MMA General Thread

[Disgruntled70sHab]

I know his UFC career is pretty much over, but ... Chuck man! Whaddaya doin'?

==============================================================

Liddell, Irvin to dance with the stars
Monday, August 17, 2009

Here's hoping The Iceman doesn't have two left feet.THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- Sixteen celebrities from the worlds of entertainment, sports and politics will be kicking up their heels on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

The show's largest cast ever, announced Monday, features singers Mya, Macy Gray and Aaron Carter; actors Ashley Hamilton, Melissa Joan Hart and Debi Mazar; and models Joanna Krupa and Kathy Ireland.

Contestants also include reality stars Mark Dacascos and Kelly Osbourne; entertainer Donny Osmond; mixed martial artist Chuck Liddell; professional snowboarder Louie Vito; Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin; former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin and former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

The ninth season of the hit ABC show premieres Sept. 21.

www.sportsnet.ca/mma/2009/08/17/TV-Dancing-With-th-0/ (link)

[Tankdriver]

Hey Dis did you see Gina Carrano get beat by "Cyborg" last saturday.....I read the articles but didn't see it.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Missed it TD. Don't know how women's MMA goes over though.

Cheers.

[Andrew]

I watched the countdown top 10 UFC fights of all time as voted by the fans on Friday. A good primer for people not well acquainted with UFC. I haven't seen Anderson Silva fight, but man did he look deadly in the bouts that they had in this episode.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Aug 17, 2009 14:39:21 GMT -5 Andrew said:

I watched the countdown top 10 UFC fights of all time as voted by the fans on Friday. A good primer for people not well acquainted with UFC. I haven't seen Anderson Silva fight, but man did he look deadly in the bouts that they had in this episode.

I watched the same show, Andrew. What was the Penn/St-Pierre fight ranked again? 4th or 5th? I don't tire of watching that one because of the way Penn trash-talked St-Pierre leading up to the fight. I heard on a UFC show that Penn was taken to hospital after the fight for precautionary measures. Meanwhile, GSP appears before the press in a suit and tie. Something he's been noted for, for quite some time now.

The top fight was an incredible tilt. I don't know if I've seen a more contested fight than Forrest Griffith vs Stephan Bonnar. The winner was to be given the contract. The loser was suppose to go home. In the end Dana White offered both fighters a UFC contract.

TD, I'm actually interested in seeing that women's fight. Like I was saying, I don't know how popular it will be but it might be interesting to see what level of intensity the women bring to the octagon. In some cases women's fights can turn out to be pretty nasty.

Cheers.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Vancouver is getting into it now. I heard somewhere that UFC will never get into Ontario.

==============================================================

UFC confirms it's headed to Vancouver
By Neil Davidson, THE CANADIAN PRESS

PORTLAND, Ore. - The UFC says it is on target to hold a show in Vancouver next year, with GM Place reserved for a card in June.

UFC officials were in Vancouver to press their cause and publicize it via a media roundtable Thursday. South of the border, UFC president Dana White was presenting it as a done deal. "We're going to Vancouver. We'll be there soon ... Let's just say we got it done," he told the UFC 102 pre-fight news conference Thursday.

Pressed on the matter afterwards, he said: "Nothing has been announced yet except me out here shooting my mouth off early as usual that we're going to Vancouver."

The UFC has been touting Vancouver for months, with June cited as the target date for a mixed martial arts show. The media roundtable was an opportunity for it to further make its case that the sport should be welcome, given its recent record and the hard economic times.

The UFC met with B.C. Attorney General Mike de Jong on Wednesday, following up on meeting with Vancouver Mayor George Robertson six weeks ago.

"We've had positive meetings," Marc Ratner, the UFC's vice-president of regulatory affairs, said in an interview Thursday.

The UFC will still have to go before city council to get its OK but Ratner is optimistic "we should be able to get approved." Shows had been permitted in Vancouver until the council opted to call a halt while it studied the issue.

Ratner, who called GM Place a "wonderful, wonderful arena," noted that Victoria had hosted an MMA show on Saturday. "So shows are happening."

Ratner said issues addressed ranged from liability to security, including the issue of whether MMA shows attracted gangs.

"I said we don't have those kind of problems," he said.

While Ratner works on opening up B.C., he hopes to end the debate over sanctioning the sport in Canada by dealing with the federal government.

"The long-range goal is go up to Ottawa and have the Criminal Code amended to include mixed martial arts and kickboxing so there's no question of what's going on," he said.

That will happen in a couple of weeks.

In Toronto, he said the Criminal Code is being interpreted differently than in Montreal.

