Tag: FanHouse Exclusive

The MMA Hour With Almeida, Cote, Miletich, ‘Mayhem,’ Riggs, Hale

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, BellatorThe MMA Hour returns on Monday with another two-hour live show. Here’s who will be stopping by:

* Ricardo Almeida will be in studio to discuss his recent retirement from MMA.

* Patrick Cote will talk abou…

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The MMA Hour returns on Monday with another two-hour live show. Here’s who will be stopping by:

* Ricardo Almeida will be in studio to discuss his recent retirement from MMA.

* Patrick Cote will talk about life after the UFC and Saturday night’s fight against Kalib Starnes at Ringisde MMA 10.

* Strikeforce color analyst Pat Miletich will discuss Strikeforce Challengers 15 and the future of the organization.

* Jason “Mayhem” Miller will update us on what’s next for him.

* MMA fighter turned WWE Tough Enough contestant Jeremiah Riggs will talk about why he went from mixed martial arts to pro wrestling.

* Bellator light heavyweight Richard Hale will discuss the amazing inverted triangle he pulled off last week against Nik Fete.

And 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.

Mayhem Miller Moves Past Nick Diaz Feud, Hopes to Face UFC Fighters Soon

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, NewsNearly a year since his last fight in Strikeforce, Jason “Mayhem” Miller still has no follow-up bout scheduled, though the popular middleweight hopes the recent Zuffa-Strikeforce deal has opened up to the possibilit…

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Nearly a year since his last fight in Strikeforce, Jason “Mayhem” Miller still has no follow-up bout scheduled, though the popular middleweight hopes the recent Zuffa-Strikeforce deal has opened up to the possibilities of facing some UFC stars.

Miller is currently training as well as filming a role on Kevin James’ upcoming MMA-themed film “Here Comes the Boom,” but on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, he said he’s looking forward to getting back in the cage as soon as he gets an offer.

One of his hopes is that he gets a chance to fight against some of the sport’s biggest names.

“I will beat the brakes off most of the guys in the middleweight divisions in the UFC,” he said. “I guaran-damn-tee it.”

‘Backed Into a Corner,’ Paul Daley Aims to Scuttle Strikeforce Plans, KO Nick Diaz

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse ExclusiveWhether it’s to the head or the body, the left hook has always landed like an explosion. Even when he was a 15-year-old fighting for no real reason, Paul Daley was “knocking out grown-ass men,” as he puts it….

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Whether it’s to the head or the body, the left hook has always landed like an explosion. Even when he was a 15-year-old fighting for no real reason, Paul Daley was “knocking out grown-ass men,” as he puts it. These days, Daley is among the most feared strikers in MMA, a KO artist who has separated opponents from consciousness on many an occasion.

It is a gift that has made him a fair amount of money and put him on the verge of a major championship a few times, but the British bomber is still looking for that crown. His next opportunity comes as the challenger in Saturday’s Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley main event.

Though he’s bluntly honest in saying that his training camp could have gone better, he’s coming to America with the idea of roughing up Nick Diaz.

“I don’t think Nick is going to come forward against me,” Daley told MMA Fighting. “He has done it in previous fights, but I doubt he’ll come straight on against me. He’s been in with some heavy hitters but I don’t think he’s been in with anyone who hits as hard as me and is at that stage where he’s smashing people up … I feel I’m in that kind of mode that if I hit anybody, they’re going to sleep. If Nick Diaz wants to try that out, I’d love to give him the opportunity to do it.”

Pat Curran Ready to Unleash Surprise on Bellator Champ Eddie Alvarez

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, BellatorSaturday night is supposed to be another showcase night for Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. He is perhaps the most highly ranked fighter in the world not currently on the Zuffa payroll after the com…

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Pat CurranSaturday night is supposed to be another showcase night for Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. He is perhaps the most highly ranked fighter in the world not currently on the Zuffa payroll after the company swallowed up Strikeforce in a recent mega-deal. Alvarez has won 11 of his last 12, finished six straight opponents and is as much as a 6-fo-1 favorite to retain his title at Saturday’s Bellator 39 event in Uncasville, Connecticut.

But challenger Pat Curran has a big surprise in store for him.

The soft-spoken 23-year-old has hardly been seen or heard from since capturing the season two lightweight tournament last June, winning as an underdog three straight times in the process. He was supposed to fight Alvarez soon after, but a shoulder injury forced a postponement of the title bout.

Ten months later, Curran is healthy and set to unleash a big secret on Alvarez and the rest of the MMA world.

The Anatomy of the Zuffa-Strikeforce Deal

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, Sports Business and MediaIn the end, the impetus to the surprising Zuffa-Strikeforce deal was not the UFC’s goal of world domination, or the expensive contract of Fedor Emelianenko. Instead, it was a b…

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In the end, the impetus to the surprising Zuffa-Strikeforce deal was not the UFC’s goal of world domination, or the expensive contract of Fedor Emelianenko. Instead, it was a ball and a hoop.

In May 2008, San Jose, California-based Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVSE) acquired a 50 percent stake in Strikeforce and became its major financial engine. The relationship helped spur the expansion of the upstart MMA promotion, but it ultimately came with an unforeseen cost. SVSE had long desired to bring an NBA franchise to San Jose, and as that goal started to become more attainable, SVSE found itself faced with a decision: Look over the continued growth of Strikeforce, or focus on its core arena sports businesses with an eye on professional basketball.

With that, Strikeforce was the odd man out.

Brandon Vera Says UFC Return ‘Has Changed My Whole Outlook on Life’

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After his visit with the students at The Eagle Academy for Young Men in the Bronx, N.Y., MMA Fighting spoke to Brandon Vera about his return to the UFC.

Vera, who was released by the organization after his January loss to Thiago Silva but then re-hired after Silva was temporarily suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, talked about what it was like to get a second chance fighting for the biggest MMA organization in the world.

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After his visit with the students at The Eagle Academy for Young Men in the Bronx, N.Y., MMA Fighting spoke to Brandon Vera about his return to the UFC.

Vera, who was released by the organization after his January loss to Thiago Silva but then re-hired after Silva was temporarily suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, talked about what it was like to get a second chance fighting for the biggest MMA organization in the world.