Lawler to Take on Koscheck in UFC 157

 

Robbie Lawler will be taking on Josh Koscheck in UFC 157. The event is scheduled for the 23 of February and will be held in Anaheim, CA.

 

This will be the first fight in the UFC promotion for Lawler since he lost to Even Tanner in 2004. Before that loss, Lawler had earned a reputation as an excellent fighter, taking his first seven fights in MMA.

 

Lawler was also a top fighter in other promotions. He held the 185lb title in Elite XC. He also held titles in ICON Sports and in Superbrawl.

 

Lawler's opponent in UFC 157, Koscheck, has some impressive fights under his belt, as well. He knocked out Matt Hughes and had performed very well as a welterweight fighter in the UFC. He has been fighting in that division since 2005. The closest he came to winning a belt in that division was in 2010.

 

The Main Event

 

Where UFC 157 is concerned, the most popular event is likely to be the first-ever fight in the women's division. That fight will feature Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche. Rousey, a former Olympian, has earned a reputation for lightning-fast wins and is widely considered to be the best female fighter in MMA at present. Liz Carmouche is a former US Marine. The two are scheduled for a five-round fight.

 

ESPN also recently announced that Chad Mendes will fight Manvel Gamburyan at the event. The featherweight fight will see Mendes trying to keep his two-win streak alive. Currently, his record stands at 13-1. Gamburyan won a fight in August against Michihiro Omigawa, ending a three fight losing streak. His current career record stands at 12-7.

 

Other fights to be featured at UFC 157 will include Urijah Faber against Ivan Menjivar, Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida and Muchael Chiesa vs. Anton Kuivanen.

Another Strikeforce Fighter Heads to UFC

 

Karlos Vemola will not be fighting in UFC 155 and will be replaced by Derek Brunson, according to USA Today. The deal hasn't been finalized as of yet, according to the article, but there are verbal agreements in place and it's expected to be formally announced soon. Brunson has a 9-2 record in MMA and will replace Vemola in his match against Chris Leben, who has a 22-8 MMA record overall and a 12-7 record in UFC.

 

Brunson's last two fights were losses. He won is first nine fights, however, and is looking to establish himself in the UFC. Strikeforce will be holding its last-ever fight in January.

 

His opponent, Leben is coming back from a suspension. The fighter tested positive for two prescription pain killers: oxycodone and oxymorphone. This followed his loss to Mark Munoz in UFC 138, resulting in the fighter being suspended for a year.

 

Leben has since been treated for addiction—this was the second time he'd failed a drug test—and said he's ready to get back to his fighting career and that he is more focused than ever, according to the article.

 

The biggest fight of the night will be Junior dos Santos taking on Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title. Other fights on the card include Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami, Tim Boetsch vs. Constantinos Philippou and Joe Lauzon vs. Jim Miller. This will be a pay-per-view event. It was recently announced that the dos Santos vs. Velasquez fight will be referred by Herb Dean, who is highly regarded as one of the best referees in the UFC. He recently won the Best Referee honor at the 2011 World MMA Awards, according to Bleacher Report, and has also received a lot of praise from the president of the UFC, Dana White, for his good calls and control of fights.

 

Rory MacDonald Wants Revenge

 

In last Saturday's UFC on Fox5, Rory MacDonald dominated the cage against BJ Penn. In a night of good fights, the BJ Penn versus Rory MacDonald fights stood out as one of the best. Now, Rory MacDonald wants to move on to a new fight, with an opponent against whom he holds a very old grudge. In fact, the grudge goes back nearly 2 years.

 

During UFC 115, which was held in June of 2010, MacDonald went into the cage against Carlos Condit. During that match, Condit opened up on MacDonald during the third round, taking him out with a dizzying flurry of punches and elbows that handed Condit the fight. During the post-fight interview on Saturday, MacDonald described Condit as a man who had "humiliated" him. Now, MacDonald wants to step back into the cage with that same man and, during the interview, he suggested that they do it in March.

 

"I'm going to get my revenge," he said during the post-fight interview.

