UFC Chill

The budding counter-programming competition between the UFC and Bellator has taken another turn.

Saturday night, Spike TV will air both of Eddie Alvarez's classic matches against Michael Chandler. The bouts will air at 10 pm ET - which just happens to be the start time of the UFC 178 pay-per-view, which features Alvarez's UFC debut against Donald Cerrone.

While counter-programming is as old as television itself, there's been a notable increase in such activities between the two biggest MMA companies. UFC fired the first shot by scheduling a live Friday night show at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut on Sept. 5, just down the road from Bellator's season-opening card at Mohegan Sun at the same time.

Bellator countered by scheduling a Nov. 15 live card on basic cable, head-to-head against theUFC 180 pay-per-view featuring Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum.

The Alvarez-Chandler fights are considered the two best in Bellator's five-year history. Chandler defeated Alvarez via fourth-round submission in 2011 and won the Bellator lightweight title. Alvarez back the title via split decision last November. The two were scheduled for a trilogy fight in May, but Alvarez suffered a concussion two weeks before the fight and had to pull out.

Johny Hendricks-Robbie Lawler rematch announced as new UFC 181 main event

The silver lining quickly emerged from the black cloud that was the loss of the Dec. 6 Chris Weidman-Vitor Belfort bout.

The dust had barely settled on Monday's news that a Weidman broken hand had forced the postponement of the middleweight title fight when the UFC announced a new main event forUFC 181 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center: Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler for the welterweight title.

The new main event is a rematch of a bout which could still end up as 2014's Fight of the Year when all is said and done. With the vacant title up for grabs, Hendricks and Lawler put on a 25-minute, toe-to-toe slugfest. With the title hanging in the balance going into the fifth round, Hendricks found another gear and clinched the decision.

But he paid the price in the process: Hendricks (16-2) aggravated a bicep injury originally suffered in training and had to undergo surgery afterward, which has kept him out of action since.

ESPN reported last week that Hendricks was looking at an early 2015 return, however, Hendricks' manager Ted Ehrhardt explained to MMAFighting.com on Monday that that was only because they believed all the UFC pay-per-view slots were already booked until then. Ehrhardt said he called Hendricks on Monday asking if his arm, cardio and weight would be on point for Dec. 6, and Hendricks assured him he would have no issues heading into his first title defense.

"I didn't need to do any convincing," Ehrhardt said.

As for Hendricks' current health status, Ehrhardt said the welterweight champion was "close" to 100 percent healthy.

In the wake of the Hendricks loss, Lawler (24-10, 1 NC) went out and earned his rematch the old-fashioned way. The fighter nicknamed "Ruthless" earned a third-round TKO over Jake Ellenberger at UFC 173 in May, then earned a decision in a hard-fought five-round bout against Matt Brown in July.

With the new main event, UFC 181 will remain a two-title fight affair, as Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez for the lightweight title remains the co-feature bout.

Chris Weidman injured; title fight versus Vitor Belfort pushed to February

Hunt wants Barnett rematch next

After doing what most thought was impossible and knocking out Roy Nelson with one punch last weekend, Mark Hunt is in the mood to call his shots.

And who can blame him? The 40-year old New Zealand native and Sydney resident is soaring in rare air, two decades into his combat sports career.

The victory over Nelson put him at 5-1-1 in his past seven UFC fights, and has nudged him toward the top of the heavyweight division.

And Hunt has just the fight in mind to help get him in position for a potential shot at the title currently held by Cain Velasquez: A matchup in his adopted hometown with former champion Josh Barnett.

"I was thinking, Josh Barnett, he's one above me at number five, maybe Dana can put me and him on that show, on Sydney," Hunt said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour.

There are several obstacles to putting together the fight on the Nov. 8 card, of course. Barnett's been coy about when he'll return to the Octagon, and he's already defeated Hunt, winning via Kimura in the quarterfinal round of the 2006 PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix.

But if Hunt gets his way, he'll get another crack at "The Warmaster."

"I love rematches," Hunt said. "I've never lost a rematch, Josh Barnett, me and you my friend, we've got a date. He's No. 5 in the world, I want to fight guys in the top 10. I'd like to fight and get close to that title shot, That's all I'm interested in my whole purposes is to fight for the world title. He's one above me, so why don't you put him and me together."

If that can't happen, Hunt simply wants the opportunity to fight any opponent who could help him achieve his long-elusive title shot.

"Of course I think I'm on the cusp of getting a title shot, I just need a top five guy," Hunt said. "I had the shot last time against JDS and he knocked me out. I'm got back there again, I just need one more fight, a top-five guy, I really feel I'm close to a title shot. Maybe a top five guy, or a JDS rematch, or a Barnett, Someone top five and then if I can win, I can get a title shot."

Last week, rumor had it that hunt was ready for the super heavyweight division, as published reports indicated that Hunt had to lose 18-19 pounds over the final day before the weigh-in for the Nelson fight. Hunt denied the report.

"I probably nine or eight [pounds off]," Hunt said. "I wasn't in any trouble at all. ... it was only two days, the last time it was four days. I told you the truth, I wasn't lying, of course I was going to make weight. There was no way in the world I wouldn't make weight. It's my job to be on target. I'm a professional, I've got to be on weight all the time, there's not excuses for that. Not like I'm a small guy, one of those guys, that got no fat on them. I have no excuse, I've got a lot of extra weight anyway."

Hunt did concede, however, that his weight got a bit out of control in between his memorable draw (later turned to a no contest) against Antonio Silva and the start of the camp for the Hunt fight.

"I did start the camp at 153 kilos [approx 337 pounds]," Hunt said. "That's because I was eating too much chocolate and KFC. I made weight, it wasn't like I wasn't going to not make weight."

Once he made weight, there was no stopping Hunt, as he provided a moment which should live on in the highlight reel for quite some time. Nelson came into the fight with the UFC record for most strikes absorbed without losing via finish.

"Yeah I could feel he was done," Hunt said of the finishing blow. "I was like, I don't think anyone would have gotten up from that. I got the same sort of feeling a few other times hitting people. You can't really recover from one of those punches. it was a good shot, man."

Life's pretty good for Hunt right now. But at 40, and with more than 60 combined MMA and kickboxing fights under his belt, how long can he keep doing this? The "Super Samoan" says he'll worry about tomorrow, well, tomorrow.

"At the end of the day, none of us are really promised tomorrow anyway," Hunt said. "I could finish talking to you and go out and get run over by a bus. It doesn't really matter to be. All I know I have to live in this moment here."
"I guarantee in this matchup with Yodenis, this fight is going to be fireworks. He’s going to bring it too and it’s going to be very exciting." - Chad Laprise

Being crowned The Ultimate Fighter winner is never easy.

No matter how many seasons have aired, living six weeks in isolation away from family and friends to compete multiple times in that time span against hungry pro fighters who you share a house with is an incredibly difficult journey to the UFC. 

For eventual TUF Nations’ welterweight winner Chad Laprise, the tournament was an even tougher test, as “The Disciple” had to tangle with two friends and teammates in Kajan Johnson in the semis and Olivier Aubin-Mercier in the finals. 

“The Olivier fight was the biggest fight of my life to date,” Laprise affirms. “I had to win that fight no matter what. I was fighting a good friend of mine, a teammate. We had trained together for three years on and off before that fight and then we lived together on the show too. I had a personal relationship with Olivier, but I know and he knows that fighting is a business. When we fought for those 15 minutes, it was business. Luckily, I was blessed enough to win and we have no hard feelings at all between me and him.”

The undefeated 28-year-old earned a unanimous decision win over Team Australia’s Chris Indich in his first house bout, which won the Fight of the Season bonus, then Laprise followed that up by winning the Performance of the Season bonus by scoring a jaw-breaking knockout of Johnson in his second house bout. At the April finale, The he fought a classic “striker vs. grappler” matchup as he faced his Tristar gym teammate Aubin-Mercier, who owned a 5-0 record with all his wins by first-round submission. 

