Boxing/MMA Fights - local, national, world

Starts on July 5th with UFC 86. Might not look likr it, but this is a pretty decent card. The main event could turn out to be a brawl. Plus you have Stevenson, Koscheck, and Gonzaga on the card.

UFC 86

Rampage Jackson vs Forrest Griffin LHW Title
Patrick Cote vs Richard Almeida
Joe Stevenson vs Gleison Tibau
Josh Koscheck vs Chris Lytle
Tyson Griffin vs Marcus Aurelio
Gabriel Gonzaga vs Justin McCully
Jorge Gurgel vs Cole Miller
Melvin Guillard vs Dennis Siver
Corey Hill vs Justin Buchholz




On July 19th you have the first event from clothing/MMA company Affliction. This has to be, IMO, the best MMA event this year. Highlighted by the world's besst MMA fighter in Fedor Emelianenko fighting former UFC champ Tim Sylvia. Huge card, and only $39.95 on PPV.


Affliction:Banned

Fedor Emelianenko vs Tim Sylvia
Andrei Arlovski vs Ben Rothwell
Josh Barnett vs Pedro Rizzo
Matt Lindland vs Fabio Negao
Babalu vs Mike Whitehead
Aleksander Emelianenko vs Paul Buentello
Minotoro Nogueiria vs TBA




Also on July 19th the UFC presents Fight Night 14. The debut of Anderson Silva at LHW. One of the best fighters in the world, in which he has dominated UFC's MW division, steps up to the 205 weight class. He will fight James Irvin, who is a good striker. The card will also have the return of hermes Franca fighting Frankie Edgar.


UFC FN 14

Anderson Silva vs James Irvin
Brandon Vera vs Reese Andy
Hermes Franca vs Frank Edgar
Anthony Johnson vs Kevin Burns
Brodie Farber vs Rory Markham
James Giboo Vs. Brad Blackburn
Dale Hartt Vs. Shannon Gugerty


On July 21st Japan MMA promotion will air DREAM 5. This one of the best, and unknown orgs out there. Putting on great cards on HDNet. It will be highlighted with the 2008 World GP Lightweight tournament where a fighter will have to fight twice in the same night to win the belt. If anyone has HDNet, I would suggest checking this out. Very good MMA.


Dream 5

Lightweight Tournament
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Eddie Alvarez
Caol Uno vs. Shinya Aoki

Other bouts
Mirko Crocup vs Jerome Lebanner
Kid Yamamoto vs Joseph Benavidez
Mark Hunt vs TBA
Ikuhisa Minowa vs TBA
Joachim Hansen vs TBA




The month ends on July 26th with EliteXC's Saturday night fights on CBS. The card is headlined by Robbie Lawler vs Scott Smith II for the MW belt. This is the follow up to their first fight on CBS that was stopped early by the doctor. This is also shaping up to be a good card.


Elite XC

Robbie Lawler vs Scott Smith MW title
Jake Shields vs Nick Thompson WW title
Antonio Silva vs TBA HW title
Nick Diaz vs Thomas Denny

Some of these cards are just insane! July is going to be absolutely PACKED with MMA madness. And to think that the July 19th UFC card is going to be completely free on Spike for everyone to see is just crazier.

Awesome post by the way. This is definitely a good post to use in order to keep up with the upcoming cards and dates.

I wish we could have a sticky MMA Thread.

Ask the mods, I know Victory or Death is a big MMA fan.

Hopefully they will read this and do that. We could post all MMA related info in the thread. Including all local events.

It'd be nice, just put it up there with the fitness thread.

Here are some classic PRIDE fights. The best MMA org ever, IMO.


Diaz vs Gomi
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Rampage vs Wanderlei I
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Rampage vs Wanderlei II
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Here is a HL video of Fedor Emelianenko
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Nice! I was just watching the Wanderlei/Rampage fights earlier today. It almost makes you feel sorry for Rampage seeing him dominated so much, but Wanderlei was a beast in his PRIDE days.

Another brutal one is Shogun versus Rampage. Talk about feeling sorry for the guy . . he got absolutely DESTROYED by Shogun.

on the Affliction show... Megadeath will be playing in between fights, entrances, before the show, after, etc... woohoo!

All info you have on fights, fighters, etc...
local, national, world..
it's all here..

warning to all.. if you post something non-mma related, fights, etc.. just some off-beat comment, the post will be deleted and you can take that as your first warning. You'll get 3, and then a nice 2 day ban.

Thanks for making this a sticky thread. I love talking about MMA.

Hey passman, Shogun, when healthy, is the best LHW in the world. Not taking anything away from Forrest but he was not 100% in that fight.

If things go according to plan, we may get to see Wandy/Ramapge III soon. Cant wait to see the Wandy dominate him again.

Anyone ordering UFC 86: Jackson vs Griffin?

