In the rush to build a credible women’s bantamweight division for the UFC, fans can expect to see Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann in the Octagon soon enough.At an undefeated 6-0 record in her mixed martial arts career, McMann has seen a sharp rise …
In the rush to build a credible women’s bantamweight division for the UFC, fans can expect to see Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann in the Octagon soon enough.
At an undefeated 6-0 record in her mixed martial arts career, McMann has seen a sharp rise in competition culminate with an Invicta FC main event match against top-ranked opponent Shayna Baszler. According to McMann’s Twitter account (via MMA Junkie), her camp is currently in talks with Zuffa about a contract:
Everyone keeps asking me if I am in the @ufc… All I know is that it is “in the works”. Thank you for your support 🙂 — Sara McMann (@Sara_McMann) November 20, 2012
So far, the UFC has only officially signed Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, although several other female fighters have been rumored as likely additions to the 135-pound roster.
Of female bantamweight fighters currently on contract with soon-to-be-defunct promotion Strikeforce (owned by UFC parent company Zuffa), the list includes former champions Miesha Tate and Sarah Kaufman, as well as Liz Carmouche, Julia Budd, Alexis Davis, Julie Kedzie, Amanda Nunes, Cat Zingano, Germaine de Randamie, and Japanese standout Hiroko Yamanaka.
UFC president Dana White confirmed that he was focusing solely on a 135-pound women’s division. No one else in the promotion has yet cited any firm evidence of building other weight classes.
Demetrious Johnson will defend his UFC Flyweight Championship for the first time live and free on FOX. He will tussle with John Dodson on January 26th at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.Dodson is 3-0 in the UFC with his last two victories coming…
Dodson is 3-0 in the UFC with his last two victories coming at featherweight. He is The Ultimate Fighter season 14 bantamweight champion. He will become the eighth TUF winner to challenge for a UFC championship.
Johnson won the UFC championship via a split decision victory over Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 to become the first ever champion of the division.
Mighty Mouse and The Magician will lock horns in January, and this is how they stack up to one another.
Update: According to MMA Mania’s Mike Bohn, Chris Weidman suffered a dislocated shoulder while performing a double-leg takedown during his training camp in Arizona.I hit a double-leg and that’s it, my shoulder landed weird and I felt a pop. I can’t eve…
Update:According to MMA Mania’s Mike Bohn, Chris Weidman suffered a dislocated shoulder while performing a double-leg takedown during his training camp in Arizona.
I hit a double-leg and that’s it, my shoulder landed weird and I felt a pop. I can’t even move my arm.
Another UFC card, another injury.
Surging middleweight title contender Chris Weidman is reportedly out of UFC 155, according to Newsday Sports.
So far, the nature of the injury has not been disclosed by Weidman’s camp or the UFC, although this thankfully doesn’t leave Tim Boetsch without an opponent for his main event match on December 29th. Instead of Weidman, “The Barbarian” will now face Costa Philippou.
“It’s awful,” trainer Ray Longo said.
Instead, Boetsch will fight Costa Philippou, a teammate of Weidman’s with Longo and Matt Serra. Philippou was supposed to fight this past Saturday against Nick Ring at UFC 154 in Montreal, but the bout was canceled that morning when Ring fell ill.
Philippou is currently 4-1 in the UFC on a four-fight winning streak, after a long undefeated stretch in regional promotion Ring of Combat. Philippou has also gone to decision three times in that span, while Boetsch has done the same.
It’s not clear whether this fight will have title implications for either competitor due to the change in schedule. However, Boetsch is coming off a huge win against former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard, who debuted against Boetsch at UFC 149 in a highly anticipated match.
Boetsch vs. Philippou will should still retain their position on the main card at UFC 155 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Arena.
Silence is not something we have become accustomed to when it comes to UFC welterweight contender Josh Koscheck. To not see a Koscheck tweet looking to step in for any injured fighter on any card on any notice is a little off-putting, but there i…
Silence is not something we have become accustomed to when it comes to UFC welterweight contender Josh Koscheck. To not see a Koscheck tweet looking to step in for any injured fighter on any card on any notice is a little off-putting, but there is a reason for that silence, a silence that Koscheck has begun to emerge from.
Koscheck had been booked to face Jake Ellenberger at UFC 151, but a back injury forced Koscheck to withdraw from the bout. In late October, Koscheck, perhaps itching to get back into the cage, took to Twitter to lament the fact that the UFC would not have a fight for him until 2013:
Doesn’t look like #UFC has a fight 4me until 2113. So ill just train & get better…
The attention-grabber there was the name Nick Diaz. A fighter who is currently serving out a one-year suspension for popping positive for marijuana metabolites following his February 4 loss to Carlos Condit.
