dianavandercook's blog

UFC 133 Fight Card: Costas Philippou Replaces Riki Fukuda Against Rafael Natal

Costas Philippou has replaced an injured Riki Fukuda and now meets fellow middleweight Rafael Natal on the UFC 133 fight card on August 6 in Philadelphia. UFC 133 is headlined by light heavyweight contenders Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis and also features Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/18917/riki-fukuda-out-of-ufc-133-bout-with-rafael-natal/

Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz Luke Cummo  Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai  Mac Danzig 

Soszynski’s size overwhelms late replacement Massenzio at UFC 131

When Krzysztof Soszynski was informed he was without an opponent last Monday, he told the UFC 'get me anybody.' Matchmaker Joe Silva did and Soszynski made the necessary gameplan adjustments. He showed good takedown defense and used his size to overpower Mike Massenzio in a unanimous decision victory, 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26, at UFC 131 in Vancouver.

"Cardio was the key for me. I fought a wrestler for the first time in three years. Training with guys like Mark Munoz and the boys at Reign (gym) paid off. I hadn't planned on fighting a wrestler, but the improvements I've made in my sprawl and getting back to my feet really paid off. I appreciate him stepping up and taking this fight," said Soszynski.

Soszynski, a UFC veteran of seven fights, found out on Monday that Igor Pokrajac, a striker, had to bail from the fight. Massenzio, a former college wrestler, would present an entirely different challenge. Massenzio is also a true middleweight, so when he did land some takedowns in the first round, Soszynski was able to get to his feet quickly. Massenzio's constant work for takedown tired him out by the middle of the second round.

Soszynski (26-11-1, 6-2 UFC) landed some big shots on the feet at the end of the round and set the tone for the final stanza. "The Polish Experiment" thwarted a takedown attempt in the third and used what was probably a 20-pound weight advantage to sit down on Massenzio, who was on his knees. Working for a kimura, Soszynski was incredibly active while. He landed 20-25 brutal knees to the side, shoulder and leg of Massenzio. The smaller fighter grimaced in pain and couldn't get back to his feet until there was just 1:02 left in the fight.

"I took that fight on two days notice. I'm a middleweight and have never fought at 205, but this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Massenzio said. "I tried to strike with him and keep him off balance. He's a world-class fighter. I just came up a little short tonight."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Soszynski-s-size-overwhelms-late-replacement-Mas?urn=mma-wp3377

Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove Clay Guida

The UFC To Purchase Its Own Network? UFC President Dana White Still Says "We're Talking To Everybody"

Recently, much has been made of the ufc and Spike TV possibly ending their long-held partnership. For my part, I wondered whether or not the UFC had finally outgrown Spike TV. We now have a pair of interesting updates on the situation, courtesy of UFC President Dana White and industry insiders. While White still contends [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/06/11/the-ufc-to-purchase-its-own-network-ufc-president-dana-white-still-says-were-talking-to-everybody

Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove Clay Guida Jason Guida Melvin Guillard

Badr Hari Vids

God DAMN this guy is fast for 6'5" Thai Pad Training http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp5w3X5gzr8&feature=related Badr Hari "The Golden Boy" Highlight & Tribute (SW) 2011...

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?75068-Badr-Hari-Vids&goto=newpost

Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku  Tony Bonello Stephan Bonnar Lorenzo Borgomeo 

Stout scores possible KO of Year on Edwards at UFC 131

Sam Stout loves post-fight bonuses. Outside of Chris Lytle, "Hands of Stone" has cashed the most UFC bonuses in history. They usually come via the 15-minute route. Tonight, Stout took a different path by making quick work of Yves Edwards with a vicious knockout in less than four minutes. Stout landed a left hook that knocked Edwards stiff at 3:52 in the first round at UFC 131 in Vancouver.

"I thought it would take a little bit longer to be able to connect against a fighter of Yves Edwards' caliber. I was putting my combinations together and trying to slow him down. We've been working for several months on landing a left hook against a left-handed fighter," Stout said. "Tonight, it landed and it worked. It's an amazing feeling to score a knockout like that in front of the Canadian fans."

It could've very easily been Stout lying on his back. He ate a big right hand over his ear just a split second before his sledgehammer left hand caught Edwards on the chin.

Edwards, a UFC veteran who first fought for the promotion back at UFC 33 in 2001, was out on the way down and then slammed his head on the mat. Edwards' (40-17-1, 8-5 UFC) arms went out to his side and his eyes were wide open. The physicians attended to Edwards for nearly two and a half minutes before he rose to his feet. Once he got back to the locker room, Edwards was able to speak, but was still in shock.

"I've never been knocked out, so this is a tough loss for me. I've got to go back and see the tape to figure out where my defense broke down," Edwards said.

Stout has cashed bonuses on five previous occasions, good for over $200,000. While training for this fight in Las Vegas, the lightweight spoke with RawVegas and defended his go-for-broke style.

