According to reports, UFC Featherweight Ricardo Lamas has been officially pulled from UFC 162: Silva Vs Weidman. Lamas was supposed to fight Chan Sung Jung, but Jung is now scheduled to fight Jose Aldo at UFC 163. The news was confirmed on UFC Tonight that a suitable opponent for Lamas couldn’t be found, and now Lamas will receive his show money and be put back on the schedule for another fight. A middleweight bout between Tim Boetsch and Mark Munoz has been bumped up to the main card.

UFC 162: Silva Vs Weidman takes places July 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event will feature reigning Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva’s 11th title defense against challenger Chris Weidman.

Photo Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

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As reported on Fighters.com, reports surfaced early this morning that the UFC was facing red tape with getting some of the fighters licensed for their second trip to Boston for UFC On FOX Sports 1: 1 Shogun Vs Sonnen. According to the commission, a law requires all the fighters to have social security numbers, and that includes the fighters coming in from other countries. The commission said the UFC was dragging their feet on it, and said they should look into speaking to lawmakers. The UFC has released a comment regarding the matter, and they want fans to know everything is expected to happen as planned and they are working on fixing the issue.

The UFC said in a Press Release recieved by Fighters.com:

“For the first time since 2010, the UFC is very excited to return to TD Garden in Boston on Saturday, Aug. 17 with a live event card to coincide with the launch of the FOX Sports 1 network. Tickets went on pre-sale today for the event and are already off to a tremendous start. There were some questions that surfaced regarding licensing requirements for mixed martial artists and boxers to have social security numbers in order to compete in the state of Massachusetts. Last week, these requirements were brought to UFC’s attention and we immediately began working to ensure that all athletes affected by this are in full compliance. We are continuing to work on this and anticipate a positive outcome. We look forward to bringing another successful event to Boston during an incredible week for sports fans in the city.”

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When Jake Ellenberger signed his fight contract to fight Rory MacDonald at UFC On FOX 8: Johnson Vs Moraga it was a number one contender fight, and it didn’t matter what the other name on the contract. Ellenberger has been competing professionally since 2005 and he has always been after the same thing, the championship belt. In the interview below, Ellenberger talks about the importance of being selfish in MMA, what it will take to beat MacDonald, and what it will mean to be the number one contender.

Courtesy of Rick Lee/Rebellion Media:

Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

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UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva puts his belt on the line against Chris Weidman at UFC 162: Silva Vs Weidman, and if there is anyone who understands strengths and weaknesses its the champion. It’s hard to pick against a man who has a list of accolades longer than most fighters records and he will be looking to add his 11th title defense to the list when he fights in Vegas on July 6th. Weidman will do his best to prevent that, and according to Silva’s pre-fight interview, he knows exactly what he needs to do.

Courtesy of the UFC:

Photo Mark J. Rebilas-USAToday Sports

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After losses in three of his last four fights it looks like UFC fighter Mike Swick is ready to return to the division where he made his Octagon debut. According to a Tweet from Swick, his days as a welterweight are over and a future at 185 pounds is forthcoming.

“I wanna come back at a big and healthy 185. No more sickly 170 for me,” wrote Swick on the social networking site.

The 15-5 Swick hasn’t fought since suffering a knockout loss to Matt Brown last December. Eleven of his wins have featured some form of finish including four in showings as a middleweight.

No date was mentioned as to when Swick hopes to see action again.

The post Mike Swick: “No more sickly 170 for me.” appeared first on Fighters.com.

UFC middleweight Vitor Belfort doesn’t know if he’ll be called upon to fight the winner of the UFC 162 main event between champion Anderson Silva and unbeaten contender Chris Weidman, but he definitely expects a nod to come his way. “The Phenom” is 4-0 at 185 pounds since falling to Silva in 2011 including knockouts of Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold.

Belfort spoke to USA Today about the likelihood of him fighting for a title in the immediate future, leaving the decision up to his employers in hopes his recent run of success will score him the shot.

“Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, they are promoters, and I respect them very much. Right now, I haven’t heard from them, and I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve served the organization very well.”

“I’m fighting in main events, winning fights, shocking everybody. I’m right there, and they know that. Now it’s just waiting to see if I’ve done enough.”

“You cannot go against results, so look at my results. That’s what I mean. Some people earn, and some people don’t. They try to get there without earning it. I believe in every area of my life, I earn — and I earn through the glory of God.”

SOURCE: USA Today
PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

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Bellator returns Wednesday night with the first of three shows for their summer series with Bellator 96: King Mo Vs Petruzelli, and the weigh ins take place today in Thackerville, Oklahoma at the WinStar World Casino. The fighters hit the scales at 6:00 PM EST, and you can watch the whole thing right here on Fighters.com. If you can’t stream the video, there is no need to worry as we will have you covered with the results below the video. Make sure you refresh your browser to stay up to speed.

For the first time, Bellator will be holding four-man tournaments for the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions, and both kick off at the WinStar World Casino. In the main event, Muhammed Lawal will take on Seth Petruzelli and in the co main event Jacob Noe will fight Renato Sobral.

Bellator 96: King Mo Vs Petruzelli
Date: June 19, 2013
Location: Thackerville, Oklahoma
Venue: WinStar World Casino

Main Card

Muhammed Lawal 205.2 lbsvs. Seth Petruzelli 204.8 lbs *
Jacob Noe 206.2 lbs vs. Renato Sobral 204.4 lbs *
Vitaly Minakov 246 lbs vs. Ron Sparks 264.6 lbs **
Blas Avena 170 lbs vs. War Machine 17o lbs
Rich Hale 240.1 lbs vs. Ryan Martinez 263.8 lbs**

Preliminary Card

Jarrod Card 145.7 lbs vs. Chas Skelly 145.9 lbs
Keith Berry 190 lbs vs. Cortez Coleman 185.6 lbs
Mike Maldonado 135.8 vs. Chavous Smith 137.7 lbs
Damon Jackson 154.8 lbs vs. Keith Miner 155.8 lbs
Raphael Butler 261 lbs vs. Jeremiah O’Neal 260.5 lbs
Brandon Halsey 205 lbs vs. Joe Yager 205.5 lbs
Derek Campos 159.2 lbs vs. Brandon Girtz 155.7 lbs
Steven Artoff 138.8 lbs vs. Justin McNally 135.4 lbs

*light-heavyweight tournament opening round
**heavyweight-tournament opening round

The post Bellator 96: King Mo Vs Petruzelli Live Weigh In Results appeared first on Fighters.com.

