MMA Comments that Don't Warrant a Thread

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

HUGHES TO FIGHT TRIGG FOR UFC

WELTERWEIGHT TITLE, APRIL 16

 

Light Heavyweight Belt On Line In Main Event Of UFC 52:

Couture vs. Liddell 2 Live On Pay-Per-View From MGM Grand

 

6 Additional Fights On All-Star Card In Las Vegas

 

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

 

 

LAS VEGAS, NEV., March 10, 2005…Randy Couture and

Chuck Liddell won’t be the only championship re-match on the Ultimate Fighting Championship 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 card Saturday, April 16, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

 

UFC World Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes will also fight a previous nemesis when he and Frank Trigg hook up again with Hughes’ title on the line. In their first meeting, Hughes kept the welterweight belt submitting Trigg with a rear naked choke in November 2003 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

 

Tickets priced at $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50 for the all-star, eight-fight card are now on sale at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office in Las Vegas, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.mgmgrand.com and by telephone at 800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777. Ticket purchases are subject to transaction fees. UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 also will be available LIVE on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EDT on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, TVN, Echostar, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada. The suggested retail price is $34.95.

 

“This fight will be completely different than the first one. I know I am the underdog, and it will be one of the few re-matches where you can count on the underdog winning. He completely surprised me with the choke last time. Now, I know how to better train for him and I know his flaws. I am already in a better place both mentally and physically than I was for the last fight,” Trigg said.

 

Hughes said he sees this re-match “pretty much the same as the first fight.”

 

“I think I am a better submission fighter than he is, a better wrestler and just as good a striker. He’s a tough guy and deserves a title shot. But, I don’t see him winning,” Hughes said.

 

Hughes (38-4-0 in mixed martial arts) from Hillsboro, Ill., re-gained the UFC world welterweight crown last October in Atlantic City, N.J., by stopping Georges St. Pierre by tap out with an arm bar at 4:59 of the first round. Previously one of the longest-reigning UFC champions, Hughes lost the title on January 31, 2004 when BJ Penn surprised him with a rear naked choke at UFC 46. But, Hughes quickly returned to the title hunt with a devastating ground and pound unanimous decision victory June 19 over Renato Verissimo at UFC 48. In the interim, Penn violated his contract with the UFC and was stripped of the welterweight crown.

 

Trigg (14-2-0) from El Segundo, Calif., recovered from his title loss to Hughes with a first-round knockout of Dennis Hallman, a longtime Hughes nemesis who had twice defeated him, at UFC 48, and a second-round, technical knock out win over Verissimo at UFC 50.

 

Hughes relies on his extensive wrestling experience to take down opponents and finish them with a devastating ground and pound game. Trigg also is an excellent wrestler but has greatly improved his standing and striking skills. Who will have the most surprises ready for April 16?

 

Couture and Liddell compete against each other weekly as the coaches of Team Couture and Team Liddell in the new, exciting The Ultimate Fighter reality show on Spike TV. But they will clash for Couture’s light heavyweight belt in the main event.

 

 

 

Liddell anxiously awaits his second shot at UFC gold

 

It’s the re-match everyone has wanted since Couture (13-6-0) from Portland, Ore., made a dramatic impact on the light heavyweight division with a third-round TKO of Liddell (14-3-0) from San Luis Obispo, Calif., to win the interim light heavyweight title June 6, 2003 in Las Vegas. Couture, the former two-time heavyweight champion, then defeated Tito Ortiz September 26, 2003 for the undisputed title; lost the belt to Vitor Belfort on January 31, 2004 when a glancing left hook sliced his left eye only 48 seconds into the fight forcing its stoppage, then won it back from Belfort on August 21 with a dominating ground and pound performance.

 

Liddell didn’t allow the loss to Couture affect his game. He rebounded April 2 with a second round knockout of Ortiz, then followed in August with a first-round KO of Vernon “Tiger” White on the same Couture-Belfort card.

