Thursday, December 31, 2009
Shinya Aoki's Post-Fight Behavior After Breaking Hirota's Arm Crosses Line
When you're a professional athlete and you hear a competitor's bone snap, that should be enough to draw you out of whatever testosterone- or adrenaline-feuled action you're engaged in.
That disgusting, unmistakable sound serves as a reality check that the sport you're participating in has real-world consequences that extend far beyond the arena or stadium.
When that sound doesn't give way to the humanity in you, there's a problem.
During the Dynamite 2009 card held in Saitama, Japan, submission ace Shinya Aoki won his bout with Mizuto Hirota when he clearly broke Hirota's arm with a hammerlock. That should have been enough for him. But he was hardly done.
Instead, Aoki stood over his fallen opponent, extended his middle finger at him and taunted him. Then, he ran around the ring excitedly and flipped off the fans, jumped up to the second rope to bathe in the fans' reaction -- which incredibly was cheers -- before running back up the ramp and finally, thankfully, disappearing.
At no point did he go check on Hirota or exhibit any type of sportsmanship whatsoever.
His defenders will say, "Hey, it's the same thing Brock Lesnar did to Frank Mir after beating him at UFC 100."
First of all, Lesnar was soundly booed by the fans for his classless action after taunting Mir. Second, Mir hadn't suffered an obvious major injury in the fight. Third, Lesnar apologized in the post-fight press conference. Regardless, both Lesnar's and Aoki's actions were wrong.
What Aoki did is similar, but not the same. He knew his opponent had been badly hurt, but chose to take the lowest road possible in literally adding insult to injury.
We try to explain to people that what we're watching is a sport, that its participants are well trained, that they respect each other and can separate the personal from the professional. Sometimes, as in the case of Mir checking on Cheick Kongo after his grudge match victory earlier this month at UFC 107, we're proven right. The two had ripped each other in the media for days leading up to the fight, but after the final bell, Mir had the common decency to make sure he was OK.
And then they see things like Aoki's actions, and we look like idiots.
The arm break, I can live with, because Hirota did not tap or verbally submit. Aoki has every right to work the hold until either one of those actions happens or, as eventually occurred, a limb breaks. That's just the reality of our sport, and Hirota is just as responsible for the broken limb as Aoki, as he could have tapped out and saved himself.
But the actions afterward are all on Aoki.
Regardless of what trash talk went on before the fight, you should have enough basic human compassion to realize that the unnatural sound that just came from your opponent's arm signifies something horrific has happened. At that point, you've won. You're the Alpha male in the fight. Your opponent is literally lying in submission at your feet. What does the middle finger prove? You can't kill someone twice, you know?
People say, "It's fighting, not chess." Once the bell rings, it ceases to be fighting. Then, whether it's orchestrated for effect or an immature reaction, it's just you acting like a jerk.
Maybe that's OK with Aoki. At 23-4 and as the DREAM lightweight champion, he has spoken of wanting a higher profile in the MMA world. A 77-second win over the Sengoki champion was impressive enough, but maybe this was his way of getting it for himself. Well, he got it. Everyone's writing and talking about him now. But there's a right way and a wrong way to do it.
You want your higher profile? Here it is: talent of a mature champion, behavior of a cranky toddler. You may be a great athlete, but you're no sportsman.
mmafanhouse
Monday, December 28, 2009
Marcus Jones retires from MMA
ATO has learned through a source close to Gracie Tampa that Marcus Jones has decided to retire from MMA after his loss at The Ultimate Fighter Finale.
Jones was featured on The Ultimate Fighter season 10 and quickly became a fan favorite and also one of the favorites to win the show. He was the only fighter on Team Rampage to earn a spot in the quarter-finals after defeating UFC veteran Mike Wessel. After destroying Darrill Schoonover in the “Big Baby” was knocked out by Brendan Schaub.
Despite the loss Jones was invited to fight at The TUF 10 Finale against Matt Mitrione. Mitrione caught Jones with a big right and Jones suffered his second straight KO loss.
Jones started his MMA career very late after playing 7 years in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Bucs. He suffered several injuries while playing football that put him at a disadvantage as a fighter.
Despite retiring Jones hopes to stay involved in the sport and could go into broadcasting. Jones received a degree in communication at North Carolina.
aroundtheoctagon.com
Sunday, December 27, 2009
UFC 107: 620,000 Buys
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer writes that UFC 107 beat just about every expectation in selling over 600,000 PPV buys on December 12th.
