UFC 118: Demian Maia vs Mario Miranda set for main card in Boston

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Lightweights Paul Sass vs. Mark Holst slotted for UFC 120 preliminary card

It looks like the final piece of UFC 120's puzzle is in place.

Lightweights
Paul Sass and Mark Holst have
been slotted into the preliminary card of the U.K. event, which takes
place Oct. 16 at the O2 Arena in London.

Sources close to the event
today told MMAjunkie.com that verbal agreements are
in place and the bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.



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Takanori Gomi still 'can't believe' knockout of Tyson Griffin at UFC on Versus 2 (Video)

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Torres says Shields is afraid of Silva and may struggle at 170

Jake Shields finally jumped on board with the UFC last week and has been the recipient of some criticism from several directions. Some called his fighting style boring. Others wonder why the middleweight champ from Strikeforce is fighting for his new boss at welterweight. Miguel Torres, a former champ down at 135, suggested that Shields was afraid to fight Anderson Silva."I think he's getting out of 185 because he's a little bit afraid of Anderson (Silva)," Torres said during last week's stint as a guest host on ESPN2's "MMA Live" (starts at 26:30 left mark). "Anderson's a tough guy to fight at that weight class and he's thinking St. Pierre's an easier fight."ESPN was nice enough to include me in the discussion. I disagree with Torres. Shields' biggest strength is his grappling. Takedown defense might be Silva's only weakness. So in theory St. Pierre, with his excellent MMA wrestling, is actually a more difficult challenge for Shields. Shields explained to MMAWeekly Radio that it was simply a case of looking at the quickest path to a title shot (video below). "Obviously if I'm close to getting a title shot it's a huge factor," Shields
commented about his weight class choice. "I'm not really sure if this is going
to be a number one contender's fight or not, it hasn’t been mentioned to me, but
there's a good chance if I go out there and look really good doing it, it's
definitely a possibility." He might be right. If GSP beats Koscheck, the UFC may be looking for a fresh face to step up. That could be the winner of Shields and his opponent at UFC 121 in October, Martin Kampmann.Torres also didn't the like the choice because he believes Shields is now a natural middleweight."I think it might be too much of a weight cut," Torres said on MMA Live. Sometimes trying to cut that it's a little bit too much for you and I think Shields is going to find out right off the bat. He'a a great wrestler but at that weight class, cutting that weight is going to be rough," said Torres.
By the numbers, Shields is far from a natural middleweight. Sure, he looked physically big enough when he faced guys like Robbie Lawler and Dan Henderson, but he told MMA Weekly he's at 195 right now. Most of UFC middleweights are much bigger walking around 205-220 pounds. mma training anderson silva chuck liddell martial art

Shake weight finally lands an MMA spokesperson

Every guy's favorite piece of exercise equipment, Shake Weight, has arrived on the MMA scene. Not really. But one jokester posted a GIF of heavyweight powerhouse Shane Carwin using Shake Weight. As "Saturday Night Live" pointed out, it seems like a product that might be more appropriate for an MMA spokesperson on the female side.mma training anderson silva chuck liddell martial art

Matyushenko can't keep up with this Jones

The UFC lines up solid veterans for Jon Jones and he keeps on blowing through them. Jones made Vladimir Matyushenko look like he'd never grappled before. The 23-year-old light heavyweight took advantage of a sloppy punch by Matyushenko, got the fight to the mat and quickly converted it into a dominant position Sunday. Jones moved into a crucifix and dropped 11 nasty elbows in a matter of seconds. Referee Herb Dean was forced to stop the fight, giving Jones his fifth UFC victory in just under two minutes in the main event of UFC on Versus 2 in San Diego.  "I didn't think it would end that quickly," Jones told UFC color analyst Joe Rogan. "I trained the hardest I've ever trained. I knew Vlad would be the toughest test of my career and things went really well."Jones is 11-1 (5-1 UFC), but really should be unbeaten. He suffered his only loss to Matt Hamill when he was disqualified for throwing an illegal elbow at "The Ultimate Fighter 10" finale. Jones is beginning to provide UFC officials with a matchmaking conundrum, because matchmaker Joe Silva and president Dana White don't want to move him too quickly, but he's destroying opponents so easily that they may have to throw him into deep waters next time out. Jones wouldn't choose a name he'd like to face next. Finding him a top-10 UFC light heavyweight may be tough. Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ryan Bader, Tito Ortiz, Matt Hamill and Rashad Evans are all tied up until at least late 2010. Evans is apparently going to wait for UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio Rua to return from injury in early 2011. The other problem is that Jones is now training in the same camp as Evans in Albuquerque, N.M. If Randy Couture gets by James Toney in late August that's a possible matchup that would sell well. Forrest Griffin is expected back in October from shoulder surgery. Rich Franklin is also out there waiting for a big fight.Jones looked superior in every aspect Sunday night. When the fight was standing, his 84 1/2-inch reach made Matyushenko uncomfortable. The Belarussian panicked a bit and threw a wild left hook. Jones ducked and scored the takedown that led to the finish of the fight. On the ground, Jones was deliberate. Matyushenko had an arm early but Jones stayed calm and quickly extricated himself from any danger. He then passed to side control where he attempted a few elbows. He made a nice veteran move by pinning Matyushenko's left arm with his left hand and locked it down with his leg to  set up the crucifix. The thing that separates Jones from a lot of MMA fighters is his viciousness. He wasted no time in throwing those brutal elbows into the side of the Belarussian's head and ears.  Other popular Sports stories on Yahoo!:• Controversial NCAA football star makes transfer official• Video: Shaquille O'Neal serenades teenage heartthrob• Golfer posts incredible score at Greenbrier Classic anderson silva chuck liddell martial art mma fight

Even 'Big Nog' made it into 'The Expendables'

Sylvester Stallone definitely has respect for mixed martial artists. During this inside look at his new movie "The Expendables" he talks about trying to cast soldiers for the flick. While in Brazil he had trouble finding guys who looked the part so he hit an MMA gym headed up by former UFC and PRIDE heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He found plenty of guys with cauliflower ears who didn't look like male models. Nogueira plays one of the soldiers (2:30 mark). The movie also includes another former UFC champ in Randy Couture, in a much more prominent role along with former pro wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Terry Crews and Mickey Rourke.  martial art mma fight mma training anderson silva