Ryan Jimmo Meets Anthony Perosh At UFC 149


A new light heavyweight fight has been added to UFC 149 in Calgary as Canadian Ryan Jimmo finally makes his Octagon debut against grappler Anthony Perosh.

The fight was confirmed by UFC officials on Wednesday after an initial report from SportsNet.CA.

Former Maximum Fighting Championships light heavyweight champion Ryan Jimmo will look to keep his 16-fight win streak going when he makes his UFC debut in July.

Following a loss in his pro debut, Jimmo has reeled off 16 straight victories while picking up wins over former UFC fighters like Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Marvin Eastman. Now Jimmo will fight close to home as he competes in Calgary against a high level grappler from Australia.

Since dropping down to light heavyweight, Australian Anthony Perosh has looked like a new man and a new fighter.

Going 3-0 in his last three fights in the UFC, Perosh has won all of his bouts by submission or TKO and looked fierce in doing so. Now he’ll travel away from his homeland in Australia to meet a Canadian on his home turf.

The bout between Perosh and Jimmo will likely end up on the preliminary portion of the card.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/ryan-jimmo-meets-anthony-perosh-at-ufc-149-in-calgary

Dana White Promises UFC Will Address Performance Enhancing Drugs In MMA


The subject of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) has become a touchy one in the world of mixed martial arts.

Several high profile fighters have admitted to using the program including Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Dan Henderson, and Nate Marquardt, and athletic commissions have created exemptions in certain cases to allow competitors to use TRT therapy when necessary in competition.

UFC president Dana White has had to deal with the TRT subject on more than one occasion, and believes in its purest form the therapy is good for those who need it, but when it becomes legalized cheating, that’s when it crosses a line.

“I know this is a very touchy subject and everybody has different opinions on it, but I actually think that it’s great that technology has this thing now where guys have made mistakes, they messed up, they used steroids when they were younger, and all this other stuff, that this testosterone replacement therapy can actually help people who need it,” White said recently.

“Then you get into a situation now where as in everything, you get guys who are out there doing it when they don’t need to do it, and they’re doing it to enhance their performance and it pisses me off. It really, really pisses me off.”

The TRT conversation was sparked again when UFC 146 main event fighter Alistair Overeem tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone, which forced him out of his scheduled bout against Junior dos Santos on May 26 in Las Vegas.

Ultimately, Overeem’s defense for the elevated levels of testosterone stemmed from an injection he received to help with a rib injury he suffered. His doctor laced the pain killing cocktail with a water based form of testosterone.

Regardless of why he tested positive, Overeem’s positive test still brought up the controversial subject again and the spotlight in turn refocused on the UFC with many people in the media, as well as fans, asking what could be done to prevent this from happening again?

Well no one is naïve enough to believe that no fighter will ever use performance enhancing drugs again, but according to White, they will get their hands around this thing eventually and curb the usage dramatically.

“There’s a lot of people that like to talk (expletive) about us. We’ve done a lot of great things in the last 11 years with this sport. From building to what it is today, guys making (expletive) loads of money, health insurance for all the fighters, getting on Fox, we’ve done thing people said we would never ever (expletive) do. We’ve accomplished all these things,” said White.

“Whether it’s fighter safety or whatever it is, we always do the right thing. We come out with what I think is the best way to handle it, and believe me when I tell you we are going to (expletive) come down on this thing. We are gonna do it. Is it me running around and testing 375 fighters all over the world? No. You guys can talk all the (expletive) you want about that, it’s not going to happen, but we will figure something out. Maybe it’s WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).”

While White once again shoots down the idea that the UFC will start doing their own independent random testing, he doesn’t want anyone to believe that they simply don’t care, because it’s not true.

Performance enhancing drugs are a black eye on any sport and there is a negative stigma or taint attached to any fighter who has ever tested positive for a banned substance. It also ruins the outcome of big fights or prevents some big fights from ever happening, just like the case of Alistair Overeem at UFC 146.

“We don’t want anybody doing this stuff. We don’t want anyone using banned substances or drugs or anything else. It destroys everything. Not only questions about the credibility of the sport and everything else, but it destroys big fights. It hurts everybody,” White stated.

