MMA News & Rumors

“I trained karate in 2001 to fight Heath Herring,” said Belfort, who will face former middleweight champion Rich Franklin in the UFC 103 main event on Sept. 19 in Dallas. “People have a lot of respect for boxing and wrestling, but I’ve always had the vision of bringing things that are not being used in the sport, like I did with boxing. After that, I contacted Lyoto. We trained together a couple of times in Rio de Janeiro, and I felt his timing was from karate, so I started to get interested in karate again. Of course, I made some adaptations, as I combined karate with my boxing game. I’m adding a couple of nice things from Shotokan to my game.” (Sherdog)

While on "Inside MMA," Clay Guida announced that he will train at Greg Jackson's to prepare for his upcoming fight with Kenny Florian at UFC 107. Guida is the latest fighter to jump to Jackson's to upgrade his game where he will train with the likes of Georges St. Pierre, Nate Marquardt, Donald Cerrone, Leonard Garcia and Rashad Evans. (Yahoo Sports)


“Let’s be honest: This is a title run,” Trigg said following a vigorous workout Wednesday at Xtreme Couture. “I’ve kind of always been that way, where I’d rather run myself into a brick wall and fail at the attempt than keep running my mouth. Let’s face facts, guys: I’m a good mouth runner. I can talk about anything at any time I want. But the real guys will talk about it and then go out and do it. (Yahoo Sports)


"I am not into just getting exposure just for the sake of it, I want to win. I go to win. If it was a call to fight GSP (Georges St Pierre, the UFC welterweight champion) on couple of week's notice I wouldn’t have said 'yes' so quickly. GSP is the best in the division, but while Kampmann is up there, I will knock him out." (Telegraph)


Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir is set to return to the Octagon to face French striker Cheick Kongo. Sources close to the situation confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Thursday that the fight is verbally agreed to, but bout agreements have not been signed. (MMA Weekly)

“This is Mike’s fight to lose,” Hardy predicts.. “He has all the skills to beat Kang and is a big, strong middleweight with plenty of experience. Mike is the more consistent fighter of the two and is always in fantastic shape. The only thing that could hold back Mike right now is Mike himself.” (Fighters Only)

Mike Chiappetta: Tim Credeur has a six-match win streak including three in a row in the UFC, but this is a step up in experience level for him. Do you think he's ready to take on someone with your experience level?
Nate Quarry: You know, I think it's a great fight with great timing. He is coming off a winning streak, and everything he's been doing, he's been successful at. This is a great opportunity to have a great fight for both of us. (Fanhouse)

A previously reported lightweight bout between Jorge Gurgel (13-5) and undefeated Billy Evangelista (9-0), originally expected to take place Oct. 25, instead is slotted for Nov. 6 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. (MMA Junkie)

A bout between Eddie Alvarez and Katsunori Kikuno is under consideration for Dream 12 on Oct. 25 in Osaka, MMAWeekly.com has learned from a source close to Alvarez. (MMA Weekly)

World Victory Road today announced a handful of participants for its Sengoku 11th Battle event, including Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago, ex-UFC champ Kevin Randleman and former UFC fighter Michihiro Omigawa. (MMA Junkie)

A rumored bout between Frankie Edgar and Kurt Pellegrino has been agreed to for the Dec. 5 Ultimate Fighter Season 10 Finale. (MMA Weekly)

“I can see Dan putting on a show against Kim and really unveiling his full arsenal on the guy. I’ve known Dan a long time, I know what he can do, and believe me, the best is yet to come. I think a lot of people are going to be surprised at just how well rounded and versatile Dan is as a fighter. This could be the fight to prove any doubters wrong." (Fighters Only)