With his fight official versus Josh Koscheck for May 5th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, welterweight Johny Hendricks (12-1) feels he’s real close to a title shot and that a win over Koscheck should earn him a No. 1 contenders position. Hendricks has won three straight and is 7-1 in the […]
With his fight official versus Josh Koscheck for May 5th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, welterweight Johny Hendricks (12-1) feels he’s real close to a title shot and that a win over Koscheck should earn him a No. 1 contenders position.
Hendricks has won three straight and is 7-1 in the UFC competing in the 170-lbs division with his most recent win coming against Jon Fitch at UFC 141. Hendricks managed to do what no one else in the Ultimate Fighting Championship could do, and that was to finish Fitch in the Octagon needing just twelve seconds to end the match via knockout.
Speaking to media personality, and cageside announcer, Mauro Ranallo on Monday during a radio appearance on ‘The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo‘, Hendricks discussed his upcoming fight saying he plans on calling out interim champ Carlos Condit with a win on May 5th.
“If I go out there and beat Josh Koscheck a title shot has to be there because for a while he has been No. 3 in the division. If Condit doesn’t want to wait for Georges St-Pierre I’ll definitely call him out. That’s my main focus and that’s why I’m here — to bring the belt home. That’s all that matters to me.”
Also on Monday’s episode were Duke Roufus, UFC bantamweight Yves Jabouin, fighter Gary Mangat, as well as Sherdog.com’s Jack Encarnacao and The Fight Network’s John Pollock.
Former UFC welterweight, and one time middleweight, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson was a guest on TapouT radio on Thursday with the fighter answering questions from a possible return to the UFC, fighting for another promotion, and his weight cut issues leading up to UFC 142. Johnson was set to make his middleweight debut versus Vitor Belfort […]
Anthony Johnson (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Former UFC welterweight, and one time middleweight, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson was a guest on TapouT radio on Thursday with the fighter answering questions from a possible return to the UFC, fighting for another promotion, and his weight cut issues leading up to UFC 142.
Johnson was set to make his middleweight debut versus Vitor Belfort at the Rio de Janeiro event, but failed to make weight due to medical reasons. Because of the medical issues, a physician stepped in and ordered ‘Rumble’ to rehydrate, which by the time Johnson stepped on the scale, put him at 197-lbs for the fight.
Johnson would go on to lose via first round rear-naked choke and was subsequently released by the UFC.
“It was crazy cause like I was losing weight, the weight was coming off fine. I would get breaks between my cutting sessions and stuff like that. I don’t know man, that last time my old man, his name is Marcus he helps me cut weight every time. He said ‘Alright kid get up lets go, lets cut some more weight.’ I tried to move and I just couldn’t feel my legs, I couldn’t move anything. And they looked at me, they thought I was playing around. Mike Van Arsdale was in the room with me and I was like ‘Mike I’m not fucking playing, I cannot move my legs I can’t even feel them. So everybody hopped up and helped me out and stuff. They moved my body around and stuff. They went and got Bert from the UFC and called the UFC doctor who told them what to do, who told me to drink fluids because I had electrolyte shock which stopped my legs from moving.”
Dutch fighter Stefen ‘Skyscraper’ Struve (22-5) is still a relatively young fighter in the sport of mixed martial arts at the age of twenty-three and is still growing into his six-foot-eleven frame. Struve has been putting on weight as for each of his Octagon appearances and hopes to come in at “290-300 pounds” when he […]
Dutch fighter Stefen ‘Skyscraper’ Struve (22-5) is still a relatively young fighter in the sport of mixed martial arts at the age of twenty-three and is still growing into his six-foot-eleven frame.
Struve has been putting on weight as for each of his Octagon appearances and hopes to come in at “290-300 pounds” when he finally steps into the cage against Dave Herman at next weeks UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger event.
Speaking to color commentator Mauro Ranallo on Thursday’s “The MMA Show” over at TheScore.com, Struve talked about his weight for the fight as well as his recent submission victory over Pat Barry at UFC on Versus 6.
“I think it’s going to look like we’re fighting in a different weight class. I’m at 265 right now and I’m six inches taller than him. I think he’s going to come in around 240 so I think the weight’s going to be a big difference. (In the future) I want to be a monster at 265. I want to be 290-300 pounds, cut down to 265 at weigh ins, and then step into the Octagon at 300 pounds the next day. I want people to look at me and say ‘Man, I don’t feel like fighting this guy.’”
Also on the line for Thursday’s Podcast was former Strikeforce middleweight champ Cung Le, media personality Dave Meltzer, Brazilian journalist Marcelo Alonso, and Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer.
UFC light heavyweight Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera (12-5, 1NC) is itching to get back into the Octagon and jumped at the chance to rematch the fighter who had him kicked out of the UFC after a third straight Octagon loss. Fortunately for Vera after that third defeat, it was determined that opponent Thiago Silva had […]
UFC light heavyweight Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera (12-5, 1NC) is itching to get back into the Octagon and jumped at the chance to rematch the fighter who had him kicked out of the UFC after a third straight Octagon loss.
Fortunately for Vera after that third defeat, it was determined that opponent Thiago Silva had falsified his drug test urine sample to the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the result was changed to a “No Contest” with Silva receiving a one-year suspension. Vera was reinstated by the UFC and eventually went on to defeat Eliot Marshall at UFC 137.
The UFC offered Vera a chance to rematch Silva this coming May, but ‘The Truth’ is still recovering from a previous injury and had to withdraw due to that injury.
