Upcoming
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2010
February
BJJ Tournament
(tba)
2009
12/5/09
Aloha
State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
11/21/09
UFC
106
(Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas)
11/14/09
UFC
105
(United Kingdom)
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)
10/24/09
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)
|
|
October
2009 News Part 2
|
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! |
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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
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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!
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Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
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Quote
of the Day
"A
goal properly set is halfway reached."
Abraham
Lincoln
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
NEW TIME of 8:00 PM!
If
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the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with
numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion
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ROGER
HUERTA'S NEW TRAINER... MICKEY ROURKE
Roger Huerta is getting some choice instruction in his new life
as a fighter/actor.
Almost
a month after losing a hard-fought battle with Gray Maynard at
UFC Fight Night 19, Huerta is studying acting with movie star
Mickey Rourke and Rourke’s personal acting coach.
Huerta’s
manager, Jeff Clark, said his fighter recently flew to New York
at Rourke’s request.
“Mickey
took him under his wing,” said Clark.
When
MMAWeekly.com spoke with Huerta in September, he was in Austin,
Texas, with family and taking acting lessons via videoconference
with Los Angeles manager Greg Edwards.
“I’ve
just got to balance it out with my life, my social life,”
said Huerta. “Balance it where I’m not fully just focused
on one thing – I’m focused on fighting, and fighting
is everything I do. I have to balance it out where fighting is
my job, and outside of training, I get to hang out with my family
and my loved ones, then the acting thing. Acting, that it’s
just my job, and not making it where it’s all that I’m
about.”
Huerta
is scheduled to film a new movie, “Circle of Pain,”
on Oct. 24 with Ling Bai, best known for her work in “Crank:
High Voltage” and HBO’s “Entourage.”
Following
the movie, Huerta will evaluate options for his fighting future.
His exclusive negotiation period with the UFC comes to an end
Nov. 14, followed by a one-year period where the UFC can match
offers from other promotions. His six-fight deal ended with the
Maynard loss.
Clark
said Huerta was still intent on fighting.
“After
the Maynard fight, he realized how much he loves fighting, and
he definitely wants to fight again.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
TUF
10 COACH HECTOR RAMIREZ: WEEK 5 RECAP
To
be a successful fighter, you must have a strong mental game and
if you want to put that to the test, there is no tougher opponent
than living in The Ultimate Fighter house.
As
the weeks progress, each fighter shows more of himself, his character,
his strength, and his breaking point. This week we got to see
more of Mitrione from Team Rashad act out a bit more. Between
his snitching and his complaining about his shoulder, Mitrione
was starting to wear on his teammates and it was a sentiment
that they didn't mind sharing with Team Rampage. Now is the
time that bullies start to emerge, the gentle giants get pushed
to the edge, and these guys start to realize that they may no
longer be the big man on campus.
Meanwhile,
Rashad is increasingly making use of mind games by getting Marcus
Jones all riled up, knowing how sensitive Marcus can be, and
by making camera friendly irritating remarks to Rampage about
how he treats his fighters.
Team
Rampage, as the name implies, is a team; when one man suffers
we all suffer. It's real easy for Rashad, after a team win,
to run over to the other fighter who just lost and with a condescending
grin offer a "good job, nice try, maybe next time."
But there is a time and place for everything. After a fighter
loses, it is not in his best interest to have a team full of
people crowd him while the doctor checks him out, especially
if the fighter was just choked out and in need of space and oxygen.
Neither is a public forum, in the presence of Team Rashad and
the cameras an appropriate place for heart to heart conversations.
When we talk to our fighters, we want it to mean something,
so we say it privately. But when we want to have fun and lighten
the mood with some jokes or good training action, that’s
a good time to have the cameras around.
However,
it's hard to provide those cameras with good training action
when a fighter is injured, and unfortunately that may have skewed
viewers’ understanding of Wes Sims. Wes is a very experienced
fighter, but as we revealed on the Aftermath, Wes got a foot
injury, a bona fide tendon injury, very early on, which hindered
his ability to train hard. We had hoped that his length would
stifle Justin's game and allow Wes to use his experience to better
impose his own game more.
When
we saw Justin go for that arm triangle, just as we had seen with
Wes' fight with Mir, we expected the other arm to go up and maybe
even express an expletive. But when it didn't, we were again
speechless with shock. The Octagon, where Rashad and the cameras
can hear everything, is not the place to have a serious and meaningful
discussion. Instead we cooled our heads, went back to the locker
room, and behind closed doors met with the team and offered genuine,
sincere support.
We
still have three guys left, one of our top picks, Scott Junk,
a very explosive and powerful Marcus Jones, and a wrestler with
a 7-3 pro record, Zak Jenson. Hope is still alive.
Please
remember to check out my appearance on this week's Aftermath
on Spike.com and come support me at Call to Arms: Called Out
MMA November 14, at Citizens Business Bank Arena.
Thank
you to my management and all my sponsors, Iridium Sports Agency,
Call To Arms Promotions where I will be fighting November 14
at Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario Calif., Quick n Painful,
Fight Doc, Sparstar, Furious Fighters, Dog Pound MMA, Monarch
Clothing, Tapout Radio, Unbreakable Mouthpieces, Mike Dolce,
Dolce Diet, Team Rampage, MMAWeekly.com, Erik Paulson at CSW,
and everyone who is making this show a success.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
DOES
RASHAD EVANS HAVE REVENGE ON HIS MIND?
Former
UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans is of two minds when
it comes to his upcoming fight with Thiago Silva at UFC 108 in
January.
Minutes
removed from his first crack at runway modeling at a fashion
show Monday for sponsor Silver Star, Evans re-affirmed his desire
to get back to the wrestling roots that brought him his first
successes in the UFC, aided no doubt by his knockout loss to
Lyoto Machida at UFC 98.
“I
definitely want to get back to what I used to do, because one
thing about myself is that I fell in love with the power,”
said Evans. “I fell in love with the fact that I could take
somebody and just completely lay ’em out still... but I’m
not a stand-up fighter. My thing is, I’m a wrestler. That’s
what I do. I wrestle.”
On
the other hand, he’s dismissive of Silva’s stand-up
abilities and says he has no problem with a stand-up war.
That’s
the part of him seeking revenge for Silva’s knockout victory
over teammate Keith Jardine at UFC 102.
“Honestly,
I think I can stand up and bang with him too,” said Evans.
“I’m positive I can stand up and bang with him. There’s
nothing that he does that bothers me or scares me, not in the
least. We can bang.”
Which
will he choose on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas? We’ll just have to
wait and see.
(UPDATED
/ 9:15 a.m. PT, Oct. 16, 2009 – Corrected event and location
to UFC 108 in Las Vegas.)
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Paulo
Thiago: ‘I can face him’
Fighter comments on upcoming fight with Pitbull
If
his life as an elite force policeman is full of challenges, the
same goes for his career in MMA. Ever since Paulo Thiago made
it to the UFC he’s not had it easy. Coming up against top-ranked
welterweight Josh Koshcheck right off the bat, he caught everyone
off guard with a first-round knockout. In his second appearance
he went in against the also top ranked Jon Fitch, against whom
he lost a decision. His next cream-of-the-crop opponent is another
former title challenger, Thiago Pitbull, when they meet in the
octagon on December 12. And Paulo Thiago is game for the challenge,
as you will see in the interview to come:
Portal
das Lutas – What do you think of this tough path you’ve
had in the UFC?
Paulo
Thiago – I think it’s great. They saw quality in me
and are putting me in against tough guys. I see it as a good
thing. It’s a chance to show what I’m worth and to
grow in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
PDL
– Your first two fights were against excellent athletes.
Will Pitbull be even tougher?
PT
– For sure Pitbull will be my toughest fight yet. He’s
an excellent fighter, very tough standing. I’ve heard he’s
improving a lot in his ground game and wrestling, so he’s
really dangerous. I’m preparing myself to face him in all
areas. I can’t take a wrong step.
PDL
– Despite your being from Jiu-Jitsu, your striking has stood
out. Against Pitbull will you look to stand and trade too?
PT
– I’m prepared to face him standing too. He’s
an excellent striker, but he’s no seven-headed monster.
I can face him. It will be a good fight and I’m preparing
myself for wherever it may play out, whether standing or on the
ground. But I’m not going to avoid stand-up.
PDL
– Your first fight was a test to see whether you would remain
in the organization. Now coming off a loss, is there any extra
pressure to win?
PT
– There is pressure. No one likes to losing and it’s
worse to lose twice in a row. It’s something that weighs
on you, even more so in such a disputed event, full of top guys.
You can’t afford to lose and I’m working to not get
beaten by any means.
PDL
– We, in our articles, always comment on how your are from
the BOPE division [elite team] of the police. How do you divide
your life as a policeman with that of a fighter?
PT
– I have complete support from my higher-up and partners.
Everyone likes fighting and they feel honored to have a colleague
who stands out in the world scene. They do what they can to help
me. They don’t prevent me from training, even though I still
have to do my job.
PDL
– How are you going about preparing for the challenge?
PT
– I’m preparing in Brasilia. I took a trip to train
in San Diego, I also spent a week in Rio, and I go after anyone
who wants to help me train.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Lucas
Leite defeats Nick Diaz in sub grappling
Match took place at Gracie Open
One
of the main attractions at the Gracie Open that took place in
San Francisco, California, October 10 was the supermatch between
Lucas Leite and Nick Diaz.
Nick
is well known in MMA circles as a former UFC and current Strikeforce
fighter. Now Lucas Leites is best known in competition Jiu-Jitsu
as the 2007 world champion. The match was set to last 20 minutes
with the first ten only counting submissions. Lucas managed to
take Diaz’s back while points were still not being counted
and then, when points were already being calculated, he managed
to sweep. Nearly at the end of the match the MMA fighter attempted
a flying armbar and ended up hurting himself, resulting in the
win for Leite.
Organized
by Cesar Gracie, the competition counted over 400 athletes competing
in six competition areas.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
2009:
The year of Brazil vs. Brazil in the UFC
With
five editions until the end of the year, UFC is prepared great
emotions to the Brazilian fans, putting on six fights between
Brazilian athletes, two of them in title fights. Analyzing five
of these bouts for TATAME.com, the black belt and commentator
Paulo Borracha pointed the favorites for the fights with huge
stars as Lyoto Machida, Maurício Shogun, Anderson Silva,
Vitor Belfort, Rogério Minotouro, Luis Cane, Thiago Alves,
Paulo Thiago, Junior dos Santos and Gabriel Gonzaga. Check below
the comments.
Lyoto
Machida vs. Maurício Shogun:
“Analyzing
by the techniques, Lyoto is the favorite. Shogun comes from an
expressive victory, against (Chuck) Liddell, but wasn’t
as Machida’s victories. A technical analyze it would be
that. Shogun has an arsenal, he’s a monster, but he’s
returning to the rhythm now. He made an excellent fight, but
Liddell is not coming well, and Lyoto is fighting only the tough
guys and fighting better. It doesn’t mean that Shogun can’t
win, but looking at the numbers and the guys he’s catching,
we can say that Lyoto is the favorite“.
Rogério
Minotouro vs. Luis Cane:
“Big
fight. For the time of work and international experience, I believe
Minotouro more. Sokoudjou (beated by Cane on UFC) didn’t
win Minotouro on UFC, was in other conditions and preparing,
and that’s different in United States and Japan. It’s
the same to beat Liddell and Rich Franklin today, it’s not
their prime. Minotouro is versatile, I think both will take well
the striking and, if someone hits, the other won’t accept...
It will be like Minotouro against Shogun. I think it’s hard
that a knock out happens, but I don’t they’ll go to
the ground“.
Thiago
“Pitbull” vs. Paulo Thiago:
“I
think Paulo Thiago’s well centered, but Pitbull has a great
game, he’s very technical. It’s a tough fight, but
I believe more on Pitbull’s game. On the last fight, Paulo
lost because was a lot of time on the ground, just like Pitbull
against (George) St. Pierre, but GSP’s qualities are way
superior than (Jon) Fitch’s. I believe that, if Paulo stays
down, it would be hard for him to move. This fight may end before
the third round, but Paulo has a heavy hand too“.
Junior
“Cigano” dos Santos vs. Gabriel “Napão”
Gonzaga:
“I
believe more on Cigano. Napão has that amazing game, he’s
kicking more, but I believe that Cigano’s preparation will
make the difference. Cigano is technically excellent, but doesn’t
have Napão’s ground, just like Napão, besides
he’s punching and kicking, he’s not as good as Cigano
in sriking. I think Napão will strike a little, but he’ll
try to take him down. He’s way to win is on the ground.
Standing up, Cigano’s hand or knees may enter. Ground by
ground, Cigano will defend himself, besides the other one being
better. Just like Napão can surprise with a punch, what’s
hard, but it may happen. I think Cigano will try to defend himself
on the ground, he knows the move and it’s hard to be dropped,
but that’s Napão’s way to win, with a submission
on the ground“.
Anderson
Silva vs. Vitor Belfort:
“Another
tough fight... Vitor and I trained together, and I saw Anderson
starting the career. For the time he’s presenting, the consistence,
it’s Anderson. But it’s like Shogun, Vitor has all
the weapons, is extremely talented to win, but, by the historical,
it’s Anderson. Vitor is training Karate now, but I believe
that what he may do to win is with hands, that are fast. He used
to have a bigger attack sequence. Against Rich (Franklin), he
was on that study, on that Karate base, and he took so long to
attack. He’s more mature now. Vitor’s chance is by
the hands, besides Anderson has good hands too. I don’t
see him going to the ground, for what Vitor showed on the ground,
he starts striking, but I think it’s hard that he go straight
to the ground. He would use his boxing, and I don’t think
that this Karate thing will surprise Anderson“.
Source:
Tatatme
|
Strikeforce:
Jacaré ready, anxious to debut
With
three victories on Dream, Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza
fought for the middleweight belt against Jason Miller, but an
illegal kick ended the combat in no contest. Without contract
with the Japanese event, the black belt signed with Strikeforce
and is anxious to be back to United States, where he doesn’t
fight since 2007. “I’m anxious... I don’t know
when my fight’s gonna be, but I’ll probably fight this
year… I want to fight”, said Jacaré, training
hard waiting for a call.
“I’m
well, focused, waiting for the time of the fight. I hope that
they tell me the date of the fight soon. I thought it would be
November 7, but they didn’t say anything yet, so I think
it won’t be now. I think it’s gonna be in the other”,
said Ronaldo, that recently won the super fight of Abu Dhabi
Combat Club, defeating the 2007’ absolute champion, Robert
Drysdale.
JACARÉ
CHEERS FOR SHIELDS
While
he doesn’t fight for Strikeforce, Jacaré wil watch
Miller, who was defeated by him in 2008, fight for the title
of the organization against Jake Shields. The fight will happen
on November 7, and Jacaré knows who will he cheer for.
“I’ll cheer for Shields”, revealed, analyzing
the fight. “There are two good athletes, tough guys, and
I think it’ll be a beautiful fight to see, movement on the
ground, even with Miller being a little better in striking”.
In
a recent press conference, Strikeforce’s CEO confirmed that
the Brazilian will probably be the next one in line for the title,
and Souza welcomes a third fight against Mayhem. “I think
that a history between any fighter will never pass… If you
put that clown in front of me, I won’t have problems to
fight with him. A guy who I already beat and was beating in the
second fight, if he didn’t do that thing there… I’m
not afraid to fight with him, you just have to put him in front
of me”.
Source:
Tatatme
|
Henderson,
UFC fail to come to terms
Dan
Henderson’s career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship
has ground to a close in a contract stalemate, and the former
two-division PRIDE champion appears on the verge of signing a
deal with the rival Strikeforce promotion.
Henderson,
39, devastatingly knocked out Michael Bisping in the second round
of their heavily hyped fight on July 11 at UFC 100 in Las Vegas,
in the final fight of his contract.
The
two-time former U.S. Olympic wrestler had hoped to use that victory
as a springboard to a middleweight title match against Anderson
Silva.
But
Silva and his manager, Ed Soares, weren’t keen on fighting
Henderson again and didn’t think he’d done enough to
warrant a rematch. Silva submitted Henderson in the second round
of their title fight at UFC 82 on March 1, 2008. Since then,
Henderson defeated Rousimar Palhares, won a split decision over
Rich Franklin and knocked out Bisping.
UFC
president Dana White went back-and-forth on whether he’d
make Silva-Henderson II, but said at UFC 103 in Dallas that he
would give the next shot at Silva to Vitor Belfort, after Belfort
scored a first-round knockout of former middleweight champion
Rich Franklin.
Henderson
could not be reached for comment Friday, but White confirmed
he was unable to come to terms with Henderson. White indicated
the company’s contractual right of first refusal had expired
and they would not seek to match contract offers Henderson may
receive. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker did not return phone calls.
White,
though, said he wanted to re-sign Henderson but couldn’t
agree on the money in a new deal.
“We
have a good relationship with Henderson, and there are no hard
feelings,” White said. “He had a figure he believed
he was worth, and we had our own figure, and we weren’t
able to get together.”
Henderson
is 25-7 overall and 5-2 in the UFC. He is the only man in mixed
martial arts history to simultaneously hold championships in
two different weight classes. He was its 183-pound champion when
he knocked out Wanderlei Silva to become its 205-pound title-holder
as well.
He
moved to the UFC after defeating Wanderlei Silva and was immediately
put into a PRIDE vs. UFC championship match against Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson at UFC 75 on Sept. 8, 2007, in London. Jackson won a
unanimous decision.
White
said he was disappointed to lose Henderson, but said he was confident
the UFC would be able to recover.
“We
always find a way,” White said.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
MAMED
KHALIDOV ON SENGOKU AND SANTIAGO BOUT
Polish
fighter Mamed Khalidov has signed to fight for Sengoku. He will
make his promotional debut on Nov. 7 when he faces middleweight
champion Jorge Santiago in a non-title affair.
The
news of Khalidov's signing and subsequent match-up with Santiago
were confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by his North American and Asian
representative, Shu Hirata, who also works with his team in Poland,
KSW.
American
fans were introduced to Khalidov in October 2008 when he made
his debut for Elite XC, defeating Jason Guida by TKO in the second
round. Since that time, the Poland based fighter traveled home
to compete in a KSW show where he defeated Daniel Acacio with
a first round knockout.
With
the recent expansion of Strikeforce into different markets, and
several shows running between Showtime and CBS, it looked like
Khalidov would be a great addition to the roster, but according
to his manager, the timing just didn't work out.
"Strikeforce
did show an interest in re-signing Mamed when I spoke with their
ex-matchmaker Bob Cook, but Strikeforce just didn't have enough
number shows in their 2009 calendar to accommodate Mamed, who
wanted to fight couple more times this year," Hirata told
MMAWeekly.com in an exclusive interview.
Following
his short stint in Elite XC, Khalidov was pursued by both Affliction
and Bellator, but at the end of the day fighting in Japan made
the most sense for the fighter and his future endeavors.
"About
one month of negotiation, we did agree to the basic term and
conditions, and Bellator did deliver the contract, however, since
the start of the season two got postponed to April 1, 2010, we
have decided to go with Sengoku," Hirata commented about
a potential deal with Bellator Fighting Championships.
Khalidov,
who is a star in his homeland, has competed on his home camp's
cards with KSW several times, while also finding a home on Polish
television through Polsat and Polsat Sport. His camp, run by
owner Martin Lewandowski, who also just signed five-time World
Strongest Man champ Mariusz Pudzianowski, will continue to support
Khalidov as he makes his move to Japan.
"I
hope that thanks to this fight I show what is the best in me
and the same Japanese public and the owners of World Victory
Road will focus more on KSW team fighters who are really good
ones," Khalidov said in an exclusive interview with MMAWeekly.com.
"It is distinction and award for me and my trainers for
years of hard trainings."
For
the fighter himself, he's excited to compete and start with an
extremely tough challenge right out of the gate in Top 10 middleweight
Jorge Santiago.
"I
am really happy about this opportunity to show my skills,"
Khalidov commented. "I saw Santiago's fights and I reckon
he is very good fighter, finally he is a beltholder."
While
very excited for the chance to compete against Santiago, Khalidov
admits there is some disappointment in the non-title fight, but
if everything goes his way, a rematch for a championship shot
would be a great honor as well.
"It
would be nice to fight also for the belt, but fighting with such
a gifted fighter gives me enough motivation," he said. "It
is God's will, but I believe when I win I will get this chance
to fight for this title one day."
Khalidov
also took the time to thank the people that helped him achieve
his goal of signing with Sengoku, and what promises to be a bright
future.
"I
would like to thank my sponsor All Stars. In the same time I
want to greet all my fans and ask them to keep their finger cross
for me on Sengoku 11th," Khalidov stated.
Mamed
Khalidov will face Jorge Santiago on Nov. 7 at Sengoku: Eleventh
Battle.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"He
who angers you conquers you."
Elizabeth
Kenny
|
ULTIMATE
FIGHTER STILL PULLING STRONG NUMBERS
Spike TV on Thursday revealed ratings information for the latest
episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, and the news is
good.
The
series was number one (tied this week with South Park) with the
key demographic of Men 18-34 for the fifth consecutive week.
Episode 5 drew 963,000 viewers in the demographic.
Overall,
the episode attracted an average of 2.8 million viewers for the
second consecutive week, a very strong number for the series.
Much
of the ratings bonanza has been due to the addition of Kevin
“Kimbo Slice” Ferguson. The season opened with an average
of 4.1 million viewers, and has thus far peaked at a network
record 5.3 million viewers during week three, when Kimbo fought
series favorite Roy Nelson.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Anderson
operates and models
Brazilian champion’s manager comments on operation
Despite
UFC president Dana White’s hopes of putting on a fight between
Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort at the beginning of 2010, for
an important member of the Brazilian’s team the bout is
not yet set in stone.
In an interview with MMAWeekly.com, Anderson’s manager Ed
Soares was mysterious about the elbow surgery the UFC middleweight
champion underwent on Monday.
“They
[the doctors] found some things they weren’t aware of, which
is a good thing. If we’re going to defend the title, we
have to have Anderson 100%,” said the manager.
According
to Ed, more specific information regarding Anderson Silva’s
condition will be released in the next 10 days.
In
good cheer and apparently unbothered by the operation, Anderson
on Monday (the same day as the operation) in one of his sponsors’
fashion show.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Anderson
comments on operation
UFC champion in physiotherapy
The
news Anderson Silva operated his elbow caught everyone by surprise.
The fighter previously declared the procedure was not necessary,
but turned out to be the right choice. Arthroscopic surgery was
performed last Monday.
“I
had my elbow operated. It was an operation I should have done
a long time ago. My arm has been injured for a long time. I was
having problems in training, feeling pain, and ended up having
to operated on. I think it was the best choice,” said Anderson,
who is already working on his return to training.
“I’m
already in physiotherapy and now I have to wait to see what my
doctor says, when I can train and when I can fight. It’s
in the hands of my doctor and physiotherapist. That’s all
I can do right now.”
Anderson
has not discarded the possibility of facing Vitor Belfort, although
that is not what his manager, Ed Soares, wants. Nevertheless,
there is no prediction as to when he may return.
“Now
I have to wait to see what the doctors say. After that we have
to just go along as usual: training and fighting. I’ll just
train like I always do and then fight. There’s no secret
to it. Just train.”
Anderson
carries on with treatment in the United States. There he will
remain until Lyoto Machida’s fight with Mauricio Shogun,
on November 24.
“I’m
being treated here and I’ll stay till Lyoto’s fight.
I’m providing him support. I’ll return to Brazil for
my daughter’s birthday and then come back over here to take
up my training again.”
While
on ice, Anderson took a stab at being a model. At the Silver
Star show, a brand that sponsors him, he was seen on the catwalk.
“It was cool, real cool.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Gesias
prepares return, eyes Strikeforce
Without
victories since the conquest of K-1 Hero’s tournament, in
2007, , the American Top Team lightweight is recovering from
a knee injury and expects to be back to the ring in 2010. “I’ll
slow down now. Next year I’ll be back slowly“, Gesias
said, commenting the title fight between Shinya Aoki and Joachim
Hansen.
“I
knew the fight would be like that. Aoki hold the fight and gave
no space to Hansen use the hand. Aoki was strategical, played
his game, and in the end, when Hansen got distracted, he was
submitted. If Hansen knocked Aoki out, I wouldn’t be surprised
too”, the two times Hero’s champion said, talking about
a possible rematch with both.
“I
don’t care who’s in front of me... I’m coming
back and I know that I have to make my space and as Hansen lost
and they wanted to give me, ok, but I’m not asking for any
fight. I don’t want to pass in the front of anybody, I want
to do my job”, Gesias explained, talking about a possible
fight at Strikeforce. “Nobody told me anything, I was scheduled
to fight at Dream now. I got hurt, I won’t fight this year
anymore, but I’m interesting. I live in United States and
the event is growing a lot, it would be good to me”.
Source: Tatame
|
Pequeno
returns to Japan: “I’m ready”
Former
king of Shooto, event where he conquered the belt and defended
it in seven opportunities, Alexandre “Pequeno“ Nogueira
will be back to the Japanese rings on October 30, at Japan Open.
Against the champion Lion Takeshi, the Brazilian expects to return
with big style. “He’s a tough fighter, he got my belt
when I went to K-1. I’ll get this Japanese and see what
will happen. I’m ready for this fight. I’ll do my best
and conquest Japan again“, Nogueira said. “If I win
this fight, I’ll fight for the belt with him in near future…
Japanese press said that he will only be a real champion if he
beats me”.
Source: Tatame
|
MAIN
CARD RELEASED FOR NOV. 20 STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS
The main card of Strikeforce Challengers, ShoMMA 5, has been
finalized.
Strikeforce
Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz on Thursday afternoon
released the full card for the fifth installment of the promotion's
up-and-comer series, set for Nov. 20 at Memorial Hall in Kansas
City, Kansas.
Fast-rising
welterweight Tyron Woodley will headline the card, fresh off
a submission victory over Zach Light at ShoMMA 3. The American
Top Team product will face Rudy Bears, who in August defeated
WEC veteran Brendan Seguin at M-1: Breakthrough, his sixth consecutive
victory.
Co-headlining
the card is a light heavyweight tilt between Team Nogueira product
Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante and Aaron Rosa. Cavalcante
came up short in his Strikeforce debut, falling prey to the strikes
of UFC veteran Mike Pyle, and will look to rebound from the loss.
Rosa graced the first installment of ShoMMA in May, defeating
Anthony Ruiz by submission in the first round. He is currently
riding a two-fight win streak.
