Gray Maynard: I’m back and shooting for the belt

Gray Maynard will return to the Octagon against Clay Guida this weekend, ending a layoff that stretched back to UFC 136 last October. In a video from FuelTV.com, UFC Lightweight contender Gray Maynard details the laborious process he underwent to make changes to his training camp and overall fight game. He went to Brazil and assisted UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo with his wrestling. It was there he found hungry, young fighters that reinvigorated him. Maynard then made the move from Las Vegas to

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

Five misconceptions about Fedor Emelianenko

As Fedor Emelianenko heads into what has been billed as his “farewell bout”, misconceptions about “The Last Emperor” continue to swirl around the internet. It is one thing for a fighter to be called “the greatest martial artist of all time” by promoters, fans and management times; it is quite another to receive such praise from a fighter’s peers. Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez and others have gone on record saying that Emelianenko was one of the best.
Despite his record of 33 wins, 4 losses and 1 “No

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

Tito Ortiz on training for Forrest Griffin and retirement

It was announced earlier this week that Tito Ortiz will be the ninth inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame and that the ceremony would coincide with his farewell fight at UFC 148. His final bout will be against Forrest Griffin, a fighter he has faced twice before in his career: winning once and losing once.
In an interview with UFC Central host, Joe Ferraro, Ortiz said that regardless of the outcome; fans will see a thrilling fight: “Forrest is a tough guy. I think is going to be an exciting fight. Of course

Dustin Pague steps up on 1 week notice to fight Ken Stone

Dustin Pague has agreed to replace an injured Francisco Rivera against Ken Stone at next week’s UFC on FX 4 event in Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to a press release by UFC. Pague is coming in hot off of a fresh win over Jared Papazian from UFC on FX 3. Rivera had to drop from the fight roster due to a staph infection.Pague represents the third opponent for this fight against Stone. Originally, Stone was set to face off against Edwin Figueroa, who had to pull out due to an injury. This fight will

Johny Hendricks: My next goal is to finish Martin Kampmann

UFC Welterweight contender Johny Hendricks was promised a title shot with a win against Josh Koscheck, however it appears that will have to wait until the belts are unified when champion Georges St. Pierre tentatively faces off against Interim champ Carlos Condit at UFC 154 on November 17th from Montreal. Hendricks faces the task of winning another high level bout, this time against Martin Kampmann. While the prospect may not excite him, Hendricks knows what he has to do to eventually accomplish his goal.

Junior dos Santos agrees to random blood draws in his fight against PEDs

Today news surfaced that UFC Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has continued his outspoken stance against the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in MMA. After going through a veritable circus surrounding the 14:1 T:E levels of his original opponent Alistair Overeem before UFC 146, he subsequently found out that his replacement foe Frank Mir was indeed on Testosterone Replacement Therapy. Mir’s use was regulated and approved of by the commission, and it did not seem to help him, as dos Santos

Where Are They Now? 2007 Pound-for-Pound Rankings Edition

Where Are They Now? A Look Back At The 2007 P4P RankingsIt’s truly amazing to see how fast the landscape can change in a sport that continues to grow as rapidly as MMA does. It’s been 5 years since 2007, which in this sport is practically a generation bordering on an eternity. And yet without fail, our surroundings are once again drastically different from what they were. Jon Jones, Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz, Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson are all newly prominent parts of the p4p picture,