props to graciemag:

“I consider Forrest (Griffin) to be a great fighter, a tough guy and there’s nothing bad I can say about him. Thank God I was better, I trained a lot and everything went my way. Of course I would never face Lyoto (Machida). There’s no point in even asking. We have a code of honor and, besides being friends, we’re like brothers. It will never happen. I seek to work hard and seriously. I’m far from being the best in the world. I carry on working hard and serious to keep up the good results. That comes from lots of work and I intend to keep it up, to keep on winning.”

UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva on whether or not he would consider fighting his teammate and light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida. Without even having to ask Anderson, I’m sure the answer would have been obvious. Although, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta have both stated many times that they don’t care if two fighters are teammates and won’t fight each, they will make the fight happen if they want to. I don’t doubt it, when it comes to smaller named / mid-level fighters. But, when it comes to two big named fighters I suspect the UFC doesn’t have that kind of pull. So, unless Machida or Silva leave their camp, I doubt we will ever see this fight happen.

Firstly the 195 pound weight division was apparently created for a catchweight fight between Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin. It was going to be a medium before both fighters went onto their respective weight classes; Wandy to 185 and Rich to 205. Or so we thought.

With Vitor Belfort signing with the UFC, Dana announced that Franklin and Belfort would fight each other at UFC 103 at a “catchweight” of 195 pounds. Which seems rather odd, as unlike Wandy; Vitor has fought at middleweight, is an established fighter in that weight class and does not require a stepping stone into it. So, all eyes should be looking at Rich Franklin.

For a long-time now it has been blatantly clear, Franklin is one of UFC’s poster boys. They have invested a lot of money into marketing him, especially overseas and he was their reigning middleweight champion for quite some time. That is, until Anderson Silva came along. After Silva destroyed Rich not once but twice, he made the decision to move the light heavyweight division. But, with Anderson hot on his tail and now also fighting in that weight class it seems any hope of Rich every getting a belt has been completely shattered.

So, if you’re the UFC, what do you do for you poster boy who has a fairly big and loyal fan base of god loving douche bags? You create a weight class for him! One that is free of the middleweight Anderson Silva and free of all the big sharks in the light heavyweight Division.

Mark my words, after his fight with Vitor Belfort; this will not be the end of the 195 weight Division. Win or lose, Rich will stay there and the UFC will cherry pick him opponents until they ‘decided’ to officially create at 195 division, and guess who will be first in line for title?

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today released the official fighter purses for those who competed at WEC 42 last night (Aug. 9).

Despite losing his WEC bantamweight title, Miguel “Angel” Torres was the highest paid fighter of the night, pocketing $25,000 for his main event first round knockout loss to Brian Bowles. Bowles, the new champ pocketed $18,000 for his labours.

Here is the complete list of WEC 42 payouts:


Brian Bowles — $18,000 ($9,000, $9,000 to win)
Miguel Torres — $25,000

Dominick Cruz — $14,000 ($7,000 to show, $7,000 to win)
Joseph Benavidez — $12,500

Danny Castillo — $14,000 ($7,000 to show, $7,000 to win)
Ricardo Lamas — $4,000

Takeya Mizugaki — $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
Jeff Curran — $8,000

Leonard Garcia — $24,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 to win)
Jameel Massouh — $3,000

Cole Province — $6,000 ($3,000 to show, $3,000 to win)
Fredson Paixao — $2,000

Shane Roller — $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Marcus Hicks — $8,000

Ed Ratcliff — $14,000 ($7,000 to show, $7,000 to win)
Phil Cardella — $3,000

Diego Nunes — $8,000 ($4,000 to show, $4,000 to win)
Rafael Dias — $4,000

Rani Yahya — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
John Hosman — $3,000

LC Davis — $10,000 ($5,000 to show, $5,000 to win)
Javier Vasquez — $6,000

Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc.

The total base fighter payroll for the Versus network event was $234,500.

To see the results of the WEC 42 card, please go here.

Fightburger is covering the WEC 42: Miguel Torres v Brian Bowles event. Here are the quick results as they unfold. Please refresh your browser regularly to stay updated on the fight outcomes.

L.C. DAVIS VS. JAVIER VAZQUEZ:
L.C. Davis def. Javier Vazquez via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28).

RAFAEL DIAS VS. DIEGO NUNES:
Diego Nunes def. Rafael Dias via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

JOHN HOSMAN VS. RANI YAHYA:
Rani Yahya def. John Hosman via submission (north-south choke) – Round 1, 2:08.

PHIL CARDELLA VS. ED RATCLIFF:
Ed Ratcliff def. Phil Cardella via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

MARCUS HICKS VS. SHANE ROLLER:
Shane Roller def. Marcus Hicks via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

FREDSON PAIXAO VS. COLE PROVINCE:
Cole Province def. Fredson Paixao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

LEONARD GARCIA VS. JAMEEL MASSOUH:
Leonard Garcia def. Jameel Massouh via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

JEFF CURRAN VS. TAKEYA MIZUGAKI:
Takeya Mizugaki def. Jeff Curran via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

DANNY CASTILLO VS. RICARDO LAMAS:
Castillo def. Ricardo Lamas via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:15.


JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ VS. DOMINICK CRUZ:
Dominick Cruz def. Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).

BRIAN BOWLES VS. MIGUEL TORRES (Bantamweight Championship):
Brian Bowles def. Miguel Torres via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:57.

UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn retained his title on Saturday in the main event of UFC 101, submitting Kenny Florian in the fourth-round of their championship headliner to cap off the pay-per-view event, which took place at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

After stunning Florian several times over the first three rounds and stifling the challenger’s takedown attempts, Penn got a takedown of his own before taking Florian’s back. After softening him with kicks to the body, Penn secured a rear naked choke and Florian was forced to submit.

Penn (14-5-1) rebounds from a January welterweight loss to champion Georges St-Pierre by winning his fourth-straight fight at 155-pounds, while the loss for Florian (11-4), his first in nearly three-years, snaps a six-fight winning streak.

In the UFC 101 co-headliner, UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva returned to the light heavyweight division and silenced his critics, following up back-to-back lackluster wins with a first-round knckout of former 205-pound champ Forrest Griffin.

After an aggressive start by Griffin that saw him miss with a head kick attempt, Silva tagged Forrest with punches, sending him to the canvas twice, and taunted him to attack, leaving his hands at his waist. As Griffin again pressed forward Silva backpeddled, but connected with a compact right that was freakishly similar to Muhammad Ali’s punch against Sonny Liston (see below). This punch sent Forrest to the canvas for a third and final time as the referee immediately stepped in and stopped the fight.



Knocked unconscious by the awkward-yet-powerful punch, Griffin quickly returned to his feet and ran out of the Octagon while Silva celebrated his return to form. “The Spider” (25-4) extends his win streak to 11-straight overall, including 10-straight UFC victories, while Griffin (16-6) has now lost two-straight.

In other main card action, Aaron Riley, Ricardo Almeida, and Kurt Pellegrino all picked up unanimous decision wins, while Johny Hendricks knocked out Amir Sadollah in just 29-seconds in a controversial stoppage.

The complete results for UFC 101 were:

B.J. Penn (c) def. Kenny Florian via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 4, 3:54
UFC Lightweight Championship
Anderson Silva def. Forrest Griffin via KO (punch) — Round 1, 3:23
Aaron Riley def. Shane Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Johny Hendricks def. Amir Sadollah via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:29
Ricardo Almeida def. Kendall Grove via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Kurt Pellegrino def. Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
John Howard def. Tamdan McCrory via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Alessio Sakara def. Thales Leites via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
Matthew Riddle def. Dan Cramer via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)
George Sotiropoulos def. George Roop via submission (kimura) — Round 2, 1:59
Jesse Lennox def. Danillo Villefort via TKO (cut) — Round 3, 3:37

Fightburger will have live UFC 101 results for all of Saturday’s UFC 101 fights.

Fights featured on the UFC 101 fight card include BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian for the UFC lightweight title, and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva moving up to light heavyweight to take on former champion Forrest Griffin.

Main event, lightweight title fight:
B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian:
BJ Penn def. Kenny Florian via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 4, 3:54

Co-main event:
Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin:
Anderson Silva def. Forrest Griffin via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:23.

Televised undercard:
Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks:
Johnny Hendricks def. Amir Sadollah via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:29

Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida:
Ricardo Almeida def. Kendall Grove via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 20-27)

Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino:
Kurt Pellegrino def. Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Non-televised undercard:
Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley:
Aaron Riley def. Shane Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard:
John Howard def. Tamdan McCrory via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara:
Alessio Sakara def. Thales Leites via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer:
Matthew Riddle def. Dan Cramer via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)

Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort:
Jesse Lennox def. Danillo Villefort via TKO (cut) – Round 3, 3:37

George Roop vs. George Sotiropoulos:
George Sotiropoulos def. George Roop via submission (kimura) – Round 2, 1:59

B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian: A lightweight championship fight that is destined to produce some fireworks.

BJ Penn:

Strengths: Whilst BJ is the heavy favourite for a reason; he possess some of the slickest jiu-jitsu skills in MMA, great wrestling / takedown defence, a chin made of granite, awe inspiring boxing and some serious power in both hands. Shown in his last two title defences against Sean Sherk & Joe Stevenson, BJ’s skills at 155 are only gaining momentum and getting stronger.

Weaknesses: Cardio & Frustration. Every warrior has an Achilles heel and BJ’s are these two aspects. Throughout his career fans have always question his cardio and endurance before every fight. The prodigy was known for purely relying on his talent to win his fights and not his determination. Although, his last few fights seem to have deflated this concern it is still something to keep in mind. Frustration; BJ has also shown frustration at the hands of not being able to execute his game plan. Although these two problems may seem minor, they are weakness that Ken-flo could potentially capitalize on.

Kenny Florian:

Strengths: Very good muay thai skills with brutal kicks and razor sharp elbows. Strong Jiu-Jitsu game, vastly improving after every fight and exceptionally good at following & executing game plans. Riding a 6 fight win streak since his last loss at his 1st title shot against Sean Sherk.

