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UFC: Josh Neer Released, Pat Barry Sidelined Several Months, UFC in Boston in 2010, and More

Kris Karkoski — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:00:48 +0000

Lightweight Josh Neer has been released by the UFC after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Gleison Tibau last Saturday at UFC 104, his second-straight loss and third in his last four fights.
Mark Bocek will take on newcomer Joe Brammer in a lightweight matchup at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale on December 5 after his original opponent, Matt Veach, was tapped to replace an injured Kurt Pellegrino and fight Frankie Edgar on the event’s main card.
Middleweights Tim Credeur and Mike Massenzio are likely to fight in January at UFC Fight Night 20.
UFC middleweights Yoshihiro Akiyama and Yushin Okami recently began training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.
Heavyweight Pat Barry, who earned “Fight of the Night” and “Knockout of the Night” honors for his second-round knockout of Antoni Hardonk at UFC 104, will be sidelined at least two months to recover from surgery needed to repair a broken thumb suffered in the win. Barry has his sights set on fighting Stefan Struve when he returns to action.
Veterans Nick Thompson, Bobby Southworth, and Jason Lambert have advanced in tryouts for The Ultimate Fighter 11, while Wayne Cole and Logan Clark fell short in their bids to make it onto the reality series.
The UFC will likely hold an event in Boston in 2010 after Massachusetts lawmakers recently passed a bill to regulate mixed martial arts events in the state, with only a signature from Governor Deval Patrick needed for the law to go into effect.
The Ultimate Fighter 10 cast member Zak Jensen faces a wrongful death lawsuit for his alleged involvement in a March altercation in Mexico with Josh Gunderson, who died as a result of the fight.

Pictured: Josh Neer

UFC 104 Fighter Salaries: Headliners Machida and Rua Top Payroll

Kris Karkoski — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:20:53 +0000

UFC light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida and challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who headlined Saturday’s UFC 104 event in Los Angeles, topped the pay-per-view event’s disclosed $922,000 fighter payroll, according to figures released Tuesday by the California State Athletic Commission.

Machida earned an event-high $200,000 for his controversial main event win over Rua, while “Shogun” received $155,000 for his efforts.

Other top earners included Joe Stevenson ($94,000), Cain Velasquez ($70,000), and Chael Sonnen ($54,000).

14,892 fans attended the card at the Staples Center, generating a $1,762,549 live gate.

The disclosed fighter salaries for UFC 104 were:

Lyoto Machida ($200,000 – no win bonus) def. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua ($155,000)
Cain Velasquez ($70,000 – includes $35,000 win bonus) def. Ben Rothwell ($50,000)
Gleison Tibau ($38,000 – $19,000 win bonus) def. Josh Neer ($14,000)
Joe Stevenson ($94,000 – $47,000 win bonus) def. Spencer Fisher ($26,000)
Anthony Johnson ($27,000 – $15,000 win bonus) def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida ($15,000)*
Ryan Bader ($30,000 – $15,000 win bonus) def. Eric Schafer ($13,000)
Pat Barry ($14,000 – $7,000 win bonus) def. Antoni Hardonk ($16,000)
Chael Sonnen ($54,000 – $27,000 win bonus) def. Yushin Okami ($18,000)
Jorge Rivera ($36,000 – $18,000 win bonus) def. Rob Kimmons ($9,000)
Kyle Kingsbury ($16,000 – $8,000 win bonus) def. Razak Al-Hassan ($3,000)
Stefan Struve ($14,000 – $7,000 win bonus) def. Chase Gormley ($10,000)

Remember, the salaries listed above are simply those reported by the UFC to the athletic commission and do not represent a fighter’s actual earnings.

In addition to their salaries above, Barry earned an extra $120,000, while Hardonk and Stuve each received $60,000 in “fight night” bonuses.

For more UFC 104 coverage check out MMAFrenzy.com’s UFC 104 section.

* Figures reflect Johnson forfeiting $3,000 ( 20% of $15,000 show money) to Yoshida for failing to make weight.

Pictured: Lyoto Machida

UFC 104 Results: Machida Retains Title With Controversial Win Over “Shogun,” Velasquez Dominates Rothwell

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 04:53:26 +0000

The “Machida Era” was extended in controversial fashion on Saturday, as light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida was awarded a questionable unanimous decision win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the main event of UFC 104 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

In a decision that was met with boos from the live crowd and claims of robbery and calls for an immediate rematch from online fans, the judges awarded Machida the victory with 48-47 scores despite Rua winning the bout on nearly every observer’s scorecard.

Rua’s strategy relied on damaging leg and body kicks that left Machida battered after the five-round technical showdown, while Machida connected less frequently with precision strikes. Despite more frequent and damaging blows, the decision was given to the reigning champ, who was defending the title for the first time since winning the belt from Rashad Evans in May.

Machida remains undefeated, improving to 16-0 in the victory with his eight-straight wins inside the Octagon tied for second-best in the promotion’s history, while Rua falls to 18-4 in defeat.

