The gargantuan showdown between Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar could make UFC 141 the biggest event of 2011.Cyril Garcia of Mixfight.nl caught up with the man known as “The Reem” outside a showing of Hollywood MMA film “Warrior.””I liked the movie a…
The gargantuan showdown between Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar could make UFC 141 the biggest event of 2011.
Cyril Garcia of Mixfight.nl caught up with the man known as “The Reem” outside a showing of Hollywood MMA film “Warrior.”
“I liked the movie and I think—I’m going to make a bold statement—but I think it was the best fighting movie out there,” Overeem said.
The movie has generally received positive reviews, racking up a whopping 84 percent on the Tomatometer on Rottentomatoes.com.
With that said, there won’t be any acting when Overeem meets Lesnar, a former UFC heavyweight champion.
Even though he simultaneously held the Strikeforce heavyweight title, Dream heavyweight title and K-1 World Grand Prix title, Overeem has been overlooked by some due to his success coming outside of the UFC.
Fans want to see fighters compete against the best before climbing to the top of the MMA ranks. Currently on a 10-fight win streak, Overeem has defeated stout opposition, but if he can get past Lesnar then he can begin to chip away at the skepticism surrounding his ability to be the best in the world.
“I don’t really talk about training, so there’s nothing to say there. I’m just going to do the usual. I know my body, I know how it works, and I’m very confident,” said Overeem. “It’s going to be a knockout victory in the first round. He’s not going to get out of the first round.”
UFC 141 takes place on December 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Overeem will enter this bout with a major edge in overall experience and striking, but Lesnar’s freakish athleticism and world-class wrestling should make things interesting.
The winner will be deemed the new No. 1 contender for a future UFC title bout with either Cain Velasquez or Junior Dos Santos.
There was once a time Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was the most feared fighter on the planet.He wasn’t hugging opponents or clapping hands on the way to the ring. This once cold-blooded warrior was emotionless and decapitating domes off of countless of ch…
There was once a time Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was the most feared fighter on the planet.
He wasn’t hugging opponents or clapping hands on the way to the ring. This once cold-blooded warrior was emotionless and decapitating domes off of countless of challengers who dare step into the ring with him.
UFC 137 could symbolize the end of one of the most storied careers in MMA history. UFC President Dana White has given Mirko every chance to find himself and once again become that legendary knockout artist that longtime fans remember.
Coming off of back-to-back devastating knockout losses to Frank Mir and Brendan Schaub, Mirko understands that he has only two options in his upcoming bout with Roy Nelson––win or disappear into the pages of history. He doesn’t plan on doing the latter.
“I must win this fight,” Mirko said over and over again to MMAFighting.com. “…I will have to beat him, and I will do it. I trained six months for this fight. I will do it.”
Mirko has seemed like a shell of his former self since arriving to the UFC in early 2007. He is 4-5 in the octagon, and four of those losses have ended in highlight-reel knockouts.
It isn’t just a physical decline either. Mentally, Mirko just doesn’t seem like the same fighter anymore.
“Some people, many people, buried me alive because I lost twice in a row,” said Mirko. “I just want to prove to everybody that I’m still Cro Cop. I want to raise from the grave. That’s what I want to prove to everybody. That’s my motivation.”
Mirko also points to the current situation of fellow MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko as motivation. The former Pride heavyweight champion was recently released from the Strikeforce promotion after dropping three straight losses.
Before he suffered consecutive losses, the media was all about Fedor. Now, you would be hard-pressed to find him in the headlines.
“Look at [Fedor Emelianenko],” said Mirko. “Fedor was untouchable until one year ago, and today nobody’s talking about him. He lost three times in a row. He was a great champion, great fighter, but he lost three times in a row and nobody talks about him. Only the fans who followed him his whole career respect what he did with his career, but that’s the name of the game. I don’t want it to happen to me.”
A loss to Nelson could set the wheels in motion for the same thing to happen to Mirko. Unlike Emelianenko, he still has an opportunity to make some noise on a mainstream stage.
Will longtime fans be blessed with some Pride-like nostalgia at UFC 137?
It won’t be easy. Currently on a two-fight losing streak, “Big Country” is also fighting with his back against the wall. Unless Mirko finds a way to rise from the ashes, he’s going to be in for a long night.
“I want to feel that feeling when the referee raises my hand,” Mirko said. “I want to take that shower. It’s a special moment for me, taking that shower after my victory, and I’m so happy. I go back to the hotel, and the next day I’m so happy. I don’t even think about [money] until the UFC bookkeeper calls me a few days later to transfer the money.”
