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2008
11/8/08
Aloha State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California)
5/3/08
Hawaiian Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
4/26/08
Elite XC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/29/08
Garden Island Cage Match 7
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 8
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
3/15/08
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
2/17/08
Hawaiian Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
2/8/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 7
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
2/2/08
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery
Ballroom)
1/26/08
X1 World
Events: Champions
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/20/08
Big
Island Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(Konawaena High School)
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(POSTPONED)
1/19/08
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
(BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson)
Newcastle, England
1/12/08
Hawaii Fight League
Season 1, Event 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
|
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January 2008 News
Part 2
|
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Quote
of the Day
"I've
always found that the speed of the boss is the speed of the team."
Lee Iacocca, American Industrialist and Automobile Executive
|
UFC
80 RAPID FIRE RESULTS!
BJ Wins the Interim Title, But Grove Loses
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, England
January 19, 2008
1. Sam Stout (155) def. Per Eklund (155) via unanimous decision
2. Alessio Sakara (206) def. James Lee (206) via TKO (strikes)
- R1 (1:30)
3. Paul Kelly (170) def. Paul Taylor (170) via unanimous decision
4. Antoni Hardonk (244) def. Colin Robinson (238) via TKO (strikes)
- R1 (0:17)
5. Jorge Rivera (185) def. Kendall Grove (186) via TKO (strikes)
- R1 (1:20)
6. Wilson Gouveia (205) def. Jason Lambert (204) via TKO (strikes)
- R2 (0:37)
7. Marcus Davis (169) def. Jess Liaudin (170) via KO - R1 (1:04)
8. Fabricio Werdum (247) def. Gabriel Gonzaga (255) via TKO (strikes)
- R2 (4:34)
9. BJ Penn (154) def. Joe Stevenson (154) via sub (rear naked
choke) - R2 (4:02)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
83 to move from the UK to the US
By Moses Utomi
UFC 83, originally planned for Manchester, England, will happen
in the US instead, reports Steve Sievert of the Houston Chronicle's
“Brawl Sports” blog.
Dana
White was still unsure of the event’s location when asked
about it at last Thursday's UFC 80 conference call.
“We’re
still working on that,” he said. “I should have an
answer to that question in a couple of days. We’re still
trying to figure out what we’re doing in March.”
The
event is still rumored for March 8th, just a week after the UFC
82 card that features a middleweight dream match between Anderson
Silva and Dan Henderson.
The
UFC 83 card was supposed to feature TUF 3 winner Michael Bisping
in his middleweight debut after a split decision loss to Rashad
Evans. A fight between James Irvin and Houston Alexander was
also reported to take place.
In
addition, the blog’s source confirms that UFC 84 will take
place in Montreal on April 19th. The rumors so far have the card
looking like one of the best of the year, with Georges St. Pierre
fighting Matt Serra for the welterweight title, Jason MacDonald
against Joe Doerksen, Karo Parysian and taking on Thiago Alves
in a highly anticipated bout, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua’s
return to the Octagon, and TUF season 6 winner Mac Danzig fighting
at lightweight against Mark Bocek.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
CAGE
RAGE ‘BUZZES’ SHAMROCK
UFC Hall-of-Famer Draws ‘Buzz’ Berry at Cage Rage 25
on March 8
By Brian Knapp
UFC
Hall-of-Famer Ken Shamrock will make his promotional debut against
Robert Berry at Cage Rage 25 “Bring It On” on Saturday,
March 8 at Wembley Arena in London. Shamrock’s manager,
Rod Donahoo, confirmed the bout on Thursday.
Shamrock
(26-12-2), who turns 44 in February, has lost seven of his past
nine fights, including four straight. He last competed in October
2006, when he succumbed to strikes against arch rival Tito Ortiz.
It was Shamrock’s third loss to the former UFC light heavyweight
champion, all three by TKO. The UFC released “The World’s
Most Dangerous Man” from his contract last June.
Still
one of the sport’s most recognizable figures, Shamrock remains
the only man to defeat fellow legend Bas Rutten twice. He also
holds victories over former UFC heavyweight champion Maurice
Smith and Dan Severn. Shamrock is one of four men – along
with Royce Gracie, Randy Couture and Severn – enshrined
in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Berry
(11-7, 6-3 CR), a veteran of the Cage Rage circuit, will enter
the bout on a two-fight losing streak. The British kickboxer
last fought in December, when he was stopped by unbeaten Neil
Grove at Cage Rage 24. Berry drew international attention in
December, when he challenged Internet street fighting legend
Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson. The two could meet in
the future, as Cage Rage and EliteXC – the promotion for
which Ferguson fights – are both owned by Pro Elite Inc.
All 11 of Berry’s victories have come by KO, TKO or submission.
Shamrock’s
son, Ryan, will also compete on the Cage Rage 25 card, though
no opponent has been announced. Ryan Shamrock made his professional
debut in August, when he submitted Josh Besneatte with a first-round
choke.
Source: The Fight Network
|
SHAW
TO WHITE: "LET HIM FIGHT OUR FIGHTERS"
by Damon Martin
The
war of words between Ultimate Fighting Championship president
Dana White and EliteXC live events president Gary Shaw continued
on Wednesday when, during a media conference call, the feud was
brought up and Shaw had strong words in response to what White
said recently.
“All
I'm saying is, and I've said it all along, there is a differentiator.
If you fight for the UFC, you can't be bigger than Dana White
and the UFC,” said Shaw.
“If
you fight for EliteXC, as a fighter, you're bigger than Gary
Shaw. It's about the fighter. It's not about me. Whether it's
Kimbo, who was signed to us, or any other fighter. I believe
we represent some of the greatest fighters in the world. I believe
that Antonio ‘Big Foot’ Silva could knockout any heavyweight
in the UFC.”
Speaking
about Antonio Silva, Shaw also confirmed that he will fight on
the Feb. 16 card facing Cage Rage heavyweight champion Gary Turner
in a bout that could showcase two of the best up-and-coming big
men in all of MMA.
Shaw
also had some complementary things to say about the UFC and what
its done for the sport of mixed martial arts, but was quick to
point out the exclusivity they keep with their fighters.
“Now,
I'm not disparaging the UFC. They have some great fighters and
great fights. They have a good brand,” he stated. “They
do a good job marketing their brand, but they don't own MMA.
They don't own the space. They have a brand.
