The UFC Returns To Brazil

UFC Event Saturday, August 27 live from HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Tickets Go on Sale in May

It started in academies, gyms and even in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. “Vale Tudo” or “anything goes” fights pitted modern-day gladiators of various fighting styles against each other for bragging rights and to prove which academy was the best. It was exciting, it was beautiful, it was – the birth of the sport of mixed martial arts.

Now two decades, rule changes and improvements later and after its explosion on American soil with The Ultimate Fighting Championship leading the charge, Brazil’s gift to the rest of the world is making its way back to the cradle of MMA. Backed by the extensive lineage of proud Brazilian UFC fighters, the world’s leading mixed martial arts organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is pleased to announce it will return to Brazil for the first time since 1998.

UFC owners Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo J. Fertitta, and Dana White announced today that the same Brazilian city that will be home to the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Rio de Janeiro, will also be home to an international UFC event at the HSBC Arena on Saturday, August, 27, 2011.

“We couldn’t wait to host our first-ever UFC event in Brazil’s biggest city,” said White. “Brazilians have given so much to the growth of this sport. I’m excited that we can give back to the country that has given us so many great fighters. From Royce Gracie and Vitor Belfort to “Shogun” Rua, Anderson Silva and Jose Aldo, these fighters are all champions and are so proud of their roots. It’s time for us to bring a live UFC event here and show the people of Brazil how much this sport has grown.”

“This is another giant step forward in our global expansion and in growing UFC into the biggest sport in the world,” said Lorenzo Fertitta. “By bringing world-class fights back to Brazil, we not only secure a foothold in a major international market but we also give back to the people who have supported UFC for nearly 20 years.”

The Fertittas and White delivered today’s announcement live at 2:30 p.m. local time in a press conference held at Palacio de Cidade, the official residence of Honorable Eduardo Paes, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Antonio Pedro Figueira de Mello, President of Riotur attended and spoke at the event, along with UFC Hall of Famer and first-ever UFC Champion Royce Gracie, former Light Heavyweight UFC Champion Vitor Belfort and current UFC champions Anderson “The Spider” Silva (185lb/Middleweight), Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (205 lb/Light Heavyweight) and Jose Aldo (145 lb/Featherweight).

The original UFC champion, Royce Gracie brought his family’s style of jiu-jitsu to the states in the early 90s and it has never left. A revolutionary fighter, the Rio de Janeiro native changed the way the game was played and stressed the importance for mixed martial artists to learn the ground game. Gracie earned four victories in one night at the first Ultimate Fighting Championship and is a UFC Hall-of-Famer.

Arguably the greatest pound-for-pound fighter ever, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has gone from his Brazilian city of Curitiba to international stardom. A true finisher, Silva has won a UFC record 12 fights inside the organization with 10 finishes. The long-reigning undisputed champion has held the middleweight title since October of 2006.

Another champion from the great city of Curitiba, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua currently holds the UFC’s light heavyweight title with his recent win over another acclaimed Brazilian, Lyoto Machida. The dynamic 29-year-old is world-renown for his devastating striking skills and his relentless attack.

A former UFC light heavyweight champion, Vitor Belfort is another on a long list of exciting Brazilian fighters. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt that is known for his superior boxing skills, the 33-year-old Rio de Janeiro native will look to earn the UFC middleweight title when he takes on Anderson Silva at UFC 126 in February.

A winner of 18 of his first 19 professional fights, Jose Aldo made history by becoming the first UFC featherweight champion in history. A native of Manaus, the 24-year-old Brazilian reminds many of a 145-pound Anderson Silva because of his vicious striking and strong ground game.

More information about the UFC Rio taking place Saturday, August 27, 2010 at HSBC Arena including main event matchup, undercard bouts and ticket sale dates and prices will be announced in the near future.

Ovince Saint Preux Will Fight For Third Time In Six Weeks

Former University Of Tennessee Linebacker Will Seek Seventh Victory In A Row Against Abongo Humphrey; Woodley-Saffiedine Bout Headlines at Nashville Municipal Auditorium

There will be no Holiday Season for streaking light heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux, who’ll try to make it seven wins in a row when he fights for the third time since Nov. 19 on a STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts ( MMA ) fight card presented by Rockstar Energy Drink on Friday, Jan. 7, 2011, at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

A former University of Tennessee linebacker, Saint Preux (9-4) will be opposed by fellow quickster Ron “Abongo’’ Humphrey (7-2) of Atlanta. The first STRIKEFORCE event of the year will be highlighted by an eagerly awaited confrontation between two of the promotion’s premier, up-and-coming welterweight (170 pounds) stars, unbeaten Tyron Woodley (7-0), of St. Louis, and hard-hitting Belgian, Tarec Saffiedine (10-2).

