Author: Ben Fowlkes

Kenny Florian’s Cut to 145 Pounds a ‘Test of Discipline’

Filed under: UFCVANCOUVER, British Columbia – As the smell of hot dogs cooking on the street above wafted through Robson Square during Thursday afternoon’s press conference, Kenny Florian’s face seemed to betray the slightest quiver of agony.

After wh…

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – As the smell of hot dogs cooking on the street above wafted through Robson Square during Thursday afternoon’s press conference, Kenny Florian‘s face seemed to betray the slightest quiver of agony.

After what he’s been through just to get down to yet another weight class in his UFC career, it had to feel like just one more twist of the knife into his empty stomach.

As he made clear during the media workouts the day before, the cut to 145 pounds for the first time in his career requires no small amount of sacrifice and suffering. Fortunately, he’s maintained a sense of humor in the face of starvation.

“The skinny jeans I was wearing before, now are big on me,” Florian joked on Wednesday. “I’ve got to get a whole new wardrobe.”

After beginning his career as a middleweight, Florian now finds himself just a day away from making his featherweight debut at UFC 131. It will be the fourth weight class he’s fought in while under contract with the UFC, but even for his resilient frame, 145 pounds seems like it might be a bit of a stretch.

This cut has been, as Florian put it, “a test of discipline.” It required him to start early and adhere strictly to a brand new diet – one with lots of chicken breasts, vegetables, and, tragically, absolutely no pizza.

“That’s the thing I miss most,” he said. “I haven’t had bread for a long time.”

Whether all the suffering was worth it, we’ll find out soon enough.

At Thursday’s pre-fight press conference Dana White declined to say whether the winner of Florian’s bout with Diego Nunes will get a title shot – “We’ll see,” the UFC president said, after prodding from a fan – but White did go out of his way to make one thing clear: this is an important fight for both men.

“[Nunes is] a great fighter…16-1. He’s just coming off a win over Mike Brown, so this is a big fight for both guys. Obviously this is Kenny’s first fight at 145. He wants to win this fight and work his way in the division. If [Nunes] can beat Kenny, it’s big.”

And while Florian admitted that making 145 pounds has proven much harder than anything he’s done as a fighter before, he also swears that the strict diet has paid off in other ways.

“This has been the best training camp by far in my life,” he said. “I know that’s kind of the quote to say with every fighter, but it truly has been. And I’ll be a hundred percent honest and say I didn’t expect it to be. I thought I was going to be real low on energy. I thought it was going to be a brutal last month, and the funny thing is I’ve gotten stronger and better, and in my sparring and my strength and conditioning, I’ve been killing it. I’m real happy. There’s no doubt about it, it has to do with the nutrition. I haven’t felt this good preparing for my fights at [1]55, let alone [1]45.”

The real moment of truth will come not just at Friday’s weigh-in – where Florian hinted that he might further enrage the rabid Vancouver crowd by sporting the black and gold of his hometown Boston Bruins – but also on fight night, when he’ll have to prove that he didn’t leave his best stuff on the scale in a desperate attempt to make weight.

He wouldn’t be the first fighter to cut away some of his strength and explosiveness along with the extra pounds. But thanks to his nutritionist, George Lockhart, Florian said he’s on track to make the weight without an excruciating final push.

“The schedule that we’re on, we should probably be cutting less weight than I have for my last four or five fights at 155. That’s the game plan, anyway. We’ll see if we can get there. I’m hoping that we can do it, and I think we can. I think it’s going to be less than what I’ve cut in the past, which is good. At [1]55, you get a little lazy sometimes.”

Against Nunes, Florian faces an opponent who has only lost once in seventeen fights, and that via decision. It’s certainly not an easy introduction into a new weight class, and if Florian isn’t ready, he knows it will be painfully evident.

“I’m expecting a very, very tough fight from Diego Nunes. He’s never not given someone a tough fight. His one loss, I thought he played a poor strategy. He could have won that fight. I could be very well going against an undefeated fighter here. He’s still 16-1, trains out of one of the best camps in the world, trains alongside Jose Aldo. He’s going to be a fast, dangerous striker and a guy who’s hard to put away. He’s never been finished in his career, so I expect him to be there strong for all fifteen minutes.”

As for Florian, his test starts Friday afternoon when he steps on the scales. And Bruins jersey or no, it might not be pretty, he said.

“I don’t think I’m going to look too good there, because I’m pretty thin already. But I’ll look somewhat like Christian Bale in “The Machinist.” There’s no doubt about it. I may be coming for that role.”

 

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Dana White: UFC Is ‘Talking to Everybody,’ but No New TV Deal Yet

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Though reports that the UFC was in talks to buy a controlling interest in NBC Universal’s G4 channel were all over the internet recently, UFC president Dana White stressed on Thursday that, as of right now, it’s nothing more than talk.

And just because The Wall Street Journal reports on the talks, White insisted, that doesn’t mean there’s a deal.

“I told you guys the last time we all talked, we’re talking to everybody right now. It actually blew my mind that huge media sources would go out and announce that when there is no deal,” White said. “It’s strange. It’s crazy.”

White said he was “not ruling out anything,” including a renewal of the UFC’s deal with Spike TV. And as for reports that Spike is already moving on and planning on life after the UFC?

“I don’t know. Maybe they are,” White said. “I don’t know. I told you guys last time, we’re in negotiations, and negotiations are never fun.”


As MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta reported, Spike employees are said to be openly referring to the cable network’s upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter as “the last season.” Spike executives are also said to have visited recent Bellator events, leading many to wonder if the cable network is resigned to losing the UFC and is already on the lookout for a new MMA partner.

Spike’s contract with the UFC ends this year, and a recent report on Bloomberg.com suggested that a controlling stake in G4 might cost the UFC as much as $600 million, though White said he had no idea where that number came from.

“It’s stupid for me to talk about this while we’re in negotiations,” White added. “It makes no sense whatsoever.”

 

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Though reports that the UFC was in talks to buy a controlling interest in NBC Universal’s G4 channel were all over the internet recently, UFC president Dana White stressed on Thursday that, as of right now, it’s nothing more than talk.

And just because The Wall Street Journal reports on the talks, White insisted, that doesn’t mean there’s a deal.

“I told you guys the last time we all talked, we’re talking to everybody right now. It actually blew my mind that huge media sources would go out and announce that when there is no deal,” White said. “It’s strange. It’s crazy.”

White said he was “not ruling out anything,” including a renewal of the UFC’s deal with Spike TV. And as for reports that Spike is already moving on and planning on life after the UFC?

“I don’t know. Maybe they are,” White said. “I don’t know. I told you guys last time, we’re in negotiations, and negotiations are never fun.”


As MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta reported, Spike employees are said to be openly referring to the cable network’s upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter as “the last season.” Spike executives are also said to have visited recent Bellator events, leading many to wonder if the cable network is resigned to losing the UFC and is already on the lookout for a new MMA partner.

Spike’s contract with the UFC ends this year, and a recent report on Bloomberg.com suggested that a controlling stake in G4 might cost the UFC as much as $600 million, though White said he had no idea where that number came from.

“It’s stupid for me to talk about this while we’re in negotiations,” White added. “It makes no sense whatsoever.”

 

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Nick Diaz Will Vacate Title, but Other Strikeforce Questions Still Unanswered

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, NewsVANCOUVER, British Columbia – It’s amazing how much can change in the MMA world in just a few short months. Take, for instance, UFC president Dana White’s stance on both Strikeforce and its TV partner, Showtime.

Befo…

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – It’s amazing how much can change in the MMA world in just a few short months. Take, for instance, UFC president Dana White’s stance on both Strikeforce and its TV partner, Showtime.

Before Zuffa bought Strikeforce, White rarely missed a chance to rip on both his largest competitor and its premium cable home. But now? Even White is a little surprised at the words coming out of his mouth.

“Showtime has worked with us really good,” White told reporters following the UFC 131 pre-fight press conference on Thursday. “I can’t believe you guys are going to hear me say some positive Showtime stuff right now, but to be honest, and no joking, they’ve been great with us. We’ve worked together very well and we’ll see what happens.”

That doesn’t mean the situation isn’t sticky at times, however. White explained how the UFC made a deal with Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz to come to the UFC and face Georges St. Pierre – a bout he was spurred to sign due to overwhelming fan request for it, White explained.

The move means that Diaz will vacate his Strikeforce title to fight for GSP’s UFC belt, White said, leaving the Strikeforce strap behind for two as-of-yet unnamed fighters to compete for.

“He will give up the title. He will give up his Strikeforce title. He will come in and fight Georges St. Pierre. Two guys will fight for the vacant belt in Strikeforce, and then we’ll go from there,” White said.

“[Diaz] has a UFC contract now. …If things didn’t go well, there’d be no problem with him fighting over in Strikeforce. He’d still make the same money. It’s the same company. It’s not like we’d say, ‘Now you’re going to Strikeforce and you got to do this.’ Diaz is stepping up. He’s going to take this big fight with Georges St. Pierre. We always make it right with the guys, so we’ll figure it out.”

White seemed upbeat about his recent meeting with Diaz, saying the Stockton, Calif. fighter has “a completely different attitude than he used to have when he was in the UFC.”

But has he finally learned, as White long said he’d have to, how to “play the game”?

“That is the million-dollar question,” White said.

But just because Diaz got shuffled into a UFC title fight relatively quickly, it doesn’t mean all Strikeforce fighters should expect a similar opportunity. White said he wants to “respect the deal that we have with [Showtime]” and not pick Strikeforce clean of all its best talent.

In the end, he said, it’s “ninety-nine percent economics.”

“We want to make this thing work for them and us. And the big question with Strikeforce is, can we make this thing work on Showtime so that we don’t get murdered and lose a bunch of money?”

For now, White and the UFC seem to be taking it one step at a time when it comes to Strikeforce issues. When asked several times and in several different ways what he plans to do with the eventual winner of Strikeforce’s heavyweight Grand Prix, White pleaded ignorance, explaining that they had yet to decide on a course of action.

“I have no clue,” he said during Thursday’s press conference. “I don’t know what we’re doing with that. We’ll see what happens.”

White clarified that, at least in his eyes, the winner of the Strikeforce tournament would be “the best heavyweight in Strikeforce,” but it wouldn’t necessarily mean an immediate pass into the UFC, no matter how much people might love to see that.

“I’m glad that fans are excited about this stuff,” White told reporters. “Part of being a fight fan is getting excited about fights. The fact that fans get excited about fights and media get excited about fights and want to know what’s going to happen next, I love it. It’s good stuff. It’s just that the answer is: I don’t know. If I knew, I’d tell you. We’re trying to figure this thing out.”

 

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Dana White Says Jon Jones Expected to Headline UFC 135 in Denver

Filed under: UFC, NewsVANCOUVER, British Columbia — UFC president Dana White on Thursday said he expects light heavyweight champion Jon Jones to make his first title defense against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135 in Denver, Colo. on September 24…

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — UFC president Dana White on Thursday said he expects light heavyweight champion Jon Jones to make his first title defense against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135 in Denver, Colo. on September 24.

“That is the date [Jones] will fight, assuming he’s healed,” White said.

White stipulated that Jones still needs to get his hand cleared by a doctor before he can be officially slotted in, but that could happen as early as Friday, barring any unforeseen medical problems.

Just last week Jones told MMA Junkie that Jackson would be his first challenger, but said he couldn’t discuss the date. White ended that speculation following the UFC 131 press conference, telling reporters that the organization is targeting Jones’ return for September 24.

Previously, Jones was expected to face former training partner Rashad Evans in his first title defense. But after pulling out of the bout amid claims that he needed surgery on an injured ligament in his hand, Evans was slotted for a fight with Phil Davis at UFC 133.

Recently, Jones’ management announced on Twitter that the champion doesn’t need surgery after all, clearing the way for a return to action in the fall. As long as doctors don’t see any problem with the hand now, Jones should be cleared to take on Jackson in Denver.

 

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White: Non-Title Main Events to Be Five Rounds, UFC Adding 125ers Soon

Filed under: UFC, NewsVANCOUVER, British Columbia — UFC president Dana White was in an announcement-making mood following the UFC 131 press conference at Robson Square on Thursday afternoon.

Among those announcements was news that, “[f]rom this day …

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — UFC president Dana White was in an announcement-making mood following the UFC 131 press conference at Robson Square on Thursday afternoon.

Among those announcements was news that, “[f]rom this day forward,” all non-title main event bouts in the UFC would be five-round affairs, giving the fighters at the top of the card an extra two rounds to battle out from now on.

“From this day forward, any fight that is signed after right now today will be a five-round fight,” White said.

Even main events on Spike TV or Versus cards? You bet. Even late replacements that get shuffled into the main event? Absolutely, said White.

Of course, “from this day forward” also means, ‘excluding main events where three-round bout agreements have already been signed,’ such as the impending bout between Phil Davis and Rashad Evans that is scheduled for UFC 133. White explained that he didn’t want to force fighters who had already agreed to three-rounders to suddenly prepare for five, but going forward, any fighter in a main event should expect to be signed up for a 25-minute tilt, he said.

As most fans are no doubt aware, up until now the five-round distinction belonged only to title fights. Even main event number one contender bouts, such as Saturday night’s fight between Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin, have always been limited to three rounds.

The move is likely the UFC’s attempt to ensure that fewer non-title main events end in disappointing or indecisive fashion after just three rounds, though it also has the added benefit of making every main event seem just that little bit more special.

