ATLANTIC CITY, NJ, July 16 - Bantamweight veteran Leslie Smith wasn’t much of a “Peacemaker” against The Ultimate Fighter 18 alum Jessamyn Duke Wednesday night, as she stopped her opponent in the first round of their UFC Fight Night prelim bout at Revel Casino Hotel to nab her first Octagon victory.

“This is epic,” said an ecstatic Smith. “This is one if the biggest wins of my entire career and I'm going to remember it and take it with me. I'm really glad that I was able to live up to the training and the expertise that my coaches have shared with me. They all have done so much and been such good examples. It was great to be able to honor them with a win.”

Duke looked to be in control of the bout in the early stages, as she used her significant height and reach advantages to keep Smith at the end of her jab. But as soon as Smith was able to cut the Octagon off and put Duke against the fence, she unleashed a torrent of strikes. Duke took the first few shots well, but after a couple body shots, the Kentucky native slumped to the canvas, with referee Vitor Ribeiro stopping the fight at 2:24 of the round.

“The fight was going well with a good pace,” said Duke. “I knew she was going to come out strong. I threw a left hook and felt a pain in my left hand. To her credit, she sensed something was wrong and took advantage of it and got the win.”

With the victory, Smith improves to 7-5-1; Duke, who later posted an x-ray of her broken hand online, falls to 3-2 with 1 NC.

STERLING vs. VIANA

Highly touted 135-pound prospect Aljamain Sterling picked up his second UFC victory and his first Octagon stoppage, finishing Brazil’s Hugo Viana in the third round.

The bantamweights set a fast pace from the start, Viana having some solid success in the stand-up game as Sterling did equally well in the grappling realm while also getting his share of strikes in.

It was in the second that Sterling started taking over, as Viana had few answers for his stellar ground game, and things just got worse from there for “Wolverine,” who made a quick visit to the mat again early in round three. Patiently, New York’s Sterling looked for his time to strikes, and with under two minutes remaining in the fight, he found it, letting loose with a series of strikes that caught Viana by surprise and soon prompted referee Liam Kerrigan to step in and halt the fight at the 3:50 mark.

With the win, Sterling improves to 10-0; Viana falls to 8-3.

TIBAU vs. HEALY

Despite a stellar effort, Pat Healy remained winless in his sixth trip to the UFC Octagon, as he dropped a three-round unanimous decision to fellow lightweight veteran Gleison Tibau.

Scores for Tibau, now 38-10, were 30-27 and 29-28 twice. Healy falls to 31-19 with 1 NC.

Tibau was sharp from the opening horn, stunning Healy briefly with a few flush shots while the two stood, and then going on to dominate the action on the mat, starting with a thudding slam and some equally hard ground strikes. With less than a minute left, Healy got to his feet, but his faster opponent kept him from getting any significant offense off.

Healy, always known for being resilient, kept the pressure on Tibau in round two, and after some rough early moments, he appeared to get himself back in the fight as he chased his tiring foe around the Octagon.

In the third, Healy continued to push the action on the feet, outworking the Brazilian, but a slam by Tibau with a little over a minute left set the stage for a late rally that secured his well-deserved victory.

CEDENO vs. SANDERS

Lightweight Yosdenis Cedeno had a strong first round against newcomer Jerrod Sanders, and it was enough to land the TKO victory, as an injured knee suffered by Sanders in that round left him unable to come out for the second.

After a tentative opening as the fighters got acclimated to the fight, Cedeno (10-3) caught a Sanders kick and drilled him with a right hand, dropping him to the mat. Sanders was able to weather the follow-up storm, and in response he had the fight where he wanted it on the mat, but it was Cedeno who remained in control from the top position, where he landed several hard strikes throughout the rest of the round.

At the end of the frame though, Sanders (14-2) was slow to get up as he limped on an injured knee that forced him out of the bout before the start of round two.

GADELHA vs. LAHDEMAKI

Brazil’s Claudia Gadelha won the first strawweight bout in UFC history, as she outpointed Finland’s Tina Lahdemaki via unanimous decision in the 115-pound opener.

Scores were 30-27 twice and 30-26 for Gadelha, now 12-0; Lahdemaki falls to 5-1

The fight went as expected in the first round, with Gadelha controlling matters at range, in the clinch, and on the mat. Yet despite finding herself in serious trouble on a couple occasions, Lahdemaki showed plenty of heart and made it out of the first five minutes, giving her a chance to put Gadelha in some deeper waters in round two.

The Finland native wasn’t able to take full advantage in the second, as Gadelha controlled much of the frame, but Lahdemaki did get on the board late, tagging her foe with some significant shots while the two stood.

Gadelha fought past fatigue and finished strong through, controlling the final round on the mat to keep her unbeaten record intact and start a new chapter in women’s MMA history.

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Since the Escudero fight, which earned him Submission of the Night honors, Dunham has nabbed three Fight of the Night bonuses and four more victories. He’s also had his share of losses too though, and heading into his UFC Fight Night co-main event against Edson Barboza this Wednesday in Atlantic City, he’s dropped back-to-back fights to Rafael Dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone. The submission loss to Cerrone last November has no argument attached to it, but when it comes to his May 2013 decision defeat against Dos Anjos, Dunham doesn’t let that one go as easily.

“A lot of people say that coming off a two-fight losing streak - I think it’s only one - but it’s a chance for me to get in there and reestablish myself amongst the higher-tiered fighters,” he said. “Barboza is no slouch by any means, but stylistically I think we match up really well and there are definitely areas where I have a big advantage and there are definitely areas where he might have the advantage over me. It’s just a matter of going in there, playing smart and taking advantage of what I can do best.”

One would assume that if Dunham goes back to his technician roots, that would be his best chance for victory against the hard-hitting Brazilian. But Dunham – who now makes his home in Las Vegas – disagrees, believing that a modified Mr. Hyde may be what leads him to his first win since he decisioned Gleison Tibau in February of 2013.