A bout between "The Ultimate Fighter 3"? winner Michael Bisping (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and veteran UFC middleweight Chris Leben (18-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will headline a recently announced UFC 89 event.

Marshall Zelaznik, the head of the UFC's UK division, made the announcement this week on Setanta News Ultimate Talk Show, a weekly UFC news show that airs on the U.K.'s Setanta Television.

UFC 89 takes place Oct. 18 at The National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.

Zelaznik said that both competitors have agreed to the fight, though he didn't clarify if bout agreements have been signed.

Bisping and Leben had been scheduled for a June 7 event in London. However, Leben was forced off the card when he had to serve jail time for a probation violation stemming from an earlier DUI arrest.

Bisping, England's most popular UFC fighter, suffered his first career defeat this past November in a split-decision loss to Rashad Evans. He's since rebounded for first-round knockouts of Charles McCarthy and Jason Day. He'll now fight in a UFC-England event for the fourth time.

Leben, a production of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter,"? hit a recent skid when he suffered three losses in the span of four fights. However, he recently scored a third-round knockout of Terry Martin and a first-round TKO of Alessio Sakara.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: burton2019</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A bout between "The Ultimate Fighter 3"? winner Michael Bisping (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and veteran UFC middleweight Chris Leben (18-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will headline a recently announced UFC 89 event.

Marshall Zelaznik, the head of the UFC's UK division, made the announcement this week on Setanta News Ultimate Talk Show, a weekly UFC news show that airs on the U.K.'s Setanta Television.

UFC 89 takes place Oct. 18 at The National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.

Zelaznik said that both competitors have agreed to the fight, though he didn't clarify if bout agreements have been signed.

Bisping and Leben had been scheduled for a June 7 event in London. However, Leben was forced off the card when he had to serve jail time for a probation violation stemming from an earlier DUI arrest.

Bisping, England's most popular UFC fighter, suffered his first career defeat this past November in a split-decision loss to Rashad Evans. He's since rebounded for first-round knockouts of Charles McCarthy and Jason Day. He'll now fight in a UFC-England event for the fourth time.

Leben, a production of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter,"? hit a recent skid when he suffered three losses in the span of four fights. However, he recently scored a third-round knockout of Terry Martin and a first-round TKO of Alessio Sakara. </div></div>

that is a horrible, horrible head-liner.. Another UFC even that should be free.

I hate to say it, I was excited about the UFC in Atlanta. I was ready to get my tickets and go, but then it's a fight between Chuck and Rashad. Not taking anything away from Chuck, he's had his run, and he's done great. But he's just not someone who can draw my interest to that card.

Just by the way it looks on paper, Affliction has blown UFC cards out the window.
The last UFC I watched, that the whole card was a great night of fights, would've been I think the night Griffin beat Rua. Rua wasn't 100%, but that was still one of the overall best cards.
Well crap, I just lied.. the last UFC card with Tito vs Machida, Jardine vs Silva, Sherk vs Penn.. that was a damn good card too.

Bisping is headlining this card because its in London. Rumor has it that the winner will get a title shot.

The winner of the Patrick Cote vs Richard Almeida fight at UFC 86 will fight Spider for the MW belt. The winner of the Bisping/Leben fight will prolly be the next in line.

Yeah, you're 100% right.
I don't think any of them stands a chance with Silva.
I'm excited to see him step into 205.
Everyone is saying "how will he do it?", "he's going up a weight class", "won't he have to gain weight?".. and I'm like, NO.. Silva actually walks around at about 215, and cuts down to fight at 185. So, 205 won't be bad for him at all. I don't think he'll rip through the rankings, but he'll be in the top contenders of 205 within a years time.
I really believe he'll be another UFC dual title holder.

The next two fights around here that i know of are Gladiator on August 2nd in Pikeville at the Expo center and then the Arena August 9th at the wise fairground.

Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto was the star attraction at the "Asakasa Fight Festival" Monday at TBS headquarters in Asakasa, Tokyo. The Japanese wrestler's appearance kicked off a promotional week leading into Fighting & Entertainment Group's K-1 World MAX tournament on July 7 and July 21's Dream 5 lightweight grand prix final.

After introducing his training partners and coaches, Kid jumped off the sidelines and put on a wrestling demonstration with his son after a sparring session with Kotetsu Boku (Pictures).

Later, Kid sat down with K-1 Event Producer Sadaharu Tanikawa to discuss the upcoming K-1 MAX finals and field questions from fans.

Yamamoto and Tanikawa joked that Urijah Faber (Pictures) student Joseph Benavidez (Pictures) -- who will face the Japanese powder keg at Dream 5 -- was sent over on behalf of Faber as an assassin. Yamamoto also displayed uncharacteristic respect for his opponent.

