Tag: FanHouse Exclusive

Mark Coleman: ‘Fighting Was a Dream, and I Lived the Dream’

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveWhen Randy Couture said his goodbyes and walked out of the cage for what he would have us believe is the last time in his pro fighting career, Mark Coleman stood there with the 55,000 fans in the Rogers Centre, and j…

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When Randy Couture said his goodbyes and walked out of the cage for what he would have us believe is the last time in his pro fighting career, Mark Coleman stood there with the 55,000 fans in the Rogers Centre, and just like them he felt a range of emotions swirling inside him.

“I felt a lot of different things,” Coleman said. “Randy’s somebody who I don’t have a bad word to say about, who helped me a lot in my career, who opened his gym to me. I don’t know if you want to use the word hero, but yeah, he was sort of a personal hero of mine.”

He was also a contemporary of Coleman’s from the early days of MMA, and a fellow UFC hall of famer. And now here he was, just a little over a year removed from a win over Coleman at UFC 109, and he was calling it quits. When you’re a 46-year-old pro fighting legend watching one of your peers hang up the gloves, it’s the kind of thing that makes you think.

Zuffa Continues Increased Role in Strikeforce Day-to-Day Business

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsIt’s been two months since UFC parent company Zuffa purchased rival promotion Strikeforce, and the company continues to increase its presence in its secondary brand by placing more of its personnel…

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It’s been two months since UFC parent company Zuffa purchased rival promotion Strikeforce, and the company continues to increase its presence in its secondary brand by placing more of its personnel in key roles.

The latest changes have come via subtraction. According to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, several Strikeforce employees have been let go in the last week, the result of duplication of job duties brought about by the marriage of the two companies.

Mike Dolce Not Working With Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson for UFC 130

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsMike Dolce, one of the key members of Team Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for the last couple of years, has not been helping Jackson prepare for his UFC 130 fight against Matt Hamill.

Dolce, a fighter who was a cas…

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Mike Dolce, one of the key members of Team Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for the last couple of years, has not been helping Jackson prepare for his UFC 130 fight against Matt Hamill.

Dolce, a fighter who was a cast member on the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter but has gained notoriety as of late for his work as a nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach, had been working closely with Jackson since his UFC 92 fight against Wanderlei Silva.

The pair didn’t have a falling out, however, Dolce was just already booked to work with Thiago Alves for his fight against Rick Story at the same event.

“Business-wise, it’s a great problem,” Dolce said on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, “but as a friend, emotionally, it’s really hard for me. I had a really tough time with that. I felt like I was leaving my friend; I was leaving my team behind in moving on with my professional responsibilities.”

Bob Reilly Questions Motives Behind Zuffa’s Accident Insurance

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsMixed martial arts’ most vocal critic in New York acknowledges that Zuffa’s new accident insurance for its fighters is a positive move but won’t go as far as saying it will help get MMA legalized in the Empire …

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Mixed martial arts’ most vocal critic in New York acknowledges that Zuffa’s new accident insurance for its fighters is a positive move but won’t go as far as saying it will help get MMA legalized in the Empire State.

MMA Fighting contacted Assemblyman Bob Reilly to discuss whether Zuffa’s new insurance policy could help pave the way for the legalization of MMA in New York, and while he at first admitted to not hearing the news, he offered — for perhaps the first time — a compliment to the MMA promoters.

“I certainly wouldn’t disparage that,” Reilly said. “I think that’s a good thing.”

The praise ended there, though, as Reilly quickly questioned the motives behind the decision.

Union Memo Reveals Its Arguments Against MMA In New York

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsAt the UFC 129 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White stated that the real reason MMA had yet to be legalized in New York State was due to a long-standing battle between Station Casinos, which is…

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At the UFC 129 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White stated that the real reason MMA had yet to be legalized in New York State was due to a long-standing battle between Station Casinos, which is owned by UFC co-owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, and a Nevada-based union.

“It has nothing to do with mixed martial arts the reason that we’re not in New York,” White said. “It has to do with the Culinary Union. The Culinary Union is spending millions of dollars of all these people who pay dues to keep us out of there because my partners, the Fertitta brothers, are the largest non-union gaming company in the country. So these union idiots, all these people work in the Culinary Union, pay their money towards dues, this is what all their money’s being spent towards. Fighting the UFC from coming there and bringing money into the state of New York.”

Culinary Union Local 226, which consists of over 60,000 members working in the food service industry in Nevada, has been trying unsuccessfully for approximately 15 years to unionize almost 14,000 workers at the 18 hotel-casinos operated by Station Casinos.

The MMA Hour With Mark Hominick, Frank Trigg, Donald Brashear, Mike Dolce

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosHere’s who will be stopping by Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour.

* Mark Hominick, fresh off his exhilarating title fight against Jose Aldo at UFC 129, will update us on his health and what’s next for him.

*…

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Here’s who will be stopping by Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour.

* Mark Hominick, fresh off his exhilarating title fight against Jose Aldo at UFC 129, will update us on his health and what’s next for him.

* Frank Trigg, who faces John Phillips at BAMMA 6 on May 21.

* Former NHL enforcer Donald Brashear will discuss his MMA debut at Ringside MMA 11.

* MMA nutritionist Mike Dolce, who has been working closely with UFC 130‘s Thiago Alves.

* Matt Mitrione will grace us with his presence for his popular “Mitrione Minute” segment.

Of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193 or 212-254-0237.

Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Download previous episodes of The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here.