Issue 059

February 2010

Catch the latest news and hot interviews over at our website, updated daily by our worldwide team of reporters.

News: Dana blames Tito Effect for Henderson negotiations failing

Dana White has posited an interesting theory on why Dan Henderson hasn’t had his proposed contract terms met by the UFC – he blames Tito Ortiz. The UFC president explained, “The shit that Dan came in and said in my office and what he wants, it’s unrealistic, and he knows it. And it’s basically based off of, ‘I heard this guy is making this’. Basically, what everybody gets pissed off about is Tito,” he said.  

NEWS: Nog-Velasquez moved to UFC 110  

The fight between Cain Velasquez and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is likely to be moved to UFC 110, which takes place in Australia in February. The match will produce a heavyweight title contender, according to UFC president Dana White, who said earlier this month, “We’re definitely going to see a No. 1 contender emerge from this fight to take on the winner of the Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin title fight.”  

News: Anderson threatening to strangle his doctor

Anderson Silva has threatened his doctor with strangulation because he didn’t clear him fast enough to train or fight. “I’m trying to strangle the doctor,” the UFC middleweight champion laughed. “I have to do the physical therapy, and give it time. When I have everything right, I’ll be back in training.”  

Anderson’s next fight is expected to be a clash with Vitor Belfort at UFC 109 in February. If he does end up fighting Belfort it will be the second time he has defended his belt against a fellow Brazilian, having beaten Thales Leites in April 2009 by unanimous decision.

Features: Fedor exposed? 

Were weaknesses in Fedor Emelianenko exposed at Strikeforce in November? Not at all, argues Matt Hyde. The peerless record and resume of Fedor Emelianenko means that his performances are scrutinized more than any other MMA fighter. Although the Russian (outweighed by more than 30Ib and fighting for the first time in a cage) scored a spectacular second-round TKO against the previously undefeated American slugger Brett Rogers, Emelianenko’s performance apparently did not reach the heights of his previous outings in the eyes of some fight fans.  

poll: How often do you train MMA?  

51% REGULARLY

21% Sometimes

15% Never 

13% That’s crazy talk!

By the Numbers

1

The tape for fighters’ hand wraps must be at least one inch away from the knuckles. Stitch informed Josh and Walter, a couple of fans he met at the hotel the morning of UFC 105, of this rule while he wrapped their hands (yes Stitch is that cool). 

13

Corey Hill hopes to return to the cage as early as January, just 13 months after his horrific leg break at UFC Fight for the Troops in December of 2008. Even if he’s off by a few months, his return will be remarkable. His original prognosis put him out of action for somewhere between 18 and 30 months.  

4610

The amazing total number of photos taken by our photographer Percy Dean at UFC 105 ...

419

...This averages out to around 419 photos per fight.

28

Days between Anthony Johnson’s dismantling of Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 104 and his fight with Josh Koscheck at UFC 106. This puts Johnson in a tie with Jason MacDonald for the shortest turnaround between UFC non-tournament bouts.  

12

Number of seconds left in Jorge Gurgel’s match with Cole Miller at UFC 86 when he was submitted via a triangle choke. The fight is the only one in Gurgel’s last nine to be stopped. In the other eight he is 4-4, with his last coming on November 6 at Strikeforce Challengers Series 4 when he lost a decision to Billy Evangelista.  

3-3

Racking up a 3-3 record in his first six fights, Mamed Khalidov has since reeled off 17 wins with one draw. His last, a TKO victory over the highly touted Jorge Santiago at Sengoku Eleventh Battle, raised a lot of eyebrows. 

12

The current scheduled time (12 noon) on Sunday, February 21, 2010, of UFC 110. The pay-per-view event will mark the promotion’s first in Australia, and the odd start time is due to the time difference between Australia and the United States.  

9/1

Prior to his streak of decision losses (and the sub loss to Miller) Gurgel was 9-1 with nine submission victories. The BJJ expert might want to think about taking his next fight to the ground.

23

Age of Brazilian Jose Aldo. The youngster looked dominant at WEC 44 where he blasted the belt away from former champ Mike Brown with a TKO in the second round.