Kenny Florian Pissed With UFC 118 Loss, Hires Boston University Assistant Wrestling Coach Sean Gray

UFC lightweight fighter Kenny ‘Kenflo’ Florian admits he was extremely pissed with his UFC 118 loss to Gray Maynard, but feels very motivated to come back stronger than ever.  He recently hired Sean Gray, a Boston University Assistant Wrestling Coach, to sharpen up his all of his wrestling techniques.  Florian plans on making an Octagon return in about five months from now, expect to see a new and improved Kenflo.

From Kenny Florian:

“It looks like my training team wants me to fight in another five months. I’m more motivated than ever. I’m pissed, to be honest. I want to crush my training. That’s what I’m focused on right now. I just hired the assistant wrestling coach at Boston University (Sean Gray) to be my wrestling coach here in Boston and I have other plans for a lot of other things as far as training goes… Losses are blessings in disguise I’ve never been more motivated in my life. I kind of feel like this was one of the most frustrating losses that I’ve ever had and it was a fight I definitely learned a lot from. I’m very motivated and I had to come back to training quickly. I’ve already started training and did a hard conditioning session (Tuesday). I’m just motivated to work very hard and get right back into it… I need to make sure my game is capable of beating everybody in every aspect and it wasn’t. So, I’ve been doing wrestling every single day. I’ve been watching wrestling and researching wrestling every single day.”

Nate Marquardt Not Letting Rousimar Palhares Catch Him In Any Submission At UFC Fight Night 22 In Texas

Nate ‘The Great’ Marquardt recently talked about his upcoming UFC Fight Night 22 bout against submission specialist Rousimar ‘Toquinho’ Palhares.  Marquardt respects Palhares’ BJJ, but his intense training has allowed him to be confident with his submission defense.  If anything, Marquardt believes that Palhares should be doing some homework of his own which includes wrestling with heavy takedowns.  Marquardt is not looking past Palhares so he’ll be ready for just about anything come September 15th at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

From Nate Marquardt:

“That’s his style. He likes to work those submissions. But I’m ready to defend those submissions with everything I have. I’m not letting him catch me in anything. I heard he’s working very hard on his wrestling. I’m expecting him to be a great wrestler when it comes to his takedowns. If he shows up with anything less than that it’ll be an easy night. But if he shows up with good takedowns I’ll be able to display that I have good takedown defense. I’ll have him on the bottom if he pulls guard or whatever and be able to work my ground and pound from there. But who knows? He could be a completely different fighter when I fight him… Not looking past Palhares, but winning this fight I’m gonna want a top guy. My goal is to get a title shot. I think I’m gonna have to beat one of those guys [Belfort or Okami] or maybe a Wanderlei Silva to get that shot.”

MMA Heavyweight Fighter Todd Duffee Released From The UFC

Former UFC heavyweight fighter Todd Duffee was apparently released from the UFC after losing to Mike Russow at UFC 114.  Duffee currently holds an overall MMA record of 6-1 with a UFC record of 1-1.  In his UFC debut, Duffee defeated Tim Hague at UFC 102 by way of TKO in just seven seconds, gaining the new UFC record for fastest KO.  At UFC 114, Mike Russow defeated Duffee by way of KO in the third round.

From Duffee’s trainer Alex Davis:

“Well, I’m not sure exactly what the problem or problems were. I tryed [sic] hard to avoid, but Dana wasn’t listening. It unfortunate, but Todd’s an asset and he will keep fighting. He’s a young kid that gets a lot attention.”

Palhares Tries To Be Fast With His Submissions, Hopes MMA Refs Are Quicker To Stop Fights As Well

Rousimar Palhares is still remembered for holding on to his last heel hook submission against Tomasz Drwal at UFC 111.  Palhares explains how he normally keeps his submissions locked in until the referee comes in to stop, so it’s not something he does purposely.  Instead, he believes that referees sometimes take too long to stop fights.  That’s not going to stop Palhares from attempting another one of his submission holds as he prepares to face Nate Marquardt as part of the UFC Fight Night 22 main event on September 15th, 2010.

From Rousimar Palhares:

“Murilo always told me to wait until the referee stops the fight. He had problems with [fake taps] in the past and Anderson almost had the same problem in his last fight. Its not that I want to hurt anyone but I am trying to be fast with my submissions so the referee needs to be fast as well, to stop the fight. My opinion is that the referee in my last fight was too far away and took too long to stop the fight. If he had been closer then he could have stopped it right away and then we would not even be having this conversation at all!”

Condit On Fighting Hardy At UFC 120: “He’s Definitely One of The Top Guys I’ve Faced For Sure”

The former WEC welterweight champion Carlos ‘Natural Born Killer’ Condit is currently preparing for Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy in one of the biggest tests in his MMA career.  Condit tells us that he has nothing against Hardy, the main reason why he asked for this fight was because of his “status in the division” especially since he was a former no. 1 title contender who fought Georges St Pierre.  A win for Condit will easily put him in the mix with the other top 170-pounders.

From Carlos Condit:

“I haven’t got anything against him, he’s a great fighter and he seems like a cool guy. But I wanted to fight him because he breaks down real nice for my game, and he’s got status in the division. He was the No. 1 contender so it’s a big fight for me. We’ll see if I’m foolish on October 16. He’s definitely the most dangerous opponent I’ve fought so far, and he’s the toughest too. He’s definitely one of the top guys I’ve faced for sure.”

