Velasquez Takes Top LA Times MMA Ranking

 

According to the LA Times, Cain Velasquez is the top heavyweight in MMA at present. Todd Martin of the Times compiled the rankings. According to his reporting, Velasquez, at least in part, earned that ranking because of his performance against Dos Santos in their 2012 rematch. Dos Santos knocked out Velasquez the first time they met in the first round of their match. When the two met again, Velasquez went for 25 minutes against Dos Santos to claim the UFC Heavyweight title. The fight was widely considered a victory in every regard for Velasquez, who owned the cage for the entire time that the fight went on.

 

Where the Light Heavyweight class is concerned, the Times gives it to Jon Jones, followed by Rashad Evans in the second spot. The upcoming fight between Jones and Sonnen may be dominating the news right now, but plenty of fighters out there want to take a shot at the title for this division. The Times mentioned that Glover Teixeira might be a contender for this division that isn't getting the consideration he deserves. He meets Quinton Jackson this Saturday night on Fox.

 

Perhaps not too surprisingly, Anderson Silva holds the top ranking in the LA Times's listing of fighters for the Middleweight class. According to Martin, Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold are both seeing their chances of getting a shot at Silva. He doesn't believe that Costa Philippou, Vitor Belfort or Yushin Okami are likely to meet Silva in the cage anytime soon.

 

In the Welterweight class of fighters, Martin gives it to popular fighter Georges St. Pierre, with Johny Hendricks occupying the Number 2 spot in the listing. The rankings given cover MMA in general, and include fighters from UFC and other promotions among their number.

Alvarez Heads to Court on Friday

 

Eddie Alvarez will be heading to court on Friday to find out whether or the US District Court in New Jersey agrees that Bellator failed to match a Zuffa contract and whether that means that Alvarez will be able to fight with Zuffa at all. Reporting in MMA Fighting reveals that a memorandum filed by Alvarez's attorney's claims that Bellator made changes in their contract to try to match what Zuffa was offering, but that the contract still falls short and that honoring it at the expense of passing up the fight for Zuffa would cause the fighter irreparable harm.

 

UFC guaranteed the fighter one fight minimum on network television. According to the reporting, Bellator was only able to guarantee that the fighter would appear on Spike TV, a popular network that still has a much smaller reach than regular network television. The reporting also reveals that the contract Bellator offered, according to Alvarez's attorneys, didn't match up with what Zuffa offered in terms of pay-per-view advantages. The UFC contract, according to the reporting, would have given Alvarez a chance to get some of the revenue for the pay-per-view sales in events in which he fought.

 

The UFC contract was impressive, as demonstrated in the report. Alvarez would get $250,000 for singing the deal. He would also get $70,000 as a purse for the fight and another $70,000 if he won. This would cover the first fight. If Alvarez was to win and keep on winning, the deal would become more lucrative as he continued on in the contract.

 

Alvarez will need to get court permission if Zuffa is to allow him fight in UFC 159. The reporting says that the permission has to be given by January 27. The fight is scheduled for April 27.

Dan Hardy Claims Many MMA Fighters Use PED

 

Largely because of the recent confessions of cyclist Lance Armstrong, performance enhancing drugs (PED) have been all over the news lately. Dan Hardy got on his Twitter account on January 21 and claimed that most of the elite fighters in MMA use PED.

 

His Tweet read "Every single elite level athlete's on the same page—they all dope. –Not all of them, but yes…most do for sure." Asked by a Twitter follower if he would fight someone who he knew was doping, Hardy said that he already had, "lots of times".

 

Testosterone replacement therapy has been a controversial subject in sports. Testosterone replacement therapy is used in men who have low levels of the essential hormone to restore normal red blood cell levels, psychological health and bone health. In a Tweet where he was asked about this type of therapy, Hardy acknowledged that some men to require it—"If you need it, cool'—but said that he had seen "both sides", meaning having seen men who need testosterone replacement therapy for legitimate reasons and men who use it to increase their performance levels.

