Author: By Mike Straka

TUF 8 lightweight winner Efrain Escudero thinks UFC 188’s heavyweight main event has all the makings of one of the greatest fights ever, but he’s got a message for Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum:“Don’t steal my bonus,” he said. “I plan on getting the Performance of the Night bonus, and I know Dober does too, so just don’t ruin it for us.”Escudero faces Drew Dober, whose biggest victory thus far in the UFC was a first round submission of the now-retired Jamie Varner, after Varner attempted a lateral drop and ended up falling on his own head. … Read the Full Article Here

When Chris Wade enters the Octagon this Saturday to face Christos “The Spartan”  Giagos at UFC Fight Night: Boestch vs Henderson in “The Big Easy,” he admits he will be facing the toughest test of his fledgling UFC career.“He’s very challenging,” Wade, who is undefeated in two UFC fights, said.  “He’s probably the most well-rounded fighter I’ve competed against so far. He can do a little bit of this and a little bit of that anywhere the fight goes. He can strike, he can scramble, and he can transition and get to a submissi … Read the Full Article Here

After 39 fights, Josh Burkman is finally coming to terms with the fact that mixed martial arts is a professional athletic endeavor, and he’s surrounded himself with professionals going into his UFC 187 fight against one of the best welterweights in the world, Dong Hyun Kim.The fight takes place on May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.Kim is making his return for the first time since suffering a KO loss last August at the hands of Tyrone Woodley. Burkman is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Hector Lombard that was later overturned and called a no-contest … Read the Full Article Here

Rafael “Sapo” Natal has been fighting much longer than most of his peers in the middleweight division. Yet, at age 32, he doesn’t boast the high-profile many of his peers do, even though he’s heading into his 13th fight for the organization against Uriah Hall at UFC 187 on Saturday.“I don’t worry about that,” he says. “The job I chose for my life is training, not so much fighting. I get to go to the gym every day. I’m teaching jiu-jitsu at Renzo Gracie’s school, and I get to see all my friends and beat them up.”On any given day … Read the Full Article Here

Nina Ansaroff was not happy with her UFC debut last November. After years of struggling on the local circuit, she finally had her chance to show the world what she was made of, but dropped a disappointing unanimous decision to Juliana Lima in Uberlandia, Brazil.The Florida native is counting on erasing that memory for herself and her fans when she faces TUF 20 finalist Rose Namajumas at UFC 187: Johnson vs Cormier on Saturday.“I’m in a way better spot mentally, physically and training-wise than I was for my last fight,” Ansaroff says. “That was my UFC debut, and my fi … Read the Full Article Here

The term SuperFight is bandied about often, but rarely do all the stars align to make one happen.On May 16, 2015 in Manila, Philippines, a SuperFight will take place between former world champions Urijah Faber and Frankie Edgar in the first-ever UFC event in the Southeast Asia country.“I’ve been a guy with a lot of firsts in the sport,” “The California Kid” said. “I had the first WEC Pay-Per-View. I had the first title fight in the bantamweight class in the UFC. And now I’m the main event on the first card in Manila.”Faber has been the face of … Read the Full Article Here