“I was happy with my performance, but there was definitely room for improvement,” Laprise reveals. “At the time they announced the split decision, I really didn’t know it was close. After watching the fight again, I feel like I definitely won the fight. He’s super dangerous on the ground, he’s such a good grappler and I knew that going in. I had to be very cautious on the feet to not be taken down. I wasn’t really able to let loose on him and really open up my strikes. I really stuck to 1s and 2s. I fought a good, smart fight, but my next fight will definitely be more exciting.”

A “smart” fight for Laprise can be seen in the statistics, as he peppered Aubin-Mercier with 90% of his significant strikes at distance, including landing 23 of 24 leg kicks while stuffing seven of nine takedown attempts. It was a technical effort by Laprise, showing great movement, defense, timing and judgment against a tricky and dangerous opponent who knows The Disciple’s game very well. 

Laprise’s calculating approach in his Octagon debut was more of an aberration, as he loves to uncork his punching power, which has netted him five of his nine pro wins by KO. 

“If you look at that fight and you look at the fights in the house, I fought that fight more safe,” Laprise said. “It was because he’s so awkward on the feet, he’s a southpaw, he doesn’t really throw things how he’s kind of supposed to and I had to respect his takedowns. Him and I have trained together so much that I knew that he’s way better than me on the ground. If he got me in a bad position, I would have lost that fight. I had to stick to straight punches, leg kicks, and luckily I came out with the win.” 

Up next, another clash in Canada as the Ontario native will travel to Halifax to take on Yodenis Cedeno at UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine. Returning to his original division of lightweight, Laprise will meet the Cuban Cedeno who is coming off a first round TKO inside the Octagon in July. With a 10-3 pro record, Pink Panther is an explosive and unconventional stand-up fighter with seven wins by KO and he has yet to be finished by strikes. Laprise is psyched not only at another chance inside the Octagon, but to compete in front of his people and not against a fellow countryman. 

“I was super excited to get the call to fight in Canada again,” Laprise said. “My last fight was in Canada, but I was fighting Olivier in Quebec and I kind of got booed because he’s the hometown guy. It’s pretty nice for me to be the hometown guy now. Yosdenis is a super tough guy. Right away, I was super pumped for this match-up. I’m fighting another striker. He’s not like Olivier - but he’s different. He’s awkward. He has a karate background and throws a lot of spinning kicks. He’s a dangerous guy and I’m looking forward to getting in there and fighting with him. I can’t wait.”

In preparation for Cedeno, Laprise has moved to Montreal to train full-time at the renowned Tristar Gym. The striking specialist who started with the original Team Tompkins is now sharing the mats day in and day out with head coach Firas Zahabi’s famed crew, which includes Aubin-Mercier, Nordine Taleb and Rory MacDonald, who are all on the Halifax card as well. Also, The Disciple works with strength and conditioning coach Jonathan Chaimberg, Muay Thai coach Kru Ash and with the talented boxers at Grant Brothers Boxing.

“You’re going to see good, crisp, clean technique,” Laprise states. “I truly believe God put me in this world to be a fighter right now and I work hard at this every single day. I train two or three times a day, every single day. I think I’m one of the most dedicated guys in the world of MMA. I train with some of the best fighters in the world and there’s not many people who have my work ethic and it will show October 4th. I’ll be 100% prepared and you’ll tune in for an exciting matchup. I guarantee in this matchup with Yodenis, this fight is going to be fireworks. He’s going to bring it too and it’s going to be very exciting.”

TODAY SATURADAY 4 OCT,2014

Get ready for UFC Nights instockholm and Haifax by watching the superstar in free Fight!




25- years old weltreweight Rory Mac Donald is a phenom in every sense of the world. The Biritish Columbia, Canda native made his professional MMA debut at the ag of 16 and got his first action in the Octagon against Mike Guymon at just 21 years old Mac Donald showed impressive resilience in his debut, finishing Guymon after getting dropped early.

Gunnar Nelso Vs Ricky story:



Gunnar Nelson and Ricky story headline UFC Fight night 53 this saturday in stockholin, sweden, The card is'nt genereating much buzz, but the main event should do a good a job of putting the finishing toches on a night of fights.
NELSON: has pretty much run the table in his professional career. He has a stellar 13-0-1 record (4-0UFC) and displays some of the best grapping skills we've ever seen inside the Octagon.
STORY: has been nothing but inconsistent over his last nine fights in which he has compiled a record of just 4-5. " The Horror " story can hold his own on the ground, but also possesses one punch knockout power that keeps his opponents honest.

sun. oct. 5,2014


ALDO VS. MENDES UFC |179|

 SAT. OCT. 25, 2014 

 ALDO VS. MENDES 2


The awaited rematch between UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and No. 1 contender Chad Mendes will headline UFC 179 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, October 25th. In their first meeting in January 2012, Aldo stopped then-unbeaten Mendes with one second remaining in the first round. Since then, Mendes has won five straight, most recently decisioning Nik Lentz in December 2013. Aldo, the only 145-pound champion in UFC history, has added three more successful title defenses since the Mendes bout, defeating Frankie Edgar, Chan Sung Jung and Ricardo Lamas. He looks to stamp a finish on this rivalry once and for all. Plus, a clash of light heavyweight contenders will co-headline, as Brazilian star Glover Teixeira faces off against Phil Davis.





TRAINING: 5am - eat 5 raw eggs, run 5 miles. Then I wake up from my dream and drag myself out of my bed at 830 and sip some coffee with some banana bread. I drive half asleep to practice (12-2pm) and proceed to kick my own ass for 2 hours. Eat, sleep, and get back to training at 6pm for cardio, pad work and drilling. That's a wrap.

When and why did you start training for fighting? I started training MMA when I was 22 because I liked to fight and needed a job. I also had been training different disciplines for most of my life, from judo to wrestling to jiu-jitsu, so I knew I could compete at a high level.

What ranks and titles have you held?Strikeforce middleweight champion, California high school wrestling state qualifier. Blue belt and purple belt world champion in jiu-jitsu. Currently a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. 

Do you have any heroes? No specific heroes, just a lot of people I look up to and try to learn from.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? Yes, no degrees though; I dropped out to fight and pursue my dreams.

What was your job before you started fighting? Construction / solar panel installation. 

Specific accomplishments in pro competition? I never sat on the stool.

Favorite grappling 

Watch UFC Fight Night 53 online stream today

                     e complete UFC Fight Night 53 fight card will kick off the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) doubleheader on Saturday (Oct. 4, 2014) airing entirely on UFC Fight Pass, featuring a five-round welterweight main event that pits former Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) wizard Gunnar Nelson against longtime 170-pound mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Rick Story. Those folks living outside the digital network's reach can watch the action unfold via UFC Network, as well as other select broadcast channels.

UFC Fight Night 53: "Nelson vs. Story," which emanates from inside Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, will also showcase The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 standout Akira Corassani, as he locks horns with "Blessed" featherweight up-and-comer Max Holloway. In addition, local "Sledgehammer" Ilir Latifi returns to middleweight action against KSW import Jan Blachowicz, who makes his Octagon debut on UFC Fight Pass after a lengthy run on the international combat sports circuit.

Rounding out the UFC Fight Night 53 main card, which gets underway at 3 p.m. ET by way of the promotion's new digital streaming service, is hometown product Niklas Backstrom in a featherweight tussle opposite English "Warrior" Mike Wilkinson. But before we can get to the four featured fights, the promotion will unload a stacked seven-fight preliminary card starting at noon ET on UFC Fight Pass, which kicks off with the welterweight showdown between Ernest Chavez and Zubaira Tukhugov.

Here are the UFC Fight Night 53 preliminary card (inter)national programming options:

Holly Holm the former  world boxing champion. Holly Holm is an American mixed martial artist Who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division. Holm is also professional boxer and kickboxer.
She has held severl welterweight titles and was by some regarded as one of the best female welterweight in the world and among the best of all the time.
Professional boxing record:
Total: 38 and wins: 33 by knockout: 9 Losses: 2 By knockout: 2 Draw: 3

Kickboxing record:
Total: 3 wins: 2 By knockout: 2 Losses: 1 By knockout: 1

On December 2, 2011, Holly took on knockout artist Anne Sophie Mathis of France for the vacant IBF female and WBAN welterweight titles.