Tag: Breaking News

Chael Sonnen’s Mom Begs Brazil to Protect Her Son During TUF Filming

There’s no doubt UFC middleweight/light heavyweight Chael Sonnen has made his share of enemies in Brazil. So much so that his mom, Claudia, has begged the nation not to let anyone “reach” her son to hurt him.
She made the comments to …

There’s no doubt UFC middleweight/light heavyweight Chael Sonnen has made his share of enemies in Brazil. So much so that his mom, Claudia, has begged the nation not to let anyone “reach” her son to hurt him.

She made the comments to Brazilian media in the run-up to Sonnen’s second stint as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, which will film in Brazil next year.

“I’m worried about his safety during filming there. I know you all are legal, decent people,” she said (H/T MMA Mania). “My sister and her family received an exchange student from Brazil who has lived in her house when Chael was younger and they have shared many hours with each other. That said, it only takes one to ruin it…and I pray that you not allow someone to reach Chael in person. He is a great coach and is eager to help the young fighters as much as he can.”

During his years as a middleweight contender, Sonnen made many enemies in Brazil with his pursuit of division champion Anderson Silva. In his now famous trash talk leading up to two failed attempts to beat Silva in the Octagon, Sonnen went after anyone associated with the champion, including his country and training partners the Nogueira brothers.

Sonnen, of course, both lost his first fight to Silva but was also suspended for failing a drug test after the fight due to elevated testosterone levels. The man himself continues to claim that he only used testosterone for medical reasons and that he didn’t actually fail the drug test due to the use of anabolic steroids.

Still, several people took exception to his trash talking, including another middleweight and friend of Anderson, Wanderlei Silva. Wandy famously confronted Sonnen in a car about his comments, warning him that he would lose his teeth if he carried on talking the way he was.

That laid the seeds for a Wanderlei/Sonnen TUF showdown, which is now being realised three years later. However, threats of Brazilians breaking his teeth still loom over the American.

Despite assurances from the UFC, Sonnen still fears for his safety. Preparations for his security, as well as dates for the filming of the show, are still being made and the two coaches might not eventually face each other until June 2014.

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Rory MacDonald: ‘I Needed to Lose’

Losing to Robbie Lawler was exactly what Rory MacDonald needed.
The young welterweight star has been coasting on a sea of hype for well over two years now. As Georges St-Pierre’s protégé, MacDonald’s path seemed simpler than a…

Losing to Robbie Lawler was exactly what Rory MacDonald needed.

The young welterweight star has been coasting on a sea of hype for well over two years now. As Georges St-Pierre’s protégé, MacDonald’s path seemed simpler than any other fighter’s on the entire UFC roster.

He would continue to fight in St-Pierre’s shadow and win tough fights, and whenever St-Pierre lost or decided to retire, he would step right in and fill the massive void left by arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history.

But things rarely go according to plan in this world. Fate often has a cruel twist up its sleeve capable of derailing even the supplest individuals.

After suffering his first career loss to Carlos Condit, MacDonald rebounded with a five-fight win streak, with every victory coming relatively easy against notable opposition.

With early talks of St-Pierre possibly retiring, the stars appeared to finally be aligning for MacDonald to step from beyond the shadows and take his place at the forefront of the UFC welterweight division.

“Everything was coming very easy for me the last three years since losing to Carlos (Condit). The fights were going very smoothly, and I just felt like, ‘Wow, it’s becoming very easy.’ I kind of let my guard down a bit,” MacDonald said on The MMA Hour Monday.

It’s a common mistake for a young fighter to feel invincible until they are grounded by the realization that the margin of error is too small in MMA to ever become comfortable.

The truth was revealed to MacDonald in a stunning split-decision loss to Lawler at UFC 167. He had taken all of his previous hard work for granted. The hunger and fire that had once fueled him had been eradicated by superstardom.

On The MMA Hour, he admitted that fighting was no longer fun for him:

Usually, win or lose, in my fights in the past, I’ve always had fun. I’ve always enjoyed my time fighting. This year, I didn’t enjoy fighting. … The most exciting point for me was actually getting into the fight. I was hungry. I wanted to destroy my opponents, and I was hungry. I had that fire in me to fight. I think it shows in both of my performances this year that I didn’t have that fire.

…I needed to lose. I needed to get into a hard fight. I’m very motivated, more than ever now. I’m very hungry. I feel like I have that fire back.

At only 24 years old, the future remains bright for MacDonald, who is still one of the most talented fighters in the UFC.

It’s rare for any path to greatness in MMA to yield a linear road without any stops or roadblocks along the way.

