UFC 119: INDIANAPOLIS

[UkrainianGuy]

UFC 119 EXPECTED IN INDIANAPOLIS ON SEPT 25

Gentleman, start your engines.

The UFC will be making its way to the city made famous for the Indianapolis 500, except they'll be bringing the fight instead of the race. All signs are pointing towards the promotion making its first appearance in the state of Indiana on Sept. 25 for UFC 119, with the first fight confirmed for the show pitting former NFL player turned fighter Matt Mitrione against Joey Beltran in a heavyweight contest.

The news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight on Wednesday, although final confirmation on the show in Indianapolis still has not been announced by the UFC.

The state of Indiana just recently ratified and sanctioned the sport of mixed martial arts, but it didn't take long for the UFC to set their sights on the Indianapolis sports market. Home to the NBA's Indiana Pacers and the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, it is a sports rich area in the Midwest and home state to fighters such as Jon Fitch and Miguel Torres.

The first fight confirmed for the card will showcase Matt Mitrione, who played his college football in Indiana at Purdue University. It will be his first fight since finishing Kimbo Slice at UFC 113. The former NFL pro resides in Indiana, but has trained most recently out of Milwaukee with famed coach Duke Roufus and his team.

Taking on Mitrione will be heavy-handed slugger Joey Beltran, who currently sits with a 2-0 record in the Octagon, and recently picked up a decision win over Tim Hague, also at UFC 113 in Montreal.

The two heavyweights will go to battle on the Sept. 25 card, with more bouts to be announced in the coming weeks. What hasn't been rumored or announced yet is if the UFC goes to Indianapolis, where the show will take place. The Conseco Fieldhouse is home to the Indiana Pacers, while Lucas Oil Stadium plays home to the Indianapolis Colts.

Either stadium would seem to fit the UFC model for a show, but confirmation on a location remains elusive.

[UkrainianGuy]

GUILLARD VS. STEPHENS AGREED FOR UFC 119



Sometimes you get what you ask for.

Melvin Guillard asked the UFC for a fight with Jeremy Stevens after finishing Waylon Lowe at UFC 114, and it appears Joe Silva was listening. The bout between Guillard and Stephens is currently in the work for UFC 119 in Indianapolis on Sept 25.

The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight on Monday. The fight was first reported by MMAJunkie.com.

Guillard (24-8-2) has made a successful turn around of his career of late after joining forces with Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn in New Mexico. Currently the former "Ultimate Fighter" competitor is 2-0 under the coaches, and he insists that his growth will only continue under their expert tutelage.

Opposing Guillard on the Sept 25 show will be UFC veteran, Jeremy Stephens (17-5), who is also coming off of successful string in his last two fights with wins over Sam Stout and Justin Buchholz. A heavy hitter, Stephens will likely face one of the few fighters in the 155lb division that can match his power when he meets up with Guillard.

The bout between Guillard and Stephens will likely end up on the main card for UFC 119, which has yet to be officially announced by the promotion as of now.

[UkrainianGuy]

REPORTS: CRO COP STEPS IN TO FACE MIR AT UFC 119

It appears there is a change afoot in the main event for UFC 119, the promotion’s debut in Indianapolis scheduled for Sept. 25.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has been forced to withdraw from his rematch with Frank Mir. He will apparently be replaced by Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, as first reported by Fighters Only.

A report from MMAJunkie.com adds that a source indicated a recurring hip injury as the reason for Nogueira’s withdrawal.

Having lost his bid to win the unified UFC heavyweight title against Brock Lesnar at UFC 100, Mir then bounced back with an impressive submission of Cheick Kongo before losing to Shane Carwin in his last outing in March.

Filipovic enters the bout having won three of his four fights in his second go around in the Octagon, including winning his last two. He most recently defeated Pat Barry at UFC 115 in June in Vancouver.

Nogueira had hoped to avenge the first TKO loss of his career in fighting Mir at UFC 119. Mir accomplished the feat in December 2008 at UFC 92.