 

“It’s going to be different this time,” Liddell predicts. “I’m going to win by a knockout and be the light heavyweight champ.”

 

But Couture is just as adamant.

 

“This fight will end just like the last one. At the end of the night, I’m still going home with the belt.”

 

Three middleweight fights, a heavyweight bout, a light heavyweight match and a welterweight bout will complete the card.

 

In middleweight action, Couture’s fellow Team Quest mate Matt Lindland will fight Travis Lutter; Ivan Salaverry will meet Joe Riggs and England’s Lee Murray returns to face Canadian Patrick Cote. In the heavyweight fight, Mike Van Arsdale will take on John Marsh; thelight heavyweight match will have Brazilian Renato “Babalu” Sobral fighting Travis Wiuff and in the welterweight battle, Cote’s teammate Georges St. Pierre will meet Jason Miller.

 

Lindland (11-3-0) from Eagle Creek, Ore., is looking to get back in the middleweight title hunt against Lutter (7-1-0) from Ft. Worth, Tex. An Olympic Silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, Lindland says his career won’t be complete until he adds UFC gold to his list of credentials. Meanwhile, Lutter made an impressive UFC debut in the light heavyweight division at UFC 50: War Of ’04 with a knockout of Marvin Eastman at the 33-second mark of the second round. Lindland’s forte is a patented Team Quest ground and pound attack while Lutter is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter with good striking skills, who is dropping down a weight division.

 

Salaverry (9-3-1) from Seattle, Wash., and Riggs (24-4-0), from Phoenix, Ariz., are both recent UFC winners. Salaverry, one of MMA’s most well-rounded fighters made quick work of Tony Fryklund at UFC 50 in Atlantic City, N.J., with a tap out victory in just 1:36 in the first round. A right hand strike followed by a left kick left Fryklund reeling and Salaverry applied a body lock. Riggs, a heavy-handed striker, made an impressive debut at UFC 49 in Las Vegas when he defeated Joe Doerksen by submission due to strikes at 2:39 of the second round.

 

 

 

Three months shy of his 42nd birthday, Couture

has shown no signs of slowing down

 

 

Murray (8-2-1) from London, England, is one of the U.K.’s top-ranked middleweights and is known as a powerful striker, but in his debut at UFC 46, he quickly defeated highly rated Jorge Rivera with a triangle arm bar in just 1:46 of the first round. Cote (6-1-0) from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is also a knockout puncher with a great chin. At UFC 50, Cote switched opponents when Guy Mezger sustained a late training injury and fought as a light heavyweight against former champion Tito Ortiz. Although he lost a unanimous decision, Cote said he “got a lot of experience from the fight” and proved he will not back down from anyone.

 

In heavyweight action, Marsh (12-4-0) from Redondo Beach, Calif., will match his submission and striking skills against Van Arsdale (9-1-0) from San Jose, Calif., whose well-known wrestling prowess includes powerful takedowns. Marsh will make his debut after scratching from the UFC 50 card when he sustained a hip injury in training and could not fight Tra Telligman. In his last UFC fight, Van Arsdale defeated Gracie Jiu Jitsu fighter Joe Pardo with an arm lock at UFC 17.

 

The light heavyweight fight matches Sobral (24-5-0) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a Gracie Jiu Jitsu specialist, against Wiuff (34-3-0) from Rochester, Minn., who is a strong wrestler with improved submission and Jiu Jitsu weapons. Sobral has won his last seven consecutive fights and Wiuff has won 18 fights in a row.

 

St. Pierre (8-1-0) from Montreal will pit his takedown and ground and pound skills against Miller’s (24-4-0) from Las Vegas, Nev., Jiu Jitsu and Thai kickboxing. Miller will make his UFC debut while St. Pierre is coming off a welterweight title loss to Hughes at UFC 50. St. Pierre is one of MMA’s most well-rounded athletes. “I know he is very skilled,” Miller said. “But, I don’t think his chin has been tested.”