Originally scheduled to take place on the card, the middleweight (185 pounds) matchup between Yancy “Frisson’’ Medeiros (9-0) of Waianae, Hawaii and John Salter (5-2) of Nashville has been scrapped due to a knee injury sustained by Medeiros.

The 6-foot-3, 27-year-old Saint Preux, of Knoxville, Tenn., will be the first fighter ever to compete on three consecutive STRIKEFORCE events. He is coming off a career-best, thoroughly dominant three-round unanimous decision over UFC veteran, Benji Radach, on Dec. 4, in St. Louis on SHOWTIME. Saint Preux registered a unanimous three-round decision over Antwain Britt during a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Nov. 19 in Jackson, Miss.

“I always thought I was fighting Jan. 7, but when I had a chance to take the fight (with Radach), I took it,’’ said Saint Preux, a member of Knoxville Martial Arts Academy who passed what most expected to be his toughest test in impressive fashion. “That was a good fight and a hard fight that we both took on short notice but there was no way I could turn down fighting in Tennessee.

“I like to stay busy and I’m in the gym training, working out and trying to improve all the time anyway. So why not fight again? Besides, this is like a home game for me.’’

Saint Preux, who won his STRIKEFORCE debut with a 0:47, first-round TKO (punches) over Chris Hawk last April 17 in Nashville, played for the Vols from 2001-2004.

After graduating with a degree in Sociology in ’04, he became heavily involved in MMA, utilizing his impressive wrestling skills and natural athletic abilities. He made history on Feb. 20, 2009, by not only competing in Tennessee’s first sanctioned MMA event, but also by recording the first knockout in the state.

One of six children, Saint Preux has one sister and five brothers. Four of his brothers are twins; one set is older and one set is younger. He has a couple of brands on his body. One is for his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi.

Humphrey, a military son who was born on a base in Vacaville, Calif., will be making his fourth appearance for STRIKEFORCE and third in a row on STRIKEFORCE Challengers on SHOWTIME. In his most recent outing, he was submitted (rear naked choke) in the second round by a red-hot Mike “Mak’’ Kyle at a Challengers event last July 23 at Everett, Wash.

In his outing before last, the previous March 26, Humphrey made George Bush tap (guillotine choke) at 1:44 of the first round on a Challengers card in Fresno, Calif.

The birth name of the 5-foot-11, 33-year-old is “Ronald,” but he prefers to be addressed as “Abongo,” the name of an African warrior spirit believed to protect a village located in The Republic of Ghana. The moniker was bestowed upon him a few years ago after he endured a series of mentally and physically grueling tasks during a rites of passage trip to Africa.

Humphrey’s experience there inspired him to establish a non-profit organization that allows him to introduce other African-Americans to their heritage by bringing them to Africa.

“There are certain things that are lacking in the black community here and one of them has to do with cultural identity,” said Humphrey. “Fighting and doing the community work in Africa is something that really drives and motivates me in life.”

Humphrey was introduced to a national audience as a contestant on BET’s MMA reality series “Iron Ring” where he was a member of a fight team coached by MMA star, “Mr. International” Shonie Carter, and managed by hip-hop artist and producer Lil’ Jon.

Among those Humphrey defeated during his stint on “Iron Ring” were former K-1 USA contender, Jeff “Big Diesel” Ford, and Carlos Moreno, whom Humphrey knocked out with a head kick.

Tickets for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event are on sale at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000 including Kroger and FYE, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com). The first non-televised, undercard fight on Jan. 7 will begin at 7:30 CT. Doors will open at 7.

Other televised fights: Undefeated up-and-coming heavyweight prospect and former U.S. Olympic wrestling star Daniel Cormier (6-0) of San Jose faces Devin Cole (18-8-1) of Medford, Ore., and promising Julia “The Jewel’’ Budd (1-0) of British Columbia, Canada, faces Amanda “Lioness Of The Ring’’ Nunes (5-1), of Salvador, Brazil, in a women’s middleweight (145 pounds) match. A fifth televised bout will be announced soon.