After four straight disappointing numbers, UFC 107 shocked pretty much everyone, affirming the value of a great pregame show as it did, based on the latest estimates, more than 620,000 buys. That will end up probably tripling Survivor Series’ North American buys that took place the next day.
mmapayout.com
What is curious is that the wide variance between UFC 106 and UFC 107 isn’t notable in looking at non-PPV numbers that you could look at regarding interest in the show, such as amount of clicks on major web site coverage of the shows, web site activity regarding the shows, which almost always directly correlate with buy rates. In looking at these numbers, 107 was ahead of 106, but there was nothing that would indicate 107 doing almost double the buys.
Historically, when looking at these types of numbers, you usually can get a good indication of where the PPV numbers are going to fall. For 106, the buys were much lower than those numbers would indicate, but for 107 they were much higher and right now I can’t come up with a reason why this would be. Within the company, the belief is B.J. Penn has become one of the top draws. In the arena at 107, the most popular fighter was Clay Guida. But Guida is your classic example of a guy who gets a great response, probably helps a little with TV ratings but I don’t see him as a PPV draw, and obviously Zuffa doesn’t see him as a big one either since Guida vs. Kenny Florian wasn’t even promoted on the Countdown show.
Payout Perspective:
Going into UFC 107 we had a pretty good idea that it was going to be the best PPV since UFC 101 in August, but I’m not sure anyone expected 620,000 based on the kind of pre-fight indicators that we were seeing. UFC 107 proved to be the first – and probably not the last – event to exceed our PPV prediction range here at MMAPayout.
What explains the result? Like anything else, the result is a combination of things:
* A believable title fight
* A solid main card
* Strong personalities: BJ Penn, Frank Mir, and to a lesser extent Diego Sanchez
* UFC 107 was the strongest card – by far – in more than 5 months
If you believe that fans have been forced to carefully pick and choose between events – for any number of reasons, but most related to time or monetary constraints – then it makes sense that UFC 107 is the card they chose to purchase more so than any other event this fall. The level of interest in the UFC hasn’t necessarily changed over the last few months, but the willingness of the UFC’s fans to purchase an event understandably fluctuates.
It all comes down to the UFC’s ability to promote and build fight cards that have the perception of being worthy to purchase. Hence, the reason why Frank Mir’s performance on the Countdown show was as effective as it was. The UFC had the attention of all these fans – it never left after UFC 101 – but the organization simply had to convince those people that this card was worthy of the purchase.
It all sounds very basic, but when you look at some of the panic we’ve seen over the last few months it’s a necessary reminder.
Friday, December 11, 2009
UFC to cut Houston Alexander following "Kimbo Slice" loss
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Houston Alexander faltered when it mattered most, and now the UFC veteran will soon receive his walking papers from the organization.
UFC president Dana White today told a small group of reporters at the UFC 107 pre-event press conference that Alexander, who recently dropped a lackluster unanimous decision to Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, has been cut from the UFC.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed the process hasn't been completed but soon will be.
Alexander, who returned from a one-fight break from the organization, suffered the loss this past weekend on Dec. 5 at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale. Alexander circled the cage and didn't engage for nearly two minutes into the fight. Once he did, his explosive standup game – one that earned him a big fan following with vicious knockout of Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara – never truly emerged.
Instead, Ferguson used solid clinch work and takedowns to control the fight and take the decision win. Alexander is now 2-4 in the UFC with four consecutive losses, and his overall mark stands at 9-5.
"I was going to leave," White said of Ferguson vs. Alexander. "I was going to get up and walk out of the fight. That's what I thought of it. If I didn't have to hand out 'The Ultimate Fighter' trophy at the end (of the event), I would have left that night. It wasn't a good night for me."
While complimenting Ferguson for a legit career win, White also compared Alexander to former UFC fighter Kalib Starnes, who was cut in 2008 following a bizarre loss to Nate Quarry. Starnes, who later said he was injured prior to the bout, continually backpeddled in the fight, which he lost via blowout scores of 30-26, 30-27 and 30-24.
"As disgusted as I was with Houston Alexander's performance, Kimbo beat a real guy," White said. "The last thing I expected was for Houston Alexander to come in and do the Kalib Starnes."
