Author: UFC News

Their fight may be two months away, but Jon Jones and former teammate turned rival Rashad Evans are already exchanging jabs.

Jones, the UFC light heavyweight champion, and his opponent, former UFC light heavyweight champion Evans, appeared on CSS Sports’ SportsNite to promote their April 21 headlining bout at UFC 145. What ensued was a memorable he-said/he-said exchange between the two full of accusations — watch the full segment above.

In just a few weeks I’m going to be fighting Miesha Tate for the Strikeforce women’s 135lbs world championship title. It’s a match that she’s resisted since the very beginning, but has snowballed into women’s MMA’s most anticipated fight since Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg set ratings records for Showtime a few years ago. It began with me defeating Julia Budd this past November in an admittedly brutal fashion, followed by me asking for the first shot at Miesha since she won her belt from Marloes Coenen. Miesha immediately protested, and as a result we had a now infamous debate on Ariel Helwani’s show. She was obviously less prepared for the debate than I was, as I treated the debate like a fight in itself. I saw the potential and importance of this opportunity, and looked up every article I could find arguing her point of view. I then wrote a counter argument to every single point they made and took turns with my friends playing both myself and her in “practice arguments.” By the time we were on the show she sounded uneducated and unprepared in comparison, conflicting herself and falling speechless on several occasions. Several months later while doing a round table press conference with her, Scott Coker, and myself, I swear I could hear an echo in the room as she completely abandoned most of her original stances o the subject and adopted mine. The only thing she hasn’t conceded on was the fact that she doesn’t think I’m a “worthy” opponent and don’t deserve to fight her. If that is the case, I encourage her and her fans to put their money where their mouths are. Because at the moment I’m favored almost 4-1 in the Vegas odds, and I would like for my friends to actually make a decent profit for once off of one of my wins. Funny isn’t it? That a challenger who isn’t deserving of a title shot is so heavily favored over the champion….

Though she’s argued that I’m less experienced than her, not able to deal with pressure, and likely to mentally break after the first minute… there’s no way she can conceive the amount of pain, sacrifice, bravery, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles I’ve had to overcome to make it to this point.

I was literally born fighting. The umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck and my face was blue, everyone was scared that I died. Obviously I didn’t, but there was some damage done. I was far behind my sisters and other children my age in speech, and could not speak coherently till I was around 6. No one ever told me there was anything wrong with me, my Mom and Dad refused to let me feel abnormal. I just remember being frustrated all the time, because I knew in my head what I wanted to say, but for some reason no one could ever understand me; my words came out as gibberish. My father most of all told everyone: “Ronnie is a sleeper. Just you watch, she’s gonna show everyone and be the best of them one day.” He would always tell me that I was destined for greatness. At the time I was swimming competitively and he would constantly tell me I was going to win the Olympics and be the best in the world someday.
Unfortunately my Dad died when I was 8 years old, and it was the most painful thing my family has ever been through…
Swimming was something me and my dad would do together, and after his death I quickly lost my motivation to swim. Though I never lost the need to honor him and fulfill every expectation he had of me.

Several years later we moved to Los Angeles, my mother remarried, and things got better. My mother was the first American to ever win the world championships in judo, something she never talked about much when I was a kid. But she used to train at Tenri Judo in East LA during her prime in the 80’s, so when we moved back to LA she went to visit her old teammates who had then opened up clubs of their own.
I took to judo right away and it soon replaced swimming as my number one passion. Swimming was very one-dimensional in comparison. You could do the breaststroke one way and the butterfly one way, but, once you’d mastered those skills, there was little room for creativity. Judo, on the other hand, really encouraged creativity and individual flair. It allowed me to create my own style and personality and play around with the textbook. You could try things out, improvise a little and think outside the box. There were just so many different things to learn and pick up on, and that really excited me. I didn’t feel I could necessarily learn how to become a better swimmer – you simply practice and practice until you hopefully one day became one. Judo was very much a learning process for me, though. It was something I could play with and make my own.
 
Mom was against me doing judo at first, she felt people would expect too much from me given who she was and what she had achieved in the same sport. It was actually her team-mates, who were my coaches at the time, who persuaded her to let me do it. In all honesty, I didn’t feel any additional pressure because of the fact my mother was previously involved in the sport. If anything, I’m the one that puts pressure on myself when it comes to goal-setting. I don’t feel right unless there is some element of pressure. Some people crack under it, but I’ve always thrived. Six years after starting out, I made my first Olympic team. Maybe it was genetics, destiny, or both, but I really had a knack for it.
 