"I want a punch KO for my Dream debut," said Yamamoto. "I want to do it quickly. I have to be cautious of the takedown. He is strong; he is really good. I want to do it quickly."

Although Kid predicted a knockout, his recent training has not reflected his goals. Kid said that under the tutelage of two new Brazilian jiu-jitsu coaches he has been focusing on his ground game.

"They have shown me a new way of positioning on the ground and are teaching me to use my head more," said Yamamoto. "I have been spending about 50 percent of my time [training jiu-jitsu]. My positioning and sweeps are good but my submissions are still in the initial stages. Everyone else is getting better [on the ground]. I am far from being a black belt in jiu-jitsu but I'd like to get there."

Yamamoto also issued a challenge to WEC featherweight champion Faber, who has been long suggested as a worthy opponent for the aggressive fighter.

"He is welcome to come. I want that fight soon," said Yamamoto.

However, outside of Yamamoto's vague invitation, no indication was made that the dream match might actually happen.

Yamamoto's wife, Tamotsu Mari, was also in attendance wearing a gi and announced that she has also started training. Although she stated that she has been enjoying her jiu-jitsu training, it is unlikely fans would see the significant other of the MMA great in the ring anytime soon.

The two started dating after a K-1 MAX show in February 2004 when Yamamoto saw his future wife backstage. Mari leaned in to give Yamamoto a kiss on the cheek and at the last minute changed her mind and instead bit him. From that point on Kid was smitten.

The festival's promotional week will continue with appearances by lightweight grand prix semifinalists Shinya Aoki (Pictures), Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures) and Caol Uno (Pictures). Middleweight standout Yoshihiro Akiyama (Pictures) will hold a public training and sparring session, Pancrase legend Masakatsu Funaki (Pictures) and other former pro wrestlers will reunite and a host of MAX stars will train and give interviews, with free K-1 MAX special matches taking place on Saturday afternoon.

Any upcoming local stuff going on?

The state of Tennessee has passed legislation that calls for the sanctioning of mixed martial arts, which opens the door for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and other major organizations to host events in Memphis, Nashville and other cities.

In fact, it was the UFC that led the charge to get the sport sanctioned in Tennessee, the home of UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson.

Gov. Phil Bredesen will put the legislation into effect today.

Jackson and Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner were especially prominent in the process. Both met with lawmakers to describe the benefits of MMA, and Ratner even wrote guest columns for local media.

"Stateside, Tennessee is a hotbed for MMA," Ratner recently wrote in The Tennessean. "'Quinton "Rampage' Jackson, our light-heavyweight champion and one of the sport's true superstars, is a proud native of Memphis, and once the new Tennessee Athletic Commission is formed and has all the rules in place, we will be looking at Tennessee as a state to host a fight. We believe that with their beautiful arenas and diehard fan base, Memphis or Nashville would be great hosts for a UFC event."

As part of the legislation, Tennessee will create a state athletic commission to regulate the sport.

The process to sanction MMA in "The Volunteer State" began this past October. State Rep. Curry Todd. (R-Collierville/Germantown) was the key legislator in the process, and he received help from Sen. Doug Jackson (D-Dickson).

Memphis (670,000 residents) and Nashville (552,000) are Tennessee's two largest cities. Likely venues for future UFC events include Nashville's Sommet Center (19,000 capacity) and Memorial Gymnasium (14,000 capacity), as well as The Pyramid Arena (21,000 capacity) in Memphis.

WOOHOO

If Rampage beats Forrest, odds are his next title defense will be in Memphis early next year.

MMARated.com has learned that Rich Franklin will face Matt Hamill at UFC 88 at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA on September 6, 2008. This fight will mark Franklin's return to the 205 lbs division.

MMAJunkie.com first reported that Franklin was considering moving up to the light heavyweight division yesterday. Today, MMARated.com was able to confirm the switch as well as his opponent.

Franklin is coming off an inspiring win over Travis Lutter at UFC 83 while Hamill was last seen defeating Tim Boetsch at UFN 13 in April.

Here's the updated UFC 88 card:
Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans
Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares
Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill
Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
James Lee vs. Tim Boetsch

1. Anderson Silva (21-4-0)


It's no surprise that "The Spider" reigns as the sport's top dog. However, what is most pertinent is that Silva has at least temporarily given up on his pugilistic pipe dream of meeting Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match, and there may be serious pound-for-pound impact in the future for the UFC's middleweight king. July 19 will mark Silva's foray into the light heavyweight division when he takes on James Irvin. Furthermore, Silva is likely looking at an autumn title defense against former foe Yushin Okami in an elite-level middleweight scrap. It is important to remember that Silva began his career as a top welterweight; between continued 185-pound dominance and possible preeminence at 205 pounds, Silva has the potential to solidify himself as an elite fighter across three weights classes in his career, which would be an enormous achievement.


2. Quinton Jackson (29-6-0)


With only the final bout left in the books for the seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter," fans' full attention will now turn to Jackson's July 5 clash with Forrest Griffin, the second defense of his UFC light heavyweight crown. The MMA populace has always thought "Rampage" had all the tools in and out of the cage to be a star, and an impressive performance against the beloved Griffin may solidify the 205-pound champ's celebrity status. More importantly, superstar status for Jackson may be good for the sport in general, as the light heavyweight division may be MMA's historically greatest division, rich with both stars and young up-and-comers. When the best fights are the biggest tickets, the sport is in a good place.


3. Georges St. Pierre (16-2-0)


With the entire Matt Serra saga behind him, St. Pierre now shares similar prospects with "Rampage." A talented champion with transcendental charisma, GSP also reigns over MMA's other historically rich class. While 170 pounds may lack some of the stardom that 205 traditionally has enjoyed, there are numerous legitimate major fights for the welterweight champ. The first of what may be many comes Aug. 9, when St. Pierre takes on Jon Fitch in what should be a fantastic 170-pound scrap. The line behind Fitch seems near limitless with emerging contenders such as Thiago Alves and Mike Swick, top fighters who continue to improve their game such as Diego Sanchez and Josh Koscheck, and the introduction of quality international prospects such as Yoshiyuki Yoshida and Dong Hyun Kim.


4. Fedor Emelianenko (27-1-0, 1 NC)


It is refreshing to know that a legitimate heavyweight contest is around the corner for Emelianenko when he meets Tim Sylvia on July 19. Although an Emelianenko-Randy Couture bout is the big heavyweight ticket at this point in time, between the dearth of heavyweight talent, the fracturing of that scarce talent pool and Emelianenko's recent run against non-elite heavyweights, the clash with Sylvia is more than welcomed. The operative question, however, is if Emelianenko conquers Sylvia, whether or not there are further great heavyweight bouts which can be made in the near future for the Russian.


5. B.J. Penn (13-4-1)


After finally claiming the UFC lightweight crown with his destruction of Sean Sherk in May, the world's most talented lightweight is now certifiably the best, rising from ninth to fifth in the Sherdog pound-for-pound rankings. Aug. 9 should give us our next challenger to the lightweight kingpin, as Roger Huerta and Kenny Florian square off in a presumptive 155-pound title eliminator. Despite the UFC's lightweight class being rich with young up-and-comers, many fans have already declared Penn unbeatable within the division, and are already looking forward to Penn moving up in weight to rematch Georges St. Pierre. Although it may be preferable for Zuffa if Penn were to reign and give their historically troubled lightweight division some stability, it is hard to refute the allure of a five-round rematch between two of the sports pound-for-pound stars.


6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1, 1 NC)


The unfortunate reality for Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is that while he's undoubtedly one of the greatest and most accomplished fighters this sport has seen thus far, he is still and perhaps will always be known as the No. 2 heavyweight behind Fedor Emelianenko. It appeared as though Nogueira's move to the UFC could afford him the opportunity to face the best heavies in the game and reemerge as the sport's heavyweight king (especially considering the fact that Emelianko wasn't facing the best talent). Now, with the departures of fighters like Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic, and the deep pockets willing to stage fights for Emelianenko, the tables may have turned. Furthermore, with the rise of B.J. Penn, Nogueira slips one spot in these rankings to No. 6. However, the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter 8," on which Nogueira will coach against former UFC champ Frank Mir, should raise the profile of "Minotauro" to an audience his Russian rival has yet to reach.


7. Urijah Faber (21-1-0)


Although the ascent of B.J. Penn sees Faber slip in these rankings from sixth to seventh, Faber has become the first real sub-lightweight star in North American MMA, a thought that once seemed inconceivable in years past, when many thought that even the lightweights couldn't catch on with fans. In his Sacramento homecoming against Jens Pulver on June 1, "The California Kid" effortlessly played the superstar role. Faber was not only able to galvanize the audience, but in the biggest featherweight fight this sport has seen thus far, he dominated Pulver from bell-to-bell in a commanding performance that showed off his matured striking game. More importantly, more and more featherweight talent continues to pour into the WEC, which should allow Faber to have both a future full of top competition and outstanding fights.


8. Miguel Torres (33-1-0)


After turning in a champion's performance in what may wind up as 2008's fight of the year, MMA's mulleted Mexican-American fighter raises his pound-for-pound stock, climbing from 10th to eighth. Torres' June 1 bout with Pancrase star Yoshiro Maeda was a perfect example of why hardcore fans have championed MMA's smaller weight classes for so long, and why these weight classes are being put on the big stage with the help of Zuffa and the WEC. What's even better is that like Urijah Faber, with WEC emerging as the big ticket for MMA's smaller fighters, Torres will have no shortage of quality opponents, especially as the promotion sees more international competitors enter the cage for a crack at him.


9. Takanori Gomi (28-3, 1 NC)


With the likes of Penn, Faber and Torres putting on defining performances in major fights, Gomi sees his pound-for-pound stature slip, falling from seventh to ninth. With the majority of former Pride Bushido lightweights now in Dream, the question regarding Gomi has been whether or not the longtime lightweight king can manage to secure fights with accomplished, talented lightweights while fighting in World Victory Road's Sengoku. Even though a more fitting environment would be the UFC's Octagon or Dream's lightweight grand prix, things may not be so grim for Gomi, competitively speaking. "The Fireball Kid" will return to action on Aug. 24's Sengoku card, which will also see an eight-man lightweight tournament with some high quality (if not unknown lightweights) such as Rodrigo Damm, Satoru Kitaoka and Eiji Mitsuoka. The tournament's winner will then go on to challenge Gomi in a scenario which isn't the "ultimate" or "dreamy," but isn't too shabby either.


10. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto (17-1, 1 NC)


As we lie in wait for Yamamoto's return to the ring, the bad boy of Japanese MMA slips from eighth to 10th for Sherdog's pound-for-pound purposes. Thankfully, "Kid" will make his return soon enough on Dream's July 21 card in Osaka, where he'll meet undefeated Urijah Faber pupil Joseph Benavidez. Although it is not nearly as important as the dream match with featherweight ruler Urijah Faber, it is great to see Dream's parent company, Fighting and Entertainment Group, finally create a featherweight class, giving Yamamoto a true divisional home rather than having him float between contract weights, or fight far beyond his means at 154 pounds. The creation of Dream's featherweight class should lead to attracting high quality international featherweights, which means that "Kid" should get the chance to face the elite level competitors befitting his talent.

Wamma stands for World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts.


http://www.gowamma.com/images/wamma_belt.jpg

Jens Pulver can sum up his performance against Urijah Faber last month in a single word slow.

The former UFC lightweight champion was beaten for the first time at 145 pounds., when Faber scored a unanimous decision in Sacramento June 1 in World Extreme Cagefighting's biggest event to date.

"I spent so much time working on getting well-rounded, I never sharpened anything,"? said Pulver (22-9-1). "It's still a work in progress for me. He's fast, and he's a great champion and a great fighter. People got on me because it seemed like I never tried to hurt him. I thought I hurt him, but then he'd come back firing, so I didn't know if I had him hurt. After the second round, I was a little loopy."?

Faber had Pulver in some trouble in that second round, connecting first with a short left to the head and following up with a barrage of shots to the back of the neck, but Pulver's trademark toughness pulled him through the onslaught. Pulver come out of the fight with some damage to his right eye, but an elbow injury proved to be more severe.

"The eye was big, but I went to the hospital that night to get the 180-day (medical suspension) lifted and had an MRI that showed nothing was broken; it was just a lot of swelling,"? Pulver said. "But, I cracked my elbow in the second round."?

Pulver had surgery two weeks ago to repair the elbow, which will relegate his training primarily to cardio until mid-July. Despite the setback of both the loss and injury, Pulver refuses to dwell on what might have been.

"I can't be discouraged,"? he said. "The truth is I gave it 110 percent. I got beat. He was bigger, he was faster, but I think I showed a lot of people a lot of things in the aspect of my heart and my desire to keep fighting. I wasn't owned in any kind of submission. I wasn't wrecked in takedowns. I was stopping takedowns. I showed a lot of people that I can compete against the best guys out there. I know there are little things I need to work on, but I left everything out there."?

Pulver says he will be ready to fight again in October, and while he's quick with the obligatory "I'll fight anybody they put in front of me,"? he has an opponent in mind. He believes a match-up against Alexandre Franca Nogueira makes sense for both fighters.

"He's been in a lot of wars and has been around for a long time,"? Pulver said. "He's still a top fighter, and with both of us coming off losses, it's a perfect fight for one of us to get right back up there in the division and one of us becomes a journeyman."?

Nogueira (13-5-2), a Shooto veteran, made his WEC debut on the June 1 card. Brazil's Jose Aldo stopped him by TKO in the second round.

Jesse Taylor's drunken behavior during Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter cost him a spot in the finale against Amir Sadollah. But, it turns out, the ramifications were much greater. UFC president Dana White, who said Tuesday that Taylor will return from his exile to fight C.B. Dollaway on the July 19 card at the Palms in Las Vegas that is airing on Spike, plans to get tough with any fighters in the future who damage the TUF house.

It has become something of a tradition during the filming of the reality series for the fighters to trash the house. Though several fighters said they were indirectly encouraged to do so, White vehemently denied the fighters were ever told how to act in any way. He said repairs to the staircase that was damaged during Season 7 cost nearly $70,000. He said fighters of Season 8 ? which completed filming last week and will begin airing in September ? were told they'd have to pay for any damage they did.

