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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)

2010

February
BJJ Tournament
(tba)

2009

12/17/09
Scrap MMA Event
(MMA)
(Pipeline Cafe)

12/12/09
Quest for Champions
(Pankration/Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS)

12/5/09
Aloha State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)

12/4/09
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)

11/21/09
X-1 LIGHTS OUT
(MMA)
(Kekuaokalani Gym, Kona)

UFC 106
(Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas)

11/14/09
UFC 105
(United Kingdom)

11/8/09
X-1 Scuffle at Schofield
(MMA)
(Tropics, Schofield Barracks)

11/7/09
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing/Triple Threat)
(Waiphu Filcom)

11/6/09
Up & Up
(MMA)
(Kapolei High School)

11/1/09
Boxing
(Palolo District Park Gym)

10/31/09
H.A.P.A. Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association

Hit-And-Submit #4
(Pankration)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)

10/30/09
Niko's MMA Event
(MMA)
(Veterans Hall, Keehi Lagoon)

10/24/09
X-1: Scuffle on Schofield 2: Homebound Heroes
Press conference, autograph signing & picture taking
(Tropics Rec Center, Schofield Air Force Base, Wahiawa)

UFC 104
(Staples Center, Los Angeles)

10/18/09
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Pearl City H.S. Gym)

10/17/09
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)

10/10/09
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)

10/3/09
Destiny Unfinished Business
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)

9/19/09
UFC 103
(American Airlines Center, Dallas)

9/16/09
UFC Fight Night 19
(Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City)

9/12/09
Hawaiian Open Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)

Up & Up
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

8/29/09
MAUI OPEN 2009
Submission Grappling Challenge
(Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym)

Island Assult
(Boxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)

UF1C 102
(Rose Garden, Portland)

8/22/09
Destiny: Maui vs. Oahu
(MMA)
(War Memorial Gym, Maui)

8/15/09
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing & Triple Threat)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)

8/9/09
WEC
(Las Vegas, NV)

8/8/09
UFC 101: Declaration
(BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian)
(Wachovia Center, Philadelphia)

8/1/09
Affliction: Trilogy
Fedor vs. Barnett
(Honda Cetner, Anaheim, CA)

7/25/09
X-1 Scuffle On Schofield
(MMA)
(Tropics Recreation Center, Schofield Barracks)

Amateur Boxing at Palolo
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)

Gracie Tournament
(Kalaheo H.S. Gym)
**Cancelled**

7/23/09
JUST SCRAP
(MMA)
(Pipeline Cafe)

7/20/09
Dream 10: Welterweight GP Final
(Japan)

7/11/09
UFC 100: Lesnar vs. Mir
(Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV)

7/10/09
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)


6/27-28/09
OTM's
2009 Pac Sub
(Gi & No-Gi competition)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)

6/20/09
The Ultimate Fighter 9:
Team US vs Team UK Finale


6/13/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)

UFC 99: Comeback
Silva vs. Franklin
(Cologne, Germany)

6/7/09
WEC: Brown vs. Faber 2
(Versus)

6/6/09
Quest for Champions 2009 Tournament
(Sport Pankration, Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS Gym)

Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields
(St. Louis, MO)

6/4/09 - 6/7/09
World JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA)

5/30/09
Event of the Champions
(Triple Threat, Kickboxing, Grappling)
(Elite Auto Group Center)

5/26/09
Dream 9

5/23/09
UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida
(PPV)

5/16/09
KTI's Scrappa Lifestylez
Scrapplers Fest
(BJJ/Submission Grappling)
(Kauai)

5/9/09 - 5/10/09 &
5/16/09 - 5/17/09
Brazilian Nationals JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)

5/9/09
X-1 Kona
(MMA)
(Kekuaokalani Gym, Kona)

15th Grapplers Quest Las Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Las Vegas, NV)

5/2/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)

Uprising MMA
(MMA)
(Maui)

May 2009
Abu Dhabi World Submission Wrestling Championships
(Sub Grappling)
(Tentative)

4/25/09
MMA Madness Water Park Extravaganza
(MMA)
(Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park, Kapolei)

4/18/08
Kingdom MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

NY International JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

4/11/09
Hawaiian Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser High)

X-1: Temple of Boom
(Boxing & MMA)
(Palolo Hongwangi)

4/10/09
HFC: Stand Your Ground XII
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)

4/4/09 - 4/5/09
NAGA World Championship
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(NJ, Tentative)

3/28/09
Garden Island Cage Match
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)

3/27/09 - 3/29/09
Pan Am JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)

3/27/09
Tiger Muay Thai Competition
(Muay Thai)
(Tiger Muay Thai Gym, Sand Island Road)

3/21/09 - 3/22/09
$30k Grapplers Quest/Fight Expo/Make a Wish Weekend
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Del Mar, CA)

NAGA US Nationals
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Georgia)

3/14/09
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association: "Hit and Submit"
(Pankration & Muay Thai)
(O-Lounge Night Club, Honolulu)

NAGA Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)

3/7/09
UFC 96
(PPV)
(Columbus, OH)

Grapplers Quest Beast of the East
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Wildwood, New Jersey)

2/27/09
X-1 World Events
NEW BEGINNING"
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)

2/21/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)

UFC 95
(PPV)
(London, England)

2/15/09
X1 World Events
Temple of Boom: Fight Night III
(MMA)
(Palolo Hongwanji)

2/8/09
IWFF Submission Wrestling Tournament
(No-Gi)
(IWFF Academy, Wailuku, Maui)

2/7/09
4th Annual Clint Shelton Memorial
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)

Manup and Standup
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei Rec Center, Kapolei)

UFC Fight Night
(PPV)
(Tampa, FL)

1/31/09
UFC 93 BJ vs GSP
(PPV)
(MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV)

1/30/09
MMA Event
(MMA)
(Schofield Barracks)

1/24/09
Eddie Bravo Seminar
(BJJ)

1/17/09
UFC 93
(PPV)
(Dublin, Ireland)

1/10/09
MAT ATTACK Jiu-Jitsu & Submission Grappling Tournament
(Sub Wrestling)
(Lihikai School, Kahului, Maui)

1/3/08
Uprising - Maui
(MMA)
(Paukukalo Hawaiian Homes Gym)

Hazardous Warfare - Maui
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center)
 News & Rumors
Archives
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November 2009 News Part 3

Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!

We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ Dean, & Chris Slavens!

Kids Classes are also available!

Click here for info!

Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment!


Looking for a hotel room on Oahu?
Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!


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Fighters' Club TV
The Toughest Show On Teleivision

Tuesdays at 8:00PM
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Also on Akaku on Maui

Check out the FCTV website!

Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!

Chris, Mark, and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.

He offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being the lead since he is on there all day anyway!

We encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.

If you do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click
here to set up an account.

Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground without some Aloha and some Pidgin?

To go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
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here!

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Click here for pricing and more information!
Short term and long term advertising available.

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O2 Martial Arts Academy
Your Complete Martial Arts School!

Click here for pricing and more information!

O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Shane Agena as well as a number of brown and purple belts.

We also offer a Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA champions Kaleo Kwan and PJ Dean as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens provide incredibly detailed instruction of the sweet science.

To top it off, Ian Beltran heads our Kali-Escrima classes (Filipino Stickfighting) who was trained under the legendary Snookie Sanchez.

Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from the ground up!

Experienced martial artist that wants to fine tune your skill? Our school is for you!

If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is the place for you!


Want to Contact Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!

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11/30/09

Quote of the Day

“The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order.”

Alfred North Whitehead

NOG VS. VELASQUEZ EXPECTED AT UFC 110

Ask and ye shall receive.

“In February I’ll be ready to fight when they ask me to fight. In February I think I’ll be in shape. I’d love to fight in Australia. If they put me on the card, I would love to fight there,” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira told MMAWeekly.com recently, addressing his return from a fourth staph infection in the past year.

He was initially slated to face fellow heavyweight contender Cain Velasquez on Jan. 2 at UFC 108, but the infection derailed those plans.

Despite several reports that UFC 109 on Feb. 6 was under consideration, MMAWeekly.com has confirmed an MMAJunkie.com report that UFC 109 is not likely. Sources close to the bout informed MMAWeekly.com that UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia, is expected to host the bout.

It looks like Nogueira gets his wish.

The addition of Nogueira vs. Velasquez would give the UFC a strong twin bill headlining its down under debut. Wanderlei Silva on Wednesday confirmed plans to “kick the Michael Bisping ass” in Sydney.

After losing the interim UFC heavyweight title to Frank Mir at UFC 92, Nogueira (32-5-1) returned with an impressive victory over UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture at UFC 102 in August. The win immediately put his name back in the hat of contenders to the belt currently held by Brock Lesnar.

Velasquez (7-0) is coming off a dominating TKO stoppage of Ben Rothwell at UFC 104. Three years into the sport, Velasquez has made a quick rise to the top of the heavyweight division with five of his victories taking place in the Octagon and only one having gone to a decision.

Despite the re-scheduling of the bout, coupled with the shelving of UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and number one contender Shane Carwin, Velasquez has taken the uncertainty of his next bout in stride.

“I just think it’s part of the sport when people get hurt,” he told MMAWeekly.com at UFC 106. “It just so happens that a lot of people got hurt in this weight class.”

Lesnar’s condition is such that it is unclear when he will be able to return to action, though his camp insists he will return. That has led the UFC to consider crowning an interim UFC heavyweight champion, but it is unclear whether Nogueira, who has held that distinction before, and Velasquez will fight for an interim title.

Regardless, Velasquez doesn’t discount his opponent.

“Nogueira, you can never count him out,” he said. “You hurt him, whatever – he’ll still submit you and beat you. He’s just a super tough guy.”

UFC 110 has yet to be formally announced by the promotion, but is expected to take place on Feb. 21 at the 21,000-seat Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Source: MMA Weekly

SINOSIC VS. HASEMAN REMATCH REPORTED FOR UFC 110

The UFC is expected to put together a rematch between Australians Elvis Sinosic and Chris Haseman when the promotion heads down under on Feb. 21 for UFC 110 at the Acer Arena, according to a Thursday report by the Brisbane Times.

The bout has been more than a decade in the making. The two first met in March of 1997 in Australia. Haseman won the bout by submissions, driving his chin into Sinosic’s eye. The rules have been upgraded since then. Such a maneuver would now be illegal.

Neither has been much of a factor in recent years, though their home country popularity should help draw fans.

The 38-year-old Sinosic (8-11-2) hasn’t fought since 2007, when he lost back-to-back bouts to Paul Cahoon and Michael Bisping. He submitted Jeremy Horn at UFC 30 in early 2001 to earn a shot at the UFC light heavyweight championship then-held by Tito Ortiz. He failed in his attempt to capture the title later that year.

Haseman (20-16), now 40 years of age, has fought once since 2004, that being a victory over Yuji Hisamatsu in November of 2008. He has fought once before in the Octagon, a loss to Evan Tanner at UFC 38. Haseman spent the majority of his career in the now defunct Rings organization in Japan. He has a notable loss to number one ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko in the Rings World Title Series Grand Final in 2002.

UFC 110 is expected to feature co-main event bouts pitting Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira against Cain Velasquez in a heavyweight bout and Wanderlei Silva against Michael Bisping in the middleweight division.

Source: MMA Weekly

JUNIE BROWNING STARTS REBUILDING ON SATURDAY

Junie Browning headlines “MMA Big Show: Onslaught” Saturday night at the Belterra Casino Resort & Spa in the Cincinnati area against Scott Cornwell.

“The Ultimate Fighter” season 8 bad boy was released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship following an arrest on Oct. 6 in Las Vegas. The bout with Cornwell is Browning’s first since being let go by the UFC.

The 24-year-old Lexington, Ky., native is happy to be fighting close to home as he tries to rebuild his career.

“My first fight out of the UFC I was hoping I could fight somewhere close to home so I could have my friends and family who couldn’t watch the fight when like I fought in Vegas or Tennessee,” Browning told MMAWeekly.com “It gives them the opportunity to come see me fight.

“I’m pretty good at putting on a show especially in front of a hometown crowd, so I’m going to continue to do that where I left off before I went to the UFC.”

On name recognition alone, Browning could have signed with a more established promotion, but wants to gain experience before re-emerging on the big stage.

“I probably could have jumped into one of the bigger shows right off the bat, but I didn’t want to,” said the Kentuckian. “It’s almost a good thing. I can go around and get some more experience beating up some people in some smaller shows and then go back and be a little bit more prepared.”

Browning is optimistic about his future and believes it’s just a matter of time before he’s back competing against top tier talent.

“I’ll be back. You can only beat up so many people outside of the UFC before they let you back,” commented the controversial fighter. “I don’t want to be a fake fighter, like all hype. I promise I’ll be back and when I do come back I’ll be the best. I know I will. It’s just a matter of time.

“I might drift off a little bit, but I’ll do a pretty good job of keeping my name out there just putting on a show and then I’ll get right back into one of the bigger shows and smash people’s faces in.”

Source: MMA Weekly

WEC: Wagnney drops to bantamweight

After teammate Jose Aldo conquered the WEC featherweight title, Wagnney Fabiano decided to drop to bantamweight (135lbs, 61kg), as he aspires to the organization’s title and would never consider facing Aldo.

And the Nova Uniao black belt already has a likely date and opponent for his debut in his new weight division. The bout should take place January 10, against Frank Gomez.

Wagnney goes into the fight after his second career loss, while Gomez won his last two outings. The post of division champion is currently held by Brian Bowles, who ended the reign of Carlson Gracie student Miguel Torres in his last fight.

After teammate Jose Aldo conquered the WEC featherweight title, Wagnney Fabiano decided to drop to bantamweight (135lbs, 61kg), as he aspires to the organization’s title and would never consider facing Aldo.

And the Nova Uniao black belt already has a likely date and opponent for his debut in his new weight division. The bout should take place January 10, against Frank Gomez.

Wagnney goes into the fight after his second career loss, while Gomez won his last two outings. The post of division champion is currently held by Brian Bowles, who ended the reign of Carlson Gracie student Miguel Torres in his last fight.

Source: Gracie Magazine

Minotouro vibrant about fight with Forrest:
“Let’s fight!”


Native of the Brazilian state of Bahia Rogerio Minotouro is riding high on a six-fight winning streak – he hasn’t lost since 2007. Better still, the 33-year-old fighter had an exemplary debut in the UFC, with a knockout over the heavy-hitting Luiz Banha. Still in the United States, Minotouro (18w, 3l) called up GRACIEMAG.com at 3 am. We missed that one, but we chased him down and had a chat with the bruiser. Top on the discussion agenda was a possible showdown with Forrest Griffin, who had his last win on the 21st, too. Here’s what he had to say:

I never expected to knock him out. Rogerio Minotouro

You managed a stunning knockout win over Banha. Before the bout, your muay thai coach Luiz Alves remarked about how well your striking preparation had been going…
I really had been working a lot on my striking with a lot of boxing. I focused on that and even took some criticism; the folks were saying I was training more boxing than other fundamentals. I never expected to knock him out, but I was under the impression the fight would play out standing. I respected him, if just because Banha is a really tough athlete, someone with a lot of will and who hits hard. I knew he was dangerous, which is why I worked so hard on striking – to put up a front.

Do you feel the crowd and promoters were impressed?
It was a great result for me and I won the best way I could. It was good because I debuted against an opponent with a name and I like to fight great adversaries, it just motivates me more in training. As it was my debut in the UFC, I feel it went as best it could. I’ve been wanting to fight there for a while – it’s now the world’s biggest event, where the world’s best fighters meet for the greatest challenges of their careers.

You had a great run at Pride, the former biggest event in the world. Do you now feel more mature and capable of making UFC history for it?
I see my career as being in a better place now. Nowadays, I’m certain I’m more mature, objective, I train more and have greater responsibilities. I currently have a team, and that greatens my obligation to everyone, and makes me train more. I want to train not just for my fights, but to help my teammates and my brothers. I’ve trained a lot with Rodrigo and improved my Jiu-Jitsu. My wrestling has improved, too; that’s a flaw I had, and I’ve managed to fix it. There’s nothing to say about the boxing. More so since I started training with Luiz Alvez (muay thai) and Dorea (boxing), and with sparring partners Cigano, Feijao, not to mention Rodrigo… In a nutshell, I have what I need to be in the UFC.

A lot of folks have been asking for a fight with Forrest Griffin, who beat Tito Ortiz the same night you debuted. What do you think of that?
It would be a good fight. Forrest is an aggressive guy who fights on his feet, and I like that. He also has excellent Jiu-Jitsu and absurd wind. It would be a really good fight.

How were you treated in your new home?
It was pure joy. I was really well received by the folks from the event. The whole time Dana would say, “Welcome to you new home.” I felt really comfortable with the treatment I received. All the employees welcomed me and said they had been waiting for me. Since Rodrigo does a good job and has a good relationship with everyone there, I felt the doors were already open.
What is your assessment of the light heavyweight division (under 94kg), which includes Lyoto, Tito, Shogun, Rashad and Thiago Silva, among others?
It’s the toughest category. It will be great and I’ll have fun. Let’s fight!

Native of the Brazilian state of Bahia Rogerio Minotouro is riding high on a six-fight winning streak – he hasn’t lost since 2007. Better still, the 33-year-old fighter had an exemplary debut in the UFC, with a knockout over the heavy-hitting Luiz Banha. Still in the United States, Minotouro (18w, 3l) called up GRACIEMAG.com at 3 am. We missed that one, but we chased him down and had a chat with the bruiser. Top on the discussion agenda was a possible showdown with Forrest Griffin, who had his last win on the 21st, too. Here’s what he had to say:

I never expected to knock him out. Rogerio Minotouro

You managed a stunning knockout win over Banha. Before the bout, your muay thai coach Luiz Alves remarked about how well your striking preparation had been going…

I really had been working a lot on my striking with a lot of boxing. I focused on that and even took some criticism; the folks were saying I was training more boxing than other fundamentals. I never expected to knock him out, but I was under the impression the fight would play out standing. I respected him, if just because Banha is a really tough athlete, someone with a lot of will and who hits hard. I knew he was dangerous, which is why I worked so hard on striking – to put up a front.

Do you feel the crowd and promoters were impressed?

It was a great result for me and I won the best way I could. It was good because I debuted against an opponent with a name and I like to fight great adversaries, it just motivates me more in training. As it was my debut in the UFC, I feel it went as best it could. I’ve been wanting to fight there for a while – it’s now the world’s biggest event, where the world’s best fighters meet for the greatest challenges of their careers.

You had a great run at Pride, the former biggest event in the world. Do you now feel more mature and capable of making UFC history for it?

I see my career as being in a better place now. Nowadays, I’m certain I’m more mature, objective, I train more and have greater responsibilities. I currently have a team, and that greatens my obligation to everyone, and makes me train more. I want to train not just for my fights, but to help my teammates and my brothers. I’ve trained a lot with Rodrigo and improved my Jiu-Jitsu. My wrestling has improved, too; that’s a flaw I had, and I’ve managed to fix it. There’s nothing to say about the boxing. More so since I started training with Luiz Alvez (muay thai) and Dorea (boxing), and with sparring partners Cigano, Feijao, not to mention Rodrigo… In a nutshell, I have what I need to be in the UFC.

A lot of folks have been asking for a fight with Forrest Griffin, who beat Tito Ortiz the same night you debuted. What do you think of that?

It would be a good fight. Forrest is an aggressive guy who fights on his feet, and I like that. He also has excellent Jiu-Jitsu and absurd wind. It would be a really good fight.

How were you treated in your new home?

It was pure joy. I was really well received by the folks from the event. The whole time Dana would say, “Welcome to you new home.” I felt really comfortable with the treatment I received. All the employees welcomed me and said they had been waiting for me. Since Rodrigo does a good job and has a good relationship with everyone there, I felt the doors were already open.

What is your assessment of the light heavyweight division (under 94kg), which includes Lyoto, Tito, Shogun, Rashad and Thiago Silva, among others?

It’s the toughest category. It will be great and I’ll have fun. Let’s fight!

Source: Gracie Magazine

Paulo Thiago predicts “a good year” at UFC

With ten fights on his career, Paulo Thiago won the chance to debut on UFC at the beginning of the year, and had two victories on three fights, beating Jacob Volkmann on the last weekend. And Paulo previews a 2010 even better.

“I’m waiting for UFC to say what’s gonna happen, they didn’t tell me nothing yet. I think it’s gonna be a good year, I’ll train hard to face whoever UFC tells me to”, Thiago said, who didn’t won easily.

“I thought it was a hard fight, a though guy on the ground, with a good Wrestling, but was everything okay. I trained a lot and it was kind of how he have planed”, Paulo celebrates, who dominated the fight standing, but passed for bad moments on the ground.

“I knew that he was going to try to go to the ground, but I tried the knock out the whole time. He has a heavy hand, I passed for some good and some bad moments on the ground… I tried to work the ground and pond, but the time was up”, remembers.

With new previews to return to the octagon, Paulo knows that he’s in one of the toughest categories of the event, but he guarantees that he’s ready to the opponent that his bosses chose. Even if it is Josh Koscheck, who was considered one of the biggest names of the weight, but was knocked out by Paulo on his debut. “I don’t believe that this rematch can happen so soon, but, if they put it, I’m ready”, finished.

Source: Tatame

PLAYBOY'S LATASHA MARZOLLA RETURNS FRIDAY

After spending the last couple of years making an impact in the kickboxing world, former Playboy model LaTasha Marzolla has set her sights on conquering MMA and proving she’s more than just a pretty face.

Earlier this year in her MMA debut, Marzolla took her first step in achieving her goal by defeating Christy Tada via TKO at the end of the first round of their fight.

Eager to continue her success, she returns Friday night as the headliner of the latest installment of Tuff-N-Uff at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas.

“I’m really excited,” Marzolla told MMAWeekly.com of her return. “I trained really hard, I’m prepared, I have really good people in my corner and I’m ready to fight.”

After years of being a staple on various K-1 cards in Vegas and abroad, Marzolla turned to MMA feeling now is the time if she wishes to make a career of fighting.

“I had a baby a couple years ago, and I decided this is my last shot,” she stated. “I knew I was going to focus on my kids, my training, and I was going to go for it.

“About a year ago I showed up at (Xtreme) Couture’s. I went to watch Gina (Carano) fight, and signed up and here I am.”

At Tuff-N-Uff on Friday, Marzolla takes on a fellow former kickboxer turned MMA fighter in Kate McGray.

“She’s an awesome stand-up fighter,” she said of McGray. “She’s got great cardio, good hands, and I’m glad I’m fighting her. It should be good experience for me.”

While both fighters come from a striking background, don’t expect an all out slugfest according to Marzolla.

“I really want to go to the ground bad, and I’m really excited about my boxing (as well),” she stated. “I want to mix it up a little bit, but I never know what’s going to go on until I’m in there.”

As for the naysayers who think she is just a model looking to cash in on the latest sensation, Marzolla says otherwise.

“I really don’t care what people think,” she stated. “I’m the one in my gym working my butt off; it just so happens that before I did any fighting that I was in Playboy.

“It’s not like I used fighting to get somewhere. I was already a Playboy model, I just happened to step in the ring, so if they want to say that, that’s fine, but I know that once they watch me fight, they’ll know that it’s just not another (over-hyped) model or made up.”

A win over McGray could go a long way in furthering Marzolla’s fight exposure and could lead to an opportunity to turn pro and fight for a bigger show. If she has her say about it, however, her move up will happen on her own terms when she’s ready.

“I’m just going to keep on fighting and see what happens,” she commented. “I need some more experience under my belt.

“Every fight I learn a little bit more about myself and what I have to work on and go from there. No stress and no worries about going pro; I’m just going out to enjoy myself out there.”

So while other people will be dealing with their turkey-induced comas and cranberry sauce overloads on Friday, Marzolla will instead be stepping into the ring, looking to prove she’s the real deal in women’s MMA.

“I’d like to thank Gil Martinez for working on my boxing with me, Dennis Davis for being an awesome ground coach, and Elaina Maxwell for being my inspiration,” she concluded. “Come check out Tuff-N-Uff Friday, Nov. 27, and watch some great fights.

“I would love to give everybody what they’re looking for. I train really hard and I hope I can do some impressive things. I really want to show that I work hard and I deserve to do well.”

Source: MMA Weekly

11/29/09

Quote of the Day

"What we become depends on what we read after all the professors have finished with us.
The greatest university of all is the collection of books."

Thomas Carlyle

UFC 107 Preview: Ben Henderson Goes Four Rounds Against BJ Penn
by Nick Thomas

So day one just ended down here in costa Mesa, CA...went pretty well, right when we got to the RVCA facility jumped right in and did four mma rounds with BJ, so I found out right away what I personally wanted to know, which is, 'is BJ really that hard to take-down???', the answer is without a doubt, yes he is...like I said we did 4 rounds, I was doing my best Diego sanchez impression, hehe, but I didn't get killed nearly as bad as I thought I was going to, so that's a big plus, I am a little out of shape and going four was pretty good I thought on my part, especially considering the competition doesn't get much tougher in the whole world...

For the 2nd practice of the day we just did some stand-up sparring situations then ended practice with some bag and mitt work...of course BJ's trainers are world class, he himself is all-world class so it was just really an honor and privledge for me to be able to work with them and kinda see how THE world champ does things...I'm excited for the rest of the 8-9 days I'm down here, hopefully some of his all-world classness rubs off on me and I'll be able to learn a lot from BJ, Shane, Rob (Emerson, who I forgot to mention was down here as well...he's a beast), and all of BJ's trainers...tomorrow morning is grappling, so I'm of course really looking forward to being choked out by BJ a bunch of times...

Source: Bloody Elbow

UFC 106: Demian training hard for Dan Miller
By Guilherme Cruz

Demian Maia was close to fight for the belt, but the knock out loss to Nate Marquard changed his plans. After the first defeat in the career, Demian is back to trainings, looking to the fight against Dan Miller on UFC 109, in February. Im training, doing my preparation, training Jiu-Jitsu, boxing and strength training. Hes a complete guy, fights standing up, on the ground, won a lot of fights by submission and has a good Wrestling, the black belt said, who trained with Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira, Junior Cigano dos Santos and Rogirio Minotouro Nogueira.

I had already trained with Rogirio and Rodrigo, they're excellent on Jiu-Jitsu. I had never trained with Cigano, but I got surprised. He still have a lot to develop, but he has a good ground and he's very talented, learns very fast, I think that in a little while he's gonna be excellent The guys are amazing, complements Damian, who sent TATAME.com some images of the big train in his gym.

And Maia praises Dos Santos ground game. I think he has all the conditions to become champion. He's excellent, has a good boxing and he moves as a lightweight with heavyweight punch, and he has a good ground, analyzes, celebrating Minotouros victory, who debuted with a knockout on UFC.

It was excellent, man. Hes my friend, we train together and I was supporting him a lot. I was very happy because he won, and won very well. Hes an excellent athlete, said, surprised by the fact that the fight ended is less than two minutes. Banha (Luis Cane) didnt found himself, I thought Banha was going to find himself a little bit more. I thought that Rogirio was going to win, but Banha got pretty lost. Rogirios game is complicated, hes boxing is not easy to understand, finished.

Source: Tatame

Does Lil Nog deserve a title shot already?
By Isaac Brekken, AP

3 Recommend Antonio Rogerio Nogueira ought to be fighting for championship gold soon, if career accomplishments and proven skill mean anything.

The man called Lil Nog -- he's a light-heavyweight version of his identical twin, heavyweight ex-champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -- had a perfect debut for the Ultimate Fighting Championship last weekend. His dismantling of Luiz Cane in less than two minutes at UFC 106 was as one-sided as a fight can get, with Nogueira's left hand rocking Cane repeatedly until it drove him to the mat for the finish and a Knockout of the Night bonus.

Nogueira, the No. 9 lightweight in the USA TODAY/SB Nation consensus rankings, brings a different approach for the 205-pound weight class. Many light-heavyweights in the Top 25 rely on wrestling and Muay Thai striking or power punches -- Nogueira has the division's best MMA jiu-jitsu and the most technical approach to boxing, with sound footwork and a snapping jab to set up his left hand.

So why not a shot next at the winner of Lyoto Machida-Mauricio Rua?

Bloody Elbow's Leland Rolling suggests Nogueira might need at least one more big-name fight before getting a chance at the top. And there are sound business reasons for building up Lil Nog with two or three more fights before throwing him into the title mix.

But he's been proving his worth for years. Saturday's show was merely the latest display of excellence in an eight-year run that includes wins over an MMA legend (Kazushi Sakuraba), a former king of Pancrase and UFC tournament winner (Guy Mezger), a current heavyweight champion (Alistair Overeem, twice) and the only man to hold two major titles simultaneously (Dan Henderson).

Those fights happened in Pride Fighting Championships, but UFC has granted championship bouts before to fighters based on their Pride accomplishments.

Wanderlei Silva was supposed to fight then-champion Chuck Liddell in 2006 before Mirko Filipovic blew up the plan by erasing Silva in the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix that year.

UFC President Dana White said more that consensus No. 1 heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko would get an immediate title shot if he signs with the organization.

Perhaps the most relevant examples include a would-be B.A. Baracus and the brother who shares two names and a middle initial. The title paths of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Quinton Jackson each required only one UFC victory over a journeyman -- Heath Herring in Nogueira's case, Marvin Eastman in Jackson's.

Neither win was particularly impressive. At least Lil Nog made his UFC entry by making a Top-10 fighter look amateurish.

Critics could argue that Nogueira and Jackson were elevated because their divisions were thin at the time, while the UFC has abundant talent in the current 205-pound group.

The crop isn't as thick as it seems. Mauricio Rua will get his title rematch whenever the champion is ready to go, but the rest of the light-heavyweight field has issues:

• Because Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva lost so convincingly to Machida already, the winner of their UFC 108 showdown will still need another victory over a big name to regain credibility.

• The same holds true for Randy Couture, whose decision victory over Brandon Vera at UFC 105 was too close for comfort.

• The enormously talented Jon Jones lacks a major win and will still lack one even if he beats Matt Hamill on Dec. 5.

• Jackson quit MMA to make movies.

• Keith Jardine, Tito Ortiz, Vera and Cane have to restart after losing their last fights.

• Anderson Silva has no interest in facing Machida because of their friendship.

Nogueira doesn't really want that bout either. Ed Soares, whose stable of Brazilian fighters includes Silva, Machida and the Nogueiras, is skeptical about matching them up in the near future.

"Maybe some day that could potentially happen, but Nogueira's got quite a few fights ahead of him before that," Ed Soares said in August.

But unlike Silva, who has his own playground at 185 pounds, Nogueira has nowhere else to go. Until his brother decides to call it a day, Lil Nog is stuck at 205 pounds.

Giving the next shot to Nogueira also helps the entire division.

Everyone gets a clean slate if Nogueira takes the title from Machida. Evans, Thiago Silva or Ortiz against Lil Nog appears to be more competitive than any of them in a rematch with Machida. Forrest Griffin and Couture offer much better style match-ups with Nogueira than against Machida, and Couture comes with a built-in storyline stemming from his UFC 102 fight with Big Nog.

If Nogueira fights Rua instead, it could be an even easier fight to sell. Just keep replaying their fantastic performance from in the Pride 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix.

(Yes, I'm biased -- Shogun-Lil Nog remains one of my favorite fights. It also should be one of yours)

Revenge plotlines aside, Nogueira battling for the title at least buys time for to build everyone else in the division. There's no need to rush someone to the head of the class when you already have a guy who's proven he belongs there.

