Brock Lesnar retires!

Those who were able to catch UFC 141, are those of the lucky ones to witness the last time Brock Lesnar competed in MMA.

In his fight against Alistair Overeem, Lesnar was hurt early and often in the fight by knees and kicks to his body. Lesnar attempted a couple of half-hearted strikes and takedown attempts, but Overeem was able to shrug off any of Lesnar's attempts at offense.

Following his loss, Lesner spoke with Joe Rogan in a televised interview. That's when Lesnar dropped a bombshell on the MMA world when he stated that he will no longer be competing in the sport.

During the interview with Rogan, Lesnar stated that he promised his wife and children that if he won, he would fight current UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos before he retired. However, he also said that if he lost to Overeem, he would walk away from MMA.

The latter happened, so it appears we will never see Lesnar inside the Octagon again.

If this is indeed Lesnar's last MMA bout, He will be leaving the sport with an overall record of 5-3, going 4-3 in the UFC. He will also walk away as a former UFC heavyweight champion, as he won the belt in only his fourth professional bout.

With Lesnar walking away from the UFC, the promotion will be losing their biggest pay-per-view draw. Every card he has headlined, with the exception of Friday's event, has drawn over an estimated one million buys.

If Lesnar's bout against Overeem is indeed his last, at least he can walk out with his head held high. Not many people can say they were a world champion at anything, much less the most competitive sport in the world.

Thanks for the pretty good fights Brock!

UFC 141 Results

Results from UFC 141 held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena

Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem

Overeem defeats Lesnar by technical knockout (body kick and punches) at of the first round.


Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone

Diaz defeats Cerrone by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).



Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks

Hendricks defeats Fitch by knockout (punch) at 0:20 of the first round.


Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson

Gustafsson defeats Matyushenko by technical knockout (punches) at 2:13 of the first round.



Nam Phan vs. Jimy Hettes

Hettes defeats Phan by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26).



Ross Pearson vs. Junior Assunção

Pearson defeats Assuncao by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).



Anthony Njokuani vs. Danny Castillo

Castillo defeats Njokuani by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).


Dong Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson

Kim defeats Pierson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).


Jacob Volkmann vs. Efrain Escudero

Volkmann defeats Escudero by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).


Manvel Gamburyan vs. Diego Nunes

Nunes defeats Gamburyan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Bantamweight Miguel Torres is Back in the UFC

It didn't take long for UFC President Dana White to change his mind about Miguel Torres. In fact, it only took him 20 days to rehire the former WEC champion after his controversial Twitter fiasco.

MMAJunkie.com is reporting that Torres joined White after the UFC 141 pre-fight press conference and will now be back in the promotion's bantamweight division.

"He handled his business like a man," said White who was impressed with how Torres handled the situation following his initial release.

According to the UFC president, Torres made donations to and volunteered at local rape centers. White also stated that the now-UFC bantamweight is taking sensitivity classes.

Torres was released by the UFC on Dec. 8 because of a controversial tweet made on his personal Twitter account.

"If a windowless van was called a surprise van, more people wouldn't mind going for rides in them," Torres tweeted. "Everyone likes surprises."

The tweet was actually a line from Comedy Central's Workaholics show, an homage that fell flat for many of the public—especially White.

The UFC decided to make an example of Torres, whose timing could not have been worse, with his tweet coming on the heels of other controversial comments by former champions.

Both Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans faced public scrutiny for their recent ill-made remarks touching on rape and the Penn State situation respectively.

Torres last fought at UFC 139, taking a unanimous decision win over Nick Pace to improve his UFC record to 2-1.

There is no date set yet for Torres return to the Octagon.

UFC 141: Main Event Analysis

In literal terms, it is a colossal heavyweight fight. Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar clash this Friday night at UFC 141 which emanates from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Lesnar, 5-2 overall in his MMA career, stands 6'3" tall, weighing in at 263 pounds on average. His last fight came over a year ago when he dropped his heavyweight championship to Cain Velasquez by first round technical knock out at UFC 121.

Overeem, with 35 wins and 11 losses with one no-contest in his career, measures 6'5" tall and tips the scales at around 260 pounds. Born in England, Overeem, a Dutchman, is one of the most feared strikers in the sport of MMA.

What makes this fight so intriguing is the obvious: two monsters stepping into one cage together to see who is the better man.

However, this fight means so much more. This fight dictates the immediate future of the heavyweight division in the UFC.

Lesnar is coming into this fight after yet another long layoff due to contracting diverticulitis for the second time. His return fight after the first illness was a title defense against Shane Carwin, a fight in which he won by submission in the second round after being brutalized for nearly a whole round.

Lesnar came back that night at UFC 116 in July of 2010 in great shape. He looked lean, strong and did not look as if he was severely ill for months.

However, that was Shane Carwin. This time, he'll be coming back against someone bigger, better, stronger and more dangerous. He'll be coming back against someone bigger than him and with more experience.

Alistair Overeem last fought on June 18 of this year, defeating Fabricio Werdum by way of unanimous decision. He is coming on Friday evening riding a seven fight win streak, and will not only look to extend it, but will try to become number one contender for Junior Dos Santos' heavyweight crown.

It is hard to conceive that Lesnar can win this fight. Although he has won when the odds have been stacked against him, Lesnar has not faced someone of the caliber such as Overeem.

With 14 of his wins coming by way of technical knock out or knock out, Overeem is an elite striker in MMA. He is a K-1 kickboxing veteran with a 10-4 record and a 2010 Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion.

