UFC, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) News, Results

After Quick Rise to UFC, Walel Watson Aims to Make Some Noise

By Mike Chiappetta
February 13, 2012 10:48 am
Walel Watson kicks Yves Jabouin at UFC 140. Photo by Esther Lin, MMA Fighting.

If you need more evidence that in the world of MMA, fortune favors the bold, look no further than Walel Watson. Take for instance, his story of getting signed by the UFC. Through a friend, Watson obtained UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby's cell phone number, and he simply called, introduced himself and asked for a fight. No agent, no manager, no pretense. Just a guy asking for an opportunity.

The initial contact produced no results but led to a dialogue between them, and the duo traded messages for about two months when Watson heard the UFC might be doing a show in Mexico, a country in which he had fought several times. When he asked if he could be considered for a fight on the undercard, the reply came back "OK."

A UFC Mexico show didn't materialize, but within a week, Watson had a UFC contract in his hands.

"It was like, bam, I'm in the UFC," Watson says now with a laugh. "Super crazy."
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Morning Report: Weekend MMA Results, Nick Diaz's Future, Trouble in Sao Paulo

By Shaun Al-Shatti
February 13, 2012 08:00 am
Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images

Hopefully you were productive during the UFC's mini-sabbatical, because there won't be another one like it for awhile. But just because the Octagon was packed away, it doesn't mean the rest of the MMA world hit cruise control. From regional fight results to potential trouble booking Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II in a Brazilian soccer stadium, catch up on this weekend's news with the Morning Report.
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The MMA Hour With Joe Rogan, Carlos Condit, Cesar Gracie, Jake Ellenberger, Aaron Simpson, Dave Herman

By Ariel Helwani
February 13, 2012 08:00 am
Ramsey Cardey, MMA Fighting

The MMA Hour is back in your life on Monday with another loaded lineup. Here's a rundown of who will be stopping by.

* UFC color analyst and comedian Joe Rogan will discuss the latest news from around the world of the UFC.

* Interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit will look back at the wild week following his UFC 143 win over Nick Diaz.

* Nick Diaz's manager and trainer Cesar Gracie will discuss Diaz's recent drug test failure and what's next for him.

* Jake Ellenberger will look ahead to UFC on FUEL TV main event fight against Diego Sanchez.

* Aaron Simpson will preview his UFC on FUEL TV fight against Ronny Markes.

* Dave Herman will stop by (for real, this time) to discuss his upcoming fight against Stefan Struve.

* And MMAFighting.com's Ben Fowlkes will look back at the week that was in MMA.

Got a question or comment? Give us a call at 1-888-418-4074.

Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.
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Dana White Announces Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks for UFC on FOX

By Michael David Smith
February 12, 2012 08:15 pm
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

A fight that will bring some order to the rapidly evolving welterweight division has been booked for the May 5 UFC on FOX 3 card.

UFC President Dana White announced on Twitter that Josh Koscheck will face Johnny Hendricks on the card, which is expected to be headlined by Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller.

The fight is a huge one for Hendricks, who is coming off a 12-second knockout of Jon Fitch at UFC 141. Hendricks was a heavy underdog heading into that fight, but if he follows his upset win over Fitch with a win over Koscheck, he'd have a very strong case that he deserves to be third in line in the UFC's welterweight division, behind only the sidelined champion Georges St. Pierre and interim champion Carlos Condit.
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Diego Sanchez and the Dangers of Fame in MMA

By Ray Hui
February 12, 2012 08:25 am
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Diego Sanchez’s past several years could serve as a cautionary tale about the potential dangers that come along with the notoriety of being an MMA fighter.

In June 2009, Sanchez was at the height of his MMA career. He had defeated Clay Guida to improve his MMA career record to 21-2. More importantly, the win assured him his next fight would be for the UFC lightweight title against champion B.J. Penn.

Sanchez had proven himself inside the UFC Octagon. But outside, it was a different story.

"I got sucked real deep into the fame and the money," Sanchez said recently on The MMA Hour. "I was a bachelor and I got sucked into a bad life of partying. I got really into smoking weed, drinking, partying. After my Clay Guida fight, I went down a bad path, man. It was just not a good path. After my loss to B.J. Penn it just got worse. I got really out of control."

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Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson to Face Matt Brown at UFC 145

By Mike Chiappetta

February 11, 2012 03:49 pm

Stephen Thompson after his KO of Dan Stittgen. Photo by Esther Lin

Undefeated striking phenom Stephen Thompson won't have a long wait on the sidelines to follow up his spectacular debut. The South Carolinian, who has now won 63 straight kickboxing and MMA fights, will take on Matt Brown at UFC 145.

The UFC confirmed the welterweight pairing on Saturday, following a report from Thompson's hometown paper, Greenville Online.

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One FC 2 Results: Enomoto Submits Laursen, Gracie TKOs Sapp

By Ray Hui

February 11, 2012 12:56 pm

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Felipe Enomoto finished Ole Laursen with a rear-naked choke submission in the main event of Saturday's One FC 2 event at Sports Mall Kelapa Gading in Jakarta, Indonesia.

As the fresher fighter in the second round, Enomoto capitalized on a head kick on Laursen by taking his back and forcing the tapout at three minutes and 49 seconds.

Felipe Enomoto, the older brother of M-1 welterweight champ Yasubey, snapped a two-fight losing streak to improve his overall MMA record to 6-3. Laursen's pro record fell to 5-3.

