Munoz shows off well-rounded game in outlasting Simpson at UFC 123

Mark Munoz had a daunting puzzle to solve at UFC 123. He was basically facing a carbon copy of himself in Aaron Simpson. So it was no surprise to see the former NCAA wrestlers nullify each other on the grappling front. Munoz showed off a more impressive arsenal in the striking game and a little more in the stamina department in the final round to take a unanimous decision, 29-28 on all cards.

Munoz, an NCAA champ out of Oklahoma State, was a half-second behind in the first round. He got tagged on the feet and kept getting his leg kicks caught. In the second, Munoz did more with his stand up work, including a beautiful swinging elbow that landed coming out of a clinch, and he really nailed Simpson with a head kick.

Simpson, an two-time All-American at Arizona State, has struggled in recent fights with his conditioning. He thought he had solved those woes by a paying closer attention to his diet before the fight. Simpson looked better but he was definitely the less fresh fighter in the final round.

He scored a takedown just 25 seconds into the third but then got easily reversed by Munoz. With hip control, Munoz got off some excellent punches to the head. The rest of the round was spent primarily in clinch position along the cage. They slugged away at each other, but it was Munoz who landed the heavier shots.

Munoz (9-2, 4-2 UFC) is now 4-1 down at middleweight with his only loss coming against future title challenger Yushin Okami. After a 3-0 start wth the promotion, Simpson (7-2, 3-2 UFC) has dropped two straight. 

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Replacement Mike Kyle meets Antonio Silva at "Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu"

Mike Kyle has stepped in as an injury replacement for Valentijn Overeem and now meets heavyweight Antonio Silva at Saturday's "Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu" event.

MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the switch with multiple sources close to the show, including a Strikeforce official.

The fight is part of the Showtime-televised main card of the show, which takes place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

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Parisyan always thought White would let him fight again

Karo Parisyan has had a lot of low points over the years, but he was at rock bottom the Friday before UFC 106. Because of struggles with an anxiety disorder and injuries, the veteran fighter had to drop out of his bout against Dustin Hazelett. Dana White lost his cool, going ballistic on Twitter.

Karo Parisyan has [expletive] over the UFC, the fans and his opponent again!!! He will not be fighting saturday or ever again in the UFC!!

Parisyan has worked way back into the good graces of the promotion and the UFC president. He returns to the Octagon this weekend at UFC 123 against Dennis Hallman.

The Armenian had been fighting for White since 2003, so he never lost hope.

"I never thought the door was closed," Parisyan told The Canadian Press. "I knew that I would fight again, I just knew it. I know Dana White. I know how he thinks, I know how he works. And when somebody says something like that, I know that in the heat of the moment he got pissed and he just said that. I knew I would eventually make my way back to the UFC because I didn't kill nobody."

In addition to bailing from a fight at UFC 88 because of his mental struggles, he was also fined $32,000 and suspended for nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after a positive test for pain killers at UFC 94.

"Anxiety led to that going even more crazy," Parisyan said. "It was just whole combination of things, man. I've never been 100 per cent walking in the cage. The best I've been was maybe 70 per cent and I wasn't even 10 per cent for that (UFC 88) fight."

Optimism was about all Parisyan had after what were two difficult years. He was also confident that he could talk White into giving him another shot.

"Dana's got a heart, man. He has a heart. And he does care about his fighters. He does care about people," Parisyan said. "Sure, if you need money, you talk to him, you tell him. Dana never says no that much, unless it's something outrageous. He'll work with you."

Now the pressure is really on for Parisyan. He’s only fought once in 22 months and the NSAC fine buried him in debt. At least this is a start. It’d be nice to see Parisyan reach his potential. This was a guy who was on the verge of a UFC welterweight title shot back in 2005. His career is now a fight-by-fight proposition.

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BJ Penn vs Frankie Edgar 2 ? Fight Video UFC 118

UFC 118 ? Edgar vs. Penn 2 Ultimate Fighting Championship August 28, 2010 TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States This lived up to the hype. Frankie Edgar is an extremely humble and exciting champ. Share and Enjoy:

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Mike Vick probably put a smile on Dana White's face

The man is from Boston but allow Dana White a chance to gloat a bit today. The Patriots fan declared last August that he was also an Eagles fan. White knows that statement might earn him a scowl from an old lady and make several New Englanders throwing snowballs at his house, but the UFC president likes to back the underdog. It was last year, before the NFL season began, White stated he was a backer of Michael Vick.

"I hope Michael Vick wins the Super Bowl, makes $3 billion and is the greatest comeback story in the history of sports, man," White told Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole. "When are they going to stop crucifying this [expletive] guy?"

After spending 19 months in prison on dog fighting charges, Vick has been back in the NFL for 21 games. He's started less than half and put up solid numbers. Last night in a win over the Washington Redskins, he broke through with an all-time performance. Vick passed for 333 yards, ran for 80 and produced six touchdowns.  

"I think the guy has taken it on the chin like a man. You haven’t seen him bitch about it. … He walks out of bankruptcy court this morning, because he has to pay creditors back $20 [expletive] million and he walks out smiling and he’s going to play tonight," White said in August of 2009.

A month later in Dallas at UFC 103, White reiterated his stance, telling radio personality "Big" Dick Hunter that he'd never seen anything like the Vick saga (0:25 mark - NSFW).

White's pretty consistent in his support for athletes who get slaughtered by the media. In Dec. of 2009, at the UFC 107 postfight press conference, he donned a Tiger Woods hat saying he was sick of watching the golfer's troubles played out publicly.  

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Greg Jackson Fires Back at Dana White Over Recent Criticism

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News

MMA trainer Greg Jackson isn't pleased with some of the recent comments coming from UFC president Dana White, so he decided to do something about it. With White criticizing the Jackson camp for what he describes as a boring, conservative approach to fights, Jackson is firing back with a weapon of his own: statistical analysis.

On Monday night Jackson sent MMA Fighting an email listing all the bonus awards and finishes tallied by his fighters in Zuffa events in 2010. The list includes the names of 20 Jackson camp fighters who competed in the UFC or WEC in 2010, but perhaps the most telling figure is the distribution of UFC's bonuses after each event, Jackson explained.

"Here's a quick stat for you. So there's been 22 [UFC events] this year? We had 12 bonuses so far this year," Jackson said in a phone interview. "So one out of every two, one of my fighters got Submission of the Night, Knockout of the Night, or Fight of the Night."

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Matt Mitrione Squashes WWE Rumors

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News

Roy Nelson, Shonie Carter -- they're all clearly interested in pursuing a career in World Wrestling Entertainment.

Matt Mitrione, on the other hand, is not. And quite frankly, he isn't sure why you think he is.

A rumor began circulating around the MMA world following Mitrione's win over Joey Beltran at UFC 119 that the former NFL player turned MMA fighter was going to cut short his promising fighting career to pursue a life as pro wrestler.

Not so, says Mitrione.

"That's such a weird situation that my name got thrown in the mix, and then after that, that Pat Barry's name got thrown in the mix," Mitirone said on Monday's episode of The MMA Hour. "Like, why is my training camp getting assaulted by the WWF people, man?"

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WEC 53 title challenger Anthony Pettis: You can't stop destiny

WEC lightweight title challenger Anthony Pettis has had a quick ride to the top.

Just 18 short months ago, Pettis was a relative unknown preparing to make his debut for the WEC. Now, he's fewer than three weeks away from challenging Ben Henderson for the promotion's lightweight title.

The 23-year-old Pettis admits he's had an amazing journey but insists he's prepared for the next step. After all, you can't stop destiny.

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Training and a trip to Thailand helps national columnist change his tune on MMA

Mike Freeman used to judge mixed martial arts on two things - Dana White's rants and the loudest, most obnoxious fans who lurk on message boards. He trashed White and the sport calling it garbage in an Apr. 2009 column.

Then, unlike most national columnists and scribes stuck in the 70's, Freeman actually took the time to look into the sport a little more.

The CBSSports' writer made a trip to a local training center to see what mixed martial arts was all about. Working at the same gym as the UFC's Miller brothers, the AMA Fight Club in Whippany, N.J., Freeman fell in love. In a recent column, he wrote:

I remember the first time I got punched hard. These are the things you don't soon forget.

It was during one of my first sparring sessions in New Jersey. The guy I was sparring was a bit of a bully, known for going hard at newer students. He hit me with a solid right cross. For a moment, I saw stars. They danced in my head and disappeared suddenly after he hit me hard again, this time with a left hook. The stars were gone, but the pain in my face wasn't.

