Upcoming
Events
Do you
want to list an event on Onzuka.com?
Contact
Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2010
11/27/10
Aloha
State BJJ Championships: Final Conflict
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
11/6/10
X-1 Island Pride
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Man Up & Stand Up Kickboxing Championship
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
10/30/10
6th Annual Clinton A.J. Shelton Memorial Match Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym, Honolulu)
10/29/10
808Battleground
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom, Honolulu)
10/23/10
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Radford H.S. Gym)
10/15-17/10
ETERNAL SUBMISSIONS: GI/NO-GI tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Kauai)
10/16/10
DESTINY: Undisputed
Beyer vs Manners II
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
10/2/10
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu
9/11/10
X-1: Heroes
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
9/10/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/4/10
DESTINY:New Era
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
8/28/10
Big
Island Open
(BJJ)
(Hilo Armory, Hilo)
8/14/10
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
USA Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Lihue Convention Hall, Lihue, Kauai)
8/13/10
Battleground Challenge 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
8/7/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
8/6/10
Mad Skills
(Triple Threat/Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
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)
Mad Skillz
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(99 Market Shopping Center, Mapunapuna)
7/9/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
7/3/10
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
6/26/10
Kauai Cage Match 9
(MMA)
(Kilohana, Gaylords Mansion, Kauai)
6/25-26/10
50th
State BJJ Championships
(BJJ)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/24/10
Quest for Champions
(Kumite/Grappling)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
6/19/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
6/18-19/10
Select
Combat
(Triple Threat)
(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)
4/28/10
Chris Smith BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Hilo)
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
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/20/10
X-1: Champions 2
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/20/10
Hawaiian Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
3/14/10
Hawaiian Kimono Combat
(BJJ)
(PCHS Gym)
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
(MMA)
(Filcom, Waipahu)
2/6/10
UpNUp 6: Unstoppable
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/5/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/30/10
Destiny
(Level 4,
Royal HI Shopping Ctr)
(MMA)
Quest for Champions
(Pankration/Sub Grappling)
(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)
|
|
October
2010 News Part 3
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi and Kickboxing Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ Dean, & Chris
Slavens!
Kids Classes are also
available!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from
the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
|
Want
to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
Click here for pricing and more
information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting!
|
O2
Martial Arts Academy
Your Complete Martial Arts School!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Shane Agena as well
as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA champions Kaleo Kwan
and PJ Dean as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens
provide incredibly detailed instruction of the sweet science.
To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima
classes (Filipino Knife & Stickfighting) who were directly
trained under the legendary Snookie Sanchez.
Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from
the ground up!
Experienced martial artist that wants to fine tune your skill?
Our school is for you!
If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in
a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is
the place for you!
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Follow O2 Martial Arts news via Twitter at:
http://www.twitter.com/O2MAA
O2
Martial Arts Academy is Closed!
We
hope everyone has an incredibly fun and safe Halloween! If you
are driving, slow down and please watch out for kids, especially
darting out in the road unexpectedly.
|
Shane
Carwin to Undergo Surgery;
Return Timetable Unknown6
By Mike
Chiappetta
UFC heavyweight contender Shane Carwin will undergo surgery to
address lingering neck and back problems that forced him out
of a proposed Jan. 1 fight with Roy Nelson.
According
to Carwin's manager Jason Genet, the 35-year-old has been suffering
through the injuries for years, working through them with physical
therapy and pain medication. But the injury has gotten progressively
worse until a few days ago, one of Carwin's arms went numb down
to the elbow, necessitating a visit to the doctor.
After
examination, Carwin (12-1) was told that even without surgery,
he would be out a minimum of 8-12 weeks but was advised that
an operation would be the recommended long-term remedy. Genet
would not disclose the exact procedure Carwin would undergo,
only saying it would address both back and neck injuries.
"We're
trying to avoid spending 12 weeks with rehabilitation, traction,
pain pills and epidurals, only to end up getting surgery anyway,"
Genet said.
His
surgery is set for Nov. 2, but a return timetable is yet unknown
for the star.
Back
and neck injuries are notoriously difficult to rehabilitate,
but Genet insists that Carwin will rebound to be a factor in
the UFC's heavyweight division.
"When
Shane was an NFL prospect, he had a back injury where people
said not only would he not be able to play in the NFL, he wouldn't
be able to play pro sports," he said. "He's already
made it to fight for the heavyweight title. He limped to the
mountaintop without all the tools. What happens when he ascends
to the mountaintop with everything he's got?"
Carwin
was most recently in action at UFC 116, where he nearly took
the title from Brock Lesnar with a vicious first-round beating
before he succumbed to a second-round arm triangle submission.
A power puncher with a wrestling background, Carwin had finished
all 12 of his opponents prior to losing to Lesnar, and captured
the UFC interim heavyweight championship with a knockout over
Frank Mir at UFC 111.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Patrick
Cote Confirms UFC Release
By FCF Staff
Following his one sided, unanimous decision loss to Tom Lawlor
at UFC 121 this past weekend, Patrick Cote has confirmed on his
official Twitter account that he has been released from the UFC.
The following statement was posted on Cote’s Twitter page
today:
I
had a little hope but finally got the release word from the UFC
.. Its been a awesome experience ! I ll be back !!
3 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®
The
loss to Lawlor was Cote’s third in a row. In May, Cote returned
from a lengthy layoff due to injuries and was submitted by Alan
Belcher. Prior to that, the powerful striker’s title fight
with champion Anderson Silva came to an end in October, 2008,
after incurring a knee injury in the third round.
Cote,
who had won five straight before contesting Silva for the title,
exits from the UFC with a record of 13-7.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Vitor:
'Anderson is the best pound for pound'
Former
UFC Champion, Vitor Belfort made his UFC return in great fashion
with a first round knockout victory over Rich Franklin, and will
have the chance to win another UFC title against Anderson Silva,
at UFC 126 (February 5th), in Las Vegas. In interview with Karyn
Bryant, the “Phenom” talked about Anderson’s career
in the UFC. “He’s been doing an amazing job… What
can I say? He’s the champion, he’s the best pound for
pound fighter of the world and I’ll have the chance to fight
him. I’ll do my best”, Vitor said, commenting the preparation
for the fight, studying Silva’s fights.
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
Chief Says Broadcast Deal Coming in 2011
Outlining his television strategy exclusively to B&C's Ben
Grossman, Dana White says UFC will break through into broadcast
television in 2011 and also start its own channel within the
next couple years.
By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable
UFC president Dana White has always been a bold figure, and it
appears he has a television strategy to match. Already finding
success on pay per view as well as cable outlets such as Spike
and Versus, he says he is not done growing the sport's television
footprint domestically or globally. His most notable goal - finally
taking his sport into broadcast television for the first time,
a move he says his organization is finally prepared for in the
coming year, as well as launching his own channel. UFC's current
deal with Spike expires next year and White is already said to
be shopping that as well.
Speaking
backstage at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. following the
October 23 UFC 121 event, a typically candid White outlined his
television plans to B&C editor-in-chief Ben Grossman. An
edited transcript of that conversation follows.
B&C:
What's next for your television strategy?
Dana
White: A lot of people don't realize we are in a half a billion
homes around the world. You know all the things we've been through
in the United States, but this sport travels well. Cricket will
never be big here and the NFL will never be big around the world.
But we are all human beings and fighting is in our DNA. We get
it and we like it. So we are working on a couple moves now and
should be in a billion homes around the world in the next couple
months.
B&C:
And what about here in the US? You have said you'd only do a
broadcast deal when the time was right? Are you there yet? Do
you expect to be on broadcast TV for the first time in 2011?
Yes,
we will. We are working on some things right now. I just can't
talk about it at all because we are right in the middle of it.
B&C:
I have heard you have had some back and forth with News Corp.,
and Fox has a hole on Saturday late nights and that would seem
like a perfect fit for UFC.
I
don't disagree with that. We're in the middle of this stuff,
we can't talk about it, but it's all common sense.
B&C:
How about Comcast-NBC. You have a relationship with Versus already,
so what does this deal mean for you?
That's
not a bad deal for us, if that whole thing comes together.
B&C:
You mean as a way into getting on NBC?
It
could be our way into NBC. Everything you're saying makes sense.
Fox on Saturday nights, Comcast merging with NBC, I am sorry
I can't get into it.
B&C:
What about launching your own UFC network? That has to be in
your plans?
Sports Business Journal just came out with a survey asking big
names in the industry which sport could start its own network
and 4 out of 5 said us. They are right. I agree. That will happen
within the next couple years.
B&C:
How is your relationship with ESPN? [Editor's note - the interview
was conducted just after White was interviewed on an ESPN set
assembled at the event.]
You
are starting to see now ESPN is starting to cover us more. I
think this is one of those things ESPN will probably kick themselves
in 10 years saying, "We could have fucking had that."
B&C:
Have you spoken with HBO lately? Have you chatted with Ross Greenburg?
First
time I ever walked into Ross Greenburg's office, I was in awe.
I was one of these boxing guys, I knew everyone around the boxing
rings and I was honored to be there. Until I talked to him for
five minutes. And all I kept hearing about was how many Emmys
he has got and all this shit. And I was like, "You know
we are kicking your ass in pay per view, right?" Ross Greenburg,
and I will give him credit, nobody has ever done boxing better
than he did. HBO is the kings of boxing. But it never changed.
If you watch an HBO boxing event from 1975, what's different
from now? HD. Even the announcers are the same.
[Editor's
note: in response to White's comments, an HBO spokesperson relayed
the following statement: "We admire Dana White's work in
building the UFC brand. Since Ross Greenburg became President
of HBO Sports, the top two grossing PPV events of all-time have
taken place on his watch (including De La Hoya vs. Mayweather
$137 million in PPV revenue) and HBO Sports launched in 2007
the ground-breaking "24/7" reality franchise that has
won more Sports Emmys (12) than any other sports series on television
the past three years."]
Source: B&C/Fight Opinion
|
Gov.
Pawlenty names new executive director to Combative Sports Commission
by Kyle
Shiely
After
a five month wait, Governor Pawlenty announced today the appointment
of R.D. Brown as the new executive director of the Minnesota
Combative Sports Commission
Brown,
64 from St. Paul, replaces former heavyweight boxer Scott LeDoux.
LeDoux announced his retirement in April, effective May 15.
The
position had been vacent for the last five months after LeDoux
retired due to his continuing battle against amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis, or ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
At
the April commission meeting where LeDoux’s retirement was
announced, commissioner Bob Dolan informed the public that the
Governor’s office had instructed the commission to interview
potential candidates and nominate a replacement. A three commissioner
panel interviewed two candidates that were sent to them by the
State’s human resources department. The full commission
then voted 5-0 (with three abstentions) to nominate Brown at
their regular meeting in June. That recommendation was sent to
the Governors office the next day.
The
Governor’s office sat on the recommendation for another
four months before naming Brown as the new E.D. today.
With this appointment, Brown will be stepping down as chairman
of the MNCSC. The executive director job will become a full-time
paid position. Previously both the director job and office administrator
job have been part-time positions.
According
to the press release sent out by the Governor’s office,
Brown “serves the community as a volunteer on numerous civic
and community boards, including the Minnesota Board on Aging,
Minnesota Supreme Court Task Force on Racial Bias in the Courts,
Ramsey County Children’s Services Review Panel, and HealthPartners
Patient Council and Regions Hospital Patient Council.”
The
release goes on to say that Brown is a graduate of Central College
in Pella, Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in businesses administration
and management, and holds a masters in health services administration
and business administration from Columbia Pacific University
in Rafael, Calif. He most recently worked as the vice president
of child and family support services for Children’s Home
Society and Family Services, before retiring.
Brown
was appointed as one of the commissioners with MMA knowledge
in 2007. He has been the most active of the nine current commissioner
since his appointment, overseeing the majority of mixed martial
arts and boxing events held in Minnesota since 2007. He has also
helped out office administrator Matt Schowalter while the commission
waited for a new executive director to be named.
The
MCSC was established in 2006 to oversee boxing after the previous
commission was disbanded by Gov. Jesse Ventura in a cost cutting
move. LeDoux was instrumental in its resurrection and then the
expansion to overseeing MMA in 2007.
The
commission regulated 45 events in fiscal year 2010 and licenses
roughly 2000 individuals every year. Without an executive director,
the majority of the work had fallen on Schowalter these past
5 months.
According
to Ben Pherson, editor of the Minnesota MMA news website, Brown’s
appointment will become effective Nov. 1. A special meeting of
the MCSC has been set for Wednesday night, Oct. 27, at the Schawn
Center in Blaine to discuss what the salary should be now that
it is a full-time paid position.
Source: Your Voices
|
Satoshi
Ishii to Face Antz Nansen at K-1 MAX Finals
By Daniel
Herbertson
Beijing Judo Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii will step into the K-1
ring for the first time at the K-1 MAX Finals on November 8th
but thankfully, he will not be making his K-1 rules debut yet
- Ishii will take on kickboxer Antz "Notorious" Nansen
under DREAM rules.
After
being one of the hottest free agents in all of MMA in 2009, Satoshii
Ishii started to show his potential for the first time in his
young career during his bout with Ikuhisa Minowa at DREAM.16.
Although he may have impressed in the ring (against a much smaller
opponent), what really raised eyebrows was the 18.1 rating on
TBS, outperforming Daiki Kameda's WBA title defense that was
shown earlier in the evening.
Antz
Nansen made his MMA debut in 2009 against another judo - Athens
Silver Medalist Hiroshi Izumi. Although Izumi showed astounding
toughness, the New Zealand native sent Izumi tumbling to the
mat less than three minutes in. Following that bout Nansen was
brought in to face Enson Inoue at ASTRA but fell vitcim to a
first round armbar.
K-1 World MAX 2010 -70kg World Championship Tournament Finals
- Nov. 8 - Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan
Tournament
Quarter Finals Block A
Mike Zambidis vs. Yuichiro Nagashima
Albert Kraus vs. Giorgio Petrosyan
Tournament
Quarter Finals Block B
Gago Drago vs. Mohammed Khamal
Michal Glogowski vs. Yoshihiro Sato
Tournament
Reserve Match
Hinata vs. Andre "Dida" Amado
Superfights
Yuya Yamamoto vs. Seichi Ikemoto
Yuta Kuba vs. Hiroya
Jan Kaszuba vs. Fabiano Da Silva
Makoto Nishiyama vs. Shunsuke Oishi
DREAM
Rules
Satoshi Ishii vs. Antz Nansen
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Yushin
Okami - The Thunder Seven
Thomas
Gerbasi
Anderson Silva WDQ1 – Rumble on The Rock 8 – 1/20/06
13-2 as a pro, with his only losses coming against respected
vets Amar Suloev and Falaniko Vitale, Okami made his second US
appearance against a pre-prime Anderson Silva in Hawaii. Silva
had made some noise on the international scene with five PRIDE
appearances, but his 3-2 record in the organization didn’t
exactly show off ‘The Spider’ who has been dominating
the UFC since June of ’06. On this night in Honolulu, the
Brazilian did look to be on top of his game, as he dominated
the standup and tossed aside any Okami takedown attempts. Eventually,
Okami got Silva to the mat, but just when it looked like the
bout was going to get interesting in terms of ‘Thunder’
getting back in the fight, Silva finished the bout with an up
kick. Unfortunately for him, it was an illegal move, and he was
disqualified by referee (and future UFC fighter) Troy Mandaloniz.
On paper, it’s Silva’s last loss, but Okami doesn’t
see it as such. “The records say I won but I really lost
the match,” he said. “But I believe because of this
fight I've grown stronger. The next time I fight him things will
be different. I am confident of that.”
Alan
Belcher W3 – UFC 62 – 8/26/06
Three months after the win over Silva, Okami returned to Hawaii
and lost a majority decision to Jake Shields. It would be his
last defeat for over a year, and after two TKO wins in Japan,
he made his low-key UFC debut against fellow debutant Alan Belcher,
a late replacement for former middleweight title challenger David
Terrell. The bout was punctuated by what can be best described
as a bizarre front flip by Belcher while Okami rode his back
in the third round, but other than that bright moment, it was
all Okami, who pounded out a workmanlike three round unanimous
decision and announced his arrival to the UFC.
Mike
Swick W3 – UFC 69 – 4/7/07
With a 5-0 UFC record, The Ultimate Fighter’s Mike Swick
was rapidly closing in on a middleweight title shot, and in front
of his Texas fans at UFC 69, most expected him to move to 6-0.
But Okami was poised and ready to perform, and he did just that,
as he dominated Swick on the mat and grounded and pounded his
way to a clear cut three round decision win. It was the fourth
consecutive time (following Belcher, Kalib Starnes, and Rory
Singer) that the Kanagawa native issued an opponent his first
Octagon defeat.
Rich
Franklin L3 – UFC 72 – 6/16/07
After Martin Kampmann was forced out of his UFC 72 main event
against Rich Franklin, the next logical choice to face the former
185-pound champ for a shot at Anderson Silva’s crown was
Okami, who brought a four fight UFC winning streak into the bout.
Unfortunately for Okami, his patient style cost him, as Franklin
shot out to a 2-0 lead on the judges’ cards. In the third
though, Okami showed that he was ready for the best in the weight
class, as he closed strong behind a ground attack that included
a kimura that almost ended the bout. “It was pretty close;
he had me a little nervous but I was able to pull out of it,”
said Franklin, who earned the three round unanimous decision
win and sent Okami back to the drawing board.
Evan
Tanner KO2 – UFC 82 – 3/1/08
Four months after the loss to Franklin, Okami returned with a
three round win over Jason MacDonald, yet despite a stellar 5-1
record in the Octagon, fight fans were looking for more thunder
from “Thunder”, whose only UFC stoppage came against
Starnes at UFC 64. Okami’s response? An emphatic second
round knockout of comebacking former 185-pound champion Evan
Tanner at UFC 82. It was Okami’s most impressive UFC performance
to date, as he dropped and bloodied Tanner in the first round
and then finished him with a knee to the head in the second frame.
After the fight, the soft-spoken Okami was classy as usual when
asked about a rematch with Silva. "It’s up to the UFC,"
he said. "If they feel I am ready for a title shot, I’d
be honored. If they want me to take on another tough opponent
before getting a shot at the belt, then that’s what I’ll
do."
Lucio
Linhares TKO2 – UFC Fight Night – 3/31/10
Following the Tanner fight, Okami split his next two, beating
Dean Lister and losing to Chael Sonnen. After the Sonnen fight,
Okami knew that to break into title contention, he not only had
to put together a win streak, but he had to do so in impressive
style. In March of 2010, he got his first opportunity and he
made an example of Brazil’s Lucio Linhares, punishing him
with some of his best standup work to date en route to a second
round stoppage. The victory sent a statement to the rest of the
division that just when you thought all you had to worry about
was Okami’s ground game, now he could knock you out standing
too.
Mark
Munoz W3 – UFC on Versus – 8/1/10
Elevated to the position of Japan’s Great UFC Hope, Okami
could have been overwhelmed by such pressure, but on a night
when countryman Takanori Gomi resurrected his career with a first
round knockout of Tyson Griffin, the 29-year old continued his
slow and steady rise to the top of the division with a three
round split decision win over Mark Munoz. And while the win itself
was important, also key was the fact that Okami showed the ability
to handle a world-class wrestler in a way he didn’t in his
loss to Sonnen nearly a year earlier. So with all his ducks in
a row, Okami is back in a title elimination bout against Marquardt,
and this time, he expects to get the job done and become only
the fifth Japanese fighter (after Yuki Kondo, Caol Uno, Hayato
“Mach” Sakurai, and Kenichi Yamamoto) to challenge
for a UFC crown.
Source: UFC
|
Sherdog
Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings
So long to “Brocktober.”
As
the month draws to a close, October 2010 will be most remembered
for UFC 121 in Anaheim, Calif., where Cain Velasquez savaged
Brock Lesnar in the first round and wrested the UFC heavyweight
title in perhaps the biggest bout of the year.
With
a massive build-up due to Lesnar’s celebrity, including
a highly rated series of “UFC Primetime,” tons of crossover
media attention and the added angle of Velasquez’s emergence
as a Mexican-American heavyweight prizefighting champion, Velasquez’s
performance may serve as a springboard to much greater things
for the 28-year-old former Arizona State Sun Devil.
However,
the real star of the month was the 170-pound division.
Welterweight
happenings came fast and furious in the last three weeks. Nick
Diaz retained his Strikeforce crown over K.J. Noons in a fun
25-minute battle. In London, two top Brits came out on the short
end of the stick, as former UFC title challenger Dan Hardy got
blasted in the first round by Carlos Condit and unbeaten up-and-comer
John Hathaway learned what it felt like to lose for the first
time to veteran Mike Pyle.
UFC
121 saw more shake-ups. Prized free agent acquisition Jake Shields
barely scraped by scrappy Dane Martin Kampmann by split decision.
And Diego Sanchez -- who might be bound for a lightweight return
-- turned in a top-notch welterweight performance, storming over
tough Brazilian Paulo Thiago in a wildly entertaining “Fight
of the Night” bonus winner.
Heavyweight
1.
Cain Velasquez (9-0)
During his first week at the American Kickboxing Academy, trainers
thought Velasquez was a future UFC heavyweight champion. On Oct.
21 in Anaheim, Calif., he made that a reality, blowing away Brock
Lesnar in the first round to claim the UFC heavyweight crown.
While he can celebrate for now, Velasquez will have to return
early next year to defend his throne against fellow young heavyweight
Junior dos Santos.
2.
Brock Lesnar (5-2)
Debates over wrestling laurels, physical size and the like all
went out the window at UFC 121, as Lesnar just could not compete
with Cain Velasquez. Lesnar was battered from pillar-to-post
for over four minutes, en route to losing his title to Velasquez
in a one-sided thumping.
3.
Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1)
On Aug. 18, Werdum underwent surgery and had 27 loose bone fragments
removed from his left elbow. Already in physiotherapy to rehab,
the author of 2010’s most significant upset now targets
a return to action in the first quarter of 2011.
4.
Fedor Emelianenko (31-2, 1 NC)
The chicanery of another Emelianenko pre-fight has begun. Emelianenko’s
promoters at M-1 have openly announced their interest in fighting
Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, on the condition
that the Dutchman submits to Olympic-style drug testing. Naturally,
little headway has been made surrounding Emelianenko’s next
bout.
5.
Junior dos Santos (12-1)
Dos Santos’ next step is now clear. Courtesy of Cain Velasquez’s
thrashing of Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 on Oct. 23, “Cigano”
will challenge Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight crown in early
2011 in a great pairing of thrilling young heavyweights.
6.
Shane Carwin (12-1)
The second half of 2010 has been rough for Carwin. After falling
to Brock Lesnar in dramatic fashion in their July UFC title bout,
his name was connected to a federal steroids investigation. The
mammoth Coloradan will get the chance to start 2011 on a higher
note, as he meets “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10
winner Roy Nelson at UFC 125 on Jan. 1.
7.
Frank Mir (14-5)
At UFC 119, Mir and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic underwhelmed
the Indianapolis crowd for 14 minutes with a dreadful exhibition
of aimless clinching. Finally, with just 58 ticks left in the
fight, Mir landed a colossal knee that crushed the Croat, notching
one of the least impressive highlight-reel KOs in recent memory.
8.
Alistair Overeem (33-11, 1 NC)
The Strikeforce heavyweight champion’s efforts continue
to come in kickboxing rather than MMA. “The Demolition Man”
earned an easy first-round KO over Aussie Ben Edwards on Oct.
2 in Seoul, South Korea, to advance to December’s K-1 World
Grand Prix finale in Yokohama, Japan. As for an MMA return, it
remains anyone’s guess for now.
9.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1, 1 NC)
Back in December 2008, Nogueira was taken out by Frank Mir in
lopsided fashion. He was scheduled for a chance at redemption
against Mir at UFC 119 on Sept. 25, until a hip injury struck,
forcing “Minotauro” from the fight and onto the surgeon’s
table.
10.
Antonio Silva (14-2)
Silva’s hope was that he would get to face Strikeforce heavyweight
champion Alistair Overeem. With “The Demolition Man”
dealing with his K-1 duties in December, “Pezao” will
instead meet the Dutchman’s older brother, Valentijn Overeem,
on Dec. 4 in St. Louis.
Other
contenders: Josh Barnett, Cole Konrad, Roy Nelson, Ben Rothwell,
Brendan Schaub.
Light Heavyweight
1.
Mauricio Rua (19-4)
“Shogun” underwent another knee surgery, stemming from
an injury suffered in his May 8 title capture against Lyoto Machida.
Recovery and rehab will postpone his slated title defense against
former champion Rashad Evans, which will now be pushed back until
early 2011.
2.
Lyoto Machida (16-1)
Despite his father, Yoshizo, announcing he would like to see
his son retire, Machida will do just the opposite. Coming off
his brutal knockout loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in
May, Machida will get right back into the 205-pound fray later
this year. He will face another former UFC champion, Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson, in the main event of UFC 123 on
Nov. 20.
3.
Rashad Evans (15-1-1)
It has now become a waiting game for Evans. With his May win
over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Evans earned another
crack at the UFC light heavyweight title. However, with champion
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on the shelf until early 2011
with yet another knee surgery, the real question for Evans remains
whether or not he will be placed into an interim title bout while
he waits for Shogun to heal.
4.
Quinton Jackson (30-8)
Coming off a tough decision loss to rival Rashad Evans in May,
Jackson will stay right in the hottest fires at 205 pounds. In
the main event of UFC 123 on Nov. 20, Jackson will take on fellow
former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida in a must-win
bout for “Rampage.”
5.
Forrest Griffin (17-6)
With his second book penned and injuries healed, Griffin is due
for his return to the Octagon. He will take on former middleweight
champion Rich Franklin at UFC 126 on Feb. 5 in what could be
a highly entertaining affair at 205 pounds.
6.
Ryan Bader (12-0)
It was not a thrilling victory, but at UFC 119 on Sept. 25, “The
Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner earned a unanimous decision
over well-established veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, the twin
of his reality series coach. The win sets up Bader -- who is
set to get married later this year -- for a potential Feb. 5
showdown with fellow fast-riser Jon Jones at UFC 126.
7.
Jon Jones (11-1)
The 23-year-old Jones seems destined for greatness. The next
step in the evolution for “Bones” will be a major prospect-versus-prospect
showdown come Super Bowl weekend. Jones is unofficially slated
to meet fellow blue chipper Ryan Bader at UFC 126 on Feb. 5.
8.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-4)
At UFC 119, “Minotoro” did not have a ton to offer
Ryan Bader in their high-stakes light heavyweight duel. Though
he was competitive throughout, the Brazilian could not find any
particularly effective offense, as he was outwrestled and even
outstruck at times by the former Arizona State wrestler en route
to a unanimous decision loss.
9.
Rafael Cavalcante (10-2)
The world expected Muhammed Lawal to affirm his place as one
of MMA’s hottest prospects on Aug. 21 in Houston. Cavalcante
was not particularly content with that storyline. “Feijao”
started fast and wound up halting Lawal early in the third round
to take the Strikeforce light heavyweight title.
10.
Muhammed Lawal (7-1)
“King Mo” had his crown taken by Rafael "Feijao"
Cavalcante on Aug. 21 in Houston. A slow start and an overreliance
on his stand-up skills saw Lawal play right into Cavalcante’s
game. It got him stopped just 74 seconds into the third round,
as he suffered the first loss of his MMA career.
Other
contenders: Rich Franklin, Matt Hamill, Vladimir Matyushenko,
Gegard Mousasi, Thiago Silva.
Middleweight
1.
Anderson Silva (27-4)
“The Spider” continues to mend from a rib injury he
carried into his August triumph over Chael Sonnen. Silva was
expected to meet Sonnen for a rematch early next year; however,
Sonnen’s positive test for elevated levels of testosterone
has forced the UFC to rearrange its plans. Now, pending injury
recovery, Silva will defend his strap against Vitor Belfort at
UFC 126 on Feb. 5.
2.
Chael Sonnen (24-11-1)
The bizarre tale of Sonnen continues. He failed his post-UFC
117 urinalysis test after it revealed elevated testosterone levels
and now faces a one-year suspension if his appeal is denied.
Though Sonnen has formally appealed, he has yet to speak on the
issue, and a potential rematch with Anderson Silva is now off
the table.
3.
Nate Marquardt (30-9-2)
In his crucial Sept. 15 bout with Rousimar Palhares, Marquardt
hammered out a first-round stoppage. With Vitor Belfort promoted
into a title fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 126, Marquardt
will now step into the UFC 122 headliner on Nov. 13. There, he
will meet Yushin Okami in a UFC middleweight title eliminator.
4.
Demian Maia (13-2)
At UFC 118, Maia dominated a tough Mario Miranda for 15 minutes
and returned to the win column after his April debacle against
middleweight champion Anderson Silva. The grappling ace will
be back in the cage on Dec. 4, when he meets “The Ultimate
Fighter” Season 3 winner Kendall Grove at “The Ultimate
Fighter 12” Finale.
5.
Vitor Belfort (19-8)
After injuries canceled two scheduled title clashes with Anderson
Silva in 2010, it seemed Belfort would have to go through the
rugged Yushin Okami at UFC 122 to secure a UFC middleweight title
shot. However, Chael Sonnen’s alleged UFC 117 drug test
failure has forced the UFC to switch up Silva’s next fight,
meaning Belfort will likely face “The Spider” for the
gold at UFC 126.
6.
Yushin Okami (25-5)
Okami signed on for a UFC middleweight title eliminator against
Vitor Belfort at UFC 122 on Nov. 13. However, with the UFC shuffling
the deck and opting for a matchup between Belfort and champion
Anderson Silva, Okami will now meet Nate Marquardt with that
same title shot on the line in Oberhausen, Germany.
7.
Dan Henderson (25-8)
In April, Henderson’s much-anticipated Strikeforce debut
ended in ennui, as he was outwrestled for the majority of his
bout with Jake Shields en route to losing a unanimous verdict.
The former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder
is set for a return on Dec. 4, when he takes on Renato "Babalu"
Sobral, a man who defeated him in the final of the Rings King
of Kings tournament in 1999.
8.
Jorge Santiago (23-8)
In a rematch of last year’s most underrated fights, Santiago
and Kazuo Misaki turned in arguably the best bout of 2010 so
far. The back-and-forth five-round war culminated in Santiago
-- who had already been nearly knocked out and submitted in the
fight -- retaining his Sengoku middleweight crown by pounding
on a hapless Misaki until his corner threw in the towel.
9.
Ronaldo Souza (13-2, 1 NC)
“Jacare” became a father on Aug. 20, just a day before
he became Strikeforce middleweight champion by besting Tim Kennedy
in Houston. The grappling king will likely return to the cage
in February to make the first defense of his crown.
10.
Michael Bisping (20-3)
Bisping began the year with a tough decision loss to Wanderlei
Silva. He has been surgical ever since, taking out two high-quality
opponents in Dan Miller and Yoshihiro Akiyama. With those wins,
he kept pace in the UFC middleweight division and thrust himself
back into the 185-pound title hunt.
Other
contenders: Alan Belcher, Gerald Harris, Chris Leben, Hector
Lombard, Wanderlei Silva.
*
With his return to the welterweight division, previously third-ranked
Jake Shields exits the middleweight rankings.
Welterweight
1.
Georges St. Pierre (20-2)
With Josh Koscheck’s May 8 win over Paul Daley, St. Pierre’s
next title defense was set. But before he meets Koscheck in a
rematch of their August 2007 encounter, the two welterweights
will square off as opposing coaches on the 12th season of “The
Ultimate Fighter,” with a very convenient and apparent good
guy-bad guy dynamic.
2.
Jon Fitch (23-3, 1 NC)
At UFC 117, Fitch finally met Thiago Alves in their long-anticipated
rematch. However, there was little flair in what transpired.
The workmanlike Fitch wore down Alves with strong takedowns and
great positional control en route to a unanimous decision verdict
that might put him on the doorstep to another UFC welterweight
title shot.
3.
Thiago Alves (17-7)
A lackluster loss to Jon Fitch in August, coupled with missing
weight, seemed to signal Alves’ move to 185 pounds. Instead,
“Pitbull” has linked up with MMA fighter-slash-nutritional
guru Mike Dolce, who has vowed to get him in shape and on weight
for a 170-pound clash with John Howard at UFC 124 on Dec. 11.
4.
Jake Shields (26-4-1)
It was the prototypical Shields fight. It was not pretty to watch,
but in his UFC debut at UFC 121 on Oct. 23, he added another
top 10 win to his resume, knocking off tough Dane Martin Kampmann
by decision. The major question now revolves around whether or
not Shields will get a title shot based off the lackluster win.
5.
Josh Koscheck (15-4)
With high stakes up for grabs -- a UFC welterweight title shot
and a coaching stint opposite Georges St. Pierre on “The
Ultimate Fighter 12” -- Koscheck dominated Paul Daley for
15 minutes on the floor en route to a unanimous decision victory
at UFC 113. After blocking a post-fight sucker punch from Daley
and taunting the Montreal crowd, Koscheck cemented himself as
one of MMA’s premiere heels and set in place the groundwork
for the build-up to his rematch with St. Pierre.
6.
Martin Kampmann (17-4)
Kampmann gave former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields
all he could handle in his Octagon debut at UFC 121 on Oct. 23.
However, Kampmann did not do enough to earn the nod, losing a
contentious split decision many observers feel he deserved.
7.
Carlos Condit (26-5)
Condit entered his Oct. 16 bout with Dan Hardy at UFC 120 as
a slight underdog but left as the night’s most sensational
performer. A rocket left hook put down Hardy for the count and
gave the former World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight king
his most significant win inside the Octagon.
8.
Dan Hardy (23-8, 1 NC)
Europe had been magic for Hardy during his UFC tenure. That was
not the case at UFC 120 on Oct. 16, however. “The Outlaw”
was smashed with a brutal left hook from Carlos Condit that took
him out of consciousness and out of the top of the UFC welterweight
division.
9.
Nick Diaz (23-7, 1 ND)
In one of the year’s most entertaining affairs on Oct. 9,
Diaz exorcised some three-year-old demons, as he outboxed rival
K.J. Noons over five fun rounds in San Jose, Calif., and took
a unanimous decision. Diaz’s next challenger remains uncertain,
but with Paul Daley wielding a Strikeforce contract and up-and-comer
Tyron Woodley making strides, there are exciting affairs to look
forward to.
10.
Paul Daley (25-9-2)
By the skin of his teeth, Daley edged out a decision win over
usual lightweight Jorge Masvidal on Sept. 11. The win set up
“Semtex” for a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce, which
will begin Dec. 4 when the British banger makes his promotional
debut against Scott Smith in St. Louis.
Other
contenders: Ben Askren, John Hathaway, Jay Hieron, Dan Hornbuckle,
Mike Pyle.
*
With his Oct. 16 loss to Mike Pyle, previously 10th-ranked John
Hathaway falls to the contenders list.
*
With his Oct. 20 loss to Diego Sanchez, previously sixth-ranked
Paulo Thiago exits the top 10.
Lightweight
1.
Frankie Edgar (13-1)
In August, Edgar proved he was no fluke, dominating B.J. Penn
over five rounds. However, the major hurdle for Edgar will now
come as we enter 2011. On Jan. 1 at UFC 125, he will defend his
title for the second time, risking the strap against unbeaten
Gray Maynard -- the only man to beat “The Answer.”
2.
Gilbert Melendez (18-2)
With his girlfriend giving birth to their first daughter in August,
Melendez is now primarily concerned with paternal duties. However,
fans and media are beginning to bang the drum for a Strikeforce-versus-Bellator
Fighting Championships showdown between Melendez and Eddie Alvarez
-- the most attractive lightweight bout that can be made outside
the UFC.
3.
B.J. Penn (15-7-1)
After a pair of disheartening back-to-back losses to Frankie
Edgar, Penn claims he contemplated retirement. Instead, UFC President
Dana White knew how to excite “The Prodigy.” At UFC
123 on Nov. 20, Penn will meet rival Matt Hughes in a rubber
match to settle his score with the man he beat for the UFC welterweight
title in 2004. Hughes stopped him in their 2006 rematch.
4.
Gray Maynard (10-0, 1 NC)
Maynard has been vocal for months about deserving a UFC lightweight
title shot. “The Bully” will finally get his chance
as the year rolls over. He meets champion Frankie Edgar on Jan.
1 at UFC 125 in his own adopted backyard of Las Vegas.
5.
Shinya Aoki (26-5, 1 NC)
In a no-brainer, Aoki returned to the promotion that launched
his career – Deep -- for its 10th anniversary show on Oct.
24. It took him only 60 seconds to keylock MMA neophyte Yokthai
Sithoar, a former muay Thai and boxing world champion.
6.
Eddie Alvarez (21-2)
In his Oct. 21 bout with Roger Huerta, Alvarez was positively
destructive, using his uppercut and newly found low kicks to
batter the UFC veteran and force the doctor to halt the fight
after 10 minutes. Alvarez took the post-fight opportunity to
call out Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, and
the promotion itself further exacerbated the call for the crossover
mega-fight.
7.
Kenny Florian (14-5)
Florian did not fight up to expectations in August, when he had
little to offer Gray Maynard in their 155-pound title eliminator.
There will be no soft bounce-back fight for the Bostonian, as
“Ken Flo” has signed on to face fast-rising lightweight
prospect Evan Dunham at UFC 126 on Feb. 5.
8.
Tatsuya Kawajiri (26-6-2)
Many tabbed Kawajiri to be the next Dream champion, figuring
he had exactly the right skill set to replicate what Gilbert
Melendez did to Shinya Aoki in April. However, on July 10, Kawajiri
spent most of the night fending off foot locks, until finally
tapping out to Aoki less than two minutes into the first round.
9.
Sean Sherk (36-4-1)
After 16 months on the shelf due to a plethora of injuries, Sherk
returned to action at UFC 119 against unbeaten up-and-comer Evan
Dunham. After a strong first round, Sherk flagged in the bout,
losing in the eyes of most onlookers. However, two of three people
that matter -- the judges -- sided with Sherk, who secured a
crucial but highly unpopular win.
10.
Evan Dunham (11-1)
At UFC 119, there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth over
Dunham’s controversial split decision loss to Sean Sherk.
However, Dunham is still being treated like a winner. He will
meet divisional standout Kenny Florian at UFC 126 come Super
Bowl weekend on Feb. 5.
Other
contenders: Takanori Gomi, Benson Henderson, Jim Miller, George
Sotiropoulos, Josh Thomson.
Featherweight
1.
Jose Aldo (18-1)
It was not a mind-blowing highlight like his bout with Cub Swanson.
It was not a protracted beatdown like his first title defense
against Urijah Faber. However, Aldo’s Sept. 30 performance
against Manny Gamburyan was still precise and brutal, as he strolled
to a second-round smashing. In the wake of WEC 51, the question
that remains for fans revolves around whether or not there’s
a featherweight good enough to challenge the Brazilian dynamo.
2.
Manny Gamburyan (11-5)
With his corking of former WEC champion Mike Thomas Brown in
April, Gamburyan earned his shot at Jose Aldo. However, when
the two met at WEC 51 on Sept. 30, the tough Armenian had very
little for Aldo, who leisurely strolled through the first round
before turning up the heat and halting Gamburyan in the second,
seemingly at will.
3.
Mike Thomas Brown (24-6)
It was not much of a workout, but Brown rebounded from his crushing
April defeat to Manny Gamburyan. At WEC 51 on Sept. 30, it took
Brown just 78 seconds to earn a questionable, tepid stoppage
over former Div. II wrestling champion Cole Province.
4.
Urijah Faber (23-4)
Faber was set to make his 135-pound debut at WEC 50 on Aug. 18,
until a knee injury scuttled his bout with Takeya Mizugaki. He
will now make his divisional debut against Mizugaki at WEC 52
in November at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
5.
Michihiro Omigawa (12-8-1)
Having solidified himself as Japan’s top featherweight,
Omigawa is being sought by the WEC. Whether or not he signs and
accepts a fight at WEC 53 on Dec. 16 will hinge on whether his
management group, J-Rock, feels it can secure the 34-year-old
a top-notch bout on New Year’s Eve in Japan.
6.
Marlon Sandro (17-1)
The dominance of Sandro’s teammate, Jose Aldo, has been
so extreme that many fans have taken to downheartedly dreaming
of what it would be like if the two Nova Uniao studs could square
off. However, Sandro still might have a high-stakes affair in
Japan, should Sengoku line up a defense of his featherweight
title against Hatsu Hioki.
7.
Bibiano Fernandes (8-2)
Dream was hoping to have its featherweight champion back in action
on Sept. 25. There was one problem: Fernandes told Brazilian
outlet Tatame that he still had not been paid for his March title
defense against Joachim Hansen. Though Fernandes was finally
compensated in September, it was not soon enough to strike a
deal to get the featherweight titleholder on the card at Dream
16.
8.
Hatsu Hioki (22-4-2)
On Aug. 22, the Shooto world champion returned to the Sengoku
ring, where he embarrassed “The Ultimate Fighter” alum
Jeff Lawson en route to a first-round submission. However, the
real big ticket fight for Hioki remains a showdown with SRC champion
Marlon Sandro, which would be one of the biggest fights to be
made outside of a Zuffa promotion, regardless of weight.
9.
Josh Grispi (14-1)
Grispi hopes he can be the man to thwart WEC champion Jose Aldo.
In order to get a crack at the Brazilian, Grispi -- who does
not turn 22 until Oct. 14 -- will need to deal with tough, underrated
scrapper Erik Koch at WEC 52 on Nov. 11.
10.
Joe Warren (6-1)
Warren claiming to be “the baddest man on the planet”
seems a tad dubious. However, the former Greco-Roman wrestling
world champion showed in his Sept. 2 bout with Joe Soto that
he was otherworldly tough, with some power to spare. He came
back from a hellacious beating in the fight’s opening round
to stop Soto and take Bellator’s featherweight title 33
seconds into round two.
Other
contenders: Raphael Assuncao, L.C. Davis, Mark Hominick, Diego
Nunes, Joe Soto.
Bantamweight
1.
Dominick Cruz (16-1)
As the WEC gained momentum, it seemed like Miguel Torres would
be the fighter to carry the bantamweight division on his back
and bring it to the masses. Now, Cruz has that chance. After
a successful first title defense against Joseph Benavidez in
August, Cruz will try to prove he’s the real deal -- and
not just a placeholder -- when he defends his crown against a
red-hot Scott Jorgensen in December.
2.
Brian Bowles (8-1)
Injury woes have struck Bowles again. After breaking his hand
in his March defeat to Dominick Cruz -- the fight in which he
lost the WEC bantamweight title -- he was expected to return
against Wagnney Fabiano at WEC 52 in November. However, a foot
injury has put Bowles back on the shelf.
3.
Joseph Benavidez (12-2)
After a hard-fought split decision loss to Dominick Cruz -- the
only man to ever beat him -- Benavidez will get right back in
the saddle. Brian Bowles’ foot injury allowed Benavidez
to get onto the WEC 52 lineup on Nov. 11, when he will meet Wagnney
Fabiano.
4.
Scott Jorgensen (11-3)
After steadily rising up the ranks of the bantamweight division,
Jorgensen has earned his shot at the throne. When WEC 53 heads
to Glendale, Ariz., on Dec. 16, “Young Guns” will have
his chance to prove he’s the top 135-pounder in the world.
There, the former Boise State Bronco takes on champion Dominick
Cruz.
5.
Miguel Torres (38-3)
It’s too early to say if hooking up with trainer Firas Zahabi
will lead Torres back to the WEC bantamweight title. However,
in the pair’s first outing together at WEC 51 on Sept. 30,
Torres looked fantastic in breaking down and eventually submitting
sturdy veteran Charlie Valencia in the second round.
6.
Takeya Mizugaki (13-4-2)
Mizugaki will still get his marquee fight. A knee injury took
former featherweight king Urijah Faber out of a bout with the
Japanese ace at WEC 50, but Mizugaki will be given another chance
to welcome “The California Kid” to 135 pounds in the
WEC 52 headliner in November.
7.
Damacio Page (15-4)
Page anticipated a return to action against rugged striker Eddie
Wineland at WEC 52 on Nov. 11. With a shoulder injury taking
Wineland off the card, Page will now face tiny powerhouse Demetrious
Johnson instead.
8.
Rani Yahya (15-6)
Yahya’s road to another shot at the WEC bantamweight title
has grown longer. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace dropped his second
straight bout at WEC 48, losing a unanimous verdict to Takeya
Mizugaki in a ho-hum affair that drops him behind the pack in
the WEC’s 135-pound division.
9.
Masakatsu Ueda (11-1-2)
Desperately needing an impressive win to erase the memories of
his March upset loss to Shuichiro Katsumura, Ueda was on point
in his May 30 bout with WEC veteran Akitoshi Tamura. The former
Shooto world champion used all phases of his game -- developing
striking included -- to take a well-appointed unanimous decision.
