Is it just me or does Anderson Silva come across as immature in this interview? He seems to speak decent English when he wants to, but other times doesn’t and gives vague and short answers.
Silva will have his hands his full with Chael Sonnen in August. If he can defend his UFC middleweight title we might see another fight at 205 later this year. Maybe it will be a shot at the LWH title?
Congratulations are in order for Jon Anik, Kenny Florian, Franklin McNeil, and the countless others at ESPN who played a significant role in the development and production of MMA Live over the last couple years.
But most of all, congratulations are in order for you, the fans, for making the show as popular as it is today. ESPN has granted MMA Live a three-month extension on ESPN 2 until August due to the loyal viewers, like yourself, that have supported the mixed martial arts news show from jump street.
When MMAmania.com first announced that MMA Live would be making the move from ESPN.com to ESPN 2 back in March, it was also announced that the show would in fact be on a trial run of sorts during the month of May as the "suits" over at the Worldwide Leader sat back and surveyed just how popular the show would become.
Well, it's popular alright.
According to MMA Payout, MMA Live averaged 130,000 viewers per show during May, a number that is higher than what the network previously drew during the 1 a.m. ET, 10 p.m. PT time slot.
So, job well done fight fans. With your dedication to the sport and more specifically your support of MMA Live, our beloved sport of mixed martial arts will continue to have a presence on ESPN 2 for the foreseeable future.
Keep it up, Maniacs.
Props: Tatame
Quoteworthy:
"The motivation is natural as long as the challenges show up. We got great fights ahead: we can have Lyoto in the future, a revange with Forrest Griffin, a fight with Anderson Silva for the future if this is the UFC wish... We’d like Mauricio had the chance to fight the legend Randy Couture before his retirement."
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's manager, Eduardo Alonso, outlines several great fights for the former Pride FC standout as he prepares to defend his newly-won 205-pound title. The list of potential adversaries is long and distinguished, inluding several former champions and one UFC Hall of Fame inductee. Indeed, Randy Couture seems to be among the favorites. However, he appears to have a date already booked with James Toney later this year. In the meantime, who do you think who comes next for Shogun, Maniacs? Does Rashad Evans deserve first crack at the Brazilian or are there better fights out there right now?
"The New York Badass" is back. Back in the middleweight division that is.
Phil Baroni is set to return to the Octagon and to the 185-pound weight class on August 28 from Boston, Massachusetts at UFC 118 when he takes on John Salter. MMA Weekly reported the match up over the weekend.
Baroni recently dropped a unanimous decision to Amir Sadollah at UFC 106: "Ortiz vs. Griffin 2," his first fight back with the Zuffa owned promotion since UFC 51 in 2005.
The loss was the "NYBA's" second straight defeat, and his fifth in his last eight contests. With an overall record of 13-12, you'd have to think if he runs his record to .500 come August, he'll be looking for a new employer shortly thereafter.
Salter is of course coming off a technical knockout victory over Jason MacDonald earlier this month at UFC 113: "Machida vs. Shogun 2" after MacDonald broke both his tibia and fibula in horrific fashion during the bout.
John dropped his Octagon debut to Gerald Harris at UFC Fight Night 20 via a hard-fought third round technical knockout. The up-and-comer was off to a perfect start (4-0) to his professional mixed martial arts career before the setback.
UFC 118 is set up to an absolute blockbuster card. The three-headed monster will feature the rematch between Frankie Edgar and B.J. Penn for "The Answer's" lightweight title, a number one 155-pound contender bout in the form of Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard, and of course, the highly anticipated heavyweight fight between James Toney and Randy Couture.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more news on UFC 118 as it becomes available.
It's that time again, Maniacs -- open thread and discussion.
Talk about the week that was, share links and videos, swap war stories ... whatever you want (within reason) in the comments section below.
Got a better babe? Let's see her. Let's see them all!
Have a good time. Enjoy. And remember to come back later today after your parades, barbecues, beach -- whatever the case may be -- for top-notch mixed martial arts coverage.
