MMA Thread

[SHOGUN]

I like the ring better than the cage even with it's downfalls, but that's just me.

[clovett]

Could it be? On the same day that Tiger Woods missed the cut for only the second time in his professional golfing career, it appears that hell may just have frozen over.

Apparently, the longstanding feud between former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and UFC president Dana White is over.

Yes, over.

At least according to their Twitter exchange on Friday afternoon.

"Yeah, me and (Dana White) made up. I'm expecting to be inside the Octagon again soon," Ortiz posted on his Twitter account.

Minutes later, White confirmed Ortiz' comments, posting on his own Twitter account, "Yes, Tito and I made up."

Although White fell short of saying that his arms were open to a Tito Ortiz return to the Octagon. "Doesn't mean he's back," posted the brash executive. "It means we aren't smashing each other anymore and we don't hate each other."

Of course, it's not out of the realm of possibility, since they have obviously upgraded their status from "Extreme Danger" to "Caution," that Ortiz could find his way back into the Octagon.

Since leaving the UFC following a loss to current champion Lyoto Machida, Ortiz has been in negotiations, first with the now defunct EliteXC, then Affliction, and most recently, Strikeforce.

In fact, less than three weeks ago in an interview with MMAWeekly.com, Ortiz sounded as if Strikeforce was all but a done deal.

"I'm in negotiations right now with Strikeforce and working with CBS and Showtime, so all three of us are going back and forth to make a contract that makes sense to me," he revealed at the time.

"Hopefully by October I'll be competing. We're finishing the contract I'd say with CBS, Showtime, and Strikeforce and making a deal that UFC can't match."

With the UFC's worth being estimated at more than a billion dollars, it wouldn't seem that much would be out of the juggernaught's reach, other than a network television deal.

"I managed to come off a huge back surgery. It's been a year since I've competed. I think one warm-up fight to get things going," Ortiz said in the MMAWeekly.com interview. "After that, I don't want no more warm-up fights. I'm hoping by my fourth fight, possibly fight Fedor Emelianenko at a catchweight. That'd be something that I'm looking forward to possibly by the middle of next year."

That's one other element that the UFC currently can't deliver, Fedor. But the promotion is maxing out many of its top stars with most of its events booked out until October, with the notable absence of a headline bout for its Sept. 19 landing in Dallas. And love him or hate him, Ortiz has a legion of followers and the UFC history that makes him an acceptable headliner or, at the least, a feature bout.

Of course, all of that is pure speculation as neither Ortiz nor White was available for comment – outside of their Twitter posts – at the time of publication. For now, all we know is that one of the most entertaining feuds in MMA history is winding down.

[clovett]

http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/17/mach-sakurai-ready-for-dream-semis-hopes-to-fight-gsp-in-future/

At one point in 2007, it seemed as though Hayato "Mach" Sakurai was ready to ply his trade across the globe in the UFC. But the Japanese MMA star never quite made it. For various reasons, Sakurai stayed in Japan, where he remains one of the stalwarts of the nation's MMA scene. In the DREAM welterweight Grand Prix quarterfinals in April, he scored a dominant TKO win over Shinya Aoki (video above).

On Monday, Sakurai (35-8) will square off in a semifinal bout with Marius Zaromskis, a native Lithuanian with a 9-2 record. The winner will meet the Jason High-Andre Galvao victor later in the night for the tournament championship. The event will air on HDNet.

Sakurai recently answered some questions about the fight and his career for FanHouse via email and through an intrepreter.

Mike Chiappetta: Have you seen Marius Zaromskis fight enough times that you understand his style?
Mach Sakurai: His fight style is unbelievable and astonishing. It is suprising that he did a back flip during the fight. He has great potential. I will just do my best.

Do you feel your win over Shinya Aoki makes you the tournament favorite?
Well, I do not think it made any difference.

Were you surprised Aoki moved to welterweight to fight in the Grand Prix? Did you feel as though you were representing all the welterweights in fighting him?
Of couse I was suprised Aoki moved to welterweight. Since Aoki was talking about things like that before the fight, I gradually and naturally felt that I was representing the welterweights.

You could end up fighting twice on Monday. How do you prepare for a possible second opponent when you don't know which man it will be?
I am preparing to be able to give tough fights. Since I do not know whom I am going to face at the final round, I do not have any special plan.

Would you rather face Jason High or Andre Galvao in the finals and why?
Either of them is fine. In order to become a champion, it does not matter to me who I need to face on the way.

What would it mean to you personally to win the welterweight Grand Prix?
It would be a great accomplishment for me at this stage of my career.

What would your next career goal be after winning the Grand Prix?
To be defending champion.

In 2005, after going 5-6 over your last 11 fights, you came to the U.S. to train with Matt Hume, and many say that was an important development in regaining the success you previously had. What did you learn there and was it indeed a turning point for you?
Of course, Matt was a great coach and it was very imporatant to me. I think it was really my turning point and it helped in improving myself.

