 Bout Against Stefan Struve May 18, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer UFC 146 continues to see bouts changed as the one bout left on the card that had not been changed now has been. Mark Hunt has been forced out of his UFC 146 bout with Stefan Struve due to injury. Hunt dropped the news via his Twitter account that he injured his posterior cruciate ligament, one of the four major ligaments of the knee. Lavar Johnson, who fought less than two weeks ago at UFC on FOX has been pegged as a replacement. “I heard last night there was a chance I could get this fight and I accepted right away," said Johnson. "You don’t get chances like this too much in life, so when you are lucky, you got to make the most of it. I took one week off after last fight [May 5] and then went back to the gym." Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Strikeforce Heavyweight GP FInal Press Conference Quotes May 18, 2012
  SAN JOSE, Calif. (May 17, 2012) -- The main players took the stage Thursday in the final press conference before Saturday's STRIKEFORCE: World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament Final when Josh Barnett faces Daniel Cormier, live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from the HP Pavilion. The powerful Barnett (31-5), of Fullerton, Calif., has not lost a fight since 2006 and has submitted or knocked out six consecutive opponents. The undefeated Cormier (9-0), of San Jose, is one of the most talented wrestlers in the heavyweight division and is a former star for Oklahoma State University and the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team. Joining the pair Thursday were Gilbert Melendez (20-2), of San Francisco, and bitter rival Josh Thomson (19-4, 1 NC), of San Jose, who will fight in a rubber match of their thrilling trilogy as Melendez looks to defend his STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight Championship. In other fights on SHOWTIME, Rafael Feijao takes on Mike Kyle and Nah-Shon Burrell battles Chris Spang. A four-fight preliminary card televised LIVE on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 8 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) will precede the four-fight main card on SHOWTIME. Mauro Ranallo will call the action alongside analysts Frank Shamrock and Pat Miletich with Heidi Androl serving as cageside reporter. The executive producer is David Dinkins Jr. What the principal fighters had to say on Thursday: Josh Barnett: On whether or not people are discounting his experience: “I don't care what people say. I see my experience as being the biggest advantage in this fight. All that experience comes with all the years of training and all the fights I've had and all the different opponents, (basically) all the times I've been in the ring as a pro wrestler, as a fighter. Experience is a pretty easy word to throw around. But I don't think it’s as simple to just say experience. I have to believe ultimately in everything I do and everything I possess. So it’s the same as before and the same that it’s always going to be.” Daniel Cormier: On whether or not he feels like an underdog: “Yeah I do. Honestly I do. Josh was a UFC champion and he's done a ton of things. He's beaten a lot of guys, but I've beaten quite a few of those guys too and I know I can do pretty well against the other ones, so I take it in stride. I should be the underdog because of his experience and his accomplishments, but I'll be ready to go.” Gilbert Melendez: “After that first fight Josh beat me up pretty good and he helped me reinvent myself as a fighter. Not only did I learn to take the center and be a smarter fighter, not get outpointed, but he helped me learn to take my job seriously. At the time I trained to do my stuff and then after that fight I treated everything like a real professional. I structure my training camps now. I train harder. I eat smart. I write everything out. I treat it like a real profession. It’s my career now. And ever since that loss that's how it’s been.” Josh Thomson: “Not much has changed for me since the second fight. Basically I’m just following a different game plan. The second time I fought I had to come off a 15-month layoff so I was just excited to be back in the cage. Anyone who has seen me fight can tell by the smile on my face that I enjoy to fight. I love it. So not much has changed, but I’m just going to change my game plan.” Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Complete Bellator 69 Weigh In Results May 18, 2012
  Lake Charles, La. – The Bellator 69 weigh-ins have been completed from Lake Charles, Louisiana in preparation for Bellator’s Friday night event at L’Auberge Casino Resort, which features the Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament Finals between Maiquel Falcao and Andreas Spang. Also, Megumi Fujii will square off against Jessica Aguilar in a women’s feature fight while Ron Sparks will face Kevin Asplund in a heavyweight matchup. Additionally, a highly-anticipated Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament semifinal will take place as Karl Amoussou takes on David Rickels. Both fighters had choice words for their opponent as Rickels began the verbal sparring. “He can play head games,” Rickels said. “I know he has a heart in there. I’m going to find it and I’m going to crush it.” The imposing Amoussou stared down his opponent and responded: “I just know I’m going to run right through him. Look at him, he’s ugly. Look at his body and look at my body. I’m going to destroy him.” The heated rivalry between Maiquel Falcao and Andreas Spang for the Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament Championship was ignited once again by both fighters’ post weigh-in interviews. With Spang stepping off the scale and telling the L’Auberge Casino Resort crowd to “expect fireworks,” his opponent Falcao responded: “I came to win. If I have to hurt him, I will.” Bellator 69 will be broadcast LIVE on Friday, May 18 at 8:00 pm ET/7:00 pm CT on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. The undercard will begin at 7:00 pm ET/ 6:00 pm CT and will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com. The full results for Bellator 69 are below: MAIN CARD: Middleweight Tournament Final Fight: Maiquel Falcao (186 lbs.) vs. Andreas Spang (185.8 lbs.)* Welterweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: David Rickels (170.6) vs. Karl Amoussou (170) Women’s Feature Fight: Megumi Fujii (116) vs. Jessica Aguilar (115.6) Heavyweight Feature Fight: Ron Sparks (264.6) vs. Kevin Asplund (239) PRELIMINARY CARD: Heavyweight Feature Fight: Abe Wagner (248.8) vs. Mark Holata (250.6) Welterweight Feature Fight: Andrey Koreshkov (170.8) vs. Derrick Krantz (170.8) Lightweight Feature Fight: Kalvin Hackney (156) vs. Emanuel Brooks (156) Featherweight Feature Fight: Booker Arthur (145.4) vs. Shanon Slack (146) Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Josh Burns (206) vs. Richard Hale (205) Lightweight Feature Fight: Josh Quayhagen (158.2) vs. Cliff Wright Jr. (155.6)** *Falcao weighed in at 186 pounds on his second attempt. He originally weighed in at 188 pounds. **Quayhagen and Wright Jr. have agreed to fight at a catchweight of 158 pounds. There was a 20 percent purse deduction from Quayhagen. For more information, visit Bellator.com; follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator. Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• UFC Featherweight Division: Murky Waters May 17, 2012
  By MATT MOLGAARD MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer On Tuesday night Chan Sung Jung a.k.a. the Korean Zombie turned an emerging title contender into a nearly helpless victim. Dustin Poirier entered the headlining bout of UFC on Fuel TV 3 as a generally perceived favorite, riding a four fight promotional win streak, having stomped two highly touted prospects in the process: Josh Grispi and Pablo Garza. By all accounts “The Diamond” looked like a man who may be primed to challenge champion Jose Aldo in the not-too distant future. But the Korean Zombie had entirely different plans. While Poirier fought valiantly, and kept himself in the fight for the majority of its duration, it was obvious early that Jung had spent some time developing as of late. His striking looked far more disciplined than what we’ve seen in the past, and his ground game looked absolutely stellar. For three rounds he stayed a step ahead of Poirier, and eventually locked up a tight Brabo Choke early in the fourth frame. With the victory, KZ sent a resounding message to the champion, and he didn’t need words to do so. But is Jung truly fit to share cage time with the current champion? He’s proven himself to be one hell of a warrior, and he’s damn near as durable as they come. He boasts a well-rounded game an improving fight IQ. In short the man has truly shown that he is deserving of the publicity and fan embrace that he’s garnered. The question is, does he truly pose a threat to the vicious Jose Aldo? My money says no. If any other man in the featherweight division held the 145 pound title, The Korean Zombie would be a surefire threat. But Aldo’s skills have proven unrivaled. The man hasn’t lost a fight since 2005, and he’s disposed of plenty of high quality opposition since, including beatdowns of Alexandre Franca Nogueira, Cub Swanson, Mike Brown, Urijah Faber, Mark Hominick, Kenny Florian and Chad Mendes. It’s as though this man functions on a completely different physical plane. He’s