UFC 133 takes place in Philadelphia this Saturday with an anticipated rematch between light heavyweights Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans.

Here is a brief UFC 133 open workout video:

Evans will rely on more youthful athleticism to punish Ortiz, while the Huntington Beach Bad Boy may look to grapple a bit more. I think Evans’ striking ability is a bit overrated, and Ortiz can take a punch, so I wonder if the second fight may somewhat mimic the first fight.Similar Posts:

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Former UFC middleweight Gerald Harris will go to Japan to fight for the DREAM MMA organization, the fighter recently confirmed with MMA media.

Harris still hasn’t been given an opponent — or fight date — for his DREAM debut, but there is unconfirmed talk for the DREAM 17 event at the Saitama Arena in late September.

The multi-fight deal with the Japanese MMA organization may seem relatively risky, especially with some foreign fighters still waiting to be paid. I hope Harris and his management team are able to figure out a deal in which he receives compensation up front, or something to ensure he is properly covered.

“It’s just dangerous to sign with an organization that’s either new or trying to come back, or that’s not stable,” Harris recently noted. “They’re very stable. Everybody’s had situations in the past, but I’m just saying overall – they have a great reputation, they produce great fighters, and they’re highly respected.”

Either way, outside of the UFC/Strikeforce juggernaut, there aren’t too many high-profile venues for fighters to sign with. Since the start of 2010, Harris has fought six times, racking up four wins, with two decision losses going against him (at UFC 123 and Xtreme Fight Night).Similar Posts:

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Former UFC title contender Nate Marquardt will head across the pond and could be on a direct fight path towards British superstar Paul Daley.

Here is what Marquardt recently said during a press conference:

“I’m looking forward to getting back to fighting and there are some guys out there that I would definitely like to get my hands on. I’m talking about the fighters that kicked me while I was down. BAMMA is known for signing top talent …so I may just get my chance.”

I’m still doubtful about Marquardt — and think he’s spoiled goods at the moment, despite his legitimate skills — but can’t wait to see what he brings to BAMMA.

Even with Marquardt under contract, Daley faces an extremely tough task against Tyron Woodley later this month during Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson. It’d be hard to justify a fight between Daley and Marquardt if the British fighter loses inside the Strikeforce cage to a skilled but still relatively green MMA prospect.

We’ll see what happens later this summer…Similar Posts:

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Duane “Bang” Ludwig is closing in on a UFC on Versus 5 showdown against Amir Sadollah in Milwaukee, Wisc. on Aug. 14.

As he prepares for this fight, Bang has given MMAWeekly access to his training camp. Prior to the UFC’s major marketing efforts, inside camp views were relatively rare, but are a great custom vantage point for MMA fans.

Video one focuses on his training at the FORZA Fitness strength training gym, which also is frequented by a number of NHL, NFL, and NBA players.

The second training video brings viewers inside Bang’s 303 Training Center, where he prepares for Sadollah.

I like these types of video blogs because they help show how serious MMA athletes are during their training camps. There is still a misguided thought that MMA fighters are nothing more than “cage fighters” just trying to slug it out.Similar Posts:

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Female MMA superstar Gina Carano has focused on projects outside of MMA, including a new film with several major Hollywood actors. Her latest film, Haywire, has gained a lot of attention and actually has MMA fans talking…

This dynamic action-thriller directed by Oscar® winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) boasts a talented cast that includes Channing Tatum (GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra), Ewan McGregor (The Ghost Writer), Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class), Antonio Banderas (The Legend of Zoro), Bill Paxton (“Big Love”), Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), Michael Angarano (Almost Famous); and introduces mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Gina Carano as Mallory Kane, in a demanding lead role that has her performing her own high-adrenaline stunts.
Mallory Kane is a highly trained operative who works for a government security contractor in the dirtiest, most dangerous corners of the world. After successfully freeing a Chinese journalist held hostage, she is double crossed and left for dead by someone close to her in her own agency. Suddenly the target of skilled assassins who know her every move, Mallory must find the truth in order to stay alive.
Using her black-ops military training, she devises an ingenious-and dangerous-trap. But when things go haywire, Mallory realizes she’ll be killed in the blink of an eye unless she finds a way to turn the tables on her ruthless adversary.

Here is the official trailer:

Honestly, I don’t care … and a starring role or appearance from an MMA fighter won’t suddenly make me want to see a movie. It’s going to be interesting because of the some of the high-profile names working on the project, so we’ll see how regular movie viewers pay attention to this film.

(Kudos to BloodyElbow for providing the reading material.)Similar Posts:

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Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship is official, while several different fighters take shots at both Rampage and Jones.

