Chris Leben returns to the Octagon at UFC 155

Suspended since last November, UFC veteran and fan-favorite Chris “The Crippler” Leben’s timetable for a return to the Octagon has been unknown until now. Leben has apparently finished the rehab program furnished for him by the UFC after failing a drug test for painkillers, and will make his return at UFC 155 to face Czech fighter Karlos Vemola. The fight will round out the six-bout main card, which will take place December 29th from Las Vegas, Nevada.
For Leben, the news is a refreshing

Mir vs. Cormier Strikeforce bout slated for November in Oklahoma

Strikeforce Heavyweight Daniel Cormier (10-0 MMA, 7-0 SF) is getting ready for the biggest fight of his career against UFC’s Frank Mir (16-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC) who is crossing over to Strikeforce for this closeout fight of the SF Heavyweight division. The bout is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2012 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; a mere 65 miles from Cormier’s alma mater, Oklahoma State University.

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.