Nick Diaz signing his new UFC contract

Nick Diaz’s retirement from MMA is over.

The welterweight just signed a three-fight contract with the UFC.

The news was posted by UFC President, Dana White, in his Twitter account.

It is still unknown when Nick will first appear in the octagon under his new contract.

His last appearance happened at UFC 153, on March 16, 2013, when he was defeated by GSP by unanimous decision.

After that match, Diaz said he was done with MMA and has since kept his promise.

Diaz is 26-9 in his MMA career.

Who do you think he should face first?

Silvério beats Orgulho by unanimous decision and is the new up to 77kg Jungle champion. Photo: Alexandre Modesto

Last Saturday, Jungle Fight had its 52nd edition, and crowned its new welterweight champion.

Elias Silverio made use of his greater experience and won by unanimous decision over Junior Pide from Baia before a packed Ueap gymnasium (State University of Pará). Born in Pirapora do Bom Jesus, Sao Paulo, Silverio remains unbeaten in nine fights, four in Jungle Fight, and succeeds Erick Silva as the holder of the Jungle Fight belt in the division.

Despite accepting the fight with less a than 10 days notice to replace Michel Trator who was hired by the UFC, Junior Orgulho, 23, made a tough match and showed a warrior spirit. Orgulho used the known boxing from the Champion gym to counter almost all actions against Silverio, who is four years older. Silverio defended kicks and found the weak point of his opponent and worked with Alvaro de Aguiar’s Muay Thai to gradually grow in the fight, score and become the new champion of the 77kg category.

D’Silva has spectacular debut at Jungle Fight

In the other main event of the night was a true spectacle starring Douglas D’Silva and Toninho Marajó. The fighters from Pará showed why the state is home to some of the biggest names in the MMA world, showing striking and blows, and near-knockout opportunities from both sides. Until 2:17 of the second round, D’Silva, who debuted in Jungle Fight, landed a left cross to the chin of Marajó, who fell. On the floor, he finished with a new sequence of punches and got his 19th victory and remains unbeaten in his career.

Heavyweight GP has another classified fighter

The only heavyweight fight of Jungle Fight 52 was a classic between two of the top MMA gyms in Brazil. Representing Kimura Nova Uniao, Caio Alencar used his Abu Dhabi Pro champion Jiu-Jitsu to overthrow Bira Lima, from X-Gym, and fit a body triangle from the back. He submitted with a rear-naked choke in only 0:53 of the first round. He is the second name for the semifinals of the GP. William “Gigante” secured his place at Jungle Fight 51.

In other fights, Guilherme “Kyoto” knocked out Reginaldo “Fibrado” with an uppercut to the chin in the first round, Michel “Psicopata” submitted Rômulo “Amoroso” with a rear-naked choke in the third round, while Junior “Suicida” defeated Gabriel Siqueira by unanimous decision and Fabricio Bill defeated Francisco “Mingau” by unanimous decision as well.

Check out the official results of the event:

Jungle Fight 52

UEPA gym, Belém, Pará, Brazil

May 4, 2013

Elias Silvério (Álvaro de Aguiar/Barbosinha Team) beat Junior Orgulho (Champion Team/Nordeste Jiu-Jitsu) by unanimous decision

Douglas D’Silva (NFT Castanhal) beat Toninho Marajó (Marajó Brothers)  by TKO at 2:17 of round two

Guilherme Kioto (Pitbull Brothers) knocked out Reginaldo Fibrado (Bulldog Team) at 1:12 of round one

Heavyweight GP: Caio Alencar (Kimura Nova União) submitted Bira Lima (X-GYM) with a rear naked choke at 53 seconds of round one

Junior Suicida (Formiga MMA) beat Gabriel Siqueira (Villa Fight/Ascension MMA) by unanimous decision

Fabrício Bill (Bulldog Naldao Team) beat Francisco “Mingau” Nazareno (Marajó Brothers) by unanimous decision

Michel Psicopata (Carmen Casca-Grossa Team) submitted Rômulo Medeiros (Bakett Team) with a rear naked choke at 1:31 of round three

(Source: Press Agency)

Rick Story (pictured) got back in the win column at UFC 158, and now has his sights set on a rematch with Jake Ellenberger. Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

UFC welterweight Rick Story wants to follow up his UFC 158 win with a chance at fighting Jake Ellenberger, the fighter told GracieMag.com recently.

