Author: McKinley Noble

2012 World MMA Awards: Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, Michael Bisping Win Big

Another World MMA Awards ceremony has wrapped up for the year, with 2012 completely dominated by a wide range of UFC fighters and personalities.According to MMA Junkie, light heavyweight champion Jon Jones took home the “‘Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis…

Another World MMA Awards ceremony has wrapped up for the year, with 2012 completely dominated by a wide range of UFC fighters and personalities.

According to MMA Junkie, light heavyweight champion Jon Jones took home the “‘Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis’ Fighter of the Year” award after a perfect 2-0 campaign.

Even though Jones infamously had his share of problems in 2012—including a cancelled UFC event and a DWI conviction—the young champion nonetheless balanced it out with a string of successes.

Not only did he defeat both Rashad Evans and Vitor Belfort to retain his title, but “Bones” also netted himself a lucrative Nike sponsorship to boot.

Here’s the full list of this year’s World MMA Awards winners, courtesy of MMA Junkie:

• “Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis” Fighter of the Year: Jon Jones
• Ring Card Girl of the Year: Brittney Palmer
• Leading Man of the Year: Dana White
• Fight of the Year: Jamie Varner vs. Joe Lauzon (UFC on Fox 4)
• Breakthrough Fighter of the Year: Chris Weidman
• MMA Media Source of the Year: Sherdog.com
• Knockout of the Year: Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim (UFC 142)
• Personality of the Year: Joe Rogan
• Female Fighter of the Year: Ronda Rousey
• Submission of the Year: Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 140)
• Best Technical Equipment: Pretorian
• MMA Journalist of the Year: Ariel Helwani, MMAFighting.com/FUEL TV
• “Fighters Only” Lifetime Achievement Award: Leon Tabbs
• “Shawn Tompkins” Coach of the Year: Rafael Cordeiro
• Referee of the Year: Herb Dean
• International Fighter of the Year: Michael Bisping
• Best Lifestyle Clothing Brand: Bad Boy
• Comeback of the Year: Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 140)
• Gym of the Year: Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
• Best Promotion: UFC
• Best Technical Clothing Brand: Clinch Gear

Ronda Rousey was also in the running for “Fighter of the Year,” but had to settle for “Female Fighter of the Year” on the strength of her two title fights in Strikeforce.

Both bouts ended via Rousey‘s trademark first-round armbar submission skills, although the peak of her year definitely came with her formal induction into the UFC as the promotion’s women’s bantamweight champion.

Michael Bisping and Chris Weidman were the other big winners of the night, as the middleweights took home the awards for “International Fighter of the Year” and “Breakout Fighter of the Year,” respectively.

Bisping and Weidman aren’t UFC champions themselves, but both men are nonetheless angling for title shots against the current divisional king, Anderson Silva. Weidman is currently injured, but Bisping will face off against Vitor Belfort during the main event at UFC on FX 7 on Saturday, Jan. 19 for the right to challenge Silva at some point later this year.

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2012 World MMA Awards: UFC Wins ‘Best Promotion’ over Bellator, ONE FC

Well, this one seemed pretty clear to call.MMA Junkie reports that one of the first honors of the night at the 2012 World MMA Awards went to the UFC, as the company won “Best Promotion” over some of its most prominent rivals.Since the UFC remains the w…

Well, this one seemed pretty clear to call.

MMA Junkie reports that one of the first honors of the night at the 2012 World MMA Awards went to the UFC, as the company won “Best Promotion” over some of its most prominent rivals.

Since the UFC remains the world’s largest and most valuable mixed martial arts league, that alone would normally be enough to earn them reward.

But their last year in particular saw a huge amount of changes for the Zuffa-owned company.

During 2012, the UFC continued its partnership with the Fox Network, airing several events that pulled millions and millions of viewers between Fox, FX and Fuel TV.

By far, the two companies’ most successful MMA event aired during the past year was UFC on Fox 5, which featured a lightweight title bout between Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz.

After a series of moderate, middling cards that couldn’t break the coveted 5-million barrier, “Bendo” vs. Diaz pulled a high 5.7 million viewers during the main event. That move pretty much cemented title fights as a necessity for the UFC’s Fox cards, which is expected to be a welcome pattern in 2013.

In total, the UFC aired 29 fight cards in a rather busy 2012, even with injuries and fighter fallout damaging most of its cards.

Notably, UFC champion Jon Jones dealt the company a particularly rare blow in the lead-up to UFC 151, as “Bones” played a part in the cancellation of the Las Vegas card after Chael Sonnen replaced an injured Dan Henderson.

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UFC’s Ronda Rousey, Arianny Celeste in the Running for Maxim’s Hot 100

UFC stars Ronda Rousey, Brittney Palmer and Arianny Celeste are going head-to-head with over 100 other women for this year’s edition of the Maxim Hot 100 list.Every year, “The Ultimate Guys’ Guide” breaks down its authoritative list of the mo…

UFC stars Ronda Rousey, Brittney Palmer and Arianny Celeste are going head-to-head with over 100 other women for this year’s edition of the Maxim Hot 100 list.