“You
know what, if you hold up the belt there, all you are is the
club champion. Until Dana White is willing to fight his fighters
against other brands; all they are is club champions.”
The
open challenge was extended to White and the UFC to put their
fighters against the fighters from EliteXC, and while Shaw made
a strong gesture, a co-promoted show between the two organizations
will likely never happen.
“I
extend the challenge and always have. It's like Kimbo; you want
to fight him? Call us up, you can come in the cage and fight
him,” said Shaw. “You want to fight Jake Shields, fight
Jake Shields. We're proud of the people we represent. Robbie
Lawler, I could go down the whole roster.”
Despite
the challenges and compliments towards the UFC and their fighters,
Shaw was quick to once again point both barrels at UFC president
Dana White.
“For
Dana White to try to convince the fans that he owns all of the
best fighters in the world. To say that this is just a starting
point for fighters and then they're going to go to UFC. He is
full of (expletive),” said Shaw with conviction. “Let
him fight our fighters.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ground
& Pound Awards 2007
By Zach Arnold
Press
Release
The
die is cast and the vote for the Third Annual Ground & Pound
Awards is over. Fans, fighters, managers, promoters and trainers
from all over the world have decided on the winners in the sixteen
categories.
Here
are the results:
*
Fighter of the Year: Anderson Silva (Brazil)
* Female Fighter of the Year: Tara Larosa (USA)
* Fight Team of the Year: Xtreme Couture (USA)
* Rookie of the Year: Thiago Silva (Brazil)
* Most Improved Fighter: Robbie Lawler (USA)
* Best Young Fighter: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Cameroon)
* Cult Fighter of the Year: Jason Miller (USA)
* German Fighter of the Year: Dennis Siver (Mannheim)
*
Boxer of the Year: Floyd Mayweather Jr. (USA)
* Kickboxer of the Year: Semmy Schilt (Holland)
* Grappler of the Year: Marcelo Garcia and Roger Gracie (both
Brazil)
*
Fight of the Year: Takanori Gomi vs. Nick Diaz (PRIDE.33)
* Knockout of the Year: Gabriel Napão vs. Mirko Cro Cop
(UFC 70)
* Submission of the Year: Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi (PRIDE.33)
*
Best Promotion: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
* Fight Event of the Year: PRIDE.33 “The Second Coming”
We
have recorded votes from all over the world including Germany,the
UK, Brazil, USA, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Sweden, Canada,France,
Norway, Denmark, Russia, Thailand, Belgium, Croatia, Poland,Italy,
Austria, Switzerland and Japan.
For
complete results, the exact distribution of the votes and in-depthanalysis,
please go here:
http://www.groundandpound.de/news/europa/ground-and-pound-awards-results-2007.html
Many
thanks to everybody who has participated!
Tim
Leidecker
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Interview
with Dan Henderson
MMA Madness Executive Editor Ben Zeidler recently spoke with
Dan Henderson, who discussed his future at Light Heavyweight,
his strategy for Anderson Silva, and his involvement with Team
Quest
MMA
Madness: What made you consider the drop to 185?
Dan
Henderson: Well, I was a little bit hesitant at first, but the
more I thought about it and the more I talked to Dana, I realized
how excited I was for this fight. Dana wanted me to drop down
for a while too so it made sense. Anderson Silva is a big challenge
for me and these are the kind of fights I like to take.
MMA
Madness: Win or lose, do you think you would ever go back up
to 205?
Dan
Henderson: I'll be staying at 185 for a while but I definitely
have plans to go back to 205 at some point in my career.
MMA
Madness: The Rampage fight was a close one, and many still have
you ranked #2 at 205. What would you do differently if you got
another shot at that title?
Dan
Henderson: I would definitely be a little more aggressive on
my feet and on top. I definitely think I made some mistakes and
I'm still making adjustments to fix what I did wrong and get
used to the cage. I can tell you that I wouldn't lost to him
again.
MMA
Madness: What are some of the difficulties of the cage?
Dan
Henderson: You just have to get used to it. You know, I tripped
once or twice just because I'm just used to having some give
with the ropes. With the ropes, you can't press your feet up
against them when you're standing up. Little things make the
difference in there. On the ground, I'm not to being able to
use it walk up. So I'll work on that and I'll be fine by the
time March 1st comes along.
MMA
Madness: How do you see yourself matching up to Anderson Silva?
Do you see him as a good match up for you?
Dan
Henderson: Yeah, I think for sure that I'm a bad match up for
him. His strength is his striking and he's technical, but he
likes to get into that clinch which is another strength of his.
But he's never fought anyone like me in that clinch and he won't
be used to that.
MMA
Madness: Are you saying that you WANT to be in Anderson Silva's
clinch?
Dan
Henderson: Yep, that's where I want to be. That's my home.
MMA
Madness: How is your training going for the fight? What specifically
are you working on?
Dan
Henderson: Training is good. Nothing too special as far as training,
Silva is a well rounded fighter. I want to work on my hands and
keeping them going, but nothing too specific. I'm getting some
southpaws in to spar with me, but that's about it.
MMA
Madness: Many consider the MW division to be easier than the
LHW. Do you see this as being true?
Dan
Henderson: I don't necessarily believe it's an easier division.
There are some studs out there and Silva is one of them. People
expect it to be a walk in the park for but size doesn't matter.
It all has to do with how technical you are and how good at fighting
you are. Mental toughness is a big part of it too. Silva will
be tough and he's proven that he can knock some guys out and
beat some guys that a lot of people thought should have beaten
him.
MMA
Madness: Who do you see as the best guys at 185?
Dan
Henderson: Well, there's...I dont know, there's quite a few and
Silva has beat most of them already. I can't think of any right
now.
MMA
Madness: You left Team Quest a little while ago to open up your
own place. How is new facility going?
Dan
Henderson: Well actually, I'm still technically with Team Quest.
Randy is the one who left. I opened up another Team Quest gym
in California. We have a great training situation with lots of
fighters and organized practices. We've got great strikers, great
wrestlers, and great jiu-jitsu guys. Everyone contributes knowledge,
we work on technique and it's just great. Matt and I still own
Team Quest together and we're looking on opening more gyms soon.
MMA
Madness: Well, you should think about the East Coast. I'm out
of Philadelphia and all we have are second-rate Action Karate
places.
Dan
Henderson: (Laughs) All right then, I'll remember that.