A match with Ellenberger, who also collected a win at UFC 158, is the only fight for Story, he said, because it gives him the best chance to get back into 170-pound title contention.

“I want to fight Jake because right now he’s impressive,” Story explained. “He’s one of the most impressive guys in the welterweight division.

“With a win against him, it’ll get me right back in for a title shot.”

Story and Ellenberger have met before. In 2008, the two squared off at Sport Fight 23, a regional event in Portland, Ore., where Story came out on top with a decision-win.

Although the fight was decided by the judges, Story said he plans on finishing every fight he has from now on. If Ellenberger is his next opponent, the same goes for that contest.

Jake Ellenberger reacts after knocking out Nate Marquardt in their welterweight bout during UFC 158. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

“I’ve already beat Ellenberger, so why not do this again,” he said. “He’s winning fights impressively, and I like to think I’ve got my mind set to do the same thing every fight from here on out. I’m sure it’s going to be another barn burner.

“It just feels too good to finish guys. So when I go out there, I’m going for the kill … to finish the fight.”

Story went on to add that he doesn’t know how Ellenberger feels about a potential rematch with him, but “The Juggernaut” recently told Bleacher Report’s Duane Finley that he has his sights set on Johny Hendricks.

Ellenberger, in fact, is so eager to beat Hendricks that the fighter said he wants to don Hendricks’ teeth as a fashion accessory.

“I want to wear Johny Hendricks’s teeth as a necklace,” Ellenberger said.

UFC President Dana White, however, confirmed last weekend that Hendricks is next in line for a title shot, and will likely face champion Georges St-Pierre in Las Vegas later this year. With GSP-Hendricks seemingly booked, Ellenberger may very well be an option for Story.

“It’s going to be an exciting fight if it happens,” Story said. “This is the only fight that makes sense to me.”

Other than the comments from White saying St-Pierre and Hendricks are set to face off, no other UFC 158 welterweights currently have fights scheduled.

Tarec Saffiedine stands in the cage during his welterweight bout against Scott Smith at the Strikeforce event at Sears Centre Arena on July 30, 2011 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Forza LLC/Forza LLC via Getty Images)

After a year of canceled events, numerous injuries to their high-profile athletes and disagreements with Showtime, Strikeforce is closing its doors after their Jan. 12 show.

The fight card, Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine, will be the promotion’s last before it’s all said and done. However, one of the two fighters in the main event, Tarec Saffiedine (13-3), was worried that the last event wouldn’t even happen.

The recent rash of injuries the company suffered made them cancel their two previous events, so Saffiedine thought the same might happen to the upcoming card in Oklahoma City.

“When I heard that Gilbert Melendez and Luke Rockhold got injured and they didn’t find an opponent for Daniel Cormier and other guys, I was like ‘Maybe they’ll cancel the show. Maybe the show’s not going to happen,'” Saffiedine told GRACIEMAG.com. “I was a little worried [about that] more than Nate Marquardt dropping out of the fight. I don’t think it’s his style to back out of a fight … so I was more afraid of the show being completely canceled because of all these injuries.”

According to the fighter, he was skeptical and worried that after dealing with a handful of fighters withdrawing from the card due to different types of injuries, Strikeforce would decide to just call it quits. Luckily for him, they haven’t, and he’ll fight Nate Marquardt in the main event for the Strikeforce welterweight title.

Following UFC 155, UFC president Dana White apologized to all the Strikeforce fighters for the mess they had to deal with over the last several months, saying what the athletes went through is terrible and that he’s disgusted by it.

Dana White was apologetic towards Strikeforce fighters after consecutive canceled shows and the announcement that the promotion would cease after Jan. 12. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

“I should probably sit down with all of them,” White said in Las Vegas following their last Pay-Per-View. “It won’t happen again; [It’s] over now.”

