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This knock out was right before the end of the round ! Lyoto Machida is still undefeated
Showing posts with label UFC 94. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UFC 94. Show all posts
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Lyoto Machida Trips and KTFO Thiago Silva UFC 94 video free here
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This knock out was right before the end of the round ! Lyoto Machida is still undefeated
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This knock out was right before the end of the round ! Lyoto Machida is still undefeated
St. Pierre Pounds Penn in ufc 94 !
Is St. Pierre the new pound-for-pound king?
By D. Meltzer
LAS VEGAS – Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre scored a one-sided win in what may have been the closest thing to a true “ultimate fight” in the history of a promotion with that name.
Between St. Pierre and lightweight champion B.J. Penn, you had two of the most gifted champions in company history – St. Pierre the world’s best welterweight and Penn the world’s best lightweight, with both at the peak of their careers.
And while St. Pierre was favored as the bigger man, it was still stunning how he dismantled someone who three years ago he struggled to beat in a controversial split-decision win.
St. Pierre (18-2) was ahead 40-34, 40-35 and 40-34 on the scorecards after turning it on at the end of the fourth round. At first it appeared the end of the round saved Penn. But as soon as the round was over, with Penn taking a bad enough beating that he was taken to the hospital after the match, both Nevada State Athletic Commission doctor William Berliner and Penn’s corner simultaneously decided to tell referee Herb Dean to stop the match.
Aside from the first round, where Penn stopped a few of St. Pierre’s takedowns, it was complete domination as St. Pierre ran his win streak to 14 straight rounds over his last five fights against highly ranked opponents.
St. Pierre came into the fight ranked No. 3 in the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound poll. He was behind middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Affliction heavyweight star Fedor Emelianenko, and one spot ahead of Penn.
But neither Silva nor Emelianenko has had to face a steady diet of fighters the caliber of what St. Pierre has faced since his 2007 loss to Matt Serra, let alone someone with the all-around skill set of Penn.
“My strategy was that he has small shoulders, which is good for hand speed, so I went to make him carry my weight and cause his shoulders to tire,” said St. Pierre, who earned $420,000 for the win before any extra bonuses kick in off the back end of the pay-per-view revenue. “I wanted to start out and make it a wrestling match.”
St. Pierre said he was about 187 pounds going into the cage, nearly 20 pounds heavier than Penn (13-5-1), who weighed in at 168 pounds and was likely right at that weight going into the cage. St. Pierre was simply too strong and well-conditioned for Penn in a fight the promoters predicted would be the biggest non-boxing event in North American pay-per-view history.
If the event does as expected, it would also be the first time in the history of sports that three pay-per-view events in successive months drew more than 900,000 buys, let alone all from the same promotion.
“It was the craziest thing ever,” said Dana White about the event, which sold out the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with 14,885, paying a gate of $4.3 million. “The MGM Grand wanted more tickets. Other casinos wanted more tickets.”
St. Pierre got off first, winning standing exchanges in the fist round. But if Penn thought he was getting a psychological edge in the first round by stopping takedowns, it was gone early in Round 2. St. Pierre powered Penn down and connected with a relentless supply of punches and elbows. He continually passed Penn’s guard and then threw knees to the body. Penn was worn out by the end of the second round.
“You’ll notice I didn’t rush him right away going for the takedown (his style in his last few matches),” said St. Pierre. “The idea was to cause him to have to hop on one leg and get tired, and push off, having to carry my weight in the clinch. That was the idea in the first round.”
St. Pierre felt when the first round was over that he had already mentally broken Penn.
“I was fighting my fight and that made him uncomfortable, which caused him to get tired faster,” said St. Pierre. “It’s not that he wasn’t in shape.
“This was the biggest fight of my career,” said St. Pierre, ranking it ahead of the night where he captured the championship a second time, beating Matt Serra, in his home city of Montreal.
The fight was not without controversy. Between the first and second round, one of St. Pierre’s cornermen rubbed Vaseline on his back and shoulders, which was caught by ringside officials.
“It didn’t affect the outcome of the fight, but you don’t do it,” said White. “I don’t think Georges knew, but the guy who did it, he should never be allowed to corner another fighter again.”