 

The Ultimate Fighter Continues On Spike TV

 

The Ultimate Fighter, which premiered last month continues to wow audiences each Monday at 11 p.m. EST/PST on Spike TV. Viewers can follow the remaining fighters each Monday night for nine more episodes as they train, work out and live together before the final show on Saturday, April 9. At the end of each week, one fighter from each of the two teams must fight in the Octagon to avoid being kicked out of the UFC training center until only two remain in each of two weight divisions. In the end, The Ultimate Fighter will be determined by a live competition match – a head-to-head fight to the finish in the Octagon.

 

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, based in Las Vegas, Nev., is the world’s premier mixed martial arts sports association. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the UFC programs six live pay-per-view events yearly through cable and satellite providers.

 

In addition, UFC programs are distributed on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, TVN, Fox Sports Net, Bell ExpressVu and internationally through Viewers Choice Canada, WOWOW, Inc.,in Japan and Globosat in Brazil.

 

Zuffa, LLC, licenses the distribution of UFC video games through Crave Entertainment and Take Two TDK Mediactive, its fight show DVDs through Studioworks Entertainment, a Ventura Distribution company and its music CDs are published by Nitrus Records/DRT Entertainment, the official publisher of UFC music. “Ultimate Fighting Championship,” “Ultimate Fighting,” “UFC,” “Submission,” “As Real As It Gets” and the Octagon cage design are registered trademarks or trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC, in the U.S., Japan and other jurisdictions. All other marks that may be referenced herein belong to their respective holders. Locate the UFC on the internet at www.ufc.tv.

[AboveAverage484 0]

I've made some changes to my MW GP, based on recent news and rumors:

 

Silva vs. Yoshida (even though it's becoming more and more likely that bc of injuries Yosh will not fight him)

 

Sakuraba vs. Horn (it's pretty much confirmed that Tamura will NOT be in the GP, Sakuraba claims to not want to be in the GP if Tamura isn't, but his warrior spirit will dash that claim. I've heard rumblings about Horn being all but confirmed for the GP, this would be a good match for Saku)

 

Kondo vs. Overeem

 

Rogerio Nogueira vs. Hendo

 

Vovchanchyn vs. Randleman (With another BTT member involved in the Bushido mini tourney it looks like no Arona for the GP, I can't see three BTT members in the tourney. It has been mentioned that Randleman is dropping back down to LHW, a match against Vovchanchyn would be a good first round matchup.)

 

Nakamura vs. Ryan

 

Shogun vs. Rampage

 

Filho vs. Takimoto (I recently read that Yokoi is pretty much out of the GP for losing at Pride 29, I'm considering switching Yoshida and Takimoto, that way Yoshida could fight more of a grappler in his own style, and Silva, being defending champ, would have an easier first round opponent. Obviously I see Filho winning the Bushido tourney, but any one of those fighters could win it in reality.)

 

100% CONFIRMED (as of today)

 

Sakuraba

Silva

Yoshida

Kondo

Rogerio Nogueira

Vovchanchyn

Nakamura

Shogun

Winner of Bushido tourney

 

 

MORE THAN LIKELY IN THE GP, BUT YET TO BE ANNOUNCED:

 

Rampage

Henderson

Overeem

 

 

WAITING FOR DEFINITE CONFIRMATION

 

Horn

Randleman

 

 

QUESTION MARKS/SPECULATION ON MY PART

 

Ryan

Takimoto

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Nine more weeks of the Ultimate Fighter? How old is that thing?

 

Matt Hughes scored a "devastating ground and pound unanimous decision victory June 19 over Renato Verissimo at UFC 48" MY ASS.

[cameron chaos 0]

I guess they confused Hughes/Verissimo with Trigg/Verissimo.

