Video: Tito Ortiz responds to Josh Koscheck Smack Talk

The war of words continues as Tito Ortiz fires back at Josh Kosheck. Among other things Tito tells Koscheck to ” win a world title before talking about me ” and calls him Sideshow Bob.

See the Video from MMA Connected

The Ultimate Fighter Week 10: Yager is out, Tito is out!

In this week’s Ultimate Fighter we are promised two things. The first is an exciting quarter final fight, the last of four as Jamie Yager fights Josh Bryant in what is expected to be a one sided fight. The second is a first time event for TUF in its history. If I was a betting man, and I am, it would have to do with the fact that we all know by now in that Tito and Chuck are not fighting at the close of this season.

Jamie towers over Bryant when they stand toe to toe. Both fighters come across as solid fighters, confident fighters. The episode is dedicated to this final matchup of the quarter finals so we are quickly at fight time.

The fighters come out eager to win and both seem energetic. Yager comes in for a punch but gets caught with a strong punch and finds himself against the cage with Bryant in control. Yager does connect a nice knee while defending himself and after a bit more shuffling they are back to the center of the octagon. As we have come to expect Yager throws several kicks including one in the jewels.

So after the short timeout the fighters are at it again. They exchange punches in a short flury and Yager throws many more kicks as Bryant connects with punches. Liddell begs for Bryant to throw and when he finally does Yager drops like a sack of potatoes. He finds himself on his back trying to defend as the round comes to an end.

Round two begins and as the fighters meet in the center Yager pats Bryant on the back as to say nice job that first round. Josh decides to return the favor and knocks Yager in the baby maker. Not sure if it really landed or Yager wanted an extra rest and it looked like high thigh. The fighters start to really engage and kicks are landed, punches are landed, and as Bryant is able to catch a leg kick thrown by Yager, the favorite is finding himself once again on his back defending.

Ultimately the fighters are on their feet and Yager seems exhausted. Bryant continues to work, but is swinging wildly. With two minutes to go in the second round, Bryant connects witha nother punch on the jaw of Jamie Yager. After an additional exchange, a tired Yager falls and Bryant lands on top. With minor ground and pound, Bryant does land a few more points controlling Yager. Tito is shouting for his fighter not to give up, but that seems exactly like what is going on as Bryant is not doing anything spectacular.

When the roudn ends though Yager isn’t returning to his corner. Dana announces the judges have it as a tie so there will be a third round. As we return from a commercial break we find out how wrong Dana is. There will be no thrid round as Jamie Yager decides to quit! He literally sat on the stool and shook his head. Nothing more than being tired – the pathetic lack of desire takes Tito over the limit. His friends help him out and escort him to an ambulance.

Now for the second item we were promised today. Dana takes Tito aside and says he has a top notch doctor lined up for him to review his injury. However, since Tito will not be fighting Chuck Liddell due to the injury, Dana decides to take Tito off of the show and have his replacement finsih the coaching for the rest of the season. So for the first time in TUF history, a coach is taken off of the show.

Tito storms off and Dana White has to announce to his team that Tito is off the show. The team seems pissed, however, eventually Tito does return to let his team know in person that he has to leave the show.

The semi fainal fights are annoucnes and ther are as follows:

Cort McGee and Brad Tavares

Kris McCray and Josh Bryant

As the show concludes, we see who we could figure would be the replacement since we know Rich Franklin is the new fight arranged for Chuck Liddell. We will see what this ultimately means for the Team Punishment as the season wraps up.

The Ultimate Fighter 11 Week 5: Josh Bryant def. Kris McCray

For the first time there is more drama outside of The Ultimate Fighter reality series that on the episodes themselves. Week 5 is upon us and we have already heard that Tito Ortiz will not be fighting opposing coach Chuck Liddell. Chuck Liddell will be fighting Rich Franklin as we previously reported in Franklin to Meet Liddell at UFC 115. Weeks later the craziness continues as it was reported that Tito Ortiz was arrested as the result of a domestic violence dispute.

With the news last week that Rich Attonito broke his hand during his victory over Kyacey Uscola by disqualification in combination with the wild card spots still open, several fighters that originally lost may get a second chance. With the win, Tito Ortiz is in control this week of the fight selections and selects Kris McCray versus Josh Bryant. Chris has his work cut out to win this fight and keep Team Punishment in control of the fight selections. With the recent news about Tito, it is safe to say he likes to be in control.