That moment made me angry rather than fearful and I trained twice as hard. I wasn't going to be battered again. Sparring again about two months later, he and I got into it in the center of the mat -- a hardcore brawl exacerbated by the presence of his girlfriend, who he wanted to show off for. No technique, just punches and kicks thrown with abandon. None of his punches got through my defenses. My switch-kick and overhand penetrated his. He backed off. He never tried to bully me again.

That was it. I was hooked. It wasn't that I inflicted damage on another human being. Some people love that part of fighting. I'm the opposite. I enjoy taking another man's best kicks and punches and still standing.

Freeman took things to the next level with a trip Thailand where he trained with some of the best Muay Thai practioners in the world. He got a look at what truly drives most people to fight. It's certainly not the money.

Freeman joined ESPNRadio1100 in Las Vegas to recap his trip and talk about his column.

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With "the incident" behind, Paul Daley looks for short fight in Strikeforce debut

British slugger Paul Daley has a new name for the post-fight suckerpunch of Josh Koscheck that led to his release from the UFC: "the incident."

But seven months after the unfortunate display of poor sportsmanship, the often brash Daley insists he's moved beyond the emotion-filled antics of his previous contests.

Instead, as Daley completes his preparation for an upcoming bout with fellow striker Scott Smith at next weekend's "Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu" event, the knockout artist said he's walking into the cage both humbled and respectful of his foe.

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UFC 122 weigh-in: Return to Germany marks another chapter in bold international plans

The last time Spike television and the UFC decided to show UFC 120 on a tape-delayed basis in the United States, many fans were irked. The frustration was inflamed when ESPN decided to reveal the results on the bottomline newswire/scoreboard before the show hit U.S. television sets

Get used to it folks. It's going to be the same tomorrow for UFC 122 in Germany and commonplace in 2011 when the promotion looks to double the amount of international events we saw this year.

"I think definitely in the next few years that there's a real prospect that we're going to be running more and more events that you might not see live on U.S. television, or even close to live," Marshall Zelaznik told USA Today.

The UFC's managing director of international development added that the promotion is planning for up to eight shows around the world in 2011.

"I think that we can really see ourselves hitting our stride in the next five years internationally, that we can see our percentages (of UFC's) overall revenue increasing twofold," Zelaznik said. "If we effectively double what we're doing now internationally over the next five years, it's going to be a massive number for the company overall."

The plan for the first quarter of next year calls for shows in Sydney, Abu Dhabi and possibly Dublin. Further down the road, UFC officials expect an event in Scandinavia and possibly Italy. UFC eventually could find itself running parallel circuits around the world.

Zelaznik (pictured on the far right) said UFC 122 is within 1,000 of a sellout of 9,400. 

UFC 122 weigh-in (Courtesy Bloody Elbow):

Spike television
Nate Marquardt (186) v. Yushin Okami (185)
Jorge Rivera (185) v. Alessio Sakara (186)
Dennis Siver (155) v. Andre Winner (155)
Amir Sadollah (170) v. Peter Sobotta (169)
Krzysztof Soszynski (206) v. Goran Reljic (205)

Preliminary card:
Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira (204) v. Vladimir Matyushenko (205)
Pascal Krauss (170) v. Mark Scanlon (170)
Duane Ludwig (170) v. Nick Osipczak (171)
Rob Kimmons (184) v. Kyle Noke (185)
Seth Petruzelli (205) v. Karlos Vemola (205)
Kris McCray (171) v. Carlos Eduardo Rocha (170)

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Exclusive pictures from UFC 123

Check out exclusive pictures by Tracy Lee from the UFC's return to Michigan at UFC 123. See a poignant post-fight shot of Matt Hughes and BJ Penn, George Sotiropoulos submitting Joe Lauzon, and Phil Davis' new submission. 

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Kyle Noke vs Chris Camozzi set for UFC 127 in Australia

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Exclusive pictures from UFC 123

Check out exclusive pictures by Tracy Lee from the UFC's return to Michigan at UFC 123. See a poignant post-fight shot of Matt Hughes and BJ Penn, George Sotiropoulos submitting Joe Lauzon, and Phil Davis' new submission. 

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"The Sunday Junkie" deadline reminder, win a free Fighters Only subscription!

