Tag: Breaking News

TUF 17 Star Uriah Hall on UFC Champ Ronda Rousey: ‘She Totally Kicked My Ass’

Middleweight prospect Uriah Hall may be the resident terror on Season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter, but it turns out that he’s no match for the famed grappling of Ronda Rousey.During Episode 10, the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion joined Chael S…

Middleweight prospect Uriah Hall may be the resident terror on Season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter, but it turns out that he’s no match for the famed grappling of Ronda Rousey.

During Episode 10, the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion joined Chael Sonnen and “Team Darkside” for a training session, prompted by the success of surprise-standout competitor Kelvin Gastelum.

As briefly shown during a short training montage, even a relatively small athlete like Rousey has no trouble putting middleweights on their backs, a true testament to her Olympic-level judo skills.

And as Hall told the New York Post in a recent interview, even he couldn’t manage to escape Rousey’s patented flips, clinch trips and lightning-quick armbar technique, despite outweighing her by at least a solid 50 pounds:

I said to myself, ‘I can get out of this.’ Then she caught me and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this s*** is real.’

You can’t grab her and if you do grab her, you’re f***ed. Thank God they didn’t show that, because she totally kicked my ass.

Rousey’s submission skill with the armbar is widely praised as one of the most dangerous weapons in MMA, as the champion has finished nine opponents with the move so far—six of them during her professional MMA career, to boot.

Moreover, not a single female fighter has made it out of the first round with Rousey, with former challenger Liz Carmouche lasting the longest at four minutes and 49 seconds.

But Uriah Hall doesn’t have to worry about a submission threat of Rousey’s caliber, as he’ll be facing a currently-announced opponent from his season’s lineup on April 13 during the TUF 17 Finale card.

Out of the entire show’s cast, the strongest grappling threats are arguably Kelvin Gastelum, Josh Samman and Jimmy Quinlan, who have all wrestled their ways to victories during the season so far. Hall is still a favorite to win the tournament, especially due to a fantastic spinning heel-kick knockout win that UFC president Dana White called the “nastiest” in TUF history.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania & The LA Times.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: Benson Henderson, ‘I Like Fighting on the Biggest Platform and That’s Fox’

UFC title matches are usually reserved for headlining pay-per-view events, but that isn’t the case for UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.The UFC champ last defended his title at a UFC on Fox event in December and will be facing Strikeforce cham…

UFC title matches are usually reserved for headlining pay-per-view events, but that isn’t the case for UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.

The UFC champ last defended his title at a UFC on Fox event in December and will be facing Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez later this month. The champion vs. champion match belongs on a pay-per-view card, but Henderson told MMA Fighting that competing on free TV doesn’t bother him.

But just the number of people who tuned in for the main event, 5.5 million (he shortchanged himself), that’s a lot of people. That smashes any pay-per-view numbers.  A lot of guys talk about pay-per-view buys.  I don’t give a crap about pay-per-view stuff.  I like fighting on the biggest platform and FOX is that platform.

It would be easy for Henderson to feel down about not being placed atop a major pay-per-view card, but it seems the UFC champion is looking at it with a “glass half full” mentality.

“I’m excited to be on FOX for the second time in a row,” Henderson said. “I think that it shows the trust the UFC top brass and the FOX top brass have in me.”

Henderson goes on to discuss how he competes in jiu-jitsu tournaments on a regular basis and loves competition. It’s clear that competition is Henderson’s main driving force in MMA as it would be very easy for him to complain about not headlining a pay-per-view show and not getting his cut of the revenue.

Even though Henderson won’t be getting a cut of the pay-per-view buys, I believe this is still a smart strategy on his part.

By competing on free shows, Henderson is drastically increasing his fanbase. With so many viewers watching, it’s hard for Henderson to not become a household name in the MMA world. With an increase in popularity, Henderson is making himself a bigger draw on pay-per-view and in turn a more profitable fighter in the long run.