Ultimately, White wants to believe that all of his fighters are clean and honest about their training and fight preparation. Unfortunately, the truth doesn’t always work that way, and that’s another reason why White was so upset with the Overeem situation, because the bottom line was he felt lied to when he spoke to the heavyweight about his drug usage.

“I like to give guys… with my fighters and everybody with people I meet, I’ve had situations with lots of people, it’s how you (expletive) handle yourself as a man, in life, in business, in everything else,” said White.

“If you sit down and tell me one thing and it’s not true or you do another thing, then (expletive) you. I’m done.”

http://www.mmaweekly.com/dana-white-promises-ufc-will-address-performance-enhancing-drugs-in-mma

Lavar Johnson's Tools For UFC On FOX 3 Victory: Hard Head And Acting Skills


Lavar Johnson makes his network-television debut on Saturday as part of UFC on FOX 3's main card.

And, the heavyweight said, he expects it to be a successful one when he meets fellow striker Pat Barry.

After all, he's got two tools that should work just fine against a fighter such as Barry: a remarkably hard head and – when in a pinch – Oscar-worthy acting skills.

"I've never been knocked out," Johnson told MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com) on Wednesday during UFC on FOX 3 open workouts. "Car accidents, motorcycle accidents, football – no concussions, anything. I've got a hard head, I guess."

Johnson (16-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) hopes his concrete cranium is up to the task on Saturday. He and Barry (7-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) meet at IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., on FOX following prelims on FUEL TV. The 5-foot-11 (on a good day) Barry could have trouble reaching 6-foot-4 Johnson's noggin, but it's a risk the Strikeforce vet wastes little time worrying about.

"Hey, if it happens, it happens," he said. "You can't go in there being afraid to be knocked out. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. There's nothing you can do about it. You could be kicking a guy's ass for the whole round, and he could close his eyes ... and hit you one time, and it's over. You see (Junior) Dos Santos hit Cain (Velasquez) with one punch and that's it."

Dos Santos vs. Velasquez was the first of the UFC's FOX-televised heavyweight fights. Now, fresh off a UFC-debut "Knockout of the Night" victory over Joey Beltran at UFC on FOX 2, Johnson fights in the second one. Johnson, who snapped a two-fight losing streak in Strikeforce with the UFC victory, and opponent Barry are unlikely to fight for a title anytime soon. However, the heavy-handed heavyweights are the type of crowd-pleasers who will always be used to spruce up big UFC cards.

But don't expect a drawn-out, strategic and grinding affair. Johnson enters the cage with the intention of leaving it as quickly as possible.

"I think me and Pat are going to go at it," said Johnson, who owns 14 knockouts in 16 career wins. "Us heavyweights, we're lazy. We don't want to be there all night fighting for 15 minutes. So the quicker it's done, whether I knock him out or he knocks me out, as long as it's a good show, I'm happy.

"I just think that I'm bigger and I'm stronger, and I just have better leverage over him. I think I'll be able to wear him down in the clinch. If we do tie up, he has to be inside to hit me. I think I have a good boxing inside game too. He can't hit very good if he's going backward, so I'm just going to keep the pressure on him and keep him backing up."

Barry, of course, was an accomplished kickboxer before he turned his talents into an MMA career. He joined the UFC in just his fourth pro bout, and though he's an even .500 since then, he leaves fans on the edge of their seats. With each stinging leg and head kick, and with each wild power punch he flings, the crowd becomes a bit more electric.

At some point in a scheduled three rounds, Barry is very likely to ring Johnson's bell at least once. After all, Johnson said "speed kills," especially in the big-man division and with a fighter who possesses Barry's power. But he knows how to handle it.

"I'm a good actor," said Johnson, who trained with K-1 vet Carter Williams for this fight. "I've been hit hard a few times, and I wanted to look at my corner like, 'Do something. Throw the towel in or something.' But I put my game face on, I keep coming forward, and I think that changes it up.

"If somebody hits you with their hardest shot, and you're still coming at them, it breaks their confidence."

Since a 2009 gunshot wound put him on the shelf for a year, Johnson is 3-2. But a 2-0 start to his UFC career could help him break through to the next level of the heavyweight division rather quickly.