“I want to retire as the old Cro Cop. I don’t know if I will be able to do it, but I will die trying. Nothing is hard for me. I will die trying.”
Punctuality may not be Nick Diaz’s forte, but he actually showed up to the prefight media call for UFC 137 on Wednesday.The former Strikeforce welterweight champion has been in hot water as of late for missing two previously scheduled UFC press confere…
Punctuality may not be Nick Diaz’s forte, but he actually showed up to the prefight media call for UFC 137 on Wednesday.
The former Strikeforce welterweight champion has been in hot water as of late for missing two previously scheduled UFC press conferences, which cost him a title shot and got him demoted to the co-main event of the UFC 137 fight card.
Just as the media thought Diaz was going for the hat trick, the Stockton native suddenly appeared about 40 minutes into the call. MMAFighting.com was on the scene.
“Nobody called me in the last week or couple of days or anything and said there was a call,” explained Diaz.
This is nearly an identical excuse to the one Diaz gave for missing the other two press conferences. The only difference this time is that it actually wasn’t Diaz’s fault for almost missing the call. UFC President Dana White took to Twitter and backed up Diaz’s claims.
“I’m hearing UFC dropped the ball on the Nick Diaz no show today!! SUCKS,” posted White.
When Diaz took his seat, the media wasted little time in delving into the reasons behind his absence from previous press conferences.
Diaz initially snubbed the question, but he decided to give an answer when it was brought up again. The question revolved around whether or not Diaz regretted his actions that cost him a shot at UFC champion Georges St-Pierre.
“Well yeah, of course I have regret,” Diaz said. “I’ve got all these people, business people and big money people around me trying to make deals. I don’t know anything about that. All I know is somebody’s getting paid like over a hundred grand just to tell me what I’m supposed to do and what I’m not supposed to do.
“I’m like, for that much money, I think I could’ve had somebody standing around and telling me, ‘Hey, you can’t miss this conference. That voids the whole contract, and then you’re out. You’re not making (expletive). You’re not fighting (expletive). You ain’t making no money. So you have to be at this thing.’ It’s simple,” he said.
Under the circumstances of the Diaz drama, Diaz’s opponent, BJ Penn, is quietly taking everything in.
“Nick is Nick,” stated Penn. “He’s going to do what he does. For me, it’s just that’s what he does. I enjoy watching the stuff that Nick Diaz does. He doesn’t change. He’s just always himself.”
Penn, who is coming off a first-round knockout win over Matt Hughes and a draw with Jon Fitch, has positioned himself to possibly make another run at the welterweight title.
A win over Diaz would go a long way in vaulting “The Prodigy” to perhaps a third bout with St-Pierre or a showdown with Carlos Condit.
“It’s no problem, none of this,” said Penn. “The only thing that’s going to be bothering me is when Nick Diaz is probably punching me in the middle of the octagon. That’s the only time he’s going to be bothering me.”
While the world criticizes him for past mistakes, Diaz is working hard to silence his critics and leave no doubt that he is the No. 1 welterweight in the world.
“You’ve got to know I’m not sitting here with my phone, waiting for a call,” said Diaz. “I’m waiting for some training. I’m trying to get some relax time before I have to go back for another four hours of training.
“I’m training hard. I train harder than these guys. I fight harder than these guys. I look better than these guys, and that’s why,” he said.
“I don’t get no help, and I don’t worry about no help,” Diaz said. “That’s what takes up all my time, training and trying to become the best in the world here. And that’s the best in the world! That’s what you’re dealing with here.
“This is a whole world out there and ain’t nobody can beat me? That’s pretty bad.”
Josh Koscheck’s request to swoop in and save the day once again for the UFC was denied this time around.After an injury forced welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre to pull out of his UFC 137 bout with Carlos Condit, the former title contender took t…
Josh Koscheck’s request to swoop in and save the day once again for the UFC was denied this time around.
After an injury forced welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre to pull out of his UFC 137 bout with Carlos Condit, the former title contender took to Twitter to offer his services as a replacement.
“Hey, duty calls again?” Koscheck tweeted to UFC President Dana White on Tuesday.
A month ago, Koscheck stepped in for an injured Diego Sanchez two weeks out from a scheduled bout with Matt Hughes.
Despite taking the fight on short notice, Koscheck earned a first round knockout over the UFC Hall of Famer.
White respects Koscheck’s enthusiasm and willingness to step up, but he has already made the decision that Condit is going to sit out and wait for St-Pierre to recover.
