Terry Etim forced to withdraw from UFC on Fox 4 with injury, Lauzon waits for new opponent

The UFC has been hit with yet another injury after British fighter Terry Etim (15-4) has now been forced to withdraw from his scheduled UFC on Fox 4 bout against Joe Lauzon (21-7).

The UFC broke the news on Fuel TV’s “UFC Tonight” show on Tuesday. Joe Lauzon will still fight on the card but a new opponent is yet to be determined.

UFC on Fox 4 takes place on August 4th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The main event on the night will be Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Brandon Vera in a light-heavyweight battle with the main card airing on FOX with the prelims set to air on FUEL TV.

Terry Etim was last in action against Edson Barboza at UFC 142 earlier this year, losing the fight via TKO after a head-kick knockout by Barboza. The matchup earned “Fight of the Night” honors giving Etim his fourth bonus payout in five fights. Prior to the loss against Barboza, the 26-year-old scored a lovely guillotine choke submission victory over Eddie Faaloloto at UFC 138 in Birmingham, England.

Joe Lauzon will now be looking to bounce back from his knockout loss against Anthony Pettis at UFC 144 in Japan on February 26th. Prior to the loss against Pettis, the 28-year-old had scored back-to-back victories over Curt Warburton and Melvin Guillard with both via submissions earning “Submission of the Night” honors. Lauzon now awaits a new opponent and an opportunity to boun

The UFC on Fox 4 fight card is as follows:

Main Card (FOX)

- Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Brandon Vera
- Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida
- Travis Browne vs. Ben Rothwell

Preliminary Card (FUEL TV)

- Rob Broughton vs. Matt Mitrione
- Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado
- Phil De Fries vs. Oli Thompson
- DaMarques Johnson vs. Mike Swick
- Cole Miller vs. Nam Phan
- Josh Grispi vs. Rani Yahya
- Manny Gamburyan vs. Michihiro Omigawa

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Jay Cee - The MMA Review

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Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah added to UFC on FUEL TV 5 in September

UFC officials announced on Wednesday that British striker Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy (24-10) will take on Amir Sadollah (6-3) in a welterweight battle at UFC on FUEL TV 5.

The event takes place in Hardy’s home town of Nottingham, England, at the Capital FM Arena on September 29th. The headline bout for the night will feature heavyweights Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic with the main card will airing on FUEL TV with the prelims expected to air on Facebook.

The card for UFC on FUEL TV 5 will feature many other British fighters including Brad Pickett, Che Mills, Paul Sass, and Andy Ogle.

Dan Hardy enters this fight coming off a career saving victory over Duane “Bang” Ludwig at UFC 146 in May. Prior to that fight Hardy had been on a skid losing four consecutive fights against Georges St.Pierre, Carlos Condit, Anthony Johnson, and Chris Lytle. Popular with both fans and the UFC for putting on exciting fights, Dan will now have the opportunity to take himself out of the red zone with another big performance on home soil.

Former TUF winner Amir Sadollah was last in action against Jorge Lopez at UFC on FUEL TV 3 last month. Sadollah won the fight via split decision to bounce back from his loss against Duane Ludwig in August 2011. Sadollah has spent his whole career fighting for the UFC, but has not been able to string together more than two consecutive victories. A big win over Hardy would definitely make Amir relevant in the welterweight division.

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Michael Johnson vs. Danny Castillo will take place at UFC 151 in September

A lightweight bout between former TUF contestant Michael Johnson (11-6) and Team Alpha Male member Danny Castillo (14-4) has been added to UFC 151.

UFC officials announced the fight earlier this week.

UFC 151 is set to take place on Sept. 1 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev. The headline bout will feature current light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones defending his title against veteran Dan Henderson. The main card for this event will air on Pay-Per-View with the prelims expected to air on FX and Facebook.

Blackzilian fighter Michael Johnson enters this bout on a two fight winning streak. His most recent victory was over Tony Ferguson at UFC on Fox 3 where he won via unanimous decision. Prior to that victory Johnson also defeated Shane Roller by unanimous decision at UFC on Fox 2 in January.

Since losing to Jonathan Brookins at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale, Michael has gone 3-1 in the UFC with his only other promotional loss coming at the hands of British fighter Paul Sass.

Danny Castillo will look to extend his current winning streak to four at UFC 151. He has managed to stack up three consecutive victories against Shamar Bailey, Anthony Njokuani, and most recently, John Cholish at UFC on Fox 3 in May. The former WEC fighter has gone 4-1 since switching over to the UFC.

