Tag: quick quote

Carlos Condit Wants To Show The World He Deserves This Opportunity Against GSP

Tweet With yet another big announcement making mma headlines today, former Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz was pulled from his title fight versus Georges St-Pierre after no-showing a UFC 137 press conference for a second-straight day, one of the UFC’s top welterweights, Carlos ‘The Natural Born Killer’ Condit (27-5) has been offered the shot at the […]

With yet another big announcement making mma headlines today, former Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz was pulled from his title fight versus Georges St-Pierre after no-showing a UFC 137 press conference for a second-straight day, one of the UFC’s top welterweights, Carlos ‘The Natural Born Killer’ Condit (27-5) has been offered the shot at the 170 lb title.

Condit had been scheduled to meet B.J. Penn at the October 29 event in Las Vegas, in what many thought would be a No. 1 contender bout, but will now get his chance against the reigning French-Canadian champ.

Speaking about UFC President Dana White’s decision to give him the title shot, Condit stated he wanted to make the most of this opportunity by showing the world that he deserved the bout with St-Pierre.

“The timing was perfect for this to all come together. First I want to thank the UFC for allowing me this opportunity and also my agent Malki Kawa who saw an opening and took advantage of it. With me already fighting on that card, I will need to make some adjustments to get ready for a new opponent, but my actual training is still right on schedule. It’s an honor to be able to fight for the championship, especially against one of the legends of our sport in Georges St-Pierre. I’ve been fighting for nearly a decade and there has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears that has gone into that. A lot of sacrifices have been made both personally and professionally, and I’m looking forward to showing the UFC that I am deserving of this opportunity.”

Props to MMAMania.com for the transcription.

Nick Diaz Stands Up UFC For Second Straight Day, Carlos Condit Will Replace Him At UFC 137

Tweet Former Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz was a “no show” for a second straight day, as the Stockton, California native failed to show up for Wednesday’s UFC 137 pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas. Diaz failed to show up in Toronto for another conference earlier in the week. At today’s press conference, UFC President […]

Former Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz was a “no show” for a second straight day, as the Stockton, California native failed to show up for Wednesday’s UFC 137 pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas. Diaz failed to show up in Toronto for another conference earlier in the week.

At today’s press conference, UFC President Dana White told the gathered media that Diaz was out and that Carlos ‘The Natural Born Killer’ Condit (27-5) was in.

Condit, who had been scheduled to face B.J. Penn on the same card, will now meet UFC champ Georges St-Pierre (22-2) for his title on October 29.

“I’ve had my reservations about Nick Diaz for some time,” said White. “All I asked the kid to do was play the game this much (holding fingers slightly apart). I need you to do certain things. You have to show up to the press conference, you have to promote this fight. He looked at me and said he would, and he lied to me. I’ve promoted over 1600 fights and this has never happened once. I’d rather pull the fight now than risk him not showing up on the night of the fight. This blows my mind.”

“Nick Diaz has lost his chance at the welterweight championship, and Carlos Condit gets it. This kid absolutely deserves it.”

St-Pierre attended both press conferences and was a bit perplexed by his former opponents actions, feeling that at their level a certain level of professionalism is warranted in big fights like this one.

“When I went to Toronto and he didn’t make it, I didn’t judge it right away,” said St-Pierre. “I thought something bad happened. Then I talked to some people and it’s a lack of professionalism. There are three partners to promote a fight – the UFC, me, and Nick Diaz. I showed up to do my job and Nick Diaz didn’t, and there are consequences. I would have never done something like that.”

UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Condit will take place on October 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

No word was given on whether former champ B.J. Penn would be given a new opponent or not.

Jiu-Jitsu Coach Rodrigo Medeiros Says Recent Surgery Won’t Effect Brock Lesnar’s Performance

Tweet >With the signing of Alistair Overeem to the UFC, former champ Brock Lesnar (5-2) has drawn the K-1 striker as his opponent, with the two meeting on December 30 at UFC 141. Lesnar’s Jiu-Jitsu coach, Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros, feels the heavyweight is fully recovered and is ready to “get his belt back.” Lesnar had […]

Photo via Getty Images for UFC.com

>With the signing of Alistair Overeem to the UFC, former champ Brock Lesnar (5-2) has drawn the K-1 striker as his opponent, with the two meeting on December 30 at UFC 141.

