Archive for January, 2013

Roy Nelson will get his next test in the octagon against fellow heavyweight Cheick Kongo on April 27 at UFC 159 in Newark, New Jersey. The bout will take place on the pay per view portion of the show. Nelson is coming off a big KO win over Matt Mitrione at the TUF Finale last month. He has won two straight and a win over Kongo would put him in the mix for a potential title shot.

The main event for UFC 159 is the epic grudge match between Nick Diaz and Georges St. Pierre for the UFC welterweight title. Michael Bisping will face Alan Belcher in a do or die affair for both men. TUF veterans Joe Proctor will face Al Iaquinta on the undercard portion of the show.

The Toughest Tournament in Sports continues as Bellator MMA has set a loaded Featherweight Tournament field from Atlanta’s Gwinnet Center February 7th live on Spike TV. The night will be headlined by a Bellator Middleweight World Title fight as Russian knockout artist Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko and dominating Brazilian Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao battle for the Bellator Middleweight Championship.

After successfully winning his second Bellator Middleweight Tournament, Shlemenko has his sights set on one thing: The Bellator Middleweight World Championship. Currently riding a nine fight win streak and holding an incredible 46-7 record, Shlemenko knows his February 7th fight will be the biggest of his career.

“Big Rig” enters the fight after three dominating tournament victories inside the Bellator cage. After competing in organizations across the world, Falcao knows he has found a home in Bellator and is hoping to etch his name into the Bellator history books on February 7th from The Arena at Gwinnett Center.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting The Arena at Gwinnett Center Box Office, with tickets starting at just $40 dollars. The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 10 p.m. EST on Spike, as well as in Spanish language on mun2. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 8 p.m. EST.
Read the rest of this entry »

The Rock finally returned tonight to the WWE to battle CM Punk for his coveted WWE title. Punk gave Rocky the GTS last summer and you knew eventually they would settle it in the ring. There were many twists and turns as the Shield had to interfere on Punk’s behalf but in the end the Rock left the ring with the title despite all of Punk and Paul Heyman’s shenanigans.

Former UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans thinks he can beat Anderson Silva but doesn’t want to drop to 185 to do it. Evans thinks he is at the top of the 205 weight class and would have to prove himself as a middleweight to get a shot at Silva.

According to Evans;

“One reason I decided not to [move to middleweight] was because I was like, ‘Why would I drop to 185 just to be in the same spot I’m in at 205?’ It didn’t make any sense to me. If an opportunity came along that made more sense then it would be worth the sacrifice. If it was a title shot or against a really good, top contender something like that, it would be something that people wanted to see, it would be something I would think about. I’m already at the top of my division and for me to go down to 185 is kind of like now I’ve got to start over and prove myself at 185. Because I am good at 205, but whose to say I’d be the same fighter at 185 when I cut that weight? There’s a lot of variables that can come into play.

When my career’s all said and done I want to be able to look back and say I competed against some of the best guys ever in history. To me to be able to get a chance to compete against Anderson Silva would just be an amazing experience, and something I’d be able to take with me forever, to be able to say I went against the best guy and beat the best guy. I do believe I can beat Anderson Silva, and I believe that the skills that I have is something he’d have hard time dealing with, but to compete against the guy, first and foremost, would be an honor in and of itself.”

About a month ago UFC middlweights Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort seemed to be friends with one another leading up to the epic main event fight at UFC on FX7 Saturday. But yesterday at the UFC on FX 7 Press Conference the two men almost came to blows after Belfort put his fist up to Bisping’s face during the staredown afterwards. Bisping didn’t seem to like it and pushed it away but Belfort put it back in his face which really pissed off ‘The Count’.

This fight should be a lot of fun now that both men really want to hurt each other. If Bisping comes out on top Saturday he will become the new #1 contender to Anderson Silva’s belt and face him later this year.

UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre appeared on the hit Fuel TV UFC Roundtable hosted by Jay Glazer along with Matt Serra, Renzo Gracie and his rival BJ Penn. During the show GSP admitted that he is scared before fights. Not that I wouldn’t be either but the champ uses the fear to make himself better in the octagon.

