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Haunted by First Defeat, Rory MacDonald Looks to Rebound at UFC 129

By Ben FowlkesPosted: 04/26/2011 12:58 PM ET

It's been ten months since UFC welterweight Rory MacDonald (10-1) lost a heartbreaker of a fight to Carlos Condit at UFC 115, and he's finally put it behind him.

Well, mostly. Sort of.

That is to say, he's put it behind as much as any fighter can after being stopped in the final ten seconds of a fight he was winning on the scorecards. Had he lasted just seven seconds longer, MacDonald would likely have won a split decision victory. Instead, he went home with his first loss, and he's been feeling the sting of it ever since.

"It was difficult," said the 21-year-old MacDonald. "It was really hard to deal with, but I think I've dealt with most of it by now. I still think I need to get in there again and win this fight [against Nate Diaz at UFC 129] to really get over it, and maybe one day I need to get a rematch with Carlos to fully get over it. I don't know."
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UFC Requests Monitors for Judges at UFC 130

By Ariel HelwaniPosted: 04/26/2011 11:53 AM ET

If the UFC has its way, there will be monitors present beside each judge at next month's UFC 130 in Las Vegas.

Marc Ratner, the UFC's Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, informed MMA Fighting that the organization has formally submitted a request to the Nevada State Athletic Commission to install monitors as a backup viewing option for the judges assigned to score the bouts at UFC 130.

"I've emailed [NSAC Executive Director] Keith [Kizer] and asked him to put the request on the next agenda. We believe these monitors will be another look to help with the judges," Ratner wrote via e-mail.
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B.J. Penn: 'Teammates Have to Fight Each Other'

By Ben FowlkesPosted: 04/26/2011 10:13 AM ET

If you're a UFC fighter who's unhappy about being pressured into fighting your friends and teammates, don't come crying to B.J. Penn.

The former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour that it's all part of the game, and fighters should plan accordingly.

"I think teammates have to fight each other, and I knew that the whole time," Penn said. "That's why I would always distance myself. Of course they have to. I always thought it was B.S. that [Josh] Koscheck and [Jon] Fitch wouldn't have to fight, but they can just keep taking turns going for title shots, but they never had to fight each other? That doesn't make sense."
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Chuck Liddell Thinks Jake Shields Will Upset Georges St. Pierre

By Mike ChiappettaPosted: 04/26/2011 09:34 AM ET

Chuck Liddell knows a thing or two about defending a championship. The "Iceman" captured the UFC light-heavyweight title and held it for two years before relinquishing the crown. Georges St. Pierre has held a UFC belt even longer. He won the undisputed welterweight title in April 2008, so a successful title defense over Jake Shields at this weekend's UFC 129 will make it three years and counting at the top.

Liddell, though, has his doubts about St. Pierre getting there. In a Monday interview on The MMA Hour, Liddell said he thinks the challenger is likely to walk away with the belt.

"I'm siding with Jake," Liddell said. "Jake's going to have to take him down. I'm expecting him to be in great shape for the fight. He'll be in great shape for GSP. But yeah, I expect him to take him down and finish him."
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Anderson Silva: Chael Sonnen Doesn't Respect Anyone

By Ray HuiPosted: 04/26/2011 06:00 AM ET

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva still has no explanation for the controversial and outspoken Chael Sonnen's behavior leading up to their title fight at UFC 117 last August.

"Chael disrespected me, disrespected all of the fans in MMA, Chael disrespected my people in Brazil. Chael no respect nothing," Silva said Monday on The MMA Hour in a rare interview in English without manager Ed Soares as his translator. "I don't know what happened with Chael, but he's a good fighter. Maybe I don't look at Chael as a bad guy, but sometimes Chael has a problem with the fight. He has no control. I don't know. This is Chael's problem."
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B.J. Penn: 'I Feel My Clock Ticking'

By Ben FowlkesPosted: 04/25/2011 04:25 PM ET

In the Octagon that night, former UFC champ B.J. Penn sounded like a defeated, deflated fighter. He'd just fought to a draw with Jon Fitch at UFC 127, and yet the way he talked in his post-fight interview, it sounded like he might be ready to walk away from MMA for good.

But as Penn told Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour, that was just the disappointment talking.

"I guess I was just bummed out because I know I can beat that guy, and there I was getting my butt kicked in the third round and ending up with a draw," Penn said.
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Anderson Silva More Interested in Fighting Roy Jones Jr. Than Jon Jones

By Ray HuiPosted: 04/25/2011 04:15 PM ET

Of the Joneses, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is much more interested in the boxing great as an opponent than the current UFC light heavyweight champion.

Silva has made it clear it's his dream to fight his idol Roy Jones Jr. and at 36 with "maybe five more years" in the MMA game, Silva still has the desire to box the 42-year-old Jones Jr.

"Maybe finish my contract for UFC, finish my fights in MMA, I'll go," Silva said Monday on The MMA Hour. "This is my goal for my career. It's my dream -- is to fight Roy Jones and boxing."
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Former WWE Star Batista Says Long-Rumored Strikeforce Deal Is Dead

By Mike ChiappettaPosted: 04/25/2011 04:06 PM ET

A long-rumored deal that would bring former professional wrestling star Dave Batista to mixed martial arts under the Strikeforce banner is now dead.

The 42-year-old, whose real last name is Bautista, quit wrestling in mid-2010 and shortly afterward said he was interested in transitioning into MMA. After months of ongoing negotiations though, Batista told TMZ that talks with Strikeforce came to a close shortly after UFC parent company Zuffa bought Strikeforce.
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Jon Jones Injured; Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis Booked for UFC 133

By Mike ChiappettaPosted: 04/25/2011 01:31 PM ET

The grudge match will have to wait. So will Jon Jones' first title defense.

A hand injury has knocked the new UFC light-heavyweight champion out of action for the time being, leaving the UFC without a main event for its upcoming return to Philadelphia in August. As a result, the promotion has booked a fight pitting Jones' scheduled opponent Rashad Evans against rising star Phil Davis.

The UFC 133 fight was confirmed by the UFC on Monday morning. It was first reported by the Canadian Press.
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Randy Couture's Most Important Role Could Lie in Retirement

By Mike ChiappettaPosted: 04/25/2011 12:55 PM ET

Saturday night is expected to be the last time in the octagon for UFC legend Randy Couture, so expect the tributes to begin trickling in early this week and a flood to follow his fight with Lyoto Machida, win or lose. They are all deserved of course, even though plenty of them will focus on what he's done, rather than what he might do.

What's amazing is that despite all his accomplishments in the cage -- championships and megafights among them -- Couture could end up becoming one of the rare fighters who is more important to the sport in retirement than he was in action. That is a tall order, of course. Couture is and will forever be one of the seminal figures of early MMA, and was one of the few pioneers able to evolve from a singular style to favorably compete with the modern class of hybrid athletes.

His legacy is surely written in stone. He's a multi-time, multi-division champion; he holds a UFC record by competing in 16 title fights; and he was one of the few early personalities that transcended into mainstream consciousness. So what can he do after he hangs up his gloves that he didn't do before? He can be a voice for MMA, he can be an agent for change, he can offer thought-provoking perspective on the direction of the sport.
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Watch Live on MMA Fighting:

UFC 129

Sat., April 30 at 9PM ET

Fight Calendar

UFC 129 - GSP vs. Shields
UFC 130 - Edgar vs. Maynard 3
TUF 13 Finale
UFC 131 - Lesnar vs. Dos Santos
UFC on Versus 4
UFC 132 - Cruz vs. Faber 2
Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum
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