Weaknesses: Questionable wrestling skills and inexperience at the face of someone of BJ’s calibre. Whilst Kenny would have been defiantly working on his wrestling since his loss to Sherk, a big question mark remains over his head as to how much he as improved in this area. Although, I doubt wrestling will come to much into play in this fight, if he plans on trying to taking this fight to mat there will be some big problems. Although Florian is riding a 6 fight win streak against tough opponents; they are all very dissimilar to BJ in skill and sheer talent. Florian could be in some deep water.

The Fight: With BJ’s recent loss to GSP, I’m sure is hungrier than ever to prove himself. As seen from recent videos on his website, he has had a very strong camp and is coming prepared. In contrast; Kenny I’m sure is just as hungry and ready as BJ. I see this fight as mainly a standup war. Look for Kenny to execute a similar gameplan as he did against Roger Huerta. Staying on the outside and using his reach and muay thai skills to counter-strike and pop off shots inside the pocket and quickly get out. Knowing BJ predominantly box’s; Florain will more than likely use his muay thai to try and kick the arms of Penn to wear them out. I see Kenny will be looking to drag this fight out into the later rounds and exhaust / frustrate his opponent.

BJ also, will keep this fight standing, with the better boxing skills and a vicious jab, I see him hunting down Kenny and trying to cut his opponent off from circling / evading away with strong left/right hooks. After the 1st few minutes of feeling out; look for Penn to come out like a man on fire. I really see him pushing the pace for the 1st few rounds, being very aggressive and trying to finish ken-flo quickly.

In Closing: Although BJ is the heavy favourite, I think Kenny is being greatly overlooked. If Florian can survive the 1st few rounds of aggressiveness from BJ, he will do well enough to do churn out a decision. On the other hand, if he can’t look for the champ to get a KO/TKO win in the 1st / 2nd round.

Stay tuned to Fightburger for UFC 101 Results this weekend.

It’s been a busy year for the San Jose-based Strikeforce organization — and it ain’t over yet. And if this past week is any indication, I think it’s safe to say that Strikeforce isn’t content with merely being the little engine that could.

After the acquisition of select Pro Elite assets earlier in the year, the Showtime/CBS television deal and of course the signing of Fedor Emelianenko, Scott Coker and Co. have clearly established themselves as not just an alternative to the UFC, but a viable and adroit mixed martial arts promotion with a longterm vision.

Part of that vision includes a fighter roster that extends beyond its in-house talent, as evidenced by the ’strategic alliance’ formed with Fighting and Entertainment Group’s (FEG) Japan-based ‘DREAM’ promotion.

While co-promotion is not something that’s currently under consideration, FEG officials told MMAmania.com earlier today that the partnership will allow contracted fighters to compete for either promotion if the opportunity arises, much like it did for Mitsuhiro Ishida back on July 30.

“Endless Fighter” was called in to rematch Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce interim lightweight title at ‘Carano vs. Cyborg’ after current champ Josh Thomson was forced to withdraw from the August 15 event when his leg failed to heal in time to obtain medical clearance to compete.

An alliance would also allow Emelianenko to compete in Japan where he is still revered for his accomplishments in the now defunct PRIDE FC.

Coker even mentioned in a previous radio interview the possibility of a future bout between “The Last Emperor” and Sergei Kharitonov.

In addition, fighters who eventually exhaust opportunities within their divisions can now find new challenges overseas.

Now that Strikeforce has a relationship with both M-1 Global and DREAM, the promotion has access to international resources that will ultimately benefit the fans by creating match ups that in the past, may have been logistically impossible.

Fightburger.com as recently got wind that Fedor Emelianenko has now signed a multi-fight contract with Strikeforce. Fedor, who was previously signed with Affliction was set to face #2 ranked heavyweight Josh Barnett on August 1st. However, Barnett subsequently tested posted for steroids one week before their fight and the CSAC denied Barnett his fighting licence.

This bad turn of events resulted in the demise of the Affliction promotion and ultimately made Fedor Emelianenko a free agent.

Over the last week the UFC was in strong negotiations with Emelianenko and his management. Strong rumours throughout the MMA community hinted that the UFC would finally have Fedor in their ranks. This dream died on Friday during Dana Whites press conference when White said that the UFC and Fedors management could not come to an agreement on co-promotion.

Although the specifics of the contract Strikforce offered Fedor are unknown it seems clear that would settle with the co-promotion demands.

Fedor, pleased with the new fight deal had this to say in a recent press conference: “Strikeforce is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters in the world”.

Dana White, unpleased with the new fight deal had this to say: “Fedor is a f—ing joke, He turns down a huge deal and the opportunity to face the best in the world to fight nobodies for no money!”.

Whilst Strikeforces heavyweight divison is somewhat lacking in comparison to the UFC’s, there still remain some formidable opponents for the last emperor. Such as; Brett Rogers, Fabrico Wedrum & Allistair Overeem. Conversely, if Fedor beats these 3 opponents me, like many fans will be asking what is next?