Millions of folks will be watching, and like UFC officials, they have great expectations for the heavyweight clash.

Once the door closes, though, Johnson said it's business as usual.

"A fight's a fight, regardless," he said. "As soon as the first punch is thrown, everything will be out of the window, and it will just be a regular fight."

http://mmajunkie.com/news/28514/lavar-johnsons-tools-for-ufc-on-fox-3-victory-hard-head-and-acting-skills.mma

UFC Tried To Book B.J. Penn Against Strikeforce Champ Gilbert Melendez


Sometimes the rumors, no matter how vociferously denied. are true. A few months back there was a little bit of commotion to the effect that Strikeforce Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez wanted to face one of the top names from the UFC, someone like B.J. Penn.

And Melendez certainly has a right to call out anyone in the Lightweight division. He's currently the #3 ranked LW in the world according to the USA TODAY/MMA Nation Consensus Rankings. He's cleaned out the Strikeforce 155lb division.

At the time UFC president Dana White had to shoot those rumors down. Now the truth can be told. Dana wanted to book Melendez vs. B.J. Penn but couldn't talk the mercurial Penn into taking the fight.

Instead Melendez will face Josh Thomson for the third time. He lost to Thomson in 2008 but won a rematch in 2009.

White spoke to MMA Junkie and here's what he said:


"I tried to do [Melendez vs. Penn], but it was at the time when B.J. was like, 'Yeah, I'm not fighting for a while.'"

It's good to know that White is at least trying to secure better opponents for Melendez and presumably the other Strikeforce champions. It's not clear what exactly is the issue, but it is clear that the alliance between Showtime and the Zuffa-owned Strikeforce is not working for the fighters under contract to Strikeforce.

Penn has indicated he might be interested in fighting at 170lbs again soon. I would love to see Penn fight for the vacant Strikeforce title against Tyron Woodley, Kazuo Misaki or even Paul Daley.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/5/3/2997472/ufc--b-j-penn-vs-strikeforce-champ-gilbert-melendez-josh-thomson

Dana White Confirms Lombard vs. Stann And Shogun vs. Silva


Former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard has his first opponent in the UFC, and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua knows his next foe as well.

UFC president Dana White on Sunday took Twitter on Sunday, fielding questions from fans, and confirmed that Lombard will make his Octagon debut against Brian Stann, while Shogun will next square off with Thiago Silva.

White refrained from saying when or where either fight would take place. It appears, however, that Lombard vs. Stann is likely for UFC on Fox 4, while Shogun vs. Silva could take place at UFC 149 in Calgary, according reports by MMAJunkie.com.

Lombard is one of the most highly anticipated UFC debutants in quite some time. The 34-year-old has long been considered one of the best middleweight outside of the Octagon, but now he’ll get the opportunity to prove just how good he is in the Octagon.

He hasn’t lost a fight in nearly six years, riding a 20-fight winning streak to a 31-2-1 overall record.

Lombard hasn’t drawn an easy first fight. Stann (12-4) has lost only to No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen since dropping to middleweight, where he currently holds a 4-1 record.

Shogun (20-6) has made a pattern of alternating wins and losses recently, and is coming into the fight with Silva on the heels of dropping a unanimous decision to Dan Henderson at UFC 139.

Silva (14-3) just returned from a one-year suspension for providing a fake sample for his drug test following a fight with Brandon Vera at UFC 125. He lost in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV 2 to Alexander Gustafsson, when the two squared off in Sweden.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/dana-white-confirms-lombard-vs-stann-and-shogun-vs-silva

Eddie Yagin Lashes Out At Joe Rogan’s UFC 145 Commentary


At UFC 145, Eddie Yagin pulled off what was considered one of the biggest upsets thus far in 2012, as he knocked off former featherweight title contender Mark Hominick.

Twice during the fight, Yagin dropped Hominick with his heavy hands and survived a comeback by the Canadian during the third round to pull off the split decision win.

The win marked the first for Yagin inside the Octagon, and he soon after found out he got a “Fight of the Night” bonus to boot for his efforts.

Life seemed pretty good for Yagin until he got home and re-watched his fight.