Before speaking with GRACIEMAG.com, Saffiedine didn’t realize White said this, but responded to the apology by saying it’s great to hear that kind of thing coming from the UFC boss. Fighters earn their living by stepping into the cage, so to hear White share his regret for how things went is appreciated. He added, however, that it’s ultimately unnecessary.

“I think it’s nice because a lot of fighters never had the chance to fight as much as … they wanted to,” Saffiedine said when hearing of White’s statement. “I think it’s nice for him to … understand that we all need to fight and we all need to make money. I don’t think he needed to apologize, but I think it’s nice that he did.”

The Belgian fighter has spent nearly the last three years competing exclusively for Strikeforce. It’s been his home since he defeated James Terry by unanimous decision at Strikforce Challengers 6 in February of 2010. After seven fights and finally working his way up to a title opportunity, Saffiedine can’t help but feel a bit saddened by the end of the Strikeforce era.

It was a great organization and a big part of his career, he said, and being on the promotion’s final effort is an honor the Team Quest fighter genuinely appreciates.

After nearly three years fighting only in Strikeforce, Tarec Saffiedine is sad to see the company come to a close. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Forza LLC/Forza LLC via Getty Images)

“It’s sad to see Strikeforce go … [and] I really enjoyed fighting for them for a long time,” he said, remembering all the times he stepped in the cage for the company. “They’ve always been good to me. I always wanted to fight a little bit more, but that was the case for all the fighters …

“I was pretty happy … I’m really thankful to be part of the last show.”

As of right now, no new injuries have set a dark cloud over the upcoming Strikeforce show, and all fighters are currently on pace to compete on Jan. 12. Saffiedine said his camp went “pretty well” and, apart from the typical aches and pains that stem from training, nothing major has kept him from pushing himself at 100 percent.

Once fight night comes and goes, “Sponge,” as he’s been called, will work on the next step of his career: a chance to fight in the UFC.

It’s been a dream of his to fight for the Las Vegas-based promotion, and if he wins his title fight against the former No. 1 UFC middleweight contender, Marquardt, then he might just get his chance.

“Hopefully, I earn a spot,” he said. “My goal is … to be the first Belgian to have a fight in the UFC. That’s what I want to accomplish, and so far I’ve been reaching all my goals.”

For more UFC and MMA coverage,

visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

Paul Daley looks for an opening to throw a punch during a welterweight bout at the the Strikeforce event at Nationwide Arena on March 3, 2012 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by David Dermer/Diamond Images/Getty Images)

Welterweight MMA veteran Paul Daley will not compete in the Bellator Season 8 170-pound tournament, and denies reports that being involved in a bar brawl is the reason he cannot travel to the U.S. for competition.

Reports indicated that Daley (30-12) was removed from the tournament following an arrest stemming from a bar fight. Daley, however, disputes fighting in a bar, and said visa issues have prevented him from coming the U.S. in time for the Bellator season.

“I was not involved in a bar brawl. This is 100 percent a false statement,” Daley said on his Facebook page. “I am currently awaiting a decision on my visa, which is not expected until late April [and] means I am unable to compete in the season 8 Bellator tournament, as it starts in January. “

“Semtex,” as Daley is nicknamed, added that he plans on fighting in Europe in the coming months in an effort to stay active while waiting for the decision on his visa status.

Daley’s career highlights include several knockouts of his opponents, but those have shared past headlines with his controversies. Following a loss to Josh Koscheck at UFC 113 in May 2010, Daley was cut from the UFC for hitting Koscheck after the bell. UFC president Dana White said that, as a result, Daley would never fight in the octagon again. In addition to being cut, Daley received a 30-day suspension, according to reports, from the governing body overseeing UFC 113.

Daley last competed in July at Bellator 72 when he earned a first-round technical knockout over Rudy Bears. This came after dropping a March decision to Kazou Misaki in Strikeforce.

Bellator’s welterweight tournament is scheduled to begin Jan. 24, and will take place in Thackerville, Okla., at the WinStar World Casino. The event is part of the MMA promotion’s first broadcast season on Spike TV.

Patrick Cote has decided to switch divisions in the UFC. Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LCC via Getty Images.

