Inland Empire MMA Friends

First off, let me say thanks to Walter for having us over last minute (even if Dave and JC mostly spent their time playing with their fantasy football league on Walt's notebook).

SEE UFC 76 RESULTS HERE (THANKS TO UFCMANIA)

Now, onto UFC 76: WHAT THE HIZELL? First, UFC 76: Knockout had no Knockouts, at least on the televised card! Man, I know I shouldn't be disappointed ever by anything that happens in MMA since it's such a dynamic sport in which anything can happen, but I can't help but feel a little let down by the way Shogun and Liddell performed. Oh, and mad props to both Griffin and Jardine, I love both of those guys since they bring an almost "every man" mentality to sport, not to mention how funny Griffin is, BUT they weren't supposed to win! (:


VIDEOS AND LINKS about the shakeup and aftermath (ufcmania):

UFC Quick Quote: Liddell camp eyes fight with Shogun

“He’s [Chuck Liddell] already said he’ll be back in the gym next Monday. He’s going to fight again, hopefully as soon as possible, maybe in December. We’re looking at ‘Shogun.’ … Chuck will face anyone they put in front of him… You’re dealing with a guy that just lost a fight, is totally depressed right after a humungous loss. Of course, he’s disappointed. We didn’t get into details about the fight, especially after a loss, because that’s not the time you want to talk about it. We usually talk about it when we get back in the gym.”

– John Hackleman — the long-time trainer for former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell — clears up all the retirement talk with FightNetwork.com and even mentions a possible opponent, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Liddell and Shogun were both upset over the weekend in their respective bouts. In the post-fight UFC 76 press conference, UFC President Dana White also mentioned that Liddell-Shogun was a possibility.

36 Comments September 24th, 2007

UFC 78: Karo Parisyan vs. Hector Lombard

Top welterweight contender Karo Parisyan (17-4) will fight UFC newcomer Hector Lombard (11-2-1) at UFC 78 on November 17 in Newark, New Jersey.

Rumors have swirled for sometime now that the two accomplished Judo-based fighters would clash; however, FightNetwork.com appears to be the first reliable source to confirm the 170-pound tilt.

Parisyan is on a two-fight win streak and has been victorious in seven out of his last eight bouts dating all the way back to 2004. “The Heat” most recently defeated Josh Burkman via unanimous decision at UFC 71 in May.

The Armenian-born Judo specialist has been clamoring for a title shot since he missed his chance against Matt Hughes in 2005 because of an injury sustained during training. However, Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre are already lined up in front of Parisyan, meaning he won’t get his crack at 170-pound glory until mid 2008 at the earliest.

Lombard will make his Octagon debut, hoping that his vast experience fighting overseas can be enough to topple a veteran who will be making his tenth appearance within the eight-sided cage.

The Cuban has appeared twice under the PRIDE FC banner (his only losses) in Japan, as well as with the DEEP organization also in “The Land of the Rising Sun.” Lombard — a Judo specialist and Olympian — has been successfull of late throughout Australia where he now lives and competes.
For the latest UFC 78 fight card from the Prudential Arena in Newark, N.J., click here.

(Note: It appears the the rumored bout between Parisyan and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai did not work out.)

29 Comments September 24th, 2007

UFC 77 Web site for ‘Hostile Territory’ is now up

Props: 77.UFC.com

(Note: Site is not complete with fighter interviews, etc. but has the trailer and a slick design. Check it out when you can.)

Keith Jardine post-fight interview after win over Chuck Liddell (Video)

31 Comments September 24th, 2007

UFC 79: BJ Penn to fight Sean Sherk or Joe Stevenson

BJ Penn has been bumped from the UFC 78 card in Newark, N.J., on November 17 and will instead fight at UFC 79 on December 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to FightNetwork.com.

Here’s the snip:

“… it appeared that Penn has been patiently awaiting a new opponent for Nov. in the interim, the popular Hawaiian’s camp has confirmed their leader is now preparing for a Dec. 29 match-up at UFC 79….”