As a reminder, submissions for the upcoming edition of "The Sunday Junkie" are due Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.

All topics - including what aspects of MMA you're thankful for - are open for discussion. The person who sends in the submission we deem the best (based on timeliness of subject, clarity and overall persuasiveness) will be invited onto MMAjunkie.com Radio to discuss the topic.

Each winner will also receive a free year's subscription to "Fighters Only," the world's leading MMA and lifestyle magazine!

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Key to the Jets victory? UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar

The New York Jets had a rough game on Sunday. Heading into the fourth quarter, they led the Houston Texans 20-7, but they then gave up 20 fourth quarter points, and were losing with just seconds left in the game. Then QB Mark Sanchez hit Santonio Holmes for a touchdown with 10 seconds on the clock, giving the Jets the win. That come from behind victory helped solidify the Jets spot atop the AFC East.

Just who inspired that come from behind victory? Frankie Edgar, the UFC lightweight champ. Jets coach Rex Ryan brought in Edgar to speak to his player the night before the game, and Edgar talked to the team about mental toughness.

According to Sanchez, it made a difference. Via press release:

Talk about a guy who is mentally tough and physically tough. He came in and spoke to the team last night. It was a perfect time. He talked about never giving up, being counted out, playing until the end; fighting and believing in yourself and your team and the people around you.

Edgar, a native New Jerseyan and a former wrestling coach at Rutgers University, enjoyed the game from the front row of the New Meadowlands. His next challenge is Gray Maynard, who Edgar will fight on Jan. 1 at UFC 125.

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XFC?s John Prisco talks XFC10

We had a great opportunity the other day to talk with XFC President, John Prisco. �For those of you not aware, the XFC (Xtreme Fighting Championships) is one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts Organization in the United States.� Based out of Tampa, Florida, XFC has produced fight cards in Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee and [...]

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UFC 111 Weigh In Results

Below are the official weigh-in results for Saturday?s UFC 111 event. UFC 111, which is headlined by the UFC welterweight championship bout between Georges St-Pierre and Dan Hardy, and the interim UFC heavyweight�title fight between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin, airs live on pay-per-view from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey beginning at 10pm [...]

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Forrest Griffin's visit didn't help Michigan's cause today

The UFC is Detroit tonight so the UFC video crew decided to pay a visit to a Michigan football practice as the Wolverines prepped for their game against Wisconsin. The best guy to bring out to Ann Arbor was none other than Forrest Griffin. A former high school football player, Griffin fights with a gridiron mentality.

Unfortunately, his presence didn't fire up the troops enough. Michigan got bombed today 48-28 by the Badgers. There wasn't much tackling done by the boys in blue.

Rich Rodriguez gave Griffin a Michigan jersey with his old high school number 67 on it. If Griffin were a little younger, the 6-foot-3, 240-pounder could've suited up at defensive end for the Wolverines.

We don't know if Griffin was any good at football, but it's clear he liked to hit. Check out this classic video of Griffin headbutting a helmet-wearing teammate without his helmet on.

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Strikeforce's Scott Smith "might be crying" at weigh-ins, but welterweight a good fit

Former middleweight Scott Smith admits he might be crying at Friday's "Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu" weigh-ins.

He knows his first cut to 170 pounds will be a trying experience, but he also knows it's a move he needed to make.

So, as he wraps up preparations for a Showtime-televised fight with fellow welterweight Paul Daley on Dec. 4, Smith thinks he's embarking on a new chapter in his fighting life.

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Thiago Alves Brain Irregularity

Thiago Alves will no longer be fighting Jon Fitch on UFC 111 due to a CAT scan that has shown a brain irregularity TMZ.com tells us.
UFC honcho�Dana White tells TMZ he will fly Pitbull to a specialist for further evaluation. White says, “If it’s true, it can be career-ending.”
No one will replace Pitbull on Saturday. [...]

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UFC 125: Phil Baroni vs Brad Tavares official for Jan. 1 in Las Vegas

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Shine Fights inks UFC vet Mike Ciesnolevicz

Shine Fights has signed UFC and IFL vet Mike Ciesnolevicz to its roster, officials recently announced.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the 31-year-old is expected to debut at the organization's currently unannounced January show, possibly against Rolles Gracie.

Ciesnolevicz brings an 18-4 record to Shine Fights and owns four wins in his past five fights.

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