At one point in 2007, it seemed as though you were signed with UFC and even appeared at a show to announce that you'd fight for them. Why did that never happen?
UFC is a wonderful event and any fighter is interested in the organization. I just chose to work with the great staff of people that promoted PRIDE. It was just because of my Japanese spirit.

Do you think you will ever fight in the UFC again (Sakurai fought for the organization once in 2002) or do you see your career staying in Japan?
There is a chance I might fight for the UFC as well as any other organizations. No one knows the future.

How do you think you would do against top UFC welterweights like Georges St. Pierre, Thiago Alves or Jon Fitch?
They are all great fighters. The only way to find out is to fight them.

What opponents do you hope to fight before you retire?
Georges St. Pierre and also champions.

[SHOGUN]

That's good news for Tito.

[corbin]

I think you can argue a hand full of guys to be #1 in p4p rankings.

But you shouldn't be laughing at Fedor being #1 on any persons list. The dude is a fucking monster.

[Hogle]

I'm not saying he's not a monster, I just find it hard to see him as #1 p4p rankings when i can't even see him as the #1 HW

[SHOGUN]

I'm not saying he's not a monster, I just find it hard to see him as #1 p4p rankings when i can't even see him as the #1 HW

Who do you think is better? Please don't say Mir or Lesnar......

[Hogle]

Oh here's another one with the please don't say Lesnar, well that's exactly what I was going to say. I'm tired of people hating on lesnar because the fact is there are so many people who are better than him at striking, submissions, ground and pound, everything, but the fact is, theyre not going to be able to use that stuff because when a 300 pound man with the wrestling ability he has is lying on them, he's going to control them, and fight where he wants to fight, and even if he doesnt have the ground and pound or striking to knock any one out other than old man couture, he will at the very least win by decision because he'll have controlled them the whole fight. And don't say oh, they'll just submit him, because ever since his fuck up against Mir, that's what he works on, and he won't put himself in a position like that again

[SHOGUN]

I like Brock Lensar, but he's not the top HW. Barnett and Overeem can do everything you just described and they have a more well-rounded game and fought more accomplished fighters.

I'll say it again, Brock Lesnar is Jeff Monson without all the grappling ability.

[Hogle]

but you must have missed what i said. I said people have those abilities over lesnar, but he is too big and to good a wrestler, so yes, he does have grappling skills, and theyre not going to get to use those things which they are better than him at, because he will be on top of them all fight

[SHOGUN]

but you must have missed what i said. I said people have those abilities over lesnar, but he is too big and to good a wrestler, so yes, he does have grappling skills, and theyre not going to get to use those things which they are better than him at, because he will be on top of them all fight

I disagree. I think Lesnar can be swept. We haven't seen him fight opponents worth their salt on the ground aside from Mir.

[Liquidrob]

but you must have missed what i said. I said people have those abilities over lesnar, but he is too big and to good a wrestler, so yes, he does have grappling skills, and theyre not going to get to use those things which they are better than him at, because he will be on top of them all fight

he couldnt even keep randy on his back and cheated to not get taken down, randy is old and 50 lbs lighter

I know you are trolling, but dont take to much stock in taking down heath and controlling him or GnP Mir, nothing jake o'brien and ian freeman didnt do...

[RosettaStoned]

but you must have missed what i said. I said people have those abilities over lesnar, but he is too big and to good a wrestler, so yes, he does have grappling skills, and theyre not going to get to use those things which they are better than him at, because he will be on top of them all fight

Except Randy controlled him throughout their fight. Randy is about 225. Lesnar was able to lay on Mir and Herring, neither of which have any takedown defense. Lesnar is going to be in trouble if he fights Randy again, Fedor, or Carwin.

[The Buddha]

Oh here's another one with the please don't say Lesnar, well that's exactly what I was going to say. I'm tired of people hating on lesnar because the fact is there are so many people who are better than him at striking, submissions, ground and pound, everything, but the fact is, theyre not going to be able to use that stuff because when a 300 pound man with the wrestling ability he has is lying on them, he's going to control them, and fight where he wants to fight, and even if he doesnt have the ground and pound or striking to knock any one out other than old man couture, he will at the very least win by decision because he'll have controlled them the whole fight. And don't say oh, they'll just submit him, because ever since his fuck up against Mir, that's what he works on, and he won't put himself in a position like that again

Are you a retard?....you are honestly saying Lesnar>Fedor?

A guy who is 3-1 is better than someone who hasnt lost in 10 or so years? A guy who has mediocre stand up, and not that great of a ground game is better than Fedor?

Because Brock is close to 300 lbs and a All American wrestler he is the best HW in the world?

[JayDizzle]

I'm not going to say that Lesnar has a minute chance in hell of beating Fedor (due to that video I just watched a few posts back... dude was looking to murder people legally; 'nuff said.).

What I will say is that Dana White delivers Brock/Fedor, he'll be wealthier beyond any comprehension in the MMA world but he'll also destroy any notion of a Heavyweight division in the UFC.

Fedor will become champion if the belt's on the line and then he'll hold UFC hostage because he'll want money and there will be no suitable fights for him if he decides to stick around.