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Thursday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Thursday
3:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC 101: The Moves
Learn the secret moves of the best fighters in the world.
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Fighter's Cut - Ronda Rousey relives her biggest fights and recounts how she become the UFC's first women's champion.
4:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
A day in the life of Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans as they each prepare for their UFC 161 main event match; Tyron Woodley goes for Georges St. Pierre vs Nick Diaz; Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar crack on the state of fighter fashion.
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 139: Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson; Cung Le makes his UFC debut against Wanderlei Silva.
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Fighter's Cut - Ronda Rousey relives her biggest fights and recounts how she become the UFC's first women's champion.
8:00 p.m. ET SpikeTV: Fight Master: Bellator MMA
Season 1 Episode 2: Which Camp Do You Choose? Strategy heats up as the coaches plead their cases to each winning fighter on the second day of elimination fights.
8:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
A day in the life of Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans as they each prepare for their UFC 161 main event match; Tyron Woodley goes for Georges St-Pierre vs Nick Diaz; Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar crack on the state of fighter fashion.
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: Best of PRIDE Fighting Championship
The greatest knockouts in pride history.
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Roy Nelson vs. Junior dos Santos; Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe; Rick Story vs. Brian Foster.
11:00 p.m. ET SpikeTV: Fight Master: Bellator MMA
Season 1 Episode 2: Which Camp Do You Choose? Strategy heats up as the coaches plead their cases to each winning fighter on the second day of elimination fights.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 5 Episode 11: I Humbly Apologize UFC veteran Karo Parisyan almost gets into a fist fight with Nate Diaz. Read more -
Wednesday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Wednesday
5:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC From All Angles
Rener and Ryron Gracie detail the Gracie Jiu Jitsu legacy, past to present.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 5 Episode 9: It Was a Brawl In the second quarterfinal fight Brandon Melendez (Team Pulver) takes on Gray Maynard (Team Penn).
7:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 5 Episode 10: Traitor The final two quarterfinal matches. Teammates Nick Diaz and Corey Hill will square off along with Matt Wiman vs. Manny Gamburyan.
9:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Fighter's Cut - Ronda Rousey relives her biggest fights and recounts how she become the UFC's first women's champion.
10:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Best of Urijah Faber As a pioneer for the lighter weight classes, Urijah Faber quickly became an icon and a champion.
10:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 145
11:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 146
11:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
A day in the life of Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans as they each prepare for their UFC 161 main event match; Tyron Woodley goes for Georges St. Pierre vs Nick Diaz; Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar crack on the state of fighter fashion.
2:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Fighter's Cut - Ronda Rousey relives her biggest fights and recounts how she become the UFC's first women's champion.
2:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
A day in the life of Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans as they each prepare for their UFC 161 main event match; Tyron Woodley goes for Georges St-Pierre vs Nick Diaz; Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar crack on the state of fighter fashion.
3:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann
Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann; Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve; Takanori Gomi vs. Diego Sanchez; Hector Lombard vs. Yushin Okami; Rani Yahya vs. Mizuto Hirota; Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Dong Hyun Kim. From Saitama, Japan.
6:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: Best of PRIDE Fighting Championship
Greatest Submissions Some of the most spectacular submissions ever witnessed in the history of PRIDE.
7:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Fighter's Cut - Ronda Rousey relives her biggest fights and recounts how she become the UFC's first women's champion.
7:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage
Steel Curtain 2
7:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
A day in the life of Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans as they each prepare for their UFC 161 main event match; Tyron Woodley goes for Georges St-Pierre vs Nick Diaz; Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar crack on the state of fighter fashion.
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 139: Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson; Cung Le makes his UFC debut against Wanderlei Silva.
8:00 p.m. ET The Score: UFC Wired
Joe Rogan hosts this UFC highlight show featuring some of the best bouts from years past.
9:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Greatest KO's 4
Some of the best knockouts in the history of King of the Cage by some of the top stars in the sport.
9:00 p.m. ET SpikeTV: Fight Master: Bellator MMA
Season 1 Episode 1: Fight to Choose The elimination round begins as ten fighters battle in the cage to determine who will make the Fight Master Tournament.
10:00 p.m. ET SpikeTV: Fight Master: Bellator MMA
Season 1 Episode 2: Which Camp Do You Choose? Strategy heats up as the coaches plead their cases to each winning fighter on the second day of elimination fights.
10:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage
Steel Curtain 2
11:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet West: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet ONE: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 5 Episode 11: I Humbly Apologize UFC veteran Karo Parisyan almost gets into a fist fight with Nate Diaz.
11:00 p.m. ET SpikeTV: Fight Master: Bellator MMA
Season 1 Episode 1: Fight to Choose The elimination round begins as ten fighters battle in the cage to determine who will make the Fight Master Tournament.
12:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: King of the Cage: Greatest KO's 4
Some of the best knockouts in the history of King of the Cage by some of the top stars in the sport.
12:00 a.m. ET SpikeTV: Fight Master: Bellator MMA
Season 1 Episode 2: Which Camp Do You Choose? Strategy heats up as the coaches plead their cases to each winning fighter on the second day of elimination fights.
12:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Fight Night Episode 18
Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann; Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero; Rafael dos Anjos vs. Tyson Griffin; Junie Browning vs. Cole Miller. From April 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tenn. Read more -
Friday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Friday
3:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann
Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann; Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve; Takanori Gomi vs. Diego Sanchez; Hector Lombard vs. Yushin Okami; Rani Yahya vs. Mizuto Hirota; Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Dong Hyun Kim. From Saitama, Japan.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
The best fights from the UFC archives, featuring Mauricio Rua vs Dan Henderson, Alexander Gustafsson vs Vladimir Matyushenko, and Rogerio Nogueira vs Tito Ortiz.
7:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann
Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann; Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve; Takanori Gomi vs. Diego Sanchez; Hector Lombard vs. Yushin Okami; Rani Yahya vs. Mizuto Hirota; Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Dong Hyun Kim. From Saitama, Japan.
10:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Gegard Mousasi Weigh-In
From the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockhom, Sweden.
11:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Chael Sonnen all-access account of his UFC on FOX; the greatest trash talker of them all; Sonnen mic'd up for his real time reaction to the legendary fight between Shogun and Henderson.
11:30 a.m. ET fuelTV: UFC Tonight
Preview for UFC: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Gegard Mousasi in Stockholm, Sweden.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Fight Night
Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger.
2:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Fight Night
UFC Thiago Silva vs. Alexander Gustafsson from Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Fight Night
UFC: Chan Sung Jung vs. Dustin Poirier From Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman
Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman; Brandon Vera vs. James Te Huna; Jon Fitch vs. Aaron Simpson. From San Jose, Calif.
9:00 p.m. ET AXS: Inside MMA
EPISODE: 286 Referees Big John McCarthy and Herb Dean join Kenny and Bas; Ron Kruck reports on the qualifications needed to become an MMA referee.
10:00 p.m. ET AXS: TV Fights The Best Knockouts of 2012
Highlights from the year.
10:30 p.m. ET The Score: The Score Fighting Series
The Score Fighting Series (SFS) features fighters from North America and beyond with a focus on exciting match-ups and developing the next generation of great fighters. Tune in for non-stop action from events across the country.
11:00 p.m. ET SpikeTV: Bellator MMA Live
EPISODE: 1 Pat Curran vs. Shahbulat Shamhalaev; Brett Cooper vs. Doug Marshall; Mike Richman vs. Frodo Khasbulaev; Rick Hawn vs. Karo Parisyan. From Atlantic City, N.J.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic
Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic; Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah; Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin; Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman; John Hathaway vs. John Maguire; Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig. From Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. (Card subject to change)
12:00 a.m. ET AXS: Inside MMA
EPISODE: 286 Referees Big John McCarthy and Herb Dean join Kenny and Bas; Ron Kruck reports on the qualifications needed to become an MMA referee. Read more -
Karo Parisyan Remembers First Fight at 14
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Karo Parisyan, on “Rewind,” discussing his first MMA fight:
“I was 14. We had a whole big team. We were starting to get into MMA. We were doing judo and grappling. Me and my dad, Gokor [Chivichyan], and all these parents and all these guys, 16-, 18-, 20-, 25-, 30-year-old guys, we all went down to Mexico for some fights. They matched me up against a guy named Daniel Lopez. I go to the weigh-in. I get on the scale. I’m 142 pounds. They say, ‘Who are you fighting?’ I say, ‘A guy named Daniel Lopez.’ The guys looked at each other. They gave me paperwork to give my father. My father had to sign [papers saying] if I die, they weren’t responsible.
“Gokor and my dad, we sat down -- I’m 14. I almost started crying, saying that I want to fight. Finally, thank God, my dad signed the paper and I ended up fighting the pride and joy of Mexico, Daniel Lopez. He knocked out a world champion wrestler right in front of my eyes. … Here I am, 1996, 14 years old and fighting a 23-year-old pride and joy of Mexico. Chiseled. I mean the guy was a tank. If you go on YouTube and watch, you won’t believe it. And I’m this 14-year-old kid that fought this guy for five rounds, bare knuckle and I threw him all over the place. …
“I think we got like $300 for the best fight or whatever. I lost my virginity, which was the best thing, at age 14 in Mexico. My first MMA fight, my first woman -- it was awesome. I’m being honest. I lost my virginity in MMA, I lost my virginity in bed. I was 14. I remember the taxi driver -- I gave him $1, and he took me to this place, and it was a bunch of beautiful girls at a strip club. One of them loved me, came and sat on my lap, whatever, and we left. I didn’t pay anything to anybody. I only paid $1 for my taxi ride. A 30-year-old woman made a man out of me.”
Follow the jump for reader comments. Read more -
Karo Parisyan’s ShoFight 20 Blog Part 1
Welterweight veteran Karo Parisyan will blog his thoughts and experiences for Sherdog readers leading up to his ShoFight 20 clash with John Gunderson on Saturday at the O’Reilly Family Event Center in Springfield, Mo.
My next fight is this weekend, and I’m facing a very tough opponent in Gunderson. He was originally going to take on my teammate, Sevak Magakian, but when the guy I was originally going to face, Shamar Bailey, got injured, Gunderson moved into that slot. Now, it’s me and Gunderson for the ShoFight welterweight title in Missouri.
A lot of fighters like to game plan specifically for their opponent. I’m not like that. To me, it’s just another guy I’m fighting. Why should I plan for one specific guy? If I was, I might be in some trouble because my opponent just got switched. Instead, I like to focus on my game, my skills. Everyone knows I’m a submission specialist. Gunderson is in the same mold, though my submissions are more related to judo. Now, a couple things could happen in this scrap: it turns into a chess match on the floor, or our mat skills cancel each other out and it ends up being a slugfest. Read more -
Sherdog Remembers: Diego’s Dental Work
By: Brian Knapp
Diego Sanchez will always be remembered for his knee at UFC Fight Night 6. | Photo: Dave Mandel
They were two young welterweight bucks on the rise, filled with hunger and ambition. When Karo Parisyan and Diego Sanchez met in the UFC Fight Night 6 headliner on Aug. 17, 2006, at the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, they did not disappoint. A crackling 15 minutes of pure mixed martial arts action ensued, as their back-and-forth battle featured wild scrambles, scintillating judo throws and one particular knee strike that will forever live in UFC infamy.
Used as a lead-in to the premier of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 4, UFC Fight Night 6 also marked the promotional debut of Danish import Martin Kampmann and the first appearance by Chris Leben following his ill-fated encounter with Anderson Silva. Both were victorious, as Kampmann submitted Crafton Wallace and Leben knocked out future Sengoku Raiden Championship middleweight titleholder Jorge Santiago.
However, the main event stole the show. Sanchez and Parisyan engaged one another for three rounds in a match that was later rated the eighth-best UFC fight of all-time. Sanchez, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 winner, took a unanimous decision: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-26. Prior to the event, rumors swirled regarding the idea that the Sanchez-Parisyan winner would earn a crack at the UFC welterweight crown. That was not the case, and, to this date, neither man has ever fought for the 170-pound title.
If there was a lasting image from their memorable duel in the desert, it can be found in round three. While jockeying for position in the clinch along the cage, Sanchez found himself in a most advantageous position and fired his right knee upwards into Parisyan’s face. The impact was violent. Cameras caught a small white object fluttering in the light, as what appeared to be a tooth flew out of the Armenian’s mouth in wake of the strike and fell to the canvas. Parisyan later claimed it had been a veneer. Whatever the case, it remains one of the most talked about moments in UFC history, and it happened on this day five years ago.
Follow the jump for reader comments. Read more -
Hallman: Parisyan Was Perfect Foe to Test Hands On
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Dennis Hallman, on “The Savage Dog Show,” breaking down his UFC 123 win over Karo Parisyan:
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“You’ve seen Karo grapple. My main thing is grappling from the clinch, and that didn’t sound like a very good plan against Karo. I was kind of figuring I’d work to neutralize the grappling. I’ve been training my hands a whole bunch, and it was time to put them to the test. Karo was the perfect opponent to try that with. … When I hit him with a jab, it turned his head and then I hit him right in the temple because my [cross] was right behind the jab. I was surprised he fell. I actually jumped backward. I was like, ‘Wow.’ He fell, and his eyes were pretty dazed. I figured I could jump and pass at the same time. I don’t think Karo was complaining about it being a stoppage. He was just upset that it went down that way. … I knew I was going to face one of two Karos. Either the Karo of old there to avenge himself or a Karo who’s not back on track yet, and unfortunately for him it was the Karo that wasn’t back on track. That’s pretty much the only negative from this fight. I’m a fan of his and I think he’s a real nice guy and I wish the best for him. I hope he beats everybody but me.” -
UFC 123 Postmortem: Judges, Torn Legacies
By: Jake Rossen
Quinton Jackson file photo: Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com
For once, the problem wasn’t with the judges during a mixed martial arts event; it was with the rules they were instructed to follow.
After two rounds, Lyoto Machida performed the most significant attack in a fight against Quinton Jackson Saturday at UFC 123 by taking him down, mounting him, attempting a submission, and landing blows from on top. He had accomplished substantially more in one round than Jackson had in two. But under the rules of the game, you can’t win one stanza out of three and take the fight. Machida lost a split decision.
If Jackson had burned Machida for those first 10 minutes before getting burned himself, there wouldn’t have been much discussion. But because his edge was almost imperceptible -- mostly based on coming forward and grabbing one brief takedown -- the totality of the fight was weighed against him.
Fighting, like most sports, is intended to conclude who the better man (or team) is. When it doesn’t -- either because of ambiguity, bureaucracy, or both -- fans are left to make up their own minds. Was it a win for Jackson? Sure. Does it mean he’s the better fighter? Didn’t look like it. You saw much the same fight judges did. The result they offered isn’t necessarily the one you have to accept. Read more -
Primer: UFC 123
By: Jake Rossen
Quinton Jackson: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
Scheduling Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida as the main event for Saturday’s UFC 123 is almost certainly a nod to Jackson’s ratings winner of a program against Rashad Evans last summer; why else top a show with two fighters coming off losses? It’s more of a I’m-still-here declaration than a lot of forward progress. It also has the potential to be a bit of a bore, with counter-striking (Machida) moving laterally around a self-conscious offensive fighter (Jackson).It might also be good. But it’s all just billing, and the real headliner for many will be a third bout between B.J. Penn and Matt Hughes. Hughes has experienced a late-career resurgence, while Penn is looking for a new path after Frankie Edgar more or less temporarily ran him out of the 155-pound division.
If Hughes wins, it might be time to consider his place as one of the few former champions who keep a steady pace instead of fading out. If Penn wins, he might be motivated to test his chances against bigger men who don’t have the speed to buzz around him like an insect infestation. Either way, it’s a fight with more at stake than anything else on the card. And isn’t that why we watch? Read more -
Sherwood's Memories From The Vault
By: Jeff Sherwood
The event was Neutral Grounds 13, held on a small Indian reservation in Lakeside, Calif.
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What was special about this event? It was the first official mixed martial arts show that Sherdog.com was ever credentialed for. I had been to events before -- such as Kage Kombat in San Pedro, where I watched a couple of young Armenians by the names of Manny Gamburyan and Karo Parisyan -- but this was different.
I was so excited to be covering my first show that I made about six of my buddies buy tickets. It was a very cold night, and the cage was set up in the middle of a baseball field on the Barona Indian Reservation. Promoter Ryan Chenoweth was happy to have me there and treated me like a king.
My buddy, Chris Foster, and I arrived early, so we began to walk around and talk to the fighters. The first fighter we walked up to was Jeremy Horn. At that time, Horn already had 35 wins on his resume and had fought in the UFC five times. I was amazed at how friendly he was as he sat there with his Walkman at his side.
