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2011
November
Aloha
State Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
October
NAGA
7/1/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
6/17-19/11
MMA Expo
(Blaisdell Convention Hall)
6/18-19/11
State
of Hawaii Championship of BJJ
(1st day gi, 2nd day no-gi)
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Convention Hall)
6/2-5/11
World
Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(California)
5/28/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/25/11
Kauai Cage Fights
(MMA)
(Kilohana Estates)
5/21/11
Scraplafest 3
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Kauai)
4/23/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Gladiators for God
(Amateur Muay Thai)
(Wet&Wild Water Park)
4/16/11
Hawaiian
Championship of BJJ
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
4/15/11
Destiny & 808 Battleground presents "Supremacy"
(MMA)
(Aloha Tower Waterfront)
4/9/11
Fight Girls Hawaii
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/2/11
Toughman Hawaii
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Ctr)
3/24-27/11
Pan
American Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA)
3/26/11
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
HUAWA Grappling Tourney
(Sub Grappling)
(Mililani HS Gym)
3/12/11
X-1: Dylan Clay vs Niko Vitale
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/11/11
Chozun 1: "the Reckoning"
(Kickboxing)
(The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace, Honolulu)
3/5/11
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
2/25/11
808
Battleground Presents
War of Warriors
(MMA)
(The Waterfront At Aloha Tower, Honolulu)
2/20/11
Pan
Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(California State University, Carson, CA )
2/19/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
2/5/11
Garden Island Cage Match 10: Mayhem at the Mansion 2
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kilohana Carriage House, Lihue, Kauai)
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/4/11
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
1/29/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Battle At The Barn
(MMA)
(Molokai H.S. Gym, Molokai)
1/8/11
Hawaii Toughman
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
|
|
April
2011 News Part 1
|
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.
Kickboxing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ
Dean, & Chris Slavens!
Kids Classes are also
available!
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here for info!
Take classes from
the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
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and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
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Click here for pricing and more
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O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
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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
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Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from
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Strikeforce
'Diaz vs. Daley' Results & Live Play-by-Play
Sherdog.com will report from the Valley View Casino Center in
San Diego at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET with play-by-play and
live results of Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley,” which
is headlined by a welterweight title showdown pitting champion
Nick Diaz against challenger Paul Daley.
Check
out the MMA Forums to discuss the card.
Click
here for quick results.
Press
F5 on your keyboard to refresh this page, as play-by-play is
updated in real time.
Casey
Ryan vs. Paul Song
Round 1
Big John McCarthy oversees this middleweight contest. Ryan starts
the contest with a front kick to the body of Song. Ryan then
looks for a takedown, but fails to execute it. The two men separate
and Song looks for the takedown; he succeeds. On the floor, Ryan
is active with his guard and frames up an armbar. Song is comfortable
as the arm isn't straightened. Ryan switches to a triangle choke
and Song is now in trouble. It's just a matter of time until
he is forced to tap. The end comes at 1:39 as Song taps.
Edgar
Cardenas vs. Rolando Perez
Round 1
With Cecil Peoples at the helm, Perez lands a hard low kick and
follows with another that nearly puts Cardenas down. They clinch
along the cage and Perez goes to the body with a knee. Cardenas
lands a kick to the thigh, but Perez catches it and sinks him
to the mat. He sets up in his guard and throws some nice elbows.
Perez posts up and pounds away at Cardenas with right hands.
He bloodies his nose but allows him back to his feet. Perez tattoos
an advancing Cardenas with rights over and over. Cardenas finally
slows things down by clinching up with Perez as the round closes.
Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Perez.
Round
2
Perez catches another kick and puts Cardenas right down. He moves
right into mount and elbows his foe. Cardenas gives up his back
for a moment, but then turns back in. He tries to get to his
knees again and is caught in an arm-triangle but he sweeps his
way back to his feet. Perez pistons the jab well and Cardenas
finally finds his mark with a big right hand. He tries to flurry,
but is taken back down off another kick. Perez settles into his
guard and works some ground-and-pound. Cardenas scrambles back
to his feet and shoots a single. Perez keeps his balance and
tries to pull off an Yves Edwards knee while his leg is locked
up. He misses and the round ends. Sherdog.com scores the round
10-9 for Perez.
Round
3
Cardenas lands a wild right to kick off the final round. Perez
immediately clinches up and drives Cardenas back into the cage.
The two separate and Cardenas goes back to headhunting. Perez
hits a switch and puts Cardenas back down. He moves to half,
but can't get much going and Peoples stands them back up. Cardenas
knows he needs a finish and is throwing wild bombs, but Perez
calmly clinches and keeps his opponent at bay. Cardenas bullies
his way back in but is taken back to the mat and pounded on until
the horn sounds. Sherdog has it 10-9 (30-27) for Perez.
Official
scores: 30-27s across the board for Perez, winner by unanimous
decision.
A.J.
Matthews vs. Herman Terrado
Round 1
Both men start the action with haymakers that miss. The fighters
clinch and Matthews finds a home for a few knees. From inside
the clinch, Matthews muscles Terrado to the floor. Terrado stands
and they are clinched against the fence. Matthews unloads with
knees. In the flurry, Terrado answers with a right that drops
Matthews to a knee. The fighters separate and are clearly winded
from the fast-paced action. They circle and Terrado launches
a right hand that finds Matthews' chin. Matthews answers by clinching
and unloading some hooks. Terrado is fine and answers with a
right hand that drops Matthews to the floor. Referee Mike Beltran
halts the contest at 4:16 via knockout.
Saad
Awad vs. Joe Duarte
Round 1
The fighters clinch with Awad's back forced in to the cage. They
separate and Duarte flips out his jab. Awad fires an uppercut
that lands. Duarte fires back with a left and right that stuns
his opponent. Awad is on has back and Duarte follows him down
into the half guard. He tries to lock up an ankle lock on Duarte,
but cannot. Duarte nestles back in to full guard. From there
he transitions to mount. Awad gives his back with 30 seconds
remaining. He gets his base and stands. The round ends with Awad
throwing heavy strikes that excite the crowd. None of the strikes
land flush, however. 10-9 Duarte.
Round
2
Duarte starts the round doubling up with his jab. Awad answers
with heavy hooks that make Duarte backpedal. Duarte is clearly
hurt, but Awad can't make him succumb to the strikes. Duarte
executes a double leg and quickly moves to mount. Awad gives
his back and Duarte locks up an armbar. Bellied down, Awad is
forced to tap at 2:45 of round two.
Brett
Albee vs. Virgil Zwicker
Round 1
Heavyweights take to the cage with Cecil Peoples acting as the
fight's third man. The fighters trade early with neither man
getting the better of one another. Zwicker finds the lead leg
of Albee with a chopping low kick. Zwicker explodes with strikes
and Albee really has nothing in response. Hooks, knees and uppercuts
pepper Albee, who can only crumble from the Team Quest product's
power. Referee Peoples stops the punishment at the 1:46 mark
via TKO.
Hiroyuki
Takaya vs. Robert Peralta
Round 1
Featherweights take the cage in the night's final preliminary
contest. The referee in charge is Mike Beltran. The fighters
clinch early, with Takaya pushing Peralta into the cage. Peralta
moves and is able to get free. Peralta finds the lead leg of
Takaya with a right low kick. Peralta fires another kick, this
one is checked. Peralta fires a right head kick that is blocked
by the Japanese fighter. Takaya rushes in for a takedown but
cannot find anything. Takaya misses a low kick with a minute
remaining. Peralta swings with a nice double jab right cross
combo that hurts Takaya enough to fall to the mat. Upon rushing
in, Takaya recovered to secure a takedown. The round ends. 10-9
Peralta.
Round
2
The two fighters start the middle frame pawing punches from a
distance. Takaya initiates the clinch and looks for a takedown
up against the fence. Peralta has good balance and stays vertical.
He makes space and the fighters move their way back to the center
of the cage. Takaya restarts the takedown process and this time
it's effective. Takaya works from half guard with small punches
to the body. With little action taking place, referee Beltran
restarts the men on the feet with 90 seconds remaining. Little
action takes place on the feet in the final moments of the second
round. Takaya recovers on the score card, taking the second frame
10-9.
Round
3
The featherweights come out aggressive throwing multiple punching
combinations to open the final frame. Neither man lands anything
of note early. Peralta lands a nice low kick to the left leg
of Takaya. Peralta fires a right hook that misses. Ducking under
the punch, Takaya secures a double leg takedown. From full guard,
Takaya stacks and tries to flurry. He settles back to his knees.
Mike Beltran doesn't wait long to stand the two men up. Back
on the feet, it's a battle of wrestling as a takedown could win
the fight for either man. Peralta lands a glancing right to the
side of Takaya's head. The final moments see Takaya look for
a takedown but nothing is there. The round and fight expire.
10-10.
Official
scores: The judges see the contest 30-27 (twice) for Peralta
and 29-28 for Takaya. Robert Peralta takes the split decision.
Shinya
Aoki vs. Lyle Beerbohm
Round 1
Beerbohm throws a kick to start. He rushes Aoki, who lands a
knee on the way in. Aoki tries to break free Beerbohm, but "Fancy
Pants" rides him. Aoki lands an outside trip, and quickly
takes Beerbohm's back. Aoki controls his foe with one hook, but
quickly sinks both. Beerbohm tries to prevent the choke by turning
his head, but the Japanese submission ace has it sunk tight.
It's a cross between a rear-naked choke and a tough neck crank,
and Beerbohm is forced to tap out at 1:33 of the first round.
Gegard
Mousasi vs. Keith Jardine
Round 1
Jardine lunges with a leg kick that lands. He follows with a
kick to the body that sneaks under Mousasi's guard. Mousasi looking
to counter, rotating his upper body. They clinch against the
fence and Mousasi smacks Jardine with a knee on the break. Jardine
lungs for a single-leg takedown, but Mousasi defends. "The
Dean of Mean" drives him into the fence, and Mousasi drills
him with elbows to the side of the head. Jardine is relentless
in pursuit of the takedown, and finally puts Mousasi down. Mousasi
turns his back and scrambles to his knees. He makes it back to
his feet, but Jardine drives him to the canvas again. Mousasi
works his way up, and unloads a flurry on Jardine. The Dream
champ rips the UFC vet with hooks and uppercuts, forcing him
to turn his back and retreat. Jardine stumbles backward and regains
his senses, and slams Mousasi to the mat. Jardine postures, and
Mousasi cracks him with an illegal upkick, and forces referee
Mike Beltran to call a halt to the action to allow Jardine to
recover. Beltran deducts a point from Mousasi for the foul, and
the bout restarts. Mousasi lunges with two hooks that graze Jardine.
Mousasi lands two more hooks, and follows with two leg kicks
at the horn.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 9-9
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-8 Jardine
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Jardine
Round
2
The pair trade outside low kicks to start the round. Mousasi
continues to stalk Jardine, attacking the legs and body with
kicks. Jardine crashes with an overhand right, and Mousasi responds
with another tough outside thigh kick. Mousasi lands his right
hand, and Jardine lunges forward for a kneetap, but is shrugged
off. He drives for a double-leg, and puts Mousasi on the mat
again. "The Dreamcatcher" manages to gets back to his
feet, and he tags Jardine with a right and a left hook. They
exchange, and Mousasi clips Jardine with a left hook that sends
him sprawling across the cage. Mousasi rushes him, and Jardine
drops for a takedown, and is able to get it with 45 seconds to
go in the round. Mousasi gets back up quickly. He stalks Jardine,
but can't land clean before the round ends.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Mousasi
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Mousasi
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mousasi
Round
3
A left hook and a knee lands for Mousasi, but Jardine gets clipped
in the groin, prompting Mike Beltran to give him a brief respite.
A Mousasi flurry scores, prompting Jardine to shoot for a takedown.
Mousasi defends with an overhook, and elbows Jardine in the head.
Mousasi notches a takedown of his own, and wrenches onto a guillotine.
Jardine fights to his feet, and manages to extricate himself.
"The Dreamcatcher" puts him right back on the mat on
the other side of the cage. Mousasi manages to get the back momentarily,
but Jardine shakes him free and dives for a takedown of his own.
Mousasi frees himself, and they restart standing. A Mousasi overhand
right lands hard, and he looks for a takedown. Jardine counters
with a farside kimura, but Mousasi defends, and moves into side
control where he locks up a kimura of his own for a moment. Mousasi
punches away, and Jardine locks up a loose armbar that Mousasi
is forced to defend until the bell.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Mousasi (29-27 Mousasi)
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Mousasi (28-28 Draw)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mousasi (29-28 Mousasi)
Official
scores: Judge Luis Cobian scores the bout 29-27, while judges
Abe Belardo and Lester Griffin have it 28-28, a draw. The bout
is a majority draw.
Strikeforce
Lightweight Championship
Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Round 1
The lightweights come out winging, and a Melendez right hook
drops Kawajiri to his knee. "El Nino" follows with
a volley of knees, and keeps the pressure on, ducking under Kawajiri's
attacks and countering. A head kick from the "Crusher"
wobbles Melendez, but he responds, crushing Kawajiri with a salvo
of knees and punches. Kawajiri hits the mat, and Melendez locks
up back control, sinking his hooks and threatening to choke.
The rugged Japanese fighter struggles free, but Melendez stays
on him. Melendez punches under Kawajiri's arm, railing him with
uppercuts. It's all Melendez thus far. Kawajiri pumps his jab,
but Melendez ducks under and counters with one-twos. Melendez
smashes Kawajiri with an uppercut, and follows up with punches,
forcing him to his back.Melendez gets on top, and hits the kill
switch: "El Nino" delivers a vicious torrent of elbows
that leave Kawajiri destroyed on the canvas. Referee Cecil Peoples
resues "The Crusher" at 3:14 of the first round. Incredible
performance by Melendez.
Strikeforce
Welterweight Championship
Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley
Round 1
Daley cracks Diaz with a leg kick as the fight begins. It's 30
seconds into the fight until they're throwing haymakers, and
Daley lands a crushing hook that puts Diaz on his knees. Daley
savagely flurries, smashing Diaz, but the incredibly tough champion
fights back to his feet. Daley gets the Thai clinch, while Diaz
drills him to the body. Rolling hooks by Diaz land, rocking Daley
to his heels, and prompting "Semtex" to shoot for a
takedown. Diaz is taken down, but works his way back to his feet,
and punches Daley to the head and body. Tremendous action as
the welterweights wing hooks at one another. Diaz steps forward,
and Daley crushes him two knees. Daley explodes with another
vicious left hook that puts Diaz on his face, and Daley follows
up, but incredibly, Diaz recovers, getting to guard with a minute
to fight. Daley stands away, Diaz stands back up. Massive left
hook to the body by Diaz brutally hurts Daley, and now the champion
comes roaring back. Daley hits the mat, and Diaz follows up with
punishment on the folded Brit. Referee "Big" John McCarthy
is forced to step in to save Daley at 4:57 of the first round.
Absolutely incredible fight. Nick Diaz retains his Strikeforce
welterweight title.
Source: Sherdog
|
|
Strikeforce
Targeting July for Possible Pay-Per-View; King Mo vs. Roger Gracie
Rumored
by Damon
Martin
Zuffa’s ownership of Strikeforce appears to be moving the
promotion closer to a return to pay-per-view.
MMAWeekly.com
sources indicated that Strikeforce is targeting a date in July
for a pay-per-view broadcast, but a specific date and location
have yet to be determined.
Strikeforce
has long talked about making a move to pay-per-view. While the
promotion hasn’t announced any plans, our sources indicated
that a July pay-per-view is all but official.
As
far as the fight card for that show, additional sources have
stated that a light heavyweight bout between former champion
Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and grappling wizard Roger
Gracie is likely to take place on the event’s main card.
Lawal
has been out of action since last year when he lost the Strikeforce
light heavyweight title to Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante.
Lawal has since dealt with some injuries, and recently relocated
to San Jose, Calif., to train with the team at American Kickboxing
Academy. He had tweeted a planned return at Strikeforce’s
June fight card in Dallas, but appears headed to the July pay-per-view
card instead.
As
for Gracie, he was rumored to be the original opponent for Gegard
Mousasi on the Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley fight card taking
place this weekend in San Diego, but sources had said he was
entering the last fight on his current contract and was stuck
in negotiations, so the fight never came to fruition.
The
fight between Lawal and Gracie isn’t a done deal at this
time, but at least one fighter has been approached and verbally
accepted the proposed bout.
MMAWeekly.com
will have more information about the July Strikeforce event as
it becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Stout-Edwards
Official; 8 Bouts Greenlit for UFC 131
by Mike
Whitman
A rumored lightweight showdown between Canadian kickboxer Sam
Stout and well-traveled veteran Yves Edwards is now official
for UFC 131, the promotion announced Wednesday.
Eight
bouts have been greenlit for the June 11 event, which goes down
at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Headlined
by a heavyweight No.1 contender’s bout between Brock Lesnar
and Junior dos Santos, UFC 131 will also feature Kenny Florian’s
featherweight debut against Nova Uniao product Diego Nunes.
Additionally,
the card will feature a middleweight scrap pitting heavy-handed
wrestler Mark Munoz against submission ace Demian Maia, and a
lightweight tilt featuring Donald Cerrone and Mac Danzig.
Stout
has won three of his last four, going 2-1 in 2010 while earning
a pair of “Fight of the Night” bonuses. Known as “Hands
of Stone,” Stout owns half of his career victories by knockout,
but has yet to earn a KO inside the Octagon.
Edwards
made his UFC debut in 2001 and began his most recent run with
the promotion in September 2010, earning a unanimous nod over
John Gunderson. Most recently, the “thug-jitsu” innovator
choked out Cody McKenzie at “Fight for the Troops 2”
in January, earning both “Submission of the Night”
and “Fight of the Night” honors for his come-from-behind
victory.
Source: Sherdog
|
Cesar
Gracie: If UFC wants teammates fighting, why doesn’t Dana
White fight Lorenzo Fertitta on PPV?
By Zach
Arnold
There
was a great interview with Cesar Gracie on The Fight Show yesterday.
A lot of topics were covered and I’ll have the quotes here
for you in a second.
One
of the big topics discussed was, should Jake Shields beat GSP
in Toronto and win the UFC Welterweight title, the concept of
UFC wanting Jake Shields (as a UFC champion) facing Nick Diaz
(as the Strikeforce champion should he beat Paul Daley). The
idea of UFC wanting that to happen, given what’s happened
with Rashad Evans & Jon Jones at Greg Jackson’s camp,
is one that Cesar Gracie says he would not allow to happen.
“Well,
every camp has to make that decision for themselves. But you
first have to define the term ‘teammate.’ If a teammate
is starting a camp and you recruit fighters from outside who
have never met each other or, you know, barely know each other
and you bring them in, OK now you’re training here. Well,
you know, they can fight each other because these guys haven’t
grown up in the sport before that and when you get a guy like
Jake Shields and Nick Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, Nathan Diaz, guys
like that what happens is these guys went from, you know, beginning
white belt and at the very infant stages of their careers to
where they’re at now, superstars. So, in that sense, it
doesn’t make sense for them to fight. I would never have
Nick and, you know, Jake fight each other and I wouldn’t
have Gilbert and Nathan fight each other, it’s just not
going to happen. So whether the fans want it or not, and you
know, I know we get a lot of people complaining about that, that’s
usually people who aren’t part of a team or who have never
trained in their lives so they are looking at it from a different
viewpoint than we do. But if you’re thinking about fighting
your teammate, I mean… Nick has helped Jake tremendously
and Jake has helped Nick tremendously. For example, when you
think there’s a possibility that you might have to fight
this guy, why would you help that guy? That’s the guy you’re
helping to beat you some day.
“The
Rashad Evans thing, I mean I obviously wasn’t there, I probably
know as much about it as anyone else just reading something on
the Internet or something. But when the other guy came in, Jon
Jones, I’m sure Rashad helped that guy tremendously to be
where he is at now. If they would have known from the get-go
that they would be fighting each other possibly in the future,
would Rashad have helped him? He probably wouldn’t have
and therefore Jones wouldn’t be what he is today. And so
I can absolutely see, you go in and it’s like, hey, this
camp is saying ‘we don’t fight each other.’ Well,
OK, then you help the guy out and, you know, he steamrolls everybody
out there but you, that’s great. But if you think there’s
a chance that you guys are fighting, why are you going to help
him? It’s just a different thing.
“And
Dana, you know, Dana White doesn’t appreciate that because
he’s always looking for the big-money fight and what the
fans want, to make money. But I’ll pose this question to
him — when’s he going to fight one of the Fertitta
brothers? Not going to happen! Someone offers him a bunch of
money, is he going to go punch Lorenzo in the face, possibly
knocking his teeth out for money?
“How
about a childhood friend? If they grew up together, made money
together and everything, he’s not going to go fight that
guy. Well, why not? What if the fans called for it tomorrow?
What if we thought that was interesting? And people obviously
would pay to see that. Is he going to do it? No. OK, well, there
you go.”
April
is a big month for his camp, as both Nick Diaz & Gilbert
Melendez fight on Saturday night’s Strikeforce card at the
San Diego Sports Arena. Nate Diaz and Jake Shields fight on the
huge Sky Dome/Rogers Centre event in Toronto at the end of the
month.
(By
the way, if you want to get credentialed for the Strikeforce
event, Showtime’s PR firm isn’t controlling it any
more. Guess who’s running credentials now? Lots of unhappy
folks.)
Does
Cesar stand by his comments that he thinks Nick Diaz could KO
Paul Daley in a stand-up oriented fight?
“I
think Nick’s got the better hands and I think wherever this
fight goes, Nick is the better fighter. I think on the ground,
obviously, I believe that Daley’s going to try to avoid
that like the plague. If it hits the ground, Daley on top he’s
got problems, Daley on bottom he’s got problems. So, I think
Daley’s going to be really looking to keep this fight standing
but unfortunately for him Diaz, his hands are very underrated
and he’s got a granite chin. I mean I know anything can
happen with those four ounce gloves, for sure, but I have to
give that edge to Diaz standing up.”
“I
would obviously like to see it hit the ground, so it would be
great for us because Diaz can showcase his jiu-jitsu skills,
which are incredible. actually. He’s a black belt under
me, one of the few that have succeeded in making it to black
belt and I would love him to get down there and tap this guy
out just like my last guy that fought him, Jake Shields, tapped
him out. So, it would be great if it hit the ground and he was
able to show some nifty moves or something like that, but I’m
confident with Nick’s stand-up also. We’ve had some
outstanding boxers come out. We had Omar Henry, who’s a
10-0 boxer, 8 KOs, about the same size as Paul Daley, knockout
power, the whole thing, and I had him out for like a week. So,
Nick is ready for everything at this point and I know there’s
variables and with those gloves anything can happen. But…
I mean, again, I don’t want to, I just want to say that
if Nick is not able to put this on the mat or unwilling to, you
know how Nick is, you tell him to do something and he might do
the opposite, so if that’s not going to happen (then) I’m
very confident about his stand-up.”
The
intense battle coming up between Gilbert Melendez and Crusher
Kawajiri & building on past history
“You
got to remember that fight was a very close fight. I think it
might have been a split-decision. It was one of those fights
where, you know, it depended on how you looked at that fight.
Both guys had takedowns, both guys had great punches, dropping
each other, the whole thing. I think Gilbert’s got something
to prove to show how much he’s evolved since that fight
and I know Kawajiri’s got a lot to prove because he wants
to come over and really stop what’s been happening with
the whole Japanese MMA thing. He’s carrying the weight of
the country, you know, on his shoulders right now, to come out
and show that not only is Japanese MMA not on the decline but
that they can beat the top guys like Gilbert Melendez. Gilbert’s
been, I hate to say it, the Japanese killer. He’s beaten
Sato, he’s beaten Kawajiri, he’s beaten Aoki, he’s
beaten all the guys really and he’s beaten all their legends
at that weight class at 145 and now at 155, also, so it’s
kind of, it’s a huge test for Kawajiri and I think he’s
got a lot to prove and that’s only going to make this fight
that much more exciting where both guys really want to put an
exclamation point and show where they’re at today. I’m
excited about this fight, I really am.”
What
it will take for Nate Diaz to reach the next level in his career
“He’s
looking great, you know. The biggest thing with Nathan Diaz and
I’ll tell you this right now he’s one of the best fighters
out there, period, and his record doesn’t reflect upon that
because he’s kind of a slow starter and he’s a five
round fighter and not a three round fighter and that’s the
problem. Every single third round, you’ve seen the guy devastate
people. Joe Stevenson, Clay Guida, on-and-on… the last guy
he lost to, the Korean, Kim, same thing where he’s got the
guy on queer street for the third round for most of the round
and you can see that no one’s going to last a fourth round
with this guy. The problem is that he’s been a slow starter,
it’s the same problem Nick Diaz, you know, when he was around
at that age or even younger actually, you know his career where
he just wasn’t coming out and getting done quicker and everything.
So, you know, these guys are tri-athletes and they’re meant
for the long haul, they’re not as explosive but the trick
is doing what Nick did is actually getting a championship and
getting people where they have to fight them in five round fights
where they can really showcase how good they are. And that’s
been the problem for Nate Diaz, but he’s in tremendous shape
and he’s one of the most technical guys out there, jiu-jitsu
and his stand-up is phenomenal. It’s just putting it together,
you know, he’s still a young guy. He’s going to put
it together.”
Thoughts
on the way UFC is marketing Jake Shields/GSP for Toronto?
“I
thought it was great. I thought their marketing campaign is becoming
world class and it’s rivaling anything boxing is doing now,
it really is, finally in MMA. The whole thing with the trophies
and everything, Jake has won everything. I mean, the guy’s
come out and he’s just defeated everybody in every organization,
he’s got so many championships it’s ridiculous. He’s
one of the most decorated fighters on the planet. I had a talk
with Jake about this, you know, I said, ‘this is champion
vs. champion,’ this is not the up-and-coming guy, you know,
this is the Strikeforce, Elite XC, Rumble on the Rock, Shooto,
he was the Shooto champ when an American had never won it before.
Jake Shields is a champion by every definition of the word and
he’s fighting another champion and that’s, you know,
let’s see who the better man is. I think truly GSP has cleaned
out his weight division, there’s absolutely nobody in the
UFC to fight this guy, so you have to bring in a guy like Jake
Shields, you have to bring oen of my guys in. The two guys on
this planet that the people want to see fight GSP at 170, there’s
only two and that’s Jake Shields and the other one is probably
Nick Diaz. So, here we go with sending one of my very top guys
out there in the form of Jake Shields and I’m confident
that Jake Shields can absolutely win this fight.”
Thoughts
on the quality of training GSP is doing for the fight against
Jake Shields
“He’s
got excellent training, he’s got the guys out there from
Renzo Gracie’s. This is really Gracie Jiu-Jitsu versus Gracie
Jiu-Jitsu and this guy, GSP, his camp has been in New York, that’s
where he’s training for this thing and of course he goes
to London and trains with my cousin Roger Gracie who’s the
best ground guy on the planet, so he’s got that. He’s
got that and he’s got John Danaher, who’s a great coach,
so he’s getting absolute great training for this fight and
really it’s a Renzo Gracie guy versus the Cesar Gracie guy,
so jiu-jitsu wins no matter what in this fight. But it’s
an interesting match-up, it really is. GSP’s been a great
champion, he steamrolled the competition, and really you have
to have a guy and fortunately for the UFC there’s this guy,
Jake Shields, who has not only defeated everybody in his weight
class outside of the UFC and other UFC fighters when they come
out to UFC they fight to Jake Shields and they lose, then he
goes up in weight at 185 and beats Dan Henderson. Now, that’s
an amazing win, you know, five rounds of beating Dan Henderson
is incredible and, you know, fortunately they have a guy that
they can actually put the marketing spin on and the guy deserves
it. So, it’s been great, I mean they’ve sold, what,
55,000 tickets in a few hours? This is the biggest show in the
history of MMA, so I mean that’s huge. So, that’s going
to be an awesome, awesome fight. Looking forward to it.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Lyoto
Machida not fighting only Couture: “I’ll also fight
the judges”
By Eduardo
Ferreira
Former
UFC champion, Lyoto Machida will return to the most famous cage
in MMA at the end of the month, more specifically on UFC 129,
which happens on April 30th, against one of the greatest names
in all MMA history: Randy Couture. Set the challenge, the karate
fighter revealed, on an exclusive interview with TATAME directly
from Belem, where he trains with his family, he’s have bigger
challenges than “just” Couture.
“It’s
about that you can have an advantage, but you have to make yourself
clear, because Couture has a great name on the event. I won’t
fight him, I’ll also fight the judges”, affirmed Lyoto,
warning he doesn’t intend to let it go to the judges’
decision. On the exclusive chat, Machida talked about Strikeforce’s
purchase, talked about his trainings and commented Jon Jones
victory over Mauricio Shogun, complimenting the fact the American
easily beat up the toughest opponent of his entire career. “Carlson
(Gracie) said that: ‘there’s no such thing with a cattle,
if it’s a good cattle you’ll know it from the start’.
Sometimes the guy doesn’t have to go through a lot, because
sometimes he’s just good… I could tell this guy had
great potential”, said. Check it:
How
are your trainings for fighting Randy Couture?
Actually,
I’m on a twelve-week preparation. There four weeks left
before the big day, so we’ve been working on it for eight
weeks. On that period, we focused a lot on my conditioning, we
set a good team so that I don’t do anything wrong on my
preparation, so we know how far I can go and when I should stop.
We worked on my conditioning a lot, but now we’re focusing
on my techniques, and the trainings are based on my game style,
which is striking, but I also train all things about MMA, like
the takedowns. I see today on MMA, guys like Randy Couture, who’s
a wrestler. We respect that, you know, but when you mix it all
up with kicks, many skills are equals, so that’s what happens
to my stand-up game. He can punch me or I could take him down…
The sport is tight on that aspect.
Besides
being a great wrestler, Randy Couture is strategic. What are
you preparing for him?
We
always try to focus on the physical aspects first. Resistance
is a physical quality you can continually gain over time, but
speed is something you tend to lose when getting older. So we’re
focusing on making me fast in every move I make, whether it’s
Wrestling, standing-up or on the floor. Today it’s hard
to set one specific game plan because, as I’m telling you,
the sport has become much professional and competitive and the
guys are prepared to fight anywhere, they can do anything, so
it’s hard to tell. We’ll try to bring the best MMA
game based on our style, obviously.
Dana
White said you could be fired in case you lose to Randy Couture.
How does it feel to be under that kind of pressure?
Honestly,
at first, when he said that, I was worried and a bit upset. But
then we had an actual meeting and he cleared up it wasn’t
what he meant, so I stopped worrying and just focused on doing
a good and clean fight. I want to show you what I’ve been
training, what I’ve improved from the last fights I did.
A
win over Couture would be a big step on your career. Where will
you be, in case you win? Maybe on the line for the belt…
Absolutely.
There’s a point, when you’re among the tops, anything
can happen. You can tell it just by looking the guys on this
division: the gay is not on the ranking, but he does a good presentation
and things happen, suddenly he’s knocking on the door for
a title shot. But of course we worry about our next step, and
now for me it’s Couture. The consequence of a win is to
bring me near the top, even for the great name Couture has build
up in the event. I see this as a tough bout, it won’t be
easy. It’s about that you can have an advantage, but you
have to make yourself clear, because Couture has a great name
on the event. I won’t fight him, I’ll also fight the
judges.
Against
Rampage, you kept your style on the two first rounds, and then
went for it, and lost on a controversy decision of the judges.
What Lyoto will we see now?
I
think the style is the same, but what happened to Rampage proves
that, if in many of my fights I begin that process a little early,
it might not even go to the judges’ decision, whether it’s
striking or on the floor. That proved Rampage is a tough guy,
but that when I really decided to go for it and try to solve
things, I had a great advantage. Now, considering where I came
from, a resounding loss, I was knocked out, so I was worried
to let it go for a little longer, so that it doesn’t happen
something like what happened when I fought Shogun and it ended
on the first round. I think that, if I start it earlier, like
I did with Rampage, I started to move forwards on the second
round… We know fighters study each other a lot on the first
round, you don’t know what the guy will bring you, so it’s
hard to get too much exposed, but form the second round on you
can.
Last
time you brought Pedro Rizzo, Glover… When you don’t
bring them, you come to them?
Yeah.
How
are things going this time? Are you training with somebody?
This
time I didn’t want to travel, I want to stay here. Joinha
said if I wanted to go an train in another place, like with Andre
Pederneiras, who’s a guy I admire a lot, I like his work…
But it’s like I say, there’re some other aspects of
the performance, it’s not only the trainings, but the social
aspect, your heart, your mind, your diet… For now, I’m
training with my team, but I want to bring Glover, who’s
a guy that helps me a lot and, above all, he proved a lot of
character and discipline. He and Pedro Rizzo fit our profile
as athletes and people. Pedro Rizzo ahs also helped me a lot,
but I think that, for this next bout, if I bring only Glover,
who’s also a guy who helped me a lot, but he’s closer
to my weight division, he’ll give me a greater support,
because Pedro is too strong, too heavy for me on this final phase
of my preparation, so I can get hurt because he hit you hard,
he kicks hard, so I rather train with a lighter guy, but one
who can simulate what I need.
Since
Rampage, no one held this weight title, like happened to Shogun,
who was beaten up by Jon Jones. What are your thoughts about
this fight?
Nobody
knows… Me, as an athlete, can’t understand what happened
backstage. I’m not protecting him, but I understand his
position as an athlete, and sometimes the fans don’t know
this side of him. Before he’s an athlete, he’s also
a human being. So nobody knows what happened before the fight,
on the backstage, on his trainings, if he had some problem. When
Shogun fought me, maybe he came more prepared or maybe he wanted
to take that belt away from me really bad, but I don’t know.
Shogun’s a great athlete, but he didn’t put on a good
show on that particular day. I thought Jon Jones could beat him
because of his game style, because of UFC rules, since he’s
a good wrestler. I knew he’d try to take Shogun down, and
maybe Shogun could have make it harder on him if he had set a
different game plan, but I don’t know… I think it’s
up to the team to decide. I respect what happened in there, I
don’t interfere, but I think it’s something like that.
How
do you like Jon Jones? So far, of the top guys, he had only fought
Ryan Bader. What do you think about thin as an athlete, and this
big jump on his career?
Carlson
(Gracie) said that: ‘there’s no such thing with a rooster,
if it’s a good rooster you’ll know it from the start’.
Sometimes the guy doesn’t have to go through a lot, because
sometimes he’s just good… I could tell this guy had
great potential. But, like I said, this is the most busy weight
division so it’s hard to remain on the top for a long time….
When I won the championship title, everybody told me I’d
hold it for a long time. But it happens that you become a target,
people start to study you, so you’re stalked, and everybody
wants to beat you down. It’s hard to say, but I’m sure
he has plenty physical and technical skills to be on the top.
We, as his opponents, must study to find out the best way to
beat him, because he’s too strong physically.
Many
people say your game style could beat him up. Do you agree with
them?
When
you study the fight, because he’ll also study me, nobody
knows how the other will behave, and I’m sure he has a great
team working with him, so our skills are equal. I believe I have
a different style from most fighters, and I truly believe it,
but it’s a thing that, honestly, I don’t really care
right now. I’m only worried about my next opponent, because
I’m on a different situation now, I’m not on the line
for a title shot, not now. It all can change in a matter of days,
but it’s not happening right now. My next step is fighting
Couture, and the next step is always the most important for me.
You’ve
beaten Shogun once and then he paid you back. Do you want a third
fight with him?
Of
course. I believe it only makes sense if we fight for a belt,
because we both are Brazilians… There’re many guys
for us to fight. There’s Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, many guys,
like Jon Jones , Rashad, Rampage, so there’re lots of guys,
but every bout is welcome, but if we could fight for the best
it’d be better, even for the press, everybody related to
MMA. It’d be different. We are prepared for anything, any
situations, but it’d be way better if it was worth the title.
People
thought about Anderson VS. St. Pierre, but after that performance,
now the new wish is Anderson VS. Jon Jones. Do you think it could
happen?
I
think so. It’s a tough fight. Anderson dominates the stand-up
game, and I believe Jon Jones won’t fit the coups that easily
on him, but it depends on Anderson, because I’ve been talking
to him and he says he doesn’t want to go up. He doesn’t
wanna get in trouble, but it’s up to him.
You’re
thinner… How are you dealing this weight thing?
Look,
I’m 209, 211lbs, it comes and goes. My normal weight is
between 213 and 216lbs, but I loss much fat on the trainings
we’ve been doing, I’m almost on the weight I have to
be for the fight. I’ll lose four pounds tops.
What
can we hope of Lyoto in 2011?
I’ll
be hungrier and more determined, that’s for sure. I’ve
always shown it, I always tried to win things with my effort,
and it won’t be any different. I guess it’s important
we show people this. We have to become examples for young people,
training hard, being disciplined and respectful, that’s
how we’ll get things done.
What
do you think about Strikeforce’s purchase by UFC? What do
you think about Dtrikeforce’s athletes on your weight division?
I
guess Strikeforce’s purchase was good for UFC, but not for
the sport in general. A philosopher used to say: “if you
want to expand, ask God for a competitor”. This competitor
will make you grow, just like what happens to us, athletes. If
there’s a guy that can beat you up, you can improve, so
I believe it wasn’t good for the sport, despite UFC promotes
great shows. I believe it’s important to have a competitor
working besides you.
The
events in Japan weren’t doing well. How do you see things
now with this earthquakes and tsunamis?
I
have family there, an uncle… Everybody’s good, no one
was directly affected, but the events in Japan, with what happened,
things slowed down. Now we’re only left with the waiting
to see if something new will come up. I don’t think about
myself only, because I have a job, but there’re many people
who don’t have, people who live for the sport and needs
it, so it’s important that there’re competitors to
give these athletes opportunity.
Source: Tatame
|
Amanda
Lucas, Daughter of 'Star Wars' Creator, Returns to MMA Saturday
By Ray
Hui
Amanda Lucas, the eldest daughter of Star Wars and Indiana Jones
creator George Lucas, will make her return to the cage this Saturday
at Freestyle Cage Fighting 46 in Shawnee, Okla.
Lucas,
who has cameos in all three Star Wars prequels, holds a 1-1 professional
MMA record and last competed in November 2009, earning a three-round
unanimous decision over Christen Bedwell at FCF 37.
"Although
I didn't fight in 2010 I was actively training, competing in
grappling tournaments and earning my purple belt in Brazillian
jiu-jitsu," Lucas tells MMAFighting.com. "The main
reasons I didn't fight was first, I got married and I assured
everyone that I wouldn't walk down the aisle looking like a battered
woman. Second, I wanted to focus on getting technically better
in all areas of MMA."
For
this fight, Lucas, a purple belt under the high-decorated female
grappler Lana Stefanac, trained Muay Thai with Ganyao Fairtex
at Fairtex San Francisco, MMA with Gilbert Melendez's Skrap Pack
team and occasionally at the Cesar Gracie Academy. Lucas is scheduled
to meet Heather Martin of Jackson, Tenn. at 160 pounds.
"I
am really excited for this fight," she said. "I was
originally scheduled to fight in February, but I suffered a partially
torn MCL and PCL during my training camp. I have basically been
either training or rehabbing my knee for the past six months.
I am looking forward to fighting, taking a week off, and then
getting back into the gym. I am in great shape, well prepared
and am ready to test myself on Saturday."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
Rio could air live and free on RedeTV, in Brazil
Eduardo
Ferreira
The
growth of MMA in Brazil, specially after Anderson Silva defeated
Vitor Belfort at UFC 126, is attracting more media for the sport.
With the event coming to Brazil on August 27, major television
channel RedeTV, which also airs ‘UFC Sem Limites’ program
on every Saturday, negotiated with the organization and will
probably air UFC Rio live on August, TATAME.com learned with
sources close to the situation. Dana White’s organization
wanted to show the event live in Brazil to help the event to
become even bigger in the country, and SporTV channel is also
negotiating to show the event live.
Source: Tatame
|
Bellator
Books Top Prospect Tony Johnson vs. Carlos Flores
By Michael
David Smith
Whether the Bellator Fighting Championships can carve out a niche
for itself and survive in the UFC-dominated world of American
mixed martial arts is an open question. But there's no question
at all that Bellator continues to sign talented fighters.
Heavyweight
Tony Johnson is the latest acquisition to demonstrate just how
good Bellator is at attracting top fighters: Bellator formally
announced Thursday that Johnson has signed, and that he'll fight
the 4-0 Carlos Flores at Bellator 41 on April 16.
"Tony
is a fighter we have had our eye on for quite some time,"
Bellator boss Bjorn Rebney said. "He's one of the top heavyweight
prospects in the world right now, and will make a great addition
to our already impressive heavyweight lineup."
Calling
Johnson one of the top heavyweight prospects in the world isn't
just a promoter's hyperbole: The 25-year-old Johnson is 5-1 in
his MMA career, with the only loss coming to Strikeforce's Daniel
Cormier. He's an outstanding athlete, has a good wrestling background,
and Bloody Elbow just called him the No. 3 heavyweight prospect
in MMA.