The UFC’s return trip to Boston for UFC On FOX Sports 1: 1 Shogun Vs Sonnen may have hit a major legal hiccup. Reports are saying that the UFC has been asking the athletic commission to relax its rules on requiring foreign fighters to have a social security number to fight in Massachusetts, but the commission isn’t budging. Terrell Harris, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety which oversees MMA, is saying that the UFC has chosen to ignore the law and now wants an exception. The fact is the state may lose millions if the fight is held somewhere else, and Massachusetts officials are urging the UFC to petition lawmakers to find a solution.

Harris told the Boston Herald:

“This law has been in existence since we legalized mixed martial arts in the commonwealth of Mass­achusetts.”

“It’s been brought to the attention of the UFC more than a few times since we legalized the fighting here. But they’ve chosen basically to ignore the law and hope that they could skirt it somehow.”

“When they bring in fighters that are not American citizens, there are exceptions that
allow them to obtain a Social Security number. The Social Security
Administration will issue a temporary work visa but it’s up to them to do
their due diligence.

“They’ve approached us and asked us if we could make exceptions to the
law for them. But the law is the law. The law doesn’t allow us to make exceptions.”

UFC On FOX Sports 1: 1 Shogun Vs Sonnen is scheduled to take place in Boston on Saturday August 17 and the event will kick off the first card on FOX’s new channel Fox Sports 1. In the main event, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua will take on Chael Sonnen in a five round bout. The last time the UFC was in Boston was for UFC 118: Edgar Vs Penn II at the TD Garden, and that is where this card will be as well.

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UFC officials have confirmed that more middleweight mayhem has been added to UFC 164. Magnus Cedenblad and Jared Hamman are set to fight on the undercard in Wisconsin, and both need a win in the worse way. Hamman is looking to rebound from two KO losses in a row and Cedenblad was submitted in the second round of his UFC debut. It was previously announced that Cedenblad would be fighting at the second UFC On FOX Sports 1: 2 card, but the UFC has shuffled the deck.

UFC 164: Henderson Vs Grant takes place August 31 at the HMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Defending lightweight champion Benson Henderson looks to defend his belt for the fourth time when he takes on T. J. Grant in the main event. Also confirmed for the card are heavyweights Frank Mir and Josh Barnett and featherweights Chad Mendes and Clay Guida.

Photo Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

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A new middleweight bout has been added to UFC 164. Derek Brunson and Yoel Romero have both agreed to fight for the UFC’s second trip to Milwaukee. Romero is coming off his UFC debut which was KO win over Clifford Starks making all five of his wins coming via knockout. Brunson was supposed to fight at UFC On FUEL 10 but his fight with Ronny Markes was cancelled when Markes was in an accident on weigh in day.

UFC 164: Henderson Vs Grant takes place August 31 at the HMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Defending lightweight champion Benson Henderson looks to defend his belt for the fourth time when he takes on T. J. Grant in the main event. Also confirmed for the card are heavyweights Frank Mir and Josh Barnett and featherweights Chad Mendes and Clay Guida.

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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A rumor of a bout for UFC 164 has picked up steam because of a report coming out of Germany. According to the article, Pascal Krauss and South Korea’s Hyun Gyu Lim have agreed to fight on the undercard. Lim is riding a 6 fight win streak which includes his UFC debut against Marcelo Guimaraes and Krause rebounded from his first UFC loss with a win over Mike Stumpf at UFC On FOX 6.

Ground and Pound was the first to report the bout. UFC 164: Henderson Vs Grant takes place August 31 at the HMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Defending lightweight champion Benson Henderson looks to defend his belt for the fourth time when he takes on T. J. Grant in the main event. Also confirmed for the card are heavyweights Frank Mir and Josh Barnett and featherweights Chad Mendes and Clay Guida.

The post Pascal Krauss Vs Hyun Gyu Lim Set For UFC 164 appeared first on Fighters.com.

UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson took place this past Saturday night and it was the first time the UFC touched down in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Manitoba Combative Sports Commission has released the official medical suspensions from the event, and you can see the full list below. The commission suspended everyone who fought for two weeks, and handed out indefinite suspensions to 6 fighters including main event winner Rashad Evans.

Courtesy of MMAWeekly:

Suspended indefinitely:

Rashad Evans, Ryan Jimmo, Pat Barry, Sam Stout, Dustin Pague, Edwin Figueroa,

Suspended 14 days:

Dan Henderson, Stipe Miocic, Roy Nelson, Igor Pokrajac, Alexis Davis, Rosi Sexton, Shawn Jordan, Jake Shields, Tyron Woodley, James Kruse, Sean Pierson, Kenny Robertson, Roland Delorme, Mitch Clarke, John Maguire, Yves Jabouin

Photo Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

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UFC welterweight Carlos Condit loves his life. He has a beautiful, healthy family and the type of career countless other individuals aspire to achieve. However, that’s not to say Condit was always confident in his ability to make a living as a Mixed Martial Artist.

Condit recently spoke with Bleacher Report where he acknowledged the blessings in his life have given him a tremendous sense of appreciation.

“I’ve come farther than I ever even imagined I would. I started in MMA because I love to fight. I walked into the gym the first day and knew this was my sh*t. This is what I want to do. But there was no career. The top guys in the sport weren’t making a ton of money and most of them were working side jobs. From the mindset of doing it for the love and passion of the sport to being able to make a living—a damn good one at that—traveling the world and having the opportunities that I do, it’s incredible. It’s humbling to be honest.”

“Thinking back to when I was a kid, I was never the fastest. I was never the most talented kid but I was always scrappy—always tough—and I was always willing to work the hardest at whatever I was doing. I’ve carried that mentality with me throughout my career and it’s something I’ll continue to have going forward.”

Condit will look to continue his run of success on August 28 when he faces Martin Kampmann at UFC on FOX Sports 2.

SOURCE: Bleacher Report
PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

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UFC fighter Anthony Pettis was set to square off against featherweight champ Jose Aldo on August 3 before injuring his meniscus and subsequently pulling out of the planned pairing. However, based on his belief he will be ready to go a few weeks later than initially expected, Pettis decided to put his name in the discussion for a title-fight with lightweight king Benson Henderson at UFC 164.

However, Henderson has already been booked for a bout with T.J. Grant at the August 31 event. Though “Bendo” has already started preparing for Grant, he recently told MMAFighting he’s fine with fighting Pettis too if the UFC decides to go that direction.

“As I’ve always said, I don’t care who I fight or when I fight them. I’m going to do what I always do, which is continue training to be the best in the world. I’ll just fight and let the others worry about talking their way into fights.”

