Ryan Bader Going For Knockout Against Lil' Nog At UFC 119

Ryan Bader has an opponent date with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 119 in light heavyweight action at the former TUF winner talks about his confidence standing and trading with the boxing stand out, Nogueira:

"Yes I do feel confident standing with Nog. He has great boxing, and great counter punches. The thing is, this is MMA and with 4 oz gloves on anything can happen. I feel that I hit very hard and have a good chin, so who knows a KO could happen. He is very good on the ground and I am very good at my wrestling game. I have fought many black belts in my career and train with even more. I have to be smart when I’m on the canvas with Rogerio. He is very slick but I believe my wrestling can neutralize his Jiu Jitsu. I plan on finishing this fight any way I can; whether that is a KO or a TKO from ground & pound. Rogerio is an extremely hard fighter to finish but I am going to go in there and try to do just that. I need to focus on this fight first and go out there and win. Then I can look towards my next fight, and if that is (Jon) Jones then we will get after it."

Michigan to host UFC 123 on Nov. 20, "Rampage" vs. Machida headlines

For the first time in more than 14 years and 150 events, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is heading to Michigan.

UFC 123, which takes place Nov. 20, will be hosted by the 23,000-seat Palace of Auburn Hills in a suburb of Detroit.

The event features a light-heavyweight headliner between former champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Lyoto Machida (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC).
Jackson, who won his title with a knockout of Chuck Liddell in 2007, looks to bounce back from a May loss to nemesis and "The Ultimate Fighter 10" rival coach Rashad Evans at UFC 114. Prior to the loss, which ended a 14-month layoff, Jackson had earned back-to-back victories over Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva. The pair of victories followed the loss of his belt to Forrest Griffin.

Machida, meanwhile, also looks to bounce back from a loss – the first defeat of his career. "The Dragon" was knocked out in the first round of his May rematch with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and relinquished his belt in the process. Prior to the defeat, Machida had earned eight-straight UFC wins, including a UFC 98 knockout of Evans that earned him the title.

Jon Jones Waiting For Winner Of Ryan Bader Vs. Rogerio Nogueira

Jon "Bones" Jones will be climbing back into the Octagon,but will have to wait until the winner of UFC 119's Ryan Bader Vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira bout takes place as Jones has gone on record that his next opponent will be the winner of that bout:

"Right now I'm waiting for Ryan Bader and Lil' Nog to fight each other and I'll fight the winner of that, and I'm predicting that I'm about two fights away from a title shot. I had a meeting with Dana and Lorenzo and that's kind of where were going with it. They didn't really say two fights. They said you know, you beat the winner of Bader/Lil' Nog, we'll give you one more fight. We'll see you know how you win the fights, depending on the fashion of the finish, then you know, we'll give you a title shot."

Dana White says Kenny Florian Chokes In Big Fights

After UFC 118 Dana White spoke about Gray Maynard's win over Kenny Florian, a fight that was for a shot at the lightweight title. White spoke honestly about Florian, who has lost twice before in title shots:


"I hate to say this because I don't want to take anything away from Gray Maynard, but I think Kenny is just one of those guys who chokes in big fights. I'm not bad-mouthing him or trying to disrespect him; I'm just being honest. Every time it's a big fight and there's a lot of things on the line, Kenny just, Kenny's hands are unbelievable. Kenny's ground is unbelievable. Kenny usually kicks guys to the body and legs so hard that he busts guys up. You didn't see any of that tonight. He stood there and stared at Gray Maynard for three rounds... You'd think his corner would say, 'Dude, you just lost the first two rounds.' No sense of urgency in the third round.' Not saying, 'I need a knockout or submission in this round.' None of it. Nothing. And I guarantee you if Kenny comes back and fights one of the mid-level guys, he'll probably run through them like a f---ing freight train. But the big fights? He crumbles, man... I love Kenny Florian, I've known him since season one of The Ultimate Fighter. He's one of the best fighters in the world, but in the big fights, he chokes in the big fights. He's here in his hometown, another shot at title and he sits in front of Gray Maynard for three rounds. He couldn't let anything go. Gray Maynard fought his fight, did what he wanted to do, and dominated him tonight."

