Athletix Sports Daily MMA News

[JudgementDay]

That would be great, but I don't see the H-bomb getting past JBJ's 83-84 inch reach.

Yeah I'll be shocked if it does.

[VolcomX311]

It’s been a trying time these last 4 months as I have been faced with the prospect that one of our team’s most talented fighters had decided to leave the sport. As a fan I’ve always admired what both of the Diaz’s brought to the cage; a combination of technical brilliance and raw violence.

Nate Diaz has finally put his game together and found the formula to propel him to the top of the 155lbs division. To see Nick leave at the top of his game was difficult.

For the last couple of months I’ve watched Nick begin to frequent the gym more and more. He’s training harder now than he has for many of his fights. It was obvious that training and fighting is in his DNA. It is who he is.
This week we had a great talk and he made it clear to me that he is ready to get back to the cage. Nick Diaz will return.

To address the NSAC suspension, I will say that we have appealed to the courts and if things go our way, it will be plausible that Nick could return as early as sometime at the end of this year.
For too long NSAC bureaucrats have acted with malicious incompetence towards the fighters. We will challenge them in court.

As far as future opponents, Nick has stated that he would like to take fights “that matter”. Since GSP will be fighting Condit, he has to look elsewhere. He will respectfully ask for a fight with Anderson Silva, a fighter he respects and would like to challenge.

Silva’s camp has been speaking of a fight with GSP, possibly even at a catch weight. Nick will take that fight in a minute but has told me that should Silva decide not to drop at all, he will move up to 185lbs to face the Champ.

I will be meeting with Dana next Monday August 6th to discuss this and other issues. If you appreciate Nick’s fighting style, please let Dana know that you want Nick back ASAP.

Thank you and best regards,
Cesar Gracie

[VolcomX311]

Middleweight Chris Weidman has spent more than half of his career inside the Octagon, racking up five wins in five UFC fights. The run has improved his overall record to 9-0 and established him as one of the division’s top contenders. However, in the eyes of 185-pound champion Anderson Silva’s management, Weidman has a ways to go before he’s earned the right to face the dynamic Brazilian.

The approach has apparently irked Weidman as made clear by some recent comments the “All-American” made in an interview with MMAWeekly.

“The managers they have no right to start putting down professional athletes,” said Weidman after he and a few of his highly-touted peers were labeled as being little more than amateurs by Silva representative Jorge Guimaraes. “I know I wouldn’t want my manager speaking about other fighters like that.”

Instead of mixing it up with Weidman (or any other 185er), Silva’s team has pointed to a potential super-fight with welterweight title-holder Georges St-Pierre in addition Nick Diaz’s name also coming up in light of recent statement’s from the polarizing pugilist’s camp. Needless to say, Weidman also feels slighted by the possibility of Silva going against someone outside of the division rather than face a deserving middleweight.

“I mean GSP, let’s start with him. The guy is coming off ACL surgery, we don’t even know for sure when he’s fighting, and when he does fight he’s fighting Carlos Condit for the welterweight title. You never know what’s going to happen and best-case scenario he could fight again around May. So if anything, fight me next, if you beat me then you get your shot with GSP. You’re just calling out a 170 pounder coming off ACL surgery,” explained Weidman on the topic of the long-rumored rumble. “Then Nick Diaz, he’s another guy he’d have a size advantage over, he’s another good name but the guy’s not going to be cleared till February. That’s just crazy.”

For now it appears Weidman will have to sit and wait until Silva makes a move or a tilt for establishing clear-cut top contendership emerges. No date has surfaced for Silva’s return to the ring, though he and Weidman are both fresh off strike-based stoppages where neither absorbed any significant damage.

[VolcomX311]

Brazil's Sarah Menezes took gold in the women's -48kg category on Saturday by defeating reigning Olympic champion Romania's Alina Dumitru.

Dumitru, defending the title she won in Beijing, was outdone by the 22-year-old Brazilian who gradually took the ascendancy in the final, winning with two scoring throws in the final minute.

Menezes, appearing in her second Olympics, punched her fists in the air and leapt into the arms of her coach.

Dumitru, who said she would retire after the Games, had earlier upset the number one seed and favorite Tomoko Fukumi of Japan.

