Archive for the ‘TUF 10 Finale’ Category

TUF 10 Finale: Mark Bocek tapped to face UFC newcomer Joe Brammer on Dec. 5

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Veteran UFC lightweight Mark Bocek (7-2) has been tapped to welcome newcomer Joe Brammer (7-0-1) in his Octagon debut at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale, which is slated for “The Pearl” at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 5.

Bocek was last seen putting his arm around the throat of David Bielkheden for a submission win at UFC 97: “Redemption” back on April 18 of this year. It was his second straight rear-naked choke finish, having also tapped out Alvin Robinson at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” in November 2008.

The talented Canadian is 3-2 under the Zuffa banner since his debut at UFC 73:  “Stacked” in July 2007 and was left without an opponent when Matt Veach was promoted to face Frank Edgar after Kurt Pellegrino got injured.

Enter Joe Brammer.

Brammer may not be a household name among UFC fans, but he’s certainly made noise in his tenure with Midwest Cage Championship (MCC) and Glory Fighting Championship (GFC).

Aside from being undefeated, he’s finished six of his seven fights with five of those stoppages coming by way of submission. No question he’ll be looking to add Bocek to that list of victims and make his debut a memorable one on Dec. 5.

TUF 10 Finale will feature a showdown between the top two finalists from the Spike TV reality show, as well as a light heavyweight war featuring Jon “Bones” Jones as he inches his way closer to contention against Matt “The Hammer” Hamill.

Stay dialed in to MMAmania.com for more on TUF 10 Finale as it becomes available.

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TUF 10 Finale: Mark Bocek tapped to face UFC newcomer Joe Brammer on Dec. 5

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Veteran UFC lightweight Mark Bocek (7-2) has been tapped to welcome newcomer Joe Brammer (7-0-1) in his Octagon debut at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale, which is slated for “The Pearl” at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 5.

Bocek was last seen putting his arm around the throat of David Bielkheden for a submission win at UFC 97: “Redemption” back on April 18 of this year. It was his second straight rear-naked choke finish, having also tapped out Alvin Robinson at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” in November 2008.

The talented Canadian is 3-2 under the Zuffa banner since his debut at UFC 73:  “Stacked” in July 2007 and was left without an opponent when Matt Veach was promoted to face Frank Edgar after Kurt Pellegrino got injured.

Enter Joe Brammer.

Brammer may not be a household name among UFC fans, but he’s certainly made noise in his tenure with Midwest Cage Championship (MCC) and Glory Fighting Championship (GFC).

Aside from being undefeated, he’s finished six of his seven fights with five of those stoppages coming by way of submission. No question he’ll be looking to add Bocek to that list of victims and make his debut a memorable one on Dec. 5.

TUF 10 Finale will feature a showdown between the top two finalists from the Spike TV reality show, as well as a light heavyweight war featuring Jon “Bones” Jones as he inches his way closer to contention against Matt “The Hammer” Hamill.

Stay dialed in to MMAmania.com for more on TUF 10 Finale as it becomes available.

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Report: Kimbo Slice vs Houston Alexander in the works for TUF 10 Finale on Dec. 5

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

kimbo_slice_houston_alexand

Kimbo Slice (3-1) will make his first official appearance inside the Octagon opposite Houston Alexander (9-4) in a 215-pound catchweight brawl booked for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale, which is slated for “The Pearl” at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 5, according to NWITimes.com.

Apparently the only thing standing in the way is special clearance from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on Nov. 4. It’s merely a formality because of Alexander’s advanced age. He is 37-years-old.

Slice was invited to compete on the latest mixed martial arts reality series by company president Dana White. For years White had lambasted Slice while he competed under the Elite XC banner, feeling he did not deserve all the promotion and hype as a top fighter in the sport just because of his reputation as a backyard brawler in the mean streets of Miami.

So White was probably not surprised when Roy Nelson, arguably the best fighter in the house, took out Slice in episode three with a second round technical knockout. On the other hand, he was probably pleasantly surprised when the monster ratings poured in for the network — Spike TV set all-time viewership records thanks to the Slice factor.

