2012/04/30: PHIGHT5r MMA Twitter Rankings

Last update: 2012/04/30

Notes:

- Top gainers this week by # of followers include @SpiderAnderson 33K, @roynelsonmma 13K, @jonnybones 11K, @Minotauromma 10K, @vitorbelfort 10K, @ShogunRua 5K, @junior_cigano 5K, @GeorgesStPierre 5K.

- Notable follower thresholds passed this week include @GeorgesStPierre going over 425K, @ShogunRua going over 350K, @vitorbelfort going over 300K, @junior_cigano going over 225K, @mark_munoz & @HypeOrDie go over 50K. Congratulations!

- @ThiagoAlvesATT loses 3K in followers this week. I have him pegged as a fighter who buys followers to boost his TweEgo. This along with some other stats I've gathered only goes to support this assessment.

MMA Twitter Rankings© by PHIGHT5r

Rank (LW)	Twitter© Handle	Who Dat?	Followers
1	@SpiderAnderson*	Anderson Silva*	1,695,589
2	@Minotauromma	Rodrigo Nogueira	541,625
3	@GeorgesStPierre	Georges St-Pierre	425,508
4	@jonnybones	Jon Jones	368,503
5	@ShogunRua	Mauricio Rua	353,416
6	@roynelsonmma*	Roy Nelson*	338,293
7	@Rampage4real	Quinton Jackson	317,183
8	@vitorbelfort	Vitor Belfort	308,648
9	@wandfc	Wanderlei Silva	256,081
10	@ForrestGriffin	Forrest Griffin	236,993
11	@junior_cigano	Junior dos Santos	226,588
12	@FrankieEdgar*	Frankie Edgar*	218,795
13	@mayhammiller	Jason Miller	214,277
14	@SugaRashadEvans	Rashad Evans	199,810
15	@UrijahFaber	Urijah Faber	192,494
16	@titoortiz	Tito Ortiz	184,886
17	@demianmaia	Demian Maia	178,168
18	@lyotomachidafw	Lyoto Machida	164,449
19	@sonnench	Chael Sonnen	149,846
20	@danhendo	Dan Henderson	136,630
21	@thefrankmir	Frank Mir	136,227
22	@danhardymma	Dan Hardy	132,664
23	@JoshKoscheck	Josh Koscheck	128,423
24	@kennyflorian	Kenny Florian	118,436
25	@cainmma	Cain Velasquez	116,172
26 (27)	@josealdojunior	Jose Aldo	107,390
27 (26)	@ShaneCarwin	Shane Carwin	106,530
28	@Minotouromma	Rogério Nogueira	103,476
29	@NateDiaz209	Nathan Diaz	102,155
30	@bisping	Michael Bisping	96,059
31	@RenzoGracieBJJ	Renzo Gracie	88,945
32	@Alistairovereem	Alistair Overeem	87,073
33	@ThiagoAlvesATT*	Thiago Alves*	81,529
34	@ryanbader	Ryan Bader	77,372
35	@TavaresMMA	Thiago Tavares	73,766
36 (37)	@RichFranklin	Rich Franklin	72,828
37 (36)	@jakeshieldsajj	Jake Shields	72,539
38	@clayguida	Clay Guida	69,815
39	@CarlosCondit	Carlos Condit	66,319
40	@MiguelTorresMMA	Miguel Torres	63,034
41	@JoeLauzon	Joe Lauzon	61,317
42	@GrayMaynard	Gray Maynard	58,738
43	@jonfitchdotnet	Jon Fitch	56,805
44	@SMOOTHone155	Benson Henderson	52,497
45	@nickdiaz209	Nick Diaz	51,881
46	@TheDomin8r	Dominick Cruz	51,617
47	@BrianStann	Brian Stann	50,939
48	@mark_munoz	Mark Muñoz	50,318
49	@HypeOrDie	Pat Barry	50,208
50	@Showtimepettis	Anthony Pettis	49,854

* Possibly buying followers.

First 3 out: Donald Cerrone, Brendan Schaub & Phil Davis.

Updated about once a week or thereabouts...

Contact us darren@phight5r.com if you feel we are missing anyone. This list is always in flux and never entirely current.UFC© based fighters.

PHIGHT5r MMA Twitter Rankings Top 50 - Archive

2012/04/23




Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 149: Shogun Rua v. Thiago Silva

MMA fans have been pumped up about Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's return to the octagon since his classic battle against Dan Henderson at UFC 139 in November of 2011.

"Shogun" was supposed to have a rematch with Quinton Jackson, but that match-up was scrapped due to Rampage's balky knees that will likely need surgery.

That setback momentarily left Rua without an opponent. However, ESPN.co.uk is reporting that the UFC has confirmed that his next fight with be a clash at UFC 149 against Thiago Silva.

Usually UFC matchmakers are right on the money when it comes to evaluating talent and potential fights that should be competitive, but this one left me scratching my head.

After performing at a high level against the No. 2 light heavyweight in the world - standing toe-to-toe with MMA legend Dan Henderson for a five round war - I don't see how it makes much sense that Rua is now slated to fight a man who doesn't even rank in the top 15 light heavyweights in the world.

Rua is still a legitimate top five light heavyweight even after losing to "Hendo," and Thiago Silva is ranked by FightMatrix.com as the No. 20 fighter in the division.

Silva put on a good show in his loss to No. 9 ranked Alexander Gustafsson, but there's no way his performance earned him a fight against a top five striker in the division. Silva lost three of his past five, with his only official victory coming against Keith Jardine in 2009. His win over Brandon Vera in 2011 was overturned due to a falsified urine sample.

UFC© 149: Calgary - Rua v. Silva

Even if that victory would have stood up, Silva doesn't have a single victory against a top ten light heavyweight. Rua lost three of his past five, but two of those losses came against the No. 1 and No. 2 fighters in the division in Jon Jones and Dan Henderson.

He avenged the only other loss by knocking out Lyoto Machida in 2010.

