MMA Odds

UFC 118
B.J. Penn		-350	-325	N/A	-317	-325
Frankie Edgar		+250	+250	N/A	+257	+250
Randy Couture		-700	-600	N/A	-665	-600
James Toney		+400	+450	N/A	+465	+400
Kenny Florian		-145	-145	N/A	-140	-145
Gray Maynard		+115	+115	N/A	+110	+145

10 QUESTIONS WITH RYAN COUTURE

MMA Fix is back with another installment of our new 10 QUESTIONS feature which gives MMA fighters the opportunity to answer questions in their own written and unedited words. Strikeforce Lightweight, Ryan Couture responds about his dad’s (Randy Couture) recent bout against James Toney, his Pro-MMA debut win, and sheds insight into the sex life of a single fighter just starting out.

1. Congratulations on your Pro-MMA debut win in Strikeforce Challengers against Lucas Stark. The win was rather quick (triangle choke at 1:15 into Round 1). Was Stark a viable opponent for your first time out in the pros? How was your first taste of pro-victory?

RC: Thanks, I’m very happy to have my first professional win under my belt. I think Lucas was exactly the kind of opponent that I needed in my debut. He’s a confident, aggressive guy who wasn’t afraid to get in there and fight. Winning quickly and decisively answered a lot of questions for me and for Strikeforce about how I would handle the added attention and pressure that comes with competing on such a big stage. Going forward, I expect the level of opposition to increase continually. I look forward to that challenge.

2. Your next fight is scheduled for November 19th in Memphis with Strikeforce. Why the decision to go with Strikeforce? Did you get offers from other promotions including UFC? How long is your Strikeforce contract?

RC: I got offers from a number of promoters of varying sizes across the country. In the end, Strikeforce, particularly the Challengers events, provided the best combination of exposure, level of competition and compensation. There is a lot of room to grow with the company and work my way up to their higher profile cards as I establish myself as a professional fighter.

3. Who helps you make your career decisions? Do you have a manager?

RC: I’m working with the newly formed Xtreme Couture Management, a company my father and his manager, Sam Spira, started. So far I’m very pleased with the course we’ve plotted for my career.

4. How much unsolicited advice did you get when making your decision to go pro?

RC: Hanging around a gym full of pro fighters and coaches, I heard opinions on when I should turn pro from just about everyone. In the end, I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to see from myself in order to feel ready to make that transition.

5. You’re in the beginning of your Pro-MMA career but have you picked up any superstitions or rituals you follow? For instance, do you hail mary or practice the no sex before a fight rule?

RC: I definitely don’t hail Mary and am in no position to be turning down sex but I do like to go record shopping on fight day just to keep my mind occupied and deal with the nerves.

6. You were in your father’s corner for his recent bout against James Toney. What was your primary role in his corner?

RC: I’ve been in his corner for his past three fights now and have come to the realization that I’m mostly just there for moral support. He has a fantastic team of coaches that get him ready and handle in-fight tactics for him. I think having me there just sort of helps keep him calm and keep the mood light.

7. Did Randy Couture’s win settle the debate of MMA Vs. Boxing? As a proud fighter and not as a proud son, what does Randy Couture’s win over a boxer who talked so much trash about the MMA sport mean?

RC: In my mind there never really was a debate in the first place. They are two different sports that are both successful independent of one another. I happen to be a fan of both but some prefer one or the other. The people who debate which sport is better just like to argue and will continue to do so regardless of how many boxer vs mixed martial artist fights promoters line up. As for dad’s win over Toney, I think it went exactly how it should have given the style match up and the rules under which it was contested. A boxing match between the two would be equally decisive in James’ favor and equally unsurprising in that regard.

8. Take us through a typical night of being out and getting recognized by fans. Do they want to challenge you or buy you shots? How often are you recognized now as opposed to just one year ago? What surprises you the most about fan recognition?

RC: On a typical night out I don’t get recognized by fans, thankfully. On those occasions where someone does know who I am, they are generally very friendly and congratulatory. The fact that anyone recognizes me at all is still very surprising to me and will take some getting used to.

9. Do you ever look at your old man and think, “my jiu jitsu’s looking better than his” and want to just take him on for the hell of it? No? Not even when you’re piss drunk?

RC: My Jiu-Jitsu is very different from his and can be prettier at times but there’s no question that he’s the more effective grappler. I’m definitely always game to take him on in a submission match or sparring session. Win or lose (but probably lose), it’s always going to be a good experience.

