Apparently, the UFC wanted to give Winnepeg, Canada another top-billed fighter on the card and added Nelson to the mix.

“Big Country” will now trade leather with Miocic. Originally, Miocic was supposed to meet Australian Soa Palelei. However in light of the new matchup, Palelei will be left without an opponent. On the flipside, if any of the heavyweights slated to tussle on the card should suffer from an injury, Palelei will get first dibs at stepping in for them.

Big Country has scored three consecutive knockouts, all of which have occured in the first round of action. He most recently used his signature overhand right to finish Cheick Kongo at UFC 159.

Miocic will look to rebound after suffering the first professional loss of his career against Stefan Struve at UFC on FUEL TV 7. Though he was TKO’d in the second, the battle still earned Fight of the Night honors.

image via UFC.com

UFC Featherweight Dennis Bermudez (10-3) will face Max Holloway (7-1) at UFC 160 in a bout that he “1000 percent” believes will prove who the next emerging young star of the UFC’s featherweight division is.

Both young competitors have identical UFC records at 3-1. Holloway is still the youngest fighter in the UFC at only 21-years-old and he’s also won his last three consecutive fights.

Bermudez first appeared in the UFC on The Ultimate Fighter’s 14th season and was on Jason “Mayhem” Miller’s team. He made it all the way to the finals, but lost to Diego Brandao in the finale. The now 26-year-old New Yorker has since rebounded from that loss and has won his last three fights with the UFC.

His most impressive performance to date was what many have considered an early Fight of the Year candidate against Matt Grice at UFC 157. Both Bermudez and Grice put everything they had on the line in that scrap. Their chins were tested as much as their wills. It was evident then that neither man knew what the word quit meant and that he with the most resilience would win the war. In the end, Bermudez came out victorious with the split decision victory in his favor and both men took home the coveted Fight of the Night honor.

Prior to that, Bermudez earned Submission of the Night over Tommy Hayden at UFC 150. Bermudez made quick work of Hayden at the Pepsi Center in Denver, submitting him in the first round.

“In both of those fights, I just went out and tried to win at all costs. As long as I just keep doing that, I’ll be fine. Sometimes guys go out looking for knockouts and stuff like that and it affects their gameplan and their strategy. I’m just looking to go out there and dominate in any and every position we get in,” Bermudez said.

Though you would think following the Grice win that “The Menace” would seek some down time and need it to fully recuperate from the battle, Bermudez said that he’s always ready to step into the Octagon whenever the opportunity arises.

“In general when the UFC calls, I go ‘let’s rock and roll’. A lot of times after a fight, people ask ‘When you gonna fight again? When you gonna fight?’,” Bermudez said. “But if the UFC calls before that and I’m ready to rock, then we go to war.”

According to Dennis, it only took him about 2 and a half weeks to recover from the Grice fight. Three months have past since UFC 157 and now Bermudez is prepared to engage in a battle that should prove who will emerge as the next top prospect in the UFC’s featherweight division.

“Max is a rising star, he’s a tough guy. I just don’t think his game is as well rounded as mine. I think he’s going to make me come out on top and make me more of a contender for even the title down the road than him.”

The New York native, who is best known for his aggressive style, is also gritty wrestler at heart. Ahead of him lies the challenge of facing a dynamic and flashy striker in Hawaii’s Max Holloway. Bermudez told MMA Fight Corner that he will engage and pressure his opponent immediately, get him to the ground and impose his will.

“Flying is fine for me, people who like to fly,” Bermudez said of the possibility that Holloway could come at him with flying knees. “The higher you go off the ground, the easier you are to take down.”

A former NCAA division 1 All-American wrestler, Bermudez also explained the lessons he applies from the sport to MMA and why he can often be caught quoting wrestlers in interviews.

“Just my background is wrestling all through high school and college. I looked up to Olympians and stuff like that and just the code that they live by,” Bermudez stated. “Just like you win you live, you lose you die, kind of thing – what matters where you outwork your opponent. You live it, you eat it, you breathe it. It’s that kind of mentality I bring to the fight game.”

Suffice to say the strong mental state and physical prowess Bermudez applies to MMA sets him apart from the pack. When one of the interviewers asked if him if he saw similarities in Pablo Garza and Max Holloway’s skill sets, Bermudez answered with a confident statement.

“If anything I think Pablo Garza, he’s got a better ground game, but less striking. But in my head, I already beat [Holloway],” Bermudez said.

Dennis Bermudez vs. Max Holloway will take place as part of the FX preliminary card at UFC 160 on May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Check out the full interview with Bermudez here:

Recorded LIVE May 21, 2013 at FOX920am

Guests: Dennis Bermudez, Dr. Jason Burke

www.mmafightcorner.com

The event broadcast will begin at 5:00 p.m. MST on Spike. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 4:00 p.m. MST. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at ComcastTix.com, or by visiting the Santa Ana Star Center Box Office, with tickets starting at just $25 dollars.

Askren comes to Albuquerque sporting a spotless 11-0 record and is regarded as one of the best welterweights in the world. The former US Olympian has continued to impress during his illustrious career with Bellator, and will be looking to add another title defense to his resume with a huge victory on July 31^st from the Santa Ana Star Center.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back into that cage and putting on a show,” Askren said. “I feel like I’ve continued to mature and get better in every one of my fights, and July 31^st should be no different. I don’t think Andrey has any ability to stop my wrestling and ground attack, so this will be another successful title defense.”

The 22-year-old Koreshkov had a 2012 to remember as the Russian knockout artist was 5-0 over the year, including a tournament run that featured victories over Jordan Smith, Marius Zaromskis and Lyman Good.

“I’ll be 110% ready for this fight,” Koreshkov said. “I’ll make sure that Askren’s tactics to put everybody in the audience to sleep won’t work this time. Instead, I’ll keep everybody entertained by putting him to sleep.”

After two devastating knockout victories on his way to the Bellator Welterweight Tournament Finals, Douglas Lima is ready to collide with Ben “Killa B” Saunders on July 31^st. Originally scheduled for March of 2013, Lima suffered a fractured hand that delayed the fight, but is now fully healed.

“It’s an honor to fight a fighter like Ben again,” Lima said. “With the time off I’ve been able to fully heal to 100% and like always, will be looking to finish the fight early.”

For Saunders, the South Florida native is looking to avenge his 2011 Tournament Finals loss to Lima with a signature finish and finally achieve the title shot that has since evaded him.

“Quite simply, it’s about damn time Douglas and I get back into the cage,” Saunders said. “July 31^st can’t get here soon enough. Can’t wait.”

The night will also feature the return of fan favorite and top featherweight Patrico Pitbull, as the Brazilian striker will battle California native Rob “The Saint” Emerson. After suffering just the second loss in his dominating career at the hands of reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran, Pitbull is eager to get back to his winning ways.

“I’m very motivated to get back in the cage, and I feel that I still haven’t left totally removed myself from my fight with Curran, a lot of me is still in the fight,” Pitbull said. “But it’s gone now and I have a tough opponent ahead, I’ll be going stronger for this next challenge and doesn’t matter how tough my opponents will be I will be stronger than I was! It’s great to know I’m back.”

“Our first event in Albuquerque was a huge success,” Rebney said. “With a Welterweight Title fight, the conclusion of our Welterweight Tournament, and a stacked fight card top to bottom, we’re looking at another huge night of fights July 31^st live on Spike.”

Left: Renan Barao at UFC 143 post-fight press conference

Unfortunately, the UFC confirmed Tuesday that reports circulating that Interim Bantamweight Champion Renan Barao had an injured foot were accurate. As a result of the injury, Barao will be unable to defend the interim title against Eddie Wineland at UFC 161 on June 15.

An official statement released by the UFC via their official Twitter states that Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans will be the new main event. The light heavyweight tilt will be a three round affair set to take place at MTS Centre in Winnepeg, Canada.

With UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz still sidelined as he recovers from a second ACL surgery, Barao has held the interim belt since defeating Urijah Faber in July 2012 at UFC 149. In February this year, Barao defended the strap for the first time defeating Michael McDonald via submission in the fourth round.

Wineland, a former WEC bantamweight champion, put himself in position to contend for the title after earning back to back victories over Scott Jorgensen and Brad Pickett.

Currently, there is no timetable as to how long Barao will be out of competition due to the injury.

Since being released from the UFC for failing two post-fight drug tests on two separate occassions that saw wins overturned to No Contests, Riddle signed a contract to fight with Legacy Fighting Championships. On May 18, it was revealed that Bellator bought out Riddle’s contract and that he would fight with them instead. Bellator issued a press release to media on Monday that they had signed Riddle to a long-term contract.

“I had so many options after I left the UFC, but knowing that I was able to compete in a tournament against guys like Paul Daley, Ben Saunders, and Douglas Lima, signing with Bellator was an easy decision,” Riddle said. “This division is just so stacked, and being able to fight in a tournament makes it even better. Bellator is doing a lot of great things right now, and I want to be a part of it.”

Bellator CEO & Chairman Bjorn Rebney understands some of the risks involved with signing Riddle, but after discussions with Riddle, Rebney is confident the 27 year old welterweight is in the right place to impact the welterweight division.

“Matt’s got all the tools to be a force in our welterweight division,” Rebney said. “When I saw Matt get released from the UFC coming off 4 straight wins including his dominant win over Mills in February, we took notice. We both realize that Matt will have a target on his back for his past indiscretions.  But having discussed it with him, I’m comfortable that he’s in the right place to enter the Bellator cage this fall in what will be the most loaded  Bellator Welterweight Tournament in the promotions history.”