Johnson
said he's already eying a shot at Bellator's heavyweight champion,
Cole Konrad.
"I
definitely want to be a part of the next Bellator Heavyweight
Tournament," Johnson said. "I think it would be a great
opportunity for me. It would mean everything to me to become
the next Bellator heavyweight champion. ... I plan on getting
better and better every time I enter that cage."
With
young heavyweights like Johnson and Konrad, who are already good
and getting better, it's hard not to like the future of Bellator,
in terms of the quality of the fighters in the cage. The only
question is whether we should like the future of Bellator in
terms of the ability of the promotion to draw TV audiences, attract
ticket buyers and make enough money to stay in business.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Once-Delayed
Koch-Swanson Bout Now Tapped for UFC 132
Four
months after their ill-fated original meeting was to take place,
Erik Koch and Cub Swanson will finally get to square off.
The
UFC announced Tuesday that the featherweights have “verbally
agreed” to meet at UFC 132, which takes place July 2 at
the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Koch
and Swanson were first paired for UFC Live 3 on March 3, but
Swanson was forced to withdraw due to a tooth infection just
10 days prior to the bout. Koch instead fought Raphael Assuncao
on March 19, earning “Knockout of the Night” honors
for his first-round drubbing of the Brazilian at UFC 128.
Koch,
22, has pocketed back-to-back “Knockout” bonuses, having
finished his World Extreme Cagefighting career in style last
November by disposing of Francisco Rivera in 96 seconds. Also
included in the Roufusport product’s current three-fight
win streak is a June 2010 triangle-choking of experienced French
veteran Bendy Casimir.
In
his UFC debut, Swanson will see his first action since November,
when the 27-year-old took a split decision over Mackens Semerzier
at WEC 52. The Californian is 2-2 in his last four outings, alternating
wins against Semerzier and John Franchi with losses to Jose Aldo
and Chad Mendes.
UFC
132 will be headlined by the promotion’s first bantamweight
title bout, as 135-pound champion Dominick Cruz defends his belt
against old rival and former WEC featherweight ruler Urijah Faber.
Source: Sherdog
|
Ben
Askren: Fighters who focus on putting on a show instead of winning
are losers
By Zach
Arnold
Ben
Askren was booked for a radio interview on Sherdog. The lead-in
topic was fan feedback, most of it in disgust about Eddie Alvarez
not finishing off Pat Curran last Saturday at Bellator 39 in
Eddie’s five-round title defense (he won by unanimous decision).
Without much of an introduction, Askren jumped right into the
fray and stood up for the Bellator Lightweight champion.
“I
thought he was fairly aggressive. As MMA goes on, people are
going to get tougher and tougher and tougher and everyone’s
getting harder to finish. In the past, the levels of fighters
have been so far apart but now as everyone gets better it’s
going to get closer and closer, it’s going to be harder
to finish fights.”
He
believes that winning is the primary objective and that fighters
who fight for bonuses (like the Leonard Garcias, the Chris Lytles,
the Jorge Gurgels of the world) are losers.
“I
think people like that are losers because, in my mind, a fight’s
about winning, not about putting on a show. We’re not singers,
we’re not actors, we are Mixed Martial Artists or fighters
or athletes, whichever way you wanna do it and that’s about
winning. I mean, and when you consider it consider this point
from an athlete’s perspective. So, a championship fight’s
25 minutes. That’s a long fricking time to fight. I’ve
done a lot of hard things in my life and that’s one of the
hardest. 25 minutes is a long time to fight. When you consider,
if you go out there and say you go out like a sprint pace, like
you go hard and Eddie Alvarez went to take his head off in the
first two minutes, he might have gassed out in two minutes and
lost the fight. That would have been so stupid and, so, I mean
when you’re fighting for 25 minutes, every fan and their
mother can talk shit about this and that and don’t finish
fights. Well, why don’t they get in there and fight for
25 minutes? That’s a long time. And you got to win before
you show. I mean, people that show on top of winning, say Anderson
Silva, that dude now he’s a showman but he’s also won,
what, 13 fights in a row? So, obviously, he can do it. And there’s
people like Leonard Garcia who goes out and puts on a show but
he’s like 3-5 in his last 8 fights. Like, c’mon dude.”
Mr.
Askren also thinks the fans that encourage that mentality are
marks who don’t grasp what the sport of MMA is about.
“It’s
kind of annoying but I understand that all they want to see is
blood and guts, 90% of them. I mean there’s only a small
few that actually appreciate the intricacies of grappling and
all the other stuff that goes on within a fight. Most of them
just want to see someone get knocked out cold.”
Ben
also jumped into another hot-topic discussion, which is the concept
of UFC wanting teammates to fight each other. Consider Ben squarely
in the corner of Cesar Gracie on the topic.
“I
mean, Tyron Woodley is the only person in my division that I
wouldn’t fight. Jake Shields… I went up and trained
with him for a while and I really like him. We kind of became
friends, so, you know, I would think twice about ever taking
that and maybe if they forced into it, I might, but… it’s
just, there’s how many people that fight? There’s probably
100 people on the UFC roster in Welterweight, maybe 75, I don’t
know. But, it’s like, I can fight all those dudes and Cesar
Gracie’s point was you can fight one guy for $10 million
or you can fight another guy for $8 million, like, what’s
the difference? There’s so many other people to fight. You
know, what’s the point? And that’s kind of the way
that I feel about it. It’s like, if I’m going to fight,
I’m going to try to hurt somebody. I might have to do something
dirty to do that and I don’t want to have to worry about
my friend saying, ‘Why the hell did you do that to me?’
And, so, it’s just not worth it to me and there’s so
many other people that I can beat up in the world, why would
I want to beat up one of my friends?”
Askren
was doing the media rounds to promote his upcoming fight on Saturday
night against Nick Thompson. Suffice to say, Ben’s not into
the entertainment thing because rather than try to build up the
fight, he destroyed Thompson throughout the interview as an opponent
that poses no threat of winning their fight.
“I
really don’t believe he brings a lot (to the table). The
one thing, you know, I won’t get in a boxing match with
him. Like I said, if I do stand-up with him it’ll be after
I tenderize him for a few minutes and he won’t be the same
person that we was at the beginning of the fight. He’ll
be a much weaker, worn-down opponent. Other than that, I’ll
know he’ll try to go for a sneaky submission here and there,
he is a veteran, he’s obviously won a lot of fights, I think
he’s won 38 fights so obviously he does a few things well.
But I’ve been grappling with a lot of black belts and I
know I’m a very difficult person to submit, so I’m
not really worried about that. I don’t think he’s been
training that hard, I think he’s over the hill, I don’t
think he’s got great cardio, he’s probably cutting
too much weight which leads me to believe that he’s going
to come out and try to throw a few hard punches and, after that,
it’s money in the bank for me.”
He
explains his high level of confidence as more or less factually-based
rationalization.
“I
wasn’t the kind of wrestler that stood around and won a
match 3-2. When I was in college wrestling, I won by big points
and I took the guys who are the best college wrestlers in the
nation, I took them down lots of time in a match. 5, 6, 7, 8,
9, 10, I took them down that many times in a match so really
the only people you have in fighting right now in my weight class
are Johny Hendricks and Josh Koscheck. And that’s it, that’s
two people, that’s not very many when you consider how many
people are fighting in my weight class. And below that you have
Tyron Woodley, he never won a national title, he’s a great
wrestler but I won’t fight him because we’ve been friends
since I was 17 years old. So, really, I don’t think there’s
anyone that can stop me from taking them down because not only
am I going to try taking them down once but I’m a very persistent
person and I get what I want and I’m going to keep on coming
until I get it so it’s going to be very difficult for someone
to stop me from doing that.”
Mr.
Askren feels his skill set makes him very hard to beat in today’s
MMA environment.
“I
love the sport of MMA. I try to be an intelligent fighter like
I try to be an intelligent wrestler. I’m not one of those
guys that goes, ‘oh, I’m just going to go out there
and see what happens.’ … So when I got into the sport
of Mixed Martial Arts, I know for a fact that, hey, I’ll
be able to take anyone down that I want. So, OK, after that,
then what’s my next point of emphasis… Jiu-Jitsu. If
I can take anyone down and no one can submit me, then already
at that point I’m a very, very difficult person to beat.
And so then that’s what I did, so I went there, I got some
black belts and I said, c’mon, let’s go, submit me
as many times as you can and I’m going to figure out how
to get out of it. So, right away I’m a tough person to beat
because I got good cardio, I’m going to quit, I’m going
to take you down, and you can’t submit me. That’s a
tough person to win a fight against, strategy-wise, against anyone
in the world that can happen. And then after that, now I’m
just starting to work on my hands in case there is someone who
I do prefer to stand up with or whatever.
“Right
now, I feel like I’m really a threat to anyone. I mean I’ve
trained with guys who are the best in the world. I’ve trained
with Jake Shields, I’ve trained with Nick Diaz, I’ve
trained with Jon Fitch. I understand how good the best people
in the world at my weight class are. I really do. And just because
I haven’t fought them in a real fight doesn’t mean
that I don’t understand that. So, yeah, I’m trying
to step up fast. I’m not trying to be in fighting until
I’m 40. I want to see how good I can get, get there as fast
as I can, do it, say OK, I did it, and then calm down, have a
family, and live happily ever after, I guess.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Ryan
Ford Faces Karo Parisyan At MMA Live 1 in London, Ontario May
19
by Damon
Martin
Ryan Ford will look to build his fanbase on the east coast of
Canada when he returns to action in London, Ontario on May 19
where he faces former UFC title contender Karo Parisyan on the
MMA Live 1 card.
The
bout was first mentioned by Ford via his Twitter account, but
now sources have indicated to MMAWeekly.com that the fight is
a ‘done deal’.
At
14-3, Ford has been one of the brightest prospects to come out
of Canada in recent years, but has stumbled a couple of times
in higher profile fights. Two losses to current Strikeforce lightweight
Pat Healy, as well as a submission loss to current MFC champion
Douglas Lima mark the only losses of his career.
Outside
of those 3 fights, Ford has been fairly dominant throughout his
career finishing 13 of his 14 fights inside the distance. He
has long spoke about facing tougher competition, and he’ll
hopefully find that test in May.
To
call Karo Parisyan’s (19-6) career a rollercoaster lately
would be the understatement of the year. A one time title contender
in the UFC’s welterweight division, Parisyan has dealt with
everything from suspensions from the Nevada State Athletic Commissions
to being dropped by the UFC, to being welcomed back only to suffer
a knockout in his first fight back.
Parisyan
will look to get his career back on track when he faces a very
hungry fighter in Ryan Ford in May.
The
bout will be a part of the MMA Live 1 card taking place in London,
Ontario under the new sanctioning for mixed martial arts in the
province.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Tonight!
|
Strikeforce:
Diaz vs. Daley Fight Card
Date: April 9, 2011
Venue: Valley View Casino Center
Location: San Diego, California
Main
Bouts (On Showtime):
-Nick Diaz (24-7; #6 Welterweight)* vs. Paul Daley (27-9-2; #7
Welterweight)*†
-Gilbert Melendez (18-2; #2 Lightweight)* vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
(27-6-2; #6 Lightweight)*††
-Gegard Mousasi (30-3-1) vs. Keith Jardine (17-9-1)
-Shinya Aoki (26-5; #4 Lightweight)* vs. Lyle Beerbohm (15-1)
Preliminary
Bouts (Non-Televised):
-Hiroyuki Takaya (15-8-1) vs. Robert Peralta (13-3)
-Brett Albee (3-0) vs. Virgil Zwicker (9-2)
-Saad Awad (8-3) vs. Joe Duarte (5-2)
-Herman Terrado (5-2) vs. A.J. Matthews (4-0)
-Edgar Cardenas (3-0) vs. Rolando Perez (5-4-1)
-Casey Ryan (1-0) vs. Paul Song (2-0)
†For
Diaz’s Strikeforce Welterweight Championship
††For Melendez’s Strikeforce Lightweight Championship
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Order
Your Toughman Hawaii DVD
Order you official DVD of the event for $25 dollars delivered
right to your front door, shipping included.
Go to www.visualplugmedia.com
or
email info@visualplugmedia.com for the order form
and details.
Source: Wally Carvalho
|
Competitor Fees:
Adults: $70
Kids: $50
Register at www.hawaiitriplecrown.com
Location:
Kaiser High School Gym
Event
Schedule:
Kids
Weigh-Ins: 8.30 t0 9.30 am
Adult
Weigh-Ins: 9.30 to 11.30 am
Source: Event Promoter
|
Man Up & Stand Up
Waipahu Filcom Center
Saturday April 23, 2011
Doors open at 6:00 pm
JOSEPH
GARCIA
160
ETHAN KERFOOT
THOMAS MATTIAS
140
OLA LUM
NUI WHEELER
146
KAWIKA SOREN
ERIC EDWARDS
210 +
TBA
KAENA DESANTOS
65
GAVIN FLINT
MAKOA DESANTOS
100
KALAI KWAN
NYLLEN KUKAHIKO
75
RAD RAH-JAH BRASWELL
ELIAS VELASCO
125
SHAWN DESANTOS
KALEI HIGA
125
NALU KAWAILIMA
NAZ HARRISON
100
JORDAN GUILLERMO
DJ CASERIA
120
ALIKA THOMPSON
ROB JOSEPH
180
CHRISTOPHER STOCKSTAD
RICKY PLUNKETT
150
JUSTIN
DULAY
KEONI CHANG
140
MIKE MORALES
NICK RIVERA
185
MIKE MCNAAB
MATT STONE
185
ROB CONNELL
ELFREDO VANGAS
165
KANIALA KUKAHIKO
JOSEPH ENAENA
165
LAWRENCE HINOJOSA
ANDYMAR
RENON
205
JUDE KAPUA
MANA MCCALLISTER
120
EUGENE
ANGUAY
TOFI MIKA
140
ANTHONY MURAKAMI
ALEX ANSPACH
145
TRAVIS MIRA
DAVE CORDEIRO
185
JUSTIN FONOTI
VINNIE JUERKIN
160
AARON TERRY
DARRYL DANO
135
EDDIE CENTIO
NEVADA HARRISON
135
ISAIAH PASCUA
KESUKE TOMITA
145
HARVEY
All
matches & participants are subject to change.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Strikeforce
‘Diaz vs. Daley’ Preview
by Jason
Probst
Strikeforce
brings two title bouts to the Valley View Casino Center in San
Diego this Saturday (Showtime, 10 ET/PT), with a card that should
provide a nice showcase for two of its top attractions.
Gilbert
Melendez defends his lightweight belt against tough Tatsuya Kawajiri,
veteran of many a memorable war in Japanese promotions. Welterweight
champion Nick Diaz collides with English bomber Paul Daley in
a match that should test Diaz’s chin, Daley’s stamina
and could be an early candidate for “Fight of the Year.”
Here
is a closer look at the Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley”
main card, with the matchups, breakdowns and picks.
Strikeforce
Welterweight Championship
Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley
The
Matchup: Despite being 27, Diaz is one of the most experienced
fighters in the game, and his improvement shows in every fight.
With
a busy standup style that keeps opponents overwhelmed and guessing,
he collides with Daley, perhaps the most dangerous one-shot striker
in MMA. Diaz’s third defense of his title brings extreme
danger and a punishing style matchup, where the ultimate question
will be which guy breaks under the pressure of what should be
a concussive firefight on the feet.
Despite
Diaz’s excellent submission and ground game, he has largely
dispensed with takedowns of late, preferring to stand and punch
with foes. That plays right into Daley’s strengths and his
best hopes for winning, which is why this bout is one you do
not want to miss.
Over
the last two years, both men have proven overwhelming in the
standup game but for vastly different reasons. Diaz wins due
to volume, good combinations and intelligently placed shots,
often throwing arm punches just to keep guys defensive while
wearing them out. He also has one of the best chins in the game,
and since nobody wants to plunge into his dangerous guard, he
pretty much fights this way all night.
Daley,
meanwhile, is a high-octane banger with huge power. He explodes
with the kind of shots that send people into unconsciousness
and relishes the chance to plant his feet and trade. He is a
powerful welterweight and turns his body into every shot.
If
there is a template for Daley to win, it is Diaz’s second
match with K.J. Noons in October and a second-round submission
over Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos in January. Noons
gave Diaz a five-round battle by mixing in angles and countering,
while Santos had success early by kicking to Diaz’s lead
leg and taking away his striking base. Both guys did better than
most foes against Diaz, and Daley has the tools to exploit those
openings if Diaz offers them.
Diaz
does not figure to have an easy time switching to a ground fight,
either. His takedowns have traditionally been marginal, and Daley
has decent takedown defense; he gave Jake Shields a good battle
before finally being planted and submitted in the second round
back in 2008.
Diaz
is going to eat some bombs in this fight, and his chin is going
to be tested severely. If he comes to wear down Daley with his
usual stand-and-fling style, he will have to expect to eat his
share of booming counter hooks, kicks and everything else thrown
back at him.
What
makes Diaz so tough is his ability to adjust in the middle of
a difficult fight and keep his head. Superior wrestlers have
held him down and outworked him to decision wins, but he can
always pull guard or wear down Daley in the clinch, then hit
a takedown or a big strike to stun his man. He is great at catching
opponents in exchanges and exploiting openings.
Diaz
has been legitimately knocked out just once -- early in his career,
in the first of his three fights with Jeremy Jackson -- but if
there is anyone in the game who could put him to sleep, it is
Daley. The key factor is what Diaz does if a standing fight is
not to his advantage. If he keeps slugging, he loses, but if
he adjusts and looks to take it to the mat, his path to victory
becomes much easier.
Expect
Daley to light up Diaz early, forcing the Stockton, Calif.-based
battler to change tactics. Diaz will oblige him for the first
two rounds, then work to wear down Daley. Over five rounds, he
will eventually find a way to get the fight to the mat, where
his grappling pedigree and great conditioning make him so tough.
The
Pick: Diaz by submission in four. This is a bout that promises
truckloads of violence and big swings of momentum, but, at the
end of the day, Diaz should have enough conditioning and mojo
to pull out the win.
Strikeforce
Lightweight Championship
Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
The
Matchup: Hard-driving, fast-paced lightweights collide in a rematch,
with the Strikeforce title on the line. In their first scrap
in 2006, Melendez took a unanimous decision, using superior wrestling
and control.
Since
then, both have improved. Melendez’s standup was much better,
as he avenged his loss to Josh Thomson in their December 2009
rematch, while Kawajiri outwrestled Thomson in a close decision
win on New Year’s Eve.
There
are guys that are just wired for a five-round fight, and Melendez’s
style is perfect for it. He pushes a breakneck pace and, over
the distance, gets results, breaking foes’ wills.
Kawajiri
is tough and resilient and has fought some of the best fighters
on the Japanese scene. However, his standup is probably a notch
or two below Melendez’s at this point; Melendez showed a
lot more comfort trading bombs in extended exchanges with Thomson.
Prior to that fight, he would usually stand just enough to set
up a takedown attempt. Now, he really looks comfortable in the
pocket and can operate from there at length.
Kawajiri’s
best chance is to force tie-ups and smother Melendez, as he may
be slightly stronger in a chest-to-chest battle. However, Melendez
is excellent at squirming out of bad positions, as well as getting
the upper hand in wild scrambles and transitions. In a five-round
fight, he is also pretty much impossible to stop.
The
Pick: Melendez is definitely looking to make a splash with the
world watching, wondering how he will eventually fare against
the lightweights of the UFC. He will hold it down here, banging
out a clear-cut decision win as he pushes the pace and wears
down Kawajiri.
Lightweights
Shinya Aoki vs. Lyle Beerbohm
The
Matchup: Aoki is one of the few fighters in the game able to
compete at a world-class level, essentially as a one-tool guy.
His standup is merely a rumor and his wrestling is average, but
his submissions are as good as anyone’s in MMA. He is perfectly
content to let opponents put him down and take their chances
in his amazing guard, where he uncorks a dizzying assault of
submissions.
Beerbohm
made a splash as an emerging face in Strikeforce, with wins over
Duane Ludwig and Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro. In his last
fight, he was decisioned by Pat Healy, as he was outgrappled
in spots and ran out of answers against the tough veteran. A
wrestling-based fighter still in the nascent phases of his early
career, the jury is still out on whether Beerbohm’s loss
will prove a learning experience or reveal his competitive ceiling.
Beerbohm’s
standup is willing if not fully developed, which puts him ahead
of Aoki, who seems to regard striking merely as a means to get
the fight to the ground. The decision of when to shoot and force
a mat battle will be key in this matchup for Beerbohm. There
is the chance he could sprawl and brawl, using shots to frustrate
Aoki while denying him a chance to unleash his marvelous ground
game. It would probably be a smart decision, especially early,
when quick submissions are much easier before both guys get sweaty
and fatigued.
At
some point, Aoki will likely make the decision to pull guard
if Beerbohm refuses to shoot, and that is where “Fancy Pants”
will have to punish the Japanese star, evade and stay standing.
Healy,
a tough veteran, showed that Beerbohm may be a little undersized
for lightweight. He also threatened him positionally and with
some submission attempts that Aoki would likely finish. Aoki’s
biggest weakness in the U.S. is that he cannot wear his patented
colorful pants, which are helpful in keeping friction to land
submissions.
Against
Gilbert Melendez, Aoki was stifled for five one-sided rounds.
Beerbohm is not Melendez, but he can imitate that style for 15
minutes if he plays his cards correctly.
The
Pick: Aoki is just a tad too experienced and savvy and will land
a submission after a lively battle, taking the win in the second
round.
Light
Heavyweight
Gegard Mousasi vs. Keith Jardine
The
Matchup: Mousasi’s probably the best little-known light
heavyweight in the game, at least stateside, where his smooth
skills have been woefully underexposed. After dropping a five-round
decision and the Strikeforce title to Muhammed "King Mo"
Lawal, he has since won twice in Japan’s Dream promotion.
Prior
to the Lawal loss, however, Mousasi had racked up 15 consecutive
wins, some over the likes of Hector Lombard, Denis Kang, Melvin
Manhoef, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Renato "Babalu"
Sobral.
With
Jardine as a late substitution for Mike Kyle, the casual fan
gets a glance at Mousasi against a recognizable UFC veteran.
When he is on his game, Jardine is one of the tougher outs in
the business, taking foes to close decisions on account of a
vexing style and a tenacious approach. He does not do anything
great, but unless you bomb him out early, he is going to give
you a difficult go.
Mousasi’s
standup is top-notch, and he is unerringly calm in all phases
of the fight, even when planted on his back taking punches. His
submissions are solid, though at times he seems a tad too willing
to let himself be taken down; it backfired against the powerful
Lawal.
With
the UFC merger, the light heavyweight division gets even more
interesting, and a big win goes a long way toward getting the
victor’s name in the mix.
Mousasi’s
style is one that few can handle on the feet, and the good thing
about this matchup is that Jardine will probably try and challenge
him there. Jardine’s awkward movement throws off opponents,
and that is where Mousasi’s leg kicks will be key to wearing
down Jardine and nailing him as he tries to set up attacks. Jardine
could possibly try to plant Mousasi -- whose takedown defense
is decent but not world-beating -- and grind out a decision win
via a high work rate, but that does not seem likely. Instead,
look for Mousasi to dial in and go to work standing, eventually
wearing down Jardine with sharp counters and big kicks, especially
to the body and legs.
The
Pick: This is a great style matchup for Mousasi -- about as good
as a guy could hope to get against the tricky and unpredictable
Jardine -- and he should have too much firepower, scoring a knockout
in three.
Source: Sherdog
|
For
Japanese Fighters, Disaster Back Home Provokes Different Reactions
By Ben
Fowlkes
CHULA VISTA, Calif. – It's hard enough to get in a cage
and fight another man for money on live TV when everything back
home is nice and safe and boring.
But
this weekend Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri will have to do
it while their homeland is in a state of disarray and the future
of MMA in Japan looks increasingly grim.
The
two Japanese fighters on Saturday night's Strikeforce: Diaz vs.
Daley fight card left a country still suffering from the effects
of massive earthquake and tsunami damage, but their reactions
to the situation back home – at least while in the public
eye – have so far proved to be as wildly different as their
personalities.
A
stone-faced Kawajiri showed up to Wednesday's open workouts sporting
shorts and t-shirt labeled with the simple message, 'Pray for
Japan.'
Where
he lives, in the Ibaraki prefecture along the island's eastern
coast, damage was extensive and staying focused on preparing
for his title fight with lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez wasn't
always easy, he said.
"In
the beginning I lost my concentration a little bit, but I had
friends who helped me train and work out," Kawajiri said,
via a translator. "We're still getting light earthquakes,
and water's cut off. We're lacking gasoline, and for a while
food was hard to get. Things have gotten better day by day. I
have friends who helped me train and workout, and now I am in
the best shape. Now I'm concentrated on the fight."
But
while the stoic Kawajiri did his best to draw attention to the
seriousness of the situation, Aoki, who fights Lyle Beerbohm
on Saturday night, smiled and shrugged it off, insisting in English
that the disaster in Japan was "no problem."
"He
lives in Tokyo," Aoki's translator interjected in an attempt
to explain the contrast between his reaction and Kawajiri's.
"Kawajiri's place was much closer to the actual damage."
The
difference between the two countrymen isn't simply a regional
one, however. Aoki -- at once playful and indifferent -- seemed
as if he were being intentionally difficult at times, giving
one-word answers to some questions and refusing to take others
seriously.
For
instance, when asked what he learned after his first experience
in the cage last April, Aoki said, through his translator, "I
learned how to solve the jetlag problem; I came two days earlier
this time."
As
for what's holding MMA back in his homeland, Aoki responded simply:
"Japan: no money. USA: lot of money."
Simple,
direct, and not necessarily inaccurate.
Kawajiri,
on the other hand, seemed to be taking every issue a little more
seriously. He showed up to the workouts with an entourage in
tow, and spent a few minutes hitting mitts in the cage that was
set up inside the Alliance MMA gym. Before leaving, Kawajiri
and his coach climbed back in the cage so they could practice
the start of the fight several times, walking towards each other
from opposite sides and then starting all over again, just to
get the feel of the surroundings.
While
Kawajiri said he was intentionally not making himself a representative
for all of Japanese MMA, as Aoki did before he faced Melendez,
he acknowledged that the outcome of the title fight will likely
decide whether his future is back home in Japan or here in the
U.S.
"I
don't think about being a representative of Japanese MMA, but
for me personally it is very important to beat Gilbert Melendez
and become the champion," Kawajiri said. "I don't think
I'm auditioning for the UFC, but I do always think about the
UFC lightweight fighters. I want to make sure I'm in the field
with the UFC lightweights as the best lightweight fighters in
the world."
Aoki?
He did very little in the way of an actual workout on Wednesday,
and his enthusiasm for staking his claim in American MMA with
this fight was slightly more muted, to say the least.
"If
that is so, I will be happy," he said and shrugged. "If
this opens the gates to the UFC, I will be happy."
In
these uncertain times, maybe it's best to take it one step at
a time.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Bellator’s
Bjorn Rebney: “We’re not bleeding”, says they’re
breaking even
By Zach
Arnold
The
news coming out of this weekend’s Bellator show on MTV2
is not especially positive. The promotion drew 174,000 viewers
for last weekend’s fight between Eddie Alvarez and Pat Curran.
By comparison, last Friday’s Strikeforce event with a lackluster
card drew 214,000 viewers on Showtime.
(If
you haven’t already done so, read Eddie’s interview
that we transcribed talking about why he’s with Bellator
and not the UFC.)
What’s
been clear so far with Bellator’s MTV2 deal is the following:
1.The
platform is not a great one for the promotion. It’s core
demos are pre-teens and teenie boppers. (Take note of this for
later reference.)
2.The shows air on Saturday nights. They are having to run opposite
to Zuffa-owned shows (either UFC or Strikeforce.) They also face
weekly sports competition such as big boxing events, college
football season, March Madness, and playoffs of other leagues
like MLB & the NBA. It’s an onslaught they are facing
in terms of keeping eyeballs amongst the network’s demographic
with all the sports-related programming available.
3.The time slot is not consistent. That’s a result of reason
#2 and it’s hurt the promotion to some degree. If you’re
a glass half-full kind of guy, you can say that retaining 170,000
viewers of the 230,000 that watched the second show is not a
bad retention rate. Then again, I think a ceiling of 230,000
viewers is a little bit underwhelming.
Combine these points with points made from outlets like MMA Payout
and MMA Supremacy about the financial backing of Bellator (along
with Bjorn Rebney’s history as a promoter) and, suffice
to say, Bellator faces plenty of challenges as far as being on
the road to being a long-term successful organization.
During
a recent interview with Sherdog, I was struck by the tone of
the sales pitch that Mr. Rebney said in regards to why he thinks
Bellator is a good star-making platform for up-and-coming fighters
in MMA.
“I
mean we got the platform with MTV2 live on Saturday nights. One
of these guys is going to fight three times in a 80 million home
universe, literally you know before the end of May is going to
win our world title and it’s the same kind of thing that
we were able to accomplish with Eddie Alvarez, with Hector Lombard,
(Joe) Warren came over here a year ago and unless you were a
hardcore fan of MMA, you had no idea who he was. Now he’s
on TNA Wrestling on Spike. He’s doing all the promos. He’s
all over the television. You know, it’s a quick format that
allows a guy to really come out of nowhere and, you know I mean,
if you look out of our organization, look at a guy like Jon Jones.
I mean, I’m watching The Tonight Show and Jon’s on
The Tonight Show and a year & two months ago, nobody had
any idea who he was.”
One
of the problems with Bellator has been what I call the yo-yo
effect. They were on ESPN Deportes and had something going there.
Then they were on Fox Sports Net. The ratings were OK but they
bounced around in terms of different time slots. Running on Thursday
nights, however, was a good idea. They were also on NBC &
Telemundo. Now they are on MTV2 & MTV Tr3s (which is an over-the-air
channel in certain markets like Los Angeles). As I’ve said
before, American TV viewers are creatures of habit and are lazy.
If you have to challenge them to keep up in regards to finding
your program, you’re going to lose that battle even in today’s
DVR culture.
Here
is Bjorn Rebney’s positive spin on how the suits at MTV2
like the ratings Bellator is drawing for the channel.
“They’re
very excited about the program, the MTV Networks executives are,
they love what we’re doing, they love the numbers that we’re
providing. They love the viewers in terms of the demographic
and who’s watching the show. And they know the space, I
mean the MTV Networks guys have been, you know, in charge of
and running Spike for the last, you know, since it’s infancy.
They get MMA better than anybody in television. They know how
to shoot it, they know how to produce it, they know how to promo
it. You know, you’ve seen our promos on Spike, on MTV, on
MTV2, and the billboards in Times Square and billboards across
the country. They’re an awesome partner and they’re
an awesome partner who understands Mixed Martial Arts and who’s
watching it and what it should look like and I couldn’t
be happier.”
He
does make a fair point that the suits do have familiarity with
MMA. (I don’t know if it was a veiled shot at Showtime or
not, but I’m sure some will make a natural comparison between
the networks.) However, the platform and demographics matter
more. Just ask UFC how things with Versus are going. Versus is
supposed to be the future rival for ESPN but the channel does
not draw the right demographics for MMA and it’s going to
be long slog, if it ever happens, for Versus to even be in the
same ballpark as ESPN for importance in the sports programming
landscape. Mr. Rebney thinks that MTV2 will help Bellator become
mainstream as opposed to become an energy-sucking vortex for
ratings like Versus has been for Zuffa-promoted MMA.
“I
think the growth that we’ve experienced over the last two
years since we’ve launched on ESPN Deportes has been amazing.
I mean, we’ve gone from a three million home universe on
Deportes to kind of a good alliance on Fox Sports Net and NBC
but bifurcated because of all of the delays and pre-emptions.
Now we’ve got this spectacular home, 25 shows on MTV2, 80
million homes, every Saturday night for more than half the year.
I mean, that’s the catalyst. If you look at where the UFC
was and where the UFC has gone, you know, you can argue, you
know, back and forth, but the single greatest catalyst that they’ve
had is The Ultimate Fighter on Spike. That is the driving force
behind the brand development and maturation of The Ultimate Fighting
Championship is that show on Spike network. And that show has
allowed us to tune in, fans to tune in week-after-week, year-after-year
and see the development of stars, to see guys come out, tos ee
the development of the brand, to listen to the brand messaging,
to be pointed to PPVs, etc. That week-in, week-out, same-time
same-place channel development and partnership is the key to
building out a Mixed Martial Arts organization. That’s the
reason why the IFL, it’s one of many reasons, that the IFLs,
the Elite XCs, the Bodogs, the Afflictions were never able to
turn the corner or never able to reach cash-flow break-even.
So, the key is to really take this partnership that we have with
MTV Networks and continue to build upon it, to enjoy the cross-promotion
across all of the different networks underneath their platforms,
the Spikes, the MTVs, the MTV2s, the Comedy Centrals, the MTV3s,
and to keep putting on great shows … that those shows, you
know, keep kicking ass and taking prisoners. That’s what
you have to look for. You have to produce great shows, you have
to have great content, you have to have great partners and just
build it.”
During
the Sherdog interview, the Bellator CEO was asked an ill-informed
question when the idea was pushed that Bellator could build up
MTV2 into a big media platform like The Ultimate Fighter ’saved’
Spike from being an irrelevant network.
(The
flaw, of course, is that WWE was on Spike with RAW and it was
that lead-in that helped orchestrate the success of TUF. When
WWE left Spike to go to USA, then TUF & UFC was inserted
into the ‘ace’ programming slots.)
“What
may have been at the time a marriage of convenience ended up
being the greatest marriage of sports entertainment television
in our space. I mean, but for Spike, there’s no general
market crossover for the UFC and but for the UFC, there’s
probably very limited brand recognition for Spike. I mean, they
were the perfect alliance and partnership. Spike has done an
amazing job building up the UFC. So, you know, you look at a
group like MTV2, MTV2 has been around for a while. They have
a successful, they do good numbers on a consistent basis for
their cable network so they’re not new like Spike. In other
words, people kind of know what MTV is about, what MTV2 is about
but, you know, I think if we can continue to do strong numbers
on Saturday nights and we can continue to grow them at a regular
time slot, I think we can impact how people perceive MTV2 as
an outlet for live sports competition as opposed to kind of the
typical content and format that they play on MTV2. I think we
can build them. At the same time, I know they can do an amazing
job building us because the kind of response we’re getting
now and the kind of interviews that are taking place and the
kind of places that Bellator is now showing up, it is really
dramatic. But, you know, being partnered with a group under the
Viacom umbrella and under the MTV Networks banner is a powerful,
it’s a magical partnership for us. It’s a great place
to be in and I think we can benefit them but I think they can
also have an amazing impact on what happens with us.”
An
interview answer that made me chuckle was when Mr. Rebney was
asked to compare the demographics Bellator & MTV2 attract
versus the demos that UFC & Spike TV attract. Read how he
frames the demographic he attracts and makes it sound as good
as the demos UFC appeals to.
“We’re
drawing a much different demographic on UFC than what the UFC
is drawing both to their PPVs and to their Spike programming
and it’s a very attractive demo, you know, it’s a socio-economically
impressed young male demographic that skews younger than the
demographic watching The Ultimate Fighter and turning into PPVs.
So, when you have content, when you have a show that can week-in
and week-out deliver hundreds of thousands of young male consumers,
which is kind of your key, key, key consumer that advertisers
that are trying to reach in this country and across the world,
there’s no reason to believe that we couldn’t live
in great harmony, leveraging the great expertise at MTV Networks
who have helped build the UFC out to where it is and build this
brand out under the same corporate umbrella. I mean, when you
look at places at like Disney and places like Viacom, major entertainment
giants in our space, they control a multitude of different networks.
They control a multitude of different distribution platforms.
So, you know, there’s no reason that you can’t anticipate
that we can build out for many, many years to come as part of
our deal and Spike can continue building out with the UFC and
having the amazing, positive impact that they’ve had on
that brand, all under the same umbrella. I mean, they control
and own an awful lot of different things that we watch and tune
into and buy tickets to see. So, I think, you know, there’s
no question that they can both exist very comfortably in the
same space.”
Trying
to argue which demographic is more financially valuable is, of
course, laughable. UFC draws the 18-34 demographic which spends
money on PPVs and tickets and features people who, hopefully,
have gainful employment and are willing to spend some of their
income on purchasing what Zuffa is selling. That’s a lot
different than pre-teens who are ‘influenced’ and tell
their friends and parents to watch a show on MTV2 but not to
pay for a PPV.
(And,
if you take that into account, so far the message of watching
the show on MTV2 is not working to increase ratings. At least
for an immediate impact, so far, it isn’t.)
What
struck me about comments the Bellator CEO made during the interview
about who his financial investors have been is that he claims
that the promotion is not bleeding cash, that they are ‘cash-flow
break-even’ and that the company right now is in a good
financial position. That sounds rosy compared with what MMA Payout
has been reporting for a couple of years now about Plainfield
Asset Management, which is a hedge fund that is reported the
company’s majority stake holder. It costs money to air live
every weekend on satellite. It costs money to pay fighters like
Eddie Alvarez. To have so many shows and a limited amount of
office staff to promote the live events can be challenging. Just
on the outside-looking-in, the gut feeling one might have is
that right now things are kind of like a tight-wire act, especially
with the 800 pound elephant in the room with UFC. Let’s
not forget that UFC lawsuit against Bellator & Ken Pavia,
either.
I
do think the comments made about not necessarily hitting PPV
are interesting. One of the big reasons, in my opinion, that
UFC went after the Strikeforce assets is because SF was eventually
going to have to make it on PPV in order to make their promotion
financially strong and profitable. So, as long as you present
yourself as not being a threat to Zuffa on PPV, you would think
that they wouldn’t particularly care about what a player
like Bellator is doing.
(Of
course, from modern pro-wrestling history looking and studying
how Vince McMahon operates, we know how the story plays out given
Dana White’s Vince-like tendencies. You may not want a war
or want to provoke the giant but they may bring it to you no
matter how ‘nice’ you play. The lawsuit is proof of
that.)
PPV
has to be the end-game for Bellator long-term if they want to
be profitable. I can’t see how it isn’t a heavy part
of the equation. Domestic PPV may not be hot for them but international
PPV certainly could be (ask WWE).
Bellator’s
delicate position right now in the MMA landscape, I think, was
most reflected in this answer when Mr. Rebney was asked about
whether or not Bellator will focus on growing their own fighters
or if they would get into the big-name free agent/castoff game.
“We
stay with the build-our-own talent model, I mean without any
question and given the fact that, you know, combined now there
are hundreds of fighters under that Zuffa umbrella now I think
it’s going to expand the breadth of talent that’s available
to Bellator. I mean, the Eddie Alvarezs, the Hector Lombards,
the Joe Warrens, the Ben Askrens, the Patricio Pitbulls, the
Patricky Pitbulls, the Chandlers, those are the guys that we’re
going to build out. And I’ve said it many times, I think
Eddie’s the best Lightweight in the world, I think Eddie
beats every 155 pounder on Earth today. I think Hector is a freak
of nature and could compete against any of the top 2 or 3 guys
in the world at 185 pounds, you know, Joe Warren is ranked by
a lot of people as the #2 Featherweight on Earth and has maybe
the biggest heart I’ve ever seen in Mixed Martial Arts.
So, I like our strategy, I like our business model. You build
guys out, you do it quickly, you do it on national television,
you give them three fights in 90 days and they go from being
a virtual unknown in the general market to being a well-known
commodity. But, yeah, Bellator has never been and will not be
a landing spot for castoffs from other organizations. Now that’s
not to say that, you know, I look at it just like you guys do.
Some guys get cut by the UFC or come out of, you know, with Sengoku
& DREAM in very tenuous position in terms of their business.
Marlon Sandro is coming over, Ronnie Mann is coming over, those
are two stars from Japan at 145, both of them ranked in the Top
12 in the world. I mean, we’re going to take guys like that
in a heartbeat. They haven’t been over here and been on
big-time national television but they’re huge talents at
145. We signed Ben Saunders. Ben Saunders was one of those guys
that I scratch my head from the UFC. As a fan, I was like “Saunders
got released? He’s hugely entertaining to watch, that’s
a great fighter at 170, I’d love to see him go,” and
so he became available. So, there’s not a line in the sand
where we say, ‘Hey, you fought for the UFC, so we’re
not going to sign you,’ but our strategy remains building
up the Christian M’Pumbus and the Nik Feketes and the Raphael
Davis’ and the Hectors and the Eddies and the Joes and that’s
our model.”