And when he laces ‘em up on Dec. 5 the promotion and the network can expect more of the same. Slice has not competed since the infamous 14-second technical knockout loss to Seth Petruzelli at Elite XC: “Heat” more than one year ago (Oct. 4, 2008).

Alexander recently took out Sherman Pendergarst with a barrage of leg kicks and punches at Adrenaline MMA 4 in September, getting himself back in the win column after suffering three straight losses inside the Octagon.

The five-fight UFC veteran came up short against Eric Schafer, James Irvin and Thiago Silva, which was quite a twist of fortune after starting his career with the promotion with two big, and emphatic, victories over Alessio Sakara and Keith Jardine.

With a high-profile opportunity to battle Slice — a fighter who he knows will likely stand and trade with him — the Nebraskan can get his name back in the mix literally overnight with an exciting performance.

TUF 10 Finale will feature a showdown between the top two finalists from the Spike TV reality show, as well as a light heavyweight war featuring Jon “Bones” Jones as he inches his way closer to contention against Matt “The Hammer” Hamill.

Stay dialed in to MMAmania.com for more on TUF 10 Finale as it becomes available.

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Posted in Houston Alexander, Kimbo Slice, MMA, TUF 10, TUF 10 Finale, UFC The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), UFC on SpikeTV | No Comments »

Kurt Pellegrino vs Frank Edgar scratched from TUF 10 Finale with ‘Batman’ back injury

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Kurt Pellegrino has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming lightweight fight against Frank Edgar at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale on Dec. 5 after suffering a back injury during training.

“The Answer” dropped the injury bomb via his official Twitter account earlier today and MMAmania.com has since confirmed that a back injury has felled the “Batman.”

This unfortunate news comes just hours after Thiago Alves was forced to withdraw from his UFC 107 fight against Jon Fitch after the “Pitbull” hurt his knee in practice. Add that to the UFC 106 cancellation by Brock Lesnar and it’s been nothing but bad news since UFC 104 last Saturday night.

Edgar also hinted that a replacement bout may be in the works. Like the Alves situation in the welterweight division, there should be no problem finding a suitable replacement for Pellegrino in the talent rich 155-pound weight class.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt defeated former lightweight champion Sean Sherk at UFC 98: “Evans vs. Machida” back on May 23 for what was undoubtedly the biggest win of his career.

It’s going to be a tough challenge for whoever steps up to take Pellegrino’s place.

The TUF 10 Finale will feature a showdown between the top two finalists from the Spike TV reality show as well as a potential light heavyweight war featuring Jon “Bones” Jones as he inches his way closer to contention against Matt “The Hammer” Hamill.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for an update on the status of Edgar’s participation in the Dec. 5 event as soon as it becomes available.

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Posted in Frank Edgar, Kurt Pellegrino, MMA, TUF 10 Finale | No Comments »

UFC makes Edgar vs Pellegrino official co-main event for Dec. 5 TUF 10 Finale

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) yesterday confirmed the addition of Frank Edgar vs. Kurt Pellegrino as the co-main event for the upcoming Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale on December 5.

“The Answer” and “Batman” will headline alongside the now-official pairing of Matt Hamill and Jon Jones, who throw down in a light heavyweight affair from the “The Pearl” at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas LIVE on Spike TV.

Edgar rebounded from the first professional loss of his career to Gray Maynard (unanimous decision) at UFC Fight Night 13 to outpoint former number one contender Hermes Franca on all three judges scorecards at UFC Fight Night 14: “Silva vs. Irvin” in July 2008.

The latter bout also earned “Fight of the Night” honors, but was water under the bridge after Edgar defeated former lightweight champion Sean Sherk at UFC 98: “Evans vs. Machida” on May 23 for what was undoubtedly the biggest win of his career.

Edgar recently earned a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu while training at Ricardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu in Hamilton, N.J., under Ricardo Almeida — the star pupil of Renzo Gracie. He is a decorated high school (Toms River High School East) and collegiate (Clarion University) wrestler out of Toms River, N.J., who also moonlights as an assistant wrestling coach at Rutgers University.