It’s an intriguing matchup, as many feel that Diaz would have a great deal of trouble dealing with the wrestling attack that Koscheck, an NCAA champion, would bring with him into the Octagon.
Koscheck seems anxious to make the fight happen, telling UFC.com:
I feel it would be a great fight for the fans, with a great buildup, and Nick brings a lot to the table. He’s a good fighter. He’s tough. He has that tenacity where it’s ‘It’s me against the world and %$#$ you!’ I have the same attitude. I enjoy fighting people who have the same attitude because they are going to come in, never give up, and they are going to stand in front of you and fight. Nick Diaz will absolutely do that.
No matter what you think would happen once the fighters hit the Octagon, the buildup to this one would be one to remember. There’s no doubt that these two unfiltered and outspoken fighters would have plenty to say about each other in the months leading up to the fight. As Koscheck said, “It’s going to be bad guy versus bad guy. We haven’t seen too many of those matchups in the UFC.”
On paper, a fight between Koscheck and Diaz is an intriguing matchup, and it would draw eyeballs. The problems that face the promotion would come after the fight is over.
If Diaz defeats Koscheck, the simple solution would be to put him in line for a title fight, but what if St-Pierre faces Anderson Silva instead of No. 1 contender Johny Hendricks?
If Koscheck wins, you have the above problem coupled with the fact that he has already faced St-Pierre twice and lost to him twice, and it’s doubtful that the UFC would want to match him up against St-Pierre a third time.
My take? I say screw the future and look to the present. Book this fight, give it the full UFC Primetime buildup and throw it on free television as a FOX headliner. Conflict builds interest, and there would be more than enough conflict to go around in this one. Plus, you always have the bonus of wondering if Diaz will show up for pressers and media obligations.
Everyone wins. Time to get this fight on the schedule.
Former UFC champion and pound-for-pound contender B.J. Penn will return to the Octagon this December 8, where he will take on rising welterweight star Rory MacDonald at the UFC’s fifth installment of its FOX series. The bout signifies Penn’s first…
Former UFC champion and pound-for-pound contender B.J. Penn will return to the Octagon this December 8, where he will take on rising welterweight star Rory MacDonald at the UFC’s fifth installment of its FOX series.
The bout signifies Penn’s first action since October 29, 2011—the date he entered into a short-lived retirement.
“The Prodigy” recently spoke with BJPenn.com about his impending match with MacDonald, catching everyone up on his training process and speaking about his developing motivation.
Training is coming along, I couldn’t be happier with how everything is going. I’m in the gym trying to put in my time and I’ve used the last few months to get into shape. I think it was a blessing that the fight got pushed back [from UFC 152]. I’ve had more time to train and I’ve been able to work out more. We’re giving it an honest effort and we’ll see how everything works out.
Training has always been something of an issue for Penn, who has long been chastised by fans and media alike over coasting into bouts. The Hawaiian has put together an impressive career, but most believe his peak would have been higher had he adhered to a stricter regimen and built his fighting endurance more intensely.
Because he is coming off such an extensive layoff, Penn’s cardio will likely (once again) be a hot topic heading into UFC on FOX 5.
During the interview, Penn also noted his zealousness to take on a member of Montreal’s fabled Tri-Star gym.
I wanted to have another match against Tri-Star and head coach FirasZahabi, and it’s not being done because of any bad blood. I feel like I have more to show them and without a doubt Rory has a lot of hype surrounding him.
Penn went on to talk about MacDonald, lauding his skills and supporting the burgeoning theory that the youngster has a bright future ahead of him.
He’s in great condition, he can kick, punch, he can wrestle and he knows how to fight on the ground. Everyone is saying he’s going to be one of the top guys and those are the guys I like to fight. It works out two ways for me; I get to face a really good opponent and I get to compete against Firas again.
MacDonald will enter the contest riding a three-fight win streak, while Penn has grasped victory just one time over his past five bouts.
UFC on FOX 5 will go from the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington.
Arm locks and leg locks are the most dangerous submissions in MMA. If one taps too late or refuses to at all, they may face a broken bone, a dislocation or some other bad injury.Throughout MMA, we have seen numerous examples of fighters getting injured…
Arm locks and leg locks are the most dangerous submissions in MMA. If one taps too late or refuses to at all, they may face a broken bone, a dislocation or some other bad injury.
Throughout MMA, we have seen numerous examples of fighters getting injured from these painful submissions. Even this past weekend, we saw a man seemingly tap too late while locked in an armbar.
Here are nine submissions that caused serious damage due to the victim tapping too late or refusing to tap at all.
In the rush to build a credible women’s bantamweight division for the UFC, fans can expect to see Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann in the Octagon soon enough.