MMA News and UFC Betting Odds

Props: Tatame.com

Quoteworthy:

“He doesn’t fall for fighting and, if he does, I’ll thank God. I believe he’ll run away the entire fight and I’m prepared for this. My head is good and he won’t let me nervous. If he runs, I’ll run after him.”

Thiago Silva continues to call out Lyoto Machida regarding his fight style, which is often referred to as “elusive.” It’s more than likely some pre-fight psychological warfare to bait the fellow unbeaten light heavyweight into a slugfest at UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January 31. Machida more than likely feels the pressure to turn in a solid performance, but it’s unlikely that such an intelligent fighter would stray too far away from his gameplan. Then again … those apparently go out the window once a fighter gets punched in the face, right?

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MMA News, UFC 94, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), lyoto machida, ryoto machida, thiago silva

UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ is — believe it or not — just around the corner. The promotion today made the announcement that the colossal fight card is official for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 31.

And that means, of course, that it is time to remind our loyal readers that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE updates of all the pay-per-view (PPV) action on fight night, beginning with quick results of all the prelim action and blow-by-blow, round-by-round results of the main card bouts.

The title of the event speaks for itself — headlining bout will be a rematch between two of the most talented fighters in the history of this sport. Llightweight champion B.J. Penn will step back up to the welterweight division to take a shot at 170-pound champion George St. Pierre in hopes of carrying both titles at one time.

Company President Dana White recently said that it would be the biggest fight in the history of the promotion. He is more than likely right on the money … literally.

Also on tap for UFC 94 is a light heavyweight match up of undefeated Brazilian contenders Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva. The winner will likely get a crack at 205-pound title holder Rashad Evans (or Quinton “Rampage” Jackson” somewhere down the road in 2009.

Something else that’s interesting about this card and speaks volumes of just how stacked it is: Former welterweight number one contender Jon Fitch has been relegated to the under card in his bout with Akihiro Gono.

Here is the complete UFC 94 fight card:

Main event:

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre vs. UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn in a 170-pound title bout

Main card (Televised):

205 lbs.: Lyoto Machida (13-0) vs. Thiago Silva (13-0)
205 lbs.: Stephan Bonnar (11-4) vs. Jon Jones (6-0)
155 lbs.: Nate Diaz (10-2) vs. Clay Guida (24-9)
170 lbs.: Karo Parisyan (18-5) vs. Dong Hyun “Stun Gun” Kim (11-0-1)

Under card (May not be broadcast):

170 lbs.: Jon Fitch (17-3) vs. Akihiro Gono (29-13-7)
155 lbs.: Manny Gamburyan (8-3) vs. Thiago Tavares (13-3)
155 lbs.: Chris Wilson (14-4) vs. John Howard (10-4)
265 lbs.: Jake O’Brien (10-2) vs. Christian Wellisch (8-4)
170 lbs.: Matt “No Regard” Arroyo (3-2) vs. Daniel Cramer (0-0)

Many of our readers check-in before, during and after the broadcast to share their thoughts on the action. In the meantime, feel free to leave your fight predictions and other show-related thoughts in the comments sections below.

For all the latest UFC 94 information you can handle be sure to hit up our event archive right here.

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Props: Sherdog.com

Quoteworthy:

“The opponents who have faced him attacked and stopped; I’ll have a different gameplan. I want to see how he deals with someone who’s in very good shape and attacks him for five minutes over three rounds. I’m not underestimating him. He’s a great fighter, but I’d bet on me. I’m not here to joke around. I have my goals, and I’m ready to beat Lyoto…. It will be a knockout in the first round … there aren’t any of his fights I really like. Lyoto’s a fighter who runs more than he fights. He’s not a fighter who will knock me out easily. He scores points, and I’ll make it hard for him to score. I already faced the toughest fighters. I believe it will be more of a psychological fight than a physical fight for me.”

Thiago Silva — who is certainly not short on confidence — is already beating his war drum several weeks out from his clash with fellow unbeaten light heavyweight Lyoto Machida at UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January 31. Perhaps it’s part of his pre-fight plan to rattle the cage of the “ghostly” Brazilian and get him to engage more often on fight night. Will Machida take the bait or will it be more of the same?

