Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Torch_MMA_Polls_37/article_24157.shtml
Saturday, 27 December 2014
Friday, 26 December 2014
'Bad Boy' Leonard Garcia retires, leaves enduring legacy of amazing fights
Coming the day before the sport's three biggest promotions, the UFC, Bellator and the World Series of Fighting, all staged televised fight cards, the news hasn't gotten all that much attention.
But featherweight Leonard Garcia's decision to retire following a loss to Daniel Pineda at Legacy FC 37 was a stinging blow to mixed martial arts.
Garcia was never the most talented fighter, but he gave every ounce of what he had to give every time out, and he'll be remembered as one of the most exciting fighters of his generation.
Garcia, 35, retires with a pedestrian 18-13-1 mark. In his biggest bout, he was submitted by Mike Brown via triangle choke in the first round in a bout for the World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight title.
But it's not titles or significant wins that made Garcia so memorable. It was his desire to put on a show, a willingness to accept two punches to land one, that made him popular and makes his retirement a dark day for the sport's fan base.
He won Fight of the Night four times in the UFC and twice in the WEC. He also had a Knockout of the Night in the WEC and his April 24, 2010, bout at WEC 48 with Chan Sung Jung, aka "The Korean Zombie," remains high on the list of any fans' compilation of top MMA bouts.
Garcia fought in a division with men infinitely more talented, but he made himself a name by sheer heart and desire.
The sport would be better with a lot more fighters with the fighting spirit that Garcia brought every time out to the cage.
Score Fighting Series 7 weigh-in results: Mein and Petz cleared for tonight's headliner
All fighters are on weight for tonight's Score Fighting Series 7 event. On Thursday the event's 20 fighters successfully made weight, including headliner/UFC vet Forrest Petz (170.6 pounds) and borrowed Strikeforce fighter Jordan Mein (170.4).
Score Fighting Series 7 takes place at Hamilton Place Theatre in Ontario, Canada. The main card airs live on AXS TV in the U.S. (and The Score in Canada) at 10 p.m. ET.
UFC 181: WHERE TO FOLLOW TONIGHT'S EVENT REPORT
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If you're looking for our live UFC 181 coverage tonight, head to our mobile site at MMATorch.com in your phone or tablet browser. Full play by play, star ratings, reactions, commentary, and more will be there. Follow along throughout the week to all the live news and updates on the new specially designed mobile site, and head there during every major event for live coverage!
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/torchtoday/article_24136.shtml
UFC accused of 'illegal market monopolization' in lawsuit filed by former, current fighters
Three high-profile mixed martial arts fighters filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday accusing the UFC of illegally monopolizing power in the industry by eliminating its competition.
Former UFC fighters Jon Fitch and Nate Quarry, along with Cung Le, who is still under contract with the UFC, also accuse the Zuffa-owned company of "artificially suppressing fighters' " earnings with their contracts and practices.
The civil suit alleges that the UFC has violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by illegally scheming to create a non-competitive marketplace that restricts the earning capabilities of fighters, as well as coercing fighters to relinquish rights to their names and likenesses. The plaintiffs seek injunctive relief and damages, and the suit claims to represent a class of current and former UFC fighters in similar situations as Le, Quarry and Fitch.
"This lawsuit is about fairness," Quarry told reporters during a press conference in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday. "It's about a fair market value for the athletes. … It's time for those things to change. We deserve to be out in a free market place."
Zuffa is primarily owned by billionaires Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, along with UFC president Dana White.
The UFC has had a stranglehold on MMA for the majority of the 21st century, and Zuffa has either bought up or driven out several other viable promotions. The suit references past statements made by White and other UFC officials comparing the promotion and its practices to that of the NFL and NBA, but makes a distinction in regards to those leagues' ability to foster an open market by creating a bidding war among individual teams.
The lawsuit alleges that the UFC has maintained control of more than 90 percent of the revenue derived from live MMA bouts nationwide. It also maintains that the UFC has allegedly retaliated against fighters who have worked with or who have announced intentions to work with rival promoters.
“UFC’s threats are taken seriously by fighters because they know that a UFC ban will substantially diminish, if not end, their ability to earn a living at their chosen profession,” said plaintiffs’ co-counsel Joseph Saveri of Saveri Law Firm, Inc. “These MMA professionals deserve the right to take back their careers.”
