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Friday, September 4, 2009
MMA Live Takes a Look Back at UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 2:03 PM
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Randy Couture's UFC 102 Video Blog (8/27/09)
The latest installment of Randy Couture's UFC 102 video blog from Portland, Oregon.Labels: Randy Couture, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 3:15 AM
Nate Marquardt UFC 102 Fighter Blog
Hang out with Nate Marquardt as he prepares for his middleweight bout against Demian Maia in UFC 102.Labels: Nate Marquardt, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 3:08 AM
Friday, August 28, 2009
Randy Couture's UFC 102 Video Blog (8/25 & 8/26)
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 3:02 AM
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Randy Couture's UFC 102 Video Blog (8/25/09)
The second edition of Randy Couture's official UFC 102 video blog. Weighing in at 221.8 and trying to keep weight on during his training.Labels: Randy Couture, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 5:55 PM
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Randy Couture Training for Minotauro Nogueira
Get a look at Randy Couture as he steps up his training to take on Minotauro Nogueira for UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira - Saturday, August 29th, live on Pay-Per-View from the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. (Courtesy of UFC)Labels: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Randy Couture, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 2:44 PM
Thursday, August 20, 2009
MMA Live Looks Back at Cyborg, Forward to UFC 102
MMA Live takes a look at the aftermath of Strikeforce "Carano vs Cyborg." In addition, an update on Lesnar vs Carwin, Chuck Liddell on Dancing with the Stars, and a comprehensive preview of UFC 102.Labels: Brock Lesnar, Carano vs. Cyborg, ESPN, MMA Live, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 5:47 PM
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Randy Couture Happy That Friend, Brett Favre, Signing On With Vikings
 Future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, for the second year in a row, decided to turn his back on retirement and continue his career as one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. At 39 years of age and a reported $10 million to $12 million contract in front of you, why not?
After retiring from the Green Bay Packers two years ago, Favre did an about face and signed on and played for the N.Y. Jets last year. Following the season, he once again hung up his cleats. But now that training camp is nearly over, he has decided to return again, this time to the Minnesota Vikings.
But what does this have to do with MMA? Not a whole lot really, except that Favre is good friends with former multi-time UFC champion Randy Couture, who on Tuesday, addressed his friend's decision to return to the NFL.
Of course, there are a lot of parallels to be drawn between the two athletes, Couture often saying that he will continue as long as his body can keep up and the passion to compete in MMA still burns. And he feels the same holds true for Favre.
"Well, I think that Brett still has a strong competitive spirit. I'm not surprised he finally made the decision to continue to compete. I think that's the thing in all of us that dies hard," Couture said.
"It's not something that we walk away from easily. He struggled with that decision that last couple years.
"He had an amazing season last season with the Jets, so I'm glad that the Vikings, it looks like, are gonna give him a chance and he's gonna get to continue to hopefully continue to put some good numbers up on the board and have another great year."
Couture gets his own opportunity to keep his career going next week as the UFC 102 lands in his back yard of Portland, Ore. He will face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the main event, marking the promotion's first stop in the Pacific Northwest.Labels: Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, Randy Couture, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 4:21 PM
LIVE BLOG: UFC 102 Conference Call - Couture vs. Nogueira
 We're blogging today's UFC 102 conference call with Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, live, beginning at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET. Refresh the page frequently for the latest updates...
11:48 - That's it folks...
11:46 - Randy and Nog both say that it's easier to go out and do your job as a fighter when there isn't any animosity between you and your opponent. There's not so much wasted energy on emotions.
11:42 - Randy says there was no negativity around the gym due to Forrest Griffin and Gina Carano losing their fights recently. "If losing a fight is the worst thing that happens to them, they're doing pretty damn good." Says those are just good learning experiences and both of them will come back stronger.
Says that Forrest returned to the gym yesterday (Monday, Aug. 17).
Randy says his divorce with Kim is going a little easier than his last divorce, not really being a distraction.
Nog says he has had three fights in the UFC and has yet to show his best performance.
11:40 - Randy on Cain Velasquez and Shane Carwin: "I think they're both great athletes... they both deserve to be right up at the top of the weight class. It's going to be real interesting to see who comes out of that fight... and how."
Nog on Cain and Shane: "Both are top guys in the weight division. Cain shows a lot of heart in his fights and great endurance. It's going to be a great fight."
Randy, since when have you wanted to fight Nogueira?: Says he was excited about meeting him in the finals of the Rings King of Kings tournament before Randy got beat. He was "impressed with his performances (then)... He's certainly been one of the top guys in the sport and I'm happy to get the chance to compete against now."