Bas Rutten Now Doing Sketch Comedy

Bas Rutten is a former UFC Heavyweight champ and one of the commentators on Inside MMA, but today he is Mr. Munchie’s trainer, teaching him a thing or two on how to successfully kick Michael Lohan’s ass. Thanks to the people over at Atom.com for putting this skit together, if Rutten ever leaves his job over at Inside MMA then he can always have a job working as Mr. Munchies bodyguard. Check out the video below, and let us know if Rutten has a shot in sketch comedy.

Strikeforce Heavyweight Champ Alistair Overeem Makes History

Becomes First Fighter To Hold Major MMA and K-1 World GP Titles

Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem of The Netherlands made history on Saturday by winning the annual eight-man, single elimination K-1 World Grand Prix Championship in Japan, thus making him the first fighter in history to simultaneously hold a major MMA and K-1 Grand Prix title.

On Saturday, the 6-foot-5, 30-year-old Overeem won three fights at the annual one night, eight-man K-1 Grand Prix, the most prestigious tournament in kickboxing. He capped off a winning night by scoring a first-round (1:07) TKO in the finals over K-1 legend Peter Aerts, a three-time champion of the tournament.

In the semifinal round of the event, Overeem produced a similar result, registering a first round TKO over Gokhan Saki (2:33). In the opening tournament round, he scored a unanimous decision over Tyrone Sprong.

Overeem has been unstoppable in the sport of MMA , not suffering a loss in over three years. On Nov. 16, 2007, he became the first STRIKEFORCE MMA heavyweight champion in history, crushing Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello, with knee strikes to the body in the second round (3:42) of their matchup at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Overeem returned to STRIKEFORCE action last May 15, scoring a first round (3:40) TKO on Brett “The Grim” Rogers at Scottrade Center in St. Louis and bringing his career MMA record up to 33-11.

GSP Destroys Kosckeck at UFC 124

The reigning UFC Welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre successfully defended his title for a 5th consecutive time as he wiped the blood off of the Octagon floor with Josh Kosckeck. GSP put on an absolutely superb performance against an opponent that had clearly gotten under his skin. For a third straight fight (and five out of his last eight wins) GSP was unable to finish his opponent, however, that shouldn’t even be up for debate as he absolutely worked Kosckeck for the entire fight, making his face look like something you find in a butcher’s shop.

At the post fight press conference, GSP stated that he was happy with the win but that he was still very disappointed in his performance for not finishing Josh Kosckeck by KO or submission. In Kosckeck’s defense GSP has said that his opponent had a lot of heart and was incredibly tough. To endure five rounds of total abuse the way Kosckeck did, the word tough would seem like an understatement.

When all was said and done GSP also addressed the trash talking issue on the part of Kosckeck and re-iterated that in the end there were no hard feelings because it was just business, and that he has the greatest respect for Kosckeck, for not only coming into hostile territory to fight him, but to withstand five rounds of total abuse.

When asked about Jake Shields, which in all likelihood will be GSP’s next opponent, he said that Jake is a great fighter and definitely the top contender for his belt. Shields cleaned house in Strikeforce in both the Welterweight and Middleweight division, and managed to squeak out a win in his UFC debut. Look for GSP vs Shields to possibly headline the UFC’s first foray into Toronto , Ontario, Canada.

All in all, UFC 124 was an incredibly entertaining card, with nearly every fight putting 23, 000 plus fans on the edge of their seats. As is always the case when the UFC hits Canada, the fans made the night all the more memorable with their energy and excitement. As Dana White likes to say, he absolutely loves coming to Montreal…even if it is 20 below and snowing outside.

On a side note, these mascots should consider themselves lucky they didn’t get the Josh Kosckeck treatment

UFC 124: St-Pierre vs Kosckeck Preview

UFC 124 is back in Montreal where hometown hero Georges St-Pierre makes a 5th straight title defence against the trash talking wrestling ace Josh Koscheck. UFC 124 is already being billed the highest attended event with over 23, 000 tickets sold. In the pre-fight press conference Dana White also stated that UFC 124 would also be their highest grossing card, with early numbers indicating it will produce a gate of over $5 million.