10. You are just starting out in your pro-career, but what question are you already sick of being asked and what question do you wish you would be asked, and while you’re asking yourself that question, go ahead and answer it, as well…

RC: I’m not sure that there’s a question that I’m sick of but the one that I can’t seem to come up with a good answer for is, “What is the best piece of advice your dad has given you about your fight career?” I hereby officially give up on that one so if everyone out there could quit asking, that would be great. As for a question that I’d like to be asked, I suppose, “What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?” would be fun. My response, of course, would be, “What do you mean? An African or a European swallow?”. (If there’s anyone reading this who doesn’t get that joke, I highly recommend adding Monty Python and the Holy Grail to your Netflix queue.)

Posted on September 2, 2010
Filed Under Ryan Couture, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Karo Parisyan Making Octagon Return; Faces Dennis Hallman at UFC 123

If you thought you’d never see the day again when Karo Parisyan rag dolls some dude to the Octagon floor, prepare to be jaw droppingly surprised. According to an initial report from MMA Fighting this afternoon, which has been subsequently confirmed by several other outlets, Parisyan will make his Octagon return on November 20^th, versus Dennis Hallman. Holy sh-t right?

Why? What’s the big deal MMA, but-not-hardcore, fans may be asking? Well after Parisyan withdrew last minute from his scheduled  UFC 106 bout with Dustin Hazelett, Dana White promptly announced that the judo stud “will not be fighting Saturday or ever again in the UFC.” It was the last straw in a series of events for the troubled fighter, which included testing positive for painkillers, getting subsequently fined and suspended (and another last minute fight withdrawal). Things weren’t looking so good in the fighting career of Parisyan, who at one point before having serious setbacks due to injuries, sat near the top of the welterweight division.

Anyways, after earning a win ‘down under’ in Australia recently and consistently stating his desire publicly to return to the UFC, it looks like Parisyan has gotten his wish. If you still haven’t seen his Fight Night 6 bout with Diego Sanchez, you should feel huge amounts of instantaneous shame, and then go find footage. Anyone asked Paul Daley yet what he makes of all this?

Posted on September 2, 2010
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Gray Maynard Doesn’t Expect Any Trash Talking with Frankie Edgar

If someone had told you six months ago, that in September, people would be discussing whether or not Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II is a marketable championship fight, many of us would have laughed and told buddy to piss off.  Really, following BJ Penn’s violent and bloody stoppage of Diego Sanchez last December, who could have imagined that as 2010 neared its end, not only would Penn not be the champ, he’d be one or two wins away from contending? That’s some crazy sh-t. Kind of like Fedor getting tapped out in the first round…

In terms of whether or not a rematch between Edgar and Maynard can move some serious PPV’s, well, yes, clearly neither guy has put together the resume yet of a legend like Penn, so things might cool down in the hype department. And don’t expect Maynard to engage in any Chael Sonnen like, ‘deconstructive criticism’ with Edgar to help sell the fight. Speaking to MMA Weekly recently the bruising wrestler stated:

“It’s great competition. He trains hard. He’s a cool guy too. It’s cool because his dad is always like ‘hey Gray!’ talks to me and stuff; nicest guy in the world. So trash talk ain’t gonna happen,” Maynard said. “But I guarantee you he’s going to train hard, and I’ll train, and it’s going to be a good fight.”…”It’s all business. Throw the trash talk out, it’s just all business.”

So as it looks now, scandalous comments aren’t going to be flying between these guys (and clearly Dad jokes are out), but that doesn’t mean the rematch can’t be a thoroughly entertaining and violent affair.

Posted on September 2, 2010
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UFC 123 Headed to Auburn Hills, Michigan; “Rampage” Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida Headlines

Residents of Michigan State, who’ve had more than their fair share of sh—ty news to deal with over the last few years (during this tiresome run of ‘economic uncertainty’), have reason to smile today, as the Detroit Free Press is reporting that UFC 123 is headed to Auburn Hills. According to the report, the card is “almost certain” to take place November 20^th in the Detroit suburb, and will be hosted by the 20,000 seat plus Palace. The report included a comment from Dr. James Weber, chair of the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission (versus armed combat commission….) who stated:

“Detroit deserves this. It is a boxing and MMA town. It would be a great boost to the economy and represents the character, fight and will of the people in this area. It is a dream of mine come true.”

Amen to that. What’s even better for Michigan MMA fans is that the expected headliner for UFC 123 is a light-heavyweight tilt between former champs Lyoto Machida and “Rampage” Jackson. We immediately jumped on board with that bout as soon as it was rumored to be next in line—not only could it be an outstanding fight from a talent / technical perspective, but both Rampage and Lyoto need a win big time.