The reason for the switch has everything to do with the uncertainty involving the status of the lightweight title. Current champion, Sean Sherk, was penciled in to defend the 155-pound crown against Penn; however, Sherk tested positive for steroids after his win over Hermes Franca at UFC 73 in July.

“The Muscle Shark” is scheduled to appeal the finding before the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) on October 31 — little more than two weeks prior to the Newark event.

Put simply, the UFC can’t promote a show for which it has no main event set in such a short amount of time.

Therefore, Penn will fight for the title one month later on New Year’s Eve weekend against Sherk, or he will face Joe Stevenson for the vacant strap if the Sherk ruling is upheld and he is stripped of the title.

Here’s a snip from “Daddy:”

“I was told I was definitely fighting in December or January. I think there’s a strong possibility I’ll face B.J. Penn.”

That means that two championships will be on the line on December 29 — UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra takes on Matt Hughes in the main event of the evening. However, the recent news means that UFC 78 is now void of championship main event.

So can the potential rematch between Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans slated for the newly-built Prudential Arena be a big enough draw?

You tell us. In the meantime check out the latest UFC 78 fight card right here.

Liddell-Silva ‘never meant to happen;’ ‘Iceman’ contemplates retirement?

In the opening seconds of the UFC 76: “Knockout” pay-per-view (PPV) telecast ringside announcer Mike Goldberg confirmed that Chuck Liddell would face Wanderlei Silva on December 29 with a win over Keith Jardine in the main event.

“Iceman” went on to drop a split-decision to the “Dean of Mean,” dashing the monster showdown for which fans have clamored for years once again.

UFC President Dana White seemed resigned to the fact that the biggest fight in mixed martial arts history just one year ago was perhaps “never meant to happen, according to FOXSports.com.

Here’s a snip from White:

“‘It’s just not meant to happen,’ said White, who talked about a conversation with Silva as the fight was going on, and telling Silva that he thought Jardine was going to win the fight. He noted Silva was in complete denial, seeing huge dollar signs fly out the window.”

That’s not even the half of it. In fact, there is an article on Yahoo!Sports.com that mentions Liddell is contemplating hanging up the gloves after his second consecutive loss — the first time that has happened in the illustrious career of the 37-year-old.

Here’s a snip from White in that article:

“There’s a hunger thing that you have to have to be an elite fighter and I just didn’t see a Chuck Liddell who was as hungry as he used to be. Chuck has made a lot of money in this business and he’s done a lot of things, but he wasn’t the Chuck of old…. He needs to do what’s right for him and not worry about us. This isn’t the kind of sport you can be in half-heartedly. If you don’t have the passion for it, it’s time to get out. Only Chuck really knows how he feels, but you wonder because he hasn’t looked the same, fire-wise, in either of these last two fights.”

Agreed.

All the retirement talk, however, seems to be a bit premature — we’re talking about a conversation in a locker room immediately following another disappointing loss. Put simply, this is a major life decision that is perhaps not best determined under the circumstances.

In addition, there is no question that Liddell-Silva is going to sell crazy tickets and monster PPV’s. It’s probably no longer a headliner, but it will still help fill the till to the brim.

And let’s not forget: Silva is also on a two-fight losing skid. He, too, is not getting any younger, either.

Finally, is there another fighter on this planet who Liddell would “get up” more for than “The Axe Murderer?” I don’t think so. Provided Liddell decides to not retire, then the clash with Silva makes sense .. and cents.

December 29 is now or never.

74 Comments September 24th, 2007

UFC Quick Quote: Diego Sanchez on move to lightweight

“I feel that he beat me fair and square. I was close, but close isn’t close enough. All fighters go through losses, I’m just going to have to come back stronger. I’m contemplating in my mind if I’m going to drop to (1)55 or not, because I’m a smaller welterweight. I could do more powerlifting and put some more weight on or I could lose some weight.”

– UFC welterweight Diego Sanchez (via Yahoo!Sports) talks about moving down to the lightweight division (155 pounds) after his split decision loss to Jon Fitch at UFC 76: “Knockout” on September 22. It is the second consecutive loss for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season one middleweight winner.