MacDonald is now faced with the second major roadblock in his professional career, and like last time, he is prepared to face it head-on.

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Former Title Challenger Moraga Out, Ozkilic in vs. Uyenoyama at UFC on Fox 9

Another injury has forced a reshuffle at UFC on Fox 9, as former UFC Flyweight Championship challenger John Moraga has dropped out of his scheduled bout with Darren Uyenoyama. In his place is a top flyweight outside the UFC in Alp Ozkilic.
This signing…

Another injury has forced a reshuffle at UFC on Fox 9, as former UFC Flyweight Championship challenger John Moraga has dropped out of his scheduled bout with Darren Uyenoyama. In his place is a top flyweight outside the UFC in Alp Ozkilic.

This signing has further bolstered the flyweight division, which keeps getting bigger and more talented as the days go by. Ozkilic, considered by many to be a top-five 125er outside the company, will certainly make the division even more talented.

Ozkilic‘s signing comes on the heels of the signing of his flyweight teammate Josh Sampo, who will compete this weekend at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale. Both men were college wrestling teammates who train out of St. Charles MMA in Missouri.

Ozkilic is much like Sampo in that he is a good wrestler with a solid submission base. The difference between Ozklic and Sampo is that Alp is probably the more powerful of the two, especially in the striking category.

He has especially shown that power and potential in his latest two outings, both of which came via knockout. After pasting journeyman Josh Robinson with nasty ground-and-pound, Ozkilic notched the biggest win of his career when he blasted through UFC vet Antonio Banuelos in just 30 seconds.

His matchup opposite of Uyenoyama provides an interesting chess match. Uyenoyama is a good wrestler that relies on his ground game to suffocate opponents. That may be tough against a better wrestler such as Ozkilic.

Most of Alp’s wins come via decision, showing that he can grind guys out as needed; however, one would think his plan here is to use his wrestling defensively while he chips away at Uyenoyama on the feet.

Alp’s only loss came back in April of last year, when he fell to current UFC bantamweight Chico Camus. Since then, however, he has grown leaps and bounds, showing to be a different fighter to this day.

The fight will take place on the prelims. Though the loss of Moraga is unfortunate, it’s great to see the UFC ink a future title contender like Ozkilic.

Stay tuned for more information from Bleacher Report as breaking news rolls in.

 

Follow me on Twitter for MMA news and other random thoughts (@RileyKontekMMA). Or don’t; that’s cool too.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

‘Walking Miracle’ Matt Grice Unveils Details from Near-Fatal Car Accident

Earlier this year, Matt Grice fought Dennis Bermudez at UFC 157. It was a heart-stopping blend of action and endurance, and it easily won Fight of the Night honors. It will be in contention when the best fights for the entire year are determined; it’s …

Earlier this year, Matt Grice fought Dennis Bermudez at UFC 157. It was a heart-stopping blend of action and endurance, and it easily won Fight of the Night honors. It will be in contention when the best fights for the entire year are determined; it’s a rare thing when a fight that happens early in the year is still in contention 11 or 12 months later.

I spoke to Grice the morning after UFC 157 at our hotel by Disney World. As you might expect, his face was battered, but he was the same courteous, respectful fighter I’d met years before at a World Extreme Cagefighting event in Denver. Even though he’d lost a close decision to Bermudez, he was happy with the performance because it put him on the radar of UFC brass. They knew they could count on Grice to put on exciting fights.

He was scheduled to return to the cage in October, at UFC 166, against Jeremy Larsen. But on Sept. 8, Grice was involved in a horrific auto accident in Shawnee, Okla. 

A driver going 65 miles per hour struck Grice‘s Jeep as Grice waited at a stoplight. Here’s the official report from the City of Oklahoma’s website:

On Sunday, Sept 8th, at approximately 4pm, off-duty Officer Matthew Grice (age 32) was involved in a serious multi-car accident in Shawnee, OK (accident investigated by Oklahoma Highway Patrol). The accident left him in critical condition. Officer Grice was transported to an Oklahoma City hospital,where his status is currently listed as confidential. The Grice family has asked for privacy as they deal with this sudden and unfortunate situation.

Local newspaper The Oklahoman provided more details on the accident, citing a patrol report. For Grice, though, the accident remains a mystery. He appeared on The MMA Hour on Monday to discuss the accident and fallout:

I don’t remember the accident at all. I guess I got rear-ended, and the guy went 65 MPH. He never hit his brakes or anything, and he hit me going 65. … He said he was distracted by his grandkids. Luckily, they were OK, I think one of them hurt their nose or something. They ended up being alright. He wasn’t paying attention apparently. It was a stoplight you could see almost for a mile. How he was distracted that long, I don’t know.