In the UFC 104 co-headliner, Cain Velasquez cemented his status as a top heavyweight contender with a dominating win over Ben Rothwell. After blitzing the IFL veteran for the entirety of the opening round, Velasquez picked up where he left off in the second, taking Rothwell to the ground and quickly finishing him with punches.

Velasquez, now 8-0 on his career with five-straight UFC wins, remains in line for a future title show, while Rothwell falls to 30-7 and will return to the Octagon in search of his first UFC win to get him back on track.

In other main card action, Gleison Tibau used dominant takedowns to pick up a decision over Josh Neer, Joe Stevenson forced Spencer Fisher to tap to a barrage of elbows, and Antony Johnson earned a 41-second knockout of Yoshiyuki Yoshida.

On the preliminary card, The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Ryan Bader earned a unanimous decision over Eric Schafer, Pat Barry kicked off the Spike TV card with an impressive second-round TKO of Antoni Hardonk, Chael Sonnen dominated Yushin Okami en route to a unanimous decision win, and Jorge Rivera, Kyle Kingsbury, and Stefan Struve also earned wins.

The official results for UFC 104 were:

Lyoto Machida (c) def. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Cain Velasquez def. Ben Rothwell via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 0:58
Gleison Tibau def. Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Joe Stevenson def. Spencer Fisher via submission (strikes) — Round 2, 4:03
Anthony Johnson def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:41
Ryan Bader def. Eric Schafer via unanimous decison (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Patrick Barry def. Antoni Hardonk via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 2:30
Chael Sonnen def. Yushin Okami via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jorge Rivera def. Rob Kimmons via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 1:53
Kyle Kingsbury def. Razak Al-Hassan via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Stefan Struve def. Chase Gormley via submission (triangle choke) — Round 1, 4:04

Click here for more UFC 104 coverage

Pictured: Lyoto Machida

UFC 104 Weigh-In Results: Machida and Shogun Set for Headliner; Johnson, Neer, and Tibau Miss Weight

Kris Karkoski — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:06:55 +0000

All twenty-two fighters who will be in action at Saturday’s UFC 104 event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles hit the scales today to weigh in for their bouts.

Light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida (202.5) and challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (204.5) successfully made weight for the UFC 104 main event, as did co-headliners Cain Velasquez (238) and Ben Rothwell (265).

Welterweight knockout artist Anthony Johnson will likely be moving to middleweight for his next bout after weighing in 6 pounds over the division’s 170 pound limit. Johnson will forfeit 20 percent of his purse to opponent Yoshiyuki Yoshida, who weighed in at 170 pounds, but the fight will go on as scheduled.

Lightweights Josh Neer and Gleison Tibau both narrowly missed the division’s 155 pound limit for their matchup, but have agreed that neither will need to shed extra weight, instead meeting at a 157 pound catchweight.

Stop back to MMAFrenzy.com tomorrow night beginning at 7pm ET for live coverage of UFC 104.

The official weigh-in results were:

MAIN CARD

205: Lyoto Machida (c) (202.5) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (204.5)
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
265: Cain Velasquez (238) vs. Ben Rothwell (265)
155: Joe Stevenson (155.5) vs. Spencer Fisher (155)
170: Anthony Johnson (176) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (170)*
155: Josh Neer (156.5) vs. Gleison Tibau (157)**

PRELIMINARY CARD

205: Ryan Bader (205) vs. Eric Schafer (205.5)
265: Antoni Hardonk (249.5) vs. Patrick Barry (237)
185: Yushin Okami (185) vs. Chael Sonnen (185)
185: Jorge Rivera (185) vs. Rob Kimmons (185)
205: Kyle Kingsbury (205.5) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (204.5)
265: Stefan Struve (243.5) vs. Chase Gormley (262)

* Johnson, who weighed in 6 pounds over the welterweight limit, will forfeit 20% of his purse to Yoshida for failing to make weight, but the fight will go on as scheduled.
** Neer and Tibau have agreed to fight at a catchweight of 157-pounds after both weighed in over the lightweight limit.

Pictured: Lyoto Machida

Neer-Tibau Official for UFC 104 Main Card, Full Lineup Announced

Kris Karkoski — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:28:12 +0000

The UFC on Friday announced a previously-reported switch to the UFC 104: Machida vs. Rua lineup, as Josh Neer replaces an injured Sean Sherk and takes on Gleison Tibau in a 155-pound matchup that remains on the event’s pay-per-view main card, which is headlined by a light heavyweight championship bout between title-holder Lyoto Machida and challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

The official fight card for UFC 104, which takes place on October 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, features:

MAIN CARD

Lyoto Machida (c) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Ben Rothwell vs. Cain Velasquez
Josh Neer vs. Gleison Tibau
Spencer Fisher vs. Joe Stevenson
Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

PRELIMINARY CARD

Patrick Barry vs. Antoni Hardonk
Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen
Rob Kimmons vs. Jorge Rivera
Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer
Razak Al-Hassan vs. Kyle Kingsbury
Chase Gormley vs. Stefan Struve

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest UFC 104 news and UFC 104 rumors.

Pictured: Gleison Tibau

Josh Neer Replaces Injured Sean Sherk, Fights Gleison Tibau at UFC 104

Kris Karkoski — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:18:55 +0000

Josh Neer will replace an injured Sean Sherk and take on Gleison Tibau in a lightweight matchup at UFC 104 on October 24 in Los Angeles.

According to Sherdog, which reported the replacement on Wednesday, the former lightweight champ Sherk recently suffered a shoulder injury while training that will sideline him for approximately four weeks.

Neer (25-8-1) has alternated wins and losses since returning to the Octagon last year, picking up wins over Din Thomas and Mac Danzig while dropping a split decision to Nate Diaz last September as well as a hard-fought unanimous decision to Kurt Pellegrino early last month at UFC 101.

Tibau (17-6), 5-4 since joining the UFC in late-2006, holds wins inside the Octagon over Jason Dent, Jeff Cox, Terry Etim, Rich Clementi, and Jeremy Stephens while losing bouts to Nick Diaz, Tyson Griffin, Joe Stevenson, and Melvin Guillard. He had won back-to-back fights over Clementi and Stephens, before losing to Guillard in his most-recent bout in June.

Late last month, the matchup between Sherk and Tibau was shifted from the UFC 103 prelims to the UFC 104 main card, but Neer-Tibau is likely to be demoted to the undercard and replaced by Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer or Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen on the pay-per-view broadcast.

For the latest UFC 104 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.

UFC 101 Results: Penn Submits Florian To Retain Title, Silva KOs Griffin

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 04:52:59 +0000

UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn (pictured) 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 3:54 into the fourth frame.

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 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

Click here for more UFC 101 coverage.

UFC 101 Weigh-In Results: All Fighters Make Weight

Kris Karkoski — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:02:48 +0000

All 22 UFC 101 fighters hit the scales on Friday at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia to weigh in for their Saturday bouts, and the entire card, including headliners BJ Penn, Kenny Florian, Anderson Silva, and Forrest Griffin, successfully made weight.

The UFC lightweight champion Penn and challenger Florian both tipped the scales exactly at 155 pounds, while UFC middleweight title-holder Anderson Silva and Forrest Griffin both weighed in at 205 for their light heavyweight matchup.

Welterweight Tamdan McCrory was the only fighter who visibly struggled to make weight, arriving at the scale still wearing his sauna suit, but didn’t require the one-pound allowance, weighing in right at the division limit of 170-pounds.

One of the lone surprises at the UFC 101 weigh-ins was The Ultimate Fighter 7 winner Amir Sadollah, who weighed in at just 166.5 pounds for his 170-pound welterweight matchup against Johny Hendricks.

The official weigh-in results for UFC 101 were:

MAIN CARD

155: B.J. Penn (c) (155) vs. Kenny Florian (155)
UFC Lightweight Championship
205: Anderson Silva (205) vs. Forrest Griffin (205)
185: Kendall Grove (185.5) vs. Ricardo Almeida (185)
155: Josh Neer (155.5) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (154.5)
170: Amir Sadollah (166.5) vs. Johny Hendricks (171)

PRELIMINARY CARD

155: Shane Nelson (156) vs. Aaron Riley (154)
170: Tamdan McCrory (170) vs. John Howard (169.5)
185: Thales Leites (185) vs. Alessio Sakara (185.5)
170: Matthew Riddle (170) vs. Dan Cramer (169.5)
155: George Sotiropoulos (155) vs. George Roop (154)
170: Jesse Lennox (171) vs. Danillo Villefort (170.25)

Remember: Fighters are granted a one-pound allowance for non-championship bouts.

Pictured: Anderson Silva

Main Card Announced for UFC 101: Declaration

Kris Karkoski — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:29:11 +0000

Amir Sadollah

The UFC today announced the majority of the fight card for UFC 101: Declaration, which is set for August 8th at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

Joining BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian and Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin on the pay-per-view main card will be Johny Hendricks vs. Amir Sadollah, Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove, and Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellgrino.

Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley, John Howard vs. Tamdan McCrory, Dan Cramer vs. Matthew Riddle, Rob Emerson vs. George Sotiropoulos, and Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort were confirmed for the unaired preliminary card.

The only rumored bout that has not yet been officially announced is a middleweight fight between Thales Leites and Alessio Sakara.

Tickets for UFC 101: Declaration will go on sale next week.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest UFC 101 news.

Seven Additional Bouts Confirmed For UFC 101

Kris Karkoski — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:25:39 +0000

Amir Sadollah

The UFC on Monday confirmed seven additional bouts for UFC 101, which takes place on August 8th at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia and features UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn taking on challenger Kenny Florian and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva returning to the light heavyweight division to take on Forrest Griffin.

Officially announced today were Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove, Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino, Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks, Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard, Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer, George Sotiropoulos vs. Rob Emerson, and Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest UFC rumors and MMA news.