Dana White (pictured) likely has a headache with how many fights he’s had to reshuffle for this UFC on FOX 8 card. (Photo credit unknown)

Damn you, injury bug!

UFC on FOX 8, which is scheduled to take place on July 27 at Seattle’s Key Arena (if there’s anyone left), has recently been hit with a rash of injuries that have forced the fight card to change.

Matt Mitrione has sustained an undisclosed injury and is forced out of his fight with Brendan Schaub. The fight, according to an announcement made by the UFC, will take place at a later date and venue. They didn’t say, however, when and where that will be. Bummer.

Also, what would’ve been a sure thing in the someone-will-get-punched-really-hard department, Siyar Bahadurzada is hurt and had to be pulled from his fight with Robbie Lawler. In his place, Bobby Voelker will fight Lawler (we still think someone will get punched, though).

And then there’s Bobby Green. Yup, he’s hurt, too. As a result, Danny Castillo will now fight Tim Means.

But we’re not done!

Spencer Fisher is hurt, according to the UFC Twitter account. His old opponent, Yves Edwards, now faces Daron Cruickshank.

Ok, I think we’re done with the unfortunate injury report for now. But there’s over two weeks left until this card, so cross your fingers.

Metamoris II, this Sunday, June 9, featured six matches on its card and only the last fight saw a tap-out.

Kron persists to get the tap

Kron vs Aoki

Kron Gracie, in the last fight, got the three taps with a beautiful guillotine.

It took some work, but Rickson Gracie’s son persisted and got the finish.

The crowd was able to finally see what they had come to see at the Pauley Pavillion, at UCLA.

At the press conference, Kron said that he likes the 20-minute, no-points format: “I can do really long training sessions, I don’t have to lift weights. That’s one of the reasons why I am now exclusive with Metamoris.”

Metamoris president Ralek Gracie announced that Kron will have a title fight in the next installment.

Rodolfo puts pressure on Braulio

Rodolfo vs. Braulio

Before Kron vs. Aoki, the most exciting match of the night was the clash of generations between Rodolfo Vieira and Braulio Estima.

Rodolfo did his thing and played on top the whole time, always trying to pass Braulio’s guard, who used his long legs to defend well.

Estima was successful most of the time, but Rodolfo managed to pass occasionally.

The ending was the most thrilling part. Rodolfo managed to catch Braulio’s arm and stretch it, but Braulio defended it nicely and avoided the finish.

Braulio revealed that he had hurt himself during the Worlds, last weekend, and said that he had a lot of confidence in his guard.

Rodolfo said he was surprised with the kind of guard Braulio played: “It was a tricky guard, so I took no chances and paced myself so I wouldn’t get tired before the 20 minutes were over. Which in fact happened and I got really tired.”

Galvão wears Lovato out

Galvão vs. Lovato

Andre Galvão was back to Metamoris’ white mat, this time to face Rafael Lovato Jr.

He managed to pass Lovato’s guard twice but didn’t get the submission he was looking for.

Fortunately for Galvão, this time there were judges and they ruled in his favor.

Galvão said at the press conference that he felt in good shape for the match, but said that he has to train more to pace himself more during the 20 minutes.

Rafael lovato Jr thanked the event for another invitation and praised Galvão for his win.

Schaub seemed to be in the wrong place

Cyborg vs. Schaub

The first no-gi fight of the evening was disapointing for the crowd.

UFC’s Breandan Schaub didn’t seem in the mood to go for it against Roberto Cyborg. His only attempts were for guillotines, but not very effective.

Cyborg tried to pursue the fight but only in the very end was he able to pass Schaub’s guard. Unfortunately the time ran out before he could do anything.

At least Cyborg took the win home.

At the press conference, Schaub tried to defend his actions: “I tried to shut Cyborg’s game down. That was the strategy, to not let him get ahold of my legs. It was mission accomplished for me.”

Cyborg was clearly upset: “When there’s someone trying to fight you, you either go for it, or you stay home. I was frustrated because I never ran from a fight like he did.”