10.
Wagnney Fabiano (14-2)
Unbeaten at 135 pounds, Fabiano looked to take a major step up
in competition on Nov. 11, when he was slated to meet former
WEC champion Brian Bowles. Even with injury taking Bowles out
of the bout, Fabiano will still get an elite bantamweight, as
he meets Joseph Benavidez at WEC 52.
Other
contenders: Antonio Banuelos, Zach Makovsky, Michael McDonald,
Charlie Valencia, Eddie Wineland.
Flyweight
1.
Jussier da Silva (7-0)
After sitting around and waiting for offers from Shooto Japan,
da Silva finally has a place to fight. “Formiga” has
inked a four-fight deal with Tachi Palace Fights and will debut
Dec. 2 for the promotion against WEC veteran Danny Martinez.
2.
Yasuhiro Urushitani (17-4-6)
Back in 2003, Urushitani was considered the favorite to become
Shooto’s first 123-pound world champion. It took seven years,
but Urushitani finally accomplished the feat on May 30, taking
a unanimous decision over Ryuichi Miki to claim the vacant title.
3.
Mamoru Yamaguchi (24-5-3)
Yamaguchi has recently enjoyed success outside of Shooto, earning
the King of the Cage 125-pound title. However, the Afro-clad
action fighter will return to his home in professional Shooto
on Nov. 19 at “The Way of Shooto 6” in Tokyo. There,
he will look to give up-and-comer Fumihiro Kitahara an inhospitable
welcome to the upper echelon of the flyweight division.
4.
Yuki Shojo (10-5-2)
In a more entertaining outing than his September majority points
win over Junya Kudo, Shojo earned a lopsided unanimous decision
victory over tough Guam product Jesse Taitano on March 22. With
it, he kept pace in the Shooto 123-pound division.
5.
Ryuichi Miki (10-4-3)
A third bout with Yasuhiro Urushitani was the chance of a lifetime
for Miki, who had the opportunity to vie for the Shooto world
title. However, the first two bouts between Miki and Urushitani
already told us who was the better fighter, and it was Urushitani
who walked out the victor and champion on May 30.
6.
Kiyotaka Shimizu (6-3-1)
In June 2008, Shimizu started his professional career with a
loss to Mitsuhisa Sunabe. In February, he avenged it by taking
the flyweight King of Pancrase from the Okinawan. Now, on Dec.
5, the flyweight rivals will settle the score with a rubber match,
and Pancrase’s 125-pound strap will be on the line.
7.
Alexis Vila (8-0)
The best kept secret in the flyweight division, the former Olympic
wrestling bronze medalist posted his eighth career win on June
25, as he savaged tough veteran Omar Choudhury, stopping him
in the second frame. One can only hope the win will position
the dynamic Cuban for a bigger bout in the 125-pound division.
8.
Fumihiro Kitahara (9-1-1)
Rung by rung, Kitahara climbed the 123-pound ladder in professional
Shooto. Having now reached the top level of the division, the
kid gloves are off. The 2008 rookie tournament champion will
take on former Shooto world champion Mamoru Yamaguchi at “The
Way of Shooto 6” on Nov. 19 in Tokyo.
9.
Mitsuhisa Sunabe (13-6-3)
After taking the flyweight King of Pancrase title last year,
Sunabe seemed poised to become Pancrase’s first flyweight
star. Instead, in February, Kiyotaka Shimizu upset him and took
the throne. On Dec. 5, Sunabe and Shimizu will square off for
the third time and determine Pancrase’s top 125-pounder.
10.
John Dodson (9-5)
Though “The Magician” continues to be dogged by a perceived
lack of focus in the cage, he looked every bit his nickname in
May. He bashed then-unbeaten Jessie Riggleman over three lopsided
rounds, showing off the blistering speed and striking skills
that make him a wild card at 125 pounds. Dodson will meet the
unbeaten John Moraga under the Nemesis Fighting banner on Nov.
13 in the Dominican Republic.
Other
contenders: Louis Gaudinot, Ulysses Gomez, Isao Hirose, Alexandre
Pantoja, Masaaki Sugawara.
Source: Sherdog
|
Junior
dos Santos
By Guilherme Cruz
Junior “Cigano” dos Santos knows who his next opponent
on UFC will be. After one and a half month of trainings on the
United States, the heavyweight watched the duel between Cain
Velasquez and Brock Lesnar and was impressed with the dispute.
“It was an exciting fight to watch, it was beautiful to
see”, tells Cigano, who met the new champion right after
the combat. “I’ve met Velasquez and congratulated him.
In my opinion, he deserves to be known as the number one today”.
On an exclusive interview given to TATAME, Junior commented on
the dispute, talked about his trainings on the United States
and his focus on Wrestling, excited to become the number one.
“I’ll give my best to bring this belt to Brazil on
my waist”, said. Check the exclusive chat here below.
What did you think of the fight between Brock Lesnar and Cain
Velasquez?
It was a very exciting fight to watch, I was there and it was
beautiful to see. The willingness of Brock Lesnar as the fight
began, as he went for it… But, in my opinion, he got tired.
Cain Velasquez was smart enough and showed superiority, was calm
enough to wait for the right moment and chance the picture and
win by TKO.
Were you surprised when Brock went for it with all his strength
right on the beginning of the bout?
I was surprised, everybody was. A title fight usually has a very
cautious beginning, it’s a five-round fight, and so you
start being careful so that you won’t get tired. I think
he tried to really go for it, he knew that Velasquez’s conditioning
was amazing. He did a great beginning, took him down and applied
a flying knee, but I think he got tired.
Did you meet Cain on the backstage of the event after the fight?
Yeah, I did... They usually make an interview with the winners
live on ESPN, right after the event, and they called me too.
I’ve met Velasquez and congratulated him. He deserves to
be known as the number one today.
He deserves, but you want to take his place, right? (laughs)
Yes, he deserves, but I’ll give my best, even a little more
than that, to take his belt away and bring it to Brazil on my
waist. I’m coming back to Bahia, I’ll keep my trainings
and soon, when I know about the fight’s date, I’ll
go to the United States to do my camp. I have the Wrestling guys
there to help me, so I have to train hard to get this belt.
How is your Wrestling evolution going?
I’ve
spend a little more than a month on the United Stated training
on Alliance and on Minotauro’s new gym, in San Diego...
I’ve trained a lot with Phil Davis, who fights on UFC and
is a great wrestler, four-time All-American… High level.
I’ve trained with Brandon Vera, who’s great, really
tough, used to fight heavyweights. The trainings were great back
there, I was very happy, but I have to go home, charge my batteries,
clean things up here (laughs)… When I know the date for
sure, I’ll go there to keep the trainings.
Source: Tatame |
Jake
Ellenberger Calls Out Jake Shields
By FCF Staff
UFC welterweight Jake Ellenberger has called out Octagon newcomer
Jake Shields, following the former Strikeforce champion’s
narrow, split decision win over Martin Kampmann at UFC 121. According
to posts that have been made on Ellenberger’s official Twitter
account, the 23-5 fighter apparently wasn’t very impressed
with Shield’s performance Saturday. Here are some of the
posts Ellenberger’s Twitter page currently includes:
EllenbergerMMA
Jake Ellenberger
Hey Ms Piggy (aka Jake Shields) if u swing ur purse at me like
that, I'll rub ur face in the mat like a puppy that missed the
newspaper....
22 hours ago
EllenbergerMMA
Jake Ellenberger
Jake Shields, you're as exciting as watching a bowl of mash potatoes
get cold... Your days are numbered...
26 Oct
EllenbergerMMA
Jake Ellenberger
I would rather fight jake shields handcuffed than wrestle GSP....
25 Oct
EllenbergerMMA
Jake Ellenberger
And Shields deserves a title shot?? He is a joke..
23 Oct
Ellenberger
is coming off back-to-back stoppage wins over Mike Pyle and John
Howard, after dropping a split decision to Carlos Condit at Fight
Night 19 last September. The Nebraska fighter and former collegiate
wrestler is 9-1 in his last ten fights.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
USA-BOXING
HAWAII, KAWANO B.C., & PALOLO B.C.
PRESENTS THE
6TH ANNUAL CLINTON A.J. SHELTON MEMORIAL MATCH EVENT
SPONSORED BY WAIPAHU PAWN SHOP & LELAND CHAPMAN
October 30, 2010 AT THE PALOLO DISTRICT PARK GYM, 6 P.M.
BOUTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
RED CORNER WEIGHTS BLUE CORNER
BIRTHDATE/CLUB Bouts Age 3 ROUNDS AGE BIRTHDATE/CLUB Bouts
1). Haley Pasion (2) 18 112 33 Corina Ishikawa (8)
Kawano B.C. 10/11/92 1 min. 03/23/77 Kawano B.C.
2). Xavier Aloiau-Verano (0) 8 60 9 Jordan Manangan (0)
Wailuku Maui B.C. 01/23/02 1 min. 09/29/01 Molokai B.C.
3). Bryer Nagahama (2) 12 115 13 Cole Dante (0)
Pearlside B.C. 05/21/98 1 min. 07/25/97 Unattached
4). Leomar Claveria (0) 26 145 18 Christian Ramil (0)
Boxfit808 B.C. 09/04/84 1 min. 10/02/92 636 B.C.
5). Sheldon Young (2) 12 70 12 Kawelo Alcos (2)
Wailuku Maui B.C. 12/02/97 1 min. 01/19/98 Unattached
6). Chaves Justly Galdones (10) 10 70 10 Maika Samson Giron (2)
Flipside B.C. 07/29/00 1 min. 01/21/00 Pearlside B.C.
7). Jonathan Roldan (0) 18 125 21 Stampson Springsteen(0)
Palolo B.C. 03/06/92 1 min. 05/07/89 Molokai B.C.
8). Jaywill Taroma (0) 14 105 13 Colt Dante (0)
Wailuku Maui B.C. 11/09/95 1 min. 07/25/97 Unattached
9). Simon Blair (0) 17 140 24 Brandon Caban (0)
Molokai B.C. 10/23/93 1 min. 04/10/86 Boxfit808 B.C
10). Zachary Domagalski(3) 18 180 20 Kaleohano Tolentino (2)
Wailuku B.C. 07/01/92 1 ½ min. 04/03/90 636 B.C.
11). Antonio Toetu'u (0) 20 201+ 20 Lawrence Olive (0)
Palolo B.C. 09/30/90 1 ½ min 04/02/90 Pearlside B.C.
------------INTERMISSION 15 MINUTES---------------INTERMISSION
15 MINUTES-----------
12). Nikko Leon Guerrero (0) 19 165 18 Bradson Mercado (0)
Wailuku Maui B.C. 06/22/91 1 ½ min. 10/21/92 Unattached
13). Isaiah Lavea (1) 20 201+ 21 Nathan Lewis (1)
Palolo B.C. 08/22/90 1 ½ min. 05/04/89 Unattached
14). Giovanni Navarro (0) 23 185 27 Frederick Turner (0)
Unattached 03/28/87 1 ½ min. 11/26/82 Pearlside B.C.
15). Marco Pagaduan (9) 20 155 30 Antonel Cruz (16)
Kakaako B.C. 10/25/90 2 min. 10/09/80 Kawano B.C.
16). Anthony Ibanez (10) 18 135 25 Koichi Tanji
(10) Wailuku Maui B.C. 09/24/92 2 min. 09/07/85 Kawano B.C.
In
loving memory of Clinton A.J. Shelton, October 7, 1982 - October
8, 2005
Thank
You to Sponsors Waipahu Pawn Shop at Waipahu Shopping Plaza-
Owner Lloyd McKee, Hawaiian Fight Gear, Leland Chapman from "Dog
the Bounty Hunter", Rock Bottom Sports Bar and Grill, Chris
Leben from Ultimate Fight School. Our Volunteers, Coaches, Officials,
Dr.Kanani Texeira, and Dr. Myles Suehiro, Officer Ron Richardson,
Officer Daryl Takata and Officer Al Dela Cruz , Parents, Boxing
Commissioners, Door Workers, and "YOU" our Boxing Fans.
All boxers will receive gold medals for stepping in the ring,
these athletes are all winners!!
Mahalo for your Support and Thank You Again!!
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Dos
Santos Tightens Wrestling for Pending Velasquez Showdown
by Chris
Nelson
Before
the blood on Brock Lesnar’s face had dried, mixed martial
arts fans were pondering Cain Velasquez’s first defense
of the heavyweight title he captured at UFC 121 on Saturday at
the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
They
weren’t the only ones.
By
defeating Roy Nelson via unanimous decision at UFC 117 in August,
Brazilian knockout artist Junior dos Santos earned the right
to challenge the winner of the Lesnar-Velasquez showdown. After
Velasquez’s win, the 26-year-old seemed to relish the tough
test in front of him.
“Yeah,
it’s a big challenge for me, but I’m very happy to
be fighting for the title now, to be the contender,” dos
Santos told ESPN’s MMA Live. “I’m training wrestling
a lot. He’s a very good wrestler, and I’m training
wrestling and jiu-jitsu. And my boxing, because I think my best
defense is my hands.”
A
Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt under Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira,
dos Santos has become known for his fearsome striking since entering
the UFC in October 2008 with a stunning upset of Fabricio Werdum.
“Cigano” has punched out four more notable UFC opponents
since -- Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Gilbert Yvel, Gabriel
Gonzaga and Stefan Struve -- and even has designs on representing
his home country in Olympic boxing.
Still,
the challenger knows he will need to shore up his grappling game
to counter what may be Velasquez’s strongest suit.
“I’m
training a lot here in San Diego, in the United States, because
here, I think, is the best wrestlers in the world,” Dos
Santos said. “I have Mark Munoz to help me a lot, Phil Davis.
I’m training at Nogueira’s [Black House] gym in San
Diego, and [the] Alliance [Training Center], too. They bring
a lot of wrestlers to help me, big wrestlers.”
While
no timeline was immediately available for the pending title bout,
dos Santos said he will be ready whenever the fight materializes.
“I
don’t know, but I hope it’s soon, [as early as] possible.
Because I’m very excited to fight for the title,” said
Dos Santos. “I said before [the Lesnar-Velasquez fight],
it doesn’t matter who I’m gonna fight. I just wanna
fight for the title, and now it’s gonna be Cain, and I’m
happy for this.”
Asked
if he was relieved about not having to fight the slightly more
monstrous Lesnar, dos Santos gave the new champion his due.
“He’s
a huge guy,” he said, “but Cain already beat him.”
Source: Sherdog
|
MMA
Top 10 Rankings: Cain Velasquez Takes Over Heavyweight Division
The latest MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings were released on
Thursday, October 28. This system ranks the Top 10 MMA fighters
from all across the world in each of the seven most widely accepted
weight classes.
Taken
into consideration are a fighter’s performance in addition
to his win-loss record, head-to-head and common opponents, difficulty
of opponents, and numerous other factors in what is the most
comprehensive rankings system in the sport.
Fighters
who are currently serving drug-related suspensions are not eligible
for Top 10 consideration until they have fought one time after
the completion of their suspension.
Fighters
must also have competed within the past 12 months in order to
be eligible for Top 10 consideration unless they have a bout
scheduled within a reasonable time frame.
Below
are the current MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings, which are up-to-date
as of October 28.
HEAVYWEIGHT
DIVISION (over 205 pounds)
#1 Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Cain Velasquez
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Fedor Emelianenko
5. Junior Dos Santos
6. Shane Carwin
7. Alistair Overeem
8. Frank Mir
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Brett Rogers
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)
#1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua
2. Lyoto Machida
3. Rashad Evans
4. Quinton Jackson
5. Forrest Griffin
6. Ryan Bader
7. Jon Jones
8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
9. Thiago Silva
10. Randy Couture
MIDDLEWEIGHT
DIVISION (185-pound limit)
#1 Middleweight Fighter in the World: Anderson Silva
2. Nathan Marquardt
3. Demian Maia
4. Dan Henderson
5. Yushin Okami
6. Robbie Lawler
7. Jorge Santiago
8. Ronaldo “Jacare” de Souza
9. Michael Bisping
10. Hector Lombard
WELTERWEIGHT
DIVISION (170-pound limit)
#1 Welterweight Fighter in the World: Georges St-Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Thiago Alves
6. Paul Daley
7. Nick Diaz
8. Martin Kampmann
9. Carlos Condit
10. Matt Hughes
LIGHTWEIGHT
DIVISION (160-pound limit)
#1 Lightweight Fighter in the World: Frankie Edgar
2. Gilbert Melendez
3. Shinya Aoki
4. Gray Maynard
5. B.J.
Penn
6. Eddie Alvarez
7. Tatsuya Kawajiri
8. Kenny Florian
9. Ben Henderson
10. Jim Miller
FEATHERWEIGHT
DIVISION (145 pound-limit)
#1 Featherweight Fighter in the World: Jose Aldo
2. Manny Gamburyan
3. Mike Brown
4. Urijah Faber
5. Josh Grispi
6. Marlon Sandro
7. Diego Nunes
8. Michihiro Omigawa
9. Bibiano Fernandes
10. Joe Warren
BANTAMWEIGHT
DIVISION (135 pounds or less)
#1 Featherweight Fighter in the World: Dominick Cruz
2. Brian Bowles
3. Scott Jorgensen
4. Joseph Benavidez
5. Miguel Torres
6. Damacio Page
7. Takeya Mizugaki
8. Brad Pickett
9. Masakatsu Ueda
10. Antonio Banuelos
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Aoki
submits another one; Ninja loses
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
The
big MMA event of the weekend was UFC 121, but some other big
names saw action elsewhere in the world.
This
Sunday in Japan, in celebration of the 50th installment of the
Deep promotion, Dream FC champion Shinya Aoki notched his sixteenth
MMA submission win. The Japanese idol and Jiu-Jitsu black belt
needed exactly one minute to put away his opponent, Yokthai Sithoar.
In
Canada, the W-1 MMA 6 had Murilo Ninja, brother of UFC champion
Maurício Shogun, in action. The fight was on a Saturday,
and Ninja ended up tapping out to Roy Boughton via unanimous
decision.
At
the same event, former Strikeforce heavyweight challenger Brett
Rogers took a unanimous-decision win over Ruben Villareal.
Another
to have a winning return this Saturday was former UFC fighter
Jeff Monson, who submitted Travis Fulton at Fight Time 2, in
the U.S.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Line-Up
Finalized for Bellator 34
By FCF Staff
Bellator
Fighting Championship has confirmed the entire line-up for the
promotion’s upcoming event Thursday night in Hollywood,
Florida. Bellator 34 will feature two title fights, as middleweight
champion Hector Lombard (26-2-1) will fight challenger Alexander
Shlemenko (29-3), and Zoila Frausto (9-1) will face Megumi Fujii
(22-0) for the women’s 115lb. title. (Pictured above: Frausto
standing over Rosi Sexton)
In
other main card bouts, light-heavyweight Raphael Davis (9-1)
will face former King of the Cage champion Tony Lopez (19-4),
and Dragan “Gagi” Tesanovic (7-0) will take on middleweight
Mike “El Gringo Diablo” Bernhard (8-2).
Bellator
34 will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net. Here is the line-up
for the October 28th card.
Hector
Lombard vs. Alexander Shlemenko
Zoila Frausto vs. Megumi Fujii
Mike Bernhard vs. Dragan Tesanovic
Tony Lopez vs. Raphael Davis
John Kelly vs. William Kuhn
Ralph Acosta vs. Tulio Quintanilla
Dan Cramer vs. Igor Almeida
Frank Carrillo vs. Moyses Gabin
John Queiroz vs. J.P Reese
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
About
that Undertaker/Brock Lesnar ‘tiff’ around Ariel Helwani…
By Zach
Arnold
For
someone who supposedly hates Brock Lesnar, Undertaker is sure
respectful of him in other post-UFC 121 media interviews that
have come out. It should be noted that Dave Meltzer is backing
up the rumors that WWE is interested in booking Brock Lesnar
vs. Undertaker for Wrestlemania 2011. What’s old is new
again, I suppose.
As
for the Fight! Magazine interview, ‘Taker talks about Velasquez
as UFC Heavyweight champion in the interview, along with Jake
Shields’ prospects against Georges St. Pierre, and…
DANNY
ACOSTA: “You’re obviously a huge Mixed Martial Arts
fan. You use a variation of the gogoplata in your pro-wrestling
performances. Will you ever get involved in MMA? Not so much
as a fighter, but you know, trying to be in a promotion or commentating
or something like Bill Goldberg did?”
THE
UNDERTAKER: “Well, I don’t know, you know. Yeah, it’s
way too late in the game for me to switch over and… you
know, I uh… I don’t know. I kind of enjoy being a fan.
But who’s to say, you know, somewhere down the road I might,
you know, I might try and manage a few fighters but, uh, I don’t
really have any, you know once I get out from in front of the
camera I want to be, you know, behind the cameras. It’s,
uh… I like to be a fan and nights like [UFC 121], I had
a really good time… I work all the time, so, you know, it’s
unusual when I get a night off, so, you know…”
DANNY
ACOSTA: “This is Brock’s first loss in a while. How
do you feel he’ll rebound from this going forward?”
THE
UNDERTAKER: “I think he showed how he rebounds after he
loses a fight. You know, you learn, you know this is what, Brock’s
sixth fight, something like that. You know, I mean, what he’s
accomplished with six fights is remarkable. That goes back to
his incredible strength and his wrestling background, you know
every loss you know it should make you better, you know, you
study your film, you study your tape, you figure out what you
did wrong, and you work on those things and, you know, you get
back in the gym and, you know, you get after it and you make
your corrections. I think Brock will be a better fighter, you
know. He was, you know, things happen, you know. Everybody gets
caught. So, uh, you know, I figure he’ll go back and look
at this fight and, you know, make some tweaks to his game plan
and I can’t wait to see it again.”
The
night after these comments, he was ‘buried alive’ at
the Bragging Rights PPV by Kane.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Bellator:
Shlemenko wants to KO Lombard
by Andrei
Kuznetsov
Unbeaten for 20 fights, the Cuban Hector Lombard will put Bellator’s
belt in line next Thursday, and his opponent will be the Russian
Alexander Shlemenko, who earned the titleshot after winning the
middleweight tournament. Lombard is well known for his knockout
power, but few fans know Alexander, who won 30 of his 34 fights,
on events like M-1, EliteXC and Jungle Fight. “I really
loved Brazil, it’s a beautiful country, the beaches are
amazing, the weather is fine and there’re great people.
One think that made me sad was that I fought twice and lost both”,
the Russian to TATAME, on an interview published in July, when
we reminded the losses of Ronaldo Jacaré and José
Pelé Landi.
When he fought on Jungle fight, Alexander got into the event
being respected for his 15 wins in a row, 13 of them conquered
on Russian tournaments. And it was the experience that made the
different on Bellator, event that organized a middleweight GP
to point out the number one contender for Hector Lombard’s
belt. “I already had a little experience fighting on tournaments
in Russia, I’ve won five of them back there. The difference
is to fight three times on the same night. My opponents on Bellator’s
GP were strong and tough, and it was a great pleasure and honor
to fight them and leave as the winner”.
Prepared for the belt dispute, the Russian that will enter the
cage as the underdog, wants to surprise with a knockout. “I
hope I’ll win this fight. I want to win by knockout and
bring Bellator’s belt back home, in Omsk, Russia. My main
goal is becoming the best fighter in the world in my division”.
Click here to know more about the fighter and stay tuned on TATAME
to know who will be the middleweight champion.
COMPLETE CARD:
Bellator Fighting Championships 34
Hollywood, Florida, United States
Thursday, October 28 of 2010
- Hector Lombard vs. Alexander Shlemenko;
- Megumi Fujii vs. Zoila Frausto;
- Mike Bernhard vs. Dragan Tesanovic;
- Allen Arzeno vs. John Kelly;
- Ralph Acosta vs. Tulio Quintanila;
- Frank Carrillo vs. Moyses Gabin;
- Igor Almeida vs. Dan Cramer;
- Aaron Hall vs. Eric Larkin;
- Mike Milmerstadt vs. JP Reese.
Source: Tatame
|
Courting
Through Cain
by Todd Martin
Few fight fans are as passionate and loyal as the Mexican and
Mexican-American fans who keep boxing going. Yet, to this point,
the UFC has become pay-per-view’s top attraction without
gaining significant inroads into that market. That leads to a
tantalizing question following Cain Velasquez’s heavyweight
title victory at UFC 121 on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim,
Calif. How much bigger can the sport of MMA get if it is able
to bring America’s emerging Mexican-American market fully
into the fold?
At
UFC 121, the UFC’s biggest drawing card suffered a devastating
setback. Brock Lesnar again looked uncomfortable with taking
a punch and was mauled for a first-round loss. But with every
decisive defeat for a current star comes the opportunity to create
a new one. Velasquez, the soft spoken son of a Mexican migrant
worker, announced his presence as one of the sport’s best
fighters.
Promotional
opportunities often come with a lot of luck. The NBA targeted
the Chinese market for many years but would not have had anywhere
near the success it did without the presence of Yao Ming. If
Wang Zhizhi were the top Chinese player in the NBA, basketball
simply would not have grown as big as it has in China. Likewise,
Georges St. Pierre’s class and dominance has helped to make
Canada the strongest market in the world for the UFC on pay-per-view.
To
this point, the UFC has made its explosive rise with little help
from America’s fastest-growing demographic of Latinos. That
is not because UFC has no Latino stars. Tito Ortiz was for many
years the company’s top attraction. However, Ortiz’s
persona was that of a colorful villain, and his style was heavily
based on groundwork that would be unfamiliar to longtime boxing
fans. He was not the right fighter at the right time.
Velasquez’s ascent has just begun.Velasquez is a different
story. His low-key demeanor may not stand out to American fans
accustomed to big talkers with big personalities, but it plays
particularly well with Mexican-Americans. That audience has continually
embraced boxers who demonstrate humility outside the ring but
fight with passion and heart inside it. Velasquez is a likeable
person whose fights almost always deliver action and entertainment.
That combination could play very well.
Leading
up to UFC 121, a concerted effort was made to push Velasquez
to Mexican-Americans. The UFC staged a rally in Los Angeles for
Velasquez and built the show around the idea that he could become
the first Mexican-American UFC heavyweight champion (former UFC
heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez is of Mexican and Puerto
Rican heritage). Velasquez after the fight dedicated his victory
to Mexican and Mexican-American fans, and the story of his win
became news to many people who wouldn’t know Chuck Liddell
from B.J. Penn.
While
Velasquez could be the fighter to introduce and popularize MMA
with many Mexican-Americans, there are no guarantees.
Millions
of people can’t be expected to embrace a sport solely on
the basis of one competitor’s ethnicity. A great deal of
time and effort still needs to be put into introducing and teaching
about MMA.
At
first, Velasquez is still primarily going to draw from UFC’s
usual audience. It’s hard to believe he will ever be the
star to that audience that Lesnar is, so Velasquez needs to bring
in a substantial new audience over time if he is to produce comparable
pay-per-view buy rates as champion.
If
there is a danger in bringing in Hispanic fight fans, it’s
that they will find MMA threatening to their traditional love
of boxing. To that end, the UFC ought to bring in a Mexican boxing
icon or two to do publicity tours with Velasquez. The endorsement
of a Julio Cesar Chavez or Oscar De La Hoya would go a long way
towards helping Mexican-American fans get behind Velasquez. If
he is viewed as a successor to Mexico’s greatest boxing
icons, it will pay huge dividends.
When
buy rate numbers begin to trickle out for UFC 121, we’ll
begin to see how well Velasquez is taking. But the real test
will be Velasquez’s upcoming title defense against Junior
dos Santos. The Brazilian is a worthy challenger and a compelling
matchup, but he lacks the star power of Lesnar. If Velasquez-dos
Santos generates numbers close to Lesnar-Velasquez, it will be
a strong sign that the promotion of Velasquez has worked.
As
a fighter, Velasquez has reached the top of the mountain. As
a star, his ascent may have only just begun.
Source: Sherdog
|
'King'
Mo Lawal: I'm Done Holding My Tongue
By Ben
Fowlkes
Former Strikeforce champion "King" Mo Lawal thinks
he did several things wrong in his loss to Rafael "Feijao"
Cavalcante back in August.
For
one, he didn't use his wrestling as much as he should have, he
said. For another, he was much too humble before the fight. No,
that last part is not a typo.
"King"
Mo – the man who is never at a loss for words, particularly
when those words help him explain how much better he is than
most of his peers – feels it was partly his pre-fight humility
that hurt him in the cage.
"I
wasn't me," he told MMA Fighting at last week's EA Sports
MMA media event. "I thought I was going to win, but I tried
to play all that humble sh-t. What it comes to is, that's not
me. I know I'm the best, and I've got to be able to talk like
I'm the best. I'm not going to do all that, 'Oh, he's a tough
opponent' stuff. Not anymore. F--- that stuff. It doesn't work
for me. I tried to do that so I wouldn't get this backlash, but
it doesn't work for me. So now, people don't like me? F--- them."
Considering
that Lawal is the same fighter who's been known to reply to fan
criticism in the past by saying simply, 'F--- the fans,' this
new approach hardly seems all that surprising. It doesn't even
seem all that new.
But
the way Lawal sees it, when he took to the mic ahead of his first
Strikeforce title defense and praised Cavalcante's skills, he
was really doing himself a disservice.
"I
thought he was tough, but I thought I was going to win. I think
I gave him too much credit because I was trying to be humble.
I mean, I thought I was humble from the get-go, but now I'm just
going to keep it real, 100%. However I feel, I'm going to speak
my mind. F--- holding my tongue, dog. Never again."
For
now though, Lawal's focus is on rehabbing his injured knee in
the hopes of returning to the cage in February or March. After
reluctantly agreeing to have knee surgery to repair damaged ligaments
following the loss to Cavalcante, Lawal said he's intent on not
rushing his return and making the same mistakes he made following
surgery to repair a torn ACL in 2009.
"Last
time, what I did is I got the surgery in Dallas, did about two
months of rehab, then left Dallas and went to [California] and
started training. After three and a half months I fought Mark
Kerr, then fought again. I fought twice in the six-month period
I should have been rehabbing."
Even
after sustaining another knee injury in the Cavalcante fight,
he said, he considered putting the surgery off until he could
get just one more fight.
"I
thought about it. I was like, you know, I can keep pushing through.
But then I realized that I have to be smart about this. I can't
be dumb like that anymore. I'm my own franchise."
For
now, Lawal said he's been hitting the exercise bike several hours
each day and doing water workouts to strengthen his newly repaired
knee. The rehab period also gives him plenty of time to watch
fight footage – always a favorite pastime of Lawal's –
though he hasn't poured over the video from his fight with Cavalcante
the way you might expect.
He's
"watched it a little bit," he said, but he already
knows what he did wrong in the bout.
"The
thing with the fight with Feijao, if I would have used my wrestling
like I could, or like I should have and didn't, it would have
been easier. I wanted to stand a little bit and then take him
down and do some more wrestling. I just fought stupid. That's
all. I fought stupid."
Not
only should fans expect to see a smarter fighter when he returns
to action, Lawal said, they should also prepare themselves for
one who's not going to hold back when it comes to pre-fight rhetoric.
"You
thought Chael Sonnen was bad? Just wait. I'm going to be like
the black Archie Bunker."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Lesnar
and Undertaker face off was a work
by Jonathan
Khamis
The whole run-in between former UFC heavyweight champion Brock
Lesnar and WWE's The Undertaker was a work, according to the
Wrestling Observer.
WWE
offered Lesnar a chance to work with Taker at Wrestlemania XXVI.
It's
unknown what Lesnar's intentions are at this time. He's in line
for a big money making match with Frank Mir, which would complete
their epic trilogy.
But
if he decides to step back into the squared circle, Lesnar is
going to have to take some time off to reaclimate himself.
We
all knew Lesnar was going to take time off to hunt and hang out
with the family, so it's unknown whether or not a return to the
WWE was part of his plan along.
UFC
President Dana White hinted at the UFC 121 post presser that
he and Lesnar had some issues after the fight.
We
all really won't know what to make of this, until Brock comes
out of his Canadian hunt hibernation.
Until
then, enjoy their Hell in a Cell battle from 2002!
Source: Orange County
|
Shields
Unsure of Title Shot, Anticipating Next UFC Bout Regardless
Before
Jake Shields’ promotional debut Saturday at UFC 121, Dana
White had suggested he was next in line for a welterweight title
shot if he got past Martin Kampmann.
Shields
did, winning a split decision in what was far from one of his
best performances. White criticized him for struggling to make
weight, but he also praised him for gutting out the victory.
The UFC president did not confirm, however, that Shields would
get the next 170-pound title shot after Josh Koscheck challenges
Georges St. Pierre on Dec. 11.
“I’m
still, at this point, not 100-percent sure,” Shields said
of getting the shot during an episode of “The Savage Dog
Show” on the Sherdog Radio Network. “I know Dana’s
made it sound like it’s a good chance it’s still happening,
but I don’t know until it’s signed. Right now I’m
just back to the gym, doing my thing. If they want me to fight
for the title, I’ll happily do that. If not, I’ll fight
whoever they want me to fight.”
After
clearly winning the first round, Shields faded in the second
and third. He attributes his fatigue to mishandling the cut to
170, which involved losing 20 pounds in one day.
“I
was being stupid,” he said. “I misjudged some things.
I misjudged the weight cut coming down. I made a lot of mistakes,
but at least I learned from it with Martin before I fight for
a title shot. Definitely I plan on learning from the mistakes
and coming back a lot stronger.”
In
particular, Shields, who had been fighting at 185 pounds in Strikeforce,
believes he was leaner than he realized. He had anticipated the
weight coming off quicker, and when it didn’t, fight week
became especially stressful.
“It
was a lot of pressure, a good opponent. … By far the most
media [obligations] I’ve ever seen, the most fans, the most
attention,” Shields said. “The UFC’s without a
doubt the biggest show. I’ve fought [in] big shows, but
there’s a huge jump up in the UFC.”
Before
his next UFC bout, Shields plans on running more to lose some
muscle and ease the weight cut.
“It’s
just a matter of getting my weight down a little more so I don’t
go out there and look like crap in a title fight,” Shields
said. “The way I fought the other night, I don’t feel
like I would have won a title that night. But I do feel like
it’s something I’m capable of doing. I just felt like
I wasn’t myself that night.”
In
the end, he made the weight and he got the win. Now the question
is whether he’ll get the title shot.
“If
I didn’t make weight, I’d have probably lost that title
shot,” Shields said. “I made sure to come in there
and make it. I’m not that happy with my performance overall,
but I am happy I won. I’m ready to move forward and have
a better second fight in the UFC.”
Source: Sherdog
|
808BATTLEGROUND
Dole Cannery Ballroom, Honolulu, Hawaii
Friday, October 29
6:00pm
Source: Event Promoter
|
TUF
12 Episode 7 Recap: Wild Cards Announced
by Jeff
Cain
The last preliminary bout took place, the coaches challenge occurred
and the wild cards were named in “The Ultimate Fighter 12:
Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck” Episode 7.
The
final preliminary match was announced by Coach St-Pierre between
the final two housemates that haven’t competed since moving
into the Las Vegas mansion: Dane Sayers and Sako Chivitchian.
The
only defeated fighter in the house not in the running for one
of the wild card slots was Spencer Page, who broke his hand in
his Episode 5 bout against Nam Phan and underwent surgery to
repair the damage.
The
others: Andy Main, Sevak Magakian, Jeff Lentz, Aaron Wilkinson,
and Marc Stevens campaigned to the camera with why they should
be granted the second chance opportunity back in the competition.
“I
would love the wild card. I’m praying for it every night,”
said Team Koscheck’s Jeff Lentz. “Spencer broke his
hand, so obviously Spencer can’t take it.”
“I
don’t think they should pick England (Aaron Wilkinson) because
he’s hurt. England’s all beat up. He’s got stitches
in his eye. His leg is beat to death. Andy (Main) fought Kyle
(Watson) and got controlled. He didn’t fight a great fight.
I’m just hoping to God, praying that I get another chance,”
added Lentz.
“I’m
really pushing for that wild card slot because I want to show
that I’m a different fighter than what they saw,” commented
Andy Main.
Wilkinson
felt he was one of the top contenders to receive a wild card
rebirth and didn’t feel teammate Lentz deserved a second
chance and stated that he would be “pissed” if Lentz
was selected in front of him.
“Two
days before the wild card’s getting picked and Jeff’s
drinking. He chews tobacco all day long,” said Wilkinson.
“Jeff don’t want it. He might think he wants it in
his head, but I don’t think he fit’s the criteria for
the wild card.”
“Hopefully
I’ll get the wild card shot,” continued Wilkinson.
“So far, I think I’m ahead for the wild card.”
“I
haven’t been in the Octagon for 30 seconds in my two fights,
so I definitely think I have a lot to prove,” said Team
Koscheck’s first pick Marc Stevens. “Hopefully I get
that wild card slot. I have no problems fighting anybody on my
team, so we’ll see how it goes. It’s going to be interesting.”
The
focus of this episode’s ribbing from Josh Koscheck was Team
GSP’s medic Brad Tate. Koscheck jokingly bumped Tate from
behind when entering the gym and a verbal exchange ensued.
“Koscheck
can’t beat Georges at talking (expletive) to him, so he’s
pushing my buttons,” said Tate. “I’m not afraid
of the guy. I don’t give a (expletive). I don’t care.
Period. The end. He’s a (expletive) and he knows he is.”
Koscheck
continued to refer to Tate as a “male nurse,” and questioned
why he was on the set.
“Who
is Brad Tate?” asked Koscheck. “I don’t know why
you’re here. You’re a male nurse, and I don’t
know why you’re here. Nobody knows why he’s here. Only
Georges does.”
“It’s
like bro, you’re a male nurse. You’re not a fighter.
You shouldn’t open your mouth,” stated Koscheck to
the cameras. “Because I’ll choke your ass out. I’ll
knock you out.”
The
traditional coaches challenge took place in the form of a homerun
derby with $10,000 cash on the line for the winning coach and
$1,500 for each of his team members.
Each
coach received 10 pitches from a pitching machine per inning
with the competition lasting three innings and was awarded advancing
levels of points the further they hit the ball.
“I’m
(expletive) Canadian. I didn’t play this sport growing up.
It’s an American sport,” said St-Pierre when he found
out the challenge was baseball. “This is going to be hard.
I’ve never played baseball in my life.”
Koscheck
put seven points on the board in the first inning. St-Pierre
never having swung a baseball bat in his life showed, scoring
only three points.
Koscheck
put up nine points in the second round, but St-Pierre found his
rhythm, scoring seven. After two innings and 20 pitches the scoreboard
read 16-10 for Koscheck.
The
UFC welterweight No. 1 contender sealed the deal in the third,
doubling his second inning score with 18 points. St-Pierre failed
to score a single point in the last inning. The final tally was
34-10 with Team Koscheck taking the cash.
Koscheck
rubbed in the victory, stating, “Get used to this feeling.”
St-Pierre
quickly responded, “You couldn’t have picked a worse
sport for me my friend.”
The
welterweight titleholder later added, “In baseball of course
he’s better than me, but in the Octagon I will prevail.”
Koscheck
compared the coaches challenge to their upcoming fight.
“Georges,
what happened today here on this baseball field, get used to
it because come December you’re going to have this same
feeling,” said Koscheck. “Swing and a miss. Swing and
a miss again. Bap, I crack a homerun, lights out.”
DANE
SAYERS VS. SAKO CHIVITCHIAN
Sayers
fended off a quick takedown attempt by Chivitchian and applied
a guillotine choke in the opening moments of the first round.
Sako popped his head out and starting to pound away in top position,
but Sayers worked his way back to his feet. Much of the round
took place along the cage jockeying for position with Sayers
landing a few knees to the body. With under a minute remaining
in the round, Sayers pressed Chivitchian to the fence and worked
for a takedown. Chivitchian grabbed the cage preventing the takedown
and was warned by the referee. The round was razor close and
difficult to score.
The
action picked up in the second round with Sayers moving forward
and Chivitchian tossing him to the ground with a throw, but the
Team Koscheck Sayers immediately bounced back to his feet. Chivitchian
secured a takedown and controlled Sayers for well over a minute,
but Sayers worked his way up and out with three minutes remaining.
They quickly clinched and worked for position.
Sayers
nearly got a takedown with just under two minutes on the clock
and Chivitchian grabbed the fence again attempting to prevent
being on his back. He was warned for the second time by the referee,
who actually slapped his clinched hand off the cage. The remainder
of the round played out with Chivitchian pressing Sayers against
the cage and being warned a third time for grabbing the fence.
The
fighters prepared for a possible third round, but the judges
rendered a winner. Sako Chivitchian got Team Koscheck their second
win in the preliminary round of the competition by unanimous
decision and advanced to the quarterfinals.
After
the fight, St-Pierre told Sayers he would fight for him to get
a wild card draw.
The
two coaches and UFC president Dana White met to discuss the two
wild card picks.
White
pushed the two coaches to choose the two best fighters. Koscheck’s
choices were Aaron Wilkinson and Marc Stevens. St-Pierre agreed
that Wilkinson should receive a wild card and kept his word and
pushed for Sayers.
White
reiterated that he wanted the “two best guys.”
WILD
CARD ANNOUNCEMENT
The
fighters were gathered to reveal the wild card selections. The
UFC president made the announcement. Team Koscheck’s Marc
Stevens and Aaron Wilkinson will fight for a second chance at
becoming “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Next
week the wild cards face each other and Koscheck’s rift
with Brad Tate turns physical.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Matt
Hughes: UFC Needs a Fighter to Balance Joe Rogan
By Michael
David Smith
In almost every television broadcast of almost every sport, one
of the commentators is an athlete who has competed in the sport
being shown. You never watch an NFL game without hearing analysis
from a former football player, or a Major League Baseball game
without hearing the voice of a former baseball player.
But
in the UFC, the commentary role goes to Joe Rogan, who's undeniably
knowledgeable about MMA but whose background is in comedy and
acting, not in fighting.
Matt
Hughes says it's time for the UFC to add a fighter to the broadcast.
On
his web site, Hughes wrote up some of his thoughts on UFC 121,
and Hughes says Rogan didn't serve the viewers well with his
analysis of the welterweight fight between Jake Shields and Martin
Kampmann.
"From
a technical view, Kampmann had a terrible fight, in my opinion,
he gave the fight to Shields," Hughes writes. "One
thing I will say is Joe Rogan's commentary was a little off during
the fight. The ground game was pretty even in my book with Shields
doing a little more controlling. Kampmann escaped to his feet
several times and Kampmann had more submission attempts than
Shields had, but listening to Rogan, you would have thought Shields
had submitted him the first ten seconds of being on the ground.
I really think the UFC could use a third man doing the broadcast,
that has some experience inside the Octagon. I don't disagree
with everything Rogan says, but there are a lot of things he
says that I just laugh at."
In
general I'm a fan of Rogan's, and I actually think Rogan usually
does a better job of analyzing the fights than most of the former
professional fighters who have tried their hands at TV commentary.
But with respect to the way Rogan analyzed Shields vs. Kampmann,
I do think there's some merit to what Hughes is saying.
Rogan
seemed to go into the Shields-Kampmann fight expecting to see
Shields dominate Kampmann on the ground. "This is a different
level of grappling," Rogan said of Shields a couple minutes
into the first round -- right before Kampmann bucked Shields
off him and rolled right back onto his feet. Rogan didn't seem
to have any explanation for why Kampmann was able to get back
to his feet so easily when Shields had established a dominant
position. When the fight didn't go exactly as expected, Rogan
didn't seem prepared to adjust his analysis accordingly. Maybe
a UFC fighter would have provided more insight.
It's
not a knock on Rogan to say that an experienced, intelligent,
articulate fighter could be a great third man on the broadcast
team. In fact, Hughes -- even though he probably isn't interested,
as he'd rather stay home with his family than travel to every
UFC event -- would be perfect in that role.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
For
Greg Jackson, Sanchez Win Was Like Old Times
Five minutes into his UFC 121 bout Saturday against Paulo Thiago,
Diego Sanchez was approaching his third consecutive loss.
Thiago
had scored a key trip in the first round and also threatened
with a brabo choke to gain the upper hand. Greg Jackson, Sanchez’s
trainer, was not worried.
“In
between the first and the second round, I asked [Sanchez] for
a little more pressure, and he told me he was just warming up
the first round,” Jackson said Monday on the Sherdog Radio
Network’s “Beatdown” show. “I felt pretty
confident going into the second round. In typical Diego fashion,
he turned it on and was able to come out victorious.”
