UFC Betting Sites – The Best MMA Online Bookies
UFC best betting sites and the best MMA odds and gambling news
Stephan Bonnar talks about his upcoming main event bout versus Igor Pokrajac at this Saturdays TUF 12 Finale event. “The American Psycho” thinks the fight could be an instant classic.
HT: MMAHeat.com
TUF 12 finalist Jonathan Brookins on facing Michael Johnson on Saturday night.
Watch Michael Johnson Talks About TUF 12, Training with Georges St. Pierre, His […]
Click here to view the embedded video.
Stephan Bonnar talks about his upcoming main event bout versus Igor Pokrajac at this Saturdays TUF 12 Finale event. “The American Psycho” thinks the fight could be an instant classic.
HT: MMAHeat.com
Click here to view the embedded video.
TUF 12 finalist Jonathan Brookins on facing Michael Johnson on Saturday night.
Interviews with Igor Pokrajac, Demian Maia, Kendall Grove, and more after the jump
Press Release
New York, NY, December 2, 2010 – The finals are set for “The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck” as Georges St- Pierre’s first two fighter selections, Michael “The Menace” Johnson and Jonathan Brookins, will battle it out for a six-figure contract with the preeminent mixed martial arts organization in the world, The […]
Press Release
New York, NY, December 2, 2010 – The finals are set for “The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck” as Georges St- Pierre’s first two fighter selections, Michael “The Menace” Johnson and Jonathan Brookins, will battle it out for a six-figure contract with the preeminent mixed martial arts organization in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship®. Emanating from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV, the finale will be telecast LIVE on Spike TV Saturday, December 4 at 9:00 PM ET.
For finalist Michael Johnson (8-4), the third time proved to be a charm as the 24-year-old Springfield, MO, native was successfully cast on the show following two previous attempts. Johnson did not spoil the opportunity, becoming the #1 overall selection in the competition after defeating Pablo Garza via unanimous decision in the season premiere. Johnson next took on Aaron Wilkinson and overwhelmed the Brit on the ground to earn a third round submission via rear naked choke. In the quarters Johnson routed house nemesis Alex “Bruce Leroy” Caceres in a two round unanimous decision and then defeated Nam Phan in the semifinals in a three round war to punch his ticket into the finals. The former standout wrestler and running back at Marquette High School in St. Louis trains out of the Springfield Fight Club.
Fighting out of Orlando, FL, Jonathan Brookins (11-2) is familiar with the spotlight, having already fought one of the world’s pound-for-pound best fighters in UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Since losing to Aldo in November 2008, the 24-year-old Oregon state high school wrestling champion has rattled off seven consecutive wins, including four decisive victories while on the show. Following a two-round unanimous decision win over Ran Weathers in the premiere episode, Brookins made quick work of both Sevak Magakian and Sako Chivitchian with first round rear naked choke submissions before defeating Kyle Watson by decision in the semifinals.
Spike TV will telecast the first UFC fight in the newly added featherweight division (145 lbs) as Leonard Garcia (14-6-1) takes on “The Ultimate Fighter 12” semifinalist Nam Phan (16-7). The bout kicks off the live “The Ultimate Fighter 12” finale fight card.
Garcia, who trains with the renowned Jackson Submission Fighting, is a native of Lubbock, TX. The 31 year-old has participated in some of the most memorable mixed martial bouts over the last few years. Garcia made a memorable debut in the UFC with a three-round war, ending in a decision loss to Roger Huerta at UFC 69, in April 2007. A photo from their hotly-contested fight graced the cover of Sports Illustrated that week. Garcia dropped down in weight-class and fought and defeated former UFC champ, Jens Pulver, in a WEC featherweight bout in November 2008. In a fight for the title, Garcia lost to Mike Brown via submission in the first round at WEC 39 in March 2009. In April, 2010 at WEC 48, he won an epic three decision over Chan Sung Jung (“The Korean Zombie”) in what UFC announcer Joe Rogan hailed as “the best fight I’ve seen in my life.”
Fighting out of Westminster, CA at the Madu Academy which he owns, Phan was a standout performer on season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Proud to be UFC’s first Vietnamese fighter, Phan made it to the semifinals of the popular weekly series before losing to Michael Johnson.
Headlining the Spike TV card will be the previously announced bout of UFC light heavyweights Igor Pokrajac (22-7) and “The Ultimate Fighter 1” alum Stephan “The American Psycho” Bonnar (15-7). In addition, “The Ultimate Fighter 3” alum Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove (14-7, 1 NC) will battle former number one contender Demian Maia (13-2) in a middleweight bout, while Rick “The Horror” Story takes on Johny Hendricks in a welterweight contest.