“I’m the kind of guy that I’m not afraid to admit that I’m afraid when I go fight,” said GSP. “Even though I’m scared and I’m afraid to fail, when I walk to the Octagon, I look like I’m, it’s impossible for me to fail and I look very confident, like I’m going to kick ass for sure. But the truth is, deep down inside, I’m scared as hell.”

“My mind starts changing and listens to my body. This is a theory called James-Lange theory, and for me, it works very well because I get very anxious before I fight. …That’s my trick. When I walk, I’m scared and that’s how I feel, but as I’m walking, the closer I get the more confident I get.”

St. Pierre will next face Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in March. The fight will take place in Montreal and should Diaz win the fans will likely burn down the arena.

Jon Jones never misses the opportunity to come across as a smug and out of touch individual. He has a way of making himself out to be some larger than life figure when in reality he is just getting started in his career. Don’t get me wrong he is very talented but his attitude could be his downfall and the reason the fans are rebelling against him.

“The DWI obviously, I learned from that, I’ve grown from that and I’m a better man because of it. Wiser, stronger, smarter because of all that stuff. Tough year, fun year, crazy year. Lost some sleep some nights, celebrated some nights … too much, but it was life. I lived another year. I’m alive to see 2013 and I’m blessed and I’m grateful.

Me and Dana are on good terms. I don’t think we’ve ever been on better terms. I think he looks at me as a young man who has respect for himself, who stands up for certain things, who has a backbone and isn’t afraid to speak his mind. I owe it to myself to be that way. At the same time, I’m here for the company, I’m here for the business and I’m here for the fans. I’m just trying to do everything right for myself and for the people around me.”

Former UFC light heavyweight champ Rampage Jackson went off on the UFC brass today in the UFC on Fox 6 conference call. There are several reasons why Rampage wants out but apparently Reebok not paying the UFC sponsorship tax is one of the big ones.

According to Jackson,

My reasons for wanting to leave the UFC is still the same. Matchmaking is just one of the reasons. It’s nothing about money. I’ve done this interview several times before and don’t want to go into it. I have a new reason. I’m sponsored by Reebok and UFC says I can’t wear Reebok in the cage. Stupid stuff like that. It’s not about money, it’s about respect. I’d rather take a money cut to go to another show and get appreciated. I’m sponsored by Reebok, just not allowed to wear it in the cage. I can’t wear Reebok while I fight.

I think in my opinion, the fighters do a lot for the sport and we’re not taken care of well enough. I feel like they’re getting rich off of all of us. We’re having surgeries and injuries and some of these guys can’t afford to pay sparring partners and stuff like that. I don’t want to be a part of the sport like that. I want to go where they treat their fighters like human beings.

The Memphis native will be a free agent after his fight later this month and could jump to Bellator or Legacy, or anyone else willing to pony up to pay the man.

The Kliq had a reunion at the WWE NXT tapings this week. Billy Gunn, Kevin Nash, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and X-Pac all got together to pose for a pic after the show. Scott Hall is off battling his demons and wasn’t available. It’s good to see the gang that really saved the WWE in the Monday Night Wars in the 90′s all back together and looking well.

Nash has been out of action except for appearances on small regional shows. It would be nice to see him make an appearance at the Royal Rumble and maybe get involved in a match at Wrestlemania 29. Michaels is off doing his hunting show and seems to be happy out of the limelight. Gunn has made some appearances with Road Dogg off and on over the past year after spending some time in TNA. X-Pac has been out of action for a while as well. Triple H of course pretty much has his hands in everything nowadays and is Vince McMahon’s right hand man. I’m sure we will see Hunter back in the ring even though he hasn’t done much since Brock Lesnar destroyed him last year.

Bellator’s Welterweight Tournament is now complete as the eight man field will battle for a $100,000 Bellator Tournament prize, as well as a guaranteed title shot for the Bellator Welterweight World Title. The Bellator Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinals will begin January 24th from Oklahoma’s WinStar World Casino live on Spike TV and in Spanish language on mun2. The night will also feature the Bellator Welterweight World Title fight between reigning and undefeated Bellator World Champion Ben “Funky” Askren and French submission ace Karl “Psycho” Amoussou, as well as the debut of MMA superstar “King Mo” Lawal.

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 10 p.m. EST on Spike. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 8 p.m. EST. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the WinStar World Casino Box Office, with tickets starting at just $45 dollars.
Read the rest of this entry »