Then and Now: What has changed in MMA since 2005?

A long term dynamic develops in every sport that sticks around for a while. A section of the fan base will inevitably compare the play of today to their heroes from yesteryear.  Whether it is the baseball fan that longs for the day where they didn’t have to worry about someone using performance enhancing drugs after every home run, or the football fan that yearns for the era of hard hitting and less complaining in the NFL. One thing is a common factor; this group wishes things would go back to

The five biggest UFC bouts that never happened in 2012

Obviously 2012 has been a year that held huge potential for MMA. While I wouldn’t say it was a horrible year for fighting, the insane amount of injuries and other controversy that wrecked cards is unprecedented. From main events all the way down to preliminary cards, we saw an unheard never of fights shifted, canceled, and just generally thrown into the muck. UFC 151’s cancellation was just the icing on the cake in what was the weirdest year MMA has ever seen.  And it’s not over yet. Let’s take a look

Joe Lauzon set to face Gray Maynard at UFC 155

Today UFC officials announced that Joe Lauzon will face Gray Maynard in a Lightweight bout official for UFC 155 on December 29th. Lauzon, fresh off of his Fight and Submission of the Night-winning performance versus Jamie Varner at UFC on Fox 4, looks to ride that momentum to a title shot in the stacked Lightweight division. In his way Gray Maynard stands, himself looking to climb back into the title picture after defeating onetime contender Clay Guida in a bizarre fight this June.
All of the sudden, the

Cormier: Standing across the cage from Jon Jones would be great for me

Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier has one fight remaining in his Strikeforce contract, against former UFC Champion Frank Mir. Their bout is supposed to take place in late October or early November. He is supposed to enter the UFC, following that match.In an interview with MMA Fight Corner, the former Olympian stated that he wants a title shot in the UFC when he makes the transition: “I want to throw my name into the hat, if I’m able to get past Frank Mir.  I’ve been

UFC 150 Post-Fight Interviews: Cain Velasquez will fight JDS next

In a series of UFC 150 post-fight interviews, UFC President Dana White speaks to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com and avoids addressing who he thought won the Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar rematch. He thought Henderson won both decisions, so there was no reason to keep discussing it. White hoped to have Henderson fight Nate Diaz before the year was up, and also stated Donald Cerrone would fight Anthony Pettis next. White also dispelled a ton of Heavyweight hype by stating Cain Velasquez will no doubt be

UFC 147 Results Recap: Rich Franklin emerges victorious over Wanderlei Silva

UFC 147 is in the books from Belo Horizonte, Brazil and Rich Franklin versus Wanderlei Silva delivered a good bout, although it may not have been what the Brazilian fans were rooting for.
The first round began with Wanderlei Silva landing a hard right followed by an exchange. Franklin grabbed a kick, then controlled the action against the cage by landing shots. In the second round Franklin continued to stalk his opponent. Wanderlei reversed the action and dropped Franklin, landing some ground-and-pound.

Lorenzo Fertitta: Alistair Overeem’s fate is in the NSAC’s hands

UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta announced today that Alistair Overeem will not be scheduled to fight for the UFC until reinstated by the NSAC.  Currently suspended for nine months with elevated Testosterone levels,  Overeem could possibly be eligible to fight in late December. When asked about a possible year-end fight for Overeem, Fertitta quoted the following on the subject:
“That’s speculation. It’s in the NSAC’s hands.  The UFC can’t be presumptuous.” – via ESPN.com
Lorenzo Fertitta

Overeem: I will be fighting in December to get that belt sooner rather than later

Allistair Overeem claims he will be fighting in December. According to a post on his Twitter account:

I’ll be fighting again in December and mark my words, I’ll be back.. to get the belt, sooner rather later.
— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) June 18, 2012

Overeem is currently serving a 9-month suspension for testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. the suspension was retroactive to March 27, the day of the test. That means Overeem’s suspension will expire in late December. If the

Thumbs Down: 5 fights that didn’t happen in 2012

It is midway through 2012, and it seems to be a bad year for injuries in the UFC. Five important fights have been cancelled or postponed this year due to injury, surgery, illness or suspension. These things are all part of the fight game and have been since day one. The nature of the sport is brutal, but injuries are not isolated to fights. Most fighters suffer their injuries in training.  As well-rounded as a UFC fighter is expected to be, it is quite easy to “overtrain”, that is, put the body