UFC 74 Respect Weigh-In

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
Date:        Friday, August 24th 2007
Time:       4pm PT/7pm ET
Location:  Mandalay Bay Events Center
Event:      Fighters participating in UFC 74 Weigh-In

You can also watch the Weigh-In LIVE on:
Television– ESPNews
Internet–    Click Here

Randy Couture trains to defend his Heavyweight Title

Randy Couture has been training with top UFC fighters such as Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva and many others at that level.  All of his training has been conducted at his gym in Las Vegas where he stands at 225lbs of pure muscle and power.  Not for nothing, but Randy seems ready to face Gabriel Gonzaga on Saturday night’s UFC 74-Respect. 

He looks great as we were able to get some amazing pictures from the gym where he is training at
(props to flickr.com for these pics):

UFC 77 Hostile Territory Schedule

Date:       Saturday, October 20th 2007

Time:    
10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT (Live on PPV for $39.95)

Location: US Bank Arena, OH  USA

Biggest rematch in the history of the UFC!!! 

Rich Franklin had a record of 17-1 before he lost his Middleweight belt to Anderson  Silva, one of the most brutal losses in Franklin’s MMA career.  Since then, Franklin has won 2 consecutive times and is thirsty for revenge. 
Don’t miss the rematch of the year as Anderson  Silva will put his belt on the line in
Rich Franklin‘s territory, Cincinnati. 

Also on the card, Brandon Vera finally returns after almost a 1-year absence.  He will look to face Tim Sylvia who recently lost his Heavyweight title to Randy Couture.  Who will get closer to the belt? 

There’s only one way to find out…Tons of action at UFC 77- Hostile Territory, coming soon! 

Fight Card:

Rich Franklin Vs. Anderson  Silva

Tim Sylvia Vs. Brandon Vera

Who are YOU betting for???

We all know that MMA is really hard to predict at times, but many of us are still going to bet no matter what. 

Only two days left for UFC 74-Respect and the bets are on for all you betting fanatics! 

Here are the Ultimate fighting lines and odds according to BetUs.com:

Main Fight Card Odds:

Randy Couture  (100) Vs. Gabriel Gonzaga  (-130)

Roger Huerta  (-400) Vs. Alberto Crane  (300)

Josh Koscheck  (220) Vs. George St-Pierre  (-280)

Kurt Pellegrino  (230) Vs. Joe Stevenson  (-300)

Patrick Cote (190) Vs. Kendall Grove (-240)

Preliminary Fight Card Odds:

Renato Sobral  (-330) Vs. David Heath  (240)

Frank Mir (-180) Vs. Antoni Hardonk (150)

Clay Guida  (-130) Vs. Marcus Aurelio  (100)

UFC 74: Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

UFC 74-Respect is almost here as we await the main event this Saturday between two Heavyweight warriors. 

Randy Couture defeated Tim Sylvia in a 5-round war, where he attained the belt for the very first time in his career as a Heavyweight.  The former Light Heavyweight champion is the only fighter who has ever acquired both Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight belts. 

Randy, the UFC veteran, will face the Brazilian monster Gabriel Gonzaga.  Gonzaga is looking to steal the belt and make it his for the very first time in his MMA career. 

This will be the first time Randy puts his belt on the line as a Heavyweight champion, so be sure to watch this historical UFC event.
Here’s an in-depth look at what we will probably expect this Saturday:

UFC 74: Gabriel Gonzaga trains for Randy Couture

Gabriel Gonzaga is only focusing on ONE thing…taking out Randy Couture one way or another! 

UFC 74-Respect is right around the corner and he feels very focused.  This what he says (according to Yahoo Sports):

“  Randy Couture is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete. When Randy won, we stood and applauded him like everyone else. Just to have the opportunity to compete against him is a tremendous honor.  You can’t treat this any differently than any other fight. Once the match starts he is just another opponent. He has what I want. Once I step into the octagon, he’s just like anyone else I compete against…. I know the fans are probably going to cheer for Randy. That is OK with me. I just hope they appreciate who I am and how hard I fight for them. I know Randy will have the crowd with him, but I’m confident that in time they will appreciate my skills and learn to like me…It doesn’t matter to me how the match finishes. If you want me to predict… I’ll say I win by KO… But I will win whatever way I can.  ”

Gonzaga talks very confidently about this next fight.  His training has been outstanding according to his coaching staff, but then again…that’s exactly what Randy’s training staff says as well.  There’s only one way to find out, so enjoy Saturday’s main event!

