The upcoming second season of FX’s ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ (TUF) and the 16th overall for the television franchise now have coaches: heavyweights Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson, the UFC announced today. USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie fir…
The upcoming second season of FX’s ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ (TUF) and the 16th overall for the television franchise now have coaches: heavyweights Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson, the UFC announced today. USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie first reported the news.
The show will be broadcast on FX in September with the finale to be held in December in Las Vegas, Nev. This season will feature a welterweight cast with an initial 32 of them vying for the coveted 16 slots that ultimately live in the fighter house and compete in the tournament.
This upcoming season also marks the return to a taped format from the show. Last season – its first for FX – TUF experimented with a live format. While the week’s activities and drama of the cast were taped each week and broadcast to audiences in a packaged format, each week’s final fight or fights were shown live on Friday nights. TUF will remain on Friday nights for season 16, but the live format for each week’s bouts is being dropped.
Nelson, 36, is a winner of the reality show, winning the all-heavyweight season 10 tournament. He most recently defeated Dave Herman in May of this year at UFC 146 via first-round KO.
“When I found out I was going to be a TUF coach I was like ‘Wow me!’ When I found out I was coaching against Shane Carwin I was so happy to get a chance to compete against this guy,” Nelson was quoted as saying in a UFC press release. “As for being in the same room as him, I try not hang out with people that make me feel icky on the inside but, to coach TUF, I will make an exception.
“Shane Carwin can think he is the better fighter and coach, but I will do my best and try to represent the Average Joe and show my team that, with hard work, you can walk away a winner against any fighter.”
Carwin, 37, has been out over a year after receiving multiple surgeries to repair neck and back-related injuries. He last competed in June of 2011 at UFC 131 where he dropped a unanimous decision to now-champion Junior dos Santos.
“I also asked to coach against Roy Nelson,” Carwin stated via release. “The fans know how I like to conduct myself both in and out of the Octagon, and I respect every fighter, coach, official and fan in the UFC. But I cannot respect a man like Roy Nelson – because he shows no respect himself. He is a keyboard warrior who doesn’t have the guts to talk trash to my face, but now he’s going to have to be in the same room, the same gym and finally the same Octagon as me.
“I know I am a better fighter and trainer than he is. I will prove I’m a better trainer in TUF and then, when we fight, I will hit him harder than anyone has ever hit him and teach him some respect.”
While Carwin and Nelson will fight at the end of the season, it’s not clear what title implications exist for the winner.
How about that Chris Weidman? I predicted on Tuesday he’d win (and even outstrike Munoz!), but frankly this wasn’t nearly as close as I and many other suspected the bout would be. Even in troublesome spots, Munoz generally has goo…
How about that Chris Weidman? I predicted on Tuesday he’d win (and even outstrike Munoz!), but frankly this wasn’t nearly as close as I and many other suspected the bout would be. Even in troublesome spots, Munoz generally has good preservation skills and enough defensive tools to keep himself in the fight. Facing Weidman, it turns out, is no ordinary fight.
Weidman is special not just because he’s beating incredible talent early in his career, although he’s doing that, too. He’s turning noteworthy performances by attacking, being offensive, defining the fight’s complexion through his proactive pushes and calculated risk-taking.
Join me today at 1 p.m. ET to talk about the fallout from yesterday’s UFC on FUEL 4 event. There’s much to discuss about Weidman and Munoz, but also the two middleweights battling this weekend for Strikeforce (Luke Rockhold, Tim Kennedy) and the middleweight division itself. Who should Anderson Silva fight next? Let’s figure that out today.
This is the UFC on FUEL 4 live blog for Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman, a middleweight bout on Wednesday night’s UFC event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.Munoz, who has won four straight fights, will fight Weidman, who is 4-0 in his…
This is the UFC on FUEL 4 live blog for Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman, a middleweight bout on Wednesday night’s UFC event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.
Munoz, who has won four straight fights, will fight Weidman, who is 4-0 in his UFC career, on the main card.
This is the UFC on FUEL 4 undercard live blog for the Munoz vs. Weidman event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.There will be five fights on the undercard. Damacio Page vs. Alex Caceres, Chris Cariaso vs. Josh Ferguson, Rafael Natal …
This is the UFC on FUEL 4 undercard live blog for the Munoz vs. Weidman event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.
Round 1: Both fighters open orthodox. Not a lot of action through the first minute until Assuncao eats a hard right hand from Tamura. Leg kicks from Assuncao are working until he Superman punches his way into the clinch. The two break. Spinning front kick lands for Assuncao and then stuffs a takedown attempt from Tamura. He cradles the Japanese fighter and attempted an Anaconda choke, but Tamura puts his back on the fence, stands and the two break.
MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Assuncao
Round 2: Tamura lands a right hand, but Assuncao comes firing back and lands a left. Tamura is dropped and that’s it, Assuncao follows up with punches until he ultimately wins by TKO at :25 of the second frame.
