UFC MMA archive

There is no question that mixed martial arts has a place in the Olympics.

From the fact that the sport is a decendent of Pankration, a martial art introduced to the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC, to the presence of MMA elements judo, wrestling, boxing, and tae kwon do in the current Olympics, the truth is that the case for the inclusion of MMA moving forward is pretty easily made.

There are going to be hurdles to clear along the way though.

First and foremost, the perception of the sport is going to hamper its inclusion. While adopting the standard rules used for amateur MMA would elimate some of the more brutal, dangerous elements from the competition, we’re still battling against archaic views about the sport both in some regions.

Though it has certainly changed a great deal from the early 1990s, convincing those who still harbor uneducated opinions about MMA that it has a place in future Olympiads will still be a challenge.

Read More: Olympic MMA: Why it must happen for the sport | The Roar

In what has become a potential title shot contender match, former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua will face Brandon Vera in the headliner of the UFC on Fox 4 fight card. UFC President Dana White said earlier this week that if one of the fighters wins in impressive fashion he could face the winner of Dan Henderson vs. Jon Jones.

Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 20% Free Bet bonus up to $100.

As a replacement for the injured Thiago Silva, Vera gets one more chance to impress the UFC brass and MMA fans following a recent release and re-sign by the organization. Somehow he finds himself in a situation that could vault him back into the top contenders in the division if he’s able to find a way to beat former UFC Light Heavyweight champ Rua.

As expected Rua is currently a heavy -365 favorite at Bovada. Coming off one of the most epic MMA fights of all-time against Henderson, the former champ will be motivated to remain in the upper echelon of the division and get another chance to wear UFC gold around his waist.

His elite striking skills should give him an advantage in the stand-up potion of the fight, and if Vera is too much in that department Rua has the option of taking the fight to the ground where he will hold a sizable advantage as a Jiu-jitsu black belt.

Vera will want to take his chances in a stand-up battle and will need to utilize his reach and foot movement to come out on top. If he can land a head kick or heavy punch he will test the chin of the former champ with his power, but with only a puncher’s chance he is currently handicapped as a +275 underdog at Bovada.

Get your MMA odds for this week's top events right now at Bovada. Raise Your Game.

Four light-heavyweights are out to impress at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, tonight and at the end of it – UFC gold. UFC president Dana White has said that whichever of the four light heavyweights in the main two bouts wins the most impressively, they will go in line for a title shot against the winner of Dan Henderson and Jon Jones, the incumbent champion.

Read More: UFC on FOX 4: Four men enter and one man leaves – with a light-heavyweight contender shot – Telegraph Blogs

UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos is throwing a wrinkle into the current title contender picture because he doesn't want to face Cain Velasquez next.

That's not to say that dos Santos is turning down a fight with Velasquez, or avoiding the fight in any way, shape or form.

No, according to UFC president Dana White, it's because the UFC's top heavyweight has his eyes set on a slightly bigger target. Bigger as in six-foot-five former Dream, Strikeforce and K-1 Grand Prix champion Alistair Overeem.

White revealed on Saturday night after the UFC on Fox 4 press conference ended that dos Santos has asked to face Overeem next instead of Velasquez because the Dutch striker is “a punk” and he wants to shut him up.

Overeem hasn't been quiet about his desire to face dos Santos when he's eligible to get licensed later this year after his ‘suspension' from the Nevada State Athletic Commission expires in December. (Technically, Overeem was not suspended but his license was denied and he had to agree not to apply for another license for 9 months).

Read More: Junior dos Santos Asks UFC to Face Alistair Overeem Next Instead of Cain Velasquez - Yahoo! Sports

Prior to Sunday’s UFC on FOX event in Los Angeles, critics celebrated the one-year anniversary of the historic announcement by offering their assessment of how the partnership has been going so far.

It was an exercise in futility that made no sense to me whatsoever, and this latest show showed why.

Regardless of what the ratings end up saying, this show was a smashing success. Just like we don’t always judge a fighter’s performance by the end result – see Brandon Vera and Jamie Varner on this event – you can’t judge this last UFC show on the numbers it pulls.

This event was an excellent combination of established names and exciting fights, and it yielded the kind of entertaining contests the UFC and FOX need for this partnership to produce returns long-term. But the key there is that this is a long-term effort, and it’s pointless to judge this venture eight-months into things.