quite clearly a one-in-a-million talent that we obviously don’t see often and as good as The Korean Zombie is, I don’t see him as much more than target practice for the lethal Brazilian. I’m not aiming to take anything away from Jung. He’s looked absolutely outstanding, and shocked me in his last three outings, completely outclassing Leonard Garcia, Mark Hominick and, of course Poirier. I’ve underrated him, and I admit to my folly. I won’t do so again, unless of course he’s tapped to tangle with Aldo… which I just went over. With Poirier now eliminated from potential immediate title contention, the division is left in a bit of murky state. Erik Koch will have his chance to capture gold at UFC 149, and while that fight has yet to transpire, and you can never count one out of a fight, I’d say that Aldo will remain a heavy favorite, and very rightfully so. Hatsu Hioki remains a top flight 145er, but by his own admission, he needs a few more fights with top flight foes inside the octagon before he’s truly prepared to tangle with the champion. Pat Curran remains under contract with Bellator, and Chad Mendes has some work to do before he’ll position himself to prove his first title bid – which resulted in a first round knockout loss – was a fluke. There isn’t much outcry for an Aldo/Florian rematch, and at this point, Kenny’s career still seems to be up in the air. But, here’s the interesting point: when you eliminate Jose Aldo from the 145 pound division, you’ve got a half dozen guys who could likely beat any one of the others on any given night. There isn’t an overtly dominant fighter ranked in the upper regions of the division that looks fit to capture a title and defend it with consistency. Is that a good thing? Honestly I don’t know; people aren’t typically crazy about title juggling. On the flipside of that coin, you’ve got a batch of gentlemen who will make for a load of wild fights and fantastic stylistic clashes, which would certainly ignite some interest in a division often underappreciated by casual fans. With Frankie Edgar likely to make a move to featherweight before too long, we could see the monster to reign supreme emerge. Edgar’s a monster at 155 pounds, and it’s hard to imagine that a man who cuts nearly no weight for the lightweight division won’t be an absolute menace one weight class south. The outcome of Edgar’s rematch with Ben Henderson at UFC 150 will play a huge factor in when we see “The Answer” make the divisional move, but that’s a day I cannot wait for. We may finally see some clarity make its way to the murky waters of the 145 pound division. Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the card in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Josh Koscheck Accepts Fight Against BJ Penn, Waiting For Answer May 17, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer There have been rumblings over the last couple of months that former UFC Lightweight and Welterweight Champion BJ Penn has the itch to climb back into the cage after just announcing his retirement in October at UFC 137. The rumblings have apparently turned to contract talks as Josh Koscheck dropped news via Twitter today that the UFC has offered him a match up against Penn, though he was waiting for his response. "#UFC just offered me to fight BJ Penn...I said YES!!!!! Just waiting on him!!!!!! Let's scrap bra?" After losing to Nick Diaz at UFC 137 Penn told the crowd ""This is probably the last time you're going to see me here," Penn said. "I've got a daughter, another daughter on the way. I don't want to go home looking like this. I'm done." Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Junior Dos Santos Looking For War Against Frank Mir At UFC 146 May 17, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos will look to continue his dominance in the UFC's heavyweight division when he faces Frank Mir in a few shorts weeks at UFC 146 and talked to MMAFighting.com this week about what he expects from his challenger when they step inside the cage: "He likes to talk a lot, and I don't agree with that. Yeah, as a fighter, he is a pretty good fighter. He got pretty good jiu-jitsu skills and he is a good striker too, but he likes to talk, and that is not so good to me to hear when he says something stupid. When he fought "Big Nog" my mentor, he said a lot of things, and now, he says he is going to smash my joints in the fight. I saw in the PRIMETIME too, he said that. But, you know, I don't care about that because I know he likes to promote the fight. But, sometimes it isn't too good to hear. (But)It's never personal for me, it's my job, I don't know him personally and he doesn't know me personally. It's very professional, I just want to win the fight. I don't want to hurt him