|
Viewing 1 - 8 out of 8 Blogs.
Anthony Ruiz def. Jeromy Freitag by Unanimous Decision (29-28 on all three cards)
David Douglas def. Marlon Mathias by TKO at 0:12, R1.
Robbie Lawler def. Scott Smith by TKO at 2:35, R2.
Nick Diaz def. Thomas Denny by TKO at 0:40, R2.
Jake Shields def. Nick Thompson by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:03, R1.
Cris “Cyborg” Santos def. Shayna Baszler by TKO at 2:48, R2.
Antonio Silva def. Justin Eilers by TKO at 0:19, R2.
Rafael Feijao def. Travis Galbraith by TKO at 3:01, R1.
Wilson Reis def. Bryan Caraway by Unanimous Decision (30-27 on all three cards)
Carl Seumantafa def. Mike Cook by TKO at 3:39, R1.
Drew Montgomery def. Brandon Tarn by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 4:22, R3.
ORTIZ PREDICTS VICTORY OVER MACHIDA
Monday, May 19, 2008 - by Jeff Cain - MMAWeekly.com
"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy," Tito Ortiz, completes his contractual obligation with the Ultimate Fighting Championship when he steps in the octagon at UFC 84 against Lyoto Machida. Ortiz spoke with MMAWeekly about his training, his focus and his match up with the undefeated Brazilian.
"I'm really healthy. I feel great. I feel really, really good," said Ortiz. "I'm excited about this fight. I'm very focused. This fight means the world to me. I'm not just fighting myself. I'm fighting for every one of those fans, the Tito Ortiz fans that support me."
As excited as Ortiz is for his showdown with Machida, it wasn't the fight he wanted for his final bout in the UFC. "It doesn't matter who I fight to me. In the beginning I thought the Rashad Evans deal was supposed to happen," said the former UFC light heavyweight champion. "They built it, it was going to happen, and that's what I expected. And I know a lot of fans expected that."
"The UFC has their own game plan. They have their own ideas of how they want to run things, and I turned it down at first, saying why would I want to fight Lyoto? There's no reason to. But then I just started going on, and I was like, I don't really care. Whoever you want me to fight, I'll fight. That's really what it came down to. No diss toward Lyoto. He's a great fighter, undefeated, but I thought they were building the Rashad Evans fight. I wanted to fight Rashad again because I thought I beat him the first time."
With the intention of leaving the UFC and shopping the market for the highest bidder following his UFC 84 bout, Ortiz doesn't feel any pressure going into his final UFC fight despite the added leverage a win would bring to his negotiating power with another organization.
"I have no pressure," said the California native. "This is like the same thing as when I fought Vitor Belfort. I have no pressure on me. I have nothing to lose. I have no contract left, so I have nothing to lose. There ain't nothing after this with the UFC for me. Finally I'm going to be free. I'm able to do what I want, I think. My hands are not going to be tied anymore. I'm not going to feel like I have a ball and chain on me."
He continued, "I really think I'm going to succeed after this fight, no matter what. In my mind, I know I'm going to win. There's no doubt in my mind, without a doubt. I know for a fact that I'm going to beat Lyoto Machida. He doesn't know it yet, but when the bell rings and the referee says, let's get it on, I'll be dumping him on his head, and he'll feel the real wrath of Tito Ortiz."
Once known for his conditioning and stamina, Ortiz hasn't lived up to his reputation in recent bouts, getting fatigued sometimes as early as the second round.
"I started camp four months prior to the fight. That's the first time I've started this early," Ortiz told MMAWeekly.com. I was really focused on getting my core strength very, very strong. My back is really strong. My stomach is really strong. You'll see at the weigh-ins how shredded I am. I'm in great shape."
"I've actually picked it up. I'm running four miles a day. I've never done that in my career, ever. I really think I've let a lot of my fans down by getting tired after the second round. I've never a person like that to get tired. I've always pushed full-force for five, five minute rounds. We're training six, six minute rounds with 30 seconds rests. I'm up here at altitude doing it, so I'm going to be ready for three, five minute rounds without a doubt."
"It just feels great to be able to train for once and be able to wrestle the way I used to wrestle, spar the way I used to spar, and not have to go through three days of training and have to take four days off," added Ortiz. "That was really, really bad. It was hindering my fighting style, I believe. I'm very focused, no injuries, and I'm able to focus my time on training."
Asked about the match up with Machida, Ortiz commented, "He's never faced anyone like me, ever. All the fights he's had have been against guys that stand back and let him do all the striking. Three words for Machida: feel the pressure. He's going to feel the pressure."
"Everybody knows how I fight. Lyoto knows how I fight, and let's see if he can handle the pressure. Let's see if he can handle 16,000 fans screaming. I know there's going to be about 16,000, probably 15,999 that will be screaming about Tito and there will be that one person that's hating on me. Let's see if he can handle the pressure."
Ortiz went on to boast, "It's my octagon. I've been doing it for eleven years. I'm very focused. I'm hungry. I have everything on the line right now, and nothing to lose. I have a lot of people to prove wrong. It's me versus the company."
"Expect fireworks on May 24, live on pay-per-view, when I beat down Lyoto Machida."
TITO ORTIZ REFORMING TEAM PUNISHMENT
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - by Jeff Cain - MMAWeekly.com
In it's heyday, Team Punishment was the top of the food chain in mixed martial arts. Founder Tito Ortiz plans to reform his fight team and return it to its former glory when Team Punishment fighters held the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight and heavyweight titles.
"I have some really, really good guys. I'm really focusing right now on getting back to where I was four years ago, four or five years ago when we had Rampage (Quinton Jackson) and everybody else, Ricco Rodriguez and everybody together," Ortiz told MMAWeekly Radio.
