MMA News

(tap tap tap) ... 1-2-1-2 ... is this thing on?

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva has the scouting report on Vitor Belfort, who battles Wanderlei Silva at the UFC 147 pay-per-view (PPV) event on June 23, 2012 from the Felipe Drummond Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Now, the rest of the world does, too.

That's because "The Spider" was dropping some knowledge on "The Axe Murderer" during a recent episode of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) "Brazil," which Wandy coaches opposite "The Phenom" each week on Globo and UFC.tv.

Here's what he said:

"I know his weakness. You can't step back, he's a coward, you know? Really go for it. I'm not telling any lies. Everyone knows."

Silva realized about midway through his conversation that his microphone was still on, but defiantly laughed it off and averted everyone's attention to Belfort's picture on the wall of the TUF gym, which had been defaced by some wascally wabbits.

See the video of the gaffe (via Iron Forges Iron) after the jump.

For more on Wanderlei Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 147 click here.

"I would just kind of like to let the fans know to give him a chance. Give yourself a chance to get all the facts in yourselves, wait until everything gets said and done and then at that point if you want to vilify him afterwards and you heard him speak and you heard him say his part and then vilify him, I can’t control what people are going to say. But it is too soon, it is too quick in my opinion. He really is a decent guy, he’s a very, very good guy, trying his hardest to be a good role model, a good example and he wants to be that. No one’s perfect and he’s never said he was and never said that he doesn’t make mistakes. It’s a fact he made a mistake, he messed up and I’m sure he’s going to come out and apologize and do what he’s got to do. No one’s running from anything, at the end of the day he’s a man, he’s going to stand up like a man, but there’s obviously legal advisers involved, processes involved and he’s just going through it right now. I can promise you that he’s trying his hardest not to stay quiet and not address the concerns, he’d like to. Obviously in no way shape or form am I or any member of my team or any representative of Jon is making any kind of excuses or condoning any type of behavior. All we’re saying in a nutshell is give us a chance to get everything in, give us a chance to understand everything that happened and everything that’s going on and then we can come out and actually say something that’s intelligent and that can explain things and that people can get their answers in one shot."

Malki Kawa, manager for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, understands the public backlash directed at his client following a May 19, 2012 arrest for driving while intoxicated (DUI) in Binghamton, New York. Kawa tells MMA Weekly that "Bones" won't run and hide from his "mistake" and will "stand up like a man," but must also adhere to the advice from his legal counsel to avoid making a bad situation even worse. How about it fight fans, are you ready to give the UFC 151 headliner his day in court? Or have you already convicted him in the court of public opinion?

If you can't bring Josh Barnett to the UFC, bring the UFC to Josh Barnett.

That may be the reality of "The Warmaster's" future, following a five round shellacking at the hands of Daniel Cormier last Saturday night (May 19, 2012) in the final of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament, his first defeat in over five years and one that snapped an eight-fight winning streak.

So where does he go from here?

Well, for now, nowhere. That's because USA Today reports that Showtime, as part of their existing deal with Strikeforce prior to the ZUFFA purchase, will exercise its right to hold on to the part-time pro wrestler for one more fight inside the Hexagon before deporting him to the Las Vegas fight club.

But against who?

With concrete plans to dissolve the Strikeforce heavyweight division, both Barnett and Cormier are marooned in San Jose until the S.S. Octagon can send over a dinghy with a pair of 265-pound sailors to rescue them. Not that there's any rush, mind you, as both competitors are recovering from mangled mitts and could be on the shelf for the rest of the year.

No rush.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is once again experiencing a heavyweight boom, detonated by the upcoming UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" pay-per-view (PPV) fight card scheduled for this Saturday night (May 26) at the MGM Grand Garden Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Memorial Day Weekend event is expected to shake up the 265-pound division and once again draw a line in the sand that separates the contenders from the pretenders. While it's not known as of yet which lane Barnett and Cormier will be running in, we should expect someone with name value to make their way into hostile territory when the pistol eventually fires.

Stay tuned.

For more on Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" click here. To see what else is happening at UFC 146 this weekend in "Sin City" click here.

"I think I'm a werewolf man, I be howlin' ... It's the werewolf man, he just takes over. Sometimes I try not to howl because my friends, my family, they make fun of me. I been doin' it since I was a kid and they be like, 'Why you still howlin'? You ain't no werewolf!'"