Other matches on the fight card include (might air time permitting):
• David Branch (7-1) vs. Rich Attonito (9-3)
• Pablo Garza (9-1) vs. Fredson Paixio (10-3, 1 NC)
• Nick Pace (5-1) vs. Will Campuzano (8-2)
• Kyle Watson (15-6-1) vs. Sako Chivitchian (5-0)
• Ian Loveland (13-7) vs. Tyler Toner (11-2)
• Aaron Wilkinson (6-3) vs. Cody McKenzie (11-0)
Last night’s episode of “The Ultimate Fighter” featuring Michael Johnson vs. Nam Phan and Jonathan Brookins vs. Kyle Watson can be seen in its entirety Friday, December 3rd on ultimatefighter.com.
.TUF_embedded_video a .TUF_embedded_video a:hover
The Aftermath: Victory’s All That Matters
UltimateFighter.com
See More: Stephan Bonnar • Aftermath • lightweights • TUF 12
With opposing jiu-jitsu coaches in the house, things get testy! Dave Camarillo, John Danaher and TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig join Stephan Bonnar to preview the finale. Plus, enter the TUF Keyword for a chance to win a […]
With opposing jiu-jitsu coaches in the house, things get testy! Dave Camarillo, John Danaher and TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig join Stephan Bonnar to preview the finale. Plus, enter the TUF Keyword for a chance to win a signed GSP poster!
With the conclusion of Wednesday nights final episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Teahm Koscheck on Spike TV, the full card for this weekends TUF 12 Finale event has been revealed.
Advancing to the finale from the show will be Team GSP fighters Jonathan Brookins (11-3) and Michael Johnson (8-4) who will vie for […]
With the conclusion of Wednesday nights final episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Teahm Koscheck on Spike TV, the full card for this weekends TUF 12 Finale event has been revealed.
Advancing to the finale from the show will be Team GSP fighters Jonathan Brookins (11-3) and Michael Johnson (8-4) who will vie for the TUF contract.
MMAjunkie.com was the first to report several more matchups for the event. Fights include bouts between former WEC fighter Leonard Garcia (14-6-1) vs. Team Koscheck’s Nam Phan (16-7), Team Koscheck’s Sako Chivitchian (5-0) vs. Team GSP’s Kyle Watson (13-6-1), and Team GSP’s Cody McKenzie (11-0) vs. Team Koscheck’s Aaron Wilkinson (6-3).
The TUF 12 Finale will take place this Saturday, Dec. 4th, at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The event will see the main card broadcast live on Spike TV, featuring bouts between light-heavyweights Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac, and a middleweight matchup featuring Demian Maia vs. Kendall Grove.
The full TUF 12 Finale card appears as follows:
Main card
Lightweight bout: Jonathan Brookins vs. Michael Johnson
Light Heavyweight bout: Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac
Middleweight bout: Demian Maia vs. Kendall Grove
Welterweight bout: Johny Hendricks vs. Rick Story
Preliminary card
Lightweight bout: Cody McKenzie vs. Aaron Wilkinson
Featherweight bout: Tyler Toner vs. Ian Loveland
Lightweight bout: Sako Chivitchian vs. Kyle Watson
Bantamweight bout: Will Campuzano vs Nick Pace
Featherweight bout: Fredson Paixão vs. Pablo Garza
Middleweight bout: Rich Attonito vs. Dave Branch
Last night saw the final episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck air setting the stage for this Saturdays “TUF 12 Finale.” Three members of Team GSP and one from Team Koscheck were all that remained as the fighters squared off to see who would emerge in the Finale.
Here is the […]
Last night saw the final episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck air setting the stage for this Saturdays “TUF 12 Finale.” Three members of Team GSP and one from Team Koscheck were all that remained as the fighters squared off to see who would emerge in the Finale.
Here is the recap for Episode #11 provided by UFC.com.
In the first TUF12 semifinal bout, Team GSP squadmates Kyle Watson and Jonathan Brookins meet, and head coach Georges St-Pierre has been forced to remove himself as a cornerman in order to keep things neutral.
With only one member of Team Koscheck left in the running for the TUF12 title, training has slowed down and the fighters aren’t too happy about it. Andy Main and Marc Stevens are two of the more vocal critics of coach Josh Koscheck. And in the midst of Stevens’ impersonation of the welterweight contender, who walks in but Koscheck. He takes it in stride though, opting to have a few drinks with his team.
Meanwhile, while Brookins and Watson have nothing but good things to say about each other, Tam Koscheck’s Nam Phan has apparently alienated himself from his team and is looking for info on his upcoming opponent, Michael Johnson.
All four still have to fight though, and first up its Watson (155) and Brookins (156).
Watson’s standup is sharp as he gets out to an early lead, but a minute in, Brookins scores his first takedown. Watson works back to his feet, Brookins is keeping him pinned against the fence though. With two minutes gone, the two break, and Watson continues to find success with his strikes until another Brookins takedown. This time, Brookins takes control on the mat, preventing Watson from mounting any kind of offense for the rest of the round as he delivers sporadic flurries of punches.
Brookins uses a relentless attack to get the bout back to the mat early in round two, and again, he is able to keep Watson from escaping, locking up the second stanza with relative ease.