White said he never discussed his displeasure with the fighter.
"I don't even want to talk to him," he said. "Houston had an opportunity to – ahh, anyway."
The termination follows what had been a heavily promoted storyline for UFC officials. The UFC garnered a lot of positive mainstream press thanks to Alexander, a single father of six children who donated a kidney to one of his kids. The soft-spoken but hard-hitting hip-hop DJ and public speaker began his MMA career in underground fight clubs, where he quickly garnered a legendary reputation, before earning his way to the UFC.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell : NAMED "The Ultimate Fighter 11" COACHES!
LAS VEGAS – His pleas for the job apparently worked; Tito Ortiz will serve as a coach on the upcoming 11th season of "The Ultimate Fighter."
UFC officials confirmed the assignment during Saturday's The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort.
The other part of the surprise? Ortiz will coach against Chuck Liddell, not Forrest Griffin, on the upcoming season of the reality series, and the coaches will meet in a season-ending fight.
After dropping a close split decision to Griffin last month in the UFC 106 main event, Ortiz campaigned for the two to be coaches on "TUF 11." UFC officials, though, chose Liddell instead.
"TUF 11" begins taping in January and debuts on Spike TV in April. The show is expected to feature middleweight fighters.
Ortiz and Liddell, who have fought twice before (Liddell is 2-0 with two knockout wins), will both coach for the second time on "TUF." Ortiz coached opposite Frank Shamrock on "TUF 3," and Liddell coached against Randy Couture on the debut season in 2005.
"The world knows there is no love lost between Tito and Chuck," UFC president Dana White stated. "These two guys will do whatever it takes to beat each other. Whether it's fighting or checkers, Chuck wants to beat Tito, and Tito wants to beat Chuck. ... On season 11 of 'The Ultimate Fighter,' we'll see which legend can score the upper hand when it comes to coaching the next batch of rising stars."
As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported last month, Ortiz wanted the coaching gig to set up a season-ending trilogy fight with Griffin.
"It'd be awesome," Ortiz said. "We'd break records with that one."
At the time, UFC president Dana White said the coaching setup and rubber match was a possibility but far from a definite. In fact, Ortiz, who sat out of competition from May 2008 until last month due to a back injury and contract holdout, only recently patched up a once-hostile relationship with White to return to the organization. With Ortiz a draw but unlikely to contend for a title anytime soon, the "TUF 10" coaching assignment may be the best use of his time in early 2010. However, he'll have pressure to jazz up a series that's become increasingly stale in recent seasons.
Liddell, who entered a semi-retirement earlier this year, can certainly do the same. The fan favorite was exposed to a new audience as he competed on the recent season of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," and though White said Liddell would be entering retirement following a knockout loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in April, "The Iceman" never officially declared he was walking away from the sport. In fact, it soon became apparent that Liddell wanted one more run in the sport.
"I am excited for the opportunity to coach on 'The Ultimate Fighter,' especially since I get a chance to beat Tito again," Liddell stated. "This is a perfect chance for me to help young fighters grow and it's a chance for me to get another win against Tito."
mmajunkie.com
'TUF' 10 Post-Fight Video : Look Back at Finale w/t JON JONES
LAS VEGAS – There was no protest, no complaint. In fact, there was only peace.
As Jon Jones (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) addressed the media at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas following his disqualification loss at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale, "Bones" was reserved, unassuming and unwilling to claim any sort of controversy regarding the result of his bout with Matt Hamill (8-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC).
"I try to look at everything in life for the best, and now I'm not worried about being undefeated anymore," Jones told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I can go out there and be more relaxed."
Jones looked to be cruising to victory over Hamill when he unleashed a few quick, downward and – most importantly – illegal elbows to his opponent's face. After referee Steve Mazzagatti first deducted a point and then waved off the contest, the use of the first instant replay in Nevada State Athletic Commission history left what appeared to be a TKO win for Jones as a disqualification loss.
Jones admitted he was surprised when the verdict was issued, but he didn't appear at all focused on the negatives of losing his unblemished career record.
"I thought I won, and when they said I lost, I was like, 'No, this can't be happening,'" Jones said. "But I lost. That said, everything happens for a reason.
"I just try to look at situations and stumbles and stay strong and bounce back stronger. I'm going to bounce back stronger. No, 'I'm undefeated. I'm so nervous.' I don't have that feeling anymore. I have a loss on my record, so it's OK."