For Riddle the new opportunity means a chance at reaching some other goals he’s set for himself.

“No questions asked, I want to win the next Bellator Welterweight Tournament, get my shot at the title and take my beautiful wife to the MTV Awards and meet Snoop Dogg,” Riddle remarked. “I’ve seen all the pictures of Bellator guys walking red carpets and it’s something I want to earn and be able to do. What could be better than that?”

image via UFC.com

29-year-old Wall Street energy trader and Cornell graduate, John Cholish, took to Twitter prior to his fight with Gleison Tibau on May 18 in Brazil stating that he would retire from MMA following the bout, regardless of the outcome. With an overall MMA record of 8-3, Cholish cited poor compensation as the reason for his departure from the UFC.

In a post-fight interview with MMAJunkie.com, John Cholish said:

“I’m fortunate enough that I have a job that provides for me really well,I give a lot of these guys credit that fight at this level. I think they could be compensated much better based on the income that the UFC takes in. Fortunately, I can just walk away and I’m OK with it. By no means do I mean it disrespectfully toward any other fighters because I think they do a great job. But hopefully Zuffa and the UFC will start paying them a little better.”

Cholish, a New Jersey native who works in New York City, had fought on the preliminary cards in his last two outings with the UFC and lost both fights. He stated to The MMA Hour on Monday that he was paid $8,000 to show and would have earned another $8,000 had he won. Since fighters also have the responsibility of paying travel expenses for themselves and their teams, training expenses, paying coaches and managers, licensing fees and medical expenses, Cholish stated he may not break even from the pay he’ll receive.

Cholish decided the risk of injury was much higher than the reward and ultimately made his retirement official. The lightweight went 1-2 with the UFC.

Yesterday, Hunt announced the news that he did get his visa on his official Twitter account.

Thank u for my visa father

— mark richard hunt (@markhunt1974) May 19, 2013

He should arrive in Vegas with about 5 days remaining prior to his fight to acclimate to the Pacific Time Zone which is 19 hours behind New Zealand time. Hunt was licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Friday. After he was licensed by the NSAC, Hunt let out a loud “Woooooo!” on the phone.

The hang up on getting to the US stemmed from an old 2002 arrest. The UFC stepped in for Hunt to resolve the issue. UFC 160 takes place on May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

photo by MMA Fight Corner

UFC on FX 8 from Santa Catarina, Jaragua do Sul, Brazil delivered a main event that could place Vitor Belfort right at the top of the UFC’s middleweight division.

In the first round of action between Belfort and Strkeforce’s last middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, “The Phenom” delivered a beautifully timed spinning wheel kick that sent Rockhold flying back to the canvas. He followed up with punches and the fight was called a KO victory for Vitor. The knockout definitely jumps right to the top of some of the best knockouts in UFC history. Additionally, Belfort was awarded $50,000 for Knockout of the Night.

In his post-fight interview, Vitor didn’t call for a rematch against Anderson Silva. Instead he admitted that he was rooting for Silva to beat Chris Weidman and said, “I don’t pick fights, I accept fights.”

Rockhold complimented his opponent in his post-fight interview with Jon Anik. “He landed a spinning heel kick to my head. I didn’t see that one coming,” said Rockhold. ”I felt good tonight. I felt capable of winning this fight. I take my hat off to Vitor.”

The co-main event brought on the debut of another former Strikeforce middleweight champion, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. He took on 26-year old Chris Camozzi who had been on a 4-fight win streak before taking the bout against Jacare on short notice.

It took only 3:37 into the scrap before Jacare had Camozzi on the ground and managed to technically submit him with an arm-triangle. The performance earned Jacare the Submission of the Night bonus.

The unanimous decision that went in favor of lightweight Rafael dos Anjos was the source of some controversy as many people, including UFC President Dana White, believed Evan Dunham had won the fight.

“Dunham was ROBBED!” White tweeted immediately following the decision.

While the first round appeared to go to Rafael, it was close. Dunham battled back through the next two rounds, landing three takedowns, and as per Fightmetric.com, out-striking dos Anjos. But the judges called it 29-28 all around in favor of dos Anjos.

Also on the main card, Rafael Natal used his veteran experience to outlast Octagon newcomer Joao Zeferino. In a unanimous decision win for Natal, Zeferino showed great composure in his debut though he seemed to gas towards the later stages of the bout. The victory for Natal makes it four wins in his last 5 and he moves to 16-4-1 overall.

THE FUEL PRELIMS

The only upset of the night, well at least in terms of being the “away” team in Brazil, Nik Lentz outclassed Hacran Dias. Lentz came out setting the pace and sparking the offense in the first two rounds, but Dias threatened in the third with an arm-triangle that looked locked in pretty tight. Lentz managed to escape the submission attempt and survived the last round. In the end, he came out ahead on the scorecards and remaining undefeated (3-0) at featherweight.

Despite warnings from referee Mario Yamasaki to Dias that he would take a point away from him for fence grabbing, no point was taken. Yamasaki issued the warning twice – once in the first round and again after the second round. However, it ended up being a non-issue on the scorecards.

Also on the FUEL TV preliminary card, Maldonado came back from three consecutive losses to earn a decision over Roger Hollett. Hollett came out and landed a crushing low blow to Maldonado as he landed a spinning back kick. It took Maldonado nearly the full five minutes to recover and the pain looked excruciating.

Though Hollett may have taken the first round, Maldonado found his range in the second landing body shot after body shot that Hollett could not answer. By the start of the third, Hollett was clearly gassed and Fabio came out ahead on the scorecards.

Yuri Alcantara made quick work of Iliarde Santos using his weapon of destruction, the left hand. Alcantara landed a straight left that rocked Santos to earn the TKO at 2:31 into the first round.

Gleison Tibau, who made only his second appearance fighting in Brazil in his seven year tenure with the UFC, gave the fans the first submission of the night. It started as he landed an overhand left that wobbled Cholish. Tibau saw his opening, went in for the kill and wrangled Cholish into a guillotine choke, forcing him to tap in the second.

Right after that, Francisco Trinaldo made quick work of Mike Rio submitting him with an arm-triangle in the first round.

Additionally, Paulo Thiago possibly saved his UFC career improving to win his 2nd fight in a his last six. In a close fight, opposite the undefeated Michel “Tractor” Prazeres, Thiago edged the unanimous decision win with a late takedown.

The FACEBOOK FIGHTS:

Lucas Martins and Jeremy Larsen opened up the night at the Arena Jaragua in Santa Catarina, Brazil with a frenetically paced fight that pushed each fighter’s limits. Throughout the bout, Larsen was able to effectively land a powerful right hand. But, Martins continued to answer with submission attempts, head kicks and punches that stunned Larsen. Without a doubt both men proved their resilience and ability to withstand an insurmountable amount of damage. In the end, Martins would find a home for a counter right hand that ended the high octane lightweight battle with a third round KO.

The Brazilian crowd showed up to root for the opening fight with resounding passion for everything they witnessed inside the Octagon. Martins and Larsen also earned another 50K each for their Fight of the Night performance.

Jussier Formiga vs. Chris Cariaso followed up with Formiga dominating the first two rounds with his grappling prowess. While Cariaso did his best to finish the fight late in the third with a modified guillotine attempt, it wasn’t enough to come out ahead on the scorecards and Formiga took home the unanimous decision victory.

John Lineker proved to have more than just “Hands of Stone” as he was able to stun Azamat Gashimov with an early right hand and outwrestle him in the first round. In the second Lineker came out with a punishing kick to the body that sent Gashimov back peddling. Lineker took full advantage of his window of opportunity and finished Gashimov with punches.

The UFC returns next Saturday, May 25 with UFC 160. Reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez will look to defend his title for the first time against Antonio “Big Foot” Silva at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Barao-Jorgensen at UFC 143

According to Tatame.com, UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao has injured his foot and won’t be able to recover in time to face Eddie Wineland at UFC 161 on June 15. The news has not been confirmed by the UFC.

Barao was to make his second title defense of the interim title against Wineland. He successfully defended the belt against Michael McDonald at UFC on FUEL TV 7. With UFC bantamweight champ, Dominick Cruz still out of action, Barao fought Urijah Faber to capture the interim strap in July 2012.

Barao vs. Wineland was expected to headline the main event in the UFC’s first trip to the Manitoba province of Canada at the MTS Centre in Winnepeg.

Prelims on FUEL (6:00pm ET/3:00pm PT)
Hacran Dias vs. Nik Lentz:
Lentz def. Dias via unanimous decision (28-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Mike Rio:
Trinaldo def. Rio via arm-triangle submission, Rd. 1 (3:08)
Gleison Tibau vs. John Cholish:
Tibau def. Cholish via guillotine choke, Rd. 2 (2:34)
Paulo Thiago vs. Michel Prazeres:
Thiago def. Prazeres via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Yuri Alcantara vs. Iliarde Santos:
Alcantara def. Santos via TKO, Rd. 1 (2:31)
Fabio Maldonado vs. Roger Hollett:
Maldonado def. Hollett via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-27)

Facebook Fights (4:35pm ET/1:35pm PT)
John Lineker vs. Azamat Gashimov:
Lineker def. Gashimov via TKO, Rd. 2 (1:07)
Jussier Formiga vs. Chris Cariaso:
Formiga def. Cariaso via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lucas Martins vs. Jeremy Larsen: Martins def. Larsen via KO, Rd. 3 (0:13)

UFC President Dana White said on The Underground forum that Diaz would be cut or fined for the statement he made. Zuffa, LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship®, released the following statement today:

UFC lightweight Nate Diaz has received an immediate 90-day suspension and $20,000 fine for violating the UFC’s fighter code of conduct. The language used in his tweet was regrettable, offensive and inconsistent with the values and culture of the organization, and is not tolerated. 