Bellator
has signed a lot of guys recently. The big question to ask right
now about the organization is what their bottom is and are they
going to be able to stay afloat long term & be successful
without having to sell to someone else or find new money marks
who might find Bellator as a ‘turnkey operation’ to
buy out and run with their own management.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Jose
Aldo ready for UFC debut: “It’s the fight of my life”
By Guilherme
Cruz
Jose
Aldo will enter Ultimate’s octagon for the first time at
April 30th, when there’ll be UFC 129, and he’ll have
to face the tough Mark Hominick, who’s coming from a great
win by knockout. Considered to be one of the greatest fighters
in the world after the success achieved in WEC, Aldo promises
to keep the hard trainings for UFC shows. “I see it as the
fight of my life”, warns Aldo, who’s been sharpening
his Muay Thai for two weeks with Andy Souwer, two-times K-1 champion,
in Netherlands. Check below the exclusive interview with Jose
Aldo, who analyzed his next bout and Mark Hominick’s striking,
analyzed the bout between his buddy Diego Nunes and the American
Kenny Florian, the main events of UFC 129 and a lot more.
How
were your trainings in Netherlands, with Andy Souwer?
I’m
focused, I’m ready to go. The trainings were great, we can
still find little flaws, but of course two weeks is not long
enough to try and do something completely new, but in the future
I intend to go there and stay for a while so I can absorb more
and learn new things. It was great, but we can see we still can
get better.
Did
he give you any striking tips?
Man,
he’s been through hard stuff… He and the guy who trained
with us, we’ve learned a lot, but now I have to focus on
my fight, on our training so in the future I can go there and
learn more.
How
are the expectations for this first belt defense as a UFC champion?
It’s
fine. My expectations are always the best possible ones, I’m
a very confident guy, I work hard and I believe in things. I’m
flying and I want to go there and put on a good fight, I’m
training for it, I’m dedicated, and thanks’ Got it’s
about time. I wanted my debut to be earlier, but now it’s
just about training and going for it.
Do
you fear this time off you had to take because of your injury
can disturb you in any way?
Not
at all. I’m fully recovered, I have no injuries. As I told
you, I feel fine, I’m training non-stop, I have no injuries
what-so-ever, so it’s just get there and do my job.
What
do you think about Hominick? He’s been saying he’ll
like to strike with you…
Man,
he has good striking, but his record is enough said, but it what
I’ve been talking about: I don’t see a problem at all,
I’m doing my trainings. I respect him, he’s a great
fighter and deserved to have this title shot.
It
was said, before WEC’s merge with UFC, you’d go up
and fight Kenny Florian. Now, Kenny Florian went down and will
face your training partner, Diego Nunes. What do you think about
that bout?
I
believe it’ll be a good fight and I hope Diego wins. I think
Kenny doesn’t know who Diego is. Diego is a tough guy who’s
coming now, he has good fights and he’s doing just fine.
He has no idea of who Diego is, he’ll welcome him on this
division. Kenny Florian will take some time to adjust to this
new weight class, but I won’t undermine the guy. Each fight
is unique, he had a UFC title shot one, but I believe Diego will
win.
Diego
is growing a lot in the event and a win over Kenny Florian will
put him close to the belt, which is yours. How do you see this
situation?
Man,
I see it as a natural thing. He’s my training partner, I
cheer for him, but I don’t know. It doesn’t depend
on me, it depends on Ultimate. I wouldn’t want to fight
him, but it’s ok, it’s normal. I believe there’re
many people there for him to fight, as tough as he is. For a
guy to fight me he first has to beat him, so it’s cool.
He’ll
be like a guardian there: to fight you, first they’ll have
to beat him down…
Exactly,
like if he was my guardian. The guy’s there, training hard,
so if people want to fight me, they’ll have to beat him
up. That’s how I see it.
You’ll
debut in UFC, on the greatest edition of the event in all history,
with 55 thousand people watching you. Does it give you the chills?
The
expectation is always high since you’re fighting on the
best show on earth, but, as I always say, I leave it to the press,
and I leave it outside. I concentrate on the fight, I keep myself
focused on the trainings, I don’t ever let my feet off the
ground. I see it as the fight of my life.
What
do you expect of the show, which will have St. Pierre against
Jake Shields on the main event and Lyoto Machida against Randy
Couture?
Good
fights, I hope both shows are good. I cheer for Lyoto, he works
hard, he’s a nice guy. Randy is a great champion, he has
all my respect, he’s a guy who’s done a lot for the
sport, he’s gone up and down many times, but I hope Lyoto
puts on a good show and wins. The bout between Georges and Jake
I also believe it’ll be a good fight. I hope Jake’s
in a good shape, get there and do a good fight, but I believe
he felt the pressure a bit on his debut.
If
you’d have to bet on it, in whom would you bet on?
Well,
I can only bet for sure on Lyoto’s win, he’s a big
brother to me. We cheer for him. As for Jake Shields and Georges,
it doesn’t make any difference to me, so the best prepared
and the best out there should be the winner. But I hope Lyoto
wins.
Source: Tatame
|
Thiago
Silva Suspended for One Year, Fined $33,750 By Nevada Commission
By Mike
Chiappetta
UFC light-heavyweight Thiago Silva has been suspended for one
year and fined a total of $33,750 by the Nevada state athletic
commission upon his admission that he used steroids and then
provided a fake urine sample in order to pass a UFC 125 pre-fight
drug test.
Silva's
hearing before the commission took place on Thursday morning
in Las Vegas, and he appeared without the benefit of an attorney,
taking full blame for the incident and explaining how and why
he did it.
According
to MMAJunkie.com, Silva told the commission that he took a prescription
steroid during the training camp for his Jan. 1 fight with Brandon
Vera due to three injured discs in his back and then attempted
to mask his usage by purchasing a fake urine sample online that
is purported to beat drug screens.
Silva
said the act was caused out of desperation to return to the cage,
saying he needed to earn money to help support his family and
dependents. Prior to UFC 125, the 28-year-old had not fought
in over a year largely due to his injured back, and said he was
"completely broke."
His
ruse, however, was discovered when two of his samples proved
"inconsistent with human urine" during testing.
In
speaking with the commission, Silva admitted to turning his back
to a commission inspector, opening the purchased sample, and
pouring it into the test vial. According to MMA Junkie, the commission
promised to reevaluate its methods for conducting tests to make
sure a similar incident does not occur in the future.
Silva's
license revocation will run to Jan. 2, 2012, and NSAC executive
director Keith Kizer told MMA Fighting that Silva would not be
able to reapply for a license until after he serves the full
suspension. Silva originally made a total of $110,000 for the
fight, including his win bonus. The total penalty of $33,750
represents just over 30 percent of his pay.
Meanwhile,
the result of his fight with Vera -- originally a Silva unanimous
decision -- has been officially changed to a no-contest. Vera,
who was cut shortly after the fight, has since been brought back
into the UFC fold.
Silva
made no public comment to reporters upon leaving the hearing.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Mousasi:
Title Shot, UFC Future Could Be on Line Against Jardine
Gegard
Mousasi sees his matchup Saturday against Keith Jardine as a
huge opportunity.
The
bout, set for the main card of Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley,”
could set Mousasi up for a title fight against champion Dan Henderson.
“If
I win this, I get a title shot in Strikeforce hopefully,”
Mousasi said recently on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown”
show. “It all depends of course on how I perform, but I
just need to win every fight and I think it will be OK. This
fight is important. I think this one is a deal breaker or maker.
I need to win this one.”
Mousasi
also believes a win over Jardine and a subsequent victory over
Henderson could set up another big bout.
“If
I win the light heavyweight belt, then there’s more meaning
for me to go to the UFC,” he said. “Because then champion
versus champion can be done.”
First,
though, Mousasi must get by Jardine. The UFC veteran is replacing
Mike Kyle, who withdrew from the matchup with a broken hand.
Mousasi did not sound fazed by the opponent switch.
“It’s
not that big of a problem because [Jardine is] more of a standup
fighter, not a wrestler, so it’s not affecting me a lot,”
Mousasi said. “I train more for standup fighters. …
My training is just sparring. It’s not that specific. Just
train, and fighting is fighting. People make like a science of
the fighting. It doesn’t matter who the opponent [is]. I
train for a fight. It’s not like rocket science.”
Mousasi
complimented Jardine’s right hand as well as his experience
and the fact that he trains with a strong camp at Jackson’s
MMA. However, he seems less concerned with his opponent than
with how long he’s been training for a fight. Mousasi said
he was told that he would be fighting Kyle in February, then
in March, then in April.
“My
motivation for training the last couple of weeks was very difficult.
For dieting, for training, because I was training for four months
for this fight,” he explained. “At the end the motivation
was not that much. You train four months and there was a lack
of concentration and motivation.”
The
motivation is there now, however, since the UFC bought Strikeforce.
“There’s
a little bit more pressure now because there’s no competition,”
Mousasi said. “If you screw up, you’re screwed yourself.
There’s more pressure, but other than that, I can just fight
the best that I can. I hope they like my style.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Tomorrow
|
Strikeforce:
Diaz vs. Daley Fight Card
Tomorrow
Date: April 9, 2011
Venue: Valley View Casino Center
Location: San Diego, California
Main
Bouts (On Showtime):
-Nick Diaz (24-7; #6 Welterweight)* vs. Paul Daley (27-9-2; #7
Welterweight)*†
-Gilbert Melendez (18-2; #2 Lightweight)* vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
(27-6-2; #6 Lightweight)*††
-Gegard Mousasi (30-3-1) vs. Keith Jardine (17-9-1)
-Shinya Aoki (26-5; #4 Lightweight)* vs. Lyle Beerbohm (15-1)
Preliminary
Bouts (Non-Televised):
-Hiroyuki Takaya (15-8-1) vs. Robert Peralta (13-3)
-Brett Albee (3-0) vs. Virgil Zwicker (9-2)
-Saad Awad (8-3) vs. Joe Duarte (5-2)
-Herman Terrado (5-2) vs. A.J. Matthews (4-0)
-Edgar Cardenas (3-0) vs. Rolando Perez (5-4-1)
-Casey Ryan (1-0) vs. Paul Song (2-0)
†For
Diaz’s Strikeforce Welterweight Championship
††For Melendez’s Strikeforce Lightweight Championship
Source: MMA Weekly
|
B.J.
Penn Off UFC 132 Card After Suffering Injury in Training
UFC 132 lost Jon Fitch last week when the former welterweight
title contender dropped out of his scheduled fight against B.J.
Penn due to injury.
Now
the July 2 card has lost Penn as well.
The
former lightweight and welterweight champion has been forced
off the UFC 132 card with an undisclosed injury.
Sources
close to the situation indicated Penn has ruled himself out of
the July card due to an injury, which at this time has not be
disclosed as to its severity. Penn’s removal from the card
was first reported by MMAJunkie.com.
Fellow
welterweight contender Carlos Condit had been vying for a shot
at Penn on the July card, but sources speaking to MMAWeekly.com
earlier in the week had indicated that the Hawaiian may not end
up on the card at all.
Now
it appears an injury is why.
Currently,
the main event for UFC 132 will feature bantamweight champion
Dominick Cruz against Urijah Faber, while the addition of middleweights
Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben could serve as a co-main event.
With the show still several months away, more high profile bouts
could be added to the card as well.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Competitor Fees:
Adults: $70
Kids: $50
Register at www.hawaiitriplecrown.com
Location:
Kaiser High School Gym
Event
Schedule:
Kids
Weigh-Ins: 8.30 t0 9.30 am
Adult
Weigh-Ins: 9.30 to 11.30 am
Source: Event Promoter
|
Pros
Pick: Diaz vs. Daley
by Mike
Sloan
One
of MMA’s most entertaining fighters will have his skills
on full display Saturday night inside the Valley View Casino
Center in gorgeous San Diego at Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley”
(Showtime 10 ET/PT).
Nick
Diaz, a participant in more entertaining wars than Jackie Chan
and Chuck Norris combined, will put his Strikeforce welterweight
title on the line against former UFC contender Paul “Semtex”
Daley. The showdown promises to be a thriller, as the styles
of both combatants mesh perfectly. And considering Diaz’
propensity to engaging in wild brawls, it’s not out of the
question that “Semtex” could take the belt back to
England with him.
Will
Daley’s power and striking snatch the title away from Diaz,
or will the cagey champion be too dynamic to lose his belt? The
pros think they know the answer.
Ricardo
Liborio: Nick Diaz is more well-rounded and fights five rounds
over and over. He really has to be aware of Paul Daley’s
striking skills [though]; he hits very hard. [I pick] Nick Diaz
by decision. It will be an amazing fight.
Nam
Phan: I say Diaz by decision but I wouldn’t be surprised
if Daley gets a KO upset.
Dan
Hardy: Daley by KO in the second round. Diaz will try walking
forward [and] punching like usual, but [he] will get hit hard
and cut in the first round. The second round will be the same
with Diaz trying to get the fight to the floor, but failing.
He will get hurt with a knee and knocked out towards the end
of the round with a left hook.
Frank
Shamrock: Nick [wins]. Destroys him with THC-laced BJJ and gangster
boxing.
Javier
Vazquez: If Nick Diaz fights smart, he will use his striking
to get the takedown and submit Daley. Diaz sometimes has a habit
of trying to beat guys at their own game. It might cost him in
this fight [if he does that]. I still pick Diaz to win by submission.
He’s too slick on the ground and I think it will eventually
get there and he will catch him, probably with an arm lock on
Daley’s right arm.
Greg
Nelson: Paul has the striker’s chance for sure, but Nick
has that as well and the submission threat. Nick also has tons
of experience dealing with good strikers. Nick has always cracked
me up; he is as real as it gets. I am going with Nick.
Gilbert
Melendez: Diaz by whatever he wants.
Erik
Paulson: Nick Diaz is a stud. He needs to take him down and finish
him on the ground. Don’t strike with a striker who has KO
power. Be like water my friend!
Mike
Whitehead: Diaz by KO in the second round.
Travis
Wiuff: I think Diaz is one of the most underrated fighters out
there. He’s fought so many tough guys and has beat up most
of them. I love his attitude. [He’s got] great standup,
great ground game, great camp. I am taking Diaz by second-round
stoppage.
Mike
Easton: Nick wins.
Doug
Marshall: I think Diaz will wear him down like he always does.
That guy’s cardio is outta control and it looks like no
one can hurt him. Cyborg blasted his legs about 30 times and
he kept coming! So I’ll take Diaz [via] third-round triangle.
Sam
Hoger: How can Daley beat Diaz? A riddle it will be! On the ground
Diaz [is] better and standing he has a bit too much reach. I
love Daley’s “keep it real” attitude but he is
meeting the poster boy for keep it real. And to talk trash in
this case I think he is singing the wrong song because Diaz will
be way too much by the time this day is gone. I'll be rooting
for Daley though.
Tim
Kennedy: The only chance Paul has is in the first round. While
he has more than just a “punchers chance,” I don't
see him being able to hang with Diaz's pace or cardio. Nick is
the better wrestler, grappler, and perhaps ever more rounded
as a striker. I see Nick playing the up-and-down game and finishing
off Daley by submission in the fourth round.
Ron
Foster: I'm a huge fan of both guys, but this is a bad matchup
for “Semtex.” This should be a great fight for about
two or three rounds. Nick Diaz will use his long jab and machine-gun
punches while Semtex will be looking to land his game-changing
left hook and low kicks to neutralize his opponent. After watching
a much smaller Jorge Masvidal use his superior boxing to avoid
damage and frustrate Daley, I think Diaz will be able to do much
of the same. The fact that Nick is a southpaw will make it very
difficult for Daley to land that big left hook. I believe Semtex
will eat a hefty serving of right jabs and straight-left hands
right down the pipe early and will be forced into using low kicks
only trying to stay on the outside of Diaz's long-range punching.
I don't think this is an easy fight for Nick Diaz but in my opinion
he has many more ways to win this fight. Paul Daley always have
that one punch KO power, but I just don't think he will be able
to pull it off against the iron-chinned Diaz. Should be a very
exciting fight, but at the end Nick Diaz will remain Champ. Diaz
by TKO.
Keith
Berry: Diaz is tough as s--t. He will weather the storm and get
the TKO in the third or fourth. He might get a little rocked,
but he will get the W.
Michael
Guymon: Daley is one hell of a dangerous fighter with the power
he possesses in his hands. Unfortunately he is fighting someone
like Nick. Nick’s frustrating style and all around game
will end Daley's night with a submission in the fourth round.
Ray
Elbe: This is a great fight...for Daley. Styles make fights and
Diaz uses the clinch for takedowns, which will expose him to
Daley's striking and muay Thai clinch. I hate picking against
a Cesar Gracie guy, but because of the matchup...Daley by KO
4:20 in the second round.
Benji
Radach: Diaz has the ability to win this fight by utilizing all
his skills. However, Daley has some good takedown defense that
could frustrate Diaz and cause him to receive a knuckle sandwich
that doesn't taste well. This being said, if Diaz scrambles or
sets up a good takedown, I'd say Diaz wins by a nasty choke.
However, if Diaz can't force or set up a good shot I see some
serious punch-drunk action in Diaz's near future!
Jason
Miller: I usually don't weigh-in on [fight predictions], but
I think I should comment here. This is a style clash that will
result in a loss for Diaz. Diaz' weak link is undoubtedly his
takedowns: he had a mountain of trouble taking down a much smaller
K.J. Noons, and in a pure kickboxing contest, Daley has a definite
advantage. Although Diaz is a more well-rounded fighter, it is
doubtful that we will get to see a lot on the ground in this
fight. Daley by KO.
Mike
Ciesnolevicz: Nick Diaz is just the better MMA fighter here.
I think this fight will look a lot like the Diaz vs. Cyborg fight,
or worst-case scenario: the Daley vs. Shields fight. Diaz is
gonna take some shots and have a few close calls, but eventually
he wears Daley down, gets him to the floor and wins by armbar
or rear-naked choke. Diaz has a lot of ways to win this fight
while Daley has only a left hook.
Stephane
Vigneault : Diaz by submission in round two. I can’t stand
Daley!
Gabe
Ruediger: Going with Diaz. Should be an entertaining fight and
I really think Daley will be competitive, but Diaz's ground and
gas tank are the deciding factors.
Sean
Loeffler : OK well this one is an easy one for me. Nick Diaz
is by far my favorite MMA athlete of all time (I say athlete
because he is not just a fighter). I really love the way he fights
and moves in the cage. Secondly, Paul Daley has a bad attitude
and threw a horrible cheap shot after the Koscheck fight. I say
horrible because it was completely ineffective. It would have
been cool if it fu--ed him up. Not because I don't like Josh
-- he's tough -- it just would have been the only clean shot
Paul landed all night. Which by the way: how do you not knock
out a guy walking away [when he’s] not even looking (laughs)?
... Anyways, 100 percent: Diaz murders Daley ...
Billy
MacDonald : The question on everyone's mind is will this be the
fight where we get an elusive sighting of Nick Diaz's ground
game? I personally don't think so, but I think that it won't
matter anyways as Diaz avoids too many shots and utilizes his
reach. I’ve got Diaz by decision.
Tom
Vaughn: This is the biggest Strikeforce fight ever, I'm pumped
for this match. Paul Daley is a dangerous man for anyone, including
himself. With one punch KO power, Daley can end a fight at any
point (before, during or after). In this fight, Nick Diaz can
not risk taking a punch to give one as he usually does. Nick
needs to fight smart early and gain ground as the fight progresses.
I'm a Nick Diaz fan and I like Team Cesar Gracie. I don't know
why, how, or when but I think Nick Diaz will find a way to win
this fight. Nick Diaz by miracle.
Buddy
Clinton: Technically, I see Diaz being able to handle Daley due
to his experience and frame. If Nick wants to bring this fight
to the ground, he will find a way to get it there. Yes, Jake
Shields had some difficulty in the beginning submitting Daley,
but he pulled off the sub and Nick will/could do the same. Daley
has been able to give jiu-jitsu fighters difficulty in the past,
but Nick is not your typical jiu-jitsu fighter. I see this fight
coming down to one main component: who wants it more. Nick is
on an impressive streak and has had a chip on his shoulder for
years. Everyone watching him fight can see this. The streak will
continue with Diaz pulling off a sub or TKO towards the end of
the second.
Eric
Pele: I got Diaz all day on this one. He’s got too many
weapons for Daley. Diaz by third-round stoppage.
Jorge
Lopez: I think in order for Daley to beat Diaz he has to kick
the s--t out of his non-checking leg and avoid being taken down.
I want Diaz to win and think he will via submission in the third.
Derrick
Noble: This fight will be like that time Nick Thompson and I
were training. It was a hard sparring day. Nick was getting over
aggressive so I hit him once and he paused for a brief second,
then flew backwards as if he were superman and was dazed on the
floor. Nick Diaz will put Daley down and submit him in the second
round.
Nick
Thompson: This fight is somewhat similar to the time I was in
my cornfield and heard a whisper, “If you build it, he will
come.” Pursuant to the whisper, much to the disbelief of
my neighbors, I plowed under my cornfield and built a baseball
field. Thereafter Shoeless Joe Jackson and the seven other players
banned in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, despite all of them having
died many years prior, emerged from my corn and began to play
baseball on the field. Some people could see them, some couldn’t
-- including my brother-in-law, who thought I was nuts. Despite
the field driving me into bankruptcy, there was no way I was
going to get rid of the baseball field. In fact, I followed the
whisper, yet again, when it led me to take famed 1960s activist
author Derrick Noble, who had since become a recluse, to a baseball
game. At the game, we both had a vision that led us to visit
Chisholm, Minn., where a minor league ball player-turned-doctor
had died many years prior. On the way home from Chisholm, Derrick
and I picked up a hitchhiker; a young ball player -- who, somehow,
happened to be the one and same ballplayer-turned-doctor who
had died many years prior. Once back at my farm, the ball player-turned-doctor
joined the other ball players. All of it was truly unbelievable
and, in fact, many did not believe it. For example, my brother-in-law
still could not see the ball players and was very upset that
the field was driving us into bankruptcy. He was also upset that
my daughter could see the ballplayers and thought that we were
making her delusional. During a confrontation about the bankruptcy,
my brother-in-law accidentally dropped my daughter and she began
to choke. Off of the field walked the ball player-turned-doctor
and he was transformed from the young kid into the old doctor.
He then saved my daughter’s life by removing the hot dog
stuck in her throat. My brother-in-law could then finally see
the players and understood why we were not selling. Derrick Noble
was invited into the corn from where the dead players were coming
to see what was on the other side. And then I was rewarded for
following the voice. My father, a huge baseball fan, who had
passed away many years prior, was catching for the team. I got
to meet him and play catch -- something I refused to do as a
kid and always regretted.
Pros
who picked Diaz: 26
Pros who picked Daley: 3
Pros who couldn’t decide: 2
Source: Sherdog
|
The
party’s starting in Abu Dhabi: find out who’s in the
No-Gi tourney
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
This Friday, April 8, the World Pro kicks off. Some of the big-name
athletes will only see action next week, in the gi event. However,
things are already heating up in the No-Gi contest, being held
for the first time this season. A number of aces are scattered
through the brackets, with the under-74 kg standing out as being
especially thorny.
To
check out the brackets, click here.
Check
out some of the big names from each category:
65kg:
Rafael
Mendes, Guilherme Mendes, Bruno Frazatto, Ary Farias, Eduardo
Ramos, Bruno Malfacine, Reinaldo Ribeiro, Renan Borges e Richard
Avilla.
74kg:
Rodrigo
Caporal, Davi Ramos, Jonatas Tagarela, Augusto Tanquinho, Leandro
Pereira, Michel Maia, Gilbert Durinho, JT Torres and Ryan Hall.
83kg:
Tarsis
Humphreys, Murilo Santana, Yan Cabral, Claudio Calasans and Clark
Gracie.
92kg:
Rodolfo
Vieira, Nivaldo de Oliveira, Bruno Bastos, Bernardo Faria, Rafael
Lovato and Ricardo Evangelista.
+92kg:
Igor
Silva, Antonio Braga Neto, Xande Ribeiro and Marcus Almeida “Bochecha”.
*
The No-Gi event does have a female division.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
As
UFC and Strikeforce Team Up, It's Far From Business as Usual
By Ben
Fowlkes
CHULA VISTA, Calif. – If there was any doubt that change
was in the air, it vanished the moment two UFC PR reps walked
into Wednesday's open workouts both drinking giant cans of Rockstar
– the official energy drink of Strikeforce.
Two
months ago this would have been an unthinkable incursion into
enemy territory for a Zuffa employee, and one fueled by heresy
in a can. Now it's the new normal.
It
seems minor at first, but sometimes it's the little things that
signal the start of a big change. As Strikeforce counts down
the final days until its first major event under the ownership
of Zuffa -- the UFC's parent company -- change is evident in
dozens of small ways. If you think the subtle differences are
lost on the fighters, think again.
"Things
are more organized. They run better," said former Strikeforce
light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi, who lounged in one corner
of the gym on Wednesday afternoon after a little light work to
prepare for his bout with former UFC fighter Keith Jardine. "You
can already see small differences from the UFC people. As a fighter,
I like things like buses going to and from the shops. Small things,
but it makes a difference."
For
instance, take the open workouts themselves. For the UFC, it's
a mainstay of the fight week PR schedule, something you can mark
on your calendar the moment you know the date of the next event.
Fighters come in like clockwork, go through the motions of hitting
pads or choking out sparring partners for the cameras, and then
they do the media rounds and get out before they have to share
much mat time with their opponents.
It's
an orderly, predictable march, whereas Strikeforce's open workouts
– if they happen at all – tend to sprawl out all at
once like flood waters that have just barely crested the banks
of a river.
It's
not just the media that notices differences like these. Even
lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez remarked upon the new sensation
of having Zuffa hovering over the fight week activities while
Strikeforce's staff mostly faded into the background.
"It's
a lot more structure right now," said Melendez. "People
mean business."
It's
more than just having a firmer schedule to go by on fight week,
Melendez pointed out. Now he has "the marketing machine
of the UFC behind [him]," and the difference is palpable.
"More
than anything, I've just seen it more on the internet and in
the media and Twitter responses and stuff like that," Melendez
said.
Fellow
Strikeforce lightweight Lyle Beerbohm, who showed up to the workouts
in a pair of colorful shorts that made UFC director of communications
Dave Sholler remark that he finally understood why Beerbohm went
by the nickname "Fancy Pants," echoed the sentiment.
"It's
definitely different," Beerbohm said. "It's a good
difference. You can tell there's more stuff going on, more press,
all that. It's nice."
Of
course, even the UFC's experienced PR team isn't perfect. Strikeforce
welterweight champ Nick Diaz, who was scheduled to lead off Wednesday
afternoon's workouts at the Alliance MMA gym, never showed up
at all. All day long there were rumors of Diaz, but never Diaz
himself.
Just
the fact that Zuffa managed to get him on a media conference
last week was impressive enough, but when it comes to getting
the notoriously media shy Diaz to turn up on time and talk into
a camera just days before his fight, even the best PR staff has
limits.
But
while the increased structure and media attention are certainly
the perks of the Strikeforce sale, fighters are aware that they
come at a price.
"Some
of the fighters are a little worried about a monopoly or whatever,"
said Melendez. "But it just forces us to work a little bit
harder. You've got to stay sharp on your game. There's a flood
of fighters in the game, but there's a high demand for some real
talent out there. I feel like you've got to work hard to be that
talent."
Melendez
added that he hopes "Strikeforce stays Strikeforce,"
in part because he's the man currently wearing the promotion's
155-pound belt, and also because he recently signed a new contract
that he's pleased with.
"Now
I get the best of both worlds," he said. "For me, it
worked out for my benefit. Obviously it's a little more cutthroat...I
was a big fish in a small pond, and now I'm a pretty good-sized
fish in the ocean. That means I've got to perform, got to deliver,
and I think I'll fit in really well."
The
hardest part for many of the fighters is the uncertainty of the
situation. While UFC president Dana White said it would be "business
as usual" at Strikeforce after the sale, all it takes is
one cursory glance around this week to tell that's not the case.
It makes it difficult for fighters to tell whether their goal
should be to climb the Strikeforce ladder, or whether they should
be focused on auditioning for the UFC with each outing.
"I
hear rumors a lot," said Mousasi, who returns to the Strikeforce
cage on Saturday night for the first time since losing his title
to Mo Lawal last April. "It's definitely more pressure now.
There's basically one major organization, so you know, don't
screw up? That's pretty much it."
In
the fight game, that's easier said than done. What's a positive
change for some could easily turn out to be disastrous to others.
In the end, at least according to Mousasi, it boils down to a
very simple equation.
"You
have to win, that's all. Just win your fights. If you're good,
you'll make it."
That's
the hope, anyway. For fighters, it's the only part of the game
that never changes.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Rickson
accompanies Kron to compete in Italy
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Professional Cup will hand out sixty
thousand euros in prize money in Biella, Italy, between the 13th
and 15th of May. Besides confirmation of such standouts as Luanna
Alzuguir and Gabrielle Garcia being at the event, some superfights
have been announced, with Kron Gracie set to face Yan Cabral
and Bernardo Faria taking on Raphael Abi-Rihan.
The
producers of the event, Carlson Gracie Jr., Ari Galo and Mario
Villella, this week announced one more illustrious presence in
the Lauretana Forum Stadium. Jiu-Jitsu legend Rickson Gracie
will be in attendance for the match of his son, Kron.
“It
is with great satisfaction that I receive him and Rickson is
yet another great representative of the style at the tournament,
which will be attended by a number of the biggest names in the
gentle art at present,” remarks Ari.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Eddie
Alvarez: If I was in the UFC, I’d just be another disposable
fighter
By Zach
Arnold
After a horrible debut show on MTV2 to start their new season,
Bellator has found its footing and has produced some shows featuring
fights that have had some very memorable finishes. Last Saturday’s
show was no exception when Patricky Pitbull hit a stunning knee
strike on Toby Imada. Thankfully Toby is OK, but that knee strike
was something that Patricky’s late manager Ivan Canello
would have been proud to see.
The
main event of Saturday’s show featured Eddie Alvarez beating
Pat Curran by unanimous decision to retain his Lightweight title.
The fight was not pretty to watch, but Mr. Alvarez played it
smart and did some damage to Curran who hung around and survived.
It wasn’t an exciting fight to watch, however. At the beginning
of the fight, fans were chanting “Eddie! Eddie!” By
the end, there was booing.
With
Strikeforce fighters now under the Zuffa banner, the amount of
competition remaining for Eddie Alvarez has thinned out. Things
fell through when Bellator and Strikeforce never seriously got
to the table about doing some co-promotional fights. So, we won’t
be seeing Alvarez vs. Gilbert Melendez any time soon. (Melendez
will fight Crusher Kawajiri this Saturday in San Diego on Showtime.)
Outside of the Pitbull family, who is left right now for Alvarez
that poses a serious threat that isn’t under contract to
UFC?
Eddie
recently did an interview with Josh Gross (audio here) and made
some very blunt, candid statements about where his career is
at and how he would react should circumstances change. He was
asked about where he felt his standing was in the MMA landscape
with guys like Gilbert Melendez now under the Zuffa banner.
“It
means I’m still somewhat in-disposable. If I was among that
group, I’d be disposable immediately the day that my contract
was taken over by Zuffa, so… I feel like I still can have
some sort of say with where my career goes and what sponsors
I want to get and whether I want to be in a video game or not.
There’s a lot of things. The whole signing with Zuffa thing
is a big control issue with me and I don’t know, I just…
I’m happy that they’re doing what they’re doing
but right now I don’t know if it’s the right move for
me.”
Mr.
Alvarez tried to walk a fine line but remain honest about his
feelings regarding the UFC.
“I
don’t think they’re doing anything wrong. I think they’re
running their business the way they are supposed to. But my issue
with it is the way fighters lose one or two fights and they’re
fired and, not only that, there is no like, it’s not like
a union like the NFL, the NBA, and these other sports where the
finances are regulated and you have to receive a minimum in order
to be a part of that league. Like NFL, I don’t know, maybe
you have to receive half a million dollars per year just to play
in the NFL or maybe a quarter of a million. The UFC’s not
like that. They can offer someone, you know, $5,000 and $5,000,
the guy can fight at first and get his face broken to pieces
and then he can totally put on a poor performance and then get
fired. That scares me. I would like to be paid like an athlete
and, I don’t know. I guess I have a lot of issues with it
and when I was, I believe when I was ranked #2 in the world,
I was offered something from the UFC but it was significantly
lower than what I was getting paid at that time, almost like
insultingly low and I just, it wasn’t the right move for
me at that time. I have no qualms, I like the UFC, Dana White
does a great job with them and they’re definitely the biggest
stage on Earth. And if I fight there some day, then great, but
right now I think I’m where I’m supposed to be at.”
He
says that he remain honest with his public comments about UFC
and that if he has to fight in the UFC down the road, they probably
won’t hurt him politically.
“No,
I think Dana realizes, you know, the type of person I am and
he’s seen me fight and I think he knows, you know, I don’t
take anything he says or doesn’t say about me to heart.
He’s been in a number of interviews where he discredits
my abilities and I understand why. I’m not mad at him. I’m
not mad at him about it, I understand why he would discredit
anything that I do. I don’t work for him. But, you know,
this is a business, man, so I mean I don’t expect him to
get emotional and say, ‘Let’s never hire this kid because
whatever.’ I don’t badmouth the UFC, it’s just
not the right move for me right now.”
The
Bellator Lightweight champ says that when it comes to fighting,
he would like to fight the best but he also has to weigh his
financial obligations and make the best business decision.
“It
would be great to fight them guys but at what cost, you know
what I mean? At what cost to me? Do I have to, what measures
do I have to take in order to fight them guys? Do I have to take
an $80,000 pay cut? Do I have give up all my, every single ancillary
right I can dream of? Do I have to, you know, now I can’t
get certain sponsors that I want to get certain sponsors that
I want to get because I have to pay the UFC before they pay me?
There’s a lot of issues involved and I don’t know if
people understand that. And if I was 20 years old and I was single
and I had no kids, I would jump to the UFC tomorrow. But the
reality is (that) I have three kids and I have a family to take
care of and everything has to line up. Yeah, I want to be #1
in the world but I also want to be able to maintain a home for
my family so I can’t tell my wife and kids, ‘hey, Daddy’s
going to take a huge risk and this may not work and hopefully
we do well.’ Like, I can’t tell my kids that. I got
to tell them that I’m going to work hard and I’m going
to get compensated correctly for my hard work and that’s
all I really ask for.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Askren
Considers Thompson ‘Over the Hill’
By the time Ben Askren began fighting in 2009, Nick Thompson
had already won more than 35 bouts. His best days are behind
him, though, according to Askren.
“[Thompson]
hasn’t won a real big fight in a while,” Askren said
recently on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown”
show. “In addition to that, I don’t really feel like
he’s probably been training that hard. I feel like I can
go in there and dominate [and] really win everywhere. Not just
with my wrestling. I can win with my jiu-jitsu and then once
I take him down and tenderize him a little bit, I can win the
standup too because he’s not going to be the same person
he was after he gets up.”
The
two meet Saturday at Bellator 40 in Newkirk, Okla. Askren, Bellator’s
welterweight champion, is 7-0 in MMA. While he doesn’t have
Thompson’s experience in fighting, he does have an impressive
wrestling resume, including two NCAA championships and a spot
on the 2008 U.S. Olympic freestyle team.
Asked
what Thompson brings to the table that he’ll have to worry
about, Askren answered, “Not a lot.”
“The
one thing -- I won’t get in a boxing match with him,”
Askren added. “Like I said, if I do stand up with him, it
will be after I tenderize him for a few minutes and he won’t
be the same person that he was at the beginning of the fight.
He’ll be a much weaker and worn down opponent.”
With
that said, Askren did credit Thompson as a veteran of the game.
He expects Thompson to have a few tricks, including some submission
attempts.
“He’s
obviously won a lot of fights,” Askren said. “I think
he’s won 38 fights, so obviously he does a few things well,
but I’ve been grappling with a lot of black belts and I
know I’m a very difficult person to submit. I’m not
really worried about that. … I think he’s over the
hill. I don’t think he’s got great cardio. He’s
probably cutting too much weight, which all leads me to believe
he’s going to try to throw a few hard punches, and after
that it’s going to be money in the bank for me.”
Source: Sherdog
|
‘Minotouro’
Nogueira: “I have to show a lot more”
By Guilherme
Cruz
Rogerio
Nogueira joined UFC’s cast being respected and then knocked
Luiz Cane out on his debut and then beat up Jason Brilz, but
the defeats for the wrestlers Ryan Bader and Phil Davis brought
the BJJ black belt to a difficult situation. On an interview
with TATAME, the Brazilian commented on his los to Davis, on
UFC Fight Night 24, saying he must present himself better. “It
was a tough fight. I know I could’ve been better, but let’s
move on. I have to train more and more and play my game to knock
them out”, commented Rogerio, who analyzed the Wrestling
style on UFC, his evolution on defending the takedowns, the “missed”
shot to fight in UFC Rio and the opening of a new gym in San
Diego, United States.
What
are your thoughts about the fight, when you did a good job defending
his takedown?
I
did well, I defended the positions both on the grid and while
standing. On the second round things were happening like I planned
them to, but then he came with a single leg takedown and, when
I tried to stand-up, I slipped and he grabbed my back. He kept
punching me from the top and I got tired, he’s heavy. On
the third round I was doing ok, but he took me down and held
me there forever. I swept, but then he came and held me again
until the end. He brought me to the ground, but didn’t try
to attack me, and I couldn’t attack him because he was on
the half guard. It was a tough fight. I know I could’ve
been better, but let’s move on. I have to train more and
more and play my game to knock them out.
What
do you think about your improvement on defending the takedowns?
He’s a high level wrestler, and you defended most of his
takedowns…
I’m
training a lot, my game’s changed. I was training a lot
with Darrel Gohlar, but he left, and lately I was training by
myself, until Antoine and his brother, Adrian (Jaoude), went
training at my gym, and it made a big difference on this fight.
We did a strong work for this bout, but I was confident and made
a mistake. It started fine and he started scoring points at the
end of the second round. Phil Davis is a very good wrestler,
he has better takedowns than Ryan Bader, he has a great variety
of coups, like Cain Velasquez. Phil Davis played with Brian Stann,
and the guy’s good on Wrestling too, and I’ve defended
many takedowns of him. I have to keep training. The stronger
I am on defending the takedowns, the better I’ll fight.
You
came to UFC and you had two victories, two bonuses for the best
fight, and now you’ve been beaten down by two wrestlers,
Bader and Davis. Do you think it should a flaw on your game that
you need to work on?
They
didn’t try to pass my guard, they even got close to, and
they didn’t hit me. Bader didn’t punch me and didn’t
try to submit me. He played a game where he was clearly worried
about defending himself. Phil Davis presented a better game,
but he wasn’t aggressive too. He was going to punch me,
but then he stepped back. He didn’t try to do what he’s
done before, we’ve trained together before and he did some
things I used to do. He’s evolving on the ground too, so
as the fights didn’t happen on the floor, he could defend
himself.
Coming
from two consecutive losses, do you think you’re in a complicated
situation in UFC?
Absolutely…
Two losses in two tough fights, I didn’t fight any weak
guy, but I have to show a lot more.
Dorea
said Dana White had promised that, in case you won, you’d
be on UFC Rio. Do you still think there’s a possibility
of fighting in Rio after being defeated for the second time in
a row?
I
don’t know, it depends whether they liked the fight or not.
I hope so, man… But I don’t know yet. I won’t
ask them that, and I won’t be sad in case I’m not there.
But yeah, I was sad to have wasted that opportunity to fight
in Rio.
On
the weekend after your fight, you and your brother opened a brand
of your gym in San Diego. How the party was like?
It
was pretty good, it was crowded on its opening party. It looked
like a soccer match, over two thousand people on the line…
The queue would go for one entire block (laughs). It was a huge
success. There was me, Rodrigo, Anderson Silva… We had a
signing session and it was pretty cool, we only came back home
late in the night (laughs).
Do
you intend to open new gyms?
We
now have two gyms, and we want to open more. We have a place
where we’ll open another branch. We’re getting in touch
with some students and people that we know that will do a good
job, and we’ll support them. There’s no use in only
having a good name, we have to make sure a good work’s been
done. Starting on June, we’ll open few more branches.
Source: Tatame
|
Michael
Langhi talks Jiu-Jitsu scene
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Undefeated since the 2008 Worlds, GRACIEMAG didn’t vote
Michael Langhi last season’s most consistent athlete for
nothing. In 2011 the fighter kept on the winning path, winning
the lightweight division at the European and at the Pan, where
he closed out with his teammate Lucas Lepri. About to embark
on his flight to the World Pro, Langhi had the following conversation
with GRACIEMAG.com:
What
did you think of the Pan? Your division was extremely competitive.
. .
I
only enrolled on the last day because I’d pulled my groin
and when I read about how the lightweight division would be one
of the best of all times, with all the top guys, I made an extra
effort. I always like testing myself, seeing whether my Jiu-Jitsu
is efficient and evolving in step with the rest of the gang.
The division was burly and, thank God, Lucas Lepri and I had
some good matches and managed to close out.
What
about this duo of you and Lepri?
We
managed to close out the second major championship of the year
on the IBJJF calendar, which is our priority. Our goal is to
always make it to the finals together. In recent years we managed
to do it at the Euro and the Pan, but, unfortunately, we didn’t
make it at the Worlds. But this year we’re dead set on doing
so, and any time we enter a competition it’s to win.
Was
there any match in particular that caught your attention at the
Pan?
There
were a bunch of good matches, hotly-disputed finals. I really
liked the finals between Bernardo and Rodolfo, both at weight
and in the absolute. Those were two tough matches, two wars.
Rodolfo was technically really good, with excellent base, and
Bernardo fought hard until the very end, not going down without
a fight. Bernardo put up a fight for as long as it lasted, and
that will and desire to overcome serve as an example. I also
liked my brother’s (Michel’s) performance, winning
his third Pan-American title, second as a brown belt. He had
an excellent tournament, getting the quick finish in three of
his four matches. That too made me happy, and I could see how
he’s evolved a lot since he started training with the team
in São Paulo.
What
do you expect at the World Pro?
The
World Pro will be at about the same level as the Worlds, with
practically all Jiu-Jitsu’s biggest players. For example,
Rômulo Barral and Celso Venícius confirmed, as well
as everybody who qualified at the various tryouts around the
world. There will be a lot of athletes with a shot at becoming
champion.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Perception
Not Reality for ‘El Nino’
by Jason
Probst
Gilbert
Melendez is a rarity -- a Top 5 fighter who has never competed
in the UFC.
If
a fine line between being technically sound and fan-friendly
exists, Gilbert Melendez has walked it with unerring consistency.
The
Strikeforce lightweight champion fights one way -- all-out --
and wears down opponents simply through the frenetic procession
of his attack. “El Nino” can string together a feint,
strikes, clinch and takedown attempt in a dizzying sequence,
and in a five-round fight, he has shown top-notch conditioning.
Melendez
will defend his title in a rematch against Tatsuya Kawajiri in
the Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley” co-main event on Saturday
at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. He figures his
opponent will have improved some off their first encounter in
2006, which ended in a unanimous decision victory for Melendez.
In
wake of the UFC’s acquisition of Strikeforce, Melendez seems
excited to ultimately get a chance to dance with the game’s
top lightweights, opponents the world’s No. 2-ranked 155-pounder
has been unable to face because of promotional walls. Those figure
to be knocked down in the months and years ahead.
In
short, the fighting life of Gilbert Melendez has never looked
better, given the opportunities at hand. After a long process
of looking outside, he appears ready to bust down the door now
that he has gotten to the biggest party in town.
It
starts with Kawajiri.
“I
think Kawajiri’s maintained. He’s strong, and I think
he’s gonna try and use that on me,” Melendez says.
“But I believe we’re in a little bit of a different
situation. I’m a completely different fighter than I was
three or four years ago. I don’t think he’s evolved
as much as I have. I know he’ll want to put me on my back,
mount me, and he’s strong in the clinch.”
Both
have decisioned Josh Thomson in recent outings -- Melendez in
December 2009, Kawajiri in his last fight on New Year’s
Eve. Melendez sensed a potential weakness.
“He
looked gassed a little bit in that Thomson fight,” Melendez
says. “He had to get takedowns and didn’t look like
he wanted to fight on the feet as much. It’s definitely
not an easy task for me. Kawajiri is definitely a Top 7 [lightweight].
He’s been around for the long time.”
Kawajiri
stands in Melendez’s way.“El Nino” is a rarity
-- a Top 5 fighter who has never competed in the UFC. As of Sherdog’s
March rankings, in the five divisions from heavyweight to lightweight,
Melendez is one of four of the 25 fighters ranked in the Top
5 of those weight classes that has never fought in the UFC --
the others are Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Shinya Aoki
and Eddie Alvarez.
It
chafes a guy in his elevated position, to say the least, being
universally respected among fight insiders and hardcore fans,
yet being virtually dismissed by the general public. The UFC’s
purchase of Strikeforce can change that.
The
news hit Melendez on a visceral level. Now, finally, he would
be given the chance to lock horns with the considerable talent
in the sport’s deepest division, most of it residing in
the UFC.
“To
be honest, I sat back and laughed a little bit. It’s funny,
because I was renegotiating with Strikeforce and designed a deal
with them,” he says. “My other option was to sit out
and go with the UFC. I was happy with Strikeforce and wanted
them to show they
were really serious, so I was happy with my decision.
“One
of the things I was sad about was it’s hard to brand, market
and get respect for yourself in Strikeforce,” he adds. “Now,
I think I’m going to get the best of both worlds and have
the marketing machine of Zuffa behind me. And I look forward
to the bonuses. I feel like I’ve been a pretty well-kept
secret to MMA fans. I’m not saying I’m gonna walk in
and be champ, but I think I can get ‘Fight of the Night.’
I want to put on a show.”
It
will also change the never-fought-in-the-UFC perception pervasive
among fans that have never heard of any other promotion, yet
wear that ignorance as a badge of authority when assessing fighters.
“[Non-UFC
fighters] seem to get respect from journalists and peers, but
it’s a little frustrating with the common person -- Joe
Schmoe at bars,” says Melendez, who will carry a four-fight
winning streak into the cage against Kawajiri. “The guy
says, ‘Do you fight in the UFC? You’re No. 2 in the
world? In the amateurs, right?’ Now I get a chance to prove
myself.”
Melendez
is one of the game’s best lightweights today, but when he
decided to turn pro in 2002, Cesar Gracie treated him like every
other wanna-be tough guy, throwing him in with experienced vets
like Jake Shields and Nick Ertl for his first workouts.
“I
met him through Jake, as they were wrestling on the same team,”
says Gracie, who, along with Melendez and Shields, also trains
Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz. “Jake got him into a little bit
of jiu-jitsu and brought him to my place when I was teaching
in San Francisco. No matter how many times you tapped him out,
he’d come back for more. He just got tougher. He gets in
there and puts it all on the line and tries to finish people.”
In
the deep UFC lightweight division, where Melendez will ultimately
compete as Strikeforce is folded into the larger promotion, Gracie
knows his charge will be put to the test. It is something with
which he is comfortable.
“It’s
just probably who wants it more,” Gracie says, assessing
the lightweight pecking order. “All the guys work really
hard. Gilbert is 27 and has youth on his side, but he’s
such a veteran.”
“...I
look forward tothe bonuses. I feel like I’ve been a pretty
well-kept secret to MMA fans.”
-- Melendez on "the purchase."
Melendez
recalls those early days of learning amidst Gracie’s then-emerging
bunch, which to this day has a reputation for hard-nosed training
sessions, heavy blows and no hard feelings attached. It was --
and is -- strictly business. It is a big reason why Shields,
the Diaz brothers and Melendez carry that instinctive spark when
pushed to the wall and are exceptionally tough.
“I
was able to take down [Nick], but he armbarred me several times.
It was a lot of desperation and anxiety. Being one-dimensional,
able to wrestle, it had worked in the street,” says Melendez,
who has never been finished in 20 professional appearances. “Jake
just busted me up and tapped me out.”
There
were also sessions with David Terrell and Gil Castillo, then
top professionals who made no distinction between fighting the
best of their day and thumping a newcomer willing to supply fresh
meat for a training session.
“It’s
pretty ruthless. I’ve seen guys get knocked out and dragged
out of the cage. It’s the old-school mentality. Back then,
it was let’s just get in there and do it,” Melendez
says. “Training has become more structured, but we still
keep some of the old-school ways. You’ve got to be able
to take that beating and keep coming.”
Now
that the biggest door is finally opening, Melendez plans on doing
just that.
Source: Sherdog
|
Thiago
Silva Has License Revoked, Gets Fined, and UFC 125 a No Contest
by Ken
Pishna
UFC fighter Thiago Silva won’t be seeing the inside of the
Octagon for until at least 2012. That was part of the decision
rendered on Thursday by the Nevada State Athletic Commission
for Silva submitting a urine sample “inconsistent with human
urine.”
The
drug test in reference was for Silva’s fight against Brandon
Vera at UFC 125 on Jan. 1 in Las Vegas. Silva won the fight,
but the result of that fight was also part of the NSAC ruling
and punishment doled out on Thursday.
When
all was said and done, the NSAC ruling stated that Silva’s
license was revoked for one year with a start date of Jan. 1,
he was fined 25 percent of his $55,000 purse, fined $20,000 of
his $55,000 win bonus, would have to submit a clean drug test
before reapplying on or after Jan. 2, 2012, and the result of
the fight was changed to a “no contest.”
The
total of the fines comes to $33,750, when both the percentage
of his fight purse and win bonus are combined.
NSAC
executive director Keith Kizer lobbied the commission for a start
date of April 7 for the license revocation, which basically would
have added three months to the penalty, due to Silva not “coming
clean” on the test result until after the second sample
was tested. Kizer felt that Silva should have come forth following
his original notification of the failed test result on Feb. 7,
but instead waited out the B sample testing in hopes of getting
off “scott free.”
The
commission weighed the merits of Kizer’s request, but seemed
to feel that over the last “three or four years” the
precedent, regardless of the motives of the accused parties,
was to begin the revocation on the date of the contest in question.
Silva
detailed how he was able to provide the fake sample. He said
he purchased it off the Internet, hid a vial of the sample in
his shorts, and then poured it into the collection cup, while
the Nevada inspector stood behind him.
Aside
from assigning blame and punishment to Silva for his actions,
the commission also accepted some responsibility for the situation.
The commission indicated that had the inspector fulfilled his
duties to the “letter of the law” laid out by Nevada’s
regulations, Silva would not have gotten away with submitting
a fake sample, and called for a stern review of its own procedures.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
Amping Up Live Event Experience for UFC 129
In
the weeks leading up to UFC 129, Dana White and Tom Wright, the
UFC's Director of Canadian Operations, have repeatedly assured
fans and media that the promotion's usual live event experience
will not be compromised at its biggest show ever.
However,
until April 30 rolls around, how can we be so sure?
Well,
MMA Fighting has learned that the UFC will place more than twice
the amount of video screens present at a regular UFC event inside
Rogers Centre. The UFC typically adds six to eight of their own
video screens, depending on the size of the arena, in addition
to the main scoreboard, inside the venue. That means there could
be up to 20 video screens positioned around Rogers Centre on
fight night.
In
addition, and most interestingly, the UFC will be complimenting
the stadium's 108-foot video board with its own 100-foot screen
on the south side of the stadium.
By
contrast, Strikeforce and WWE typically use two to three screens
during their respective live events.
"The
one thing that always worried me about doing a stadium was losing
that experience that the fans get in anywhere from a 10,000-
20,000-seat arena," White recently said. "This place
is perfect. The way we've laid this out – we put risers
in. There won't be a bad seat in this place. To be able to do
a stadium this big and say there won't be a bad seat in the house,
we pulled it off. It's gonna be great."
Of
course, no one bought a ticket to UFC 129 so they can watch the
fights on big screens, but it's reassuring to see the UFC do
whatever it can to make sure all the action will be seen, in
some form, inside the stadium.
UFC
129, in case you haven't heard yet, is completely sold out. A
record 55,000 tickets were scooped up in minutes, which works
out to record-shattering gate of $11 million.
The
UFC's previous attendance record is 23,152 fans, which came at
UFC 124 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. UFC 66 in Las Vegas,
in December 2006, earned a company record $5,397,300 at the gate.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Bellator
39: Eddie Alvarez Cruises to Victory; Hawn Remains Undefeated
Bellator
lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez made the first successful
defense of his title on Saturday night with a unanimous decision
win over Pat Curran at Bellator 39.
Prior
to the fight, Alvarez made a lot of noise about his impression
of being compared to the top lightweights in the world, the majority
of which are in the UFC and Strikeforce, both under the same
ownership now.
What
Alvarez was able to do in his fight with Curran was win, and
win convincingly, but not put on a performance that would make
people wonder if he truly was the top 155-pound fighter in the
world.
It
was Alvarez who time and time again belted Curran to the midsection
with body shots, and keeping his footwork moving to get in quick
and fire off shots. For his first full 25-minute fight, Alvarez
also showed off his cardio looking as fresh as ever in each round.
The
downside of the fight, if you can call it that, would be the
lack of a killer instinct from either fighter on Saturday night.
Curran was a game opponent, but was content to play counter fighter
for the majority of the bout. Meanwhile, Alvarez peppered his
opponent with rib crunching punches, but didn’t put together
the combinations that could finish off Curran.
Alvarez
admitted after the fight that Curran was as tough as they come,
and proclaimed the young fighter a future champion.
“Guy’s
got a hard, hard head. He can take a shot. He just stuck in there
through thick and thin,” Alvarez said about his opponent.
Now
begins the problem for Alvarez advancing in the lightweight division.
He will be facing the winner of the ongoing 155-pound tournament,
but while there are some tremendous prospects in Bellator at
lightweight, none of them would be considered top ranked fighters
just yet. Alvarez will, however, continue to be ranked among
the best at 155 because he truly is that good, but to maintain
that position or advance, he’ll have to face stiffer competition
down the road.
Former
Olympian Rick Hawn had his toughest test to date when he faced
former Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good, but he was
able to squeak out a split decision victory to move to the finals
of this year’s tournament and keep his record unblemished.
The
powerful Good looked strong early with his strikes and counters
that kept Hawn on the defensive, unable to take the fight to
the ground. The second round, however, showed Good’s kryptonite,
as he was taken down and controlled on the mat for almost the
entire five-minute session.
The
third round was a back-and-forth affair that looked like Good
was getting a little bit better of the stand-up, but an aggressive
Hawn kept pushing the pace and landed a late takedown that may
have sealed the deal. The decision went Hawn’s way, and
now, with added confidence, he’ll wait to see who he’ll
face between Jay Hieron and Brent Weedman.
“He’s
won the tournament before; he’s been where I want to go.
Now it’s just wait for the next fight and keep training,”
Hawn said after the win. “Whoever it is, I’m ready
for them.”
Always
the bridesmaid, never the bride. That could be the motto for
Bellator lightweight Toby Imada, who in his third straight tournament
with the promotion. He’s been knocked out the competition
this time by rising star Patricky “Pitbull” Freire.
After
putting away former WEC champion “Razor” Rob McCullough
in his last fight, Freire was ready to display his dominance
this time against the Bellator mainstay and he wasted no time
in doing so.
Freire
opened up on the feet, and mixed things up by throwing a beautiful
jumping knee that rattled Imada. It was all downhill from there.
Noticing his opponent literally stopping in his tracks, Freire
rushed in with a flurry of strikes, putting Imada away with a
huge left hand.
The
win now moves Freire into the Bellator lightweight tournament
finals, where he waits to face the winner between Michael Chandler
and Lloyd Woodard.
Matt
Lee may have been too tough for his own good because he took
an absolute beating courtesy of former UFC welterweight Ben Saunders,
who was making his Bellator debut on Saturday night.
Saunders,
who picked up a win last November in his first post-UFC bout,
signed with Bellator recently, but didn’t end up in the
welterweight tournament. He made the most of his first appearance
in the promotion, destroying the journeyman fighter.
The
American Top Team fighter crushed Lee with strikes at virtually
every moment of the fight, landing nasty knees from the Muay
Thai clinch, and short elbows that left his opponent wearing
a crimson mask.
The
fight was almost stopped between rounds two and three due to
cuts, but Lee continued, if only for a moment. After the fighters
engaged in strikes again in the final session, Saunders cracked
Lee with another short elbow that opened yet another gushing
cut. That was enough for the referee to call a stop to the mauling.
Bellator
39 Main Card Results:
-Eddie Alvarez def. Pat Curran by unanimous decision (50-45,
50-45, 49-46)
-Rick Hawn def. Lyman Good by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
-Patricky “Pitbull” Freire def. Toby Imada by TKO at
2:53, R1
-Ben Saunders def. Matt Lee by TKO (doctor’s stoppage due
to cuts) at 1:24, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ricardo
Almeida Retires From Fighting, Not The Sport
It
was a bit of a stunning moment for many people late Wednesday
night when they read the news that UFC welterweight Ricardo Almeida
was hanging up the gloves and retiring from active MMA competition.
The
34-year old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt was coming off a loss
to Mike Pyle at UFC 128 in his adopted home state of New Jersey,
but Almeida already had retirement on his mind when he entered
2011.
Beyond
his own fighting career, Almeida runs a successful Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu academy as well as training other top notch fighters
like UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. His plan was to
make one more run this year, and if things didn’t go his
way he would walk away from the sport.
“I
had in my mind going into this year this would probably be my
last year,” Almeida told MMAWeekly Radio. “I had a
lot of stuff going on in my life. Nothing specific, I just have
a school to run, I have a son who was diagnosed with Autism just
when I signed my initial contract with the UFC to come back to
fighting. The daily family tasks that we all have.
“I
came into this year with the goal of just making a push and training
real hard, and this was probably going to be my last year. It
just didn’t work out the way I wanted to, and sometimes
you just have to be ready to adapt. You can’t just keep
hammering and hope to get a different result.”
The
fight with Pyle ended in a somewhat controversial fashion. Almeida
lost the fight by unanimous decision, much to the chagrin of
many of the fans watching in the arena and at home, as well as
many of the journalists sitting cageside that night.
How
much did the loss play into Almeida’s ultimate decision
though? Would a win have kept him around longer?
“I
can’t really tell. I’d have to be in the position that
I won the fight,” Almeida admitted. “I wasn’t
happy with the fight either way. I haven’t watched the fight.
I’m definitely a little bummed that I lost, especially with
such a close decision and so many people felt that I won, but
I can’t really blame it on the judges.
“For
sure the fact that I lost probably sped things up a bit, but
you never know what would have happened if I had won. I had in
my mind if I didn’t come out and put on a great performance
and put on a great show maybe it was time to stop just because
my mind wasn’t in it anymore.”
The
retirement announcement was actually Almeida’s second exit
from the sport. After a 2004 fight in Pride, Almeida decided
to walk away from active competition and focus on his family
and training his students.
He
got the urge to return to competition in 2008 and he re-signed
with the UFC, but with this retirement announcement he promises
this is the end of the road for him, at least as a fighter.
“No,
there is no chance you’ll see me back this time. I’m
not 25 anymore,” said Almeida. “The last time I quit,
I quit because I didn’t want to do it. If I took four years
now and decide maybe I’m still tough enough, I won’t
be doing it because I don’t want to, but because I can’t.”
The
other key factor that Almeida points to when speaking about his
retirement from MMA is not hanging around too long and becoming
irrelevant. For all of his career accomplishments and big wins,
he doesn’t want to tarnish that by simply sticking around
too long.
“I
think a lot of guys linger too long, and I didn’t want to
be one of them,” said Almeida. “Guys are only getting
stronger, they’re only getting faster, for me to be out
there and not really feeling comfortable and thinking I should
be somewhere else, that’s not the healthy thing to do.”
Almeida
points to athletes like Frankie Edgar, Georges St-Pierre and
Jon Jones as the next generation of MMA fighters that will take
this sport to the next level.
Of
course Almeida won’t lie and say that he may never have
that hunger inside of him again. He points to athletes like Michael
Jordan or Pele and says that they surely felt the need to want
to have one more game or one more match.
For
Almeida though the future is still very bright outside of his
own fight career. As mentioned, he’s the lead trainer for
Frankie Edgar and has been working with former “Ultimate
Fighter” finalist Kris McCray, as well. He has an amateur
team that has been doing extremely well in competition.
As
far as his own fight career, Almeida has no regrets and doesn’t
look back on things at this point wondering what would have happened
if a decision went his way or if he would have just had one more
chance to step foot in the Octagon.
It
was his time to walk away, but there’s one thing for sure.
Fans haven’t seen the last of Ricardo Almeida in and around
MMA, he just won’t be the one strapping on the gloves anymore.
“I’m
always going to be a part of the sport, whether it’s through
coaching or buying every pay-per-view or instructing people,”
Almeida said.
“Martial
arts is my life. I’ll be training until the day I really
retire, until they throw some dirt on top of me.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Joe
Mullings talks UFC-Strikeforce merge, MMA and BJJ talents
The
Armony manager and responsible for managing names like Edson
Barboza and Luis Cane, besides taking care of the career of big
names of the Sport such as Marcus Buchecha and Rodrigo Cavaca,
the American Joe Mullings has dove into the fighting world. On
UFC 128’s backstage, Joe chatted with TATAME and talked
about his partnership with Alex Davis, analyzed the purchase
of Strikeforce by UFC, the future of his athletes and a lot more,
revealing that Buchecha, who has won Pan Am last weekend, might
appear into MMA rings soon.
How
did you met Alex and started this plan with him at ATT with MMA
and Jiu-Jitsu fighters?
I
met Alex about five years ago through ATT at the time, I was
also managing Hermes Franca, and Alex used to manage Hermes,
so Alex and I met through ATT, then we established the relationship
right away.
Who
you’re managing now?
So,
my MMA fighters I work full time are Edson Barboza, Luis Cane,
I also help with Pezao (Antonio Silva), on the MMA side. On Jiu-Jitsu
side, Rodrigo Cavaca, Marcos Buchecha Almeida, who just won the
Abu Dhabi qualifiers and the Pan-Ams. So Buchecha is leaving
next weeks for the Abu Dhabi Pro. Those are the fighters, and
Marlon Moraes, who just came to me from Brazil, he just came
in last month, so we have a great team.
Focusing
on Antonio Silva, he got the best win of his career over Fedor.
How do you see these semifinals? And how do you see Strikeforce
purchase by UFC?
It’ll
be interesting the Strikeforce-UFC merger, so what I imagine
to happen is Dana will keep the Strikeforce as a separate brand,
I think it’s wonderful for the sport that UFC bought Strikeforce.
I think they’ll let the tournament play out and establish
whoever wins the tournament may be go against the UFC champion
on the heavyweight division, so that’s what I’d expect
to happen.
Werdum
or Overeem?
Geez,
both deserve to win.
Do
you think Overeem has developed a lot in MMA since they fought
in Pride? Do you think it’s a tough fight for Werdum?
I
think people overestimate Overeem’s skills and underestimate
Werdum’s skills standing up. On the ground, obviously I
have to give it to Werdum. Every fight that we feet, it all starts
on the feet, but it always goes to the ground and the superior
ground guy take that opportunity to finish the fight.
Silva
said that, if Strikeforce and UFC merged today, he’d like
to fight Brock Lesnar. How do you think it’d be like?
I
think Pezao would destroy Brock Lesnar. Pezao has big brocks,
he’s a good athlete, he trains at our gym and Brock’s
proven he’s a great athlete, but he’s not a fighter.
What
do you think that?
Well,
you can get away with so much athletic ability, but eventually
you need skills, and wrestling by itself is not Mixed Martial
Arts. Mixed Martial Arts is Mixed Martial Arts. Antonio has wonderful
stand-up, he hits hard, he’s hard to hurt and you get loose
him on the ground and have him on his back, ground and pound
will show you what it can do to a great fighter.
But
it’s not easy to put Lesnar in ths position, with his back
on the ground…
No,
but Lesnar will try to put you on the ground, and a good Jiu-Jitsu
guy will be able to take advantage of that position, like we’ve
watched Nogueira doing for many years. Nogueira would let himself
to go down and then ‘ups’, and the game’s over.
About
Jiu-jitsu fighters, Buchecha is doing just fine and now he’s
won three qualifiers. What do you expect of him?
Gosh,
with Buchecha, he’s only 21 years old. People understand
that he’s being playing Jiu-jitsu only for six and a half
years, he’s fighting men who’ve been black belt for
longer. So, there’s no pressure on Buchecha, only the pressure
he puts on himself. He’s a blessed young man, he’s
got a great team, great coach, I think that I’m interested
to see the match between Roger and Buchecha. Perhaps this year
might happen at the World, perhaps not. But Buchecha is the next
generation Jiu-Jitsu fighter and I’m not just saying that
because he’s my fighter, I’m saying that because he’s
proving that so far this year.
Do
you think he’s ready to fight Roger Gracie?
I
don’t know if anybody’s ready to fight Roger, but if
I was going to pick one person to fight Roger, and have a very
good opportunity, I think it’d be Buchecha.
Cavaca
won the last World Championship. How is he doing?
Cavaca
had a major knee surgery, so we’ve been rehabbing his knee
for the last six months, and he just came back now and head over
the European, and he didn’t do that well. But he did win
the qualifiers for Abu Dhabi, so recovering from a knee surgery
and being someone like Rodrigo, is very challenging, but he works
very hard, he’s committed to the sport, he has a great support
team around him, he’s committed to his own rehabilitation,
his substantial, so I think Rodrigo may have a tough year this
year, but I think it’s an excellent experience for him to
go through and then move forwards from there, but he still has
a lot Jiu-Jitsu in him. And we’re talking about MMA for
eventually too.
Is
he training for MMA?
He’s
training right now with Muhammad Ouali, he’s the striking
coach for all our fighters, including Pezao. We have some work
to do. When you pull guard in Jiu-Jitsu, you are usually a horrible
MMA fighter. And Rodrigo pulls guard in Jiu-Jitsu (laughs). So,
we have to work on that.
He’s
ground game would be amazing in MMA, but what about his striking?
His
striking needs work, like every Jiu-Jitsu guy. Because Jiu-Jitsu
guys walk on their heels, if you watch Jiu-Jitsu fighters, they’ll
tell that the best strikers stand on their toes. So we’ve
got some work to do. And Buchecha is also training MMA.
How
is he?
Buchecha
is gonna be very good.
Is
he better than Cavaca?
He’s
better than Cavaca, I can say that (laughs).
Source: Tatame
|
Werdum
plans to win Strikeforce GP and get a rematch with Junior dos
Santos
The
loss to Junior Cigano, in the UFC, started a new phase of Fabricio
Werdum’s career. While Dos Santos walked towards the UFC
title, Werdum made his own victorious win in Strikeforce, and
conquered the greatest win of his career, over Fedor Emelianenko.
Getting
ready for the first phase of Strikeforce’s GP, when he’ll
confront the current champion of the division, Alistair Overeem,
Werdum talked to TATAME at Rafael Cordeiro’s gym, in California,
and commented on his trainings for the fight, his opponent’s
game and his greatest dream.
“My
main goal is to beat Overeem, win Strikeforce’s Grand Prix
and fight the top guy from UFC”, said Werdum, hoping that
Cigano beats down Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez on his next
bouts in the UFC so he can have that rematch he wants so badly.
Check below the exclusive interview with the tough guy, who also
commented on Anderson Silva’s trainings.
What
are the expectations for this fight against Overeem? How’s
your training going?
The
expectations are the best, we’re training hard for this
bout, and it’s tough for us fighters when the show changes
its schedule, because it changes everything. We had a training
schedule set for this bout and it was supposed to happen in April
and now it’ll be in June… These things happen, it happens
to everybody… I don’t think it’s a bad thing to
happen, it was suppose to happen this way. It’s like what
happened to me when I left UFC, and then I beat Fedor up, so
it was supposed to happen. If it changed it, I believe it was
meant to be this way, and we’ll wait. I had slowed things
down on the training, but I’m speeding things up now. When
I first heard about it, I slowed things down for two weeks, but
now I’m speeding my trainings up. I’ve beat him once
and I want to do it again and prove the world I’m among
the top athletes.
With
this postponement, you’ll be out off the rings for a year
total. How does that disturb you?
Yeah,
I don’t like it. If it was up to me, I’d like to fight
four times a year, that’s the ideal by me, but it happened
that they postponed the fight and I’ll get there being off
for a year, because I had my elbow surgery and I’m fully
recovered from it. It’s a thing that happens, you can’t
help it. It happened with Minotauro (Rodrigo Nogueira), Wanderlei.
We always try to postpone these things, especially when there’s
a bout coming up, so I believe it was the right time for me to
take some time off and do this surgery, which I needed to do
like two years ago and I kept postponing it. It was time, it
was successfully, but I realized it’s too much, it’s
too much not to fight for an entire year. It’ll be an exact
year since I last fought, and in my mind June is the months on
which I’ve beaten Fedor, so it’s my month, it’s
a special month, so that’s my thought.
You’ve
been training Muay Thai with Rafael Cordeiro, and it’s Overeem’s
strongest point. How are things going on that matter?
I’m
fully dedicated, not only on Muay Thai trainings, but in all
my trainings. I train Wrestling with Mark Munoz, Muay Thai with
Rafael, conditioning with Cristoph, so I’m training it all,
but I’m focusing on Muay Thai, I’ve been graduated
a Muay Thai black belt by Rafael, and I believe I’ve evolved
a lot. The other day I was watching on the internet my fight
with Ebenezer Fontes, on Jungle Fight 2. It’s been like
four years since then, or more, and I could tell the difference,
when I look at myself four years ago it’s impressive, I
wasn’t good at all. I’m training a lot so I can defend
myself from Overeem’s coups, because he’s strong, everybody’s
saying he’s evolved a lot, but I have also evolved. People
say Overeem is on a good victory sequence, but so do I. Since
I left UFC, I only won, so he can have evolved, but so did I.
I don’t keep thinking about my opponent. Of course I watch
the fights, I watch what he’s done, I have to know what
he’s good at, I have to know his weakness, but I mostly
worry about my training.
In
case you win, you’ll face Big Foot on the semifinals, and
he’s coming from a striking win over Fedor. Then, in case
you win again, there’s Josh Barnet, Brett Rogers and other
guys who you might have to fight. What do you think about this
GP?
I
guess it will go on until the end, but as Strikeforce has been
purchase by UFC, I don’t know if it’ll actually happen,
if there’ll be a next round or if they’ll cancel it…
I don’t know what will happen, I don’t know what’s
on their mind. I said it a while ago: I intend to win this GP,
then challenge the top guy form UFC. I actually said that in
some interviews, but people said I couldn’t do that since
it’s two separate organizations, the events are each other
contender, but now it’s possible because the events belong
to the same organization. UFC purchased Strikeforce, so it’s
possible they match this GP’s champion with UFC’s champion.
Why can’t it happen? So, a thing I’ve wanted for a
long time can now become true. That’s my goal.
When
UFC bought Strikeforce Dana White assured the GP to go on until
its end, and that there’s a current two-years contract with
Showtime. How did you react to this news? Were you surprised?
Of
course. I didn’t see that coming. Nobody could see that
coming, everybody was caught by surprise. It was a good and a
bad thing. Now there’ll be a monopoly, because now you can
fight on Strikeforce, on UFC or you won’t have a show to
fight in. Japan has gone through this tsunami, so it’s not
a good idea to go there to fight, so that’s it. Or you fight
in Strikeforce or UFC, or you won’t fight at all, that’s
the bad side of it. The good side of it is that UFC is the best
event on earth, Strikeforce was growing a lot too, so it’s
the two greatest events and my goal is that: my main goal is
to beat Overeem, get to the next phase, and I’ve beaten
Overeem in 2006 in Pride’s GP on the first phase of the
event, so things seems to be conspiring in my favor, it’ll
be in June, my month, so things are good for me. So, I want to
win this GP and then do this super fight against whoever UFC
champion is. I don’t know if it’ll be Velasquez, dos
Santos, or other guy… Whoever is the UFC champion is the
one I want to fight, that’s what I want to do. I want to
unify the titles, like it happens on Boxing.
UFC’s
heavyweight division was one of its weakness division, since
great names were fighting in Strikeforce. With this merge planned
to happen in two years, do you think it’ll be the greatest
heavyweight division ever?
Of
course. There were good guys on UFC and good guys on Strikeforce,
so now it’s all together, it’s the best division on
the world, the best are on it, and there’ll be great fights,
so let’s hope the best of this merge.
Before
Strikeforce’s GP gets to an end, Junior dos Santos will
confront Brock Lesnar and, in case he wins, he’ll have a
title shot against Cain Velasquez, but we don’t know what’ll
happen in case Brock wins. What are your thoughts about this
bout between Junior and Velasquez?
No
one knew Velasquez, nobody knew who he was, he came out of nowhere.
Even on the games, if you really notice it on UFC’s game,
Velasquez is the smaller, no one knew him, no one noticed him.
He came on his own terms, slowly, and now he’s the best
in the world, he’s UFC heavyweight champion of the world.
Cigano’s coming form a great sequence of wins, he proved
he’s really good in what he does, so I think if he strikes
with Brock Lesnar, he beats the guy up. And about him fighting
Velasquez I guess it’s the same thing: if he sticks to striking,
defend the takedowns, which will be a hard task, because Velasquez
will manage to take Cigano down as least once, so Cigano has
to work his guard, work his feet on the groin, and knows when
to stand-up and do it quickly, I think he’ll win. I believe
Cigano wins it standing up, and he’ll do also a great work
on the ground and pound. I’m Brazilian so sure, I cheer
for him to win.
So,
if you win this GP and Cigano beats Velasquez you might have
a rematch…
That
time Cigano defeated me it was the first time I was knocked out,
I wasn’t excepting it, then I had that discussion with UFC,
it wasn’t that we argued, but I was upset for losing the
way it happened. I had been defeated before, but on a judge’s
decision, this was the only time I was knocked out. So I wasn’t
on a good state of mind because I had been defeated, I was far
from my family. I’m not saying Cigano didn’t deserve
it, because then he went there and kept winning. I’d be
surprised if he had beaten me down and then lost. He went there
and proved himself to be pretty good. I want to win this GP,
to earn a belt, because I’ve never won one, and fight UFC’s
champion. If it’s Cigano, I’d be a dream coming true.
To do this unifier fight and against Cigano, a rematch, it’d
be perfect.
What
do you have to say to your fans, who may watch your bout with
Overeem?
I’d
like to tell the Brazilians to believe in me because I’m
training a lot, I’m dedicating myself a lot. I’m here
on the United States, by my heart still is Brazilian. I’m
here for the opportunities, for the trainings, for the good life
I have here. Here we have better Wrestling coaches, I have Rafael
too. So if you want to come from Brazil and train with us, you’re
all invited. I hope you all cheer for me, for me and for Big
Foot. It doesn’t matter if I go though it or Big Foot, it’ll
be a Brazilian on the top, and that’s fine by me. Let’s
cheer for us.
Anderson
came here last week and trained with you. How was it?
Man,
I’ve talked about it the other day. Anderson’s a special
guy, he’s the one. I trained Muay Thai with him and it’s
impressive, he’s awesome. He showed me some ground positions
that surprised me, so Anderson’s doing just fine, he’s
great. He’s a special person, he’s a nice guy, he’s
always joking about everything, so what happen is that people
start saying thing on the internet, on TV, saying Anderson’s
full of himself, but the ones who know Anderson know he’s
nothing like that, he’s zero arrogant. People say he’s
a fake humble, but there’s no such thing, he’s a simple
guy, he’s nice. I knew him already and we’ve spent
three or four days training together and he told me he’ll
come back here, so he’s special. Let’s believe in Anderson,
we already do, but he’s awesome on Muay Thai, as a person,
he makes you laugh a lot, he’s always joking and he really
is a special one.
Anderson
vs. St. Pierre?
There’s
no way. St. Pierre is really good, I like watching his fights,
he has good takedowns, but Anderson’s different, Anderson
has a bigger reach… St. Pierre will try to take him down
and he’ll be hit by Anderson’s knee. Anderson’s
that guy you fight and then realize he’s pointy, we usually
say this because he’s a guy that, wherever he hits you,
it’ll hurt, whether it’s with his knee, elbows, shin…
So I believe it’ll be a piece of cake for him. But will
it happen?
Who
knows… It depends on Dana White…
St.
Pierre won’t be able to win this one.
After
being baptized by Rafael and Wanderlei, now you’ve got Anderson’s
baptism…
Anderson
took it easy with me, because with Rafael, we were training and
he gave me the black belt, and I remember back at Chute Boxe
that they punished the guys and I was thinking it wasn’t
that hard, and then Rafael launched a knee on my stomach…
I felt on the floor and it hurts a lot, it’s that kind of
pain that you feel and then it starts going up, and then I asked
him why he didn’t hit me like that before and he told me
it was because I wasn’t a black belt yet, and now I am.
Then Wanderlei came, returning from his knee surgery… He
told me was doing just one boxing training, just one… When
Rafael told us there were only 30 seconds left, Wanderlei came
like a machine, he almost knocked me down, I almost fell, he
punched me really hard, and when that happens you assume the
other guy will stop, but he kept smashing me, then Rafael told
me to punch him, but I couldn’t find him. I was dizzy and
I wasn’t prepared, but then when we started struggling again
I managed to clinch and we laughed together, it was great.
Source: Tatame
|
Andre
Dida focused in MMA tells Shogun Rua to move to the USA
Right
after leaving Chute Boxe team, Andre Dida opened a new gym along
with his friends Mauricio Shogun and Murilo Ninja, but with the
end of the partnership, Dida returned to his roots in Huntington
Beach, in California.
Back
to the trainings leaded by Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA, Dida
talked to TATAME TV and revealed he’s focused on MMA now.
“You’ll have a big surprise when I enter the octagon
and represent Brazil… I’ll be different”, guarantees
Andre, who’s been training with Fabricio Werum and Mark
Munoz on the United States. “There was four years since
I last trained with my master, and I’m happy he accepted
me back in. it’s a family here, and I hope it’s more
productive here”, says.
Check
below the complete exclusive interview with the fighter, who
commented on Mauricio Shogun’s loss to Jon Jones on UFC
128, advising his friend to move to America to prepare himself
for the next time. “I know it’s only a phase, and our
job is cruel sometimes… Shogun can’t stay only in Brazil,
he has to come here and train, breath the essence”, shoot
Dida.
How
are things going?
Thanks’
God the trainings are great, everyday’s a new training,
everyday comes a new athlete, with a fight schedule, coming here
looking for MMA trainings, and we have this pro trainings that
goes from 2 to 4pm every day. There lots of fighters with fights
scheduled so it’s that good vibe on the mats, the trainings
are always good, the guys always give their full best, and that’s
great. If everything works out, I’ll be fighting soon, I’ll
be presenting myself again for the American market, and these
trainings are great so I’ll be 100% on my fighting day.
You
came here three months ago. How is it been to train with Rafael
Cordeiro?
Actually
it’s been four or five years I haven’t trained with
my master, after I left Chute Boxe and opened my gym with Mauricio
Shogun, which is UDL, in Curitiba, and we didn’t get in
touch anymore. There was four years since I last trained with
my master, and I’m happy he accepted me back in. it’s
a family here, there’re only good vibes here and I’m
glad he accepted me back in the team, I hope I can do more, I
hope to pay him back for what he’s done to me. He’s
a great piece on my fight. I only have good memories of him,
I’ve grew up on that gym, I’ve started fighting when
I was 13, so I have a martial education and I owe it all to the
gym, to him, and the ones who are with him. I know my place,
I’m a student here, I’ll always be a student. I’m
glad to be here and you’ll be surprised when you see me
representing Brazil on that octagon, you’ll notice I’ve
changed, so you people in Brazil will be surprised.
What
have changed in these three months your training with Rafael
again?
Actually,
every day we have Wrestling trainings, Muay Thai trainings and
what different is that he teaches Muay Thai for MMA, so it’s
great. I’m got the timing, and that’s good because
I was fighting K-1, focusing a lot on Muay Thai and then fought
MMA, and I ended up doing nothing right, here I’m training
MMA, MMA, MMA every day. There’re many athletes here, many
Mark Munoz students too, professionals from Wrestling and they
don’t take it easy on us, so we have to survive under these
conditions and I’m learning a lot from it along with my
master Rafael Cordeiro, who tells me to do this and that, he
pushes me into things, it’s been great.
What
are the expectations for 2011? Leaving coaching aside, do you
think it’ll improve your trainings as a fighter?
Absolutely.
Now I’m totally focused on myself. I wake up in the morning
and start training. Not even in Brazil I had a lifestyle like
that, and I’m having it here, thanks’ God, I’m
living here near the gym and this time’s being essential.
There’s a phrase a guy once told me that’s like that:
you only learn things when you don’t have a fight scheduled.
I didn’t get it at first, mainly because I was fighting
all the time, and when you have one fight after the other, you
tend to block that thought, but when you don’t have a fight
to do you can absorb things better, I’m learning everything
I can and I know a fight will present itself to me soon, so I’m
absorbing everything I can, I’m helping the guys I can help,
and I’m gathering all these information so I can apply it
in my game. I’ll always go for striking, I don’t know
any other way to do it, my plan always is to take the guy down
using my Muay Thai, that’s my plan. And I know the guys
will try to take me down, so that’s why I’m training
Wrestling, so I won’t be beaten down. It happened before
because of my flaws, but now I’m having the time to work
on that, I’m training with the bests so it doesn’t
happen anymore.
Your
focus always is striking, but now you’re training with guys
like Werdum, so you’ll have to improve your ground game…
That’s
what I always say: it’s a nightmare, it’s like David
and Golias (laughs). We train with Werdum and he’s competitive,
so when we start using our Muay Thai, he starts using his MMA
skills and he take me into places on which I get desperate. The
best part of it, when you hav ea great team, is that when the
training’s over we sit down and talk. Imagine guys like
Mark Munoz, Werdum, Rafael Cordeiro, there’re many good
fighters here, so when the training’s over, we sit down
and ask if there’s any doubts, then one guy shows one position
and from it many others come too, so it’s great because
even if you’re just looking, you can always learn something
from it. We’re evolving and you’ll be able to tell
that. Everybody that come here, they can be the best, but they’ll
feel like they were a student. Here’s a place to learn.
