Morning Report: CM Punk says he "would fight Anderson Silva tomorrow" for "the correct amount of money"

On a media blitz in New York City Thursday, professional wrestling’s CM Punk began opening up a bit more on the early conversations held with UFC president Dana White prior to his joining the promotion earlier in December.

The WWE star has taken a mountain of flak for his choice to cannonball into MMA’s grandest stage at 36 with no resume to speak of, but Punk says he was willing to endure the entry level tournament that is ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’

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Morning Report: CM Punk says he "would fight Anderson Silva tomorrow" for "the correct amount of money"

Pat Curran vs. Daniel Weichel, Julia Budd vs. Talita Nogueira slated for Bellator 133

Former Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran is slated to return to action on Feb. 27, 2015 against Daniel Weichel in the co-main event of Bellator 133, promotional officials announced Monday.

A two-time Bellator champion, Curran (20-6) forfeited his belt for a second time this past Sept. when he dropped a unanimous decision to Patricio Freire in a rematch of the pair’s 2013 meeting. He’ll now look to get back on track against Weichel (34-8), a longtime veteran who captured season 10’s featherweight tournament title with consecutive wins over Scott Cleve, Matt Bessette, and Desmond Green.

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Pat Curran vs. Daniel Weichel, Julia Budd vs. Talita Nogueira slated for Bellator 133

TUF 20 Finale salaries: Carla Esparza earns $50,000 for UFC title win

No surprise here, but if you’re fighting on The Ultimate Fighter, it’s better on your wallet to make the finals. UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza handily out-earned the rest of her fellow TUF 20 castmates at Friday’s The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale, pocketing $50,000 for her main event win according to figures released to MMAFighting.com by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Despite being the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed and reigning Invicta FC champion, Esparza entered her finals bout against 22-year-old Rose Namajunas as a betting underdog. It didn’t matter though, as Esparza dominated Namajunas with her wrestling before securing a third-round submission finish to be crowned the UFC’s inaugural 115-pound champion.

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TUF 20 Finale salaries: Carla Esparza earns $50,000 for UFC title win

Bellator season 11 review: What worked, what did not and what is next

After seeing every Bellator occasion in the eleventh season – in some ways both the least significant and most – it is time to take a look back at what worked, what did not, what is next and what is missing now that Scott Coker is in charge and Bjorn Rebney (and his tournaments) are gone.

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Bellator season 11 review: What worked, what did not and what is next

Garry Tonon, jiu-jitsu"s consummate risk taker, prepares for Zak Maxwell

Metamoris’ existence is predicated on a number of things, not least of which is that submission-only competition can offer a truer (or at least alternative) glimpse into the talents of practitioners, something the points system obscures. That’s not necessarily true in all cases for all competitors, but it’s true enough that having a superfight series in a submission-only format fills the gap left by the points-based tournaments.

Whether true or not, that argument has little bearing on how Tom DeBlass black belt Garry Tonon competes. In a sport allegedly filled with those who embrace risk aversion as a means to winning, Tonon has patented a style that eschews that approach completely. As a result, he’s developed a fan following, too.

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Garry Tonon, jiu-jitsu"s consummate risk taker, prepares for Zak Maxwell

UFC 180 Embedded, Episode 1: "I"m a punching bag"

In the first video of UFC 180 Embedded, Fabricio Werdum checks out a local BJJ tournament, Mark Hunt explains his haircut, Ricardo Lamas shops for his nephews, and Dennis Bermudez looks for an edge and plays video games.

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UFC 180 Embedded, Episode 1: "I"m a punching bag"

Former Pride Grand Prix combatant Hans Nijman shot to death before his fitness center

Hans Nijman, a kickboxer and pro wrestler in Japan who fought in the now-infamous Pride Open Weight Grand Prix tournament in 2000, was shot to death on Wednesday while in his automobile before a fitness center he partly possessed in Beverwijk, Holland, according to multiple Dutch media reports.

Nijman was 55.

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Former Pride Grand Prix combatant Hans Nijman shot to death before his fitness center

Roan Carneiro fined $100 by OSAC; will have staying $14,900 returned

In the end, the $15,000 Oklahoma Heist ended up being a $100 fine.

Indignation filled the Twitterverse last month after word broke the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission supposedly fined Roan Carneiro 30 percent of his $50,000 prize for winning the BattleGrounds MMA one-night tournament on Oct. 4 in Tulsa.

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Roan Carneiro fined $100 by OSAC; will have staying $14,900 returned

Andre Santos needs a fast track into a shot in the Bellator name

Prepared for his Bellator introduction on Friday night, to the key card of Bellator 129 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Andre Santos needs a fast track into a title shot.

Entering the promotion following the conclusion of the tournament process, “Chatuba” is assured an impressive triumph over Strikeforce expert James Terry is going to be enormous for his strategies in the promotion.

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Andre Santos needs a fast track into a shot in the Bellator name

Eduardo Dantas needs Joe Warren rematch: "He did not get the better of me convincingly"

Eduardo Dantas lost the Bellator bantamweight title to Joe Warren on Oct. 10, but he needs another five rounds against “The Baddest Man on the Planet.” Dantas held the 135-pound tournament for 2 along with a half years, and he feels he deserves an instant rematch following a unanimous decision loss in Thackerville, Okla.

