***spoilers*** UFC News and Discussion Thread

[ACCBiggz]

I like Cro Cop's demeanor. No nonsense, walks straight to the cage/ring and fights.

[Enter Blue Guy]

Not sure if it's been posted here yet, but some Brock Lesnar related news

According to the Wrestling Observer newsletter, K-1 is looking to book a date in Las Vegas on May 19th with a MMA-main event bout between former NCAA two-time amateur wrestling champion and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar against K-1 star Choi-Hong-Man.

That's pretty much it for now, but with the Lesnar/MMA subject being a big question mark for such a long time, this seems to at least breathe some life to the topic. We'll see.

[crazedfan]

Oh god I want Lesnar in an MMA or K-1 fight.... it's also worth noting that Hong Man Choi beat Akebono in K-1 3 times... Choi also won his MMA debut in 16 seconds, and is 9-2 in K-1. So he's a decent fighter at least. I'd love to see Lesnar get absolutely destroyed.

As for Heath Herring, he looked like shit at the Fight Night. He'd better redeem himself against Imes.

Edited February 20, 2007 by crazedfan

[ACCBiggz]

I was looking for the Imes stuff because I remember someone asking about it, but found nothing so didn't post. In other news "David Loiseau to Train with Greg Jackson". I love this move for The Crow, Jackson should be able to train him well and get him back to his old form with some new tools training with all those guys who havea tremendous work ethic. GSP went down there prior to the Hughes match, and now it looks like The Crow will be down there full-time.

[Toe]

I have seen that Choi guy fight on a K-1 Tournament that was on The Fight Network, and he looked pretty good.

[Enter Blue Guy]

More UFC 70 news

By John Lister

MANCHESTER, England, Feb 23---Fabricio Werdum was today announced as the latest PRIDE fighter to jump to the Ultimate Fighting Championship – and Dana White warned “I’m not done yet.”

The announcement came at a press conference to formally introduce the Las Vegas-based promotion’s April 21 event in Manchester, England, at which Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Werdum (9-2-1) will fight former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski (10-5). The show, set for the Manchester Evening News Arena, will feature Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (22-4-2) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (7-1) in the headline slot, with Clitheroe native Michael Bisping (12-0) vs. Elvis Sinosic (8-9-2) and Forrest Griffin (13-4) vs. Ryoto Machida (9-0) also signed. Dana White confirmed that should Cro Cop defeat Gonzaga, he will receive a heavyweight title match against either Tim Sylvia or Randy Couture, who fight at March 3’s UFC in Columbus, Ohio.

White said the Werdum signing had only just been finalized. “PRIDE is in deep trouble. We’ve snatched away half their guys and I’m not done yet.” He dismissed another promotional rival more succinctly: “IFL sucks.”

Marshall Zelaznik, President of UFC’s UK division, told a crowd of around 30 media representatives that the promotion was in Europe for good. “I’ve relocated my family here and bought a house. We’re not going anywhere. Unlike the NFL, we don’t have to rekindle interest in our sport in Europe – the interest is already here.”

The promotion will hold between four and six shows a year in Europe, with Zelaznik already exploring smaller venues for future editions of the UFC’s successful “Fight Night” editions, currently running in the U.S. on Spike TV.

Zelaznik also announced two European television deals. The existing contract with Bravo to carry U.S. PPV events on a one-day delay, as well as broadcasting “The Ultimate Fighter” and “UFC Unleashed,” is to be extended. Meanwhile all events held in the UK will be broadcast live on the Setanta pay-per-view network for £14.95 (approximately $30).

According to White, who was clad in a t-shirt bearing the UK flag, British fighters will be an important part of the European expansion. “I’ve been blown away by the growth of UK talent since we last came here in 2002. Wherever the money is, that’s where the talented people go. Young kids who would have gone into boxing will now go into mixed martial arts.”

Although the Manchester event does not require official sanctioning, White said the show would follow Nevada State Athletic Commission guidelines, as well as meeting the medical and safety standards of the British Boxing Board of Control, which regulates boxing in the UK. Having visited the training camp of boxer Ricky Hatton yesterday, White says he feels the two sports can co-exist. “Except for some promoters I’ve fought with, the boxing community has welcomed us. Boxing is big here and in Europe, and it should be big in the US - but Don King and Bob Arum have done nothing to secure the sport’s future.”

According to MEN Arena manager John Knight, the arena will initially be set up for a capacity of 13,700, though extra seats may be made available if the event sells out. Tickets for April 21’s event are listed at £25-£250 ($50-500.) White said he was “praying for a sellout” and admitted that 2002’s UFC 38, held at the much smaller Royal Albert Hall in London, “murdered us financially. Running that show was a mistake.”

White expressed similar sentiments about the boxing match with Tito Ortiz, which he said would take place on March 24. “I wish I’d never said yes. I’m too old and too comfortable to be eating and working out the way I am [for this fight].”

Credit: TheFightNetwork.com

Edited February 23, 2007 by Enter Blue Guy

[Thrilla]

Off Topic: Heh, I never knew John wrote for that website. I've shared a few pints with him at wrestling shows before.

And the Manchester card just keeps on getting better and better, Arlovski/Werdum, oh yes. I really need to get around to sorting out tickets for that event.

[Enter Blue Guy]

It's good that you think that AA/Werdum increases the value of the card (I do too), but this may not...

It looks like Tito isn't going to be fighting at UFC 70 at all. Instead, rumor has it that he'll be squaring off against the "Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine in May in Vegas.

[ONO]

I'm trying to get into it, well I'm prepared to give it a chance. I have The Uprising, so I'm gonna watch that tonight. Who should I look out for? And I believe UFC is on Bravo 2 in the UK?

[IAceI]

They're often showing a lot of UFC throughout the week on any number of the Bravo channels I believe, specifically on Sundays they show some Unleashed so old classics.

I'm not an expert, but I do enjoy watching it. What I done was just watch a show randomly once, and saw that one fighter took my fancy. I suggest you just watch it tonight, and see what you like, I guess it goes to what style you want, if you want ground and pound or people squaring off and not rushing any moves etc.

Just watch tonight and see who you like, that's why I like Matt Hughes.

Oh yeah - and no one spoil the results!!

[ONO]

I have to admit, I am excited, very excited. The first guy I see that can kick the shit out of someone and choke them out is gonna have my support.

[IAceI]

I don't wanna say anything much, since the events been and I'd hate to say something that goes horribly wrong. But I think Hughes has a really good chance of beating Lytle (lets pretend its not happened yet), and I'm hoping he'll drop him on his head

There's something to be said for perhaps 3 minutes of not a lot, for the 5 seconds worth of a quick take down, someone get the strikes in and the match being stopped. It sort of makes it all okay

[alldaws1]

I'm taping The Uprising tonight, not missing 24 or Lost >_>

It'll be the first event I've watched in a while. Is Andrei Arlovski on the card? He's become one of my faves.

[ONO]

Renato Sobral vs Jason Lambert

Matt Hughes vs Chris Lytle

Rich Franklin vs Jason MacDonald

Martin Kampmann vs Drew McFedries

Tim Sylvia vs Randy Couture

[Thrilla]

The thing with the UFC is that everyone gets into different fighters simply due to their fighting style and the way they present themselves. For everyone that loves the brash cockiness of Tito Ortiz, you've got someone that loves the no nonsense approach of Chuck Liddell. For those that love the man that overcomes the odds all the time, you've Randy Couture who at 43 is coming out of retirement to fight the UFC Heavyweight Champion, the giant, Tim Sylvia, at the show you'll watch tonight. Couture was the first man to ever win a belt at two different weight classes in the UFC but has always struggled against opponents much bigger than him, while Sylvia has slowly become hated by some fans because he uses his size to his advantage and fights to win, not to entertain.

On top of those four guys, you've got Mikro Cro Cop, who has just come into the UFC from the Japanese promotion, PRIDE. Cro Cop is pretty much recognised as one of the best heavyweight fighters in the business to day, he throws lethal high kicks and has a highlight reel full of knockouts. Plus when he's not fighting, he works in the Croatian police force as a Counter-Terrorism Officer, if you search YouTube there should be a good documentary about him uploaded. Below the Heavyweights (205 - 265lbs - Sylvia ©, Couture, Cro Cop, Arlovski), you've got the Light-Heavyweights (185 - 205lbs - Liddell ©, Ortiz, Marvin 'The Beast' Eastman, Bisping), Middleweights (170 - 185lbs - Anderson Silva ©, Cote, Kampmann, Lawler, Rich Franklin), Welterweights (155 - 170lbs - Georges St Pierre ©, Matt Hughes, Chris Lytle, Frank Trigg) and the Lightweights, (145 - 155lbs - Sean Sherk ©, Yves Edwards, Kenny Florian).

As with most forms of fighting, the heavier divisions tend to get the most amount of publicity but some of the action in the lighter weights can be a lot more interesting. It depends what you're into, as a first time watcher you'll probably be drawn more towards the charasmatic guys and the guys the UFC put across as the big deals. If you stick with it, you'll notice how different fighters fight their fights and choose people who matches what you want to see in UFC matches.

Bravo2 is really good for the UFC at the moment, they're currently showing The Ultimate Fighter 3 most week nights (Monday to Thursday, I think), which is basically like WWE Tough Enough. It features guest spots from the big UFC guys of the time, training guys who want to get into the UFC.

Edited March 4, 2007 by Natural Born Thrilla

[probablyoliver]

Randy Couture = love.

Ollie's watching for Randy alone.

[IAceI]

As with most forms of fighting, the heavier divisions tend to get the most amount of publicity but some of the action in the lighter weights can be a lot more interesting. It depends what you're into, as a first time watcher you'll probably be drawn more towards the charasmatic guys and the guys the UFC put across as the big deals. If you stick with it, you'll notice how different fighters fight their fights and choose people who matches what you want to see in UFC matches.

[Thrilla]

To be fair, mass promotion of a fighter usually fails for the UFC. They did it for Tank Abbott's big return and Frank Mir tapped him out in 46 seconds. Chuck Liddell came out to a huge pyro, 'Ice Ice Baby' soundtrack, entrance thing and got beat by Couture, who when walking to the ring you would have thought was one of the trainers and not the fighter. But I think its only natural to be drawn to the people in the main event and to those that the commentators put over throughout the show.

Speaking of the commentators, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are probably the best announce team in any form of fighting/wrestling today.

[Enter Blue Guy]

I first wrote UFC 68 off as nothing special... Just watched it again, besides one slow plodding fight, it was 5 times better the second time. And that's without the excitement of the unexpected results.

Edited March 4, 2007 by Enter Blue Guy

[ONO]

Rich Franklin is a pounding machine. This is awesome.