Cage Gossip: MMA Rumors - UFC, Strikeforce & DREAM News & Rumors
Your weekly source for MMA rumors
5. Shinya Aoki To Train With Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
According to GracieFighter.com and Cesar Gracie himself, Aoki reached out via a third party to ask to train with the champion-filled Team Cesar Gracie following his loss to Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce: Nashville.
It’s nice to see a Japanese fighter willing to forego his pride and train with an American camp, especially a fighter of Aoki’s caliber. With the diminishing talent in Japanese MMA, it’s no surprise that the best camps are found in America. Hopefully more Japanese fighters will follow suit and get the top-level training they need in America. Whether arm breaking, middle finger throwing Aoki will blend in with the Cesar Gracie Gang remains to be seen.
4. Cheick Kongo vs. Roy Nelson at UFC 116
FightersOnly.com reports that although Cheick Kongo has been added to the UFC 116 fight card, an opponent has yet to be announced. It is rumored that Roy Nelson, fresh off his devastating knockout over Stefan Struve, could be next in line for the French kickboxer.
Prior to Nelson’s fight with Struve, rumors abound that Dos Santos would be fighting Kongo if Nelson was unable to get past Struve at UFC Fight Night 21. It appears the UFC may have had a change of heart and instead plan to pit the two opponents for Dos Santos against one another in hopes of getting one solid challenger for the rising Brazilian heavyweight.
3. Jose Aldo Wants Three Titles
Following Jose Aldo’s dissection of Urijah Faber Saturday night at WEC 48, Dana White was talking with reporters and quoted by MMAFighting.com as saying, "I had heard that he wants to move down a weight class, win that belt and then go to 155 to fight BJ in the UFC. If he can do that, I don't know if he can cut that weight and make that light a weight division, but he'd be the first guy to win three titles in three different weight divisions... I think it'd be pretty interesting. I love stuff like that. I think if a guy proves himself at a certain weight class it's time to move on and try something new and I like that. But it's so hard to do in this sport because there's such a gap between weight classes. You can't be like [Manny] Pacquiao [jumping] seven different weight classes."
An ambitious endeavor to say the least, but if anybody in MMA today can win a title in three different weight classes besides Anderson Silva, it’s Jose Aldo.
2. Jake Shields and Nick Diaz to the UFC
In a video that surfaced on YouTube the other day, Nick Diaz is heard saying to another man, “Dana White is the president. He already told me that I can… He said that they are interested. So I’m definitely going to be able to use that to get more money. I am feeling pretty good." A clear indication that Dana White has spoken with Diaz in regards to returning to the UFC and that Diaz is very much interested in the dollar signs being mentioned.
In regards to his friend and fellow teammate, Jake Shields, Dana White had this to say to AllHeadlineNews.com, “Jake Shields is definitely going to leave Strikeforce, and he’s definitely coming to the UFC… They never respected Jake Shields, who is their champion. They didn’t even have him in their commercials for the fight. Then the fight happens and Jake Shields wins.”
In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Dana White also said that the “knuckleheads” (Strikeforce) have 45-60 days to negotiate with Shields before he’s a free agent. Considering that there was a shot during the WEC 48: Faber vs. Aldo PPV of White sitting with his arm around Shields and mouthing, “He’s mine,” we can only expect that it’s merely a matter of time before Shields is officially a UFC employee.
If the UFC can sign away both Shields and Diaz, two of Strikeforce’s best fighters and current champions, it crushes any sort of momentum Strikeforce has going. Strikeforce will seemingly always be on the lower end of the bidding war due to the UFC’s sheer dominance in the industry, thereby turning Strikefore into a farm league for the UFC, with Scott Coker and company unable to hold onto any of it’s fighters once they establish themselves as. Not a good sign for Coker and Showtime.
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1. Tito Ortiz Arrested for Domestic Assault, Could Be Cut By The UFC
Tito Ortiz was taken into custody outside his home in Huntington Beach, California early Monday morning following an argument with his girlfriend, Jenna Jameson, in which Ortiz reportedly “pushed” her. Ortiz has since posted bail and the two plan to talk soon to discuss the situation.
Dana White went on the record saying that after the police reports are in, and the whole story comes out, he may release the former champion from his UFC contract. “Other than going on a killing spree, being accused of domestic violence is the worst thing you can have going for you,” White said. “"We're gonna be fair, but we could cut him."
There seems to be a lot we don’t know yet about what actually went down in Tito and Jenna’s home. Whether or not Tito truly “assaulted” her remains to be seen, but I do hope that many will hold off on saying anything about the characters of Tito and Jenna until all the facts are in.
That’s it for this week’s edition of Cage Gossip, be sure to check back next Tuesday for the latest rumors in MMA universe!
By Jeffrey Concerto
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer