Solving Aldo: Tompkins says Hominick won’t back up

Jose Aldo is as dominant as anyone in the sport right now. The 25-year-old Brazilian just about swept every round he's fought under Zuffa management. Is he that good or is that a sign that the 145-pound division is still very much a work-in-progress.

SB Nation's Luke Thomas is one media member who believes Aldo is a bit overrated, there are many more in the fight game who hold the same belief. One of them is trainer Shawn Tompkins, who'll be cornering Mark Hominick as he challenges Aldo later this month.

In this video with RawVegas.tv, Tompkins says Hominick is the first guy Aldo's faced in a long time who'll move forward. He also wonders how Aldo will deal with 55,000 enemy fans in Toronto.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Solving-Aldo-Tompkins-says-Hominick-won-t-back-?urn=mma-wp930

Andrei Arlovski Tim Sylvia Randy Couture Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira

Bisping doesn’t like Belcher or his tattoo artist

Is there anyone who doesn't want to talk smack about Michael Bisping? Alan Belcher slammed Bisping the other day so the Brit responded in typical "Count" fashion by smashing his Johnny Cash tattoo.

"He's got a lot of nerve calling me an [expletive] when he walks round with that on him [see picture above]," Bisping told Fighter's Only. "Although lets be fair, the real [expletive] is the tattooist who drew that."

Got to hand it to Bisping. That's a pretty funny comeback to being called an a-hole.

Belcher, returning from serious eye issues, said he could be back in the Octagon in September. During a conversation with Sherdog, he called out Bisping.

"Bisping is an [expletive] who disrespects the sport and his opponent. A fight between me and Michael Bisping is something everybody wants except for Michael Bisping. It would be amazing to sign that fight and have him come to my backyard," Belcher said. "He always gets to fight in Britain and other places, but it'd be good to see him come down to Louisiana. I'd love for that to be my comeback fight."

Belcher wants homecourt advantage versus Bisping when the UFC lands in New Orleans on Sept. 17.

Tip via MMAFix

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Bisping-doesn-t-like-Belcher-or-his-tattoo-artis?urn=mma-wp1410

Bao Ligao Josh Barnett David Baron Phil Baroni

UFC 129 title challenger Mark Hominick enters into sponsorship/partnership with CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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In a very rare and unique sponsorship partnering, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League will be backing Ontario native Mark Hominick for his UFC 129 fight against Jose Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship.

According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, the team and Hominick are expected to announce the sponsorship and partnership agreement later today.

Hominick's gear for the fight will be filled with the Tiger-Cats logo, and he'll be honored by the team at one of their home games in the summer.

UFC 129 takes place at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada next Saturday, April 30, headlined by the Welterweight Championship bout between Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: This is a really cool partnership for Hominick, and a very unique type of setup for an MMA fighter. This opportunity has been a massive life-change for Hominick, and win or lose next Saturday night it's been a huge deal for him to get this spot against Aldo on this card. Being the co-main event of the biggest show in UFC history in only your second fight in the organization is something else, and if he can shock the MMA world and pull off the upset of Aldo it will make for an even bigger story, not to mention the ovation he'll receive from the 55,000 in attendance in his home province.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9120.shtml

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira Brock Lesnar Frank Mir Brock Lesnar

Jason 'Mayhem' Miller Signs With UFC

Filed under: , ,

Jason "Mayhem" Miller is going back to the UFC.

The popular middleweight has signed a new multi-fight agreement with the organization, Miller's manager Ryan Parsons confirmed with MMA Fighting.

The 30-year-old Miller (24-7, 1 NC) was able to sign with the UFC due to the fact that his contract with Strikeforce had expired. No word just yet on when his first fight back inside the Octagon will take place.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/04/22/jason-mayhem-miller-signs-with-ufc/

Yoshiaki Yatsu Hirotaka Yokoi Hidehiko Yoshida Yoshiyuki Yoshida

QUOTABLES: Frank Mir - "I don't think Alistair Overeem will do as well in the UFC as a lot of fans would like him to do"

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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"I was taken back by [the UFC purchasing Strikeforce]. I was like, wow, this has been in the works for months and I think they kept it under pretty good wraps. I don't think it was out there too much. No longer do we have to hear about, 'well this guy never got to fight this guy, or this guy never got to fight that guy.' With Strikeforce and UFC being under one, you know, Strikeforce being under the UFC banner, now every top 10 heavyweight in the world is all together now. Now there's no reason why we can't fight each other. And, again, what I said earlier about you're only as good as your competition. I never would want to be the king of a small pond, you know as they say the big fish in a small pond, you know? That bugs me. I like the idea of being like, 'that guy is the best and he's fought everybody' and that's just the way I look at it.