Dern, Nicolini tie after foot lock battle

Dern vs. Nicolini

The first female match on Metamoris was nice to watch.

Mackenzie Dern went for it in the beginning, got a takedown and almost passed Michelle Nicolini’s guard.

They exchanged sweeps and foot attacks until the end, when the judges agreed on a draw.

Michelle said during the press conference that it was not her strategy to play double guard: “She got a tight grip on my arm. I didn’t feel comfortable to get on top.”

Dern said that it was an honor to be in the first female match of Metamoris.

Victor Estima, JT torres exchange foot attacks to tie after 20 minutes

Estima vs. JT

The first match of the event was a last-minute deal.

At the press conference, both fighters said that being called to compete on such short notice hurt their performance.

The 20-minute match was filled with foot attacks.

Maybe Estima got closer to get the tap, but the judges preferred to call it a draw.

Metamoris already announced the first match of next installment.

Royler Gracie will face Eddie Bravo in a rematch of their 2003 ADCC bout, in Brazil, when Bravo shocked the grappling world by choking Gracie out in a triangle.

There’s still no date for Metamoris III.

Após se recuperar de lesão no ombro, Demetrious Johnson coloca seu cinturão em jogo contra John Moraga no UFC de 27 de julho. Foto: UFC/Divulgação

O campeão dos pesos-moscas do UFC, Demetrious Johnson, deveria ter feito sua segunda defesa de cinturão no TUF 17 Finale, dia 13 de abril, mas uma lesão no ombro acabou impossibilitando o atleta de lutar.

Recuperado, Johnson já tem nova data para atuar: dia 27 de julho, em Seattle. Ele enfrenta John Moraga, o número um no ranking da categoria.

Outros dois duelos agendados para o evento são Miesha Tate vs Liz Carmouche e os pesos-pesados Brendan Schaub contra Matt Mitrione. A participação deste último é uma surpresa, já que o UFC havia suspendido o lutador após as críticas contra a atleta transexual Fallon Fox.

Confira como está o card parcial do evento:

UFC: Johnson vs Moraga
Seattle (EUA)
27 de julho de 2013,

Demetrious Johnson vs John Moraga
Rory MacDonald vs Jake Ellenberger
Melvin Guillard vs Mac Danzig
Tarec Saffiedine vs Robbie Lawler
Miesha Tate vs Liz Carmouche
Matt Mitrione vs Brendan Schaub
Bobby Green vs Danny Castillo
Germaine de Randamie vs Julie Kedzie
Yves Edwards vs Spencer Fisher
Michael Chiesa vs Reza Madadi

Thrilled with his recent spate of winning predictions, our bold trainee requested a few days to dedicate himself to studying the card for UFC 145, set to go down Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia.

“I don’t mean to brag, boss, but I found out things that even Dana White doesn’t know!” he spluttered, pulling out a napkin with an incomprehensible jumble of numbers, notes and charts scrawled on it.

“For example, on the card for UFC 145 there’s an athlete who’s almost a complete unknown yet is a champion in YouTube hits. The problem is that the video’s of him tapping out to a rare armlock, by Aoki. But that still makes it a curious and bizarre tidbit,” the seal explained.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_718dOW09k

Well founded or not, there you have it, once again, the famed Trainee’s Picks. Bet with him, if you have the courage.

UFC 145: JONES VS EVANS
PHILIPS ARENA, ATLANTA, GEORGIA
SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans
Prediction: Jon Jones

Rory MacDonald vs Che Mills
Prediction: Rory MacDonald

Brendan Schaub vs Ben Rothwell
Prediction: Brendan Schaub

Miguel Torres vs Michael McDonald
Prediction: Miguel Torres

Mark Hominick vs Eddie Yagin
Prediction: Mark Hominick

Mark Bocek vs John Alessio
Prediction: Mark Bocek

Under Card(on FX channel)

Travis Browne vs Chad Griggs
Prediction: Travis Browne

Matt Brown vs Stephen Thompson
Prediction: Stephen Thompson

John Makdessi vs Anthony Njokuani
Prediction: Anthony Njokuani

Mac Danzig vs Efrain Escudero
Prediction: Mac Danzig

Under card (on UFC Facebook page)

Keith Wisniewski vs Chris Clements
Prediction: Chris Clements

Marcus Brimage vs Maximo Blanco
Prediction: Maximo Blanco

Excitadíssimo com os acertos recentes, nosso bravo Estagiário pediu uns dias para se dedicar ao estudo do card do UFC 145, transmitido ao vivo neste sábado, a partir de 20h, pelo canal Combate (o card principal também será exibido via Sportv).

