Author: Nick Caron

UFC 148 Primetime: Silva vs. Sonnen Debuts Saturday Night on FUEL TV and UFC.com

If you’re an MMA fan, you’re probably sitting at the edge of your seat in anticipation of the UFC 148 main event between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. If not quite there yet, prepare to change your tune.“UFC 148 Primetime&rdqu…

If you’re an MMA fan, you’re probably sitting at the edge of your seat in anticipation of the UFC 148 main event between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. 

If not quite there yet, prepare to change your tune.

“UFC 148 Primetime” debuts on Saturday night on FUEL TV and will feature never-before-seen footage from both Silva and Sonnen in preparation for the middleweight title fight.

The half-hour special will begin at 7:00pm ET / 4:00pm PT. It will then be available to be streamed from UFC.com immediately thereafter for those whose television providers do not carry FUEL TV.

Replays of the episode will air on FX, FUEL TV, selected regional channels of FOX Sports Network and on-demand through Blockbuster Studio and DISH Network.

Silva and Sonnen are the focus of the episode and their heated rivalry will only get more intense following the Primetime episode. 

UFC 148 will take place July 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The main card will air on pay-per-view with preliminary bouts on Facebook and FX. The main card is subject to change but currently features the following matchups:

UFC Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (c) vs. Chael Sonnen

Light Heavyweight bout: Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin

Middleweight bout: Cung Le vs. Patrick Cote 

Welterweight bout: Dong Hyun Kim vs. Demian Maia

Featherweight bout: Chad Mendes vs. Cody McKenzie

Bantamweight bout: Ivan Menjivar vs. Mike Easton

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Urijah Faber on UFC 148 Silva vs. Sonnen: MMA Needs Chael Sonnen

While the Internet MMA community hangs on every word that UFC 148’s Chael Sonnen says, it’s somewhat surprising to see other top-level fighters come out and admit that they, too, listen to the middleweight No. 1 contender.Current UFC interi…

While the Internet MMA community hangs on every word that UFC 148’s Chael Sonnen says, it’s somewhat surprising to see other top-level fighters come out and admit that they, too, listen to the middleweight No. 1 contender.

Current UFC interim bantamweight title contender Urijah Faber, a fighter well-known for his friendly personality even during fights, thinks that fighters like Sonnen are filling what could be a big void without them.

“I think this sport needs guys like Chael Sonnen,” Faber said at a recent question-and-answer session in Las Vegas.

Other fighters haven’t been quite so endearing to the colorful personality of Sonnen, but perhaps Faber has warmed up to him after years of interacting with him.

Their college wrestling careers overlapped, as both men wrestled on the West Coast: Sonnen at the University of Oregon and Faber at the University of California, Davis.

It was during those years that the two future UFC superstars would first meet.

Their time together also gave Faber a deeper insight into exactly what created the Chael Sonnen we all see today.

“The guy was coming over from the WEC as world champion and then came over and got put on the undercard for the UFC,” Faber explained. “I think he chose to make a switch and said, ‘I need to stand out in this sport, and just being the nice, intelligent guy that I am is not enough.’”

Sonnen himself and many of his training partners say that the persona Sonnen upholds is the same thing that they see every day in camp.

But Faber isn’t buying it. 

“He probably won’t admit to that, but the guy made a switch and decided, ‘Hey, I’m gonna stand out in this sport. I’m gonna create my own opportunities.’ And he does it in an interesting way that people either really hate or really love.”

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Carlos Eduardo Rocha on UFC Release: "This Is Bullsh–"

Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Carlos Eduardo Rocha has become the most recent UFC fighter to be cut after a short 1-2 run with the promotion.Rocha debuted for the promotion in 2010, tasting victory for the first time when he defeated TUF finalist Kr…

Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Carlos Eduardo Rocha has become the most recent UFC fighter to be cut after a short 1-2 run with the promotion.

Rocha debuted for the promotion in 2010, tasting victory for the first time when he defeated TUF finalist Kris McCray. The kneebar submission showed off Rocha’s world-class jiu-jitsu game and made him one of the more highly touted up-and-coming prospects. 

Unfortunately, since his UFC debut, Rocha has not since gotten back into the win column. A loss to Jake Ellenberger in February 2011 marked his only fight that year before he got back into the cage in early June 2012, where he lost to Mike Pierce.

Although he had gone 0-2 in his previous two fights, Rocha was not expecting to get the call from the promotion, letting him know that he had been released. The Brazilian let his frustration out in an interview with Tatame.com’s Guilherme Cruz. 

“I went there to fight MMA and he wants to win by points. There were 15 minutes of pure mooring. This is bullsh–,” Rocha said. “And UFC fires me after a fight where the guy just stood there mooring. I had good performances and even so I was cut off. I didn’t expect this.”

Rocha complained further about his opponent, Pierce, who made a controversial decision to call out any Brazilian at the June 8th fight card. 

“Wasn’t him the one who said he’d fight any Brazilian because it’s an easy fight? I thought he could come for me but he didn’t. He didn’t attack me on the clinch, he didn’t hit me nor let me hit him,” criticized Carlos. “That’s not MMA.”

Although he is clearly frustrated by the UFC’s decision to cut him, Rocha still holds out hope that he will be see himself back in the Octagon.

“Now let’s move on, keep my head up. I never give up,” he said in the interview. “I know I’ll get better next time so I can have another chance in the UFC.”