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Paul Sass Vs. Matt Wiman added to UFC on Fuel TV 5 in Nottingham

Another fight has been added to the UFC on FUEL TV 5 card, when undefeated Paul Sass (13-0) will take on Matt Wiman (14-6) in a lightweight matchup.

UFC officials announced the fight on Monday, here is what UFC president Dana White said:

“After looking so impressive in his last fight at UFC 146, unbeaten Liverpool lightweight Paul Sass steps up to fight talented veteran Matt Wiman, who has won four of his last five fights.”

UFC on Fuel TV 5 takes place on September 29th at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. The main event will feature Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic in a heavyweight battle. The main card for this event will air on Fuel TV with the prelims expected to air on Facebook.

Submission specialist Paul Sass enters this fight coming off a victory over Jacob Volkmann at UFC 146 in May. Sass won the fight with a triangle armbar in the first round taking his unbeaten streak to )13-0). Sass won “Submission of the Night” in his promotional debut at UFC 120, and then defeated Mark Holst with a triangle choke before besting former TUF finalist Michael Johnson with a heel hook at a UFC Live event in October 2011.

UFC vet Matt Wiman earned “Fight of the Night” in his most recent bout against Mac Danzig at the UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson event in October 2011. The two men battled for three rounds ending with Wiman picking up a unanimous decision victory. The win over Danzig ws a nice way to bounce back from a prior somewhat controversial loss to German kickboxer Dennis Siver at UFC 132. Wiman is now given the task of handing Sass his first ever loss and advancing up the lightweight ladder.

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UFC on Fuel TV 5: Stefan Struve Vs. Stipe Miocic headlines September event in Nottingham

UFC on Fuel TV 5 which takes place in Nottingham now has it's main event, Stefan Struve (24-5) will take on the undefeated Stipe Miocic (9-0) in a heavyweight battle.

News of the headline bout was first announced by UFC officials.

UFC on Fuel TV 5 takes place on September 29th at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. The main card for the event will air on Fuel TV with the prelims airing on Facebook.

Stefan Struve enters this fight on a three fight winning streak having consecutively defeated Pat Barry, Dave Herman and most recently Lavar Johnson. Struve defeated Johnson in the very first round of their fight via armbar submission earning "submission of the night" at UFC 146 earlier this year. The 24-year-old will now look to continue climbing the ranks of the UFC's heavyweight division.

Stipe Miocic is yet to lose a fight in his pro MMA career thus far, he joined the UFC in 2011 taking on Joey Beltran in his promotional debut at UFC 136. Stipe won the Beltran fight via unanimous decision and has since gone on to defeat both Phil De Fries and Shane Del Rosario via stoppage. Miocic now has the chance to take his undefeated record into double figures with a good performance against Struve.

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Jay Cee - The MMA Review.

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British welterweight Paul Daley is released by Strikeforce

It has emerged today that British welterweight fighter Paul Daley (29-12-2) has been released from his contract with Strikeforce. He will no longer fight with the promotion and is now free to pursue other options for his MMA career.

The news of Daley's release was provided by Wad Alameddine from Fight Management in a press release that came out today.

Here is what Paul Daley had to say about being released by Strikeforce:

“I’m happy that Strikeforce has granted my request to be released from their roster as I found it difficult to fight so infrequently. My whole career I’ve wanted to fight as often as possible as it keeps me in the best form and condition.”

Here is what Daley's manager Wad Alameddine had to say about the release:

“He’s had some great fights and performances at the show, including a KO of the year against Scott Smith and a fight of the year against Nick Diaz that I’m sure no fan will forget. Now Paul is a free agent I’m expecting plenty of interest in him from promotions both within the sport of MMA and K1 Kickboxing as he’s interested in competing in both. With his strong fan-following and exciting fight style I expect Semtex to be very busy wherever we go next.”

Paul Daley was last in action against Kazuo Misaki at the 'Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey' event held earlier this year, Paul lost the fight via split decision. Prior to that fight Daley competed twice outside of the Strikeforce banner defeating Jordan Radev at BAMMA 7 and Luigi Fioravanti at Ringside MMA 12 in Canada. Daley may stick out in MMA fans minds most for his epic battle against Nick Diaz at a Strikeforce event in April 2011, the two men engaged in a stand-up war where Daley actually downed Diaz twice. Later in the round Nick returned fire knocking Daley to the ground and the referee then stepped in to stop the fight.

