Independent firm to drug test UFC 144 fighters; 15,000 tix sold for Japan show
The UFC has retained an independent drug-testing laboratory to screen fighters for performance-enhancing drugs and drugs of abuse later this month at UFC 144 in Japan.
The event's headliners - lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and challenger Ben Henderson - will be tested along with six to eight random competitors on the fight card, a source close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com
Approximately 15,000 tickets have been sold for the show, the source said.
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For co-headliner Roy Nelson, UFC 143 offers a chance at title contention
LAS VEGAS - Different fighters react to losses in different ways, though most echo Roy Nelson's thoughts: "It sucks, man. It sucks."
But what a fighter does after a loss is what separates the good ones from the bad.
As Nelson prepares for Saturday's UFC 143 co-headliner with Strikeforce heavyweight transplant Fabricio Werdum, he hopes his post-loss success continues.
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UFC on FOX 3 adds flyweights Louis Gaudinot vs. newcomer John Lineker
The UFC's flyweight division is kicking off quickly in 2012, and the
promotion's third event on network television today received a second
125-pound affair.
UFC officials today announced that Louis Gaudinot and
John Lineker will meet at UFC on FOX 3.
Verbal agreements are in place for the matchup, and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.
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MMAjunkie.com Radio (3 p.m. ET): Alves, Chandler, Melendez, Mendes, Munoz and Lin
MMAjunkie.com Radio's studio is star-studded for today's show, which begins at a special time of 3 p.m. ET (noon PT) with Bellator champ Michael Chandler,
Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez, UFC contenders Chad Mendes and Mark Munoz, and MMA photographer Esther Lin.
UFC on FX 2 headliner Thiago Alves also calls in.
MMAjunkie.com Radio airs today 3-5 p.m. ET (12-2 p.m. PT) live from
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Listen to and
watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.
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UFC 143's Ed Herman still proving he's more than the guy from the reality show
Reality TV is a powerful thing when you're on it for more than 10 minutes.
One one hand, Herman, now 31, is happy to have had the opportunity to be
seen on such a powerful platform as "The Ultimate Fighter." For a fight career, nothing could be
better than weekly exposure, even if it consists of you monkeying around
a house in Las Vegas with free booze.
But it also means he's that guy on "TUF."
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Radio (8 p.m. ET): Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Gil Melendez, Miesha Tate, Joey Diaz
MMAjunkie.com Radio goes prime time after tonight's UFC 143 weigh-ins
and welcomes to the studio UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, Strikeforce
champions Gilbert Melendez and Miesha Tate, and comedian/MMA fan Joey
"Coco" Diaz.
We also talk to ex-champ and MMA legend Tito Ortiz.
MMAjunkie.com Radio airs tonight from 8-10 p.m. ET (5-7 p.m. PT) live from
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Listen to and
watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.
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UFC 143 weigh-in results: Diaz (169) and Condit (169) cleared for title fight
LAS VEGAS - MMAjunkie.com is on scene and reporting live from tonight's "UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit" official fighter weigh-ins.
The festivities take place at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and the first fighter is on the scale at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT).
Join us for live text-only updates in this post, or catch a live video stream of the proceedings on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.
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Bellator 63 hosts season-six welterweight tourney, War Machine pulled from lineup
With War Machine (formerly Jon Koppenhaver) apparently returning to jail in two weeks, Bellator has given Chris Lozano his slot in the promotion's season-six welterweight tournament, officials today announced.
Lozano now meets Karl Amoussou in the headliner of Bellator 63, which takes place March 30 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
The event's main card, which airs on MTV2, features the opening round of the eight-man tournament.
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Main card, prelims set for 'Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey' in Ohio
The lineup, including the preliminary and main cards, is set for next month's "Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey" event.
The show takes place March 3 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The main card, including a title fight between female bantamweight champion Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey, airs on Showtime. Prelims air on Showtime Extreme.
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Watch today's UFC 143 fighter weigh-ins live on MMAjunkie.com at 7 p.m. ET
LAS VEGAS - UFC 143 fighter weigh-ins take place today, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on
MMAjunkie.com.