Every year, “The Ultimate Guys’ Guide” breaks down its authoritative list of the most attractive women in the world, with a round of fan votes determining who takes the top honors.

This time, you can vote for Rousey, Palmer and Celeste, who join a competitive field of nominees including the likes of actresses Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone and Mila Kunis. Also included are famous models like 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl Kate Upton.

Celeste is a repeat performer for this group, making this her fourth-consecutive year in the rankings. After a setback in 2011, she’s since climbed back up the list but has yet to top her 2010 status:

• Arianny Celeste – #58 (Maxim Hot 100, 2012)
• Arianny Celeste – #70 (Maxim Hot 100, 2011)
• Arianny Celeste – #23 (Maxim Hot 100, 2010)

Rousey especially has a strong case to vault herself into a high spot this year. In 2012, her MMA career reached its highest point ever with two dominant first-round submission wins over former Strikeforce champions Miesha Tate and Sarah Kaufman.

To boot, Rousey was also invited to take part in ESPN’s famous “Body Issue” series, snagging her own 2012 cover along with a headline-grabbing photo shoot.

As if that wasn’t enough, Rousey also made history by becoming the first woman to join the UFC, as company president Dana White formally awarded “Rowdy” the UFC women’s bantamweight championship belt last year.

However, all three women have a long way to go before they top fighter-turned-movie-star Gina Carano and her 2009 achievement in the Maxim Hot 100.

On the strength of a critically-acclaimed performance in the movie Haywire, Carano nearly notched a “Top 10” ranking at the No. 16 spot, which landed her just behind Katy Perry (No. 15), Christina Aguilera (No. 14) and Jessica Alba (No. 13).

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Michael Bisping Hopes Referee ‘Has the Balls’ to Stop Belfort’s Illegal Punches

Michael Bisping is making it clear that he expects Vitor Belfort to take advantage of a bad situation during their main event fight at UFC on FX 7.Whether it’s illegal punches to the back of the head or the possibility of being fueled by testoster…

Michael Bisping is making it clear that he expects Vitor Belfort to take advantage of a bad situation during their main event fight at UFC on FX 7.

Whether it’s illegal punches to the back of the head or the possibility of being fueled by testosterone replacement therapy, “The Count” says that Belfort‘s “bully” tactics will eventually start to fail him, UFC legend or not.

In Bisping‘s latest guest post penned at Yahoo Sports, the famed MMA Englishman outlines his hopes that Belfort won’t be able to cheat his way to a win:

I was disappointed Vitor Belfort started talking in tongues when asked about TRT recently. He had a little more to say on Monday when he was asked directly about my concerns that all his recent UFC fights were won by illegal punches to the back of the head. In between lengthy references to the New Testament, Belfort basically said he doesn’t care if he hits opponents behind the head.

How he’s gotten away with this in his career is a mystery to me, and I hope we have a strong referee who has the balls to do something about it – if it happens – with thousands of Belfort supporters screaming in the stands. And of course it is down to me to make sure I’m not put in a position where he can unloaded [sic] these kinds of shots.

Most notably, Belfort‘s latest instance of winning a fight with illegal back-of-the-head punches came at the expense of Japanese fighter Yoshihiro Akiyama, who went down to strikes in the first round of their UFC 133 bout.

To date, though, Bisping has only been stopped on strikes once, and that was a haymaker blow from one of the sport’s hardest punchers in Dan Henderson.

Fans will get to see whether Bisping‘s chin (or the back of his skull) can hold up against Belfort‘s striking soon enough, as the two top middleweights are still set to face-off at the Ibirapuera Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Should Bisping win, he’s expected to achieve a career-long dream and face Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title.

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UFC’s Hector Lombard: ‘Let’s Cut the Bullshit’ About Fight vs. Anderson Silva

Hector Lombard isn’t happy that he’s being overlooked for a shot at the UFC Middleweight Championship, and he’s calling out every title contender.During an interview with News.com.au, “Lightning” Lombard essentially called out every top 185-pounder in …

Hector Lombard isn’t happy that he’s being overlooked for a shot at the UFC Middleweight Championship, and he’s calling out every title contender.

During an interview with News.com.au, “Lightning” Lombard essentially called out every top 185-pounder in the division, stating that he wants to leave no guess to who should really getting the next crack at the MMA pound-for-pound kingpin:

I just don’t want to fight guys that they say: “[Oh,] that was [an] easy match-up for him.” I want to fight the hardest match-up. I wish they (the UFC) could go now and make a pool of the toughest guys at 84kg that no one wants to fight and I want to fight that guy.

Not many people want to fight Palhares. Before we had the fight people were saying: “Hector is gone, Phalares [sic] is taking Hector’s leg back to Brazil.” I would like to fight Chris Weidman, he’s a big name. I’ve been asking for (Yushin) Okami, I’ve been asking for Okami but they (UFC) won’t give him to me because of his chin. Okami has no chin, he can’t cop the punches. And where’s Jake Shields? He’s been around forever, he beat Dan Henderson. Those are the guys I want to fight.

