With a win over Carano, crying parents and a UFC vet in her corner, Budd is ready to go

As Julia Budd makes her Strikeforce debut tonight, she'll have some important people to keep happy. Her boyfriend will be in her corner demanding the best out of her. Lance Gibson, is a former UFC veteran, who's also worked with the likes of Quinton Jackson. She'll also have her parents watching to ensure she doesn't get hurt. They have confidence in their daughter now, but it wasn't always like that.

"When I first started I remember looking into the crowd and seeing (my mom) crying," Budd (on the left) told the Nashville Tennessean. "She was freaked out at first, but then they were my biggest fans. I remember looking up at my dad just before the (first) fight started and he's crying. I'm like, 'Oh my God, dad, have some faith in me.'"

Budd, now 27, has been training and fighting in several disciplines since she was 15. She's got a strong background in muay thai which includes a win over Gina Carano. It took her a little longer to turn pro, but now she's here and ready to make up for lost time.

The 145 pounder fights for the second time professionally tonight on Showtime (11 p.m. ET/PT) against Amanda Nunes (5-1). For fans without Showtime, no problem, it's a free preview weekend on the network. 

"I'm just as nervous and just as excited ... It's a different fight, totally different than the last girl. You know what to expect but you don't know what to expect. That's where the excitement and nerves come from — you never know until the bell rings. That's what makes fighting so much fun," Nunes told the Canadian Press. "And I think that's what lets you know you're alive," she said. "I would rather feel that before than feel so relaxed I can't perform."

Budd, a native of Port Moody, British Columbia, is also brimming with confidence with Gibson in her corner. The 40-year-old is her trainer and boyfriend.

"I owe it all to him," she said. "[...] He coaches me in all aspects, mentally, physically, everything. He's a motivator," Budd said of Gibson. "He's been there, he's done it and he's somebody I totally trust. So it's all good."

Budd met Gibson while going to school at the University of British Columbia, where she got her degree in kinesiology.

MAIN CARD (Weights courtesy MMAjunkie)
Tarec Saffiedine (170.2) vs. Tyron Woodley (170.2)
Ron Humphrey (205.4) vs. Ovince St. Preux (204.8)
Devin Cole (239.2) vs. Daniel Cormier (249)
Julia Budd (144.2) vs. Amanda Nunes (143.2)
Rhadi Ferguson (205) vs. John Richard (206)

PRELIMINARY CARD
Thomas Campbell (135.8) vs. Jeremy Wallace (TBA)
Casey Huffman (186) vs. John Salter (185.6)
Matt Horning (TBA) vs. Dustin Ortiz (125)
Daniel Schmitt (184.8) vs. Dustin West (183.6)
Charles McTorry (185) vs. Krishaun Gilmore (185.6)
Chris Barnhizer (175) vs. Karl Willis (170.2)
Jason Blackford (169.2) vs. Jeremy Boczulak (173.8)
Josh Jarvis (144.2) vs. Luke Sanders (145.4)
Stoney Hale (171) vs. Gerric Hayes (169.2)

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/With-a-win-over-Carano-crying-parents-and-a-UFC?urn=mma-304697

Gary Myers Chris The Pitbull Myra Jason MacDonald Cory MacDonald Matt MacGrath

The Evolution of Rory MacDonald (video)

Up-and-coming UFC welterweight Rory MacDonald talks about moving his training from Toshido Fighting Arts to the TriStar Gym in Vancouver. MacDonald (10-1) won the first ten professional bouts of his career by either knockout or submission. The lone loss on his record came to former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit at UFC 115 in a [...]

The Evolution of Rory MacDonald (video) is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/ufc-news/the-evolution-of-rory-macdonald-video-53105/

Tito Ortiz Alexander Otsuka Alistair Overeem Valentijn Overeem Shungo Oyama

Mark Bocek expects tough test against Ben Henderson at UFC 129

UFC lightweight submission specialist Mark Bocek talks about his upcoming fight against Ben Henderson at UFC 129. Bocek, a Toronto, Ontario native looks forward to fighting in front of his hometown fans. Bocek calls the fight against the former WEC champ a big opportunity but believes that there is no one area that Henderson has [...]

Mark Bocek expects tough test against Ben Henderson at UFC 129 is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/ufc-news/mark-bocek-expects-tough-test-against-ben-henderson-at-ufc-129-53085/

Norifumi Kid Yamamoto Ryushi Yanagisawa Yoshiaki Yatsu Hirotaka Yokoi Hidehiko Yoshida

TONIGHT: MMATorch Tuesday Livecast - News of the week and more on new edition of Internet call-in show with Hansen, Pelkey, & Carter

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Tuesday nights, join editor-in-chief Jamie Penick and columnists Rich Hansen, Matt Pelkey, and Alvin Carter from 9-10:30 p.m. ET (6-7:30 p.m. PT) for a live call-in show at BlogTalkRadio.com. Set a reminder notice now or Tuesday visit the following URL to listen: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmatorch. BlogTalkRadio is customized for both the web and your mobile phone.

Visit the following URL to listen:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmatorch.

BlogTalkRadio is customized for both the web and your mobile phone.

You can call to participate at (646) 716-8090. That's also the number you can call during the show listen without participating with a question or comment. So if you're not near the Internet but have your phone, you can listen live, also.

The show will be archived if you don't listen live. All of our previous episodes are available on demand on BlogTalkRadio.

You can subscribe to the Livecast to hear it on delay via iTunes here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id357424499

We also have an MMATorch Podcast in iTunes featuring our pre-recorded shows such as the weekly Audio Choke, PPV Previews, Interviews, PPV Roundtables, and more. Check that out here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mma-torch-2010-ufc-news-roundtables/id253731019

You can also simply search "MMATorch" on your phone or on your computer.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/About_Us_29/article_4482.shtml

Dos Caras Jr   Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin  Jason Hollywood Chambers

UFC QUOTABLES: Junior Dos Santos says Brock Lesnar is just as dangerous as Cain Velasquez

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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"My next fight would have been for the belt, but this one will be welcome, too. It will enhance my resume a lot. I liked the choice and the opportunity to be a coach on the reality show [and] it will be a great challenge. My English is not 100 percent, but I'll do my best and I'm sure I'll be good...

Lesnar is a tough guy. He's great. He's very different from Cain Velasquez, because he's larger, but a bit slower. But he's just as dangerous as Cain. It will be different, but I'll keep working on the same things, which are my takedown defense and boxing...

I'm still picking my team. Luiz Dorea will be the boxing coach. Billy [Schiebe], an American friend, should be the muay Thai coach. I'm thinking of someone else for jiu-jitsu, and the wrestling coach could be Rodrigo Artilheiro, who is very good, and speaks both Portuguese and English, which helps with communication. I think early next week, we'll have the full team."

-Junior Dos Santos talks to Sherdog.com about his opposing coach, Brock Lesnar, on The Ultimate Fighter 13 and what assistant coaches he'll be bringing with him.

Penick's Analysis: Dos Santos knew what he was getting into with this fight. Lesnar represents a capable wrestler with heavy hands, and although his striking isn't nearly at the level of Velasquez at this stage, he is a dangerous fight for Dos Santos. Looks like we may not get the Black House dream team helping him out, but there may be cameos throughout the season from the Nogueira brothers, and perhaps Anderson Silva following his UFC 126 fight. I'm very intrigued for this season of the show, and how Dos Santos comes across as a personality throughout will be one of the many side stories that surrounds this season.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8154.shtml

Anthony Torres Miguel Torres Roberto Traven Frank Trigg Mostapha Al Turk