SOURCE: MMAFighting
PHOTO CREDIT: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

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UFC Heavyweight Pat Barry succombed to strikes early in his bout with Shawn Jordan at UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson, but his manager wants everyone to know that it was stopped because of an inadvertent eye poke. Brian Butler of Suckerpunch Entertainment is saying that if you watch the replay of the fight, you can not only see the eye poke, but you can see Barry react to the eye poke while he was being pounded out by Jordan.

Butler told Bleacher Report:

“The eye poke is what stopped Pat. He was not dazed or even close to being unconscious. Watch the way he just turtles up to cover his eye. If it was more blatant the ref would have given Pat time to recover but it was hard to see.”

“You can see Pat actually almost tap to motion the ref it was his eye, but Shawn was hitting so fast he couldn’t remove his glove from his eye.”

“This was set to be a great fight and what most people didn’t see was that this stoppage was due to an eye gouge Pat received from an uppercut. The strikes themselves did not cause Pat to go down. He took a thumb directly into his eyeball and turtles up to protect it. Unfortunately, the ref did not have the angle I saw it and the fight was stopped.”

Butler also stated that they are still uncertain whether or not they wiill be filing a complaint with the commission in Winnipeg.

Photo Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

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Bellator returns Wednesday night with the first of three shows for their summer series with Bellator 96: King Mo Vs Petruzelli. For the first time, Bellator will be holding four-man tournaments for the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions, and both kick off at the WinStar World Casino. In the main event, Muhammed Lawal will take on Seth Petruzelli and in the co main event Jacob Noe will fight Renato Sobral.

Fighters.com will be bringing you complete coverage of the event with live results and play by play action of the main card.

Bellator 96: King Mo Vs Petruzelli
Date: June 19, 2013
Location: Thackerville, Oklahoma
Venue: WinStar World Casino

Main Card

Muhammed Lawal vs. Seth Petruzelli*
Jacob Noe vs. Renato Sobral*
Vitaly Minakov vs. Ron Sparks**
Blas Avena vs. War Machine
Rich Hale vs. Vinicius Queiroz**

Preliminary Card

Jarrod Card vs. Chas Skelly
Keith Berry vs. Cortez Coleman
Mike Maldonado vs. Chavous Smith
Damon Jackson vs. Keith Miner
Raphael Butler vs. Jeremiah O’Neal
Brandon Halsey vs. Joe Yager
Derek Campos vs. Brandon Girtz
Steven Artoff vs. Justin McNally

*light-heavyweight tournament opening round
**heavyweight-tournament opening round

VIDEO PREVIEW:

The post Bellator 96: King Mo Vs Petruzelli Live Results and Play By Play (Wed. 6:00 PM EST) appeared first on Fighters.com.

A new lightweight battle between Mike Ricci and Myles Jury has been added to UFC 165. Both fighters are former The Ultimate Fighter alums, from seasons 15 and 16 respectively, and are now set to scrap as the UFC returns to Toronto for the fourth time. Ricici rebounded from his TUF finale loss to Colton Smith with a win over Colin “Freakshow” Fletcher at UFC 158 and once again finds himself fighting in Canada. The undefeated Jury now has 3 wins in the UFC with the most recent coming at UFC On FOX 7 over Ramsey Nijem.

MMAFighting.com was the first to report the fight. UFC 165: Jones Vs Gustafsson takes place September 21 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the main event, Defending Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones will face off against Alexander Gustafsson in a five round title fight. No other fights have been announced for the card.

The post Myles Jury vs Mike Ricci Added To UFC 165 appeared first on Fighters.com.

UFC President Dana White has made no secret of the disdain he has for Testosterone Replacement Therapy, but he has also come forward to say that he thinks UFC Middleweight Vitor Belfort has been unfairly criticized for his use of the controversial treatment. At the UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson post fight scrum, White explained that Belfort has done everything they have ever asked him to do, he hasn’t failed a drug test, and that people need to stop being so rough on the guy.

According to Dana White:

“I think Vitor has been unjustly beat down for the TRT thing. You guys know how I feel about TRT. But he’s done everything the right way and been within the limits he’s supposed to be in.”

“He will end up fighting in the States. He’s been fighting in Brazil because he does well in Brazil. There’s no conspiracy. First of all, have we ever done anything slimy, seriously, in 13 years? Like, ‘Let’s keep him in Brazil so nobody (tests him).’ I f—ing hate unfair people who cheat, putting guys in a position where they’re at a disadvantage. I hate that stuff. I want fights to happen evenly and for the best guy to win, and that’s why I was so pissed off about the TRT thing because I felt like people were cheating. People are getting jacked up during their training. One guy’s fighting on his natural abilities, the other guy’s getting jacked up, he recovers faster in training camp than the guy who’s natural, and then he gets his levels back down before the fight. That’s what was pissing me off.”

“I would never, and Lorenzo (Fertitta) would never put a guy down in Brazil because we think he’ll pass down there and won’t pass somewhere else,” he said. “And the guys that regulate Brazil are the same f—ing guys who pulled (Alexander) Gustafsson out of the fight (at UFC on FUEL TV 9) for the cut. Same guys. And it’s not like I was a big fan of their decision in (Sweden). So it’s not like they’re doing me any favors or we have some yahoo buddy-buddy relationship.”

Credit: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports

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At the UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson post fight press conference, UFC President Dana White was very critical of the reffing job that Steve Mazzagatti did during the Jon Fitch Vs Josh Burkman fight. By very critical we mean going on a 4 minute spiel about how someone could end up seriously injured because of his negligence. The fight took place in Nevada, and NSAC Director Keith Kizer was cageside has gone on record to defend his ref. Kizer had a different take on the matter.

Kizer told MMAFighting:

“It as neither a positive or a negative on the referee. All of us in the arena, and the commentators who know their stuff, were really shocked Jon was out. Steve was right there. He had to walk two steps. He walked two steps and waved off the fight. It was very easy for him, and every easy for Josh as well. It was a weird ending to the fight, but good for Josh.”

“Bas Rutten, who was doing the live commentary at the moment Josh got the move, he said how Josh didn’t have full guard. He gave the impression it (the guillotine) wasn’t going to work. He then stood up, and there was awkward silence from Bas. He was shocked. Other fighters in the front row were shocked. When Josh started to stand up, he (Rutten) thought that he’s not going to get him so he’s going to transition to another move. Then he saw it and said,`Wow, Jon Fitch is out.’”

“… I would praise the referee if he did a good job. But here, there’s nothing to talk about the ref. It wasn’t a good job or a bad job. He had no job. I think most people thought Jon was going to get out. Bas and I both thought he was letting go of the hold and transitioning to another hold.”