The money will be donated to charity.

In addition to Diaz, a fighter from another promotion went after Caraway on Twitter today.

Bellator women’s flyweight Michelle Ould claimed that Caraway used to sell PED’s to her roommate. She and Caraway went back and forth on the matter. Caraway denied the allegation and said Ould was merely looking for attention. Ould replied:

Has nothing 2 do w/attention. Just think it’s wrong Nate & Pat r dealin w consequences like men while this brats on his soapbox of denial

— Michelle Ould (@MichelleOuldMMA) May 17, 2013

 

Caraway was awarded $65,000 for Submission of the Night after Pat Healy tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his fight against Jim Miller at UFC 159. Healy had originally earned both Fight of Night and Submission of the Night, but both bonuses were rescinded. Additionally, Healy has been suspended for 90 days and must pass a drug test in order to be cleared to compete again as per an official statement released today by the UFC. His suspension is retroactive to the date the fight took place, April 27.

Photo By MMA Fight Corner

With the countdown to UFC 160 down to eight days, UFC Heavyweight Mark Hunt still remains in limbo. Currently, he is still in New Zealand and unable to board a plane to Las Vegas, NV. MMA Fight Corner confirmed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) that Hunt was approved for a fight license for UFC 160.

However, so was Roy Nelson.

While the UFC still seems certain that Hunt’s visa issue will be resolved in due time for him to fight Junior dos Santos in the co-main event as planned, they revealed to MMA Fighting that their contingency plan could be Roy Nelson. Nelson was also granted a license by the NSAC on Friday.

Prior to the NSAC granting Hunt his license, they did inquire about his 2002 arrest that has been the cause of his visa issues and delayed travel. Once Hunt responded that the case was dismissed and he’s had no incidences since, he was granted a license.

If all goes as planned, Hunt will fight Junior dos Santos in the co-main event at UFC 160 in Las Vegas on May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Main Card on FX (9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT)

Vitor Belfort (186) vs. Luke Rockhold (186)

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (186) vs. Chris Camozzi (186)

Rafael dos Anjos (156) vs. Evan Dunham (156)

Rafael Natal (186) vs. João Zeferino (185)

Preliminary Card on Fuel TV (6:00pm ET/3:00pm PT)

Hacran Dias (146) vs. Nik Lentz (146)

Francisco Trinaldo (154) vs Mike Rio (156)

Gleison Tibau (156) vs. John Cholish (156*)

Paulo Thiago (170) vs. Michel Prazeres (171)

Yuri Alcantara (136*) vs. Ilarde Santos (134)

Fabio Maldonado (205) vs. Roger Hollet (204)

Facebook Fights (4:35pm ET/1:35pm PT)

John Lineker (126) vs. Azamat Gashimov (126)

Jussier Formiga (126) vs. Chris Cariaso (126)

Lucas Martins (153) vs. Jeremy Larsen (155)

*John Cholish made weight on his second attempt. First weigh-in 156.2.

“We are very disappointed by Nate Diaz’s comments, which are in no way reflective of our organization. Nate is currently suspended pending internal investigation and we will provide further comment once the matter has been decided.”

As posted by The Underground, Diaz tweeted his thoughts on Pat Healy losing out on $130,000 worth of fight night bonuses at UFC 159 for testing positive for marijuana.

I feel bad for pat Healy that they took a innocent mans money and I think the guy who took the money is the biggest Fag in the world ..

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) May 16, 2013

The follow up tweet simply read “#sorryasslittlebitch”.

Diaz is definitely in hot water for using the homophobic slur to describe the benefactor of Healy’s money, Bryan Caraway. After the tweet was posted, White responded on The Underground forum. “He will be cut or fined for that tweet. F**kin ridiculous”

Former WEC bantamweight champ Miguel Torres is a prime example of someone who had to pay for a distasteful remark on Twitter while he was with the UFC. A week after posting a tweet involving a rape joke, Torres was cut from the promotion. Matt Mitrione was also recently suspended for a two week period because of his comments on transgender MMA fighter, Fallon Fox.

image via UFC.com

As previously reported, Pat Healy tested positive for marijuana following his stunning Submission and Fight of the Night performance against Jim Miller at UFC 159 in April. In addition to owning up to his mistake with a written statement, the fallout for Healy toking up included a 90 day suspension and non-payment of both $65,000 bonuses.

Instead, Bryan Caraway has received the Submission of the Night bonus. Caraway submitted Johnny Bedford via guillotine with 16 seconds remaining in their fight on April 27. The bantamweight, who had pestered UFC President Dana White to increase the bonus amounts that night, also told MMAJunkie.com how despicable he finds marijuana use.

“I couldn’t be more happy, and it was an insanely pleasant surprise. All I’ve got to say is that’s some expensive weed. I like Healy a lot. I came up through the fighting ranks with him. We used to train together at Team Quest. I love the guy. But I have absolutely zero remorse or guilt. I hate weed. I cannot stand it. I’ve never tried it. I’ve never smoked a drug in my life. So I have absolutely zero tolerance for people that do it. I don’t care if it’s legal in some places or not. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous. Whether it’s legal in real life or not, they tell you to follow the rules. You need to follow the rules.”

As it turns out, the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) executive committee and foundation board met in Montreal, Canada, this past weekend to review the latest draft of the proposed 2015 World Anti-Doping code which includes alterations to a few of its rules. In November, they will meet again at the 4th annual World Conference on Doping in Sport in Johannesburg, South Africa to make the changes official.

With the changes, it could mean fewer marijuana suspensions. One of the modifications to the current regulations is an increase in the threshold level for marijuana.

The current threshold is 10 nanograms per milliliter which could be increased to 15 nanograms per milliliter – meaning, those who smoke marijuana a few weeks out from an event have less risk of the drug being detected.

While some athletic commissions, including New Jersey’s, do utilize and adhere to WADA’s code, the proposal must still be approved in November for it to be amended. If it does, the change would go into effect in January 1, 2015.

The fitness program is based on actual nutritional and exercise regimens used by UFC athletes. Dolce has been credited with navigating and designing workout strategies and diet plans for several of the UFC’s top athletes including: Johny Hendricks, Michael Bisping, Gray Maynard and more. Now anyone at home can apply his professional workouts and proper eating habits to their own regimens.

UFC president Dana White said: “What makes UFC FIT different from every other workout is Mike Dolce. The UFC doesn’t cut corners or do anything halfway, so when we decided to create UFC FIT, we knew we had to work with Mike. He’s someone we respect, someone we believe in and someone we know gets results. To compete in the UFC, you have to be proficient in five Olympic sports including boxing, wrestling, taekwondo and judo on top of having world class strength and cardio. And Mike Dolce take these guys level to another level – just imagine what he can do for you.”

“The methods you’ll see in UFC FIT are the same ones I’ve used with the top stars in the UFC, but I actually developed them for men and women of all ages. I used to weigh 280 lbs, I had elevated blood pressure, my cholesterol was high and I had sleep apnea,” Dolce said via press release. “Using the principals I share in UFC FIT, I dropped 100 lbs and now am down to five percent body fat. UFC FIT is a fun, challenging program developed for everyone and every fitness level. We all deserve to be lean, to feel confident and to be healthy.”

UFC FIT includes:

•  12 dynamic workout DVDs

•  Plus 3-Day Shred, a jumpstart to weight loss

•  12-week Workout Tracker

•  132-page Lifestyle & Nutrition Manual, complete with training tips, a grocery list, meal plans and healthy, delicious recipes

•  And for when you are on the go, Xyience^® Ulti-Bar^™ and Ulti-Meal^™ Replacement Protein Shake, created exclusively for UFC FIT

UFC FIT is available now at UFCFIT.com. Additional merchandise is also available including an official UFC FIT Octagon^® Mat, water bottle and fitness apparel.

“Good morning everyone!! I wanted to let y’all know it is conformed I am fighting Big Ben Rothwell on Aug 31st @ufc 164 @ heavyweight!!! Good times ahead.!!!!!”

“Verafied” hasn’t fought with much frequency over the past few years. At 12-6 with one No Contest overall, Vera has gone 1-3 with one No Contest in his last 5. He last fought in August 2012 at UFC on FOX 4 and was TKO’d by Mauricio Rua. Since debuting at 205 in 2008, Vera went 4-4, 1 NC. Suffice to say he’s certainly in need of win to keep his UFC career alive.

Since being in the UFC Ben Rothwell has flip flopped in the win and loss column with every fight. He is coming off of a submission loss to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC on FX 7. Prior to the loss, Rothwell had knocked out Brendan Schaub in 70 seconds at UFC 145.

UFC 164, taking place at the Bradley Center in MIlwaukee on August 31, has no other confirmed bouts as of now. Alistair Overeem and Diego Sanchez have also been rumored for the card though nothing has been made official.

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 6 p.m. CST and feature three hours of action on Spike TV. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 5:00 p.m. CST. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the WinStar World Casino Box Office, with tickets starting at just $45 dollars.

Minakov enters the tournament undefeated at a perfect 10-0, including seven straight stoppage victories. Possessing a dominate ground game thanks to his extensive Sambo background and a developing striking arsenal, Minakov enters the tournament as one of the favorites and has his sights set on a Bellator World Title.