Rampage and Jones look ahead to their pending title fight, with Rampage saying the following statement:

“I just signed the bout agreement today 4 for the fight on 9/24/11 I WANT MY BELT BACK!!” — Rampage recently tweeted — as he looks forward to another UFC title fight.

The UFC light heavyweight division is rather confusing at the moment, with UFC President Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva extremely busy.

Champion Jones anticipates beating Rampage, and then hopefully getting a chance to finally fight former teammate and sparring partner, Rashad Evans. Evans, who beat Rampage via unanimous decision at UFC 114 in May 2010, will fight former champion Tito Ortiz before earning the right to a possible title shot.

Ortiz and Rampage remain on friendly terms and would only fight if a title was on the line. Meanwhile, Evans doesn’t mind a fight with Rampage or Jones, but just wants a shot at earning the UFC championship again.

I have a feeling Jones is just too well rounded and dangerous for Rampage, even though the former PRIDE superstar has devastating knockout power. After that, however, we’ll have to wait and see what happens within the UFC division — I think Evans should be able to beat Ortiz (they fought to a draw last time) — and a potential Jones vs. Evans title showdown would yield great interest in the MMA community.

However, Rampage vs. Evans would make for a very compelling possible title shot in early 2012.Similar Posts:

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Popular UFC fighter Rich Franklin says he’s done fighting in the middleweight division, but could make a run for the UFC light heavyweight championship.

The former champion was expected to fight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 133 in a couple of weeks, but the Brazilian fighter has been forced off the card. Franklin is now left without an opponent and may have to wait until later in the year to fight again.

Since losing the pay-per-view co-headline fight, the UFC is scrambling to try and find a viable opponent that will be able to challenge Franklin.

MMAWeekly recently caught up with Franklin, and here is what he had to say about the current state of his fight career:

In his past three fights, Franklin was finished by Vitor Belfort, knocked Chuck Liddell into an alternate universe, and lost a unanimous decision to Forrest Griffin.

Franklin, a former UFC middleweight champion, was a centerpiece for the division until he ran into Anderson Silva (twice). Now that he’s in the light heavyweight division, I look forward to seeing if he’ll still fight at UFC 133 in early August — and if not, who will be his next opponent?Similar Posts:

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UFC contender Rashad Evans has to beat Tito Ortiz before he again earns a shot at the UFC light heavyweight championship — but the experienced fighter knows what to expect when Jon Jones fights Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Evans is still preparing for his upcoming fight with Ortiz, and understands the tough challenge ahead, because Ortiz has proven he can still succeed. If Evans loses to Ortiz, however, the division will become rather confusing, as Ortiz likely won’t be given a title shot quite yet.

Here is what Evans had to say to MMAWeekly Radio about the Jones vs. Rampage fight:

“I think it’s going to be Jon Jones. I would like to see Rampage catch him with something, but I honestly believe Rampage is not doing what he needs to do, and he’s not going to do what he needs to do to win the title.”

Rampage still possesses heavy hands and a good chin, but I also believe Jones has the well-rounded skills to beat Rampage. Similar Posts:

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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz got a much-needed win when he submitted Ryan Bader at UFC 132 earlier this month.

Ortiz is back – and here is a brief video discussing his career (courtesy of the UFC):

Ortiz said the Frank Shamrock fight was a great wakeup call that showed him how serious training had to be.

Ortiz, 36, is in the twilight of his career, but still believes he has a lot to offer inside the UFC cage. A rematch against Rashad Evans, however, will prove where both fighters currently stand in a cluttered light heavyweight division that has heated rivalries and bitter feuds.Similar Posts:

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Rising lightweight Melvin Guillard asked for a fight against Joe Lauzon, which the Massachusetts native was more tha happy to accept. Much to the delight of MMA fans, UFC President Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva approved of the two lightweights wanting to meet inside the octagon.

The fight will take place on the main card at UFC 126 on Oct. 8 in Houston, Texas.

It should be an interesting clash of styles, as Lauzon will look for submissions while Guillard wants a knockout. Guillard’s submission defense was questionable earlier in his career, but has greatly improved from his time training with Greg Jackson. Since being submitted by Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night in 2009, Guillard is on a five-fight win streak.

Lauzon was a solid lightweight prospect after his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, but is 3-2 over his past five fights. Lauzon is now being given a stiff challenge after he was able to control Curt Warburton before submitting him at UFC on Versus 4 earlier in the year.

