Cain Velasquez is returning to training soon and should me making his comeback in the coming months.

It’s no secret the American Kickboxing Academy is a little banged up right now.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is out. Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson is finally making return to the hexagon this April after having not competed at all in 2011. Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix finalist Daniel Cormier has a lingering hand injury that isn’t healing as fast as...

On Friday’s edition of The MMA Show podcast, Mauro Ranallo was joined by the founder of The American Kickboxing Academy Javier Mendez to discuss plenty of topics surrounding the gym.

One topic that came up was the way fighters train at AKA.  Mendez went into a story about an argument he once had with Strikeforce lightweight Josh Thomson on over training. 

Fight Factory did a very interesting piece on AKA and went inside the operation that Mendez has been running,...

Today’s “The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo” podcast featured an interview with Roy “Big Country” Nelson, who takes on Fabricio Werdum in the co-main event of UFC 143 this Saturday. Nelson stopped by to talk about the fight, what kind of shape he expects to show up in, and where a win over Werdum would put him in the heavyweight pecking order.

“Fabricio beat Fedor, who was undefeated for 10 years. And then Overeem got a title shot for beating...

It’s weirdly fitting that, as the UFC takes to pay-per-view on the eve of the Super Bowl, the fighter who should lead the charge is Nick Diaz. That’s not because Diaz embodies any of the same qualities that we’ve come to associate with pro football’s circus weekend. Quite the opposite, in fact, which is what’s so great about it. 

If Nick Diaz were to suppress his hatred of jock culture long enough to actually play football, he’d probably be terrible...

Carlos Condit was the only fighter to rock a suit at yesterday’s UFC 143 press conference.

A middleweight bout pitting “Jacare” Souza against Derek Brunson has been added to the March 3 Strikeforce event. (MMAjunkie.com)

Also, a previously reported matchup between Scott Smith and Lumumba Sayers has become official for the same Strikeforce event. (Yahoo! Sports)

Mike Massenzio will fight on home soil as he takes on Karlos Vemola, who will make his 185-pound debut at UFC on FOX...

The MMA Show Podcast with Mauro Ranallo is back at it again with the latest and greatest in the world of mixed martial arts.

And remember, you can now watch a LIVE VIDEO STREAM! Click Here to WATCH LIVE The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo at 2pm EST.

Our first guest is American Kickboxing Academy trainer Javier Mendez, who will stop by to talk about Josh Koscheck’s fight against Mike Pierce at UFC 143 and what else is happening with...

Man, give it up for the guys at Complex.

Not only did they get Arianny to disrobe — which isn’t actually that hard — but they had the good sense to dress her up like a dominatrix. Am I alone in feeling like Ms. Celeste looks very, very at home in fetish gear?

They also convinced her to dress up like a Russian sailor. I’m not really sure what that was about.

(Via Kineda)

Like so many others, Ryan Martinez says mixed martial arts turned his entire life around.

Living in the fast lane might be fun for a while, but when you miss your daughter’s first steps because you are in prison, like Martinez was, it’s not so amusing anymore.

“Fast money, man,” Martinez told Mauro Ranallo on The MMA Show as to why he was incarcerated in the first place. “Fast money isn’t always good money. (Ending up in jail) came from...

Today’s “The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo” podcast featured an interview with Pat Barry, who is set to take on Lavar Johnson in what should be a heavyweight slugfest May 5 on the main card of UFC on FOX 3. Barry talked about when he got the call to take the fight, how excited he is to be on big FOX, and how he expects the fight to play out.

“Everybody knows what I do. I come in for the...

The MMA Show Podcast with Mauro Ranallo is back at it again with the latest and greatest in the world of mixed martial arts.

And remember, you can now watch a LIVE VIDEO STREAM!

Click Here to WATCH LIVE The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo at 2pm EST.

Our first guest is Rafael Cordeiro, the famed muay Thai trainer now at King’s MMA. He’ll stop by to talk about how Fabricio Werdum is looking for his UFC 143 fight against...

Pulled pork sandwiches are the only performance enhancing drug that Roy Nelson needs.

Roy Nelson says that he knows that some of his former opponents were using performance enhancing drugs. They told him. (MMA Fighting)

Scott Jorgensen says that he views this Saturday’s fight against Renan Barao as an unofficial title match. (Five Ounces of Pain)

A rematch between Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera has been added to the card for May’s UFC on FX 3. (MMA Junkie)

A fight...

Renan Barao’s 28-fight undefeated streak doesn’t intimidate Scott Jorgensen.

The two highly-ranked bantamweights collide in a pivotal matchup this Saturday at UFC 143, and while many fighters may step into the cage fearing someone who has lost only once in MMA competition (in his first fight, nonetheless), that isn’t Jorgensen, who compares Barao’s streak to getting lucky in a casino.

“It’s like Vegas — it’s like everytime that black hits on roulette. Just because they spin that ball and it’s...

With the UFC having events what seems like every other day, these rankings are subject to change quite quickly.  As for now, this is how they stand.

Heavyweight

1. Junior Dos Santos (14-1) - The UFC Heavyweight champion is recovering from knee surgery and will look to defend his title for the first time this summer against Alistair Overeem.

2. Alistair Overeem (36-11- 1NC) - Overeem took Brock Lesnar out of the UFC heavyweight division and out of MMA completely. ...

Today’s “The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo” podcast featured an interview with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, the undefeated welterweight who makes his Octagon debut at UFC 143 this Saturday night against fellow newcomer Daniel “The Anvil” Stittgen. Thompson dropped by to talk about getting the call on short notice, training with Georges St-Pierre, and where the nickname “Wonderboy” came from.

“When I was younger I used to sing and dance all the time. My sister’s boyfriend at the time used to...

Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson makes his Octagon debut against Dan Stittgen on Saturday at UFC 143.

The MMA Show Podcast with Mauro Ranallo is back at it again with the latest and greatest in the world of mixed martial arts.

And remember, you can now watch a LIVE VIDEO STREAM!

Click Here to WATCH LIVE The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo at 2pm EST.

Our first guest is Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, the striking prodigy who is making his Octagon debut at...

Glenn Dextras for TheScore.com

Not a ton of news today.

The FTC has closed their investigation into the Zuffa’s purchase of Strikeforce. (Fight Opinion)

Georges St-Pierre is cheering for Nick Diaz on Saturday, not because he likes him, but because he wants an opportunity to punch him. (FC Fighter)

Diaz says the UFC misquoted him in their promotional material for UFC 143. (Middle Easy)

Ryo Chonan says that the rumours of Fedor Emelianenkoending Satoshi Ishii’s career are totally...

It might be the interim UFC welterweight title on the line when Nick Diaz takes on Carlos Condit this Saturday at UFC 143, but Diaz’ trainer Cesar Gracie hopes his star pupil puts the belt around the waist shall he prove victorious.

Of course, that’s not up to him. And as everyone knows, Diaz doesn’t always conform to what others want.

“I hope if he wins, he would put it on. He’s a champion — he was the WEC champion...

Today’s “The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo” podcast featured an interview with striking coach Mike Winkeljohn, who talked about how Team Jackson-Winkeljohn Carlos Condit’s preparations have come for his UFC interim welterweight title fight against Nick Diaz this Saturday night at UFC 143 and why he is going to be the man who leaves the cage with a date against UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre when he returns to action.

“When they shut that cage door, Carlos Condit is a...

The MMA Show Podcast with Mauro Ranallo returns today, like always, with the latest-and-greatest in the world of mixed martial arts.

And remember you can watch a LIVE VIDEO STREAM now!

Click Here to WATCH LIVE The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo at 2pm EST.

Our first guest is Cesaar Gracie, head trainer of Nick Diaz, who will talk about Diaz’ upcoming fight this weekend at UFC 143 against Carlos Condit, his feud with Canadian superstar Georges St-Pierre and why...

I really like Overeem, so I want this charge to be false. I won’t lie.

Apparently the hacker who shut down UFC.com is a 13 year-old Australian. Oh snap, Dana. You’ve been fighting with a child. (Softpedia)

Oh no. Alistair Overeem was charged with battery at a Las Vegas casino during the same weekend that he legally battered Brock Lesnar inside The Octagon. The victim was a woman. (MMA Mania)

Cesar Gracie says that Nick Diaz shouldn’t take another...

If Rashad Evans is to defeat Jon Jones and reclaim the UFC light-heavyweight championship, he will need to be better than he was against Phil Davis, his coach Mike Van Arsdale says.

Even Rashad Evans’ coach was a little disappointed.

After the UFC on FOX 2 headliner between Evans and Phil Davis proved to be more or less a 25-minute wrestling match, the head coach at Imperial Athletics today spoke to The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo and shared in...

Today’s “The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo” podcast featured an interview with Ray Longo, the striking coach with the Serra-Longo fight team’s Chris Weidman. He dropped by the show to talk about Weidman’s performance, how brutal a weight cut Weidman went through, and how he mentally broke Demian Maia.

“If I’m in Maia’s corner, I’m telling him to press the action right away and see what Weidman has in the gas tank. You have to be in there, but I...

The MMA Show Podcast with Mauro Ranallo returns today with another jam-packed show.

And from now on, you can WATCH LIVE.

Click Here to WATCH LIVE The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo.

First off, Mauro welcomes Mike Van Arsdale, head trainer at Imperial Athletics. He’ll stop by to talk about the huge victory Rashad Evans had over Phil Davis to secure the No. 1 contender position in the light-heavyweight division as well as Michael Johnson’s decision win over Shane Roller.

I’m with Dana on this one.

Dana White says he had Michael Bisping beating Chael Sonnen two rounds to one at Saturday’s UFC on Fox 2. (MixedMartialArts.com)

The early ratings for UFC on Fox 2 show that it had a very respectable average viewership of 4.37 million. (MMA Torch)

Sonnen says that Bisping could beat Anderson Silva. (MMA Mania)

The Gladiator has finally been cut from the UFC. Thank God. (The Underground)

Jake Shields will fight Sexiyamaat UFC 144...

Mauro Ranallo catches up with MMAFighting.com and FUEL TV’s Ariel Helwani as the two discuss the big UFC on FOX 2 show tomorrow night in Chicago and the latest happenings from the world of mixed martial arts.