After his epic brawl with Henderson, the UFC should have matched Rua up against Ryan Bader, Alexander Gustafsson or perhaps even Machida for a third time.

As for Silva, his loss to Gustafsson should have earned him a fight against a low-tier light heavyweight who ranks somewhere between No. 12 and 25 in the world.

Fighters like Stephan Bonnar, Brandon Vera, Vlad Matyushenko and Forrest Griffin come to mind when I think of guys who would have been better suited to square off against Silva rather than "Shogun" Rua.

Eric Holden is a lifelong UFC fan and supporter of the sport of mixed martial arts. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.

Sources: Yahoo!,  www.sherdog.com

Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© on Fox 4: Brian Stann v. Hector Lombard

Stann the Man

Brian Stann (12-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will serve as the UFC's welcoming committee for longtime Bellator champion and recent UFC signee Hector Lombard (31-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com the fighters are expected to meet in August in a network-televised UFC on FOX 4 main-card bout.

UFC president Dana White today tweeted the Stann vs. Lombard matchup but didn't reveal a date for it. MMAjunkie.com later confirmed the targeted event.

UFC on FOX 4 takes place Aug. 4 at Los Angeles' Staples Center. In addition to the FOX-televised main card, FUEL TV is expected to carry the prelims.

Lombard, Bellator's longtime middleweight champion, signed with the UFC just this past week. The Cuban-Australian standout enters the UFC on the strength of a 24-0-1 unbeaten streak that dates back to 2006. Lombard, who nearly signed with the UFC in 2007 before visa issues got in the way, most recently knocked out Trevor Prangley at Bellator 58, which fulfilled the terms of his Bellator deal. He concluded his run in the organization with an 8-0 record.

Stann recently picked up his fourth win in five fights with a first-round knockout via ground and pound of Alessio Sakara earlier this month at UFC on FUEL TV 2. Prior to the victory, the former WEC light-heavyweight champion snapped a three-fight win streak (over Mike Massenzio, Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago) and potentially cost himself a title shot with a second-round submission loss to upcoming title challenger Chael Sonnen.

Article source: MMA Junkie

Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 149: Calgary - Aldo Will Headline & Defend

Jose Aldo

Forget about what UFC president Dana White said just four days ago about plucking featherweight king Jose Aldo (Pictured) from UFC 149 so he could fight in front of his Brazilian brethren at UFC 147. According to MMAJunkie, Aldo will remain in the July 21st extravaganza and headline the show opposite Erik Koch.

Aldo was originally announced as UFC 147‘s featured attraction, but White stated Tuesday that Aldo would “probably” be moved to the June 23rd card after Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II was forced out of the lineup and relocated to UFC 148. At the time, the world’s premier mixed martial arts promotion believed Brazil’s event needed more local star power as the rematch between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva is currently receiving top billing.

“Scarface” will be riding a 14-fight winning streak into the shootout. Aldo was last seen posterizing Chad Mendes at UFC 142. The 25-year-old assassin is arguably the baddest 145-pounder to ever storm the MMA scene.

Koch outpointed Jonathan Brookins in September for a unanimous decision victory to collect his fourth consecutive win. He was scheduled to face Dustin Poirier at UFC 143, but withdrew due to injury and has been on the mend ever since.

UFC 149 takes place inside Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Article source: 5th Round



Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 150: Yushin Okami v. Luiz Cane

UFC officials confirmed Friday that former title challenger Yushin Okami will welcome Luiz Cane to the middleweight division at UFC 150.

Additionally, the promotion verified that Dennis Hallman will meet Thiago Tavares in a lightweight duel at the Aug. 11 event, which takes place at the Pepsi Center in Denver. UFC 150 marks the promotion’s first trip to the Mile High City since UFC 135 this past September.

Widely regarded as one of the sport’s top 185-pound talents, Okami had a three-fight winning streak snapped when he was dominated by longtime divisional ruler Anderson Silva at UFC 134 last year. “Thunder” returned to the cage on Feb. 26 and controlled Tim Boetsch for much of their UFC 144 contest before the American unleashed a flurry in round three that forced referee Leon Robertson to save Okami from further punishment at 54 seconds of the final frame.

Meanwhile, Cane makes the cut to middleweight after losing three of his last four outings at 205 pounds. “Banha” was most recently turned away this past August in Rio de Janeiro, falling by technical knockout to heavy-handed Bulgarian Stanislav Nedkov in the first round of their UFC 134 affair. Cane is an eight-time UFC veteran and holds Octagon victories over Jason Lambert, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Steve Cantwell and Eliot Marshall.

Article source: Sherdog




Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 150: Denver - Henderson v. Edgar 2

Benson Henderson's first defense of the UFC lightweight belt is likely to take place in Denver.

MMAjunkie.com today confirmed with sources close to the event that Henderson and former champ Frankie Edgar have verbally agreed to meet at UFC 150, which is expected to take place on Aug. 11.

UFC officials have yet to make an official announcement regarding the event or the headliner. Contracts for the fight have yet to be distributed.

Denver's Pepsi Center may host UFC 150, but nothing has been finalized to date.

Pepsi Center - Denver, CO

Edgar (14-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC), of course, surrendered the belt to Henderson (16-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at this past February's UFC 144 event.

UFC president Dana White initially encouraged Edgar to drop to 145 pounds and challenge UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo for the title. However, Edgar remained intent on fighting again for the lightweight belt, and a bit of fan lobbying and fighter encouragement eventually led White to change his mind and award a rematch to "The Answer."

Edgar is no stranger to rematches. Henderson marks the third-straight opponent that he's faced in two-consecutive fights after tussling with Gray Maynard and B.J. Penn twice each.

Meanwhile, former WEC champ Henderson looks to remain perfect under the UFC banner. "Smooth" was defeated by Anthony Pettis in the final WEC event but earned wins over Mark Bocek, Jim Miller and Clay Guida to earn his title shot before taking the decision win over Edgar.

