Tag: UFC 125

Leben’s Personal Battle, Stann’s War Led to ‘Toughest Guys’ in UFC Fighting

Filed under: UFC, NewsLAS VEGAS — Many people have taken a short look at the life and times of Chris Leben and drawn their own conclusions. Brian Stann is no different. Except Stann’s judgment was as simple as five words: “I want to fight him.”

Stann…

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LAS VEGAS — Many people have taken a short look at the life and times of Chris Leben and drawn their own conclusions. Brian Stann is no different. Except Stann’s judgment was as simple as five words: “I want to fight him.”

Stann’s impulse had nothing to do with Leben’s tattooed, hair-dyed appearance. It had nothing to do with the trouble Leben has sometimes found himself in. It had nothing to do with any moral judgment. Instead, it had everything to do with how he fights. Stann is a Silver Star-winning former U.S. Marine, and yet he marvels at Leben’s fighting spirit.

How complimentary is he of Leben’s heart? Try this on for size:

“This is a guy who’s very, very tough. The toughest guy, I believe, on the UFC roster other than me,” Stann said.

Once More, Champ Frankie Edgar Takes Underdog Role at UFC 125

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS — Frankie Edgar is in the middle of penning the greatest underdog story since “The Little Engine that Could,” but before he becomes a bestseller, he’ll gladly hold on to the title of champion for a few more years.

Time after…

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LAS VEGAS — Frankie Edgar is in the middle of penning the greatest underdog story since “The Little Engine that Could,” but before he becomes a bestseller, he’ll gladly hold on to the title of champion for a few more years.

Time after time, Edgar seems to go out with big odds on his back, shake them off and upset a fighter that many thought superior. Already checked off on his list: former UFC champ Sean Sherk, former No. 1 contender Hermes Franca, and the man many believe the greatest lightweight of all time, BJ Penn — twice.

Yet Edgar still has doubters. Among them, the linesmakers and betting public. Yes, once again, Edgar is an underdog on Saturday night. This begs the obvious question: What the heck does Frankie Edgar need to do to get some respect around here?

UFC 125 Workout Video

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LAS Vegas — MMA Fighting’s E. Casey Leydon was on the scene at the MGM Grand Arena for the UFC 125 open workouts on Thursday afternoon. UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Chris Leben, Brian Stann and several other fighters who are fighting at Saturday’s event were on hand.

Check out the workout video below.

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LAS Vegas — MMA Fighting’s E. Casey Leydon was on the scene at the MGM Grand Arena for the UFC 125 open workouts on Thursday afternoon. UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Chris Leben, Brian Stann and several other fighters who are fighting at Saturday’s event were on hand.

Check out the workout video below.

The Cut List: Who Desperately Needs a Win at UFC 125?

Filed under: UFCWhen we look at the UFC 125 lineup, what we see is a host of fights that are painfully difficult to call. Of the 11 bouts slated for Saturday night, only three feature a fighter coming off a loss.

That’s good news for those of us who a…

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When we look at the UFC 125 lineup, what we see is a host of fights that are painfully difficult to call. Of the 11 bouts slated for Saturday night, only three feature a fighter coming off a loss.

That’s good news for those of us who are hoping to start 2011 off with a night of competitive fights, but it means that the Cut List is a short one this time around, featuring only three fighters who are teetering on the precipice of unemployment.

Who are they, and what do they need to do to keep their jobs in 2011? The answers await you below.

Antonio McKee is Perfectly Capable of Having This Argument All By Himself, You Guys

(Antonio McKee, pictured here with the script he soon plans to flip. PicProps: amam-magazine.com)Got to admit, when we brought you the news earlier this week that leading up to his UFC debut on Saturday Antonio McKee was comparing himself to Muhammad A…


(Antonio McKee, pictured here with the script he soon plans to flip. PicProps: amam-magazine.com)

Got to admit, when we brought you the news earlier this week that leading up to his UFC debut on Saturday Antonio McKee was comparing himself to Muhammad Ali, Don King and Tupac, we pretty much assumed our McKee reporting duties were done for the year. No dice, P-Nation. Lo and behold, not three days later McKee is back in an interview with Old Dad at MMA Fighting that strikes us as even crazier than the one before. During this latest conversation with Our Former Ben, McKee adopts a strategy of making a point, then immediately contradicting himself all while tossing in the prerequisite insane claims about his own greatness and occasionally referring to himself in the third person. Seriously, when you go third person and it starts looking like you might actually have a split personality? Shit is disconcerting.

In the course of this interview, McKee pretty well talks himself in circles, among other things contending that: Upcoming opponent Jacob Volkmann is either a really tough dude or just some poor sap he’s about to run out of the UFC; now that he’s scored a four-fight deal in the Octagon he’ll either go back to his conservative, decision-oriented game planning or he’ll keep busting heads as quickly as possible; and he’s still morally opposed to hurting his opponents, but will totally do it if the money’s right.

A few things McKee is unwavering about, though: He’ll be UFC lightweight champion by the end of 2011, at 40 years old age won’t be a problem because he’s “made from better stuff than Randy (Couture)” and he thinks MMA fans are barbaric and distasteful. C’mon, follow the jump to find out what a disgusting animal you are.

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Antonio McKee: I Should Have UFC Belt by End of 2011

Filed under: UFCAntonio McKee has a plan. It’s simple, really.

“By the end of the year I should have the UFC [lightweight] belt,” he told MMA Fighting. “I’ve got to get through [Jacob] Volkmann here, beat up Volkmann real quick, and after I get done …

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Antonio McKee has a plan. It’s simple, really.

“By the end of the year I should have the UFC [lightweight] belt,” he told MMA Fighting. “I’ve got to get through [Jacob] Volkmann here, beat up Volkmann real quick, and after I get done with Volkmann they’ll think I’m serious and we can start moving forward and making progress.”

See? Nothing to it. After 11 years as a pro fighter, the 40-year-old McKee is set to make his Octagon debut at UFC 125 this Saturday, so of course he already has his future mapped out.

But does he really think becoming a UFC champion is going to be that easy? Seriously?

“Oh yeah, come on, man. I’ve got a four-fight deal, so I’d say that sounds about right. Randy [Couture] won the belt when he was about 44, right? I’ll be 41 by the end of the year, and I think McKee is made of a little better stuff than Randy, so I should have it by then.”