Ronda Rousey discusses Sarah Kaufman, Dana White, and the effects of her newfound fame

Hot on the heels of the announcement that she will be fighting Sarah Kaufman in August, Ronda Rousey comments on a variety of MMA topics to stir some interest for the women’s side of the sport. Generating some smack talk between Kaufman and herself via Twitter, Rousey also talks about Marloes Coenen calling her out at the recent Invicta FC 1 in Kansas City. She details how she and Dana White are attempting to make WMMA more popular, and how she has backed up all of her brash talk with legit skills. It

Josh Koscheck believes he beat Johny Hendricks, requests five-round rematch

Josh Koscheck not surprisingly came out with some comments regarding his close split decision loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC on Fox 3 last Saturday. He felt that he did enough to win both rounds 1 & 3, rounds that Hendricks thought he won with as well. Either way, the bout was slightly controversial and Koscheck wants a rematch, saying the following via Twitter.com:

Just watched the fight again.1&3rd; round where mine. Maybe a rematch 5 round fight this time? What U say Hindricks?
— Josh

TUF: LIVE fighters discuss fighting, Cruz’s injury and competition

The UFC and FX hosted a media conference call with four of this season’s The Ultimate Fighter® Live quarterfinalists on Tuesday, May 8, 2012: James Vick (Team Cruz) vs. Joe Proctor (Team Faber) and Justin Lawrence (Team Cruz) vs. Michael Chiesa (Team Faber).
The panel of fighters were asked who they thought would come out on top.  Justin Lawrence said that all the fighters were great and that every one of them has an opportunity to make it.
Michael Chiesa agreed that they were all there to

Frankie Edgar has high praise for Nate Diaz; talks UFC 150 rematch vs. Ben Henderson

Frankie Edgar had some positive words for Nate Diaz following his decisive victory over Jim Miller at UFC on Fox 3 in New Jersey, going as far as to call Diaz “kind of a teammate.” Edgar did not expect Miller to be finished, as it had never happened in a UFC Octagon until Saturday night. Edgar may find himself facing Nate Diaz soon should he regain the Lightweight championship in his rematch with Ben Henderson.
While Edgar states that he believes the fight would take place in September, it has been

UFC 149: Thiago Alves now faces Siyar Bahadurzada

News broke today that Thiago Alves will find himself with a new opponent at UFC 149 from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally scheduled to face Yoshihiro Akiyama on the card, he will now fight surging prospect Siyar Bahadurzada. This announcement adds some fireworks yo the card, as both fighters love to throw leather with bad intentions. The bout holds different but important implications for both fighters.
Alves is looking to get a win streak going,having once been a title challenger against Georges St.

Ronda Rousey to defend Strikeforce belt against Sarah Kaufman in August

A report has surfaced today that Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight champion Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey will make her first title defense later this summer against former champ Sarah Kaufman. Tentatively set for August, there is not a confirmed date nor location as of yet.
Rousey is of course the most talked-about topic in WMMA currently, utilizing world-class Judo skills to slam her opponents and submit them seemingly at will. The first American woman ever to win an Olympic medal in Judo, Rousey

Low ratings for UFC on FOX 3: 2.4 million viewers

UFC on Fox 3 was one of the best cards of the year and the best event hosted on Fox thus far. Despite this, the Cinco de Mayo Event had poor ratings. According to my colleague, Mike Drahota on Lowkick.com:10,788 fans witnessed the event in person for a live gate of $1.1 million.
However, television viewership painted quite a different picture.  According to tvsportsratings.com

UFC on FOX 3: 1.6 Men 18-34 (-50% vs. UFC on FOX 2) and 2.4 mil viewers (-48%)
— TVsportsratings (@tvsportsratings)May

Gilbert Melendez, who will be left to fight him?

Gilbert Melendez (20-2) is scheduled to fight Josh Thomson (19-4-1) for a third time on May 19, 2012 in San Jose, California at Strikeforce 40: Barnett vs. Cormier.
The odds are favoring Melendez, and even though Thomson is coming off a recent victory, his last loss was to Tatsuya Kawajiri (31-7-2), whom Melendez had defeated in 2011.
The question becomes: What happens next for Melendez?
Dana White has gone on record saying that he wanted to bring Melendez over to UFC. White went so far as to attempt to

Urijah Faber responds to Dominick Cruz’s injury, wants Renan Barao as a replacement

Earlier today, news broke that Dominick Cruz tore his ACL training for his UFC 148 title bout versus arch-nemesis Urijah Faber. Instantly, the status of UFC 148 as potentially the biggest card ever was in jeopardy. While no longer possessing two title fights, it appears that Urijah Faber does still want to fight on the card, revealing the following via Twitter.com:

Sucks about @thedomin8r hope recovers fast! Sounds like 9 months aftr surgery @renanbaraoufc seems like the best replacement!