With this threat alone, Lesnar is in trouble. One can hope that Lesnar has been working on his boxing in training camp as he was somewhat exposed when being finished by Velasquez. I do not think there is a real chance that, even with training, Lesnar can compete with Overeem here and will be picked apart as long as the fight stays standing.

With that said, can Lesnar, as strong as he is, take Overeem down? Overeem stands about two inches taller than him and although this may not be a huge difference, Overeem has more mass than Lesnar does.

Overeem, who has transformed his body over the course of his career, sports a bodybuilder's physique. Obviously, more muscle doesn't necessarily mean anything, but you wouldn't be wrong if you said Overeem was stronger than Lesnar.

Lesnar will have a hard time trying to manipulate that mass around the cage and bring him down. Lesnar can wrestle Overeem down, as Lesnar himself is an athletic powerhouse, however if the fight does get to the ground with Lesnar in control, Overeem will have the advantage with the threat of submissions.

Overeem has 17 submissions due to technique in his career, some of which are standing guillotine chokes, key locks, armbars and triangle chokes.

Overeem has trained himself and developed into a well-rounded fighter who cannot be counted out in any aspect. With Lesnar's relative inexperience and with only one submission win in his career, I do not think his skill set can match up with Overeem's.

Last but not least, although this is not a championship fight, the bout will go five rounds. Both fighters have always come to fight in great condition, but in this case, regarding conditioning, I give the edge to Lesnar.

Lesnar has less mass, although it isn't that much less, that his body needs to supply oxygen to. He'll be able to maneuver around the cage a little quicker and in each of his fights in his career, Lesnar has never fatigued as long as the fight went on.

Lesnar vs Overeem is a fight that piques the interest of every fight fan across the globe. With many of the advantages going to Overeem, it is hard to see Lesnar coming out of this fight with a win. Although you can never count out a guy like Lesnar, the experience level of Overeem and danger he poses with his striking will be too much for Lesnar.

MMA Trainer Firas Zahabi Says Georges St-Pierre's Recovery Is Going "Very Well"

Since undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL a few weeks ago, Georges St-Pierre has been out of the spotlight. He has been working hard to rehabilitate his knee and make a successful return to the Octagon.

The champion suffered the injury during a training session earlier this month and it forced him out his scheduled bout with Nick Diaz at UFC 143. Since then, there hasn't been much update on St-Pierre's status.

St-Pierre's trainer and close friend, Frias Zahabi, recently spoke to MMAFightCorner.com about the champion's injury. He revealed that the surgery was a success and that "Rush" is doing well.

"GSP is recovering very well," Zahabi said. "Georges will start rehab at The Sports Science Lab, has been in contact with me regularly and is motivated to start rehabilitation. Everyone is very confident on a full recovery and we are all looking forward to the next training"

Zahabi opened up about his relationship with St-Pierre and said the two remain very close. While Zahabi is widely considered to be one of the most successful trainers in Montreal, the Tri-Star gym coach said he originally began training in mixed martial arts.

It was during his introduction to MMA that Zahabi befriended the French-Canadian. As he explained:

"I have been working with GSP for 10 years now. We started out as training partners. We got along very quickly and become very close. After that Georges asked me to be his head coach and take his training more seriously. He wanted me to oversee all his training as we have similar mentalities on how to train. We have been training together ever since."

While St-Pierre remains sidelined, his original opponent, Diaz, will meet Carlos Condit for the UFC interim welterweight title at UFC 143.

UFC Undisputed 3 Predicts UFC 141: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem

Presented here is a fight simulation of the UFC 141 matchup between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem in UFC Undisputed 3, which is set to hit the stores in early 2012.

Lesnar has not set foot into the Octagon for more than a year since he lost his heavyweight crown to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121.

Also, a stint as coach on TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) Season 13 series was curtailed due to a reoccurrence of diverticulitis; however, after extensive surgery to combat the disease, the former NCAA standout wrestler is back in the fray and raring to go.

Nevertheless, standing in his path for another shot at UFC gold is former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and fellow behemoth and lethal striker Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem.

As things stand, both the fans and the media alike are all over the place in their predictions on how this matchup will play out.

Now, that’s where UFC Undisputed 3 simulation comes in—the video has already predicted who wins and who loses between Lesnar and Overeem come fight night.

But to see the real outcome well all have to tune in to the real fight at UFC 141.

UFC 141 is scheduled for Dec. 30, 2011 (Dec. 31, 2011 in the Philippines).

Kicking GSP when he's down.

An ACL tear is not an injury to take lightly. Georges St. Pierre knows that now more than anyone.

Doctor's predict that it will take six to nine months for St. Pierre to heal up and get ready to reenter the Octagon and defend his title.

That also gives six to nine months for the haters to hate their very hardest.

Since St. Pierre injured his knee before UFC 137 message boards have been lit up with people arguing that St. Pierre is avoiding fights or that he isn't what he used to be. Since tearing his ACL, the message boards have been on fire.

And now he's being attacked everywhere.

St. Pierre was recently named one of the year's most over-hyped athletes by Lefko of Sportsnet.

There has been talk that his injuries are damaging his legacy and that he is no longer one of the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Some are claiming that he should be stripped of his title because he can't defend it.

And he has even been called a little girl because he's afraid of heights.

Talk about kicking a man when he's down.

As it stands, St. Pierre is still one of the greatest fighters who ever lived and his talent and skill in the Octagon has spoken and continues to speak for itself.