We
saw Shogun being defeated by Jon Jones. Were you surprised with
that striking begin of Jon Jones?
Well,
it was unbelievable what happened. I couldn’t predict Jon
Jones would perform the way he did, but not because of Jon Jones
himself, but for Shogun. It’s sad, especially for me, he’s
my friend and to see him being smashed by a guy like Jones, who’s
squander, it’s sad when you see a friend going through a
bad situation. But he’ll turn it up, everybody’s been
through stuff like that, I went through that kind of stuff, and
I know it’s a bad time for Shogun, and it’s easy for
him to come back better.
Our
profession is a great one, but it’s also cruel. It’s
like what happened with Fedor… He was considered to be the
best fighting in the world. Now he lost twice and people say
he should retire. Shogun must come here and train MMA, he has
to be here, Shogun can’t stay only in Brazil, he has to
come here and train, breath the essence, here’s where he’ll
ask all questions he has to, he’ll be treated like a student.
I’ll bring him here, I’ll call him all the time saying
him that, and we are together on that. we’re a family, we
only want to help him, he has a good relationship with all the
guys here, he’ll be welcome and I’m sure it won’t
happen again. He was badly advised and he didn’t do the
right training, because when Shogun is on his best, nothing can’t
stop him. These things happen, and it already is in the past.
Nothing better than a good fight to erase this loss. We’ll
help Shogun so he’ll become the champion again.
Jon
Jones’ being pointed out as the guy to hold this belt for
a long time, something nobody’s been able to do lately.
Do you agree with that?
He
did a great presentation, but I want to see him fighting Shogun
at his best, that’s my criterion. In my opinion, if he fights
Shogun when he’s 100%, so that’s my criterion, I can’t
say anything further just based on that fight. If he presents
himself the same way with Shogun at his best, then I can say
it.
Do
you think Rashad won’t stop him?
I
don’t think so, I’m not sure. They trained together,
so it’s a different game, he’ll keep Rashad on a long
distance, and I think Rashad can’t handle him, that’s
what I think.
Overeem’s
evolving his striking a lot, he’s a K-1 champion, so how
do you see Werdum’s evolution on the stand-up game?
Well,
I’m a K-1 fighter who fights MMA, so I know that a K-1 fighter
will always try to use his Muay Thai, but on MMA it’s 50-50.
Your output isn’t the same because you can’t let things
go or you’ll be taken down. Werdum is Overeem’s remedy,
the one who imposes his game first will be the winner. We’re
doing the specific work so that Werdum controls the stand-up
game, Werdum will be aware of any kind of danger he might face
while striking, there’ll be nothing new for him, so he can
apply his Jiu-Jitsu techniques, which are what will finish this
fight up. That’s our job: to make Werdum don’t be surprised
with anything Overeem might present on striking, so that Werdum
knows what Overeem’s doing, and know what he has to do to
use his Jiu-Jitsu and finishes the fight right away
Do
you think Werdum will submit Overeem?
That’s
the plan, or he’ll surprise him, just like Napao did with
Cro Cop, he’ll launch a kick on his mouth and people will
go crazy. That’s what MMA is all about, it’s complicated…
Sometimes you bet everything you’ve got and one punches
the other in the face and it’s over. Look what happened
to Cro Cop on his last fight… It’s complicated, MMA
is a complicated sport. But the training is focused on submitting,
that’s the plan, so we’ll train for it.
Source: Tatame
|
April
showers bring fights: Top seven bouts this spring
Spring
is an especially busy time for MMA, with six championship belts
from the UFC and Strikeforce on the line in the next three months.
With so many fights on the docket, which ones stand out? These
are the fights that will keep you warm until the summer solstice.
Strikeforce:
Diaz vs. Daley -- Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri: In his
first fight in the U.S., Kawajiri will get a chance to avenge
a 2006 loss to Melendez while also showing off his bruising style.
Melendez spoiled the American debut of one Japanese fighter in
Shinya Aoki. Can he do it again with Kawajiri and hold onto his
Strikeforce lightweight belt?
Bellator
41 -- Patricio Freire vs. Wilson Reis: Last year, Freire won
his bout over Reis in a decision. Freire earned his berth in
the semifinal with a third-round destruction of Georgi Karakhanyan,
while Reis got his second chance at Freire with a quick rear
naked choke of Zac George. Can Freire follow in his brother's
footsteps and create another Bellator highlight?
UFC
129 -- Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick: The hype for this event has
been focused on Georges St. Pierre's title bout with Jake Shields,
including the best commercial that the UFC has ever produced
for a bout. That doesn't mean it's the best fight on the card,
because a case could be made for the featherweight championship
bout between Aldo, the champ and force of destruction, and Hominick,
the hometown favorite who is on a five-fight winning streak.
UFC
130 -- Brad Pickett vs. Miguel Torres: Since moving up to Montreal's
Tri-Star training camp, Torres has become a more disciplined,
but still dangerous fighter. It will be fun to watch what kind
of strategy he comes up with for the always-exciting Pickett.
Bonus: the fight is on Spike, so you just have to pay your cable
bill to catch it.
The
Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale -- Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis:
Does anything even need to be written about why this fight will
be fun? Pettis, the WEC lightweight champ, will be fighting with
a chip on his shoulder after being denied a title shot by the
Gray Maynard/Frankie Edgar draw. Guida is eager to stop the Pettis
hype train. The two have earned a combined eight fight night
bonuses for Fights, Knockouts and Submissions of the Night. This
all adds up to this being an amazing bout. Oh, and it's on Spike,
so again, pay your cable bill.
UFC
131 -- Brock Lesnar vs. Junior dos Santos: After the loss to
Cain Velasquez, Lesnar has a huge question hanging over his head.
Can he take a punch? He'll have a chance to show if he's grown
as a fighter since UFC 123, and his test will be one of the hardest
hitters in the UFC. Even without the build-up from "The
Ultimate Fighter," this fight was a must-watch.
Strikeforce
in Dallas -- Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum: Just days
before the solstice, two of the world's best heavyweights will
square off in Dallas. Can Werdum recreate his upset magic and
submit Overeem like he did Fedor Emelianenko? Or will Overeem
throw Werdum around the cage like he did to Brett Rogers in Overeem's
last Strikeforce bout?
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Keith
Jardine Signs to Fight Gegard Mousasi for Strikeforce
Strikeforce,
during Friday night’s Strikeforce Challengers 15 telecast
on Showtime, announced that UFC veteran Keith Jardine has agreed
to step in and face Gegard Mousasi next week.
The
two will meet as part of the Showtime televised main card at
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on April 9 in San Diego.
Jardine
(17-9-1) became a staple of the UFC early in his career after
competing during Season 2 of “The Ultimate Fighter”
reality series. He went 6-7 during his time in the Octagon, exiting
the promotion midway through 2010 after losing four straight
fights.
Jardine
lost his first post-UFC fight to Trevor Prangley at Shark Fights
13, but has since bounced back to win his last two bouts, propelling
him into the Strikeforce picture when Mousasi’s original
opponent, Mike Kyle, was injured in training.
Mousasi
(30-3-1) has also won his two most recent fights since losing
the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship to Muhammed “King
Mo” Lawal early last year. Those two victories made him
the Dream light heavyweight champion, the same promotion where
he had held the middleweight belt before moving on to Strikeforce
in 2009.
Strikeforce
welterweight champion Nick Diaz will defend his belt against
British brawler Paul Daley in the April 9 main event.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Manny
Gamburyan Eyes June UFC Return, Hopes to Fight At TUF 13 Finale
UFC
featherweight Manny Gamburyan tells MMAWeekly.com that he is
healing up nicely from the back injury he sustained in training
last month, and is pushing to make his long-awaited Octagon return
in June.
According
to Gamburyan, he’s ready and wants a shot at being on “The
Ultimate Fighter 13? finale on June 4.
“I’m
feeling very good, good to go,” Gamburyan told MMAWeekly.com.
Although
he currently has no opponent lined up, the Armenian-born mixed
martial artist expressed a desire to be part of the finale of
the show that helped him gain so much notoriety.
“I
(would) love to be on that (TUF 13 finale) card,” he said.
“I really (want to) fight June 4th (at the) Palms.”
Gamburyan
(11-5) was last seen fighting Jose Aldo for the WEC featherweight
championship at WEC 52 in September of 2010. The former Ultimate
Fighter finalist fell victim to the precision strikes of the
WEC champion, losing via technical knockout in the second round.
Since
then, Gamburyan was scheduled to face Raphael Assuncao at UFC
128, but as MMAWeekly.com reported, he was forced to step out
of the fight due to a back injury he sustained during training.
The fight was scheduled to be Gamburyan’s first in the UFC
since dropping a decision to Thiago Tavares at UFC 94: St. Pierre
vs. Penn 2 in January of 2009.
With
a win in June, Gamburyan could be back in the mix at 145 pounds.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce:
Diaz vs. Daley Fight Card Rumors
Date: April 9, 2011
Venue: Valley View Casino Center
Location: San Diego, California
Main
Bouts (On Showtime):
-Nick Diaz (24-7; #6 Welterweight)* vs. Paul Daley (27-9-2; #7
Welterweight)*†
-Gilbert Melendez (18-2; #2 Lightweight)* vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
(27-6-2; #6 Lightweight)*††
-Gegard Mousasi (30-3-1) vs. Keith Jardine (17-9-1)
-Shinya Aoki (26-5; #4 Lightweight)* vs. Lyle Beerbohm (15-1)
Preliminary
Bouts (Non-Televised):
-Hiroyuki Takaya (15-8-1) vs. Robert Peralta (13-3)
-Brett Albee (3-0) vs. Virgil Zwicker (9-2)
-Saad Awad (8-3) vs. Joe Duarte (5-2)
-Herman Terrado (5-2) vs. A.J. Matthews (4-0)
-Edgar Cardenas (3-0) vs. Rolando Perez (5-4-1)
-Casey Ryan (1-0) vs. Paul Song (2-0)
†For
Diaz’s Strikeforce Welterweight Championship
††For Melendez’s Strikeforce Lightweight Championship
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Wilcox
won’t give up on MMA dreams
As
Justin Wilcox gets set for a main event Friday night on cable
TV, he vividly recalls a moment that epitomized his plight as
a struggling fighter.
Wilcox
and wife Leslie were broke, as he was trying to establish himself
as a pro fighter. They took their baby daughter, Natalie, to
a bookstore because they couldn’t afford to take her anywhere
else to entertain her. Natalie created a scene and started crying
hysterically after finding something she wanted.
“We
weren’t going to get it for her because she was crying,
but at that moment, the idea I couldn’t get it for her made
me say, ‘That’s it, I need to get a 9-to-5 job,’
” Wilcox said.
His
wife, who was a mixed martial arts fan before he even knew of
the sport, talked him out of it.
“I’m
not going to let you do that,” Leslie Wilcox told him after
the bookstore incident. “I don’t want you to be 40
years old and see someone who made it in this sport and always
think, ‘That could have been me.’ ”
Wilcox
stuck with his career. Now he has a chance to become the winner
of the main bout of the first Strikeforce show under the Zuffa
regime, a “Challengers” event on Showtime from The
Arena in Stockton, Calif.
Wilcox
(10-3), a former Division I wrestler and competition bodybuilder,
faces Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rodrigo Damm (9-4) in a
lightweight bout.
At
32, Wilcox knows that now is the time to do something in his
career. He got a somewhat late and slow start in the sport. With
a win, which would be his sixth in a row, he hopes to get on
bigger shows and earn himself a lightweight title match.
And
a place to live.
Since
moving to California from Pennsylvania to get serious about his
career, Wilcox and his family lived for a time at the homes of
Bob Cook, his manager, and Javier Mendes, his trainer. Now they
live in the Fresno, Calif. home of Josh Koscheck, one of his
training partners – a home that is about a three-hour drive
from the gym in San Jose.
Monday
through Friday, Wilcox lives in a small room upstairs at the
gym – a room big enough for a bed, a television, a refrigerator
and a place to cook his food. Every Friday afternoon, he drives
to Fresno to see his family for the weekend, and every Sunday
night he drives back to San Jose.
The
immediate goal, if he can beat Damm, is to get his family a place
of their own closer to San Jose. The next is to get himself a
title shot.
Damm
is no pushover. He was one of the top stars of the Bodog Fight
promotion in 2006-2007 and fought against top fighters in Japan
for Sengoku in recent years, even facing current Strikeforce
lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez in a losing effort in 2009.
“As
soon as Strikeforce thinks I’m ready, I’ll be more
than ready to take it,” Wilcox said. “I got into the
sport to become a world champ, and I feel like I’m well-rounded
enough now. I’ve got two years behind me at AKA training
with a bunch of world-class fighters, so I think my skills are
refined enough to the point that I can become champ.”
Though
he was an accomplished wrestler in high school and college, Wilcox
had neither seen nor heard of the UFC growing up. One day, while
flipping the television channels, he saw a familiar face.
“That’s
Kos,” he noted to his wife while seeing Koscheck, a college
friend and training partner of his from years back. Koscheck
was the star of the Edinboro College wrestling team when Wilcox
showed up there as a freshman in 1998, and he gravitated toward
the NCAA champ. Wilcox was watching an early episode of “The
Ultimate Fighter” reality series and saw what Koscheck was
now doing. Koscheck had little going for him but his wrestling
skill; Wilcox thought it could be something for him as well.
At
the time, Wilcox was competing in a natural bodybuilding federation
and doing well, winning a number of contests while running a
gym in Pennsylvania. The first thing Wilcox did was get rid of
some of his gym equipment and open up space to start training
in the sport he saw on TV. His training consisted of himself
and a partner or two, mostly doing the wrestling that he knew
while trying to self teach themselves the sport.
And
while you wouldn’t think striking poses in short shorts
is the best precursor to fighting MMA, Wilcox said the three
years he competed in that sport helped him, in particular, with
the knowledge of how to best diet both for health purposes and
to manipulate weight. He noted that weight cutting, which he
did all wrong and found a complete drag in his days as a wrestler,
is now a lot easier.
“People
in amateur wrestling, the wrestlers and the coaches, don’t
really know anything about dieting,” he said. “When
I was wrestling, you’d wrestle, then cheat [on the diet]
all weekend and then starve all week – for months at a time.”
“I
was one of those guys who had tunnel vision: When I was in wrestling,
I learned everything I could about wrestling. When I was in bodybuilding,
I learned everything I could about bodybuilding.”
Wilcox
qualified for the NCAA tournament as a true freshman. He competed
well after redshirting his sophomore year, winning several tournaments,
but was injured taking an inadvertent headbutt in a match. The
hard contact may have caused a concussion. Then, while getting
ready for a match in a Las Vegas tournament, Wilcox slipped and
knocked himself out on the floor. That concussion was serious
enough that it ended his season, not to mention his wrestling
career.
Feeling
he needed a sport, one that wouldn’t involve contact, Wilcox
turned to bodybuilding.
“I
always had the abs,” he said. “I was just always an
active kid, and people have been accusing me of doing steroids
since I was 12 years old.”
The
lingering effects of the concussions were gone by the time he
saw Koscheck on his television set. Times weren’t easy.
The local economy had taken a turn for the worse and the gym
business wasn’t doing well.
Wilcox
fought as a welterweight, where – even with his strength
– he was struggling at 5-foot-6 with no striking experience.
He contacted Koscheck, who told him if he was serious about the
sport, he had to come to AKA. On his first day, Wilcox learned
how far he was from being a top star. With his limited, self-taught
striking, he went in there with the likes of Jon Fitch and Josh
Thomson.
His
fortunes turned around at the same time, particularly after a
comeback win in a wild 2009 fight against David “Tarzan”
Douglas on the undercard of the Cris “Cyborg” Santos
vs. Gina Carano card in San Jose. Wilcox followed with a win
over a Japanese name fighter, Daisuke Nakamura, and current Ultimate
Fighter participant Shamar Bailey in Strikeforce events, all
of which led to his first televised main event on Nov. 19 against
Ribeiro.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Matt
Hamill Plans to Break Will of Rampage Jackson at UFC 130
Matt
HamillAt long last, Matt Hamill finally is getting what he has
been asking for for a while – and the UFC won't start him
slowly.
Hamill
(10-2, 9-2 UFC) has been asking for a Top 10 opponent, and UFC
president Dana White said after his last win that he'd get one.
After a series of changes, Hamill gets arguably the most important
fight of his career at UFC 130 against former light heavyweight
champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
And
thanks to five straight wins, Hamill, the only deaf fighter in
the UFC, is riding high on confidence going into the May 28 fight.
"I
know I'm going to break his will – I know I'm going to beat
Rampage," Hamill told host Ariel Helwani on a recent edition
of "The MMA Hour." "I've been training real hard
and my conditioning and my skills and technique, striking and
kicking are a lot better."
The
road to the Top 10 opponent he's been seeking was an odd one,
though.Hamill was originally scheduled to fight Phil Davis at
UFC 129 later this month in Toronto. But he was moved into a
slot against Rampage (31-8, 6-2 UFC) when Jackson's original
opponent, Thiago Silva, was removed from the fight for a then-likely
(and now confirmed and acknowledged by Silva) positive drug test
following his UFC 125 win over Brandon Vera.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
TUF
13 Premier TV Ratings In Line With Ultimate Fighter Season 12
“The
Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos” didn’t
exactly get rave reviews following Wednesday night’s premier
episode, but it did attract viewers in line with Season 12’s
average.
Episode
1 pulled in an average audience of 1.5 million viewers, according
to Spike TV officials. That’s just slightly lower than last
season’s average of 1.7 million viewers per episode, and
almost dead-on with Season 12’s premier episode, which drew
1.6 million viewers.
This
season has drawn a lot of interest because of Lesnar. Most people
thought that his explosive personality and the theatrics he honed
as a professional wrestler for WWE would provide ratings fireworks.
Nothing
along those lines happened in the first episode. Of course, after
just one episode it’s still too soon to tell how Lesnar’s
personality will develop as the season progresses.
UFC
president Dana White did recently state that he felt the season
started off a little slow, but picked up as time went on.
Only
time will tell as the season progresses.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Future
NFL Player DeMarco Murray Gets UFC Support On The Field and In
The Cage
It
seems that football and MMA go hand in hand when you see the
number of crossover athletes that have transitioned from one
sport to the other. Brendan Schaub, Matt Mitrione, and others
have made their way to the NFL and now star in the UFC where
they’ve flourished as mixed martial artists.
Well,
don’t mark former Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray down
for a slot on the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter”
just yet, but he’s picking up a few things from MMA that
he hopes will help him in his future career as an NFL player.
Murray
has been seen around several UFC events recently, most notably
standing side by side with UFC president Dana White at the UFC
128 weigh-ins where he took in the fights, including the main
event between Jon “Bones” Jones and Maurcio “Shogun”
Rua.
Murray
is a Las Vegas native who attended the same high school as UFC
owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, and since he’s waiting
for draft day to come, he’s taking some time to learn some
new moves and see if MMA training can help him for his days ahead
in the NFL.
Being
a fan of the sport for several years, Murray has seen MMA and
the UFC grow, and he’s happy to see the new heights it’s
reaching.
“I’ve
been a fan since freshman year of high school,” Murray said
in an interview with UFC.com. “Just watching what Lorenzo
has done and the platform he’s put it on now, it’s
just grown amazingly.
“I
love training MMA. It’s definitely a lot different than
what I do on the football field, but some things you can translate
into your game. I spent three, four weeks in Las Vegas training
with Giff (striking coach James Gifford) at Lorenzo’s gym
and that definitely helped me out a lot with my hand coordination
and speed, along with working muscles that I’ve never worked
on in football. I’ll definitely continue to implement those
regimens into my training.”
UFC
owner Lorenzo Fertitta saw Murray’s potential and decided
to offer the Oklahoma Sooner a chance to workout with some MMA
drills and coaches and see if that would help him in his future
job as an NFL running back. The results seemed to pay off.
“Lorenzo
really saw the value in incorporating MMA training into his (Murray’s)
workouts,” said UFC president Dana White via UFC.com. “DeMarco
is a blessed athlete, and I wanted him get some MMA training
and do something different when he’s home because the workouts
at OU are so demanding. Lorenzo gave him an opportunity to workout
and continue to develop. The funny part is that at first he was
nervous because he didn’t want to get knocked out or put
to sleep. But he loved working out at Lorenzo’s gym and
it increased his athletic ability. DeMarco is passionate about
being the best and he sees what a great opportunity it is to
learn MMA.”
While
Murray’s upcoming career will be as an NFL player, he’s
still going to support the UFC as much as he can, and they will
continue to support him as well.
Right
now, Murray is hoping to land the cover of EA Sports NCAA Football
12. He’s in a voting competition along with upcoming draft
hopefuls like Nick Fairley, Mark Ingram, and Jake Locker.
The
UFC has pumped up the voting for Murray to hopefully land him
the spot as the cover for the upcoming video game. If he’s
successful, Murray has even promised to sport a UFC shirt on
draft day when he makes his way to the podium to join his new
team.
To
vote for Murray to land the cover of EA Sports NCAA Football
12 go here. Voting will take place until April 4. Ballots can
be cast once a day from Facebook.
Murray
will next be seen on April 28 at the NFL draft in New York.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Exclusive:
Eddie Bravo on UFC, Jiu-Jitsu, Royler Gracie and rock bands
Graduated
as a black belt by Jacques Machado, Eddie Bravo became famous
when submitted Royler Gracie with a triangle choke, in ADCC in
2003. The black belt was also UFC’s broadcaster for many
years and has as his main passion music. Besides leading many
gyms back in America, Bravo is a musical producer and a great
Jiu-Jitsu defender, mainly the specific training for MMA. Check
below the polemic interview with the tough guy, the differences
he sees on the Jiu-Jitsu style he teaches from the original BJJ,
he also comments on how many people have turned against him,
about his win over Royler, among many other subjects.
Talking
about your Jiu-Jitsu style, what’s the difference between
your Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
Well,
my schools are mainly taught without the gi. We do Jiu-Jitsu,
I rank the same way, I got my black belt in the gi. I love Jiu-Jitsu
so much, Jiu-Jitsu is in my soul, my heart, is number one martial
art to me, not Wrestling, not Sambo, not Karate, Jiu-Jitsu. What’s
most important to me is how Jiu-Jitsu looks in MMA. The world’s
watching the UFC. How does Jiu-Jitsu look when somebody is trying
to smash your skull, whether it’s on the streets on in UFC,
that’s what’s most important to me. The traditional
Jiu-Jitsu with the gi, the focus on grabbing and yanking, pulling
on the collar, and that’s not so important to me. It’s
like surfing: there’s the long board, the short board, I
like the short board more. Surfing came from the long board,
but I like the short board, short board is more important to
me, just like the most important thing for me in Jiu-Jitsu is
how Jiu-Jitsu looks with the whole world watching in the UFC.
That’s why I decided to take the gi off, teach all my students
how to fight without the gi and clinching, and my style is based
on the clinch. When you’re clinching, your opponent can’t
hit you. So, my whole style offensively, not just defensively,
is working on the clinch, setting submissions off the clinch,
setting sweeps off the clinch, so when the punches are coming
in, it’s no difference, it’s the same thing, because
you were clinching all the time.
What’s
the difference in the techniques and these things you teach?
Is it that difference from BJJ?
Yes,
it’s very different. It’s just as different as Judo
and Greco-Roman Wrestling. Judo and Greco-Roman Wrestling have
the same premise, the same concept: try to take someone down.
With Judo, they grab the collar and they yank and they pull,
and all the set-ups are yanking and pulling set-ups. Greco-Roman
they need under-hooks, over-hooks, head control, it’s different
muscles, different clinch, different rips, so if you wanna get
a gold medal in Greco-Roman, they’re not training Judo,
they’re training Greco-Roman 24/7. If you wanna get a gold
medal in Judo, don’t train Greco, train Judo 24/7. In my
philosophy, same thing. If you wanna be the best possible MMA
fighter, and you wanna have the best Jiu-Jitsu MMA, you should
train without the gi in the clinch, like if someone’s punching
you 24/7. It’s the same idea.
What’s
the difference between this Jiu-Jitsu and Submission?
It’s
just different names. You can call my style Submission Wrestling,
you can call that, you can call it Catch Wrestling, or whatever,
but I still call it Jiu-Jitsu because, for me, it all came from
Jiu-Jitsu, you know. Before the Brazilians, before the Gracies
showed the world what was possible on the ground, nobody was
doing that right, the Gracies showed the world how to do it right,
and what I’m doing is taking one step further and keeping
doing it right, but let’s get rid of the Japanese outfit
– it’s not even a Brazilian outfit, it’s a Japanese
outfit, so let’s rid off the Japanese outfit and train with
no gi, with punches and with strikes. So that Jiu-Jitsu looks
good in MMA, in the UFC in particular, that’s my goal. I’m
doing this for Jiu-Jitsu, it’s all about Jiu-Jitsu.
There’s
a lot of polemic in Brazil about your Jiu-Jitsu style. What do
you think about that?
You
know, it’s hard for me to understand because it’s seems
that all the traditions, there’re lots of Brazilians out
there, I like Junior Perez, Ricardo Liborio, there’re lots
of Brazilians who understand my philosophy, and I can’t
understand why they all don’t, they’re all ruining
for it, they want all my style not to work out, ‘cause right
now it still hasn’t been proven 100%, not to the world.
For the world, it you wanna get good, you still train with the
gi and so it’s still not proved, it’s on the proving
stage right now. You’d think that if you really love Jiu-Jitsu,
you’d be hoping that there’re new techniques to make
it better, but it’s strange how are people who are against
it and all I’m doing is for Jiu-Jitsu, everything I do is
for Jiu-Jitsu, so the reason people are so resistant is a shame
because I wish everybody’d jump in and we all worked together
and do this task together, but there’s so much resistance
I’m left to do a small percentage of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
community instead of everybody, it’s battling.
Do
you think it’s impossible now for one to be good in MMA
only training with the gi?
It’s
not impossible, but it’s definitively not as easy as it
was before. Royce is probably the only Brazilian, the only Jiu-Jitsu
fighter to fight in a gi, Royce’s the only guy, and he was
the first guy. So he left such an impression with the gi, it
was suck an impression that everybody thought: ‘oh man,
I got to get a gi too’. If Royce didn’t do the first
UFC, if it was Rickson, Rickson wouldn’t have done it with
the gi. We would have a whole different impression of Jiu-Jitsu
if Rickson would have did it instead of Royce, or even Renzo
or Murilo Bustamante or Wallid… All this other guys could
have did it, but they choose Royce and Royce decided to wear
a gi, that’s what left the impression that the gi is what
make you powerful, the gi is everything, when to me I look at
the gi as slowing you down, it slows you down. If, in 2003, when
I opened my first school, and I said ‘I’m opening my
school without the gi, I’m not gonna have my students getting
used to the yanking and pulling and then they gotta do MMA and
they gotta readjust. I’m not gonna have that’. When
I did that, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community thought I betrayed
Jiu-Jitsu, they thought I through Jiu-Jitsu out, that I said
‘fuck you’ to Jiu-Jitsu, but that’s not what I
did. I got rid of the gi, the Japanese outfit, it’s not
Brazilian, and I got rid of that part. I felt what’s going
to make Jiu-Jitsu better, that’s gonna bring Jiu-Jitsu back.
If
Helio and Carlos, if they would have said, in 2003, ‘you
know what, this American is making a point… Why are we wearing
this Japanese outfit still? We evolved so much, we have changed
the sport so much, but we still wear this Japanese outfit…
Why?’. They would have said: ‘everybody, let’s
get rid of the gi’. Right now Jiu-Jitsu would be smashing,
dominating all wrestlers, but the reason the wrestlers are dominating
is because they’ve spent all their lives controlling bodies
without handles, without the gi. That’s why wrestlers are
in there, that’s why you see Matt Hughes totally dominate
Royce Gracie. Royce Gracie trained with gi his whole life, Matt
have never trained in the gi, but that was why Matt was able
to beat Royce so easily, because he’s used to controlling
bodies without handles. And even Roger Gracie, Roger Gracie just
made a public statement, after all this resistance, that I’ve
got for eight years, Roger Gracie this year made a public statement
saying that 80% of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu does not work when
there are strikes, does not work in MMA. He said it, and that’s
what I’ve been saying this whole time. He said it, nobody
really reacted, it was a big thing, it was on news, 80% of Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu does not work when there’s punches and strikes…
Yeah!
Of
course it doesn’t because if your Jiu-Jitsu was yanking
and pulling all the time no one is doing this on a fight. Do
you know what happens? It’s even if you don’t have
a developed clinching style, Greco-Roman style, when you get
hit, they clinch, they’re holding even if it’s not
their style, they’re holding the head so they don’t
get hit. But there’s not their style so setting up submissions
as not as easy, but if every day you practice it, instead of
every day you practice yanking and pulling your Jiu-Jitsu, if
every day you practice under, setting everything from the clinch,
moving every day, when somebody starts punching you, it’s
the same game you play every day. That’s not a difference
game. All I’m saying is let’s practice the same game
you’re gonna practice in MMA. Not a totally different game,
and people just don’t seem to understand it.
Do
you think you proved your idea in Abu Dhabi, with Royler?
You
know, I don’t know. Obviously I didn’t prove it because
people would believe it. I don’t know.
But
to yourself, did you prove it?
I
know to myself. I know that for MMA the way I know it’s
better to prepare no gi quality Jiu-Jitsu, not no gi whatever
Jiu-Jitsu, it’s gotta be no gi from a really good no gi
Jiu-Jitsu instructor, focused on no gi techniques that work in
MMA, that’s better than training everyday with the gi for
MMA, just for MMA, that’s all I’m talking about. When
a guy starts to punch you, how’s your Jiu-Jitsu when he
starts to smash you? How is it? That’s all that is important
to me. In the UFC, the whole world is watching UFC and the whole
world is watching punching. To me, Jiu-Jitsu is so important
that I want to look good in Jiu-Jitsu, I’m not even getting
rid of the gi to help Wrestling out, I didn’t get rid of
the gi to help out Muay Thai. I got rid of the gi to help Jiu-Jitsu,
that’s all it’s about.
How
do you think that win helped to make your name bigger?
Maybe
beating one of the Gracies is the best thing that has ever happened
in my life. It gave me a louder voice. Before that I was still
saying the same things, but no one even knew who I was, but beating
him now people listen to me, as least they listen to me. I have
29 schools, I’m not complaining, my life’s great, but
my mission is to make my philosophies stand though all MMA, through
all martial art, I’m not trying to get rid of the gi. Some
of my schools have the gi program and no gi program. I want the
Jiu-Jitsu community to realize it’s Judo and Greco-Roman,
it’s two separate styles, I want it to be in every school
plans of Jiu-Jitsu classes for people who are interested on the
clinching style beat suited for MMA, but then you have your Gracie
Jiu-Jitsu, but then you also have on Tuesday and Thursday you
have no gi classes. It’s two different styles.
Why
do you teach Jiu-Jitsu with the gi if you don’t believe
it’s as good as with no gi?
No,
no. All I’m concerned about is MMA, but a lot of people
don’t wanna do MMA and they don’t care about that,
so they like to choke out with the collar, they like that and
there’s nothing wrong with that for me, that’s fine
too. I don’t hate the gi. There’s people who like the
gi and train with it. There’s people who like the long board
and there’re people who like short board surfing, you know
what I mean? That’s all it is. If you wanna train long board,
train long board, but I’m focused on the short board. You
don’t have to do both, but if you wanna do both, do both.
If you wanna do one, do one. If you just wanna do the gi, do
the gi. Ultimately I want to be a choice: gi classes or no gi
classes, that’s it. I’m not trying to stop out the
gi.
You
worked with UFC for a long time. Would you image that MMA and
UFC would be as huge as it is today?
I
don’t work for the UFC anymore, I just quit. I was with
it for eight years, but it’s too much travelling, I’m
focusing on my schools, growing my schools, training my fighters
and working on music, which is my main passion. The Jiu-Jitsu
thing was an accident (laughs). I was only doing Jiu-Jitsu to
stay in shape, so I wouldn’t look like a fat slum on the
stage. I started Jiu-Jitsu when I was 24, that’s when I
started it, and I’ve been producing music all my life. So,
I was training Jiu-Jitsu to stay in shape, I got good at it,
I beat Royler and I go ‘oh, ok, cool’. I have a lot
of passion for Jiu-Jitsu, but the main passion has always been
music. Now, the bigger my Jiu-Jitsu gets, the bigger my music
gets. They’re working off each other, and as far as knowing
if UFC, if I was surprised… I was never surprise. From the
day 1, when I saw UFC I said: ‘this could take over the
world’. I was just waiting for it to happen, and in the
dark years, like from 1997 to 2000, I knew it was a matter of
time. I said this literally word for word: ‘it’s gonna
be a billionaire out there who falls in love with the sport and
it’s gonna save it’. I knew it was going to happen,
that someone with money would come in and it would happen. The
Fertitta’s got involved, they bought it, they blew it up,
there was no shock for me, I was waiting for it this whole time.
I knew there was no way you could stop it, because everybody
that I knew that was into it, they were fanatically into it,
so on a small market, when they were exposed to it, the percentage
of fanatic was huge, that’s like the test-marketing: you
test a movie, and you show 40 people this brand new movie, and
30 people out of the 40 went like ‘man it was amazing’.
You know that, even with only 40 people, you know that movie’s
gonna be big. Same thing the way I look, my friends were all
nuts for the UFC, and I was like ‘man, it’s going to
take off, all it needs is a spark to tart to blow it up, I’m
not shocked at all.
Do
you think about working with them again in the future?
Probably
I don’t see that happening. My focus, from this point on,
is going to be building as many schools as possible, proving
my philosophy for MMA and keeping producing my music, have a
couple of kids, a couple more animals and just be happy.
I
heard that you have a band. How does it go?
Like
I said, I’ve been producing music, I’ve been in and
out of bands ever since I was 10 years old. There’re few
people I’m producing right now. One of the projects I’m
producing is called Smoke Serpent, it’s a band like if The
Cure, Depeche Mode, Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins and Peter
Murphy all got together and said: ‘let’s form a rap
band’. That’s what it sounds like.
Source: Tatame
|
Alvarez,
Pitbull and Nazaré win at Bellator
The
Bellator event held this Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in
Uncasville, Connecticut, featured plenty of action with a grand
prix.
Former
Pride FC fighter Luiz Azeredo was called up as a last-minute
substitute for Matt Veach against fellow-Brazilian Rene Nazaré,
pitting black belt against black belt. Azeredo put up a tough
fight in the cage with plenty of striking, but the Chute Boxe
rep ended up breaking his arm and was unable to return in the
second round. Nazaré thus notched his seventh win in seven
fightts.
And
Eddie Alvarez successfully defended his lightweight belt against
Pat Curran, taking the unanimous decision after five rounds.
Check
out the results:
Bellator
39
Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA
April 2, 2011
John
McLaughlin defeated Blair Tugman via unanimous decision
Rene
Nazare defeated Luiz Azeredo via technical knockout (injured
arm) in R1
Dave
Jansen submitted Scott McAffe via arm triangle in R1
Ryan
Quinn defeated Mike Winters via unanimous decision
Ben
Sauders defeated Matt Lee via doctor’s intervention
Lightweight
GP semifinal
Patrick Pitbull knocked out Toby Iamada in R1
Welterweight
GP semifinal
Rick Hawn defeated Lyman Good via unanimous decision
Lightweight
title defense
Eddie Alvarez venceu Pat Curran via unanimous decision
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Strikeforce
Challengers 15: Storylines
STOCKTON,
Calif. -- Designed to showcase up-and-coming talents, the Strikeforce
Challengers series puts on display several fighters that will
appear on bigger stages in the months and years to come.
Strikeforce
Challengers 15, held at the Stockton Arena, also served some
object lessons on the state of MMA as we know it. Here are four
storylines from Friday’s event.
‘The
Silverback’ a Legit Title Contender
Justin
Wilcox’s one-round blitz of Rodrigo Damm was a savage tableau
with a recurring theme. Wilcox swung, Damm got hit and the Brazilian
was bounced around the cage like a pinball. Yet Damm, to his
credit, survived the five-minute assault despite several moments
where a stoppage would not have brooked too much disapproval
from the crowd or viewers. It was that brutal.
Wilcox’s
wrestling and heavy hands will make him a handful for whoever
emerges with the Strikeforce lightweight belt on Saturday in
San Diego. With Gilbert Melendez taking on Tatsuya Kawajiri,
the promotion definitely will be in need of a high-octane follow-up
act, especially as its championship bouts in the days to come
will invariably be compared to the UFCs top-caliber equivalents.
Wilcox
is ready, and while he is likely a fight or two away from a title
shot against the champion, that is probably better for him, as
he will just have more time to tighten his game. Wrestlers get
a bad rap in MMA, but wrestlers who come to bang straddle the
fine line between being fan friendly and technically sound. “The
Silverback” was both of those against Damm.
Are
Submissions Dying Elements?
Desired
skill sets in MMA are in vogue and then fade away, as the sport’s
dominant athletes showcase their effectiveness. However, with
the emergence of the high-level wrestler/athlete in the game,
one has to wonder if jiu-jitsu will ever see anything resembling
the heyday it enjoyed in MMA’s early days, roughly defined
as 1993-2000.
Each
fight is only one mere slice of the data pie, so to speak, but
Wilcox’s blitz of Damm was another reminder of the mountain
a jiu-jitsu-based fighter has to climb when facing a talented
wrestler with better standup.
I
would be willing to venture that fewer fights in the last two
to three years were won via submissions than any similar time
frame in the history of MMA. In fact, if one discounts rear-naked
chokes, which are often as much a product of punishment and exhaustion,
it is getting to the point where an armbar or triangle win is
a rarity on many cards.
The
highly technical submission, such as the inverted triangle or
twister -- both recently hit at Bellator Fighting Championships
and UFC events, respectively -- is successful because of the
surprise factor in defending them. It will be interesting to
see how counters develop to those, as fighters start trying them.
My guess is you will see a few fighters attempt them in upcoming
cards, with defenses for them evolving nearly as quickly.
Still,
the days of going into someone’s guard and getting armbarred
seem long gone. Guys like Wilcox have rendered that a dangerous
strategy at best. Even worse, they beat the snot out of their
opponents before it ever gets there.
Fighters
are simply not incentivized to use the guard to score points.
It remains murky as to what judges award for a threatening submission
attempt. I would not mind seeing some scoring criterion for that;
but until then, the guard seems more and more a place to shy
away from, unless you are pretty sure you can hit a fight-ending
submission.
Larkin
looks like he's for real.
Larkin Upset a Sobering Reminder
As
Sherdog’s resident fight previewer, I would estimate the
injury/dropout rate at events to be 15 percent, something that
always gnaws at me whenever I turn in a preview piece a couple
weeks early. Invariably, someone will be scratched from the card,
necessitating a re-write of that particular fight. It is inevitable,
what with the high level of physical exertion and hazards of
preparing for a fight -- and the athletes have to constantly
adjust.
It
is also a juicy rationalization to delay filing my previews,
because every time I get one in early, a couple guys get hurt,
and I have to go through the revision process again. But I digress.
Whether
you are a late substitute, as Lorenz Larkin was on Friday filling
in for Satoshi Ishii, or the guy fighting the sub, as Scott Lighty
was in taking on Larkin, there is a lot of guesswork and mental
adjustments required. It is not easy for anybody involved.
Larkin’s
upset knockout of Lighty was a stark reminder of how dangerous
these kinds of bouts can be. For the most part, the spot is taken
by a guy like DaMarques Johnson, who was stopped against Amir
Sadollah after Johnson filled in for an injured Duane Ludwig
at UFC Fight Night 24. The late substitute is often a guy with
everything to gain and little to lose, facing a guy in the exact
opposite situation. His conditioning is often a wild card. Though
he will state he has been training -- and most have to some extent
-- he still takes a fight where he has not had the proper camp
to prepare and peak at the right time.
The
A-side fighter, meanwhile, has some wild cards of his own with
which to deal. Lighty’s situation was a perfect example.
Slated to face Ishii, an Olympic gold medalist in judo, he instead
got Larkin, an unbeaten former heavyweight who had fought on
smaller shows and earned a reputation as an aggressive banger.
To his credit, Lighty took a ton of punishment before finally
succumbing. It was a breakout performance for Larkin.
One
man’s loss is another man’s gain, but the bout really
did remind one of how quickly fates can change when last-minute
card alterations must be made. Props go out to all those involved
-- both the late subs that step up when called upon and the fighters
that put themselves on the line with little to gain and so much
to lose.
Fodor
a Live One
You
have to love the fighter that takes everything available to him
and smashes it repeatedly. Caros Fodor is exactly that guy. His
performance against David Douglas was the hit-’em-with-the-kitchen-sink
approach, with masterful clinch work and down-and-dirty striking.
The guy simply punishes you wherever he can connect.
This
is especially effective in spots like guard or half-guard, where
body punching remains a woefully overlooked art. Whacking an
opponent in the ribs may not get the crowd riled up, but it goes
a long way toward wearing him down and, often, improving position.
