(Photo:UFC.com)

The weigh-ins took place this afternoon for the UFC Fight Night event that will be featured on SpikeTV tomorrow night.  The weigh-ins were somewhat uneventful with all fighters making their weight requirements and no real aggression beyond the obligatory staredowns for the press and the fans.

Alessio Sakara looked a bit weary in his appearance while there looked to be a bit of tension between Ed Herman and Alan Belcher - great stare-down anyway…

Houston Alexander also attempts to recover his UFC mystique after dropping 2 consecutive fights in the Octagon.  This time he will be playing the role of hometown hero.

The co-main event of Mac Danzig Vs. Clay Guida is sure to be a barn burner and the two fighters looked really pumped up for the fight as well, which is all you can ask for.

The event takes place at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska beginning at 8pm ET / PT on SpikeTV.

Check out the offical results below:

Josh Neer 155 VS Nate Diaz 155
Clay Guida 155 VS Mac Danzig 155
Alan Belcher 185 VS Ed Herman 185
Eric Schafer 205 VS Houston Alexander 205

Joe Vedepo 185 VS Alessio Sakara 185
Wilson Gouveia 185 VS Ryan Jensen 185
Kyle Bradley 155 VS Joe Lauzon 155
Jason Brilz 205 VS Brad Morris 205
Mike Massenzio 185 VS Drew McFedries 185
Dan Miller 185 VS Rob Kimmons 185

Check out Video highlights of the weigh-ins as well as a photo gallery for the bandwidth challenged.

(Photo:Sherdog.com)

 Canadian MMA talent Jason ‘Dooms’ Day has suffered an injury in training and has been forced out of his pending match against Jason ‘The Punisher’ Lambert, who was looking to make an impact with his Middleweight debut at UFC 88.
Well, thankfully the show will go on for Lambert(so put down the cookies) , as Canada offers up another Middleweight Jason in the form of ‘The Athlete’, Jason MacDonald. (is that enough Jasons for you yet…?)  It’s somewhat short notice for MacDonald, with UFC 88 scheduled to take place on September 6th in Atlanta Georgia.

For MacDonald, it’s a chance to get back on track quickly with a win after suffering a ground battle loss to Demien Maia at UFC 87 on August 9th. Lambert is a tough competitor and a personal favourite of mine but he is also coming off some tough KO losses lately, dropping fights to Luis Cane, Wilson Gouveia and Rashad Evans.  In between the Evans and Gouveia fight though, Lambert was able to chalk up a big KO victory of his own, over standout Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral.
So, it’s two fighters coming off losses.  Lambert has the advantage of size with a drop from Light Heavyweight as well as an edge in striking power as well as MacDonald coming in on short notice.  MacDonald gets an advantage with a big edge on the ground, the fact that he is also a large Middleweight and the unknown toll on Lambert in cutting to 185lbs.

I think it’s safe to say that Lambert is unlikely to get knocked out in this match but that’s as far as I would want to go in predicting what will take place between these two on September 6th.  It’s an intriguing match in the Middleweight division between two guys that aren’t at championship level right now, but both are undeniably entertaining fighters and very solid competitors.

As for Jason Day, an entry on Sportsnet.ca indicated that a nagging arm injury is what forced him out of the bout.

“Day began feeling pain in his arm, and although initially tolerable, he realised something was different than the regular nagging injuries a mixed martial arts fighter feels. There is no range of motion in my arm, I can’t rotate it all.”

Obviously not the best scenario for Day, but with a debut victory over the well respected Alan Belcher and a tough loss to the TUFest guy in England,  Michael Bisping (Both fights taken as a replacement on short notice) ,it makes sense for Day to ensure he is able to represent his skill set  and potential when entering the Octagon again.
 

UFC 85 “Bedlam” is fast approaching and on June 7th, the heavily injury plagued fight card will finally be executed in London, England.  The UFC had it’s work cut out for them with this card and although there is no title match in the event, there are a few significant fights in terms of contender rankings.
This card did not have me entirely excited at first but even through the pick and prediction process, has revealed itself as a much better line-up than you see at first glance.

Lets get on with the picks…

Main Event:
Matt Hughes Vs. Thiago Alves

Matt Hughes is a great fighter with a hall of fame career just waiting to be recognized once he retires.  A lot of people think that Matt is past his prime and after dropping back to back matches to GSP and then commenting on his own ability to compete in today’s MMA world, most people had written Hughes off.
Thiago Alves is a young gun looking and dreaming for the kind of success that Hughes has already experienced.  After stringing together a nice win streak including his most recent victory of the very tough Karo Parisyan, Alves has been granted the quickest route to the number 1 contender spot… and that is through Matt Hughes.

Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to MMA in Canada it appears that it makes sense to have connections. Those connections, with other high level competitors can be the difference between a good training session and a great one.  Two Canadian UFC fighters who are looking to support each other as far as training goes are Jason MacDonald and Jason Day.  Both fighters are native to Western Canada and are friends so MacDonald is working with Day to help him prepare for his fight against Michael Bisping at UFC 85 in London, England on June 7th.  In a recent blog entry on Sportsnet.ca, MacDonald referred to the friendship and the training arrangement.

Day is a late replacement for Chris Leben, who was forced to withdraw from the event despite taking all action possible to resolve outstanding legal issues preventing him from travelling to the UK.  Jason Day was tapped as the replacement, most likely due to his outstanding debut at UFC 83 on April 19th, where he stepped up as a late replacement for an injured Patrick Cote.  Day stepped into the Octagon for the first time and instead of showing “jitters” he displayed the skill and temperament of a seasoned fighter, dispatching the always dangerous Alan Belcher in less than 4 minutes by TKO.
The UFC management team seem to be grateful to fighters who step up to save fights for one reason or another by repaying them with great follow-up opportunities. Tim Boetsch is a perfect example and Day seems to be getting similar opportunites as a reward for being a team player.  

While Jason MacDonald is happy for Jason day’s success, he admits to some disappointment over Day landing the Bisping fight,

” I was actually hoping to get that fight as soon as I heard that Chris Leben was officially out last Thursday. Mark Pavelich (My manager) texted Joe Silva (UFC matchmaker) as soon as we heard. Silva texted him back immediately saying thanks for the offer but they had already found an opponent, and of course it was Jay.”

Perhas not being entirely impartial, MacDonald also mentioned that he believes Day has a good shot at winning this fight,

“I think Bisping is a wonderful fighter, but I’ve said it before that I believe he’s good, but overrated — especially in his own mind. I’ll be interested to see what Jay does with him. Jay is solid on the ground and we haven’t seen Bisping tested on the ground very much.”

To that point, I think we have seen Bisping in trouble on the ground a few times… once against Elvis Sinosic and then against Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer(one of my favorite UFC personalities). 

It will be interesting to see if Jason Day can maximize the opportunity and pull out a win over the hometown hero and UFC star Bisping, and do it on British soil.   The partnership of Day and Jason MacDonald is good for the athletes and a near necessity for the two Western Canadian fighters who don’t train with big name camps.  It is a bit of a conflict though, as both are in the same division and they would actually make a decent future fight.  The question is whether or not each fighter would sign on for that bout given their professional association for training.  First things first though, Jason Day needs to get that win over Bisping and Jason MacDonald seems content to help him do exactly that.

Check out the rest of Jason MacDonald’s blog on Sportsnet. ca.

You can get more info on Jason Day at his personal site as well.

 (Photo: UFC.com)

Canadian MMA fighter Jason `Dooms` Day steps up again to fill in on short notice for the UFC.  As reported earlier, Chris Leben has some legal issues that look to be keeping him from making his previously scheduled bout against Michael Bisping at UFC 85 in London, England.  In a pinch for a Middleweight replacement to fight on short notice, Jason “Dooms” Day has agreed to make the trip across the pond for his sophomore appearance, taking advantage of a huge opportunity to get a step up in competition.

Day made his debut appearance in the Octagon at UFC 83, filling in for injured fellow Canadian Patrick `The Predator` Cote in a bout against the always dangerous Alan Belcher.  Many people weren’t giving Day a chance against Belcher, but Jason put on a rubber guard clinic followed by a crash course in ‘Dirty Boxing’ as he dominated Belcher and took an impressive first found victory by TKO in less than 4 minutes.

Jason Day was asked about next opponents after his impressive win and had mentioned Bisping as one of the fighters he would like to face on his way to the top of the division.  It is a great match-up and shows that Day is not looking for any easy road or a free ride in the UFC.  Day just wants the opportunity to show the calibre of competition that he can bring to the table.  This is a seasoned fighter that has made the right moves, coupled with the right type of performance to maximize his potential quickly in the UFC.

Day had returned quickly to his construction job in Lethbridge, Alberta following his April 19th victory over Belcher, but it looks like he will be putting the house building on hold in an effort to get his training going for the biggest fight of his career. Fans should be excited about this this fight, as both fighters bring a lot of energy to the Octagon, so entertainment value will definitely not be missing in this one.  Jason commented on the match-up in his UFC.com published announcement for the fight,

“He’s a great fighter, an exciting fighter, tough as nails, and everybody wants that marquee fight where you get the guy that tests you and you slug it out for two or three rounds. I think he’s a pretty good test for me.”

“If you take a look at me and Bisping, we’re both well-rounded fighters, both very well-conditioned, and we both have a reputation for being tough and durable.  I think this has Fight of The Night written all over it, and maybe even Fight of The Year”

 Bisping is certainly not taking Jason Day lightly either, commenting on Jason’s UFC 83 debut;

“You have to respect Jason Day for stepping in on even shorter notice than myself. I am looking forward to really putting on a great performance in London.” 

“Jason Day looked bloody dangerous in his fight with Belcher and I think this fight has exactly the same potential as the Leben fight to be a real war…”

 MMASPLATTER is a proud sponsor of Jason Day and believe this is a great match-up for the Canadian athlete.  A chance to compete against one of the most heavily promoted fighters in the UFC is a huge opportunity for Jason and can only help to promote the sport of MMA in Canada.

UFC 85 “Bedlam” is scheduled for June 7th at the O2 Arena in London, England.  

For more info on Jason Day, check out his personal site, jaydaymma.com

 (Photo:UFC.com)

The MMASPLATTER team was at UFC 83 this past weekend in Montreal, Quebec and well we had the pleasure of taking in first hand, one of the best UFC cards in a long while.  That said, we also had the displeasure of sitting through a painful bout between Canadian fighter Kalib Starnes and Nate Quarry that was part of the under-card lineup.  Starnes, who is a reasonably talented MMA fighter inexplicably backed away from Quarry for the duration of their 15 minute fight.  It got so bad that Quarry, frustrated with the behaviour and the associated jeering from the 20,000 paying fans in attendance  mocked Starnes’ behaviour in an effort to make it clear he was not the source of the problem.  The result was laughter from the crown who was at that time, hungry for any entertainment value in the bout.

The result at the end of the match was as expected, with a lopsided unanimous decision victory going to Nate Quarry who apologized to Starnes for the mockery, but was obviously frustrated with the situation.   One judge actually gave a 30-24 decision in favour of Quarry, which may be the only time that has happened in the history of the UFC.  The fight which was reportedly the last on Starnes’ contract with the UFC was clearly going to be his last either way.   A Yahoo! Sports article on the topic, included the comment from Dana White who said,

“He just doesn’t belong in the UFC and after his performance the other night, he should consider a new line of work.”

That is a pretty clear statement from the UFC and as a result, I wouldn’t expect to see Starnes back in the organization at any time in the future.  It is interesting that Kalib has been in back to back controversies at UFC matches.  At his last outing against Alan Belcher at UFC 77 in Cincinnati, Starnes was badly cut and the fight was stopped.  He basically lost his mind, screaming at his corner and gesturing towards officials.  In this incident the Yahoo! article also mentioned that after the Quarry fight,

“…members of Quarry’s corner were complaining to Starnes about his lack of activity. Starnes shouted an expletive at one member of Quarry’s team, called him a derogatory term for homosexuals and challenged him to a fight…”

It certainly seems like extreme behaviour that doesn’t match the mindset you expect to see from a fighter getting an opportunity to compete in the biggest MMA stage in the world.  Whatever the issue, hopefully Starnes can refocus and get back to winning, or at least fighting.  He is a talented fighter and obviously doesn’t train to put on a show like that.  Maybe the full story will come out from Starnes at a later date, until then speculation is all that’s left.

 (Photo:UFC.com)

MMASPLATTER sponsored fighter, Jason `Dooms` Day made a great impression at his first day on the job for the UFC.  The Canadian Middleweight fighter from Lethbridge, Alberta had his UFC debut at UFC 83 in Montreal, Quebec last night and made the most of the opportunity with a convincing victory over the well respected Alan `The Talent` Belcher.  You often hear discussion from commentators and fans regarding `Octagon Jitters`; the term used to describe the overwhelming experience that a lot of fighters encounter when they have their first fight in the organization.  Looking at Day`s performance last night, there were no jitters, just the type of calm execution that can only come from experience, confidence and preparation.

Day, who entered the bout as a replacement for an injured Patrick Cote was an underdog in many peoples eyes.  His oppoent, Belcher made a big impression at UFC 77, with an aggressive assault on Kalib Starnes that left Starnes with a elbow strike cut above the eye that was down to the bone.  The hype from that win carried forward with fans, many of whom expected a similar fate for Jason Day.  The tables were turned through, as Day survived an early take-down from Belcher, threatening from his back with a traingle choke that came with a healthy serving of elbows and punches from Day.

Once the fight was back on the feet, Day made the most of his clich game and dirty boxing, catching Belcher with some well executed elbows that rocked him and provided an opportunity for Day to live up to the `Dooms Day`nickname.  Day backed up Belcher with some stiff shots and then unloaded with solid combinations against the cage that left Belcher helpless to the point where the referee had to step in and stop the fight at 3:58 of the first round.   It was a well rounded display of skill by Day, who no doubt left an impression on the UFC with the quality win and instantly gained the respect of fighters and fans who doubted him prior to the cage door closing.  The win was an entertaining one and even moreso as Belcher quipped in his pre-fight interview that Day had better be working on his boxing or he wouldn`t last 10 seconds in the Octagon with him.