Section 83.1 of the Criminal Code says anyone who "engages as a principal in a prize fight," encourages, promotes or is present at a prize fight as an aid, second, surgeon, umpire, backer or reporter is guilty of an offence - unless the "boxing contest" is "held with the permission or under the authority of an athletic board or commission or similar body established by or under the authority of the legislature of a province for the control of sport within the province."

The section also allows "a boxing contest between amateur sportsmen, where the contestants wear boxing gloves of not less than one hundred and forty grams each in mass."

The Ontario Athletic Commission had argued that a mixed martial arts event was not a boxing contest. But provincial officials have since said that is not the issue. Safety was more the factor the province was examining.

The UFC has already held two successful shows in Montreal and hopes to add Vancouver and Toronto in 2010. It says holding a show is worth US$7 million to $10 million in economic impact, depending on the city.

The organization consistently calls Canada the "Mecca of mixed martial arts," citing healthy ticket sales by Canadians at shows around North America and elsewhere.

slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Fighting/UFC/2009/08/27/10640571-cp.html (link)

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Guess Penn and Sanchez are headlining UFC 107 December 12th. I won't be able to see it because we've got a house party going on that night.

Penn has really rebounded from that beating he took from Georges St-Pierre back in UFC 94. Penn, himself, admits that he was grateful to his brother for stopping that fight. In his own words, it could have been a career-ending fight for him had the fight went into the last round.

However, Penn has really come back strong. This will be his third fight since UFC 94. He's a true champion and top draw for sure.

However, St-Pierre was laid up with a really bad groin injury. Dana White is trying to put a match together with GSP and Anderson Silva. However, I think GSP's next opponent will be Dan Hardy. I'm not sure when that is, but I'm going to make time to see it.

That said, I think GSP will need a little more time to prepare for a guy like Silva. Silva trains with Heavyweight Champion, Lyoto Machida. He's probably the best fighter pound for pound in the UFC.

One last thing; I recently heard that GSP will be training to make Canada's Olympic wrestling team. Good luck Georges!!

Cheers.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

BJ Penn has dominated the lightweight division for years now and he's done well coming back from his loss to GSP in February.

If this third fight with GSP is to happen, I'm hoping St-Pierre chooses the timing for it. This Saturday will be Penn's third fight since his match with GSP, yet St-Pierre will be making his first appearance since injuring himself a few months back.

==============================================================

UFC: Penn always dreams of (a rematch with) St. Pierre
Mercredi 09 décembre 2009
RDS.ca


After his loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 last January, BJ Penn is back in lightweight (division) and has successfully defended his title against Kenny Florian at UFC 101.

And Saturday, when he puts his belt at stake against Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez UFC Final 107, Penn will have something specific in mind.

"I have the duty to defend my title, but I still want to fight St. Pierre," Penn said Wednesday, who has not lost a fight to the lightweight division in almost eight years.

Recall that Quebecers had imposed at UFC 58 in taking the measure of the Hawaiian by majority decision of the judges. St-Pierre has been the welterweight champion UFC since January 2008.

(le link) www.rds.ca/combats/chroniques/287817.html

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Welcome back to Brock Lesnar and Georges St-Pierre.

Love him or hate him, Lesnar is good for the sport. St-Pierre hasn't fought since UFC 100 but he'll be in action soon.

BJ Penn has fought three times since taking that near-career-ending fight with Georges last February and he's walking through his weightclass. He wants another shot at GSP but Dana White told him to clean his weightclass out first, then take on the number-1 contender in the welterweight division, then he'll get his shot at GSP. According to White, GSP has beaten Penn twice already and this will be the only way he'll be able to get another crack at the welterweight title.

Cheers.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

GSP kicking it up for UFC 111.

MOUSASI TO HELP ST. PIERRE PREPARE
FOR HARDY AT UFC 111

TSN.CA STAFF
1/26/2010 2:21:15 PM

Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is leaving no stone unturned in training for his upcoming title defence against Dan Hardy at UFC 111.

GSP, who is the favourite heading into the bout, will have even more help preparing in the weeks ahead as one of the world's best light heavyweight fighters Gegard Mousasi will join his camp, according to Sherdog.com.

The 24-year-old Mousasi currently holds Strikeforce's light heavyweight title and boasts a mixed martial arts record of 28 wins, two losses and one draw. "The Dreamcatcher" is undefeated is his last 15 fights, dating back to 2006.

St. Pierre's dedication shouldn't come as a surprise. After being upset by Matt Serra at UFC 69, GSP stated he would never take an opponent lightly again. Since then the Montreal, Quebec native has rattled off six straight victories and reclaimed the UFC welterweight championship.

