UFC on FOX Pre-Fight Breakdown: Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson

 Posted by at 4:29 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Nov 102011
 

Despite entering the organization on the heels of dropping the WEC lightweight belt, Ben Henderson (black shorts) has been nothing less than dominant in the UFC. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The Honda Center in Anaheim, California plays host to the UFC’s first foray into network television, UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos. The only broadcast fight and main event is one for the ages as heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez (9-0) takes on Brazilian striking menace “Cigano” Junior Dos Santos (13-1). The internet-only undercard will consist of many lesser-known and up-and-coming fighters including featherweights “The Diamond” Dustin Porier (10-1) versus “The Scarecrow” Pablo Garza (11-1). Veteran 145er Cub Swanson (15-4) goes head-to-head with Ricardo Lamas (10-2) while international favorite “Kid” Norifumi Yamamoto (18-4) takes on “BC” Darren Uyenoyama (6-3) at bantamweight. The historic night’s co-main event is being criminally relegated to FOX Deportes and internet streams as “The Carpenter” Clay Guida (29-11) and former WEC Lightweight Champion “Smooth” Ben Henderson (14-2) square off in what will likely determine the next contender for the lightweight title. With their similar styles and equally strong gas tanks, this could be a three-round fight that fans won’t likely forget.

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MMA Gospel Radio Hosts Randy Thorsvig, Discusses Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix

 Posted by at 10:13 PM  MMA Gospel Radio  No Responses »
Jan 122011
 

MMA Gospel Radio’s Gary Friedman and Amy Barton kicked off this week’s show with an in-depth round table discussion of the upcoming Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix with MMA Gospel staff writer Cole Moorman and Rich of My Take Radio. The panel discussed each of the tournament’s eight participants as well as the brackets, and some interesting points were covered ranging from the involvement of “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko’s (31-2) infamous management team at M-1 Global to the inclusion of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion “The Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (30-12) in the early tournament rounds. 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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MMA Gospel Radio Talks Training, Fighting, and the MMA Awards with Taylor Stratford and Tapout Radio’s Crooklyn

 Posted by at 10:13 PM  MMA Gospel Radio, MMA News  No Responses »
Dec 012010
 

Undefeated amateur fighter "Tay" Taylor Stratford was a guest on tonight's episode of MMA Gospel Radio. (File photo)

MMA Gospel Radio this week featured the usual candid insider’s look on MMA along with a trivia contest for free gear from MMA Gospel’s sponsor One5 Fightwear. The show’s featured guest this week was undefeated 19-year-old female amateur MMA fighter Taylor Stratford.  The young Reno, Nevada-based Stratford shared her thoughts on training, fighting, and how she got into the sport as well. Also making an appearance was Tapout Radio’s resident female MMA authority Crooklyn, who shared her views on MMA and the current state of affairs in Strikeforce, the WEC/UFC merger, and her picks for the MMA Awards tonight. Continue reading »

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Looking for the Underdog: Lyoto Machida

 Posted by at 1:19 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Nov 202010
 

"The Dragon" Lyoto Machida has been a formidable opponent in the UFC light heavyweight division since joining the promotion in February 2007. His eight-fight winning streak screeched to a halt after being TKO'd by "Shogun" Mauricio Rua at UFC 113. Tonight he faces "Rampage" Quinton Jackson in an effort to get back into title contention. (Photo courtesy of Jon Kopaloff and Getty Images)

A year ago the dynamics of the UFC looked quite different. “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-7-1) was unstoppable in the lightweight division. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (20-2)  was the master of his domain, making all his opponents seem amateurish. “The Spider” (27-4) Anderson Silva was the puzzle no one could solve, and it was thought that Brock Lesnar’s (5-2) short fighting career might be over. The light heavyweight division was also at a pivotal point, as the shroud of mystique that enveloped the then unbeaten “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-1) had just been uncovered through the punches and kicks from an opponent few thought would have the skill set to beat Machida: “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (19-4). Though Machida maintained his unbeaten status and championship title via a highly contested Unanimous Decision after their first meeting, he would  later succumb to Rua’s fists in their rematch in May, dubbing “Shogun” the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.  Tonight at UFC 123, Machida returns to the Octagon for the first time in over six months to face PRIDE veteran “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-8) in the climb back up the ladder to title contention.

