Frank Mir Will Face Shane Carwin at UFC 111-Interim Title a Possibility
According to MMA Fanhouse, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will likely take on #1 contender Shane Carwin for the UFC interim heavyweight championship. The bout is expected to take place at UFC 111, scheduled for March 27th in Newark, New Jersey.
Current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar recently underwent surgery for an intestinal problem. It is still unclear at this time when or even if he will return to action. UFC president Dana White had said that he would explore the possibility of an interim title fight during Lesnar’s absence. My guess would be that the fight would be made an interim title fight only if Lesnar’s condition when he gets checked out next month shows it will still be an extended absence for the champion. If Lesnar is expected back by mid-Spring or so, look for the Carwin/Mir fight to become a #1 contender fight instead of for the interim title.
Mir is coming off a convincing, first-round submission victory over Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 last Saturday. After the contest, Carwin said that he’d like to take on the former champ:
The main question I am getting is would I fight Frank? The answer is easy YES. I am not a fighter who decides who he fights, I fight who I am told to fight. I like it that way, I am not trying to build a legacy I am trying to fight the best fighters in the World and determine where I fit in. Mir is a multiple time Champion, who has been counted out more than Mike Tyson to only find himself right back at the top. He is a LEGEND of the sport and I would be honored to fight him.
Mir echoed the notion:
Carwin is a phenomenal match-up, and I think if I can’t fight Brock again to show that I’ve made improvements against that style, I think Shane Carwin is a more than an ample substitution. If anything, I think he’s a better version.
Carwin hasn’t fought since March, when he beat Gabriel Gonzaga in the first round. UFC 111 is expected to be headlined by a welterweight title fight between Georges St. Pierre and Dan Hardy. The fight between Carwin and Mir would likely serve as the co-main event of the evening.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Out of UFC 109 Bout With Brandon Vera
Due to a broken ankle suffered in training camp, UFC light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has pulled out of his scheduled UFC 109 fight with Brandon Vera, according to reports.
Nogueira made his UFC debut at UFC 106, earning a first-round TKO victory over Luiz Cane. The fight with Vera was scheduled to be on the main card at the February event. Vera’s last opponent, Randy Couture, is fighting Mark Coleman in the main event of the card. Also currently scheduled for the main card of the event is a rematch between Josh Koscheck and Paulo Thiago, as well as a middleweight fight between Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen.
The report also indicates that the UFC is searching for a possible replacement for Nogueira to fight Vera.
UFC 109 takes place February 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada.
*UPDATE*
According to Brandon Vera’s Twitter, he will now be facing Jon Jones in March.
“just found out I’m fighting Jon Bones Jones on March 21st in Denver Colorado. hope u heard it here first!!!!”
The Vera vs. Jones fight is likely to headline the UFC Fight Night 21 card scheduled for Denver on that date. Jones is coming off a DQ loss to Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Finale 10. He is protesting the ruling of a DQ.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Quick Post-UFC 107 Thoughts
B.J. Penn had one of the best performances of his career tonight. He completely dominated Diego Sanchez from the opening bell until the doctor stoppage in the 5th round. He didn’t lose a round, was never in danger, and basically dominated every minute of that fight. Penn’s basically run out of challengers in the UFC’s lightweight division. Potential fights against Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard would probably be even more lopsided than this one. It’s going to be tough to find a worthy opponent for Penn.
Frank Mir was also impressive in his 1st round submission victory over Cheick Kongo. Mir rocked Kongo with a big left hook, and followed Kongo to the ground where he locked in a guillotine choke. Kongo was forced to tap just over a minute into the first round. Mir is making a strong case for deserving a 3rd fight against Brock Lesnar.
Kenny Florian started off a little tenative in the opening minutes against Clay Guida. He found the range near the end of the 1st round, and continued into the 2nd. After knocking Guida down, Florian was able to get the rear naked choke and forced Guida to tap. I don’t know who would be next for Florian, but I think it’s clear he’s the 2nd best lightweight in the UFC.