People criticize him for not finishing fights. They criticize him for "playing it safe." They criticize him for getting hurt. They criticize him for not fighting while hurt. Next, they'll criticize him for being human.

No matter what he does, the haters will always find something to criticize. No matter how much hate they spew, they're not fooling anyone but themselves.

The approved "UFC Encyclopedia"

I know Christmas just finished but can I still add this on my wish list?

The Ultimate Fighting Championship-approved "UFC Encyclopedia" hit stores earlier this year, and the book remains a popular seller through the holiday season.

The 400-page book, published by DK Publishing, covers the organization's full 18-year history through this past May's UFC 130 event.

The "UFC Encyclopedia" is penned by UFC.com editorial director and veteran boxing writer Thomas Gerbasi.

The full-color title includes "unprecedented access to the most dynamic fighters in the world, through profile and action photos, detailed biographies, win/loss records, vital stats, and titles held in the organization," according to the book's official press release.

DK Publishing secured a world language deal and also plans to produce the book in multiple languages.

"Very few people keep their thumbs on the pulse of the UFC like Tom Gerbasi, the author for the 'UFC Encyclopedia,'" stated Christian Sumner, project lead for the "UFC Encyclopedia." "His event coverage will make readers feel like they were cageside, and his detailed fighter profiles are punctuated by quotes that he's gathered through years of interviews, which will give fans unparalleled insight into their favorite fighters' psyches. This kind of in-depth and behind-the-scenes access is what every UFC follower is looking for, and we are proud to be playing a part in bringing it to the fans."

The UFC launched in 1993, and Zuffa LLC, the UFC's current ownership group, purchased the organization in 2001.

"UFC Encyclopedia," which has a retail price of $50, is currently available at a discount price through a number of online retailers, including Barnes & Noble (which will offer a special sale price of $25 between Dec. 26 and Jan. 31) and Amazon.com.

Jon Jones got snubbed in AP voting.

Another year has just about come and gone for the world of mixed martial arts. The growth and progress of the sport since 2001 has been simply incredible.

It's come a long way, but are the athletes revered and respected like those in the traditional "major" sports? If you're looking at media coverage, probably not. Mike Chiappetta from MMAFighting.com says definitely not. He penned a piece this week to express his anger that Jon Jones, the clear choice for king of the MMA world in 2011, got zero respect from those voting for the AP's 2011 Male Athlete of the Year award.

Green Packers Super Bowl winning QB Aaron Rodgers won the award with MLB AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander finishing second. Others getting votes included Novak Djokovic, Cam Newton, Tony Stewart, Kelly Slater, Derek Jeter, Dario Franchitti, and Usain Bolt. That's right, there's also a surfer, driver and sprinter on the list, but no MMA fighter.

Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole and MMA analyst Frank Trigg joined Steve Cofield during their "The MMA Insiders" show on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas to debate whether Jones got hosed.

Maybe the time hasn't arrived yet for athletes like Jones to be considered along with superstars from the NFL, NBA and MLB. Or as Chiappetta and Iole suggest, the lack of respect for Jones is more a sign that the folks voting for the award are out of touch with the younger demographic and the hottest sport for males 18-34 years old.

GSP Named One of the Most Overhyped Athletes of the Year

Looks like UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and Sportsnet's Perry Lefko won't be exchanging gifts this holiday season.

Lefko's annual year-end list of the top 10 most overrated athletes included the French-Canadian kingpin.

As is often the case with GSP critics, Lefko ripped GSP for fighting safe and not finishing opponents.

"Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White said in December 2011 that St-Pierre is still the most popular athlete in Canada in terms of his international recognition -- we're not so sure about that -- but the welterweight champion is sidelined indefinitely with damaged knee ligaments. And even before his injury, St-Pierre was taking verbal shots from the public, the media and fighters for his inability to put away opponents."

Those who watched the dominant champion's last title defense against Jake Shields at UFC 129 had to be disappointed, as the bout degenerated into a lackluster kickboxing match after GSP was the recipient of an inadvertent eye poke by his Octagon adversary.

However, Lefko didn't just criticize the quality of the fight though, he also questioned St-Pierre's toughness.

"He grabbed the international spotlight in April for headlining the first UFC card in Toronto, producing GSP mania. A record UFC crowd of more than 55,000 packed the Rogers Centre to finally see the conquering Canadian hero and he went the full five rounds with Jake Shields in what was more of a clinic on how not to lose a fight than actually win it.

Yes, GSP had problems seeing out of one eye because of a shot in the fight, but we've seen fighters with far bigger issues turn it up a notch. It was boring at best and continued a pattern of St-Pierre going the full distance without delivering the knockout blow or submission. Heck, the fight before it on the card was way more entertaining than the main event."

The 170-pound superstar has only lost twice in 24 career fights and he avenged those two losses to Matt Serra and Matt Hughes.

However, despite an impressive resume as far as career wins goes, St-Pierre has not had a traditional finish since his TKO win over Serra at UFC 82 for the UFC welterweight title.

Since then, the champion has rattled off six wins, one of which was a TKO corner stoppage of B.J. Penn, but the other five bouts were won via unanimous decision.

"Rush" will be on the shelf until approximately September of 2012 due to a serious ACL injury, once again postponing a heavily anticipated matchup with former Strikeforce welterweight title-holder Nick Diaz.

In GSP's absence, Diaz will fight Condit for the UFC interim welterweight belt at UFC 143, set to take place on Feb. 4th.

