Outside of a fluky loss to Tito Ortiz and a stumble against the phenomenon that is light heavyweight champion Jon Jones it?s hard to find any flaws in Ryan Bader?s run since winning the Ultimate Fighter Season 8. He?s beaten seasoned veterans like Keith Jardine and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira while also showing he?s not completely reliant on his impressive wrestling ability, possessing knockout power and ever-improving stand-up.

However, when Bader enters the Octagon this weekend against Quinton Jackson at UFC 144 he?ll do so as a significant underdog. Even Jackson, whose experience and accomplishments outweigh Bader?s without question, hasn?t seemed particularly jazzed about the pairing so much as the fight taking place in his former stomping ground of Japan.

Of course, none of that fazes Bader. In fact he actually enjoys the lack of pressure created by so many people counting him out.

?He?s fought over there, he?s popular over there?but that doesn?t matter to me. I relish the role of the underdog, going in there and beating someone like ?Rampage?,? said Bader in an interview with the UFC promoting Saturday night?s scrap. ?So, if anything, that?s gonna give me more motivation.?

As far as achieving his goal and beating Jackson, Bader has no illusions about the difficulty in doing so but has a gameplan in mind that could very well be successful given some of Jackson?s past difficulties against accomplished grapplers.

?I?m gonna be smart about it,? explained Bader. ?I?m not gonna just go out there and trade punches with ?Rampage?. I?m not afraid to go out there and strike with him but I?m gonna mix every bit of my MMA training up. I?m gonna use my wrestling, I?m gonna use some kicks, I?m gonna use some boxing.?

?If I go in there just trying to take him down that?s not gonna work. I?ve gotta mix everything up,? he concluded on the topic.

Bader-Jackson serves as the co-headliner at UFC 144 with Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson filling the main event slot. Other featured bouts on PPV include Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama, Bart Palaszewski vs. Hatsu Hioki, and Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis.

Check out the full interview with Bader below:

PHOTO CREDIT ? UFC

Brendhan Conlan is IS A VETERAN WRITER AND EDITOR AT FIVEOUNCESOFPAIN.COM BRINGING NEWS, INSIGHT, AND OPINION TO READERS ON A REGULAR BASIS. MAKE SURE TO CHECK HIM OUT ON TWITTER AT BRENCONLANMMA!
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Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/02/22/ryan-bader-relishing-the-role-of-an-underdog/

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Thanks to http://www.ultimateapocalypse.com for uploading this. UFC president Dana White calls Floyd Mayweather Jr. a racist and urges him to fight Manny Pacquiao. Recently, Mayweather ? who is no stranger to the UFC and MMA fans for putting the sport and its fighters down ? said New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin is only receiving media attention because he?s Asian and that black players do not receive the same praise. Hey Floyd, ever hear of Chamberlain, Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar, O?Neal, James, and Bryant? This is also the same guy who said that rival boxer Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino, should ?make some sushi rolls and cook some rice.? What an idiot.

Source: http://www.yorkblog.com/mma/2012/02/22/dana-white-yes-floyd-mayweather-jr-youre-a-racist/

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Behind-the-scenes footage from UFC 143: Dana White congratulating the fighters on a job well done, fighters giving each other props for a good fight, while other fighters get examined by the doctors. Finally, there?s some in-cage footage after the Diaz-Condit fight.

Source: http://www.yorkblog.com/mma/2012/02/21/dana-white-ufc-144-vlog-day-1/

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The UFC just released the full video of the Countdown Show to promote UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson which will be happening in Japan this weekend. They split it in four parts and featured the top match ups on the card, Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson, Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader, Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields, and Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon.

Click these to watch the videos:

Here are the UFC’s descriptions of each of the four bouts:

Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson: “The most unlikely UFC champion meets the former WEC champion in a battle between two true athletes. Watch lightweight champion Frankie Edgar fight Benson Henderson live on Saturday, February 25.”

Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader: “Former light heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson relishes the chance to return to Japan and his PRIDE-era fans, but Ryan Bader isn’t intimidated by fighting a legend… he’s done it before.”

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields: “Japanese superstar Sexyama drops down to welterweight as Jake Shields plans another run up the ranks of the 170-pound division.”

Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon: “Two lightweights with flashy finishes to their names will face one another – hear what bonus-hunter Joe Lauzon and human highlight reel Anthony Pettis are doing to prepare for what could be the most exciting fight of the year.”

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/2/22/2816124/ufc-144-edgar-vs-henderson-countdown-show-full-video-mma

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UFC President Dana White grants us backstage access to UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit for his first video blog entry pertaining to this Saturday?s UFC 144 extravaganza.