St. Pierre’s next opponent will be Thiago Alves, who presents a different set of problems. Alves has mastered the art of cutting weight. Alves is far bigger than Penn and also tremendous at avoiding takedowns, plus he’s a more feared striker than Penn.
St. Pierre said it was too soon to give an accurate timetable on when he would want that match to take place, but did say he’d be happy with it being six months. St. Pierre said he was taking a few days vacation and would be back in the gym by the end of the week.
In Alves’ recent win over Josh Koscheck on Oct. 25 in Chicago, he went into the cage at an unheard-of 199 pounds after making 171, which would make St. Pierre the rare smaller welterweight if Alves could do it again.
The win also fueled talk of a potential St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva match, where St. Pierre would move up to face the middleweight champion in an attempt to do what Penn failed to do in this fight – to become the first dual weight-class champion in the history of UFC.
White said he didn’t see doing that fight immediately, but if both fighters continue to win, he talked of it as a match he would like to put together, perhaps in 2010.
St. Pierre said he saw that fight as something he would be interested in as a test, but noted that he would need the extra time to train and add muscle weight to compete with the significantly larger middleweight king.
“I don’t fight for money or for fame, because when I started I didn’t have either,” he said. “I fight for the challenge.”
By D. Meltzer
LAS VEGAS – Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre scored a one-sided win in what may have been the closest thing to a true “ultimate fight” in the history of a promotion with that name.
Between St. Pierre and lightweight champion B.J. Penn, you had two of the most gifted champions in company history – St. Pierre the world’s best welterweight and Penn the world’s best lightweight, with both at the peak of their careers.
And while St. Pierre was favored as the bigger man, it was still stunning how he dismantled someone who three years ago he struggled to beat in a controversial split-decision win.
St. Pierre (18-2) was ahead 40-34, 40-35 and 40-34 on the scorecards after turning it on at the end of the fourth round. At first it appeared the end of the round saved Penn. But as soon as the round was over, with Penn taking a bad enough beating that he was taken to the hospital after the match, both Nevada State Athletic Commission doctor William Berliner and Penn’s corner simultaneously decided to tell referee Herb Dean to stop the match.
Aside from the first round, where Penn stopped a few of St. Pierre’s takedowns, it was complete domination as St. Pierre ran his win streak to 14 straight rounds over his last five fights against highly ranked opponents.
St. Pierre came into the fight ranked No. 3 in the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound poll. He was behind middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Affliction heavyweight star Fedor Emelianenko, and one spot ahead of Penn.
But neither Silva nor Emelianenko has had to face a steady diet of fighters the caliber of what St. Pierre has faced since his 2007 loss to Matt Serra, let alone someone with the all-around skill set of Penn.
“My strategy was that he has small shoulders, which is good for hand speed, so I went to make him carry my weight and cause his shoulders to tire,” said St. Pierre, who earned $420,000 for the win before any extra bonuses kick in off the back end of the pay-per-view revenue. “I wanted to start out and make it a wrestling match.”
St. Pierre said he was about 187 pounds going into the cage, nearly 20 pounds heavier than Penn (13-5-1), who weighed in at 168 pounds and was likely right at that weight going into the cage. St. Pierre was simply too strong and well-conditioned for Penn in a fight the promoters predicted would be the biggest non-boxing event in North American pay-per-view history.
If the event does as expected, it would also be the first time in the history of sports that three pay-per-view events in successive months drew more than 900,000 buys, let alone all from the same promotion.
“It was the craziest thing ever,” said Dana White about the event, which sold out the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with 14,885, paying a gate of $4.3 million. “The MGM Grand wanted more tickets. Other casinos wanted more tickets.”
St. Pierre got off first, winning standing exchanges in the fist round. But if Penn thought he was getting a psychological edge in the first round by stopping takedowns, it was gone early in Round 2. St. Pierre powered Penn down and connected with a relentless supply of punches and elbows. He continually passed Penn’s guard and then threw knees to the body. Penn was worn out by the end of the second round.
“You’ll notice I didn’t rush him right away going for the takedown (his style in his last few matches),” said St. Pierre. “The idea was to cause him to have to hop on one leg and get tired, and push off, having to carry my weight in the clinch. That was the idea in the first round.”
St. Pierre felt when the first round was over that he had already mentally broken Penn.