Jones said he never intended to deliver any illegal strikes. But after wailing away on his opponent with an extended flurry, the always-creative Jones was simply looking for a means to attack successfully.
"I was hitting him so many times with so many legal blows, I was looking for more ways to get in and try to hit him more effectively," Jones said. "I hit him – I don't know. I hit him so many times, and they didn't stop it. I just kept going, and it came instinctively to come down the middle."
Opinions of Mazzagatti's handling of the situation are bound to vary widely among MMA observers. While Jones refused to complain with any vigor, count the 22-year-old New Yorker in the camp of those who believe the bout should have been stopped well before the illegal shots were ever thrown.
"I'm not positive what the rules are," Jones said. "But I think that 14 or 15 unanswered punches, it should be stopped. I said it in so many interviews, that I respect [Hamill] a lot for the inspiration that he is. It was awkward to keep hitting him like that.
"I was just hitting him so hard with legal shots, and I didn't realize that it was an illegal shot that I was hitting him with toward the end. I was like, 'Does this not work anymore?' ... I didn't understand why it wasn't getting stopped. I was like, 'Is he waiting for me to gas or something? What is this?' I looked at [Mazzagatti] twice like, 'Why am I still hitting this guy?'"
While Jones' status as a fast-rising contender and top prospect probably won't suffer much as a result of the sure-to-be-debated result, his previously undefeated record is certainly a thing of the past. While Jones said he enjoyed the perfect mark while it lasted, he's comfortable with the results of Saturday night.
"I definitely took a lot of pride in being undefeated," Jones said. "I'm proud to be a martial artist, and I strive so hard to be the best I can be. But everything happens for a reason.
"I feel great. I'm healthy. I have no injuries. I get to go home and see my daughter and my girlfriend. I haven't seen them in so long. ... I don't really care about the loss. I'm at peace."
mmajunkie.com
mma.fanhouse.com
'TUF' 10 Post-Fight Video: Look Back at Finale w/t KIMBO SLICE
LAS VEGAS -- Jon Jones, Kimbo Slice and the Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer met with the media on Saturday night following The Ultimate Fighter finale in different moods. While Jones said he was "at peace" with his DQ loss to Matt Hamill, the previously undefeated fighter sounded very frustrated. Meanwhile, Slice seemed relieved to get back into the win column and talked about what the future holds for him in the UFC.
Kizer talked about the controversy surrounding the end of the Jones-Hamill fight. The post-fight press conference videos are below.
mma.fanhouse.com
How Jon Jones Broke Matt Hamill's Shoulder?
Before the illegal downward elbow strikes that brought about his disqualification, Jon Jones first put Matt Hamill in real trouble with this leg trip takedown that turned the tide of the fight and, according to Hamill's trainer, broke his left shoulder.
Hamill still fought on after that point and did a surprisingly good job, considering the injury, of defending against the onslaught from Jones that soon followed. That's why you can't really argue that it was the takedown and not the elbows that ended the fight. What you could argue, however, is that Hamill got a lucky break when the illegal blows gave the ref a chance to take a look at him and conclude that he was in no position to continue fighting. Odds are things would have only gotten worse for him, and they were already pretty damn bad.
mma-core.com
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Maybe Vitor Belfort Won't Leapfrog Nate Marquardt For Title Shot After All
When it was initially announced that Vitor Belfort was getting the next crack at UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva, everyone from Ed Soares to Belfort himself acknowledged that this was at least partially bullshit. The good news is that, with Anderson Silva still sidelined due to a lingering injury, Belfort looks like he'll get his chance to prove he deserves the shot in a top contender bout with Nate Marquardt. Think of it as a rare instance of an injury pullout by a UFC champ resulting in a fight that probably makes more sense than the original title contest. When you think about how often this type of thing has been happening to the UFC of late, it only makes sense that sooner or later it would have to turn out to be a blessing in disguise. That's just the law of averages at work.
Meanwhile, let's take a step back and look at the current state of the UFC championship belts:
155 lbs: B.J. Penn puts the lightweight title up for grabs next weekend against Diego Sanchez. If Penn retains the title, don't look for him to turn around and defend it again any time in the next six months.
170 lbs: Georges St. Pierre goes up against Dan Hardy in March in what seems very likely to be a championship squash match.