Fukumi's disappointing day was completed when Hungary's Eva Csernoviczki threw her on the mat to win bronze with an ippon, an automatic winning throw, in extra time.

Csernoviczki had earlier appeared to lose consciousness during a bout with Belgium's Charline van Snick in the quarter-finals, but recovered despite looking a bit shaky.

Third seed Van Snick, 21, took the other bronze defeating Argentina's Paula Pareto, a bronze winner four years ago, in a close fight that also went to extra time.

[VolcomX311]

First ever Gold in Women's Judo for Brazil. Now how about allowing some Jits in the Olympics!

[VolcomX311]

Roy Nelson was excited to get the news that he would be a coach on the newest installment of The Ultimate Fighter, but now it’s all about getting his assistant coaches approved. According to the former Ultimate Fighter winner, there appears to be a hold-up in approving some of his chosen coaches, and he’s not sure what’s happening exactly. “I’m excited. I’m just over here hoping that I can actually bring all my coaches that I want to be my assistant coaches and bring on. I might just have to do it myself. You never know. I don’t (think) they approve of half the people I hang out with,” Nelson told MMAWeekly Radio. The choices of Nelson’s coaches include former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, who is now signed to Bellator Fighting Championships as well as TNA wrestling. “Right now I got Mo Lawal cause he’s a great wrestling coach and he helped me out the last time. Then I got Jeff Mayweather, James Johnson, those are just the three main ones that I have so far, and then I’m working on Anthony Brown,” Nelson revealed. Anthony Brown is a Muay Thai and Krav Maga instructor out of Las Vegas, while Jeff Mayweather is a famed boxing trainer coming from the long line of Mayweather brothers including Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Roger Mayweather. The problem now is getting them all approved, and Nelson isn’t sure why there is a hold up in the process. Is it because of Lawal’s newly signed contact with Bellator, where he will appear on Spike TV, the former home of UFC programming? “I don’t know,” answered Nelson. “It’s about coaching and it’s about these kids. I think I even asked Victor Conte and I think he probably wouldn’t get approved because it’s about cleaning up the sport, and he’s one of those guys that wants to clean it up.” Victor Conte is infamous in the world of performance enhancing drugs as the former head of BALCO, the lab that was connected to designer steroids and many famous pro athletes including Barry Bonds, Shane Mosley and Bill Romanowski. After doing a stint in prison for his part in the illegal distribution of the drugs, Conte states he’s cleaned up his act and is now an advocate for ridding the sports world of performance enhancing drugs. Nelson is still trying to put together his coaching staff as the new season of the Ultimate Fighter begins filming in just a few days before it debuts in early September. He’s unsure what the final call of coaches will look like, but warns that he may be a one man wolfpack when The Ultimate Fighter season 16 begins. “The thing is I’m just hoping they get approved because they tend to all stick together, because they know how it works. I don’t want them to be treated like Rosa Parks,” Nelson stated. “All I know is they’re the ones that do the casting calls. If this year’s Ultimate Fighter sucks, I’m going to blame them.”

Quote:

UPDATE: Roy Nelson has now released the final list of coaches and guest coaches that will be appearing on the Ultimate Fighter this season. Nelson released the list via his official Facebook page on Saturday. “Here are my assistant/guest coaches the non-UFC coaches will be helping but not on the set because they are black, criminals, white, Olympian, great TV … (disclaimer I have no idea, just opinion)” Nelson stated. “Non-UFC allowed: Muhammed Lawal, Kurt Angle, Victor Conte.” The list of ‘allowed’ coaches according to Nelson include: Royce Gracie, James Johnson, Jeff Mayweather, George St. Pierre, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, Chael Sonnen, Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez, Martin Kampmann, Amir Sadollah, Mike Pyle, Gray Maynard, Ron Frazier, and Anthony Brown. “I am a student first, teacher second. Let give these kids an opportunity of a lifetime,” Nelson wrote. “A UFC super camp.”

[VolcomX311]

Former PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Champion and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio Rua recently participated in a Kevin Iole hosted live chat at Yahoo! Sports, and said his sights are set squarely on Jon Jones.

