So there's still no UFC 100 poster to show the fans, but that doesn't mean that the card isn't coming together nicely. Most people already know about 3 of the 5 main card bouts: St. Pierre/Alves, Mir/Lesnar, Henderson/Bisping.
However, some new bouts were added over the past few days, and actually bulk up the card quite nicely. Among them is the light heavyweight battle between Mark Coleman and Stephan Bonnar. This should make the main card as it features two big names trying to get back in the win column. I'm worried about the quality of the fight, as it features a striker against a wrestler, but I do believe that both guys will come in prepared and ready to battle.
Another addition, which I believe will be left off the main card, is Jon Fitch against Paulo Thiago. Thiago, riding high after his KO win over Josh Koscheck, will look to catapult himself into title contention with a win over Fitch. For the sake of the division, let's hops this doesn't happen. I believe that the UFC will keep this fight off the main card so as to keep Thiago more than one win away from a title shot.
The always exciting Jon Jones has been added to the card as well in a bout against Jake O'Brien. I think that this will be Jones' coming out party for those who don't already know.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
UFC 100 Coming Together
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Jon Fitch Back in the UFC
“Communication kind of broke down with Dana (White) so we talked with Lorenzo,” Fitch told MMARated. “(I) just got off the phone with him and we came to an agreement. We’re going to move ahead and I’ll be back in the UFC. We’re going to sign off on the video game and I’m back. It was never even about the agreement or the contract. It was the approach that we felt Dana was being a little bit hot-headed and was threatening us right off the bat. It didn’t seem like a professional way of doing things.”Read More...
Jon Fitch Cut From UFC Contract
After refusing to allow his likeness to be indefinitely used by the UFC, top 5 welterweight Jon Fitch was unceremoniously cut from his contract. His scheduled UFC 94 bout against Akihiro Gono is obviously off the table. Christian Wellisch, another AKA fighter, was also fired while the rest of the organization has been put on notice.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Irish Whip Fighting Exclusive: Jon Fitch Interview
IrishWhipFighting.com had a chance to speak to UFC Welterweight Jon Fitch. Fitch is quickly climbing up the welterweight ranks and has had much success in the UFC thus far. See what Fitch has to say about his experiences as a fighter and his upcoming fight against Diego Sanchez at UFC 76 on September 22.
Hey Jon, thanks for taking the time to take this interview. We here at Irish Whip Fighting are huge fans and cannot thank you enough for your support! Irish Whip Fighting would also like to congratulate you for your dominating performance at UFN 10 and racking up another jaw-dropping victory over Roan Carneiro.
General...
Masson Liang: What influenced you to start a career in mixed martial arts?
Jon Fitch: My assistant coach at Purdue University, Tom Erikson, was fighting in Pride at the time. He would have Gary Goodridge and Mark Coleman come into town and help him train. It looked like fun so I would get involved and help out. I’ve been hooked ever since.
ML: Who are your biggest influences/heroes in MMA today?
JF: My trainers and team mates.
ML: Who has been your toughest opponent thus far and what do you consider the biggest/best win of your nearly flawless record?
JF: Kinyuoshi Hironaka was one of the toughest guys I’ve fought. He seemed like nothing I did to him hurt him. Carneiro was a difficult fight because of his size and strength.
UFC...
ML: Climbing up quickly in the rankings among top fighters in the welterweight division (i.e. GSP, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Karo Parisyan), whom do you look forward to fighting the most in the near future?
JF: All of them. I want to fight all of the best fighters in the world. I’m not one of those fighters that want to be famous and have a title but not really ever fight the best competition. I would rather never be heard of and beat all the best guys. At the end of the day I only care about how I feel about myself.
ML: You said you felt "demoted" for not being featured on the main cards of the UFC events, how does it feel to finally be bumped into UFC 76's main card?
JF: It’s great because it allows me to get the fights I want. Many of the top fighters didn’t want to fight me because no one had ever heard of me. Now they won’t have a choice but to take the fights with me.
ML: After Diego Sanchez's first loss to the hands of Josh Koscheck at UFC 69, did you spot any weaknesses of Diego's that you're prepared to capitalize on at UFC 76?
JF: I have been studying Diego, and many other top fighters, for a long time now and have game plans for most of them already. Everyone has weaknesses in their game; it’s just a matter of exploiting them.
ML: Have you taken any drastic changes in your training regimen in preparation for Diego Sanchez? Has training gone fairly smoothly and injury free thus far?
JF: I have a great team and system for my training. I have no reason to make major changes to it. I have been working with some very good south paws and wrestlers to help me prepare specifically for Diego.
ML: Rumors surfacing in June claimed that you were originally set to face Karo Parisyan at UFC 76. With Sanchez as your newly confirmed opponent for UFC 76, is a match-up against Karo Parisyan still in the works for the near future?
JF: Like I said before, I want to fight all the best fighters. I think that Karo is one of the best, so he is still definitely on the list of guys I want to fight someday.
ML: Having Wilson Gouveia now in the UFC, can Fitch fans look forward to you avenging that loss in a rematch anytime soon?
JF: Not very likely. Wilson has gotten much bigger since our fight and I have gotten much smaller. I don’t see this fight ever happening. I actually owe a big thanks to Wilson. If he wouldn’t have knocked me out that night I might not have started on the path I am on today.
ML: Not to put you on the spot or anything, but who are you rooting for in the Couture-Gonzaga fight for UFC 74 and the Jackson-Henderson fight for UFC 75?
JF: I don’t really root for anyone to win fights other than team mates. I just want to see great fights and maybe some techniques that I might not have seen before.
Training...