 

Babalu doesn't train BJJ and never has, he is a luta livre stylist that changed over to the Gracie Combat Team (their no gi vale tudo guys). He pulled off a stunning flotover guillotine choke on Cyrille Diabete that no one saw coming except Babalu and went the distance with Jeremy Horn, so his sub skills are definitely legit.

 

Predictions:

 

Fedor Emelianenko vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka - Fedor by TKO

-Ikuhisa Minowa vs Gilbert Yvel - Yvel by KO

-Amar Suloev vs Paulo Filho - If Suloev shows the TD defense he did against Lister, this could be a long and boring fight. I'm gonna go with Suloev.

-Murilo Bustamante vs Ryuta Sakurai - Busta is getting old but could still surprise. I think Ryuta is more likely to get a TKO or KO but Busta is more likely to get a sub. A decision would probably go to Ryuta.

-Aleksander Emelianenko vs Ricardo Morais - Aleksander all the way, KO or sub is up to him.

-Dean Lister vs Akira Shoji - Lister by sub.

-Luiz Buscape Firminho vs Luiz Azeredo - Buscape by decision.

-Daiju Takase vs Daniel Acacio - It's hard to bet against Takase, he has surprised me before... so I will go with him by sub or decision.

 

Baroni, Ortiz and Belfort have all been approached by PRIDE for negotiations to appear in the MW GP. What use Baroni would be beyond a can is beyond me.

 

-Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell - TKO or decision for Randy.

 

-Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg - Trigg if he stays focused can take this. Hughes though does have the previous win and champ advantage. I'll go with Hughes.

 

-Matt Lindland vs. Travis Lutter - If Lutter doesn't get the sub, I'll be surprised, though Lindland has been improving. It could go to Matt by TKO or Lutter by sub, but since I am hoping for an exciting fight, Lutter by sub.

 

-Georges St. Pierre vs. Jason Miller - This should be a good fight. St Pierre by unrelenting beatdown.

 

-Lee Murray vs. Patrick Cote - Cote should win this, but murray's hands could end it early for him. Despite that, I'll go with Cote by TKO or sub.

 

-Mike Van Arsdale vs. John Marsh - It's good to see Van Arsdale back in there. I'm hoping for a sub or GNP finish from Van Arsdale rather than a decision, which Marsh has won by recently.

 

-Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Travis Wiuff - Babalu by sub.

 

-Trevor Prangley vs. Ivan Salaverry - I'll go with Salaverry even though I feel this one is hard to call, simply because that body lock he pulled off at his last UFC appearance was fucking badass.

[Lei Tong 0]

Let it be known that Ryuta sucks, and a loss to him would be as sure a sign as any for Murilo to hang them up.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Prangley isn't fighting, Riggs took his place. I hope he wins, the guy's the definition of a bully.

[Lei Tong 0]

I pray Salaverry's spinning back kick has improved since the Gono loss, and that he hits Riggs with one so hard it collapses a lung.

 

UH!

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Not a big Riggs fan?

[Lei Tong 0]

Let's put it this way:

 

I dislike Alex Steibling and HATED the amount of hype this kid was getting at one point. Needless to say, I laughed my balls off as he rattled off 4 losses in a row.

 

But I laughed even harder when Riggs utterly blew it against him.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

But he's rattled off like seven straight wins since then, so him "choking" is long forgotten at this point.

 

He's gonna get lots of hype if he beats Salaverry too, maybe even a title shot if Rich Franklin decides to move back up in weight.

 

Speaking of whom, is Rich really fighting in two different weight classes in one week? If he is, that's gotta be applauded and if he wins both, that's damn impressive. He must be going through lots of pressure at this point.

[cameron chaos 0]

Let it be known that Ryuta sucks, and a loss to him would be as sure a sign as any for Murilo to hang them up.

Busta has been on a losing streak and while I believe he can win, given his age and current PRIDE record whether he will is a different matter.