Like any fighter, Yagin was critical of his performance, looking at the positives and negatives, and finding ways to improve before his next trip to the Octagon. What bothered Yagin, however, was the commentary during the fight by color commentator Joe Rogan.

Yagin was none too pleased with what he heard and he erupted on the comedian/color commentator when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio after the fight.

“Maybe you should talk to Joe Rogan because that (expletive) hates on me so bad. I need to talk to that boy,” Yagin stated.

“Someone should have checked his teeth because I think he got (expletive) in his mouth from sucking his (expletive) so much. Every time I would throw a good punch, or land a good kick, he would capitalize on Hominick. He’d say ‘oh, good shot from Yagin, but Hominick took it and look how well Hominick is moving!’ It’s like are you kidding me right now? Shut the (expletive) up and instead of saying what you want to happen, say what is happening.”

Obviously a color commentator’s job is different than a play-by-play man when it comes to commentary during any sporting event. A color commentator is there to add definition, explanation, and like the title says, add color to whatever sport they are talking about.

Yagin, however, took Rogan to task for what he believes was biased commentary towards his opponent, Mark Hominick, despite losing much of the fight, including being knocked down on two occasions.

“I was a fan of Joe Rogan, but now it’s like come on. Just state the obvious, and stop being an ass kisser,” said Yagin. “I understand you can be a fan of other people, but if you’re going to be a commentator, just do your job and not take anybody’s side and just state what’s there, read the book. Read the lines, don’t make up your own words. This ain’t acting class; this ain’t a movie.”

Following Yagin’s interview on the radio show, the fighter and commentator were able to exchange some messages via Twitter to hash things out a bit. Rogan explained to Yagin his point about the commentary, and also complemented his tremendous performance at UFC 145.

“I meant no disrespect,” wrote Rogan. “I’m just analyzing with a critical view. That said, you’re a (expletive) beast and I loved that fight.

“I was especially impressed with you in the third round. You showed mad heart and gutted out some tough spots. Loved those power leg kicks and you’ve got bricks in your hands. I’m just critical, especially of myself.”

Judging by Yagin’s response, the beef was put to rest.

“Thank you,” wrote Yagin. “I’ll take that as a compliment! I appreciate it!”

Any problem with the commentary aside, Yagin was mostly happy to go out and erase the thoughts of his first UFC fight, which he lost by decision and show fans what he’s really like in a fight. He is pretty confident, however, that not too many fighters are going to sign-up to stand and trade with him in the future.

“What everybody was able to see is what I’m capable of,” said Yagin. “Honestly, I think all the 45′ers that were watching this fight don’t want none of my stand-up and I think everybody’s going to try to take me down now.”

http://www.mmaweekly.com/eddie-yagin-lashes-out-at-joe-rogans-commentary-from-ufc-145

Jamie Varner Replaces Evan Dunham, Faces Edson Barboza At UFC 146


Five years after his last appearance in the UFC, Jamie Varner is getting the call back. He will face Edson Barboza at UFC 146 on May 26 in Las Vegas, replacing an injured Evan Dunham.

Sources close to the match-up confirmed the new fight with MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday. UFC officials also confirmed the fight late Tuesday evening.

Following a brief stint in the UFC, Varner exited the promotion and moved over to the fledgling WEC organization, where he soon became lightweight champion. Varner twice defended his belt before losing the strap to now current UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.

Since that time, Varner has bounced around several regional promotions and most recently has picked up back-to-back wins in the XFC, defeating Drew Fickett and Nate Jolly, both in the first round.

Now Varner will get a return trip to the UFC with no easy task in front of him as he faces rising star Edson Barboza at UFC 146 in May.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/jamie-varner-replaces-evan-dunham-faces-edson-barboza-at-ufc-146

Heavyweights Travis Browne & Ben Rothwell To Tangle At UFC On FOX 4


A heavyweight bout between two recent victors has been booked for this summer’s UFC on FOX 4 card featuring Travis ‘Hapa’ Browne (13-0-1) and ‘Big’ Ben Rothwell (32-8).

Two big guys coming off of big wins have also agreed to exchange that evening as heavyweight Ben Rothwell takes on Travis “Hapa” Browne. Rothwell earned the KO of the Night bonus while Browne scored Submission of the Night last week at UFC 145.