Doctors kept Grice in a medically-induced coma, removing a portion of his skull to allow the pressure on his brain to subside. He was eventually brought out of the coma and told Ariel Helwani that he could not remember his wife or kids:

I woke up, and I didn’t remember being married and didn’t remember having kids. It really shook me up. So, they brought someone in and explained everything and showed me pictures. Now, I remember almost everything, it just threw me for a loop, and I just started bawling right then and there.

After a long hospital stay, Grice was sent home for outpatient recovery. He has another surgery scheduled for Dec. 13, where doctors will re-attach the portion of his skull they took off during his hospital stay. The Oklahoma Police Department is holding a job for him; the only question is whether Grice will be allowed to go back on patrol or if he’ll be forced to work a less strenuous job due to his injuries. 

And though a return to the Octagon seems unlikely for someone who has suffered such a traumatic brain injury, Grice isn’t ruling anything out.

I talked to one of the doctors, and it depends on putting the skull back in and how it all does. Like I said, I’m only two months into this deal, and it’s surprising how along I am already, so they’re not ruling anything out. I’m hoping yeah, I’d love to fight again. That’s what I do, I enjoy what I do, it’s fun and I just love competing, I hope I can do it again.

We don’t know if Grice will ever step foot in the Octagon again, and we don’t know if he’ll ever be able to go back out on patrol.

But there’s one thing we do know, without a shadow of a doubt: Matt Grice is a fighter. 

 

If you’d like to continue following Matt’s progress, please visit the Facebook page maintained by his wife Caroline.

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Rousimar Palhares, Banned from the UFC, Signs with World Series of Fighting

Rousimar Palhares, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert who was permanently banned from the UFC for holding dangerous submissions after referee stoppages, has signed with the fledgling World Series of Fighting promotion.
According to a report Monday evening&…

Rousimar Palhares, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert who was permanently banned from the UFC for holding dangerous submissions after referee stoppages, has signed with the fledgling World Series of Fighting promotion.

According to a report Monday evening from John Morgan and Dann Stupp of MMA Junkie, the controversial welterweight joins the WSOF fold despite previous assertions from promotion president Ray Sefo that WSOF had “no interest” in signing Palhares.

Palhares has more than once held his signature submission move, the heel hook, after a referee has called for an end to the bout. In March 2010, Palhares, then a middleweight, was suspended by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board for 90 days for failing to release a heel hook following his UFC 111 win over Tomasz Drwal. 

The UFC handed Palhares a lifetime ban after UFC Fight Night 29, held in Brazil on Oct. 9. Palhares looked terrific in his welterweight debut, submitting tough wrestler Mike Pierce in only 31 seconds. However, the victory was tarnished when Palhares refused to let go of his hold.

Palhares said after the fight and before his UFC release he believed he stopped when he noticed the referee’s exhortations for him to do so, and that he did not feel he should receive any additional punishment.  

Despite the controversy, however, Palhares remains popular with fans for his aggressive submission game and exuberant style in the cage.

In addition to a popular fighter, WSOF also gets a seasoned and accomplished welterweight in Palhares, who is 15-5 as a pro and who, at age 33, may be far from done as an elite competitor. 

Before dropping to welterweight, Palhares had lost two straight in the UFC middleweight division. His final middleweight fight, a knockout loss to Hector Lombard in December 2012, was further besmirched when Palhares tested positive for elevated testosterone levels. Prior to that fight, Palhares lost by TKO to longtime UFC veteran Alan Belcher.

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Video: Georges St-Pierre’s First Interview After UFC 167

Georges St-Pierre didn’t need a public relations official to dispel a slew of rumors regarding his decision to temporarily walk away from competition following his win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167.
In fact, as you can see in the above video, St-Pier…

Georges St-Pierre didn’t need a public relations official to dispel a slew of rumors regarding his decision to temporarily walk away from competition following his win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167.

In fact, as you can see in the above video, St-Pierre instead chose to answer a slew of personal queries freely from a prying TMZ Sports reporter while walking through an airport.

Wearing sunglasses to conceal the damage from his controversial win over Hendricks, “GSP” responded to the rumors with a smile, saying, “I’m not a dad, I’m not in rehab, and my father is not dying.”

Regardless of what’s eating St-Pierre, it appears he needs time off, and fans shouldn’t expect to see him in the Octagon anytime soon. And considering what his brain and body endured at UFC 167, fans shouldn’t blame him.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com