Hamill Replaces Matyushenko, Kongo vs. Mitrione Signed

The UFC revealed Thursday that Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko (26-5-0) has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout at UFC 133 due to an injury suffered while training.  Stepping in on short notice will be TUF alumnus, Matt "The Hammer" Hamill (10-3-0).

Hamill last competed at UFC 130, dropping a unanimous decision to former 205lbs champion Quinton Jackson in a lackluster performance; prior to that, "The Hammer" had strung together five consecutive wins (asteriks Jon Jones bout).  Hamill will square off with once-beaten Swede, Alexander Gustafsson (11-1-0).

Gustafsson has posted consecutive submission victories after suffering the first loss of his career to top light heavyweight Phil Davis at UFC 112 in April of 2010.  The 24-year old Stockholm native has been to decision only once in twelve professional fights.

UFC 137 has been added to, as heavyweights Matt Mitrione (5-0-0) and Cheick Kongo collide at the event October 29, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kongo recently fought fellow kickboxer, Pat Barry, at UFC Live 4, June 26, where the French striker shocked the MMA world with perhaps the greatest come-from-behind win in the history of the heavyweight division.

Mitrione meanwhile, easily dispatched of Christian Morecraft at the same event, June 26.  The performance marked Mitrione's fourth (T)KO win in five professional bouts, all coming inside the octagon.  The Duke Roufus trained fighter will face his toughest test to date, October 29, in seasoned veteran Kongo.




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MMA Combat - Filipovic vs. Nelson at UFC 137

MMA Combat - Filipovic vs. Nelson at UFC 137

PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix champion, Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic (27-9-2) will grace the UFC's octagon at least once more as the fighter revealed Wednesday a scheduled fight with TUF season 10 winner Roy "Big Country" Nelson (15-6-0) in what is surely to be an exit stage for one of the two this coming October, at UFC 137 - St. Pierre vs. Diaz, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Filipovic last fought at UFC 128 - Shogun vs. Jones where the former K-1 kickboxer was knocked out by TUF season 10 runner-up, Brendan Schaub. It was CroCop's second-straight KO loss, a burgeoning trend of late for the Croatian born fighter that once struck fear into the hearts of his opposition with a potent stand-up attack and trade-mark left high-kick. UFC president, Dana White, indicated the bout at UFC 128 would be his last, but it seems the promotion will grant him one last shot to right the ship.

Talented as he may be, Roy Nelson has never found himself in White's favor. The Vegas-based fighter has lost consecutive fights to #1 contender Junior dos Santos, and former heavyweight champion Frank Mir after starting 2-0 with the promotion. Nelson, who has been defeated in four of his last six contests has been criticized by some for a perceived lack of fitness as "Big Country" boasts perhaps the 'best' beer-belly in the game. Like it or not, both of these athletes have got to realize their UFC future depends on a win. Neither man can afford to slip.


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MMA Combat - Diaz vs. St. Pierre Headlines UFC 137

MMA Combat - Diaz vs. St. Pierre Headlines UFC 137

Instantly creating one of the year's biggest headlines in the world of mixed martial arts, Wednesday evening UFC president Dana White announced via his official twitter account that reigning welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre (22-2-0) will defend his place atop the 170lbs division against UFC veteran and Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz (25-7-0). The bout will be contested at UFC 137, which is slated to take place October 29, 2011, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"U wanted it! U GOT IT!!! GSP vs DIAZ Oct 29th UFC 137 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas." stated White, who recently shot down a series of rumors that the highly anticipated bout would take place this coming December at UFC 140 in Montreal, Quebec.

This certainly is the fight fans have been calling for, particularly since the Zuffa acquisition of the Strikeforce brand. Although White initially declared that cross-promotional champion vs. champion super-fights were out of the question, it appears as though the company's upper brass has softened to the idea; and why not? Nick Diaz is a fan favorite from coast to coast, and is especially popular in the West where he wears his Stockton colors on his sleeve.

The outspoken Cesar Gracie disciple has posted ten consecutive victories with only one bout going to the judges cards during that time. He owns thirteen of his twenty-six career wins by way of [T]KO and has endeared himself to fans by way of his trash talking, 'punches in bunches' style that has stifled opponent after opponent for three years running. Recently, Diaz's boxing aspirations appeared to be taking priority in his professional life, but after Zuffa presented their offer, it's understandable that those same aspirations will see their way to the back-burner once more. The Gracie Jiu Jitsu black belt had asked for this fight after teammate and friend Jake Shields saw his streak snapped at the hands of the champion on April 29, at UFC 129, in Toronto, Canada; now he will get his crack without running the gauntlet that is the UFC welterweight division, and you can be sure he'll make the most of it.