For its part, the UFC posted the following statement to its website:
"The UFC is aware of the action filed today but has not been served, nor has it had the opportunity to review the document. The UFC will vigorously defend itself and its business practices."
Below is the lawsuit, in full:
Cung Le, et al. v. Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a UFC
Jon Jones hate
The hate against Jon Jones is maybe the most inexplicable thing in MMA today. The whole internet is filled with hate about this guy and it's funny to...
Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc/190817-jon-jones-hate.html
UFC 179 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 4 - Videos
On episode #4 of UFC 179 Embedded, featherweight sensation Conor McGregor enjoys the sights, sounds and people on a Brazilian beachfront. Champion Jose Aldo and challenger Chad Mendes cross paths repeatedly in the hotel and at media events, before finally facing off at weigh-ins. Light heavyweight star Glover Teixeira stays relaxed in his home country as his opponent Phil Davis counts down the days and hours until their co-main event clash. UFC Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog series focusing on the days leading up to the epic UFC 179: Aldo vs. Mendes 2 fight card, taking place Saturday, October 25, on Pay-Per-View.Source: http://mmalice.com/videos/ufc-179-embedded-vlog-series-episode-4-video_un5kyuzd.html
Thursday, 25 December 2014
Ask the Fight Doc: What do you make of Nick Denis' unexpected MMA retirement?
Promising UFC bantamweight Nick Denis caught many surprise when he announced his MMA retirement on Thursday. As the former Ph.D. student detailed in his blog, Denis was concerned about brain injury and decided to call it quits at just 29 years old.
MMAjunkie.com medical columnist and consultant Dr. Johnny Benjamin read Denis' blog and gives his thoughts on the fighter's decision.
UFC champ Ronda Rousey: ' I would rather die than lose'
UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is undefeated in her MMA career, and she intends to keep it that way. In fact, during a recent interview with Showtime, the "Rowdy" one said she'd rather die than lose a fight.
“I know that I would rather physically die than die inside from losing a fight. I remember every single loss of my career, but have forgotten so many of my victories," she said. “It’s not that I’ve never lost; it’s that I’ve lost at the worst times, so I know what a loss is. That’s why I want to win so much more than these other girls."
According to the 135-pound queen, she's already psychologically faced that choice during fights and pushed through.
“There have been times during a fight when I thought I was going to die,” Rousey said. “I thought to myself, ‘I would rather break my neck than lose this fight.’"
The former two-time Judo Olympian has lost throughout her athletic career. If an MMA fighter is going to beat Rousey, however, she insists it won't be because she gave up.
“I will never tap out of a fight because I know the feeling of losing," she said. "I know that I would rather die than lose a fight.”
Rousey next defends her UFC championship in January against No. 1 contender Cat Zingano.
Check out what's buzzing on the Yahoo Sports Minute:
Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda & @YahooCagewriter
Video: Strikeforce's Larkin lashes out at Rockhold's withdrawal, questions UFC timing
Lorenz Larkin said injuries could excuse him from Strikeforce's final card. The middleweight today told MMAjunkie.com Radio he's accumulated all the bumps and bruises that come with four months of training.
Yet Larkin wouldn't think of bowing out like his opponent did. He said he needs to fight every five months, or he creates problems for his girlfriend and everyone else around.
Watch UFC 183’s Anderson Silva End Rich Franklin’s Reign as Middleweight Champ
Anderson Silva will return to the Octagon in just over a month, and the UFC has started posting some of the legendary fighter’s greatest hits… Of course, one of them took place way back in 2006 (it’s crazy how time flies), when Silva took on Rich Franklin at UFC 64. At the time, Franklin was […]
Wednesday, 24 December 2014
UFC champ Georges St. Pierre details UFO encounter
For years, it was an open secret that Georges St. Pierre had some fears relating to what he suspected were alien encounters. The former UFC welterweight champ touched on some perhaps related matters during an interview awhile back on The Joe Rogan Experience, during which he spoke about unexplained time lapses.
Rogan, and this writer, would later go on to wonder out loud with concern if such experiences were related to the multiple concussions a fighter like St. Pierre had sustained over his fight career. No one will ever know for sure, but St. Pierre elaborated on another experience that he says he can't come up with an explanation for during an appearance on Chael Sonnen's great new You're Welcome podcast.