“He’s usually praising him, including on season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter, he said to me that Steve’s doing a great job and I told him I’ll let Steve know. That was the last time I talked to Dana about Steve.”

“Dana’s a good guy. Very few people care about other people as much as Dana. But you’ve heard what he’s said about former fighters, former employees, even fighters in his organization. Even Jon Jones. He likes to put people down, whether rightly or wrongly. It’s an ego thing. We all have egos. I think it’s wrong when people lie and you can make your own conclusions on Dana.”

The post NSAC Dir. Keith Kizer: “Mazzagatti walked two steps and waved off the fight.” appeared first on Fighters.com.

UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson was the UFC’s first trip to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and the UFC shattered attendance and gate records at the MTS Centre. In the main event it was Rashad Evans who edged out Dan Henderson by split decision, and in the co main event it was Stipe Miocic who derailed the Roy Nelson hype train by outclassing him for three rounds. Check out a few snap shots of the night’s bigger moments.

Rashad Evans Takes Down Dan Henderson

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Photo Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

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UFC President Dana White spoke with FUEL TV after the dust was settled from UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson on Saturday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and he broke down all the goings on surrounding their first trip to the MTS Centre. Check out the video below where White talks about how he scored the main event between Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson, what’s next for Roy Nelson, and why the decision was made to set up Korean Zombie vs Jose Aldo and not Ricard Llamas.

Courtesy of FUEL

 Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The post Dana White’s Post UFC 161 Interview (VIDEO) appeared first on Fighters.com.

UFC light heavyweight Rashad Evans promised he’d gotten some of his “swagger” back leading up to last night’s headlining bout with Dan Henderson and UFC 161, delivering on the statement with a hard-fought decision win over the iconic “Hendo”. Now, it looks like Evans is interested in taking on another one of the division’s toughest draws – Glover Teixeira (21-2).

“I heard Glover Teixeira wanted the winner. I’m not turning anyone down,” said Evans during an interview with Fuel TV after the fight.

However, UFC President Dana White was asked about the possible pairing and pointed to Texieira already having something lined up but wasn’t able to reveal the specifics.

Check out the full conversation with Evans:

SOURCE: Fuel TV
PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

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UFC fighter Anthony Pettis made it clear last night he plans on fighting for a championship in August. However, considering he was forced to pull out of a planned outing against featherweight king Jose Aldo on August 3, it isn’t the 145-pound division’s title he has his sights set on.

Pettis spoke with Fuel TV after UFC 161 where he made it clear he wants T.J. Grant’s spot against lightweight champ Benson Henderson on August 31 at UFC 164. Not only does Pettis expect his injured knee to heal by then, but the event is taking place in Milwaukee where the sensational scrapper hails from.

“I can be 100% ready to fight Benson Henderson in Milwaukee. With all due respect to T.J. Grant, Milwaukee is my town, and the fight with Ben is the fight everyone has wanted for years.”

However, UFC President Dana White doesn’t share his confidence:

“He will not be ready by that date. The doctor, whom I respect and listen to, says that he won’t be. I’m going to fly him in to Vegas this week and have him looked at again for a second opinion. I don’t want this kid to rush it. There’s no rush for him to fight.”

SOURCE: Fuel TV
PHOTO CREDIT: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

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UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson is in the books and in the main event it was Rashad Evans who was awarded the split decision over Dan Henderson in what some are calling a controversial decision.

Both fighters were cautious early in the first round and after the feeling out period it seemed to be a pretty even round. Toward the end of the round, Evans was stumbled with a left hand that prompted Henderson to swarm in with strikes and win the round out right. However, in the next two rounds it was Evans who was quicker to the punch.  Although Henderson was able to stop all but one of Evans’ takedown attempts he didn’t do enough to win the rounds. While Evans was winning the fight it seemed as though Henderson was looking for the  one shot to end Evans’ night.

Henderson admitted as much in the post fight interview. “There’s nobody to blame but myself,” he said. “That third round, I slowed down. I should have gotten more active. I thought I hurt him bad in the first and second rounds, I thought I got those.”

Evans says he knew going to back to his corner he lost the first round, but felt he did enough to win the last two. Evans said, “After getting dropped in the first round, I knew I won the second, but I needed to come out strong in the third.” Evans also explained why he seemed a little cautious in the bout, stating, “One thing you know about Henderson is you don’t rush in. Only fools rush in with Dan Henderson. When he is hurt, he can still hurt you with a good shot.”

You can watch their post fight comments right here courtesy of the UFC:

The post Rashad Evans Wins Close Bout With Dan Henderson At UFC 161 (VIDEO) appeared first on Fighters.com.

Prior to the co main event at UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson, Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson refused to take an extension deal from the UFC and elected to wait until after his fight with Stipe Miocic to negotiate a new contract. The gamble being that if he did well, Nelson would be in the drivers seat at the boardroom table, but the gamble didn’t pay off.

Early on in the fight it was clear Miocic was the quicker fighter, and about 2 minutes into the fight he landed his first heavy combination to the face of Nelson that set the tone for the whole fight. While Nelson was able to avoid eight takedown attempts from Miocic throughout the fight, Miocic was able to land 106 out of 172 significant strikes(62% according to fightmetric). As the fight went on, Miocic’s punches started to add up on the face of Nelson and Nelson was only able to land 5 strikes the whole round.

Miocic said after the fight, “This was the biggest win of my career. I hit him with some big shots and he took them. He doesn’t go down.” Miocic also explained that it was important to redeem himself after his last fight, “I’m glad to have put my last fight behind me. This was a big fight for me, and I’m very happy I came through it with the win.”

You can check out Miocic’s post fight interview here:

While Nelson’s future might be uncertain with the UFC, but both parties stated after the press conference that they both wanted to negotiate. Historically speaking, when it has come time for UFC President Dana White and Nelson to do business, White has made no secret that it can be difficult to deal with Big Country. However, both parties seem optimistic. At the very least, there is a good chance we will see him back in the octagon again.

Photo Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

The post Stipe Miocic Handles Roy Nelson In Co-Main Event At UFC 161 (VIDEO) appeared first on Fighters.com.

UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson is in the books, and the crowd has already filed out of the MTS Centre after watching Rashad Evans get the split decision over Dan Henderson. As usual, the UFC will be handing out $50,000 to the night’s top performers. Stay tuned to Fighters.com for complete UFC 161 coverage.

Submission of the night: James Krause
Knockout of the night: Shawn Jordan
Fight of the night: Sam Stout vs James Krause

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UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson took place June 15, 2013 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. According to UFC President Dana White at the post fight press conference, 14,745 fans attended the event for a live gate of  $3.15 million. The gate total is a new record for the MTS Centre.

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UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson is in the books, and you can hear from UFC President Dana White and the night’s winners and losers at the post fight press conference.  The Press conference typically begins 30-45 minutes after the fights conclude, but you can watch the whole thing right here.

Courtesy of the UFC:

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UFC light heavyweight Rashad Evans has only been finished a single time in his career despite facing the best the division has to offer over a 21-fight run in the ring. However, when the dust settles tonight, UFC 161 opponent Dan Henderson is confident that number will double.

Henderson spoke to Fuel TV after weighing in where he expressed his belief that Evans will certainly show up ready to fight but ultimately end up asleep before the third round expires.

“I’m expecting to fight the best Rashad Evans there ever was and that’s what I’m hoping for.”

“Everybody has a bad fight or flat performance. I’ve been there too.”

“I think it’s gonna be a war and I plan on stopping him.”

The full conversation with Henderson can be found below:

SOURCE: Fuel TV
PHOTO CREDIT: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

The post Dan Henderson: “I think it’s gonna be a war and I plan on stopping him.” appeared first on Fighters.com.

UFC light heavyweight Rashad Evans is a former champion, an Ultimate Fighter winner, and has a tremendous personality. However, for a handful of reasons including his occasionally cocky demeanor he has never been one of the company’s most beloved competitors. Though that seemed to be changing after receiving the crowd’s approval in his last two tilts, that certainly wasn’t the case at the weigh-ins for UFC 161.

Evans discussed the audience showering him with boos in an interview with Fuel TV, actually expressing a bit of relief at the return to normalcy.

“I thought (they loved me) too but when they started loving me too much I went on a winning streak. So the boos kind of felt feel good, made me feel at home. When I get booed, I fight well.”

On the need to prove something after losing two in a row:

“More or less to myself more than anything. I feel like I let myself down as a competitor and I know what’s inside of me. When I go out there and fight the way I need to fight, when I go to the dressing room feeling sick and disgusted with myself, when I can’t look at the mirror at myself after losing a fight, then I know it’s gut check time and I need to do something to make that change.”

Check out the full interview with Evans:

SOURCE: Fuel TV
PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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Edwin Figueroa admits he wasn’t himself prior to his UFC 156 bout with Francisco Rivera. Figueroa was winning the fight when the tide changed in the second round, and Rivera was able to overwhelm him with strikes. Ahead of UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson bout with Roland Delorme, Figueroa says he learned a harsh lesson after making the worst mistake a fighter can make. Getting comfortable. He has a chance to right the ship in a few a hours from now, but he insists things are different now.

Figueroa told MMAJunkie:

“There were a lot of things that went wrong during the last fight. The weight cut wasn’t that good. I took a year off due to back-to-back injuries. And honestly, I just got too comfortable. Like they always say, I did the worst thing a fighter can do. I got too civilized and too comfortable. I kind of lost the hunger, and I could feel it. I’m not proud of it.”

“I honestly felt like I entered that fight going 50 percent. I just wasn’t there. … Even after I dropped him in the first round, it took two or three seconds for it to even register.”

“I’ve got the hunger back. I’ve got my edge back. So now I’m going to come back like I used to come out, like I did for the McDonald fight, the Reinhardt fight, the Caceres fight. I’m ready to go in there like a normally do.”

Photo Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

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UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson takes place tonight in Manitoba, Canada for the first time as the octagon touches down in Winnipeg. Before Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson duke it out tonight in the main event, check out the fighters.com preview below to see how all the fights will play out. Make sure you stay close for all of our UFC 161 coverage.

Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson

Both Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson have heavy hands, and have more than capable wrestling. The thing is they are good at those things for different reasons. While Henderson’s wrestling is greco based and he has that mean right hand, Evans has more of a college wrestling base that emphasizes takedowns and two powerful paws. What grabs my attention when breaking down this fight is how easy it has been for Henderson to be taken down in the past, and coupling that in with Evans’ ability to change levels really fast.

Evans looked horrible in his last fight, but Henderson looked old. Evans’ losses have come at a bad time, but lets remember how good he is and how long he has been fighting at the upper end of the division.

Rashad Evans via Unanimous Decision

Stipe Miocic vs. Roy Nelson

This is a tough draw for Miocic as he is going up against a guy with a mountain of experience on short notice. While he may earn good favor from the UFC for stepping, he is going to have a really hard time earning the win. One of the problems Nelson has that may work in his favor is that he has had a hard time winning big fights in the fast. While this one won’t earn Nelson a title shot, contractually speaking this is a big fight. If Miocic can somehow get this fight into deep waters, he can really increase his chances of winning. I don’t expect that to happen. I expect Nelson to land something early and snatching a submission or just finish with strikes.

Roy Nelson via Technical Knockout

Pat Barry vs. Shawn Jordan

While its always entertaining to watch Pat Barry fight, the bad news is he has a terrible IQ. The man gets hit in the head and it turns into a game of “Hulk Smash.” When this happens Barry’s concern for his safety, and along with any and all defense, fly right out of the octagon. While Barry’s overall game is improving, its becoming more and more apparent the hype is not matching with his skills. Jordan can take some shots and still be dangerous, and that is going to do him some good in this fight. I see Barry getting reckless and start to overextend on his punches, and thats when I expect Jordan to get the tko.

Shawn Jordan via Technical Knockout

Ryan Jimmo vs. Igor Pokrajac

This will be a close fight as both fighters strengths play right into the other’s weaknesses. Pokrajac’s heart keeps him in a lot of fights and keeps him coming forward, and while thats sometimes not good for his health, he is still able to keep his wits about him and stay dangerous. Jimmo has a lot of composure in the cage for someone with his experience and he doesn’t panic when things aren’t going his way. Look for Jimmo to try to grind up Pokrajac with knees early in the fight to try and take the fight into deep waters. Pokrajac will make a go of it, but it will Pokrajac who walks out with the decision.

Igor Pokrajac via Unanimous Decision

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If you were looking for a fight card with surprising endings on Friday night, hopefully you were watching World Series Of Fighting 3: Burkman Vs Fitch. In a fight where Jon Fitch was a 3-1 favorite, Josh Burkman was able to land a hook to the jaw of Fitch and send him to the floor. When Fitch went to recover from the strikes, he shot in for a takedown on Burkman who was able to grab a hold of his neck for the guillotine choke. By the time Burkman was able to roll Fitch over he was out cold and Burkman let him go. On a card with all but one other finish, the fight no one thought would end before the cards was over in 42 seconds.