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“Everyone has their own opinion and I really respect that. I am a martial artist, there is a lot of thought and strategy that goes into the way I fight. Give me time and in the future every one will understand my style. It is like jiu-jitsu in the beginning (UFC 1, 2, 3…), it was boring but now it is necessary. If you don’t like it, sorry. I always try to win. For some that is boring, I know, but I am beating the best in the world. After my fights I do not have nothing on my face, no scratches, no bruises. I am like a ghost they can not find me. If that is boring, that is their opinion. But I will be there for long time WINNING. Let everyone underestimate me. I will always be training ready for the next.”

– Undefeated light heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida addresses his critics who feel his style is boring in a recent interview with BloodyElbow.com. He has five straight wins inside the Octagon — four of which have gone to decision. He takes on Thiago Silva at UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 31. The winner of that bout will likely earn early title challenger consideration in 2009 along with either Quinton “Rampage” Jackson or Wanderlei Silva. What say you … is the “Dragon” boring or just too good that most casual fans can’t appreciate his elusive style?

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Props: Tatame.com

Quoteworthy:

“I bet on me [to defeat Lyoto Machida], of course (laughs). I’m well trained and I’m ready. If the fight was in one week I’d already be ready. It’s an important fight for me, I’m in the moving on and I’m going [to UFC 94] to kill or die.”

Undefeated Chute Boxe-trained mixed martial artist Thiago Silva talks about the importance of his upcoming fight against fellow Brazilian Lyoto Machida at UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 31. It was a highly anticipated 205-pound bout that was originally scheduled for UFC 89: “Bisping vs. Leben” on October 18; however, Silva had to withdraw from the contest because of a back injury sustained during training. He’s apparently all healed ready to rock as soon as next week … to bad we will have to wait until Super Bowl weekend.

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MMA News, UFC 94, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), lyoto machida, ryoto machida, thiago silva

“I think the fight will be the synthesis of the modern MMA, will have everything: takedowns, striking and I think we’ll do everything that exists in MMA, and the fight might be a stand up one. I consider you a tough guy, but I think my technique is superior.”

– Lyoto Machida talks to Thiago Silva via Tatame.com about their monster light heavyweight clash set for UFC 94 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 31. It’s a battle of unbeaten Brazilians that was originally scheduled for UFC 89: “Bisping vs. Leben” on October 18; however, Silva had to withdraw from the contest because of a back injury sustained during training. The winner of the 205-pound bout will likely earn the next title shot or at the very least be near the top along with the winner of the UFC 92 bout between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Wanderlei Silva.

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The monster light heavyweight clash between unbeatens Thiago Silva and Lyoto Machida appears to now be set for UFC 93 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 31, according to Tatame.com.

It was a 205-pound bout that was originally scheduled for UFC 89: “Bisping vs. Leben” on October 18; however, Silva had to withdraw from the contest because of a back injury sustained during training. The cancellation was a bummer because it was a highly anticipated match up between two of the top contenders in the division.

And there was some concern that the injury would scrap the bout altogether, but it appears that it will go down once and for all on Super Bowl weekend.

Machida has won five straight inside the Octagon, including big time bouts against Tito Ortiz, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Kazuhiro Nakamura among others. He’s perhaps one of the most difficult fighters to figure out — “The Dragon” has a technical fight style that appears to frustrate his opponents, as well as a few fans who claim he is “boring.”

Regardless, he’s been knocking on the door of a title shot for some time now. And a win over a bad dude like Silva would certainly improve his chances.

Silva brings the fierce Chute Boxe aggression into his fights (even though he is now no longer with the camp), stopping all but one of his opponents throughout his exciting mixed martial arts career. He has an explosive mix of punches and kicks, which can often leave him open to counter strikes.

However, Silva has proven that he can take punishment and dish out more … just ask Tomasz Drwal, Houston Alexander and Antonio Mendes.

