It looks like all of the circumstantial evidence suggesting that Tim Kennedy was packing his rucksack and heading to the UFC was a false alarm. That, or Zuffa realized that Strikeforce’s middleweight herd was thin on credible challengers and decided to keep their most decorated fighter on the roster for a bit longer. Tatame.com reports that the bout is likely to take place in January of next year.
Luke Rockholdreturned to action last September, shaking off seventeen months of ring rust in a title bout with Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo Souza. Rockhold was predictably a massive underdog, but he got the better of “Jacare” throughout the five round affair and took the belt in a unanimous decision. That “W” marked Rockhold’s seventh straight victory.
Kennedy was unsuccessful in his own title bid against Jacare last October, taking the champ the distance but coming up short on all three judges’ scorecards. Since then he’s racked up wins over Melvin Manhoef and Robbie Lawler.
This is second time the pair has been scheduled to fight. Their original bout was scrapped back in February when Rockhold suffered a leg injury in training.
Tim Kennedy Victory” src=”http://www.cagepotato.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Tim_Kennedy-e1305905318997.jpg” alt=” width=”245″ height=”163″ />
It looks like all of the circumstantial evidence suggesting that Tim Kennedy was packing his rucksack and heading to the UFC was a false alarm. That, or Zuffa realized that Strikeforce’s middleweight herd was thin on credible challengers and decided to keep their most decorated fighter on the roster for a bit longer. Tatame.com reports that the bout is likely to take place in January of next year.
Luke Rockholdreturned to action last September, shaking off seventeen months of ring rust in a title bout with Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo Souza. Rockhold was predictably a massive underdog, but he got the better of “Jacare” throughout the five round affair and took the belt in a unanimous decision. That “W” marked Rockhold’s seventh straight victory.
This is second time the pair has been scheduled to fight. Their original bout was scrapped back in February when Rockhold suffered a leg injury in training.
(Meathead’s impartial reminder for you to get your votes in.)
Even though we were conspicuously absent from the ballot again, we’re still going to do our friends at Fighters Only Magazine a solid by reminding The Potato Nation to vote for your other favorites who were nominated for this year’s 2011 Fighters Only World MMA Awards.
For all of the readers who pine over your old dad who left you to be raised by mom and your *new* dad, even though he doesn’t write or call, you can vote for Ben Fowlkes in the MMA Journalist of the Year category.
Other than that, there are probably a few brands and names in there that you support.
With Chael Sonnen hosting the event, things could get interesting, especially when it comes time for him to do the rumored dance number with Black House.
Check out the categories and nominees after the jump.
(Meathead’s impartial reminder for you to get your votes in.)
Even though we were conspicuously absent from the ballot again, we’re still going to do our friends at Fighters Only Magazine a solid by reminding The Potato Nation to vote for your other favorites who were nominated for this year’s 2011 Fighters Only World MMA Awards.
For all of the readers who pine over your old dad who left you to be raised by mom and your *new* dad, even though he doesn’t write or call, you can vote for Ben Fowlkes in the MMA Journalist of the Year category.
Other than that, there are probably a few brands and names in there that you support.
With Chael Sonnen hosting the event, things could get interesting, especially when it comes time for him to do the rumored dance number with Black House.
Check out the categories and nominees below.
2011 Fighters Only World MMA Awards
Wednesday, November 30
Pearl Theatre at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas
• Brian Stann
• Daniel Cormier
• Demetrious Johnson
• Donald Cerrone
• Phil Davis
FIGHT OF THE YEAR
• Diego Sanchez vs Martin Kampmann
• Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber at UFC 132
• Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard at UFC 125
• Jose Aldo vs Mark Hominick at UFC 129
• Nick Diaz vs Paul Daley
SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR
• Chan-Sung Jung vs Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24
• Pablo Garza vs Yves Jabouin at UFC 129
• Phil Davis vs Tim Boetsch at UFC 132
• Richard Hale vs Nik Fekete at Bellator 38
• Tito Ortiz vs Ryan Bader at UFC 132
• Vinny Magalhaes vs Viktor Nemkov at M1 Challenge
RING ENTRANCE OF THE YEAR
• Dave Herman at UFC 131
• Jason Miller at Dream 16
• Mark Hominick at UFC 129
• Vitor Belfort at UFC 133
• Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133
REFEREE OF THE YEAR
• ‘Big’ John McCarthy
• Dan Miragliotta
• Herb Dean
• Josh Rosenthal
• Mario Yamasaki
• Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort at UFC 126
• Cheick Kongo vs Pat Barry at UFC Live
• John Makdessi vs Kyle Watson at UFC 129
• Lyoto Machida vs Randy Couture at UFC 129
• Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire vs Toby Imada at Bellator 39
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
• Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (career)
• Cheick Kongo (vs Pat Barry at UFC Live 4)
• Joe Warren (vs Joe Soto at Bellator 27)
• Marloes Coenen (vs Liz Carmouche at Strikeforce 46)
• Tito Ortiz (career)
COACH OF THE YEAR
• Cesar Gracie
• Eric Del Fierro
• Greg Jackson
• Rafael Cordeiro
• Shawn Tompkins
GYM OF THE YEAR
• Alliance MMA
• Black House
• Jackson’s MMA
• Roufusport Martial Arts Academy
• Xtreme Couture
LEADING MAN OF THE YEAR
• Bjorn Rebney, Bellator founder and CEO
• Dana White, UFC president
• Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC chairman and CEO
• Marc Ratner, UFC vice president of regulatory affairs
• Scott Coker, Strikeforce founder and CEO
BEST PROMOTION OF THE YEAR
• BAMMA
• Bellator
• DREAM
• Strikeforce
• UFC
BEST LIFESTYLE CLOTHING BRAND
• Affliction
• Bad Boy
• Form
• RVCA
• TapouT
BEST TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT BRAND
• Bad Boy
• Everlast MMA
• Hayabusa
• Rival
• Venum
MMA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
• Ariel Helwani, MMAFighting.com/Versus.com
• Ben Fowlkes, Sports Illustrated, MMAFighting.com
• Gareth A. Davies, TheDailyTelegraph.com, ESPN
• John Morgan, MMAjunkie.com
• Josh Gross, ESPN
( The Millers and the toughest fighter in the family, Danny Jr.)
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Dan Miller, you’d know that he is one of the nicest and most accommodating fighters on the UFC roster. What many of you may not know is that Dan and his wife Kristin have been on a rollercoaster the past two years, having lost their daughter Alexis shortly after she was born and learning soon after that their infant son, Danny Jr. has a rare, and often fatal disorder known as autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease.
Danny is on daily dialysis and is awaiting a kidney transplant from his aunt as his are more than triple the size that they should be and are filled with cysts. The surgery will allow Danny to live a much more normal life, but the procedure and aftercare are not cheap. His medication after the operation, the Millers were told by Danny’s specialist, will cost upwards of $10,000 per month, and will only be partially covered by their insurance provider. To top it all off, only part of his operation will be covered by their HMO.
( The Millers and the toughest fighter in the family, Danny Jr.)
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Dan Miller, you’d know that he is one of the nicest and most accommodating fighters on the UFC roster. What many of you may not know is that Dan and his wife Kristin have been on a rollercoaster the past two years, having lost their daughter Alexis shortly after she was born and learning soon after that their infant son, Danny Jr. has a rare, and often fatal disorder known as autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease.
Danny is on daily dialysis and is awaiting a kidney transplant from his aunt as his are more than triple the size that they should be and are filled with cysts. The surgery will allow Danny to live a much more normal life, but the procedure and aftercare are not cheap. His medication after the operation, the Millers were told by Danny’s specialist, will cost upwards of $10,000 per month, and will only be partially covered by their insurance provider. To top it all off, only part of his operation will be covered by their HMO.
I had a chance to talk to Dan last year at the MMA Expo in Toronto about the struggles his family has endured and how difficult it is to keep his mind on training and fighting when he knows that his son is fighting a much tougher and important fight in a children’s hospital miles away. The story is a heart wrenching one, and as a parent I don’t know how they cope as well as they do with the situation while maintaining their everyday responsibilities.
Miller’s coaches and teammates at AMA Fight Club in East Whippany, NJ have set up a site to collect donations for the Millers to help offset the medical costs that keep piling up.
They are also holding a seminar on December 3 to raise money for the Daniel James Miller Foundation. The four-hour seminar will feature a BJJ/wrestling seminar led by Dan and Jim Miller and their teammate Charlie Brenneman, and will also include a Muay Thai seminar. There will also be autographed UFC and Strikeforce memorabilia giveaways and free AMA FC membership draws at the event.
For more info on Danny’s disease or the Daniel James Miller Foundation, click HERE.
Information on the seminar can be found here on the DJMF Facebook page HERE.
Lets help one of the good guys in the sport enjoy the holidays without the stress of wondering if he will be able to provide the necessities of life for his little boy.
‘Secure a win, and ask for a title shot.’ It’s something we see from top contenders–and even not-quite top contenders–every event. But last night Urijah Faber seemed intent on finishing his opponent and letting his performance demand the title bout for him. He did. It did.
Faber came out aggressively, throwing powerful combinations that kept Brian Bowles moving backwards. He also found a home for a score of uppercuts, one of which would spell the beginning of the end for the former WEC Bantamweight champion. With a second round ‘submission of the night’ victory, Faber emphatically punched his ticket to a rubbermatch with UFC Bantamweight kingpin Dominick Cruz.
‘Secure a win, and ask for a title shot.’ It’s something we see from top contenders–and even not-quite top contenders–every event. But last night Urijah Faber seemed intent on finishing his opponent and letting his performance demand the title bout for him. He did. It did.
