Author: Matt Erickson

Roger Huerta Meets Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 33 in Philadelphia

Filed under: Bellator, NewsBellator Season 2 lightweight tournament winner Pat Curran has pulled out of his Season 3 fight against champion Eddie Alvarez with an injury and will be replaced by Roger Huerta at Bellator 33.

MMA Junkie reported the news …

Filed under: ,

Bellator Season 2 lightweight tournament winner Pat Curran has pulled out of his Season 3 fight against champion Eddie Alvarez with an injury and will be replaced by Roger Huerta at Bellator 33.

MMA Junkie reported the news on Thursday and MMA Fighting has confirmed with Curran that he is out and with sources close to Alvarez’s camp that he and Huerta have agreed to the bout, which will not be a title fight.

MMA Fighting has also learned that the fight will take place on Oct. 21 in Philadelphia, not Kansas City as previously reported. Bellator’s official website does not list a city or venue for the show. [Eds. Note: Bellator confirmed the fight during its Thursday night event broadcast.]

Marc Ratner: No Truth to Reports of UFC 123 in Chicago

Filed under: UFC, NewsDespite published online reports saying the UFC will head to Chicago in November, that will not be the case.

MMA Fighting spoke Wednesday to UFC vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner, who said those reports are not ac…

Filed under: ,

Despite published online reports saying the UFC will head to Chicago in November, that will not be the case.

MMA Fighting spoke Wednesday to UFC vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner, who said those reports are not accurate and the promotion has not yet decided on a city or a venue for an expected Nov. 20 pay-per-view card.

“The circus is in town at the United Center,” Ratner said. “We’re looking at different venues – we had to wait for the NBA schedule to come out officially yesterday, and we’ll probably make a decision for Nov. 20 in the next week.”

Strikeforce Will Hold Middleweight Tournament After All

Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsLast month, MMA Fighting first reported that Strikeforce had hoped for a one-night middleweight title tournament to be held at its Aug. 21 card in Houston, but the Texas commission’s rules put a stop to that plan.

Instea…

Filed under: ,

Last month, MMA Fighting first reported that Strikeforce had hoped for a one-night middleweight title tournament to be held at its Aug. 21 card in Houston, but the Texas commission’s rules put a stop to that plan.

Instead, the promotion set a middleweight title fight for the same night between Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza to crown a champion in the division after Jake Shields vacated the belt by leaving for the UFC.

But Monday on The MMA Hour, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said the promotion will go through with a middleweight tournament after all – though whether it will be a one-night, four-man tourney or a two-event, eight-man bracket has not yet been decided.

“That is the plan, but it hasn’t been finalized,” Coker told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. “(The four-man vs. eight-man) is the part that has not been finalized because we have so many good fighters at 185 that we’ve been getting a lot of requests from our guys.”

Does Chael Sonnen’s Actual Resume Back Up the One He Touts?

Filed under: UFCFor several weeks, the MMA world has been abuzz with the pre-fight talk of Chael Sonnen, who challenges middleweight champion Anderson Silva for his title at UFC 117 on Saturday.

Sonnen’s talk – or, as he terms it, simply his promotio…

Filed under:

For several weeks, the MMA world has been abuzz with the pre-fight talk of Chael Sonnen, who challenges middleweight champion Anderson Silva for his title at UFC 117 on Saturday.

Sonnen’s talk – or, as he terms it, simply his promotion of the fight – has ranged from stern to comical to outrageous and back again. And it has even crossed into territory that has many people raising a collective eyebrow at just what his motivation is.

Brazil vs. U.S. in UFC Dates Back to the Beginning

Filed under: UFC?Though the focus is on the middleweight title fight between champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen — arguably the most outlandishly outspoken challenger in the promotion’s history — Saturday’s UFC 117 card might as well be called…

Filed under:

?Though the focus is on the middleweight title fight between champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen — arguably the most outlandishly outspoken challenger in the promotion’s history — Saturday’s UFC 117 card might as well be called USA vs. Brazil.? For the first time in the promotion’s history, each fight on the main card will be between an American and a Brazilian.

It’s fitting, given that modern mixed martial arts owes much of its framework to the Gracie family, of Brazil, and the sport has become a worldwide phenomenon thanks in large part to the promotion and marketing machine that is the UFC, in America.

Strikeforce Announces Fighters for Women’s Tournament ‘Reserve Bout’

Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsStrikeforce on Tuesday announced the backup fighters for its first women’s tournament, as well as the official rules for that tournament, which will be held Aug. 13 as part of a Strikeforce Challengers show in Phoenix.

Co…

Filed under: ,

Strikeforce on Tuesday announced the backup fighters for its first women’s tournament, as well as the official rules for that tournament, which will be held Aug. 13 as part of a Strikeforce Challengers show in Phoenix.

Colleen Schneider and Liz Carmouche will take part in what the promotion is terming a “reserve bout” as part of the 135-pound, four-woman event. The two will fight on the preliminary card. The main card will air live on Showtime.