MMA
Madness: Any sponsors you'd like to thank? Do you have a website?
Dan
Henderson: Team Quest at teamquestmma.com. I just started my
clothing line, Clinch Gear so that's at clinch gear.com and danhenderson.com.
MMA
Madness: Anything to say to your fans?
Dan
Henderson: Hopefully I'll give you a great show on March 1st.
Thanks for all the support.
Source: Fight Opinion/MMA Madness
|
Anatomy
of a promotional fiasco
By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports
The
success of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which routinely
draws multimillion dollar live gates for its major shows, has
led would-be promoters to believe you can sign some former UFC
stars, book a major arena, and you'll have a successful event.
The
reality is altogether different.
For
the second time in three months, a mixed martial arts event at
a major California arena was canceled by the state athletic commission
due to financial issues involving overreaching promoters.
Commission director Armando Garcia canceled the World Cagefighting
Organization's Saturday night show at the San Diego Sports Arena,
which featured name fighters such as former UFC stars Renato
"Babalu" Sobral, Mark Kerr, Vernon White, Ricco Rodriguez,
Joe Riggs and David Loiseau, just a few hours before the doors
were scheduled to open. Garcia made the ruling because of financial
issues; he wanted proof the promoters would be able to pay the
fighters and other bills before allowing them to do the show.
"They
didn't have the money," said Garcia. "The money they
had couldn't be authorized until the end of the month."
But
the situation was a lot more complicated. Rick Bassman of Valor
Fighting, the promoter of record for the show, was at a Wells
Fargo Bank branch in San Diego at 2 p.m. on Saturday, waiting
for Bruce Bellocchi, the actual promoter, to sign over a deposit
of $225,000 made in an account so that Bassman could be the only
person to write checks. Wells Fargo couldn't verify that the
funds were going to clear.
Bellocchi
wouldn't sign off on the money until Garcia authorized that the
show was scheduled to continue. Garcia had given the promotion
a 10 a.m. deadline to have proof of funding for the $183,300
in total purse money as well as money that would be needed to
pay the bills to the arena and commission.
He
had extended the deadline, and would not allow the show to go
on unless there was proof of sufficient money in an account that
could be drawn on with a guarantee the funds wouldn't be withdrawn
or that checks written on the account wouldn't bounce.
Bellocchi
didn't make the first deadline, and Garcia had it extended a
few hours. There was a standoff at the bank, and Bellocchi refused
to sign off.
In
October, a similar mess took place for a show scheduled for the
Cow Palace in San Francisco which was canceled hours before the
event was to take place because they didn't have a safe cage
to fight in as well as concerns that the fighters weren't going
to be paid.
In
both cases, all fighters who had weighed in and had their fights
approved by the commissions got 20% of their purses through the
bond the promoters of record have to post with the state. In
Saturday’s case, Bassman, who claimed his contract with
Bellocchi stated Bellocchi was responsible for the financing
of the event but they would use Bassman's license, ended up having
to write checks totaling $36,660 to pay the fighters who didn't
get to fight. He said he was preparing to take legal action against
Bellocchi.
Garcia
said he learned of the potential problems at Friday’s weigh-ins,
from Bassman, who told him he was worried the money wasn't there
to pay the fighters after Bellocchi's financier, Jim Miller,
failed to deposit the $218,000 promised to cover costs at 9 a.m.
that morning.
According
to sources, Miller, Bassman and Brian Layne had met the day before
at a different San Diego bank, with Miller talking about how
the show was going to be a success, expecting a sellout in an
8,900-seat setup. He showed Bassman what he believed was a Ticketmaster
report that listed 7,000 tickets sold for an advance of $230,000.
Bassman was immediately skeptical, noting that with the exception
of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which has drawn large
crowds in Anaheim, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, and Scott Coker's
Strikeforce shows in San Jose, which have popular local drawing
cards, nobody draws that kind of a paid crowd for MMA in California.
Bassman
claimed that Miller called the arena and found out the real advance
was 1,043 tickets sold for $70,000 at Ticketmaster outlets and
the arena box office. There were another 480 tickets, for $33,000,
out on consignment. He said it appeared Miller had received a
forged report. Bassman said a phone message on his home phone
from Layne stated Miller's agreement was all the box office receipts
would go directly to him, but that when he talked to the arena
people, they knew nothing of such a deal and weren't authorized
to do so.
Similarly,
the October San Francisco Cow Palace event that was called off
had only 300 tickets sold.
Publicity
for the show was poor. Jonathan Iosim, an avid MMA fan in San
Diego, said that neither he nor any of his friends who he classified
as hardcore fans, even knew such a show was taking place. Bellocchi
at first contacted a cable advertising firm in the city in December
about buying a schedule, but had earmarked a low advertising
budget for running such a major arena. He ended up not buying
anything at the time, but came back the week of the show, and
got ads in local cable rotation the last three days before the
show.
The
prime audience to attend such an event would be those who watch
UFC programming on Spike TV. But the final episode of Spike's
UFC programming last week was on Wednesday night, the day before
the ads started running.
"At
9:01 a.m. on Friday, I got a phone call from Brian Layne, saying
there's bad news and good news," said Bassman. "The
bad news is, Jim pulled out. I asked how there could be good
news. He said that Bruce had agreed to put up the money."
At
10:40 a.m., Bellocchi, who was unable to be reached by Yahoo!
Sports for comment on Sunday, made a $225,000 deposit in a Wells
Fargo account under the name World Cagefighting Organization.
But Bassman said only $5,000 of the money could be drawn starting
on the 15th, three days after the show, and the remaining $220,000
couldn't be drawn until the 25th.
With
Garcia on the verge of canceling the show, Bellocchi had a meeting
with the fighters, where he asked at least some of them if they
would tear up their contracts, and sign new contracts that would
only guarantee them $100 to fight, promising he would then pay
them the rest of their promised purses later in the month. Bellocchi
claimed to Garcia and Bassman that all of the fighters had agreed,
but Bassman said when he called fighters, the ones he spoke with
claimed they never agreed.
Garcia
indicated it was ridiculous to even consider allowing such a
thing.
Bellocchi
blamed the commission in an interview with MMA website Sherdog.com.
He noted he attempted to apply for his own promoters license
on Friday, but it would be impossible to process such an application
on such short notice, and it fell short of commission requirements.
"With
our promoter's license application in limbo, there was nothing
we could do this late in the process," he told Sherdog.com.