Here
is the main card:
-Tyron
Woodley vs. Rudy Bears
-Rafael Cavalcante vs. Aaron Rosa
-Kerry Vera vs. Kim Couture
-Sarah Kaufman vs. Takayo Hashi
Missing
from the fall card was heavyweight Roger Gracie, who was rumored
to participate on the card. Afromowitz did not comment on the
Brazilian's absence.
Undercard
match-ups are expected to be finalized soon.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
EYES JAN. 11 FOR VIRGINIA;
MACDONALD VS GUYMON
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has secured a Jan. 11 date for
a possible event in Virginia in what would be the promotion’s
first trip to the Old Dominion state, according to a report from
Sherdog.com.
Mary
Broz-Vaughn, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Professional
and Occupational Regulation, which oversees boxing and mixed
martial arts events in the state, told MMAWeekly.com the event
would likely take place in Northern Virginia, but did not name
a venue or timetable for its confirmation.
“Virginia
would be delighted to have the UFC, but nothing has been confirmed,”
said Broz-Vaughn.
Rory
MacDonald, a 20-year-old undefeated lightweight fighting out
of Kelowna, British Columbia, will likely be the first addition
to the card, according to sources from the fighter’s camp.
MacDonald
is in the process of signing a bout agreement to face UFC newcomer
and veteran Mike “The Joker” Guymon for the Jan. 11
event. The fight, first reported by MixedMartialArts.com, was
the first of a four-fight deal with the UFC.
Guymon,
35, was not immediately reachable for comment.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HARDONK
KNOWS WHAT HE'S GETTING AT UFC 104
Dutch
heavyweight Antoni Hardonk has a pretty good idea of what he’s
getting into when he meets Pat Barry on Oct. 24 at UFC 104 in
Los Angeles. He worked with the Southerner for years in his Holland
gym, serving as sparring partner, cornerman, and test audience.
“I
know his style, I know his strengths, his weaknesses,” Hardonk
told MMAWeekly.com. “I also know his personality. He’s
quite a funny guy. He’s got a lot of humor. But I kind of
know what to expect. But now, it’s MMA. It’s a total
different game.”
The
two share a kickboxing background, although Hardonk made the
transition long before Barry, who until last year made his living
as a K-1 fighter and World Combat League regular.
Hardonk
believes he has the advantage in MMA, though he’s not counting
out his old partner’s skills.
“I
think I have a more well-rounded style. I’m more developed
fighting on the ground, and my wrestling, I think, is a little
bit better. But I think he has some advantages because of his
build. He’s a very short, heavy-built guy, so he’s
got a low center of gravity; it’s hard to take him down.
And that’s basically where he focuses... keep it in the
stand-up fight and try to surprise people there and try to force
his style over his opponents.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"People
can be more forgiving than you can imagine.
But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what's bitter and
move on."
Bill Cosby
|
NAGA
Hawaii Today!
Pearl City
High School Gym, Pearl City
Sunday, October 18th
BJJ BLACK BELT & ABU DHABI VETERAN Mike Cardoso will be conducting
a FREE, 1 hour No-Gi Seminar at the Saturday night weigh-in/registration
(Oct 17th from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the main gymnasium). This
seminar is open to all spectators and participants of the NAGA
event. All schools and styles are welcome. Individuals of all
skill levels can participate for free.
-
Weigh-In either Saturday night from 6 PM until 8 PM or on Sunday
starting at 8:00 AM and going all day at the Pearl City High
School - 2100 Hookiekie Street, Pearl City, Hawaii, 96782.
8:00
A.M.
1. Doors Open, Registration & Weigh-in's begin
10:00
A.M.
2. Rules Meeting
3. All Kids and Teen (Gi & No-Gi Divisions) Begin - DON'T
BE LATE
12:00
Noon
4. Absolute No-Gi - Championship Belt
5. Adult Novice & Beginner No-Gi Divisions
6. Adult Intermediate & Advanced No-Gi Divisions
Mid
- Late Afternoon
7. Adult White Belt Gi Divisions
8. Adult Blue Belt Gi, Purple, Brown & Black Belts
Source: NAGA
|
URIJAH
FABER ANTICIPATES JANUARY RETURN
by Jeff
Cain
Former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight titleholder Urijah
Faber expects to return to action in January, but an opponent
has yet to be named for "The California Kid."
Faber
confirmed during the WEC 43 broadcast on Oct. 10 that Jan. appears
to be when he'll fight again. "That would be perfect timing
for me," Faber told MMAWeekly.com "I'm hoping it's
January."
No
opponent has been named, but the 30-year old fighter anticipates
a tough match up.
"I
imagine I'll get a tough opponent. That's the way mixed martial
arts is, the best fights the best. I'm looking forward to challenging
myself and putting the smack down on somebody," said Faber.
Faber
last competed at WEC 41 on June 7, losing by decision to current
titleholder Mike Brown and has been sidelined due to hand injuries
suffered during the bout. He's eager to get back to doing what
he does best.
"I'm
just ready to compete against anybody. The way it is now, everybody
is tough. It's a crap-shoot in there," said the Team Alpha
Male trained featherweight. "I feel like I'll have the upper
hand on anyone I face, but no one is going to be a walk in the
park."
"I
can't wait to get back in there. This is what I do. This is what
I love," he added. "This is going to be my coming back
party after a great fight where I was injured and fought through
some adversity.
This
is going to be a big one for me, and I'm hoping it's going to
be against an opponent that also puts on great shows. I'm definitely
going to get the win. It's going to be a special fight for me."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Shawn
Tompkins Resigns from Xtreme Couture
by Ray
Hui
Acclaimed kickboxing trainer Shawn Tompkins resigned Monday as
head trainer of the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas and will
move to the recently opened TapouT Research and Development Training
Center, just under two miles away.
"The
[Xtreme Couture] gym and the direction it's going and the direction
I want to go are two different things," Tompkins said Tuesday
to Fighters Only. "A few years back I set up goals for myself
and I'm at a point right now where I want to follow through with
those goals."
Tompkins
points to his desire to bring back the Team Tompkins brand that
had been deemphasized when he joined Xtreme Couture in August
2007.
"I
really want to bring back the Team Tompkins ideals and the way
we had our systems put together," Tompkins said. "A
big part of what my training system was based on was the Bas
Rutten mixed martial arts systems and everything he kind of guided
me through in my career as a coach and working with great fighters.
"There's
a lot of great options and opportunities that I'm going to have
with this and the Team Tompkins name allows me to really be proud
of it and make it mine."
The
bigger story out of the Tompkins move could be which fighters
new and old that will be following him. Vitor Belfort began training
at Xtreme Couture last year and his camps have been headed by
Tompkins. Also, Sherdog reported last month that Yoshihiro Akiyama
is planning on coming to Vegas to train with Tompkins and Xtreme
Couture.
Chris
Horodecki, Sam Stout and Mark Hominick are three fighters especially
close and have longtime ties to Tompkins that represent or had
represented Xtreme Couture. The three founded the Adrenaline
Training Center a year ago in London, Ontario, Canada as a "continuation
of the world famous Team Tompkins originated by head trainer
and founder Shawn Tompkins," the gym's official website
states.
Tompkins
said what stood out with the TapouT Training Center was the family-oriented
atmosphere that was geared more towards learning, having fun
and getting in shape rather than just a fighter's gym.
"We're
going to blend our ideals on training fighters and working on
future prospects together and build a great team," Tompkins
said. "I'm very excited about it."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
The
Next Great Gracie?
by Marcelo Alonso
Rolls Gracie was viewed by many as the most technical Gracie
grappler, and his oldest son, Rolles, has emerged as perhaps
the first family’s next great hope in mixed martial arts.
Three fights into his career, expectations are higher than ever.
The
undefeated Brazilian submitted Peter Graham by rear-naked choke
in one of the featured matches at Art of War 14 “Ground
Zero” on Sept. 26 at the Cotai Arena in Macau, China. Gracie
needed only 1:43 to take out the Australian kickboxer.
A
two-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu national champion, Gracie stands
to benefit from a fledgling alliance between Jackson’s Mixed
Martial Arts in Albuquerque, N.M., and the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Academy in Holmdel, N.J.
“Actually,
my manager lived in Albuquerque for a long time and trained with
Greg [Jackson]. When he moved to New York, he started to train
with us at Renzo’s academy,” Gracie said. “He
brought us together with Rashad [Evans]. Rashad liked my jiu-jitsu,
and right after his fight with Lyoto [Machida], he invited me
to his camp. I met Greg Jackson, who’s an amazing person.
I’m very lucky to be surrounded by so many great people,
like my uncles, Renzo and Rillion, and now Greg. I believe I’m
in the right place.”
Gracie,
who made his professional MMA debut inside the International
Fight League two years ago, has had no trouble with the transition
to a new sport. None of his first three opponents have survived
the first round against him. Graham, a decorated fighter with
more than 50 kickboxing wins to his credit, provided a unique
set of challenges for the Brazilian.
“I
trained my wrestling more for this fight,” Gracie said.
“I knew that Graham was the toughest guy I’ve ever
faced. He’d already defeated fighters like Badr Hari, so
I knew he was a dangerous opponent. I was in great shape, and
everything went fine.”
Rolles
Gracie and Greg Jackson.The 31-year-old heavyweight credits his
family for his success. His father, who died tragically in 1982,
remains one of the central figures in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“My
uncles used to say that he was a bridge between the old and the
modern jiu-jitsu, making jiu-jitsu more aggressive; in the past,
it was more like a defensive style,” Gracie said. “When
he died in a hang gliding accident, I was only 4 years old, and
my brother, Igor, was 2 years old. I have a lot of good memories
of him putting me down to roll and having fun.”
A
second-degree black belt, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Gracie has
designs on eventually competing on MMA’s grandest stage.
However, he seems content to wait for the right time to make
his move.
“Of
course, the biggest showcase in MMA is the UFC,” he said.
“The dream of any fighter in the world is to fight in the
UFC, but I want to go there when I think I’m ready. I don’t
want to go there and return.”
Former
World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Brock Lesnar currently
rules the UFC’s heavyweight division, having left Heath
Herring, UFC hall of famer Randy Couture and Frank Mir in his
wake. Gracie sees Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as perhaps the most
significant threat to the monstrous titleholder.
“In
the UFC, I would bet on ‘Minotauro,’” Gracie said.
“I’m a big fan of his for everything he’s done
in the sport -- his historic fights. I think he can beat Lesnar
using his jiu-jitsu. Jiu-jitsu is the backbone of MMA.”
Casting
an eye toward the future, Gracie plans to keep his options open.
“My
job is not to choose opponents; my job is to fight them,”
he said. “Jiu-jitsu is also like that. You never know who
you will face.”
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
10/24 Staples Center (Los Angeles)
By Zach
Arnold
As
it currently stands:
Dark
matches
Heavyweights:
Stefan Struve vs. Chase Gormley
Light Heavyweights: Kyle Kingsbury vs. Razak Al-Hassan
Light Heavyweights: Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer
Middleweights: Jorge Rivera vs. Rob Kimmons
Middleweights: Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen
Heavyweights: Antoni Hardonk vs. Pat Barry
Main
card
Welterweights:
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Lightweights: Joe “Daddy” Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher
Lightweights: Gleison Tibau vs. Josh Neer
Heavyweights: Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio
Shogun
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Edgar
vs. Pellegrino Confirmed for TUF 10 Finale
Jones to Meet Hamill in Light-Heavyweight Tilt
By FCF
Staff
The
UFC has confirmed a notable lightweight tilt between Frankie
Edgar and Kurt Pellegrino, for the promotion’s upcoming
“Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” Finale, which will
take place December 5th, in Las Vegas, Nevada. As is the case
with all the TUF finals, the card will be broadcast on Spike.
Edgar
(10-1) continues to work his back into title contention, as the
lightweight has won back-to-back bouts over Hermes Franca and
Sean Sherk, since he was defeated by Gray Maynard last April.
Pellegrino
(14-4) will head into the tilt having won 3 straight, with wins
over Rob Emerson, Thiago Tavares and most recently, Josh Neer,
who the jiu-jitsu black belt defeated by UD at UFC 101.
At
light-heavyweight, two of the division’s rising fighters
will square off as Jon Jones will meet Matt Hamill. Jones has
won 3 straight since he arrived in the UFC, and is coming off
a tap-out victory over Jake O’Brien in July.
Hamill
(7-2) has been impressive since he was stopped by Rich Franklin
last September, defeating both Andy Reese and most recently,
Mark Munoz, who Hamill KO’d with a highlight reel head kick.
The
December 5th finale will of course also feature the final bout
from the current season of TUF.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Vale
Tudo Japan 2009
By Zach
Arnold
A
big MMA show is coming on October 30th at JCB Hall in Tokyo.
Fighters from Japan, North America, and Brazil will be booked.
Lion Takeshi vs. Alexandre Franca “Pequeno” Nogueira
is booked, along with Takanori Gomi and Rumina Sato (seperately).
Four
days prior to VTJ ‘09, Kozo Takeda will have a retirement
fight for K-1 at Yokohama Arena likely against Albert Kraus.
Update
(10/13) - Here’s the updated fight card:
¦Takanori
Gomi vs. Tony Hervey (King of the Cage Lightweight champion)
¦Shooto World Welterweight championship: Ken’ichiro
Togashi vs. Willamy Chiguerim
¦Shooto Bantamweights: Mamoru vs. Jesse Taitano
¦Tito Jones vs. Tenkei Fujimiya
¦VTJ Rules (65 kg, 5 min 5R): Lion Takeshi vs. Alexandre
Franca Pequeno Nogueira
Also booked: Rumina Sato & Yoichiro Sato
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Cavalcante
seeks redemption at Strikeforce
By Guilherme Cruz
With
only one fight in 2009, Rafael “Feijão” Cavalcante
is back to Strikeforce and wants redemption. After three quick
knockouts on EliteXC, the Brazilian was waiting for a title shot
at Strikeforce, but an opponent changed in the last minute and
the knockout loss against Mike Kyle changed his plans.
In
interview to TATAME.com, the fighter spoke about the preparation
for the fight. “I made a work to keep my weight lower, I’ve
changed it. The last time, something went wrong and now we’re
working to get better… We will be better”, guarantees
Cavalcante, who’ll make his preparation in Brazil.
“I’ll
stay in Brazil... I’ll go there just to fight. I’ll
prepare myself here, I won’t have this weight problem anymore.
I can even lose the fight, but not for this reason”, Feijão
said, revealing the strategy for the fight.
"I
saw a fight of him and he’s quite complete, good standing
up, is not very good in the takedowns. We’re still analyzing,
but we’ll make a strategy focusing on my game, to fight
in striking … I’m ready, I just need the final sprint
on this five weeks and do the work”, finished.
Source: Tatame
|
Penn-Sanchez
officially set for UFC 107
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has formally announced BJ Penn
vs. Diego Sanchez as the main event of its Dec. 12 show in Memphis.
This
week's announcement confirms a UFC 107 match-up that was widely
expected.
UFC
President Dana White last month revealed a Dec. 12 date for the
next title defense of Penn, the lightweight champion. But the
challenger wasn't officially unveiled until now, although White
had previously said that Sanchez was in line for a title shot
following his split-decision victory over Clay Guida in June.
Sanchez,
the first contract winner of The Ultimate Fighter, has only had
two fights at lightweight following several years as a welterweight.
But Sanchez's 8-2 record in UFC as a 170-pounder gave him instant
credibility as a top lightweight. His status was further bolstered
by wins over Guida and Stevenson, both in the top 25 of the USA
TODAY/SB Nation consensus rankings.
BJ
Penn hasn't lost in his last nine fights as a lightweight, going
back to 2002.
Penn's
most recent fight was in August, when he submitted Kenny Florian
at UFC 101.
Sanchez,
Penn, Gray Maynard, Mizuto Hirota and Jamie Varner are the only
ranked 155-pounders who haven't lost to another lightweight currently
in the top 25.
A
Penn-Sanchez fight offers as much potential for excitement as
any fight this year. Both men have reputations as fast starters,
excellent grapplers and dangerous strikers.
Although
Penn is a more technical striker, Sanchez might be best served
keeping it on the feet, where his aggression and skill fighting
on the inside might serve him well. On the ground, Penn's creativity
and flexibility make him dangerous for anyone, even someone as
skilled in jiu-jitsu as Sanchez.
Although
Penn-Sanchez qualifies as a strong main event, it wasn't supposed
to be the Dec. 12 headliner. UFC 107 was originally designed
around Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans as the blow-off bout
between the coaches on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Jackson would have been fighting in his hometown, but he accepted
the the role of B.A. Baracus in a movie version of The A-Team,
which is currently being filmed.
UFC
107's co-main event features a pair of heavyweights looking to
bounce back from defeats. Ex-champion Frank Mir, who lost to
Brock Lesnar in July, has agreed to fight Cheick Kongo, last
seen in June, when he dropped a decision to Cain Velasquez.
Mir
deserves to be favored, for his far greater skill on the ground
and overall versatility. Kongo is one of the top knockout artists
in the heavyweight division, but his wrestling and grappling
skills are scant compared to other top heavyweights.
Also
confirmed for UFC 107: A bout between welterweights Paulo Thiago
and Thiago Alves.
Source: USA Today
|
Velasquez
likes his chances against Fedor
by Jake Rossen/Sherdog.com
Courtesy Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Cain
Velasquez is a legend in his own mind. Maybe he'll get a chance
to prove it one day.
If
you fight for a living, you had better believe you can beat anyone:
Urijah Faber should like his chances against Hong Man Choi. (No,
really -- he should.) So it should come as little surprise that
undefeated UFC heavyweight Cain Velasquez is confident he could
dethrone consensus badass Fedor Emelianenko.
"Definitely
me," Velazquez told Fanhouse when asked about who would
win the hypothetical bout. "I'm a proud Mexican fighter.
… I think he's an awesome fighter. He's the best."
Velasquez
was wobbled regularly by Cheick Kongo, a proficient if unexceptional
kickboxer who didn't have much of an answer for Velasquez's clinching
when he got fuzzy-headed. It's also easy to forget Velasquez
is only 6-foot-0. He'd probably like his chances even better
two years from now.
Source: ESPN
|
Antonio
"Big Foot" Silva Talks Fabricio Werdum, Picks Fedor
Emelianenko Over Brett Rogers
by Kid
Nate
Big Foot talks to BrasilCombate.com and MMA Mania translates:
"Werdum
is a good fighter, very experienced, cautious with good jiu-jitsu.
He is famed among Strikeforce heavyweights and I want to be between
the best ones to get the chance to fight Fedor, so I have to
look for a knockout or a submission victory over him. I have
improved my stand-up game in the past two years. I'm more confident,
moving better, kicking and punching harder. I'm ready for any
circumstance that may come up because my ground game is also
very sharpened. It's a fight and anything can happen, but I don't
see Rogers knocking out or submitting Fedor, despite his heavy
hands. If you observe, he goes towards the opponent with his
guard opened and Fedor hits very well in the short distance.
I will be rooting for Fedor to keep winning."
I
like a lot of things about the Bigfoot Silva vs Werdum match:
1.Neither
Werdum nor Silva can make a very strong case to be worthy of
facing the USAT/SBN Consensus MMA Rankings #1 heavyweight in
the world in Fedor Emelianenko. Werdum is currently ranked at
#13 and Silva is at #22. But a win by either fighter will go
a long way toward establishing them as a legit opponent for Fedor.
2.I'm
glad to see Big Foot back in the US again, I hope this means
his issues with the CSAC are resolved. He popped positive for
steroids under the old Armando Garcia regime of the CSAC. Garcia's
testing regimen was so dubious that his successor at the CSAC
chose to do no testing for his first several events until a completely
new testing regime could be set up.
3.This
should be a good fight that will appeal to casual fight fans
tuning in on CBS. Silva will be looking to keep it on the feet
and get the KO while Werdum will be looking to get it to the
ground and use his world champion BJJ skills. But Silva's not
helpless on the ground and Werdum certainly isn't averse to mixing
it up on the feet -- ask Gabriel Gonzaga.
4.The other thing about this is every athlete in the heavyweight
division will be rooting for Fedor here. If Brett Rogers manages
to upset Emelianenko, you will hear the sound of heavyweights
dreaming of a mega-payday fight against Fedor screaming across
the land. Not just the Strikeforce guys either. The UFC heavies
all want to fight Fedor. The reality is, he's a huge paycheck
waiting to happen for any opponent.
Source: Bloody Elbow
|
Rolles
Gracie Jr. Eyes Fight in US Next
by Ariel Helwani
At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Rolles Gracie Jr. is the largest
member of the Gracie family to ever compete in MMA. Thus far,
the 31-year-old has recorded three victories in his first three
professional fights, including a recent win over Peter Graham
at Art of War 14 in China last month.
But
Gracie is now a free agent, and after making his MMA debut Stateside
in September 2007, he's looking to fight once again in the U.S.
On a recent edition of The MMA Hour, Gracie said he has been
in dialogue with all the major promotions, but is in no hurry
to sign a long-term deal.
"We've
already been flirting with them for a minute. So let's see what
happens. Right now, I'm at the point of my career where I'm not
in a rush. I'm not the kind of fighter that wants to fight 10
times in a year," he said.
"I
want to fight three, four times the most in a year, and I know
it's just a matter of time for me to be in a big organization
here."
Gracie,
a silver medalist in the over 99 kg division at the 2007 Abu
Dhabi Combat Club World Championship, believes he will be fighting
full-time in America "early next year." He seems open
to competing for any organization, but doesn't hide the fact
that he would love to someday fight in the UFC.
"I
want to fight wherever they treat me good. That's my priority,"
he said.
"Obviously,
UFC is the biggest one right now, so you always aim for the biggest
show."
Prior
to his recent Art of War bout, Gracie was offered a fight against
fellow MMA newcomer, Bobby Lashley, for later this year. However,
he said that both sides couldn't come to a financial agreement.
"I
was really looking forward to this fight," he said.
"I
still see Bobby Lashley as a very dangerous opponent. A guy that
big, that fast with the wrestling background, he's got to be.
You can not underestimate a guy like that."
Gracie,
who splits his training time with the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Academy in Holmdel, N.J. and Greg Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts
in Albuquerque, N.M., said he would love to someday fight Lashley,
but isn't in discussions anymore to face the former WWE star
soon.
He's
sort of gentle giant who does not like to talk trash about anyone
but did not hold back when discussing the feud between Frank
Shamrock and his uncle, Renzo Gracie.
"I
want to see Frank Shamrock get his ass kicked again," he
said.
"I
don't like disrespectful people. I don't like the crap that he
said. I don't admire the guy. Not even a tiny bit."
The
Gracie-Shamrock feud, which ended inconsluviely in February 2007
when Gracie defeated "The Legend" via disqualification
on the first EliteXC card, won't be settled in the future, but
Gracie confirmed that his uncle is training hard for an upcoming
fight. He stopped short at saying when or where it would take
place, though.
"He's
training already. He lost some weight, getting leaner. He's excited,
man, and like he said, he's going to fight until he's crapping
in his pants."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
WEC
Flyweight Division on Hold
by Greg Savage
World Extreme Cagefighting Vice President Peter Dropick stated
earlier this year that the promotion would be instituting a 125-pound
division. Fans and pundits alike have speculated about when the
weight class might debut ever since.
According
to matchmaker Sean Shelby, the flyweight division remains a dilemma.
“When
I first came in earlier this year, my goal was to build up the
divisions we already had,” Shelby said. “We have built
quality depth into 135 and 145, and I am working on 155 now.
With the number of fights we are doing now, 125 is just not a
viable division for us at this moment.”
Noting
the considerable effort it will take to launch a flyweight division
and to cultivate a worthy talent pool of contenders, Shelby said
it would hurt the weight classes the WEC currently promotes if
the organization jumped in before it was ready.
“Every
fight we would be doing at 125 would take a spot from our already
established divisions,” he said. “We have worked hard
to create the depth we have, and I just don’t want to sacrifice
that. We will do the flyweights, but it has to be the right time.”
Shelby
recalled the UFC’s decision to absolve the lightweight division
in 2003 because it was not promoting enough fights necessary
to support the division. With that in mind, he remains cautious
about a timetable for the institution of the weight class.
“When
we feel we can support the division the way it needs to be supported,
then we will bring in the best flyweights in the world,”
said Shelby, who was hesitant to speculate on a timeframe. “We
will be doing more shows next year, and, as [WEC General Manager]
Reed [Harris] stated, we will be doing pay-per-view as well,
so hopefully we will see the 125ers sometime in 2010.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"It
is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."
Mahatma Gandhi
|
NAGA
Hawaii Tomorrow
Pearl City
High School Gym, Pearl City
Sunday, October 18th
BJJ BLACK BELT & ABU DHABI VETERAN Mike Cardoso will be conducting
a FREE, 1 hour No-Gi Seminar at the Saturday night weigh-in/registration
(Oct 17th from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the main gymnasium). This
seminar is open to all spectators and participants of the NAGA
event. All schools and styles are welcome. Individuals of all
skill levels can participate for free.
-
Weigh-In either Saturday night from 6 PM until 8 PM or on Sunday
starting at 8:00 AM and going all day at the Pearl City High
School - 2100 Hookiekie Street, Pearl City, Hawaii, 96782.
8:00
A.M.
1. Doors Open, Registration & Weigh-in's begin
10:00
A.M.
2. Rules Meeting
3. All Kids and Teen (Gi & No-Gi Divisions) Begin - DON'T
BE LATE
12:00
Noon
4. Absolute No-Gi - Championship Belt
5. Adult Novice & Beginner No-Gi Divisions
6. Adult Intermediate & Advanced No-Gi Divisions
Mid
- Late Afternoon
7. Adult White Belt Gi Divisions
8. Adult Blue Belt Gi, Purple, Brown & Black Belts
Source: NAGA
|
STRIKEFORCE
WANTS TO UNIFY TITLES WITH DREAM
by Ken Pishna
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker on Wednesday said that his promotion
is ready to take the leap forward and do something that has rarely
been attempted in major mixed martial arts promotions, unifying
titles across promotions. It’s something that he would like
to pursue with Japanese promoter Dream.
Though
it’s often been discussed by various promotions, Strikeforce
and Dream already have an official fighter sharing partnership
in place, so it would be less of a stretch for the two to come
to some sort of agreement on unification bouts.
Coker
announced the alliance between Strikeforce and Dream in early
August, just after tapping Dream’s Mitsuhiro Ishida to come
to the U.S. and challenge Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce
interim lightweight championship.
He
likened the agreement to the post-season in Major League Baseball,
where teams from different leagues compete to declare the top
team in the sport.