“I want everyone to know that I’m not here just to ‘take part’ in a Bellator Tournament, but to win it all and become a Bellator Champion.”

Minakov will have no easy test in the Semifinals of the Light Heavyweight Tournament as “The Monster” Ron Sparks returns to Bellator looking to punch his ticket to the Finals with a victory June 19^th from WinStar World Casino. Sparks isn’t looking to play head games coming into this fight, and knows Minakov will be well aware of what the Louisville native is bringing to the table.

“Everyone knows I’m looking stand in that cage and throw bombs, no questions asked,” Sparks said. “I think the heavyweight tournament is going to be awesome. I am looking forward to it being a four-man tournament. It will give the fighters more opportunities to fight and I want my shot at the title.”

The other side of the bracket will feature fan-favorite and Bellator veteran Rich Hale as the Arizona native battles the imposing Brazilian Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz. Hale burst onto the scene with inverted triangle win over Nick Fekete in 2011 and his continued his assent up the heavyweight ranks.

“I am really looking forward to the heavyweight tournament and my training has been going great,” Hale said. “I’ve been working hard and making adjustments to the game plan to come in and get the heavyweight belt.”

“This event is insanely stacked, and it’s the reason we are making this a jam packed three hour show,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “With a Lightweight Title fight, Mo, Babalu, War Machine and the start of our heavyweight tournament, this is going to be an amazing show start to finish on Spike.”

Following the event, Spike will air the premiere of Fight Master: Bellator MMA, which features 32 of the best welterweight fighters on the planet as they compete for a spot in the Bellator MMA Tournament and a $100,000 prize.

Bellator MMA Main Card:

Bellator Lightweight Title Fight: Michael Chandler (11-0) vs. Dave Jansen (19-2)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: King Mo Lawal (9-2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (14-7)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) vs. Jacob Noe (11-2)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz (6-3) vs. Rich Hale (21-5)

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament: Vitaly Minakov (10-0) vs. Ron Sparks (8-1)

Welterweight Feature Fight: War Machine (12-4) vs. Blas Avena (8-6)

Bellator MMA Preliminary Card:

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Brandon Halsey (3-0) vs. Mike Brown (3-1)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Justin McNally (1-1) vs. Steven Artoff (5-1)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Keith Miner (5-4) vs. Damon Jackson (4-0)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Mike Maldonado (4-0) vs. Jason Sampson (10-1)

Catchweight Feature Fight: Brandon Girtz (8-2) vs. TBA (0-0)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Keith Berry (14-10) vs. Cortez Coleman (9-3)

First, featherweights Chris “Gritz” Gruetzemacher (11-1) and Jerrod Sanders (11-1) will square off. Also added, a bantamweight contest between emerging force Carson “Little Juggernaut” Beebe (13-2) and undefeated Joe Murphy (6-0). Both matchups were made official by WSOF Wednesday morning.

“We are excited to add another pair of matchups to our preliminary card that will showcase a collection of the sport’s brightest up and coming athletes and future champions,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.  “Since we launched our promotion last year, World Series of Fighting has made a commitment to building a roster of its own stars, so fighting as many potential future stars at our live events is critical in order to ensure that these athletes gain the necessary competitive experience to take their careers to the next level.”

The 26-year-old Gruetzemacher has won his last 10 fights, finishing each one of his last seven opponents, a stretch that also includes four consecutive (T)KO victories.

His opponent Sanders has also notched nine straight wins.  The 33-year-old has finished his last three opponents – two by way of submission and the third via TKO.

Beebe is the younger brother of bantamweight Chase Beebe. Undoubtedly, Beebe will look to rebound with a win at WSOF 3. In his last outing, he dropped a unanimous decision to Rolando Velasco snapping a seven fight winning streak.

The 25-year-old Murphy is an undefeated submission specialist who has earned 5 of his 6 wins by submission. Three of those five are by way of armbar and three have come in the first round of action.

Tickets for the World Series of Fighting event, priced from $29 (plus applicable service fees), are on sale at the Hard Rock Hotel Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

The four-bout main card will air live on NBC Sports Network, beginning at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

In the welterweight main event Jon Fitch (24-5) will square off with Josh “The People’s Warrior” Burkman (25-9). Their rematch comes about seven years after Fitch submitted Burkman with a rear-naked choke in the second round (4:57) of their initial encounter that, coincidentally, also took place at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Doors at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will open at 4:30 p.m. PT and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 5:30 p.m.

photo credit: MTX

UFC Middleweight Chris Camozzi has had a crazy month adjusting to the changes that happened with his match-up. When UFC on FX 8 was initially booked, Camozzi was not on the card. The 26-year-old fighter stepped in once Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira’s original opponent, C.B. Dolloway, had to withdraw from the card. Then Mutante was injured and Rafael Natal became Camozzi’s new opponent.

When FX 8′s co-main event lost Costa Philippou, Camozzi got the call to face Strikeforce’s former middleweight champion and UFC newcomer, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Though the changes sound completely chaotic, Camozzi felt worse for his Factory X MMA coach Marc Montoya, who had studied all the film on every opponent, than he did for himself.

“It was a little different, I’ve never had an injury replacement and now I’ve got 3 opponents in 5 weeks. We were rolling forward, we were focusing on me in this camp and me getting better as an all around fighter, rather than focusing on my opponent. So, it sounds like that was a good way to go, a good gameplan,” Camozzi said.

As he heads in Brazil for the second time in his career, Chris finds himself in the familiar position of not being the fan favorite. In his last two fights, he’s walked into his opponent’s native land and both times he’s come out as the victor. This time however, he has the honor of fighting in the co-main event for the first time in his career.

“I fought in Brazil in October and I loved it. The crowd wasn’t necessarily for me, but I loved it. Whether they’re booing or cheering, the crowds here are crazy, in a good way,” Camozzi said. “I think it’s an awesome experience to fight in front of a crowd that’s so entertained by the fights.”

“It is my first time in a co-main event, but it’s another fight at the end of the day. I don’t get to watch it on TV, so I don’t necessarily see how it all plays down anyway. Once you’re in the ring, it’s all the same.”

When “Jacare” makes his UFC debut, it’ll be his first time fighting in his native Brazil since 2007. A highly decorated jiu jitsu practitioner, Souza without question is the toughest fighter Camozzi has had to face in his professional career. With only a couple of weeks to prepare for Jacare, Camozzi said the challenge that lies ahead is more than just a physical battle.

“It’s all mental for me. I train everyday whether I’m fighting or not. We were working on polishing a lot of things that I need to do better, rather than my opponent,” Camozzi said of facing Souza on just two weeks notice. “But as far as changing stuff, it’s all mental. I’m going in there ready for anything, ready for a war. Jacare’s been around a long time, he’s a great fighter. I’m not expecting to be anything easy. Just preparing myself that this could be a 15 minute war of attrition. I got to be ready for anything and ready to go.”

Camozzi added that his coach had brought in several grapplers to help him in preparing his defense and ground game. As far as facing someone as high level as Jacare is, Camozzi knows what he’s up against. But Chris invites the challenge and isn’t shying away from what lies ahead. His hope is a win can propel him into the top ranks of the division.

“I don’t see a lot of weakness for him, which is good. Those are the fights I want. I don’t want to fight guys that everybody thinks are pushovers, or weak, or anything. For me to win I need to go in there and fight the best fight of my life and put the pressure on him and push the pace I think.”

“I think I really need to show that I belong here. I know I belong here and this is the opportunity I’ve been asking for. UFC was able to give it to me and I was able to help them as well switching opponents. I know a lot of guys said no to this fight. I think this was a big opportunity for me to step up and take it.”

UFC on FX 8 takes place on Mar 18 at the Arena Jaragua in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The main event is a showdown between Vitor Belfort and the last Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, Luke Rockhold.

Recorded Live for FOX920am

Guest: Chris Camozzi

www.mmafightcorner.com

Jorge Masvidal (24-7, MMA) will now meet Chiesa in The Ultimate Fighter Live winner’s home state of Washington.

Since winning TUF Live, Chiesa notched another win when he submitted Anton Kuivanen at UFC 157 in Anaheim, CA.

Masvidal, a former Strikeforce lightweight contender, won his UFC debut in a competitive fight against Tim Means at UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose, CA.

UFC on FOX 8 is expected to take place from Seattle’s KeyArena on July 27. UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson will put his title on the line against John Moraga in the main event.

#Breaking: #UFC165 will be in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday, September 21st

— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) May 15, 2013

UFC 158 was the last card to take place in Canada. The last time the UFC held an event in Toronto was UFC 140 featuring a light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida. That was also the first time the UFC held an event at the Air Canada Centre. August 2011′s UFC 129, which featured a title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Jake Shields, also took place in Toronto, but was held in the Rogers Centre.

image via UFC.com

Former Strikeforce lightweight Pat Healy made a lasting impression at UFC 159 when  he submitted top ranked Jim Miller in New Jersey on April 27. However, in a statement by Healy released by Iridium Sports Management, “Bam Bam” has admitted to failing the post-fight drug test at UFC 159. According to the statement issued, Healy tested positive for marijauna.

The UFC has yet to make a formal statement regarding Healy. More than likely, he will be suspended and unfortunately for fans, one of the best fights of the year so far may have the result overturned to a No Contest.

Healy not only won Submission and Fight of the Night honors, but he also had propelled himself into the UFC’s top ten lightweight fighters with the win over Miller.

Here’s the statement released by Healy:

“I would like to start off by apologizing to the UFC, Jim Miller, the MMA community, it’s fans, my family, teammates and coaches for my positive testing for marijuana after my UFC 159 fight with Jim Miller. I was fully aware of the UFC and State Commissions drug policies and made poor life choices. I stand behind the UFC and the State Commission’s disciplinary actions. I support efforts to make MMA and sports a clean, safe and fair place to compete. First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge and take responsibility for my mistake. I made a very poor choice to socially use marijuana and now I must face the consequences of that choice. I can assure you that I will do everything the UFC and State Commission asks of me and beyond. I will also make a conscious effort to be a better role model within the MMA community.”

In an update on UFC Tonight on FUEL TV, it was announced that Healy has been suspended for 90 days and the result of his bout has been overturned to a No Contest.

“Quicksand” has been on a tear in the UFC going undefeated in 2012 and scoring three first round knockouts. Initially, Pyle was slated to take on Icelandic prospect Gunnar Nelson, who is unbeaten in his professional MMA career thus far. But at the end of April, Nelson withdrew as the result of an injury and Pyle will instead meet Story.

“The Horror” Story was once on a 6-fight win streak in the UFC, but saw it end against Charlie Brenneman in June 2011. He then dropped a decision to Martin Kampmann. Despite a win over Brock Jardine, Story was submitted by a vicious neck crank at the hands of Demian Maia in his next scrap at UFC 153. Most recently, Story rebounded with a quick knockout win over Strikeforce import Quinn Mulhern at UFC 158.

Pyle’s expecting Story to come right out swinging and pressuring him early in the fight. And even Pyle knows, Story won’t be that easy to put away.To date, Maia is the only opponent Story’s ever been finished by and he’s never been knocked out.

“He’s improving every time he goes out,” Pyle said. “He’s a dangerous kid, he’s tenacious, he keeps coming forward and he’s hard to break. So we’ll just see what it’s going to take to break him.”

Of course Pyle’s had to make some minor adjustments to his gameplan with the switch. Story’s a lefty and has experience as a college wrestler. Nelson fights predominantly orthodox and is a world class grappler. But since Pyle was preparing for Gunnar, who has a tendency to switches stances during the course of a fight, Pyle was already preparing to face a southpaw.

“It’s all good. Now it’s just a little bit of a change. I was going to have to find Gunnar in there, I’m not going to have to look far to find Story.”

Stylistically, Story will present different challenges for Pyle. Gunnar has a much more elusive style, while Story comes straight forward right away.

“I’m just going to have to use the years of experience in dealing with those type of guys in the gym. It’s gonna be a hard puzzle to figure out, but I’m pretty good at puzzles – I’m going to figure it out. I believe I got the reach on him and I believe I’ve got the smarts. I’m going to outwit him and out hit him,” Pyle stated.

Though known early on in his MMA career for his ability to quickly submit the opposition, Pyle’s earned all of his recent W’s via knockout. With an all-around well versed skill set in MMA, veteran experience, and the capability of devastating most who cross his path, Pyle has compiled 21 of his 24 wins with finishes.

“I believe I can put him on quiet time pretty quick,” Pyle said. “You can hit somebody as hard as you want but if you don’t hit them in the right spot, they’re not going to go anywhere. Accuracy is going to be the key to the fight and not just getting into a brawl with him and just hit him in the top of his head. I’ll just have to be accurate. If he doesn’t fall, he doesn’t fall. I’m not going to rush it, but if he does, so be it. That’s a bonus. I’m prepared to take this fight wherever it goes. I feel I can defeat the kid standing, on the ground, wherever it goes, I’m comfortable with it.”

UFC 160 will be headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Antonio Silva. Pyle vs. Story will air on FX on May 25 live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Recorded LIVE - May 14, 2013 at FOX920am

Guests: Mike Pyle, Dr. Jason Burke

www.mmafightcorner.com

On May 25, UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez heads into his first title defense opposite Antonio “Big Foot” Silva since regaining the belt with his decision win over Junior dos Santos at UFC 155.

En route to earning another title shot, Velasquez faced Silva for the first time at UFC 146. Silva was utterly decimated in a bloody battle where Cain took home the first round TKO win and a shot at the title.

But Cain’s not expecting that this fight will be a repeat of the last.

“This is a whole new fight. Obviously we saw what Big Foot can do in his last two fights. You can’t take him lightly. He is a tough competitor. He is really tough in the Octagon. I don’t think it’s anything less than a hard, close fight. So that’s what I’m expecting,” Velasquez said.

Cain Velasquez’s first reign as UFC Heavyweight Champ came to an end when he met Junior dos Santos for the first time at UFC on FOX 1 to defend his title. It took only 64 seconds for JDS to take hold of the belt with a knockout win. 13 months later, the two rematched. It was dos Santos’ second time defending the strap and he lost in a grueling, one-sided fight which Cain dominated from beginning to end. Without a doubt, Cain is out to put a stamp on his second championship reign by successfully defending the title this time around.

“To me this is the most important thing to defend it, to hold on to it itself. This is the position I want to be in, so I just have to go out there and perform.”

While Cain revealed that he has worked on some new strategies to prepare for this throw down with Silva, Silva said he didn’t change much of his gameplan for their second go around at all.

“A lot of my preparation has been the same. Obviously in the first fight I made a big mistake, but there were a lot of things I did right going into that fight that unfortunately you guys didn’t get to see,” Silva said via translator. “So much of that has been maintained. Overall, the strategy is to not let his elbows get close to my forehead. That would be a change.”

In the co-main event, Junior dos Santos faces the heavy hitting Mark Hunt in a bout that could earn JDS another shot at the title with a win.

Perpetual underdog Mark Hunt has risen like a phoenix from the ashes to get his name in the mix of the top ten contenders in the UFC heavyweight division. Hunt came into the UFC following a 5 fight losing skid. Though he lost his debut at UFC 119, the former K-1 champion hit a stride winning his next 4 fights. In that stretch, he took home Knockout of the Night honors for his finishes of Chris Tuchscherer and Stefan Struve.

On the call, Hunt expressed his frustration about his travel delays that have kept him from getting to Las Vegas to acclimate to the time change ahead of the fight. Since May 5, Hunt has tried to get out of his native New Zealand to arrive in Nevada, but hasn’t been able to fly as a result of visa issues which the UFC is now attempting to resolve for him.

“I keep training,” Hunt said. “At the end of the day I still gotta get out of here and get to the battle with Junior. It is frustrating but what can you do? I can’t do nothing about it. It’s not even in my hands anymore.”

Hunt will have the toughest test of his career ahead of him once he does land on US soil. Before JDS lost to Cain, he had compiled a 10-fight win streak and finished all but two of his UFC competitors by way of knockout. One day in the future, dos Santos knows he and Cain are destined to meet again. Even if title shot implications are on the line for Junior dos Santos, and that day could come sooner than he thinks, he contends that he’s not thinking that far ahead right now.

“Right now I’m focused on my fight against Mark Hunt,” dos Santos said via translator. “Mark Hunt’s my next opponent. Mark Hunt is the man I need to be focused on. It’ll be great to have a title shot again if I beat Mark Hunt, for sure that motivates me. But it’s not what I’m thinking about now.”

UFC 160 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 25. Cain Velasquez will put his title on the line against Antonio “Big Foot” Silva in the main event. dos Santos vs. Hunt will be a three round contest at heavyweight for co-main event.

While Hunt said the only thing he heard back from the USA consulate was that they would call him, the UFC remains confident that there will be no issues with Mark Hunt arriving in the states. They are so confident that Hunt will arrive in the states soon, that they currently have no back-up plan in the event that the issue doesn’t get resolved.

“It’s just a big misunderstanding, that’s all it is. It’s just something that happened a long time ago and it should be cleared up so I can fly this week some time,” said Hunt.

The former UFC Heavyweight Champ, Junior dos Santos, admitted on Tuesday’s conference call that he was initially concerned that Hunt’s travel issue would not be resolved and that he would be without an opponent.

“I was scared that I wouldn’t have a fight. I’ve trained a lot, I’ve invested a lot into training camp and I’m very prepared and I’m sure Mark is in the same boat. Neither one of us wants to be without a fight next week. That being said, it’s my understanding that this is being resolved,” said dos Santos via translator.

JDS already had his initial opponent bow out of the fight. When his UFC 160 matchup was first announced, Junior was expected to meet Alistair Overeem in a rescheduled bout. Overeem was supposed to face Junior in a title fight back at UFC 146, but failed a random drug test, testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. Instead JDS, defended his title against Frank Mir. This time around, Overeem withdrew due to an injury and Hunt stepped in as his replacement.

It’s already been announced that the co-main has title shot implications on the line. If Junior dos Santos wins, he will get another crack at fighting for the strap. If Hunt wins, he may or may not get a title shot. UFC President Dana White announced at the post-fight press conference following UFC 159 that Hunt may face Roy Nelson next. However, Hunt believes a win over dos Santos should put his name atop the heavyweight rankings and give him an opportunity to fight for the title as well.

“If I could beat Junior, it should put me in the number one spot. I can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t,” said Hunt.

UFC 160 will feature current champ Cain Velasquez vs. challenger Antonio “Big Foot” Silva battling it out for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 25 in Las Vegas.

UFC 160 media call - Recorded Live

Guests: Cain Velasquez, Big Foot Silva, Junior dos Santos, Mark Hunt

www.mmafightcorner.com

“IT’S TIME! My 360° View of the UFC” is Buffer’s remarkable life story that recounts his experiences that have made him the man he is today. An icon of the UFC, Buffer’s book hashes out never before told anecdotes on Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and more.