It was announced prior to the fight that the winner would be fighting for the inaugural WSOF welterweight belt, and although he doesn’t have an opponent, Burkman is all lined up for it. While WSOF President Ray Sefo also announced that he will be fighting on the next WSOF card against Dave Huckaba in Ontario, Canada, no plans have been made for Burkman or Fitch for that matter. WSOF 4 takes place August 10 in Ontario, California.

The post Josh Burkman Finishes Jon Fitch In First Minute At WSOF 3 appeared first on Fighters.com.

It’s fairly common to hear fighters talk about how an upcoming bout will affect their chances of earning a title-shot. However, as UFC light heavyweight Rashad Evans has learned over the past few years, putting too much emphasis on what MIGHT come can often take away from energy spent on a more immediate task.

Evans recently spoke with the UFC’s website where he confirmed he wasn’t looking past his match-up with Dan Henderson tomorrow night at UFC 161 based on his previous experiences with taking the opposite approach.

“It’s really refreshing to just allow this fight to speak for itself. There are so many times when I compete it always becomes about what’s next and what’s next and what’s next. If all the while you’re considering what’s next, you’re not looking in front of you at what’s happening right now – you’re not really present.

“My last fight when I was going to fight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira all everybody was talking about was me fighting Anderson Silva. I’m like, `Wait a minute – I’ve gotta get past Nogueira.’ Then I lose, and nobody’s talking about Anderson Silva no more.

“It doesn’t matter. All the hypotheticals? It absolutely means nothing, so what’s the sense in talking about it? I’m going to let my body of work speak for itself.”

SOURCE: UFC.com
PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones didn’t expect to see action again until October. However, his plans were altered this week when the organization decided to schedule him for a scrap on September 21 with Alexander Gustafsson.

Though Jones’ preference may have been to wait a little longer before returning to the ring, don’t expect any complaints from “Bones” even though he’s still healing up from a serious toe injury. The 25-year old title-holder spoke to MMAFighting about how the clash came about, saying he was happy to help his employers out even if it wasn’t an ideal situation.

“They wanted me to fight in August for the first FOX Sports 1 card, but I just thought that would be a bad idea. It was a great opportunity. I definitely want to fight on free television for the fans. I realize there’s a lot of people out there that aren’t in a position to buy pay-per-view. So, I would be honored to fight for the fans on free television, and I was going to jump at the opportunity, but I took a few steps back and really evaluated whether that would be a smart idea or not and realized that I should do that another time.”

“I was hoping for October, but Dana asked me to do September, so I thought I would be a team player and try to help the UFC out with their scheduling. Having me so close to Toronto, I thought it would make sense for the company, so I took the fight. At the same time, I don’t feel rushed at all, so it worked out for the both of us.”

Jones-Gustafsson are set to headline UFC 165 in Toronto.

SOURCE: MMAFighting
PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

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Watch the UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson Fighter / Fan Q&A featuring number one contender T.J. Grant right here on Fighters.com. The UFC is streaming the event live from the MTS Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and you can watch it before the fighters hit the scales for the weigh ins.

Courtesy of the UFC:

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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The hits keep coming for the UFC. UFC President Dana White took to twitter today to announce that Anthony Pettis has injured his knee, and is out of his UFC 163 bout with Jose Aldo. According to White, Chan Sung Jung will now take on Aldo in Brazil in his place. This of course leaves Ricardo Lamas without a dance partner at UFC 162, but the UFC haven’t made any comment on what might happen with him.

Dana White Via Twitter:

Pettis hurt his knee, Korean Zombie will now face Jose Aldo for the title on the Aug card in Rio Brazil.

— Dana White (@danawhite) June 14, 2013

The post Anthony Pettis Out Of UFC 163, Jose Aldo Vs Chan Sung Jung Is New Main Event appeared first on Fighters.com.

UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson  weigh ins take place today in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canad at the MTS Center, and Fighters.com will be bringing you live results of all the action. In the main event, Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans takes on Dan Henderson in a three round affair while heavyweights Roy Nelson and Stipe Miocic handle the co main event duties. You can watch it all go down in the video below and we will also be updating the results in real time if you can’t watch.

Courtesy of the UFC:

UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson

Main Card

Rashad Evans (206 lbs) vs. Dan Henderson (204 lbs)
Stipe Miocic (243 lbs) vs. Roy Nelson (260 lbs)
Ryan Jimmo (206 lbs) vs. Igor Pokrajac (206 lbs)
Alexis Davis (134 lbs) vs. Rosi Sexton (135.5 lbs)
Pat Barry (245 lbs) vs. Shawn Jordan (248 lbs)

Preliminary Card
Jake Shields (171 lbs) vs. Tyron Woodley (171 lbs)
James Krause (155.5 lbs) vs. Sam Stout (156 lbs)
Sean Pierson (170.5 lbs) vs. Kenny Robertson (170.5 lbs)
Roland Delorme (136 lbs) vs. Edwin Figueroa (135 lbs)
Mitch Clarke (155.5 lbs) vs. John Maguire (155 lbs)
Yves Jabouin (136 lbs) vs. Dustin Pague (135.5 lbs)

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The UFC has been talking about doing a season of The Ultimate Fighter in Canada for years, and its finally happening. The UFC has announced that Canadian Patrick Cote and Australian fighter Kyle Noke will be head coaches on a new season of TUF called “TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia.” UFC President Dana White made the announcement in a video posted on UFC.com, but it didn’t have many details. The article did say tryouts for the show will be in Toronto and Sydney next month, but it did not say if the two coaches will fight on the finale show or a separate pay per view.

Courtesy of the UFC:

Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

The post Patrick Cote and Kyle Noke To Coach ‘TUF Nations’ appeared first on Fighters.com.

Renzo Gracie black belt Roy “Big Country” Nelson began his MMA career in April of 2004 at the Rage on the River in Redding, C.A.  During the course of the four-man heavyweight tournament, he submitted Bo Cantrell with a hammerlock and won a hard-fought split decision over Jerry Vrbanovic.  Four months later, in Guam, he forced Ray Seraile to tapout to strikes at PXC 3: Return of the Enforcer.  Returning to his native Nevada, he submitted Michael Buchkovich via rear naked choke before chalking up back-to-back first-round submission wins in the Fight Force promotion of Butte, M.T.   Nelson’s first professional loss occurred in St. Petersburg, Russia during his Bodog Fight debut against Josh Curran.