“I need this rematch. I’d like to fight him again,” “Dudu” told MMAFighting.com after Bellator 128. “I believe I deserve it because I was the winner for a couple of years, I waited for Bellator to do tournaments so I really could fight again, and defended my title twice. And I do not believe he got the better of me convincingly. We must fight again. He actually is a tough sportsman, however he did not get the better of me convincingly.

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Eduardo Dantas needs Joe Warren rematch: "He did not get the better of me convincingly"

WSOF’s Ali Abdel-Aziz: ‘Brazil is our No. 1 goal for 2015’

World Series of Fighting announced in 2013 plans to start a series of events in Brazil, but it never materialized. With 2015 around the corner, the promotion sees the Brazilian market as one of its top priorities.

WSOF was negotiating with Standout Fighting Tournament promoter Ivan Jatoba to build a partnership in Brazil, but it never reached agreement. WSOF is still in talks with Brazilian promotions and managers, but it’s still far from a done deal.

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WSOF’s Ali Abdel-Aziz: ‘Brazil is our No. 1 goal for 2015’

Royce Gracie announced as new brand ambassador for Bellator MMA

Another UFC Hall of Fame member is heading to Bellator MMA, but this one won’t be entering the cage to compete.

Winner of three of the first four UFC one-night tournaments, Royce Gracie was announced on Wednesday as the new official brand ambassador for Bellator.

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Royce Gracie announced as new brand ambassador for Bellator MMA

Battlegrounds MMA tournament winner Roan Carneiro has unfinished business in the UFC

It takes a lot of heart and skills to win a MMA fight today. Roan Carneiro did it, and he did it three times in one night.

“Jucao,” a former UFC fighter, defeated Brock Larson, Trey Houston and Randall Wallace on Friday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma to win the Battlegrounds MMA one-night welterweight tournament, and it was tougher than most people imagine.

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Battlegrounds MMA tournament winner Roan Carneiro has unfinished business in the UFC

The MMA Hour - 250 - Roan Carneiro

Roan Carneiro talks about winning the Battlegrounds MMA one-night tournament on Friday.

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The MMA Hour - 250 - Roan Carneiro

Oklahama State Athletic Commission explains why BattleGrounds winner Roan Carneiro will be possibly fined

In the fallout of the BattleGround MMA eight-man tournament he won on Friday night, Roan Carneiro made it clear he thought he’d been “robbed” by the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission. The grand prize for navigating the eight-man field in a single night of competition was $50,000. Carneiro was docked 30 percent of his winnings by the OSAC — $15,000 — for showing up late to a mandatory physical examination.

Carneiro talked to MMA Fighting about it on Saturday.

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Oklahama State Athletic Commission explains why BattleGrounds winner Roan Carneiro will be possibly fined

Roan Carneiro: Commission ‘robbed me’ after BattleGrounds tournament win

Roan Carneiro won the BattleGrounds MMA welterweight tournament with three wins on Friday night, but he has another battle to fight.

“Jucao,” a UFC veteran who defeated Randall Wallace, Trey Huston and Brock Larson in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Oct. 3, claims that the Oklahoma Athletic Commission “robbed” part of his $50,000 prize after his win over Larson.

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Roan Carneiro: Commission ‘robbed me’ after BattleGrounds tournament win

Battlegrounds MMA results: UFC vet Roan Carneiro decisions Brock Larson to win eight-man, one-night tournament

In a finals match-up between UFC veterans, Roan Carneiro handily defeated an exhausted Brock Larson to emerge the winner of Battlegrounds MMA’s throwback one-night, eight-man tournament on Friday at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

Carneiro (20-9) overcame Larson, Trey Houston, and Randall Wallace in succession to win the night’s $50,000 grand prize.

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Battlegrounds MMA results: UFC vet Roan Carneiro decisions Brock Larson to win eight-man, one-night tournament

Bellator 127 Results: Daniel Straus knocks out Justin Wilcox

Former featherweight champion Daniel Straus returned to the Bellator cage with an explosive finish.

Justin Wilcox, a former Strikeforce lightweight who went to the Bellator 145-pound tournament final in 2013, lasted only 50 seconds against Straus in the main event of Friday night’s Bellator 127 in Temecula, Calif.

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Bellator 127 Results: Daniel Straus knocks out Justin Wilcox

Battlegrounds MMA One Results

MMA Fighting has Battlegrounds MMA One results for Friday night’s pay-per-view, featuring a one-night welterweight tournament, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

On the main card, eight fighters will compete for a $50,000 grand prize.

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Battlegrounds MMA One Results

Battlegrounds O.N.E.: Cody McKenzie gives blood to make weight, quarterfinal match-ups set

All eight welterweight competitors met their required weights ahead of Battlegrounds MMA’s one-night single-elimination tournament at Thursday’s weigh-ins in Tulsa, Okla.

The only snag in the proceedings came when former UFC fighter Cody McKenzie weighed in at 172.4 pounds on his first attempt. McKenzie was granted two hours to shed the extra 1.4 pounds, and successfully did so — albeit in an unusual fashion. According to sources close the situation, McKenzie drew a pint of blood before making the 171-pound limit on his second attempt.

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Battlegrounds O.N.E.: Cody McKenzie gives blood to make weight, quarterfinal match-ups set