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Strikeforce’s Sarah Kaufman on Rousey: ‘I Definitely Want to Test Her Chin’

If there was any doubt that Sarah Kaufman’s game plan for her Aug. 18 fight against Ronda Rousey would be highly geared toward striking, that can now be put to rest.The top contender for the women’s bantamweight championship recently spoke to MMAjunkie…

If there was any doubt that Sarah Kaufman’s game plan for her Aug. 18 fight against Ronda Rousey would be highly geared toward striking, that can now be put to rest.

The top contender for the women’s bantamweight championship recently spoke to MMAjunkie.com Radio and let them know that she’s going to be looking for the knockout. 

“It’s no surprise that Ronda doesn’t like being hit,” Kaufman told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “She said that, and I guess you can’t really blame her for not wanting to get hit. It’s not a shocker there for the average person to not want to get hit.

“But I hope she’s been training a lot in the striking department, just for the pressure, because she’s not going to like it.” 

Known for her devastating power and relentless assault when she senses that her opponent is weak, Kaufman has finished 10 of her 16 career opponents by way of knockout.

“Ronda hasn’t been in the sport very long, so she hasn’t developed that side of her game yet and is really relying solely on her judo at this point,” Kaufman said. “She’s a good athlete; you can look at her and see that. She moves well, and with her judo, she’s done well. 

“I think it’s going to take a while before she has any ground to stand on as far as the striking.” 

With only one career loss, a third-round submission to Marloes Coenen in October 2010, Kaufman is currently ranked in the top five among most women’s worldwide pound-for-pound rankings. She holds victories over numerous top contenders including Liz Carmouche, Alexis Davis (twice) and even former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate.

“Ronda hasn’t fought someone like me yet. It’s going to be a shock for her,” Kaufman said. “I definitely want to test [Ronda’s] chin, for sure,” Kaufman said. “I don’t think Miesha came up with the greatest game plan, just running straight at [her].”

Kaufman herself is a former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion and will be looking to deface the currently undefeated record of former Olympic Judo silver medalist Rousey. 

“It’s hard to stay at the top once you’re at the top,” she said. “Everyone below you is gunning up, and you’ve already reached that pinnacle. That being said, Ronda has only had five fights, and I think she is going to be nervous and is definitely going have the jitters when it comes to how serious my style is vs. her style, as well as caring about having that title. ” 

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Jeff Monson and Todd Duffee to Headline MMA Card for SFL in India

Former UFC heavyweights Jeff Monson and Todd Duffee have signed to headline the Sept. 8 card for the Super Fight League, according to MMAjunkie.com Radio. The fight card, which will take place in Bengalaru, India, will feature the former UFC heavy…

Former UFC heavyweights Jeff Monson and Todd Duffee have signed to headline the Sept. 8 card for the Super Fight League, according to MMAjunkie.com Radio. 

The fight card, which will take place in Bengalaru, India, will feature the former UFC heavyweights in what could be the biggest fight in the promotion’s short history. 

Ken Pavia, the promotion’s CEO, announced the news, adding that Monson had signed a new four-fight deal with the India-based MMA organization. 

Monson has won three straight bouts since his unanimous-decision loss to Fedor Emelianenko in November.

At 41 years old and with the clock ticking down on his career, Monson has been one of the most active fighters in the sport recently, fighting an astonishing 19 times in just the past two and a half years.

He recently reached the 60-bout total (46-13-1) for his career and will apparently continue to grow that number with his new contract.

Though he made his debut for the UFC in 2009, Todd Duffee is still just 26 years old and has plenty of time to grow as a fighter.

His 7-2 record is highlighted by one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history in his debut for the organization in August 2009, when he knocked out Tim Hague in just seven seconds.

Duffee recently got back in the win column after a two-fight losing streak to current UFC heavyweights Mike Russow and Alistair Overeem when he knocked out Neil Grove at SFL 2 in April. 

Also announced on by the SFL were two other fights which will take place on the SFL’s Oct. 6 card in Channai, India. On that card, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou will battle Trevor Prangley, and Satoshi Ishii will fight Jimmy Ambriz. 

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Strikeforce: Former Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate to Return in Fall

After suffering an injury in her most recent fight, former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate finally got back in the gym recently and is already preparing for her next fight. According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, Tate…

After suffering an injury in her most recent fight, former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate finally got back in the gym recently and is already preparing for her next fight. 

According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, Tate could be back in the coming months.

“We don’t have anything to announce officially, but I believe you’ll see her back in the cage in a relatively quick manner,” Coker told MMAjunkie.com Radio host George Garcia on Wednesday. “She’s pretty much healed up and ready to start training. But you’ll see her back in the cage the early part of fall.”

Tate’s left arm was damaged in her first Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title defense against the undefeated Ronda Rousey in March.

The highly entertaining bout was ended in the blink of an eye when Rousey slapped on her trademark armbar and got the submission, but not before she tore ligaments and muscles in Tate’s arm.

Tate was put on medical suspension following the fight against Rousey by the Ohio Athletic Commission, and it is not yet known whether she has been given approval to get back in the cage.

Though hers was the most publicized, Tate is not the first woman to fall victim to injury in Rousey’s armbar. The former Judo Olympic medalist infamously snapped Julia Budd’s arm with a gruesome armbar in just 39 seconds.

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