Jon Fitch won a unanimous decision over Mike Pierce, though the fight was closer than the scores indicated. Pierce was a very tough opponent, but Fitch survived. The fight wasn’t overally entertaining, and since Fitch is gunning for a rematch with GSP, he needs to start making his case more emphatically.
Stefan Struve beat UFC veteran Paul Buentello in a sloppy, but entertaining affair. Struve looked good in the 1st round as he was attempting submissions, but both fighters seemed to tire as the fight wore on. Struve ended up winning the majority decision.
Here is a list of the bonuses awarded for UFC 107:
Submission of the night: Damarques Johnson for his triangle choke of Edgar Garcia
Knockout of the night: T.J. Grant for his 1st round KO of Kevin Burns
Fight of the night: Alan Belcher and Wilson Gouveia. They were throwing bombs until Belcher finished Gouveia off three minutes into round one.
*All bonuses were $65,000*
Popularity: 6% [?]
UFC 107 Live Updates, Scoring, and Analysis
Be sure to follow MMA Ground N’ Pound on Twitter! Twitter.com/mmagroundnpound. I’ll be Tweeting live updates from UFC 107, including round-by-round scoring and instant analysis! www.twitter.com/mmagroundnpound.
Popularity: 5% [?]
UFC 107 Preview and Predictions
I apologize in advance for the shorter than normal preview. My internet is down so I’m typing the preview from my blackberry instead. On to the fights!
Paul Buentello vs. Stefan Struve: Buentello is making his return to the UFC, but he’ll have a tough test in Struve. Struve is a ground specialist who is working to bulk up and improve his striking. Buentello’s bread-and-butter is his striking. He’ll be at a reach disadvantage with Struve, but should still have the advantage in striking. Struve is very dangerous on the ground however. Buentello has the experience advantage, but I think Struve can pull this one off. Struve via submission in the 2nd.
Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce: Fitch is trying to work his way back to a title shot against Georges St, Pierre, while Pierce is trying to follow up on his impressive victory over Brock Larson at UFC Fight Night 19. Fitch last fought at UFC 100, winning a decision over Paulo Thiago. Both guys are strong wrestlers with a collegiate wrestling background, but I think Fitch is the better all-around fighter. I think this one is headed to the scorecards either way. Fitch via unanimous decision.
Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida: Guida is trying to finally break into the upper echelon of UFC lightweights. He’s 5-4 in his UFC career, and was on a three-fight winning streak prior to his loss to Diego Sachez at The Ultimate Finale 9. Florian is at a bit of a crossroads in his UFC career. He’s among the top lightweights in the world, but he’s lost twice in title fights. He’ll probably need someone to dethrone Penn to receive another title shot. A lot of people are picking Guida in this one. I don’t see it. His wrestling is better than Florian’s, but Florian has the edge in all other areas. His striking has improved a great deal over the years, and his jiu jitsu game is good and underrated. His cardio has never been an issue, so I don’t see Guida’s pace really being a problem. Florian should win this fight easier than many expect. Florian via unanimous decision.
Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo: Mir has bulked up since losing to Brock Lesnar at UFC 100. He’s put on about 25 lbs since then, and weighed in at 264.5 lbs today. He believes he needs to get stronger to take on the bigger guys in the division. I’m interested to see the toll it takes on his sometimes questionable gas tank. Kongo last fought at UFC 99, where he dropped a decision to Cain Velasquez. In that fight, Kongo landed some good shots, but really struggled with Velasquez’s wrestling. Mir is nowhere near the wrestler than Velasquez is, but if he can get Kongo down, he should be able to submit him. He may have to withstand some punishment to do so, but I think he’ll be able to. Mir via submission in the 2nd.