In
actuality, Coker has been sharing fighters with Dream for quite
some time, but once Strikeforce signed Fedor Emelianenko to a
multi-fight contract, the two promotions decided to make the
alliance more official. The formal partnership could now lead
to the title unification bouts, and Coker is ready for that next
step.
“I
think that one of the reasons why we made the alliance is so
we can see some of the best fighters of Dream fight the best
fighters of Strikeforce. Unifying those title belts, I have no
problem with that. As a fan and as a company, we would definitely
like to pursue that.”
Strikeforce
is fairly well equipped for its next two major events as far
as title bouts go. Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem”
Miller will determine a new middleweight champion on Nov. 7 on
CBS, where Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers will likely determine
the first challenger to heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.
The undercard of the Chicago event will also produce a contender
to Cris “Cyborg” Santos’ title when Erin Toughill
and Marloes Coenen square up. Lightweight champion Josh Thomson
will face Melendez in December.
Two
openings would appear to be at welterweight, where filling the
vacant slot has become somewhat of a Bermuda Triangle, and light
heavyweight. Champion Gegard Mousasi will face Rameau Thierry
Sokoudjou in a light heavyweight non-title affair on Nov. 7,
but has few legitimate challengers waiting in the ranks of the
current Strikeforce roster.
But
if and when Coker can put together a cross-promotional unification
bout, it will be a major development in mixed martial arts.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Junie
Browning Apologizes
by Ray Hui
Former UFC lightweight Junie Browning spoke publicly for the
first time Tuesday, exactly one week after he reportedly consumed
16 pills of the anti-anxiety medication Klonopin in an attempt
to overdose and allegedly assaulting three nurses when treated
at the St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson, Nev.
Browning
spoke to the media at former Xtreme Couture trainer Shawn Tompkins'
house to issue an apology to the nurses, his supporters and Tompkins,
who drove Browning to the hospital and had taken the fighter
under his wings.
"I'm
going to continue working on the problems I have, but again I
want to apologize to everyone that was involved," Browning
told Raw Vegas. "It was a horrible thing that happened."
Browning
was promptly released from his UFC contract the following day
of the incident, which included an arrest for the hospital assault.
Tompkins has said in interviews that Browning's fight career
is most likely over, but Browning admits that fighting is the
least of his worries for now.
"At
this point I'm not just concerned with making myself a better
fighter," Browning said. "I mean, that's the obvious.
I have a lot more issues than that. I'm also trying to improve
myself as a person. If I have to get help -- I'm going to do
whatever I have to do to better myself as a person."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Thales
Leites Rumored to Debut vs. Bryan Baker at MFC 23
By MFC Staff
The
detractors have said their piece.
Now
it’s time to prove them wrong.
That
is the sentiment coming from the camp of Thales Leites, who has
officially signed on to join the middleweight ranks in the Maximum
Fighting Championship. In all likelihood, the standout Brazilian
jiu-jitsu ace will make his debut with the organization at MFC
23: Unstoppable on Dec. 4 – quite possibly against another
top-ranked title contender, Bryan Baker.
Leites
sports a strong 14-3 career record with nine of those victories
coming by submission – a list that includes Drew McFedries,
Ryan Jensen, and Jose Landis-Jons. The six-foot-one native of
Rio de Janeiro also holds wins over Nate Marquardt and Pete Sell,
and he has not been stopped in any of his three defeats. Leites’
manager, Ed Soares, immediately declared that Leites is eager
to show what he truly can do.
“He’s
looking forward to getting back on the right path, getting wins
and putting on a great show,” said Soares.
“I
think he’s going to go out and prove people wrong. There’s
not much to say. Talk is cheap. Thales is going to show everyone
what he can do.”
Leites
last fought in Canada against Anderson Silva, unquestionably
one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. It was
a disappointing night for Leites – a result that called
into question his willingness to engage and do battle. That situation,
Soares indicated, won’t be repeated.
“Thales
is very excited about going out and showing everyone what he’s
capable of doing,” said Soares. “It’s not a new
Thales. There were a lot of changes going on in his life before
the Silva fight and he wasn’t as focused as he should have
been but he still went five rounds with Silva when Forrest Griffin
couldn’t get out of the first round.
“Thales
is very eager to go out and finish a fight. It doesn’t matter
who is opponent is, Thales is going to look to finish the fight.
He has the heart of a lion and he’s going to go and leave
it all out there in the ring. I feel he’s at the top of
the MFC middleweight division right now but he’s got to
go out and get the win and have an impressive performance.”
Leites
has obvious credentials as a submission specialist, but Soares
also noted the 17-fight veteran has improved his stand-up skills
of late – a much-required attribute should a showdown with
Baker come to fruition.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Forrest
Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz on 11/21 in Las Vegas
By Zach
Arnold
It’s
a good fight for both men to take, as Ortiz will have an built-in
excuse of ring rust if he loses.
The
big loser? Rashad Evans, who does seem hellbent on fighting Thiago
Silva in a match not many casual fans care about.
Griffin/Ortiz
seems almost imperative to book, especially if they need to rebound
from bad business at the Staples Center show for the 10/24 PPV
with Machida vs. Shogun.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
2
More Bouts Added to Nov. 6th Strikeforce Challengers
By FCF Staff
Strikeforce
has confirmed two more bouts for the promotion’s upcoming
“Challengers” event, which will take place November
6th, at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. The card
will be headlined by a lightweight tilt between the veteran Jorge
Gurgel (13-5) and the undefeated Billy Evangelista (9-0).
Former
“Ultimate Fighter” competitor Jesse Taylor (13-4) will
take on middleweight Luke Rockhold (5-1). Taylor recently had
his 7 fight winning halted by Jay Hieron, who defeated him by
Unanimous Decision at Strikeforce’s “Carano vs. Cyborg”
event in August.
Rockhold
has won 4 straight while competing for Strikeforce, in June he
submitted Cory Devela in the first round for his fifth professional
victory.
In
a heavyweight clash between two undefeated fighters, Shane Del
Rosario (8-0) will fight Brandon Cash (5-0). Del Rosario recently
stopped Lloyd Marshbanks at a M-1 event in September, while Cash
hasn’t fought since February, when he earned a TKO win over
Steve Gavin at a Palace Fighting Championship card.
Showtime
will broadcast up to five bouts from the upcoming Challengers
event.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Pitbull
vs Paulo Thiago official
Two more match-ups for UFC 107 announced
Yet another all-Brazilian bout is officially set to take place
in the UFC. The encounter of Thiago “Pitbull” Alves
and Paulo Thiago will go down December 12 at UFC 107.
This
will be Pitbull’s first appearance since his loss at UFC
100 in July, when he missed his chance to conquer the organization’s
welterweight belt by dropping a unanimous decision to George
St-Pierre.
Paulo
Thiago too will be looking to recover from his decision loss
to John Fitch at the same UFC 100 event, the first and only loss
on his MMA record.
The
headlining fight for UFC 107 is BJ Penn’s title defense
against Diego Sanchez.
Also
officially announced for the event was the heavyweight encounter
of Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
‘Bigfoot’
Silva “won’t blink” against Werdum
By Guilherme Cruz
Three weeks before the fight, Antônio “Bigfoot”
Silva is ready to get in Strikforce’s octagon for the first
time and face Fabricio Werdum, on November 7. Doing one of the
fights that will air live on CBS, the American Top Team heavyweight
is excited to be back on North-American events after 16 months
of suspension.
“I’m extremely happy, very happy to be back to United
States after a year and four months. Everybody asked me when
I would be back, and now I have the opportunity to face a great
fighter”, Silva said, praising the opponent. “Werdum
is an experienced guy, he passed thru big events and faced great
guys… The expectation is the best as possible”.
With six victories in a row, “Bigfoot” promises a great
show to the fans. “It’s gonna be a beautiful fight.
Americans likes to see two Brazilians facing each other. If we
have to fight standing, we’ll do it, if we have to fight
three rounds on the ground, we’ll go for it. The first to
blink, will lose… You can’t blink”, said Silva.
With Parrumpinha and Ricardo Libório leading the Jiu-Jitsu’s
training at ATT, the heavyweight says he isn’t afraid of
Werdum’s ground game.
“Everybody
knows Werdum, he’s two times ADCC champion and has a great
ground, but I’m a Jiu-Jitsu’s black belt and my Jiu-Jitsu
is focused to MMA. I have two great Jiu-Jitsu coaches, so I don’t
have to worry about that”, guarantees the EliteXC champion,
telling that the he’s ready for a war on striking too. “Each
day I feel more comfortable standing… I trained with Ouali
for a long time and now I’m with Katel Kubis, who everybody
knows that is a great specialist”, finished.
Source: Tatame
|
Donald
Cerrone gets royally screwed over by Texas judges
By Zach
Arnold
That
was, realistically, a 49-46 win for Cerrone (four rounds to one)
over Ben Henderson. And how did the judges score the fight? 48-47
unanimously for Henderson.
Don’t
get me wrong - Ben Henderson showed tremendous heart and flexibility,
as much as Clay Guida did against Diego Sanchez. However, Cerrone
was the aggressor with the submission attempts and he stayed
on offense most of the way. Henderson was not even in Cerrone’s
level in terms of finishing the fight.
What
a horrible decision by Texas officials. The referee’ng was
very spotty as well.
Jordan
Breen:
That’s
MMA for you. Fight of the year still ends in a bullshit decision.
I’m going to go watch boxing and cry in the closet now.
Josh
Gross:
Very
fun fight. Scored it even heading into the 5th, which was clearly
Cerrone’s. Getting tired of judges overlooking close sub
attempts. First round was very tight and you could make a good
case either way. Too much weight for a TD. Not enough for someone
who stands or reverses.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
COMMENTATOR
GUY MEZGER ON DREAM 11 & 12
by Mick Hammond
Unpredictability seemed to be the name of the game at the recent
Dream 11 event.
From
the Featherweight Grand Prix to defeat of the sport’s biggest
athlete, almost no one could have foresaw how things would happen
this past week in Japan, including HDNet and Dream broadcaster
Guy Mezger.
A
former fighter for both the UFC and Pride, Mezger has seen just
about everything, but as he explained to MMAWeekly.com recently,
he could not have anticipated what we saw at Dream 11.
MMAWEEKLY:
First off, Guy, tell us your thoughts on the overall happenings
of Dream 11 this past week.
GUY
MEZGER: I thought that this show exceeded expectations for me.
You always expect Dream to have a very colorful show and have
great athletes, but this particular show I thought was very entertaining.
It
was a very emotional card. With (Ikuhisa) Minowa pulling it out,
this kid (Hiroyuki Takaya) coming out of nowhere almost winning
the deal -- to be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve
been that stoked up about a card -- where I was personally engaged
in the card.
MMAWEEKLY:
You mention Minowa, who gave up nearly a foot and a half and
over 100 pounds to Hong Man Choi and still winning the fight.
How crazy was that?
GUY
MEZGER: I was so blown away by that. I know Minowa from the Pancrase
days, and he was always so colorful back then, and you’ve
got to love that guy. He’ll take anybody on, any time, and
put it out there. He gives 100 percent and is an incredible showman
and gives the audience their money’s worth whatever he’s
doing.
MMAWEEKLY:
What about the final two rounds of the Featherweight Grand Prix,
which saw Bibiano Fernandes taking home the gold.
GUY
MEZGER: I think that the finals fight between Takaya and Fernandes
is a candidate for Fight of the Year. These guys threw down,
and it was good technical stuff and an incredible fight. It was
a really tough one to call, and to be honest could have been
a really great draw.
I
was really surprised Takaya was there. He’s a tough guy,
no doubt about it, but I thought there was no way he was going
to make it. He’s one of those dark horses and is a great
story. I really started rooting for him. You’re not supposed
to root for anybody when you’re the commentator, but you
can’t help but root for this guy.
MMAWEEKLY:
The night’s other title match featured lightweight champ
Joachim Hansen losing his title to Shinya Aoki at the last second.
How devastating is a loss like that?
GUY
MEZGER: It’s absolutely heartbreaking. I love that guy;
he is a warrior 100-percent. The term ‘warrior’ gets
over used. You hear people say, “Tiger Woods is a warrior,”
Tiger Woods is a (expletive) golfer, a good one, but he ain’t
a warrior. (Being a warrior is) probably the reason why he got
caught.
Japan
has had some crazy decisions. Hansen knows it, he knows he cannot
stay in that position, because they could very easily state with
their rules that he was almost finished and that counts for more
than the ass whoopin’ Aoki took the whole rest of the time.
MMAWEEKLY:
One of the other surprises of the evening was the announcement
that the upcoming Dream 12 event later this month would be held
inside a white cage, instead of the traditional ring. What do
you think is the reasoning for that?
GUY
MEZGER: The reason being is that they’re trying to advance
their market share on TV. They’re going to capture the interest
(of fans outside Japan). They’re going to have five-minute
rounds. I’m not sure how the judging is going to be, but
it’s going to look more universal, which I think is good.
We need to be more universal with our (presentation), that’s
how you grow.
MMAWEEKLY:
Do you think the international fighters who have cage experience
will have a field day with the Japanese fighters who have competed
almost exclusively in rings their entire careers?
GUY
MEZGER: I think “field day” is a strong term. Will
they have an advantage? Yeah. There are different dynamics from
cage fighting and ring fighting. Most of these guys will probably
make the adjustment. Fighting is fighting, so they’ll figure
it out.
Personally,
I like the ring better, but I’ve never really found it a
big deal, really. Are there different nuances from cage fighting
versus ring fighting? Yeah. The advantage will go to the guys
who have experiences on it.
MMAWEEKLY:
Thanks for taking time out for us Guy. Is there anything you
want to say in conclusion?
GUY
MEZGER: I really appreciate the support we’ve gotten with
our MMA and K-1 programming. We’ve got a tremendous amount
of positive response for that. We’ve become the number one
programming on HDNet, which is great because you keep me employed.
I
want to thank the fans for tuning in and for their positive feedback
on my commentating. It’s not as easy as you think, and I’m
getting a lot of positive reinforcement, so I appreciate that.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Mackens
Semerzier Talks MMA Upset of the Year
by Mike Chiappetta
Upon authoring perhaps the biggest upset of the year in mixed
martial arts, Mackens Semerzier nonchanlantly rose from the canvas,
whispered a thanks to his fallen opponent Wagnney Fabiano for
the opportunity to compete against him, and simply smiled to
the camera broadcasting the shocker to the world.
No
one would have objected if Semerzier, who according to multiple
MMA wagering sites entered the bout as the biggest underdog of
the 10-card WEC event, pulled out a bottle of champagne and uncorked
it right in the center of the cage. Instead, he illustrated the
maturity that led to his win in the first place by controlling
his emotions in a supercharged moment.
"I
say this with total confidence: I fully expected to win,"
said the previously little-known Semerzier, who improbably submitted
top three featherweight Fabiano with a triangle choke. "Not
that I walk around saying I can beat anyone, but that's a thing
for me in life: you can always win. You can always find a way.
I always thought, 'I'm going to figure out a way to do it. So
when I win, it doesn't surprise me."
In
the annals of MMA, you can find more storied upsets. Matt Serra
was a 10-1 underdog when he defeated Georges St. Pierre for the
UFC welterweight title. Maurice Smith's defeat of Mark Coleman
was a stunner when it happened in 1997. But seldom do you see
a virtual unknown upsetting a top three fighter in his division.
And
as equally surprising as the result was the method.
Within
10 seconds of the start of the featherweight matchup, WEC play-by-play
announcer Todd Harris voiced the danger that most fans were likely
thinking.
"If
I'm Mackens Semerzier and I'm coming into my first WEC bout,
and I draw Wagnney Fabiano, the first thing I'm thinking is,
'I do not want to go to the ground with this guy,'" Harris
told the viewing public.
With
a decorated black belt pedigree in jiu-jitsu, Fabiano (12-1 going
into the match) was thought to have an insurmountable edge on
the ground, and 60 seconds in, he put the purple-belt Semerzier
to the test with a takedown. The Virginian (4-0 before the bout,
but all in regional shows), stayed active, looking for a sweep
and disrupting the Brazilian's balance. When Fabiano tried to
re-establish his position, Semerzier seized on a split-second
mistake and locked up a triangle choke.
Most
watching in person or around the world likely expected Fabiano
to escape. While Semerzier was warming up, even his cornerman,
ex-WEC bantamweight king Miguel Torres, had told him that if
he cinched the triangle, he should add a few elbows in hopes
of bloodying Fabiano before he escaped to at least put doubt
in his mind.
He
remembered Torres' advice and threw a few elbows, then pulled
Fabiano's head down to stop the blood flow and hooked his leg
to prevent escape.
"As
soon as he fell to his butt, I said, 'it's over,'" he said.
"Once I had it, I knew he was going to tap. It was just
a formality then. All I had to do was hang on."
The
astonishing outcome took just 2:14.
The
28-year-old Semerzier's fighting confidence was born of experience.
He grew up in a housing project in the Little Haiti section of
Miami, where he would occasionally scrap with other neighborhood
kids.
While
he categorizes his experience at home with his two brothers,
two sisters and a host of cousins as enjoyable, in high school,
Semerzier was bussed to G. Holmes Braddock High, a predominantly
Latino school that housed around 5,000 students. Semerzier joined
the wrestling team, but never found full acceptance and would
often be challenged to fight.
"I
never picked on or sought out anyone to fight," he said.
"They'd say something to me, and I'd try to walk away, but
they'd follow me and it would get to a point where I couldn't
walk away. I did my own thing. I was quiet. I was against the
norm. And I guess that's why they would target me."
By
his senior year, Semerzier was channeling his athletic gifts
to wrestling and was good enough that he was expecting to go
to Waubonsee Community College in Illinois to continue on in
hopes of eventually landing a scholarship. On the way, however,
his confidence was shaken by a series of three losses, causing
him to reconsider his options.
On
January 11, 1999 Semerzier found a new path, signing on to the
U.S. Marines. By August of that year, he was in boot camp. He
served for eight years, and saw duty in places like Iraq, Kosovo
and Liberia.
"When
I joined, there was nothing really going on, and I remember thinking,
'What if there is a battle? What would I really do? Could I really
do the life-saving techniques I've been taught?'" he said.
"And it's funny, you hear people speculating on that stuff
even in MMA. You hear people say, 'If I was in this move, what
would I do? I wouldn't tap out. I would rather let him break
my arm.' And I can tell you, you don't know how you'll react
until you're faced with adversity. They think they're confident,
but it's really foolishness."
During
his time in the Marines, he began boxing training and then through
a Marine Corps Martial Arts program, he began learning other
elements of the MMA game, which he would supplement with training
at civilian gyms, most notably Linxx Academy in Virginia Beach,
where he still trains and coaches.
But
the seeds for his big break in WEC were planted when his friend
James Gamble introduced him to then-WEC bantamweight champ Torres.
Semerzier eventually visited Torres to help him prepare for his
title defense against Takeya Mizugaki, and the two struck up
a fast friendship.
So
when Torres called him to tell him Fabiano's opponent Eric Koch
had withdrawn due to injury, Semerzier had to consider the opportunity,
even if he didn't originally think it to be the best idea.
"It
wasn't something I was planning for, and I plan things out meticulously,"
he said. "I put timelines on things, and I was thinking
next summer would be about right. But Miguel was telling me,
'You got it. I think you'll do good. Whenever you think you're
ready, I'll see what I could do.'"
Semerzier
didn't have long to think about it. The fight was only two weeks
away, but one thing helped sway his decision, and that was the
fact that he was in fight-ready shape. He, too, had been scheduled
to compete in early October only to have his opponent pull out.
"I
told Miguel, 'I'm down, let's do it,'" he said.
Asked
how he could even consider a fight with a top-three featherweight
at this early point of his career, Semerzier is blunt.
"I
said, 'F*** him,"" he said. "And I want people
to know I don't mean that in any disrespectful way at all. I'm
actually a huge fan of his, and he's a super-nice guy. When I
started fighting, the 145-division wasn't popular so I'd go on
Youtube and type in '145' and his videos would come up. I have
always thought he was a great fighter. But I had to say that
because I'm not scared of anybody and so I have to treat him
like any other fighter. I always feel I can win."
Semerzier
knows that he still has more climbing to do up the WEC ladder
before anyone considers him among the elite or hands him a title
opportunity, and it's work he's willing to put in. He says he
just wants to have the chance to match up with complete, solid
fighters who will push him.
True
to his postfight behavior, there has been little celebrating
going on. He used some of his postfight "Submission of the
Night" cash bonus to help his family members and put the
rest in the bank for his wife and three children. He'll continue
on with his job as a Navy Combatives Instructor as well as his
fight training.
The
win may have stunned the MMA world, but it hasn't changed anything
about Mackens Semerzier.
"I
read a quote by Rickson Gracie that said something along the
lines of, 'Victories achieved should be forgotten,' because the
thought of past victory clouds your mind," he said. "That's
why I don't have any of the trophies I ever won, or the belts
I earned. All that stuff is thrown in the closet. I live very
simply and I'm very focused on the future. When I get to that
big moment, maybe I'll sit back and enjoy it, but right now the
work is not done. I'm not there yet."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"To
wish to be well is a part of becoming well."
Seneca
|
JAKE
SHIELDS & JASON “MAYHEM” MILLER & SCOTT COKER
CONFERENCE CALL QUOTES
 
Jake Shields (23-4-1), of San Francisco, will face Jason “Mayhem”
Miller (22-6), of Hollywood, Calif., for the vacant STRIKEFORCE
Middleweight Title. Both participated in a national media conference
call to discuss their upcoming fight on the STRIKEFORCE and M-1
Global: “Fedor vs. Rogers” event LIVE on Saturday,
Nov. 7 on CBS Television Network (9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT)
from Sears Centre Arena in Chicago.
In
the main event, world No. 1 ranked heavyweight fighter Fedor
Emelianenko will face undefeated American powerhouse Brett “The
Grim” Rogers in his first fight since Emelianenko’s
promotional company M-1 Global signed an agreement with STRIKEFORCE
to co-promote major events headlined by Emelianenko. In other
fights on CBS: Fabricio Werdum will face Antonio "Big Foot"
Silva in a matchup of two promising Brazilian heavyweights and
Gegard Mousasi battles Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a light heavyweight
matchup.
HIGHLIGHTS:
SCOTT
COKER
“As
far as stacked cards go our history with our promotions with
SHOWTIME and now with CBS our cards have always been stacked
from top to bottom. And I think that’s one of the great
things for our fans is that they get to watch not one but two,
three, four, five fights. They get to see great fights and the
stars. And it’s no difference with our Chicago card. You
get to watch Fedor, Jake and Miller … and it’s all
for free and you don’t have to pay $49.95. So we’ll
continue this journey of putting on cards with fights four or
five bouts deep. That’s the mandate. To book as much talent
and get the greatest fights that we can.”
Do
you plan to bring in some local fighters to fight on the undercard?
“We will be working with some of the local gyms and looking
over some of the local fighters and having them come in and compete.”
What
is your plan for the middleweight title after this fight? “Right
now there are a couple people in mind and we’ll determine
that when this fight is over.
What
about Cung Le? “Cung let the belt go because he has other
movie opportunities right now and hopefully he’ll be back
soon. He understands what a commitment it is to be an MMA fighter
and we’re going to move forward and see how it goes.”
JAKE
SHIELDS
“I
want to say I’m very excited to be on this card. It’s
going to be a great night for the fans. Going back to CBS is
huge. This will be my third time fighting on CBS and I really
appreciate the exposure.”
“I
think it’s going to be a great fight. We match up pretty
well. It’s going to be non-stop action. I’m in great
shape and I’m sure he will be also. This is a big opportunity
for him.”
On
being friends with his opponent: “We’re cool with each
other. We’ve gone out a few times. It’s not like we
sit at home and talk with each other on the phone or anything.”
At
this point, Miller jumps in: “You’re breaking my heart,
man. I thought you were my best friend. I thought we had a connection.”
Continued
Shields: “I have fun hangin’ out with him but I have
no problem punching him in the face either. When we get done
with the fight we’ll be cool but we won’t have any
problem once we’re in the ring.
“Hopefully
it’ll be an easy fight but if not we’ll hopefully just
beat the crap out of each other and make the fans happy.”
Have
you been focusing more on your stand up for this fight? “I’ve
been working on every aspect for this fight. I’ve been doing
boxing, kick boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu, conditioning. I’ve
been working on everything. I haven’t been working on just
one approach to fighting “Mayhem.” I’m just working
on every aspect.”
JASON
“MAYHEM” MILLER
“It’s
great that Fedor will be on the undercard of this show. What?
What? Oh, nevermind, I guess I’m on the undercard for Fedor.
I’m really pumped and excited for Strikeforce who it appears
is making some big, big moves in the MMA world”
About
the attention he will be receiving over the next couple of weeks:
“You know, if they stick a microphone in myself I’ll
rip on it. I want everybody to know about this fight and I want
everybody to watch this fight. If the MMA fans don’t know
about this fight then it’s not my fault because I’m
twittering, facebook-ing and myspace-ing and doing whatever I
can for it.”
On
his friendship with Shields: “If he knocks me out I’ll
be very sore at him for one night. Nah, I’ve fought my own
Dad so many times and we’re still friends. It all comes
down to competition. I think it’s very strange for the common
reporter to understand that we’re trying to hurt each other
as bad as we can in those 25 minutes inside the cage but that
afterwards we can be buddies because that’s our job and
it’s just a competition.”
“If
the media wants us to we can hate each other.”
“I’m
going to put some showmanship into it. That’s not that common
in the shows here in America but if I can put some flair into
it and people are going to be talking about it around the water
cooler on Monday, well there you go. That’s the way to capitalize
that we’re on CBS, regular television where you can get
it on your bunny ears.”
On
Robbie Lawler being the only common opponent. Will you watch
that fight? “I’m not going to focus too big on the
Lawler fight as a source of inspiration for this fight coming
up. I know Jake has a lot of things I have to avoid and that
he also has a lot of chinks in his armor and things that I can
exploit but the Lawler fight for me is not my No. 1 choice to
watch.”
Where
were you when you heard that you’d be fighting on CBS Nov.
7? “I don’t know. I had kind of heard it was shaping
up and then it came together. And I was like, ‘Oh, I am
fighting’ so I better start training harder than that. I’ve
from Missouri: the Show Me state so it wasn’t till they
showed me that I believed it. It wasn’t like ‘Where
were you when Kennedy was shot.’ It wasn’t like I was
holding a coconut and I dropped it when they told me.”