Unfortunately, Machida-Rua II won't happen until May 1, if UFC's plan holds up. Nogueira shouldn't wait so long for his next bout, so he'll have to prove himself at least one more time before he gets his shot.

Source: USA Today

Georges St-Pierre: Even the invincible have scars
By Elliot Worsell

Georges ‘Rush’ St-Pierre remembers the day well. He remembers the sounds, the apprehension, the racing heart and the first devastating blow. He recalls the monumental task ahead of him and the need to conquer his fear.

Georges is 11-years-old and he’s about to engage in the biggest fight of his career.

“One time I was leaving school with my friend Mathieu and we were approached by a group of local delinquents, a few years older than the both of us,” says St-Pierre.

“We were both heading to the bus with a group of other friends we knew. These friends were not tough guys or popular kids. They were your typical nerds or geeks. They were clever kids and didn’t like confrontation. While we were waiting for the bus, we spotted the three delinquents nearby and then started to hear a spitting sound. It almost sounded like it was starting to rain. We turned around to face the delinquents and Mathieu raced on up ahead. I went after Mathieu and stopped him. I then noticed that there was saliva all over the back of his coat.”

St-Pierre’s worst fears were confirmed. Not for the first time in his pre-pubescent life, the French-Canadian had been a target for school bullies. This time was different, though.

“Mathieu took the coat off and I prepared myself to go back at the delinquents and tell them they had made a mistake,” continues St-Pierre. “Mathieu didn’t want to go back and give them what for – he just wanted to go home. Like most of the kids at school, he was scared of these delinquents and would give them whatever they asked for. I was different and felt we needed to prove a point. Even if we got our asses kicked, at least we would have fought back and showed them they couldn’t get away with this sort of thing.”

So St-Pierre went back into the firing line - or perhaps more aptly, spitting line – to confront both his fears and the bullies. This was the final straw for St-Pierre.

“I let Mathieu be and went back alone,” says St-Pierre. “I pretended I forgot something – a pencil case maybe – and then headed back towards school and the delinquents on the wall. As I went by the delinquents, I closed my fist behind my back and clenched it tight. They had no idea what was coming. I hid the fist and smiled as I walked on by. Then, as soon as I got level with them, I raced towards the first bully and hit him square on the jaw. He went down hard and the other two bullies jumped on me.

“I wouldn’t say I won the fight that day. There were too many of them and they were too big. I did win a mental battle, though. I showed those guys that I’d always be the kid willing to fight back. They pretty much left me alone after that. I was too much of an effort for them.”

Though he didn’t know it at the time, St-Pierre’s refusal to be beaten or dominated would act as the pre-cursor to a stellar career in the burgeoning sport of mixed martial arts. Just a bleary-eyed child at the time, St-Pierre was already laying down the foundations to a life in competition. Despite his mini triumph in Montreal that day, St-Pierre’s parents were quick to end any vigilante aspirations Georges may have had.

“My mom was in tears when she saw what the bullies had done to me,” laughs St-Pierre. “She wanted to know what was going on and wanted to know the names of the kids that would be evil enough to do this stuff to me.

“That was bad enough, but my dad went one step further and actually contacted the school and visited the bullies’ homes. It was the right thing to do from a parent’s point of view, but it was incredibly embarrassing for me. You don’t want to be seen telling your parents about school stuff. You don’t want your mum and dad sorting your problems out for you. That brought me a lot of shame.”

St-Pierre didn’t stay ashamed of his parents’ pro-active approach for long. After all, it was his father who first introduced a young Georges to Kyokushin karate at seven years of age.

“My father was a black belt in Kyokushin karate and he was a massive inspiration for me growing up,” says St-Pierre. “I was keen to follow the family tradition. I wanted to be a success in martial arts, because I knew it meant so much to my father and it was such an integral part of his life.

“I wanted to follow my father’s path and almost felt like I would let him down if I failed or decided to go in another direction. Everybody plays ice hockey in Canada, but it never really gripped me like it did other children my age. They were all big fans of the sport and would collect all the magazines and trading cards. I just never followed it like that.”

In between fending off school bullies and learning various martial arts techniques, St-Pierre would compete in athletic competitions and watch Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. His favourite movie back then was ‘Bloodsport’ and his other favourite pastime happened to be the odd game of chess.

“I would try everything the school would have to offer and would sign up to all the sports clubs as quick as possible,” explains GSP. “I did the 100-metres, the 400-metres, the high jump, long jump and also played chess.

“That may seem like a weird combination but, to be honest, my love of chess helped my career in mixed martial arts perhaps more than any other sport I played. They call mixed martial arts human chess and it’s totally true. Chess is all about using your opponent’s insecurities and weaknesses against him and strategising a way to win. It’s exactly the same in mixed martial arts, only a little more physical.”

Though a quiet and unassuming child growing up, St-Pierre never shirked the physical side of life. His father was a master in the combat arts and it was in St-Pierre’s nature to stand up for what was right. He hated seeing younger classmates get picked on and he hated it even more when he was at the centre of the bullies’ attentions.

“Even though I trained karate, sometimes you just face too many bigger guys and have to take a beating,” says St-Pierre. “That happened a lot at school. I would probably be able to beat all the kids one-on-one, but they would gang up on me and would often be much older and bigger. I usually had to fend off three or four guys at any one time.

“Gradually in time, I persisted and they left me alone.”

Pain is supposed to heal with time and yet St-Pierre shakes his head every time the adage is used. His post-fight injuries may heal up in a matter of weeks, but the memories of his early fights – those of the unsanctioned and unorganised variety – linger like saliva on a hood.

“I learnt a lot of life lessons from my time at school,” admits Georges. “The funny thing is, a lot of the scars I have in my head are from my time at school, not from any of my experiences in mixed martial arts. People find that hard to believe. They see me as this strong and dominant UFC champion and just assume that I’ve always been the one handing out the beat downs. That’s not true at all, though. The most pain I ever suffered was when I was growing up in school.”

The 28-year-old continues: “Competing in mixed martial arts is fairly easy, compared to what I had to go through as a child. You’re afforded weeks and months of preparation time for a fight in the UFC. You can train your body and mind to get ready for a certain fight. You know the time, place and reason for your next fight. You can visualise the outcome. On the school playground it’s completely different. I often didn’t know when a fight would break out or why an older kid would be kicking and punching me. There is no time to prepare or negotiate at school.”

St-Pierre never looked for time to negotiate or plan for events at school. He was just a kid. The only responsibility he had back then was getting to class on time and handing in homework on the specified day. Despite the fact GSP would go on to become synonymous with the fast-rising sport of mixed martial arts, a young Georges was always the kid walking in the other direction.

“People sometimes get the wrong impression of fighters and just assume that we always want to fight and show our skills off in any possible situation,” he says. “They think we’re always looking to beat someone up. It’s not true at all. I have never fought in the street or to just show off. MMA is my art – it’s the skill I use in performance.

“If my karate teacher had found out I was fighting in the street, I would have been thrown out and told to never return. That would have been the end of my karate. I didn’t want to get kicked out and I knew it was a bad idea to even think about fighting in the street.”

Despite his reluctance to get involved on the school playground-turned-fight arena, St-Pierre noticed changes in his body at age 14 that allowed him to walk through the school corridors with his head held higher than his peers.

“I remember at 14 years of age I was probably the strongest guy in school,” admits St-Pierre. “I wasn’t the tallest, but I was the strongest. Everybody knew it. I was stronger than all the other athletes, all the older guys and was even stronger than my own dad. We would mess around on the school field and I would take down the biggest, tallest guy in the school at will. It wasn’t even a contest.

“I was never aggressive at school. I didn’t go out to try and prove a point with anyone. I just wanted to feel strong so that I could have that confidence to stand up for what was right. By the time I was 14, I was no longer scared to stand up for myself. The bullies knew that, too.”

Everybody knew it. Years later, St-Pierre would receive all the indication he needed that the bullies knew what he hoped they knew.

“I never got proper revenge on the guys that bullied me back then,” says St-Pierre. “I would fight back, of course, but I never really got the sense that I’d won until a couple of years ago.

“I was walking through a mall in Montreal and I happened to see one of the bullies – now grown up – walk past me in the opposite direction. We both saw each other and our eyes locked. He saw me and I saw him, albeit for only a couple of seconds. My stare locked on him, but he was very quick to look down at his feet and shuffle along quickly. He didn’t want to look at me any longer. He had obviously seen me on television and heard about my life since our school days. He knew what I had become. I didn’t know what he’d become.”

Most men would have to be pulled down from the rooftop following such an ego-boosting shot to the arm. Not St-Pierre, though. Sure, the satisfaction was prevalent, but Georges only looks forward nowadays.

“Maybe I got vengeance in a psychological way,” ponders GSP. “It certainly felt good to know what he knew and to see it on his face. Ultimately, I see revenge as a really negative energy. You should never live with anger or the desire to get revenge over somebody. It’s very dangerous to fight or compete with that mindset.”

So, what had Georges St-Pierre become? Well, for starters, he’s now arguably the world’s greatest mixed martial artist. He boasts a professional record of 19-2 and has twice won the coveted UFC world welterweight title. In a career spanning nearly eight years, St-Pierre has twice defeated BJ Penn and Matt Hughes, and also claims wins over Thiago Alves, Jon Fitch, Sean Sherk, Matt Serra and Josh Koscheck, amongst many others.

St-Pierre has combined God-given gifts with an unparalleled work ethic to become the template for the modern day mixed martial artist. Despite never competing as a wrestler in college, St-Pierre is now considered the go-to guy for all aspiring MMA students and teachers. Not only that, St-Pierre can also call on devastating striking capabilities and a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In short, St-Pierre is mixed martial arts in 2009.

“I have a theory on my success, and it’s to do with both the idea of nature and nurture,” says St-Pierre. “I’m very much into philosophy and believe that everything in life is down to a combination of genetics and natural environment. I have good genes, good health, lots of fast twitch muscle fibres and have been blessed with many things from my parents.

“I have also benefited from my natural environment a great deal. I’m blessed to be in a position where I can train with the best guys in the world and can improve my skill set on a daily basis. I have all the tools in my arsenal right now and not many people are able to train the way I do. They don’t have the same opportunities.”

Ultimately, St-Pierre was born to be a mixed martial artist. Even as a kid he was dabbling in karate, wrestling, boxing and jiu-jitsu as ways of fending off school yard foes and delinquent rivals. He was reacting to situations – aware that one bully may require a swift fist to the face, while others may drag him to the floor. St-Pierre never knew when he might be ambushed or taken by surprise. Although his arm was yanked in other directions while growing up, St-Pierre’s focus on the noble arts remained strong.

“I worked a few jobs growing up,” remembers St-Pierre. “I taught some seminars in the army, worked as a bouncer, and also helped delinquent teens turn their lives around.

“I did a number of speeches and lessons for these delinquents and it was kind of strange to think that these were the same kind of kids that once terrorised me at school. Everything seemed to come full circle and I was now trying to help out these kids. I figured that if what I said and did could inspire these kids to change their ways, it would be worthwhile. If I could help some child at school not get bullied like I was, my work would be of great use.”

Without knowing, St-Pierre may have inadvertently helped the school life of a young kid in Montreal and, in turn, removed the ingredients and drive from a potential UFC champion.

Source: UFC.com

Bobby Razak Sheds Light on Struggle to Legalize MMA
by Ray Hui

As one of the early documentarians of MMA, filmmaker Bobby Razak is used to providing an inside look at the lives of fighters and personalities in the sport. But for his latest project, he's reaching out to individuals outside of MMA. Specifically, lawmakers in New York and Toronto.

"It's really to bring light to what is going on," Razak told FanHouse. "To show certain people in the hierarchy the New York state commissions, the Toronto commissions to show what our sport is about, how impressive it is, what good it does to the economy, what good it does to troubled youth. This is a great sport. These are great people and let's let them do what they want to do."

Recognized for his work on TapouT film shorts, Razak was recently hired by fashion designer and entrepreneur Mark Ecko for a marketing campaign to raise awareness towards the struggle to legalize MMA.

The sport has evolved over the years and the majority of states have welcomed the revamped sport, but New York and Toronto remain MMA hotbeds where lawmakers have not been convinced.

"What I experienced in New York and Toronto is not really the people, but the political powers that be," Razak said. "It's key people in the political realm who are stopping and not allowing the sport of mixed martial arts to become legal. The people are behind us. It's really just more the political powers and the hierarchy that are blocking us from flowering into fruition and going to the next level."

Attempts at legalizing MMA in New York have failed twice the last two years and Razak says it might take a changing of the guards to bring MMA to the Big Apple.

"That was the biggest thing I realized. I was thinking: Push the people and make the people realize they need to legalize MMA, but it's not really in the hands of the people. It's in the hands of a few select senators. The people in power need to be educated."

Razak hopes the educational process and continual pressure from the public and outside senators and congressmen supportive of MMA will eventually encourage lawmakers in Toronto and New York to legalize the sport.

The format of the films are similar to Razak's work with TapouT and Dethrone Royalty. A 30-second commercial spot will air to direct viewers towards a website to watch the complete short films.

Besides the campaign, Razak continues work on two full length documentaries, Sangre Nueva and Und3rdogs.

Sangre Nueva is about the impact of Mexican fighters in MMA and is scheduled to be finished the first week of January 2010. Meanwhile, Und3rdogs will be completed in April/May 2010. There's currently no distribution for either film, but Razak's plan is to bring Sangre Nueva to Sundance.

"It shows how far the Mexican athlete has come and the impact of the Mexican athlete and what the Mexican athlete brings to the MMA game," Razak said of the film, featuring Cain Velasquez, Miguel Torres and Gilbert Melendez.

For Und3rdogs, Razak collected footage from filming MMA the past 14 years to tell the story of what he describes as "the history of MMA with a special southern California twist."

"For me that was a very special film," Razak said. "That was Charles 'Mask' Lewis' last vision. We had worked on that film for three years, and after he died, it was my duty to continue that. It's a beautiful and amazing historic film."

Until those films are released, Razak looks forward to the premiere of his two, 10-minute short films through Ecko featuring Frank Shamrock, David Louseau, Patrick Cote, Robert Drysdale, Mark Ecko, FanHouse's Ariel Helwani and others.

The 30-second commercial spot and two films are slated to begin airing/streaming mid-December.

Source: MMA Fighting

Q and A with Matt Serra - Trigg Fight Confirmed

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra recently dropped by The Fight Network studio in Toronto to discuss his past exploits, what he's up to these days and what the future has in store. Here, TFN's Ariel Shnerer recaps some of John Pollock's interview with "The Terror":

We know you are a big fan of the UFC Undisputed game. Do you have any insight on the followup game coming out next year? Matt Serra: You know what's funny is they just called me recently to do some graphics and stuff. So I will be in that game and Serra Mixed Martial Arts will be in there also, which is cool, you know? I still play it and it's funny man because I play it online and people talk trash on there. I've got kids on there telling me: "Look, he's even short in the game," and I'm yelling, "Hey, what are you talking about?" I don't use my real name on there. They're fighting Matt Serra in the game but they're really fighting me and they're talking trash. It's just hysterical man. When I think about it, I'm 35. It's pretty sad, but I'm in a video game so it's cool.

The word on the Internet is Matt Serra-Frank Trigg on Feb. 6. What can you tell us about that? It's funny, you know. I came out here to plug the figurine, and I called UFC this morning and I got the OK to talk about my fight. I just signed on it the other day and they gave me the thumbs up. So yeah, it is true. I will be fighting Frank Trigg "Twinkle Toes" on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas. Style-wise, I think that's a fun fight. On paper, that's a fun fight. He's not going to be like Matt Hughes. Even if he does get me down, he's the type of guy that will try to work you over. Matt Hughes was just kind of trying to hold on. Trigg has his back against the wall. I'm coming off two losses fair and square. St-Pierre beat me my second fight. The Hughes fight, whatever. Whatever you want to say about that. But on my record, I've got two losses in a row so I need this and he needs this, so it's going to be exciting.

I know you really wanted a rematch with Matt Hughes. What did the UFC tell you about a potential rematch? How can you just leave it like that? You can't really walk out of there and make it seem like you beat me. You said you wanted all the blood for your wife and this and that. But I don't want to sit here and trash Matt Hughes only because we did fight. We did have it out. There should be a level respect after you fight somebody. Having said that, I thought I won the first and third rounds. But I'd like to go at it again and have somebody end it. Whatever. We're moving on. Through his manager, he said, "Move on, we're done with it." Who knows? Maybe we'll go at it again. But right now I have Frank Trigg, and just because he got taken out by Koscheck, I don't look at this as an easy fight. He's a wrestler. He's a strong dude. He has got some big wins under him and he's going to be a tough opponent. He's got his back against the wall.

Renzo Gracie, who you have trained under, is rumoured to be coming into the UFC at UFC 109. What are your thoughts on him coming in and his assets at this stage? I love Renzo man. He taught me everything I know about Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The guy has done so much for me in life in general. He's like a part of my family. That doesn't mean he'll return my phone call right away. I heard this stuff too and I texted him asking what's up. He'll probably get back to me in like a month. He's all over the place man. I tried to track him down. He's over in the Middle East; he's in Brazil; he's a character, you know? He's awesome. He's got experience on his side. He's been in there with some of the best guys and he's fought all over the place. Again, his mind for fighting is very unique. He's going to do fine. I'm excited to see who he's fighting against. The rumour was against (Matt) Hughes. But I know as much as you at this point.

What's the latest on the status of legalizing MMA in New York? You know, I've done my part. I've spoken to everyone. I don't know where we're having problems getting it legal over there. Why are all these other states and other countries making cash? Why not New York? Especially nowadays, you know. It will help the businesses. It will help New York in general. I don't know what the problem is.

What would be bigger to you: being welterweight champion or being on a card at Madison Square Garden? You know what? I was the champ, so I can always go to my grave saying I was the champ. But I'd love to fight at the Garden. There's a lot of fight history there, you know? That would definitely be high in my "things to do" list. Shoot, man, it better happen soon if you know what I'm talking about. I'm not planning to retire anytime soon but let's do it at some point in the next few years.

We've seen a lot of catch-weight bouts over the last year. How is fighting at 170 pounds? Have you explored fighting at 160 or 165? I'm not the tallest at 170, that's for sure. But I still feel I can swim with those sharks. I got the belt at that weight. I've beaten some tough guys at welterweight. I would love to do a catch-weight. Man, people say, "You're 5-foot-6," and, "You should fight at 155." But I'm kind of a thick guy. I make jokes about pasta and pizza. Yeah man, I like that New York stuff. But when I'm training for a fight, obviously I don't eat that. But it's just hard for me to make 155. It's not impossible. I can do it. I've done it in the past. But as I get older, it's even worse. Making 155, you know, those guys down there aren't much easier. You've got to get a hold of those little (expletive), they're fast. I'll be big but a lot of times, guys want to get down to that weight because they want to be a wrestler or be the biggest. But I can fight off my back man. If somebody puts me down, the fight is not going to be over. A lot of the guys, they can't say the same thing. I feel I'm well-rounded enough. My stand-up caught up with my ground game and I can be dangerous anywhere. I'm looking for exciting fights at this stage in my career. If it leads back to a belt, that's phenomenal. My last fight, I won "Fight of the Night." I would love to do that every card. But yeah, I would love to fight at a catch-weight. Those five pounds suck. [But] 160 or 165, I would love it.

Would you coach again?
Yeah. I would definitely consider it. I had a blast. Believe it or not, I really enjoyed being on [The Ultimate Fighter], not that I want to be back in there. It was a rich experience coaching. You got a bunch of guys and you end up caring for the guys and next thing you know, they've got to fight each other. It becomes a little bit of a circus.

Source: The Fight Network

Three media notes on UFC that will cause a mixed reaction
By Zach Arnold

First, this morning on ESPNs news ticker (which airs on all their main television channels), they ran with a headline that said that Houston Alexander told KEZO-FM 92.3 (Z-92) that he would be fighting Kimbo Slice on December 5th in Las Vegas. Now, this match has been (if you are a hardcore MMA fan) one of the worst kept secrets in the world, but it was supposed to be a secret nevertheless because of all the teases UFC has made on The Ultimate Fighter about whether or not Kimbo would return to the tournament as a fighter replacement.

Making ESPNs news item interesting is that on the Todd n Tyler radio show page, they use the following news teaser: Our UFC fighter buddy whos fighting a guy whose name we cant legally say yet., but its a big fight on Spike TV, Saturday December 5th.

So the radio show doesnt actually say who it is, but ESPN attributes the news item to them during their Houston Alexander interview. (Listen to the interview here.) The catch is that ESPNs report is based on Sherdogs report. Read the Sherdog item to see how it plays off the radio show teaser.

Second, there was recently a radio discussion about how low the PPV buyrate will be for Survivor Series, which used to be one of WWEs biggest events of the year. The discussion, for a second, turned to last weekends UFC 106 PPV event: BRYAN ALVAREZ: God, you know what sucks is they cant even blame it on UFC because that Tito buyrate aint going to be all that good.

DAVE MELTZER: No, but it doesnt help when you have both on the same [weekend], but no no, the Tito buyrate isnt going to be big either, I dont think. That one I actually have a handle on, and so far I mean I dont have a good handle on it, but it aint going to be that big.

Third, a media note related to the second item. MMA Junkie has a news item that says: UFC 106 draws 10,529 attendees (6,631 paid) for $3 million gate. Whats striking about that number is that Dana White gave out the 10,529 number at the post-fight press conference and given the $3 million gate, it made some sense that the paid number would be a good portion of the overall attendance figure. However, 6,631 paid for a crowd size of 10,529 is the type of number that should be alarming as far as UFC shows in Las Vegas is concerned.

A lesson you learn quickly as a promoter is that tickets = currency. If you give tickets out to charities or to potential sponsors and it helps you make some business in-roads, thats acceptable. But when you have to comp. at least a third of your show, look out. The message it sends to fans who pay for tickets is this why should we buy tickets early when we can get free or discounted ones near show time? Even more disheartening about the MMA Junkie report is while the paid gate of $3 million is respectable, the face value of the comps was $2.3 million dollars. Simple math says that the value of each paid ticket was around $450 and the value of each comp ticket was close to $600. What it indicates is that fans are not buying the more expensive seats and that UFC needs to start adjusting to the marketplace by lowering the cost of premium seats. They dont need to discount every seat price, since they still do command good money for the tickets they sell. Whats interesting about this situation is that Dana White has been asked by a few reporters (including Yahoo writer and ESPN radio host Steve Cofield) if he would ever lower ticket prices like promoters did for the Shane Mosley/Antonio Margarito fight at the Staples Center last January and Whites response was one of those all options on the table responses, but the delivery of it made you feel like it wasnt something that would be seriously considered. Well, given the amount of injuries with top stars and several top fighters taking time off, something has to give here for UFC. Im not sure what the right answer is, but its an answer that the company really needs to sit down and take some time to analyze. The numbers from the UFC 106 show are a warning sign of things to come, despite how cursed the show was from the beginning.

Source: Fight Opinion

SINOSIC VS. HASEMAN REMATCH REPORTED FOR UFC 110

The UFC is expected to put together a rematch between Australians Elvis Sinosic and Chris Haseman when the promotion heads down under on Feb. 21 for UFC 110 at the Acer Arena, according to a Thursday report by the Brisbane Times.

The bout has been more than a decade in the making. The two first met in March of 1997 in Australia. Haseman won the bout by submissions, driving his chin into Sinosics eye. The rules have been upgraded since then. Such a maneuver would now be illegal.

Neither has been much of a factor in recent years, though their home country popularity should help draw fans.

The 38-year-old Sinosic (8-11-2) hasnt fought since 2007, when he lost back-to-back bouts to Paul Cahoon and Michael Bisping. He submitted Jeremy Horn at UFC 30 in early 2001 to earn a shot at the UFC light heavyweight championship then-held by Tito Ortiz. He failed in his attempt to capture the title later that year.

Haseman (20-16), now 40 years of age, has fought once since 2004, that being a victory over Yuji Hisamatsu in November of 2008. He has fought once before in the Octagon, a loss to Evan Tanner at UFC 38. Haseman spent the majority of his career in the now defunct Rings organization in Japan. He has a notable loss to number one ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko in the Rings World Title Series Grand Final in 2002.

UFC 110 is expected to feature co-main event bouts pitting Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira against Cain Velasquez in a heavyweight bout and Wanderlei Silva against Michael Bisping in the middleweight division.

Source: MMA Weekly

K-1 WGP: the complete analysis of the fights

December 5 is the most expected Day by K-1 fans. Promising a real show of exchanging, the K-1 World GP will realize its last step, and Brazil will be represented by Ewerton Teixeira. Warming to the battles, we convoked Artur Mariano, expert on the subject, to analyze each fight of the tournament. The difference on the finals this year is that there isnt a favorite for the title, and we had on the last years Semmy Schilt, until the elimination by Peter Aerts last year, said Artur.

Ruslan Karaev x Badr Hari

Ruslan Karaev: is a talented athlete, had a great moment at the beginning of the career on K-1. Passed thru a phase, when he was knock out some fights in a row, and was out of the rings for a while to recover his self esteem. Hes back to the tops.

Badr Hari: is an athlete that may be the big revelation of K-1 on the last two years. Hes getting important results. Hes emotionally unbalanced, that cost the title of the finals of the GP 2008, when he punched and kicked Remy Bonjasky.

Favoritism: both athletes have great level, but Badr Hari has a better timing to enter blows, more physical power. Hes not strategist, Hari goes for it and giver all of him, he comes as favorite on this quarter finals.

Alistair Overeem x Ewerton Teixeira

Alistar Overeem: hes an athlete that fights Muay Thai for many years in Holland, but only now hes showing up on K-1. He could get an important victory against Peter Aerts to guarantee his spot on the finals

Ewerton Teixeira: is our only representative. He grew fast last year, on his first year of K-1 assured his spot on the GP finals. This year he showed regularity and assured once again his spot on 2009 GP.

Favoritism: the Brazilian is growing, but He Will get a though Guy, because Overeem has a punch and a Power bigger than Evertons. The Brazilian has a faster kick and theres some balance on the speed. The Dutch comes with favoritism to this fight.

Jerome Le Banner x Semmy Schilt

Jerome Le Banner: hes considered the king without a crown. Its part of K-1s history, he was almost champion twice. Hes standing almost every year on the finals of the GP. Its not the same fighter anymore; he lost speed and self confidence that he used to have.

Semmy Schilt: hes married with a Brazilian and he was the big name of K-1 on 2005, 2006 and 2007, when he was champion for the third time in a row. An athlete have never done that. He showed that he knows how to use his size of 6,95 foot, and thats harder to his opponents. On the last year, Peter Aerts took the spot of Schilt, and theres a big expectation about his performance on the finals.

Favoritism: Banner has the better punch and physical strength, but Schilt has better kick and knees. By the historical of Semmy Schilt, He gets in as favorite to this combat.

Errol Zimmerman x Remy Bonjasky

Errol Zimmerman: is n athlete that has been in a lot of Muay Thai competitions in Holland, He had his biggest chance on K-1 GP Amsterdam 2008, when He was the big Champion of the night. On this same year, he could the spot on the finals to the GP. Then he started to show up between the tops of K-1.

Remy Bonjasky: hes now the Champion of K-1 GP. Maybe hes the most strategist athlete of K-1, he always plays on opponents mistake. On the last year he faked an injury on a indiscipline of Badr Hari to become the champion.

Favoritism: both athletes have a looked like game, physical strength, punch, moves... Errols speed is a little better, and the kick and the strategy of Bonjasky are better. Bonjasky enters as favorite to this fight.

Source: Tatame

10 Turkeys: The Biggest Disasters in MMA This Year
by Jake Rossen

Theres shame in labeling a Thanksgiving-themed blog posting with any variation of biggest turkeys, roasted birds, stuffed this-or-that, etc. Its obvious and lazy and possibly an insult to you, the reader, who expects better.

But if it werent for meeting low expectations, I wouldnt be meeting any at all. And so I give you the bird. Forgive me. In honor of the holiday meat of choice, the 10 biggest blunders, disasters, and face-plants in the sport for 2009. And if you think this is bad, remember that we have another five weeks to go.

10. Chuck Liddell: Ballroom Dancer
Unless its based around paternity results, a primetime network slot on a reality show is good for fighters and good for the sport. But that counter is out the window when you consider Dancing with the Stars participant Chuck Liddell is semi-retired, has the charisma of Styrofoam, and all the grace of someone who has been punched in the head for 20 years straight. And this doesnt even consider the bowler, the feather-boas, and the dance routines that looked like he had stuck his finger in a light socket before taking the stage. Forget his repeated
concussions: This is the kind of hurt that stays with you.

9. Afflicted
Dissatisfied with spinning off apparel that wouldve looked dated in a 1985 Misfits video, clothing company Affliction invested millions into a gawky, garish pay-per-view production featuring non-sequitur musical acts and papered crowds. The entire thing was insufferable, but at least we were promised a competitive fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett. Then Barnett urinated motor oil. Then the promotional arm of the company folded. We learned spending millions to make thousands was unsound business.

But at least its over, right? No. No, no. Freed from his contract, Emelianenko fought a tire-changer from Sams Club. Affliction is the tragedy that keeps on giving.

8. GreaseGate
I cant override the psychological block created to smother details of B.J. Penns complaint against Georges St. Pierre earlier in the year. It had something to do with accusations St. Pierre had his team lubricate his back in order to make it difficult for Penn to defend himself from guard. There were commission hearings, media notices, possibly some kind of Congressional petition -- all over a blob of Vaseline errantly smeared on St. Pierres spine, all paid for by the taxpayers of Nevada. Ask for an itemized bill, gang.

7. Silva/Leites: Blame Canada
The greater the exclamations, the greater the expectations: no one was the recipient of more pre-fight hype this year than Anderson Silva, who entered into an April fight with Thales Leites as nothing less than a state-subsidized serial killer. Viewers expected Mortal Kombat; what they got was E.T., the Video Game, with Silva reluctant to strike, reluctant to grapple, and reluctant to refund any money. Not only 2009s worst main event, but one of the worst in history: Silvas personal Rocky V.

6. Holiday Hams
Despite having the screen presence of the catering truck, fighters are being recruited by casting agents and producers with alarming and increasing regularity. (If you dont believe me, you could suffer through Blood & Bone, the Oceans 11 of movies with an MMA fetish.) Stunt casting has robbed of us of at least two proper Cung Le bouts in 2009; it appears set to shelve Gina Carano through the middle of next year. And theres not much else to be said for Quinton Jackson in the The A-Team, which might do for Jackson what Stone Cold did for Brian Bosworth. Or worse. Fighters are not actors, actors are not rappers, and fans are not so easily swayed.

For the purposes of the point, Ill admit to watching professional wrestling as a youth. (A small, socially awkward youth, with suspected psychological afflictions. Nothings changed.) If you were Hulk Hogan or Bret Hart, the last guy you wanted to see officiating your match was Earl Hebner, a dirty, double-crossing snake of a referee who blew calls, ignored fouls, and -- in at least one instance -- had his evil twin enlisted by Ted DiBiase to rig a match in his favor. (Rigging a pro wrestling bout was a little too rich in irony for 1980s audiences.)

2009 has been a record year for Hebners spiritual offspring, who have watched fighters foul, poke eyes, grab fences, and launch air-to-groin strikes with military precision. Properly and duly bloodied, a fighter can then look forward to a judge declaring the comatose man in the opposite corner the winner.

There are many fine officials working for commissions. There are also several in dire need of remedial training.

