Randy Couture signs six-fight contract extension, plans on finishing career with UFC

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Unknown Soldier

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PORTLAND, Ore. – Predicting when MMA legend Randy Couture's storied career will finally come to a close is a near-impossible feat, but where it will close now appears a certainty.

Couture and UFC president Dana White announced following Saturday's "UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira" event that the 46-year-old signed a new six-fight, 28-month contract prior to his main-event loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in Portland, Ore.

"I think the opportunity to stay with the organization was my motivation," Couture (16-10 MMA, 13-7 UFC) said. "I think with things being the way they are, this is the place to be. I intend to finish my career here in the UFC."

Couture had one fight remaining on his old deal, and despite the sometimes-strained relationship between "The Natural" and his employer that led to a near-15-month layoff less than two years ago, the fighter looks forward to future challenges in the UFC.

If Couture were to complete the new deal, he would finish the contract with 32 career fights at 48 years old. There's certainly no guarantee the UFC Hall of Famer will complete the terms, but Couture said age has nothing to do with how he'll approach the coming bouts.

"I'm going to take it one fight at a time as I did 12 years ago when I started this thing," Couture said. "I'll see where that goes.

"I didn't have the outcome that I wanted (against Nogueira), but I still had a good performance, overall. I did a lot of things that I trained to do for this fight. We'll evaluate that, evaluate the training and see what fight is next and take it one at a time."

As for where that next step lies, Couture said he'd let White decide. But the UFC exec said the future is a clean slate that Couture can fill with any wish he chooses.

"It keeps the heavyweight division interesting, and maybe the light heavyweight division, too, depending on what [Couture] decides to do," White said. "I don't care what he wants to do. He can do whatever he wants.

"He's proven that he can stay in there and hang with the heavyweights if that's what he wants to do. And I think he's a beast at 205 pounds."

With a rematch with Lesnar out of the immediate picture following the loss to Nogueira, Couture may indeed turn his eye to light heavyweight. Citing a need for "interesting fights," Couture has publicly stated that 205-pound matchups with current light-heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida or middleweight-champ-turned-light-heavyweight-contender Anderson Silva would be intriguing.

"I'm interested in interesting fights," Couture said. "There's a lot of guys in both divisions that are interesting to fight."
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News Source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/16021/ran...ension-plans-on-finishing-career-with-ufc.mma
 
Matt Hughes signs new multi-fight contract with UFC, still uncertain of next bout

Former UFC champion and future hall-of-famer Matt Hughes (43-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) recently followed in the footsteps of Randy Couture by signing a multi-fight deal with the UFC, ensuring his storied career will continue in the octagon.

Hughes announced the signing, as well as his intentions to film a hunting show, on his official website.

"Last week I went out to Vegas and I signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, which is much like my last contract," Hughes stated. "I also brought up the fact that I wanted to do a hunting show and they thought that would be a good thing."

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported, UFC president Dana White said he anticipates an early 2010 return for the 11-year veteran. While many MMA observers have speculated that recent UFC signees and past Hughes foes Dennis Hallman and Frank Trigg might be leading candidates for the former champ, the H.I.T. Squad head said he might be facing a new opponent.

"They still have to find out who, where and when my next fight will be, and I will try to post that info ASAP," Hughes said. "Nothing is decided yet, so anything you might be reading on the internet right now is just rumors and speculation. However, one name the UFC did bring up is a person I've never fought before."

Hughes most recently fought in a unanimous-decision win over rival Matt Serra at UFC 98 in May.
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News Source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/16076/mat...act-with-ufc-still-uncertain-of-next-bout.mma
 
Report: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira likely to make UFC debut in Manchester, England

PRIDE, Affliction and Sengoku veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will likely make his debut for the UFC at the organization's Nov. 21 event in Manchester, England, according to a new report from Fighter's Only magazine.

Though not officially announced, UFC 105 is expected to take place at Manchester Evening News Arena.

A potential opponent for Nogueira has yet to be named.

The twin brother of UFC heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, "Minotoro" is currently riding a five-fight win streak. Rogerio was in Portland, Ore., this past weekend to watch his brother's main-event bout with Randy Couture.

Ed Soares, manger for both Nogueira brothers, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Rogerio's contract had not yet been finalized, but that his fighter would undoubtedly debut for the UFC later this year.

With the addition to the card, UFC 105's rumored card – which currently lacks a main event – includes:

* Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang*
* Dan Hardy vs. Dong Hyun Kim*
* Matt Brown vs. James Wilks*
* Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. TBA*
* Terry Etim vs. TBA*
* Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley*
* DaMarques Johnson vs. Peter Sobotta*
* Roli Delgado vs. Andre Winner*
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News Source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/16074/rep...ra-likely-to-make-ufc-debut-in-manchester.mma
 
I didn't know there is another Nog. Is he as good as his brother ?

