Dana White talks about the UFC/Strikeforce merger

  
0:48 "We just closed the deal"


- 0:53 "As we continue to expand, we need more fights"

- 1:10 "Strikeforce has a following, people enjoy the fights, it made sense to us"

- 2:05 "The deal happened quickly; I don't want to disclose the details"

- 2:30 "The reality is we now own Strikeforce"

- 3:18 "Strikeforce is going to continue to run as business as usual, there are contracts in place, Showtime is happy with them, these guys will remain Strikeforce fighters. Could guys from the UFC leave and end up in Strikeforce? Yes absolutely."

- 3:46 "Scott Coker is staying on, Scott is a good guy"

- 5:20 "Lorenzo can deal with Showtime"

- 6:00 "Scott Coker will continue to run that business (example: M-1 Global, Dan Henderson)

- 6:55 "M-1 has a deal with Showtime, that's completely separate and Fedor will continue to fight in Strikeforce/Showtime"

- 7:42 "No we won't be doing any super fights"

- 7:50 "When I say business as usual, we don't co-promote, even when we own it"

- 8:12 "Can we make some tweaks (to Strikeforce) and make them better? Absolutely"

- 10:26 "(The Showtime deal) is around 2 years"

- 10:43 "Once contracts expire, I have the right to negotiate for the UFC and try to acquire some of their talent"

- 11:20 "Josh Barnett has a deal with Strikeforce and Scott Coker, that deal will remain in place"

- 13:06 "Scott Coker will continue to put on women's fights and sign women"

- 15:00 "We do acquire their (fight) library, we need more fighters"

- 17:20 "Whatever deals (with DREAM, etc) Scott Coker has in place, he'll continue to do"

- 17:50 "Strikeforce could end up in Canada and other parts of the world"

- 18:00 "It's the same thing that happened with PRIDE and the WEC, that's the way it goes"

- 20:00 "I'm stll not a Paul Daley fan. He will never fight in the UFC"

This is obviously huge, shocking news. The interesting thing will be to see how the property is used. Dana says that the company will be run as a separate entity and it will be "business as usual"

McGee's wins TUF 11 title ? The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale

Few fighters in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship know what it’s like to scrape themselves off the deck and win an important bout as much as Chris Leben. And Leben, who stopped Aaron Simpson in the second round of his fight Saturday on “The Ultimate Fighter Finale” at the Palms Casino, knew the men sitting on each side of him had done just as much.
To Leben’s right was light heavyweight Matt Hamill, who made it to the UFC despite being deaf. Hamill, who won a majority decision over Keith Jardine in the co-main event that earned each man a $25,000 bonus for Fight of the Night, had a series of maladies bothering him on Saturday.
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He had a sore on his back that he said is a Staph infection. He broke his left hand early in the first round. He was poked in the eye. And he said he had a series of other injuries. “What wasn’t hurt?” Hamill said, joking, after arguably the most significant win of his career.
To Leben’s left was Court McGee, who won the TUF 11 title by tapping out Kris McCray with a rear naked choke in the second roundMcGee broke up Saturday as he accepted “The Ultimate Fighter” plaque from UFC president Dana White in the cage. Asked later about his emotions, McGee said it was because of the struggle he had to get to the top.
“That was seven years all in one minute right there,” McGee said of the moment when he broke down and cried. “I dedicate that fight to anyone who’s struggling. If you came from where I came from to get to where I’m at today, you’d have done the same thing.”
Leben shook his head knowingly as McGee spoke. Leben’s got enough personal demons to fill a set of encyclopedias.
He said all fighters are wired differently than the average person and said that’s what makes them good at what they do.
“Fighters are like strippers: They ain’t paying their way through college,” Leben said. “If you don’t understand what that means, you have to realize that there is always something underlying with all of us. Nobody in their right mind, no normal, sane person, goes ‘[expletive] college, screw my guidance counselor. I’m going to put all my chips in one basket to become a cage fighter so I can get the crap kicked out of me in front of other people.’ Obviously, there is something wrong going on there.
“This guy (McGee) right here is the perfect example. It’s that obsessive energy that we have that makes us different. It’s that obsessive energy that, yeah, makes me cause a lot of problems for myself in my life. But look, look at where he’s at now, willing to do whatever it is. Most fighters I know do whatever they do 110 percent.
For me, it’s all or nothing,” he said. “It’s either full throttle or nothing. Either I’m eating ice cream and candy or I’m dieting 100 percent. I’m yin and yang. If I go out and have a drink, I’m going to go out and get [expletive] trashed. I know that. That’s why I’m not going to do that tonight. It’s the same thing in the ring and it’s that type of personality that makes all of us up here in front of you, it’s what got us here. We all have something like that in us.”
The win for Hamill was probably the biggest of his career. He’s coming off a victory over the highly regarded Jon Jones, but that came by disqualification in a fight in which he was being handled fairly easily.
On Saturday, Hamill pushed the pace and outslugged Jardine in a back-and-forth bloody fight in which guts and desire played as big of a role as talent. Hamill got inadvertently poked in the eye in the second round by Jardine and went to the mat in pain.
But he wasn’t about to give in.
“I fought my heart out,” Hamill said. “He poked me in the eye and I thought I was going to be blind as well as deaf. That’s two major handicaps. Bottom line is, I wasn’t giving up. I was going to go all out.”
Jardine went all out in an attempt to break a three-fight losing skein. He came at Hamill hard, but never landed the huge fight-changing punch he needed.
The loss was his fourth in a row and the fifth in his last six fights. White and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva are going to have a very difficult discussion in the next several days about Jardine’s future with the promotion.
He laid it all on the line on Saturday, but he came up short again.
But the theme of the night was overcoming odds. Leben did it, overcoming a broken home, a drinking problem and an arm’s length of other woes. Hamill did it, getting past deafness to become one of the top mixed martial arts fighters in the world.
And McGee, who was declared clinically dead, rallied from his addiction to black tar heroin, among other things, to make something of himself as a fighter. Even once he qualified for the show, he did so with next-to-no money in his pocket.
“I was only making about $100 more a month than I had to spend in bills,” he said.
McGee lost a controversial first-round fight to Nick Ring, but got back into the competition when Rich Attonito broke his hand and had to withdraw. He progressively got better each time out.
Like Hamill, he’s going to become an inspirational figure for those who are down and seemingly out.
“There’s nothing too much to overcome if you really want it enough and care enough,” McGee said. “I’m the perfect example of that. I was as low as a human being could get, not that low ago, and look where I am right now. Incredible.”

There have been rumors Rich Franklin replaces Tito Ortiz on The Ultimate Fighter Season 11...this pic from the TUF 11 set seems to confirm this rumor with Franklin's picture up on the wall alongside Chuck Liddell.Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell in the works for UFC 115, not rumored April show (Updated)

There have been rumors Rich Franklin replaces Tito Ortiz on The Ultimate Fighter Season 11...this pic from the TUF 11 set seems to confirm this rumor with Franklin's picture up on the wall alongside Chuck Liddell.has learned from sources close to the promotion that the two have verbally agreed to face each other in June at UFC 115, though contracts have yet to be finalized.

The new matchup replaces a planned third meeting between Liddell and Tito Ortiz that had been expected for the promotion's first trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and may have been arranged as a result of Franklin's unexpected involvement in "TUF 11."

The Franklin vs. Liddell matchup was first reported by Fighters Only magazine, though the U.K.-based publication pinned the fight to a rumored April 17 UFC Fight Night card that now seems increasingly unlikely to occur.

Liddell and Ortiz were announced this past December as opposing coaches on the soon-to-debut "The Ultimate Fighter 11" series. At that time, the UFC also announced plans for the legendary figures to meet for a third time at the conclusion of the series.

It was later learned that the matchup was intended to headline the as-yet-unannounced UFC 115 card in June.

With Ortiz no longer in the plans, the former champion's next move is currently unknown.

In February, with "The Ultimate Fighter 11" still filming in Las Vegas, the "Hunting Beach Bad Boy" posted a series of cryptic messages on his Twitter account the led to many to speculate something had run afoul with his role as a coach on the Spike TV series.

"If things couldn't get worse, they just did!" Ortiz stated on Feb. 24. "[Expletive]! "I want to thank all my fans for your support!

"I guess business is business."

Three days later, additional Ortiz comments led to further speculation.