Sanchez
out-scrambled his opponent in the second. Thiago hit a fantastic
sweep, but Sanchez instantly picked him up, carried him across
the cage while screaming and then planted him into the canvas.
It was the fight’s defining moment. It was also the type
of energetic display Jackson sees from Sanchez regularly in training.
“Oh
yeah,” Jackson said when asked if his fighter screams in
the gym as well. “He loves screaming and yelling, which
is entertaining for me. I love it. It just cracks me up to no
end. If he gets hit real hard, he’ll be like, ‘Yeah,
come on. I love it.’ He loves fighting so much. It’s
such a passionate thing for him that it comes out in his movements
and his voice and everything about him.”
Jackson
explained that he handles Sanchez in the corner a little differently
than a Georges St. Pierre or a Nate Marquardt, for instance.
“You
have to tailor it to the individual artist,” Jackson said.
“With Diego, with Carlos Condit, there’s a few guys
you need to be a little more animated [with], a little more excited
for. … Not too much more. You don’t want to get them
so amped that they eat lightning or anything.”
Jackson’s
approach with Sanchez worked. He took it to Thiago in the third
round as well, earning a unanimous decision for a win in his
first fight back with the Jackson camp.
Sanchez
had climbed the ladder with the New Mexico-based team before
joining ranks with Saulo Ribeiro in 2007. A lightweight title
run culminated in a December 2009 loss to champion B.J. Penn,
but the low point for Sanchez came in May when John Hathaway
thoroughly outpointed him.
“After
the Hathaway fight, Diego came back to us and was able to get
a lot of his peers, a lot of his guys back sparring him and wrestling
with him,” Jackson said. “I think it makes a big difference
who your teammates are and who can push you in the gym. I mean
really push you and get you used to being exhausted and peaked
out.”
Fans
and pundits alike have observed that Sanchez delivered a quintessential
performance. Jackson believes that’s how Sanchez should
fight as well: “When you get a guy like that in love with
fighting again, in love with technique, in love with pushing
and really going for it, I think that’s the best Diego you’re
going to see.”
In
fact, the fighter Jackson saw Saturday reminded him of the one
he’d brought up in his gym long before it was seen as the
best camp in MMA.
“It
was always his home, and I said that when he decided to leave:
‘It will always be your home.’ Having him back and
having such a great performance -- like I said, he makes me laugh
and smile every day. He walks in and he’s screaming and
running around,” Jackson said. “It really felt like
old times.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Shane
Carwin Pulls Out of UFC 125 Due to Back Injury
By FCF Staff
According to a post attributed to Shane Carwin, on the top ranked
heavyweight’s official website, he will not fight Roy Nelson
at UFC 125 due to a bank injury. The bout was originally to take
place January 1st, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Here is part of the statement Carwin has released.
"I
am going to pull out of the fight with Roy Nelson. As many of
you know I have been having some back pain. I had an MRI yesterday
and I have some damage that may really require surgery. If the
doctors do not have to perform surgery then I will be out 8-12
weeks. If they do have to perform surgery I do not know how long
I will be out of action."
The
UFC has not made any formal announcement regarding Carwin’s
status.
Carwin
(12-1) is coming off his first professional loss; in July, after
dominating Brock Lesnar in round one, the former champion came
back to submit Carwin in round two. Prior to that Carwin had
won four straight in the Octagon, earning first round stoppage
wins over the likes of Gabriel Gonzaga and Frank Mir.
Carwin
conceded in the statement that the decision to withdraw from
the bout with Nelson, another of the division’s top fighters,
was a difficult one to make.
“This
is a hard decision but the right one and I home #TeamCarwin can
stand by me through this period of my career. No one wants to
get me back to winning more than me. I just need to be healthy
to do it.”
Nelson
(15-5) is also coming off a loss; in August the former TUF competitor
lost by unanimous decision to Junior dos Santos, after stopping
Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve in his first two official UFC
fights.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Lesnar
recognizes Cain’s superiority,
but says he’ll be back
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
After rattling off four wins in a row, with two knockouts and
a submission, Brock Lesnar ended up suffering the second loss
of his career this Saturday at UFC 121 in California. The result,
by way of a first-round knockout from Cain, cost Lesnar his heavyweight
belt.
The
mood in the octagon was peaceful and professional. Brock’s
trainers – among them black belt Rodrigo Comprido –
congratulated Velasquez and team.
After
watching the belt fastened around the waist of the man who just
beat him, Lesnar humbly recognized the loss and offered no excuses.
“I
expected no less. He’s a great fighter. I had a good training
camp, but Cain was better tonight,” said the monster-sized
fighter in the octagon, interviewed by Joe Rogan.
Lesnar,
who even cracked a smile, guaranteed he will train hard to get
back on his feet.
“That’s
what a champion does,” he said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Paulo
Thiago’s future uncertain in the UFC?
By Guilherme Cruz
Despite winning the bonus prize for the best fight of UFC 121,
the Brazilian Paulo Thiago, who was among the tops of the division
until being beaten twice in a row, the last one on Saturday for
Diego Sanchez, and now is on a complicated situation on the event.
“What saved me was the bonus for the best fight of the evening…
I think that he’s got a chance of coming back”, affirmed
Ataide Jr., coach of Paulo on Constrictor Team, in Brasilia,
Brazil. “He did a great first round, but then he started
to decrease his performance, and Diego started to improve”,
analyzes the coach.
On a chat with TATAME, Ataide claims not to know what lacked
the fighter to get the win. “We’ll come back to Brasilia
to get the team together, watch the fight again and to understand
what happened… We can’t understand, Paulo is doing
great on the trainings and can’t give it all during the
fight. The game plan was not to go to the floor on the bottom
and attack a lot while standing up, but we couldn’t do it”.
Fighting the best in the world, Paulo got three consecutive wins
on UFC, including a knockout over Josh Koshcheck, next challenger
for the belt, and a submission over Mick Swick. But the athlete
can’t focus exclusively on his MMA trainings, once he has
a daily routine as a cop of the Special Operations Squad (BOPE)
of Brasilia. On Ataide’s opinion, however, Thiago didn’t
have to leave BOPE to be successful on the show.
“We get a wonderful support from the Police, but I think
that (what’s lacking) the focus on the trainings, more dedication.
In Brazil we suffer a lot because of the lack of sponsorship,
but we have to fix his training load”, affirmed Ataide,
on the expectation for another chance for the athlete, who has
conquered three extra bonuses on UFC events, earning almost US$
200 thousand.
“If
Ultimate gives him another shot, it might be on an undercard
fight. Since he joined (UFC) he’s only fought really tough
guys, but I think they’ll give him another chance”,
hopes Ataide, revealing that the fighter still has a current
contract with Ultimate. “They usually renew before the last
fight on the contract, so we’ll see what they’ll do”,
concluded.
Source: Tatame
|
The
Dueling Heavyweight Titles
by Jake Rossen
For
a good chunk of the 20th century, the world heavyweight title
in boxing was considered to be the most prestigious achievement
in all of sports. Other activities were really just metaphors
for combat; boxing was combat, pure and undiluted. It makes sense
that the toughest guy in the toughest sport was king.
But
as far back as the 1940s, boxing had begun to cannibalize its
own status with a series of organizations that sent fighters
on a chase to “unify” titles. There was the WBA, the
WBC, the NYSAC, the Universal -- men like Ali collected them
like passport stamps. In spite of this and at least through Tyson’s
streak in the 1980s, it was easy enough to communicate who was
who.
Then
more acronyms added more confusion, and fighters (or management)
became less and less interested in defining true champions: Tyson
fought both Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis years past the
point of it mattering. At present, there are three “heavyweight
champions” in boxing, two of them brothers who will never
fight one another. The Klitschkos, immensely popular in Germany,
barely register as celebrities in the States. No heavyweight
title bout has appeared on American pay-per-view television in
years. Even HBO, the sport’s biggest caregiver for over
three decades, recently announced it was ceasing coverage of
heavyweight bouts.
“We're
out of the heavyweight division” HBO President Ross Greenburg
told the Telegraph. “There isn't any interest in the U.S.
and no one besides David Haye to challenge the Klitschkos.”
Pretty brutal testimony for a class of men that were once cultural
touchstones.
While
part of it is the near-complete lack of compelling personalities
-- Tyson continues to cast a long shadow in that department --
it’s clear that the heavyweight division is not particularly
interested in catering to U.S. fans. The Klitschkos fight here
only sporadically, which makes press access and subsequent fan
interest difficult. Haye, a British prospect who has a huge following
in Doctor Who-ville, doesn’t register here. Heavyweight
boxing isn’t dead, no, but it’s too well-traveled to
matter to Americans anymore.
Saturday’s
UFC 121 title fight between Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar is
what boxing used to offer: a concise, logical determination of
who can eat whose lunch under civil prizefighting rules on domestic
soil. For fight fans, there’s no quarrel that Velasquez
is on top. The question is whether -- or when -- the general
public agrees.
For
all of the UFC’s momentum over the past five years, there’s
still a nagging question of perspective. Boxing is sanitized,
polished, and clinical in its brutality; MMA lets it all hang
out, bloody faces and all. It doesn’t have the benefit of
being born outside of our lifetimes, which seems to soften activities
that would otherwise appear bizarre or ill-advised. And so there’s
a segment of the population that will not regard Velasquez as
the toughest man in the world -- just the craziest.
That
it’s Velasquez who holds the title is another wrinkle: fans,
especially casual ones, enjoy consistency. Ali held belts for
years, as did Tyson and Lennox Lewis. Brock Lesnar, who was quickly
reaching mythical status, could only defend his UFC belt twice
before running into the limits of his skill set. Velasquez might
fare better, or he might get the business end of Junior dos Santos;
Santos, in turn, could be smothered by Lesnar. It’s enough
to give you whiplash.
I
do not get the sense Velasquez has “baddest man on the planet”
status in the eyes of sports fans, primarily because the UFC
is still largely misunderstood and because he was a virtual unknown
prior to the Lesnar fight. But conquering Lesnar -- a guy no
action figure could do justice -- will go a long way in making
his story easily digested.
The
legacy of boxing’s heavyweight champion is cross-cultural
and universal. There were mothers, preachers, and doctors who
understood and were entertained by the idea of recognizing someone
with such attrition and determination. If the UFC title has replaced
it, it’s for a good and simple reason: there’s only
one of them.
Source: Sherdog
|
Dave
Camarillo Explains Crying After Velasquez's Title Win
By Ray
Hui
American Kickboxing Academy trainer Dave Camarillo is not one
to distance himself from his emotions. A win for one of his students
is a win for himself. So while Cain Velasquez remained his stoic
self after defeating Brock Lesnar Saturday at UFC 121, Camarillo
was the complete opposite, bawling with happiness over AKA's
newest champion.
The
self-described "cage-crying MMA trainer" spoke to Ariel
Helwani on The MMA Hour Monday and talked about the significance
of Velasquez's win for AKA.
"I've
been emotional before, it wasn't the first time, but this was
definitely the biggest win that AKA has ever had," Camarillo
said. "It was our first homegrown champion, but not just
a champion, heavyweight champion, which I think more eyes are
on than any other division, especially facing Brock Lesnar and
everything just came together."
It
was quite a stark difference from Velasquez's emotional level
on display.
"Being
the champion, he barely smiled," Camarillo noted, when discussing
how Velasquez has approached his own hype. "He smiled maybe
a tad more than when he beat [Antonio Rodrigo] Nogueira."
Insiders
have touted Velasquez ever since he entered the UFC two years
ago and Velasquez's performance Saturday proved the Mexican American
was worthwhile hype. Camarillo, the founder of Guerilla Jiu-Jitsu,
his own MMA system, has been developing Velasquez with the rest
of AKA for three-and-a-half years.
"It
was the perfect fight for us to showcase Cain Velasquez,"
Camarillo said. "This is the beginning for Cain, the beginning
for his reign as the titleholder and we got a lot of hard work
ahead of us, but at least that night people finally got to see
how Cain Velasquez is evolving."
Next
up for Velasquez is a title defense against Junior Dos Santos
with a date to be determined. Until then, Camarillo will look
to collect a second UFC belt for the AKA trophy case when he
helps prepare Josh Koscheck for a welterweight title shot against
Georges St-Pierre in December.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
121: Tito's Last Ride
It is true that Tito Ortiz looked great coming into his UFC 121
tilt with Matt Hamill. He was motivated and in solid shape. So
much so that he started to make believers out of many in the
days leading up to the fight.
Unfortunately
for Ortiz it wasn't enough to beat his former protege. I hate
to say that the game has passed Ortiz by, because I don't think
that is entirely the case. He can still be competitive with a
lot of light heavyweights, but he is barely lacking in each facet
of the game. He is just a bit too slow or a bit to weak to do
what he could do some five years ago.
Recently
on The Ultimate Fighter Chuck Liddell talked about one of the
hardest things being to let it all go. I can imagine it is very
tough, all that adulation, the rush of entering the Octagon,
the thrill of competing in front of so many, but it is getting
really close to time for Ortiz to call it quits.
He's
had a tremendous career, but it has also been filled with injuries.
Maybe since he wore the "Dana is my hero" shirt at
the weigh in he can get a fight with someone he really should
be able to beat...and then he can ride off into the sunset.
Source: By The Numbers
|
Strikeforce
Challengers 11 Fighter Salaries
The Strikeforce Challengers 11 fighter salaries were released
on Tuesday by officials at the California State Athletic Commission.
The
main event featured Bobby Voelker defeating Roger Bowling in
a rematch of their fight earlier this year. The event took place
on Friday, Oct. 22, at the Savemart Center in Fresno, Calif.,
before 3,656 fans.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic
commissions, including the winners’ bonuses. Any undisclosed
bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not
disclose to the athletic commissions (such as pay-per-view bonuses),
are not included in the figures below.
The
fighter payroll for Strikeforce totaled $55,000 with promotional
regulars Lavar Johnson and Billy Evangelista topped the list
at $10,000 each.
Bobby
Voelker: $9,000 (includes $4,500 win bonus) def. Roger Bowling:
$3,500
Lavar Johnson: $10,000 (no win bonus) def. Virgil Zwicker: $3,000
Billy Evangelista: $10,000 (no win bonus) def. Waachiim Spirt
Wolf: $2,000
Julia Budd: $3,000 (includes $1,500 win bonus) def. Shana Olsen:
$3,000
John Devine: $4,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus) def. Brandon
Cash: $3,000
David Douglas: $3,000 (includes $1,500 win bonus) def. Dominic
Clark: $1,500
Strikeforce
Challengers 11 Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $55,000
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Brock
down, but not down and out
by Carlos Eduardo Ozório
Lenar ended up losing and was deprived of his heavyweight belt
at UFC 121 last Saturdy in California. Nevertheless, the four
minutes twelve seconds he lasted before being knocked out by
Cain Velasquez still yielded the ex-champ the highest payday
of the event: 400 thousand dollars.
It’s
worth noting that further income UFC fighters receive may come
from shares of pay-per-view revenues and sponsorship deals, which
do not figure in the sums released by the athletic commissions.
Check
out each fighter on the UFC 121 card’s pay out:
Cain
Velasquez: Us$200,000 + 70,000 (melhor nocaute da noite)
Brock
Lesnar: US$ 400,000
Jake
Shields: US$ 150,000
Martin
Kampmann: US$ 27,000
Diego
Sanchez: US$ 100,000 + 70,000 (fight of the night)
Paulo
Thiago: US$ 18,000 + 70,000 (fight of the night)
Matt
Hamill: US$ 58,000
Tito
Ortiz: US$ 250,000
Brendan
Schaub: US$ 20,000
Gabriel
Gonzaga: US$ 67,000
Court
McGee: US$ 30,000
Ryan
Jensen: US$ 10,000
Tom
Lawlor: US$ 20,000
Patrick
Cote: US$ 21,000
Daniel
Roberts: US$ 16,000 + 70,000 (submission of the night)
Mike
Guymon: US$ 8,000
Sam
Stout: US$32,000
Paul
Taylor: US $16,000
Chris
Camozzi: US $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Dongi
Yang: US$ 8,000
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
New
Tapout boss Jamie Salter: Wherever the UFC goes, we go
By Zach
Arnold
If
you’re looking at what the future for Tapout is, this interview
is the best insight into the mind of Jamie Salter. It doesn’t
seem as though he’s done yet with his shopping spree in
the ‘MMA space’ as he likes to call it.
If
you’re rushed for time, start at the 3 minute mark. The
interviewer asks him about future plans with the UFC and Mr.
Salter basically says whatever the UFC does is what Tapout will
do. If UFC goes to China, Tapout goes to China. It’s clear
that Tapout is looking for an exclusive deal with UFC and that’s
that. When he was asked about working with fighters in DREAM,
Strikeforce, and so on his response was blunt — we will
not work with ’secondary’ organizations or fighters.
So, in short, the brands he purchased are intended to be tied
to UFC and UFC fighters only.
If
that response isn’t indicative of where Tapout’s philosophy
is morphing from its original days, I don’t know what else
to say.
What
has and hasn’t been said yet about Tapout’s new deal
with ABG
By Zach Arnold | September 9, 2010
When
Bloomberg News broke the story on Tuesday morning about Tapout,
Silver Star, and Hitman Fight Gear selling their companies to
Authentic Brands Group LLC, a lot of concern and panic set in
initially as far as major players in the Mixed Martial Arts industry
were concerned. Was Tapout cashing out while the getting was
good? Do they think the MMA industry has peaked? Are they broke?
Lots of questions were raised by the Bloomberg article.
Dealmaker
Salter to Bring Cage Fighting T-Shirts to the Masses
It
was an article, in terms of research, that had a lot of MMA media
writers cringing (including HDNet host Mike Straka). It also
caused a stir amongst Tapout management, who addressed rumors
of Tapout appearing in Walmart stores in the future.
“NO!
NEVER! No. I think there was a lot of confusion. You know, I
mean, these guys are trying to put together, they did an interview,
I don’t know where that I came from, I saw it and I did
an interview with them but they got some facts wrong. They were
kind of mixed up. You know, sometimes people… we do interviews
with people who don’t understand the MMA space and sometimes
we try to explain it to them and they, you know, it gets it’s
like you know somewhere it gets lost in translation but no that’s
not true. They asked, the question was are you guys going to
Walmart and I said no, I said we do have brand segmentation where
we have other brands that we’ve developed that maybe in
the future, you know, could go to Walmart but it wouldn’t
be the Tapout brand, by no means.”
Tuesday
night’s semi-conference call, if you want to call it that
(listen here to the hour-long discussion on TapoutRadio.com),
was part pep-talk, part-reassurance speech to the masses.
In
addressing the Walmart rumors, Punkass and Skrape (the names
they proudly used on the discussion show), they made it clear
that other brands that they owned might appear in a Walmart in
the future but not the Tapout brand.
“Well,
I mean, we have our mid-tier brand that is at Kohl’s and
JC Penney and then, you know, Tapout just continues to be in
the same places plus we’re talking to some exciting new
places, some very big chains that, you know, understand the sports
you know the sports sales and sports companies and we’re
looking to get in there also and so it’s just, you know,
we’re just going to open some more doors and tighten up
the brand A LOT, I mean there’s a lot of things that, you
know, you got to understand. We didn’t come from the clothing
business. We don’t understand the clothing business. These
guys understand the clothing industry, that’s where they
come from and we’re, you know I mean, so they’ve educated
us a lot. Just today I’ve learned so much about some of
the things we were [expletive] up and how we can fix them and,
you know, it’s just it’s an exciting time. I think
we’re real excited about working with these guys and tightening
up the brand and bringing it to where we always wanted to be,
a competitor with Nike and Reebok and Under Armour and you know
the top brands of the world.”
The
sale of Tapout and Silver Star has created a lot of confusion
amongst the fighters, agents, promoters, and gym owners across
the country as far as what is going to change, if anything, with
the way Tapout does business. More importantly, their relationship
with the UFC.
“No,
I mean, [fighters will] be sponsored in all the UFCs, fighters,
none of that is going to change. None of the sponsorship-type
stuff, it’s all about trying to continue helping the fighters,
the UFC, growing the brand, doing what we do on a day-to-day
thing, that’s all going to be the same. The same direction
we’re headed is where we’re going, we’re just
trying to get a little bit of back wind behind us and get a little
push.
“Yeah,
I mean, we had this, you know, multi-billion dollar company who’s
going to come in and help us get this, you know, straight and
we’re going to take all the good of what we do and make
it better and we’re going to take all the bad of what we’ve
done and get rid of it, you know, so moving forward it’s
just going to be good for Tapout and everyone will see that in
the near future. I mean, over the next, the things that these
guys brought up are just so exciting, the things that they’re
talking about and ways to increase our business and how, I mean
these guys helped, you know, they have a background in the snowboard
industry and they helped grew some big brands and grow some big
brands in that space and in action sports space and they’re
really excited to, you know, get a hold of this brand which they
believe is, you know, can be one of the top, you know, five brands,
three brands, in the world if not the top.”
Throughout
the conference call, it became pretty clear that Tapout viewed
their new alliance with ABG as cleaning up areas where they were
losing money and refining the brand so that it could have much
larger distribution in the future. Juxtapose this with what was
said about the growth of Tapout on the conference call.
“It’s
the same, guys, and we’re telling everybody it’s the
same. I mean, this should all be (not) seen with the customer,
the fans should never know the difference other than to be excited
that, you know, something’s changed for the positive that
whether it’s a garment is better than it was before, we
have new product or product that, you know, that is segmented
and better than it ever was, I mean we want to compete with the
best and these guys are going to help us do that and that’s
what we’re excited about. I mean, there’s never been
so much emphasis on quality product than talking to these guys
and even though we believe in that [mindset] it’s been hard
to do when you don’t have a lot, you know, money to back
you in those decisions because we’ve been self-capitalized
so having to, you know, answer, ‘well do we have the money
to go out and do this?’ We didn’t, you know, now we
do. So that’s exciting to us and I just hope that excitement
can translate to our fans when they see how excited we are about
what we’re doing and the job going forward that we have
that we’re going to get back to looking at the product and
making sure because a lot of growth was so crazy over the past
several years. Over the past five years, we were growing 300-500%
every single year and when you’re growing that fast, it’s
hard to, you’re running, you know how like when you’re
holding onto a rope and a car’s driving real fast and for
whatever reason you don’t let go and you feel like you’re
about to, you’re going so fast you’re going to you
know fall in front of you? I mean, that’s how fast we were
running trying to, you know, run with this company because it
was just running out of control and these guys have encouraged
us to just get back to the basics and work on product and putting
out the best product that we can and, you know, they’re
not called Authentic Brands Group for nothing, that’s what
they’re about.”
Despite
repeated statements noting excitement and confidence in the new
deal, it was very clear that the goal was to try to repeat the
positives as much as possible because people are in the industry
who are jaded are probably wondering if Tapout’s in it for
the long-term or if this was a short-term play. There’s
nothing wrong with cashing out and making a profit, but obviously
the sale naturally raised questions about whether or not Tapout
was generating enough money to cover their debts and if they
had the infrastructure in place to keep hold as a dominant player
in their field. Plus, throw in concerns about UFC’s over-saturation
of PPVs and the issues UFC is having drawing local fans at live
shows and you have a company in Tapout who needs UFC to remain
strong in order for their business to remain strong as well.
A
lot of the conference call was talking about who ABG is and why
they are going to be so great for Tapout. We’ll address
those comments in a second. However, there was one passage from
the conference call that really stood out and raised a flag.
“Yeah,
I mean, these guys are looking at us… I mean, these guys
are looking at us to make sure that we keep the brand integrity.
I mean, all the artists are still right here in our office. All
the marketing still in our office. All the, you know, the clothing
is still here in our office. The only thing we’re not doing
is selling and shipping and we have somebody who’s standing
over us making sure that we have all the resources that we need
to do our job and I know people really blew this out of, you
know, out of proportion because they don’t, maybe they don’t
understand that that’s how businesses grow but that is how
businesses grow. I mean, unless you want to continue to be a
small business forever, which we, you know, how do you compete
with a company like Nike who’s doing, you know, $35 billion
dollars a year? You can’t unless you bring in your own company
to help you do that and that’s what we’ve done. We
brought in our own partner who’s going to help us, you know,
understand that part of the business and take it to the next
level and it’s exciting for us. Nobody is more excited than
us and I think the fans will really see, everybody who loves
Tapout or who’s watched Tapout over the years, are going
to understand what this is all about over the next year. They’re
going to see why you have to have people like this involved in
your business to help grow it. I mean, we’ve done this without
ANY CAPITAL or without anybody investing in our business for
the past 12 years and now we’ve finally have somebody that’s
come into our business and to help us take it to the next level
and that’s what we’re going to do.”
It’s
true that Tapout grew without initial start-up capital, but it
doesn’t tell the whole story. As Justin Klein (aka The Fight
Lawyer) recently detailed in a report, Tapout reportedly had
millions of dollars in loans that they recently paid back. Those
loans involved a private equity firm called PEM Group. The SEC
filed a complaint against PEM alleging that they broke laws.
A court froze the assets of PEM and a sale of PEM’s assets
was discussed. Given that Tapout had loans to PEM, Justin raises
the question as to whether or not the Tapout sale to ABG had
anything to do with PEM’s troubles and what happened to
PEM’s equity interest in Tapout.
This
Tapout press release from 2007 features quotes from Marc Kreiner
about Tapout’s deal with PEMGroup and also with powerhouse
agency group CAA.
As
you’ll see in the video above, you’ll recognize who
Mr. Kreiner is. (You might remember seeing him on a past CNBC
show about MMA.) I point out his name because on Tuesday night’s
discussion on Tapout radio, a host asked about what Mr. Kreiner’s
role in the company would be going forward.
“I
will be running Tapout and Marc is, you know, going to, he has
other things that he’s going to go off and do other than,
you know, I’m sure he has his own ambitions and other things
that he wants to do and he’s a business guy but he won’t
be with us any more.”
It
was by far the shortest part of the conversation. The Tapout
founders spent more time trying to reassure their supporters
that they aren’t going anywhere despite the deal with ABG.
“Well,
I mean, actually nothing should change as far as the consumer
knows except for that the brand should just get bigger and better.
It gives us a lot more resources and allows us to tap into their
resources and so, you know, I mean it’s an exciting time
for Tapout and, you know, we’re able to, these guys are
based out of New York and we do a lot of business out of New
York also so you know it’s just, it’s a lot of good
things and we’re just looking forward to the future. I mean,
we’re still here, we’re continuing to come to work
every day and today was a crazy day of just figuring things out,
you know, a lot of them were all in here today, they had their
full team in here today and trying to understand our business
more and it was just one crazy day and tomorrow’s going
to be the same thing so we’re just we’re working towards,
you know, kind of a seamless crossover and I’ll continue
on with a new title of President…”
With
ABG acquiring both Tapout and Silver Star, questions have been
raised about what brand would get top billing and if both brands
will still be business rivals to each other.
“Yeah,
it’ll still run as two separate entities. We’re not…
it’s not like we’re moving in together.
“We’re
still going to be trying to out-compete them in everything we
do. It’s still competitive, just because we’re owned
by the same company now, it’s still competitive. We’re
still going to go after fighters that we want and try to steal
fighters if they have ‘em if we want ‘em so it’s
still going to be run totally separate.
“I
mean, [ABG's] going to maximize our distribution and that’s
where, yeah, you will probably see Silver Star hanging next to
Tapout in certain stores where it makes sense but they also see
the two different brands for what they are. I mean, they’re
two different brands and they, you know, they focus on …
they have an overlap of customers but they also have segmented
customers. There’s customers that would buy Silver Star
that wouldn’t buy Tapout and there’s Tapout’s
customers that wouldn’t buy Silver Star and so they understand
that and they want to continue, you know, in that same direction
and so it’s not like, you know, Luke’s moving into
our building next door here but as far as the sale side and some
of the things that they do that they can overlap, they will just,
you know, to conserve, you know, money and manpower.”
The
Luke they’re referring to is Luke Barrett, who founded Silver
Star in the early 1990s.
“Well,
I mean, we both understood what was going on. I got on the phone
with Luke several times and, you know, we both understood this
was a great thing for the sport and a great thing for both brands.
I’ve known Luke for a long time, so you know, even before
he was in the MMA space or I was in, you know, I think maybe
right around when we got started here, you know, he’s been
around for a long time, we’ve been around for a long time
and there’s some mutual respect there, but you know at the
end of the day we’re both out there to do business and we
go out and we act like competitors. … I think they’re
just different brands. I mean, there’s an understanding
and we’ve had that discussion … these are two different
brands. I mean, obviously, Silver Star’s going to follow
us more so because we’re in a lot more doors than they are
but there may be areas that they just don’t see the Silver
Star brand going in and, you know, Luke and that’s a decision
for Luke to make, you know, he’ll decide where he wants
his brand and that’s a decision he makes with them. They’ve
come to use and we’ve had our discussion where we see our
brand and they’re 100% about it and actually we’re
already setting up those meetings right now with some very big
companies and also the ones that we’re already with trying
to, you know, make those relationships better and increase the
footprint that we have in those stores that we’re already
doing business with.”
The
big question Punkass and Skrape tried to answer, as best as they
could, was why they chose ABG over everyone else in order to
make a business deal with.
“I
mean, literally for the past… since being in the retail
space, which is about the past five years or so, you know prior
to that we were just an internet business, but for the past five
years I can’t even count how many companies have been here.
Jamie’s (Jamie Salter) came to us like 17 times trying to
buy us. I mean, you know I talked with everybody and everybody
came in here with a song and a dance and these guys… I just,
I don’t think I’ve… the team that they assembled,
I don’t think of anybody that we’ve talked anybody
was even close to being as passionate as much as these guys were
about this business. Not even half as close and these guys said
all the right things. They talked about all the right team and
they were 100% when they brought that team in here today and
it’s just a bunch of good guys who know what they’re
talking about. Very, very smart business guys who I’m taking
a lesson from, you know, and they’re 100% committed to taking
this brand to, you know, the next level.
“And
to answer a question that something that I’ve been hearing
a lot over the last couple of days, people kept talking about
Tapout selling out, why did you sell the company, why this, why
that, but it’s all for right reasons and, you know, like
Punkass said, we’re not clothing guys. We don’t know
the industry like these guys do. They know the industry so they’re
going to take us to spots and to levels we’ve never knew
about so…
“And
we didn’t sell out. We’re going not going to anywhere.
We’re still here and, you know, we can’t specifically
talk about the business, but we didn’t sell out. We just
brought in strategic partners that will help us take this brand
to the next level.
“It’s
all for the fighters. Like, we’re doing this to help better
the brand, which in turn is helping fighters. That’s our
main goal at the end of the day, which is help the fighters,
help grow the sport, and help grow the brand. So that’s
still, it’s still our motive, that’s all we want to
do.
“And
every single one of these companies have done the same. You can’t
name any large company that is out in the market space right
now that hasn’t done the same thing in one way or another.
You know, sometimes economically it’s done in different
ways at the end of the day, you all get the same result. You
get these big partners involved in your business to help you
grow it because I know the guys that started Nike [and] the guys
that started Quiksilver, they were just regular guys. They didn’t
know how to do what is being done today. Somebody came in and
showed them how to do it and help them do it and that’s,
uh, that’s exactly what we did.”
A
legitimate concern by Tapout supporters is whether or not ABG
understands the MMA business inside-and-out and if they understand
the ‘lifestyle’ component to it that you see in gyms
and at the UFC Expo events.
“No,
they came in real educated, actually and even though, I mean,
they probably couldn’t, you know, hold a candle to most
MMA fans out there, but I mean they knew names, who had the belts,
who was good, who wasn’t, you know, who was in, who was
out, you know, how long the UFC had been in business, who ran
you know running the sport, who was running the UFC, I mean they
had all the answers for us when they first came in and that was
just the first meeting and then even nowadays they sound like
us, you know, I mean they’re pretty educated, they’ve
been on their own dime going to a lot of the shows and they came
to the Boston event. They came to our show in Las Vegas, the
Magic clothing and apparel show and it’s just you know I
mean they want to be educated in the sport, they love the sport
when they got into the space, they said they’ve been looking
at the sport for a long time and so you know I mean again like
I said when they first came in they sold us, they were 1000 times
more energetic and more excited about our brand. I mean, you
would have thought they were us coming in and that’s how
excited they were.”
One
thing was clear in the Bloomberg News report — ABG sees
big potential in “the MMA space” (I hate corporate
lingo like that) on an international level. Can the Tapout brand
expand internationally and generate the kinds of revenues internationally
that will overtake what Tapout makes domestically?
“The
resources that and I’m just saying the thing over again,
the same [expletive], different way, you know I mean the resources
that these guys… this is what I need, I mean, this is what
we and Skrape to do these things and we’ve always wanted
to have these types of relationships and they’ve always
been, you know, 10 steps away and now they’re right at our
fingertips and we’re just excited about where this brand’s
going. It’s like I can’t even say that enough, I mean
this is just an exciting, exciting day for us. This is not…
one of the best days in Tapout’s history. And I mean, you
know, the growth of the brand obviously and the start of the
brand and Ultimate Fighter and all those, you know, those pegs
that we have in MMA history obviously a part of Tapout’s
history but for Tapout’s history it’s probably one
of the best days in Tapout’s history. Partnering up with
ABG is going to be exciting and Tapout is going to be a household
name and deliver the best products and to the stores and places
that we couldn’t reach before and around the world where
we couldn’t reach before.”
The
goal for Tapout is to branch out into more than what they are
currently producing and to essentially have everything they possibly
can be branded with the Tapout logo.
“Yeah,
absolutely, I mean we’re already going in that direction.
We have huge lines that we developed for, you know, as far as
the compression and sports-driven product and track suits and
the public just, it’s been… you know, they were developed
over, you know, this year, earlier this year and the public just
hasn’t seen a lot of it. Some of it is on our web site but
it’s still, you know, working on getting it out there and,
you know, again why these partners are going to be so great getting
it out there and that’s where they really see the business.
I mean, they want, what you see Nike and Reebok and Under Armour
doing is exactly what you’re going to see Tapout doing.
… That’s how brands evolved, like Nike started out
making tennis shoes, you know, for runners and stuff. Well, and
then and they made shorts, t-shirts, sweatpants, track suits,
compression shorts, that’s just evolution. You evolve and
try to help the athlete where it is. That’s like what we’ve
done. We started out with just a t-shirt and then with this,
you know, and it’s evolved to fighting shorts and all that
stuff so it’s going that direction.”
A
part of Tapout’s expansion is into the gym industry, which
is something that UFC is also expanding into. There’s already
the Tapout gym in Las Vegas and UFC has their gym in Concord,
California. Recently, Shawn Tompkins was at the grand opening
of the new Tapout gym in Boston. This is a big deal for the company.
“It’s
insane. I guess we have 60 people applying for gyms right now.
We just opened our gym in Boston which was insane. It’s
sick. … I’m going off the top of my head right now,
but we probably have 10 gyms that we’re working on and 60
gyms that are just applications in the queue waiting to get approved
so that’s definitely an exciting part of our business. We
have a great commercial, I think it’s coming up on The Ultimate
Fighter show, that the kickoff fight before the show The Ultimate
Fight Night and it’s like a cool two-minute commercial that
talks about the gyms and it’ll explain some more so if you
get a chance if you’re watching that Ultimate Fight Night
before The Ultimate Fighter, look for that commercial —
it’s pretty cool.”
Tapout’s
image isn’t about being corporate… or at least that
didn’t seem to be the initial intentions. However, after
hearing “taking it to the next level” about 20 times
on the semi-conference call, it was as if we were listening to
a boardroom meeting.
Will
some of Tapout’s biggest fans yell “you sold out!”
loudly?
“I
mean, do we have to go out and put suits on? No. They don’t
want to change who we are or how we do business, other than to
make it better. You know, we learned a little while ago we had
to, you know, grow up and we’ve been doing, you know, when
we started out this business work off handshakes and verbal deals
but, you know, as you start to do big-dollar deals you start
to learn real quick that people don’t always carry out their
commitments and, you know, you say, hey you’re going to
wear this shirt out and you come out and you watch the television
and they come out in somebody else’s shirt, you know that
happens a few times and you realize you have to start putting
this on paper and so we grew up a little while ago and figured
that out and so a lot of that won’t change. We’ve been
doing that for years and I don’t plan on putting on a suit
any time soon. I have one suit in my name and I don’t wear
it as much as possible so none of that’s going to change
and nor do these guys want to change that about us. I mean, I
really, I mean, these guys in the future I’m sure some of
them, you know, you’ll be able to meet and they’re
just great guys. They’re the type of guys that this brand
needs to get involved to help take it to the next level.”
The
two living founders said that the late Charles “Mask”
Lewis would have approved of the direction the company is going
in.
“This
is something that we’ve talked about, I wouldn’t say
since day once, but we’ve talked about, we always talked
about a Nike, we always talked about Nike’s going to come
in and buy us for x amount of dollars and we’re going to
blow it up and still retain shares and keep doing what we’re
doing as who we are, so this is something that we’ve talked
about years. I could probably say at least 10 years, 12 years,
10, 11 years or so we’ve talked about it. This day started
because that’s what we wanted, you want a big company to
come in and blow you up even bigger and then you can just go
out and keep doing what you’re doing with just that bigger
of a blanket to drape over people so, yeah, this is something
he would absolutely love and be 100% behind. We wouldn’t
do it if it didn’t feel right in our hearts, which meant
we know Charles wouldn’t have approved of it but we absolutely
think and know that he would have, so yeah this is a no-brainer
that we would love it.
“Oh
yeah, he would have been all about this. I could hear him right
now just saying, ‘These are THE GUYS, these are the guys
that are going to help take it to the next level so we can touch
more lives.’ That’s what he always wanted to do, that’s
all we talked about. It’s all we talked about was growing
the brand so we could touch more people, so we sell a billion
shirts. He used to say a million shirts but since I think we
passed that up a while ago, now it’s sell a billion shirts.”
Back
to Marc Kreiner, who was ‘the suit’ behind the three
founders when the business was growing. In that linked press
release from Tapout a few years ago about their tie-up with CAA,
Mr. Kreiner noted that there was interest in perhaps doing an
IPO (initial public offering). Is that now on the table with
Tapout partnering up with ABG?
“Brother,
the sky’s the limit, man. Sky’s the limit. There is
no handcuffs on us any more and it’s the truth, I can’t
say it any better than that. Sky’s the limit. We can’t
put limitations on our dreams. Right now, all those dreams, all
those thoughts that we’ve ever had, those days of sitting
in Carl’s Jr. with Charles and talking about where this
brand was going to go are all going to come true now and it’s
exciting.”
They
closed out the ’serious’ part of their semi-conference
call on Tuesday night with this message to their fans.
“Just
the fact that we’re not going to anywhere and I thank all
the fans for being concerned and that, you know, we want to let
them know that we’re here for the long haul, that they couldn’t
rip me out of this [expletive] place if they tried and we wouldn’t
have done the deal if that would have been part of the agreement.
I mean, we’re here to stay, we aren’t going nowhere.
We love this brand more than anything. We eat, drink, and sleep
this [expletive] and you couldn’t peel us out of here so
I just want everybody to know that this is a good thing and that
we’ll be around for a long time to come."
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Are
Stallone and critics right about Velasquez?
Lesnar
is a fearsome 265-pound behemoth. There is, however, no denying
the amount of criticism regarding Brock, known for using brute
strength as him main ally in achieving victory.
Last
Saturday at UFC 121 in California, Cain Velasquez showed how
technique can overcome force. At least twenty pounds lighter
and a fair bit shorter than Brock, he withstood the pressure
in the opening moments and went on to batter his opponent with
strikes, securing the knockout in 4:12 minutes of combat.
It
didn’t take long for specialists and fans the world over
to idolize the new champion. A oft-used adjective describing
his performance was “incredible”, and even the illustrious
Sylvester Stallone – a fight lover himself – made his
pronouncement over Twitter:
“Cain
can only lose to himself”
Cain
is now UFC heavyweight champion, which is no little deal, and
his technical quality deserves respect. However, is that enough
to warrant the adjective “incredible,” without his
having defended his title even once?
To
many, the answer is yes. However, we can look at how Velasquez
only counts nine fights on his record – a lot fewer than
established fighters like Fedor Emelianenko, Rodrigo Minotauro,
Matt Hughes, Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson…
and so on.
As
is the case with Lesnar, Velasquez doesn’t have that much
MMA experience, and we can draw on the memory of other fighters
who popped up with incredible wins and couldn’t keep the
level up for long – I ‘m not saying that is the case
here.
Cain
probably has a brilliant future. But, even as the undisputed
UFC heavyweight champion, he still has to prove himself for the
praise “incredible” not to become commonplace. His
next challenge is likely Junior Cigano, another great opportunity
to show his quality.
If
he keeps on winning, avoiding the round-robin of champions that
sometimes dominates the UFC, where the greatest fighter in the
world becomes mediocre overnight – at least in the eyes
of fans –, he will soon be comparable to the great stars
who made the history of the sport.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Shogun
down to face Couture
Shogun,
four years before becoming UFC champion, officially receives
his black belt from the hands of Nino Schembri. Photo: Gustavo
Aragão.
In
an interview with reporter Karyn Bryant on the MMAHeat.com website,
Randy Couture seems uncertain about his future in MMA. However,
the former champion of two UFC divisions doesn’t hide his
desire to face the top of the promotion’s light heavyweight
heap, among them current champion Maurício Shogun.
Shogun,
who is recovering from knee surgery, and is tipped to face Rashad
Evans upon returning to the octagon in 2011. However, he was
flattered by “The Natural’s” interest in facing
him:
“I,
too, would very much like to fight Randy Couture, an MMA legend,”
he said over Twitter.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Shogun:
“Rashad is a great fighter”
Maurício
Shogun will only return to UFC’s octagon in 2011, but already
sights his next opponent. On an exclusive interview to TATAME,
the UFC light heavyweight champion talked about the recovery
of his knee, operated after the win over Lyoto Machida, and analyzed
the game of his next opponent, the former champion Rashad Evans.
“I believe he’ll try to fight standing a little and
then go to the ground. But every fight is different… Maybe
he will try the knockout and I have to be prepared for it”,
Maurício said, commenting the compliments made by Wanderlei
Silva and revealing that he’ll cheer for Lyoto Machida on
the bout against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
How
is your knee recovery going?
Everything’s
fine, thanks God, I’m doing physiotherapy... So far, everything’s
perfect, going like we expected it to.
Can
you have contact trainings?
I’m
doing Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu trainings... I just can’t
have much contact like MMA and Wrestling, because they demand
a lot out of my joints… I’m doing the boxing part,
ground game trainings… I’m dealing with the technical
part now.
Did
the doctors tell you when you will be able to train hard again?
The
doctor told me that from December on I can train harder, so that
I can start training really hard.
So,
you may fight in February or March, so that you’ll have
about three or four months for preparing yourself, right?
That’s
what I plan, but I still have to check it.
There’re
nothing officially announced, but everything makes us believe
that Rashad will be the next challenger. What do you think of
him?
Rashad
is a great fighter, has a good boxing and Wrestling. On my weight
class there’re only tough guys, so it’ll be like any
other… I really don’t know if it’ll be him and
I don’t know the date, but I believe it’ll be against
him.
He
did good fights standing, like when he knocked Liddell out, but
lately he’s been using more the strategy and his Wrestling.
Do you think he’ll try to take you down too?
Yeah,
I believe he’ll try to fight standing a bit and then go
to the ground. But every fight is different… Maybe he will
try the knockout and I have to be prepared for it.
Changing
the subject a little, your brother (Murilo Ninja) didn’t
have a good result back in Canada. Were you there with him?
It’s
true, my brother fought in Canada and he lost, but he did a good
fight. Now he’ll come back home and correct his mistakes.
Unfortunately, fighting is like that. But Ninja will come back
again. He represents wonderfully Brazil abroad... Only loses
the one who fights. Let’s move for the next one.
Your
weight class is getting more and more busy. Nogueira lost to
Ryan Bader, that will now fight Jon Jones, and there’s Lyoto
Machida against Quinton Jackson. There’re many guys trying
to reach you and get your belt…
Yeah,
this is one of the most disputed divisions, since Pride, years
ago... And it’s good to have all these guys here, but I
can’t keep thinking about the second and the third guys
on the line… I’ll have a tough fight with Rashad and
it’d be disrespectful to think about Jon Jones, Ryan Bader
when I’ll fight Rashad … I’ll give my best and
I’ll be focused for my next fight, not on the second and
third to go.
As
for the bout between Lyoto and Rampage, two guys you’ve
faced and know the styles… How do you think it’ll be
like?
Yeah,
it’ll be a tough fight. Lyoto and Rampage are two good fighters,
but I’ll cheer for Lyoto. He’s Brazilian, is representing
the country out there, but every fight is a fight. Rampage also
has good hands too.
