If you've been following the Cro Cop saga you would be well aware of the following comments:

“Isn’t that a dirty (expletive) thing to do?” He (expletive) me. The first time in the history of the company I do one over the phone. He promised me a three-fight deal and he (expletive) me.” - Dana White

"I hope he goes on a three fight losing streak and gets the hell out of MMA" -Ariel Helwani on ESPN Radio.

Well now according to Dana White the whole thing was just a misunderstanding.

“By the time I landed from Europe, Cro-Cop called me 600 times. He said, ‘I didn’t sign with anybody,” White said.

White recanted more of the conversation between himself and Cro Cop.

“You’re calling me this and that. I said, ‘I didn’t call you anything. I said that if you did sign then that’s what I would have called you,” White said.

Now that the two have made peace and Cro Cop signed for three more fights with the UFC, White placed the blame for the miscommunication completely on the location of Cro Cop’s last employer.

“Some sneaky bad (expletive) goes on all the time in Japan. The day of Cro Cop’s fight for me they released the info in Japan. They did it the day of the fight,” White said.

You've come a long way in past two years. What have you changed?

I changed my diet, I changed my coach and when I really think about it – I changed everything. From my girlfriend to my training and diet. Before I ate a lot of vegetables that are healthy but contained little energy. Now I mainly eat a horse meat, rice and protein shakes. I got rid of my old coach who was in charge of my fight strategies. It simply wasn't working. I just started to think about what I had to do to become a better fighter.

Via Big Odds Mike

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Anderson Silva (23-4) vs. Thales Leites(14-1)

Opening Line: Anderson Silva -300 vs. Thales Leites +240
Current Line: Anderson Silva -500 (Bodog) vs. Thales Leites +500 (Sportsbook)
Trend: Silva

Betting History
Anderson Silva -500 vs. Patrick Cote +525 - W - TKO - R.3
Anderson Silva -450 vs. James Irvin +475 - W - KO - R.1
Anderson Silva -135 vs. Dan Henderson +140 - W - SUB - R.2
Anderson Silva -200 vs Rich Franklin +190 - W - TKO - R.2
Anderson Silva -145 vs. Nate Marquardt +140 - W - TKO - R.1

Betting History
Thales Leites -400 vs. Drew Mcfedries +300 - W - SUB - 1:18 R.1
Thales Leites +200 vs. Nate Marquardt -206 - W - DEC - 5:00 R.3
Thales Leites -280 vs. Ryan Jensen +250 - W - SUB - 3:47 R.1
Thales Leites -280 vs. Floyd Sword +400 - W - SUB - 3:50 R.1
Thales Leites -280 vs. Pete Sell* +220 - W - DEC - 5:00 R.3

***

Chuck Liddell (21-6) vs. Mauricio Rua (17-3)

Opening Line: Chuck Liddell -240 vs. Mauricio Rua +150
Current Line: Chuck Liddell -175 (5Dimes) vs. Mauricio Rua +170* (Sportsbook)
Trend: Shogun

*Update: Shogun Rua line has come in significantly over the past 24 hours. His current line at Sportsbook now stands at +130.

Betting History
Chuck Liddell-220 vs. Rashad Evans+180 - L - KO - R.2
Chuck Liddell +135 vs. Wanderlei Silva-130 - W - DEC - R.3
Chuck Liddell -340 vs.Keith Jardine +300 - L - DEC - R.3
Chuck Liddell -260 vs. Quinton Jackson +200 - L - KO - R.1
Chuck Liddell -230 vs. Tito Ortiz +160 - W - TKO - R.3

Betting History
Mauricio Rua -365 vs. Mark Coleman +366 - W - DEC - R3
Mauricio Rua -300 vs Forrest Griffin +230 - L - SUB - R3
Mauricio Rua -445 vs. Alistair Overeem +365 -W - K0 - R1
Mauricio Rua -525 vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura +425 - W - DEC - R3
Mauricio Rua -300 vs. Kevin Randleman +200 - W - SUB - R1
***

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Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Luke Thomas.

German network DSF has inked a three year television deal with the UFC. The deal will make the network the exclusive of home of the UFC in Germany. DSF will air all regular UFC shows as well as broadcasting some live UFC events. Some cards like the upcoming UFC 96 will air a week after the event.

Press Release: Over the next three years, from 2009 to 2011, DSF will televise the world’s most successful Mixed Martial Arts organization, the “Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Beginning on Saturday, 7th of March, DSF will air a weekly highlight magazine, UFC Unleashed, from 11pm to midnight in addiction to regular UFC events.

DSF will also broadcast 20 live and tape delayed UFC events. The first of which will air on the 14th of March from 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 featuring Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine in Columbus (Ohio). In addition DSF holds the rights to several other UFC shows including UFC Countdown, UFC Wired and UFC All Access.

In total DSF plans to air 170 hours of UFC programming over the 3 year years. The commentary team will consist of Tobias Drews and Oliver Copp, two of Germany’s most respected boxing and martial arts experts.

(Translation by Robert K.)

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Luke Thomas.

Lines for UFC 95 have just been released by several of the popular online sports books. Betting odds for Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson have been out for some time with most of the action favoring former welterweight contender Sanchez. His line currently stands at a prohibitive -325 while TUF 2 winner Stevenson is available at the +250 mark.

The following is a compilation of the UFC 95 betting stats for each fighter on the main card, including the opening and current line for each match-up, as well as their last five betting lines. This is another European card so make sure to place your UFC 95 bets around 24 hours before the event to avoid any confusion.

Diego Sanchez (19-2) vs. Joe Stevenson (29-9)



Opening Line: Diego Sanchez -180 vs. Joe Stevenson +150
Current Line: Diego Sanchez -295 (Bodog) vs. Joe Stevenson +281 (Pinnacle)
Trend: Sanchez

Betting History
Diego Sanchez -470 vs. Luigi Fioravanti +450 - (W)
Diego Sanchez -450 vs. David Bielkheden +500 - (W)
Diego Sanchez +125 vs. Jon Fitch -115 - (L)
Diego Sanchez -240 vs Josh Koschek +200 - (L)
Diego Sanchez -450 vs. Joe Riggs +370 - (W)

*A $100 bet on Diego Sanchez in his last five fights would return a (-$135) loss.

Betting History
Joe Stevenson +196 vs. Kenny Florian -200 - (L)
Joe Stevenson -200 vs. Gleison Tibau +220 - (W)
Joe Stevenson +300 vs. B.J. Penn -280 - (L)
Joe Stevenson -275 vs. Kurt Pellegrino +265 - (W)
Joe Stevenson -160 vs. Melvin Guillard +140 - (W)

*A $100 bet on Joe Stevenson in his last 5 fights would return a (-$51) loss.

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Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Luke Thomas.

The UFC will return to German TV on March. The UFC has struck a German TV deal with DSF (translated "German Sports Television"), a 24 hour sports channel. It was first speculated that the UFC was in close talks with one of the major German channels. While there are not many details yet, a deal with DSF is certainly not as lucrative as say a deal with RTL, SAT1 or Pro Sieben (one of the big networks).

[official website] http://www.dsf.de

Here are the details and a translation of a short note that appeared on the DSF homepage:

"As real as it gets" - experience non stop fight action with a "decathlon of martial arts"

Starting next month, DSF will broadest the Ultimate Fighting Championship every Saturday from 11PM.

Ultimate Fighting has its origins in Bruce Lee's "Jeet Kune Do". It combines a variety of martial arts such as boxing, kickboxing, karate, wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu. Two combatants battle it out in an octagon over three rounds that are 5 minutes long. Victory can be achieved by knockout, submission or a points decision . The security and saftety of the Ultimate Fighters will be determined by a long list of well-defined rules and regulations. With the UFC, the DSF is now the German home of the most successful Mixed Martial Arts Organization (MMA) in the world.

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Full betting odds for UFC 94 have just been released by the guys at Bookmaker/Betcris. (Preliminary card odds are listed at the bottom). Betting stats for each fighter on the main card have been included, the opening and current line for each match-up, as well as their last 5 betting lines are listed as well.

On the main card the most overvalued fighters in their last five bouts were BJ Penn and Karo Parisyan while the most undervalued fighters were Lyoto Machida, Nate Diaz and Jon Jones.

UFC 94 is set to become the most bet on MMA event in history and could rival the bigger boxing cards of 2009. While MMA is steadily growing in betting popularity, the handle of major boxing cards still eclipses any MMA event for the biggest sportsbooks. Full UFC 94 betting lines are listed below.


Georges St-Pierre vs. B.J. Penn
Opening Line: Georges St-Pierre -245 vs. B.J. Penn +175
Current Line: Georges St-Pierre -185 (Betus) vs. B.J Penn +166 (Pinnacle)
Trend: Penn

Betting History
Georges St. Pierre -265 vs. Jon Fitch +205
Georges St. Pierre -500 vs. Matt Serra +400
Georges St. Pierre -225 vs. Matt Hughes +185
Georges St. Pierre -255 vs. Josh Koscheck +205
Georges St Pierre -1300 vs. Matt Serra +850

*A $100 bet on Georges St. Pierre in his last five fights would return a $46 profit.

Betting History
BJ Penn -265 vs. Sean Sherk +215
BJ Penn -300 vs. Joe Stevenson +240
BJ Penn -395 vs. Jens Pulver +315
BJ Penn +250 vs. Matt Hughes -310
BJ Penn -130 vs. Georges St Pierre +100
*A $100 bet on BJ Penn in his last 5 fights would return a (-$104) loss.

Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva
Opening Line: Lyoto Machida -250 vs. Thiago Silva +225
Current Line: Lyoto Machida -350 (5Dimes) vs. Thiago Silva +226 (Pinnacle)
Trend: Silva

Betting History
Lyoto Machida -220 vs. Tito Ortiz +180
Lyoto Machida -130 vs. Ram Sokoudjou +100
Lyoto Machida -215 vs. Kaz Nakamura  +175
Lyoto Machida -355 vs. David Heath +285
Lyoto Machida -600 vs. Sam Hoger +475

* A $100 bet on Lyoto Machida in his last 5 fights would return a $217 profit.

Betting History
Thiago Silva -650 vs. Antonio Mendes +500
Thiago Silva +125 vs. Houston Alexander -155
Thiago Silva -325 vs. Tomasz Drwal  +265
Thiago Silva -260 vs. James Irvin +200
Thiago Silva N/A vs. Tatsuya Mizuno N/A

* A $100 bet on Thiago Silva in his last 4 fights would return a $209 profit. 

Continue reading this post »

Source: Free Fight Videos

Overeem looked absolutely gigantic at Fields Dynamite 2008. He spent most of his career making a big cut to the then Pride Middleweight division (below 93 kg , 204.6 lb.) After the demise of Pride the Dutchmen moved up to the heavyweight division and has been very successful there. In the past 6-8 months in particular he bulked up to enormous levels. Last night he weight in at 115.2kg or 253.4 lb. Its hard to believe that first and last image in the time line are of the same person.

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Luke Thomas.

Selected quotes of the above video interview at Zagreb airport from Nova TV translated at Free Fight Videos:

“Its just another fight. I have to follow my game plan. I cant exchange with a man that’s has such a big reach and weight advantage over me. I’ll be cautious.” explained Cro Cop.

“It’s a dangerous fight. Any one that size is dangerous. ”

When asked about his plans for 2009 Cro Cop replied;

“I don’t know. I’ll have to wait and see. I cant say anything right now. I’m just focused on this fight and we’ll see what happens after that.”

Despite his current form Cro Cop is the big favorite coming into this match.

Mirko Filipovic 1.35 vs Hong Man Choi 2.90

For you Americans that equates to a line of:

Mirko Cro Cop -200 vs Hong Man Choi +160.

This a complete betting stats analysis for UFC 92. I've included the opening line and current line as well as the last 5 five lines for each fighter. Current lines from this UFC 92 odds page.

Opening Line: Forrest Griffin -160 vs. Rashad Evans -120

Current Line (Dec 25): Forrest Griffin -125 vs Rashad Evans +115

Trend: Neutral

Betting History (Past 5 Fights): Forrest Griffin

Forest Griffin +200 vs. Quinton Jackson -260
Forrest Griffin +250 vs. Mauricio Rua -325

Forrest Griffin -260 vs. Hector Ramirez +200
Forrest Griffin -271 vs. Keith Jardine +270
Forrest Griffin -256  vs. Stephan Bonnar +236

*A $100 bet on Forrest Griffin in each of his last 5 fights would return a $427 profit.

Betting History: Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans +200 vs Chuck Liddell -260
Rashad Evans -275  vs Michael Bisping +235
Rashad Evans +100 vs. Tito Ortiz -130
Rashad Evans -650 vs Sean Salmon +450
Rashad Evans -240 vs Jason Lambert +200

*A $100 bet on Rashad Evans in each of his last 5 fights would return a $297 profit.

Opening Line: Wanderlei Silva -120 vs Rampage Jackson -120

Current Line: Wanderlei Silva -115 vs Rampage Jackson +110

Trend: Silva

Betting History: Wanderlei Silva

Wanderlei Silva -200 vs Keith Jardine +160
Wanderlei Silva -125 vs Chuck Liddell -105
Wanderlei Silva -330 vs Dan Handerson +250
Wanderlei Silva +162 vs Mirko Filipovic -172
Wanderlei Silva -234 vs  Kazuyuki Fujita +212

*A $100 bet on Wanderlei Silva in each of his last 5 fights would return a $-207 loss.

Betting History: Rampage Jackson

Quinton Jackson -260 vs Forest Griffin +200
Quinton Jackson -150 vs Dan Henderson +120
Quinton Jackson +150 vs Chuck Liddell -180
Quinton Jackson -550 vs Marvin Eastman +375
Quinton Jackson -210 vs Matt Lindland +170

*A $100 bet on Rampage Jackson in each of his last 5 fights would return a $188 profit.

***

Opening Line: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -350 vs Frank Mir +225

Current Line: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueir -325 vs Frank Mir +315

Trend: Neutral

Betting History (Past 5 Fights): Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Nogueira -200 vs Tim Sylvia +160
Nogueira -825 vs Herring +525
Nogueira -160 vs Josh Barnett +145
Nogueira -225 vs Josh Barnett +205
Nogueira -393 vs Fabricio Werdum +353

*A $100 bet on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in each of his last 5 fights would return a $50 profit.

Betting History: Frank Mir

Frank Mir +135 vs. Brock Lesnar -165
Frank Mir -185 vs. Antoni Hardonk +155
Frank Mir +290 vs.Brandon Vera -350
Frank Mir -285 vs.. Dan Christison +215
Frank Mir -243 vs. Marcio Cruz +223

*A $100 bet on Frank Mir in each of his last 5 fights would return a $24 profit.