I still think Fedor is a great fighter. All fighters have slumps, all athletes have times in their career where they're not doing as well. Fedor just kind of ran into the problem that I always felt he would have ran into if he fought in a cage, which was that he's not a very big heavyweight. I've always admired him. That's weird that you say you admire somebody and your way of showing it is you want to punch them in the face but that's fighting I guess.

With all the guys [in the UFC] with the wrestling ability, I don't think [Alistair] Overeem will do as well as a lot of fans would like him to do. I think, obviously, the guy's won at K-1. You can't say enough about his stand-up, he's a great fighter. He has a pretty wicked guillotine, at least at light heavyweight he does, I haven't really seen him establish it too much since he's put the weight on. But he has some submissions off his back and move around. But he's been fighting in boxing rings and stuff and now going to fight in the cage, which he's had fights in cages, but you get some of the guys like a Velasquez or a Carwin or Brock and they change levels on you and they push you against the cage and they rip you down. So I think Overeem is going to have to deal with the cage now and when you're a striker, it's an issue."

-Frank Mir discusses the UFC's purchase of Strikeforce and comments on Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem in a video interview (transcribed by MMAMania.com.).

Penick's Analysis: Frank's right about Overeem, and that is what is going to be the biggest test for him when these crossover fights begin to happen. Overeem had difficulties at light heavyweight against fighters that could put him on his back, so the key to his future success will be how well his takedown defense has improved and whether he can keep his fights standing long enough to blast his opponents with his extremely dangerous striking game. The "big fish in a small pond" comment is also a very valid point, and something that will be a major change once an eventual merge happens. Guys like Gilbert Melendez and Nick Diaz will go back into the deep waters and hopefully will fight opponents much more suited for their skill level. Some fighters will fall, some will thrive, but we'll eventually finally see what the best of Strikeforce can do in the much deeper divisions in the UFC.

[Frank Mir art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9143.shtml

Ao Hailin Shinya Aoki Andrei Arlovski Ricardo Arona

Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira headed to UFC 133 in Philadelphia in August

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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Light heavyweights Rich Franklin and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will meet this August, as the UFC announced on Friday that the two are slated to meet at UFC 133.

The event is expected to take place from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Penn., on August 6, though the venue has not yet been officially announced.

Both fighters will be looking to rebound from losses suffered early in 2011 when they clash on this card. Franklin was defeated by Forrest Griffin at UFC 126 in February in his first fight since knocking out Chuck Liddell at UFC 115, while Nogueira lost his second straight decision when Phil Davis bested him in a close decision at Fight Night 24 in March.

Penick's Analysis: This is a very good fight for both fighters after their tough losses this year. Nogueira did a good job of stifling Davis' offense early in the fight, but Davis found a way to take him down a number of times in the second and third rounds to earn the decision. Franklin simply ran into a bigger and stronger fighter in Griffin in February. Both fighters were returning from lengthy injury layoffs, but Griffin's size and grappling ability were the difference in that one. Nogueira needs a win desperately after losing two very close fights, but Franklin will be a very tough opponent. At least for Nogueira he won't be facing another wrestler in a row, and it should leave to a different style of fight than he's been in through his last three fights.

[Rich Franklin art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9144.shtml

Wagnney Fabiano Kevin Kimbo Slice Ferguson Paulo Filho Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic

Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole Joins UFC 133 Fight Card on Aug. 6

A welterweight matchup between veterans Dennis Hallman and Brian Ebersole is the latest addition to the UFC 133 fight card set for August 6 in Philadelphia.UFC 133 also includes middleweights Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/18294/dennis-hallman-vs-brian-ebersole-joins-ufc-133-fight-card-on-aug-6/

Frank Shamrock Tito Ortiz Randy Couture Vitor Belfort

Bellator 39 Predictions

by Michael David SmithEddie Alvarez after a win at Bellator.Bellator's picked a good time for its best fight card of the year so far, with Bellator 39 taking place during an otherwise slow week for mixed martial arts, and a Saturday night without any UFC or Strikeforce competition. The Bellator card should be a highly entertaining one, headlined by a lightweight title fight featuring Bellator's top star, Eddie Alvarez.

What: Bellator XXXIX

When: Saturday, the MTV2 televised card starts at 9 PM ET

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut

Predictions on the four televised fights below.

 

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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/04/02/bellator-39-preview-and-predictions/

Ryan Bader Siyar Bahadurzada Bao Ligao Josh Barnett