or get hurt. I just want to beat him in the fight. I don't care who the UFC wants me to fight. Now, it's Frank Mir and I'm looking for a war in the cage with him." "I know Frank Mir is going to try to take me down and use his very good Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he got good strikes too, but I believe so much in my hands, and all the fights start on the standing, so I think I can take advantage on that and keep this fight on feet and I will be looking for the knockout for sure. I want to knock him out and I will give my best to knock him out. If the fights goes to the ground, I don't want to put the fight on the ground, but if he takes me down or something like that and holds me there, I will show my jiu-jitsu for everybody. I can tell you I'm ready to fight, it doesn't matter where. I can surprise everyone fighting on the ground, too." Props to MMAMania.com for the transcription. Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• UFC To Announce Urijah Faber's New Opponent On TUF Friday May 17, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer Fans curious as to who Urijah Faber will be facing at UFC 148 can tune into The Ultimate Fighter: Live this Friday to find out as the UFC will make the announcement during this week's broadcast. Faber was to face Dominick Cruz for the UFC Bantamweight title but a torn ACL forced Cruz out of the fight. The two are still opposing coaches on TUF: Live. With Cruz out for an extended period of time, the UFC 148 match will also be for the interim championship. Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• TUF: Brazil Debuts On FUEL TV June 10th At 7pm May 17, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer The Ultimate Fighter Brazil airs each Sunday in Brazil on Globo TV and is available to U.S viewers via the internet but that will change in June as FUEL TV has announced it will begin airing the season June 10th. The announcement came this past Tuesday during UFC on FUEL TV 3. The show will air at 10pm ET (7pm PT) and is expected to stay in the Sunday night time slot for the duration of the season. The show is taped in Brazil and features Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort as opposing coaches. The two will face each other later this summer. Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Renzo Gracie Blames Himself For Nick Diaz No Show May 16, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer This past weekend, Nick Diaz no-showed at BJJ match at the World BJJ Expo in Long Beach, CA. against Braulio Estima. Fingers were pointed, blame was placed and each side tried to walk away looking like the good guy but one side of the story no one has heard yet was that of the event coordinator, Renzo Gracie. Gracie spoked to Mauro Ranallo this week and gave his view of how and why this mess happened: “I have to be honest, if there’s someone to blame it’s me," said Renzo. "Even though it was my expo, I had one guy (“Junior”) working on it and he was good at organizing it and putting it together. The only thing he’s not good at is dealing with fighters. "Junior called Ceasar Gracie’s room the night previously at midnight and said Braulio Estima would be 10 pounds overweight. You have to understand Nick Diaz was already giving up too much fighting that caliber of fighter in BJJ. For Nick to take the match, it shows the kind of guts he has. "It ended up turning out the way that it did because the guy dealing with the fighters is an amateur, and he didn’t understand the emotions the athletes go through.” Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Fedor Emelianenko Plans To Retire Soon May 16, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer Fedor Emelianenko has a fight coming up June 21st in St. Petersburg, Russia but it could be one of the last time's he climbs into the ring or cage. A press conference was held this week to announce the bout which will be against Pedro Rizzo at the Ice Palace and when asked about his future and his thoughts on the Strikeforce Grand Prix, Emelianenko gave a cryptic answer telling reporters that he will be going for his long time friend Josh Barnett but has no plans on wanting to fight the winner. When asked why he wouldn't, the former number one ranked heavyweight stated that he plans on retiring from competition soon to focus on training up and coming fighters. Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• UFC On FUEL TV 3: "Korean Zombie vs. Poirier" Results May 16, 2012