Lesnar’s Jiu-Jitsu coach, Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros, feels the heavyweight is fully recovered and is ready to “get his belt back.”

Lesnar had been scheduled to face Junior dos Santos at UFC 131 last June but a second bout of diverticulitis forced the former WWE star to undergo surgery. He’s since recovered and will begin preparations for his next fight.

Medeiros spoke to Tatame.com about the former champs current health status and motivation.

“The information I have is that the surgery was a success. You’ll see Brock fighting in high level again,” Medeiros said. “He was well prepared to fight Dos Santos and it was a shame he had to go under this surgery. We’ve tried to avoid it the most we could, but it was the best call because now it’s permanently over. Brock’s goal is to get the belt back”.

“He’s in vacations in Canada, getting better, but he’s doing great on the trainings and will be great in December. You can love or hate Brock, but you’ll never find his fights boring. He goes there and put on great shows, that’s why he’s so important to the sport. I don’t know about his agenda yet, but I’ll start working with him soon. He’s in great hands for his technical and cardio trainings … ”

“I believe he has no limitations because it was a cut on a damaged area, they cut off like 15 inches of his intestine. Besides that, he’s good to go. I didn’t know if it’d be a huge cut that could complicate his life, but thanks’ God the cut was just big enough to bring him a new and healthy life.”

Bellator Season Five Welterweight Ben Saunders Feels Tournament Toughest Test Of His Career

Tweet This coming weekend will feature a number of exciting events with the BAMMA 7 card, the semi-finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, and Bellator’s opener for their fifth season. Competing in Bellator’s season five welterweight tournament this weekend at Bellator 49 will be former UFC vet Ben ‘Killa B’ Saunders (10-3-2), who meets […]

This coming weekend will feature a number of exciting events with the BAMMA 7 card, the semi-finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, and Bellator’s opener for their fifth season.

Competing in Bellator’s season five welterweight tournament this weekend at Bellator 49 will be former UFC vet Ben ‘Killa B’ Saunders (10-3-2), who meets Hawaiian fighter Chris Cisneros in the opening quarterfinal bout after his original opponent, Rick Hawn, pulled out due to injury.

Saunders is writing his Bellator Blog over at Sherdog.com saying that what some may see as crazy, figthing three times in three months, he sees as an opportunity and relishes the challenge.

I’m fired up to be part of Bellator’s fifth season and to fight in their welterweight tournament. I honestly feel this tournament is stacked with talent and there is no doubt in my mind that this will be the hardest test I have ever faced in my career. Not only is this a huge honor, but it is the challenge I have always wanted and somewhat felt would be a part of my career since watching MMA when it first began. I may have been a little kid when I first thought of this, but nonetheless, being involved in a tournament has always been on my “to do” list. I’m very grateful to have the chance to really see what I can accomplish in my lifetime.

My new opponent is going to be a tough and scrappy Hawaiian named Chris Cisneros. On top of a 13-3 pro record, he also has impressive kickboxing and boxing credentials. Coming out of Hawaii, you know he is gonna be a very game opponent with no hesitation on standing and banging with the best of them. I bet he probably has the love and support of the whole island behind him, which potentially makes for a very prideful and extremely dangerous opponent. Lucky for me, I love a good challenge and am always down for a good scrap. I am just as honored and excited to fight Chris as I was to fight Rick (Hawn).

Be sure to read his entire blog at the link and to follow Saunders on Twitter @bensaunders

Bellator Season Five Welterweight Steve Carl Was Hoping He’d Never Have To Fight Douglas Lima

Tweet Those were Bellator Season Five fighter Steve Carl’s (14-2) thoughts upon seeing the former Maximum Fighting Championship 170 lb champ Douglas ‘The Phenom’ Lima (18-4) earning one of three victories in Canada. Carl and Lima are scheduled to meet in the opening quarterfinal round of Bellator’s upcoming Season Five welterweight tournament, which kicks off […]

Those were Bellator Season Five fighter Steve Carl’s (14-2) thoughts upon seeing the former Maximum Fighting Championship 170 lb champ Douglas ‘The Phenom’ Lima (18-4) earning one of three victories in Canada.