St. Pierre is 19-2 in his MMA career and looking for his fourth consecutive title defence.

Other fights confirmed for the UFC 111 fight card in New Jersey include Shane Carwin and Frank Mir battling it out for the UFC's interim heavyweight title and Canadian Mark Bocek taking on Jim Miller.

www.tsn.ca/mma/story/?id=307733 (link)

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

Aug 27, 2009 20:36:11 GMT -5 Disgruntled70sHab said:

Vancouver is getting into it now. I heard somewhere that UFC will never get into Ontario.

==============================================================

UFC confirms it's headed to Vancouver
By Neil Davidson, THE CANADIAN PRESS

PORTLAND, Ore. - The UFC says it is on target to hold a show in Vancouver next year, with GM Place reserved for a card in June.

UFC officials were in Vancouver to press their cause and publicize it via a media roundtable Thursday. South of the border, UFC president Dana White was presenting it as a done deal. "We're going to Vancouver. We'll be there soon ... Let's just say we got it done," he told the UFC 102 pre-fight news conference Thursday.

Pressed on the matter afterwards, he said: "Nothing has been announced yet except me out here shooting my mouth off early as usual that we're going to Vancouver."

The UFC has been touting Vancouver for months, with June cited as the target date for a mixed martial arts show. The media roundtable was an opportunity for it to further make its case that the sport should be welcome, given its recent record and the hard economic times.

The UFC met with B.C. Attorney General Mike de Jong on Wednesday, following up on meeting with Vancouver Mayor George Robertson six weeks ago.

"We've had positive meetings," Marc Ratner, the UFC's vice-president of regulatory affairs, said in an interview Thursday.

The UFC will still have to go before city council to get its OK but Ratner is optimistic "we should be able to get approved." Shows had been permitted in Vancouver until the council opted to call a halt while it studied the issue.

Ratner, who called GM Place a "wonderful, wonderful arena," noted that Victoria had hosted an MMA show on Saturday. "So shows are happening."

Ratner said issues addressed ranged from liability to security, including the issue of whether MMA shows attracted gangs.

"I said we don't have those kind of problems," he said.

While Ratner works on opening up B.C., he hopes to end the debate over sanctioning the sport in Canada by dealing with the federal government.

"The long-range goal is go up to Ottawa and have the Criminal Code amended to include mixed martial arts and kickboxing so there's no question of what's going on," he said.

That will happen in a couple of weeks.

In Toronto, he said the Criminal Code is being interpreted differently than in Montreal.

Section 83.1 of the Criminal Code says anyone who "engages as a principal in a prize fight," encourages, promotes or is present at a prize fight as an aid, second, surgeon, umpire, backer or reporter is guilty of an offence - unless the "boxing contest" is "held with the permission or under the authority of an athletic board or commission or similar body established by or under the authority of the legislature of a province for the control of sport within the province."

The section also allows "a boxing contest between amateur sportsmen, where the contestants wear boxing gloves of not less than one hundred and forty grams each in mass."

The Ontario Athletic Commission had argued that a mixed martial arts event was not a boxing contest. But provincial officials have since said that is not the issue. Safety was more the factor the province was examining.

The UFC has already held two successful shows in Montreal and hopes to add Vancouver and Toronto in 2010. It says holding a show is worth US$7 million to $10 million in economic impact, depending on the city.

The organization consistently calls Canada the "Mecca of mixed martial arts," citing healthy ticket sales by Canadians at shows around North America and elsewhere.

slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Fighting/UFC/2009/08/27/10640571-cp.html (link)

A MMA event was scheduled and a hockey game broke out.
It is in the interests of Boxing Commissions to minimize the attraction of MMA in order to protect the dwindling public interest in boxing. The commission is not in a position to make interpretations of rules and regulations of a completely different sport. I have had some involvement with King of the Cage. Each organization has it's own rules petaining to allowable strikes to length and number of rounds. A boxing commission is intended to ensure the safety of boxers protecting them from injuries and concussions. Banning MMA is not in the puclic interest as it forces matches onto Indigenous peoples reservations.
MMA is inherantly dangerous and the participents are willingly accepting the risks. Fans want to watch it, gamblers want to bet on it, municipalities want to promote it and fighters want to participitate.
The Church Lady wants to stop it for everyones own good. Nobody is forcing Mother Superior into the cage.
Some people will get hurt, some hockey players will get concussions, some Indy racers will be killed as will some downhill skiiers and free divers.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

It's all about the exposure and the money, HFLA. UFC is even going to United Arab Emirates now to hold an outdoor event.

And there's huge amounts of money in Dubai.

Cheers.