In addition, the book details experiences Bruce has had that have all led to him becoming the man we all see today. From his father’s military background having a huge influence on his upbringing, to the discovery at age 30 that his brother was Michael Buffer, Bruce gives readers a glimpse into his personal life as well.

“It’s Time” offers Octagon-side insights into one of the fastest growing sports in America, as only Buffer can provide and will be a must have for the millions of UFC and fight fans across the country.

While the information has yet to be confirmed by the Diaz camp, the website domain NickDiazPromotions.com is active.

Following his loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158, Diaz hinted at retirement. This news is the first we’ve heard of Diaz’s future plans since then.

Lauzon hasn’t stepped into the Octagon since waging war against Jim Miller at UFC 155. Though Lauzon lost the unanimous decision, the scrap still earned him Fight of the Night honors which tied Lauzon with none other than Anderson Silva for most UFC post-fight honors with 12. Lauzon has won three of his last 5.

Johnson is in need of a W after losing his last two bouts. 2012 started off smooth for the Ultimate Fighter season 12 runner up who had won three straight. A unanimous decision loss to Myles Jury at the TUF 16 finale in December snapped his winning streak. Johnson next faced Reda Madadi in Sweden on the UFC on FUEL TV 9 card and was submitted with a D’arce choke in the 3rd round.

The lightweight match-up is the second battle to be announced for the August 17 FOX Sports 1 card in Boston’s TD Garden. It was previously reported that a welterweight contest between Matt Brown and Thiago Alves is expected to take place also.

The event is expected to air from 8:00pm ET-11:00pm ET. It is unknown if preliminary bouts will take place on Facebook, or any other platform, as of now. No bouts have been announced yet for the show.

UFC 119 was the last time the organization held an event in the state of Indiana. The main event was Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop.

Tickets for the event go on sale to the public on Friday, June 14. A fight card will be announced in the weeks to come.

For the FOX Sports 1 network this will mark the UFC’s second event on the 24-hour sports channel. It’s expected that the next FOX UFC Wednesday card will take place on September 4 from Brasilia, Brazil. Following the 2-hour event, The Ultimate Fighter’s 18th season debuts at 10pm ET featuring UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey coaching opposite Cat Zingano.

Recorded LIVE May 10, 2013 at FOX920am

Guest: HangoverHeaven.com's Dr. Burke, Nick Newell, Chris Weidman

www.mmafightcorner.com

credit: Barry Hartman/MMA Fight Corner

The UFC Flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and John Moraga takes center stage at UFC on FOX 8 at the Key Arena in Seattle, WA on July 27th. Bantamweights John Albert and Yaotzin Meza who will look to improve their UFC records, have been added to the supporting cast of the event.

“Prince” Albert (7-4, MMA) comes into the match up fighting for his survival in the UFC. After three consecutive losses, all of which have been by way of first round submission, The Ultimate Fighter alumnus finds himself in a tough spot. Albert’s lone promotional win came at TUF 14′s finale when he was able to TKO Dustin Pague in the first round.

Meza (19-8, MMA) will enter the Octagon for a second time, but will have the opportunity to fully train for the scrap this time around. In his UFC debut, Meza took on 145 divisional contender, Chad Mendes, on short notice and was knocked out in the first round. This time The MMA Lab prospect will get come in fully prepared and fight a weight class down at 135.

The main event is for the UFC Flyweight Championship. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will put his title on the line for the 2nd time against Moraga.

The main card airs live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, preceded by the prelims on FX at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. FUEL TV previews the card the week before on signature shows UFC TONIGHT and UFC ULTIMATE INSIDER, and also carries the WEIGH-IN SHOW on Friday, July 26 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and provides post-event analysis.

Tickets for UFC® on FOX: JOHNSON vs. MORAGA go on sale Friday, May 17 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $250, $175, $125, $75, and $50. Tickets are available at the KeyArena Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, by phone 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, May 15 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, May 16, starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

Nick Newell photo via OfficialXFC.com

As XFC was holding a media conference to discuss Nick Newell (9-0), being stripped of his lightweight title for refusing to fight Scott Holtzman on the upcoming June 14 fight card, Newell was informing MMA Fight Corner that that wasn’t the entire story.

The undefeated fighter out of American Top Team said that he was no longer with the organization and was planning to make a formal announcement on his next endeavor soon.

“It’s where we saw my career going and we had different views on it. I’ll be releasing a statement later today,” Newell explained “They did some great things for me so I’m not going to be one to say anything to that. I’m going to stay professional and respectful. It was just different paths. We had different paths of where they saw me going and it just didn’t work out.”

Newell was expected to face off against Scott Holtzman at XFC 24: Collision Course, but that will no longer happen. The XFC is currently seeking out a new opponent for Holtzman.

According to XFC President John Prisco, Newell was stripped for his refusal to square off against Holtzman. Additionally, Prisco said that Newell only wanted to fight “ex-UFC fighters, as it would be his best route to the UFC.” He added that Newell’s management informed him they’d received an offer from another promotion that was offering a more lucrative deal. Prisco said XFC matched the offer, however Nick still wouldn’t agree to fight Holtzman because Nick “only wants to fight ex-UFC fighters.”

First, Newell promised that in the next couple of days, he would issue an announcement that would clarify the situation on his official Twitter account @NotoriousNewell and on his Facebook page as well. Also he indicated that fans can expect to see him fight again very soon.

“All I can say is I’ve really been training hard and really improved my game so I can face the next level of opponent and really prove what I’m worth. I’m looking to get in there with experienced veterans and really prove my name and show people how good I am.”

While Newell stated that he didn’t sign with UFC, he wouldn’t reveal with which organization he will fight under next.

“It’s not set yet,” Newell said. “I’m going to have to wait probably a day or two and then you guys will find out. I don’t like to announce anything before it’s all settled in.”

“I’m just ready to fight the type of opponents where I can prove it. I want to fight guys that were in the UFC and I want to fight tough fighters with big names so I can be like ‘Hey, guess what? I beat this guy. I was in there with this guy, you guys think he’s tough, well guess what I just beat him.’”

The full interview with Nick Newell will air on FOX 920am in Las Vegas at 5pm PT. We will podcast the interview after it airs.

pic via Mark Hunt’s Twitter “can you see my frustration lol”

UFC Heavyweight Mark Hunt has been trying to make his way to Las Vegas since Sunday, May 5. According to “The Super Samoan’s” official Twitter timeline he had encountered problems departing his native New Zealand due to visa issues.

If its not one thing it’s another no one told me about a visa might miss my flight ooooopppps

— mark richard hunt (@markhunt1974) May 6, 2013

As it turns out, an arrest that occurred in 2002 in the United States is what’s preventing him from travelling to Las Vegas.

“Just a stupid incident which happened in 2002,” he told Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com. “It wasn’t even my fault, but as usual, I get canned for it. I should be fine by today. UFC is on it.”

According to Hunt’s story a friend of his punched another friend outside a club. As he was going to investigate what happened an undercover cop intervened. He told Hunt he wasn’t allowed back in the club. Hunt wanted to get back in to get his girl, but the officer denied him re-entry.

“So, he has his baton in his left hand, and I walk up to him. He maces me with his right hand, and they jump me. I wasn’t even drunk. I spent New Year’s in jail for public intoxication, and I wasn’t even drunk,” said Hunt to MMA Fighting.

Denied again at airport I’m never helping anymore d**head mates

— mark richard hunt (@markhunt1974) May 9, 2013

Late Thursday, Hunt’s tweets seemed a bit more positive as he mentioned that the UFC had stepped in to try to get him on his way. He also tweeted that he expects to fly out tonight.  With the UFC now involved in the process, it could mean that Hunt finally resolves this issue and gets to Vegas so he can meet Junior dos Santos in the co-main event at UFC 160 on May 25.

Apparently, this issue was what also prevented Hunt from fighting Eric “Butterbean” Esch at Pride 32 in the promotion’s North American debut in Las Vegas in 2006.

“We’ve been working for months now, but a lot has come together in the time since we officially unveiled our plans for the launch of FOX Sports 1 in March,” said Eric Shanks, FOX Sports’ Co-President and COO said via press release. “The programming schedule has been solidified, and we really come out of the gate incredibly strong from Day 1.”

“Obviously, we knew from the start that finding highly skilled and talented senior production executives and talent to fill key roles would be essential to our success,” added FOX Sports Co-President and COO Randy Freer. “It’s fun to see the team take shape, and there’s an incredible energy and enthusiasm present that people share when they’re working on something they’re passionate about.”

FS1 officially launches at 8:00 AM ET on Saturday, Aug. 17 and includes 18 hours of original programming on Day 1, 16.5 hours of which are live.

The UFC takes over beginning with episodes of UFC Ultimate Insider and UFC Unleashed hitting the airwaves at 3:30pm ET.

Then, UFC coverage takes over in primetime with UFC TONIGHT, followed by preliminary coverage of UFC ON FS1 (6:00-8:00 PM ET) and capped off by the main card coverage of UFC ON FS1 live from TD Bank Garden in Boston (8:00-11:00 PM ET).