Jones took the title from Shogun 18 months ago at UFC 128, since then Rua KO'd Forrest Griffin at UFC 134, and narrowly lost to Dan Henderson at UFC 139 in what may be the best MMA fight of all time.

He fights Brandon Vera this Saturday at UFC on FOX 4. A definitive win there could earn him a title shot, and this time he says there is more time and tape to study.

Kevin Iole: I am going to ask a question for Shogun. How long did it take for you to recover from your injuries in the Dan Henderson fight.

Shogun Rua: That was a very tough fight but after a week or two of resting I was okay. Some people said I have some broken bones but I didn't, that wasn't true. It was a brutal fight and it took more time to recover mentally than any injury.

KI: What skills do you have that Brandon Vera doesnt have?

SR: It is difficult to look at opponents now and look at one skill over another because everyone is well rounded. I think, skill wise, maybe I have better BJJ than Vera.

KI: How do you think a rematch with Jon Jones would play out?

SR: That's the fight I want. I want my title back. I think he is much easier to study Jon Jones now... last time the guy was a brand new style in the UFC. Now we've seen him fight other guys and have more information what he's going to do in the Octagon. I am working towards beating him in a rematch.

KI: Who's hit you the hardest in your career?

SR: Jon Jones for aggression and Dan Henderson has the heavier hands.

KI: Why did Dana say you would rather be cut than fight Glover? Where did the disconnect between your camp and the UFC come from to mix the story up that badly?

SR: I don't know where the information came from. Right now, Glover isn't well known or ranked and has a long road ahead of him. With all respect, a win over him wouldn't have got me closer to the belt and getting the belt back is my only focus.

KI: Dana said if you look impressive, you get the next title shot. What is your response to that?

SR: I was very excited to hear that from Dana. From what I understand I have to be impressive and that is very motivating for me to put on a huge victory and beat Brandon Vera.

KI: Do you expect a muay thai battle with Vera or do you think he'll try to take you down?

SR: It will be a great Maut Thai war!

KI: What keeps you motivated after tough losses to Jones and Henderson??

SR: I think the fight with Henderson should have been a draw but, that's okay. It was close. But I really want a rematch with Jones because I can do so much better than i did the first fight.

KI: what is your opinion on Alistair Overeem and his evolution since you fought him 5 years ago?
(Ed note: Shogun knocked Overeem out, twice, both in the first round)

SR: He always has good kickboxing and wrestling. The biggest difference is the size of his body...

KI: At this point in your career, what are you most afraid of?

SR: No. I'm not afraid of anything or anyone.

KI: How much longer do you see yourself continuing to fight?

SR: Another six, seven years I think.

[VolcomX311]

If Dana White had things his way, Steve Mazzagatti wouldn't be allowed anywhere near a UFC Octagon.

The UFC President has already gone on record in calling Mazzagatti the "worst ref in the history of any fight business."

Like most refs, Mazzagatti has had his share of bad calls, but he doesn't believe past mistakes should overshadow some of the good things he's done for the sport.

"I can't even count how many fights I've done which all has gone fine, but sometimes things are going to go bad," Mazzagatti said in a telephone interview with HeavyMMA.

"It's just like good fighters. Sometimes it goes bad and they get subbed or they get beat, and that's the way it goes. Unfortunately, we're in a high-profile position. We can't see it all."

What about excessively long clinch and grappling situations?

As a fan of MMA, it's hard to watch your favorite fighter trapped underneath an opponent without any action for elongated periods of time. The referee is charged with standing the fight up or separating fighters whenever they get into a stalemated position.

Unfortunately, some refs allow stalemates to go on much longer than others. This gives the fighter in the dominant position a chance to ride out time and coast to a decision.

At the post-fight press conference for UFC 149, White ripped into referee Yves Lavigne's performance in the heavyweight bout between Cheick Kongo and Shawn Jordan.

"[Yves Lavigne] is standing around letting two guys clinch for three freaking rounds and then let them clinch for the entire third round. At what point do you go, 'Ok, there's no fight going on here.' These people paid money. In the rules, it says that these guys are supposed to be fighting. There's actually points that can be taken away for timidity, but if you see two guys clinching, it makes me think that Yves Lavigne doesn't know what he's doing."