“I was fighting my fight and that made him uncomfortable, which caused him to get tired faster,” said St. Pierre. “It’s not that he wasn’t in shape.
“This was the biggest fight of my career,” said St. Pierre, ranking it ahead of the night where he captured the championship a second time, beating Matt Serra, in his home city of Montreal.
The fight was not without controversy. Between the first and second round, one of St. Pierre’s cornermen rubbed Vaseline on his back and shoulders, which was caught by ringside officials.
“It didn’t affect the outcome of the fight, but you don’t do it,” said White. “I don’t think Georges knew, but the guy who did it, he should never be allowed to corner another fighter again.”
St. Pierre’s next opponent will be Thiago Alves, who presents a different set of problems. Alves has mastered the art of cutting weight. Alves is far bigger than Penn and also tremendous at avoiding takedowns, plus he’s a more feared striker than Penn.
St. Pierre said it was too soon to give an accurate timetable on when he would want that match to take place, but did say he’d be happy with it being six months. St. Pierre said he was taking a few days vacation and would be back in the gym by the end of the week.
In Alves’ recent win over Josh Koscheck on Oct. 25 in Chicago, he went into the cage at an unheard-of 199 pounds after making 171, which would make St. Pierre the rare smaller welterweight if Alves could do it again.
The win also fueled talk of a potential St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva match, where St. Pierre would move up to face the middleweight champion in an attempt to do what Penn failed to do in this fight – to become the first dual weight-class champion in the history of UFC.
White said he didn’t see doing that fight immediately, but if both fighters continue to win, he talked of it as a match he would like to put together, perhaps in 2010.
St. Pierre said he saw that fight as something he would be interested in as a test, but noted that he would need the extra time to train and add muscle weight to compete with the significantly larger middleweight king.
“I don’t fight for money or for fame, because when I started I didn’t have either,” he said. “I fight for the challenge.”
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
UFC 93 Fight Rich Franklin Vs Dan Henderson
UFC 93 Dan Henderson vs Rich Franklin
DUBLIN, Ireland – Dan Henderson’s face reflects the carnage a 12-year career as a mixed martial artist will inflict upon a man.
His nose meanders east and west like a country road along his tattered face. He has bumps where it should be smooth and dents where there should be bumps.
Inevitably, though, Henderson has given more than he’s gotten when it comes to rearranging faces, as was the case on Saturday at a packed and roaring O2 Arena.
The 38-year-old former U.S. Olympic wrestler won a split decision over ex-UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin in the main event of UFC 93 by nearly willing his way to the victory.
Franklin may have been quicker, more athletic and might have hit harder. But Henderson again found his way to neutralize an opponent’s skills with his grit and sheer toughness. He’s the kind of guy you imagine would love to have played football in the leather helmet era or hockey goalie before masks were mandatory.
“I just love to get in there and mix it up and fight,” Henderson said about an hour after his second consecutive UFC victory, which earned him the right to serve as a coach on the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Henderson began his second stint in the UFC after a long and successful run in the PRIDE Fighting Championship. He left that organization holding both its 183- and 205-pound belts, the only fighter in major MMA history holding multiple weight-class titles.
His debut in his second UFC go-round came in a 205-pound title vs. title match with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 75 in London, which he lost by an agonizingly close decision.
In his next time out, he fought for the UFC middleweight title against pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva. Henderson won the first round, becoming the first man in the UFC to take a round in a title fight from Silva, before being submitted in the second.
But Henderson defeated submission expert Rousimar Palhares the last time out and then won an eye-opening victory over Franklin. Judges Chris Lee and Tim Vannatta each scored it 29-28 for Henderson, giving him the first two rounds before awarding Franklin the last round. Inexplicably, Chris Watts gave all three rounds to Franklin.
The win certainly keeps Henderson, who weighed in at 202 pounds Friday, three below the limit (despite holding a large drink while standing on the scale), among the UFC’s elite performers.
He’ll fight Michael Bisping, who is coaching the opposite team in the upcoming season of TUF, in his next outing, which will come only a few months before his 39th birthday on Aug. 24.
Henderson, though, still doesn’t make any concessions to age.