 

ESPN once asked Vitor Belfort if he was on testosterone replacement therapy or if it was something he would consider. Belfort hedged on the question, saying that he had the choice of whether or not to answer a question that was private and to make that private matter public in a rather rambling way.

 

UFC has had its share of doping issues. Belfort once tested positive for steroids, as reported by MMA Weekly. Testosterone replacement therapy, however, is sometimes used as a legitimate medical treatment, which can earn a fighter an exemption from having that use considered as a performance enhancing drug.

 

Hardy himself will be taking to the cage in April on UFC on Fox 7, where he will fight Matt Brown.

Javier Vasquez Retires

 

Javier Vasquez announced his retirement from MMA on January 14. His record, as of his retirement, is 16-5. Vasquez is primarily known for his fighting in the WEC. He has deep roots with the UFC, however, being the son-in-law of Rorion Gracie. The fighter fought in the lightweight and featherweight divisions, starting in the latter in 2007. He fought in the lightweight division from 1998 until 2007.

 

Javier holds a 3^rd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

 

Vasquez took Joe Stevenson in UFC on Versus 4 in June of 2011. That marked his last fight. In the interview on Sherdog where he announced his retirement, he did acknowledge that he still has fights left on his UFC contract but that he "just doesn't want to do it." He mentioned that he doesn't want to be someone that "everyone is begging to retire" in the interview, as well.

 

Vasquez was very candid and modest in the interview. He said that he didn't want to face the fear of going into the cage anymore and that his body had taken as much as it could take. He said that the Stevenson fight made him feel that he had nothing left to give and that he had nothing left to prove.

 

In the end, Vasquez will leave MMA in a very good place. He's taken three of the last four fights he's been in. He's fought in 21 fights total during his MMA career and, as his record attests, has certainly proven quite a lot in that time.

 

If Vasquez is remembered for anything in particular, it will probably be for his fight against Alberto Crane. During that fight, he tore his ACL during the first round. He managed to hang on for the entire fight, even though he couldn’t throw a punch without falling. As Vasquez said, he has nothing left to prove.

Bisping Talks Belfort Fight

 

Michael Bisping is getting ready to fight Vitor Belfort, his last opponent that he has to face before getting a shot at the middleweight title in the UFC. He sat down with MMA Fighting to talk about the fight. Rather than engaging in a lot of the usual trash talking, he was straightforward and honest, though he's confident that he could win the title if given the chance.

 

Bisping did admit that there is a chance that he won't win. Bisping has been fighting in the UFC for seven years already but he did say that, if he should happen to lose, he has no intention of giving up his career over it. He said that he would "dust myself off" and that he'd build himself right back up to where he is now, according to the interview.

 

Bisping has taken 5 out of the last 6 opponents he's faced in the cage. He believes that he has all the physical and mental requirements to take the championship, according to the interview and that he's ready now, if he wasn't in the past.

 

Even though he's confident, he's not arrogant. He said in the interview that Belfort is the toughest opponent out there in the middleweight division, aside from Anderson Silva. Bisping and Belfort will face off in UFC on Fox7. The fight has drawn a lot of interest, with Wanderlei Silva commenting that he felt that Belfort was likely to come out on top but that Bisping might take it if the fight goes beyond the 3^rd round.

 

Bisping characterized his upcoming fight against Belfort as a "perfect warm up" for Silva in an interview with ESPN. He pointed out that both fighters are excellent strikers and that they're both left handed. Bisping has been training to improve his performance against southpaws, according to the interview.

Jabouin will Fight Eduardo at UFC 158

 

Yves Jabouin will be taking on Johnny Eduardo at UFC 158, according to reports. The fight will take place in Montreal on March 16. This new announcement means that two fighters from the same gym in Montreal will be taking to the cage.

 

Jabouin currently has a record of 18-8. He trains at the TriStar Gym, the same gym where teammate Georges St. Pierre trains. Eduardo promises to be a tough opponent for the Canadian fighter. Eduardo hails from Brazil and currently holds a 26-9. He has won 12 of the last 13 matches he's participated in. Jabouin has managed to win 3 of the five fights he's been in since coming over to the UFC from the WEC. He lost his last fight to Brad Pickett. They will fight in the bantamweight division.

