MMA FIGHTS

Recently signed UFC fighter Robert Drysdale is one of the most accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts in the business, so he knows a talented grappler when he sees one. 

Talking with MMA Fight Corner, the 32-year-old broke down the UFC 162 middleweight title fight between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. 

I think that Weidman, to an extent, is is a better version of Chael Sonnen. I think he’ll be smarter. I think he’ll put more time into his jiu jitsu. I think he’s a better wrestler, better striker. I think overall, he’s a better version of Chael Sonnen. … It’s an interesting fight. I think if Weidman can get on top of Anderson, I think Anderson could be in trouble. I think if you really pressed me, I’d still put my money on Anderson, but I’d really like Weidman to win this fight.

During his incredible 16-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC, the only challenger that has provided “The Spider” with a real test inside the cage is none other than “The American Gangster.”

Sonnen came within inches of defeating Silva at UFC 117 nearly three years ago, controlling the action with his takedowns and ground-and-pound.

However, the Brazilian managed to throw up a miracle submission in the waning moments of the fight, forcing the former two-time All-American wrestler to tap out. 

In their rematch at UFC 148 this past July, Sonnen took down Silva right off the bat and secured top position for the majority of the opening frame. 

The second round went much differently though, as Sonnen‘s attempts to drag the fight to the mat were thwarted and, after an ill-advised spinning backfist attempt, Silva battered his long-time rival until the referee stepped in to stop the fight. 

Weidman received his brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu earlier this month and was a two-time All-American wrestler at Hofstra University. 

While “The All-American” is best known for his grappling credentials, he has scored three knockouts and notched three submissions in his nine wins as a professional mixed martial artist. 

Drysdale is currently 6-0 on the MMA scene, with each win coming by submission in the first round. His UFC debut comes against Ednaldo Oliveira at UFC 163, set to take place on August 3. 

Will Weidman be able to live up to all the hype his fellow fighters have bestowed upon him, or will he be just another victim to the already lengthy Anderson Silva highlight reel?

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.

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Sherdog.com

Bill to Legalize MMA in New York Again Dies in State Assembly Sherdog.com The bid to legalize mixed martial arts in New York has died in the State Assembly for the fourth consecutive year, as Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has declined to bring the bill before the floor for a vote, according to a report from the New York … For New York MMA, it's wait until next year, againMMA Fighting Mixed Martial Arts Stalls Out in New York Once Again; UFC CEO Blames Union …Yahoo! Eurosport UK No MMA in New York in 2013MMAjunkie.com (blog) New York Daily News -ESPN -Rochester Business Journal all 25 news articles »

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UFC fans can expect to see a thinner Hector Lombard the next time the southpaw sets foot inside the Octagon.

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EA Sports UFC is one of the most highly anticipated sports games being developed for the next generation of home video game consoles.

The XBox One and PlayStation 4 are due out in the fall. And while EA Sports UFC isn’t due out until next spring (an eternity to wait for gamers desperate to get their hands on a next-generation fighting game), that hasn’t prevented fans from scouring the internet in search of the latest and greatest regarding the UFC’s next foray into the digital world.

Bleacher Report caught up with Brian Hayes—the creative director in charge of EA Sports UFC for Electronic Arts—at the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. E3 is the featured destination for gamers looking to get their hands on the latest and greatest, and Hayes spoke with B/R about everything the fans can look forward to once EA Sports UFC hits store shelves next spring.

Check out the interview above and then let us know which feature you are most excited about in the comments below.

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Latinos Post

MMA Roundtable: Anthony Pettis' next move, free-agent gambles, 'Fight Master … MMA Fighting There's no UFC events this weekend, but there's still plenty to discuss in the world of MMA. Bellator is back with an event on Wednesday, as well as the premiere of its "Fight Master" reality show, which brings up questions on just how important such a … USA TODAY: Spike TV's 'Fight Master' focuses on MMA realityMMAjunkie.com (blog) Q-and-A: Dallas MMA fighter on choke-outs and major June 19 boutPegasus News 'Fight Master' Episode 1 results recap for Bellator MMA reality show debut on …MMAmania.com KRTV Great Falls News -Latinos Post -ABQ Journal all 22 news articles »

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MMA‘s Great Debate Radio is back with all new guests and debate topics, including interviews with “King” Mo Lawal and Bellator Fight Master coaches Greg Jackson and Joe Warren, plus debate about the fallout from UFC 161.

