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2010
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Aloha
State BJJ
Championships: Final Conflict
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
10/15-17/10
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(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Kauai)
8/14/10
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ
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(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
7/24/10
The Quest for Champions 2010 Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling & Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
7/17/10
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Maui War Memorial, Wailuku, Maui)
7/9/10
Mad Skillz
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
6/26/10
Kauai Cage Match 9
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(Kilohana, Gaylords Mansion, Kauai)
6/25-26/10
50th
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(BJJ)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/24/10
Quest for Champions
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6/19/10
Just Scrap
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(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
6/18-19/10
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(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/12/10
Destiny: Fury
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Center)
6/11-13/10
MMA Hawaii Expo
(Blaisdell Ballroom)
6/11-12/10
3rd
Annual Pacific Submission Championships
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/11/10
Legacy Combat MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/4/10
X-1:
Nations Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/3-6/10
World
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, University of California at Long Beach, Long Beach,
CA)
5/22/10
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waiphau Filcom Center)
5/15/10
Scrappla Fest 2
Relson Gracie KTI Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Island School, Kauai)
X-1 World Events
(MMA)
(Waipahu HS Gym)
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Evolution Training Center, Waipio Industrial Court #110)
5/1/10
Galaxy
MMA: Worlds Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/23/10
2010 Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
4/17/10
Hawaiian
Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser
H.S. Gym)
Strikeforce:
Shields vs Henderson
(CBS)
4/16/10
808 Battleground
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/8-11/10
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(University California Irvine, Irvine, CA)
4/3/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Amateur Boxing Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
3/27/10
DESTINY: No Ka Oi 2: Oahu vs Maui
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(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/20/10
X-1: Champions 2
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(Blaisdell Arena)
3/20/10
Hawaiian Championships of BJJ
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(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
3/14/10
Hawaiian Kimono Combat
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3/10/10
Sera's Kajukenbo Tournament
(Kumite, Katas, Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/6/10
Destiny Fast N Furious
(MMA)
(Level 4 RHSC)
2/19/10
808 Battleground
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(Filcom, Waipahu)
2/6/10
UpNUp 6: Unstoppable
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(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/5/10
Man Up & Stand Up
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1/30/10
Destiny
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Royal HI Shopping Ctr)
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Quest for Champions
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(Kalani HS)
1/23/10
Kauai Knockout Championship Total Domination
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Kauai War Memorial Convention Center, Lihue, Kauai)
1/17/10
X1: Showdown In Waipahu
(Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA)
(Waipahu H.S. Gym)
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June
2010 News Part 2
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TUF
11 LIVE RESULTS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY
Court
McGee and Kris McCray meet in “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 11 finale Saturday night in Las Vegas. Keith Jardine and
Matt Hamill square off in the night’s co-main event at the
Pearl at the Palms.
MMAWeekly.com
is Octagon-side to provide full round-by-round coverage. The
preliminary bouts should kick off at approximately 3:15 p.m.
PT / 6:15 p.m. ET with the main bouts live on Spike TV at 6:00
p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET.
Please
refresh your browser frequently for the latest results and play-by-play...
ULTIMATE
FIGHTER 11 FINALE PLAY-BY-PLAY:
COURT
MCGEE VS. KRIS MCCRAY
R1
– Neither fighter waits as they both start punching at the
bell. Both fighters are getting there shots in early, but McGee
edges ahead by taking McCray down with a bodylock. He starts
working from inside McCray’s full guard, pushing him to
the fence and ground and pounding. McCray is able to get back
to his feet, but is put immediately back down on the bat, McGee
again working from full guard. McGee stands up and as he passes
guard drops a hard punch down that hits its mark... McCray’s
head. McGee lands a couple more shots before McCray regains his
fet and they trade a few punches in the clinch. McGee again applies
a bodylock and scores the takedown, landing in half guard. McCray
escapes and gets back to his feet, landing several punches right
away. McCray flies in with a knee that doesn’t really land,
but eats a right hook from McGee for his efforts.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for McGee
R2
– McCray comes out firing, but not landing. They clinch,
McGee getting the better of it with knees to the body before
taking McCray down again, nearly securing a side choke from full
mount. Giving up on the choke, McGee starts peppering McCray
with punches to the head and body. McCray turns to try and escape,
McGee takes his back, but can’t get the hooks in and McCray
scrambles back to their feet. McGee quickly shoots the double-leg
takedown and drives McCray into the mat. McGee starts working
from half guard, moves around to McCray’s back and works
in the rear naked choke, causing McCray to tap out.
Court
McGee def. Kris McCray by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:41,
R2
Court
McGee is the Season 11 Ultimate Fighter...
MATT
HAMILL VS. KEITH JARDINE
R1
– Jardine showing a lot of movement early, circling away
from Hamill. They clinch briefly, Hamill landing some punches
to the body and short uppercuts before separating. Jardine starts
to utilize his reach, landing his jab, while shifting stances
frequently. A little over midway through the round Jardine drives
in with a flurry of punches, most landing. Jardine starts mixing
up his kicks and punches more as the round winds down, landing
a hard kick to Hamill’s lead leg and another to the body.
Jardine’s hand speed is good, letting loose three or four
punches for nearly every single punch that Hamill throws.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Jardine
R2
– Hamill starts looking for the takedown right away, but
Jardine does a good job defending and landing his jab, followed
by a kick to the body. Just as Hamill starts to get his jab going,
Jardine lands two solid kicks to his lead leg and another to
the head. Hamill is getting his punching going much more this
round, still taking several kicks to the lead leg, but getting
some heavy shots in on Jardine. Just as Hamill appears to get
going, he takes thumb in his right eye, but says he can continue.
Referee Herb Dean takes a point away from Jardine, even though
the thumb seemed inadvertent. Jardine comes out firing away,
but eats a hard shot from Hamill that rocks him. Hamill then
takes Jardine down. Hamill stays on his feet, punching the downed
Jardine in the head. As Jardine gets up, a crimson mask across
his face, Hamill knees him to the face. They separate and throw
punches until the bell.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-8 for Hamill
R3
– Jardine starts the round still bleeding from a cut in
between his eyes and eats a left uppercut from Hamill right away.
Jardine tries to get his movement going and starts jabbing again.
Hamill shoots and takes Jardine down, quickly moving to his back,
punching Jardine in the face. Jardine’s face is once again
a bloody mess, but he manages to get up to his feet. Dean calls
timeout to check the cut, a huge gash in between Jardine’s
eyes, but the doctor allows it to continue. Jardine immediately
lands a hard uppercut on the restart, but looks very tired. Hamill
looks weary as well. Hamill is pushing his jab out there, but
not really any snap to it. He appears to be fading fast. Jardine
keeps circling out, but can’t seem to take advantage of
Hamill’s slowing pace. Hamill lands a knee following a brief
break for Jardine to put his mouthpiece back in. Jardine is throwing
his jab out, landing intermittently, but isn’t mounting
much damage. Hamill keeps stalking. Jardine is still the much
busier fighter as the round closes.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Jardine; the fight a 28-28 draw.
Matt
Hamill def. Keith Jardine by Majority Decision (29-27, 29-27,
28-28), R3
CHRIS
LEBEN VS. AARON SIMPSON
R1
– Leben lands a couple leg kicks early, Simpson some punches,
but it is Simpson that makes the first big impression, scooping
Leben up and slamming him to the mat. As Leben tries to get up,
Simpson puts him in a guillotine choke and drives a knee to his
face, but somehow Leben still escapes. They clinch on the cage,
Leben doing a good job punching to the body. Simpson reverses,
pressing Leben to the cage, driving knees into his thighs before
they separate. Simpson lands a couple straight rights, drives
Leben to the cage and scoops him up and slams him again, peppering
him with punches on the mat. Leben gets back to his feet quickly
though. They trade numerous punches, Leben landing the harder
shots, but Simpson clinches, pressuring Leben against the cage
until the bell.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Simpson
R2
– Simpson lands a strong punch combination, Leben a left
knee to the chin. They slug is out briefly before Simpson clinches,
but can’t do anything with it before they separate. They
get in a punch exchange, Leben winning it, driving Simpson into
the cage with heavy hooking punches. Simpson clinches to stop
the onslaught and works the body with punches a bit before they
separate. Both fighters slow through the middle of the round,
but it’s still Leben landing the heavier shots, albeit less
frequently than earlier in the round. Leben opens up on Simpson
with one minute left, driving home numerous hard shots that leave
Simpson wobbled. Simpson stumbles, gets up, eats a few more punches,
and stumbles across the cage, falling to the ground before referee
Josh Rosenthal steps in to call the fight.
Chris
Leben def. Aaron Simpson by TKO (Strikes) at 4:17, R2
SPENCER
FISHER VS. DENNIS SIVER
R1
– Fisher lands the first blow, a kick to Siver’s body.
They trade a few more blows, jockeying for position before Fisher
lands a kick to Siver’s groin, pausing the action. Back
at it, Fisher does a good job countering Siver’s kick with
a straight left hand. Siver lands a front push kick to Fisher’s
chin, backing him up. Fisher moves right back in, throwing punches,
but Siver lands a hard right hand in return. Siver is bleeding
from a cut over his left eye, however. Both fighters are throwing
for the knockout, but it’s Siver that lands a clean left-right
combination that snaps Fisher’s head back. Fisher answers
with a left kick to the body and a right jab that finds Siver’s
cut. Siver is bleeding heavily now, the blood dripping onto his
chest. Siver is missing more frequently now, while Fisher’s
accuracy improves as he does a good job mixing up his punches
and kicks.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Fisher.
R2
– Fisher lands a left high kick to Siver’s face, but
Siver toughs it out and stays in rhythm. Fisher is using good
movement to keep Siver from finding his mark very often. Fisher
being left-handed also seems to be throwing Siver off. Fisher
moving in and out, landing a lot of kicks this round, both high
and low. Midway through the round, Siver catches Fisher’s
right leg and counters with a strong right hand, putting Fisher
on his backside, but lets him up. Siver is really pushing the
pace in the second half of the round, starting to utilize his
kicks much more frequently now. Fisher lands a punch to the body,
but pays for it with a hard kick to the body.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Siver.
R3
– fisher again starts with a kick to the head, although
it doesn’t land cleanly, but then takes a low kick to the
groin. They quickly restart the fight, both men gunning for the
knockout with their punching. Neither fighter lands much in the
first couple minutes of the round, but it is Siver pushing the
pace, landing a good kick to the body. Fisher lands a knee to
the face midway through the round, but Siver keeps gunning with
a flurry of punches, outscoring Fisher. Siver still is the busier
fighter, but Fisher lands an effective series of punches. One
minute left in the round now. Fisher getting his bob and weave
going again, lands a knee to the chin. Siver keeps coming, but
Fisher is landing occasionally here where Siver is not.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Fisher.
Denis
Siver def. Spencer Fisher by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28,
29-28), R3
JAMIE
YAGER VS. RICH ATTONITO
R1
– Yager strikes first with a couple uppercuts and a low
right kick. Attonito has a hard time finding his distance, while
Yager is swinging with big, wide hooks, though they’re not
finding their mark much. Attonito snags a takedown, but Yager
gets right back to his feet before Attonito can capitalize. Attonito
is having a difficult time finding his mark on the feet. Yager
is the busier fighter, missing frequently, but also landing shots
here and there. Attonito catches a kick and drives Yager into
the cage, but Yager is doing a great job defending Attonito’s
takedown attempts and lands a couple leg kicks on the break.
Attonito lands his best shot of the round, a straight right,
with about 30 seconds left in the round, but Yager fires back
strong.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Yager.
R2
– Yager is doing a good job diving in with his punches and
feinting, keeping Attonito at a difficult distance for takedowns
and also keeping him off balance. Yager is landing some solid
right hands, but now Attonito is doing a better job with his
timing and counter-punching. Attonito lands two solid left hooks
and a right hand to the body. Yager looks like he’s slowly
running out of gas. Yager is missing a lot more now and dropping
his hands a lot, eating a lot of punch combinations from Attonito,
taking a lot more punishment than in round one. Attonito gets
Yager to the mat and quickly takes his back, working for the
rear naked choke. Attonito climbs on Yager’s back, gets
the hooks in, and pounds away at the sides of Yager’s head
until referee Steve Mazzagatti steps in to stop the fight.
Rich
Attonito def. Jamie Yager by TKO (Strikes) at 4:25, R2
JOHN
GUNDERSON VS. MARK HOLST
R1
- Holst as the taller fighter keeping Gunderson on the outside.
Holst trying to take Gunderson in a modified guillotine gets
rocked by Gunderson with a quick takedown. Gunderson on top,
in control. Takes side mount, Holst not really fighting him off
now in half mount. Gunderson picks up Holst and administers a
micro-slam then throwing some vicious ground and pound in the
final seconds of round 1.
R2
- Gunderson immediately takes Holst down and is back on top.
Gunderson working from side control clearly dominating the round
with two minutes in. Holst trying to minimize damage in a defensive
posture but can’t really control Gunderson. The referee
stands them up. Holst rushes in with a quick takedown after the
standup catching Gunderson off guard. Holst now on top but quickly
abandons that course of action letting Gunderson to his feet.
Fighters engage again resulting in a takedown by Gunderson in
the final seconds of the round.
R3
- Gunderson shoots in and presses Holst up against the fence.
Gunderson backs away and lands a nice one, two combo on Holst
then takes Holst down to the ground. Gunderson doing a great
job of controlling the pace of the fight. Gunderson getting the
takedowns at will. Gunderson defending a sweep by Holst. Gunderson
has Holst’s back now moving to full mount with Holst’s
head up against the cage. Holst in trouble with nowhere to go
as time runs out to end the bout.
John
Gunderson def. Mark Hoist by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27,
30-27), R3
BRAD
TAVARES VS. SETH BACZYNSKI
R1
- Baczynski comes out swinging but Tavares dodges it and takes
Baczynski to the ground. It doesn’t last long though as
both fighters get to their feet again. Baczynski ties up Tavares
in a triangle to an armbar but he loses the hold. Tavares swings
around and takes Baczynski’s back but can’t seem to
get the hooks in. Tavares with a body triangle lock on Baczynski
but can’t make it happen before the clock runs out.
R2
- Tavares connects with an early left then swings around and
lifts Baczynski totally off of his feet with a big takedown.
Tavares working on Baczynski in the closed guard moving to half
guard. Tavares trying to work his ground and pound as he keeps
his eyes out for Baczynski’s up kicks. Tavares getting some
nice shots on Baczynski but loses position. Tavares appears cut
as Baczynski catches him with an elbow right above the eye. Tavares
now in half guard dripping blood right into Baczynski’s
eyes and face. A lot of blood now flowing from Tavares into the
face of Baczynski to end the round.
R3
- Tavares shoots in trying to take Baczynski down to the ground.
He ends up eventually getting him there. Trying to soften Baczynski
up. Baczynski gets Tavares in a triangle hold looking to finish
the fight with a very tight lock but Tavares slips out and takes
Baczynski’s back. Baczynski now winded having used a large
amount of energy with the triangle seconds earlier. Baczynski
escapes from Tavares and ends up on top. With 10 seconds remaining
both fighters struggle to make something happen but time runs
out.
Brad
Tavares def. Seth Baczynski by Unanimous Decision (29-28,29-28,29-28),R3.
KYLE
NOKE VS. JOSH BRYANT
R1
- Noke establishes range early on with his reach and height advantage.
Noke clinches for a moment then throws Bryant away from him seeming
to prefer the distance between them over close combat. Noke rocks
Bryant with a solid punch Bryant being noticeably dazed. Bryant
trying to find his range struggling to get inside. Noke lands
a couple leg kicks with Bryant trying to answer with a flurry
of punches. Noke landing a few more leg kicks on Bryant. Bryant
noticeably hurt by them as the round ends.
R2
- Fighters touch gloves and again Noke setting the pace of the
fight. Noke lands a big left followed by a high leg kick. Noke
again landing leg kick after leg kick slowing Bryant down. Bryant
takes another leg kick from Noke wincing in pain. Bryant hobbling
now on his right leg as Noke continues to hone in on Bryant left
leg. Bryant gets rocked by a huge right by Noke followed by a
straight kick to Bryant’s chest, Noke smells blood as Bryant
crumbles to the ground Noke pounds Bryant until the fight is
stopped.
Kyle
Noke def. Josh Bryant by TKO at 3:12, R2.
JAMES
HAMMORTREE VS. CHRIS CAMOZZI
R1
- Camozzi comes out and they exchange kicks early. Comozzi with
quick jabs lands a hard inside leg kick. Hammortree trips up
Camozzi then taking him hard against the fence. Fighters now
in the clinch then break midway round one. Hammortree with a
body kick Hammortree then comes in and takes a leg kick, grabs
Camozzi’s leg and takes him town. Camozzi pops back up and
seems to be setting the pace of the fight. Camozzi seems to have
hurt his foot tangling it in the fence. The round finishes out.
R2
– Camozzi seems to be ok from the foot tangle, Hammortree
with a knee to Camozzi’s thigh, Comozzi trying for double
underhooks but Hammortree defends well. Fighters in the clinch
Camozzi lands another huge knee. The fight is briefly stopped
due to Vaseline in the eye of Hammortree. Camozzi nice knee to
the face of Hammortree, fighters break for a moment then Camozzi
lands another massive knee to Hammortree’s face. Hammortree
fights back quickly and takes Camozzi down. Hammortree standing
above Camozzi dropping in for the occational bomb. The fighters
then both stand. Hammortree shoots in and takes Camozzi up against
the fence which is quickly switched as Camozzi presses Hammortree
up against the cage. Hammortree escapes and ends round 2.
R3
- Camozzi comes out with confidence but takes a knee from Hammortree.
Camozzi answers with a knee of his own and catches Hammortree
in the groin. (the fight is paused for a moment) Camozzi tries
to catch a single but Hammortree fights him off. Hammortree’s
knee meets Camozzi’s chest and Camozzi returns a nearly
identical knee into Hammortree’s body. Fighters now slow
the pace . Camozzi catches Hammortree with another huge knee
to Hammortree’s face. The fighters clinch again as Hammortree
tries for a take down. Hammortree looking as the clock realizes
he must do something quickly swings wildly trying to go for anything.
Camozzi catches him with a another kick and Hammortree grabs
Camozzi in a guillotine chock pulling him down for the last 10
seconds of the round but is unable to submit Camozzi before the
round ends.
Chris
Camozzi def. James Hammortree by Unanimous Decision (29-28,30-27,30-27),R3.
JAMES
MCSWEENEY VS. TRAVIS BROWNE
R1
– TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES feed started with about 1:30 left
in the round, Browne is in control with a full mount. Browne
continues to punish McSweeney with ground and pound as the ref
stops the bout.
Travis
Browne def. James McSweeney by TKO 4:32, R1
ULTIMATE
FIGHTER 11 FINALE QUICK RESULTS:
Main
Bouts (On Spike TV):
-Court McGee def. Kris McCray by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 3:41, R2
-Matt Hamill def. Keith Jardine by Majority Decision (29-27,
29-27, 28-28), R3
-Chris Leben def. Aaron Simpson by TKO (Strikes) at 4:17, R2
-Denis Siver def. Spencer Fisher by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
29-28, 29-28), R3
-Rich Attonito def. Jamie Yager by TKO (Strikes) at 4:25, R2
Preliminary
Bouts (Non-Televised):
-John Gunderson def. Mark Hoist by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27), R3
-Brad Tavares def. Seth Baczynski by Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28), R3
-Kyle Noke def. Josh Bryant by TKO at 3:12, R2
-Chris Camozzi def James Hammortree by Unanimous Decision (29-28,
30-27, 30-27), R3
-Travis Browne def James McSweeney by TKO at 4:32, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Garden
Island Cage Match 9:
Mayhem at the Mansion
Kilohana Carriage
House
June 26th 2010
Since this venue is a little smaller than the Stadium the tickets
will sell out twice as fast so be sure to get on board quickly!
This an exclusive venue for us and very please to have acquired
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Source: Event Promoter
|
Falling
Action: Best and Worst of Strikeforce Live
By Ben
Fowlkes
I've never been to an MMA event quite like Wednesday night's
Strikeforce: Live show in Los Angeles. Whether that's a good
thing or a bad thing, I'm not sure, but at least it's something
different.
For
one, there was the venue. The Nokia Theatre seems more suited
to an intimate Bright Eyes concert than an MMA fight. It's the
kind of place where you feel almost obliged to pronounce the
word 'theatre' with a bad British accent – not the kind
of place where you go to see guys kick each other in the head.
For
instance, according to the Nokia Theatre website, Justin Bieber
is playing there in about a month. Unlike Strikeforce, which
packed in 5,259 fans last night (according to Scott Coker) Bieber's
show is already sold out.
Things
were made more bizarre by the fact that the event was held on
a Wednesday night (to draw the E3 crowd), and the preliminary
portion of the card was two-fights long and ended before most
fans could even buy a cold beer and find their seats.
Again,
that's not necessarily such a bad thing. I can't remember the
last time I covered an MMA event and got to bed at such a decent
hour (I'm typing this on almost four full hours of sleep!!).
If nothing else, last night's event gave fans something they
hadn't seen before, in more ways than one. Even if they didn't
get so much quantity for their money, they can't complain about
the quality.
Biggest
Winner: Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos
Santos has the distinction of being the only fighter in MMA who
can get a kiss from his wife right before a fight and then get
carried around the cage by her – for an extended period
of time – afterwards. His knockout win over Dream champ
Marius Zaromskis was the most exciting finish of the night, and
it signals good things to come for Santos at welterweight. Even
the female Cyborg approved of his performance, and she doesn't
seem like a lady who's easily impressed.
Biggest
Loser: (tie) Marius Zaromskis and Dream
"The Whitemare" started fast, as is his style, but
he wasn't prepared for the blows that came back at him. That's
two knockouts in two fights since the Dream champ came to the
U.S., which doesn't do a lot to help the stateside reputation
of Zaromskis or Japan's top MMA brand.
Best
Losing Effort: Conor Heun
As Heun exited the cage after losing a split decision to KJ Noons,
his face did not resemble that of a man who had won all three
rounds, even if he did, according to one judge. Even though he
lacked Noons' boxing skills, Heun hung in there and fired back
all night long, making a close fight of it even when he couldn't
get it to the mat. He's not doing his looks any favors with that
fighting style, but he is making a compelling case for Strikeforce
to keep bringing him back, win or lose.
Worst
Game Plan (or Lack Thereof): Robbie Lawler
As Lawler admitted in the post-fight press conference, his goal
from the first horn to the last was to land one big blow and
knock Sobral out. That's somewhat understandable, considering
how many times that has worked for him in the past, but it's
not so much a strategy as it is a kind of faith. Lawler has cold-clocked
too many people for his own good, and now he thinks it's the
answer to every problem. The good news? He seemed to have learned
that lesson with last night's loss.
Best
Post-Fight Attempt at Self-Imposed Matchmaking: Renato Sobral
"Babalu" doesn't want to fight his buddy, "King"
Mo Lawal, for the Strikeforce belt, and that's his prerogative.
But instead of just shooting the idea down and leaving Strikeforce
with no other options, he was savvy enough to suggest a fight
with Dan Henderson. With Hendo coming off a loss and Sobral squeaking
out a win, I'd say it sounds like a great idea. Meanwhile, why
not pit Lawal up against the heavy-hitting "Feijao"
Cavalcante?
Biggest
Hype Bubble Burst: KJ Noons
Noons didn't look bad in his win over Heun. He also didn't look
like a fighter who could last more than two rounds if he were
to rematch Nick Diaz, which seems almost inevitable. That's not
to say that he has anything to feel bad about after the way he
fought on Wednesday night, but it is reason enough for Diaz to
be drooling over the prospect of getting his hands on Noons right
now.
Most
Compelling Story of the Night: Tim Kennedy
Home from the wars and now training full-time, Kennedy seems
like a fighter with frightening potential. He's also a genuine
American hero, with an apple pie smile and an 'aw shucks' quality
about him. That's everything you could ask for as a fight promoter,
and Scott Coker knows it.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
“Shogun
will come back stronger than ever”
By Guilherme Cruz
Following
Mauricio Shogun’s recovery after the new surgery in the
knee, the UFC light heavyweight champion’s manager, Eduardo
Alonso, spoke exclusively to TATAME.com today. “It’s
nothing too serious, everything is fine. He’s in a great
moment in his lie and that’s what matters. Mauricio is fine,
happy, and he’ll be back soon stronger than ever”,
Alonso guarantees, sending a message to the fans. “He (Shogun)
thanks all the support and messages he has received in the past
days, but everything is fine, everything like we’ve planned”,
explains. Stay tuned on TATAME.com for more news as soon as they’re
available.
Source: Tatame
|
BEN
ASKREN WINS BELLATOR WELTERWEIGHT TOURNEY
Press Release courtesy of Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships crowned its second Season 2 champion
Thursday night as former NCAA wrestling superstar and U.S. Olympian
Ben Askren put on a grappling clinic to neutralize knockout artist
and rising MMA star Dan Hornbuckle in a dominating and well-rounded
performance.
The
25-year-old University of Missouri product drew from the vocal
support of an adoring crowd at the Kansas City Power & Light
District to win a unanimous decision victory and complete the
metamorphosis from highly touted prospect to full-fledged MMA
star that many experts had predicted.
With
his new wife Amy watching cageside, Askren (6-0) controlled the
fight from the start, taking the veteran Hornbuckle to the mat
early on in all three rounds and holding him at bay with his
world-class wrestling skills. Hornbuckle tried to stop the momentum
a few times, attempting a triangle choke midway through Round
2 and a Kimura midway through Round 3, but Askren was able to
escape both submissions.
“This
is exactly the kind of performance we had hoped Ben would put
on when we signed him six months ago,” Bellator founder
and CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “He showed some great talent
in his first two Bellator fights, but saved the best performance
for last. It was a tremendously impressive night for Ben all
the way around. As an MMA fan, I cannot wait to see his world
title fight against Lyman Good this fall.”
Afterward,
Askren told Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith that he has
already shifted his sights to reigning Bellator welterweight
champion Lyman Good, who he’ll face in a title fight later
this year.
“Lyman,
keep my belt warm,” he said as his hometown crowd egged
him on. “Shine it up once a week and enjoy it while you
can because it's mine, baby.”
Joining
Askren in the winner’s circle was Lisa Ward, the 27-year-old
Seattle-based submission artist who improved her pro record to
13-3 and gave fans a sneak preview of what they’ll see when
she enters the cage as part of Bellator’s upcoming Season
3 Women’s Tournament beginning in August.
Ward
wasted no time locking 19-year-old MMA up-and-comer Stephanie
Frausto (2-2) into a tight rear naked choke, putting her to sleep
and ending the fight via technical submission just 2:01 into
Round 1. Ward said after the fight that she is hoping for tournament
match-up with Megumi Fuji, who handed Ward one of her three losses
during a 2007 showdown in Canada.
“I
would love another shot at Megumi,” Ward said. “We
definitely have some unfinished business.”
Earlier,
24-year-old Missouri native Jose Vega delivered yet another Bellator
“YouTube moment” with a highlight-reel knockout of
North Carolina-based jiu-jitsu specialist Jarrod “The Wild
Card” Card just 39.8 seconds into the first round of their
“Bantamweight Feature Fight.”
After
setting it up with a pair of stiff leg kicks, Vega (8-3) connected
with a left hook to Card’s jaw, knocking him unconscious
and dropping him to the canvas, bringing Vega’s many hometown
fans to their feet.
“I’m
lost for words,” an emotional Vega said afterward. “I’ve
never had a knockout before, but my hands have improved –
(former Bellator fighters) Brian Davidson, James Krause and Tyler
Stinson have been helping me with that. I saw the opening and
I just went for it.”
In
the first televised fight of the night, IFL and M-1 veteran Raphael
Davis improved his record to 9-1 by dominating Arena Football
League veteran and one-time Nebraska state high school wrestling
champion Demetrius Richards (5-3). Davis took the fight to the
ground early on and quickly took Richards’ back, wearing
him down with hammer fists and a flurry of knees to the body
before Richards submitted to punches just 2:51 into Round 1.
The
event also played host to five Local Feature Fights:
-Tyler
Stinson def. Leonardo Pecanha by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 1:42, R1
-Rudy Bears def. Brian Green by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 3:49, R1
-Cole Konrad def. John Orr by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Jared Downing def. Chad Vandenberg by Submission (Rear Naked
Choke) at 1:35, R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ben
Askren Dominates Dan Hornbuckle for Bellator Title
By Michael
David Smith
There's no doubt about it: Ben Askren is one of the best welterweight
prospects in mixed martial arts.
Askren,
the former Olympic wrestler who only became a professional MMA
fighter last year, completely dominated Dan Hornbuckle to win
the Bellator Fighting Championships Season 2 welterweight tournament
Thursday night in Kansas City. The victory earns Askren a shot
at Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good, and more significantly,
it makes a major statement that there's a major player in the
welterweight division in MMA.
With
his wrestling base, it's no surprise that Askren wanted to keep
the fight on the ground. But it is a surprise how easily he was
able to control the fight on the ground against Hornbuckle, who's
very good off his back. Askren got things started by grabbing
Hornbuckle's leg and securing a great takedown to put Hornbuckle
on his back. Staying on top of Hornbuckle on the ground, Askren
landed repeated knees to the body. With a minute to go in the
first round Askren got to full mount, and Hornbuckle was just
hanging on for dear life. When Askren started to land punches
Hornbuckle managed to buck Askren off, but it was an easy round
to score for Askren, 10-9.
Hornbuckle
landed a hard punch to start the second round, but Askren quickly
planted Hornbuckle on his back again. By the midway point of
the second round Hornbuckle's face was bloodied, and although
Hornbuckle did briefly threaten Askren from his back, Askren
dominated almost all of the round once again.
Fifteen
seconds into the third round Askren tackled Hornbuckle and started
in with the ground and pound. But Hornbuckle, showing how great
he is off his back, did manage to threaten Askren with a kimura.
Ultimately, however, Askren was just too good on the ground.
Hornbuckle had no answer as Askren stayed on top of him and ended
the fight on top.
Askren
addressed the champion after the fight.
"Lyman,
keep my belt warm," Askren said. "Shine it once a week
and enjoy it while you've got it because it's mine."
All
three judges scored the fight for Askren by identical scores,
30-27. There was no doubt about the judges' decision in this
one, just as there's no doubt that Askren is for real.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Back
from the Brink
by Brian Knapp
Court McGee understands the meaning behind second chances better
than most. Near-death experiences have a tendency to change even
the most hardened of men.
A
reformed drug addict who partook in everything from prescription
pain pills to hardcore illegal narcotics, McGee lay motionless
and unresponsive on a bathroom floor in 2005. He reached his
rock bottom when he injected a lethal dose of heroin into his
veins and collapsed near death next to a toilet. Fate spared
him.
“One
particular night, a Sunday night, I shot up too much,” McGee
told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” program.
“Immediately after I shot up, I knew I’d shot up too
much, and the lights went out. Thank God that my cousin and her
friend showed up. They started CPR. They called 911. The ambulance
showed up. They were able to do CPR, and they defibrillated me
and brought me back.”
Still,
his ordeal was only beginning.
“I
was in the hospital for a number of days,” McGee said. “I
got out, and for whatever reason, because my family loves me,
they took me to a rehab facility.”
He
speaks with surprising candor and clarity when recalling the
incident, the dark days leading him to it and how close he came
to missing out on the life he now leads and enjoys.
“I
lost my family. I lost my friends,” McGee said. “I
was spiritually and emotionally bankrupt. I didn’t have
the balls to kill myself, but I didn’t want to be alive.”
The
road back from the brink was treacherous and difficult. Kicking
his habits did not come easy, as failure was an early companion.
“I
had to learn how to start over,” McGee said. “I had
to learn how to walk again and eat -- all the basic things you
learn to do when you’re a little kid. I relapsed a couple
of times, and about five months later, it finally hit me that
I couldn’t drink and I couldn’t use any more, not at
all, and so I had to refrain from it all. That was April 16,
2006.”
In
the four years since, McGee has settled into life without addiction,
and his professional mixed martial arts career has taken off.
The 25-year-old -- whose lone defeat came by decision to former
UFC light heavyweight title contender Jeremy Horn -- will meet
Kris McCray in the middleweight final at “The Ultimate Fighter”
Finale this Saturday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
During
his stint on Season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality
series, McGee was befriended by former light heavyweight champion
and UFC hall of famer Chuck Liddell. The two grew close during
the six weeks of taping, as “The Iceman” took McGee
under his wing.
“I
didn’t know what to think of Chuck,” McGee said. “Of
course, he was the man for five years, and he’s what made
the sport what it is today, but I didn’t know what to expect
from him. I showed up, and he was at every practice. He’s
a soft-spoken good guy. He’s up for the competition and
the challenge, and you can feed off that. He’s super intense.”
Once
filming on the show wrapped, McGee followed Liddell to The Pit
in Arroyo Grande, Calif., where he spent half of his training
camp in advance of his matchup with McCray, an Ultimate Warrior
Challenge who sports a perfect professional record.
“It
was absolutely an honor to meet Chuck -- the real Chuck Liddell,”
McGee said. “I got to hang out with him, and he’s a
cool dude. He’s got a new fan and a new friend.”
Life
in Orem, Utah, where McGee shares a modest apartment with his
wife and son, has never been better.
“I
have a family,” McGee said. “I have a son. I have a
wife. I have another son on the way. I’m happily married.
I have a host of good friends. My family’s back in my life.
I have a career. I don’t have a lot of money. I have an
old vehicle. I have a little three-bedroom apartment kind of
in the ghetto of Orem, but the thing is I’m happy. Regardless
of what happens, I have a lot more gratitude in my life for the
small things.”
McGee
sees himself as a potential inspiration for those who struggle
with the same demons that nearly killed him, and MMA gives him
an avenue through with to reach others.
“I
lost everything, had nothing. I was unemployable. I had no friends.
It was pretty traumatic,” he said. “No matter what,
the biggest thing is through my stories and what I’ve been
through, if I can help just one person make a small change in
their life and maybe not do the same s--t that they’ve been
doing and decide to get out of the drug life … if I can
give can give them any sort of inspiration and one person makes
it out of it, then this will all have been worth it, whether
I win or lose.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Franklin
reflects on knockout over Liddell
Last Saturday (12), Rich Franklin achieved one of the biggest
victories of his career, but was not very comfortable with the
knockout over Chuck Liddell. “I don’t want to be labeled
as the guy who put him away from the sport. I like him”,
said Rich, about the probable retirement of the “Iceman”.
Te win of the former middleweight champion was even more impressive
due to the fact he broke his forearm right on the first minutes
of fight. “I was wondering about the strategy I’d use
on the second and third round, since my forearm was broken, but
I noticed that Chuck was getting tired”, explains “Ace”,
who beat Liddell on the last five seconds of the first round.
Source: Tatame
|
Jamie
Yager Weighs in on Reality TV Infamy, Tito Ortiz's Character
Flaws
By Ben
Fowlkes
LAS VEGAS -- Jamie Yager knows that when he walks into the Pearl
at the Palms to make his official UFC debut on Saturday night,
he'll be facing a crowd in the arena and an audience at home
that has largely already made up its mind about him.
What
bothers him is that, at least the way he sees it, they don't
know the guy they're judging quite as well as they think they
do.
"America
thinks they know who you are based on a really small sample,"
Yager said. "We filmed 12 weeks, 24 hours a day, and they
showed 12 hours. Not even 12 hours [with commercials]. 44 minutes
every week."
This
isn't exactly a new claim for a reality TV show participant.
From "The Ultimate Fighter" to "The Real World"
to "The Littlest Groom" (Google it), editing has been
the scapegoat of many an unwilling reality TV villain unhappy
with how they came off on TV.
Share53
For Yager, it's a sword that cuts two ways. The notoriety he
gained as a larger-than-life loudmouth on TUF 11 may have turned
some MMA fans against him, but that's not always a bad thing
in this sport. As long as people want to pay to see you, it doesn't
matter so much whether they're hoping to see you win or lose,
and Yager knows it.
"It's
a little frustrating, but by the same token, some noise is better
than no noise. I think I was kind of a victim of the editing
process. Not necessarily victim in the sense that I've been hurt
or injured by it, but I wasn't really depicted as who I really
am. Everybody in the house got into it with everybody else, but
they just showed me. I think the end justifies the means though,
because with the editing, like it or love it or leave it, I'm
on the main card now."
Whether
you agree with the process, you have to admit that Yager has
a point with regards to the outcome. At least so far.
On
Saturday night in Las Vegas he takes on Rich Attonito, a fellow
"Ultimate Fighter" participant who was knocked out
of the competition with a hand injury. As Yager sees it, Attonito
wouldn't be on the main card at all if not for him and the fan
interest surrounding him.
"It's
because of all the hype, the hair, the image, all of that,"
said Yager, who added that his 'do has earned him comparisons
to Sideshow Bob and the occasional nickname, "Fro Cop."
But
if Yager's persona as depicted on the show didn't grab enough
fan attention, his allegedly non-existent feud with coach Tito
Ortiz via Twitter certainly did.
Yager
still insists that he is not the owner of the Twitter account
which blasted Ortiz for questioning his heart and his courage
after Yager failed to answer the bell for the third round in
an elimination fight with Josh Bryant. Even if it was a fake
account though, that doesn't mean the real life Yager is any
happier about seeing Ortiz call him an assortment of unfavorable
names on national TV.
"To
see Tito pick me up on his team and when I'm winning he's like,
'Now we're back in it, we got this, yeah!' and the second I lose
he's on the other side of the fence, you see him flip-flopping,"
Yager said. "I'm the type of guy who, if I pick you up and
take you in, through the good and bad we're going to ride it
out together. It shows a true test of his character. It's not
a character flaw in me; it's a character flaw in him."
The
feud between himself and Ortiz is settled now, Yager said. He
called Ortiz after seeing an advance screening of the show before
he was due to sign autographs alongside his former coach at the
most recent UFC Expo.
"I
called him up and I said, 'You want to sit down with this p---y?
You want to sit down and sign autographs with this p---y? Is
that what you want to do?' He was kind of like, 'I just want
to see you believe in yourself and do the best that you can do.'
So he kind of squashed it, and after we sat down at the booth
I gave him a little more s--t about it, and we kind of hashed
it out."
Now
the issue for Yager, as it is for every fighter who makes a splash
with his mouth instead of his fists on the UFC's reality show,
is whether he can deliver in the cage when it counts. A loss
against Attonito, and his run in the Octagon may be cut very
short. He may also be remembered as another figure who made the
show briefly interesting, but failed to live up to expectations
when the pressure was on.
Think
Junie Browning. Or even Kimbo Slice. Reality TV stardom is much
easier to achieve than UFC stardom, and with good reason.
But
with his moment of truth approaching fast, Yager said all that's
on his mind is getting the win and putting on a show. If he can
just do both of those things, the rest will take care of itself.
"I'm
looking forward to going out there and fighting and putting on
an entertaining fight, because I realize this sport is not just
fighting," he said. "This sport is entertainment. If
you're filling the seats and putting on exciting fights, you're
going to stick around. I'm definitely here to stay."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
The
Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale Preview
by Tomas Rios
Hawaii
Air Times:
6:00 - 9:00PM
Channel 559 (SPIKE)
The
avalanche of quality MMA continues with this Saturday’s
“The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale,” which features an
eclectic mix of established stars, fresh faces and maybe even
a superstar in the making.
Hitting
our optic nerves from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, the
main card features everything from a leg-kicking techno Viking
to a Lifetime movie of the week turned professional face-puncher.
No matter what you’re looking for from a night of dudes
hitting each other on free television, this card has you covered.
All
that’s left from now ‘til then is to get your knowledge
right, and there is no better way to do that than with a fresh
lineup of analysis, prognostication and occasional -- failed
-- hilarity.
Matt
Hamill vs. Keith Jardine
The
doomsday clock on Jardine’s UFC career is getting perilously
close to midnight after dropping three straight in the Octagon.
Hamill’s standing in the light heavyweight division isn’t
much better, though, as he’s fresh off taking a beating
from Jon Jones and walking away with a hollow disqualification
win.
To
get back in the wildly competitive title race he was once a part
of, Hamill will have to get inside on “The Dean of Mean.”
Jardine is a crippling leg kicker with solid punching power who
has always been dangerous at a distance, but his defensive deficiencies
make him an easier mark in close quarters. Consecutive knockout
losses to Thiago Silva and Ryan Bader are proof positive that
Jardine’s unorthodox stance creates as many problems for
himself as it does for his opponents.
For
all the talk of Hamill’s wrestling, the fact is that he’s
developed into a striker who uses his ground-and-pound as a plan
B. Not a bad approach to have against Jardine, who has decent
takedown defense but is easily caught off-guard with level changes
during striking exchanges. What Hamill really needs to do, though,
is find a home for the left hook.
No
matter how many times he gets chin-checked with it, Jardine doesn’t
seem to realize how open he leaves himself to the left hook and
his opponents are starting to home in on that opening. Unless
Jardine can keep Hamill at bay with leg kicks -- a tactic he
has gotten away from lately -- it’s likely a matter of time
before “The Hammer” smashes a hook into his jaw. Although
Rich Franklin did have great success keeping Hamill at arm’s
length in their bout, Jardine doesn’t have Franklin’s
jab and he lacks the offensive diversity to make up for that.
Until
Jardine fixes the holes in his defense, there is no reason to
like his chances against anyone who can get inside on him and
put together heavy punches. Hamill fits the bill on both fronts
and has the added advantage of being able to ground Jardine if
things get too dicey on the feet. This just isn’t a good
style clash for Jardine. It’ll show when Hamill notches
a second-round technical stoppage with -- what else? -- a left
hook.
Court
McGee vs. Kris McCray
“The
Ultimate Fighter” has always made for unexpected results,
but perhaps no finale in the show’s history was as unexpected
as the one we’ll see this Saturday. After all, both McGee
and McCray lost fights during the 11th season’s tournament
and neither entered the season regarded as highly as fellow cast
mates such as Nick Ring and Kyle Noke.
However,
both men put together impressive performances on the show and
actually make for a fun style clash. McCray made his name with
a well-rounded ground game that is equal parts striking and grappling
while McGee has shown sharp hands and a penchant for catching
unexpected submissions. Where this fight will be won and lost
will depend largely on whether McGee can stop McCray’s takedowns.
Despite
not having much of a wrestling background, McGee is a surprisingly
sound wrestler who uses underhooks exceptionally well to stuff
takedowns. Compare that with McCray, who tries to work a power
wrestling game but lacks the technical polish to make it work
consistently. Considering the juice he puts into those takedown
attempts, it may only take a few failed tries for his gas tank
to start feeling the strain.
Whether
McCray is forced to battle it out on the feet or work his guard,
he’ll be fighting a losing battle in both cases. Defense
just isn’t his specialty. McGee jumps all over any openings
he can get, and that’s not good for McCray, who has poor
defensive boxing skills and the bad habit of leaving his neck
exposed in transitions. Those won’t go by unnoticed, and
even if McCray can put some offense together, it may just be
a matter of time before McGee’s superior technique takes
over.
While
McCray has stopped opponents in every one of his professional
bouts, his time on “TUF” showed his finishing ability
doesn’t translate very well against better-equipped competition.
The ability to finish fights is a supremely important skill at
this level, and McGee has the edge in that department. I have
no doubts that McCray will make this an entertaining fight, but
McGee will eventually put him away and finish his improbable
journey from drug-addict to Ultimate Fighter.
Chris Leben vs. Aaron Simpson
The
hype train on Simpson hit its first inevitable snag in his come-from-behind
split decision over Tom Lawlor. With fresh doubts swirling around
the collegiate wrestling convert and an increasingly competitive
middleweight division forming, this bout with Leben could decide
whether Simpson joins him as a gatekeeper or takes a step toward
title contention.
A
tight defensive stance and superior hand-speed were the causes
of Simpson’s struggles with Lawlor. Leben offers neither.
Leben’s recent attempts at retooling his style have created
a sort of identity crisis, as he switches between ground-and-pound
tactics and his old-school mad bomber mentality. He’ll likely
have to rely on the former since he won’t be scoring any
takedowns on Simpson.
The
opposite doesn’t hold true, however. “A-Train”
is a freakishly powerful middleweight with legit wrestling chops
to back it up. While Leben has made serious improvements in his
guard work, he didn’t do well against Jake Rosholt’s
top-control game and Simpson presents a far greater threat than
him. Besides having more explosive ground striking, he also has
a better base and doesn’t make the grappling mistakes that
have plagued Rosholt’s career.
That
means all of Leben’s hopes rest on his fists, and that isn’t
going to cut it. While Leben has shown many times over that he
has the power to put anyone down, he needs space to get his punches
off. Simpson isn’t the type to stand at range, as he does
his best work on the inside, delivering power shots of both the
punching and wrestling variety. Without a proper jab or the hand-speed
to keep Simpson at bay, Leben is going to have precious few opportunities
to get any offense going.
It
wouldn’t be the first time “The Crippler” cashed
in on a minute window of opportunity. Past bouts with Terry Martin
and Benji Radach are a testament to his durability and penchant
for the dramatic. However, a wall-to-wall beating from Simpson
isn’t the sort of thing anyone has been able to come back
from thus far. No one should be surprised if Leben makes it to
the last bell, but that will only mean Simpson had to work that
much harder to get his hand raised.
Spencer
Fisher vs. Dennis Siver
Both
Fisher and Siver have made their names on delivering high-octane
offense on the feet with spectacular results. Matching them up
creates the natural expectation that a striker’s delight
is inevitable, but “The King” may not be willing to
overlook Siver’s invisible takedown defense and fundamentally
deficient grappling.
In
past bouts with heavy hitters such as Thiago Alves and Jeremy
Stephens, Fisher wisely opted to use his underrated ground-and-pound
instead of recreating Godzilla’s greatest battles with supremely
dangerous strikers. While Fisher’s shot does leave much
to be desired, he’s surprisingly adroit in the clinch and
is particularly adept at driving his hips forward and finishing
with leg trips. Not good news for Siver, who has a decent sprawl
but struggles to defend takedowns from the clinch due mainly
to his difficulties with securing control of his opponent with
either under or overhooks.
Should
Fisher choose to capitalize on that flaw, he’ll have no
trouble either pounding out a decision or perhaps even securing
a submission since Siver is prone to giving up dominant positions.
However, striking with Siver isn’t beyond his capabilities
either. Fisher has the boxing skill to mimic the up-close and
personal boxing clinic Ross Pearson ran on the Russian-born body-snatcher.
The
reason that sort of trench war strategy is so effective against
Siver is that despite not having much of a reach, he actually
wants his opponents to stay just on the edge of the pocket. What
this does is give him the chance to dart inside with punching
combinations while also having the luxury of stepping back and
measuring his trademark spinning back kick to the body -- a technique
responsible for more ruined livers than Johnny Walker. Pearson,
however, constantly stepped inside the pocket, which forced Siver
to exchange punches in close quarters and thus kept his kicks
mostly on ice. Fisher’s boxing style is actually quite similar
to Pearson’s, and he has the added advantage of being a
southpaw with a nasty right hook -- a punch that Siver’s
defensive stance leaves him severely vulnerable to.
Realistically,
this bout is going to go one of two ways: Either Fisher keeps
Siver on the defensive with superior boxing or Siver tries to
stand his ground and ends up getting taken down. The threat of
a rip-snapping kick to the body finding its mark is omnipresent
in any Siver fight, but Fisher isn’t going to give him the
space to measure it. Take away the space and you take away Siver’s
best weapons, a fact that will be driven home when Fisher takes
a clean sweep of the judges’ scorecards.
Rich
Attonito vs. Jamie Yager
In
the grand tradition of “TUF” miscreants such as Junie
Allen Browning and Chris Leben, Yager emerged as this past season’s
preeminent heel. “Earning” that status almost always
comes with a main card invitation. True to form, Yager is slotted
against American Top Team product Attonito.
The
fight comes down largely to whether or not Attonito can survive
Yager’s opening bell stampede of power punches and kicks.
The reason Yager’s one-note approach proved effective on
the show was the generally low level of competition unaccustomed
to dealing with physically imposing strikers. As soon as he ran
into a capable fighter in Josh Bryant, Yager folded once it was
obvious he couldn’t run him over.
Attonito
proved in his bout with Kyacey Uscola on the show that he isn’t
easily intimidated by power-strikers and actually had the Idaho
bomber in deep trouble before eating an illegal knee. Much like
Uscola, Yager comes right at his opponents and Attonito has the
movement and counterpunching to defuse that tactic. Regardless,
Attonito isn’t going to play Yager’s game and will
look for the takedown once the pocket collapses.
Even
if he can’t get Yager down with a conventional takedown,
Attonito is unafraid of pulling guard and stringing together
submission attempts. It’s anyone’s guess as to what
Yager’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu game is like, but I have no
qualms about assuming Attonito is his better on the mat. Considering
Yager’s habit of lunging into the fray, his legs will be
an easy takedown target and that’s likely all Attonito needs
to drag him out of his element.
Trying
to play Megatron in the cage is a double-edged sword since not
everyone is going to go fetal at the sight of a nice Superman
punch and some kicks. As long as Attonito approaches him the
same way he approached Uscola, there will be no Yager bombs to
be had. Instead, a wild start will turn into a tame tapout win
for Attonito and another “TUF” black hat’s 15
minutes of infamy will turn into 15 seconds.
John
Gunderson vs. Mark Holst
The
sole lightweight bout on the prelim slate should also serve as
the night’s best grappling match. Both Gunderson and Holst
work an aggressive submission-centric style and have no qualms
about getting into wild scrambles in the name of snatching a
finish. The difference between the two is that Gunderson is far
more experienced at working his game against world-class competition
while Holst was promoted to the UFC thanks mostly to his recent
submission win over Corey Hill.
Tapping
out substandard grapplers is poor preparation for Gunderson,
who may not be an elite fighter but is certainly a savvy grappler.
Holst isn’t going to roll over for Gunderson, and he should
be good enough to make this into a quality fight. What he won’t
and can’t do is be good enough to beat Gunderson at his
own game.
Seth
Baczynski vs. Brad Tavares
A
rematch of the disqualification win Tavares took over Baczynski
in the quarterfinal round of this past “TUF” season.
There is almost no doubt that a spot in the UFC is up for grabs,
and that spot is likely headed Tavares’ way. The more versatile
of the two fighters and a better wrestler to boot, Tavares’
skill will shine through now that he has the benefit of a proper
training camp.
While
Baczynski certainly has the Brazilian jiu-jitsu to hang with
Tavares on the mat, he’s not going to get the better of
any scrambles or dominate position. When Baczynski can’t
rely on his grappling, he loses a great deal of efficacy and
his mediocrity in other areas becomes obvious. A submission is
likely beyond Tavares’ reach, but he’ll take an obvious
decision on the back of his grappling prowess.
Josh
Bryant vs. Kyle Noke
The
loser of the bout between Noke and Bryant will likely be shown
the door out of the UFC. If Bryant has any interest in sticking
around, he’ll make sure his UFC career isn’t decided
on the feet against Noke’s atom-smashing punches. Granted,
the Aussie slugger is lacking when it comes to all-around skills,
but he can crack like few others and Bryant has the habit of
trading recklessly.
Even
if he keeps that habit in check, Noke is the more physically
powerful fighter and won’t have much of a problem shucking
off Bryant’s takedown attempts. Even if Bryant manages to
get Noke down, he doesn’t have the submission skills to
quickly take advantage of Noke’s suspect grappling. Bryant
just doesn’t have the right style to beat Noke, which means
he’ll eventually end up on the business end of a fight-ending
salvo from “KO.”
Chris
Camozzi vs. James Hammortree
The
last of the housecleaning bouts featuring “TUF” cast
members pits Camozzi against Hammortree in a hard-luck special.
Both fighters experienced a lifetime’s worth of disappointment
on the show thanks to injuries and nip/tuck decisions that broke
against them. After going through the insanity that is “TUF,”
you can fully expect to see these two brawl for a shot at staying
in the UFC.
A
slugfest definitely favors Camozzi’s reach and experience
as well as his diversity of techniques. While Hammortree is content
to throw nothing but power punches, Camozzi can mix it up and
keep his opponents guessing. That will make all the difference
for Camozzi and mark the end of Hammortree’s brief dalliance
with the UFC.
Travis
Browne vs. James McSweeney
The
prerequisite heavyweight brawl of the card matches UFC debutante
Browne against McSweeney for a shot at moving up in the suddenly
stacked heavyweight division. This is one of those fights that
mostly comes down to who lands the kill-shot first and, failing
that, who has the cardio to last 15 minutes. Unfortunately for
McSweeney, neither scenario will play out in his favor, at least
not against Browne.
It
won’t be an easy go of it for him, but Browne is a physically
overwhelming striker and keeps a pace that McSweeney won’t
like. More of a methodical fighter than Browne, McSweeney doesn’t
much like being pressed since it taxes his gas tank beyond capacity.
Either Browne puts him down in the first few minutes or puts
him down once the cardio factor comes into play, but McSweeney
will eventually go down.
Source: Sherdog
|
50th
State Fair “SELECT COMBAT”
Friday, June 18 & Saturday, June 19
ITINERARY:
Friday,
June 18th
4:00pm Staff Meeting
5:00-6:00pm SC One Tournament Weigh-ins
6:30-7:00pm Rules Meeting for Tournament and Fight
7:00-9:00pm SC One Tournament
7:00-8:00pm SC One Fight Weigh-ins
Saturday,
June 19th
3:00pm Staff Meeting
4:00pm Keiki matches (10) matches
12
& under:
(2 min) Takedowns
(2 min) Positions
13 – 18 yrs old:
(1 min) Kickboxing
(1.5 min) Boxing & Takedowns
(2 min) Jiu Jitsu
5:30pm Adult matches (15) matches
(1 min) Kickboxing
(1.5 min) Boxing & Takedowns
(2 min) Jiu Jitsu
8:00pm End
TICKET
PRICES:
Pre-sale
tickets (up to June 18th) – $20 per adult / $8 keiki
School
Groups of (10) or more – $15 per adult / $6 keiki
Door
- $25 adult / $10 keiki
For more information, check out www.selectcombat.com
50th
State Fair “50th State BJJ Championships”
Friday,
June 25 & Saturday, June 26
ITINERARY:
Friday,
June 25th
5:00pm
Weigh-ins begin
5:30-6:00pm 1st seminar / exhibition
6:15-6:45pm Rules Meeting
7:00-7:30pm 2nd seminar / exhibition
8:00pm End of weigh-ins
Saturday,
June 26th
8:00am Staff Meeting
9:00am Keiki matches start
11:00am Women’s matches start
1:00pm Men’s matches start
6:00pm Tournament ends
PRICE:
Pre-registration
(before June 18th)
$60 per adult / $35 per keiki (12 & under)
Regular
Registration (June 18th-June 25th)
$75 per adult / $50 per keiki (12 & under)
Walk-Up
(day of tournament)
$100 per competitor
Door
- $10.00
Source: Egan Inoue
|
Former
WWE star Batista is hot on MMA and not-so-hot on professional
wrestling
By Zach
Arnold
From this morning’s Observer radio show on the Strikeforce
show last night in Los Angeles. I’m writing this passage
first because it’s the one that will garner most of the
headline attention. (There’s another passage to come that’s
far more important and interesting to me.)
DAVE
MELTZER: “At the show tonight, I talked to Dave Batista
and I… you know… he said that, you know, the reason
he left (WWE) was because he was sick and tired of the direction
of WWE. He said it was not the wrestling that he grew up liking.
He was not enjoying wrestling and he just felt he needed to get
out. He didn’t, um… he said that the wrestling of Steve
Austin and The Rock and all that stuff that he really liked doesn’t
exist there any more and he just felt that he needed to leave.
I was surprised. I thought that you know he was going to say
that ‘I wanted to be an actor’ and it wasn’t that.
He said he wanted to go out. I asked him if he was interested
in coming back like (Chris) Jericho did and his reaction was,
‘just don’t compare me to Jericho.’ And he didn’t
give like he didn’t rule out coming back, but he sure didn’t
act like he wanted to and I asked him like what he’s doing
and he said ‘I’m unemployed and I’m working for
work, that’s why I’m here in Los Angeles.’ So,
he’s an unemployed wrestler looking for, him and Scott Hall.
Looking for work, obviously looking for acting work and looking
for, I mean, he talked to Scott Coker, you know, you can make
of that what you will. You know I mean he was talking to Scott
Coker and Scott came up to me and just goes, he goes, ‘you
know we haven’t signed a deal yet, so don’t start saying
that we have.’ So, um, I mean, I can’t imagine him
doing MMA. The idea of it is… is ridiculous. Nevertheless,
he was talking to people you know like he was intrigued and interested
in doing it. I mean it was funny, he’s like, he said that
he’s been a fan of MMA for 25 years, which is… amazing.
You know, think about it. Since it didn’t exist in this
country 25 years ago… …you know people were asking
him MMA questions. He clearly is a big fan, you know a lot more
than some people in wrestling who you know their fans, he’s
at a different level, I mean when he was talking about his favorite
fighters I mean he mentioned you know Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez,
and Nick Diaz, which is not exactly you know that means he’s
more of a fan than many. And you know people were asking him
about you know, it was funny, they’re going you know like
you know comparing and coming from and it’s so you know
he was just like you know what I did in pro-wrestling has nothing
to do with MMA. It was entertainment, this was sport, and he’s
just putting over the MMA guys and you know not… I don’t
know, I mean he was… he was more negative on pro-wrestling
than I expected him to be, put it that way. A lot more, almost
stunningly you know as far as I just wanted to get out there
type of thing. Man, you know, I mean, my advice to him is he’s…
he’s 41 years old or older and he was making you know $2
million a year or more in WWE and I would not give up these later
prime years if that’s what they are you know because he
ain’t going to be an MMA fighter and… you know, if
he’s going to be an actor, he’s not going to be, you
know what I mean? 15 years from now he may want those $4 million
dollars from the next two years if he gives up these two years
and then tries to go back in his mid-40s, but anyway that’s
his thing. He’s also a lot smaller than he was as a pro-wrestler
and he is training at the Affliction gym and you know he’s
lost a lot of weight. I don’t know… I mean, you know
obviously he’s a still good-sized guy but nothing, nothing
close to the size that he used to be.”
BRYAN
ALVAREZ: “Meaning 220 pounds?”
DAVE
MELTZER: “I would think he’s bigger than 220, but I
don’t think he’s 260. You know, he’s, you know,
if I’m going to guess a weight, 255? I mean he was…
you know, I would say every bit of 280, 285 when he was in wrestling
and obviously he’d been you know way over you know way over
300 you know years back when he was a lot bigger.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Cavalcante
vs. Kikuno, Manhoef vs. Mizuno Confirmed for Dream 15
By FCF
Staff
Dream
has confirmed two more bouts for its upcoming July 10th event
in Saitama, Japan, as Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante will make
his return against lightweight Katsunori Kikuno, and Melvin Manhoef
will face Tatsuya Mizuno in the opening round of the promotion’s
light-heavyweight grand-prix.
Dream
15 will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion
Shinya Aoki and challenger Tatsuya Kawajiri, and will be broadcast
live throughout North America on HDNet.
Cavalcante
(14-3-1) will compete for the first time since last May, when
he lost by Unanimous Decision to the aforementioned Kawajiri,
at Dream 9. The American Top Team fighter, who won back-to-back
K-1 Hero’s lightweight tourneys in 2006 and 2007, is winless
in three fights (a No Contest result vs. Shinya Aoki in March,
2008, followed by a UD loss to the current Dream Lightweight
Champion that April).
Kikuno
(13-2-2) will head into the July 10th event having gone 4-1 in
his last five fights. In the Japanese fighter’s last outing,
he knocked out Kuniyoshi Hironaka in the first round, at Dream
13 in March. Kikuno’s only loss during that stretch came
at the hands of Eddie Alvarez, who submitted him in the second
round at Dream 12 in October.
Manhoef
(24-7-1) hasn’t competed since January, when he was KO’d
by Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce’s “Miami” event.
Prior to that, Manhoef stopped Kazuo Misaki in the first round,
while competing on K-1’s New Year’s Eve, Dynamite card.
The Dutch fighter is 2-3 in his last five fights.
Mizuno
(7-5) has won back-to-back bouts over Ilir Latifi and Rafael
Rodriguez heading into Dream 15, while competing on K-1 Scandinavia
and M-1 cards in Europe. The Pancrase vet has gone 3-2 in his
last five fights, with only one loss coming since August, 2008.
The
other two competitors for the light-heavyweight tourney have
yet to be confirmed.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
UFC
118 OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED FOR BOSTON AUG 28
Get
out the Red Sox hats, and the Bruins and Celtics jerseys, because
the UFC is officially coming to Boston.
The
long awaited announcement about the UFC's first foray into Massachusetts
was made official on Thursday as UFC 118 will take place at the
TD Garden in Boston on August 28.
Headlining
the card will be the championship rematch between now champion
Frankie Edgar and the man he beat to take the belt, former champion
B.J. Penn. The two 155lbers battled in April with Edgar winning
the UFC lightweight title via a 5-round unanimous decision.
The
loss for Penn was the first at 155lbs since a 2002 decision defeat
at the hands of Jens Pulver. The Hawaiian will attempt to get
the belt back that he won and then defended three consecutive
times before running into Frankie Edgar.
A
heavyweight showdown between UFC hall of famer Randy Couture
and former boxing world champion James Toney, making his mixed
martial arts debut was also confirmed for the August show. The
much talked about fight will definitely be one of the most talked
about fights on the card.
A
top contender's slot could also be on the line in Boston as hometown
hero Kenny Florian returns to action to face Gray Maynard in
a lightweight fight.
Other
fights announced for the August 28 show included Nate Marquardt
taking on Rousimar Palhares, Jorge Rivera against Alessio Sakara,
Joe Lauzon taking on Terry Etim, Andre Winner against Nik Lentz,
Nick Osipczak vs. Greg Soto, and Mike Pierce against Amilcar
Alves
Tickets
go on sale on for the general public on June 25 at 10a.m. EST,
while UFC Fight Club members will have access to tickets on June
23 starting at 10a.m. EST.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
'The
New Keith Jardine' Ready for Rebirth Against Matt Hamill
By Matt
Erickson
With wins over Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell and Brandon Vera
on his resume, one would think Keith Jardine was past the "coming
into his own" stage of his career.
With
three straight losses – and four in his last five –
heading into his Saturday fight against Matt Hamill on "The
Ultimate Fighter" live season finale in Las Vegas, it would
be natural to think the UFC light heavyweight was frustrated
or even concerned about his future. But Jardine chalks the losses
up to a simple slump.
"I've
been going through some growing pains and I've been in a little
bit of a funk," Jardine said Wednesday on a media call for
Saturday's fight. "And I needed to go through those pains
to get to here. I've showed glimpses of greatness. I knew two
years ago, I beat Forrest, I beat Liddell, I beat those guys.
But I knew I wasn't the fighter I wanted to be. I knew I wasn't
ready to carry the UFC torch yet."
Jardine's
last four losses haven't exactly come against slouches. He took
Rampage Jackson to a decision at UFC 96. But he was finished
by Wanderlei Silva, Thiago Silva and Ryan Bader. And it is the
knockout losses, especially, that had Jardine realizing he needed
to make some adjustments to his style.
"A
lot of times, I got caught because I was trying to be too orthodox,
too clean – like I read a how-to boxing book," Jardine
said. "(I was) a little bit too planned in everything I
was doing. Now I'm just more relaxed – just flow free and
have fun."
Jardine
(15-7-1, 6-6 UFC), who got his UFC start on Season 2 of "The
Ultimate Fighter," trains with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque,
N.M., and Jackson was one of the coaches he had to turn to in
an attempt to figure out his funk.
"I
had to sit down with my coaches and say, 'Look, man, something's
wrong here. I can't possibly work any harder than I've been working
for these fights. I can't train any harder, but something's wrong.
This is not just a freak thing anymore. We need to find out what
it is,'" Jardine recalled. "And I think we've done
that. I'm sure we've done that. And I'm sure that I'm ready for
a rebirth."
Their
answer? Jardine just may have been thinking too much.
"Sometimes
you get worse before you get better," Jardine said. "I
tried to be too polished and I tried to be too planned in everything
I was doing, and I think that's come full circle now. And I think
I'm ready to let loose and exhibit a lot of the stuff I've been
doing."
Hamill
(8-2, 7-2 UFC) is coming off a controversial win against Jon
Jones in which he was dominated – but won by disqualification
for illegal 12-6 elbow strikes from Jones. In that fight, he
suffered a separated shoulder, but said Wednesday he is fully
healed.
And
against Hamill, Jardine will again face an opponent with a world-renowned
wrestling pedigree. Bader was an NCAA All-American wrestler,
though ultimately it was his striking that put Jardine on the
mat to stay at UFC 110. And Hamill was a NCAA Division III wrestling
champion with Olympic-caliber skills.
But
Jardine said he won't be thinking about Hamill's potential to
get the fight to the ground.
"Matt
does have different takedowns than Bader – he has a lot
different technique," Jardine said. "This fight's been
more about me than Matt Hamill. Matt Hamill brings some really
good stuff to the table. (But) this training has been more about
getting me to where I need to be, and just trying to have a little
more fun and trying to be a little more free in my boxing and
my wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Just about the new Keith Jardine."
The
"new Keith Jardine" says he feels rejuvenated and refreshed.
Saturday will tell if he has wiped the slate clean and is starting
anew, or if he has to go back to the drawing board again. But
at least now he knows what he has to do.
"I've
never been more excited to fight than I am right now," Jardine
said. "I've never been more happy to be in the UFC or more
hungry to get to the top than I am right now. Everything's for
a reason, and I feel real fortunate to be in the place I am right
now."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Fighters
all set for WEC’s debut in Canada
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) is set to make its Canada debut
this Sunday the 20th at Rexall Place in Alberta. The card boasts
top talent, like former lightweight champion Jamie Varner, who
hopes to get back on the winning track, against the powerful
Kamal Shalorus in the main event. The preliminary card features
outstanding featherweight John Grispi taking on hard-hitting
LC Davis in a fight where the winner will be one step closer
to a showdown with current divisional title holder José
Aldo.
Jamie
Varner (16-3-2) is coming off a loss to Ben Henderson, when he
lost his title. His motivation comes from a desire to again take
his place at the top of the WEC pecking order.
“I’m
focused on strength and conditioning. Kamal is the toughest opponent
I’ve ever heard of,” he says.
Kamal
Shalorus (6-0-1) is new to the WEC, with two fights and two wins
on his CV. “Jamie is a great fighter and I’m more than
ready to fight him,” remarked the rookie.
In
another of the evening’s marquee fights, Josh Grispi (13-1)
faces off with LC Davis (16-1). Both are undefeated in the WEC
with three fights apiece. While Davis has won all his via decision
after three rounds, Grispi has won all his by submission in the
first .
“LC
Davis has excellent technique and is a south paw, which is good
for me. But he’s dangerous; I’m really anxious about
to get in there,” said Grispi.
“Josh
Grispi is a young, aggressive opponent who is tall for the division,”
said Davis
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Should
MMA adopt a figure skating-style judging panel system?
By Zach
Arnold
I
had to make that the headline because it’s a part of the
discussion brought up by the Pro MMA radio team recently in regards
to a debate about just how awful the judging is these days in
Mixed Martial Arts.
Every
time I bring this topic up, I always say that I have no magical
solution to fix the problem and the response to this comment
usually consists of “UFC doesn’t mind the screw jobs,
it helps their matchmaking out” and an example pointed to
is the rematch between Mauricio Shogun and Lyoto Machida.
I
don’t say this as a defense of the awful judging in Mixed
Martial Arts right now, but I will say that bad officiating is
a huge problem in all the major sports now. It’s especially
bad in Major League Baseball and has gotten to the point where
the commission has appointed hard ass Frank Robinson to keep
tabs on out-of-control umpires. In the NFL, there’s about
one controversy every week with someone like a Jeff Triplett
type figure. In the NBA, we all know about Tim Donaghy and Joey
Crawford. I could go on and on about this topic all day long
(and sports talk radio usually does, anyways).
The
passage you’re about to read continues multiple arguments
and layers to each one. Take note of the argument about monitors,
which is an argument that Joe Rogan has brought up before. Take
note about a figure skating-style panel system where you have
at least five judges and you throw out the top and the bottom
score.
But
there’s one argument by Larry Pepe and Neil Davidson that
is unwittingly made and I want you to read the passage and try
to spot it… It’s like the elephant in the room that
people don’t want to acknowledge or don’t realize that
they are, in fact, acknowledging it.
LARRY
PEPE: “Now on the judging issue, Neil… something has
to be done. I mean, you know, (Tony) Weeks obviously come from
a boxing background. I’m sure he’s capable of scoring
stand-up fights and boxing matches but that’s not what MMA
is and if you watch that fight where (Evan) Dunham puts on a
grappling clinic against (Tyson) Griffin for the second and third
controls him from the minute they hit the ground to the end of
the rounds, goes for submission attempts and Griffin does NOTHING.
If you’re scoring one of those rounds, like it just screams
to me a) that he should not judging MMA but more importantly,
b) what does MMA have to do to start weeding out judges who clearly
don’t understand what’s going on? I would suggest,
like in other sports, that there has to be some type of accountability
system put in place. I think that in a case like this, he should
have to go into the commission’s office, he should have
to watch that fight with them and explain how he scored those
rounds and why and then I think some body or group has to sit
down and say, ‘you know what, based on what we saw, based
on his explanations, this person should not be you know scoring
MMA because clearly they don’t get it’ and I think
in MMA it’s more critical than boxing because you don’t
have 12 to 15 rounds, you usually have 3 so if you blow one round
like in this case you get the wrong guy winning the fight and
for the athletes, which is what we should be focused on, they
get two or three loses in a row and they’re done. So, the
room for error is so much less and yet all we keep saying is,
‘don’t let it go to the judges,’ that’s like
saying ‘don’t get sick because you can’t find
a competent doctor.’ The answer is not ‘don’t
let it go to the judges,’ the answer is what do we need
to do to get better judges so that decisions like this aren’t
at a risk for a guy like Evan Dunham?”
NEIL
DAVIDSON: “Well, you make good points there, Larry. I’m
hoping that some degree of accountability, I’m hoping some
of that already exists, I’m not sure exactly what kind of
accountability the judges have but I think one thing that’s
going to happen as the sports get older, you will see people
who grew up with it becoming judges. It was interesting that
Bill Mahood was one of the judges on Saturday night. Of course,
he’s a veteran fighter who is now obviously got into judging
so I think that’s the kind of people that will help improve
the standards ringside but I think commissions have to do something
to weed out judges who are clearly not making the grade and I
think we’ll also see a new breed of people coming through
who do know the sport and I think that will help but you know
it’s still hard to… it’s hard to, these are humans,
so it’s subjective. We had another issue in the cage with
a referee stopping a fight in the (Mac) Danzig thing which seemed
very unfortunate and in the heat of the moment that happened….
… At that stage, I actually wished that they had some kind
of replay or commission restarted the fight but that was another
example of where something went awry, so young sport that’s
still figuring things out but accountability and better judges
are key.”
LARRY
PEPE: “Yeah, I think it’s key and I think the common
thread, Neil, you bring up the Lavigne situation, I bring up
the Weeks situation… the common thread usually when something
goes wrong is a lack of understanding for the ground game. That’s
the common thread because Joe Rogan is screaming, ‘he can’t
possibly be out because his neck is exposed.’ If Yves Lavigne
was well-versed in jiu-jitsu, he doesn’t make that call.
If Tony Weeks knew anything at all about the ground game, he
doesn’t make that call and I think the problem is that we
have too many people in the judge and referee positions who really
come from boxing so they understand the stand-up, they don’t
understand the ground and I think when we have judges that make
public statements like Cecil Peoples did after (Lyoto) Machida/(Shogun)
Rua that leg kicks don’t win fights. Really? Ask Pat Barry’s
last three opponents. Ask Urijah Faber against Jose Aldo. I mean,
it demonstrates, I don’t have anything against any of these
people personally, but this isn’t ‘I want to be friends
with them,’ this is ‘I want the athletes to be protected
and given every chance to fight fairly and safely in the cage’
and then I want the people who are scoring them and affecting
their futures and their family’s financial status and everything
else to do it in a way that’s consistent with what MMA is
and I think we’re seeing too many examples… We saw
it a couple of weeks ago with (Rogerio) Nogeuira and Jason Brilz.
We’re seeing example after example and, yes we’re a
young sport, but I think we’re at the point that more needs
to be done to fix this issue because it’s becoming a glaring
weak point in an otherwise fantastic sport.”
NEIL
DAVIDSON: “I think you’re right in that in terms of
we’re seeing more examples of that, in the Nogueira/Brilz
decision you raise was a good one. Most people were shocked by
that one and thought Brilz [won]. The one thing I will say in
defense of Yves Lavigne is that I’m not sure he was able,
I think he was being shielded from that other side of the neck
which was free and when he did raise Danzig’s arm it did
seem limp, it wasn’t, it didn’t seem to offer any resistance
so he was trying to make the decision. He thought the guy was
out and he was looking after the safety of the fighter. I’m
sure Danzig will be taken care of and they’ll have a rematch
so that’s a slightly different situation but I think we’re
at a point now with the scoring that we’ve had a body of
these contentious decisions now and each time one comes up they’re
going to be more questions raised and it’s going to create
a bigger stink and something will have to be done.”
LARRY
PEPE: “Yeah and Neil, you’re point to Yves, is well-taken.
I’m less incensed about Yves because you always err on protecting
the fighter. In that situation like you, I think there should
be a mechanism where that fight can be re-started. I think when
a mistake like that is made, he’s done it before Yves…
we saw it I believe in the Aaron Riley fight with Shane Nelson
and they had to rematch that fight as well because he stopped
that early. I think in that situation there should be a mechanism
where by the referee with the opportunity of instant replay can
say, ‘you know what? It shouldn’t have been stopped,
we’re going to restart the fight,’ because fighter
safety comes first. When it comes to the Weeks thing, listen,
I may be screaming you know and I may be in the minority, but
that just incenses me to no end because there’s just no
way that I can watch the second or the third round and come up
with any argument for Tyson Griffin. So when I see that, when
I hear that leg kicks don’t win fights from a judge who
judges all the time, I sit there and say, ‘c’mon, isn’t
it time, haven’t we grown enough that we deserve better?’
”
NEIL
DAVIDSON: “Yeah, I think you’re right… the problem
is that it is subjective, you know, you just have to look at
figure skating the way they’ve changed the scoring, adding
judges, throwing out the bottom score, the top score, things
like that, so other sports have gone through it and MMA is a
tough sport to judge but I think there has to be more education,
more accountability.”
LARRY
PEPE: “Well, how about we have five judges and throw out
the high and the low somehow? I don’t know. We need to do
something. We need to get better judges. They need to have monitors.
The fact that they don’t have monitors and somehow from
40 feet away you’re trying to see what somebody’s doing
on the ground without a monitor is insane. You and I cover these
events, Neil… what percentage of the event do you end up
watching the guys versus looking on the screen because you can’t
see what’s happening?”
NEIL
DAVIDSON: “It’s true. People say you must have a great
seat in press row and it is a great seat, but there’s a
lot of obstacles in front of you and when you see those judges
on TV, they’re doing a lot of peering trying to see things
and also if you ever watch Dana White, he never watches the fight.”
LARRY
PEPE: “Exactly!”
NEIL
DAVIDSON: “He’s always buried with his head looking
at the television so I think that’s a good point.”
LARRY
PEPE: “Yep, and Dana’s got the best seat in the house
and Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg whose responsibility is to call
the fight for a million people or five million people watching
around the world, they have monitors! So the only guys that don’t
have monitors are the guys determining the outcome of the fight!”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
BADER,
SIMPSON & DOLLAWAY TO OPEN NEW GYM
by Damon
Martin
A group of fighters including UFC mainstays Ryan Bader, Aaron
Simpson, and C.B. Dollaway will open a new gym later this year
in Arizona, hoping to bring in more top competitors to work with.
Previously
training at Arizona Combat Sports, the group of fighters saw
an opportunity to pursue a dream that many mixed martial artists
have and that is to open a gym of their own.
Along
with Washington Wizards' guard Mike Miller, the group is currently
working on a facility opening later this year that will be the
home to their training, and hopefully more top fighters in the
sport as well.
"Bader
and I and C.B. and our manager, we're all kind of working on
opening a top notch facility out here," said Aaron Simpson
when speaking with MMAWeekly Radio. "A state of the art
facility that really hasn't been done before, especially in Arizona."
The
key to opening the gym, according to Simpson, was the relationship
that the fighters have formed over the years between fighting
and their roots as wrestlers at Arizona State University. At
the end of the day, they see the new gym as a great venture,
and everybody sees the benefit in that.
"We're
all close enough, and there's no egos or anything, there's not
going to be any issues with something like that," said Simpson.
"We're just excited to have a place that we call home, and
get everything in one spot. From strength training to physical
therapy to actual boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, everything we
can do right in one spot."
The
gym will also focus on kids programs, as well as a kids wrestling
team to help further their grappling roots in the community.
It's been no secret that college and high school wrestling programs
have suffered under the weight of financial strain lately. Simpson
and the other members of their team hope to rebuild the sport
that helped them get their start.
Other
fighters have already begun flocking to Arizona to work with
the new team. Robbie Lawler spent his camp preparing for Renato
"Babalu" Sobral in Arizona, and other fighters like
Jesse Forbes, and NCAA wrestling champion Eric Larkin have also
been training with them.
The
move has been the stuff dreams are made of, but Simpson makes
sure to give credit to the Lally brothers at Arizona Combat Sports
for what they did to get them to this point, but now it's time
for the students to become the teachers.
"Nothing
to take away what we had at Arizona Combat Sports, but we just
had an opportunity to do this, and it's something in the future
we can hope to grow, and really obviously make it one of the
top gyms in the world," Simpson stated.
The
team worked with Lawler and Simpson for their upcoming fights.
Teammate Ryan Bader has been recovering from hand surgery, but
hopes to return later this summer or early this fall. MMAWeekly.com
will have more information about the new gym opening when it
becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Tavares:
“I’ve fought Brazilians before”
By Guilherme Cruz
Recovered from a shoulder injury, Thiago Tavares was called in
to come back to UFC’s octagon against another Brazilian,
Willamy Chiquerim, and he is excited for the duel. “I’m
very excited, I believe it’ll be a great fight and it will
be decided on the small details”, said the fighter to TATAME,
hoping for a love of punch’s trade. “He comes from
a great team, Nova União, which is a Jiu-Jitsu team, but
I believe the fight will be decided while we are standing…
He has a better standing game than I do. Since we both come from
Jiu-Jitsu, let’s see who is more prepared for a standing
fight”, bets.
Experienced on the American’s octagon, it will be the first
time that Thiago will confront another Brazilian on UFC, but
he does not mind. “I’ve fought against Brazilians before,
so, for me, it doesn’t make any difference. The Americans
always fight against each other, so I don’t mind. Each man
fights for himself and God fights for all of us, right?”
jokes Tavares. “Of course there’s a Brazilian team
in each division, and I was glad when I hear he would join UFC
so he could help me to beat the Americans, but then I heard he
would confront me… That’s life and I don’t see
a problem fighting against him because of his nationality. I
believe that, independent of who wins, Brazil will be well represented”.
As
for the shoulder injury, which took him away from UFC 114 right
before the event, the lightweight guarantees he is recovered.
“I’m training 100% and I’ll be 100% ready for
the fight. I’m doing a good training, Maldonado has been
helping me with my boxing, I’m working a lot on the standing
game, and there’s a Puerto Rican coming to help me on that
part too, he’ll do sparring with me, he’s a professional
boxer. I’m very excited, working on my deficiencies and
I believe it’ll be a great fight”, says Thiago, excited
on the chat with TATAME.
Source: Tatame
|
Lisa
Ward Chokes Out Stephanie Frausto
By Michael David Smith
Another strong contender in the upcoming Bellator Fighting Championships
115-pound women's tournament announced herself Thursday night
in Kansas City, as Lisa Ward put on a dominant display of Brazilian
jiu jitsu in choking out Stephanie Frausto in the first round
at Bellator 22.
Ward
secured a beautiful double-leg takedown to get Frausto on the
canvas, then passed her guard, took her back and sunk in the
rear-naked choke. Frausto wouldn't tap out, so Ward choked her
until she passed out and the referee stopped the fight two minutes,
one second into the first round.
Most
people consider Japan's Megumi Fujii to be not just the favorite
in the Bellator tournament but also one of the best pound-for-pound
female fighters in the world. Ward lost to Fujii two years ago
and said after choking out Frausto that she's looking forward
to getting another chance at Fujii.
"I
would love another shot at Megumi," Ward said. "We
have some unfinished business."
Of
course, from Fujii's perspective, it would be more accurate to
say that the business is already finished: Fujii beat Ward, just
as she's beaten all 20 opponents in her MMA career. But Ward,
who improved her record to 13-5, showed on Thursday night that
she could be a threat to anyone at 115 pounds -- including Fujii.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
50th
State Fair “SELECT COMBAT”
Friday, June 18 & Saturday, June 19
ITINERARY:
Friday,
June 18th
4:00pm Staff Meeting
5:00-6:00pm SC One Tournament Weigh-ins
6:30-7:00pm Rules Meeting for Tournament and Fight
7:00-9:00pm SC One Tournament
7:00-8:00pm SC One Fight Weigh-ins
Saturday,
June 19th
3:00pm Staff Meeting
4:00pm Keiki matches (10) matches
12
& under:
(2 min) Takedowns
(2 min) Positions
13 – 18 yrs old:
(1 min) Kickboxing
(1.5 min) Boxing & Takedowns
(2 min) Jiu Jitsu
5:30pm Adult matches (15) matches
(1 min) Kickboxing
(1.5 min) Boxing & Takedowns
(2 min) Jiu Jitsu
8:00pm End
TICKET
PRICES:
Pre-sale
tickets (up to June 18th) – $20 per adult / $8 keiki
School
Groups of (10) or more – $15 per adult / $6 keiki
Door
- $25 adult / $10 keiki
For more information, check out www.selectcombat.com
50th
State Fair “50th State BJJ Championships”
Friday,
June 25 & Saturday, June 26
ITINERARY:
Friday,
June 25th
5:00pm
Weigh-ins begin
5:30-6:00pm 1st seminar / exhibition
6:15-6:45pm Rules Meeting
7:00-7:30pm 2nd seminar / exhibition
8:00pm End of weigh-ins
Saturday,
June 26th
8:00am Staff Meeting
9:00am Keiki matches start
11:00am Women’s matches start
1:00pm Men’s matches start
6:00pm Tournament ends
PRICE:
Pre-registration
(before June 18th)
$60 per adult / $35 per keiki (12 & under)
Regular
Registration (June 18th-June 25th)
$75 per adult / $50 per keiki (12 & under)
Walk-Up
(day of tournament)
$100 per competitor
Door
- $10.00
Source: Egan Inoue
|
Weekend
Primer: ‘Ultimate Fighter’ Finale, WEC 49
by Jake
Rossen
Keith
Jardine file photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
If
there’s one story that stands out among the weekend’s
six hours of fight programming, it’s the idea of Keith Jardine
having one foot on the mat and the other dangling off the cliff.
Jardine,
an “Ultimate Fighter 2” runner-up from 2005, has had
his share of quality wins: he knocked out Forrest Griffin, outpointed
Chuck Liddell and shut down a prospect in Brandon Vera. But the
Vera bout was nearly two years ago, and it represents Jardine’s
last win. He’s 0-3 since, including two stoppage losses.
If the UFC has a violence quota, he’s falling pretty far
down the leaderboard.
Loss
number four against Matt Hamill Saturday would be in pretty flagrant
violation of Octagon expectations. Jardine doesn’t need
a pretty win -- and can rarely deliver one anyway -- but he does
need to defend his job. If he fights like he’s aware of
that, he could be involved in one of the weekend’s better
bouts.
What:
The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale, a nine-bout card from the Pearl
at the Palms in Las Vegas live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET Saturday;
World Extreme Cagefighting 49, an 11-bout card from Rexall Place
in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, live on Versus at 9 p.m. ET Sunday
Why
You Should Watch: Because the ‘TUF’ card has at least
two go-for-broke fighters in Chris Leben and Spencer Fisher;
because you’re either looking for Jamie Yager to deliver
a beating or sustain one; because on the WEC’s end, Jamie
Varner and Kamal Shalorus can only disappoint if the arena power
goes out; and because doing anything but watching television
is highly overrated.
Fight
of the Weekend: Varner/Shalorus, with Varner looking to rebound
from a tough loss to Benson Henderson and Shalorus looking to
top off his unblemished record with a win over a valued name
in the WEC’s 155 lb. division.
Hype
Quote of the Shows: “It’s like looking in the mirror.
We’re the same size, he likes the weights, I like the donuts,
but everything else we’re pretty much even on.” --
Fisher, on opponent Dennis Siver, to UFC.com.
5
Questions: ‘Ultimate Fighter 11’ Finale and WEC 49
Is
winning ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ trophy still a big deal?
Despite
the learn-as-they-go production nature of “The Ultimate
Fighter” in its early seasons, the series still managed
to produce a sizable number of relevant athletes in different
divisions. Season one winner Forrest Griffin held the light heavyweight
title; Josh Koscheck contends for a belt soon. Season two’s
Rashad Evans has only lost once; Michael Bisping is a valuable
UK headliner.
Get
past the first three seasons and that roster support begins to
thin out. Nate Diaz and Mac Danzig have been on the bubble; Ryan
Bader looks like a monster but hasn’t proven it against
top competition yet. The stigma over being a “reality TV
fighter” may be over, but with as many disappointing winners
as contenders, it hasn’t been replaced with anything else.
Dave
Mandel/Sherdog.com
Trainer
Mark DellaGrotteWhat is Mark DellaGrotte going to do for Spencer
Fisher?
There
are two outcomes to uprooting your life and submitting your body
to a new training camp: you’ll either benefit from the new
environment, or you’ll be contorted into a style that doesn’t
suit you.
In
packing his bags for Mark DellaGrotte’s gym in Massachusetts,
Spencer Fisher is going to be exposed to a lot of kickboxing.
Not being a kickboxer by trade but a heavy-handed slugger, he’ll
either add to his ammunition or confuse and dilute the talent
that brought him three straight wins before a loss to Joe Stevenson
last October.
Is
Jamie Yager a product of reality television’s influence?
Who
can know the real Jamie Yager? Due to either strategic editing
or strategic posturing, Yager came off as “The Ultimate
Fighter’s” star antagonist, a role that’s led
to recurring employment for past instigators like Junie Allen
Browning and Josh Koscheck.
It’s
gotten to the point where the past rewards for bad behavior have
to have some influence on cast members that follow. If Yager
is secretly working soup kitchens in his off-hours, it’s
another bit of evidence that “reality television” is
only as real as producers allow.
Is
the WEC’s 155 lb. class creating consumer confusion?
Unless
casual fans sit down to think about it, there’s a real redundancy
in having two Zuffa-endorsed 155 lb. champions on television.
In a WEC pay per view (without a trace of the WEC brand) last
month, Benson Henderson retained his title; a month prior, Frankie
Edgar obtained the UFC’s 155 lb. title. Are we supposed
to value one more than the other?
The
UFC’s spinoff promotion works when it’s clearly distinguishable
from its bigger brother: namely, highlighting the 145 lb. and
under weight divisions. Having Henderson and Edgar carry two
belts only winds up tarnishing both.
Is
weight cutting out of control?
Josh
Grispi, who fights L.C. Davis Sunday, is a 145 lb. featherweight
who can ride any theme park attraction he wants: he walks at
172 lbs, larger than some lightweights. While cutting 25 lbs.
isn’t unusual for bigger men, slicing that much off your
weight when you’re in the WEC’s lighter divisions is
some kind of feat.
Grispi
is only playing the system to his advantage, but his body’s
ability to endure that kind of radical recomposition gives his
opponents another problem. Dehydration might be winning as many
fights as skill.
Red
Ink: Hamill vs. Jardine
More
than anyone in the UFC’s 205 lb. division, Keith Jardine
represents the idea of a blue-collar laborer. He alternates wins
and losses with regularity, he’s a muted presence in media,
and his style is completely without grace. Compared with the
hyper and video game-influenced performances of some of his peers,
Jardine is the fighter equivalent of an art film.
Matt
Hamill isn’t much of a contradiction: a wrestler from Utica,
he’s engendered some ready-made affection for the perception
of a deaf athlete overcoming adversity in a highly dangerous
career. That wrestling pedigree usually goes out the window when
he chooses to stand up, which would likely be Jardine’s
preference. It’s not a high-profile fight, but fans may
find more to recognize in both than in the athletes finding fame
and fortune further on up the ladder.
What
it Means: For Hamill, a chance to wash out the taste of a disqualification
“win” against Jon Jones; for Jardine, a chance to escape
the heat of four straight losses and the very real threat of
being given his walking papers.
Wild
Card: The vague idea of a cracked chin being an unreliable chin:
Jardine has been put down in two of his last three.
Who
Wins: Hamill’s grindhouse striking style is a perfect fit
for Jardine, but he can take the fight into his waters on the
ground anytime he wants: Hamill by TKO.
Excuses
are as necessary a part of fighting sports as cups and hand wraps,
but some resonate more than others. When Jamie Varner fought
Benson Henderson in January, most expected his takedown defense
and striking to be to his advantage. Instead, Henderson skyrocketed
his career by sinking a choke in the third.
Either
Henderson is that much better or Varner’s personal issues
-- his mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer prior to the
fight -- infected his thinking. Whatever the case, he has a chance
to reassert himself as a contender for Henderson with a win over
Kamal Shalorus, an undefeated boulder of a wrestler who plans
to match his tenacity with Varner’s A-minus striking game.
What
it Means: A likely crack at Henderson’s title.
Wild
Card: Shalorus, 7-0, is getting an expedited trip to the upper
level of the WEC’s lightweight division. He might not have
cured all of the mistakes that come from a handful of trips to
the ring.
Who
Wins: Varner has too many tools for Shalorus: if his head is
on straight, he takes it via decision.
Source: Sherdog
|
Sobral
outpoints Lawler, Kennedy Submits Prangley
By Dustin
Lee DePue
Los Angeles, CA—Four excellent fights made up an entertaining
evening of MMA on Showtime as Stirkeforce presented Lawler vs
Sobral at the Nokia Theater. A pair of catch weight bouts provided
viewers with tightly contested three-round wars as KJ Noons bested
Connor Huen at 160 pounds and Renato “Babalu” Sobral
out-scored “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler at 195 pounds.
Rounding out the action were two exciting finishes as Tim Kennedy
submitted Trevor Prangley and Evangelista “Cyborg”
Santos scored a TKO over Marius Zaromskis.
In
the main event, Sobral used an effective body attack mixed with
low kicks and improved boxing to outscore Lawler’s headhunting
in a close fight that could have gone either way. Sobral’s
early takedown attempts were tossed aside by Lawler but Sobral
found success scoring with knees to the head and body from the
clinch. Lawler landed several hard left straights, one of which
opened a cut before finally being taken down. Lawler was quick
to get back to his feet, avoiding a guillotine and later, a D’arce
choke in a close opening round.
Sobral
took over in the second round, chipping away at Lawler with low
kicks and body shots that left a large purple welt on Lawler’s
left ribcage. After getting ripped to the body with a two-kick
combination to the leg and body, Lawler started to increase his
offensive output, landing a body punch of his own and a pair
of knees to the head from the clinch. The final minute saw both
fighters landing strikes but it was clearly Sobral’s round.
Recognizing
the potential that he was down on the scorecards, Lawler came
out for the final round aggressively pursuing Sobral with power
shots. He backed Sobral to the outskirts of the cage and chased
him around, landing a stiff left uppercut and defending Sobral's
single leg attempt. With the round getting away from him early,
Sobral seized back some of the initiative by going back to kicking
the legs and body. He followed a hard punch to the body with
a kick to the same spot that seemed to hurt Lawler. Lawler answered
back with a big counter right-left hook combination that stung
Sobral and were his best punches of the round. The final minute
was all Lawler as he stalked Sobral landing several punches and
tearing up Sobral’s face, capping the round off with a right
hook as the bell sounded. It wasn’t enough for Lawler though,
as the judges awarded a unanimous decision to Sobral by three
scores of 29-28.
Veteran
Evangelista Cyborg Santos scored an impressive first round TKO
over Dream Welterweight Grand Prix winner Marius Zaromskis. Both
fighters were busy in the first round, particularly with their
feet as Zaromskis head hunted with his dangerous left high kick
and Santos ripped his opponents legs with low kicks. Mixing things
up, Santos landed a head kick and followed it with a left hook
that sent Zaromskis reeling backwards. Smelling blood, Santos
moved in for the kill, countering a flying knee from Zaromskis
with a right hook that dropped him and finishing up with punches
on the ground for the TKO stoppage at 2:38 of the first round.
Tim
Kennedy used his grappling prowess to get veteran Trevor Prangley
to the ground and finish him with a rear naked choke. Kennedy
wasted little time attempting takedowns, however, Prangley was
the first to put his man on the mat, executing a pair of beautiful
hip tosses from the clinch. Kennedy worked to his feet both times
before scoring a double leg takedown into half guard. He quickly
worked to mount, scoring punches that prompted Prangley to give
up his back. Kennedy took his back and sunk in the rear naked
choke as Prangley tried to slip out the back door, forcing the
tapout at 3:35 of the first round.
K.J.
Noons and late replacement Connor Heun kicked off the telecast
with an entertaining and tightly contested slug fest. Noons’s
superior boxing technique and excellent takedown defense trumped
Heun’s aggressive, brawling style and jiu-jitsu prowess
as he squeaked by on a split decision.
Heun
came out aggressively pursuing the takedown but when he was unable
to put Noons on the mat, he switched gears and glanced a high
kick off of Noons’s head. Heun followed with punches, scoring
with an uppercut but Noons remained calm and started to hit his
stride in the middle of the round, countering an uppercut from
Heun with a sharp right straight and following with a head kick.
Heun stole back the momentum by taking Noons down and taking
his back, where he sunk in a body triangle and landed punches
until Noons finally escaped to his feet with seconds remaining
and knocked Heun down with an uppercut at the bell.
Noon's
vastly more technical boxing took over in the second round as
he had better success slipping Heun's punches and sneaking in
counters. He was busier with his jab and worked in uppercuts
to the body wherever he could. He stung Heun with a sharp uppercut
followed by a left hook and later a right-left that had him backing
up. Heun was game though and came back with a knee to the head
but it didn't faze Noons, who cracked him with a big left hook
late in the round.
Heun
came out aggressive again in the third, pushing the early action
as Noons circled away looking to counter his opponent's reckless
charge. They traded strikes; Heun landing a left kick to the
head and Noons answering with a left hook; Heun landing a knee
to the head, Noons answering with a stiff three punch combo,
his best of the night, however, this exchange quickly tipped
in Noons's favor as he began overwhelming Heun with hard, expertly
timed punches. Heun tried to get Noons to the mat but could not
and he paid the price as Noons opened up on him in the final
moments of the fight, ripping him with a pair of left hooks and
several knees to the face, leaving Heun a bloody and battered
fighter by the final bell.
Though
Heun was aggressive and landed plenty of punches, most of them
were tamed by Noons's ability to roll with them, an ability evidenced
by the lack of visible damage to his own face. Heun's face, on
the other hand, showed the marks of Noons's effectiveness on
the feet. The majority of the judges agreed, giving Noons the
win by a score of 27-30, 29-28, 29-28.
Renato
Sobral def Robbie Lawler by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-28)
Evangelista Santos def Marius Zaromskis by TKO (Strikes) 2:38
Rd 1
Tim Kennedy def Trevor Prangley by Rear Naked Choke 3:35 Rd 1
K.J. Noons def Connor Heun by Split Decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
BABALU
WON'T FIGHT KING MO, CALLS FOR HENDO
by Damon
Martin
It was announced prior to Strikeforce on Wednesday night that
if Renato "Babalu" Sobral defeated Robbie Lawler, he
would get a shot at the light heavyweight title. The only problem
with that is Babalu is close friends with and a training partner
of current champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.
Babalu
was successful in his fight against Robbie Lawler, picking up
a unanimous decision victory. But following the win, he said
he won't fight his friend and called for another fight instead.
"I
won't never punch and try to hurt my friends, but I would like
to ask for a fight, and all the respect that I have, in the beginning
of my career I fought Dan Henderson in Japan and lost to him,"
Babalu said.
The
fight Sobral is referring to was the finale of a one-night "King
of Kings" tournament held in the Rings organization. With
each already having two fights under their belt that night, Sobral
and Henderson met in the finals with Henderson picking up the
majority decision win in a razor close bout.
Back
on the winning track by beating Lawler, it appears Sobral is
going to pass fighting his friend even if a title is on the line,
and try to make a second fight with Henderson a reality.
"I
don't want to disrespect, but I would like to fight him. It's
going to be 11 years since I fought him. It's a long time, and
please, it would be an honor to fight him again, to have the
chance to fight Dan Henderson," said Sobral.
Henderson
hasn't fought since April when he made his Strikeforce debut,
losing a unanimous decision to current middleweight champion
Jake Shields.
It
appears that Babalu and Henderson could be a viable fight for
the organization, while the focus will now turn to who will face
King Mo when he defends his title in August.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
José
Aldo’s thoughts on the man after his belt
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Featured in the current issue of GRACIEMAG now on newsstands,
in bookstores and academies around the world, WEC featherweight
champion José Aldo reveals what he learnt from competing
against four-time world champion Rubens Charles Cobrinha during
his days in Jiu-Jitsu, and how the cold and sometimes frightening
nights he spent sleeping in the academy help forge the determined
mind of a champion.
It
hasn’t yet been officially announced, but Aldo’s next
adversary is likely Manny Gamburyan, who is coming off an impressive
win over former champion Mike Brown. Foreseeing the matchup,
NOCAUTE magazine, Gracie Publishing’s MMA publication, reveals
what the black belt thinks of his likely opponent.
“He’s
a good fighter, a judoka with strong wrestling. He has heavy
hands, too,” says Aldo, who didn’t expect Gamburyan
to beat Mike Brown.
“It
was a surprise to me; I didn’t figure he’d beat Mike
Brown. I feel Mike has better wrestling, grappling and boxing
than Manny. But he landed the punch and ended the fight.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Jake
Shields wants to fight Georges St. Pierre within the next year
By Zach
Arnold
But he’s still on the fence, publicly, as far as signing
with UFC. That’s the gist from a radio interview spot he
did last night with Hector Castro of MMA Die Hards.
HECTOR
CASTRO: “As soon as you beat Dan (Henderson) and your contract
with Strikeforce was semi-up, I noticed a lot more face time
on The Ultimate Fighter. I’m not sure if you caught that
as well.”
JAKE
SHIELDS: “I’ve actually missed the last few episodes.
I’ve been traveling so I keep missing them. I think they’re
probably already edited, so it’s probably just random. I
don’t know, but who knows?”
HECTOR
CASTRO: “Well, now there’s been a lot of talk obviously
about you signing with the UFC or going back to Strikeforce.
I know you’ve out to the a lot of events. You were at the
UFC Fan Expo and I know that you know you’ve been in contract
talks there. There has been a report by according to this guy
who claims he’s one of your friends on the UG mentioning
that you have signed with the UFC.”
JAKE
SHIELDS: “It’s rumors. There’s been no signing.
But nothing signed, nothing… you know, I mean, obviously
there are starting to be talks but nothing’s that close
to coming along. Decisions aren’t made yet. We’re still
in the early stages and obviously I’m a big UFC fan and
have been for years but it’s still not 100% at this point.”
HECTOR
CASTRO: “OK, understood. And how was, I mean, your relationship
with Strikeforce, you guys are still negotiating. It’s not
like a done deal with UFC, which a lot of people are pretty much
expecting.”
JAKE
SHIELDS: “We’re still talking. I mean, I don’t
know, my manager handles this. I’m just kicking back, training,
and traveling doing expos and all that and I let him figure everything
out.”
HECTOR
CASTRO: “Is going to the UFC, is that something you always
had on your career goals?”
JAKE
SHIELDS: “My career goals have always has been to go out
there and you know fight the best fighters, you know before it
was UFC vs. PRIDE and UFC vs. Strikeforce and just you know I
love fighting. I’m looking to fight wherever I can fight
the best match-ups possible.”
HECTOR
CASTRO: “You had one of the best fighters in the world [Georges
St. Pierre] kind of call you out and say that he’d love
to fight you and love to obviously give you an opportunity to
win the belt if you went to the UFC, so I mean you have the best
of the best calling you out. What are your thoughts on that?”
JAKE
SHIELDS: “I think it’s awesome that someone like GSP
would call me out, you know. I’ve called him out several
times in the past and he now agrees I’m the person to fight,
I mean that’s showing a lot of respect, you know, calling
me out in a respectful way and I think that’s really cool
and that’s a fight I would like to have, that I want, he
wants, and I think a lot of the fans want so we’ll see in
the next year or so if that will come together.”
Later
on in the interview…
CO-HOST:
“I mean, that has to have some kind of an effect on what
your decision may or may not be in terms of which promotion that
you’re going to fight for, so like what are you telling
your agent as far as that? Is it you know, listen, you know,
you’re in it, it’s a short career, you have to get
paid, but if the money is equal, how are you not signing with
the UFC?”
JAKE
SHIELDS: “Yeah, the UFC holds so much prestige and always
a show of respect and of course part of my mind is going that
way but I’m just trying not to jump to conclusions, you
know, I’m trying to let my manager do his job and sit back
and make sure I get paid and get a good deal, you know…
… Strikeforce is a huge growing organization with their
CBS and Showtime (deals) and you know guys like Jacare (Souza)
so I’m trying to sit back and let my manager handle it and
not be too forceful.”
SNIP
HECTOR
CASTRO: “Yeah, absolutely, and I think one of the things
that if you sign back with Strikeforce, who’s next in line
in your opinion as to who you would like to fight? Would it be
Jacare? Would it be a rematch with Mayhem (Miller)? Is that something
that you’d consider?”
JAKE
SHIELDS: “I would think like Jacare and to have like Henderson
fight Mayhem or Robbie Lawler fight Mayhem for #1 contender.
That’s the way I would look at it, but again you know, if
you’re the champion I think it’s up to the promotion
to make the decision you know the champ doesn’t get to pick
who they fight.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Kamal
Shalorus Traces His Strength to Life on the Farm in Iran
By Michael David Smith
When a young American athlete wants to get stronger, he heads
to the weight room. Kamal Shalorus built his muscles a different
way.
Growing
up in the small town of Khalkhal in Northern Iran, Shalorus eschewed
formal workouts and instead became one of his country's strongest
amateur wrestlers by getting up early every day and putting in
long hours of heavy lifting working on the family farm.
"I
know some athletes who developed their strength through technology,"
Shalorus said in an interview with MMAFighting.com. "Not
me. I got it working with my hands, working in the field all
day, working with the animals. We had sheep, goats, horses --
I'd have to build a barn for the animals, I'd have to work in
the garden and then go chop down a tree, I'd have to go into
the mountains to get something. It was a hard workout. I would
often think to myself while I was working that this would also
help me with my wrestling."
It
worked. Shalorus earned a spot on Iran's junior national team
and traveled around the world competing in amateur wrestling,
and once he had traveled as far as amateur wrestling could take
him, he made the transition to professional mixed martial arts.
MMA
is Shalorus's sport now, and on Sunday night he has the biggest
fight of his career, against Jamie Varner in the main event at
WEC 49 in Edmonton. Many years after he last worked on his family
farm in Iran, Shalorus still believes the strength he developed
half a world away gives him a big edge against Varner.
"I
am strong for my size and I really believe all that hard work
on the farm helped me," Shalorus said. "I would work
all day on the farm and that's why I'm strong -- both physically
and in giving me the willpower to keep working."
Shalorus
last fought in January, beating Dave Jansen by unanimous decision.
He views Varner as a major step up in competition, but he believes
that wrestling background will continue to work in his favor
and earn him a win.
"Jamie
is a great fighter and it's an honor to fight with him,"
Shalorus said. "He is the best opponent I've had so far.
He has good wrestling, he's a hard puncher. He can do everything
well. But I've improved my striking a lot and I like to strike.
And I'll use my wrestling to take him down and control the fight."
In
the week before the fight, Shalorus is thinking mostly about
how to beat Varner. But he also says he's thinking about how,
in the high-profile position of fighting in the main event of
a Versus televised fight card,he can give American viewers a
little bit of insight into his homeland.
"I
hope people in America know that most people in Iran want peace
and want more of a connection with America," Shalorus said.
"It's so amazing that I'm from Iran but I can be cheered
by American fans when I fight. Sport can bring about peace and
bring people together. I love that."
And
what will those fans see on Sunday night?
"I
want to give the fans an exciting fight they're going to enjoy,"
Shalorus said. "And I want to show that I'm an honorable
competitor."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Tim
Sylvia injured; Rizzo waits for opponent
By Guilherme
Cruz
The heavyweight Pedro Rizzo complained about the big gap between
his fights, but things changed on 2010. After beating Gary Goodridge
on the United States, the Brazilian faces Ken Shamrock on July
18, and had a fight scheduled for the beginning of August.
“Tim Sylvia got hurt, I think he broke his feet, but I’ll
fight on August 14 again. I’m just waiting for the confirmation”,
said Pedro to TATAME, waiting for the recovery of his opponent.
“If it’s him, I’ll be glad to do this fight, but
I don’t mind who I will fight against. I can’t say
for sure it’s him, but I’m looking for someone at my
level and I have to wait”.
Renew,
Rizzo celebrates his good phase. “I’m thrilled, never
better. Work, my son, I’m very glad (laughs). Lots of fights,
trainings and I’m doing what I love to do... Even my mood
gets better”, jokes Pedro, who will confront Shamrock on
Impact FC. Stay tuned on TATAME to know everything about the
event, which will also have the presence of Murilo Bustamante
e Paulão Filho.
Source: Tatame
|
Teenager
Mendy to Make Prizefighter History
Patrick
Mendy will become the youngest fighter in Prizefighter history
when he boxes in the super-middleweights event on June 30 at
York Hall, Bethnal Green – the start of a journey he says
will take him to a world title.
The 19 year-old from Maidenhead has been tipped for big things
and got the call up for the latest of Barry Hearn’s eight-man,
one night tournaments live on Sky Sports as he travelled to spar
with European, British and Commonwealth title winner Nathan Cleverly
– great preparation for the hotly-tipped teenager.
“I was on my way [to Wales] when I got the call and I’m
so excited to get into Prizefighter and believe me, I am the
best fighter in the line-up,” said Mendy, known as ‘The
Tiger’. “I train right all the time in the gym and
I’m working even harder to be at my peak in two weeks time.
I’ve done speed work every day since getting that call and
it’s going really well.
“It’s going to be a great night, the biggest of my
career so far and I am very confident that I will win,”
said the Maidenhead man. “My fights on the night are going
to be explosive and the fans will love it, it will be the best
night of boxing they will have ever seen because I’m in
the ring.”
Mendy has nine fights under his belt since turning pro with five
wins and four losses, all on points, including a defeat to great
Scottish 2006 Commonwealth gold medallist Kenny Anderson in his
last outing in March – but he claims that his record does
not reflect his performances in all his fights, and that he could
have easily been going into the night unbeaten.
“My record says four defeats but if you saw the fights you
would say I won,” said Mendy. “I took the fight against
Anderson with three days notice and anyone there would say that
I won that fight so my record means little.
“It is great for Maidenhead that I am fighting in Prizefighter,”
he added. “I do a lot of work in the community with kids,
getting them off the streets and into the gym learning. It’s
really important to me and I’m fighting for them and for
the area at York Hall.”
Mendy’s path to the top is being led by experienced manager
Jim Evans, who is confident he has one of the next big things
on his hands and compared him at his age to former Amateur star
Errol Christie – and says he has the added element to take
him all the way.
“He’s the best 19 year-old I’ve seen since Errol,”
said Evans. “The thing about Patrick is he has that little
bit of arrogance that all top athletes have to have. I’ve
got 30 fighters and he walks with all of them – he spars
with Michael Sprott and handles him well and I’m certain
he’ll come out on top at Prizefighter.”
With a winner’s cheque of £32,000 up for grabs, the
financial gains are vast, but Mendy is focused on making this
first step to the peak of boxing.
“I live for boxing and my mission is clear – to become
a World Champion and I will achieve it, and that journey can
start at Prizefighter,” said Mendy.
Tickets for Prizefighter Super Middleweights are available now
at £35 (unreserved), £60 (ringside) and £100
(VIP) – call Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Dana
and fighters’ high hopes for TUF final
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
This Saturday the 19th holds the grand finale of the 11th season
of the The Ultimate Fighter reality show. The headlining matchup
is Matt Hamill and Keith Jardine, and the evening also features
bouts between Chris Leben and Aaron Simpson and Spencer Fisher
versus Dennis Siver. To round out the show the show’s two
finalists will face off – their names will be revealed come
fight time. The big winner earns a UFC contract. The event is
to take place at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Winner
of the 2nd season Keith Jardine faces the winner of the third,
Matt Hamill, and the victor will move up the rankings of the
most competitive division in the UFC, the light heavyweight class
(under 205 lbs / 93 kg).
“This
is a battle between two fighters known to fans to produce exciting
fights,” states UFC president Dana White. “Both have
knockout power and know they need to win this fight to move up
the light heavyweight rankings,” he adds.
“Keith
is a great fighter and one of the main competitors in the division.
I need to beat him Saturday to make it to the next step in my
career, and I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen,”
says Matt Hamill.
“Matt’s
a good guy and a good fighter, but this fight is my first step
in making it back to the top,” Jardine replies. “I
started my UFC career in The Ultimate Fighter and one of the
most memorable fights in my career was the second season final.
I made a lot of fans with that fight and I’m honored to
be in the main event,” he says.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
STRIKEFORCE
L.A. ATTENDANCE & GATE
Strikeforce held a special six-bout fight card Wednesday night
in conjunction with the E3 Gaming Convention in Los Angeles at
the Nokia Theatre.
Former
Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato “Babalu”
Sobral bested former EliteXC champion Robbie Lawler in the main
event. Babalu’s face told a different story, a cut on the
bridge of his nose and a gash over the corner of his left eye,
but he won a unanimous decision when all was said and done.
Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker later stated that the event unofficially drew
an attendance of 5,259 for gate receipts of $418,061.
Coker
estimated that the attendance was over 90 percent of capacity
in the intimate setting.
Those
numbers will later be confirmed or adjusted by the California
State Athletic Commission. The Commission oversaw the event and
will maintain the official record of the attendance and gate
receipts.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Donovan
Craig of Fight! Magazine: Fedor vs. Brock Lesnar would be a 30-second
fight
By Zach
Arnold
From
an hour-long radio discussion last week between Donovan Craig
of Fight! Magazine and Eddie Goldman, the two men spent some
time talking about Fedor Emelianenko’s future and what would
happen if he fought in the UFC. Donovan believes that Fedor vs.
Brock Lesnar would turn out the same way Fedor vs. Tim Sylvia
did in Affliction.
DONOVAN
CRAIG: “I think… it’s not necessarily you know
(Shane) Carwin or Lesnar or those guys, but like, what about
say for example a Junior dos Santos vs. Fedor? I think that guy
could be the wild card in that whole division and he’s actually
not the biggest but because of his speed and his ability to let
his hands go.”
EDDIE
GOLDMAN: “I haven’t watched too many of his fights,
I’m proud to say, because of the company that he fights
in. But I just think that Fedor has found a way, even after he
gets battered around a little bit, even by Choi Hong-Man the
big (South) Korean, he got banged up, you looked at his face
after that, he’s found a way to beat everybody. The question
is at what point does he start to slow down? At what point are
their conditioning issues because people have raised that question
before. We don’t know that. Eventually, that’s going
to happen, but maybe he’ll retire before then but I don’t
think he’s afraid of anybody. I don’t know that a guy
like Brock Lesnar has the skills because I think that he may
be bigger and stronger, but I don’t know that if he gets
taken down, Fedor’s just not going to sit there and eat
punches and on the ground he’s far better than a Frank Mir
in terms of getting submission. And again, anybody could knock
him out, that’s certainly a possibility. I just think it
would have to be someone with professional boxing-level skills
and I don’t think there are too many guys like that at this
point in MMA in the Heavyweights.”
DONOVAN
CRAIG: “I think Lesnar and Fedor is another 30-second fight.
I think Lesnar is, I think anybody who goes out there and throws
at him is going to quickly knock him out. Fedor’s going
to, not anyone, but I think Fedor would. Like I always have thought
that Fedor would walk through Randy Couture, you know, I think
that Lesnar does not match up well against him. Now, Carwin,
dos Santos, maybe a different story. But, you know, another point
to bring up about Fedor is you’re saying he’s taking
these beatings, sometimes that catches up with you. Look at [Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira], you know, he was you know so famous for having
you know this great chin and you know being this warrior that
takes one too many and he gets in the ring and becomes old as
the saying goes, you see that with boxers sometimes and you can’t
take that punishment and then not you know take a toll on your
body and it seems to just happen suddenly a lot of times in fighters,
you know they’re fine and dominant you know one match and
the next time they come in and they’ve suddenly you know
the physical toll has started to show so, who knows when that
will happen.”
EDDIE
GOLDMAN: “And Fedor is fighting less frequently because
I wonder if one of the problems also that came up between M-1
Global and Strikeforce was also a way to buy them more time for
having him fight that frequently because he did get beaten up
in the Brett Rogers fight and he ended up winning that fight.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Rony
Marques moves to 6-0 at Shooto Brazil
By Guilherme
Cruz
Undefeated
in five fights, Rony Marques got to Shooto Brazil 16’s ring,
last Saturday, and came out of it with a win, when he faced Wanderlan
Vila Cruzeiro. “I didn’t expected quick win, but we
both knew that anything could happen up there”, celebrates
Rony, who won with less than two minutes of combat, pointing
the hard training as the secret of his good performance. “I
trained a lot in Natal, with my coach Jair Lourenço, trained
Boxing with Renan Barão’s father, and I had the opportunity
to end my training here in Rio with Dedé (Pederneiras)
and, thanks God, everything worked out, one more win”, celebrates,
with his eyes focused on new opportunities. “Dedé
is looking for something good for me… He brought me here
and helped me a lot. I believe that on the 14th he might set
something with an event in Manaus, but let’s wait and see”.
Source: Tatame
|
Relson
Gracie Seminar at Team Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu Tonight!
Relson will be teaching a class at 7:30 on Thursday, June 17
at Team Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu. All Relson Gracie Association members
only have to pay $15. All Relson Instructors are free.
See
you there!
|
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ Set for Aug 14
This
will be a gi and no-gi tournament and wil be held at Kaiser High
School.
Check out the website: http://www.hawaiitriplecrown.com
More information
coming soon!
|
King
Mo loves Brazil, wants to beat Shogun
Gerard
Mousasi was pointed out as one of the new MMA international phenomenon,
but Muhammad King Mo Lawal did not mind that and stole the Armenian
Strikeforce’s belt, the second biggest MMA event on the
United States.
After
winning Srikeforce’s title, the American Muslim descent
gave an interview to TATAME Magazine #172, which already is on
the newsstand, telling his story and revealing an interesting
connection with Brazil, country where he lived for a while, when
he trained along with the Nogueira brothers, Vitor Belfort, Junior
Cigano and Luiz Alves, among other, in Rio de Janeiro.
“Brazil
is great, amazing, loved it… Beautiful women, good food
and Brazilian Funk! My favorite song is “créu, créu”.
I want to meet Watermelon Woman… Tell her I’m single
and I’m waiting for her”, joked King Mo, while laughing,
revealing the wish of more trips to the Wonderful City, and trains
with Ronaldo Jacaré, besides Marlon Sandro and Dedé
Pederneiras, at Nova União.
On
an unmissable article, which you check on TATAME’s June
edition, King Mo talked about his MMA fights, told us how was
for him to replace Roger Gracie one week before his fight against
the experienced Travis Wiuff, the win over one of his idols,
Mark Kerr, and the conquest on Strikeforce. Besides that, King
Mo guarantees he is the guy who can beat Maurício Shogun,
the number one of the world.
Source: Tatame |
Big
night of fights at Shooto Brazil 16
Once
again event promoter and head of team Nova União André
Pederneiras did a swell job of matchmaking and kept up the Shooto
Brazil tradition of excitement. All the bouts on the card that
played out at Rio de Janeiro’s Bennett College were packed
with excitement, with the two main events won by Felipe Olivieri
and Jussier Formiga standing out.
Felipe
Olivieri faced off against muay thai monster Bruno Carvalho and
drove the crowd wild. Although both are savvy strikers, Olivieri
looked to take the fight to the floor. With fine-tuned fists,
Bruno landed two knockdowns and looked about to settle the match,
but he landed his strikes to the back of his opponent’s
head and was punished. The fight returned to the feet and it
was Felipe’s chance to rally back. Bruno landed on bottom
and Olivieri slid to back mount, from where he sunk the fight-ending
rear-naked choke 4:19 min into the fight.
In
the evening’s main even worth the organization’s flyweight
belt, Jussier Formiga successfully defended his title against
the up-and-coming Alexandre Pantoja. Throughout three rounds
the Kimura/Nova União athlete landed good takedowns and
kept the pressure on from top position, winning a unanimous decision.
Hernani
Perpetuo showed off his slick striking once again and knocked
out Alexander Andreotte in the first round, after a barrage of
strikes. Spain’s Miguel Duran showed his usual mean streak
and pounded and kneed Rodrigo Savedra for the knockout 3:18 min
into the opening round.
Check
back with GRACIEMAG.com for a complete photo gallery.
Check
out the complete results:
Shooto
16
Bennett College, Rio de Janeiro
June 12, 2010
Jussier
Formiga defeated Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision
Felipe
Olivieri submitted Bruno Carvalho via choke at 4:19 min of R1
Hernani
Pérpetuo defeated Alexander Andreotte via KO in R1
Miguel
Duran defeated Rodrigo Savedra via TKO at 3:18 min of R1
Rony
Marques defeated Wanderlan Vila Cruzeiro via TKO in R1
Jamil
Silveira defeated William Parrudinho via TKO at 0.28 min of R2
Leonardo
Porto submitted Fábio Larvinha via choke at 5min of R1
Brazilian
Profissional muay thai title fight
Sheymon
Moraes (Boxe Thai/ Minotauro Team) defeated Renan Luiz Cruz (Beto
Padilha) via unanimous decision
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
New
‘Cro Cop’ proves gutsy vs. feisty Barry
VANCOUVER,
British Columbia – Make no mistake about it: Mirko “Cro
Cop” Filipovic heard all the criticism. Every column that
claimed the former PRIDE superstar was overhyped, every blog
post that questioned his commitment to the sport, every insider
whisper that he was past his prime – Filipovic took it all
to heart.
“I
was aware the people were talking about [how] I’m too old,”
said the former member of Croatia’s parliament. “I
wanted to prove to everyone I am not old, my preparation was
my hardest of my whole life.”
Filipovic’s
determination to prove his relevance paid off Saturday night
in the finest night of his three and a half years in the UFC.
The heavyweight outlasted feisty Pat Barry (5-2) and finished
him with a rear-naked choke with 30 seconds remaining in the
third and final round of their UFC 115 co-feature at General
Motors Place.
“He
is a young guy who is hungry,” said Filipovic (27-7-2 with
one no-contest). “Those are the most dangerous types of
fighters.”
Filipovic’s
UFC trials have been well-documented. He arrived in the company
in early 2007 at his career peak, after winning the 2006 PRIDE
Grand Prix Open Weight tournament, and was expected to roll through
what was then a weak UFC heavyweight division.
Instead,
he was famously knocked out by Gabriel Gonzaga, lost to Cheick
Kongo and bounced back and forth between Japan and the UFC without
ever really finding his groove.
Along
the way, he earned a reputation as a fighter who was surly and
uncooperative, blowing off the promotional end of the business
and being short-tempered with fans and media alike.
But
it was a new “Cro Cop” on display during fight week.
In the run-up to the event, Filipovic opened up about his frustrations
with his UFC tenure, speaking at length about the adjustment
from his days of PRIDE stardom.
“I
was frustrated when I came to the UFC,” admitted Filipovic.
“Some of my fights in PRIDE, I felt tired. I would train
on the punching bag and feel great but then get tired in my fights.
This time I trained harder than I ever have in my life. Never
in my career have I felt so comfortable and so full of energy
as tonight. That was all in my training.”
Filipovic
often seemed bemused by the gregarious Barry, who was openly
awestruck by the fact he was fighting one of his heroes. As the
week progressed, the two fighters talked, mugged for the camera
together, laughed and smiled during staged fight photos. Barry
even walked off with his opponent’s name tag after the pre-fight
press conference.
The
laughter and jokes seemed at odds with the assassin’s personality
that is often attached to Filipovic, but he explained that the
public persona is not who he really is as a person.
“Patrick
is a nice guy,” said Filipovic. “We talked a lot before
the fight. I’m not the kind of fighter who just hates each
other before the fight. I can talk to you until one minute before
the fight and then I will take your head off if I can. …
I don’t need to hate someone. I’m a professional, he’s
a professional.”
Whether
it was a true catharsis or whether he was simply showing the
public a side only his inner circle previously knew, the swagger
and fighting spirit that often seemed missing since Filipovic’s
heyday returned when he stepped into the Octagon on Saturday
night. Filipovic lost a measured first round in which he was
dropped twice by Barry right hands, one of which was a punch
hard enough that Barry broke his hand. Late in the round, the
two fist-bumped and even hugged in the ring.
“Patrick
caught me twice,” said Filipovic. “I just felt pain
in my eye; I wasn’t dizzy, [I] had double vision in my eye.
I had a game plan and was just doing my thing.”
From
that point on, Filipovic dominated the fight. He won the second
round and then unleashed a vicious striking attack on a visibly
tiring Barry in the third. Cro Cop softened up Barry on the ground
with a series of punches before sinking in the rear naked choke
to secure his fourth career submission win and an $85,000 submission
of the night bonus.
“People
consider me a striker, but I have trained jiu-jitsu for 10 years,”
Filipovic said. “Of course I can choke or submit anyone.”
UFC
115 marked the final fight of Filipovic’s contract. He previously
stated he wished to finish his career in the UFC, and after the
card, both Filipovic and White indicated they wish to move forward
on contract negotiations.
“We’re
going to talk to Mirko and see what Mirko wants to do,”
said White. “He has said to me and Lorenzo [Fertitta] that
he wants to finish his career here in the UFC.”
Will
we see more of the “new” Filipovic if he sticks around?
“I
was always like this,” he said. “I just didn’t
like to show it. My friends know it, there’s always some
crazy jokes with me.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Sonnen
trashes Silva before UFC weigh-ins
VANCOUVER,
British Columbia – Chael Sonnen had a day off on Friday
from selling real estate, but the would-be politician was still
selling.
Sonnen
was the guest at the UFC Fight Club question-and-answer session
at General Motors Place, about two hours before the weigh-in
for UFC 115, and he was hard-selling his bout on Aug. 7 with
middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Sonnen,
who became the No. 1 contender with an upset victory over Nate
Marquardt at UFC 109 in Las Vegas, continued his verbal assault
on the champion with a series of one-liners tweaking Silva in
response from questions from a largely adoring fan base.
Silva
is No. 2 in the Yahoo! Sports rankings and is regarded as the
best pound-for-pound fighter in the world by UFC president Dana
White. Sonnen, who works as a real estate agent in addition to
his fighting career, will be a significant underdog when he meets
Silva in the main event of UFC 117 at Oracle Arena in Oakland,
Calif. But he was talking like anything but an underdog on Friday.
“This
isn’t going to be a war,” Sonnen said of the bout with
Silva. “It’s going to be a one-sided pounding and I’m
swinging the hammer.”
Silva
is coming off an unsatisfying performance in a win over Demian
Maia at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It was the
third time in his last four fights that fans booed his performance
and media raked him over the coals.
It
went to a greater level after UFC 112, a fight in which Silva
at one point jumped behind massive referee “Big” Dan
Miragliotta so Maia couldn’t hit him. A seething White opened
the post-fight news conference that night by saying through clenched
teeth, “I’m ready to answer your questions about what
a disgrace the main event was.”
Sonnen
on Friday intimated that White was planning to cut Silva after
that showing and said he begged the UFC president not to do so.
“Dana was going to give him his walking papers and I begged
him to keep him around,” Sonnen said.
White
told Yahoo! Sports several days after UFC 112 that he was angry
enough to cut Silva, but wasn’t contractually able to do
so.
Sonnen
didn’t let facts get in the way of his assault on Silva.
He blasted Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, deriding him as “the
world’s most famous interpreter.” He belittled the
black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu that Silva earned under the
Nogueira brothers, Antonio Rodrigo and Antonio Rogerio.
Asked
about how the fight would go, Sonnen said he had some ideas but
wasn’t sure. “I can only attempt to speculate,”
he said of how Silva would attack him. “He has a black belt
from the Nogueira brothers, but to me, a black belt from the
Nogueira brothers is like a free toy in a Happy Meal. One [of
the Nogueira brothers] is a punching bag. The other, I just ignore.”
He
had been making similar attacks about Silva and Soares on Twitter,
but said on stage Friday that he does not have a Twitter account.
However, he told Yahoo! Sports in February that he did, as he
also does at the 45:40 mark of a video interview with reporter
Ariel Helwani.
Despite
the accuracy or truthfulness of his words, he’s added spice
to a bout that could use the boost.
Sonnen
noted that he would probably lose a striking battle against Silva,
but said he doesn’t plan to stand toe-to-toe in front of
the champion.
An
Olympic alternate and a two-time NCAA national wrestling champion,
Sonnen boasted Friday that he’ll be able to put Silva onto
his back.
“If
Chael Sonnen can not get it to the floor, Chael Sonnen gets his
ass kicked,” Sonnen said. “He’s got to keep it
up and I have to throw him down. I have two national championship
plaques on my wall that say I can throw him down.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Curran
wins Bellator lightweight tourney
He
was an underdog when the Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight
tournament started, but now Pat Curran is $100,000 richer and
gets a shot at Eddie Alvarez later this year after defeating
Toby Imada on Thursday night.
The
young fighter first brought to prominence as a fighter on the
TapouT reality show and nicknamed “Paddy Mike” by the
crew, has grown up a lot in the last few weeks. Curran first
hit the main stage when he defeated earlier tournament favorite
Roger Huerta in his semifinal match-up, before moving on to face
Imada this week.
Toby
Imada, last year’s lightweight runner-up, held his own in
the fight, but struggled to get Curran to the mat or keep him
there on the few occasions he could get the Indian based fighter
down. The fighters traded big shots early and often, making every
round a tough call for the judges.
The
third round may have been the only decisive round with Curran
tagging Imada with a big left hook that opened Imada up, and
a steady stream of blood began flowing over his eye. The round
continued with more back and forth, but Imada looked like the
more damaged fighter when it was over.
The
judges scorecards all read 29-28, but two judges saw the fight
go Pat Curran’s way and he was declared the winner by split
decision, and is now the season 2 Bellator lightweight champion.
Curran will now enjoy a little down time before being scheduled
for a shot at current Bellator champion and top ten lightweight,
Eddie Alvarez, later this year.
Top
rated women’s star Megumi Fujii wasted no time showing her
dominance in her Bellator debut, as she outworked and just out
fought Sarah Schneider, before getting a third round stoppage
by TKO. The Japanese based Fujii worked her takedowns flawlessly
throughout the fight, moving in and out of Schneider’s guard.
In
the third round, after a quick takedown from Fujii, she worked
back to mount yet again and this time just began to reign down
shots on Schneider and she had no answer, as the referee stepped
in to stop the fight. Fujii will now await the start of the first
ever Bellator women’s tournament, in which she will be a
heavy favorite to take home the gold when it’s over.
The
final fight on the televised card saw Mike Hayes win a fairly
uninspired fight against Steve Banks by unanimous decision. Neither
fighter looked overly aggressive during the bout, but in the
end Hayes was able to work enough striking to pick up the win.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Shogun
injury puts Evans fight on hold
Rashad
Evans earned a return shot at UFC gold when he defeated Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson at UFC 114 in Las Vegas last month.
He’ll still get the shot, but just a little bit later than
he might have anticipated.
UFC
president Dana White on Thursday revealed that Evans’ next
opponent, light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua, had to undergo knee surgery following his win over Lyoto
Machida at UFC 113.
“He
had the surgery in L.A. He’s gonna do all his therapy in
Vegas. So he’s gonna be in Vegas for the next five weeks,”
White told MMAWeekly.com.
There
was a question, however, as to when Shogun suffered the injury.
White
said, “He needed (surgery) after the fight. He got hurt
in the fight.”
It
was brought up that “MMA Live’s” Franklin McNeil
had reported on speculation prior to the Rua vs. Machida fight
that Shogun had a knee injury entering the fight.
“He’s
got a knee problem now, and he got it fixed,” White said,
addressing the issue. He added, “He had a bad knee after
the fight.”
Shogun
will undergo the aforementioned five weeks of rehabilitation
in Las Vegas, then start looking towards a date with Evans.
White
told MMAWeekly.com that he was unsure when Shogun would be clear
to return, but indicated that it wouldn’t take long, pointing
out that Shogun had his appendix taken out four weeks prior to
the Machida fight.
Until
then, Rashad Evans will sit tight and enjoy a little extra time
with his family.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
President Sides with Referee in Condit-MacDonald Finish
Not
one to hold his tongue in regards to poor officiating, UFC President
Dana White sided with referee Kevin Dornan and his decision to
stop the Carlos Condit-Rory MacDonald bout with seven seconds
to go at UFC 115 “Liddell vs. Franklin” on Saturday
at the General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Down
two rounds on the scorecards, Condit fed Markham a steady diet
of damaging ground-and-pound until Dornan stepped in on the 20-year-old
Canadian’s behalf. The final bell was just around the corner.
“I’m
the first one to blast a referee or a judge for making bad calls,”
White said. “In my opinion, referees aren’t looking
at the time. They could give a s--t what time it is or how much
time is left. They’re there to protect the fighters.”
Dornan
fulfilled his duty, according to White.
“Rory’s
a young guy,” he said. “He’s got a lot of fights
ahead of him. He took a lot of damage in that last round. I didn’t
have any problem with the stoppage. It’s unfortunate when
a fight stops with seconds left, but you won’t hear me bitching
about that one.”
In
his first fight since suffering a career-threatening hand injury,
Condit made the most of his late surge. The former World Extreme
Cagefighting welterweight champion caught MacDonald with a stinging
right hand early in round three and overwhelmed the previously
unbeaten British Columbia native when the two hit the ground.
Elbows, punches and hammerfists ruined MacDonald’s homecoming.
“In
that third round, I just came out guns blazing and caught him,
and I don’t think he ever really recovered from that,”
said Condit, who was on the receiving end of a spirited talk
from trainer Greg Jackson in between rounds one and two. “I
was able to implement my top game and really do a lot of damage
with elbows and standing-to-ground punches.
“I
really just put the pressure on him because I knew I was probably
down two rounds,” he added. “I wasn’t too keen
on losing a decision.”
Even
in defeat, MacDonald won over White with his skills and fortitude.
The youngest fighter on the active UFC roster has a fan in the
man at the top.
“The
kid looked amazing,” White said. “He’s such a
young guy. This was a title fight for this kid. [Condit] is a
guy who held a title, who’s been around for a long time,
who has tons of big-fight experience. That kid had a lot on him
tonight [fighting in his hometown]. He looked fantastic. I expect
big things from him. He’s got plenty of time to work his
way back up the ladder.”
Source: Sherdog
|
The
Weekly Wrap: June 5 - June 11
Matchmaking
A
complete list of significant new fights reported. Some may be
repeated from previous sections:
•
Court McGee vs. Kris McCray, “The Ultimate Fighter 11”
Finale, June 19, Las Vegas
•
Brad Tavares vs. Seth Baczynski, “The Ultimate Fighter 11”
Finale, June 19, Las Vegas
•
Chris Camozzi vs. James Hammortree, “The Ultimate Fighter
11” Finale, June 19, Las Vegas
•
Josh Bryant vs. Kyle Noke, “The Ultimate Fighter 11”
Finale, June 19, Las Vegas
•
Jamie Yager vs. Rich Attonito, “The Ultimate Fighter 11”
Finale, June 19, Las Vegas
•
Renan Barao vs. Anthony Leone, WEC 49 “Varner vs. Shalorus,”
June 20, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
•
Ikkei Nagamura vs. Ye Won Nam, Sengoku Raiden Championships 13,
June 20, Tokyo
•
Yuma Ishizuka vs. Kazuki Tokutome, Sengoku Raiden Championships
13, June 20, Tokyo
•
Gerald Harris vs. Dave Branch, UFC 116 “Lesnar vs. Carwin,”
July 3, Las Vegas
•
Bob Sapp vs. Soa Palelei, Impact FC 2 “The Uprising: Sydney,”
July 18, Sydney, Australia
•
Sarah Kaufman vs. Roxanne Modafferi, Strikeforce Challengers
9, July 23, Everett, Wash.
•
Shane del Rosario vs. Lolohea Mahe, Strikeforce Challengers 9,
July 23, Everett, Wash.
•
Ron Humphrey vs. Mike Kyle, Strikeforce Challengers 9, July 23,
Everett, Wash.
•
Darren Elkins vs. Charles Oliveira, UFC on Versus 2, Aug. 1,
Salt Lake City (MMAJunkie.com)
•
Thiago Tavares vs. Willamy Freire, UFC on Versus 2, Aug. 1, Salt
Lake City (GracieMag.com)
•
Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft, UFC 117 “Silva vs.
Sonnen,” Aug. 7, Oakland, Calif. (MMA Fight Council)
•
Dominick Cruz vs. Joseph Benavidez, WEC 50 “Cruz vs. Benavidez
2,” Aug. 18, Las Vegas (MMAWeekly.com)
•
Urijah Faber vs. Takeya Mizugaki, WEC 50 “Cruz vs. Benavidez
2,” Aug. 18, Las Vegas (MMAWeekly.com)
•
Zachary Micklewright vs. Bart Palaszewski, WEC 50 “Cruz
vs. Benavidez 2,” Aug. 18, Las Vegas. (MMAJunkie.com)
•
Anthony Pettis vs. Shane Roller, WEC 50 “Cruz vs. Benavidez
2,” Aug. 18, Las Vegas (MMAJunkie.com)
•
Randy Couture vs. James Toney, UFC 118 “Couture vs. Toney,”
Aug. 28, Boston (Sherdog.com)
•
Melvin Guillard vs. Jeremy Stephens, UFC 119, Sept. 25, Indianapolis
(MMAJunkie.com)
Source: Sherdog
|
$85,000
BONUS CHECKS HANDED OUT FOR UFC 115
The Ultimate Fighting Championship handed out $85,000 bonus checks
for in-Octagon performances at “UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin.”
The fighters banking the extra cash were Rory MacDonald, Carlos
Condit, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Rich Franklin.
Fight
of the Night honors went to Carlos Condit and Rory MacDonald.
MacDonald came out taking it to the former WEC welterweight titleholder
through the first two rounds. Condit came out in the third round
with a sense of urgency and was able to finish the Canadian with
just seconds remaining in the fight.
The
Submission of the Night was awarded to Mirko “Cro Cop”
Filipovic for his rear naked choke win over Pat Barry in the
co-main event. Dropped twice in the first round, “Cro Cop”
battled back and turned up the pressure in the final round, flurrying
on Barry late and securing a rear naked choke to finish the Duke
Roufus trained fighter.
Knockout
of the Night bonus money was paid to Rich Franklin for his knockout
win over Chuck Liddell in the main event. It was a competitive
fight where Franklin believes Liddell broke his left arm with
a kick half way through the first round. With just seconds remaining,
Liddell threw a right hand that left him out of position and
Franklin fired a right hand that let the former UFC light heavyweight
titleholder unconscious on the canvas.
17,000
spectators attended UFC 115 in Vancouver generating gate numbers
summing $4.2 million.
Total
bonus money awarded after UFC 115 was $340,000.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Iceman
goes out ‘with guns a blazing’
VANCOUVER,
British Columbia – Chuck Liddell and Dana White spent countless
hours together in the last part of the last century and in the
early part of the new one, swapping stories as they crisscrossed
the country spreading the gospel of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
White
was the indefatigable promoter who would never take no for an
answer, working maniacally to build mixed martial arts into a
mainstream sport. Liddell was the hard-partying, hard-charging
slugger who always managed to bring the fans out of their seats
with a highlight-reel knockout.
Little
changed on Saturday, in what is almost certainly the final fight
of the Hall of Famer’s storied career, when he was stopped
by Rich Franklin with five seconds left in the first round of
their bout in the main event of UFC 115 at General Motors Place.
“He
went out with guns a blazing,” White said.
Liddell
had to plead with White for a final chance to compete after having
been knocked out in three of his previous five fights entering
Saturday’s match. He’d been knocked out by Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson at UFC 71, by Rashad Evans at UFC
88 and then by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 97 in Montreal
on April 18, 2009.
White
felt Liddell had taken enough punishment and was spending more
energy carousing than he was training for his fights. He essentially
announced Liddell’s retirement after the loss to Rua.
But
Liddell, who went from fighting for purses of less than $1,000
to earning paydays in excess of $1 million, couldn’t bring
himself to retire so easily.
“I
just love to fight,” Liddell said, repeatedly, before the
bout.
So,
he struck a deal with White: He’d clean up the lifestyle
issues that concerned his friend and one-time manager and get
himself into the kind of shape he’d been in when he was
in his heyday. In return, White agreed to give him another chance.
And,
indeed, Liddell’s body looked fit and trim, much more like
that of a 25-year-old than a 40-year-old.
He
also went out with his style of fight, stalking Franklin and
gunning for the knockout with every shot he threw.
“He
follows big when he thinks he has you hurt,” Franklin said.
“But I was never as badly hurt as he thought I was.”
Liddell
was doing well in the bout and likely would have won the first
round on the scorecards if it was completed. Not only did he
land several good punches, but he was throwing high kicks, which
he hadn’t in years, and he mixed in some wrestling.
But
his lust for the knockout, in a way, cost him the fight on Saturday.
He
missed a big right hand and he swung so hard that his momentum
carried him forward into Franklin. Franklin fired a right hook
that had everything he could muster on it. The blow landed on
Liddell’s mouth and badly split his lip, almost down to
the chin.
Liddell
was out instantly, but Franklin landed a shot before referee
Herb Dean could get in to stop it.
“Chuck
Liddell came in fantastic shape; he worked hard for this thing
and I think him and Rich Franklin tonight fought the type of
fights that made them both famous and made them both world champions,”
White said in tribute to his friend, who was taken to a local
hospital to be examined. “Those two went at it, nonstop,
toe-to-toe. It was a fun fight.”
The
fight had major stakes for both men. Franklin was coming off
a knockout loss to Vitor Belfort at UFC 103 in September and
was a loser in two of his last three.
While
most of the pre-fight attention was focused on Liddell and whether
he could get it back together to, as he said, make a final run
at the UFC light heavyweight title, the bout had significant
implications for Franklin as well.
The
light heavyweight division is one of the UFC’s deepest.
If Franklin had lost to Liddell, it would have been his third
defeat in four outings and retirement might have been in the
offing.
Franklin
didn’t want to acknowledge it, but he conceded after the
bout that he understood he was walking a high-wire as well.
“It
maybe was somewhere in the back of my mind, but I really try
to push that stuff out,” Franklin said. “What happened
to me in my last fight will not predict what will happen to me
in my next fight. I really believe that. On any given night,
Chuck and I could do this 100 times and there would be several
different outcomes.
“This
happened to be my night, and last fight it wasn’t. But you
can’t help but think that, ‘Well, if I drop three of
four, where would that leave me?’ Any time you put your
back against the wall in a no-win situation, where ‘if I
don’t win this, it’s over,’ you take your mind
off the important thing and that’s focusing on my performance.”
Franklin
fought more than half of the fight with a broken left arm, suffered
when he successfully blocked a high kick from Liddell about two
minutes into the match.
He
wasn’t planning to quit, he said, but he knew it would help
his cause if he could do something to end the fight quickly.
When the bout ended, he beamed devilishly, because he knew he
didn’t have to figure a way to win the bout without his
left arm.
“I
was just happy the fight was over because I knew my arm was broken,”
Franklin said, explaining his grin. “I definitely wasn’t
going to quit. I’ve broken bones before and continued fighting,
but there was part of me that was trying to figure what kind
of strategy I was going to use to win a fight with a broken left
arm.”
Franklin
pulled it out and so his career will continue forward, but Liddell
will be left to move on to other things. White, who said, “I
love Chuck Liddell,” said his friend would have a job for
life with the UFC.
But
the man who was one of the most significant fighters in UFC history
and who helped the company achieve the soaring popularity it
now enjoys wanted that job to be swapping punches, at least a
bit longer.
He
goes out, though, on his own terms, having fought the best of
his era and beaten nearly all of them. He finishes with a 21-8
record and a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Six
of Liddell’s eight losses came against men who held a UFC
title at one point in their careers (Jackson, twice; Couture,
Evans, Rua and Franklin) and who themselves are among the best
fighters in the sport’s brief history.
Franklin
called the victory “bittersweet” because he didn’t
want to become known as the man who retired Liddell.
The
former middleweight champion scored the knockout, but it wasn’t
really Franklin who retired Chuck Liddell.
It
was the calendar. Liddell got old and his chin betrayed him.
He
went down, though, the way he fought his entire career, firing
big punches and bringing the fans from their seats.
Few
have ever done it better.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
PAT
BARRY SUFFERS BROKEN HAND & FOOT
It
was a dream to fight Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, but
it quickly turned into a nightmare for Pat Barry on Saturday
night after a dominant first round, turned into a much tougher
second round, and eventually a submission loss in the third.
Something
else that may have hampered Barry's performance during the fight
was the fact that the New Orleans native suffered a broken hand
and a broken foot during the fight.
UFC
president Dana White talked about Barry's injuries following
the UFC 115 post-fight press conference.
"For
the record, Barry has a broken hand and a broken foot,"
White said. "His foot and hand are broken."
Barry
made a trip to the hospital following his fight to get checked
out, and posted a picture on his Twitter account of him being
rolled through the airport on Sunday in a wheelchair, dealing
with the multiple injuries.
White
believes that Barry's injuries could have held him back a bit
in the fight, but also says that the strategy to fight Cro Cop
as his friend and not as an ultra dangerous opponent, backfired
on the former K-1 fighter. He also alluded to the two early knockdowns
that Barry landed, putting Cro Cop on the mat, and not flying
in to look for the finish as a major flaw in his strategy.
"No
doubt about it," White said when asked if Barry made a mistake
not capitalizing on early knockdowns he had on his opponent.
"He respected Cro Cop, but kind of had this feeling like
I know I'm going to take him out tonight. I think he played that
fight all wrong."
Undoubtedly,
Barry will learn from the loss and unfortunately with a broken
hand and broken foot, he's going to have some time off to think
about everything that didn’t go right on Saturday night.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KAMPMANN
WANTS TO FACE THE BEST AT 170
The welterweight division just got a little more complicated
because the Hitman just took out one of the UFC’s top contenders,
and now he wants to go after the rest.
Martin
Kampmann was already considered a top ten fighter at 170 pounds,
but a loss to Paul Daley set him back a few steps until he met
Paulo Thiago at UFC 115 on Saturday night. The Dane got the best
of Thiago on the feet, and also outworked the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
black belt on the ground.
A
hard fought battle and a unanimous decision still wasn't enough
for Kampmann, who wanted to put the Brazilian away and not let
the fight ever make it to the judges.
"I
wanted to finish that fight so bad. I was squeezing his neck
so hard in those last seconds, but he was really good at getting
off his back, and getting up on his side, and on that side choke
I want him flat on his back," said Kampmann after the fight.
The
win over Thiago puts Kampmann right back in the mix of title
contenders at welterweight. The only other fighter in the UFC
with a win over Thiago is Jon Fitch, who currently occupies the
No. 2 ranking in the MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings.
"I
was really happy about beating him," Kampmann stated. "He
was ranked real high and that's the guys I want to fight. I want
to fight guys that's ranked high in welterweight, makes me move
up the ladder, and continue to get closer to a title shot."
As
far as names go, Kampmann is happy to face anyone ranked high
in the division, although many of them are already tied up at
the moment in other fights.
"I
want to fight somebody. I mean Koscheck is fighting St. Pierre,
and Fitch and Alves, but you know those are the guys that I want
to fight," Kampmann said. "The guys that's high in
the rankings."
One
name that didn't get mentioned, but may soon fall in line with
those names could be current Strikeforce middleweight champion
Jake Shields. If he signs with the UFC, as all signs are pointing
towards, then he has stated that he would want to fight as soon
as possible and a fight with Kampmann would seem like the perfect
welcome to the Octagon.
It
will just be a matter of time until Kampmann knows who he's facing
next, but it's sure to be a top name in the welterweight division,
possibly with a title shot at stake.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Lyoto:
“Many times we only learn from pain”
When
Lyoto Machida was the absolute ruler of UFC, displaying a card
with no losses and a style that seemed unreachable, critics and
fans pointed out the Brazilian as a model to be followed on MMA,
but it took only one defeat to change all that.
Right
after being defeat by Maurício Shogun, the karate fighter
gave an exclusive interview to TATAME Magazine #172, on which
he talked about the difficulties that came up after the first
loss, revealing that samurai’s philosophy was a great support
for him to keep his motivation and focus. “Everything is
a learning experience for me, a challenge. I’m trying to
learn the most I can from this event. My father taught me that
a true samurai loses seven challenges on his life, so this was
only the first one. Many times we can only learn from the pain”,
commented Machida.
On
the excellent interview, which you can check on June’s edition
of TATAME Magazine, Lyoto talked about the changes that his loss
can make him have to do on his game, commented the possibility
of changing his training center, coming from the isolated city
of Belém, Pará, to the busy Las Vegas, United States,
where names like Anderson Silva and the brothers Rodrigo and
Rogério Nogueira train, commented the feeling of the first
defeat and a lot more.
Source: Tatame
|
Wagnney
Fabiano focused for win at WEC 49
Nova
União’s black belt, Wagnney Fabiano is more than
ready for his fight against Frank Gomes, which will happen on
June 20 in Canada, on WEC 49. The tough guy lost some weight
and is confident of a win against Clint Godfrey, on the bantamweight
division. Adapting to his new division, Wagnney studied a lot
Frank Gomes’ game, who’s coming from two wins in a
roll. “He’s a good wrestler, has a good trade oh punches
and has a good ground game and his last win was by submission”,
said the Brazilian in a chat with TATAME, showing extra confidence.
“It’ll be a great fight and my expectations are very
high because I’m prepared. The division is tied, there are
great fighters, and the level is high. It’s a hard one,
maybe harder than the featherweight division… Let’s
see what happens, shall we? I’m feeling great and my fans
can hope for a win”, said the fighter. The other Brazilian
who will fight on that same card is Renan Barão, Wagnney’s
team partner, who will do his debut against the unbeaten Anthony
Leone.
Source: Tatame
|
For
Sgt. Kennedy, combat is nothing new
When
most MMA fighters face the biggest fight of their career, they
start developing nerves. But after what Tim Kennedy has been
through, a fight hardly qualifies as a life-or-death situation.
Kennedy,
a U.S. Army staff sergeant, knows life-and-death situations.
In
a military career that includes serving in the elite Commander’s
In-Extremis Force for four years and combat duty in Iraq and
Afghanistan, he has received roughly two dozen awards from battle,
including a Bronze Star for valor under fire.
On
Wednesday, Kennedy, currently on leave from combat to pursue
MMA, will face Trevor Prangley (22-5-1) on Wednesday night in
a Strikeforce event on Showtime at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.
The
37-year-old Prangley, a former South African national champion
wrestler, fights out of the American Kickboxing Academy in San
Jose, Calif., and has a 12-1-1 record since leaving UFC after
losing via decision to Chael Sonnen in 2006.
It’s
the first time for midweek MMA on Showtime, and it’s an
event held in conjunction with the E3 electronics convention.
The show is headlined with a 195-pound catch-weight fight between
Robbie Lawler and Renato “Babalu” Sobral.
Kennedy
brings in a well-rounded combination of punching power and a
solid ground game, with five knockouts and five submissions wins
in 11 pro victories. A win would put Kennedy in contention if
Strikeforce opts to go to a tournament to fill what many expect
to be a vacant middleweight title.
Jake
Shields, who started training with Kennedy at “The Pit”
in San Luis Obispo when both fighters were starting out, had
his Strikeforce contract expire and UFC president Dana White
has publicly stated that Shields is coming over to his company.
Kennedy
began his career in 2001, but shortly after he started fighting
in small shows in California he joined the Army. Even though
he’s only 30, Kennedy is racing against time more than most
competitors.
“My
athletic peak is the next two or three years,” said Kennedy,
who is currently based at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, after
spending nine years based in Fort Bragg, N.C. “I’m
going to train full time, but when I’m 33 or 34, I could
be Strikeforce champion or UFC champion, even if I hold every
belt, that will still be the end.
“There
is a day, and it comes when my wife tells me to get rid of all
the smelly kickboxing gear.”
At
that point it’s back to Special Forces, which has completely
changed his life from his college days.
“I
was so selfish and self-centered,” he said. “When 9/11
happened, I was more concerned about what jeans I was going to
wear to a party that weekend.”
A
year into his fighting career, Kennedy opted to join the Army.
He had trouble adjusting to military life at first, and he was
forced to shape up after being sent to Rangers school. He eventually
enlisted and became a member of the elite Special Forces in 2004.
“I’ve
got me three or four stories that I talk about, but most of what
I’ve done I’m not allowed to talk about,” he said.
But
there are moments he is allowed to discuss, like the three-day
gunfight with casualties across the board. “The most scared
I’ve ever been was in Afghanistan,” he said. “I
was a sniper and we got ambushed. Everything slowed down. Then
we ran out of ammo and were waiting for it to be delivered. That
really tests who you are.”
Such
experiences change your mentality if a fight is going bad. When
he fought Jason “Mayhem” Miller in 2007, Kennedy was
bleeding badly from an illegal elbow on the ground and when they
were wrestling, he couldn’t see out of the eye. But there
was no thought of getting out of the fight. At points in the
fight, which he lost by decision and blamed on bad officiating,
he was actually scooping blood out of his eye.
“It
wasn’t that stressful,” he said of continuing to fight
in that situation. “More frustrating. One thing I will never
do is tap from punches.”
He
may have his dad to thank for that. Kennedy’s start in martial
arts came about because his father reacted to his mother forcing
him to take cooking classes and piano lessons. His dad took him
and his brother to boxing and wrestling classes.
At
14, he started training at “The Pit” alongside a former
college wrestler named Chuck Liddell. He also remembers Jake
Shields being around in those early days, and Liddell’s
and Shields’ success led Kennedy to MMA.
“I
started in martial arts at 9 or 10, did karate, then jiu-jitsu
in high school. At 17 or 18, I started competing in jiu-jitsu
and Pancrase fights, and at 21 I fought Scott Smith [his pro
debut, which he lost via cut].”
He
first fought on the national stage in 2007, for the Chicago Red
Bears in the International Fight League, when he got a call that
a light heavyweight spot had opened up. The fight was scheduled
just 10 days after he finished Ranger school, against Dante Rivera,
who later fought in the UFC. Kennedy’s main weapon, his
heavy hands, took over, and Rivera tapped out due to punches
in the second round. He ended up going 3-0 in the IFL in 2007
before the promotion folded.
Kennedy
debuted with Strikeforce a year ago, finishing Nick Thompson
with punches. After his second Strikeforce win over Zak Cummings
in September, he made a deal with his wife and his superiors
in the Army that he would devote the next few years primarily
to fighting before going back to his full-time military career.
At
first, many in the military didn’t approve of Kennedy’s
MMA participation. Even today, there are plenty of higher-ups
that aren’t convinced he should be representing the military,
not considering MMA a legitimate sport.
“Some
of the older guys in the military, they don’t appreciate
the sport,” said Kennedy. “They still think like the
Senator [John McCain], that it’s human cockfighting. Some
of them still think of it that way. It’s the fastest growing
sport in the country, and some of them still think of it that
way. Some of them don’t see it, that a soldier is a ranked
professional fighter. But it was even worse seven or eight years
ago.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
END
OF AN ERA: FRANKLIN KO'S LIDDELL
It was the end of an era for Chuck Liddell, and the beginning
of a title hunt for Rich Franklin.
The
former math teacher from Cincinnati, OH put himself back on track
in the light heavyweight division on Saturday night, while likely
ending the career of a UFC legend and hall of famer in the "Iceman"
Chuck Liddell.
The
two friends went to battle at UFC 115 after Liddell's original
opponent, Tito Ortiz, dropped out of the fight to have neck surgery
and Franklin stepped in to replace him on the "Ultimate
Fighter" reality show, and in the fight in Vancouver.
Liddell
looked back to his old form as he landed a few good shots on
Franklin, and even rattled his fellow coach with a good shot
midway through the first round. The former Cal Poly wrestler
also mixed in a ground game, taking Franklin to the mat and working
for an attack there as well.
Throwing
kicks to mix things up also worked to Liddell's advantage, cracking
Franklin in the arm when he tried to block one and he ended up
with broken arm for his trouble.
"Early
in the fight when Chuck threw that kick to my body, and I blocked
it with my left side, my left arm was broken, I could feel the
bone clicking," Franklin said about the injury after the
fight.
Franklin
admitted that Liddell's aggression got him out of his strategy
a little bit in the early going, and the broken arm didn't help
matters much.
"The
gameplan was to not stand in front of him, which I started to
do a little bit, keep the lead hand active," said Franklin.
"Once he kicked me in that arm and I could feel the arm
clicking, I looked down at my forearm one time and kind of check
it, and it took me out of my game a little bit."
Regardless
of a broken arm, if the fight had made it through the first round,
Franklin says he had no intentions of stopping. It was merely
a flesh wound.
"Are
you kidding me? I broke my hand before and I didn’t quit,
I ain't gonna quit," Franklin said. "It's a broken
arm, these fans came here to see a fight!"
With
the arm in obvious pain, Franklin still battle through and with
the first round coming to a close, Liddell pushed forward and
tried to overwhelm the former middleweight champion.
The
plan backfired.
As
Liddell swung with big shot after big shot, Franklin timed a
missed right hand from the "Iceman" and countered with
a short right hand of his own. Liddell crumbled to the mat, and
it was all she wrote.
"The
thing about Chuck is when he gets you on the run, he really,
really over commits on things," Franklin said about the
finish. "It was the right that actually put him down though."
Now
back on a winning track and some healthy down time to get his
mind right, Franklin is poised to fight wherever, whoever and
whatever weight class the UFC tells him. He also made no bones
about a title shot in the future either.
"Ask
Dana, Lorenzo and the UFC, we'll see what they say," Franklin
commented about his future weight class. "I'm here at 205
now, and if my next fight's at 205, that's where I'll be, that's
my plan. I want to make a run for the title."
For
Chuck Liddell, as a fighter he is a legend and one of the greatest
champions the UFC has ever known. He's been a crossover superstar
for the sport he helped build, but it seems his best days are
behind him. Liddell will ultimately make the call about his future,
but it's likely that June 12, 2010 will be the last day the "Iceman"
will call the Octagon his home.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
115 Postmortem: Liddell’s Finale, ‘Cro Cop’ Comes
Back, More
If
you ever needed any proof that a fight isn’t over until
it’s over -- and in Paul Daley’s case, not even then
-- UFC 115 should be plenty proof enough.
Rory
MacDonald was controlling Carlos Condit on the ground, looking
every bit the prospect he was made to be, until Condit turned
it around late in the third and wound up getting a stoppage seconds
before MacDonald would’ve gotten the decision; Patrick Barry
beat Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic to the punch, even knocking
him down twice in the first, until Mirko found a stationary target
in a fatigued Barry and sunk in a choke; Chuck Liddell defied
industry wisdom that he was cooked and looked the best he had
in years -- until Rich Franklin threw a short, awkward right
that flipped his fuse, his fight, and his career.
The
most common explanation for these rallies is that there are simply
too many ways to lose in mixed martial arts. But it’s not
just that: it’s that there are too many decisions to be
made in the heat of the moment, and any one of them could wind
up scalding you. Fighters are heckled when they have an opponent
hurt and don’t go in for the kill (Barry simply stared at
Mirko after dumping him on his butt), but racing in and committing
to an attack has problems of its own (Liddell ate that KO right
after trying to swarm a stumbling Franklin).
Anyone
can strategize over a period of days or weeks, but making the
right commitments in the moment is what separates the contenders
from the stepping stones. If MMA is “kinetic chess,”
as some say, it’s really more a game of speed chess, with
no luxury of time involved. Having skill is only as important
as being able to deliver it at velocity.
That’s
one of many reasons Liddell will never see the inside of the
Octagon again. (His retirement is really the first among the
Zuffa-era box office attractions.) It’s easier for some
fighters to walk away when the money is blue-collar and the audience
is lukewarm; it’s going to be harder for men like Liddell
who will miss the adrenaline dump of having 15,000 or 20,000
fans happy to see him. It’s not the competition they love
so much as the arena.
Some
styles age well, and some don’t. Liddell’s does not.
Hopefully the peers that will keep him out of the ring tomorrow
will have the same conviction a year or two from now.
Next
for Liddell: Retirement, unless the UFC wants to be perceived
as sadistically as Pride and Dream have been for allowing Kazushi
Sakuraba a wheelchair-accessible ramp to the ring.
Next
for Franklin: If he wants a proper run at the 205-pound title,
fights with Ryan Bader or Jon Jones would be a start.
Next
for Barry: Less of the gee-whiz reverence toward opponents and
more of the killer instinct he delivers sermons on (“I don’t
hit hard -- I hit scary”). Fighting Todd Duffee would guarantee
one of them gets back on track.
Next
for Filipovic: He looked good but not great against Barry; a
rematch with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is more their speed at
this point.
Awards
The UFC-as-Religious-Experience Award Mike Goldberg, for declaring
fans “blessed” by the idea of seeing Chuck Liddell
compete again. (Admittedly, Midnight Mass with alcohol allowed
could be a hard thing to argue.)
The
Unnecessary Prep Award Matt Wiman, for needing notes stuffed
into his fight shorts to remember to thank God and family for
his victory.
The
Devaluing Your Own Product Award Dana White, for repeatedly insisting
that “Cro Cop”/Pat Barry wouldn’t hit the ground.
Why not have someone stand by to administer an electrical shock
every time they hit the floor?
The
Misplaced Gratitude Award Goldberg, for thanking Vancouver for
the fastest sellout in company history. Scalpers get no respect.
The
Wait, One More Goldbergism Award Goldberg, for referring to Ben
Rothwell as a “longtime MMA veteran.”
New
Questions
Does
Liddell know he’s done?
With
a new build that backed claims he was in serious training for
a comeback, Liddell showed encouraging signs of a late-model
revamp Saturday: he threw kicks, shot possibly his first first-round
takedown in his UFC career, and generally looked like a man on
a new mission. All of it nearly won him the round against Rich
Franklin -- save for a last-second flush right that collapsed
him.
Liddell’s
ability to absorb a shot is gone, but what he may debate is how
good he looked before getting caught. Mixing it up and coming
on strong could be the worst thing to happen to him if it encourages
him that he’s on the right track. He isn’t.
Is
officiating actually getting worse?
In
the wake of some highly questionable judges’ calls in recent
memory, in-ring officiating at Saturday’s card was an assembly
line of Three Stooges-level slapstick. Yves Lavigne pried Wiman
off of Mac Danzig despite Danzig being completely alert and even
having the physical presence to post off of Wiman’s thigh
to relieve the pressure on his neck; Ricardo Funch received a
warning for trying to “kick” Claude Patrick in the
head (he wasn’t). If state commissions aren’t mandating
a certification course -- and regular license renewal tests --
then it’s time they start.
When
you improve one aspect of your game, does the other one suffer?
For
years, Gilbert Yvel had the reputation for being hell on the
feet and a pushover on the ground. Against Ben Rothwell, he displayed
vastly improved defense, but couldn’t seem to punish Rothwell
standing with the same ferociousness his older, one-dimensional
version displayed. Budgeting time and knowing when you’re
neglecting on the skill that brought you to the ring is another
consideration -- among hundreds of little decisions -- that fighters
need to sweat.
Is
Bud Light dipping into MMA one toe at a time?
Since
signing on to be a company sponsor in 2008, Bud Light has maintained
a curiously distant attitude about saturating their marketing
with a UFC presence. Instead of commercials featuring fighters,
promotional displays of Anderson Silva and Liddell were under
limited distribution; a 90-second commercial during a Spike prelim
special Saturday had a bunch of generic dudes making only vague
reference to “the fight” on television. MMA as a corporate
darling is still a concept under construction.
Etc.
Owing either to a good mood or an impressive $4.2 million gate,
the UFC bumped their bonus incentives up to $85,000 Saturday:
Mirko “Cro Cop” received Submission of the Night honors
over Pat Barry, while Carlos Condit and MacDonald took Fight
of the Night. Franklin’s KO of the Night against Liddell
might be Dana White’s least enthusiastic payout ever…It
might have seemed closer on tape, but Compustrike’s numbers
for Barry/”Cro Cop” had the Croatian outstriking Barry
89-29 in total….White assured media at the post-fight press
conference that Liddell was indeed done, but no comments have
come from the fighter directly yet. While he has other options
beyond the UFC, company loyalty might prevent him from considering
them -- and hopefully advisers would do the same…White swore
the promotion would return to Vancouver, but that might wait
until the bureaucratic red tape eliminates the outrageous insurance
demands imposed on Saturday’s show…Quinton Jackson’s
“A-Team” had a good-but-not-great $26 million opening
weekend, falling below expectations and getting trounced by Sony’s
remake of “The Karate Kid,” starring a 48 pound Jaden
Smith in Ralph Macchio’s role. This all but guarantees a
“Hard Times” remake starring Topher Grace.
Source: Sherdog
|
Cro
Cop’s 85-K rear-naked choke
Mirko
Cro Cop’s request was answered. It’s worth remembering,
though, that he deserved it. The Croatian was lagging against
Pat Barry at this Saturday’s UFC 115 event in Canada. But
he rallied back and won by rear-naked choke, ditching his striker
background to show his fine-tuned Jiu-Jitsu.
After
the bout the former policeman asked Dana White for the submission
of the night and fight of the night awards. The fight of the
night request didn’t pan out, but Cro Cop’s submission
netted him an extra 85 thousand dollars.
The
best knockout bonus predictably went to Rich Franklin. With a
cross right on the button followed by two more punches, he put
Chuck Liddell’s lights out.
The
award for best fight want to Carlos Condit and Rory MacDonald,
in a battle won by the former.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Bochecha’s
destiny in the absolute
To
compete at the Jiu-Jitsu world championship has become synonymous
with two things for Marcus “Bochecha” Almeida: winning
the absolute and getting promoted. That was the case in 2009,
when he closed out the division with teammate Yuri Simões
and received his brown belt. This season the CheckMat representative
closed out the division with Antonio Barbosa and was again promoted.
A black belt, where he should remain for around 30 years before
getting his red-and-black belt, Bochecha will have opponents
like Roger Gracie to contend with. Bring on the challenges!
What
was this series of promotions at World Championships like?
I
won last year at heavyweight and absolute as a purple belt. This
year, as a brown belt, I moved up a division and won the super
heavyweight division and closed out the absolute with Antonio,
a really tough guy of Bob Sponja’s in Paraiba, who has been
closing out with me at the Brazilian Nationals for the last three
years. I was promoted on the absolute winners’ stand. Cavaca
gave me my black belt and I really wasn’t expecting it.
I had only been a brown belt for a year.
After
your win folks were warning Roger Gracie to take care…
They’re
already putting that responsibility on me; no worries! But there’s
nowhere to run. I won’t compete as a heavyweight anymore,
in the ultraheavyweight there’s my master (Cavaca), so I
have to stay at this weight, which is Roger’s. I have to
go try and do what no one has been able to for a long while.
What
did you think of your future opponent’s matches at the Worlds?
Watching
Roger compete… There’s nothing left to be said. His
Jiu-Jitsu seems to be flawless. A lot of guys seem like white
belts against him. I have to train a lot. There’s no way
to deal with him the way I am now! I have to train double to
be able to do something next year or at the upcoming tournaments.
What
will be hardest for you at your new belt level?
Now
everything changes. As they say, it’s a new beginning. Match
duration increases, as does your adversaries’ experience
and I’m going to learn with every match. I competed against
a lot of black belts at the World Pro qualifiers, but the matches
were shorter and different. I’m anxious, but I’m ready
for whatever comes my way.
I’d
like to thank all my teammates, Cavaca – who is my master
–, my father, sponsors, Lucas Leite and everyone at CheckMat
in the United States. Of course I’d also like to thank everyone
at GRACIEMAG.com.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
ROTHWELL
GETS PAST GASSED YVEL AT UFC 115
The big boys brought a lot of power, but not a lot of cardio
as Ben Rothwell worked for every inch on his way to a unanimous
decision win over Gilbert Yvel at UFC 115 in Vancouver.
Rothwell
established his stand-up in the first round blasting Yvel with
a good shot, but then decided that a ground game was a much better
idea against the Dutch striking machine.
Working
from side control to mount, Rothwell had the better ground work,
but Yvel was able to get the reverse a few times in the fight.
It
was virtually a repeat of that same position over and over again,
except for a couple of minutes in the second round when Yvel
got the reversal and started dropping bombs on Rothwell. It looked
like he may get a stoppage, but Rothwell persevered and slipped
back under to get the Dutchman on the mat again.
With
both fighters just absolutely gassed in the third round, Rothwell
took Yvel down and stayed there for the entire round, peppering
away with shots. The Duke Roufus trained fighter had simply nothing
left in his reserves to put Yvel away, who was also drained,
laying on the mat, with no where to go.
The
judges read 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28 giving Ben Rothwell the first
win of his UFC career, and possibly an exit for Yvel who is now
0-2 in the Octagon.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KAMPMANN
OUTCLASSES THIAGO AT UFC 115
Top ten ranked welterweights Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann
went into their UFC 115 match up with a lot riding on the line
in the 170-pound division.
Heading
into the bout, Thiago was on the fast track to being a contender
with wins over Josh Koscheck, Jacob Volkman and Mike Swick. His
only defeat came at the hands of No. 2 ranked Jon Fitch.
Martin
Kampmann derailed Thiago’s path to a title shot by completely
outclassing the Brazilian on the feet and on the ground.
The
Xtreme Couture trained athlete established he was the superior
striker early, landing jabs at will and picking Thiago a part
on their feet.
It
was assumed that Thiago would have the advantage once the fight
hit the ground, but that proved not to be the case.
Kampmann
controlled the high level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and
was close to pulling off a submission in each round.
“Paulo’s
real tough. Every time I tried to put some moves on him on the
ground he ended up standing up. Every time I tried to punch him
he’d scramble, pull guard, go for kimuras,” Kampmann
said following the win.
“I’m
sorry guys I didn’t work more ground and pound, but he’s
real technical on the ground. If I opened up just a little bit
he was trying to catch me in stuff. I could be as active on the
ground as I wanted to.”
Discussing
his game plan, Kampmann commented, “I wanted to be a little
bit more hesitant with my striking. Usually I have a habit of
just going straight forward and swinging. It makes some great
fights for the fans. That’s why I get a lot of support and
I appreciate it.”
“I
would have liked to have opened up a little bit more. Sometimes
I was too hesitant, but next time I’m going to fire more.”
With
the unanimous decision win over Thiago, Kampmann improved his
profession record to 17-3.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
115: LIDDELL VS FRANKLIN LIVE RESULTS
Former UFC light heavyweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Chuck
Liddell faces former middleweight titleholder Rich Franklin on
Saturday night at UFC 115 at GM Place in Vancouver. Both are
looking to resurrect their title aspirations.
MMAWeekly.com
is Octagon-side to bring you all of the action with live results
and round-by-round coverage beginning with the preliminary bouts,
which are scheduled to begin at approximately 4:30 p.m. PT /
7:30 p.m. ET.
UFC
115 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
CHUCK
LIDDELL VS. RICH FRANKLIN
R1
– No touch of the gloves. Liddell lands the first big shot,
a hard right hand, then a follow-up low kick. They clinch briefly
and Franklin lands a couple punches on separation, but Liddell
lands a high kick in return. Franklin lands a couple right hands,
but takes a hard shot back from Liddell. Liddell then shoots
in and picks the ankle, putting Franklin on his back. Franklin
fight sup to the feet where they both swing and miss. The pace
slows, both missing frequently. Franklin is firing low kicks,
but eats that big overhand right and is hurt. Liddell senses
it and pushes the pace briefly, but backs off as Franklin recovers.
Liddell lands a head kick and moves in. He appears to be in control
then out of nowhere Franklin fires back and with one punch drops
Liddell. Fight over!
Rich
Franklin def. Chuck Liddell by KO (Punch) at 4:55, R1
PAT
BARRY VS. MIRKO “CRO COP” FILIPOVIC
R1
– Barry starts firing straight rights, but doesn’t
really connect, although he does with a low inside kick. A few
seconds later and he puts Cro Cop on his backside with an overhand
right. Barry has landed several kicks to Cro Cop’s right
leg now. Cro Cop hasn’t yet been able to mount much offense.
Barry looks much faster. He connects with another right hand
that sends Cro Cop down, but lets him get up. The left side of
Cro Cop’s face is swelling fast. Cro Cop misses with a punch,
but moves in to clinch with Barry. They hit the mat, but when
they get up Cro Cop lands a few hard shots on Barry. The crowd
erupts and Barry and Cro Cop stop to hug in the middle of the
Octagon. They separate and Cro Cop hits Barry with a quick right
hand. Barry lands a right high kick just before the horn.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Barry
R2
– Cro Cop goes high with the left kick, but Barry blocks.
Cro Cop then storms Barry, landing a few punches before backing
out. Barry is circling away a lot this round, possibly trying
to stay away from the power of Cro Cop’s kicks. They clinch
on the cage and Cro Cop repeatedly hammerfists Barry’s thigh
before the referee separates them. Cro Cop lands alternating
kicks to the leg and body. Barry goes high with a kick and Cro
Cop rushes him and drives him to the mat. Cro Cop moves up into
half guard on top of Barry with two minutes left in the round.
Cro Cop drives several punches to the body then moves up to full
mount. Barry gives up his back where Cro Cop briefly attempts
to find the rear naked choke before starting to punch again.
Cro Cop has his back to the cage while on Barry’s back,
but can’t do anything with the position as the round ends.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 fro Cro Cop
R3
– Barry and Cro Cop hug again as the round starts. Cro Cop
immediately goes high with the left kick, but it deflects off
Barry’s arm, but he comes back and lands a second attempt.
Both fighters are looking tired and missing a lot more, but Barry
comes back with a solid left hook, and then Cro Cop lands an
uppercut. He follows that with a solid punch combination. They
clinch on the fence where Cro Cop lands a solid uppercut followed
with a couple short punches to the body, as well as a knee to
the body. They stall and the referee restarts them. Cro Cop opens
up a flurry of punches and has Barry hurt, sending him to the
canvas. Barry clinches Cro Cop's body, but eats an onslaught
of punches. Cro Cop then moves to his back and finishes the fight
with a rear naked choke.
Mirko
“Cro Cop” Filipovic def. Pat Barry by Submission (Rear
Naked Choke) at 4:30, R3
MARTIN
KAMPMANN VS. PAULO THIAGO
R1
– Both fighters taking a lot of time to find their range,
but Thiago lands the first solid combination. Kampmann fires
back with a right cross. Thiago tries going high with kicks,
but one is blocked and the other misses. Kampmann connects with
a punch and Thiago drops to try and take him down. He doesn’t
get the takedown, but does kick Kampmann’s leg out, putting
him on his backside. Kampmann, however, works his way out and
back to his feet. They scramble for position and Kampmann locks
on a choke, but Thiago defends until the horn.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Kampmann
R2
– Again, they’re slow to engage. Kampmann connects
first, with a solid right hand. Thiago fires back with a kick
and then they trade a few punches. Thiago shoots, but ends up
on the mat with Kampmann on top of him on his side. Kampmann
lands a couple of punches, but Thiago latches on to his left
arm, trying to secure the Kimura. Thiago doesn’t get the
submission, but does sweep Kampmann, landing in side control.
He drives a couple shots down, but Kampmann quickly escapes to
his feet and plants a couple of knees to Thiago face/head.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Kampmann
R3
– Kampmann lands right hand just before they clinch. Kampmann
drags Thiago down and starts ground and pounding then transitions
to his back. Thiago manages to get to his feet briefly, but gets
put back down while he was attempting a takedown. They get to
their feet where Kampmann lands a knee then they’re quickly
back on the mat with Kampmann in control from half guard. He
moves to Thiago’s back and throws a few punches, but then
they separate and are up to their feet. Thiago lands an overhad
right, shoots the takedown, then gets put on hi sback again.
Kampmann quickly transitions from side control to full mount
then to Thiago back and back to mount as the final horn sounds.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Kampmann
Martin
Kampmann def. Paulo Thiago by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27,
30-27), R3
GILBERT
YVEL VS. BEN ROTHWELL
R1
– Rothwell comes out guns a blazing, rocking Yvel with a
flurry of punches. Yvel puts a guillotine hold on Rothwell to
stop the fury, but ends up on his back and is quickly mounted
by Rothwell. Yvel though reverses and drops a few punches on
Rothwell. Rothwell quickly gets to his feet and puts Yvel on
his back and starts working from side control. He tries to lock
up a submission on Yvel’s right arm, but gives it up and
starts dropping elbows and punches on Yvel’s face. Yvel
shucks him off, but Rothwell takes him right back down, Yvel’s
head to the cage and Rothwell in full mount. Yvel gets parallel
to the cage, but Rothwell is driving his forearm down. Yvel scrambles
and tries to secure a leg, but Rothwell escapes and puts Yvel
in a crucifix position, punching him in the face. Yvel somehow
reverses, and they return to their feet. Yvel starts winging
punches and rocks Rothwell, who is wobbly on his feet. They end
the round winging at each other.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Rothwell
R2
– Rothwell immediately lands the double-leg takedown and
passes to side control. Yvel manages to get half guard briefly,
but Rothwell quickly passes to full mount and drops a heavy elbow
to Yvel’s forehead and keeps punching. Yvel manages to buck
him off and get back to his feet midway through the round. Rothwell
is persistent and lands another double-leg takedown, but Yvel
grabs Rothwell’s arm and sweeps him over. Yvel is pounding
away at Rothwell, who appears badly hurt. Yvel continues raining
down blows, but runs out of gas. Rothwell gets to his knees and
takes Yvel to his back once again. He quickly transitions to
full mount and drops a few punches down as the horn sounds.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Rothwell
R3
– Yvel shoots a single, but Rothwell puts him on his back
and moves to side control. Rothwell plans some elbows on Yvel’s
face, but can’t mount much damage. He moves to mount, but
Yvel gains his half guard, and then full, and starts peppering
Rothwell with punches to the face. Rothwell though quickly moves
back to side control, again trying to lock up Yvel’s left
arm. He drops a few elbows to Yvel’s face before pinning
his arm and hitting him with another series of punches and elbows.
The last couple minutes play out with Rothwell in side control
hitting Yvel with punches and elbows, but unable to finish the
fight.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Rothwell
Ben
Rothwell def. Gilbert Yvel by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28,
29-28), R3
RORY
MACDONALD VS. CARLOS CONDIT
R1
– MacDonald catches an early kick from Condit and puts him
on his back, but Condit is right back up and they’re firing
away at each other, both landing punches. They clinch and start
kneeing each other, but MacDonald tosses Condit to his back,
landing in full guard. Hometown crowd chanting “Rory! Rory!
Rory!” Condit starts climbing his leg up MacDonald’s
back and driving elbows into the top of his head. Condit backs
MacDonald away and returns to his feet, quickly catching MacDonald
with a right cross. Condit lands a leg kick, but MacDonald fires
back with two solid right hands that stagger Condit. They clinch
and MacDonald scoops up a Condit knee attempt and dumps him on
his back, again landing in full guard. They scramble and get
back to their feet. Condit lands a couple knees to the body as
they clinch. Condit lands a left jab, right low kick combination.
They exchange strikes before MacDonald puts an exclamation point
on the round by scooping Condit up and planting him on his back.
MMAWeekly.com
scores round one 10-9 for MacDonald
R2
– Condit lands a solid combination, but eats the same from
MacDonald. MacDonald catches another kick and lands a couple
punches on the way to the mat. He stands up and Condit also returns
to his feet. They immediately clinch, Condit landing a knee to
the face before eating a strong punch combination. He fires back
with a hard leg kick. MacDonald moves in and Condit this time
gets him to the mat, but get put on his back when MacDonald hooks
his ankles to reverse position. Condit again drives the elbows
to the top of MacDonald’s head. Condit starts working for
a submission, but they scramble back to their feet. Condit moves
in for a Thai clinch, but MacDonald boxes his way out. Condit
misses a double-leg, but lands a knee to the chin as thy separate.
As the round ends, Condit fires a front kick to MacDonald’s
face, but takes one to his chest and falls to his back.
MMAWeekly.com
cores round two 10-9 for MacDonald
R3
– MacDonald right away catches another Condit kick and peppers
him with punches and kicks, sending him backwards across the
cage. Condit finally retaliates, putting MacDonald on his back
and starts ground and pound from half guard. Condit stands and
then drops down a heavy hammerfist. He drops down into full mount,
but MacDonald gets his half guard back, Condit is smothering
hmm, dropping punches and elbows down. MacDonald hooks a leg
and works his way back to standing where they clinch on the fence.
Condit lands a few good punches before MacDonald goes for a takedown
and gets put on his back again. Condit is working from half guard,
throwing forearms and punches to the head, trapping MacDonald
up by the cage. MacDonald nearly escapes and gets up, but Condit
puts him right back down, smothering him with ground and pound.
Condit stands briefly, dropping down heavy punches, then falls
on MacDonald again, brutalizing him with punches and hammerfists
until the referee stops the fight.
Carlos
Condit def. Rory MacDonald by TKO (Strikes) at 4:53, R3
EVAN
DUNHAM VS. TYSON GRIFFIN
R1
– Griffin comes out striking, alternating kicks and overhand
rights, landing several. Dunham catches a kick and drives Griffin
across the cage, but can’t get him to the mat. Griffin is
doing a good job overcoming Dunham’s reach with leg kicks
and the speed and commitment of his punches. Dunham starts throwing
kicks midway through the round, landing several, mixing up legs,
body, and head. Griffin charges, but Dunham slips him and Griffin
goes to this knees. Dunham follows him and takes his back, working
for a rear naked choke. Griffin stays patient and fights the
choke. Dunham trades punches, keeping Griffin’s back until
the end of the round.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Dunham
R2
– Griffin starts it off kicking again, this time Dunham
is doing better to avoid the kicks, but eats an overhand right.
Griffin nabs a guillotine and drags Dunham to the mat, but can’t
hang on to the choke. Dunham is on top working from half guard.
Griffin gets to his knees and then to his feet where they start
trading blows. Dunham scores the double-leg takedown, landing
in half guard. Griffin goes after Dunham’s arm, but Dunham
rolls and takes Griffin’s back again, working for the rear
naked choke. Griffin defends and drives elbows into Dunham’s
thigh, but Dunham keeps working for the choke. Griffin stands,
but Dunham is still on his back, working for the choke, now with
a body triangle locked on. Griffin dives to the mat, driving
Dunham face first, but Dunham doesn’t let up. Griffin stands
again, Dunham still clinging to his back until the horn.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Dunham
R3
– Griffin comes out firing again and kicks Dunham’s
leg out. Dunham fires back, but Griffin’s giving two for
ones at this point. Griffin lands a big overhand right. Dunham
goes with a jumping knee then misses with the head kick. Griffin
drives him to the cage, but can’t get him down and they
separate. Griffin lands two hard right hands, but Dunham fires
back, kicking out Griffin’s leg then takes his back one
more time. Dunham is clinging to Griffin’s back, but not
anywhere near a choke. Griffin stands up, and again Dunham stays
on his back, locking on the body triangle. Dunham still can’t
find the choke, so Griffin drives him into the mat, still unable
to shake him before the horn sounds.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Griffin, the fight 29-28 for Dunham
Evan
Dunham def. Tyson Griffin by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28),
R3
MATT
WIMAN VS. MAC DANZIG
R1
– Wiman comes out kicking, but Danzig – sporting hair
for the first time in a long time – quickly catches one
and puts Wiman on the mat. They scrap for position, but Wiman
catches Danzig in a tight guillotine and rolls him over onto
his back. Danzig remains calm, the choke is in deep, but Danzig
is hanging on. Referee Yves Lavigne checks Danzig’s hand
to see if he is out. Danzig’s hand remains up, but Lavigne
stops the bout anyhow, much to the confusion of both Danzig and
Wiman.
Matt
Wiman def. Mac Danzig by Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke)
at 1:45, R1
MARIO
MIRANDA VS. DAVID LOISEAU
R1
– Miranda immediately clinches and tosses Loiseau to the
mat. With Loiseau on all fours, Miranda starts punching while
kneeling at his side. Loiseau turns to his back, Miranda working
ground and pound from half guard. Loiseau gains his full guard,
but Miranda scoots him to the fence, where Loiseau escapes to
his knees. Miranda stays on him, however, punching and driving
home knees to the body. Loiseau finally is able to stand up,
clinched with Miranda, his face swelling below his left eye.
Miranda drives a few knees to the body and then tosses Loiseau
back to the mat. This time Loiseau is back to his feet quickly,
pressing Miranda to the cage. The action stalls and the referee
restarts the two in the center of the Octagon. They clinch and
Miranda drives Loiseau to the fence.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Miranda
R2
– Loiseau comes out with a sense of urgency, immediately
firing kicks towards Miranda’s head. He misses with the
kicks, but lands an overhand right. Miranda rushes into a clinch
and takes Loiseau to his knees where Miranda starts hammering
Loiseau with punches. Loiseau has a cut near the top and back
of his head. Miranda is controlling position, continuously punching
and elbowing Loiseau in the head, trying to open the cut up further.
He takes Loiseau’s back and flattens him out, working for
the rear naked choke. Loiseau gets back to his knees, but Miranda
again unleashes a furious attack of elbows to the skull before
witching to punches. Loiseau can only cover up, but the referee
doesn’t stop the fight until Miranda goes back to the punishing
elbow attack.
Mario
Miranda def. David Loiseau by TKO (Strikes) at 4:07, R2
PETER
SOBOTTA VS. JAMES WILKS
R1
– Sobotta starts kicking; Wilks starts punching; each testing
his range. Sobotta then clinches and presses Wilks to the fence,
but gives it up when Wilks drives home a knee to the body. They
close the gap again, Wilks trying to lock on a submission and
landing on his back with Sobotta in full guard. Wilks starts
climbing his legs and does a tremendous move to lock up Sobotta’s
arm, searching for an armbar, but Sobotta is patient and finds
the escape hatch. Both work back to their feet, they exchange
a few punches, but then clinch on the fence. Sobotta tries for
a takedown, but Wilks fends it off, then pulls guard, nearly
securing a gogo plata. Sobotta defends, they scramble, and the
round comes to an end.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Wilks
R2
– Wilks misses right away with a head kick then eats several
punch combination before tying Sobotta up. Wilks lands a couple
knees to the head before they break from the clinch and then
lands a nice punch combination as they cross the cage then clinch
again. Wilks lands a few more knees before he trips Sobotta to
the mat. He stands in Sobotta’s guard, escaping a leg lock
attempt, then nearly locks on a choke of his own. They both get
back to standing with 30 seconds left in the round, but can’t
manage much offense before the horn.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Wilks.
R3
– Wilks opens strong with a left punch followed by a knee.
He throws the high kick and backs Sobotta into the cage, searching
for a takedown, but Sobotta defends well. A sharp jab from Wilks
snaps Sobotta’s head back hard. Sobotta goes for the takedown,
nearly gets caught in a submission attempt from Wilks on the
way down then manages to take Wilks’ back and lock on a
body triangle. Wilks defends the rear naked choke and turns to
his knees, but Sobotta keeps the body triangle locked and pulls
Wilks back over. He gives up the body triangle trying to secures
an arm, which gives Wilks just enough space to reverse into Sobotta’s
full guard. Wilks mounts a few ground and pound shots, but can’t
do much with the position before the final horn.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Sobotta, but the fight 29-28 for Wilks.
James
Wilks def. Peter Sobotta by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-28,
30-27), R3
CLAUDE
PATRICK VS. RICARDO FUNCH
R1
– Patrick checks a couple leg kicks before they clinch on
the fence with Patrick landing several knees to Funch’s
thighs. They work for position for a time, then Patrick scores
the bodylock takedown, landing in Funch’s full guard. Funch
gets a warning for kicking Patrick, but the fight is restarted
with Patrick in Funch’s guard. Patrick then proceeds to
land a couple hard punches to the Canadian fans’ delight.
Patrick stands in Funch’s guard and drives home several
hard punches, passes guard, and then drops an elbow to the head,
landing in Funch’s half guard. Patrick moves up and secures
a choke from top mount, but can’t finish before the round
ends.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Patrick.
R2
– Patrick presses Funch to the cage, but Funch quickly switches
position, but gets caught in a guillotine hold and eats a couple
knees. They remain along the fence, working for position from
the clinch. Just under two minutes in and Patrick secures the
guillotine choke and drops to the mat where Funch quickly taps
out.
Claude
Patrick def. Ricardo Funch by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at
1:48, R2
JESSE
LENNOX VS. MIKE PYLE
R1
– Not much action for the first couple minutes, although
Lennox lands a few solid leg kicks. Pyle shoots on him, but Lennox
does a good job defending and drives a few knees to Pyle’s
body. They trade a couple head kicks then Lennox starts to find
some range by diving in with punches to the body and head, but
eats a knee and a head kick late in the round. Pyle starts using
his reach advantage, employing the jab to keep Lennox at bay.
Lennox somehow finds his way through and rocks Pyle with a hard
punch combination, but Pyle fires back, sending Lennox to the
mat. Pyle follows him down and lands in mount, but can’t
finish with the guillotine choke he’s working on from the
top.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Pyle.
R2
– Pyle starts out right away using his jab then stings Lennox
with a straight right. Lennox is looking for the power punches,
but Pyle takes him down, they scramble and return to their feet.
Pyle locks on a standing armlock and takes Lennox down with it,
but can’t finish. They scramble again, Pyle landing on top
in half guard. Pyle starts picking away with punches, then stands
and drops a couple hard shots down before Lennox regains his
feet. They clinch, but this time Lennox takes Pyle down, landing
in full guard. Lennox is smothering Pyle up by the cage, but
Pyle somehow spins away from the cage and turns to his knees
until the bell sounds.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Pyle.
R3
– Lennox comes out swinging for the fences, but not landing
the big overhand right. He manages a solid low kick, but Pyle
gives him two back, staggering Lennox for a moment. Pyle is doing
a good job using his reach advantage to stay away from Lennox’s
power. Lennox looks tired, swinging hard, probably thinking he
has to finish the fight to get the win. Pyle landing his jab
frequently, misses with a spinning hook kick, but then lands
a couple leg kicks that again stagger Lennox. Lennox presses
Pyle to the cage, but it’s Pyle that wins the exchange along
the fence. With a minute left, Lennox goes all in, landing a
superman punch and a left hook. He gets Pyle to the mat and starts
a ground and pound attack, but Pyle locks on a triangle choke,
drops a few elbows, then finishes the submission for the win.
Mike
Pyle def. Jesse Lennox by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 4:44,
R3
UFC
115 RESULTS:
MAIN
CARD (On Pay-Per-View):
-Rich Franklin def. Chuck Liddell by KO (Punch) at 4:55, R1
-Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic def. Pat Barry by Submission
(Rear Naked Choke) at 4:30, R3
-Martin Kampmann def. Paulo Thiago by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27), R3
-Ben Rothwell def. Gilbert Yvel by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
29-28, 29-28), R3
-Carlos Condit def. Rory MacDonald by TKO (Strikes) at 4:53,
R3
PRELIMINARY
CARD (On Spike TV):
-Evan Dunham def. Tyson Griffin by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29,
29-28), R3
-Matt Wiman def. Mac Danzig by Technical Submission (Guillotine
Choke) at 1:45, R1
PRELIMINARY
CARD (Non-Televised):
-Mario Miranda def. David Loiseau by TKO (Strikes) at 4:07, R2
-James Wilks def. Peter Sobotta by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-28, 30-27), R3
-Claude Patrick def. Ricardo Funch by Submission (Guillotine
Choke) at 1:48, R2
-Mike Pyle def. Jesse Lennox by Submission (Triangle Choke) at
4:44, R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
THE
CROW GETS GROUNDED IN UFC 115 PRELIMS
VANCOUVER – Mixed martial arts fans up North gave the UFC
a warm welcome on Saturday, showing up fill more than half of
GM Place for the untelevised preliminary bouts at UFC 115, the
promotion’s first trip to Van City.
There
were several finishes in the first four, but one of which wasn’t
very popular for Canadian fans. Countryman David Loiseau has
been fighting for a decade, getting his start at the UCC promotion
in Montreal, but “The Crow” isn’t soaring as high
as he used to.
Mario
Miranda, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling expert, in just
his second UFC fight, grounded Loiseau in their preliminary bout,
battering him through the first and second rounds. Miranda went
from elbows to punches and back to elbows for several minutes
straight in round two before referee Tony Williamson had no choice
but to stop the punishment.
It
took him all three rounds, but James Wilks bounced back from
a loss to Matt Brown, by taking all three rounds on the judges’
scorecards against Peter Sobotta in Vancouver.
Wilks
did a good job of utilizing his jab and came close to a submission
finish on several occasions, but couldn’t put a stubborn
Sobotta away. It was, however, a solid win for “The Ultimate
Fighter” Season 9 winner in the welterweight category.
He
may be from Toronto, but his countrymen in Vancouver were out
in full support of Claude Patrick, and he didn’t let them
down. He controlled the majority of the opening round with Ricardo
Funch, taking him down, ground and pounding, and nearly submitting
him.
As
round two got underway, Funch trying to take Patrick down from
a clinch along the fence, but Patrick locked on a guillotine
choke and dropped to the mat. Funch tried to fight it momentarily,
but tapped out just under two minutes into the round.
Mike
Pyle kicked off the night with an impressive finish, though it
took him close to the duration. Jesse Lennox was headhunting
all fight long, getting in his licks here and there, but Pyle
slowly picked away at him with a visible reach advantage.
As
Lennox started to fade in the third round, he dug deep and went
all in, hitting Pyle with a superman punch and left hook before
taking him to the mat. More than comfortable from his back, Pyle
worked a triangle choke, dropped a couple elbows to Lennox’s
skull, and then cinched the choke for the submission.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DUNHAM
STAYS UNDFEATED, WIMAN WINS IN BAD STOPPAGE
Training partners before UFC 115, and opponents in Vancouver
on Saturday night.
Evan
Dunham had to pick up and move his training camp across town
when he was matched up with Tyson Griffin, who has been a mainstay
at Xtreme Couture where the two trained together recently. While
he has plans of going back to the gym after this fight, Dunham
didn't miss a step in the bout as he handled Tyson Griffin for
the better part of three rounds to get a split-decision win.
Multiple
times during the fight, Dunham took Griffin to the ground, moving
to take his back and look for the rear naked choke. Griffin had
his moments on the feet, but had no answer for Dunham's ground
game, which looked phenomenal.
Dunham
continued to move forward, and simply out worked him on the mat,
constantly looking for the choke, and Griffin could only defend
and try to look for a way out. He didn't find the escape and
Dunham cruised to his fourth straight win in the Octagon.
The
prelims on Spike TV started out with what promised to be a great,
fast paced fight between lightweights Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig,
but ended with a bad judgment call by referee Yves Lavigne.
Danzig
took Wiman to the ground early, but was caught in a guillotine
choke just a few seconds after working on the mat. Wiman sunk
it in deep, causing Danzig to roll over and try to loosen the
hold. While the choke looked deep, it almost seemed like a neck
crank as Danzig's head turned to the side, but his neck was open
allowing blood to flow freely.
Just
then Matt Wiman turned to Yves Lavigne motioning that Danzig
was out, and with a brief check of the hand, the Canadian stepped
in to stop the fight and declaring Wiman the winner.
"I
thought he went out and so I had him check him, and it's his
call, but I've had fighters go out on me before, I told the ref,
that's the way it worked," Wiman said after the fight. "He
wasn't out."
Danzig
immediately popped up, obviously in no danger of going out at
that moment, but Lavigne insisted on the stoppage and the fight
was over. Wiman was very classy in the moment, recognizing that
Danzig wasn't out and had no problem offering him a rematch.
"Very
unfortunate, both Mac and I, you guys don't know what we go through
to train for these fights. I didn't want it to end like this,
I thought he was out maybe," said Wiman. "I guess we
can do it again, you know?"
Even
though a lot of fighters would have been angry and lashing out
at the referee and the stoppage, Danzig was equally as classy
in defeat, even defending Lavigne for having to make the tough
call.
"Yves
Lavigne and any referee has a really hard job in this sport,
I want to say that just straight off. It's not an easy job,"
said Danzig. "I was posting on his knee, when Yves Lavigne
grabbed my arm, I can't let go of that, when I'm posting on Matt's
knee I'm trying to stay safe and that's how you stay safe, if
I would have let go of his knee he would have got it deeper."
Much
like the bizarre stoppage with Shane Nelson and Aaron Riley at
UFC 96, the UFC rematched them immediately and it seems the same
would happen for Wiman and Danzig after a botched call by the
referee on Saturday night.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CONDIT
SHOWS KILLER INSTINCT TO BEAT MACDONALD
It was young lion against younger lion at UFC 115, and the young
lion Carlos Condit snatched victory from the jaws of defeat after
a war with Rory MacDonald in Vancouver on Saturday night.
At
only 20-years of age, Rory MacDonald is undoubtedly ahead of
the curve of most mixed martial artists and he showed off his
skills by coming after the last ever WEC welterweight champion
with everything in his arsenal and the kitchen sink.
The
two 170lb fighters battled on the feet and seemed fairly even,
but MacDonald took Condit down multiple times during the first
two rounds, and managed to match the New Mexico born fighter
strike for strike early on.
With
the first two rounds likely going to MacDonald, coach Greg Jackson
was unloading in Condit's ear between rounds urging a strong
finish. Condit is obviously a very good listener.
Condit
tagged MacDonald on the feet, and then go the fight to the ground
where he proceeded to absolutely unload with elbows and punches
on the young Canadian. As the side of MacDonald's head swelled
up like he had a golf ball stuffed in there, commentator Joe
Rogan noted that he likely had a broken orbital bone.
Just
relentless with his attack, Condit bashed MacDonald with everything
he had, and with less than :10 seconds remaining the referee
saw enough and stopped the fight, giving the "Natural Born
Killer" the TKO win.
"I
didn't know how many seconds were left, I was just working,"
Condit said after the stoppage. "I think I caught him with
something standing, and then when I was on the ground I was kind
of able to dominate a bit."
Fighting
in his home province in Canada, MacDonald gave credit to Condit
for the fight, and had no problem with the way the fight ended.
"To
tell you the truth I didn't know what was going on. It was a
just stoppage, he was kicking my ass," MacDonald said.
Condit,
now 2-1 in the UFC, is making a name for himself as one of the
toughest and most exciting fighters in the welterweight division,
while MacDonald has a lot of years left in him in this sport.
"It
was really close, too close for comfort," Condit admitted.
"Rory's a great fighter, he's got a lot of great fights
in front of him, I'm sure he'll come back from this."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Gesias
Cavalcante signs with Strikeforce
Two-time
champion of Hero’s GP, the lightweight Gesias Cavalcante
don’t fight for over a year, since his defeat to Tatsuya
Kawajiri in May of 2009, on Dream 9. But the fight fasting of
the Brazilian seems to reach to an end. According to MMAJunkie,
“JZ” signed a contract with Strikeforce, an event that
has a partnership with Dream. The website also says that the
deal settled between the tough guy and the organization lasts
a year, on which Gesias should have four fights scheduled, and
his debut can be in August.
Source: Tatame
|
Marcelo
Garcia
Four-time
world champion on the medium weight division, Marcelo Garcia
could not hide his happiness after a tough finale against Cláudio
Calasans, yesterday afternoon. When he left the mat, Alliance’s
athlete chatted with TATAME and commented his tough combats on
World. “The toughest fight I had was against Murilo, he
was the only one who scored two points against me today (Sunday)…
He’s a very tough athlete”, analyzes Marcelo, who regretted
the absence of Sérgio Moraes on the finale and commented
the possibility of fighting MMA again.
What
did you think of your campaign on 2010?
The
greatest thing was that everyone told me that I got a hard key,
but this division has been hard for a while, so it’s not
a surprise for me. But this expectation and excitement that everybody
get motivates me to try harder and harder.
You
hoped you could close it up with Sérgio, but Calasans
ruined your plans beating him on the semifinal…
I
was used to don’t do the finale, but his fight ended tied.
I believe people wanted to watch this finale, so that made things
difficult for Sérgio.
What
was the toughest fight you did on this World?
The
toughest fight I had was against Murilo, he was the only one
who scored two points against me today (Sunday)… I brought
him down, he swept me, I swept him back and got his back…
He’s a very tough athlete.
Did
you leave completely MMA?
I
still want to fight it, but it’s not my main goal. I was
away from Jiu-Jitsu for a while and the flame rekindled when
I thought about fighting with kimono again, a thing I didn’t
do for a long time, but now I want to reach more things…
I can do a MMA fight, but I want to focus on my Jiu-Jitsu now,
on my gym, my website where everybody can watch my fights and
my trainings online… If my opponents had accessed my website,
maybe they would have done a better job (laughs).
When
will you come back for the mats?
My
focus now is to compete. I’ll fight on Grappler’s Quest
next month, which will be a championship with 32 men, 5 fights
for each one, only disputing the absolute and there are very
tough guys announced to be on the event… It’ll be here
in California.
Source: Tatame
|
Worlds
2010 according to the president
After
wrapping up the 15th Jiu-Jitsu World Championship last Sunday
the 6th, Carlos Gracie Jr planned to head back to Rio de Janeiro
from California.
Before
the trip GRACIEMAG.com caught up with the founder of Gracie Barra
to pick his brain on the level of the event, the promotion of
three new red-and-black belts, and the performances of nephew
Roger and son Kayron. Check out part of his analysis.
Roger
and third absolute title
“Once again Roger demonstrated the effectiveness of simple
Jiu-Jitsu, and he deserved the absolute title. For his having
fought at Strikeforce just a few days earlier, it was a sign
that this phantom of the transition from MMA to sport Jiu-Jitsu
is not as insurmountable as it seemed, so long as you have a
good grasp of Jiu-Jitsu’s basics.
Standouts
of Worlds 2010
“I liked a lot of the matches, and a lot of the competitors.
The black belt champions were out of this world, but with a view
from the stands one also notices how there are some really good
fighters who don’t necessarily make for good matches. There
are several reasons for this: the guy’s game is too tight,
the opponent doesn’t move either, the guys don’t take
risks – so the fight ends up stagnant; there’s none
of that back-and-forth action that brings the fans to their feet.
That’s why – regardless of whether they win or lose
– Marcelo Garcia, Roger, Kron, Kayron and others appeal
to the public, since their matches are fun, you can see something
you’ve never seen before at any moment, they rally. I liked
Kayron’s matches for that reason.
Tributes
“Professors Romero Jacaré, Maurição
Gomes and Sergio Penha had already put in for a promotion to
red-and-black belt with the IBJJF. All it takes is making it
to 31 years as a black belt, and being able to prove it to the
federation.
So we felt it would be cool to hold a tribute to them during
the event. The IBJJF delivered a certificate to the three of
them, authorizing use of the belt. But the one who delivers the
actual belt is their master, or a student in the absence of such
a master.
Multiplying
numbers of red-and-black belts
“With every Worlds we become more and more predisposed to
carrying out such tributes, and we take the opportunity to make
clear the criteria that regulates Jiu-Jitsu and promotion to
the red-and-black belt. There are a lot of folks out there tying
a red-and-black belt around their waists with less than 20 years
as a black belt, some with even less than ten. There’s no
way for us to control that, but we will always follow and reinforce
the universal rule instituted by our grandmasters. So anyone
who can prove to the IBJJF they have been a black belt for 31
years will have their rank certified. All the teacher needs to
do is show interest and seek out the Federation.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Rich
Franklin, a good-natured fighter
Former
UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin beat another former champion
in Chuck Liddell this Saturday at UFC 115. The first-round knockout
moved the math teacher turned fighter a few steps up the list
of challengers to the light heavyweight title now held by Mauricio
Shogun. His good-natured ways and friendly face reminiscent of
comedian Jim Carry fits the fighter’s personality. Our collaborator
Nalty Jr had a chat with the beast that was recently published
in Brazil’s NOCAUTE magazine.
GRACIEMAG.com
offers up a few excerpts from the conversation:
Do
you feel it’s important to convey a good image of MMA athletes?
I
feel it’s just important to be who you are. Be yourself
in a positive way.
What
brought you to take up MMA?
I’ve
practiced martial arts ever since I was little. My dad put me
in karate class when I was 12. I started MMA to keep in shape
during college and fuel my competitiveness. After watching some
MMA fights I realized a lot of fighters who were good at boxing
and muay thai couldn’t manage to keep the fight standing.
That’s when I started training Jiu-Jitsu.
You
faced Lyoto Machida in Japan when he wasn’t too well known.
Would you like revenge for the loss
I
think about that fight a lot. Truth is, a lot of folks don’t
even know I fought Lyoto. Revenge is a really strong word. Perhaps
just a rematch, who knows?
And
what about your win over Wanderlei Silva?
It
was really great to beat a guy like Wand, a great fighter. The
fans were talking about the matchup ever since the days of Pride,
but we were in different organizations. Beating Wanderlei makes
me feel like I accomplished my mission and did my work just right.
Is
it harder to perform well in the ring or out of it?
To
perform well in your personal life is much harder than to perform
well in the octagon. A fight lasts 15 or 25 minutes. Life is
for forever.
What’s
the secret to becoming champion?
Hard
work. You have to take what you do seriously. Otherwise, you
won’t make it anywhere. You have to work on all the weapons
you’ll need and not limit yourself to one style or another.
What
do you have to say to those who criticize MMA?
Those
folks haven’t a clue about what the sport’s about these
days. They need to become better informed, educate themselves
as to present day MMA.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UNDEFEATED
HEAVYWEIGHT SHANE DEL ROSARIO TO FACE HARD-HITTING HAWAIIAN LOLOHEA MAHE
IN STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS MAIN EVENT
AT COMCAST ARENA AT EVERETT, WA., JULY 23
Tickets
for STRIKEFORCE Challengers Event
Go On Sale Monday, June 14; Pre-Sale Begins
Tomorrow/Friday, June 11, via “STRIKEFORCE Insider”
EVERETT,
Wash. (June 10, 2010) –Undefeated heavyweight prospect Shane
Del Rosario (9-0) will attempt to extend his unblemished streak
when he faces fellow heavy hitter Lolohea Mahe (4-1-1) in the main event of a STRIKEFORCE
Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card at Comcast Arena
at Everett, live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on
the West Coast), on Friday, July 23.
Unbeaten
STRIKEFORCE Women’s World Welterweight (135 pounds) Champion
and former ballet dancer Sarah Kaufman (11-0) will put her perfect
record as well as her crown on the line against international
star Roxanne Modafferi (15-5).
In
other featured action, Abongo Humphrey (7-1) will take on Mike
“Mak” Kyle (16-7-1) at light heavyweight (205 pounds).
A
special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity for the STRIKEFORCE
Challengers event will take place for “STRIKEFORCE Insider”
e-newsletter subscribers (http://STRIKEFORCE.com/insider.html),
beginning at 10 a.m. PT Tomorrow/Friday, June 11, until 10 p.m.
PT on Sunday, June 13. STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special
e-newsletter with the pre-sale code.
Tickets
for the event go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. PT
on Monday, June 14 and can be purchased at the Comcast Arena
box office (866-332-8499) as well as online at ComcastArenaEverett.com
and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).
Del
Rosario, of Irvine, Calif., hasn’t come close to losing
since turning pro in August 2006. He has yet to go the distance;
in fact, only one of his fights has gone past the first round.
In
his last start, Del Rosario, who’ll be making his fifth
appearance on SHOWTIME, submitted (omoplata) Brandon Cash at
2:57 of the first round on a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on
Nov. 6, 2009. Seven of his previous eight victories came via
knockout.
Besides
power, the 6-foot-4, 27-year-old Del Rosario possesses excellent
movement and quickness. A graduate of UC Irvine with a degree
in Psychology, Del Rosario played basketball in high school.
He also is an active professional Muay Thai fighter and is 6-1
(six knockouts).
Mahe
will be trying to regain his winning ways after suffering the
first defeat of his career in his last start to Lavar Johnson
during a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event last March 26.
An
American Samoan who resides and fights out of Kahului Maui, Hawaii,
the heavy-handed 6-foot-4, 28-year-old Mahe had his fair share
of pavement punchouts before turning to MMA in November 2007,
Outside
the cage, the married father of three children is very active
in the Church. Every Saturday he and his family clean the local
church (Ala Lani United Methodist Church).
Kaufman,
of Victoria, British Canada, captured the first-ever STRIKEFORCE
Women’s 135-pound Championship in her last start with a
unanimous five-round decision over Takayo Hashi in the main event
of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers card last Feb. 26.
In
her outing before last on June 19, 2009, on SHOWTIME, the 5-feet-5,
24-year-old Kaufman outpointed Shayna Baszler in the historic
first five-minute, three-round women’s fight.
Regarded
as perhaps the most powerful, pure puncher in women’s MMA,
Kaufman is an avid ballet, jazz and hip hop dancer who only discovered
the sport after a martial arts gym opened underneath her dance
studio when she was 17. She attended the University of Victoria
for two years with the goal of becoming a cardiovascular surgeon
before focusing her efforts on MMA.
A
pro since 2006, Kaufman knocked out her first eight opponents
before earning a hard-fought decision over Miesha Tate during
the first-ever STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on May 15, 2009,
on SHOWTIME..
Modafferi,
of Wilmington, Del., is coming off the biggest victory of her
career, a three-round decision over highly regarded Tara LaRosa
last May 21. The 5-foot-7, 27-year-old Modafferi has won eight
of her last nine starts. The loss came in her STRIKEFORCE debut
against Marloes Coenen on the undercard of “Fedor vs. Rogers’’
on Nov. 7, 2009.
One
of the most unique and eclectic fighters in MMA, Modafferi cannot
only be defined by fighting alone. A long-time admirer of Japanese
culture, she graduated from the University of Massachusetts in
2005 with a major in Japanese Language and Literature and a minor
in Linguistics. Her pro debut on Nov. 10, 2003, came in Japan
during her junior year of college.
Soon
after graduating college, Modafferi moved to Japan on a permanent
basis after securing a full-time teaching position in which she
taught English. Her earliest MMA victories came in Japan. But
the lack of comparable competition made it virtually impossible
for the terrific grappler to get fights, so she moved back to
the United States.
Regarding
her style, Modafferi says, “I put a lot of value in perfection,
which is why I generally like grappling more than striking. I
think it takes the perfect pressure, the perfect control, to
pull off a beautiful submission hold. You take an armbar to the
point of breaking, until the opponent gives up, and you let them
go, unharmed. I think it's smooth, beautiful and masterful. I
don't really want to break somebody's face and make them bleed
-- just make them give up.”
Humphrey,
a military son who was born on a base in Vacaville, Calif., and
resides in Atlanta, Ga., scored a submission over George Bush
(guillotine choke) at 1:44 of the first-round of a STRIKEFORCE:
Challengers event last March 26.
The
birth name of the 5-foot-11, 33-year-old is “Ronald,”
but he prefers to be addressed as “Abongo,” the name
of an African warrior spirit believed to protect a village located
in The Republic of Ghana. The moniker was bestowed upon him a
few years ago after he endured a series of mentally and physically
grueling tasks during a rites of passage trip to Africa.
Humphrey’s
experience there inspired him to establish a non-profit organization
that allows him to introduce other African-Americans to their
heritage by bringing them to Africa.
“There
are certain things that are lacking in the black community here
and one of them has to do with cultural identity,” said
Humphrey, whose only loss came to Brett “The Grim”
Rogers. “Fighting and doing the community work in Africa
is something that really drives me and motivates me in life.”
Humphrey
was introduced to a national audience as a contestant on BET’s
MMA reality series “Iron Ring” where he was a member
of a fight team coached by MMA star, “Mr. International”
Shonie Carter, and managed by hip-hop artist and producer Lil’
Jon.
“Some
people are under the impression that most of the fighters on
the show were push overs, but I fought and defeated some pretty
well-known contenders,” Humphrey said. Among those he defeated
during his stint on “Iron Ring” were former K-1 USA
contender, Jeff “Big Diesel” Ford, and Carlos Moreno,
who Humphrey knocked out with a head kick.
“I
move more like a 205-pounder than I do a 245. I bring a lot of
athleticism and skill into the cage,” Humphrey said.
Kyle
has won four in a row and eight out of nine and is the last fighter
to defeat highly touted Rafael “Feijao’’ Cavalcante.
His only setback since April 2008 came against world-class Fabricio
Werdum, who is fighting Fedor Emelianenko, the world’s No.
1 fighter, on June 26.
Comcast
Arena at Everett doors will open for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers
event at 5:15 p.m. The first preliminary bout will begin at 6
p.m. PT. The first main card bout will start at 8 p.m.
About
STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (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, sanctioned by
ISKA, 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 (MMA) 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. In March
2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME®
to stage live events on the premium cable television network.
The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events
on the CBS Television Network.
Source: Strikeforce
|
UFC,
Lesnar Rep Request Mazzagatti’s Exclusion from July 3 Title
Bout
Josh Rosenthal will referee the heavyweight unification bout
between champions Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin at UFC 116 on
July 3 in Las Vegas. The Nevada State Athletic Commission voted
unanimously for Rosenthal’s assignment following his nomination
by executive director Keith Kizer during a public meeting held
on Wednesday.
Rosenthal
was one of four referees identified as available for the assignment,
along with tenured officials Herb Dean, Mario Yamasaki and Steve
Mazzagatti.
Lesnar’s
agent, David Olsen, and UFC attorney Michael Mersch separately
voiced their objections to the Las Vegas-based Mazzagatti receiving
consideration for the assignment prior to Kizer’s nomination
and the vote.
Olsen
said he and his client believed there was “at least a perception
of bias among the public” following Mazzagatti’s officiating
of a bout between Lesnar and Frank Mir at UFC 81 in February
2008.
During
that bout, Mazzagatti halted Lesnar mid-attack to issue him a
point deduction for punching a grounded Mir in the back of the
head. The bout was subsequently re-started in the standing position
and Mir went on to win with a first-round submission.
Citing
Mazzagatti’s “controversial decision,” along with
public comments the referee had made in the press afterward pointing
to an “actual bias” and the criticism the referee received
regarding his officiating that night, Olsen requested that the
referee be removed from consideration from the July 3 title bout.
UFC
attorney Mersch, who was present at the Las Vegas meeting, also
asked the commission to remove Mazzagatti from consideration
based on similar claims.
NSAC
Chairwoman Pat Lundvall said she had reviewed Mazzagatti’s
post-fight comments in regards to the Lesnar-Mir bout and found
no grounds of an actual bias on the referee’s part. Lundvall
would not approve Mazzagatti’s removal from consideration,
though the appointment ultimately went to Rosenthal.
Lesnar’s
attorney had previously objected to Mazzagatti refereeing the
fighter’s rematch with Mir, which eventually took place
at UFC 100 in July 2009 with referee Herb Dean officiating the
bout.
On
Wednesday, the commission also approved the judges for the five-round
title bout. They will be Adelaide Byrd, Glenn Trowbridge and
Tony Weeks.
Source: Sherdog
|
Koscheck
Tests GSP’s Patience
There is an unfortunate side effect of success, and it is the
very human tendency to want to destroy what others have created.
For high-profile athletes or actors, that can mean scandals about
drugs, affairs, cheating, tantrums, or boorishness. (There’s
a big German word for taking pleasure in the misery of others,
but I don’t feel like looking it up: be my guest.) Media
got more mileage out of the Tiger Woods situation than they did
from some wars.
There
are few people in MMA who have created what Georges St. Pierre
has since his UFC career began seven years ago. In addition to
being the most dominant champion in the promotion’s history
-- we exclude Anderson Silva because he appears to have cracked
-- St. Pierre has polished a reputation and civility that has
earned him endorsement deals from blue-chip sponsors like Gatorade
and Under Armor. He is highly paid, consistently trained, and
one of maybe a half-dozen MMA athletes who can make a radical
difference in viewership. Naturally, some people aren’t
going to be satisfied with that elevated status.
Whether
it’s envy or an unfortunate method for hyping their fight,
Josh Koscheck took the low road in an MMAJunkie.com interview
Monday, at first flirting with and eventually planting outright
accusations that St. Pierre uses performance enhancers. "From
what I've heard from other fighters in other camps, yeah, [St.
Pierre] has done steroids and HGH, possibly," he said. “I
don’t know. This is just on hearsay information I’ve
gotten.”
A
lawyer-friendly quote, but Koscheck messes up with the follow-through:
“We've just got to pray to God that he doesn't grease up,
and he gets off that juice so that we can equal things about
it.”
I
somehow doubt Koscheck sat down and premeditated what amounts
to a giant plate of slander. Just the opposite: his cavalier
way of hinting St. Pierre cuts corners or expedites his recovery
is a telltale sign that he really has no idea how heavy that
statement is.
On
one level, St. Pierre should feel almost complimented by it:
You are so impressive, Koscheck seems to be saying, that I cannot
fathom your results without injectables. But there’s another,
more sinister effect, which is the damage to St. Pierre’s
reputation -- the one he’s worked for seven years to construct,
the one that lends him sponsorship opportunities, and the one
that should be respected until there’s credible evidence
to the contrary.
Koscheck’s
support seems to consist of conversations with B.J. Penn’s
camp, already regarded as not exactly being a pro-GSP contingent,
and maybe some campfire talk. Because no one has come forward
to admit they have seen St. Pierre use steroids or sold them
to him, and because St. Pierre has yet to fail a drug test, we
can conclude that -- regardless of whether or not he’s actually
clean -- there is zero supporting material to make that statement.
It’s character assassination. (If not assassination, a solid
flesh wound.)
Using
an eye examination to determine someone is using steroids is
absurd, and especially prevalent in athletes with low levels
of body fat. (As if the demands of training wouldn’t siphon
off every available ounce of non-essential body weight.) St.
Pierre is built more like a racehorse than a truck and hasn’t
budged from his weight class since his debut in 2002. His cardio
is impressive? So is Clay Guida’s, yet no one accuses him
of anything. He wins too often? So does Fedor Emelianenko. It’s
a condition of being that much better than everyone else. Happens
in every sport.
Steroids
are an unquestionable ongoing issue in sports: too many athletes
can cheat the weak test protocol for it not to be. Koscheck is
advocating for “Olympic-style” drug testing, which
calls for random tests and drawing blood, both of which are significantly
better measures of use than pre-scheduled urine tests.
This
is something MMA desperately needs, but not on a random basis.
Why should Koscheck and GSP be the beneficiary of that kind of
comprehensive auditing when other main event fighters are not?
If blood tests are going to be implemented, it needs to be uniform
and at the commission level, not because that’s how a fighter
decided to create controversy. If Koscheck knows anything, it’s
that he knows better.
Source: Sherdog
|
Lawler,
Jacare Emerge as Contenders If Shields Vacates
It appears that Strikeforce has a contingency plan in place if
its middleweight champion, Jake Shields, doesn’t re-sign
with the organization within the next few weeks.
Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker announced Wednesday that Robbie Lawler and Ronaldo
“Jacare” Souza are the frontrunners for a 185-pound
championship bout if Shields exits the promotion.
Shields,
who successfully defended his title against former Pride Fighting
Championships champion and UFC middleweight Dan Henderson on
April 17 in Nashville, Tenn., opted not to negotiate a renewal
contract with Strikeforce prior to the bout. The 31-year-old
Cesar Gracie black belt is currently in a final-phase “matching
period” of his existing deal, where other promotions, including
the UFC, can bid for his services and Strikeforce can meet those
terms to keep the fighter in its stable.
However,
Coker’s announcement Wednesday, paired with the fact that
both sides couldn’t agree upon a new contract in the standard
renegotiation period, are signs that the promotion is willing
to move on without its champion.
“If
things continue the way they’re going and we end up in a
situation where we’re looking for a 185-pound champion,
I think Jacare and Robbie, based on his (June 16) performance,
would be the No. 1 and 2 seeds in that slot,” Coker said
during a teleconference call Wednesday.
Coker
also didn’t rule out the possibility of a four- or eight-man
tournament to decide Shields’ successor, though that secondary
plan seems to hinge on Lawler’s bout next week. The 30-year-old
striker faces former light heavyweight champion Renato “Babalu”
Sobral in a 195-pound catch-weight bout at Strikeforce “Live”
next Wednesday at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Souza, a
decorated grappler, earned an impressive unanimous decision over
seasoned striker Joey Villasenor at Strikeforce “Heavy Artillery”
on May 17 in St. Louis.
Jack
Shields, the fighter’s father and manager, was surprised
to hear that alternative plans were already being discussed.
“I
thought we were still in discussions, and as of today, we haven’t
decided where Jake is going,” the elder Shields told Sherdog.com.
“Jake’s already beaten the three biggest names at middleweight
in their promotion, and for them to be throwing together those
fighters for some kind of tourney or alternate plan seems a little
premature.”
Shields
said he believes there are still viable bouts for his son in
Strikeforce and that the fighter is willing to compete in multiple
divisions for the promotion if he re-signs.
The
elder Shields also confirmed to Sherdog.com that he received
a phone call from the UFC this week to schedule a follow-up conversation
with the promotion’s president, Dana White.
“We
did the numbers dance, but didn’t come up with (salary figures)
that worked for both sides,” Coker said of the most recent
renegotiations with Shields. “We’re handling this like
we do with all of our situations. There’s a business component
to every decision we make when we do or don’t make an offer
to a fighter, and sometimes a fighter thinks he’s worth
more than the promoter does.”
Without
a deal on the table from Strikeforce, Shields enters into talks
with other promotions with no figures for them to match other
than what Shields had previously made -- rumored to be in the
low six figures.
Fans
have regularly debated how Shields, who is currently riding an
impressive 14-fight win streak, would fare in the UFC’s
welterweight division, especially against its formidable champion,
Georges St. Pierre.
The
UFC’s White has publicly chastised the rival promotion’s
handling of Shields in recent months and vowed to out-bid Strikeforce
for the fighter. White and Shields were even shown sitting next
to each other during a recent WEC telecast with a taunting White
mouthing the words “He’s mine.”
Coker
has stated that he won’t lead his promotion into a bidding
war with the UFC over the highly ranked Shields.
“We
definitely aren’t making decisions based on the barking,
posturing or other politics happening on the other side,”
said Coker. “How the UFC is positioning themselves in this
doesn’t affect the decisions we’re making with Jake.
At the end of the day, Jake’s a great fighter and we had
a great run with him, but one fighter does not make the league.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Couture
Signed to Face Toney at UFC 118
Randy
Couture’s contract has been signed, sealed, and delivered
to face former pro boxer James Toney at UFC 118 on August 28
at the TD Garden in Boston, the fighting legend confirmed with
Sherdog.com on Tuesday.
Following
internal discussions between the camps and promotion regarding
a catch-weight for the bout, Couture, who turns 47 on June 22,
said he’ll face Toney at heavyweight. Sherdog.com has not
yet been able to ascertain if Toney has submitted his bout agreement
as well.
The
41-year-old former IBF middleweight and super middleweight champion
signed a multi-fight contract with the promotion last March following
the boxer’s public campaign to join the UFC’s ranks.
Toney attended back-to-back UFC events in November and December,
and video of White and Toney in impromptu discussions even surfaced
online.
Toney’s
flirtation in the UFC has been ongoing, while a bout with the
four-time Olympic wrestling alternate the has loomed for years.
In October 2006, Couture said he was called by the promotion
with a potential bout against the pro boxer that never came to
fruition.
The
bout marks Couture’s third stint in the promotion’s
heavyweight division. Since losing the title to current heavyweight
champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 in November 2008 and a unanimous
decision defeat to Pride Fighting Championships counterpart Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira, Couture has notched back-to-back wins against
Brandon Vera and Mark Coleman in light heavyweight bouts. Couture
submitted the fellow UFC Hall of Famer in the second round at
UFC 109 last February.
Couture
will also juggle publicity duties for the Aug. 13 wide release
of “The Expendables,” the Sylvester Stallone-helmed
action film, which Couture has a supporting role in.
Source: Sherdog
|
GUILLARD
VS. STEPHENS AGREED FOR UFC 119
Melvin
Guillard asked the UFC for a fight with Jeremy Stevens after
finishing Waylon Lowe at UFC 114, and it appears Joe Silva was
listening. The bout between Guillard and Stephens is currently
in the work for UFC 119 in Indianapolis on Sept 25.
The
bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight
on Monday. The fight was first reported by MMAJunkie.com.
Guillard
(24-8-2) has made a successful turn around of his career of late
after joining forces with Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn in
New Mexico. Currently the former "Ultimate Fighter"
competitor is 2-0 under the coaches, and he insists that his
growth will only continue under their expert tutelage.
Opposing
Guillard on the Sept 25 show will be UFC veteran, Jeremy Stephens
(17-5), who is also coming off of successful string in his last
two fights with wins over Sam Stout and Justin Buchholz. A heavy
hitter, Stephens will likely face one of the few fighters in
the 155lb division that can match his power when he meets up
with Guillard.
The
bout between Guillard and Stephens will likely end up on the
main card for UFC 119, which has yet to be officially announced
by the promotion as of now.
Source: MMA Weekly |
RORY
MACDONALD NOT YOUR TYPICAL 20-YEAR-OLD
Being 20 years old can be tough on anybody, much less a fighter
who will be fighting in the UFC for the second time, but that's
exactly where Rory MacDonald finds himself, and he wouldn't have
it any other way.
Facing
former WEC champion Carlos Condit at UFC 115, MacDonald isn't
doing what the typical 20-year-old would be up to at this point
in life. He's not prepping for a final during a year away at
college, and he's not concerned about which party he'll hit up
with his friends during the weekend.
He's
training to compete in the biggest show in the world, and he
wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'm
doing exactly what I want to in life," MacDonald told MMAWeekly
Radio recently about choosing to fight for a career. "I
have a lot of friends who are doing the regular thing, but I
don't know, it doesn't really interest me. I grew up a little
bit faster than most people did, experiences in life, maturing
faster. I knew what I wanted from an early age and I knew the
sacrifices I had to make to get there.
"I'm
having more fun doing what I'm doing than going out drinking
and partying and stuff."
With
10 pro fights to his credit, MacDonald has more experience than
some of the veterans in the UFC, who are much older than him.
The Canadian fighter credits his early start with the promotion
to the success he's tasted of late.
"It's
a confidence booster that I started young, I had such a great
team and build-up to this point, so I feel very well prepared
early on up to this point to get here," said MacDonald.
Making
his Octagon debut back in January, MacDonald faced fellow former
King of the Cage fighter Mike Guymon, and it was a pretty successful
first fight for the 20-year-old British Columbian as he submitted
Guymon in the first round.
It's
no secret that fighters sometimes get jitters when they first
step inside the Octagon, and MacDonald admits it was no different
for him.
"I
put a lot of pressure on myself so there was definitely a lot
of nerves going into the first fight," MacDonald stated.
"I wanted to show that I belonged in the UFC, and these
are the kind of guys I should be fighting. I had a lot of unnecessary
pressure on myself, but I did take a lot out of that fight and
I learned a bunch."
Now
MacDonald receives a whole new level of pressure for his second
fight. He's been matched up with Carlos Condit as the fight to
kick off the UFC 115 pay-per-view in his home province of British
Columbia. MacDonald says despite the fact that it's almost a
hometown fight for him, the first trip to the Octagon did away
with all the nerves he could have possibly had for this second
fight.
"It's
pretty much all those butterflies are gone now," he said.
The
match-up at UFC 115 is no easy task. Condit is a former WEC welterweight
champion and top ten fighter, but MacDonald is confident that
he can expose holes in the game of the Greg Jackson-trained fighter.
He'll look to do just that when he faces Condit this Saturday
night.
"I've
known that the whole time," MacDonald said when asked if
he could expose holes in Condit's game. "I feel confident
in it. I was confident right away that I can show that he has
weaknesses and I can capitalize on them."
MacDonald
will look to back up that statement as he makes the three-hour
drive from his home base to Vancouver for the fight with Condit
at UFC 115 this weekend.
Source: MMA Weekly |
FEDOR'S
NEXT FIGHT LIKELY TO BE PAY-PER-VIEW
Fedor Emelianenko, Strikeforce, and M-1 Global may be headed
to pay-per-view.
With
Fedor's next fight in the United States just two weeks away,
everyone is already curious about when he might fight again or
what the status is between Strikeforce and M-1 Global. For now
there's at least one more fight planned, and it's likely to end
up on pay-per-view.
That's
the word from M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan,
who spoke with MMAWeekly on Tuesday about the company's plans
for Fedor and Strikeforce.
"Following
this fight now we have one more fight on the cards," Kogan
said. "That's the future for now, there's one more fight
following the June 26 fight and that fight is more likely than
not on pay-per-view."
Of
course M-1 Global promotes several fighters, but one thing is
guaranteed when and if that pay-per-view happens. Fedor Emelianenko
will be leading the charge.
"That
is a fight for Fedor that is co-promotion by M-1 Global and Strikeforce,"
Kogan stated.
Fedor's
primary focus right now is on Fabricio Werdum and their fight
on June 26, but a title shot against Alistair Overeem could be
just the pay-per-view draw that Strikeforce and M-1 Global could
be looking for. The only question right now is timing, and Kogan
says he can't guarantee anything like that right now.
"It
depends on what happens during this fight. It depends on health
issues, and whatever else following this fight. It depends also
by other factors, so I don't want to tell you something and not
have it happen," said Kogan. "It's possible, it's not
unlikely, but I wouldn't say I'd guarantee that it happens in
2010."
Still
carrying the WAMMA heavyweight title, Kogan believes Fedor is
already a champion, but if Strikeforce choose to put him up against
their heavyweight title holder Alistair Overeem, they will gladly
accept that fight.
"If that is what is offered, Fedor nor his management, we
will not turn down fights. If that's what is offered, it's what
we'll be taking," Kogan said about a potential bout with
Overeem.
Kogan
stands by the fact that up till now Fedor and M-1 have never
been offered a fight with Alistair Overeem, but the Russian legend
won't turn down a fight against anybody. Ultimately, they leave
it in the hands of their partners at Strikeforce and Showtime.
"If
that is something that is put in front of us by the matchmakers
at Strikeforce, and that is something that our partners Showtime
bring to us, then that is something that we will take,"
Kogan stated about a title fight.
First
up on the agenda is the bout against Fabricio Werdum, but following
that fight assuming Fedor wins, it could set up a showdown between
the former Pride champion and Strikeforce heavyweight king Alistair
Overeem on pay-per-view.
Source: MMA Weekly |
FABER
MOVES TO 135, FACES MIZUGAKI AUGUST 18
Urijah Faber will now officially be a problem for the bantamweight
division.
The
former WEC featherweight champion will make the move down to
135lbs for his next fight on August 18 as he faces Japanese fighter
Takeya Mizugaki in the WEC.
The
bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight
stating bout agreements have been issued at this point for the
bantamweight showdown.
After
a successful run at featherweight that including a long title
reign, Urijah Faber (23-4) ran into a tough contest in his last
fight, facing current 145lb king Jose Aldo at the first ever
WEC pay-per-view. Faber lost a unanimous decision to the Brazilian
champion, and afterwards speculation began immediately about
a move down in weight for the "California Kid."
Faber
had gone back and forth with the decision due to teammate and
close friend Joseph Benavidez also competing in that division,
but ultimately he's decided to make the move and will face a
tough test in his first fight at 135lbs.
Takeya
Mizugaki (13-4-2) made quite the impression on American fans
during his WEC debut in 2009 after stepping in as a late replacement
to face then champion Miguel Torres for the bantamweight belt.
Mizugaki lost a decision to Torres, but gained a slew of fans
after battling for every second in the fight, and proving he
could hang with the best in the world at 135lbs.
Since
that time, Mizugaki has gone 2-1 in the WEC with wins over Jeff
Curran and most recently over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Rani Yahya
at the WEC pay-per-view in April. The Japanese heavy hitter will
be the first to welcome Faber to the division in August.
The
August 18 event has not yet been announced by the WEC, but early
indicators are that the show will take place in Las Vegas. MMAWeekly
will have more information about the show as it becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly |
3rd
Annual Pacific Submission Championships
Today!
June 11th
& 12th (Friday & Saturday)
Blaisdell Exhibition Hall
MMA Hawaii Expo
Fees
Adults - $60 for prior World Grappling Games Competitors or $70
for 1st time WGG competitors
Kids - $50 for prior World Grappling Games Competitors or $60
for 1st time WGG competitors
Coaches
Coaches will be required to check-in online or by phone and provide
a list of registered students to receive competition floor credentials.
Coaches will be required to stay behind the fences but will be
on the competition floor. STRICTLY ENFORCED! Email info@grapplingtournaments.com
Weigh-Ins
(2 options) At OTM Fight Shop or Tournament Location:
Note: There will be no weight allowance. If an athlete is within
3 pounds of their weight class they will have until an hour and
a half before their scheduled division to make weight.
Day
of Weigh-Ins: You can also weigh-in the day you compete (June
12th, 2 hours before your scheduled cut off time at the tournament
location. Complete information is available at grapplingtournaments.com)
Schedule:
Weigh-ins will close and you will be disqualified if you are
not present by the below listed times.
Note: This is the earliest a division will be called. The following
do not necessarily reflect the actual fight time.
(Must be weighed in and ready to compete by listed weigh-in times)
Kids
(5-10): 10am
Juniors (11-14): 10:30am
Teens (15-17): 10:30am
Executive (30-39): 10am
Master's (40+) Divisions: 10am
Adult Men's Divisions: 12pm
Women's Divisions: 11am
Note:
Open Divisions are held at the conclusion of all weight classes
in that division. The Novice and Beginner open division is combined.
Registration
is available online at www.grapplingtournaments.com
This
is a 2-day tournament with Gi and No-Gi divisions for kids, teens,
women, and men. We don't feed brackets but will try our best
to accommodate schools so students from the same academy are
not matched in the first round. Due to the kids, this is inevitable
and we will try our best to make sure the kids receive equal
opportunities.
Any
questions please check out:
www.grapplingtournaments.com
or
email: info@pjjf.net
Source: Event Promoter
|
UFC
115 Preview: The Main Card Today!
Oceanic
Digital 701
Fights start at 4:00 pm Hawaii Time
Watch the Prelims on Spike (559) at 3:00 pm Hawaii Time
Liddell
vs. Franklin
I’ve
gotten a lot of e-mail and tweets complaining about the quality
of UFC 115. Allow me to say that all you complainers are crazy.
Every
single last human being complaining about this card is crazy,
and I wish you all get stuck in a time machine and end up living
through the UFC of 1998.
The
saner folk among us know that Saturday’s card may not be
God’s gift to MMA fans, but it’s still a worthwhile
block of violence for anyone purporting to enjoy this sport.
With quality fighters like Rich Franklin, Paulo Thiago and Carlos
Condit all involved in potentially make-or-break fights, there
is no reason your evening should be spent doing anything but
ignoring the outside world and watching some quality fisticuffs.
Prepare
yourself for the entertainment to come with another round of
crackpot ramblings and occasional insight courtesy of me, the
same guy who really thought Darko Milicic would pan out.
Chuck
Liddell vs. Rich Franklin
Thanks
to Tito Ortiz’s achy-breaky neck, longtime company man Rich
Franklin gets the task of taking on Chuck Liddell, who has set
the Internet on fire with recent photos of him rocking a six-pack
instead of his usual beer gut. Wise men won’t put any stock
in the notion that abdominal muscles will cancel out his obvious
physical degradation, however. Miraculous renaissances for aging
fighters seem to be a Randy Couture monopoly.
It
almost goes without saying that Franklin isn’t some 21-year-old
fresh out of the genetic super-freak petri dish, but he has retained
enough of his physical skills to remain a relevant fighter. Beyond
that Franklin is a cerebral tactician who can pick apart one-dimensional
opponents like Liddell -- a fighter almost entirely dependent
on landing single power shots and blitzing for the finish. It
does need to be noted, however, that Franklin’s beard won’t
take well to Liddell’s power: His arsenal of fundamental
skills and strategic savvy have been negated by a clean shot
to the chin before.
Franklin
has integrated that fact into his fighting style, as evidenced
by recent bouts with Dan Henderson and Wanderlei Silva where
he scored effectively with quick combinations upstairs and used
his body kicks to control distance. Many fighters have used a
similar strategy to great effect against Liddell. The most notable
was Keith Jardine, who scored a mammoth upset over him at UFC
76. Since that bout Liddell’s feet have only gotten heavier,
and that flat-footed fighting style more than anything is what
makes him so vulnerable to opponents who can create angles with
their footwork.
Angles
have never been Liddell’s friend. He prefers cutting off
the cage, squaring up and uncorking power shots. That won’t
work well against Franklin, who has no qualms about jumping on
the horse and also has the diversity of striking techniques to
keep Liddell guessing. An old-school headhunter, Liddell is only
effective when collapsing the pocket with strikes. Franklin has
the kicks to work outside and, maulings by Anderson Silva aside,
the clinch game to suck opponents in and score effectively.
The
blunt truth is that any opponent willing to work around Liddell’s
power is halfway home to a win, and Franklin is probably the
last guy who is going to stand in front of him. The other truth
about Liddell’s current self is that he can’t necessarily
bank on winning those trench-war exchanges. His chin isn’t
what it used to be. Watch Liddell’s fight with Wanderlei
Silva and it becomes obvious that he knows his chin isn’t
what it used to be and he is trying to be more cautious about
initiating exchanges.
It’s
essentially an identity crisis for Liddell. He has fought one
way for his entire career and is trying to adapt to his own limitations
and the perpetually evolving nature of MMA. Meanwhile Franklin
has always been aware of his weaknesses and has a style designed
to minimize them. That will shape this fight from the opening
bell, leading to Franklin taking a spirited and well-deserved
decision win.
Mirko
“Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Patrick Barry
This
fight is basically the final referendum on Filipovic’s UFC
career, which has been a massive disappointment up until now.
That’s likely the reason why he’s being paired up with
ninja-in-training Pat Barry. A loss here and the history books
will remember Filipovic just as much for his disastrous Octagon
run as his PrideFC KO spree.
That
makes Barry’s role in this play all the more bizarre. He
grew up an unabashed Filipovic fan and has declared his desire
to have the Croatian Jack Bauer sign his face should he end up
laid out on the canvas. An unlikely end game, as Barry is precisely
the sort of striker that Filipovic has always struggled with
dating all the way back to his K-1 days.
Filipovic
is a somewhat unusual striker in that he’s a smallish heavyweight
who uses a stalking style and rarely strings together more than
two strikes at a time. He has never done well against fighters
who could step inside his range and beat him with speed. Barry
not only has the hand speed to touch Filipovic but the power
to finish the job as well. Mix in Barry’s leg kicks and
the fight really starts to turn on Filipovic, as he fights heavy
on his lead leg, which makes him vulnerable to getting chopped
down. Further adding to that vulnerability is Filipovic’s
footwork, which worsens with every fight and makes it that much
harder for him to get after more nimble opponents like Barry.
No
matter how you look at this fight, it all comes back to two things:
Time and injuries have practically crippled Filipovic, and Barry
has all the tools to pick him apart. If there is something to
look out for that favors Filipovic, it’s Barry’s admittedly
poor diet and lack of killer instinct. Eating like a frat boy
does your cardio no favors. If Barry passes up an early chance
to finish, his gas tank may hit zero before he can get another
clean shot at Filipovic’s chin.
Sooner
or later Barry is going to learn why eating a box of pizza bagels
isn’t something professional fighters do, but Filipovic
is several years removed from being the sort of fighter who could
give him a real fight. It still sounds weird to be so dismissive
of the guy who used to be the most feared striker in the sport,
but time spares no man and it has been especially cruel to Filipovic.
Barry may not be quite so heartless, but his skills are too great
for him to do anything but run through Filipovic.
Carlos
Condit vs. Rory MacDonald
Igniting
the violence-palooza of the pay-per-view card is a critical welterweight
tilt pitting the perpetually mean-mugging Carlos Condit against
Canadian wunderkind Rory MacDonald. As with any fight involving
Condit, my first instinct is to pick him via Ghost Rider penance
stare. However, MacDonald is actually a tough style matchup.
Topping
the list of reasons why Condit has stalled out in the middle
of the UFC’s welterweight hierarchy is his takedown defense.
Being built like Manute Bol makes defending an ankle pick borderline
impossible. Normally Condit makes up the difference with aggressive
guard work, but since coming to the UFC, he’s had to settle
for working a defensive figure-four guard against the more submission
savvy competition he’s coming up against. The problem with
that approach is it neutralizes Condit’s offense and he
isn’t diligent about controlling the head, which leaves
him exposed to ground-and-pound anyway.
Against
MacDonald those same problems become even more pronounced. Condit’s
Canadian quarry is an excellent guard passer and constantly shifts
around his hips and posture, which makes locking him down even
more difficult. Given the problems Condit had controlling Martin
Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger from the guard, he’s going
to need an aristeia-level performance to corral MacDonald’s
jiu-jitsu. Should MacDonald get past guard, some of the idiosyncrasies
in Condit’s grappling will become apparent, as he tends
to expose his back and go for poorly planned leg-locks whenever
he loses full guard.
Those
are all mistakes that MacDonald will cash in on given the opportunity.
That means Condit has to force the issue on the feet. Temporarily
ignoring the fact that MacDonald can score takedowns at will
on him, Condit is the more versatile striker. His long reach
and pointed clinch game make him effective both at range and
in close-quarters. However, MacDonald is the more fundamentally
sound boxer and Condit’s defense is weak inside the pocket,
where both Ellenberger and Kampmann were able to land combinations
upstairs before changing levels for takedowns.
When
dropping for those takedowns MacDonald needs to be wary of where
Condit is, as he often keeps his back against the cage to help
him defend takedowns and cage walk. A stuffed takedown for Condit
means a chance to clamp onto the clinch, where MacDonald won’t
escape unscathed. How well Condit can use the cage to boost his
takedown defense and draw MacDonald into exchanges is the one
variable to look out for early. Condit will have serious problems
if he can’t make it happen.
Condit
has had some success with that tact, but nowhere near enough,
as both of his UFC bouts have shown the limitations of his all-offense/zero-defense
ethic. The never-ending story continues: MacDonald will break
even on the feet with Condit and dominate on the mat with his
wrestling en route to a decision win.
Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann
Someone
in the UFC matchmaking department clearly has a grudge against
Paulo Thiago, who continues his trudge through a welterweight
murderer’s row against Xtreme Couture disciple Martin Kampmann.
With the UFC welterweight crown on hold until Georges St. Pierre
and Josh Koscheck wrap up their TUF commitment, the winner of
this bout will be in prime position for a title eliminator match.
For
Kampmann this bout basically comes down to two things: keeping
his chin under wraps and staying out of the front headlock position
at all costs. The two are very much tied to each other. Thiago
will often look for the front headlock on dazed opponents, and
Kampmann’s blitzing style often leaves him exposed to counters.
The tradeoff is that Kampmann can put together fluid punching
combinations and is especially good at generating power in small
spaces.
That
is the biggest advantage Kampmann has on Thiago, who tends to
throw wide and thus needs more room to get his punches off. The
way Thiago gets around that flaw is by deftly giving ground on
charging opponents and quickly stepping back in with power punches
-- a ploy that will give Kampmann fits whenever he tries to collapse
the pocket. The alternative for Kampmann is staying on the outside,
where he can rely on leg kicks and one-two combinations, but
he has never shown a willingness to work that way for extended
periods of time.
If
Kampmann is going to try for a change of pace, it’ll be
with his Greco-Roman skills. This again puts him right in Thiago’s
wheelhouse. Despite being far from a fundamentally sound wrestler,
Thiago is great at creating scrambles off attempted takedowns
and reversing position. While Kampmann has shown solid submission
defense before, he has yet to face someone who poses the threat
Thiago does.
Should
Thiago land in top control at some point off a scramble, Kampmann
will be especially vulnerable because he struggles to escape
back to his feet and often settles into the guard. Not a good
idea against Thiago, who advances position beautifully and has
the awareness to quickly grab a hold of submissions during scrambles.
It may not always look pretty, but Thiago has serious game anywhere
a fight can go.
The
perception that Kampmann is out of his depth in this fight is
definitely unfair to his abilities, and Thiago’s in-cage
listlessness often makes his fights closer than they have to
be. With all that said, this is one of the worst style clashes
in the division for Kampmann. Thiago’s ability to hit a
homerun on the feet and the mat is a brutal combination to overcome.
While a stoppage wouldn’t be surprising, Kampmann is as
rugged as they come: Expect Thiago to settle for a clear-cut
decision win.
Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel
While
many fans prefer to remember the Gilbert Yvel of old -- a supremely
talented kickboxer with sadistic tendencies that would make Jack
Tatum blush -- the Yvel of today is a parody of the fighter he
once was. The trademark athleticism is all but gone, and he clearly
isn’t showing up in serious shape anymore, as demonstrated
by his halfhearted performance against Junior dos Santos. Rothwell
may not be a top 10 heavyweight, but he shows up ready to fight
and brings in a strategy.
Going
further, Rothwell is actually a nightmare matchup for the current
version of Yvel, who hates being crowded and is easily gassed
out. What Rothwell lacks in offensive brilliance, he makes up
for in grizzly bear level mauling. He has no qualms about stuffing
people into the cage and clubbing them into submission. There
isn’t much to dissect about Rothwell beyond that because
he keeps it simple: If you let him grab a hold of you, you’re
going to get roughed up.
Cain
Velasquez battered Rothwell by using his speed and wrestling
to force a pace that a lumbering fighter like Rothwell can’t
keep up with. This would have been Yvel’s path to victory
back in the day, but he no longer has the cardio or the quickness
to work that kind of game plan. As per usual with Yvel, it all
comes down to him trying to land something spectacular before
he eventually calls it a day. Being able to throw some cool-looking
high kicks just isn’t cutting it anymore, and Rothwell is
exactly the kind of fighter who can remind Yvel that talent and
nothing else is a good start and a bad ending.
Bank
on Rothwell running Yvel through the meat-grinder, as he keeps
him close and goes into rag-doll mode for however long it takes.
This is normally the part where I’d mention Yvel always
has a shot at scoring the KO, but Rothwell’s beard is plenty
good enough to survive whatever Yvel can muster up.
Tyson Griffin vs. Evan Dunham
The never-ending pile of week-old garbage bags being tossed at
UFC 115 is indicative of two things: one, the UFC has done a
poor job of hyping the card and two, many fans don’t seem
to appreciate quality matchmaking. There really is no other explanation
for why a prelim slate with quality fighters like Mario Miranda
and Mike Pyle is being treated with the kind of revulsion that
should be reserved for skinheads with leprosy.
Further
adding to my confusion is the twin-bill of prelims set to air
on SpikeTV that make for arguably the best lightweight matches
you’ll see on free TV this year. Tyson Griffin and Evan
Dunham may well decide the next serious lightweight contender
in their bout, and Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig will undoubtedly
be fighting tooth and nail to avoid getting the pink slip of
doom.
More
true facts await all readers wise enough to continue, so put
down the pipe laced with forum-talk and get knowledge on proper.
First
things first: big ups to Xtreme Couture teammates Tyson Griffin
and Evan Dunham for agreeing to do that thing they get paid to
do -- fight. Too many quality matchups have been botched by teammates
acting like they’d be violating their imaginary warrior
code by engaging in sport with a friend. Thanks to the manliness
of Griffin and Dunham, the fans get to see one of the best lightweight
matchups you’ll ever get on free TV.
The
style clash itself is fascinating, as these two are mirror images
of each other in almost every way. Standing, Dunham is a southpaw
with a nasty left cross and the jab to set it up. Griffin is
all about stepping in with leg kicks and uncorking close-quarters
combinations. Just how committed Dunham is to pumping that jab
will be vital to his early success, as he has gained a somewhat
valid reputation for starting slow.
Griffin
doesn’t exactly come out of the gate like a Xenomorph either,
but he does set up his game early by closing the pocket and establishing
his range. In contrast, Dunham’s inability to find his range
quickly is really what holds him back. It took five minutes of
Efrain Escudero reading him the riot act before he started snapping
the jab and consequently turned the fight around. That telephone
pole jab is especially important in this fight. Dunham has a
marked reach advantage and could potentially neutralize Griffin’s
offense by keeping him outside the pocket.
A
more realistic scenario, however, is Dunham popping some one-two’s
and suddenly finding Griffin attached to his leg like an anthropomorphized
bear-trap. While Dunham has flashed some astute takedown defense
before, if Griffin wants him on the mat, then that is where the
fight is headed. Resolving the quantum entanglement between these
two gets no easier there, as Dunham is incredibly active off
his back while Griffin happens to have borderline impenetrable
submission defense and is shockingly nimble in scrambles for
a guy built like a box with muscles.
What
Griffin lacks is serious ground striking. Even from top control,
getting into a pure grappling match with Dunham is likely more
trouble than it’s worth. Shades of Griffin’s bout with
Thiago Tavares seem to be a distinct possibility in this one
should it hit the floor. In that event, scoring largely becomes
a matter of perception. The less discussed possibility is what
happens if Dunham gains top control, but the truth is that you’re
looking at identical scripts regardless of who scores the initial
takedown.
I
genuinely doubt there will be an obvious winner as far as scoring
goes, but I do expect Dunham to get the better of Griffin on
the feet and fight him to a standstill on the mat. The slow starts
that have plagued Dunham before will likely cost him early, but
his durability will carry him long enough for his technique to
eventually take over. Regardless of whether the verdict is split
or unanimous, the forums will turn into Nero’s Rome within
seconds of Dunham’s hand being raised.
Mac Danzig vs. Matt Wiman
Never
before has the UFC cut a TUF champion who had no prior Octagon
experience, but Danzig’s 2-3 post-TUF record might have
him on thin ice. The super-zombie pit that is the lightweight
division offers him little in the way of competitive respites.
Living proof comes in the form of Wiman, a rugged jack-of-all-trades
much in the same vein as Danzig who presents serious stylistic
issues for MMA’s No. 1 vegan.
The
main obstacle Danzig has yet to overcome in his Octagon run is
his substandard takedown defense, which has led to him becoming
an easy mark for the multitude of quality wrestlers in the division.
It’s an equally true statement for Wiman, but he is the
better wrestler of the two thanks to his slick single-leg and
surprising secondary techniques. While Danzig does have a good
defensive guard, he isn’t going to tap out Wiman from guard
and his sweeps just aren’t good enough to consistently reverse
position.
Standing
is where the money’s at for Danzig. He has mauling power
behind his strikes and is effective at all ranges due to his
diversity of techniques. Wiman is the type of striker who can
throw a solid one-two, land some leg kicks and not much else.
However, he has the good sense to stay light on his feet, use
head movement and generally avoid the kinds of exchanges where
his offensive limitations would become a liability. This forces
Danzig to step into the pocket in search of offense, and that’s
where he’ll be more vulnerable to level changes.
What
really limits Danzig’s ability to tag Wiman, though, is
his plodding footwork and overall lack of speed -- a glaring
weakness in a division where everyone fights like they’re
mainlining espresso. That’s not to say this is a mismatch.
Wiman isn’t the sort of overwhelming top control beast that
has so often derailed Danzig. Far more likely is a competitive
bout that is won and lost on Danzig’s ability to create
scrambles and keep Wiman from passing guard.
The
latter of the two is especially important for Danzig. Wiman’s
base from dominant positions is smothering, and while he isn’t
the greatest guard passer around, he’s a natural at using
scrambles to advance position. Again, that spells problems for
Danzig since he lacks the cage-walking skills to pop back to
his feet and relies exclusively on initiating scrambles off his
back to improve position. Should those scrambles end up favoring
Wiman, Danzig is probably better off stalling for a referee restart.
Like
many of Danzig’s recent fights, he’ll keep it competitive
and maybe even steal a round, but he’s missing the extra
something to put him over the top. Wiman fits the mold of fighter
that has given Danzig trouble throughout his career. The only
reasonable call is another 15 minutes of frustration for Danzig,
as he drops a unanimous decision.
David Loiseau vs. Mario Miranda
Miranda’s
UFC debut against Gerald Harris was nearly five minutes of top-shelf
potential on full display that ended with Miranda on the wrong
end of a TKO. It’ll take a few more years worth of heart-crunching
disappointment, however, for Miranda to relate to David Loiseau
-- a man who went from UFC headliner to regional Canadian promotions.
Loiseau’s
first attempt at a UFC renaissance failed in a loss against Ed
Herman at UFC 97. He remains an explosive striker with serious
gaps in his game that modern fighters won’t ignore. A best
case scenario for Loiseau is always an opponent who will strike
with him, but Miranda is actually the more complete striker.
A 6-foot-4 middleweight with nasty kicks is no fun for anyone,
and Miranda also has the technical skills that have always kept
Loiseau from maximizing his natural striking ability. The most
glaring difference between the two is how they approach striking.
Miranda dictates distance beautifully with his rangy kicks while
Loiseau typically stands down before trying to barrel in with
exotic techniques.
Throwing
wheel kicks and spinning back elbows may work for Jon Jones,
but Loiseau’s short reach and lacking takedown defense work
in tandem against him. A poor judge of distance, Loiseau often
comes up short on his would-be KO shots, and this leaves him
completely exposed to both strikes and takedown attempts. Rocking
a hands-low, chin-out stance doesn’t help Loiseau much either,
as evidenced by his long history of getting clipped on the feet.
The
canvas won’t be any respite for Loiseau. Miranda is the
far more skillful grappler and he has enough wrestling to ensure
he’ll get the top position anytime he wants it. Back in
the day Loiseau’s answer to being on the floor was to give
up back control and try to roll into his opponent’s guard,
where he could cut loose with his razor-laced elbows. Not surprisingly,
it turned out to be a limited strategy once opponents grew more
cautious about taking his back.
Expecting
Miranda to fall for that gambit is none too wise. More importantly,
he’s the kind of grappler that can make Loiseau pay for
such strategic errors. Given Loiseau’s inhuman ability to
take punishment, a stoppage is likely beyond Miranda’s reach,
but a lopsided decision win won’t be.
James Wilks vs. Peter Sobotta
After
running a jiu-jitsu train on the US vs. UK season of “The
Ultimate Fighter,” Wilks alternated between grappling brilliance
and gassed-out incompetence in his formal UFC debut against Matt
Brown. In hindsight, it was a daring bit of matchmaking for a
fighter with limited experience against legit competition. A
far more suitable return bout awaits, as Wilks will take on judo
convert Peter Sobotta.
Much
of the blame for Sobotta’s UFC debut loss to Paul Taylor
rests on Sobotta’s habit of keeping his back against the
cage, which makes him a sitting duck for both strikes and takedowns.
This plays right into Wilks’ game as he isn’t much
of a wrestler, but he is good at pressing opponents into the
cage and stringing together takedown techniques until one scores.
Considering Taylor was able to consistently sweep Sobotta and
take dominant positions on him, life is looking good for the
UFC’s latest attempt at building a British star.
Things
start getting dicey, however, once you consider Wilks still grapples
with the mentality of someone in a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament.
That is to say he rolls without regard for the fact that certain
positions just don’t work in MMA because they’ll get
you face-punched. Both DaMarques Johnson and Matt Brown took
advantage of that strategic oversight. While Sobotta doesn’t
have bulldozing ground striking, you don’t have to be Alistair
Overeem to hammer-crush a wide-open opponent.
What
Wilks gains by having a somewhat counterintuitive grappling style
is the ability to more effectively string together submission
attempts and relentlessly pursue dominant positions. Keeping
up a work-rate like that means Wilks starts huffing and puffing
past the five-minute mark, but Sobotta isn’t going to win
any IronMan competitions either.
There
isn’t much hope for Sobotta in this fight. He lacks dominant
offensive skills, which has become the bare-minimum to attain
mediocrity in the UFC. One thing that Sobotta should look to
build on like Tony Dungy is the surprising striking he showed
against Taylor. Despite losing nearly every exchange in that
fight, Sobotta cracked Taylor several times over with powerful
kicks to the body and seemed to have the natural physical talent
to bust some heads.
The
dimension where Sobotta picks apart Wilks on the feet unfortunately
overlaps with the dimension where Wilks doesn’t go for any
takedowns and spends the entire fight saying “Thank you,
sir. May I have another?” At worst Wilks dominates the first
half of the fight before it degenerates into a mess of tangled
limbs and bizarre positions like a MMA Guernica. More likely
is Wilks finishing Sobotta via submission during that dominant
first half of the fight.
Mike Pyle vs. Jesse Lennox
My
normal compulsion would be to pick Pyle because he is hands down
the most underrated grappler in the division and has a fight
IQ several evolutionary cycles ahead of Lennox’s. However,
after nearly 11 years in the game, Pyle’s entire body still
turns into petrified wood whenever an opponent throws more than
one strike at him. Right at the end of the second round in his
fight against Chris Wilson, Pyle ate a knee and immediately went
into panic/turtle mode against the cage instead of merely circling
away.
The
flip-side of Pyle is that when he can control the tempo of his
fights, his commitment to proper strategy and technique is simply
too much for most to deal with. This is where the fight starts
to get away from Lennox, as he certainly has the edge in raw
physical ability but doesn’t grasp the more nuanced aspects
of fighting. No better example of this exists than his fight
with Rick Story, where he let Story land one-twos, repeatedly
circled in the wrong direction and waited until the third round
to go for a takedown.
Granted,
Pyle isn’t going to out-strike Lennox for 15 minutes, but
he does throw a sharp one-two and has the leg kicks to make Lennox
pay for using a hunched-over stance that keeps him heavy on the
lead leg. Given Lennox’s habit of staying outside the pocket
and randomly circling before stepping in with arm-punch combinations,
Pyle will have plenty of opportunity to time a level change.
The prevailing opinion is that Lennox is the better wrestler,
but Pyle has tremendous timing on his level changes and makes
up for his lack of physical dynamism with solid fundamentals.
Even
if Lennox decides to shoot for the takedown first, he won’t
much enjoy Pyle’s vice-like guard game. Adept at controlling
posture while framing up submissions, Pyle’s whole game
is the perfect counter to Lennox, who wants nothing more than
to posture up and drop ground strikes. Lennox infamously tried
the same approach in his IFL bout against Emyr Bussade, and it
ended with him stuck in a kneebar.
Clearly
a grappling match with Pyle is not a good look for Lennox. Further
complicating matters for him is the fact that he doesn’t
have the defensive wrestling to make a sprawl-and-brawl game
plan sing. While there’s always the chance Lennox hits Pyle
with a few good punches and turns him into a robot programmed
to quit, the smart money says Pyle soundly grapple-bombs him.
Ricardo Funch vs. Claude Patrick
Few
fighters have experienced the career arc Patrick has: an eight-year
veteran with only a dozen professional fights who is making his
UFC debut as a 29-year-old at a time when the average UFC rookie’s
age is rapidly plummeting. However, despite all the easily construed
knocks on Patrick, he is a serious welterweight talent and being
paired with Ricardo Funch looks like a showcase bout for the
talented Canadian.
Everyone
who saw Funch’s fight with Johny Hendricks walked away with
a profound respect for Funch’s will, but not nearly as much
respect for his skill. A somewhat undisciplined fighter who tends
to freelance his strategy in the cage, Funch often gets into
losing exchanges on the feet that leave him in poor position
to defend takedowns. Both are flaws that Patrick is built to
exploit, as he has always been exceptionally composed and aware
of what he’s trying to do -- a stark contrast to Funch’s
go-for-broke style.
Typically,
Patrick will change levels early for a single- or double-leg
and look to advance position in search of the tapout. Funch did
show in his fight with Hendricks exceptional durability and an
innate skill at escaping compromising positions, but he doesn’t
have the technique to make anything out of those escapes. Making
it to the final bell doesn’t mean much when you just spent
15 minutes getting the Tyler Durden special, and Funch’s
style suggests he is content with being the kind of fighter he’s
always been.
Even
if Funch gets the standing exchanges he wants, it’s not
like he’s some kill-shot specialist who can starch anything
on two legs. Quite the contrary in fact. Funch basically wings
looping arm punches that tax his cardio more than anything else.
Patrick just isn’t going to play that game, and should he
decide to test his striking on Funch, you can expect to see lots
of leg kicks and the occasional in-and-out punching combination
at most.
I
suspect this fight was made to kill two birds with one stone:
namely, to give the UFC an excuse to cut Funch while building
Patrick into their next welterweight prospect du jour. The apple
cart does get tipped over in the Octagon with stunning regularity,
but Patrick is simply too skilled and disciplined to let himself
get into the kind of fight Funch wants. There may not be many
sloppy exchanges designed to please bloodthirsty fans, but Patrick
will thoroughly dismantle Funch en route to an easy decision
win.
Source: Sherdog |
ULTIMATE
FIGHTER 12 BEGINS FILMING THIS WEEK
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 begins filming this
week in Las Vegas. The new season premieres Wednesday, Sept.
13, at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Season
12 features UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and the
number one contender to his title, Josh Koscheck, as opposing
coaches. They will lead 28 lightweight fighters on a quest to
reach the Octagon. St-Pierre and Koscheck will then fight in
a pay-per-view event following the conclusion of the season.
Both
St-Pierre and Koscheck have appeared on “The Ultimate Fighter”
in the past. St-Pierre was a trainer during Season 4, while Koscheck
was one of the participants during the inaugural season.
During
the 6-week Ultimate Fighter competition, the competitors will
endure a grueling regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, Muay Thai, karate,
boxing and wrestling. In each episode, opponents from each team
will be selected to square off in the Octagon, officially weighed
in and then, in front of their teammates, coaches, and the Nevada
State Athletic Commission, the two combatants face off in two
five-minute rounds. At the end of two rounds, if the fight is
declared a draw, the two partake in a sudden victory third round.
Source: MMA Weekly |
ANDERSON
SILVA MOVING TO 205 AFTER UFC 117?
Anderson Silva has cleared out the Ultimate Fighting Championship
middleweight division outside of his upcoming UFC 117 opponent
Chael Sonnen.
Widely
regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, if
Silva comes away with a win on Aug. 7 at the Oracle Arena in
Oakland, Calif., the organization plans to enter into talks with
the Brazilian about possibly moving to the light heavyweight
division.
“He’s
got to get through this fight with Chael, and then we’re
going to start talking about him going to 205,” said UFC
president Dana White at the UFC Fan Expo.
Silva
is undefeated (2-0) as a light heavyweight with two first-round
knockout wins, defeating James Irvin and Forrest Griffin.
“He’s
huge, and not only has he dominated the 185-pound division, but
he’s done very well going up to 205,” said White. “I
can actually see him going up to 205 and mixing it up, up there.”
Silva
first has to defeat Sonnen before switching weight classes makes
sense, and that’s not a small feat.
“He
could knock Chael out, but I tell you what, Chael’s going
to be in his face going for takedowns. I actually like this fight
with Chael Sonnen. The Demian Maia thing, Demian Maia is awesome.
I like him. I respect him. He’s a great jiu-jitsu guy. You
can’t compare his takedowns to Chael’s,” commented
the UFC president about the match-up.
Silva
is the favorite heading into his UFC 117 title bout with Sonnen,
but a fight is a fight and anything can happen. But White anticipates
a move for Silva to the light heavyweight division after Aug.
7.
“Anything
can happen. And things change all the time in this sport, but
that’s the direction I see him going.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
114 BIG ATTENDANCE, GATE RECEIPTS AVERAGE
UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans takes its place in Las Vegas as one
of the highest attended mixed martial arts events in the city's
history. The event, headlined by Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans,
drew a paid attendance of 13,294, with an overall attendance
of 14,246 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, according to the Nevada
State Athletic Commission.
The
gate revenue for UFC 114, however, reflects the current economic
climate, pulling in $3.73 million.
In
comparison, last year’s UFC 100 featuring Brock Lesnar versus
Frank Mir, which took place on July 11 at Mandalay Bay Events
Center, drew a paid attendance of 9,764 people for gate receipts
of $5.1 million.
The
year prior, UFC 86 featuring Quinton Jackson versus Forrest Griffin,
on July 5, drew a paid attendance of 9,630, also at Mandalay
Bay Events Center, for gate receipts of $3.35 million.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Demian
welcomes challenge against Belcher
After
the loss on the belt dispute against Anderson Silva, the black
belt Demian Maia already got a date settled to come back to the
American octagon. In an exclusive interview to TATAME TV, given
on Wanderlei Silva’s gym in Las Vegas, Demian confirmed
the duel with Alan Belcher on September 15 and talked about his
expectations for the fight. “He certainly is a tough guy,
one of the tops of the division. For me, it’s an excellent
thing to come back with a guy from his level”, affirmed
Demian, who commented the repercussion of his defeat to Anderson,
the fight between the champion and the American Chael Sonnen
and the trainings along with Xande Ribeiro and Wanderlei Silva
on the United States.
Are
you here just to keep your fitness and do a little of strengthening
work in Wanderlei Silva’s gym?
Every
time I come to Las Vegas I like to come here and train along
with Wanderlei. This time it was a quick visit, I thought he
would be here, but he was on the UFC Fan Expo, so I came he just
to do a little strengthening work just to keep my fitness.
People
are saying you will fight against Alan Belcher. Is this true?
It
seems it will happen, that’s what I heard. I haven’t
signed anything yet, but I believe he will be my opponent.
If
he really is your next opponent, do you know his game?
Man,
I’ve seen him fighting, once he fought in the same card
as I did, I saw his last fight against (Patrick) Cote, he certainly
is a tough guy, one of the tops of the division. For me, it’s
an excellent thing to come back with a guy from his level.
Do
you think that, if you beat him, it will put you back in the
belt dispute?
I’ll
first focus on beating him, there’re lots of things to think
about and it’s early to think about that, but it’s
what everyone wants, so let’s wait for this fight and then
we’ll see what will happen.
Where
do you think this fight against Belcher would take place? Do
you intend to work on the trade of punches or do you think it
is best to work on your Jiu-Jitsu?
I
have to see what my game plan will be, I have to discuss this
along with my coaches and at the time of the fight I’ll
do what I have planned to do.
How
was the repercussion of your loss to Anderson worldwide? We know
how it was in Brazil, but how is it when you get to other places?
Of
course that a defeat is always a bad thing in a career of an
athlete, but this loss had more repercussion than any win I have
ever had. People come talk to me, the fans and all… I got
surprised by that. I realized that there are people who admire
me despite my loss and they’re coming to talk to me even
more than at times of which I have win the fight, so it’s
a good thing, I love this relationship with the fans in Brazil
and here also.
Your
fight against Anderson happened almost two month ago. Now that
it’s in the past, how do you see his attitude?
I’d
rather not to comment, as I said. I think that if you watch the
fight it’s enough to get any conclusions. I prefer not to
think about it and to focus on my career from now on.
How
many fights do you think you need to get back on the belt dispute
Oh
man, I don’t want to rush up things and say things because
I think it brings bad luck (laughs).
Now
Anderson with fight against Chael Sonnen, a guy you submitted.
Do you think Sonnen has a chance to beat Anderson?
I
sure do. He has a really tough game and it’s hard for anyone
to beat him. He has a good takedown, has a good ground game,
he’s very big and strong in comparison with the other athletes
of the division. It’s a hard fight for everyone because
he brings you down and is a hell of a hitter. You have to have
a great guard to fight him, otherwise it becomes very hard fight
for you. Let’s see what will happen.
Do
you think Toquinho (Palhares) has any chances to beat Nate Marquardt?
Yes,
for sure. Toquinho is really dangerous, his foot and ankle lock
is really hard to get rid of, and he has a good takedown. Nate
is more experienced, has more fights than him, including on the
Ultimate, for I think he can win.
If
Toquinho wins, do you thing he will join this top group?
Of
course. If he beats a guy from Nate’s level, he will be
on this top group.
Now
you are training in San Diego. Did you moved there or just rented
a flat so that you can keep your trainings there?
I
didn’t move. My wife came here to do an English course and
we stayed here for four months to breathe new airs and everything
is the same, my life is where I am, for her that it changes a
bit, but everything is going well. Rodrigo, Rogério and
Cigano, Saulo, Xande are there… A good Brazilian group is
there training together. It’s a good place to be, it has
a beach and I like to go there every time I come here. I spent
four month there and I have a good life, but in July I’ll
go back to Brazil. This time there was good to become closer
to good fighters.
Will
you come back to Salvador to practice your boxing?
Yes,
for sure. It’s a thing which gave me a lot of good energies
and improved my performance, so I’ll come back there.
Do
you think you evolved on this part?
Yes,
I believe I’m more efficient now on the standing game and
on the trade of punches. To train in Salvador is a good thing
because there are a lot of good fighters training there and you
can get things just by watching the trainings, so I owe a lot
of my standing game improvement to my trainings in Salvador.
Source: Tatame |
Franklin
is the UFC’s ace in the hole
Rich
Franklin was at the movies when he got a series of phone calls
and text messages from UFC president Dana White.
“I
kind of knew he wasn’t calling me to tell me I was getting
a $1 million bonus,” Franklin joked. “I knew something
was up.”
The
former UFC middleweight champion chatted with his boss on that
late February night, and the next day he was in Las Vegas replacing
Tito Ortiz as coach for the final week of filming in this season’s
“The Ultimate Fighter.”
The
week of coaching and television leads Franklin (27-5, 1 no contest)
to his main event fight against Chuck Liddell (21-7) at Saturday
night’s UFC 115, the company’s debut show at General
Motors Place in Vancouver, Canada.
This
turn of events has cemented Franklin’s developing role during
the past two-and-a-half years as the go-to guy when injuries
or contract disputes with other fighters disrupt company plans.
Before
he began that role, two crushing 2007 losses to champion Anderson
Silva caused Franklin to move from middleweight to lightweight
and pursue a new championship. The move hasn’t been without
its bumps.
He
has lost two fights, and his attempt to gain the muscle mass
to compete in the high weight class has been more difficult than
he anticipated. Franklin was known as a huge middleweight, but
he’s only added seven pounds to his walking-around weight
and is making a smaller cut than at his previous weight.
Franklin
has gone from a big middleweight, who had to suffer to make weight,
to a small light heavyweight. But the major downside of fighting
bigger men, the strength issue, has yet to effect him. He’s
been able to keep strong, 205-pound wrestlers like Matt Hamill
and Dan Henderson from physically manhandling him.
Instead
of a championship run, though, he’s become the company’s
utility player.
As
one of the UFC’s original television-made stars, Franklin
is seen as a big enough name to headline pay-per-views when,
like Saturday, no championship matches, or even No. 1 contender
matches, are available.
UFC
115 will mark Franklin’s fourth consecutive main event.
While nobody expects record-setting numbers two weeks after the
monster Rashad Evans vs. Quinton Jackson show, Franklin is a
reliable draw. Liddell, the 40-year-old former light heavyweight
champion, is also a top draw, even amidst questions of how much
has left in the tank.
The
live event in Vancouver, which has been home to some of UFC’s
best per capita pay-per-view business, sold 15,000 tickets for
$4 million in the first 30 minutes on sale, putting it in the
top 10 in company history. The event will be the second UFC show
broadcast throughout the U.S. and Canada in more than 300 movie
theaters.
“I
think fans are just excited to see this fight because look at
both mine and Chuck’s track record, we like to put on exciting
fights,” Franklin said. “We have similar styles, and
I think that that’s going to make for a good show for the
fans.”
Franklin
said that the last thing he wants to do is go toe-to-toe with
Liddell. Instead, he’ll concentrate on movement in a fight
that, based on the previous two fights, is likely to stay standing.
After
losing a close decision to Henderson at UFC 93, Franklin has
fought twice at 195 pounds, winning a decision against Wanderlei
Silva and losing via first-round stoppage to Vitor Belfort. Franklin
noted that Silva fought his entire career as a light heavyweight,
and that Belfort had months earlier agreed to fight Fedor Emelianenko
as a heavyweight, although the fight never happened.
Last
summer, after beating Silva, Franklin hit a mental wall hard
for the first time in his decade-long career.
“I
think part if it was a moment, and I got caught,” Franklin
said about the Belfort loss. “Looking back at the tapes
of that fight, I didn’t fight well, and for me, honestly,
I think that fight was lost before the fight even began.”
Franklin said that after getting up to fight Silva, he only had
a couple of weeks off before he had to start training for his
Sept. 19 match with Belfort. “I was mentally thrashed, and
when you start coming into the gym and the moment you walk in,
you look at the clock, and count down the minutes until the time
that you leave, that’s never a good thing,” he said.
“You can’t be focused on your workouts and putting
in 100 percent effort like you need to be when you’re walking
into the Octagon.
“I
was more mentally burned out. I didn’t have any serious
injuries, just little bumps and bruises here and there. Training
for Wanderlei, for example, I had jammed two fingers that I couldn’t
even make into a complete fist, and then after that fight, of
course I had to go back into another camp unable to make a tight
fist and throw punches properly.”
After
the loss, Franklin told UFC that he needed a break. But with
so many shows and the company’s injury plague a few months
back, the phone kept ringing. He was asked to fight twice, once
in November and again in the February show in Australia. Having
learned the cost of fighting when he wasn’t training at
a top level, he told the company that he needed more time off
and would call when he was mentally ready to return.
White
came calling again in February. The timing was right.
“As
far as hesitation on my part, like was it right for me to take
a fight at this point, no,” he said. “The only hesitation
were the concerns that I had with whether or not Chuck was good
with the fight. Those are the only questions I had when they
said, ‘We need you to fight in June.’”
Franklin,
who goes into the fight as the favorite, said the one thing he
noticed in his week in Las Vegas is that he’d never seen
Liddell in better condition. If he hadn’t seen Liddell –
or recent photos of his new ripped midsection – Franklin
said he would have expected to take advantage of a conditioning
edge in the later rounds.
“I
can’t count on the fact Chuck is going to get tired,”
he said. “I can only count on the fact I’m not going
to get tired.”
Now
Franklin is back to his conditioning training that was documented
in a UFC television special a few years ago. The insane cardio
routine requires that he run from station to station in the gym,
doing one exercise after another with no break, for nearly an
hour. With some slight modifications in exercises, he was back
doing this same routine, which he refers to as “hell on
earth,” twice a week in camp.
“Sometimes
if I’m doing the routine on a Monday morning, on Sunday
I start getting nervous, and it doesn’t go away,” he
said, noting that the routine is mentally more difficult than
a fight.
And
by forcing himself to take time off from the gym, he said he
became hungry again. When he returned to the gym, the fun returned
as well.
“If
I was working a regular 9-to-5 job, I’d be going to the
gym and training in my off-time,” he said. “So I have
a job where I got paid to train. I should count my blessings
Source: Yahoo Sports |
MEGUMI
FUJI MAKES U.S. TV DEBUT THURSDAY NIGHT
Japanese MMA sensation Megumi Fujii, widely regarded as the No.
1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, will make her
U.S. television debut on Thursday night on FOX Sports Net as
part of the live broadcast of Bellator 21 from the Seminole Hard
Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
The
judo and jiu-jitsu black belt will take on 9-3 Kansas City product
Sarah Schneider in the hopes of improving her unblemished pro
MMA record to 20-0 and notching her 17th career submission win
during what will be her first major-promotion fight on U.S. soil.
The
36-year-old Fujii is also one of four confirmed participants
in Bellator’s forthcoming Season 3 Women’s Tournament
along with 11-1 British tae-kwon-do black belt Rosi Sexton (the
world’s No. 1-ranked 125-pound female fighter), 12-5 Seattle
submission artist Lisa Ward, and 7-0 Southern California striker
Jessica Pene. The tournament kicks off in August.
“With
our Season 3 Women’s Tournament now just three months away,
this fight between Megumi Fujii and Sarah Schneider on Thursday
gives U.S. MMA fans their first opportunity to see the woman
many believe is the best female fighter in the world,” Bellator
founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “This fight will be a
tough test as she prepares for an extremely strong tournament
field. As a fan, I can’t wait to watch on Thursday and in
August.”
Fujii
was trained in MMA by Shooto veteran Hiroyuki Abe and top heavyweight
Josh Barnett and is known for her quick takedowns and skilled
submissions. Remarkably, only three of her 19 victories have
come by decision with the rest coming via a wide variety of submissions
– most frequently the inazuma toe hold, which has been dubbed
the “Megulock.”
Fuji
said through her translator that she is ecstatic to be fighting
under the Bellator banner.
“Bellator
is a great organization and they have some excellent competition,”
she said. “I’m looking to stick to my game plan, get
submissions and win the tournament. That’s my only goal.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
LIDDELL
IN SHAPE, PLANS ANOTHER TITLE RUN
Every great champion is capable of one last run, and that’s
exactly what former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Chuck Liddell
has in mind when he returns to the Octagon from a near 14-month
layoff to face Rich Franklin in the main event of UFC 115 in
Vancouver on June 12.
Originally
scheduled to fight his nemesis, Tito Ortiz, Liddell has had to
change his mentality slightly going into the match, now facing
someone he respects and likes.
“It
does change it a little. I go from a guy that I want to beat
because I just don’t like him to a guy that I want to beat
because he’s a bad man,” Liddell told MMAWeekly.com.
“He’s a great fighter. He was a great champion and
a guy that I respect. But don’t worry, I’m coming after
him to knock him out.
“I’ll
fight anybody. It’s a game. It’s a sport. I’m
going out there to fight a guy and beat a guy. It changes the
mentality a little bit, but not much.”
Liddell,
who holds two decisive wins over Ortiz, believes Franklin presents
a much different challenge than his longtime foe.
“I
think Rich is a better striker. I was planning on striking with
Tito anyway, but Rich is a better striker. All and all I think
Rich is a tougher match-up,” stated Liddell.
“I
plan on coming after him, pressuring him and making him fight
me.”
Coming
off the longest layoff in his fighting career, questions of ring
rust have sprouted up, but the 40-year-old athlete doesn’t
think it will be an issue.
“My
timing is on. I’m in great shape. I’m ready to go,”
commented Liddell. “I don’t see it being a problem.
I think that’s something that’s psychological for some
guys.
“The
time off was good for me. I needed it.”
By
all accounts and supported by recent photos of Liddell’s
physique, he’s in better condition than before and possibly
ever.
“I
used to get out of shape in the off-season and come back and
spend most of my camp getting into shape. This time I showed
up in camp in shape,” said the former champion.
“I
feel good. I’ve been actually training since November. I
started getting in shape for the show (The Ultimate Fighter 11)
so I’d be in shape when I was coaching these guys. And there
was a kind of mini-camp during the show. I took a week off and
went right back into camp, so I’ve been in shape for six
months. It’s going to be good. I’m feeling great. I’m
healthy.”
At
his age, accompanied by losing four of his last five fights,
and with UFC president Dana White saying he should retire, Liddell
has a lot of pressure on his shoulders to win this fight.
Thinking
optimistically, Liddell wants to make another run at the title,
but that all hinges on his performance at UFC 115.
“I’d
like to win this fight and come out healthy. I’d like to
stay busy. It will depend on how this fight goes,” said
Liddell. “Obviously I need to get out there and win and
perform the way I should. And if I stay healthy, of course I‘ll
be back as soon as they’re ready for me.”
Questioned
about his plans after UFC 115 and whether he will continue fighting
if he doesn’t win, Liddell commented, “I’ll cross
that bridge when I get there.
“I
plan on making another run at this title. That’s what I
want to do, so we’ll see what happens.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
BACK
AT TEAM JACKSON, CONDIT READY FOR UFC 115
It will be a fresh start for Carlos Condit when he gets back
to action at UFC 115 in Vancouver.
An
accident that led to a cut and a nasty staph infection while
cleaning out his garage led to Condit missing his chance to fight
in January, but the last ever WEC welterweight champion has been
staying busy inside and outside of the fight game.
Becoming
a father for the first time while also moving back to his home
state of New Mexico and rejoining Greg Jackson’s fight team
for the first time in several years, Condit is ready to show
off all the hard work he's been putting in.
Spending
his last few fights at Arizona Combat Sports and working with
the Lally brothers, Condit credits them for a great deal of what
he's learned. Now, he believes that coaches Greg Jackson and
Mike Winklejohn are putting the perfect recipe together with
the new ingredients he's been picking up during training.
"When
I was in Arizona, I really had a chance to sharpen a lot of my
tools, really work on my wrestling, learn a lot of new jiu-jitsu
with the jiu-jitsu coach over there, Gustavo (Dantas), but now
that I'm back here at Jackson's I'm really being able to put
it all together in kind of a cohesive strategy," said Condit
when appearing on MMAWeekly Radio.
He
looks back on his fights while he was training in Arizona, and
has nothing but good things to say about the training he received
there, but also knows that something was missing when he stepped
in the cage.
"In
the fights that I did out there I think I was kind of just fighting,
and just trying to utilize those tools, but I think the game
planning is quite a bit different," Condit commented.
Of
course every fighter is different and there is no perfect right
or wrong answer for what works, but Condit feels that having
the best strategy and sticking to it is the way for him to fight
his best in the UFC.
"I
think we're taking a more cerebral approach to this," said
Condit. "I think being more patient (than) definitely in
the Martin Kampmann fight. I was a little bit impatient. I kind
of wasn't sticking to my game plan as much as I should've, and
throughout this training camp we've really been emphasizing sticking
to my game plan.
"Every
time I spar the coaches are constantly telling me what they want
to see, so I really think it's going to show when I step out
there on the 12th."
Facing
Condit in his return bout will be young Canadian prospect Rory
MacDonald, who holds an undefeated record in MMA, and has fought
some very tough opponents at only 20 years of age. Looking at
the up and coming MacDonald, Condit sees a lot of himself from
a few years ago, but also knows that with age comes experience.
"I
think our skill sets are pretty similar. He's got good stand-up,
he's more of a boxer whereas I'm more Muay Thai, and then his
jiu-jitsu's real good also," stated Condit. "I think
it's a great match-up, but I think experience is going to be
the deciding factor in this thing."
A
happy Carlos Condit, now settling into fatherhood, has found
the perfect home for his family, and a perfect home for his training.
Now it's time to turn up the intensity, and remind everyone why
he was one of the most feared welterweights in the game just
a few months ago.
"I
couldn't be happier. This training camp is awesome. Like I said,
honestly I feel great for this fight and I just feel confident
in my corner, confident in my game plan, and I think I'm going
to kick some ass on the 12th," Condit said in closing.
Condit
and MacDonald will kick off the pay-per-view for UFC 115 in Vancouver
this weekend.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
113 RE-BROADCAST TO AIR OPPOSITE STRIKEFORCE
Let the counter programming battle begin.
On
Saturday night, June 26 the UFC will re-broadcast the recent
UFC 113 pay-per-view for free on Spike TV starting at 9pm EST/PST,
showcasing several top fights including the title bout between
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Lyoto Machida.
The
UFC 113 re-broadcast will go head-to-head with the Strikeforce
broadcast taking place on Showtime that same night starting at
10pm EST/PST.
The
Spike TV showing of UFC 113 will also include fights between
Kimbo Slice and Matt Mitrione, Sam Stout vs. Jeremy Stephens,
Joe Doerksen vs. Tom Lawlor, Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet,
and Patrick Cote against Alan Belcher.
The
counter programming by the UFC has resulted in great number for
the promotional juggernaut, with the company's cable home on
Spike TV being available to so many households throughout the
United States.
Strikeforce
will air a live show that will feature top heavyweight Fedor
Emelianenko against Fabricio Werdum, and also female champion
Cris "Cyborg" Santos against Jan Finney.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Babalu
ready for a war against Robbie Lawler
Strikeforce’s
former champion on the light heavyweight division, Renato Babalú
Sobral will return to the octagon on June 16 against Robbie Lawler,
former EliteXC champion. The Brazilian, who trains along with
Fabrício Werdum and King Mo Lawal, on the TC of Affliction,
took a time off the trainings to watch closely the World of Jiu-Jitsu,
which is happening in California, and gave an exclusive interview
to TATAME. The tough guy gave his opinion about the BJJ Worlds,
analyzed his next fight on Strikeforce, talked about the fight
between Werdum and Fedor, commented his win over Shogun, on 2003,
and pointed him out as the favorite for this next fight against
Rashad.
What
are you thinking of Worlds?
It’s
beautiful, the mat is great and the place, the gym is amazing,
it is huge. I think it’s bets than that other Carlson’s
place, the structure here is best, is best for the fighters and
the audience. I came here to see the guys, on the brake between
the trainings I talked with some friends, that are what we will
carry with us when we stop fighting… The friendships I made
will last a lifetime, I even crawl when I say this.
How
are the trainings for your fight against Robbie Lawler and what
do you expect for this fight?
I
hope it’s a war, I always face my fights the same way…
It can be an eyed guy or Fedor, I always face it the same way.
I have my game plan, he has his and he probably will try to knock
me out and I’ll go for the submission, but if he’s
not careful, I may knock him out. Today was my last day of hard
training, I’ll fight on the until 88kg divisions and I got
90kg now and there’s ten days left before the fight…
I’ll try to rest without having to worry much about my weight.
I went for it on the last time and I’ll do my best on this
one.
He
was the champion on EliteXC and knocked Ninja out… Do you
believe that if you beat him, it can put you in the line for
a belt dispute on Strikeforce?
Actually,
I’m changing to a lighter division and I intend to fight
on the until 84kg division, but I can change my mind and go to
a heavier division too, because I already fought among the heavies,
middleweights and light heavyweights… I’m not that
worried about the belt, wherever there’s a good fight for
me, I’m in, because I have a good fighting record. As BJ
Penn once said, the belt is only useful to keep your pants up.
What make the sport are the challenges. I thank Robbie, who changed
divisions to confront me, he could have said no, so we have to
give him credits, because I have my bills to pay and I need to
fight and he accepted and is coming with his best for this fight.
You
are training with Werdum, who will confront Fedor, a guy you
confronted. The Russian is so unanimous that people are cheering
for him…
They
don’t know things right, is the same thing as if you say
that an England fan will cheer for the England team against the
Brazilian team…. Who says these things don’t know anything…
I train with Werdum and I can say that he has the potential to
beat this guy and he will win this fight. You see the record
and people saying things, but Werdum has all weapons to beat
him, as Fedor also had. Fedor has a dangerous punch and Werdum
is a submitter… It’s an AK 47 against a Fall, whoever
shoots first…
You
submitted Shogun with a guillotine and now he is on the top of
UFC. How do you see him nowadays?
He
is a hell of an athlete and proved he can overcome. Last fight
was his fight, everything depends if the fighter is on a good
night. Many people said Werdum was done when he left UFC, right?
When he beat Fedor, these same guys will say he is the best,
but that’s how the fans are, they are the ones who pay the
pay-per-views, buy magazines and access the internet. Nowadays
the techniques are almost at the same level, it depends on who
is best at that specific night. Is not because I beat Shogun
that I’m better than him, today he is the champion of Ultimate.
My night was that one, if we have a rematch, things might be
different this time. I bet on Shogun over Rashad.
Source: Tatame
|
Roger
Gracie, the unsatisfied three-time champ
He
collects unprecedented achievements in Jiu-Jitsu, but his background
is little different from countless other blue belts around the
world. At the crossroads, though, he always chose the right patch,
as this article published in GRACIEMAG after the 2009 Worlds
explains to readers.
The
27-year-old fighter’s eyes are hazel and weary. Roger Gracie
is the black belt with the biggest buzz about him at the moment,
undefeated for one year, having submitted every single one of
his opponents in 2009. He’s coveted by MMA events, and at
September’s ADCC will try to hang on to his title of super-fight
champion, worth around 50 thousand dollars for 20 minutes of
combat. His voice, though, is in stark contrast with the best
phase of his career. He speaks softly, in a tired, far from satisfied
tone. Three weeks ago, he came upon a rival that could take on
his 1.93 meters and 98 kilos. And now speaks with GRACIEMAG,
after finally having put him to sleep.
To
see the little Tristan Gracie on the champion’s lap is a
welcome surprise. A big guy, the first-time father has a way
with his son. He adapted his grip for the new challenge. The
joke was, at the Worlds in California, last June, that Roger
submitted his nine adversaries so quickly to make it back in
time for delivery. Tristan showed at 59cm and 4.1kg and repaid
all the affection with endless hours without sleep, fooling mother
Anna and the father who, in grappling, is rarely duped. “It’s
hard work, you know. Whoever told me all newborns do is eat and
sleep pulled a fast one on me,” Roger says, remarking how
he had to postpone till September or even October his MMA fight
at the American Strikeforce event, the third of his career, his
first outside Japan.
“Train
a lot, eat a lot and rest a lot” is the motto the Gracie
has repeated for years, a routine Tristan’s arrival altered
completely. And nor is there any mystery or dramatic turn of
events in the trajectory of the two-time absolute world champion,
whose numbers may never be beaten.
Roger’s
shift in mentality in relation to Jiu-Jitsu, the first crossroads
he came upon, took place, as is often the case, at blue belt.
His uncle and teacher Carlos Gracie Jr, one of his chief mentors
along with cousin Renzo and uncle Rilion, elucidates: “That
happens with everybody, because most white belts are kids, and
see it as a game. It’s at blue belt that the young person
begins to come to awareness and have notions of values –
and to think about what they want from the future, what inspires
them and what they want to be in life.”
The
Gracie started blazing the trail of success at around 15, though.
And, in an episode he, himself, considers crucial in his development,
Roger went through a period where he perceived his evolution
– which transformed into motivation and will to carry on
with hard work. “I was chubby and went to spend some time
with Rilion in Southern Brazil, in Florianópolis. There
my uncle put me on a diet, made me run every morning and I trained
with Rolles there. I felt the improvement, saw the benefits.
I never stopped,” he recalls.
The
good shape, the technique and the motivation were tested on his
return to Rio, in 1999. At the tryouts for the Worlds, Roger
was back with a fine-tuned guard and was winning. Until, after
sweeping his opponent thrice, opening a comfy 6-0 lead, he couldn’t
figure out what happened when his rival leapt to his foot and
applied a rear-naked-choke on it, crunching everything –
a move these days not even permitted in the juvenile division.
“I
was disgusted with myself,” he says, with his ever-peaceable
demeanor, his nostrils dilating before he speaks, betraying that
either a smile or serious answer is on its way.
At
the Worlds held in the Long Beach Pyramid, where he had his latest
and most impressive performance, Roger gave clues as to how he
faces defeat. Of the five times he let the gold slip through
his fingers, three were brought on by takedowns. He wasn’t
pleased at all with them. But, shortly after taking a perfect
takedown from Claudio Calasans, in the absolute quarterfinals,
where he needed to (as is his custom) come back from behind in
a match, Roger joked: “If I don’t get taken down it
even takes the fun out of it,” he said smiling to the reporter.
And
it’s smiling too that opponents try to come up with a way
to beat Roger, or at the very least not tap out to him. “There
have been many great fighters, in and out of the family. But
what Roger’s doing no one has ever done. He mines the enemy
defenses, putting the individual in indefensible situations,”
stresses Carlinhos Gracie.
In
fact, there were five collar chokes, one guillotine and three
chokes known as the ezequiel (forearm choke), when one’s
own sleeve is used – and Roger advanced to pass and mount
without giving up a single centimeter. “Beyond the perfect
technique and weight distribution, I felt like a dwarf fighting
him,” says Bruno Bastos.
To
Ricardo “Demente” Abreu, his slayer in the super heavyweight
final is “very tight and never errs. Roger doesn’t
leave any room for you to execute your game.” What most
impressed friend and victim in the absolute final Rômulo
Barral is Roger’s guard pass. “He traps the opponent’s
hip like no one else does. I knew what he was trying for, I understood
that I couldn’t give him that space, but he managed. And
my choke defense, which works with everyone, didn’t hinder
him in the least, I don’t know why. I suspect it’s
automatic to him,” says Barral, who held out for 9:31 min.
Weight,
height, reach, that’s fine. To his masters, though, his
mind is what makes Roger who he is, demonstrate the technique
he has, and not been submitted since blue belt, which comes to
over one hundred matches. A head and character molded not just
in the dozens of championships he’s disputed, but especially
in training, at the everyday crossroads in the academy.
Like
the evening when Roger went to Gracie Barra, in Rio, too tired
to train. Neither friends nor teachers could convince him. It
took the seasoned Alexandre “Café” Dantas showing
up unannounced for Roger to disappear and return in a blink,
with his gi. He wanted to test himself against someone super-tough
who wasn’t always available, as he trained in Ipanema. “Folks
tend to pick and choose a bit who they train with, and avoid
hard-core training. Roger always did the opposite. He would seek
out tough adversaries; he’d go after the challenge, the
dispute. His strength of will was greater than the dread, that
vanity of losing in training to whoever it may be,” Carlinhos
winds up.
It
happens that Roger doesn’t let himself be satisfied. He
may have the most feared guard in the world, the deadliest mount
in Jiu-Jitsu, but it doesn’t matter: “I think folks
these days are satisfied just not to get swept, or to have one
game that’s just stronger. Not me.”
And
where is such a mentality forged? In Roger’s case, it was
at home. The ones to provide him the most incentive have always
been mother Reila Gracie and father/mentor Mauricio Gomes, long
divorced. And, while the mother nourished him with affection
and tales of grandfather Carlos, the father too sought to teach
him a bit about life, baring his weight down on the knee he placed
on little Roger’s belly as a form of play.
Better
get ready, Tristan.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
REPORT:
MORECRAFT VS STRUVE ON TAP FOR UFC 117
Cage Fighting Extreme heavyweight champion Christian Morecraft
has signed a four-fight contract with the UFC and is expected
to face Stefan Struve in his first Octagon experience, according
to reports from the MMA Fight Council.
If
the bout is finalized, the two are expected to meet on Aug. 7
at UFC 117 in Oakland, Calif.
Morecraft
is 6-0 as a professional, all six wins taking place in Massachusetts.
Struve,
at 19-4, holds a tremendous experience advantage over Morecraft.
He is also looking to bounce back from a first-round TKO loss
to Roy Nelson back in March.
A
middleweight title fight between champion Anderson Silva and
challenger Chael Sonnen headlines UFC 117, the promotion’s
first foray into the Bay Area.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Destiny:
Fury
Blaisdell Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
June 12, 2010
Main Event:
-170lbs
(title match)
Johnavan Vistante (Team SYD) vs Kainoa Walther(Deamon MMA, Hilo)
-185lbs
(title match)
Danny Lopez (Bulls Pen) vs Gino Venti (808 FF)
-125lbs
(title match)
Jamin Tayaba (ICG) vs Keenin Colehan (Deamon MMA, Hilo)
-135lbs
Zach Close (Boars Nest) vs Jireh Torres-Umi (Molokai)
-155lbs
Sebastion Mariconda (HMC) vs Tyrone Oniel (Pain Train)
-170lbs
Daniel Manibusan (Team Villain) vs Nathan Harris (Molokai)
-175lbs
Micah Ige (Team Villain) vs Brennan Kamaka (Untamed Bloodline)
-Heavyweights
Jake Huen (UFS) vs DJ Poti (freelance)
-145lbs
Landon Yoshimura (HMC) vs Kiley Tanioka (Freelance)
-135lbs
Daniel Asuncion (Bulls Pen) vs Jahsiah Bales (Team Mixed Plate)
-145lbs
Jason Racamara (UCS) vs Mikela Texeira Jr.(All Nu)
-125lbs
Lawrence Lucius (Team Villain) vs Charlie Reyes (Equal Knockz)
-135lbs
Gabby Rodrigues (Bulls Pen) vs Kupono Debebar (freelance)
-165lbs
David Carter (Team Villain) vs Eddie Manu (High Intensity)
-125lbs
Alika Kumukoa (UCS) vs Jacob Rodrigues (High Intensity)
-145lbs
(female match)
Jessie Moniz (Bulls Pen) vs Stella Texeira (All Nu)
-135lbs
AJ Pang (HMC) vs Butch Anderson (High Intensity)
-145lbs
David Lacanaria (Team Villain) vs Wesley Nakano (Team Mixed Plate)
-140lbs
Josh Kolii (C-Side Soljahz) vs Joey Balai (Team Makaha)
-140lbs
(pankration)
Jonah Vistante (Team SYD) vs TBA
Fight Card subject to change.
Source: Event Promoter
|
50th
State Fair “SELECT COMBAT”
Friday, June 18 & Saturday, June 19
ITINERARY:
Friday,
June 18th
4:00pm Staff Meeting
5:00-6:00pm SC One Tournament Weigh-ins
6:30-7:00pm Rules Meeting for Tournament and Fight
7:00-9:00pm SC One Tournament
7:00-8:00pm SC One Fight Weigh-ins
Saturday,
June 19th
3:00pm Staff Meeting
4:00pm Keiki matches (10) matches
12
& under:
(2 min) Takedowns
(2 min) Positions
13 – 18 yrs old:
(1 min) Kickboxing
(1.5 min) Boxing & Takedowns
(2 min) Jiu Jitsu
5:30pm Adult matches (15) matches
(1 min) Kickboxing
(1.5 min) Boxing & Takedowns
(2 min) Jiu Jitsu
8:00pm End
TICKET
PRICES:
Pre-sale
tickets (up to June 18th) – $20 per adult / $8 keiki
School
Groups of (10) or more – $15 per adult / $6 keiki
Door
- $25 adult / $10 keiki
50th
State Fair “50th State BJJ Championships”
Friday,
June 25 & Saturday, June 26
ITINERARY:
Friday,
June 25th
5:00pm
Weigh-ins begin
5:30-6:00pm 1st seminar / exhibition
6:15-6:45pm Rules Meeting
7:00-7:30pm 2nd seminar / exhibition
8:00pm End of weigh-ins
Saturday,
June 26th
8:00am Staff Meeting
9:00am Keiki matches start
11:00am Women’s matches start
1:00pm Men’s matches start
6:00pm Tournament ends
PRICE:
Pre-registration
(before June 18th)
$60 per adult / $35 per keiki (12 & under)
Regular
Registration (June 18th-June 25th)
$75 per adult / $50 per keiki (12 & under)
Walk-Up
(day of tournament)
$100 per competitor
Door
- $10.00
Source: Egan Inoue
|
Garden
Island Cage Match 9:
Mayhem at the Mansion
Kilohana Carriage
House
June 26th 2010
Tickets
go on sale next week!
Since this venue is a little smaller than the Stadium the tickets
will sell out twice as fast so be sure to get on board quickly!
This an exclusive venue for us and very please to have acquired
this merger.
Sponsorship
packages now available! Please contact me for further information!
Mahalo!
Vance Pascua
808-634-0404
Source: Event Promoter
|
The
Quest for Champions 2010 Martial Arts Tournament
Saturday, July 24th, 2010
St. Louis High School Gym
Featuring: Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling and Continuous
Sparring
For more info please contact Kempo Unlimted HI (kunltd@hotmail.com)
Source: Tommy Lam
|
In
October 2010, Eternal Fight Wear proudly presents...
ETERNAL SUBMISSIONS! 1st Annual BJJ GI/NO-GI tournament on Kauai
Kauai Beach Resort, Kauai
This will be a 3 Day Event.
Friday, October 15th. beginning at 5pm will be weigh-ins with
Live local entertainment, Exhibitions, Door Prizes & more.
Saturday Oct. 16th we will host the GI portion of the event starting
with kids at 10am.
Sunday we will finish off our tournament with the NO-GI portion.
Outer island competitors will be allowed to weigh in on Saturday.
Kauai residents must weigh in on Friday.
NO same day registrations will be allowed.
Cut of for pre-registration is October 7th (for free tshirt)
all other registrations must be in by October 13th (if mailing
registration, it must be postmarked by the 11th) We have locked
in the dates and will be offering special discounted rates at
the hotel. There will be food/beg. for sale at the event. We
will be having superfights as well (TBA). All pre-reg competitiors
will receive a free competitor tshirt. There will be door prizes
each day too! Winners of the matches will receive very nice medals,
we will be awarding team trophies and best -of awards. Absolute
and Superfights winners will be awarded championship belts.
We will be hosted a first ever in Hawaii 'kids absolute' and
as well!!!!
This will be an event Hawaii does not want to miss!!!!
Pre-Reg is be up shortly and we will be notifying you as soon
as it is or updated info add us on facebook: ETERNAL FIGHT WEAR
Any questions you can call me (Shauna) at 808.652.6849 or email
me shauna@hawaiilink.net
Source: Event Promoter
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