BAD MMA - The origins of combat™ » Passion

For Holly Holm, chasing MMA passion worth passing on six-figure boxing payday

BAD MMA News — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 00:30:00 +0000

Holly Holm had her reasons for walking away from a successful boxing career after 11 years, several world titles, and nearly 40 professional fights. Money wasn’t one of them. “She’s turned down a lot of money,” Holm’s longtime coach, Mike Winkeljohn, told MMAjunkie.com (mmajunkie.com). “I’ll throw a figure out there: She turned down a quarter-million dollars, because she had decided, hey, I want to do MMA.” The question is, why? Why would such a decorated boxer leave the sport she knows best in order to devote herself to one she’d previously only dabbled in

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For Holly Holm, chasing MMA passion worth passing on six-figure boxing payday – MMA Junkie

USA TODAY: Jose Aldo next great Brazilian hope for UFC

BAD MMA News — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 17:00:00 +0000

(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY .) The best news for UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo might be that Anderson Silva can’t keep fighting forever. Brazil’s most famous fighter eventually has to retire, and when he does it could be Aldo (23-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) who fills his shoes. Regardless of whether Silva (33-5 MMA, 16-1 UFC) regains his UFC middleweight title when he has a rematch with new champ Chris Weidman at the end of the year, Brazil’s king of MMA superstardom is closing in on 40. Aldo is 26, and in excellent position to assume the throne once Silva’s fighting days are done. That’s the hope, anyway, both for Aldo and for the UFC. After another successful title defense at UFC 163 in Rio de Janeiro, however, it’s tough to tell whether Aldo can inspire the same fierce passion in one of the UFC’s key markets. In 2011, when Silva led the charge for the UFC’s first Brazilian event in more than a decade, tickets sold out in less than two hours. The return to the same venue two years later revealed clumps of empty seats on the pay-per-view broadcast, with UFC executive Marshall Zelaznik telling USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com this latest event was probably within 1,200-1,300 seats of a sellout

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USA TODAY: Jose Aldo next great Brazilian hope for UFC – MMA Junkie

Bobby Lashley Pioneered Bridging the Gap Between MMA and Pro Wrestling

BAD MMA News — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 00:00:03 +0000

Courtesy of Damon Martin and official MMAWeekly.com content partner Bleacher Report . Before “King” Mo Lawal and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson landed their historic deals that saw them sign with both Bellator to compete in MMA as well as TNA Wrestling to begin their pro wrestling careers, Bobby Lashley was an old hand at the trade. A former collegiate standout in wrestling, Lashley was a quick pickup several years ago for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where he cut his teeth in the industry and became one of the company’s biggest stars during his years with the organization. Following an injury that saw him exit the WWE in 2008, Lashley began pursuing his new career in mixed martial arts, where he competed in several promotions including a few fights in Strikeforce. During that time, Lashley found his way back into pro wrestling as well, working local shows as well as becoming a mainstay at TNA wrestling. Lashley has known since day one that he decided to dedicate his life to both MMA and pro wrestling that it was going to be hard on his body and mind, but his passion never faded and he continues to walk both roads today. It’s not an easy path to travel, however, and Lashley is quick to offer advice to both Lawal and Jackson that being the best in MMA and pro wrestling won’t come easy.

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Bobby Lashley Pioneered Bridging the Gap Between MMA and Pro Wrestling – MMA Weekly

Rampage Jackson Eyes Heavyweight Fights for Bellator, Movies for Paramount

BAD MMA News — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 02:05:52 +0000

The news broke on Tuesday that Bellator MMA , in combination with TNA Wrestling and Spike TV, had signed UFC and Pride veteran Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to a multi-faceted, multi-year contract. The deal encompasses mixed martial arts competition for Bellator, professional wrestling for TNA, and various movie and media opportunities via Spike and parent company Viacom. Rampage fielded questions from the media on Wednesday, saying that the deal has renewed his passion for fighting, and added that he is considering fighting for Bellator at heavyweight. He had been competing at 205 pounds in his final days with Pride FC and during his UFC tenure. “I’m not gonna lie. I lost a lot of love for MMA when I was back in the UFC ,” Rampage declared.

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Rampage Jackson Eyes Heavyweight Fights for Bellator, Movies for Paramount – MMA Weekly

Brendan Schaub Competing in BJJ at Metamoris, Then Fighting Matt Mitrione at UFC on Fox 8

BAD MMA News — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 23:30:06 +0000

UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub takes on nine-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu at Metamoris 2, a professional jiu-jitsu invitational event, on June 9. He’ll follow that with an MMA bout against The Ultimate Fighter housemate Matt Mitrione at UFC on Fox 8 on July 27. “It’s the pro bowl of jiu-jitsu. It’s as big as it gets,” Schaub told MMA video journalist Rick Lee about Metamoris. “It’s the 12 best jiu-jitsu guys in the world competing. It’s like an all-star game.” Schaub was invited to participate in the event, but didn’t think the UFC would allow him to do it with a fight scheduled in such close proximaty. “Jiu-jitsu is kind of my passion. They asked me if I could do it. I said I probably couldn’t because of the UFC and Dana White ,” said Shaub. “I saw Dana and I asked him, hey man, I don’t fight for a while, I want to stay competitive. I love jiu-jitsu. Do you mind if I do this jiu-jitsu match? He kind of hesitated. He goes, ‘You know what, don’t get hurt. Have fun.’ I was like, dang, called up Ralek (Gracie) right away and said I can do it.” The 30-year-old feels a lot of pressure to perform. “A lot of people are going, ‘It’s a win-win for Schaub. He might not win this, but it’s good that he can show off his ground.’ No. If I didn’t think I could beat this guy, I wouldn’t sign up for it. So it’s not a win-win,” he said. “If I don’t win, it is not good

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Brendan Schaub Competing in BJJ at Metamoris, Then Fighting Matt Mitrione at UFC on Fox 8 – MMA Weekly