UFC on Fox 4 is expected to take place on August 4, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The event already includes two other exciting matchups as light heavyweights Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader are set to meet, as well as the debut of former Bellator champ Hector Lombard, who faces Brian Stann at the event.

Browne remains undefeated in his career coming off a “Submission of the Night” victory over former Strikeforce heavyweight Chad Griggs at the Atlanta event. The win put’s Browne at 4-0-1 in the Octagon with wins against Rob Broughton, Stefan Struve, and James McSweeney. The Draw was against Cheick Kongo, who had a point deducted versus Browne for holding the shorts.

Not to be outdone, Rothwell earned the “Knockout of the Night” bonus at UFC 145, a 70-second knockout finish of Brendan Schaub. The win erased a loss to Mark Hunt in Rothwell’s previous outing at UFC 135, where the ‘Super Samoan’ won by unanimous decision. So far in the UFC, ‘Big Ben’ is just 2-2 with a debut loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 104.

http://www.themmanews.com/heavyweights-travis-browne-ben-rothwell-to-tangle-at-ufc-on-fox-4/

Nevada Fires Back At Nick Diaz Lawsuit For 'Due Process' Violation


Nick Diaz's lawyers filed a lawsuit against the Nevada State Athletic Commission last week for failing to hold a hearing over Diaz's suspension. Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his loss to Carlos Condit, since that time we've been treated to a lot of legal nonsense about why it should be okay that Diaz tested positive for substances you're not allowed to test positive for.

The NSAC responded to the Diaz lawsuit via a letter, effectively killing the entire basis of Nick's legal action. MMA Fighting got their hands on the letter and here's a bit of what it contained:

"No Notice of Summary Suspension was ever served on your client," Masto wrote. "In this matter, Mr. Diaz was properly served with a 'Notice of Hearing on Temporary Suspension' and he failed to appear at the hearing. The Commission temporarily suspended Mr. Diaz's license at the hearing. Neither Mr. Diaz nor you objected in any manner to the temporary suspension."

The letter effectively indicates that because Diaz was not given a "summary suspension," his case does not fall under Nevada code NRS 233B.127, which requires a hearing within 45 days. A separate code, NRS 467.117, indicates that the commission can " continue the suspension until it makes a final determination of any disciplinary action to be taken against the licensee or holder of the permit."

That final determination still hasn't been made, in part because the commission requested to see Nick's medical marijuana card over a month ago, yet no one on Nick's side has presented it.

In the end, Diaz's defense has always kind of been nonsense. I get that people like Nick and that marijuana being illegal to begin with is silly. But it's not like the testing procedures are particularly murky for the NSAC. Fighters are aware of what substances are and aren't allowed to pop up in your urinalysis. And if you think one may because you're using it for a legitimate reason, there are procedures you are supposed to follow to disclose it and request an exemption.

Diaz never followed any of that, instead bragging for years about how easy it is to beat the test. I've said it before, but his behavior didn't exactly reflect someone who was looking to handle the situation in the best possible way. He acted like a little kid sticking his tongue out at authority because they couldn't prove he did anything wrong.

Now he has a legal team stumbling around and doing things that seem to be really on point, but that's usually because we don't have a deep legal understanding. All the stuff about NRS 233B.127 seemed like they were on to something, but that's because no one dug through the codes to see that NRS 467.117 effectively destroyed the "due process" argument.

And the commission has made no secret for the past month that they're waiting on Diaz's team to show them his medical marijuana card so that they have all available information before deciding on his punishment. Why has no one provided that yet?

The whole situation is a mess and, frankly, kind of embarrassing. Count me among those excited for it to just be done already.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/5/1/2991043/ufc-nick-diaz-lawsuit-nevada-shot-down

Louis Gaudinot Believes Drop to Flyweight Could Put Him 2 to 3 Wins From a Title Shot

Flyweight Louis “Goodnight” Gaudinot (7-2) is fired up and has his eyes on one day having UFC gold.

While cutting his teeth on TUF 14 at 135 pounds, the 27-year-old realized in order to compete at the highest levels, he needed to drop back down to flyweight. At UFC on FOX 3, Gaudinot will get that chance against highly touted Brazilian John Lineker.

