Filed under: UFC, NewsJason Brilz has been forced out of UFC 122 with an injury, and UFC newcomer Alexandre Ferreira has stepped in to replace him and face Vladimir Matyushenko, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Fighting.
Matyushenko (24-5) is looking to rebound from his recent first-round TKO loss at the hands of Jon Jones in August. It was his first loss in the octagon in his second go-around with the company, previously defeating Jason Lambert and Igor Pokrajac.
Filed under: UFCPeople kept telling him he’d won Fight of the Night, but Jared Hamman didn’t realize they were serious. It was nice to hear, and he appreciated the compliment. He knew his three-round slobberknocker with Rodney Wallace at UFC 111 had be…
People kept telling him he’d won Fight of the Night, but Jared Hamman didn’t realize they were serious. It was nice to hear, and he appreciated the compliment. He knew his three-round slobberknocker with Rodney Wallace at UFC 111 had been an entertaining one, but Fight of the Night? On the same card that featured guys like Georges St. Pierre and Shane Carwin? That didn’t sound right.
“I thought they were telling me like, basically, that was a really good fight,” Hamman (12-2) told MMA Fighting. “I was like, thanks, I appreciate that. They had to be like, ‘No, you really won the Fight of the Night bonus.’ I had to call my manager and ask him if it was true.”
And it was. After a fifteen-minute scrap with Wallace that sometimes resembled a blur of furious arms and legs roving around the Octagon like a contained tornado, Hamman won a unanimous decision victory and, as he would learn later in the night, a $65,000 bonus for Fight of the Night.
Filed under: UFCEvery fighter starts with dreams of greatness. Championship belts, screaming crowds – the whole deal. It’s normal. It’s rational, in its own way. It’s the special brand of optimism that comes with feeling young and invincible.
Every fighter starts with dreams of greatness. Championship belts, screaming crowds – the whole deal. It’s normal. It’s rational, in its own way. It’s the special brand of optimism that comes with feeling young and invincible.
Antoni Hardonk was no different in that regard. But there came a point when he had to be honest with himself about where he was headed and what he was capable of.
“In your twenties, you don’t think about the future as much,” the Dutch kickboxer and UFC veteran told MMA Fighting recently. “You do whatever you feel like doing and you don’t think about it. In your thirties, the future is more of a consideration. For me, I’m a good competitor, I have some talent, but I can’t retire on that. I can survive, but that’s basically it. So I decided I had to move on.”
Forrest Griffin is ready to plug his book, but he’s not ready to book a fight.
The former UFC light-heavyweight champ just launched a publicity tour for his new book, “Be Ready When the S— Goes Down,” so expect some random, choice sound bytes over the next few weeks. The first came Tuesday, when Griffin was asked about the possibility of facing Jon Jones. After explaining that he’s not accepting any fights as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, Griffin marveled at Jones’ rapid ascent.
“That’s just ridiculous,” he said in an interview with WWUZ. “[Vladimir] Matyushenko‘s been around a decade. He fought Tito [Ortiz] for 25 minutes. He’s a great guy. So I haven’t really been paying attention, but I keep hearing he’s the next big thing, and I’m inclined to believe it.”
Hammer is the CEO of Alchemist Management, a marketing and management company officially launched last week specifically for a roster of MMA fighters.
“It’s just over the years I watched the world of MMA grow,” Hammer said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. “It’s really exciting. I don’t see anything more exciting today than MMA and it got my fire stoked.”
Filed under: UFCTwo years ago, I became one of the first people aboard the Jon Jones bandwagon. At the time, I’d just watched the largely unknown Jones win his UFC debut, beating Andre Gusmao by decision in a UFC 87 prelim. Beforehand, I’d heard bits a…
Two years ago, I became one of the first people aboard the Jon Jones bandwagon. At the time, I’d just watched the largely unknown Jones win his UFC debut, beating Andre Gusmao by decision in a UFC 87 prelim. Beforehand, I’d heard bits and pieces about Jones’ athleticism, work ethic and drive, and as the fight went on, I found myself impressed by what I was watching. Jones was not polished, but there was no denying his raw tools.
And then there was his poise. Only 21 years old, with just a few months of training under his belt, and fighting on three weeks’ notice, he didn’t portray a hint of nervousness while fighting before 15,000 people. After it was over, and he was declared the winner by decision, I texted my cameraman John Moody (at the time I was working for NBC), and told him that we needed to interview Jones. The kid, I said, was definitely going to be somebody.
Five fights later, Jones has yet to disappoint. And even though I’ve spent quite a bit of time writing about Jones’ incredible promise, I also think it’s very necessary to slow down the hype train a bit as he steams towards contender status.