B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez: Penn is looking to successfully defend his title for the 3rd time since winning it at UFC 80. His last fight was a submission victory over Kenny Florian at UFC 101. He dominated Florian in all facets of the game in that contest. Sanchez beat Clay Guida by split-decision at The Ultimate Finale 9. In that fight, Sanchez came out firing from the opening bell, nearly finishing Guida with a head kick in the opening round. Sanchez’s striking looked improved, but it’s hard to really tell because Guida’s striking is subpar. He’s black belt level in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and is trained under Saulo Ribeiro. Since dropping to the lightweight division, Sanchez has looked explosive in his victories over Joe Stevenson and Guida. However, he faces a stiff challenge in Penn. Penn’s striking is better than Sanchez, and his Jiu Jitsu is as well. In addition, Penn’s takedown defense is outstanding. The only person who has been really successful in out-wrestling Penn is Georges St. Pierre, and Sanchez is no GSP. Sanchez has earned my respect in the way his overall game has improved, but I still don’t think he’s at Penn’s level. Penn via TKO in the 3rd.
Undercard Picks:
Alan Belcher over Wilson Gouvia via 2nd round TKO
Matt Wiman over Shane Nelson via 2nd round TKO
Johny Hendricks over Ricardo Funch via decision
Rousimar Palhares over Lucio Linhares via decision
Edgar Garcia over DaMarques Johnson via 1st round TKO
Kevin Burns over T.J. Grant via decision
Popularity: 14% [?]
Carlos Condit Pulls Out of UFC 108 Bout With Paul Daley
Carlos Condit has pulled out of his scheduled UFC 108 contest with Paul Daley due to an injury, according to various reports. The fight was scheduled to appear on the main card of the pay-per-view, which is headlined by a light heavyweight fight between Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva.
Daley has asked for a new opponent, and gave a few possible names:
Koshcheck…is a tough motherf*cker, but I accept the challenge. Hazellet has sick subs, and is dangerous, but I accept that fight too. Any top level fighter in 170lbs with a winning record. Joe make it happen.
Koscheck last fought at UFC 106, submitting Anthony Johnson in the 2nd round. Dustin Hazelett was scheduled to fight Karo Parisyan on the same card, but Parisyan pulled out of the fight the day before the event. Either one would pose a serious threat to Daley, a vaunted striker but someone who has struggled on the ground. Daley last fought at UFC 103, getting a TKO victory over Martin Kampmann.
UFC 108 takes place January 2nd, 2010, in Las Vegas.
*UPDATE*
According to reports, Dustin Hazelett will indeed be Condit’s replacement against Daley. He was offered the bout today, and agreed to the fight.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Dan Henderson Signs With Strikeforce
According to Sherdog, former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight Dan Henderson has signed with Strikeforce. The deal is for four fights and/or 16 months. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Henderson, the middleweight and light heavyweight champion of Pride when the organization was purchased by the UFC, had a chance to unify the Pride and UFC titles twice. His first UFC fight was against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the UFC’s light heavyweight champion at the time. Henderson lost a close decision to Jackson, but then received a shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 82. After winning the first round against Silva, Henderson was choked out in the second. Since the loss to Silva, Henderson went on a three-fight winning streak including a vicious knockout victory over Michael Bisping at UFC 100. Henderson also served as the coach for the U.S. squad on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Henderson had made it known he wanted another shot at Silva, but the UFC passed over him and gave the shot to Vitor Belfor instead. The move angered Henderson, though it seems that money was the main factor that he ended up with Strikeforce. Dana White has been on record saying that Henderson wasn’t worth the money that he wanted and that Strikeforce would be making a mistake if they paid him what he was looking for.
According to MMA Fanhouse, White says that he lowered the UFC’s final offer to Henderson to force his hand into signing with Strikeforce.
He’s happy, but the reality is that I pushed him into signing that deal. I told people over the weekend that he’d sign within the next week.I wanted him to s**t or get off the pot. He was in this limbo forever, and he needed more motivation to make a decision.
Let me ask you a question,” he continued. “Do you think that there’s any guy we can’t get that I want? Other than Fedor [Emelianenko]? So far, he’s been the one guy we can’t get. But everyone else that we’ve wanted, we got. If I wanted Dan Henderson, I could’ve signed him.
It’s clear that White doesn’t believe that losing Henderson is a big deal to his organization. Henderson will likely fight Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields in his first fight, though contests with Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and Strikeforce heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko remain a possibility for the future.
Popularity: 6% [?]
