“The fight contract is up today…July 19th according to the contract. That was 18 months or four fights.That’s the way the contract is written, by the language that I’ve read in the contract that my attornies explained to me. That’s the rub. They say I owe them two more fights. And, we need the State to settle the dispute and give us a declaration as to what they say the contract says. I either owe them two more fights and I’ll fight Nogueira or find a way hopefully for the UFC to make the Fedor fight happen, that’s what means most to me. Or retire if that’s the case…I don’t know what’s going to happen there. Or they’ll say no, the contract term ended, you’re free and clear to go and fight wherever you want.” - Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez got a one-on-one with Randy post-Affliction.

Randy does go on to say that whoever loses the decision might take it to the Supreme Court, but this has to be seen as a positive step as far as this whole debacle is concerned. I for one think ‘Minotauro vs. ‘The Natural’ is just as compelling a match-up as the Emelianenko fight. Couture’s “Fedor-only” approach is a bit of a slight to a guy with a resume like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Despite coaching on The Ultimate Fighter against the presumed contender Frank Mir, one can only think that the UFC would jump at a Couture-Nogueira unification match, putting the Mir fight on the backburner. No matter what happens in the legal arena, fans and media alike deserve to see Randy Couture fighting again in the near future. *fingers crossed*

DISCUSS THIS STORY IN THE TOTAL-MMA.COM FORUMS

By Marc Staehling

Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira is a legend in the sport of MMA. He was a legend even before he signed with the UFC, and was introduced to the American fans at UFC 69 in Houston, Texas last April. His list of victories before arriving Stateside is a who’s who of top fighters in the sport. Just as impressive as who he beat, is how he beat them. Submitting the likes of Dan Henderson, Mirko Filipovic and Heath Herring, not to mention the arm-bar victory over Bob Sapp which is still one of the most incredible fights of all time. He has displayed more heart than arguably any fighter ever, coming back from the brink of defeat on numerous occasions. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dave Walsh

Discuss this article, Nogueira winning the title, Tim Sylvia’s loose bowels and Rampage being on the shelf for a reality show and much, much more at the Total-MMA forums!

When most people think of PRIDE fighters making the jump to the UFC, they will think of the death of the “PRIDE Myth.” If you are unfamiliar with the PRIDE myth, for years the talking point on the internet and through word of mouth was that PRIDE was home to better fighters. When you’d look at rankings on the internet, for years PRIDE fighters dominated them, with UFC being seen as having a shallow talent pool comparatively. Since then, top fighters such as Mirko Cro Cop, Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio Rua, Heath Herring and a few others have had a rough time transitioning to the UFC. Explanations have been everything from atmosphere changes, adapting to fighting in a cage as opposed to a ring to a stricter drug testing policy, implying that PRIDE fighters were all roided up monsters.

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By Lee Casebolt

Now you’ve had a week to think about Penn vs. Sherk and Shamrock vs. Le, and you are, no doubt, quivering with anticipation over both fights. But wait, fight fan, there’s more. Much, much more. Well, ok, just a few more. There’s a welterweight rematch, a battle of the two best middleweights in the game, and a heavyweight scrap that’s going to annoy a lot of people. Let’s take a look.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra, UFC Welterweight Title

2007 was a year of upsets, but none were bigger than Matt Serra knocking out Georges St. Pierre. Forget the fact that GSP was (and is) indisputably the best 170lber on the planet. Forget that he’d just wrecked Matt Hughes, as dominant a fighter as the UFC has ever seen. Forget that Matt Serra was “just a reality show winner”. Remember that Matt Serra was (and is) a blown up lightweight groundfighting specialist who, up til last April, had never knocked out any opponent in his career. And he stops GSP in the first round? What kind of world is this?
Read the rest of this entry »