UFC 135
''UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 24, 2011 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Background The Ultimate Fighting Championship had its first ever event in Denver nearly 20 years prior to UFC 135, but the promotion has not operated a pay-per-view event in the Mile High City since '' The Ultimate Ultimate'' in 1995. Zuffa, the UFC's parent company, was not the owner back then. UFC president Dana White, in an interview with MMAWeekly.com, says that the company has long been on a course to return to Denver, but they wanted to do it the right way. “We knew that we wanted to bring a big exciting card back to Denver, and we finally got it done.” Jon Jones was expected to make his first title defense on August 6, 2011 at UFC 133 against Rashad Evans, but Jones was sidelined with a hand injury. It was initially announced that the hand injury would require surgery, but Jones opted for rest and rehab ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA promotion company in the world as of 2011. It produces events worldwide that showcase 12 weight divisions (eight men's and four women's) and abides by the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. , it had held over 600 events. Dana White has been its president since 2001. Under White's stewardship, it has grown into a global multi-billion-dollar enterprise. The UFC was founded by businessman Art Davie and Brazilian martial artist Rorion Gracie, and the first event was held in 1993 at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the early Ultimate Fighting Championship competitions was to identify the most effective martial art in a contest with minimal rules and no weight classes between competitors of different fighting d ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Norifumi Yamamoto
was a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed in the bantamweight division of the UFC. He quickly gained popularity in the Shooto organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona. He moved on to K-1 Hero's, where he became the K-1 Hero's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion in December, 2005 after defeating Genki Sudo via a controversial TKO due to punches. Though by most measures he was a natural bantamweight, many of Yamamoto's most significant bouts have been in the lightweight division as it was the lightest division in Hero's. More recently, he competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the bantamweight division, although he did not perform well there, going winless in his first four fights. Background Yamamoto came from a wrestling family. His father Ikuei Yamamoto represented Japan at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich and his sisters Miyuu Yamamoto and Seiko both won world championships in freestyle w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Aaron Riley
Aaron Matthew Riley (born December 9, 1980) is a retired American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor from 1997 to 2013, he has also formerly competed in PRIDE, the IFL, Shooto, and BodogFIGHT. Aside from mixed martial arts, Riley has also competed in boxing (becoming a Golden Gloves champion) and wrestling. He is now a teacher Aid at Tell City Jr-Sr High School Background Riley was born and raised in Tell City, Indiana. Growing up, he watched the UFC since its first event in 1993, and fell in love with the sport of mixed martial arts. Riley competed in boxing, winning a Golden Gloves Championship, and also competed in wrestling for three years at Tell City High School. Mixed martial arts career Early career Riley made his professional debut in 1997 at the age of 16 for the HOOKnSHOOT organization. He received his first career loss in his second fight via kneebar, and then wo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tony Ferguson
Anthony Armand Ferguson Padilla (born February 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. Ferguson debuted in 2008, and has been with the UFC since he won ''The Ultimate Fighter 13'' in 2011. He is trained in freestyle wrestling, boxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and Wing Chun. Early life Ferguson was born in Oxnard, California, on February 12, 1984, but grew up mainly in Muskegon, Michigan. He is of Mexican heritage. His surname of Ferguson comes from his Scottish American stepfather. Ferguson was a three-sport athlete at Muskegon Catholic Central High School in American football, baseball, and wrestling. He was the starting defensive back for the 2000 Division 8 state football champions and was a three-time All-State selection in wrestling, winning the 152-lb division in 2002. After high school, Ferguson enrolled at ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Takanori Gomi
is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist who gained international fame in Pride Fighting Championships. Later in his career, Gomi also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is the only Pride FC Lightweight Champion in the organization's history. He became the Lightweight Grand Prix Winner at Pride Shockwave 2005, thus winning every lightweight accolade put forth by Pride FC. Gomi also held a record twelve-fight winning streak in Shooto, where he was a former Shooto Lightweight Champion, as well as a four-time All-Japan Combat Wrestling Champion. Nicknamed "The Fireball Kid", Gomi had a ten-fight winning streak spanning 2004 to 2006 in Pride FC, the longest in the organization's history. During this streak, Gomi knocked out Ralph Gracie in six seconds, the quickest knockout victory in Pride FC history. Gomi later defeated Tatsuya Kawajiri (voted Pride FC's Fight of the Year), Luiz Azeredo, and Hayato Sakurai en route to becoming Pride FC's 2005 Lightweight ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nate Diaz
Nathan Donald Diaz (born April 16, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who is currently a free agent. Diaz is most known for his time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought for over 15 years after winning ''The Ultimate Fighter 5'' Prior to signing with the UFC, Diaz competed in World Extreme Cagefighting, Strikeforce, and Pancrase. Diaz has the third most UFC bonus awards, with 16 in total. Background The son of Melissa (née Womble) and Robert Diaz, he was born of Mexican and Anglo heritage and raised in Stockton, California with his brother Nick and sister Nina. He attended Tokay High School and, at the age of 11, he began training in martial arts with his brother, Nick. Mixed martial arts career Early career Prior to his official MMA career, Diaz competed in a bare knuckle MMA fight against Robert Limon on July 20, 2002, at the age of 17. Footage has since emerged of the fight and it is believed to be his first ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rob Broughton
Rob Broughton (born 3 March 1983) is an English former mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor between 2004 and 2015, Broughton is a former British Cage Rage heavyweight champion and has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), RINGS, and M-1 Global. Broughton was sentenced to an eight-year prison term in 2021 for his role as an enforcer for a drug gang. Mixed martial arts career Cage Rage Rob first gained national recognition in 2006 when he became the British Cage Rage Heavyweight Champion, after defeating former PRIDE veteran James Thompson at Cage Rage 17 in Wembley Arena, on just one week's notice. Broughton then went on to defeat Robert Berry via KO and submit the world-renowned and ex-World Super Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Eric Esch in Cage Rage competition. However Broughton's win streak was ended against Tengiz Tedoradze, when a cut eye forced a premature end to the bout. During 2007 Rob sustai ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Travis Browne
Travis Kuualiialoha Browne (born July 17, 1982) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed as a heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Browne was born in Hawaii to a father with Hawaiian Native Hawaiian ancestry and a European Americans, European American mother. He played basketball and won the 2000 Coastal North League Player of the Year while attending high school in San Diego and then continued his career at Palomar College. Browne had no martial arts experience before being introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 26. Browne also began training in boxing and had his first professional fight less than a year later. Mixed martial arts career Browne began his professional MMA career in 2009, fighting in smaller organizations such as Bellator Fighting Championships, Gladiator Challenge, and King of the Cage. He quickly amassed an undefeated winning streak of 9–0. Ultimate Fighting ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ben Rothwell
Ben Rothwell (born October 17, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Heavyweight. He most notably had a 17 bout stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and competed for the Quad Cities Silverbacks of the IFL where he held an undefeated 9–0 record before leaving the promotion due to a contract dispute. He has also had one-fight stints in Affliction, M-1 Global, and King of the Cage. Background Rothwell is from Kenosha, Wisconsin, and both of his parents work in the restaurant business. His parents own a catering company. He is of Norwegian and Irish descent. Rothwell was an active child but suffered a bout with spinal meningitis when he was six years old. He was in a coma and temporarily blind, while the disease made him almost obese. The young Rothwell, who struggled with his weight and identity in his adolescent years, was also troubled growing up and was often involved in fighting and violence at Westosha Central High School. By the time he was a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mark Hunt
Mark Richard Hunt (born 23 March 1974) is a New Zealand former mixed martial artist and kickboxer of Samoan descent, currently living in Sydney, Australia. Hunt competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) until 2018 and was the winner of the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix. He is known as "King of Walk-Offs" due to his popularization of walking away and stopping attacks before the referee officially ends the match. Background Hunt was born in South Auckland, into a large Samoan family, and was a troubled child eventually leading to two jail terms for violent offending. He had no intention to be a professional fighter until a late night altercation outside a nightclub just after getting out of jail for the second time in Auckland changed the course of his life. The brawl did not last long, and Hunt knocked out multiple people. Sam Marsters, one of the bouncers at the door was impressed by the young man's knockout power and invited him to his gym to take up formal trainin ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classes. Instead of the traditional championship model, the UFC held tournaments with the winner receiving a permanent appellation. In response to criticism from Senator John McCain that saw the loss of its television deal and the banning of the sport in thirty-six states, the UFC increased its cooperation with state athletic commissions and introduced weight classes in 1997, starting with UFC 12, and began introducing weight-specific titles. The original codification for weight classes introduced only two divisions: heavyweight, which grouped together all competitors above , and lightweight, which encompassed all competitors 199 pounds (90 kg) and under. At UFC 14 the lightweight division would be renamed to middleweight, though it would ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Josh Koscheck
Edinboro Fighting Scots Josh D. Koscheck (born November 30, 1977) is an American retired mixed martial artist who fought at Welterweight for the UFC and Bellator MMA. Koscheck made his debut with the UFC on the first season of the reality television show, ''The Ultimate Fighter'' and fought for the company 25 times from 2005–2015, compiling a UFC record of 15–10. Mixed martial arts career Ultimate Fighting Championship Koscheck appeared on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter as a middleweight fighter. He defeated Chris Leben via unanimous decision to advance to the semifinals, where he was defeated by Diego Sanchez via split decision. Koscheck had his first official UFC fight on April 9, 2005, at The Ultimate Finale, where he defeated Chris Sanford with a first-round KO. Koscheck followed this victory with another win at UFC Ultimate Fight Night over Pete Spratt in Koscheck's debut at welterweight. Since then, Koscheck has amassed an additional three victori ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |