Mark Munoz Describes Win Over Aaron Simpson as ‘Gratifying’

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — MMA Fighting spoke to Mark Munoz following his UFC 123 win over Aaron Simpson about his performance in the fight, overcoming a vicious low blow and the mutual respect he and Simpson had for one another.

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — MMA Fighting spoke to Mark Munoz following his UFC 123 win over Aaron Simpson about his performance in the fight, overcoming a vicious low blow and the mutual respect he and Simpson had for one another.

UFC 123 Live Blog: Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson Updates

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — This is the UFC 123 live blog for Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson, a middleweight bout on tonight’s Spike TV portion of the card at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Munoz (8-2)’s three-fight win streak was ended in August when he lost t…

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — This is the UFC 123 live blog for Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson, a middleweight bout on tonight’s Spike TV portion of the card at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Munoz (8-2)’s three-fight win streak was ended in August when he lost to Yushin Okami in a split decision. Simpson (7-1) suffered his first career loss in June in a TKO loss to Chris Leben.

The live blog is below.

Mark Munoz Looking to Channel Inner Manny Pacquaio at UFC 123

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DETROIT — MMA Fighting spoke to middleweight Mark Munoz about his UFC 123 against Aaron Simpson, what he learned about himself after losing to Yushin Okami, his doubters and the impact Manny Pacquiao, a fellow fighting Filipino, has had on his career.

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DETROIT — MMA Fighting spoke to middleweight Mark Munoz about his UFC 123 against Aaron Simpson, what he learned about himself after losing to Yushin Okami, his doubters and the impact Manny Pacquiao, a fellow fighting Filipino, has had on his career.

Midseason MMA Awards: The GDP Award

Filed under: UFCSome people say money can’t buy happiness. Those people are broke losers who live with their moms and take the bus to work at Cinnabon. Forget those people. For the rest of us – the ones who don’t want to take all our meals in shopping …

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Some people say money can’t buy happiness. Those people are broke losers who live with their moms and take the bus to work at Cinnabon. Forget those people. For the rest of us – the ones who don’t want to take all our meals in shopping mall food courts – it’s important to have a little cash in our pockets.

There are two ways you can accomplish that as a pro fighter: 1) Be a main-eventin’, cut-of-the-pay-per-view-gettin’, mainstream-sponsor-havin’, first-class-flyin’, son of a gun, or 2) Fight every single chance you get.

The first option is more glamorous, but the simple fact is that it’s not realistic for 99% of MMA fighters. They can’t all be the best in the world. Some of them sweat and bleed for every penny. They have to make as much as they can, while they can. They have to keep getting in the cage and keep getting paid.

So far in 2010, one man stands head and shoulder above the rest when it comes to putting on the gloves and stacking that paper, and that man is Chris Leben.

Chris Leben KOs Aaron Simpson

Filed under: UFC, NewsIn a big upset that derailed a promising prospect and showed that a UFC veteran still has something left, Chris Leben knocked out Aaron Simpson Saturday at the Ultimate Fighter Finale.

The result comes as a big surprise, as Simps…

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Chris LebenIn a big upset that derailed a promising prospect and showed that a UFC veteran still has something left, Chris Leben knocked out Aaron Simpson Saturday at the Ultimate Fighter Finale.

The result comes as a big surprise, as Simpson (who entered the fight with a 7-0 record) had been steadily climbing the ranks of the middleweight division, while Leben (who entered with a 19-6 record) had won only once in the last two years.

But Leben showed heavy hands, Simpson showed suspect stand-up, and Leben earned his 10th career UFC victory.



‘TUF 11’ Finale Aftermath: All the Right People Win Bonuses; Hamill Overcomes Staph, Broken Hand, Eye-Poke to Beat Jardine

("The best part is, stick this baby in the freezer and it’ll keep your drinks cold on a hot summer day." PicProps: UFC.com)
Matt Hamill fought and defeated Keith Jardine on Saturday night with a staph infection he didn’t know he had as …


("The best part is, stick this baby in the freezer and it’ll keep your drinks cold on a hot summer day." PicProps: UFC.com)

Matt Hamill fought and defeated Keith Jardine on Saturday night with a staph infection he didn’t know he had as well as a broken hand suffered early in the fight round and blurred vision from getting poked in the eye during the second, according to statements made at the "TUF 11" Finale post-fight press conference. That makes it a bit more noteworthy that their three-round battle rightfully claimed “Fight of the Night” honors.

“I thought I was going to be blind and deaf. Enough handicaps,” Hamill joked at the press conference about getting a thumb in the eye that caused Jardine to lose a point in the second stanza. Any laughter caused by that comment could probably best be described as “uneasy.”

Other post-fight bonuses – each amounting to $25,000 – went to Chris Leben for his come-from-behind knockout of Aaron Simpson and Court McGee for choking out Kris McCray in the “TUF” championship.  As for the infection – which caused the nasty-looking  lesion on his back you may have noticed during the broadcast – Hamill said he planned to get started with some antibiotics ASAP. Yeah, you might want to get on that. After the jump, a picture of Hamill’s foulness.

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