"Thanks for all the support," Ortiz stated. "Thinking that life couldn't get any harder? It just did! Another challenge that god has given me! Wow.

"Many things that challenge us in lives will make us stronger. One thing I can say is don't ever quit. I'm strong because of my family and fans!"

MMAjunkie.com has been told from additional sources that Ortiz was not able to complete the filming of "The Ultimate Fighter 11," though the reasoning behind his absence wasn't immediately known.

Those same sources suggested that Franklin was possibly brought in as a replacement coach to finish out the season's filming, and "Ace" now meets Liddell as an opposing "TUF" coach.

The original announcement of a third matchup between Liddell and Ortiz was met with little fanfare. Many MMA fans felt the matchup was unnecessary with the "Iceman" already owning a pair of wins over Ortiz – a 2004 second-round knockout and a 2006 third-round TKO.

UFC president Dana White has publicly denied that any changes are taking place through multiple posts on his Twitter account.

"Not true!" White stated. "We are doing (Randy) Couture vs. (Rich) Franklin, not Chuck.

"Nothing happened to Tito. Tito and I are cool."

MMAjunkie.com has been informed by additional sources close to the promotion that while a Couture vs. Franklin fight has been discussed, there are numerous obstacles that could potentially prevent the matchup from taking place, and bout agreements have not been distributed.

For more on "The Ultimate Fighter 11," which debuts March 31 following Spike TV's broadcast of UFC Fight Night 21,

Kimbo slice wins ? UFC spot tuf 10 ?

I swear hell must have just frozen over.

Kimbo Slice is in the UFC. More shockingly, perhaps, is that he actually won in the UFC.

Seriously.

The one-time street brawler, who was mocked incessantly for more than a year by Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White, won a unanimous decision over Houston Alexander on Saturday at The Palms.

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More UFC Videos Related CoverageBlog: Kimbo is UFC certified More From Kevin IoleKimbo a winner in UFC debut Dec 5, 2009 Mitrione parlays villain role into big shot Dec 4, 2009 ADVERTISEMENT

The elite fighters in the heavyweight division, men like champion Brock Lesnar and contenders Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir, among many others, have nothing to worry about.

Truth is, without denigrating Slice, there are more fighters in the UFC’s heavyweight (and light heavyweight) division that he can’t beat than there are that he can.

If he never wins another fight, though, it won’t matter.

Slice has made his point.

He was classy as White mocked him – “What,” White asked at a UFC 90 news conference in 2008, “has Kimbo Slice done other than get 10 million hits on YouTube to be in the UFC?” – and responded only by trying to become a better fighter.

White had snidely said that the only way Slice would ever find his way into the UFC was by going onto, and winning, “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Slice took him up on that offer and agreed to appear on the show, turning down an opportunity to box and another to fight K-1 kickboxing in Japan. And while he lost his first bout on the reality show to eventual champion Roy Nelson, who knocked out Brendan Schaub on Saturday, he hardly was out of place and by far was not the worst fighter in the house.

White wasn’t about to apologize for tweaking Slice so often, but he gave Slice his props.

“I don’t know what Houston Alexander’s corner was doing, but that was the worst game plan they could have ever come up with,” White, who was not at Saturday night’s postfight press conference, said in a phone interview. “I am not sure if Kalib Starnes was training him or what, but that wasn’t the Houston Alexander I had seen fight before.

“I don’t think I have to apologize to Kimbo. I helped him. I said what I did and he did the thing athletes do: He went out there and he worked and he made himself better. He deserves credit. He took me up on the offer I made, did what he had to do and went out and beat a legitimate UFC fighter.”

True to the way he’s been ever since he started in mixed martial arts, Slice went to the American Top Team in Coconut Grove, Fla., after filming ended in July in a bid to improve his game.

Slice (4-1) was clearly better than he had been when he left Elite XC after getting knocked out just 14 seconds into an Oct. 4, 2008, fight with light heavyweight Seth Petruzelli.

He was satisfied with the victory, though he wasn’t gloating. Asked if he felt he proved a point to the legion of skeptics who doubted he could make the transition, Slice nodded his head.

“I hope I did,” Slice said. “The goal was to come in and fight and to get the best training I could possibly get to be prepared for the standup or a ground game. Like I said, whether the fight goes to the ground or stands up, I wanted to come in and fight, but be smart about it.”