  By MATT BOONE MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer The following are quick-match results from the UFC On FUEL TV 3: “Korean Zombie vs. Poirier” event, which emanated from the Patriot Center on Tuesday, May 15, 2012: Preliminary Card Bouts: -Francisco Rivera def. Alex Soto via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds. -Johnny Eduardo def. Jeff Curran via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds. -Rafael dos Anjos def. Kamal Shalorus via Submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:40 of Round 1. -T.J. Grant def. Carlo Prater via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds. -Cody McKenzie def. Marcus LeVesseur via Submission (guillotine choke) at 3:05 of Round 1. -Brad Tavares def. Dongi Yang via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds. Main TV Card Bouts: -Tom Lawlor def. Jason MacDonald via KO (punches) at 0:50 of Round 1. -Igor Pokrajac def. Fabio Moldonado via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds. -Yves Jabouin def. Jeff Hougland via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds. -Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone def. Jeremy Stephens via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds. -Amir Sadollah def. Jorge Lopez via Split Decision after 3 Rounds. -”The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung def. Dustin Poirier via Submission (D’Arce choke) at 1:07 of Round 4. Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the card in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Report: Chael Sonnen Likely On NSAC Agenda For May 21st May 15, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer According to a new report from MMA Junkie, number one UFC Middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen will be on the Nevada State Athletic Commission's agenda next week at their May 21st meeting. Sonnen will likely have to answers questions regarding a therapeutic use exemption he applied for two weeks ago. Sonnen's application is for doctor prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. In the past, Sonnen has had issue with the NSAC due to comments made about executive director Keith Kizer during a suspension hearing with the California State Athletic Commission. Since then, Kizer has stated that he felt Sonnen has done his time and doesn't see any issues with licensing in the future. Though that remains to be seen. Sonnen is expected to face UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva on July 7th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Tyron Woodley Joins Up With Sirius XM's Fight Club May 15, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer Phil Lanides sent along the following: St. Louis, Missouri (USA): It was announced today that Strikeforce welterweight title contender Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley has agreed to terms and will now be a featured contributor on SiriusXM Radio’s “Fight Club” MMA program. Woodley’s segment will be called the “Ty-Run Down,” and will be spotlighted on a bi-weekly basis. During “T-Wood’s” appearances, he will be chiming in on the latest news in the MMA world, while keeping listeners up to date on his journey to grab the Strikeforce 170-pound belt. The St. Louis-based Woodley’s first appearance takes place at 5:45 PM ET later today, May 15th. “I’m extremely excited for this opportunity,” stated Woodley. “‘Fight Club’ is a great show, and I think we’re going to have a great time together. Fighters bring a different perspective to the media, and I plan to do just that with Sirius.” “It’s an honor to have a talent like Tyron become part of the Sirius family,” said “Fight Club” Host Ricky Bonnet. “Fight fans really enjoy hearing the opinions of the athletes themselves, and Tyron is known for his straightforward style. This is going to be great.” “Being a member of the MMA media as well as an active mixed martial artist, I know what unique perspective a fighter of Tyron's caliber can provide,” explained “Fight Club” Host RJ Clifford. “It is one thing to cover the sport, but to participate in competition at the level that Tyron has is a whole other animal. We not only look forward to getting his insight on the biggest stories affecting MMA, but also an intimate look into the mind of one of the sport’s elite.” Tyron Woodley is one of the top competitors in Strikeforce’s 170-pound division. Making the transition from prospect to legitimate threat in 2011, the two-time Division I All-American in wrestling bested both Tarec Saffidiene and Paul “Semtex” Daley. He kicked off 2012 with a decision victory over Jordan Mein on January 7th in Las Vegas at “Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine.” Now unbeaten at 10-0 with six finishes, the 29 year-old is expected to compete for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight belt in the near future. SiriusXM Radio’s “Fight Club” airs on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 4-6 PM ET on Sirius 94/XM 208, and online at SiriusXM.com and via the SiriusXM App via Sportszone 860. The show is hosted by Ricky Bonnet, SB Nation Editor Luke Thomas, radio personality and active fighter RJ Clifford, and ESPN Radio host and former Yahoo.com contributor Steve Cofield. For more information on Tyron Woodley, please visit http://www.tyronwoodley.com/ or http://www.attevolution.com/. Tyron can also be followed on Twitter @TWooodley. For more information on SiriusXM’s “Fight Club,” please follow them on Twitter @SXMFightClub. Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well