It certainly worked tonight. Stout (17-6-1, 6-5 UFC) has won 4-of-5 now in the UFC. At 27 years old, he may be turning the corner.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Stout-scores-possible-KO-of-Year-on-Edwards-at-U?urn=mma-wp3402

Aldrin de Jesus  Todd Duffee  Marvin Eastman  Stav Crazy Bear Economou  Yves Edwards 

Look how many room keys I just pulled out of my purse..

Ouch, lol..

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TracyLee/~3/X35O5yXC_Zo/look-how-many-room-keys-i-just-pulled-out-of-my-purse.html

Shinya Aoki  Andrei Arlovski  Ricardo Arona  Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio 

Strikeforce Challengers 16, Bellator 46 and UFC on Verus 4 Take Place This Weekend

Just when you thought mixed martial arts would embark on a slight hiatus after “Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum” wrapped this past Saturday, MMA comes roaring back this weekend with three consecutive shows – with none of them being of the pay-per-view variety. “Strikeforce Challengers 16″ takes place Friday inside the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/79374/strikeforce-challengers-16-bellator-46-and-ufc-on-verus-4-take-place-this-weekend/

Dan Hardy Lee Hasdell Musse Hasselvall Daiki DJ taiki Hata He Peng

Noons commits to difficult cut, reluctantly visits a salon

Strikeforce in Dallas this weekend is highlighted by the heavyweight battles but one of the sleeper fights is KJ Noons and Jorge Masvidal.

This inside video look at Noons shows the lightweight contender taking care of a crucial prefight task. He checks in with the stylist. Apparently, Noons wiping away his bangs against Nick Diaz annoyed the hell out of the fighter's trainers (1:40 mark).

The Noons' video series is well made and this one provides a bonus with an appearance by the fighter's wife, Melany Lorenzo. Lorenzo is also an athlete having logged time in the Lingerie Football League.

Noons' could be fighting for a shot at Strikeforce 155-pound champion Gilbert Melendez. Does he have a chance against Melendez? Of course. Noons' boxing is as good as anyone's in the business. He's faced Diaz twice. Noons is a true lightweight, who finished Diaz on one occasion and also went the distance with the welterweight champ last year.

The first task at hand though is Masvidal, a well-rounded fighter, who may be able to slow Noons' striking game by getting the fight to the floor. Noons is listed as a minus-320 favorite. With Gina Carano dropping off the card, Noons-Masvidal is now part of the Showtime telecast (10 p.m. ET/PT).

Check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Noons-commits-to-difficult-cut-reluctantly-visi?urn=mma-wp3542

Grant Campbell  Gesias JZ Calvancante  Luiz Cane  Dos Caras Jr   Phil Cardella

TJ Grant Sick, ?UFC on Versus 4? Fight with Charlie Brenneman Scrapped

And then there were 11, as in only 11 bouts scheduled for this Sunday’s “UFC on Versus 4: Marquardt vs. Story” event inside the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The world’s premier MMA organization has scrapped the welterweight contest between TJ Grant and Charlie Brenneman after Grant became ill at the 11th hour. “TJ [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/79421/tj-grant-sick-ufc-on-versus-4-fight-with-charlie-brenneman-scrapped/

Josh Hendricks Ed Herman Heath Herring Branden Lee Hinkle Tank Abbott

UFC 131: Cerrone crushes the legs of Rocha for second UFC win

Donald Cerrone's transition to the UFC has been nothing but smooth. He made sure of that at UFC 131 by crushing Vagner Rocha with leg kicks. Rocha, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, could never get the fight to the mat and took massive damage to his legs. Cerrone rolled to a unanimous decison, 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26, in the first fight on the pay-per-view portion of UFC 131 in Vancouver.

There were questions about Cerrone, a former WEC lightweight champ, when he was brought on board by the UFC, the biggest promotion under the Zuffa umbrella. He's now won two straight in the UFC over Paul Kelly and Rocha, and three in a row overall.

"My wrestling has gotten better and better thanks to Greg Jackson and all of the wrestlers down there. I'm working with guys like Clay Guida, Melvin Guillard and the Vanier brothers every day. I'm disappointed that I didn't get the chance to finish him," said Cerrone.

Cerrone's muay thai just destroyed Rocha all night long.  Cerrone (15-3, 2-0 UFC) landed dozens of kicks on the outside and inside of Rocha's lead leg. By the third round, Rocha switched stances for a brief second and was limping. Over the final two minutes of the fight, he was wincing on each nasty leg kick that landed.

"After the first round, I could tell the leg kicks started bothering him. I just didn't let my hands go after negating the takedown. I'm happy with the win, but you know I always want to put on exciting fights," said Cerrone.

Rocha (6-2, 0-1 UFC) tried for takedowns throughout, but lacked the size and technique to threaten Cerrone. A replacement for Mac Danzig, he was simply overmatched at this point in his career.

"That was just a bad fight for me. It wasn't what I had planned at all. I was really frustrated that he was able to defend the takedowns that well and it threw my game plan completely off," said Rocha.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-131-Cerrone-crushes-the-legs-of-Rocha-for-s?urn=mma-wp3412

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Ao Hailin