4. CSUC
Authority is supposed to at least give the appearance of infallibility, a concept that the California State Athletic Commission has never spent much time exploring. After controversial Executive Director Armando Garcia resigned in late 2008, reform was supposed to sweep through
offices: instead, they were met with accusations that regulators accepted free tickets to boxing and MMA events; that Commission members charged with overseeing hand wraps nearly missed Antonio Margaritos hands being wrapped in brain-rattling plaster; and that an MMA fighter who had tested positive for Hepatitis C had been allowed to fight, with the board later declaring that test a false positive. And this is just what happened to leak out.

3. Junie Browning
A Kentucky misanthrope with the all the charm of a mutating virus, Junie Allen Browning turned a 2008 season of The Ultimate Fighter into his own personal reality series; some viewers were absolutely certain that it was a put-on, and that no individual could be so genuinely putrid. Brownings ultimate gotcha: he was worse. Months after being worked over by Cole Miller in April, Browning was arrested for threatening hospital workers who were trying to assist him when he was brought in for a Klonopin overdose. The UFC quickly bounced him, but he will want for a nothing in a world where Doctor Drew needs to replenish his Celebrity Rehab cast on a biannual basis. Browning fights Saturday. Try to care.

2. Inaction Jackson
Not since Ken Shamrock huffed and puffed his way through a contemptible coaching job has an athletes image been battered the way Quinton Jacksons has in the current season of The Ultimate Fighter. The show had barely begun airing before Jackson announced he was pulling out of a December 12 bout with rival coach Rashad Evans; onscreen, Jackson ribbed contestants -- not genially, but with a sharp streak of menace and disrespect, riffing on everything from names (he forgot them) to man-boobs (he groped them). When his fighters were tied in knots -- which happened virtually every time they fought -- he was too preoccupied with his own image to bother tending to them. Reality TV may be a manipulative game, but its also a bit like alcohol: it just makes you more of what you already are. And we dont need any more of Jackson.

1. Jose Canseco
The only man in history to headline a celebrity boxing show in an Aston, Pa., ice rink against Danny Bonaduce, the only former major league baseball player to face Hong Man Choi in the Yokohama Arena, and the only name athlete to film a reality show about his attempt to kick testosterone injections -- all in one tremendous year. The thing that Jose Canseco would not do for money has not been invented yet: if you have sight of a bald eagle, a rock, Jose Canseco, and a $100 bill, you will have a memorable afternoon. Until then, have an E-Cigarette on him.

Source: Sherdog

K-1 by the Numbers
by Michael David Smith

The K-1 World Grand Prix Final 2009 is the biggest event in kickboxing, and it will be broadcast live in the United States on HDNet in the early hours of Saturday morning, December 5. The Grand Prix final is a great event, but it's an event most American sports fans don't know about. So if you're one of those fans, take a moment to get some details from K-1 announcer Michael Schiavello.

K-1 Grand Prix: Running the Numbers
By Michael Schiavello

If you're a self-professed fight sports geek like myself then your boffin's brain will calculate stats and facts like Rainman counting cards at black jack table. Here's some of the numbers through all 16 K-1 Grand Prix tournaments since 1993.

The K-1 Grand Prix first took place on April 3, 1993 at the Yoyogi Dai-Ichi Stadium in Tokyo. A sell-out 10,000 fans saw Croatian legend Branko Cikatic (trained by Thom Harinck) knockout Ernesto Hoost in the final to win the crown and become the first ever K-1 Grand Prix Champion. Aged 38/208, Cikatic to this day remains the oldest K-1 Grand Prix champion in history.

The following year the polar opposite statistic would be made when "The Lumberjack" Peter Aerts (also trained by Thom Harinck) became the youngest ever K-1 Grand Prix Champion when he beat Rob Van Esdonk, Patrick Smith and Masaaki Satake to win the crown at age 23/217. In 1995, Aerts became the first ever back-to-back and two-time K-1 Grand Prix Champion when he won the title with a knockout of Jerome LeBanner in just 1:37 of the first round. In doing so Aerts also became the second-youngest GP Champion aged 24/226.

In 1998, aged 28/71, Aerts wrote his name into the record books again as both the first ever three-time K-1 GP champion and the fastest ever tournament winner. It took Aerts just 6:43 to knockout all three opponents and win the crown in the most devastating combat sports tournament victory. He stopped Masaaki Satake in 2:40; knocked down Mike Bernardo twice in 2:53; and then KO'd Andy Hug with a head kick in just 1:10 in the final.

Aerts's 6:43 record is likely to never be beaten. The closest any other GP Champion has come was Semmy Schilt's 11:56 win in 2005 and then Branko Cikatic's 12:09 win in 1993. In GP history, 11 of the 16 wins have broken the sub-20 minute mark. They are: Aerts 1998 6:43; Schilt 2005 11:56; Cikatic 1993 12:09; Bonjasky 2003 13:44; Aerts 1995 14:39; Bonjasky 2008 15:42; Schilt 2007 15:51; Aerts 1994 17:13; Hoost 1997 19:15; Hoost 1999 19:35; Hug 1996 19:58.

The slowest GP victory on record was Remy Bonjasky's 2004 victory which took him a total of 36:00. The only other fighter to break the 30 minute mark was Ernesto Hoost in 2000 who took 30:00 exactly. Though he is famed for his knockout prowess, it still took Mark Hunt 26:32 to win the 2001 GP (and become the only non-European to win the title). Semmy Schilt's 2006 win took 27:00 exactly.

A handful of fighters have put together truly extraordinary winning records in the K-1 Grand Prix. None moreso than triple K-1 GP Champion Semmy Schilt who boast a 9-0 record in the GP and has never lost a GP tournament. Current champion Remy Bonjasky holds an impressed 12-2 GP record, while Ernesto Hoost is 17-10 and Peter Aerts is 16-11. Aerts also holds the record for participating in ever K-1 Grand Prix since its inception in 1993. He will fight in the reserve match this year and if he does not find his way into the tournament true, it will be the first time in history we would have seen a K-1 Grand Prix WITHOUT Peter Aerts!

Both Peter Aerts and Ernesto Hoost hold the record for the most appearances in the final, both having made it five times to the last match, with Hoost being the only 4-time Grand Prix champion. Andy Hug, Remy Bonjasky and Semmy Schilt are tied in second for most final match appearances with three each, while Musashi and Jerome LeBanner have both appeared twice in the final match. Other final match participants include Branko Cikatic (1993), Masaaki Satake (1994), Mike Bernardo (1996), Mirko Cro Cop (1999), Ray Sefo (2000), Mark Hunt (2001), Francisco Filho (2001), Glaube Feitosa (2005) and Badr Hari (2008).

Peter Aerts holds the record for the most knockdowns in the K-1 Grand Prix with 15. Ernesto Hoost is second with 14 and Remy Bonjasky is third with 10, including knockdowns in all three GP fights in 2008.

K-1 has always been geared towards the fans both as a live arena sport and on television. In 1997 the Grand Prix was held for the first time at the Tokyo Dome where 54,000 tickets sold out in just one hour. In 1998 63,800 fans watched Peter Aerts's record-setting destruction. In 1999 58,200 people saw Ernesto Hoost defeat Mirko Cro Cop in the final. In 2000 a massive 70,200 watched Hoost become champion again when he defeated the insanely popular Ray Sefo in the final. In 2001 Mark Hunt shocked the world in front of 65,000 people and in 2002 Ernesto Hoost won his fourth title (even though he lost to Bob Sapp in the quarter
finals) in front of 74,500 fans.

For the fighters winning the K-1 Grand Prix means being crowned the finest striker on the planet. It can also make you a rich man quickly! Over the years Ernesto Hoost was won over US$1.3 million in GP prize money alone. Peter Aerts has won US$480,000 from his three GP victories; Remy Bonjasky has pocketed $US1.2 million from his three wins as has Semmy Schilt.

The Dutch have a traditional strangle-hold on the K-1 Grand Prix title with 13 of the 16 Grand Prix wins from Dutch fighters. Non-Dutchmen to win the crown include Branko Cikatic of Croatia (1993), Andy Hug of Switzerland (1996) and Mark Hunt of New Zealand (2001). The Grand Prix runners-up have been more mixed in their nationalities and include two Brazilians (Francisco Filho 2001, Glaube Feitosa 2005); two Japanese (Masaaki Satake 1994, Musashi 2003/2004); a Frenchman (Jerome LeBanner 1995, 2002); a New Zealander (Ray Sefo 2000); a Croatian (Mirko Cro Cop 1999); and a South African (Mike Bernardo 1996).

For all of its majesty, the K-1 Grand Prix remains the hardest combat sports crown to capture. Only seven different men have shared the title over the last 16 years. Their names will forever be etched into the annals of time. They are: Branko Cikatic (1993); Peter Aerts (1994, 1995, 1998); Andy Hug (1996); Ernesto Hoost (1997, 1999, 2000, 2002); Mark Hunt (2001); Remy Bonjasky (2003, 2004, 2008), Semmy Schilt (2005, 2006, 2007). Hoost is the sport's only ever four time champion, while Schilt is the sport's only ever triple consecutive champion.

Source: MMA Fighting

Starting Over From Scratch: Rewriting the Judging Criteria in the Unified Rules
by Mike Fagan

The Machida/Shogun main event at UFC 104 is just one of a rash of fights hindered by a vague judging criteria.

Of all the problems with judging in MMA, the most glaring and easily fixable is the letter of the judging criteria in the Unified Rules. Try to explain what is written to a new or casual fan. I dare you.

"Well, see, there's five criteria. Striking, grappling, fighting area control, aggression, and defense. Judges need to look at those criteria in that order. BUT if a round spends more time on the ground, grappling takes precedence to striking. What constitutes effective grappling? Lemme see here...'successful execution of takedowns and reversals.' Blah blah blah..."

Tweaking and clarifying the judging criteria is an exercise in futility. So, I went ahead and rewrote the rules. (They're after the break.) Here's what I've done:

1. Removed fighting area control, aggression, and defense from the criteria - I'd like to quote this bit from Bad Left Hook in regards to "ring generalship" in boxing:

This is for the boxer who was able to force the other fighter into fighting their fight. This is sort of a BS catch-all, like when people talk about 'intangibles' in other sports. There really isn't a good way of measuring ring generalship, so a lot of folks just ignore it. Unfortunately, I feel like some judges use this as an excuse to score a round a certain way when there really isn't a defensible way of scoring the round the way they score it.

In my opinion, all three of these points are unnecessary and superfluous. If a fighter is striking or grappling effectively, there's a good chance they're also controlling the fighting area, fighting aggressively, and/or preventing their opponent from doing the same.

In addition, what does it matter if I'm coming forward or moving backwards, if I'm hitting you with clean and damaging strikes? It can actually create an interesting contradiction, with Lyoto Machida being a prime example. A judge may view him lacking aggression, constantly moving away from his opponent. But you can turn it around and argue that he's controlling the fighting area, making his opponent chase him around the cage.

2. Consolidated effective striking and grappling into effective offense - Most fans of MMA agree that the ultimate goal of a fighter is to finish the fight. That necessitates that we should reward fighters only for actions that directly lead to a stoppage. Grappling advances have been removed as effective offense (but not removed from the criteria, more on that in a bit). Instead, we only look at two things: clean strikes and threatening submission attempts (defined in the rewritten rules). Takedowns and guard passing are tools for putting yourself in position to deliver effective offense, but they are only a means to an end.

3. Introduced positional control - Positional control only comes into play if a fighter exhibited dominant grappling position (defined in the rules as maintaining "side control, back control, or mount") for the majority of the round. In addition, a fighter may only win the round via positional control if neither fighter separates him or herself from the other with regards to effective offense. I inserted this clause into the rules as I believe there is some value in being able to hold down an opponent for an extended period of time.

4. Clarified the ten-point must system - Not too many changes. I've liberalized the scoring, and provided examples of the qualities associated with each scoring option.

By streamlining the entire criteria to just look at "effective offense," we've made a judge's job that much easier. They no longer must try to balance five separate criteria, each vague in their own right. And for the fighters, we've made their job simpler (or at least, clearer): attack your opponent and avoid being attacked. It's the absolute essence of MMA, and now it is reflected in its bylaws.

I also made a slight change to rules regarding the actual judges as well.

Finally, I want to point out that this is a first draft. I believe it is superior to the current judging criteria, but there are still points that could be clarified further. I'm sure there are also potential holes that haven't crossed my mind.

On to the rules...

13:46-24A.13 Judging
(a) All bouts will be evaluated by three or five judges.

(b) When applicable, judging stations should be equipped with television monitors. Judges are permitted to watch the monitors during the bout. Between round replays will not be shown to officials for the purpose of judging.

(c) The 10-Point Must System will be the standard system of scoring a bout. Under the 10-Point Must Scoring System, 10 points must be awarded to the winner of the round and nine points or less must be awarded to the loser, except for an even round, which is scored (10-10).

(d) Judges shall evaluate mixed martial arts contests by effective offense and, in lieu of a distinction in effective offense, positional control.

(e) Effective offense includes clean, effective strikes and threatening submission attempts. A threatening submission attempt is any grappling hold in which the threatened fighter must use counter grappling measures to prevent being submitted.

(f) Positional control should only be utilized in the absence of separation in effective offense and when more than half the round was contested with at least one fighter on the ground. A fighter may be given a round for positional control if he or she maintained dominant position (defined as side control, back control, or mount) for a majority of the round.

(g) The following objective scoring criteria shall be utilized by the judges when scoring a round;

(1) A 10-10 round is awarded when neither fighter has done enough to separate his or her performance from his or her opponent. If a judge does not feel confident scoring a round for either contestant, a judge should score the round 10-10.

(2) A 10-9 round is any round in which a fighter demonstrates a basic, but clear level of superiority. A 10-9 round may be characterized by a greater amount of effective strikes landed, a knockdown, or threatening submission attempts.

(3) A 10-8 round is any round in which a fighter demonstrates a significant level of superiority. The round winner will typically have put himself in position to finish the bout during the round. A 10-8 round may be characterized by multiple knockdowns, a knockdown followed by effective ground strikes, multiple near submissions, or a lopsided amount of effective strikes landed.

(4) A 10-7 round is any round in which a fighter put himself in position to finish the bout multiple times.

(5) A 10-6 round is any round in which a fighter was in position to finish the bout for a majority of the round and the round loser had limited to no offensive outbursts.

(h) For the purposes of grappling, the guard (defined as a grappling position in which a grounded fighter, on his back, has both legs in between in between his and his opponent's hips) should be considered a neutral position. A fighter striking from his or her opponent's guard should be given more credit than a fighter striking from his or her back.

Source: Bloody Elbow

11/28/09

Quote of the Day

"Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom."

Thomas Jefferson

Murilo Ninja vs. Niko Vitale at Shine Fights
By Guilherme Cruz and Erik Engelhart

With a three-fight contract signed with Shine Fights, Murilo Ninja Rua confirmed to TATAME.com that hell make his debut against former Strikeforce middleweight Falaniko Niko Vitale. I wanna keep fighting to be on the tops, I wanna ight for the belt, Rua said.

Before fighting in the US, the Brazilian faces Jason Jones at Bitetti Combat 5, which takes place at December 5. Im well prepared for my fight, Ill do my best and a great show to the ans and bring the victory. I wanna be back to the biggest events, promises the fighter.

Source: Tatame

NOG VS. VELASQUEZ EXPECTED AT UFC 110
by Ken Pishna

Ask and ye shall receive.

In February Ill be ready to fight when they ask me to fight. In February I think Ill be in shape. Id love to fight in Australia. If they put me on the card, I would love to fight there, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira told MMAWeekly.com recently, addressing his return from a fourth staph infection in the past year.

He was initially slated to face fellow heavyweight contender Cain Velasquez on Jan. 2 at UFC 108, but the infection derailed those plans.

Despite several reports that UFC 109 on Feb. 6 was under consideration, MMAWeekly.com has confirmed an MMAJunkie.com report that UFC 109 is not likely. Sources close to the bout informed MMAWeekly.com that UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia, is expected to host the bout.

It looks like Nogueira gets his wish.

The addition of Nogueira vs. Velasquez would give the UFC a strong twin bill headlining its down under debut. Wanderlei Silva on Wednesday confirmed plans to kick the Michael Bisping ass in Sydney.

After losing the interim UFC heavyweight title to Frank Mir at UFC 92, Nogueira (32-5-1) returned with an impressive victory over UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture at UFC 102 in August. The win immediately put his name back in the hat of contenders to the belt currently held by Brock Lesnar.

Velasquez (7-0) is coming off a dominating TKO stoppage of Ben Rothwell at UFC 104. Three years into the sport, Velasquez has made a quick rise to the top of the heavyweight division with five of his victories taking place in the Octagon and only one having gone to a decision.

Despite the re-scheduling of the bout, coupled with the shelving of UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and number one contender Shane Carwin, Velasquez has taken the uncertainty of his next bout in stride.

I just think its part of the sport when people get hurt, he told MMAWeekly.com at UFC 106. It just so happens that a lot of people got hurt in this weight class.

Lesnars condition is such that it is unclear when he will be able to return to action, though his camp insists he will return. That has led the UFC to consider crowning an interim UFC heavyweight champion, but it is unclear whether Nogueira, who has held that distinction before, and Velasquez will fight for an interim title.

Regardless, Velasquez doesnt discount his opponent.

Nogueira, you can never count him out, he said. You hurt him, whatever hell still submit you and beat you. Hes just a super tough guy.

UFC 110 has yet to be formally announced by the promotion, but is expected to take place on Feb. 21 at the 21,000-seat Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Source: MMA Weekly

Dream and Sengoku to Co-Promote New Years Eve Card
By FCF Staff

As expected, the Fighting and Entertainment Group (Dream) and World Victory Road (Sengoku) have announced that the two companies will team up to co-promote the Fields Dynamite!! event, which will take place New Years Eve, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. WVR had originally planned on promoting its own event at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo.

Moving over to the Dream card is the highly anticipated bout between Olympic Judo Gold Medalists Hideki Yoshida and MMA newcomer Satoshi Ishii, who were originally booked for the Sengoku event. Dynamite will also feature the finals for Dreams Super Hulk tourney, which will see Ikuhisa Minowa take on Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

Although no other MMA bouts have been confirmed yet for the December 31st event, notable competitors like Kazushi Sakuraba, Shinya Aoki, Kazuo Misaki, Akihiro Gono and Hayato Mach Sakurai, among others, attended a press conference announcing the promotions upcoming partnership.

The card will also feature several kickboxing bouts, one of which will include K-1 vet Masato taking on Andy Souwer.

Source: Full Contact Fighter

Equal rights: Women's MMA back on frontburner
by Jake Rossen/Sherdog.com
Stephen Albanese/Tailstar.com

Kerry Vera has legitimate potential in the 135-pound division. Let's hope she stays there.

Leland Rolling of BloodyElbow.com took a break from the post-UFC 106 discussion to point out the increasing appeal of Kerry Vera. Vera, wife of UFC light heavyweight Brandon, needed less than a round to mug Kim Couture during last Friday's Strikeforce Challengers program. Rolling figures she could be the 135-pound version of Gina Carano.

It's a little early for the 2-0 Vera to be the "Gina Carano" of anything, but it does speak to an interesting dilemma in women's MMA. Collectively, there are a number of talented and captivating females in the sport -- but they happen to be spread across the 125-, 135- and 145-pound weight divisions, meaning that any one class can sort itself out fairly quickly. It makes you wonder if, based on the relative popularity of the standouts, we won't see promotions try to shoehorn female fighters into catchweight bouts in an attempt to keep the public's interest. If Vera begins steamrolling people, there might be some casual-fan confusion over her not meeting 145-pound champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.

In April, Santos -- whose physique puts some male fighters to shame -- couldn't even make 145 for a contest with Hitomi Akano, who once won a 128-pound Japanese title. (Predictably, she bullied Akano for the win.) It would be a shame if Vera, 125-pound Megumi Fujii or any other smaller-stature fighter was pressured by promoters or the public to take fights beyond their physical capability.

Source: ESPN

UFC 106 Bonuses: Wrong Choices and Ortiz’s Abysmal third Round

I usually think the UFC is really good at picking the “of the night” winners, but I’m not so sure the promotion got it right last Saturday night. No offense to Josh Koscheck, he put on a solid performance, but I don’t think he should have won sub of the night nor do I think his bout with Anthony Johnson should have earned fight of the night.

Sub of the night should have gone to Kendall Grove.
Little Nog probably deserved KO of the night, but a strong case could be made for Ben Saunders
Fight of the night should have gone to Jacob Volkmann and Paulo Thiago

On another note regarding UFC 106, I jokingly wrote that Forrest Griffin landed about 288 strikes on Tito Ortiz in round three. Well now we actually have the Compustrike numbers and it wasn’t quite that many, but the numbers show just how lopsided of a round it was:

In rounds one and two Ortiz landed 44 of 83 strikes, Griffin landed 51 of 112. Pretty even especially when considering Ortiz took Griffin down three times in four attempts.

The third round though saw Ortiz pretty much let Griffin punch at him while mounting no offense of his own. In round three Ortiz landed 6 of 17 strikes while Griffin landed 49 of 116.

Source: Sports by the numbers

Sherdog.coms Pound-for-Pound Top 10

It was hard to imagine Jose Aldo not joining this list at some point. It just happens that his ascent was a tad quicker than expected.

In the biggest fight of his young career, the native of Manaus, Brazil, dominated WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown from bell to bell, vanquishing him just 80 seconds into the second round. The victory gave Aldo not only the WEC featherweight crown and the 145-pound mantle but also likely solidified him as the favorite to win "Fighter of the Year" honors from the full gamut of MMA outlets.

However, there is something to be said for tempering expectations of dominance for newly crowned champions. Coming off his brutal blowouts of Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans, it was assumed that Lyoto Machida would easily reign over the light heavyweight division. However, his contentious unanimous decision over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on Oct. 24 has cast doubt as to whether the karateka from Belem will lord over 205 pounds.

Then again, some things don't change. Fedor Emelianenko made his Strikeforce debut on Nov. 7 against an unbeaten Brett Rogers. Despite some early drama, Fedor showed why he's the greatest heavyweight in MMA history, crushing Rogers in the second round to stay atop the division he has ruled since 2003.

1. Anderson Silva (25-4)
After sparking the ire of MMA fans with a woeful performance against Thales Leites in April, Silva resuscitated his hype in August with an epic beatdown of former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin. Unfortunately for Silva, an enigmatic and lingering elbow injury has kept him on the shelf ever since. The injury has postponed a slated bout against fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort, which Dana White and company are now praying can find a February date. However, what is perhaps more important is that the middleweight division appears to be turning a corner of sorts, with a string of potential challengers emerging for Silva that includes Belfort, Marquardt and Maia, who offer more appealing matchups than the likes of Leites and Cote.

2. Georges St. Pierre (19-2)
The search for St. Pierre's next challenger took longer than anticipated, but we now finally have an answer: Come February, it will be "The Outlaw" Dan Hardy vying for the UFC welterweight title and 170-pound supremacy against "Rush." Despite Hardy's 4-0 mark in the UFC, the matchup has drawn criticism from the MMA populace, which doesnt see the bout as an especially stiff test for St. Pierre. However, there is something to be said for the fact that St. Pierre's last three title defenses have all come against pound-for-pound quality fighters in Jon Fitch, B.J. Penn and most recently Thiago Alves. That standard of competition is hard for any fighter -- even one on a 12-1 run -- to measure up to.

3. Fedor Emelianenko (31-1, 1 NC)
The longest tenured of any of MMA's pound-for-pound stalwarts, Emelianenko has lorded over the heavyweight division for nearly seven years, a staggering amount of time to reign in any sport, let alone MMA. In Emelianenko's major introduction to the American audience, he crushed previously unbeaten Brett Rogers in front of millions of primetime viewers on CBS, showing both the skills expected of the sport's top heavyweight as well as a flair for the dramatic. Although his pound-for-pound status is always mitigated by the lack of quality depth at heavyweight, even in Strikeforce Emelianenko has some worthy potential opponents such as Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum.

4. Lyoto Machida (16-0)
It may not be the worst decision of 2009, but it was certainly the least popular. Machida's unanimous points verdict over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in October so inflamed the MMA world, all parties involved agreed to a rematch. The necessity of hand surgery for "The Dragon" pushed the date of the fight back until May 1 in Montreal, but it will still be one of 2010's biggest bouts when it does happen. The whole Machida-Rua scenario should serve as a vivid reminder that the anointing oil is often called for prematurely in MMA.

5. B.J. Penn (14-5-1)
Penn may be the most gifted fighter on this list. At UFC 101, he showed exactly why the MMA world anointed him from day one. He put on arguably his most consummate performance as a prizefighter, nullifying Kenny Florian for 15 minutes before routing him in the fourth frame and finishing him by submission. The next challenger to Penns UFC lightweight title will be Diego Sanchez at UFC 107 on Dec. 12. If Penn chooses to continue his reign as a lightweight -- the role everyone but he himself has long desired -- he will only climb this list and validate his enormous talent.

6. Jose Aldo (16-1)
Perhaps it is fitting that 2009 will come to a close with Jose Aldo on top of the 145-pound division, punctuating a year in which the featherweight class has played a prominent role on all corners of the globe. Since his WEC debut in June 2008, Aldo is 6-0 with six stoppages, including four in 2009 alone. In his WEC title capture over Mike Thomas Brown, Aldo was positively dominant in crushing a pound-for-pound entrant. The featherweight division continues to expand and improve, and may have some flux still in store, but Aldo's youth, skill set and killer instinct have positioned him as a potentially long-term dominant figure.

7. Jon Fitch (19-3, 1 NC)
Fitch is not a name that often comes up when the pound-for-pound world is discussed. He is not a divisional leader, and he doesn't have a style that lends itself to drama and excitement in the way of Silva, Emelianenko or Penn. However, Fitch carries a gaudy 10-1 mark in the UFC, racking up top-10 victories in MMAs historically deepest and most talented division. Fitch's unflashy stockpiling of scalps may not make him the UFC's most popular commodity, but it warrants recognition. Next on the agenda for the AKA product is a tough but unheralded Mike Pierce at UFC 107 on Dec. 12.

8. Mike Thomas Brown (22-5)
With 10 straight victories, including dominant wins over the likes of Jeff Curran, Leonard Garcia and former divisional ruler Urijah Faber twice, Brown more than earned his place on this list. However, the sturdy veteran was outmatched and outgunned in his third WEC title defense against Jose Aldo on Nov. 18. While Brown will undoubtedly be knocking off other elite featherweights in the future, the lopsided performance does cast some doubt on his ability to recapture the divisional mantle.

9. Brian Bowles (8-0)
In August, Bowles rewrote the script on the bantamweight division. He soundly clobbered Miguel Torres, who had been tabbed as the all-action fighter to bring the bantamweight division to the public. Now Bowles is the big fish in a quickly expanding pond, given the task of becoming the first truly sustainable and dominant bantamweight MMA has had. Bowles' road to owning the 135-pound division will continue in March, when he'll receive what should be a thrilling challenge against once-beaten prospect Dominick Cruz.

10. Thiago Alves (16-6)
A knee injury kept Alves from meeting Jon Fitch in a rematch of their June 2006 bout, in which the AKA product had upkicked and pounded the Brazilian into a stoppage. While Alves did not get the chance to simultaneously move on from his one-sided loss to Georges St. Pierre in August and avenge his loss to a fellow divisional standout, he still remains one of the Big Three in the ever-outstanding 170-pound division. Pitbull has a host of crushing wins over quality fighters -- the very criterion at the heart of the sport's "best."

Source: Sherdog

UFC Targeting GSP vs. Dan Hardy for UFC 111
by Mike Chiappetta

The UFC is targeting a March 2010 date for welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre's title defense with No. 1 contender Dan Hardy, a source with knowledge of the situation told FanHouse.

Once formally agreed to by both sides, the matchup would likely be the main event of UFC 111, which is expected to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The 28-year-old St. Pierre (19-2) is one of MMA's hottest commodities after signing major sponsorship deals with Gatorade and Under Armour within the last year. He has been out of action since injuring his groin during the course of a successful defense against Thiago Alves at July's UFC 100.
A winner of six straight matches, St. Pierre is considered to be among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, holding wins over notables including BJ Penn, Jon Fitch, Matt Hughes and Alves.

Hardy, meanwhile, vaulted into the title picture with a string of four straight wins in the UFC, most recently defeating Mike Swick in a No. 1 contenders match at UFC 105 earlier this month.

Known for his red mohawk, the ability to play pyschological games with his opponent and a rapidly improving all-around game, the flashy Brit has won 12 of his last 13 matches and has a career mark of 23-6.

The fight between the two had been rumored for Australia's UFC 110 event, but now it appears that New Jersey is the likely destination.

If it is held in New Jersey, the event would be the first UFC visit to the state since UFC 78 in Nov. 2007. With neighboring New York likely to host a crucial vote on MMA sanctioning in 2010, the UFC's visit next door could also serve as a lobbying tool, giving New York legislators an up-close look at the organization and its financial impact in bringing an MMA fight night to the state.

Source: MMA Fighting

Let It Reign: Handicapping UFC Champions
by Jason Probst

With its present lineup of five champions, the UFC has a group that ranks far superior than any of its predecessors in the history of the organization and the sport. In addition, they rank higher in their respective weight classes -- only Brock Lesnar lacks top dog status, ranking second behind Fedor Emelianenko -- than any previous UFC roster.

That represents a major change from the past, when typically a champion existed alongside a roster of numerous challengers who were much more competitive than todays contenders, at least from a betting perspective. For an in-depth look at the champions and odds on future challengers, read insider Joey Oddessas breakdown here.

Yet for the seeming convergence of dominant champions, a UFC title itself has not proven a long-running job description in the past. With the average UFC championship reign at just 1.38 defenses, being top dog in a given division rarely lends itself to a lengthy streak of defenses. A breakdown of the math follows:

Lightweight: 3 reigns, 4 defenses, 1.33 defenses per reign
Welterweight: 8 reigns, 14 defenses, 1.75 defenses per reign
Middleweight: 5 reigns, 8 defenses, 1.6 defenses per reign Light Heavyweight: 10 reigns, 15 defenses, 1.5 defenses per reign
Heavyweight: 14 reigns, 10 defenses, 0.71 defenses per reign.

For tabulation purposes, a scheduled bout does not count as a successful defense if a challenger misses weight or the match takes place between an interim titleholder and champion.

Thats why the current crop of champions is different. If you lined up all five, it would be a tough call to guess how many defenses each would make during their current reigns. Outside of light heavyweight titleholder Lyoto Machida, none of them have a challenger who registers less than 3-to-1 to dethrone them, and each has a good shot at making a lengthy run. UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva currently holds the promotional record for consecutive title defense with five, along with Tito Ortiz.

That very dynamic of dominance is another theme with which the sports top organization must deal -- building champions over an extended run as opposed to the topsy-turvy turnover that defined past reigns. It is a whole new angle from which to market top fighters and will probably inspire more belt-heavy cards, given the increasing likelihood of challengers that are longshots with bookies.

A look at each champion and how his potential challengers stack up
follows:

Biggest in-house threat: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Given the radically different matchup Lesnar faces in eventual challenger Shane Carwin, it might seem tempting to put Carwin here, given his one-punch power and impressive strength. But whereas Carwin has the physical strength to potentially match grappling with Lesnar, Nogueira is probably the only fighter in the division that may actually get more dangerous for Lesnar once the champion takes him down.