[UkrainianGuy]

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[UkrainianGuy]

CRO COP'S EYE CLEARED FOR UFC 119

Speculation surrounding Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s participation in this weekend’s UFC 119 main event, where he is scheduled to face former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, was raised last week by Croatian website index.hr. The site raised red flags by reporting that Cro Cop had suffered a serious eye injury in his final sparring session that might have precluded him from fighting Saturday night in Indianapolis.

UFC president Dana White immediately went on the defensive saying that Cro Cop was fine, the fight is on, stop listening to rumors.

But just as quickly as his comments threw a wet blanket on the fire, Cro Cop did an interview at the airport in Croatia, saying that he had suffered an injury, but felt that he would be alright to fight, he’d just have to “suck it up.”

There was enough concern that Cro Cop was required to have the eye checked once he arrived in Indianapolis in order to receive clearance for the fight with Mir.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship acknowledged as much on Tuesday, proclaiming Cro Cop clear to fight, and admitting to the initial injury.

“Legendary Croatian striker Mirko Cro Cop has been examined by an ophthalmologist in Indianapolis, site of Saturday’s UFC 119 event at Conseco Fieldhouse, and has been medically cleared to compete in the main event this weekend against former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir,” read a statement on UFC.com.

“Cro Cop suffered a poke in the eye in the last round of his final sparring session for the bout last week, but after a few days of rest, he is in tip top shape for this pivotal battle of heavyweight contenders.”

Cro Cop stepped into the UFC 119 main event on only five weeks notice when Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mir’s original opponent, had to withdraw due to injuries requiring hip surgery. He admitted that it is a short cycle of preparation, but that he was willing to take the fight under such conditions, and would “do his best.”

The eye injury and accompanying media distraction from the fallout can only detract from the preparation that Cro Cop has undergone, but the fight is nonetheless green-lit for Saturday night in Indianapolis and on pay-per-view.

[UkrainianGuy]

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[UkrainianGuy]

[FrancisJamesW-III]

Does anyone know a streaming link for the event tonight?

[UkrainianGuy]

justin tv?

[UkrainianGuy]

UFC 119 NETS $70,000 BONUSES, BUT NO KO AWARD

The Ultimate Fighting Championship made it’s way to the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Saturday night. UFC president Dana White proclaimed UFC 119 the third biggest event ever in Indiana, so the company rewarded the post-fight award winners with $70,000 bonuses.

There were several fights that went the distance on Saturday night, but a decision isn’t always indicative of a boring fight.

The UFC was impressed enough with two bouts that went the duration that they issued two Fight of the Night bonuses.

Former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk used his patented ground and pound attack and much improved stand-up game to finally put a blemish on Evan Dunham’s formerly spotless record with a split decision victory.

Matt Mitrione, a former NFL player, continues to improve by leaps and bounds, but had no easy go of it against Joey Beltran in one of the UFC 119 preliminary bouts that aired on Spike TV. He displayed a much better striking attack than he has thus far in his career to get the win by unanimous decision.

Sherk, Dunham, Mitrione, and Beltran will all go home with $70,000 bonus checks for their efforts in co-Fight of the Nights.

C.B. Dollaway completely shucked off any misconceptions that he was just another wrestler making the transition to mixed martial arts on Saturday night. He pulled off an impressive guillotine on Joe Doerksen, a fighter that has garnered 33 of his 46 victories by submission.

Dollaway missed the finish on an arm-in guillotine choke, but as Doerksen tried to escape, he rolled with the Canadian, and adjusted to slip the arm out and finish with a straight guillotine, nabbing a bonus check.

The UFC did not issue a Knockout of the Night bonus. Frank Mir KO’d Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic with a knee to the face, but it came on the end of a rather lackluster affair that left even Mir being very critical of the bout and his performance.

[UkrainianGuy]

UFC 119 THIRD BIGGEST EVENT EVER IN INDIANA

The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its Indiana debut on Saturday night at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

UFC 119 featured former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir knocking out former Pride Openweight Grand Prix champion Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic in the main event.

Local area fighters Chris Lytle, Sean McCorkle, and Matt Mitrione dotted the card as part of the supporting cast.

The event drew 15,811 fans for a total gate of $1,613,337, according to UFC officials. It was successful enough to land among the top three events ever in Indiana.