It will be interesting to see what fight is offered next for Jason Day as Belcher was not your typical entry level fight.  Remeber that the bout was originally for Patrick Cote, who is coming off 2 big KO wins over TUF winner Kendall Grove and heavy hitter Drew McFedries.  Day and Cote have met before outside the UFC, with Cote taking a first round TKO victory.  That could make for a good rematch down the road, although for now Day will likely be looking to maintain his  momentum in the orgainization by fighting whoever is offered and putting in another convincing performance. 

Well done Jason… MMASPLATTER  is dedicated to the promotion of MMA in Canada and is proud to sponsor a talented Canadian fighter like Jason Day as he embarks on a career in the premier MMA organization in the world. 

 (Photo:Sherdog.com)

Kendall Grove needs to find his Groove… 

Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove was highly effective during season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter reality series on SpikeTV.  The lanky Middleweight prospect was able to use his 6′ 6″ frame to effectively clinch, strike and choke his way to the finals where he won a hard fought battle over tough competitor Ed Herman.  In a repeat of the Griffin Vs. Bonnar presentations, both Grove and Herman were granted UFC contracts for their efforts, although their careers have taken decidedly different paths since that time.

Ed Herman came off the show giving the vibe of a frustrated fighter who was battling the mental side of the game while possessing great skill.  He carried that attitude into his next fight, and was frustrated once again as he was forced to tap in the first round at the mercy of the highly effective and self proclaimed “TUF Killer” Jason MacDonald.  Since that time though, Herman seems to have regained focus and found his groove in the Octagon, taking 3 consecutive wins since the MacDonald loss, including a KO victory(Herman’s first ever)  in a redeeming rematch against veteran Joe Doerksen. Ed Herman is now being mentioned in the rising star category for the UFC Middleweight division.

Grove came out of the show with confidence and skill, a very dangerous combination when you throw in the added perk of that 6′ 6″ frame at 185lbs.  ‘Da Spyder’ continued to look impressive in wins against Chris Price and Alan Belcher that had him really breaking through as a threat in the division.  That winning streak took a trip to the rear view mirror after meeting up with a nothing to lose and everything to prove Patrick ‘The Predator’ Cote at UFC 74.  Grove would suffer a KO loss in the first round.   That match was followed up with a fight against veteran grinder Jorge Rivera who found the button on Grove again, dropping him in 80 seconds at UFC 80. (Ironic…)

Read the rest of this entry »

(Photo:Sherdog.com)

According to The Fight Network.com, Patrick “The Predator” Cote has been given a fight on the upcoming UFC 86 card, scheduled for July 5th in Las Vegas Nevada.  The fight, against MMA standout Ricardo Almeida, will be a true test for the Canadian Cote.  Patrick, who has overcome a shakey start in the UFC where he racked up an 0-4 record in some solid battles, has gone on a great run in the UFC with a 3-0 record in the past year. 

To be fair to Patrick Cote, his UFC debut was as a late substitution for Guy Mezger, in a bout against a primed Tito Ortiz. In that match, Cote took a Unanimous Decision loss, but for a young fighter to go the distance against Ortiz was a big statement in itself.  After taking a submission loss to fellow Canadian Joe Doerksen and losing a Split Decision stand-up war with fellow KO artist Chris Leben, Cote was showing talent, but needed to get some quick wins to stay with the UFC.

When the UFC and Spike TV cast the Ultimate Fighter 4 ‘The Comeback’ series, Cote had an opportunity to rejuvenate his career and get on track with some wins.  Cote made it to the final bout in the Middleweight division of the series, although he was quickly dispatched in a submission loss to Travis Lutter in the series finale.  Since that loss, Cote has let his hands fly, racking up wins over Scott Smith, (TUF Champion) Kendall Grove and most recently over fellow UFC heavy hitter Drew McFedries. (Wins outside of the UFC include Canadian stars Jason MacDonald and Jason day)

Cote was slated to face off against Alan “The Talent” Belcher at the first Canadian UFC event, UFC 83 scheduled for April 19th in Montreal, Quebec.   After suffering a knee injury, Cote was forced off the card, but has since rebounded with this announcement of a fight against the even higher profile Almeida.

If Cote can take a win at UFC 86, it will be against a fighter with a proven BJJ base that is currently riding a 7 fight win streak .  With wins over Ryo Chonan, Nate Marquardt and Kazou Misaki among others, Ricardo Almeida is a threat to any 185 pounder in the organization.  Getting a high profile win like that should be enough to move Cote to at most a fight away from title contention, especially considering the perceived lack of opponents for current Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.

Win, lose or draw, Cote has shown the heart of a champion in struggling through a lacklustre start in the UFC to emerge as a fringe contender as the organization peaks in both talent and popularity.  It is that type of commitment, performance and development that make MMA a sport instead of just a fight in a cage.