Wanderlei
published a video on the internet talking about his admiration
for you and inviting you to train with him in Las Vegas. What
did you think of his compliments and this invitation?
Look,
I’m really glad. He’s a guy I’ve always tried
to be, I wanted to become a guy like he is and I’m still
a fan. He’s a guy who put his heart out there and that’s
what makes MMA events grow more and more. Wanderlei is an idol…
He and Rafael (Cordeiro) invited me to train with them and I’ll
think about it and try to train with them. My team is very strong
and we have an agreement. I’ll stay here, but maybe I’ll
go there quickly to train with them.
On
an interview to TATAME Magazine, Wanderlei said that, if you
once wanted to become Wanderlei, now he wants to be just like
Shogun… How do you see this?
I
can only thank him. For me, it’s an extra motivation…
I grew up wanting to be like him and now he wants to be like
me (laughs)… Wanderlei is a guy that has the support of
all the guys and fans and I’m glad he said those things
about me.
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
Confirms Aldo Was Offered Florian Fight, Turned It Down
The
talk around town last week was the apparent offer the UFC made
to WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo to make the jump to the
lightweight division, move over to the UFC, and face former top
contender Kenny Florian in his debut.
Jose
Aldo Manny Gamburyan WEC 51
UFC
president Dana White, when speaking with Comcast SportsNet’s
Fight Fix show, confirmed the promotion did indeed make the offer,
but that Aldo turned it down and opted to stay in the WEC for
the time being.
“That
is true,” he said. “Here’s the thing, Jose Aldo’s
been talking about moving up to 155 pounds. Well, we had a slot
and said, ‘alright, you want to move up to 155 pounds?’
and he said, ‘ah yeah, never mind.”
Aldo
commented at the time that his managers and trainers opted to
decline the fight at this time, and instead the world’s
best featherweight will likely face another challenger at 145
pounds in January.
The
desire for Aldo to compete at 155 pounds has been talked about
for months, and considering the Brazilian’s dominance at
featherweight everyone is curious at just how well he would do
at the next weight class up.
White
says the UFC will leave it up to Aldo as far as where he wants
his career to go, but when the offer was made to go to 155 pounds
this soon, it was just not the right time. Whether Aldo could
potentially make that move in the next year is still up to him
according to the UFC president.
“It
depends on what this kid wants to do,” White said. “If
he wants to stay in the WEC and defend that title, that’s
cool. They were talking at one point about moving to 55, so we
talked to him and said, ‘how’d you like to move to
UFC’s 155-pound division and take on Kenny (Florian) and
they turned it down.”
There
is still speculation on who Aldo may face for his next title
defense in the WEC as well. Rumors had pointed to Canadian striker
Mark Hominick as the next choice, but Josh Grispi is also on
the radar. Grispi holds a recent win over Hominick, and fights
again on Nov. 11 against Erik Koch.
If
Grispi is successful in his November fight, he may get the call
to face Aldo, but only time will tell what the WEC’s final
decision will be.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
121 Medical Suspensions: Lesnar Possibly Out Six Months
Following
an eventful UFC 121 show that saw the heavyweight title switch
hands as Cain Velasquez took home the gold, and the crowning
of a new top contender in the welterweight division with Jake
Shields’ debut, the California State Athletic Commission
has released the medical suspensions for the card for those that
will be sidelined including former champion Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar
could be suspended up to six months following the second loss
of his pro career unless cleared by an ophthalmologist. Co-main
event winner Jake Shields could face the same time off unless
cleared by an ophthalmologist due to bleeding in the eye, and
blurred vision following the fight.
The
full medical suspensions for UFC 121 are listed as follows. Please
note that the suspensions are served concurrently:
Brock
Lesnar suspended 45 days, 30 days no contact for knockout. 60
days for left cheek laceration, and possibly 180 days unless
cleared by ophthalmologist.
Jake
Shields suspended 180 days with no contact for 180 days unless
cleared by an ophthalmologist for bleeding in eye and blurred
vision.
Diego
Sanchez suspended 180 days with no contact for 180 days until
cleared by physician for possible right wrist fracture.
Paulo
Thiago suspended for 60 days with no contact for 60 days unless
cleared by physician for laceration.
Tito
Ortiz suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for a hard
bout.
Brendan
Schaub suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for a hard
bout.
Gabriel
Gonzaga suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for a hard
bout.
Court
McGee suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for a hard
bout. Suspended 180 days or until cleared by physician for possible
right hand fracture.
Ryan
Jensen suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days for
a hard bout.
Patrick
Cote suspended 180 days with no contact for 180 days unless cleared
by an ophthalmologic exam for his retina.
Chris
Camozzi suspended 60 days with no contact for 60 days until cleared
by physician for left brow lacerations.
Dongi
Yang suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for a hard
bout.
Gilbert
Yvel suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Shields
Not Happy With His Performance, Says A Lesson Learned
Jake
Shields UFC 121 A great many times when a fighter learns a harsh
lesson in the cage, it results in a loss that costs him a title
shot or even a world title. For Jake Shields, UFC 121 was a fast
education in the mistakes he made cutting weight to get back
down to 170 pounds after fighting at middleweight for over a
year, but the end result still left him with his hand raised.
While
definitely not the performance he wanted to have in his UFC debut,
Shields was able to gut out a win over Martin Kampmann, and keep
his name etched as the next contender for the UFC welterweight
title.
Quick
to point out the faults he had in the fight, Shields says that
going into UFC 121 he believed he was the strongest he had ever
been.
“My
training camp felt great. I felt like it was the best shape of
my life,” Shields told MMAWeekly Radio. “I actually
was going five rounds and stuff with no problem. I was in way
better shape than when I fought (Dan) Henderson, and then during
the fight I really didn’t feel out of shape. It’s kind
of weird, but it’s one of those things. I had a poor performance
and still got the win instead of a loss.”
The
weight cut that Shields made for the fight saw him shed around
20 pounds. Prior to his recent stint at middleweight, when he
previously made weight for the 170-pound division, the former
Strikeforce champion says he was cutting somewhere in the neighborhood
of 13 pounds in the days leading to the fight.
The
last time Shields felt the way he did at UFC 121 was on Dec.
14, 2004, when he faced Akira Kikuchi in Japan. That also happened
to be the last loss of Shields’ career.
“It
was horrible,” he said about the experience. “After
the first round I sat down and I was just completely exhausted.
I was like ‘oh (expletive) ten minutes to go.’ I knew
at that point I was just going to have to dig deep and keep fighting.
I knew it was too important not to lose my UFC debut.”
Kept
fighting he did, and while it wasn’t his most impressive
performance, Shields was still happy to walk away a winner that
night, and retain his shot at the UFC welterweight title.
The
Cesar Gracie black belt is appreciative the UFC is still giving
him the opportunity to fight for the belt, and now his focus
is to put this fight behind him and prepare for the future.
But
that’s not to say Shields didn’t learn a valuable lesson
from what happened.
“I’m
a little embarrassed by the whole situation, but all I can do
from here is move forward and learn from my mistakes, and usually
when you make a big mistake you end up getting a loss off that,”
Shields commented. “I guess I made a big mistake and I was
still able to get the ‘W.’”
Before
he made his Octagon debut on Saturday night, UFC president Dana
White had also said that if timing had worked out, Shields would
have fought for the title in his first fight out of the gate
for the promotion. Acknowledging that Martin Kampmann was a great
opponent, Shields is also cognizant that if that were Georges
St-Pierre and a five-round fight, he likely would have tasted
defeat.
“If
I was fighting GSP that night I don’t think I would have
won, to be honest,” Shields said. “I just don’t
see myself beating GSP being the way I felt that night, but I
also don’t feel that’s me. I feel like I can go out
there and beat him still.”
Shields
plans to take a vacation to relax and get his mind right and
then head back into the gym to help teammates Gilbert Melendez
and Nate Diaz get ready for their upcoming fights. He says he
also plans to shave off about five additional pounds during his
next camp to ensure that while he keeps his strength, what happened
at UFC 121 never happens again.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Jon
Fitch Says Moving To 185 Would Be A Two Year Process
UFC
welterweight contender Jon Fitch has talked recently about the
possibility of moving up to 185 pounds if his teammate Josh Koscheck
becomes the reigning UFC champion in the 170-pound division.
He
clarified those statements when speaking with MMAWeekly Radio
recently, when he admitted even if Koscheck wins the title it’s
not an automatic move for him to middleweight, just something
that could happen down the road.
While
Fitch stands firm on his statement that he won’t face his
teammate in the cage, he is happy to beat everybody else in the
welterweight division if things go that route.
“It
would be like a two year process for me to move up a weight class,”
Fitch stated. “Because I have unfinished business at 170.
The thing is I would move up if Josh would win the title and
defend it. So he’d have to hold on to it for a while. You’re
talking about almost a year right there, with a win and defense.”
If
Koscheck is successful in his bid to defeat Georges St-Pierre
in December, Fitch believes there are plenty of other fights
out there for him at 170 pounds to keep him busy without having
to challenge his close friend for the belt.
“In
that time I could fight GSP non-title, I could fight Jake Shields,
I could fight Martin Kampmann, I could fight Carlos Condit,”
said Fitch. “All those guys could be fought already, and
after that there’s not much left to do in front of me. Then
that would be the optimum time I would be looking for other challenges
if I want to move up a weight class.”
Fitch
has been a worker since debuting in the UFC back in 2005, having
defeated every fighter he’s face thus far with the exception
of his title fight loss to current welterweight champion Georges
St-Pierre.
Regardless
of who he’s already beaten, the former University of Purdue
wrestler knows there are plenty of other challengers already
out there or will be making their way up the ranks soon enough.
It’s
only when it’s left to just him and Koscheck that he’ll
contemplate the weight class shift.
“If
there’s no one else for me to compete with at 170 other
than Koscheck, I’m going to move up,” Fitch declared.
He
will continue to get his teammate ready for his fight with St-Pierre
at UFC 124 in December, while he awaits news on his next chance
to step in the Octagon.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Alan
Belcher Looking At 2011 Return To The UFC
Every
athlete at some point in his career comes to the stage where
it’s time to take off the jersey, stop lacing up the shoes,
or in a fighter’s life hang up the gloves. It’s one
thing for athletes to make that choice themselves, but it’s
a much different animal when an athlete has his career taken
away from him due to injury.
Alan
Belcher faced that very scenario after enduring an eye injury
in training that left him with blurred vision and then almost
no vision. When he returned home from training in Brazil and
met with his doctors, the prognosis sent a shiver down his spine.
“It
was actually kind of sporadic, but the doctor he’s not really
sure if it was one blow or what, but for some reason I had some
tears in my retina and it caused it to detach. I didn’t
even realize anything was happening until I was down in Brazil
training for the Demian Maia fight, and then all of a sudden
just lost most of my vision in my eye,” Belcher told MMAWeekly.com
on Wednesday.
Not
realizing the severity of the injury right away, Belcher ended
up extending his stay in Brazil, although in retrospect he fully
admits that was a mistake. Once he set foot back on American
soil, he had to be rushed in right away for surgery on the injury
that had career-ending potential.
“I
came back and had to have emergency surgery,” Belcher commented.
“I had the first surgery and then it detached again about
5 weeks later, and I had to have another surgery.”
The
first surgery seemed like a success according to Belcher, but
when he visited his doctors again, they said he had to go back
under the knife for a second time.
“At
first it looked promising. I had the first surgery, but when
it detached a second time that’s when it was real scary,”
said Belcher. “It was like how many times are we going to
have to go through this? I kind of had to do it all over again.”
Following
a second surgery, the doctors didn’t put a percentage on
the chances of a comeback to fighting for Belcher. He had to
sit with the real thought in his mind that his UFC career may
be over.
“It
was kind of open, they weren’t really sure. It was just
taking it one day at a time. They thought I would get a lot of
vision back and I might probably be able to fight again if I
wanted to take the risk, but they weren’t really sure,”
Belcher said.
They
say time heals all wounds, and that was the key to Belcher’s
injury as well. As the hours turned into days and the days into
weeks, Belcher’s eye continued to heal and his vision started
to get better. Another trip to the doctor’s office, and
like a weight being lifted off of him, the news was the best
thing he had heard in a long time.
“Now
we’re at where we’re at now, it seems everything is
healing good this time. The doctors said I can start exercising
and I can probably be back doing contact as early as January,”
said Belcher.
Belcher
has been working closely with Dr. Chris Semple out of Mobile,
Ala. who is a retina specialist, and he credits him for the job
he’s done getting the middleweight back into the cage again.
“He’s
been really hands on and been supportive everyday through text
and e-mail, and he’s done a really great job,” said
Belcher about his doctor. “I give a lot of credit to him.”
Prior
to his injury, he was set to fight in a main event bout against
Maia in September. Belcher had been rising up fast through the
ranks in the 185-pound division. While he understands that the
weight class had to move on without him competing, he plans to
work harder than ever to get that spot back.
“I’m
itching really bad, I’m missing it,” Belcher commented
about training. “It’s been a part of my life forever
pretty much. I haven’t taken this much time off from sports
and exercise in my whole life. I can’t wait.
“I’ll
return strong and win and be right back where I was, and maybe
even higher.”
As
far as timing his return, that’s all going to depend on
his progression in training, but Belcher is focused on coming
back to the UFC and reminding the middleweight division just
what he’s capable of.
“If
I start back hard in January, it’s probably going to take
me a little while to get back in fight shape. I want to have
a good base under me before I accept a fight, but once I do it
will be on,” said Belcher.
“Whatever
is soon, but when I’m ready. As soon as I’m ready.”
Belcher
hopes to get back into fight shape starting at the beginning
of the year, and when he is ready he’ll call UFC matchmaker
Joe Silva to start looking for a fight for him. Realistically,
Belcher is looking at somewhere between six to 10 weeks after
he gets fight ready, and then it’s an all out assault on
his next opponent.
As
far as his recovery, the doctors have helped Belcher get ready
for his physical return, and his wife has been phenomenal with
her emotional support, but the Mississippi native is quick to
point out how supportive UFC fans have been throughout this ordeal.
“The
fans have been awesome, they’ve been keeping me going,”
Belcher commented. “All the fan mail, e-mails, they’re
just steady flowing in, Facebook, Twitter, it’s amazing.
It’s really what keeps me motivated and I want to thank
the fans and please keep it up because that really means a lot
whenever a fighter’s down and out.”
It
may have been down and out, but now the only direction Belcher
will be going is up. Look for “The Talent” to make
his Octagon return in the first half of 2011, and no one will
be more excited than Belcher.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Incredible
night for Velasquez
ANAHEIM,
Calif. – Javier Mendez predicted greatness for Cain Velasquez
not long after the two-time All-American wrestler from Arizona
State had walked through the doors of the American Kickboxing
Academy in 2006 to begin training in mixed martial arts. After
Velasquez’s first fight, Mendez said he could beat then
top-ranked Fedor Emelianenko.
On
Saturday in the main event of UFC 121 before a boisterous crowd
at the Honda Center, a more mature and experienced Velasquez
rewarded his coach’s faith in him by putting on one of the
most impressive displays by an Ultimate Fighting Championship
heavyweight in a long time.
He
decimated Brock Lesnar, stopping the sport’s biggest star
in four minutes, 12 seconds of one-sided action to claim the
championship and stake his place among the game’s greats.
Cain Velasquez celebrates after beating Brock Lesnar by TKO to
become the new UFC heavyweight champ.
Lesnar
charged Velasquez, roaring out of the corner and firing a knee
at his much smaller challenger. But unlike other Lesnar opponents
who were overwhelmed by the bull rush, Velasquez remained calm
and fought back.
“He
looked incredible tonight,” UFC president Dana White said.
“The guy gets better every time he fights. Like I said coming
into this fight, he’s incredibly well-rounded. I think the
only questions hanging over his head going into this fight where
people doubted him were the shots he took from Cheick Kongo [at
UFC 99]. He got rocked a few times by Cheick and I said that
night at the press conference, that’s when you find out
what a guy has got. He took some big shots, he ate them and he
continued to dominate Cheick Kongo in that fight.
“I
think he answered all the questions tonight. Brock Lesnar came
out like a bull, man. He went after him and hit him with some
big shots. He hit him with a flying knee. I didn’t think
this was going five rounds, I’ll tell you that, especially
at the pace that these guys can fight.”
As
the arena erupted in cheers when referee Herb Dean stopped the
fight with a bruised and bloodied Lesnar covering up and trying
to avoid Velasquez’ elbows and fists, the new champion rose,
walked to the center of the cage and covered his face with his
hands. It was at that moment that the emotions hit him.
“It
was a sweet feeling,” Velasquez said. “All the work
I put in was for that moment. I pictured it playing out that
way. It was the best ending I could think of as far as the whole
story.”
And
then, in a sentence that probably defines why he’s great
better than any other, he added, “I have to keep getting
better.”
Velasquez
is no small man – he’s 6 feet 2 and weighed 245 pounds
at Friday’s weigh-in – but Lesnar is the size of a
small grizzly with the temperament of a big one. Lesnar weighed
in a pound under the heavyweight limit Friday at 264, but looked
like he’d put on at least 10 pounds, likely more, by the
time he’d stepped into the cage.
But
Velasquez’s speed and technical skills were far superior
and they soon played out. Tito Ortiz has been fighting in the
UFC since 1997 and said it’s been a rare heavyweight he
has seen who had the speed, quickness and overall game that Velasquez
does.
“Hell,
no,” Ortiz said when asked if he’d seen a heavyweight
perform the way Velasquez did Saturday in his 13 years in the
UFC. “Never. Ever. Did you see Cain Velasquez move? He moves
around like a 190-pound guy moving there and he’s 240. He’s
the best guy in the world right now. He actually made Brock look
really, really slow.
“I
thought Brock would do a lot better. They’re the best fighters
in the world, and that’s why everyone bought the pay-per-view,
to see who the best in the world at heavyweight is. Cain Velasquez
is that man.”
The
closing sequence came when Velasquez fired an overhand right
that cracked Lesnar on the jaw and sent him stumbling back. Seconds
later, Velasquez blistered Lesnar with a knee that put Lesnar
down.
A
workmanlike Velasquez followed Lesnar to the mat, but didn’t
punch himself out as Shane Carwin, who challenged Lesnar for
the belt at UFC 116 in July, did. Velasquez threw his punches
and elbows with precision, hurting Lesnar badly with each one
that landed.
“After
Cain beat [Antonio Rodrigo] Nogueira, I posted somewhere that
Brock was going to have a real tough time with him because his
skills are so diverse,” said Daniel Cormier, a member of
the 2008 U.S. Olympic wrestling team, who trained with Velasquez
at AKA in San Jose, Calif. “He’s so good on his feet.
He’s such a good wrestler. He is so well-rounded.
“The
takedown he had (earlier in the first round) was what we’d
been working on every single Saturday. Saturday in, Saturday
out, we went out and drilled it, repetitiously, over and over.
Honestly, we did it 5,000 times in the course of this training
camp. This is a proud moment for me in my life to see a guy incorporate
everything he’s learned, taking his wrestling from one level
to the next, improving his standup, become a better fighter every
day, and then going and doing it when it matters.”
Mendez
had few doubts that Velasquez would pull it off, though he had
to hold his breath early when Velasquez stood flat-footed in
front of Lesnar and began to trade blows. But Velasquez probably
has the best cardio in the UFC’s heavyweight division and
he is a sea of tranquility. He never got flustered during hundreds
of interviews and personal appearances and he didn’t get
flustered as he had an angry Lesnar swarming him.
But
Velasquez still isn’t a finished product in Mendez’
mind. But he was more well-rounded than Lesnar, who was fighting
in just his seventh professional fight.
“He’s
about over halfway there,” Mendez said. “I have to
tell you guys, and I told him, too, that he’s going to meet
Brock again. That man’s hungry and he’s coming. He’s
greener than (Cain) in all these areas. Brock has a great athletic
build and he has great power, but he’s still green compared
to (Cain). He’s getting better, so we need to get better,
because Brock’s still coming.”
But
Lesnar isn’t coming at anyone any time soon. He was beaten
up – badly – and didn’t attend the post-fight
news conference. It was no shock that Velasquez won the fight,
as many fighters and media were picking Velasquez, but the manner
in which he was victorious was stunning.
To
put away a man who was so much bigger, so much more powerful
and so intense in such a short period of time was hardly expected.
“Technique
beats size a lot of times,” Cormier said. “You saw
that tonight. Cain is a real technician.”
And
he’s only going to get better. No one has had a lengthy
reign as UFC champion, so history would suggest that Velasquez
will surrender the belt sometime soon.
But
if anyone can hang onto it for a while, it’s a guy like
Velasquez, who will be back in the gym working on his game in
about two weeks. Velasquez got where he is because of a great
desire to succeed and he’s not satisfied being 9-0, holding
the UFC heavyweight title and looking at a spot in the pound-for-pound
rankings.
“The
main goal he wants at the end of the rainbow is to be one of
the greats,” Mendez said. “To be one of the greats,
you can’t do it one time. You have to continue to do it
and he wants to be one of the greats. He wants to be remembered
as one of the greatest-ever heavyweight champions as well as
one of the greatest every MMA champions of all-time. That’s
what is in his head. He wants to keep that belt for a long time.
He’s not looking at just one time.”
He
has no discernible weaknesses, as Lesnar would attest, so get
familiar. Cain Velasquez is going to be around for a while.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Ortiz:
‘No Way I’m Done’
In
the lead-up to his UFC 121 bout with former “The Ultimate
Fighter” pupil Matt Hamill, Tito Ortiz claimed he was back
training like a world champion. He did not look like one against
Hamill, however, as he dropped a unanimous decision in a featured
light heavyweight tilt on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim,
Calif.
Hamill
showed improved boxing in the fight, keeping Ortiz at bay with
a long, accurate jab. The sustained punishment began to show
on the face of “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” as the
fight wore on, a sight that has become more and more common later
in Ortiz’s career. At the post-fight press conference, the
former 205-pound champion fielded questions about his place in
the division and whether or not he had anything left.
“No
way I’m done. I’m not even close to the end of my career.
Besides my face being a little sore, I have no problems,”
said Ortiz. “I’ve got to hop back on the horse, get
back to a college and start wrestling again. The hunger is there.
My heart hurts, but my mind stays strong. It’s a challenge.”
Ortiz,
who has not won a fight in more than four years, came out aggressively,
charging Hamill and landing a head kick that looked to stun his
opponent. The Team Punishment founder could not capitalize, however,
and after the first few minutes, it was all Hamill.
“I
thought I had him hurt in the first round, and I should have
pulled the trigger,” said the former champion. “I’m
proud of myself for just competing against Hamill.”
A
semi-finalist on Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter,”
Hamill used his hands to set up several beautiful takedowns.
Once on the floor, Ortiz had no answer for Hamill’s ground
and pound, absorbing sustained punishment from his back.
“I
was a few steps behind. I made a few mistakes. I didn’t
defend his takedowns the way I wanted to. My future is back in
the gym. I have to do the work,” said Ortiz. “I want
to prevail. It sucks having losses, but I’m the type of
person to suck it up and continue. I’ve been doing this
for 13 years, and I still have a lot more in me. I’ve got
to get back to wrestling. I’ll be back 100 percent.”
In
an effort to extend his career, Ortiz, 35, has undergone several
major surgeries, the most recent of which was an operation on
his neck in March.
“These
last few years, I’ve been through a lot. A lot of people
would have quit. I don’t quit,” said Ortiz. “I’m
going to continue on fighting. I let down my fans, the UFC, [UFC
President] Dana [White].”
Ortiz
was asked about the viability of a third match with fellow former
champion Chuck Liddell. Previously open to the idea, he was far
more reserved following the loss to Hamill.
“It’s
all in Dana's hands,” said Ortiz. “Understand that
Liddell is a friend of mine. Your health is what matters. Hopefully,
he doesn’t come back.”
White
echoed his statements from the pre-fight conference, asserting
that there would be no Octagon return for “The Iceman,”
against Ortiz or otherwise. Liddell has lost five of his last
six bouts, four of them by knockout.
“There’s
no need for Chuck to come back,” said White. “He’s
been a world champion. He doesn’t need the money. There’s
no need.”
Ortiz
finds himself in a similar position, having lost four of his
last five in the Octagon. White was non-committal when it came
to his future in the promotion.
“Tito
didn’t look absolutely horrible,” White said, “but
he’s lost four out of five, so I don’t know. We’ll
see.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Shields
Cuts 20 Pounds, Barely Overcomes Kampmann
It
wasn't pretty, but Jake Shields got his hand raised in his long-awaited
UFC debut.
The
former two-division Strikeforce champion earned a hard-fought
split decision victory over Martin Kampmann in the co-main event
of UFC 121 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Though he did
enough to earn the victory, Shields only vaguely resembled the
fighter who dismantled Dan Henderson just six months ago.
“I
don't want to make excuses, but it was my first time at 170 in
while,” said Shields at the post-fight press conference.
“I cut 20 pounds in a day. I'll never do that again.”
Though
the former EliteXC welterweight champ controlled the fight on
the ground, it was clear that the massive weight cut took its
toll on Shields. While aggressive in round one, the Cesar Gracie
product visibly slowed as the fight wore on, looking more exhausted
with each passing minute. To his credit, Shields gutted through
the fatigue and scored a takedown in round three, eventually
working his way onto Kampmann's back.
“Martin
is a great fighter. I don't think it was my best performance,
but this is a learning experience,” said Shields. “I
kept my winning streak going, and I'm going to come back stronger
next time.”
UFC
president Dana White was not sympathetic to Shields' weight issues
on Saturday night.
“I
think he did things wrong that he won't do next time. He cut
too much weight; that's his problem. That's ridiculous to cut
20 pounds in a day. That's stupid,” said White.
Though
the UFC boss was definitely irritated, that doesn't mean that
Shields isn't his choice as No. 1 contender for the welterweight
title. White tempered his comments on Shields' weight cut with
some positive feedback about his performance.
“I
thought Martin was a tough fight for Jake coming in. No matter
what he's done in the past, that's tough coming into the UFC
for the first time,” said White. “[Shields] beat a
tough guy. I don't think any differently about the kid now than
I did at the weigh-in yesterday.”
But
should Shields really be fighting at 170 considering the trouble
he just had in making weight? Would a run at middleweight, where
he did his most recent damage in Strikeforce, be a smarter choice
for Shields? White believes it would not.
“Look
at his frame. He should be at 170 pounds. If he fights at 185
here, he'll feel the difference in strength and size against
guys like Anderson Silva and Nate Marquardt,” said the UFC
president.
And
as for Martin Kampmann, White believes that the scrappy Dane
let a victory slip through his fingers that may haunt him for
the rest of his career.
“Kampmann
is a game guy. He's a tough kid who always brings it,” said
White. “But Kampmann just wouldn't let his hands go. I think
he'll regret it the rest of his life. I think he blew it and
didn't press it like he should have.”
Of
course, the prize that both men covet at 170 pounds is Georges
St. Pierre's title, which the champ will put on the line against
Josh Koscheck at UFC 124 in December. After confirming that Shields
was indeed now the official number one contender, White was asked
how he believed Shields would match up against GSP or Koscheck.
The UFC president was impartial in his response, but he did offer
up an assertion that Shields' fans would likely be quick to echo.
“I
can't judge [how he matches up against St. Pierre or Koscheck]
by tonight's fight. It is what it is. He's a grown man, and he
knows how should have done things,” said White. “I
think we'll see a different Jake Shields in his next fight.”
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
President Predicts Quicker-Than-Expected Turnaround for Lesnar
UFC
President Dana White thinks former heavyweight champion Brock
Lesnar will find his way back into the Octagon much sooner than
previously expected following his one-sided technical knockout
loss to the unbeaten Cain Velasquez in the UFC 121 headliner
on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
The
indomitable Velasquez stopped the former World Wrestling Entertainment
superstar with heavy ground-and-pound 4:12 into the first round.
Prior to the bout, Lesnar vowed to take a break from MMA in order
to pursue other pastimes: hunting and spending time with family
and friends. White foresees those plans being altered.
“We’re
going to find out the real competitive side of Brock Lesnar here,”
White told ESPN’s “MMA Live.” “I have a feeling,
knowing him, his plans are going to be cut short. I think obviously
he’s going to go hunting and spend some time with his family,
but I think we’ll see him back a lot sooner than what we
had planned.”
White
does not believe Lesnar’s image will suffer much of a hit
publicly. As the sport’s top box office draw, he has been
at the heart of the promotion’s two most profitable pay-per-view
events: UFC 100 in July 2009 and UFC 116 three months ago.
“This
is mixed martial arts. Every dog has his day, and today was his
day,” White said. “We’ll see what happens. I think
people will always be interested in Brock, and now they’ll
be interested in Cain, too.”
Velasquez
survived two takedowns from the imposing champion and attacked
him with clean, accurate power punches to the head. White pointed
to Lesnar’s inexperienced stand-up skills and believes they
may have led, at least partially, to his undoing.
“He
has been working on his stand-up,” White said. “He’s
only fought five times in the UFC. We’ve seen fights where
his stand-up looks good. He’s not going to win any boxing
titles, but it looks good when he’s doing the punching.
When he starts getting hit is when his hands start to fall apart.
It’s not a matter of working on his hands enough. It’s
a different ballgame when you’re getting punched in face.”
White
also addressed questions regarding whether or not Lesnar verbally
submitted to the assault being inflicted upon him by Velasquez.
“I
was watching the monitor, and I thought he yelled ‘Stop!’
White said. “From what I saw, I thought he did, too.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Charles
Oliveira: Humility Redefined
Charles
Oliveira in Dethrone T-Shirt“We come nearest to great when
we are great in humility.” – Rabindranath Tagore
It’s
a safe assumption that every fighter in the UFC appreciates the
opportunity they’ve been given to fight in the premier mixed
martial arts organization in the world. For Charles Oliveira,
it’s not only an opportunity, but a life changing experience.
At
only 20 years of age, Oliveira is one of the youngest fighters
to ever step foot in the UFC, but he’s got experiences under
his belt that most could never imagine. He grew up in Brazil
with very little, but still found the time to fall in love with
jiu-jitsu, thanks to an uncle that took him to his first class
years ago.
He
then went on to have 11 professional fights in Brazil and one
in the United States, starting at the age of 18, before getting
the call to come to the UFC.
Oliveira
has a very simple list of what’s important to him, and while
some fighters would say being in the UFC is their No. 1 priority,
the young Brazilian stays grounded and true to his roots.
“God
is number one, family is number two, and (my) job is number three.
That is how I like to live my life,” Oliveira told MMAWeekly.com.
It’s
that very focus that separates Oliveira from the average fighter.
He understands what’s most important, but also knows that
it takes a lot of hard work and support to get him where he wants
to go.
Regardless
of how hard he had to work to earn his spot in the UFC, Oliveira
doesn’t think of himself as something special. It’s
that humility that defines him, and he acknowledges that with
everything he says.
“I
just love to train, and I believe most other fighters just love
to train, too,” Oliveira stated.
Oliveira
appreciates the accolades that have been laid at his doorstep
by everyone from the media all the way to UFC president Dana
White, but he never loses focus on what’s important. He
wants to provide for his family, and he wants to be humble before
God.
Sure,
somewhere along the line Oliveira wants to make a run at the
UFC lightweight title, but that’s not at the top of his
list.
“My
only other interests are church and my family,” Oliveira
explained. “Even when I come to the U.S., I am focused on
training. I have some great sponsors behind me that I want to
make proud. When the time is right I want to ‘Dethrone’
the current champ and be the best in my division.”
As
Oliveira finishes up his training sessions, he carefully takes
off his gear and places it back in the plastic bags from which
they arrived. You see, Oliveira appreciates even the smallest
things, like the gear sent to him by his sponsors, like Dethrone.
Imagine
how much he will love another win in the UFC?
“To
be the best you have to fight against the best. The UFC is the
best promotion with the best fighters. It is a great honor to
be able to fight for the UFC,” Oliveira said.
Oliveira
will next compete at UFC 124 in Montreal when he squares off
with New Jersey fighter Jim Miller.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Shields
Will Face The Winner of GSP/Koscheck For His Next Fight
It
probably wasn’t the performance Jake Shields was looking
to have in his UFC debut, but it was still enough for the one
time Strikeforce middleweight champion to earn a shot at the
winner of the upcoming title fight between Georges St-Pierre
and Josh Koscheck.
Prior
to the fight at UFC 121, company president Dana White said that
Jake Shields would likely get the next title shot if he won on
Saturday night. While the win ended up being a split decision,
White stood by his word, and Shields will indeed get the next
chance to fight for the belt.
“No
matter where Jake’s fought, what he’s done, who he’s
beaten, or what he’s accomplished, it’s tough coming
into the UFC for your first time. He beat a tough guy tonight
and got his first win under his belt. I don’t think any
differently about the kid than I did yesterday at the weigh-ins,”
White commented.
When
the question was posed directly about Shields getting the title
shot, White didn’t hesitate in his answer.
“Yeah,
he won tonight,” said White, reaffirming Shields’ status
as the No. 1 contender. “We didn’t give Jake a gimme,
Jake got a tough guy, and he pulled out the win tonight.”
Obviously
happy to come in and get a win in his first UFC fight, Shields
was quick to point out his own shortcomings and knows the things
he has to change before challenging for the UFC welterweight
title.
“Martin
Kampmann’s a great fighter. As far as my performance, I
don’t think it was my best, but it is what it is,”
Shields said. “My first fight for the UFC, the jitters,
a lot of things going on. I just plan to keep moving forward
from here, I kept my winning streak going, and hopefully I’ll
come back stronger next time.”
Before
fighting on Saturday night, Shields spent the last three fights
in his career competing at 185 pounds, including his April win
over former two-division Pride champion Dan Henderson. Shields
has always maintained he is naturally a 170-pound fighter, but
the tremendous weight cut in the return to welterweight in just
a few short months seemed to drain the Cesar Gracie black belt.
According
to Shields and his camp, he dropped in the neighborhood of 20
pounds during his final cut on Friday, and while he gives all
the credit in the world to Martin Kampmann for a tough fight,
it’s hard to ignore the tremendous weight cut may have zapped
his cardio.
“I
don’t want to make excuses, but that was the first time
down at 170 in a while. I think I dropped too much weight. If
that was a factor I don’t know,” said Shields. “Pulled
out 20 pounds in a day. Will I do that again? Never.”
Either
way, Shields got his first win in the UFC over a quality opponent
in Martin Kampmann, a Top 10 fighter, and now will keep his eyes
locked on the UFC 124 fight between Georges St-Pierre and Josh
Koscheck, as he will get the winner in his second fight in the
Octagon.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
risks behind a dangerous knockout
Last
week brought a lot of sadness for the Brazilian sport, with the
news of the death of the boxer Jefferson Gonçalo, who
left the ring unconscious and died days later. On the doctors’
opinion, the lack of cares and the great sequence of fights caused
irreversible traumas to the fighter, who went through a surgery
to take half of his brain off, but he could not make it.
On
September’s edition of TATAME Magazine, we published an
article about the sequels that a knockout can bring to a fighter.
We have heard fighters, who opened their mouth to say how it
felt like to be knocked out, besides psychologists, to understand
who can a defeat affect a career of a fighter.
One
of the most impressive statements was the one given by the neurosurgeon
Carlos Kossak, who also reminded of the importance of the exams
before and after every single bout, something that wasn’t
done with the Brazilian boxer.
“The
knockout itself usually doesn’t leave any sequel, but, if
it’s taken in a row, it can lead you to lacks of memory
or sequence of reasoning and some more serious, depending on
the intensity and frequency of the coups”, explains the
doctor, experts on brain surgeries, that studied the fight’s
world in order to give his statement to TATAME. “In the
case of more intense and repetitive coups, more serious damages
can be done, like brain contusions and definitive injuries, like
dementia and Parkinson’s disease, like what happened to
Ali”, quotes.
Fabrício
Werdum retook his career in great style on Strikeforce, but reminded
of the moment he lost to Junior Cigano dos Santos on Ultimate.
“Everything turned black, just like a flash. I went off
then I woke up. I asked the doctor how did the fight go and he
told me. Five seconds later I asked him the same question again…
I kept asking him the same question about ten times, and I’ve
forgotten what he has told me. It’s a pretty bad situation”,
tells.
Source: Tatame
|
Jake
Shields grapples his way to a split decision at UFC 121
Jake
Shields debut in the UFC was not flashy, but it got the job done
as he won the split decision over Martin Kampmann at UFC 121.
The judges saw the fight 28-29, 30-27, 29-28 for Shields in Anaheim
on Saturday.
As
expected, Shields took Kampmann down quickly to start the fight,
and worked diligently there until the final minute of the round.
Shields used leg kicks to keep Kampmann from closing the distance,
and tried for another takedown as the round ended.
Shields
continued to show his grappling game in the second round, controlling
Kampmann on the ground. Kampmann was able to inflict some damage,
twice hitting Shields in the face with knees while the two were
clinched up. But when on the ground, Shields ruled the round,
passing Kampmann's guard with ease. Shields slowed his pace in
this round.
A
gassed Shields had trouble getting Kampmann to the ground in
the final round. When it finally happened, Shields continued
to outgrapple Kampmann, but the pace of the fight was slow. Kampmann
never really was able to take control of the fight away from
Shields, and didn't unload in stand-up as he is able to do.
Though
Shields, the Strikeforce middleweight champ who vacated his belt
to sign with the UFC, had fought at welterweight in the past,
his last fights for Strikeforce were at middleweight with last
welterweight bout was in 2008 against Paul Daley. The cut down
to welterweight appeared to be a bad one, because he had no problem
fighting for five rounds in his April title defense with Dan
Henderson.
Shields
was supposed to be guaranteed a title shot with a win over Kampmann,
but this bout raises two questions. One, was the win good enough
to earn the title shot, and two, can Shields fight at 170 lbs.?
Source: Cagefighter
|
$70,000
Bonus Checks Awarded Following UFC 121
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship handed out $70,000 bonus checks
for in-Octagon performances at “UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez.”
14,856
spectators filled the Honda Center in Anaheim to witness bonus
cash-winning performances by Cain Velasquez, Daniel Roberts,
Diego Sanchez and Paulo Thiago.
Knockout
of the Night honors went to Velasquez for his main event technical
knockout of former UFC heavyweight titleholder Brock Lesnar.
The
Submission of the Night award went to Daniel Roberts for his
guillotine choke win over Mike “The Joker” Guymon in
preliminary action.
Fight
of the Night bonus money was awarded to Diego Sanchez and Paulo
Thiago for their back and forth welterweight battle that resulted
in a unanimous decision win for Sanchez.
Total
bonus money awarded following UFC 121 was $280,000.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Sanchez
returns to his roots
ROSEMEAD,
Calif. – Public workouts are usually a bit of a dog-and-pony
show. Fighters aren’t about to give away their strategies
in the days leading up to their fights, so a typical open workout
on a major-event week consists of little more than a basic sparring
session. The sooner a competitor can get in and out of the cage
or ring, the better.
Then
you have Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez.
“The
Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 champion has long been known
as one who marches to the beat of his own drummer, even by the
fight industry’s considerably quirky standards.
While
Martin Kampmann, Matt Hamill and Cain Velasquez put on a quick
show for the fans at the UFC Gym on Thursday – Tito Ortiz
didn’t even do that much – Sanchez spent a full hour
in the Octagon preparing for his welterweight fight against Paulo
Thiago on Saturday night at UFC 121 in Anaheim.
Sanchez
first went through extensive stretching and flexibility drills
using three-pound dumbbells, then worked on his angles in the
Octagon, shadowboxing his way around the cage.
“I
was just looking to get a little workout,” said Sanchez
(21-4). “Just get in the cage, do my thing, do a little
realistic shadowboxing. Then when I get in there on Saturday
I’ve already been in the cage, I’ve already been through
what it’s felt like, I’ve already been through some
scenarios in my mind.”
It’s
understandable why Sanchez is using every opportunity to prepare
for his fight with Thiago, as the Albuquerque, N.M., native is
at a pivotal point in his career.
At
his best, Sanchez is a thrilling fighter, one capable of going
on long win streaks and delivering fight-of-the-year caliber
performances, such as his 2006 win over Karo Parisyan and last
year’s split decision victory over Clay Guida.
But
when Sanchez has an off-night, he can wildly miss the mark, as
his been the case in his last two fights. Sanchez absorbed a
one-sided loss to B.J. Penn last December in challenging for
the lightweight title. He decided from there to bump up to welterweight,
but looked listless in his return to 170 pounds, dropping a one-sided
decision to John Hathaway at UFC 114.
“I’m
not going to make excuses,” Sanchez said. “My last
fight was unfocused. I took my opponent lightly, I went about
it wrong and I can’t make any excuses. That’s why my
motto this fight is, ‘Just earn it.’ [Hathaway] worked
harder than me. I didn’t deserve it. Losing sucks. I don’t
want to lose, and I know what it takes to win.”
After
the Hathaway loss, Sanchez decided to return to his roots. He
broke into the sport as a teenager with trainer Greg Jackson
in Albuquerque. The duo produced great results, as Sanchez took
the TUF 1 middleweight championship and won his first 17 career
fights. But Sanchez left the camp in 2007 and moved to San Diego.
While Sanchez had his share of success away from home, his career
path has led him back to New Mexico and the Jackson camp.
“It
was just timing,” Sanchez said. “I was a young kid
growing up in Albuquerque, I had to leave, had to go out and
see what was out there. Now that I’ve been out there, I
appreciate what I have. … I appreciate my team, my coach,
all the people out there who support me. It was all timing, a
good move for me to leave. I learned a lot about life, jiu-jitsu,
striking, martial arts – I learned a lot about everything.
I made the full circle, and now I’m back to my roots.”
And
that’s not the only way Sanchez, who started off as a high
school wrestler, has turned back the clock.
“I’ve
been getting back to my true core, which is wrestling,”
he said. “Being in the real, actual wrestling room –
not just doing MMA wrestling with your buddies – going into
the real wrestling room and working my butt off, getting back
to the core. I don’t care what anyone says, wrestling wins
fights. It’s been proven. … I worked hard to become
a better striker, all my focus went into striking, and that hurt
my wrestling, Any wrestler will tell you, it’s not that
you forget to wrestle, it’s that you don’t remember
to wrestle.”
Much
has been made about Sanchez’s jumps between lightweight
and welterweight. Sanchez isn’t ready to commit fulltime
to either 155 or 170, saying he simply wants to get through Saturday
night’s fight first. His UFC 121 opponent, Thiago, is no
slouch. The 13-2 Brazilian is capable of beating top-tier UFC
welterweights, as his victories over Josh Koscheck and Mike Swick
attest.
“Its
one opponent at a time,” Sanchez said. “I have a lot
of respect for Paulo Thiago, he’s a strong a opponent, has
a lot of strength. No one has really been able to go in there
and finish him. I’ve got one opponent on my mind right now.
“After
this fight, we’re going to get together, I’m going
to talk to UFC brass, I know [UFC president] Dana [White] has
made a statement about wanting me to go back to 155. I’m
fine with that. I’m fine at either weight. But my thing
is, I want to fight big-name fights. I want to fight big fights
that will be big for the fans, be good for me and my career,
just good for everyone.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Exhausted
Shields Gets Split Decision in UFC Debut
There
was much anticipation surrounding former EliteXC welterweight
and Strikeforce middleweight titleholder Jake Shields’ UFC
debut at UFC 121 against Martin Kampmann.
For
Shields it was no walk in the park, but the exhausted Cesar Gracie
trained fighter pulled out a split decision victory, earning
a title shot in the process.
Shields
was able to get the fight to the ground early and mount Kampmann
but Kampmann showed his resilience improving his position and
worked his way back to his feet.
Following
the first stanza, Shields commented in his corner, “It’s
the weight cut.”
Shields
hadn’t competed in the 170-pound division in over two years
and he reported had a rough weight cut.
In
the second round Shields’ fatigue began to show and Kampmann
began to see success. Kampmann was able to fend off several takedowns
and landed knees inside the clinch.
Heading
into the final round Shields was wobbly on his feet and it looked
as if Kampmann had an opening and opportunity to possible finish
Shields and play spoiler in his UFC debut.
Kampmann,
the superior striker, opted to try and submit Shields instead
of separating and striking, a mistake that may have cost him
the fight.
Shields’
grappling ability proved too much for Kampmann who came up short
on the ground.
With
the win Shields extended his win streak to 15 in a row and earned
a shot at the winner of champion Georges St-Pierre and Josh Koscheck
who headline UFC 124 on Dec. 11. Shields hasn’t been defeated
since Nov. of 2005.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Cain
Velasquez Dominates Brock Lesnar To Win UFC Heavyweight Title
He
was touted as possibly being the first ever Mexican-American
heavyweight champion in UFC history. Now he can proudly proclaim
that accomplishment as Cain Velasquez dominated Brock Lesnar
on his way to a first round TKO to become the new UFC heavyweight
champion.