With a twice-flipped odometer and a score of memorable wars under his belt, Nogueira is as battle-tested as they come, and his sweeps and submissions, plus trademark toughness, could be the right mix to dethrone Lesnar, should he recover from his current health crisis. It could also turn into one of the more brutal beatings ever handed out in the sport, if Lesnar shows the stifling control and top game he displayed against Frank Mir at UFC 100.

Acquisition youd love to see: Fedor Emelianenko.

Given their parallel title reigns in rival organizations, Emelianenko, who knocked out Brett Rogers earlier this month, might have missed his best chance at beating Lesnar by signing with Strikeforce. The Minnesota powerhouse continues to improve, and the window closes with each fight the two have. With Emelianenkos two distance-going wins over Nogueira, the Brazilian would be a perfect comparative opponent for Lesnar, assuming he gets by Carwin in his next defense.

Also, Lesnar enjoys the rare privilege of being able to dictate where the fight will go, given his wrestling ability. If his stand-up continues to improve, he will put that much more of an advantage between himself and potential opponents.

Who will turn the trick? A big hitter, plain and simple. Outside of Nogueira, nobody in the UFC possesses the kind of submission credentials and guard to stop him once they are taken down. An imposing takedown artist might put Lesnar on his back and take him out of his element, but keeping him there could prove equally tough. Carwin has a shot at it.

Cain Velasquez looked tremendous in steamrolling Ben Rothwell, but considering how many times Rothwell and Cheick Kongo regained their feet against Velasquez, it becomes hard to see him controlling Lesnar in a pure wrestling sense. However, Velasquez has shown a busy ground-and-pound and has a good intuitive sense of how to strike downed opponents from almost any position. If he can suck Lesnar into a fast-paced, cardio-taxing battle, he could create problems for the champion.

Biggest in-house threat: Mauricio Rua

The decision versus Machida went against him at UFC 104, but Ruas performance was a case study in game plan execution and admirable patience. He developed a sound strategy and stuck to it, consistently finishing exchanges and landing the harder shots.

If Machida wins their eventual rematch, it will likely be close. Do not let that fool you regarding the champions staying power against other contenders; few, if any, have the tools to match up with him the way Rua does. Outside of a Matt Serra-style stunner, it is hard to see anyone outworking the clever Machida.

Acquisition youd love to see: Gegard Mousasi

The streaking light heavyweight has a gaudy record of 27-2-1, and since his last defeat in 2006, he has reeled off 14 consecutive wins. Mousasi reminds one of a younger Georges St. Pierre -- the updated software version that does everything so well, one wonders if hes real.

Wholl turn the trick? Rua -- or a guy we have not heard of yet, with a blue-chip wrestling background and Mark Schultz-caliber takedowns.

Biggest in-house threat: Vitor Belfort.

Belfort is the only middleweight with the stand-up skills to worry Silva. With his blazing speed and explosiveness, Belfort returned to the UFC with a vintage stoppage of Rich Franklin at UFC 103, showcasing the Mike Tyson-esque quality that has made him a fan favorite for more than a decade. Belforts physical strength and ground game also give him a great chance, as he does not necessarily have to bank on a stand-up fight to win. How he will adjust if he cannot dictate to Silva remains the wild card. That and Belforts extremely dangerous striking make this a compelling matchup.

Acquisition youd love to see: Outside of Dan Henderson, not a single middleweight ranked in the top 10 outside the UFC presents a credible threat.

Henderson -- rumored to be flirting with Strikeforce -- still has the tools to give Silva problems. With that said, Silva has proven so cool under fire that he consistently works his way out of trouble. Hendersons opening round against Silva was a masterpiece at UFC 82, but the two-time Olympian still came up short.

Wholl turn the trick? While the prospect of an unlikely upset remains a possibility with which every champion has to deal, Silva has one of the best chins in the game, so it remains a remote chance at best someone -- outside of Belfort, at least -- will catch him with a fight-changing shot from which he cannot recover. More likely, the fighter to eventually dethrone him will be someone fighting him as Randy Couture did against Chuck Liddell in their first encounter. It will require a perfect game plan, implemented against the smallest margins of error.

Biggest in-house threat: Thiago Alves

The bruising, big-framed welterweight gave a credible effort in his decision loss to GSP in July. Alves figures to keep improving along with the champion, and their paths will surely cross again down the road. The current crop of contenders does not pose the same threat as Alves, whose striking, takedown defense and overall strength are a potent mix.

Acquisition youd love to see: Nick Diaz

The weight-jumping Diaz has continued to improve his game and has proven to be one of the most durable fighters in the business. Diaz notched significant wins in Strikeforce over Frank Shamrock and Scott Smith, but he has not fought since he stopped Smith last June. A no-show over a scheduled drug test with the California State Athletic Commission nixed a Strikeforce bout with former International Fight League titleholder Jay Hieron.

With his high-volume stand-up style and dangerous ground game, Diaz would still figure to be a longshot against St. Pierre. Plus, he would have to beat some tough contenders to get the chance, a feat he could not pull off in his first run in the organization. However, with his conditioning and grind-them-down style, he seems built for five-round fights. Who would not want to see him match up with GSP?

Wholl turn the trick? St. Pierre has rendered top-level wrestlers virtually impotent with his seamless blend of striking and athleticism. However, with the next wave of athletes coming into the sport, it has become apparent that the division will experience a huge boost in talent in the next 2-3 years, particularly as college wrestlers develop the requisite skills for MMA. If Alves cannot do it in a rematch, the guy to beat St. Pierre will be an elite wrestler with heavy hands.

Biggest in-house threat: Diego Sanchez.

The former welterweight has cut down to 155 -- he had not been that light since high school -- and has shown increasing flashes of his old self with wins over Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida. Sanchezs high-energy pace and cardio are his best assets. However, given the time he spent on his back against Guida, the jury remains out on the effectiveness of his grappling at this weight.

Like many fighters battling for a competitive edge, the decision to drop a weight class often leaves him sapped come fight time, given the rigors of a dangerously excessive cut. If Sanchez can combine his trademark cardio and pressure with his scramble-and-smash style against Penn, he appears to be a live dog.

This one should be compelling as the UFC 107 headliner, particularly if Sanchez can be effective on the feet early. If so, watch out. If not, Penn should win handily in a replay of his Sean Sherk stoppage at UFC 84.

Acquisition youd love to see: Eddie Alvarez.

The current Bellator champion notched another win in Dream when he submitted Katsunori Kikono on Oct. 25. A rough customer with an aggressive style and all-out attack, Alvarez has the best chance of any non-UFC lightweight to beat Penn. Shinya Aokis submissions may be the best in the game, but stateside commissions would not allow him to sport the trademark leggings he does in Japan; those are especially effective in helping set up finishing moves. Plus, Penns submission defense can only be described as stellar. In fact, he has proven so good on the ground that, at 155, he rarely if ever fails to dictate what goes on there.

Wholl turn the trick? If one cross-compared the skill sets of all five UFC champions, Penn rates the best from a pound-for-pound perspective. He has proven a solid striker with subtle stand-up defense and a granite chin, and he gives opponents fits in a tie-up, whether he defends a takedown or attempts one. He has also proven incredibly dominant from top position, and once he obtains it, the fight essentially ends. There are better wrestlers (Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre) and strikers (Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and St. Pierre), but Penn has proven more dangerous from more ranges and positions than any of them.

The big challenge for Penn remains himself and staying motivated to defend his crown. Forever in search of greater tests, his lightweight reign could become an amazing one, given the depth of the division and high-energy foes. Aggressive scrappers like Sanchez, Gray Maynard, Frankie Edgar and Tyson Griffin comprise the top tier of deserving challengers. It provides a full cupboard for the Hilo, Hawaii, native and could serve up a memorable reign if he brings his A game for the next few years.

If Penn loses his 155-pound crown, it will be to an opponent pitching a perfect game -- likely a great wrestler with good stand-up and the tenaciousness to wear down Penn, a la St. Pierre.

Source: Sherdog

Gabriel Gonzaga out of UFC 108

The Brazilian Gabriel Napco Gonzaga is another victim of the staph infection at UFC. After Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira because of the infection, the same problem affected Gonzaga, whos out of the fight against Junior dos Santos, scheduled to UFC 108, in January. With the loss, UFC loses one more heavyweight, once that Brock Lesnar is also in the yard. On the other categories, the athletes list out of conditions to fight is just getting bigger, counting with names as Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Thiago Alves and Ricardo Almeida.

Source: Tatame

PRANGLEY UP FOR TITLE, THEN BACK TO STRIKEFORCE
by Damon Martin

A veteran of more than 20 fights, including turns in the UFC and Strikeforce, Trevor Prangley will look to keep his current four-fight win streak going as he takes on Marcus Sursa Friday at Shark Fights. The two will battle for the promotion's 205-pound divisional title.

Being a part of big fights is nothing new to Prangley, who recently won and then was promptly stripped of a light heavyweight title while competing in Maximum Fighting Championships. A contract dispute led to his departure from the organization and to hear Prangley tell it, the whole situation was disappointing.

"I don't know if it was the best thing, but it was the thing that worked for me at that time," Prangley told MMAWeekly Radio about his exit from MFC. "I wish we could have worked with them, but it just didn't work out that way. I would still like to be fighting there, but it just didn't work out."

It didn't take long for him to start fielding offers. Soon after his fight this weekend, he plans a move back to 185 pounds and fighting in Strikeforce, a promotion he's called home before.

"I should be in Strikeforce at the latest in February next year or so I've been told," Prangley commented. "I'm excited to go back to 85. I've been fighting at 205 the last few fights. It's tough to get fights at 85, but that's the weight I'm at and when we get to bigger shows like Strikeforce the guys aren't going to have an opportunity to duck it like they have on the outside."

Before Strikeforce comes his title fight in Shark Fights and a dangerous opponent in Marcus Sursa, who has been training full time with Greg Jackson's camp in New Mexico to prepare for the championship bout.

"I'm going to do what I always do, go out and control the pace of the fight and do as much damage as I can," Prangley stated about his game plan for Sursa. "That's the only game plan you can do with a kid like that, he's going to come out wild and bouncing around like he always does and it's always a dangerous fight that way."

Dangerous fights are nothing new to Prangley, but this fight could be his most dangerous. Of course Prangley is heavy favorite heading into the bout, but Sursa will undoubtedly try to build his name by beating an established fighter on Friday night.

"These are the ones with the biggest risk. I get more nervous for these little fights than I do for the big ones," said Prangley. "People understand if you go into a big named fight and you're fighting a big named guy why you lose, but when I go into a fight like this when you look at it on paper I'm the guy who should win, so it's a little more nerve wracking for me. I've got a lot riding on this fight, I'm going to go out there and do what I do best."

Prangley will take on Marcus Sursa on Friday night in Shark Fights before making his move back to middleweight and Strikeforce in 2010.

Source: MMA Weekly

Ben Saunders and Mike Swick have a war of words online
By Zach Arnold

I guess theres interest in the two having a re-match.

Ben Saunders:

I used to be a Swick fan and respect him, but I feel I got to experience part of the underground rumors as for how AKA tends to be a bit arrogant. KOS was nice to me at the fights for UFC 106. So I got no problems with him, Fitch never did nothing, so no problems. I didnt even say whats up to Bob at UFC 106 fights cause the post ufc 99 remarks. Dave Camerillo actualy said whats up and was nice, even though he was in the mix of things after my fight with Swick. But I was respectful back. I mean I cant say its real serious or anything now. I dont lose sleep or anything, I dont hate any of them. Its just not how I am, and I feel treat people the way you want to be treated. If you want to be disrespectful then I wont respect you is all. Now Swick is saying its not true. But I know what I heard, maybe you guys didnt think I would hear it, or feel bad about it now. Maybe it was just over excited post fight comments, so small and insignificant to you that you dont remember. But I wouldnt make it up. I am not really even to mad anymore, but I do remember how pissed I was and agitated after that fight because of it. Before that incident even happened all I kept thinking were the positives of my situation and try to not get worked up over it. It really got to me after they did that and it lit a fire in me that lasted a few weeks. Including me picturing Swicks face before and during the Marcus Davis fight. I am dissapointed with my fight with Swick and would love a rematch. But I am not trying to Hype a rematch. And didnt expect to do a call out for one and get it. Just expressed my interest in it when asked if i would like one, and know it will happen sometime even if not as soon as I would like. There is a lot of good match ups for me in the WW division. Im here to fight anyone.

It was just Swick and his cornermen at UFC 99 that did it. So I am not saying the whole team or school or anything about that. I am just saying i have heard stories around and I felt I experienced a bit of it first hand. Trying to emphasize that they felt I got Knocked Out as opposed to being TKOed and then laughing about it is pretty lame. So Strong words or not, its how I feel.

Mike Swick in reply:

Dude dont put words in my mouth. I came in your locker after the fight and hung out with you for 30 minutes watching the rest of the fights. I wasnt even hanging out with my team. I had a lot of respect for you before this fight and after. I was just talking about you during my UFC party the other night saying how cool you are and how much potential you have. I didnt hear anyone of my team say anything about you getting knocked the &*%$ out and if I did they know it would piss me off people off because I dont disrespect people. I have been a martial artist since I was 8 and believe in respect and honor. You can talk to any former opponent I have ever had and none will tell you I was disrespectful before or after the fight.

If your just trying to hype a rematch then just ask for one. If the UFC wants to do it I will sign. You dont have to try and make me look disrespectful on the internet.

Mike Swick now:

Saunders, what you are saying about our post fight is 100% inaccurate. I was totally cool to you and still think your a really cool dude.

No one from my Team disrespected you in anyway and would never say what you thought they said. 100% respect from me bro. Really Saunders? Just read your interview. Your gonna try and make me look disrespectful then say you were injured for our fight?

If you want a rematch just ask the UFC. If they want to do it I will sign that contract ASAP While you are reading those two go at it with each other, I have an article that you can read here talking about UFC dealing with overexposure problems right now.

Source: Fight Opinion

New MMA Study May Lead to Influx of Advertisers
by Mike Chiappetta

When Under Armour signed Georges St. Pierre to an endorsement deal earlier this month, the mixed martial arts world took notice, though it likely did not resonate in the larger sports business world.

But the release of a recent study may have the inverse effect.

Scarborough Sports Marketing's new demographic survey, conducted over a six-month span, revealed a young audience with a high income. According to their statistics, MMA fans are 15 percent more likely than the average American adult to have a household income of over $75,000.

The results of the study shouldn't be discounted. The findings are particularly newsworthy because they come from an independent source not affiliated with the sport. In the past, the UFC has trumpeted similar facts in hopes of drawing in new advertisers, but now major companies with major ad dollars will see it from a reputable firm, giving them more confidence in the buying power of the MMA consumer.

That could and should lead to bigger advertisers entering the sport, following other trailblazers like Budweiser, Burger King, Gatorade and Under Armour. For most of the sport's existence, small MMA-related companies have comprised the majority of advertisers.

Perhaps the only small negative of the release is the confirmation of the sport's overwhelmingly male fan base. Many major, mainstream companies prefer to advertise their product to a diverse audience.

Still, the relative wealth of MMA fans should help draw in some companies who'd been previously reluctant to use MMA as a marketing vehicle for their products.

"Sports marketing has proven its value through a difficult economic climate, and MMA can help marketers capitalize on their customers' engagement with sports," said Howard Goldberg, senior vice president of Scarborough Sports Marketing in the release.

The company also noted that MMA fans are well above the average for ownership of high-tech items such as HDTV's and video game systems, and that the fan group represents a vast part of the market for those planning to buy a new car or truck within the next year.

The confirmation of the MMA fan's youth, buying power and willingness to spend combined with the lower price tag that comes from advertising in MMA should make it a prime target for an influx of ad dollars in the coming years.

Source: MMA Fighting

11/27/09

Quote of the Day

"You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once."

Polish Proverb

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Superfights

Shane Agena (O2 Martial Arts Academy) vs. Jarred Espina (Powerhouse Jiu-Jitsu)

Aaron Moeller (Moeller Jiu-Jitsu) vs. Carlos Kiko

Rafael Feijco: I have a lot more to show
By Guilherme Cruz

After the debut with a performance below of the expectations, being knocked out by Mike Kyle, Rafael Feijco Cavalcante came back better on the last Friday (20) and, against Aaron Rosa, needed two rounds to win by TKO. Everything went fine, but I still have more to show, Feijco guarantees, talking about the strategy.

I could do what we have decided, to work on close distance, as he was taller than me, and make him to get tired on the first round. He got slower and we worked on the on the counter attack, Rafael explains, excited with the complements of the events promoters. they liked a lot, they said that they got worried about my first fight, but I explained the weight thing, that havent hit well. But now things worked, I hit the weight laughing.

With eight victories in ten fights, the athlete revealed that he must be back to the event at the beginning of 2010. They asked if I would fight in February, and Im ready, guarantees, without imagining who may be his opponent. I have no idea, theres so many people out there Dan Henderson got in the event, theres King Mo (Lawal)... Theres a lot of new athletes, said, looking to the belt of the category, now with Gegard Mousasi. Thats my expectation, Ill train for it.

Source: Tatame

Edgar Looking to Remain in Title Shot Picture
By Kelsey Mowatt

On December 5th, at The Ultimate Fighter Finale in Las Vegas, Nevada, Frankie Edgar will look to remain within striking distance of a title shot, when the highly regarded lightweight squares off with the undefeated Matt Veach. Edgar was forced to change gears earlier this month, when he was informed that his original scheduled opponent, Kurt Pellegrino, would be unable to compete due to an injured back. Edgar went from facing an opponent in Pellegrino, who has gone 6-3 in the UFC, to one in Veach, who has fought just once in the Octagon, defeating Matt Grice in February. Edgar concedes researching his new opponent has been somewhat difficult.

To be honest with you, no I havent, said Edgar (10-1), when asked by FCF if hes been able to find out much about Veach (11-0). I got the one round that he fought in the UFC. Ive taken a few things from that fight but he hasnt fought since February, so Im expecting him to come in and be a better fighter than he was then. Im sure hes improved since then. I guess Im going to have to find out under fire, during the fight.

Especially because it came midway through my training camp, said Edgar, acknowledging that he was disappointed to find out that Pellegrino was out of the fight. You focus on a guy, what his style is, thinking about him every day, so it throws a bit of a curve into your training camp. Its just something you have to deal with.

Of course Veach arrived in the UFC with impressive credentials, as the former collegiate wrestler had won 10 straight, since transitioning into MMA in 2006.

I know he comes from a great camp, said Edgar. Training with (Matt) Hughes and his guys at the HIT Squad, so I know he has a strong wrestling background like myself. Hes pretty big, cuts a lot of weight, so I expect him to be a big strong wrestler. His last fight he caught the guy and ended up knocking him out. So he has power in his hands as well.

Edgar has fought experienced wrestlers in the Octagon before, defeating former champion Sean Sherk and Tyson Griffin, with his only professional loss coming to Gray Maynard.

Its something you have to address, Edgar noted, while discussing Veachs wrestling background. Just like if youre fighting a great jiu-jitsu guy or whatever. You have to try to curve your training camp towards it and build your strategy around it. I wrestle everyday myself so it shouldnt be too much of a stretch.

The 28-year-old-fighter has now gone 5-1 in the UFC, and if he can get by Veach, it will be interesting to see where Edgar is positioned by the promotion in terms of the title picture.

I think Im close, said Edgar. I think my last win (a UD victory over Sherk in May) was a great start on a trek towards the title. I think thats who you have to beat in our weight class if you want to get a title shot. I accomplished that and another win over Matt, a win or maybe two after that, then hopefully I can fight for it soon.

Source: Full Contact Fighter

Huerta awaits his suitors
by Jake Rossen/Sherdog.com
Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Roger Huerta has enough game -- and other intangibles -- to continue being an asset to the UFC.

It's not often that a fighter coming off consecutive losses is in high demand, but records don't always tell the entire story. Roger Huerta lost to former No. 1 contender Kenny Florian via decision; he split scorecards with imminent No. 1 contender Gray Maynard; he remains better-looking than most of us. No reason to hang his head. Now Huerta is available to take bids for his services.

Although his UFC contract has expired, the promotion has the right to match any monetary offer for up to one year, which is good for Huerta: It means he can leverage competitor interest against the UFC. And that interest may be considerable. Strikeforce, Bellator and others likely will perceive Huerta as a key to the burgeoning Latino market.

The problem with his remaining in the Octagon is that Huerta has hit the wall. He couldn't beat Florian or Maynard, which gives champion B.J. Penn odds on deconstructing both his game plan and his face. (It may not matter: Huerta's style, like Forrest Griffin's, is to lose the tough fights but win fans with lockjaw determination.) Strikeforce is on solid footing, but the whims of CBS dictate the company's long-term viability as a major player; Bellator hasn't yet spent beyond its means, and it won't likely start with Huerta.

As with fellow free agent Dan Henderson, Huerta will find his best bet remains the UFC. He just can't act like it.

Source: ESPN

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 Fighter Salaries

Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz each earned $250,000 for their main event fight at Saturday's UFC 106 in Las Vegas.

Griffin's total prize included a $150,000 bonus for winning the fight, while Ortiz's salary remained at $250,000.

Griffin avenged a April 2006 loss to Ortiz by returning the favor with a split decision win after three rounds. When the two first met at UFC 59, Ortiz earned $200,000 for the win while Griffin earned only $16,000.

Below are the disclosed paydays the UFC reported to the athletic commission and do not necessarily represent a fighter's final earnings.

Forrest Griffin, $250,000 ($150,000 win bonus) def. Tito Ortiz, $250,000
Josk Koscheck, $106,000 ($53,000 win) def. Anthony Johnson, $17,000
Paulo Thiago, $16,000 ($8,000 win) def. Jacob Volkmann, $6,000
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, $100,000 ($30,000 win) def. Luiz Cane, $19,000

Amir Sadollah, $30,000 ($15,000 win) def. Phil Baroni, $25,000
Ben Saunders, $20,000 ($10,000 win) def. Marcus Davis, $27,000
Kendall Grove, $44,000 ($22,000 win) def. Jake Rosholt, $15,000
Brian Foster, $12,000 ($6,000 win) def. Brock Larson, $26,000
Caol Uno, $20,000 drew Fabricio Camoes, $10,000
George Sotiropoulos, $20,000 ($10,000 win) def. Jason Dent, $8,000

Additionally, performance bonuses, a $70,000 bonus to each fighter for each award, were handed out at the post-fight press conference for Fight of the Night: Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson, Knockout of the Night: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Submission of the Night: Josh Koscheck.

Source: MMA Fighting

Study: MMA fans are young, wealthy, and tech-savvy
by Dustin Zuch

A comprehensive study organized by Scarborough Sports Marketing comes to the conclusion that those reading MMAFrenzy.com (or any MMA website) are more likely to be between the ages of 18-30, homeowners, own video game systems, and possess a household income in the upper echelon of the income bracket.

The results of the study were initially publicized in a report by SportsBusiness Daily and posted by Bloody Elbow. An excerpt from the report summarizes the overall study and statistics contained therein.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is attracting young, wealthy, high-tech consumers, according to Scarborough Sports Marketing’s first-ever look at the sport. MMA fans are defined as those adults who watched the sport on broadcast or cable TV during the past year. The six-month survey of 221,000 adults ages 18+ in 81 top U.S. markets, including every big-league city, found that MMA fans are 15% more likely than the average American adult to have a household income of at least $75,000 and 10% more likely to own a second home. MMA fans also are above the national average for current ownership of high-tech household items such as HDTVs, VOD service, video game systems and broadband Internet.

The demographics highlighted by this study are quite believable. Most MMA fans are usually on the younger side and most folks would be hard pressed to find someone that didn’t own some sort of video game system or high speed internet connection.

Where the results of this study become disconcerting is at the point where some people might pigeonhole MMA fans. A bunch of young adults who sit around their HDTVs playing Xbox 360 and watching PRIDE reruns, right? Whereas fans themselves know that their brethren are mostly working class individuals of all ages and walks of life. Heck, one has to be hard working to be able to afford a night out at a UFC event in Las Vegas…

Nonetheless, the study conducted would appear to hit home with many of those that love the sport of MMA and consider themselves to be hardcore fans.

Source: MMA Frenzy

Should Tito Ortiz have won the decision at UFC 106?
By Zach Arnold

If Jordan Breen thinks MMA judge Glenn Trowbridge is the most dangerous man in the sport, then what will he think about fellow MMA writers who thought Tito Ortiz should have won the decision against Forrest Griffin on Saturday night? Ortiz didnt win on the score cards Saturday night, but MMA writers Josh Gross (Sports Illustrated) and Carlos Arias (Orange County Register) believe that he should have. Josh Gross:

I had Tito winning the first and second. Griffin obviously took the third. Carlos Arias:

@titoortiz This is Carlos from OC Register. You won the 1st and 2nd rounds and lost the 3rd. You should have got the dec. Everybody knows it.

Dana has to go w/you and Forrest on TUF 11. That will be huge ratings and set up the rubbermatch. Good luck homie. Youll get him.

If the tone from Carlos towards Tito is a little off-setting to you, the reality is that it seems to be pretty much the norm amongst the bigger mainstream MMA writers. When I was going over the video of the post-fight press conference for UFC 106 on Saturday night, the media sure acted like fans. There was an audible cheer and whooping going on when Dana said that Antonio Rogerio Nogueira won a Knockout of the Night bonus.

Source: Fight Opinion

HARD WORK PAYS OFF FOR DAN HARDY
by Steven Marrocco

In an age where hundreds of fighters are under contract with the UFC, Dan Hardys short road to a title shot is somewhat of an anomaly.

Maybe not for heavyweight, but for welterweight, one of the most talent-laden divisions in the sport, four fights to a title shot is lickety split. Just ask Lyoto Machida.

Then again, its also a testament to the dominance of champion Georges St-Pierre. The French-Canadian has pretty much cleaned out the division, and many thought to be rightful heirs to contendership have stumbled upon each other.

Hardy has lived 27 years of a life less ordinary, so he isnt much thrown by the twist of fate. But hes no less keen on the opportunity.

Its just hard work, said Hardy. Im not overly athletic, Im not overly talented... I shouldnt be where I am in the sport, really. Its just getting up every day, putting the time in, and just doing everything to be as perfect as I can be.

Hardy is expected to face St. Pierre at the yet-unannounced UFC 111 on March 13 in Newark, N.J.

Source: MMA Weekly

Lyoto confirms fight with Shogun via Twitter

Adept of Twitter, Lyoto (@lyotomachidafw) confirmed what TATAME already published last week: the new meeting between the Brazilians will happen on May 1st 2010, without a chosen location yet. On Novembers edition of TATAME Magazine, both athletes already talked about the rematch.

Watching the fight later I saw that I won four rounds, but Im an UFC athlete and I respect their criteria, Lyoto said, talking about the strategy used by his opponent on the combat. On the past fights, I could put my strategy in a better way, so I think it was a strategy game. Were fighting for the most disputed category of the biggest event of the world, were talking about high level.

On the other hand, Shogun believes he was superior. Im sure that I won. Everyone thought that I won, but I think that they gave him the victory because of some interests, analyzes the challenger, talking about the strategy to the revenge. Ill study with my team to see all that again. He will get in different on the next fight, thats for sure.

Source: Tatame

Fighter Dies After Golden Glory Sparring Session
by Tim Leidecker

Vitali Mitu, of Soldanesti, Moldova, collapsed and could not be revived following a sparring session last Thursday with three-time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion Semmy Schilt at Golden Glorys gym in Bucharest, Romania, according to Romanian newspaper Gardianul. While initial reports by eyewitnesses claimed that Mitu, 22, broke down after receiving a knee strike to the chest by the 6-foot-11, 300-pound Schilt, an autopsy has since revealed otherwise.

Mitu has suffered from acute interstitial pneumonia as well as a lung edema and acute bleeding, Professor Dan Dermengiu, of INML Mina Minovici, the forensic institute of Bucharest, told Romanian sports site www.prosport.ru. Our examination has not shown any type of chest pains. Also there are no traumatic injuries that have been caused by a strike, but only some minor marks stemming from the resuscitation attempts.

Bas Boon, Schilt's manager, declined comment until after the fighter completes the K-1 Grand Prix on Dec. 5.

Schilts muay Thai coach, Dave Jonkers, has since posted on a Dutch message board and expressed his condolences.

The incident was a sad end to two weeks of good, intense training, the 54-year-old trainer wrote. Vitali has been transferred back to Moldova today and will be laid to rest on Wednesday. Our prayers are with his family, trainers and teammates. Rest in peace!

Schilt, 36, had been in the southeast European country to prepare for his quest to regain his crown at the K-1 World Grand Prix in Yokohama, Japan. Mitu, a political science student, had come to Bucharest seven years ago to pursue his dream of becoming a professional fighter.

Fighting was his life -- that was the last thing he told me, Mitus mother was quoted by Moldovan newspaper Unimedia.

Mitu is survived by his parents and a sister.

Source: Sherdog

Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears Salaries

Proving that a famous last name sells, Kim Couture earned an event-high $10,000 at Strikeforce: Challengers on Friday at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan.

Couture, the ex-wife of Randy Couture, was stopped by punches in the co-headliner to Kerry Vera, the wife of UFC fighter Brandon Vera. The women's fight came six days after the male counterparts fought at UFC 105.

Vera earned $4,000 to show and another $4,000 for her victory.

In the main event, Tyrone Woodley earned $3,500 to show and another $3,500 as a win bonus, while Rudy Bears won $2,500. Woodley submitted Bears with a triangle choke at 2:52 of the first round.

Couture was issued a 60-day suspension following the fight.

The four fighters in the co-headliners were the only salaries made available to FanHouse by the Kansas athletic commission.

Source: MMA Fighting

Conan Silveira
By Guilherme Cruz

Luis Banha Cane was getting closer to a title shot, but the loss to Rogirio Minotouro Nogueira will delay the Brazilians plans. One of the leaders of American Top Team, Conan Silveira believes that the setback suffered on UFC 106 will be a fuel to make stronger, making him come back with more will. Hes going to work hard now and to plan everything to go for it again, Conan guarantees, talking with TATAME.com about Thiago Silva and Kimbo Slices training to their next fights in the UFC.

What did you thought about the fight between Banha and Minotouro?

It was a tough fight, I thought that both fighters respected each other and thats that thing, who wins is the best of the night, and Minotouro had the initiative. Its hard to give an opinion about the fight because are two tough fighters, you dont know which way the fight goes.

Do you think that Banha respected Minotouro too much?

I think both respected each other a lot, but Minotouro took the initiative. Thats what I say to you, its hard to give an opinion, could have been Banha, who goes first take the advantage.

Banha was close to a title fight, if he has won. How is the expectation to his return on UFC?

Thats a part that nobody likes, the defeat, but we have a thought that this is the right way to work. Well come back to the base and work, to fix what didnt work, what wasnt done, and lets move on. The expectation is always to fix the mistakes. Well work harder, to plan everything and go for it. Thats our teams mind.

Banha is very young and very tough, is the expectation that he turns around soon?

Thats for sure, its not the end for him, its the opposite, it will make him stronger, will make him to come back with more will. Thats American Top Teams mind, and hes gonna work hard and plan everything to go for it again.

Hows ATT schedule to this end of year?

There are a lot of fights, theres Kimbo (Slice), Wilson Gouveia coming, will fight on December 12, and then theres Thiago Silva, who fights January 2.

How do you see Thiagos fight against Rashad? With a victory hes close to the belt again

Thats an opportunity not just for Thiago Silva, but for Rashad too. Its a tough fight, but as I said before, after the fight that Thiago lost to Lyoto, everyone was going to see a different Thiago and I think that hell show more difference on this fight thats coming. Everyone can expect for a tough fight, but clever.

