Brock Lesnar Out of UFC 131

Filed under: ,

Brock Lesnar won't fight at UFC 131.In a blockbuster announcement Thursday afternoon, UFC President Dana White revealed that Brock Lesnar is once again suffering from diverticulitis and will not be able to fight at UFC 131. Instead, the main event on that fight card will be Junior dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin.

"I want to thank the UFC, I want to thank Mr. White and I want to apologize to Junior dos Santos and Spike TV," Lesnar said. "This is an unfortunate situation for me. I dodged a bullet about two years ago with diverticulitis, at that time not knowing what the problem was. ... Diverticulitis is something that never goes away. It's something I've dealt with since the first occurrence and I've been battling it."

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/12/brock-lesnar-out-of-ufc-131-junior-dos-santos-vs-shane-carwin/

Edson Drago Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus

UFC Announces New Insurance for Fighters

by Michael David SmithOne of the things that has always separated the UFC from sports leagues like the NFL, NBA and MLB is the lack of insurance for UFC fighters for injuries suffered outside the Octagon. But as the UFC grows, that appears to be changing.

Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC and Strikeforce, has announced that its 350 or so fighters, who are all independent contractors, will now be eligible for what it calls "customized accident insurance coverage." The policy will cover not just accidental injuries suffered in training, but also injuries suffered in car accidents or other injuries that have nothing to do with the fighters' MMA careers.

"As this sport continues to grow, we have been working hard to secure additional insurance coverage so that our athletes can perform at the highest levels," UFC President Dana White said in the announcement. "We're proud to give our athletes access to this type of insurance."

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/09/ufc-announces-new-insurance-for-fighters/

Rani Yahya Kenichi Yamamoto Norifumi Kid Yamamoto Ryushi Yanagisawa

MMA Top 10 Middleweights: Intrigue Grows at 185 Pounds

by Michael David SmithAnderson Silva defended his title against Vitor Belfort at UFC 126.We haven't updated our rankings of the Top 10 middleweights in mixed martial arts in quite some time because, frankly, Anderson Silva has made it a boring division.

That's not to say Silva is boring: When he's on his game, he's as exciting as any athlete this sport has ever seen. And it's not to say the other fighters in the division are boring: There have been plenty of good middleweight scraps over the last few months.

But ranking the middleweight division can get boring because not much changes: It's always Silva on top, and a familiar cast of characters competing for the right to be Silva's next victim.

But there are some indications that the middleweight division in mixed martial arts might be getting a little more interesting. Yushin Okami is finally scheduled to get the title shot that was promised to him months ago, Chael Sonnen is finally getting close to being cleared for a return, and the addition of Strikeforce middleweights (starting in July with Jason Mayhem Miller and likely including Strikeforce champ Jacare Souza soon) may inject some new blood into the middleweight class.

So now is a good time to update our list of the Top 10 middleweights in mixed martial arts, keeping an eye on what's ahead for Silva and the other top fighters.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/11/mma-top-10-middleweights-intrigue-grows-at-185-pounds/

Pete Williams Matt Wiman Travis Wiuff Wu Haotian

Eddie Alavarez Thinks He Has The Best Hands In The Lightweight Division, But Wouldn?t Box

“I don’t think I’d do well. Just because in boxing it would be hard for me to make 147. And I know boxers here in Philly at that weight and I spar with them, and I get my (expletive) whooped. They’re not no world champions either, but these guys are seriously good. It would be [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/eBBRV1nMwoo/

Edson Drago Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus

Yamato Damashii Diaries: Video Wrapup

Filed under: , ,

In the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, former Shooto heavyweight champion Enson Inoue has been on a one-man charity mission, repeatedly traveling to northeast Japan to directly help those in need.

MMA Fighting joined Inoue to document his journeys through the ruins of the coastal villages of Tohoku, his work at evacuations centers in the area and to bring new light to the ongoing crisis in Japan.




Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/12/yamato-damashii-diaries-video-wrapup/

Kevin Kimbo Slice Ferguson Paulo Filho Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic Luiz Buscapé Firmino

Three Stars from UFC 129: Main card edition

After a blockbuster UFC 129, Cagewriter had to break "Three Stars" into two parts. See the undercard stars here, and read on for the stars of the main card.

No. 1 star -- Lyoto Machida: With Steven Seagal improbably looking on through his shooting glasses, Machida threw nearly the same kick that Anderson Silva used to knock out Vitor Belfort. Machida threw more of a "Karate Kid" spin on the kick, as he faked with the left before quickly threw the KO kick with the right. Again, he gave credit to Seagal, which was one of the memorable parts of an unbelievable night.

No. 2 star -- Mark Hominick: Yes, Hominick lost to Jose Aldo in a five-round decision. Aldo is clearly the more skilled fighter, but even in a loss, Hominick impressed. In front of 55,000 fellow Canadians, Hominick showed that smaller fighters can get crowds standing and cheering. Even with a hematoma on his head and cheek and a swollen eye, Hominick never quit. For that, he took home a $129,000 Fight of the Night bonus for his efforts, which is a nice bit of cash for a man whose wife is due this week.

No. 3 star -- Vladimir Matyushenko: All of the "this guy is old and still fighting" pre-fight publicity went to Randy Couture, but "The Janitor" turned 40 in January, and took just 20 seconds to knock out Jason Brilz. Not too bad for a guy who has been fighting since 1997.

Honorable mention -- Toronto: For months and months, we heard that UFC 129 was going to be the biggest UFC event in history. Toronto completely delivered, packing the Rogers Centre with loud and raucous fans who responded to the fantastic fights that were in front of them. Well played, Toronto. Take note, New York.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Three-Stars-from-UFC-129-Main-card-edition?urn=mma-wp1939

Alex Andrade Jermaine Andrè Yoji Anjo Ao Hailin

UFC to Offer Bonuses to Fighters for Tweeting

Filed under: ,

Unlike other professional sports organizations that have cautioned, not to mention fined, its players for using Twitter, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is encouraging its fighters to tweet as much as possible.

According to a UFC official, UFC president Dana White announced at the UFC Fighter Summit, held this week in Las Vegas, that fighters will receive bonuses for adding Twitter followers and writing creative tweets.

Here's how the new Twitter bonus initiative will work:

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/11/ufc-to-offer-bonuses-to-fighters-for-tweeting/

Kiyoshi Tamura Evan Tanner Peni Taufa ao Thiago Tavares

Mark Hominick Fighting at UFC 129 with Wife About to Give Birth - UFC 129

Mark Hominick talks about fighting while his wife is about to give birth, and what this fight means to him, his family, and his fight team. Get more MMA and UFC news at the World's top MMA News website http://www.mmaweekly.com.

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-129/mark-hominick-fighting-at-ufc-129-with-wife-about-to-give-birth-video_b0fc38ab7.html

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi Daniel Acacio

Royce Gracie: - Royce Gracie

*** Watch Complete 1/2hr HD Episodes on http://www.MMAheat.com ***MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant catches up with the legendary fighter Royce Gracie at the UFC 129 press conference, and gets his thoughts on Randy Couture's fight with Lyoto Machida. Royce also answers the question of whether or not he'll be fighting when the UFC goes to Rio in August, 2011, and he lets us know what his secret for staying young and in top fighting shape is.Be sure to visit http://www.MMAheat.com for more interviews and archived episodes of our 1/2 hour TV show. Nós falamos Português! * We're on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MMAheat * Follow MMAheat on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MMAheat * Follow Karyn on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KarynBryant

Source: http://mmalice.com/royce-gracie/royce-gracie-video_3038d2c21.html

Jon Fitch Kenny Florian Jesse Forbes Xavier Foupa Pokam