Other athletes who made the list include professional golfer Tiger Woods (and his caddy Steve Williams), the New Jersey Nets' Kris Humphries, LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Denver Broncos starting quarterback Tim Tebow.

Has MMA Eclipsed Pro-Wrestling?

The UFC is beginning to occupy the niche in American society that professional wrestling once had.

What particular niche is that, you ask?

Like myself when I was a kid, children and young teenagers used to look up to professional wrestlers as if they were the closest thing to real-life superheroes. I remember idolizing pro-wrestling greats like "The Rock", Steve Austin and even way back with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.

There's not a person alive who grew up in the '90s who didn't know about Hulk Hogan and didn't heed his wise words about taking vitamins and saying prayers.

Furthermore, what '90s toybox was complete without a wrestling ring and hordes of wrestling figures? Remember those plush wrestling toys as well?

Professional wrestling was on top of the earth. It was the "sport" that captivated the youth of the time period. It even generated a cult following with the various stables like the NWO and D-X.

Mixed martial arts is currently doing just that—and more.

While the UFC's image was once too brutal for children, this is changing.

MMA fans with sharp memories will remember two children at the UFC 135 press conference in Denver. Their presence alone signified that the UFC product and brand had begun to pervade the youth.

The UFC's inroads into the niche occupied by professional wrestling can also be seen in another crucial area of both businesses: MERCHANDISING.

The WWE was a trailblazer in the merchandising of professional wrestling. If it existed, Vince McMahon saw that a WWE logo was slapped on it and it was sold. From paper lunchbags to WWE-themed hockey games. But mostly it was the T-Shirts.

The WWE is still king in this regard but the UFC is catching up and is light years ahead of where they were when Zuffa purchased the company in 2001.

Is your kid a UFC fan? Then there are a multitude of action figures you can buy him/her and even a miniature Octagon playset that you can take on the road with you. For the parents looking to spend more money, you can purchase a cage bed for your baby grappler.

Outlandish characters like Chael Sonnen are also helping MMA transition into the role that professional wrestling once occupied.

Sonnen's antics have been compared to pro wrestling "heels" before and the comparison is a valid one (except Sonnen's verbiage isn't scripted). Look at the most recent Chael Sonnen shirt that has been made. Does that not remind you at least a little bit of something out of professional wrestling?

The truth is that while the professional wrestling industry and the WWE falter, MMA and the UFC continue to grow.

Such a change is not to be maligned by UFC fans as it will signify that the UFC and MMA have truly taken their proper place in the popular culture landscape.

The UFC and MMA are moving into the societal niche that the WWE and pro wrestling created.

Instead of kids looking up to Hulk Hogan and teens loving the wild antics of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, they will look up to Jon Jones and love the antics of men like and Nick Diaz; MMA fighters will become the rock stars of their time, just like the big pro wrestlers were during their golden age.

As it is, I am a testament of this logic, although I still love both pro-wrestling and MMA, I can see that MMA has grown leaps and bounds, and it is only a matter of time that MMA becomes what pro-wrestling was for me when I was growing up.

Jake Shields Would "Love an Opportunity" To Fight Anderson Silva

The last time we saw Jake Shields in the Octagon, Jake Ellenberger ended his night in a mere 53 seconds. Prior to the loss to “The Juggernaut,” he dropped a unanimous decision to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129.

Shields will face Yoshihiro Akiyama in his next bout, which will take place on February 26 in Saitama, Japan. While the Akiyama fight is at welterweight, Shields may very well be considering a UFC future at middleweight, months ahead of that UFC 144 battle.

While a loss against Akiyama would give Shields the dreaded three straight defeats in the UFC, it seems unlikely that he would be released, as he remains a viable “name” for the promotion. His move to middleweight would not be spurred on by the thought that he can’t compete at the welterweight level, but instead it would most likely be brought on by the fact that his training partner and friend Nick Diaz could very well become the interim UFC welterweight champion.

Diaz will face Carlos Condit on February 4 in the main event of UFC 143. With welterweight champion St-Pierre on the shelf due to recent ACL surgery, the UFC has elected to award the winner of the Diaz versus Condit fight the interim title while St-Pierre heals. If Diaz does capture the crown, the two fighters have made it very clear that they would never want to face each other in a non-training environment.

If Shields does move to middleweight, he would welcome a shot at the 185-pound champion, Anderson Silva.

“That’s a fight I’ve wanted for a long time,” Shields told MMAFightCorner.com. “Anderson’s a phenomenal fighter, one of the best of all time, but I just think stylistically the guys that match up best against him are wrestlers with good jiu-jitsu.

"Chael did great with him until he got caught in a triangle right at the end. His worst matchup’s against good wrestlers and jiu-jitsu, and it’s just he’s a great matchup. Obviously it wouldn’t be an easy fight because I think he has the best standup in the sport, but that’s a fight I would love an opportunity to do.”

Obviously, a number things have to fall in line for Shields to make that move to middleweight, but if they do, Shields would gladly add his name to the growing list of fighters that want a shot at the man that has never lost inside the Octagon, Silva.

Sherdog Info-graphic: UFC Champs by the numbers

Here is an interesting Info-graphic I saw at www.sherdog.com. It's very interesting and has a good side by side comparison for all the current UFC Champions.

I'm Sure a lot of you would enjoy it.

 

Told you it was interesting, the comments portion in Sherdog.com has been blowing up with opinions regarding the champs on their website.

