Author: kmowatt

Old school MMA fans will (and should) be damn excited to hear that THQ has announced that UFC legends like Dan Severn, Royce Gracie and Jens Pulver are going to be included in the PS3 edition of “UFC Undisputed 2010.” (Thanks to MMA Mania for the tip) Now, if your MMA diet is limited to the UFC or its little bro, the WEC, you may think at first glance that Pulver is the only dude of the three that’s recently thrown down. Wrong. Severn, at the young age of 51, is still swapping leather with guys half his age on smaller shows.

The cool part about these additions (and we apologize in advance for getting extremely MMA nerdy here) is that you’ll be able to match these guys up, in their primes, against current top notch fighters. Maybe Royce Gracie vs. Matt Hughes in the gaming universe would be a little different? Rather than the mauling the jiu-jitsu legend incurred in 2006? Ok, maybe Hughes still wins.

Unfortunately, for those of you who enjoy even more shocking levels of gaming violence, despite the additions of old school fighters like Severn and Gracie, no, there has been no word that the original UFC rules can also be enacted. Meaning, don’t expect to be able to kick your opponent in the jewels or head butt his face into a bloody mess; yeah, things were a tad different when Royce and Dan ruled MMA.

With the internet still percolating about whether or not Tito Ortiz will in fact fight Chuck Liddell upon the conclusion of the next season of TUF (Mr. Dana White still says he will), “The Iceman” has weighed in on the James Toney situation (if you can’t recall this news already immediately seek out a neurologist). When we say ‘weigh’, we mean that Chuck, like fellow former champ Randy Couture, would also love an opportunity to teach the accomplished boxer that fighting isn’t limited to punches from the waist up.

When asked by MMA Bay about fighters like Couture, or himself, facing the UFC newcomer Toney, Liddell offered this:

“James has got one shot at beating him and that’s catching him with a punch coming in. Once he gets tied up it’s over. I would love that fight. You would actually see me hit a double and put him on his head. You might actually see me get a submission in the UFC. I might play with him for a little bit and put him in an arm bar or something.”

Yup, seems like a solid strategy, rather than being that guy who thinks ‘I’ll show the world I can hang with Toney on the feet’, and then gets lulled into a boxing match 5 seconds before they get violently concussed. We’ve seen Chuck bust out the double before, and rather nicely we might add, but an armbar? There’s no doubt he can do that in his sleep, it’s just hard to imagine, kinda like Fedor Emelianenko fighting in the UFC.

It’s official, as MMA Junkie reported this weekend, Bellator FC officially announced today that the growing promotion has signed Roger Huerta (say, did you know that Mr. Huerta was the first MMA fighter to appear on the front cover of SI? If you’re a big time fan of the sport you’ve probably read that what? A thousand and one times by now?). As we noted yesterday, this is a huge signing for Bellator; the organization’s first season was well received, and with an entertaining and tough as nails fighter like Huerta now in the fold, one would think that the promotion’s TV ratings and exposure will get even better.

In a press release sent out this afternoon from the promotion, Huerta apparently had this to say about singing with Bellator:

“The chance to be a part of this year’s Bellator tournament was an opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up,” Huerta said. “I think Bellator is the next big thing in this sport. I love the tournament format and the awesome talent that they have at 155 will give me a chance to prove myself as one of the top lightweights in the world.”

Yeah, in keeping with what Huerta said after losing to Gray Maynard in the fall, it certainly does seem like he is still down with participating in regulated violence rather than just focusing on acting. That’s good news. Now let’s see if he can win the 100 g’s and a bout with champ Eddie Alvarez. We’ll be watching.

Bellator’s second season begins on April 8^th. Huerta’s opponent has not been announced.

Since Cain Velasquez dominated one of the sport’s greatest fighters ever in Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira (and sorry, we love Nog, but by using the word ‘dominated’ we were sort of being kind…), the American heavyweight has been receiving heaps of well deserved praise and hype. In a way, the success of Velasquez has kind of overshadowed the work of another rising prospect in Junior dos Santos, who let’s not forget, has bombed out 4 opponents now in the Octagon (and who also is the student of the Nogueira brothers…cue dramatic music).

This coming Sunday, dos Santos will have another opportunity to further demonstrate he’s ‘the real deal’, when he takes on former heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga. Now, we all know dos Santos can throw hands (thankfully we don’t know this from personal experience unlike Stefan Struve or Mirko “Cro Cop”), but in a report from the official UFC site, the Brazilian stated that his ground game isn’t too shabby either.

“I think my ground is good if you want to know,” said dos Santos. “I train with great guys in the USA too and I’m always learning. This fight is going to be a test for me; I have a chance to surprise people because I believe Napao will try to take me down. There are positions that I developed in secret and if I’ve the chance I won’t waste them.”

Really, this shouldn’t come as any big surprise since he does train with the Nogueira’s after all, it’s just that dos Santos hasn’t really had to show much on the mat thus far in the UFC. Maybe that will change Sunday?  Maybe not. To bet on the bout head here.

With so many events being promoted these days and lots of compelling bouts taking place, sometimes fights scheduled for broadcast get lost in the mix, let alone those that aren’t. One of those exact ‘ah f—k, I hope they end up showing it’ bouts is the upcoming March 27th clash between Matt “The Immortal” Brown and Ricardo Almeida. Not just because it’s an interesting match-up between two talented fighters, but even more so, because it includes Brown…this is not a guy whose fights people say ‘meh’ to.

In an article from MMA Weekly, Brown talks about what lies behind his aggressive and relentless style, and no, he does not mention anything about in fact being immortal (which, if he were immortal as his nickname suggests, would he be fearless as he appears to be in the Octagon? Or would he just lay there and get beaten into oblivion? Hmmm.) At any rate, according to Brown, one of the reasons he’s such a damn entertaining fighter is because when he’s in the Octagon, he’s just there to have fun.

“You know the old saying “fortune favors the bold” you just go for it,” said Brown. “Enjoy yourself in there, have fun, and see what happens. Don’t concern yourself with winning and losing, just let it go.”

Yes, and Mr. Brown has “let it go” on a few dudes now, just ask Pete Sell or more recently, James Wilks. Brown also states in the article that he’s “not going to run” from Almeida’s world class ground game. Here’s hoping they show the fight….

To bet on UFC 111 head here.

According to a report this AM from MMA Junkie, “sources close to the situation,” have told the outlet that UFC veteran Roger Huerta has signed with Bellator FC. The signing is expected to be confirmed in a press conference that the promotion has called for Monday.

Now, if you’re a complete MMA newbie then you might be unaware of who Huerta exactly is (although if you’ve seen the movie “Tekken” maybe you are and you just don’t know it….), due to the fact that the lightweight has fought just once since 2008. In September he lost by Split Decision to Gray Maynard, which in typical Huerta form, was yet another ‘hot damn violence is entertaining’ performance. In other words, if you haven’t had the privilege of reviewing Huerta’s video MMA resume, prepare to be an even bigger MMA fan after doing so.

For long-time observers of the sport, news that Huerta’s time with the UFC is likely done for now, isn’t terribly surprising. Although Huerta appeared to move on from earlier tiffs he had with the organization, and after losing to Maynard in the fall he conceded the bout had renewed his interest in fighting (Huerta is yet another fighter who has been seduced by the silver screen), the lightweight hasn’t exactly been a ‘UFC forever’ kind of guy lately. The Junkie report also lays out the short term benefits of fighting for Bellator. If you win the tourney you can collect $100,000 in just a few months, and a talented fighter like Huerta, would certainly be one of the favorites to do so.

Seems like a good move by Bellator.