Lawal joins the show today to preview his fight on Wednesday night against Seth Petruzelli, while also discussing the recent addition of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to the Bellator roster and his recent loss to Emanuel Newton.

Bellator‘s Fight Master reality show also kicks off on Wednesday, and today we welcome two of the coaches from the show.

Joe Warren talks about being the youngest coach on the show and sharing space with three legendary names in the industry, while Greg Jackson explains why Fight Master is a much different experience than anything fans have seen on The Ultimate Fighter.

Finally, today’s debate topics heat up with discussion about UFC 161, Roy Nelson’s future and much more.

Today’s debate topics include:

—How would you rate UFC 161 as a whole on a scale of 1-10?

—Do you believe Roy Nelson will return to the UFC following his loss last Saturday night?

—Can Bellator find the same kind of success through Fight Master that the UFC did through The Ultimate Fighter?

This is MMA’s Great Debate Radio for Wednesday, June 19, 2013

(If the embeddable player does not work please click HERE to listen. Don’t forget to subscribe to the show via iTunes and listen via Stitcher Radio)

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The bid to legalize mixed martial arts in New York has died in the State Assembly for the fourth consecutive year.

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The MMA world can breathe a sigh of relief: The Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to Boston after all.

On Tuesday morning, I passed along a report from the Boston Herald that stated that the UFC’s first trip back to Boston since Aug. 28, 2010 was in danger of cancellation due to an issue with foreign-born fighters not meeting a state law that requires a social security card in order to work in the state. 

The Massachusetts law has been in place since the sport was first legalized in 2009. Under the rules, state officials are not allowed to issue a fighter’s license without a social security card. That poses a problem for fighters such as Mauricio Rua, Thiago Alves, Yuri Alcantara and Akira Corrassani, all of whom are currently scheduled to appear on the Boston card, and all of whom would not be able to do so without a social security card.

If you’re a fan in Boston who is considering tickets (or perhaps you’ve already purchased them), never fear: UFC officials revealed in a statement Tuesday night that their plans to bring Chael Sonnen vs. Shogun Rua to the commonwealth are going forward.

There were some questions that surfaced regarding licensing requirements for mixed martial artists and boxers to have social security numbers in order to compete in the state of Massachusetts. Last week, these requirements were brought to UFC’s attention and we immediately began working to ensure that all athletes affected by this are in full compliance. We are continuing to work on this and anticipate a positive outcome

I suppose that’s not exactly a proclamation of a full and complete resolution to the ongoing issue, but it does appear that the UFC is diligently working on securing temporary social security numbers for Rua, Alves, Alcantara and the rest of the foreign-born stars slated to appear on the card. Each fighter must wait out a 10-day grace period before they can receive their temporary card, but there’s still plenty of time left before all pre-fight paperwork must be submitted to the commonwealth.

Have no fear, Boston fans: your chance to see Irish wrecking machine Conor McGregor (who says he’ll be the next Anderson Silva by the time he’s 30 years old) is still right around the corner, and you won’t be stuck with a less-than-stellar main event after you’ve already purchased some very expensive tickets for you and five of your closest friends.

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Ricardo Lamas will not compete at UFC 162.

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While knockouts generally get most of the proverbial ink in the UFC, there is something to be said for a truly great submission. Grappling is not always flashy, and is a little more cerebral; it’s like a back-and-forth chess match that can end with broken bones.

Here are 15 submissions that deserve to be seen by every single MMA fan. Some of these submissions are jaw-dropping, while others are displays of supreme technical ability, but they are all impressive.

There are plenty of other awe-inspiring submissions that were not included in this list, however, so please feel free to list your favorites in the comments section below. Enjoy.

Begin Slideshow

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Georges St. Pierre’s upcoming welterweight title defense against Johny Hendricks will take place Nov. 16.

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Sadly for fight fans in New York, it will be at least another year until professional mixed marital arts is finally legalized in the state.

Newsday reported on Tuesday that the bill to sanction professional MMA in New York would, for the fourth year straight, not be going to the State Assembly floor for a full vote.

According to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a noted opponent of the bill who is also in the midst of a sexual harassment scandal, the decision to exclude the bill from the current legislative session’s agenda was made after a meeting of the Democratic Conference on Tuesday night.

“The conference has asked not to put it on the agenda,” Silver revealed to reporters at the state’s capital. 

In March, the New York State Senate once again approved the bill to legalize and regulate the sport, passing by its widest margin ever. However, it failed to gain support in the Assembly, despite having 64 sponsors.