How is Kimbo Slice, wholl debut on UFC against Houston Alexander?

The expectation is huge, were working hard with him, improving his game, sharing our experiences of training I believe that hes gonna get this victory. People will see a better Kimbo.

You just came back from Australia. How was Hector Lombards fight up there?

It was against Kalib Starnes, a former UFC and TUF fighter. He started the fight and the guy got in the clinch with Hector, and Hector took him down and fell inside the guard, exploding on ground and pound, he hit three elbow and on the third he asked to stop.

Source: Tatame

11/25/09

Quote of the Day

"The part can never be well unless the whole is well."

Plato

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UFC 106 POST FIGHT BONUSES

A big win for Josh Koscheck over Anthony Johnson on Saturday night led to a big bonus for the American Kickboxing Academy welterweight as he walked away with 2 of the awards from the UFC during the night's usual bonuses handed down.

For their part of "Fight of the Night", Koscheck and Anthony Johnson earned $70,000 each, while the former "Ultimate Fighter" competitor also picked up an additional $70,000 for "Submission of the Night" for his 2nd round rear naked choke victory.

The double bonus is a rare occasion in the UFC, but Koscheck earned his way to a win, a possible title shot down the road, and $140,000 for his short notice performance on Saturday night.

The other bonus at UFC 106 landed in the hands of newcomer, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who pounced on fellow Brazilian Luis Cane, in the first round of their light heavyweight match-up with a slew of strikes that ended the fight early. Nogueira, a mainstay in Pride for many years, made the most of his UFC debut and earned the $70,000 bonus for "Knockout of the Night."

Source: MMA Weekly

The Mystery of the Silvas
White leaks exit of Wanderlei from UFC 110 card

The president of the UFC left some questions lingering in the air. Dana White didn’t confirm the bout between Wanderlei Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama, at UFC 110, to mark the event’s maiden excursion to Australia. The matchup was expected for February 21.

“That may change. We’re moving some things around,” said White to MMAJunkie, without providing greater detail.

However, White (alongside the Fertittas, via Twitter) guaranteed the bout between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort would take place February 6, despite the Spider having said he has not fully recovered from elbow surgery.

What shall become of the Silvas?

Source: Gracie Magazine

Anderson: “I wanna choke the doctor”

Anderson Silva is addicted on fights, but the elbow injury forced the UFC middleweight champion to take some months of forced vacations, even more after the surgery. And for someone who was on the octagon 12 times on the last four years, a few months is too much time.

“I can’t train“, complains Anderson, ’threatening’ the doctor. “I wanna choke the doctor“, jokes, knowing that he needs to respect the recovering time. “I have to make the physiotherapy, there’s no way. The thing is to be calm, to see the right time. When it’s all right, I’ll go back to training“.

On the last week, a lot of rumors were talking about a possible return of Vitor Belfort on UFC 109, in February, and that Anderson may be his opponent. According to Silva, the return in February is not that right. “I don’t know, who decide is the doctor, but I’m here...“, said the champion, who may put the UFC’s belt in line for the second time against a Brazilian opponent.

COMPLEMENTS TO THE “MINI ANDERSON“

Last Wednesday (18), José Aldo conquered the WEC featherweight title, and what José Aldo made passing thru the American Mike Brown gave him the nickname “Mini Anderson“, and reference to the six knockout victories on the event.

“Man, I get really happy to be a reference, it’s nice that people thinks that... We’re training a lot to see the results“, Anderson said, complementing Aldo’s performance. “This guy is a talent, a young kid that’s building his space. He has a great team behind him and he has everything to stay as champion for many years and to bring more happiness to his team and to Brazil“.

Source: Tatame

Silva: “I’m sure I won” fight against Werdum

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva wanted to eliminate Fabricio Werdum to get a shot against Fedor Emelianenko, and almost got it in the first round, when he knocked Werdum down, but decided to let him up and go to striking again.

With an unanimous decision loss, Silva went back to American Top Team headquarters with a broken hand, but promises to go back with full speed. “I made a good work here in ATT, but unfortunately I hurt my hand, but I kept fighting. I lost the third round clearly, but I’m sure that I won the others”, Sivla guarantees, in the exclusive interview you’ll read tomorrow at TATAME.com.

Antonio Silva

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva wanted to eliminate Fabricio Werdum to get a shot against Fedor Emelianenko, and almost got it in the first round, when he knocked Werdum down, but decided to let him up and go to striking again. With an unanimous decision loss, Silva went back to American Top Team headquarters with a broken hand, but promises to go back with full speed. Check below an exclusive interview with the heavyweight.

What did you think about the fight?

The fight wasn’t better because the judges gave the decision to Werdum. After the fight I went home and watched the fight and calculated, and I’m sure that I won. I won the first round was totally mine, the second was tight, but I could a knockdown at the beginning, and the third I really lost, I felt the physical part and because I’ve hurt my hand when the first round started, when that knockdown happened. I’m using parget now, in a little while I’ll be back to the doctor to know how it is.

The decision that would be more fair it would be to me, but I have said before that we can’t leave on judges’ hands, but I wasn’t competent enough. I had opportunities, but I asked to stand up because Werdum is a great athlete, a great person, but I knew that he couldn’t submit on the ground. The only way he had to beat me was on decision. I had opportunity to finish the fight and I didn’t… I say here to the guys that who gives shows is ‘Xuxa’, the thing is to go there and win, but I wanted to make a beautiful fight, and God punished me.

What did it missed for you to win the fight?

What missed is that, if I stood hitting for about 20 seconds, giving a pressure, I would have finished the fight there. Including, Master Rafael Cordeiro, after the event, Said that he thought the fight would end there, because I go to the ground and finish on ground and pound, but I didn’t wanted to finish the fight on that moment, I thought better to say him to be stand up and to try to knock out on top, to do a beautiful fight, and I could another knockdown later. I made a good work here in ATT, but unfortunately I hurt my hand, but I kept fighting. I lost the third round clearly, but I’m sure that I won the others.

People of the event talked something?

After the fight, the matchmaker of Strikeforce came to talk to me on the locker room and said that he thought that I won and said I’m sorry, saying that the Committee judges. I’m sure that I won, everyone said that here. I’ve been in Disney now and, from each ten person, nine said that I won. I’m happy for fighting with Werdum and I was satisfied with my performance, but the results weren’t better because they didn’t raised my arm.

Do you think that the constroversy decision had something to do with the fact the you to sue the Atheletic Comission because of doping?

I think not, even because Chicago’s Comission is new… I don’t think that there’s anything to do with California’s committee, even because California’s Comission helped me in a lot of stuff that Chicago’s was demanding, as exams ans other things. The thing was I didn’t catch that fight since the beginning… I slowed down at the beginning of the second round and it counted. And there’s also Fabrício Werdum’s name, that sometimes may sell more with Fedor x Werdum than with me, that was stopped for one year. He won ADCC, used to fight UFC while I was stopped, and this can have made the difference on decision’s time, but the important is that I won’t let it escape on the next.

For how long will you stay stopped?

I went to the doctor after the event, in Chicago, and they immobilized me. When I came in my city, I went to the doctor and they order to keep the plaster until December 10, and then I took off and they will evaluate again. If it’s better, I’ll start the physiotherapy, or I do two more weeks of plaster. The year ednded to me, I only must be back on the second half of January. I was on the card on December 31 (on Sengoku), but we make some plans and God make others. It was for me to have ended the fight at the beginning, to be good and prepared to the next, but my self confidence was so big that I made a bad choice to myself.

Werdum must be Fedor’s next opponent. How do you think this fight’s gonna be?

They’re considering it and I hope that put Werdum against him, because my audience is for the Brazilian, but I think that they may put Overeem against Fedor, because they want to put Overeem against Fedor, because they want Fedor to have the belt. About the fight, I think it’s gonna be complicated to Werdum if it goes on top, and Fedor is very good on the ground, but we have to respect Werdum. If it stands up, I thinks that Fedor takes it, if it goes to the ground Werdum may complicate.

And Fedor’s victory over Brett Rogers?

It was a beautiful fight, make the audience stand up… He showed once again that he’s a warrior, he hurt the nose at the beginning of the first round, suffered a deep cut, had a ground and pound of the guard, and Brett has a lot of strength, he’s stupid on the strength, but he handled the pressure and defined the fight. He’s the man… When he was born, God put the finger and said that he’s the man, like Romário said (laugh). There’s no words for him, overcoming, race, determination…

Do you still dream about facing Fedor?

Now I went to the end of the line, but I’ll be back stronger, with my head better, because some defeats teach more than victories. I could have knocked out at first, but my self confidence… I knew he couldn’t beat me, but I lost my self confidence and I learned with that. If I have an opportunity, I won’t let it pass. If I have to knock out with one second of fight, it will be with one second. My way is just a little late, I get back to the end of the line, but I’ll be there and face Fedor.

Did you met him on the backstage of the event?

Yes, in the hotel, on CBS backstage... He’s a good guy, humble, showed why he’s there. He answers everyone, takes pictures with everyone, there’s no bad time to him. The guy is very humble, he has to be an example to a lot of arrogant people that we see on MMA. He’s the best of the world and very humble.

Source: Tatame

Machida vs. Shogun II set to May 1, 2010

Lyoto Machida and Maurício Shogun are set to rematch at May 2, 2010. According to several USA-based websites the Brazilians will face each other for the light heavyweight title one more time, after Lyoto’s controversial unanimous decision victory in the first meet, at UFC 104.

Source: Tatame

Koscheck will have to wait for title shot

LAS VEGAS – Josh Koscheck came into UFC 106 hoping that an impressive win would get him a title shot.

He left with the first half of the deal after a strange but highly lucrative win. But the second half will have to wait as the UFC is still going with England’s Dan Hardy as the next contender for welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.

Koscheck (16-4) finished the much-larger Anthony Johnson with a choke at 4:47 of the second round in the co-main event of UFC 106 on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in a crowd-pleasing match that took fight of the night honors.

The two fighters know each other well and had worked out several times together in the past. Both train out of San Jose, Calif., although each fighter’s main gym is in different parts of the city. Koscheck trains at the American Kickboxing Academy camp, while Johnson trains under Cung Le.

“I’ve been here for a long time, it’s been five years,” said Koscheck, who was a cast member and one of the top villains on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in early 2005.

“It is what it is. I don’t really care (about not getting the title shot) as long as I’m a fighter and I get paid.”

Koscheck earned $106,000 regular pay for the win and picked up an additional $140,000 in bonuses, garnering submission of the night as well as fight of the night.

He was a late replacement on this show, as he wasn’t scheduled to fight until Jan. 11. But when the Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin main event fell through, he was asked a little more than three weeks ago to face Johnson (8-3) to give the show a second top match. Johnson had just fought on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles but was unscathed in knocking out Yoshiyuki Yoshida in 41 seconds.

Koscheck, the last fighter to win a round from St. Pierre in a fight two years ago, came into the fight with a strategy to weather a first-round storm standing. He figured that Johnson would tire first and then he’d go to work in Round 2 with his wrestling and work to finish Johnson by submission, which ended up happening.

But there were some unique twists and turns as Koscheck’s plan unfolded.

The most notable twist came in the first round, when fans thought the fight may have a premature ending after Koscheck was seemingly injured by an illegal knee. After neither fighter was able to gain much of an advantage early on, Koscheck went in for a takedown. Johnson avoided it and threw a knee right to Koscheck’s face when Koscheck was down.

The near-sellout crowd of 10,529 fans booed heavily, thinking Koscheck, who was complaining about his vision, was going to bail on the fight. Koscheck said that was never the case, and that it wasn’t the knee but an eye poke a moment later that was the problem.

UFC president Dana White said that in watching the tape, they saw that one of Johnson’s fingers went in Koscheck’s eye. Koscheck took several minutes, noting that his vision was blurry, while fans booed heavily.

“I’ve had it happen to me in practice several times and it takes a few minutes before the blurriness goes away,” he said. “I was never thinking about not going on, I was just trying to make sure I got up to five minutes for the blurriness to go away.”

In the second round, Johnson twice signaled that his eye was poked, and as he was signaling the second time, Koscheck threw a hard punch, which made the crowd boo Koscheck.

After Johnson recovered, there were a series of crazy standing exchanges before Koscheck went back to his wrestling skills that made him an unbeaten NCAA champion in 2001, putting Johnson on his back.

Koscheck landed hard punches and elbows to bloody up his foe before finally sinking in the choke and getting the tap with 13 seconds left in the round.

“I was blown away by his performance,” said White. “We’ve butted heads a lot in the past, but that was a great performance.

Koscheck claimed he was going to stand and trade with Johnson before the fight. It was a decision many questioned because Johnson had what was billed as a 4-inch height advantage. Johnson was so much larger in the cage that he looked like he was in a different weight class.

Koscheck noted that Johnson’s ground game is still his weakness.

“He should start training at our camp, but he’d have to move up to 185.”

Koscheck, while being interviewed after winning, issued a challenge to Hardy, who was at ringside, to come fight in the U.S. to see who the real No. 1 contender is.

White noted that he promised the winner of the Hardy vs. Mike Swick fight last Saturday night in Manchester, England, the next shot at St. Pierre. With Johnson out of the mix, Koscheck, Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves, all of whom St. Pierre has beaten, look to be battling for the next spot in line.

“Really, I like Dan Hardy, he’s a showman,” Koscheck said. “I hope he has a great fight with St. Pierre. If it takes five, six, seven, eight or nine wins, I’ll get my shot.”

Koscheck garnered attention earlier in the week when he said he’d like to fight 10 or 12 times in 2010, far more than the usual cycle of three fights a year that most UFC fighters are on when not battling injuries.

“I’d like to fight every month, train three weeks and then fight,” he said. “It’s better to fight in the cage than in the gym.

“If somebody gets hurt, and they need a sub for Dec. 12, I’m ready.”

Source: Yahoo Sports

GRIFFIN SETTLES THE SCORE WITH ORTIZ

If there was any question as to where Forrest Griffin's head was at following his last fight, the former "Ultimate Fighter" winner answered emphatically as he battled his way to a split decision win over Tito Ortiz in the main event of UFC 106 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

The mental jitters that everyone questioned about Forrest Griffin heading into the fight against Ortiz faded away quickly as the former "Ultimate Fighter" winner came out strong in round 1 with a good jab and his signature leg kicks.

It didn't take long for the stand-up to coax Ortiz into a takedown as he shot in and put Griffin on his back as he opened up a barrage of elbows and punches. Griffin defending well and used a kimura to make Ortiz roll and get back to the feet. The round closed with Griffin using some more striking to push Ortiz back, with the Georgia native getting the better of the punches.

Ortiz battled back in the 2nd round with a series of takedowns that loomed large in the judges' minds, as he put Griffin on his back and opened up his ground attack. As Griffin defended he ate a strike that opened up a huge cut over his eye, but he quickly moved and swept Ortiz and ended up on top of the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy." Not much damage was landed, but Griffin sweeping Ortiz was a great way for him to end the round.

The never ending gas tank of Forrest Griffin likely earned him the win with the third round as he came out strong, landing unanswered strikes as Ortiz simply put up his hands to defend, while not firing much of anything back. As Griffin fired a kick, Ortiz shot for a takedown, but his opponent defended and the fight stayed standing.

Griffin continued to move forward and batter Ortiz with punches and kicks for which his opponent simply had no answer for. The fight came to an end with Ortiz still struggling to stop the stand-up of Forrest Griffin, who came alive once again late in a fight to get the win.

The judges' scorecards read across with 2 of the 3 giving the win to Forrest Griffin by split decision. Griffin spoke candidly to the Las Vegas crowd following the win, which comes on the heels of his devastating loss to pound-for-pound king, Anderson Silva, in August.

"I see Anderson (Silva) over there, he broke me," Griffin said with extreme honestly after getting the nod for the win. "Tito was a great fight for me to come back, we'll have to do a third that's 1-1 man."

With a split decision in both of their fights, Griffin seemed more than willing to get a rubber match put together with Ortiz to settle the score once and for all.

"You could tell he was a guy getting ready for Mark Coleman, no offense, and he's a guy coming off back surgery. We'll do it again, I won't break my foot, he'll be in better shape," Griffin commented.

For his part, Ortiz was obviously upset with the loss, and talked about having another back injury heading into the fight, while also dealing with a fractured skull apparently. Still, he gave his opponent credit for the win.

"Forrest is a better man tonight, I've got to give it to him," Ortiz stated with a heavy heart after the loss.

Back on track after 2 losses, Griffin moves back into the thick of the light heavyweight division, while Ortiz will try to get healthy and see where he fits into an ever growing 205lb weight class.

Source: MMA Weekly

ORTIZ/GRIFFIN 3 IN THE WORKS?

LAS VEGAS— There is plenty of unfinished business between Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz.

“I think there’s a rubber match there,” said UFC President Dana White after the pair's second meeting Saturday.

Ortiz wants a third fight after Griffin turned the tables on him with a split decision victory at UFC 106, exacting revenge for a split decision loss at UFC 59.

“I thought I won the fight," Ortiz said at the post-fight press conference at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. “I thought I pulled it off two rounds to one.”

Two judges disagreed with the five-time light heavyweight champion, with scores of 30-27 and 29-28. One judge gave Ortiz two rounds with a 29-28 nod.

Much of the fight hinged on Griffin’s ability to stop Ortiz’s takedown and put together combinations in the open. He did most of the time, but gave up takedowns in the first and second round. On the feet, he had the edge.

Ortiz, however, felt he dominated the first two rounds, though he admits he faltered in the third and might have “overstepped his boundary” in fighting Griffin. To him, though, it was enough.

“A ref called it 30-27….(expletive), are you blind or something?”

His voice broke.

“I’m sorry I let my fans down,” he said. “I fought. I came in and fought my heart off.”

Despite telling fans he was one hundred percent going into the fight, Ortiz said he had suffered new bulged discs in his upper back/neck area and had briefly been in traction before the fight. In the Octagon afterwards, he said he had cracked his skull in training.

“The wind was sucked out of me,” he said of the final round. “I fought with heart. The last ten seconds came around, and I said, it’s time to swing for the fences. I kind of gave away the third round.”

Nevertheless, Griffin and Ortiz had a short pow-wow as the judges made up their minds. Griffin was unsure if he’d done enough to get the win. He had suffered too: in training for the fight, he said he had broken his foot.

“Forrest looked at me and said, ‘did you get it?’” said Ortiz. “I said, ‘yeah, I got it.’”

After giving it some thought backstage, Griffin was more confident in his victory.

“I thought you could even give me the second round,” said Griffin. “But I thought I won the last one, until I saw it on video, and then I realized, I didn’t win the last one.”

Ortiz replied: “As Forrest said, 'who won the fight?' Well, he answered his own question. He said, ‘I feel like I was on my back the whole time.’”

Griffin shot back: “I still thought I won, though. I just thought I might have (expletive) of.”

UFC president Dana White wanted no part of the debate. “I’m not a judge,” he replied when Griffin asked him who won.

“You got robbed the first fight, I got robbed in the second,” Ortiz persisted.

Not so, said Griffin. Like Ortiz, he had felt robbed in the arena three years ago, but changed his mind later.

“You can go home and watch this one too and say the same thing,” Ortiz spat.

“Hopefully not,” said Griffin.

White smiled. Could the two build towards a rematch on the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter?”

“I don’t know,” he said.

Griffin was game for a rematch--with the boss’ permission.

“I think me and Tito kind of have the same strategy, which I think I got onboard a little before Tito, and that’s do what Dana says,” he said. “That’s pretty much what my strategy for the last five years of my life, and it’s worked out pretty good, so I’m gonna keep doing that.”

While Ortiz was disappointed with the outcome of Saturday, he had no doubts he would return, and hoped for a rematch with Griffin in January or February.

“Dana, my career is in your hands,” he said. “I’m 34, compared to Couture, who started his career at 34, I have a lot more fights in me. I want to fight. I want that title back.”

Source: MMA Weekly

11/24/09

Quote of the Day

"Your life is what your thoughts make it."

Marcus Aurelius

Fighters' Club TV Tonight!
Channel 52
8:00 PM!

If you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign up for a free account and start posting away!

Man-up and Stand-Up
Dec 4 Friday
Filcom Center Waipahu
Doors open at 6:00 pm

BE SURE YOU GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THIS SHOW BECAUSE THIS WILL BE ONE SHOW FULL OF BANGAS THAT LOVE TO SWING. ALIKA KUMUKOA VS JAMEN TABUYA WILL DEFINITELY BE A TOE TO TOE / BLOW FOR BLOW BATTLE. THESE GUYS PACK SOME MAJOR POWER. UNDEFEATED FIGHTERS WILL MEET IN THE SQUARE TO TRY AND STAY UNDEFEATED LIKE THE CALLAHAN VS LAQUISTA MATCH, ALSO THE MANUMA VS CHANTELLE MATCH. THESE FOUR FIGHTERS WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A FLAWLESS RECORD BUT ON DEC 4, ONE OF THESE FIGHTERS WILL MEET DEFEAT. GRUDGE MATCHES WILL ALSO TAKE PLACE ON THIS NIGHT BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE JUST DON’T KNOW HOW TO TAKE THINGS FOR WHAT IT IS. WHEN YOU’RE FROM HAWAII YOU’RE RAISED NOT TO SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE BUT WHEN YOU DO. IT LEAVES A BAD AFTER TASTE, SO I’VE BEEN TOLD (NAH). SECOND CHANCES ARE OFFERED HERE OR SHOULD WE SAY CHANGES. BE SURE TO CHECK IN NEXT WEEKEND ON THE FINAL UPDATED CARD.

DEC 4 2009 IS THE NIGHT MAN-UP & STAND-UP SHOWS ITS APPRECIATION TO ALL OF THE FIGHTERS THAT HAVE SUPPORTED THE EVENT AND HAS DONE WELL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR(S). THERE WILL BE TITLES FOR FIGHTERS WITH HEADGEAR (AMATEUR), FIGHTERS WITH NO HEADGEAR (SEMI PRO), ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, GRUDGE MATCHES ETC. THIS YEAR THERE WILL BE SOME MAJOR TALENT FIGHTING THEIR HEARTS OUT TO WALK HOME WITH A BELT. THE UNDERCARD WILL ALSO BE FEATURING MAJOR SKILLED FIGHTERS THAT WILL BE MAKING THEIR AIM ON ALL THE TITLES THAT WILL BE GIVEN OUT THAT NIGHT. MAN-UP & STAND-UP HAVE ALWAYS SHOWN ITS APPRECIATION AT THE END OF EVERY YEAR FOR ALL OF YOU FAITHFUL SUPPORTERS. AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO AS LONG AS WE’RE HERE. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS.

PETE SEFO SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT OTTO HOOPII

NATACIA MANUMA FEMALE HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE CHANTELLE OF ISLAND THUNDER

TAZZY WETLING FEMALE MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE VANNA OF TEAM SUBMIT

EMIL LAQUISTA AMATEUR WELTERWEIGHT TITLE JORDAN CALLAHAN

SOTA NAKANO TEENAGE SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE JACOBY SMITH

KALAI MCSHANE TEENAGE SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE ISRAEL ALVAREZ

ALIKA KUMUKOA SEMI PRO BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE JAMEN TABAYA

RED DAVIS SEMI PRO MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE FERDINAND RAMIREZ

NICK CORREA GRUDGE MATCH TITLE COLIN MACKENZIE

SHAWN BURROUGHS LIGHTWEIGHT ROOKIE OF THE YEAR JORDAN ANDUHA

SAI HOLBRON GRUDGE MATCH TITLE PHILLIP AKUI

KEO DEANE WELTERWEIGHT ROOKIE OF THE YEAR JASON “J ROC” ROCEMAR

JAN QUIMOYOG TITLE DEFENSE ALVIN BERTO

TONY PERRERA 155 SHAISON LAUPOLA

SPUDS TIGER 150 MACK

JUSTIN KAHALEWAI 130 KEOKI NEGRON

JESSICA TAVARES 120 CHEVY DECASTRO

MIKE ELI 185 JESSIE LINDLEY

RICKY PLUNKETT 145 MACK WASHINGTON

KAILIN CURRAN 115 JAZMINE CHUN

ROYAL KAUA (O2 Martial Arts Academy) 150 BLAKE VELLANEDA

JUSTIN DULAY (O2 Martial Arts Academy) 160 JUSTIN BURGESS

KOA LYU (O2 Martial Arts Academy) 150 NEIL DECANAY

CODY 165 JOE KAULULAAU

JOSEPH CARTER 135 BRANDON PAI

TAZ KAHALEWAI 60 KAENA DESANTOS

MIKE UEMOTO 135 RICHARD BERNARD

ALL MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Source: Derrick Bright

Fifteen years of fight in a historical edition

It’s 15 years of a lot of fight. On the anniversary of TATAME Magazine, who gets the gift is you, who loves Jiu-Jitsu and MMA and run to the newsstand every month to know everything that happens on the rings and mats around the world. To know how did Jiu-Jitsu became a fever and MMA became a phenomenon in a dozen of countries, TATAME Magazine prepared a special edition this month, with a retrospective of the facts and characters the marked the history of fights around the world.

UFC’s creation, making Vale-Tudo become MMA; Jiu-Jitsu organized, with world championships and idols; the cross training and the wrestlers age; Chute Boxe’s creation; the rivalry with Brazilian Top Team, the high moment of Pride and the fight between the teams; the revolution of the soft art on Arabic’s; the unattainable Fedor Emalianenko; the goodbye to the Masters Helio, Carlos and Carlson Gracie; the show with Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida...

Nothing is out of this historical edition, that also had the participation of the biggest names of MMA’s history. “I’m a fan of TATAME since the first editions. I got really excited when you published photos of me winning the Bahia Championship, still with the blue belt”, remember Rodrigo Minotauro, followed by Lyoto Machida. “What I like most in TATAME is that you show the fighters before the fame”, complements.

To Wanderlei Silva, Pride’s icon, TATAME marked his history. “It’s an honor to me to make part of this magazine’s history. It’s a pleasure that I had my first cover on TATAME”, said Wand, supported by the leader of his old team, Chute Boxe. “TATAME is the most important martial arts magazine in Brazil”, says Rudimar Fedrigo. One of the first men on Vale-Tudo, Royce Gracie, is also on our pages.

“TATAME, with some time, educated the audience that MMA is not a violent sport”, said Royce Gracie who showed the power of Jiu-Jitsu on UFC’s first editions. Following Royce’ steps and keeping the Brazilian hegemony on UFC, Anderson remember his beginning. “The story that marked me most was when I won Brazilian Killer, was the first time that I was on a cover. At the time my mom was still alive and got proud, it marked me a lot”, Anderson Silva.

Source: Tatame

Marlon Sandro eyes Sengoku title in NYE

Marlon Sandro doesn’t wanna relax. One week after the ight at Japan, knocking Yuji Hoshino out in the first round, the Nova União fighter was back to the gym, focusing to the return in the end of the year. In the exclusive interview with the fighter, Sandro talked about the victory and the possible fight or the title.

You just came from Japan with the victory, tell us, how was the fight in Japan?

Thanks God I could turn around, I trained a lot with the guys, I said that I wanted to knock out or to submit, Dedé had already ordered that and I’m trying to accomplish, and thanks God it was lucky.

Did your expectation was that the fight would end on the first round?

It was... We go thinking that three rounds thing, but we always want to finish the fight as soon as possible...

Before this fight you had a controversy defeat, what are you thinking for your future? Do you expect to come back this year?

I had this defeat on the first round, but it didn’t shake me, I’m prepared with that, we pass for it, we fall, stand up, and thanks God I could stand up again and they were talking about me fighting on December 31 and I said that I would accept, I asked there to fight for the title, and I hope it is for the title.

How do you think this fight would be?

I would definitely exchange with him, I would try the knock out, for sure. He’s a complete guy, he has a lose leg there, kicks well, but I would search the knockout again, for sure.

On this fight you thanked the audience in English, are you taking classes? How’s the English?

Thanks God, teacher Michel is helping us, Vale-Tudo guys, we have studentship, we take classes... I’ll get better. That’s for communicate with the audience and the managers and that’s very good, I could thank to the sponsorships and I asked for the title in English too.

You just got back from Japan, from a though fight, and he came back training hard with the guys here...

Thanks God I didn’t got hurt, then I came, the guys were needing some help, that’s what we do, always one helping each other.

Everybody has a schedule fight here, Thales too, how’s the expectation to Ultimate?

The expectations are the best, we were a little down for some time, but we stood up again. Thales Leites will be back with all the power too, to recover, Junior is training hard, well prepared to this fight and the expectations are the best, well trained, well prepared psychology, physically and technically.

Source: Tatame

UFC boss faces biggest promotional test

Dana White was supposed to spend this week promoting his Ultimate Fighting Championship 106 card at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. It was to star his biggest box office draw, heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Instead White flew Tuesday to Bismarck, N.D., showed up at the local hospital and found Lesnar, in heavy post-op sedation, while family and friends fretted about the future.

Lesnar had surgery to help solve a bacterial infection in his intestinal tract that helped cause the postponement of Saturday’s fight against Shane Carwin and left his long-term future in doubt.

“The family was worried big time, they were freaking out,” White, the UFC president, said Wednesday. “Brock was in big pain, he was hurting.

“We don’t know if he’ll ever fight again.”

White cautioned that things could still go either way. He could fight. He could not. No one knows at this point. Lesnar was resting Wednesday at his home in Alexandria, Minn. and was scheduled to visit the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. early next week for a battery of tests.

“He had a hole in his intestine,” White said. “The (stuff) was leaking into his stomach. That’s what was causing him so much pain. That and he had abscesses.

“The doctor told him he hasn’t been right for a year. His immune system has been trying to fight this thing and that’s why he was susceptible to getting sick.”

That likely explains Lesnar’s original diagnosis of mono. He had been weakened to the point that he was unable to train for the Carwin fight for much of October. That prompted the original delay in the fight. Then last week, the intestinal problem flamed up and Lesnar was hospitalized.

“We’ll find out more next week,” White said. “We’re going to send him to the Mayo Clinic for a couple of days. I don’t know what to say. It’s looking better now than last week, but what that means, I don’t know.”

White said no decision would be made on setting up an interim heavyweight championship until he knew how long Lesnar might be out.

For White, the Lesnar illness is just the latest bit of unfortunate news for his promotion. After a record-setting summer highlighted by a reported 1.6 million pay per view buys for UFC 100 on July 11, which Lesnar headlined, there’s been a rash of injuries, illnesses and bad luck.

Lesnar is just one of three champions who have been forced to sit out for an extended period. Middleweight Anderson Silva is recovering from elbow surgery but will fight in February and welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is still coming back from a groin injury.

In addition, light heavyweight draw Rampage Jackson bailed on a highly anticipated December fight with Rashad Evans to play “B.A. Baracus” in the “A-Team” remake. Jackson said he’s retired, although who knows how long that will last. Veteran heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is recovering from a staph infection. And popular former PRIDE champion Dan Henderson is unlikely to re-sign with the UFC, and could be heading for rival Strikeforce.

“This sounds crass but when you’re dealing with humans as your product, crap happens,” White said. “It’s no different in football or baseball. I always say, the only guarantee when my big toe hits the floor in the morning is that something bad is about to happen.”

White is rightfully hailed as a skilled fight promoter. He’s been the front man as the UFC has gone from bleeding millions to being worth an estimated $1 billion.

He’s in the midst of proving it like never before. There’s no better example than Saturday’s UFC 106, which had its Lesnar-Carwin main event postponed and then its other top fight, Tito Ortiz vs. Mark Coleman, get switched due to a Coleman injury.