“Não quero me gambar, não, chefia. Mas descobri coisas que nem Dana White sabe!”, disparou, mostrando um guardanapo amassado cheio de números, anotações e gráficos incompreensíveis.

“Por exemplo, no card do UFC 145 há um atleta quase desconhecido mas que é campeão de acessos do YouTube. O problema é que ele está batucando em pé numa chave de braço rara, para o Aoki. Mas não deixa de ser curioso e bizarro”, explicou o foca.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_718dOW09k

Bem embasado ou não, eis aí, mais uma vez, os famigerados Pitacos do Estagiário. Aposte com ele, se tiver coragem.

UFC 145: Jones vs Evans
Philips Arena, Atlanta, Geórgia
Sábado, 21 de abril de 2012

Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans
Palpite: Jon Jones

Rory MacDonald vs Che Mills
Palpite: Rory MacDonald

Brendan Schaub vs Ben Rothwell
Palpite: Brendan Schaub

Miguel Torres vs Michael McDonald
Palpite: Miguel Torres

Mark Hominick vs Eddie Yagin
Palpite: Mark Hominick

Mark Bocek vs John Alessio
Palpite: Mark Bocek

Card preliminar (canal FX)

Travis Browne vs Chad Griggs
Palpite: Travis Browne

Matt Brown vs Stephen Thompson
Palpite: Stephen Thompson

John Makdessi vs Anthony Njokuani
Palpite: Anthony Njokuani

Mac Danzig vs Efrain Escudero
Palpite: Mac Danzig

Card preliminar (Facebook do UFC)

Keith Wisniewski vs Chris Clements
Palpite: Chris Clements

Marcus Brimage vs Maximo Blanco
Palpite: Maximo Blanco

A aim of the effort isn’t just to win, it’s to put on a show-stopping performance for his hometown crowd, when he steps into the octagon January 14 at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro.

Conditioning coach Alvaro Romano was one of those invited to the party, and he has decided to share a bit of what he has been going through and commented on how satisfying it was to work with UFC welterweight champion George Saint-Pierre–as well as the likes of Brendan Schaub, Nathan Marquardt, Phil Davis, Ross Pearson and UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

Alvaro Romano warms up with Belfort and GSP. Publicity photos.

“Every single training session has been great – and not just the Ginástica Natural training. There’s a great exchange of information going on between the athletes and coaches,” said Romano.

“Having worked with fighters all these years, what impressed me most was how humbly GSP accepted new approaches. We talked a lot about physical conditioning, and he made a point of getting in on the pool training I’ve been doing with Vitor. I showed him and the physiotherapist Salviti some post-training recovery techniques, and Salviti, who’s good people, showed us physiotherapy techniques. He and his trainer participated in everything and really liked it,” he added.

Vitor in the pool

GSP is coming off two knee injuries but is almost shipshape again. Now Vitor, according to Romano, is “on fire”:

“Here in Vegas, training sessions always kick off with Ginástica Natural, so it was cool for GSP and the guys see the different quality of training when it follows a good warmup. We did a good job of planning; he’s done a good job of combining speed and quality when performing fight moves,” he explains.

On the training of Jiu-Jitsu aces like Marcus Bochecha and Gilbert Durinho, Alvinho says they’re getting more impressive with every session.