11:38 - Randy names Martin Kampmann, Tyson Griffin, and Mike Pyle as guys in the Xtreme Couture gym to really watch for.
11:37 - Randy's hi-point and low-point in the cage: "Coming back out of retirement (against Tim Sylvia) is definitely one. If I had a low-point, probably around the third Chuck fight."
Nog on hi-point and low-point in the cage: "Like he said probably couple injuries, like last fight (against Frank Mir)... I feel like I couldn't train for this fight, that was a low-point for sure. I think submission I got against Tim Sylvia (was the high-point)."
Randy on how to beat Brock Lesnar: "I think it's gonna boil down to out-wrestling him... Using the cage and finding ways to make him fight off of his back... there's no easy way around a guy that size."
Nog on how to beat Brock Lesnar: "I think the jiu-jitsu game with him... we got to try any kind of submission, make him work on the ground, make him tired."
11:33 - Randy on 3 rounds vs. 5 rounds. It's his first 3-rounder since Van Arsdale a few years ago: "You can't afford to have a slow start in any fight, but especially not in a three-round fight..."
Randy says against Nogueira, who is only about 10 pounds heavier, this fight is more about technical issues than physical issues like his most recent fights have been.
Nog says he has been training a lot in Greco-Roman style wrestling to prepare for Randy. "He's a normal size, so I didn't train with anybody special (to emulate his body type)."
11:28 - Randy on age; he's 46: "I don't worry about it. You set benchmarks for yourself" and when you stop reaching those benchmarks, then you'll know the time is coming.
Nog is 33, is this an advantage: "No... (but) I've been doing my part, taking care of injuries (and being in shape). I think both (of us) will be in shape."
11:26 - Randy: "(Oregon) is turning into a wonderful place (to develop fighters.) It's an honor for me to be back in front of a bunch of family and friends in Oregon."
Randy on how long he wants to fight: "I'm holding up very well physically. I'm gonna continue to take it one fight at a time and doing what I do well."
11:23 - Nog: "I'm 33 years old, I think I have a lot of (fight left in me). I feel young. I feel healthy. I am still very competitive."
Nog on his brother, Rogerio coming to UFC: "Yeah, he's going to be coming soon... for sure, he's coming to UFC. Once they close the deal, he's coming to UFC for sure."
11:20 - Randy ever on Dancing With the Stars: "I did a little cameo a couple seasons ago. I think it's really cool that Chuck is gonna do that."
11:18 - Randy on longevity: "I have a passion for the sport. It's not just work, it's what I lave to do."
On leaving UFC to fight Fedor: "If it's gonna happen, I think it's gonna happen in the UFC."
Randy on looking past "It would be stupid to look past this fight."
Nog: "I feel I have to do way better than I did in my last match."
Randy: "I don't feel a lot of pressure. I feel I performed well against Lesnar... I just got caught."
11:15 - Randy on Strikeforce on Saturday: "I think it was a historical event. I think the UFC has entertained the idea (of women fighting), but they're not there yet."
Nog on whether he should get a title shot if he wins: "I need to think about this fight right now. I can't think about the future before this fight happens. I think that is a very good fight for me."
11:13 - Nog: "Bad fights happen. I couldn't be in shape," talking about how bad his knees were in the Frank Mir fight. "(Now) I feel very good. I brought all of my partners to California and I have been training very hard."
11:11 - Randy on Brett Farve: "I think Brett has a strong competitive spirit. I'm not surprised he finally made the decision to continue to compete."
Nog: "Its' going to be a great fight for me... (being in Portland) I know I'm gonna have plenty of people against me."
11:09 - Randy "It's going to be nice performing in front of my home town. It's awesome to be the main event in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm excited about it."
Randy talks about having spent a lot of time working on his jiu-jitsu/submissions and says "I have to be especially attentive there."
11:07 - Randy "I can't afford to look past Minotauro." Commenting about possible shot at Brock Lesnar if he wins this fight.
Regardless of how Nogueira performed against Mir, Randy says, "I have to prepare for the best Minotauro we've ever seen."
11:05 - We're just now getting underway. Introducing Randy and Nog.Labels: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Randy Couture, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 1:52 PM
Friday, August 14, 2009
Sly Stallone Gets the Skinny on UFC 102 "Couture vs Nogueira"
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 4:51 PM
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Talks Randy Couture, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 3:21 PM
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Demian Maia Preparing for UFC 102 with Wanderlei Silva
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 11:32 PM
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Randy Couture on The Expendibles, Training, UFC 100 and more...