"Whoever told you we encouraged them to tear up the house is (an expletive) liar,"? White said. "Nobody ever told them what to do on the show. A lot of guys, they get off the show and they're embarrassed by what they've done. And think about this: I've faced a lot of challenges since we've had the UFC, but I have a kid (Taylor) who pissed his pants on television and now I have to turn him into a star."?

White said he used to drink and act rowdy when he was in his early 20s and doesn't want to imagine what he might have done had he been on a television show. But he called the destruction of the house "retarded"? and said "there was no sense or purpose to what they did."?

White said Taylor enrolled in Alcoholics Anonymous and worked hard to rebuild his reputation.

"Without a doubt, the kid deserves another chance,"? White said. "He made himself look like a fool, and he's aware of that, but everyone deserves another opportunity and we're going to give it to him. He acted like a moron. He's embarrassed by it, which he should be, but what he did doesn't amount to enough to ban him forever. Come on. He was just young and stupid, but at least he seems to have learned from what he did."?


Among White's other tidbits of interest on Tuesday:


He said he's found "the next Anderson Silva,"? a lightweight who is competing in Season 8 of TUF at 155 pounds, though he declined to release the fighter's name because it might spoil the season. "I was going off when I saw this guy,"? White said. "He's 24 and he's destroying people. It's sick how bad ass he is. I'm getting goose bumps talking to you about him."?
He's planning a special of some sort that will air on July 26, the same night as Elite XC's return date on CBS, though he wouldn't give details.
UFC chairman Lorenzo Fertitta is in Australia, working on company business.
He's thinking of leaving a welterweight division in the WEC and moving the WEC's 185-pound and 205-pound fighters to the UFC. With that, let's get on to the reader questions and comments. My responses are in italics.





heres some randon fan questions he answers......

FILHO IN UFC

If Paulo Filho is able to shake the depression and beat Chael Sonnen again, do you think the UFC will try to recruit him? He's at the top of many people's list of the best 185-pounders, so I would be interested in seeing him fight some of the UFC guys. How do you think he'd fare against the new competition?

Ronan
Toronto

As noted above, the WEC middleweights will soon move to the UFC. But White said of Filho, "He's a great fighter, but he has a lot of personal problems to overcome."? When sober, healthy and focused, Filho is a top three middleweight.



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MOUTH WATERING MATCHES

UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn said he would like another crack at Georges St. Pierre. Since B.J. is the one who issued the challenge, the fight will be at welterweight, correct? Who do you think might win? And who do you think would win a St. Pierre fight against Anderson Silva? That would be incredible.

Maide Evangelista
Manila, Philippines

Both matches would be tossups, in my opinion. I'd favor Penn slightly against St. Pierre and Silva against Penn by a larger margin. Penn has already proven he can be a major force at 170, but St. Pierre hasn't fought at 185. I think the size advantage would favor Silva.



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POOR HEAVYWEIGHTS

It seems to me that the UFC is overhyping its heavyweight division after their recent move to put Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as coaches in the next season of TUF. Though Mir is a former UFC heavyweight champion, he hasn't done much more recently than barely defeat a debuting and inexperienced Brock Lesnar. The fight was over if Brock didn't start hitting him in the back of the head, which allowed Mir to recover and gave a chance to sink in the ankle lock. Then, Nog was definitely losing the Tim Sylvia fight (I thought it was Sylvia's best fight until the end) until he managed to pull up a win out of nowhere. I am not saying these two guys are not premium fighters, but was there really no one else in the UFC heavyweight division to put against Nog? Also, how in the world did they miss out on Fedor again and not re-sign Sylvia or Arlovski? I love the UFC in every other division, but their heavyweight division is lacking and unexciting.

Brandon Feria
San Jose, Calif.

The UFC's heavyweights aren't what they once were. For some reason, the UFC chose to cut Sylvia. It definitely wanted to re-sign Arlovski, who signed with Affliction and will fight on the July 19 pay-per-view against ex-International Fight League star Ben Rothwell. The division does have great promise, though, as the UFC has three of the best young prospects, Cain Velazquez, Shane Carwin and Lesnar, under contract.



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DETERRENT

Dana White has made the right decision in not allowing Taylor in the UFC. There needs to be some standard of conduct or you get the NFL, with a litany of violent criminals, gang members and fools. Other sports should adopt similar policies. I know the money in the UFC is not like the NFL, but in the future maybe some kid will say, "Hey, if I get arrested it may screw up my dreams."? In the NFL there is no such deterrent.

Andrew D'Onofrio
Asheville, N.C.