“GSP and Vitor worked on everything: grappling, takedowns, specific positions. With the team we have assembled here, the Jiu-Jitsu has been a chapter all its own and has been impressing everyone – training between Durinho, Cezar “Mutante”, “Bochecha” and Vitor are off the hook; it’s been a pleasure to see. The whole gang is showing a bit of what their Jiu-Jitsu’s like, and they’ve been really dedicated to training,” said the trainer in finishing.

Um esforço cujo objetivo é não apenas vencer, mas encantar a torcida bem mais ao sul, na HSBC Arena, no Rio de Janeiro, no UFC 142 em 14 de janeiro.

O preparador Alvaro Romano foi um dos convidados para a festa, e dividiu com os leitores do GRACIEMAG.com um pouco do que tem vivido, e comentou a satisfação de poder ajudar nos treinos do campeão dos meio-médios, Georges Saint-Pierre –uma das estrelas do camp ao lado de Brendan Schaub, Nathan Marquardt, Phil Davis, Ross Pearson e do campeão dos galos do UFC, Dominick Cruz.

Alvinho Romano aquece com Belfort e GSP. Fotos: Divulgação.

“Os treinos todos têm sido excelentes, não apenas os de Ginástica Natural. Está rolando muita troca de informações entre atletas e treinadores”, resumiu Romano.

“Para mim que trabalho com lutadores nesses anos todos, o que mais me impressionou no GSP foi a simplicidade em aceitar coisas novas. Conversamos muito sobre preparação física e ele fez questão de realizar os treinos na piscina que estou fazendo com o Vitor. Mostrei os trabalhos de recuperação pós-treino para ele e o fisoteraputa Salviti, que está com a gente, mostrou a ele a parte de fisioterapia. Ele e seu treinador participaram de tudo e gostaram muito”, acrescentou.

Vitor na piscina.

GSP vem de duas contusões nos joelhos, mas está quase em ponto de bala novamente. Já Vitor, segundo Romano, está “voando”:

“Aqui em Vegas, a Ginástica Natural abre as sessões de treinos sempre. Isso foi legal para o GSP e todo o pessoal perceber a diferença de qualidade quando se treina depois de um bom aquecimento. Começamos dezembro e o Vitor já está voando. O planejamento está muito bom, ele está aliando muito bem a sua velocidade com a qualidade na execução dos movimentos de luta”, explica.

Sobre os treinos com as feras do Jiu-Jitsu, como Marcus Bochecha e Gilbert Durinho, Alvinho diz que cada sessão impressiona mais.

“O GSP e o Vitor treinaram de tudo, chão, quedas, posições específicas. Com a equipe reunida aqui, o Jiu-Jitsu tem sido um capítulo à parte e está impressionando a todos, os treinos entre Durinho, o Cezar Mutante, o Bochecha e o Vitor são um show, está dando gosto de ver. A galera todo dia mostran um pouco o que é o Jiu-Jitsu para eles, e se dedicam muito nos treinos”, concluiu o treinador.

O evento californiano contou com boas lutas, como você viu no GRACIEMAG.com. Confira agora uma reportagem com os melhores momentos do evento organizado por por Rafael Cordeiro e Lucas Pires.

There’s was plenty of great action on display at the Californian event, as you saw on GRACIEMAG.com. Now check out the highlights from the Rafael Cordeiro- and Lucas Pires-promoted event:

Former UFC fighter title challenger Gabriel Napão / Publicity photo

Not having fought since he lost to Brendan Schaub in October 2010, Gabriel Napão made his return with a win, at Reality Fighting this Saturday in Connecticut.

The black belt ended his fight with Parker Porter 1:50 minutes into the third round with an arm triangle.

Com Gabriel Napão, ex-UFC. Foto: Divulgação.

Sem lutar desde outubro de 2010, quando perdeu para Brendan Schaub e acabou fora do UFC, Gabriel Napão retornou com vitória aos cages neste sábado, no Reality Fighting, em Connecticut.

Contra Parker Porter, em luta que valeu o cinturão de pesados da organização, o faixa-preta voltou a usar a arte suave. A 1min50s do terceiro round, chegou à finalização com um triângulo de mão.