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson joins the cast of MTV's "Ridiculousness" (Season two, episode four) and breaks down his signature howl that he often belts out before and after his appearances inside the Octagon. "Rampage" also gets Punk'd by a bubbly blonde bimbo while showing some skin and slinks back into his seat like a man defeated. Speaking of defeats, the former PRIDE star will hope to end his UFC career with a bang when he (eventually) returns from kneehab to satisfy the remaining fight on his ZUFFA contract. After that? Expect to see more of these "celebrity" appearances.

After his dominating victory over Josh Barnett this past Sat., night (May 19, 2012), Daniel Cormier won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix title and in the process, staked his claim as a very dangerous fighter that all heavyweights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ranks will have to contend with very soon.

In the interim, Cormier, who is undefeated at 10-0, still has business outside the Octagon to tend to. That's because even though he won the grand prix title and there are basically no more heavies in Strikeforce to contend with, the former Olympic wrestle tells The MMA Hour that he still has to compete once more with the San Jose-based promotion before he can make his eventual jump to the UFC.

But who can possibly fit the bill to face off against the current tournament champion?

"I think if there is a plus one and Zuffa's going to send someone over it is going to have to be someone that is very good you know? Maybe Carwin, as he's coming back. He's a guy with a lot of name value and I don't necessarily know if that's a step up (from Josh Barnett) but that is somebody with name value. Or, if one of the guys loses from the card this weekend. But then it really limits because if Frank Mir loses I'm pretty sure he is not going to want to come to Strikeforce to fight me where if he loses he has everything to lose. When Cain beats Bigfoot Silva, what are they going to do, send him (Silva) back to Strikeforce to fight me again? Nothing really adds up right now, I don't know, I don't know how to guess what they are going to do. There just is not that many step ups out there better than Josh Barnett. Especially that Josh Barnett. That Josh Barnett was 248 pounds, was in shape, was going hard, we had every intention on getting it down Saturday night, but that dude Saturday night came to fight. There are not too many guys that are a step up from that Josh Barnett that showed up on Saturday."

There are essentially no more heavyweights remaining with the Strikeforce organization and any big man that has any relevance in mixed martial arts (MMA) today, all fight for the UFC. So to say the options are limited is an understatement.

Perhaps the UFC can bring in one of their own big men to contend with Cormier, or they can try to convince Showtime to scratch the whole "plus one" fight stipulation and bring him over and have him fight the winner of this weekend's (May 26, 2012) UFC 146 main event between Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir to unify the titles once and for all.

Anyone have any other ideas?

For the past decade, the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) has fought tooth-and-nail to gain legitimacy and mainstream acceptance in the sportsworld alongside heavy hitters such as the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association NBA), among others.

Thanks in large part to the world's pre-eminent MMA promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) which is spearheaded by the blood, sweat and tears of company president Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, MMA has broken barriers that once were thought to be impenetrable.

Major cable television deals and blue chip sponsors stepping up to the plate to have their product sponsored all over UFC events are just a few of the monumental victories the UFC and MMA have enjoyed over the last couple of years that have given MMA valid credentials in the sports world.

However, one man -- who at one time was considered a legit athlete -- is making a mockery of the sport that has fought endlessly to gain the respect it had so long desired and deserved. That man is none other than former K-1 kickboxer and PRIDE FC veteran, Bob Sapp.

At one time, Sapp was considered a legit fighter, with his Adonis-like body and uncanny strength, the 6' 5," 300-pound muscle-bound Sapp, I'm sure, caused his opponent to tremble at least a little bit at the anticipation of stepping into the ring with him.

Those days, however, are long gone.

Lately, Sapp has served more of a stepping stone, if you can call him that, or a real life punching bag for up-and-coming fighters who are looking to make a name for themselves in the sport. With his only offensive attack being a weak take down attempt that quickly leads to the turtle-up position followed by an instant tap or a referee stoppage, Sapp, is now but a mere one-man circus.

Appearing on the most recent episode of "The MMA Hour," "The Beast" attempted to dispel any rumors or claims that he is making a mockery of the sport of MMA by "throwing" fights. However, he didn't really do himself any favors with his responses excuses.

Check it out:

"I will receive no damage to my body that will be long lasting for a small insignificant amount of cash. I think we've seen that now with examples with the NFL and the fact that some of these guys are coming back and saying, "Hey we want some money, we have brain damage." I'm getting paid well underneath what a professional boxer would, or Manny Pacquiao. So I will, in no means ever, will I sustain long-lasting damage for a small paycheck. Never will that happen, never will "The Beast" ever have that happen."

So how much does Sapp get paid for his fights, or appearance fee, if you will?