BTW whatever happen to Fedor, did he end up signing with the UFC ? Or did he chicken out again ?
 
V3 said:
I didn't know there is another Nog. Is he as good as his brother ?

BTW whatever happen to Fedor, did he end up signing with the UFC ? Or did he chicken out again ?
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Typical mma noob post.
Didn't even know Nog had a twin / calling Fedor chicken? Pathetic.
 
V3 said:
I didn't know there is another Nog. Is he as good as his brother ?
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Similar caliber, although not quite the same level of success. I'd probably argue that's largely due to the level of competition at LHW vs HW. He has better boxing than his brother, so he's always come across to me as the more balanced fighter of the two. He's also taken a lot less damage than his brother, so he's visibly the younger/fresher fighter.

I'm not sure on the reason why he didn't come straight to the UFC along with Shogun, Henderson, Wanderlei, etc.. he definitely was no less deserving. This is long overdue.

Not sure what they're going to do with having 3 title contender-level fighters from the same fight team competing in the same division. It's one thing to have Anderson moving up a weight class and be unwilling to step on Machida's toes. But Nogueira will surely want to compete for the title.

I can definitely see them doing a Shogun/Nogueira 2 at some point, the first one is still probably the best or one of the best MMA fights of all time.
 
Typical mma noob post.
Didn't even know Nog had a twin / calling Fedor chicken? Pathetic.
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Well explain please ? Rootax said he signed with Strikeforce because they accepted to co-promote with M1-Global ? So he signed with Strikeforce for political reason not competition. Is there someone he is looking forward to fight in Strikeforce ? I just don't follow MMA all that much. Just highlight here and there.
 
V3 said:
Well explain please ? Rootax said he signed with Strikeforce because they accepted to co-promote with M1-Global ? So he signed with Strikeforce for political reason not competition. Is there someone he is looking forward to fight in Strikeforce ? I just don't follow MMA all that much. Just highlight here and there.
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Fedor is part owner of M1-Global, and also has several fights remaining on a fight contract with them. This would probably explain the insistence on having whatever promotion he signs with co-promote events that Fedor will be fighting in.

Fedor has said several times that he's not interested in his legacy or standing as a fighter, so I'm guessing that competing against the best is not his primary concern.

Of any international fighter that I've seen, he seems to be the least interested in uprooting and acclimating to the US. Most fighters seem to see the UFC as the be all and end all, the US as a new home, a place to open new gyms, live the American dream, etc. I very much doubt that Fedor will ever go that route. No matter where he goes, he always seems to have both feet firmly planted in Russia.

It's a shame, but we'll probably never see Fedor truly competing for #1 again. He'll probably never be worth more as a free agent than what he was this summer. If he ever negotiates with the UFC again, he'll likely not be offered as much money. His age is also a factor.. for a fighter who relies on speed and explosiveness, his best days are probably already behind him now.
 
Was never particularly interested in the Rashad/Rampage fight, it was a fight that should never have been happening in the first place. The fact that Quinton turned down a title shot with Machida and stirred up a pretend rivalry with Rashad to be on a TV show, it seems only fitting that now he'd pass up Rashad in order to be in a movie. Competitive MMA seems to be the furthest thing from his mind right now.
 
hughJ said:
Was never particularly interested in the Rashad/Rampage fight, it was a fight that should never have been happening in the first place. The fact that Quinton turned down a title shot with Machida and stirred up a pretend rivalry with Rashad to be on a TV show, it seems only fitting that now he'd pass up Rashad in order to be in a movie. Competitive MMA seems to be the furthest thing from his mind right now.
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Yes... If it's confirmed, Dana will be pissed off, with a reason. I mean, Zuffa have been 100% behind Rampage after his road accident few months ago, and now Rampage thanks them like that ? Come on...
 
Rootax said:
Yes... If it's confirmed, Dana will be pissed off, with a reason. I mean, Zuffa have been 100% behind Rampage after his road accident few months ago, and now Rampage thanks them like that ? Come on...
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Yeah Rampage is an asshole. This also casts a shadow on the Ultimate Fighter season 10 as they might have to edit some Rampage vs Evans hype out of it now. Big part of the Ultimate Fighter is to see the coaches going at each other in the end. I hope the fight will happen some day though.
 
Report: Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida bout rebooked for UFC 107 slot in Memphis

With the loss of a previously rumored UFC 107 main event between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans, the UFC is apparently working hard to bolster the Dec. 12 card.