“Actually, I think a firefight is beneficial to me as long as I keep pressure on him,” said Dunham. “He (Barboza) has shown in the past that he’s not exactly the best when people pressure him and get right in his face and turn it into a fight. He shines when people stay at the end of his punches and stay outside and let him get his rhythm. There are a few tweaks and a few things I need to do different, but in general, I think the way that I fight will work well for me.”

So he’s going to brawl with a guy who has a host of highlight reel knockouts on his resume?

“I think there’s a time and a place for it,” he laughs. “It’s kind of a dangerous place, and people say if you lose three fights in a row you’re in trouble, but I go out there and put on a good fight, and that’s all that matters to me – that I go out and put on a good fight and win.”

> Check Out The Fight Night Atlantic City Preview

Well, there are no complaints about Mr. Dunham bringing out Mr. Hyde this week, but even Evan knows that to keep putting on those memorable battles in the Octagon, he has to leave with his hand raised.

“I have to remind myself that I like to win even more than I like to fight,” said Dunham, who, to this day, never seems happier than when in the midst of situations most of us would run from.

“The fight game itself has so many ups and downs, and sometimes when you’re on those downs, it’s hard to remember those times of joy, when you’re fighting and there’s no purer feeling than getting out there and scrapping,” he said. “I think sometimes I do get caught up in some slugfests because I’m having so much fun with it. But you have to remind yourself that that’s why you do it.”

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(Photo credit: Idris Irba) By MM: With the rematch set, and the fight tour underway, most fight fans feel that Floyd Mayweather Jr will skate to an easy victory over Marcos Maidana on September 13th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are a few things that make me feel that will not be the case.

The unknown factor for both fighters is gone. Going into the first fight Maidana may have felt a little cautious, perhaps even intimidated by Mayweather and the big stage. At this point, Maidana knows the power Floyd is packing, and does not believe Floyd can hurt him. Furthermore, Maidana has now been on the big stage, so that should not be a factor in this fight at all. Maidana’s mindset will be he can walk through Floyds punches without worry. Taking 2 or 3 to give 1 or 2.

Mayweather on the other hand probably expected the first fight to be a walk in the park, “easy money”. We all saw, it was neither. Maidana roughed him up, bullied him around, fought dirty, and landed more punches on him than anyone else that has fought Mayweather in the past. Going into the second fight, the intimidation factor has shifted, and is in now on Maidana’s side. Floyd knows Maidana is going to go in looking to rough him up even more so than in the first fight and with Floyd not being able to hurt Maidana, Maidana is going to go for the kill. The fact of the matter is, Maidana is a dangerous fighter with far more power than Floyd, and this fight is a lot more dangerous for Mayweather than it is for Maidana.

Floyd claims he will box this fight. I do not see that happening for two reasons. First and foremost, I do not believe in any way shape or form that Floyd chose to stand and fight with Maidana. I believe Maidana took the fight to Floyd, and his style left him with no choice but to fight. Second, I think Floyd’s pride will cause him to brawl with Maidana again. He has been talking about winning by KO, and that is not going to happen if he tries to box Maidana, unless he is able to really dig to the body and wear him down.

No matter you who believe won the first fight, I think the second fight will be more exciting than the first one. Very few people gave Maidana a chance against Broner or Mayweather, and he surprised everyone. I do not recall any one in recent history showing absolutely no respect to Floyd Mayweather and actually coming to the ring looking like they were trying to take his “0” away. No matter what happens on fight night, or who you are rooting for, sparks are sure to fly.

http://www.boxingnews24.com

Mayweather: Maidana was dirty and reckless last time; Canelo and Cotto are better fighters

Floyd Mayweather Jr (46-0, 26 KOs) really wailed on Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) in their final press tour meeting in Los Angeles, California, by continuing to call him a dirty fighter who has no hopes of winning, and just looking for a payday.

Mayweather says he wouldn’t bother fighting Maidana again if he were beaten by him. But Maidana is willing to take it for the payday because this is his best and only chance of getting a big fight.

“I know that if I lost this fight, then I wouldn’t take it again…The reason why he is trying to fight me again is because he is going to make more money fighting me than anyone else, even though he knows he will lose again.”

I have to agree with Mayweather 100%. Maidana probably knows he doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance of winning the fight other than a lucky knockout, but the payday he’s getting is so amazingly good that he was going to campaign for the rematch. He got the rematch now, but it’s so sad that he’s ruining his moment in the sun by croaking about the gloves. He really needs to move on, doesn’t he?

Mayweather is the king in this equation being that he’s the A-side, so there’s not much Maidana can do is just obediently accept that Mayweather isn’t going to let him wear his gloves. It’s good to be the king. But by Maidana stubbornly insisting on wearing his Everlast MX gloves he’s coming across as scary determined. I just hope he doesn’t pull out of the fight if he doesn’t get his way. The sooner Maidana comes to terms with the fact that he’s not going to be able to wear his favorite gloves the better off he’ll be.

“To be honest, Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez are better fighters than Maidana. They are better, stronger boxers. With me and Canelo, it was more of a chess match as opposed to Maidana who came at me very dirty and reckless. I knew something crazy was going to happen in our fight, which it did, I got a headbutt.”

Yes, the Mayweather-Maidana fight last May was painful to watch because it had so much wild fouling in that fight, and it shocking and disappointing how out of control the fight got. The referee working the fight Tony Weeks looked like he was just in the ring getting a good view of the fight like a fan who had wondered into the ring to watch the action instead of someone who was supposed to control the action.

It’s pretty much academic at this point that Cotto and Canelo are on a different level as Maidana in terms of boxing skills. Those guys are technicians of the sport. Both are flawed in their own way, but they’re definitely skilled technicians that are constantly thinking. The approach Maidana used against Mayweather last May was that of bull lowering his head and charging straight ahead to try and mow Mayweather over.