Here are some training pics Sherdog was able to provide:

 

UFC 74: George St. Pierre is Ready for some Josh Koscheck

George St. Pierre is just about ready for this Saturday’s UFC 74-Respect as he faces Josh Koscheck for the very first time. 

GSP lost his Welterweight title to Matt Serra and is looking to come back gradually to the top again.  His first step comes from his new training camp as he has been training with Team Jackson in New Mexico not too long ago. 

"  It’s absolutely great, and I think I am blessed because I am lucky to
be able to train with such a great group of guys and under Greg
Jackson, who is the best MMA coach in my book…People say you’re only as good as your training partners, and I
believe that is the truth. "

He seems to be going through some changes as he recently fired his manager,  Stephane Patry, due to a few disparities they shared with his training.  Most of these changes don’t seem to be bothering GSP due to his intense concentration for his upcoming fight.  His training has been exceptional out in New Mexico as he hopes to climb back up to get his title once again. 

I wonder if the facial hair is part of the new and improved GSP…Here are a few pictures from his training camp we found on Sherdog:

Wanderlei Silva signs with the UFC

It is finally official everyone as we prepare to watch the most exciting fights in the months to come.  Former PrideFC Middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva has made a deal with the UFC organization.
Dana White looked happier than ever as the negotiations finally came to an end ,

"  As crazy as this sounds, this is the pinnacle of my seven year career in this company…I’m so excited to have this guy under contract.  He grabbed my arm and looked me in the eyes like one of his pre-fight staredowns and he said ‘I’m gonna fight so good for you, you’re gonna see the best fights ever from Wanderlei Silva.‘  "

Dana looked more than enthusiastic when the signatures went through and you can tell that Silva felt satisfied as well.  Silva started his fighting career in the streets of Brazil with the original Vale Tudo, a Brazilian combat sport with minimal rules.  Dana White then stated,

“  This guy is a real fighter…He reminds me of Chuck Liddell, and he’s the kind of fighter that all fight fans love to see fight. He’s a gunslinger.  He will get in harm’s way to inflict damage and pain.  This guy comes out like a speeding train and never stops.  He goes for the finish, he likes to knock people out, and I just think he’s going to bring so much excitement to the UFC, I feel like I’m going to jump out of my skin.  ”

Silva had fought in the UFC before, but continued most of his MMA career in Japan with PrideFC.  He became the middleweight champion after defeating Sakuraba for his title.  Silva, nicknamed the "axe murderer", went on to win 18 fights in a row until he lost to Mark Hunt at Pride Shockwave 2004 in a non-title match. 

Since then, he won 4 of his last 7 fights including his last 2 heartbreaking losses.  Many felt that his career has been in jeopardy due to these 2 losses.  His first loss came to Mirko Cro Cop in September of 2006 and then lost his belt to Dan Henderson at Pride 33 earlier this year.  Silva decided to give his body some rest as he wanted some time away from Pride’s ring.

Silva is now ready to take on the top 205-pound fighters of the world as he signs with the UFC for the second time in his career.  He wants to let all the Light Heavyweights know something as he left a brief message,

“  I want to issue a warning to the other fighters out there: you need to train hard, because “The Axe Murderer” is here.  ”

Look at Dana’s face as Wanderlei Silva signs his contract:

Wanderlei Silva signs with UFC
Uploaded by Princenino

UFC 74: Josh Koscheck talks about GSP

Josh Koscheck feels that nobody can stop him now as he will only be closer to that belt if he is able to pass by George St. Pierre.  It won’t be an easy task for Josh, but he feels that he has a new strategy that nobody has ever seen before and this is what he will use to beat GSP. 

This brief interview is what he feels about the upcoming fight at UFC 74-Respect:

Brandon Vera is back!

Brandon "The Truth" Vera will finally be coming back to the UFC after a
huge absence.  Many UFC fans have been waiting for the longest to see this
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt master once again.

Vera was 4-0 in the UFC and his overall MMA record stands at 8-0.  He was considered one of the toughest Heavyweight contenders in the league, but after beating Frank Mir at UFC 65, we never heard from him again. 

There were a few rumors of Vera leaving the UFC and signing up with another organization such as Bodog and EliteXC. 

However, the Flipino-American had a lot going on aside from his MMA career including the firing of his manager, Mark Dion.  Now that the rumors are all cleared up, we can finally say that he will be staying in the UFC.

Dana White feels that Vera will be ready around October, possibly participating at UFC-77.  There are good possiblities that Vera will probably fight either Tim Sylvia or Andrei Arlovski with how things are going.  Expect to see more Heavyweight competition in the future months to come. 

It’s good to see Brandon Vera back once again!