MMA News and Fight Videos

Props: UGO TV Blog

Quoteworthy:

“Brock Lesnar is gonna be tough for anyone to beat. He’s a freak. He’s got lunch box size hands, He’s a huge guy. Before he was a professional wrestler, he was a real wrestler, a 2000 All-American NCAA National Champion. Now that he’s fighting, he’s completely 100 percent dedicated, he’s a dangerous motherf*&^$*…he’s gigantic and he moves super fast. He’s a sponge, all he does all day is train. You get a guy like that, once he learns a few things, he becomes incredibly dangerous. He’s superhuman.”

Joe Rogan, UFC color commentator and host of the new CBS comedy ‘Game Show in my Head’, sounds off on the future of Brock Lesnar now that the pasty-faced goliath and his herculean hamhocks are holding the UFC heavyweight title hostage. That of course could all change when he faces newly minted UFC Interim Heavyweight champ Frank Mir later this Spring.

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"Brock Lesnar will never be able to beat me because he has no submission skills. What’s he going to do, knock me out? No one has never knocked me cold. What’s he going to do, armbar me? No way. He is powerful. He is big. But martial arts isn’t filled with guys from the NFL. Lesnar had to grab the cage not to get taken down by Randy Couture, who’s 220 pounds. Lesnar isn’t the phenom that everyone makes him out to be. He started at 30. Have you ever seen a boxer start at 30 and become a world champion?"

-Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir takes exception via MMA Fanhouse to the recent Lesnar hype heading into his showdown with interim division titlist Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira at UFC 92 on December 27 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mir, who also doesn’t consider WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko in the top ten pound-for-pound list, bested a very green Lesnar at UFC 81 after being bludgeoned with mutliple hamhocks. A rematch would naturally be in order if Mir can get past Nogueira at the end of the month. Easier said than done.

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UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” went down at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on August 9 and all the stars came out for an explosive night of nonstop UFC action.

Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre defends his title against tough-as-nails Jon Fitch, and in one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the lightweight division, Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian takes on Roger “El Matador” Huerta.

Also, Minneapolis’ own Brock Lesnar gets a rough homecoming in the form of “The Texas Crazy Horse,” Heath Herring. UFC 87 DVD also features Cheick Kongo, Demian Maia, and a clash between Ultimate Fighter stars Manny Gamburyan and Rob Emerson.

Main Card:
George St Pierre (16-2) vs. Jon Fitch (19-2)
Brock Lesnar (1-1) vs. Heath Herring (28-13)
Kenny Florian (9-3) vs. Roger Huerta (20-1-1)
Manny Gamburyan (8-2) vs. Rob Emerson (7-6)
Demian Maia (7-0) vs. Jason MacDonald (20-9)

Under Card:
Luke Cummo (6-5) vs. Tamdan McCrory (8-1)
Cheick Kongo (11-4-1) vs. Dan Evensen (10-2)
Andre Gusmao vs. Jon Jones (6-0)
Steve Bruno (11-3) vs. Chris Wilson (13-4)
Ben Saunders (5-0-2) vs. Ryan Thomas (9-1)

Running Time: 342 minutes

UFC 87: ‘Seek and Destroy’ is available for purchase in our DVD store for $14.99 by clicking here .

To check out our massive library of MMA DVD titles, including PRIDE DVD and UFC DVD click here . We also have Elite XC, WEC, Cage Rage, IFL, King of the Cage and other products for sale in our store. Looking for a title but don’t see it in our store? Email us and we’ll be happy to check its availability. Please keep in mind that we are only able to ship within the continental United States at this time.

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Check out more videos of Lesnar, as well as screen shots of Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson, after jump!

Stills of Florian and Stevenson:

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Props: FiveOuncesOfPain.com

Quoteworthy:

“It was a good performance but I see some weak spots in Brock’s game plan. Although I think he is a very interesting opponent, I’m looking forward to see more of Brock’s fights and seeing him develop more…. Yes, and I do see myself defeating Brock Lesnar.”

Add the “Demolition Man” to the long list of mixed martial arts veterans who feel confident about their chances against UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. The Dutch fighter has looked solid of late, winning four straight consecutive bouts and — before smashing his balls — was putting it to Mirko Cro Cop at DREAM 6 in September. Overeem has been in against some of the best in the business throughout his career, which would give him a huge experience advantage if he were to ever tangle with Lesnar …. but don’t hold your breath — it’s highly unlikely anytime soon.

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M-1 released this official statement making the case for what could become the biggest heavyweight fight in the history of MMA.

The Statement:

M-1 would like to congratulate Brock Lesnar on his UFC heavyweight title victory as well as acknowledge Randy Couture’s return to active competition after a layoff that lasted over a year.

Couture and WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko had publicly acknowledged a desire to fight each other multiple times over the course of the past year. While M-1 and Fedor remain interested in a match against Couture, we would also like to publicly state for the record that we would welcome a superfight between Fedor and Lesnar that would be held as a co-promoted event between the UFC, M-1, and Affliction Entertainment.

We’ve invited the media to speak with us today to not only make it clear we would welcome a Fedor vs. Lesnar matchup but to act in a preemptive fashion to address the possibility that UFC officials will try and position Lesnar as the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, much like they have tried to use a marketing ploy to brand Anderson Silfva as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

In the past, UFC president Dana White and Zuffa, LLC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta have tried to claim that Fedor was “overrated” and that his “record was irrelevant.” They make these claims in spite of the fact that Fedor holds career victories over UFC champions past and present. While we have tremendous respect for the contributions Mr. Fertitta and Dana have made to this sport, we do not believe they are sincere in their statements.

It is the position of M-1 that the UFC has adopted an anti-Fedor policy because multiple attempts to sign him have not been fruitful. For a company that has tried to market itself as the number one promotion in the world, they are unable to accept the fact that the number one fighter in the world does not reside on its roster of contracted fighters.

We believe that the UFC has determined that it’s much more inexpensive for them to use their marketing resources to use smoke and mirrors to brand a fighter as the pound-for-pound best as opposed to actually paying the pound-for-pound best what he is truly worth on the open market.

While Brock Lesnar is an accomplished athlete and a talented fighter, we do not consider him to be the number one heavyweight in the world. Until someone beats him, we strongly believe that Fedor should continue to be recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. In a match between Fedor and Lesnar, we do not feel that at this stage Lesnar would be able to make it out of the first round.

For those who feel our statements in regards to Fedor are self-serving, we’d like to refer you to a video interview on the website RawVegas.tv in which at his UFC 91 after-party Couture himself acknowledges that “Fedor would probably tear Brock up at this point.”

Jerry Millen, M-1 Vice President

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Props: Los Angeles Times

Quoteworthy:

“The ref [Mario Yamasaki] was going, ‘Eh, is [Couture] OK?’ Mario was trying to give him time [to recover]. There’s a fine line between that and [allowing] too many punches. When I saw Randy go back down, I thought we had crossed that line.”

UFC President Dana White indicates that Randy Couture was given perhaps too much time to recover after Brock Lesnar dropped and stormed him with about 30 unanswered hammer fists and elbows during the main event at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” on November 15. In the post fight press conference Lesnar “dodged” the issue [even though he said he was waiting for the stoppage] and Couture said it was all good. It didn’t appear to be too much — anything less and fans could have been screaming it was too early. Then again UFC 91 received unprecedented mainstream media coverage, which is perhaps a bit alarming with such a finish. Steve Cofield takes it a step farther, asking if the stoppage could actually hurt UFC’s chance to get consistent coverage from ESPN. Thoughts?

Photo: Los Angeles Times

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UFC 91 Figher Payouts

Brock Lesnar $450,000 ($250,000 to show, $200,000 to win)
Randy Couture $250,000
Kenny Florian $80,000 ($ 40,000 to show, $40,000 to win)
Joe Stevenson $35,000
Dustin Hazelett $28,000 ($14,000 to show, $14,000 to win)
Tamdan McCrory $10,000
Gabriel Gonzaga $110,000 ($55,000 to show, $55,000 to win)
Josh Hendricks $8,000
Demian Maia $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win)
Nate Quarry $25,000
Aaron Riley $8,000 ($4,000 to show, $4,000 to win)
Jorge Gurgel $10,000
Jeremy Stephens $16,000 ($8.000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Rafael dos Anjos $4,000
Mark Bocek $18,000 ($9,000 to show, $9,000 to win)
Alvin Robinson $7,000
Matt Brown $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Ryan Thomas $3,000

Total Payout: $1,118,000

UFC 91 “Coutrue vs. Lesnar” had a nearly sellout crowed of 14,272 fans and which pulled in a live gate of $4.8 million.

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MMAmania.com (www.mmamania.com) has received the fighter payouts for UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for the monster pay-per-view (PPV) event held on November 15 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

And, as we reported before the show even started, Brock Lesnar was the big winner of the evening in more ways than one, pocketing a $450,000 base salary and prying the heavyweight title from Randy Couture’s grip with a second round technical knockout.

“The Natural” will of course went home with more than just bumps and bruises — he now has an additional cool quarter million in his bank account, which could will more than likely help soften the blow of losing his belt … a little.

Gabriel Gonzaga also cashed in, earning $110,000 for his lighting fast destruction of Josh Hendricks.

Here are all the UFC 91 payouts:

Brock Lesnar — $450,000 ($250,000 to show, $200,000 to win)
Randy Couture — $250,000
Brock Lesnar defeated Randy Couture via technical knockout (strikes) in round two

Kenny Florian — $80,000 ($ 40,000 to show, $40,000 to win)
Joe Stevenson — $35,000
Kenny Florian defeated Joe Stevenson via submission (rear naked choke) in round one

Dustin Hazelett — $28,000 ($14,000 to show, $14,000 to win)
Tamdan McCrory — $10,000
Dustin Hazelett defeated Tamdan McCrory via submission (armbar) in round one

Gabriel Gonzaga — $110,000 ($55,000 to show, $55,000 to win)
Josh Hendricks — $8,000
Gabriel Gonzaga defeated Josh Hendricks via technical knockout (strikes) in round one

Demian Maia — $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win)
Nate Quarry — $25,000
Demian Maia defeated Nate Quarry via submission (rear naked choke) in round one

Aaron Riley — $8,000 ($4,000 to show, $4,000 to win)
Jorge Gurgel — $10,000
Aaron Riley defeated Jorge Gurgel via unanimous decision

Jeremy Stephens — $16,000 ($8.000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Rafael dos Anjos — $4,000
Jeremy Stephens defeated Rafael dos Anjos via knockout in round three

Mark Bocek — $18,000 ($9,000 to show, $9,000 to win)
Alvin Robinson — $7,000
Mark Bocek defeated Alvin Robinson via submission (rear naked choke) in round three

Matt Brown — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Ryan Thomas — $3,000
Matt Brown defeated Ryan Thomas via submission (armbar) in round two

Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc.

For example, the UFC often hands out extra cash for “Fight of the Night,” “Knockout of the Night” and “Submission of the Night.” To check out these figures for UFC 91 go here.

The total base fighter payroll for the blockbuster PPV event, which attracted a near sellout crowd of 14,272 fans and a huge gate of $4.8 million, was $1,118,000.

For complete results and coverage of “Couture vs. Lesnar” click here and here.

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World Wrestling Entertainment (also known as the land of make believe) has added a new storyline to its Rolodex of preposterous and unimaginative fairy tales.

In fact this one is so contemptible, it may even trump the universally panned fable of the posthumous desecration of Katie Vick.

Brock Lesnar defeated Randy Couture at UFC 91 this past weekend to capture the UFC heavyweight championship belt and now the WWE website wants to take some of the credit for it.

From one of the many men behind the curtain:

For his part, Lesnar took the encouragement of the WWE Universe and the hard lessons forged during his fiery time at WWE and showed UFC and the world why he is not only a man of mettle but also a former three-time WWE Champion.

They also tout Lesnar as “The first man to capture both the WWE Championship and the UFC Heavyweight Championship”, as if the McMahon’s heavyweight strap carried some type of prestige in the sports community.

And if this unholy union of belts was such a landmark, then how about some overdue credit for The World’s Most Dangerous Can? Ken Shamrock was actually the first man to hold titles in both organizations when the 1993 UFC Superfight champion went on to claim both the Intercontinental and Tag Team titles during his four-year run.

Anyway, it doesn’t really matter what Lesnar did in the WWE. His ability to overcome Couture on November 15 was a direct result of his athleticism and two-year dedication to the sport of mixed martial arts, coupled of course with the inevitable decline in skill and speed of the 45-year old Couture.

The WWE is notorious for its suspension of disbelief. However the same article that wants credit for forging the newest UFC title holder is also poking fun at the UFC for its decision to air undercard bouts in an effort to fill the three hour broadcast.

Here’s more:

Critics have noted that many of the fights on the UFC pay-per-view ended in the first round, leaving UFC producers scrambling to fill the three-hour event with content. The dearth of hearty competition left many viewers to watch less prestigious under-card fights and only served to bolster claims that UFC pay-per-view events can often be a “crap shoot” in regards to filling the full three hours.

Like most detractors, the clowns at WWE probably didn’t bother to watch any of the fights in question. Did anyone not fly out of their seat after the Jeremy Stephens Shoryuken on Rafael dos Anjos? Or how about the slick submissions by Mark Bocek and Matt Brown?

And how does the WWE have the audacity to say anything about pay-per-view “filler” when they consistently populate their monthly offerings with such crafty performers like The Great Khali?

The WWE had its time with Lesnar, but that time is gone. They gave him a name, not a doctorate in mixed martial arts. He walked out on them and like most jilted lovers, they can’t seem to let it go.

Instead of attacking the hard work of the fighters on the UFC 91 undercard, they should probably focus more on maintaining the ignis fatuus of professional wrestling.

After all, with Survivor Series just a week away, Triple H still has to figure out a way to convincingly job to Oleg Prudius, effectively making him the first man to hold the WWE Championship and the United States Heavyweight Sambo Championship.

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