The After Party ? UFC 125: Resolution

Ultimate Fighting Championship rang in the New Year with an action packed card that right now is without a doubt the best card of 2011. Not only that but it features the current 2011 fight of the year. It was a night filled with a brutal knockout, a slick submission, an excellent grappling battle, a [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/01/03/the-after-party-ufc-125-resolution/

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira Antônio Rogério Nogueira Karl James Noons Jan Nortje Phillipe Noer

UFC NEWS: Brandon "The Truth" Vera cut following UFC 125 loss to Thiago Silva

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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UFC 125 marked an excellent start to 2011 for the UFC as an organization, but the same can't be said for a number of the fighters who competed on the card.

Phil Baroni and Antonio McKee have already been given their walking papers, and now Brandon "The Truth" Vera can be added to the list, as FiveOuncesOfPain.com reports that he has been released by the UFC.

Vera suffered a badly broken nose in his three round decision loss to Thiago Silva, his third loss in a row, and his lengthy UFC career has now come to an end.

At one time early in his career, he was seen as a possible title contender in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. He made his UFC debut with a vicious second round knockout of Fabiano Scherner, and then rattled of three straight stoppage victories in the first round. His career was on a high in the last of those three, as he destroyed former Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir in 69 seconds.

A title shot was supposed to be next for Vera, but a contract dispute led to Randy Couture stepping up to take on then-Champ Tim Sylvia, and when Vera returned nearly a year after the Mir victory to finally fight Sylvia, he broke his hand early in the fight and lost a lackluster decision. A subsequent loss to Fabricio Werdum sent him down to the light heavyweight division, where he went 3-1 through his first four fights.

But Vera never got that power or viciousness of his early performances back. His victories at 205 lbs. never truly impressed, and he had more lackluster performances during his run. Then, after losing a decision to Randy Couture, Vera had his face destroyed in consecutive fights to Jon Jones, and then Silva last weekend. He exits the UFC after a 7-6 career mark in the organization.

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Penick's Analysis: This was another cut that was to be expected from this card. Vera looked listless and at worst like he didn't care once the fight hit the ground on Saturday. When Silva was toying with him by the end of the fight, it was clear he didn't belong in the cage with him, at least on that night. Vera's had one of the more disappointing career stories in the Octagon, as it seems immense talent has gone by the wayside and his potential was never reached. He'll have a chance to turn things around in regional shows, or perhaps in Strikeforce's light heavyweight division, but something's got to change for him going forward after getting brutalized in consecutive fights like he did.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8065.shtml

Tito Ortiz Randy Couture Vitor Belfort Randy Couture Chuck Liddell

Antonio McKee: Loss in UFC Debut Was a 'Humbling Experience'

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It turns out that even for an 11-year MMA veteran like Antonio McKee, Octagon jitters are very real. If that surprises you to learn, just imagine how he feels.

It's one thing for a young fighter with only a couple years as a pro to struggle with nerves in his UFC debut. That's to be expected. But for the 40-year-old McKee, who has fought in various MMA organizations all over North America in the past decade, it was a bit of a shock.

"It was funny because I've never really been nervous for my other fights," McKee told MMA Fighting. "I was really nervous, not about my opponent, but just the crowd, the people. I didn't want people to be disappointed in my performance. I was surprised that I got that nervous, but the UFC is intimidating. I didn't realize it was that intimidating actually being in there."

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/04/antonio-mckee-loss-in-ufc-debut-was-a-humbling-experience/

Gilbert Yvel Ishkhan Zakharian Roman Zentsov Zhang Chuanlong Zhang Tiequan

Chael Sonnen cuts deal in response to federal money laundering charge

It looks as though Anderson Silva?s anticipated rematch against Chael Sonnen won?t take place anytime soon regardless of how the current middleweight champ fares against Vitor Belfort next month at UFC 126. In fact, it may never go down at all. According to an official statement from the U.S. District Attorney?s office, Sonnen plead guilty [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/01/03/chael-sonnen-facing-up-to-20-years-in-prison-on-federal-money-laundering-charge/

Hayato Sakurai Ivan Salaverry Sean Salmon Diego Sanchez Jorge Santiago

Olympian Rick Hawn official for season-four welterweight tournament in Bellator

Undefeated welterweight prospect Rick Hawn, who made a successful debut in Bellator earlier this year, will be returning in the promotion’s season four welterweight tournament. Hawn’s last appearance came in spectacular fashion when the Olympic Judoka finished the game Levon Maynard inside of the first round. Though Levon looked good early on, picking his shots [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/01/06/olympian-rick-hawn-official-for-season-four-welterweight-tournament-in-bellator

Jonathan Goulet Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace Crosley Gracie Gregor Gracie