I don’t see too many UFC champions jumping at the chance to compete on Fox, but Henderson does make some valid points and it could be a huge benefit to a fighter in the long run. Perhaps we may see a few more title fights on free TV.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bellator 94: Felice Herrig Apologizes for Post-Fight Scrap with Heather Clark

Before their recent bout at Bellator 94, strawweight MMA fighters Felice Herrig and Heather Clark were already taking shots at each other.But while their heated weigh-in staredown drew extra eyes to their match on March 28, neither woman showed great s…

Before their recent bout at Bellator 94, strawweight MMA fighters Felice Herrig and Heather Clark were already taking shots at each other.

But while their heated weigh-in staredown drew extra eyes to their match on March 28, neither woman showed great sportsmanship in a post-fight scuffle after the final round.

Herrig later posted a public apology for her actions on Twitter, explaining the reason for the bad blood between herself and Clark.

According to Herrig, Clark had been trying to fight her for “almost 2 years” while allegedly insulting her for supposedly not wanting to move up to 125 pounds:

First off I want to apologize to any of my fans that thought what I did was unsportsmanlike. Looking back on it now I probably shouldn’t have reacted that way but my emotions got the better of me.

Heather has been on a mission for almost 2 years now trying to fight me and has done the typical trashing of me to try and get that attention to do it. My management told her she didnt need to go that route and simply needed to prove she could make 115lbs and we would consider it. Instead she kept up her hypocritical insults and continued to fight at 125lbs.

After Herrig and Clark finished a competitive match at Bellator 94, Herrig yelled in Clark’s face, celebrating her own fourth straight MMA victory. Clark responded by backhanding Herrig across the face, which prompted Herrig to strike back before referee Jorge Ortiz separated them.

Herrig also noted in her Twitter message that she was “tired” of “bigger girls” challenging her to matches outside of her natural weight class.

To date, the 28-year-old Texan has not fought outside of the 115-pound division, where she’s currently rated as the No. 5 fighter via MMA Rising’s Unified Women’s Mixed Martial Arts Rankings.

Prior to their fight, Herrig also shoved Clark at the Bellator 94 weigh-ins, pushing back the taller, bigger fighter after they both made weight at the strawweight limit.

Regardless of the minor controversy, Herrig’s win in her second Bellator MMA appearance cements her status as one of the top-ranked and more recognizable female fighters in her division.

Herrig has gone on an undefeated 4-0 run since 2012, with her last loss coming against Carla Esparza, the current Invicta FC strawweight champion. Clark, a Greg Jackson’s MMA team member, has fallen to 1-3 in her last four fights, with Bellator 94 marking her first set of career back-to-back losses.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania & The LA Times.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Champ Jon Jones Proposes to His Girlfriend on Easter, Shares Twitter Photo

Although Jon Jones is characterized as a ruthless force within the UFC, he’s also one of the sport’s most polarizing figures.Hence, several detractors of Jones’ overt religiousness have frequently directed criticism to his relationship with longtime gi…

Although Jon Jones is characterized as a ruthless force within the UFC, he’s also one of the sport’s most polarizing figures.

Hence, several detractors of Jones’ overt religiousness have frequently directed criticism to his relationship with longtime girlfriend Jessie Moses.

While Jones is widely known to the MMA community as a devout Christian, his unmarried relationship status with Moses has drawn some scrutiny since the young couple has had three children to date.

But this past Easter, Moses officially accepted a marriage proposal from Jones, who posted the scene to Twitter in a “breaking news” update:

 

Moses recently gave birth to Jones’ third daughter (Olivia Haven Jones) this past March, as the champion posted in a previous “breaking news” Twitter message. Shortly after his daughter’s birth, Jones teased future intentions to change Moses’ last name.

With his marriage proposal now public, Jones has not yet cited plans for a wedding date.

Moreover, the 25-year-old light heavyweight champion is currently busy preparing for his fifth UFC title defense, which will tie an all-time record set by former UFC champion Tito Ortiz.

That upcoming match takes place in the main event of UFC 159 on April 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., as Jones faces former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen.

Should Jones emerge from the Octagon victorious, he will have become only the second man to ever successfully defend the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in five consecutive performances, as well as being the youngest UFC fighter to ever accomplish such a feat.

Jones and Sonnen were originally set to meet at the now-infamous UFC 151 card, which was cancelled due to a variety of unusual circumstances.

After Dan Henderson, Jones’ original opponent, pulled out of the bout with a knee injury, several UFC light heavyweights turned down the fight, with only Sonnen willing to compete with little more than a week’s notice.