UFC 93 already features the blockbuster showdown between champions Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn. Stay tuned for more UFC 93 rumors and fight card updates.

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MMA News, UFC 93, UFC Light Heavyweight Division, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), lyoto machida, ryoto machida, thiago silva

“I’m waiting for any situation, or face him, if he gets better, or having another opponent. I would like to face Rashad Evans, and the winner gets a title shot, but now it seems like they will put him against Forrest Griffin … I’d like to face him and the winner gets Griffin, it’s a good way. I don’t know how it’s gonna be, I’m ready to fight, but don’t wanna fight anyone, because I’m building my way in UFC and I wanna fight the top fighters so that they could give me a title shot after…. I never chose opponents, I leave it to UFC and my managers, what they want for me is good. If they think fight Shogun is better I’ll do it, I’m prepared to for everything.”

– Top light heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida — who is likely one win away from a 205-pound title shot — tells Tatame.com that his ideal scenario with be a number one title contender eliminator match against Rashad Evans. However, it appears that Evans is already in line to fight reigning champion Forrest Griffin as soon as UFC 92 in December. Machida was supposed to take on Thiago Silva last month before an injury derailed the monster showdown. Machida reveals that Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is also in the picture, which is another fantastic option. Either way, there’s likely a great fight on the horizon next for Machida, just not a title shot.

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MMA News, Rashad Evans, UFC Light Heavyweight Division, UFC Quick Quotes, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), lyoto machida, ryoto machida

Lyoto Machida has been informed that he will not compete at UFC 89: “Bisping vs. Leben” at The National Indoor Arena (NIA) in Birmingham, England, on October 18 because of the recent back injury to his opponent, Thiago Silva, which forced him off the card.

It was a very important 205-pound bout between two undefeated fighters that had serious number one title contender implications. Indeed, it would have gone a long way toward helping define the next challenger to the light heavyweight crown after Rashad Evans likely gets his crack at championship glory.

Unfortunately, it appears that Machida could soon still fight, but it might not be against Silva.

Here’s a snip from a recent Tatame.com interview:

“There’s no way to find and opponent now, and I’ll have to wait another event to fight. I don’t know who’ll I face, UFC didn’t say anything yet, only that I won’t fight at UFC 89. It’s sad because I was focused, training hard and prepared, but this kind of things happens. I changed my training now, I’m doing more Karate and working out, doing less MMA stuff…. It’s a little complicated because everybody in the division has their fights, so I’ll have to wait a little to see who will I fight with.”

Machida has won five straight inside the Octagon, including big time bouts against Tito Ortiz, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Kazuhiro Nakamura among others. He’s perhaps one of the most difficult fighters to figure out — “The Dragon” has a technical fight style that appears to frustrate his opponents, as well as a few fans who claim he is “boring.”

Regardless, he’s been knocking on the door of a title shot for some time now. And a win over a bad dude like Silva would have certainly cemented his opportunity.

Hopefully, the injury to Silva does not work against Machida, meaning he can still earn a title shot with one more win … against whoever that may be.

The heavyweight bout between Shane Carwin and Neil Wain has replaced the match up between Machida and Silva on the televised portion of the event that will air on Spike TV via tape delay here in the United States.

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When it rains it pours.

The injury bug has apparently bitten undefeated light heavyweight Thiago Silva, forcing him to withdraw from a highly anticipated showdown with Lyoto Machida at UFC 89: “Bisping vs. Leben” at The National Indoor Arena (NIA) in Birmingham, England, on October 18.

MMAWeekly.com reports that the Brazilian “has been dealing with a back problem” that will make it impossible for him to be prepared in time for the very important 205-pound bout.

This is tragic.

That’s because the sensational match up was widely considered as a number one contender eliminator match behind the showdown between Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans this weekend. It was a fight that the fans and the fighters were looking forward to because it would help clear up a very muddied light heavyweight contender picture.

There’s no word yet on whether or not Machida will remain on the card against a yet to be announced opponent or if he will wait until Silva is ready for action.

Stay tuned for more details on this developing story.

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