Dana White Talks UFC 133

UFC pres Dana White talking with Ariel Helwani about UFC 133, his frustrations with Lyoto Machida, and Alistair Overeem.

UFC 130 Fight Card & Predictions

Main Card:

Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Hamill

Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson

Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne

Thiago Alves vs. Rick Story

Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago


Preliminary Card on Spike TV: 
Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson
Kendall Grove vs. Tim Boetsch


Preliminary Card on Facebook:
Gleison Tibau vs. Rafaello Oliveira
Michael McDonald vs. Chris Cariaso
Renan Barão vs. Cole Escovedo

UFC 130 Fight Predictions:

  UFC 130 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arenda in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs Matt "The Hammer" Hamill as the main event. Also fighting on the main card that night will be Frank Mir vs Roy Nelson, Stefen Struve vs Travis Browne, Thiago Silva vs Rick Story, and Brian Stann vs Jorge Santiago. (A very stacked main card considering the main event was originally supposed to be Edgar vs Maynard III, but both had to push the date back due to injury.) Now lets get to the fun part, lets talk fight predictions. 

Brian Stann vs Jorge Santiago: Both fighters enter this bout undefeated in their last two fights, looking for a third victory in a row. Brian Stann last defeated heavy hitter Chris Leban by TKO in the 1st round! (Not an easy thing to do, Leban has a chin of solid brass) With that being said, Stann's obvious advantages in this fight are going to be his power and striking ability. He is also very emotionally charged for this fight since Brian Stann is a decorated Marine, and will be fighting on Memorial Day weekend. Jorge Santiago is a very, very well rounded fighter that has good striking, Judo, Jiu Jitsu, and good ground control/GnP. Santiago has notable wins over Chris Leban, Jeremy Horn, and Trevor Prangley. I foresee Santiago standing and banging with Stann at first, but ultimately trying to get him to the ground were he can better manage the power Stann's striking and power. If Santiago can get the take down he will be able to land some GnP while constantly looking for the submission. However, if Stann can keep it standing I don't think it will last longer than the 2nd round. Stann has so much power and gas in his tank that he can push the pace at 100% for all three rounds, one of which he can and will catch Jorge with a hard shot that will end it all. I predict Brian Stann by TKO or KO.

Thiago Alves vs Rick Story: Rick story called out Thiago Alves because he wants to beat a fighter that is both a high level striker and a top 5 ranked fighter in his weight class. Alves is exactly that, but be careful what you wish for... Rick Story is an AMAZING wrestler that has shown serious improvements in his striking getting a KO victory over Dustin Hazelett. But is he actually ready for Alves? My answer is no. Alves is such an accurate and devastating striker that I don't see Story's wrestling abilities preventing the inevitable barrage or punches Story will eat. However, I do see Story's conditioning helping him to out last Thiago, where he might be a more effective fighter against Alves later in the rounds. I see this fight being a back and forth battle, with Alves ultimatley coming out on top. My prediction, Thiago Alves wins by unanimous decision.  

Stefan Struve vs Travis Browne: I really have not seen a lot of Travis Browne, and I am partial to Struve just cause I love watching the guy fight. (Win or lose.) Either way this fight goes I see it being an exciting fight for the fans. Both fighters are hungry to prove they are the real deal, and both fighters have all the tools to dispatch the other. The question is who will be the one that works harder for it, the fighter that wants it more. My fight prediction is Stefan Struve by Submission. 

Frank Mir vs Roy Nelson: This is a very interesting fight for me, since these two have crossed paths before. Nelson defeated Mir at a Jiu-Jitsu tournament called Grapplers Quest way back before Nelson was also known as "that fat guy". I have a feeling Nelson wants to knock Mir out for two reasons: 1) He already defeated him on the ground. 2) Nelson has been dropping BOMBS on ALL his opponents lately, and is constantly looking for the knock out. The only issue I see with this is that stylistically Nelson is perfect for Mir in a striking battle. The way Nelson throws hay makers from the outside, he is going to run head first into a HARD strait left or right upper cut from Mir. I deffinatley think this fight will be a slug fest just like Roy vs Jr. My prediction, Mir by TKO. 

