John Howard, Andre Winner Latest to be Cut from Zuffa Roster

 Posted by at 5:29 PM  MMA News, UFC  1 Response »
Jul 112011
 

"Doomsday" John Howard (red/black trunks) is one of two fighters announced today as having been cut by the UFC. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

Welterweight “Doomsday” John Howard (14-7) and lightweight Andre Winner (12-6-1) are the latest members of the UFC’s roster to have their necks stretched across the Zuffa chopping block. It was announced today that the heavy-handed Boston native Howard and The Ultimate Fighter 9 runner-up from Team Rough House, Winner, have had their last fights inside the UFC Octagon.

“Doomsday” introduced himself to UFC fans worldwide with a four-fight winning streak, taking out opponents such as “The Barn Cat” Tamdan McCrory (11-3) and MMA veteran “Superman” Dennis Hallman (45-13-2). His tear through the UFC’s welterweight division however was put to an abrupt stop by Jake Ellenberger (24-5) in August 2010. Howard followed up his loss to Ellenberger with two more consecutive defeats, the most recent of which was at the hands of “The Immortal” Matt Brown (12-10) in June, prompting the UFC to cut ties with “Doomsday”. Howard announced via his Twitter that he is now looking to sign with Bellator or DREAM, or “whoever makes the best offer”. Continue reading »

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Spilled Bag of Fights: The Iceys

 Posted by at 8:06 PM  Spilled Bag of Fights  1 Response »
Jun 272011
 

Hello, Icemigos. How was your blah, blah, blah? Yeah and how’s that thing that you do going? Really? That’s interesting. You know how I feel about that. I mean it should go without saying, right?

So with the niceties out of the way let’s get right to the awards! What awards? The first ever SBoI Awards for the week of MMA fights that I saw! “The Iceys®” as they’re called – as of now. Continue reading »

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UFC Live on Versus 4: The Aftermath

 Posted by at 4:04 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Jun 272011
 

To open up the UFC on Versus 4 main card, heavyweights Christian Morecraft (left) and "Meathead" Matt Mitrione (right) engaged in a nearly ten-minute long slug fest that left Morecraft folded on the mat in the closing seconds of Round 2. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

In just one of the many recent efforts put forth by the world’s top mixed martial arts promotion, UFC on Versus 4: Kongo vs. Barry barreled through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania leaving no fan disappointed. The main card was opened by two Goliaths of the heavyweight division clawing at each other as they advance up the mountain.  A fighter whose strikes are known to end all who stand in his way would meet against a man who does not accept defeat without a fight. The co-main event was saved when a hometown hero stepped up to face one of the fastest rising stars in the welterweight division.  Finally in the main event, two of the biggest and most dangerous strikers collide in a highly anticipated heavyweight match-up. In the wake of a significant win for a top contender, the question most often posed for him is “What’s next?” Here is a brief recap of the events that took place in what turned out to be arguably one of the most unforgettable cards in recent memory, and the matches those respective winners could very well themselves undertaking in the future. Continue reading »

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UFC on Versus 4: “Kongo vs. Barry” Live Results, Bonuses

 Posted by at 5:21 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Jun 262011
 

(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

—MAIN CARD (on Versus)—

Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry: Kongo via KO, Round 1, 2:39

Rick Story vs. Charlie Brenneman: Brenneman via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), Round 3, 5:00

Matt Brown vs. John Howard: Brown via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), Round 3, 5:00

Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft: Mitrione via KO (Punches), Round 2, 4:28 Continue reading »

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UFC on Versus 4: “Marquardt vs. Story” Main Card Pre-Fight Breakdown

 Posted by at 10:19 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Jun 252011
 