185 lbs: Anderson Silva is still hurting and his return is uncertain. The good news is that, by the time he can come back, a #1 contender will be clearly established.
205 lbs: Lyoto Machida and "Shogun" Rua will go at it one more time in May. Unless something bad happens to one of them, which seems all too likely given the UFC's current streak of bad luck.
265 lbs: Brock Lesnar is a very, very sick man. Don't believe this 'back in six months' stuff just yet. The big man is going to need some time, and we shouldn't expect to see him before summer.
Basically, what we're probably looking at in 2010 is two title fights in the first five months. That's not great news when it comes to scraping together pay-per-view headliners. Better start working on those grudges, boys.
cagepotato.com
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
CSAC Confirms Stance on Medical Marijuana : AKA "The Diaz Rule"
As any California resident with ADD and a desire to make jam bands seem worth listening to already knows, getting a prescription for medical marijuana in the Golden State is really no problem. Fighting for a living after smoking said medical marijuana, however, that’s a trickier issue.
Nick Diaz has the state’s consent to smoke his little heart out, but he doesn’t have the CSAC’s permission to fight with it in his system. His ability to beat a drug test with sufficient notice is well documented, but so is his inability to even show up for the test when he doesn’t get that notice. Just to make sure their position on medical marijuana use by licensed athletes is clear, the CSAC went ahead and made their case for coming down hard on the Nick Diaz’s of the sporting world, issuing a statement that draws upon state supreme court precedent to arrive at this conclusion:
Because the Compassionate Use Act only provides a defense to criminal charges, any argument that the Act would allow an athlete to use the drug without consequences to his or her license must fail. If the Court were to take up a similar challenge to discipline of a licensee, it would likely find that the Commission has a legitimate interest in whether or not an athlete uses the drug because marijuana could slow a fighter’s reflexes and endanger his or her health and safety in the ring or the cage.
Therefore, given the limited reach of the Compassionate Use Act and the rationale of the Supreme Court in Ross v. RagingWire Telcomm, the Commission may safely discipline an athlete without running afoul of any law or court decision.
In other words, it’s your right to get high and play Xbox to soothe your anxiety disorder, but that doesn’t mean the CSAC can’t fine or suspend you if pop positive.
Diaz's method of beating drug tests may work just fine for teenagers trying to get a job at a store in the mall. As long as you know when you're going to pee and there are no surprises, it's not all that difficult for a veteran from the 209. But when the CSAC can call him up and tell him to submit to a pre-licensing test without more than a week's notice, he's going to be screwed every single time. For a guy who hopes to continue fighting in Strikeforce, which loves to hold events in California, it might be almost enough to make him consider some life changes. Or at least it might be if he went through the same rational decision-making process as normal people.
cagepotato.com
Sunday, November 29, 2009
White prepared to call M-1 Global's bluff of free Lesnar vs. Emelianenko bout
Earlier this month, M-1 Global exec Jerry Millen made waves by claiming Fedor Emelianenko would be willing to fight Brock Lesnar for free.
UFC president Dana White recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio that he's prepared to call Millen's bluff.
"They'll do the fight for free?" White asked. "That's [expletive] weird because I offered them millions of dollars to take the fight and he didn't take it. Now [Emelianenko] wants to fight for free? When and where? I'd love him to fight for free."
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Erin Toughill Dumps Barrel of Haterade on Kim Couture
Not everybody is in the holiday spirit this week. Over on the UG, MMA fighter and former American Gladiator Erin Toughill weighed in on a thread about Kim Couture's performance last Friday. Things got very ugly very quickly:
Kim was NEVER training MMA before she met Randy. Even if I married Randy (being at the "level" I am now) it would NEVER make me a world class Greco Roman wrestler lmfao thru marriage.
Kim has gone on record numerous times saying she "built" the Couture name/brand & it was nothing b4 her. Kim was interviewed post "sparring" with Wand Silva saying, "Silva had to turn it UP, when I turned it up" lol believing that she was actually making Wand spar HARD. She has said "it's really hard for Randy to pass my rubber guard" lol believing that her "guard" can keep the ICON away. Kim had lunch w some ladies from the XC gym b4 her fight. She had some lip augmentation done. Girls askd howd it affect her fight? Kim said, "It would not. I dont get hit in sparring OR when I fight. I have a 'black style' when it comes to boxing". That is word for word and it blew me away lol Kim has "improved everywhere" and has taken 3 weeks off from training in a year...yet lookd like she has been training for 3 weeks, total.