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 1:48 PM
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Couture On Stallone and Expendables
MMAInsider recently sat down with UFC Hall of Famer and former heavyweight champion Randy Couture, who's on a brief hiatus from work in Sylvester Stallone's "The Expendables," set for release next April. Couture spoke about his role in the movie, working with Stallone, and his rendezvous with the Nogueira brothers on set in Brazil.
MMAInsider: You spoke about Stallone's intensity in the filming process.
Couture: He has an intensity about him. I'm sure he's wearing a lot of hats. He's the writer, he's directing, he's starring in it. There's an intensity there. But at the same time, it's not overwhelming to the point where you don't feel comfortable. He's very in tune with the actors. "This is your line, this is how we want this to come across." So he's easy to work with, and easy to work for.
MMAInsider: He's a big fight fan, too.
Couture: Yeah. The Nogueira brothers were up there. They put on an exhibition round of fights for the guys and (Stallone) made them soldiers in the movie.
MMAInsider: Bad guys or good guys?
Couture: Well, it's all a matter of perspective in this movie.
MMAInsider: Because you're all bad guys in this move, right?
Couture: Not really, but sort of. They're soldiers, the elite band of this dictator Garza, so depending on what side of things you're standing on, they're either good guys or bad guys. We're mercenaries that are going in to overthrow the dictator, so are we the good guys going in to do that? On their side of the fence, we're the bad guys.
MMAInsider: You've got an unusual character name.
Couture: "Toll Road." If you're gonna get by me, you're going to have to pay.
MMAInsider: Is Stallone teaching you anything about film acting?
Couture: Each and every time I get to be a part of the process, it's a learning experience. To see other guys work, you're going through the whole experience again. It's just like fighting. Each and every time I fight I learn something new, and learn something in the training process. I found a new coach for this role, and some of the other roles I've been reading for lately. I'm learning a bunch of new ways to wrap my brain around the lines, and the characters and carrying that into this experience. In a couple of the scenes, me and Stallone have an exchange with the other actors. He wanted to make it flow, make it quick, to make it how it would be if you were intense and under pressure. He wanted a rhythm to the language -- just puke it out there. Because when you're under stress, you don't think about what you want to say -- it just comes out.
MMAInsider: What do you do to get yourself in that heightened state that's necessary for action movies?
Couture: I think finding something to relate to from my own personal experience. Then I have to get warmed up. I can't just jump into that. I have to think about that, go through the lines with the notes in the margins and trying it a few times on my own to get into it, and then you're there.
MMAInsider: What was it like being around the Nogueira brothers on set?
Couture: They're very nice guys. I think everybody on set was used to that boxing mentality because we were scheduled to fight at the end of the summer. I walked right up to them and started talking; they're all gunked up, their faces painted and everything else. It was cool.
MMAInsider: Did they enjoy the process?
Couture: I wondered. I didn't get a chance to spend any personal time with them. It's long days, man. Twelve-hour days, from five to five. I wondered what they think about that, sitting around a bunch.
MMAInsider: How long do you film for?
Couture: June 24th is the date that I wrap up, which is perfect time, because that's when I need to be getting into camp. I think I'm going to be bringing some of my stand-up guys to the set in Louisiana, spend some time sharpening my tools, getting into the right direction.Labels: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Randy Couture, Sylvester Stallone, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 8:16 PM
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Randy Couture Begins Work On "The Expendables"
On Tuesday, UFC hall of famer and former heavyweight champ Randy Couture had his first day on the set of "The Expendables," the Sylvester Stallone-helmed action movie due out next April.
Couture plays a mercenary along with Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Dolph Lundgren.
Couture's work is expected to last into early June, after which he will begin preparations to meet Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102 in August.
On a side note, Stallone has now given roles to Nogueira brothers Rodrigo and Rogerio in addition to some of their academy teammates. MMAInsider's source tells us they're playing "bad guys."
Sherdog.com's new blog reported Stallone palling around with the fighters on set last week.Labels: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Randy Couture, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 2:30 PM
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Leben Anticipates August Return To Action
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.Labels: Chris Leben, UFC 101, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 7:19 PM
Monday, March 23, 2009
Portland UFC Possibly Moved To Late August
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.Labels: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, BJ Penn, Kenny Florian, Randy Couture, UFC 101, UFC 102
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 1:02 PM
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