On a recent segment of “The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo” (hit play to listen to the podcast), Vera says a rematch with Silva is “THE” fight he wants next and is ready to return in order to “crush peoples dreams in the Octagon.”
“That is THE fight that I want. Out of my whole UFC career, I want that fight more than any other fight I’ve ever had. I want to fight Thiago so bad,” Vera said. “I’ve been harping my manager and Joe Silva that ‘When that motherfucker is available, I want his ass, I want him.’ After I got the phone call saying I could fight Thiago in Virginia, which is a homecoming for me, I went to get cleared by my surgeon — I don’t remember what I said to him, but what I came out of the discussion with was that I could fight May 15. So I told Joe Silva and my manager Matt Stencil that ‘I’m in, the fight’s on, my doctor cleared it, I just have to clear it with my team of phsyical therapists’…. ”
“I’m doing everything now that got me to the UFC, to the retarded workouts on my own, to getting up at 3 am and running because I’m worried the other guy is running. I want to win again, I want to hurt people again, and I want to crush people’s dreams in the Octagon,” he said. “I had to ask myself how bad I really wanted it when Elliot put me in the armbar and I decided I wasn’t going to tap. In that split half-second, I knew I wasn’t going to tap and that I needed to fix (my career). It was the only thing comforting me when my arm popped. I’ve been fired, my heart’s been broken, so let’s get it together and make life easy again…. ”
As for a final message to his rival Silva, or anyone else who tries to fight him on the juice?
“I don’t give a damn if you use steroids,” he said. “I’m not buff — I’m in between Phil Davis and Roy Nelson — but I’m going to whoop your ass when we fight so I don’t care what you’re on.”
Also on Wednesday’s podcast for “The MMA Show” was Tristar trainer Firas Zahabi, Jackson MMA coach Mike Winkeljohn, UFC lightweight Yves Edwards, and Carlos Condit’s manager Malki Kawa.
UFC middleweight Mark ‘The Filipino Wrecking Machine’ Munoz (12-2) recently had to withdraw from a No. 1 contender bout with Chael Sonnen last weekend in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 3. Munoz had to have surgery to remove bone chips/spurs from his right elbow and tells MMA Insiders that he’s back and should […]
UFC middleweight Mark ‘The Filipino Wrecking Machine’ Munoz (12-2) recently had to withdraw from a No. 1 contender bout with Chael Sonnen last weekend in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 3.
Munoz had to have surgery to remove bone chips/spurs from his right elbow and tells MMA Insiders that he’s back and should make his Octagon return this summer.
‘The Filipino Wrecking Machine’ says that with the removal of the bone chips that his reach has actually extended several inches because he is fully able to bend his arm now, and that he expects his punching power to increase also.
When asked his thoughts on possibly fighting Michael Bisping in Brazil on the same card as a Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva fight, Munoz was excited for the opportunity.
“That would be awesome. Bisping is at the top of the division I feel that he would be a great matchup for me. That would be a great card to be on, you know because Anderson is fighting Chael and I’m fighting Bisping to be a number one contender. I think it’s a great matchup. It would be an honor to fight Bisping.”
“Oh yeah, it just showed that he is a more well rounded fighter than everyone had thought. He came out there and was able to come back to his feet, and defend the takedown, and push Chael against the cage, and land a lot of power shots. So he’s a very good fighter and it’s a testament as to how hard he worked and how far he’s come.”
“I have to be prepared for a dogfight. I have to be prepared to take advantage of every position I have on him to land power shots no matter where I’m at. That’s what I’m known for. I’m known to land power wherever I’m at, whether I’m on my feet, whether I’m on the ground. I’m able to come back to my feet and scramble. I think the difference is capitalizing in transition. So power shots in transition. When he’s coming up to his feet ‘boom’, doing that stuff. I think that’s going to be the difference.”
Munoz has won four straight which includes victories over Chris Leben, Demian Maia, C.B. Dollaway, and Aaron Simpson.
Anyone else want to see Mark Munoz vs. Michael Bisping for the next No.1 middleweight contender?
With heavyweights Pat ‘HD’ Barry (7-4) and Lavar ‘Big’ Johnson (16-5) coming off big wins in the month of January, officials with the Ultimate Fighting Championship felt the two would be a great pair to matchup versus one another for the promotions third FOX event set for this May. During Thursday’s live TapouT Radio program, […]
With heavyweights Pat ‘HD’ Barry (7-4) and Lavar ‘Big’ Johnson (16-5) coming off big wins in the month of January, officials with the Ultimate Fighting Championship felt the two would be a great pair to matchup versus one another for the promotions third FOX event set for this May.
During Thursday’s live TapouT Radio program, heavyweight Brendan ‘The Hybrid’ Schaub was asked his thoughts on the recently announced fight.
The former TUF 10 finalist sided with Barry, feeling the former kickboxer’s had the better striking credentials and that Johnson’s standup would be no match for ‘HD’.
“I think for (Pat) Barry, his whole thing for Lavar (Johnson), I think he is the more technical striker. Speed will be the difference in this one… To be honest, I don’t know a ton about Lavar. I did see his fight against (Joey) Beltran and I’m aware of him being in Strikeforce like that, but fighting Pat Barry..especially when Lavar is a pure striker, that is what he appears to be from the fights I’ve seen, his footage. Being a pure striker against Pat Barry is the wrong way to go. Pat is one of the best strikers in the business and I’m a fan of Pat.”
With his fight official versus Josh Koscheck for May 5th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, welterweight Johny Hendricks (12-1) feels he’s real close to a title shot and that a win over Koscheck should earn him a No. 1 contenders position.