The whole reason I focused on judo to begin with was so that I could one day reach the Olympic Games and win a gold medal. That was literally my sole aim from day one, and nothing else crossed my mind from that point. I wasn’t interested in being involved in judo to become a mere also-ran. Even after my very first practice, I remember thinking to myself, ‘Yep, this is definitely going to work out – I’m going to win the Olympics’. It was all or nothing for me, and that same attitude carried over after transitioning to MMA.
 
Some people like to call me cocky or arrogant, but I just think “How dare you assume I should think less of myself? The problem isn’t me thinking I can achieve any goal I set for myself, the problem is you projecting your own self doubt onto me.”
 
My current goals are to revive women’s MMA and solidify its place in the sport. The first step to achieving that goal is to beat Miesha Tate in impressive fashion on March 3rd. And there isn’t a goddamn thing that can stop me.
 
Follow Ronda on twitter @RondaRousey

Nothin’ is promised to no one. I should beat Ryan Bader at UFC 144 in Japan next Saturday – and I plan on knocking his ass out in front of my Japanese fans – but I’ve put in the work in the gym to make sure I do that.

I worked so hard for the Jon Jones fight in September. I trained my ass off. As I said before the fight, I was in the best shape of my life, but in the Octagon I didn’t perform like I should have done. It is frustrating for me, and I felt bad for all my team who got me ready for that Jon Jones fight.

Read Rampage’s entire UFC® 144 blog on Yahoo! Sports…

I was disappointed with my performance in my UFC 143 prediction column , so I spent Sunday dealing with it in the same way I’m sure Nick Diaz did – retail therapy at the World Market. Is there any pain that wicker furniture can’t make go away?

There will be twenty fighters looking to avoid the warming embrace of wicker this Wednesday as the Ultimate Fighting Championship rolls into Omaha, Nebraska for UFC on FUEL TV. The main event pits Diego “The Dream” Sanchez against the “Juggernaut” Jake Ellenberger. It’s Sanchez’ first fight since last March when he took on Martin Kampmann and ended up looking like this. I was front row with Pat Barry for that fight and trust me, it was worse in person – struck to our cores, we both called our mothers and told them that we loved them.

Ivan Menjivar vs. John Albert
The main card kicks off with “The Pride of El Salvador” Ivan Menjivar against John “Prince” Albert. This is the classic veteran against the exciting TUF-tested prospect matchup. TPoES has been in the MMA game for over 10 years and has fought every bantamweight worth mentioning (plus random guys like “GSP” and “Urijah” at various weights in smaller promotions). Albert — while falling in the quarterfinals of TUF 14 — made his mark knocking out Dustin Pague in 69 seconds at the finale.

Prediction: I have to go with the veteran on this one. Some might say it’s my anti-novelty-body-piercing bias, but as a responsible journalist, I assure you that is not the case. Menjivar just has too much for Albert to handle. He’ll push the pace and not give Albert the chance to get comfortable. Menjivar by TKO in the 2nd

TJ Dillashaw vs. Walel Watson
In the second bantamweight brawl of the night, Team Alpha Male male and TUF finalist T.J. Dillashaw goes up against Walel “The Gazelle” Watson. Dillashaw looks to rebound from a well-placed left hook that cost him the TUF crown. Bantamweight Watson, graced with a rare-for-the-weight-class 5’11” frame, is well versed in submissions, with 7 of his 9 wins coming from tapout.

Prediction: I’ve watched enough Animal Planet to realize that whenever there’s a gazelle on TV, it’s usually bad news for that gazelle. Submission skills are important, but as the recent Maia/Weidman fight showed us, they can be neutralized by strong wrestling and that’s what exactly will happen here. Dillashaw will get the takedown, get position, get control and get the decision. On the bright side, unlike his Animal Planet counterparts, at least Watson will get to keep his entrails.

Stipe Miocic vs. Phil De Fries
The next bout features a showdown between undefeated heavyweights. Collegiate wrestler and Golden Gloves champion Stipe Miocic looks to give British BJJ purple belt Philip De Fries his first loss.

Prediction: I don’t surprise easily (unless you count the cancelling of “All My Children”), but I would be shocked if this fight went the distance. Both fighters are dangerous, strong competitors. The difference here will come to boxing and that’s where Miocic will use his superiority and wind up with the 1st-round TKO. (That, incidentally, will give him as many wins as Erica Kane has husbands.)

Aaron Simpson vs. Ronny Markes
Arizona State wrestler Aaron Simpson has been riding his “A-Train” to a three-fight win streak. Ronny Markes is a well-rounded fighter from Brazil who boasts an impressive 12-1 record beating opponents by knockout and submission.

Prediction: I learned my lesson last week betting against the Brazilians, and I won’t make that mistake again. Simpson has been steadily evolving into an MMA fighter instead of a wrestler who fights. Having said that, he still has had a hard time putting guys away. Markes has more firepower and – unless his debut drop to middleweight was too taxing – ends this one in the 3rd.

