Tag: FanHouse Exclusive

Antonio McKee Takes Responsibility for Shinya Aoki Fight Not Happening

Filed under: DREAM, FanHouse Exclusive, News, JapanThe only thing Antonio McKee is willing to say for certain is that he won’t be fighting Shinya Aoki at DREAM’s ‘Fight for Japan’ event at the end of the month, as was initially planned. As for why, tha…

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The only thing Antonio McKee is willing to say for certain is that he won’t be fighting Shinya Aoki at DREAM’s ‘Fight for Japan’ event at the end of the month, as was initially planned. As for why, that answer is a little trickier, and one he’s keeping to himself for now.

“You know what? So I can fight Aoki in the near future, I’m not going to say anything about it,” McKee told MMA Fighting on Tuesday. “I’ll just say, I’ve heard it was because I just had surgery. I’ve heard there’s something wrong with my visa. I’ve heard I wasn’t getting paid so I wasn’t taking it. But it is definitely my responsibility that the fight’s not happening, and I’ll just leave it at that. Because I want that fight, sooner or later.”

McKee declined to explain any further, saying he was going to “protect myself and protect DREAM” by not disclosing the reason why the bout fell apart.

Of course, keeping quiet isn’t exactly easy for McKee. The 41-year-old lightweight has been known to make somewhat outrageous claims about his own abilities, which he feels were largely unappreciated for most of his career, and recently called the UFC the “new slave masters” after being cut from the organization following a decision loss to Jacob Volkmann in his Octagon debut at UFC 125.

But this time, McKee said, he’s resisting the urge to make a media splash on the subject of DREAM and Aoki.

“I’m just going to plead the fifth right now until it kind of cools off. I seem to be a very hot topic right now in the community of MMA, so I got to be a little more careful about what I say. I’m very verbal and I shoot it straight from the hip, but this is a situation where I’m going to shut my mouth because I think that’s best for my career.”

The next step in that career, according to McKee, is a fight with Rafaello Oliveira at CCF Bushido in Canada on July 23. And once that’s done?

“I would like to take the fight with Aoki right after that, if possible,” he said.

 

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Shane Carwin Looks to Make the Most of His Sudden Good Fortune at UFC 131

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveShane Carwin can pinpoint the exact moment he lost his UFC heavyweight title fight against Brock Lesnar. His record says submission via arm triangle, second round, but forget that. That’s just when the fighting offic…

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Shane Carwin lost to Brock Lesnar in the main event of UFC 116.Shane Carwin can pinpoint the exact moment he lost his UFC heavyweight title fight against Brock Lesnar. His record says submission via arm triangle, second round, but forget that. That’s just when the fighting officially stopped. Really, he lost it in the first, when his body began to fail him.

“First time it’s ever happened to me in my life,” Carwin says in his soft, low voice that forces you to lean in just to catch what he’s saying. “It was terrible.”

It started with a strange feeling that flooded over him right as he was at his most dominant point in the fight. One minute he was focused entirely on pounding Lesnar into an early stoppage, and then the next thing he knew he was all too aware of his surroundings, and in all the wrong ways.

The MMA Hour With Rampage, Edgar, Chou, Rebney, Miller, Escovedo

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosThe MMA Hour returns on Monday with another loaded show. Here’s a list of who will be stopping by:

* Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who faces Matt Hamill at UFC 130.

* UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar wil…

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The MMA Hour returns on Monday with another loaded show. Here’s a list of who will be stopping by:

* Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who faces Matt Hamill at UFC 130.

* UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will discuss when he expects to return to action.

* Former Strikeforce matchmaker Rich Chou will discuss what’s next for him.

* Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney will look back at the organization’s fourth season and ahead to what’s next.

* New UFC featherweight Cole Escovedo, who makes his Octagon debut against Renan Barao at UFC 130.

* Kickboxer Mark Miller, who returns to action at the May 28 Ultimate Glory event after undergoing open heart surgery in 2007.

* And Matt Mitrione will return for another edition of “The Mitrione Minute.” Will he discuss his altercation with Tito Ortiz at the UFC Fight Summit? Tune in to find out.

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

*** You can now stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.

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.

Frankie Edgar Discusses Injury That Forced Him Out of UFC 130

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveUFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has begun treatment for a back injury with what could be a series of shots to address the problem. On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Edgar said that the injury that forced hi…

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UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has begun treatment for a back injury with what could be a series of shots to address the problem. On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Edgar said that the injury that forced him out of his scheduled UFC 130 title defense against Gray Maynard was due to an extreme flare-up of an existing problem.

Earlier Monday, he had an epidural injection to address the pain. It will take up to four days to determine whether it worked. According to Edgar, the ultimate solution is something more invasive, but his doctors are trying to stem the pain and delay what might be inevitable.

“I think eventually I’m going to need surgery,” said Edgar, who also suffered a rib injury in training. “Hopefully these shots will slow down the process and give me a couple more years without having to do the surgery.”

UFC Refuses to Pay for Extra Policing at UFC 131

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsThe UFC has turned down the Vancover Police Department’s request to pay for extra policing around Rogers Arena on the night of UFC 131.

Tom Wright, UFC Canada’s director of operations, informed MMA Fighting vi…

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The UFC has turned down the Vancover Police Department’s request to pay for extra policing around Rogers Arena on the night of UFC 131.

Tom Wright, UFC Canada’s director of operations, informed MMA Fighting via e-mail that the he responded to the VPD on Thursday.

“I spoke with the VPD [Thursday] and advised them that we would not be funding any ‘expanded police presence’ for community areas in the general vicinity of the Rogers Arena,” Wright wrote.

“I explained that while we remain supportive of law enforcement in every city we bring shows to, we weren’t prepared to be ‘treated differently’ than other events/concerts/shows (Canucks, Rolling Stones etc). This is a particularly important consideration when ‘incidents’ at UFC events are typically fewer than other big events. As I explained, if I were the Chief I’d be more worried about Canuck fans (celebrating or crying in their beers) than UFC fans.”

Brett Cooper Talks Fighting in Bellator, Life in MMA Outside the UFC

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Bellator

When Brett Cooper last stepped into the cage, it was for a five-minute, five-round fight for a championship in the Lords of the Cage MMA promotion. Cooper had prepared to fight for 25 minutes, but things didn’…

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When Brett Cooper last stepped into the cage, it was for a five-minute, five-round fight for a championship in the Lords of the Cage MMA promotion. Cooper had prepared to fight for 25 minutes, but things didn’t go quite as planned: He knocked Keith Berry out in just 10 seconds (video above).

“He came in real quick and aggressive, I countered him with a punch and it was over,” Cooper said. “It was a strange moment because it happened so fast. It was bittersweet. But that’s why you train hard, so things come easy in the fight. But I wouldn’t have been disappointed if the fight would have gone more minutes.”

For the 23-year-old Cooper, who will fight Alexander Schlemenko Saturday at Bellator 44 on MTV2, trying to make it as a full-time fighter outside the UFC sometimes means not wanting to win a fight too quickly: The experience of getting more minutes in the cage can be good for a fighter’s development, and Lords of the Cage isn’t exactly handing out six-figure Knockout of the Night bonuses, like UFC fighters can earn.