Obviously, Taylor is back in the UFC. But I think his situation was handled appropriately. He was drunk, but he did it in the place that he lived and then when he was in public, he had a driver. I'm with you on being tough on those who commit crimes, but that's not what happened here. I think the punishment was correct and White was right to reinstate Taylor.



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UFC NOT RESPONSIBLE

Although I do agree with you as far as Taylor’s actions being stupid and scary, I disagree with you holding UFC responsible for his behavior. The guys are young but they are still adults and they make their own decisions. Jesse Taylor made the choice that night to go out and get drunk and behave the way he did. The UFC producers did allow the guys to "trash"? the house like every season, but I do not hear about the other guys destroying half the city. Blaming the UFC for an adult Jesse Taylor, in my opinion, would be like blaming the NFL for Pacman Jones' off the field issues. When the athlete is on his own he is responsible for his actions.

Max
Tallahassee, Fla.

Jesse Taylor and Jesse Taylor alone is responsible for his conduct. My point is that the UFC and Spike encouraged the foolish behavior in the house and that's what I called them on. I'm glad to see that they'll no longer allow the fighters to destroy the house.



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IMMATURE PUNKS

The behavior of the people on TUF is beyond despicable. It shows these guys as ignorant, immature little punks with absolutely no class whatsoever. It is a horrible example for anyone to watch and only contributes to the delinquency of young males. And Dana White and Spike TV are promoting this to the max. Stupid!

Joe Funaro
Sidney, N.Y.

I am not big on the zany behavior that many fighters have shown. But I think a lot of it is because they're locked in that house for two months with, literally, no access to the outside world. I think they go a little stir crazy. While I find much of the behavior objectionable, I take issue with saying they have no class. I've found the vast majority of TUF alumni to be classy, first-rate men.



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TV EXPANSION

What are your thoughts on HDNet and FOX PPV getting involved in covering MMA? Will that change any thing for the UFC? Also, please commend your UFC contacts on giving us Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin for free on Spike, a gesture that further reinforces their commitment, appreciation and respect for the fans. Can boxing offer the same? Not presently, but it's getting better. Thanks for the continuing great coverage of boxing and MMA on Yahoo! Sports.

David Essig
Daytona, Fla.

The more free outlets there are to televise MMA fights, the better. While those who are already MMA fans understand what the sport and the fighters are about, you'd be surprised how many "This is the end of society as we know it,"? e-mails I receive from fans who clearly don't know the first thing about the sport. As it gets exposed and those types of people realize the fighters are intelligent, educated and respectful, as well as great and well-conditioned athletes, that perception will slowly change.

UFC 87 will go a long way towards determining BJ Penn's future opponents. Expect the popular Hawaiian native to keep a close eye on two fights at the Minnesota event in particular.

Penn recently told Fighters Club TV that he is set to move up to 170 to challenge the winner of the UFC 87 main event between Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch. The fight, contingent on the health of the victor, will likely take place at the UFC's annual New Year's Eve card this December 27th in Las Vegas.

The other fight that Penn will be keeping close tabs on at UFC 87 is Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta. Penn stated that he plans to retain his lightweight title, despite challenging for the welterweight title, and will likely face the winner of Florian-Huerta.

He also left open the option of moving up to middleweight after cleaning out the light and welterweight divisions over the foreseeable future.

It appears that Dan Henderson's return to the middleweight division wasn't a one-time deal to challenge UFC champion Anderson Silva. MMAWeekly.com has confirmed with sources close to the camp of Brazilian Top Team fighter Rousimar Palhares that he has signed to fight Henderson in a 185-pound divisional bout at UFC 88 on Sept. 6 in Atlanta.

Henderson has stated several times in the past that he prefers to fight at light heavyweight, but the bout with Palhares will keep him in the middleweight division, at least for the time being.

Henderson lost his last two bouts, both title fights. He was defeated by Silva at UFC 82 in Columbus earlier this year and lost in a light heavyweight title bout to Quinton Jackson in September of last year. Prior to those two defeats, Henderson had won two in a row ? over Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort ? and held both the middleweight and light heavyweight PRIDE championship belts simultaneously.

One of the fastest rising talents of the Brazilian Top Team, Rousimar Palhares made his octagon debut last month against Ivan Salaverry at UFC 84. Improving his record to 8-1 as a professional, Palhares also earned Submission of the Night honors and a $75,000 bonus check for his slick submission of Salaverry via armbar.

Palhares has finished six of his eight victories by submission, including both Daniel Acacio and Fabio Negao in one night to win the Fury FC middleweight title. He is widely regarded as one of the most dynamic submission specialists to recently emerge from Brazil.

UFC 88 will take place on Sept. 6 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta. The main event features former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell in a battle with undefeated Ultimate Fighter Season 2 winner Rashad Evans.

