Nick Penner to face Tom DeBlass at UFC on FUEL TV 4

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

By Andy Cotterill (andy@mm-eh.ca)

It looks like Edmonton’s Nick ‘The Quiet Assassin’ Penner (11-2) will be getting his second kick at the UFC can, as it is being reported by the Score’s MMA Blog that he will be facing Tom DeBlass (7-1) at UFC on FUEL TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman on July 11 in San Jose, California.

Penner made his UFC debut in Australia in March, but fell short to Aussie Anthony Perosh via TKO with only one second remaining in the first round.

New Jersey’s DeBlass is also coming off a loss, his first ever, against Cyrille Diabate at UFC on Fuel TV 2 in April.

 

 

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Korean Zombie, and Canadians Jabouin and Grant Win at UFC on FUEL TV 3

Photo from UFC.com

By Andy Cotterill (andy@mm-eh.ca)

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is in Fairfax, Virginia tonight, where Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung square off in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 3.

There are twelve fights in total with three Canadians on the card.  Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia’s T.J. Grant faces Brazilian Carlo Prater at lightweight, Montreal’s Yves Jabouin faces Jeff Hougland, and Jason MacDonald fights for what may be his last time in the UFC in a middleweight bout against Tom Lawlor.

 

 

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Exclusive Photos: TJ Grant Trains for Carlo Prater at UFC on FUEL 3

Photo by Andy Cotterill / MM-eh.ca

By Andy Cotterill (andy@mm-eh.ca)

Check out this exclusive photo gallery of T.J. Grant training for his bout tonight against Carlo Prater at UFC on FUEL 3 in Fairfax, Virginia.

Grant, who trains out of Fit Plus in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, hopes to make this his second win in as many tries in his newly adopted lightweight division.

You can watch Grant’s fight LIVE on the UFC’s Facebook Page Tuesday evening starting at 5:30 Eastern Time.

 

 

 

 

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MM-eh Video: TJ Grant Pre UFC on Fuel 3

By Andy Cotterill (andy@mm-eh.ca)

Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada’s T.J. Grant invited MM-eh‘s Andy Cotterill into his home to talk about his fight tomorrow night against Carlo Prater at UFC on FUEL 3.

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UFC 149 Calgary Press Conference Photos

Featherweight Champ Jose Aldo (left) squares off against his UFC 149 challenger Eric Koch. Photo by Jason Phillip / MM-eh.ca

By Andy Cotterill (andy@mm-eh.ca)

MM-eh‘s Jason Phillip was in Calgary on Wednesday for the UFC 149: Aldo vs. Koch press conference, set for Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome on July 21.

Featherweight champ Jose Aldo and challenger Eric Koch attended, as well as Calgary’s own Nick ‘The Promise’ Ring, who will be taking on Court McGee in a middleweight bout.

UFC Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright started the day with the press conference, then he and the fighters traveled the short distance to McMahon Stadium for a fun workout with a few of the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders.  The days events finished with a fan meet and greet at a Boston Pizza.

To see the entire UFC 149 Fight card CLICK HERE.

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GSP on Criss Angel: Mindfreak

UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre has been spending a lot of time in Southern California lately, where he has been undergoing rehabilitation for his ACL patellar tendon autograft reconstruction surgery that he underwent in December, and it looks like he is finding some fun ways to pass the time while he’s not working on his knee.

Here he is on A&E’s Criss Angel Mindfreak.

Alessio Back In The Octagon Against Roller At UFC 148

Photo by Al Bello/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

By Andy Cotterill (andy@mm-eh.ca)

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced that Canadian John ‘The Natural’ Alessio (34-15) and Oklahoma’s Shane Roller (10-6) have verbally agreed to a lightweight matchup at UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II  in Las Vegas on July 7.

This is Alessio’s third stint in the UFC.  His introduction to the world’s most popular organization came in the form of a lightweight title fight against then champion Pat Miletich at UFC 26 in 2000, when Alessio was only 19 years old.  He rejoined the promotion in 2006 but dropped both of his bouts against Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves — both by unanimous decision.

Alessio spent the next six years fighting in the WEC and other regional organizations and came to be considered one of the top welterweights outside of the UFC.  But in an interview with MM-eh last year, Alessio lamented that he was frustrated because he felt that he was a better fighter than many of the other Canadians who were currently fighting there.

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Elite 1 ‘Showdown’ Photo Gallery

By Andy Cotterill (andy@mm-eh.ca)

MM-eh‘s Chris Harding was in Moncton, New Brunswick Saturday night to capture the action inside the cage at Elite 1 ‘Showdown.’

To see the full event results, CLICK HERE.

New Elite 1 Lightweight Champion Adam Hazelton. Photo by Chris Harding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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UFC Fan Events in Calgary on Wednesday – Tickets Go On Sale On Saturday

Press Release

Photo from UFC.com

UFC® COMES TO CALGARY WITH CHAMPIONSHIP CARD

UFC® 149: ALDO VS. KOCH

Saturday, July 21 from Scotiabank Saddledome – Tickets on sale May 12


PRESS CONFERENCE, STAMPEDER TRAINING AND AUTOGRAPH SESSION

SET FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 9 

UFC® FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION JOSE ALDO AND CONTENDERERIK KOCH ARE JOINED BY NICK RING AND UFC® DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS TOM WRIGHT AT SHAW COURT IN CALGARY 

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BC Introduces (Combat) Athletic Commissioner Act

By Andy Cotterill (andy@mm-eh.ca)

British Columbia’s Minister of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development, Ida Chong, introduced Bill 50 – Athletic Commissioner Act – in the legislature today.

The mandate of the Commissioner would be to regulate and supervise professional contests such as boxing, kick-boxing and mixed martial arts.

“The benefit of having a provincial athletic commissioner would be that every professional contest would be subject to the same rules and regulations, whether it was being held in Vancouver, Nanaimo or Vernon.” Chong said.

This is a welcome and timely initiative, considering that right now there are at least nine different municipal commissions in BC, each with somewhat differing rules and regulations.  Also, the City of Vernon recently denied a request from the City of Cranbrook for Vernon’s athletic commission to sanction a planned event there during Sam Steele Days on June 17.

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