MMA Junkie has also confirmed the location and date for UFC 123 in a follow up report.

Posted on September 1, 2010
Filed Under Lyoto Machida, MMA, MMA News, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, UFC, UFC News | Leave a Comment

Wanderlei Silva Believes Chris Leben Wouldn’t Last 2 Rounds Against Him

It was just a couple of months ago that the “Axe Murderer” nation was riddled with grief, upon hearing the news that not only was Wanderlei Silva no longer fighting Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116 in July, but that the former Pride champ was so banged up, he’d be out until 2011. It was a damn tough pill to swallow, considering that Silva was coming off a UD win over Michael Bisping in February, after losing back-to-bouts against Rich Frankin and “Rampage” Jackson.

Well, several weeks have blurred by (courtesy a heavy MMA schedule) and already people are looking towards what’s in store next for Wandy. At the UFC 118 festivities this past weekend, while reportedly still utilizing crutches, Silva informed MMA Fighting that he hopes to be back in stomping action by February or March. So who might be his opponent? While Silva talked about his wish to rematch Vitor Belfort, it’s looking like “The Phenom” will face Yushin Okami in November, and one would think the winner will get a title shot. Silva also conceded that he’d like to face Chris Leben, however, and had this to say about fighting the man who replaced him vs. Akiyama.

“He won’t pass the first two rounds with me,” Silva said. “I saw his fight with Akiyama. It was a great match, and he beat him in the final round. He’s a tough guy. He had only fought two weeks earlier. I think it will be perfect for my next fight.”

Huh. Clearly Wandy’s feeling pretty confident; that aside, here’s hoping this fight happens. Has FOTN written all over it.

Posted on August 31, 2010
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Montreal to Host GSP vs. Josh Koscheck II

Heading into his first bout with Georges St. Pierre, Josh Koscheck likely wasn’t most Canadian’s ‘favori’ fighter to begin with, but after his post UFC 113 interview / antics (you may recall him declaring that the asses of both the Montreal Canadiens and GSP were going to get kicked), we’re thinking Kos might not be the right guy to give you a tour of the historic city.

Well, word has come today from MMA Fighting, that the rematch between GSP and Koscheck will in fact go down in Montreal, on December 11^th. Dana White reportedly confirmed the fight date and location to the outlet, and in a follow up report from MMA Junkie, they too have verified that the fight will take place in St. Pierre’s hometown.

While Koscheck may or may not be looking forward to returning to a city where likely 90% of the people hate his guts (Kos does seem to revel in pissing others off), this news absolutely guarantees a packed Bell Centre / house come December 11^th. Throw in the fact that each dude is coaching in the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and you’ve got yourself some serious hype. Oh yeah, if the NHL isn’t part of your regular sport’s diet, the Penguins ended up being eliminated by the Habs…How many signs do you think will be pointing that lil nugget out at UFC 124? If GSP in fact loses that night though…wow.

Posted on August 31, 2010
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Dana White Heaps Praise on Frankie Edgar

Frankie Edgar might as well had walked out to the Octagon last night with a Rodney Dangerfield bit playing, as despite being the UFC Lightweight Champion, it wasn’t like the guy was receiving a ton of respect heading into his rematch with BJ Penn. Of course, Penn has long been widely regarded as the world’s best lightweight, as well as one of the sport’s best P4P fighters, so something must have been wrong with him in their first meeting right? Wrong.

Now it wasn’t like Edgar beat the holy living hell out of Penn last night in Boston, but it was a pretty damn convincing win, as the Jersey fighter once again outscored the Hawaiian on his feet and threw in a couple of takedowns for good measure. Speaking afterwards at the post-fight presser, Dana White took the opportunity to heap praise on the promotion’s lightweight champ, saying (thanks to MMA Bay for the quote):

“This kid just beat the s— out of BJ Penn for five rounds. Dominated him in every facet of the fight: on the ground, on top, on bottom, stand-up, everything. The kid’s got a heart as big as this room. He comes from wrestling, but his boxing is unbelievable, his jiu-jitsu was great tonight, his wrestling was sick. He picked BJ up and power slammed him. I guarantee you BJ Penn is banged up right now.”

You don’t have to sell this on us Dana; Frankie’s got our complete and total respect. Now it just remains to be seen whether or not Joe and Jane ’UFC’s kind of cool’ embrace the new champ, or get pumped for his first bout with Gray Maynard.