Stefan Struve vs. Dave Herman
Just 23 years old, Stefan Struve is making his 10th appearance in the UFC – thanks for making the rest of us look bad, Stef. The 6-foot-11 “Skyscraper” is looking to run his record 7-3 to the organization. Meanwhile Dave (as in vs. Goliath) Herman, made a successful Fight of the Night debut in June against the massive John-Olav Einemo, and here he’s looking to topple another giant opponent.

Prediction: The key here is “distance.” Struve’s biggest weakness in his fights has been his inability to use his height effectively, and I see this trend continuing. Herman will be able to get inside those long limbs and deliver some punishment. Plus, by fight time, the temperature will be near freezing in Omaha. Struve may have that hardy Dutch blood, but never underestimate the usefulness of body fur.

Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger
In the main event of the evening, we’ve got two fighters seeking to step up the welterweight ladder. Jake Ellenberger has won his last five fights, the most recent being a strong TKO over Jake Shields. Diego Sanchez returns to the Octagon since that aforementioned bloodbath with Kampmann left him convalescing for a few months.

Prediction: Tony Robbins may have helped Diego attain a new outlook on life, but it won’t improve the outlook at the end of an Ellenberger fist. Even The Dream’s solid chin won’t be a problem for The Juggernaut. Ellenberger gets the hometown-boy win and puts Sanchez away in the 2nd. I just hope this fight doesn’t make me want to curl up in the fetal position like the last one did.

As another issue of the Downes Side closes, be sure to follow me on Twitter @dannyboydownes and comment on the article. Last time the comments section heated up and I was challenged to a fight for the rights to the column. Pistols at dawn? A game of chicken with farming equipment like in the movie “Footloose” perhaps? I’ll let the people decide.

“UFC Undisputed 3 feels better and more accurate than any other mixed
martial arts game before it. … The unprecedented amount of depth in
UFC Undisputed 3 and its newfound accessibility make it a great return
to form for the franchise.”
IGN, 9/10

“Beyond the deep bench of talent brought in via Pride FC (32 fighters, though many of them are doubles of UFC fighters that spent time fighting matches abroad), the organization also provides one of the best new modes here. Pride Mode spins Undisputed’s refined MMA gameplay by changing the ruleset drastically.”
Official Xbox Magazine, 8.5/10

“Whether you’re a veteran fighter (the original control scheme remains
intact with additional advantages over the amateur game), or a newbie,
it won’t take long to have fun playing this game.”
Forbes

“In the middle of a particularly heated fight, my roommate turned to me
and proclaimed, ‘You and this game give me motion sickness.’ I didn’t
realize until that point, but I had been bouncing on the couch like an
unruly child.”
G4TV, 4.5/5

“UFC 3 is a shining example of what a sports game developer can do if they buck the yearly trend and spend an extra chunk of time adding features and tweaking gameplay from the ground up. Get your four-ounce gloves on, gamers, as this one’s a winner.”
AtomicGamer, 9/10

“Punches look and sound fantastic when they connect, and there’s little more satisfying than pounding your opponent into a TKO after rocking them and sending them to the mat.”
GamingAge, A-

“It isn’t often that the third title in a series gets so much right, but UFC Undisputed 3 manages to deliver a knockout!”
GamingTrend, 87

“The development team at Yukes spent countless hours listening to fans, addressing concerns and conducting research that resulted in this game bringing in concepts and philosophies that broaden it beyond the average sports simulation… UFC Undisputed 3 is an example of what every sports simulation game should be.”
ZTGameDomain, 9/10

“If you are a fan of the UFC, you MUST get this game. By far the most accurate MMA adaptation to date.”
Live Life Alpha, 9/10

Played the game? Leave your review in the comments!

Get the Game Now!

Six fighters – plus UFC President Dana White –  attended the UFC on FUEL TV post-fight press conference: Jake Ellenberger, Diego Sanchez, Stefan Struve, Stipe Miocic, TJ Dillashaw, and Jonathan Brookins.

The event’s Fight of the Night bonuses went to headliners Ellenberger and Sanchez. The welterweights engaged in an all-out war for three rounds the ended with Ellenberger earning the unanimous decision.

KO of the Night went to heavyweight Miocic, who kept his undefeated record intact with a crushing first-round knockout of previously unbeaten Phil De Fries.

Ivan Menjivar won Submission of the Night for his first-round rear naked choke of TUF vet John Albert. Menjivar survived an early scare from Albert before securing the fight-ending choke.

Each bonused fighter received $50,000.

Video highlights from the following fighters are linked below:

Sanchez and Ellenberger

Miocic, Struve, Dillashaw and Brookins