Faber came out aggressively, throwing powerful combinations that kept Brian Bowles moving backwards. He also found a home for a score of uppercuts, one of which would spell the beginning of the end for the former WEC Bantamweight champion. With a second round ‘submission of the night’ victory, Faber emphatically punched his ticket to a rubbermatch with UFC Bantamweight kingpin Dominick Cruz.
Though not officially signed, the hype for the trilogy started in the Octagon last night with Faber’s post fight interview:
“Dominick, you can run but you can’t hide, homeboy. Throw some gel in that widow’s peak. Let’s do some work. Let’s do battle.”
Awww, dayum! Calling the champ out is one thing, Urijah, but calling him out on his hair is a serious faux pas.
A chance to relive their show stopping performance at UFC 132 is just too good for Zuffa to pass up, and it may prove too good to contain in a simple pay-per-view. Though White wouldn’t commit, his quiet grin conveyed that he’s giving serious thought to the pair serving as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter. White remarked that the two could hypothetically start filming their season in March for the live revisioning of the reality television franchise.
In our continued effort to bring our readers interesting contests with unique prizes, we’re proud to announce our next giveaway, which could very well end up being a regular feature here at CagePotato.com if we play our cards right.
Here’s the deal:
Our friends at TrauMMA Combat Apparel, an emerging MMA brand whose focus is on supporting fighters and making quality products, have hooked us up with one of their sponsored fighters, UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione, who has agreed to record the outgoing message for the contest winner’s answering machine or service.
Check out the rules after the jump.
(“If this is a telemarketer, you’re dead.”)
In our continued effort to bring our readers interesting contests with unique prizes, we’re proud to announce our next giveaway, which could very well end up being a regular feature here at CagePotato.com if we play our cards right.
Here’s the deal:
Our friends at TrauMMA Combat Apparel, an emerging MMA brand whose focus is on supporting fighters and making quality products, have hooked us up with one of their sponsored fighters, UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione, who has agreed to record the outgoing message for the contest winner’s answering machine or service.
The rules are simple.
Post your script that you would like “Meathead” to use for your message. We will pick the best ten and let Matt pick the winner from that pool.
One entry per person and the winner will be chosen next Thursday, November 24, 2011. The deadline for the contest is Wednesday, November 23, 2011.
The only stipulation from Matt is that there are no obscenities, which makes sense considering your boss, your mom or your parole officer may get your machine from time to time.
The winner will receive an MP3 recording of their winning entry read by Matt.
Here’s the kind of stuff we’re after:
“Hi, this is UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione. ReX tried to do this, but he made less sense than a Tito Ortiz quote. Leave a message biotches.”
or
“Hey, this is UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione. Karma’s busy getting ready for the club we’re about to head out to. I’m going to be his wingman tonight. Leave a message if you’re a hot chick.”
or even
“Hey this is UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione. Steve’s busy right now, so I’m looking after his phone messages. It’s the least I can do since he taught me everything I know about fighting. I don’t know how he finds the time to make millions in the stock market with all of the charity work he does with endangered animals and orphans. Leave a message and he’ll call you back.”
(An artist’s rendition of Tom Watson with his head shaved, dressed in a bear costume. I promise this will make more sense if you watch the video after the jump.)
Our friend Jonathan Shrager has been talking with BAMMA middleweight champion Tom “Kong” Watson, who has established a UK MMA charity account for Children in Need, one of the most high-profile and prestigious annual TV charity events across the pond. Essentially, it’s to raise money on behalf of an umbrella fund labelled “UK MMA,” helping a great cause while enhancing public perceptions of the sport within the UK, and introducing new mainstream audiences to MMA and its personalities.
The Brits are several years behind the U.S. in terms of general perceptions of the sport, so this would certainly go some way to improving that situation. Several prominent figures within the UK MMA community are already committed to backing the bid, including Nate Marquardt, Che Mills, Andre Winner and Alex Reid.
Here is an interview Jonny recently conducted with Tom which elaborates on his noble vision…
(An artist’s rendition of Tom Watson with his head shaved, dressed in a bear costume. I promise this will make more sense if you watch the video after the jump.)
Our friend Jonathan Shrager has been talking with BAMMA middleweight champion Tom “Kong” Watson, who has established a UK MMA charity account for Children in Need, one of the most high-profile and prestigious annual TV charity events across the pond. Essentially, it’s to raise money on behalf of an umbrella fund labelled “UK MMA,” helping a great cause while enhancing public perceptions of the sport within the UK, and introducing new mainstream audiences to MMA and its personalities.
The Brits are several years behind the U.S. in terms of general perceptions of the sport, so this would certainly go some way to improving that situation. Several prominent figures within the UK MMA community are already committed to backing the bid, including Nate Marquardt, Che Mills, Andre Winner and Alex Reid.
Here is an interview Jonny recently conducted with Tom which elaborates on his noble vision…