Matt Mitrione (left) has shown tremendous all-around improvement in his skill set, especially his striking, and will likely have a distinct advantage over Christian Morecraft. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Tomorrow night Zuffa reloads and fires again with another top flight card that displays just how deep their talent pool is. This time it’s UFC on Versus 4: Kongo vs. Barry and this time it’s free. As far as free on TV cards go, this line-up is definitely one of the more loaded, despite the loss of long-time middleweight title contender “The Great” Nate Marquardt (31-10-2). The main event was originally slated to be his first bout in the welterweight division, but an undisclosed issue saw Nate “The Great” fail to pass his pre-fight medical screening, resulting in his removal from both the card and the UFC roster. Never missing a step, the UFC has pushed heavyweight kickboxing juggernauts Cheick Kongo (15-6-2) and “Hype or Die” Pat Barry (5-3) up to the main event slot while Charlie Brenneman (13-2) has agreed to face blue chip nightmare “The Horror” Rick Story (11-2). Ailing welterweights “Doomsday” John Howard (14-6) and “The Immortal” Matt Brown (11-10) will also climb in the cage and opening up the night of fan favored fights are a pair of bouts that scream excitement as TUF 10 pariah turned heavyweight wrecking machine “Meathead” Matt Mitrione (4-0) goes against Christian Morecraft (7-1) and lightweight gatekeeper Tyson Griffin (14-5) cuts to 145 to face “The Anvil” Manny Gamburyan (11-6). The card is free, the match-ups are great, and the organization is proving once again that it is the best. Continue reading »

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UFC Fight Night 24: The Aftermath

 Posted by at 2:03 PM  Features, MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Mar 272011
 

"The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung (bottom) pulled off a UFC first last night in his main card match against Leonard Garcia (top), submitting the "Bad Boy" via a modified Guillotine called a "Twister". With his victory, Jung not only successfully sought revenge for his previous loss to Garcia, but also proved himself a worthwhile adversary in the UFC's featherweight division. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The Key Arena of Seattle, Washington got its dose of mixed martial arts action when the UFC came roaring through with last night’s UFC Fight Night 24: Nogueira vs. Davis. With a heavy prelim card, the four main card bouts had tough acts to follow. The fans saw a  “Fight of the Year” rematch with an added twist when former WEC acquisitions stepped in the cage. Although the fight was in trouble with fighters dropping out due to injury, two Ultimate Fighter alumni showed they are beyond the reality television stigma in a thrilling war. The welterweight division got shaken up when two fighters seeking redemption over their past performances met with the hopes of getting back onto the road for a title shot. In the main event, the world saw a promising, young fighter take on a dangerous veteran of the game. While much can be said about the undercard, here’s a quick recap over the main card shown on Spike TV along with possible match-ups those victorious might see themselves in later in 2011. Continue reading »

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UFC Live on Versus 3: The Aftermath

 Posted by at 4:03 PM  Features, MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Mar 042011
 

WEC transplant "Last Call" Danny Castillo (red/black trunks) was able to withstand Joe Stevenson's (white/black trunks) powerful wrestling to deliver some punishment of his own brand and earn the Unanimous Decision victory. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The third installment of UFC: Live on Versus gave the fans of Louisville, Kentucky and viewers at home all the bang without the buck this past Thursday night. More acquisitions from the WEC/UFC merger made their UFC debut and put their divisions on high alert, a newcomer made his UFC debut within weeks of taking a fight on short notice, two middleweights pleaded their case on their ascension to the top of the 185lbs. division mountain, and two welterweights battled in a possible “Fight of the Year” candidate. Though the undercard also had its share of the action, here are some possible match-ups that should happen for the victors off the UFC: Live on Versus 3 main card.

“Last Call” Danny Castillo (10-3) defeats “Daddy” Joe Stevenson (31-12) via Unanimous Decision

Able to survive Stevenson’s takedown attempts and patented Guillotine Chokes, “Last Call” Castillo passed his first UFC test with flying colors. The Facebook-featured match showcased Castillo besting Stevenson with wildfire striking and staggering the former lightweight challenger during the 15-minute contest. If approaching the closing bell there were any doubt beset as to who the fight would have gone to, the final takedown of the match was executed by the former WEC standout “Last Call” and accompanied by Stevenson receiving an unwelcome rain of fists from above, further aiding in handing him his third loss in a row. Continue reading »

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UFC 126 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha

 Posted by at 7:01 PM  MMA News, UFC  1 Response »
Feb 032011
 

IFL and BodogFight veteran Jake Ellenberger (blue trunks) has been a tough fight for every opponent he has faced and has made a UFC career out of being a winning underdog. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