“I feel like I’m the same Dan Henderson [despite my age],” he said. “Obviously, those first two [UFC] fights were two [scheduled] five-round fights. I think I almost prepared for those. I was real ready, conditioning-wise. For whatever reason, I got a little tired this fight in that third round.
“I don’t know if it was from getting nailed in the ribs or just getting tired. Either way, I’m the same fighter. I had a good day today.”
Henderson is a perfectionist who wasn’t ebullient despite beating one of the UFC’s top fighters. Franklin left the middleweight division while still widely regarded as the second-best fighter in the class. He also became an instant contender at 205, almost certainly the UFC’s best class.
Henderson wasn’t pleased that he tired in the third and allowed Franklin to take that round. Most 38-year-old fighters – heck, most fighters, period – would have been happy to walk away with a win over Franklin.
Henderson’s victory puts him in an elite group, joining Silva (twice) and undefeated Lyoto Machida as the only men to defeat Franklin.
“I could have done more in that third round,” Henderson said solemnly while sipping from a bottle of water. “That’s what I’m disappointed about.”
But that was all about his night that wasn’t first-rate. He kept Franklin off-balance, not allowing Franklin to connect regularly with his powerful left hand.
Franklin’s left is one of the game’s most feared weapons, but he never really landed a telling blow with it on Saturday.
Henderson kept his chin tucked low, circled frequently to his left and winged the overhand right for which he’s become famous anytime Franklin ventured into his range. The result was that while Franklin was able to land a number of good kicks, he didn’t do the damage with his hands that he does in most fights.
Henderson just ground him down, as he has so many top-shelf opponents over the years. This is a guy who probably could make 180 pounds if he was required yet has wins over stars such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on his record.
He’s proof that pluck and courage are as critical to a fighter’s success as punching power and wrestling skill.
Henderson has plenty of all of them, but he’s overloaded with the first two assets. He understands the significance of the win but was picking apart his performance afterward and finding things he wasn’t pleased with.
That’s another sign of a great fighter.
“I’m very happy that I won. Don’t get me wrong,” Henderson said. “But it would have sat a lot better with me if I had a better third round. Maybe I’m my own worst critic, but I always like to finish strong in fights and keep going. I kind of slowed down in the third round, and there’s no reason I should have.
“I always feel like I have something to prove to myself and make sure I perform to the level I’m capable of performing. That’s probably why I could be a little happier after that win. I felt I could have performed a lot better in that third round. I haven’t been concerned what the public feels and who the favorites are. Ultimately, it comes down to performing in the fight.”
And few men in the modern history of MMA have performed more gallantly, more successfully and more fearlessly than one Dan Henderson.
UFC 93 Dan henderson Rich Franklin video Decision
DUBLIN, Ireland – Dan Henderson’s face reflects the carnage a 12-year career as a mixed martial artist will inflict upon a man.
His nose meanders east and west like a country road along his tattered face. He has bumps where it should be smooth and dents where there should be bumps.
Inevitably, though, Henderson has given more than he’s gotten when it comes to rearranging faces, as was the case on Saturday at a packed and roaring O2 Arena.
The 38-year-old former U.S. Olympic wrestler won a split decision over ex-UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin in the main event of UFC 93 by nearly willing his way to the victory.
Franklin may have been quicker, more athletic and might have hit harder. But Henderson again found his way to neutralize an opponent’s skills with his grit and sheer toughness. He’s the kind of guy you imagine would love to have played football in the leather helmet era or hockey goalie before masks were mandatory.
“I just love to get in there and mix it up and fight,” Henderson said about an hour after his second consecutive UFC victory, which earned him the right to serve as a coach on the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Henderson began his second stint in the UFC after a long and successful run in the PRIDE Fighting Championship. He left that organization holding both its 183- and 205-pound belts, the only fighter in major MMA history holding multiple weight-class titles.
His debut in his second UFC go-round came in a 205-pound title vs. title match with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 75 in London, which he lost by an agonizingly close decision.
In his next time out, he fought for the UFC middleweight title against pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva. Henderson won the first round, becoming the first man in the UFC to take a round in a title fight from Silva, before being submitted in the second.
But Henderson defeated submission expert Rousimar Palhares the last time out and then won an eye-opening victory over Franklin. Judges Chris Lee and Tim Vannatta each scored it 29-28 for Henderson, giving him the first two rounds before awarding Franklin the last round. Inexplicably, Chris Watts gave all three rounds to Franklin.