Splitting his time between the Bodog Fight promotion and the burgeoning IFL, Nelson went 7-1 in his next eight fights.  His only loss was a split decision to “Big” Ben Rothwell at IFL: Moline. Nelson got back on track immediately with a unanimous decision win over Shane Ott.  He then entered and won the IFL 2007 Heavyweight Grand Prix, defeating Bryan Vetell and Antoine Jaoude.  Nelson went on to defend his IFL Heavyweight belt twice against Fabio Scherner and Brad Imes.

After the demise of the IFL promotion, Nelson suffered back-to-back losses in two highly controversial bouts. He suffered his first knockout loss to Andrei Arlovski in a match that contained a questionable standup by the referee.  Nelson was in side control hunting for a kimura when the ref stood the pair up, facilitating the eventual KO. He also lost a unanimous decision to Jeff Monson that was criticized by fans and broadcasters alike, as almost all thought Nelson had won the fight.

Following the Monson fight, Nelson entered and won the Ultimate Fighter Season Ten tournament . He defeated Kimbo Slice, Justin Wren and James McSweeney in exhibition matches en route to the Ultimate Fighter Finale. There he defeated Brendan Schaub via KO, earning the first of two consecutive Knockout of the Night awards. The second KOTN award came against the 6’11” Dutch kickboxer Stefan Struve. He dropped unanimous decisions in his next two efforts against Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir.  The two battles highlighted both the strength of his chin – Nelson was the first man to last three full rounds with Junior – and his weakness: cardio.  After losing two fights in a row and being publicly chided by Dana White for his quick fade in the later rounds, Nelson turned to former opponent Mir in Las Vegas to prepare for his win-or-walk fight against Mirko Crocop at UFC 137. A third-round TKO of Crocop put Nelson back in the win column, and although he lost his next fight to Fabricio Werdum, the bout was given Fight of the Night honors.

Nelson followed up his Fight of the Night performance with his third Knockout of the Night over Dave “Pee Wee” Herman at UFC 146.  He then returned to the Ultimate Fighter house as a coach on season sixteen of the popular reality show. Nelson faced Matt Mittrione at the finale due to a Shane Carwin knee injury during the taping of the show. He made short work of the replacement fighter, finishing him in less than three minutes of the first round.

In fact, all of Nelson’s UFC wins have come via knockout.  On Saturday night, at UFC 161: “Evans vs. Henderson”, he’ll be facing Stipe Miocic. Will Big Country continue with the trend?

PHOTO CREDIT: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The post UFC 161 Fighter Profile: Roy Nelson appeared first on Fighters.com.

The UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson open workouts took place today in Winnipeg, Canada as the UFC touches down in Manitoba for the first time. After the workouts, UFC President Dana White met with the media to field questions ranging from how the event will go over at the MTS center to announcing the UFC 165 main event between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. Check out the full video below, and make sure you keep it locked to fighters.com later for the UFC 161 weigh ins!

Courtesy of The Fight Network:

 Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

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A battle of firsts will be taking place on Saturday night at UFC 161 when Canada’s first female UFC fighter Alexis Davis takes on the UK’s first first female fighter Rosi Sexton in the first womens bout in the UFC. Both of these women are coming in on a mission to send a message to the women’s bantamweight division. A high profile win could put either fighter on the shortlist for a shot at the title and they are very aware of the stakes. Check out the video of both fighters talking about how they feel about the biggest fights of their lives.

The octagon is touching down for the first time in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada! UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson takes place this Saturday night at the MTS Centre and in the Main Event former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans will be taking on former Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson. In the co-main event, Roy Nelson and Stipe Miocic are scheduled to scrap and see who takes a step further up the heavyweight ladder.

Courtesy of the UFC

Photo Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

The post Alexis Davis Vs Rosi Sexton UFC 161 Preview (VIDEO) appeared first on Fighters.com.

Now that Light Heavyweight Robert Drysdale is set to make his UFC debut at UFC 163: Aldo Vs Pettis, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu phenom has a reputation that precedes him. If  you have never taken a look at the BJJ champions laundry list of tournament wins and  championships you will quickly see why MMA insiders have  been waiting for him to end up in the octagon.  Drysdale steps in against Ednaldo Oliveira, but the light heavyweight wants everyone to know that the talk about a beef between him and Anderson Silva is much ado about nothing. He said in a recent  interview that he isn’t sure where the animosity from Silva came from, but if he ever got the chance to fight him it would be because it would be an honor to fight a fighter like him. Check out the interview below.

 Courtesy of PROMMAinsider

Photo  Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The post Robert Drysdale: “I’m excited about fighting the best guys in the world” appeared first on Fighters.com.

When UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson started posting pictures of one another in Russia doing a stare down, fans just started assuming that the title fight between the two was on deck. Now its official as UFC President Dana White confirmed earlier that the pair will meet sometime in the fall.

ESPN Deportes Radio anchor Renato Bermudez reported that White confirmed the fight in a twitter post. An hour or so later UFC.com was updated to say that the pair will meet at UFC 165 which is scheduled for Sept. 21 in Toronto, Canada.

#UFC @danawhite confirma que Jon Jones defenderá su título Semicompleto del UFC ante Alexander Gustafsson en el otoño.@ufcespanol

— Renato Bermudez/ESPN (@RenatoBermudez) June 13, 2013

Photo  Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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With a nickname like “Hands of Stone” it seems as though UFC lightweight Sam Stout would be one of the promotion’s premier knockout artists. However, in reality Stout has scored a single TKO in fifteen Octagon appearances.

Stout addressed the lack of stoppages in a recent interview with UFC.com, asking for a little leeway from fans.

“I’d like to finish every fight, everyone does, but it’s not that easy to do. It’s a difficult thing actually,” explained the 19-8-1 Stout. “It’s the UFC – it’s not easy to knock them out or submit them. I’m not really much of a submission guy anyway. I can go hunting for those knockouts, but when you do that, it’s when you put yourself in more jeopardy and that’s when you end up getting knocked out yourself. I let it all hang out, but I don’t take unnecessary risks. When the knockouts come, they come. If they don’t come, they don’t come. What’s most important to me is getting wins.”

The 29-year old will have a chance to silence critics this weekend at UFC 161 when he clashes with James Krause (19-4). Of course, considering Krause has never been knocked out, doing so may be much easier said than done.

SOURCE: UFC.com
PHOTO CREDIT: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The post Sam Stout: “I’d like to finish every fight…but it’s not that easy to do.” appeared first on Fighters.com.

The UFC touches down for the first time Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada this Saturday night for UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson, and as always the preliminary card will be free on facebook and on FX. The main card is sure to be jam packed with fireworks, but make sure you get warmed up properly with the prelims. Check out our breakdown and predictions for the bouts below. The undercard starts on Facebook at about 7:00 EST.

