November Can't Get Here Quick Enough

Ariel Helwani gets an interview with Dana White where he previews UFC 118 and announces [at the 9:20 mark] that Octagon Girl, Arianny Celeste will grace the cover of Playboy Magazine this November.

I'll be in my bunk.

UFC 118: This Saturday

UFC 118 is this Saturday night on Pay-Per-View as the UFC makes it's first trip to Boston. In the main event UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar takes on the former champ in a rematch from April's split decision victory for Edgar. Edgar is looking to prove that his victory was not a fluke, and Penn is out to regain his title and reestablish himself as the best lightweight in the world. In the Co-Main Event former boxing pound-for-pound great James "Lights Out" Toney takes on UFC legend Randy Couture. This bout is being promoted as Boxing VS MMA. Also on the card Kenny Florian takes on Gray Maynard to establish the new #1 contender in the lightweight division. UFC 118 is this Saturday night with the prelims airing at 9pm on Spike and the main card airing live on PPV at 10pm.


UFC 118: Boston
Saturday, August 28th on PPV
B.J. Penn (15-6-1) vs. (UFC Lightweight Champion) Frankie Edgar (12-1)

Randy Couture (18-10) vs. James Toney (0-0)

Kenny Florian (13-4) vs. Gray Maynard (9-0)

Marcus Davis (16-7) vs. Nate Diaz (12-5)

TUF 12 Cast Announced

TUF 12 Fighters Revealed

UltimateFighter.com

See More:  TUF 12 • Georges St Pierre • Josh Koscheck

Spike has revealed the full cast of 28 lightweights who will be appearing on The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck, which premieres September 15th at 10 p.m., following UFC Fight Night 22. Of course, 14 of these guys will be eliminated in the first episode, so watch this trailer and get to know them while you still can. Some of the competitors jumped out at us, for various reasons...

The guys we've actually heard of: Nam Phan is a nine-year veteran of the sport who has competed for Strikeforce and Sengoku. Mike Budnik has already had a stint as a 155'er in the WEC, but was released after three straight losses to Shane Roller, John Franchi, and Rafael Dias.

The guy with the horrible nickname: Paul "The Wheel" Barrow. Christ. That's even worse than Nick "The Promise" Ring.

Impressive stat alert: Cody McKenzie has finished his last nine opponents via first-round guillotine choke. That does indeed make him the #2 guillotine-choker in the world, among active fighters; only Travis Fulton (12) owns more.

The inevitable "crazy hair" guys: Jason Brenton (green hair), Alex Caceres (Yagerfro), Jeff Lentz (red hair), Marc Stevens (mohawk), Dane Sayers (red mohawk).

Full cast list is after the jump...

JASON AMBROSE:
Fighting out of: Santa Clara, CA/ AKA
Record: 12-2
Age: 23

PAUL BARROW:
Fighting out of: Tampa, FL/ Gracie Tampa
Record: 2-0
Age: 24

JASON BRENTON:
Fighting out of: Grand Junction, CO/ 8th St., Impact Boxing
Record: 6-0
Age: 23

JONATHAN BROOKINS:
Fighting out of: Orlando, FL/ Gracie Barra Orlando
Record: 11-2
Age: 24

MIKE BUDNIK:
Fighting out of: Broken Arrow, OK/ Triton
Record: 8-4
Age: 35

ALEX CACERES:
Fighting out of: Miami, FL/ Young Tigers Foundation
Record: 4-2
Age: 21

SAKO CHIVITCHIAN:
Fighting out of: Glendale, CA/ Gokor/ Gene Le Bell/ Hayastan MMA
Record: 5-0
Age: 26

JOSEPH DUFFY
Fighting out of: Donegal, Ireland / Falcons Martial Arts
Record: 7-0
Age: 22

PABLO GARZA:
Fighting out of: Fargo, ND/ Academy of Combat Arts
Record: 7-0
Age: 26

TOBY GREAR:
Fighting out of: Los Angeles, CA/ True Warrior
Record: 7-4-1
Age: 30

DANIEL HEAD:
Fighting out of: Sharpsville, IN/ Ibjja
Record: 6-2
Age: 23

MICHAEL JOHNSON:
Fighting out of: Springfield, MO/ Springfield Fight Club
Record: 8-4
Age: 23

AMIR KHILLAH:
Fighting out of: Kalamazoo, MI/ Jeremy Horn’s Elite
Record: 6-4
Age: 30

JEFF LENTZ:
Fighting out of: Lanoka Harbor, NJ/ Kurt Pellegrino MMA
Record: 6-1
Age: 21

SEVAK MAGAKIAN:
Fighting out of: Glendale, CA/ Hayastan MMA/ Main Event
Record: 8-3
Age: 24

STEVE MAGDALENO:
Fighting out of: Torrance, CA/ VMAT
Record: 5-1
Age: 28

ANDY MAIN:
Fighting out of: Boonton, NJ/ AMA Fight Club
Record: 4-1
Age: 21

CODY MCKENZIE:
Fighting out of: Metaline, WA/ Fancy Pants Fight Team
Record: 10-0
Age: 22

TJ O’BRIEN:
Fighting out of: Prole, IA/ Round Kick
Record: 13-3
Age: 23

SPENCER PAIGE:
Fighting out of: Watertown, NY/ CNY MMA
Record: 5-2
Age: 24

NAM PHAN:
Fighting out of: Garden Grove, CA/ Ma Du Academy
Record: 15-7
Age: 27

MICHAEL RICHMAN:
Fighting out of: Rosemount, MN/ MN Fight Factory
Record: 8-0
Age: 24

DANE SAYERS:
Fighting out of: Fargo, ND/ Academy of Combat Arts
Record: 7-1
Age: 22

ARIEL SEXTON:
Fighting out of: San Jose, CA/ Renzo Gracie
Record: 6-3
Age: 28

MARC STEVENS:
Fighting out of: Lorraine, NY/ Team Balance/ Relson Gracie
Record: 12-5
Age: 24

KYLE WATSON:
Fighting out of: St. Louis, MO/ The Hit Squad
Record: 13-6-1
Age: 30

RAN WEATHERS:
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, NM/ Greg Jackson’s MMA
Record: 13-5
Age: 28

AARON WILKINSON:
Fighting out of: Manchester, England/ Wolfslair MMA Academy
Record: 6-3
Age: 23

What Your MMA Nickname Really Says About You

by BG at CapePotato

Nicknames are like tattoos — badass when you first pick them out, generally embarrassing ten years later. And yet for some reason, they're often the only things that MMA fighters keep forever, even as they change camps, change fighting styles, and change their hair. And while every fighter sends a message with their choice of nickname, it may not always be the message that they're trying to send. For example, let's say your nickname is...

A RHYME

Notable examples: Mike "Quick" Swick, "Bad" Brad Blackburn, Shannon "The Cannon" Ritch, Marvin "Beastman" Eastman
What you think it says: You're straightforward and to-the-point. You want your nickname to stick in people's heads.
What it really says: You spent no more than five seconds coming up with that weak bullshit.

A REFERENCE TO YOUR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

Notable examples: Kamal "Prince of Persia" Shalorus, Efrain "Hecho en Mexico" Escudero, Sako "The Armenian Psycho" Chivitchian, "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung
What you think it says: You're proud of your heritage and want to represent the fighting spirit of your people.
What it really says: You will be met with boos and "U.S.A.!" chants every time you fight, even though you've lived in Glendale your entire life.

A REFERENCE TO YOUR CITY OF ORIGIN, INCORPORATING THE WORD "BAD"

Notable examples: Phil "The New York Bad Ass" Baroni, Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz
What you think it says: You came up the hard way. You were the toughest dude in your neighborhood, and now you're the toughest dude in any neighborhood.
What it really says: There's a good chance you're a complete asshole.

A WEAPON

Notable examples: Ed "9mm" Ratcliff, Paul "Semtex" Daley, Matt "12 Gauge" Thorpe
What you think it says: You're a dangerous son-of-a-bitch who's not to be messed with. Your goal is to inflict maximum damage.
What it really says: Sometimes you fantasize about walking into a McDonald's with an assault rifle and thinning out the herd, so to speak. You think Charles Whitman had some good ideas.

A COMIC BOOK CHARACTER

Notable examples: Dennis "Superman" Hallman, Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino, Jesse "The Spiderman" Taitano, Jason "The Punisher" Lambert
What you think it says: You're an ass-kicker, but you use your powers for good. You're a defender of the weak, and a destroyer of bullies.
What it really says: You wore underoos until you graduated high school. You have the body of a man, and the mind of a child.

INSANITY

Notable examples: Junie "The Lunatik" Browning, Justin "The NSane 1" McCully, Amber "The Crazy Bitch" Powell
What you think it says: You're unpredictable. People watch you to see what kind of wild shit you'll do next.
What it really says: You're not literally insane. You may have a bit of a drinking problem, sure, but your crazy persona is just an act you use to get attention, which is something you've been doing ever since dad left. If he hugged you one time when you were growing up — just once — you'd probably be a doctor or a teacher right now.

A PLAY ON WORDS

Notable examples: Nate "Rock" Quarry, Nick "The Promise" Ring, Paul "The Wheel" Barrow, Eliot "The Fire" Marshall, Rick "The Horror" Story
What you think it says: You're not some neaderthal bar brawler. You're as clever as anyone in this arena.
What it really says: Let's just say they're not laughing with you...

A REFERENCE TO YOUR SUBMISSION SPECIALTY

Notable examples: Giva "The Arm Collector" Santana, Joe "The Triangular Strangler" Pearson, Paul "Sassangle" Sass
What you think it says: Nobody can handle my special move.
What it really says: You know how to do one thing really well. As long as you keep competing against guys with poor submission defense who don't do any research on their opponents, it's all good.

AN ANIMAL

Notable examples: Thiago "Pitbull" Alves, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Seth "The Silverback" Petruzelli, Doug "The Rhino" Marshall
What you think it says: I'm an alpha; I won't be dominated, and I can't be tamed. When I'm in the cage it's survival of the fittest, homey. Kill or be killed. Grrrrr!
What it really says: Like many animals, you can't stay monogamous, and you give terrible interviews.

A JAPANESE WARRIOR

Notable examples: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Genki "Neo-Samurai" Sudo, Carlos "The Ronin" Newton, Daniel "Ninja" Roberts
What you think it says: You have deep respect for the traditions and history of martial arts. For you, fighting is beyond physical — it's spiritual.
What it really says: You have deep respect for teriyaki chicken and schoolgirls.

CHAOS AND DISORDER

Notable examples: Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Charles "Kid Kaos" Bennett
What you think it says: You're an off-the-chain motherfucker.
What it really says: You're an off-the-chain motherfucker, for real.

COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS

Notable examples: Logan "The Pink Pounder" Clark, Pat "Awesomely Awesome" Audinwood, Jorge "The Naked Man" Ortiz
What you think it says: You're here to party.
What it really says: Fighting is the only thing you've been able to do for more than three months without getting fired.

COMPLETELY EPIC

Notable examples: Mitsuhiro "Endless Fighter" Ishida, John "Buckets of Blood" Polakowski, Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko, Srdjan "Crazy Serbian Dancer" Sekulic
What you think it says: It's just a nickname. It came to you in a dream one night. No biggie.
What it really says: You are too awesome for this world.


NO NICKNAME

Notable examples: Jake Shields, Jon Fitch
What you think it says: Nicknames are silly, and you don't need one to be marketable.
What it really says: Good Lord are you boring.

UFC 117: This Saturday

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns on Saturday, August 7th, and fight fans will be treated to a world championship showdown between middleweight title holder and pound for pound king Anderson "The Spider" Silva, and number one challenger Chael Sonnen. Silva has dominated the 185-pound division since 2006, but in Sonnen, he may be meeting the one man with the style and determination to unseat him from the throne.

Also in action, welterweight contenders Jon Fitch and Thiago "Pitbull" Alves square off in their long-awaited rematch, and welterweight legend Matt Hughes takes on jiu-jitsu wizard Ricardo "Big Dog" Almeida and TUF 10 winner Roy "Big Country" Nelson takes on Junior Dos Santos in a Heavyweight number one contenders match. . UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen – Saturday, August 7th, live on Pay-Per-View from the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA.

Anderson Silva (26-4) vs. Chael Sonnen (24-10-1)

Jon Fitch (22-3) vs. Thiago Alves (16-6)

Clay Guida (26-11) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (14-4)

Ricardo Almeida (12-3) vs Matt Hughes (44-7)

Junior dos Santos (11-1) vs. Roy Nelson (15-4)


Preliminary bouts:
Dustin Hazelett (14-5) vs. Rick Story (10-3)

Phil Davis (6-0) vs. Rodney Wallace (9-2)

Tim Boetsch (11-3) vs. Todd Brown (11-1)

Johny Hendricks (8-0) vs. Charlie Brenneman (12-1)

Stefan Struve (19-4) vs. Christian Morecraft (6-0)

Ben Saunders (8-2-2) vs. Dennis Hallman (41-13-2)