Who is next for Tito Ortiz? How about Ochocinco

After Tito Ortiz's win at UFC 132, there has been plenty of speculation on his next opponent. Earlier this week, Cagewriter mentioned the possibilities of Chuck Liddell, Fedor Emelianenko, Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson, but another athlete has thrown his name into the ring.

Locked out Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco wants to give Ortiz a fight.

Ortiz isn't the first guy Ochocinco has gone after. He's called out UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva in the past, and has asked UFC president Dana White for a spot in the Octagon. Silva, who is closer to Ochocinco's size, has long been Ocho's target, but now he has moved on to the bigger Ortiz.

NFL collective bargaining agreement negotiations appear to be headed in the right direction, so hopefully, Ochocinco will have to worry about football soon. In the meantime, who else would you like to see the wide receiver fight? Tell us in the comments or on Facebook.

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Openly gay Carmouche fighting for plenty of causes this weekend

Liz Carmouche is like most people who fear something they're unfamiliar with; the former Marine hated MMA when she first saw it. Once she learned about the sport and began training, she quickly gained an understanding. Carmouche (on the left) would probably like to see people be as open-minded when it comes to someone's sexual preference.

According to Ben Fowlkes from MMAFighting, Carmouche will be the first openly gay fighter to fight under the Zuffa banner when she steps into the cage on Friday at Strikeforce Challengers 17. Carmouche faces a former champion in Sarah Kaufman (Showtime 11 p.m. ET/PT)

After years of having to hide her identity while an active Marine, Carmouche feels liberated. Said Carmouche:

"It was really difficult. I wouldn't say I came out so much as I came into my own. I really discovered what my sexuality meant to me and what that meant to me as a person. I was able to come out to my family, but other than that I couldn't come out to co-workers or to friends because of what that would mean for my military life and my career. That made my life difficult, because I felt like I was constantly conflicted and at war with myself every day that I faced people."

Carmouche's sexual preference flew under the radar in MMA, but she knows that wouldn't be the case if a male fighter announced he was gay.

"When [men] look at two women, it's 'lesbian action,'" she said. "That's attractive to them. Two men doesn't have that same appeal to them. Two women is just much more appealing to them, because they find it attractive."

Carmouche first felt acceptance in the gym.

"It's pretty funny, because it was obvious to all of us [that she was gay], I think," chuckled Carmouche's coach, Manny Hernandez. [...]

"At our school we look at it like, she's an athlete," Hernandez said. "She can definitely [expletive] you up. That is something that happens. There are male fighters in the lighter weight classes who will high-tail it out of here, because they didn't sign up to get beat up by a chick. But it happens."

Carmouche (5-1) has been successful in carrying those beatings over to the Strikeforce cage. Back in March, she shocked many by pounding Strikeforce's 135-pound champion Marloes Coenen for three-plus rounds before making a silly mistake and getting caught in a triangle choke. Keep in mind, Carmouche accepted the fight on 10 days notice and has only been a pro since last May. Coenen's been a pro since 2000.

Against Kaufman on Friday, Carmouche gets a chance to prove the Coenen fight wasn't a fluke and more importantly break some new barriers.

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Davis out of UFC 133: Tito says no, UFC trying to make Evans-Machida II

Sometimes an injury can crush a card, but the UFC may catch a break this time. The promotion confirmed that Davis is out of the  main event at UFC 133 with an injury and now the search is on for replacement to face Rashad Evans.

Who fills in? There aren't many big names available. Tito Ortiz, a winner just 10 days ago at UFC 132, was offered, said no thanks and explained via Twitter:

I have a life and things to take care of. The fight game is about making the right choices of my career. If you knew what I have been going through you all would understand. Peaking for a fight is what makes a fighter unstoppable! Timing is everything in life. This is a rebuild year for me not do or die. The time will come again!

Lyoto Machida is the most obvious candidate. Machida (17-2, 9-2 UFC) last fought in late April. It took him just 65 seconds to knockout out Randy Couture at UFC 129. Now Machida and his management team have to decide if he should take a fight on 25 days notice against a guy he already destroyed.

Machida produced one of the nastier knockouts in UFC history when he took away Evans' UFC light heavyweight title back at UFC 98. Evans (15-1-1, 10-1-1 UFC) tried to counter-strike with one of the best counter-strikers in the world, and was left twisted and out cold on the floor.

Evans still switched training camps even after a scheduled fight with former training partner Jon Jones went by the wayside. He's now working mainly out of Imperial Athletics in Boca Raton, Fla.

In fight No. 1 versus Machida, he employed lots of fakes and laid back. Hopefully, we'll get to see what Mike Van Arsdale and Brazilian Top Team can bring to the table.

If Machida says no, who's the next best option? Would Evans agree to face Rich Franklin or Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who are already scheduled to fight each other on the UFC 133 undercard? A Strikeforce fighter like Gegard Mousasi (scheduled to fight at DREAM 17 this weekend) simply isn't high profile enough to put in a main event in the UFC. Any other ideas?

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Lombard to Marquardt: ?Let?s make it happen, brother?

Nate Marquardt's suspension has been officially lifted by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. Earlier this week, Bellator middleweight Hector Lombard doubted that a fight between him and the maligned former UFC star would happen, but now he has another message for Marquardt:

That's right, Lombard would like to welcome Marquardt to Bellator as well as "whoop him up."

It's a fight that makes sense for both men, as Lombard's biggest problem in Bellator has been a lack of challenges. For Marquardt, it's the best fight available after being cut publicly from the UFC just after his suspension messed up the main event for UFC on Versus 4.

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Video analysis: Iole on possibility of UFC to HBO with Greenburg gone

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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Rossi?s opinion of the Lorenzo negotiations

This quote comes from the Spanish language website elmundodeportivo.es. The message and the sentiment are clear: “You aren’t worth what I get paid Jorge”. From elmundodeportive.es, translation by Fans.Moto.GP (Thanks!): What Jorge is looking for seems presumptuous to me: Arrive at Yamaha, and in his second year ask that he be given the same treatment [...]

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Ramsey Nijem vs. Danny Downes Slated for UFC 137

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Ramsey Nijem, a finalist on the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter, has agreed to meet Danny Downes at UFC 137, the organization announced on Thursday.

UFC 137, headlined by Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz, will air live on pay-per-view on Oct. 29 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

The Palestinian-American Nijem lost to Tony Ferguson last month at TUF Finale via first-round knockout. The loss dropped his record to 4-2 overall.

On that same card, the 25-year-old Downes (8-2) lost to Jeremy Stephens in his UFC debut via unanimous decision. "Danny Boy," a product of Duke Roufus' Roufusport gym in Milwaukee, Wisc., went 1-1 in WEC, defeating Chinese star Zhang Tiequan at WEC 53.

 

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Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson: A Matchup of Legends Fighting for a Future

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Fedor EmelianenkoThey are two of the longest-standing, most respected fighters in the sport, with careers stretching back over a decade, resumes featuring multiple titles and a "Who's Who" of beaten opponents in their respective wakes. Yet come the evening of July 30, main-event participants Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko will be fighting not only each other, but also for a future.

Since all terms are relative, it's safe to acknowledge that both Emelianenko and Henderson can stay active in the sport for as long as they want them. Given their names and histories, there will not be a lack of promotions bidding for their services in the foreseeable future. But it's also quite possible that after July 30's Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Hendo event, the careers of one or both men in major MMA may be over.

At just 34 years old, Emelianenko is by six years, the younger of the two. Yet after each of his last two fights -- both losses -- Emelianenko has vocalized the possibility of retirement.

Each time, he chose to return, but asked if a loss to Henderson would drive him from the sport for good, Emelianenko does not rule it out.

"I don't know," he told MMA Fighting through an interpreter during a Thursday teleconference with his upcoming opponent. "We'll see. Everything will be known after the fight. It's better to talk about that and answer that question after the fight."

In the immediate aftermath of his last bout, a second-round TKO loss to Antonio Silva that was stopped by the cageside physician, Emelianenko pondered retirement, seemingly announcing to the Izod Center crowd that he would call it quits. By the time he returned home after a long plane ride, he had changed his mind, saying he would fight on if it is "God's will."

On Thursday, Emelianenko voiced a similar sentiment.

There could, however, be other factors at play. Prior to his February fight with Silva, Emelianenko signed a four-fight extension. Though he still has three fights left on it including his upcoming tilt with Henderson, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Fighting that the deal is non-guaranteed. That means that Emelianenko could be cut with a third straight loss, a move that is no lock but is certain to be considered. Another possibility is that he is asked to take a pay cut in lieu of being cut. That could lead to a situation where Emelianenko and his M-1 management team either take a new deal or walk away from the Zuffa umbrella.

If he wins, of course, he is almost a lock to continue on.

But then we must wonder, What would happen to Henderson?

The current Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion turns 41 in August. Though he's been one of the few MMA pioneers to continue excelling well past his 35th birthday (he's 5-1 in his last 6), Henderson is also reaching a career crossroads.

On Thursday, he confirmed to MMA Fighting that he was about to enter the last fight on his current deal. That will make a loss costly, quite literally. Remember, going back to mid-2009, when Henderson parted ways with the UFC after a highlight-reel-for-the-ages knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100, company president Dana White let him walk away after a prolonged negotiation, telling MMA Fighting at the time, "For the money he wanted, he's not worth it. He's not a big pay-per-view star, he's not a big attraction, and he's not going to sell out arenas. He wants way too much and he doesn't bring anything to the table."

Two years later, it's unknown if White -- who as a Zuffa co-owner wields considerable influence in Strikeforce's operation -- has changed his tune, or if he was simply posturing all along. That makes Henderson's future with either Strikeforce or UFC a mystery.

Henderson said that has not changed his approach to his preparation or the fight itself. He will still walk out with the intention of finishing the fight, and he says he has ignored the uncertainty of his future.

"I guess it's a question mark that will be answered after this fight," he said. "I don't know what to expect but I feel like I've been around a long time and done enough in the sport. I'm not really worried about it, but we'll have to wait and see."

Whether it is God's will, or Dana White's, the futures of both Emelianenko and Henderson are uncertain. Ten days from now, two legends of the sport will compete in a match that was made by their histories, and it's possible that the fight history of one will stop right there.

In our world, rarely do money, politics and performance combine for two men in the same place in the same time, but this is one of those times. As a result, these may be the last days with both Emelianenko and Henderson on the major MMA scene.

 

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