This Saturday the UFC presents the fans with UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort from its home stomping grounds at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card features the biggest threat to “The Spider” Anderson Silva’s (27-4) middleweight crown to date as he takes on the blistering hand speed and undeniable power of “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (19-8), as well as a host of other great match-ups. Forrest Griffin (17-6) will be making his long awaited return to the Octagon against the man that Silva took the middleweight title from in 2006, “Ace” Rich Franklin (27-5), and light heavyweight superstar “Darth” Ryan Bader (12-0) will put his undefeated record on the line against the man Bruce Buffer called “the next Muhammad Ali”, “Bones” Jon Jones (11-1). Also in action are former WEC warriors “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (12-4) and Miguel Torres (37-3) as they make their UFC debuts against Paul Kelly (11-3) and Antonio Banuelos (18-6), respectively. The last main card combatants are the NCAA wrestling coach “The Juggernaut” Jake Ellenberger (22-5) and his opponent, the deadly submission fighter Carlos Eduardo Rocha (9-0). The match is a test for both men, as Ellenberger saved his reputation by defeating up-and-coming prospects and Rocha is just such a prospect looking to send a message to the rest of the welterweight division. Continue reading »

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It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Boxing…

 Posted by at 3:43 PM  Features, MMA News  No Responses »
Jan 042011
 

UFC 118 in August was predominantly centralized around its "MMA vs. Boxing" co-main event between UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture (red/black shorts) and superstar boxer "Lights Out" James Toney (camouflage trunks). Couture demolished Toney and put an end to his night about halfway through the first round. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

This past month rounding out the 2010 MMA calendar and transitioning into the New Year has been thrilling. UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck II was for all intents and purposes an exciting affair. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (21-2) put on another picture perfect fight against perennial contender “Kos” Josh Koscheck (15-5) and “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (18-7) showed he could stay relevant at welterweight by testing the iron chin of “Doomsday” John Howard (14-6), Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu 2 was quite literally a knockout, WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis was an explosive send-off for the exciting organization, and the main event at UFC 125: Resolution featured lightweight champ “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) and his challenger, NCAA Div. I wrestler “The Bully” Gray Maynard (10-0-1), partaking in a five round war dominated by stand-up that rather surprisingly resulted in a Draw. However a disturbing realization has come to light. It is likely that given the growth of MMA, especially the UFC, this beloved sport one day will begin to emulate the stale monotony of professional boxing. As the UFC and MMA continue to grow into the meganaut of combat sports, mainstream growth’s effect on the sport, its entertainment value, and its fighters will only become progressively more apparent. Continue reading »

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Ryan Loco and “Doomsday” John Howard Dish on How To Land the Ladies

 Posted by at 10:13 PM  MMA Gospel Radio, MMA News  1 Response »
Dec 152010
 

"Doomsday" John Howard drops some serious knowledge about how to get the ladies on MMA Gospel Radio. (File Photo)

This week on MMA Gospel Radio, host Gary Friedman and his partner Amy Barton hosted Jaco Clothing and Tapout Radio’s Ryan Loco and UFC welterweight wrecking machine “Doomsday” John Howard (14-6). The eventful discussions ranged in topic from the recent events of UFC 124 to the Yankees to NFL football and bandwagon fans to…getting the ladies? Continue reading »

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Thiago Alves: “The Pitbull” is Back on the Hunt

 Posted by at 8:57 PM  MMA News  2 Responses »
Dec 132010
 

Thiago Alves celebrates his comeback victory over John Howard at UFC 124 this past Saturday, and begins the climb back up the promotion's welterweight ladder. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Whether he is referred to as the “Muay Thai Wrecking Machine” or “The Pitbull”, both monikers accurately describe the performance that Thiago Alves (17-7) put on at UFC 124 this Saturday night. With past difficulties of making weight, two consecutive losses to UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (21-2) and former top contender Jon Fitch (22-3), and the threat of having to move up to the middleweight division or possibly being cut from the UFC, Thiago Alves’ most recent match-up against “Doomsday” John Howard (14-6) was do-or-die in terms of his professional fighting career. He had to silence critics and please UFC President Dana White all in one stroke. “The Pitbull” did just that. Continue reading »

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Spilled Bag of Fights: Oww! My Eye!

 Posted by at 4:41 PM  Spilled Bag of Fights  4 Responses »
Dec 132010
 

So, UFC 124. Man, you twitterers were brutal. You had a big bucket of salt ready for my wounds. It’s like that, huh? Well, let me state for the record that I’m not Tomas Rios. I don’t sit here and smugly tell you exactly how I think the fight is going to down like it’s law and then turn out to be wrong. I’m asked by MMA Gospel to make my picks with the rest of the staff and I do so. Sometimes I’m confident in my picks, sometimes not. For UFC 124, I thought the picks were exceptionally hard. Especially since… look, anyone can pick all the favorites and the odds will likely play out in their favor. That doesn’t make you a genius. I decided to pick all underdogs but with valid reason. Like I said, if I was betting my life savings I wouldn’t have made the same picks but where’s the fun in that?