 

MacDonald proved comfortable with flurries of punches during the fight with BJ Penn. Fast hands, excellent reflexes and a complete control of the cage on MacDonald's part defined the majority of the fight. During pre-fight interviews, MacDonald had mentioned BJ Penn as someone he very much admired when he was coming up the ranks, but said that he was ready to take them on now and, when the two met in the cage, he more than proved that.

 

Carlos Condit is the only fighter to have beaten Rory MacDonald in the cage. In his last fight, the judge's scores for Rory MacDonald versus BJ Penn were 30-26, 30-26, and 30-27, handing MacDonald the win by unanimous decision. The only knockout on the main card was when Matt Brown defeated Mike Swick in the second round with a punch.

Faber vs. Vaughan Looking Good for UFC 156

 

 

Urijah Faber and Lee Vaughan might be squaring off in UFC 156. According to reporting in Tatame Magazine, Urijah Faber could be ready to go by the time the February even rolls around and that might mean that he and Vaughan are destined to meet in the ring.

 

The match would come after Faber lost his last bout at UFC 149 on a decision. That fight ended up going to Renan Barao, giving him the interim bantamweight title. Vaughan also lost his more recent fight. That fight was on FUEL during July and Vaughan ended up losing to TJ Dillashaw via submission.

 

Both of these fighters would be looking to come back from their recent losses if they were to meet at UFC 156. UFC 156 is slated for Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The event will be held on February 2 and has some bit names on the ticket.

 

Faber is regarded as a very good technical fighter, but has lost some of his most important matches. Nonetheless, in his weight class, he's considered one of the toughest guys out there and, even though he's had missteps, remains a force to be reckoned with. Vaughan lost his last fight to Dillashaw due to a rear-naked choke hold, but could be tough competition for Faber.

 

UFC 156 promises to have some good fights on the ticket. The main bouts featured that night are believed to include:

 

• Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva
• Demian Maia vs. Jon Fitch
• Erick Silva vs. Jay Hieron
• Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
• Rashad Evans vs. Rogerio Nogueira
• Urijah Faber vs. Vaughan Lee

 

None of these fights are set in stone as of yet, but these represent what MMA reporting has held to be the biggest fights of the night. Fans will have to wait until February to find out for sure.

Will Women Get a Spot in UFC?

Interviewed after UFC 154, president Dana White said that he sees a lot of potential for having women's fights in the UFC. According to MMAWeekly, the president said that he believes that the 135-pound division has a lot of potential for good fights but that there is nothing official planned just yet.

The problem that the UFC sees with women's fights is the depth of the talent pool. According to the reporting, however, White believes that the bantamweight division has the most to offer in terms of good female fighters. This is also the division in which Ronda Rousey fights and she is probably the best known female fighter out there today. Cris Cyborg is mentioned in the same article as someone who might find herself taking on Rousey in the ring, but White hasn't said as much himself.

Currently, according to most reporting on the matter, the UFC is likely to promote Rousey as a way to build up interest in women's MMA fighting. The divisions, however, will have to fill up with good fighters to make it a commercially viable addition to what the UFC offers and to keep fans interested in seeing women take to the cage.

Some of the other big names in the women's division include Sara Kaufman, Liz Carmouche and Miesha Tate. For Rousey's part, she has said that she doesn't care much about the venue or promotions in which she fights and that she's happy as long as she gets to take on opponents that provide a good match and that, of course, she gets paid for the effort.

Rousey currently fights in the Strikeforce cage, but has recently moved up to the UFC. At present, it's not likely that she'll take to the ring until next year, as there aren't good matches available for the accomplished fighter at present.

Rousey Signs with UFC

 

If you've been following Ronda Rousey's Twitter account, you're probably aware that the undefeated bantamweight Strikeforce fighter has gone over to the UFC. According to the Vancouver Sun, UFC president Dana White said on the Jim Rome Show that Rouse is the "whole package" and that she's "beautiful on the outside, but she's a Diaz brother on the inside.

 

White isn't exaggerating and, as previous reported, he had mentioned Rousey in an interview at the end of UFC 153, saying that she was the best bet to get a woman's division going in the cage. Rousey is currently 6-0. She recently beat Julia Budd and too Sara Kaufman in August. Rousey is known for her quick armbar, which has won her all of her fights thus far.