I love the fighter that plants a half-dozen blows to the ribcage
when his opponent is tying up, trying to stall for time or a
restart. Fodor’s that kind of fighter and will be fun to
watch as he moves up the ranks.
Source: Sherdog
|
Dave
Herman Still Debuts at UFC 131 But Now Faces Joey Beltran in
June
Dave Herman will still be making his debut at UFC 131, but he’ll
now face Joey Beltran in a heavyweight match-up on the June card.
UFC
officials announced the new match-up that has been verbally agreed
to by both fighters on Thursday.
Originally,
Herman was set to face veteran British fighter Rob Broughton,
but he has now been removed from the bout and Beltran steps up
in his place. There’s been no word as to what happened with
Broughton, whether it was just a change or if the British fighter
suffered some sort of injury.
Beltran
returns to action after a slugfest with former K-1 fighter Pat
Barry at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 in January.
Meanwhile,
Herman makes his UFC debut after spending time in several different
organizations over the years including Elite XC and Sengoku.
The
heavyweight bout will be part of the UFC 131 card headlined by
former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar against Junior Dos Santos
with a title shot on the line.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Mayhem
at the Mansion III is Back!
We
are excited to announce our next event, Mayhem at the Mansion
III on June 25th, 2011 again at our home at Kilohana Estates.
Headlining the event will be again, Kauai's own Eben Kaneshiro
!
Also
we will have a Kauai Instructor to Battle for the 170 lbs belt,
stay posted to find out who it is???
We may also have a former UFC fighter fighting on the card !
We are very grateful to have all of you as part of our promotion
for the past 6 years and we promise we will always bring out
the best fighters and match ups to Kauai !
Again
Thank you for all your support! Stay tuned with more info and
match ups to follow in the coming weeks!
New
Sponsor packages will be coming out to fit every ones Budget
and maximize your companies exposure!
Looking
forward to working with you all again and in the near future!
Mahalo and Aloha
Vance
Ainofea
Productions, LLC - CEO
Kauai cage matches
|
Brock
Lesnar’s Motive For Doing TUF 13 Was All About Fighting
for the Title
There
are a lot of reasons that someone would accept a slot as a coach
on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. Maybe it’s
a grudge that needs to be settled, like in the case of Rashad
Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, or maybe it’s
just for the exposure the show provides.
For
TUF 13 coach Brock Lesnar the motivation to go on the show was
pure and simple.
It
earned him a fight that will get him closer to regaining the
UFC heavyweight title that he lost last year.
The
former NCAA champion is already one of the most well known figures
to ever compete in the UFC, but Lesnar admits that there are
certain things that haunt him about the fight with now champion
Cain Velasquez. He’s looking to exorcise those demons with
the reality show and the fight with Junior Dos Santos.
“I
was healthy physically, but mentally probably not so,” Lesnar
said about his fight with Velasquez. “I don’t think
it really registers to the general public on my year last year.
From being sick and losing 42 pounds and just getting my ass
to the gym to recover. Then have a title fight and on top of
that, while I’m training for a title fight, a new baby boy,
and then fighting Shane Carwin and I was expecting some time
off.
“I
really needed it mentally more than anything and physically.
Then I booked the fight against Cain. If there was one thing
that I could learn from that is to maybe spread title fights
out a little farther than what I did.”
Hindsight
is 20/20, but Lesnar is now focused on the goal of getting ready
for the fight against Dos Santos in June at UFC 131, and then
facing Velasquez with the title on the line.
The
Minnesota resident admits that was the biggest reason for him
to do “The Ultimate Fighter.” He hopes that motivation
serves him well in June. He also knows that he would have had
to fight Dos Santos eventually, so this all works out pretty
well.
“Analyzing
my loss against Cain, if I had won that fight I’d be fighting
Junior, so I’m right back in the same position, but absolutely,
it’s the closest thing to getting me a title fight, and
getting my UFC heavyweight title back,” Lesnar commented.
One
thing that won’t likely be showcased on this season of “The
Ultimate Fighter” is a standing grudge between Lesnar and
Dos Santos. In past seasons, with coaches like Evans and Jackson
or even Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, there always seemed
to be a fuse just waiting to be lit any time the coaches interacted
with each other.
Lesnar
threw water on that idea right away because simply put, he didn’t
spend enough time around Dos Santos to build a grudge during
the show.
“I
don’t know what them guys are referring to. I probably spent
a total of 30 minutes with Junior on the show. I didn’t
make it a point to run into him or anything of that nature. I
saw very little of him other than what we were doing for television,”
Lesnar disclosed.
Regardless
of any pent up aggression boiling over from six weeks together
on the show, Lesnar and Dos Santos are battling for a shot at
the UFC heavyweight title when they meet in June, and that needs
no extra build up.
“The
Ultimate Fighter Season 13? debuts this Wednesday night at 9
p.m. ET/PT on Spike TV.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Three
Stars: Jung, Sadollah and a pair of bantamweights
The
UFC's first trip to Seattle was successful, with several young,
untested fighters showing they belonged in the Octagon. Who rose
above the rest?
No.
1 star -- Chan Sung Jung: In their first bout, Jung and Leonard
Garcia swung wildly at each other for three rounds. They created
an exciting bout that will long be remembered as one of the WEC's
best, but still ended up in a loss for Jung. He changed his plan
this time, fighting a more calculated bout that ended with him
slapping on twister submission. It was the first twister performed
in the UFC, and it earned Jung at $55,000 Submission of the Night
bonus.
No.
2 star -- Amir Sadollah: Since winning the seventh season of
"The Ultimate Fighter," Sadollah has had an up-and-down
tenure in the UFC, plagued with injuries, sickness and odd losses.
None of those troubles were obvious on Saturday night, as he
gave DaMarques Johnson an old-fashioned beating. In the second
round, Sadollah inundated Johnson with elbows, causing Johnson
to tap and earning Sadollah his second straight win.
No.
3 star -- Michael McDonald and Edwin Figueroa: Smaller weights
are known for putting on a show, and McDonald and Figueroa delivered.
McDonald won their three-round decision with a mix of strikes
and submission attempts, but Figueroa won respect by standing
through every strike and making it out of every sub attempt.
They both won $55,000 for a Fight of the Night bonus.
Honorable
mention -- Johny Hendricks: Unfortunately, the main event ran
over time, so we didn't get to see Hendricks' knockout of T.J.
Waldburger. A report from on-site described it:
Hendricks
connected on two powerful left hands. The back-to-back blows
sent Waldburger to the mat, and the ref halted the action before
Hendricks could deliver any further punishment.
Hendricks
earned the Knockout of the Night bonus, good for $55,000.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Davis
impresses, but ‘Zombie’ steals show
SEATTLE
– Chan Sung Jung stole the show again. Light heavyweight
Phil Davis garnered most of the prefight headlines, as a large
contingent of fans anointed him as the only serious challenger
to new UFC champion Jon Jones.
And
while Davis came up with a unanimous decision victory over Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira on Saturday in the main event of Ultimate Fight
Night 24 before a sellout crowd of 14,212, it was once again
Jung, better known as “The Korean Zombie,” who left
everyone amazed.
Nearly
a year after he engaged in one of the great fights in recent
vintage, Jung came up with one of the finest submissions in Ultimate
Fighting Championship history when he forced Leonard Garcia to
tap to a twister with just one second left in the second round
of their featherweight match.
Jung
lost a split decision to Garcia at WEC 48 last April in Sacramento,
Calif., in a slugfest that many picked as Fight of the Year.
If possible, he one-upped himself on Saturday by pulling off
the rarely seen submission that brought the house down.
It
was the first time that a twister was completed in a UFC fight
and one of the few times it was done in competition at any level
of MMA. For that, he earned a $55,000 bonus for Fight of the
Night.
“It’s
something I saw a long time ago on the Internet on video,”
Jung said. “It’s one of Eddie Bravo’s moves. It’s
something I practiced because it looks fun and I do it quite
a bit in practice. I have always told people I was going to try
it sometime in competition. I wanted to do it in the UFC and
I was able to, finally.”
Jung
got Garcia’s back, pulled Garcia’s left arm behind
his head toward the right shoulder and then cranked the neck.
Referee
Dan Miragliotta said he teaches the move at his school in New
Jersey.
“I
teach it, but it never works,” the gregarious Miragliotta
said, laughing.
And
as many times as Jung has tried it, it hadn’t worked. And
had there been more time, he probably wouldn’t have even
taken a shot at it. But he knew it was late in the round and
there was nothing to lose by attempting it.
He
didn’t begin to move to apply the twister until there were
roughly 20 seconds left in the round.
“I
felt like I was a little behind in the second round, so if there
were more than 30 seconds, I probably would have gone for something
a little safer to try to maintain that round points-wise,”
Jung said.
Davis
did a lot of points scoring against Nogueira, taking down the
veteran Brazilian several times in the second half of the fight
to pull out a workmanlike victory. Davis won all three rounds
on all judges’ cards to register a 30-27 victory across
the board.
However,
coming on the heels of Jones’ dynamic title-winning victory
over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua a week earlier in New Jersey,
and all the talk of Davis being his most legitimate challenger,
Davis’ performance felt a bit underwhelming.
He’s
got great wrestling skills and, despite being very inexperienced,
is now 5-0 in the UFC. But the fast track he was on probably
slowed after Saturday’s performance.
Davis
isn’t particularly thrilled with all the Jones talk and
said he needs to work more on improving his game.
“I’m
just working on everything,” Davis said. “My teammates
are real good about making sure they mix it up with me and give
me a good look, different looks, all the time in practice. I
really haven’t gotten to the point where I perform in the
fight like I do in practice. That’s something that the best
athletes are able to do.
“Once
I get better, you’ll see a lot more variety and a lot more
out of me. If you saw practice, you’d say, ‘Man, is
this the same cat?’ It’s a lot more limited in the
actual fight. I’m a young guy and I’m coming up. When
you don’t have as much experience, you’ll see a little
bit less in the fight, but I’m a work in progress.”
Another
fighter who is still developing, welterweight Anthony Johnson,
was dominant in a unanimous decision victory over Dan Hardy.
Johnson’s progress, though, is in being able to control
his weight. He ballooned up to around 230 pounds, but he insisted
after the bout that it will never happen again.
Johnson,
who said he weighed 195 in the cage on Saturday, arrived in Seattle
on Tuesday weighing 186 and needing to cut 15 pounds to make
the 171-pound limit for the bout with Hardy. It was, he said,
extremely difficult.
“It
was hell,” he said. “Like always. I was about to beat
up my trainer a couple of times because he wouldn’t let
me out of the sauna, but I’m glad that he kept me in there
and we got the job done.”
Both
fighters had promised before the fight to stand and trade punches,
but Johnson, a former junior college national wrestling champion,
used his wrestling to repeatedly take down Hardy.
The
crowd was annoyed and booed lustily throughout, but Johnson didn’t
sway from his game plan in his first fight since a loss to Josh
Koscheck on Nov. 21, 2009.
“I
knew I could bang with him and that was no problem,” Johnson
said. “I knew I could do that. But his weakness is his wrestling
and I knew that is one of my strengths, so I just took it to
my advantage and used it.”
Hardy’s
job status may now be in question, as his loss was his third
in a row. He was routed in a welterweight championship match
by Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111 last year, losing all five rounds.
And he was knocked out by Carlos Condit at 4:27 of the first
at UFC 120 in October. Given that he dropped all three rounds
to Johnson, he hasn’t won any of his last nine rounds.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Anthony
Johnson Hates John Howard, Would Gladly Accept Chance to Beat
Him Up
Anthony
“Rumble” Johnson did what he had to do to get a win
on Saturday night in Seattle at UFC Fight Night 24: Nogueira
vs. Davis. Through three rounds, he wrestled his way to a win,
getting the decision nod over Dan Hardy in their co-main event
match-up.
The
fight was Johnson’s first since December of 2009. The 16
months Johnson spent away from fighting was more than enough
time to survey the UFC’s welterweight division. Now, having
come off a win in the organization’s first trip to the Emerald
City, “Rumble” is able to wait and see who the UFC
will pair him with next.
When
asked who he’d like to take on in his next trip to the Octagon,
Johnson explained that the division is deep enough to make his
choice of opponent difficult, but one name sticks out to him.
“The
welterweight division is so stacked that if you call out one
person, you got to call everybody out,” Johnson said shortly
after his UFC Fight Night win. “There’s only one person
who I really hate – John Howard.”
Johnson
made it clear that he detests Howard, but doesn’t feel “Doomsday”
is capable of dealing with a “rumble” after getting
dealt with by Thiago Alves so efficiently.
“But
he got beat up by Thiago, so he ain’t ready for me yet,”
he said. “So, we’ll see. Whoever they give me I guess
I just have to be ready for it.”
If
given the opportunity, however, Johnson would accept a fight
with Howard in a heartbeat. When asked how he would feel if the
UFC granted him the opportunity to fight him, Johnson explained
it would be perfectly okay with him.
“That’s
fine, I’ll beat him up,” he said.
And
why does Anthony Johnson want to beat up John Howard? The answer
is simple – he feels Howard is a coward.
“He’s
a (expletive),” he said.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
Fight Night 24 Fighter Bonuses: Jung Runs Away With $55,000 Sub
Bonus
There
were several fights at UFC Fight Night 24 on Saturday night in
Seattle that didn’t live up to expectations; fights that
were thought potential producers of post-fight award winners.
But
there were other bouts that delivered on the promise, with fighters
providing performances that netted them bonuses of $55,000 each.
Without
a shadow of a doubt, “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung
Jung ran away with the Submission of the Night bonus. His rematch
with Leonard Garcia didn’t go the way most fans expected,
after a bell-to-bell slugfest in their first meeting, but he
delivered a dramatic finish with one second left in round two.
Jung
finished Garcia with Eddie Bravo’s patented Twister submission,
something that no fighter has ever done in the Octagon. It was
something that Jung learned from watching Bravo’s YouTube
videos, and had longed to pull off in the UFC.
Michael
McDonald and Edwin Figueroa, whose fight was featured on the
UFC’s Facebook preliminary bout stream, was one that Spike
TV officials surely would have cherished having time for on their
broadcast.
McDonald
lived up to expectations, showing the wide range of his skills
earning a unanimous decision against Figueroa, but Figueroa impressed
as well, taking the fight on 10 days notice, never giving in
to McDonald’s efforts. Their battle was enough to earn them
the Fight of the Night bonus.
The
Knockout of the Night went to a fighter that didn’t make
the Spike TV broadcast or the Facebook prelim stream. Johny Hendricks
TKO’d T.J. Waldburger a mere minute and a half into their
fight.
Each
of the winners pocketed an extra $55,000 on Saturday night for
a total of $220,000 in reported post-fight bonuses.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Satoshi
Ishii Out of Strikeforce Debut Due To Disasters in Japan
Strikeforce
officials early Monday announced that undefeated light heavyweight
Lorenz Larkin would step in to replace Satoshi Ishii against
Scott Lighty at Friday’s Strikeforce Challengers 15 in Stockton,
Calif.
Ishii’s
participation was another casualty of the recent earthquake and
tsunami disaster that struck Japan. Due to the disasters, Ishii
was unable to secure a visa in time for the fight.
Larkin
(8-0) has knocked out or TKO’d six of his eight opponents,
including the five most recent, and all but one of those in the
first round.
“Lorenz
is a talented, undefeated fighter whose aggression and power
make him a threat in the light heavyweight division,” Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker said. “He’s in for a tough test against
Scott Lighty, who has trained with some of the sport’s best
like Chuck Liddell. This is the biggest fight of his young career.”
Lighty
(6-1) is also known for his striking game, having trained with
UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell. He has won by knockout or TKO
in four of his six victories.
In
short, don’t be surprised if a slugfest ensues on Friday
night.
“This
is definitely a step up for me, but I’m excited and looking
forward to the challenge,’’ Larkin said. “Lighty’s
a good fighter with a lot of experience. But I’ve trained
hard, I’m in good shape and I’m confident.’’
Justin
Wilcox (10-3) faces Rodrigo Damm (9-4) in a lightweight bout
battle in the Strikeforce Challengers 15 main event on Showtime.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Band
of Brothers: How UFC 128 Meant More Than Just Fighting to Jim
and Dan Miller
By
now just about everybody has seen the pictures or the video of
Jim Miller coming backstage to embrace his older brother Dan
in what had to be one of the most emotional nights the brothers
have ever experienced.
Yes,
both Jim and Dan fought at UFC 128 in front of their home state
crowd in New Jersey, and that in and of itself could be called
emotional.
Yes,
Jim had to walk out for his fight against Kamal Shalorus just
minutes after his brother Dan lost a unanimous decision to Nate
Marquardt in the previous bout, but that wasn’t it either.
The
date of UFC 128 fell on the same day that, two years earlier,
the elder Miller brother lost his daughter after she was born,
and what was already a highly charged emotional day, turned into
a moment that no one will soon forget.
Jim
went on to win his fight, finishing off Shalorus by TKO in the
third round, but even though he was happy with his performance,
the first thing he wanted to talk about was how proud he was
of his big brother for going out there and fighting like a champion.
“Just
the night itself was a tough night being the history of the night,
for Dan’s daughter. It definitely added some pressure,”
Miller told MMAWeekly Radio. “He fought hard, I’m super
proud of him. He was fighting hard and he was going for the finish.
He locked up like three or four guillotines and he just couldn’t
put it together. It would have been even better if we were both
able to win.”
Of
course Jim and Dan are close simply because they are brothers,
but they have a relationship that transcends family. The two
New Jersey fighters are best friends, training partners, and
share a bond that some brothers will never feel.
They’ve
seen each other at their highest moments both personally and
professionally, and been there for each other when they’ve
been at their lowest.
“They’re
all very close. It’s a very tight knit family,” said
Mike Constantino who trains both Jim and Dan Miller, and has
done so for the last four years.
Beyond
Jim and Dan, they also have another brother and a sister, along
with their mom and dad, and they are all extremely close, and
family truly does come first when you speak about the Millers.
In
training, Jim and Dan also work to push each other to get better
every single day. There hasn’t been a camp where Jim hasn’t
helped Dan get ready for a fight or vice versa. It’s a relationship
that amazes their trainer, and rubs off on their teammates, who
learn and grow from training with the Miller brothers.
Even
in the intense moments when something may not be going right,
cooler heads always seem to prevail.
“They
really do not only push each other, but their other teammates.
They’re really good leaders. They do a great job of leading
by example, saying and doing all the right things,” Constantino
said.
“I’ve
never seen them fight or argue or anything like that. I mean
they’ve disagreed, but I’ve never really seen that.
They really are that tight, it’s amazing.”
When
the UFC came calling on Jim to fight on the card in New Jersey,
like every other time the UFC had called, he quickly accepted.
When big brother Dan found out Jim was fighting on the card,
he asked the UFC for the chance to fight on the same night.
The
date on the calendar read March 19, and they both knew what it
meant, but both Jim and Dan wanted to fight and nothing was going
to hold them back. Dan made the call to the UFC, and they found
him a fight and soon the Miller brothers were both preparing
for UFC 128.
“He
asked to fight on UFC 128 when he found out I was fighting that
night. There’s no regrets. He went out and he fought hard
and sometimes you end up losing and that’s just the way
it goes,” Jim commented about Dan.
The
night went in Jim’s favor but not in Dan’s. That doesn’t
mean they still didn’t hold their heads high when it was
over. Jim’s undying statement really rings true when he
talks about his brother, because it comes from the heart.
“I’m
proud of him,” Jim said simply about his older brother.
“He should keep his head up and he’ll be back stronger.”
Even
in the heat of his own title hunt with another big win under
his belt, Jim’s biggest emotion following his win at UFC
128 was one of pride. He was proud to see his brother go out
there and fight. He was proud of his courage and will.
He
was simply proud to be his brother.
When
their time in this sport is finished, Jim and Dan Miller will
still share Thanksgiving dinner together, and they’ll always
have birthdays and family get togethers. But what the Miller
brothers shared at UFC 128 is a moment that will live with them
forever.
It’s
a moment that defines brotherhood.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Nick
Diaz Won’t Fight His Brothers; Says Jones & Evans Not
True Teammates
by Damon
Martin
If you want to discuss the subject of teammates fighting each
other, it’s not something the guys working out of Team Cesar
Gracie take kindly to.
With
all the recent hype around former Team Jackson training partners
Jon “Bones” Jones and Rashad Evans choosing to fight
each other, the question has come up among several other camps.
Strikeforce
welterweight champion Nick Diaz has never been one to hold his
tongue when asked a question. Simply put, he doesn’t think
Jones and Evans were really teammates to begin with.
“They’re
not real training partners though,” Diaz said about Jones
and Evans. “You don’t understand, they’re like
10 years apart for one and they didn’t grow up training
together. That guy’s just brand new into the sport. He’s
just doing whatever, they’ve got him busy making photo shoots
and press conferences, and conference calls and all this.
“I’m
missing practice being on this. I’m missing a very serious
practice. I’ve got a lot of people in front of me on the
mat right now training and I need my practice.”
Diaz
makes references to his own teammates like current UFC welterweight
contender Jake Shields and his brother Nate Diaz who fight at
170 pounds in the UFC. Diaz wants no part of that discussion,
and he will never ever fight one of them with anything on the
line.
“That’s
what they’ve got them doing and they’re not focused
on what’s important to them in life. I’ve got what
works, and I’ve got what’s got me there and that’s
my team. That’s a disgusting thought to have to fight my
brother. I don’t even appreciate being asked about that,”
Diaz said.
Diaz’s
teammate, Jake Shields, will of course be fighting Georges St-Pierre
for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 129 in late April, but
the current Strikeforce champion says they only battle in training;
that’s just going to have to be enough.
“I
fought with him today, yesterday in training,” Diaz said
about Shields.
Strikeforce
lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, who also trains with Diaz
and Shields, feels exactly the same way and puts his training
partners in a whole different category.
They’re
family.
“It’s
more than training partners. We’re a family,” Melendez
stated. “Someone like Nick, Nate, and Jake, they’ve
all helped me become the fighter I am. How am I going to use
these skills they taught me against them? We help each other
get better, it’s just not right.”
Even
with titles or money on the line, Melendez believes there will
always be another fight available and he’ll choose that
option before he’d ever fight one of his closest friends.
“If
you’re turning around offering me $10 million dollars to
fight my boy, then I’m sure someone’s going to offer
me $8 million to fight somebody else,” Melendez said. “I’ll
definitely take a pay cut or whatnot.
“It
runs deeper than money and team. It’s family and loyalty.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Nick
Diaz: Fighting a Teammate Is a 'Disgusting' Thought
By Ray
Hui
Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz doesn't even want
to think about having to fight one of his Cesar Gracie teammates.
Diaz
said on a teleconference Thursday there is "nothing"
that would make him consider fighting a training partner.
"I
fight with him today, yesterday in training," Diaz said
of teammate Jake Shields, who meets Georges St-Pierre for the
title next month at UFC 129. "It's already a done deal."
Before
he spoke about Shields, Diaz was asked to comment on Jon Jones
having to face Rashad Evans and the hot topic opened the doors
for Diaz to deliver another one of his rants, this time something
along the lines of a Bizarro World version of Allen Iverson's
infamous "Practice" rant.
"[Jones
and Evans are] not real training partners though. You don't understand,
they're like 10 years apart for one, or something like that.
They didn't grow up training together and [Jones] is brand new
to the sport," Diaz said. "He's just doing whatever
-- they got him so busy making photoshoots and press conferences
and conference calls and all that -- I'm missing practice right
now being on this. I missing a very serious practice. I got a
lot of people right in front of me on the mat right now training
and I need my practice. I'm over here on this call and it's simple,
stuff like this, that's what they got them doing and they're
not focused on who's important to them in life.
"I
got training partners and I got what works that got me there.
That's my team," Diaz continued. "That's a disgusting
thought to have to fight my brother. I don't even appreciate
being asked about that."
In
January, Diaz made news for complaining on a pre-fight conference
call about not making enough money and having to drive a broken
down Honda. He inserted the issue of money as well to the fighting
teammates discussion.
"And
they don't even pay me close to enough money to think about that
sort of thing," Diaz said. "They pay me way too much
money but not enough as far as I'm concerned."
Strikeforce
lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, another one of Diaz's
teammates, was also on the call and touched on the tight-knit
relationships the core members of the Cesar Gracie camp share.
"It's
more than training partners, we're a family," Melendez said.
"Someone like Nick, Nate and Jake, they've all helped me
become the fighter I am. How am I going to use these skills that
they taught me against them? We help each other get better. It's
just not right."
If
it came down to it, Melendez would take less money rather than
face one of his teammates.
"And
if you're turning around and offering me $10 million dollars
to fight my boys then I'm sure someone will turn around an offer
me $8 million somebody else. I'll definitely take a pay cut or
whatnot."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
TUF
14: Guida, Lauzon support young blood
By Franklin
McNeil
Clay Guida can teach young guns a thing or two about making it
in the UFC
UFC
lightweights Clay Guida and Joe Lauzon attended "The Ultimate
Fighter" Season 14 tryouts on Monday in Newark, N.J.
The
veterans were there to support teammates from their respective
training camps.
Guida
(28-11-0) was on hand to offer inspiration to several Chicago-area
teammates and a handful who call Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque,
N.M., home.
Among
the fighters who reached the interview round, whom Guida accompanied
to the Marriott at Newark International Airport, were bantamweights
Carson Beebe and John Dodson.
When
the excitement over Beebe and Dodson began to subside, Guida
took time to discuss his upcoming bout against Anthony Pettis.
The two are scheduled to meet June 4 in Las Vegas.
"I
give Anthony Pettis all the props in the world for not sitting
around and waiting for the winner of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard,"
Guida told ESPN.com. "I respect the fact that he's stepping
up the competition after coming off a great win against Ben Henderson
to fight someone like myself."
Although
Guida has nothing but good things to say about Pettis' professionalism,
he believes it was less than wise of the lightweight titleholder
of the now-defunct WEC to accept this fight against him.
Pettis
burst onto the national MMA scene in December when he took the
WEC 155-pound crown from Henderson. He offset Henderson's wrestling
with solid takedown defense, pinpoint striking and an instantly
legendary off-the-cage kick.
But
Guida says it will take more than that for Pettis to survive
what he has to offer.
"I'm
a bad matchup for him," Guida said. "I'm a bad matchup
for most of my opponents.
"You
know you're going to have to be in shape. You know you're going
to have to be able to stop a takedown or get your own takedown.
You know you're going to have to strike a little.
"You're
going to have to do a little of everything, but I do it just
a little better than everyone. It's not pretty; my fighting style
is definitely not that technical. But I've tightened up my game
in those areas that were needed to get me to that next level
and compete with the top guys."
Lauzon
was disappointed that his teammates from Team Aggression in Bridgewater,
Mass. (bantamweight Joe Cushman and featherweight Tony Leate)
didn't make it beyond the grappling and striking portions of
the TUF 14 tryouts.
But
while Cushman and Leate must wait a bit longer to realize their
dreams of fighting inside the Octagon, Lauzon expects to make
his return in the not-too-distant future.
"I
talked to [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva, and they were thinking
in May, but I rolled my right ankle pretty bad -- a high sprain,"
Lauzon told ESPN.com. "Now they're thinking July or August
-- they're booking out that far. But I have no idea, nothing
is exact.
"I'm
back to training -- not 100 percent -- but we're very close."
Lauzon
(19-6-0) hasn't fought since November, when he was submitted
in the second round by George Sotiropoulus at UFC 123. He still
finds the setback difficult to swallow.
"It
seems that every fight I lose, I wish I could get back,"
Lauzon said. "There's something that I did wrong, or maybe
something didn't go right in training camp or whatever.
"There
are always a couple of things I wish I could have done differently,
but I don't like making any excuses."
Source: ESPN
|
Shawn
Tompkins on what the rules of engagement are in 2011 for MMA
training camps
By Zach
Arnold
STEVE
COFIELD: “The other issue to talk about is brotherhood and
I also think, with that, is the size of your team. Can you over-do
it by having 15 elite fighters in your camp, in the same weight
classes? Greg (Jackson) has dealt with this before because he
had the whole Diego (Sanchez)/GSP thing years ago.”
SHAWN
TOMPKINS: “A big part of my team is the family atmosphere,
you know, my guys they eat together, they go out together, they
train together, you know, I like that part of it. I will never
get rid of that. But it’s how you deal with the situation
and I basically lay it out when they get here (the Tapout Training
Center). They know, if they become part of the team, these kinds
of situations are going to happen and decisions are going to
have to be made. We make them as a team but ultimately I’m
the coach.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “Probably a bad thing to promise that guys are
never going to fight. That’s where you paint yourself into
a corner.”
SHAWN
TOMPKINS: “That’s exactly it. You know, you can’t.
You got to treat it like it is. You know, the family side of
it, the brotherhood can be on within this cage, within this house.
But when it goes out into the business of the UFC or any other
organization, you work for them.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “We mentioned Vitor Belfort, you’ve worked
with him in the past. I guessing you’re not working with
him moving forward, right?”
SHAWN
TOMPKINS: “Never.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “You said never.”
SHAWN
TOMPKINS: “Never. Never again.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “Why not?”
SHAWN
TOMPKINS: “I’m not really interested in working with
guys that aren’t solely with me and that are guys that aren’t
with me from the bottom-up. My new goal and my new thought on
my team and a lot has to do with Vitor is I want to train guys
and bring up the new Vitor Belforts. I want to bring up the next
Randy Coutures. You know, I worked with Dan Henderson for three
fights, I was there and helped him train when he knocked out
Wanderlei Silva. You know, I went from there, I worked with Wanderlei
Silva when he knocked out Keith Jardine. I helped Randy Couture
when he beat (Gabriel) Gonzaga, you know I helped Vitor Belfort
get three of the most devastating knockouts of his career. Has
it really done that much for me? You know? It’s brought
me along in the sport in the eyes of the fans, but really where
my bread-and-butter is and where my love for the sport is are
the guys at the baseline, the bottom, from the bottom to the
top. Look at where I am right now with Sam Stout, Mark Hominick,
Chris Horodecki. Look at where I am with Mark Hominick. That’s
where the love for this sport for me is.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Focused
and Winning Vinny Magalhaes Likely Fighting for M-1 Belt
By Kelsey
Mowatt
During
the eighth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2008,
it appeared as though Vinny Magalhaes was on the verge of becoming
one of the promotion’s top light-heavyweight prospects,
as the young Brazilian fighter worked his way to the show’s
finale to face Ryan Bader. Up until that point, Magalhaes had
made good on the reputation that had preceded him as a world
class grappler, utilizing his awe inspiring ground game to score
first round submission wins over Jules Bruchez and Krzysztof
Soszynski. Even with his TKO loss to Bader that December, few
likely expected at the time, that Magalhaes would not be with
the UFC for much longer.
“I
think a lot of people don’t realize that when I got on the
show, I was with Team Quest, that doesn’t mean I was training
my wrestling with Dan Henderson, training my striking with Sokoudjou
and Krzysztof,” Magalhaes told FCF. “I was there as
the grappling coach and that was what I was doing the most.”
Following
his loss to Bader, Magalhaes faced fellow BJJ black belt Eliot
Marshall four months later at UFC 97, and after losing by unanimous
decision he was cut by the promotion.
“I
wasn’t really training as a full time fighter,” Magalhaes
added. “I was doing some grappling, I was doing some BJJ
with gi, so once I got into the UFC I realized things were harder
than just taking someone down or pulling guard. It took those
losses to realize that I had to change how I was training.”
Despite
having won multiple championships as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor,
including gold medals at the Mundials in 2005 and 2007, Magalhaes
made the decision to focus all of his attention on MMA rather
than his grappling career. The decision has paid off, as since
departing from the UFC, Magalhaes has gone 5-1 and is currently
riding a three fight winning streak. Most recently, at M-1 Challenge
24 on March 25th, Magalhaes pounded out previously undefeated
light-heavyweight Jake Doerr in the first round, to extend his
pro record to 7-5.
“I
wouldn’t say that I was surprised by dropping the guy,”
said Magalhaes, while discussing the improvements in his striking
game. “I think the biggest thing for me before, was of course
the lack of skills, but it was also the lack of strategy and
the lack of confidence. Before I would go into a fight and think
‘oh, let’s hope the guy is going to take me down and
I can finish him on the ground’, but most of the guys were
smart enough to not take me down....I just changed my mental
game, now I think I have to be the first to take him down, or
I have to be the first to hit my opponent.”
The
recent TKO vitory over Doerr was the second win Magalhaes has
recorded fighting for M-1 Global; in December, the 26 year-old
fighter tapped out Alihan Magomedov with a beautifully executed
triangle-choke, armbar combo at M-1 Challenge 22. On account
of his two performances thus far with the European based promotion,
it appears as though Magalhaes could be competing for the vacant
M-1 Global light-heavyweight belt on April 28th.
“I’m
supposed to be fighting for the title; that’s what I’ve
been told,” said Magalhaes while discussing what’s
next. “They’re just not sure about the opponent.”
FCF
confirmed with a M-1 Global official that indeed the promotion
is hoping to have Magalhaes fight for its light-heavyweight belt
at the upcoming “Zavurov vs. Magomedov II” card in
St. Petersburg, Russia. It’s an opportunity Magalhaes is
understandably excited about.
“For
me it means a lot,” said Magalhaes, who currently trains
out of the Xtreme Couture facility in Las Vegas. “I had
a bit of a rough start to my career so to be fighting for a title
now is really great. I’d like to keep the belt for a while...Now
I’m taking my career very seriously, just focusing on MMA,
and I think from now on people are going to really start seeing
a different fighter.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
The
best lightweight outside the UFC, Alvarez says hype doesn’t
impress him
By Steve
Cofield
Eddie Alvarez is one of the last men standing. With Zuffa purchasing
Strikeforce, the UFC has scooped most of the elite fighters in
the world. The promotion has 110 of 125 ranked fighters in the
USA Today/Bloody Elbow rankings under contract. One of those
guys, and probably the best not working for the UFC is Eddie
Alvarez.
The
27-year-old lightweight out of Philadelphia fights Pat Curran
this weekend at Bellator 39 on MTV2 (9 p.m. ET/PT).
Alvarez
(21-2) is standing up for those guys outside the UFC, saying
the fighters listed as the elite at 155 pounds are just names
with huge promotional power behind them.
"...They're
only important names why? Because they fight for the UFC. Or
else they'd be nobodies. The UFC does a great job of pushing
them, and they're popular. It doesn't mean they're talented.
It just means they're known," Alvarez told SI.com. "I
guarantee that if you put them in a tournament structure like
Bellator, they're not going to win it every time. Gray Maynard?
Kenny Florian? All these guys, they're UFC fighters, that's all.
They're pushed by the UFC, but when they leave the UFC, they're
forgotten."
Alvarez
fought two former UFC 155ers in 2010 and destroyed them.
"When's
the last time you heard Josh Neer's name? You haven't. When's
the last time you heard about Roger Huerta? You haven't. They're
no ones anymore. What were they two years ago? They were superstars."
For
anyone who doubted Alvarez's skills, the Huerta win was an eye
opener. Alvarez known as a good wrestler with heavy hands used
his legs to mentally and physically breakdown Huerta in two rounds.
Huerta lost just two times in the UFC, to Florian and Maynard.
Neither one of those guys, ranked No. 7 and No. 2 respectively
at lightweight, put a beating on Huerta like Alvarez did.
Curran
(12-3) is dangerous. He's on a nice run of four straight wins,
including Toby Imada and Huerta. Alvarez-Curran headlines an
excellent card that includes welterweights Lyman Good, Rick Hawn
and Ben Saunders along elite lightweights Patricky Freire and
Imada.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
It
begins: Strikeforce fighters reportedly now being asked to sign
Zuffa contracts
By Zach
Arnold
Approximately
two weeks ago, Jeff Thaler & I had a conference call (the
audio content is as fresh today as it was back then) talking
about the ramifications of Zuffa buying out Strikeforce. One
of the main points I brought up about the deal is the way the
contracts for Strikeforce are structured and issues relating
to jurisdiction.
According
to MMA Junkie, Strikeforce fighters who are scheduled to fight
at the San Diego Sports Arena event on April 9th are now reportedly
getting new Zuffa contracts. This is an important news item because
what it indicates is that Zuffa has learned from mistakes they
made during the PRIDE asset sale deal where they had some contracts
that did not transfer over (personal service contracts) and others
that required them to honor the deals (ask Mark Hunt about this).
The
elephant in the room, of course, is jurisdiction. By signing
new Zuffa contracts, they likely want the fighters to agree to
make Nevada home court for any legal battles. By doing this,
Zuffa is cutting off fighters from issuing any sort of legal
challenge where California (a friendlier labor state than Nevada)
might possible rule against them if a fighter wanted to challenge
a contract. Zuffa is virtually unstoppable in the Nevada court
system.
(They’ve
used the majority of top law firms in Clark County, too.)
Of
course, the flip side to that is that if a Strikeforce fighter
wanted to challenge Zuffa in court, it would take some serious
cash and Zuffa could threaten the fighter by icing them out for
the remainder of their Strikeforce contract if there is a long-term
expiration date, such as two years.
So
much for Paul Daley not fighting in the UFC again. A rematch
with Josh Koscheck?
Again,
if you haven’t had the chance to do, go listen to the conference
call Jeff & I did on this very topic. It’s less than
30 minutes long and it’s well worth a listen.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Rafael
dos Anjos returns to UFC with a “titanium chin” 10h
By Erik
Engelhart
Rafael
dos Anjos was on a good sequence of three wins in a row, until
he faced Clay Guida, on UFC 117. The BJJ black belt showed a
great improvement on striking, but he broke his jaw on the initial
round with Guida. Without fighting since August, Rafael is fully
recovered and aware that, on the time we was off, much has changed
with UFC merge with WEC, and knows that it’s not likely
that he gets on the collision course.
“I
can’t wait to come back, I believe I’m on the same
level these guys who are on Clay Guida’s baseline are, like
Anthony Pettis… There are lots of good guys on this weight
class, I have no idea who I’ll fight with, there’re
many guys coming from WEC, so it’s hard to tell”, said
Roberto Gordo’s pupil, who guaranteed he still has a lot
to improve.
“The
expectations are the best, I’m feeling fine, I have my chin
armored, I have a titanium chin now, so my chin’s protected
and I’m correcting all my mistakes and enriching my techniques,
which are my weakest point. You can hope Rafael to surprise you
this year, I still have a lot to evolve, I’m only on the
beginning of my career”, concluded.
Source: Tatame
|
MMA
Diet: Calories
by Cameron Conaway
With
each word you read right now, your body is burning. It’s
burning the meals you’ve consumed. If you’re fasting,
no worries, your body will blaze through stored carbohydrates,
muscle and fat. If not fed, it will consume itself. A furnace
is inside you, and until the day you die you will spend a significant
portion of your life stoking this furnace.
A
calorie is the amount of heat it takes to raise one gram of water
by one degree Celsius. When you see a nutritional chart for a
cheeseburger and it reads, “Contains 900 calories,”
it means if that cheeseburger were set on fire and burned completely,
it would create enough heat to raise 900 grams of water by 1
degree Celsius. As your eyes dart around on this page, as your
fingers click to scroll down, as your mind processes what you
read, even as you sleep tonight – your body needs to create
heat in order to make it all happen.
Federal
guidelines state that men between the ages of 19-31 burn anywhere
from 2,400 to 3,000 calories per day. Activity level, metabolism
and size can all impact these numbers.
Caloric
Breakdown:
1
gram of protein = 4 calories
1
gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories
1
gram of fat = 9 calories
Of
all the dieting variables, perhaps the one that can be most easily
quantified is calories. It’s tough to know how your genetics
will respond to a diet high in fat or how your stomach will respond
after a few weeks of whey protein shakes. But caloric intake,
regardless of the food or drink source, will be the factor that
either makes you gain weight or makes you lose it.
There
are sports nutritional products that promise (or promise by lavish
insinuation) weight gain – they even cite studies about
it. This is a flat-out lie. The truth is this:
The
only way healthy human beings can gain weight (whether fat or
muscle) is by taking in more calories than the body burns. Think
surplus.
Conversely,
the only way healthy human beings can lose weight (whether fat
or muscle) is by consuming fewer calories than the body burns.
Think deficit. Example: An athlete burns 2,500 calories per day,
but only consumes 2,000.
It
takes about 3,500 calories to create one pound. So, assuming
the above example takes place for seven consecutive days, our
athlete could expect about one pound of weight loss by week’s
end.
I’ve
watched athletes get the majority of their calories from fried
fast foods and yet still gain muscle weight. For the majority
of us however, the source of calories does matter. Generally
the healthier and “cleaner” our diet, the better our
body will respond in the ways we hope. However, in terms of purely
losing or gaining weight, the source does not matter. I’ve
been asked: “Will protein shakes help me gain muscle weight”
or “Will cutting back on fat help me lose weight?”
The straight answer to both questions is “No.” The
protein shake will help you gain weight only if by adding it
to your diet you are creating a caloric intake surplus. You will
definitely lose weight by cutting out some fat only if by cutting
out those fats you are reducing your caloric intake and creating
a deficit.