Pettis was initially expected to get the next shot at Henderson after earning a knockout win over Joe Lauzon at UFC 144. Instead, he now waits on a new opponent.

Article source: MMA Junkie

PHIGHT5r's UFC 150 page.


Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC on FX 4: Hatsu Hioki vs Ricardo Lamas

Hats off to Hatsu.

Japanese import Hatsu Hioki, one of the few viable contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight division, has opted to spin the wheel one more time rather than solve the 145-pound puzzle.

And the path to Jose Aldo, which begins at UFC on FX 4 on June 22, 2012 in Atlantic City, NJ, is paved with Ricardo Lamas.

That's where "The Bully" will try to end Hioki's six-fight winning streak and make an argument for a title shot of his own -- assuming he can make a better case than the winner of Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung, who also try to get "in the mix" next month in Fairfax.

UFC on FX 4 will feature a lightweight main event of Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida, as both powerful wrestlers try to scratch and claw their way back into the 155-pound title hunt.

Elsewhere on the card, former middleweight mainstay (and "Garden State" native) Dan Miller will make his welterweight debut against Ricardo Funch while Sam Stout completes his "King" trilogy against Spencer Fisher.

Article source: MMA Mania



Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC on Fuel 4: Paul Taylor vs. Anthony Njokuani

Lightweights Paul Taylor and Anthony Njokuani were supposed to square off last November at UFC 138 in England, but Taylor was forced out just days before the event after suffering minor injuries in a car accident.

Now, Taylor is readying to return in July at UFC on Fuel 4, and according to a report from Fighter's Only, he'll get that matchup with Njokuani once more.

Due to that injury in November, Taylor hasn't been seen in the Octagon since a win over Gabe Ruediger at UFC 126 in February of 2011.

Njokuani, meanwhile, has fought four times in the UFC during the stretch that Taylor's been out. He's gone 2-2 in that stretch, with all four fights going to decision. Most recently, he defeated John Makdessi last Saturday night at UFC 145 in Atlanta.

UFC on Fuel 4 takes place on July 11, and will be headlined by the middleweight bout between Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman.

Article source: MMA Torch




Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 149: Big Nog v. Kongo

UFC© 149 - Saddledome

The same day that UFC president Dana White announced that he is likely taking featherweight champion Jose Aldo off of the fight card in Calgary, the Calgary Sun reported that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira would face Cheick Kongo at UFC 149.

Though the Calgary Sun cited anonymous sources pointing to the fight, the UFC’s Canadian contingent endorsed the report by re-tweeting it.

Nogueira (33-7-1) hasn’t seen action since losing to Frank Mir at UFC 140 in early December. Nogueira refused to tap out to a Mir’s Kimura, resulting in a broken humerus.

Amassing a 4-3 record during his UFC tenure, Nogueira would really like to get his career back on track.

Kongo (17-7-2) is also coming off of a loss. Mark Hunt became the first man in the UFC to send Kongo out via TKO when the two fought at UFC 144 in Japan.

With Aldo likely moving into the main event at UFC 147, the UFC is also in search of a headliner for UFC 149. White has already mentioned that Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson is a leading candidate to headline the July 21 date in Calgary, but that move is not concrete.

Article source: Yahoo! Sports

PHIGHT5r.com's UFC© 149: Calgary page.





Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 146: Roy Nelson To Face Gabriel Gonzaga

The music has stopped. And this time Roy Nelson has a seat at the UFC 146 fight card table after a weekend reshuffle left him without a dance parter.

He can thank Gabriel Gonzaga ... and maybe even Shane del Rosario.

"Napao" has agreed to replace Antonio Silva -- who was promoted to a fight against Cain Velasquez when Alistair Overeem was removed from the main event -- and battle "Big Country" on the pay-per-view (PPV) main card from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 26, 2012.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White today made the announcement, which gets the historic UFC 146 all-Heavyweight PPV main card closer to complete for the Memorial Day mixed martial arts (MMA) weekend extravaganza.

Gonzaga's original UFC 146 opponent, the aforementioned del Rosario, (for now) appears to be the latest odd man out.

Gonzaga recently emerged from premature retirement after consecutive UFC losses to Junior dos Santos and Brendan Schaub in 2010. He came back to win a tune up fight against Parker Porter via submission in Oct. 2011 and then put his top-notch Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills to work once again when he tapped Ednaldo Oliveira with a rear naked choke at UFC 142 earlier this year.

Nelson, meanwhile, is a mediocre 3-3 inside the Octagon. After retiring a debilitated Mirko Filipovic at last year's UFC 137, he was battered and bruised across three rounds by Fabricio Werdum at UFC 143 just over a month ago, prompting White to once again ask him to lose some weight.

Didn't happen despite a social media campaign to get him down to Light Heavyweight.

UFC 146 will now feature a main event between Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir, while Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva will serve as the co-featured fight of the night. Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve is also slated for primetime, and it would seem that the promotion would bring in a fresh big body on short notice to take on del Rosario to keep the heavyweight gimmick alive.

Travis Browne, anyone?

Article source: MMA Mania

Check in at PHIGHT5r.com's UFC 146 page for all the latest news, notes and for the event Twitter Rankings.



Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

2012/04/23: MMA Twitter Rankings Top 50

Last update: 2012/04/23 8AM ET/5AM PT

Notes:

- Top gainers this week by # of followers include @SpiderAnderson 47K, @jonnybones 37K, @roynelsonmma 15K, @SugaRashadEvans 13K, @Minotauromma 8K, @vitorbelfort 6K, @ShogunRua 5K, @junior_cigano 4K, @GeorgesStPierre 4K.

- Notable follower thresholds passed this week include @natediaz209 going over 100,000 followers & @BrianStann going over 50,000 followers. Congratulations!

- No doubt now that @roynelsonmma & @FrankieEdgar were buying Twitter followers which is completely pointless and useless save for some ego stroking. Both went from gaining over 10K followers per week over the last few months and now it just randomly falls to 1,000 per week over the last 2 weeks. 1,000 new followers per week is in right line with what other fighters of their stature gain naturally per week (during a non-fight week that is).

- @jonnybones & @SugaRashadEvans both made nice gains coming off their main event match-up at UFC© 145. Each gained a sizable chunk of followers and each moved up a position in the rankings.

MMA Twitter Rankings© by PHIGHT5r

Rank (LW)	Twitter© Handle	Who Dat?	Followers
1	@SpiderAnderson*	Anderson Silva*	1,661,954
2	@Minotauromma	Rodrigo Nogueira	531,596
3	@GeorgesStPierre	Georges St-Pierre	420,971
4 (5)	@jonnybones	Jon Jones	357,377
5 (4)	@ShogunRua	Mauricio Rua	348,205
6 (7)	@roynelsonmma*	Roy Nelson*	325,678
7 (6)	@Rampage4real	Quinton Jackson	315,135
8	@vitorbelfort	Vitor Belfort	298,367
9	@wandfc	Wanderlei Silva	253,444
10	@ForrestGriffin	Forrest Griffin	234,985
11	@junior_cigano	Junior dos Santos	221,703
12	@FrankieEdgar*	Frankie Edgar*	217,984
13	@mayhammiller	Jason Miller	213,204
14 (15)	@SugaRashadEvans	Rashad Evans	197,019
15 (14)	@UrijahFaber	Urijah Faber	190,160
16	@titoortiz	Tito Ortiz	183,666
17	@demianmaia	Demian Maia	175,173
18	@lyotomachidafw	Lyoto Machida	162,070
19	@sonnench	Chael Sonnen	147,342
20	@danhendo	Dan Henderson	134,486
21	@thefrankmir	Frank Mir	134,245
22	@danhardymma	Dan Hardy	130,782
23	@JoshKoscheck	Josh Koscheck	127,546
24	@kennyflorian	Kenny Florian	117,459
25	@cainmma	Cain Velasquez	114,862
26	@ShaneCarwin	Shane Carwin	105,827
27	@josealdojunior	Jose Aldo	105,764
28	@Minotouromma	Rogério Nogueira	101,806
29	@NateDiaz209	Nathan Diaz	100,903
30	@bisping	Michael Bisping	95,530
31	@RenzoGracieBJJ	Renzo Gracie	88,316
32	@Alistairovereem	Alistair Overeem	86,177
33	@ThiagoAlvesATT*	Thiago Alves*	84,193
34	@ryanbader	Ryan Bader	76,725
35	@TavaresMMA	Thiago Tavares	73,377
36	@jakeshieldsajj	Jake Shields	71,892
37	@RichFranklin	Rich Franklin	71,701
38	@clayguida	Clay Guida	68,716
39	@CarlosCondit	Carlos Condit	65,426
40	@MiguelTorresMMA	Miguel Torres	62,465
41	@JoeLauzon	Joe Lauzon	60,849
42	@GrayMaynard	Gray Maynard	58,194
43	@jonfitchdotnet	Jon Fitch	56,185
44	@SMOOTHone155	Benson Henderson	51,730
45	@nickdiaz209	Nick Diaz	51,170
46 (50)	@TheDomin8r	Dominick Cruz	50,163
47 (49)	@BrianStann	Brian Stann	50,120
48	@mark_munoz	Mark Muñoz	49,635
49 (47)	@HypeOrDie	Pat Barry	49,551
50 (46)	@Showtimepettis	Anthony Pettis	49,524

* Possibly buying followers.

First 3 out: Donald Cerrone, Brendan Schaub & Phil Davis.

Updated about once a week or thereabouts...

Contact us johnnystreams@gmail.com if you feel we are missing anyone. This list is always in flux and never entirely current.UFC© based fighters.

PHIGHT5r.com MMA Twitter Rankings Top 50


Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© on FUEL TV 2: 'Gustafsson v. Silva' Results & Archive

'Gustafsson v. Silva'
Ericsson Globe Arena | Stockholm, Sweden
April 14, 2012

Main Card (FUEL TV 3PM ET/12PM PT)
Alexander Gustafsson (14-1) def. Thiago Silva (14-3) Unanimous Decision

Brian Stann (12-4) def. Alessio Sakara (15-9, 1 NC) KO R1 (2:26)
Siyar Bahadurzada (21-4-1) def. Paulo Thialgo (14-4) KO R1 (0:42)
Dennis Siver (20-8) def. Diego Nunes (17-3) Unanimous Decision
John Maguire (18-3) def. DaMarques Johnson (13-10) Sub. by Armbar R2 (4:40)
Brad Pickett (21-6) def. Damacio Page (15-7) Sub. by Rear-naked Choke R2(4:05)

Prelims (Facebook 12:30PM ET/9:30AM PT)
James Head (8-2) def. Papy Abedi (8-2) Sub. by Rear-naked Choke R1(4:33)
Cyrille Diabate (18-8-3) def. Tom DeBlass (7-1) Majority Decision
Francis Carmont (18-7) def. Magnus Cedenblad (10-4) Sub. by Rear-naked Choke R2(1:42)
Reza Madadi (13-2) def. Yoislandy Izquierdo (6-2) Sub. by Guillotine Choke R2(1:28)
Simeon Thoresen (17-2-1) def. Besam Yousef (6-1) Sub. by Rear-naked Choke R2(2:36)
Jason Young (9-5) def. Eric Wisely (19-8) Unanimous Decision

Submission of the Night: John Maguire
Knock Out of the Night: Siyar Bahadurzada
Fight of the Night: Brad Pickett v. Damacio Page


fb - UFC© Facebook Page
Card is unofficial and subject to change.
UFC©.com Event Page
Wikipedia Page

UFC© on Fuel TV 2 PHIGHT5r Twitter Rankings©

A fighter's appearance at a UFC© event is tremendous exposure and this can be quantified in their Twitter #'s. A great performance can mean hordes of new followers giving the fighter a larger platform from which to opine, interact with fans and to market themselves & their sponsors. The PHIGHT5r Event Twitter Rankings© are a way to observe and measure what happens during the immediate period surrounding the event.

Pre-Event counts are taken on Thursdays so as to include the press conference & weigh-in hype period. Post-Event counts are taken on the Monday following to capture results that include exposure to a full day's news cycle.

* - PHIGHT5r Twitter Rankings© Top 50 Fighter

UFC© on Fuel TV 2 Twitter Rankings© by PHIGHT5r

Twitter©	Fighter	Pre #'s	Post #'s	Change	%
@BrianStann	Brian Stann	44,972	48,578	3,606	8.0%
@DaMarques_UFC	DaMarques Johnson	14,298	14,438	140	1.0%
@PauloThiagoMMA	Paulo Thialgo	11,811	12,184	373	3.2%
@One_Punch	Brad Pickett	10,192	10,868	676	6.6%
@AlexTheMauler	Alexander Gustafsson	6,996	8,605	1,609	23.0%
@SiyarTheKiller	Siyar Bahadurzada	4,560	5,977	1,417	31.1%
@shotgun_young	Jason Young	5,355	5,542	187	3.5%
@CyrilleDiabate	Cyrille Diabate	5,147	5,286	139	2.7%
@damaciopage	Damacio Page	4,709	4,801	92	2.0%
@thegunnunes	Diego Nunes	4,258	4,465	207	4.9%
@DennisSiver	Dennis Siver	3,711	3,861	150	4.0%
@MaguireTheOne	John Maguire	2,915	3,839	924	31.7%
@SakaraLegio	Alessio Sakara	1,648	2,435	787	47.8%
@franciscarmont	Francis Carmont	995	1,148	153	15.4%
@TomDeBlass	Tom DeBlass	979	1,089	110	11.2%
@TeamMakambo	Papy Abedi	971	1,046	75	7.7%
@simeonthegrin	Simeon Thoresen	755	965	210	27.8%
@thejameshead	James Head	850	941	91	10.7%
@MagnusCedenblad	Magnus Cedenblad	473	635	162	34.2%
@RezaMaddog	Reza Madadi	401	504	103	25.7%
@EricWisely	Eric Wisely	305	331	25	8.2%
@YoislandyMMA	Yoislandy Izquierdo	230	268	38	16.5%
@BesamYousef	Besam Yousef	185	253	68	36.8%
@NoAccountFound	Thiago Silva	0	0	0	0.0%

Pre-Fight Twitter counts taken 2012/04/12 - 12AM ET
Post-Fight Twitter counts taken 2012/04/15 - 5PM ET

Pre-Fight Twitter Count: 126,716
Post Fight Twitter Count: 138,059
UFC© on FUEL TV 2 Increase: 11,343 (9%)

WINNERS
Siyar Bahadurzada - A big-time KO always leads to a wave of new followers. No exception here.
Alexander Gustafsson - This guy should have more followers considering his rising star status within the UFC©. He'll get there.
John Maguire - Nice submissions are appreciated too. A nice jump in followers for John.

LOSERS
DaMarques Johnson - 1% gain from a main card slot is a total failure no matter how many followers you had going into the fight.
Thiago Silva - A headliner with no account? Always gonna make the Loser List.
Paulo Thialgo - "You got knocked the fuck out... And you know this Man!" -- Chris Tucker in Friday

OTHER NOTABLES
Brian Stann - The largest gain in 'real followers' on the night, adding to an already impressive total. It may even be enough to get him onto the next PHIGHT5r MMA Twitter Rankings Top 50 list.
Alessio Sakara - Got KO'd, but it happened at the right time with lots of eyeballs on him. Good gain.





Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @FightStreams and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 146: Antonio Silva Will Fight Cain Velasquez

We still need one more guy...

With Frank Mir pulled from a planned UFC© 146 bout with Cain Velasquez (9-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in favor of a main-event contest with UFC heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos, Antonio Silva (16-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has now also drawn a new opponent.

Originally expected to face Roy Nelson at the event, "Bigfoot" Silva now takes Mir's original slot against Velasquez.

After refusing to disclose the match-up at Saturday night's UFC 145 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White today announced the plans via Twitter.

Nelson is expected to remain on the card, but UFC execs have yet to reveal his new opponent.

Dos Santos, of course, was slated to face former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 146, which takes place May 26 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. However, a recent pre-fight drug test that flagged Overeem for elevated levels of testosterone left his licensing status in doubt, and UFC officials elected to pull him from the bout rather than risk the findings of a Tuesday hearing before the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

A former EliteXC champion and Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix semifinalist, Silva makes his UFC debut. The Brazilian looks to rebound from a surprising loss to Daniel Cormier this past September under the Strikeforce banner.

He meets Velasquez, who also looks to rebound from a loss, the first of his career. The former heavyweight champ ceded his belt to Dos Santos this past November and now looks to earn a shot at regaining his belt.

Article source: MMA Junkie


PHIGHT5r.com UFC© 146 Page.


Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 145: 'Jones v. Evans' Results

'Jones v. Evans'
Phillips Arena | Atlanta, GA
April 21, 2012
UFC© 145 Tickets Here

Pay-Per-View Card 10PM ET/7PM ET
UFC© Light-Heavyweight Championship Fight
Jon Jones* (16-1) def. Rashad Evans (22-2-1) Unanimous Decision

Rory MacDonald (13-1) def. Che Mills (14-5) TKO R2 (2:20)
Ben Rothwell (32-8) def. Brendan Schaub (8-3) TKO R1 (1:10)
Michael McDonald (15-1) def. Miguel Torres (40-5) KO R1 (3:18)
Eddie Yagin (16-5-1) def. Mark Hominick (20-11) Split Decision
Mark Bocek (11-4) def. John Alessio (34-15) Unanimous Decision
Travis Browne (13-0-1) def. Chad Griggs (11-2) Sub. R1 - Arm Triangle (2:29)
Matt Brown (14-11) def. Stephen Thompson (6-1) Unanimous Decision
Anthony Njokuani (15-6) def. John Makdessi (9-2) Unanimous Decision
Mac Danzig (21-9-1) v. Efrain Escudero (18-5) Unanimous Decision
Chris Clements (11-4) def. Keith Wisniewski (28-14-1) Split Decision
Marcus Brimage (5-1) def. Maximo Blanco (8-4-1) Split Decision



FIGHT BONUSES ($65,000/fighter)
Submission of the Night: Travis Browne
Knockout of the Night: Ben Rothwell
Fight of the Night: Eddie Yagin & Mark Hominick






*Champion
fb - UFC© Facebook Page
Card is unofficial and subject to change.
UFC©.com Event Page
Wikipedia Page





Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 146 Now Mir v. dos Santos

It appears that Frank Mir is going to get another shot at championship gold a little sooner than expected, as he will lock horns with reigning champion Junior dos Santos in the UFC 146 main event.