Below is the full Day 1 schedule as announced by FOX Sports:
Time Event/Program
8:00-8:30 AM NASCAR LIVE (L)
8:30-9:30 AM NASCAR SPRINT CUP PRACTICE (L)
9:30-11:00 AM NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES QUALIFYING (L)
11:00 AM-12:00 PM NASCAR SPRINT CUP FINAL PRACTICE (L)
12:00-12:30 PM NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK RACE PRE RACE (L)
12:30-2:30 PM NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES RACE (L)
2:30-3:30 PM TRACKSIDE LIVE (L)
3:30-4:00 PM UFC ULTIMATE INSIDER
4:00-5:00 PM UFC UNLEASHED
5:00-6:00 PM UFC TONIGHT (L)
6:00-8:00 PM FOX UFC SATURDAY PRELIMS (L)
8:00-11:00 PM FOX UFC SATURDAY (L)
11:00 PM-12:00 AM FOX SPORTS LIVE (L)
12:00 AM-1:00 AM FOX SPORTS LIVE (L)
1:00-2:00 AM FOX SPORTS LIVE (L)

Aside from the network launch, the UFC has a few other days already in place for Wednesday night coverage and events.

On August 28, the UFC launches UFC WEDNESDAY LIVE, a 3-hour fight card complete with prelims that’s scheduled to start at 8:00PM ET.

Next the network will air UFC 164′s Preliminary card which begins at 8:00pm ET on August 31st. The main event for the UFC 164 pay-per-view from Milwaukee’s Bradley Center is a title fight featuring current UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis.

FS1′s third live UFC event happens on Wednesday, Sept. 4, prior to the season premiere of TUF. (10:00-11:00 PM ET). As previously announced, the 18th season of The Ultimate Fighter moves to its new Wednesday 10:00 PM home that night. The coming season features UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey coaching a co-ed cast of bantamweights opposite challenger Cat Zingano.

“I want to thank the House members who supported this bill. It’s the right thing to do for the thousands of Connecticut MMA and UFC fans, for economic development in the state and for jobs,” Fertitta said. “We will now turn our attention to the Senate and urge the leadership to permit the bill to be voted upon.  We are confident that if Senators are allowed to vote on the bill, it will pass with strong bipartisan support.”

HB-5277 is sponsored by Rep. Charles Clemons (124th District) and Senator Andres Ayala (23rd District), along with more than 34 additional co-sponsors – including nine Senators, Democrats and Republicans.

“Legalizing MMA is the right thing to do.  I am proud of my colleagues in the House for the strong support they gave the bill and I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to turn this bill into a law in 2013,” Rep. Clemons said.  “The bill had strong support in the Committee on Public Safety and Security, the Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding, and on the Floor of the House.  The majority of Representatives – Democrats and Republicans know that this is the right thing to do for Connecticut.”

“If MMA is legalized in Connecticut, it will mean jobs – union jobs – and economic activity for people and communities where it is desperately needed,” Sen. Ayala said.  “MMA is the fastest growing sport in the nation.  Fans in Connecticut watch it on broadcast, cable and pay-per-view television.  They travel to other states and countries to watch it live.  We should legalize it here in Connecticut and attract fans from other states and countries to our communities.

“I will work tirelessly for the remainder of the session to try and convince the leadership of the Senate that passing this bill to legalize and regulate MMA is the right thing to do and now is the time to do it,” Sen. Ayala said.

“UFC is eager to hold events in Hartford and Bridgeport and we know other national and regional MMA promoters look forward to holding events here as well,” Fertitta said. “And I know that Danbury resident and UFC light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira would love to fight close to home for his fans.  And if the Senate passes the bill, we would love to make that happen.”

“It’s a dream come true. I’ve been envisioning this fight since I started MMA about four years ago. Finally I have this opportunity to fight the greatest of all time and I can’t wait to get in the Octagon and I won’t let this opportunity slip through my fingers,” Weidman said.

In an exclusive interview with Heidi Fang of MMA Fight Corner, Weidman also discussed what he learned from the adversity he faced in the past year, his plans to beat Anderson, and why he’s holding out on renegotiating his contract with the UFC.

2012 could have easily been the craziest year that Weidman ever had. It started off with a bang. In January, he continued his winning streak in the UFC when he defeated Demian Maia – a fight he had taken on eleven days notice. Then, he went on to finish Mark Muñoz in an onslaught that started with a crushing elbow that sent Muñoz to the canvas and ended in a barrage of strikes in July. The TKO marked the ninth professional win of Weidman’s career and his fifth straight victory in the UFC.

Soon after, Weidman had to have surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow. In October, Hurricane Sandy decimated parts of the East Coast and Weidman’s home was destroyed. Prior to a scheduled bout with Tim Boetsch at UFC 155, Weidman had to withdraw from the scrap in order to have surgery on his shoulder. By the time he steps into the cage to face Silva, it will have been a year since his last fight. No matter how much personal strife Weidman’s faced, he says the layoff and the adversity he went through has only made him realize his full potential.

“I don’t reflect much on things, I just focus on what I have to do. With the Hurricane Sandy thing, and the injury, I haven’t once felt bad for myself because you always have other people you feel bad for,” Weidman explained.

“It’s all good and I think any time you go through a tough time and you persevere, it makes you a stronger person. I think I became a better fighter. I’ve had some time to be in the gym and focus on some different areas. I’m just really excited to display my skill set on July 6th.”

With his main focus now turning to taking the strap away from the kingpin of the 185-pound division, Weidman isn’t in the least intimidated. Even if Silva has the most successful title defenses, most finishes and most consecutive wins in the UFC, Weidman wholeheartedly believes that he has what it takes to usurp Silva from his throne.

“I think that’s if you look on paper, I’m a nightmare matchup as far as I think I have the better wrestling, I think I have the better jiu jitsu, I think I’m younger, obviously – on paper you can’t deny that,” Weidman said. “I think I have a longer reach, I think I’m athletic enough where I think I’m probably the most athletic guy that he’s ever faced, if not more athletic than him. And I think it’s enough to where I’ll be aware of striking on my feet to where he’s not going to be hitting me with things out of nowhere.”

Stylistically, Weidman’s NCAA wrestling resumé could be his biggest advantage in the title tilt. At UFC 117 and UFC 148, Chael Sonnen provided a blueprint for future challengers showing Silva was vulnerable when put on his back. However, Weidman doesn’t see his impending matchup against “The Spider” going exactly the same way.

“I’m not Chael Sonnen. It’s probably going to be a different looking fight than that. But the goal is to expose his weak points and I think he’s been exposed before with Chael and other fighters where he’s got taken down. Chael had him in mount a couple times in the fights. I see those fights and I’m going to try to expose him in the same way, but capitalize a little bit differently.”

“This time off, I think I’ve improved my striking more than anything,” Weidman elaborated. “I think I have the knowledge and the confidence on my feet to be there without being nervous and uptight. And I have the range where he’s not going to be in range if I’m not. If we line up with each other and we’re in each other faces, there’s a good chance I could grab his leg and there’s a good chance he could hit me at the same time. There’s no disadvantages with that and I think I’m in a good spot with that.”

According to Chris, he’s been preparing to square off opposite Silva since he defeated Mark Muñoz.

“After I had beat Mark Munoz and he had beat Chael the second time, it looked like it was perfect timing to make the fight happen. UFC told me that they were going to make the fight happen, so I was excited to start training to fight Anderson. He said he wanted to fight three months after that fight, so it was going to be perfect. And then he came out after everybody said that we were going to be fighting and said he didn’t want to fight until 2013, so then I was frustrated.”

Once Weidman heard that Anderson was taking time off, he decided to have surgery on his elbow. Following the surgery, he found out that Silva had been booked to face Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153. After hearing that news, Chris booked the fight with Boetsch, but had to withdraw due to a shoulder injury. During the time he was recovering, several top contenders in the division lost important battles, putting Weidman in the perfect position to get his opportunity to fight for the title.

UFC 162 is on target to take center stage in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 6. The UFC’s Fan Expo and fight card will literally take over Sin City for the July 4th weekend. While Weidman spent most of his time Wednesday on a media tour to promote the fight, Silva opted out of his tour in Los Angeles just a couple of days ago, flew home to Brazil and didn’t fulfill his obligations.

Weidman doesn’t think the no-show is Anderson’s way of saying that he’s not taking the upcoming battle seriously.

“If that’s his focus is to screw me over with media, I mean, I was going to do the media anyway. I wouldn’t think that he’s thinking like that. But if he is, I mean he’s going to be in trouble come July 6th if that’s his worry. I think he’s going to have more to worry about than that,” Weidman stated.

“I think he’s taking me pretty seriously. I think he knows that I’m a big threat to him to be honest with you. I mean it’s the closest odds he’s ever had since I think the Dan Henderson fight and that’s me with a year layoff and nine fights. And I still haven’t been able to show exactly what I can do in the Octagon. That’s why I’m excited to shine on July 6th.”

Weidman also detailed why he’s not planning to re-negotiate his UFC contract, which expires after the title fight, until after he faces Silva.

“I’m in this sport for one reason, to be the champion and I know the money is going to come when I’m champion. I’m not going to be fighting on a contract to get a couple extra thousand dollars before I fight for the title because I really believe I’m going to win this fight and that’s when the money’s going to come.”

While most fans are clamoring for Anderson to take on Georges St-Pierre or Jon Jones in super fights, Weidman noted that he’ll change all of those plans as well.

“The way I see it is that after I beat Anderson Silva, there’s going to be a lot of other fights that people want to see. As far as a rematch with Anderson Silva, me and someone else in another weight class, I think I’m going to come out as the man and then people are going to want to see me.”

Silva vs. Weidman will be the main event at UFC 162 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV on July 6. Anderson Silva is putting his title on the line for the 11th time against Weidman.