The win certainly keeps Henderson, who weighed in at 202 pounds Friday, three below the limit (despite holding a large drink while standing on the scale), among the UFC’s elite performers.
He’ll fight Michael Bisping, who is coaching the opposite team in the upcoming season of TUF, in his next outing, which will come only a few months before his 39th birthday on Aug. 24.
Henderson, though, still doesn’t make any concessions to age.
“I feel like I’m the same Dan Henderson [despite my age],” he said. “Obviously, those first two [UFC] fights were two [scheduled] five-round fights. I think I almost prepared for those. I was real ready, conditioning-wise. For whatever reason, I got a little tired this fight in that third round.
“I don’t know if it was from getting nailed in the ribs or just getting tired. Either way, I’m the same fighter. I had a good day today.”
Henderson is a perfectionist who wasn’t ebullient despite beating one of the UFC’s top fighters. Franklin left the middleweight division while still widely regarded as the second-best fighter in the class. He also became an instant contender at 205, almost certainly the UFC’s best class.
Henderson wasn’t pleased that he tired in the third and allowed Franklin to take that round. Most 38-year-old fighters – heck, most fighters, period – would have been happy to walk away with a win over Franklin.
Henderson’s victory puts him in an elite group, joining Silva (twice) and undefeated Lyoto Machida as the only men to defeat Franklin.
“I could have done more in that third round,” Henderson said solemnly while sipping from a bottle of water. “That’s what I’m disappointed about.”
But that was all about his night that wasn’t first-rate. He kept Franklin off-balance, not allowing Franklin to connect regularly with his powerful left hand.
Franklin’s left is one of the game’s most feared weapons, but he never really landed a telling blow with it on Saturday.
Henderson kept his chin tucked low, circled frequently to his left and winged the overhand right for which he’s become famous anytime Franklin ventured into his range. The result was that while Franklin was able to land a number of good kicks, he didn’t do the damage with his hands that he does in most fights.
Henderson just ground him down, as he has so many top-shelf opponents over the years. This is a guy who probably could make 180 pounds if he was required yet has wins over stars such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on his record.
He’s proof that pluck and courage are as critical to a fighter’s success as punching power and wrestling skill.
Henderson has plenty of all of them, but he’s overloaded with the first two assets. He understands the significance of the win but was picking apart his performance afterward and finding things he wasn’t pleased with.
That’s another sign of a great fighter.
“I’m very happy that I won. Don’t get me wrong,” Henderson said. “But it would have sat a lot better with me if I had a better third round. Maybe I’m my own worst critic, but I always like to finish strong in fights and keep going. I kind of slowed down in the third round, and there’s no reason I should have.
“I always feel like I have something to prove to myself and make sure I perform to the level I’m capable of performing. That’s probably why I could be a little happier after that win. I felt I could have performed a lot better in that third round. I haven’t been concerned what the public feels and who the favorites are. Ultimately, it comes down to performing in the fight.”
And few men in the modern history of MMA have performed more gallantly, more successfully and more fearlessly than one Dan Henderson.
UFC 93 Dan henderson Rich Franklin video Decision
Friday, January 2, 2009
Top 10 MMA Fighters ( Ranking )
By D. Doyle,
The first month of a two-month span in which most of the best fighters in the world compete is complete. They may as well have been grappling for position in the rankings, given all the comings and goings. To wit:
• Rashad Evans enters the poll at No. 6 following his impressive win over Forrest Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight title on Dec. 27. Evans never seemed to get his due on his way up, perhaps because he didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his first two marquee matches – a draw against Tito Ortiz and a split decision over Michael Bisping. Since then, though, Evans has come into his own, with a versatile approach that includes one of the most effective counter-striking games in the sport.
• From the “wow, tough crowd” file: Griffin fell out of the Top 10, finishing 11th. This is still the same guy who finished Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson back to back, and won the first two rounds against Evans before losing to his unbeaten foe in the third.