While everyone involved would certainly love to see record-breaking numbers following each event on FOX, that’s not the major goal of these first few years.

Read More: UFC on FOX critics too short-sighted | The Roar

Guam - Mixed Martial Arts Fighter Alex Castro will be spending at least three years behind bars. He was sentenced in Superior Court of Guam today for beating up Navy Sailor Jerrett Dunham back in February 2010 at Club Hana in Tumon.

Castro spoke for the very first time in court. He expressed remorse for the beating that occurred, but maintained that he did not punch Petty Officer Dunham in the face.

Castro's legal counsel, Atty. Tom Fisher, fought to have all of Castro's prison time suspended. He explained that since first being arrested for the bar brawl, Castro has become a changed man, giving back to the community and speaking with children about bullying. Fisher argued that Castro's sentence should be suspended because his co-defendants in the case, Kyle Reyes and Elbert Cruz, both accepted plea deals and got their sentences suspended.

Read More: VIDEO: MMA Fighter Alex Castro Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison

A jam-packed UFC on FOX 4 card stole most of the MMA-related headlines this past weekend, so Nick Newell’s latest victory went relatively unnoticed.

It shouldn’t have.

On Friday night, at XFC 19, Newell earned a dominant knockout win over David Mays – the second such win (eighth overall) in what has been an extremely impressive career up to this point.

Now, you may be asking yourselves: why is a fighter with less than 10 professional MMA victories worth highlighting? Well, you see, Newell isn’t your average fighter. He does what he does with a slight disadvantage – one less arm.

Video: One-Armed MMA Fighter Nick Newell Knocks Out David Mays at XFC 19 (Video)

Yushin Okami has been training to fight at UFC 150 for weeks, but who he’s been training to face at the event has changed twice heading into the card in Denver on Saturday.

Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 20% Free Bet bonus up to $100.

First scheduled to face Luiz Cane, an injury caused Okami to switch his training to face submission specialist Rousimar Palhares. Then a Palhares injury caused another replacement, and now Okami will instead fight Buddy Roberts this weekend.

Despite suffering two straight losses Okami is the heavy -600 favorite to beat the up-and-coming Roberts. In what will be only his second UFC fight, Roberts will be making a big step up in competition when he gets into the Octagon at UFC 150. Roberts will need to take his game to a new level if he hopes to come out on top over a contender the level of Okami.

Okami was winning his last fight against Tim Boetch before a memorable comeback led to a KO loss in the third round. He will need to stay tough for all three rounds and work his Judo skills to control his opponent and the direction that this fight takes.

If you can find any prop action on this fight the chances of it going the distance are very high. Both fighters have fought to a decision in their last two wins, but it’s Okami who has posted wins against some of the best fighters in the division over the last six years.

As a big underdog Roberts could pay out in a big way if Okami has indeed lost a step of late. The time could be right for a big upset if Roberts is able to find his opponent’s chin, or if he’s able to weather the initial Okami storm.

Former PRIDE and UFC star Mirko Cro Cop last fought in October of last year when he met Roy Nelson at UFC 137. In a discouraging site for fans, the Croatian was knocked out for the third consecutive time and announced his retirement after the contest.

While it was sad to see an influential star hang up his gloves, fans were happy that their hero would no longer be woken up by a cageside physician shining a flashlight in his eyes.

In an interview with USAToday-com, Filipovic announced that he is still training in the sport and envisions a return to the world of mixed martial arts.

"Concerning my retirement from the UFC, I said it was my last fight for the UFC and last fight on the present contract, but I did not say, 'I won't keep fighting,' " Filipovic said. "I never said that. I think the best thing to say is that I was born to fight."

Read More: UFC: Mirko Cro Cop Will Return to MMA or Die Trying | Bleacher Report

It’s hard not to get swept up in the flag-waving patriotism and sporting spectacle that is the Olympics, even if the International Olympic Committee hasn’t jumped on your sport’s bandwagon.

For mixed martial arts fans, athletes and promoters like Maximum Fighting Championship owner Mark Pavelich — who himself is a Summer Games fanatic — the inclusion of their sport in the Olympics is naturally an intriguing proposition.