His latest edition includes moments with several fighters from the earlier event including Roy Nelson and Nick Diaz. Nelson, who lost a hard-fought decision to Fabricio Werdum, discusses the outcome with Diaz, saying, ?I thought I won two rounds.? Sympathetic to his cause, Diaz also complains about the way his loss to Carlos Condit was scored, mentioning that the numerous leg kicks Condit threw did zero damage.

Check out the entire video in the player below:

PHOTO CREDIT ? UFC

Jacoby Harms is
| All posts by Jacoby Harms

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/02/21/dana-white%E2%80%99s-latest-vlog-takes-fans-into-nick-diazs-locker-room-moments-after-ufc-143-loss/

Fight night Fight night champion

UFC President Dana White grants us backstage access to UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit for his first video blog entry pertaining to this Saturday?s UFC 144 extravaganza.

His latest edition includes moments with several fighters from the earlier event including Roy Nelson and Nick Diaz. Nelson, who lost a hard-fought decision to Fabricio Werdum, discusses the outcome with Diaz, saying, ?I thought I won two rounds.? Sympathetic to his cause, Diaz also complains about the way his loss to Carlos Condit was scored, mentioning that the numerous leg kicks Condit threw did zero damage.

Check out the entire video in the player below:

PHOTO CREDIT ? UFC

Jacoby Harms is
| All posts by Jacoby Harms

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/02/21/dana-white%E2%80%99s-latest-vlog-takes-fans-into-nick-diazs-locker-room-moments-after-ufc-143-loss/

Fighting games Fights

Rampage Jackson takes on Ryan Bader in a light heavyweight bout this Saturday, Feb. 25, at UFC 144.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/GFSJW7GyqUI/

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Bloody Elbow Radio, presented by Bad Boy, will be LIVE! at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT for another edition of the show. Join hosts Matt Bishop and MMA Mania’s Brian Hemminger as they discuss all the latest news in mixed martial arts, including Brian’s experience at a local Detroit MMA show featuring Brett Rogers in the main event, early thoughts on the UFC in Japan and much more.

We’re scheduled to be joined by former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia. We’ll chat with him about his push to get back into the UFC, his career path and much more.

We’ll also be joined by UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann to preview his UFC on FX 2 main event fight next week with Thiago Alves.

Bloody Elbow Radio is sponsored by Bad Boy. Get your Legacy Fight Shorts, seen on both Chris Weidman and Demian Maia at UFC on FOX, only from Bad Boy at the brand new BadBoy.com. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook and tell them Bloody Elbow sent you.

How to listen:

Live/archived on the player below I iTunes I RSS feed I Direct download link (available after live broadcast)

Want to get in touch with the BE Radio crew? Here’s how you can do so:

Phone: (347) 202-0934
E-mail: bloodyelbowradio@gmail.com
Twitter: @mbish86 or @BrianHemminger
BloodyElbow.com: Leave a question or comment in this post

For those calling in, you will first be picked up by our producer who will take your information and get what you want to talk about. You will then be queued. We will try to get to everyone as soon as we can. We ask that you call in around the time of the topic you want to discuss.

SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson

SBN coverage of UFC on FX 2

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/2/21/2814055/bad-boy-presents-bloody-elbow-radio-episode-137-tim-sylvia-martin

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For the first time since 2006, Quinton Jackson is back in Japan for a fight.

He’ll take on Ryan Bader at UFC 144: “Edgar vs. Henderson” this Sat., Feb. 25, 2012, at the Saitama Super Arena and to commemorate the occasion, the UFC has released a special poster dedicated solely to “Rampage.”

How you digging it, Maniacs?

Jackson, of course, isn’ the only one in action, as the world’s largest fight promotion has brought a fairly stacked card to “The Land of the Rising Sun” in its first trip back in over a decade. In the main event, Frankie Edgar defends the lightweight title against Ben Henderson while Jake Shields welcomes Yoshihiro Akiyama to the welterweight division.

In addition, Joe Lauzon will battle Anthony Pettis in a lightweight bout with serious divisional ramifications. That’s without mentioning Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch or Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt. Or even Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski.

All seven of those bouts will be broadcast on the main pay-per-view card, folks. It’s a doozy.

To stay up to date on all the latest UFC 144 news and notes click here.

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2012/2/21/2814862/special-ufc-144-poster-featuring-quinton-rampage-jackson

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From NY-based Gamma Labs: ?Gamma Labs presents ?Going the Distance? with Brittney Palmer introducing Gamma Labs PTF Stick Packs. For more info or to buy Gamma Labs products go to: http://www.gammalabs.net. Join the conversation at: http://www.facebook.com/gammalabs. Follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gammalabs.?

Source: http://www.yorkblog.com/mma/2012/02/21/gamma-labs-presents-going-the-distance-with-brittney-palmer/

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