MMA Combat - Media Blitz: Evans on with Jimmy Fallon, Franklin's Life Story Sold

MMA Combat - Media Blitz: Evans on with Jimmy Fallon, Franklin's Life Story Sold

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will welcome former UFC light heavyweight champion, and UFC 133 headliner, "Suga" Rashad Evans on its Friday edition July 29, airing at 12:35am EST on NBC.

Evans is expected to discuss his main-event bout, August 6, when he takes on a resurgent Tito Ortiz at UFC 133, live from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The two battled to a hard-fought unanimous draw in 2007, however, Ortiz was penalized a point in the second round for grabbing onto the octagon fence during an Evans take-down attempt.

Evans will also field questions surrounding his well publicized split from Team Jackson, and the rivalries that have blossomed in the wake of that departure, particularly with regards to his relationship with current champ, Jon Jones.

It has also been reported that former UFC middleweight champion, Rich Franklin, has sold his life story to production company, Double E Pictures, who will develop a film with David Hollander writing the script, and Mathew Cullan as the project's executive producer.

Wednesday, Franklin had the following to say regarding his latest opportunity:

"I'm excited to see the story of my career as a fighter brought to the screen, and I feel confident that the team assembled will do a great job in telling this story,"

According to the official release, American Fighter will chronicle Franklin's life from the time he was a high school math teacher, to his ascent up the MMA ranks on self-taught skills, culminating with his reign as the UFC middleweight champion.


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MMA Combat - Nogueira Withdraws from UFC 133 Bout with Franklin

MMA Combat - Nogueira Withdraws from UFC 133 Bout with Franklin

UFC president Dana White announced on Saturday that PRIDE and UFC veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5-0) has withdrawn from his scheduled bout against Rich Franklin at UFC 133, scheduled for August 6, 2011, although a reason has not been made available. The light heavyweight pairings for the event have been riddled by injury thus far, with Phil Davis and Vladimir Matyushenko recent scratches as well; now the UFC is actively pursuing a replacement for Nogueira who suffered back to back losses for the first time in his career against wrestling stand-outs Ryan Bader and Phil Davis, in September of 2010 and March of this year respectively.

At 35 years of age, Nogueira is 2-2 inside the octagon and had compiled seven consecutive victories before the recent skid; a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black-belt and skilled boxer, "Minotoro" made his professional debut ten years ago next month and has been a top-contender at 205lbs ever since. No stranger to success himself, Rich Franklin (28-6-0) is a former middleweight champion who most recently re-invented himself as a light heavyweight after competing in two catch-weight fights against Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort. Since his return to the division, Franklin is 1-1 with a knockout victory over Chuck Liddell, and a unanimous decision loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 126 - Belfort vs. Silva in February.

UFC 133 will go down August 6, 2011, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is headlined by a light heavyweight contest pitting former champions Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz against each other; the two battled to a unanimous draw at UFC 73 in July of 2007.

MMA Combat - Nogueira Eyes Knockout at UFC 133

MMA Combat - Nogueira Eyes Knockout at UFC 133

Ahead of his bout against former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin (28-6-0) at UFC 133 - Davis vs. Evans, Brazilian star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira realizes there are parts of his game that required tweaking since joining the UFC ranks, as well as a mental adaptation he must undergo with his promotion future hanging in the balance of his next performance. While "Minotoro's" takedown defense has shown signs of improvement of late, he's still adjusting to a state-side mentality and rule-set that has presented its challenges to the perennial top-ten light heavyweight.

In an interview with Sherdog.com, Nogueira had this to say:

“My camps and the way I prepare for fights doesn’t change much,” he said. “What really changed from Pride to the UFC was the style of the fighters, who are better prepared and have more power and physical potential. I think the rules are very different, as well. The UFC allows tighter fights, more ground fights. It’s different, but I’ve got to get used to these rules, or I can’t fight here [in the UFC].”

When discussing the challenge that stands before him in Franklin, Nogueira makes clear his intention on August 6 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

“It’s the most important fight of my career,” said Nogueira. “I have to walk through him and always move forward. I can’t accept his game. Franklin is a guy who likes to rush in, and I have to be careful with that. After these two losses, I’ve got to beat him in a good fight. I’ve got to knock him out and look for it from the first round.”

With little more than a month remaining to prepare, Nogueira vows to fans that they can expect to see a more aggressive "Minotoro" than the one who has been stifled by wrestling minded fighters in his previous two outings, resulting in the first two-fight losing streak in the ten-year veteran's career. Franklin has always been one to stand and bang when the opportunity presents itself, so the former PRIDE FC standout should get plenty of opportunities to execute his plan; whether or not Franklin obliges is another thing all together.


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