ML: Recently returning from Japan, how were your experiences over there and did you get a chance to train at all or was it just a good ol' vacation?
JF: It was a great experience. I got to train with Kastsuhiko Nagata, who I went there to corner at K-1 Heros. I also got to train with former opponent Hironaka. I also got to meet and hang out with Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, which was a crazy experience. Kid is as famous in Tokyo as Shaq is in Miami.
ML: Have you trained at camps anywhere outside of the U.S.? If not, is there any place you have your eyes set on to go train in the future?
JF: I got to visit a few gyms on Japan and it is possible that I would go and train for a short time at the Killer Bee's gym. For the most part though I feel that my gym, the American Kickboxing Academy, is one of the best gyms in the world and there is no reason to train anywhere else.
ML: Is there anyone out there that you'd absolutely love to train with?
JF: I would love to train with Aoki, he ground game is amazing and I think it would be a good experience to roll with him.
Misc...
ML: Taking a quick peek around Irish Whip Fighting, what do you think of the site?
JF: I think it has a good look, but could use much more news about me. hehehe.
ML: Are there any last words you'd like to say to the hardcore Fitch fans out there? Sponsors to thank?
JF: I would like to thank Toe2Toe.tv and jigsaw inc. Also check out my website at fitchfighter.com
We at the Irish Whip Fighting team cannot thank you enough for taking the time for doing this interview and we all wish you the best of luck against Diego Sanchez at UFC 76 on Sept. 22 and look forward to seeing you add another loss to his record!
The Lianger
Thursday, August 2, 2007
UFC 76 Updates: Lyoto Machida vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
A newly formed match-up between the ever so mysterious Lyoto Machida and UFC newcomer/PRIDE veteran Kazuhiro Nakamura has been added to the UFC 76 card, set for Sept. 22 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Sources for the fight hail from UFC.com's Thomas Gerbasi in an article released today.
Lyoto Machida most recently defeated David Heath at UFC 70: Nations Collide via unanimous decision and currently holds an undefeated record of 10 wins and 0 losses.
Machida is quickly making a name for himself in the UFC and holds victories over UFC big timers such as: former UFC middleweight champion Rich "Ace" Franklin, former UFC welterweight champion BJ Penn and Stephan Bonnar.
Kazuhiro Nakamura, on the other hand, is not an opponent to be overlooked. Based mainly around Judo and training under Olympic Judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida, Nakamura has faced top competition in MMA today, fighters like Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Josh Barnett, Yuki Kondo, Wanderlei Silva, and Dan "Hollywood" Henderson.
Nakamura holds his most notable wins over Murilo Bustamante, Kevin Randleman, and Igor Vovchanchyn.
UFC 76: Knockout will feature the much anticipated debut of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, set to face Forrest Griffin, an exciting match-up between Jon Fitch and Diego Sanchez and a main event fight between former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Keith Jardine.
The Lianger
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
UFN10 Live and UFC72: Victory Countdown!
Date, Time: 06/12/2007 9pm ET/PT on SpikeLocation: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, FL
155 lbs.: Jason Black (22-2-1) vs. Thiago Tavares (15-0)
170 lbs.: Luigi Fioravanti (11-2) vs. Forrest Petz (18-4)
170 lbs.: Pete Spratt (16-8) vs. Tamdan McCrory (9-0)
170 lbs.: Gleison Tibau (24-3) vs. Jeff Cox (13-3)
170 lbs.: Chad Reiner (13-2) vs. Anthony Johnson (3-0)
155 lbs.: Nate Mohr (6-4) vs. Luke Caudillo (15-7)
UFN10 will immediately be followed by UFC 72: Victory Countdown!
Date, Time: 06/12/2007 11pm ET/PT on SpikeEvent: UFC 72: Victory Countdown
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Is Parisyan Patient Enough?
UFC 71’s main event caused a bit of an uproar in the eyes of Liddell fans. Honestly, I don’t think it’s anything to gripe about, it was simply history repeating itself, and it’s time for a new champion to reign supreme in the light-heavyweight division.
Though the main event may have stirred the emotions of fans, Parisyan (17-4-0) and Burkman (8-4-0) seemed to steal the show with fifteen minutes of action packed, judo throwing, hard fought rounds. It was an explosive three rounds from beginning to end, to say the least. Parisyan displayed much polished striking ability and a drastic improvement in his cardio. The same cannot be said about Burkman. Burkman’s lack of conditioning was evident to fans watching as he began to take deep breaths during the last minutes of the first round. Though Karo’s jabs and counters further solidified his unanimous win over Burkman, his conditioning sealed the deal.
In an interview, Karo states: "He's a strong guy, but his cardio was shit. Thank god it wasn't that good. I out-conditioned him."
On top of adding a notch on his belt, Parisyan announced his desire for a title shot. Refusing to beg on his knees like Franca and St. Pierre, Parisyan still asked Dana White to give him another chance, as his first was to take place at UFC 56, but was forced to pull out due to an injury.
However, even with Parisyan’s cry for a title shot, it appears that it’s going to be put off till 2008. With TUF6 debuting in September, all eyes are on Hughes and Serra’s match up, which is looking to happen at the TUF6 Finale in December. Parisyan in the meantime, may have to duke it out with Jon Fitch (13-2-0) before he gets a chance to attain the belt. The possibility of the winner of Serra-Hughes taking on the winner of the St. Pierre- Koscheck, scheduled on August at UFC 74, can also pose as a setback for Parisyan’s title shot.
Fitch is set to fight on June 12 in UFC Fight Night 10 against Roan Carneiro.
Whatever ends up happening down the road, Parisyan never fails to put on a good show for fans.
Stay classy fans,
The Lianger