Two
tips for the MMA Athlete to gain weight:
(1)
Eat your meals, then drink calories when you’re finished
eating. It’s awfully difficult to be stuffed with food and
then to try to force down more food. However, even when you’re
full you should still be able to gulp down a shake for an additional
300-500 calories.
(2)
Use healthy oils. When making that protein shake, drop two tablespoons
of extra virgin olive oil into the mix. This tiny amount will
get you a whopping 240 extra calories and comes with a ton of
health benefits.
Two
tips for the MMA Athlete to lose weight:
(1)
Incorporate more anaerobic training into your routine. Unlike
slow, steady-state exercise, short bouts of high-intensity training
has been proven to raise metabolism throughout the rest of the
day.
(2)
Eat breakfast (and have some protein with it). Researchers continue
to find (A) Those who skip breakfast end up slowing down their
metabolism and (B) Protein plays a role in satiety (keeps us
feeling full longer so we are less likely to overeat). So, rethink
breakfast. The oatmeal with blueberries is great, but don’t
be afraid to have a few hard-boiled eggs on the side too.
Source: Sherdog
|
TUF
13 Premier TV Ratings In Line With Ultimate Fighter Season 12
“The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos”
didn’t exactly get rave reviews following Wednesday night’s
premier episode, but it did attract viewers in line with Season
12’s average.
Episode
1 pulled in an average audience of 1.5 million viewers, according
to Spike TV officials. That’s just slightly lower than last
season’s average of 1.7 million viewers per episode, and
almost dead-on with Season 12’s premier episode, which drew
1.6 million viewers.
This
season has drawn a lot of interest because of Lesnar. Most people
thought that his explosive personality and the theatrics he honed
as a professional wrestler for WWE would provide ratings fireworks.
Nothing
along those lines happened in the first episode. Of course, after
just one episode it’s still too soon to tell how Lesnar’s
personality will develop as the season progresses.
UFC
president Dana White did recently state that he felt the season
started off a little slow, but picked up as time went on.
Only
time will tell as the season progresses.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The Toughman Hawaii Association Presents another night of non-stop
action April 2nd 2011, as the Tournament Of Champions continues,
winners of round one will meet up as all new comers will take
center stage and make their stat...ement in this ...outstanding
night of Stand up action.
Also the Toughman Hawaii association ad’s a twist with the
round one of the Tough Wahine Competition, some of the toughest
girl fighters will be making their way here from Oahu, and Maui
to take on some of the women of Big Island, I promise you won’t
want to miss this one, 2 of Hilo’s favorites will be The
Pruett sisters Ashley and Tiane trained by their father legendary
Trainer Tony( TKO) Pruett these girls are sure to rock the house,
also making their way over from the West side of the Island Lani
Pauhiva and Kapua Kahulamu will be here to show you what’s
happening on the Kona side of the Island. From Oahu Vee Vickers
and Kailin Carren will test the waters of the Big Island.
On the under card Kawika Paleikiko, Mathew Brigoli, Daniel Jayne,
Nick Carvalho, Trevor Liopoldino, Josh Jacobo, David Mc Kinney
, Robert Kamakai, Gary (the Beast) Gouveia, Isriel Lovelace,
Tyler Liopoldino, Bryan Silva, Shaun Robbins, Brandon Beck are
just some of the names you can expect to see.
On the Main Card:
Jon (Untamable) Barnard will take on Carlos( Mountain Boy) Rincon
Ikaika( Scarface) Martin vs. Ben (Da King) Santiago
Richard (Hit 2 Hard) Barnard vs. Chris( Red Bull) Willems
Shaison (Ruthless) Laipalo vs. Brandon(The Hitman) Torres
Keone ( Too Sharp) Rodrigues vs Elijah Manners
Conrado Martin vs. Reed Akashi
Lavelle Brown vs. Iron Kona Ke
In a special attraction 2 longtime Pro Boxing Veterans Dave (Mad
Dog) Motta will take on Hawaii’s Former Top Jr Welter weight
contender Donald( Dynamite) Gonzales Sr. In the Main Event of
the evening Oahu’s Champion 7 Titles Jonavan ( The Immortal
Warrior) Visante will be taking on one of Toughman Hawaii’s
Interim Light heavy Weight Champ Superstars Chris (The Maverick)Cisneros.
This will be a night you won’t soon forget!!!
Doors
open at 6:00pm show starts at 7:00pm
Tickets go on sale This Friday at CD WIZARD $20.00 FOR GENERAL
ADMISSION FOR RESERVE CAGESIDE SEATING CALL 808-960-4341
Source: Event Promoter
|
Should
He Stay Or Should He Go Now? Does Dan Hardy Deserve Another Shot
in the UFC?
(Guest
editorial by Brandon Fu)
Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy at UFC Fight Night 24 on Saturday
night lost his third consecutive fight, to super-sized welterweight
contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. At this level of
competition consistency is key and back to back losses is a quick
way to set your career back to the minor leagues. MMA, however,
is an individual sport. Every fighter is different and needs
to be treated differently.
It
took four straight losses before Keith Jardine got the boot.
While Todd Duffee, a promising up-and-comer, who holds the record
for the fastest knockout in the UFC (7 seconds), was handed his
walking papers after his first loss in a fight that he was winning
until he got caught with his hands down. Duffee’s release
was later attributed to more of an attitude issue than a performance
problem, but the loss was all the excuse needed to send him packing.
Dan
Hardy is not Keith Jardine nor is he Todd Duffee. Hardy’s
case should and will be handled differently than anyone else.
His situation is as unique as his mohawk is red. To determine
“The Outlaw’s” future with the UFC, we have to
evaluate what he’s selling and if he can still close the
deal.
Hardy’s
product is brash, fun and entertaining. He burst into the MMA
mainstream and quickly became a love him or hate him character.
In the past, his ability to start and sell a fight has been nothing
short of impressive.
He
fast tracked himself to the Top 10 by starting a fight with then
contender Marcus Davis. He sealed his number one contender status
with a good performance against Mike Swick. At the pre-fight
press conference of the Swick fight, Hardy gave Swick a Runners
Up trophy. It was one of the funniest moves in pre-fight banter
in the history of the sport. There was no doubt about Hardy’s
ability to entertain. In the past, Hardy walked the talk, backing
up his words with his in-Octagon actions.
Hardy
has not been the same “Outlaw” since his loss to UFC
welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, the fight that started
his recent skid. Hardy was the first Englishman to get a title
shot in the UFC. Going into that bout, he was certainly himself.
He had plenty to say about what he was going to do to GSP. He
was also very much himself when he was unable to compete with
GSP when it became a grappling match. While a very competent
striker, Hardy has never been known for wrestling or jiu-jitsu.
The GSP fight was one that most never really expected him to
win. The loss is respectable considering that GSP is in the top
two on most pound-for-pound lists. Despite the loss, Hardy showed
a lot of heart and resiliency against the future hall of famer
and I don’t think anyone weighs the loss too heavily against
him.
Hardy’s
next fight was against Carlos Condit. Condit had a couple tough
wins in less-than-dominant performances as well as a close decision
loss in his first few UFC fights. Coming in, Hardy was the favorite,
being a man who just had a title shot. Hardy seemed especially
motivated for this fight because Condit asked for him specifically.
That seemed to bother Hardy and really fire him up. While respect
was given from both sides, Hardy, as usual, had plenty to say
about his opponent. Despite his talk, this time he was unable
to back it up and found himself on the wrong end of the Knockout
of the Night.
In his most recent outing against Anthony Johnson, there was
very little talk. The usual amount of respect was given and a
little fun was poked at Johnson’s weight issues, but other
than that, Hardy was not very outspoken. Hardy lost this fight
from bell to bell. After a feeling out process in the beginning
of the first round, Johnson threw a high kick that Hardy blocked
most of with his arm, but was knocked to the canvas regardless.
The rest of the fight was spent with Hardy fighting off of his
back, mostly playing defense and trying to get to his feet. It
was not the stand-up war that everyone expected and it certainly
was not a Fight of the Night candidate. Hardy failed to deliver
on all of the things that fans have come to expect of him. He
did not hype the fight with his usual trash talk, and, keeping
in mind that it takes two people to make a fight, Hardy failed
to deliver an exciting bout.
In
his last few fights, Hardy hasn’t been the guy that made
him popular. Can Dan still close the deal? Can he still get the
fans to buy his product? Maybe you can attribute this recent
lack of success to bad match-ups.
The
fact is GSP has made a career out of being a bad match-up for
anyone. Johnson was not a great match-up for Hardy either. Johnson
is a much bigger guy who neutralized Hardy’s strength in
striking with his own. He is also a much more skilled wrestler,
which is what won him the fight. What about Condit? Hardy has
always been known for his striking. He and Condit threw the same
punch at the same time and Condit’s was faster and cleaner.
Maybe Hardy’s frustration with Condit caused him to be reckless
and he paid for it.
Despite
his recent troubles, Hardy has done a very good job of selling
fights and, typically, performing. Just barely one year ago,
Hardy fought for the welterweight championship.
But,
we’re not here to make excuses.
Can
he get back to what made him such a huge success in the first
place?
After
three straight losses in the UFC, does Hardy deserve one last
chance?
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Mike
Kyle Out of Strikeforce Fight Against Gegard Mousasi Due to Broken
Hand
by Damon
Martin
Just over a week away from the upcoming Strikeforce show in San
Diego, and an injury has forced Mike Kyle to drop out of his
scheduled bout against Gegard Mousasi.
Strikeforce
officials confirmed Kyle’s removal from the card on Thursday
when speaking to MMAWeekly.com.
According
to the news, Kyle broke his hand in training and will be unable
to fight next weekend. Kyle was actually just coming off a broken
hand from his last fight against Antonio “Bigfoot”
Silva.
Strikeforce
officials are actively seeking a replacement to step in and face
Mousasi on the April 9 card, but at this time nothing is official.
Source: Sherdog
|
Latest
from the UFC: Royce Gracie, Lesnar speaks out, Silva and doping
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Royce Gracie will be paid tribute by the UFC. A DVD (or blue
ray) with the promotion’s first star will be launched on
May 10. “UFC: Ultimate Royce Gracie” will include some
of the fighter’s most memorable fights, behind-the-scenes
footage and interviews in a six-hour release. Some of the fights
featured include Ken Shamrock, Kimo Leopoldo and an epic 90 minutes
against Kazushi Sakuraba at the now-defunct Pride FC.
“Royce
is the godfather! He’s the guy who started all this,”
says the organization’s president, Dana White.
Lesnar
goes on the attack against Cigano
On
the set of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, the relationship
between Brock Lesnar and Junior Cigano went smoothly, which GRACIEMAG.com
confirmed for itself on a visit to the TUF gym. However, it seems
the climate has cooled between the to opponents-to-be.
“We
didn’t have much contact. His team would train at different
times from mine. I could see him at the other end of the octagon
and that made me more confident. I could see Cigano is not someone
who can stop me. He’s a good kid, respectable, I don’t
have anything against him, but he’s in my way in my fighting
for the title again,” fired Lesnar on the “ESPN First
Take” television program.
Thiago
Silva admits to banned substances
The
allegations surrounding Brazil’s Thiago Silva doping in
the UFC continue. The result of the urinalysis was inconsistent
with human urine, according to the Nevada Athletic Commission.
The fighter is now under temporary suspension until April 7,
the date of his audience, and the result of his fight with Brandon
Vera was already declared a no contest. In an interview with
MMAJunkie, Silva comments on the episode and admits his error:
“We
make decisions every day of our lives, some good and others bad.
When you make a bad one, you can make the situation worse by
trying to cover it up or lying about it. Or you can own up to
it with an honest explanation, accept the consequences of your
actions, apologize to the people affected by it, learn from it
and move on. I’m choosing the second option.
“I
used a urine adulterant when giving a sample following my fight
with Brandon Vera. I did so in an attempt to alter the results
of the test and knowingly broke the rules of the Nevada (State)
Athletic Commission. This was a terrible decision on my part
for which I will be punished. I am prepared to accept this punishment,
learn from it and move on. I apologize to the commission, the
UFC, Brandon Vera and the MMA fans,” he is quoted on MMAJunkie
as saying.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Eight
Ways of Looking at TUF 13: Lesnar vs. Dos Santos
By Ben
Fowlkes
With the first episode of The Ultimate Fighter's 13th season
now in the books, we pause to examine our first impressions of
coaches Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos, with a few other
pithy observations mixed in for good measure.
I.
Who slipped Brock Lesnar a valium? Okay, maybe it's unfair to
expect him to go all 'Hulk smash!' on the first day of filming,
but the big man did seem especially low-key throughout the entire
first episode. The clips from the rest of the season indicate
that this trend may not last, which is good news for ratings
even if it might not be so beneficial to his team. Lesnar is
a big enough star that his name alone can probably pull viewers,
but I bet Spike TV would love to poke him with a cattle prod
every now and then to make sure he's still awake.
II.
Miles Jury took his torn ACL like a champ. Or maybe like a cyborg.
I don't know about you, but when I roll my ankle playing basketball
there's at least a minute or two afterward when I entertain the
possibility that I may never walk again. This guy tore a ligament
in his knee ("one of the bad ones") and still seemed
to think that with a little ice and rest he could hang around
and train with Lesnar's crew just like anyone else. It was nice
of Dana White to let him down gently.
III.
Dana White is nowhere near as impressed with the role of wrestling
in MMA as Lesnar is. Following the first fight of the season,
which Shamar Bailey won on the merits of his takedowns and top
control alone, Lesnar implored his team to respect the power
of wrestling in this sport. White complained that it was just
one guy laying on top of another for two pretty boring rounds.
The weirdest part? Both guys were right.
IV.
Junior dos Santos' English is better than he thinks. When I heard
he was going to be a coach this season, I admit that I wondered
whether he'd be able to make himself understood. Judging by the
self-effacing remarks he made throughout the debut episode, he
wondered the same thing. But honestly, dos Santos seems to have
a pretty good grasp on our strange little language. True, it
may not exactly be the king's English coming out of his mouth,
but we could say the same thing about Matt Serra, and people
understood him just fine. Have a little faith, Junior. You're
doing okay.
V.
Can we all finally agree that it's better to choose the first
fight than to get the first pick? Picking the top guy in this
competition after such a limited look at them is always a crapshoot.
With injuries, the pressures of the house and the competition,
and the possibility that some guys simply learn faster than others,
it's hard to know who'll be left standing at the end of it all
just by watching them wrestle for an hour on the first day. On
the other hand, it's a lot easier to spot the weakest prey in
the bunch, and having the power to pick on them in the beginning
is a huge advantage.
VI.
What could Lesnar really have learned during his one-on-one evaluation
interviews? It's great that he took a moment to talk to each
fighter personally, but what did he expect them to say when he
asked why they were there? Even if you had showed up just hoping
to be on TV, who would admit that on the first day? And to Brock
freaking Lesnar of all people? No way. Even if you're only there
to eat free food and live in a Vegas dude-mansion for a few weeks,
you say you're there to be the best ever, Mr. Lesnar, sir. Then
you try to look like you mean it. I'd love to see the notes Lesnar
took during those conversations. Something tells me the entry
was remarkably similar for each guy: 'Here to win it all, wants
to fight in UFC.'
VII.
The UFC's version of past events is always just a little different
than how I remember them. When Dana White introduced the coaches
for this season he mentioned that Lesnar "ran through everybody"
to become UFC champ and dos Santos "stepped away" from
a title shot to coach this show. Of course, Lesnar is still just
4-2 overall in the UFC (and one of those wins was against a forty-something
light heavyweight in Randy Couture), and dos Santos was actually
quite upset about being forced to wait for his title shot when
Cain Velasquez got hurt. That doesn't make anything White said
about either of them a lie, but neither do his statements have
the absolute ring of truth. Is that a big deal? Probably not.
But that willingness to make the occasional slight revision is
something to keep in mind whenever the UFC pauses to give us
a history lesson.
VIII.
Can we get through a single season of any reality TV show without
someone (or, in this case, two people within about ten minutes
of each other) mentioning that no one is here to make friends?
I guess I already know the answer to this question, but still.
I almost want to see a new reality show where the goal actually
is to make as many friends as possible, just to see if someone
would slip up and utter this cliché out of sheer force
of habit. I got fifty bucks that says it would happen in the
first three episodes.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Will
UFC’s future matchmaking decentralize MMA’s team-dominated
training structure?
By Zach
Arnold
It
took me a while to come up with the right wording for this question,
but it’s the question that seems to be everyone’s mind
now that the battle between Jon Jones & Rashad Evans has
intensified. (Just ask our friends at Pro MMA Radio who have
interview segments with Rashad every month.) On Sherdog this
past Monday, Greg Savage & Jordan Breen discussed their meeting
with Greg Jackson after UFC 128 where Jackson was not comfortable
with the way things played out between Jones & Evans.
“I
do sense it’s going to be one of those things where it’s
an echo chamber effect because you’ve seen incrementally
now Rashad Evans, with every day, I think it’s like when
he says these things it goes back in through his ears and sort
of like re-embeds itself in his head because he seems to get
more and more vitriolic every single day. So, by the time this
fight comes around, I’m not sure what to expect,” stated
Jordan. “It is unfortunate, though, to think of Greg Jackson’s
position because on Saturday night when we turned the camera
off on that hotel room, I mean he was like visibly and obviously
emotional, like the analogy he made was like, ‘Fans think
it’s great that these teammates are going to fight each
other, but for me it’s like if I asked you, hey, wouldn’t
it be great if your Mom fought your Dad? Wouldn’t it be
awesome to see your Dad knock out your Mom’s teeth, wouldn’t
that be great?’ And the way in which he said was so intense,
like it was clearly something that impacts into the very essential
elements of his being.”
A
great example of this is an interview Rashad did for Bloody Elbow
where he unloaded on both Jon Jones & Greg Jackson. I’m
praying that we don’t get the stupid race-baiting that we
got in last year’s encounter with Rampage Jackson.
Breen’s
comments about Greg Jackson reminds me of the remarks the trainer
made to Ariel Helwani when he talked about not having a desire
to see one of his brothers fight another brother. Now the big
question on everyone’s mind is whether or not the camp that
Greg Jackson has spent so much blood, sweat, and tears building
is splintering thanks to the financial and political power of
the UFC. Greg Savage thinks a team disintegration is a legitimate
possibility.
“The
end-game here is, does the camp even stay together, you know,
in all of its different parts? You’ve got John Danaher basically
running things for Georges St. Pierre now. Greg still does a
lot of stuff with them and they’re all together, don’t
get me wrong, but you have these guys who kind of set up their
little domains in different parts of the camp and it’s not
really as centralized as I think they had all hoped it would
be at the beginning.
“I
really wonder if they’re going to be able to keep those
loose ties even together at least in some of those spots. I love
Trevor Wittman as well but he’s been pretty outspoken on
this and I’m curious to see the reaction to that from the
rest of the camp. … There’s fracturing going on. Whether
it fractures completely, we’ll have to just wait and see.”
Will
team-oriented training camps like American Kickboxing Academy
become a thing of the past? After all, the team-oriented structure
for training has been one of MMA’s hallmarks.
“At
this point in time, it almost is like when you see those like
FBI and sort of police charts drawn out of different mob organizations
like the Venn Diagrams of where the crossovers are,” says
Mr. Breen. “Like the Italian Gomorrah and stuff like there
where it’s not strongly centralized. It’s definitely
like a bunch of different factions who happen to have some crossover
here and there more so than one giant unified body.”
This
is the kind of scenario that is playing out right now with Rashad
Evans, who reportedly will be training in Florida for the Jon
Jones fight by working with Marcus Aurelio. If teams do break
apart and everything becomes decentralized, will fighters have
enough money to be able to bring in the best trainers for their
own camps? Jordan Breen says it’s coming soon.
“Is
this sort of a step further in the direction of the Brock Lesnars
of the world in just when I get to a point where I can make some
serious money, I just put together my own camp? I mean, do we
move further in the boxing direction where guys just focus on
putting stuff together for their benefit?
“I
don’t want to say this sort of absolutely but I do wonder
if a camp like, say, Mark Munoz’s Reign isn’t the best
thing for MMA, where it’s kind of more like an open door
policy. If you know Mark or know a guy who knows Mark, you come
to Reign, there’s high-level pros there. You have your trainers
but you’re getting high-level quality instruction there.
I mean, you can still have friends and form bonds there and whatnot,
but it’s not the sense of ‘this guy’s my teammate,
I don’t necessarily want to fight him.’ Some of the
guys, maybe, but a lot of the guys just roll through there training
once or twice a week and it’s a great hub for lots of high-quality
training but guys don’t necessarily feel like they’re
embedded in a team where ‘oh, I would never fight that guy
that I train with once or twice a week.’ … Fighters
seem to love it. It’s almost incalculable the amount of
guys who say they love training at Reign and love the atmosphere
there.”
With
Zuffa as the only game in town, Mr. Savage says the winds are
a changing.
“If
they’re going to have to be fighting each other, yeah, I
mean, it may very well go that route.
“I
think that’s probably the direction the sport’s going
to have to go. It’s being forced there. You can’t just
set up these things where, you know, ‘oh, we got brothers,
we’re brothers, we’re brothers’ when at the end
of the day, that’s where the big-money fights are going
to be. Dana White has pushed this thing forever, guys need to
fight each other for competition’s sake, that’s why
they need to fight, that’s what’s going to happen.
At the end of the day, money is what talks. … You ever heard
the old AKA thing, ‘maybe for a title, maybe for a million
dollars‘, and it’s been a continuing narrative between
many of the different camps or different groups of fighters that
this question has been posed to. They generally always come up
with a reason why they could do it but more than likely wouldn’t.
Well, now, you have the money factor in that the UFC’s able
to pay and the fact that there’s not a lot whole of other
places to go, Dana White may have finally found his niche in
this argument and he’s got a lever there, he’s got
a wedge and he’s using it and I think you’ve seen that
for the first time in Jon Jones & Rashad Evans.”
Surprisingly,
Breen thinks this a good development.
“And
it’s great, too, because if there is one stipulation that
Dana White is going to be pretty flexible on, I mean we know
the kind of autocracy he likes to run. But if you’re going
to ask Dana White for any kind of condition in fighting a teammate,
isn’t the one you’re going to have the most success
for money? Like if you just say, ‘Yeah, I’ll fight
my teammate, give me a million dollars.’ There’s an
overwhelming chance that you’re going to get a discretionary
bonus within 10 seconds. And how easy is that? And ultimately,
I think we say that and I often get e-mails sort of like, ‘isn’t
there something more to the world than money?’ And, yeah,
maybe, but Rashad Evans’ (has) a wife, he’s going to
have a family some day. It’d be nice to know that, even
if he went out and got absolutely mauled by Jon Jones, that one
day when Rashad Evans has kids and there’s Rashad Jr. and
Lance III and so on, they can go ‘Dad, we have a really
nice house, where did it come from?’ It wasn’t Jon
Jones and Greg Jackson, although they did team up to beat me
up, but hey, we got this house for it. It’s terrible, but
that’s how the world works. I mean, it’s prize fighting.”
A
sober answer?
Mike
Winkeljohn has already chose to work with Jon Jones and he knows
where his bread is buttered.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Daley
says he battled burnout but now fully prepped for Strikeforce
title shot
by Steven
Marrocco
You may have guessed this already, but Paul Daley (27-9-2 MMA,
2-0 SF) doesn't sugarcoat things. He admits he's wrestled with
burnout after back-to-back camps for championship-length fights.
However,
the British welterweight said he's pulled out of a temporary
rut he hit in the middle of camp for his fight next Saturday
with Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz (24-7 MMA, 5-0
SF), and he's fit and ready to go.
Fit,
in this case, means in striking distance of 170 pounds, the limit
he needs to make to vie for Diaz's belt per athletic commission
guidelines.
In
his most recent outing against Japanese welterweight Yuya Shirai,
Daley missed weight by less than half of a pound and was fined
a portion of his purse. It was the fifth time he did so in the
past three years of his professional career, which included a
high-profile gaffe at UFC 108 during his short-lived tenure in
the octagon.
Daley
previously told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that there
was a valid reason for each of his misses, and this time around,
fans can expect him to show up as he did for a performance against
Scott Smith in which he earned the Strikeforce "Knockout
of the Year" with a first-round KO.
"My
weight is fine, but I'm not going to lie – I like to be
honest," he said today during a conference call in support
of "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," which takes place
April 9 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. "I'm
coming from preparing for a five-round fight against Shirai,
and then trying to bounce straight into another fight camp for
a big fight wasn't ideal, and halfway through the camp, I did
feel a little bit drained and had to take a few days off, whether
it be physically or mentally."
Despite
missing weight for his most recent fight, which took place this
past month in British promotion BAMMA, Daley ended it with a
bang by knocking out the Japanese fighter in the first round.
That performance cleared the way for next Saturday's title shot.
But
Daley got no break along the way.
"I
would have liked to have a longer period time to prepare specifically
for Nick," he said. "But saying that, it has it's positives
and its negatives. My fitness is where it should be for a five-round
fight, and we just concentrated on the stuff that we would have
spread out over 12 weeks. We've just condensed it into the time
we have.
"It's
been quite intense and things are working as they should be."
Apart
from issues on the scale, Daley has been on a tear since he was
released from the UFC following his suckerpunch of Josh Koscheck
at UFC 113. He stopped all but one of his four opponents in trademark
fashion – a hail of strikes.
Diaz,
who most recently submitted Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos
in late January, may have had the luxury of more leisure in preparing
for Daley.
But
"Semtex" says he's ready to go.
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Final
Bellator 39 Line-Up; Alvarez and Curran Ready for Title Fight
By FCF
Staff
This
Saturday, Bellator Fighting Championships will head to Uncasville,
Connecticut, to hold its thirty ninth event, with a card that
will feature a lightweight bout between champion Eddie Alvarez
and challenger Pat Curran. In addition to the championship fight,
Bellator 39 will also include two semi-final bouts from its ongoing
season four tournaments, as welterweight Lyman Good will take
on Rick Hawn and lightweight Toby Imada will face Patricky Freire.(Pictured:
Alvarez hitting Roger Huerta)
“This
is one of the most talent-filled events we’ve ever produced
– headlined by a World Title Fight featuring Eddie Alvarez,
one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet,”
said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney in a press release
from the organization. “Pitbull vs. Imada and Good vs. Hawn
both look like they will be spectacular fights as well. This
should be an amazing night of fights”
Alvarez
(21-2) will be competing for the first time since October, when
he scored a TKO victory (doctor stoppage) over UFC vet Roger
Huerta.
“I
need to live up to my own expectations. More than any fight in
my career - in this fight with Pat Curran - I just want to completely
dominate,” said Alvarez. “It has nothing to do with
Pat; it's just what I feel like I have to do regardless of who
I'm fighting, in order to earn my rank of number one in the world.
I won't be happy with anything less than complete and total domination.”
Curran
(13-3) won Bellator’s lightweight tourney last June, by
earning a split decision victory over Toby Imada, but had his
title fight with Alvarez delayed due to injury.
“I've
been dreaming every night about this Bellator World Championship
fight with Eddie Alvarez. I think about it in the morning, all
day, when I go to bed, and in my dreams,” said Curran. “I'm
coming out there to shock the world. I'm going to stand right
in front of Eddie [Alvarez] and I'm going to let my hands fly.
I have all the confidence in the world that I can beat Eddie
Alvarez so now it's up to me to go out there and do it.”
Bellator
39 will also feature a bout between former UFC competitor Ben
Saunders and welterweight vet Matt Lee. The card will be broadcast
live on MTV 2.
Here
is the complete line-up for Saturday’s event:
World
Lightweight Championship
Eddie Alvarez (21-2) vs. Challenger Pat Curran (13-3)
Main
Card
Lyman Good (11-1) vs. Rick Hawn (10-0)
Toby Imada (29-15) vs. Patricky Freire (8-1)
Ben Saunders (9-3-2) vs. Matt Lee (13-9)
Undercard
Matt Veach (12-3) vs. Rene Nazare (6-0)
Greg Rebello (12-2) vs. Dan Cramer (5-2)
Mike Winters (4-0) vs. Ryan Quinn (4-2)
David Jansen (14-2) vs. Scott McAfee (10-2)
John McLaughlin (3-0) vs. Blair Tugman (5-3)
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Cacareco
focusing on fighting the weight
By Erik
Engelhart
After
seven wins in a row came by submissions on the first round, Alexandre
Cacareco finally had his golden chance to fight on UFC. But the
Brazilian’s debut on the greatest event of MMA in the world
didn’t go like planned. Cacareco was knocked out on the
first round by the Russian Vladimir Matyushenko and revealed
to TATAME he was called up at the last minute by UFC organization
to fight.
“20
days before the fight they’ve offered me that opportunity,
and it’s a show you can’t say no, it’s the opportunity
everybody wants, it’s like World Cup. I was teaching, I
wasn’t trained to fight and, off the twenty days I’ve
spent in Curitiba, I’ve spent five just dealing with the
papers, a truth headache. Actually, I trained for fifteen days
for that bout… I guess it mattered after all, the event
is too big, debuting bring you much pressure, and I had to deal
with all that at the same time”, commented the fighter.
Chosen
to confront a former training partner from BTT, Rousimar Toquinho,
Cacareco was obligated to turn it down, because he wasn’t
on a good state of mind for fighting, since he lost some of his
relatives on the tragedy that affected Rio de Janeiro. After
leaving Chute Boxe, Alexandre was training and keeping himself
in shape at Le Parc, a condo in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.
With one more fight on his contract, UFC suggested that the fighter
went down one weight class and fight among the middleweights,
but losing weight hasn’t been easy for him.
“Man,
we’re having some problems losing weight because of my body,
but we’ll see what happens within a month”, said Cacareco,
who guarantees he’ll do a great presentation when returning
to the octagon. “The expectations are as best as possible.
Now I’m focusing on my weight, going down, so I don’t
have any kind of problem. I still have one fight left to do and
I want to be good at it, so I have to do everything right. First
I have to lose weight, do my conditioning trainings, and we’ll
go for it”, concluded Cacareco.
Source: Tatame
|
Who’s
the villain when it comes to bullying?
by Mohamad
Jehad
It
wasn’t even that good a fight, but the two students starred
in one of the most watched videos on the planet that month. The
attack suffered and duly returned by Australian Casey Heynes
against Ritchard Gale brings to the forefront the intercultural
and persistent issue of bullying – intimidation by ruffians,
especially in schools.
Bullying
is such a commonplace and persistent problem that Rener Gracie,
a few months ago and with great repercussions, presented an antibullying
project on American talk show host Oprah Winfrey’s television
program. Jiu-Jitsu does indeed appear to be an excellent tool
in combating this sad practice that afflicts children and teenagers
the world over, even driving them, in some cases, to suicide.
But
who is the big villain? I can tell you there are no villains
in this story, since I was the victim of this practice when I
was a kid, and I am fully aware that the aggressor too is a victim
of misguided (and natural) human aggressiveness. I have also
followed cases in the Abu Dhabi school system where I teach Jiu-Jitsu.
We’re
naturally aggressive, which is why Jiu-Jitsu is important to
all kids, as it controls the aggressiveness of those most out
of control and stimulates competition in those most passive.
Children need positive stimulus and disciplinary control, elements
intrinsic to the gentle art.
The
boy Ritchard Gale is now suffering from bullying just as cruel
as what he delved out, as he has taken the brunt of what is possible
with the internet. It’s up to us to provide greater access
to Jiu-Jitsu so that cases like this one may become rarer and
rarer. And so that youths only face off, driven by mutual respect,
on the mats.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Tara
LaRosa publicly labels Miesha Tate as a clenbuterol user &
accuses Tate of slander
By Zach
Arnold
The
scenario: Tara LaRosa and Miesha Tate have been going back-and-forth
on Twitter in a war of words. The Fight Show (audio here) brought
the two women on to discuss the heat they have with each other.
The host asks each woman to give their side of the story.
Miesha
Tate:
“Well,
man, we have quite a background, it’s obvious our dislike
for each other is, you know, very prominent. You know, it started
back in the day, we used to train together, we got along great,
you know, she’s kind of an inspiration to me and then I
really saw her true colors when we spent more time together and
we just don’t have any care in the world for each other
at all. I mean, this is not fake by any means. I have a lot of
dislike for me and she’s trying to pull out the ‘am
I roid-raging now on Twitter’ you know what I mean, I think
her freaking big ‘ol jaw would speak more loudly saying
that she’s been taking steroids. I mean, I’m just like
royally pissed about the whole situation, like how originally,
really, you’re going to say that I’m on steroids now?
She’s just pulling whatever she can out of her butt and
she won’t fight me, period. I’ve agreed to come down
to whatever weight, make 125, you know, and then I mean first
‘I didn’t have enough fights to fight her.’ Now
that I have enough fights to fight her, ‘I couldn’t
make the weight” so I said, OK, I’ll make the weight,
I’ll come down to 25. Then after that it’s that ‘I
don’t deserve to fight her’ for whatever, I don’t
even know, ‘I don’t deserve to make a dime off of her
name’ or whatever, so it’s just one thing after another.
She’s dodging me and that’s that. I say let’s
settle it in the cage.
“I’ve
been trying to fight her for a while now.”
Tara
LaRosa:
“I
stated, pretty clearly, I said ‘you want to fight? meet
me in Yakima.’ No cameras, no money, no publicity, no rounds,
no time, just you and me and she won’t because she’s
all about the money and attention. That’s the only reason
why she’s in the sport. You know, I started training in
Yakima back in probably maybe April of 2006, March-April 2006
and she would come in-and-out. She would be in there for like
a day or two and then leave for three weeks. It was just an absolute
pain in the ass, you know, to have somebody that was just dipping
in-and-out and didn’t really care, wasn’t into the
sport, she was taking up mat space, taking up our time and it
was really annoying and, yeah, the girl was a lot heavier back
then. She’s still heavier now. She probably walks around
in the 140s, close to 150. She’s not a small chick. I’m
not saying she’s FAT, I’m not taking a STAB at her
that way. No. But… I’m 125, I’m a natural 125'er
and I think her last two or three fights have been against much
smaller chicks at 125 when, you know, she walks around in the
140s. I mean, c’mon, let’s get real here. If you want
to look at her record, all of her wins have come against girls
who have either kind of crappy records or they’ve been a
lot smaller than her. The two losses that she has have come against
girls that are her size or have winning records, so I mean her
track record speaks for itself. She did come down to 135, she
was fighting at 145 when she first started out, I guess, and
I mean she’s trying to tell me that she’s the same
size as me and she’s 125 pounds. She’s never made 125
pounds. She’s never been below 132, so I don’t understand
what she’s talking about, how it’s going to be so easy
for her to make that. Another seven pounds on top of what she
cuts already is a really tough cut, especially for a woman.
“So,
the steroid accusation came from a girl that used to train with
her who told me that she was on clenbuterol, so that’s makes
a whole lot of sense because you can see a change in her musculature
in her pictures over recent time. Everybody, go ahead and look
for yourself, go check her out her Facebook or check out, I don’t
know, just pull it up, search for images on Google, whatever.
I called it as soon as I saw her picture, I was like ‘holy
shit, her shoulders are huge,’ you know, they’re a
lot more rounded like they would be from steroids. And you know
what? One of the common injuries for women on steroids are knee
injuries, what happens is the muscle gets too big for the tendons
and ligaments and it pulls away from the bone.”
For
ten more minutes (from the eight minute time mark until the end
of the audio), the two women start fighting with each other over
the phone. Tara LaRosa practically goes for the jugular here
and does so in a manner that is kind of uncomfortable to listen
to. Tara accuses Miesha of slandering her in interviews and Miesha
says she will take any random drug test to prove that she’s
not on steroids if someone wants to pay for the test. The conversation
takes some odd turns (not a real good flow here) including a
comment by Tara about how once the Strikeforce deal with Showtime
is over with that UFC will kill off women’s MMA on a major
level and that it’ll be left up to Bellator and other minor
promotions to book the female fights.
For
those who don’t know what clenbuterol is, it’s a common
horse drug used for fat burning. A lot of celebrities and athletes
use it even though it’s dangerous because it can cause heart
damage that is irreversible long-term. It’s different from
another common horse drug used in MMA, boldenone.
I’m
not sure if there is a point to all of this fighting other than
it’s just fighting and while the two women say they want
to fight each other, it doesn’t appear likely that it’s
going to happen. So, it’s more of a curiosity to listen
to all of this more than anything else since there probably won’t
be a payoff.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
10
April Tussles Worth Watching
by Tim Leidecker
The
misery and suffering being experienced in various parts of the
world during the past couple of weeks have put events in the
MMA world into their proper perspective.
The
remarkable Japanese people are standing together as one, as the
country endures its worst crisis in more than 60 years. Shooto,
Pancrase and Deep are putting together charity events with several
solid scraps on them, one of which is features in our monthly
“10 Tussles” series.
As
always, the list does not focus on the well-promoted main event
bouts from major organizations you already know to watch, but
rather on fights from all over the planet that are worth seeing.
The UFC, Strikeforce, Dream and Sengoku Raiden Championship are
excluded by design.
Shamil
Zavurov vs. Rashid Magomedov
M-1 Challenge 25, April 28 -- St. Petersburg, Russia
Welterweight
champion Zavurov is one of the top talents M-1 has on its roster.
The lone blemish on his otherwise perfect record is a close 2009
split decision defeat to Rashid Magomedov. A 26-year-old boxer
from the mountains of Dagestan, Magomedov combines good footwork
with a solid sprawl and excellent submission defense -- a blend
that has frustrated his opponents. Most recently, the knockouts
have come for him, as well, finishing two of his last three fights
inside the first round. That has earned him a shot at Zavurov,
who also hails from the North Caucasus region.
Chris
Horodecki vs. David Castillo
Knockout Entertainment Canada “MMA: The Reckoning,”
April 2 -- Orillia, Ontario, Canada
Ontario’s
first sanctioned MMA event features many household names like
former Shooto title contender Antonio Carvalho and “The
Ultimate Fighter” alumni Dean Amasinger and Josh Burkman.
Perhaps the marquee matchup takes place between International
Fight League lightweight grand prix finalist Horodecki and Jeremy
Horn student Castillo. A 28-year-old Utahan who used to fight
as heavy as middleweight, Castillo originally comes from a boxing
background but has picked up Horn’s famous ground game and
is equally dangerous with his standup and submissions.
Ivan
Buchinger vs. Anton Kuivanen
Cage 15, April 29 -- Espoo, Finland
Two
of the most underappreciated lightweights on the European circuit
will lock horns in the co-main event of Cage’s 15th edition.
Slovakia’s Buchinger won the promotion’s lightweight
strap with a surprise win over Cage Force veteran Jarkko Latomaki
in November. Kuivanen, who splits time training between Helsinki’s
GB Gym and American Top Team in Florida, is on a mission to take
the belt back to Finland. The 26-year-old submission specialist
is currently on a seven-fight winning streak and only went the
distance once during that run.
Jeff
Monson vs. Tony Lopez
Fight Time 4 “MMA Heavyweight Explosion,” April 1 --
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Monson
is living his fighting career true to Kurgan’s motto: “It’s
better to burn out than to fade away.” Having turned 40
years old, “The Snowman” is still going strong, fighting
nine times last year. His second appearance of 2011 brings him
back to his adopted home of Florida, where he takes on former
King of the Cage heavyweight champion Lopez. Monson has been
in top form as of late, submitting his last five opponents. The
last time Lopez tapped was almost six years ago -- to the late
Justin Levens -- so finishing him will be quite a challenge,
even for a master grappler like Monson.
Hollett
has won three straight bouts.Martin Desilets vs. Roger Hollett
Ringside 10 “Cote vs. Starnes,” April 9 -- Montreal
Canadian
promotion Ringside has quietly turned in nine events since 2009
and is making waves beyond the Quebec borders with its impressive
April 9 lineup.
Besides
the main event between UFC veterans Patrick Cote and Kalib Starnes,
the show features “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Seth
Baczynski taking on undefeated prospect Alex Garcia and, of course,
the light heavyweight slobber knocker between Desilets and Hollet.
Neither
man has tasted defeat in recent years, so both will come in confident.
Desilets
has excellent hands, while muscleman Hollett likes to attack
his opponent’s limbs with submissions.
Taiki
Tsuchiya vs. Takeshi Inoue
Shooto Tradition 2011, April 29 -- Tokyo
On
the undercard of the stacked twin championship show to support
the victims of the catastrophic March 11 earthquake, former Shooto
lightweight champion Inoue will take on current Shooto Pacific
Rim 143-pound titleholder Tsuchiya in a non-title affair. Inoue
had a bumpy end to his 2010 campaign, with back-to-back losses
against the irresistible Hatsu Hioki and the vastly improved
Kazuyuki Miyata; the latter represented his first-ever fight
outside of Shooto. Tsuchiya, four years “Lion’s”
junior, is riding a six-fight winning streak, including a brutal
knockout over Sengoku vet Shintaro Ishiwatari.