"I'm going to do it again. Ricco is actually training with me now. I've got Mark Munoz from Sacramento training with me right now. I've got Carlo Prater from Texas who is training with me now. I'm going to start focusing on this. I'm going to start doing it. I really feel like I'm getting back to where I was before and surrounding myself with great people, great fighters. I'm going to do this."
Ortiz plans to expand Team Punishment to all weight classes and once again make it one of the premier training camps in MMA.
"I'm going to find a guy in each weight class from 155 to heavyweight, and try to get the best I possibly can. The brand of Team Punishment is a worldwide known brand, and we're known to punish our opponents. You've got to get the best fighters to do that, so I'm going to go across the United States and go across possibly Europe and try to find some of the best fighters and bring them around Team Punishment. I'm going to start the team again."
For the past few years, building his fight team is something that hasn’t garnered Ortiz’s focus. On May 24 at UFC 84, he will be dialed in on Lyoto Machida, whom he says will be his last opponent as a contracted fighter for the UFC. As he prepares to wrap-up his tenure with the promotion, it appears that he is finally ready to restore his fight team.
"I'm going to go out and find the superstars. I'm going to find the guys who like to succeed as a business and as a fight team,” said the former UFC light heavyweight champion. “I haven't focused on that in the last few years because I've been trying to deal with my demons and ending another chapter in my life. I just want to move on to a different chapter.
“All the negative stuff is gone, and all it is now is focusing on the positive stuff, and to build a new Team Punishment is the first step to that."
TITO ORTIZ ACCEPTS FIGHT WITH LYOTO MACHIDA Tuesday, January 22, 2008 - MMAWeekly.com
Much speculation has surrounded Tito Ortiz and when he would fulfill the final fight on his current Ultimate Fighting Championship contract, but it appears that question has been answered. The much-maligned light heavyweight has verbally agreed to meet upstart Lyoto Machida as a part of the May 24 UFC card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
MMAWeekly.com first reported that Lyoto Machida’s camp had received an offer to fight Ortiz and the undefeated Brazilian gladly accepted the opportunity.
“It would be an honor to fight such a legend as Tito Ortiz,” said Machida. “I would like to see how my technique matches up against his.”
During an appearance on Fight Network Radio, Ortiz confirmed his willingness to accept the bout against Machida, although the former light heavyweight champion stated he was looking for a more high profile fight, despite Machida’s top five status in the 205-pound weight class.
Ortiz also stated during his appearance that it seems the fight against Machida will likely be his last for the UFC, at least at this time, due to contractual issues primarily concerning money.
While both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout, no contracts or agreements have been signed or announced by the UFC.
The fight between Machida and Ortiz is believed to be a part of the card that will feature a main event grudge match between new lightweight champion B.J. Penn and former champion Sean Sherk.
Did you guys see the promo for Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice? It looks like Tito is one of the contestants. The show is on NBC and it starts to air in the first week of Jan 2008. I'll have to check it out.
Here is an interesting article from MMAWeekly.com
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
- By Jeff Cain - MMAWeekly.com
"The
Huntington Beach Bad Boy," Tito Ortiz, competed only one time in 2007
in a draw against The Ultimate Fighter season 2 winner Rashad Evans at
UFC 73 in July. After some time away from fighting healing injuries and
filming The Apprentice, Ortiz expects to return to the octagon in May.
"My
last fight, before I fought Rashad (Evans), I wasn't 100%, and I just
wanted to make sure if I ever fight again I'm going to be 100%," Ortiz
told MMAWeekly. "The back injury that I sustained kind of hindered me
for fight time. Now it's a lot better, and May will be my next fight."
"I
spoke to Lorenzo (Fertitta), and it looks like in May," said the former
UFC light heavyweight champion . "They're going to wait until May, so
the next Cinco de Mayo weekend will be Tito Ortiz' next fight."
Ortiz'
career has been plagued with injuries. He needed surgery to repair torn
ligaments in his knee prior to his UFC 40 bout with Ken Shamrock in
2002. A nagging back injury has been a torn in his side suffered in
training for his UFC 44 match with Randy "The Natural" Couture in 2003.
He entered the octagon with a heavily wrapped knee against Forrest
Griffin at UFC 59 in 2006.
Ortiz said, "I really want to fight
at 100%. I'm making these guys look good when I'm not 100%. When I had
the draw with Rashad, I should have never did that. I should have beat
him, but it's all right. We'll do it again. I just want to make sure
I'm 100% before all of my fights so I don't let any of my fans down
when I lose or if I get a draw or something like that because I felt
like I let my fans down and myself down, and I don't want to let that
happen."
By the time May 2008 rolls around, ten months will have
passed since the draw with Evans. With his opponent not yet named,
Ortiz is focused on training and coming in 100% healthy.
Don't get me wrong. I love watching UFC and the fights they put up. However, does anybody else think that they are milking it just a bit too much? Instead of putting on a less shows with more jam packed line ups, it looks like they are just putting one every months whether they have any decent fights lined up or not. This weekend, UFC 78, is a perfect example. Bisping vs. Evans is the main event? Give me a break. Yeah, they are decent fighters and all but to be a main event? This may be the first PPV that I won't purchase in a long time - as a protest to let UFC know by low PPV buys that they need to put on more quality shows instead of just quantity.
Let's face it. Tito is a character. Either you love him or hate him. He's the former lightweight champion who dominated that division in the past, before losing back to back to Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell and leaving due to contract dispute. Since his return, he's no stranger to controversy and does his usual trash talking about all his opponents. He was on 3 fight winning streak until his loss to Chuck Liddell last December. He's only fought once this year - a draw against Rashad Evans and again due to contract dispute, there is no telling when he'll fight again and whom. The question is - are you his fan or his hater?
|