The Team Tiger Schulmann protégé believes that the UFC tried to feed him to the lions as Lineker rides a 13-fight winning streak, and has achieved some notoriety from being on TUF. But Gaudinot refuses to be a stepping-stone for anyone and looks to give Lineker a rude welcoming in his UFC debut.

“He’s been fighting over in Brazil at 135, and everybody was saying when he drops down to flyweight he would be in the UFC,” Gaudinot told MMAWeekly Radio.

“He’s on a 13-fight win streak, so he’s a tough opponent. I don’t think the fans know about him, but after the first round, I think the fans are going to be excited about the fight,” continued Gaudinot.

“He’s a very tough opponent and a lot of people are picking him for the fight because of his impressive win streak and what he was able to do at 135 in Brazil. I don’t think the casual fan knows too much about him, but I think if other people read up about him, they’ll know that he’s a very dangerous opponent. I don’t know if the UFC is trying to establish him by beating me, who’s a known guy on TUF, but I’m nobody’s stepping stone and come Saturday everyone is going to see that.”

Gaudinot wants to tell the casual fans to study Lineker just as he has, because he’s about to end the Brazilian’s impressive run. He believes that fighting on TUF and gaining notoriety doesn’t mean that the UFC is going to throw you unknown softballs to pad your career.

In the end, Gaudinot knows he needs an impressive performance at UFC on FOX 3. The flyweight division contains very few title challengers and if the 27-year-old is successful, he can be a fight or two away from being no. 1 contender.

“The flyweight division is wide open right now, there’s only eight or nine guys in there. If you make a statement with an impressive fight, in two or three fights, you could be fighting for the title. That’s definitely something that you look at, but no way am I looking past Lineker.”

http://www.mmaweekly.com/louis-gaudinot-believes-drop-to-flyweight-puts-him-2-to-3-wins-from-a-title-shot

Bellator Fighting Championships latest foreign import is coming from England.

Mark "The Hand of" Godbeer (8-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) has inked a multi-fight deal with Bellator and is expected to debut sometime during the promotion's upcoming "Summer Series" event series.

The signing was first reported by several British news outlets, and MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed the deal with sources close to the promotion.

Godbeer made his professional debut in August 2009 and quickly racked up seven-straight stoppage wins.

This past November, he suffered his first career defeat in a TKO loss to undefeated Englishman Anthony Taylor. However, Godbeer bounced back in March with a TKO victory over Catalin Zmarandescu, who was unable to answer the bell for the second round in the pair's BAMMA 9 matchup.

Godbeer, a Trojan Freefighters athlete, has earned all eight of his career wins via stoppage, including six by knockout. He has yet to fight beyond the second round.

"The Hand of" Godbeer has previously fought at light heavyweight, but sources close to the 6-foot-4 Bridgewater, England native insisted Bellator is planning on utilizing his services in the heavyweight division.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/28494/bellator-signs-british-heavyweight-prospect-mark-godbeer.mma

After Nearly Botching First Weight Cut, Bryan Baker Expects Better Results At Bellator 67


Hulking 6-foot-3 middleweights nicknamed "The Beast" aren't supposed to be able to move down a weight class. It doesn't look right. It doesn't feel right.

Bryan Baker apparently didn't get the memo.

After all, why settle on being a beast if it's possible to be some sort of "super" beast?

Not only did he get to the 170-pound limit, he blew right past it (unintentionally). The second time will have to be the charm if he intends on being in prime physical condition as he attempts to advance to the Bellator season-six welterweight tournament final.

Baker (17-3 MMA, 7-2 BFC) meets Ben Saunders (13-4-2 MMA, 4-1-0 BFC) in semifinal-round action at Bellator 67. The event takes place Friday at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario, Canada. The main card, including Baker vs. Saunders, airs live on MTV2 following prelims on Spike.com.

Just ahead of his March opening-round bout against Carlos Alexandre Pereira at Bellator 63 is when Baker attempted to cut to welterweight for the first time.

"I didn't know how fast my body would drop the weight," Baker told MMAjunkie.com Radio (http://www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "I actually dropped it pretty easy. But the thing was, I kind of went the wrong way about losing so much muscle and trying to worry about the weight so much – not knowing how much my body could lose. I actually took it a little too far."