 

The main event of the night will features Jabouin's teammate, Georges St. Pierre. The popular fighter will step into the cage against Nick Diaz and the two will be fighting for the UFC welterweight title. While GSP will be the main event of the night, the participation of two Montreal-based fighters will likely keep the fans in the arena very involved.

 

Jabouin will have to come back from a rather decisive defeat in September of last year. The fighter was knocked out by Brad Pickett, whose nickname is, appropriately enough, "One Punch" during Jabouin's last match. Jabouin managed to land quite a few good shots during the match, but a devastating uppercut sent him to the mat and the ensuing ground and pound took him out of the fight.

 

Jabouin is known for his excellent striking abilities and his highly developed technique. Eduardo won his last match, which took place in the spring of 2012. Other fights scheduled for the evening include Carlos Condit against Rory MacDonald and Johny Hendricks against Jake Ellenberger.

UFC Purchases LA Boxing

 

When UFC first came onto the scene in the 1990s, it revolutionized professional fighting. It also revolutionized the way that people view, learn and practice the martial arts in general, providing the first venue in which various styles could be tested. Over time, MMA has become popular among martial arts practitioners of all levels and types, and to that end, UFC has purchased LA Boxing, planning to convert the gyms to MMA training facilities in the future.

 

The UFC will convert all of the gyms to UFC-branded facilities, according to reports. The sale is slated to be completed in January, according to reporting in MMAWeekley. The LA Boxing franchise is well known and has an impressive share of the market. It opened up in 1992 and, since then, it has grown to include 60 different facilities. More than 20 states have LA Boxing franchises located in them.

 

LA Boxing has garnered a reputation for having facilities that are suitable for very serious boxers but for also being a place where newcomers can learn how to handle themselves in the ring. The facilities typically include plenty of heavy bags and an elevated ring, where instructors coach students in the finer—and cruder—points of boxing. It remains to be seen what UFC plans to do with the rebranded gyms, but the franchise has proven to have a lot of appeal to the fighting and workout crowds. The typical workout lasts an hour and includes high-intensity, calorie burning workouts combined, of course, with the opportunity to learn genuinely effective self-defense techniques.

 

MMA isn't currently marketing these as training camps, but they are likely to include many opportunities to learn the same martial arts that professional MMA fighters learn, to get into great shape and to keep the UFC and MMA brands in front of people's minds.

Bellator Matches Alvarez UFC Contract

 

UFC has been courting Eddie Alvarez but, according to reports, that might just have gotten harder. Multiple reports say that Bellator has matched the contract that UFC offered Alvarez. The former Bellator champion said on his Twitter feed that the contract matching provisions weren't quite the same, but Bejorn Rebney, CEO of Bellator, said that they matched it point by point on an interview with MMAWeekley radio.

 

Rebney said that Alvarez had the right to go out and get an contract offer from UFC, but that Bellator had the right to match that contract, as well. He referenced Hector Lombard who went over to UFC from Bellator. Rebney said that, after they're presented with the offer that UFC gave, they have the option to match that contract exactly. If they elect not to match that contract, the fighter goes over to the UFC or whoever else is offering the contract. If Bellator chooses, however, they match the contract, which they did in Alvarez's case. The contract was sent to him signed, requiring only that he sign the contract and send it back.

 

According to the interview, Bellator does want to hang onto Alvarez. The promotion will be appearing on Spike TV this year and they wanted Alvarez to be part of the promotion. The decision now rests with Alvarez as to whether he wants to move to the UFC or if he wants to stay with Bellator. According to what Rebney said in the interview, the contracts match in every regard, including the amount of money the fighter stands to make when he steps into the cage. Bellator was considering putting Alvarez up against Michael Chandler, who took Alvarez's lightweight title in 2011, when he was fighting as a lightweight. Alvarez did say that he would be willing to fight for Bellator but that he wanted to make sure that he was getting a fair deal.