Ortiz is now returning to the Octagon against Forrest Griffin, a rematch of a hotly contested 2006 match won by Ortiz on a split decision.

Likewise, headline fights were dropped from both December and January pay-per-view cards. And the current season of Spike TV’s the Ultimate Fighter, taped last summer, is promoting a fight between coaches (Evans and Jackson) that won’t happen any time soon.

“It’s about the fights, though,” White said. “The one thing no one can ever say is that we don’t deliver good fights. People always look at a card and say it’s not going to be any good. Then it ends up being the best card of the year. Just because Brock Lesnar is not in the main event doesn’t mean there won’t be great fights.

“If you’re a fight fan you want great fights. We deliver great fights.”

This all true, however there is no denying the impact of losing star fighters for extended periods. That’s especially the case with a crossover sensation like Lesnar.

White, however, points to the television ratings from last Saturday’s UFC 105, which was shown on basic cable’s Spike TV and performed better in the young men demographics than the Nov. 7 Strikeforce card on CBS.

Although the Strikeforce card, featuring its big heavyweight draw, Fedor Emelianenko, produced far greater overall numbers, White says he won the male 18-34 demo by 49 percent.

“And we had to go up against a big boxing match (Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto) and college football, which we also beat in the demo,” White said.

This is White at his best, somehow spinning one of the most challenging recent stretches for the company into a positive.

Long-term, the UFC will be fine. White will have Silva and St. Pierre return in 2010. He said Lyoto Machida will give a rematch for his light heavyweight belt to Mauricio Shogun Rua on May 1 in Montreal. Machida won a close decision last month in Los Angeles.

And with Brock Lesnar, who knows? If he does return, he’ll likely be more popular than ever.

“If he’s done what he’s done at less than 100 percent, then imagine how he’ll be if he is 100 percent,” White noted.

At this point, White said he was just pleased that the health scare doesn’t seem to be worsening and there’s hope that with proper treatment, Lesnar should be able to live a healthy life.

As for Lesnar’s future as a fighter, even for Dana White, that’s a secondary concern.

Source: Yahoo Sports

SAUNDERS AND GROVE DOMINATE PRELIMS AT UFC 106

It was a night of quick finishes during the preliminary fights at UFC 106 shown on Spike TV as Ben Saunders kneed his way to a devastating victory over Marcus Davis, while Kendall Grove submitted Jake Rosholt in the first round of their middleweight match-up.

Suffering the first loss in his UFC career in his last fight against Mike Swick apparently woke up a sleeping giant in Ben Saunders as he pummeled and punished Marcus Davis in their welterweight showdown on Saturday night. Saunders used his huge reach advantage to keep Davis at bay early, forcing the Maine native to look for a body clinch to even things up a bit.

Every time Saunders had the chance, he locked his hands behind Davis' head and worked for knees from the clinch. Davis did a good job defending early on, throwing uppercuts and overhand punches to try and keep Saunders from landing anything big. As the round wore on, Saunders persistence paid off as he locked on the Muay Thai clinch one more time and this time Davis couldn’t escape.

Two big knees coming straight up the middle landed flush on Davis' head, and the second sent the season 2 "Ultimate Fighter" alum crashing to the mat.

"I've been working my clinch a lot, I didn't get to show it to you all in the (Mike) Swick fight, I apologize for that. I knew I had to come out here tonight and represent and make up for that," Saunders commented about his knee strikes that brought an end to the fight.

Showing absolute respect for his opponent, Saunders had great things to say about Marcus Davis following the fight as he becomes the first man to finish the former pro boxer with strikes since moving into MMA.

"I'm on top of the world, this is great, this is the most amazing fight I've ever had," Saunders said in celebration following the win. "I respect Marcus more than any opponent I've ever had, he's got so much talent and experience, I just hope I can be in his situation in ten years."

A couple of solid early takedowns didn't help former NCAA wrestling champion, Jake Rosholt, who found himself on the bad end of a triangle choke from Kendall Grove, who gets back on the winning track at UFC 106. Rosholt opened up with a big slam on Grove, but the Hawaiian did a good job of defending and working his way back to the feet.

After getting a takedown of his own, Grove eventually ended on his back and actually gave up the mount to Rosholt. The former "Ultimate Fighter" quickly moved back to full guard and then baited his opponent with an omo plata, and then transitioning quickly to a triangle choke.

Almost as quickly as Grove could lock on the submission, Rosholt was tapping out. The fight moves Grove to 6-3 in the Octagon, while Rosholt drops to 1-2, suffering a loss after looking very impressive in his last fight in a win over Chris Leben.

Source: MMA Weekly

NOGUEIRA, SADOLLAH AND THIAGO WIN ON UFC UNDERCARD

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira made the most of his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, knocking out Luis Cane in the first round.

Nogueira displayed faster, more accurate hands, landing straight lefts that had Cane in full retreat mode. After dropping Cane with a punch, Nogueira followed him to the ground finishing him off with two more shots before referee Steve Mazzagatti called a halt to the action at the 1:56 mark of round one.

“I’ve been training man,” Nogueira commented after the bout. “I just showed how hard I train.”

“The Ultimate Fighter” season 7 winner, Amir Sadollah, ruined Phil Baroni’s return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship Octagon with a clear-cut unanimous decision win.

Baroni came out like he usually does in the opening moments of the fight, aggressive and throwing big punches. Sadollah weathered the early storm and gained control of the fight.

Sadollah landed leg kicks at will and delivered knees from inside the clinch on his way to victory. Baroni’s questionable gas tank became a factor as the fight entered the later rounds.

“It’s a pleasure just stepping in the ring with Baroni and fighting somebody as tough as that,” Sadollah said following the fight. “I like to throw kicks and I felt like it was one part of my game that I could work well.”

Paulo Thiago and Jacob Volkmann had a back and forth battle with Thiago getting the unanimous decision nod due to superior striking, dropping Volkmann on two different occasions.

On the ground, the two put on a display of technical grappling, transitioning from position to position each putting the other in dangerous positions.

Source: MMA Weekly

KOSCHECK SUBMITS JOHNSON, CALLS FOR TITLE SHOT

Beating yet another top ten level opponent, Josh Koscheck went back to his roots on Saturday night as he out wrestled and out grappled Anthony Johnson, and then submitted his former training partner with a rear naked choke in the 2nd round of their welterweight co-main event at UFC 106.

The wrestling between two wrestling champions went right out the window in the early going between Johnson and Koshcheck as both fighters decided to turn the fight into a kickboxing match instead. Koscheck clubbed Johnson early with a big right hand, while Johnson returned the favor with a series of kicks and great jabs.

With the fighters scrambling off the mat midway through the first, Johnson threw a knee that glanced Koscheck's head while he still had his knees on the mat. The fight was paused as Koscheck was given plenty of time to recover, although he favored his eye, which appeared to take no damage with the strike.

Koscheck finally used his grappling late in the first round as he took Johnson down and tried to move to take his back, but he persevered well and the round came to an end.

In the 2nd round, Koscheck landed some illegal blows of his own, albeit accidentally, as he poked Johnson in the eye twice in the early going. Johnson recovered, but quickly gave up a takedown to the former NCAA wrestling champion and struggled to defend from the bottom.

As Johnson tried his best to stay out of trouble, it was Koscheck's relentless ground that eventually brought an end to the fight. Using his superior grappling, Koscheck slipped around to the back, and locked on a rear naked choke, slipping his forearm underneath the chin of Anthony Johnson and the tap out quickly followed.

A huge win for Josh Koscheck that vaults him even higher in a very tough welterweight division, and after the fight the American Kickboxing Academy product was quick to call out a fighter he doesn't believe has earned a title shot just yet.

"I know there's somebody here that thinks he's the #1 contender, he "thinks" he's the #1 contender, and I think he hasn't fought anybody, and he's sitting right over there, his name's Dan Hardy," Koscheck shouted after the win. "He ain't fought nobody like me. Guaranteed, I'm the #1 freaking contender in this weight division. I'm fighting Georges St. Pierre in March, Dana White, you know it. February, I know they're looking for a card, Dan Hardy/Josh Koscheck sells, let him fight in the States first."

The fight between Hardy and St. Pierre seems set in stone, but with an impressive win over Anthony Johnson, Josh Koscheck puts himself in an enviable position for a future title shot.

Source: MMA Weekly

Minotouro: ‘I changed plans to win’
Rogerio finds his target on Banha two minutes into the fight. Photo by Josh Hedges
Fighter took best knockout of UFC 106 bonus

Rogerio Minotouro didn’t feel the weight of his Octagon debut at UFC 106, this Saturday, and managed a concussive win over Luiz “Banha” Cane, one of the revelations of the MMA’s new generation.

At the post-event press-conference, by Tito Ortiz’s side, Minotouro commented on the knockout.

“Before the fight I could see he had good boxing. I figured I would use Jiu-Jitsu techniques, but changed plans. I won by knockout and am happy,” said the Brazilian.

For the good performance, Rodrigo Minotauro’s twin brother doesn’t forget to thank his team.

“It’s my first time here and I felt a lot of pressure. Everyone knows what the UFC is, but I have a good team, good coaches, so I was really confident for this fight. They helped me a lot and I think that is why I fought well,” he said in finishing.

With the technical knockout, 1:56min into the fight, Minoto also secured the knockout of the night bonus, to the tune of US$ 70 thousand dollars.

Another to gain some extra financial padding was Josh Koscheck. His fight with Anthony Johnson was voted best of the night – oddly, as the fight was stopped several times for fingers in the eyes and illegal blows. Beyond that, the second round rear-naked choke earned him submission of the night – also odd, considering Kendall Grove’s first round triangle.

Thus, the bleached-blond with the attitude took home US$ 140 thousand more than he could have hoped for.

Source: Gracie Magazine

11/23/09

Quote of the Day

"We are not here merely to make a living. We are here to enrich the world."

Woodrow Wilson

X1 World Events Results
“Light’s Out”
Nov 21, 2009
Kekuaokalani Gym, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Main Card

185 - Chris Cisneros (Hawaiian MMA) def Kaleo Padilla (Kona BC) TKO r3

145 - Justin Mercado (MMAD) def Tyler Kahihikolo (Average Joes) unan dec r3

170 XMA - Kaeo Meyers (Kona BC) def Ronald Hayward (PFC) TKO (dr stop) 1:20 r2

170 - Dave Pakele (Average Joes) def Elijah Young (BJ Penn) unan dec r3

145 XMA - Spencer Higa (HIBC) def Peni Taufaao (Team Assassin) unan dec r3

Undercard (Amateur)

140 - Timothy Meeks (HIBC) def Keean De Sa (Freelance) TKO
HW - Chad Thomas (HIBC) def Austin Taufa (Kona BC) TKO (strikes) 1:30 r1
145 - Waylen Cerenio (HIBC) def Petey Vital (Demon MMA) unan dec r2
155 - Dylan Fillekes (Average Joes) def Elia Mundon (PFC) TKO (strikes) :57 r2
170 - Palema Amone (Average Joes) def Kapono Kuikahi (Hawaiian MMA) TKO (strikes) 2:35 r1
145 - Brensen Hansen (MMAD) def Daniel Friend (HIBC) unan dec r3
140 - Randee Soria (808FF) vs Levi Agcalon (HIBC) Draw r2
185 - Dayton Kalai (HIBC) vs Miles Paaiva (Freelance) Maj Draw r2
135 - Kuulei Ohia (MMAD) def Riquo Abadilla (HIBC) TKO r1
160 - Ryan Dela Cruz (808FF) def Malu Benedicto (PFC) armbar r1
150 - Lani Fauhiva (Average Joes) def Sharmaine Kahele (HIBC) TKO (corner stop) r1
170 - Liatama Amisone (HIBC) def Martin Medina (Kona BC) unan dec r2
140 - Treven Mukai (Hawaiian MMA) def Roy Higa (HIBC) maj dec r2
130 - Mark Gersaba (Average Joes) vs Keola Arakaki (HIBC) draw r2

145 KB - Carlos Garrido (Kona BC) def Jacob Kepa (HIBC) maj dec r3

120 - Sarah Kahele (HIBC) def Sivada Koulthasen (Team Submit) TKO (corner stop) r1

*all are MMA matches unless noted

Source: X-1 World Events

WOODLEY & VERA WIN AT STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS

KANSAS CITY, KS (November 21, 2009) – In an explosive performance, top welterweight (170 pounds) prospect Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley extended his perfect record to 5-0 by submitting battle tested Rudy Bears (13-6) with an arm triangle choke in the first round (2:52), live on SHOWTIME, Friday night in the main event of the STRIKEFORCE Challengers mixed martial arts (MMA) telecast from Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas.

Kerry Vera’s (2-0) Muay Thai skills led her to a brutal first round (3:35) TKO on Kim “Sugar Free” Couture (1-2) in the featured women’s 135 pound matchup.

Early in the first round, Bears, of Kansas City, Missouri was able to fight off the 27-year-old Woodley, a two-time All American wrestler for University of Missouri. But while the two were in the clinch Woodley scooped up and slammed Bears to the canvas.

Woodley quickly passed guard, and as Bears attempted to turn over, Woodley attempted an armbar. Bears escaped and brought the fight back to stand up position.

Shortly thereafter, Woodley secured a double leg takedown and passed Bears’ guard to gain side control before slapping on an arm triangle choke that forced Bears to tap out at the 2:52 mark of the opening round.

In the first round of the female bout, Couture ate several punches. While in the clinch against the fence her opponent unloaded two straight knee strikes to her Couture’s mid-section.

After Couture backed up, Vera swung away with her hands and connected with a flurry of lefts and rights, battering Couture until the referee jumped in and stopped the fight. Vera was declared the winner by way of TKO at the 3:35 mark of the first round.

Local star Bobby Voelker (21-7) turned the tides on Huntington Beach, California’s Erik “Bad” Apple (10-2), who came out of the gates swinging in the first round of their welterweight (170 pounds) matchup.

The remarkably resilient Voelker weathered an early storm, scrambling to his feet after Apple dropped him with an overhand right. After absorbing a one-two punch combination, Voelker fired back with his own hands that backed up Apple.

Voelker tripped Apple to the ground and attempted to finish Apple with a flurry of punches from inside Apple’s half guard before the closing bell sounded.

In the second stanza, a left hook from Voelker stunned his opponent. Apple attempted to counter, but was caught with another left to the chin.

Voelker took Apple down again. After Apple stood up, Voelker dropped him with a hard right hand. Voelker pounced on his downed opponent, unloading a series of right and left hands.

As Voelker continued to punish him and Apple turtled up, the referee stepped in and stopped the action at the 1:23 mark of the second round.

In his first appearance since suffering an upset defeat at the hands of Mike “Mak” Kyle, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (8-2) spent much of the first round of his matchup with Aaron Rosa (12-3) trying to control Rosa against the fence.

Cavalcante changed his tempo in the second round, taking Rosa down. The referee stood the fighters up, however, and issued Cavalcante a warning for striking his opponent with elbows to the head from inside Rosa’s guard. (Striking a down opponent to the head with elbows is illegal).

After the action resumed, Cavalcante lunged at Rosa and tagged him with a knee strike to the head that put Rosa on his back. Cavalcante quickly pounced on Rosa and hammered him with punches until the referee stopped the contest at the 3:25 mark of the second round.

“King” Kevin Casey (3-1) of Los Angeles, California made quick work of Iowa’s Chad Vance (7-4), taking Vance down in the early going of the first round. Vance gave up his back and Casey used the opportunity to unleash several punches before sinking in a rear naked choke from which Vance tapped out at the 1:41 mark of the first round.

Spencer Pratt, star of MTV’s smash hit reality series “The Hills,” was on hand to support Casey, his friend and business partner, from cageside.

Complete STRIKEFORCE Challengers Results:
Main Card:
Kevin Casey def. Chad Vance – Submission (rear naked choke) – 1st Round (1:41)
Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante def. Aaron Rosa – TKO (strikes) – 2nd Round (3:25)
Bobby Voelker def. Erik Apple – TKO (strikes) – 2nd Round (1:23)
Kerry Vera def. Kim Couture – TKO (strikes) – 1st Round (3:35)
Tyron Woodley def. Rudy Bears – Submission (arm triangle choke) – 1st Round (2:52)

Preliminary Card:
Lucas Lopes def. Dominic Brown – TKO (strikes) – 2nd Round (:45)
Mike Chandler def. Rich Bouphanouvong – TKO – 3rd Round (2:07)
Darryl Cobb def. Gary Tapasua – Split Decision (3 Rounds) (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Nick Nolte def. Andrew Waters – Submission (Triangle Choke) – 1st Round (3:45)
Brian Davidson def. Russel Patrick – TKO (strikes) – 1st Round (:29)
Lee Gibson def. Joe Wilk – TKO (strikes) – 1st Round (4:39)

Source: MMA Weekly

UFC 106: RESULTS/PLAY-BY-PLAY AND PICS

The Ultimate Fighting Championship heads back to its home base in Las Vegas for UFC 106 on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Making his own return, Tito Ortiz steps back in the Octagon a year and a half since his last fight to take on Forrest Griffin. The headline bout is a rematch from UFC 59, where Ortiz won a split decision.

MMAWeekly.com will be carrying live results of the full fight card. The preliminary bouts are scheduled to begin at approximately 4:45 p.m. PT / 7:45 p.m. ET. The main card is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET and is also available on pay-per-view. At least two preliminary bouts will air on Spike TV at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET.

Be sure to refresh you browser frequently for all the latest results, play-by-play and photos from the event...

UFC 106 PLAY-BY-PLAY:

-Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz

R1- Josh Rosenthal calls the action. They touch gloves and we’re off. Tito engages first with a combination, but it’s Forrest’s return that scores points. Forrest counters a punch with a leg kick. Tito goes high but misses. Tito scores with a right hand. Forrest returns with a slightly low kick, then Tito repays him with the same. Tito scores with a straight right. Tito shoots from the open and gets an easy takedown. Like three years never passed, Tito is on top with elbows and punches to the body. Forrest goes for a kiumura and pulls Tito off him, forcing Ortiz to shoot again for a takedown. Again, Forrest threatens with a kimura, but gives it up and the two are locked against the fence. From the over-under the two trade knees. Tito attempts a wizard then throws Forrest off. Forrest scores with one-two. Forrest with a leg kick. Forrest scores with a combination. Tito jats a heavy jab, then a follow up one-two. Tito shoots but gets only leg. Griffin gives him a leg kick for his trouble, then a jab. Tito with a high kick that’s mostly blocked. Forrest with a front kick. The two clash but nothing doing. They clinch and move to the cage. Tito slaps at Forrest’s ears as the round comes to an end.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Griffin.

R2- They clash and trade punches. Forrest stumbles off a combination. He throws a leg kick and gets planted on the mat, where right elbows start coming fast. The Tito of old. However, Griffin is controlling Ortiz’s hand better and is tying up the action, using his legs to control Tito’s posture. And slowly but surely, Griffin works his way back to his feet, prompting screams from the audience. Griffin lands a counter fight hand. Griffin attempts superman prompting a failed shot. Griffin with a front kick that sends Ortiz’s mouthpiece flying. Short stoppage to clean out mouthpiece. Griffin tees off with a combination of punches. Ortiz shoots in and gets the takedown. Griffin tries to buck him off with his legs, but Ortiz comes to rest in half guard. Ortiz having far more difficultly posturing up for elbows, and the ones he lands don’t have a lot of steam on them. Ortiz with a nice left elbow from guard. Griffin’s right eye is cut. Ortiz smells guar, but Griffin sweeps him to the screams of the audience. In an instant, Ortiz is eating short grinding left elbows and punches as the round ends.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Ortiz.

R3- They trade but nothing lands clean for either. Griffin attempting to work his combos. He makes Tito eat a right hand, then attacks the legs. Tito with a jab. Tito blocks a high kick. Forrrest with a one-two. Tito with a jab. Griffin lands a punch of a combination. Right hand from Griffin cracks Tito, then nice right hand and leg kick. Tito’s pace has slowed measurably. Griffin leg kicks and Tito goes for the shot, but this time, Griffin is ready and stuffs it. In the open, Griffin is putting together combinations and scoring far more frequently, particularly with leg kicks. Griffin with a nice body shot. Griffin gets through Tito’s defense with several hooks. A Griffin right hand rocks Tito. Ortiz is taking the shots, but he’s offering little offense in counter to Griffin. Straight right down the pipe for Griffin. Battling practice for the TUF winner. Ortiz offers a feeble shot, but he’s running on empty. He appears to be just trying to make it to the bell. Griffin’s combinations are finding their way through. Griffin and Ortiz swing away one last time as the bell sounds.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 Griffin.

One judge gives Tito the fight with a 29-28 margin, while two judges give Griffin the fight with 30-27, 29-28.

-Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson

R1- Yamasaki calls the action. Johnson with a legkick, Kos repays. Kos puches in, and a shot lands, with Johnson checking himself like something strange happened. Kos follows with a leg kick. Johnson with a leg kick. Johnson with a high kick that gets blocked. Kos wings a right hand. Kos gets off a right hand counter in an exchange, but Johnson tags him with a serious jab. Then another jab for Johnson. Johnson with an inside leg kick. Kos with a jab. Johnson with a hard inside leg kick. Johnson hits Kos with a big right hand, but misses with a high kick. Johnson backs him into the cage but can’t land the kill shot. Kos goes for takedown and lift-slam, but Johnson is too heavy. Action stalls with Kos in front headlock position. Johnson throws an illegal knee as he stands. Koscheck’s face registers shock, then he drops to his back. Kos is clutching his eye and wobbling. Upon replay, it looks distinctly like the knee bounced off his forearm. The cageside doctor checks Koscheck out. A point is taken from Johnson. The doctor and Yamasaki are having a conversation. The bout is going to go on. Kos comes in with two hooks. Johnson with left high kick that gets blocked. Kos catches Johnson with a glancing right hand. Joson repays with a leg kick. Kos shoots for a takedown but the cage stops it. Kos wrestles Johnson to the mat and gets his back in the scramble, but Johnson has hand control. Kos trying to put his hooks in. Kos with a nice knee to the body. Kos sits back and almost sinks in the choke, but Johnson scrambles and nearly takes Kos down as the bell rings.

MMAWeekly scores the round 9-9.

R2- Johnson with a jab. Another jab. He mixes it up with a leg kick. Johnson catches a finger to the eye as he closes distance, but the action is restarted quickly. Kos misses with big right hand, and catches Johnson with a kick to the body. Kos scores with another combination that has Johnson rocked, but again, a punch grazes his eye, and the action is stopped. No deduction has been taken. Upon restart, Johnson and Kos get into a fireight, with Johbson landeing two glancing blows before Kos ducks under and takes him down. Kos postures up and lands an elbow from up top. He’s working short grinding elbows, and scoring. Johnson can’t seem to get Koscheck off him. Kos landing more right elbows. Johnson trying to tie the action up. Johnson turns to his side and Kos angles for mount. Johnson has almost given up his back. Koscheck gets his arm under Johnson’s neck and cinches in choke, forcing Johnson to tap out at 4:42.

-Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann

R1- Referee Steve Mazzagatti calls the action. Soutpaw Volkmann charges in with combo, but is rebuffed. Thiago stalking in with his right hand cocked. Thiago goes high with a kick, but gets hand. Thiago and Volkmann exchange short punches in a tie-up before clinching against the cage. Volkmann works punches and knees. In a flash, Thiago has him down in side guard. Volkmann works his way back up and reverses against the cage, holding a wizard in place. Thiago gets a trip takedown and quickly gets mount, prompting a scramble from Volkmann to scoot his back up against the cage. Thiago working to flatten the Minnesota MMA pupil, but ends up in guard. Thiago stands out of it after guard opens. Thiago lands a leg kick and narrowly avoids getting taken down before coming to rest in clinch against the cage. They trade knees before Volkmann breaks off. Thiago rocks Voklman with a hook and uppercut and lands another combination at the bell that drops Volkmann. When he stands, he’s not in good shape. Doctors are checking on him.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Thiago.

R2- There’s a sense that it’s a matter of time for Volkmann when the two are standing. Whenever they exchange, Thiago’s punches land hard and rock Volkmann. But he isn’t out of it yet: he manages to take Thiago down and works his punches at Thiago’s back as Thiago tries to right himself. Thiago escapes eventually, and they’re back in the clinch. They trade knees. Mazzagatti calls for action. Thiago lands a nice knee in the clinch. Volkmann breaks off and lands a kick to the body that has Thiago shooting. Volkmann sprawls and takes Thiago’s back, before briefly getting mount. The two roll end over end until Thiago pulls out and stands over, coming down with a big punch. Volkmann works to tie Thiago’s hands up. Thiago stands overhead when the guard opens and comes down with another big punch, but it merely glances. He works from side guard as round comes to an end.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Thiago.

R3- Volkmann gets tagged with a right. The two trade punches careening across the cage and Volkmann gets the worse of it, catching a punch that sends him to the mat. Thiago follows him down and seizes upon a head and arm choke before Volkmann reverses and forces the Brazilian to drive for a takedown. No dice though, the two stalemate again and return to their feet. Volkmann shoots from the open and misses miserably. Thiago stands overhead and walks straight into a takedown as he lurches forward. One thing seems clear: Thiago is exhausted and can’t finish Volkmann, who wrestles out of bad positions over and over again. This time, he locks Thiago in a crucifix and rains down punishment. Thiago escapes and Volkmann takes his back. He can’t hold the position, the two grapple fruitlessly for position. Somehow, Volkmann cinches a D’Arce choke in transition. It looks bad for the Brazilian, but he muscles his way out and gets side control, where he lands a few elbows until the bell rings.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Volkmann.

Judges score the bout 29-28, 30-27, 30-27 for Paulo Thiago

-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Luis Cane

R1- Steve Mazzagatti calls the action. Th southpaws meet in the center of the cage. Cane slowly inching in. Cane with a leg kick. Then another. Short right lands for Lil Nog. Lil Nog with an inside leg kick. Cane cutting off the cage, scores with left hand. Lil Nog counters with left hand and one-two. Lil Nog with a stiff jab. Lil Nog’s next one two rocks Cane. Cane runs away on wobbly legs. Lil’ Nog pursues, pouring the punches on, one combination after the other, as Cane desperately tries to re-set. Lil' Nog sets up for a plumb but misses and follows with a left that drops Cane solidly, prompting Mazzagatti to step in at 1:56.

Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah

R1- Yves Lavigne calls the action. Baroni comes straight in and brutalizes Amir’s torso with body shots as Amir attempts to lock in a plumb and fire back with knees. The two lock up against the cage, where Baroni catches Amir with a couple of uppercuts while fighting off knees coming straight up the pipe. Amir with nice leg kick. Amir with a nice jab, but catches a punch for his effort. Another plumb and knees from the clinch. Baroni does likewise and lands a knee and punch in close. Action as stalled. Frenzied first exchange; the two might hve blown their wads early. A battle in the plumb. Baroni really working hard to negate Amir’s clinch with punches, but the knees he’s taking are taking the wind right out of him. He grabs a takedown and stands over Amir at the cage’s edge, firing down punches. Amir wall walks for an armbar, but Baroni keep his hips square and stands out of it. He stands over and lets Amir gets up, then tries to punch the TUF winner into oblivion. Amir looks to have the better cardio though, and is persistent with his knees. Amir locks in a clinch and lands a glancing punch before hinting at a takedown. Amir lands a couple of knees from the plumb against the cage, prompting Baroni to grab a leg. The NYBA can’t finish the takedown against the cage and eats more knees inside the clinch to end the round.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Amir Sadollah

R2- Baroni counters leg kick with punch. Amir chases Baroni bakwards with punches and kicks, but Baroni slips a nice punch in. Baroni hits Amir with a hook and the two tie up. More shots land inside for Baroni. Amir with a nice front kick. The two clinch against the cage again. This fight is going to come down to cardio, and it appears Amir has the better. Baroni counters another kick with a body shot, but the two are wrapped up again. Braoni’s face is bleeding badly. Amir is throwing nasty elbows from the clinch that have sliced Baroni up. Baroni scores a few shots as Amir breaks off, but he stays stagnant, inviting Amir to come in with a flurry of punches and knees. Amir is having batting practice on Baroni’s face and body, and Baroni is waiting for that big shot. Baroni breaks off finally, but can’t score. Amir leaps after him with a flying knee to the body and the two are locked in the clinch again. More knees; this is a war of attrition. Amir with a huge left elbow inside the clinch. Both men are bloodied and swinging for the fences. Amir’s leg kicks are met with punches, but they’re glancing, and they’re not deterring him. Nor are the punches that come from Baroni in the clinch.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Amir Sadollah

R3- Amir leads with leg kick. Baroni is trying to time his punches accordingly, but he’s eating kicks in the process. A huge punch lands for Baroni, but Amir just keeps coming. The two eat punches simulataously. Baroni is swinging wildly and taking well timed shots to the legs. Both men have sustained a tremendous amount of punishment. Amir with a Superman punch. Amir lands a punch-kick-elbow combination but gets a smile from Baroni. The two wrestle in the clinch and exchange knees. It’s the same story: leg kicks from Amir met by glancing punches from Baroni. Amir going to town with front kicks and swinging, chopping leg kicks. Baroni just keeps coming though: he’s taken so many punches, but he’s not stopping. A punch has opened a river of blood on Baroni's forehead. Amir is moving in for the kill, punches and elbows and knees are coing fast and furious, but somehow, Baroni is still standing upright. A head kick lands for Amir. Baroni is still swinging back. Amir trying to take off Baroni’s head with kicks, then coming in with slicing elbows. What’s keeping the NYBA up is hard to imagine. He will not quit, even after taking kick after kick after kick after elbow until the bell rings. He is the Jake LaMotta of MMA.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Amir Sadollah

Judges score the bout 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Sadollah.

Ben Saunders vs. Marcus Davis

R1- Josh Rosenthal calls the action. Two southpaws...Saunders leads with a high kick and Davis misses a jab in counter. Davis closes and gets tied in a plumb, but Davis presses them into the cage and the two work knees. Davis breaks off and returns with punches. Again, it’s Ben’s knees versus Davis’ punches, and Davis is the one grabbing for a leg and a trip takedown. Saunders takes potshots at the knees. Davis tries to keep a body lock and muscle Saunders down, but it looks like Saunders has the strength advantage in the clinch. Davis breaks off and takes several knees in a subsequent clinch. Davis with a leg kick. A Davis combo is derailed by Saunders’ jab, and Davis’ counter is met with a clinch against the cage. Saunders again working the plumb, but segues to a pummel and then breaks off. Saunders jab is giving Daivis a lot of trouble. Saunders locks in the plumb again and lands a knee that puts Davis out cold, the first time in his MMA career that he’s been out cold. A few more punches are an afterthought as Rosenthal waves off the bout at 3:24 of the first.

-Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt

R1- Yamasaki calls the action. Grove paws in with jabs, and Rosholt does likewise. Rosholt jabs in and goes for a double slamming Kendall on the mat. He drags Kendall around the mat at his back and slams him down again when he attempts to right himself. Grove looking to control Rosholt’s arms, but with Rosholt hanging over him, it’s like the wrestler is hanging off him. Grove escapes and clinches up with Rosholt before landing his own takedown. Grove hoists himself up and throw an elbow. Rosholt has little trouble getting back to his feet, where he lands a left hook and what looks like an illegal knee downstairs before grabbing a takedown in the subsequent scramble. Rosholt works from half guard and passes to mount. Grove gives up his back and Rosholt transitions to an arm triangle choke….but Grove still has his legs around Rosholt’s torso and fakes an armbar before transitioning to a triangle choke that has Rosholt tapping quick. Great reversal and key win for Grove. The official time is 3:59.