“I think it’s an awesome idea, but I also think there’s people in the Olympics right now that are going to amalgamate into MMA,” Pavelich said Wednesday ahead of his latest show, MFC 34, which goes Friday night at the Mayfield Trade Centre.

“The way we have to sell it to the Olympics, because that’s the way it has to be, once they interview the athletes and see that most of them are university educated, most of them are above average intelligence, they’ll be shocked.”

Read more: MMA a complex fit for Summer Olympics

All this talk of Frankie Edgar and rematches makes for a potentially uncomfortable situation brewing in Denver. What if Edgar wins a close fight over Benson Henderson this weekend at UFC 150? What if it’s an egregiously controversial decision, the kind that has Dana White fuming about the judging and Twitter exploding into a million little protests?

If it’s indistinguishably close in Edgar’s favor, will not Henderson have the same argument that Edgar did in requesting an automatic rematch?

Fair is fair is fair.


Read More: Complications of an Edgar victory are real - Mixed Martial Arts Blog - ESPN

Benson Henderson will be the third UFC opponent in a row that Frankie Edgar has had a rematch against to settle the score for the Lightweight title. As it was against B.J. Penn and Gray Maynard, the first meeting between Edgar and Henderson was close, so it’s only fair to Edgar that he gets another chance to show that he’s the world's top 155-pounder.

Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 20% Free Bet bonus up to $100.

The current lines on this fight at Bovada are sitting right around where one would expect them to be, with Edgar as a slight underdog. He currently sits at +160, a number that action has driven up slightly from the initial +125 offering. Edgar is as tough as nails and made good on the two previous rematches. He stands to be a real threat to pull off the upset and regain the title.

To do that he will need to find a way to utilize his boxing skills and push through the sharp technique of Henderson. The current champ has an edge over Edgar on the ground, which is the main reason he’s currently a -200 favorite at Bovada to retain the title. Originally handicapped at -155, the price on Henderson could be even bigger by fight time.

The big factor in the first fight that MMA bettors may not be considering is that Edgar was winning before an up-kick changed the direction of the bout. If the rematch plays out like the first five minutes of their initial meeting, the results will be very different at UFC 150.

If the infamous up-kick was not as big a factor in the first fight, and the bigger Henderson is able to wear down the former champ once again, we will likely see another Henderson decision victory.

Lots of great information :thumbsup

Albany County Legislator Tim Nichols — breaking with his former boss, Assemblyman Bob Reilly — said he supports legalizing professional mixed martial arts matches in the state.

Nichols served until recently as chief of staff for Reilly, the Assembly's most outspoken opponent of MMA. He is now one of four Democrats seeking to succeed Reilly in what will be the 110th Assembly District. The others are Phil Steck, another county legislator; Joseph Landry, Niskayuna town supervisor; and Kevin Frazier, an aide to Assemblyman Ron Canestrari, D-Cohoes.

The primary winner will face Republican Jennifer Whalen, a lawyer and real estate agent.

Nichols said he held off on stating his position until he no longer worked for Reilly.

"I did not think it was appropriate for me to comment as a staff person when my boss was the leading opponent," Nichols said.

Read more: Candidate supporting mixed martial arts - Times Union

Tonight, Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar will fight once again for the Lightweight title in the main event of UFC 150. The two first met at UFC 144 in Japan where Henderson was able to win the title with a decision victory. However, because the fight was so close, Dana White granted Frankie Edgar a rematch for the chance to regain his title. This will be Edgar's third rematch since winning the title from B.J. Penn at UFC 112. Henderson will attempt to solidify his title claim tonight at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO. The main card starts at 10 PM EST (7 PM PST) on Pay-Per-View.

This will be Edgar's third rematch since winning the title from B.J. Penn at UFC 112. In fact, Ben Henderson is only his third new opponent in the last two and a half years. This became a source of controversy when the tonight's rematch was announced. Many wanted a fresh opponent for Henderson simply to keep the division progressing and didn't want to risk and Edgar win leading to a subsequent rubber match.

Read More: Dana White Confirms Nate Diaz To Get Next Shot At Lightweight Title - Bloody Elbow

Frankie Edgar said he was going to Denver to get his lightweight title back.

But after yet another 25-minute effort for the New Yorker, he didn't get what was he was looking for -- even if many in the crowd thought he did.