Tickets for UFC^®162: SILVA vs. WEIDMAN, presented by BUD LIGHT^®, go on sale Friday, May 10 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $1200, $850, $600, $400, $250 and $125. Tickets will be available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.comor www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC^® Fight Club^™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, May 8 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, May 9 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

Watch the full interview here:

Recorded LIVE at FOX 920am Las Vegas

Guest: Chris Weidman

www.mmafightcorner.com

credit: Barry Hartman-MMA Fight Corner

Following UFC 159, several fighters were released from the UFC. While some have confirmed their release via social media, others statuses are unknown as their profiles have simply been removed from UFC.com’s main fighter index, as first reported by Bloody Elbow.

The list of nine fighters includes: Leonard Garcia, Antonio Carvalho, Pablo Garza, Issei Tamura, Kurt Holobaugh, Reuben Duran, Sam Sicilia, Justin Lawrence and Bart Palaszewski.

Garza had posted a message via Facebook earlier in the week explaining that he was cut. Garcia, Palaszewski, and Carvalho took to Twitter explaining that they had been cut.

Leonard Garcia

Got let go by @ufc thanks for everything! Ill be back better then ever! @seanshelby @danawhite

— Leonard Garcia (@badboygarcia) May 8, 2013

Bart Palaszewski

Lost my UFC contract loosing followers like a mofo. Oh well fuck it — Bart Palaszewski (@Bartimus7) May 8, 2013

Antonio Carvalho

I have been cut by the UFC. Too many FW’s on roster & need to cut back. Business is that way. Only love for the UFC. Hopefully be back. Thx!

— Antonio Carvalho (@AntonioPatoMMA) May 6, 2013

On the list, Garcia’s name is perhaps the most prominent. A former WEC fighter brought into the UFC’s featherweight division when they merged, “Bad Boy” just couldn’t get things going in the win column. Though he was on a 5-fight losing streak, his loss to Max Holloway at UFC 155 was a viewed as a decision that could have gone in Garcia’s favor. However, in his most recent outing against Cody McKenzie, Garcia put on an uninspiring performance and lost by way of unanimous decision. Garcia leaves the Octagon with a record of 2-7.

“Bartimus” Palaszewski (36-17, MMA) was another WEC fighter that couldn’t get things going. Though he stormed in the UFC and KO’d Tyson Griffin in devastating fashion, that moment would be the pinnacle of his UFC career. The 145′er lost his next three straight, leading to his release.

Carvalho (15-6, MMA) went 2-2 in the UFC, but suffered a quick TKO at the hands of Darren Elkins at UFC 158.

Lawrence (4-2, MMA) and Sicilia (11-3, MMA) were both contestants on TUF Live. Following their stints on the reality series, both got an opportunity to compete in the UFC. Both men fought three times a piece inside the Octagon – both went 1-2.

Kurt Holobaugh (9-2, MMA) was a Strikeforce product who stepped up on short notice while with the former promotion to face Pat Healy. He went the distance, but lost the bout. Holobaugh debuted at UFC 159 and suffered a decision loss to Steven Siler.

Bantamweight Reuben Duran (8-5-1, MMA) went 1-3 with the UFC. His decision loss to George Roop at UFC 158 led to his release. Another 135′er, Japan’s Issei Tamura, found himself on the bad end of a highlight reel when TJ Dillashaw knocked him out at UFC 158. Tamura had posted a record of 1-2 in the UFC.

Again, not all of the releases have been confirmed. This report is based off of the removal of the fighters profile’s from UFC.com

Officially retired 2day:-) thank you to my family, friends and fans! #dreambig GOD BLESS!!!

— Shane Carwin (@ShaneCarwin) May 8, 2013

If Carwin has in fact retired, MMA has lost a heavyweight that accumulated all of his professional wins in the first round, a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler and a former champion. Carwin’s most notable win in the UFC was his knockout of Frank Mir that earned him the interim heavyweight title. Carwin later lost the title to Brock Lesnar by way of second round arm-triangle when it came time to unify the belt at UFC 116.

Then, an unfortunate string of injuries plagued Carwin. First a neck injury that would require surgery prevented him from fighting Roy Nelson at UFC 125. After his loss to Junior dos Santos in a title eliminator at UFC 131, Carwin required back surgery and was out until returning to coach TUF 16.

It seemed the 38-year-old fighter was ready to make his return to competition when he coached The Ultimate Fighter’s 16th season and he was expected to clash with Roy Nelson at the finale. But Carwin injured his knee, and Matt Mitrione fought Nelson instead.

A former member of Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico, Carwin had most recently trained under head coach Trevor Wittman of Grudge Training Center in Colorado.

As a guest of MMA Fight Corner in September 2012, Carwin spoke on having a single mother who influenced his work ethic and what degree he was currently working on:

“I grew up poor and I had a job at 15. I was working construction, throwing boxes, working in factories. For me to get where I got, it was a hard route of labor…”

“My mom raised three boys on her own. She’s my hero and her major goal in life was to make sure that we all three got college educations. It was something that she wasn’t able to do that she wanted. So, I actually have two degrees and a minor and I’m still working on my main degree which is mechanical engineering.”

Recorded LIVE at FOX920am Vegas

UFC updates, MMA news

www.mmafightcorner.com

“We are excited to enter Tyrone into this historic, first GLORY championship series event in the U.S. that will determine who is physically and mentally the top athlete in kickboxing’s light heavyweight division,” said Glory Sports International CEO Andrew Whitaker.

“Tyrone’s recent performances in the ring have distinguished him as one of the best and most powerful martial arts fighters in the world who can showcase our great sport at its highest level,” continued Whitaker, “so we look forward to seeing him compete against the other superstars who have been enlisted for action in the tournament.”

In his last GLORY start on March 23, Spong triggered a changing of the guard in the ring at ExCel Arena in London, England, decimating Remy “The Flying Gentleman” Bonjasky, a three-time champion of the old K-1 series and one of kickboxing’s greatest athletes of all time, with a vicious right hook in the second round (2:02) of their highly-anticipated main event showdown.

The explosive KO marked Spong’s fifth consecutive kickboxing victory.  One fight prior, on June 30, 2012, Spong toppled another icon of the sport and future Hall of Famer, Peter Aerts, scoring a thunderous KO on Aerts in the third round (2:10) of their matchup in Brussels, Belgium.

Since turning professional as a middleweight in 2003 and winning 12 fights that year, Spong, a former protégé of retired heavyweight kickboxing legend Ernesto Hoost, has since climbed his way to the top in four different weight divisions.  He has faced and defeated a host of top-ranked rivals in addition to Bonjasky and Aerts, including Kaoklai Kaennorsing, Ray Sefo and Melvin Manhoef.

Tickets for GLORY 9 New York, priced from $48 (plus handling fees), are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000.

Also slated for battle in the star-studded, eight-man single-elimination tournament, are hard-hitting KO artist Brian Collette (19-1, 16 KOs) of Norfolk, Va.; developmental Road To GLORY USA light heavyweight tournament winner Dustin Jacoby (9-3, 7 KOs) of Arenzville, Illin.; four-time world champion Danyo Ilunga (51-4, 41 KOs) of Germany; Muay Thai sensation Filip Verlinden (40-9-1, 16 KOs) of Belgium; Aerts-protégé Mourad “The Silent Power” Bouzidi (75-20-2, 34 KOs) of Tunisia; world Muay Thai and Karate champion Steve McKinnon (42-5, 29 KOs) of Australia; and Michael Duut (38-3, 17 KOs) of The Netherlands.

The GLORY 9 New York light heavyweight tournament’s quarterfinal stage matchups will be announced soon.

In one of several Superfights also scheduled for the event, heavyweight superstar and former secret service agent Daniel “The Savage Samurai” Ghita (46-9, 35 KOs) of Romania will face Muay Thai champion Brice Guidon (28-8, 13 KOs) of France.

In other Superfight action, hard-hitting “Bazooka” Joseph Valtellini (8-1, 7 KOs) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada will square off with fellow rising star Francois Ambang (9-2, 4 KOs) of Mechanicsville, Va. in a welterweight (170 pounds/77 kilograms) matchup.

Valtellini has earned six of his eight professional career victories in New York.   Ambang emerged the winner of the development, eight-man, developmental Road To GLORY USA tournament, created to identify new talent and potential future champions for GLORY’s championship series, at New York City’s Capitale on March 22.

Phil Nurse protégé Brett Hlavacek (8-1, 3 KOs) of New York, N.Y., the runner-up in the developmental Road To GLORY USA  tournament on March 22, will face three-time Muay Thai titlist Paul Marfort (10-5, 4 KOs) of Orlando, Fla. at welterweight.

For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

BT Sport’s upcoming launch will include three channels, one of which will be ESPN. Also, the network will carry Premiere League soccer, Premiership rugby, tennis and motor racing. Mainstream audiences in the UK and Ireland will now be able to see such original programming as the UFC’s flagship reality series, The Ultimate Fighter and more.

Currently, the UFC has a broadcast deal with ESPN UK, but that expires August 1st.

According to a report by USA Today who first reported the news, Silva had been in the Los Angeles area for the past few days. Monday was scheduled to be a media tour where several television appearances had been booked in addition to a luncheon with local media to promote his upcoming title defense against Chris Weidman at UFC 162. Instead of handling the obligations, Silva decided to skip out of town and fly back to Brazil. The decision cost him $50,000.

“We had a full media day set up for him in Los Angeles, and he just decided he didn’t want to do it, so he’s being fined $50,000,” UFC President Dana White told USA TODAY Sports.

“He doesn’t like talking to the media, but it’s part of his contractual obligation,” White said. “Everybody wants more money, more money, more money, but nobody wants to sell the fight or go out and talk to the media. Talking to the media is part of your job, whether you like it or not.”