"On average, it's roughly around that $30,000 to $40,000 a fight range. And that can be a bit misleading because in between time, I am doing the television shows and commercials and things of this nature and so when you say on average, that's what it is. Obviously it calculates to be significant more between three to five times that, yes that is correct. However, when you talk about just the fights, with me, you have to worry about the schedule commercials and stuff like that, but just the fights right now, you are looking at basically $30,000 to $40,000."

Losing 10 of 11 fights, how does Sapp respond to criticism that he is simply taking fights to collect a paycheck?

"One thing that I say, is let's take a look and rewind back. You saw some historical and difficult fights that I fought with Ernesto Hoost and with Antonio Noguiera, this is correct. If you were to take a look at what recently has happened with K-1 and the fact that you had wonderful, great, strong fighters such as Ray Sefo fight for K-1 and then K-1 leaves and they were left without collecting a paycheck. So, when "The Beast" enters the ring, is he in there to collect a paycheck? The answer is hell yes! You're asking, "Bob you are receiving less damage, there is no amount of damage that you are receiving and sometimes these fights are being lost." Well, if you would want to put numbers on my record, whether they be a zero or number one, you will be doing so on my paycheck. That is what it is, plain and simple. The Beast is number one in the media for every 12 fights, that is correct. We see this and we know this. I'm number one in every media category. Number one in the entertainment, number one for the views, I am number one and I have a losing record. So, if I was to come in on a winning record, these small organizations, the last thing they would be able to do is afford my services and on top of it, what am I going to do? Be number one and number one? If I am, they are no longer going to be able to afford me. So I just won myself out of a job."

When asked to answer the gold question if he is simply throwing the fights:

"Am I throwing these fights? No. Will I go into that ring and receive large amounts of damage for small paychecks? No. When it came to K-1, at the time, when everyone at K-1 was doing well they get paid significantly enough to have you go into that ring, and hey, any kind of injury you get, they are going to pay. Let me give you an example: Mirko Crocop, he cracked my eye socket. Mirko Crocop, he received his paycheck, I received my paycheck and they also paid for my entire hospital bill. These small organizations that you see that look so wonderful, they pay none of your bills if you get hurt, period. If you want to get hurt for a small amount of money in a fight, we call that the military. If you would like to get hurt in an arena where it is supposed to be sanctioned and it is supposed to be safe and their supposed to pay for at least your medical bills if you get hurt, then we call that entertainment. If you want to see two strangers fight for free, you can do that. We will give you seven dollars and go in a night club and you can see two drunks getting it on in the corner, fighting. You have no idea who they are and you can do that for free. My fans and my family they will stand by me and behind me, win or lose. So, Bob Sapp, I guess it is easy to love a winner."

Sapp, who has stepped into the K-1 ring with such legends as Ernesto Hoost, Mirko Filipovic and Remy Bonjasky and shared the PRIDE ring with MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at the record-breaking PRIDE Shockwave event on Aug. 28, 2012 which saw over 90,000 spectators fill Tokyo national Stadium, has had a monumental fall from (dis)grace.

Though Sapp says he does not throw fights, he basically he goes in there, dances around for a few seconds and as soon as the action gets real and senses any danger to his body, he checks out...immediately. Bob didn't seem to take any offense to being accused of throwing fights and being a disgrace to MMA.

However, not all the blame should be put squarely on the massive shoulders of Sapp. The promoters of the promotions who insist on booking "The Beast" for mere name value, should receive some of the blame and should themselves be embarrassed. Furthermore, the opponents who are agreeing to face Sapp, aren't exactly doing themselves any favors, either.

For the record, Sapp has lost seven straight fights, all in the first round with a combined total time of eight minutes and 31 seconds. Also, in case you're wondering, "The Beast" currently has two more fights lined up that are only eight days apart scheduled for June 8 and June 16 of this year which will bring his total to seven bouts since Dec. 2011.

Making $30,000 to $40,000 fights for a few seconds of work is too good for anyone to pass up, let's just hope many more fighters past their prime don't follow suit.

Bottom line, for Sapp, it's all about the Benjamins and is not afraid to admit it.

To listen to the entire bizarre interview, which indeed had its strange moments, as well as more of his explanation, click here. To see some of Sapp's latest handy work click here and here.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White has had it up to here (my fingers are stretching to the sky) with the steroid scofflaws fouling up his beloved mixed martial arts (MMA).

And he's looking long and hard at Alistair Overeem.

"Demolition Man" screwed up White's upcoming UFC 146 main event after he destroyed the dial on the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) testosterone meter, registering an astounding T/E ratio of 14:1, which he unsuccessfully blamed on a laced anti-inflammatory injectable cocktail that he used to treat an injured rib.