Carl and Lima are scheduled to meet in the opening quarterfinal round of Bellator’s upcoming Season Five welterweight tournament, which kicks off this Saturday on the main card of Bellator 49.

Bellator 49 is scheduled to take place on September 10 at Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with the four bout main card airing on MTV 2, and in HD on EPIX.

Carl spoke to MMAMania.com about seeing Lima fight in Canada, as well as his thoughts on facing ‘The Phenom’.

Brian Hemminger: You’re facing a really tough prospect in Douglas Lima who’s highly touted. He’s the former MFC welterweight champion. What are your thoughts on this guy?

Steve Carl: I actually met Douglas Lima in the sauna in the locker room at his last fight in Canada because I was cornering another guy and I watched him fight. I remember thinking, “Wow, this guy is good! I hope I don’t have to fight him anytime,” and the very next fight, we’re set up to fight each other so I just laugh about it. I got to hang out with him in New York a bit for the Bellator promo material. He’s a really cool guy with a lot of potential. It’s gonna be a tough and dangerous fight but we’re out there to test each other. He’s a really tough fighter that I have to get over but I’m also a really tough fighter that he has to get over. We’re both out there trying to prove ourselves. I’m trying to prove that I’m still here and he’s trying to prove that he’s on the scene now too.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): He’s a guy that’s got really strong grappling credentials but he had a sick knockout in his last fight with Terry Martin. Where do you think he’s most dangerous?

Steve Carl: I think he’s dangerous everywhere. He’s got really nice hands, his ground game is great and that’s what he’s supposed to be. He’s a fighter. He’s not supposed to have wholes. He’s not supposed to be weak anywhere and at this level I shouldn’t be able to walk in there and think, “I’m just gonna take this guy down because he’s got amazing hands but his ground game sucks,” or, “His ground game is amazing, but his hands suck.” At this level, you’ve got to expect everybody to be able to do everything. You’ve got to turn it into a chess match and you’ve got to be a smarter fighter. It’s not all about the physical abilities, it’s about the mental game as well.

Be sure to check out the full interview by hitting the link above.

Dan Henderson Hopes To Keep His Strikeforce Title And Help Build Promotion

Tweet “I know that for sure I’ll be fighting in either Strikeforce or the UFC, I don’t have any desire to go anywhere else. I would like the UFC to really help build Strikeforce and not take away their champions. I’d like to work out some sort of deal where I’m not walking away from […]

“I know that for sure I’ll be fighting in either Strikeforce or the UFC, I don’t have any desire to go anywhere else. I would like the UFC to really help build Strikeforce and not take away their champions. I’d like to work out some sort of deal where I’m not walking away from my belt.”

Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson (28-8) made that statement to famed commentator Mauro Ranallo on his radio show “The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo” this past week concerning the future of the Strikeforce promotion.

Rumors surrounding the former PRIDE middleweight champs future have him possibly re-signing with the UFC to face UFC title holder Anderson Silva, but with Silva recovering from a shoulder injury that fight probably wouldn’t happen till sometime in 2012.

Henderson is coming off a big first round TKO victory over heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko last July. That win, the third straight and sixth-of-seven bouts, was the last on the light heavyweights Strikeforce contract.

Strikeforce has already gotten rid of their heavyweight champ, Alistair Overeem, and have no plans to crown a new champion at the finale of the Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament. As well the promotion has failed to designate the top contenders for the vacant welterweight title, which was left open by Nick Diaz after he moved to the UFC after being given a shot at champ Georges St-Pierre this October.

It will be interesting to see if it will indeed be “business as usual” with Henderson defending his title, or if Zuffa will simply sign ‘Hendo’ to the UFC and leave another Strikeforce belt vacant to flap in the wind.