Author: McKinley Noble

Jon Jones Was Turned Down for TUF, Chael Sonnen Passed Up TUF 1

Could Jon Jones or Chael Sonnen have won a season of The Ultimate Fighter?That’s a question mixed martial arts fans will undoubtedly be asking themselves now, as the coaches of TUF 17 recently revealed to MMA Junkie that they were once both u…

Could Jon Jones or Chael Sonnen have won a season of The Ultimate Fighter?

That’s a question mixed martial arts fans will undoubtedly be asking themselves now, as the coaches of TUF 17 recently revealed to MMA Junkie that they were once both under consideration for the show’s early seasons.

According to Jones, he was allowed to tryout at one session, but ultimately wound up disqualified from casting due to the fact that he was only 20 years old at the time:

“I tried out for ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ back when I was 20 years old,” Jones said. “I remember making it through the first round and then approaching a table to grapple for the second round and having Dana—I think himself, I remember him being at the table—saying, ‘Man, you’re too young. You’re 20 years old, and you have to be 21 to apply for this show, but we’re going to let you roll anyways. But you can’t go much further than this.’ I was like, ‘Alright.’ I was rolling and having a great time, and that was it. That was the end of the scenario.”

It would be roughly a year or so until Jones re-appeared on the UFC’s radar, raking up six victories on the regional circuit (five KOs and one submission) in 2008 before taking a short notice fight at UFC 87.

Sonnen, on the other hand, did meet the age limit for TUF 1 (at the time being in his late 20s), but declined a spot on the show.

Although he had notable MMA experience against the likes of Jason Miller, Trevor Prangley, Akihiro Gono, Jeremy Horn and eventual winner Forrest Griffin, Sonnen passed on the chance to compete for a spot in the house.

As Sonnen says, it’s a decision he wishes he could take back:

“I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what it was. I sat down and watched it, and I regretted that decision. I really enjoyed watching it, and all these years later, here I am.”

Both Jones and Sonnen have since gone on to become two of the UFC’s two pay-per-draws, with 23 UFC fights (including nine main events) between the two of them.

Currently, the two coaches are busy filming Season 17 of TUF, which will air on FX in January 2013.

Although Jones’ manager Malki Kawa previously stated to The Fight Network that TUF 17 would air on Wednesdays, MMA Fighting has since reported that FX officials called the time slots an “unlikely” fit.

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UFC 154: Alessio Sakara’s Appeal Denied, Cote Remains DQ Winner

Canadian middleweight Patrick Cote will retain his victory from UFC 154, despite protests from Alessio Sakara and his camp.During their match, Sakara was on the verge of victory after landing hard elbows to the side of Cote’s head, but the blows quickl…

Canadian middleweight Patrick Cote will retain his victory from UFC 154, despite protests from Alessio Sakara and his camp.

During their match, Sakara was on the verge of victory after landing hard elbows to the side of Cote’s head, but the blows quickly turned illegal as Cote sank to the Octagon mat with Sakara hitting him in the back of the skull with “12-to-6” hammerfists. 

According to French-Canadian newsgroup La Presse, Quebec’s governing board for combat sports refused to hear an appeal from American Top Team, cementing Cote’s disqualification win from November 17th:

However, [the board] refused to consider the application on the [grounds] that the decision of an arbitrator can not be reversed. “The decision of the arbitrator is final and without appeal,” a spokesman of the Board, Joyce Tremblay, confirmed on Friday.

With the Board’s decision, Cote now stands at 5-8 after various runs in the UFC, dating all the way back to an October 2004 bout against Tito Ortiz at UFC 50.

However, “The Predator” is currently 5-1 in his last six career fights, with the lone loss coming at the hands of former Strikeforce middleweight champion and widely-known action star, Cung Le.

For Sakara, the situation is more dire.

A disqualification for “Legionarius” puts him at the dreaded 0-3 slide in the UFC, which typically results in a pink slip from the promotion.

Sakara has claimed in post-fight interviews and follow-up quotes that he wasn’t warned of the illegal blows by referee Dan Miragliotta, who let the bout play out until Cote was no longer able to defend himself.