Today's weigh-ins take place at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and the first
fighter is on the scale at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT local time).
In addition to the video stream, you can get live weigh-in updates in our text-only results post on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.
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UFC 143 play by play and live results
LAS VEGAS - MMAjunkie.com is on scene and reporting live from tonight's UFC 143 event.
The event, which features an interim welterweight title fight between
Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, takes place at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay
Events Center.
Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results
beginning at approximately 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT local time) for
the preliminary card and 10 p.m. ET for the main card.
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With conclusion of 'Primetime,' UFC 143 fighters switching over to 'dark side'
We see the "before" of a UFC fighter before he steps into the octagon in
snapshots: interviews, the press conference and weigh-ins.
When he enters the cage in a bad mood, we know why. It's a job requirement.
What we don't see is the hundreds of hours leading up to those public
moments, and in particular, the changeover that happens as a fighter
realizes the time is near to put everything on the line.
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With much at stake at UFC 143, Rafael Natal more confident than ever
LAS VEGAS - Not sure if nicknames are an important part of Brazilian fighting culture?
Ask UFC 143's Rafael "Sapo" Natal.
"My nickname comes from doing capoeira," Natal told MMAjunkie.com in his native Portuguese. "When I showed up, I
didn't have a nickname, so they gave me one. There was a book about
animals. They opened the book to a page with a frog. So that was it."
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UFC 143 discussion thread
LAS VEGAS - MMAjunkie.com is on scene and reporting live from tonight's UFC 143 event at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Be sure to follow along with the latest card updates in our UFC 143 live-results post, and then discuss the event in the comments section below.
Round-by-round updates and official results begin at approximately 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT local time) for the preliminary card and 10 p.m. ET for the main card.
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Casey Olson drops to 135 pounds, meets Cody Gibson in TPF 12 headliner
Tachi Palace Fights 12's main event will feature a pair of Californians,
as Fresno's Casey Olson faces Visalia's Cody Gibson.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the matchup with Tachi Palace Fights officials.
"TPF 12: Second Coming" takes place March 9 at Tachi Palace Hotel and
Casino in Lemoore, Calif. The card is expected to stream online.
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Reminder: 'UFC Primetime: Diaz vs. Condit' concludes tonight on FX
As a reminder, 'UFC Primetime' returns to FX tonight in anticipation of UFC 143's interim championship main event.
The well-received three-part series focuses on former Strikeforce champ
Nick Diaz and former WEC titleholder Carlos Condit, who headline Saturday's UFC 143 event.
The first two episodes provided insight into both fighter's lives, and
UFC president Dana White promises even more drama in the final episode,
including a series of missed flights by Diaz, as well as both
competitors tapping into their "dark side" as they get ready for the
fight.
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For UFC 143's Chris Cope, where there's a 'woo!' there's a way
Where there's a "woo!" there's a way.
"The Ultimate Fighter 13" alum Chris Cope, channeling his childhood love for professional wrestler Ric Flair, has popularized the term in the context of MMA ever since he stepped into frame for the first time on the reality show.
Some guys watch "Rocky" the night before a fight to get motivated. Meanwhile, Cope can be heard belting out a "woo!" or six.
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UFC 143 weigh-in photos: An MMAjunkie.com image gallery
LAS VEGAS - MMAjunkie.com was on scene for today's official UFC 143 weigh-ins, where all 22 competitors successfully made weight
for Saturday's pay-per-view event.
The action went off without a hitch and - perhaps surprisingly - even
headliners Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit stared each other down without a
hint of a pre-fight physical altercation.
Nevertheless, both were received with a mix of boos and cheers during
today's festivities took place at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center.
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Manager: If victorious at UFC 143, Carlos Condit unlikely to wait for champ GSP
Malki Kawa understands why Cesar Gracie's highest-profile client, Nick Diaz, would wait on the sidelines if he's victorious at tonight's UFC 143 event.
Diaz and Carlos Condit headline tonight's pay-per-view event and fight for an interim welterweight title, and injured champ Georges St-Pierre awaits the winner in the fall.