In super heavyweight action, one-time UFC fighter Rolles Gracie needed only 78 seconds to dispatch PRIDE veteran Bob Sapp. Gracie, who gave up 67 pounds, scored an early takedown and then ground and pounded his opponent to submission. Gracie upped his record to 6-1, while Sapp lost his fourth straight fight within the first round. Despite losing seven of his last eight, Sapp's record stands above .500 at 11-10.

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Miesha Tate Thinks Ronda Rousey Is Fake, Will Get Nervous After First Minute

By Ariel Helwani

February 11, 2012 09:00 am

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

MMA Fighting recently caught up with Strikeforce bantamweight champion Miesha Tate about her upcoming title fight against Ronda Rousey on March 3. Tate talked about whether she finally thinks Strikeforce made the right call by booking her against Rousey instead of Sarah Kaufman, how she feels about being around Rousey during their press tour, Rousey's overall MMA skills, and much more.

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UFC on FOX 3 Fight Card: Diaz vs. Miller

By Ray Hui

February 11, 2012 06:00 am

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

The UFC on FOX 3 fight card boasts a main event between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller on May 5 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J.

The winner of Diaz-Miller will likely become the No. 1 contender for the UFC lightweight title.

Also confirmed for the FOX card will be a heavyweight tilt between sluggers Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson.

The current UFC on FOX 3 lineup is below.

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Jamie Varner Beats Up Drew Fickett at XFC 16

By Michael David Smith

February 10, 2012 11:31 pm

Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Former World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Jamie Varner earned his most impressive win since being released by the WEC on Friday night, defeating Drew Fickett by first-round TKO at XFC 16.

Varner floored Fickett with a huge right hand just 10 seconds into the first round, then pounced on him and continued swinging wildly until Fickett turned over and turtled up, and that's when the referee stepped in to stop it. The whole fight lasted just 41 seconds.

Afterward Varner credited Fickett, a longtime friend, for inspiring him to get into MMA.

"Drew Fickett is the guy that got me into this sport," Varner said. "I was a junior in high school and I went to a fight, and I saw him fight -- he was a wrestler, he was well rounded, he had all this heart. I looked up to him before I knew him and all I wanted to do was meet him. I had the opportunity to meet him, he took me under his wing and taught me how to train. ... I love the guy. I wouldn't be here without him."

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Nick Diaz Is to Blame, But So Are Meaningless Commission Marijuana Tests

By Luke Thomas

February 10, 2012 10:22 am

Daniel Herbertson, MMA Fighting

Let's establish two facts from the outset. First, Nick Diaz's use of marijuana to the extent it produced a positive drug test result is irresponsible. Second, the urinalysis test regarding marijuana consumption used by athletic commissions (ostensibly) designed to protect the health and safety of fighters does neither and is little more than kabuki theater.

The UFC has every right to be disappointed with Nick Diaz. They invested huge sums of money and other promotional resources to push him, his fight and build him as a pay-per-view attraction. As incoherent and insane as some of the rules may be (more on that in a minute), he accepted the handshake. That meant not only fighting Condit, it also included media promotion and some measure of clean living. For him to test positive on the urinalysis - which could've resulted in promotional disaster for the UFC had he actually defeated Condit at UFC 143 - is the height of unprofessionalism and represents a total failure as a partner to the UFC.

But it's also true, and perhaps more important, that the urinalysis test (MMAFighting.com has confirmed Nevada uses urinalyses to test fighters for various banned substances, including marijuana) used by the Nevada State Athletic Commssion (NSAC) to gauge marijuana use does not perform the function it purports to do.

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Dustin Poirier vs. 'Korean Zombie' Tapped as UFC on Fuel 3 Main Event

By Shaun Al-Shatti

February 10, 2012 03:58 pm

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Dustin Poirier called his shot.

After trading verbal barbs with Chan Sung Jung throughout the week, the two fast-rising featherweights have been tapped as the main event of UFC on Fuel 3, set for May 15 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. According to UFC officials, the headlining tilt will be a three-round affair.

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Top FUEL Executive Thrilled With Early UFC Programming Ratings

By Mike Chiappetta

February 10, 2012 03:24 pm

Jake Ellenberger. Photo by Esther Lin, MMA FIghting

It may be little more than one month into a seven-year deal, but FUEL TV officials are excited by the early returns when it comes to ratings generated by UFC programming.

According to the cable network's executive vice president and general manager George Greenberg, ratings so far have surpassed expectation, with an 80 percent increase in the target demographic of men ages 18-49, and a near 230 percent increase in overall primetime ratings from past ratings periods.

"To say I’m jacked would be putting it mildly," he said.

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Nick Diaz's Love/Hate Relationship Will Be Tested While He's Gone

By Mike Chiappetta

February 10, 2012 12:21 pm

Nick Diaz. Photo by Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

At some point, Nick Diaz will run out of chances. Just not now. Just not yet. Despite Diaz's positive drug test stemming from his participation at UFC 143, you can expect him to be welcomed back into the UFC with open arms, if and when he's ready to return. That's what happens when you're talented and popular and in your prime.

Now the question is: will he return?

Like most questions pertaining to Diaz, we'll just have to wait and see, with the understanding that anything is possible. This is a guy who missed out on a UFC championship fight and the chance to make a seven-figure payday because he couldn't organize himself enough to make three separate flights to media obligations. You think he has long-term plans?

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