The first month of a two-month span in which most of the best fighters in the world compete is complete. They may as well have been grappling for position in the rankings, given all the comings and goings. To wit:
• Rashad Evans enters the poll at No. 6 following his impressive win over Forrest Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight title on Dec. 27. Evans never seemed to get his due on his way up, perhaps because he didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his first two marquee matches – a draw against Tito Ortiz and a split decision over Michael Bisping. Since then, though, Evans has come into his own, with a versatile approach that includes one of the most effective counter-striking games in the sport.
• From the “wow, tough crowd” file: Griffin fell out of the Top 10, finishing 11th. This is still the same guy who finished Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson back to back, and won the first two rounds against Evans before losing to his unbeaten foe in the third.
• Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira fell out of the Top 10 after his listless loss to Frank Mir at UFC 92. Never say never, but it looks like Big Nog’s UFC interim title reign could have been the legendary heavyweight’s swan song at the top. Mir, for his part, showed up in the “votes for others” category with five points, five behind the man he beat in February, Brock Lesnar.
• Welterweight Thiago Alves, who finished 11th last month, eased into the 10 spot without fighting.
Alves, of course, is expected to meet the winner of the Jan. 31 megafight between UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. The match between No. 4 Penn and No. 3 St. Pierre highlights a month that also includes No. 2 Fedor Emelianenko against former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski, No. 7 Lyoto Machida vs. unbeaten Thiago Silva, and No. 9 Urijah Faber against Jens Pulver.
• Welterweight Thiago Alves, who finished 11th last month, eased into the 10 spot without fighting.
Alves, of course, is expected to meet the winner of the Jan. 31 megafight between UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. The match between No. 4 Penn and No. 3 St. Pierre highlights a month that also includes No. 2 Fedor Emelianenko against former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski, No. 7 Lyoto Machida vs. unbeaten Thiago Silva, and No. 9 Urijah Faber against Jens Pulver.
Note: This month’s poll was compiled before Shinya Aoki’s win over Eddie Alvarez in Japan on Dec. 31 and thus the poll does not reflect the result.
10. Thiago Alves
Points: 19
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Welterweight
Hometown: Fortzleza, Brazil
Record: 16 (won last seven)
Last month’s ranking: unranked
Recent results: def. Josh Koscehck, unanimous decision, Oct. 25
Analysis: Seven straight victories and the most complete Muay Thai game this side of Anderson Silva makes Alves a dangerous foe for the fighter who comes out of the Georges St. Pierre-B.J. Penn match with welterweight gold.
9. Urijah Faber
Points: 24
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Featherweight
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
Record: 21-2 (lost last one)
Last month’s ranking: 8
Most recent result: lost to Mike Brown, R1 TKO, Nov. 10
Analysis: Faber faces Jens Pulver on Jan. 25 in a rematch with little upside. The former featherweight champ already handled Pulver in their June meeting. A loss or poor showing against Pulver, who has lost four of his past five matches, will only serve to drop his stock.
8. Lyoto Machida
Points: 28
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Belem, Brazil
Record: 13-0
Last month’s ranking: 10
Most recent results: def. Tito Ortiz, unanimous decision, May 24
Analysis: Machida might not be the biggest ticket seller, but an impressive win over fellow unbeaten Thiago Silva in January will make it very hard to deny “The Dragon” a light heavyweight title shot.
7. Quinton Jackson
Points: 47
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Record: 29-7 (won last one)
Last month’s ranking: 9
Most recent result: def. Wanderlei Silva, KO R1, Dec. 27
Analysis: Just to review, “Rampage” has won seven of his past eight fights; beaten the likes of Matt Lindland, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson and Wanderlei Silva; and his only loss in that span was a coin flip of a decision against Forrest Griffin. Jackson’s résumé over the past three years holds up against everyone ranked ahead of him.
6. Rashad Evans
Points:59
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight (UFC light heavyweight champion)
Hometown: Lansing, Mich.
Record: 13-0-1 (won past three)
Last month’s ranking: unranked
Most recent result: def. Forrest Griffin, R3 TKO, Dec. 27
Analysis: Evans was doubted by fans and media alike throughout his rise to the top. But the tremendous counter-striker, whose success may be the biggest testament to Greg Jackson’s training style, has both the gold and the last laugh.
5. Miguel Angel Torres
Points:98
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Bantamweight (WEC bantamweight champion)
Hometown: East Chicago, Ind.
