Maynard Comments on Upcoming UFC 142

Posted on Jan 7, 2012 in UFC

In a recent interview with Gray Maynard, the two-time lightweight champion stated that he doesn’t think featherweight Chad Mendes is ready for a title shot. Mendes doesn’t agree with Maynard and thinks that with 11 fights to his name he is ready. “Maynard saying that he doesn’t think that I’m ready for a title shot – I don’t know why Maynard’s saying anything about anyone,” said Mendes. Mendes is scheduled to fight Jose Aldo for UFC 142 which takes place on January 14^th in Rio De Janeiro.

Gray Maynard has been supporting Jose Aldo from the very beginning. Maynard flew down to Brazil to train with Aldo, teaching him how to prepare for Mendes’ wrestling moves. Maynard believes Aldo is ready for the fight and thinks that Mendes does not have enough experience to meet the challenge.

In response to learning the Maynard has been training with Aldo, Mendes said, “So wrestling? I don’t care who he’s working with. He can work with the best wrestler in the entire world for a camp, and his wrestling isn’t going to be anywhere near as good as mine. I’m sure he understands that.” With Aldo training for Mendes’ strong wrestling skills, Mendes is training for Aldo’s killer striking skills.

Hamed Wardak and DJ Irie Celebrate the Irie Foundation

Posted on Dec 27, 2011 in Ludus Athletics

With four lanes of bumper to bumper traffic you could tell that the party was going to be packed and with Miami Heats DJ Irie hosting the event it was sure to be a blast. Not only is DJ Irie with the Maimi Heat, but he also spins for Jamie Foxx as well as local night clubs. Since DJ Irie wasn’t spinning, one of his Artist Related DJs did, which tells you what kind of crowd was present at the waterfront estate of Ludus CEO Hamed Wardak.

DJ Irie and Hamed Wardak teamed up to celebrate the efforts of the Irie Foundation, which “seeks to improve the lives of South Florida’s youth through educational and extracurricular opportunities that may otherwise not be available to them.” Earlier in the day, DJ Irie brought 78 kids from Madison Middle School to spend the afternoon munching down endless amounts of pizza and enjoy the swimming pool only to leave with their very own iPod.

To end the days festivities, 500+ people showed up to the Stoli sponsored evening. Among those attending were Micky Arison, CEO of Carnival Cruises and owner of the Miami Heat, Reggie Bush and Alonzo and Tracy Mourning.

Jon Jones Brings Some Acrobatic Skill to MMA

Posted on Dec 20, 2011 in UFC

Not only is Jon Jones on his way to becoming the most remarkable fighter in Ultimate Fighting Championship, but the 24-year-old has also gotten his tittles by bringing a unique style of acrobatic fighting that have made him 14-1. For his upcoming fight, Jones is scheduled to fight Lyoto Machida whose karate style has not been winning him titles recently. “There could be some cool, tricky things going on in there,” said Jones of Lyoto’s style. This fight will be Jones second title fight.

While Machida has been increasingly desperate, Jones has only had one defeat for throwing too many blows to the head of Matt Hamill in 2009. Since then Jones has helped promote UFC and K-Swiss.

Many people are drawn the Jon’s style because of his graceful spins that lead into deadly punches and kicks. Jones also has a strong background in UFC’s most important base: wrestling. “Stylistically, this fight is so fun and interesting,” UFC President Dana White said. “Machida is only interested in winning back the title. It’s all he’s been thinking about. I don’t expect him to lie back as he’s been doing. I expect fireworks from Machida right away.” Jones, however, has been unpredictable and has made life miserable for all his opponents making his confidence soar.

Hamed Wardak & Ludus to Hold Fundraiser for Irie Foundation

Posted on Dec 15, 2011 in Ludus Athletics

Ludus Athletics is going to make a lot of inner city middle school students very happy during this holiday season.  Hamed Wardak and Ludus announced that with the help of the Irie Foundation, which was created by Miami Heat’s DJ Irie, they will help to organize the Christmas Fairytale fundraiser for 75 young students. In addition to DJ Irie, many celebrities are scheduled to attend the December 15^th event, such as UFC’s Jon Bones Jones and Florida Senator Davis Aronberg.

DJ Irie understands the importance of bringing the holiday spirit to underprivileged kids and has said that he “is extremely excited to co-produce this event with Hamed & Ludus. This time of year is all about spreading joy and goodwill and we share the same vision of a better South Florida through education and support of our youth.”

Ludus, an apparel brand inspired by the fashionable lively city of Miami, was created by Hamed Wardak. The Ludus brand embodies the young diverse nature of the city and aims to combine fashion and excitement into its pieces.

Josh Koscheck and Carlos Condit to Fight Co-main Event

Posted on Dec 14, 2011 in UFC

It’s official – Josh Koscheck and Carlos Condit will be scheduled to fight in the co-main event along with a middleweight bout between Micheal Kuiper and Rafael Natal. UFC 143 is scheduled to take place February 4^th at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas. Even though the main event will only be available on pay-per-view the preliminary fights are expected to air on FUEL TV.

Carlos Condit was expected initially to face Georges St-Pierre at UFC 143 however Nick Diaz challenged St-Pierre after his big win over B.J Penn at UFC 137. St-Pierre accepted Nick’s challenge, which put Condit on the sidelines. After St-Pierre stole the spotlight from Condit, UFC president announced that should he be victorious in his next fight he is next in line.

Most recently Koschek fought at September’s UFC 135, where he defeated UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes in a first-round knockout. This swift defeat was Koscheck’s first fight back since his broken orbital bone at UFC 124.

Davis and Evans to Finally Fight in January

Posted on Dec 8, 2011 in UFC

Recently, the scheduled fight between UFC champion Rashad Evans and his most recent rival Phil Davis has been re-scheduled to be on Fox 2 on January 28^th in Chicago. ESPN reported this news late Tuesday evening but did not cite where the information came from.

Originally, the fight was scheduled to headline in August at UFC 133 but a knee injury had put Davis on the sidelines. Evans instead went on to fight and defeat Tito Ortiz in August but was not able to go for the title fight against Jon Jones because he had injured his hand.

With both fighters back from their past injuries they are likely to headline UFC’s new efforts on Fox. Evans is coming off a victory over Ortiz but has a lot on the line and needs a victory to keep is number one position intact. Evans and Jones have been dancing around each other ever since his former teammate won the belt in March at UFC 128.

Davis on the other hand has the biggest challenge of his career fighting a former champion. If Davis manages to defeat Evans he would not only prove himself, but also establish a place in the division getting him a title contention.

UFC Might Hit Sao Paulo in January

Posted on Nov 28, 2011 in UFC

While it hasn’t been officially announced, it looks like UFC will be arriving in Brazil for the third time in about a year this June in Sao Paulo. The UFC president Dana White didn’t officially confirm the rumors that showed up in Brazilian media recently, but his smile and subtle tone told reporters it’s bound to be true. The questions arose during a press conference after the UFC 139 fight on Saturday held in San Jose, California. During the conference, White gave hints as to who the likely headliner will be: the Brazilian champion Jose Aldo and the unbeaten Chad Mendes.

Also during the conference, White confirmed, with a smile and a nod, that he believes the UFC middleweight champion Silva will not be fighting till after June while he recovers from his surgery. Silva defended his title against Yushin Okami for the record ninth consecutive time last August in Rio de Janeiro. The epic second round TKO was UFC’s first trip to Brazil since October 1998. Silva’s next scheduled fight is to be against the man that came closest to taking it from him: Chael Sonnen.