(Photo:Sherdog.com) 

Frank Mir made some pretty negative remarks during a recent radio interview where he discussed his hatred for Brock Lesnar as a human being and was basically elaborating on how much he would personally like to hurt him in the Octagon.

In an interview with WXDX-FM Mir stated that he wanted Lesnar “to be the first person that dies due to Octagon-related injuries.”  Well… it turns out that the UFC brass don’t appreciate fighters in their employ making comments about killing each other in the ring, especially intentionally, so they put their foot down. (likely hitting Mir in the ass on the way)

In a release from the UFC today Dana White stated;

 “I was disappointed by Frank Mir’s comments,” said White. “Frank’s been with the UFC a long time, he’s a two-time heavyweight champion and a commentator for the WEC.  I think his emotions are running high right now, he has a big fight coming up next month and he’s still upset about his loss to Lesnar.  He’s been talked to, he regrets what he said, and he won’t be saying anything like that again.”

“I would like to apologize to Brock Lesnar, his family, the UFC and the UFC fans for my stupid remarks,” said Mir. “I respect Brock, all the other fighters, and the sport of mixed martial arts.  I’m sorry that I stepped out of line.” 

I’m not surprised that Mir’s behaviour was quickly corrected and personally found the comments to be crossing the line. The UFC has and is continuing to work so hard to promote the sport and their business into new markets, often defending the perceived brutality of the matches in an effort to win over legislators and regulatory bodies.  A few comments like this can obviously do a lot to undermine that work and clearly don’t sit well with the boys in charge.

 (Photo:UFC.com)

The UFC issued a press release this afternoon, confirming widespread rumors that Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture will be returning to the Octagon this year.  It appears that Zuffa and Randy Couture have come to a mutual agreement that will see the Heavyweight Champion back in action at UFC 91, on November 15th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.  That first match back will be a Heavyweight title defense against the new kid in town, Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar, fresh of his win over Heath Herring will get a bit of a bogus shot at the title given a 1-1 record in the UFC. The reality is that this is probably the biggest drawing match that the UFC could set up in the Heavyweight division, without getting Fedor Emelianenko in the Octagon.  Lesnar has been a big draw for the organization since transitioning from his pro wrestling gig with the WWE and has no doubt brought legions of wrestling fans with him.  It’s a no lose opportunity for Lesnar, who will come out looking great if he can hang with the Couture and will be a bonafide star if he can manage to get the win.  Boosting that chance at victory will be a significant size/weight advantage for Lesnar as well as the fact that Couture has been out of action for a year.

The winner of that title fight will have to face off against the winner of the pending match between current interim title holder, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria and former champion, Frank Mir.  It boils down to lots of action in the UFC’s Heavyweight division, which is a great news considering the core of Heavyweight fighters that have so far legitimized Affliction’s fight promotion.  Personally, I have never enjoyed the Heavyweight fights as much as the other weight classes, but I am as much a sucker for the phenomenon that is Randy Couture as the next guy. With Brock Lesnar and his recent post fight antics setting the stage to make him a perfect arch nemesis for the champion, I will be anxiously awaiting the return of “Captain America” on November 15th…

 (Photo:Sherdog.com)

In a recent blog entry on Matt Hughes’ site, the former Welterweight Champion weighed in on the recent UFC event in Minneapolis this past weekend.   Hughes is a great blogger and the reason for that is the fact that he doesn’t pull any punches.  He is a straight shooter from the word go, just like he is in the Octagon.  Call it cocky, call it arrogant, call it what you want… but one thing is for sure, it’s honest to goodness Matt Hughes, and he has earned the right to have an opinion about anything and anyone in the UFC, even if it’s not a popular one.

 Early on in the blog entry, Matt rocked me with a big shot when he claims to “get extremely bored at these UFC events”. What??… well let’s see where this goes.  Matt is a competitor at heart and maybe not being in the mix at an event and not cornering a fighter, leaves him with little interest in the result.  It’s hard to fathom for the die-hard Internet fan, but who am I to judge?

Matt goes on to discuss the fights, and that he was primarily there to check out Brock Lesnar, who he is really impressed with in terms of athleticism and overall size and strength.  Matt also comments on Roger Huerta and looking to root for him in the fight, while noting that, “Roger looked to have done a few things different and I would say that he needs to go back to what he was doing before. ”

Just when I was recovering from the early comments, Hughes delivers the KO via body slam, while giving his 2 cents worth on the Fitch Vs. GSP match;

“…halfway in the third round I got up and walked out of the arena and went to my hotel. The fight wasn’t the most exciting and I wanted to get out of there before everyone else was getting up to leave. “

Are you kidding me…?? Sure the fight was lopsided, but certainly entertaining and you would think that Hughes would be interested in a title fight in the same division that he fights in.   I get the analytical perspective of the fighter that has seen it all and done just as much in the organization. Giving Matt all the respect based on his honesty and his career to date, the comments still smack of sour grapes. 

It’s one thing to be grounded outside of your work and not have to be a hardcore fan as well as a competitor.  It’s another to walk out of a title match in your own division.  The message I hear is that if Matt Hughes isn’t interested in a main event, title fight with the absolute 2 best fighters in the Welterweight division, why should anyone else be watching?   The problem with that message is that it becomes something else if Matt is set to fight one of the same fighters… should we all be interested now? What if everyone was as bored as Matt with these UFC events… would he enjoy the same lifestyle he has today?

Anyway, all with a grain of salt and I wouldn’t want Hughes to be less honest, maybe just a bit less bitter.

Check out Matt’s blog entry on UFC 87 here.

Agree? Disagree??  - Click the post title to leave your own comments on this story.

 (Image:UFC.com)

Four additional bouts were officially announced today by the UFC for their UFC 87 event scheduled fro August 9th in Minnesota.

Fans will be treated to a few good matches:
Frankie Edgar Vs. Hermes Franca :  Edgar looks to rebound from a loss to Gray Maynard. Franca returns after his Nandralone induced Hiatus)

Cheick Congo Vs. Dan Evenson :   (Cheick looks to rebound from his loss to Herring by ruining the Norweigian import’s UFC debut)

Chris Wilson Vs Steve Bruno : (Wilson gave Jon Fitch all he could handle in his last bout)
Ben Saunders Vs Jared Rollins:  (TUF 6 showdown match)

The card which was aleady looking solid is rounded out nicely with these additional fights. This is only a 7 fight card right now, so expect another 4 bout s or so to be announced in the near future to get to the now common 11 fight total for UFC events.
Not bad, considering they used to average 9 fights on a card in the previous 2 years or so.

The full card at this time is as follows:

Main Event

Georges St.Pierre Vs. Jon Fitch (Welterweight Championship)

Main Card
Roger Huerta  Vs. Keny Florian
Brock Lesnar  Vs. Heath Herring

Undercard
Frankie Edgar  Vs. Hermes Franca
Cheick Congo  Vs. Dan Evenson
Chris Wilson   Vs. Steve Bruno
Ben Saunders vs. Jared Rollins

 (Photo:Sherdog.com)

Brock Lesnar is back on the fight card for UFC 87 ‘Seek and Destroy” .  He will face Heath Herring in the event, scheduled for August 9th at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN.  Lesnar was originally scheduled to headline the event, which is being held in his home state but those plans were scrapped when his opponent, UFC and all around MMA veteran, Mark Coleman was forced out of the event due to a knee injury. The main bout was then replaced with a Welterweight Title bout between current champion Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch.  A co-main event was confirmed with a lightweight contender match between Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta, who is another home-state hero.

The fact that Lesnar is on the card makes sense.  He doesn’t come cheap to the organization and with the fight taking place on home turf, his fan appeal is heightened even more than usual.  The fight with Herring is likely a more dangerous one than the original Coleman match.  Coleman has not fought in 18 months since a loss to the elusive MMA super-hero, Fedor Emelianenko.  Herring on the other hand, is coming off a tough split decision victory against Cheick Kongo.  Herring is a talented and dangerous, if inconsistent fighter that is a veteran in the sport at 30 years old.  

As for Lesnar, he certainly is taking tough fights for a guy getting his feet wet in the big leagues.  Debuting against former UFC Heavyweight Champ Frank Mir and then after dropping the fight amid some level of controversy, taking a follow-up match against Heath Herring? Lesnar is certainly not running from anyone.

With a transition from the world of professional wrestling, Lesnar and the UFC certainly appear to be intentionally avoiding the type of critical spotlight that has followed Kimbo Slice in his transition from YouTube to PPV.  As for this fight, I really have no preference for a winner but will be interested to see if Lesnar can pull out a win or even threaten a seasoned fighter such as Herring.   In my opinion, this is truly a much improved match for Brock Lesnar and a better barometer for the world to measure his skill development.