• Bellator 70 To Feature Heavyweight Title Fight, Tourney Finale May 15, 2012
  Chicago, Ill. (May 15, 2012) — The Big Easy will be the host for Bellator 70 as heavyweights Cole Konrad and Eric Prindle face off for the Bellator World Championship and headline a loaded fight card presented by Harrah’s New Orleans from the New Orleans Convention Center on Friday, May 25. The night will also feature the Finals of Bellator’s Lightweight Tournament, a Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal fight and a host of preliminary action featuring some of Louisiana’s best talent, including New Orleans’ own Rich Clementi. Tickets for Bellator 70 are now on sale and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the New Orleans Convention Center Box Office. Tickets are priced from $30-$125. The event will also be broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. CST, with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CST. The official weigh-ins for Bellator 70 will be held at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 24 at Masquerade inside Harrah’s Casino. After a dominating run through the Season 6 Lightweight Tournament that included a vicious knockout over Ricardo Tirloni at Bellator 62 (Watch Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fTUfZIMTp0), Rick Hawn is looking to secure his guaranteed title shot with a victory over Brent Weedman. For Weedman, the longtime Bellator veteran is eager for his title shot, and knows it’s just a victory away. “Winning this tournament is important to me because it will really cement who I am as a fighter,” Weedman said. “With each round, the tougher guys are going to advance, and they will be able to get that exposure on TV again and again. The fans at home will be following their stories and following their fights. Whoever wins this tournament is going to be solidified.” Known as one of the better bantamweight prospects in MMA, Luis Nogueira is set to take on the incredibly skilled “Iron” Nakamura in the Season 6 Bantamweight Semifinals. Both secured dominating victories in their quarterfinal fights, and will look to keep the momentum going into the finals at Bellator 70. The night will also feature Louisiana native Rich “No Love” Clementi returning to the Bellator cage after nearly two years against Derek Campos. A long time veteran of the sport, Clementi holds notable victories over Melvin Guillard, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Sam Stout, and is primed for a homecoming victory. New Orleans native Charlie “Superstar” Rader will look to get back to his winning ways when he squares off against fellow welterweight A.J. Matthews in front of family and friends. The 30-year-old Rader has won both of his previous fights in Bellator, as “Superstar” delivered two TKO finishes to Josh Rafferty and Christian Fulgium. An intriguing catchweight contest will take place as once-beaten prospect Josh Shockley faces local fighter Keith Schneider. Shockley is currently riding a three-fight winning streak that includes a Bellator 60 victory over Shamar Bailey. The New Orleans Convention Center will play host to a middleweight bout as Cologne, Germany’s Jonas Billstein takes on well-traveled MMA veteran Mike Seal. Billstein, who enjoyed a nine-fight winning streak to begin his career, is looking to make a statement when he enters the Bellator cage against New Orleans’ Seal. MMA veteran Kyle Bradley of nearby Denham Springs, Louisiana will step back in the cage when he meets John Harris in a lightweight fight. Bradley, who has scored a finish in 15 of his 16 wins, will try to secure his first win this year at Bellator 70. Also, local bantamweights Blake Dufour and Derek Arcement will meet as the two young, hungry fighters looking to take their careers to the next level. Both men will be making their Bellator debuts when they meet in front of an electric New Orleans crowd. Rounding out the card, Mississippi’s own Jeremiah Riggs will meet fellow middleweight Kelvin Tiller in a 185-pound matchup. Tiller, who has posted three consecutive wins, will look to keep his momentum going against Riggs. MAIN CARD: Heavyweight Title Fight: Cole Konrad (8-0) vs. Eric Prindle (7-1) Lightweight Tournament Final Fight: Rick Hawn (13-1) vs. Brent Weedman (20-7-1) Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal Fight: Luis Nogueira (13-2) vs. Hiroshi Nakamura (15-5-4) Lightweight Feature Fight: Rich Clementi (42-21-1) vs. Derek Campos (9-2) PRELIMINARY CARD: Catchweight Feature Fight: Josh Shockley (9-1) vs. Keith Schneider (6-6) Welterweight Feature Fight: Charlie Rader (16-5) vs. A.J. Matthews (5-1) Middleweight Feature Fight: Jonas Billstein (9-2) vs. Mike Seal (13-14-1) Lightweight Feature Fight: Kyle Bradley (16-9) vs. John Harris (4-4) Bantamweight Feature Fight: Blake Dufour (2-1) vs. Derek Arcement (1-2) Middleweight Feature Fight: Jeremiah Riggs (7-6) vs. Kelvin Tiller (3-0) For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Cesar Gracie Explains Why Nick Diaz No-Showed BJJ Match May 15, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer Nick Diaz no showed a scheduled BJJ match up this past weekend that was to air on internet PPV but at the last minute, with his opponent on the mat waiting, Diaz was no where to be found. His trainer, Cesar Gracie, took to Graciefighter.com to explain there side of things: "In early April I got the call from Junior asking what I thought of a Braulio Estima vs Nick Diaz matchup. I had heard of Braulio and knew he was a formidable jiu-jitsu practitioner. I was under the impression that Braulio competed in the close to 200lbs weight category. When I asked Junior he assured me that Braulio could weigh in as little as 175 lbs right before the match. I presented his information to Nick who accepted the matchup and seemed happy to go against the top BJJ player in the world at that weight. Nick started training for the match and I brought up several BJJ black belts to compliment his training. Looking through some of Estima’s youtube videos, it was soon discovered that he had in fact been planning on entering upon a career in mma. We wondered if the match with Diaz was a way to create a buzz around him and get him signed with a prominent organization. I called Junior who assured me Estima would not be fighting in mma and that he had spoken with him and been assured he had given up on the idea of ever fighting. Junior reiterated, "Cesar I spoke with Braulio, the guy is in his 30′s, he has a family and doesn’t want to live that type of life at this stage in his life…etc" I repeated this info to Nick. A week or so later it was all over the Internet that Braulio had joined the "Blackzillians" and was training for an mma fight. We had been lied to. Furthermore it was evident that Nick’s sole condition that he not go against a wanna be mma guy was violated and this was in fact an attempt by Braulio to ignite an mma career. Nick was to have been accurately portrayed as a fighter returning to his BJJ roots. He had even agreed to give his entire purse to charity; St Jude’s Children’s Hospital for kids with cancer. If you know the story of Ralph Gracie’s son you would understand why this charity was chosen. Nick arrives in Long Beach to the news that there will be no weigh ins that night. As a professional with over 30 fights this was the final straw. The disrespect and total lack of professionalism given him convinced him he was at a circus not a professional event. At 3:20 in the morning I received a text from Junior that Braulio would in fact make the 180lbs weight class at 10:00AM. With no other option available I said fine I’ll check with Nick in the morning. At 10:00AM Braulio did weigh in at 180lbs but by that time Nick had already left.... As a Brazilian I love Brazil but not all things Brazilian. In the last decade I have witnessed Brazilian cronies running the IBJJF and making it impossible for Americans to get a fair shake when competing against their Brazilian countrymen. These cronies have instituted rules to where if you miss weight by even half a pound you are disqualified and not refunded your entry fee. They gladly keep your money and treat you like crap in your country because they can. One of these cronies (Junior) decided to bend all the rules for Braulio Estima and treat Nick Diaz like crap. Sorry that didn’t work out here." Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Complete Weigh In Results For UFC On FUEL TV 3 May 14, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer UFC on FUEL TV 3 is set to go Tuesday evening after all fighters on the card tipped the scales at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA today. The event will be headlined with a featherweight fight between Chan-Sung Jung and Dustin Poirier. Complete results below: Main Card Dustin Poirier (145) vs. Chan Sung Jung (145) Jorge Lopez (171) vs. Amir Sadollah (171) Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Jeremy Stephens (155) Jeff Hougland (135) vs. Yves Jabouin (135) Fabio Maldonado (205) vs. Igor Pokrajac (205) Tom Lawlor (186) vs. Jason MacDonald (185) Preliminary Card Marcus LeVesseur (155) vs. Cody McKenzie (155) Brad Tavares (185) vs. Dongi Yang (186) T.J. Grant (155) vs. Carlo Prater (155) Rafael dos Anjos (156) vs. Kamal Shalorus (155) Jeff Curran (135) vs. Johnny Eduardo (135) Francisco Rivera (134) vs. Alex Soto (135) Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Korean Zombie Talks Dustin Poirier, Love Of Striking May 14, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer Chan Sung Jung AKA "The Korean Zombie" talked about his featherweight match up with Dustin Poirier Tuesday night at UFC on FUEL TV 3 and gave his thoughts on why he feels he has the advantage heading into the bout, which could have title shot implications: "Dustin Poirier is a very well-rounded fighter, and I think his skill level all-around is very even. But I think that it's his strong point and it's also sort of a weak point because he doesn't really stand out in any particular area. I think that's what's going to be an advantage for me, is that I feel like I have an edge on him in all the different facets of the game. When I was training, it was easy for me to train to come up with ways and strategies to sort of take advantage of the fact that he doesn't really stand out in one particular area more than another." Jung, who has dazzled fans with impressive striking and all out wars in previous outings, also talked about his background and why his favorite part of MMA is the stand up game: "It probably starts with my background in kickboxing since that's what I started doing. I feel like hitting the other guy and coming out with striking is the basis of the game for me, really. I think of mixed martial arts, for me, as something that extends out of the striking. It's not just, you go to the ground, and then there's the ground game, and there's the standing game separate. It's more like, from the standing game, if I need to, I can take him to the ground and show my skills there. But it starts, for me, with the striking." Read More HERE... Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Frank Mir Discusses Game Plan For Junior dos Santos May 14, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer Frank Mir steps into the Octagon with UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos later this month and discussed the fight and how he sees things playing out while speaking to The OC Register this week. “I’m going to go ahead and strike with him, probably more than Carwin wanted to and some of these other guys and try to lull him into lowering his striking defense. If I get him into a rhythm where it’s a boxing match, it will be easier to shoot or take him down. If you are shotting right of fthe bat and are grabbing a leg and that person’s waiting for it, it’s like any combat tactic. It’s very easy to stop what you are expecting.” Mir also discussed dos Santos' BJJ game and where things went wrong for Shane Carwin when he fought JDS: “The only footage I saw was on YouTube from five years ago and it was his only loss. It was like a two-minute fight in Brazil where he got armbarred.” “It has (surprised me), especially the Shane Carwin fight. You can go back and look at some of my comments last year. I was very confident. Obviously Shane Carwin was not the boxer that dos Santos was, but I thought he’d be able to push him against the cage and get him down on the ground. And he was extremely unsuccessful and had a very hard time and got caught with a good right.” Read more HERE... Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.
• Chael Sonnen Being Trained By Stone Cold Steve Austin May 13, 2012
  By Chris Howie MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer Chael Sonnen returned to TSN's Off The Record this week and spoke to host Michael Landsberg about his training relationship with former pro-wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin: "Part of my arrangement with Mr. Austin is that I don't get too into it. So you're going to have to let me side step this one. But look, this isn't anything new. I've worked with him for the last three fights." (Bisping, Stann, Silva) "He's a strength and conditioning coach. He has me out to the ranch, and he puts me through hell for 30 days. And that's what we use to jump start our training, basically. That's it. He doesn't want to be involved and I'm not going to involve him." Check out more of the interview with Sonnen HERE Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM Forums and/or the MMANEWS.COM Facebook. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well @mmanewsdotcom.