Round 1: Josh Rosenthal is the referee. Both fighters open orthodox and the two exchange leg kicks. Guimaraes attempts a double and drives Stittgen into the fence. Guimaraes switches between a single and a double and only gets Stittgen down for a moment before he pops back up. Three minutes in and Guimaraes is still fighting Stittegen for the takedown along the fence. Stittgen screams in frustration along the fence as he can’t break free from these relentless attempts. The round ends there.
MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Guimaraes
Round 2: In the first minute of the round, Guimaraes gets rocked by Stittgen, but recovers and resumes his attack. They briefly break apart before Guimaraes goes back to chasing down the takedown. Stittegen keeps his back off of the fence and they break apart. Now Stittgen landing punches, although not with much follow up. Now Guimaraes trying to press Stittgen into the fence again, but is being stuffed at every turn. Josh Rosenthal separates them and they’re back to the center.
MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Stittgen
Round 3: Stittgen is back to kicking high and low, but he’s only landing on the legs. The striking on display is sloppy without much follow-up from either fighter. Stittgen continues to land to the legs, but eats a right from Guimaraes. The Brazilian clinches and backs Stittgen into the fence, strangely screaming while he lands rather insignificant shots. The round ends there.
MMA Fighting scores this round 10-10 and the fight 29-29, a draw. The judges score it 29-28 Stittgen, 29-28 Guimaraes, 29-28 Guimaraes, awarding the Brazilian the split decision victory.
Round 1: Craig opens orthodox and takes center of the cage. The two exchange outside leg kicks. Natal switching stances, although not striking much in the process. The two continue to exchange leg kicks while Natal sits on the outside, even egging Craig on to follow up. Natal continues to pot shot on the outside and stay out of trouble. Craig in full counter-fighting form.
MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Natal
Round 2: In the first minute Natal rocks Craig very badly with a left hand and continues to follow up as Craig flails, but Craig manages to hang to get double underhooks from behind. As Craig stands Natal lands a knee-tap takedown and then moves to mount on the ground. Craig manages to move out of mount and Natal briefly tries to cradle, but Craig reverses him and Natal’s on his back. Natal attempts a knee bar and in an eventual scramble stands. And out of nowhere Craig comes back with a head kick that rocks Natal badly! Craig follows up with punches and that’s a wrap! Referee stops the fight and Craig wins! The official time is 4:52 by way of knockout.
Round 1: The two come out strong and Cariaso stuffs a takedown attempt. Cariaso is a southpaw, Ferguson is orthodox. A left and a right stun Ferguson and now Cariaso is on top, but Ferguson still scrambling. Ferguson now on top after the two stand and he’s working for a guillotine from half guard on top. Cariaso escapes. Using a nearside underhook, Cariaso stands and lands a hard right left hand. Ferguson whiffs on a head kick, but continues to spin and lands a spinning wheel kick of sorts, but Cariaso eats it. The two jockey for position along the fence and Cariaso is feeding Ferguson elbows standing until he lands an outside trip to move to top position.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Cariaso
Round 2: Ferguson attempts a double, but is stuffed and Cariaso holds the head to stuff them and unloads a bit, but Ferguson recovers. The two continue to exchange with Cariaso getting the better of them, but Ferguson holding his own. Towards the end of the round, Cariaso lands a beautiful outside trip along the fence. From top position he nails Ferguson with short elbows to end the round with an exclamation point.
MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Cariaso.
Round 3: Ferguson attempted a single, but converts to an attempted half guard sweep, but couldn’t get it because Cariaso whizzered hard. The two scramble and stand. Again a trip from Cariaso plants Ferguson on the mat, but Ferguson scrambles enough to get back to his feet. The two clinch again and Ferguson attempts a kimura, but it’s only a trick to get to Cariaso’s back after an arm drag! Two hooks in and Ferguson is firmly planted on Cariaso’s back. Cariaso uses two-on-one wrist control to prevent the submission.
MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Ferguson and the fight 29-28 Cariaso. The judges score this bout 30-27, 20-27, 30-27 for Chris Cariaso.
Round 1: Page comes storming out with a right and misses. Cacaeres early looking to use kicks to establish range, but gets sent to the floor from an outside trip. Page dives into Caceres’ guard and is fending off semi-submission attempts coming from the bottom. Page going in and out of Caceres’ guard and landing the occasional punch, but not much else. After blocking a punch, Cacares transitions to the triangle. He goes to mounted triangle and in a scramble, Page escapes.
MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Page
Round 2: Jumping knee from Cacares find the mark, but Page catches Caceres mid-air and dumps him on the mat. And just like that Cacares finds another triangle off a time punch recoil and this time he pulls Page’s head down to finish the choke at 1:27 of the second round.
If there’s one word to describe the language Mark Munoz uses these days about his UFC career, it’s unequivocal. There’s no waffling or ambiguity anywhere in sight. To hear him tell it, he’s the one who’s been loyal, who has put in…
If there’s one word to describe the language Mark Munoz uses these days about his UFC career, it’s unequivocal. There’s no waffling or ambiguity anywhere in sight. To hear him tell it, he’s the one who’s been loyal, who has put in the work and has developed through the UFC middleweight ranks. Sure, there are other talented middleweights, but no one’s done what he’s done. No one is more deserving than him.