So let me break down UFC 124 but with my reasoning for making the picks I made included. Continue reading »

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UFC 124: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 Posted by at 9:38 PM  MMA News  1 Response »
Dec 122010
 

Georges St. Pierre (center) did more than simply retain his title at UFC 124. He established himself as the general consensus' "Greatest MMA Fighter of All Time". (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

With UFC 124 in the books, the MMA world has again turned to its typical speculation over the fight results that go beyond a mere victory or defeat. In the case of UFC 124, the fighters on the card set out to prove just why it is that every card is important and every fight has an effect on the division in which it is fought. This event was condemned by many as “being all about one fight” or “the UFC putting together a shitty undercard because they knew the main event would sell it out” and the vast majority of the MMA community felt that the card would have little or no impact on the UFC big picture. Those naysayers were wrong. UFC 124 provided the MMA community with a comeback, a second chance, and at least two solid title contenders. However it also sent several men back to the drawing board or worse, potentially out of the UFC. Continue reading »

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UFC 124 Quick Results

 Posted by at 10:06 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Dec 112010
 

(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

—PRELIMS—

Pat Audinwood vs. John Makdessi: Makdessi via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00

TJ Grant vs. Ricardo Almeida: Almeida via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00

Matt Riddle vs. Sean Pierson: Pierson via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00

Jesse Bongfeldt vs. Rafael Natal: Draw, Round 3, 5:00

—LIVE ON UFC.COM—

Mark Bocek vs. Dustin Hazelett: Bocek via Submission (Triangle Choke), Round 1, 2:33

Joe Doerksen vs. Dan Miller: Miller via Split Decision, Round 3, 5:00

—MAIN CARD on PPV—

Thiago Alves vs. John Howard: Alves via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00

Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig: Danzig via KO, Round 1, 1:54

Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira: Miller via Submission (Kneebar), Round 1, 1:59

Stefan Struve vs. Sean McCorkle: Struve via TKO, Round 1, 3:55

Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck: St. Pierre via Unanimous Decision, Round 5, 5:00

—BONUSES—

Knockout of the Night: Mac Danzig wins $100,000

Submissions of the Night: Mark Bocek (vs. Dustin Hazelett) and Jim Miller (vs. Charles Oliveira) each win $50,000

Fight of the Night (decided by fans): Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck each win $100,000

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UFC 124 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck

 Posted by at 2:19 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Dec 112010
 

In tonight's rematch, Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck will be a much more even match-up than in their first meeting, but the result will be the same. (Photo courtesy of Sherdog)

Tonight, “Kos” Josh Koscheck (15-4) will step into the Octagon to fight for the welterweight championship for a second time against dominant champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (20-2). The card beneath them is filled with several quality match-ups featuring fellow welterweights “The Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-7) and “Doomsday” John Howard (14-5), lightweights “Mongoose” Jim Miller (18-2), Charles Oliveira (14-0), “Daddy” Joe Stevenson (31-10), and Mac Danzig (19-8-1), and heavyweights “Skyscraper” Stefan Struve (17-4) and “Big Sexy” Sean McCorkle (10-0), but the bout may as well stand alone atop the Pay-Per-View card. The hype surrounding this title fight is of a magnitude unseen since UFC 100, eclipsing even the Chael Sonnen (24-11-1)/”The Spider” Anderson Silva (27-4) fight at UFC 117. This fight is the perfect storm of marketing factors that hits every angle a fight possibly can. GSP is a beloved champion fighting on his home soil against “Kos”, a figure so easy to hate that his presence alone incites the rage of MMA fans – especially Canadian ones. They are fighting a rematch backed not only by the UFC marketing dynamo but by a season’s worth of animosity created by The Ultimate Fighter. It even exploits the international angle by pitting an American against an international opponent. The UFC could easily have raised their PPV price another 10 bucks and scrapped every other bout on the card and still set buy rate records with this fight, and the fact that these two athletes truly are the best two welterweights in the world ensures that the fight will live up to what should be the UFC’s crowning marketing achievement. Continue reading »

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