The fight on Saturday was ugly and what had seemed to be a slam-dunk slugfest degenerated into a boo-fest as fans in The Pearl became angry at the lack of action.

Alexander (9-5, 1 no-contest) spent the first round circling in the cage, rarely threatening a punch. He landed a few kicks as Slice simply held the center of the cage. Clearly, though, Alexander was wary of Slice’s power and was not eager to engage.

This is a guy who knocked out light heavyweight contender Keith Jardine, after all, but Alexander was exceptionally cautious of Slice. Slice, though, didn’t show his inexperience and didn’t take an unnecessary risk by rushing at Alexander.

“If I would have run in there foolishly, I would have gotten knocked out,” Slice said. “It wasn’t difficult to stay patient, but I was going, ‘Come on, man.’ A few times, I just called him out. I called him by his name and I said some things in the ring, like, ‘Let’s do this.’ I reverted back to the streets a little bit, verbally. He didn’t engage. He stuck to his plan, so I said to myself, ‘I’m not going to be foolish and run up on him.’ I wanted to be a smart fighter as well.”

He was a smart fighter on Saturday, but he was a better draw. Not counting Saturday, the season was by far the highest rated in the history of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The show averaged 3.4 million viewers per episode compared to an average of 2 million over the first nine seasons.

Ratings will come out on Tuesday for Saturday’s finale, and they should be equally large.

Whether Slice can maintain as that type of attraction is debatable because sooner or later it will come down to performance, and Slice has a long way to go before he can compete with the majority of the men in the UFC.

But this night wasn’t about the future. It was about a man who believed in himself despite massive ridicule from all corners, about ignoring the thousands of skeptics and chasing a dream.

Kimbo Slice may never become a superstar but he’s in the UFC, and that’s better than 99.9 percent of the men in the world.

“It’s hard,” Slice said of making the transition to MMA. “It’s not an easy thing. I first was a street fighter. Being a street fighter, there was no training in my style of fighting. I just went in there based on my instincts, watching the guy’s movement and countering him.

“But at this level of the game, as a professional fighter in the UFC, you have to be almost genius-like smart because you have all these dimensions to battle. You have to know when to counter and when to not hit and when to engage and when to try to wait it out.

“There’s a lot you have to go through. (I hope) this shows my maturity as a mixed martial artist.”

He has a lot of maturing left as an MMA fighter, but on this night, Kimbo Slice finally left the streets behind.

He’s in the UFC and the spot wasn’t given to him.

He earned it.

Yahoo.com

The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 Preview (Starring Kimbo Slice, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans & More)

Coachs :

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
"Sugar" Rashad Evans

Participants :

* Zak Jensen (11-2)
* Marcus Jones (4-1
* Scott Junk (6-2)
* John Madsen (3-0)
* James McSweeney (12-4
* Matt Mitrione (0-0
* Roy Nelson (14-4)
* Demico Rogers (4-0)
* Brendan Schaub (4-0)
* Darill Schoonover (10-0)
* Wes Shivers (3-1)
* Wes Sims (22-12-1)
* Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (3-1)
* Abe Wagner (6-2)
* Mike Wessel (6-1)
* Justin Wren (10-1



Zak Jenson – standout wrestler at Augsburg College
Marcus Jones – former 1st round NFL draft pick who had a six-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Scott Junk – Division II All-American football player at Southwest Oklahoma State and fought in UFC 76.
James McSweeney – former international kickboxing and Muay Thai champion
John Madsen – defeated Brock Lesnar in a high school wrestling match
Matt Mitrione – played for New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings
Roy Nelson – former IFL Heavyweight Champion
Demico Rogers – high school football and wrestling star
Brendan Schaub – played for Buffalo Bills and Arena Football’s Utah Blaze
Darrill Schoonover – decorated Army veteran
Wes Shivers – former member of the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons
Wes Sims- fought two heated battles with former UFC champ Frank Mir at UFC 43 and UFC 46
Kimbo Slice – former EliteXC heavyweight contender and YouTube sensation
Abe Wagner – played linebacker at Michigan Tech and has a degree in mechanical engineering
Mike Wessel – UFC veteran and former strength and conditioning coach at University of Arkansas
Justin Wren – high school All-American wrestler