Check out the segment above, and listen to the full podcast here.
Sonnen asked St. Pierre, "I wanna know your opinion. Do we have aliens that have visited this country?"
"Rush" had this to say in response:
"I never talk about aliens," he said.
"I talk about non-identified flying objects. And if you don't believe me, one day I was in Albuquerque ... with Rashad Evans and [former UFC fighter and former wrestling coach for Evans and St. Pierre] Mike Van Arsdale, a fighter called Alejandro, he's a Mexican guy, and also Ali [Abdel-Aziz], I believe he managed Frankie Edgar. And we're all in the car ... in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the highway, and we saw a UFO all together.
"I don't know what it was, but it's something that we cannot explain ... it came swift towards us and right away it changed directions and it disappeared."
Have you ever seen something flying in the sky that you couldn't explain, or later learned what it was? Let us know in the comments section!
Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda & @YahooCagewriter
12/22 AFTERNOON UPDATE: Bantamweights Cruz and Assuncao suffer leg injuries in training; Rampage on return to the UFC; UFC inks new Canadian TV deal; Dollaway says Machida kick left him "basically paralyzed"
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12/22 AFTERNOON UPDATE
If you're tuning in to the App for the first time in a while, make sure to check out the big update on the App's home page for notes and information on the changes made to the new mobile site at MMATorch.com in your mobile browser. Keep sending your thoughts in to mmatorch@gmail.com so we can make the mobile site the best experience for you! We truly appreciate the feedback, and we're making changes as necessary. Here's what's on the site this afternoon:
-The UFC's bantamweight division suffered two major blows today, as both Dominick Cruz and Raphael Assuncao revealed that they've suffered injuries in training. Cruz suffered an ACL injury on his right knee, the opposite of the knee for which he went through two ACL procedures during his three year layoff. Assuncao, meanwhile, suffered a broken ankle. Get more from both fighters with further analysis on their injuries and the state of the bantamweight division by heading to our mobile site at MMATorch.com in your phone or tablet browser.
-Rampage Jackson discussed his return to the UFC in a new feature from Fox Sports, explaining why he was willing to come back to the organization despite the way he left in 2013. Catch his comments with further analysis on the mobile site now.
-The UFC has inked a new television deal in Canada which will bring them to several platforms with TSN, RDS, and The Fight Network. Head to the mobile site for more details on the deal and comments from UFC, TSN, and TFN reps.
-C.B. Dollaway says he was “basically paralyzed” by the body kick from Lyoto Machida at UFC Fight Night 58, and he's hoping that the pain wasn't any more than because of the liver shot. Catch his post-fight comments with further thoughts on the mobile site.
We thank all of our readers for their feedback and patience as we continue making improvements on the new mobile site. We're an independent voice in the MMA space with no corporate backing, and as such we stay afloat on ad revenue. This shift to the full listing on mobile web brings us a better chance to keep ourselves going and to bring our readers everything we have for the last five years and more, as the mobile advertising market is simply stronger than that on the app. Continue sending us your feedback to mmatorch@gmail.com and let us know how the new features with the Disqus comments section and more are working for you on mobile web!
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/torchtoday/article_24324.shtml
UFC's Dan Hardy plans future training sessions with St-Pierre, targets spring return
After a four-fight skid that had him thinking about retirement, Dan Hardy's evolution is continuing in the midst of a two-fight resurgence. The former UFC welterweight title challenger is coming off a stint at Montreal's Tristar Gym to help champion and former nemesis Georges St-Pierre prepare for common opponent Carlos Condit.
And recently, the Brit revealed he is planning to train in the future with St-Pierre and the Tristar crew.
Titles and soccer stadiums: Conor McGregor's big plans
If you think UFC featheweight Conor McGregor has accomplished a lot in just four fights in the promotion, wait until you hear what he's got planned next. The Irishman has already all but been promised a title shot, next, against the winner of this month's championship rematch between Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes.
In a recent interview with SevereMMA, McGregor predicts when he'll win the title, where he'll defend it, and announces some division-hopping plans for afterwards. "I’ve skipped the queue and now I’m the world title contender, I’m number one contender. My next fight is most likely going to be for the title. After that there will be no catching me,” he exclaimed," McGregor began.
