Tag: Breaking News

Felice Herrig Wants to Be the Last Fighter to Face Megumi Fujii

Women’s MMA will lose a legend this October when former No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter Megumi Fujii hangs up her gloves after one final fight in October under the Vale Tudo Japan banner.
Fujii has been recognized as one of the best women’s fighte…

Women’s MMA will lose a legend this October when former No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter Megumi Fujii hangs up her gloves after one final fight in October under the Vale Tudo Japan banner.

Fujii has been recognized as one of the best women’s fighters for several years. She held an undefeated record for most of her career and faced the top competition in Japan before she tried her hand in Bellator back in 2010.

The Japanese star has wins over several top names including current Invicta champion Carla Esparza, but she will still put a bow on her career this October. There’s at least one current women’s star who hopes to travel to Japan and land the retirement fight with Fujii.

Felice Herrig, who has won her last four bouts in a row, including two victories in Bellator, is putting her name in the hat as the person to draw the final fight with Fujii in October.

While her hope is to land the fight, Herrig isn’t trying to be disrespectful towards Fujii—it’s exactly the opposite.

Herrig knows that Fujii is a legend, and the best way to honor that is to give her the best fight possible before she calls it a career.

“It would truly be an honor to compete against Megumi in her final fight,” Herrig told Bleacher Report. “She is a true pioneer for WMMA and I would like to be able to look back on my career and say I had the opportunity to face her.”

Herrig is one of the top rising prospects in the women’s division at 115 pounds, who also carries solid name value in the sport.

It’s unknown at this time who the candidates are to face Fujii in her final fight, but it’s well known that many promotions in Japan don’t settle on a fight until just weeks before it’s set to actually take place.

To make sure she’s in fighting shape in case she gets the call, Herrig is staying busy in the mean time.

She will return to her striking roots this weekend in a Muay Thai fight in Chicago when she takes on Amanda LaVoy in a special attraction bout.

Herrig hopes that her next fight will be against Fujii in Japan this October.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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John Howard Thinks Uriah Hall Is Good, but Perhaps a Little Overrated

John Howard hasn’t competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship since a 2011 loss to Matt Brown capped a three-fight losing streak and sent him packing from the world’s biggest promotion all the way to the minor leagues around the United States.
Even…

John Howard hasn’t competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship since a 2011 loss to Matt Brown capped a three-fight losing streak and sent him packing from the world’s biggest promotion all the way to the minor leagues around the United States.

Even in his sabbatical from the UFC, there was no question that Howard had the talent to compete with the mid- to upper-tier guys in his division. After all, the three consecutive losses that sent him packing from the company? They came at the hands of Jake Ellenberger, Thiago Alves and Brown. Even today, that’s what we call a welterweight Murderers’ Row. 

After compiling a 6-1 record outside the UFC (and even offering to fight for free if given the opportunity to compete in Boston), Howard makes his return to the promotion against last season’s Ultimate Fighter golden boy Uriah Hall. 

Hall was built up as a monster during the filming of the show, but he ultimately fell flat on his face in the live finale against Kelvin Gastelum. And in the immortal words of Shania Twain, that don’t impress Howard much:

Fighting Uriah Hall, I think he’s good. A little overrated. He knocked out some guys with some flashy stuff. That’s good, it’s impressive, but my thing is, who did he fight? He fought Ultimate Fighter fighters. What people have to understand is these guys are not legit UFC fighters; they’re guys who are trying to be a UFC fighter. Let’s switch sides, let me be Uriah Hall, put me in the house. What do you think would happen? Not only do I have knockouts in the UFC, I have knockouts throughout my career. I have more knockouts than him. And the people I knocked out were more creditable.

I believe the word Howard intended to use was “credible,” since “creditable” is actually a bit of a backhand insult and I don’t think that’s the effect he intended. 

But either way, does Howard have a point? In his previous UFC stint, Howard knocked out Daniel Roberts and Dennis Hallman. After being released, Howard knocked out a whole bunch of dudes I’ve never heard of. And not that this is the hallmark of how good someone is, but exactly zero of Howard’s post-UFC knockout victims have their own Wikipedia page. 

Let’s hope Howard, despite being a late replacement and having nothing to lose, is not underestimating Hall. If he is, we might see the Hall from the TUF house return.

You know, the one Chael Sonnen said could beat Anderson Silva right now.

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Rousimar Palhares Plans to Shed Tons of Muscle, Drop to Welterweight

It’s a sad day, of sorts: Rousimar Palhares is planning a drop to welterweight, and that means we’ll marvel no more at his incredible ability to pack 250 pounds of muscle on a frame that’s much more suited for featherweight than middleweight. 
Pal…

It’s a sad day, of sorts: Rousimar Palhares is planning a drop to welterweight, and that means we’ll marvel no more at his incredible ability to pack 250 pounds of muscle on a frame that’s much more suited for featherweight than middleweight. 

Palhares, the 5’8″ grappling dynamo who constantly draws references to inanimate objects like fire hydrants, revealed via last night’s episode of UFC Tonight that he’s planning to drop to welterweight when he returns from his nine-month suspension for elevated testosterone levels. Palhares, affectionately known as “Paul Harris” by denizens of the internet MMA fan community, failed the drug test following his December loss to Hector Lombard.

After the loss (and ensuing suspension), Palhares noted to Gracie Magazine that he was already considering a drop in weight class: 

My desire to get down to the welterweight division is great, but I don’t want to make a hasty decision … I will only really do it if my body’s response is positive. I’m doing a fully integrated work of nutrition, fitness, supplementation and orthomolecular medicine. I’m with a very good team taking care of me.

The change in weight class is more of a necessity than anything else for Palhares. His “desire to get down to the welterweight division” is only great because the UFC tends to have very little patience for fighters who fight above their weight class thanks to the muscle-building properties of performance-enhancing drugs. Of course he’s in a hurry to get to 170; he’d be cut in an instant if he returned and lost another middleweight fight. 

The loss to Lombard was the second in a row for Palhares, so he’ll be urgently seeking to right the ship when he’s eligible to return with his new welterweight body later this year. 

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Joe Lauzon Looking to Set UFC Bonus Record at UFC Fight Night 26

Joe Lauzon is a bonus machine. During his UFC tenure he has compiled 12 fight-night bonuses, a grand total comprised of six Submission of the Night awards, five Fight of the Night honors and one Knockout of the Night victory.
That number puts him in a …

Joe Lauzon is a bonus machine. During his UFC tenure he has compiled 12 fight-night bonuses, a grand total comprised of six Submission of the Night awards, five Fight of the Night honors and one Knockout of the Night victory.

That number puts him in a tie with Anderson Silva for the most bonuses garnered by a UFC fighter. But apparently, no-one ever taught Lauzon that sharing was nice.

During an interview with MMA Junkie, Lauzon expressed his desire to pull ahead of Silva and claim the bonus title for himself.

“This is my opportunity, so I’m going to get a bonus, then petition to get it changed to the ‘Joe Lauzon bonus,'” the 155-pounder kidded. “I’ll tell Dana [White] I changed my stance on fighter pay, and that we need to do away with bonuses, so I could remain the all-time leader.”

But first things first for Lauzon. He’ll have to score a nice finish, or at least put on a good show, when he takes on Michael Johnson this August 27 at UFC Fight Night 26.

Johnson will enter the fight coming off two consecutive defeats. It is very much a must-win matchup for the 27-year-old, and if he comes out fighting for his job, it may just be enough to make the fight the best of the evening.

Lauzon is also coming off a loss (and Fight of the Night performance), his to Jim Miller at UFC 155. The Massachusetts native is always willing to engage in heavy-fire and will be fighting in his home state. 

A desperate Johnson and a motivated Lauzon spells fireworks, no? Like, bonus fireworks?

Well, we’ll just have to wait and see whether Lauzon can take top spot on the UFC all-time bonus list. The UFC Fight Night 26 card is overflowing his competitive pairings and deadly finishers, so it certainly won’t come easy.

But Lauzon hasn’t amassed such an impressive resume by accident. It’s quite possible he pulls it off.

Of course, he’ll probably be happy with a win any way it comes. 