The injuries stack up as Clayton McKinney completes surgery on his shoulder, an injury he suffered in his earlier win. Chuck Liddell, for the second time the season, is unable to be ringside for his fighter during the bout. The fight is about to begin between two very focused MMA fighters on making it further in the competition.

As the fight begins Josh Bryant and Kris McCray have some great exchanges connecting with punches and knees. The first minute completes as Kris gets the takedown and puts the hooks in. Bryant manages to push Kris over top and gets back to his feet. The exchanges continue, but Kris McCray seems to be gaining momentum as he connects with several knees and the more damaging punches.

Both fighters are able to score takedowns, but as Kris begins to gas, Bryant almost sinks in a rear naked choke. For the last minute of the fight, the exhausted fighters rest against the cage and clinch. Occassionally they exchange knees to finish out the first round of the fight. Kris may have had a minor edge, but that round could have gone either way on the scorecards.

Round 2 starts slow, but as Team Liddell begs their fighter Josh Bryant to let his hands go, when he does the straight punches land with force. Bryant manages to score a takedown as well and McCray is visually tiring. Bryant lands two massive blows knocking McCrays head from side to side. He then manages to get his second takedown of the round. However, as Kris McCray makes his way to his feet he returns the favor and puts Josh on his back.

The last minute of round 2 is McCray on top, Bryant in full guard and both fighters landing punches as the round ends. Both rounds have been extremely close resulting in hopes for a third round. The third round is exactly what is in store.

Everyone wanted a third round except the fighters themselves apparently as they burn the first minute and a half in a clinch against the cage. Josh Bryant manages to land a couple of good blows McCray clinches for another minute obviously exhausted. With only a minute and twenty seconds remaining they are stopped and put back into the middle of the octagon. Fists start flying immediately with Bryant landing the more damaging punches. As the seconds count down, Bryant gets control of McCray from behind and nearly catches his with a rear naked choke once again. I can’t see this going any other way than to Josh Bryant for that last round.

The fight results as expected with Josh Bryant pulling out the unanimous decision over Kris McCray. Without the presence of their head coach, Team Liddell will be back in control.

Hey, TUF guy! We have plenty of official The Ultimate Fighter clothing in our huge MMA Clothing and Gear store, including the brand new Punishment Athletics Team Fighter T-Shirt.

Will the UFC Cut Tito Ortiz?

“Other than going on a killing spree, being accused of domestic violence is the worst thing you can have going for you.”

Not exactly the kind of support that Tito Ortiz was hoping for from current employer, ex-manager, and sometimes friend, UFC president Dana White. For those unaware of yesterday’s news from Huntington Beach, Tito Ortiz was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence against his live-in girlfriend, Jenna Jameson. Local 911 received an AM call about a disturbance at the residence in Ortiz’s hometown and responded to find Jameson with “visible injuries”. As usual, TMZ.com was all over it, and broke the news. They had photos of the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” being cuffed and stuffed and even caught a tearful Jameson at later points in the day (wearing an arm brace) essentially confirming that she was the alleged victim, that Ortiz was in jail, and that she was going to press charges.

Late Monday, Team Ortiz countered in a press conference accusing Jameson of having a relapse from a nasty OxyContin addiction, that he never laid a hand on her, and that Jameson’s own family now sides with him after hearing his side of the story. The whole scenario is rapidly turning into a “he said, she said” tale of alleged domestic assault, alleged drug abuse, and, yes, media manipulation.

While the accusations against Jameson will likely have zero impact on her adult entertainment enterprise, the accusations could be a catastrophic to Ortiz. Ortiz works for an organization entirely cognizant of the negative impact of having troublemakers on its payroll – including someone accused of domestic assault. Considering White’s comments, the enormity of the allegations, and the overall negative exposure to the UFC, will the UFC now cut Tito Ortiz as a result? Although only time (and Dana) will tell, the ball is squarely in White’s court. For a myriad of reasons, if I was a betting man, I’d be leaning towards Ortiz getting his walking papers. The UFC is big business, and, like any profitable organization, ultimately makes decisions based upon “Return on Investment” and the value that fighters provide to the organization. Does Ortiz provide any value to the UFC at this point? The following holds true:

• Ortiz is an aging fighter at 35 years old with some nagging health issues, who, by most accounts hasn’t had a significant win in a little over 4 years (def. Forrest Griffin at UFC 59). The two wins against Ken Shamrock did nothing for his career, and, his previously scheduled showdown with Chuck Liddell after The Ultimate Fighter 11 was his shot at proving his current relevance. Most agree that the former UFC champion isn’t even a Top 20 Light Heavyweight any longer.
• Leaked accounts during The Ultimate Fighter 11 had Ortiz not being able to complete taping of the show for unknown reasons. Rich Franklin was tapped as his replacement on the show, and it’ll be Franklin – not Ortiz – who’ll face Liddell in a few months. Although Franklin should be a game opponent for Liddell, the UFC can’t be happy with the planned third grudge match between two of the biggest (ex) names in the sport going at it one final time. Dollars lost.
• Ortiz and Dana White used to be friendly away from MMA, but, by all accounts, haven’t been close for years. Ortiz publicly demanded higher pay at the conclusion of his contract in 2007, and the two have interacted solely on a professional level since. Both still like to take swipes at each other when the circumstances and audience are right. Declining skills and contentious relationship be damned, having Ortiz on the UFC payroll has solely been a financial decision for quite some time. As White and the UFC continue to build their empire, putting forth the “right” image for mass consumption is critical. Having someone accused of domestic assault against a woman (true or not) coupled with the contentious history with White isn’t good.

Did he or didn’t he? It’s going to get ugly, so show your support for Tito. We have plenty of official The Ultimate Fighter clothing in our huge MMA Clothing and Gear store, including the brand new Punishment Athletics Team Fighter T-Shirt.

Breaking News: Tito Ortiz Arrested for Domestic Violence

TMZ.com is reporting that former UFC champion, and TUF 11 coach, Tito Ortiz was arrested earlier this morning for felony domestic violence at a home in Huntington Beach, CA. During a call to 911 just before 10 AM local time, someone reported a disturbance at the residence that Ortiz shares with girlfriend, Jenna Jameson. When police arrived to investigate, they found Jameson with visible injuries and Ortiz was subsequently arrested.

Update: Jenna Jameson was seen leaving the home a few hours after the alleged assault and was quoted to TMZ photographers, “I’m gonna be alright…. my babies are alright … everything’s OK .. he’s in jail.” She also indicated that she would be pressing charges. This one could get ugly, quick.

Add another to the list. Check out our gallery of MMA Fighter Mugshots!

Photo: Ortiz being cuffed and stuffed. Props to TMZ.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Begins

Things are a bit different this year and the theme is second shots. Dana kicks things off in traditional style by giving his motivational speech. It is the same basic speech of giving it your all and not being the guy that regrets forever the chance he blew. This year seven guys will make it to the quarter finals and two guys with previous losses will be brought back for a second shot and fight it out for the eighth spot. We are definitely ready for another season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Read more

Chuck Liddell: It’s Ortiz… I Think

“I’ve heard the rumors, of course, but from what I understand, (Ortiz) is signed to fight, and he’s still going to actually show up and get the beating he’s supposed to get… I think I earned it having to put up with him for seven weeks. I earned the right to go out there and beat him.”

- Chuck Liddell during a conference call promoting the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter 11 slated to debut immediately following the Ultimate Fight Night 21: Florian vs. Gomi event on Spike TV. Rumors have swirled, and Dana White has played coy, on the legitimacy of Liddell meeting Tito Ortiz for a third time after the conclusion of TUF 11. Leaked reports have surfaced indicating that Ortiz was unable to complete the filming of the reality show for unknown reasons (further fueled by bizarre Tweets by Ortiz and wife Jenna Jameson), may have been replaced as a coach by former UFC Middleweight champion Rich Franklin, and that it may actually be Franklin – not Ortiz – who ends up fighting Liddell at UFC 115. Time will tell.

Confused? So are we… however, nothing confusing about one of the web’s largest selections of MMA Clothing and Gear in our online store. Have a look!

The Ultimate Fighter 11: Middleweights Debut Announced

The next season of the entertaining and influential MMA reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, will make it’s debut on Spike TV on March 31, 2010. Initially being called “The Ultimate Fighter 11: Middleweights”, the season will begin production filming in January 2010, is rumored to feature only Middleweight fighters (185 lbs), and will be coached by future UFC Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. The tentative plan, as with most “TUF” seasons, is to have the coaches headline a Pay-Per-View event following the season’s The Ultimate Fighter Finale event. Liddell and Ortiz have fought twice previously with Liddell earning a third round TKO win at UFC 66 (Dec 30, 2006) and second round KO win at UFC 47 (Apr 4, 2004).