Rampage Jackson vs Matt Hamill: The main event, Rampage vs The Hammer... Everyone says Hamill is under rated, underestimated and "can" beat Jackson. I honestly don't see how people are giving Hamill a much of a chance in this match up. Why, because he beat Tito Ortiz after Tito was already washed up and full of excuses? Now don't get me wrong, I'm not counting Hamill out... I'm just being realistic in stating Rampage is more on Jon Jones' level, and we all saw what happened to Hamill! (against a very novice Jon Jones at that) I do see some problems Hamill can pose to Rampage, but they all stem from Matt's wrestling, and Rampage is a lot better at wrestling than a lot of people give him credit for. Jackson can hang with Hamill's wrestling skills, the question we will all find out is can Hamill hang with Jackson's striking. My fight prediction for final fight of the card is Rampage by either KO or decision. Although he will be gunning for the KO all night, Hamill might have just enough in him to drag it out all three rounds. 




Written by: Rudy Mogavero
Fight Night MMA

Paul Daley Talks Title Fight With Nick Diaz

"I was fully motivated before Zuffa ever thought of purchasing. Like I say, I look up to Nick as a fighter. Being away from the UFC, he's the only other big name out there; the only other fight that really means something to the fans. So that was always a fight that I was after, and it was always a motivating factor for me, being away from the UFC and signing with Strikeforce, to get a shot at Nick and getting a title."

Former UFC welterweight contender and current Strikeforce title Challenger, Paul Daley, tells the media on yesterday's conference call that his motivation for signing with the San Jose based promotion was to fight Nick Diaz.

Coming off the announcement that ZUFFA LLC bought the promotion, Daley was very public about his desire to back out of the April 9 main event. However, cooler heads have prevailed and Daley stuck to his obligation to face the champ, Nick Diaz in San Diego.

Hughes Says Shields Will Be "A Pretty Easy Fight" For GSP

"I think that's gonna be a pretty easy fight," Hughes said when asked about St-Pierre's upcoming fight against Jake Shields. "I really do. I think GSP's going to be able to do whatever he wants. Jake's not going to be able to get on top, so I just don't see him being effective really anywhere. I definitely don't think he's going to be able to take him down, and if Shields is on his back I just don't see him being effective. I have to really wonder why he got a title shot in the first place... but, I'll tell you why he got a title shot is there's no one else."


Former welterweight champ Matt Hughes recently did an interview with fivenuckles.com where he stated the above about Jake Shields. The former Strikeforce champ has not lost a match in 6 years, and is widely considered one of the best bjj practitioners alive. But none the less, the former champ has no issues with letting the world know what he thinks about Jake Shields and how he will do April 30th.

Sneak Peak: Team Lesnar vs Team Dos Santos

Sneak Peek: Team Lesnar vs Team Dos Santos
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Rashad Evans Sets Up New Camp At Imperial Athletics

Mixedmartialarts.com recently reported that former champion Rashad Evans has set up his new training camp at Imperial Athletics in Florida.


The Report reads as follows:

When a knee injury forced Rashad Evans out of a title shot against then champion, fellow Jackson's MMA teammate Jon Jones took his place. After Jones took the throne, a match with #1 contender Evans was inevitable. Evans felt betrayed and disrespected and publicly left Jackson's, vowing "I'm going to create my own camp from here on out."

"Jones can have whoever he wants. Take Mike Winkeljohn. Take Greg Jackson. He can have whoever he wants and take the entire team" said Evans. "Like I said it doesn't matter anymore and it is what it is ... I stay thirsty baby and I'm not going to let my little brother spank my ass that's for sure."

Fans immediately wondered where the new camp would be. The answer is Boca Raton, Florida, at Imperial Athletics.

Rashad Evans, Mike van Arsdale, Baltimore Raven Ray Lewis and the rest of the camp are already gathering for what promises to be an epic showdown.

UFC Purchases Strikeforce - Dana White Exclusive Interview