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Diego Sanchez May Fight Takanori Gomi at UFC on Fuel 8 in Japan

Can “The Fireball Kid” survive “The Dream” with a home court advantage?That’s the question we might be asking if a fight between Takanori Gomi and Diego Sanchez is made official for UFC on Fuel 8, the promotion’s next card in Japan.Judging by a recent …

Can “The Fireball Kid” survive “The Dream” with a home court advantage?

That’s the question we might be asking if a fight between Takanori Gomi and Diego Sanchez is made official for UFC on Fuel 8, the promotion’s next card in Japan.

Judging by a recent Twitter post from Sanchez, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva is currently waiting on Gomi to sign off for that match, which will likely take place on the main card:

 

Sanchez is returning to the lightweight division after his recent 2-2 welterweight run ended in a close decision loss against Jake Ellenberger at UFC on Fuel 1 last February. Despite the middling record, Sanchez nonetheless racked up three consecutive “Fight of the Night” awards.

Gomi, on the other hand, is coming off his first back-to-back wins since joining the UFC in March 2010. He also just won a “Fight of the Night” split decision against Mac Danzig at UFC on Fuel 6 in Macau, China.

No bouts have been announced or confirmed for the UFC on Fuel 8 card yet, although the promotion is expected to stack the event with as much Japanese talent on the roster as possible. Currently, that list includes the following fighters (without pre-existing bouts): Yoshihiro Akiyama, Takeya Mizugaki, Riki Fukuda and Yasuhiro Urushitani. 

Sanchez recently created a stir on Twitter by claiming welterweight title contender Nick Diaz is “scared” of fighting him in a rematch of their Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale main-event brawl. However, it’s a bout that’s unlikely to happen with Diaz still suspended (and unlicensed) following a positive marijuana drug test and Sanchez dropping down to 155 pounds once again.

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Invicta FC 4 Fight Card: Carla Esparza Stars in Strawweight Championship Bout

After hosting a thrilling atomweight title fight in its last event, Invicta FC is ready to crown another women’s divisional champion in its fourth fight card.As announced on the official Invicta FC website, the regional promotion’s first 2013 event wil…

After hosting a thrilling atomweight title fight in its last event, Invicta FC is ready to crown another women’s divisional champion in its fourth fight card.

As announced on the official Invicta FC website, the regional promotion’s first 2013 event will feature a 115-pound main-event bout for the first Invicta FC Strawweight Championship. Like the company’s last three cards, Kansas City’s Memorial Hall will serve as the venue.

On January 5, top-ranked Carla Esparza (8-2) will vie for the strawweight belt against Brazilian prospect Claudia Gadelha (9-0), who will be fighting abroad for the just the second time in her career.

Here’s how the card looks so far, with a full slate of fights currently confirmed for January:

Invicta FC 4 Main Card

  • Carla Esparza (8-2) vs. Claudia Gadelha (9-0)
  • Shayna Baszler (15-7) vs. Alexis Davis (12-5)
  • Leslie Smith (4-2-1) vs. TBA
  • Amanda Nunes (7-2) vs. Sarah D’Alelio (6-3)
  • Hiroko Yamanaka (12-2) vs. Ediene Gomes (8-2)
  • Joanne Calderwood (4-0) vs. Bec Hyatt (4-1)

Invicta FC 4 Preliminary Card

  • Stephanie Frausto (4-4) vs. Cassie Rodish (3-3)
  • Tamikka Brents (1-0) vs. Amanda Bell (0-0)
  • Jodie Esquibel (2-0) vs. Liz McCarthy (1-0)
  • Emily Kagan (2-0) vs. Rose Namajunas (0-0)
  • Paige VanZant (2-0) vs. Tecia Torres (1-0)
  • Veronica Rothenhausler (0-0) vs. Katalina Malungahu (2-1)

According to MMA Rising, Esparza was initially expected to face undefeated Japanese strawweight Ayaka Hamasaki (8-0), the current reigning JEWELS lightweight champion. However, Hamasaki pulled out of the match in order to defend her title at Jewels 22nd Ring in Tokyo this December.

Gadelha is currently recognized as a member of Team Nova Uniao—the same camp supporting UFC champions Jose Aldo and Renan Barao, as well as Hacran Dias and Bellator fighter Marlon Sandro. Her fight against Esparza will be her first in the United States and her second in North America.