The bloody battle between Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez at a “UFC Live” event on Versus back in March, for instance, ended in a somewhat controversial decision after reaching the three-round limit. Going forward, bouts like that one will have an extra two rounds to resolve themselves.

White also announced that the UFC will be adding a 125-pound division “really soon,” and said the UFC has already begun conversations with some fighters about competing in the division. Explaining that “we need more fights,” White said the addition of the 125-pounders could happen as soon as the end of 2011, though it’s unclear as of yet how the organization will go about crowning a champion in the new division.

White said he also expected that some current UFC 135-pounders would take advantage of the new division and drop down to a weight class where they’re not so undersized.

 

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Mark Munoz Looking to Play ‘Whack-a-Mole’ Against Demian Maia

Filed under: UFCVANCOUVER, British Columbia – For most of Wednesday’s open workout, Mark Munoz did exactly what you’d expect from a NCAA national champion wrestler preparing to face a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt at UFC 131.

He worked on top control…

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – For most of Wednesday’s open workout, Mark Munoz did exactly what you’d expect from a NCAA national champion wrestler preparing to face a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt at UFC 131.

He worked on top control, on ground-and-pound, on extricating himself from sticky situations on the mat. Not a bad idea when you’re fighting submissions expert Demian Maia.

But then Munoz apparently decided to mix it up, and suddenly he was throwing his training partner in triangle chokes and armbars, as if he might actually be considering a submission win of his own. Was this some sort of trick?

“You saw that, huh?” an excited Munoz said once his workout concluded. “My jiu-jitsu is good. I’m here to prove a point, too. I have great jiu-jitsu guys in my gym, and they know my game is great. As of late, you guys haven’t seen my jiu-jitsu game. That’s something I do want to prove.”


But seriously. This is Maia we’re talking about there. There may be no better jiu-jitsu specialist anywhere in MMA’s 185-pound division. Munoz can’t seriously think he’s going to lock that guy into a triangle choke, can he? Is he really thinking about trying an armbar if he looks up and finds Maia in his guard?

“Yeah, what if?” Munoz shrugged. “What if can happen.”

One thing Maia probably isn’t worried about is Munoz’s jiu-jitsu game. The man may have been an All-America wrestler at Oklahoma State, but in MMA he only has one submission win to his credit, and it came as a result of punches. It would seem like his heavy hands – both standing and on the ground – are more of a concern. But Maia doesn’t seem terribly worried about being overpowered on Saturday night.

“When I see wrestlers fight, they train a lot of boxing because they don’t want to end up on bottom,” Maia said. “I don’t have this issue. I know he’s very powerful when he’s on top, but I’m okay with that. I don’t think it’s going to be just a stand-up fight.”

Even if it is, however, Maia wouldn’t necessarily run from that. Earlier in his career he rushed to get opponents to the mat because, as Maia put it, he was “really afraid” of standing and trading punches. Now he’s more comfortable on the feet, even if his decision to contest more fights there has led to fewer submission wins lately.

“Now I’m more relaxed, so I think sometimes I don’t put enough on the ground to submit [them]. I think it’s just, I’m changing my style and it will come back,” he said.

Which is not to say he’s in any danger of becoming a knockout artist, however.

“I enjoy [striking], but it’s dangerous,” Maia said. “I enjoy it more in the training than in the fight.”

Munoz, on the other hand, isn’t at all shy about throwing leather. He even prepared with some unconventional training methods, thanks to training partner Mike Guymon, who introduced him to the arcade game Whack-a-Mole.

“You go to Chuck E. Cheese’s and you get these padded paddles, and you see a mole pop up and you whack it,” Munoz said. “…I was like, man, that’s an awesome analogy. I’m going to take that. So I’m playing Whack-a-Mole on Saturday night.”

He may be fighting one of the most skilled jiu-jitsu practitioners in all of MMA, but Munoz doesn’t seem to feel that it will be such a hard adjustment to make after fighting so many fellow collegiate wrestlers in the UFC.

“I’ve been fighting all wrestlers, so this is a big change. I like change. It’s great, because I know what Demian has and I know what I have. You know bombs are going to fly. That’s just me. I’m going to throw bombs and more bombs. Bombs away. That’s what’s going to happen and Demian knows that. No disrespect to him. I have so much respect for him, but this is a business. I’m here to prove a point, and I think he’s afraid of my power.”

At least, Maia’s probably more afraid of Munoz’s power than his triangle choke. But then again, MMA is a sport where the crazy ‘what ifs’ happen from time to time. If Munoz can somehow make Maia tap, he’ll never have to worry about anyone doubting his jiu-jitsu ever again.

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