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UFC 123 Pre-Fight Breakdown: BJ Penn vs. Matt Hughes

 Posted by at 4:57 PM  MMA News  1 Response »
Nov 182010
 

BJ Penn (right, shown with "Daddy" Joe Stevenson at UFC 80) has been hungry for a move back up to the welterweight division, and has been given just that with a match against Matt Hughes at UFC 123 on Saturday. "The Prodigy" is an incredibly well rounded fighter, and will likely finish Hughes with one of his slick submissions. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-1) and “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-8) will face each other in the main event at Saturday night’s UFC 123 in Auburn Hills, Michigan in a battle of discipline against passion on a card that is supported by the likes of TUF superstars “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (19-5) and George Sotiropoulos (13-2), “The Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (12-3), “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (8-0), “Hurricane” Gerald Harris (17-2) and “Big Rig” Maiquel Falcao (7-1).  However, one of the most criticized and least important bouts slated for November 20 is a rubber match between long time rivals “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-7-1) and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes (43-7).  Most of the discussion surrounding this fight has been various MMA journalists and forum warriors flaming about how the fight makes no sense and is completely irrelevant. What the critics fail to see is how this bout makes perfect sense in the most basic way. No, there won’t be a welterweight title shot or even status as a legitimate contender on the line in this fight. Yes, the bout will do absolutely nothing to further either man’s career. However, both of the previous fights between these two former welterweight kings have been action packed fan pleasers from first to final bell. That is how this fight makes sense. True MMA fans wouldn’t miss a fight between Hughes and Penn for the world. Continue reading »

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MMA Gospel Radio Sits Down With Rich From MMA Scraps and Demetrious Johnson

 Posted by at 11:46 PM  MMA Gospel Radio, MMA News  No Responses »
Nov 172010
 
"Mighty Mouse" knocks out the listeners questions on MMA Gospel Radio.

"Mighty Mouse" knocks out the listeners' questions on MMA Gospel Radio. (File photo)

This week on MMA Gospel Radio the show hosted Rich, the man behind MMA Scraps, Cat Von C from Middle Easy, and the WEC Bantamweight stand-out “Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson (11-1). Rich discussed how he got involved with MMA journalism and then joined the MMA Gospel Radio crew in a round table discussion of the upcoming UFC 123 card’s preliminary bouts. Johnson came to the show fresh off a third round Guillotine Choke submission victory over “The Angel of Death” Damacio Page (10-6) to discuss his views on the upcoming UFC/WEC merger, a possible move to a rumored UFC flyweight division, and his thoughts about the use of the guard in MMA.

A discussion of the UFC 123 prelims led to a general consensus about the difficulty in calling fights with lesser known competition.  While Rich enlightened the listeners as to the credentials earned by UFC undercard late replacement Michael Lullo (8-1) in the XFO organization, he did agree that many of the fighters on the UFC 123 preliminary card are truly unknown fighters. “I believe that the UFC keeps a lot of these 10-1 and 8-0 guys in reserve to use on short notice, looking for those guys to burst onto the scene and kinda catch lightning in a jar,” he said. Continue reading »

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UFC 123 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Phil Davis vs. Tim Boestch

 Posted by at 12:49 PM  MMA News  1 Response »
Nov 172010
 

Expect "Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis (right, shown here with fellow UFC light heavyweight Brian Stann ) to dominate opponent "The Barbarian" Tim Boetsch in every aspect of the fight game in their meeting at UFC 123. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

UFC 123 in Auburn Hills, Michigan is a card that features fighters on the list of the UFC’s biggest names from past and present, as well as several names destined to join that list. Former light heavyweight champions “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-1) and “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-8) square off in a quest to regain what they so recently lost and “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-7-1) and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes (43-7) seek to settle the score in a feud that started in 2004 when Penn challenged Hughes for his welterweight title. TUF superstars “Hurricane” Gerald Harris (17-2), “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (19-5) and George Sotiropoulos (13-2) help to fill out the card alongside debuting Chute Box fighter “Big Rig” Maiquel Falcao (7-1). A solid light heavyweight bout featured on the card stacks the sprawl and brawl wrestling of “The Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (12-3) against the undefeated four time All-American “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (8-0). Boetsch fought hard and won three straight fights to get a second chance in the UFC after being cut following UFC 96 and will have the do-or-die drive associated with a fighter who knows the pain of being cut from the UFC. Davis has yet to taste defeat which instills a sense of invincibility in a fighter that shows through as an unwavering confidence in his abilities. Continue reading »