Record: 35-1 (won past 16)
Last month’s ranking: 6
Most recent result: def. Manny Tapia, TKO R2, Dec. 3
Analysis: How good is Torres? He beat Tapia using just his standup – Tapia’s strength – simply to prove he could. Word on the street has Torres’ next title defense, against Brian Bowles, taking place in Chicago in the spring.
4. B.J. Penn
Points: 128 (one first-place vote)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Record: 13-4-1 (won past three)
Last month’s ranking: 4
Most recent result: def. Sean Sherk, R3 TKO, May 24
Analysis: The Jan. 31 megafight between Penn and St. Pierre marks just the second time two top-five fighters have met since the Y! poll began. The first was in September 2007, when then-No. 4 Jackson defeated then-No. 3 Dan Henderson.
3. Georges St. Pierre
Points: 133
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Welterweight (UFC welterweight champion)
Hometown: Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Record: 17-2 (won past four)
Last month’s ranking: 3
Most recent result: def. Jon Fitch, unanimous decision, Aug. 9
Analysis: When St. Pierre and Penn met last at UFC 59, Penn tagged GSP early and won the first round, forcing St. Pierre to rally. The welterweight champ has rarely allowed himself to be put in such a position since.
2. Fedor Emelianenko
Points: 135 (4 first-place votes)
Affiliation: Affliction/M-1 (WAMMA heavyweight champion)
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Stary Oskol, Russia
Record: 28-1, one no-contest (won past nine)
Last month’s ranking: 2
Most recent result: def. Tim Sylvia, R1 submission, July 19
Analysis: After losing in the world sambo championships a couple months back, Emelianenko decided to skip the media hype for his upcoming match so he could regain his focus. That could be very bad news for Andrei Arlovski come Jan. 24.
1. Anderson Silva
Points: 154 (11 first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Middleweight (UFC middleweight champion)
Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil
Record: 23-4 (won past nine)
Last month’s ranking: 1
Most recent result: def. Patrick Cote, R3 TKO, Oct. 25
Analysis: Silva is at his motivated best when he’s challenged by elite competition. Thales Leites, his rumored next foe, doesn’t quite fit the bill.
More
• Votes for others: Forrest Griffin 15; Brock Lesnar 10; Eddie Alvarez 6; Frank Mir, Dan Henderson 5; Shinya Aoki 4; Mike Brown, Carlos Condit 3; Jon Fitch, Andrei Arlovski 2; Randy Couture, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 1
• Upcoming matches for ranked fighters: No. 2 Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski, Jan. 24, Anaheim; No. 3 Georges St. Pierre vs. No. 4 B.J. Penn, Jan. 31, Las Vegas; No. 7 Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva, Jan. 31, Las Vegas; No. 9 Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver, Jan. 25, San Diego.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Jon Fitch Dropped out of the UFC??
A bitterly angry Dana White said Wednesday the Ultimate Fighting Championship has cut highly regarded welterweight contender Jon Fitch and is not going to do business with any fighters who are part of the American Kickboxing Academy team in San Jose, Calif.
The outspoken UFC president said shortly after landing in Hawaii on Wednesday that he no longer wants to work with AKA fighters or those represented by DeWayne Zinkin and Bob Cook.
White said he excepted AKA welterweight Mike Swick from that group because he said Swick called him and told him he wants to fight for the UFC. But Fitch and heavyweight Christian Wellisch were cut on Wednesday, and heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez and welterweight Josh Koscheck could be next.
“We’re looking for guys who want to work with us and not against us, and frankly I’m just so [expletive] sick of this [expletive] it’s not even funny,” White said from Honolulu, where he flew Wednesday from Toronto to hold a news conference to announce the B.J. Penn-Georges St. Pierre fight for UFC 94 on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas.
“Affliction is still out there trying to build its company. Let [Fitch] go work with them. Let him see what he thinks of those [expletives]. [Expletive] him. These guys aren’t partners with us. [Expletive] them. All of them, every last [expletive] one of them.”
Fitch said Wednesday the dispute was over his reluctance to sign a lifetime contract to allow his name and likeness to be used in a video game the UFC is planning with THQ. He said the dispute has nothing to do with money and that he never caused a problem during his time in the UFC.