Needing to lose only three pounds the day of the weigh ins, Baker took to the sauna. But he was shocked to learn he was in the 166-167 pound range after an hour had elapsed – well beyond his 171-pound target. And it showed on fight night.

Baker did not appear to be the physical brute he originally had envisioned for himself, and he had to scratch and claw his way to a less-than-thrilling split-decision win over Pereira.

Frankly, he likely was happy just to get a win by any means necessary.

Not only had Baker been worrying about his weight-cutting, but he had been dealing with the stress that comes from moving and getting settled in new surroundings; he and his wife had also been in the process of making a permanent move from Colorado to New Mexico during that time.

The couple finally got settled in Albuquerque, and Baker officially joined the famed Jackson-Winklejohn MMA camp.

"It was just pretty much me and my wife had to really think about what I'm going to do for my career, and where my career is going, and what's going to be best for us," Baker said. "For me, to hit the next level, I just had to venture off and kind of do my own (thing), just feel how far I could reach my potential."

Baker can only get more comfortable as the days go by in his new stomping grounds. But the question remains: Will he also get more comfortable with shedding weight and adjusting to his new body type?

He's much more optimistic this time around.

"Now that I've made the weight cut once and I've kind of gotten a feel for what my body does, I'm able to fine tune some things and be the bigger, stronger 170 (pound) fighter – the reason why I went down to 170," Baker said.

He'll face a stiff test in Saunders, a former UFC fighter who is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Raul Amaya at Bellator 63.

"I believe I took out the most experienced, probably the most physically strong opponent (Pereira) of this tournament so far," Baker said. "And now it's moving on to the next: long, lanky Ben Saunders. (It's a) different style, but I believe I match up well with him."

http://mmajunkie.com/news/28488/after-botching-first-weight-cut-bryan-baker-expects-better-effort-at-bellator-67.mma

Having fought for nearly 15 years by his account, veteran middleweight Trevor Prangley knows better than to hit the panic button after a series of losses.

As he told MMAWeekly.com, “Obviously I’m not happy with the last year, but I’ve had little slumps like this before in my career, and I’ve always been able to rebuild it. I think this is just one of those times that I restart it.”

And it is with that mentality in mind that Prangley heads into the May 6 Super Fight 3 show in New Delhi, India.

Having had adequate time to prepare for his bout against Braga Agaev, Prangley feels he could get the fresh start he needs after a winless year.

“My losses on these last fights have mostly been on short notice,” he said. “I’m not making excuses, those guys are tough, they came prepared and they won, but it’s nice to have good warning and to have a good camp and prepare myself mentally and not panic trying to make weight.

“With me it’s always the conditioning that’s most important. I’m in real good condition for this fight. I didn’t have as hard MMA workouts and was able to focus a lot more on my conditioning, strength, and speed, and I think it will show in the fight.”

Having last held a title in the MFC in 2009, Prangley looks more so to enjoy his remaining time fighting rather than obsessing over collecting belts.

“I’m a realist,” he said. “It’s hard to make a run at a championship when you’re 40 years old. I’ve got a lot of good fights left in me, and I’m just going to enjoy what I have left on my career.

“It could be one year, three years, or five, you never know. I’m not going to worry about it or plan too far ahead. I’m going to plan for this fight and whatever comes up next I’ll plan for that one. I’ve had a good, long career. I’d like to end it on a high note with four or five good wins and bow out the way I feel I deserve to bow out after dedicating so much of my time and life to the sport.”

When asked if he felt he’d even make it this many years in the sport, Prangley replied, “Not really. My goals in the beginning were to fight in the UFC.

“Back then there was so few shows a year, so it was tough to get in. When I got in I did pretty decent and figured I should stick with it.”

Prangley sees his opportunity in SFL as one that could define the latter part of his career, as long as he stays healthy and is able to perform on a high level.

“They’re trying to build a show and when you’re trying to do that, you can’t have different guys all the time, you have to build some heroes over there,” he said. “I think I’ve got the experience and ability to be one of those guys. I think it would be great to end my career on a single show.”

http://www.mmaweekly.com/trevor-prangley-looks-to-bounce-back