Edgar fell to champion Benson Henderson on Saturday in a five-round split decision at UFC 150 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The three cageside judges scored the bout 48-47 twice for Henderson, and 49-46 for Edgar.

It was the third consecutive rematch for Edgar (14-3-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC), who lost the title to Henderson (17-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in February at UFC 144 in Japan. Edgar was granted Saturday's rematch largely based on him giving rematches to B.J. Penn and Gray Maynard in title fights in 2010 and 2011.

Saturday's main event featured razor-thin third, fourth and fifth rounds. Henderson said he didn't understand the judge who scored the fight four rounds to one for Edgar, the former champ.

Read More: UFC 150: Henderson survives to retain lightweight title

When they first met, they went the distance and the judges gave it to Benson Henderson. But this time, when former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and reigning champ Henderson scrapped, it seemed just a little more clear-cut, and it appeared as if "The Answer" had done enough in their five rounds of hard-fought conflict to reclaim that precious belt that was once his. But the judges — in their infinite wisdom, or lack thereof — disagreed. That's the story of UFC 150's main event. More after the jump.

Read More: Ben Henderson retains belt in controversial split decision: The UFC 150 Main Card Rundown | Cagewriter - Yahoo! Sports

Amateur MMA fighter Tyrone "Teesta" Mims died Saturday night soon after a loss at a regional event in South Carolina.

According to The Post and Courier, a Charleston-based newspaper, Mims suffered problems backstage after his loss to Blake Poore and was taken by paramedics to Medical University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead soon after.

The event, "Conflict MMA Promotions: Fight Night at the Point 6," took place at Omar Shrine Center at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, S.C.

The cause of death is unknown, and an autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

MMAjunkie-com confirmed Mims' death but couldn't immediately reach event officials or South Carolina State Athletic Commissions representatives for comment.

According to messages on the fight promotion's Facebook page, the event featured more than a dozen bouts. The event was halted and the online stream ended soon after the Georgia-based Mims became unresponsive after his bout, which was the second matchup of the night.


Read More: Amateur MMA fighter dies following fight in South Carolina

Mixed-martial arts fighting in South Carolina will get a closer look after the second death since the sport was legalized here three years ago.

Tyrone Mims, 30, of Augusta, Ga., had just completed a fight at the Omar Shrine Temple's Convention Center in Mount Pleasant Saturday night when he collapsed and died at Medical University Hospital at 9:27 p.m., Charleston County Deputy Coroner Dottie Lindsay said Sunday. An autopsy today could reveal why he died.

Mixed martial arts fighting includes martial arts, boxing, wrestling and kickboxing. It's not been determined that Mims' death had anything to do with the fight.

But it has at least one expert who follows the sport concerned.

“When you've got two deaths in one state, something's going wrong,” said Luke Thomas, who covers mixed martial arts and combat sports for MMAFighting-com and SB Nation.

“Something's going very, very wrong there.”

In June of 2010, Michael Kirkham died at “Confrontation at the Convocation Center” event at the USC Aiken Convocation Center.

It was his first fight, and an autopsy showed he died of a brain hemorrhage.

To put the problem in perspective, Thomas pointed out that only four fighters in the entire country have died after bouts since 2007.


Read More: Two MMA f ighters' deaths raise safety concerns | The Post and Courier | Charleston SC, News, Sports, Entertainment

Tyrone Mims was dominating in his debut appearance as a mixed martial arts fighter.

The 30-year-old hadn’t absorbed a single blow from his opponent, Blake Poore, during their bout Saturday night in Mount Pleasant. Known as “Teestea,” the amateur fighter from Georgia was the one doing the hitting in this sport that combines martial arts, boxing, wrestling and kickboxing. After the first round, the referees considered declaring him the winner.

But about five minutes in, Mims lost steam. Exhaustion overwhelmed him, said an expert sitting ringside at the Omar Shrine Temple’s Convention Center at Patriots Point.

He started taking punches and kicks, unable to free himself. The referee ended the match in the second round and declared Poore the winner.

“He wasn’t being hit hard; he was simply not bettering his position,” said Blake Grice of Anderson, an MMA referee who was scheduled to officiate several fights later in the evening. “It was a textbook stoppage. But he wasn’t hurt. He was just tired.”

Read More: MMA fighter’s sudden death still mystery | The Post and Courier | Charleston SC, News, Sports, Entertainment