Originally, the UFC seemed to be angling Lombard towards title contention after a high-profile contract signing that brought the Cuban-Australian fighter up from Bellator’s own middleweight division.

But despite a long reign with Bellator’s middleweight title, three regional MMA titles, an extremely decorated Judo background and a gaudy 32-3-1 record (with one “No Contest”), a past upset to loss Tim Boetsch took away much of Lombard’s steam.

However, Lombard says that the UFC just won’t give him Anderson Silva, despite his hyped arrival into the promotion and dominant 25-1-1 stretch over nearly six years:

Let’s cut the bullshit, let’s be honest, they won’t give me Anderson Silva. We have to be realistic and talk about things that might happen.

I’ve got to take one fight at a time and one-by-one I can take them out and by the end of the year people are going to say he deserves the title shot. I want it to just be my hard work. I want people to say that no one deserves the title more than him.

Future plans aside, Lombard will have the chance to improve his 1-1 UFC record when he faces Yushin Okami during the main card of UFC on Fuel 8, taking place on March 3 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

That fight will support a heavy card of matches, including a main-event bout between Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann.

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UFC Officially Reveals ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Season 17 Cast List

Just a little less than two weeks before the debut of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen, the UFC has revealed the full list of fighters who will competing on the show.USA Today (via MMA Junkie) broke the news on Wednesday, providing the …

Just a little less than two weeks before the debut of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen, the UFC has revealed the full list of fighters who will competing on the show.

USA Today (via MMA Junkie) broke the news on Wednesday, providing the names of 28 middleweights from various corners of the world.

Moreover, the level of talent seems to be a notch above what previous seasons have brought to the reality TV show in recent years. MMA Junkie notes that this season’s cast includes seven undefeated fighters, with over 200 professional MMA victories between all the competitors.

Here are the fighters who will be seen in the season premiere as they go through the elimination rounds to earn a spot into the TUF house. By proxy, they’ll also be battling for a chance to be coached by either UFC champion Jon Jones or former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen:

• Dylan Andrews (16-4-1), 32, Gold Coast, Australia (via New Zealand)
• Kito Andrews (9-2), 34, Sacramento, Calif.
• Luke Barnatt (5-0), 24, Cambridge, England
• Leo Bercier (7-2), 31, Great Falls, Mont.
• Ryan Bigler (9-3), 28, Yona, Guam
• Kevin Casey (5-2), Hawthorne, Calif.
• Adam Cella (4-0), 27, Fenton, Mo.
• Zak Cummings (15-3), 28, Kansas City, Mo.
• Andy Enz (6-1), 21, Anchorage, Alaska
• Nik Fekete (5-1), 32, Las Vegas
• Kelvin Gastelum (5-0), 20, Yuma, Ariz.
• Uriah Hall (7-2), 28, New York City (via Jamaica)
• Collin Hart (4-1-1), 23, Santa Rosa, Calif.
• Clint Hester (7-3), 25, Atlanta
• Jake Heun (3-2), 25, Salt Lake City
• Mike Jasper (6-0), 29, Camarillo, Calif.
• Nicholas Kohring (3-0), 22, Valley Springs, Calif.
• Robert “Bubba” McDaniel (20-6), 29, Albuquerque, N.M.
• Fraser Opie (10-5), 29, Milton Keynes, England (via South Africa)
• Mike Persons (3-0), 28, Manteca, Calif.
• Jimmy Quinlan (3-0), 26, Metheun, Mass.
• Scott Rosa (4-1), 26, Sparks, Nev.
• Joshua Samman (9-2), 24, Tallahassee, Fla.
• Gilbert Smith Jr. (5-1), Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Eldon Sproat (3-1), 27, Molokai, Hawaii
• Tor Troeng (15-4-1), 29, Umea, Sweden
• Eric Wahlin (5-1), 29, Taylorsville, Utah
• Timothy Williams (7-1), 26, Millville, N.J.

Aside from the rivalry between coaches Jones and Sonnen, one of the major points of interest for Season 17 has been Dana White‘s cryptic stories about one fighter who “terrified” the entire cast during filming.

As White originally told members of the MMA media last December (via MMA Fighting), this same fighter is apparently so dangerous, he sent every single one of his opponents out of the Octagon in the back of an ambulance:

The whole house is terrified of this guy. F– terrified. Everybody. I picked this fight, and this guy is lined up with the guy I’m telling you about, and the guy has a nervous breakdown in the house over the weekend. Has a f– nervous breakdown. Freaks out and has a nervous breakdown. This guy scared the living s— out of everyone. It’s awesome.

Fans will likely be tipped off if a fighter is sent to hospital in the first episode, but regardless, the season premiere will kick off Tuesday, Jan. 22 on FX with a special two-hour episode. In a move to secure better TV ratings, this will be the show’s first night moved off of the prior Friday night schedule that was tested earlier last year.

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