It’s going to take every ounce of that talent for Edgar to get past the crafty Pellegrino.

“Batman” has flirted with being recognized as a top competitor in a very crowded division on numerous occasions throughout his career; however, he has been plagued by inconsistency just as he reaches the precipice of contendership.

After being submitted by Nate Diaz at Fight Night 13 in April 2008, Pellegrino was able to string together three consecutive wins including a submission victory over Rob Emerson at Fight Night 17 last February and a one-sided unanimous decision nod over the dangerous Josh Neer at UFC 101: “Declaration” just last month.

A win over the surging Edgar would unquestionably re-establish him as a force to be reckoned with — and a possible heir to the 155-pound throne.

To get up to speed on all the latest news and rumors for The Ultimate Fighter 10 live finale hit up our archive here.

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TUF 10 Finale tickets at ‘The Pearl’ in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 5, for sale soon

Monday, October 12th, 2009

tuf10_FINALE

Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale, which is slated for “The Pearl” at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 5, will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m. PT.

UFC Fight Club members and UFC Newsletter subscribers, naturally, will be able to scoop up tickets prior to them being available for public consumption.

TUF 10 Finale will feature a showdown between the top two finalists from the Spike TV reality show, as well as a potential light heavyweight war featuring Jon “Bones” Jones as he inches his way closer to contention against Matt “The Hammer” Hamill.

Will Kimbo Slice make his official Octagon debut that same night, too? We’ll find out soon enough.

Here is the TUF 10 Finale tickets sales schedule (all times are PT):

UFC Fight Club presale: Thursday, Oct. 15 at 10 a.m.
UFC Newsletter presale: Friday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m.
General tickets sale: Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.

TUF 10 Finale tickets can be purchased through StubHub.com (Note: StubHub often has seats available even if the event is “sold out”). It will also be available to watch on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET on fight night.

For more on TUF 10 Finale stay dialed in to MMAmania.com and remember to check out the latest fight card and rumors right here.

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Posted in MMA, TUF 10, TUF 10 Finale, UFC The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), UFC Tickets, UFC on SpikeTV, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) | No Comments »

UFC Quick Quote: Lucio ‘Spartan’ Linhares may surprise Rousimar Palhares on Dec. 5

Monday, October 5th, 2009

Lucio Linhares

“Of course it was always a dream of mine to fight at UFC but I never thought it would become true. It’s the opportunity of my life now. Never is good to face off a Brazilian, especially a talented guy such Toquinho. I will prepare myself to fight standing and on the floor, despite I recognize jiu-jitsu and wrestling as his best skills. I will use my reach and maybe surprise him with my boxing background.”

– Former M-1 Challenge standout Lucio Linhares tells BrasilCombate.com.br that he anticipates a very difficult test for himself at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale when he faces staunch Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu wizard Rousimar Palhares on December 5. “Spartan” is the winner of five straight and could take advantage of “Toquino’s” extended layoff — Palhares hasn’t competed since UFC 93 last January due to a broken leg. Will boxing play a role? Or is this one going to the mat sooner rather than later? What say you?

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TUF 10 Finale: Jon Jones ready to take Matt Hamill down on Dec. 5

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Bones-plex

Props: FightHype

Quoteworthy:

“[Matt Hamill's] going to be a big step up in competition for me and a really good test for me and I’m stoked about it. I think his wrestling will play a factor in the fight. I usually fight guys who are Brazilian Black Belts or guys who consider themselves strikers, but with Matt being a tough wrestler, I can see that being an issue. But Matt isn’t really known for his submissions or having knockout power in his hands, so I’m just going to train every aspect of mixed martial arts and I’m excited about this fight because he’s not known for his Jiu-Jitsu and my Jiu-Jitsu is getting really good. If he ends up taking me down, I’m straight with working off of my back or getting into some scramble with him and possibly submitting him. In the boxing category, I feel like I’m faster than him and more well-rounded than him. In the kicking department, I’m working with Phil there and now I’m working into being a Muay Thai fighter, so I’m just going to go out there and mix it up in every aspect. I actually had a very good wrestling career also and I try not to doubt myself in any aspect of the sport. Doubt is where a weakness is about to come in, so I’m just ready to mix it up man. I’m ready to take him down, I’m ready to defend his takedowns and I’m just confident man. I haven’t lost and I’m always working to get better, so I have no reason to doubt myself. I just want to be an all-around great fighter.”