Unfortunately, Jones also pulled out of the event once Sonnen stepped in as a replacement, citing the need for a new training camp and more preparation. Without its headliner, UFC 151 was shut down by Dana White, who blamed Jones and his trainer, Greg Jackson, for the fallout.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Reportedly Signs 14-0 Chinese Bantamweight Fighter Jumabieke Tuerxun

Chinese fighters are a rare sight in the UFC, but the promotion has recently signed an interesting addition to its bantamweight roster with Jumabieke Tuerxun.Via MMA Junkie:Tuerxun (14-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is an unbeaten bantamweight who went 4-0 in 20…

Chinese fighters are a rare sight in the UFC, but the promotion has recently signed an interesting addition to its bantamweight roster with Jumabieke Tuerxun.

Via MMA Junkie:

Tuerxun (14-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is an unbeaten bantamweight who went 4-0 in 2012. The new comes via the UFC through the Chinese website Weibo, though the promotion has not made a formal announcement. iJudgeFightsfirst reported the news stateside.

Tuerxun is notable as only the second fighter the UFC has ever signed from China, with the first being Zhang Tiequan.

Carrying a perfect 14-0 career MMA record, the undefeated Tuerxun has never competed outside of his home country, much like Tiequan earlier in his career.

However, Tuerxun has the advantage of being much younger with a better-looking resume.

At just 26 years old, Tuerxun has gained seven of his 14 wins by knockout or submission, while also winning a bantamweight title in the Hong Kong-based Legend Fighting Championship.

“The Wild Wolf” also made his professional MMA debut just four years ago, although he has not fought many world-ranked opponents.

That will change once Tuerxun makes his UFC debut, as the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion actively houses several of the world’s best 135-pound fighters.

No date or event has been selected for his first fight, although it’s likely that the UFC will employ him for an upcoming event overseas.

Generally, the UFC signs up many of its Asian fighters for events between Japan and China, where the company has held three events since February 2012.

Should that prove to be the case for Tuerxun, it’s reasonable to expect he may debut with the UFC if it returns to China this year.

The UFC made its historic first visit to the region during UFC on Fuel 6, which featured a headlining bout between former middleweight champion Rich Franklin and Strikeforce veteran Cung Le. Tuerxun has fought in Macau previously, as well as Hong Kong, where he carries equal name value.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Report: Alexander Gustafsson Injured, Fight with Gegard Mousasi in Serious Doubt

The UFC on Fuel 9 headlining bout is in serious jeopardy after Alexander Gustafsson suffered a major cut in training, according to a report by MMA Mania. “The Mauler” was set to headline the show, which takes place in his native country of Sweden,…

The UFC on Fuel 9 headlining bout is in serious jeopardy after Alexander Gustafsson suffered a major cut in training, according to a report by MMA Mania. 

“The Mauler” was set to headline the show, which takes place in his native country of Sweden, against Strikeforce, Dream and Pride veteran Gegard Mousasi. 

The initial news came from Swedish media outlet Sportspegeln, but few details are available other than the fact that it does not appear that Gustafsson will be able to compete Saturday. Should the report be accurate, the timing couldn’t be much worse for Gustafsson, the victor in his past six fights, who was promised a title shot with a win over “The Dream Catcher.”

The lanky striker last competed at UFC on Fox 5 in December, earning a convincing unanimous decision over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. 

Meanwhile, Mousasi is on a 5-0-1 run in his past six bouts, most recently finishing Mike Kyle with a rear-naked choke at the Strikeforce finale in January. 

Mousasi boasts one of the best records in professional MMA with a mark of 33-3-2, though it’s been years since he’s been tested by truly elite-level competition at 205 pounds. 

Gustafsson, currently ranked No. 2 on the UFC’s official light heavyweight rankings, certainly would have provided that challenge. 

No word if there is any hope of another light heavyweight stepping in to face Mousasi, ranked No. 10 in the UFC’s rankings, on very short notice. 

The co-headlining bout for UFC on Fuel 9 is currently a lightweight scrap between Ross Pearson and Ryan Couture, so there is always the possibility that matchup could be promoted to the main event if no one steps up to face Mousasi.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com