NSAC wasn't having it, denying Overeem a license to fight in "Sin City" until early 2013, at which time the horse meat-eating mammoth will be eligible to once again entertain the application process. The entire fiasco, unsurprisingly, didn't sit very well with White, who revealed shortly after the NSAC ruling that Overeem "lied to his face" about his use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

White now plans to escalate the situation, telling the Los Angeles Times that he and his mixed martial arts promotion are going to take matters into their own hands to ensure an extra layer of protection.

Check it out:

"The steroid, [performance-enhancing drug] thing affects the whole sport. The key is to make sure these guys never get on it, because once they do, they change. The problem with Overeem is that I want to sit in a room with him man to man and believe him. He told me before he ever fought for us, 'Don't worry, I'm the most tested athlete in sports.' But I think we have about 42 fights a year ... you have a guy or two popping [positive tests] here and there, that's a pretty good ratio.... Yes, we're going to do our own testing, order these guys into [a lab]; we're sorting it out now. You have to do this to save the sport. You can't have these guys fighting on this stuff."

Frank Mir stepped into replace Overeem and will challenge UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos in the featured fight of the night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena this Saturday night (May 26, 2012).

However, after White removed Overeem from the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix and inserted him into a number one contender bout against Brock Lesnar late last year, which he won via technical knockout, it was pretty clear that fight fans -- even White -- were eager to witness the colossal clash between him and "Cigano."

But, a surprise drug test administered by the NSAC nullified that possibility, as well as triggered an entire fight card shake up.

One that may have never existed if Overeem, and the UFC, had a an out of competition testing program in place that kept fighters honest most (if not all) of the time. It's pretty certain that some fighters will still look to cheat whatever testing system the promotion ultimately implements, but dangling it over their heads and threatening their livelihoods could be an effective first line of defense.

Hopefully, it' got some teeth and isn't riddled with "exemptions."

"The first thing, and this is something I've shared with my wife and family, is my love for the sport. This is what I love to do, and it's something I'm very passionate about. I'm chasing my dream. I'll see my surgeon, and I think it's 100 percent, most likely, that I'll be cleared. What's going on right now is the nerves in my legs are regenerating from the surgery I had in my mid-back. It was the T-10 through T-11. A bulging disc, ruptured disc, compressed spinal cord. It's tough to come back from, but I'm excited, and the surgeon has been very positive. One of my concerns is, how is this gonna affect me when I'm 65? Am I still gonna be able to be healthy and move around? He said, with 100 percent assurance, that I'll be fine. If the doctor said it was a definite risk to my health, yeah, I have a family. I have two kids. I have a loving wife at home, and that's the most important thing to me is my family."

-- Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Shane Carwin has been on the shelf since June 2011, when he lost to (now) current UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos at UFC 131 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Since then, Carwin has had to undergo multiple surgeries, extended rehabilitation periods and has gone back and forth several times regarding the time table for his Octagon return. During an interview with HDNet's "Inside MMA," Carwin revealed that he will be meeting with his surgeon soon to talk about his return to mixed martial arts (MMA). But after such a long layoff, what can fans expect from the man who once held the UFC Heavyweight interim belt? Will he still be able to do the things that he was once capable of in the cage? And if he does return this year, who do you Maniacs want to see him square off against?

Bigger is better.

The heavyweights are coming to town this upcoming Saturday night (May 26, 2012) for the UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" event that is scheduled for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Leading the way is champion Junior dos Santos, who will defend his title for the first time ever against former strap hanger Frank Mir. In addition, former champ Cain Velasquez will return to action for the first time since losing his belt against the debuting Antonio Silva. Other action on the main card will see Dave Herman take on wrecking ball Roy Nelson and Strikeforce import Lavar Johnson looking to continue his incredible run against "The Skyscraper," Stefan Struve.

We've got seven "Prelims" under card fights to whet our appetites before the main card on pay-per-view (PPV), however, with three of them broadcast through the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Facebook page.

Check out part one of our UFC 146 "Prelims" breakdown after the jump:

145 lbs.: Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda

Mike Brown (25-8) was on top of the featherweight world before catching a bad case of Jose Aldo, snapping a 10-fight winning streak stretching from 2004 to 2009. Since the nasty beatdown at the hands of the Brazilian buzzsaw, Brown has gone 3-3, dropping decisions to Diego Nunes and Rani Yahya after getting pasted by Manny Gamburyan.

With Urijah Faber now at 135 pounds, Brown could be the final member of the 145-pound "old guard," but he'll need a solid performance this Saturday if he wants to avoid fading away like the rest.

