Tag: The Forum

Rockhold To Bisping: I Will See You Soon & I Will Finish This

The bad blood between bitter rivals Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping clearly didn’t go away after Bisping’s shocking knockout victory over Rockhold in their rematch at last weekend’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California. Bisping shocked the masses to capture the UFC 185-pound title, and the two continued to

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The bad blood between bitter rivals Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping clearly didn’t go away after Bisping’s shocking knockout victory over Rockhold in their rematch at last weekend’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Bisping shocked the masses to capture the UFC 185-pound title, and the two continued to go at it at the post-fight press conference.

Rockhold claims that he was ‘pissed off’ due to the fact that Bisping was ‘classless’ in the aftermath of the bout:

“After our first fight I picked him up off the canvas and gave him his due respect,” Rockhold said in an Instagram post. “Bisping went out of his way to come across the cage not to shake my hand like a man but to further mock the situation. I felt it was a classless move on his part. Thus the reason I was so pissed off at the press conference. I don’t believe in kicking a man while he’s down.”

At the end of the day, the now ex-champion admits that he underestimated Bisping, and simply let the pressure get to him:

“I love the fight game and all that it offers,” Rockhold said. “It’s a chaotic world we live in but the reward far outweighs risk. Allowing the pressure of the situation get to me, I felt the need to preform [sic] and make a statement as opposed to staying calculated and winning the fight. I underestimated my opponent and paid for it. Forcing a fight that was unlike me, which left the door open. Credit to Micheal [sic] for being the tough guy that he is and capitalizing on the situation.”

Rockhold is no stranger to suffering a setback, however, as he’s been in this position before. Champions learn from mistakes, and comeback stronger which is exactly what the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product plans to do:

“I’ve been here before and I’ve always learned and grew from these situations,” Rockhold wrote. “This will be no different. I will go home, heal up, and come back better than ever before. Bisping, I will see you real soon and I will finish this.”

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Michael Bisping: UFC 199 Was The ‘Easiest Fight Of My Life’

It may have taken Michael Bisping nearly a decade of competing inside the Octagon to earn his long-awaited UFC middleweight title shot, but it didn’t take him too long to get the job done when he did get in the main event of last weekend’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in

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It may have taken Michael Bisping nearly a decade of competing inside the Octagon to earn his long-awaited UFC middleweight title shot, but it didn’t take him too long to get the job done when he did get in the main event of last weekend’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Now-former champion Luke Rockhold was slated to face off with another former champion in Chris Weidman in the evening’s main event, but Weidman was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an injury. Bisping subsequently accepted the fight with his bitter rival on just two weeks’ notice, and ultimately knocked Rockhold out in the first round.

Rockhold was largely cinsdiered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in MMA at the time, but Bisping said the exact opposite was true. In the aftermath of the clash, “The Count” called it the ‘easiest night’ of his life:

“The easiest few weeks of my life,” Bisping told FOX Sports 1 of his title win. “(Before I got the call to fight at UFC 199) I was drinking beer on a movie set filming XxX (with) Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson – no big deal. The easiest night of my life, the easiest fight, the easiest camp, the easiest payday. Thank you, Luke.”

UFC 199 actually marked the rematch between the two, as Rockhold scored a finish over Bisping back in November 2014. The Brit, however, considered it to be the third meeting, as he has repeatedly mentioned a sparring session where he claims to have gotten the better of Rockhold.

With that being said, “The Count” was eager to land the rematch, and wasted no time in accepting the offer:

“I sparred Luke before, and I know sparring doesn’t count, but I did kind of wipe the floor with him. In the (last) fight he got lucky; he caught me with a nice head kick. I wanted this rematch so bad, and I wanted a title fight so bad. So when the opportunity came on two weeks’ notice, I didn’t even think about it.

“I said going into this fight – I think I’ve always trained too hard in the past. I’ve always overtrained. My power was better tonight because I had a shorter camp. … I could see it coming. I definitely had the speed advantage. He was telegraphing all his shots. I have a mean left hook.”

In Bisping’s mind, his UFC 199 performance was the culmination of years and years of hard work. Simply put, he was able to show the world what he had always knew and believed:

“I’ve always knew I was at this level,” he said. “I’ve had my ups and downs, and I’ve lost some fights along the way. I don’t want to get into the whole performance-enhancing drugs thing, but that was kind of an issue over the years. But I still believed. I always dusted myself off and picked myself back up.

“I know I had a lot of detractors that didn’t believe I was at that caliber, but I want to thank those guys as well. They fueled me on and helped light that fire inside me. I always knew I could do this. I always knew I had punching power. I knew I had the ability, and tonight, of course, I got to show everybody.”

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UFC Lifts Lifetime Ban On Ariel Helwani

Highly-touted mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Ariel Helwani has experienced a roller coaster of wild events over the course of the last few days. To break it down, Helwani and two of his colleagues were essentially escorted from The Forum in Inglewood, California last Saturday (June 4, 2016) prior to the main event of UFC

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Highly-touted mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Ariel Helwani has experienced a roller coaster of wild events over the course of the last few days.

To break it down, Helwani and two of his colleagues were essentially escorted from The Forum in Inglewood, California last Saturday (June 4, 2016) prior to the main event of UFC 199.

Helwani’s credentials were taken away, and he was handed a ludicrous lifetime ban from the UFC.

The reasoning for the move appeared to be that the UFC wasn’t too happy with Helwani breaking the news of Brock Lesnar’s return before they could air the epic UFC 200 promo video. The journalist also beat the promotion to the punch on confirming the UFC 202 rematch between featherweight champion Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz.

Since Saturday, UFC president Dana White has commented on the situation, saying that the ban was indeed a reality, and that Helwani would have to purchase a ticket to attend UFC events in the future.

Helwani then explained the situation in full detail as well as revealing a somewhat dark past with the promotion on his show The MMA Hour today (June 6, 2016).

An emotional Helwani was clearly broken down by the news, and the mixed martial arts community was thrown into a frenzy.

The news appeared to be permanent, but apparently something has changed.

Lance Pugmire of the LA Times took to his official twitter account earlier tonight to announce that the UFC has lifted its ban on Helwani:

The UFC then released a statement confirming the report:

“Following a conversation with the editorial team at SB Nation, UFC will not prevent MMAFighting.com from receiving media credentials to cover live UFC events. We respect the role the media plays in our sport and beyond, including MMAFighting’s ability to report news. However, in our opinion, we believe the recurring tactics used by its lead reporter extended beyond the purpose of journalism. We feel confident our position has now been adequately communicated to the SB Nation editorial team.

UFC’s goal as the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion is to cultivate interest in its world-class athletes and events, and deliver for the fans. We will continue to introduce this sport and its athletes to new fans across the world, and we will do so by working alongside media across all platforms.”

What do you make of the situation now?

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UFC 199 Medical Suspensions: Hector Lombard Sidelined Six Months

UFC 199, which went down last weekend (Sat., June 4, 2016) from The Forum in Inglewood, California, turned out to be a fantastic night of fights that boasted a plethora of electrifying finishes. Unfortunately, all of the fighters weren’t able to make it out of the event unscathed, as the medical suspensions released by the

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UFC 199, which went down last weekend (Sat., June 4, 2016) from The Forum in Inglewood, California, turned out to be a fantastic night of fights that boasted a plethora of electrifying finishes.

Unfortunately, all of the fighters weren’t able to make it out of the event unscathed, as the medical suspensions released by the California State Athletic Commission (via MMAFighting.com) were revealed.

The most notable suspension was a six-month suspension handed out to Hector “Lightning” Lombard who suffered a brutal knockout loss to aging veteran Dan Henderson on the main card.

Lombard lied motionless on the canvas for minutes after the stoppage, and was immediately rushed to a hospital in the aftermath of the bout. Typically, fighters can be cleared by a doctor prior to the six-month mark, but “Lightning” has actually been given a full mandatory six-month stint with no exceptions:

“No exception for prolong recovery from KO,” the document read.

Check out the full list of suspensions below:

  • Luke Rockhold: 45-day suspension, 30 without contact after being knocked out (no exception).
  • Ricardo Lamas: 60-day suspension or cleared by physician due to laceration of left tibial. 45-day suspension, 40 without contact for hard bout (no exception).
  • Hector Lombard: 180-day suspension for prolong recovery from knockout (no exception). 45-day suspension, 30 without contact after being knocked out (no exception).
  • Dan Henderson: 45-day suspension, 30 without contact for hard bout (no exception).
  • Bobby Green: 45-day suspension, 30 without contact due to TKO (no exception).
  • Clay Guida: 45-day suspension, 30 without contact after being knocked out (no exception).
  • James Vick: 45-day suspension, 30 without contact after being knocked out (no exception).
  • Jessica Penne: 45-day suspension, 30 without contact due to TKO (no exception).
  • Sean Strickland: 180-day suspension or cleared by physician due to possible fracture of both hands.
  • Jonathan Wilson: 180-day suspension or cleared by physician due to inability to stand. 60-day suspension or cleared by physician due to laceration of left eye. 45-day suspension, 30 without contact due to TKO (no exception).
  • Kevin Casey: 180-day suspension or cleared by physician due to low blood sugar. 60-day suspension or cleared by physician due to laceration of left eye. 45-day suspension, 30 without contact due to hard bout (no exception).
  • Dong Hyun Kim: 180-day suspension or cleared by physician due to possible broken nose. 60-day suspension or cleared by physician due to laceration of right eye. 45-day suspension, 30 without contact after being knocked out (no exception).
  • Polo Reyes: 180-day suspension or cleared by physician due to possible fracture of both hands and right elbow. 45-day suspension, 30 without contact due to hard bout (no exception).

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UFC Rankings Update: Bisping Bursts Onto Pound-For-Pound List

Despite the story of highly-respected journalist Ariel Helwani being ludicrously escorted from last weekend’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 and subsequently ‘banned for life’ by the UFC drowning the media landscape, we simply can’t forget about the fights – and it was a memorable night to say the least. In the main event at

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Despite the story of highly-respected journalist Ariel Helwani being ludicrously escorted from last weekend’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 and subsequently ‘banned for life’ by the UFC drowning the media landscape, we simply can’t forget about the fights – and it was a memorable night to say the least.

In the main event at The Forum in Inglewood, California, long-time divisional mainstay Michael Bisping shocked the masses and knocked out Luke Rockhold in the very first round to become the undisputed middleweight champion of the world.

A true feel-good story, Bisping completed one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, and as a result has launched himself onto the pound-for-pound list according to the latest rankings update courtesy of UFC.com.

“The Count” now sits at No. 9 after his monumental victory.

Reigning bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz scored an impressive decision victory over bitter rival Urijah Faber in their co-main event trilogy bout. “The Dominator” jumped up a spot to No. 3 on the pound-for-pound list after Rockhold, who previously held that rank, saw a massive drop down to No. 13.

Check out the full rankings update below:

POUND-FOR-POUND
1 Jon Jones
2 Demetrious Johnson
3 Dominick Cruz +1
4 Robbie Lawler +1
5 Rafael Dos Anjos +1
6 Conor McGregor +1
7 Daniel Cormier +1
8 Jose Aldo +1
9 Michael Bisping *NR
10 Frankie Edgar +1
11 Stipe Miocic +2
12 Joanna Jedrzejczyk
13 Luke Rockhold +10
14 Chris Weidman +4
15 Fabricio Werdum

FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Demetrious Johnson
1 Joseph Benavidez
2 Henry Cejudo
3 Jussier Formiga
4 Kyoji Horiguchi
5 Ian McCall
6 John Moraga
7 Zach Makovsky
8 Wilson Reis
9 Dustin Ortiz
10 Ali Bagautinov
11 Justin Scoggins
12 Louis Smolka
13 Ray Borg
14 Sergio Pettis
15 Ben Nguyen

BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Dominick Cruz
1 TJ Dillashaw
2 Urijah Faber
3 Raphael Assuncao
4 Bryan Caraway
5 Michael McDonald
6 Aljamain Sterling
7 Cody Garbrandt
8 John Lineker +1
8 John Dodson
10 Thomas Almeida -1
11 Takeya Mizugaki
12 Frankie Saenz
13 Johnny Eduardo
14 Jimmie Rivera
15 Eddie Wineland

FEATHERWEIGHT
Champion: Conor McGregor
1 Jose Aldo
2 Frankie Edgar
3 Max Holloway +1
4 Chad Mendes -1
5 Ricardo Lamas
6 Cub Swanson
7 Charles Oliveira
8 Jeremy Stephens
9 Dennis Bermudez
10 Brian Ortega +2
11 Hacran Dias -1
12 Darren Elkins -1
13 Yair Rodriguez +1
14 Tatsuya Kawajiri -1
15 Mirsad Bektic

LIGHTWEIGHT
Champion: Rafael Dos Anjos
1 Khabib Nurmagomedov
2 Eddie Alvarez
3 Tony Ferguson
4 Donald Cerrone
5 Nate Diaz
6 Edson Barboza
7 Anthony Pettis
8 Michael Johnson
9 Dustin Poirier +2
10 Michael Chiesa -1
11 Beneil Dariush -1
12 Al Iaquinta
13 Rashid Magomedov +1
14 Evan Dunham +1
15 Francisco Trinaldo *NR

WELTERWEIGHT
Champion: Robbie Lawler
1 Rory MacDonald
2 Stephen Thompson
3 Tyron Woodley
4 Demian Maia
5 Carlos Condit
6 Johny Hendricks
7 Neil Magny
8 Matt Brown
9 Dong Hyun Kim
10 Rick Story
11 Gunnar Nelson
12 Kelvin Gastelum
13 Tarec Saffiedine
14 Thiago Alves +1
15 Albert Tumenov *NR