"I'm seriously considering never doing business in California
again. I'm kind of in a state of shock. When you're dealing with
people that are unreasonable, it's tough to get by." Bellocchi
had run MMA shows in the state previously, most recently a Nov.
7 event in Hollywood where he used the license of well-known
boxing promoter Jackie Kallen, that came off smoothly.
Dave
Meltzer covers mixed martial arts for Yahoo! Sports. Meltzer,
who has published the pro wrestling trade industry publication
the Wrestling Observer Newsletter since 1982, began covering
MMA with UFC 1 in 1993. He is a graduate of San Jose State University,
and has written for the Oakland Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and
The National. Send Dave a question or comment for potential use
in a future column or webcast.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Zuffa
seeks retraction of statements by former UFC owner
By Cindy Ortiz
Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, has formally requested
that CNBC air a retraction concerning “misstatements and
inaccuracies” regarding the Zuffa Owners’ purchase
of the UFC brand and Lorenzo Fertitta’s conduct as an NSAC
commissioner.
CNBC
recently aired a documentary entitled “Ultimate Fighting:
From Blood Sport to Big Time” featuring an interview with
Robert Meyrowitz regarding his role as President of Semaphore
Entertainment Group (SEG), predecessor-in-interest to the Ultimate
Fighting Championship brand.
When
discussing SEG’s need to obtain Nevada State Athletic Commission
approval for mixed martial arts prior to selling the brand to
Zuffa, LLC in January 2001, Meyrowitz stated:
“We
went out there [to Nevada], it looked like we had the votes,
we were told we did, and about midnight I got a phone call that
one of the commissioners had changed his mind… and it turns
out that commissioner was Lorenzo Fertitta, that he had changed
his mind and that we wouldn’t be able to get approval.”
According
to UFC President Dana White, Zuffa immediately challenged the
false claims made by Meyrowitz and proof of the misstatements
prompted CNBC to correct the content of the program in subsequent
re-airings.
While
appreciative of the networks efforts to ensure the accuracy of
the encore presentations, Zuffa has informed CNBC this action
alone is not adequate to address the detrimental effect of the
fabricated and erroneous information contained in the original
broadcast.
A
copy of the document requesting the retraction was recently obtained
by MMAFighting.com and the key elements are as follows:
1.
False comments made by Mr. Meyrowitz pertaining to the sale of
the UFC brand by SEG to Zuffa strongly imply that Lorenzo Fertitta
attempted to improperly use his regulatory authority as a member
of the NSAC to doom SEG’s efforts to obtain NSAC approval
of MMA.
2.
The average member of CNBC’s viewing audience would be tempted
or even encouraged by Mr. Meyrowitz’s false statements to
believe that Lorenzo Fertitta sought to exploit his NSAC position
for personal gain.
3.
Mr. Meyrowitz is fully aware that no one ever called and told
him Lorenzo Fertitta had changed his “vote” –
even had there been such a vote.
4.
If any “midnight call” was received by Mr. Meyrowitz
in reference to the hearing, it was not regarding any pending
approval of MMA in Nevada and it certainly was not from Lorenzo
Fertitta himself, any other member of the NSAC or other source
authorized to speak on the NSAC’s behalf.
5.
Mr. Meyrowitz also gave an inaccurate portrayal to CNBC of how
the Zuffa owners first contacted SEG regarding the possible purchase
of the UFC brand by claiming that he first received a phone call
from Dana White in which Mr. White stated “I have somebody
who wants to buy this, you’ll never guess who… I said
give me one guess… Lorenzo Fertitta… he said ‘how’d
you guess? I said ‘call me lucky.’”
6.
Mr. Meyrowitz attempts to demonstrate a sinister motive by falsely
stating that the same commissioner that voted against MMA’s
approval subsequently tried to approach SEG through a third party
to acquire the UFC brand.
7.
This description of events relating to Zuffa’s purchase
of the UFC assets from SEG aired on CNBC are inaccurate and Mr.
Meyrowitz knows full well, at a much later date, months after
resigning from the NSAC to pursue his new role as President of
Station Casinos, Inc., Lorenzo Fertitta contacted Mr. Meyrowitz
directly after learning that Mr. Meyrowitz was interested in
selling a controlling interest in the UFC assets.
8.
CNBC’s editing of the false statements made by Mr. Meyrowitz
are in such a way as it appears that Lorenzo Fertitta “voted”
against Mr. Meyrowitz and immediately thereafter had Dana White
call Mr. Meyrowitz to indicate that Lorenzo Fertitta wanted to
buy the UFC assets. Such editing portrayed to CNBC’s viewers
that Lorenzo Fertitta abused his governmental position to obtain
a private advantage-an impression that could not be further from
the truth.
9.
Eighteen months transpired between the NSAC public meeting and
the time Lorenzo Fertitta spoke to Mr. Meyrowitz about the purchase
of the UFC assets.
10.
Mr. Meyrowitz’s claim that the purpose of the (April 1999)
meeting was to vote for the approval of MMA by the NSAC is false.
A
copy of the Agenda and Minutes of the April 23, 1999 NSAC meeting
has also been obtained.
The
Agenda reveals there was no scheduled vote to approve MMA as
a fully sanctioned sport in Nevada at such meeting, only a “presentation”
by SEG (page 2 item 13 of published Agenda states: Presentation
by SEG Sports Corporation and filing of the rules and regulations
of the Mixed Martial Arts Council.
The
published Minutes (page 1 item 4) of the April 23, 1999 meeting
indicate: Mr. Meyrowitz and Mr. Chwasky addressed the commission
regarding item #13 on the agenda. They asked that the item be
deleted from the agenda. They also invited the commissioners
to attend their next live event and then they will ask to be
placed on a future agenda. Both Mr. Meyrowitz and Mr. Chwasky
stated that they felt viewing an event of mixed martial arts
would answer some of the questions that the commission might
have. Marc Ratner stated that Chairman Ghanem would appoint a
committee to attend the event and report back to the commission.
This
sequence of events is recorded in the written factual record
and directly contradicts Mr. Meyrowitz’s recounting of such
events during the CNBC interview. The record shows not only that
no such vote was scheduled but that the NSAC, of which Lorenzo
Fertitta was a commissioner at the time, appeared willing to
embrace MMA and investigate it further by sending a committee
to attend SEG’s next event, thereby facilitating the process
of educating NSAC commissioners about the sport and increasing
the chances of MMA’s ultimate approval and regulation.