For lack of a better description, Daniel Pineda (17-7) fights like he's double-parked and one ticket away from losing his license. In two UFC bouts, "The Pit" has spent a total of 3:43 administering high-octane ass whoopings. Most recently, he crumpled the notoriously sturdy Mackens Semerzier with punches before locking on a beautiful triangle armbar.

Should Pineda extend his impressive streak to eight, the Featherweight elite may have to make room for a new entrant.

Maybe I'm just a nostalgic sap, but I like "MTB's" chances here. Pineda doesn't have the takedown-nullifying Brazilian jiu-jitsu of Rani Yahya, nor the takedown defense of Diego Nunes. He's an entertaining, well-rounded fighter, but he hasn't demonstrated the tools that have historically given Brown headaches.

I'll readily admit that Pineda has looked like a million bucks in his two appearances inside the Octagon, and that Brown hasn't had much consistency since the Aldo beating. But, I just get the sense that Brown's still got enough in him to put down one more young lion.

Brown wrestles him down early and locks up an arm-triangle for the victory.

Prediction: Brown via first-round submission

205 lbs.: Glover Teixeira vs. Kyle Kingsbury

A training partner of the venerable Chuck Liddell, Glover Teixeira (17-2) has long been one of Brazil's best kept secrets, quietly racking up 15 straight victories (with 14 stoppages) in what seemed like a fruitless quest to make it into the UFC. Luckily for the fans, however, he finally made it to the big time this year. Combining scary power with ADCC-caliber grappling, Teixeira is a nightmare no matter where the fight goes, and will look to bring back memories of his teammate's legendary rampage through the 205-pound division.

After wowing audiences with his resilience in his "Fight of the Night" performance against Fabio Maldonado, Kyle Kingsbury's (11-3) solid four-fight win streak in the UFC came to a grinding halt at UFC 139 when Stephan Bonnar had his way with him on the ground. The hardy American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product can get right back in the mix, however, if he can spoil Teixeira's highly-anticipated debut.

I've been doing my best to be a little less fanatical about Brazilian prospects lately, but I really can't picture anything but rough going for Kingsbury. Frankly, Teixeira is more than capable of doing everything Bonnar did and then some. He has significant knockout power in his fists and, considering his consistent placement in the Brazilian ADCC trials, it's probably not in "Kingsbu's" best interest to play around on the ground.

Whether it be by sweeping Kingsbury from the bottom and unloading ground-and-pound or simply thumping him on his feet, there aren't many plausible scenarios that don't involve Kingsbury's face getting the Rocky Dennis treatment. Welcome to the big time, Glover.

Prediction: Teixeira via first-round technical knockout

155 lbs.: Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann

Scoffing at the idea that Brits have poor ground games, Paul Sass (12-0) has secured submissions in 11 of his 12 victories, all but one of those coming in the first round. Sass has been nothing, but impressive during his UFC tenure, submitting Mark Holst and Michael Johnson in short order. With seven victories by his signature triangle, it's a safe bet that Volkmann is going to take the fight right where Sass wants it; we'll see if he can capitalize.

After two straight decisive defeats at welterweight, Jacob Volkmann (14-2) made the drop to 155-pounds and hasn't looked back, winning five straight over the likes of Ronys Torres and Antonio McKee. Despite this success, "Christmas" caught flak for his inability to finish foes, instead using his stifling wrestling to grind them out, but if he keeps up this pace, he can only be denied a crack at the elite for so long.

Sass is a refreshing sight in the upper echelon of MMA: someone with both the ability and willingness to successfully pull guard. The problem is that Volkmann simply isn't the kind of fighter to mess around in Sass's guard until he gets caught in a triangle. He'll take Sass down and he'll do it frequently, but he's handled solid BJJ players before and has the grappling know how to stay out of danger. Further, Sass doesn't have the takedowns to wind up on top, nor the striking to put Volkmann down before getting tied up.

There's always a chance that "Christmas" gets careless and Sass gets his legs around Volkmann's neck, but Volkmann's top control just strikes me as too sturdy for that to happen with any regularity. It won't be pretty and it may not get Volkmann off the prelims, but things will end poorly for Sass.

Prediction: Volkmann via unanimous decision

Come back tomorrow night for a look at the remaining bouts on the UFC 146 undercard, including Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway and Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig, among others.

See you then!

Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 146, beginning with the "Prelims" bouts on Facebook scheduled for around 6 p.m. ET. In addition, we will also provide LIVE, real-time results of the main card action as it happens throughout the evening this upcoming Saturday night.