Once a challenger to Anderson Silva’s throne, Patrick Cote decided to say farewell to the middleweight division and head one weight class below at welterweight.

Cote surprised everyone by breaking the news on Twitter that his next outing will be at 170 pounds, and not his weight class of origin.

“After a year thinking and debating with my coaches and nutritionists, it’s time. My next fight will be at 170,” the fighter said in a post on his Twitter account.

The Canadian is coming off a disqualification win over Alessio Sakara, whom he was scheduled to rematch at the March UFC 158 event in Montreal, Canada. Sakara landed strikes to the forbidden behind-the-head region on Cote at UFC 154, resulting in the Italian’s knockout being immediately overturned. The UFC was quick in scheduling a March rematch, but Sakara pulled out of the fight due to kidney problems, as reported by GRACIEMAG.com earlier this week.

Could Patrick be set to make his divisional debut at UFC 158? That’s yet to be seen. The UFC has so far not issued a statement.

For more UFC and MMA coverage,

visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

The affable GSP and Carlos Condit will go toe to toe today. Photo by Josh Hedges/UFC.

Preparations for UFC 154, the weekend’s big MMA event, out of the way, the stars of the main event, GSP and Carlos Condit, are in Montreal, Canada, waiting for the final fight of the night, to cap off the work they put in with a stellar performance.

As a sidenote: There has been a change to the card; Nick Ring came ill with a virus and will no longer be fighting Constantinos Philippou.

Check out the third part of the UFC teaser video for the main event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_vlXOgqDD8

Below are the other two UFC 154 special videos.

Give them a watch, and share your prediction: who wins it? How? And who takes the Fight of the Night award? Share your thoughts with the rest of the readers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_vlXOgqDD8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuy7z0pGzrc

UFC 154
Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada
November 17, 2012

Georges St-Pierre vs Carlos Condit
Martin Kampmann vs Johny Hendricks
Tom Lawlor vs Francis Carmont
Pablo Garza vs Mark Hominick

Under card (FX)

Alessio Sakara vs Patrick Cote
Cyrille Diabate vs Chad Griggs
Rafael dos Anjos vs Mark Bocek
Sam Stout vs John Makdessi

Undercard (Free on Facebook)

Rodrigo Damm vs Antonio Carvalho
Ivan Menjivar vs Azamat Gashimov
Steven Siler vs Darren Elkins
Stephen Thompson vs Besam Yousef

Carlos Condit with Caio Terra (right) and  team for UFC 154 / Publicity photo

Without Greg Jackson in his corner, since the coach opted to stay home because of his being Georges Saint-Pierre’s trainer too, interim champ Carlos Condit called on an army of trainers to help propel him to victory in his welterweight title fight this Saturday at UFC 154, in Montreal, Canada.

And from what we gather from our sources at Condit’s camp, direct from the Canadian province of Quebec, the slugger is more than ready for the toughest task of his life. Physically, in particular.

“Carlos is in crazy shape. We try wearing him out in training but can’t. If need be, he’ll fight all five rounds at the same intensity,” Caio Terra told GRACIEMAG.com today.

Carlos Condit earned his place as title challenger after outpointing Nick Diaz in a fight that caused chatter as much for the result as for Condit’s tactics in winning it—hitting and retreating enough to sway the judges in his favor. Caio tells us that this fight won’t necessarily have anything to do with the other:

“Look, there’s a lot of talk that this fight with GSP could turn out to be boring, because everyone remembers the fight with Nick Diaz and thinks he’ll try the same thing. People forget how Carlos has won most of his fights quickly. With exception to Nick, his last three fights in the UFC ended in knockouts—and against great opponents! Carlos is prepared to push the pace from start to finish. He doesn’t want to see this fight go the five rounds, and he’s very well prepared both standing and on the ground. GSP will have the greatest challenge of his career in this fight,” wagers the five-time No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu world championship.

What do you say, UFC and Jiu-Jitsu fan? Are you with Caio Terra on this one?