The
NSAC records appear to be inline with comments made by Lorenzo
Fertitta during an interview with Joel Gold published in the
February 2001 edition of Full Contact Fighter Magazine.
Excerpts
of applicable content from the interview (available online in
its entirety at http://www.fcfighter.com/news0103.htm):
FCF:
When you were a member on the Nevada State Athletic Commission,
I came out to Vegas along with the UFC and their lawyer. As it
was told to me, there was to be a vote on whether the Nevada
State Athletic Commission was going to approve the UFC. But a
vote never did take place; can you tell me why a vote never happened
and what was your feeling about the UFC at that time?
LF:
I think there lies miscommunication. As far as the Commission
was concerned, there never was supposed to be a vote; it was
only an agenda item for discussion. We had never even discussed
Mixed Martial Arts. We had never talked about it. We knew nothing
about it. All of a sudden, it showed up on our agenda and, for
whatever reason, people were expecting a vote and that is just
not how the process works. What you have to understand is the
reason that Nevada is looked at as one of the premier regulatory
bodies throughout the world is because they do the homework.
And that was not necessarily a time for a vote, but the time
that got the ball rolling to start doing the homework.
What
that means is myself and a fellow Commissioner and the head of
the medical advisory board flew out to a UFC fight in Iowa and
we started collecting data relative to Mixed Martial Arts, watching
videos, reading publications and just trying to learn as much
as we could about it, but I think that is where there was a little
bit of miscommunication. There was never supposed to be a vote
regarding Mixed Martial Arts.
Sanctioning
in the state of Nevada was eventually approved and the first
UFC event took place at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las
Vegas on September 28, 2001.
According
to Dave Meltzer (Wrestling Observer), Mr. Meyrowitz recently
announced plans to return to the sport of MMA. Meyrowitz and
leading event promoter Live Nation have signed a deal to start
a new promotion and details of the partnership will be disclosed
in the coming weeks.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Demian
back at UFC 83
Adversary will be Ed Herman
One
of the standouts in the UFC middleweight category, Demian Maia,
who in his debut for the organization, in October, submitted
Ryan Jensen while still in the first round, will return to the
octagon shortly.
The
Jiu-Jitsu black belt, undefeated in six fights as a professional
in MMA, will be back on March 8th at UFC 83, against Team Quest
fighter Ed Herman (14w and 5l), who is coming off three wins
in a row in the event, with two by submission and one by knockout.
After vacationing in California, Demian is back in Sao Paulo
and shot the breeze with GRACIEMAG.com.
“I
got back to Sao Paulo today; I was vacationing in California
with my wife, where I also shot some Jiu-Jitsu dvds. I’ll
be back at the UFC on March 8th to fight Ed Herman, who I don’t
know, but my manager brought me a tape with some of his fights
to analyze, but I haven’t had time to watch yet.”
On
preparing for his next commitment, the black belt said: “At
this moment I’m with my physical trainer putting together
a training spreadsheet, since I’ll start today and starting
next week training is going to be heavy, as I only have seven
weeks till the fight. I’m going to put greater importance
on the standup part, I don’t know if I’ll be able to
practice Jiu-Jitsu the way I would like, but I will never neglect
it, because that’s what resolves my fights for me.”
As
in the interview with Ricardo Cachorrao yesterday, GRACIEMAG.com
asked Demian to analyze his category, which is ever more hotly
disputed.
“I’m
thankful to Cachorrao for having mentioned me, I’ve watched
the guy fight since I was a kid and he’s tough. There’s
also Thales (Leites) who’s good, and Anderson Silva, who’s
the best. I think Henderson, even though he is very tough and
dangerous, won’t be able to do anything against him.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
***MEDIA
ALERT***
PRESENTS:
"STRIKEFORCE
AT THE DOME" PRESS CONFERENCE
Tickets to "Strikeforce At The Dome" are on sale at
Tacoma Dome box office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, online at
ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at
(253-627-TIXS)
WHAT:
Press conference to announce "Strikeforce At The Dome"
mixed martial arts (MMA) mega-event at Tacoma, Washington's Tacoma
Dome on Saturday, February 23rd.
Former
Washington State University football standout and NFL lineman
turned mixed martial arts superstar Bob "The Beast"
Sapp will make his highly-anticipated return to the fight world
in the main event.
Seattle
native and former K-1 and UFC heavyweight champion Maurice "Big
Mo" Smith will take on fellow legend and six-time world
kickboxing champion Rick "The Jet" Roufus in a featured
bout.
WHO:
"Strikeforce At The Dome" fighters Bob "The Beast"
Sapp and Maurice "Big Mo" Smith
WHEN:
Wednesday, January 23rd at 3 PM PST
WHERE:
The Bridge Night Club at Emerald Queen Casino
2024
East 29th St.
Tacoma,
WA 98404
Ph:
(253) 594-7777
Entrance
behind Door 8 on the south side of the casino
**
Free parking is available in Emerald Queen Casino lot**
CONTACTS:
Strikeforce
Mike
Afromowitz (917) 566-8754; muaythaimes@aol.com
Brian
Halquist Productions
Kellyann
Hussey (253) 970-4896; bhmainevent1@qwest.net
Brian
Halquist Productions
Brian
Halquist (253) 686-0691; bhalquist@qwest.net
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Final
Answer: MMAmania.com exclusive interview with UFC lightweight
Frank Edgar
By: Jesse Holland
It’s
been interesting to watch the UFC lightweight division evolve
from afterthought to afterburner in a little over a year. What
began as a punchline for fighters under 170lbs is now the go-to
division for Fight of the Night.
You
have seasoned headliners like BJ Penn and Sean Sherk, The Ultimate
Fighter (TUF) grads like Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon with something
to prove, and battle-tested warriors like Clay Guida and Roger
Huerta rounding out the mix.
So
where does an up-and-coming fighter like Frankie “The Answer”
Edgar fit into the mix?
“I
belong here” deadpanned the easygoing yet confident lightweight.
And after his dominating win over UFC veteran Spencer “The
King” Fisher at UFC 78: Validation, it’s hard to argue
against the still perfect Edgar (8-0) in his assertion.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Frankie, first and foremost thank you
for taking the time to talk with us at MMAmania.com. How are
you feeling physically?
