Thanksgiving UFC News Dump: Bookings, Replacements, Firings + More

("COME AT ME, BRO!")
Happy Thanksgiving, Potato Nation! If you’re reading this right now, you should probably consider disconnecting from the Internet and spending time with your family. If you came here to escape those horrible people, bro…


("COME AT ME, BRO!")

Happy Thanksgiving, Potato Nation! If you’re reading this right now, you should probably consider disconnecting from the Internet and spending time with your family. If you came here to escape those horrible people, brother we can relate. (*Pours another glass of scotch*) Let us know what you’re thankful for in the comments section, and keep up-to-date with this grab-bag of UFC headlines…

– Replacing the unfortunately injured Jose Aldo at UFC 125 against Josh Grispi will be Dustin Poirier, an 8-1 featherweight prospect who just knocked out Zach Micklewright in 53 seconds earlier this month at WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki. Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann will now be the event’s co-headliner, in support of the Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard lightweight title fight.

– Coming off an ugly knockout loss against George Roop at WEC 51, "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung has his win-or-go-home fight booked, as he’ll be taking on Rani Yahya at Fight for the Troops 2 on January 22nd. It’ll be the only fight on the card where you won’t be able to chant "U!S!A!" in support of at least one of the fighters. Expect a lot of fans in the arena to make trips to the bathroom.

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Matt Mitrione Squashes WWE Rumors

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsRoy Nelson, Shonie Carter — they’re all clearly interested in pursuing a career in World Wrestling Entertainment.

Matt Mitrione, on the other hand, is not. And quite frankly, he isn’t sure why you think he is…

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Roy Nelson, Shonie Carter — they’re all clearly interested in pursuing a career in World Wrestling Entertainment.

Matt Mitrione, on the other hand, is not. And quite frankly, he isn’t sure why you think he is.

A rumor began circulating around the MMA world following Mitrione’s win over Joey Beltran at UFC 119 that the former NFL player turned MMA fighter was going to cut short his promising fighting career to pursue a life as pro wrestler.

Not so, says Mitrione.

“That’s such a weird situation that my name got thrown in the mix, and then after that, that Pat Barry’s name got thrown in the mix,” Mitirone said on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour. “Like, why is my training camp getting assaulted by the WWF people, man?”

Kenny Florian: Dana White’s Post-Fight Criticism Has Motivated Me

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MMA Fighting spoke to Kenny Florian recently about what went wrong in his fight against Gray Maynard at UFC 118, his thoughts on Dana White saying after the fight that he “chokes,” his upcoming fight against Evan Dunham at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 and his take on who will win the mini UFC lightweight title tournament coming up.

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MMA Fighting spoke to Kenny Florian recently about what went wrong in his fight against Gray Maynard at UFC 118, his thoughts on Dana White saying after the fight that he “chokes,” his upcoming fight against Evan Dunham at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 and his take on who will win the mini UFC lightweight title tournament coming up.

UFC Fight for the Troops 2 Official for Jan. 22

Filed under: UFC, NewsFittingly on a Veterans Day, the UFC made it official Thursday the Fight for the Troops 2 event will be held Jan. 22 in Fort Hood, Texas,

The UFC again will partner with the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to raise funds for soldiers…

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Fittingly on a Veterans Day, the UFC made it official Thursday the Fight for the Troops 2 event will be held Jan. 22 in Fort Hood, Texas,

The UFC again will partner with the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to raise funds for soldiers with traumatic brain injuries.

“It’s always a great honor for us to entertain the men and women of the military by bringing them some great fights while raising money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund,” said UFC president Dana White. “It’s the least we can do for the people who are defending this country and making so many sacrifices for our freedom, and this is a cause the UFC will always support.”

MMA Booking Alert: Pat Barry, Miguel Torres, Ken Shamrock + More

(Damn, Anthony, if you can’t get psyched around this crowd, we don’t know what to tell you.)
One day, mankind will realize that fighting is a counter-productive act, leading to only misery and division. Until then…
— Returning from his painf…

TapouT crew Court McGee Pat Barry Anthony Johnson Chris Anderson ring girl
(Damn, Anthony, if you can’t get psyched around this crowd, we don’t know what to tell you.)

One day, mankind will realize that fighting is a counter-productive act, leading to only misery and division. Until then…

— Returning from his painful loss to Mirko Cro Cop in June, UFC heavyweight Pat Barry will step back into the Octagon against Joey "The Mexicutioner" Beltran at UFC Fight for the Troops 2. Beltran is also looking to get back to the W column, having dropped a decision to Matt Mitrione at UFC 119.

— Former WEC bantamweight champ Miguel Torres continues his path back to contendership against Antonio Banuelos at UFC 126 in February. Torres recently snapped a two-fight losing skid by choking at Charlie Valencia at WEC 51. Banuelos outpointed Chad George at the same event, and has won four of his last five.

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Mike Swick Returns Against David Mitchell at ‘Fight for the Troops 2’

(Swick is back, and he’s got a new nutritionist.)
Reeling from back-to-back losses against Dan Hardy and Paulo Thiago — which he partly attributed to a medical misdiagnosis that screwed with his health for years — UFC welterweight contend…

Mike Swick Lyoto Machida AKA gym UFC
(Swick is back, and he’s got a new nutritionist.)

Reeling from back-to-back losses against Dan Hardy and Paulo Thiago — which he partly attributed to a medical misdiagnosis that screwed with his health for years — UFC welterweight contender Mike Swick has a lot to prove in his next fight. According to MMA Weekly, Swick will compete at Fight for the Troops 2 on January 22nd, meeting up with David Mitchell (10-1, 0-1 UFC). Mitchell suffered the first loss of his career in his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 22, dropping a decision to fellow first-timer TJ Waldburger — making Swick vs. Mitchell a true must-win for both fighters.

In 2006, Swick was incorrectly diagnosed with dyspepsia, and was put on a restrictive diet that made it impossible for him to keep weight on, which directly resulted in Swick’s drop from middleweight to welterweight. This year, Swick learned that he actually had "esophageal spasm with acid reflux," a condition that you don’t need to treat by starving yourself. At this very moment, Swick is taking the first step towards fixing his health problems once and for all, undergoing an "experimental medical procedure" that involves getting his esophagus injected with a neurotoxin. Sounds painful, but the ability to eat Thai food again should more than make up for it. Here’s to a "Quick" (yeah, yeah) recovery.

According to Heavy.com, Fight for the Troops 2 will be headlined by Kenny Florian vs. Evan Dunham, a matchup that was originally thought to take place at UFC 126.