Countdown to UFC 141 debuts Wednesday

The one-hour preview show, focuses on next week's blockbuster UFC 141 event, which features a main event between former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and former Strikeforce title holder Alistair Overeem.

"UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem," a very rare Friday fight card for the UFC, takes place Dec. 30 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The night's main card, which also features a highly intriguing lightweight contest between Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz, as well as a key welterweight contest between Jon Fitch and Johny Hendricks, airs on pay-per-view.

Meanwhile, the UFC 141 preliminary card features two contests which air on Spike TV, the final UFC bouts to air live on the channel, as well four contests that stream on Facebook.

Usually, in the Philippines, the Countdown show is presented in it's entirety at Balls TV as the pre-fight show before they air the UFC event.

The full UFC 141 card includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem
Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz
Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Jim Hettes vs. Nam Phan

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

Junior Assuncao vs. Ross Pearson
Danny Castillo vs. Anthony Njokuani

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson
Efrain Escudero vs. Jacob Volkmann
Luis Ramos vs. Matt Riddle
Manny Gamburyan vs. Diego Nunes

Overeem Cleared to Face Lesnar at UFC 141

On Tuesday morning, UFC president Dana White tweeted a smiley face and then, perhaps drawing out the suspense of what was to follow, took 15 minutes to deliver his follow-up tweet:





And with those 10 words he confirmed what will be the biggest heavyweight fight in combined weight and most likely pay-per-view buys for the promotion in 2011.

Overeem’s status for the fight was thrown into doubt last week when he delivered a delayed and improperly administered steroid test to the UFC. During a hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Overeem detailed the reasons for the delay and why a blood test was administered by his personal doctor rather a urine test from a testing facility.

The NSAC were seemingly satisfied with Overeem’s explanation that he did not willingly avoid the out-of-competition testing and awarded him a conditional license to compete against Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. The first condition of that license was that he take a urine test within 72 hours of the hearing’s end.

Overeem lived up to that condition, flying from Holland to England to take the test, which, according to White’s tweet, came back clean, clearing Overeem for the December 30 fight. With that being said, there are still remaining conditions to be met by Overeem.

The first is that he be tested when he returns to the United States from Holland. Following that, he is subject to two random drug tests after the fight.

The five-round bout between Lesnar and Overeem will determine the No. 1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title that is currently held by Junior dos Santos.

URCC CEBU 7: Dominate.

URCC CEBU 7: Dominate.
CICC. January 13, 2012.

Featuring a superfight by

EDUARD "THE LANDSLIDE" FOLAYANG.

and two major title defense bouts

Visayan Pinweight Championship:

VICTOR TORRE VS. GERONIMO ETAC

Visayan Bantamweight Championship:

CARRY "THE PRINCE" BULOS VS. REX DE LARA


Other fights to be announced soon.

Lyoto Machida is considering a move to 185 pounds.

Lyoto Machida is considering a move to 185 pounds.

Fresh off his UFC 140 submission loss to Jon Jones, "The Dragon" is contemplating whether or not to drop to the middleweight division, which is headed by his teammate and close friend Anderson Silva.

"I don't want to change, but if I am not the light heavyweight champion, it really could happen," Machida told Fighters Only.

"I lost but I still have three more fights at UFC. My main goal is to be the champion of the weight class and bring the belt back to Para. Now, it is a challenge to beat Jones and bounce back. We already know the path to get to him, and in the next fight, things should happen with more ease."

Since entering the UFC, Jones has stormed to the top of the division, dismantling every world-class fighter in his path. Machida's awkward style and tricky footwork presented Jones with perhaps the toughest test in his young career.

After a strong start, Machida found himself in trouble in the second round after giving up a takedown that allowed Jones to posture up and unload on damage from top position. A few seconds trapped underneath Jones was all that was needed for Machida to emerge with a massive gash on his forehead.

The cut was the tide changer in the bout.

When the two light heavyweights returned to their feet, Jones landed a short left hand that dropped the Brazilian. The young champion wasted no time in pouncing on his hurt opponent and locking up a modified guillotine choke that solidified his second consecutive title defense and Machida's first submission loss.

"I think we always have to be learning something out of this, and it is through the loss that we learn more than with the victory," Machida said. "I am a professional, and it is part of my career to win or lose."

With ongoing Silva retirement murmurings, a move to middleweight seems plausible for Machida.

Machida and Silva have stated on various occasions that they aren't interested in fighting one another.

The Road back for GSP

The UFC welterweight champ tore his ACL when training for a bout with Nick Diaz. While the UFC moves forward with an interim belt, George St. Pierre is at the beginning of a long road back to having a healthy leg again.

That started with surgery, which was deemed a success, and now rehabilitation. Above, he is in a continuous passive motion machine, which prevents GSP's leg from getting stiff without putting him in pain.

Fabricio Werdum Returns to Face Roy Nelson at UFC 143

Fabricio Werdum wasn't exactly the most talked about heavyweight on the planet after getting knocked out in Junior dos Santos' UFC debut and then sent packing from the promotion. Werdum would see his name value skyrocket in June of 2010 when he became the first man in almost ten years to defeat Fedor Emelianenko. The loss to dos Santos also looked better once Junior established himself as the top heavyweight in the world, now holding the UFC title.

While Werdum lost his last Strikeforce fight, a decision against Alistair Overeem, he was brought back to the UFC and now his first fight back has been scheduled. Via MMA Weekly:

A UFC 143 heavyweight showdown between Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum is in tap for Super Bowl weekend, according to MMAWeekly.com sources.