 

Rousey weighs in at 135 pounds and, during the interview following the last UFC event, White had mentioned that the 135-pound weight division was where he expected to see the most depth. That depth, however, remains the problem. According to the Vancouver Sun article, White says that he does have enough fighters in that class to give Rousey good bouts, but that remains to be seen.

 

Rousey will be coming up from Strikeforce. Strikeforce is currently owned by the UFC but has not achieved the popularity of its parent organization and there are rumors that the entire fighting event may be shut down. Fans have long waited for a women's division in the UFC, though they may do well to not get too excited about long fights with Rousey coming over to the big leagues. So far, she hasn't taken more than four minutes to finish off an opponent and most of them have submitted in less than a minute. Rousey was, up until not too long ago, spending her time working two jobs to make a living. Now, she may truly be on the cusp of something big.

Bonnar Popped For Steroids

Bonnar Popped for Steroids

 

 

Multiple sources are reporting that Stephan Bonnar has tested positive for steroid use, fresh on the heels of his UFC bout with Anderson Silva. The fighter tested positive for Drostanolone, an anabolic steroid, according to MMAWeekly. The fighter just retired from the UFC, but this is not the first time he has tested positive for banned substances.

 

Bonnar also tested positive for steroid use in 2006. This came after a fight with Forrest Griffin. That infraction ended up costing the fighter $5,000 in fines from the Nevada State Gaming Commission.

 

Despite the steroid use, Bonnar did not fare well against Anderson Silva, though that certainly doesn't make him unique in that regard. Silva managed to knock Bonner out in the first round of their match in UFC 153. The fight also marked the last time that Silva plans to fight in the light heavyweight division and he plans to move up.

 

The UFC itself conducted the drug tests. According to MMAWeekly, this was done because Brazil lacks a commission that oversees the testing of athletes for steroids.

 

Bonnar is officially suspended from the UFC, though this seems like something that's likely to have little impact on the life of a fighter who already decided to hang up his gloves and step out of the cage for good. It will prevent Bonnar, however, from being able to return to the UFC from retirement.

 

Roy Nelson Seems to Be Stirring the Pot Once Again

Roy Nelson Seems to Be Stirring the Pot Once Again

With Roy Nelson's long anticipated debut on FX "TUF 16" in September, the energy is being ramped up between him and UFC president Dana White. Currently filming "The Ultimate Fighter 16" in Las Vegas, Roy has been quoted that there is a significant rift between him and White, which Dana does not dispute. The three-time UFC winner and former IFL champion still wants to be a fighter, something Dana White is sure will not happen.

Dana's Side

The situation between Roy and Dana is only just beginning to escalate. White will also be a part of the show on FX, meaning they will be spending a lot more time together, then at present. White says that words coming out of Roy’s mouth are only slightly bearable when taken in little dosages. Now that they will be in such close proximity to each other, tensions are bound to intensify.

A Higher Standard

Nelson makes no apologies for his words. He is quoted as saying his efforts are an attempt to "further MMA to the next level". That his words and actions are his ardent desire to hold journalism, fights, promotions, athletic commissions and even the fans to a much higher standard than at the present time.

However, White believes the rift between the two is much simpler than any contention with Roy, in that Nelson is simply "an annoying person". Along with his annoyance, Dana believes that any word that comes out of Roy's mouth simply makes no sense.

The meeting of the minds between White and Nelson over the last four months of this year will be an intense situation for sure. With the live FX finale on air in December, I am sure all of us fans will have a front row seat just how bad the situation has become between the two of them.

Bisping Ready to Take on Challengers

Talking trash is certainly nothing new in the world of mixed martial arts and Michael Bisping is ready to take on the fighters wanting to challenge him, according to a recent interview in Fighters Only.

Alan Belcher is among the fighters that have been wanting to take on Bisping and who have been none too subtle in expressing their desire to do so. In the interview, Bisping dismisses the challenges and essentially says that Belcher has only demonstrated an ability to win in matches against people who are purely jujitsu practitioners.