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Michael Bisping Wants Anderson Silva to Vacate UFC Middleweight Championship

If Anderson Silva wants to chase superfights and go on break to film movies, Michael Bisping thinks the pound-for-pound kingpin should drop the UFC middleweight title.That’s just one possible option that the promotion’s most famous Englishman is puttin…

If Anderson Silva wants to chase superfights and go on break to film movies, Michael Bisping thinks the pound-for-pound kingpin should drop the UFC middleweight title.

That’s just one possible option that the promotion’s most famous Englishman is putting forth, telling MMA Junkie Radio that he really doesn’t want to waste a year of his prime waiting for Silva to defend his 185-pound championship:

Yes, of course, we like to fight, and it’s a business as well. But you want that progression and to fulfill your dream, and my dream is to be world champion one day. We all have a clock that’s ticking. I’ve still got a lot of time left, but I don’t want to waste a year fighting for the hell of it. I want to know that I’m moving toward something.

Bisping further stated that Silva’s lack of concern for timely title defenses seemed to indicate that the Brazilian superstar doesn’t take his championship reign that seriously.

Although “The Count” maintained his opinion that Silva was still the best fighter in the UFC, it didn’t mean much if “The Spider” spends a year away from his native division when challengers are lined up. In fact, Bisping recommended that Silva simply drop his UFC middleweight title outright:

Perhaps he vacates the belt, and when he’s ready to come back, he gets an immediate title shot and fights the new champion then.

He’s put us all in this position. It just sucks for the fans that want to see Anderson fight. It sucks for the fighters that want to fight Anderson for his belt, and it sucks for the UFC, as well.

Currently rumored plans for Silva include a May 2013 superfight against welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. UFC president Dana White has guaranteed that the bout will happen, although GSP’s camp has stressed that the match is unfair unless the 185-pound Silva fights at the 170-pound welterweight limit.

Bisping is preparing for a main event title eliminator match against former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 7 this coming January, taking place at the Ibirapuera Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Bisping currently has notched a 5-1 run in his last six fights, marred by a close decision loss against former middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen.

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Mike Tyson Says He ‘Probably’ Would Have Competed in the UFC

According to legendary heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, he could have easily made his mark in mixed martial arts instead of boxing.Apparently, it all depended on what combat sport his trainer was doing.During an interview with ESPN, the former undisput…

According to legendary heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, he could have easily made his mark in mixed martial arts instead of boxing.

Apparently, it all depended on what combat sport his trainer was doing.

During an interview with ESPN, the former undisputed world champion spoke about a variety of his current projects, including the first “Mike Tyson Cares Foundation” event, his one-man show tour and recent film appearances. Eventually, the conversation turned to the UFC, where Tyson gave some interesting speculation about an alternate career path:

ESPN: These days, with UFC being so popular, boxing isn’t necessarily getting the best fighters. If you were an 18-year-old kid now, would you still be a boxer? 

Tyson: That’d all depend on my trainer. When I came up, my trainer was a boxing guy. If my guy was in UFC, I’d probably go that way.

Over the years, Tyson has become a notable guest at UFC events and personal friend to Dana White. Despite being retired for over seven years, he’s remained a very public figure in the combat sports world and is widely recognized as one of the UFC’s biggest supporters.

Tyson further added that he would’ve loved to get into the Octagon, and now that the UFC has become so widespread and successful, you’re “not cool” if you’re not a fan:

ESPN: You’re into MMA, right?

Tyson: Oh yeah, I love UFC, big time. How could you not be? They play UFC so much, you see it year round, and you just have to want to be a fan. If you’re not a fan, you’re not cool.

ESPN: You sound like someone who wants to get in the [Octagon].

Tyson: Yeah. I would love to do that stuff.

Although most athletic commissions likely wouldn’t license Tyson for a professional (or exhibition) MMA match, the 46-year-old boxing icon would certainly be one of the sport’s oldest prospects in history if he indeed decided to give it a try.

Tyson’s own career also predates the inaugural UFC event by quite a bit—Tyson’s first professional boxing match took place in March 1985.

By the time “UFC 1: The Beginning” was held at Denver’s McNichols Sports Arena in November 1993, Tyson was in the middle of serving a three-year prison sentence following his infamous rape conviction on February 10, 1992.

Hypothetically, the earliest that Tyson could have competed in a UFC event (with time to train) would have been “UFC 6: Clash of the Titans” in July 1995—little more than three short months after the end of his incarceration.

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