UFC 118 Results

MAIN CARD

Frankie Edgar def. B.J. Penn via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) to retain lightweight title
Edgar won the fight via scores of 50-45 on all three cards.

"B.J. really brought the best out in me," said Edgar, who now can stake claim to the world's No. 1 lightweight ranking. "I knew he was going to come in tough again. It was close the first time, and I just wanted to make a point."
Penn had no answer during or after the fight.

"Frankie fought a great fight," said Penn, who's unsure if he'll remain at lightweight or try his luck at 170 pounds. "He fought me twice, and he walked away with a decision twice. What can I say?"

Randy Couture def. James Toney via submission (arm-triangle choke) - Round 1, 3:19
 
Toney was simply a fish out of water once he was put on his back. Clearly confused as to how to defend against Couture's attacks, Toney simply went along for the ride. Couture twice reset the choke attempt, but Toney was clueless as to how to defend himself. Finally, bordering on unconsciousness, Toney ultimately tapped out at the 3:19 mark of the opening round.


"I worked on that arm-triangle choke for more than a year," said Couture, who now owns the biggest "MMA vs. boxing" victory in the short history of head-to-head competition between the two combat sports. "It was nice to finally get it."

While no doubt a win for MMA, the 47-year-old Couture admitted that Toney had a tall order ahead of him.
"I think realistically even if he were training for nine months, that's a lot of stuff you have to pick up in a short matter of time," he said. "I give him credit for getting in here."


Demian Maia def. Mario Miranda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Gray Maynard def. Kenny Florian via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Nate Diaz def. Marcus Davis via technical submission (guillotine) - Round 3, 4:02

PRELIMINARY CARD

Joe Lauzon def. Gabe Ruediger via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 2:01

Nik Lentz def. Andre Winner via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Dan Miller def. John Salter via submission (anaconda choke) - Round 2, 1:53.

Greg Soto def. Nick Osipczak via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Mike Pierce def. Amilcar Alves via submission (cross-body armbar) - Round 3, 3:11

Edgar says Maybe Beating BJ Penn Was A Fluke

Current UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar will defend his title for the first time this Saturday when he takes on BJ Penn at UFC 118 in Boston and despite winning the fight on all three judges score cards, many have stated that Edgar won the fight by fluke when he beat the top lightweight in the world.


Now, just days away from the rematch, Edgar seems to be second guessing even himself:

"Honestly, I really only watched it once and then I've been watching it here and there with my boxing coach and my teammates - just for studying for this next fight. I really don't gloat in the glory, in other words, because you're only as good as your last fight... I think the fact of how I got the title, beating the guy that's considered the best lightweight ever, I think that's probably the biggest accomplishment... We fought a five round decision, you know? It wasn't like I caught B.J. with a punch or a submission or anything like that. Who knows? Maybe [beating B.J.] was a fluke, but I don't think it was."

UFC 118's James Toney: I could see the fear in Randy Couture's eyes

Just 24 hours after standing face-to-face with UFC 118 opponent Randy Couture (18-10 MMA, 15-7 UFC), boxing champion James Toney (72-6-3 Boxing, 0-0 MMA) remembered the moment with a smile.


You see, it was during that staredown that all of his suspicions were confirmed.

"I seen fear," Toney told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) at Thursday's media workout session. "I smelled it, too.

"Everybody can sit there and say, 'Oh, Randy was tough. He was cool.' All the Randy Couture fans were [saying that]. Up close and personal, you could see it in his eyes. He ain't never seen nobody like me in his life."

"I'm a whole different species," Toney said. "I'm something he ain't never seen before in his [expletive] life. I can knock him out, or I can choke him out – either, or.

"Wherever you want to go, I'm a big, strong dude. I've been strong all my life. This is nothing new to me."