Again dismissing a challenge by another fighter, Chris Weidman, Bisping offers a mix of insulting remarks about Weidman's haircut and manages to insult Mark Munoz—whom he calls "fat"—at the same time that he throws insults at Weidman.

In fact, according to Bisping, he would have no reservations about taking on all three of the fighters that have been challenging him in the media recently – Brian Stann is the third – in the same night, if necessary. The display of confidence may stem a bit from the fact that Bisping has become so noticeable that other fighters are lining up to take a shot at him and, sometimes, have ended up taking a few personal shots at him in the process.

Bisping said in the interview that all of the fighters who have been wanting to take him on lately, with the exception of Belcher, seem like "nice guys".

Bisping is slated to take on Stann at UFC 152 in September of 2012, according to a press release. This will be the same night that the UFC Flyweight title match will be fought, with the event being held in Canada. The title match for the evening will be Andre Winner vs. Rob Sinclair and tickets have already gone on sale for the event.

UFC President White Believes Edgar Should Become a Featherweight

UFC president Dana White is expressing an interest in seeing if Frankie Edgar's might move down to featherweight for a better shot at the title. After the August UFC 150 bout at Denver's Pepsi Ctr., Edgar suffered a disappointing defeat against Benson Henderson, in a split decision not accepted by many spectators in the audience. With Edgar experiencing the second consecutive loss to Benson, it is Dana’s belief that maybe Frankie needs to take the time necessary to determine his future in the sport.

Maybe a Featherweight?

White announced that Edgar has always been able to prove that "he can stay at 155," however Frankie has long been told that it might be better for him to be a featherweight. As a highly ranked former lightweight champion, Edgar believes he is more comfortable staying where he is.

Bold Claims

Dana makes bold claims that Edgar is "not good enough" … "not tough enough" … "not talented enough" … and "not even big enough" to be a fighter at 155 pounds although
“he’s a monster” at 145 pounds.

White has great respect for Edgar and his passionate desire to win the UFC 150. In reflection, it appears as though Frankie believes wholeheartedly that he did everything he needed to do to claim his victory in this headliner event. However, with the judges left to make the decision, they simply did not agree with his assessment.

When pushed for a response, White was unwilling to reveal his opinion on who he thought actually claimed the UFC 150 victory, except to say he believed they were both even just before the final round. At that point, he announced that Nate Diaz would step up as the next contender in a title bout against Henderson. As for Frankie, only time will tell if he makes a decision to drop the featherweight, a position that might be better suited for a win.       

Doping Test Brings Controversy for UFC 152

Ryan Pierse - Getty Images

BJ Penn and Rory MacDonald were both approached by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) to participate in testing before their fight, according to an article in MMA Torch. While both of them agreed to go ahead and participate in the program, one of the procedures of the program has now raised the ire of Penn, who is quoted in the article as feeling like the policies of the VADA are putting the fight in danger.

Penn wanted the results of the test withheld until the fight was over, according to the article. THE VADA, however, wants to have the results released before the fight, which Penn says puts the fight in danger of not happening at all. Citing the tremendous amout of training the fighters engage in pre-fight and the millions that are required to market an MMA event, Penn claims that the policy of VADA is unacceptable.

How determined is Penn to have the results released post-fight? So determined that he has already said that he would pay for all of the testing if VADA would concede to his demand.

Doping and Controversy

MMA has had its share of issues with steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, as have other sports. The VADA is likely to not back down on the requirement that the results be released before the fight, according to analysts, as the point of the program is to disqualify athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs.

MacDonald and Penn, according to the article, hashed out the idea on Twitter and decided that they'd go ahead and participate in the VADA testing before UFC 152. At present, however, Penn seems adamant—to the point of offering his own money to cover the testing—to have the results released after the fight. VADA, however, will not withhold the results of its testing once it has performed them, according to the same article.

Ronda Rousey Trashes Kim Kardashian

Ronda Rousey has a problem with Kim Kardashian. The Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight title holder lashed out at the celebutante on multiple occasions, including during a recent interview with TMZ.