 

I certainly didn't expect Nakamura to own him given Rogerio had put him away previously, but he did. I expected Busta vs Hendo to be a war, a headbutt, hook and knee later he was out. While the Jackson decision is debatable (especially given the shorts thing that allowed Ramapage to get his breath back), not having a single win in 2 and a half years doesn't encourage me to believe he's as good a fighter as he once was.

 

Riggs is a massive asshole and I'd like to see him get fucked up, but if has has taken Prangley's spot, he could take the fight. He's improved his sub defense and has retained his power despite dropping down weight classes so he could lay Salaverry out.

[AboveAverage484 0]

I don't really like Riggs that much. Or Stiebling for that matter. I loved it when Anderson shut Stiebling up at Pride 21, Brazilian Killa my ass.

[Lei Tong 0]

Riggs' loss is long forgotten because aside from Doersken, his competition has been as solid as BJ Penn's belly. I'll admit Riggs could be a force at 185, but I'll wait until he beats a couple more top 15-esque guys before I stop loathing him enough to give him praise.

 

I'm not disagreeing that Ryuta could beat Murilo at this point in Busta's career, but the sheer fact that he could is simply sad. That's all I was really getting at.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Other than Matt Hughes, BJ hasn't had an impressive win now that you mention it, during his "I wanna be the best run". All one dimensional for the most part, and a win over Hughes doesn't look so good anymore now that he's turned in a couple of poor performances in his last two fights. If Trigg beats him, oh boy.

 

Riggs isn't an asshole so much as he's just brash, he's not as offensive as Tito was at least. I think he matches up well with anyone, on account of the fact that he's got great wrestling, KO Power, and good sub defense from what I saw against Doerksen. He just doesn't stop putting the hurt on.

[Lei Tong 0]

- One dimensional or not, Rodrigo had solid wins over Sakurai, Takase & Sasaki, and was widely considered a top 10 MW. Hughes, while he's looked beatable, still actually HASN'T been beaten yet since BJ did it, and is once again the #1 WW in the world.

While BJ's fought mostly 10-20 guys since the Hughes fight, the fact is he's still been successful while moving up in weight when few MMA fighters can win even a single meaningful fight at a higher weight class than where they start their careers.

 

- Actually, a few guys i know who've followed RITC for a while have said that Riggs is indeed an asshole outside of the cage, so take that for what it's worth.

[Lei Tong 0]

Also, I wouldn't go so far as to say Riggs has great wrestling or submission defense jsut yet. So far, it looks like he's proficient in both areas, with both being supplemented by his strength at 185lbs.

[cameron chaos 0]

Riggs isn't an asshole so much as he's just brash, he's not as offensive as Tito was at least. I think he matches up well with anyone, on account of the fact that he's got great wrestling, KO Power, and good sub defense from what I saw against Doerksen. He just doesn't stop putting the hurt on.

Have you heard his interviews or read some of his posts on the UG?

 

The guy is an asshole. Whether he can back it up or not is neither here nor there, an asshole is an asshole. Fedor is one of the baddest guys around but you don't see him calling out people for no reason or calling them pieces of shit.

[AboveAverage484 0]

He just sounded like a thug in the interview after the Doerkson fight. I hope Ivan kicks his ass.

 

I'm in agreement with Tong on Murilo, if he can't finish Ryuta I think it's time to hang 'em up.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I've heard some interviews, and the only guys he seems to not like are Murray and Loiseau. he doesn't even have anything against Loiseau, but rather just thinks it's an easy matchup for himself personally.

 

He had nothing but respect for Doerksen. He seems genuine from what I can telll, but I'm sure if you're telling me this stuff you'd have some examples in proving me wrong. I've never heard of a lot of this stuff. What did he post on the UG, or who did he call a piece of shit?

 

I'll say this much, if he beats Salaverry, would that lend some credibility for you guys?