Nelson's (16-6) UFC tenure was teetering on the brink following back-to-back losses to Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir, but he bounced back strong in his most recent fight. Nelson took the fight to Mirko "Cro Cop Filipovic at UFC 137, likely ending the Croatian's career via a third-round TKO stoppage.

This is a great test for both men as both have decent striking but very solid grappling skills. It's likely to turn into a striking match with Werdum's better technique against Roy's bigger power.

UFC 141: Why It Will Be the Biggest Pay-Per-View of 2011

On Friday, December 30, the UFC will have arguably its biggest event of the year, as former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will face off against former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

This will be Lesnar's first time stepping in the cage since October of 2010 when he lost his heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez.

This will also be Overeem's first time stepping in the UFC cage ever.

Even though neither fighter has seen the UFC cage in quite some time, UFC 141 will be the biggest pay-per-view draw of the year.

There are a few reasons for that, the first of which is that it is the New Year's Eve card. The New Year's card is typically one of the bigger cards of the year, and this one is no different.

With Lesnar-Overeem, Donald Cerrone vs. Nick Diaz and Jon Fit—never mind, ignore Fitch—this makes for one of the most exciting cards of the year.

And, although Dana White has called GSP the best PPV draw, that honor has to go to Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar has headlined four of the top six UFC PPVs of all time, and has been featured on one more in the top 20. Lesnar brings in the viewers.

In UFC history, seven PPVs have had 1,000,000 buys or more. Lesnar has headlined four of those. He is, without a doubt, the top PPV star.

The final reason that UFC 141 will be the biggest card of the year, is once again, due to Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar has been out of the cage for 14 months. But I'm sure every casual and hardcore MMA fan will look to see what happens.

Lesnar vs. Overeem is a matchup that has been talked about for years. Both are huge heavyweights, standing over six feet tall and weighing over 250 pounds. It's like the Hulk taking on the Juggernaut.

This is one of the biggest matchups, both literally and figuratively, in UFC history.

I'll be watching—will you?

GSP's Knee Surgery a Success

After blowing out the ACL of his right knee in training and withdrawing from his scheduled title defense against Nick Diaz, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre successfully underwent surgery yesterday in Los Angeles. As he tweeted: “Dr. ElAttrache says my surgery (ACL patellar tendon autograft) was huge success! Ligament very strong. Tks for support!”

St. Pierre wrote last week that he expects to make a full recovery from the surgery in six to nine months. We don’t have an e.t.a. on exactly when he might return to face the winner of Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit, but after two knee injuries and more than a year on the sidelines, it could turn out to be the toughest fight of St. Pierre’s career.

After the jump, more details about GSP’s knee injury from a conference call St. Pierre held last week with his doctor, Sebastien Simard:

“In the preparation for Carlos Condit, he injured his left knee during a sparring session. The diagnosis at that moment was a sprained MCL, a diagnosis that was confirmed by the MRI. Georges tried to continue his training camp even though he had the pain and while doing another sparring session, he had the little injury on the right leg at the time and the diagnosis on his right leg was a pulled hamstring. So, having injuries on both knees, we decided to cancel the fight against Mr. Condit.

Georges went on and did his physical therapy and rehab and everything went perfectly. He recovered completely from the injury to the left knee. He started back training and while doing wrestling, he tried to defend a takedown and at that time, he suffered a hyperextension on the right knee. He felt pain and he heard a crack inside his knee at that time. It was terrible to walk and there was not much swelling on the knee so he tried to continue training but in the few days after, he felt the pain and the instability was increasing so he called me, he was in Vegas and we did an MRI on Monday morning. I saw Georges yesterday with the results of the MRI and the physical exam that I did confirmed that Georges suffered a complete tear of his ACL and a small tear of his internal meniscus on the right knee, which is not the same knee that he suffered the sprained MCL in mid-October.”

“Considering the instability and the pain, surgery for Georges is mandatory. There’s no way he can compete with the problem on the right knee. We’re looking at doing an ACL reconstruction with meniscal repair. The technique that’s going to be used is the technique of anatomical ACL reconstruction, which is the best technique for this kind of injury…I’ve been the treating doctor for Georges for five years now and I did two surgeries on him already for elbow endoscopy. His recovery rate is completely off the charts. He has an amazing genetics and he has extraordinary physical capabilities and I know Georges has the discipline and the determination that’s gonna allow him to be back to the same level of competition that he was before the injury.”

Get well soon GSP, looking forward to seeing you back in the cage.

UFC Flyweight Division: Cruiserweight Would Have Been Better Addition

With Dana White's recent announcement of the newly added 125-pound flyweight division and its subsequent four-man tournament to crown a champion. The MMA world is now buzzing over the excitement that the division will potentially bring to the organization.

The excitement is understandable. The recently added 135- and 145-pound weight classes have been a welcome addition, giving us some of the best fights of the year.

Presumably the new 125-pound flyweight division will do the same.

But is it the right move for the UFC?

One thing that has separated MMA from the almost-dead sport of boxing is that with only the limited amount of weight classes, there aren't as many champions—so being a champion actually means something.

Including the new flyweight division, there are now four weight division that are only separated by 10 pounds a piece. Does the UFC really need this many divisions for the lower-weight fighters.

White and the UFC have got to where they are today by being great innovators within the industry, why not blaze their own trail when it comes to weight classes?

A better solution would have been to combine the bantamweight and flyweight divisions by creating a 130-pound weight class. This would force the larger 135ers to compete at 145 and still allow the smaller 135ers to compete at a better weight class for them.

If the UFC wants to create yet another weight class, why not add a cruiserweight division?
Demetrious-johnson_crop_340x234 Demetrious Johnson, one of the new flyweights, has done well as a bantamweight

After Jon Jones' UFC 140 victory over Lyoto Machida. Critics have claimed that he only wins due to his incredible size advantage over most light heavyweights. While Jones doesn't actually cut that much weight to get into his weight division as some fighters, weight cutting has always been a controversial issue in the sport.

Fighters such as Anthony "Rumble" Johnson can walk around at weights of up to 50 pounds above their weight division. While Johnson recently moved to middleweight—a more natural weight class for him—he may have made that move earlier if there was a cruiserweight division.

A cruiserweight division would likely be around 225. Twenty pounds above the 205 division and 40 pounds below the 265-pound weight limit for heavyweight.

The immediate drawback would be the already-thin heavyweight division losing fighters, but this move would allow the heavyweight limit to be raised to something like 280—allowing larger athletes who may not be able to make 265 a chance to make it to the sport's largest promotion.

If these changes were to occur, the weight classes would look like this:

Bantamweights: 130

Featherweights: 145

Lightweights: 155

Welterweights: 170

Middleweights: 185

Light Heavyweights: 205

Cruiserweights: 225

Heavyweights: 280

Eight different weight division that could be competitively filled. The addition of the cruiserweight division could create a trickle-down effect that would allow fighters to fight at a more natural weight without fear of running into much larger opponents.

As the sport of MMA grows, more athletes of all sizes and builds will begin to pick up the sport. The UFC would be doing themselves a favor by creating weight classes that reflects the future of the sport.

GSP undergoes surgery to repair his ACL

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre underwent surgery earlier today to repair a knee injury that he suffered a few weeks ago.

According to MMAFighting.com, the surgery was conducted under Dr.Neal ElAttrache, one of the most renowned surgeons in sports medicine and a current team physician for Major League Bseball's Los Angeles Dodgers.

St-Pierre suffered the injury by overcompensating it during a wrestling training session a couple of weeks ago.

The champion, who had recently come off a minor injury to his left knee, felt pain in his right knee but attempted to continue.

The St. Isidore native continued his training camp with no swelling in his knee, but the pain only worsened.

St-Pierre underwent an MRI to reveal that he had a torn ACL in his right knee that will force him to withdraw from his upcoming title bout against Nick Diaz, scheduled for February 6th at UFC 143.

St-Pierre's personal physician, Dr. Sebastien Simard, explained during a recent teleconference that the surgery was mandatory and it would reconstruct the champion's ACL, as well as repair some damage to his meniscus.

Simard was optimistic that St-Pierre will return to the UFC in the future, but the injury should require him to be out of action for six to nine months depending on the rehabilitation process.

In the meantime, an interim welterweight title bout was scheduled due to St-Pierre's absence, and Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz will meet in the main event at UFC 143.

Big Nog gets a Big "Break"

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira suffered a broken arm at UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida in Toronto on Saturday night after waiting until the last possible second – a second too late – to tapout to a Frank Mir Kimura (shoulder lock).

The UFC tweeted out the x-ray of Nogueira’s arm, clearly showing a break of the humerus.

The initial prognosis in Toronto was a trip to Los Angeles for surgery. But it now appears that surgery won’t be necessary.

“Doctor’s report: surgery not necessary for Big Nog,” the UFC tweeted on Monday after Nogueira visited Dr. John Itamura.

Dr. Itamura believes a less invasive course of action will work for Nogueira.

“He’ll have adjustable plastic brace using an ultrasound device 2x/day for 20 mins,” read the UFC’s message on Twitter.

Apparently, according to the doctor, Nogueira could return to the Octagon “in no more than nine months.”

At 35 years of age, having fought through some punishing battles throughout his career, whether or not Nogueira returns to the Octagon at all remains to be seen. At least, UFC president Dana White seems to question Nogueira continuing his fight career.

“You got to look at a guy's career, not just how it’s ending. Big Nog has been through wars. I was at the Pride fight when he fought Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop was just blasting him with kicks to the body and shots to the head, and then he ends up pulling off that submission win in the second round. But he’s had a career where he’s been through some wars,” said White following the UFC 140 post-fight press conference when asked if it was time for Nogueira to consider retirement.

Nogueira is 4-3 since moving to the UFC in 2007, two of his losses coming by way of knockout, the other being Mir’s arm-breaking submission.

“Big Nog is a nice guy and a guy whom I respect.

I know he’s gonna get pissed off at me, but again, it doesn’t matter. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I’m the one that makes those decisions,” White continued, clearly indicating that he thought Nogueira has to take a long hard look at whether he should continue or not.

“So, I’m gonna have to sit down and talk to him. I don’t want to see him get hurt or anybody.”

Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva named TUF Brazil Coaches!!!!

In an announcement of epic proportions, UFC officials announced the coaches for the TUF Brazil on Tuesday.

A rivalry will finally be settled during the first ever ‘Ultimate Fighter’ Brazil as Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort square off as coaches.

Silva and Belfort are no strangers to each other. The legendary Brazilians first faced off at UFC 17.5 also known as ‘Ultimate Brazil’.

Belfort blitzed Silva with punches in the early going of the fight, finishing off his fellow Brazilian in just 44 seconds in 1998.

Now more than a decade later the two will meet face to face again in their home country of Brazil as coaches for the ‘Ultimate Fighter’.

The format for the show will run similar to the early season of the ‘Ultimate Fighter’ in the United States, with the fighters living and training in the house for six weeks before squaring off in a finale.

“The premiere is going to be March 25. It’s going to be every Sunday night on Globo. The finale will be in June, but we don’t know where that’s going to be yet,” said UFC President Dana White.

This will mark the first ever season of the ‘Ultimate Fighter’ to not take place in the United States. The UFC has long planned to expand internationally, and now they have roots in Brazil starting with this newest edition of TUF.

White along with several UFC officials traveled to Brazil for the open tryouts on Monday. Cast selection will be announced at a later date.

The ‘Ultimate Fighter’ Brazil will also air in some fashion in the United States, and as of last week the rumors were for it to show on Fuel TV, although nothing has been determined yet.

With this announcement Dana White is one step closer to aspirations of creating a TUF world cup but most of all what a good way to learn MMA and create an impact in Brazil by naming Belfort and Wandy the coaches.

Superfight between Silva and Jones not happening

Despite disposing another former UFC champion in Lyoto Machida, it isn't likely Jon Jones will face Anderson Silva in a dream fight that fans have been wanting for some time.

The UFC light heavyweight champion recorded his fifth straight victory after he successfully defended the title at UFC 140 this past weekend. Jones, who was making his second title defense, overcame a difficult opening round against his opponent to submit Machida in the second round.

However, UFC President Dana White said Jones' recent success hasn't earned him any super-fight with the 185-pound titleholder anytime soon.

"I don't see that fight happening anytime soon," White told reporters during the post-fight press conference.

Jones' current dominance over the light heavyweight division has drawn comparisons to Silva, who has ruled over the middleweight division for the past five years. Also, Jones' lanky frame and creative striking techniques are parallel to that of the Brazilian, and thus, has created a substantial amount of hype surrounding the potential bout.

With fellow pound-for-pound kingpin, Georges St-Pierre, currently sidelined with a torn ACL, some fans' have favored the 24-year-old over the French-Canadian to compete against Silva.

But White shot down the idea, citing Jones' inexperience as a possible factor.

"He's 24 years old. He's just getting out there and fighting all the best in the light heavyweight division," he said. "What people have to realize, too, is Anderson Silva is 37 years old. They're in two different weight classes."

Jones' recent victory has granted him some much-needed rest, as he won't likely make his next title defense until mid-2012 against either Rashad Evans or Dan Henderson.

Meanwhile, Silva has been out of action since August when he made his last title defense against Yushin Okami at UFC 134. The Brazilian is expected to return by early summer next year.

So that's probably it for superfights in the UFC, personally I don't think that it will ever happen as new contenders to emerge in each weight class time and time again so we can't really say that the champions have cleaned out their divisions.

Strikeforce still kicking in 2012

After UFC parent company Zuffa LLC purchased competitor Strikeforce in March, many felt the Las Vegas-based juggernaut would assimilate the promotion, as it had done with the WEC and Pride Fighting Championships in years past.

Instead, it appears Strikeforce will continue to operate under the Zuffa umbrella through 2012. Its broadcast deal with Showtime set to expire in roughly three months, Strikeforce is now close to reaching a renewal deal with the premium cable network, according to UFC President Dana White.

However, before the promotion embarks on yet another year of mixed martial arts competition, Strikeforce will close out 2010 with its offering at the Valley View Casino Center on Saturday in San Diego. Here are five reasons to care about the Strikeforce “Melendez vs. Masvidal” prelims.

Fedor returns to fight in Japan

Fedor Emelianenko has long been a draw on the Japanese fight scene. Following his recent losses in Strikeforce, the once untouchable Russian has been on a rebuilding campaign and the latest stop will be a return to Japan.

M-1 Global and Dream officials on Monday announced that Fedor will return to the Land of the Rising Sun on Dec. 31 to face Olympic gold medalist in Judo Satoshi Ishii.

The bout headlines the Fields presents Fight for Japan Genkidesua!! Oomisoka!! 2011 event at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, and airs in North America on HDNet.

“Fedor has been in great shape, and is ready for what we think will be a hard and competitive fight,” said M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan in announcing Fedor’s return to Japan after a three-year absence.

Fedor (32-4-1) is coming off of a victory over Jeff Monson on Nov. 20 in Moscow. The victory was the Russian’s first since losing three consecutive fights under the Strikeforce banner to Dan Henderson, Antonio Silva, and Fabricio Werdum.

A world-class athlete and a proven competitor, Ishii could prove a stern test for Fedor, although he’ll be giving up a tremendous amount of advantage to him in the experience department when it comes to MMA.

Ishii has only six bouts under his belt as a mixed martial artist, although he’s performed well en route to a 4-1-1 record. He holds victories over Jerome LeBanner and Ikuhisa Minowa, but neither is in the same league as Fedor. Ishii will have to rely upon is stellar experience as a Judoka to help make up ground in the fighting department.

Fedor vs. Ishii currently headlines a list of 11 bouts at Genkidesuka!! Oomisoka!! 2011 that features a card made up primarily of MMA bouts, but also includes mixed rules and pro wrestling bouts.

The one armed MMA Fighter

I know this may be old news to many of you but this is truly one amazing fighter. Nick Newell is quite an inspiration to many of us and as of this writing he is currently undefeated in MMA.

Enjoy the video guys.