Who says Jon Fitch is boring? Not the Aussies! MMA Junkie has reported that tickets for the UFC 127: Penn Vs Fitch bout were sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale, which makes it the fastest sell out of any UFC event in history. 18,000 fans are now expected to […]
Who says Jon Fitch is boring? Not the Aussies! MMA Junkie has reported that tickets for the UFC 127: Penn Vs Fitch bout were sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale, which makes it the fastest sell out of any UFC event in history. 18,000 fans are now expected to fill the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia to see BJ Penn in another Welterweight match-up against the number 2 ranked Welterweight in the world.
The UFC 127 fight card includes a Co-Main Event between Michael Bisping and Jorges Rivera and a hometown favorite, George Sotiropoulos taking on Dennis Siver. The fights are scheduled for February 27th and will be the third scheduled pay-per-view card of the new year.
Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, Rankings, WelterweightsGeorges St. Pierre whipped Josh Koscheck for five rounds at UFC 124, bringing to 30 his streak of consecutive rounds won. Think about that: St. Pierre has fought the best of the best in the welterwe…
Georges St. Pierre whipped Josh Koscheck for five rounds at UFC 124, bringing to 30 his streak of consecutive rounds won. Think about that: St. Pierre has fought the best of the best in the welterweight division, and although you can knock him for not finishing most of his recent fights, even the wildly inconsistent judges we have in MMA these days couldn’t find a reason to score a single round against him over 30 rounds of action.
So when does that change? Jake Shields has dominated a whole lot of opponents himself recently, winning 15 straight fights including eight by stoppage and five by unanimous decision. But while Shields is certainly worthy of his title shot, it’s extremely difficult to envision him actually beating St. Pierre, who does just about everything better than Shields. I could very easily see St. Pierre beating Shields by yet another unanimous decision, 50-45 all the way around.
And so as we rank the Top 10 welterweights in MMA, we’re left wondering if any of them have what it takes to end GSP’s reign.
Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosAnother Monday, another live two-hour edition of The MMA Hour for you viewing pleasure. Here’s who will be stopping by this week.
Another Monday, another live two-hour edition of The MMA Hour for you viewing pleasure. Here’s who will be stopping by this week.
* UFC welterweight star Jon Fitch will preview Saturday’s title fight between Josh Koscheck and Georges St-Pierre, as well as his upcoming fight against BJ Penn at UFC 127.
* Nam Phan will talk about his controversial decision loss to Leonard Garcia on Saturday night.
* Heavyweight Pat Barry will discuss his upcoming fight against Joey Beltran on Jan. 22.
* Amir Sadollah will look back on his win at UFC 122 and discuss what’s next.
* Lightweight Bart Palaszewski will talk about his fight on the final card in WEC history against Kamal Shalorus at WEC 53.
Plus, we’ll look back on this weekend’s Strikeforce and UFC cards and ahead to UFC 124 in Montreal.
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 PM ET / 10 AM PT. Download previous episodes of The MMA Hour on iTunes here.
Filed under: UFCJon Fitch’s upcoming fight against B.J. Penn at UFC 127 on Feb. 27 will be an opportunity for the longtime American Kickboxing Academy member to fulfill a personal mission within his gym.
Jon Fitch‘s upcoming fight against B.J. Penn at UFC 127 on Feb. 27 will be an opportunity for the longtime American Kickboxing Academy member to fulfill a personal mission within his gym.
“Coming out of AKA,” Fitch said Monday on The MMA Hour. “B.J. has kind have been the older brother or the older cousin that you never really knew, but everybody always talks about.”
Before Fitch arrived at the San Jose gym around 2003, Penn had already left the gym to branch out on his own, but not before leaving a lasting impression with AKA owner Javier Mendez and then-AKA star Frank Shamrock, among others.
“It’s kind of like I’ve been chasing that reputation my whole career,” Fitch added. “It’s a huge thing for me to fight B.J. Penn.”
As news leaks that UFC Welterweight, Jake Ellenberger will be getting a crack at the #2 ranked Welterweight in the world, MMAFix decided to ask Ellenberger 10 burning questions. Jake Ellenberger took some time out from training in Hawaii to sit down at his computer and explain to us why he […]
ByJoyce Lynda Valdes
As news leaks that UFC Welterweight, Jake Ellenberger will be getting a crack at the #2 ranked Welterweight in the world, MMAFix decided to ask Ellenberger 10 burning questions. Jake Ellenberger took some time out from training in Hawaii to sit down at his computer and explain to us why he calls Jake Shields, “Miss Piggy” and why he thinks he’s been asked to fight Jon Fitch at UFC 126.
1. Okay, I’ve seen your Twitter talk to Jake Shields. Why did you dub him “Miss Piggy”? And are you not a fan of McDonald’s dollar menu?
JE: Miss Piggy is fitting for Shields for his softness when he fights. Also his feminine charm reminds me of Miss Piggy from the Muppet Show.
2. I’ve read that Jake Shields ducked a fight with you some time ago. Can you explain that?
JE: Easy, I signed a contract to fight him, his dad pulled him out. Weak move.
3. So is it safe to say you were unimpressed with Shield’s Decision win against Martin Kampmann? What did you think of Kampmann’s performance? He told us he put in a shitty performance and wasn’t happy with himself.
JE: Jake Shields always seems to have an excuse. News Flash, everyone cuts weight in the upper echelon of the UFC, I cut 20 pounds to make welterweight, and I walk around at 205. When you are a professional athlete, you have the right people are in place around you, and decisions can be made about situations like this. If it’s too hard to make 170, either compete at middleweight or cut the weight and don’t complain.
4. How much can you confirm that there will be a bout between you and Jon Fitch at UFC 126?
JE: That is the rumor…
5. Jon Fitch is the number 2 ranked Welterweight in the world but is often criticized for not putting on the most exciting performances. How do you feel about Fitch?
JE: Jon Fitch is a great fighter and no one but GSP has beaten him in a long time. He has solid wrestling, good hands, smothering top game, and a good guard. Like any other guy, he has holes in his game though in which I will try to exploit.
6. We know you put on exciting fights. What you did to John Howard’s face was very impressive at UFC on Versus 2. What do yousay to people who are a little surprised though at your rapid flight up the ranks to get an opportunity at Jon Fitch?
JE: Joe and Dana are the best in the business for a reason and they make matchups for exciting fights. I will always have an exciting fight!
7. Do you agree as some MMA analysts have said, that Fitch has far more to lose than you do if he takes a loss to you?
JE: Sure, I agree. Everyone in a fight has something to lose.
8.It may be fair to say the UFC Welterweight division is the most stacked division they have with all four of the top ranked MMA Welterweights in the world fighting in the promotion. Other top 10 fighters, for instance in the UFC Light Heavyweight division like Jon Jones and Matt Hamill have yet to receive a top 5 fighter, why do you think you are getting this outstanding opportunity?
JE: My job is to fight, that’s it. I am grateful for the opportunity to fight a top 5 guy, and any other professional fighter would take advantage of this opportunity as well.
9.If you can beat Jon Fitch and have the chance to pick your next opponent, Title shot not a factor, who would you choose to fight? GSP or Jake Shields? Shields has said that he would prefer Georges St. Pierre over Josh Koscheck because beating St. Pierre would be more prestigious. How do you feel?
JE: Shields, he will not beat me. EVER.
10. What do you want MMA fans to expect from you going into your next fight? …that you can finish Fitch?…that you will put on an exciting show?…that you can smack talk better than Chael Sonnen?
JE: I always have exciting fights, and look forward to becoming a world champion.
By CagePotato contributor Dan “siksik6” Teague
#8: Gray Maynard When fans and fighters complain about wrestlers in MMA, they’re talking about Gray Maynard. He takes fighters down because that’s what he’s good at. In Maynard’s nine-figh…
By CagePotato contributor Dan “siksik6” Teague
#8: Gray Maynard When fans and fighters complain about wrestlers in MMA, they’re talking about Gray Maynard. He takes fighters down because that’s what he’s good at. In Maynard’s nine-fight UFC career, he has just one stoppage, a KO of Joe Veres over three years ago. He’s earned his title shot not because of his performances, but rather because what the hell else do you do with a guy who’s undefeated and has won eight straight fights, including one over the current champ? Cole Miller said it best: Taking people down should be a means to an end. Gray needs to start having some refs pull him off of people if he’s ever going to have any drawing power.
#7: Ben Askren Ben Askren is just starting to make his way into mainstream MMA discussions. However, it’s not exactly a heralded arrival. The kid makes picking strawberries look like it belongs in the X Games. His last “stoppage” was a controversial sub over Ryan Thomas, who promptly and correctly displayed his best WTFIYP face. Before that it was a north-south choke over some guy you’ve never heard of in some organization you’ve never heard of back in August of ’09. For his last fight, in which he won the Bellator welterweight strap, he came about as close to finishing Lyman Good as I did. I was on the couch eating Mayfield Butter Pecan ice cream. It was delicious. As a title holder for an up-and-coming organization, Askren needs to show more of a killer instinct if he ever wants his fights to be broadcast by anyone other than Fox Sports South.
Another Monday, another live two-hour edition of 