A message was posted on the Twitter account of ESPN.com's "MMA Live" that the Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida bout originally scheduled for UFC 106 in Las Vegas will now take place at UFC 107 in Memphis, Tenn.

Florian serves as a co-host of "MMA Live."

UFC president Dana White confirmed the matchup between Florian and Guida at a UFC 102 pre-fight press conference in August, though he stopped short of confirming the date. Today, it appears that fight will now take place in December.

With White recently confirming that lightweight champ B.J. Penn would also fight at UFC 107, it would appear that Florian and Guida could fit nicely into a co-main event slot.

With the reported lineup change, UFC 107 now includes:

* Champ B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez (for lightweight title)*
* Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida*
* Cheick Kongo vs. Frank Mir*
* Thiago Alves vs. Paulo Thiago*

* - Not officially announced
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News Source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/16128/rep...bout-rebooked-for-ufc-107-slot-in-memphis.mma
 
Rashad Evans confirms UFC 107 bout with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is off

The speculation is over.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will not be fighting Rashad Evans (13-1-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) at UFC 107 in December.

While the potential for Jackson to withdraw from the event has been discussed for weeks, Evans today confirmed in an interview with Bruce Buffer that the fight has been delayed until at least 2010.

The interview aired on today's episode of "It's Time" on the Sherdog Radio Network.

"It's definitely off for the 12th," Evans said. "It's just disappointing because as a fighter you get your mind wrapped around when you're going to have to fight. Then you kind of just gear up toward it and put everything in place for that time. You take care of a lot of things you need to take care of so when you're in camp you don't have to worry about it. To find out its not going to be happening when you want it to happen is always a little bit of a letdown."

While multiple outlets have reported on the potential for Jackson to take on the role of B.A. Baracus in a feature version of "The A-Team," Evans said until recently he believed it wasn't going to happen.

"I heard a little bit about it at the last UFC, 102, and (UFC president) Dana (White) said he was working to resolve the issue, and he was pretty confident that he was going to have some kind of resolution by the end of the week," Evans said. "But then things must have took a turn for the worse and it wasn't going to be resolved. The end result was him definitely pulling out."

While White made his feelings on the subject obvious at a pre-UFC 102 press conference, Evans echoed the sentiments that fighters should stick to what they do best.

"I would stick with my obligations to do the fight (if I was in the same situation)," Evans said. "I know that he has an amazing opportunity to do this acting role, but then at the same time, at the end of the day he's still going to be just a fighter. He's not going to be an actor."

As opposing coaches on the upcoming tenth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Evans and Jackson were supposed to clash at the conclusion of the series. Evans said he still believes his next fight will be with Jackson, he's just not sure when it will be.

"I'm pretty positive that it's going to be my next fight," Evans said. "They haven't nailed down any dates, but they did say it was going to be after the New Year. I think they were waiting to speak with Quinton's guys and find out exactly when exactly he feels he should be ready. They just want to get it done and over with, and they're just trying to work with him and see what they can do."

With the official removal of Evans vs. Jackson from the card, UFC 107 now includes:

* Champ B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez (for lightweight title)*
* Cheick Kongo vs. Frank Mir*
* Thiago Alves vs. Paulo Thiago*

* - Not officially announced
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News Source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/16119/ras...-bout-with-quinton-rampage-jackson-is-off.mma
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Brock Pulls out of UFC106 due to illness

Monday, October 26, 2009
by Sherdog.com Staff

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has withdrawn from his upcoming title defense against Shane Carwin due to illness, UFC President Dana White told Yahoo Sports on Monday.

“He said he’s never been this sick in his life,” White said of Lesnar. “He said it’s been going on for a long time and he just hasn’t been able to shake it.”

Lesnar was scheduled to face Carwin Nov. 21 in Las Vegas at UFC 106. White told Yahoo, however, that Lesnar has been sick for more than three and a half weeks and has been unable to train. White does not think Lesnar has the H1N1 virus, according to Yahoo’s report.

Sherdog.com has not been able to reach Carwin for comment, but he posted on his Twitter account that he was "very disappointed."

"It's (disappointing) hearing about your career and life through the media," Carwin wrote in a second message. "Nothing from the (bosses) yet."

In a third message, Carwin indicated that he had spoken with his manager, Jason Genet, and suggested that the matchup has been postponed until Jan. 2. UFC 108 is scheduled for that date at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC.com reported Monday that a light heavyweight matchup between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin will now headline UFC 106.
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News Source: http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/update-lesnar-out-of-ufc-106-20560
 
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