When questioned by Ariel Helwani on Monday’s The MMA Hour if he should be the next to face Anderson Silva if he emerges victorious on Wednesday after his fight with Chris Weidman at UFC on FUEL TV 4, Munoz was, well, unequivocal. “Yes,” answered ‘The Filipino Wrecking Machine’ without a second of hesitation. “Yes, I do.”
Munoz isn’t just direct about what he thinks is rightfully his because he feels strongly about it, although he does. He also has to be this way. Given the current crop of middleweight contender around him who also believe they should be next in line for a crack at Silva, Munoz knows there’s a bit of verbal salesmanship that must complement whatever he does in the cage. That’s why Munoz isn’t shy about pleading his case and selling his story.
“I’ve always had to work for everything I have. I didn’t have an easy road going through wrestling,” said the 2001 Division I NCAA national champion. “I didn’t have an easy road going through life. I like things the tough way. I’m definitely going to go in this fight very hungry, in shape and you’re going to see a great performance for sure.”
“I I truly believe that I should get a title shot because I’ve done everything I can at this weight class, at this division,” Munoz argued. And what does that mean, precisely? According to Munoz, it’s starting from scratch in the UFC, staying loyal to the organization and working his way up to the top – no shortcuts, no favors, no easy opponents.
“When it comes to developing through the ranks,” Munoz explained, “I’ve proven that I’ve developed. I’ve been true to the UFC and I’ve been putting on great shows. I think it’s my time. When I get past Chris Weidman and do it in the fashion I’m going to do it, I deserve a title shot.”
Munoz knows, however, that there are no guarantees in this business. Even if he feels he’s close to a title shot, he told Helwani UFC brass have said nothing to him about getting a title shot if he defeats Weidman. Worse, he also knows former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard is a top candidate for a title shot should he defeat Tim Boetsch at UFC 149 in less than two weeks.
In Munoz’s mind, nothing could be more unfair. That isn’t solely because Lombard is making a lateral move from another organization, but because he believes Lombard has defeated no one to deserve such a coveted spot.
“It’s very, very frustrating,” Munoz confessed. “I know he’s a good fighter. I know that he has a good record, but he was in another organization. To be in the best organization – which is the UFC – and for me to be in the UFC, and to have the best fighters in the UFC that are ranked in the world, and for me to fight them for as long as I’ve been in there and then a new guy coming in who has been fighting cans…”
Munoz briefly trailed off only to resume his withering critique of the American Top Team product. “As far as I’m concerned he was recycling, he wasn’t fighting.”
“Let him fight a few guys in the UFC, see where he fares. Then see if he really deserves a title shot. That’s where I stand,” Munoz said.
Don’t think Munoz is bitter, though. He’s not. He’s certainly been through his fair share of adversity, but he’s just eager to prove what he believes he already knows to be true. Sure, he sounds a bit frustrated, but that’s Munoz being the way he is right now: unequivocal.
“I don’t want an easy road. I don’t. With Chris Weidman, he’s tough. I truly know he’s going to be tough and it’s going to be a great, but I don’t ask for easy opponents either,” Munoz insisted. “I feel honored to be able to fight him and show truly that I am the number one contender.”
A pair of Strikeforce middleweights – coincidentally, the very two vying for that organization’s middleweight title later this month – publicly questioned the ethics of Anderson Silva’s behavior in his win over Chael Sonnen at UFC…
A pair of Strikeforce middleweights – coincidentally, the very two vying for that organization’s middleweight title later this month – publicly questioned the ethics of Anderson Silva’s behavior in his win over Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 on Saturday night.
Of concern to Rockhold: three acts from Silva. Or more precisely, two acts with the spirit of the third being dubious. According to the current Strikeforce middleweight champion, Silva used the vaseline applied to his face before entering the Octagon to smear his arms and chest as he was introduced by UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer, grabbed Sonnen’s shorts in a scramble and striking exchange in the second round, and ultimately threw a knee while Sonnen was down that while technically legal was ostensibly thrown a little too close for comfort.
“[Silva] greased himself again,” Rockhold continued. “After the Vitor [Belfort] fight I saw him grease himself. I wasn’t very fond of that first one. He did it again, blatantly. And then the shorts grab. And then finally the knee, it ended up legal, but it looked like bad intentions.”
Tim Kennedy, who faces Rockhold on July 14th in Portland, Ore. for Rockhold’s middleweight title, also didn’t shy away from criticism of Zuffa’s other middleweight champion. “Wipe grease on your arms, grab your opponent shorts, and knee them in the face when they are down. That’s how champions should act?”, Kennedy tweeted. He later added Silva’s knee to the chest of Sonnen was legal, but did not walk back any of his statements of Silva’s other perceived indiscretions.
For both Rockhold and Kennedy, Silva’s behavior was bad enough, but was especially problematic because it wasn’t in keeping with the top ethical standard expected of a champion.
“All that together, it just wasn’t very champion-like for me,” Rockhold concluded. “I want to see a respectful champion out there. I know emotions might get high with all the crap talking, but you gotta keep those separate and gotta fight clean.”