I think if Lauzon has a proper training camp with higher-caliber sparring partners, he has the submission ability to put Guillard in trouble. However, I think this is a fight Guillard should be abl to win via decision, although it should prove to be a tough challenge. Similar Posts:

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Canadian lightweight Chris Horodecki will make his Bellator debut later this month against Chris Saunders, as he looks to immediately jump to the top of the lightweight division.

Horodecki is an experienced IFL and WEC veteran with a solid 17-3 pro fight record, and is 2-1 in his past three fights. After being submitted via triangle choke to Donald Cerrone in late 2010, Horodecki bounced back this spring with an impressive rear-naked choke submission win against a tune-up opponent.

“Fighting for a promotion like Bellator in front of my friends and family is just a dream come true,” Horodecki said in a press release. “I had a great fight at Casino Rama back in April, and I’m just looking to build off that at Bellator 47.”

Horodecki can be an important fighter for Bellator, as he’s a better known, popular MMA fighter among hardcore fans.Similar Posts:

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During M-1′s recent M-1 Challenge 26 event in Southern California, the event had a few finishes… but none as impressive as a brutal KO shot that seemingly appears out of nowhere.

In what could very well be a knockout of the year candidate, Arthur Guseinov defeated American Tyson Jeffries by spinning backfist knockout. Here is the brutal KO finish, which aired on Showtime:

MMA fans always want to see impressive knockout and submission finishes — and this definitely counts as an impressive KO.Similar Posts:

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UFC contender Kenny Florian recently discussed his fight with Diego Nunes, and share his thoughts about a possible matchup against Jose Aldo:

Florian seems to always be in the UFC title hunt, despite UFC President Dana White previously slamming Florian for choking in big fights.Similar Posts:

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Russian-based M-1 continues promotional efforts in the United States with tonight’s live event in Southern California. M-1 Challenge 26 will air on Showtime — an important partnership if M-1 is serious about making a splash in the US — though the event will air without the same amount of promotion as other MMA events.

M-1 Challenge 26 Weigh-in Results:

Pat Bennett (240) vs. Kenny Garner (256.6)
Arthur Guseinov (183.4) vs. Tyson Jeffries (184.8)
Mairbek Taisumov (155) vs. Josh Bacallao (154)
Daniel Weichel (155.5) vs. Beau Baker (156)
Jason Norwood (184.6) vs. Eddie Arizmendi (186)

Here is what Pat Bennett had to say:

“I want it bad. I feel lucky to get rematch and the opportunity to get this one back. He’s the type of dude that if you give him an inch, he’ll take a mile. I know Kenny – he’s a brawler and if doesn’t land then he’ll get in the clinch. I have an answer for everything he brings me.”

Meanwhile, his opponent, Garner said the following:

I fought him and beat him so fast that I don’t think he knows what happened. I got bigger, stronger and faster since we fought. If he’s looking at our last fight then he’s in trouble because I’ve gotten a lot better since then. I’m a born and bred wrestler, but I’d rather punch you in your face. As soon as I connect, start counting. I’ll end the fight in six punches.”

The five-card M-1 Challenge 26 fight event takes place tonight from the OC Fair & Event Center in Orange County, California.Similar Posts:

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UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will look to defend his title later this year against Nick Diaz. To help refine his technique and pure boxing skills, GSP has again visited Freddie Roach’s Wild Card boxing gym.

Click here to view the embedded video.

GSP most recently beat Jake Shields, one of Diaz’s main training partners, though it was a decision win very few people expected. Shields was able to show an improved standup game and battered the champion a bit more than most people expected — but Diaz likes to pepper opponents with a high number of strikes — and will have to adjust to the striking change.

It’s an interesting style matchup, as GSP will probably look to avoid Diaz’s frantic striking style.Similar Posts:

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Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson will take place on July 30 at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., and features a heavyweight main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson.

The rest of the main card has been finalized with four additional fights expected to be shown on Showtime. Also on the card, Paul Daley will Tyron Woodley in a welterweight showdown that has immediate Strikeforce title implications.

Slugger Scott Smith will fight Tarec Saffiedine in one more welterweight showdown, with Saffiedine looking to continue his climb up the ranks. Middleweights Robbie Lawler will fight Tim Kennedy, and Strikeforce 135-pound champion Marloes Coenen will look to defend her championship against Miesha Tate.

Since being acquired by Zuffa, Strikeforce events are reportedly running more smoothly now, and event interest has also increased. UFC President Dana White still isn’t fully onboard with women’s fights just yet, but the ladies still have Strikeforce to showcase their talents. As women’s MMA hopefully expands in the future, the talent pool will widen and show White that it could be a viable market.Similar Posts:

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