Edson Barboza moves into the Final Eight for ESPN’s 2012 ESPY Awards

Edson Barboza (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is one of eight finalists in the 2012 ESPY Awards. An ESPY Award (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) is an accolade presented by ESPN to recognize outstanding individual and team athletic achievement. Barboza has been nominated for his wheelhouse kick knock out of Terry Etim at UFC 142 in Brazil this past January.
To say Barboza is elated would be the understatement of the year. His kick earned him a pair of bonuses for both “Knockout of the Night”

Sonnen at UFC 148 Presser: I have stones just like John Holmes

Sparks flew at Lagasse’s Stadium inside the Palazzo in Las Vegas, Nevada, which played host to the press conference for UFC 148 Silva vs. Sonnen II. Silva and Sonnen have been going back and forth with the normally reserved “Spider” getting into the verbal fray after hearing Sonnen’s trademark trash-talk lately.When asked why Silva did not initially want to fight a rematch against Sonnen, the champion responded: “I am here to fight whoever they put in front of me and sometimes my opinion doesn’t make much o

Arianny Celeste cleared of all charges in Las Vegas domestic battery case

Popular UFC Octagon girl Arianny Celeste has been cleared of all charges stemming from a May 26th arrest for domestic battery. Taken into custody along with boyfriend Praveen Chandra, the charges had alleged that Celeste had kicked Chandra in the nose after he had choked her on numerous occasions. The alleged incident had taken place at Wynn Las Vegas, and caused Celeste to miss most of her fight night duties at the epic UFC 146. Still, UFC President Dana White had confirmed that the UFC had still pledged

The Huntington Beach Bad Boy: A look back at Tito Ortiz’s five greatest fights

With Tito Ortiz being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame prior to UFC 148, now is a great time to look back at the impressive body of work put forth by Ortiz. While many newer fans of MMA have seen Ortiz weather many storms that have impeded his momentum, there was a time when he was a nigh-unbeatable champion in the Light Heavyweight division. Before injuries, age, and a bitter feud with UFC President Dana White got to the former champion, Ortiz used a brutal mix of wrestling, conditioning, and

Forrest Griffin: I never thought I would wind up a UFC champion

At UFC 148, Tito Ortiz will step into the Octagon for the final time as a fighter. Much has been written about Ortiz’s farewell bout and his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 7, but what of his opponent, Forrest Griffin? In an exclusive interview with our good friend: Bryan Levick at Fightline.com, the Georgia native discusses Tito Ortiz, Shogun Rua and his own future.
Griffin began his career in the UFC  thrilling fans in his performance during The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale, a fight

UFC Fan Expo in July to host more than 50 stars under one roof

The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced today that more than 50 UFC and Strikeforce stars are scheduled to appear at the UFC Fan Expo on Friday, July 6 and Saturday, July 7 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Fans will have the chance to meet their favorite stars during autograph sessions, Q&A sessions, meet and greets, training and development seminars and other special events. The UFC Fan Expo is coinciding with UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II.
Fighters scheduled for the UFC Fan

Firas Zahabi: Rory MacDonald will get his title shot when GSP retires

Famed TriStar Gym trainer Faras Zahabi came out some interesting comments, suggesting that surging Welterweight contender will wait for training partner Georges St. Pierre to retire rather than facing him. While there are many fighters looking for the next title shot at 170, MacDonald is considered the future of the division and an eventual title contender. Longtime champ GSP is obviously coming off of ACL surgery, and it will remain to be seen how he bounces back, tenatively set to face Interim champ

Roy Nelson on Pro-wrestling: What’s wrong with being a two-sport athlete?

Roy Nelson (16-7 MMA, 3-3 UFC), a UFC heavyweight fan-favorite and winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 10”, has received nothing but praise for his ability to absorb punishment. In spite of that, with three losses in his last four fights, he may be cut from the UFC if he does not win against Dave Herman (21-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) this Saturday at UFC 146.
The always upbeat Nelson had nothing but praise for his opponent, as reported on MMAjunkie.com: “Dave’s one of the most versatile guys out there. He’ll take you to