MMA Coverage

Filed under: Fighting, FanHouse Exclusive, News

Leading up to UFC 118, James Toney told anyone who wanted to listen that he asked to fight Kimbo Slice (after his first request of facing Brock Lesnar was turned down) in his Octagon debut. Unfortunately for him, the organization had different plans and matched the boxing champion against Randy Couture.

You all know how that turned out for "Lights Out."

But when Slice stopped by Monday's edition of The MMA Hour, he said he had never been offered a fight against Toney, but was certainly open to the idea.

"I never heard anything about me fighting James Toney, but you know, like I said, again, I'll fight anybody, man. C'mon, everybody knows that about me from my street-fighting days. Put anybody in front of me, train me to be the best, I'll fight the best. That's one thing about Kimbo Slice that everybody knows."

Tags: MMA News by Ariel Helwani
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Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, News

Ken Shamrock's next fight has been signed and it will be against Johnathan Ivey for the USA MMA promotion on Oct. 16 in Lafayette, La.

MMAFighting.com learned Wednesday from sources close to the event the Shamrock vs. Ivey headliner as well as the co-main event, Ricco Rodriguez vs. Mike Perez.

Tags: Ken Shamrock, MMA News by Ray Hui
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Filed under: UFC

As anyone who's ever gone out to dinner with Mike Swick can tell you, watching the UFC welterweight order is an ordeal unto itself. He can't have garlic, or any of the great stuff that makes spicy food spicy. He can't have many of the staples of the American restaurant industry, in fact, and it's not just when he's cutting weight.

Because of an esophageal issue that he's struggled with for the past four years, even minor interactions like ordering at a restaurant have become exhausting.

"I know every time I have to order food somewhere, it's going to be a problem," Swick told MMA Fighting this week. "When the waitress comes up to ask for my order, I know ahead of time it's going to be an issue. I have to explain that I can't have garlic, can't have spice, go through this whole spiel every time, and then there's about a 50% chance that I'll just be ignored and it will be in there anyway. Then I'll be up for four hours feeling like I'm having a heart attack."

It's a problem that's affected his social life and his fighting career, but now he's hoping that he may be on the verge of a solution.

Tags: MMA News by Ben Fowlkes
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Filed under: UFC

After a two-decade career as a professional boxer, James Toney looked like a fish out of water in his mixed martial arts debut on Saturday night, and UFC President Dana White said after Randy Couture overwhelmed Toney that the UFC was done experimenting with professional boxers.

But Trevor Sherman, the man who trained Toney for MMA, said he doesn't want Toney to quit the sport, even if he has to fight in a second-tier MMA promotion.

"I still love James," Sherman said. "I hope he doesn't stop doing MMA, and if the UFC does release him ... trust me -- there's plenty of interest."

Tags: MMA News, Randy Couture by Michael David Smith
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Filed under: Fighting, FanHouse Exclusive, News

Daniel Gracie, the cousin of Renzo and Roger Gracie, woke up one morning and knew it was time to return to MMA.

His last fight -- a loss to to Allan Goes in the now-defunct IFL -- took place in November 2006. Since then, the 38-year has remained active as a jiu-jitsu instructor, most recently taking over the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Stamford, CT.

But when Gracie stopped by The MMA Hour on Monday, he announced that his time away from MMA was coming to an end later this year.

"I can't just watch it. I was getting cranky because I wasn't fighting. Actually, I decided to take a little while from MMA because my English was terrible. I could talk but not teach jiu-jitsu, so I said, I have to learn to teach in English, because I know that my future is going to be having a jiu-jitsu school and teaching jiu-jitsu."

Tags: MMA News by Ariel Helwani
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Filed under: UFC, News

Wanderlei Silva's surgically repaired right knee is still healing, but it didn't stop the MMA legend from attending this past weekend's UFC 118, nor has it stopped him from dreaming big about the future.

Silva, who still has significant rehabilitation ahead of him, said that if all goes well, he hopes to be back competing in the octagon in February or March.

"I feel good," Silva said during UFC 118 weekend. "I had surgery and in the last year I've repaired my face and my knee. I want to fight six more years, until my 40s."

Tags: Chris Leben, MMA News, Wanderlei Silva by Mike Chiappetta
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Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is coming back to Montreal, and the event will be headlined by the most famous Canadian in the sport.

Georges St-Pierre's title defense against Josh Koscheck will take place on Dec. 11 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, UFC president Dana White confirmed with MMA Fighting Monday.

UFC 124 will happen at the end of the 12th season of The Ultimate Fighter, which premieres on Spike TV on Sept. 15. St-Pierre and Koscheck will serve as opposing coaches on the show.

Tags: Georges St. Pierre, Josh Koscheck, MMA News by Ariel Helwani
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Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Lightweights

No one can doubt Frankie Edgar anymore.

After Edgar beat B.J. Penn by unanimous decision in April, a lot of people believed that the fight was a fluke, that the judges erred, and that Penn was still the best lightweight in mixed martial arts. But now that Edgar has defeated Penn once again at UFC 118, there's no room for debate: Edgar is the undisputed champion.

Except that Edgar has one loss on his record, and that one loss is to Gray Maynard, who has been anointed the next challenger to Edgar's title. Maynard could make a case that he deserves to be considered the top fighter in the division, but unless he makes that case again in the cage, I'm sticking with Edgar at No. 1. The rest of the rankings are below.

Tags: B.J. Penn, Eddie Alvarez, George Sotiropoulos, Kenny Florian, MMA News by Michael David Smith
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Filed under: Fighting, FanHouse Exclusive, News

Contrary to published reports and the fighter's own Twitter account, Jay Hieron has not yet secured his release from Strikeforce.

The fighter recently told MMA Fighting that the two sides are still speaking, but he's looking forward, not backward.

"I jumped the gun. We're working on it," said Hieron, who was in Boston last weekend to help teammate Randy Couture finish preparations in facing James Toney at UFC 118. "Strikeforce is a good organization. I've had a good time fighting for them but I'm looking to the future. We haven't cut ties yet. We're working on a few things. But I'm in the gym every day and I'm definitely going to fight again in 2010."

Tags: MMA News by Mike Chiappetta
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Filed under: Strikeforce, News

After back-to-back losses to Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem, Brett Rogers will face much less stiff competition when he meets Ruben "Warpath" Villareal at W-1 "New Ground" on Oct. 23 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Rogers (10-2) is currently under contract with Strikeforce and received permission to accept this fight, MMAFighting.com confirmed Tuesday with Strikeforce.

Tags: MMA News by Ray Hui
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