Posted on August 29, 2010
Filed Under B.J. Penn, Dana White, MMA, MMA News, UFC, UFC News | Leave a Comment

Official UFC 118 Weigh-In Results

If you were hoping for one final bit of drama just one day prior to UFC 118, alas, the weigh-ins this afternoon provided none of it. James Toney, who came in at 237lbs., had little to say to opponent Randy Couture or the Boston crowd, many of whom don’t evidently care for the boxing champ (“The Natural” came in at 220).

As far as main event competitors, lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn, they both weighed in at 154 for their rematch. Really, aside from a couple of rather stern looking stare downs, the only interesting bit today was Gabe Ruediger giving Joe Lauzon a cake with “Sorry About Your Loss” written on it. Yes, Gabe made weight, and no, he didn’t eat any of the cake.

Here are the official weigh-in results:

Frankie Edgar (154) vs. BJ Penn (154), James Toney (237) vs. Randy Couture (220), Gray Maynard (156) vs. Kenny Florian (156), Marcus Davis (170) vs. Nate Diaz (171), Mario Miranda (185) vs. Demian Maia (184), Joe Lauzon (156) vs. Gabe Ruediger (155), Andre Winner (154) vs. Nik Lentz (155), Dan Miller (185) vs. Jon Salter (185), Nick Osipczak (171) vs. Greg Soto (170), Amilcar Alves (171) vs. Mike Pierce (171).

To bet on tomorrow’s card head here.

Posted on August 27, 2010
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Marcus Davis Predicts James Toney “Doing Nothing” Against Randy Couture

If there’s one man that knows what the hell he’s talking about in regards to the whole ‘boxing vs. MMA’ debate, it’s gotta be Marcus Davis. After all, before transitioning into the Octagon, the welterweight went 17-1 as a pro-boxer—that probably qualifies him as an expert no?  (Although we’ve learned a thing or two from playing UFC Undisputed immediately following EA Sport’s Fight Night…)

Of course, unless you’ve been having a spat with the internet, TV, and or any other form of communication, you know that renowned boxing champ James “Light Out” Toney is making his MMA debut Saturday against Randy “The Natural” Couture. It’s a pretty, pretty, pretty big deal in terms of settling the aforementioned, yet tired, debate, and while speaking to MMA Fighting, Davis had this to say about how he thinks Toney will fair at UFC 118.

“He ain’t doing nothing. He’s not going to do anything,” Davis said when asked about Toney’s chances. “Just like everybody who’s a journalist of MMA, a practitioner, a coach, or a fan, they’ll tell you, it’s got to be a one-punch victory and that’s it. If he gets pushed up against the cage, he’s going down on the ground. If they go down, he ain’t getting back up. Randy’s not going to let that happen.”

It’s hard to disagree with you Mr. Davis, and thank you for including the rest of us, non-bad-asses in your comments. Of course Davis will swap leather with Nate Diaz in Boston, Saturday, which in addition to several other bouts scheduled for UFC 118, could be wicked awesome. To bet, head here.

Posted on August 27, 2010
Filed Under MMA, MMA News, Randy Couture, UFC, UFC News | Leave a Comment

James Toney Announces He’s “Seen Fear” in Randy Couture’s Eyes

Just days removed from Saturday’s UFC 118, James Toney continues to toss smack at Randy “The Natural” Couture, further increasing what could very well be, one of the largest helpings of humble pie the sport of MMA has ever seen (Chael Sonnen escaped that humiliation by dominating Anderson Silva for nearly five rounds). That is of course if the decorated boxer loses…no worries right? (Cue nervous laughter).

Really, even if Couture does smash Toney in under two minutes, it probably won’t silence the heavyweight too, too much, but seeing him get bowled over by “Captain America” would be damn satisfying for most MMA fans. So what’s the latest word from Mr. ‘Trust me I got this’ Toney? Speaking at today’s pre-fight UFC 118 presser, the boxing champ revealed:

“I seen fear,” Toney told MMAjunkie.com at Thursday’s media workout session. “I smelled it, too.”…”Everybody can sit there and say, ‘Oh, Randy was tough. He was cool.’ All the Randy Couture fans were [saying that]. Up close and personal, you could see it in his eyes. He ain’t never seen nobody like me in his life.”

Curious; what does fear smell like? Is there a feint (or strong) presence of urine? At any rate, Toney’s right, Couture has never faced anyone like him in his life, but that doesn’t change the fact that 9 out of 10 times The Natural should win that fight. To bet on that tilt, or any other at UFC 118, head here.

Posted on August 26, 2010
Filed Under MMA, MMA News, Randy Couture, UFC, UFC News | Leave a Comment

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