Coming
from humble beginnings, Cain Velasquez worked hard for everything
he’s achieved first in the sport in wrestling and then in
the sport of MMA. The work paid off with Velasquez showing tremendous
heart in the opening moments of the fight as Lesnar got him to
the ground, probably the last place he wanted to be.
A
quick scramble ensued, and Velasquez bounced back to his feet
and never allowed Lesnar to take him back down again.
“We
worked in all positions even worst case scenarios,” Velasquez
commented about being put on his back early in the fight. “We
expected him to cover up, go hard in look for the takedown, throw
punches too, so we were ready for that.”
Whether
it mentally or physically affected Lesnar is unknown, but Velasquez’s
confidence surely soured from the moment, and he took over and
never let up on the pressure. While wrestling is the base for
both fighters, many people wondered if Velasquez could be able
to get the much larger Lesnar to the ground and he answered emphatically
with a nice takedown, before he started to unload big punches
on the South Dakota native.
Relentless
in his attack, Velasquez opened up cuts on Lesnar’s face
as the champion could only cover up and try to survive the barrage.
Referee Herb Dean kept a close eye on the action and gave Lesnar
every chance to recover and fight back.
That
moment never came.
Velasquez
continued on the offensive, blasting away at Lesnar as his crimson
mask of blood continued to grow, streaming down his face, and
that was enough. With the final shots landed, Cain Velasquez
was crowned the new UFC heavyweight champion.
While
he may have finished Lesnar in the first round, Velasquez says
he was prepared for anything and everything, including a 25-minute
war.
“I
trained for a five round fight, that’s what I was hoping
I’m always ready for that,” Velasquez stated. “I
wasn’t expecting this, you can’t expect an early stoppage
or a first round fight, you’ve got to train for the whole
fight.”
With
a loud and supportive crowd behind him in Anaheim, including
a large Latino fan base, Velasquez boiled it all down to three
words for his legion of supporters.
“We
did it,” he said.
The
moment may have been defined the best by Velasquez’s grappling
coach Dave Camarillo, as he stood behind the new champion with
tears streaming down his face, proud of a fighter he’s worked
with since his first day entering the sport of MMA.
Classy
in defeat and going as far as not attending the post fight press
conference as to not take away Cain Velasquez’s moment,
Brock Lesnar paid respect to the man who handed him only the
second loss in his MMA career.
“I
expected nothing less,” Lesnar said about the new champion.
“He’s a great fighter, I knew I had a great challenge
in front of me. Congratulations Cain. What can I say, he was
better than me tonight.”
Lesnar
believes he had the best possible camp he could have had getting
ready for the fight with Velasquez, but he vowed to get back
in the gym and return to championship form.
“That’s
what a champion does,” Lesnar promised in his work to get
back to the top.
Cain
Velasquez will now sit atop the heavyweight division as the reigning
UFC champion, and wait for his next challenger, Junior Dos Santos,
who will likely get his shot at some point in 2011.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
121 Postmortem: Brocktober Ends with a Thud
Brock
Lesnar’s fame prior to entering the UFC brought him a considerable
amount of money and opportunity. It also brought some unrealistic
expectations for a man with only six professional fights to his
name.
Lesnar,
4-1 since his 2008 UFC debut, looked uncomfortable from the outset
against contender Cain Velasquez on Saturday, getting into desperate
punching exchanges and eventually suffering damage to the point
that referee Herb Dean stopped the bout. His sole trump card
-- takedown to position to landing molar-rattling punches --
was canceled the minute Velasquez popped up within seconds of
being grounded. Taking the fight as sole proof, Lesnar’s
is a reputation in search of a complete skill set.
Inexperience
isn’t the only explanation: Velasquez only had eight fights
himself. But there’s a world of difference between hosting
a camp catered exclusively to you (Lesnar) and having the in-and-out
daily camaraderie of a high-level gym (like Velasquez’s
AKA) offering constant emotional and physical support. Lesnar
has insulated himself from the sport and most of the world in
his Minnesota compound. Being a misanthrope may seem like a good
base for a career that involves harming people, but not when
it also requires team energy and direction.
There
was tremendous crowd reaction to Velasquez, but whether that
was directed at his win or at the sheer adrenaline dump of seeing
someone of Lesnar’s proportions beaten down is an open issue.
Maybe they were simply rabid at the sight of a sport fight turning
into a fight-fight: Lesnar and Velasquez dug into each other
like they were in a parking lot.
Lesnar
will be fine; there are plenty of fighters that can’t stop
his takedown in the division, and he’ll win more than he
loses. Velasquez, who is every bit as good as his coaches say,
is a poor standard to hold yourself to. He’ll make a great
champion for the UFC.
Next
for Velasquez: Junior dos Santos, and another serious test of
his chin.
Next
for Lesnar: Tuning up his striking with a slightly less mobile
threat in Gabriel Gonzaga; continuing a rivalry with Frank Mir.
Next
for Jake Shields: Doing more to prove he belongs in the cage
with Georges St. Pierre.
Next
for Matt Hamill: Stephan Bonnar.
New
Questions: UFC 121
Does
Shields deserve a title shot?
If
he does, it won’t be because of what happened Saturday.
Shields, who has spent virtually his entire career outside of
the UFC, hasn’t lost in six years and has an impressive
record against talented competition. But against Martin Kampmann,
he looked sluggish from a reportedly tough weight cut and went
from violent to just getting the job done inside of a round.
Shields’s overall accomplishments probably warrant a meeting
with Georges St. Pierre, but fans unfamiliar with that history
will wonder what they’re missing.
Is Tito Ortiz expendable?
Tito
Ortiz, 35 but probably a few years older in terms of ring wear,
looked better than he had in years against Matt Hamill -- but
it wasn’t enough to prevent Hamill from taking him down
and landing grinding elbows en route to a decision. (In fight
irony terms, that’s just a level below Gabriel Gonzaga’s
high kick on Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic)
Ortiz
hasn’t won since 2006, a stretch of time that becomes less
tragic only when you consider his inactivity: he’s had only
five fights in four years. He wasn’t mauled or stopped in
any of them, but if the UFC is really about results, he’s
seen enough.
Can
Lesnar still draw?
There’s
no question that a huge part of Lesnar’s appeal is the marriage
between his ego and his will: when a guy boasts about going out
and dominating, and then does exactly that, it’s impressive.
When
he appears to be a genetic experiment and then loses 10 of the
past 12 minutes he’s spent in the cage, audiences begin
to see the strings.
Lesnar
is not the type to enjoy being the nail, and if another fight
ends in a loss, he will probably consider his MMA career concluded.
But UFC fans have been coached to understand that when the best
consistently fight one another, no one’s record is going
to be perfect.
Will
the heavyweight title continue to get germs?
Get
this: in the same span of time that Anderson Silva won and has
continued to retain his middleweight title, the heavyweight belt
has changed hands three times -- more, if you count the confusing
interim title scenario created by Randy Couture’s exit.
If it’s the most prestigious title in combat sports, it’s
because it’s one of the hardest to maintain a hold on.
Velasquez
is undefeated and has proven skills across a variety of situations:
he outwrestled the mammoth Lesnar, stood up to a very credible
kickboxer in Cheick Kongo, and has a reputation for tireless
output. While that makes him harder to beat, it doesn’t
make him unbeatable. Dos Santos is arguably the better striker;
Shane Carwin could down anyone on any given day with those ham
fists; Alistair Overeem is hovering around as a scary (but largely
unproven) threat. If Velasquez can put together any kind of run,
it’ll be one of the bigger accomplishments in MMA.
Notes
•
In a bizarre two-minute video clip Ariel Helwani shot for MMAFighting.com,
WWE wrestler Mark Calloway (“the Undertaker”) was seen
antagonizing Brock Lesnar as Lesnar walked past them following
his second MMA loss. “You wanna do it?” Calloway said.
(Lesnar just continued walking.) When wrestlers beef in locker
rooms, it’s probably real. When they do it in front a conveniently-present
camera, it’s a platter of crap. If Lesnar would like to
return to pro wrestling, by all means, but please leave the bad
acting to the Baldwins.
•
Paulo Thiago and Diego Sanchez split $140,000 for Fight of the
Night, a deserved bonus and a nice return to form for Sanchez,
who looked bad in his last, a loss to John Hathaway. Velasquez
got Knockout of the Night
•
Brendan Schaub, who defeated Gabriel Gonzaga, volunteered himself
for a match with Mir. Good fight, but Mir’s immediate future
is probably a rematch with Lesnar, which makes sense only because
both of them can talk casual fans into buying expensive tickets
•
Dana White indicated Ortiz might be gone following his loss to
Hamill, the fourth since 2006. If that happens, he’ll have
a heck of a time getting his salary matched anywhere else.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Could
Tito Ortiz’s Career With The UFC Be Over?
Tito
Ortiz is one of the longest tenured athletes to ever compete
in the UFC starting all the way back in 1997, but after Saturday
night have we seen the last of the “Huntington Beach Bad
Boy” in the Octagon?
Losing
a unanimous decision to former pupil Matt Hamill, Ortiz returned
to action after another lengthy layoff due to surgery, and while
he didn’t fight poorly, he also didn’t pull the trigger
to win.
The
loss makes Ortiz’s record 0-4-1 in his last five fights,
with his last victory coming back in 2006 over Ken Shamrock.
Ortiz’s spirits seemed high following the loss, and he promised
he still had a lot of fight left in him.
“No
way, not even close to the end of my career,” Ortiz said.
“Decision wise that’s in Dana’s hands, but I’ve
gone through some surgeries that people don’t come back.
I feel great. Besides my face being a little bit sore, I feel
fine. I have no more neck problems, no more back problems.”
In
the past all of the instances where Ortiz’s UFC career was
seemingly coming to a close it was because of the volatile relationship
he maintained with UFC president Dana White. Now with fences
mended, it appears it’s Ortiz’s fighting ability that
may put him on the UFC chopping block.
“I
don’t think Tito looked absolutely horrible tonight, but
Tito’s lost what four in a row now? I think you can answer
that question yourself,” White answered when asked if the
promotion planned on keeping Ortiz around.
Later
in the night, White appeared on ESPN’s MMA Live and made
a similar comment, with overtones that lead many to believe Ortiz
may have fought his last fight in the Octagon at least for now.
“Tito
has lost four in a row now, and I think we all know what happens
when you lose four in a row in the UFC,” White commented.
Ortiz
still vowed to come back, and admits he really doesn’t like
the taste a loss leaves in his mouth.
“It
sucks to lose cause I let down a lot of my fans, and my fans
are what means to me. I let down the UFC, I let down Dana,”
Ortiz said. “I want to prevail.”
Once
the dust settles from UFC 121 the decision about Ortiz will likely
be made. With the California fighter also being one of the highest
paid athletes on the roster combined with the losses, the UFC
may have to make some tough choices regarding one of the legends
that helped bring the promotion to where it is today.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
S.A.W.
Federation Japan Global Championships
Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010
Tokyo, Japan
Congratulations to
Team Relson Gracie Instructor Jeff Furuta from Gracie Uptown
who has taken his smashing ground techniques international! Congratulations
to the rest of the Hawaii Team that did incredible in Japan!
-Y. Murai(Japan) Def. M. Sakakibara(Japan) via Tko 2nd round
-Blane
Oshiro(Hawaii)
Def. T. Nagaoka(Japan) via Submission 1st round
-Scott
Kawai(Hawaii)
Def. D. Yamakawa(Japan) via Submission 1st round
-Jon 'Shimo' Shimokawa(Hawaii) Def. S. Maruyama(Japan) via Submission
1st round
-Bryan Mau(Hawaii) Def. M. Sakakibara(Japan) via Submission 1st
round
-T. Endo(Japan) Def. Jeremy
Wong(Hawaii) via
Submission 2nd round
-M. Ohno(Japan) Def. Andrew Mugeridge(Australia) via Submission
2nd round
-Jeff Furuta(Hawaii) Def. J. Yanai(Japan)
via Unanimous Decision
-Tommy
Lam(Hawaii)
Def. Ken Ge(Australia) via Submission 2nd round
-Joe Bracks(Australia) Def. Mike Martelle(Canada) via Submission
1st round
*Tommy
Lam(Kempo Unlimited) wins the IBJ Asia Pacific Lightweight Title
*Jeff Furuta(Gracie Uptown) wins the IBJ Asia Pacific Middleweight
Title
Source: Tommy Lam
|
Schaub
Rises To Occasion With Decision Win
It
was a step up in competition at UFC 121 for Brendan Schaub, but
like any great fighter he rose to the occasion picking up the
biggest win of his young career defeating Gabriel Gonzaga.
Going
2-0 since coming in as runner-up in the 10th season of the “Ultimate
Fighter”, Schaub had stated that he wanted to get a big
fight for his next bout in the Octagon so the UFC answered back
with former heavyweight title contender Gabriel Gonzaga.
Schaub
proved he was up for the task by showing off his lightning quick
stand-up, tagging Gonzaga with a lead jab and a flurry of combinations
throughout the three round fight. In the closing moments of round
one, Schaub clipped Gonzaga with a good punch that dropped the
Brazilian on his butt, but time ran out before he could rally
to do any more damage.
The
quick in and out style of Schaub simply kept Gonzaga guessing,
and the multi-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion only attempted
one takedown the entire fight, and just could not get in rhythm.
Schaub admitted after the fight that the plan worked to perfection.
“I
think that was the key to success for me, that was our game plan
to kind of mix it up and get him frustrated, and pick him apart,”
Schaub said.
Gonzaga’s
cardio backfired on him a bit as the fight moved on as he was
seen with his mouth open for much of the final two rounds. Schaub
never waivered and continued his work in the feet, simply throwing
and landing more punches than Gonzaga could deal with.
“Gabe’s
one of the top heavyweights in the world, so it’s a big
step up for me,” Schaub commented after the win. “I
was just glad to get out with a victory.”
The
victory moves Schaub to 3-0 since his time on the reality show
as he inches closer to contender status in a very tough heavyweight
division. Previously ranked as a top five heavyweight, Gonzaga
has gone just 1-3 in his last four fights as he searches for
answers to get back to relevancy in the weight class.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Diego
Sanchez Delivers Message at UFC 121: “I’m Back!”
The
message from Diego Sanchez after UFC 121: I’m back.
After
suffering a very disappointing loss in his return to the welterweight
division in his last fight, Diego Sanchez returned home again
to Greg Jackson’s camp in New Mexico, got back to his fundamental
training and proceeded to have one of his best performances ever
in a win over Paulo Thiago Saturday night.
It
wasn’t an easy fight to get back on the winning track for
Sanchez as Thiago looked to finish the former “Ultimate
Fighter” winner early on with a D’arce choke, but the
New Mexico native battled his way out with his normal ferocity.
Diego Sanchez and Paulo Thiago at UFC 121
Like
a wounded animal, Sanchez woke up at that moment and dominated
with a big slam on Thiago as he screamed and ran across the cage.
The constant movement and attack from Sanchez started to wear
Thiago down with the Brazilian looking for a breath, and Sanchez
not giving him one.
Taking
a page out of Thiago’s book, Sanchez took the Brazilian’s
back, locked on a body triangle and started to work for a rear
naked choke. Believing in his experience, Thiago survived, but
was just zapped for energy as Sanchez surged once again.
While
Sanchez promised a return to 155lbs after this fight, he looked
none the worse for wear as he punished a legit top ten welterweight
for the better part of 15 minutes.
“My
motto for this camp was just earn it,” Sanchez said. “Just
earn it. I worked very hard for this.”
The
return to mentor and coach Greg Jackson could be a game changer
for Sanchez, who had left the camp a few years earlier. If his
work continues like his fight on Saturday night, Sanchez could
be on his way to title contention form once again.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Cain
comments on knockout and looks ahead: “Cigano is the best
striker in the UFC”
Cain
Velasquez notched the ninth win on his unbeaten record this Saturday
and UFC 121, and to boot, took Brock Lesnar’s heavyweight
belt. The knockout came while still in the opening round, but
it was no easy task, as he had a giant in his face, and the giant
came on like a tidal wave at the outset.
“We
knew his game plan was to go on the attack, but I was surprised
by how he came at me early on. I kind of froze for a second.
I wasn’t as relaxed as I should have been, but I feel that,
after he took me down, I though to myself: ‘OK, relax,’”
he said at the post-event press conference.
“I
knew the referee wasn’t going to stop the fight for nothing.
I wasn’t just throwing punches like a madman,” he added.
Now
Cain turns his attention to his likely next opponent, Junior
“Cigano” dos Santos.
“I
have to become a better fighter, I have to continue to evolve.
I feel Junior dos Santos is the best standing fighter in the
heavyweight division, so he’s extremely tough,” he
said in praise.
“He
has great takedown defense, he gets up quick when taken down,
and he’s really relaxed when boxing, so I definitely have
to work hard to beat him,” said the new champion in closing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Paulo
Filho: “I have heavy hands too”
Former
WEC middleweight champion and one of the stars of the extinct
Pride, Paulo Filho is back to Brazilian events and will make
the main fight of the fifth edition of First Class Fight, which
happens today on Ibirapuera, Sao Paulo. His enemy will be Marco
Antonio “Pezão”, on light heavyweight bout.
After
confronting Denis Kang in Australia, last June, on a fight that
was supposed to be the finale of the middleweight GP of Pride
if the Brazilian wasn’t injured, Paulo is ready for his
comeback and will have his first fight in Sao Paulo. “There’re
no doubts that Sao Paulo, as the largest market center of Brazil,
has a great option, which is FCF”, affirmed. Training in
Rio de Janeiro along with Murilo Bustamante, former middleweight
champion of UFC, Paulo Filho, who has only one loss on his career,
predicts a complicated fight, but guarantees to be prepared for
it. “He’s great on the trade of punches and I have
a good ground game, but I have heavy hands too”.
How
was the final phase of the trainings for FCF?
I’ve
trained a lot for this fight. I was on a strong period of training,
making only few adjustments. I have some proposals for bouts
outside Brazil in great events, so this way I can keep my strong
rhythm of trainings. Murilo Bustamante will be on my corner.
Who
are your training partners for this fight?
I
have great training partners here in Niteroi. Alexandre “Bebezão”
and Felipe Mongo helped me a lot. I also have to thank Baioneta,
who’s a great friend of mine and also helps me a lot. Unfortunately,
Distak couldn’t train me during that period. He’s too
busy with work, but I want great things for him and we’re
still connected and we keep in touch.
How
does it feel to have a bout on the light heavyweight division?
I’m
fine on this weight class. Actually, it’s the weight I’m
more comfortable to fight. I have difficulties fighting huge
guys… This is my division.
How
will it be like to fight for the first time in Sao Paulo?
I’m
a professional athlete and as one, I always go for the best opportunities.
There’re no doubts that Sao Paulo, as the largest market
center of Brazil, has a great option, which is FCF. The organization,
credibility also counts a lot. Roberto Godoi and Tiago Cruz,
the matchmakers of the event, are awesome as professionals. We
have common friends that brings us closer and make it possible
for me to have my first fight in Sao Paulo… Apart from the
jokes, FCF reward financially its athletes and that’s crucial
for an event to be successful.
How
do you analyzed “Pezão”, your opponent for this
fight?
As
I’ve said before and I’ll say again, I’m a professional
and I don’t pick opponents, unlike many other we see around
here. I’ve watched some fight of him… He’s great
on the trade of punches and I have a good ground game, but I
have heavy hands too. The fight always gives us different opportunities
and that’s what I’m ready for. We have a game plan,
but the odds don’t come along that easily, we have to be
ready for anything.
Source: Tatame
|
Hamill
Takes Unanimous Decison Over Ortiz
“The
Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz coached Matt Hamill
on “The Ultimate Fighter 3,” but it was Hamill handing
out the lessons at UFC 121 grounding and pounding Ortiz to a
unanimous decision victory.
Ortiz
was coming off successful neck surgery and said he was 100-percent
heading into the bout with his former pupil. He came out aggressive,
pushing the pace early in the opening round. Hamill secured a
takedown and Ortiz quickly worked his way back to his feet. It
looked for a moment that Ortiz was back.
That
quickly faded as the fight wore on and Hamill utilized his superior
wrestling to get Ortiz to the ground and unleashed a ground and
pound assault reminiscent of Ortiz in his prime.
The
condition of their faces told the tale.
Hamill
thanked his former coach following the fight and said it was
an honor to fight him.
“I’m
happy that this fight is over because I had a lot of pressure
heading into this fight. I feel like I controlled the wrestling.
That’s something I wanted to prove because Tito is such
a good wrestler. I was able to control him and I still have a
lot of work to do but a win over Tito is huge,” said Hamill
in his in-Octagon interview.
“I
didn’t get to celebrate my birthday because of training
camp. But now I get to go back and spend time with my daughter
and go pick her up from school.”
For
Ortiz, it was his third loss in a row. The last time the former
titleholder tasted victory was in Oct. of 2006.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Rogério
Pezão’s win over Paulão: “I showed what
I can do”
The
over 2,500 MMA fans who made the trip to the Mauri Piniheiro
gymnasium this Saturday witnessed an historic bout in the main
event of the fifth installment of First Class Fight. In a lively
bout, the undefeated Marcos Rogério “Pezão”
won a unanimous decision over Paulo Filho.
With
a long career in the sport, most notable for his performances
in the now-defunct Pride event and as the former champion of
the WEC, Paulão had only lost once prior to yesterday’s
fight. His first came at the hands of Chael Sonnen. Now Pezão
counts nine fights and nine wins in MMA.
Egged
on by the crowd, which grew in excitement as he stepped into
the cage, Pezão took the initiative from the opening bell.
With solid crosses permeating Paulão’s guard, as
well as high kicks and knees, he wore away at his opponent’s
resistance.
Paulo
Filho went to the clinch to defend himself and even managed a
well-landed takedown early on, but that was one of his few flashes
of brilliance in the fight. Pezão thereafter did well
in defending against Filho’s takedown attempts.
Marcos
Rogério was the better fighter in the two rounds that
followed.
Even
when he was in bottom position on the ground and Paulão
tried to execute his famed ground-and-pound, Pezão dominated
and controlled the action until the judges made their decision.
“I
showed what I can do. I beat a really famous guy, a really tough
guy, and now I want to fly even higher. I’m going to make
it to the UFC,” stated Pezão, while still in the
octagon.
In
the evening’s other fights, Daniel Sarafian defeated Maurício
Alonso by decision; Fábio Negão submitted Rodrigo
Ximbica; Flávio Álvaro knocked out Samuel Quito,
and black belt Murilo Santana submitted Jorge Michelan.
Check
out the complete results:
FCF
V
São Paulo, Brazil
October 23, 2010
Marco
Pezão defeated Paulo Filho via unanimous decision
Daniel
Sarafian defeated Maurício Alonso via split decision
Fábio
Negão defeated Rodrigo Ximbica via second-round submission
Flávio
Álvaro defeated Samuel Quito via first-round knockout
Murilo
Santana defeated Jorge Michelan via second-round submission
Marcio
Costa defeated Matheus Serafim via first-round desistance
Udi
Lima defeated Paulo Snups via second-round knockout
Alexandre
Popó defeated Luiz Rogério via first-round submission
Caio
Jacaré defeated Rafael Bueno via split decision
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
121 Results
Anaheim Pond/Honda Center
October 23, 2010
Gilbert
Yvel vs. Jon Madsen
Round 1
Boos showering the cage as the fighters circle for the first
minute. The impatient crowd is soon rewarded with a double-leg
takedown and sustained ground and pound from Madsen. Referee
"Big" John McCarthy decides Yvel has had enough and
steps in at 1:48 of the first round keeping Madsen's perfect
ledger clean.
Dongi
Yang vs. Chris Camozzi
Round 1
Yang lands a nice lowkick to Camozzi's lead right leg to open
the action. Camozzi tries to answer with a kick of his own but
Yang catches it and snags double underhooks and plants him to
the mat. Yang lands a few decent hammerfists but Camozzi gets
to his knees and turns into Yang and takes top position. Yang
doesn't allow him to set up for long before getting back to his
feet. Camozzi grabs Yang in the Thai clinch and lands some hard
knees. Yang answers with a slew of lead left hooks and crosses.
Yang lands a particularly hard left cross in the rounds closing
seconds and cements the round on the Sherdog card 10-9.
Round
2
Yang rushes forward and cracks Camozzi with yet another left.
He then drops down and picks his ankle and sinks him to the floor.
He quickly moves to his back but flips over the top when he misses
putting in his right hook. Camozzi gets to his feet but Yang
is unrelenting and lands a two-piece combo followed by a knee.
The pace is slowing considerably but Camozzi still has enough
steam to land a hard knee to the body. Camozzi shoots a single
and tries to run the pipe but Yang defends and cracks him with
right hook at the 10 second warning. Sherdog.com scores the frame
10-9 for Yang.
Round
3
Camozzi comes alive in the third, he absorbs a solid left and
answers with a knee-buckling left cross that wobbled Yang. Camozzi
launches another barrage that draws blood from the mouth of the
Korean. Yang is visibly winded. Yang answers back with another
right hook. Yang takes the back clinch and Camozzi escapes after
missing on a Kimura. The fighters trade blows -- Camozzi with
knees and Yang with right hands -- up to the horn. Sherdog scores
the period 10-9 for Camozzi.
The
official scores are 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 giving Chris Camozzi
the split-decision win.
Sam
Stout vs. Paul Taylor
Round 1
Stout lands a booming inside low kick to start off the fight.
The clapping sound of the impact echoed in the arena. Taylor
answers with a kick of his own but Stout is too fast for him
early on. He lands a one-two that backs Taylor to the cage. Taylor
begins to find his range with kicks to the body but Stout repeatedly
lands a chopping right overhand as Taylor tries to back out.
Taylor slips a four-punch combo and hammers Stout with a right
hook. Taylor looks to be settling into the fight but Stout hits
a double-leg right at the clapper. Sherdog scores the period
10-9 for Taylor.
Round
2
Stout goes back to the inside kicks to Taylor's lead leg to begin
the second. Taylor answers with punches and Stout retaliates.
This is turning into a bit of a slugfest. Stout throws a three
punch combo followed by a digging left hook to the body. Taylor
hits him back with a hard right. Stout catches a kick and drops
Taylor with a right. The Brit is right back up and catches Stout
with another right hand and Stout answers with a right to the
body. Taylor misses a pair of weak takedown attempts and eats
a weak knee. Taylor lands another flurry of punches and Stout
again answers with a one-two as the round ends. Sherdog scores
the period 10-9 for Taylor.
Round
3
Taylor opens the scoring in the final stanza with a three-punch
combo and a kick to Stout's body. Taylor looks comfortable in
the pocket and he keeps landing the better shots here in the
third. Nice one-two with a low kick from Taylor. Stout puts Taylor
down to a knee with a kick to his legs, Taylor is right back
up. He is back on the attack and hammers Stout with a right hand.
Stout lands a good left hook and misses on a takedown. Stout
blasts him again with another left hook and Taylor's feeble takedown
leaves him on the floor with Stout trying to punch at the final
horn. Sherdog scores it 10-9 for Taylor.
The
official scores read 29-28, 28-29 and 30-27, giving Stout a split
decision win and the crowd reason to boo the judges for a second
consecutive fight.
Michael
Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts
Round 1
Roberts blasts Guymon with a hard low kick in the initial exchange.
Guymon tries to walk him down but gets tripped up on his way
in and Roberts attacks with a four-punch combo before locking
on a guillotine. He transitions to the anaconda and rolls Guymon
over to finish the submission. Guymon taps at 1:13 giving Roberts
his second UFC win.
Patrick
Cote vs. Tom Lawlor
Round 1
Lawlor comes out aggressive immediately, using his jab and bullying
Cote against the cage. Lawlor is peppering his knee into Cote's
quad. Lawlor drops for a double and finishes it. Cote wraps up
a closed guard. Lawlor stays busy from top position, and Cote
is offering nothing in the way of a submission attempt. Lawlor
passes to side control, but Cote manages to recover half guard.
Lawlor is pressing the French Canadian up against the fence,
and now he's looking for an arm triangle. He locks it up, but
Cote rolls away from the pressure, giving up his back. Lawlor
tries for the rear naked choke to end the round, but Cote shucks
him off. After the round ends, video replay shows that Cote illegally
used the fence to escape the arm triangle.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Lawlor
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Lawlor
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Lawlor
Round
2
After a short feeling out process to start the second frame,
Lawlor again rushes forward, pressing his opponent against the
fence. Cote is looking for an arm-in guillotine that eventually
turns into a whizzer after the choke fails. Lawlor executes a
takedown, and Cote is looking to hit a switch of his butt. Lawlor
is having none of it, however, as he maintains top control from
Cote's guard. Cote scrambles to his feet and tries for some uppercuts
as he's in Lawlor's Thai plum, but Lawlor drops levels and finishes
a double. Cote is looking for a kimura from half guard, but it's
a futile attempt. After some repetitive ground and pound, referee
John McCarthy stands the men up. Lawlor lands a nice counter
right hook to end the round.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Lawlor
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Lawlor
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Lawlor
Round
3
Lawlor engages Cote briefly on the feet before executing a nice
double leg. Lawlor passes to side control, again looking for
an arm triangle. Cote recovers half guard. McCarthy repeatedly
warns Lawlor about blows to the back of Cote's head. Lawlor passes
to mount, but Cote recovers half guard before any damage is done.
“The Filthy Mauler” is living up to his name, finding
a home for his punches on the ground. Cote bucks his hips and
nearly escapes to his feet, but Lawlor falls on top of him, recovering
top position. Big John again stands the pair up. Lawlor again
hits a double leg, passing immediately to half guard. Lawlor
is in cruise control, and Cote has no answer for Lawlor's grappling
superiority.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Lawlor (30-27 Lawlor)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Lawlor (30-27 Lawlor)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Lawlor (30-26 Lawlor)
Official
scores: 30-27 across the board for Tom Lawlor, the winner by
unanimous decision.
Court
McGee vs. Ryan Jensen
Round 1
The fighters touch gloves to start, and Jensen throws a one two.
McGee counters with a nice straight right hand. Jensen drops
McGee with a sharp left jab, but McGee springs right back up.
Jensen clinches and executes a beautiful outside leg trip, passing
to half guard. McGee is struggling to his feet, but Jensen lands
several knees and punches on his way up. Both men are now back
on their feet, and Jensen throws a hard high kick that McGee
blocks. That looked painful. Jensen lands an overhand right.
McGee answers back with a straight right, but he looks stiff
on his feet. Jensen lands another hard right hand, but McGee
is hanging in there. McGee ducks another deadly high kick from.
McGee sneaks a straight right hand in between Jensen's guard,
but Jensen is throwing with much more power.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Jensen
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Jensen
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Jensen
Round
2
The pair again touch gloves in round two. Both men trade leg
kicks and wing punches from the outside. McGee lands a sharp
right straight to the body. Jensen is looking a bit ragged now,
and he's throwing a lot of power into his strikes. McGee lands
a beautiful right hook that wobbles Jensen. Jensen tries for
a takedown, but McGee throws him off. Jensen is breathing heavy
now, and his nose is bloody. He almost executes an incredible
throw, but McGee manages to keep his balance and recover. Both
men are landing shots on their feet. McGee is just a hair quicker
in this second round, but Jensen is still dangerous with his
back to the fence. McGee lands a pretty overhand right. Jensen
finds a home for his left hook and executes a body-lock takedown,
landing in side control to end the round.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 McGee
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 McGee
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 McGee
Round
3
McGee looks like a totally different fighter now. He lands a
sweet left hook and follows it up, picking Jensen up and slamming
him near the fence. McGee passes to mount and is dropping some
serious elbows now. Jensen attempts a hip escape, but McGee denies
him. McGee is looking for an arm triangle, and Jensen taps to
the choke at 1:21 of round three.
Brendan
Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Round 1
Referee Jason Herzog officiates the first bout of the main card.
The heavyweights touch gloves and Gonzaga takes the center as
Schaub circles outside. Overhand right and leg kick land for
Schaub, and Gonzaga connects with a hard low kick of his own.
Schaub looking to establish his left jab, catches the leg of
Gonzaga on a kick and hits the Brazilian with a hard right hand
over the top. Quick one-twos from Schaub are keeping Gonzaga
at bay, though they’re not all landing flush. Left high
kick from Gonzaga is blocked, but he lands the follow-up right
low kick. Gonzaga looking very tentative, finally comes inside
with a combo and gets rocked by a counter from Schaub, who starts
to tee off and drops Gonzaga in the final seconds of the round.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Schaub
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Schaub
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Schaub
Round
2
Gonzaga comes out lobbing outside low kicks at the left leg of
Schaub, who’s still pumping his left jab into “Napao’s”
face at will. A pair of lefts and right land for Schaub and send
Gonzaga backward. Schaub ties up with Gonzaga and lands a few
short-range uppercuts, misses on the exit knee. Gonzaga mounting
little in the way of offense in the final minute as Schaub lands
single shots.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Schaub
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Schaub
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Schaub
Round
3
Gonzaga shoots, but Schaub sprawls well and stays vertical. More
left jabs from Schaub, who’s busily circling as Gonzaga
remains an easy target in the center of the cage. Gonzaga lands
a single leg kick, and then tries for a head kick, but it’s
blocked. Inside thigh kick from Gonzaga appears to catch Schaub
low, but “The Hybrid” waves it off. Schaub still looking
fresh with 90 seconds left in the bout, but doesn’t seem
to be looking for the kill. Gonzaga trying to come forward, but
Schaub’s on his bike and keeping the Brazilian at range.
Schaub shoots in the waning moments, Gonzaga sprawls, and nearly
sinks in a rear-naked choke at the buzzer, but it’s too
late.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-10 (30-28 Schaub)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Schaub (30-27 Schaub)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Schaub (30-27 Schaub)
Official
scores: 30-27 across the board for Brendan Schaub, the winner
by unanimous decision.
Tito
Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill
Round 1
Right off the bat, Ortiz lands a left head kick to the jaw of
a ducking Hamill. He tries another kick, which is caught by Hamill,
and Ortiz is dragged down. The veteran pops back up to his feet,
but he’s now sporting a small cut on the right side of his
head. Again, Ortiz goes high with the left kick, then switches
up with an inside leg kick. Ortiz comes forward with a one-two
and lands the left, then follows up with a kick inside. Ortiz
parlays a missed spinning back fist into a combination. Hamill
keeping his hands low as Ortiz puts his left jab in his face.
The buzzer sounds and Hamill tags Ortiz with a punch, just a
second late. Ortiz sporting a cut or mouse under his right eye
at the end of the round.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hamill
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Ortiz
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Ortiz
Round
2
The men trade leg kicks, Hamill lands a right, and Ortiz counters
with a left to the body. Head kick by Hamill, then a few to the
legs. Ortiz goes low for a single-leg, which is easily shirked
by Hamill. They clinch briefly and Tito lands a solid knee to
the body. Hamill feints a right over the top, then digs one to
Ortiz’s body, which Tito answers with one to Hamill’s
ribs. Right hand from Ortiz has Hamill going backward, and Ortiz
rushes him into the fence with a jump knee. They circle out and
Hamill easily takes Ortiz down in the center of the cage. Hamill
lands a few elbows working from Ortiz’s closed guard as
the former champ throws his legs up, angling for a submission.
A few short, hard left hands from “The Hammer,” and
Ortiz rolls for a leg. Hamill extracts his appendage and passes
to Ortiz’s left, and begins looking to isolate Tito’s
arm for a crucifix. Ortiz puts Hamill back in half-guard as the
round ends.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hamill
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Hamill
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Hamill
Round
3
Hamill opens the final round with a jab-uppercut combo. Ortiz
lands a right, then a left round kick to the body. Hamill double-pumps
his left jab into Ortiz’s face, and begins landing that
punch with great frequency, another four or five times. Ortiz
lands a slow-but-solid kick to the midsection, shoots in and
is sprawled on by Hamill. Two minutes left and the fight looks
to be up for grabs still. Ortiz swarms with a four-punch combo,
and Hamill responds by plowing him into the mat. The wrestler
works from half-guard, trying to pass to Ortiz’s right.
With a minute left, Hamill starts to go wild with punches and
elbows from the top. Ortiz tries to escape, but Hamill grabs
a loose guillotine, and that’s where it ends.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hamill (30-27 Hamill)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Hamill (29-28 Hamill)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Hamill (29-28 Hamill)
Official
scores: 29-28 (twice) and 30-27 for Matt Hamill, winner by unanimous
decision.
Paulo
Thiago vs. Diego Sanchez
Round 1
Jason Herzog back in the cage to referee this welterweight contest.
Sanchez lobbing combinations at Thiago to open, but it’s
Thiago stalking forward from the center of the cage. The Brazilian
slips a punch and pops Sanchez with a left, prompting Sanchez
to shoot. Thiago stuffs it and backs Sanchez into the fence,
looking for a trip. Sanchez changes levels, can’t get Thiago
down, and eats a knee from Paulo on the way back up. They disengage
and Sanchez goes back to winging combos from out of range as
Thiago wades in. Thiago gets double underhooks and trips Sanchez
down, now working from Sanchez’s half-guard. Thiago tries
to lock up a brabo choke from half-guard, can’t finish it,
and Sanchez gets to his feet. Sanchez swinging wild combos at
Thiago, backing him into the fence. Thiago snakes an arm around
the neck of Sanchez as Diego goes for a leg, but both men relent
and the round expires.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Thiago
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Thiago
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Thiago
Round
2
Thiago sends Sanchez backward into the fence with a straight
left, the swarms with a nice six-punch combo. In a scramble,
Sanchez winds up in mount, but Thiago squeaks out and stuffs
“The Nightmare” back to half-guard. Thiago looking
to isolate Sanchez’s left arm, but Sanchez frees the limb.
Thiago hits Sanchez in the back of the head with an elbow, and
Sanchez looks to be hurt by it, but referee Herzog quickly restarts
them. Thiago looks to have good position for a kimura, but Sanchez
stands and gets free. He dives back into Thiago’s guard,
but Thiago executes a tremendous elevator sweep to get to his
feet. Sanchez lifts Thiago up and runs about 10 paces, screaming,
before slamming Thiago to the mat. Sanchez pounding Thiago with
punches against the fence as he tries to take the back of the
Brazilian. He gets the desired position, but rides too high and
slips off. Back on the feet, Thiago connects with a few solid
punches just as time runs out.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Sanchez
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Sanchez
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Sanchez
Round
3
Thiago, sporting cuts under both eyes, comes out sucking wind
and immediately looks to trip Sanchez down. Sanchez comes out
on top, and works to pass to Thiago’s left. Again, Thiago
tries the kimura on Sanchez’s right arm, and again Sanchez
muscles free. Sanchez hops on a rolling Thiago’s back, locks
up a body triangle and begins looking for a rear-naked choke.
Now, Sanchez softens him up with some punches from back mount,
and Thiago rolls to his side. Sanchez takes full mount on top,
and Thiago gives up his back again. Sanchez falls off, Thiago
stands and falls to his back, then catches a charging Sanchez
with a hard upkick. Sanchez stays with it and into Thiago’s
half-guard. Brief leglock attempt from Thiago, but it’s
easily shaken by Sanchez. Thiago catches another Brabo choke
in a scramble. Sanchez gets free and winds up on top with 30
seconds remaining, stacking Thiago up and teeing off with ground-and-pound
to the final buzzer.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Sanchez (29-28 Sanchez)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Sanchez (29-28 Sanchez)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Sanchez (29-28 Sanchez)
Official
scores: 29-28 (twice) and 30-26 for the winner by unanimous decision,
Diego Sanchez.
Jake
Shields vs. Martin Kampmann
Round 1
“Big” John McCarthy referees the evening’s co-main
event. Shields wades in and immediately puts Kampmann’s
back to the fence, and then drags the Dane down in the middle
of the cage. Shields briefly passes to the side, but Kampmann
does well to control Shields’ upper body and put the former
Strikeforce champ back in half-guard. Shields flattens Kampmann
out, extracts his left leg and hops into mount. Kampmann bucks
loose and backs into the fence as Shields immediately looks for
another takedown. Shields doggedly going after the leg of Kampmann,
can’t find the takedown and resolves to clinching along
the fence with over-unders. They break and Shields begins putting
his left jab in Kampmann’s face, following up with inside
leg kicks. Shields shoots, Kampmann sprawls well, and they resume
striking. Shields ends the round looking for another takedown.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Shields
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Shields
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Shields
Round
2
Kampmann landing pattering combinations to open, then throws
a leg kick which is checked. Shields changes levels and Kampmann
sprawls. Shields tries to bully Kampmann against the cage, and
Kampmann brings Shields to his knees with a hard knee. Kampmann
snares what looks to be a tight guillotine, but Shields is unperturbed
and presses forward. Kampmann pops back to his feet, lands some
knees to the body from the Thai plum which cause Shields -- now
bleeding from his nose -- to give an exasperated glance at the
clock. Shields gets Kampmann down, while being warned by McCarthy
not to grab his opponent’s shorts, and takes mount. Kampmann
stuffs him back, Shields mounts again, and once more Kampmann
bucks free. Back on the feet, they clinch against the cage and
“Big John” restarts them. As the round ends, McCarthy
warns Shields that he’ll deduct a point next time he grabs
Kampmann’s trunks.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Kampmann
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Kampmann
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Kampmann
Round
3
Shields lobs a few kicks to the legs and body before shooting
for a single-leg, which Kampmann stuffs with ease. They repeat
the sequence twice more, and Shields winds up turtling as Kampmann
lands elbows and knees to his side. Kampmann looks for a Brabo
choke, but quickly releases it, opting to elbow the tired Shields
on the ground. Kampmann tries the choke again and gets swept
for his trouble. Shields passes to Kampmann’s left side
and Kampmann rolls, giving up his back. Shields locks up a body
triangle as Kampmann tries to stand. Shields trying to soften
Kampmann up for the rear-naked choke to the final buzzer.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Shields (29-28 Shields)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-10 (28-28 Draw)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Shields (29-28 Shields)
Official
scores:
29-28 Shields
29-28 Kampmann
30-27 Shields
Jake
Shields takes the split decision in his UFC debut.
Brock
Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez
Round 1
Veteran ref Herb Dean oversees this heavyweight title bout. No
touch of gloves as Lesnar rushes Velasquez immediately and ties
up. The men trade knees and Velasquez lands a few punches before
Lesnar drives him down. Cain quickly back to his feet and Lesnar
presses him into the fence. Lesnar holding onto a high grip on
both of Velasquez legs as Cain widens his base. Lesnar dumps
him to the mat, and again Cain’s back up quickly. Velasquez
shoots a single, and Lesnar turns over. Velasquez rides on the
side, landing a group of solid punches to the head before Lesnar
gets back up. The champion is stumbling and falling all over
the cage, either injured or off-balance. Velasquez lands a knee
to the body and Lesnar is definitely hurt this time. Cain pounces,
hammering away at Lesnar from half-guard with punches and elbows.
Still 90 seconds left in the round and Velasquez pounds away
with his knee on Lesnar’s belly. Brock gets back to his
feet briefly, his face now covered in blood, and Cain gets him
back down. Lesnar turtles, Velasquez unloads with a few more
hammerfists and Herb Dean steps in to wave it off. At 4:12 of
the first round, Cain Velasquez is your new UFC heavyweight champion.
Source: Sherdog
|
Aloha
State Championship
Kaiser High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 27, 2010
This
is the third leg of the Hawaii BJJ Triple crown.
The
event will offer prizes in cash for some divisions.
For
more info, go to hawaiitriplecrown.com.
Source: Romolo Barros
|
Kenny
Florian’s Camp Would Love a Shot at Jose Aldo in the UFC
by Damon
Martin
The rumors of Jose Aldo’s defection to the UFC have been
going on for several months now. With the featherweight champion’s
recent destruction of Manny Gamburyan, the Brazilian has made
no secret his eventual desire to test himself at 155 pounds,
possibly in the UFC.
Last
week, UFC president Dana White commented about the likelihood
of bringing Aldo over from the WEC and seeing how he’d do
against the best of the best in the lightweight division.
“From
what I’m hearing, Jose Aldo’s interested in testing
himself at 155 pounds. So probably very soon,” White responded
about a possible move for the Brazilian to the UFC.
In
a recent interview with Tatame.com, Aldo said he was offered
the chance to move over to the UFC and a potential showdown with
top lightweight contender Kenny Florian. Aldo went on to say
that he would likely face WEC featherweight fighter Mark Hominick
instead.
“They
made the proposal. I want to fight, it can be at WEC or in the
UFC,” Aldo said in the interview about the Florian fight.
According
to the report, Aldo’s managers opted to turn down the fight
with Florian and remain at 145 pounds for at least one more championship
bout.