Georges St. Pierre has simply been dominate since picking up the UFC welterweight championship for a second time. He is a winner in nine straight appearances, and has successfully defended his title six times while unanimously winning thirty-three consecutive rounds in that span. Taking out top-ten names like Fitch, Penn, Alves, Hardy, Koscheck, and Jake Shields, the level of competition these warriors have faced in the last five years is hardly comparable. That isn't to say that Diaz is not a dangerous match-up... St. Pierre has already proven he can out-grapple even the strongest wrestler in MMA competition, but Diaz presents an opponent that offers a furious number of combinations standing, while owning one of the better BJJ games in the sport without being hampered by a limited gas tank.

We can however, be mindful that Diaz has not faced an opponent with a strong wrestling base for nearly half a decade (Gleison Tibau being the last), and has dropped three of four bouts against such competition if you start with Diego Sanchez in 2005. Here lies the key to the match; can Nick Diaz develop his traditionally weak take-down-defense enough in the coming months to keep this fight standing?

Be sure to check back with MMA Combat for all the updates on UFC 137; with only one fight booked for the card at present, it already promises to be a great one!

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MMA Combat - St. Pierre vs. Diaz at UFC 140?

MMA Combat - St. Pierre vs. Diaz at UFC 140?

Montreal’s David Simon, host of Ringside Report Radio on ‘The Team’ 990 AM and owner/writer for www.ringsidereport.net posted yesterday on his official twitter account that not only would the UFC return to “La Belle Province” for UFC 140 – expected to take place December 10, 2011 – but that UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre (22-2-0) would likely defend his belt at the event, most probably, against Stockton, California’s favorite son, Nick Diaz (25-7-0).

“#UFC140 December 10 at the Bell Centre. Get ready #Montreal. The #UFC is coming back!!!!”

“Nick Diaz vs. GSP is a possibility for the main event of #UFC140 on December 10 in #Montreal.”

The speculation comes on the heels of a radio interview Simon conducted with UFC Director of Operations Tom Wright on Wednesday, May 18. The promotion has achieved great successes in Montreal thus far, and looks to maintain close ties with the city and market going forward.

“We know how important this market is to us and putting on great fights,” Wright said. “It’s a great venue (Bell Centre), it’s a great fan-base, it’s a great environment. The energy in that building is as good as any building in North America. We’ll always have a soft spot for Montreal.”


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The Prospect of Diaz vs. GSP Edit Blog Entry

UFC 129 saw Georges St. Pierre (22-2-0) once again defended his welterweight title against a top five welterweight, and one that hadn’t lost in nearly six years while compiling 15 wins in that time. Jake Shields was a game challenger, although I personally wonder how he would have fared against a more confident St. Pierre who was noticeably concerned with an irritated/injured eye early on.

The UFC is now faced with a situation where the champion has handily defeated six of the top seven welterweights – accordingly to several credible ranking sites – in mixed martial arts today; Nick Diaz (25-7-1) remains the lone man out, coming in at number six on Sherdog.com’s welterweight top ten, and is the only man currently outside of the UFC banner in the bunch.

If there was ever a time to capitalize on the Strikeforce welterweight champion’s popularity, particularly in the West coast, the time is now. No remaining welterweight inside the UFC has the marketability that Diaz would bring to this main-event; the Stockton native is riding an extreme confidence high on the back of ten consecutive wins, and as a tri-athlete, has the kind of gas tank to continue pushing the pace against the notoriously cardio-strong GSP. His Jiu-Jitsu is of a high level, which will rival if not surpass St. Pierre in that area, and his offensive boxing continues to improve by leaps and bounds with each bout.

It is worth mentioning however, that Nick Diaz has not fought a high-level MMA wrestler in some time, arguably since his TKO victory over Gleison Tibau at UFC 65 in November of 2006. Diaz has never possessed the kind of takedown defense or strength to ward off powerful wrestlers; that blueprint was written by Diego Sanchez, Joe Riggs, and Sean Sherk respectively in 05/06, and remains the only time Diaz has lost consecutive matches in his career to date.

Georges St. Pierre is perhaps the best mixed martial arts wrestler in the sport’s short history; his timing and explosiveness is unparalleled and his speed will be on par with Stockton’s favorite son. Taking a glimpse at their most recent victories tells a tall tale; while Diaz has toppled (literally) Zaromskis, Sakurai, Noons, Santos, and Daley… St. Pierre has arguably won every round in his past five bouts – and beyond – against the likes of B.J. Penn, Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, and Jake Shields.

Bringing Nick Diaz into the UFC without the intention of granting him an immediate title shot, or presenting him with a favorable style match-up first would be detrimental to the marketing value he currently offers. In this writer’s opinion, it’s highly likely that either of Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, Josh Koscheck, or Jake Ellenberger could derail that hype and Zuffa knows this. Not to mention, with Cesar Gracie Academy teammate Jake Shields dropping the most recent of a growing list of decisions on St. Pierre’s resume, Nick Diaz also presents an attractive storyline in the way of revenge…

It will be interesting to see how Zuffa handles these negotiations, and the extent to which they’re willing to bend. Dana White had initially stated that cross-promotion super fights were not an option for the UFC brand, but at this point, what alternative do they have?


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