UFC 88 Bouts (officially announced):

-Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans

UFC 88 Bouts (unannounced):

-Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares

-James Lee vs. Tim Boetsch

On the local scene:

I spoke with The Arena promoter David Shelton last night. Sounds like his August 9th show at the Wise fairgrounds should be another good one.

Several title fights on the card. A couple that I'm looking forward to seeing.

I'll be serving as a judge once again, so come out and boo my decisions [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif[/img]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Gotch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">On the local scene:

I spoke with The Arena promoter David Shelton last night. Sounds like his August 9th show at the Wise fairgrounds should be another good one.

Several title fights one the card. A couple that I'm looking forward to seeing.

I'll be serving as a judge once again, so come out and boo my decisions [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif[/img]</div></div>



any list of who is fighting?

Here is what he has so far.

Johnathan Shelton vs Josh Horne
Kermit Lovell vs Ben White
Brandon Thacker vs Adam Dixon
Dustin Hamm vs Shane Wear
Shad Wilder vs James Caudill 205 Title
Chris Love vs Eric Miller 170 Title
Brandon Begley vs Jessie Fessler
Mason Neff vs Ricky Estep 135 Title
Kerry Bramlett vs Mike Carroll
James Turpin vs Travis Sykes
Brett Hale vs Brett Carroll
Brandy Carroll vs Crystal Combs
Channing Whimmer vs TBA
Mat Moran vs TBA


Subject to change, and he is working on several more potential fights

thanks for the update

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Gotch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Here is what he has so far.

Johnathan Shelton vs Josh Horne
Kermit Lovell vs Ben White
Brandon Thacker vs Adam Dixon
Dustin Hamm vs Shane Wear
Shad Wilder vs James Caudill 205 Title
Chris Love vs Eric Miller 170 Title
Brandon Begley vs Jessie Fessler
Mason Neff vs Ricky Estep 135 Title
Kerry Bramlett vs Mike Carroll
James Turpin vs Travis Sykes
Brett Hale vs Brett Carroll
Brandy Carroll vs Crystal Combs
Channing Whimmer vs TBA
Mat Moran vs TBA


Subject to change, and he is working on several more potential fights </div></div>

Love vs Miller for the 170lb title? Surprised to see Sean Beller not on there, did he go pro take time off or what?

While the welterweight division looks towards a championship match in August between current titleholder Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch, the weight class will continue to build towards a new top contender as MMAWeekly.com has learned that American Top Team knockout artist Thiago "Pitbull"? Alves is slated to return on Oct. 19 to face former "Ultimate Fighter"? winner Diego Sanchez.

The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight. There is currently a verbal agreement with actual bout agreements for the contest expected to be signed in the next few days.

Showing a true dedication to making his way to the top of the welterweight division, Alves has never been shy about facing top competition in the division.

Most recently, he finished former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight kingpin Matt Hughes by TKO in the second round of their main event match-up in England at UFC 85. Before that fight, Alves became the first fighter ever to knockout Karo Parisyan, thus solidifying himself as one of the most dangerous fighters at 170 pounds.

Now Alves will have a chance to cement his placement in the division even more as he takes on the always-dangerous Diego Sanchez in the co-main event of UFC 89 in England, sharing the spotlight with a middleweight bout pitting Michael Bisping against Chris Leben.

Sanchez started his career with an unblemished record and looked to be making his way towards an eventual title shot before suffering the first loss of his career against longtime rival Josh Koshcheck in April 2007.

Following a lackluster performance in that fight, Sanchez went to battle with Koscheck's teammate and current No. 1 contender, Jon Fitch. Despite a strong performance, Sanchez dropped his second fight in row losing a close split decision to Fitch at UFC 76.

Since that time, Sanchez has returned to form, stopping David Bielkheden at UFC 82 and then putting on a stand-up clinic against Luigi Fioravanti at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale in June.

The match-up between Alves and Sanchez should produce fireworks as both fighters possess an amazing well rounded style, while maintaining an always intense pace.

Diets, they have a crazy new rule in Va. If you have fought toughman you can no longer fight amateur MMA. Makes no sense at all but that's why Sean had to give up his title.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Gotch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Diets, they have a crazy new rule in Va. If you have fought toughman you can no longer fight amateur MMA. Makes no sense at all but that's why Sean had to give up his title.

</div></div>

That's messed up. I hate that for Sean.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Gotch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Diets, they have a crazy new rule in Va. If you have fought toughman you can no longer fight amateur MMA. Makes no sense at all but that's why Sean had to give up his title.

</div></div>



thats bs

It makes no sense?

They are considering anyone who has fought toughman a pro I guess.

Pretty stupid.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">From this weeks Wrestling Observer Newsletter (Meltzer):

"Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben is now official as the main event for the 10/18 show in Birmingham, England. This will be a Spike show and not a PPV show. The PPV show for October will be on 10/25 most likely, although a date and site are not official."</div></div>