– Electrifying light heavyweight prospect Jon Jones looks to continue his meteoric rise through the ranks of light heavyweight when he takes on staunch UFC veteran Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale on December 5 in Las Vegas. Jones dismantled Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94 earlier this year and followed it up with a submission win over Jake O’Brien at UFC 100 in July. The national Junior College Champion out of Iowa Central Community College quit school to pursue a career in mixed martial arts and has yet to be defeated in nine fights. Will he drop “The Hammer” on Matt Hamill? Or will the former TUF 3 standout bury “Bones” and his title aspirations?

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TUF 10 Finale: Rousimar Palhares vs Lucio Linhares set for Dec. 5 with Alessio Sakara hurt

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

palahares_linhares

UFC newcomer Lucio Linhares (13-4) will replace the injured Alessio Sakara and make his Octagon debut against Rousimar Palhares (9-2) at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 5, according to our friends at BrasilCombate.com.br.

Linhares has torn up the M-1 Global circuit for the past 18 months, amassing a solid record (5-2) in seven appearances. “Spartan” is currently enjoying a five-fight win streak, which includes first round stoppages over notables such as Karl Amoussou and UFC veteran Sean Salmon.

The Brazilian most recently submitted Mikhail Zayats via rear naked choke at M-1: “Breakthrough” last month. He boasts a nice mix of (technical) knockouts and submissions in 17 professional fights, which may serve him well against the highly-touted Brazilian jiu-jitsu submission specialist.

Palhares hasn’t seen action since a unanimous decision win over mixed martial arts journeyman Jeremy Horn at UFC 93 earlier this year. Prior to the win, “Toquinho,” which means “tree stump” in Portuguese, dropped a unanimous decision to Dan Henderson at UFC 88: “Breakthrough” in September 2008.

In both performances, the up-and-comer demonstrated just how dangerous he can be on the ground — Horn and Henderson were extremely cautious when their fights went south. Ivan Salaverry — Palhares’ first opponent inside the Octagon — was not so lucky, tapping to a super slick armbar at UFC 84: “Ill Will.”

TUF 10 Finale will feature a showdown between the top two finalists from the Spike TV reality show, as well as a potential light heavyweight war featuring Jon “Bones” Jones as he inches his way closer to contention against Matt “The Hammer” Hamill.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates to the Dec. 5 fight card as they become available.

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Posted in Lucio Linhares, MMA, Rousimar Palhares, TUF 10, TUF 10 Finale, UFC Middleweight Division, UFC on SpikeTV | No Comments »

Thiago Alves: Beware of the new ‘Pitbull’ on Dec. 5

Friday, September 25th, 2009

thiago_alves

Props: Tatame.com

Quoteworthy:

“You’re gonna see a different Pitbull. You didn’t see my wrestling and my ground game, because I didn’t have an opportunity to use it, and I feel that my career started after this last fight… I grew up a lot as a person and as a fighter, I’m recharged and I’ll get what I want, the belt. I’ll fight at December 5. I have an opponent, but I can’t say yet.”

Former number one welterweight contender Thiago Alves talks about his rebirth as a complete fighter following his five-round unanimous decision loss to 170-pound kingpin Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100. “The Pitbull” will have to get back in line and work his way up the welterweight ladder for another crack at the unstoppable Canadian. Who’s next? Rumor mill has him facing fellow Brazilian Paulo Thiago at the TUF 10 Finale on Dec. 5, but perhaps you want to play matchmaker in the comments section below — Jon Fitch, Marcus Davis, Dan Hardy … what showdown do you want to see?

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