Archive for July, 2009

Penn-Florian: Behind the Numbers

Michael DiSanto, UFC – On Saturday, August 8, 2009, BJ Penn returns to the Octagon to defend his lightweight championship against former title challenger and universally regarded top contender Kenny Florian. Anytime the sport pits one of its champions against the undisputed No. 1 contender it is a must-see event. When that champion is attempting to tie the record set by a bitter rival, things become that much more interesting.

UFC Auction Items Now Available -ONLY 1 DAY LEFT TO BID!

One-of-a-kind UFC® auction packages are now available online through WeAreLV.com, which is working in coordination with ESPN Radio 1100’s “24-Hour Talk Show” to benefit The Caring Place and honor UFC® President Dana White as "Sportsman of the Year". The 24-Hour Talk show will begin on Friday, July 24th, 2009 at 6am with a reception honoring UFC® President Dana White following at The Palms at 7pm.
AUCTION Items include:1.Watch a private Ultimate Fighter fight with Dana White2.Be part of your favorite fighter’s camp3.Two front row seats to a Pay-Per-View event
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Erin Toughill tapped as ‘Plan B’ for Carano vs Cyborg Aug. 15 main event

It appears Strikeforce officials aren’t “weighting” around to see if Aug. 15 headliners Gina Carano and “Cyborg” Santos hit the 145-pound mark for their upcoming women’s championship bout — PFC veteran Erin Toughill (10-2-1) has been put on notice as a potential replacement, according to MMA Fanhouse.

After a string of injuries and medical maladies have shredded the San Jose fight card, it’s no wonder that Toughill is lurking in the shadows for a possible call up. Joe Riggs, Alistair Overeem and Josh Thomson have all been forced to withdraw from their main card matches and Strikeforce isn’t taking any chances with its main event.

Toughill, who was initially booked to compete on the event’s undercard, has won nine of her last 10 bouts, including five (technical)knockout finishes. Her only loss during that span came via disqualification after giving Megumi Yabushita a face massage with her elbows at Smackgirl: “World ReMix 2004.”

Like Carano, Toughill cut her teeth in American Gladiators under the moniker “Steel.” She also has an 8-2-1 professional boxing record and frequently suffers from a chronic case of uncontrollable hotness. Expect the talented fighter to make her Strikeforce debut later this year if she fails to see action at the HP Pavilion.

The August 15 Strikeforce event will feature Gina Carano finally taking on Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Santos as well as Nick Diaz facing off against Jay Hieron for the newly-created Strikeforce welterweight championship.

For all the latest on the “Carano vs. Cyborg” fight card click here.

UFC 101 odds and betting lines

The clock is ticking to get your bets in for UFC 101 — it’ll be here before we know it.

The pay-per-view (PPV) event from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pa., begins Saturday, Aug. 8 at 10 p.m. ET. That means, of course, that you should start to think about placing possible bets on the fight outcomes before it’s too late.

Therefore, here are the latest UFC 100 odds (- = favorite; + = underdog):

Time to put up or shut up for all us keyboard warriors … get in on the action before it’s too late. For a little help with how to bet on UFC fights and what all the numbers mean check out this post right HERE (Disregard the UFC 85 references … all the information is still accurate and helpful.)

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Saturday, Aug. 8). It’s going to be an exciting evening of fights so don’t miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight UFC 101 coverage you can handle.

To check out our complete UFC 101 event archive click here.

UFC Quick Quote: Tito Ortiz’ ‘new beginning’ starts today

“A new beginning starts tomorrow (Friday, July 31, 2009). I have stood my ground as a fighter and business man. Now my fans will get to see the best of me. New back, new mind, and new motivation. Every fighter will thank me later. Let the punishment begin!”

– Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz updates his fans via his personal MySpace.com page about big news on the horizon concerning his fighting future. It’s expected that UFC President Dana White will announce today at 2 p.m. ET that the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” will return to the Octagon after a huge rift was apparently patched up at the fan expo earlier this month. Ortiz is coming off major spinal fusion surgery to correct a back problem that plagued him in his most recent bouts. His last appearance was in May 2008 — a unanimous decision loss to now 205-pound champion, Lyoto Machida. Speculation has swirled that Ortiz could return to competition as soon as UFC 103 on Sept. 19, but nothing is official at this time. Care to guess who may be the first to get punished?

Affliction collapse, Tito Ortiz to the UFC and more on ESPNs ‘MMA Live’ (Video)