“We also feel bad for New York’s arenas—large and small, particularly those upstate—that are struggling and have worked alongside us to pass the legislation,” UFC chairman Lorenzo Fertitta said in a statement. “I guess New York’s loss will continue to be New Jersey’s, Massachusetts’, Pennsylvania’s and Toronto’s gain.”

Earlier this month, both the state of Connecticut and the entire country of Canada lifted their bans on the sport, making New York the last place in North America where professional MMA is illegal.

Connecticut’s state Senate voted 26-9 in favor of regulating the sport while Canada’s House of Commons voted overwhelmingly for a provision that would legalize MMA under the country’s criminal code.

New York remains the last hold out on the continent mostly due to opposition from several women’s groups who claim that MMA is misogynistic as well as the Culinary Union of Las Vegas, who’s long-standing fued with the Fertitta brothers over their labor practices has halted any progress within the state for the sport.

“This year’s new, absurd, offensive and completely erroneous charge used to justify the defeat of MMA legislation was that MMA is anti-woman and leads to domestic violence,” Fertitta said. “This is a deception fabricated by a Las Vegas union that is recklessly and callously trying to use an important societal issue to try and punish the UFC. It isn’t honest and doesn’t work.”

For the sake of New York fight fans, I hope that 2014 will be the year that officials will finally drop the politics and bring MMA to the Empire State.

Be sure to like Matt on Facebook and follow @MattchidaMMA.

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ABQ Journal

'Fight Master' Episode 1 results recap for Bellator MMA reality show debut on … MMAmania.com Episode one of Bellator's new mixed martial arts (MMA) reality show "Fight Master" is slated to hit the airwaves at 10 p.m. ET this evening (Weds., June 19, 2013) on Spike TV, featuring four coaches in Randy Couture, Greg Jackson, Frank Shamrock and … USA TODAY: Spike TV's 'Fight Master' focuses on MMA realityMMAjunkie.com (blog) MMA coach Jackson is the real dealABQ Journal MMA: Spike TV Set To Debut New MMA Reality Show "Fight Master: Bellator MMA"Latinos Post Wrestlezone -Timesonline.com -SportsPageMagazine.com all 15 news articles »

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Cain Velasquez has 10 knockouts in 12 fights, but according to Junior dos Santos, he still “hits like a girl.”

The former UFC heavyweight champ made a guest appearance on Panico, a Brazilian radio show, to talk about his upcoming rubber match with Velasquez, which is rumored for UFC 166 in October.

“I had no cuts against Cain Velasquez. And he hits like a girl. He hit me a lot during the five rounds, but did not open any cuts, although I was very bloated and had to go to the hospital,” said Dos Santos, who was translated by Fighters Only magazine on their website.

Perhaps Dos Santos isn’t giving his own self enough credit for having one of the sturdiest chins in MMA.

Dos Santos has competed against a plethora of heavyweights with devastating knockout power, including Mark Hunt, Roy Nelson, Shane Carwin, Gilbert Yvel and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. There is enough power in that list alone to light up an entire city.

Still, Dos Santos never even batted an eyelash in the stand-up with any of these individuals. Only one fighter in the UFC can lay claim to having hurt Dos Santos in the stand-up exchanges, and coincidentally enough, he’s the fighter Dos Santos is now claiming hits like a girl.

Velasquez made statistical history in the rematch with Dos Santos back in December by landing 111 significant strikes and securing 11 takedowns. Dos Santos’ face wasn’t even recognizable after the fight.

The first official verbal jab being thrown should only add to the anticipation for this heavyweight showdown.

For a long time, Velasquez and Dos Santos have been considered the best heavyweights in the world. Few times in combat sports are fans ever given a legitimate trilogy, and it doesn’t get any better than these two.

In 2011, it only took Dos Santos 64 seconds to knock out Velasquez and claim the UFC title. Velasquez immediately jumped right back on the horse in 2012 and avenged his loss in lopsided fashion.

What will be the story of 2013?

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New York Daily News

For New York MMA, it's wait until next year, again MMA Fighting At some point, mixed martial arts will be legal in New York. That is nearly a certainty. Support for the sport continues to grow year by year. It is omnipresent on television. There are no other states that actively ban it. To continue the charade … Bill to bring MMA to NY gets KOd in AssemblyNew York Daily News New York MMA legislation dies in the Assembly once more, UFC's Lorenzo …MMATorch MMA KO'd again in AssemblyPolitics on the Hudson (blog) Albany Times Union (blog) -Tonawanda News all 11 news articles »

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