He said he simply didn’t understand the need to sign a lifetime contract, particularly since it would not pay his family in the event of his death.
“Working for free and selling our rights away for lifetime, that’s a little different,” said Fitch, who said he hasn’t spoken with White but plans to call him. “We tried to negotiate five- or 10-year deals with them, but it wasn’t good enough. It was all or nothing. He wanted our lifetime. He wanted our souls forever.”
White said the AKA fighters “aren’t partners with us” and said they don’t understand what the UFC is trying to do for the sport. White said the UFC’s current success was because of long hours he and partner Lorenzo Fertitta have put in trying to build the company and the sport of mixed martial arts.
White complained that he has to make frequent sacrifices in his personal life and is away from his family for long stretches because of his commitment to growing the UFC. He said the AKA fighters don’t understand the things UFC management is trying to do and said they’ll learn how tough things are in the poor economy.
“There are a lot of guys who help us and work with us and are great partners with us, and they’re the ones we’re going to remember and take care of,” White said. “Do these guys understand what is going on in this world? I’ll tell you, this economy is [expletive] up. It’s totally [expletive] up. It’s bad, real, real bad. The [television] networks are in trouble and don’t have money. The sponsors are in trouble, and they have no money. If they don’t have money, they go out of business.
“It’s a whole other world out there, believe me, and let these guys go out there and see what they find.”
White said he took great care of Fitch and said with bonuses and purse, Fitch made $169,000 for his welterweight title fight loss to St. Pierre at UFC 87 in Minneapolis in August. Fitch (17-3 with 1 no-contest) did not dispute that salary figure. He said the UFC “has taken care of me and you’ve never heard me complain about money. This is a respect thing.”
Fitch said he thought there should room to negotiate on these contracts but said the UFC would not budge.
He said he understood it was highly unlikely that another company would want to put him in a video game but said it was only reasonable that he not tie his rights up for life.
White said he flew to San Jose in the summer to talk with the AKA fighters, but Fitch said the discussion was about a merchandising agreement.
“He wanted us to sign that merchandising agreement, and it was not a very good agreement,” Fitch said. “There was not really a reason for us to sign it. The first thing they brought to us was for us to sign all of our rights away for everything forever. It was for very small compensation, and there was no compensation for family members if we were to die.
“We could die and they could make memorial figurines and stuff and make thousands, millions of dollars, and our families wouldn’t see a penny of it. The way they bring the contracts and stuff to us, I don’t know, it’s just not how business is done.”
Zinkin also represents UFC light heavyweight Chuck Liddell, though Liddell does not fight for AKA. White said he has been “beefing with Zinkin for years” and said he had to call Liddell, one of his closest friends, and tell him to get Zinkin to back off.
According to White, Liddell said Zinkin represented him on sponsorships and he would negotiate his own deals with the UFC.
Fitch said he has been a loyal UFC employee and said, “I’d only like a little bit of respect for the blood I shed for this company.”
White said he has sacrificed more than anyone to build the UFC into the powerhouse it has become and that he’s tired of athletes who don’t want to “get with the program.”
Velasquez, one of the sport’s rising stars, clearly is on the outs with White. White said Zinkin wanted standard language that is part of every UFC fighter’s contract removed from Velasquez’s deal.
“Can you believe that?” White said. “Chuck Liddell has that language in his contract. Randy Couture has it. Anderson Silva has it. And Cain [expletive] Velasquez, with two [expletive] fights, wants us to change it for him? That’s [expletive] nuts. He can get the [expletive] out.
“I’m not a douche bag and I do a lot for these guys, a lot more than any of you will ever know. We’re in a horrible time in the economy now, and every guy with two nickels to rub together is making a run at us. We’ve worked too hard, given too much, to let certain guys come in and [expletive] with that.”
Fitch said he’s not trying to mess with anything and that he simply wants to fight. He said he always has been respectful in all his dealings with the UFC and said he can’t understand the position he finds himself in without ever having spoken to White.
He plans to call White to discuss the situation but wasn’t sure what move to make.
“I’m more than willing to work with them, but I don’t see why we have to give up our whole lives for this,” Fitch said. “Why not a time limit? If we did a 10-year deal with them, is that that unreasonable? I don’t understand how this happened, honestly. It’s tough.”
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