While
nothing has been determined about either fighter’s next
appearance, as far as Kenny Florian’s side, they would love
a shot at Jose Aldo in his UFC debut.
Speaking
with MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday, Florian’s manager, Malki
Kawa, admitted that they’ve never been offered a fight against
Aldo, but would welcome the chance to face the Brazilian in the
UFC.
“I
heard the rumor and we would take the fight if it would have
been (offered),” Kawa responded via text message. “Actually,
we really want that fight.”
Florian
had been rumored to face Evan Dunham in a lightweight fight in
Febuary during the UFC 126 Super Bowl weekend card, but that
fight hasn’t yet come to fruition.
Jose
Aldo’s camp was not available for comment at the time of
publication.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
planned Aldo vs. Florian in December
by Eduardo
Ferreira
WEC featherweight Champion Jose Aldo revealed to TATAME that
he has been offered a fight against Kenny Florian, in which he’d
move up to fight Kenny Florian, in December. According to the
fighter, his managers declined the bout. “They made the
proposal. I wanna fight, it can be at WEC or in the UFC”,
he told TATAME. With the negative, Aldo will face Mark Hominick
in January, while Kenny Florian fights Evan Duham at UFC 126.
Check below an exclusive interview with Aldo, made last Monday,
when he hadn’t mentioned the Florian fight yet.
You are coming from an excellent win on the United States. How
was the repercussion of this win?
Thanks God everything worked out, our game plan worked, so I
was glad about it. I got there two weeks earlier because of the
height, we’ve finished the trainings there because of the
height but things turned out to be just fine. I was very focused
on the day, so I could get there and do a good fight.
How were the Americans with you? How was the repercussion?
People like us try to get there in a good shape so that I can
have a good performance, so the repercussion has always been
great.
Just like with Anderson, people say that on your division there
are no more challenges to you. What do you think about it?
I see some more challenges. Like I’ve said before, I’m
just an employee, so I fight against whoever they tell me to.
I can fight anybody, I respect all fighters, so there’re
many fighters I can fight. Many people speculate about the possibility
of changing divisions, but it’s up to Dedé (André
Pederneiras), Joinha and Ed… Whatever they think is best
for me, we’ll do.
There was a time when you fought on the division above yours,
but then you stepped back. Why didn’t you stay on the heavier
division?
Actually I’ve starter on a lighter division, then changed
to this one and tried the division above, but it’s up to
Dedé and he knows better. When I was fighting on the division
above he thought there were many people of the gym on that division,
and on my division there’s me and Marlon (Sandro) and I
can play pretty hard on this one and I’m the champion, so
I think it’s best for me to stay on this weight division.
Who do you think can be the next challenger to fight you for
the belt?
We have a little time off now, but it’s just a little rest
because I’ll have another belt defense in January and I
think maybe it’ll be against Mark Hominick, who is great
Canadian on KickBoxing. So, I’ll fight in January, but I
still don’t know the date yet.
You are fighting a lot. Every two or three months you have a
fight. Are you enjoying to fight that much in order to keep the
good rhythm?
Yeah. The moment’s good so I think we have to take advantage
of it. As the fight ends they ask me when I can fight again and
Dedé says we need about three months for preparation…
In January it’ll be three months later, so we’ll fight
then.
In case of victory, do you think about giving a try on a heavier
division just to see how does it feel like, as Anderson Silva
did?
Well, for now I’m much focused on my belt defense, and if
God helps me we’ll get a win, but we do think about it,
not only because of this fight, but also because of the previous
ones and because the Americans want to see it, but it’s
not up to me… If Dana wants to put me there, we’ll
fight.
As for now, are you taking a time off, helping your training
partners? What are you up to?
I
got here last week and I’m helping my teammates, it’s
good for the union of the group. I took a week off on the United
States, but I’m back and I’m helping my friends…
We stand back for each other so that we keep ourselves on the
top.
Source: Tatame
|
Donald
Cerrone vs. Chris Horodecki Set for WEC 53
By Matt
Erickson
After Donald Cerrone dominated Jamie Varner for a unanimous decision
win at WEC 51 last month, he extended an open invitation to rematch
in Varner's Phoenix home for WEC 53.
After
the bout, WEC general manager Reed Harris told MMA Fighting he'd
let the two fight each other on every card if he could, but wouldn't
commit to the possibility of a third fight between them in December.
Now
it appears both Cerrone and Varner will be fighting on the promotion's
Dec. 16 show in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Ariz. –
but not against each other.
Cerrone
(12-3, 1 NC, 5-3 WEC) will fight former IFL world grand prix
finalist Chris Horodecki (16-2, 2-1 WEC) on the event's main
card. MMA Weekly was first to report the news on Thursday and
sources close to the promotion confirmed the fight with MMA Fighting.
Sources
also told MMA Fighting that Varner is likely to be added to the
card, giving him a chance to fight in front of his home fans
for the first time in nearly five years. Varner said as much
on his Twitter feed yesterday: "... looks like I may be
fighting in my home town on Dec 16!"
Cerrone
is coming off arguably the biggest win of his MMA career, avenging
a 20-month-old loss to Varner in a lightweight title fight at
WEC 38. Cerrone has been up and down since the loss to Varner,
which was the first of his career, and hasn't won consecutive
fights since 2008. He has twice lost to current lightweight champ
Ben Henderson – once for the interim lightweight title while
Varner recovered from injuries suffered in the first Cerrone
fight and again at WEC 48 for the belt.
Horodecki
was highly touted when he signed with the WEC, but dropped his
debut with the promotion in the first round against Anthony Njokuani
at WEC 45. He rebounded with a submission win over Danny Downes
at WEC 49 in June and at WEC 51, he won a close split decision
against Ed Ratcliff.
WEC
53 will take place at the Jobing.com Arena and the main card
will air live on the Versus cable network. It will be the first
Zuffa event to take place in Arizona. The location was selected
by fans in a promotion with Amp Energy.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
The
World’s Greatest McDojo
by Tomas
Rios
ELMWOOD
PARK, N.J. -- Walk through any neighborhood in New York, and
odds are, you will see one. The glimmering equipment spreads
out over hundreds of square feet, dotted with everything from
grappling mats to heavy bags. Each facility looks like a neophyte
mixed martial artist’s dream, but they seem more likely
to draw belly laughs than anything else. Welcome to Tiger Schulmann’s
Mixed Martial Arts -- the best McDojo around.
The
term “McDojo” has long been the ultimate putdown for
any school that teaches the kind of “martial arts”
that are more tragic comedy than sound self-defense. Some still
stick that tag on Tiger Schulmann’s MMA, thanks mostly to
the chain’s previous incarnation as Tiger Schulmann’s
Karate.
A
karate dojo masquerading as a mixed martial arts gym is hardly
new. Ever since the UFC evolved into an obscenely profitable
business, traditional martial arts schools have been tacking
on faux Brazilian jiu-jitsu and muay Thai classes. However, the
explanation is not quite so simple when it comes to the how and
why behind Schulmann’s switch to MMA.
The
answer is a long one, more of a story, really, and it starts
in Germany.
The
Ghetto, Martial Arts and Nationalism
As
World War II raged, living in Germany was a dangerous proposition
for anyone who was not buying into Adolf Hitler’s propaganda.
The Schulmann family had to make a choice.
“My
grandfather decided to leave Nazi Germany because of everything
that was going on, so he just gathered his stuff and took his
three boys with him, including my father, David.” Schulmann
says in a reserved tone that fits the stark subject matter. “There
was no way to get to America, so they went east and ended up
living in a Shanghai ghetto.”
Growing
up in China during the Japanese occupation made for a unique
experience. While the Japanese military was notoriously cruel
to the native Chinese population, the Schulmann family’s
European appearance kept them as safe as they could have been
under such circumstances. That tenuous grip on safety was mostly
lost on young David Schulmann, who spent his days entranced by
imagery that would serve as fuel for the following generation
of the Schulmann family’s success.
“My
father would sneak out of the ghetto and watch the Japanese military
do their formations and martial arts drills from behind a chain
link fence … just watching them do that all day, he grew
to admire their strength and discipline,” Schulmann says,
as he unconsciously creates a fist with his hands. “It was
something he wanted for himself and his kids.”
When
Schulmann makes a fist, his knuckles tell a story all their own.
They are calcified, blunt force objects that only come from a
lifetime of fighting. Those knuckles have been putting in work
since before Schulmann knew what to make of girls.
“Eventually,
my family ended up in New York after the war, and because of
the war, my father wanted me to start training,” Schulmann
says. “He wanted me to be tough and he wanted me to learn
martial arts in a Japanese school. So here I am, this 9-year-old
kid, and he drops me, my brother and my cousin at a Mas Oyama
Kyokushinkai Karate school in Spring Valley, N.Y.”
At
first, Schulmann was turned away because of his age, but his
father insisted the school give him a chance. Schulmann, determined
to prove himself, quickly won over the skeptical instructors
and even Mas Oyama, who dubbed him “Tiger” after realizing
his prodigious pupil was born in 1962 -- the Year of the Tiger.
Over
the years, Schulmann stuck with the notoriously brutal training
regimen emphasized by Oyama -- namely full contact, with no pads;
the only limitation was the exclusion of punches to the head.
Schulmann eventually started competing on the full-contact Karate
circuit as a representative of the Mas Oyama Kyokushin Karate
team.
“I
was competing, winning all my tournaments in America. There were
only two weight classes: 165 and under and 165 and over, lightweight
and heavyweight; that was it. I weighed about 135pounds, but
I made it to the World Open Full Contact Karate Championships
in Tokyo at the Budokan. This was in 1979, and I was a 17-year-old
kid fighting men. It didn’t bother me, though. I didn’t
know any different,” Schulmann says before jumping into
an anecdote that made him realize just how serious this tournament
was. “There were no weight classes at the World Open, and
when I first got to the Budokan, I remember it being like the
movie ‘Kickboxer,’ just a big stadium with this huge
gong and a crazy crowd.
“So
I start watching one of the fights, and there’s this huge
guy, like 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, fighting someone maybe a little
bit bigger than me,” he adds. “The big guy hits him
right in the face with a knee kick and totally breaks his jaw.
They put this poor guy on a stretcher, and as soon as they get
him out of there, the next fight starts.”
The
massive slab of humanity that shattered Schulmann’s teenage
illusions of invincibility was Dolph Lundgren. Still, Schulmann
made it to the second round of the tournament and managed to
keep his jaw intact. It was a moral victory quickly overshadowed
by the creep of adulthood and the decisions that go with it.
At
first, Schulmann resolved to go the traditional route and earn
a college education, but the lure of fighting proved too great.
“I
said, ‘Screw it, I’m gonna make a run at it with martial
arts, and I don’t care if I never make any money,’”
Schulmann says without a hint of irony, as he sits inside the
headquarters of the wildly successful business that bears his
name.
The
decision was made all the more complicated by a falling out with
his instructors, a falling out Schulmann maintains was caused
by the Japanese nationalism that pervaded the hierarchy of Mas
Oyama’s dojos.
“I
got a call from one of the Mas Oyama instructors asking me to
go down to this tournament in Alabama on three weeks’ notice.
I didn’t want to go, but they begged me into it, basically,”
Schulmann says. “So, anyway, I get there, and instead of
lightweight being 165, it’s 170. Then I find out that they
did that because there’s this Japanese guy, Hioki, they
were trying to build into a superstar so they could have a Japanese
guy on top, basically.”
The
details are all summoned from memory, since it all happened nearly
30 years ago. Schulmann does recall one event with the utmost
clarity.
“I
wasn’t gonna make a fuss about anything, y’know? I
was there to fight, so I figured I’d fight and whatever
happens, happens,” he says. “At first, I’m handling
him pretty good, but out of nowhere, he kicks me in the balls,
and I knew it was intentional. You fight for long enough, [and]
you learn when someone is hitting you low just to get out of
trouble.”
A
second kick to the groin soon followed and Schulmann, frustrated
that the referee was doing nothing about the situation, warned
his opponent that another foul would end poorly for him. Sure
enough, a third kick to the groin landed, and Schulmann responded
by hitting Hioki with a left hook to the jaw. It got Schulmann
disqualified, but the satisfaction of the knockout was enough
for him.
That
decision fractured his relationship with the entire Mas Oyama
organization and eventually led to his exile.
Schulmann On His Own
Start
of a Revolution
“I
ran my first school out of a conference room in a motel my father
owned -- nothing too formal. Guys would show up and maybe drop
a buck or two in a jar, and I’d teach them what I knew,”
Schulmann says. “With the Oyama organization out of the
picture, I was on my own and just trying to figure out how to
make this work.”
Judging
by the growth of his gyms, he figured it out. His reputation
as a hard-nosed instructor appealed to the blue-collar towns
out of which he operated. The success of one gym begat another,
and Schulmann developed a specific brand of Kyokushin Karate
that could appeal to the average person, even as he held onto
old-school training principles for his most promising, and willing,
students.
How
the most successful chain of Karate dojos in all of America has
morphed into a breeding ground for world-class mixed martial
artists -- all while still appealing to soccer moms looking for
a workout and little kids desperate to be the next Bruce Lee
-- serves as a fascinating study.
“It’s
not that complicated. Around 1995, I started to realize what
Royce Gracie had done in the UFC, and it made me realize I had
to learn this stuff,” Schulmann says. “I had wrestled
all through high school, so I knew a little bit about the ground,
and, having been in lots of street fights as a kid, I knew the
Gracies were right when they said most street fights end up on
the ground.”
Considering
the instinctive grudge most martial artists held against the
sudden dominance of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Schulmann’s view
was progressive beyond belief. He followed through on those views
by training Brazilian jiu-jitsu under renowned trainer John Lewis.
“I
wasn’t really interested in belts or anything like that,
so I just trained no-gi because I thought that was the most realistic
thing to train,” Schulmann says. “Around the same time,
I started to look at what I was teaching people. We were teaching
people a hard style of karate, but when we weren’t sparring,
we were doing forms.”
Forms,
or katas, are the building block of many traditional martial
arts. They are supposed to instill technique and discipline in
students, but Schulmann’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu training opened
his eyes to some hard realities.
“We
were bulls--tting people, basically, wasting all this time on
forms, and when we sat down and really thought about it, none
of us really believed in it that much,” Schulmann says.
“On top of that, you had all these jiu-jitsu guys winning
in MMA, and none of them spent half their training time doing
forms. Everything was practical.”
The
emphasis on practicality led to Schulmann starting the gradual
process of turning Tiger Schulmann’s Karate into Tiger Schulmann’s
MMA. First to go were the forms. In their place was basic grappling,
along the same lines as the basic kickboxing that gradually replaced
the traditional Kyokushin Karate.
“Basically,
I teach martial arts for the common man. Now, every once in a
while, you get someone who has the talent and desire to take
it farther than just a way to work out,” Schulmann says.
“The guys who make up my MMA team are guys who stepped in
a Tiger Schulmann’s gym and wanted to keep on getting better
and better.”
Urijah
Hall
At first, the idea of a Tiger Schulmann’s MMA team was little
more than a joke. The team was viewed as a glorified bunch of
Karate students with no real understanding or respect for MMA.
Any time the team was brought up amongst fans, forums would light
up with generic one-liners and the kind of vitriol reserved for
pretenders and hacks.
The
situation did not get much better when Mike Stine, a Tiger Schulmann’s
MMA product, got bounced by Kalib Starnes in one-sided fashion
on the first episode of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season
3. Conspiracy theories quickly formed around the idea that Schulmann
himself had bought Stine a spot by purchasing some of the show’s
commercial slots to advertise his gym.
“I’ve
never even spoken to [UFC President] Dana White, but I’m
somehow pulling strings for my guys behind the scenes? Come on.
The team was young back then, and Mike didn’t have Kalib’s
experience. That’s all it was,” Schulmann says, as
his usually calm, confident voice starts to bubble with anger
over the way his team -- his life’s work -- has been so
casually dismissed by people who know next to nothing about him.
“It
bothered me at times, but I knew I was doing things the right
way, and I knew I’d get the team to where it is now,”
he adds, his eyes lighting up as he touts the accomplishments
of pupils such as King of the Cage champion Jimmie Rivera and
Bellator Fighting Championships titleholder Lyman Good. “Now
we have guys in big shows winning fights, and this is really
just the beginning. Lots of the guys I have now will go on to
win in the big shows, and that’s only gonna bring more people
to the team.”
His
vision for the future is bold: a growing chain of dojos throughout
the Northeast and beyond constantly taking in random people off
the street and refining a select few into world-class athletes.
Fans
of MMA have often bemoaned the fact that most mixed martial artists
do not start training for the sport until they hit their 20s.
Most of Schulmann’s best students have been training with
him since before they knew what to think about the opposite sex.
Nice
McDojo You’ve Got Here
A
microcosm of Tiger Schulmann’s MMA team unfolds during one
of its jarringly intense sparring sessions. Stephan Regman, 19,
a gangly wisp of a kid, spars with stone-faced 30-year-old Carlos
Brooks. Regman seems to be holding his own at first, but Brooks
traps him in a corner and lands a textbook spinning back kick
to the ribs.
Schulmann
immediately starts barking encouragement at his young ward, and
Regman, despite being in obvious pain, keeps his defense tight
and manages to stay upright for the remainder of the interval.
As soon as the buzzer rings, Schulmann walks Regman through the
correct counter to a spinning back kick. Regman soaks up the
knowledge and a fresh round of sparring is called for with the
youngster pitted against Uriah Hall, a once-beaten professional
in a foul mood after recently surrendering his undefeated record
to Chris Weidman.
Regman,
light on his feet, pumps his jab in an effort to keep Hall from
lining him up for a big shot. Suddenly, though, his angles are
cut off, and Hall whips a spinning back kick at him. He slips
to the left and pops Hall in the face with a crisp right cross.
A
smile lights up Regman’s face. Schulmann nods ever so slightly.
Just another day in the world’s greatest McDojo.
Source: Sherdog
|
You
Think MMA is Big Now? You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
By E. Spencer
Kyte
Dana White has famously called mixed martial arts the “fastest
growing sport in the world” on numerous occasions.
With the ever-increasing popularity of the UFC and the countless
promotions cropping up across the globe hoping to emulate the
biggest brand in the business, the boisterous UFC President could
certainly be right.
What
makes the assertion even more impressive is that in all reality,
the sport is still in the infancy stage, and as it continues
to grow outside of North America, mixed martial arts has the
potential to become a truly global phenomenon that rivals soccer.
If
you think I’m exaggerating, take a look at the number of
British fighters competing this weekend at UFC 120.
Four
of the five main card bouts feature a Brit, and the lone bout
which doesn’t contain a British national involves Cheick
Kongo, a French heavyweight who trains with one of England’s
premier teams at Wolfslair Academy. On the preliminary portion
of the event, four more Britons are competing, bringing the event
total to eight.
In
addition to the quintet of countrymen fighting on this card,
the UFC ranks contain a number of other quality British fighters,
and there are others still who compete outside of the organization.
While some have been competing long-term, a great number of the
British Invasion of fighters have come to the sport in recent
years, after Michael Bisping began showing young British fighters
that mixed martial arts was an option and competing at the highest
level was an attainable goal.
That’s
not to say that every emerging British talent got into the sport
because of the success of the UFC 120 headliner; that would be
too broad a generalization, but it is not entirely false either.
Part of what draws young people to participate in a sport is
the ability to watch an athlete that you identify with.
Following
the TUF 1 boom, Bisping was the first British fighter to become
a bona fide star, thereby giving young British martial artists
someone to draw inspiration from. Since then, guys like Dan Hardy
and emerging star John Hathaway have come along to further illustrate
the opportunity that exists for talented Brits.
Here’s
where it goes global: that connection and opportunity already
exists for fighters from numerous countries, and it is going
to increase exponentially as the UFC and mixed martial arts in
general continues to expand and grow in popularity around the
world.
This
weekend at UFC 120, eight different countries are represented
amongst the 22 competitors taking part in the festivities Saturday
night at the O2 Arena in London. In addition to the eight Brits,
this card boasts five Americans, two fighters from France, Canada
and Brazil, and one from Korea, Sweden and Bulgaria.
Just
as a bunch of young Canadians decided to pick up a basketball
when they saw Steve Nash holding up the Maurice Podoloff Trophy
back-to-back years, fighters like Georges St-Pierre and Carlos
Newton before him served as inspiration to the legions of young
martial artists looking to earn a living in the cage.
While
countries like the Brazil, Japan and the U.S. have an abundance
of MMA athletes for fans and future hopefuls to identify with,
as the sport continues to expand and fighters from countries
that are not currently as represented emerge, those nations have
the potential to become hotbeds of mixed martial arts activity
and appreciation.
To
the North American sporting audience, the sport is always going
to be behind long-standing traditions like football, baseball
and basketball, with hockey having a stranglehold on things North
of the Border. But outside of the big four, it’s not inconceivable
to think that MMA could, at the very least, compete with the
likes of golf and tennis, if it hasn’t overtaken them already.
When
you apply that same thinking to the world at large, the only
sport that truly exists and is followed passionately at all points
in between is soccer. While every area has additional sports
that thrive to varying degrees, soccer is the one sport that
connects in almost every market. Mixed martial arts could conceivably
be the second.
It’s
not really that radical of an idea, is it?
The
sport isn’t contingent on climate or affluence.
You
don’t need any particular equipment or venue to train.
There
are fighters from hundreds of countries represented at various
levels of competition across the sport, with a very diverse collection
considered amongst the best in the business.
Though
there are still countries who cannot boast a recognizable fighters
amongst their ranks, the number of countries in that category
continues to dwindle, and will keep doing so as the sport’s
popularity and participation continues to spread across the globe.
Mixed
martial arts may very-well be “the fastest growing sport
in the world” as Dana White says, but he’s right about
something else too.
This
sport hasn’t even come close to reaching its peak.
We’re
still in the infancy stage.
Give
it another ten years; our teenage years are going to be incredible.
Source: Heavy.com
|
Cristiane
Cyborg
By Guilherme Cruz
Champion of Strikeforce, Cris Cyborg still doesn’t know
when she will return to the event, but keeps up with the hard
trainings on the United States. “I’m well trained,
prepared to fight. By job is to keep me active, the rest I leave
for Scott Coker to decide”, said the Chute Boxe athlete.
While she does not decide her way on, Cris enjoys the fame she’s
got in America, posing for a very special photo shooting of ESPN
magazine, besides her husband Evangelista Cyborg. “I really
got naked, it was but, but yet professional. I felt it was a
privilege to be chosen. The photos turned out to be good, not
coarse. The main part was kept in secret (laughs)”, jokes
the champion. On the exclusive interview, the Brazilian talked
about the current scene on her weight class and the growth of
female MMA on the United States, believing that the modality
has great potential to keep on growing even with the left of
Gina Carano, a goddess of the sport on the country. “I believe
she lacked heart to keep on doing it. MMA is growing more and
more, with or without her… Of course it’d be better
with her, but other girls will come”, said.
How are things on the United States? Are you back to the trainings
now, after you “vacations” in Hawaii to celebrate your
anniversary?
It was cool, we stayed in Hawaii just chilling… Now we’re
back to our routine, back to the trainings. I’m well trained
actually, but I’ll just fight in January. There’s nothing
set, but I believe it’ll be on January.
Does the event have much trouble finding you an opponent?
Strikeforce’s looking for a girl… There’ll be
two fights on October 22, but I don’t know who my next opponent
will be. They’ve just told me it should be in January. I’m
not worrying about it that much, there’s no one in particular
I’d like to fight against.
Can the winner of this bout, between Shana Olsen and Julia Budd,
be your next opponent?
I don’t know… I’m glad to see the girls in my
weight class, it’s better that way. I’m well trained,
prepared to fight. By job is to keep me active, the rest I leave
for Scott Coker to decide.
You’ve always had trouble finding an opponent to fight with,
even when you fought in other events…
(laughs) I was telling Cyborg about it, it’s really hard
indeed. I told him I’d change to a lighter division, then
he joked: “Only if you cut your legs off (laughs)”.
It’s a shame, but as time passes girls come. Meanwhile I’m
just improving my skills, training and keeping myself prepared.
Unfortunately, I have to wait.
Gina Carano was doing an important work on the growth of the
female MMA on the United States, but then she “disappeared”
since she was defeated by you. Some of her coaches said she might
not even fight MMA again. How do you see it?
What happened was that Gina was used to win all the time, but
then she lost that fight. In my opinion, she should keep training.
To lose is something that happens to everyone. I believe she
lacked heart to keep on doing it. MMA is growing more and more,
with or without her… Of course it’d be better with
her, but other girls will come. Strikeforce’s investing
on women, there was a belt dispute between Marloes Coenen and
Sarah Kaufmann, and it was a good fight, it proved that women
also have good techniques. I thought I was a better fight than
the bout between Nick (Diaz) and KJ Noons… They just did
the exchange part, while the girls did the stand-up game and
also the ground game. We’ll have our own place there.
After you beat Gina there were rumors that you’d pose to
Playboy, and last month you and Cyborg had a naked photo shooting
to ESPN magazine on the US… How was it like?
Actually,
on the magazine we were naked, but you couldn’t see anything.
The main part was kept in secret (laughs). I really got naked,
it was but, but yet professional. Many Olympic athletes joined
us, it was the first time that they photographed more than one
person, it was always about one only person. I felt it was a
privilege to be chosen, it was nice, opening more and more doors
to MMA. The photos turned out to be good, not coarse.
Source: Tatame
|
Awaiting
new home, Alliance aces train around the world
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
A large part of the black belts under Fabio Gurgel’s command
are crisscrossing the planet. The team’s champions are all
off teaching their techniques and, when they get back, already
looking to prepare for the 2011 season, they will have a new
home. “General” Gurgel comments:
“In
December Alliance will inaugurate its new home base in São
Paulo. It will be the biggest Jiu-Jitsu center in the country.
We’re putting together a surprise for everyone and GRACIEMAG.com
readers will be the first to know!” he guarantees.
While
the new home comes together, the team’s champions keep busy.
“With
this little interval between official competitions, or at least
the big gi tournaments, Alliance is doing its homework and sending
stars to seminars around the world. Thus our branches abroad
keep up to date with the best of what is going on in the team,”
explains Gurgel, who is pleased with the exchange:
This
year, for the first time, our girls (Gabi Garcia and Luanna Alzuguir)
repeated the success of the men with seminars in New York and
Atlanta. Now they are heading for Ecuador. The boys are off in
Europe and the Middle East. (Bruno) Malfacine is in Finland,
Bernardo (Faria) and Léo Nogueira are in Germany, Alex
Monsalve is in Bahrain, and Sérgio Moraes just got back
from Finland and is already heading for San Diego, to Minotauro’s
academy.”
And
Gurgel himself is in the travel marathon.
“I’m
in Miami, where I’m teaching at Tarsis’s academy. Tomorrow
I’ll meet with Romero Jacaré and then we’ll
head for Atlanta, New York and Pennsylvania. Then I fly out to
Finland, where I’ll teach in Helsinki and Turco. Michael
Langhi will go to England at that time, so we’ll only meet
up again at the end of November, refreshed for the start of another
competition season in pursuit of ever better results,” he
says in closing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Dan
Bobish: Injury Spurs Move From Fighter to Promoter
by Damon
Martin
They called him “The Bull.”
Dan
Bobish certainly fit the profile. A monster of a man standing
six-feet-one-inch tall and weighing 330 pounds, he was one of
the few fighters who helped define the super heavyweight division
in his day.
Now
that day is done. Bobish is retired from active competition,
having last stepped in the cage three years ago, and while he
admits he misses it every day, it’s something he had to
do.
“I
still think about it,” Bobish says about his active MMA
career. “Some days I think I’m only 40 and at 265 and
over there aren’t too many guys that can compete with me,
but there isn’t too many guys fighting at that weight class
either. I still want to fight, but I just can’t do it, so
yeah it was very hard.”
A
veteran of several organizations including both the UFC and Pride,
Bobish didn’t find age working against him, or even a new
breed of fighter. When he was injured in his last fight, he faced
a major decision in his career and life, and that’s what
took him away from MMA, but only as a fighter. He has moved on
to a new career.
“I
blew my back out when I fought Aleksander Emelianenko, two discs:
L3 and L4. So I can’t train anymore,” Bobish said.
“I can’t do what I used to do, and I’m not going
to have surgery on my back. I refuse. So I want to be involved
with the guys and be around the fights.”
What
Bobish is doing to stay involved in the sport is turning in his
fighter hat and putting on his promoter hat instead. With his
second card coming up on Oct. 23, featuring both professional
and amateur bouts, Bobish is excited to put his years of fighting
back into the sport as a promoter.
“It’s
called ‘Raging Bull: Bobish Ultimate Cage Battles.’
I have my own company now,” Bobish stated. “Most promoters
never fought before, and they didn’t reach the levels that
I reached, that I know of. I’m trying to make this every
month or every two months, have a big pro show in the Cleveland
area.”
A
local product from Ohio, Bobish is proud to continue to spread
the roots that brought him his love of MMA, and pass it along
to the next generation of fighters.
He
also believes that his experience working with different promotions
gives him a key that many other organizations may not understand,
how to treat the fighters the right way.
“When
I made the big shows, Pride and UFC, they took care of you right,”
Bobish said.
From
the smallest details like making sure the fighters are given
all of their needs the night of the fight to hotel accommodations
to the production and lighting at the live shows, Bobish believes
he’s got the right formula to bring big time MMA to Cleveland.
With
his focus on promoting now, Bobish says he still remembers the
days in Pride, the UFC, King of the Cage, and other organizations.
He’d be lying if he said anything less than it hurts him
to not be able to compete again.
“I
miss it, I miss the adrenaline rush. I loved that,” said
Bobish. “I miss having my hand raised.”
Bobish
will live vicariously through the next generation of fighters
competing, and he will always be a part of the MMA world. Even
though he’s not knocking them out anymore, he’s still
planning on making a few jaws drop whenever they see a Dan Bobish
production.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
'TUF'
Episode 6 Earns 1.7 Million Viewers
by Mike
Whitman
Episode six of “The Ultimate Fighter 12” netted 1.7
million viewers this week, a decline from last week's 1.9 million
who tuned in to watch the show. The episode earned a 1.3 household
rating, also a modest decline from the previous episode's rating
on 1.34.
The
show also captured a 1.71 rating in the male 18-49 demographic
and a 1.94 in males aged 18-34. Both numbers are down from last
week.
Episode
six followed a similar trend to this season's past installments,
starting slow with a 1.14 in the first fifteen minutes and finishing
strong in the last quarter hour with a 1.42.
Two
fights were featured this week, as Team GSP swept both bouts
and improved to 5-1 on the season. In the first contest, Cody
McKenzie caught Marc Stevens in his trademark guillotine, causing
Team Koscheck's number one pick to lose consciousness early in
round one. In fight two, Jonathan Brookins submitted Sevak Magakian
by rear naked choke in equally impressive fashion.
Additionally,
the final installment of the UFC's three-part series hyping the
UFC 121 main event between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez earned
an average of 1.2 million viewers, an improvement over the previous
episode's 1.1 million and the debut's 974,000 viewers.
Source: Sherdog
|
2010
NAGA HAWAII GRAPPLING CHAMPIONSHIP
Today!
The North American Grappling Association (NAGA) is the world's
largest grappling tournament circuit with over 100,000 competitors
worldwide. On Saturday, October 23, 2010 NAGA returns to Honolulu
for our 10th annual Hawaii Grappling Championship No-Gi &
Gi tournament. This is by far the largest grappling tournament
held in Hawaii. Last year we had over 800 competitors. The benefit
of a large event like NAGA is that you have plenty of competition
regardless of your age, skill, and gender. This tournament is
open to all grappling styles and competitors. NAGA welcomes individual
competitors, you do not need to be on a team or be a member of
any organization to compete. You do not have to live in the Hawaii
to participate in this event. This event is nationally RANKED!
DOWNLOAD EVENT FLYER/REGISTRATION FORM
Pre-registration
is closed. You can register at the event on Friday from 5-8PM
or on Saturday beginning at 8AM. $80 - One Division, $100 - Two
Divisions, $15 - Spectator Pass
WEIGH-IN
OPTIONS FOR COMPETITORS
NAGA will be offering all competitors the option of registering
and weighing-in the night BEFORE the tournament! On Friday, weigh-ins
and registration will start at 6:00 PM and continue until 8:00
at the venue (directions are below). The Friday weigh-in will
be open to all competitors regardless if you pre-registered or
not. Adults please have a photo ID on hand when weighing-in.
If you are not able to weigh-in on Friday, you can still weigh-in
on Saturday prior to your division start time. Doors open at
8 AM Saturday and weigh-in is open throughout the day.
Radford High School
4361 Salt Lake Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96818-3195
SCHEDULE - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2010
8 AM
DOORS OPEN to general public. Registration & Weigh-ins begin
and last all day
ü Weigh-In either Friday night from 6 PM until 8 PM or on
Saturday starting at 8:00 AM and going all day
You
do not need to pre-register in order to compete
You
do not need to be on a team to compete
All
grappling styles are welcome!
There
are no refunds for any reason, please be prepared to stay late
8:00 AM until we finish
8:00 AM Doors Open, Registration & Weigh-ins begin (Last
all day)
10:00
AM Rules Meeting for all competitors
10:00
- 10:30 AM All Children and Teen (Gi & No-Gi Divisions) Begin
Noon
- 5 PM Adult No-Gi Divisions Begin in this timeframe, starting
with Novice, working through to Expert
Mid
Afternoon to the Evening- Adult Gi Divisions begin starting with
White Belt working through to Black Belt.
PLEASE
NOTE: As the exact number of competitors is unknown until event
day, it is difficult to precisely predict when your division
will run. As a general rule, get there early and BE PREPARED
TO STAY LATE. There are no refunds made to competitors or spectators
for any reason, especially if you have to leave before your division
takes place.
NAGA'S NEW BRACKETING SYSTEM
NAGA has created a new bracketing system for its adult competitors
that NAGA staff and fighters are unanimously happy with. Once
all the children and teens have finished competing, all Men's
Novice and Masters Novice competitors are called to a warm up/bracketing
bullpen. While the kids finish up, these Adult Novice competitors
are bracketed. One benefit of doing all weights at a specific
skill level simultaneously is that if a competitor has only one
or two competitors in their division, we have the opportunity
to combine others with similar skill/weight/age so that competitors
can get more matches against others at a similar level. Once
the Novice grapplers start competing, the beginner adults and
Masters competitors are called to the bracketing area to warm
up and get bracketed. We then follow with Intermediate and finally
Expert No Gi competitors. Once the No-Gi Divisions are completed,
we process the Gi Competitors starting with White Belts working
our way up to Black Belts. Other benefits of this new bracketing
system include being able to review your bracket before you compete;
being able to warm up just before your division starts; and most
importantly, the entire competition moves much more efficiently
because table workers no longer do the bracketing, they just
run matches which makes the competition end hours sooner.
SANDBAGGERS
BEWARE
NAGA works diligently to prevent "sandbagging", or
the practice of fighting down skill levels to ensure one takes
home an award. NAGA has been working with RANKED to track all
fighters and ranked grappling events to produce true "national
standings." A by-product of these standings is our knowledge
of who has competed and at which level. Front door personnel
will use RANKED data to determine whether or not individuals
who have fought in past events belong in a higher skill level
(i.e. placed 1st at a prior NAGA event).
Source: NAGA
|
UFC
121 Today!
Anaheim Pond/Honda Center
October 23, 2010
Dark
matches
¦Heavyweights:
Jon Madsen vs. Gilbert Yvel
¦Middleweights: Chris Camozzi vs. Dongi Yang
¦Lightweights: Sam Stout vs. Paul Taylor
¦Welterweights: Mike Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts
¦Middleweights: Patrick Cote vs. Tom Lawlor
¦Middleweights: Court McGee vs. Ryan Jensen
Main card
¦Heavyweights:
Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
¦Welterweights: Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago
¦Light Heavyweights: Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill
¦Welterweights: Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann
¦UFC Heavyweight title match: Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Cain
Velasquez on UFC 121 marketing:
“It just makes sense”
By Zach
Arnold
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Cain, obviously a lot of attention on you and
I know you’re not so fond of doing the interviews and having
the spotlight. How are you dealing with all of this?”
CAIN
VELASQUEZ: “It’s not so bad, you know. I think with
every fight, just more and more media stuff that you have to
do and it kind of gets you ready for this moment. So, I mean,
and also you know having the Primetime (crew) following me around
for, you know, three weeks straight kind of definitely gets you
ready.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Brock clearly didn’t seem to be a big fan
of having Primetime, the camera crews follow him around. What
was the experience like for you?”
CAIN
VELASQUEZ: “I was kind of the same way. It took some time
to get used to but just knowing you know just having to work
with them, you know, they need the shots that they need to make
this show look good and just to get out of your hair so I mean
I pretty much did what they needed me just to do that.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “I know you are very private. Was it hard for you
to sort of put your family out there and things like that?”
CAIN
VELASQUEZ: “Ummm, you know, a little bit. I always think,
you know, it would be kind of good you know to have them be a
part of this and maybe kind of bad to not really have them in
it or whatever so I was kind of torn between the two but I talked
it over with my fiancée and she’s like, yeah, we
can definitely do that. It was no big deal. I mean, for me, I
love it that they were a part of it.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “It’s funny because a year ago, almost exactly
a year ago was UFC 104 and you fought Ben Rothwell in Los Angeles
and I feel like that was sort of a turning point for you. You
were co-main event, a lot of people were looking at you but plus
that’s when we first started to get the push from the promotion
in terms of like you being a Hispanic fighter, Mexican descent
and all that. Now, it’s really coming out there. Are you
surprised at how much they’re pushing it? You know, it’s
the main part of the promo, you come on before Brock does.”
CAIN
VELASQUEZ: “Yeah, I mean, it definitely was. When I first
saw the promo, yeah, I was kind of surprised but… I mean,
for this fight being here and having, you know, a lot of people
here of Mexican descent, I mean it really helps it out and it
just makes sense.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Is that part of your motivation to become the
first Heavyweight champion of Mexican descent to hold the title?”
CAIN
VELASQUEZ: “You know, just that I am Mexican, I mean…
just me being in this sport, I mean I always wanted to be the
champion, this was the whole reason why I got into this sport.
I had this opportunity now and I’m not going to let it slip
by.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “What did you think of Brock Lesnar’s last
fight against Shane Carwin?”
CAIN
VELASQUEZ: “I thought it was a good fight, you know, he
definitely did show a lot of heart where I don’t think a
lot of guys could have survived that first round, he did, came
back and got the submission so I mean it just shows that he’s
always improving. I expect a much better Brock Lesnar than he’s
showed on that night.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “But more to that point, you got guys like Brendan
Schaub who say that he only surrounds around himself with wrestlers
and he did bring in Pat Berry this time, but that he’s not
doing enough to evolve. Do you agree with that or do you think
that he’s improved from fight to fight?”
CAIN
VELASQUEZ: “He’s improving fight to fight. He hasn’t
been in the sport that long and I mean there’s only room
for improvement and he’s at the right age now where he’s
peaking now, where he’s (coming) at his prime so I only
see him improving.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “A lot of talk about the fact that he’s actually
265 right now, he might come even under 265 come weigh-ins. Do
you think that’s a conscious decision on his part because
you are smaller than him to be a little leaner?”
CAIN
VELASQUEZ: “Ummm… you know, what he said with whatever
illness he had, he changed his diet, I think it had something
to do with it but I think that’s better for me, you know,
instead of you know having somebody that close to weight rather
than having somebody come in at 285 or 290, you know, around
there.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “At the end of the day, how do you envision the
fight playing out?”
CAIN
VELASQUEZ: “Man, I’m expecting a five round war. I’ve
said this a bunch of times, that’s what I’ve trained
for, that’s what I’m expecting with my hand raised
at the end, definitely.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
121 Preview: The Undercard
by Jason
Probst
Middleweights
Patrick Cote vs. Tom Lawlor
In
the annals of MMA, there is only one thing cooler than the legendary
“Just Bleed” guy or Dan Severn’s moustache, and
that’s Tom Lawlor paying tribute to both in his UFC weigh-ins
and entrances to the cage. In terms of pre-fight awesomeness,
Lawlor consistently breaks the scale each time he weighs in.
For
a guy that probably has the best sense of humor and awareness
of obscure MMA memes to get hardcore fans’ attention, while
enthralling casual types to watch him throw down, Lawlor fights
his ass off, to boot. Since losing on season eight of “The
Ultimate Fighter” to eventual winner Ryan Bader, he’s
steadily improved, using his good wrestling and rock ‘em-sock
’em style to establish himself as a fan favorite.
Cote,
meanwhile, has proven that you can never judge a guy from one
fight. He’s been impressive in victories, showcasing his
big right hand and decent takedown defense, underwritten with
good conditioning and very good chin. He blitzed Kendall Grove
in a bout where most perceived him as an easy opponent for the
TUF 3 winner. Cote remains based largely in a standup style,
hoping to avert a ground fight by waiting to land his heavy strikes.
Lawlor
should be careful closing the gap, and establish the threat of
his good takedowns early to keep Cote guessing. Lawlor is very
good at transitioning between tie-ups and striking when in close,
and has sneaky uppercuts from this position. He’ll probably
want to feel out the standing situation a bit before letting
the dogs loose, especially with a strong-chinned banger like
Cote. The more tie-ups and grappling the bout has, the more it
favors Lawlor, who should be able to take a close decision win
in a good, but not great, bout.
Welterweights
Michael Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts
Roberts
has good wrestling, and isn’t afraid to drop down for a
guillotine, while Guymon has enough experience under his belt
to pose some problems. Roberts is a little bit quicker with his
strikes and shots, but Guymon appears to retain better technique
over the long haul, as fights go deep. This should be a fairly
tactical back-and-forth scrap, and since Guymon appears to have
a size advantage at 170 pounds, it will be just enough for him
to take a decision.
Lightweights
Sam Stout vs. Paul Taylor
File
this one under “Strikers Delight.”
Stout
has never backed down from a standup battle, and brings inspiring
technical skills to the dance, doing stuff that echoes the high-level
muay Thai which makes the art a beautiful one to watch. More
of a hard-nosed brawler, Taylor brings willing hands and a pitbull-off-the-chain
approach.
Given
those factors, it would appear Taylor will be coming right into
Stout’s wheelhouse, demanding confrontations and heavy exchanges.
Stout has good takedown defense and grasps the ground game well,
particularly the submission defense and transition elements that
allow him to stand back up and keep position. If Stout can keep
it standing and dictate the initiative, he’s going to be
very tough to beat, and he should do just that en route to a
competitive decision win or late stoppage.
Heavyweights
Gilbert Yvel vs. Jon Madsen
At
times, Madsen can seem slow afoot, plodding, though he’s
a decent wrestler with a hard-wired understanding of how to take
people down and control. His standup is still rudimentary at
best, which is an exceptionally tough thing to overcome when
you’re a six-foot heavyweight. It means you have to pay
all sorts of staggering cover charges to cross the moat to grab
the other guy, provided he’s got any street cred in Phuket.
Yvel,
meanwhile, was the complete opposite in his prime. Forever blessed
(and cursed) with dynamite standing skills and a suspect ground
game, the Pride staple’s bouts either saw him decimating
someone on the feet, or having a clinic run on him while he struggled
on the ground. Now that he’s 34, Yvel has performed as expected
in the UFC after two fights.
He’s
a name opponent who’s been used as a barometer: guys are
either going to look spectacular beating him (Junior dos Santos)
or will need some more work before getting to the division’s
elite level (Ben Rothwell). Either way, Yvel brings a dangerous
half-life into any match -- before you can put him on the ground
and/or run him out of gas, he’s very dangerous with his
striking. Facing three losses in a row as an aging veteran, he
knows he’s almost surely getting a pink slip if he loses.
The
guess here is that youth gives age a good run for its money.
If Yvel could withstand Rothwell’s attack, he can probably
go the distance against Madsen. With a 6-0 record and three decision
wins in as many UFC bouts, it’s time for Madsen to step
up a bit in competition. Yvel certainly brings that, especially
with his experience and power.
But,
the TUF 11 alum has something Yvel doesn’t, and that’s
the benefit of youth and room for improvement. Like many young
fighters, he’s getting better from fight to fight, and depending
on what he’s shown in prior appearances can be applicable
only to a point.
Still,
the guess here is that Yvel does enough standing to pose serious
problems, while surviving a couple takedowns en route to a late
stoppage win or close decision.
Middleweights
Dongi Yang vs. Chris Camozzi
At
9-0, with all nine wins by stoppage, South Korea’s Dongi
Yang brings an impressive record with a Mike Tyson-like budding
career built on a knockout streak. Eight consecutive KO’s
is a pretty impressive run for an MMA prospect, though those
eight opponents have a combined record of 46-57. That’s
the kind of matchmaking usually used to build boxing prospects.
Camozzi,
meanwhile, has faced considerably better competition, including
fellow TUF alums Jesse Forbes and Jesse Taylor, both of whom
he lost to. He also holds wins over ultra-experienced veterans
like Chad Reiner and Victor Moreno, fights in which a fighter
can learn a lot of things that can’t be absorbed elsewhere.
Camozzi took a decision win over another TUF’er, James Hamortree,
in their bout at the TUF 11 finale, so this won’t be his
first UFC rodeo.
Yang’s
striking is aggressive, if a tad wild, and he tends to leave
himself open in exchanges. Plus, first-time UFC competitors are
subject to all sorts of nerves and the acclimation process. Throw
in the fact that Yang is making the trip across the Pacific --
another factor which has consistently lowered expectations for
debuting Asian fighters in the big show -- and is used to fighting
in a ring instead of a cage, and he has a lot overcome here.
For
Camozzi to win, he has to slow Yang’s attack, counter with
straight shots, and turn it into a tactical game. If Yang wins,
it will probably be via impressive KO, but the pick here is Camozzi
by submission.
Source: Sherdog
|
Jamie
Varner To Face Shane Roller at WEC 53
by Damon
Martin
It looks like Jamie Varner will get his wish to fight in his
hometown after all.
The
former WEC lightweight champion will return to action on Dec.
16 in Phoenix, Ariz., to face former Oklahoma State wrestler
Shane Roller at WEC 53.
The
news of the bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close
to the match-up with verbal agreements in place at this time
from the fighters.
Before
the decision was read at WEC 49 in June, it seemed a lock that
Varner (16-4-1) was on his way to a rematch with Ben Henderson
for the WEC lightweight title. A controversial decision rendered
the fight with Varner and Kamal Shalorus a draw, and so the former
champion went on to face Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in
September instead.
Varner
came up short against Cerrone in their rematch, so he’ll
look to get back on the winning track as he faces Shane Roller
in December in his home state of Arizona.
Roller
(8-3) was looking for a title shot of his own when he faced Anthony
Pettis in August, but the Las Vegas based fighter came up short.
Pettis submitted him in the third round of their No. 1 contender’s
match.
It
was the first time in his career that Roller had been submitted.
Roller
will have no easy test when he returns as he faces the former
WEC lightweight champion.
The
bout between Varner and Roller is expected to fill part of the
main televised card at WEC 53. More fights are expected to be
announced in the coming weeks.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Paulão
promises action in São Paulo
A former WEC chanmpion and star of Japan’s now-defunct Pride
promotion, Paulo Filho will be back in action at the fifth First
Class Fight event in Brazil this October 23. Across the cage
from him will be Marco Antonio Pezão, in a light heavyweight
matchup. Training in Rio with former UFC middleweight champion
Murilo Bustamante, Paulo Filho, who has only one loss on his
record, foresees a tricky fight, but guarantees he is ready.
“He’s
a great striker and I have a good ground game, but I hit hard,
too,” he warns.
Check
out the interview:
How
has the final phase in training for FCF gone?
I
trained a lot for this fight. I’d already been on a long
stretch of hard training, all we did was tweak my training some.
I have a few offers to fight in big events abroad, so I was keeping
up the rhythm in training. Murilo Bustamante will be in my corner.
Whom
have you been training with for this fight?
I
have great training partners here in Niterói. Alexandre
Bebezão and Felipe Mongo helped me a lot. I also am thankful
to Baioneta, who’s a great friend and who helps me a lot.
Unfortunately, Distak couldn’t coach me this time around.
He has a lot of work to do; I’m rooting for him and for
sure our bond is still strong.
How
does the 93-kg (205 lbs) division feel to you?
I
feel really good at this weight. Truth is, this is the weight
I like fighting at the most. I have a knack for fighting big
guys… This is my division.
What
will it be like for you to fight in the city of São Paulo?
I’m
a professional athletes, so I’m always looking for the best
opportunities. For sure São Paulo, for being Brazil’s
biggest center of commerce, has a great option, which is FCF.
Organization and credibility count a lot, too. Roberto Godoi
and Tiago Cruz are the event’s matchmakers, they’re
great professionals. We have friends in common who put us in
contact and made this fight in the city of São Paulo possible.
The FCF values its athletes financially and that is vital for
the event to be a success.
What’s
your assessment of Pezão, your next opponent?
Like
I said before and now repeat, I’m a professional and I don’t
pick my opponents, unlike a lot of other guys out there. I watched
some of Pezão’s fights. He’s a great striker
and I have a good ground game, but I hit hard, too. Different
opportunities always turn up in a fight and that’s what
I’m prepared for. We have a strategy for the fight though.
Should the chances not arise, I’m ready for anything.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
The
risks behind a dangerous knockout
By Guilherme Cruz
Last week brought a lot of sadness for the Brazilian sport, with
the news of the death of the boxer Jefferson Gonçalo,
who left the ring unconscious and died days later. On the doctors’
opinion, the lack of cares and the great sequence of fights caused
irreversible traumas to the fighter, who went through a surgery
to take half of his brain off, but he could not make it.
On September’s edition of TATAME Magazine, we published
an article about the sequels that a knockout can bring to a fighter.
We have heard fighters, who opened their mouth to say how it
felt like to be knocked out, besides psychologists, to understand
who can a defeat affect a career of a fighter.
One of the most impressive statements was the one given by the
neurosurgeon Carlos Kossak, who also reminded of the importance
of the exams before and after every single bout, something that
wasn’t done with the Brazilian boxer.
“The knockout itself usually doesn’t leave any sequel,
but, if it’s taken in a row, it can lead you to lacks of
memory or sequence of reasoning and some more serious, depending
on the intensity and frequency of the coups”, explains the
doctor, experts on brain surgeries, that studied the fight’s
world in order to give his statement to TATAME. “In the
case of more intense and repetitive coups, more serious damages
can be done, like brain contusions and definitive injuries, like
dementia and Parkinson’s disease, like what happened to
Ali”, quotes.
Fabrício
Werdum retook his career in great style on Strikeforce, but reminded
of the moment he lost to Junior Cigano dos Santos on Ultimate.
“Everything turned black, just like a flash. I went off
then I woke up. I asked the doctor how did the fight go and he
told me. Five seconds later I asked him the same question again…
I kept asking him the same question about ten times, and I’ve
forgotten what he has told me. It’s a pretty bad situation”,
tells.
Source: Tatame
|
Shields
Intent on Proving Himself to UFC Fans
by Mike
Whitman
The long-standing take on Jake Shields: he's probably the best
fighter not named Emelianenko that the UFC could never get its
hands on.
That
point of view is now officially obsolete, as Shields will make
his long-awaited promotional debut at UFC 121 on Saturday, Oct.
23 at the Honda Center. The Cesar Gracie product spoke to the
press during Wednesday's pre-fight conference, stating that although
he's had an impressive career thus far, he still has more to
accomplish.
“It's
been a long, hard road. I'm new to the UFC, but I've been at
[MMA] for 11 years,” said Shields. “It feels surreal
to be sitting here between Tito [Ortiz] and Brock [Lesnar], but
it feels like it's where I belong. I have a lot to prove. A lot
of UFC fans don't know who I am. I have to prove that I belong
to be here.”
UFC
president Dana White has already publicly stated that Shields
is probably next in line for a title shot pending a win over
Kampmann, a decision that some make take issue with considering
Shields' lack of UFC experience.
“Actually,
he just beat Dan Henderson,” said White. He should get a
title shot based on that, but the timing of him coming into the
UFC being what it is [with champion St. Pierre locked into a
title fight with Josh Koscheck], he needed to have another fight.”
Shields'
victory over former the former Pride Fighting Championships two-division
champion occurred in his last bout for rival promotion Strikeforce.
After weathering an early flurry from “Hendo,” Shields
used his wrestling and jiu-jitsu to control the veteran, riding
out a unanimous decision victory. The 31-year-old holds a 14-fight
winning streak heading into his showdown with Kampmann on Saturday.
Despite the talk of title shots, Shields is focusing on the task
at hand.
“It's
very important that I don't look past Martin,” said Shields.
“He's a phenomenal fighter. Of course I'd love to get a
title shot, but I'm not looking past Martin.”
Though
White has endorsed Shields' title aspirations, the same is not
true for the Dane, who is coming off back-to-back victories over
Paulo Thiago and Jacob Volkmann. White asserted that while the
Dane was not quite in the title picture if he beats Shields on
Saturday, he would definitely be “back in the mix.”
Kampmann shared his approach to fighting the former two-division
Strikeforce champion:
“I
have to deal with him like any other guy. I have to come to beat
him up. It's the same stuff. He's just another guy in front of
me,” he said.
On
the subject of being included in the title picture, Kampmann
spoke frankly.
“We
all dream about getting a title shot, but first I've got to beat
up Jake. Then, I can try for title shot. It's up to Dana to decide,
but I'd love to.”
UFC
121 will be headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Brock Lesnar
and Cain Velasquez for Lesnar's heavyweight championship. Also
on the card will be a light heavyweight showdown between one-time
champion Tito Ortiz and his former “TUF 3” pupil Matt
Hamill.
Source: Sherdog
|
Bellator's
Rebney: Live TV Deal a Must for Next Season
By Mike
Chiappetta
With Bellator in the midst of promoting the biggest card in company
history – Bellator 33 – which features a superfight
between lightweight stars Eddie Alvarez and Roger Huerta along
with a welterweight title match between unbeatens Ben Askren
and Lyman Good, there have been complaints from fans about preemptions
which make finding the organization's fights difficult.
But
company Bjorn Rebney recognizes that addressing the issue is
a pivotal development in any future growth. Currently in the
midst of negotiations for TV rights to the upcoming fourth season
which will begin in February 2011, Rebney says live television
is a must.
"There's
no question it's problematic," he told Ariel Helwani during
Monday's MMA Hour. "There's no question it's an issue that
for us to continue to evolve as a force in mixed martial arts
from a promotional perspective, it's one that we're going to
have to overcome and it's what I've been working on diligently
with my team for a number of months now."
Rebney
gave no indication as to whether Bellator would stay with current
television partners including Fox Sports Net and NBC or move
elsewhere, but sounded confident a deal would be reached shortly.
More importantly for fans, he said the deal would guarantee live
airings, finally addressing the preemption issues he termed "debilitating."
Fox
Sports Net currently airs events in their entirety, though depending
on other programming, some of FSN's 19 affiliates delay airings
by as much as 48 hours.
"We're
going to have some very big things to announce in short order,"
Rebney said. "They're not small deals, they're big deals
and that take a lot of effort and a lot of time, and that's just
the nature of the beast when you're cutting deals and television
alliances.
"I
fully anticipate we'll be announcing where we're going to be
from a television perspective long-term long before season four
kicks off," he continued.
Meanwhile,
Rebney addressed the much-talked about fight possibility which
would pit Bellator's lightweight champ Alvarez against Strikeforce's
lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez.
Noting
that while Alvarez has the upcoming date with Huerta, Rebney
said that Bellator would be willing to send him as the representative
to fight Melendez, even on the Strikeforce champ's home turf.
"There's
nothing in the way of the Gilbert Melendez and Eddie Alvarez
fighting," he said. "We're happy to do it on any network.
We're happy to do it in any venue. And we're happy to do it on
any date."
Asked
who would broadcast the show, where it might take place and how
purses would be divided, Rebney said he would be willing to let
the fight air on Showtime, take place in Strikeforce's home base
of San Jose, California and address the money situation.
"I
have a lot of respect for [Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker],"
Rebney said. "He's a good guy and he puts on great shows.
He packs arenas and puts on good cards. But Scott has been saying,
'Well there's a lot of issues.' There really aren't. If Eddie
beats Roger Huerta, the only issues are Scott saying yes."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Steve
Cofield: Are people angry about UFC 121 marketing just so they
can manufacture anger?
By Zach
Arnold
Steve
Cofield and Kevin Iole over at Cagewriter have a discussion about
the “first Mexican heavyweight champion” marketing
push that UFC is using for this Saturday’s event at the
Honda Center (Anaheim Pond) for the Cain Velasquez/Brock Lesnar
fight. We wrote an article about this topic two days ago and
basically our argument for why there’s some fan frustration
about the way Cain Velasquez has been marketed and presented
is because of the following:
1.There’s
marketing someone based on their nationality or ethnicity. They’re
two separate qualities. It’s when the two get conflated
that starts causing backlash. (e.g. You can have Irish heritage
and celebrate it, but you’re still an American and represent
America.)
2.Fans want to watch a fight between two fighters who they think
are talented, have great talent, and a title match where the
challenger is perceived to have a real shot because of what skills
they possess.
When you read the transcript, you’ll notice Steve talk about
the issue of illegal immigration and how he thinks the current
landscape of American culture plays into whatever backlash there
may be against the UFC’s marketing.
Onto
the transcript.
STEVE
COFIELD: “You know, I will say, though, a little frustrated.
I’ve been reading this for, um…”
KEVIN
IOLE: “Frustrated?”
STEVE
COFIELD: “Yeah, I know. I’ve been reading the theme
for about a month now, you’ve covered boxing a long time,
I’ve covered boxing for a little less time. I’m not
as old as you… (joking interplay) But we’ve seen the
nationalistic angle in boxing and every so often it crosses the
line, you know Mayweathwer with his stupid thing, his USTREAM
thing a little while ago but generally it’s harmless, it’s
always been a selling point and yet the UFC’s trying it,
Kevin, and I keep seeing stories over and over and over again
about Cain Velasquez and this, you know, ‘Mexican heavyweight’
angle and for some reason, people are irked.”
KEVIN
IOLE: “I don’t get it. I mean, you know, I don’t
care either way but it makes sense, Steve, to accentuate that
because Mexico is such a huge market but it’s really a boxing
market right now and it’s a market that MMA could mine successfully
and really expand and become a very large market, you know Dana
(White) talks about Canada being the mecca of MMA. You know,
I think that’ll change and go very far south if they can,
you know, make some inroads into Mexico and certainly Cain Velasquez
is a way they can do that. So, basically it’s just marketing
and expand the sport and I don’t see the objection to it.
It’s not like they’re talking about, you know, race
from a standpoint of, oh, this fighter can do something because
he’s of this race. They’re just talking about, hey,
you know, they’re appealing to the nationalistic pride of
Mexicans and Mexican-Americans to get them to watch the fight
and that makes sense, you know, you’re trying to get as
many people to watch your fights as possible, especially your
big fights because if you get those people to watch your good
cards and 121 figures to be a good card, you know you never know
how they’re going to turn out on paper, it’s look like
a good card. If you get people watching that, Steve, you turn
them into fans! And if you turn them into fans, it’s growing
the sport. It’s good for everybody. So, I don’t see
the objection to it.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “Well, frankly because right now most of the US
UFC fan base isn’t nationalistic doesn’t mean that
other countries and other nationalities aren’t nationalistic.”
KEVIN
IOLE: “In other countries they really feel a sense of pride
that, you know, Georges St. Pierre is representing Canada or
you know whoever the fighter may be is representing Mexico, you
know, I’ve been to many boxing matches where you hear the
“Me-hi-co” in the background because the people are
rooting the person representing their country. I think that’s
a good thing, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Look
at the ovation that Bisping got, that Dan Hardy got, that John
Hathaway got. All the Brits on 120, you know, they were treated
like kings and if they were fighting here it would either have
been in Bisping’s case boos or, you know, and Hardy and
Hathaway’s case just you know a far less reaction. You know,
so I just think it’s part of it. That’s why, you know,
in all these other countries when the UFC goes there, we went
to Germany and you saw Peter Sobotta, who was on the card, and
Dennis Siver was on the card because they’re from Germany
and the crowd really connected with them. So, I don’t get
it. It’s a natural evolution of sport and it’s the
way people in a lot of countries they root for the person that,
you know, the hometown boy…”
STEVE
COFIELD: “I also think part of it is is the current culture
right now politically in the United States with relations with
Mexico and immigrants because I do think if the UFC, they’re
already doing it, if they a title bout coming up and it’s
hey, the first Chinese-born you know Taiwanese-born champion
could arrive or you’re opening the door to Japan, you mention
Germany, that’s the way it is to initially you know…
the UK’s a little different now because they’re established
there so Dana White is right, they don’t have to have an
elite British fighter on every card to do well. They’re
selling there. But a lot of these other countries, they will
probably try to push for an Indian fighter down the road when
they open up India as well.”
KEVIN
IOLE: “Well, they’re already doing it with a Chinese
fighter and that, you know, in the WEC. Now, here’s the
thing, Steve, think about it… Brock Lesnar can’t really
promote that card in Mexico. They want to sell the card to Mexicans,
Brock doesn’t speak Spanish, you know they can’t bring
Brock down there and have the same impact that they can bring
by moving Brock around the country and having people interview
him and having him talk because, you know, people who speak English
he can connect with. He can’t, you know, connect with non-English
speakers so that’s where Cain was very, you know, he’s
bilingual, he’s able to answer questions. I was on the conference
call the other day with Cain and Brock and Cain got a number
of questions in Spanish and he answered them. That’s why
Oscar was so popular, Oscar De La Hoya, because he was bilingual
and he was able to communicate with a huge Mexican-American audience
and Hispanic audience, not just the Mexicans but all the Spanish-speaking
people that were watching boxing that are living in the US and
he enabled them to enjoy the same thing as the English-speakers
were. So, you know, I just think it’s one of those things
that, you know, that’s a big part of it, you know, that
they want to, when you go into a new market you know and I’m
not familiar too much with the Chinese media but I’m sure
when they do put a show in Beijing and I think that’s going
to happen sooner rather than later, when they do to Beijing whatever
media is in China comes out is going to want to be able to talk
to somebody in their native language to convey the story and
that, you know, translators can only go so far.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “Let me get your reaction to this statement. I
was reading one blog and they were asking, does all the Brown
Pride talk and first Mexican heavyweight champion marketing turn
off white fans or is it a matter where white fans largely don’t
care one way or the other?”
KEVIN
IOLE: “Umm…. you know, I guess there’s two ways
to answer that. You know, the Mexican heavyweight champion, first
Mexican heavyweight champion, I have no problem with that at
all using that because that is FACT. That is fact. If Cain wins,
he would become the first Mexican native, well he’s not
actually born in Mexico but of Mexican heritage, heavyweight
champion, you know, there hasn’t been one in boxing. John
Ruiz is Latino but he’s from Puerto Rico in boxing but there’s
never been one in boxing that was a Mexican and there’s
never been one in MMA. So that is a fact. No problem with pointing
out a fac, so I don’t have an issue with that. The Brown
Pride thing I think is a little different. I’ve asked Cain
about it, you know, Brown Pride for people who don’t know
is stenciled in tattoo across his chest, you know he’s just
proud of heritage. I’m Irish-Italian, I don’t have
Irish-Italian tattooed on me anywhere and I don’t see the
point of that but I don’t begrudge for him being proud of
his ethnicity and his background. I think it’s misinterpreted
by some people and so I think that’s a little more questionable
and we can debate that, you know sociologists or whoever may
want to make comments about that, that one’s a little different
than just the first Mexican Heavyweight champion.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “To build on that point, though, I also think it’s
a generational thing in terms of how many generations, different
people have been in the United States. If this were 1920, I don’t
know if you watched Boardwalk Empire, I don’t think it would
be that shocking if someone had an Italian or an Irish, you know,
some mark of pride on their body with a tattoo if tattoos were
big back then, obviously Mexicans have been you know in the United
States maybe a little less time than Irish and Italians so I
think sometimes, like I said there’s an atmosphere right
now where people are looking to be, get themselves angry over
different things and you know you’ll see headlines like
they’re playing the race card. The race card is a little
different than promoting a guy as a Mexican or a Mexican-American.”
KEVIN
IOLE: “100%. You know, I just… it is not racist to
say, hey, he’s bilingual, he speaks Spanish, you know he
is, his parents were born in Mexico, you know he’s a first-generation
American that comes from these roots and the fight fans in Mexico
can identify with. No, I don’t think there’s anything
racist about that at all. You know, if they went out and they
tried to play on some Mexican or Hispanic stereotypes, you know
in the way they’re marketing the fight, that would be totally
different. I would be outraged by that. But by just saying, hey,
he may become the first Mexican Heavyweight champion, I mean
c’mon, get over it. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “On the flip side, do you think that Brock, watching
the Countdown show that debuted last night, he made a comment
about a Corona and a burrito. Do you think he will able to be
hold his tongue and SHOULD HE have to hold his tongue? Frankly
I think he, you know, as long as it’s not hurtful or nasty…”
KEVIN
IOLE: “Yeah, when Mayweather wore the sombrero, that was
kind of fun because you know it was like Mayweather loves Mexico,
he was paying you know there was a perception that he was hated
down there, the Margarito situation and everything and I think,
you know, to make again to go with if we were talking about an
African-American people would be outraged and rightly so if we
talked about, you know, fried chicken and watermelon, right?
That would be an outrageous comment and it wouldn’t be acceptable
and so it shouldn’t be acceptable to make those kind of
comments about any nationality. Now if you want to have fun,
you know, fun with it, you know I don’t have a problem with
it but I think there’s a fine line that needs to be walked.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
With
next fight coming up, Drysdale analyzes transition to MMA
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
After trying out amateur MMA and making a successful professional
debut, Robert Drysdale now has a date and opponent for his next
outing in the cage: he will face Clay Davidson on November 6
at Armagedon Fighting Championship in Canada.
Now
preparing for this next challenge, the fighter tells GRACIEMAG.com
what the transition from Jiu-Jitsu to MMA has been like for him:
“They’re
different sports, MMA’s a different style. I was always
concerned with having enough time to prepare for MMA. I never
want to be like some renowned black belts, who go in unprepared,
lose, and then never want to fight again. I want to be like Demian
Maia, someone who took his time to prepare and is now doing well
in the sport,” he remarks. “Jiu-Jitsu for MMA is different
and I took a while to adapt it. I used not to be prepared to
pass if the guy would trap my leg in the half-guard. Now I don’t
mind. I just stay there on top, hitting him. I’m concerned
with hitting until I finish. I want to right angle to hit and
come up with submissions”.
On his opponent, Clay Davidson, Robert didn’t come up with
much information, but is counting on some good spies of his.
“I
don’t know much about my opponent. He lost his first fight,
but won his last six. He’s been on a winning streak and,
most of the time, by submission. So I don’t believe he’s
a knockout artist. I only found one of his fights on the internet,
so I couldn’t find out much. But I’m training with
some guys who’ve trained with him before and they say he’s
tough, he’s no pushover. He’s coming in to win,”
states Drysdale, who already notes the evolution of the game:
“I’m
well prepared, feeling good and training a lot. For me every
fight, regardless of the opponent or event, is like a title fight.
I’m much more confident in my boxing, muay thai and even
takedowns. I feel I’ll have the advantage wherever the fight
plays out.”
Besides
being a fighter, Robert now performs the role of trainer, as
well. The black belt helped Frank Mir prepare for his last battle,
at UFC 119, when he knocked out Mirko Crop Cop.
“We
expected to win. The fight didn’t go the way we’d planned,
but the important thing is that he won. It’s not every day
that a Jiu-Jitsu black belt knocks out Cro Cop. It was really
cool going through the training, and rarely has Frank prepared
so much. He would have faced Minotauro and was raring to go.
I feel the change of opponent was even dangerous for Frank. Now
we’ll see what happens next. I know it’s going to be
a tough guy, maybe Minotauro, who is recovering,” he says
in closing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Yves
Edwards Sets Friendship Aside To Fight His Friend, Melvin Guillard
by Damon
Martin
While it may not be teammate vs. teammate when Yves Edwards takes
on Melvin Guillard in January, it will be friend vs. friend.
Edwards
confirmed the proposed bout when speaking with MMAWeekly Radio
and says it’s just a matter of putting pen to paper, but
he expects to face Guillard in his next fight.
“I’ve
been offered that fight, waiting on the papers now. If everything
goes well, that’s the fight that’s going to happen,”
Edwards said.
“It’s
definitely going to be a tough one, and one I’m excited
about. He signed the dotted line and we’ll put the friendship
aside for a few minutes and then just go to work.”
Edwards
and Guillard have been friends and training partners in the past,
working in Houston together, remaining close ever since. Edwards
admits it’s not easy to face a friend in the Octagon, but
it’s just business and nothing personal.
“We’ve
trained together in the past when he was in Houston right after
he went on ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ He came down to
Houston and lived down there for a few years. We trained together
a bit at the time,” Edwards commented.
“There’s
very few guys out there that I don’t like and there’s
fewer guys I would call my friends, but he’s one of them.
I play dice against him; I play basketball against him. Why not
play fighting against him?”
The
two worked together a few years ago and since that time Guillard
has moved to New Mexico to work with Greg Jackson and his team.
The change has brought about a new and improved Melvin Guillard,
who has won three fights in a row, while stating that he hopes
to gain a title shot at some point in the next year or so.
Whether
he’s his opponent or not, Edwards says he’s seen the
transition in Guillard’s skills and maturity, and he’s
proud that he’s come a long way from his early days in the
fight game.
“I’m
really proud of what he’s been doing,” said Edwards.
“The things that I’ve seen him do, and the fights that
I’ve seen him win, and the things that he’s done to
turn himself around. He just seems like he’s grown up so
much in the past few years really.”
Edwards
and Guillard will set aside their friendship for at least one
night and 15 minutes in the cage.
The
location of the bout has yet to be announced although speculation
is that the fight might take place at Fort Hood in Texas as part
of a “Fight for the Troops” special event. Sources
have indicated to MMAWeekly that is just a rumor at this point
and any announcement would be premature.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
121 Tomorrow
Anaheim Pond/Honda Center
October 23, 2010
Dark
matches
¦Heavyweights:
Jon Madsen vs. Gilbert Yvel
¦Middleweights: Chris Camozzi vs. Dongi Yang
¦Lightweights: Sam Stout vs. Paul Taylor
¦Welterweights: Mike Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts
¦Middleweights: Patrick Cote vs. Tom Lawlor
¦Middleweights: Court McGee vs. Ryan Jensen
Main card
¦Heavyweights:
Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
¦Welterweights: Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago
¦Light Heavyweights: Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill
¦Welterweights: Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann
¦UFC Heavyweight title match: Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez
Source: Fight Opinion
|
2010
NAGA HAWAII GRAPPLING CHAMPIONSHIP
Tomorrow
The North American Grappling Association (NAGA) is the world's
largest grappling tournament circuit with over 100,000 competitors
worldwide. On Saturday, October 23, 2010 NAGA returns to Honolulu
for our 10th annual Hawaii Grappling Championship No-Gi &
Gi tournament. This is by far the largest grappling tournament
held in Hawaii. Last year we had over 800 competitors. The benefit
of a large event like NAGA is that you have plenty of competition
regardless of your age, skill, and gender. This tournament is
open to all grappling styles and competitors. NAGA welcomes individual
competitors, you do not need to be on a team or be a member of
any organization to compete. You do not have to live in the Hawaii
to participate in this event. This event is nationally RANKED!
DOWNLOAD EVENT FLYER/REGISTRATION FORM
Pre-registration
is closed. You can register at the event on Friday from 5-8PM
or on Saturday beginning at 8AM. $80 - One Division, $100 - Two
Divisions, $15 - Spectator Pass
WEIGH-IN
OPTIONS FOR COMPETITORS
NAGA will be offering all competitors the option of registering
and weighing-in the night BEFORE the tournament! On Friday, weigh-ins
and registration will start at 6:00 PM and continue until 8:00
at the venue (directions are below). The Friday weigh-in will
be open to all competitors regardless if you pre-registered or
not. Adults please have a photo ID on hand when weighing-in.
If you are not able to weigh-in on Friday, you can still weigh-in
on Saturday prior to your division start time. Doors open at
8 AM Saturday and weigh-in is open throughout the day.
Radford High School
4361 Salt Lake Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96818-3195
SCHEDULE - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2010
8 AM
DOORS OPEN to general public. Registration & Weigh-ins begin
and last all day
ü Weigh-In either Friday night from 6 PM until 8 PM or on
Saturday starting at 8:00 AM and going all day
You
do not need to pre-register in order to compete
You
do not need to be on a team to compete
All
grappling styles are welcome!
There
are no refunds for any reason, please be prepared to stay late
8:00 AM until we finish
8:00 AM Doors Open, Registration & Weigh-ins begin (Last
all day)
10:00
AM Rules Meeting for all competitors
10:00
- 10:30 AM All Children and Teen (Gi & No-Gi Divisions) Begin
Noon
- 5 PM Adult No-Gi Divisions Begin in this timeframe, starting
with Novice, working through to Expert
Mid
Afternoon to the Evening- Adult Gi Divisions begin starting with
White Belt working through to Black Belt.
PLEASE
NOTE: As the exact number of competitors is unknown until event
day, it is difficult to precisely predict when your division
will run. As a general rule, get there early and BE PREPARED
TO STAY LATE. There are no refunds made to competitors or spectators
for any reason, especially if you have to leave before your division
takes place.
NAGA'S NEW BRACKETING SYSTEM
NAGA has created a new bracketing system for its adult competitors
that NAGA staff and fighters are unanimously happy with. Once
all the children and teens have finished competing, all Men's
Novice and Masters Novice competitors are called to a warm up/bracketing
bullpen. While the kids finish up, these Adult Novice competitors
are bracketed. One benefit of doing all weights at a specific
skill level simultaneously is that if a competitor has only one
or two competitors in their division, we have the opportunity
to combine others with similar skill/weight/age so that competitors
can get more matches against others at a similar level. Once
the Novice grapplers start competing, the beginner adults and
Masters competitors are called to the bracketing area to warm
up and get bracketed. We then follow with Intermediate and finally
Expert No Gi competitors. Once the No-Gi Divisions are completed,
we process the Gi Competitors starting with White Belts working
our way up to Black Belts. Other benefits of this new bracketing
system include being able to review your bracket before you compete;
being able to warm up just before your division starts; and most
importantly, the entire competition moves much more efficiently
because table workers no longer do the bracketing, they just
run matches which makes the competition end hours sooner.
SANDBAGGERS
BEWARE
NAGA works diligently to prevent "sandbagging", or
the practice of fighting down skill levels to ensure one takes
home an award. NAGA has been working with RANKED to track all
fighters and ranked grappling events to produce true "national
standings." A by-product of these standings is our knowledge
of who has competed and at which level. Front door personnel
will use RANKED data to determine whether or not individuals
who have fought in past events belong in a higher skill level
(i.e. placed 1st at a prior NAGA event).
Source: NAGA
|
Report:
Leben Arrested on Suspicion of DUI
by Mike
Whitman
According to Hawaii News Now, UFC middleweight Chris Leben was
arrested Tuesday by Honolulu police on suspicion of DUI.
Leben
reportedly crashed his truck while driving on the H-1 Freeway.
“The Crippler” was allegedly driving with neither a
license nor insurance. After being taken into custody, the former
“TUF” competitor was released on $1,000 bail.
This
is not the first time that Leben, 30, has been accused of an
alcohol-related offense. He was arrested in 2008 by Oregon police
on charges of parole violation in relation to a previous DUI
offense. Leben was sentenced to 35 days in jail, requiring his
UFC 85 matchup with Michael Bisping to be pushed back to UFC
89.
Originally
from Portland, Ore., Leben moved to East Oahu, Hawaii, in 2007
to become the head coach at Icon Fitness MMA Gym. Additionally,
Leben opened his own training center, Ultimate Fight School.
Leben is coming off three straight wins, the first time he’s
accomplished that feat since 2006. He most recently submitted
Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116 in July, and he’s scheduled
to meet Brian Stann at UFC 125 on New Year’s Day.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
121 Preview: The Main Card
by Jason
Probst
With
the title on the line, UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s
defense against Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 on Saturday at the
Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., represents everything we want
combat sports to be about.
It’s
only the biggest title in sports, folks, and while the fans in
California and on pay-per-view will no doubt be focused on the
main event, there are some solid fights on this lineup in addition
to the Lesnar-Velasquez showdown. Let’s break it down.
UFC
Heavyweight Championship
Brock Lesnar (No. 1 HW) vs. Cain Velasquez (No. 4 HW)
The
Matchup: Lesnar’s performance against Shane Carwin was a
quantum leap. He overcame adversity in the cage and survived
a big-time threat to his championship with his second-round submission
of the unbeaten challenger. It was the kind of victory -- and
humble post-fight interview -- that went a long way towards reshaping
Lesnar’s image and fans’ opinion of him.
Enter
Velasquez, another unbeaten challenger, with the mojo and intensity
to match. Everything Lesnar is -- a big heavyweight, brash and
seeming to have tons of people rooting against him merely because
he’s famous -- Velasquez is not. He’s just a tough
fighter with a blue-collar approach who has steadfastly worked
himself into a title shot thanks to increasingly impressive performances.
What
makes Velasquez most interesting is how he fights, more like
a lightweight than a big man. He mixes up punches and kicks with
little tipoff to either and blends the striking-to-grappling
game with seamless ease. His work rate at the American Kickboxing
Academy is a thing of legend, and that kind of long-run conditioning
is what he will need to keep afloat against the bigger Lesnar,
who will be 20-plus pounds heavier come fight time.
The
Pick: On the UFC “Countdown” preview showcasing the
fight, one of Lesnar’s trainers asserted that his stamina
was not a problem and that people should stop questioning it.
That, however, is a well-meaning point if not a very likely moot
one, because Lesnar is not likely to go five rounds in a fight
for several years.
He’s
too big and strong, and if you do not get him early, as Carwin
attempted, you’re probably not going to be around once he
takes you down. Lesnar’s performance in the Frank Mir rematch
was a terrifying revelation of what a man of his size and athleticism
can do. He scuttled our perceptions of what a heavyweight on
the bottom could reasonably be expected to do and will be a destructive
force against anyone unfortunate enough to be caught underneath
him.
To
survive, Velasquez is going to either catch Lesnar early or have
to go through hell and escape some bad spots in a titanic struggle.
This is what heavyweight championship fights are all about, and
the guess here is that Velasquez is game and wily enough to either
step to Lesnar early, stun him and set the tone for a stoppage
or hang tough in the critical first two rounds and rally.
The
key for Velasquez is to switch angles, circle away from Lesnar
and deny him the setup for his classic power double-leg takedown,
which seems virtually unstoppable. Unless he scores a quick stoppage,
Velasquez is inevitably going to end up on his back, where he
will need to force scrambles and keep moving. Staying in a static
position, as Mir was forced to, dooms one to certain defeat.
Velasquez
will also have to plant seeds of doubt in Lesnar’s head
early, by putting leather on him in the first round to force
takedowns and clinches. For his part, Lesnar is exceptionally
athletic, and his stand-up is improving. Forget about how he
covered up and pretty much ran away when Carwin buzzed him --
anyone would. Lesnar has huge power even in glancing blows, and
that will be a threat if Velasquez does not keep him off-balance
with movement and astute timing.
Either
way, the pick here is Velasquez in a high-octane, back-and-forth
heavyweight classic. He will win in three, by KO.
Welterweights
Jake Shields (No. 3 MW, No. 8 PFP) vs. Martin Kampmann (No. 6
WW)
The
Matchup: A long time coming, Shields’ debut in the UFC will
be watched for several reasons. Hardcore fans have followed him
for years after his work in Rumble on the Rock, Shooto, EliteXC
and Strikeforce; casual types welcome anyone who can emerge as
a viable threat to welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.
Kampmann
is a good start to that conversation, as he brings a perceived
advantage in stand-up and a game with no glaring weaknesses.
His ground chops are exceptionally strong for a kickboxing-based
fighter, but Shields’ are better, which should negate a
critical advantage off of which Kampmann usually plays to beat
people.
Shields
excels at forcing people on the defensive with his grappling
game. His timing is what makes him so effective, as he will drop
down seamlessly to grab a leg while opponents are swinging at
his head or improve position while they look to strike on the
ground. What Shields’ game comes down to are highly refined
nuts and bolts, as opposed to flashy moves and verbal panache.
He simply out-positions and outworks you, which is why he beat
Dan Henderson in a bout in which few gave him a prayer.
It
also laid the foundation for his entry into the UFC. Dropping
back to welterweight, he will be in a talented division that,
promotion-wise, is sorely in need of a fresh face for GSP.
The
Pick: Shields’ chin should carry him through if Kampmann
connects, and that will prove enough to allow him to force it
to the ground. Kampmann is no slouch on the mat and will find
himself battling Shields’ onslaught of top pressure, strikes
and a grind-’em-down approach. Shields also has an excellent
defensive guard and submissions in case he winds up on his back.
He will put those together for a third-round submission or strike-induced
TKO on the ground.
Welterweights
Paulo Thiago (No. 7 WW) vs. Diego Sanchez
The
Matchup: In a perfectly fair world, guys like Sanchez would have
a proper weight class somewhere between lightweight and welterweight.
Instead, the winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season
1 finds himself facing hard choices. Too big to cut to 155 effectively
and yet undersized for 170, Sanchez has returned to the welterweight
division despite the size disadvantage.
After
losing a one-sided bout to talented John Hathaway at May’s
UFC 114, the question presented itself more than ever, as Sanchez
seemed out of sorts, adrift and unable to apply his high-pressure
style due to an obvious size disadvantage. The Sanchez we saw
there was a faint echo of the imposing guy who piled up a five-fight
winning streak after dominating Kenny Florian to win the Spike
TV reality show in April 2005. Have today’s fighters gotten
that much better or did Sanchez merely hit a stylistic speedbump
in Hathaway? This fight should provide some answers.
In
contrast to Sanchez’ high-energy, all-in style, Thiago is
the quintessential cool cat taking a measured approach. He isn’t
afraid to get hit, makes high-percentage moves on the ground
and has a textbook grappling game, underwritten with a solid
understanding of how to get out of trouble while putting the
other guy in it.
It
also says a lot about his resilience that, in his first UFC fight,
he was basically getting thrashed around by Josh Koscheck before
a stunning turnaround via uppercut earned him a KO win. He then
was rewarded with a match against uber-grinder Jon Fitch, losing
a one-sided decision. He has since rebounded against lesser competition,
going 2-1 and showing his wares with decent stand-up, including
a slick submission of Mike Swick. Neither of these guys is a
killer on the feet, and both will be confident in bringing it
to the ground, Thiago looking for submissions, Sanchez trying
to ground-and-pound.
The
Pick: This should be an interesting back-and-forth battle, as
both look to press the advantage early. In prime form, Sanchez
still has a pretty solid game of clinches, scrambles and transitions,
which he uses effectively to put opponents on the defensive and
rough them up. Thiago will have to blunt Sanchez’s attempts
to turn it into a high-paced bout, mix up effective strikes and
use openings in the scrambles to his advantage.
Thiago
will also have to take away Sanchez’s confidence early and
deny him momentum. Expect a series of scrambles, reversals and
some rollicking back-and-forth stand-up in spurts. This will
come down to a close decision, however, and Thiago’s size
and coolness under fire will earn him a victory on points.
Light
Heavyweights
Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill
The
Matchup: The teacher-versus-student battle is always a fun one,
and with Ortiz-Hamill, you get that along with both men hoping
to prove the point that they’re still relevant amidst the
top cadre of the 205-pound division.
Let’s
face it, there’s nothing like a battle between two wrestlers
because you know someone is going to end up on his back at a
disadvantage. These matches often come down to who has the better
stand-up to dictate range and events, and the edge here is with
Hamill, who gets more heft and juice into his shots. Dogged by
years of injuries, Ortiz performances of late make one wonder
what he has had to overcome physically just to get into the cage.
The
Pick: Less experience is not always a great thing, until you
factor in years of training, injuries and general mileage on
the body. Ortiz has probably forgotten more about MMA than most
guys will ever know, and his takedown-based style overshadowed
a chronically overlooked jiu-jitsu game.
The
clinch work and duels for takedowns will be high-level stuff,
as neither will want to cede one. Ortiz’s excellent guard
and MMA savvy should be enough to get him out of some bad spots
early, unless Hamill pushes such a relentless pace that Ortiz
cannot keep up. This one is a case of a young lion versus the
old one, and Hamill should bring enough to take a decision.
Source: Sherdog
|
Cain
Velasquez Shrugging Off the Pressure Ahead of UFC 121 Title Fight1
By Ben
Fowlkes
ROSEMEAD, CALIF. – Cain Velasquez didn't have to worry about
bumping into Brock Lesnar at Thursday's UFC 121 open workout.
While Lesnar was appearing on Jim Rome's show, Velasquez had
the spotlight to himself at the UFC gym here today. Not that
he enjoyed it very much.
"I
don't like [the media responsibilities]," Velasquez said
after a brief shadowboxing display. "I know it's part of
the job. I'll deal with it. But I don't like it."
Unfortunately
for the unbeaten heavyweight, it comes with the territory when
you're facing Lesnar with the UFC heavyweight title on the line.
As soon as Velasquez wrapped up his workout, the questions –
in both English and Spanish – came flying in a steady stream.
Velasquez kept his answers short in both languages, rarely offering
more than he needed to. Except, that is, when it came to assessing
Lesnar's strengths and weaknesses.
After
watching Lesnar's fight with Shane Carwin at UFC 116, Velasquez
said he saw a fighter who didn't seem at home on the feet.
"He
definitely did seem cautious with his stand-up. He definitely
didn't seem too comfortable in it. But one thing, he's big, he's
strong, and he doesn't want to wrestle – he wants to be
on top. That's an advantage, just knowing that that's where he
wants to take the fight."
That's
also why, Velasquez said, he worked with decorated wrestlers
like former Olympic team captain Daniel Cormier in order to prepare
for Lesnar.
Then
again, with Lesnar doing some work of his own with Pat Barry,
Velasquez said he expects to see an improved striking performance
from the champion.
"He's
always improving, always evolving, so I definitely expect a better
fighter all around. ...I think working with the guys he's been
working with, he's definitely improved. I'm expecting a better
guy."
Though
with Lesnar, it's not just a matter of dealing with his skills,
but also his size, said Velasquez.
"It
does make a big difference. He's 265 [pounds] right now, and
the blessing is, he knows how to wrestle. If he knows how to
wrestle well, and he's that size, it's definitely tough."
But
the big question for Velasquez is whether the pressure of a title
fight – particularly on a card where much of the UFC's marketing
efforts have focused heavily on his Mexican heritage – will
add a new wrinkle to his pre-fight nerves.
This,
it seems, is when it's handy to be as laid back and soft-spoken
as Velasquez is. He may not get worked up for interviews, but
neither does he get too worried about the fights.
"I
don't feel any pressure. I feel good that I can represent for
my people and represent Mexicans. If people look at me that way,
like they can look up to me, then I feel good."
The
good news for Velasquez is that, with the fight just days away,
the talking is almost over. At least, for a little while.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Patrick
Cote Is On A Seek and Destroy Mission at UFC 121
by Ken Pishna
Ring rust can get to a lot of fighters. One mixed martial artist
who is familiar with the issue is Patrick Cote.
“The
Predator” is scheduled to return to the Octagon Saturday
at UFC 121 against Tom Lawlor, but in his last fight, Cote dealt
with a tough submission loss to the always dangerous Alan Belcher
at UFC 113.
The
Canadian fighter didn’t expect rust to affect him the way
it did.
“The
only thing I didn’t expect in this fight is the ring rust,”
Cote said on MMAWeekly Radio. “When the fight (started),
it just hit me in my face. I took me a minute and a half to be…
comfortable in the Octagon.”
Without
a doubt, Cote had a heavy coat of rust to shake off after injuring
himself in his title fight against Anderson Silva in 2008. It
was nearly a year-and-a-half before Cote got his chance to get
back in the fight game.
Now,
with one fight under his belt after a long layoff, Cote says
that he feels better than ever going into his UFC 121 bout with
Lawlor.
“I
feel way better,” said Cote. “In my head, I feel so
much more confident.”
Who
likes to see a good knockout? Most MMA fans can say that it’s
one of the most exciting things about combat sports.
Cote
feels that he can serve up this kind of satisfaction to the fan-base
come Saturday night because he sees Lawlor as the type to stand
and bang with opponents.
He’ll
expect Lawlor to step in the pocket, and Cote has no problem
with that.
“Fine
with me,” he said about Lawlor’s willingness to exchange.
“If he wants to do that, his night could be really, really
short.”
And
how short of a night is Cote expecting?
“If
it’s not in the first round, it will be in the second round
for sure,” Cote claimed. “Especially with his style
and my style, there is now way this fight goes to a decision.
If this fight goes to decision, we’re (both) going to be
pretty (expletive) up.”
“The
Predator” explained that he no longer has to deal with the
issue of ring rust and that his comfort inside the Octagon, at
this point, is at the utmost.