Frank
Edgar: I feel good, I feel 100%. I’m between fights right
now but I’m still training.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): We can assume your training regimen is
different now than it is for an upcoming fight?
Frank
Edgar: Definitely. The intensity is much different. I like to
start training for an opponent 10 weeks out. Right now I just
continue to work out.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): With that in mind, do you think that
puts you at a disadvantage should the UFC need a last minute
replacement for a big fight? Would you be able to step up and
face BJ Penn if Joe Stevenson got hurt on just 4-6 weeks notice
like Georges St. Pierre did against Matt Hughes?
Frank
Edgar: I could pull it off, no problem. I’m always right
in striking distance, I never let myself get too far off.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Since you’re not training at full
intensity we should take that to mean you don’t have your
next opponent lined up yet?
Frank
Edgar: No, I haven’t heard from Joe Silva. He calls me when
he has something and we take it from there. As of right now we
haven’t spoken. We’re kind of playing it by ear. He
hasn’t let me down yet.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): How did that rumor get started about
you fighting Takanori Gomi?
Frank
Edgar: (Laughs) I have no idea. I’m not fighting him. He’s
not even signed to the UFC.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Let’s go back to your recent win
against Spencer Fisher at UFC 78: Validation in your home state
of New Jersey. How did it feel to be the hometown boy?
Frank
Edgar: It felt great. He’s the biggest name I’ve fought.
It was cool to be able to do it in front of all my friends and
family. It was kind of like a homecoming. I had everybody there.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Did their presence pump you up or did
you have some extra jitters?
Frank
Edgar: It didn’t affect me one way or the other. I kind
of approach every fight the same way but I definitely fed off
the energy.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): The lightweight division is really starting
to stand out with so many exciting fighters at 155lbs. Where
do you think you fit in amongst the division’s elite? Would
you rank yourself in the top ten? Top five?
Frank
Edgar: I don’t know about rankings or numbers, I just know
that I can compete with any of them.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Is there anyone in your division that
you’ve had your eye on, someone you really want to fight?
Frank
Edgar: Um not really, I guess I want to fight people who are
on the road to the belt. I may not be ready for a title shot
just yet but I definitely want to be heading in that direction.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): How do you think you would match up against
a guy like Roger Huerta?
Frank
Edgar: It would be a good fight. We match up pretty well. It
would probably be a very fast-paced fight.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Besides yourself, who is a fighter to
watch in the lightweight division?
Frank
Edgar: Tyson Griffin. He’s a tough dude. He keeps winning
these tough fights and he’s exciting to watch.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): What’s your prediction on Stevenson
vs Penn at UFC 80?
Frank
Edgar: Penn. I mean Stevenson’s good, but Penn is just a
little bit better – probably the best in our division.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): No discussion of the lightweight division
would be complete without touching on the Sean Sherk scandal.
Do you have an opinion on how everything went down?
Frank
Edgar: Um, not really. He said he didn’t do it, so it’s
cool. I believe him.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Do you have any reservations about going
on record as steroid-free?
Frank
Edgar: Not at all. I’ve always been a wrestler and as a
wrestler you’re always worried about cutting weight. The
last thing I want to do is make that process any harder by packing
on mass.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Were you ever approached to do the The
Ultimate Fighter?
Frank
Edgar: I actually tried out for it but I wasn’t selected.
I was disappointed but then a couple of weeks later my manager
got a call from the UFC asking if I wanted to fight Tyson Griffin.
I said yes and haven’t looked back.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Do you think that TUF has run its course
or does it have its place in the big picture.
Frank
Edgar: I think it will be around because it’s a great feeder
for the UFC. You’ll never be able to get an entire cast
of great fighters but you got a couple of really good guys coming
out of every show.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): How did you end up getting into mixed
martial arts?
Frank
Edgar: Mostly from my wrestling. I wrestled in college and I
just knew this was something I wanted to do.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): What are some of your accomplishments
in amateur wrestling?
Frank
Edgar: I was a two-time state place winner, four-time national
qualifier in college, one match away from All-American.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): When kids are young, they tend to say
“When I grow up, I want to be a fireman, or policeman, or
doctor”. What did you say when you were young?
Frank
Edgar: I didn’t know. It was hard too not knowing. I always
felt like there was something missing. Fighting now fills that
void.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): While you were starting to get into fighting,
who were some of the fighters you admired or wanted to model
yourself after?
Frank
Edgar: Well it’s kind of new to me, but I have a wrestler’s
mentality so I guess guys like Hughes and Couture come to mind.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): We know you can wrestle, but what about
your other skills like submissions and stand-up?
Frank
Edgar: I didn’t get to showcase my striking against Fisher,
but I had good stand-up against Bocek. It’s something I’ll
continue to work on and improve with each fight.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): What weight do you walk around at?
Frank
Edgar: About 165lbs.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): You’re still pretty young and not
too far removed from college. How tough has it been to sell your
parents on a career as mixed martial artist?
Frank
Edgar: My parents are my biggest supporters, as well as my fiancé.
They were a little tentative in the beginning but once they saw
that I was giving it 100% they were behind me all the way.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): How hard is it for your fiancé
to watch you fight?
Frank
Edgar: She watches them, she probably screams the entire fight.
It’s tough because I know it’s a lot of stress on her
too.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): What would you be doing if you weren’t
fighting?
Frank
Edgar: Plumbing. That’s what I was doing before. In fact
I was still doing it up until the Spencer Fisher fight.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): That’s very Jersey of you. Since
then have you been able to support yourself on fighting alone?
Frank
Edgar: Yeah, now I’m a full-time fighter. I’m pretty
lucky.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): I’ll bet it was hard trying to work
full-time, fight on the side, and still have a life.
Frank
Edgar: Yeah it was tough. I was tired all the time man. Now it’s
nice I can train two times a day, get the proper rest, everything.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): How many fights do you have left on your
current contract?
Frank
Edgar: I want to say three. Two or three.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Does having an early start in the UFC
change your career timeline? Do you want to fight for X number
of years and then move on while you’re still pretty young
or is this it for the foreseeable future?
Frank
Edgar: I want to fight, so I guess I’ll do it as long as
my body allows me to. I wouldn’t mind being like Couture
fighting into my forties!
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): A lot of fighters are able to parlay
their success into other business ventures. Do you see yourself
building upon your success to branch out into other endeavors
like a training school or clothing line?
Frank
Edgar: Definitely, I would love that. I’m assistant wrestling
coach at Rutgers University and I love teaching. You know what,
I’ll get into all that. The clothing-shit I’ll even
do movies! I’m down with all that.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Living in Jersey and having fought in
Jersey are you starting to get recognized now? Do you get approached
when you go out with your friends?
Frank
Edgar: Yeah, a little bit here and there.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Is that something you enjoy or has it
been difficult adjusting?
Frank
Edgar: No, it’s cool. I’ve lived here my whole life
in Toms River so most of the time I end up knowing them anyway
– one way or the other. This is Jersey, it’s always
like hey I know this guy, who knows this guy…
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): How is your relationship with other guys
in the UFC? Is there a bit of camaraderie in the locker room
or is it strictly business for you?
Frank
Edgar: Everyone’s pretty friendly and usually in a pretty
good mood before the fights. It’s a nice experience.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): (UFC President) Dana White has implied
that Randy Couture’s recent fallout has a lot to do with
the fighters talking and gossiping about paydays, matchmaking,
etc. in their own little circles. Have you found fighters to
be privy to that kind of information or openly talking about
their situations?
Frank
Edgar: Well if they do I’m definitely not in the loop!
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): How is your relationship with Dana, and
how involved is he on the fighter level?
Frank
Edgar: I don’t talk to him unless I see him at the events.
He’s cool but I don’t have much contact with him at
this point.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): So who gave you your nickname “The
Answer”?
Frank
Edgar: My teammate Chris Ligori.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Is there a background behind it or did
he just blurt it out?
Frank
Edgar: Uh, no he just kind of came out with it. I liked it, sounded
good with Edgar.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): And your tattoos, do they have any special
significance?
Frank
Edgar: Um, I don’t know, I have a samurai on my arm, as
far as significance, I guess it’s basically the same cliché
stuff everyone else likes to talk about.
Jesse
Holland (MMAmania.com): Thanks again Frankie for taking the time
to talk with us. Is there anything we can pass along for your
fans?
Frank
Edgar: Yeah, go to MMAinstructional.com for some demonstrations
on MMA from myself and others, it’s pretty neat. And check
out FrankEdgar.com.
Source: Fight Opinion/MMA Media
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
word too much always defeats its purpose."
Arthur Schopenhauer, 1788-1860, German Philosopher
|
FIGHT-BY-FIGHT:
UFC 80 RAPID FIRE
Today!
by Ricardo Mendoza
Hawaii
Air Times:
Digital Cable Channel 701
9:30AM - Preshow
10:00AM - Live event
Replay:
Digital Cable Channel 702
4:30PM
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the U.K. on Saturday
night where Joe Stevenson and B.J. Penn headline UFC 80 in Newcastle-Upon-Tynes.
Ricardo Mendoza takes a look at the headliner and the rest of
the card…
UFC
LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT:
B.J. PENN VS. JOE STEVENSON
Former
UFC welterweight champion B.J. Penn takes on The Ultimate Fighter
season two winner Joe Stevenson for the vacant UFC lightweight
championship. Penn has an 11-4-1 record and trains out of B.J.
Penn MMA with Renato “Charuto” Verissimo. Stevenson
has a 28-7 record and trains out of Cobra Kai with Marc Laimon.
Penn
comes off a submission victory over Jens Pulver at The Ultimate
Fighter 5 Finale, while Stevenson won a decision over Kurt Pellegrino
at UFC 74.
These
two are meeting for the vacant UFC lightweight title, which was
stripped from former champion Sean Sherk after he tested positive
for performance enhancing drugs after his fight with Hermes Franca
at UFC 73.
Penn
is one of the most talented fighters to ever step into the Octagon,
but that hasn’t always translated into victory as a lack
of focus during training has hindered him from reaching his full
potential. It now seems that he is taking his career seriously
and looks to be focused during training in preparation for this
fight.
Stevenson
has gone 4-0 since moving down to lightweight, finishing three
of his opponents within the distance and looking impressive in
his last fight against Kurt Pellegrino.
Stevenson
will want to keep the fight on the feet, seeing that he has the
more polished striking of the two fighters. Although he is primarily
a ground fighter, he doesn’t want go to the ground with
Penn, being that he is one of more gifted ground fighters in
the world.
Both
seem to be in excellent shape leading up to the fight, so neither
should have any problems with conditioning. Look for Stevenson
to set the pace of the fight with crisp striking, while Penn
will look to take the fight to the ground. It’s going to
be a struggle for Penn to get it on the ground, but he will eventually
do it and that’s where the fight will come to end.
Penn
will use his superior technique and catch Stevenson midway through
the fight with a submission after tiring him out on the ground.
Prediction:
B.J. Penn by submission in the third round.
HEAVYWEIGHT
BOUT:
GABRIEL GONZAGA VS. FABRICIO WERDUM
In
a rematch of a fight that happened five years ago, Team Link
heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga faces off with Pride veteran Fabricio
Werdum. Gonzaga has an 8-2 record and trains out of Team Link
with Paulo Filho. Werdum has a 9-3 record and trains out of Spain.
Gonzaga
comes off a stoppage loss to Randy Couture at UFC 74, while Werdum
dropped a decision to former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei
Arlovski at UFC 70.
In
their first meeting, Werdum defeated an inexperienced Gonzaga,
but things have changed since they last met. Gonzaga has become
one of the better heavyweights in the world, while it seems that
Werdum has kind of stalled out.
Werdum
is a very talented heavyweight fighter, but it seems he is no
longer improving as a fighter. Even though all three of his losses
have come by decision against top competition, they have used
the same blueprint in defeating him by outstriking him and keeping
it off the ground.
Gonzaga
has the better stand-up of the two fighters and that’s surprising
being that Werdum used to train with Mirko “Cro Cop”
Filipovic. On the ground, both fighters are former Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu world champions, so it’s evenly matched there.
The
deciding factor on the fight is whether or not Werdum has improved
his takedowns because if he can’t take the fight to the
ground, he isn’t going to have a good night.
Look
for Gonzaga to control the fight with crisp and hard striking,
while defending all of Werdum’s attempts to get the fight
to the ground en route to a decision victory.
Prediction:
Gabriel Gonzaga by decision.
WELTERWEIGHT
BOUT:
MARCUS DAVIS VS. JESS LIAUDIN
Former
Golden Gloves boxing champion Marcus Davis takes on French submission
specialist Jess Liaudin. Davis has a 13-3 record and trains out
of Team Gurgel with Jorge Gurgel. Liaudin has 12-8 record and
trains out of Team Quest with Heath Sims.
Davis
comes off a submission victory over Paul Taylor at UFC 75, while
Liaudin stopped Anthony Torres with strikes at the same show.
Davis
has really improved as a complete MMA fighter since his time
on The Ultimate Fighter 2. Liaudin battled with inconsistency
early in his career, but as of late has been solid, putting together
some impressive victories.
Besides
having excellent striking, Davis has added a competent ground
game and has become a versatile fighter. Liaudin is now taking
his career seriously and has begun to train at Team Quest to
improve himself as a fighter.
This
should be a fun fight. Look for Davis to control the fight with
striking and when they hit the ground both guys will be trading
positions back and forth. Liaudin will be improved, but Davis
should be able to end the fight with strikes within the distance.
Prediction:
Marcus Davis by TKO in the third round.
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT:
JASON LAMBERT VS. WILSON GOUVEIA
Californian
light heavyweight Jason Lambert takes on American Top Team fighter
Wilson Gouveia. Lambert has a 23-6 record and trains out of the
North County Fight Club with Eddie Sanchez. Gouveia has a 9-4
record and trains out of American Top Team with Alessio Sakara.
Lambert
comes off a stoppage victory over Renato Sobral at UFC 68, while
Gouveia submitted wrestler Carmelo Marrero at UFC 71.
These
two were originally scheduled to meet at UFC 76, but the fight
was scrapped after Gouveia suffered a broken nose during training.
Now they face off in an important fight.
This is an even match-up as both fighters have shown flashes
of brilliance in the Octagon. Gouveia is a better ground fighter,
but Lambert has the edge in the wrestling department and that
can play a big factor in the fight.
Gouveia
is a more technical striker, while Lambert has more power in
his hands. Lambert will want to keep the fight on the feet and
try to finish off Gouveia off with strikes, while Gouveia wants
it on the ground in order to lock on a submission.
I
see Lambert controlling the fight early on with power shots,
while Gouveia will work the low kicks in order to weaken Lambert
for a takedown. Gouveia will finally get it to the ground midway
through the fight and will outwork Lambert en route to a decision.
Prediction:
Wilson Gouveia by decision.
MIDDLEWEIGHT
BOUT:
KENDALL
GROVE VS.
JORGE RIVERA
Ultimate
Fighter 3 winner Kendall
Grove faces
off with seasoned striker Jorge Rivera. Grove has an 8-4 record
and trains out of Cobra Kai with Joe Stevenson. Rivera has a
14-6 record and trains out of Team Elite in Massachusetts.
Grove
comes off a stoppage loss to Patrick Cote at UFC 74, while Terry
Martin stopped Rivera with strikes at UFC 71.
Grove
will look to get back on track after losing for the first time
in the UFC by beating a respected veteran in Rivera. Rivera needs
to win this fight if he wants to remain in the UFC, seeing that
two losses in a row could mean his exit.
Grove
needs to use his significant reach advantage over Rivera on the
feet and stay away from clinching, where Rivera will want to
use his dirty boxing to score points. Rivera has a slight advantage
on the feet, but it won’t matter if he can’t get inside
to utilize his strikes.
On
the ground, Grove has the advantage and that’s what is going
to make the big difference in the fight. Grove will waste no
time and get it on the ground quickly, locking on a submission
to get back on the winning track.
Prediction:
Kendall Grove by submission in the first round.
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT:
ALESSIO SAKARA VS. JAMES LEE
Italian
striker Alessio Sakara takes on King of the Cage light heavyweight
champion James Lee. Sakara has an 11-6 record and trains out
of American Top Team with Jorge Santiago. James Lee has a 13-2
record and trains out Team MASH in Michigan.
Sakara
comes off a stoppage loss to Houston Alexander at UFC 75, while
Lee submitted Danny Bessant at King of the Cage: Bad Boys.
This
will be Lee’s UFC debut after fighting the majority of his
career in King of the Cage and making a lone appearance in Pride.
Sakara has lost three out of his last four fights in the UFC
and will be making a drop to middleweight after this bout.
Sakara
has the advantage on the feet with crisp boxing, while Lee seems
to have the edge on the ground, but Sakara isn’t a slouch
on the ground either. Sakara will look to keep the fight on the
feet and finish off Lee with strikes, while Lee wants in on the
ground.
Sakara
will use his experience in the Octagon and keep the fight on
the feet, ending the fight with strikes and giving Lee his first
loss in several years.
Prediction:
Alessio Sakara by TKO in the first round.
LIGHTWEIGHT
BOUT:
SAM STOUT VS. PER EKLUND
TKO
lightweight champion Sam Stout returns to the Octagon as he takes
on Swedish fighter Per Eklund. Stout has a 12-3-1 record and
trains out of Team Tompkins with Mark Hominick. Eklund has a
12-2 record and trains out of Hilti NHB in Sweden.
Stout
comes off a stoppage victory over Martin Grandmont at TKO 30,
while Eklund won a decision over Rafael Dias at Bodog Fight:
Vancouver.
This
could end up being one of the better fights of the night seeing
that both fighters like to push the pace.
Stout
has the Octagon experience and is the better striker of the two,
while Eklund has the edge on the ground. Stout will look to finish
the fight on the feet and stay off the ground where he is at
a disadvantage.
Eklund
needs to get the fight on the ground and control Stout throughout
in order to come away with a victory. Stout will basically sprawl
and brawl for the entire fight and batter Eklund en route to
a decision.
Prediction:
Sam Stout by decision.
WELTERWEIGHT
BOUT:
PAUL TAYLOR VS. PAUL KELLY
British
slugger Paul Taylor faces off with the Octagon debuting striker
Paul Kelly. Taylor has an 8-2-1 record and trains out of England.
Kelly has a 6-0 record and trains out of the Wolfslair Academy
with Michael Bisping.
Taylor
comes off a submission loss to Marcus Davis at UFC 75, while
Kelly stopped Jordan James with strikes at Cage Gladiators 4.
This
fight is going to be an absolute slugfest between two exciting
fighters. Taylor fought a valiant fight against Davis, dropping
him with strikes and that’s impressive seeing that Davis
is primarily a striker.
Kelly
seems to be primarily a brawler and this will be his first big
test. This fight won | |