Tito loves Dana: MMA?s favorite marriage continues, what?s next for Ortiz?

There's nothing better than the special bond between boss and employee. Dana White and Tito Ortiz are proof of that. The UFC president was looking forward to a clean separation, but Tito spoiled the party with his upset of Ryan Bader at UFC 132.

Going back to the postfight press conference at UFC 84, it's simply amazing that the Tito-Dana marriage is going to continue. Remember, that was night Ortiz was nearly denied access to the room. Las Vegas Metro Police were standing by in case some insane unfolded. Tito, girlfriend Jenna Jameson, broke into the room before White arrived. What ensued was a legendary sniping session between boss and employee. Tito probably didn't help his cause by wearing a "mean" t-shirt to the weigh-in.

Ortiz lost two more fights after the Machida defeat, but won with his back against the wall. Judging by the reaction from the fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, Ortiz certainly has to be re-signed, but you have to wonder if there's any shot at a smooth negotiation. Boss and employee buried that hatchet at the UFC 132 postfight press conference.

Tito "begged" for a final fight and was getting paid $450,000 win or lose at UFC 132. Let's hope money isn't a stumbling block. We can't wait to see Ortiz back in the Octagon and more importantly, the next chapter of Tito-Dana emerge before the end of 2011.

Tito won't ever really be in the hunt for the light heavyweight title, so now it's time to make fights that the fans want to see. What do you like?

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Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum Countdown Preview Show - Strikeforce

Fight Network previews Strikforce's heavyweight Grand Prix featuring Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers taking place on June 18, 2011 in Dallas, Texas.

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Rosholt moves one step closer to UFC return with win over Horwich

It's never easy against Matt Horwich, but if you fight smart and stay out his guard, you can get a win. Jake Rosholt didn't thrill the crowd in Frisco, Tx., but he stuck to his gameplan and took out the veteran to improve to 5-1 away from UFC in the main event of Shark Fights 17.

Rosholt (12-3, 1 NC) got a unanimous decision victory, 30-27 on all cards. He mixed takedowns with some solid body work on the feet. The former three-time NCAA Div. 1 national champion wrestler at Oklahoma State scored five takedowns in all, but never went to the ground with Horwich, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt fighting under Eddie Bravo.

"I'm just glad to get out here and get a win against him. It was a scrap. I knew it would be 15 minutes of scrapping," Rosholt told HDNet's Ron Kruck. "I was going to land some strikes, land some to his body and wear him out a little bit. I don't see very many people end Matt Horwich .

Following a loss against Kendall Grove at UFC 106, Rosholt was dropped by the UFC. He's only been a pro in MMA since July of 2007. He entered the WEC as a green fighter and got just one fight with Zuffa's smaller promotion before it phased out the middleweight division. Rosholt was probably thrown to the wolves a little too early in UFC. He went 1-2 with a win over Chris Leben and losses to Grove and Dan Miller. Clearly, his goal is to get back to the UFC.

"I just want to keep fighting and keep getting better all the time. Sooner or later I'll get there. That's where I deserve to be. That's where the best fighters are. That's where I want to fight," said Rosholt.

The takedowns always score with the judges and Horwich stayed on his back too long. On the feet, Horwich's charging flurries confused Rosholt a bit in the first, but it was the wrestler who did more damage in the long run. In the final round, he tried an unorthodox flying knee that missed, but followed it up with a left hook that opened a cut over Horwich's right eye. Horwich also had significant swelling under the eye by the end of the fight.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez was also on the card. He ran through a very overmatched Doug Williams and won via rear-naked choke at 2:16 of the first round. Williams (5-13-1) was a late replacement after a wacky weigh-in day where Rodriguez's original opponent missed the catchweight by 23 pounds. This is a career rebirth for Rodriguez (47-11), who's fighting back from a well-publicized battle against drug addiction. The UFC champ back in 2002 ballooned to 300-plus pounds. Last night, he was 227 pounds and still looks like he should eventually fight down at 205 with some more conditioning work. Rodriguez's previous two fights were at a 215-pound catchweight.

The most dramatic moment of the night came when Alan Jouban crushed and finished Andrew Goldthwaite with a left hook (3:25 mark).

Video tip via Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan

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Breath, life, vitality of the spirit. Join Us On Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo & YouTube

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Wanderlust Vermont, Yogaslackers Style (video)

Breath, life, vitality of the spirit. Join Us On Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo & YouTube

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Texan's Lost HD Footage

Some ripping Texans found some lost HD footage and its sick.

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Anthony Pettis-Jeremy Stephens Latest Addition to UFC 136 in Houston

Filed under: UFC, News

The Houston hits just keep on coming. A bout between final WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and Jeremy Stephens has been added to UFC 136.

The UFC announced the matchup Saturday for its Oct. 8 card, which will take place in Houston, coinciding with a UFC Fan Expo on Oct. 7-8.

The fight is the latest in a slew of recent fight announcements the UFC has made for the show, which will be its second trip to the nation's fourth largest city. The UFC last visited Houston for UFC 69 in April 2007.

Pettis (13-2, 0-1 UFC) will be looking to rebound after some bad luck, followed by the end of a four-fight winning streak. Pettis, as the last WEC lightweight champ following that promotion's merger with the UFC, was expected to face the winner of the Jan. 1 fight between champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. When that fight ended in a draw, a rematch was ordered (one that will, coincidentally, happen at UFC 136 in the main event) - and Pettis was left in the cold. He took a fight with Clay Guida at the Season 13 Finale of "The Ultimate Fighter," and was outwrestled en route to a 30-27 sweep on the judges' scorecards for Guida.

Prior to that fight, Pettis went 4-0 in 2010, including his win over Ben Henderson to claim the WEC title at the promotion's swan song event in December. That fight included his now-famous flying kick off the cage in the fifth round - "the kick heard 'round the world." Three of his four wins in 2010 won fight-night bonus awards.

Stephens (20-6, 7-5 UFC) has started to surge upward in the lightweight division in 2011 with a Knockout of the Night win over Marcus Davis at UFC 125 and a unanimous decision win over Danny Downes at the TUF 13 Finale in June. Last September, he lost a close split decision to Melvin Guillard at UFC 119, his only loss in the last two years.

Stephens, an Iowa native, has four UFC fight-night bonuses in his career. Against Pettis, he will be facing his second consecutive Duke Roufus-trained fighter. Downes also is a product of the Roufusport school in Milwaukee.

UFC 136 features the main-event lightweight title trilogy rematch between Edgar and Maynard, plus a co-main event featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and new featherweight Kenny Florian. In addition, the card features middleweight clashes between Chael Sonnen and Brian Stann and Demian Maia-Jorge Santiago, plus a lightweight bout between Guillard and Joe Lauzon. The star power already on the card means the Pettis-Stephens fight is likely to end up on the preliminary card.

 

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