Rashad Evans joins the MMA Live panel to help review UFC 101 and WEC 42. In addition, a preview of the biggest fight in women's MMA history as Gina Carano and Cris 'Cyborg' Santos battle on Aug. 15 at Strikeforce.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship's first foray into Philadelphia was nothing short of a rousing success. Two of the promotion's top stars got back on track, B.J. Penn defending his UFC lightweight belt from Kenny Florian, and Anderson Silva laying further claim to the mythical pound-for-pound title with a first-round knockout of Forrest Griffin.
All this before a stellar crowd.
The early return numbers -- as announced by UFC President Dana White at the post-fight press conference -- put total attendance at 17,411 for a Pennsylvania record gate of $3.55 million.
"(We've) never had a night where the first prelim of the night there were over 11,000 people there," commented White. "Halfway through the prelims there were 16,500 people, and then over 17,000... it was 17,411, $3.55 million gate. The biggest in the history of Pennsylvania."
Now on to the pay-per-view numbers... isn't there some sort of crazy stunt -- like White's commitment to base-jumping off of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas -- that we can get him to commit too in Philly if UFC 101 tops UFC 100 in PPV buys?
Amir Sadollah is in with his second installment of the furiously popular training blogs for his fight at UFC 101 this weekend. And the games are over...
The Countdown to UFC 101 airs Tuesday night at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Spike TV. UFC 101 features lightweight champion B.J. Penn defending against No. 1 contender Kenny Florian, and middelweight champ Anderson Silva once again moving up to light heavyweight to take on Forrest Griffin.
The YouTube clip featuring BJ Penn's pool jump is still going strong and attracting video rebuttals from NFL players.
Penn has been documenting virtually every step of his journey to UFC 101 on his website, BJPenn.com, but this video has separated itself from the pack.
And it wasn't even that big of a deal, according to Penn.
"We were always just hanging out by the pool and were always playing around and saying, oh, I'll see you later’ and just saying bye jumping out, just kind of joking around," said Penn during a teleconference promoting his upcoming fight with Kenny Klorian. "And then one time, I was like, I'm going to try and jump out, and I jumped out, and my friend was like, oh, you've gotta blog that. So I went back in and jumped out again.
"To my surprise, I was hanging out and my friend's girlfriend who was visiting him said, 'hey, you're on the front page of Yahoo!' I was like, for promoting UFC 101? 'No, for jumping out of the pool.' I was like, what? Pretty much a surprise to me."
Check out Amir Sadollah as he hits mitts in the gym and works to get back on his feet and back in the Octagon. Sadollah faces off against Johny Hendricks for UFC 101: Declaration on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.
The video trailer for the showdown between UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and challenger Kenny Florian. The fight takes place at UFC 101 on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.
MMA Insider caught up with Sityodtong head trainer Mark Delagrotte in Las Vegas as he assisted Frank Mir and Forrest Griffin for their upcoming fights.
Delagrotte suffered a disappointing loss last month at UFC 99 when prized pupil Marcus Davis lost a close decision to Dan Hardy in a heated grudge match. Afterwards, Davis lobbied the MMA media for an immediate rematch, but Delagrotte advised him against such a tact.
"I told Marcus I have a different view, a different perspective," said Delagrotte. "I have an emotional attachment, a financial attachment to Marcus. He's my guy. I've known him a long time, and he's a very close friend of mine. So, of course, when you have an emotional attachment and a financial attachment to the fighter--we both lost half our money that night.
"I went home in a Hilton bathrobe from Germany, I lost my shirt when I was there. But we never question judges; they're in their place to do what they do. They're there to protect the integrity of the sport. We agree with the decision. I saw the fight a little bit differently because of my involvement with Marcus.
"I told Marcus to try not make a big thing about it, to be humble and if we get that opportunity to redeem our self, we'll do so, if not, we're not going to waste our time looking at the past."
Another prized pupil, Kenny Florian, has a lot to look forward to when he gets his second title shot against current lightweight champion BJ Penn.
Recently, Penn waged a bland offensive over Florian's pre-fight rhetoric, issuing two video blogs on his website (shot in somebody's living room) that welcomed the UFC 101 fight.
Delagrotte hadn't kept tabs on the viral salvo and dismissed Penn's chatter.
"BJ gets very emotional and wrapped up in his opponents," said DeLagrotte. "He needs things to hate his opponents. He needs things to help him get up for a fight. Kenny doesn't need that. He doesn't need to like you or dislike you. He's just going to go in there, train hard, do his job, and get paid. We're looking to play the smart role and outwit BJ in this fight."
Even if there is post-fight trash talk, Delagrotte said there's power in numbers.
"I guarantee there will be a lot more Bostonians than there will be Hilo boys, for sure," he said.
A little more than a month away from his Aug. 8 UFC lightweight title defense against Kenny Florian and B.J. Penn is already down to 166.8 pounds. Not far to go to make 155.
Is B.J. over the "greasegate" issues surrounding UFC 94 and ready for the return to 155 and Kenny Florian?
The May 16th edition of B.J. Penn's video blog as he prepares to defend his UFC lightweight championship against Kenny Florian at UFC 101 in Philadelphia.
The latest edition of B.J. Penn's video blog as he prepares to defend his UFC lightweight championship against Kenny Florian at UFC 101 in Philadelphia.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin has plunged headlong into main event with Anderson Silva at UFC 101. The affable fighter was originally booked to face Thiago Silva, but jumped at the idea of fighting "The Spider."
"This is going to be one ridiculous match," Griffin wrote on his official blog for sports nutrition company BSN. "I need to be mentally prepared to fight this guy. The past few fights, it looks like nobody has really lived up to their potential when going up against Spider. I want to at least come in and fight up to my ability. I'm just focused on dealing with him, showing up prepared and getting an actual fight going."
To get the fight going, he'll need to have his mind and heart right, and that's where Dr. Phil comes in.
The Texan talk show host had Griffin as a guest Wednesday in an episode to air on May 14. The show's theme is unknown, but if history is any indication, don't count on Griffin getting too touchy-feely.
Griffin will also embark on a book tour next month for the soon to be released "Got Fight?" featuring his quirky ideas on life and the fight game.
The latest edition of ESPN.com's MMA Live features Kyle Maynard following his unsanctioned MMA debut, the Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin match-up for UFC 101, an update to Strikeforce's June 6 fight card, Bellator, and more.
On Saturday, MMAWeekly.com reported that a match-up between lightweights David Baron and Rob Emerson was likely for UFC 101 on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia, citing sources close to negotiations.
However, a subsequent message from a representative in Baron's camp stated that the fight was off.
In email sent to MMAInsider, the representative said Baron had recently taken a new job and was undergoing "intensive on-the-job training" until August or September. The French fighter would not be available until October or November at the earliest.
"Because of this, David is likely to be released by the UFC," the representative stated.
Baron, 16-3, last appeared at UFC 89, where he lost to Jim Miller by submission.
Check back with MMAWeekly.com for updates on the story as they become available.
UPDATE: Baron's representative has informed MMAInsider that the fighter holds a job as a firefighter that is attached to the French military. Baron will be switching to a different post within the Department of Defense that specializes in fire security. The new job requires one year of training, which rules out an August fight with Emerson.
A fight between middleweights Alessio Sakara and Rousimar Palhares, as first reported by MMAWeekly.com has been moved from UFC 99 in Germany to UFC 101 in Philadelphia.
The news of the move was confirmed by sources close to the fight on Wednesday.
Sakara's involement on the UFC 99 card made sense because of the fighter's roots in Italy, but for unknown reasons the promotion decided to push the fight back for an August date instead.
Both fighters will step into the match-up coming off of wins. Sakara head kicked his way to a knockout win over Joe Vedepo, while Palhares dominated Jeremy Horn for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory in February.
It's likely that the fight between Sakara and Palhares will remain on the undercard for the UFC's debut show in Philadelphia, which will be headlined by lightweight champion, B.J. Penn, facing top contender, Kenny Florian.
UFC middleweight Chris Leben says all is well at his new gym, Ultimate Fight School, in Honolulu, Hawaii, with new students and a burgeoning fight team keeping him busy 24/7.
"They always say it's going to be more work than you can imagine, and they're right," Leben told MMAInsider of his new CEO job. "I'm a very busy man."
One of his welterweights, Andrew "Danger" Cohea, is set to compete in longtime Hawaii promoter T.Jay Thompson's new show, Kingdom MMA, on April 18, with an opponent yet to be booked.
The colorful brawler says UFC matchmaker Joe Silva is targeting an August return for him.
Following his decision loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 89 in London, Leben was suspended for nine months by the UFC after a post-fight drug test revealed the presence of stanozolol, a performance enhancing steroid. He also forfeited one third of his fight purse.
Leben's suspension is complete in late July, and appears a ready-made fit for a late summer card currently in the works.
The unannounced UFC 102, first leaked to MMA fans by UFC executive and majority owner Lorenzo Fertitta, is reportedly being planned for August 29 at the Rose Quarter in Portland, Or.
Previously, the "City of Roses" was under consideration for UFC 101 on Aug. 8, with native son Randy Couture set to do battle against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the main event, but subsequent reports confirmed that Philadelphia, Pa. had taken its place. Though Fertitta did not give the reason for the change, MMA's legalization in the East Coast state, taxes levied on the promotion by its athletic commission, and a fervent fan base all likely played parts in the decision.
But for now, it appears the Northwest will not be left out.
Leben was born in Portland and spent much of his profession career in the suburb of Gresham through his work with Team Quest.
"It would be a dream come true," said Leben of a possible fight in his hometown.
In a recent posting on the popular mixed martial arts message board, "The Underground," UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta wrote that the yet-unannounced UFC 101 may not take place in Portland on Aug. 8, as widely reported.
Instead, the Northwest card would be moved to the final Saturday of the month, Aug. 29, with former Gresham resident and heavyweight champ Randy Couture headlining the card against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102.
MMAWeekly.com first reported that UFC 101 would take place in August, although a date was not available at the time of publication. A subsequent report on mmamania.com stated that Philadelphia had replaced Portland as the city under consideration for the event, leaving "the city of roses" high and dry for the second time since it was passed over for UFC 91.
Not so, according to Fertitta.
Fertitta stated that a lightweight showdown between BJ Penn and Kenny Florian was in the works for the Philadelphia event. Pennsylvania recently passed legislation to legalize MMA in the Northeast state.
UFC 101 and 102 would represent the 22nd and 23rd US states visited by the UFC for a pay per view event.
Copyright 2009 MMA Weekly LLC. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of MMA Weekly content is expressly prohibited without expressed written consent of MMA Weekly. MMA Weekly will not be liable for any errors in content or any action taken in reliance thereof.
MMA Insider Blog RSS Feed