As always, the main card picks will be up Friday, and keep it locked to Fighters.com for complete UFC 161 coverage.

Yves Jabouin vs. Dustin Pague

There are a few fights on the UFC 161 undercard that have pink slip written all over them. Depending on how this one rolls out, either Jabouin or Pague could be hitting the bricks after this weekend. Jabouin is very active with his kicks, and all of his strikes for the most part play off his jab. Brad Pickett was able to notice this right way, and was able to use it to pick apart Jabouin and eventually light him up toward the end of the round. I don’t think Pague will have the chops to do that to Jabouin in this fight, but I expect Pague to make it a lot closer than people think.

Yves Jabouin Via Unanimous Decision

Mitch Clarke vs. John Maguire

While there is a chance that Jabouin could survive being cut with a solid performance, it’s hard that to say about either of these two fighters. Both are coming off of two losses and the loser in this one is more than likely hitting the bricks. Expect this one to happen on the ground, especially as the rounds play out. and it would seem that Maguire is going to be a little quicker in the scrambles when it does. Maguire should be able to lace up a late submission after wearing Clarke out, or pick up the decision. This could be fun as both are very clear on the stakes.

John Maguire Via Split Decision

Roland Delorme vs. Edwin Figueroa

Both Delorme and Figueroa share a common foe as both loss in their last bouts to Francisco Rivera. Figueroa was able to stick around five minutes longer than Delorme, but fortunately for Delorme his lost was turned to a no contest when Rivera tested hot and was suspended. Delorme has an evolved BJJ game that has taught him to stay very composed when the pressure is on. The good news for him, thats when his opponents are likely to make a mistake. Thats what I see happening here in this fight, I expect Figueroa to get very excited after landing something big on Delorme, but that will be Figueroa’s undoing.

Roland Delorme Via submission round 1

Sean Pierson vs. Kenny Robertson

Robertson was able to roll for an unsuspecting knee bar, and pick up a first round win over Brock Jardine at UFC 157, but he is going to need to get lucky if he is expecting that to work on Pierson. Pierson’s experience and grittiness should be enough to overwhelm Robertson late in the fight, and if Robertson survives it will be to be handed a decision loss. Look for the hands of Pierson to be on display in this one, and while I think Robertson will make a fight of this one, I’m not sure he can out wit Pierson to get the Win in this one.

Sean Pierson Via Unanimous Decision

James Krause vs. Sam Stout

Sam Stout was set to face Isaac Vallie-Flagg, but James Krause is replacing Flagg and making his UFC debut. While this will win Krause favor with the UFC and some of the fans, he is set for a tough fight against a guy who has been training for a better version of himself. Krause is riding a seven fight win streak going in this fight, but I expect the wheels to come off against Stout. While Krause is showing a lot of balls by stepping in to fight Stout on short notice, the jury is out as if he was using his brains when he said yes. Either way, Krause will no doubt mark up Stout throughout the fight, but I expect the veteran to pick up the decision.

Sam Stout Via Split Decision

Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley

Jake Shields return to middleweight went pretty well for him until he failed his post fight drug test and the result was overturned. Woodley’s wrestling is going to make it very difficult for Shields to get him down, and in fact I expect him to only be able to do it once or twice with little or no advantage gained. That said, Shields needs to be sharp on the feet, and while before the Hieron fight I would have put them as close to equals with strikes, Woodley changed all that when he starched Hieron in 36 seconds at UFC 156. Woodley should be able to get the decision in this one.

Woodley Via Unanimous Decision

The post Breaking Down UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson – Prelims appeared first on Fighters.com.

UFC light heavyweights Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans square off this Saturday night at UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson and during their camp UFC Tonight followed the pair through a few of their normal training days. The winner of Evans Vs Henderson will no doubt be one step closer to challenging for the light heavyweight title, but both have had long roads to travel before they climb into the octagon this weekend. Check out parts one and two courtesy of Fuel TV.

UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson takes place on June 15 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. UFC 161 will be the first time the UFC has held an event in Winnipeg.

Part 1

Part 2

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The post Rashad Evans And Dan Henderson Train For UFC 161 (VIDEO) appeared first on Fighters.com.

World Series of Fighting takes place this tonight, and we will be bringing you live updates as the fighters hit the scale. In the main event at WSOF 3: Fitch Vs Burkman, perennial top ten welterweight Jon Fitch takes on Josh Burkman in a rematch of a bout they had more than 6 years ago. The fighters hit the scales at 7:00 PM EST, and you can keep up with the proceedings of weigh ins.

World Series Of Fighting 3: Fitch Vs Burkman
Date: June 14, 2013
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada / Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Main Card (NBC Sports Network)

Josh Burkman (170 lbs) vs. Jon Fitch (171 lbs)
Brian Cobb (155 lbs) vs. Justin Gaethje (156 lbs)
Steve Carl (169.5 lbs) vs. Tyson Steele (170 lbs)
Lyle Beerbohm (155.5 lbs) vs. Jacob Volkmann (154 lbs)

Preliminary Card

Jerrod Sanders (146 lbs) vs. Jeff Smith (146.4 lbs)
John Gunderson (154.5 lbs) vs. Dan Lauzon (156 lbs)
Carson Beebe (135 lbs) vs. Joe Murphy (135.5 lbs)
Kendrick Miree (185 lbs) vs. Krasimir Mladenov (185.5 lbs)
Brenson Hansen (146 lbs) vs. Josh Montalvo (145 lbs)

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UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson takes place this Saturday night, and in the co main event the big boys will be on the main stage. While fans and analysts say that UFC Heavyweight Roy Nelson doesn’t look the part of an elite athlete, it doesn’t really matter when fighters are staring down the pipe of his booming right hand. That’s exactly what Stipe Miocic will be doing this Saturday night, and if you ask Miocic, it doesn’t matter how you pronounce his name as long as he is the one with his hand raised. Check out both fighters road to UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson.

Courtesy of the UFC:

The post Countdown To UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson Nelson Vs Miocic (VIDEO) appeared first on Fighters.com.

Check out this comical video released by the Brazilian National Soccer Team featuring the pound for pound best fighter on the planet, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. The video tells a rather funny story about how the young Silva’s goals readjusted from wanting to play soccer to being a world champion fighter. Easily the funniest MMA Video you will see today.

Silva is scheduled to fight Chris Weidman at UFC 162: Silva Vs Weidman which takes places July 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Courtesy of Vivo:

Photo  Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The post What If Anderson Silva Played For Brazil’s National Soccer Team? (VIDEO) appeared first on Fighters.com.