Props: MMA Fighting

Quoteworthy:

"I had a chance to look back at the situation. I know I have things to correct ... It was just a half-pound, so I'm sure my body could have flushed it out. But I didn't want to. I just wanted to concentrate on the fight. It was just easier for me to give up the money. Yes, we fight for money, but you also fight to win, and at the time, I was thinking I didn't want to cut the weight. I was just focused on getting ready to fight. When you're cutting weight and dehydrated, you don't always think right. In the future, that won't happen again. It can't happen again ... I appreciate the support I've gotten. When things like this happen, you see people's true colors. I don't care about the people who've turned their backs on me. I just focus on the ones who appreciate me. That's what's important to me and I won't let them down. I'm going to take this thing to the next level. I'm going to make it happen. I know what I've been through and I see things clearly now. Nothing's holding me back."

Former UFC welterweight number one contender Thiago Alves is ready to put his weight cutting issues behind him after coming in slightly over the limit for 170-pound scrap with Jon Fitch at the UFC 117 event on Aug. 7 in Oakland, California. "Pitbull" insists he belongs at welterweight, but has had a difficult time proving it. Even promotion president Dana White is pushing for a move to middleweight. Has the Brazilian put his demons behind him? And can he recover from back-to-back losses and get back into the division title hunt?

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) recently issued its list of medical suspensions for UFC 117: "Silva vs. Sonnen," which took place on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010, from the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

With several of the bouts ending early (and violently), 14 of the 22 fighters who competed on the card were flagged for follow up visits with their doctors.

Chief among them was UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, who was battered but not beaten by Chael Sonnen for nearly five full rounds. The "Spider" will be on the sidelines with a rib injury and neurological issues for up to six months, unless, of course, he can get a doctor to clear him to return sooner.

Regardless, the Brazilian must serve a mandatory 45-day medical suspension and cannot have contact for at least 30. Sonnen, meanwhile, will be shelved for at least 60 days and cannot sustain any contact during that time, either.

Rafael dos Anjos (broken jaw), as well as Stefan Struve (lower lip laceration) and Christian Morecraft (head trauma), were also singled out after sustaining their fair share of punishment inside the Octagon.

But that's not all.

Here is the complete list of UFC 117 injuries and their medical instructions:

Continue reading this post »

The official fighter purses for those who competed at the UFC 117: "Silva vs. Sonnen" Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010, from the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., were released earlier today and passed along by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).

As expected, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva was among the top earners of the night, bringing home a cool $200,000 for his dramatic come-from-behind victory over Chael Sonnen in the waning minutes of the fifth and final round. Not to be outdone, former welterweight champion Matt Hughes matched the "Spider" in base pay for his surprise submission over Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist, Ricardo Almeida.

Jon Fitch and Junior dos Santos didn't do too shabby either, pocketing $108,000 and $80,000, respectively, in their winning number one contender eliminator matches.

Here is the complete list of UFC 117 payouts:

Continue reading this post »

... by closing out MMA Live with a little message for "The Count."

"If Michael Bisping ever addresses me in public comments again, I'll bury him where he stands."

Chael Sonnen is apparently not amused by Bisping's sense of humor after the Brit tweeted this during UFC 117 on Aug. 7.

MMAmania.com is proud to announce the grand prize winner of our UFC 117 Tokyo Five sponsored contest give-a-way, Bruce K.

Out of the 1000+ entries, Bruce came the closest to predicting the outcome of Ricardo Almeida's UFC 117 bout against Matt Hughes on the "Silva vs. Sonnen" pay-per-view card last Saturday night (Aug. 7).

In fact, he nailed the time of the stoppage right on the button (3:15 of round one), in a prediction he told me via Email was "dumb luck."

Nice work, Bruce. You're the proud recipient of a shiny new iPad thanks to the generosity of our good friends at Tokyo Five.

Thanks again to everyone who participated. A special shout-out to Larry S. and Jonathan M. who came oh-so-close (mere seconds) to taking home the grand prize.

And special thanks to Tokyo Five for making this all possible. Their exclusive UFC 117 walkout shirt is still available for a LIMITED TIME exclusively at MMAWarehouse.com (CLICK HERE to see/buy it now).

And if you didn't win, no worries, MMAmania.com has more great contests and reader give-a-ways coming soon.

... Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, or Yushin Okami?

Props: Fight Hype

Quoteworthy:

"[Anderson] showed what a champion is made of. He fought through all of that adversity and through all of the things that were going on in there and he stayed focus and never gave up and that's the heart of a champion ... Once he tapped, Chael kept fighting. He didn't let go because he wasn't sure of what was going on. He wasn't going to give that position or submission up until he was sure. Once again, Chael tried to deny that he tapped until he told the ref, 'I believe you,' it's like, come on dude, that's the same shit you did with Filho and Babalu. If you're going to tap, then tap ... I mean, I don't necessarily think an immediate rematch is legitimate. It's not like he won by decision. You got submitted, man. Anderson got a few bumps and bruises, but let's be realistic, you're on a guy 23 minutes and you couldn't finish him? Why should he get a rematch?"

Count Ed Soares among the people not excited to see "Silva vs. Sonnen 2" after his top fighter, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, survived a 23-minute beatdown at the hands of Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 last Saturday night in Oakland. Soares believes it's an open and shut case based on the fact that Silva finished the fight -- but fans may want to see another go-round simply because no one has ever dominated the Brazilian the way Sonnen did. How about it fight fans, Silva vs. Belfort -- or Sonnen? What gets your PPV dollars in early 2011?

It will be if Dana White makes good on his comments from the UFC 117 post-fight press conference:

"We were just texting a few minutes ago and he said, ‘Hey, I’m sorry about that. I’ll come back stronger.’ I said, ‘Yeah, at one 185 you will.’ He said, ‘No, I want to stay at 170.’ It’s not like this guy has been off for a year, he looked lethargic tonight. He looked slow. He doesn’t belong at 170. He belongs at 185 pounds. It’s (expletive) to have guys make weight and have guys not make weight, especially at this level. When you’re in the UFC, your job is to make weight. Everyone else made weight that day, so it wasn’t the scale. He didn’t come in on weight, period. Believe me, I didn’t think Thiago didn’t want to make weight. He can’t. Could he have cut that half a pound? Maybe he couldn’t have. Maybe he cut so much weight that mentally, it would have broke him to go cut that last half a pound and that’s (expletive). I guarantee he can make 185 and he’ll never have a problem at it."

The company president has apparently reached his breaking point with Thiago Alves' weight cutting issues, as the "Pitbull" came in slightly over the limit for his welterweight number one contender bout with Jon Fitch at the UFC 117 event on Aug. 7 in Oakland, California. Alves insists he belongs at 170 pounds, but has had a difficult time proving it. How about it Maniacs, is it finally time to see what kind of impact the Brazilian can make as a middleweight? Or is White overreacting? Opinions please.

Props: UFC 117 post-fight press conference

Quoteworthy:

"I'm devastated. I came in second [place]. I worked hard, did what I could do and all that other nice stuff. But at the end of the day, you either get your hand raised or you don't. And I didn't. That's it. I have to live with it. I'm devastated.... Fighting Anderson Silva is like eating Chinese food -- in 20 minutes I'm going to want to do it again.... I'm not going to apologize for anything, I'm not backing off my stance. And if I ever did, I would send myself a pink slip and move on in life. I have one goal: Become a world champion. And I am not backing off that goal because of tonight's decision.... I'm not Dog the Bounty Hunter -- I don't issue apologies. You're not going to be the first one to get one out of me.... I can't sugar coat it -- my heart is broken. I wrestled for a world championship, I came in second. I fought in the WEC for a world championship, I came in second. Now I'm in the UFC, and again, I'm a runner up. It hurts really bad. I just can't put it any other way.... He hit me hard. Right off the bat, he kicked me in the stomach. I've never been kicked like that. But I don't allow myself to be hurt -- I'll walk through anything he gives, and at the end of the night, go get stitched up.... Look, he's a good fighter and he found a way to win. That's what champions do.... I'm never going to change. I'm always going to go after number one, whoever it is. If it's Anderson, or I've got to go up to the guys at 205, or I have to go on a diet and go after guys like Jose Aldo, it doesn't matter, I'll do it. If you've got the belt, I'm coming after you.... Here's the truth: If the commissioner would sanction it, and Dana [White] would move, I would fight him again right now.... He won tonight, he is the better guy. That's it."

Chael Sonnen makes no excuses for his stunning submission loss to middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117 last night (Aug. 7), admitting that "The Spider" is indeed the better fighter after pulling off a dramatic come-from-behind fifth round victory. Sonnen battered the Brazilian for nearly 25 minutes, but with less than two minutes to go in a fight that he was clearly winning, he got caught in a tight triangle choke. He did all he could to escape, but he just couldn't wiggle himself free. So close, yet so far away. That appears to be a recurring theme throughout his competitive career, coming in second place when it matters most. Is Sonnen destined to be runner up again if and when he gets another opportunity, or did he demonstrate last night that it's only a matter of time before he can call himself a world champion? Sound off, Maniacs.