Belfort Training Hard For UFC 122 Fight Against Okami: “I Know When I’m In My Best Condition, I’m Trouble”

The Carlos Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort is scheduled to take on middleweight Yushin ‘Thunder’ Okami as part of the November 13th UFC 122 main event.  Belfort admits he is not worried at all about Okami, he’s more concerned about himself and his training.  A well-conditioned Belfort means trouble for all 185-pound contenders.

From Vitor Belfort:

“I’ve learned one thing in life. Everybody has a course. Everybody has a path. I know where I want to go, and I know I’m going to get there … I’m not worried at all about him. I’m not worried about anyone besides myself. I’m worried about me and working on myself every day to get in the best condition, because I know when I’m in my best condition, I’m trouble.”

Machida Ready For Rampage At UFC 123: “I’m Prepared For Anything, Whether It’s Standing or On The Ground”

The former light heavyweight champion Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida will be looking to bounce back from a TKO loss to Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua as he collides with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson on November 20th at UFC 123.  Machida recognizes Rampage’s strength when it comes to boxing and wrestling, but is confident that he has the edge coming into this bout.

UFC 123 will take place at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan.  Other main card bouts include the return of Karo ‘The Heat’ Parisyan who will face Dennis Hallman.

From Lyoto Machida:

“[Rampage] couldn’t be a better opponent and the date is great, too; it gives me time to prepare … I’m happy to be back and to prove I’m in the mix with the best of them. I’m working hard, I’m correcting a lot of things and putting a lot of effort in. I’m doing all aspects of fighting, the takedowns, ground fighting and striking … A fight between two former champions couldn’t be more fitting, two fighters who want their place in the sun. He’s a strong guy who has good boxing and wrestling. I feel he’s a bit limited standing, but he’s really strong and, although he may defend well on the ground, he’s not that good there, either … I’m going to exploit Rampage where he isn’t totally dominant. But I’m prepared for anything, whether it’s standing or on the ground.”

Karo Parisyan Makes Octagon Return Against Dennis Hallman At UFC 123, Explains Painkiller Incident

The Armenian welterweight fighter Karo ‘The Heat” Parisyan tested positive for banned painkillers hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and oxymorphone after his controversial split decision victory over Kim Dong-hyun at UFC 94.  The Judo expert was later suspended by the NSAC for nine months and his win was changed to a “no contest”.  The UFC then scheduled Parisyan for a fight against Dustin Hazelett at UFC 106, but he pulled out one day before the weigh-ins.  He was immediately released by the UFC for his “laundry list of excuses” as explained by President Dana White.

Parisyan and White seem to have made up for his past actions as he officially returns to the UFC to face Dennis Hallman at UFC 123.

From Karo Parisyan:

“Somehow I knew I’d get back in, at least I hoped I would. What Dana said was in the heat of the moment. He felt we were friends and that I’d backstabbed him. Thank God he changed his mind. He told me to get a fight under my belt. He told me to get my life back on track and that’s what I did. My issues had to do with my anxiety problems and panic attacks. Painkillers were thrown out there, but that wasn’t it. People made these accusations because I’d been popped for medication (months before). I’d taken two pain pills the morning of my fight for a torn hamstring and didn’t think much of it. Every fighter I know takes pain medication like it’s M&Ms. I was the unlucky one who only took it the day of the fight without even thinking about it. I think the UFC knows I still have something I can accomplish in the cage. They know that I can become a contender again and I will.”

Frank Mir On Fighting Mirko Cro Cop At UFC 119: “Once That Cage Door Shuts Every Advantage Is Mine”

Frank Mir believes Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic is still a huge threat in the heavyweight division and will not be looking past him on September 25th at UFC 119.  Despite Cro Cop’s speed and quickness on his feet, Mir still feels he has more MMA tools to defeat the former Pride 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix champion.

From Frank Mir:

“I think Crocop is still the same individual we saw in PRIDE. I think a lot of guys have seen enough tape on him to know that if you walk away from him or stand there in front of him you could be in for a dangerous night because he still has the same leg he always had. He has a lot of speed and quickness … Mirko is very good on his feet; I’m not bad on my feet, either. Add in the wrestling that I have been working on, the jiu-jitsu aspect, he has many more things to worry about. Once that cage door shuts every advantage is mine…. I don’t see anywhere I don’t feel comfortable with Cro Cop – I can beat him in more ways than he can beat me.”

Sonnen Looking Forward To A Rematch Against Silva, Plans On Leaving With Middleweight Belt This Time

Chael Sonnen speaks briefly about his upcoming rematch bout against current UFC middleweight champ Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva.  Sonnen and Silva first collided at UFC 117, where Silva pulled out a miraculous triangle choke submission with just two minutes remaining in the fight.  Although Sonnen was winning all five rounds in most people’s eyes, Silva was still able to defend his 185-pound belt for the eighth time in his UFC career.

Sonnen is now officially scheduled to take on Silva in an immediate rematch that looks to be targeted for sometime in December of 2010 or early 2011.  He believes he is still the no. 1 fighter in his weight class and plans to finish Silva in their bout.

From Chael Sonnen

“There’s absolutely going to be a sequel. Part two is tentatively scheduled for New Year’s weekend, it may take place Super Bowl weekend. Either way, it will be in Vegas. Last time I defeated the myth, this time I’m gonna defeat the man…. The only thing [that's going to be] different is that I’m leaving there with the belt. That’s it. We were one minute away from pulling it off. Look, if I had beat him, I would have had to come back and beat him again anyways. So nothing in my career has changed. I was the best fighter before the fight, I’m the best fighter after it…. We’re not here to get along. I’m not here to be number two. It’s number one or let’s move on, and I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

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