Archive for December, 2009

After seven years of studying the craft, former UFC fighter and "The Ultimate Fighter 6" semifinalist Matt Arroyo earned his black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu.

The 27-year-old fighter today told MMAjunkie.com he received the belt in a recent ceremony.

The honor came from his longtime instructor, Rob Kahn, the head of the Florida-based Gracie Tampa camp who earned his own black belt from grappling and MMA legend Royce Gracie.

Thiago Alves apparently has gotten his wish and will get a rematch with Jon Fitch.

Alves (16-6 MMA, 9-3 UFC), who originally was expected to fight Ricardo Almeida at UFC 111, instead has agreed to fight Fitch (21-3 MMA, 11-1 UFC) at the March event.

Sources close to both competitors told MMAjunkie.com verbal agreements are in place for the welterweight matchup, though bout agreements have not been signed.

Weigh-ins for next month's UFC Fight Night 20 event take place Sunday, Jan. 10, at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

The same venue hosts the following night's Spike TV-broadcast event, which features a headliner of Nate Diaz vs. Gray Maynard and three other televised bouts.

The weigh-ins begin at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT), and doors open at 3 p.m.

The WEC recently announced that MMA legend Jens Pulver (22-12 MMA, 1-4 WEC) will return to action at "WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz" in March.

Now he's got an opponent.

MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the organization that Pulver will meet fellow featherweight Javier Vazquez (13-4 MMA, 0-2 WEC) on the evening's main card.

With his welterweight title shot on hold and with a potential bout with Marius Zaromskis ultimately scrapped, Jay Hieron (18-4 MMA, 1-0 SF) instead is expected to meet veteran Joe Riggs (32-11 MMA, 3-2 SF) next month at "Strikeforce: Miami."

Sources close to the event told MMAjunkie.com the fight is in the works, but bout agreements have not been signed, and the Florida State Boxing Commission must first approve the matchup.

"Strikeforce: Miami" takes place Jan. 30 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., and airs on Showtime.

With Versus airing a marathon of World Extreme Cagefighting content, Spike TV today does the same with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The UFC's longtime cable partner launched the marathon earlier today, and it runs until 7 p.m. ET/PT tonight.

The New Year's Eve content includes replays of three recent editions of The Ultimate Fighter Finale events.

MMAjunkie.com Radio returns today to recap the just-concluded "DREAM/FEG's Dynamite!! 2009: DREAM vs. WVR" event and to preview Saturday's UFC 108 show (with a ticket giveaway!).

The crew also discusses last night's 2009 World MMA Awards. It was a big night for MMAjunkie.com, which won the Best Media Source award, and John Morgan, who picked up the trophy as Best MMA Journalist. "Gorgeous George" and the gang were in attendance and discuss the star-studded affair.

MMAjunkie.com Radio begins at noon ET (9 a.m. PT). Due to the temporary relocation of the studio, listener phone calls will not be available until the crew returns to Mandalay Bay. Listen to and watch a video stream of the show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

World Extreme Cagefighting has set a matchup that could very well determine the next challenger for WEC featherweight champion Brian Bowles (or his upcoming opponent, Dominick Cruz).

In what should be one of the early year's top matchups, former champ Miguel Torres (37-2 MMA, 5-1 WEC) takes on fellow contender Joseph Benavidez (11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at WEC 47, sources close to the event told MMAjunkie.com.

Benavidez partially earned the fight out of necessity; due to injuries, fellow contenders Damacio Page (12-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and Scott Jorgensen (8-3 MMA, 4-2 WEC) are both unlikely to be ready for the event, which takes place March 6 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

What sport were those gold medals in, again?

Olympic judo champions and Japanese countrymen Hidehiko Yoshida and Satoshi Ishii generally disposed of any grappling skills in their arsenal and elected to channel their inner-boxer in a relatively entertaining contest on New Year's Eve - albeit one marred by a lengthy delay for an illegal blow.

The bout capped off the MMA portion of the marathon, 18-bout, seven-plus-hour "Dynamite!! 2009: DREAM vs. World Victory Road" card at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The full event aired in North America on HDNet.

LAS VEGAS - MMAjunkie.com is on scene and reporting live from the 2009 World MMA Awards.

The first-of-its-kind industry awards program, which was launched by Fighters Only, recognizes and honors the best of MMA from the past year.

Today's ceremony takes place at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Watch the broadcast live on Versus.com at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT), and follow along as we post the winners live here.