There are SO many women fighters that feel the same way...I just dont have an issue saying it. She has no business fighting nor taking spotlight from women who deserve to fight & cant seem to get a contract, like Roxy, Young, Tate...2 name a few.
It should be said that Toughill is already known to be a bit of a loose cannon, but we don't doubt that her words reflect the feelings of countless female fighters who toil in relative obscurity just to see an undeserving athlete take home the biggest check. Erin should take comfort in the fact that fame-by-association isn't something that lasts in the world of MMA. The Couture name may have gotten Kim in the door, but she didn't deliver, so you can expect Strikeforce to get off the Sugar Free train and start pushing the real prospect in Kerry Vera.
cagepotato.com
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
UFC 106 Ortiz vs. Griffin Pt.II : Weigh Ins Results
UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin II Weigh Ins Results
Date: Nov 21, 2009
Location: Las Vegas
Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
MAIN CARD
* Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Tito Ortiz (204)
* Anthony Johnson (170) vs. Josh Koscheck (171)
* Paulo Thiago (169) vs. Jacob Volkmann (170)
* Luiz Cane (205) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205)
* Phil Baroni (170) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
* Marcus Davis (170) vs. Ben Saunders (170)
* Kendall Grove (186) vs. Jake Rosholt (185.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
* Brian Foster (171) vs. Brock Larson (171)
* Fabricio Camoes (155.5) vs. Caol Uno (155.5)
* Jason Dent (155) vs. George Sotiropoulos (155)
Strikeforce Challengers:Weigh In Results
MAIN CARD:
170 lbs.: Tyron Woodley (171) vs. Rudy Bears (170)
135 lbs.: Kerry Vera (135) vs. Kim “Sugar Free” Couture (136)
170 lbs.: Erik Apple (170.5) vs. Bobby Voelker (170)
205 lbs.: Aaron Rosa (206) vs. Rafael “Feijao” (205)
185 lbs.: Kevin Casey (185) vs. Chad Vance (185)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
155 lbs.: Lee Gibson (155) vs. Joe Wilk (155.5)
145 lbs.: Brian Davidson (147) vs. Russel Patrick (144)
170 lbs.: Andrew Waters vs. Nick Nolte (171)
185 lbs.: Darryl Cobb (184) vs. Gary Tapasua (185)
167 lbs.: Mike Chandler (166) vs. Rich Bouphanouvong (164)
190 lbs.: Dominic Brown (190) vs. Lucas Lopes (191.4)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman At UFC 109 Reported
A report by Sherdog.com says that MMA legends Randy Couture (17-10) and Mark Coleman (16-9) have both verbally agreed to face one another at UFC 109 in a light-heavyweight bout.
UFC 109 is scheduled to take place on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas, Nev. at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
If signed, the bout will mark the first time UFC hall of famers have met in the Octagon. Both former heavyweight champions, Couture was originally slated to face Coleman at UFC 17 in May 1998 in Mobile, Ala., before the four-time Olympic alternate hurt his ribs prepping for that year’s Greco-Roman wrestling Nationals.
Instead, Coleman fought Pete Williams, a then unknown Lion’s Den protégé, and was knocked out with a head kick just past the 12-minute mark. The accomplished wrestlers’ paths did not cross again.
Couture is coming off-of a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Vera during this past weekends UFC 105 show in Manchester, England. The decision was controversial with many fans and event with Vera himself, who thought the decision should have been much closer or reversed. Couture is the only UFC fighter to ever posses two UFC titles, winning both the light-heavyweight and heavyweight belts.
Coleman defeated Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision at UFC 100, which marked a turn-around as Coleman had lost two previous bouts. His UFC 100 fight marked a ten year absence from the UFC organization where he fought almost entirely with the PRIDE promotion in Japan.
The current rumored UFC 109 card appears as follows:
– Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (for middleweight title)*
- Mark Coleman vs. Randy Couture*
- Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller*
- Renzo Gracie vs. Matt Hughes*
- Matt Serra vs. TBA*
- Rob Emerson vs. Phillipe Nover*
- Rolles Gracie vs. Mostapha Al Turk*
- Melvin Guillard vs. Ronnys Torres*
* – Not officially announced
-mmahits.com