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UFC 123 Pre-Fight Breakdown: George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon

 Posted by at 12:48 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Nov 172010
 

The wildcard in the Joe Lauzon/George Sotiropoulos match is "J-Lau"'s exceptional submission skills, which make him a threat to even the most versed BJJ practitioners when he is in top position. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

Only a week after the UFC gave Germany a night of top quality bouts, the NFL of MMA returns to the States for UFC 123 in Auburn Hills, Michigan.  The card is a headlined by four of the UFC’s biggest stars. The featured bouts include a comeback bout for contendership of the UFC’s most hotly contested title, the light heavyweight belt, between former champions “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-1) and “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-8) and a rubber match between two of the UFC’s most revered champions: former two division champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-7-1) and two-time welterweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes (43-7). Supporting these stellar offerings are UFC top prospects TUF Season 7 stand-out “Hurricane” Gerald Harris (17-2) and undefeated “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (8-0), UFC newcomer and Chute Box enthusiast “Big Rig” Maiquel Falcao (7-1), and light heavyweight brawler “The Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (12-3).  Two products of The Ultimate Fighter house get things started as Australian submission fighter George Sotiropoulos (13-2) from Season 6 faces Season 5 semi-finalist “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (19-5) in a lightweight tilt that may see the winner in the running for “The Answer” Frankie Edgar’s (13-1) lightweight title. Continue reading »

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UFC 122 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta

 Posted by at 11:53 AM  MMA News  No Responses »
Nov 112010
 

"The Ultimate Fighter" Season 7 winner Amir Sadollah (3-2) must get his UFC career back on track with a win over Peter Sobotta at UFC 122 on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel)

The UFC visits Germany for only the second time as it storms the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen for UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami. The featured bout of the evening is a middleweight title contention bout between “The Great” Nate Marquardt (30-9-2) and “Thunder” Yushin Okami (25-5), and the card also includes several solid fighters like Jorge Rivera (18-7), Alessio Sakara (15-7), and Denis Siver (16-7). TUF standout “The Polish Experiment” Krzysztof Soszynski (20-10-1) and light heavyweight prospect Goran Reljic (8-2) also appear on the card alongside TUF Season 7 winner Amir Sadollah (3-2) and German native Peter Sobotta (6-2).  The bout between Sobotta and Sadollah is a fight for survival for both men. Sadollah has been plagued by injuries and less than stellar performances ever since his crowning as the Season 7 Ultimate Fighter. After losing all of the hype that was built around him following the show due to a one year layoff, Sadollah was obliterated by John Hendricks (9-0) in 29 seconds and has since struggled in the Octagon despite winning two of his last three fights. Sobotta is in a similar situation. He was brought into the UFC as an undefeated hometown fighter for their first event in Germany, set to make a name for himself as the German version of “The Count” Michael Bisping (20-3). Instead, the young fighter finds himself staring at the dreaded UFC chopping block after dropping decisions in both of his previous UFC appearances and being relatively inactive. Both Amir and Peter are watching their big show dreams circle the drain and this fight is the only thing that can stop it from going down the tubes. Continue reading »

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UFC 122 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner

 Posted by at 12:12 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Nov 092010
 

German kickboxer Dennis Siver's superior stand-up will prove too much for opponent Andre Winner at UFC 122 this Saturday. Here, Siver (left) exchanges with the UK's Paul Kelly (10-3), who he defeated by TKO at UFC 105. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

German fans will receive their second visit from the UFC when the world’s premier MMA promotion brings UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami to the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen.  The main event is a middleweight title contention bout between “The Great” Nate Marquardt (30-9-2) and “Thunder” Yushin Okami (25-5). The card also includes TUF standouts “The Polish Experiment” Krzysztof Soszynski (20-10-1) and Amir Sadollah (3-2), light heavyweight prospect Goran Reljic (8-2), German native Peter Sobotta (6-2), UFC veterans Jorge Rivera (18-7) and Alessio Sakara (15-7), and what promises to be a very entertaining fight between spinning back kick aficionado Dennis Siver (16-7) and British TUF Season 9 runner-up Andre Winner (12-4-1).  Both Siver and Winner have eclectic striking styles that lend themselves to all sorts of fan pleasing flare as well as underrated ground games. They also have a rather unique place among UFC fighters; they have solid records with the promotion, ensuring they are in no danger of facing one of “The Mad Butcher” Dana White’s Donald Trump-style dismissals following a loss, but haven’t put together the strings of impressive victories necessary to move further into the limelight of the stacked lightweight division. Continue reading »

