Who saw this one coming? Less than two weeks ago, many folks thought Tito Ortiz would be struggling as newly retired fighter right now. Instead, he's just been booked at UFC 133 for a main event fight against Rashad Evans, the No. 1 contender in the UFC light heavyweight division. What a turnaround!
Ortiz shocked the MMA world by taking out Ryan Bader at UFC 132. The quick win and an injury to Phil Davis, provided a crazy opportunity to fight in the main event at UFC 133. Tito turned down the offer at first, but when Lyoto Machida asked for a big payday, the UFC asked Ortiz again and he accepted.
Dave Meltzer and Kevin Iole joined Cagewriter to discuss Tito's wild ride, the impact Ortiz's insertion onto the card will have on PPV and gate sales and if Machida just buried himself when it comes to getting a title shot.
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It's finally official. Ross Greenburg, a 33-year of employee of HBO is out as president of HBO Sports. The rumors have been swirling for most of 2011 and Greenburg decided to resign rather than get forced out.
Back in 2007, UFC worked with HBO and Greenburg on a possible deal, so that has some thinking the MMA promotion may be interested again in trying to secure an agreement for the future.
Yahoo! Sports' lead MMA writer joined Cagewriter to talk about the future of HBO Sports and why a deal between the UFC and the pay cable network is pretty unlikely.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? UFC's TV landscape is about to change
? Good news for hoops recruit injured in plane crash
? NFL player handcuffed by Britney Spears
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Filed under: Strikeforce
I'm not sure what's more of a challenge when it comes to picking a winner in Saturday night's cross-divisional, just-for-the-heck-of-it fight between MMA veterans Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko: the fact that we don't know what Fedor has left in the tank, or the fact that we know exactly what Hendo has, even if it may not be enough. To unravel these and other mysteries presented by Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson, we turn to the betting odds to find out how online bookmakers see it. They're the ones who have to know what they're talking about just to stay in business, after all. Of course, they're also the ones who have pegged Fedor as a considerable favorite in his last two fights, and we all remember how that worked out. Below, let's see if they've learned anything from those expensive lessons. Dan Henderson (+190) vs. Fedor Emelianenko (-250) I've always suspected that internet bookies were hardcore Pride fanboys, and here's the proof. Okay, so I'm exaggerating a bit, but it is surprising to see Fedor, at this stage in his career, as this big of a favorite. Between Henderson's wrestling, his right hand, and his ability to take a punch, he has plenty of ways to win this fight. The biggest threat for him may be fatigue in the later rounds, which tends to take his submission defense down a few notches. Those are all variables you can work with in making a pick, but for Fedor the big question is whether he truly still wants to do this. The man shows about as much emotion as a bowling ball, so trying to discern something about his mental state from his pre-fight demeanor is pointless. The world of MMA has always loved Fedor more than Fedor loves it. What's hard to figure is, does he still love it enough to do what he has to in training and on fight night against a savvy vet like Hendo?
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Daniel Cormer was helping teammates Mo Lawal and Luke Rockhold prepare for their Sept. 10 bouts when he was given the opportunity of a lifetime. Alistair Overeem had dropped out of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, and Cormier was being asked to step in and fight Antonio Silva. For Cormier, taking the fight with Silva was a no-brainer.
"Obviously, I had no reservations. I'm a person who thinks things through, and when I weighed out the positives and negatives, there was no reason for me to not take the fight," Cormier told Cagewriter.
It's a leap up in competition for the undefeated Cormier. His last bout was a unanimous decision over journeyman heavyweight Jeff Monson. With Overeem's withdrawal, the tournament has lost one of its biggest names, but that doesn't bother Cormier.
"People are saying that the tournament means nothing because Overeem is out, it's the biggest thing in my life. When I first saw the tournament started, I thought it was the greatest collection of heavyweights in one bracket. I still get to fight some of the best heavyweights in the world, and if I string this together, I think it validates me as a mixed martial artist."
Though Silva has Cormier beat on size -- "Big Foot" is six inches taller -- Cormier says that he has other advantages to neutralize Silva's size.
"I'm faster than he is, I'm more athletic and a better wrestler, and I think I'm a pretty decent mixed martial artist. I've gotten better to the point that I think I'm ready to compete with the best guys in the world. I won't know how far I am in this journey until I do test myself with someone like that."
The tournament concept is nothing new to Cormier. As a two-time Olympic wrestler, tournaments have ruled his athletic career.
"In wrestling, everything was tournament-based. It's not like I haven't had to set my mind for a tournament before. I'll just draw back on my wrestling experience, the Olympics, U.S. Nationals, world team trials, every other tournament I've been in my whole life. I've been going to tournaments since I was seven."
Because of that Olympic pedigree, it's hard to think of Cormier as anything but a wrestler. Two years into his MMA career, he does believe he is on the right path.
"I'm on my way to becoming a full-fledged mixed martial artist. I spend a lot of times covering all disciplines of MMA. With the Monson fight, I was fighting someone much more experienced than me, and I was able to outstrike him. At the same time, I don't ever want the Olympic tag to be lifted from my name. I worked my whole life for that. No matter what I do in my life, I will always be an Olympian."
Beyond beating Silva, he still has plenty of goals to meet as a fighter.
"At some point, I'm going to be considered one of the best fighters in the world. My drive and determination are going to push me in that direction."
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Boresha Comp Plan