UFC President Dana White announced the news on his Twitter account late Friday evening: “May 26th is now Mir vs. JDS for the HW title in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand,” he wrote.

UFC 146 was originally scheduled to be headlined by a heavyweight title tilt between dos Santos and former Strikeforce king Alistair Overeem. However, a random drug screening following the UFC 146 press conference on March 27 revealed that Overeem’s testosterone to epitestosterone ratio was 14-to-1, more than double the allowable limit.

Overeem is scheduled to appear before the Nevada Athletic Commission on Tuesday, but it is now unclear if he will have a place on the May 26 card even if he is granted a license to fight. Mir was initially expected to face Cain Velasquez in a No. 1 contender’s bout in the evening’s co-main event. No replacement opponent for Velasquez has been announced at this time.

Mir is no stranger to title fights. The 32-year-old Las Vegas resident first became UFC heavyweight champion by submitting Tim Sylvia with an armbar at UFC 48. He was stripped of the title after injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident kept him out of action for more than a year. Mir later captured the interim belt by knocking out Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92, a title he would lose to Brock Lesnar in his next appearance at UFC 100.

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Mir has won his last three fights, earning victories over Mirko Filipovic, Roy Nelson and Nogueira. All but two of his 21 professional fights have been contested in the Octagon.

Dos Santos became champion with a 64-second knockout of Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 this past November. The Brazilian is unbeaten in eight Octagon appearances and has finished six of those victims via strikes. Along with dos Santos-Mir, the UFC 146 main card is expected to include three other heavyweight fights: Roy Nelson-Antonio Silva, Gabriel Gonzaga -Shane del Rosario and Mark Hunt-Stefan Struve.


Article source: Sherdog



Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

Evan Shoman Art - UFC© 145 Edition

Once again we present some great MMA artwork done by Evan Shoman...

Jones

Evans

Torres

To see more of his work and/or to make a purchase you can check out his website EVAN SHOMAN ART
Follow him on Twitter: @shomanart
Like him on Facebook

- All artwork is copyrighted and property of Evan Shoman.


Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

TUF Live: Twitter Rankings - After Episode 6

Last week on TUF: Live we saw Joe Proctor defeat Chris Tickle and Episode 7's fight of John Cofer v. Vinc Pichel get announced.

A fighter's appearance at a UFC© event is tremendous exposure and this can be quantified in their Twitter #'s. A great performance can mean hordes of new followers giving the fighter a larger platform from which to opine, interact with fans and to market both themselves & their sponsors. The PHIGHT5r MMA Event Twitter Rankings© are a way to observe and measure what happens during the immediate period surrounding the event.

TUF: LIVE is a little different than a one-off UFC© event. Instead of established name fighters on one fight card we have a group of relative unknowns who will be in front of their audience for a period of weeks. What is different too is that they do not have access to the outside world, the Internet and thus their social media accounts. This means there can be no back and forth interactions between the fighters and fans or even the fighters with each other. The UFC© (and the fighters) are giving up some marketing opportunities here, but I think the integrity of the show's format is important. If a big star(s) is made during this process, all that comes with it will be waiting for both the company and the fighter on the other end.

Twitter Results Analysis

- Joe Proctor had the largest gain in followers this past week both in terms of real numbers and as a percentage. He got a lot of face-time leading up to his fight with Chris Tickle and has a personality that is quite likeable. He now sits in the #2 overall position, trailing only Michael Chiesa.

- As per usual, the other big gainer of the week was the other fighter - Chris Tickle. Chris landed 500+ new followers this past week and that moved him up to 7th place overall from 12th. Unfortunately this could be his last big jump as Proctor eliminated him. We'll see if the producers find a way to get Chris on the screen going forward.

- In addition to the aforementioned fighters 4 others had significant jumps of over 200: Michael Chiesa - 280, Justin Lawerence - 274, Sam Sicilia - 235, & Christiano Marcello - 220.

- John Cofer & Vinc Pichel are two fighters near the bottom that could use a follower boost. Fortunately for them they fight this week. We'll see what happens...

Fighter List w/Twitter Followers:

UFC© TUF: LIVE Twitter Rankings© by PHIGHT5r

Rank (LW)	Twitter©	Fighter	After Episode 5	After Episode 6	Change	%
	@UrijahFaber	Urijah Faber	186,630	188,849	2,219	1.2%
	@TheDomin8r	Dominick Cruz	47,698	49,539	1,841	3.9%
1	@MikeMav22	Michael Chiesa	2,974	3,254	280	9.4%
2 (6)	@JoeProctor	Joe Proctor	1,615	2,587	972	60.2%
3 (2)	@ALIAQUINTA	Al Iaquinta	2,212	2,364	152	6.9%
4 (3)	@TheAmericanKidd	Justin Lawrence	1,975	2,249	274	13.9%
5 (4)	@Cruickshank155	Daron Cruickshank	1,889	2,037	148	7.8%
6 (5)	@CristianoBJJ	Cristiano Marcello	1,651	1,871	220	13.3%
7 (12)	@badboytickle	Chris Tickle	1,175	1,693	518	44.1%
8 (10)	@SamSiciliaTUF	Sam Sicilia	1,457	1,692	235	16.1%
9 (8)	@thelittleaxe	Andy Ogle	1,528	1,681	153	10.0%
10 (7)	@FuryJury	Myles Jury	1,565	1,644	79	5.0%
11 (9)	@kidisgood	Chris Saunders	1,524	1,612	88	5.8%
12 (11)	@MikeRioMMA	Mike Rio	1,388	1,511	123	8.9%
13 (14)	@coferpottery	John Cofer	964	1,137	173	17.9%
14 (13)	@JamesVickMMA	James Vick	1,067	1,135	68	6.4%
15	@FromHellPichel	Vinc Pichel	685	801	116	16.9%
16	@JeremyLarsenMMA	Jeremy Larsen	628	737	109	17.4%