GSP has not made it a secret that Josh Koscheck has gotten under his skin during the taping of The Ultimate Fighter and has vowed to cement his legacy within MMA with a win in dramatic fashion over Josh Koscheck. GSP has even gone on to say that after this fight Koscheck will seriously re-consider his future in MMA .

Also on the card is a Heavyweight bout between giants in Stefan Struve and Sean McCorkle, where trash talking was also a strong subject. Struve admitted that he wasn’t big on trash talking and that he didn’t appreciate the way McCorkle chose to promote this fight. Look for this one to be an all out brawl fest with both fighters aiming to make a statement within the Heavyweight division.

Do you think GSP will continue with his legacy and goal to the best fighter to ever enter MMA or will Koscheck back up everything he said up to this point? Let us know what you think.

Here’s what the rest of the card looks like:

Preliminary card

• Lightweight bout: Pat Audinwood vs. John Makdessi
• Welterweight bout: TJ Grant vs. Ricardo Almeida
• Welterweight bout: Matt Riddle vs. Sean Pierson
• Middleweight bout: Jesse Bongfeldt vs. Rafael Natal

Preliminary card (Live stream from UFC.com )

• Lightweight bout: Mark Bocek vs. Dustin Hazelett
• Middleweight bout: Joe Doerksen vs. Dan Miller

Main card

• Welterweight bout: Thiago Alves vs. John Howard
• Lightweight bout: Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig
• Lightweight bout: Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira
• Heavyweight bout: Stefan Struve vs. Sean McCorkle
• Welterweight Championship bout: Georges St-Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck

The full 9 minute UFC 124 Preview video:

Dana White on the George Stroumboulopoulos Show

Dana White was on the George Stroumboulopoulos show and one of the topics that came up was the confrontation between Mark William Calaway AKA The Undertaker from the WWE and Brock LesnarBrock Lesnar immediately after his loss to Cain Velasquez.

Check out the video here:

Sometimes Ring Girls: Shannon Lee Marr

In a long line of sometimes ring girls (ring girls that don’t exactly make a career of making the rounds), Shannon Lee Marr easily stacks up near the top of the list. The part time MMA model and ring girl currently lists herself as being a full time student studying to be a nurse, which might make her a hazard around older men in the hospital, if you know what we mean. Props go out to CagePotato.com for bringing Ms. Marr to our attention. Check out her profile on ModelMayhem.com for more info and pics.

UFC And Orbitz Worldwide Launch Travel Service On UFC.com

Seeing an Ultimate Fighting Championship event live is one of the greatest experiences in all of professional sports. Now, traveling to UFC events is easier than ever before. The UFC announced today that it selected the Orbitz Worldwide Distribution private label travel solution to power hotel, airfare, car rental and dynamic packaging capabilities on UFC.com. Beginning today, fans can log on to UFC.com and book international and domestic travel packages to UFC events all over the world.

“By teaming up with Orbitz Worldwide, UFC fans can now book great travel packages to attend UFC events,” UFC President Dana White said. “There is nothing like the live UFC experience and this gives fans an easy way to book travel to UFC events around the world.”

Almost 42 percent of fans attending a live UFC event travel from another state or country. Thus, UFC officials saw a growing need to team with a travel company that could provide comprehensive travel packages both domestically and internationally. By collaborating with Orbitz Worldwide, the UFC will be able to deliver a diverse array of travel products to its fans and allow them to book their entire trip package on UFC.com.

“We’re excited to work with an organization like the UFC to allow their millions of fans to search and book hotels, flights and car rentals through UFC.com,” Ronnie Gurion, President, Orbitz Worldwide Distribution, said. “The Orbitz Worldwide Distribution private label solution combines the strength of Orbitz technology with the breadth and depth of Orbitz supplier relationships to help fight fans save money when booking travel for UFC events.”

Shark Fights Angel: Nicole Craner

MMA ring girls are like the UFC‘s Lightweight division, there is absolutely no shortage of them. There is no MMA promotion out there that can match the size and popularity of the UFC, the ring girls, however, is a different story, and one area that no fight promotion is lacking. Nicole Craner is currently one of the lovely ring girls for the Shark Fights promotion and likely one of the reasons fans tune in to Shark Fights. Don’t take our word for it though, see for yourself.

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