News & Rumors

A UFC lightweight championship matchup between title-holder BJ Penn and challenger Diego Sanchez is now slated to take place at UFC 107 on December 12 in Memphis, Tennessee. mmafrenzy.com

Penn and UFC President Dana White announced the new date for the matchup on Thursday on Penn’s official website. mmafrenzy.com

Last week I went out to Vegas and I signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, which is much like my last contract. I also brought up the fact that I wanted to do a hunting show and they thought that would be a good thing. They still have to find out who, where and when my next fight will be and I will try to post that info ASAP. Nothing is decided yet, so anything you might be reading on the internet right now is just rumors and speculation. However, one name the UFC did bring up is a person I’ve never fought before. matt-hughes.com

“The first time I watched Fedor fight? Hmmm… you know what. I have to think about that. You know what I can’t honestly say I’ve seen one of Fedor’s fights,” revealed Rogers in an exclusive conversation with FiveOuncesOfPain.com. “I’ve seen all of his highlights and some clips, but I’ve never watched a full length fight with him. Well maybe the Arlovski fight, so I take that back. But if you’re asking me if I’m a fan, the answer to that question is no. I know who he is, and I know his background, but I was never a true Fedor fan because obviously most of his work was done out east. So I’m kind of curious to see how he’s going to do in the west.” fiveouncesofpain.com

"Swick is a real tough guy and I think it's gonna be a real tough fight," Kampmann said. "The guy who wins it is getting closer to a title shot and it's a big deal. When I beat him... then I start worrying about the next fight. First, I got to worry about him and that's it. What I'm focusing on is beating Swick up. He's fast, well-rounded and got a good heart. He's coming to fight so I gotta respect him for that. I'm still gonna fuck him up in the fight. I'll stand and bang with Swick. He doesn't intimidate me there and if that don't work, I'll take him down. I'm coming to knock him out." fiveknuckles.com


“The UFC didn’t confirm yet (the contract) but Dana White welcomed me,” said the talented fighter at UFC 102 post-event conference. “I hope everything goes well here. I hope to do a good job and show good fights. It’s important for me being around here with my brother. If I’m here it will be an excellent opportunity for my career”. fightersonlymagazine.co.uk

According to sources close to “Lil Nog”, the Brazilian will make his debut for the organisation at UFC 105. Apparently the UFC also wants him to fight for the title as soon as possible. fightersonlymagazine.co.uk

"People are understanding the sport more," said Rua. "We're getting more famous and recognized in Brazil. We used to get greeted much more abroad. Now it's starting to get even in some sense. I think people are beginning to respect this as a profession, as a sport. In the past when you said you were a fighter, people made faces." si.com

"There are still people down there that think of it as a savage thing, or a wild brawl," Rua said. "With me and Lyoto fighting, because we're two professional guys that try to represent the sport well and we're fighting for a belt, it will draw a lot of attention and people will see it in a positive way." si.com

“I se myself as a tough fighter. I’m back to competition and I won’t chose fights. I’ll fight whoever UFC wants, but I’m looking for my rematch. I’m ready to fight the best, I wanna be the UFC champion”, said Thiago, revealing what Dana White said after his victory. “He said he has good plans to me and wants to see me fighting soon, so I’ll do my job. I’ll be ready”. Tatame.com

"I'm ready to go," Shields told FiveKnuckles.com. "I'll fight Miller next week. I was told that he wasn't ready and he needed more time. I don't know what the deal is or what the holdup is, but I'm ready to fight. fiveknuckles.com

“It wasn’t even thirty seconds prior to the knockout that we were sitting there, ready to go, and I looked in his eyes and I could see that he came to fight three good rounds,” said the 6′3″, 250 pound up and comer. “It was very apparent in his demeanor as well. He even said to me before the fight,”Man, let’s put on a good show”, and I said ,’Don’t worry, I plan on it’. Not in an arrogant way, but to let him know that I had the same thought in my mind. I think we were both going for fight of the night. I just expected it because of the way we matched up. It could have gone either way, but I obviously wanted to come out on top.” fiveouncesofpain.com

Following the delay of its second season, Bellator Fighting Championships is trying to secure a fight for each of its four champions “in different markets around the world” before the start of 2010, CEO Bjorn Rebney informed MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday. mmaweekly.com

A shoulder injury suffered in training has forced Sean Sherk (33-4-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC) to drop out of a UFC 104 bout with Gleison Tibau (19-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC), and Josh Neer (25-8-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) has agreed to fill in for "The Muscle Shark." mmajunkie.com

“Brock was saying, ‘If Couture wins this fight, let me fight Couture again!’ Dude, you’re alright fighting [Shane Carwin]. These guys are always wanting to be the matchmakers,” White explained. fightline.com

Gegard Mousasi was hoping to make a good impression in his first fight in the United States, a Strikeforce matchup with Renato "Babalu" Sobral that was salvaged from the doomed Affliction card. Mousasi did just that, beating Babalu by TKO and winning the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt in just a minute. yahoo.com

"I don't like traveling. I'm most comfortable at home [in Holland]. In the U.S., everything is familiar, the food, the language, so coming to the U.S. for one week, I like it. But for two or three weeks, it's too much. I've been a lot of places. Africa is the only continent I haven't been. I've seen the world. It makes you understand some things better in the world, but I'd rather have to not travel a lot." yahoo.com

“I’m not sure if that’s gonna happen,” Ortiz stated of the possibility of Emelianenko ever fighting inside an Octagon. “Fedor doesn’t want to fight the best in the world, and that’s bad for his career. He’s got people around him telling him what to do. He should fight in the UFC and fight the best in the world. fightline.com

"I love the traveling, I love sitting so close to the fights and it's an honor having people want your autograph and want your picture. That's very exciting…I can definitely see why celebrities don't go out as much I guess. I don't have a problem with it because it's not like I'm some huge, well-known person. It's usually when we are at the fights and then all of the fans are either staying at the same hotel or eating at the same restaurants and it's crazy. You never think it would be you," stated Natasha Wicks, the newest UFC Octagon girl. Check out what she had to say about her new life as part of the UFC family. fighthype.com

On paper, Leben is an ideal gatekeeper: He has heavy hands, giving him the ability to threaten newcomers without good boxing fundamentals, and his wrestling and ground skills are strong enough to pose a significant problem for fighters who aren't adept at the grappling game. Furthermore, his brawling style has resulted in some exciting fights and spectacular finishes. si.com

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues to creep into the Japanese market after partnering with Japan’s number one social networking and blog site, Ameba Blog, to create UFC/WEC fighter blog pages. mmamania.com

"I think Lindland is a great styles match-up for us," Cox said. "He's done a ton of stuff, he's always been ranked in the top-10. He's just a rugged, tough guy. But I think Robbie is better than him standing." mma.fanhouse.com