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Jay Cee - The MMA Review

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Product Review: Form Athletics Big Man Fight Shorts – White

I was recently sent some Form Athletics shorts from my friends over at mmaopinion.com – Here is my review on the product...

Style and Appearance

One of the things I instantly liked about these shorts was the simplistic design, the shorts are white with logo prints on both the left and right sides. There is also a logo on the front waistband section of the shorts which looks great. The print is in a black colour which always goes well on top of white. Form products always look great and have a good style leaving the wearer feeling like a million bucks. The waistband of the shorts also has a striped design going all the way around which distinguishes the waist section from the main body of the shorts.

Design and Fit

These shorts are really comfortable to wear, they do not feel tight in any way or restrict the movement of the wearer. The stitching on the shorts is very high quality which means you get great durability, they are also made from microfibre material so you also stay cool when training. The shorts are designed with a fixed waistband that is secured together with a Velcro closure, there is also a rope drawstring which allows you to tighten the shorts to your personal preference.

Performance and Functionalilty

During training you will notice that these shorts are not to heavy which is great for movement and speed. The material is so soft and light that you are close to feeling like you are not even wearing shorts at all, they are great for your normal MMA training or BJJ if required.

Overall Analysis

Overall these shorts look good and feel great, with the latest design technology and high quality materials you do not have to worry about not getting your money's worth. I would personally purchase these shorts any day of the week.

Thanks to you the readers, Form Athletics and MMAOpinion.com for sending me the product. 

Make sure you check out www.mmaopinion.com for all the best MMA gear to buy!

Jay Cee – The MMA Review

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Please remember that everything written in this review is purely my own opinion based on my own use of the product. Thanks guys!

Dos Santos vs. Velasquez II and Penn vs. MacDonald targeted for UFC 152

At the UFC on FX 3 post-fight press conference UFC president Dana White indicated that we are likely to see Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez II at UFC 152. He also said that Joe Silva would be giving BJ Penn a call to confirm if he really wanted to take on Rory MacDonald. If everyone is happy then that fight is likely to be co-main event at UFC 152.

Here is what Dana said when asked about the Penn vs. MacDonald fight:

“Yea, we’re gonna do it. Joe is calling BJ and his crew tonight to make sure that was the case and then that fight is gonna happen.” Then when asked for a date White said “Toronto, it will happen on the Toronto card, it will probably be the co-main event.”

UFC 152 will take place on September 22nd at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada.

Junior Dos Santos (15-1) defeated Frank Mir recently at UFC 146 in May. The undefeated UFC heavyweight champ won via TKO in the second round after sucessfully avoiding Mir’s takedown attempts and most of his strikes.

Cain Velasquez (10-1) was also in action at UFC 146 where he made quick work of Antonio Silva. The former champ took the fight to the mat and went to work with his ground and pound earning and eventual stoppage in the first round.

BJ Penn (16-8-2) will come out of retirement to take on McDonald. The Hawaiian fighter was last in action against Nick Diaz at UFC 137. The fight against Diaz was an epic stand-up war with Penn losing the fight via decision which prompted his choice to retire from the sport.

Rising star Rory McDonald (14-1) will enter the fight coming off a victory over British fighter Che Mills at UFC 145 in Atlanta. Rory put on a dominant performance winning via TKO in the second round. MacDonald called out BJ Penn stating that he thinks it would be a good matchup on MMAFighting.com’s show The MMA Hour.

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Jay Cee - The MMA Review

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Video: Post weigh-in interview with UFC on FX 3′s Demetrious Johnson And Ian McCall

FX and Fuel TV reporter/analyst Ariel Helwani catches up with UFC on FX 3 headline fighters Demetrious Johnson (14-2-1) and Ian McCall (11-2-1) after the weigh-ins.

Helwani talks to both fighters about about their predictions for the fight and how preparations for their second encounter have gone.

Ian McCall makes a prediction that he will finish Johnson within three rounds and Demetrious expresses hatred for his opponents moustache.

To stay up-to-date with all the latest MMA news follow The MMA Review on Twitter@TheMMAReview

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Jay Cee – The MMA Review

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UFC begins search for a new British Octagon Girl

The UFC announced today on their website that they are looking for a British beauty to be their new octagon girl. The lucky woman will get a contract with the world's number one mixed martial arts organisation following in the footsteps of current octagon girls Arianny Celeste, Chadella Powell and Britney Palmer.