(Photos: Sherdog.com) 

The UFC is bringing their show to Minnesota for the first time ever and they are doing it up in style. The event which is scheduled for August 9th at the Target Center, will feature a solid Lightweight tilt between top contenders Kenny Florian and hometown boy Roger Huerta.  Huerta and Florian represent the Lightweight division perfectly with intensity, aggressiveness and massive fan appeal.

As if that wasn’t enough to make the card attractive to the fans, today the UFC announced the addition of the much anticipated Welterweight title bout between Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch as the main event for the UFC 87 card.

Those two fights can pretty much sell any card, regardless of how you fill in the other spots.

On another note, Brock Lesnar who was originally set to face veteran Mark Coleman will have a new opponent to deal with as Coleman has suffered a knee injury in training.  A replacement for the Lesnar fight has not been announced at this time.

More to come on that piece of news…  I wonder how long it would take to drive from Toronto to Minnesota?

(Photos:UFC.com)

?Wow… other than the recap of the last episode, no Joey whining about the house… this really is an improvement.

This episode spends a lot of time focusing on the fighters, their training and building on the potential personality conflicts in the house.? And speaking of conflict, Dorian Price steps up to be the next guy to push the limits and the patience of the UFC (Dana White).? Price in feeling physically ill and upset that it is affecting his training, considering he has already lost his fight with Matt Arroyo and knows that the real benefit from the house will come from the high level training he can do while he waits for a chance to be a sub in case of injury.?

That seems like the mindset of a stable individual that understands his opportunity and the potential career benefit of being on a national television show… right?? Maybe not. In a moment of insanity, the pressure of the filming overwhelms Price, who threatens some of the camera crew.? The incident appears to be diffused very quickly, although it sets the stage for a potential early eviction from the house.? Dana pops by and has a more than fair discussion, outlining the stupidity of Dorian’s actions.? He lets Price stay in the house on the condition that absolutely no other incidents take place and the message is well received and taken to heart by Price.?? The interesting part of this is that Dana speaks with Matt Hughes?prior to visiting Dorian,?who does pretty much nothing to save Dorian from possible eviction for the outburst.? He makes a weak case for Price, but turtles by indicating the decisions are not up to him and Dana needs to decide what will happen.??Hmmm?

Matt Serra continues to entertain by bad mouthing Hughes and actually plays the role of Kreskin very well, predicting that Hughes would be coming down hard on his team after Billy Miles’ poor showing in the last fight.? Serra is bang on, as Hughes is shown trying to be as nice as possible, but basically laying a “training” beating on his team like a vague warning not to let him down again.? Well… maybe not so vague.? The message seems to be received loud and clear if not appreciated by all of Hughes’ fighters.

The fight for this week is a team Serra pick and they go after? the weak link of team Hughes(Blake Bowman) ?with their own weak?link?(Richie Hightower).? Mac Danzig offers some advice to Bowman which is sloughed off by the joker Blake, who is possibly on the show for the wrong reasons, although he shows some heart by training and fighting through a rib injury.? Danzig also chimes in with his take on Hightower, who he labels as annoying and basically a complete waste of time.? Someone actually refers to his attitude or persona as “hot garbage” …. kind of funny.

Fight time:

Bowman and Hightower square off and throw some feeling out shots that look pretty suspect.?(Note: Bowman’s record is listed as 0-0?)? Hightower comes in and eats some decent knees inside from Bowman, but?keeps his composure.? He then catches?Bowman with a few solid shots and get him on the ground where he basically pounds the crap out of him with little?resistance from an?the obviously outclassed Bowman.

The fight is called by the ref and away we go….

I felt good after this episode,?until I realized that I waited 50 minutes to watch?two guys that can’t really fight.? it’s entertainment?anyway… so oh well.

Clips from next week show some fighters poking fun at Danzig who they label as a “grump”.? This looks like it could boil over a bit, although Danzig will no doubt realize he is?the favorite to win the show and would not risk that opportunity (ala Dorian Price) with any stupidity.?? The guys have a point with Mac Danzig, he does seem to rain on the parade a bit but he is also the most seasoned fighter and shows the maturity of someone who is committed to being a professional fighter.? I’m not sure how old he is, but he seems 5 years older than all the guys on the show.

?So……….let’s see what next week brings.