And while he understands the financial benefits of waiting for St-Pierre, Kawa thinks his client, Condit, would be better off taking another fight instead of waiting.
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UFC 143 preview: Against Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit looks for upset in interim-title fight
Nowadays, Nick Diaz's plan of attack isn't just strategy - it's philosophy.
Fans can pretty much bet that he'll walk down his opponent and throw
punches until he buckles under the pressure. That's real fighting, the
way he sees it, and though the variables may change inside the cage, his
approach is the same.
Carlos Condit is next in line to accept the Diaz challenge. Will he be able withstand the onslaught?
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Watch tonight's post-UFC 143 press conference live on MMAjunkie.com
LAS VEGAS - UFC 143 take place tonight at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
As usual, you can catch a live video stream of the night's post-fight press conference here on MMAjunkie.com at approximately 1 a.m. ET (10 p.m. PT local time).
Expected to take part in tonight's press conference are UFC president Dana White, headliners Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, and winners from the night's main card.
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With Izquierdo out, Means faces Magalhaes at UFC on FUEL TV 1
Yoislandy Izquierdo will soon fight in the UFC, but it won't be at UFC on FUEL TV 1.
UFC officials recently announced that Izquierdo has withdrawn from the
Feb. 15 event, and Tim Means now faces Bernardo
Magalhaes in a lightweight bout on the evening's
preliminary card.
UFC on FUEL TV 1 takes place Feb. 15 at Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha,
Neb. The main card airs on FUEL TV, and prelims stream on Facebook.
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UFC, Century Martial Arts donate MMA gear to nonprofit Las Vegas boxing club
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. - If you need proof that MMA is the combat sport of the future, look no further than the Richard
Steele Boxing Club in North Las Vegas, Nev.
The five-year-old nonprofit gym on Thursday took its MMA program to the next level.
The gym's MMA program already has more than 55 kids enrolled. On Thursday, UFC officials partnered with Century Martial Arts to donate thousands of dollars of gloves, bags and other equipment to help fund the program's growing needs.
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MMAjunkie.com's John Morgan on pre-UFC 143 'Fight Day' show at 6 p.m. ET
MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter and MMA insider John Morgan is a guest on today's official UFC 143 pre-event show, "Fight Day."
The show, hosted by Dave Farra and Megan Olivi, also includes perennial UFC lightweight contender Clay Guida and Strikeforce female title challenger Ronda Rousey.
You can watch the show, which airs live from Las Vegas, from 6-7 p.m. ET at www.heavy.com.
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The Sunday Junkie deadline reminder, win a free 'Fighters Only' subscription!
As a reminder, submissions for the upcoming edition of "The Sunday Junkie" are due Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.
All topics - including this weekend's UFC 143 event - are open for discussion. The person who sends in the submission we deem the best (based on timeliness of subject, clarity and overall persuasiveness) is the winner.
Each winner receives a free year's subscription to "Fighters Only," the world's leading MMA and lifestyle magazine.
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Brunson vs. 'Jacare,' Sayers vs. Smith added to 'Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey'
The fight card for Strikeforce's March 3 event in Ohio continues to
fill, and a pair of middleweight contests were today added to the schedule.
MMAjunkie.com confirmed with sources close to the
event that Derek Brunson faces former Strikeforce champ Ronaldo 'Jacare'
Souza, and Lumumba Sayers meets Scott Smith.
"Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey" takes place at Nationwide Arena
in Columbus, Ohio, and coincides with the annual Arnold Sports
Festival. The main card airs on Showtime, and prelims air on Showtime
Extreme.
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The Sunday Junkie deadline reminder, win a free 'Fighters Only' subscription!
As a reminder, submissions for the upcoming edition of "The Sunday Junkie" are due Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.
All topics - including this weekend's UFC 143 event - are open for discussion. The person who sends in the submission we deem the best (based on timeliness of subject, clarity and overall persuasiveness) is the winner.
Each winner receives a free year's subscription to "Fighters Only," the world's leading MMA and lifestyle magazine.
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