Brian Foster vs. Brock Larson

R1- Yves Lavigne calls the action. Southpaw Larson keeps a low stance as both men circle around each other. Larson lands the first punch as the two rumble around the cage in a semi-clinch, but he takes a shot against the cage. In the next collision, Brock goes for a guillotine, then catches a leg. Foster catches him with a good punch from there, but Larson hoists him up and slams him anyways. Foster scrambles forward, but Larson stays at his back as the two stand against the cage. Larson has Foster’s torso secured, but Foster has a leg and uses it to reverse Larson. Foster lands overhead and lands a nice punch from up top. Larson pitches forward but meets a flurry of punches which appear to stun him. Larson tries to lock up the action, then goes for Foster's arm, but Foster pours on the punches. Foster stands overhead and contends with Larson’s flailing legs. Larson kicks Foster off him and as Foster gets up, Larson throws an illegal kick that hits Foster in the eye. Lavigne stops the action and has the doctor look at the damage. After a break, Lavinge deducts a point and restarts the action with the doctor’s okay. Larson storms in with a punch an lands a glancing blow but Foster tosses him off as the two lock up. Larson grabs a guillotine and knees Foster in the head with Foster’s left arm still plastered to the mat. Lavigne stops the action once again and deducts another point. Seconds after the restart, the bell rings, prompting boos from the audience.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-7 for Foster.

R2- Foster leads with a kick. Foster closes distance slowly and narrowly misses with a combination. Larson’s head is straight up when he advances, and pays for it with two solid punches as he attempts to lock Foster up. A lightning fast counter right scores for Foster. Foster with a leg kick. Foster loose and limber, trying to get Larson to look at his right hand, then feinting with left jabs. Larson comes in with hesitant leg kick and nearly gets his head taken off with a punch. Larson gets hurt with a spinning back kick and a hard punch that causes him to retreat. Foster slams him down onto the mat, punching out, and Larson turtles up before finding guard. Foster stands out of it and stalks his prey down. Foster catches Larson with an uppercut as Larson ducks in and plasters him with more punches until Larson taps out as Lavigne is stepping in to save him. Foster does a backflip in the center of the cage to punctuate his dominance. The official time is 3:25.

-Caol Uno vs. Fabricio Camoes

R1- Mario Yamasaki calls the action. Southpaw Uno leads with a leg kick. Camoes goes high with a kick, but the slap is more 'ahhh' than substance. Uno working to cut Camoes off in the cage. Camoes catches a leg kick and takes Uno down, and Uno pitches forward to front headlock position before righting himself. Camoes comes in with a flurry, but nothing big lands. Uno’s counterattack opens up another takedown for Camoes, who works to pass guard. Camoes stands overhead pensively, and leaps down on Uno. Uno’s too experienced for that, and pops right up. Camoes presses and the two end a sloppy exchange on the ground, where Camoes hops onto Uno’s back. At once, Uno is fighting for his life, and after slowly working arm in, Uno escapes from defeat and pops up. Uno with a leg kick, then another to stop Camoes advance. Uno making a fabit of attacking legs. Camoes attempts to lock up clinch, but Uno pitches forward and mounts briefly against the cage. The two wrestle for position and Uno eventually takes guard, working to punish Camoes with punches. A few shots score, but Camoes ties up. Camoes is working for an armbar as bell sounds.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Camoes.

R2- Uno again attacking the legs. Camoes chases him back with a flurry of punches. A nice right hand lands for Camoes, and after the two lock up, he wheels to Uno’s back and slams him down. Uno pops up and finds his way to Camoes’ guard. Uno postures up to throw punches and Yamasaki stops the action to deduct a point for an apparent illegal upkick from Camoes. After restart, Camoes cage-walks for an armbar and locks it in, but Uno’s elbow isn’t locked. Camoes taking shots every time Uno postures up. Camoes rolls his way over and rights himself. He catches Uno with several hard hooks in the open and takes Uno down off a body lock. Camoes scrambles to Uno’s back, but without hooks, Uno simply reverses and takes the Brazilian’s guard. Uno with a couple of short elbows. Uno can’t get much done with guard, and cameos eventually reverses and again unloads with punches and a knee from the clinch as round two ends.

MMAWeekly scores the round 9-9.

R3- Both men looking a little winded, but Uno keeps busy with a leg kick and rand hand. When he advances too far though, Camoes lets him have it with punches inside. Uno gets tagged several times, missing a spinning backfist, and shoots for the first time on the Brazilian. The two lock up and work a clinch game against the cage, where Camoes lands a glancing elbow. They break off, and Uno slips on a kick and nearly eats a big hook. Uno with kick to the body as he rights himself. Camoes returns with a double hook combo and a knee. Uno grabs a leg and gets the takedown. Uno works to pass Camoes’ guard, but can’t get around the Brazilian’s legs. Uno pops up and lands a couple of punches, prompting Camoes to grab Uno’s right leg in what looks to be a scissor lock attempt. Uno passes guard and ends up at Camoes’ back, but Camoes has an arm and nearly rolls into a kimura. When he does, though, he ends up mounted briefly. Camoes bucks and Uno stays at his back, landing a few good punches in transition as the round and fight come to an end.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 Uno.

The judges score the bout 29-27, 28-28, and 28-28 for a Majority Draw.

-George Sotiropoulos vs. Jason Dent

R1 – Yves Lavigne calls the action. George paws in with a shot to the body, then goes high with a kick, prompting a smile from Jason. Tentative strikes from both men. Dent hits George with a couple of nice punches as George gets a Muay Thai clinch. Dent breaks free and scores with a counter hook combo, but George is undeterred. Dent scores another counter combo, but George fires back with a kick. Jason scores with a nice jab to the body. They’re both searching for something, but suddenly, George nails a nice double leg and instantly passes to half guard. Dent works to control George’s legs but George stand up and passes to side control. Dent is floundering on his side and George controls his body. George attempts to mount and drops a nice elbow on Dent in transition. George gets mount and begins pounding Dent out. Dent turns to his side. It appears just a matter of time now. George hurls down a couple of nice elbows and punches and bases out when Dent tries to buck. George pounds away to the bell.

MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 Sotiropoulos.

R2- George lands a leaping one-two, then follows with another combo that scores. Dent fires back with a combo and baits George. George’s punch count is higher, but on the feet, it appears Dent’s strikes are landing cleaner. Dent lands a kick to the body but gets taken down quick, where again, George easily passes to half guard. Jason escapes out the side door but George grabs him and takes his back. Jason gets to his back and tries to fend off another mount attempt. George passes to north-south and bides his time with punches to Dent’s belly. George throws elbows and gives Dent enough room to scramble to his feet. Dent immediately grabs an arm and hints at a kimura, but George powers him down and gets mount. George pounds away with punches and elbows. As Dent scrambles, George grabs his right arm and works to finish an armbar. Dent does not want to give up his arm, but after George isolates it, it’s over. Official time is 4:36.

UFC 106 QUICK RESULTS:

Main Bouts (On Pay-Per-View):
-Forrest Griffin defeats Tito Ortiz by split decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
-Josh Koscheck def. Anthony Johnson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:42, R2
-Paulo Thiago def. Jacob Volkmann by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Luis Cane by TKO (Strikes) at 1:56, R1
-Amir Sadollah def. Phil Baroni by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Preliminary Bouts (On Spike TV):
-Ben Saunders def. Marcus Davis by KO (Knee) at 3:24, R1
-Kendall Grove def. Jake Rosholt by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 3:59, R1

Preliminary Bouts (Non-Televised):
-Brian Foster def. Brock Larson by TKO (Strikes) at 3:25, R2
-Caol Uno vs. Fabricio Camoes ruled Majority Draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
-George Sotiropoulos def. ason Dent by Submission (Armbar) at 4:36, R1

Source: MMA Weekly

Griffin, Ortiz deliver for UFC

LAS VEGAS – With a slew of injuries, illnesses and defections thinning the ranks, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and its president, Dana White, have had a more difficult time fielding a quality lineup than the Cleveland Browns.

As awful as the Browns are, that’s saying a lot.

But with heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (perforated intestine), light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida (broken hand), middleweight champion Anderson Silva (right elbow surgery) and welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre (torn abductor muscle) on the shelf with injuries, White didn’t need to know that a month ago, Tito Ortiz suffered bulging disks in his neck when he was dumped on his head in practice in Big Bear, Calif. And he certainly had no interest in hearing that Forrest Griffin broke his right foot while kicking in a practice three weeks ago in Las Vegas.

Still, Griffin and Ortiz went on and put on a show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in a UFC 106 fight card that lacked the big-time star power a heavyweight title fight between Lesnar and Shane Carwin would have provided. Nonetheless, the card was still filled with action from top to bottom.

But it wouldn’t be a UFC fight card if there wasn’t a scoring controversy, and much of Saturday’s post-fight news conference was devoted to the verdict that judges Lester Griffin and Marcos Rosales ruled in favor of Griffin.

Lester Griffin, no relation to Forrest, scored the bout 30-27 for Griffin, the winner of Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Rosales had it 29-28 for Griffin, the same as Yahoo! Sports, while judge Glenn Trowbridge had it 29-28 for Ortiz.

But this fight should not remembered for a scoring controversy, but rather for the character, courage and determination of two former champions who both had demons to overcome and who nonetheless went out and sacrificed their bodies and put their hearts on the line.

Griffin was coming off a first-round knockout loss to Anderson Silva in which he was dropped with a jab. He sprinted out of the ring without a word after the fight and rarely spoke to the media in the three months afterward.

Ortiz had for several years gone through a bitter – and very public – feud with White, his one-time manager. After his contract expired last year following a loss to Machida at UFC 84, Ortiz underwent spinal fusion surgery that was potentially career-ending.

He wanted to take a tune-up fight to ease himself back into action and was supposed to be the co-main event on Saturday in a bout against Mark Coleman, with the heavyweight championship fight between Lesnar and Carwin set to headline.

But Coleman tore knee ligaments and pulled out and then Lesnar became ill and had to withdraw. White not only needed an opponent for Ortiz, but a new main event. He called Griffin, who literally was on his honeymoon, and asked him if he’d take the fight.

“I cut the honeymoon short and started to train,” Griffin said.

Ortiz was excited to accept the fight with Griffin, whom he defeated via split decision at UFC 59 in 2006. In retrospect, it might not have been such a wise move. Ortiz, though, is convinced that despite the loss, he’ll be able to return to the elite level he once had when he ruled the 205-pound division for three years.

“I’ll be there (on top) again,” Ortiz said. “For me coming back, this was supposed to be a warm-up fight. Me and Dana talked about it being a warm-up fight, but Forrest is no warm-up fight, being ranked fifth in the world. I might have bitten off a little too much, but I still thought I won the fight. “I’m far from being over. You don’t understand. I’m 34 years old. I just want to get back in the gym after having that long layoff like that. I think I might have overstepped my boundaries by coming back too quick. After back surgery, back (to training) after only one year, I want to see another athlete do what I do after one year of having two-level fusion. I think I’ve broken some records.”

Neither man was as good as he was when he was at his peak, but much has happened since their halcyon days.

Ortiz nearly broke down in tears, his voice quivering and filled with emotion, as he talked about what the fight meant to him.

He later lobbied White to name himself and Griffin as coaches for Season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which will begin filming in January, to set up the rubber match between them. White was noncommittal, but Griffin said he’d do it if he were asked.

“Me and Tito kind of have the same strategy, though I got on board a little before Tito, which is to do what Dana says,” Griffin deadpanned, eliciting laughter from the media and an impish grin from White. “That’s what is best for us. That’s been my strategy pretty much for the last five years of my life, and it’s working pretty good. I’m going to continue to do that.”

Listening to White has helped Griffin become one of the sport’s biggest stars. His star was dimmed considerably by the loss to Silva – and by his reaction to it. On Saturday, however, he came back and fought a typically tenacious Griffin type of fight.

Despite the foot injury, he willingly kicked Ortiz, who tried to claim at the press conference that he checked most of them. He was always in Ortiz’s face, throwing punches, and he battled hard even when he was dumped on his back and eating elbows.

“I broke my foot, all right?” Griffin said, jokingly. “I had a broken foot and I was still kicking with a broken foot. I want some props for that.”

They both deserved props for fighting despite their injuries. Ortiz came back from the spinal fusion surgery much more quickly than anticipated and fought despite bulging disks in his neck.

His doctor advised him not to fight. Ortiz couldn’t box after that and could only do light conditioning work, which was probably why he was so out of gas by the third round.

“I thought his shots were actually pretty good, at least until he ran out of gas,” said Chuck Liddell, Ortiz’s long-time rival. “You have to have that conditioning and he didn’t have it. But his shot looked good early and he took Forrest down pretty easily.”

Ortiz did little in the third round because his conditioning betrayed him, and that was enough to give Griffin the win. All three judges gave Griffin the third round and two of the three (Lester Griffin and Rosales) gave him the second.

This, though, was one of those fights where the outcome didn’t really matter. When you see an athlete willing to sacrifice his body completely for the cause, the outcome is often irrelevant.

The history books will show that on Nov. 21, 2009, Griffin won and Ortiz lost. But to most of the 10,529 fans, as well as the many others who saw it on TV, both men left the cage as winners on Saturday.

And in a spell in which injuries and other problems in the UFC are the worst they’ve ever been, White came out a winner, too.

He left Saturday knowing he can still count on Griffin and Ortiz to be top-of-the-bill stars.

Source: Yahoo Sports

CHRIS LYTLE VS. DONG HYUN KIM AT UFC 110

Welterweights Chris Lytle and Dong Hyun Kim will meet down under at UFC 110, MMAWeekly has confirmed with sources close to the bout. AOL Fanhouse first reported the news Friday.

UFC 110 is expected to take place Feb. 23 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, though the promotion has yet to officially announce the event.

For Lytle (49-17-5), it's his first fight back since a blown ACL forced him to withdraw from a bout with Carlos Condit at UFC FIght Night 19 in September.

Kim (14-0-1) has been inactive since July, when he earned a unanimous decision victory over T.J. Grant at UFC 100. The victory put the Korean fighter back on the winning track after a decision loss to Karo Parisyan at UFC 94 (the loss was later changed to a no contest when Parisyan tested positive for painkillers).

Lytle has met mixed success since his turn on the fourth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," going 5-5 in the Octagon. The 35 year-old Indiana still holds a full-time position as a firefighter in Indianapolis.

The bout's position on the card is unknown at this time.

Source: MMA Weekly

Rafael Feijao wins by knockout
Mrs. Vera gets revenge for her family and dethrones Kim Couture

Broadcast from Kansas live on CBS, Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs Bears was the stage for the latest chapter of the Couture-Vera family feud, as Kerry Vera exacted revenge for the decision her husband lost last weekend with a second-round TKO of Kim Couture, whose husband took that contentious decision.

Also featured were two Brazilian second-round TKOs, from Rafael “Feijao” and Lucas Lopes, and a first-round arm triangle from Tyron Woodley over Rudy Bears, in the evening’s main event.

Strikeforce Challengers
Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas
November 20, 2009

Lucas Lopes defeated Dominic Brown by TKO in R2
Mike Chandler defeated Richard Bouphanouvong by TKO in R2
Darryl Cobb defeated Gary Tapasua by unanimous decision
Nick Nolte submitted Andy Waters via triangle in R1
Brian Davidson defeated Russell Patrick by TKO in R1
Kevin Casey submitted Chad Vance by rear-naked choke in R1
Rafael “Feijão” defeated Aaron Rosa by TKO in R2
Bobby Voelker defeated Erik Apple by TKO in R2
Kerry Vera defeated Kim “Sugar Free” Couture by TKO in R2
Tyron Woodley defeated Rudy Bears by arm triangle in R1

Source: Gracie Magazine

Bitetti Combat: Rizzo vs Overeem
Rizzo vs Monson at last Bitetti Combat, in photo by Gabriel Menezes
Dec 12 event defines card

Bitetti Combat organizer Amaury Bitetti announced this Saturday, in his column for the sports journal “Campeao!”, the card for the upcoming Dec-12 event, to take place in Barueri, Sao Paulo.

Besides the return of some of last events stars, like Pedro Rizzo and Murilo Ninja, the event also brings in some international fighters. Besides Jeff Monson’s return to Bitetti Combat, Holland’s Valentijn Overeem, brother of Alistair, is confirmed. The experienced Dutchman, who even faced Minotauro in the days of old, has wins over Randy Couture and Renato Babalu.

Other international beasts to do battle in Bitetti’s cage are Travis Wiuff, who has 57 wins on his record; Tommy Speer, who gained notoriety on the The Ultimate Fighter reality show; and Golden Glory’s Jason Jones.

“We have yet to confirm a female fight, which would be a first. Another matchup may also appear,” comments Amaury.

“We would like to once again thank Roberto Dinamite and Rio de Janeiro governor Sergio Cabral for their help. Nor can we forget Barueri mayor Rubens Furlan and secretary of sports Jose Calili,” says promoter Fernando Miranda.

Check out the card as it stands:

Pedro Rizzo vs Valentijn Overeem (Holland)
Murilo “Ninja” vs Jason Jones (Holland)
Fabio Maldonado vs Travis Wiuff (USA)
Gustavo Ximu vs Ricco Washington (USA)
Glover Teixeira vs Jeff Monson (USA)
Eduardo Pamplona vs Tommy Speer (USA)
Alessandro “Alemao” Steffen vs Francimar “Bodao”

Source: Gracie Magazine

11/22/09

Quote of the Day

"The man who can make hard things easy is the educator."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 Results

We have live UFC 106 results from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. In the co-headliners, Tito Ortiz takes Forrest Griffin and Josh Koscheck faces Anthony Johnson.

Pay-Per-View
Forrest Griffin def. Tito Ortiz via split decision
Josh Koscheck def. Anthony Johnson via submission (RNC) - R2, 4:47
Paulo Thiago def. Jacob Volkmann via unanimous decision
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Luiz Cane via TKO - R1, 1:56
Amir Sadollah def. Phil Baroni via unanimous decision

Undercard
Ben Saunders def. Marcus Davis via TKO (knees) - R1, 3:24
Kendall Grove def. Jake Rosholt via submission (triangle choke) - R1, 3:59
Brian Foster def. Brock Larson via TKO (punches) - R2, 3:25
Fabricio Camoes vs. Caol Uno ended in a majority draw
George Sotiropoulos def. Jason Dent via submission (armbar) - R2, 4:36

Source: MMA Fighting

MMA Top 10 LWs: B.J. Penn by Far the Best
by Michael David Smith

The lightweight division in mixed martial arts consists of B.J. Penn and everyone else.

We all know that Penn, the UFC champion, has established himself as the top lightweight in the sport. But after Penn, there are about a dozen guys who are practically interchangeable. That list includes UFC fighters like Penn's next opponent (Diego Sanchez), his last opponent (Kenny Florian), and some past and future UFC opponents like Gray Maynard, Frank Edgar and Sean Sherk.

And the list of lightweights who could make a case for being at or near No. 2 in the lightweight division also includes Dream champion Shinya Aoki, Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez, Sengoku champion Mizuto Hirota and Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson. So my list of the 10 best lightweights in MMA is basically B.J. Penn and a toss-up among everyone else.

Top 10 Lightweights in MMA
1. B.J. Penn
2. Kenny Florian
3. Shinya Aoki
4. Eddie Alvarez
5. Diego Sanchez
6. Gray Maynard
7. Frank Edgar
8. Sean Sherk
9. Joachim Hansen
10. Mizuto Hirota

Source: MMA Fighting

UFC 105 does average in the cable ratings
By Zach Arnold

Remember those reported predictions last week by Spike TV management claiming that they thought they could draw 5 million viewers for Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera? I thought it was non-sense, too, and I was wondering why the ratings information for this show werent released sooner. If the ratings had been hot, you would have heard about it by Monday night or Tuesday morning.

Instead, its Wednesday and you have to dig around to find them.

The UFC 105 show did a 1.9 rating, which is a disappointment. They are pushing they beat CBS in the younger demos but fell short overall.

At MMA Memories last week, one of the questions I asked is whether or not the public cares about Randy Couture as passionately as they once did. Its hard to put all the blame on Couture here Vera isnt a compelling opponent and it was hard to take the idea of Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy as a #1 contenders match seriously. That said, when you beat your chests going into the show and say youre going to do better than Strikeforce on CBS, well

Compare how UFC 105 did versus the minute-by-minute ratings for the Strikeforce show. Even though UFC 104 (Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell, Machida vs. Shogun) did reportedly better than expected PPV buys, the company right now is in a cold pattern since UFC 100 last July in Vegas.

Source: Fight Opinion

Marlon Sandro eyes Sengoku title in NYE
By Guilherme Cruz

Marlon Sandro doesnt wanna relax. One week after the ight at Japan, knocking Yuji Hoshino out in the first round, the Nova Unico fighter was back to the gym, focusing to the return in the end of the year. In the exclusive interview with the fighter, Sandro talked about the victory and the possible fight or the title.

You just came from Japan with the victory, tell us, how was the fight in Japan?

Thanks God I could turn around, I trained a lot with the guys, I said that I wanted to knock out or to submit, Dedi had already ordered that and Im trying to accomplish, and thanks God it was lucky.

Did your expectation was that the fight would end on the first round?

It was... We go thinking that three rounds thing, but we always want to finish the fight as soon as possible...

Before this fight you had a controversy defeat, what are you thinking for your future? Do you expect to come back this year?

I had this defeat on the first round, but it didnt shake me, Im prepared with that, we pass for it, we fall, stand up, and thanks God I could stand up again and they were talking about me fighting on December 31 and I said that I would accept, I asked there to fight for the title, and I hope it is for the title.

How do you think this fight would be?

I would definitely exchange with him, I would try the knock out, for sure. Hes a complete guy, he has a lose leg there, kicks well, but I would search the knockout again, for sure.

On this fight you thanked the audience in English, are you taking classes? Hows the English?

Thanks God, teacher Michel is helping us, Vale-Tudo guys, we have studentship, we take classes... Ill get better. Thats for communicate with the audience and the managers and thats very good, I could thank to the sponsorships and I asked for the title in English too.

You just got back from Japan, from a though fight, and he came back training hard with the guys here...

Thanks God I didnt got hurt, then I came, the guys were needing some help, thats what we do, always one helping each other.

Everybody has a schedule fight here, Thales too, hows the expectation to Ultimate?

The expectations are the best, we were a little down for some time, but we stood up again. Thales Leites will be back with all the power too, to recover, Junior is training hard, well prepared to this fight and the expectations are the best, well trained, well prepared psychology, physically and technically.

Source: Tatame

Shane Carwin Defends Brock Lesnar
by Ray Hui

Shane Carwin, who was scheduled to challenge Brock Lesnar for the UFC heavyweight title, has been critical of Lesnar in the past, but Carwin is now the one coming to the defense of the champ as he recovers from bacterial infection in his intestinal tract.

"I am sure most of you know I am not the leader of the Lesnar Fan Club," Carwin posted Tuesday on the MixedMartialArts.com forums. "That being said, antics or not, he is OUR UFC HWT Champion. He beat a future Hall of Famer to keep that belt and he NEEDS our prayers and good thoughts right now."

Carwin is defending Lesnar from inappropriate comments and jokes towards Lesnar's condition and talk of an interim championship.

Lesnar is not the most liked fighter, especially for his Lesnar's post-fight actions following UFC 100, and Carwin has been vocal in the past to about his distain towards Lesnar's pro wrestling antics.

"He may be a champion but he has a long ways to go before he earns the respect of a champion," Carwin stated after Lesnar's win over Frank Mir.

But with Lesnar in a serious health condition, Carwin feels sympathy for the Lesnar outside the cage.

"Brock has a wife, kid, and friends that depend on him to make their lives better," Carwin wrote. "You do not have to support Brock and his antics but you should have respect for the human side of what is happening here.

"This is not a ploy to sell more tickets, he is the biggest draw this sport has ever had. This is not him ducking me or any other fighter. This is about a man who is fighting an illness for his career, family and friends.

"Talk of stripping a man of his title due to illness will set this sport back farther then anything Brock has ever said. We need our Champions healthy and defending. I know the show will go on but to be a Champion you must beat a Champion."

Carwin is encouraging others to put aside their disapproval of Lesnar at this difficult time.

"If you sit around bashing Brock or making fun of this because of his antics you might be the very same thing you despise," Carwin wrote. "As an MMA fan, as a human be concerned that one of OUR OWN has fallen and needs our support.

"Get well soon UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar."

Source: MMA Fighting

Reports: Brock Lesnar is back home recovering after surgery
By Zach Arnold

Lesnars chiropractor told the Associated Press that the big man is back home in Minnesota. Dana White says he is planning on an interim title fight for the Heavyweight division.

Lets hope it is better than Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman in February. On their newsticker tonight, ESPN ran with the story saying that the fight would be the first bout featuring two UFC Hall of Famers fighting each other.

In other UFC-related news, they reportedly have banned Clinch and RVCA as sponsors (more from Josh Gross). Clinch is the clothing line that Dan Henderson backs. RVCA is a sponsor of Fedor and BJ Penn and Vitor Belfort.

Source: Fight Opinion

Gomi Visits American Kickboxing Academy

Takanori Gomi joined training practice with the fight team at American Kickboxing Academy on Tuesday in San Jose, Calif., Sherdog.com has learned.

Bob Cook, one of AKAs head trainers, said the Japanese striker mostly grappled with UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch, Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson, Justin Wilcox, as well as with middleweight Trevor Prangley and UFC heavyweight Cain Velasquez.

The former Pride lightweight champion is in the U.S. reportedly to take meetings with both the UFC and Strikeforce. Cook is a consultant for Strikeforce.

Gomi also attended the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto boxing match last Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

One of Japans biggest attractions during the Pride era, Gomi dropped back-to back losses against Sergey Golyaev and Satoru Kitaoka in Sengoku, but rebounded in the last half of 2009 with victories over Takashi Nakakura in Shooto and Tony Hervey in Vale Tudo Japan 2009 in late October. Gomi carries a third-round submission loss to UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn from October 2003.

Source: Sherdog

Pat Barry: From Rice to Riches
by Ray Hui

UFC heavyweight Pat Barry earned a $120,000 bonus on top of his $14,000 fight purse for his victory last month at UFC 104 in Los Angeles. A dramatic increase in wealth and recognition, especially for someone who, a week prior, had nothing to his name, was eating rice and ketchup, and was still hopelessly awaiting acceptance from a former mentor.

Barry improved his MMA record to 5-1 by stopping former training partner Antoni Hardonk in the second round with punches. For Barry, who has been competing since 2002, it took much more than a single training camp and enduring two accidental eye pokes and leg kicks during the fight for his big payday.

"People think it took seven-and-a-half minutes to make all this money," Barry told FanHouse. "It took seven years to make this. This wasn't seven-and-a-half minutes of work. This is seven years straight -- no family, not around my friends, not married, I got no kids. It's just me on the grind, chasing the dream. It took seven years to finally make a payday."

Ketchup and instant rice

The 30-year-old Barry had lived off the bare minimum while chasing the dream. Barry had nothing flashy to show for his efforts. The majority of Barry's money went towards food, rent and training expenses.

"A lot of people, what they don't know is that us fighters, the majority of us don't make the money that the world perceives us to be making. YouTube doesn't pay anything. They think just because you're on YouTube, you're rich. We might make decent money, but what it costs for us to be prepared and to be ready, it really does kill a large portion of what we bring in for fights."

Barry was broke coming into his UFC 104 fight. He had lost his savings from making a loan that was never returned.

"That's what I was told: Never ever, ever loan out any amount of money that you aren't willing to never see again. And I did. I loaned out pretty much everything I had, and it was gone from there."

Without a dollar to his name to spend for food, Barry, who weighs over 237 pounds, spent the three days prior to his arrival in Los Angeles living off of whatever food he could find in his apartment, trying merely to keep himself nourished before the UFC provided him with a per diem in the days leading up to the fight.

"I was left with pretty much nothing," Barry said. "We got to Los Angeles on Tuesday and the Saturday before we left, I was sitting at home with zero dollars, man. I had nothing, man. I wasn't going to be able to pay rent, electricity, buy food, get gas, I wasn't going to be able to do anything. About the first of November, all that was going to be done, I was going to be put out and with nowhere to live.

"In my house I had a box of instant white rice like the five-minute rice and some ketchup," Barry continued. "And was like, 'Eat this until we get to LA, Saturday, Sunday, Monday.' That's what I was doing."

Barry refused to tell two of the closest people in his life, his coach and his mother, of the financial strain he tied himself in. Responsibility builds character.

"I'm the one that put myself into the financial bind and I didn't want to depend on anybody else to save me, because how hard would you work for something if anytime you're about to hit the ground, someone catches you. Not hard at all. "

The sacrifice and reward

There's no telling how long a career lasts in the UFC. When you're only as good as your last fight, all it takes is a single loss for a fighter to be released. Having already fallen in a submission loss in May, Barry couldn't afford back-to-back losses.

"Every time we step in the ring, it's a gamble," Barry said. "No matter how prepared we are, anything can happen on any given day. It was a bet. It was a big risk that I took cause I could have came out with absolutely nothing, but I got in and I did what needed to be done, and I able to reap the benefits of it."

And reap the benefits he did. On top of the purse and win bonus for a combined $14,000, according to the California State Athletic Commission, Barry won the Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night award for more bonuses totaling $120,000.

"I would have guessed some kind of bonus for Cry of the Century," Barry said. "I definitely would have gotten the hardest cry in UFC history award. I wouldn't be surprised by that, or coolest backflip ever seen ever by a heavyweight, but I wouldn't have guessed Fight of the Night or Knockout of the Night. And to get both of them, it's still unbelievable now."

With his prize, Barry was able to rebuild his savings and send money to his family in New Orleans. He also paid off the debt that he had accrued along the way to make it to this stage. But after paying off taxes, trainers, sponsors and credit card bills, Barry continues to live at most a modest lifestyle.

"I'm not as awesomely rolling as people think," Barry said. "But with the lifestyle that I've been living, I'll be able to last for a while off of this. But in actuality it's not as much as people think because take into consideration how much I made and how long it took me to make it. That's like almost minimum wage for seven years straight.

"If this has been going this whole time and this was the fifth or sixth time I did this, then yeah, I'll tell you I'm rich. But now I don't have to worry about eating white rice and ketchup for a long time."

There's the financial and personal sacrifice to be a fighter, and while Barry was compensated reasonably well, the fight took a toll on his body. Doctors told him the damage from that one fight will sideline him for the next several months.

"I broke my left thumb, so I've got two pins placed in my hand to put my thumb back together," Barry said. "And it wasn't until a week after the fight where the adrenaline starts wearing off, that I started noticing all the different bumps and bruises that I have. My leg's a little sore, my right hand hurts a little bit, from the punches that I landed. But I also have the right square of my right side of my face are all numb, like I've got some nerve damage on the face where I can't feel my tooth, half of my lip, half of my nose or my right eyelid. I can feel the pressure when I push on it. It's like I got a Novocain shot at the dentist."

Recognition

Upon winning, Barry fell to his knees and cried. But to find out why Barry was especially emotional during the fight, you have to look back at a time when he was in pursuit of becoming a champion in a different sport.

"I went out to Amsterdam," Barry said. "Chasing the K-1 dream, to be the greatest kickboxer in the galaxy."

In 2004, Barry debuted for K-1 and by 2006, he received the unique opportunity to train at the VAS gym under K-1 legend Ernesto Hoost.

"I was a teammate and he had a few of us that surrounded him being his training partners and when he was hired, he became coach and he pulled four of us in: Myself, Jerrel Venetiaan, Paul Slowinski and Antoni Hardonk, who was already in the UFC," Barry said. "So there were three kickboxers and one MMA guy, so we trained, and trained and trained and I lived between Amsterdam and China for like five years, mainly in Amsterdam and I felt as if I wasn't being taken seriously, or my ability wasn't being acknowledged. I felt like I was not getting the time in or the attention. And this was over years.

"I ended up having a not-so-great falling out with Ernesto because I've known him so many years and it's got to the point where the last two years, I'm asking myself 'What am I doing here?' and why won't I just go home and go somewhere else?' But you're training with the best in the world and this guy, he's my hero, and everything I ever wanted was to be like this guy, as good if not better than him. I was training with him and we were friends."

Paydays were far and between. Barry was only fighting twice a year, and between having to pay rent, his own training gear and the pressure he was putting on his family back home, he was forced to make a change.

"Eventually I decided to leave," Barry said. "I can't do this anymore. I just felt time was flying by and everybody else was getting these opportunities, and I'm not so I've got to go.

"And when I went, I never heard from [Hoost] again," Barry said. "He never said bye, nothing. When I left, that was it. It was like I didn't matter.

"Five years, five years and when I said I'm not coming back, the response was pretty much, "So?' That wasn't fair. There wasn't nothing. No, 'Hey, when are you coming back?' Nothing. I was just going and it didn't matter to anybody."

Barry returned to the US and switched over to MMA with Duke Roufus in Milwaukee. Like his goals as a kickboxer, Barry immediately set high expectations for himself.

"That whole 'Hype or Die' (his nickname) concept, if you're going to do it, do it all the way and be the best or don't even bother trying. That's like Yoda said, 'Do or do not, there is no try.'"

Barry decided that if MMA was the next step in his evolution as a fighter, he was going to fight for the UFC to face the best competition. And when he thought of MMA, the first person that came to his mind was a familiar face from Amsterdam.

"Antoni Hardonk is in the UFC, and he's a dangerous guy in the UFC and he's also my training partner so fighting him is what I'm aiming for, for a few reasons. He's awesome, he's great, and to get inside the ring with someone his caliber and win is a testament to myself and also my hard work, but at the same time maybe I'll finally get the recognition from Ernesto that I've always wanted. Maybe I'll get the recognition, the acknowledgement that I am good, that I do work hard, that I never got."

Giving back

Barry comes from a family of teachers. Sharing knowledge with someone is leaving them with something that will never go away. He carries that mentality with him when he's teaching classes at the gym, and knew that once he reached some form of financial stability, he could turn that attitude back home.

"I am from New Orleans, which still has a few aftereffects from the hurricane that happened years ago, but I want to give back. I think New Orleans is the greatest country in the world ... I said that right, New Orleans is the greatest country in the world. I've loved this place since day one and I never want to be anywhere else."

Barry teamed with his cousin from USA Bridge Builders. Together, they are putting together a non-profit foundation for kids, appropriately named "Hype or Die Kids". Similar to the NFL's Play 60, Barry will encourage kids to play outside. Barry also plans to visit the city twice a year and will travel around schools to teach kickboxing.

"Now that I'm finally in a position to finally make that happen and giving back a little bit-then that's what I've been doing. I've been setting that up, but I'm taking my time with my thumb, I sing to it every night to speed up the recovery process because I want to get back in there when I have the momentum," said Barry, who is currently in a cast.

While he recovers, Barry's time is spent with the non-profit and teaching kids classes at the Roufus camp.

"I'm surrounded by the greatest people in the world," Barry said. "My team, my coach. He's the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Not just coach-wise. He's my friend, and that's what means more to me than anything else. The dude is just all-around ... he's a great man. And he's got my back. He's there for me.

"My entire team is everything that I've always wanted, everything that I never knew I wanted. With these guys, we're all going to go to the top of the world, and we're going to make a massive crater in this sport. This sport is going to evolve when I'm finished with it."

As for Ernesto Hoost, he hasn't heard from his former mentor. And it doesn't matter.

"Not anymore," Barry said. "I've waited two years just waiting to get some sort of [recognition] and I don't need it anymore."

Source: MMA Fighting

11/21/09

Quote of the Day

"How you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win."

Gilbert K. Chesterton

X1 World Events Today!
“Light’s Out”
Nov 21, 2009
Kekuaokalani Gym, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

THIS SATURDAY, IT WILL BE

“LIGHTS OUT”

AS X-1 WORLD EVENTS

PRESENTS ITS NEXT FIGHT CARD

Cisneros vs. Padilla Headlines, “Cabbage” Returns

Honolulu, HI (USA): Fifty of Hawaii’s top young MMA fighters will look to put each other’s “LIGHTS OUT” this Saturday, November 21st as X-1 World Events presents its next fight extravaganza at the Kekuaokalani Gym in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. In the main event, Hilo MMA’s Chris Cisneros will battle Kaleo Padilla of Kona BC. The co-main event will feature the return of one of Hawaii’s top MMA fighters, as former UFC heavyweight contender Wesley “Cabbage” Correira will lock horns with Elward Westbrook. Tickets are available for $25 (floor), $50 (VIP), and $100 (rows 1&2), and can be purchased at Sergio Mamone Gym (808.961.0003), CD Wizard (808.969.4800), Lulu’s (808.331.2633), Big Island Surf (808.935.1430), Hilo Fight Company (808.895.1489), Pacific Island Fitness (808.334.1977), Big Island Built (808.959.6243), Waikoloa Chevron (808.883.8550), as well as at http://x1events.com/

Hawaii’s biggest and best fight camps will be represented, as combatants from B.J. Penn’s MMA, Hilo MMA, Kona BC, Team MMAD, Average Joes, PFC, HIBC, Team Assassin, Universal Combat, Bang Inc., Demon MMA, 808 Fight Factory, Hawaiian MMA, Knoa BC, and Team Submit will be on the card, which is subject to change. For more information about the card and the fighters, log on to http://www.x1events.com/

“We are extremely excited to bring a fighter like “Cabbage” back to X-1, as he embodies the fighting spirit that our promotion is all about. ‘LIGHTS OUT’ is going to be a fantastic show, and I believe that every fight, from Cisneros-Padillo on down, is going to rock the gym!” said Mike Miller, Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events.

“LIGHTS OUT” will feature live performances from Mianlan, Ace HD, and Kid Dynamite. The X-1 and Vandal weigh-ins and after-party will take place at Lulu’s, and doors for the event at the Kekuaokalani Gym will open at 4:00 PM on the day of “LIGHTS OUT.” For more information, please contact Sonny Westbrook at 808.895.5016.

The full fight card includes:

X1 World Events “Light’s Out”
Nov 21, 2009
Kekuaokalani Gym, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Main Card

185 - Chris Cisneros (Hawaiian MMA) vs Kaleo Padilla (Kona BC)

HW - Wesley Correira (Hilo) vs Elward Westbrook (Kona BC)

145 - Justin Mercado (MMAD) vs Tyler Kahihikolo (Average Joes)

170 XMA - Ronald Hayward (PFC) vs Kaeo Meyers (Kona BC)

170 - Elijah Young (BJ Penn) vs Dave Pakele (Average Joes)

145 KB - Peni Taufaao (Team Assassin) vs Spencer Higa (HIBC)

Undercard

140 - Keean Desat (Freelance) vs Timothy Meeks (HIBC)
HW - Austin Tauasa (Kona BC) vs Chad Thomas (HIBC)
145 - Petey Vital (Demon MMA) vs Waylen Cerenio (HIBC)
155 - Elia Mundon (PFC) vs Dylan Fillekes (Average Joes)
170 - Kapono Kuikahi (Hawaiian MMA) vs Palema Amone (Average Joes)
145 - Brensen Hansen (MMAD) vs Daniel Friend (HIBC)
140 - Randee Soria (808FF) vs Levi Agcalon (HIBC)
185 - Dayton Kalai (HIBC) vs Miles Paaiva (Freelance)
135 - Kuulei Ohia (MMAD) vs Riquo Abadilla (HIBC)
160 - Ryan Dela Cruz (808FF) vs Malu Benedicto (PFC)
150 - Chermaine Kahele (HIBC) vs Lani Fauhiva (Average Joes)
170 - Liatama Amisone (HIBC) vs Martin Medina (Kona BC)
140 - Treven Mukai (Hawaiian MMA) vs Roy Higa (HIBC)
130 - Mark Gersaba (Average Joes) vs Keola Arakaki (HIBC)

145 KB - Jacob Kepa (HIBC) vs Carlos Garrido (Kona BC)

120 - Sivada Koulthasen (Team Submit) vs Sarah Kahele (HIBC)

About X-1 World Events

Founded in 2004 by Mike Miller, X-1 World Events is a world-class mixed martial arts (MMA) promotional company based in Honolulu, HI. Locally-owned and operated, X-1 delivers exciting live arena-based entertainment events to fight fans all over the islands. The events feature some of the MMA world’s most talented fighters, including UFC, Pride, and Abu-Dhabi veterans such as former UFC champions Dan “The Beast” Severn and Ricco Rodriguez, UFC veterans Jeff Monson, Kimo Leopoldo, Chad “The Grinder” Reiner, “Sugar” Shane Nelson, Brandon Wolff, Wes “The Project” Sims, Ronald “The Machine Gun” Juhn, Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, and Falaniko Vitale, as well as Pride veterans Chris Brennan and Ron “H2O-Man” Waterman. X-1 World Events can be found online at http://www.x1events.com/

Source: X-1 World Events

Brazilian Pro Picks: Cane vs. Nogueira
By Guilherme Cruz

On the next Saturday, UFC will be back to Las Vegas with one more fight between Brazilians. Preparing to UFC 106, TATAME.com asked the experts opinion for the combat between Rogirio Minotouro Nogueira and Luis Banha Cane. Check below the bets of each one and stay on to know everything about the next edition of Ultimate, that takes place this Saturday (21).

Ricardo Arona:

Both are excellent strikers. Rogirio representing the English Boxe and the Muay Thai, and Banha showed that hes very tough on the last fight, that was very disputed. And this fight may have good moments on the ground, and I think that Rogirio has a better ground and may find another way to the victory, maybe even easier. I hope that Rogirio wins, hes my friend and I support him.

Conan Silveira:

It will be a very tough fight for both, high level and a lot of intelligence. I think that well see how the fight is gonna be on the first round, if it will go to the distance or not, but I believe that it will be decided on the first round, at the most on the second. Both are great fighters, have a brilliant future whatever the result is, but fight is fight and we choose our side. I think that if he brings to the octagon everything that was made on the gym, he has good weapons. And I wanted to answer Minotauro: Cane will stop Minotouro (laughs).

Anderson Silva:

Rogirio is very well prepared. Were training and correcting some mistakes, so they wont surprise us on the fights... We cant win always, but were working on it. Were working to mark the field, so people can understand that we came to win.

Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira:

(Cane) is a tough guy, he goes for it all the time. I couldnt see him making the guard, but he has no losses for now, he has a brilliant career. Im sorry Cane, but Rogirio will stop you.

Thiago Silva:

I have never seen him so ready as hes now. I think hell give a show, you can expect it. Im a Brazilian, its not nice to see them fighting, but I support the guy from my team, thats my friend, and I think Banha will win, definitely.

Vitor Belfort:

Rogirio is an expert fighter, he knows what he has to do. Ill support him and Im sure that hes gonna be a good fight.

Eduardo Pamplona:

Its a tough fight... I cant say more because of my trainings, because Im not following, but Banha is a talented guy, everybody knows, he showed that.

Luis Dsrea:

Thats, for sure, the stronger category, that has the best. Banha is an excellent athlete, have a good quality with the hands. Ive observed a lot of fights of him, I saw him fight on Minotauro Fight, then I saw on UFC. Hes a strong athlete, kicks hard, he searches the fight, has a good ground, is a top fighter. Rogirio, to me, has a lot of abilities on the arms, a great ground, hes a complete fighter, coming from victories. I think that Rogirio has more abilities. Banha is very strong, but Rogirio can conciliate power with moves, he has a Boxe very good, a Muay Thai to defend himself and attack, the great ground... Its gonna be a high level fight, because theyre two complete athletes, but Rogirio is very good. We wouldnt like to fight against a Brazilian, but the organizers chose and the promoters have the power... Its gonna be a though fight, to history, but I think that, for his moves, abilities and experience, Rogirio will win this fight. The experience will make the difference and well surprise Banha.

Alexandre Baixinho:

I thinks its gonna be a though fight to Minotouro, but his Boxe is sharp, I have faith in Minotouro, but I expect that after the fight both stays on UFC and that they doesnt dismiss more Brazilians.

Paulo Borracha:

Big fight. For the work time and international experience, I believe more in Minotouro. Sokoudjou (defeated by Banha on UFC) didnt defeat Minotouro on UFC, were other conditions and another preparation, thats different On United States related to Japan. Its the same that to beat Liddell and Rich Franklin nowadays. Minotouro is versatile, I think that both will take well the exchanging and, if someone fit the right blow, the other wont take... Its gonna be like Minotouro against Shogun. Both didnt wanted to go to the ground, they were standing up, hitting each other and wanted to show that were the best there. I think thats gonna happen on Minotouro against Banha, I think this fight will be on top, but I think its hard that happens a knock out. If no one fit a strong blow, someone may go to the ground, but if some strong blow enters the other will want to exchange standing up.

Luiz Alves:

I expect a tough fight. I trust on Rogirio because hes more expert and his Boxe is better, but we cant give more space to Banha because hes a tough guy, has a dangerous Muay Thai. But I trust a lot on the Boxe and on the ground of Rogirio.

Alex Davis:

Rogirio is my friend, Banha is his fan... They doesnt train together, but he has an old relationship with me, I was the first to put him to fight outside Brazil, he trained a lot of times on ATT and hes everyones friend up there. Banha likes him a lot, we didnt wanted this fight. Its gonna be a though fight, no one needs to talk about Rogirio, he has an excellent ground and Boxe. Banha is very though, its gonna be a dramatic fight. The only thing that cheers me up is that, if Banha pass thru Rogirio, he will have possibilities to fight for the title in a close future.

Antonio Bigfoot Silva:

Its hard to say, because both are great strikers, Ive trained a lot with Minotouro, brother of my godfather, and he has a very sharp hand, a hand that goes with address... He makes no mistakes. He Banha has a good ground too, but is there for a time and everyone saw that hes a good guy, he has a good hand too, a good ground. Its hard to say whos gonna win.

Fabrmcio Morango Camues:

Im suspect to say, Ive trained with Rogirio on the last days and I followed him. I dont know Banhas train, but for Rogirios experience, his calm on the ring... Theyre both lefts, but I thinks that Rogirio is better on the exchanging, and on the ground trains here he has a good vision. I think its gonna be a big fight. I hope that Banha is well trained. I vote on Nogueira family, I cannot cheer against them. Its gonna be Rogirio, by knock out on the second round.

Paulo Filho:

Minotouro is a tough veteran, he never made a bad part, always fought with the best and gave big shows. Hes a foward guy, trains hard, hes calm to fight. He has a great physical prepare and he fought with the best. He fought with Shogun, hes a striker, that didnt wanted to exchange with him, preferred the takedown. Banha is coming and I think its a bad fight for Banha... Not making less of him, but I think he must make other some fights. Minotouro is one of the best in the world and he had the opportunity to show his work.

Source: Tatame

Tito Ortiz: 'There's Going to Be a Belt in My Future for Sure' by Mike Chiappetta

At 34 years old, and out of action for almost 18 months, Tito Ortiz doesn't miss a beat during UFC 106 fight promotion. The former UFC light-heavyweight champion still finds ways to needle his opponent, still has no problem reciting his resume, still talks about his big dreams.

But there's a change, too. There's much more nuance and subtlety in his delivery today. Perhaps changed by a nasty divorce with the UFC, followed by back surgery and a long rehabilitation, followed by a kiss-and-make-up with Dana White, Ortiz -- at least for now -- is a quieter, more mature version of himself. That is a change that he hopes will contrast sharply with his athletic performance. Before he was talking loudly, but getting no results; he hasn't won a fight since 2006. Now, he speaks more softly, but trusts his body to deliver the real statement.

"There's going to be a belt in my future for sure," Ortiz told FanHouse in a recent interview. "It's 'Dream it, work it, win it.' That's the dream comeback. But it's one fight at a time, and I don't want to look past this one."
Ortiz's first step back on the comeback trail began on Oct. 6, 2008, when he was operated on by Dr. William Smith in Las Vegas. Ortiz underwent a surgery similar to the one performed on fellow UFC fighter Nate Quarry in 2006. In fact, Ortiz spoke with Quarry before agreeing to the procedure, which addressed three injured vertebrae.

"I was terrified," he said. "There was a possibility of me never competing again. I hope it helps people understand how important fighting is to me. I could have just went on and continued my clothing company Punishment Athletics, did stores and gyms and made a good living, or I could take a big risk to get surgery done."

Standing across the cage from him at UFC 106 will be a man he met once
before: Forrest Griffin. The two first competed in April 2006. It was Griffin's fourth official UFC fight, and Ortiz won a close, split-decision. In the time since, it's been suggested that Griffin was too green at that point in his career to face such an experienced veteran. It must be pointed out, however, that the fight was the 15th of Griffin's career.

Also in the time since, Griffin won and then lost the UFC light-heavyweight championship, making this a battle of two ex-kingpins desperate to work their way back towards the top. In the three-and-a-half years since, a lot has happened to both men, but Ortiz sees little different in his foe.

"I really don't see that much of a change in him," he says. "I think Forrest is a guy who is often in the right place at the right time. He works hard, and hard work usually pays off. He's taking the fight on six week's notice, but he's a gym rat who's always in shape. It's just me making sure my timing is on, and that I push the fight."

As far as how the action will flow, Ortiz is unsure. He trusts his back, and believes the explosiveness that marked his takedowns in the early part of his career has returned. He also believes there are questions about Griffin's durability that will be put to the test.

"I'm going to give Forrest all he can handle," he says. "I think I'm a lot stronger and faster, and his head is softer than mine. He's been knocked out in his last couple fights (against Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva), and I've never been knocked out in my career. Yes, Chuck Liddell stopped me, but I was never unconscious. Let me knock on wood that that's never going to happen... I hope he comes in shape, because if he doesn't, he's going to get hurt."

The last line comes out with a pause, and almost as an obligation.

Ortiz has always been known as much for trash talk and self-promotion as his in-ring success. It almost makes you wonder if the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" character that was once upon a time omnipresent, is now only for the cage.

"I think so," he says. "I've grown up a lot. You'll see the 'Bad Boy' in the cage no matter what. I'll do what it takes to win. It's survival of the fittest there. But outside of the cage, I want to be more of a role model. Forrest recently said, 'I don't want to be a role model,' but I do. I think it's my job as a fighter. This has grown into a huge stage, and I want to teach these kids to get educated."

The change comes largely from his personal growth. In March 2009, Ortiz and his girlfriend Jenna Jameson had twin boys, Jesse and Journey (he also has a seven-year-old son, Jacob, from his first marriage). Because of his back injury, it marked the first extended, uninterrupted time he could spend with his family in years.

After being thrust into his Big Bear training camp again, that time came to a close. He went from seeing Jacob every weekend and seeing Jenna and the twins every day to phone calls. In that, Ortiz reconnected with what he was fighting for.

"It's been really hard," he says. This camp has been really challenging for me mentally and emotionally because I'm not with them. I've been with them and available to them for the last 18 months. Now, all I do is eat, sleep and train. It's difficult, but I have to train hard to provide for my family. I have three kids to feed, and I want to make sure they have nothing to worry about in their futures. When I was a kid, I had nothing. I can't have that for them."

Now, less than a week away from his return to the cage, the training is winding down, and Ortiz will return to a place in which he's reached the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He's been loved and hated. And for the first time in a long time, he has no idea how he'll be received by the crowd.

Will he be a returning hero or villain?

"I'm expecting cheers, but you never know," he says. "Forrest is fighting in his town, but I've been fighting there longer than him. I hope there will be a lot of cheers, but either way, I'm excited. Whether it's cheers or boos, I'm going to fight with a lot of heart and a lot of determination."

Told that the betting line has swung in Griffin's favor -- in essence, that at least bettors doubted he'd return with a victory -- Ortiz finally showed the fire that marked the "Bad Boy."

"I love it," he said. "Now that makes me excited. I love to be the underdog. I came from the streets and was never supposed to succeed in life, but I did it. I became successful. Keep betting against me, because I love proving people wrong."

Source: MMA Fighting

Cobrinha vs Mendes was best of ADCC, says Braulio
Absolute champion in Barcelona releases free lessons video

By Gabriel Menezes

Braulio Estima made the cover of this months GRACIEMAG, with his Rebel Jiu-Jitsu. After a gala exhibition in Spain, Carcara took the opportunity to extend his travels to other points on the globe.

During the second half of January Ill take a tour of the United States, making the most of the time off between championships, says Estima, who lives in England.

I aim to go from east to west: Boston, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Colorado, California and Hawaii, returning through Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Texas and Florida. Anyone interested in having me at their academy, please contact me by email: braulioseminar@googlemail.com, as Im still organizing my itinerary, says the Pernambuco native.

Braulio has been enjoying the repercussions of the GRACIEMAG cover, the second time he makes it. Its a shame the subtitle with my name is so small! he chuckles, then changing his tone to serious. Everyone said it was great. I signed a bunch of them, even a special one for my brother. I like it, I want more, says the champion, before going on to assess ADCC 2009.

To me the Rafael Mendes versus Cobrinha match was the best one, real intense and technical. They didnt stop one second over 40 minutes. They impressed me not just with the movement, but with positions of all kinds and several escapes. Sharp attacks and defense, excellent, the absolute champion assayed.

Another standout was Marcelo, who even in losing the under 77kg final (to Pablo Popovitch) showed excellent attacks, always going for the finish which we never tire of praising. Vinicius Pezao also surprised a lot of people with his attacks. Werdum and Xande (his adversary in the open weight final) also has an excellent championship, he opined. And anyone wishing to learn some of Braulio Estimas slick Jiu-Jitsu techniques can download an entire class taught by the fighter, who inked a deal with Cagefilm.com and has been shooting footage of his techniques ever since the ADCC. Tim Lord, owner of cagefilm.com, proposed I teach a weekly class, continuously, where I explain what lies behind invisible Jiu-Jitsu. Its coming out great. I show several details and aspects like how I position myself, plan strategize, in every Jiu-Jitsu position possible, how I deal with different reactions from my opponent and so on. The series is perfect. Check out the first class gratis, invited the fighter.

Source: Gracie Magazine

California Amateur MMA Organization Granted Distinction by CSAC
By FCF Staff

The California Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Organization (CAMO) has announced today, that the California State Athletic Commission has granted the body distinction, as the official oversight and regulatory agency for amateur MMA and Pankration events. The announcement goes on to say:

Regulatory and oversight responsibilities will be a primary role for CAMO, however, it will also play the critical role as a service organization, providing a critical business hub for licensed fighters, promoters, inspectors, referees and judges, making the business of amateur MMA and Pankration competition significantly more efficient.

According to the release, CAMO was organized by MMA insiders and former Pro Elite officials Jeremy Lappen and JT Steele. Lappen will function as the organizations CEO and Chairman while Steele has been named President. The regulatory body will also include an advisory board whose members are notable MMA veterans Bas Rutten, Dan Henderson, and Eric Paulson, renowned referee John McCarthy, as well as business and marketing executives Josh Schwartz, Steven Rusich and Marc Altieri.

CSAC Chairman Mario Rodriguez was quoted saying:

The CAMO executive team had a very well thought out plan to oversee the amateur program, and they possess such a wealth of experience and expertise in MMA. These impeccable credentials, and those of its advisory board, made this a very easy decision for us, said Rodriguez. MMA has come so far and yet still has such significant growth potential, making CAMO a critical player in ensuring its continued growth is grounded in a set of standards to maintain the utmost safety and competitive integrity at the amateur level here in California.

CAMO will begin overseeing events later this month with licensed and sanctioned events already in place. According to the release, CAMO has plans to organize an annual California State Amateur MMA Championship tournament; however, details are to be released at a later date.

Source: Full Contact Fighter

MACHIDA VS. "SHOGUN" II TARGETED FOR MAY 1 IN MONTREAL

Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Shogun Rua will rematch for the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title on May 1 in Montreal.

The news comes from the Twitter account of Yahoo Sports Dan Wetzel, who quotes UFC president Dana White saying, Lyoto Machida will fight May 1 in Montreal against Shogun.

The two first met at UFC 104 on October 24 at that Staples Center in Los Angeles where the undefeated Machida was awarded a controversial unanimous decision.

It was Machidas first title defense and following the event White said Rua would get an immediate rematch.

The May 1 date nor the title bout have been officially announced by the UFC.

Source: MMA Weekly

Public comments on Brock Lesnars health condition; WCCO TV says Lesnar has severe case of diverticulitis; Associated Press says Lesnar to be released from hospital shortly
By Zach Arnold

With this report from TMZ today stating that Lesnar has some sort of intestinal disorder, lets take a look at comments that Dave Meltzer made on late Sunday night on his radio show.

DAVE MELTZER: Lesnar has um three or four things wrong with him, two of which are known and one or two of which arent known and um you know I think that Dana White today was going to

BRYAN ALVAREZ: Meaning known by UFC?

DAVE MELTZER: And by him, yeah,

BRYAN ALVAREZ: Oh, okay, so hes got two things even he doesnt know whats wrong.

DAVE MELTZER: At least.

BRYAN ALVAREZ: Thats not good.

DAVE MELTZER: Theres a lot, OK, the thing is um he had Mono, he trained on Mono and that probably is whats causing all these other problems is that he trained while he was on Mono when he supposed to rest because he had a fight coming up and he refused to admit that he was tired even though he was really tired and then he finally you know so he went up to Canada, he collapsed in Canada early last week, um, and um was hospitalized and I think he was moved to a hospital in North Dakota where he at least was as of yesterday and um Dana White was going to fly there to get him to a better facility where they could find out more whats wrong with him because theres whatever the new thing is thats wrong with him theres also other things wrong with him that the new thing doesnt cover, hes in really rough shape and um they need to get him and get him diagnosed and get him back healthy and its uh you know hes very very depressed from what I understand.

BRYAN ALVAREZ: Well I can imagine.

DAVE MELTZER: Yeah, because um him being sick and him being weak does not go well together and him not fighting doesnt well together either, you know I think he was very much looking forward to you know I mean he wanted to fight three times this year and he ended up fighting once and um next year who knows, I mean you know you know theres nothing on the schedule as far as like him fighting again, I mean its just you know Im presuming theyre going to do an interim championship and uh although who theyll do with it, I dont know because now with Carwin having knee surgery (he didnt) that um delays everything as well so its theyre just screwed but theyll you know I dont know how theyre going to get out of this one but you know I guess they will you know theyre working on some off beat ideas I guess but I dont know if theyre going to get any of them ready for January 2nd.

BRYAN ALVAREZ: Now the Lesnar thing, I mean I just uh I mean that was actually what a lot of people were thinking was that he had Mono and then he just kept trying to train on it and then got a complication and I dont know as far as the other two things you know I dont know maybe took a bunch of medication to try and ease the pain or whatever and then screwed something else up and just

DAVE MELTZER: There could be any of a million reasons.

BRYAN ALVAREZ: Snowball effect.

DAVE MELTZER: Probably, you know, probably just um probably just the Mono taking its effect with you know once one thing goes wrong with you its pretty easy for more things to go wrong with you so I think thats kind of like what happened there.

WCCO, a local news station in the Minneapolis area, says that Lesnar is suffering from diverticiulitis: A source told WCCO that Lesnar has a severe case of diverticulitis, a disease where small pouches form in the digestive system.

The Associated Press claims that Lesnar is in the Bismarck, North Dakota area at a local hospital (stable condition) and that White is encouraging him to go to the Mayo Clinic.

Source: Fight Opinion

Joe Lauzon Readying for UFC Return in January

E. BRIDGEWATER, Mass. A little more than eight months since undergoing knee surgery, UFC lightweight prospect Joe J-Lau Lauzon (18-4, 5 KOs, 13 submissions) is fully recovered and anxious to get back into The Octagon. Lauzon, star of The Ultimate Fighter 5 television reality show, had ACL surgery and his meniscus repaired on his right knee March 6. He is tentatively scheduled to return to UFC action in early January.

Joe has a torn ACL in his right knee for 1 = years before requiring surgery and being sidelined. I felt looseness in my knee but could still train, Lauzon explained. Doctors at that time said they didnt want to disturb it. And it wasnt affecting me much. Two weeks before my last fight (Feb. 8, 2009 WSUB2 vs. Jeremy Stephens) I felt it like it wasnt wuite right warming up. I tried to take him down in the first round and I fell over. I needed stitches in my head and couldnt train for a week, but when I returned my knee completely locked-up.

Doctors felt Joe wouldnt be able to fight for 14 months, but hell be back in action in less than 10, largely due to a committed rehabilitation schedule and his age (24). Ive always been able to recover quickly and bounce right back, he noted. Being 24 probably helped, too. I was lucky to have an awesome doctor (Dr. Pavlovich) and physical therapist. They let me push at an aggressive pace. I am 100-percent now; my knee is stronger than ever. It (injured knee) hurt me grappling -- triangle chokes and anything my that stressed my knee felt loose. Now its better than ever. My bad knee is more solid than my other knee. I did so much in rehab to strengthen it.

A lot of people have told me a mental block would be the toughest part coming back to fight. For me, though, thats not a problem. I have faith in my doctor and coach. They told me my knee is strong, I feel the same way, and Im not going to worry about it. Ive always been an instinctive fighter and thats the way Im going to continue to be. Ive talked to a lot of people. My strength-and-conditioning coach (Steve
Baccari) has been through it all. Hes had surgery on both knees, so he knows where I am coming from. I know all about the knee now where to apply pressure and where to be careful.

Lauzon not only fights, he coaches about 30 members of Team Aggression at Lauzon MMA in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. When he wasnt able to workout, Joe played a lot of Xbox, watched a lot of TV and movies, and the Wentworth College graduate with a degree in computer science, naturally, spent a lot of time on line.

I was still in the gym two weeks after surgery, Lauzon concluded. I was helping out and running classes. Before surgery, I was laid-up in bed but afterwards started going to shows to support and watch our guys fight. I just couldnt get on the mat. Now, Im ready to go and Ive felt this way for a while. This has been my longest break. Im chomping at the bit. I must have fought 30 times in six years, so I cant wait to get back.

For more information about Joe J-Lau Lauzon go online and visit www.joelauzon.com.

Source: The Fight Network

Will Ribeiro back as judge at Shooto Brasil
By Guilherme Cruz

One of the biggest promises of the bantamweights, Will Ribeiro had his career of MMA fighter interrupted in December of 2008, after suffer a serious motorcycle accident on Rio de Janeiro. One year later, the WECs promise will be back to the fights world.

On Shooto Brasil 14, which takes place on November 28 on Bennett College, in Rio de Janeiro, Ribeiro will be one of the judges of the combats. I hope that he can be invited to other events, so he can make some money and that happens on his treatment costs, thats expensive, said Andri Pederneiras, inspired by Artur Mariano, who putted Will as one of the judges of Brazilians Muay Thai Championship.

If any promoter is interested about helping Will Ribeiro, hiring him to be lateral judge, get in touch with Pederneiras (55*46*12833) or Luiz Alves (55*23*53079).

Source: Tatame

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