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Alistair Overeem Talks Getting Knocked Out by Silva and the Lessons He Learned

When Alistair Overeem joined the UFC in December 2011, he was riding an 11-fight unbeaten streak and was collecting titles in other promotions with ease. Despite his many accolades, questions remained about Overeem, specifically could he hang with the …

When Alistair Overeem joined the UFC in December 2011, he was riding an 11-fight unbeaten streak and was collecting titles in other promotions with ease. Despite his many accolades, questions remained about Overeem, specifically could he hang with the best of the best in the UFC?

The UFC matchmakers wasted no time in putting Overeem to the test.

His first fight with the promotion was against former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in the main event of UFC 141. Overeem handled himself well in that matchup, using his superior striking to send Lesnar packing from the UFC and the sport of MMA at the 2:26 mark of the first round.

For his next fight, Overeem was matched up against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

That fight told a different tale.

Overeem oozed confidence going into the bout. Everything about him seemed to suggest that he felt Silva was just a bump in the road before his ultimate destination, a UFC heavyweight title shot.

Overeem’s hubris may have led to his downfall.

Speaking of that fight on UFC Tonight, Overeem said, “What happened was he knocked me out cold. I think there was a little bit of an under-estimation. He’s a dangerous guy. He has heavy bones. That was a costly price to pay.”

The price that Overeem paid was a brutal third-round knockout that sent his stock tumbling and brought back the questions it appeared Overeem had answered with his win over Lesnar.

Overeem said the loss to Silva taught him many things:

“I’ve learned all the lessons I could have. I took some time off to overthink everything that wasn’t right. In my own way, I’ve been fixing everything. I’ve been in camp for four months, and I feel great. I look forward to fighting again in 12 days.”

Those lessons will be put to the test when Overeem faces Travis Browne on Aug. 17 in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 26.

Overeem seems confident heading into this fight—but not overconfident:

“I’m a striker, and I’m looking for that striking game. I also have a submission game, and I also have some wrestling. I’m all around. I think I’m especially going to beat him in the experience. I have so many more fights than he has. He’s very aggressive, but my experience is going to be the turning point.” 

This bout could be a turning point in the careers of both fighters. Both have recent defeats at the hands of Silva, (Browne was TKO’d by Silva in October 2012) both are ranked in the top 10 in the heavyweight division, and both desperately need a win on Aug. 17 if they want to get a title shot any time in the near future.

Things will be interesting in Boston.

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Jose Aldo Suffering from Kidney Stones in Addition to Broken Foot

Jose Aldo’s UFC 163 performance wasn’t the most dynamic of his career, but it’s difficult to fault the guy considering he was fighting on a broken foot. 
Impressively, Aldo was able to overcome the ailment and control the action, eventually winnin…

Jose Aldo‘s UFC 163 performance wasn’t the most dynamic of his career, but it’s difficult to fault the guy considering he was fighting on a broken foot. 

Impressively, Aldo was able to overcome the ailment and control the action, eventually winning when opponent Chan Sung Jung suffered an injury of his own.

But as long as we are keeping track of injuries, go ahead and put another tick in the Aldo column. As it turns out, the champion is suffering from kidney stones in addition to the structural damage done to his foot.

News of the condition was broken by Jorge Correa of UOL and confirmed by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting.

The UFC’s doctor in Brazil, Marcio Tannure, has said the issue is none too pleasurable but not threatening, according to Cruz. And Aldo may now be in the clear. 

“I learned about this problem with Andre Pederneiras, Aldo’s coach,” Tannure said. “He had renal calculus (kidney stones) before. He needs to send me the results of the exams so I can check it. Andre told me it’s not serious, and he probably already expelled the stones.”

If you’re unfamiliar with the condition, you can learn about it from Cosmo Kramer right here.

And for a better understanding of what passing a stone entails, check in with the K-man once again by clicking here.

Informational links aside, the fact that Aldo has been released from the hospital is a good sign. While passing a kidney stone isn’t the most enjoyable way to spend a weekend, it seems the broken foot will be the persistent ailment of Aldo’s two post-UFC 163 calamities.

But it will be interesting to see how the stone impacts Aldo’s career moving forward. Dehydration is a key cause of stone formation, and Aldo has been known to suffer a difficult weight cut to make the featherweight limit. 

A move to lightweight has been long speculated, and this medical issue will only fuel those speculations.

Perhaps it will also convince Aldo that it’s time to make the jump to 155, but that remains to be seen.

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