style="font-family: arial;">SWITCHEROO AT 101
PHOTO CREDIT: UFC.COM
Anderson Silva will be replacing Thiago Silva against former-champ Forrest Griffin. Dana White has confirmed to Yahoo! Sports, however more information will be released tomorrow.
If this is true, it will be an interesting fight to say the least. I can see Forrest being a huge challenge for him. The Spider we see show up will be an Anderson we have not seen in a long time. Right now I couldn't call this.
It's also interesting they matched Anderson with him. Shogun Rua has openly said he wants a rematch with Griffin post-97-win (more on that below). I'm sure Joe Silva and Dana are tired of feeling the heat from the media -and fans- about Anderson not performing. Griffin is enough of a challenge Spider has no choice but to show up in top shape and prepare for a battle.
Thiago Silva will now face "The Dean of Mean" Jardine at UFC 102, August 29th in Portland, Oregon.
style="font-family: arial;">UFC in AUS
Officials with the Acer Arena (formerly Sydney Super Dome) have stated they have been contacted by the UFC to host an event in February. If the statement is true, it would be the organizations first event south of the Equator since Oct. '98 "Ultimate Brazil".
This would be a great expansion if they can make it happen. Though, if NY approves MMA in the state the Feb. event slot might go there.
REMATCH REQUEST x2
As stated above, Shogun Rua has made it clear he wants a rematch with Forrest Griffin. After a loss that set him back, two knee surgeries later the Brazilian feels he is more than capable of competing with the Georgia boy.
PHOTO CREDIT: www.mauricioshogun.com.br
Rua has now had the time to adjust and get used to the octagon and how it can effect your game. He thinks "the biggest difference is the space, the octagon, because it's very difficult to move, to walk , to circle compared to the ring. But now, thank God, I think I'm more adapted for the rules, the environment and the UFC and I'm able to perform better." Not that Rua has looked terrible his last few outings, he just isn't the Shogun of Pride. We're all anxiously waiting for that Shogun to show up.Can we PLEASE just let him going back to playing soccer with people's heads??
-
Patrick Cote has requested a rematch with Anderson Silva... after his rehab is complete. To his credit, he doesn't expect is to be his first fight back, but that one will be "big" too. He isn't even able to train yet (conditioning 4-5x's a week) so he wont be able to complete a full training camp and fight until at least late summer early fall- at earliest. But, when is is ready, he wants back at the top. "I want a big fight right away. I want a top five or top ten guy. I already say that to the UFC management [Joe Silva?]. They say they are able to do it. They are going to give me a top guy, for sure." Well, if they say "for sure" then it's a done deal.
I like Cote, I really do. I hope his recover is going well (very well) but after having to fix a meniscus and a medial collateral ligament and rehab it, a top guy might be a bit much straight off the bat. Maybe a "buffer" like Mike Massenzio or someone like Alan Belcher would be a good match up.
INKED
Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith will be fighting Nick Diaz at the June 6th StrikeForce event. The two will meet at 185# (where Smith will have a large advantage) on Showtime in St. Louis, Missouri. Nick successfully passed his last drug test in California so he is -somehow- still allowed to fight with a valid license. I'm a huge fan of Smith and can't wait for him to work over Diaz. It will definitely be a good fight.
-
Nick Catone will face 5-1 Mark Munoz at UFC 102. The fight has not been officially sign yet, but has been confirmed by both camps.
-
Crazy ass "Mayhem" Miller gets a chance to avenge his '08 loss against "Jacare" Souza May 26th at DREAM 9.
The pair get to duke it out for the Middle Weight title left vacant by Gegard Mousasi when he ventured to Light-Heavy Weight. "Mayhem"'s colorful persona is more than encouraged by the Japanese audience. They love to see the fighters in skin tight zebra pants and neon pink fight shorts... who wave to them as they mount their opponents.
PHOTO CREDIT: MMACONVERT.COM
-
WEC 41's card has been completed. The WEC Press Release lists the bouts below:
MIKE BROWN VS. URIJAH FABER
JOSE ALDO VS. CUB SWANSON
DONALD CERRONE VS. JAMES KRAUSE
JENS PULVER VS. JOSH GRISPI
MANVEL GAMBURYAN VS. JOHN FRANCHI
CHARLIE VALENCIA VS. KYLE DIETZ
MIKE CAMPBELL VS. ANTHONY PETTIS
SCOTT JORGENSEN VS. ANTONIO BANUELOS
EDDIE WINELAND VS. FRANK GOMEZ
ROLANDO PEREZ VS. SETH DIKUN
-
WEC 42 has been announced. The event will be August 23rd in Vegas at the Hard Rock Casino. The Hard Rock has the capabilities of seating up to 4,000 patrons. Miguel Torres will face Brian "Needs-a-hair-cut" Bowels for the main event, additional fights will be announced shortly.
INJURY REPORT
Thiago Tavares is out of The Ultimate Fighter Finale (June 20) against Melvin Guillard. He will be replaced by ATT's 17-6 Gleison Tibau. Tavares had to pull out due to an arm injury sustained while training for the bout.
-
Kim Couture has backed out of her May 15 StrikeForce fight against Miesha Tate. Several rumors swirled almost instantly as to why Couture was pulling out. The most frequented (and maybe most incorrect) is that she has pulled due to marital problems with husband, Randy Couture. Via Tate's MySpace she bulletined yesterday: "So Kim 'Sugar Free' Couture is pulling out of the fight supposedly cuz her and Randy are getting a divorce...........I'm so pissed right now......Sugar Free my ass!!"
Tate has since recanted her statement (?) to Sherdog now saying:
So I misunderstood about what I had previously stated, I have a few friends that train at Extreme Couture one of which told me Randy and Kim were having issues and then she backed out of the fight on me and I was VERY upset because most of you know this fight meant the world to me, it was my big break and I was really upset when I found out and jumped to conclusions. My apologies to Randy and Kim, When I wrote about them I meant no ill intentions and didn't mean to blast their personal life, I was just focused on the fact I wasn't going to get the fight. I forget how famous they are and didn't even think how that might effect them and their personal life which was immature and stress my apology to them and who ever else it may concern.
Sooooo, who really knows why Kim pulled, but the point of the matter is, she is out and the fight is -as of now- off the Challengers card.
Miss something? Comments? Questions? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment