CHUCK LIDDELL AND TITO ORTIZ TO COACH SEASON 11 OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER®

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From Combat Power
Brandon Vera takes on Jon Jones this weekend, and while the veteran Vera has notched some solid wins in the division and is a bonafide 205er, rising star Jon Jones is the favorite for this fight. Vera probably has mixed emotions about his role as underdog. On the one hand there’s less pressure, but on the other he is probably wondering why he isn’t the one being favored due to his solid wrestling, striking, BJJ and impressive performance against Randy Couture, albeit by defeat.

But Jones is a hard guy to pick against these days. His last fight, a loss, was probably the best and most dominating loss for the losing fighter, save the DQ loss Anderson Silva had against Yushin Okami, where Silva knocked out Okami from an illegal upkick. Jones in his fight against Matt Hamill was pounding away from mount and really taking out the tough as nails Hamill, but landed the dreadful 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock strike with his elbow which was illegal, and also helped in stopping Hamill from continuing and resulted in a DQ loss for Jones.

In this fight versus Vera, Jones will be the guy I pick. He’s a very explosive, athletic fighter, who has unorthodox striking, great wrestling and just an “it” factor, in addition to tons of momentum, despite losing his last bout. I’ll go with Jones in this bout. Vera is very motivated after his loss to Randy Couture, which was razor close and debated heavily amongst many of the MMA faithful. Vera is hungry, but I think Jones’ skill and confidence right now makes him a bad matchup for almost every 205er in the game. He is arguably the future of the light heavyweight division, and he’ll make a big step into that future on Sunday. Jones by decision.

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STEPHAN BONNAR TO HOST
“THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER AFTERMATH” ON SPIKE.COM

Visit Tufaftermath.Spike.com To View A New Season Of The Digital Series
On Wednesday, March 31 At 11:00 PM

New York, NY – Veteran UFC® fighter and “The Ultimate Fighter 1” finalist Stephan Bonnar will host the Spike.com weekly series “The Ultimate Fighter: Aftermath.” The first installment, featuring UFC president Dana White as a guest, will debut on Wednesday, March 31 at 11:00 PM directly following Spike TV’s premiere of the “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz.”

Each “The Ultimate Fighter: Aftermath” will include interviews from current cast members who will provide fresh insight and a behind-the-scenes look from the week’s previous episode. Taped in Los Angeles, each installment will also include analysis of the week’s previous fight and special guests. Last season, “The Ultimate Fighter: Aftermath” averaged two million views on Spike.com.

Bonnar’s (14-7) three-round war against Forrest Griffin in “The Ultimate Fighter 1” finale in April 2005 ranks as one of the most memorable fights in mixed martial arts history. Despite losing, Bonnar received a three-fight contract and has since fought some of the biggest names in the light heavyweight division including Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine and Mark Coleman.

The 11th season of Spike TV’s most popular original series ever, “The Ultimate Fighter,” for the first time, will feature 28 of the best up and coming mixed martial artists in the world competing for 14 spots in “The Ultimate Fighter” house. The series boasts a new format which will be introduced to viewers in the show’s premiere episode. The smash hit will also feature two coaches who need no introduction to mixed martial arts fans, UFC legends Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Tito “The Huntington Beach Badboy.”

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New Episode Premieres On Spike TV

Wednesday, March 17 At 10:00 PM ET

New York, NY – The second episode of the three part series, UFC Primetime®, features more tough talk between UFC® champion Georges St-Pierre and challenger Dan Hardy as they prepare for their world welterweight title clash at UFC 111: ST-PIERRE vs. HARDY. The new episode premieres Wednesday, March 17 at 10:00 PM ET/PT on Spike TV.

Dan Hardy on Georges St-Pierre:

As far as saying I’m not a martial artist…Because he walks out in the Octagon in his pajamas he’s a martial artist and I’m not?

He knows nothing about me…I’ve been doing martial arts my whole life. I’ll brawl…but I think about what I’m doing. I’m a cerebral fighter.

Martial arts is about going to war… and it’s about messing people up. And that’s what I’m going to do.

Dan Hardy on his workout:

“My workout is the winning formula. You can’t put muscles here (pointing to his face). And that’s all I’m aiming for… He can jump higher than me. He can lift trucks. It makes no different to me. When I connect on his chin he can lift all he wants…he’s still going down.”

Georges St.-Pierre on his training:

“I train myself to fight an army of guys. By training myself to fight an army of guys, one man cannot break me. “

“March 27 I am going to beat Dan Hardy and stay world champion. The war is on now. The war has already started.”

Matt Serra on Dan Hardy:

“Not a lot of guys give Dan a chance. I know what that feels like. I know what it’s like to prove people wrong. There are a lot of people you are going to give a big F.U. to win when you win the fight.”

Nate Marquardt on the fight:

“There is going to be a point in this fight when Hardy realizes he shouldn’t be in there with Georges and he is way in over his head. That’s where the fight is going to turn. And it’s going to be all Georges.”

A clip of the show can be found here (click through for embed codes):

http://www.spike.com/video/ufc-primetime-gsp-vs/3359748

“UFC Primetime,” produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®), is a look into the lives of perhaps the world’s best pound for pound fighter, St-Pierre, and Hardy, the man looking to unseat him at the top of the welterweight ladder. As the two prepare for their meeting in late March, Spike TV will present three special weekly installments that will take viewers across the pond to Nottingham, England as Hardy trains with the rest of his Rough House team, and back to North America to Montreal to see how St-Pierre, one of the most beloved athletes in Canada, is preparing for his title defense. “UFC Primetime” delivers an extraordinary amount of access to two of mixed martial arts’ best, as they head into what could be the signature fight of 2010 at UFC 111.

Christopher Martello of Spike TV serves as executive in charge of production of UFC Primetime.

UFC 111 will air live on Pay-Per-View Saturday, March 27 from the Prudential Center, in Newark, NJ at 10:00 PM ET/ 7:00 PM PT.

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These 2 will duke it out at UFC 114 in Vegas in May. These are things to consider. What do you think?

STRIKING
Both fighters have shown some flashes of brilliance in their standup, but I will give a slight edge to Nogueira in this area because his last display of power and technique against the very dangerous striker in Luis Cane, showed that Nogueira has worked hard to refine his standup game. Cane was expected to be the better striker in that matchup, but not only was Nog able to hang with his Cane, but he got the better of the exchanges and put his opponent away with a vicious KO in under 2 minutes. Griffin has worked hard to go from a brawler with tons of heart, to a technical striker who still has that same fighting spirit in inside. His leg kicks have been well noted as very tough to endure and definitely take a toll on his opponents as the fight wears on. Rampage Jackson is a tremendously tough competitor, and a leg kick from Griffin proved to be the fight changing strike in their battle, and completely swung the momentum in Griffin’s favor which led him to winning the close decision.
I can really see this fight going back and forth in the striking. Perhaps with Nog having an edge with power strikes with his hands. It may problematic to invest too much stock in one fight, but Nog’s current form and momentum in the standup I feel gives him a slight edge.
EDGE: SLIGHT ONE TO NOGUEIRA

BJJ
Forrest Griffin has some excellent Jiu Jitsu geared towards MMA. It’s not an easy task to choke out a standout fighter such as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but Griffin was able to sink in the rear naked choke on Shogun to pull off the tremendous victory against the Brazilian. Griffin has a good ground game, but the edge will go to Nog in this area. Nogueira has a solid BJJ background and is a qualified blackbelt. He has a solid ground game, but I think Griffin will be savvy enough not to get caught in any crafty submissions coming form Nog.
EDGE: NOGUEIRA

WRESTLING
Both fighters can take things to the mat when need be, and will likely trade takedowns, but neither is a bona-fide top wrestler that ensures a guaranteed takedown when he shoots in. A fighter like GSP will likely be able to drag his opponent to the mat whenever he wishes, but there isn’t the same absolutely confidence you will get from both Nog and Griffin. Takedowns from the clinch are tools that both fighters are pretty good at using, as they are scrappy and will fight hard and long to get position and take their opponent to the mat. But one fighter doesn’t have a clear advantage over the other in this realm.
EDGE: EVEN

OUTCOME
Not an easy fight to call, both fighters could take this fight and there’s not a huge advantage going to either fighter. All that being said, if forced to pick a fighter I’d go with Nogueira, who has the skills to handle whatever Griffin will throw at him, and has shown considerable improvement in his striking technique and power. The momentum from his big KO over Luis Cane will propel to a decision win in this one.
Nog by decision, 29-28 on all 3 scorecards.

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is pleased to announce the 2010 event! This year’s event is sure to be even bigger and better than the inaugural Fan Expo that took place last July. With the largest collection of UFC, WEC, former Pride, and Hall of Fame fighters plus exciting Special Events, Training & Development Sessions, and The Octagon (TM), you won’t want to miss UFC Fan Expo 2010, happening in conjunction with the Memorial Day Weekend Fight Card!

Tickets are on sale now! This year’s event will take place May 28-29, 2010 back at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. Training & Development tickets as well as VIP packages will be available soon and any ticket(s) purchased now can always be upgraded later. Be sure to check back periodically for important news and updates or sign up to receive our official newsletter.

Don’t forget to take advantage of discounted hotel and travel accommodations when you book through the official UFC Fan Expo Travel Desk before April 23! Get started today.

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MMA has landed on the Amazon Kindle.

“MMA Trivia”, brought to you by The MMA Digest, provides Mixed Martial Arts enthusiasts with 1001 challenging, fun and informative questions on the sport of MMA.

The book gives mixed martial arts afficianados a chance to test their skills, challenge friends, and learn a bunch of interesting facts about the fastest growing sport.

Whether one is a fan of the UFC, Strikeforce, Dream, or all organizations across the MMA landscape, one will love this one of a kind quiz book.

With exciting multiple choice questions, interesting Q&As on fighters, true or false quizzes, and “Who Said This?” features, this book will keep readers entertained for hours.

For more information visit Amazon.com.