Maidana initially had some success during the first few rounds while Mayweather was figuring him out looking at a plan of action. But once Mayweather adapted to what Maidana was doing in the ring, he was able to negate pretty much everything he was doing aside from the occasional low blow and rabbit punch. Those things were impossible for Mayweather to deal with without the help of the referee stepping in to do his job.

http://www.boxingnews24.com

2009 ADCC bronze medalist and Felipe Costa jiu-jitsu black belt Ryan Hall has signed a multi-fight deal with Titan FC. Titan FC COO Lex McMahon confirmed the news with MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani Tuesday evening.

Hall, 29, is the owner of a number of grappling awards, most notably a 2009 run at ADCC, which netted him the bronze medal (a full rundown of his jiu-jitsu resume is available here). He is known for his triangle, heel hook and 50/50 guard, which he detailed for MMA Fighting in a previous edition of Technique Talk.

There's no word on when precisely he'll debut, although MMA Fighting has learned an announcement should be available soon. Hall has fought MMA at both lightweight and featherweight.

http://www.mmafighting.com

Promoter Eddie Hearn expects Kell Brook to rip away Shawn Porter’s world title with a stunning knockout win after their welterweight clash was finally confirmed.

The Sheffield fighter has been forced to wait for his shot at a world title, but Porter has now agreed to put his belt on the line at the StubHub Center in California on August 16th.

Injuries prevented Brook from facing Devon Alexander, the previous IBF champion, and there were fears the fight would be pushed back from an original date in August to September.

But Hearn is delighted that ‘Special K’ will get his chance to shine on the world stage and believes he will take Porter’s belt with a stoppage triumph.

He told Sky Sports: “We were told a few things. September 6th was the previous date we were given, August 9th was the first date and then I got an email from Golden Boy (Porter's promoters) to say we’re moving it to August 16th at the StubHub Center in California.

“It’s good news for Kell, because he’s been training for six or seven weeks already.

“The extra delay of September 6th wasn’t the best news for us and now it’s brought forward by three weeks.

“Perfect, he’s ready to go. It’s a great arena, formerly the Home Depot Center - Oscar De La Hoya has fought there many times -  it’s open air.  I can’t wait.

Brook will head out to Los Angeles up to four weeks before the fight as part of his stringent training camp.

In Porter, he faces a fellow unbeaten fighter, and the American sent out a chilling warning to his rivals with a fourth-round knockout win over Paulie Malignaggi.

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While his preference to remain as active as possible is well known, Donald Cerrone is far from picky when it comes to potential opponents.

Nothing changed following  UFC Fight Night Cerrone vs. Miller, where the Jackson-Wink MMA product authored a second-round head kick knockout of Jim Miller in the evening’s main event at the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., on Wednesday night.

The spectacular finish followed a typically slow start for Cerrone, who absorbed some punches before finding his range with kicks to the body late in the opening stanza.

“I think the body work started wearing on him a little bit. I started getting his timing. It’s kind of why I’m a slow starter – I like to figure out people’s movement and their timing,” Cerrone said. “It’s just the way I fight. I got his rhythm and it was time to hit the switch and go.”

With the win, Cerrone became the first person to finish Miller via strikes in 30 professional fights. The Colorado native has been close to a lightweight title shot before, but has come up short in title eliminator bouts against Nate Diaz and Anthony Pettis. While he appears to be nearing contention again, the path he travels to get there doesn’t seem to be of great importance.

Earlier in the week, Cerrone  targeted the streaking Khabib Nurmagomedov as a future dance partner. The Dagestani is unbeaten in 22 professional fights – including six in the UFC – and, according to UFC President Dana White, seems to have a difficult time finding opponents.

On Wednesday night, “Cowboy” was still fine with the possibility of facing Nurmagomedov – or anyone else, for that matter.

“I’ll fight anybody,” Cerrone said in an interview on Fox Sports 1. “All the UFC has to do is call me, and I’ll be there. Whether it’s 170 [pounds], 155 – I’ll fight whoever.”

Not everyone appreciates Cerrone’s whoever-whenever-wherever mentality. Diaz, who defeated the WEC veteran at UFC 141, took a thinly veiled shot at his former foe on Twitter this past week, accusing him of attempting to curry favor with UFC brass.

White quickly fired back at Diaz, who has been on the sidelines since defeating Gray Maynard in November.

Nate can do whatever he wants to do. Nate can sit out and not suck any UFC whatever, for as long as he wants to. Who cares, he's a grown man, White told UFC.com on Tuesday. Sit out for as long as you want; sit out the rest of your career. It's your decision. But to start making fun of guys who actually like to fight, and guys who go out there and put on unbelievable fights and people love to see him? [Cowboy] steps up and does what he does. People love Cowboy Cerrone.

Nate wants to talk about making money, but there's only one way to make money, and that's fighting.

No one is more aware of that fact than Cerrone, who has professed a desire to fight six times in 2014. Whether he accomplishes that feat remains to be seen, but the popular lightweight would prefer a swift return to the cage. If he gets Nurmagomedov or even Diaz, great. If someone else is willing to step up, that’s fine too.

“The sooner, the better,” Cerrone said. “I will literally fight anybody: Nate, Khabib, anybody.”

http://www.sherdog.com

Maidana fought effectively in the first six rounds of the bout, but then kind of fell apart in the last half of action due in part to him having rehydrated to 165 after making weight at 147 the day before the fight. Putting on close to 20 pounds obviously didn’t help Maidana in the stretch run of the fight, but the extra weight likely was one of the main reasons why he was able to bully Mayweather during the first part of the action.

“It is no secret that I won the first rounds and he [Mayweather] did better on the last ones,” Maidana said. “This time around I’m planning to keep up with his rhythm. I’m making adjustments, when he presses I’m going to press him too.”

If Maidana is serious about wanting to prevent running out of gas then he’s going to need to take off some muscle weight, because at Thursday’s press tour with Mayweather, Maidana looked to weighing in the 170s, possibly the 180s. Maidana didn’t look fat either. He appeared to be a muscular person carrying around 170-180 pounds of weight. For Maidana not to run out of gas in this fight, he’s going to need to get down lower than 165.

Putting on 18 pounds of water weight overnight is going to hurt Maidana in the stamina department. That’s too much weight for him to be taking off and putting back on in such a short time. Maidana also came in heavy for his win over Adrien Broner last December, but that was against a lesser talented fighter than Mayweather.

To beat someone as good as Mayweather, Maidana needs to be lighter so that he’s more of a 12 round fighter. Last May, Maidana looked like a 6-round fighter, because after the 6th, he wasn’t pushing the fight nearly as hard as he was in the first part of the fight.

“In my first fight against Floyd, I learned that he’s not that great, he’s not that superhuman boxer everybody talks about. If I wouldn’t have been so anxious looking for the knockout, I would have beat him,” Maidana said.

Maidana fought the best that he could against Mayweather, but there really wasn’t anything he could do to win this fight unless he had better stamina and had done a better job of placing his shots. Maidana made a mistake of loading up too much with the head shots, which frequently missed badly. If he had thrown more to the body, Maidana would have had a better chance of connecting with his shots.

At the end of the day, Maidana is probably going to win or lose this fight based on his conditioning. If he runs out of gas in the last part of the fight like he did against Adrien Broner and Mayweather, then there’s little chance he’ll be able to win. The fight could be close going into the 8th round, but if Mayweather sweeps the last 5 rounds against a sluggish and heavy 165 pound Maidana, then Mayweather will take the decision once again.

Read more at http://www.boxingnews24.com/2014/07/maidana-expects-to-be-strong-in-later-rounds-against-mayweather/#DFeHMIGr0mI2JDVV.99

Former two-time world champion Amir Khan has been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of two assaults.

The 27-year-old former Olympic silver medalist was arrested in his home town early on Friday morning.

A statement from Greater Manchester Police reads: Just before 1.30am, police were called following reports of an assault in Bolton.

Officers attended Russell Street and discovered two 19 year old men had been assaulted. Their injuries are not serious.

A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of two section 47 assaults. He has been released on bail.

Khan has boxed at lightweight, light-welterweight and welterweight, since turning pro as a teenager after reaching the final of the lightweight division at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

A spokesman for Khan said the incident had been blown out of all proportion.

It was a minor incident and we're expecting the case to be dropped against Amir. We're expecting to formally hear that from police on Monday morning.

Khan is hoping to challenge Floyd Mayweather for the unbeaten WBA and WBC titles.

American Mayweather beat Argentinian Marcos Maidana on points in a title fight in Las Vegas in May and on the undercard of the same bill Khan outpointed Luis Collazo.

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The UFC returns to Atlantic City for a mid-week show that might be one of the most stacked UFC Fight Night cards in recent history, with two top 10 lightweights decorating the top of this spectacular show.

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone - the man who earned the most post-fight bonuses in UFC/WEC history - will take on Jim Miller in the five-round main event, as both competitors look to climb the ladder in an extremely deep lightweight division.  In addition to those two 155-pounders getting after it, knockout machine Edson Barboza returns to action against Evan Dunham in a fight that promises fireworks in the co-main event of the evening.

From top to bottom this is an unforgettable card airing on FOX Sports 1 this Wednesday, but with so many great matchups also comes the difficulty in predicting who comes out on top for the UFC Pick Em Fantasy game and that's where our preview comes in to help make your selections for fight night.

DONALD “COWBOY” CERRONE (-250 FAVORITE) VS. JIM MILLER (+210 UNDERDOG)

The main event at UFC Fight Night in Atlantic City features two of the very best the lightweight division has to offer.  Cerrone has won more post-fight bonuses than any fighter in UFC/WEC history while finishing 11 competitors along the way.  Miller isn't far behind, as he currently holds the most wins in lightweight history with 13, while attempting the most submission attempts to rack up a great win percentage and a consistent place among the top 10 fighters in the division.

This fight is impossibly hard to predict based on a few 'X' factors that separate the two men in this headline bout.

First up is Cerrone's incredible takedown defense, which currently stands at 87.5 percent - the second best in lightweight history.  He's successfully defended 21 out of 24 takedowns attempted against him, so Cerrone is going to be impossibly hard to get to the ground, which is the exact place Miller wants to put him.  Miller's submission attempts don't come out of necessity, they come from tactical planning by putting an opponent on the mat and working for a way to finish the fight.  Miller is one of the most dangerous ground fighters in the UFC, and as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt he's willing to work from the top or bottom to put his opponents away.

Another key to this fight is Cerrone's constant activity and whether or not that's a good thing going into this bout with Miller.  Cerrone states constantly that he wants to fight five or six times per calendar year, but the last time his schedule got this hectic it led to some of his worst losses since coming to the UFC.  Luckily this bout comes a solid three months after his last fight, which means Cerrone was able to take some time off before putting his body through another training camp.

If Cerrone is healthy and can stuff Miller's takedowns, he's going to make it awfully hard for the New Jersey native to win this fight.  Cerrone has a vicious combination of power punches and deceptive kicks that cause maximum damage.  He's unrelenting, especially in the first couple of rounds, and that's key for Miller's survival as well.  If Cerrone can't put Miller away by the end of round two, things start to get more interesting in a five round fight.  Still, the smart play is to believe Cerrone can get the job done by pressuring and mounting an effective striking attack to hurt and finish Miller inside the first three rounds.

EDSON BARBOZA (-235 FAVORITE) VS. EVAN DUNHAM (+195 UNDERDOG)

Edson Barboza might just be the most dangerous lightweight in the world when it comes to his prolific kicking game, but as he faces Evan Dunham in this upcoming co-main event, he has to keep his hands up or this could be a disappointing night for him.

Barboza comes from a Muay Thai background, which focuses primarily on the kicking game as well as knees and elbows.  Punches and boxing aren't always the main aspect Muay Thai fighters spend hours upon hours training, so defensively that can cause a liability, as witnessed in Barboza's last fight with Cerrone, where a stiff jab ended up becoming his undoing.

Meanwhile, Dunham is struggling to find his identity in the Octagon after losing three out of his last four bouts, although he's made it competitive in all of them. Staring down the barrel of three losses in a row is a place no fighter wants to be, however, and Dunham needs to find a way to get inside on Barboza and avoid his kicks or this could be a short, painful night for the Oregon native.

Dunham averages 1.7 takedowns per 15 minutes, but only lands with 34 percent accuracy, which doesn't bode well against Barboza, who has excellent defense, blocking 83.33 percent of his opponent's attempts.  Barboza and Dunham are close together in strikes landed and accuracy, but those numbers don't even begin to tell the real story in how these two fighters are in different leagues when it comes to stand-up fighting.

Barboza is a fierce, nasty striker with the kind of arsenal that should scare any lightweight standing across the cage from him.  His leg kicks are blistering, and it only takes one or two before an opponent will see a purple welt start to form, and limping doesn’t follow far behind.  Barboza has twice finished opponents with leg kicks, and if he can establish that weapon against Dunham, this is going to be a good night for the Brazilian.

Look for Barboza to establish his kicks early and if Dunham can't get him to the ground, it's only a matter of time before he unleashes hell on the American and lands a knockout strike to win the fight and possibly pick up a Performance of the Night bonus to boot.

RICK STORY (-280 FAVORITE) VS. LEONARDO MAFRA (+240 UNDERDOG)

Rick Story will look to get back on track when he returns on Wednesday to face former Ultimate Fighter Brazil hopeful Leonardo Mafra, who is making his second appearance inside the Octagon.

Story has long been considered a benchmark in the welterweight division and a stopping block to get into the top 10.  Story is one of only two fighters to hold a win over welterweight champion Johny Hendricks in the UFC, and he's one of the toughest outs in the entire division.  While his record has bounced back and forth between wins and losses over his last six fights, don't take for granted that Story is a busy striker (3.46 per minute landed) and a tough as nails wrestler (2.87 takedowns per fight) as well.

Mafra fought back at UFC 147, losing by third round TKO to Thiago Perpetuo, and that's after he was eliminated on the reality show competition by eventual show winner Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira.  Since that time, Mafra has picked up five wins in a row - all by knockout, but he has his work cut out for him in this fight.

Story is tenacious with his attacks, whether it's standing or on the ground, and the fact is he's faced a higher level of opponent throughout his career so he knows what it's like to be pushed by the absolute best of the best in the welterweight division. Mafra hasn't even sniffed the kind of competition that Story has routinely faced, even if some of those have resulted in defeats.

Story should be able to push the pace on Mafra while still being careful of his striking game, and ultimately wear the Brazilian down to either win a lopsided decision or finish the fight late with a TKO by strikes.  Either way, Story gets the job done in this one.

ALEX WHITE (-160 FAVORITE) VS. LUCAS MARTINS (+140 UNDERDOG)

One of the most enjoyable fights on the UFC Fight Night main card is a featherweight battle between Brazilian Lucas Martins and late notice replacement Alex White, who steps in to save the UFC for the second time in his short career with the promotion.

White is a finisher who doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'decision'. Through 10 professional fights, White has gone to the judges only once and otherwise has put away his other nine opponents, including Estevan Payan in his UFC debut, where he bludgeoned his way to a first-round knockout and a $50,000 bonus.  White is a massive featherweight who packs a serious punch, but also possesses a deceptively slick ground game.

Martins has gotten much better since his UFC debut, where he found out the hard way that facing Edson Barboza in the Octagon can be bad for your health, especially when your future sits at 145 pounds.  Martins has won his last two fights - one by knockout and one by submission, so he promises to bring it in this matchup to kick off the main card on Wednesday night.

The advantage goes to White, however, based on his overall MMA game, especially in the stand-up, where he's got a nasty combination of punches and kicks to put it on an opponent in the early going.  Martins is no slouch, but he can be a bit of a slow starter and that could play right into White's hand, considering his aggressiveness as soon as the referee says go.  Expect White to come out firing and not stop until Martins is on the ground and the fight is over sometime inside the first two rounds.  White is going to be a prospect to watch in 2014 and this is a big showcase for him against Martins.

Expect big things from this young man.

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Pat Healy: Bringing Bam Bam Back

At six feet tall, Pat Healy is used to being the big guy in the cage since dropping to lightweight from welterweight four years ago.

And while he will still be the taller fighter against Gleison Tibau at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs Miller on July 16th at Atlantic City’s Revel Casino Hotel, the two men will be on par when it comes to weight and strength.

“He’s definitely as big as I am,” said Healy. “He’s a big, muscular guy. I’m a little taller but he’s going to be one of the biggest guys I’ve ever faced at this weight class.”

Tibau is a big, strong lightweight, with knockout power in both hands, and as a black belt, he has excellent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coming out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, where he trains with Marcos “Parrumpinha” da Matta, a BJJ world champion.

But Healy, hailing from Oregon, is a great wrestler who has been working on his BJJ in camp with “some pretty big guys who specialize in jiu-jitsu.

“I obviously want to keep this fight on the feet,” he said, “but if it does go to the mat, I have been working hard on submissions, and as a wrestler I am always confident that I can get into some good positions to do some damage. I definitely do not want to be on the bottom of Gleison. He’s really good with his top game and he can also ground and pound pretty well from there.”

Healy isn’t too concerned about a current three-fight slide, at least not outwardly, but he is sure this is an important fight in terms of where he stands in the division. As for Tibau, he’s coming off a second round TKO loss to Michael Johnson at UFC 168.

“I want to make a run at the title, and a win over Tibau is the start down that path,” Healy said. “Of course last time I fought in New Jersey I had some issues,” he said, referring to his submission win over Jim Miller being ruled a no contest after testing positive for marijuana following the event.

The no contest against Miller may have had a broad impact on “Bam Bam.” Not only was he hit with a sizeable fine for the impropriety, he dropped his next three fights via unanimous decision to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Bobby Green and Jorge Masvidal.

“I just have to get back to the way I used to fight, the Strikeforce days,” he said. “I tried to adjust my fighting style, trying to correct things in my fight game, but that led me to change the way I approach my fights. I can make adjustments and keep improving without changing it up too much now, and I’m ready to put it all together.”

It’s a familiar song from so many fighters who either change camps or swap a stand and bang style for a more conservative approach. Miguel Torres, Roger Huerta and Clay Guida come to mind. Each opted to change game plans and suffered a few losses during the incubation period before bouncing back with wins.

“It’s never easy to dissect one’s own game and make changes, but it’s necessary in this sport, which is constantly evolving,” said Healy. “You have to keep learning and keep improving all the time.”

It’s been a rough UFC return for Healy (he first appeared at UFC Fight Night 6 in 2006), who was twice scheduled to fight for the Strikeforce lightweight belt against champion Gilbert Melendez before both fights were scrapped due to injury to the champ.

“It’s just a matter of time,” he said. “I need a win against Tibau and that’s what I’m focused on,” he said.

Part of that focus has been on strength and conditioning.

“It’s no secret that Gleison doesn’t like going into the second and third rounds cardio wise,” says Healy. “I’ve always been a slow starter in all my fights, so I start coming alive in the later rounds, so part of the game plan is to take Tibau deep and wear him down. I am going to mix it up with a lot of stand-up, transitions to takedowns and ground and pound. That’s the plan anyway.”

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No fighter ever wants to see that dreaded 'L' on their record. But losing out on your dream in a fight you believe you won? That's an even tougher pill to swallow.

So when a contentious split decision loss to eventual TUF 19 winner Eddie Gordon knocked Cathal Pendred out of last season's middleweight semifinals, the Irishman couldn't help but agonize over how a perfect situation had somehow slipped through his fingers.

There was no one more devastated than me, Pendred reflected on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. I didn't sleep for two months afterwards.

Every night when I got into bed, I just played the fight over in my head and was thinking where I could've done things better, where I shouldn't have made certain mistakes.

Of course, at that point Pendred could never have guessed how much of a blessing in disguise his loss could be.

Not only did UFC President Dana White firmly believe that Pendred got robbed of the judges' nod, but by not being tied down to the season's July 6th finale, Pendred's fantasy scenario could actually become a reality. Just like it was meant to be, the UFC announced that it was returning to Dublin for the first time in five years, and Pendred found himself handed a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream.

I couldn't have asked for a better situation to make my debut, said Pendred, who now fights Mike King on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 46.

Being in the O2 in 2009 when the UFC first came to Dublin, I was there with my younger brother and I said to him, ‘The next time I come back here, I will 100-percent be fighting on the card.' I didn't want to miss out on that. That was a goal I set for myself, and thankfully it's come true.

Luckily for Pendred, a majority of the stink left behind by The Ultimate Fighter 19 was erased during the season's unexpectedly exciting finale, which tied the mark for most finishes on a UFC event this year. Still, throughout the show's three-month run, White left no doubt that he ranked the season among the worst in the series' lengthy history.

At least in regards to what footage was aired and the quality of the fights, Pendred agreed that any criticism lobbed by the UFC boss was fair. Although he also believed that the show's editors didn't do the cast many favors when it came to material that got left on the cutting room floor.

I think some of the fights were a bit lackluster, definitely you can say that. But I honestly think there was so much stuff that happened on the show outside of the fighting that they didn't put onto the show, and I can't understand it because it would have made the show so much more enjoyable, Pendred said. There were so many fun things that happened.

I convinced Mark Coleman halfway through the season that I was a Russian. I went into the house with a big massive beard, so obviously he had never seen me fresh-faced before. And then halfway through I shaved it off, and the night I did that he was coming over ... and I decided to play a prank on him and pretend I was this Russian guy who B.J. (Penn) had hired to be the wrestling coach, because [Coleman] was obviously very proud to be our wrestling coach. I put on a Russian accent, I even had to be the son of the guy who beat him in the World Championships.

This Russian guy beat him in the World Championships, I think it was in 1991 or something, and he just always talked about it. Obviously he has a chip on his shoulder about it, and he always just talked about how he should've beaten that guy. So I got his name and I said I was his son and talked in a Russian accent, and actually had one of the guys tell me when he came into the house, so I got one of my teammates and pretended to be showing them a double leg as he walked in. The producers said it was one of the funniest things they've ever seen in 19 seasons.

Household antics aside, while Pendred wouldn't say that he particularly enjoyed his time on TUF 19, the 25-year-old did acknowledge that he was more than glad for the experience as a whole, and that ultimately, the show made him a much stronger fighter.

It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, said Pendred.

Any interview I've had, I always mention the distractions as the worst part. You don't have anything to take yourself away from the situation and you can't watch a bit of TV or read a book, listen to an iPod, so you're constantly just with your thoughts. And obviously, as a fighter, [fighting is] all you think about, so when you don't have that, it's pretty tough. You're locked into a house. It's like jail.

It's a pretty tough spot, but I'm glad I did it because it's just easier after that. Any fight situation I'm in now is going to be easier than that one.

Now that TUF 19 is behind him, Pendred's excitement towards the future was obvious. He, alongside his SBG Ireland teammates Conor McGregor and Patrick Holohan, have the chance to introduce the new generation of Irish fighters to the global stage, and all signs point to his countrymen being ready to accept mixed martial arts into the mainstream. UFC Fight Night 46 sold out as soon as tickets were made available to the general public, while McGregor is already approaching superstar status just two fights into his UFC career.

The Irish MMA boom is approaching a tipping point, and Pendred believes Saturday night could be the final nudge his country needs.

I always knew this was going to happen, he said. I've seen Irish fans support their boxers. I remember when I was a kid, I think it was the Olympics in Barcelona in '92, and I remember seeing my family and my mother specifically watching a boxer.

I can't remember which fight it was, but he won a medal in the Olympics and everyone cried, the whole country was behind him. That's always the way it's been in Ireland. The country gets behind their fighters, and I knew once the country became educated on what MMA was and understood it, and it got rid of the bad stigma attached to it, that that's what was going to happen to the fighters.

I thought it would be more gradual that it would get to this point, but it was almost overnight and it's been amazing. It's been a trip.

http://www.mmafighting.com

The Rocktagon MMA promotion has become a staple of Southwest MMA as they have stood on the fence between New Mexico and Texas for several of their most recent shows. Promoting shows out of El Paso, Texas creates an outlet for fighters from both states to fight close to home but travel enough to get the experience of fighting on the road. Rocktagon MMA also offers very professional production value and with thirty fight events in the books, there success has withstood the test of time.

On March 29th, Rocktagon 31 will be live inside the Socorro Entertainment Center in El Paso, Texas. The show will be part of the promotion’s “Rock Rage” series of shows. The “Rock Rage” label indicates that the event will also feature a stage to host a live band to compliment the MMA bouts lined up. Currently, ten match-ups line the fight card and while many of Rocktagon’s regulars will be in action, a few New Mexico fighters will also be featured on the fight card.

At the last show, Rocktagon 30 would feature three fighters from Albuquerque’s FIT NHB; this time around it will be two fighters representing the prominent gym. Lance Friedenstein (5-1) will make his return to MMA action after four and a half years of inactivity. The heavy-handed heavyweight holds four career victories by TKO and will take on a California heavyweight with a 2-1 record named Josue Lugo.

Nathaniel “The Game Dog” Baker will also end a lengthy hiatus when he takes on Brandon Seyler of Dallas, Texas. Baker (2-5) is a veteran of New Mexico MMA having his first fight date back all the way to July of 2000. The FIT NHB fighter has been in the cage with such notable opponents as Belen’s Gene Perez and the UFC’s John Moraga.

Also in action is Las Cruces fighter Alan Lerma who took a controversial decision over FIT NHB’s Tim Sosa in his last Rocktagon outing. Lerma will take on the very popular Paco Castillo in a match-up that can be chalked up as an early “Fight of the Night” candidate. Castillo’s brother Angel will also be in action.

A few other Las Cruces trained fighters will be in action as Randy McCarty and Steven Ortega will also step into the Rocktagon cage.

The main event of the evening features a bout between Desmond Hill and Rodrigo Sotelo who will be fighting for the Rocktagon Lightweight Championship. Sotelo is a fan favorite in the area and a very iconic figure within the Rocktagon roster while Hill is also fast rising in popularity. The two dynamic fighters will headline a fight card that will be complimented by the live music of Grind, A Tribute to Alice in Chains.

For more information visit Rocktagon Worldwide’s website.

http://swfight.com

At the UFC Fight Night 46 weigh-ins, all 20 fighters taking part in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 46 fights will step on the scale Friday, and we'll have the live video here at MMAFighting.com.

In the main event, Conor McGregor and Diego Brandao will have to make the featherweight limit of 145 pounds.

The UFC Fight Night 46 weigh-in takes place at 11 a.m. ET, and the video is above.

Check out the UFC Fight Night 46 weigh-in results below.

Main card (UFC Fight Pass at 3 p.m. ET)

Conor McGregor (146) vs. Diego Brandao (145.5)

Gunnar Nelson (170.5) vs. Zak Cummings (171)

Brad Pickett (126) vs. Ian McCall (126)

Norman Parke (155.5) vs. Naoyuki Kotani (155.5)

Undercard (UFC Fight Pass at 12:30 p.m. ET)

Ilir Latifi (205) vs. Chris Dempsey (204)

Neil Seery (125.5) vs. Phil Harris (126)

Cathal Pendred (186) vs. Mike King (185.5)

Tor Troeng (185) vs. Trevor Smith (185.5)

Cody Donovan (205) vs. Nikita Krylov (205)

Patrick Holohan (125.5) vs. Josh Sampo (126.5) (126 on second try)

http://www.mmafighting.com

Miguel Cotto made history in New York as he claimed the WBC middleweight belt by emphatically dethroning Sergio Martinez at Madison Square Garden.

Cotto became the first boxer from Puerto Rico to win world titles at four different weights when Martinez failed to answer the bell for the start of the 10th round.

The Argentine's corner waved the fight off knowing he was a long, long way behind on the scorecards, particularly after he suffered the worst possible start to the contest.

In action for the first time since successfully defending the WBC strap against Englishman Martin Murray last April, Martinez was knocked down three times in a quite sensational opening round.

Cotto targeted the body as he threatened to make it an extremely early finish, though in the end he had to settle for a 10-6 round that gave him a healthy lead on the scorecards.

He continued to build on it as the bout wore on, Martinez - who needed knee surgery after his triumph over Murray in his home country - never appearing to threaten a comeback.

The 39-year-old was put down again in the ninth, the referee awarding it a knockdown despite the struggling champion not actually touching the canvas.

Enough

Still, the big left that did the damage was enough for Martinez's corner to take the decision to pull their man out and spare him from taking any further punishment.

I got hit and I never recovered after that. I tried my best, said Martinez, speaking through a translator, afterwards. He caught me cold, he caught me hard at the beginning and I didn't recover from it.

Cotto had previously been a world champion at light-welterweight, welterweight and light-middleweight. He now has a 39-4 record after his first outing at the 160lb limit.

This is the biggest achievement I ever had in my career, he said after becoming the first man to beat Martinez since Paul Williams in 2009. It was a reflection of my hard work (for) 10, 11 weeks.

His trainer, Freddie Roach, was also delighted at the 33-year-old's performance, insisting 'Junito' had followed the pre-fight plan laid out in their gym sessions to absolute perfection.

I'm really proud of him, he said. We had a great game plan and he followed it to a tee. He had him moving into the hook all night long. Miguel is a better boxer than Martinez.

www1.skysports.com

It’s always the toughest category to whittle down to just five picks, but it’s also the most enjoyable to work with, as watching these finishes over and over just never gets old. Here are this scribe’s top five knockouts of 2014 thus far. Let the debates begin…

5 - Dan Henderson - Mauricio “Shogun” Rua II

It wasn’t a repeat of their first meeting over two years ago in terms of a sustained 25 minutes of action, but on March 23 at the sweltering Ginasio Nelio Dias in Natal, Brazil, veteran MMA superstars Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua added another worthy chapter to their series, with “Hendo” emerging victorious once again, snapping a three-fight losing streak this time by way of a come from behind third round knockout that proved his “H-Bomb” of a right hand was still as destructive as ever.

4 - Abel Trujillo-Jamie Varner

Let’s not mince words here – until Abel Trujillo and Jamie Varner threw down for seven minutes and 32 seconds in the UFC 169 main card opener in February, that card was pretty bad. But these lightweights ignited the crowd at Prudential Center with an all-out slugfest in which both men took turns rocking each other until a single right hand by Trujillo put Varner down and out in the second round. This was great stuff capped off with a great finish.

3 - Roy Nelson-Minotauro Nogueira

As a longtime fan of Minotauro Nogueira, this one wasn’t easy to watch, but it was one of the most devastating knockouts you will see. Everyone knows how potent the right hand of Roy “Big Country” Nelson is, and in Abu Dhabi in April, he threw it until it caught the Brazilian icon, and when it nailed him flush, Nelson didn’t even go in for the follow-up as he knew that the fight was over. As a postscript, if you go back and watch this and aren’t even more amped up for his September showdown with Mark Hunt, you need to find a different sport to follow.

2 - Chris Beal-Patrick Williams

Plenty of fighters try flying knees. Some have good technique when throwing them, others even land them. But I can’t recall a more perfect execution and result of a flying knee than what we saw at UFC 172 in April, as TUF 18’s Chris Beal fired one off that landed flush on Patrick Williams and knocked him out as soon as it hit. Referee Herb Dean didn’t need to do anything at that point except stop the fight, and that’s what he did, with Beal kicking off his UFC career in style.

1 - Dong Hyun Kim-John Hathaway

South Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim has gone through a transformation in his last couple fights in the UFC, replacing his conservative grappling-based attack with an aggressive, crowd-pleasing assault. In March, Kim took on England’s John Hathaway, and in the third round he scored with a spinning elbow that knocked “The Hitman” out immediately. What places it at number one on this list isn’t just the technique involved and the finality of the shot, but the sound. Even through computer speakers, when you heard him land the elbow, you knew the fight was over. That’s a scary knockout, and in my eyes it’s clearly the best of 2014 thus far.

HONORABLE MENTION: Castillo-Brenneman, Pepey-Lahat, Eduardo-Wineland, Font-Roop, Noons-Stout, Dillashaw-Barao, Rockhold-Philippou, Cerrone-Martins, Rousey-Davis, Bang-Johnson.

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The New Mexico Tourism department does a fantastic job at promoting the state and all the amazing sites and adventures that are found within our state lines. The State of New Mexico website features a segment called New Mexico True Stories where videos are showcased emphasizing adventures and stories from around the state that includes a video on New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez. the Angel Fire zip line and the burning of “Zozobra”.

Today, UFC Top Contender Carlos Condit was featured on the professionally impressive site (click here to view) and in a short video, Condit is portrayed as embodying the true essence of what it means to be a New Mexican while also showcasing the intellectual and emotional side of the combat fighter.

A quote from the New Mexico True Stories site really sums up the direction of the two-minute video.

We know that New Mexico is the best and baddest state in the union. We’ve got the meanest cage-fighter, the biggest elk, the strongest trout, the hottest and most flavorful food, the most iconic living writer, the first wilderness area and spaceport, the birdiest desert oasis, and the most summity Everest guide of all time. We just want everyone else in the state to appreciate these things, too.

The video begins slowly with Condit amidst fight preparations with short “flashback” videos of past moments mixed in the fray. The voiceover of Condit speaks emotionally about his rise and fall as a mixed martial arts champion and his climb back towards winning the World Title again with relation to the struggle and the hardships that come with it all.

Condit’s training at the crest of the Sandia Mountains is beautifully displayed at a place called the “Rock House”; the old Ranger Station has now become a beacon for Condit to train and hit mitts with one of his coaches, Brandon Gibson. Training in the thin mountain air, Condit continues to talk about his outlook on fighting and how the quiet training compares to 20-thousand roaring fans.

The Albuquerque native then speaks of the emotional relation to the people of his home state when he shares this gem of a quote:

We are all fighters in New Mexico, I’m no different. It’s just that my fight happens in the cage. – Carlos Condit

The video ends with an aerial shot of the vast Albuquerque landscape where Condit is shown running atop the hills. It is a great video that is full of emotion and inspirational vibes. It is definitely worth the two minutes and six seconds to watch.

Carlos Condit truly embodies the spirit of New Mexicans and has been a great ambassador as one of the state’s most visible and successful sport’s icons. As the first UFC Champion to be a native of New Mexico, Condit has always been a model of class and respect in the physical demanding sport and has always representing his roots of New Mexico throughout his career journey.

Condit will fight this Saturday night in the co-main event for UFC 171 live on pay-per-view. Already a top contender, it is well-known that a win for Condit over fellow contender Tyron Woodley will earn the New Mexican fighter a shot at the UFC Welterweight Title.

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