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Sotiropoulos Out, Mitsuoka In Against Takanori Gomi at UFC 144

Eiji Mitsuoka looks to make it three straight against “The Fireball Kid”

As first reported by MMAWeekly.com, George Sotiropoulos has pulled out of his upcoming bout against Takanori Gomi due to an undisclosed injury. With one month to go until UFC 144, it is likely that thirty six year old UFC newcomer Eiji Mitsuoka will now be fighting against Takanori Gomi. The UFC has yet to confirm the rumored matchup.

Don’t start screaming “squash fight!” just yet. Eiji Mitsuoka is 18-7-2 in his MMA career, with eleven of his victories coming by submission. Considering that six of Gomi’s eight losses have been by submissions, things should get interesting if Mitsuoka can get Gomi to the ground. The PRIDE veteran also holds notable victories over Joachim Hansen, Gleison Tibau and Rodrigo Damm. Mitsuoka’s most recent performance has been a unanimous decision over Bruno Carvalho at Dream: Japan GP Final on July 16, 2011. Videos available after the jump.

Eiji Mitsuoka looks to make it three straight against “The Fireball Kid”

UFC 144 goes down on February 26 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The full fight card now looks like this:

Main card:
Lightweight Championship Bout: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson
Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader
Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon

Preliminary card:
Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski
Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee
Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso
Tiequan Zhang vs. Leonard Garcia

So what say you, Potato Nation? Is Eiji Mitsuoka going to be one and done in the UFC, or will “The Fireball Kid” lose his third straight fight?

Benson Henderson Will Have a Huge 2012 Starting at UFC 144

Around this time last year fans had basically forgotten about former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, relegating him to the back-burner after an off-the-wall kick sealed his defeat in the last ever WEC event.The only question on everyone’s mi…

The only question on everyone’s mind was: When will Anthony Pettis face Frankie Edgar?

An understandable inquiry, seeing as how Pettis took the WEC crown from Henderson in December of 2010 and was promised a shot at the winner of Edgar versus Gray Maynard II. However, that battle ended in a draw with a third and final matchup waiting in the wings as both fighters took time off to recover from injuries.

As fans waited for the trilogy to conclude, a restless Pettis found himself at the back of the contenders’ line after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Clay Guida in June. The win added Guida’s name to the growing list of top contenders who were vying for a shot at the belt, including the likes of Melvin Guillard, Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller.

Quietly Henderson made his way up the ladder, easily dispatching of Mark Bocek in April and then snapping Miller’s seven-fight win streak in August. With one contender out of the way, Henderson, with a little help from Joe Lauzon who tapped out Guillard in October, put himself in perfect position to become the next challenger at 155.

All that remained in his way was Guida, a formidable wrestler who was just as hungry for a title shot as Henderson and owned a win over Pettis, the last fighter to beat him. Taking Fight of the Night honors at UFC on FOX 1, Henderson proved once again why fans shouldn’t underestimate him, going toe-to-toe with Guida in an action-packed matchup. Emphatically Henderson took the unanimous decision, thrusting his name back into the spotlight.

Now on the verge of facing Edgar at UFC 144 in Japan next month, it’s hard to see the Benson Henderson train derailing anytime soon.

2012 will be a huge year for the former champion, especially if he can defeat Edgar and take the lightweight crown. Henderson can match Edgar’s explosiveness and has solid takedown defense that has baffled the likes of Guida, Miller and other wrestlers and grapplers in the past. His striking and jiu-jitsu are on par with the champion and should make for another great fight.

While other lightweight contenders were getting wins over respectable, yet not upper-echelon competition, Henderson took out arguably the top two lightweights in the world who were not named Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard. Henderson has the experience and the talent to take on whoever the UFC gives him.

Possible future challengers could include the surging Nate Diaz and Joe Lauzon, both of whom could be on track for a title shot if they can string together a couple more wins.

Another interesting matchup would be Pettis, who’s closer to a title shot than people give him credit for. A rematch between these two fighters, this time inside the Octagon, would make for a very exciting bout.

Regardless of who the next lightweight challenger is, Henderson has to defeat Edgar first, a feat easier said than done. But with Henderson’s experience, athleticism and technique, taking the title is definitely within his grasp and should set up a very nice year for “Smooth.”

Matt Juul is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Jim Miller Picking Edgar Over Henderson at UFC 144

Filed under: UFC, NewsUFC lightweight contender Jim Miller is picking UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar to retain his title against No. 1 contender Ben Henderson at UFC 144 in February.

Miller, who previously trained with Edgar and fought to a lo…

Filed under: UFC, News

UFC lightweight contender Jim Miller is picking UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar to retain his title against No. 1 contender Ben Henderson at UFC 144 in February.

Miller, who previously trained with Edgar and fought to a loss against Henderson last August, said Monday on The MMA Hour that he thinks Edgar is the better striker and wrestler.

The way Miller sees it, Henderson probably has the edge when it comes to submissions, but Edgar is too difficult of a grappler to submit. If Edgar doesn’t get the knockout, he’ll outwork Henderson for the decision.

“Frankie hits pretty hard,” Miller told host Ariel Helwani. “I think Frankie is probably going to connect and if he can’t finish him, then he’s going to keep the pressure on him and beat him up the entire fight.”