“Gotta respect Kos offering to fight Condit on a week notice. I respect the (expletive) out of you Josh! He’s waiting for GSP though,” White tweeted back to Koscheck.
While White has made his decision, Koscheck hasn’t relented on his challenge to Condit.
“Some things are out of your control, but you can put it out there. Hoping [Condit] mans up and not let [Dana White] save him from an ass-kicking,” Koscheck posted.
BJ Penn versus Nick Diaz in a five round non-title fight at UFC 137?UFC President Dana White has already stated that the main event bout will be a three-rounder, but that isn’t stopping Diaz’s camping from pushing for the boss to add a couple of rounds…
BJ Penn versus Nick Diaz in a five round non-title fight at UFC 137?
UFC President Dana White has already stated that the main event bout will be a three-rounder, but that isn’t stopping Diaz’s camping from pushing for the boss to add a couple of rounds to the anticipated bout.
“Don’t be scared, homie. Let’s make it five rounds,” Diaz’s manager and trainer Cesar Gracie said towards Penn in an interview with MMAFighting.com on Tuesday. “These guys have to prove they are ready. These guys are fighters. BJ always said he’s a warrior. The old school days of MMA, back when it was NHB, they fought forever.”
According to Gracie, White is okay with making the bout five rounds, if Penn’s camp agrees, but there has yet to be any official word from Penn or his camp.
One thing is sure, Diaz wasted little time jumping on the bandwagon for a five round fight.
“Dana is good with it. We’ve agreed to it. If BJ agrees to it, we’ll make it happen,” said Gracie. “If they can’t fight five rounds against each other, how are they going to fight five rounds against GSP?”
The Penn and Diaz bout was initially set to be the co-main event to the welterweight championship bout between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit.
The bout was bumped to UFC 137 headliner on Tuesday after St-Pierre suffered an injury while training and withdrew from his bout with Condit.
While White is fine with both sides agreeing on a five round fight, he won’t push either to accept a fight they weren’t prepared for.
“They didn’t train for five rounds,” White told MMAFighting.com in a text.
Frankie Edgar seems to have “The Answer” for everything these days.The UFC lightweight champion was invited by NFL head coach Rex Ryan to help motivate the 2-3 New York Jets on Sunday evening, UFC officials told MMAFighting.com.When the season began, m…
Frankie Edgar seems to have “The Answer” for everything these days.
The UFC lightweight champion was invited by NFL head coach Rex Ryan to help motivate the 2-3 New York Jets on Sunday evening, UFC officials told MMAFighting.com.
When the season began, many had the Jets as not only favorites to win the AFC East division, but there was a general consensus that the team could be a Super Bowl contender.
After a 2-0 start, the contender talk crumbled in a matter of weeks with the Jets losing three straight to the Patriots, Ravens and Raiders.
Ryan, a big fan of MMA, decided to make a call and bring in a guy with a lot of knowledge about fighting with your back against the ropes.
Edgar rose to stardom in 2010 after taking back-to-back decision wins over MMA legend BJ Penn, but his true coming out party was in his UFC 125 bout with rival Gray Maynard.
After being dropped several times in the first round, Edgar made a Rocky-like comeback and battled his way back into the bout that ended in a draw. The rematch, which took place in October, was like watching a re-run of the UFC 125 bout.
Edgar was dropped several times in the first round, and he survived the initial onslaught and battled his way back into the fight. The only difference this time around was that judges didn’t have to render a decision.
Edgar dropped Maynard in the fourth round and followed up with a barrage of punches that forced the referee to step in and call a halt to the action.
After Edgar’s pep talk, the Jets went on to defeat the Miami Dolphins at home on Monday, 24-6.
This wasn’t the first time Ryan sought Edgar’s help to come in and say a few words to his team. In November 2010, Edgar’s pregame speech helped the Jets win a tough outing against the Houston Texans.
“The guy is barely taller than this podium, and this guy, he beats BJ Penn in a UFC Championship bout,” Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez said.
“Everybody counted him out. They wanted a rematch, and then he went back and beat him even worse. Talk about a guy who’s mentally tough, physically tough. He came in and spoke to the team last night. Perfect timing,” he said.
“Just talking about never giving up, being counted out, playing until the end, fighting and believing in yourself, believing in your team and the people around you.
“Those were the only people telling him he could win the fight. Everybody else counted him out…Perfect timing for Rex to bring somebody in like that and give us a little extra inspiration. So, it was great for Frankie to come in,” Sanchez said.
The gargantuan showdown between Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar could make UFC 141 the biggest event of 2011.