 

I have to say, he's an exciting fighter. That's the main reason why I'm a fan. I'd like to see him fight Terrell, I think that would be a war.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Quick Question Re: UFC 40

 

Does anyone know when the Matyushenko fight aired on the card? Was it an unaired fight that aired later or not at all?

 

I ask because I'm d/l the first part of the event, but that's the fight I really want to see so I'm hoping they showed it on TV and it was at the beginning.

[Lei Tong 0]

It wasn't even mentioned on the UFC 40 telecast, and was instead later aired on the UFC's 2002 New Year's Eve show.

 

I have the fight on my comp somewhere, and it's quite a fun thrashing.

[Lei Tong 0]

While I'm not familiar with the UG stuff, the basic consensus of the RITC fans that I mentioned is that while he always was something of a cocky bastard w/a tough guy attitude, but it got exponentially worse as he slimmed down.

 

While beating Salaverry would further prove the guy's skills, 185 has a lot of talented fighters in it, and compared to fighters out there who have consistently beaten top competition, Riggs' resume is a bit lacking.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Argh, do you know if that fight is anywhere for d/l? I don't get why they wouldn't mention it AT ALL on the actual PPV, but then showcase it on a NYE PPV. Retarded. I heard exaggerated tales of Vladdy's MANHANDLING of Wiuff, like how it was just an utter beatdown. I want to see it for myself.

 

I recall you saying Tanner would be in Pancrase? Where did you hear of this?

 

I think he matches up well with anyone in the division, which is why even though he hasn't proven himself yet, he will when he gets the chance.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Is the Vladdy/Wiuff fight on the DVD? If so you can buy the DVD to see it. I know Tanner used to fight in Pancrase, I don't know anything about him fighting there now.

[Lei Tong 0]

I mentioned Terrell still being under Pancrase contract and probably returning a while ago, though I may have made a typo.

 

Also, the Matyushenko/Wiuff match was a mugging. Plain & simple.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I am pretty sure it's on the DVD, but I'll be damned to go through all that trouble for one match.

 

I remember finding the fact that it was a mugging funny when Wiuff talked about how he manhandled guys that were about 30 lbs heavier than he so the step down to LHW would be a breeze.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Hey, you still get the best UFC card in recent memory as well as the death of a legend in the main event!

[Lei Tong 0]

I actually referenced that Wiuff interview before his recent Euphoria win. Seems like his new emo lifestyle has caused some memory problems, because not only did Vladimir treat him like a ragdoll, he did it with a 30lbs. weight DISADVANTAGE.

 

And what do you know... I'm rewatching the fight now for a good laugh.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

And what do you know... I'm rewatching the fight now for a good laugh.

*shakes fist*

[cameron chaos 0]

I've heard some interviews, and the only guys he seems to not like are Murray and Loiseau. he doesn't even have anything against Loiseau, but rather just thinks it's an easy matchup for himself personally.

 

He had nothing but respect for Doerksen. He seems genuine from what I can telll, but I'm sure if you're telling me this stuff you'd have some examples in proving me wrong. I've never heard of a lot of this stuff. What did he post on the UG, or who did he call a piece of shit?

 

I'll say this much, if he beats Salaverry, would that lend some credibility for you guys?

 

I have to say, he's an exciting fighter. That's the main reason why I'm a fan. I'd like to see him fight Terrell, I think that would be a war.

He's made some appearance on InsideFighting's MMA Evolution radio show where he's been hardly complimentary towards other fighters. He got interviewed on another site and when asked about his opinions about the MW division he said Team Quest were "boring pieces of shit" and he'd "knock the fuck out of Lay n Pray Lindland". I personally would like Hendo to have a word with him about that claim regarding TQ. I'd supply the link, but I just googled for it without any luck.

 

Plus he challenged Lee Murray out of nowhere on the UG following Lee's UFC debut; Murray didn't even know who he was at the time or why some guy half the world away was talking shit about him.

 

I don't dispute he's a hell of a fighter and is constantly improving, but right now he's Baroni with more skills.