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George Roop Talks With MMA Gospel Radio About His Career, TUF, and More

 Posted by at 9:02 PM  MMA Gospel Radio, MMA News  No Responses »
Nov 042010
 

"The Ultimate Fighter" Season 8 alum George Roop. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Last night’s episode of MMA Gospel Radio featured The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 alumni and WEC lightweight George Roop (11-5-1), who at WEC 51 in September pulled off the unthinkable by knocking out “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung (10-3).  Having mixed professional success since his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, Roop told MMA Gospel Radio that he has been hard at work improving and expanding his fight game.  He said, “I’m in the gym constantly, trying to get better every single day. I haven’t been training in one discipline for that long…Mixed martial arts is evolving, and I’m just trying to get better.” Continue reading »

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“Mayhem” Miller Personally Hands Out the Punishment in Tonight’s Episode of “Bully Beatdown”

 Posted by at 7:22 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Nov 042010
 

Tonight at 11pm EST on MTV, the new season of “Mayhem” Jason Miller’s (23-6) reality TV show Bully Beatdown kicks things off with a special treat. The man himself will step in the cage to punish a bully who “Mayhem” himself described as “the biggest douche ever”. While this was not the original plan for the episode, “Mayhem” Miller told MMA Gospel in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that he felt the need to personally handle one particular bully this season, and handle him he does.

The show is now in its third season and, with the first female bully on the roster and “Mayhem” fighting for the first time ever on the show, it promises to be every bit as entertaining as the last two seasons. While many have said that the show is staged, all stunt men and actors with only the fights being real, the simple fact remains that everyone loves a good old fashioned bully beatdown and Miller’s sarcastic sense of humor makes the story all the more fun to watch. Make sure to tune in this season and enjoy all the crying victims, posturing morons, witty remarks, and of course, brutal beatdowns.

To get the full story on this MMA Gospel EXCLUSIVE, click here.

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MMA Gospel Technique of the Week: Ground-and-Pound Defense to Elevator Sweep

 Posted by at 11:56 PM  MMA News, Technique of the Week  No Responses »
Oct 262010
 

MMA Gospel’s Technique of the Week is dedicated to focusing on the area’s of grappling that are extremely important in mixed martial arts but are overlooked in most online training resources.  As always, MMA Gospel has called upon Hapkido master Ed Perdomo for his insight into the world of MMA ground work.  This time, we have chosen to focus on defensive grappling.  Every fighter and fan has heard the infamous “submissions are great in practice but their a lot harder to pull off when you’re getting punched in the face” line and it is a very true statement. Often in MMA world class submission fighters get thrashed in their own guard, unable to muster even an attempt at a submission, when faced with an aggressive ground-and-pound attack. This week, MMA Gospel focuses on just that, defending G-n-P. Ed will display how to defend against an opponent’s punches and use the defense to move into a classic Elevator Sweep to the mount position. Continue reading »

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MMA Gospel Young Gun: Southern Finishing Machine Chris Davis

 Posted by at 7:41 PM  MMA Gospel Exclusives, MMA Gospel Young Guns, MMA News  No Responses »
Oct 252010
 

MMA Gospel was built on the principle of bringing MMA fans an insight into the MMA world they couldn’t find elsewhere. Continuing in that tradition, MMA Gospel began to search the country for aspiring professional fighters who were looking for that “one big break”.  These men would represent the diamond in the rough, the truly talented warriors who have yet to be noticed by the mainstream mixed martial arts media. Today, MMA Gospel welcomes only the second man to be added to the ranks of the MMA Gospel Young Guns, “The Professional” Chris Davis (10-2).

Chris is a former U.S. Marine who grew up in Gadsden, Alabama. He stumbled upon mixed martial arts while selling phonebook ads in Anniston, Alabama and just one year later had amassed an impressive 9-0 amateur MMA record and decided to turn pro and never look back. Chris is the Rumble at the Raxx Light Heavyweight Champion and trains out of the Headhunter Combatives Crossfit and MMA Training Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama under Mike Taylor. He is set to face TUF alum and UFC veteran Eliot Marshall (9-2) at Nemesis Fighting: MMA Global Invasion in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on November 13. MMA Gospel CEO and staff writer Dan Griffin sat down with Chris Davis and this is what “The Professional” had to say: Continue reading »

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