Author: McKinley Noble

Liz Carmouche Wants First Shot at Ronda Rousey in the UFC

Although the UFC would obviously prefer a superfight between Ronda Rousey and Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, it seems the Brazilian bomber is out of the running.However, top-ranked women’s bantamweight and former Strikeforce title contender Liz …

Although the UFC would obviously prefer a superfight between Ronda Rousey and Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, it seems the Brazilian bomber is out of the running.

However, top-ranked women’s bantamweight and former Strikeforce title contender Liz Carmouche wants the first crack at “Rowdy” Rousey.

During an interview with MMA Prime, Carmouche made her case about challenging Rousey in the incumbent champion’s first title defense, citing her spotless 2012 record and self-professed dedication to training for the possible fight:

I hope I’m the number one contender. I’ve definitely been pushing for it on Twitter, trying to get the fans’ support and show that they want it as well…I’m 2-0 this year and I train non-stop. I think everybody’s had a go at [Rousey]. So far, she’s managed to push her way though everybody and finish them. I want to have a chance to give it my go and see if I can’t finish her as well.

Carmouche also agreed with Rousey‘s training method of raising testosterone levels through sexual intercourse, stating that she does the same thing with her girlfriend before an upcoming fight.

Carmouche‘s two wins this year came against fellow bantamweights Kaitlin Young and Ashleigh Curry, with “Girl-Rilla” finishing both fighters under the Invicta Fighting Championships banner.

Out of her seven career victories, Carmouche has stopped all but one opponent, defeating Colleen Schneider at Strikeforce Challengers 10 by decision during a two-round, six-minute fight.

Carmouche returned to Strikeforce shorty afterward, defeating Jan Finney by TKO in the third round before suffering back-to-back losses against then-champion Marloes Coenen and Sarah Kaufman. Despite entering the bout on 10-days notice, Carmouche notably dominated the second and third rounds of her title fight against Coenen but eventually fell prey to a triangle choke submission.

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UFC on Fox 5: Predictions You Can Take to the Bank

Finally, the UFC returns to Fox with a title fight as their main event this Saturday.Millions of TV viewers will be watching as UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson makes his second title defense against veteran competitor Nate Diaz, but the rest of …

Finally, the UFC returns to Fox with a title fight as their main event this Saturday.

Millions of TV viewers will be watching as UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson makes his second title defense against veteran competitor Nate Diaz, but the rest of the night will be equally stacked with several intriguing fights.

Aside from aging legend Mauricio “Shogun” Rua facing Swedish powerhouse Alexander Gustafsson, former two-division champion BJ Penn will attempt to slow down the quick rise of young Canadian star Rory MacDonald.

But how will things end for the other fighters on the card?

Anything can happen in a UFC bout, but we’ve got some clear-cut calls for everything from the preliminary fights to the final bout.

From career retirements to brutal knockouts to one-sided beatdowns, here are 10 predictions that you and your friends can take to the bank this weekend.

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Phil Davis Doesn’t Want to Think about Forrest Griffin Running Away

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin has taken a blow to his reputation for leaving the Octagon when he loses a fight (or thinks he’s lost a decision).That’s something Phil Davis doesn’t want to think about.Regardless of Griffin’s ecce…

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin has taken a blow to his reputation for leaving the Octagon when he loses a fight (or thinks he’s lost a decision).

That’s something Phil Davis doesn’t want to think about.

Regardless of Griffin’s eccentric behavior, Davis still considers his UFC 155 opponent one of his favorite fighters, as he explained to UFC.com during a short pre-fight interview:

I’m talking to my buddies and I’m like, “man, I gotta fight Forrest Griffin.” They [said], “dude, are you gonna make him run out of the cage?” Man, don’t do that to me. Don’t make me think about that. He’s one of my favorite fighters.

I’m ready for everything that goes along with fighting Forrest Griffin. I’m more or less ready to write my own story, this is one of those fights. Everything he has, he will try to hit you with. [Griffin’s] almost better when he’s down a round-and-a-half. That’s when he’s most dangerous.

Davis also noted Griffin’s previous statements about his trademark pink shorts, citing that his choice of attire was indeed partly meant to gain a psychological edge against his opponents.

“It’s true, nobody wants to lose to a guy in pink shorts,” Davis admitted. “It’s a little emasculating, it’s part of the deal, you know, it’s part of the handshake.”

Pink shorts or not, Davis will test his advanced wrestling and evolving striking game against Griffin in just a little over a month at UFC 155 in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Arena.

Davis recently snapped a two-fight winless streak with a dominant submission victory over Brazilian prospect Wagner Prado at UFC 153 last October. Griffin enters the match at 3-1 in his last four fights, winning a rubber match against Tito Ortiz at UFC 148.

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UFC’s Jon Fitch on MMA: Everything Around the Sport Is a ‘Big Circus’

Perennial welterweight contender Jon Fitch looked like a new man during his UFC 153 bout against Erick Silva, but the American Kickboxing Academy star has just upgraded.That’s the narrative that Fitch spun during a small seminar with members of the MMA…

Perennial welterweight contender Jon Fitch looked like a new man during his UFC 153 bout against Erick Silva, but the American Kickboxing Academy star has just upgraded.

That’s the narrative that Fitch spun during a small seminar with members of the MMA media in Lafayettte, Ind., as he held an open seminar to talk about his upcoming fight and the idea that he’s improved from his former self.