Quick Shots – Tue Dec 8 2009

* The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale went down last Saturday, and for those living on Mars (or at least without Spike TV), below are the official results from the evening’s fights. In a nutshell, Roy Nelson dropped Brendan Schaub with a beautiful right hand to become season 10′s Ultimate Fighter, Matt Hamill was absolutely dominated by Jon Jones but received a gift DQ win due to illegal downward elbows planted on his face, Internet sensation Kimbo Slice bested Houston Alexander in a fight that surprisingly offered little action (but plenty of circling), Frankie Edgar survived multiple slams from a game Matt Veach to eventually sink in a RNC, Matt Mitrione shocked Marcus Jones by turning out his lights as the second round started, James McSweeney went to the third to win by TKO, big underdog Jon Madsen (+300) got the split decision over Justin Wren, “All American” Stann pulled the UD, John Howard won by KO with 5 seconds left in a wild fight against cagy Dennis Hallman, and huge favorite Mark Bocek (-500) had a relatively easy time with the Hoelzer Reich-sponsored Joe Brammer.

o Roy Nelson (-210) def. Brendan Schaub (+170) via KO (Punch) – Round 1, 3:45
o Matt Hamill (+260) def. Jon Jones (-340) via Submission (Disqualified) – Round 1, 4:14
o Kimbo Slice (+260) def. Houston Alexander (-340) via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
o Frankie Edgar (-800) def. Matt Veach (+500) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) – Round 2, 2:22
o Matt Mitrione (+260) def. Marcus Jones (-340) via KO (Punches) – Round 2, 0:10
o James McSweeney (-125) def. Darrill Schoonover (-105) via TKO (Strikes) – Round 3, 3:20
o Jon Madsen (+300) def. Justin Wren (-500) via Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
o Brian Stann (-115) def. Rodney Wallace (-115) via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
o John Howard (-240) def. Dennis Hallman (+190) via KO (Punches) – Round 3, 4:55
o Mark Bocek (-500) def. Joe Brammer (+300) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) – Round 1, 3:36

Read more

MMA Quick Shots – Fri Oct 9 2009

* Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin 2 is a go for UFC 106. Mark Coleman was scheduled to face Ortiz at the event, but had to pull out because of a second-degree tear of the medial collateral ligament in his knee suffered during training. In steps Griffin. Forrest enters the emotional rematch after a break long enough to get married and was recently seen getting embarrassed by UFC MW champion Anderson Silva at UFC 101. Ortiz returns to the UFC after being a highly sought after free agent while providing fight commentary and now boasts a 15-6-1 record. Ortiz and Griffin originally met at UFC 59 in Anaheim, CA, with Ortiz winning by controversial decision.

* Pending Illinois Athletic Commission approval, explosive Judoka Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou will be Gegard Mousasi’s opponent on the upcoming Nov 7 Strikeforce card. Recent reports have waffled on whether the fight will be for Mousasi’s Strikeforce LHW crown or not, with the latest indications leaning towards it being a non-title fight. Mousasi is currently riding a 13 fight win streak including victories over Hector Lombard and Renato Sobral, while Sokoudjou has dropped 3 of his last 6 and is still looking to regain the form he once displayed in Pride. 

* The UFC announced that it terminated Junie Browning’s contract immediately upon hearing of his prescription drug overdose and subsequent arrest at a Henderson, NV hospital. Dana White confirmed the news to Yahoo. “Obviously, I’m very disappointed,” White said. “I haven’t heard anything regarding Junie where he’s acted up or been bad in a long time. You could tell on the show he had issues.” He later added, “He was given an amazing opportunity, but he has some serious issues that are beyond me and what I can do.”

* Strikeforce HW champion Alistair Overeem is reportedly close to finalizing a deal to fight swag-stealin’ Sam Hoger at Glory 11 on Oct 17 in Amsterdam.

* Rumors are swirling that Fabricio Werdum will fight Antonio Silva in an all-Brazilian HW match up at the upcoming Nov 7 Strikeforce card. While not officially confirmed by Strikeforce yet, both fighters are now optimistic about the match up. In addition, two additional fights have been unofficially announced for the undercard of the same event. With time rapidly running out, moves have been made to schedule The Ultimate Fighter 9 cast member Mark Miller taking on Deray Davis and Christian Uflacker meeting Jonatas Novaes. Not exactly Ali-Frazier, but the card needs fights!

Next Page »