Dana White: Alistair Overeem, Cool Guy, But No Urgency To Get Him In The UFC

“Listen, I like Alistair Overeem. I see him all the time. Cool guy. But there’s no urgency on my part to get him into the UFC. I actually find it hilarious that he’s ranked in the top 10 by some of the websites. I find it hilarious. What has he done in MMA to be [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/SSL2pbMvo7s/

Karo Parisyan Sherman Pendergarst B J Penn Anthony Perosh Seth Petruzelli

Grappling with Issues ? 11/12/10

Does Nate Marquardt have a better chance than Yushin Okami of beating Anderson Silva in a rematch? What’s your take on the Ultimate Fighter season thus far now that it’s starting to wind down? Could Amir Sadollah be the latest TUF champion cut from the promotion? Likewise, is Vlad Matyushenko at risk of losing his [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2010/11/12/grappling-with-issues-111210/

Yves Edwards  Justin Eilers  Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis

UFC 128, March 19

UFC 128
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Ferrari World on Yas Island
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Airing on PPV


* Mauricio Rua (#1 Ranked Light Heavyweight) vs. Rashad Evans (#3 Ranked Light Heavyweight)
* Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (#1 Ranked Light Heavyweight) vs. Tito Ortiz

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Upcoming_Events_42/article_7489.shtml

Pete Spratt Brian Stann Aaron Stark Kalib Starnes Joe Stevenson

Steven Seagal Schools Lyoto ?The Dragon? Machida (Video)

Lyoto Machida is looking to violently bounce back from the only loss of his pro career when he meets Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 123. Although “The Dragon” has a bevy of Brazilian talent to help him on his road to redemption, the former light heavyweight champ broke camp and enrolled in a [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/58849/steven-seagal-schools-lyoto-the-dragon-machida-video/

Randy Couture Chuck Liddell Quinton Jackson Forrest Griffin Rashad Evans

Merger covers up truth? Thomson says WEC failed

The UFC made big news a few weeks back when it announced that the WEC roster was coming on board. That means adding some of the top fighters in the world from the 135- and 145-pound classes. WEC's lightweight roster has also been merged into the UFC. A deeper Zuffa roster is terrific news for fight fans, but Strikeforce lightweight Josh Thomson says all of the positive attention covered up the real story. From the Las Vegas Sun:

"They made it sound so great that a company went under," Thomson said. "The simple fact of the matter was that the WEC failed and they put it with the UFC to carry it."

Thomson also questioned the legitimacy of the WEC's lightweight division.

"To compare WEC lightweights to Strikeforce and the UFC is not fair because if they were that good, they would have been fighting for the UFC. I think the world of (Jamie) Varner, but I beat Hermes (Franca) and Hermes beat Varner. Varner was the WEC champ for awhile. So, where does that leave us?"

Even though he's risen to No. 16 in the USA Today/Bloody Elbow lightweight rankings, Thomson (18-3) sounds like he's grown a bit weary of the whole business. He wants a big name, but the fights aren't materializing quickly. Thomson has no interest in fighting unbeaten Strikeforce prospects Lyle Beerbohm or Billy Evangelista. Even more surprising, he said there aren't many fighters in the UFC who excite him either. He'd only jump to the UFC to meet someone like Frank Edgar or B.J. Penn.

"I'm on that borderline where I'm ready to make another chapter in my life," Thomson said during a recent trip to Las Vegas. "I feel like I've done everything I possibly could. I've been fighting for a long time now. [...]

"I'm at that age where I'm ready to have kids and open my own gym. I want to do my own thing. I'm ready to settle down."

Don't panic. Thomson, 32, will probably fight Gilbert Melendez one more time. Beyond that, he's unsure.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Merger-covers-up-truth-Thomson-says-WEC-failed?urn=mma-283588

Dan The Beast Severn Frank Shamrock Ken Shamrock Sean Sherk Katsuyori Shibata

White calls Marquardt a ?choker? and criticizes camp

Dana White speaks his mind even if it means lashing out at the good guys in the sport. White pulled no punches after watching Nate Marquardt struggle in another pivotal fight.

"He is a choker," White told MMAjunkie at the UFC postfight press conference. "He choked tonight. Listen you couldn't meet a nicer guy than Nate Marquardt. He's a great guy. Nice kid choked tonight."

Marquardt lost his one and only shot at the middleweight title back in 2007. He's admitted many times that he froze up against the champion Anderson Silva at UFC 73.

Back in February, a win over Chael Sonnen would've earned him a much-coveted rematch against the champ. Because of a flawed gameplan, he was dominated by Sonnen. It happened again last night against Yushin Okami. Marquardt never got in a groove. He was outpointed on the feet and couldn't maintain position when the match hit the ground.

What disappointed White even more was Marquardt's measured approach. The fight appeared to be even on the scorecards heading to the final round, but the middleweight contender never went for broke.

"You already blew a title shot once; you're in a fight for the title shot again in the third round, and you're not throwing any punches or kicks? It has nothing to do with pressure," White said. "You're ... professional, and you're going to go after it in the last round to get your title shot."

The UFC president pointed the finger of blame at Marquardt's trainer and cornermen.

"I mean, Nate Marquardt sat here tonight and said that he thought he won the fight. Where the [expletive] is his corner? You go into the last round and you're getting outstruck by a wrestler, and you think you won the fight? And this is consistent with the Greg Jackson camp," said White.

The Jackson camp generally employs a calm, analytical style between rounds. There's no screaming, yelling or desperation. White said that approach has backfired with many of the Jackson fighters.

"Marquardt is such a talented guy, and what I'm seeing is stuff from the Greg Jackson camp," White said. "This camp continuously – when these guys fight, their corner is either telling them they're ahead or they're winning."

The disappointment of the loss can probably be erased pretty quickly with a couple of wins. Marquardt is just 31 years old and Silva is far from a lock to hold onto the title in 2011. Marquardt is also fortunate because there aren't a ton of hot shot prospects nipping at his heels that could knock him from the top five in the UFC's 185 class.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/White-calls-Marquardt-a-choker-and-criticizes-?urn=mma-285453

Frank Trigg Mostapha Al Turk Ryuki Ueyama Caol Uno Alexander Ustinov