MMA Junkie dubs this new fighter the “Fitch 2.0” model, a man who realizes that fighting is a sport, but the sport of mixed martial arts itself is surrounded by the “big top” that favors big talkers and bigger personalities:

One of the things I’ve come to learn over the years is that the fight itself is a sport, but everything around it is a big circus… If you can make a case for being center ring in the circus, then they’ll give you a chance to take a place in that sport.

I wanted it to operate like a sport, but it’s not. It’s about entertainment. I didn’t spend enough time convincing fans that they wanted to see me in those fights. It was one of those things that I had to accept. If you want to get the big fights, if you want to make money, you’ve got to make sure the fans want to see you fight.

Fitch—often viewed by fans and pundits to be one of the more lackluster fighters in the UFC—has been actively trying to turn his image around. In his last three fights, Fitch displayed more action than usual, beating up Silva and BJ Penn, with a knockout loss to Johny Hendricks in the middle.

Most notably, Fitch won “Fight of the Night” honors at UFC 153, and he clearly took more risks against Silva:

I really didn’t do anything different in my fight (with Silva) other than take a couple extra chances, which led to a couple little mistakes. But it’s still the same type of game plan, same type of fight. The big difference is I started fast. Some of the other fights I started a little bit slower. You can look at it fight-to-fight, and I think that would be the one main difference.

Read the full interview at MMA Junkie for more thoughts from Fitch about his training and evaluation of upcoming opponent Demian Maia, former middleweight title contender.

Fans will get to see Fitch 2.0 face off against Maia at UFC 156 in Las Vegas (and pay-per-view) this coming February. Fitch looks to build off his upset win over Silva, while Maia comes into the match following a gruesome submission over Rick Story by way of a neck crank submission.

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Bellator Champ Ben Askren: ‘Aggressive’ Carlos Condit Made GSP Fight Look Good

Like many MMA fans, Ben Askren enjoyed the fast-paced brawl between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit at UFC 154.But during an interview with Bloody Elbow, Bellator’s undefeated champion opined that the highly anticipated title fight at UFC…

Like many MMA fans, Ben Askren enjoyed the fast-paced brawl between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit at UFC 154.

But during an interview with Bloody Elbow, Bellator’s undefeated champion opined that the highly anticipated title fight at UFC 154 looked exciting more because of Condit’s never-say-die offense from his back—not GSP’s dominant top game:

You know, it was good, but I think people are giving GSP a lot of credit, but I actually think it was [Condit] that made the fight. He was just so active and aggressive in every position. Even when he was on his back, he was still fighting really hard. Had he just laid there, it probably would have been another of those like GSP has had recently.

Askren’s critique of UFC talent didn’t stop with the welterweight champion, taking some time to give his thoughts on the upcoming B.J. Penn vs. Rory MacDonald fight. Although Askren acknowledged that he was pulling for Penn due to personal bias, he’s also not a fan of “Ares” and his fashion sense:

Well, I don’t really wear much else other than sweat pants and a T-shirt or jeans and a T-shirt. It’s the whole thing with [Rory]. He puts so much effort in the look that he wants everyone to see. I just think that’s kind of goofy. I’m not too much into new fashion stuff, but I wouldn’t be caught dead…you couldn’t pay me enough to wear an outfit like he wears.

Although Askren is eight months removed from his last fight at Bellator 64—a successful title defense against Douglas Lima—the champ has been busy. Askren is cited as a popular training partner for people trying to emulate St-Pierre and MacDonald, with Condit and Penn turning to the Bellator champion for his wrestling prowess.

Check out the full interview at Bloody Elbow, where Askren also talks about the “frustrating” wait for his next opponent and speculated on the now-past Lyman Good vs. Andrey Koreshkov match at Bellator 82, which Koreshkov won by unanimous decision.

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UFC on FX 7: Thiago Bodao Injured, Caio Magalhaes Steps in vs. Michael Kuiper

An injury to Brazilian prospect Thiago “Bodao” Perpetuo has caused a change for the upcoming UFC on FX 7 event taking place on January 19th in Sao Paulo, Brazil.According to Gracie Mag (via MMA Fighting), Bodao is out of the match with a…

An injury to Brazilian prospect Thiago “Bodao” Perpetuo has caused a change for the upcoming UFC on FX 7 event taking place on January 19th in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

According to Gracie Mag (via MMA Fighting), Bodao is out of the match with an undisclosed ailment, which temporarily left Dutch fighter Michael Kuiper without an opponent. However, the gap was reportedly filled in short order by Caio Magalhaes:

Bodao previously made his promotional debut at UFC 147 in Minas Gerais, Brazil, defeating fellow countryman Leonardo Mafra via TKO in the third round.

Magalhaes wasn’t as lucky in his own UFC debut, suffering his first career defeat against Greg Jackson’s MMA fighter Buddy Roberts by unanimous decision at UFC on FX 3. Magalhaes steps into UFC on FX 7 with a 5-1 professional record, with his five-fight winning streak taking placing entirely in Brazil’s regional circuit.

UFC on FX 7 is headlined by a main event title eliminator featuring Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping, with the winner expected to vie for a shot at middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Additionally, Ultimate Fighter: Brazil winner Daniel Sarafian faces off against Ultimate Fighter 7 veteran C.B. Dollaway in the co-main event, while Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell supports the main card as the night’s only heavyweight bout.

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