Friday, August 28 4:04 pm PT: Keep refreshing this page for the latest in weight-sucking from
Portland, Oregon in anticipation of Saturday's UFC 102: Couture vs.
Nogueira. And remember: if you don't pass out on the scale, you're not
trying.
7:02 p.m. ET -- Evan Dunham doffs the shoes, socks, shirts, etc. 155 on
the nose. Mini-Clive Owen, Marcus Aurelio, approaches the stage.
They’re working the scale hard. 156.
7:04 p.m. ET -- Mark Munoz enters. The “Filipino Wrecking Machine” is
sort of -- strange, no? Do we call Jardine the “Caucasian Dean of Mean”?
Munoz is 185.5. Nick Catone sucking it in a little bit. 185.5.
7:06 p.m. ET -- Todd Duffee strolls up the stairs. Barrel-chested
fellow. 251 lbs. Tim Hague: 263.5 with gum.
Friday, August 28 3:51 pm PT: Can't make it to Portland, Ore.? Can't blame you. Check this space beginning at 7 PM ET tonight for live coverage of some very dry, IV-thirsty bodies.
Friday, August 28 2:28 pm PT: Light heavyweight Jared Hamman has signed a four-fight deal with the UFC, his management confirmed to Sherdog.com Thursday.
Hamman, who appeared in three Pro Elite events on Showtime, expects to make his Octagon debut before the end of the year.
A student under recent UFC returnee Vladimir Matyushenko, Hamman avenged his only blemish to Poai Suganama with a conclusive first-round technical knockout for ShoXC in August 2008. Suganama had won their first match by a controversial 15-second flying-knee knockout four months earlier.
Nate Marquardt and Demian Maia. Photo by Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com.
If middleweight contender Nate Marquardt is hoping a victory Saturday against Demian Maia at UFC 102 in Portland, Ore., might ensure him his second title shot in two years, his façade isn’t showing it.
Maia, an undefeated jiu-jitsu specialist, has dispatched all five of his UFC opponents by submission.
“It’s a big fight for me,” said the soft-spoken former King of Pancrase. “I think everyone considers him one of the top contenders and I think it’s a good opportunity for me to fight another top contender; a lot of times those kind of matchups aren’t made so I’m really happy for this opportunity.”
Maia, 31, has proven a tough nut to crack since making the jump to mixed martial arts.
Friday, August 28 12:00 pm PT: Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez will lock horns with HDNet Fights and Art of War veteran Justin Howard in a featured bout at King of Kombat 7 “Judgment Day” on Saturday at the Austin Music Hall in Austin, Texas.
Rodriguez has won seven of his last nine fights, including a rear-naked choke submission victory against John Brown at a Reality Combat show in July. The 32-year-old has not been finished since succumbing to strikes against Tim Sylvia at UFC 41 in February 2003. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling world champion, Rodriguez has struggled with weight and substance abuse issues throughout his career. He has delivered more than half (21) of his 36 career wins by submission and holds victories against UFC hall of famer Randy Couture, former UFC heavyweight titleholder Andrei Arlovski and American Top Team’s Jeff Monson.
Friday, August 28 12:16 am PT: A brief break from UFC 102 coverage: last week, SportsIllustrated.com’s Josh Gross circulated a report that had Anderson Silva and management kicking around the idea of a heavyweight bout.
Their ideal opponent? Depending on how Silva decides to pack on weight, diabetes. Second choice: Frank Mir.
If that sounds like an audacious plan, Mir himself doesn’t see it that way. His theories on Silva’s pseudo-challenge and how the hypothetical fight might transpire follow the jump.
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