So
comfortable is Cote, that he plans on bringing a destructive
end to Lawlor’s night. Admittedly, Cote laughs at his opponent’s
pre-fight antics. Being a funny guy is something Lawlor is pretty
good at, but it doesn’t throw off Cote’s approach to
the fight.
“My
goal is to destroy this guy,” he said. “This is his
thing, but I hope he’s not counting on that to get in my
head because it’s not going to happen.”
Despite
this fight having the epic potential to end quickly on the feet,
the fact is that this is mixed martial arts. The fight can go
anywhere. Cote is well aware of this and wants people to know
that he is far from being a slouch on the canvas.
With
the possibility of being put on his back, he isn’t worried
about not being able to compete from that position.
“If
he’s able to take me down, I can submit him from my back.
I have no problem with that,” Cote said. “I think a
lot of people underestimate my ground game.”
Patrick
Cote will get his chance to prove doubters of his ground game
wrong on Saturday, Oct. 23, when he faces Tom Lawlor at UFC 121.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Marquardt
hones ground game to not waste next shot
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Nate Marquardt completed five years in the Ultimate Fighting
Championship as one of those at the top of the world MMA middleweight
pecking order.
Now,
it’s at the point where he can no longer squander any shots
at at Anderson Silva’s belt.
The
Aurora, Colorado native has had his shot at Anderson Silva in
the past, in July 2007, when he lost in the first round at UFC
73.
He
then climbed back up a few rungs till he dropped a decision to
Thales Leites at UFC 85. He beat two more stalwart fighters and
put away Demian Maia in style, dropping early with a punch, and
then went on to lose to Chael Sonnen.
Now, again back in the UFC title mix after his win against Rousimar
Toquinho at UFC Fight Night 22 back in September, Marquardt (30w,
9l, 2d) returns his sights to champion Anderson.
“I’d
like to fight for the title again; that’s my dream. It didn’t
happen this time, só I’m not going to moan about
it. Of course that’s what I want, but if it didn’t
happen, I’m prepared to do another fight and then try for
the title again,” he tells GRACIEMAG.com.
If
his next opponent isn’t for the title, Nate will bide his
time by watching keenly the bout between Anderson Silva and Vitor
Belfort on February 5 in Las Vegas.
“Anderson
versus Belfort is going to be a great fight. I’ll be watching
and ready to face the winner, should that be the case.”
In
the meantime, the fighter carries on brushing up his ground game
– one of greatest strengths – with black belt Amal
Easton, who trains beasts like Shane Carwin and Brendan Schaub.
Nate has shown himself to be a great gentle art admirer.
“I
used to train in the gi a lot, mainly when I would teach. Now
I train less, but I like it a lot and have fun when I wear the
gi,” he says.
In
his last outing, Jiu-Jitsu was one of his priorities in facing
Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares. It proved to be worth
it. Nate managed to free himself of the Brazilian’s dangerous
heel hook and win by knockout.
“Toquinho
is a great fighter, but I’m a black belt, too, and I fight
and train with high-level Jiu-Jitsu guys. I have a lot of experience,
train with a good gang and feel ready to face all the great black
belts.”
A
lover of the grappling game, Nate reveers and thanks the family
that represents Jiu-Jitsu most.
The
Gracies are the fathers of MMA. If it weren’t for them,
the sport wouldn’t be where it is today. It wouldn’t
be the same thing. They were really the ones who created it and
are a huge part of where the sport is now,” he says in closing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Eddie
Alvarez Forces Doctor Stoppage of Roger Huerta at Bellator 33
By Matt
Erickson
Eddie Alvarez was quick to remind people he hadn't yet lost on
American soil, and he wasn't about to start in his hometown of
Philadelphia.
Thursday
in a non-title superfight against Roger Huerta at Bellator 33,
the Bellator lightweight champion held true to that promise.
Alvarez was seldom challenged by Huerta through two rounds, winning
by TKO after the cageside doctor stopped the fight before the
third round.
Philadelphia
is known for producing world-class boxers, including Joe Frazier,
Sonny Liston and Bernard Hopkins. Even Rocky was from Philly.
But Alvarez needed no Rocky-like comeback on Thursday.
He
worked kicks to Huerta's legs early in the first round that immediately
chased Huerta from his southpaw stance. And those kicks set up
a precision boxing display for the better part of 10 minutes.
Though Alvarez rocked Huerta repeatedly, he was never able to
land one big knockout punch.
"What
a tough son of a ...," Alvarez said in his post-fight interview.
"That guy wouldn't go down. I hit him with a lot of really
good shots and my hat's off to Roger for staying in there as
long as he did."
Alvarez
continually was one step ahead of Huerta's best shots, forcing
the eight-time UFC veteran into a counter-attacking gameplan.
But most of Huerta's offense seemed to pass just close enough
to Alvarez for him to know it was there.
Alvarez,
whose five-fight winning streak coming into the bout featured
five submissions, was able to land two first-round takedowns.
And after dropping Huerta to his knees, Alvarez worked to take
Huerta's back against the fence. After a knee from Alvarez, a
right hand from Huerta showed a short sign of life late in the
first round. But Alvarez was quickly up and answered with a pair
of rights of his own.
In
the second round, Alvarez continued to pepper away at Huerta.
And slowly but surely, Huerta's left eye continued to look worse.
With about a minute left in the round, Huerta caught an Alvarez
kick and used it for a takedown. And after Alvarez got back to
his feet, Huerta landed a suplex. But that was all the offense
Huerta could muster, and it was too little, too late.
Alvarez,
widely regarded as one of the top 10 lightweights in the world,
improves to 21-2 with the win and has won six straight. Huerta,
who had said before the fight that a loss might be his last in
the sport, drops to 21-5-1 and 1-2 in Bellator.
Alvarez
is next expected to defend his Bellator lightweight title against
Season 2 lightweight tournament winner Pat Curran, who had to
pull out of an anticipated title shot with Alvarez due to an
injury.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Superior
6: Thales Leites replaces Bustamante
By Guilherme
Cruz
Former
UFC middleweight champion, Murilo Bustamente was set fight at
Superior Challenge 6, event that happens on October 29n in Sweden,
but got injured during the trainings. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black
belt of Nova União, Thales Leites will replace him on
the duel against Tor Troeng, a fighter who has 12 wins and only
three losses on his career. “I don’t know much about
him, I’ve just watched some of his fights on YouTube…
About his wins, I could tell that most of them are by submission,
and for what I’ve seen he likes to take his opponent’s
down”, said Thales to TATAME, wanting to erase his last
loss, when he was submitted on War on the Mainland. “I wanted
to fight badly, so I have to make a good presentation in order
to erase the fight I wasn’t good at”.
Source: Tatame
|
What's
in a name? For UFC and Brock Lesnar, only everything
Mixed martial arts' biggest star meets unbeaten Cain Velasquez
for the UFC heavyweight title Saturday in Anaheim, but unlike
in boxing, the challenger could score an upset and still lose
the battle of the bank deposits in a rematch.
By Lance Pugmire
Unbeaten Cain Velasquez could be fitted with the Ultimate Fighting
Championship's heavyweight belt Saturday night in Anaheim and
yet in a rematch would still get less money.
That's
how big Brock Lesnar has become.
"He's
a dominant champion, has looked invincible at times and showed
huge heart in his last fight," UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta
said of Lesnar, a former NCAA wrestling champion and World Wrestling
Entertainment pay-per-view star.
So
after making nearly 10 times more than his last two challengers,
Lesnar has achieved a popularity few pro fighters attain. Even
if he loses, he'll still win the battle of bank deposits.
Less
than a 2-to-1 underdog in Las Vegas sports books, Velasquez,
28, has already accepted his fate: "He's the most recognizable
guy in the UFC," he says of Lesnar.
In
boxing, tradition has been that a challenger who upsets a champion
wins the leverage to be the top earner in any rematch. It happened
years ago when Olympian Leon Spinks upset Muhammad Ali, and more
recently between middleweights Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor
and junior-middleweights Winky Wright and Shane Mosley.
A
champion's extreme popularity can alter that tradition, though.
When Oscar De La Hoya lost to Shane Mosley in 2000, De La Hoya
still out-earned the Pomona fighter in their rematch three years
later — $9.5 million to $1.5 million.
Such
disparity, however, is typically reserved for the poster children
of combat sports or the result of a take-it-or-leave-it rematch
clause.
Lesnar,
33, downplayed the suggestion he has passed welterweight champion
Georges St-Pierre and middleweight champion Anderson Silva as
the face of the UFC.
"I'm
a former amateur wrestler, a former professional wrestler, a
wannabe NFL football player," Lesnar said. "And here
I am a UFC heavyweight champion. So, do I look at it any differently?
No. Do I go to bed holding onto my UFC title every night? No."
UFC
accountants undoubtedly sleep better knowing Lesnar (5-1) has
recovered from an intestinal infection that threatened to end
his career. This will be his second fight in four months. In
July, Lesnar rallied from a first-round beating by Shane Carwin
to win his comeback fight by second-round submission.
Lesnar's
three fights in Las Vegas since 2008 are among the seven richest
gates in the sport's history in Nevada, generating nearly $14
million, with more than 2 million pay-per-view buys at about
$50 a pop.
"People
love the heavyweight champ, he's the baddest man on the planet,"
UFC President Dana White said. "Boxing's heavyweight champ
is not that. The Klitschkos are the cure for insomnia. Brock
is the exact opposite of a Klitschko. He wants to go down as
the best heavyweight of all time, and if he can continue his
dominance in this fight, he's on his way to doing it."
White
and Fertitta say boxing's formula to overpay surprise winners
is flawed because it creates difficult negotiations that may
block a bout. Ego-driven athletes dictate terms that number-crunching
businessmen know aren't always reasonable.
The
UFC typically locks its fighters into six-fight contracts.
In
August, beaten lightweight champion and mixed martial arts legend
B.J. Penn was paid $150,000 in his rematch against surprise new
champion Frankie Edgar, who was paid only a guaranteed $48,000.
Edgar won again and received a $48,000 victory bonus.
"B.J.
was obviously a legitimate superstar in this sport, and you've
got to pay him respect," Fertitta said. "There's not
an exact formula. We figure out how these guys fight. If they
do a good job, we reward them. Frankie's on his way to becoming
a superstar."
The
UFC contract model contains provisions based on bumps in salary
for fighters who become champions, with "huge goodwill and
bonuses if these guys fight hard," Fertitta said. "At
the end of the day, we bonus guys for good performances and we're
the only promoters in the world who take care of fighters over
and beyond what the contract calls for.
"It's
discretionary, like in our casino business when you see a guy
doing a good job. It's an incentive to do better, and a lot better
system for the fan than in boxing, where a guy can say, 'I'm
getting a million tonight, I'm going to cruise.'"
Boxing
promoter Richard Schaefer scoffed that "If the pay-per-view
numbers I see on them are accurate," the UFC "model
is all about empowering the UFC, at the cost of the athletes.
They are grossly underpaying their fighters compared to boxers."
Lesnar's
guaranteed purses in his last two fights haven't topped $1 million,
while boxing star Floyd Mayweather Jr. has earned more than $60
million (with pay-per-view profits counted) in his last two bouts.
Lou
DiBella, another boxing promoter, said the UFC pay system works
only because "they're a de facto monopoly. They control
their industry. In boxing, it's every man for himself fighting
for a piece of pie that keeps shrinking."
White
admits his organization's dominance creates hard feelings —
for rivals, and sometimes among his fighters.
"Too
bad, it's a . . . business," he said. "Everyone thinks
they should get more."
lance.pugmire@latimes.com
twitter.com/latimespugmire
UFC
121
When:
Saturday.
Where:
Honda Center.
TV:
Pay-per-view, $44.95, at 7 p.m.; undercard, SPIKE TV, 6 p.m.;
first bout, 5:20.
Who:
Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (5-1) vs. Cain Velasquez (8-0);
Jake Shields (25-4-1) vs. Martin Kampmann (17-3), welterweights;
Tito Ortiz (16-7-1) vs. Matt Hamill (10-2), light-heavyweights.
Other:
UFC public news conference, 2 p.m. Wednesday at Walt Disney Concert
Hall, 135 N. Grand Ave.; weigh-ins: 2 p.m. Friday at Honda Center.
Source: Los Angeles Times
|
MC
Hammer’s Alchemist Management Signs Six, Including Filho
by Mike Whitman
MC Hammer must be into buying in bulk.
The
former Grammy winner’s MMA management company just signed
six new clients to contracts. At the top of the list of fighters
inked by Alchemist Management is former WEC middleweight king
Paulo Filho.
The
company has also signed Strikeforce competitors Eric Lawson and
Virgil Zwicker, “TUF” alum Eliot Marshall, Pride Fighting
Championships veterans Milton Vieira and Cristiano Marcello,
and Grudge Training Center founder Trevor Wittman.
Once
considered to be a top middleweight, Filho ran off 16 consecutive
victories to start his career. Holding black belts in both Brazilian
jiu-jitsu and judo, Filho is a handful on the ground, earning
half of his career wins by submission. In 2007, Filho won the
vacant WEC middleweight title, defeating Canadian Joe Doerksen
by armbar. He then faced current UFC 185-pound contender Chael
Sonnen in a pair of contests in which Filho looked ragged and
exhausted. In the first fight, Sonnen dominated Filho for nearly
two rounds before getting caught in a Filho armbar and verbally
submitting. The second bout, like the first, was to be for Filho’s
title, but the Brazilian failed to make weight, demoting the
contest to a non-title affair. It was all Sonnen the second time
around, as he controlled Filho en route to a bittersweet unanimous
decision victory.
The
Brazilian has experienced a resurgence as of late, however, going
4-0-1 in the last year, most recently drawing with Canadian Dennis
Kang at Impact FC 2 in Sydney, Australia.
The
six fighters signed to the Alchemist banner join previously inked
clients such as UFC competitors Stefan Struve, Nate Marquardt,
Brendan Schaub and Vladimir Matyushenko. Alchemist Management
also recently began producing MMA apparel.
Source: Sherdog
|
Dana
White believes in Olympic future for MMA
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
In the ancient Greek Olympics, hundreds of years before Christ,
in a certain way, MMA was disputed. The style, denominated pancrase,
which arose from the fusion of pugilism and grappling, was one
of the most important feats at the Games and was quite similar
to MMA. In it competed the great warriors and, among the moves
performed, locks and chokes were already incorporated, as were
kicks and punches. After having died off for thousands of years,
pancrase didn’t again find its place upon the return of
the Olympics, in 1896 in Athens.
Over
the years, styles like wrestling, boxing, judo and taekwondo
became a part of the Olympics. Common to gentle art practitioners
is the dream of Jiu-Jitsu one day becoming an Olympic sport,
and if it were up to UFC president Dana White, MMA would be in,
as well.
“You
see wrestling, boxing, judo, taekwondo, all these things that
are permitted in MMA,” says White in analysis to MMAJunkie.com.
The
UFC top brass participated in a meeting in New York with other
sympathizers of the idea, but asserts that he does not represent
the International Olympic Committee. Dana guarantees his support,
but does not believe he carries much weight in making the dream
come true.
“It
will take time. I’m the one who’s been saying it should
be an Olympic sport, and I hope to see it become one before I
die. But I don’t believe I’m the one who’ll make
it happen. But it’s one of my goals and I feel it’s
inevitable.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Is
the “Cain Velasquez as first Mexican Heavyweight champion”
campaign a turn off for white UFC fans?
By Zach Arnold
“The
skills that I have and the experience that I have in the sport
on my stand-up, it’s possible for me to knock out Brock.
“October
23rd in Anaheim, I’m going to beat Brock Lesnar. He has
something that I want. This is the whole reason why I got into
the sport is to become champion. I’m going to beat him.
“For
the Latin people here in the US, the Mexicans in Mexico need
a champion. For us, we have a rich tradition in boxing and to
not have a Mexican champion is unheard of. We need it. I’m
glad I’m able to be in this position that I can, you know,
give that to them and I want to. I want to give this belt to
them. The people need a champion. This is the whole reason why
I got into this sport is to be the champion. I’m going to
beat him.”
It’s
been interesting to see how Zuffa is marketing the upcoming match
between Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar. They’ve marketed
this fight as Cain’s chance to become “the first Mexican
Heavyweight champion” despite the fact that he was born
in Salinas, California. He’s gone on record to push for
the repeal of SB1070 (the Arizona immigration enforcement bill
that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into state law.) Last
week, when Brock Lesnar was asked about this issue during a UFC
conference call, he was not enthusiastic about being part of
this specific discussion.
One
of the major claims from critics of MMA about UFC is that the
majority of their fan base is supposedly white. (I don’t
necessarily agree with that assumption, but let’s assume
it’s true for this argument.) Does all the “Brown Pride”
talk and “first Mexican heavyweight champion” marketing
turn off white UFC fans or is it a matter where white fans largely
don’t care one way or the other about this? I’ve argued
before that the energy going into Brock Lesnar fights is largely
anti-Brock or pro-Brock and that the opponent he faces is starting
to become secondary in regards to drawing power.
Let’s
say that Velasquez is able to beat Lesnar on Saturday night —
will the “first Mexican Heavyweight champion” and “Brown
Pride” talk work to boost Velasquez’s popularity or
will it turn off white fans?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Bisping
Believes He’s One Win From Title Shot
by Ken
Pishna
Michael Bisping walked out of the Octagon on Saturday night in
London’s O2 Arena with his second straight dominant decision
victory, winning a unanimous decision over Yoshihiro Akiyama.
Does
that alone propel him into title contention? To put it frankly:
no.
But
if you add up his body of work at middleweight in the UFC, Bisping
is headed down the right road. Since making his middleweight
debut with a first-round TKO victory over Charles McCarthy in
April of 2008, the “Ultimate Fighter Season 3” light
heavyweight winner has amassed a record of 6-2 in the UFC’s
185-pound division.
He
reeled off three-straight victories in the division before his
first stumble, a knockout loss at the hands of former two-division
Pride champion Dan Henderson. He scored an impressive win over
Denis Kang before losing a controversial decision to Wanderlei
Silva earlier this year.
You
put all of that in perspective and Bisping’s body of work
at middleweight is highly respectable, easily leaving him knocking
on the door of a title shot… and he concurs.
“Everything
is coming together in my skill set. And now I’m ready. If
I can’t do it now, I’m never gonna do it,” said
Bisping after his win over Akiyama at UFC 120.
“I
had a good fight against (Dan) Miller. I’m relatively happy
tonight. It was a good win. I want to fight a tough guy, whoever
it is. I think one more win against a real credible opponent,
I think that would get me a title shot, but obviously it’s
not up to me is it?”
No,
it’s not up to Bisping to decide if or when he gets a title
shot, and UFC president Dana White was less than committed on
the subject, although he did heap praise on the Brit after his
victory.
“Akiyama
is a tough guy. I knew that that was gonna be a dog fight. Mike
looked good tonight. He took a big shot as soon as that fight
started. He was hurt, he got rocked. He kept his composure and
fought a great fight,” said White, but was open-ended on
Bisping’s future. “We’ll see what happens.”
The
middleweight picture has a few moves to play out before anything
can be determined anyway. Champion Anderson Silva is on tap to
fight Vitor Belfort on Super Bowl weekend in early February.
Aside from that, Nate Marquardt is slated to face Yushin Okami
at UFC 122 in Germany with the winner expected to fight whoever
is champion following Super Bowl weekend.
With
the time all that will take to play out, Bisping surely has at
least one more fight on the docket before a title shot would
even be feasible, maybe two.
There
are plenty of opponents out there. Chris Leben has worked his
way to the upper echelon of the division, Wanderlei Silva is
returning soon, and Demian Maia and Kendall Grove are fighting
in December.
Who
he is able to fight next and how he does will obviously have
a lot to do with how soon Bisping good be granted his wish, but
he obviously feels he’s grown into the role of contender
and is ready to step in when called upon.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
NAGA
This Saturday!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Radford High School Gym
4361 Salt Lake Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96818-3195
Schedule:
8:00 AM Doors Open, Registration & Weigh-ins begin (Last
all day)
10:00 AM Rules Meeting for all competitors
10:00 - 10:30 AM All Children and Teen (Gi & No-Gi Divisions)
Begin
Noon - 5 PM Adult No-Gi Divisions Begin in this timeframe, starting
with Novice, working through to Expert
Mid Afternoon to the Evening- Adult Gi Divisions begin starting
with White Belt working through to Black Belt.
Weigh In Info:
NAGA will be offering all competitors the option of registering
and weighing-in the night BEFORE the tournament! On Friday, weigh-ins and registration
will start at 6:00
PM and continue until 8:00 at Radford High School. The Friday weigh-in
will be open to all competitors regardless if you pre-registered
or not. Adults please have a photo ID on hand when weighing-in.
If you are not able to weigh-in on Friday, you can still weigh-in
on Saturday prior to your division start time.
You do not need to pre-register in order to compete
You do not need to be on a team to compete
All grappling styles are welcome!
There are no refunds for any reason, please be prepared to stay
late
Men Weight Classes (All No Gi and White and Blue Belt)
Bantam Weight (129.9 lbs. & Under)
Fly Weight (130 lbs. to 139.9 lbs.)
Feather Weight (140 lbs. to 149.9 lbs.)
Light Weight (150 lbs. to 159.9 lbs.)
Welter Weight (160 lbs. to 169.9 lbs.)
Middle Weight (170 lbs. to 179.9 lbs.)
Light Heavy Weight (180 lbs. to 189.9 lbs.)
Cruiser Weight (190 lbs. to 199.9 lbs.)
Heavy Weight (200 lbs. to 224.9 lbs.)
Super Heavy Weight (225 lbs. & Above)
PURPLE TO BLACK BELT WEIGHT CLASSES
Lt Wt. (154.9 lbs. & Under)
Middle Wt. (155 to 174.9)
Cruiser (175 to 199.9)
Super Heavy (200 +)
Women Weight Classes
Fly Weight (119.9 lbs & Under)
Light Weight (120 to 134.9 lbs.)
Middle Weight (135 to 159.9 lbs.)
Light Heavy Wt (160 lbs. & Above)
Kids' Weight Classes (13 years and younger):
49.9 lbs. & Under
50 lbs. to 59.9 lbs.
60 lbs. to 69.9 lbs.
70 lbs. to 79.9 lbs.
80 lbs. to 89.9 lbs.
90 lbs. to 99.9 lbs.
100 lbs. to 114.9 lbs.
115 lbs. to 129.9 lbs.
130 lbs. to 179.9 lbs.
Teen Weight Classes (14-17 yrs old)
Bantam Weight (114.9 lbs. & Under)
Fly Weight (115 to 129.9 lbs.)
Light Weight (130 lbs. to 149.9 lbs.)
Middle Weight (150 lbs. to 169.9 lbs.)
Heavy Weight (170 lbs. to 199.9 lbs.)
Super Heavy Weight (200 lbs. +)
PLEASE
NOTE: As the exact number of competitors is unknown until event
day, it is difficult to precisely predict when your division
will run. As a general rule, get there early and BE PREPARED
TO STAY LATE. There are no refunds made to competitors or spectators
for any reason, especially if you have to leave before your division
takes place.
Make sure you come early or on time because NAGA is great at
running their tournaments on time and blasting through the tons
of matches that will be going on!
Pre-registration is closed. You can register at the event on
Friday from 5-8PM or on Saturday beginning at 8AM. $80 - One
Division, $100 - Two Divisions, $15 - Spectator Pass
100
CHAMPIONSHIP BELTS AWARDED
NAGA is the only grappling tournament in the world to award 100
CHAMPIONSHIP BELTS to all its Children, Teen, Adult (Men &
Women), Masters, Directors and Executive Expert Division Winners.
SAMURAI
SWORDS TO KIDS & TEENS WINNERS
NAGA will be awarding custom engraved SAMURAI SWORDS to all non-expert
Kids & Teen 1st place winners! Octagon medals will be awarded
to all 2nd & 3rd place winners along with non-expert Adult
division winners. Adult competitors who place 1st, 2nd or 3rd
and win a medal will have the opportunity to obtain a samurai
sword at the NAGA T-shirt booth for a nominal fee. All children
will take home a medal even if they do not place 1st through
3rd for having the courage to compete.
6
SPECTACULAR CHAMPIONSHIP CUP TEAM AWARDS
All 6 of our top teams (Adult Gi, No-Gi & Children 17 yrs.
& under) will receive a custom made championship cup. Do
not miss this opportunity to showcase the talent that your academy
possesses.
FREE
$100 INSTRUCTIONAL DVD TO ALL COMPETITORS
NAGA will be giving away a FREE NAGA Instructional DVD to every
NAGA Midwest Competitor. The DVD is part of the new NAGA Submission
Series. This DVD features chokes (Arm-in Guillotine, Brabo, Anaconda
and more) broken down in great detail by BJJ Black Belt and NAGA
Referee Steve Hall.
SAVE
MONEY ON FIGHT GEAR
NAGA is bringing a truckload of gear (board shorts, rash guards,
t-shirts, hats, etc.) in children and adults sizes that you can
purchase at the NAGA event before you compete. We have gear and
apparel for everyone. Check out the huge selection at the NAGA
Hawaii T-shirt booth at the NAGA Hawaii event.
NATIONALLY
RANKED EVENT
All NAGA events are part of the nationwide ranking system entitled
RANKED. Our goal is to determine who the best grapplers in the
country are for various age, gender, and skill levels. This tournament
will be nationally ranked so do not miss your opportunity to
gain points towards a true national title. More details can be
found at www.nationallyranked.com.
SANDBAGGERS
BEWARE
NAGA works diligently to prevent "sandbagging", or
the practice of fighting down skill levels to ensure one takes
home an award. NAGA has been working with RANKED to track all
fighters and ranked grappling events to produce true "national
standings." A by-product of these standings is our knowledge
of who has competed and at which level. Front door personnel
will use RANKED data to determine whether or not individuals
who have fought in past events belong in a higher skill level
(i.e. placed 1st at a prior NAGA event).
|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 19, 2010
KALA “KOLOHE”
HOSE TO DEFEND HIS HOME
AGAINST
INVASION AS X-1 PRESENTS
“ISLAND PRIDE”
November 6, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
Light
heavyweight title tourney final to commence
Honolulu,
HI (USA): World class fight promotion X-1 World Events is proud
to bring its next exciting fight card to Hawaii as they present
“ISLAND PRIDE,” live on Saturday, November 6th, at
the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. This incredible night
of action will feature local fight legend Kala “Kolohe”
Hose in the main event, as he battles extremely tough and experienced
Mexican fighter Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar. In the co-main
event, the X-1 Light Heavyweight Championship tournament will
come to a finish, as Island favorite Po’ai Suganuma and
Korea native San Soo Lee will lock horns with the belt on the
line. Also on the card will be Strikeforce fighter Lolohea Mahe,
as he makes his return to X-1. Local fight fans won’t want
to miss this night of bone-crunching KO’s, slick submissions,
and electrifying finishes!
This
event will also be shown live on Pay Per View on all inner islands.
The undercard will begin at 5:30 PM, and the main card is scheduled
to start at 7 PM. Ticket prices for “ISLAND PRIDE”
include $35 for riser seats, $50 for floor seats, $70 for second
row seats, and $100 for front row seats. Please see http://www.x1events.com/
for more ticket information.
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-4, seven KO/TKOs) is a fighter known
for his devastating knockout power, and has garnered a reputation
as one of the toughest Island fighters active today. In August
of 2008, he claimed the ICON Middleweight title with an exciting
TKO victory over current UFC fighter Phil Baroni that was lauded
by MMA fans for its great action. A veteran of Superbrawl and
EliteXC, Hose will look to rebound from a disappointing fourth-round
submission loss to X-1 Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale
during the most recent X-1 event, “HEROES.” During
his career, he’s faced UFC veterans such as Baroni, Vitale,
“Mayhem” Miller, and Reese Andy. Now, he will take
on the ultra-tough Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar. This knockout
specialist has claimed 16 of his 21 career victories via TKO/KO,
and with “Kolohe” standing on the other side of the
cage, someone is bound to get knocked out in this one!
In
addition, X-1 fans will finally find out who the X-1 Light Heavyweight
Champion will be, as the tournament will come to a close at “ISLAND
PRIDE.” Former EliteXC headliner and Hawaii native Poai
Suganuma (11-3) will tackle the challenge brought by extremely
tough South Korean SpiritMC veteran Sang Soo Lee (15-9) with
championship glory at stake. Suganuma defeated Greg Schmitt via
unanimous decision in the first round of the tournament to advance
to the semi-finals. There, he knocked out Vitaly Shemetov in
just over a minute to gain a spot in the final round. Now he
faces Lee for the belt. The Korean knocked out Daniel Madrid
with a beautiful right hand in the opening round of the tourney,
which allowed him to move on to the second round. In his second
tourney fight, Lee took a unanimous decision victory over California’s
Roy Boughton, which thrust him into the title finals. Now, Suganuma
and Lee will tangle to show who the real champion is.
“ISLAND
PRIDE” is also proud to present a returning local favorite
in Lolohea Mahe. Mahe is coming off a two-fight stint in Strikeforce,
and is looking to rebound in the promotion that helped launch
him. A two-time X-1 veteran, Mahe is determined to prove he belongs
on the big stages of MMA. In addition, “ISLAND PRIDE”
will present two state championship fights, with the 155 lb.,
and 145 lb. state title belts all on the line.
“What
an incredible night of fights this should be!” exclaimed
Mike Miller, Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events. “We’re
proud to bring back Kolohe, who has a tough task on his hands
with ‘Tigre’ Aguilar. Then we finally get to see who
the next X-1 Light Heavyweight Champion will be, and we’re
also glad to see Lolohea Mahe back in X-1. Local fight fans are
in for an awesome night!”
Here
is the fight card as it stands now:
185
lb. Main Event:
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-4) vs. Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar
(21-15-0-1)
X-1
Light Heavyweight Championship tournament (final round):
Poai Suganuma (HI) (11-3) vs. Sang Soo Lee (S. Korea) (15-9)
Heavyweight:
Lolohea
Mahe (4-2-1) vs. Jake Faagai (1-1)
X-1
155 lb. State Title:
Bryson
“The Kid” Kamaka (11-17) vs. Max “Lil’ Evil”
Holloway (0-0)
X-1
145 lb. State Title:
Sadhu
Bott (4-0) vs. Dustin Kimura (3-0)
135
lbs.:
Matt
Comeau (6-3) vs. Van Oscar Penovoraff (3-1)
185
lbs.:
Collin
Mansanas (2-0) vs. Delbert Grace (3-1)
180
lbs.:
Brennan
Kamaka (5-15) vs. Michael Brightmon (10-4)
About
X-1 World Events
Founded
in 2004 by Mike Miller, X-1 World Events is a world-class mixed
martial arts (MMA) promotional company based in Honolulu, HI.
Locally-owned and operated, X-1 delivers exciting live arena-based
entertainment events to fight fans all over the islands. The
events feature some of the MMA world’s most talented fighters,
including UFC, Pride, and Abu-Dhabi veterans such as former UFC
champions Dan “The Beast” Severn and Ricco Rodriguez,
UFC veterans Jeff Monson, Kimo Leopoldo, Chad “The Grinder”
Reiner, “Sugar” Shane Nelson, Brandon Wolff, Wes “The
Project” Sims, Ronald “The Machine Gun” Juhn,
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, and Falaniko Vitale, as
well as Pride veterans Chris Brennan and Ron “H2O-Man”
Waterman. X-1 World Events can be found online at http://www.x1events.com/
Source: X1 World Events
|
MAN-UP
& STAND-UP
WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
SATURDAY NOV 6
DOORS OPEN AT 6:00
Awwwwhhhhh
yeah, this updated card has way more fire power than the previous
card that was just posted last week. Man-up & Stand-up has
added Eric “The Executioner” Edwards against North
Shore’s finest Jarren Kauwalu in a title for title match.
Eric the super heavyweight champion will face off against the
king of the giants champion Jarren. Both fighters are over 210
lbs, both fighters can bang, and both fighters wanna leave the
ring with two belts around their waist on Nov 6. Will Jarren
be able to put an end to Eric’s winning streak with his
stick and move style. Or will the Executioner Edwards turn Jarren
into one of his statistics. The North Shore boy turned his last
opponent into a punching back in the third round by tiring him
out in the first and second. Will Jarren be able to out condition
Eric or will the Man-up & Stand-up fans find out the reason
why Eric Edwards is called THE EXECUTIONER. What does executioner
mean anyway? The fans wanna know, Man-up & Stand-up wanna
know. Does Jarren wanna know? Well hopefully on Nov. 6, this
question will be answered.
Also
added, Man-up & Stand-up will have a team vs team match with
Laupahoehoe MT going up against Tiger MT. Das right Muay Thai
at its best. The last time these two met in a team competition.
Laupahoehoe walked away with the bragging rights. 2 years ago
when these two met, Tiger’s fighters were new to competition
but now they feel that Nov 6 will have a different story. Laupahoehoe
will bring their fists, their knees and their razor sharp shins
to the ring to prove that it’s the same story but with a
different cover. This will be traditional muay thai rules without
the elbows. Bruises will form, blood will flow, bodies will fall
(BWF). That’s just how its done here on Man-up & Stand-up.
Man-up
is sorry we couldn’t get all of the fighters on this event
but not to worry their will be another one in the making very
soon. Thank you to all of the supporters of this event. Nov 6
at the Filcom will be one not to miss. It has everything you
can possibly ask for in an end of the year/ stand-up action/
championship show. Be sure to check out the new clips of some
of the fighters on next weeks write up.
GRUDGE MATCHES
KAMAKANI WAIALAE
65
KAENA DESANTOS
MATT STONE
220
DUSTIN CALLASTRO
NICK RIVERA
185
MIKE ELI
RONNIE VILLAHMOSA
155
RODNEY BARONA
NICK CHING
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
125
PAUL AUSTRIA
KAINOA
COOKE (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
135
TYSON MEDRANO
BRYSEN
LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
145
MARK YARCIA
CHEVEZ ANTOQUE
SEMI PRO LIGHT WT
CHARLES HAZELWOOD
185
ISAAC HOPPS (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
ROOKIE OF THE YR
RICKY PLUNKETT
145
JUSTIN
DULAY (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
SUPER WELTER WT
ROBERT BANIS
155
ELIAS VELASCO
FLYWEIGHT
MATT AUSTIN
120
TITLE DEFENSE
JAMIN TAYABA
125
JAYCOBI VISTANTE
JUMAR ESCOSIO
160
JOSEPH GARCIA
ERIC EDWARDS
TITLE FOR TITLE
JAREN KAUWALU
UNDER CARD
JOE KAULULAAU
165
ETHAN KERFOOT
NEVADA HARRISON
125
JORDAN
GUILLERMO (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
JAYAR VISCONDE
120
MICAH SHIGETA
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
CHRIS KAHELE
185
CARLOS PEREZ
DENNIS MONTIRA
125
KALAI MCSHANE
TEAM VS TEAM
JUSTIN PERREIRA
155
ROB TIGER
JAXON KAGAWA
170
BRANDON TIGER
ROB RASP
230
ABDUL TIGER
LANCE FUNG CHEN
180
LANCE TIGER
All
matches & participants are subject to change.
Source: Derrick Bright
|
UFC
125, MANY BOUTS OFFICIAL FOR NEW YEAR'S DAY
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Monday made official its
year opening party.
The
promotion plans to kick off 2011 with UFC 125, headlined by lightweight
champion Frankie Edgar defending his belt against undefeated
Gray Maynard, the only fighter to ever defeat him.
UFC
officials also confirmed a much talked about heavyweight match-up
between Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson, along with a slew of other
bouts for Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The
nights announced featured bouts round out the card with Clay
Guida against Takanori Gomi, Chris Leben versus Brian Stann,
Nate Diaz facing Dong Hyun Kim, and Brandon Vera fighting Thiago
Silva.
“We
always put a huge card together in Vegas to kick off the New
Year,” said UFC president Dana White. “This is going
to be a killer start to 2011.”
Tickets
for UFC 125: Resolution go on sale Saturday, Oct. 23 at 10 a.m.
PT to the general public. UFC Fight Club members will have the
opportunity to purchase tickets on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 10 a.m.
PT via the website UFC.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale
will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, Oct.
22, starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must
register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
Source: MMA Weekly |
WHITE
SLAMS THE DOOR ON LIDDELL VS. ORTIZ 3
As Tito Ortiz prepares for what might be the biggest fight in
his UFC career, against Matt Hamill this weekend at UFC 121 in
Anaheim, Calif., fans are still clamoring for a fight that was
set up to be the main event of UFC 115 between him and longtime
rival Chuck Liddell.
Coming
off of neck surgery and dropping out of the June fight with Liddell,
Ortiz needs a strong performance against Hamill to maintain his
career at the star level he's built up over the years, but there's
still that looming question of a third fight with the former
UFC light heavyweight champion.
On
the most recent episode of “The Ultimate Fighter,"
Liddell stopped by to see the newest participants on the show
and of course the questions immediately came up about seeing
him face Ortiz at some point down the road.
Liddell
has never officially announced his retirement from the sport,
but UFC president Dana White threw water on any potential rematch
with Ortiz over the weekend in England.
A
fan prompted White with the question asking after Ortiz faces
Hamill could we see a final fight with him and Liddell.
"I
don't want Chuck to fight anymore," White said. "Chuck's
one of my good friends, and I don't want him to fight anymore."
Liddell
looked to be in the best physical shape of his life in his last
fight, against Rich Franklin in June, and he went as far as breaking
the former middleweight champion's arm during the bout. Regardless
of the performance, Liddell still found himself on the wrong
end of yet another tough knockout, his third in a row.
There's
little doubt that if the fight was an option, Liddell would likely
jump at the chance to face Ortiz again. He's already finished
the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" twice before. Still,
White says we've seen the last of Liddell, even with the rivalry
still brewing.
"Chuck's
been a warrior, he's been a great champion, and a great friend
and a great partner," stated White. "I don't want to
see it anymore."
Liddell
has been traveling over the past couple of months and when doing
a Q&A at the UFC Fan Expo in Boston in August, he said he
would be making some decisions soon as far as his career goes.
Everyone awaits the final word from the "Iceman," but
it’s clear that White has already made up his mind.
Source: MMA Weekly |
VELASQUEZ
EARNED SHOT, READY TO LIVE HIS DREAM
It may look on the surface like Cain Velasquez was put on the
fast track to the UFC heavyweight title, but the former All-American
wrestler from Arizona State has worked extremely hard to earn
his shot against Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in Anaheim, Calif.
Since
leaving college, Velasquez has been working tirelessly alongside
the coaches at the American Kickboxing Academy to prepare himself
for a run in the heavyweight division, which culminated in his
UFC debut just over two years ago.
Even
before that, Velasquez's teammates at AKA had been touting the
Mexican-American fighter as the next big thing, but he still
had to prove it in the Octagon. He definitely lived up to the
hype winning six fights in a row including back-to-back finishes
over Ben Rothwell and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Velasquez
doesn't contemplate too much on his quick rise to the title,
but he knows he's put in the work to be where he's at heading
into UFC 121.
"I've
thought about all the fights I've had up to this point,"
Velasquez said about his progression. "I think I've gone
through the right people, and to where I'm in the right position
to fight for the title."
The
match-up with Lesnar will be different than anything Velasquez
has faced in the UFC before. A physically strong wrestler with
similar credentials, who will outweigh Velasquez by about 30
to 40 pounds by the time the two step into the Octagon on Saturday
night.
While
he may not have fought against anyone of Lesnar's caliber in
the cage, Velasquez believes he's got the tools and the training
to combat the champion's size and wrestling if the fight goes
that way. He also acknowledges that he may very well find himself
on the bottom, underneath the massive Lesnar, but it's something
he's prepared for.
"In
college, I wrestled guys that were over 285. I wrestled a guy
that was 285 and competed against him for a while now. I'm used
to it, and when it comes down to it, it just is what it is,"
Velasquez told MMAWeekly Radio.
"A
lot of worst case scenarios kind of thing and just working on
getting comfortable in that position and getting out. Make it
repetitive, make it second nature, so I don't even have to think
about it. If I get in that position, I already know what to do
to just get out."
Looking
at Velasquez and his own set of advantages heading into the title
fight. He's developed his stand-up game to the point where he's
landing knockout punches, he's got his own strong wrestling pedigree,
and conditioning that may be unmatched in the heavyweight division.
All
of those weapons are compounded by Velasquez's phenomenal speed,
which helps him navigate around many of the size factors the
heavyweight division has presented him since coming to the UFC.
"My
speed level has to be up for this fight," Velasquez admitted.
"He's a strong guy, he's powerful, and he's quick too, so
I definitely have to put all my strengths together for this fight."
If
it all comes together, Velasquez has a chance to become the first
ever Mexican-American UFC heavyweight champion. He also has a
chance to travel the path he set out on from the first day he
stepped foot on a wrestling mat.
"It's
just all the hard work I've put in when I first got into this
sport. That's my main goal, that's the only goal I have, is to
be the UFC champion," stated Velasquez. "To get that
belt and hold that belt. It's just having my dreams come true."
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
120 RATINGS DOWN SLIGHTLY ON SPIKE TV
American UFC fans were in an uproar following Saturday’s
UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama, criticizing the tape-delayed nature
of the broadcast on Spike TV in the United States and ESPN for
running spoiler results during the network’s popular college
football programming.
Even
with that, the broadcast drew an average audience of 1.9 million
viewers, according to Spike TV officials on Tuesday. That represents
a significant decline in viewership since the promotion’s
most recent tape-delayed broadcast from England on Spike TV.
UFC
105, featuring Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera in Manchester,
drew an average of 2.9 million viewers to Spike TV. Prior to
that, UFC 95, featuring Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson in London,
averaged 2.4 million viewers.
The
fight card for UFC 120 weighed heavily on the promotion’s
British talent. Briton Michael Bisping, winner of “The Ultimate
Fighter Season 3,” and Yoshihiro Akiyama put on a “Fight
of the Night” performance in the main event. American Carlos
Condit earned “Knockout of the Night” honors for blasting
Bisping’s countryman, Dan Hardy, in the co-main event.
Source: MMA Weekly |
FLORIAN'S
CAMP WOULD LOVE A SHOT AT JOSE ALDO
The rumors of Jose Aldo's defection to the UFC have been going
on for several months now. With the featherweight champion's
recent destruction of Manny Gamburyan, the Brazilian has made
no secret his eventual desire to test himself at 155 pounds,
possibly in the UFC.
Last
week, UFC president Dana White commented about the likelihood
of bringing Aldo over from the WEC and seeing how he'd do against
the best of the best in the lightweight division.
"From
what I'm hearing, Jose Aldo's interested in testing himself at
155 pounds. So probably very soon," White responded about
a possible move for the Brazilian to the UFC.
In
a recent interview with Tatame.com, Aldo said he was offered
the chance to move over to the UFC and a potential showdown with
top lightweight contender Kenny Florian. Aldo went on to say
that he would likely face WEC featherweight fighter Mark Hominick
instead.
“They
made the proposal. I want to fight, it can be at WEC or in the
UFC," Aldo said in the interview about the Florian fight.
According
to the report, Aldo's managers opted to turn down the fight with
Florian and remain at 145 pounds for at least one more championship
bout.
While
nothing has been determined about either fighter's next appearance,
as far as Kenny Florian's side, they would love a shot at Jose
Aldo in his UFC debut.
Speaking
with MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday, Florian's manager, Malki Kawa,
admitted that they've never been offered a fight against Aldo,
but would welcome the chance to face the Brazilian in the UFC.
"I
heard the rumor and we would take the fight if it would have
been (offered)," Kawa responded via text message. "Actually,
we really want that fight."
Florian
had been rumored to face Evan Dunham in a lightweight fight in
Febuary during the UFC 126 Super Bowl weekend card, but that
fight hasn’t yet come to fruition.
Jose
Aldo's camp was not available for comment at the time of publication.
Source: MMA Weekly |
MACDONALD
OUT OF UFC 124; BONGFELDT IN
A change has been made to the upcoming UFC 124 card in Montreal
as Canadian Jason MacDonald has been forced off the card with
an unknown injury. Stepping in to replace him will be fellow
countrymen Jesse "Water" Bongfeldt who will now face
Renzo Gracie student Rafael "Sapo" Natal in a middleweight
contest on the card.
The
news was announced late Tuesday night by Dominance MMA, Natal's
management group.
Jesse
Bongfeldt makes his UFC debut riding a seven fight win streak,
but hasn't competed since September 2009 in a Rumble in the Cage
event in Canada.
The
Canadian has fought in several shows and for different organizations
over the last few years, and actually holds a submission win
over current UFC welterweight T.J. Grant.
The
fight between Bongfeldt and Natal will remain on the preliminary
portion of the undercard for the UFC's return show to Montreal.
Source: MMA Weekly |
|