“I’ll win the belt, maybe I’ll defend it in the Aviva [Stadium] and then I’ll challenge for the lightweight belt, then who knows? That’s definitely in my plans, you better believe that."
For all us Americans out there, Aviva Stadium is a 50,000 seat soccer stadium in McGregor's home of Dublin, which would make it the largest live spectator event in UFC history. So, McGregor ain't planning small.
As for lightweight, McGregor said that a move up in class is all but inevitable. “If a 155 fight came up I will take it. I’m only gone 26, I’m not going to be making featherweight my whole career, it’s a tough cut. I do it and I do it professionally, but it’s tough," he explained.
Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda & @YahooCagewriter
Related Video:
Josh Samman obliterates Eddie Gordon with one of year's best KOs
LAS VEGAS -- Josh Samman didn't have a very good first round against Eddie Gordon. The middleweight winner of "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 19, Gordon used his strength and his wrestling to control Samman in the first.
But Gordon was loading up on every punch he threw, throwing from left field, and it guaranteed him a spot in the highlight reels for years to come.
As Gordon appeared to wind back to fire a right hand, Samman blasted him along the side of the face with a head kick during their bout at UFC 181 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Gordon went down as if he'd been shot and the fight was over in an instant.
“He seemed to struggle a lot with southpaws, so we watched tons of tape to see how to counter that," Samman said after the fight. "That’s essentially where that kick came from and we trained to set it up time and time again.”
It’s been a tough year for me. Tonight was easy compared to what I’ve been through and I can’t thank everyone enough for their support.”
It was unquestionably one of the best and most vicious knockouts of the year, but it also ranks up there with the sport's best head kick knockouts ever. It was reminscent in many ways of a head kick knockout on TUF by Uriah Hall, who cold-cocked Adam Cella.
Jose Aldo says UFC fighters deserve better pay
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo's confidence seems to extend outside of the Octagon, and into the business world of MMA. "Scarface" seems just as quick with a criticism of UFC brass (well, at least since president Dana White began to inexplicably bash his dominant and entertaining champ) as he is with one of his nasty leg kicks.
With a title defense this Saturday in his home of Brazil against Chad Mendes (14-1), Aldo recently once more spoke up about what he views as he and other UFC fighters' relatively meager pay to take part in one of the world's most extreme sports. When Brazilian outlet Globo asked Aldo (24-1) - by far, the UFC's longest reigning champion - in a recent interview if he deserved higher pay from the UFC, he said, 'yes,' but also that he isn't the only one.
"Not only me, but also other athletes deserve it," he said.
"We [fighters] give a lot to the company, and I think it is not as valued as it should... Nowadays the company is very large and athletes are very devalued."
Aldo says that, while the UFC pays fighters well when things are going well, the promotion is fickle and not particularly loyal once things go a bit rougher. "If you're fighting well, you are valued by the company," he explained.
"But you're fired if you lose three straight fights."
Fighting for purses makes for an unpredictable, and difficult-to-budget, life. Aldo says that fighters like himself have no problem laying it on the line in the sport they love, but he wishes that the labor got a bigger share of the UFC's all-time high riches.
"We do not earn a monthly salary, so we have to keep fighting," Aldo said.
"We try to always give the maximum in training to get in there and fight, thus raising millions for the company. We also want to have part of these millions."
Do you think that exciting, dominant UFC champs like Aldo should get a higher percentage of the UFC's revenue? Or, do you think the increasing wages, over the years, are about right, given how new the UFC is, and all their expenses?
Let us know in the comments section.
Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda & @YahooCagewriter
UFC Bantamweight Division Hit With Another Injury
Just hours after No. 1 UFC bantamweight contender Dominick Cruz announced that he will spend much of 2015 on the sidelines with a knee injury, Raphael Assuncao has joined him. Assuncao, who was passed over for T.J. Dillashaw earlier this year due to an injury, sent out a message on Twitter that he suffered a […]
The post UFC Bantamweight Division Hit With Another Injury appeared first on MMA Convert.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/sRaTr5fiVrM/
Tuesday, 23 December 2014
UFC 179: How'd You Get Your Nickname - Videos
Stars from UFC 179 reveal how they received they nicknames. UFC 179 goes down this Saturday, October 25th on Pay-Per-View!Source: http://mmalice.com/videos/ufc-179-howd-you-get-your-nickname-video_gv3acwfa.html
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