On
fighting on CBS: “Is there like some kind of special mat
that we fight on for CBS that is thicker than other mats that’s
going to make us slower or not used to? I don’t think at
this stage of my career I’m going to be nervous or worries
about anything. Those days are far behind me; to be overly excited
because everyone is watching me. There’s no disadvantage
to that. If anything it’s an advantage because I know everyone
is watching and I’m more focused and more ready to do this.”
Tickets,
starting at $35, are on sale now at the Sears Centre Arena box
office (www.searscentre.com) as well as at all Ticketmaster locations
(800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and
STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
GOES DOWN UNDER ON FEBRUARY 21
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is planning an event for Feb.
21 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, MMAWeekly.com has learned
from a source within the UFC.
The
date, landing on a Sunday, is an unorthodox move for the promotion.
The UFC’s sister promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC),
often holds events on Sunday to accommodate the schedule of television
partner Versus.
The
Sydney Morning Herald first reported the news Sunday citing the
UFC’s U.K. president, Marshall Zelaznik.
Yoshihiro
Akiyama may headline the event against Wanderlei Silva, the Japanese
star said during a recent UFC “Undisputed” video game
press conference in Japan, according to a report on Sherdog.com.
Akiyama, however, said he'd prefer the fight to happen at UFC
110, scheduled for Feb. 6 in Las Vegas.
The
Acer Arena played host to the 2000 Sydney Games and is the largest
indoor arena in the country, holding up to 21,000 fans.
Zelaznik
said negotiations were underway with Australian sports channel
and pay-per-view carrier Foxtel to carry the event. The 15-hour
time difference between Sydney and the U.S. means a late night
for fans watching in the U.S., if it is available live stateside.
Currently,
the UFC carries one native Australian on its roster, George Sotiropolous,
who is scheduled to fight Jason Dent at UFC 106 on Nov. 21.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
104: Spike TV to Air Bader-Schafer, Hardonk-Barry
by Michael David Smith
The UFC will show two live undercard fights on Spike TV during
its UFC 104 show, once again giving fans a couple of fights for
free to whet their appetites for pay-per-view.
Spike
said today that it will air two preliminary fights -- Ryan Bader
vs. Eric Schafer and Antoni Hardonk vs. Pat Barry -- live at
9 PM ET on October 24, an hour before the UFC 104 pay-per-view
broadcast begins. The one-hour broadcast will air without commercials
and could include other fights on tape delay, time permitting.
Spike
TV also broadcast some preliminary fights before UFC 103 on September
19, and that was considered a success: The network said its 1.4
million viewers made it the No. 2 show on cable in its time slot
among men ages 18 to 34.
Putting
Bader on the Spike card makes a lot of sense; he won Season 8
of Spike's The Ultimate Fighter, and he's a popular fighter whose
battle with Schafer fans wouldn't want to miss. Hardonk vs. Barry
isn't quite the marquee match-up that Bader vs. Schafer is, but
it's still a solid heavyweight fight featuring two dangerous
strikers. Fights that could make the Spike broadcast if time
permits include Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen, Jorge Rivera vs.
Rob Kimmons, Kyle Kingsbury vs. Razak Al-Hassan and Stefan Struve
vs. Chase Gormley.
Overall,
the recent practice of putting a few undercard fights on Spike
has to be considered great news for MMA fans. There's only room
for five live fights on UFC pay-per-view shows, but the UFC has
reached the point where its fight cards typically feature more
than five fights that fans want to see. This is a win-win-win
for the UFC, for Spike and for the fans.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Kitaoka
vs. Masvidal Confirmed for Sengoku 11
By FCF
Staff
World
Victory Road continues to round out the card for the promotion’s
upcoming Sengoku “Eleventh Battle” event, which will
take place November 7th, in Tokyo, Japan.
At
lightweight, the promotion’s former champion Satoru Kitaoka,
will look to get back on track against American veteran Jorge
Masvidal.
Kitaoka
(25-9-9) laid claim to the Sengoku belt last year by winning
the promotion’s lightweight tournament, but after defeating
Takanori Gomi at the Sengoku No-Ran event in January, Kitaoka
was stopped in the 4th round by Mizuto Hirota at Sengoku 9 this
past August. The renowned submission artist also competed for
Pancrase this summer and tapped out Yukio Sakaguchi.
Masvidal
(18-4) has competed for Bellator FC so far in 2009, defeating
Nick Agallar and most recently Eric Reynolds in June, while in
May, he was submitted by Toby Imada in highlight reel fashion
at Bellator’s fourth event. The American Top Team fighter
has won his last two bouts competing for Sengoku, defeating Ryan
Schultz and Seun Hwan Bang last year.
WVR
has also confirmed that featherweights Shigeki Osawa (4-0) and
Ronnie Mann (16-2-1) will fight on the November 7th card. Some
of the other bouts scheduled for the event include Hatsu Hioki
vs. Michihiro Omigawa, Marlon Sandro vs. Yuji Hoshino, and Jim
York vs. Dave Herman.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Zuffa
should hire Joe Warren and bring the Featherweight division to
UFC
By Zach
Arnold
Throughout
all the talk about WEC surviving in 2010 and the promotion doing
a PPV or two, the debate has been about whether or not WEC has
enough star power to make it on its own. We know Urijah Faber
and Miguel Torres have star potential and the two champions (Mike
Brown and Brian Bowles) are very respectable fighters. Dominick
Cruz is on his way up and Joe Benavidez is always a high-paced
fighter.
However,
there was one fighter whose charisma and personality caught my
eye this week and that’s Joe Warren. Sure, we know Warren
beat Kid Yamamoto by split decision and lost to Bibiano Fernandes
on Tuesday at DREAM 11. Yes, he is a newcomer in the sense that
he only has three fights, but Joe Warren has two qualities that
could easily make him a top-level MMA star in America —
a great heelish/cocky personality and super amateur wrestling
credentials.
Warren
is an exciting fighter to watch in the ring and outside the ring,
he has a personality that comes across as a more likeable, dynamic
version of Matt Hughes. He can talk really well and make people
want to see him, win or lose. His promos in the Japanese media
leading up to the DREAM 11 Featherweight GP tournament fight
against Bibiano Fernandes were really fun to watch. Warren seems
really comfortable in front of the press and has a unique quality
of knowing how to put himself over but also put over a fight.
He uses terms like ‘taking the guy’s soul’ and
violence and all sorts of other phrases to describe what he wants
to do to his opponents. The guy’s good at what he does and
is only going to get better in the ring.
Warren
mentioned that he is currently training with Alberto Crane and
Rani Yahya for his jiu-jitsu skills. He needs some time to train
and obviously he would like to be involved in the 2012 London
Olympics, but an MMA promoter would be absolutely foolish not
to snatch him up in the States and push him very hard. Watching
Warren compete with the likes of Brown and Faber would be great,
but not in the WEC platform — the Featherweight division
needs to be in UFC so that new stars can be developed and added
to the current crop of top fighters at 145 pounds.
It’s
time to give DREAM some credit here — they are pushing some
new faces in addition to the old PRIDE names and it’s great
to see some fighters get a chance to fight in Japan for a promotion
that will give them more matches than a company like Strikeforce.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Wand
back early 2010
So says Yoshihiro Akiyama
Away from the ring since June, when he dropped a decision to
Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva may face Yoshihiro Akiyama early
2010. The news was leaked by the Japanese fighter himself, at
a press conference yesterday in Japan.
Queried
as to the exact date of the bout, Akiyama was unable to specify
whether it would take place at UFC 110, in Las Vegas, or at UFC
111, expected to take place in Sydney, Australia.
Should
it be confirmed, it wil be the Japanese middleweight’s second
appearance in the octagon. On the first occasion he overcame
Alan Belcher by split decision at UFC 100.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Full
Primetime MMA Card Set for Nov. 7 Strikeforce
Fedor
Emelianenko, the #1 Ranked MMA Heavyweight in the World, To Be
Seen for the First Time by a Broadcast Television Audience, Squares
Off Against Undefeated American Brett Rogers
Middleweights
Jake Shields and Jason "Mayhem" Miller Battle for the
Recently Vacated STRIKEFORCE Middleweight Title; Gegard Mousasi
and Heavyweight Fabricio Werdum Will Also Appear on the Four-Fight
Primetime Card
LOS
ANGELES, Oct. 9 - CBS, STRIKEFORCE, M-1 Global today officially
announced the fight card for mixed martial arts' (MMA) return
to primetime with CBS/ STRIKEFORCE/M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT
FIGHTS, Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the
CBS Television Network from Chicago, Illinois' Sears Centre Arena.
"We're
looking forward to delivering an explosive night of world class
MMA action on CBS," said Scott Coker, Founder and CEO of
STRIKEFORCE. "We have the world's # 1 fighter, Fedor, making
his network primetime debut against an undefeated powerhouse
in Brett Rogers and, with the stars lined up for the remainder
of the card, it is bound to be an exciting night of television."
The
following four primetime matchups are confirmed for CBS/ STRIKEFORCE/
M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS on Nov. 7:
*
Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko vs. Brett "The
Grim" Rogers
*
Jake Shields vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller (Middleweight
Title Fight)
*
Gegard "The Dreamcatcher" Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry
"The African Assassin" Sokoudjou
*
Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum vs. Antonio "Big
Foot" Silva
(All
bouts are pending approval by the Illinois Athletic Commission.)
FEDOR
"THE LAST EMPEROR" EMELIANENKO vs. BRETT "THE
GRIM" ROGERS:
Simply
referred to as "Fedor" by fans around the world, the
6-foot, 235-pound Russian is one of the most dominant fighters
in the sport. A master of the Russian military combat system,
Sambo, he boasts a record of 30 wins, one loss, no draws with
16 wins by submission, seven knockouts and seven decisions. His
opponent, undefeated American, 28-year-old Brett Rogers (10-0)
stands 6-feet, 5-inches tall, weighs 265 pounds and brings two
of the heaviest hands in the sport to the cage. Both Fedor and
Rogers' last victories came against former heavyweight champion
Andrei Arlovski.
JAKE
SHIELDS vs. JASON "MAYHEM" MILLER
In
the night's middleweight title fight (185 pounds), Jake Shields
(23-4-1) squares off against Jason "Mayhem" Miller
(22-6). Shields, widely considered one of the best fighters in
the world, brings an impressive 12-fight win streak to the cage,
six of his last seven coming by way of first round submission.
Most recently, he defeated world-ranked middleweight "Ruthless"
Robbie Lawler in his STRIKEFORCE debut on June 6. His opponent,
Miller, a fellow submission expert, is one of MMA's most exciting
fighters. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai specialist is
the host of MTV's reality series "Bully Beatdown" and
trains with two of the sport's most recognizable fighters, Randy
"The Natural" Couture and Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson. He currently has 13 submission victories on his resume.
GEGARD
"THE DREAMCATCHER" MOUSASI vs. RAMEAU THIERRY "THE
AFRICAN ASSASSIN" SOKOUDJOU
Gegard
Mousasi and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou will face one another in
the night's light heavyweight (205 pounds) bout. Mousasi (26-2-1)
of Leiden, Netherlands, recently scored his 13th consecutive
victory on August 15, 2009 by winning his US debut and the STRIKEFORCE
light heavyweight title in a first round victory over defending
champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral on SHOWTIME®. Sokoudjou
(7-4), known to his fans as "The African Assassin,"
has scored six of his seven wins by knockouts and brings an impressive
striking game to the cage.
FABRICIO
"VAI CAVALO" WERDUM vs. ANTONIO "JUNIOR"
SILVA
Fabricio
"Vai Cavalo" Werdum will face Antonio "Junior"
Silva in a matchup of two promising Brazilian heavyweights. Werdum
is a two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and a submission
expert while Silva has nine KOs in his 13 victories. Werdum,
a former PRIDE and UFC standout, is coming off an impressive
first round submission victory in his STRIKEFORCE debut on Aug.
15 over veteran Mike Kyle. Silva, a fellow 6-foot-4 Brazilian,
will be making his STRIKEFORCE debut after compiling a remarkable
13-1 record since he turned pro in 2005.
SHOWTIME
Sports will produce the four-fight event with host Gus Johnson
calling the action and MMA legend Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo
serving as color analysts. The executive producer is David Dinkins,
Jr.
About
STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE
(www.STRIKEFORCE.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is
a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which,
on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its "Shamrock
vs. Gracie" event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts
fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza,
which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose's HP Pavilion,
played host to a sold out record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995,
STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming
for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship
kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial
arts series with "Shamrock vs. Gracie." In May 2008,
West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered
with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an
entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects
of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.
About
M-1 Global
M-1
Global (www.m-1global.com <http://www.m-1global.com/> )
has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations
in the world for over a decade. M-1 has promoted over 150 shows
worldwide since 1995. Billed as the "World Cup of Mixed
Martial Arts," the M-1 Challenge is a full season of MMA
events that showcases some of the best up and coming MMA fighters
in the world. Broadcast to over 90 countries around the world,
including HDNet in the United States, the M-1 Challenge pits
teams of five fighters representing their respective countries
against each other for international bragging rights and the
title of M-1 Challenge Champions. Fighters who succeed on the
M-1 Challenge's international breeding ground will earn the opportunity
to participate in major MMA events presented by M-1 Global and
their promotional partners such as STRIKEFORCE.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Paulo
Filho’s coach talks return to Dream
By Guilherme Cruz
Paulo Filho already has an opponent to his return to Dream. Ready
to face Dong Sik Yoon on Dream 12, that takes place in Japan
on November 25. Distak thinks it’s gonna be an intense ground
fight. “We’re focused. I think this fight will go straight
to the ground… We’re training a lot with Master Oswaldo
Alves and this fight will be pure Jiu-Jitsu”, bets Distak.
Besides the inconstant career on MMA, the Korean is considered
one of the biggest names of Judo, with a sequence of 47 victories,
defeating hitting big names of the art. On the MMA rings, Dong
Sik debuted at Pride against Kazushi Sakuraba, being knocked
out in 38 seconds. In the following fights, he lost to Quinton
Jackson and Murilo Bustamante, getting his first victory by submitting
Melvin Manhoef.
Besides
Filho, the coach reveals that other Brazilians might fight in
November. “(Ronaldo) Jacaré doesn’t have an
opponent yet, but he’ll probably fight for Strikeforce’s
title on November 7. The event is deciding, they told us that
may be Jacaré too. Besides him, (Rafael) Feijão
will be back on September 6th”, told, excited about the
training. “They are training very hard. Jacaré didn’t
stop training since ADCC and he’s ready to face any opponent.
We’re training to have no surprises”.
Source: Tatame
|
Fabricio
Camoes vs. Caol Uno at UFC 106
by Ray Hui
Fabricio "Morango" Camoes will make his Octagon debut
against Caol Uno at UFC 106 on Nov. 21 in Las Vegas, according
to Uno during a UFC press conference held Tuesday in Japan.
Sherdog's
Tony Loiseleur was first to report the matchup along with the
probable matchup between Wanderlei Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama
some time in early 2010.
Camoes
(10-4) lives in San Diego, Calif. by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
and is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt who notably trains with
Diego Sanchez under Saulo Ribeiro. Camoes first made an impression
on Oct. 7, 2006 when he defeated three opponents in one night,
including veterans Luciano Azevedo and Jean Silva, to win the
Super Challenge tournament in Brazil. He's fought three times
in recent years for Strikeforce and EliteXC, defeating Joe Camacho,
Sam Morgan and Torrance Taylor.
Uno
(25-12-4), a former UFC lightweight title challenger, returned
to the Octagon in June but lost a close unanimous decision to
Spencer Fisher.
UFC
106 Fight Card:
Brock
Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin
Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin
Jon Fitch vs. Ricardo Almeida
Karo Parisyan vs. Dustin Hazelett
Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni
Ben Saunders vs. Marcus Davis
Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt
George Sotiropoulos vs. Jason Dent
Caol Uno vs. Fabricio Camoes
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
“Every
man thinks God is on his side. The rich and powerful know he
is.”
Jean Anouilh
|
Aloha
State Championships of BJJ
12/5/09
Kaiser High School Gym
|
SPIKE
TV TO AIR PRELIM BOUTS FROM UFC 104
Spike TV on Monday announced that it will telecast live undercard
bouts from UFC 104 on Oct. 24 at 9:00pm ET/PT from the Staples
Center in Los Angeles, Calif. The fights on Spike TV will include
“The Ultimate Fighter 8” winner Ryan Bader, a rising
star in the light heavyweight division, taking on Eric “Red”
Schafer. The one-hour telecast will run commercial-free. The
UFC 104 main card will run on pay-per-view at 10:00pm ET.
Spike
TV telecast the prelims for UFC 103 on Sept. 19 drawing a robust
1.4 million viewers and placed No. 2 on cable with Men 18-34
in the timeslot.
A
two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Arizona State
University, Ryan Bader, fighting out of Tempe, Ariz., is 2-0
in the UFC and a perfect 10-0 in his mixed martial arts career.
The 26-year-old light heavyweight, winner of the eighth season
of “The Ultimate Fighter,” earned a unanimous decision
win against veteran Carmelo Marrero in April. He now faces another
experienced grappler in Eric “Red” Schafer. Fighting
out of Milwaukee, Wis., Schafer is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt and on a four-fight win streak, with two of his three UFC
wins coming via submission. His most recent victory came via
TKO against Antonio Mendes at UFC 93.
Also
featured, Dutch kickboxer Antoni Hardonk, a native of Amsterdam,
fighting out of Los Angeles, has knockouts in all four of his
UFC wins. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound heavyweight has won three of
his last four fights and is looking to continue his hot streak
against veteran Pat Barry, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wis. A
native of New Orleans, Barry looks to repeat the performance
he put on against Dan Evensen at UFC 92, an impressive first
round knockout.
Other
bouts on the card might air on Spike TV, determined by the length
of the fights.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
44: BROWN VS. ALDO FEATURES FULL FIGHT CARD
World
Extreme Cage fighting has stocked the Nov. 18 fight card for
WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo.
WEC
featherweight champion Mike Brown (22-4) will attempt the third
defense of the title he won from the ever-popular Urijah Faber.
He faces a formidable challenge from Brazilian fighter Jose Aldo
(14-1), who has defeated all five of his WEC opponents by either
knockout or TKO.
Also
featured is a featherweight bout that is likely to produce a
future challenger to the title. Leonard Garcia (13-4) is 3-1
since making the move from lightweight down to the WEC’s
145-pound division, his only loss being to Brown. He’d love
a rematch, but first has to get past Manny Gamburyan (9-4), who
also made the drop in weight to come to the WEC where he is 1-0.
WEC 44: NOVEMBER 18, 2009
venue: The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas
Main
Bouts (on Versus):
-Mike Brown (22-4; #1 Featherweight) vs. Jose Aldo (15-1; #5
Featherweight)
-Leonard Garcia (13-4; #8 Featherweight)* vs. Manny Gamburyan
(9-4)
-Rob McCullough (17-5) vs. Anthony Pettis (7-0)
-Danny Castillo (8-1) vs. Shane Roller (6-2)
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Alex Karalexis (10-4) vs Kamal Shalorus (4-0-1)
-L.C. Davis (14-2) vs. Diego Nunes (13-0)
-John Franchi (5-1) vs. Cub Swanson (13-3)
-Antonio Banuelos (16-5) vs Kenji Osawa (15-8-2)
-Ricardo Lamas (6-1) vs. James Krause (10-1)
-Frank Gomez (7-1) vs. Seth Dikun (7-3)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GONZAGA
VS. DOS SANTOS TARGETED FOR UFC 108
Heavyweights Junior Dos Santos and Gabriel Gonzaga are expected
to meet at UFC 108 on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas.
Multiple
sources on Monday told MMAWeekly.com that the fight has been
agreed to and contracts are expected to be signed shortly. Fiveknuckles.com
was first to report the pairing on Sunday. The bout has yet to
be officially announced by the UFC.
Sources
tell MMAWeekly.com that the match-up is expected to groom the
next contender for the heavyweight title.
Dos
Santos (10-1) last month emerged from a starmaking turn against
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic at UFC 103 in Dallas. The
25-year-old Brazilian battered Filipovic with a crisp striking
attack that caused the former Pride champion to quit with three
minutes left in the 15-minute bout. It was his second upset victory
since taking to the Octagon at UFC 90, where he knocked out the
highly touted Fabricio Werdum in the first round.
Gonzaga
(15-4) is coming off a controversial victory over UFC newcomer
Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 102. After an inadvertent low kick struck
Tuchscherer in the groin, causing him to briefly lose consciousness,
the bout's continuance was placed in jeopardy. Tuchscherer was
able to continue after the referee halted the bout, but was unable
to stop Gonzaga's relentless attack after the fight was restarted.
He succumbed to punches midway through the first round.
The
30-year-old Gonzaga has oft stated a desire for a second shot
at the heavyweight title after falling short to then-champion
Randy Couture at UFC 74. His Octagon record stands at 7-3.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
THREE
MORE BOUTS OFFICIAL FOR UFC 106
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Monday confirmed three
more fights for the line-up for UFC 106, slated for Nov. 21 at
the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Confirmed
for the main card is a welterweight tilt between perennial contender
Jon Fitch and jiu-jitsu ace Ricardo Almeida. Fitch (23-3-1) is
on a two-fight win streak with a recent swing bout victory over
Paulo Thiago at UFC 100. Almeida (14-3) has also earned two consecutive
victories, most recently a unanimous decision over Kendall Grove
at UFC 101. Since returning last February, Almeida is 3-1 in
the Octagon.
Additionally,
welterweights Karo Parisyan and Dustin Hazelett will return to
action on the main card of the Las Vegas event, as MMAWeekly.com
first reported in August. Parisyan (18-5) is coming off a nine-month
suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for the use
of prescription pain medication prior to his fight with Dong
Hyun Kim at UFC 94. Parisyan's victory was changed from a win
to a no contest, and he was fined $32,000. Hazelett (12-4) injured
his ACL in preparation for a bout with Ben Saunders at UFC 96
and was forced to sit out most of the year in recovery. In his
last Octagon appearance, he submitted Tamdan McCrory at UFC 91.
Officially
added to the undercard is a middleweight match-up between Kendall
Grove and Jake Rosholt. Grove (17-6-1) saw a two-fight win streak
snapped by Almeida at UFC 101 in August, bringing his Octagon
record to 5-3. Rosholt (7-1) impressed in his last outing against
Chris Leben at UFC 102, submitting the original "Ultimate
Fighter" alum in the final round of their showdown.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
JOHNY
HENDRICKS VS. RICARDO FUNCH AT UFC 107
Undefeated welterweights Johny Hendricks and Ricardo Funch have
signed to do battle on the undercard of UFC 107, according to
multiple sources MMAWeekly.com spoke to on Monday evening.
UFC
107 is headlined by a lightweight title fight between B.J. Penn
and Diego Sanchez and is expected to take place at the FedEx
Forum in Memphis, Tenn.
Hendricks
(6-0) successfully migrated to the Octagon with a win over Amir
Sadollah at UFC 101 following a March appearance in the last
WEC show to feature welterweights. A two-time NCAA wrestling
champion, Hendricks lives and trains in Las Vegas along with
fellow Team Takedown fighter and UFC prospect Jake Rosholt.
Funch
(7-0) is a former collegiate soccer player who hails from Lencois,
Brazil, and trains with Team Link in Ludlow, Mass. Despite a
focus on jiu-jitsu, Funch has finished the majority of his fights
by TKO.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Pezao
vs Werdum in November
Fight set for 7th
Anyone
who visited GRACIEMAG.com yesterday saw that Fabricio Werdum
will see MMA action again next month. Now all that is left is
for the organizers of Strikeforce to make it official. According
to information leaked on American websites, the match-up that
awaits the ADCC over 99kg champion is Antonio Silva. The all-Brazilian
bout should take place November 7th.
On
the same date Fedor Emelianenko’s debut for the organization
against undefeated Brett Rogers has been scheduled.
Stay
tuned and we’ll be back soon with more on the match-up.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Cryotherapy:
MMA back to the Ice Age
A
bathtub with water and lots, lots of ice. The recipe is easy,
but the experts guarantee that Cryotherapy brings a lot of benefits
to the MMA fighter. A new mania in the Brazilian fighters camp,
it’s normal to see Rodrigo Minotauro, Demian Maia and Junior
Cigano immersed on cold waters after hard train sessions. On
the report published on TATAME Magazine October edition, we tried
to understand why this new training became are more common than
ever.
“Cryotherapy’s
biggest benefit is the analgesic effect that it provides, in
a localized way, without pharmacologic agents”, explains
Rafael Alejarra, Wanderlei Silva and Demian Maia’s physical
coach. Talking about Demian, the black belt experienced it for
the first time before his last fight and approved. “This
method is excellent. After the immersion, you feel a little cold,
but then you take a hot shower and feel the muscles relaxed”,
confess. To know all Cryotherapy’s benefits, how it must
be applied and the risks to the health, read the TATAME # 164.
Source: Tatame
|
Paulo
Filho’s coach talks return to Dream
Paulo
Filho already has an opponent to his return to Dream. Ready to
face Dong Sik Yoon on Dream 12, that takes place in Japan on
November 25. Distak thinks it’s gonna be an intense ground
fight. “We’re focused. I think this fight will go straight
to the ground… We’re training a lot with Master Oswaldo
Alves and this fight will be pure Jiu-Jitsu”, bets Distak.
Besides
the inconstant career on MMA, the Korean is considered one of
the biggest names of Judo, with a sequence of 47 victories, defeating
hitting big names of the art. On the MMA rings, Dong Sik debuted
at Pride against Kazushi Sakuraba, being knocked out in 38 seconds.
In the following fights, he lost to Quinton Jackson and Murilo
Bustamante, getting his first victory by submitting Melvin Manhoef.
Besides
Filho, the coach reveals that other Brazilians might fight in
November. “(Ronaldo) Jacaré doesn’t have an
opponent yet, but he’ll probably fight for Strikeforce’s
title on November 7. The event is deciding, they told us that
may be Jacaré too. Besides him, (Rafael) Feijão
will be back on September 6th”, told, excited about the
training. “They are training very hard. Jacaré didn’t
stop training since ADCC and he’s ready to face any opponent.
We’re training to have no surprises”.
Source: Tatame
|
Guymon
grateful for life’s opportunities
On
the surface, the story that King of the Cage welterweight champion
Mike “The Joker” Guymon was offered a four-fight deal
last week by the Ultimate Fighting Championship would hardly
seem like something major in the big picture.
But
for Guymon, who made two suicide attempts on Aug. 11 that made
local news in Orange County, where he lives and owns a training
center, the news couldn’t have been any bigger.
“I
cried for about three hours straight,” Guymon said after
his agent, Chris Palmquist, convinced him he wasn’t playing
a joke on him and that his 10-year dream of fighting on the big
stage had been fulfilled.
“Usually
when somebody new gets an offer, it’s to fill in a slot
on three weeks notice with a specific opponent in mind. I was
offered a good deal, and without a first fight in mind. I called
my wife, but couldn’t get a hold of her. I called (UFC fighter
and training partner) Mark Munoz.”
Munoz,
hearing his friend cry on the phone, feared the worst, because
the memories of two months ago were so vivid, and rushed over
to Guymon’s house, not fully realizing the news this time
was good.
Guymon
(11-2-1), 35, was a huge fan of the sport and spent years working
and traveling with the Tapout crew to shows while also fighting
once or twice a year on smaller shows. He finally committed to
being a full-time fighter last year, and has won his last five
fights, all by stoppages.
Going
to UFC was a dream of Guymon thought would never happen since
he’d been fighting for 10 years, and everyone in UFC already
knew him since he was backstage at so many shows during his days
working for Tapout from 2001-07. It became a running joke where
people would talk to UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, and give him the
line, “Joker’s 170,” noting he’s available
for welterweight competition.
He
noted he had a nice home, was running his MMA gym business, and
that he knew people from the outside thought he had what looked
to be a great life. But the pressures of the business and frustrations
of suffering a torn MCL earlier this year led to his being depressed
with no outlet to vent
.
Those pressures came to a head when he signed divorce papers,
separating him from his wife of six years and girlfriend of 11
years, Nicole.
“On
the outside, everything looked great,” said Guymon, who
runs the Joker’s Wild Fighting Academy in Lake Forest. “I
was always smiling, but I was hiding behind my smile. We had
tons of business but I had all the stress of the business. I
was dealing with everybody else’s problems on a daily basis
and had no outlet for my own problems. There was the stress of
paying bills. My wife was out of work. The night before, we were
filling out divorce papers.”
But
he credits his wife, with whom he has reunited, along with Jim
Amormino of the Orange County sheriff’s department, who
he credits with keeping him alive through a harrowing situation.
The
morning after divorce papers were signed, the couple engaged
in an argument and Guymon grabbed a gun. Nicole Guymon was able
to get the gun from him and he left the house. Guymon got in
his SUV, and planned on shooting himself with another gun.
His
wife called Amormino, who alerted the department of the potential
situation.
“I
was trying to find a cop to finish me,” he said.
Officers
arrived on the scene and took three hours to talk Guymon out
of the situation. Amormino was on the phone with Guymon as deputies
surrounded the car with tasers. He told Amormino that he wasn’t
coming out and was going to force them to shoot him, but Amormino
went up to the car and diffused the situation. Guymon was taken
in for 72 hours of psychiatric care, but was not charged with
a crime.
Guymon
noted that drugs played no part in what happened to him. Unlike
other cases of depression in mixed martial arts, it did not involve
a recent, high-profileloss. Guymon was fighting the best he had
in his career, but it was in his non-fighting life where he hit
rock bottom.
The
fighter, who started his career doing underground and Indian
reservation shows in California in the darkest days of the sport,
has only lost once in the past six-and-a-half years, a split
decision loss to Pat Healy on an IFL show in 2007. His only other
career loss was in 2003 to Diego Sanchez.
“When
I started, I had to pay $25 for my first fight,” he said.
“I started out doing unregulated fights in California. It’s
amazing to see where it is now. People now around town know I’m
a fighter. Even soccer moms know about the sport.”
Once
Guymon finished with his psychiatric evaluation, he refocused
on his training. He stopped Quinn Mulhern, who was 8-0 and had
finished seven opponents, to retain his KOTC title on Oct. 1
at the San Manuel Casino in Highland, Fla. He noted that a lot
of people thought after what he had gone through that it was
too soon to be defending his title. Silva, who had called him
and gave him a pep talk right after his attempt on his life,
and noted at the time that they were aware he had finished Kyacey
Uscola in his prior fight on June 11, said he was on their radar.
Still,
when Guymon got the official call from the UFC, he thought it
was a friend playing a joke on him even though he knew Tim Katz
and Dan Caldwell of the Tapout crew had put in good words for
him. He had left Tapout after a falling out with the late Charles
Lewis Jr.
“I
left for personal and financial reasons,” he said. “I
didn’t really see eye-to-eye with Charles.”
Lewis’
death led to Guymon renewing his friendship with the other two,
since the problems that broke them apart suddenly seemed trivial.
Guymon
is grateful because, win or lose in UFC, he has become proof
that desperate times pass and things can turn around. “I
wanted to prove to people that it’s possible to get in the
ring after trying to commit suicide,” said Guymon. “I
sometimes need 16 hours a week of therapy to deal with this thing.
But this is living proof not to give up and that good things
will happen.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
first wealth is health.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
|
NAGA
Hawaii This
Saturday!
Pearl City
High School Gym, Pearl City
Sunday, October 18th
BJJ BLACK BELT & ABU DHABI VETERAN Mike Cardoso will be conducting
a FREE, 1 hour No-Gi Seminar at the Saturday night weigh-in/registration
(Oct 17th from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the main gymnasium). This
seminar is open to all spectators and participants of the NAGA
event. All schools and styles are welcome. Individuals of all
skill levels can participate for free.
-
Weigh-In either Saturday night from 6 PM until 8 PM or on Sunday
starting at 8:00 AM and going all day at the Pearl City High
School - 2100 Hookiekie Street, Pearl City, Hawaii, 96782.
8:00
A.M.
1. Doors Open, Registration & Weigh-in's begin
10:00
A.M.
2. Rules Meeting
3. All Kids and Teen (Gi & No-Gi Divisions) Begin - DON'T
BE LATE
12:00
Noon
4. Absolute No-Gi - Championship Belt
5. Adult Novice & Beginner No-Gi Divisions
6. Adult Intermediate & Advanced No-Gi Divisions
Mid
- Late Afternoon
7. Adult White Belt Gi Divisions
8. Adult Blue Belt Gi, Purple, Brown & Black Belts
Source: NAGA
|
JANSEN,
ASSUNCAO AND PAGE ALL WIN AT WEC 43
The early fights in San Antonio at the WEC showcased new talent,
new contenders, and a furious pace from all three weight classes
being showcased on Saturday night. The lightweight battle between
newcomer, Dave Jansen and Rich Crunkilton, definitely capped
off the early fights as the 155lbers brought the intensity early
and often.
Jansen
came out fast with Crunkilton keeping the same pace, both fighters
head hunting and looking for the knockout. Showing his wrestling
skill, Jansen did a good job of getting Crunkilton down, but
had to keep scrambling to stay out of the American Kickboxing
Academy fighter's submission attempts.
As
the fight wore on, Jansen used his superior wrestling to take
Crunkilton down repeatedly, although the referee in the fight
obviously wanted none of that as he twice stood the fighters
up after only seconds on the ground. Known for his submissions,
Crunkilton actually looked much better than Jansen on the feet,
hurting the Portland based fighter numerous times with punches
and kicks.
Crunkilton
almost landed a beautiful D'arce choke in the third round, but
in the end it may have worked against him as he worked so hard
to finish, when Jansen got out he was breathing heavy with rubber
arms. Jansen landed a quick takedown late in the round, and after
transitioning to side control, almost locked on a kimura, but
the crafty veteran slipped out as the fight came to an end.
When
the judges' scorecards were read, Jansen celebrated with a unanimous
decision win that keeps his record perfect, and a step closer
to contender status in the WEC's 155lb weight class.
Raphael
Assuncao vs. Yves Jabouin
Top
ten featherweight, Raphael Assuncao, had his hands full with
WEC newcomer Yves Jabouin, but in the end the Brazilian got the
split decision win. On the feet, Assuncao and Jabouin fought
a fairly even fight, exchanging punches and kicks with neither
fighter gaining a clear advantage.
In
the 2nd and 3rd rounds respectively, Assuncao likely got the
nod for the win with his superior ground game, almost snatching
a submission two different times. For the first half of the final
round, Assuncao took Jabouin's back and looked for a choke, but
the French-Canadian worked his way out and survived to fight
another day.
Now
2-0 in the WEC, Assuncao continues his climb towards the top
of the 145lb weight class, and could be in line to welcome former
featherweight champion, Urijah Faber, back to the cage in January.
Damacio
Page vs. Will Campuzano
Damacio
Page and Will Campuzano started the night by coming after each
other with a flurry of punches in the first :30 seconds of the
fight. The two bantamweights flew after each other with a furious
display of striking until Page decided to take the fight to the
ground.
Campuzano
tried his best to throw up some offense, working for a triangle
from the bottom, but Page easily shrugged him off. Shortly after,
Page moved and took his opponent's back, and after a little softening
up, locked in the rear naked choke forcing the tap.
"Whoever
they throw at me, come on, bring it," Page said following
his second win in a row in the WEC.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HENDERSON
WINS THE TITLE IN A FIGHT FOR THE AGES
He may have walked into the WEC cage as an underdog on Saturday
night in front of 5,176 spectators, but he walked out a champion
as Ben "Smooth" Henderson picked up a unanimous decision
win to claim the interim lightweight title in a war against Donald
"Cowboy" Cerrone that could vie for "Fight of
the Year" honors when 2009 comes to a close.
Just
seconds after the bout started, Cerrone made a mistake with a
kick as his legs slipped out from under him and Henderson rushed
in looking to take advantage. The bad position was short lived
as Cerrone caught a tight guillotine choke that he rolled, landing
on top of Henderson as it looked like the fight might come to
an abrupt end.
Somehow,
someway, Henderson got out of the choke, but then found himself
on the bad end of a triangle choke from Cerrone. Again, Henderson
battled his way out and actually landed a nice takedown and spent
the remainder of the round reigning down shots inside of Cerrone's
guard.
Henderson
shot in early on Cerrone to start the 2nd round, getting the
fight to the ground, and working his ground and pound attack.
Cerrone did a great job of throwing punches and elbows from the
bottom, while also almost sinking in an armbar. Fighting his
way out of another submission, Henderson controlled the rest
of the round standing over Cerrone, and throwing big, powerful
punches, negating any offense from his opponent.
The
intensity stayed just as fierce in the third round as Henderson
again used his superior wrestling to keep Cerrone off balance
and on his back. Frustration seemed to creep across the face
of the Greg Jackson trained fighter, as Henderson's suffocating
wrestling attack outdueled Cerrone's stand-up.
Likely
dropping the last 2 rounds on the scorecards, Cerrone looked
just as composed as the fight started, especially when he locked
on another guillotine choke that had Henderson looking for a
way out. Digging down deep, Henderson wiggled his way out of
the hold, and started to look for takedowns once again, only
this time Cerrone was able to withstand his attack. Landing a
few powerful knees to the body, coupled with some dangerous strikes,
Cerrone pulled out a great performance in the 4th round to put
Henderson on notice the fight was far from over.
The
fifth, final and definitely the championship round brought the
best out of Donald Cerrone as he came after Henderson with everything
he had left in his gas tank. Henderson did manage to get the
fight to the ground late in the round, but Cerrone again battered
him with a barrage of submission attempts moving from a omo plata
to a triangle to a shoulder lock. Through it all, Henderson continuously
gave the referee a nod that he was okay as the fight continued.
Just seconds away from the horn sounding, Cerrone again went
for a triangle before transitioning to an armbar before the fight
finally came to an end.
The
judges all came back with the same score, 48-47, giving the nod
and the interim lightweight championship to Ben Henderson, with
the deciding factor likely coming by way of a razor close first
round between the two lightweight warriors.
"Donald
Cerrone, my hat's off to him, he's a great, great guy, that was
an absolute war," said the new interim champion after having
the title wrapped around his waist. "That's exactly what
I wanted coming into the fight, now I don't ever want to do it
again, please no."
With
the other lightweight champion standing just a few feet away
from him, an emotionially charged Ben Henderson made a plea for
the title holders to meet.
"Jamie
Varner, we got a date!" Henderson screamed. "Phoenix,
Arizona, let's do it!"
WEC
lightweight champion, Jamie Varner complimented longtime foe
Donald Cerrone for his performance, and then turned his focus
towards his next opponent, Ben Henderson.
"Let's
do this in December, let's do it whenever," said Varner.
"All I want, I want this fight in my home state, where Ben
trains, where I train, I want to do it in Phoenix, Arizona, so
hopefully we can make that happen."
It
seems all but certain that a December showdown awaits Henderson
and Varner in Arizona.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HENDERSON
& CERRONE EARN EXTRA WITH WEC BONUSES
Another unbelievable night of fights for World Extreme Cagefighting,
capped off by a candidate for "Fight of the Year" between
Ben Henderson and Donald Cerrone at WEC 43 in San Antonio, Texas,
as the promotion handed down bonuses for the top performances
of the night.
A
call from owner Lorenzo Fertitta earned new lightweight interim
champion Ben Henderson and his opponent, Donald Cerrone, $20,000
each for no-brainer choice for "Fight of the Night."
The remainder of the bonuses came in at $10,000 each, but the
two fighters competing in the main event earned something extra
for what was deemed an instant classic.
Two
undercard bouts earned the other bonuses as Anthony Njokuani
picked up $10,000 for his "Knockout of the Night" performance
over WEC newcomer Muhsin Corbbrey.
The
"Submission of the Night" went to Mackens Semerzier,
who made the most of his WEC debut by submitting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
ace Wagnney Fabiano with a triangle choke in the first round.
5,176
fans packed the AT&T Center in San Antonio for a night of
fights ending with a championship bout that will be the talk
of the MMA world for quite some time.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DAMACIO
PAGE CATAPULTS INTO CONTENTION
World
Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight Damacio Page defeated Will
Campuzano by submission at the AT&T Center in San Antonio,
Texas, on Saturday, improving his record to 12-4 and moving himself
into contender status in the 135-pound division.
The
bout lasted only 62 seconds, but was action filled, fought at
a frantic pace.
"I
was planning on fireworks flying. That's how I fight. I was planning
on getting in his face, so I kind of did what I wanted to do,"
Page told MMAWeekly.com. "That's just the way I fight, so
anybody in front of me is going to get guns blazing no matter
what.
"Thirty
seconds into the fight about a hundred punches were thrown,"
recollected Page. "Then I decided to take him down and the
rest is history; took his back and choked him out."
"The
Angle of Death" was defeated by current WEC bantamweight
titleholder Brian Bowles at WEC 35 in August 2008. He's competed
twice in 2009, two first round finishes totaling 120 seconds
inside the cage, and he'd like to get another fight in before
year's end against whomever the WEC wants.
"I
really don't care whoever. Just throw me in there. Just let me
fight. Just throw me out there," said the 27-year-old. "Throw
me in November (the WEC's next event). I don't care."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Paulo
Filho
With
opponent set on Dream 12, Paulo Filho is focused to put his Jiu-Jitsu
one more time and beat the Dong Sik Yoon on November 25. In an
exclusive interview to TATAME.com, the black belt talked about
his expectations to the fight. “The guy is a judo champion,
he has a dangerous ground, but I think he’ll play my game
and I think that, because my strength, I’ll have an advantage”,
bets Filho, who also talked about his mistakes on the preparation
to his last fight and the next combats in UFC and Strikeforce.
What
do you expect from the fight against Dong Sik Yoon?
The
guy is a judo champion, he has a dangerous ground… On his
fight with (Gegard) Mousasi, he didn’t take the arm for
a detail, because it was fit. He’s a tough guy, but I think
he’ll play my game and I think that, because my strength,
I’ll have an advantage. Jiu-Jitsu’s is more efficient
than a Judo... I’ll take advantage on that. He’s a
great guy, a good man, very competitive, makes his work. It will
be a nice fight.
How
are the training for the fight? Will you train with Anderson
and Minotauro?
Now
I’m training with Máster Oswaldo Alves, training
more the things that will happen on the fight. He’s not
a striker, neither am I, so I have to work the Jiu-Jitsu game,
to get to a better position and put my game and, who knows, to
submit.
Looking
back, which were the mistakes you made before and during the
fight on Bitetti Combat?
We
can’t justify... What happened is that I accepted the fight.
Nobody wanted me fighting with (Melvin) Manhoef and I suffered
a big psychological pressure and I wanted to breath. Everybody
thought that I would be defeated by Manhoef and I got a little
tired. I wanted to have fun, I stop training for a while, didn’t
care that much. Not because I thought that my opponent was less
important, I just needed some time. The high level athlete gotta
have a break in every three months between one fight and another.
I made fights in a row and wasn’t satisfied. I didn’t
run away from my commitment and I know it wasn’t a wonderful
fight, but I faced the challenge.
You
were rumored to fight Mousasi for Strikerforce’s title,
but he’ll face Sokoudjou. Who do you think that will take
this fight?
Sokoudjou
is extremely dangerous, he has really heavy hands and that’s
more than proved, but Mousasi is a great athlete. I think Sokoudjou
is more healthy. I think (Renato) Babalu was out of parameter,
he’s a high level fighter, but he was a bit nervous, unfocused,
something happened and he didn’t give his best. I think
Babalu, well prepared, would kick Mousasi’s ass. Mousasi
will be as good as people think he is, but it will take some
time. He’s young, immature and too much confident. Sokoudjou
can hit one and he'll go down.
After
this fight, will you go to Strkeforce?
I
don’t know... I’ll “cry” to see if I can
get there and hit that crook-back (laugh)... He’s really
abused.
How
do you think the fans from USA will welcome you after the bad
fights you did in WEC?
I
wasn’t very focused, excited. It’s not about Japan
or United States, it was a moment on my life when I wasn’t
applied to the training as I should. I think I’m independent
of their opinion, mine’s is more important. I know that
when I’m prepared I’m tough, my record is 18-1, I don’t
have to prove anything to anybody. I know that, when I’m
trained, I’m a trouble to anyone. The thing is to have the
head on the place and do my work.
Your
wish is go to the UFC?
My
goal is fight, fight and fight, don’t matter where. The
opponent is the most important thing. There are a lot of better
guys in other organizations. Fight is fight, everybody deserves
respect.
The
Brazilians are doing a great job in UFC’s light heavyweight
division, with Lyoto, Shogun, Cane, Minotouro, Thiago Silva and
Anderson. How do you think that would be you coming in this category?
Undoubtedly,
it’s really hard, this division is very tough. UFC is a
big event, but Americans do what they can for you can’t
apply your technique. They match incompatible games, preferably
with whoever they want, everything to take you down. American
is American, they want Americans with the belt and eliminate
the Brazilians, but they’ll have to work hard because we’re
the best.
What
are you expecting for the fight between Lyoto and Shogun?
It’s
a hard fight... Lyoto works on strategy, Shogun is brave. They
both are great, but I’d bet on Lyoto because of the strategy.
Fight is fight and we’ll just know when it’s over.
It will be a great fight.
Anderson
will probably face Vitor Belfort in 2010. How do you think that
fight is gonna be?
It’s
really hard... Vitor have a very good sight, Anderson has nothing
else to prove... They’re both great athletes, they both
can win. It’ll depend of each one’s spirit on the fight’s
day. Who gets there more focused will win.
Source: Tatame
|
Ortiz
to face Griffin at UFC 106
Tito
Ortiz will face a stern test in his first match in the Ultimate
Fighting Championship since undergoing back surgery Oct. 6, 2008,
when he takes on Forrest Griffin at UFC 106 on Nov. 21 at the
Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Ortiz,
who last fought at UFC 84 on May 24, 2008, when he lost a decision
to Lyoto Machida, had been slated to face Mark Coleman. But Coleman
had to withdraw from the bout Monday after suffering a second-degree
tear of the medial collateral ligament in his knee.
The
UFC had to scramble to find a replacement because most of the
stars at 205 pounds are booked. But UFC president Dana White
confirmed to Yahoo! Sports on Thursday that Griffin had accepted
the bout.
Griffin,
who lost a controversial decision to Ortiz at UFC 59 in Anaheim,
Calif., on April 15, 2006, said last week he hoped to return
to action at UFC 108 in January. Given the urgency to find a
suitable opponent for Ortiz in the co-main event of what the
UFC sees as a blockbuster card, Griffin agreed to the bout.
Both
men are former light heavyweight champions. Griffin defeated
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for the belt last year before
losing it in his first defense to Rashad Evans. Griffin is coming
off a first-round knockout loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 101.
Ortiz,
who re-signed with the UFC in July – thus ending a bitter
dispute with White – is 0-2-1 in his last three fights and
hasn’t won since stopping Ken Shamrock on Oct. 10, 2006,
in a bout on Spike TV.
Since
then, Ortiz was stopped by Chuck Liddell in a rematch at UFC
66 – a bout that sold a then-UFC pay-per-view record of
1.05 million – fought to a draw with Evans at UFC 73 and
lost to Machida at UFC 84.
Ortiz
had fought for several years with pain in his back. He said he
hadn’t been healthy since 2002 when he defeated Shamrock
in Las Vegas in the first of their three bouts. He had spinal
fusion surgery Oct. 6, 2008, and didn’t begin to train again
until July.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Toughill
meets Conen on Strikeforce card
A
145-pound rematch between Erin Toughill and Marloes Coenen all
but finalized for the non-televised portion of Strikeforce: Fedor
vs. Rogers on CBS on Nov. 7 in suburban Chicago.
Multiple
sources close to negotiations on Friday told MMAWeekly.com that
while the bout has not been finalized, both fighters have agreed
to the fight and are currently reviewing bout agreements.
If
signed, the women’s bout would serve as the final fight
before the event goes live on CBS at 9 p.m. EST. Fedor Emelianenko
vs. Brett Rogers headlines the event.
Toughill
(10-2-1) drew first blood in the pairing with a knockout victory
over Coenen in December 2004 at the all-women Japanese MMA promotion
Smackgirl (the promotion has since been renamed Jewels).
Toughill,
32, was in August under consideration for Strikeforce: Carano
vs. Cyborg as a possible alternate to headliners Gina Carano
and Cristiante “Cyborg” Santos, but was unable to come
to terms with the promotion. The “American Gladiators”
alum last fought in May at the now defunct Palace Fighting Championships,
defeating Emily Thompson by unanimous decision.
The
28-year-old Coenen (16-3) last fought in January, losing a unanimous
decision to Cindy Danois at “Beast of the East” in
her native country of Netherlands. She was tentatively scheduled
to take on 145-pound champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos
during the televised portion of the Nov. 7 card, but an injury
to Santos scrapped that option.
The
winner of the bout between Toughill and Coenen would like be
the next challenger for Santos’ title.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
“Time
is the most valuable thing a man can spend.”
Theophrastus
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
NEW TIME of 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!
|
Upcoming
Boxing Event!
Palolo
District Park Gym
November 1, 2009
Fights start at 2 PM
We're having a amateur boxing match event on Sunday, Nov. 1st
at 2 p.m. If anyone has any athletes they would like to put in,
please let me know. I'll try and match the by age, experience,
and weight.
They could email me by clicking here.
Thanks!
Bruce Kawano
|
Man
Up & Stand Up Results!
IF YOU
GUYS DIDN’T ATTEND THE MAN-UP & STAND-UP EVENT THIS
PAST SATURDAY, THEN YOU MISSED OUT ON SOME OF THE BEST MATCH
UPS THAT THIS EVENT HAD TO OFFER FOR THIS WHOLE YEAR. THIS EVENT
COULD’VE PASSED FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS THAT ARE HELD
AT THE END OF EVERY YEAR FOR THIS SHOW. THERE WAS KNOCKOUTS ,
BLOOD, WELTS, BRUISES BUT MOST OF ALL, EVERY CLUB SHOWED A LOT
OF HEART AND SPORTSMANSHIP.
AFTER
THE FIRST THREE EXHIBITIONS WARMED UP THE CROWD, IT WAS ON. ONE
OF THE EXCITING BOUTS CAME WHEN TATTED UP ISAAC HOOPS OF O2 AGAINST HMC’S
TIMID LOOKING CHONAN. THESE TWO 17 YEAR OLDS TRADED ALMOST NON-STOP
THE ENTIRE MATCH WITH CHONAN STALKING ISAAC WITH RELENTLESS COMBOS
AND ISAAC ANSWERING WITH HIS STICK AND MOVE STYLE THAT WON HIM
THE FIGHT. JULIO OF BULLSPEN VS ALVIN OF COMBAT 50 MATCH WAS
ANOTHER BLOW FOR BLOW MATCH. JULIO AS ALWAYS KEPT FIRING HIS
COMBOS RELENTLESSLY AND ALVIN RETURNED FIRE WITH PRECISION TIMING
WHILE ON THE MOVE WHICH ALSO WON HIM THE FIGHT. THEN THERE WAS
AN EXHIBITION THAT COULD HAVE BEEN MISTAKEN FOR A REGULAR MATCH
WITH KAWIKA KUPUKAA VS TONY TUITASI WHO TOOK THIS MATCH ON A
2 DAY NOTICE. BOTH WERE FIRST TIME FIGHTERS. AS SOON AS THE BELL
RANG. BOTH WERE QUICK TO SWING, BOTH WERE QUICK TO DO DAMAGE
AND BOTH WERE QUICK TO RUN OUT OF GAS (HAHAHA). THIS FIGHT HAD
THE CROWD JUMPING AND SCREAMING. USUALLY EXHIBITIONS ARE MADE
TO TAKE OFF RING RUST OR TO GET YOUR FEET WET BUT I GUESS SOMEONE
FORGOT TO TELL THESE TWO GUYS ABOUT THAT. NONETHELESS, THAT WAS
A GREAT FIGHT/EXHIBITION.
THERE
WERE TWO VICIOUS RIGHT HANDS THAT MADE THE NIGHT QUICK FOR THEIR
OPPONENTS. O2
FIGHTER NELSON LUM
DELIVERED A STUNNING RIGHT HAND IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 3RD ROUND
FROM BRANDON PAI. ABOUT 30 SECONDS AFTER THAT, PAI RECEIVED MAIL
STATING RETURN TO SENDER WHICH PUT PAI TO THE CANVAS. PAI GOT
UP BUT LUM WAS RIGHT BACK ON HIM UNTIL THE REFEREE STOPPED IT.
THE OTHER VICIOUSNESS CAME WHEN ANDYMAR RENON LANDED A STRAIGHT LEFT ON PETE SEFOS
CHIN THAT THREW HIS HEAD BACK. SEFO MUSTVE GOT MAD INSTEAD OF
SCARED BECAUSE HE THREW A RIGHT HOOK THAT SENT RENON TO THE MAT.
BUT RENON WAS NOT GOING TO STAY DOWN. ABOUT 10 SECONDS AFTER
THAT SEFO THREW ANOTHER RIGHT HAND THAT SENT RENON BACKWARDS
STUBBING HIS FOOT IN TO THE MAT AND DISLOCATING HIS KNEE THAT
MADE HIM UNABLE TO CONTINUE.
THE
MAIN EVENT BETWEEN MATT EATON OF BULLSPEN VS SONNY HUNT OF 94
BLOCK WAS NOTHING BUT CRAZY. SONNY AND MATT DID EVERYTHING THAT
WAS EXPECTED OF THEM AND SOME. BOTH FIGHTERS BROUGHT IT THE BACK
AND FORTH THE FIRST 2 ROUNDS. ALL JUDGES HAD IT ONE A PIECE.
THE 3RD ROUND WAS THE DECIDING ROUND. AGAIN IT WAS BACK AND FORTH,
BOTH SWINGING EVERYTHING THEY HAD WITH EVERY PUNCH, EVERY KICK,
EVERY KNEE. THESE 2 GUYS HAD SAVED NOTHING, THEY LEFT IT ALL
IN THE RING. MATT EATON WAS STILL THE KING OF THE GIANTS WHEN
THE FIGHT WAS DONE. THIS WAS ONE MAIN EVENT THAT YOU SHOULDN’T
HAVE MISSED.
THE
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT HAD TO GO TO GEARY UDAGAWA VS MARTIN DAY.
FROM THE FACE OFF AT THE WEIGH INS. IT WAS ON. THE BELL RANG
AND UDAGAWA WAS ALL OVER DAY, LANDING BIG SHOTS THAT ROCKED DAY
3 TIMES EARLY IN THE FIRST ROUND. BUT MARTIN SURVIVED IT AND
STARTED LANDING BACK SPIN KICKS TO UDAGAWAS BODY WHERE NO WEAKNESS
WAS FOUND. THE ENDING OF THE ROUND, UDAGAWA PROVED THAT DAY HAD
NOTHING ON HIS HANDS THAT COULD HURT UDAGAWA BY ALLOWING DAY
TO GIVE HIM 3 FREEBIES ON HIS CHIN (NO EFFECT). 2ND ROUND CAME,
UDAGAWAS ASSAULT WAS IN HIGH GEAR UNTIL THEY BOTH WERE IN THE
MIX AND SHIN MET CHIN SENDING UDAGAWA DOWN. UDAGAWA GOT UP AND
WAS PISSED AND TRIED TO GET ON IT AGAIN BUT THE BELL RANG. 3RD
ROUND, UDEGAWA WAS DESPERATE THROWING BIG SHOTS BUT DAY STAYED
DISCIPLINED. DAY CHOSE AND PICKED HIS SHOTS WELL. DAY WON THE
FIGHT AND ADMITTED THAT UDAGAWA IS THE HARDEST HITTER HE EVER
FACED. WHEN THEY LEFT THE RING UDAGAWA WENT OVER TO DAYS LOCKER
ROOM AND CONGRATULATED HIM. SPORTSMANSHIP AT ITS BEST HERE ON
MAN-UP & STAND-UP.
NUI
WHEELER 146 JENSEN ESPANTO
Wheeler
dec. over Espanto
MATT
EATON SHW SONNY HUNT
Eaton
dec over Hunt
MIKE
YARCIA 135 SHELDON CRAWFORD
Crawford
dec over Yarcia
JULIO
MORENO 129 ALVIN BERTO
Berto
dec over Moreno
PRESTON
SARAGOSA 115 JAY VISCONDI
Draw
FRED
RAMAYLA 140 ADOR MALONG
Ramayla
dec over Malong
NELSON
LUM 135
BRANDON PAI
Lum
wins by TKO over Pai
JAMES
LEOLE 140 RODNEY DEGUZMAN
Draw
JUSTIN
DULAY 165
SHAWN AUGUSTINE
Augustine
dec over Dulay
JUSTIN
BURGESS 165 SATO NAKANO
Nakano
dec over Burgess
KOA
RAMELB 155 KOA
LYU
Ramelb
dec over Lyu
BRYSON
LUM 145
JORDAN CALLAHAN
Callahan
wins by TKO over Lum
KEANU
DESANTOS 60 TAZ KAHALEWAI
Draw
MARK
GILBERT 130 ALEX CHONG
Draw
BLAKE
VILLANEDA 150 RICKY TUBANIA
Tubania
dec over Villaneda
LARRY
WALKER
155 NEIL DACANAY
Dacanay
dec over Walker
ANDYMAR
RENON SHW
PETE SEFO
Sefo
wins by TKO over Renon
EMIL
LAQUISTA 150 ALFRED SANTIAGO
Laquista
wins by TKO over Santiago
GEARY
UDAGAWA 140 MARTIN DAY
Day
dec over Udagawa
DANIEL
LOPEZ 190 CHEVEZ AUTOKE
Autoke
dec over Lopez
SHARON
VICTORIA 200 NATACIA MANUMA
Manuma
dec over Victoria
NICK
CORREA 145 GRANT UDAGAWA
Draw
LENNY
AUGUSTINE 175 JASON K
Keliihoka
dec over Augustine
COLE
DANTE 115 LOGHEN RAMOS
Dante
dec over Ramos
KAWIKA
KUPUKAA 225 TONY TUITASI
Draw
ISAAC
HOOPS 145
CONAN
Hoops
dec over Conan
MUCH
MAHALO TO ALL OF THE CLUBS THAT SUPPORTED MAN-UP & STAND-UP
THIS PAST SATURDAY.
Source: Derrick Bright
|
BOUTS
SET FOR NOV. 6 STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS
Two more bouts are confirmed for the fourth installment of ShoMMA:
Strikeforce Challengers Series, scheduled for Nov. 6 at the Save
Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.
Strikeforce
Director of Communications informed MMAWeekly.com of the additions
Friday afternoon.
A
previously rumored match-up between welterweights Luke Rockhold
and Jesse Taylor will grace the main card of the up-and-comer
series.
Rockhold
(5-1) is coming off a first round TKO victory over Cory Devela
at ShoMMA 2. The American Kickboxing Academy fighter has yet
to see a second round in his professional career.
Taylor
(17-4) dropped a unanimous decision to Jay Hieron at Carano vs.
Cyborg in August, his first loss in seven fights after a rocky
stint in the UFC and the seventh season of "The Ultimate
Fighter." The Nov. 6 fight will be his eighth professional
fight this year.
Additionally,
heavyweights Shane Del Rosario and Brandon Cash will battle to
keep their undefeated records intact.
Cash
(5-0) fights out of Team Buhawe in Fresno and last fought Steve
Gavin at the now defunct Palace Fighting Championships in February,
winning a unanimous decision.
Del
Rosario (8-0) is coming off a three-fight stint in overseas competition
for the M-1 Challenge. A member of Team Oyama in Irvine, Calif.,
Del Rosario cut his teeth in ShoXC, the now defunct up-and-comer
series of ProElite, and has finished all but one of his fights
in the first round.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Henderson
edges Cerrone in WEC thriller
“Cowboy”
Donald Cerrone has waited since the end of January to get his
rematch with Jamie Varner for the World Extreme Cagefighting
lightweight championship.
And
now that Varner has said he’s ready to return, Cerrone is
on the outside looking in after being upset by Ben Henderson
in a match for the WEC interim lightweight title on Saturday
night in San Antonio.
The
crowd of 5,176 at the AT&T Center was thrilled by a match
that never stopped for five rounds, in what turned out to be
a battle of Cerrone’s submission skill against the wrestling
of Henderson, a former NAIA All-American. The decision was controversial,
and booed by the crowd in one of those matches where there really
was no loser to the fans, but there was a loser in the record
books and in the race for the title shot.
All
three judges had it 48-47 for Henderson. Yahoo! Sports had it
48-47 for Cerrone. Both fighters received $20,000 fight of the
night bonuses for their efforts.
“Donald
is a super tough fighter, and as you guys saw, some really tough
submissions,” Henderson said in a post-fight phone interview.
“I was able to weather those storms, and at the end of the
fight, use my wrestling and my ground skills to edge out the
win.” Most likely the first round ended up deciding the
fight, since Henderson clearly won rounds two and three, while
Cerrone just as clearly won rounds four and five.
The
fight was a great argument for those who want all main events
to be five rounds, regardless whether there is a title on the
line, because the fight got better as it hit the fourth and fifth
rounds. Despite the fast pace, despite that Cerrone spent so
much time squeezing hard in trying to finish submissions and
despite that Henderson was stuck in oxygen-depriving moves on
several occasions, neither man seemed tired in the fifth round.
But
Cerrone was clearly doing better as time went on.
Cerrone
(10-2, 1 no contest) was unable to capitalize on his Muay Thai
skill because Henderson’s ability to constantly take him
down negated that part of the game. But what won the fight for
Henderson was his ability to remain calm as Cerrone caught him
in tight submission attempts in the first, fourth and fifth rounds.
“I
had some really good opportunities to put Ben away, but he’s
really, really tough,” said Cerrone. “Hats off to Ben,
and I look to climb my way back up the 155-pound ladder.”
By round four, the mental aspect of the game had taken over,
as Cerrone had to be frustrated that Henderson was in tight holds
for long periods of time, never panicked, and continually escaped.
But at the same time, in the last two rounds, Cerrone improved
at avoiding Henderson’s takedowns, the strongest part of
his game. In the end, it was a battle of conditioning and while
Cerrone seemed to have the edge in the last round, neither man
mentally broke.
Even
though Henderson wasn’t able to get takedowns regularly
in rounds four and five, he was continually shooting for them,
keeping Cerrone on the defensive. And while Cerrone is largely
known for his striking because of his background going 28-0-1
as a kickboxer, in MMA, nine of his 10 wins have been via submission.
Henderson
and Cerrone consider each other friends, growing up and starting
their careers together in Colorado Springs, Colo. In recent years,
Cerrone migrated to Albuquerque, N.M., to train at the Greg Jackson
camp, while Henderson went to Glendale, Ariz.
The
first and likely deciding round opened with Cerrone missing a
kick and going down. Henderson rushed in to take advantage, and
was caught in a guillotine, and then a triangle. Henderson escaped
trouble, but Cerrone went for a second guillotine when Henderson
gave a thumbs up signal to the audience and referee indicating
he wasn’t in trouble. Henderson won the last three minutes
of the round, using his wrestling skill to get takedowns, and
standing up to avoid the quickness in Cerrone’s hips in
being able to attack from the bottom. Henderson, in standing,
stayed far away and out of trouble and was able to score well
late in the round.
In
the second round, Cerrone looked strong in the early minutes.
Even though he was on his back, he was doing more damage, including
a wicked punch that hurt Henderson. But the last few minutes
saw Henderson come back, keep a standing position while Cerrone
was on his back, and dropped down with punches, similar to the
ending of the first round.
Henderson’s
best round was the third, controlling it with his wrestling,
with four takedowns and never being in danger. Cerrone was able
to get up every time from his back, but before he could do any
damage standing, he was taken down again.
The
tide turned in the fourth round when Cerrone had a tight guillotine
and held it for nearly 90 seconds at the start of the round.
Henderson escaped, but Henderson was then unable to take Cerrone
down. With Henderson on his back after a missed takedown, Cerrone
kicked at Henderson’s legs late in the round. Just as the
round was ending, Cerrone connected with a wicked low kick that
put Henderson on his back.
The
fifth round was mostly on the ground with Cerrone dominating
the grappling phase, attempting triangles, an armbar, a shoulder
lock and various forms of uma platas. It was a shoulder lock
that looked the most dangerous, but once again, as it appeared
Cerrone was ripping the shoulder joint, Henderson signaled to
the crowd and referee that he wasn’t really hurt.
In
the end, the judges’ decision on round one came down to
advantage time going to Henderson, who connected with more blows,
but Cerrone easily came the closest to finishing.
“First
and foremost, I want to thank The Lab in Glendale, Ariz., they
got me prepared for what we expected, which was a five-round
war with Donald Cerrone,” said Henderson (10-1), who will
face lightweight champion Varner (16-2, 2 no-contests) at some
point in the next few months.
“I’m
really excited for the opportunity to face Jamie Varner,”
Henderson said. “I know Jamie well, as I helped Jamie get
ready for his fight with Marcus Hicks. I’m looking forward
to getting healed up,and unifying these belts with him.”
Varner, who was ringside at the match, was heavily booed every
time the cameras were on him. At every WEC show he’s appeared
at this year, he’s been jeered because of the perception,
whether fair or not, that he take the easy way out of his fight
with Cerrone. Varner saying he couldn’t see midway through
the fifth round after being hit with a Cerrone running knee while
Varner had one knee on the mat.
Because
the fight was stopped with a few minutes left, they went to the
cards, and Varner got a split decision. Since then, since Varner’s
hand has been slow in healing, Cerrone had questioned whether
Varner would ever face him, leading to some bad blood between
the two.
“Donald,
I don’t like you, but you’re one of the toughest dudes
I’ve ever seen or met,” said Varner after the fight.
“Ben, let’s do it in December.”
For
his part, Cerrone accepted the decision and said he wants to
work his way back up. “I hope I get a third shot at the
world title some time in the future, but definitely want a few
fights before that.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
DAN
LAUZON VS. COLE MILLER AGREED FOR UFC 108
A lightweight match has been added to the UFC 108 undercard.
Dan Lauzon makes his return to the Octagon to face American Top
Team fighter Cole Miller.
The
bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Friday by sources close
to the fight. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout.
Lauzon
(12-2) will compete on the UFC 108 card alongside his brother,
Joe Lauzon, who will face Sam Stout. Dan, the younger of the
two, last appeared in the UFC in 2006. At just 18 years of age,
he lost to Spencer Fisher.
Since
that time, Lauzon has gone 8-1, reeling off eight wins in a row.
His last fight was in January, while working with the now defunct
Affliction promotion, picking up a win over Bobby Green by rear
naked choke.
Returning
to action in January, Miller (15-4) hopes to bounce back from
a tough loss in September to former "Ultimate Fighter"
winner Efrain Escudero. Miller was riding a two-fight win streak
heading into the bout, but suffered a TKO loss after Escudero
caught him with a big punch mid-way through the first round.
Miller
will work with his usual cast of characters at American Top Team
to prepare for the January showdown against Lauzon at UFC 108.
While
there has been no official announcement from the UFC regarding
the bout, it is believed the fight be part of the untelevised
preliminary card.
A
bout between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Vitor
Belfort is expected to headline the as yet unannounced event.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KOTC
CHAMP JOKER GUYMON REALIZES UFC DREAM
King of the Cage welterweight titleholder Michael "The Joker"
Guymon relinquished his belt and signed a four-fight deal with
the Ultimate Fighting Championship. For the 35-year-old fighter
it was a dream come true.
"It
was just because the whole dream I had," Guymon told MMAWeekly.com.
"I started out this sport looking at it on the couch in
high school watching UFC 1. I wanted to be there, and now that
I'm there it's like, wow. I can't believe it.
"It's
been such a long, hard road."
Guymon
steps into one of the toughest divisions in MMA with Georges
St. Pierre sitting atop the 170-pound weight class.
"From
top to bottom that 170-pound bracket is just a nightmare. You've
got guys in there that are just insane wrestlers. They're big,
strong. Everybody can do everything," stated Guymon. "You
have the cream of the crop. You've got the best athletes, the
best of everything in the UFC, so it's going to be a test and
I'm ready for it."
No
opponent or date has been set for The Joker to make his UFC debut,
but he's confident he'll be ready when the time comes.
"I'm
training now. I'm going to train harder, smarter, better. I'll
be bigger, better, faster, and stronger," said the Joker's
Wild Fighting Academy trained fighter. "I'm going to start
my diet again and I'm going to be in good shape and ready to
go for whenever they do give me that call."
Guymon
made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 1999, and has
an 11-2-1 record. He defended his title on Oct. 1, defeating
Quinn Mulhern by technical knockout.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Griffin
to take on Tito Ortiz
Injury sidelines Coleman for UFC 106
Tito
Ortiz tweeted the news he will no longer face Mark Coleman at
UFC 106. A training injury caused the veteran to pull out and
open way for Forrest Griffin, who in his most recent fight was
knocked out by Anderson Silva.
This
will be the second encounter between Ortiz, who finally returns
to the UFC after recovering from delicate back surgery, and Griffin.
The first was in April of 2006, when Ortiz got the better of
the judges’ decision.
The
main event for UFC 106 will be the heavyweight title dispute
between champion Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.
Check
out the provisory card:
Champion
Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin
Forrest Griffin vs Tito Ortiz
Luiz Cane vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueira*
Ricardo Almeida vs Jon Fitch*
Dustin Hazelett vs Karo Parisyan*
Phil Baroni vs Amir Sadollah
Marcus Davis vs Ben Saunders
Jason Dent vs George Sotiropoulos
*not
yet official
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Pezao
vs Werdum in November
Fight set for 7th
Anyone
who visited GRACIEMAG.com yesterday saw that Fabricio Werdum
will see MMA action again next month. Now all that is left is
for the organizers of Strikeforce to make it official. According
to information leaked on American websites, the match-up that
awaits the ADCC over 99kg champion is Antonio Silva. The all-Brazilian
bout should take place November 7th.
On
the same date Fedor Emelianenko’s debut for the organization
against undefeated Brett Rogers has been scheduled.
Stay
tuned and we’ll be back soon with more on the match-up.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Caiçara
submits to get off his brother’s shadow
After
every fight, Carlos “Caiçara” Galvão
works to get off his brother’s shadow, the BJJ world champion
André Galvão, and conquest his space in MMA. Fighting
on Real Fight 7, Carlos faced the tough Matias Lemon, but the
rear naked choke on the second round guaranteed the victory.
After the fight, Caiçara talked with TATAME about the
victory and the expectations to grow even more on MMA. “My
career grew more now, and the intention is to fight overseas,
but if some fight appears here I’ll fight. I can face anyone,
no problems”, said the fighter, on the chat below.
You
caught a tough Argentine, passed thru bad moments at the beginning.
What did you think about the fight?
The
strategy was other, to feel the fight and get in a sequence to
take him down, but he surprised me. I tried to escape and take
him to the ground, but he hit me with a cross and I felt. He
has a heavy hand and I tried to work my Jiu-Jitsu. I saw he wasn’t
calm hitting me and I felt he would get tired sometime, but the
first round finished and I could take him down. I saw he was
a little tired, so I passed the guard and punished him, opened
his eyebrow… He felt, turned his back and I putted the Jiu-Jitsu
on… Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu worked once again.
What
have changed on your training? You went to Rio to train with
your brother, Anderson Silva and all that people?
My
training changed a lot, I have another head now, I see the fight
in a different way. I worked a lot on striking and now I’m
more comfortable. To train with those guys, Anderson, (Ronaldo)
Jacaré, (Rafael) Feijão, I trained now with (Rogério)
Minotouro and all the guys from X-Gym, (Rogério) Camões…
Train with these guys makes you calm in a fight. At the beginning
I wasn’t calm when I saw everybody there, supporting me
and I didn’t want to disappoint them, but on the second
round I could do what I wanted. I was dreaming about a submission
and everything went well.
With
the new training and this victory, do you expect to fight overseas
now?
My
career grew more now, and the intention is to fight overseas.
Every fighter dreams on fighting overseas, but if some fight
appears here I’ll fight. I can face anyone, no problems.
Source: Tatame
|
Shaolin:
“I wanna fight in November”
Without
fighting in the US since 2006, the BJJ black belt Vitor “Shaolin”
Ribeiro is anxious to debut in Strikeforce. “I wanna fight
this year again… I’ll see if I can fight in November,
when Strikeforce plans two shows. The November 7 show is full,
everybody wants to be there, but I hope I can fight and erase
this loss to Aoki”, said the Brazilian, who lost his last
fight for the new Dream lightweight champion.
With
no opponent in mind, Shaolin trains hard in his gym in New York.
“I just think about training. Strikeforce has great guys,
(Gilbert) Melendez and (Josh) Thompson, but I don’t know
who their gonna bring, I don’t know who’s available.
I’ll wait for a definition and be ready”, Ribeiro said,
commenting the title fight between Shinya Aoki and Joachim Hansen,
which took place last Tuesday in Japan.
“I
thought Hansen would beat his ass up, but the Japanese inverted…
Aoki fought very well, but I think Hansen is back to that inconstant
phase. Aoki hold him well and annulled Hansen’s game”,
praises Shaolin, remembering his last fight against Aoki. “He
could have done that ground game with me, but now he has away
from me, well protected with that belt”, said, believing
that Aoki’s reining won’t be so long. “(Tatsuya)
Kawajiri beats him without any problems”.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“Give
your stress wings and let it fly away.”
Carin Hartness
|
WEC
43 LIVE RESULTS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY
Friends outside of the cage, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
and Ben Henderson will face each other inside the cage to determine
the WEC interim lightweight champion at WEC 43 in San Antonio,
Texas on Saturday night. The winner is expected to challenge
lightweight champion Jamie Varner early next year.
The
main card of WEC 43 airs live on the Versus network at 10:00
p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT. The first preliminary bout is scheduled
to begin at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT.
MMAWeekly.com
will begin coverage shortly after the first preliminary bout
begins. Be sure to refresh you browser frequently for all the
latest results and play-by-play...
WEC
43: CERRONE VS. HENDERSON LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:
-Donald
Cerrone (10-1) vs. Ben Henderson (9-1)
R1
- Cerrone misses with a high kick and slips. Henderson rushes
him and works for a takedown, Cerrone slaps on a guillotine.
Henderson gets out, but Cerrone transitions to a triangle choke.
Henderson escapes and Henderson gets back to his feet. Cerrone
with a leg kick and Henderson works for a singl leg off it and
gets it. Henderson lands a few big shots but Cerrone looks for
submissions. Henderson stands above his opponent and throws big
punches down. Cerrone tries to flip out but Henderson stays on
him. The round ends with Henderson standing and throwing shots.
MMAWeekly scores the first round 10-9 for Henderson.
R2
- Henderson shots in after a brief period of feeling each other
out. Cerrone defends and nearly takes Henderson's back but Henderson
ends up in Cerrone's guard. Cerrone landing shots from the bottom
followed by an up kick. Cerrone works for a kimura and takes
his back before tansitioning to an armbar. Henderson gets out
and is back in Cerrone's guard. He stands and lands shots to
the body and head. Cerrone goes for a knee bar but it wasn't
there. Ther round ends with Henderson throwing shots standing
above Cerrone in his guard. MMAWeekly scores the second round
10-9 for Henderson.
R3
- Cerrone tries to flurry but Henderson backs away to start the
round. Henderson dives in for a takedown and gets it. He had
Cerrone's back and lands three shots to the body before Cerrone
flips to his guard. Henderson passes to side control and Cerrone
gives up his back before flipping back to guard. An upkick by
Cerrone but Henderson stands above him throwing punches. Cerrone
pushes him away with his feet and is back standing. Henderson
seems to be slowing a bit, but goes for a single leg takedown
and switches to a double and gets the takedown, but their immediately
back to their feet. Henderson with a double leg but Cerrone is
back up. Henderson with another takedown and the round ends in
a scramble. MMAWeekly scores it 10-9 for Henderson.
R4
- Cerrone goes for a takedown. Henderson goes for a takedowna
and Cerrone slaps on a guillotine. Cerrone continues to work
it, but Henderson survives. They're back to their feet where
Henderson lands a body kick. Cerrone defends a takedown. Cerrone
stuffs another takedown and lands an uppercut. Cerrone defends
another takedown. The tide could be turning. Henderson shoots
in and Cerrone defends again and lands another uppercut. It's
Cerrone now standing above Henderson throwing shots. Cerrone
coming on. Cerrone drops him in the final seconds. MMAWeekly
scores the round for Cerrone.
R5
- Cerrone stuffed another takedown and looks to be taking over.
Henderson gets him down, but Cerrone goes for a triangle and
switches to an armbar. Cerrone, after another submission that
was almost in, gets back to his feet. With 30 seconds left, Cerrone
knocks Henderson down with an upkick. The round ends with Cerrone
cranking on Henderson's arm. MMAWeekly scores the final round
for Cerrone.
-Ben
Henderson def. Donal Cerrone by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47,
48-47)
-Rich
Crunkilton (16-2) vs. Dave Jansen (12-0)
R1
- After each miss with punches, Crunkilton tries to get it to
the canvas but Jansen defends. Crunkilton gets a throw but Jansen
bounces back to his feet. Jansen gets a takedown of his own taking
the back of Crunkilton in the process. Cleat explodes out of
it but Jansen takes him down again where he works short elbows
in Crunkilton's half guard. Cleat goes for a knee bar and then
a foot lock but Jansen gets out quickly and is in side control.
Cleat goes for a D'arce choke and Jansen counters and goes for
a north-south choke. Nice exchange of submission on the ground
but both get out. Jansen with hammer fists and briefly took Cleat's
back. They're back to their feet and Jansen gets hurt with a
right hand by Cleat. Awesome round. Hard to score with Crunkilton
hurting Jansen in the final seconds. Jansen controled most of
the round.
R2
- Crunkilton looks tired but hurts Jansen again, but Jansen gets
a takedown off a kick by Cleat. Jansen lands a low knee and the
action is stopped for Crunkilton to recover. The fight is restarted
and Crunkilton lands a straight right hand. Jansen attempts a
takedown and Crunkilton lands a knee that sends Jansen's mouthpiece
flying. Jansen lands a powerful double leg. Jansen fires off
ground and pound and they referee stands them up. Not a good
stand up at all. Crunkilton with a body kick. Jansen gets it
back to the canvas with 30 seconds to go. The round ends with
Jansen in Crunkilton's half guard. Another close round with a
horrible stand up.
R3
- Crunkilton turns it on pressing the action and landing shots.
Jansen takes him down and passes gaurd but Crunkilton stands
up. Jansen diving for legs and Crunkilton defending. Crunkilton
tries to sink in a choke but Jansen escapes. Three minutes left.
Jansen looks exhausted, but gets a takedown and passes guard
to side control and then to mount. Crunkilton gets back to half
guard and the referee stands them back up. Crazy fast stand ups.
The referee has changed the outcome of this fight possibly. Jansen
gets another takedown and goes for a kimura but Crunkilton defends.
Jansen lands a couple of elbows inside Crunkilton's guard. The
fight ends with Jansen landing soft elbows to the side of Crunkilton's
head.
Dave
Jansen def. Rich Crunkilton by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28,
29-28)
-Raphael
Assuncao (13-1; #7 Featherweight) vs. Yves Jabouin (14-4)
R1
- They both miss with their opening strikes and Assuncao lands
the first solid shot with a right hand. Assuncao moving forward
while Jabouin circles. A few minor exchanges before Assuncao
pulls guard but before long Jabouin is back on his feet. When
Jabouin closes the distance, Assuncao unloads punches. Assuncao
gets a takedown and has Jabouin in his guard, but Jabouin stands
up out of it. They clinch along the cage working for position
with each landing short shots. They separate as the round ends.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Assuncao.
R2
- Jabouin moving around light on his feet. Jabouin mixing it
up more this round. Assuncao stalks him and moves forward landing
leg kicks. Spinning back kick lands for Jabouin to the body of
Assuncao sending him back and looking for a takedown. After a
brief tie up against the fence, they go back to striking from
the outside. Assuncao with a left hand and shoots in for a double
leg. Assuncao works a guillotine choke in the final seconds.
Jabouin gets out. Close fight thus far. Very close round.
R3
- It's anyone's fight heading into the final round. Assuncao
landing leg kicks and catches Jabouin off balance and sweeps
his leg but Jabouiin immediately gets back to his feet. Assuncao
works for a takedown and gets it where he takes Jabouin's back.
Assuncao works for a rear naked choke as the ref tells them to
"show him something." What? With two minutes remaining
Jabouin escapes and gets to his feet. Jabouin pressing the action,
moving forward for the first time in the fight and lands a nice
right hand. Jabouin with a spinning back fist that lands. Assuncao
misses with one of his own. Assuncao takes him down in the final
seconds and the first ends with Assuncao taking his back. Great
fight. MMAWeekly.com scores the round for Assuncao.
Raphael
Assuncao def. Yves Jabouin by spit decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
-Damacio
Page (11-4) vs. Will Campuzano (6-0)
R1
- Page winging right hands to start the fight. Campuzano answers
with each landing big punches. Page takes the fight to the ground
where he takes Campuzano's back and applies a rear naked choke
forcing Campuzano to tap out.
Damacio
Page def. Will Campuzano by submission (rear naked choke) at
1:02, R1
WEC
43: CERRONE VS. HENDERSON QUICK RESULTS:
Main
Card (on Versus):
Ben Henderson def. Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision (48-47,
48-47, 48-47)
-Dave Jansen def. Rich Crunkilton by unanimous decision (30-27,
29-28, 29-28)
-Raphael Assuncao def. Yves Jabouin by spit decision (30-27,
27-30, 29-28)
-Damacio Page def. Will Campuzano by submission (rear naked choke)
at 1:02, R1
-Anthony Njokuani def. Muhsin Corbbrey by TKO at 1:42, R2
-Scott Jorgensen def. Noah Thomas by TKO at 3:13, R1
-Mackens Semerzier def. Wagnney Fabiano by Submission (triangle
choke) at 2:14, R1
-Eddie Wineland def. Manny Tapia by unanimous decision (30-27
on all cards)
-Charlie Valencia def. Coty Wheeler by unanimous decision (30-27,
29-28, 29-28)
-Deividas Taurosevicius def. Javier Vasquez by split decision
(29-28,28-29, 29-28)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
JUNIE
BROWNING ARRESTED, GIVEN UFC PINK SLIP
Junie Browning, who was a standout on “The Ultimate Fighter:
Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir” more for his antics than his
in-cage performance, was arrested Tuesday night in Henderson,
Nev., after allegedly assaulting three nurses at St. Rose Dominican
Hospital, according to a report by Lawrence Mower of the Las
Vegas Review-Journal.
The
report states that two friends took the 24-year-old Browning
to the hospital after he overdosed on anti-anxiety pills. After
being taken to a room at the hospital, he reportedly tried to
leave and became angry, pushing a female nurse, punching a male
nurse and kicking another male nurse.
Browning
was charged with three counts of battery on a health care worker.
UFC
president Dana White on Wednesday told Yahoo! Sports that, upon
learning of the arrest, he terminated Browning’s UFC contract.
“He
was given an amazing opportunity, but he has some serious issues
that are beyond me and what I can do,” White told reporter
Kevin Iole. “I’m there for guys and I realize nobody
is perfect and guys are going to get into trouble. When that
happens, I want to try to help and do something for them. But
he needs more help than I can give him. I did what I could for
him.”
Browning
(3-1) had two fights for the UFC. He defeated David Kaplan at
The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale, but was submitted in his last
outing by Cole Miller at UFC Fight Night 18 in Tennessee.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MARK
MILLER VS. DERAY DAVIS AT STRIKEFORCE ON CBS
"Ultimate Fighter" season nine contestant Mark Miller
will make his Strikeforce debut Nov. 7 against Deray Davis on
the undercard of Strikeforce on CBS.
MMAWeekly.com
first learned of the match-up Tuesday from sources close to Miller.
The
Sears Centre Arena in suburban Chicago hosts the live network
debut of the promotion, headlined by heavyweights Fedor Emelianenko
and Brett Rogers.
Before
making his reality show debut, Miller (14-5) had lost two consecutive
fights, most recently against UFC newcomer Mike Pierce at SportFight
24 in September 2008. Five months prior, he lost a bid for the
welterweight title against Jay Hieron in the now defunct International
Fight League.
Davis
(5-1-1) made a brief appearance in Bellator Fighting Championshps
this year, losing to Jesse Juarez by TKO in May. The loss snapped
a four-fight win streak. The 26-year-old fighter currently fights
out of Team Corral in Indiana.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TUF
10 COACH HECTOR RAMIREZ: WEEK 4 RECAP
Always remember the golden rule of jiu-jitsu: position before
submission.
The
axioms set forth by jiu-jitsu practitioners also hold true for
many MMA fighters, especially those who are grapplers. Demico
Rogers, despite his skill and athleticism, lost because he did
not follow the golden rule.
This
fight was a powerful learning experience, not only for Demico,
but for everyone on the team. It's easy for us to sometimes forget
how green these guys are not only because over the seasons of
TUF have the participants had increasing levels of experience,
but also because this particular group of guys has a wide range
of fight experience and natural athletic ability. Unfortunately,
it makes training exceptionally challenging when we are working
with athletes of varying experience.
During
practice, Demico looked great, he always showed up, trained hard
and had the skill set to make everyone take notice. But inexperience
is a tricky opponent that every fighter has to learn to overcome,
but it is also one that shows up unannounced. With Demico, his
inexperience showed up on fight day. He did a great job to take
Schaub down, but once down, Demico had to collect himself before
he was able to employ effective ground and pound. He was doing
great from side control, but the inexperience bug manifested
once again to bite Demico and convince him to change positions
when he was already dominant in side control. Once he moved from
a dominant position, he transitioned into the wrong end of an
Anaconda choke.
"Position
before submission" is your strongest weapon against the
inexperience bug.
Rampage
took us all into the back and reminded us that these guys are
still green. Between Rampage, Tiki, Junior, Tom, and I, we have
over 27 years of professional fight experience while some of
these guys don't even have 27 years of life experience. It was
time to take a step back in our workouts. We looked to increase
conditioning and focus on basic techniques, no flashy moves,
no complex combinations and most of all, no giving up dominant
position.
All
this may sound like a hard stance to take, but by now, I hope
all viewers know that the show needs to be taken with a grain
of salt.
We
weren't as absent as the show tried to depict. Prior to Demico's
fight, we were booked all day doing other preparations that come
with the show. Nevertheless, we still got in a good warm up and
we were confident in Demico.
But
if nothing else, MMA is unpredictable. When Schaub caught Demico
in that Anaconda choke, we expected that Demico would slip right
out or at least "answer the phone" and defend the choke.
Instead, we saw an unexpectedly quick tapout. We were speechless.
How do you pep talk a fighter when you have no words of your
own? This time, we were the ones who had to take a minute to
collect ourselves before we could go and talk to Demico and try
to sort things out.
Position
before submission. Before we can regain hopes of training the
next Ultimate Fighter, we need to gain dominant position. We
need a win.
Thank
you to all my sponsors and management, Iridium Sports Agency,
OC Fight Doc, Sparstar, Furious Fighters, Dog Pound MMA, Monarch
Clothing, Tapout Radio, Unbreakable Mouthpieces, Mike Dolce,
Dolce Diet, Team Rampage, Quick N' Painful, MMAWeekly.com, and
everyone who is making this show a success. Lastly, be sure to
check out my next fight on Nov. 14 for Call to Arms at the Citizens
Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif.!
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HOGER
SCRATCHED, SYLVESTER FACES OVEREEM AT GLORY 11
Sam Hogar has been scratched from an Oct. 17 meeting with Alistair
Overeem at Glory 11 in Amsterdam, MMAWeekly.com has learned.
Stepping
in for "The Ultimate Fighter" alum will be Tony Sylvester,
said Glory promoter Martin de Jong on Thursday.
Sylvester
(11-2) last fought in December 2008, defeating Roger Minton at
International Combat Sport Federation's "Bad Intentions."
Prior to that, Sylvester dropped a unanimous decision to UFC
heavyweight Chris Tuchscherer in the now defunct YAMMA promotion.
As
of now, Overeem is still penciled in for Dream 12 eight days
after Glory 11.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Werdum
back in November
Fabricio
Werdum was one of the standouts at the ADCC, this past September
26 and 27 in Barcelona. The fighter tapped four opponents and
took the over 99kg category. Even so, what most caught attention
was his easy-going demeanor. Horsing around, Werdum was the most
entertaining character at the event, alongside his faithful cheering
section, which wasn’t satisfied in cheering just for their
teacher. The chant of “vai cavalo” was what was most
heard over the two days of the tournament.
With
his ADCC conquest out of the way, now the Southern Brazilian
returns his attention to MMA. Although no opponent has yet been
announced, the black belt should return to action in November,
again at Strikeforce.
“My
manager is negotiating and on November 7 I should have my second
fight at Strikeforce. I just fought Mike Kyle over there, a quick
fight, which I had trained a lot for and won with a guillotine.
God willing I’ll fight in November again,” he told
GRACIEMAG.com partner site Portal das Lutas.
Although
he represents Chute Boxe, Werdum is keeping with the trend of
modern MMA and is still training with another master who made
history at the team from Curitiba.
“I’m
heading back to the United States to train with Rafael Cordeiro
and prepare myself.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Cris
Cyborg on ice
Fighter to have fought at Strikeforce in November
A
shoulder injury will keep Cris Cyborg from her first title defense
since winning it against Gina Carano in August. The Brazilian
was called on to fight at the November 7 event, but will need
time to recover, meaning she would not have enough time to prepare
for the challenge.
Although
no statement has been released by the organizers, Erin Toughill
was most likely to challenge Cris Cyborg.
The
organizers are looking at a possible December date for the Brazilian
to enter the cage.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Werdum:
“Cro Cop should have stopped”
After
the defeat to Junior dos Santos on UFC 103, Mirko “Cro Cop“,
who passed by ups and downs since the end of Pride, announced
that he may hand up the gloves. Former UFC fighter, Fabrício
Werdum already trained with the Croatian on his gym, and told
TATAME.com that he considers that the best decision.
"I
think Cro Cop should have stopped”, Werdum said. “He
already done what he had to do, is famous for his left, he’s
financially stabilized, he’s an idol in his country, so
I don’t think he needs it anymore... I think it would be
a good idea if he stops“, recommends Werdum, advising Cro
Cop to hang his gloves at 35. “Randy Couture in an exception,
it’s not everybody that will be in shape on 46... There’s
a time that the fighter have to stop, give some time“.
Source: Tatame
|
Edson
Draggo talks about returning to MMA
“Draggo
is back!”. That’s how WFE announced the main event
of its 5th event. One year and five months after suffering a
serious motorcycle accident and fight for life, Edson Draggo
will get in the octagon in Salvador on November 21, against Edinaldo
“Lula Molusco”. Training hard for the return at Minotauro
Team, Draggo talked with TATAME.com about the expectations to
the combat. “I’ll be back very strong and the expectation
is to knockout on the first round. I’m training hard because
I don’t want my hegemony ends in Bahia, I want win by knockout”.
Against
“Lula Molusco”, who’s coming from victories on
Jungle Fight Fortaleza, the former Pride and Cage Rage fighter
dreams about coming back to international events. “My goal
is to do two or three fights in Brazil, keep training hard and
go back to the international market. UFC is the big event, I’m
looking at the UFC”, said the heavyweight, that impressed
with four knockout victories in a row in less than 45 seconds,
debuting in Cage Rage 5 seconds knockout victory.
Analyzing
his opponent, Draggo waits for a fight of different styles. “He’s
a Jiu-Jitsu guy, so I think he’ll try to take me down, and
I’ll do my game… Who makes his best will win”,
analyses the heavyweight, excited with the return. “This
return is being great, even because is in Bahia, where I’m
well known. Nobody believed in my return, and just to can train
hard and without injuries I already get very happy”.
Ready
to the fight, Draggo says that the anticipated fight against
Assuério Silva will probably happen in the next months.
“There are three events calling me to fight with Assuério…
In January it’ll happen an event on Costa do Sauípe,
another one in Natal… We’ll fight on the event that
make the better proposal”, finished.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"It
is the artist's business to create sunshine when the sun fails."
Romain Rolland
|
Congratulations
to the O2 Kickboxers!
Congratulations
on the boys for great performances last night at Man Up &
Stand Up at the Waipahu Filcom! They all showed great technique
and heart! All three head kickboxing & boxing instructors
were there to prep and corner the troops (Kaleo Kwan, PJ Dean,
and Chris Slavens).
Isaac Hoops - won by decision
Bryson Lum - Loss by TKO referee stoppage in the second round,
but was dominating.
Ola Lum - Win by vicious over hand right, remeniscent of his
Uncle Kaleo Kwan's KO at the Beatdown in Hilo.
Justin Dulay - Lost by decision in a very close and exciting
fight
Koa Lyu - Lost by decision in another barn burner
Larry Walker - Lost by decision although I personally thought
he won.
Andymar Renon - Lost by TKO, popped his knee.
|
NAGA
Hawaii
Pearl City
High School Gym, Pearl City
Sunday, October 18th
BJJ BLACK BELT & ABU DHABI VETERAN Mike Cardoso will be conducting
a FREE, 1 hour No-Gi Seminar at the Saturday night weigh-in/registration
(Oct 17th from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the main gymnasium). This
seminar is open to all spectators and participants of the NAGA
event. All schools and styles are welcome. Individuals of all
skill levels can participate for free.
-
Weigh-In either Saturday night from 6 PM until 8 PM or on Sunday
starting at 8:00 AM and going all day at the Pearl City High
School - 2100 Hookiekie Street, Pearl City, Hawaii, 96782.
8:00
A.M.
1. Doors Open, Registration & Weigh-in's begin
10:00
A.M.
2. Rules Meeting
3. All Kids and Teen (Gi & No-Gi Divisions) Begin - DON'T
BE LATE
12:00
Noon
4. Absolute No-Gi - Championship Belt
5. Adult Novice & Beginner No-Gi Divisions
6. Adult Intermediate & Advanced No-Gi Divisions
Mid
- Late Afternoon
7. Adult White Belt Gi Divisions
8. Adult Blue Belt Gi, Purple, Brown & Black Belts
Source: NAGA
|
Sakuraba
at Dream.12, Aoki-Kawajiri NYE
by Michael David Smith
Dream 11 is in the books and the post-fight press conferences
are available on Dream's YouTube channel, so let's take a look
at what was said.
Bibiano
Fernandes won't fight until 2010: Dream promoter Keiichi Sasahara
said at his post-fight press conference that the cut over Fernandes'
eye likely means he won't be able to defend his Dream featherweight
belt this year. When he does fight next year, it might be a rematch
of Tuesday's main event, which Fernandes won by split decision
over Hiroyuki Takaya.
Shinya
Aoki vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri likely for New Year's Eve: Sasahara
said Aoki will want a couple of months to rest, and that he should
defend the Dream lightweight belt against Kawajiri at the New
Year's Eve Dynamite show.
Kazushi
Sakuraba is likely to fight at Dream 12: "Sakuraba doesn't
look injured, so we'd really like to invite him to participate
in Osaka," Sasahara said. Dream 12 takes place October 25,
and it will be Dream's first event in a cage instead of a ring.
Boxers
aren't used to getting kicked: American boxer Rubin Williams,
who lost to Sakuraba in an embarrassing mismatch, said repeatedly
at his post-fight press conference that he was unprepared for
the kicking element of MMA.
The
Super Hulk Tournament is all about ratings: "Minowa showed
us the great dynamic of the Super Hulk Tournament," Sasahara
said. "I'm expecting a good TV rating."
Minowaman
is a wrestler first and a fighter second: "I'd like to maintain
the MMA approach in the training, but my feeling is that I'm
still a pro wrestler," said Ikuhisa Minowa, who will fight
Sokoudjou in the Super Hulk Tournament final on New Year's Eve.
American
fighters don't like Japanese refs: Two losing Americans, Bob
Sapp and Joe Warren, complained that the refs had stopped their
fights early. Warren has a strong case tht he didn't tap out
against Fernandes and didn't deserve to have his fight stopped,
but Sapp wasn't fighting back against Sokoudjou and has no reason
to gripe about the stoppage.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Aaron
Brink Hopes to Rebuild Reputation with PureCombat
By PureCombat Staff Writer
There
have been many ups and downs during Aaron Brink's mixed martial
arts career.
And
it really has nothing to do with wins and losses. Brink has been
a player in mixed martial arts for a long time now, posting a
21-18 career record. But his ups and downs extend farther than
his record.
Brink
hasn't stepped into a cage for a fight since March 3, 2007. But
that is all about to change at PureCombat's "Fearless"
show on October 17 at the International Agri-Center in Tulare,
Calif.
"My
last fight was in 2007," Brink said. "I want to get
a chance to get back in there. And I didn't get any favors with
this fight. They're throwing me to the wolves right away."
Brink
will fight Anthony Ruiz in a scheduled three round heavyweight
bout.
"I
know he's tough and I know he will try to wear me down,"
Brink said about Ruiz. "But I'm prepared to go the distance.
I know what kind of fighter he is."
Brink
said he has been training three times a day and has worked his
way down to 235 pounds from 274 pounds. He is hoping to be at
220 pounds by fight time.
It
wasn't long ago that training was probably the last thing on
Brink's mind. He has had a history of drug abuse and also spent
time in the adult film industry.
Brink's
addiction to methamphetamines became such a big problem that
his family had to step in.
Brink's
trials with drug abuse were documented on the A&E television
series "Intervention."
There
will be a film crew at PureCombat "Fearless" to film
footage for a follow up on Brink's status. The show will either
air on A&E in the future, or it will air on A&E's website.
"It
was a crazy experience," Brink said about having his personal
life filmed for the show. "I thought they were doing a documentary
on me because I was an interesting story. I thought they were
interested in me because I was a fighter and because of my lifestyle.
I was surprised when they pulled that [stuff]."
Brink
said he hasn't been on any kinds of methamphetamines since December
of 2008.
"In
the past, I always took fights when I was on drugs and doing
porn," Brink said. "But I'm taking this very seriously.
I want to fight for as long as I can get licensed and as long
as I can put on a good show for the fans."
Brink
said he's wanted to fight for a while now, but PureCombat President
Al Joslin was the only one that would take a chance and sign
him to a fight.
"I
completely destroyed my reputation," Brink said. "Nobody
wanted to put me in a show, but Al decided to take a chance on
me."
Joslin,
who has known Brink for a long time now, said he thinks “everybody
deserves a second chance.”
"PureCombat
understands that we're all human beings," Joslin said. "We
all have things that drag us one way or another. From what I
know, Aaron was a Christian and a good-hearted human. I understand
who the old Aaron Brink is. I know the man behind the disease.
We all fall sometimes and if you reach out, sometimes it makes
it easier to get that person back on track."
Joslin
wanted to give Brink a chance to fight again, but he sure didn't
do him any favors by putting him up against a very tough opponent
in his comeback fight.
Ruiz
is coming off a victory against Gan McGee at PureCombat's July
show in Visalia, Calif.
"PureCombat
is dedicated to the sport," Joslin said. "As the matchmaker,
I don't like to give anybody an easy fight. Fighters need to
be challenged, and to put a chump in front of Aaron would be
a disservice to him."
Brink's
comeback fight is just of the many interesting storylines at
PureCombat "Fearless."
The
card is loaded with several top fighters including, former World
Extreme Cagefighing light heavyweight champion Doug Marshall,
and the semifinals of PureCombat's 155-pound tournament which
will crown the organization's first champion at the weight class.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Cain
Velasquez Chasing UFC Heavyweight Title ... And Perfection
By Mike
Chiappetta
In few sports is true perfection attainable. In baseball, a pitcher
can retire 27 batters in a row (it's only been done 18 times
in over 100 years). A bowler can reach perfection with strikes
in 12 straight frames. In football, a quarterback can somewhat
illogically boast of a perfect passer rating even in a game where
he does not complete all his passes (and even in a game that
his team loses).
So
the concept of perfection in sports is difficult to quantify,
explain and achieve. Nonetheless, it's what motivates rising
heavyweight star Cain Velasquez, who faces Ben Rothwell (30-6)
at UFC 104 on Oct. 24.
Despite
his 6-0 record with five stoppages, Velasquez remains his own
worst critic as he continues his ascent to what he hopes will
soon be a date with the heavyweight championship on the line.
The new father of 4 1/2 month old daughter Coral recently took
some time to talk to FanHouse about his demanding personality,
switching opponents from Shane Carwin to Rothwell, and his response
to critics.
Mike
Chiappetta: You were supposed to fight Carwin in a contenders
match. Were you upset at the opponent switch?
Cain Velasquez: You know what? For a little bit, but you can't
dwell on stuff like that. You've got a new opponent in front
of you, and you've got to get ready for him. You can't dwell
on what happened and what got changed. I was upset for a little
bit but I got over it right away because I had to get ready for
Ben.
Carwin
is higher up the ladder in the UFC pecking order than Rothwell,
who is making is UFC debut. What are your feelings on that?
With Ben's experience... He's had over 30 fights and only lost
a few, so how can you say that? Just because he fought in a different
organization? You can't really say that. He's just as dangerous
as anybody else.
True,
but in some ways though, it's more risk for you. He has been
very successful but because he hasn't fought on the UFC stage,
he's not as well known as some other fighters.
I guess in that way you can say it but I think when IFL was out
there, people knew who he was. I can't really control what people
think however. This is who I'm fighting and I have to prepare
for a very good fighter.
Did
the switch affect your preparation at all? You were preparing
for one guy and then had to switch up. And while they both like
standup, Rothwell's wrestling probably isn't on Carwin's level.
Not really, we're still preparing for hard-hitting guys, good
standup guys with a lot of power. It didn't really affect anything.
They're both two guys that are bigger than me, so you can look
at it in a similar way.
Which
part of his game takes up the most preparation?
Just standup. His standup has always been good. He fought in
the IFL and you can tell he's always liked the standup. That's
where he's comfortable at.
Overall,
are you pleased with your progression up the UFC ladder?
Yes, I am but I still want to get better and better. I'm not
where I need to be as far as where my overall skills are yet.
What
kinds of things are you working?
Nothing in particular but I feel like everything can get better.
We have Olympic caliber guys. Guys who've been on the US Olympic
team like [Strikeforce heavyweight] Daniel Cormier. Training
with him, I'm expecting my wrestling to get better. I'm expecting
to get better in all aspects of MMA. My wrestling is there, but
I could still get better at everything pretty much.
You
mentioned Daniel Cormier. How long has he trained with you and
what's your assessment of him this early in his career.
For about a month so far. He's a great guy, he picks up stuff
real quick. He's a fighter at heart. This transition is pretty
easy for him. He hasn't done this sport for long, but he's learning
a lot, picking it up quick. He's explosive, a quick learner and
super strong.
I
think people forget you're only six fights into your MMA career.
Are you entirely comfortable in the cage now? You're giving up
a lot of experience to some guys.
I'm comfortable. I think my wrestling background helped me get
comfortable with competition with a lot of people watching. I
don't feel like I'm too off where nerves get the best of me.
Even with my first fight, there was a huge crowd in Montreal,
and I didn't feel that way.
I
was at that fight in Montreal, and right from the beginning there
were big expectations about you. Were you always aware of the
buzz?
I don't really listen to that stuff. I don't pay attention to
the people on the internet. People say what they're going to
say, and they expect me to do big things, but I expect big things
from myself. It doesn't matter what people say; I've got to go
out and do it, perform well. It's up to me to perform well regardless
of what people say. Everything else doesn't matter.
We
established that you don't read the internet for MMA news, but
I do want to ask you about some of the criticsm that comes from
there. In your last fight with Cheick Kongo, he hit you hard
a couple of times, and even though you won that fight, there
are those who question your ability to take a punch from some
of the really big heavyweights. How do you respond to those doubters?
I think I took his best punch. He hit me clean twice in the perfect
spot and didn't knock me out. I'm working on that, to avoid getting
hit. If they say my chin's not there, they're wrong. I think
Cheick Kongo has the best standup right now among MMA heavyweights.
He has a lot of power. If he was fighting anybody else... I think
he would've knocked out a lot of people with that.
After
a couple years of striking training I don't think anyone can
expect you to simply outstrike someone like Kongo, but are you
satisfied with your standup at this point?
No I'm not happy with it yet. I won't be happy with it until
it's perfect. Who knows when that's going to be or if that happens.
That's just kind of the way I am.
Are
you your own worst critic?
Yeah, definitely. Even though I won, I may be pretty happy with
the result, but not the way my standup looked. That's why I'm
not happy.
Is
that what motivates you?
That's one of the things for sure. I want to go out and perform
well. The goal is to perform well, but if there are little things
I did wrong, I'm still going to dwell on that thing rather than
the whole exciting win. That's just the way I am.
Doesn't
that take the fun out of it?
It kind of does but competing this long, I expect better from
myself.
Which
one of your fights do you look back on as your best? You've had
stoppages in five of six fights.
Each win, there's always something wrong I pick out of it, so
I'm never completely happy. So I don't know. If and when I get
that perfect fight, man, I don't think it'll ever happen.
Explain
your perfect fight.
Just being technically perfect, my timing being there, my explosiveness
being there. Being a step ahead of my opponent, technically and
on the feet and on the ground. Not making one mistake. That'll
be perfect.
In
theory you could be one fight away from a title shot. Say you
get there and win the title. Are you going to be able to enjoy
that or will you obsess on what you did wrong?
I'll be happy but focus on what I did wrong so I'll keep improving
for the next guy. Each fight is harder and harder. I need to
keep improving for the next fight.
Where
does a win over Rothwell put you?
I have no idea. It all depends on what the UFC says where I'm
at. For me it's like who knows. It all depends on them. If they
don't think I'm ready yet and give me somebody else, that's fine.
If they think I am ready, that's fine, too. I'll be ready for
whoever is champ at that time.
They'll
have their opinion, but you have yours, too. If you beat Rothwell,
do you think you're ready for the Carwin-Brock Lesnar winner?
I definitely think so. For the Kongo fight, he was in line for
a title shot. I took him out of that. After him, who else is
there to fight? I was going to fight Shane, and they moved him
up. I think I'm getting right to the end of the guys who are
the cream of the crop. I don't know how much higher I need to
go to get that shot.
Who
did you think will win the Carwin-Lesnar fight?
For me I think it's a tossup on the feet. Both guys have lots
of power but I think for sure Lesnar has a bttter chance to take
the fight to the ground. If he does, I think it's him. But on
their feet it's a tossup between them.
Being
a former D-I wrestler, explain to me why Lesnar (a former D-1
champ) is a better wrestler than Carwin (a former D-II champ).
Just his overall explosiveness I've seen in previous fights.
That and the way he controls people on the ground. The amount
of power he has on the ground. Just from seeing that, I expect
his wrestling to be better.
Which
would you rather face, Carwin or Lesnar?
For me, it woulndn't matter. I consider them the same type of
fighter. It wouldn't matter. Whoever is the champ at the time.
Both
of those guys are behemoth heavies who you'll give up a lot of
weight to. How hard is it going to be fighting them?
It's tough but I'm used to it. With college wrestling the weight
limit was 285. I was wrestling guys that big, and I was weighing
the same as I am now (around 240). I've experienced it. It's
tough but I've got to deal with it because I'm in this weight
class.
There's
no way you can fight at 205?
I never dropped down so I don't know how I could. Right now this
is where I'm staying at.
On
to another heavyweight. Herschel Walker mentioned that he'll
train for his Strikeforce debut with AKA. What's he in for there?
Does he know what he's getting himself into?
Really hard-nosed training. It' not a soft gym, we prepare our
bodies hard for the fight. Fighting's tough, that's what we do.
Hard practice. We have great coaches. Good conditioning. If you're
serious about it, come to our gym for sure. I know him being
the athlete that he is, he's going to love it. He'll fit right
in. I think it's going to be good.
What
about him fighting at 47?
The age, you never know how guys will adapt coming off another
sport. He could be really good or not. I'll just expect the best.
He is a little older for our sport, but if he works hard and
his body reacts like it did when he was younger, he's a great
athlete, so he'll adapt to the sport.
I
know you're a new dad. What's that experience been like so far
and how much more motivation does it for you to be responsible
for a family?
It's awesome. It's a great experience spending time with my family.
As far as motivation, I never really had trouble with the motivation
part. I do want to be able to provide well for my family. I will
do that but it's fun. It's fun and a great time. I love it.
Source: Fanhouse
|
Debating
the future of the WEC
By Zach Arnold
So,
this Saturday in San Antonio, Texas, the promotion has a show
on Versus featuring Donald Cerrone vs. Benson Henderson. This
was the show that got bumped from Youngstown, Ohio in early September
amidst Versus and DirecTV having their major squabble (which
still is lingering). Truth be told, very few people care about
Saturday’s WEC event — which prompted Jake Rossen to
ask if the WEC still matters or not.
What
we know is that UFC had the option of keeping the league around
for another year or perhaps doing a merger. In a recent interview
on RawVegas.tv, Faber said that he was about to sign a new deal
with Zuffa to fight as WEC’s ace in 2010. He also mentioned
that WEC would hit PPV next year and that this seemingly will
be the core of the promotion’s financial model in ‘10.
So,
will the WEC be successful on PPV? What would you consider a
successful buyrate number for the promotion on PPV? Will the
promotion end up merging with UFC?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
War
Machine Is Fed Up With Life in US
by Ariel Helwani
Since getting released from the UFC in May 2008, War Machine
(10-2) has won five fights in a row, most recently defeating
Mikey Gomez via third-round TKO in September. On Thursday, the
fighter born Jon Koppenhaver will face David Mitchell (7-0) at
the debut event for Tachi Palace Fights at the Tachi Palace Hotel
& Casino in Lemoore, Calif., once the home of World Extreme
Cagefighting and Palace Fighting Championship.
War
Machine has never been one to bite his tongue, and when FanHouse
spoke to him on Monday about his career and life outside the
gym, he certainly didn't hold back. The full interview is below.
Ariel
Helwani: What do you know about your opponent on Thursday?
War Machine: I know that he's 7-0. I don't know how, because
he sucks. That's pretty much all I know.
Why
do you think he sucks?
He has no stand up, no wrestling, he pulls guard ... I don't
know. He sucks.
So
you're not expecting a tough fight from him?
Nah. I think it's kind of a joke fight.
Are
you even motivated to fight him?
I'm always motivated to make money, but it's just about money.
That's why I fight in the first place. I don't think he is a
real fight for me.
You're
now 5-0 since you left the UFC. Do you feel as though there are
enough interesting fights available for you outside of that organization?
Yeah, there's guys out there, but he's not one of them. He's
just one of those guys who's there for me to get another pay
check. But I mean, there's other guys out there who aren't in
the UFC that are tough guys; guys who can even beat me. But not
him.
Do
you think we will see you fight for any of the larger organizations
soon?
Strikeforce, actually, I might fight there. I'm in negotiations
to fight there in November, but it's still up in the air.
Would
that be on one of their Challengers shows?
Yeah.
Have
they offered you an opponent?
There are a couple in the air right now -- I don't know if I'm
allowed to say yet -- but nothing is confirmed. We're trying
to figure all that out right now.
Would
you like to fight for Strikeforce?
Oh, for sure, man. It would be a chance to get back on TV, make
more money and get more exposure. At the end of the day, that's
what it's all about. It's all about feeding yourself, so it's
good for me. Hopefully that comes through.
Do
you feel as though you are fighting at your best right now?
I'm definitely the best I've ever been skill-wise, but I still
have a lot more to learn. I definitely want to get better at
jiu-jitsu, better at striking, better at everything. I still
have a lot to learn, but I'm definitely the best I've ever been
right now, for sure.
Is
there anyone out there that you would really like to fight right
now?
I don't know, man. I used to have guys that I thought about that
way, but after being in the game so long, and I've met most of
the guys, and I've trained with most of the guys, it's kind of
just ... I don't hate anybody. It's kind of just business. It's
different now. I don't have any dream match.
How
are you feeling out of the gym? Do you feel at peace with your
life right now?
No, never. I think that, eventually, I'm going to have to move
out of the country because I don't think I will be able to survive
in the United States too much longer before going to jail.
Why?
Because I don't think there's nothing wrong with beating somebody
up. I think a lot of guys just need to get beat up. A lot of
guys, they act like idiots when they're out and they need to
get beat up. I don't think there's nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately,
in this country, when you beat somebody up, you get arrested,
and it's too hard for me to follow the rules, man. One day, hopefully,
I can leave the country and live somewhere so I can be more free.
Don't
you think you would run into the same problems anywhere else
in the world?
Yeah, but if I beat them up, nothing would happen about it.
You
don't think so?
In almost any other country you get into a fight, nothing happens.
It's not a big deal; it's not like you are killing somebody.
It shouldn't be against the law to fight. Back in the day, in
America, you could fight and nothing would happen. The cops came
and break it up. There's a lot of countries, I know for a fact,
you get into a fight and nothing happens. They break it up and
you go your separate way; it's not a big deal. You know, sometimes
people, they need to get beat up. That's their fault for acting
stupid. I think, definitely, they'll be idiots in other countries,
but if I beat them up, nothing happens.
Don't
you feel like you're able to release that aggression in training
or in a fight, so that you won't feel the need to fight in public?
Not at all. To me, fighting is a sport. Training is something
I do because I enjoy it. Basically, I fight because I don't want
to work -- that's why I fight. It doesn't do anything for me
with relieving stress; it doesn't do anything for me for relieving
anger. There's no anger. I'm going to fight somebody on Thursday
who I have never met in my life. I don't hate him. If I beat
him up, I beat him up. It's just a sport. Afterward, we can get
drunk, you know what I mean? No aggression is released -- it
does nothing for me. It's a totally, totally different feeling
from a real fight.
Do
you enjoy getting into these fights?
Of course. I'm a real fighter. There's a lot of guys out there
that are dorks, and their whole life they learn, train hard jiu-jitsu,
they learn boxing, and they become tough in the ring. But I was
in kindergarten fighting. I was in first grade fighting, second
grade, sixth grade; always fighting. I'm a real fighter -- big
difference. It's something in my blood, it's not a conscious
decision. People are different, and that's the way I am.
Where
would you want to live?
Sh**, maybe the Philippines, because I have a connection there.
Maybe Brazil. I don't know, there's a lot of places, man, where
you can go. Even Ireland -- my friend's from Ireland -- he says
you can get into a fight all the time and nothing happens. It
shouldn't be a big deal to get into a fight, it shouldn't. I
don't understand it; this country's gay. It's definitely one
of the worst countries in the world to live in, I think.
So,
would you like to be a full-time street fighter like Kimbo Slice
once was, or would you just rather not have to worry about any
repercussions should you ever get into a fight?
Exactly. Even Kimbo Slice, he got paid, but he didn't hate those
guys. It was just like he is doing now. I want to do it where
I can go out, look for chicks, have fun with my friends. I don't
want to look for a fight ever, but if someone acts stupid, I
want to be able to smash them. I don't want no one calling the
cops, I don't want no one coming to their rescue, or no one suing
me. I want to be able to teach them a lesson and the next time
they go out, they will shut up, you know what I mean? I don't
want to look for trouble, but if something happens ... for example,
if something happens right now in public in the United States,
I have to pretty much run. If somebody slaps me or spits in my
face, I have to turn around like a girl and run. Otherwise, what's
going to happen? I'm going to beat him up and go to jail. Why
is that OK? If I'm with my girlfriend at a bar, and somebody
grabs her t*** and pulls them out, and I beat the crap out of
them, I'm the one who is going to go to jail? Why? That's not
fair. This country is retarded. I can't handle that. I can't
abide by those rules. There's no way.
Does
that sort of thing seem to happen to you a lot?
No one ever picks on me knowing who I am, but you know when you're
out, there's normal, random, drunk idiots when you're out at
a bar. You know, they walk by and they slap your girl on the
butt, they walk by and say something obnoxious or they walk by
and they bump into you because they think they're tough. You
know, things happen like that all the time to normal people.
And when normal people get into a fight, nothing happens; they
just leave. But with me, some guy goes, 'Oh, that was War Machine,'
and next thing you know the cops are at my house. It's not fair.
If someone is going to act like a jerk, they'll get beat up.
And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
Are
you still motivated to be the best MMA fighter you can be?
Yeah, I'm not going to ever get a day job any time soon, so unless
I win the lottery, I'm still going to be fighting. Even if I
did win the lottery and I had 20 million dollars, I would still
train every day. I would train because I like to learn and I
like to be better than everybody else. I want to be able, in
any circumstance, to be able to smash whoever needs to be smashed
regardless of if I want to fight professionally or not. Unless
I win the lottery any time soon, then I'm going to keep fighting
because that's a way for me to keep a roof over my head and for
me to eat. It's a job.
Source: MMA Fighting
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Nogueira
talks Cane; eyes Shogun rematch
One of the biggest MMA fighters in Brazil, Rogério “Minotouro”
Nogueira will finally make his UFC debut. One of Pride stars,
Nogueira did one of the best MMA fights of all time against Maurício
“Shogun” Rua, and now goes to the octagon with Luis
“Banha” Cane, at UFC 106.
“I consider it a great change in my career, we’re taking
this debut very serious here. They have a lot of new guys coming,
so we have to innovate and always train hard”, Minotouro
said. With Shogun fighting for the belt against Lyoto Machida,
Rogério revealed he wants to rematch the former Pride
GP champion.
“Shogun
is a great fighter, a great champion, and he was in the best
shape of his career. He has his merits, in the end of the fight
I tried to get his back... It could be different, but that’s
ok. I’d like to do this fight again”, Nogueira guarantees,
revealing that he’ll become a father soon. “I’ll
fight now for my daughter’s milk (laughs)”.
Source: Tatame
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ACS:
MMA's Next Superpower
by Tommy Messano
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The rise to power of Arizona Combat Sports as
one of the top mixed martial arts gyms in the country was slow
and steady. This was no overnight emergence.
ACS
was started by two twin brothers who had no plans to run a martial
arts school as their full-time profession. Todd and Trevor Lally
just wanted a place to train after they relocated from Washington’s
rain-drenched climate to Arizona’s barren desert.
Like
many teenagers, the Lally brothers sought outlets through which
to release their testosterone-fueled aggression. After team sports
like rugby left them unfulfilled, they turned to martial arts.
In 1991, after checking out several schools advertising “the
fast track to becoming a certified black belt or your money back,”
the brothers took a trip to the American Martial Arts Center,
a local gym in Kirkland, Wash. Unbeknownst to the Lally brothers,
they had stepped into what would later become AMC Kickboxing
& Pankration, one of the sport’s top academies, now
run by Matt Hume. Josh Barnett, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
and Rich Franklin have all called it home at one time or another.
“I
was 17 years old, and I walked in the door and I saw Maurice
Smith sparring someone, U.S. muay Thai champion Curtis Schuster
[and] boxer Kim Messer,” Trevor said. “Legendary muay
Thai instructor Haru Shimanishi came up to us and said to me
and my brother, ‘You guys have the body of a Porsche, but
you don’t know how to drive it. I will show you how to drive
that car.’ As an angry 17-year-old kid, that’s what
I wanted to hear.”
The
Birth of ACS
Mainly
testing themselves in kickboxing and Pankration tournaments prior
to their involvement in MMA, the Lally brothers received their
big break when they were asked to live and train at the Super
Tiger gym in Japan while they competed inside the Shooto organization.
Following
their stint overseas, the twins returned home to Washington.
They would soon separate for one of the few times in their lives
when Todd took an offer to train at John Lewis’ martial
arts school in Las Vegas. Trevor remained in the Seattle suburbs
until he was offered the chance to leave the comforts of home
in favor of Arizona.
“I
came down here with Danny Bennett, a muay Thai world champion,
and looked in on a couple of the gyms down here and realized
they didn’t know what they were doing,” Trevor said.
“I was fresh off [the] Abu Dhabi [Submission Wrestling World
Championships], and Danny was fresh off his Super Brawl win over
Jay R. Palmer and a lot of gyms didn’t want us there. We
would offer to teach class for free if they would let us work
out there, and all the gyms said no.”
The
solution was simple. Trevor, by then a 10-year veteran of martial
arts, decided if he could not train anywhere, he would create
his own opportunities.
“So
we started our own gym,” Trevor said. “Todd came up
with the name Arizona Combat Sports, and we buried it in downtown
Tempe off by the train tracks. It was a 1,500-square-foot shack.
After a year and half, it became 2,500 square feet, but Danny
had to go back home to be with his family.”
Once
they added Gustavo Dantas, an Andre Pederneiras black belt, as
the school’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach, the core team that
would carry ACS was in place.
‘We
Beat the Punk Out of You’
The
professional fight team started out small, with Ray and Steve
Steinbeiss forming the foundation. In 2006, Arizona Combat Sports
received its first taste of national attention when then 21-year-old
Jesse Forbes was chosen for Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter”
reality series. Two months later, another ACS mainstay, Jamie
Varner, accepted the call and made his UFC debut against Hermes
Franca.
The
Lally brothers love to hang their hats on the fact that homegrown
talent litters the ACS roster. Young up-and-coming fighters like
Jacob McClintock and Ultimate Warrior Challenge flyweight champion
Pat Runez are on track to become the next ACS athletes to make
splashes on the big stage.
Arizona
Combat Sports has also quickly gained a reputation of turning
collegiate wrestlers into balanced mixed martial artists. Located
within in a stone’s throw of the Arizona State University
main campus, the opportunity to cross pollinate with a Pac-10
power has become one of the gym’s hallmarks. All-American
wrestlers Ryan Bader, CB Dollaway and Aaron Simpson have all
honed their MMA skills inside ACS.
“Jesse
Forbes would go in there to help them wrestle, and they liked
what he had,” Trevor said. “They came over here to
check us out, and it’s been money ever since. Honestly,
I credit Jesse Forbes with all the ASU guys.”
The Lally brothers, who relish the underdog role, are still adjusting
to the global attention their school now receives. They have
maintained high expectations.
“Fighting
is different,” Trevor said. “I don’t want to name
names, but there are a few wrestlers out there who are afraid
to get in there and take a punch. My fighters and wrestlers have
no choice; we spar three days a week here, every week to the
grindstone. That’s why we can put a guy like Aaron Simpson,
with only a year of training, into the UFC, where he is knocking
people out who he shouldn’t be. We beat the punk out of
you. If you have any punk in you, either you don’t last
here or you lose it fast.”
Their
confidence, within an earshot of cocky, seems like a good trait
as they try to maneuver their way into an MMA world filled with
powerbroker gyms like Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts, Xtreme
Couture Mixed Martial Arts and American Top Team.
“Honestly,
in a year, I think we are going to have three world titleholders.
I’d put my camp against any other camp in three fights,”
Trevor said. “Rashad Evans could not beat Ryan Bader, in
my opinion. Give Bader two or three fights, and he is going to
wake that weight class up. Give me a year and half, and we will
be as big as those guys.”
Sibling
Allies
Siblings
long before they became martial arts school owners, they claim
to have never argued over anything gym- or fight-related. Their
ability to communicate quickly and effectively -- knowing what
the other thinks -- has helped them become stronger trainers
and cornermen for their stable of fighters.
“To
me, I couldn’t do it without Todd,” Trevor said. “Even
with just me and Todd, we now have Ryan Diaz, who is right there
on the coaching staff. We complement each other very well. He
is a lot more hardcore than I am. The guys hate him in the gym.
There has never been a clash between the two of us. I feel one
of the reasons our guys are so good is the fact that we can put
together a great game plan.”
A
fascinating dichotomy exists between the two brothers. Trevor
serves as the ACS spokesman and can quickly fill a notebook full
of quotes. Todd plays a more cerebral role. However, some might
be surprised to know that Todd becomes a taskmaster once the
gym doors shut, pushing professional fighters to their breaking
points.
“People
tell us all the time that we are crazy to have CB Dollaway, Aaron
Simpson and Ryan Bader even attempt to stand up; they should
just take guys down for 15 minutes, like they do at other gyms,
where they teach wrestlers to wrestle,” Trevor said. “We
want these guys to have a long career. You got to have everything
here. Some of our guys hate us. I’m not here to be liked.
If you want to compete and use my name, I’m going to ride
your ass.”
As
the Arizona Combat Sports facility expands to more than 14,000
square feet, the Lally brothers and their team are reaping the
rewards of winning fights and still adjusting to their newfound
spotlight
“Because
of us having so many UFC fighters, I don’t promote the gym
the way I should,” Trevor said. “After the Dollaway
TUF experience, we have become a lot more popular. It’s
a double-edged sword. A lot of people think all we do is create
monsters, and they don’t want to come in here. We have over
400 students, and only two percent of them are fighters. Our
analogy is that fighters are a dessert a gym gives itself after
the main course is done. Right now, we have a bigger dessert
than normal, but it’s something we love to do.”
Source: Sherdog
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Bas
Boon talks about Alistair Overeem’s upcoming fight schedule
By Zach Arnold
There
are a lot of rumors online about what Alistair Overeem of Golden
Glory is up to as far as future fights. There was a rumor online
that he would fight Sam Hoger in Holland.
Bas
Boon, who represents Golden Glory, issued this response to us
regarding the rumors:
“Alistair
will be doing K-1 and MMA in his career. He qualified for the
K-1 GP finals on December 5th. He may fight on October 25th in
Osaka (Castle Hall) at the DREAM show and also on the NYE card
in Japan. We are planning to face Fedor after the first quarter
of 2010 in Strikeforce in a heavyweight title defense when the
money is good and guaranteed! He would have fought already in
Strikeforce this year if it was not for his hand injury. The
first new option to fight after August was last September in
K-1 against Peter Aerts. We took this booking because Peter is
a legend not only in Japan but in many different countries. It
proves that Alistair’s stand-up skills are getting really
good. He is training every day with Martjin de Jong, Roberto
Flamingo and Cor Hemmers, sparring with Errol Zimmerman, Semmy
Schilt, Sergey Kharitonov, Gokhan Saki, Ruslan Karaev, and John
Olav Einemo. There are a lot of heavyweight sparring partners
at Golden Glory for Alistair. He will be ready for Fedor!”
Source: Fight Opinion
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Chuck
Liddell Sounds Like a Man Who Wants to Fight
by Michael David Smith
The last time I talked to Chuck Liddell, in August, he wasn't
ready to say whether he would retire from the UFC. Two months
later, he still isn't ready -- but I got the sense then, and
I still get the sense from a TV interview he gave Monday, that
he's itching to get back into the Octagon. Video below.
Liddell
said that after he's done on this season of Dancing With the
Stars, he anticipates talking to UFC President Dana White about
a return to the UFC -- even though White has said he wants Liddell
to retire.
"it's
not completely up to him," Liddell said. "We're going
to have a talk and we're going to argue about it. We'll figure
it out. I still think I have something left. If he can convince
me I don't, maybe I'll retire. And if he can't, maybe I can convince
him that I've still got something left and I want to fight."
If
it were just up to Liddell, it sounds like he'd be getting ready
for an upcoming fight -- he sounds like he still has the itch
to compete and still believes he has the ability to compete at
a high level, even though he's 1-4 in his last five fights.
So
will White relent and agree to promote another Liddell fight?
Ultimately, White is a businessman who knows that Liddell is
still a big draw -- maybe bigger than ever, as he's currently
reaching a big new audience on Dancing With the Stars. I'll be
surprised if we don't see Liddell in the Octagon in 2010.
Source: MMA Fighting
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British
Invasion
by Karl Maple
The dying embers of the Sex Pistols’ punk classic “God
Save the Queen” fade to silence, and the lights are cut
throughout the arena. Chris Leben stalks the darkened cage. The
sporadic flicker of flashing cameras briefly illuminate an expectant
capacity crowd, the fervor of which builds to crescendo at a
glimpse of the man the fans have come to see.
Michael
Bisping prepares to headline UFC 89.
It
is the first time a British fighter will carry an Ultimate Fighting
Championship event in his native land. Roars of encouragement
accompany the then 17-1 middleweight on his journey along the
narrow path leading from the bowels of the National Indoor Arena
in Birmingham, England, to the UFC-branded Octagon. Precedence
has been set.
The
perceived glass ceiling for British mixed martial arts fighters
no longer exists. Season 9 of “The Ultimate Fighter”
series revealed not only the highly colloquial nature of Northern
English banter but also the increasing quality of young fighters
in the U.K.
On
Nov. 14, the UFC returns to England with a card bristling with
British talent. Bisping, Dan Hardy, James Wilks, Paul Taylor,
John Hathaway, Nick Osipczak, Ross Pearson, Paul Kelly, Andre
Winner and Terry Etim are all slated to appear. Only Bisping
and Wilks have reached the age of 30.
Add
to that list the devastating Paul Daley, so impressive in his
destruction of Martin Kampmann at UFC 103, and a promising group
of young British fighters has assembled, poised to make an imprint
on the world stage.
The
palpable feeling amongst many British fighters is that this is
a period of opportunity unlike any that has come before it. Progress
in the U.K has been arduous. Before he became a headliner, Bisping
struggled within the fledgling U.K. scene, having to supplement
his fight career with a variety of professions, which included
tiler, plasterer, slaughterer, postman, door-to-door salesman,
demolition worker and upholsterer. MMA was a much less profitable
and viable interest back then.
“Financially,
it was very, very hard,” Bisping said. “At the beginning,
it was about scraping a living. I would fight as often as I could
just to pay the bills. When I first started, no one knew what
MMA was. You would tell people what you do, and it was like,
‘Mixed Martial Artist? What’s that?’ It was only
when you went to the lowest denominator of cage fighter that
they understood, and then they thought you were a nutter.”
The
acceptance of the sport in Britain has improved the level
of fighters being produced.The acceptance of MMA in Britain has
improved the level of fighters being produced. Increased awareness
and interest have naturally led to a rise in participation, attracting
promising young athletes to the sport, athletes who in years
past may have dedicated themselves to only one discipline.
The
correlation between popularity and quality can also be traced
to improved training facilities. Paul Ivens, co-founder of the
London Shootfighters gym has experienced such growth.
“Fighters
these days have much more access to train like a professional,”
he said. “MMA is much more popular as a whole, allowing
gyms to operate full-time and the fighters to benefit from that.
There are now full-time MMA gyms all over the country, which
was never the case even a few years ago.
“London
Shootfighters is a great example of the improvement of gyms alongside
the growth of MMA,” Ivens continued. “Ten years ago,
no one knew about MMA, and we were sharing a small 500-square-foot
Aikido dojo, teaching a couple of times a week. Four years ago,
we opened one of the U.K.’s first full-time MMA gyms with
about 3500 square feet of space and classes every day. Now we
have what I believe is the largest MMA gym in the world, with
35,000 square feet of space and over 35 lessons a week and nine
coaches. The growth of the sport is attracting more people to
it, and, accordingly, the talent pool is greater.”
Hardy
stands as a prominent example of the enhanced benefits available
to prospective fighters in Britain. A veteran of several domestic
promotions, Hardy has seen firsthand the sizeable strides made
during his five years of competition.
“The
standard has advanced massively,” Hardy said. “Fighters
are improving, and the lower level shows are better organized.
It’s easier to find a place to train now, and there is more
of a community around it, so there are plenty of people to help
you out. Also, the money is a little better in the pro shows,
and there are amateur and semi-pro fights now.”
Heightened
quality has surfaced on more than just an international scale.
Domestic shows are now laced with worthy lineups that blend experienced
veterans with exciting newcomers. Unbeaten prospects such as
Giorgio Andrews -- who will appear at the forthcoming FX3 event
on Halloween -- and Ultimate Challenge UK light heavyweight champion
Jimi Manuwa continue to impress and mark the emergence of more
well-rounded MMA fighters in Britain. With training facilities
and popularity continually improving, it may not be long before
an ever increasing number of British fighters establish themselves
on the world stage.
Hardy
was also quick to emphasize the important role played by fighters
like Bisping and UFC veteran Ian Freeman. Their success has offered
a blueprint for prospective fighters.
“There
is a distinct path to follow for young fighters today,”
Hardy said. “You start on the smaller shows and know that
you can progress through, depending on your success. A few years
back, it was difficult to get the right fights; you just took
what you could get.”
Source: Sherdog
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