MIDDLEWEIGHT
Champion: Michael Bisping
1 Luke Rockhold -1
2 Chris Weidman -1
3 Jacare Souza -1
4 Vitor Belfort -1
5 Anderson Silva
6 Robert Whittaker
7 Lyoto Machida
8 Gegard Mousasi
9 Uriah Hall +1
10 Tim Kennedy -1
11 Derek Brunson
12 Thales Leites
13 Dan Henderson +2
14 Rafael Natal -1
14 Thiago Santos

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Daniel Cormier
1 Jon Jones (Interim Champion)
2 Anthony Johnson
3 Glover Teixeira
4 Alexander Gustafsson
5 Ryan Bader
6 Ovince Saint Preux
7 Mauricio Rua
8 Rashad Evans
9 Jimi Manuwa
10 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
11 Nikita Krylov
12 Corey Anderson
13 Ilir Latifi
14 Patrick Cummins
15 Gian Villante

HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Stipe Miocic
1 Fabricio Werdum
2 Cain Velasquez
3 Alistair Overeem
4 Junior Dos Santos
5 Ben Rothwell
6 Andrei Arlovski
7 Travis Browne
8 Mark Hunt
9 Josh Barnett
10 Roy Nelson
11 Derrick Lewis
12 Frank Mir
13 Stefan Struve
14 Ruslan Magomedov
15 Alexey Oliynyk

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
Champion: Joanna Jedrzejczyk
1 Claudia Gadelha
2 Carla Esparza
3 Rose Namajunas
4 Tecia Torres
5 Valerie Letourneau
6 Karolina Kowalkiewicz +1
7 Jessica Andrade *NR
8 Maryna Moroz +1
9 Paige VanZant -1
10 Jessica Penne -4
11 Michelle Waterson -1
12 Joanne Calderwood -1
13 Jessica Aguilar
14 Randa Markos -2
15 Juliana Lima -1

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Miesha Tate
1 Holly Holm
2 Ronda Rousey
3 Cat Zingano
4 Amanda Nunes
5 Julianna Pena
6 Sara McMann
7 Valentina Shevchenko
8 Liz Carmouche
9 Raquel Pennington
10 Jessica Eye
11 Bethe Correia
12 Germaine de Randamie
13 Lauren Murphy
14 Ashlee Evans-Smith
15 Marion Reneau

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Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber Lives On After Trilogy Match

A decade of trash talk, and three fights later, and Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber still possess one of the deepest rivalries in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA). Cruz attempted to close the door on the ageing bad blood in the co-main event of last night’s (June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The

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A decade of trash talk, and three fights later, and Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber still possess one of the deepest rivalries in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Cruz attempted to close the door on the ageing bad blood in the co-main event of last night’s (June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum, scoring a decisive decision victory over “The California Kid” in the rubber match, extending his lead in the series to 2-1.

I say ‘attempted’, however, because although he settled the score, the rivalry proved to live on at the post-fight press conference, as the two got caught up in yet another verbal battle.

This time, it seemed to stir up after Faber mentioned rising talent Cody Garbrandt, a teammate of his and a potential future title challenger.

When “No Love” was brought up, “The Dominator” claimed to be unsure as to who he was, taking the opportunity to blast Faber for collecting a percentage off of his teammates as Cruz has accused him of:

“I mean, I’ve heard that name before,” Cruz said. “But, I think that’s somebody that Faber manages and collects a percentage off of when he fights. So, I think that would make sense for him to mention him. But, I saw him and just thought he was one of the new kids on the block. I don’t know who he is.”

Faber was quick to point out that Cruz and Garbrandt had previously engaged in a twitter war, and warned the champion that “No Love” was on the rise.

In the end, the two were asked if the rivalry would ever end, and although “The California Kid” said that ‘Dom is ok’, he admitted that the bad blood could live on forever:

“Yeah, I don’t mind,” Faber said. “It’s been an interesting relationship throughout the years. We’ve been locked in PR arrangements where we’ve had to work as a team. We’ve had to share the disappointments of injuries and missed opportunities. There’s been a lot of getting to know each other. I feel like he’s grown up a lot since the original days of me thinking he was just a punk. I think he’s grown up a lot and has gotten better as a fighter, as well. The truth is, though, our team is full of killers. So, there’s always going to be that rivalry there. I feel like we’ve made up at points for, like, a day, and then it just goes right back to some negativity. Who knows what’s going to happen in the future. But Dom is ok.”

Have you enjoyed the long lasting feud between two of California’s finest?

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