GSP with Carlos Condit (right) at recent UFC press conference / UFC publicity photo

The UFC released part two of the promo video for the promotion’s 154th event, to be headlined by welterweight champion GSP and interim title-holder Carlos Condit next Saturday, the 17th.

The video was a big hit during the broadcast from Macau, and now you get to see the whole thing, including the Canadian welterweight’s workout routine, and the challenger’s Jiu-Jitsu training with Caio Terra (at minute 12).

The minidocumentary also spotlights GSP working on his Jiu-Jitsu in Canada with black belt John Danaher, the respected gentle-art professor from Renzo Gracie’s New York academy (starting after minute 16).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0ipGlCIoe4

What’s your take on the scenes? To you, who takes the definitive welterweight belt next Saturday?

UFC 154
Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada
November 17, 2012

Georges St.-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit
Martin Kampmann vs. Johny Hendricks
Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor
Nick Ring vs. Costa Philippou
Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza

Preliminary Card (FX broadcast)

Patrick Côté vs. Alessio Sakara
Cyrille Diabate vs. Chad Griggs
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Mark Bocek
Sam Stout vs. John Makdessi

Undercard (broadcast on Facebook)

Rodrigo Damm vs. Antonio Carvalho
Matthew Riddle vs. John Maguire
Ivan Menjivar vs. Azamat Gashimov
Steven Siler vs. Darren Elkins

Today, during the era of modern MMA and trainings with the aid of Youtube, locks from the waist down have diversified. Regarded as rude in the golden days of Jiu-Jitsu, now they are largely accepted and seen as a valuable skill in any champion’s game.

One evidence of this? Karl Amoussou, who won the Bellator’s welterweight GP submiting Bryan Baker with a heel hook Rousimar Toquinho style.

The new french star only needed 56 seconds to pounce on Baker’s leg and apply the lethal move. With the triumph, besides getting 100 thousand dollars, Amoussou will face Ben Askren for the title of the event. See black belt Amoussou in action:

Chael Sonnen with a replica championship belt at the pre-UFC on Fox 2: Anderson Silva called his challenger a "criminal" today. Photo: Publicity/UFC.

The fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen coming up at the July 7 UFC show has already begun, at least where the psychological war is concerned. After keeping tight-lipped in the face of the American wrestler’s taunting for years, Anderson struck back at the pre-UFC press conference held over the telephone today.

“Chael Sonnen is a criminal, the scourge of the sport,” the “Spider” spat to the world press over the phone, adding that he plans to smash his foe’s teeth in.

And when it comes to technique, the war is ongoing, too. As you can see in the following video, the big-talking challenger isn’t limiting himself to diatribes; he’s training hard for his impending battle at UFC 148. Chael was paid a visit by former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, a Renzo Gracie black belt based in New York.

Drop in at Team Quest in Oregon and even get treated to a spar between Sonnen and Yushin Okami, take a look at Chael’s home to see the garage he turbo charged for training, and get a glimpse of the most precious piece in his office—the WEC belt Paulo Filho sent him for not making weight in their rematch.

Carlos Condit unleashes an elbow from the guard on Rory McDonalt at UFC 115. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa/Publicity.

Confident he’ll be fighting Georges Saint-Pierre for the definitive welterweight title at the November 17 UFC event, interim title holder Carlos Condit addressed the fight humbly in a conversation with GRACIEMAG.com. The American admits that he’ll need to see some improvements if he’s to leave the octagon with the coveted belt.

“It’s a tough task. He’s got great wrestling, great Jiu-Jitsu, really good standup. So I’ll have to improve quite a bit over the next couple of months and I think I’ll be able to fight a good fight,” he tells Nalty Junior in the interview. “He’s great with his takedowns and his control on the ground … So I think his top control is his best skill, so that’s what I’m going to have to overcome. … I know that most likely I’m going to end up on my back on the ground.”

With a ten-year professional career in the sport, Carlos Condit (28w, 5l) has faith in his game and his coaching staff, and explains how the training will be arranged so as to avoid conflicts of interest with his teammate, as well as why the similarities between his fight and the falling-out of Jon Jones and Rashad Evans end at them training at the same place.

Check out the complete interview with the holder of the interim UFC welterweight title.