It’s more of the same in the final round, with Brookins’ smothering attack rendering Watson unable to do anything in terms of getting back into the fight. The 30-27 scores on all three judges’ scorecards are a mere formality, and Jonathan Brookins is on his way to The Ultimate Fighter 12 finale on December 4th in Las Vegas.
Before the second semifinal, Phan is the victim of a prank and then has to train alone for a spell, but he steels himself for the task ahead, and after weighing in at 155 to Johnson’s 156, he’s ready for battle.
Young gun Johnson gets the fight where he wants it immediately though, taking Phan to the mat twice in the opening minute. Once standing, Phan scores with some solid strikes to keep his foe honest, but Johnson’s response is another explosive takedown. The Team GSP member can’t keep Phan on the mat for long, and while standing the two trade hard shots, and both men have their moments of success. With under two minutes left, one of Johnson’s shots opens cuts under and over Phan’s right eye, and the blood is visibly bothering the veteran, who paws at the wounds a number of times before the bell sounds.
Phan is able to get back in business in round two, thanks to some solid takedown defense and a standup attack that includes a thudding body shot. In the second minute, a Johnson takedown attempt goes awry, and Phan is able to add more points with ground strikes. When the two rise, Johnson looks winded, and Phan continues to attack the body in response. It’s a big round for Phan, one he needed badly.
Johnson gets the fight to the mat in the first minute of the final round, but Phan fires off some good shots from his back and is soon able to get back to his feet. Despite his growing fatigue, Johnson keeps moving forward, and Phan keeps drilling him with more energy sapping body shots. Midway through the round, it’s Johnson with another takedown, but the time on the mat is brief, as Phan continues to work his strikes. Johnson is relentless as he pins Phan to the fence, yet the Team Koscheck member continues to find daylight for his strikes between each attempt from Johnson. In the final minute, the two battlers slug it out, leaving it all in the Octagon in search of the win.
The judges’ verdict? 29-28 Johnson, 29-28 Phan, and 29-28 for the winner by split decision, Michael Johnson.
After watching Stephan Bonnar grind out consistently exciting, if not bloody fights throughout his 5 year UFC career, the no brainer is to stay tuned for his Main Card TUF 12 Finale bout against Igor Pokrajac. But who is Pokrajac and is watching a fight with Bonnar against a virtual unknown worth not tuning […]
After watching Stephan Bonnar grind out consistently exciting, if not bloody fights throughout his 5 year UFC career, the no brainer is to stay tuned for his Main Card TUF 12 Finale bout against Igor Pokrajac. But who is Pokrajac and is watching a fight with Bonnar against a virtual unknown worth not tuning in to the if anything, *interesting line-up Strikeforce has put together
About an hour after the TUF 12 Finale card begins on Spike TV, Strikeforce will be airing its card on Showtime with a match-up between an aging Matt Lindland, who at 40 years old can be summed up as an Olympic wrestler with a spotty MMA record (he’s also a politician) and Robbie Lawlor, whose recent losses were met at the hands of notables, Jake Shields and Renato “Babalu” Sobral. Lawlor should grind out the win against Lindland via TKO, but despite the odds stacked against Lindland, he does put in the effort to keep the fight interesting.
Up next on the Strikeforce lineup would be former UFC Welterweight Paul Daley, the guy who got kicked out of the promotion for sucker punching Josh Koscheck after the 3rd round bell. To this day we don’t know exactly what kind of trash-talking Kos did to provoke the punch, but Kos does admit he said something pretty vile. Daley is facing a fellow striker in Scott Smith. The wild nature of Smith’s style and Daley’s technical skills will make for a standup slugfest that should leave Smith on the ground in a TKO.
Finally, the long-awaited rematch, 10 years in the making or that’s what the hype tells us, is the Main Card event between Dan Henderson and Renato “Babalu” Sobral. Henderson is a wrestler who’s developed a powerful right hand and Babalu is a crazy jiu-jitsu artist. The fight should go the 3 rounds, as neither fighter is expected to submit and overall this should be a good one.
Let’s skip back over to the TUF 12 Finale. Let’s face it, you can’t claim anyone on this card is at the tail-end of his career. In addition to Stephan Bonnar versus Igor Pokrajac which should be nothing short of a stand-up and possibly blood-shed war, we have Demian Maia paired up against Kendall Grove that may end with Grove tied up in Maia’s masterful jiu-jitsu, but watching “Da Spyda” trying to use his long legs in defense against Maia won’t be boring.
Also on the TUF 12 Main Card are Welterweights Johny Hendricks and Rick Story. Hendricks is from the hailed wrestling Team Takedown and has yet to take a loss in his pro MMA-career. Rick Story is no joke either, as a Southpaw with a four fight win-streak in the UFC. The fight should go a full three grinding rounds leaving Hendricks the victor.
Both Strikeforce and UFC seemed to be very considerate offering some great fights at no cost (if you already pay for cable) but with the fights overlapping, thank goodness we live in a world of “why choose?” when we have those extra special features like DVR and Tivo to enjoy.