Tag: Ultimate Fighting Championship (Page 6 of 7)

      Behind the scenes of a live MMA event

      April 27, 2010 /

      My hands were sweaty, my face was red but I wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass.

      “Dana, could you tell me where you see Jose (Aldo) on your pound-for-pound list.”

      The question was simple enough. I mean I ran it through my head a million times in a little over two minutes. The wording, the timing, the tone all needed to sound just right. After all, this question was directed at Dana White, President of the UFC and WEC.

      Following Saturday’s WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber pay-per-view event, which was sponsored by AMP Energy, White and select fighters addressed the media. And there I was, covering my first MMA live event thanks to the people at AMP Energy.

      At 27, I have been a dedicated MMA fan for seven years. Having seen the early days of Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock, I was re-introduced to the UFC with Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture at UFC 43 and have been hooked since.

      But I am not just a fan, I am a sports writer, and have been for about 10 years now.

      I knew that the opportunity of covering MMA for Bullz-Eye.com and The Scores Report was one I wanted to be a part of because I knew that I could do it objectively and with the respect and knowledge that MMA fans want from their writers. I’m not just a fan. Still, even having interviewed some of the top athletes in the world, my eyes were locked in with White’s as he awaited my question.

      As any MMA fan knows, if White thinks you asked him a stupid question, he will let you know and he will probably sprinkle in a few expletives to describe his feelings.

      So I asked my question.

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      Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Benavidez excited for WEC’s future, ready for title fight

      April 24, 2010 /

      Joseph Benavidez isn’t on the card for Saturday’s WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber pay-per view, but the bantamweight fighter knows that it is an important night in his career.

      As World Extreme Cagefighting jumps into the PPV world, a successful card on Saturday can lead to big things for the promotions other fighters, including Benavidez, who is one of the WEC’s brightest young stars.

      “This is huge. It is the start of the WEC growing as big as the UFC,” Benavidez said of the PPV. “I am really excited about it because I know it is going to do well and it is going to give us more respect and it is going to get the fighters more money. I have gotten two bonuses from the WEC for my fights and I know it isn’t anything compared to what the UFC does. We have some great business minds running this organization, so things will be fine. I just need to stay patient and things are going to work out the best for me.”

      AMP Energy sponsors Benavidez and allowed Bullz-eye to get a chance to speak with him fresh off his victory over former WEC Bantamweight champion, Miguel Torres.

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      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Faber ready for biggest fight of a storied career on Saturday

      April 24, 2010 /

      Dehydrated and hungry, Urijah Faber stepped on to the scale Friday night in Sacramento.

      “One hundred forty-four and one-half pounds,” screamed UFC and WEC commentator Joe Rogan.

      Faber grabbed a bottle of AMP Energy and started re-hydrating his body after waking up in the morning at 150.5 pounds.

      “I cut a lot of weight in college as a wrestler, so it isn’t so bad for me,” said Faber, who hopes to weight up to 157 pounds by the time of the fight. “I wrestled at 133 pounds and cut weight for five years so that has never been a huge issue for me.”

      As Faber consumes his drink, a chorus of boos hits the Arco Arena. Faber’s opponent, WEC Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo, steps on stage and hits the scale.

      “One hundred forty-five pounds,” screams Rogan.

      The champion then met eye-to-eye with Faber as the crowd got behind their hometown hero, who at 30, finds himself as a 3-to-1 underdog against the younger Aldo, who is 24. The two will collide in the main event of WEC 48, presented by AMP Energy.

      “I don’t get on internet sites and look at stuff, so until I started this press tour, I didn’t know I was that big of an underdog in this fight,” Faber said. “As far as the experts go, I consider myself an expert, and I think I am going to win.”

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      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Faber looks to regain title against Jose Aldo in WEC PPV debut

      April 21, 2010 /

      Urijah Faber is known as the “California Kid,” but Saturday won’t be this “kid’s” first go-around.

      The 30-year-old veteran of World Extreme Cagefighting faces the biggest fight of his career this Saturday when he takes on WEC Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo.

      That title contest will be the main event of WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber presented by AMP, from the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif.

      “For me, I am fighting one guy who is going to be trying to beat me up and I am going to be trying to beat him up. It is pretty primal for me,” said Faber during a conference call on Tuesday.

      Aside from the pressures of having a title fight in his hometown of Sacramento, the WEC is also entering into the pay-per-view market for the first time on Saturday night.

      The broadcast airs live on PPV starting at 10PM ET/7PM PT.

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      Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      UFC 105 Picks & Predictions

      November 14, 2009 /

      The Ultimate Fighting Championship presents UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera on Saturday from the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England. The event will air on tape delay on Spike TV beginning at 8 p.m. and feature five bouts. Here are my picks for the five featured fights:

      Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) – Randy Couture (16-10) vs. Brandon Vera (11-3) – This fight features two former heavyweights that have dropped down to light heavyweight after struggling in the larger weight class. Couture is a Hall of Fame fighter that has won multiple titles in both divisions, but has lost his last two matches. The key in this fight will be whether the fight remains standing or if it goes to the ground. Couture has the edge on the ground while Vera has the edge standing. I expect Vera to come out highly motivated and on top of his game, using his speed and extensive strikes to get the best of Couture, who seems to be lacking in the ability to control fights right now. Look for Vera to win a second or third round TKO.

      Welterweight (170 lbs) – Mike Swick (14-2) vs. Dan Hardy (22-6) – This match is a No. 1 contenders match, with the winner getting to fight UFC champion Georges St. Pierre in their next match. Both fighters will look to strike as each thinks they have faster and stronger hands than their opponent. The key for this fight will be which fighter has the ability to win the battle on the ground as that is likely where it will end up in the later rounds. I like Swick’s quickness and takedown ability to earn him a decision win over the game Hardy.
      Middleweight (185 lbs) – Michael Bisping (18-2) vs. Denis Kang (32-11-1) – Bisping is coming off his first knockout loss at UFC 100 and how he handles that loss will be the key in this fight. Sometimes after losing by knockout, fighters come back tentative and unwilling to mix it up for fear of getting knocked out again. Bisping has to trust his abilities in order to beat Kang, who is an experienced and well-rounded fighter. Bisping was becoming a tentative fighter prior to his KO loss, and I expect him to be the same in this fight, which will allow Kang to control the fight and earn a decision win.

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      Mixed Martial Arts

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