The UFC will be holding a casting session for prospective candidates on Friday, June 15^th at the Hilton Hotel in London. Applicants will need to fall under the following specifications: Aged between 18 – 30, athletic and fit, pretty and photogenic, articulate and able to speak on camera, and have previous modelling experience.

Later this year the UFC will begin filming their new reality show “The Ultimate Fighter Australia vs UK - The Smashes”, this is where the new octagon girl contract will begin as the lucky lady will have a chance to feature on the show. There will also be opportunities for the lucky new octagon girl to feature at live UFC events in the UK and internationally.

This really is a great opportunity for a British model or ring-girl to take their career to the next level, it is known that UFC octagon girls often get opportunities to appear on TV, radio, magazine covers, fashion shows and much more.

Here are the casting details for anyone interested:

Location: Hilton Hotel, 225 Edgware Road, London
Date: Friday, June 15th Time: 11 a.m.
Wardrobe: Bikini

For further information please contact Roberta Casalino (+44) 2077869220

You can also visit UFC.com for more information.

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Jay Cee – The MMA Review

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Francisco Rivera steps in to replace an injured Figueroa against Ken Stone at UFC on FX 4

News has emerged that Francisco Rivera (8-2) has again stepped in on short notice for the UFC and will now face Ken Stone (10-3) in a bantamweight matchup at UFC on FX 4. Rivera replaces an injured Edwin Figueroa who was forced to withdraw.

News of the new fight was first reported on Sherdog.com who confirmed that Rivera verbally agreed to the bout. The nature of Figueroa's injury is not known at this present time.

UFC on FX 4 is set to take place on June 22nd at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. The main event on the night will feature Clay Guida and Gray Maynard who will take each other on in a lightweight battle.

This is Francisco Rivera's second run in the UFC after his debut in the organisation back in June 2011. The Californian striker took on Reuben Duran at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale and unfortunately lost via submission in the third round. After that defeat Francisco was released by the UFC, he began fighting for the Tachi Palace Fights promotion where he picked up back-to-back victories over Brad McDonald and Antonio Duarte. This hard work outside of the octagon all paid off when he was called in by the UFC to take on Alex Soto at UFC on Fuel TV 3, Rivera won the fight via unanimous decision and will now look to pick up a second UFC victory against Stone.

Ken Stone will also enter this fight coming off a victory, he was last in action against Donny Walker at UFC Fight Night 25 where he won via submission in the first round. Prior to that win Ken had lost two fights in a row to Eddie Wineland and Scott Jorgensen, both by knockout. Ken was expected to fight Mike Easton earlier this year at UFC on FX 1 but he was forced to withdraw due to an injury. A strong performance against Rivera will take Stone one step higher in the bantamweight division.

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Lentz vs. Mitsuoka, Bermudez vs. Hayden, and Kuiper vs. Hamman added to UFC 150 fight card

Three new fights were added to the UFC 150 card today, Nik Lentz (21-5-2) will take on Japan’s Eiji Mitsuoka (18-8-2), TUF finalist Dennis Bermudez (8-3) will face Tom Hayden (8-1) and Michael Kuiper (11-1) will match up against Jared Hamman (13-4).

UFC officials confirmed the bouts today, the fights are likely to be part of the preliminary card which is expected to air on FX and Facebook. The main card will air on PPV and will be headlined by a lightweight title match between current champ Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar.

UFC 150 will take place on August 11th at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

This really is a must win fight for Nik Lentz who is coming off consecutive losses against Mark Bocek and Evan Dunham. Nik will now make the drop to featherweight where he will hope to find success.

Mitsuoka had his UFC debut in February at UFC 144 in Japan, he faced Takanori Gomi and lost via TKO in the second round. Prior to that loss Eiji had picked up consecutive wins over Jung Gyeong Lee and Bruno Carvalho. A veteran of the regional circuit in Japan, Misuoka will now look to bounce back from his loss over Gomi with a big win in July.

Dennis Bermudez will enter this fight coming off a decisive victory over Pablo Garza at UFC on Fox 3 in May. The 25-year-old showcased some powerful slams earning himself a unanimous decision. Bermudez now has the opportunity to impress again and send a message to the featherweight division.

Tom Hayden began his MMA career undefeated with a record of 8-0, drawing the interest of the UFC and he made his debut for the organization earlier this year at a UFC on FX event. Hayden suffered his first ever defeat at the hands of Fabrício Camões who submitted Hayden in the first round with a rear naked choke. Hayden now has the chance to erase this loss and get himself back into the win column.

Jared Hamman has been unable to gain momentum since joining the UFC. He has a promotional record of (2-3) but has been unable to string together consecutive victories. He lost his last fight against Constantinos Philippou via first round TKO at UFC 140 in December. Hamman is undoubtedly an exciting fighter having picked up “Fight of the Night” honors on two occasions but a big win is now needed in order to move up the ladder.

Dutch fighter Michael Kuiper joined the UFC earlier this year taking on Rafael Natal at UFC 143 in his debut, unfortunately he lost the fight via unanimous decision. Prior to joining the Ultimate Fighting Championships Kuiper had stacked up an eleven-fight winning streak competing on the European MMA circuit.

The UFC 150 fight card currently looks as follows:

- Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar (LW title)
- Dennis Hallman vs. Thiago Tavares
- Luiz Cane vs. Yushin Okami
- Ed Herman vs. Jake Shields
- Eiji Mitsuoka vs. Nik Lentz
- Dennis Bermudez vs. Tom Hayden
- Jared Hamman vs. Michael Kuiper

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The MMA Review "Babe Of The Month" for June 2012: Zoe James

It is a new month and I am now able to introduce you to The MMA Review June “Babe Of The Month”! I am happy to tell you that BAMMA ring girl Zoe James is our June babe! Enjoy!

Jay Cee: Hi Zoe, I am really glad to have you here on themmareview.co.uk as our June "Babe Of The Month"! Tell me how it feels to be an MMA Review Babe?

Zoe James: It feels pretty good, i'm really flattered to have been asked!

Jay Cee: Tell me a bit about how you got into being a ring girl? I know you are currently with BAMMA, are there any other promotions you work for or have worked for in the past?

Zoe James: I was working at an mma exhibition and I ran over to BAMMA and told them I wanted a job haha! It was quite cheeky really! Considering I hadn't done it before I suppose I was chancing it a bit. But it worked out for the best.

Jay Cee: What is your favourite thing about being a ring-girl? You and Georgia always look like your having a good time!

Zoe James: I love spending time with G and Stacey, we make a good trio! We sniff out pizza and have a bit of girl time back stage. I also love the fans, how can i not?

Jay Cee: Do you have any funny stories or memorable moments from a BAMMA event that you can tell me about?

Zoe James: Probably the funniest moment was when Georgia and I were going to a photoshoot in London, we were running around the hotel in our pjamas, losing flip flops and we had a bit of a hair dye disaster, I asked G if she had done it before and her answer was 'No...but I took Art at school' Haha! That still makes me laugh now!

Jay Cee: Are you an actual MMA fan? If so, who is your favorite MMA fighter? and why?

Zoe James: I am an MMA fan, but i never disclose my favourites because we have to walk everyone out into the ring! I've been pretty impressed by Tom Watson and Jack Marshman though.

Jay Cee: Tell me a bit about what else you do outside of being a ring girl Zoe? I have seen some nice modelling pictures of you, is modelling something you do full time or just something on the side?

Zoe James: I do it full time, along with studying History at Uni and my dedication to Xbox haha! You can see me in LOOK Magazine and the new Dorothy Perkins commercial or on the grid at the British GT and BTCC for Adam Morgan and Speedworks Motor Sport. I'm a busy girl!

Jay Cee: What advice would you give to any aspiring ring-girls/models trying to make it in the industry?

Zoe James: Hard work, dedication and most importantly a good attitude. Stay grounded and treat everyone well, without taking any rubbish haha! 

Jay Cee: Last question now Zoe...What can we expect from Zoe James in the future? what are your plans for 2012?

Zoe James: More of the same! Lots of banter on twitter, other than that I don't like to presume anything, i'll take it all as it comes!

Jay Cee: Great, well that about wraps it up Zoe. Thanks again for taking some time out to be our June "Babe Of The Month" and good luck for the future!

Thanks again to Zoe James for being our June babe. If you want to stay up-to-date with what Zoe is doing you can check her out on the following websites:

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ZoeJamesModel
Twitter:   @ZoeEmmaJames

Cheers guys,

Jay Cee – The MMA Review

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