Not a Good Role Model

It would be hard to cast Ronda Rousey as anything but the epitome of a strong female role model. According to Rousey, however, Kardashain's fame is solely the result of her appearance in a sex tape and her success is simply the result of her being marketed as a "product" by the more capable people by whom the reality television star is surrounded.

The bantamweight champion first attacked Kardashian—verbally, of course—during a red carpet interview, where she used some rather choice language to describe how Kardashian achieved her fame. She was later interviewed at length by TMZ and elaborated on her irritation with the reality television star and fashion model.

Citing her as a poor example for her younger sister, Rousey expressed worry that Kardashian's fame sends exactly the wrong image to young girls. She repeatedly challenged the interviewers to name one thing that Kardashian had done for herself, bristling when the interviewers brought up the "empire" that Kardashian had created and saying that Kardashian's success was really the result of other people doing the work for Kim. Kardashian reportedly said that Rousey was "pretty" and did not comment further on the hostility directed toward her by the accomplished MMA fighter.

Rousey is slated to defend her title at the Valley View Casino Center—which is not a casino, but a sports arena, on August 18. She'll be fighting Sarah Kaufman, a Canadian fighter with a record of 15-1. Rousey is known for her excellent ground game, which analysts hope will make for an interesting match against Kaufman, who has a reputation as a very competent standup fighter.

Strikeforce Fighter Begs for Bonuses

Lorenz Larkin made a scene during his post-fight interview on Saturday, June 14 when he begged for bonuses for Strikeforce fighters. The fighter had just won is match for the evening and, after encouraging Muro Ranallo to join him, he got on his knees and asked that the fighters in Strikeforce receive the same sort of compensation that UFC fighters get. UFC and Strikeforce are both owned by Zuffa, LLC.

The Differences

According to an article in Yahoo Sports, UFC fighters tend to make far more than do the fighters in Strikeforce. In addition to winning bonuses that range into the tens of thousands of dollars at times, the fighters in UFC also receive bonuses based on how well they performed in the cage and for winning bouts in particularly impressive ways—submissions, knockouts, and other events that tend to get the fan base excited. Strikeforce fighters receive no such compensation.

The article points out that UFC fighters tend to get far more fights—and therefore, opportunities to earn—every year compared to the Strikeforce fighters. The combination of lower pay and fewer fights can make professional fighting a very low-paying proposition for the fighters in Strikeforce.

Not everything is sunny for UFC fighters, either, according to the article. The UFC fighters sometimes depend upon the bonuses they make just to get by and, of course, professional cage fighting carries with it the risk that the fighters could be seriously injured at any time and, thus, lose their ability to make a living.

Strikeforce has been having its share of difficulties recently as far as churning up a large fan base goes. While UFC continues to expand and to be held in a growing list of nations, even press interest in Strikeforce has been comparatively minimal and presents yet another contrast between the realities for fighters in the two leagues

Mike Brown Will Do 5 More Fights with UFC

Mike brown will be fighting five more times in UFC matches, according to reports and his own website. The fighter had complained about injuries impacting his performance but, in the end, he signed a contract with UFC to do five more fights rather than retiring, as he was considering prior to signing the deal.

Brown is a former WEC featherweight champion. He defeated Urijah Faber in WEC 36 to secure that title in 2008. He took the victory in the first round, becoming the champion and garnering reputation the best featherweight fighter around.

After defeating Daniel Pineda in UFC 146, Brown was considering retiring. His numerous injuries, including having his knee badly injured in a match in Japan, were causing him problems and he was debating whether or not his body could handle any more punishment.

Coming Back

On his own website, Brown said that a combination of fatigue and the wear and tear on his body was taking all of the fun out of being in the cage and that he was thinking that the exhaustion and pain was going to continue. The turning point, however, came during the fight with Pineda, after which the fighter said he felt "great" and that he didn't suffer from the fatigue that has plagued him recently. He plans on continuing through with the contract he signed, according to his post.

The new UFC deal was signed on July 4, 2012 and will see the fighter stepping into the cage at least 5 more times. After having two successful title defenses in the WEC and holding onto a reputation as a determined fighter, despite his body having taken a lot of punishment over the years, it was looking like the end for Brown, but the new deal means that fans will get to see the fighter back in action.