Mazzagatti, who didn't even work at UFC 149, remained the focal point of White's rant. He thinks the fact that Mazzagatti is still employed shows a lack of responsibility on the commission's part.

If something isn't done about the poor refereeing and judging, White is worried the sport could face some serious problems down the road.

"If this doesn't get fixed, it just absolutely crushes the sport. It's so bad.

[Steve] Mazzagatti still [expletive] works. That guy still has a job. That's crazy. Herb Dean should ref every fight there is. The guy would get exhausted and couldn't do it, and they'd never let that happen. Mazzagatti still works, enough said. The fact that the commissioner would let this guy referee fights still is just beyond my comprehension."

Mazzagatti believes the problem lies in the actual rules, not the referees. There is a massive gray area in the rules when it comes to standing fighters up and breaking up clinch grapples. If the rules were more straightforward, it would make refereeing that much easier.

"[Dana White] has criticized us, and we get a lot of criticism for not standing them up – at least I do," Mazzagatti continued in his interview with HeavyMMA.

"They say we let fighters lay on the ground too long and we're not doing anything. We don't make the rules. We enforce them. It's not our job to make sure the fight goes the way the promoter wants it to go. It's the fighter's job. It's their show."

Ultimately, the referee's job is to protect the fighters and make sure everything goes along according to the rules. The promotion and its fighters are responsible for everything else.

"I don't make the rules," said Mazzagatti. "If you want to make a 15-second standup rule, then come up with a 15-second standup rule, and I will stand them up in 15 seconds. I can only go with what's given to me. I don't judge fighters by who they are and what they're known for."

You gotta understand, I don't work for Dana, and we [referees] don't work for Dana. I feel I'm a public servant for the fans and the fighters. I want to make sure the fighters have a good, clean, fair fight that they trained for and expect."

White acknowledged that the fighters should be held responsible for their own performances, but he thinks some accountability should fall back on the refs and judges.

Whether they like it or not, their decisions have a direct impact on the UFC's events and the future of its fighters.

[VolcomX311]

When iconic former UFC champion B.J. Penn announced the end of his brief retirement he likely thought the only welterweight he’d be butting heads with in the coming months was UFC 152 opponent Rory MacDonald.

However, it looks like “The Prodigy” has found himself in a fight with Jon Fitch as well with the clash coming as a result of Penn’s desire to spend some time training at American Kickboxing Academy.

“I’m trying to get up to AKA but Fitch is trying to give me some problems about that. All Jon Fitch has to do is look on the wall, at whose picture is on the wall holding the belt. That’s all Jon Fitch has to know,” said Penn in the first of a series of video blogs chronicling his preparation for the September scrap with MacDonald.


Though Penn spent time at AKA years ago, the gym has been Fitch’s home-base for the bulk of his career. The two have been *****s since they fought to a Draw in February 2011, spurring a handful of online incidents involving trash-talk. They were supposed to meet in a rematch last year but injuries prevented the pairing from ever coming together.

[Jessep76]

“The managers they have no right to start putting down professional athletes,” said Weidman after he and a few of his highly-touted peers were labeled as being little more than amateurs by Silva representative Jorge Guimaraes. “I know I wouldn’t want my manager speaking about other fighters like that.”

I can't stand Soares. He seems like such a weisel.

[VolcomX311]

[JudgementDay]

So I read if Vera wins he gets a title shot, wtf is that crap.

[VolcomX311]

[Jessep76]

So I read if Vera wins he gets a title shot, wtf is that crap.

lol thats like telling your son, if you can solve world hunger you can borrow the car this weekend.

[VolcomX311]

The fact that Vera is now officially "in the mix," is a sad state for the division.

[VolcomX311]

I can't stand Soares. He seems like such a weisel.

I agree, I've not liked him for a long time.

[Rodja]

Turns out the Vera/Shogun winner doesn't automatically get a shot.

[JudgementDay]

Turns out the Vera/Shogun winner doesn't automatically get a shot.

Thank God.

[VolcomX311]

Turns out the Vera/Shogun winner doesn't automatically get a shot.

Is Bader/Machida winner in the mix too then?

[Rodja]

Is Bader/Machida winner in the mix too then?

Yes.