Miller last Friday stayed in a title contention by scoring a thrilling win over Melvin Guillard in the main event UFC on FX in Nashville. Miller wants at least one more fight before a title shot, possibly against Nate Diaz or the winner of Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis.

If Edgar and Miller both prevail in their next fights, the two New Jersey natives would be a perfect addition to the UFC on FOX 3 card, rumored to take place May in New Jersey.

“Maybe,” Miller said with a laugh. “That sounds like fun.”

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UFC 144: Jake Shields Talks Vegetarian Diet in BR Exclusive

Before Jake Shields made his long-awaited UFC debut in the fall of 2010, he was already regarded by many as one of the top mixed martial artists in the sport. Prior to first stepping foot in the Octagon at UFC 121, Shields claimed notable victories ove…

Before Jake Shields made his long-awaited UFC debut in the fall of 2010, he was already regarded by many as one of the top mixed martial artists in the sport.

Prior to first stepping foot in the Octagon at UFC 121, Shields claimed notable victories over Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Jason Miller and Dan Henderson en route to winning championship belts in EliteXC, Shooto and Strikeforce.

What is perhaps more impressive than Shields’ run in the sport—which dates back to October of 1999—is the fact that he has accomplished everything he has in athletics without eating meat.

“I’ve been a lifelong vegetarian,” Shields, 33, explained to Bleacher Report. “I’m a vegetarian and it’s always been a way of life. It seems normal.”

Aside from the fact that Shields was born into a home of vegetarians, he emphasized that there are also ethical considerations behind his diet.

“I personally don’t like eating animals,” Shields noted. “I’m not the kind of person that tries to preach to other people. But, for me, I don’t feel right about doing it. That’s the main reason why I stay vegetarian.”

Although some have assumed that Shields’ diet has, perhaps, held him back in the highly-competitive world of mixed martial arts, the UFC welterweight, who is to return to action against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144 in late February, doesn’t necessarily share that view.

“I’ve never eaten meat, so I can’t see the differences, but I think it definitely helps with my cardio,” Shields offered. “I know Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz say it makes them feel way better, having switched over. I’m guessing it most likely helped. It’s really hard for me to judge, having never been a meat-eater.”

“I know the guys that have switched all swear by it—they say they love how it makes them feel.”

While Shields is more than willing to give his take on his lifestyle when solicited, he also emphasized that he is careful to respect the views of others.

It’s really important to let people know that this stuff is out there and you have an alternative, rather than telling people what they’re doing is not right. You’ve got to be careful, I guess, about how you come across. You don’t want to come across as a guy that’s trying to force your beliefs on people—and I’m definitely not.

Moving forward, Shields, who has worked with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and given his time to help raise awareness of dog fighting in the past, insisted he has all but written off the prospect of more advocacy work in the future.

Really, I started fighting because I love it, but once you get in the spotlight, you are kind of a role-model. I’m not the kind of person that’s preachy, but I think that being a vegetarian and an athlete has been positive to a lot of people. I have people writing me or coming up to me every day, telling me that they’ve switched to vegetarian because of me. Not because I’m telling everyone to do it, it’s just the fact that I’ve shown that it can be done—you can be an athlete and a vegetarian.

“I like animals a lot,” Shields continued. “I’ve helped with the anti-dog fighting cause—and I would definitely be willing to work with more causes that are for helping animals.”

Ed Kapp is an Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations were obtained first-hand.

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Holiday Festive MMA Girls Bring You the Fix Friday Link Dump

Donald Cerrone wins the MMAFighting “Get Dat Paper” award: here. Frankie Edgar and Nick Diaz are the betting favorites in their upcoming bouts at UFC 143 and UFC 144: here. Corey Hill added to XFC.

Donald Cerrone wins the MMAFighting “Get Dat Paper” award: here.

Frankie Edgar and Nick Diaz are the betting favorites in their upcoming bouts at UFC 143 and UFC 144: here.

Corey Hill added to XFC 16 card: here.

Really nice and half-naked photos of a UK Ring Girl named Hayley Sams: here.

A man was killed while sparring with a another guy he met online in the MMA Forums. You people are dangerous: here.

Looking for a last minute gift for the not-so-significant-other in your life? JWoww has a new line of super gravity defying bikinis: here.

More holiday festive photos from Amber Nichole, Kelli Hutcherson, Mercedes Terrell, and Jade Bryce:

UFC 144: 7 Reasons Benson Henderson Will Beat Frankie Edgar

Come this February, Benson Henderson will have reached the pinnacle of his career when he challenges lightweight kingpin Frankie Edgar for the title as the headliner for UFC 144. The event marks the promotion’s first foray to Japan in over ten yea…

Come this February, Benson Henderson will have reached the pinnacle of his career when he challenges lightweight kingpin Frankie Edgar for the title as the headliner for UFC 144.

The event marks the promotion’s first foray to Japan in over ten years where the famed Saitama Super Arena will play host to the historic event.

Despite Edgar’s more than noteworthy performances as of late, Henderson has been equally impressive inside the Octagon and holds skills that could decidedly sway the 155-pound affair in his favor.

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