Twitter counts taken 2012/04/20 at 4:30PM ET/1:30PM PT

See our TUF:Live page to see how the fighter's Twitter counts have changed from the very beginning and for all the news and info leading up to the TUF Finale: 'Ellenberger v. Kampmann' at The Palms in Las Vegas, NV.



Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 145 Weigh-In Video

Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

Delorme replaces Bedford, Dodson vs. Elliott official for UFC on FOX 3

An undisclosed injury has forced bantamweight Johnny Bedford (18-9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) to withdraw from a scheduled matchup with Nick Denis (11-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC on FOX 3.

In Bedford's place goes fellow "The Ultimate Fighter 14" cast member Roland Delorme (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC).

Officials today announced that switch-up and also confirmed a previously reported flyweight bout between John Dodson (12-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Tim Elliott (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who replaces Darren Uyenoyama (7-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC).

UFC on FOX 3 takes place May 5 at IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. The event's main card airs live on FOX while FUEL TV and Facebook carry the prelims.

Delorme returns to the octagon after successfully graduating from "TUF 14" with a third-round submission of Josh Ferguson at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale this past December. Although T.J. Dilashaw defeated him in the quarterfinals of the reality-show tournament, Delorme carries but one blemish on his eight-fight pro resume.

Denis, a Canadian fighter and KOTC/World Victory Road vet, made his UFC debut in January at UFC on FX 1. The knockout artist used a series of devastating standing elbow strikes to scored a 22-second KO win over Joseph Sandoval. He's now 4-1 in his past five fights, and his past nine victories have come via knockout.

After seven years on the regional circuit, Dodson joined the "TUF 14" cast this past year. Following wins over Brandon Merkt (TKO), John Albert (decision) and Bedford (which earned him a $25,000 "KO of the Season" bonus), Dodson then defeated Dillashaw to win "TUF 14" and earn a $40,000 "KO of the Night" bonus at the show's live finale. Overall, the Team Jackson-Winkeljohn fighter is 5-1 over his past six pro fights going back to early 2009.

Since a 0-2-1 start to his career in 2009, Elliott, a former collegiate wrestler, has won eight consecutive fights. Most recently, he's competed for the Nebraska-based Resurrection Fighting Alliance organization. There, he picked up a knockout win over former UFC champ Jens Pulver in December and a submission victory over Josh Rave this past month.

Article source: MMA Junkie




Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 145 Word Cloud by PHIGHT5r

©PHIGHT5r

Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© 145 Pre-Fight Twitter Rankings

A fighter's appearance at a UFC© event is tremendous exposure and this can be quantified in their Twitter #'s. A great performance can mean hordes of new followers giving the fighter a larger platform from which to opine, interact with fans and to market themselves & their sponsors. The PHIGHT5R Event Twitter Rankings© are a way to observe and measure what happens during the immediate period surrounding the event.

Pre-Event counts are taken prior to the press conference & weigh-in hype period. Post-Event counts are taken on the Monday following to capture results that include exposure to a full day's news cycle following the event.

* - PHIGHT5R Twitter Rankings© Top 50 Fighter

UFC© 145 Twitter Rankings© by PHIGHT5r

Twitter©	Fighter	Pre #'s	Post #'s	Change	%
@Jonnybones	Jon Jones*	323,358	???	???	0.0%
@SugaRashadEvans	Rashad Evans*	185,068	???	???	0.0%
@MiguelTorresMMA	Miguel Torres*	61,912	???	???	0.0%
@BrendanSchaub	Brendan Schaub	47,163	???	???	0.0%
@MarkHominick	Mark Hominick	29,189	???	???	0.0%
@MaydayMcDonald	Michael McDonald	24,646	???	???	0.0%
@rory_macdonald	Rory MacDonald	14,741	???	???	0.0%
@effyescudero	Efrain Escudero	13,883	???	???	0.0%
@IamTheImmortal	Matt Brown	12,267	???	???	0.0%
@travisbrowneMMA	Travis Browne	10,757	???	???	0.0%
@anthonynjoku	Anthony Njokuani	9,777	???	???	0.0%
@macdanzigmma	Mac Danzig	9,426	???	???	0.0%
@MarkBocek	Mark Bocek	9,074	???	???	0.0%
@WonderboyMMA	Stephen Thompson	5,872	???	???	0.0%
@JohnMakdessiMMA	John Makdessi	4,818	???	???	0.0%
@johnalessio79	John Alessio	3,539	???	???	0.0%
@CheMillsMMA	Che Mills	3,373	???	???	0.0%
@RothwellFighter	Ben Rothwell	1,894	???	???	0.0%
@Brim205	Marcus Brimage	1,767	???	???	0.0%
@ChadGriggsUFC	Chad Griggs	1,055	???	???	0.0%
@maxi_blanco	Maximo Blanco	884	???	???	0.0%
@EddieYaginMMA	Eddie Yagin	734	???	???	0.0%
@menaceclements	Chris Clements	511	???	???	0.0%
@WisniewskiKeith	Keith Wisniewski	28	???	???	0.0%

Pre-fight Twitter counts taken 2012/04/18 11AM ET/8AM PT.



Pre-fight total followers: 775,736

Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

One Man, One Camera, One Dollar and Two Deaths

FIGHT SPIRIT PRIDE

Article Source: Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 17, 2012

Mixed Martial Arts is the fastest growing sport in the world, because of its Gladiator combat appeal. It’s also practiced as a form of self-defense with civilians, police and military. Surprisingly, there are still people that believe this sport is human cockfighting, yet there are more and more MMA schools opening up teaching self-defense. Mark Hominick, who’s from a small town of 2500 people, dispels the idea of professional MMA fighters being illiterate backyard brawlers. He is one example of the quality of athletes that populate this emerging sport, to the credit of UFC President Dana White.

To learn how you can contribute to the completion of the film visit: http://www.kck.st/HNY6Jr

Mark Hominick is the real life Karate Kid. He’s a small-town boy next-door good kid; who is very polite, well mannered, with a high education. Mark graduated with a degree in business, top 5 (not top 5%) Cum Laude with honors from the most prestigious business school in Ontario, Canada. This film is a document about his life, and the deaths that surround it.

Garianno Lorenzo, a filmmaker, and industry veteran, six years ago was sitting on his couch in Red Bank, NJ watching an uninteresting boxing match, and the decision he made to change the channel, gave birth to this film. He switched to a channel showing an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight between Mark Hominick and Yves Edwards. Hominick defeated Edwards in an outstanding victory. While giving his post victory interview with Fear Factor’s Joe Rogan, Mark pushed back tears talking about his father dying of cancer. Lorenzo saw this and was moved into action. With a camera, and a dollar, Garianno Lorenzo decided to set out on a six-year journey of filming the story of Mark Hominick. Garianno started filming at the time Mark was trying to train for his rematch to regain the title that he had previously defended nine times prior to his father’s condition taking a turn for the worse. Lorenzo left his home in NJ, shut down his life and moved into London, ON Canada to film every waking moment of Mark’s fight for his family and his career. As a labor of love Lorenzo filmed for three years consistently and three years periodically. He now has more than three Terabytes of footage stored on hard-drives.

Mark’s father loss his fight with cancer and Mark loss his rematch to regain his title. Then, Mark was dropped from the UFC and WEC fighting organizations.

While his father was the most important male figure in Mark’s life. The second most important male figure in Mark’s life is his best friend, manager, mentor and trainer Shawn Tompkins. Just as Mark is coming to terms with the devastating loss of his dad, at his career low point, Mark suffered another blow with the untimely death of Shawn Tompkins late last year. Shawn passed away of a massive heart attack at the young age of 37 years old. In a very short period of time, Mark lost the two most important men in his life at the lowest point in his life, and career. The film captures how Mark fights his way back with the courage of a warrior.

By the time the movie ends, Mark is welcomed back into the UFC; he has a title fight on the horizon with the UFC, marries the girl of his dreams, builds a home, starts a successful business, and has a child. Although, Mark lost his father and his mentor, it’s really a story about perseverance, internal strength, passion and heart, and that does take fight, spirit and pride.

The documentary features the most recognizable names in the sport including UFC president Dana White, actor Kevin James, Joe Rogan, MMA legend Bas Rutten, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre, Sam Stout, Eddie Bravo and many others.

The film has quite a bit of traction and appreciation for the story in social media. Based on the buzz around the film within MMA and UFC fan sites; fans are eagerly waiting for the film’s release. The film is currently wrapping up post-production

Demonstrated by his commitment, for six years Lorenzo funded the movie alone. And now has placed the film on the popular funding site Kickstarter.com. To learn how you can contribute to the completion of the film visit http://kck.st/HNY6Jr to find out more.

Directed By Garianno Lorenzo
Produced by Garianno Lorenzo and Jordan Nichols for Tyrant Entertainment
In association with Nichols Entertainment

PR Media Contact: David Wasserman, email: fightspiritpride(at)gmail(dot)com

Related Links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304633
http://www.FaceBook.com/FightSpiritPride
http://www.FightSpiritPrideTheMovie.com
http://www.Twitter.com/FightMovie
http://www.YouTube.com/FightSpiritPride



Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

Dustin Poirier v. Korean Zombie UFC© on FUEL 3 Promo

Here's a fun promo video (for Fightville) featuring Dustin Poirier & having fun with the Zombie angle of his upcoming fight...





Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

UFC© Primetime: Jones v. Evans - Episode 2

Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.

Aaron Simpson and Jon Fitch at UFC© 149: Calgary

Aaron Simpson’s first trip to welterweight will be a tough test for the former NCAA All-American, as he faces former title contender Jon Fitch.

Sources close to the fight confirmed the bout to MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday with bout agreements issued for the contest, but no date has been named yet for the event the welterweight showdown will take place at.

Rumors have placed the Fitch vs. Simpson bout’s likely landing pad at UFC 149 in Calgary, but again nothing is set in stone at this time.

Jon Fitch makes his return to the Octagon after suffering only the second loss of his UFC career in a stunning knockout to former NCAA champion Johny Hendricks.

Prior to that time, Fitch had gone 5-0-1 with the draw coming in a fight at UFC 127 against B.J. Penn. Now the former No. 2 welterweight will try to get back on the horse again as he faces another top notch wrestler.

Aaron Simpson moves down to welterweight after spending his entire fighting career at 185 pounds.

A former NCAA All-American, Simpson was on a three fight win streak before running into former light heavyweight Ronny Markes at UFC on Fuel TV 1 in early February. Simpson came close to finishing the fight early, but as the fight wore on it was Markes’ size and power that overcame the former Arizona State competitor.

Following the loss, Simpson decided to drop down to 170 pounds to try his hand at being a big welterweight instead of an undersized middleweight.

Now he faces Jon Fitch as he looks to make a major impact in the welterweight division on day one.

Visit PHIGHT5r.com's UFC© 149: Calgary event page.


Article source: Damon Martin via MMA Weekly




Don't forget to follow PHIGHT5r on Twitter @PHIGHT5r and to 'Like' us on Facebook.