Denis
Kang vs. Eun Soo Lee
Road FC 2 “Alive,” April 16 -- Seoul, South Korea
It
will be a homecoming for Kang. The 2006 Pride Fighting Championships
welterweight grand prix finalist has not fought in his father’s
native country since headlining the final Spirit MC event in
August 2008. Fledgling promotion Road FC wants to make him its
star attraction, signing the 33-year-old to a multi-fight contract.
His first opponent will be fellow Pride and K-1 Hero’s veteran
Lee. The 29-year-old former Spirit MC heavyweight champion weighed
as much as 235 pounds during his heavyweight run and will make
his middleweight debut against Kang.
Paulo
Filho vs. Ronny Marki Sales da Silva
International Fighter Championship, April 29 -- Recife, Brazil
Filho’s
MMA career has been characterized by unfulfilled promise. Held
back by the success of his master, Murilo Bustamante, during
his days in Pride and by a painkiller addiction in the WEC, the
former judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout has been relegated
to fighting on his home circuit again. Looking to make a name
for himself by taking out the former WEC titleholder is rising
talent “Ronny Markes.” The 22-year-old Nova União
product has won nine of his 10 career bouts, finishing eight
opponents.
Thales
Leites vs. Jeremy Horn
Superior Challenge 7, April 30 -- Stockholm, Sweden
Swedish
organization Superior Challenge has risen to challenge established
powerhouses like M-1 Global, KSW and Glory for the title of top
European promotion. Its main event this time would easily pass
as a featured bout on any event stateside, as former UFC middleweight
title contender Leites takes on former UFC light heavyweight
championship challenger Horn. Even though Horn has managed to
record 87 career victories in the past 15 years, he has never
won against an opponent from Brazil. Can he finally break his
hex?
Eddie
Alvarez vs. Pat Curran
Bellator Fighting Championships 39, April 2 -- Uncasville, Conn.
Originally
slated to meet in October, Curran, the lightweight tournament
winner of Bellator’s second season, was forced to withdraw
after suffering a shoulder injury in training. Now, 10 months
after his last bout, he will finally get to square off against
the promotion’s dominant champion, Alvarez. A Top 5-ranked
lightweight, the 26-year-old Philadelphian submitted UFC veteran
Josh Neer and beat down former Sports Illustrated cover boy Roger
Huerta in his two 2010 bouts. Curran has won four straight, but
he will be coming into the fight with Alvarez as a heavy underdog.
Source: Sherdog
|
The
Truth About Fighting Your Friends
By Ben
Fowlkes
If UFC president Dana White has said it once, he's said it a
thousand times: MMA is not a team sport.
It's
a sport that's all about individual success and failure. It's
about two men locked in a violent struggle for money and status,
and there's not enough of either to go around.
This,
of course, is the inexorable logic of the fight promoter, who
stands to profit handsomely if he can convince friends, teammates,
and training partners to forego all other loyalties and duke
it out in the cage. But then, the promoter doesn't have to actually
get in there and knock his best friend unconscious.
As
UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub put it, "This isn't basketball.
It's not like Magic [Johnson] and [Larry] Bird playing each other
and being all buddy-buddy. Somebody's getting fu**ed up."
To
some, it seems like an easy call to make. If you're in this sport
to be the champion – and if you're in it for any other reason,
you've chosen the wrong line of work – then you ought to
be willing to fight whoever stands in your way. As White has
explained on multiple occasions, fighters have a limited window
in which to earn as much money and prestige as possible, and
while friendship is nice, it's not going to pay your bills.
The
trouble is, while it's the individual who does the work on fight
night, it's the coaches and training partners who make success
possible. MMA may not be a team sport, but it's also not something
you can do by yourself.
"When
you go into your gym, you want to feel safe," said UFC featherweight
Leonard Garcia. "You want to feel like, everything that
I show these guys is so that I can help them get better. If I
show them a move, I don't want to be worried that they can learn
to counter it if we fight some day."
Greg
Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico – where Garcia
has trained for years – is known for its prohibition against
teammate-on-teammate bouts. But after longstanding team member
Rashad Evans and relative new addition Jon Jones agreed to fight
for the UFC light heavyweight title recently, it caused a stir
among what's long been regarded as one of MMA's most tight-knit
and consistently successful gyms.
Part
of the reason for that success, Garcia said, was that the fighters
there felt comfortable enough to help each other improve as much
as possible in training -- what Jackson calls a "cooperative,
competitive dynamic." In order to get good training, you
need good sparring partners giving you their best every day.
And in order for them to do that, they need to know you won't
use their own tricks against them some day.
Only
now that the line's been crossed at Jackson's MMA, Garcia said,
it's hard to predict how it might affect the gym atmosphere.
"I
don't care what anyone says, if you think there's a chance you
might fight a guy somewhere down the road, you hold back,"
said Garcia. "That's something we never had at our gym.
Nobody held back. I'm interested to see how guys react to each
other now after this big announcement. I'd hate for it to tear
the gym apart, and I don't think that it should, but there's
that possibility."
But
there are teammates who have managed to meet in the Octagon without
the walls of their gym crashing down around them. Take Evan Dunham
and Tyson Griffin, for example. The two lightweights were sparring
partners at Randy Couture's Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas when
they got offered a fight against one another at UFC 115 last
June.
Dunham,
who was the newer of the two team members, said he immediately
called up Griffin to ask him his thoughts on the situation before
accepting the bout.
"If
he would have said, 'Hey, guys at Randy's don't fight each other,'
I would have taken that stance too," said Dunham. "But
he was cool with it, I was cool with it, so it worked out."
Of
course, as soon as he took the fight Dunham realized there was
an obvious problem. They couldn't both continue to train at the
same gym – not without it getting incredibly uncomfortable
and impractical, anyway. But since Dunham was the new kid on
the mats, he knew what he had to do.
"I'd
been at Randy's for three or four fights at that point, but I
knew Tyson had been there a lot longer than I had. In my book,
seniority rules in that aspect. It wasn't easy for me to step
away because I knew that Randy's was where I'd be able to prepare
for Tyson the best, but at the same time I realized that we both
couldn't train there. Me being the newer guy, I felt it was right
for me to step away."
Dunham
would go on to win the fight via split decision, but he and Griffin
both resumed training side by side afterwards. While he admitted
it was "a little bit weird" to be back training with
the guy he'd just fought, in the long run, Dunham said, it wasn't
so bad.
"Actually,
looking back on it, it was a great experience. When it happened,
Tyson and I were more training partners than friends. ...But
after it was all said and done, I'm glad I did it. Tyson and
I have trained quite a bit together and I actually cornered his
brother along with him in his last fight. I think we actually
became friends and it strengthened our relationship as training
partners."
Then
again, there's a difference between fighting someone who's just
a sparring partner and fighting someone who's a friend. That's
why Grudge Training Center coach Trevor Wittman said he encouraged
Evans to take the fight against Jones, but would make no such
recommendation for the two UFC heavyweights in his own gym –
Brendan Schaub and Shane Carwin.
"Those
guys are like brothers," Wittman said. "It's not just
like they beat each other up in the gym and go home. To them,
I think it's more personal. It's more like, I don't want to boost
myself off your career. If your career goes downhill off of what
I do, that's a big thing to deal with."
Schaub
echoed the sentiment, pointing out that he and Carwin have no
problem roughing each other up in the gym as long as it's part
of an attempt to make the other guy better. Pain is the medium
they work in, after all. But stepping on a friend in order to
gain a foothold in the rankings?
"It's
easy to tell other people they should do it when you're not the
one who has to get in there and fight your best friend,"
Schaub said.
But
it's not always a clear dichotomy between best friend and enemy
or training partner and stranger. Sometimes, as in the case of
Antoni Hardonk's fight with UFC heavyweight Pat Barry at UFC
104, the lines get blurred.
Hardonk
and Barry had trained together in Holland over the years, and
Hardonk even cornered Barry in a kickboxing match or two before
Barry turned his attention toward MMA. Then, in 2009, the two
signed to fight each other in the Octagon, and in order to get
himself into the proper mental state to fight a guy he knew and
liked, Hardonk had to do something slightly out of character.
"I
didn't touch gloves before the fight, which was something some
people didn't understand and I think some people even got upset
about it at the time," he said. "But for me, I wanted
to create a little more distance because I know how Patrick is.
He likes to smile, tell jokes, give hugs. That's fine after the
fight, but not before the fight or during the fight. I needed
to let him know: here we are, we're here to fight."
Hardonk
lost that bout via second round TKO, but afterwards, he said,
he and Barry went right back to being friends.
"I
still like Patrick, and I think Patrick still likes me. ...I
try to have the mentality where I fight like a shark. A shark
swims through the ocean and grabs a fish, but it's nothing personal.
It doesn't matter if the fish fights back or if it's easy prey,
it's just the shark's job. That's how I always tried to approach
it. I try never to have emotions in fighting. It's not personal."
As
for the fighters whose objection is based less on the emotional
bonds of friendship and more on the practical demands of the
gym structure? That's something the sport is still working out.
In boxing they often get around the problem by using paid sparring
partners who are in it strictly for the cash, rather than teammates
who are helping one another prepare out of a sense of duty and
compassion.
But
as Greg Jackson pointed out, just because the mercenary system
works for boxing, and just because that sport doesn't regularly
face this specific problem, does that mean it's necessarily the
direction MMA wants to gravitate towards?
"I
think I speak for all of MMA when I say, we don't want much of
the boxing world in MMA," said Jackson. "That's how
I feel about it, anyway."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Matt
Hughes Plans 1 or 2 Fights in 2011, But Retirement Looming
Despite coming off of a 21-second knockout loss at the hands
of BJ Penn at UFC 123 last November, Matt Hughes isn’t exactly
ready to hang up the gloves.
Yes,
he’s been laying low since the Penn fight, but Hughes says
he will return to the Octagon later this year, probably some
time around the end of summer or early fall. He’s not, however,
planning on fighting three times this year like he did in 2010.
He says more like “one, maybe two fights tops.”
“I’ll
be honest, I’m 37 years old, my competitors are around 28
years old. It’s about time for Matt Hughes to find something
else to do,” Hughes revealed in an interview with HDNet’s
Ron Kruck. “I don’t have a whole lot of fights left
in me.”
Already
a UFC Hall of Famer, having won the UFC welterweight title on
two different occasions, defending said belt seven times, and
racking up 18 victories in the Octagon, Matt Hughes won’t
quickly be forgotten once he does hang up the gloves for the
final time.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Tomorrow
The Toughman Hawaii Association Presents another night of non-stop
action April 2nd 2011, as the Tournament Of Champions continues,
winners of round one will meet up as all new comers will take
center stage and make their stat...ement in this ...outstanding
night of Stand up action.
Also the Toughman Hawaii association ad’s a twist with the
round one of the Tough Wahine Competition, some of the toughest
girl fighters will be making their way here from Oahu, and Maui
to take on some of the women of Big Island, I promise you won’t
want to miss this one, 2 of Hilo’s favorites will be The
Pruett sisters Ashley and Tiane trained by their father legendary
Trainer Tony( TKO) Pruett these girls are sure to rock the house,
also making their way over from the West side of the Island Lani
Pauhiva and Kapua Kahulamu will be here to show you what’s
happening on the Kona side of the Island. From Oahu Vee Vickers
and Kailin Carren will test the waters of the Big Island.
On the under card Kawika Paleikiko, Mathew Brigoli, Daniel Jayne,
Nick Carvalho, Trevor Liopoldino, Josh Jacobo, David Mc Kinney
, Robert Kamakai, Gary (the Beast) Gouveia, Isriel Lovelace,
Tyler Liopoldino, Bryan Silva, Shaun Robbins, Brandon Beck are
just some of the names you can expect to see.
On the Main Card:
Jon (Untamable) Barnard will take on Carlos( Mountain Boy) Rincon
Ikaika( Scarface) Martin vs. Ben (Da King) Santiago
Richard (Hit 2 Hard) Barnard vs. Chris( Red Bull) Willems
Shaison (Ruthless) Laipalo vs. Brandon(The Hitman) Torres
Keone ( Too Sharp) Rodrigues vs Elijah Manners
Conrado Martin vs. Reed Akashi
Lavelle Brown vs. Iron Kona Ke
In a special attraction 2 longtime Pro Boxing Veterans Dave (Mad
Dog) Motta will take on Hawaii’s Former Top Jr Welter weight
contender Donald( Dynamite) Gonzales Sr. In the Main Event of
the evening Oahu’s Champion 7 Titles Jonavan ( The Immortal
Warrior) Visante will be taking on one of Toughman Hawaii’s
Interim Light heavy Weight Champ Superstars Chris (The Maverick)Cisneros.
This will be a night you won’t soon forget!!!
Doors
open at 6:00pm show starts at 7:00pm
Tickets go on sale This Friday at CD WIZARD $20.00 FOR GENERAL
ADMISSION FOR RESERVE CAGESIDE SEATING CALL 808-960-4341
Source: Event Promoter
|
Jon
Fitch Injured, Out of UFC 132 Rematch with BJ Penn
By FCF
Staff
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has confirmed that welterweight
contender Jon Fitch has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming
July 2nd rematch with BJ Penn, due to an injury. No details regarding
the injury, which postponed a fight still more than three months
away, were given. It also remains to be seen whether or not the
promotion will look to find Penn another opponent for UFC 132.
Fitch
(23-3-1) and Penn met for the first time at UFC 127 on February
27th, and fought to a draw. The result ended Fitch’s five
fight winning streak, which the American Kickboxing Academy fighter
began after losing to champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 87.
While
Penn (16-7-2) failed to record another victory at welterweight,
following his first round KO of Matt Hughes in November, the
former champion pressed Fitch throughout the first two rounds,
before being dominated by the noted wrestler in the third.
UFC
132, which will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, will feature
a bantamweight title fight between champion Dominick Cruz and
challenger Urijah Faber. Other bouts that have been confirmed
for the card include Ryan Bader vs. Tito Ortiz, George Sotiropoulos
vs. Evan Dunham and Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
TUF
13 Episode 1 Recap:
Teams Decided, First Fight Goes Down
by Brian
Lopez-Benchimol
Week one of the popular reality show ”The Ultimate Fighter”
is now under wraps.
Season
13 features former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar coaching
opposite top contender Junior dos Santos. While the two will
battle one another at UFC 131 in June, they will first spend
six weeks coaching a field of welterweight hopefuls, battling
for a shot to become ”The Ultimate Fighter” and earn
a six-figure UFC contract.?
“I
want my team to win the show and I want to win my fight against
Brock,” dos Santos stated at the beginning of the program.
It’s
the familiar UFC training center in Las Vegas. The 14 fighters
entered the gym, elated to be there.
UFC
president Dana White was there to greet the fighters, and noticed
their up-beat demeanor. Soon enough, the UFC head honcho let
the fighters know that, unlike in some of the previous seasons,
they will not have to fight their way into the house, their positions
on the show secure
White
introduced the coaches, then it was down to business, figher
evaluations were underway. Lesnar’s emphasis immediately
was on the fighters’ level of conditioning, while dos Santos
focused more on sparring sessions to evaluate skill level.
“We
didn’t want guys that for the last month have been sitting
on the couch, eating pizza and drinking beer,” said Lesnar
While
dos Santos has been wary of his ability to speak english effectively
with his fighters.”I can’t speak english very well,
but i don’t think it’s going to be a problem for us,
because we can speak the fight language.”
Top
prospect Myles Jury injured his knee early on in a botched takedown
during dos Santos’ evaluations.
Lesnar
immediately gravitated to Len Bentley, while dos Santos had his
eyes on both Shamar Bailey and Ryan McGillivrayy for his team
due to their wrestling ability and endurance displayed in the
evaluation.
Once
evaluations were done, White tossed a coin. Lesnar won, deciding
that he would make the first fighter pick, while dos Santos would
get to pick the first match-up.
When
all was said and done, Team Lesnar consisted of Len Bentley,
Charlie Rader, Tony Ferguson, Clay Harvison, Myles Jury, Chris
Cope, and Nordin Asrih. Team dos Santos included Shamar Bailey,
Ryan McGillivray, Javier Torres, Ramsey Nijem, Zach Davis, Mick
Bowman, and Keon Caldwell. (All the fighters are listed in the
order they were chosen.)
Entering
the brand new TUF house, Team dos Santos choses the bottom floor,
while Team Lesnar heads upstairs, keeping their team unity intact.
Myles
Jury of Team Lesnar, who injured his knee during a takedown amid
evaluations, met with Dr. Jeffrey Davidson, who confirmed a complete
tear of his ACL. Davidson added that it was his recommedation
that Jury not fight. White then met with him, telling Jury he
would have to leave the show, but hinted that, with his record
and age, the 22-year-old could soon make his way back to the
UFC.
Chuck
O’Neil was then called in as a late replacement for Jury,
joining Team Lesnar.
Dos
Santos then chooses the first fight, matching his number one
pick, Shamar Bailey, a Strikeforce veteran, against Lesnar’s
last pick, Nordoin Asrih.
Bailey
controlled the pace of the action for the duration, taking Nordoin
down at will and controlling him on the ground. Though Asrih
had his moments in the midst of some scrambles, Bailey always
found himself on top. In the final moment’s of the bout,
he mounted the German and rained down blows as time ran out.
The
result was a unanimous decision for Bailey; Team dos Santos maintained
control.
The
shows ends with an elated Team dos Santos celebrating in their
prep room, while Team Lesnar sits silent. Lesnar said he saw
it coming, having Bailey, dos Santos’ first pick against
Lesnar’s last… the outcome was ”inevitable.”?
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Coach
Thinks Wanderlei Should Fight Before Belfort Rematch
by Marcelo
Alonso
More than a year has passed since Wanderlei Silva last set foot
inside the cage, and, despite outside pressures, “The Axe
Murderer” has resisted the temptation to accept a rematch
with Vitor Belfort upon his return. At least one person, longtime
mentor Rafael Cordeiro, remains in his corner and steadfastly
so.
Silva
(Pictured), who underwent knee reconstructive knee surgery in
July, has not fought since he earned a unanimous decision over
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Michael Bisping
at UFC 110 in February 2010. He wants a tune-up fight before
he meets Belfort again.
“I
think Wanderlei is coming off multiple injuries, but, at the
same time, he has a desire to make this fight. There is a desire
as an athlete and a fighter to make this rematch with Vitor,”
said Cordeiro, who runs the Kings MMA camp in Huntington Beach,
Calif. “I think, at this point, in my opinion as a friend
and coach, he should have a fight with someone else before Vitor.
When I say someone, I mean anyone who gets him back to being
active.
“This
fight with Vitor will become very important in his life, and
he really wants it,” he added. “For Wanderlei to be
100 percent for the fight with Vitor, it’s important that
he get another fight before it.”
Belfort
challenged Anderson Silva for the middleweight crown at UFC 126
in February, losing by first-round knockout at the Mandalay Bay
Events Center in Las Vegas. Cordeiro believes participating in
a fight of that magnitude would give Belfort a decided edge if
the rematch were made now.
“Vitor
just fought for the belt, and, thinking about the rhythm of the
fight, he’s ahead of Wanderlei in that regard,” Cordeiro
said. “I’m not saying that he’s better than Wanderlei,
but Wanderlei needs to pick up his pace [before they fight].”
Belfort
handed Silva arguably the worst defeat of his career in October
1998, as he blitzed his compatriot in a brilliant 44-second technical
knockout. Silva went on to become one of the top stars in the
Pride Fighting Championships promotion in Japan, winning the
205-pound title and defeating Japanese icon Kazushi Sakuraba
(three times), former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton
Jackson (twice) and two-time Olympian Dan Henderson in the process.
Revered for his violent and aggressive style, Silva has lost
five of his last seven fights. Fans have long yearned for a second
bout between the now 34-year-old Brazilian and Belfort.
“I
think he has the desire to fight with Vitor,” Cordeiro said.
“Vitor already defeated him, and he has this desire to have
revenge. However, the body says he stopped fighting a year ago
and needs additional time to regenerate. He returned to training,
with a focus on fighting, only 15 days ago. He was weight training,
but he returned to fight training only recently. We’re still
afraid to push him 100 percent. The most important thing is that
the UFC wants him to fight, regardless of the time he’s
been out.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Ontario's
First Sanctioned MMA Event Set for Saturday
By Ariel
Helwani
UFC 129 might be the most talked about event in the yet to be
written history of MMA in Ontario, but it won't be the first.
On
Saturday, April 2, at Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario, Knockout
Entertainment Canada's MMA: The Reckoning will mark the first-ever
MMA show sanctioned by the Ontario Athletics Commission.
The
eight-fight card will feature some familiar names to MMA fans:
Chris Horodecki, Josh Burkman and Dean Amasinger will all be
competing in separate bouts.
The
province of Ontario officially legalized MMA on Jan. 1, 2011,
and according to Richard Hustwick, Senior Advisor Media and Stakeholder
Liasion at the Office of the Athletics Commissioner, the commission
began receiving calls from promoters who were interested in holding
events in the province shortly thereafter.
"I
think it's fair to say everyone would have liked to be the first,
but that's not really the priority. I would think it's more just
to stage a good, safe fight. UFC was the first to announce their
event, but the priority, from our perspective, is the safety
of the fighters and to have good match-ups."
For
the record, UFC 129, which takes place on April 30 at the Rogers
Centre, will be the third sanctioned MMA event in Ontario. The
second, which takes place on April 8, in Windsor, Ontario, will
be MFC 29, headlined by Douglas Lima vs. Terry Martin.
According
to Hustwick, Ontario has received offers from "about a dozen"
promoters interested in holding events in the province and there
are currently 22 approved fight cards on the 2011 schedule.
The
province has adopted the rules set by the New Jersey State Athletic
Control Board.
And
while UFC 129 won't be the first event in the province, it can
safely claim it will be the biggest and most lucrative MMA event,
not only in Canada but in North American MMA history. The UFC
has announced that it has sold 55,000 tickets to the event, which
equals a live gate of approximately $11 million.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Shooto
all set in Brasília; José Aldo makes appearance
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
All’s set in Brasília for Shooto Brazil 22. The GRACIEMAG.com
team is on the ground in Brazil’s capital and ready to bring
complete coverage. This Thursday, in Nobile Hotel, all the fighters
on the card managed to make weight.
Among
the matchups are three title fights guaranteed to get a rise
out of the crowd in the Nilson Nelson gymnasium. On the undercard
is former UFC fighter Ronys Torres, Johnny Eduardo, Eder Jones,
Carlos Índio and Hacran Dias, among others.
Besides
television star Juju Panicat, the ring girls are gorgeous too.
Photo: Carlos Ozório.
What’s more, the crowd will also have a chance to meet UFC
champion José Aldo, who will be making the rounds in the
gymnasium.
Check
out the card:
Shooto
Brazil 22
Ginásio Nilson Nelson, Brasília
Friday, April 1, 2011
Title
fights
Under-83kg:
Eder Jones (Minotauro Team) vs. Carlos Índio (Dragon Fight)
Under-70kg: Eliene Pit (Cerrado MMA) vs. Hacran Dias (Nova União)
Under-90kg: Diogo Osama (Distrito da luta) vs. Ronny Marques
(Kimura Nova União)
Anistavio
Medeiros (Kioto) vs. Lucio Curado (Gracie Barra)
Bruno Macaco (FFT/Nova União) vs. William Mendes (Gile
Ribeiro)
Saulo Martins (Equipe Pedro Galiza) vs. John Lineker (Emporium
JJ Team)
Johnny Eduardo (Nova União) vs. José Wilson (RKT)
Alexandre Pantoja (MT Arraial Nova União) vs. Jose Maria
Sem Chance (RFT)
Hernani Perpétuo (Nova União) vs. Marco Antonio
Bad Face (CM System)
Ronys Torres (Nova União) vs. Guilherme Kioto (Kioto)
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
A
relieved Scott Coker discusses why he sold Strikeforce
By Zach
Arnold
As
close to a visual Rorschach test as you would find for an MMA
interview. Scott Coker looks relieved and happy. He’s not
stuttering or mumbling over words. The difference in tone in
this interview versus the interviews he’s done in the past
as a promoter is noticeable to a large degree.
Some
notes from the 16-minute interview:
¦He
was asked about how the sale came about. Scott said that SVSE
(Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment) wanted to focus on
bringing another sports franchise to San Jose, so he had to start
looking elsewhere for business partners.
¦He didn’t deny that there was company debt for Strikeforce
but did not answer the question directly.
¦In regards to when Showtime found out about the Strikeforce
sale to Zuffa, he indicated that it was on a Friday (the day
before MMAFighting.com posted the video interview between Ariel
Helwani & Dana White online). A meeting between him and Showtime
just happened to go over the sale. (Bet that was a fun conversation.)
¦Scott thinks that Zuffa will continue the Strikeforce
brand and not dissolve it like the WEC brand. “A lot of
great reasons to keep it going” because “this brand
is worthy of continuing forward and growing in.”
¦When Mr. Coker had the meeting at Zuffa HQ in Las Vegas,
UFC asked him to bring his marketing team. Scott told them he
would bring his marketing person. Zuffa said they would have
their team of 25 at the meeting.
¦He believes that Zuffa-promoted Strikeforce PPVs will
start towards the end of 2011.
¦When asked about fighters and agents worried about no
more leverage in the marketplace: “The fighters are getting
paid more today than EVER.” He further elaborated, “if
you’re a star and you move the needle, you’ll get paid.”
¦He spent some healthy interview time defending his hard
sell of Fedor at events, saying that he met his personal marketing
criteria of four points to build events around. Mr. Coker says
that “we have a contract with Fedor, he is obligated to
fight multiple more fights” with Strikeforce. The timing?
“Fedor’s next fight will be some time in late July
or mid August.”
¦Scott was asked point blank if Fedor bankrupted his promotion
like many others he has fought for in the past. “Fedor definitely
was an expensive item but I think he added value to Strikeforce
and the brand.”
¦Regarding Strikeforce sending fighters to DREAM, “You
know what? Why not? That’s not my decision, that’s
Dana’s and Lorenzo’s decision.”
¦Fighters under contract to Strikeforce will fight for
the Zuffa-promoted SF events. “Everybody’s going to
stay in Strikeforce” because “they have an obligation
to Showtime.” He claims that they will sign new fighters
and that it will be “business as usual.”
¦Regarding SF getting back on CBS, “tt’s still
definitely a possibility.”
¦As for how the Strikeforce sale went down with Zuffa:
“I had one meeting with them and then it was a little bit
of chaos and letting the staff know.” When asked if he is
sad or happy about the sale, “It’s a reality that’s
real.”
¦With fighters uneasy about the landscape of the MMA business,
Scott says that UFC & Lorenzo Fertitta “care about the
fighters and they care about this league.”
¦Regarding whether or not UFC will head to Japan to do
business with the people involved in DREAM (Sakakibara’s
henchmen): “I think that we’ll have a shot to sit down
and have some conversations” and he believes this because
“I think I can help bridge that gap.”
¦He doesn’t know if Josh Barnett or Paul Daley will
fight in UFC proper again, but they will both fight in Strikeforce.
Scott would like to see Nick Diaz/GSP, Jacare/Anderson Silva,
and Gilbert Melendez/Frankie Edgar interpromotional match-ups.
¦When the sale went down to Zuffa, Mr. Coker admitted
that he didn’t talk to M-1 before or after the sale. “Unfortunately,
I haven’t had a chance to talk to them, yet.” This
prompted Bas Rutten to say, “So they found out on the Internet?”
There was laughter. Scott replied, “That wasn’t on
purpose, it just… I felt the need to contact other people
first.”
¦Mr. Coker argued against there being a monopoly or monopsony
in the MMA business. “It’s not hard to be a promoter.
You know, just go to California, pay $100 or $500 or whatever
your license is, right? So the barrier of entry is really the
easy part. And then, you know, you’ve got to have some guts,
you know, and invest your money.”
It was quite an interview to listen to. I would encourage you
to watch it if you get a chance.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
M-1
Global: Report Of Emelianenko’s Release From Strikeforce
False
By Nate
Lawson
Emelianenko has not been cut by Zuffa
Strikeforce
heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko has not been released from his
contract with the promotion.
Earlier
Thursday, Russian website Lifesports.ru reported that the mixed
martial arts legend would not have his contract renewed, but
BloodyElbow.com has since learned from M-1 Global official Evgeni
Kogan that there is no truth to the rumor.
“It’s
unfortunate that the site has shown little to no journalistic
integrity,” Kogan stated. “This is also not the first
time their writers have fabricated a story to create attention.
Quite simply, it should be ignored. Should there ever be a change
in Fedor’s status, rest assured that M-1 would provide an
official position.”
Emelianenko,
undoubtedly one of the most recognized figures in the sport,
was once considered by many the top pound-for-pound fighter in
all of the sport, but a two-fight losing streak has seen him
plummet down the ranks. He was defeated by Fabricio Werdum in
the main event of their 2010 bout and was then defeated by Antonio
Silva nearly one year later in the first round of the highly
anticipated Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix.
Currently,
the Russian fighter is waiting in the wings as a potential replacement
in the tournament. He is expected to return to action this summer.
Source: Heavy.com
|
Rafael
Cordeiro and the trainings at Kings MMA
By Guilherme
Cruz, directly from California
On
a visit to Kings MMA team, which has Rafael Cordeiro as its head-coach,
TATAME TV chatted with one of the most respected coaches in the
world, who daily trains with names like Fabricio Werdum, Andre
Dida, Wanderlei Silva, Renato Babaly and Mark Munoz. On the interview,
Rafael talked about the trainings and many other subjects, like
Werdum’s preparation for Alistair Overeem on Strikeforce
heavyweight Grand Prix.
“Werdum
has evolved too, not only on his stand-up game, Muay Thai and
Jiu-Jitsu. We’ll fight a guy with good Muay Thai, so it’ll
be the same game plan we used to fight Fedor, we’ll focus
on Werdum’s strong point, which is the ground game…
So we’ll bring everything we’ve got to this fight,
we believe in our win”, said Cordeiro, who complimented
Alistair Overeem’s striking.
On
the interview, Rafael also talked about UFC buying Strikeforce,
commented the bout between Mark Munoz and Demian Maia, talked
about Anderson Silva’s visitation and told about Wanderlei’s
trainings for returning to the octagon after a knee surgery and
a possible fight between him and Vitor Belfort. “It’s
like that: Wanderlei wants to fight him again, because back then
it was something that moved not only Wanderlei, but the entire
gym… It’ll be good for his return… Wanderlei wants
to fight Belfort”. Check the entire interview here below.
Werdum
has a bout scheduled against Overeem, who a good striker. How
do you see this fight happening and Werdum’s striking power?
I
believe that, as Mixed Martial Arts evolved, Werdum has evolved
too, not only on his stand-up game, Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu.
We’ll fight a guy with good Muay Thai, so it’ll be
the same game plan we used to fight Fedor, we’ll focus on
Werdum’s strong point, which is the ground game. He has
a pretty good Muay Thai, he’s a smacker, but he gets injury
sometimes, and it’s hard to find heavyweight to train with
him, because he trains a lot, so we’ll bring everything
we’ve got to this fight, we believe in our win, we’ll
train hard to get it and I don’t see any other outcome than
the win.
Overeem
recently won K1’s Grand Prix. How do you evaluate his striking
game?
I
can’t say much about Hollander Muay Thai, they’re really
good, he earned that K1 title, but we’ll fight MMA, and
at MMA we believe Werdum we’ll get to that semifinal bout
with Big Foot, we’ve been saying it all along and there’ll
be a Brazilian standing on this GP’s finale.
Strikeforce
was bought by UFC. Does it change much the importance of the
events?
Of
course. There are two ways: on one side, we’re working now
on the same organization, we have here beginners, who have fought
two or three times, and we don’t know which way will lead
us to an event that great, so it’s harder for the newcomers.
The big athletes, the ones who have their names known, they’ll
be in good hands, because UFC will open its doors and they’ll
be more recognized. So there’re these two ways of seeing
it: the newcomers will have to work harder, it’ll be tougher
on them, and the big ones will have more recognition and will
be able to fight harder guys more often after this merge. It’ll
be tougher for everybody on both events, because all divisions
tend to merge, but it’ll be a good thing for the sport.
For us, who like to watch it’ll be great, that’s the
good side of it. I see it as an organization who owns a show
and made it huge, and I believe they’ll do the same for
Strikeforce.
We’ve
watched Mark Muñoz preparation for fighting Demian Maia.
He’s a wrestler, so how do you see his improvement on striking?
I
believe that it’s a fight that, in case we win, and we’re
working for it, it’ll bring Mark near the top on this UFC
ranking. We don’t know how they work when it comes to numbers,
we don’t know who the number one and two are in their opinion,
so what we do is that we try to make Mark fight tough guys, we
think that, and he knows that too, it’ll bring many doors
for him fighting Demian, he’ll be able to show his skills
and our work together. He’s a student, he doesn’t only
come here to do a camp, and he has improved a lot his game.
Mark’s
a wrestler and Demian knows much Jiu-Jitsu. What will be his
game plan for this bout?
If
I tell you there’ll be no surprise (laughs). It’ll
be a great fight, Demian’s a very good athlete, we see him
as a big challenge, and in our camp we’re used to the pressure,
we’re used to fight good fighters, Demian’s a big challenge
for Mark, but he’ll overcome that obstacle and to become
a contender.
How
is Wanderlei doing? I’ve heard he’s doing not so heavy
trainings…
Wanderlei’s
doing well. He treated his knee, it was a complicated injury,
but he has already baptized Werdum, helped Werdum on his trainings,
he really helped Werdum, Anderson also came here to support him,
trained with us for three days, gave him some tips and worked
hard too. Wanderlei is… When he’s doing well and he
starts training we all hope to see Wanderlei returning to the
top, that’s where he deserves to be. He was the champion
for many years and it’s fair that a guy like him, who did
much for the sport, to come back to the spot where he left.
Dana
White has announced he wants Wanderlei to fight Vitor Belfort,
but not in Brazil, like we imagined it to be, but in Las Vegas.
Do you believe it’s a good fight for Wanderlei on this return
of his?
It’s
like that: Wanderlei wants to fight him again, because back then
it was something that moved not only Wanderlei, but the entire
gym, we were hoping for Wanderlei’s win, but it didn’t
happen, God knows better, because there’s no logic on this,
but we’ll give our blood for this cause, and I’m sure
the outcome will be nothing like it was because of our trainings,
the life we have now. It’s not that it wasn’t good,
it was good, but now we are more experienced, everybody has matured,
so it’ll not be a win for Wanderlei, but for the team, that
wants that win for a long time.
How
was it to have Anderson back on trainings, returning to what
he knows best, which is Muay Thai?
It
was great, he found himself again, he always had a good conditioning,
I remember it from the time he trained in our gym, we always
met and asked how the other was doing, so it wasn’t any
different when I opened this new gym, he came and visited me,
he came and trained, returned on the following day and again,
and again, and I want him to keep coming because it’s good
when you work with people you know, people you know not only
on the mats, but in life. It was a good visitor and I hope we
can become closer and closer. The house’s big, the heart
is big and the techniques are great. The closer we get, the better
we’ll get.
Anderson’s
been ruling his weight class for a long time now, and defeated
Vitor last. When he was starting to fight, back in Curitiba,
did you think he’d reach the top and would remain as the
champion for that long?
I
could see a bright future for him, I could tell he knew much
about techniques, but I didn’t know how big he’d turn
out to be. He’s ruling UFC for eight years, it’s crazy,
but he has a natural talent, he’s always worked hard and
if he achieved all that, he really deserves it because he worked
a lot, he went through a lot and didn’t stop trying, and
that’s it… You have to move forwards, he’s making
his own history, and proving his value to the world.
He
has cleaned up the middleweight division, and people are speculating
about a fight between him and Georges St. Pierre. What do you
think about that?
That’s
a good fight for Anderson, because if GSP goes for the middleweight
he’ll be walking through his own death row, Anderson will
smack him. It’s hard to say something just because you think
that way, but I’m saying it because of what I’m seeing,
you can all see it. We’ve been doing a good work and if
St. Pierre comes to Anderson’s division he’ll be signing
his own death certificate.
Source: Tatame
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Ricardo
Almeida Announces Retirement from Fighting
By FCF
Staff
In
a move that will likely surprise many, veteran fighter and accomplished
BJJ practitioner Ricardo Almeida has announced his retirement
from professional MMA. The 34 year-old-fighter confirmed the
decision via his official website.
“After
much deliberation since my fight at UFC 128 I have decided to
step away from the sport as a fighter.”
“I
will continue to fully support the UFC as a coach and of course
as a big fan. I would like to thank Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana
White for their leadership and vision which brought the sport
to new heights. I would also like to thank Joe Silva for giving
me the opportunity to compete among the best martial artists
in the world.”
Almeida’s
retirement comes just days removed from a unanimous decision
loss to Mike Pyle on March19th. Almeida has gone 5-3 in the UFC
since he returned to competition in 2008, after a near four year,
long hiatus from fighting. (Pictured: Almeida (left) sharing
a moment with Yuki Kondo)
“Back
in 2008 I decided to return to MMA. Since then I have had the
privilege of fighting eight times in the UFC. As a competitor
I can think of no bigger thrill than to stand in the center of
the octagon with my hands raised.”
“During
these almost four years it has been a personal struggle to find
balance between my fighting career, caring for my son who was
diagnosed with autism soon after I signed a six-fight deal with
the UFC, teaching at my growing Jiu Jitsu Academy and the family
duties we all have.”
During
Almeida’s (13-5) decade plus long career, the Renzo Gracie
black belt recorded wins over notable fighters like Kazuo Misaki,
Ikuhisa Minowa, Kendall Grove, Matt Horwich and Matt Brown. In
addition, Almeida defeated Nate Marquardt in November, 2003,
to become the middleweight King of Pancrase.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
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Silva
Admits to Altering Urine, Will Accept NSAC's Ruling
by Mike
Whitman
UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Silva has admitted fault
in submitting his UFC 125 drug screen.
The
American Top Team product today issued a statement regarding
a complaint filed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on
Tuesday. After Silva's “A” sample was flagged by the
commission following Silva's dominant victory over Brandon Vera
at UFC 125 on New Year's Day, the fighter's “B” sample
produced inconclusive results.
After
further examination, it was determined that Silva's second sample
was “inconsistent with human urine” and the commission
therefore believed that the fighter had submitted an “adulterated
and/or substituted specimen for testing.”
With
a preliminary hearing set for April 7 to discuss a temporary
suspension, the fighter is entitled to 20 days to respond to
the commission's complaint from the date it is filed. Silva took
only one day to issue his response:
“We
make decisions every day of our lives. Some are good and some
are bad,” Silva wrote. “When you make a bad decision,
you can either make the situation worse by trying to cover it
up or lie about it or just stick your head in the sand and refuse
to acknowledge it even happened, or you can own up to it with
an honest explanation, accept the consequences of your actions,
apologize to the people affected by it, learn from it and move
on. I’m choosing the second option.
“I
used a urine adulterant when giving a sample following my fight
with Brandon Vera. I did so in an attempt to alter the results
of the test and knowingly broke the rules of the Nevada Athletic
Commission. This was a terrible decision on my part for which
I will be punished. I am prepared to accept this punishment,
learn from it and move on. I apologize to the commission, the
UFC, Brandon Vera and the MMA fans.”
Silva
explained his circumstance, citing a recurring back injury that
plagued him one year ago in his loss to Rashad Evans.
“I
reinjured my back 45 days before the fight with Brandon Vera.
After not fighting for a year, I made the decision to not pull
out of the fight. I also decided that the only way I could continue
with the fight was to take injections in my back and spine that
contained substances prohibited by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
I also made the decision to use a product to hide the presence
of these substances in a urine test.”
The
Brazilian went on to explain that he acted independently and
without the knowledge of his trainers or anyone else out of the
fear that he would not be allowed to fight, though Silva then
acknowledged that withdrawing from the fight would resulted in
a better outcome than the situation in which he currently finds
himself.
“Again,
I take full responsibility for making the decision to break the
rules and try to cheat the system. I will accept the punishment
I receive and will learn from this. I plan to come back as a
better person and professional as a result.”
Source: Sherdog
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UFC
is now getting the soap opera they always wanted to see
By Zach Arnold
I
posted a video earlier of Scott Coker’s interview with HDNet
and discussed some of the interesting messages that one could
take away from watching it. Well, there were two other video
interviews from this past weekend at UFC 128 that are also worth
your while and paint another awkward, albeit higher-profile situation
and that’s the triangle between Greg Jackson, UFC Light
Heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and #1 contender Rashad Evans.
Jones got a title shot against Shogun after Evans injured his
knee during training at Jackson’s camp in New Mexico.
There’s
the set-up for this short, but intriguing interview that Evans
did after watching Jones dismantle Shogun at UFC 128 in Newark,
New Jersey:
(Meeting
Jon Jones in the cage after he won the Light Heavyweight title.)
ARIEL
HELWANI: “What was that experience like for you?”
RASHAD
EVANS: “Uh, you know, I thought about it, it was going to
happen before it even happened, so it’s whatever.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Was it awkward considering your friendship with
Jon?”
RASHAD
EVANS: “Uh, this whole’s situation awkward, you know.
It is what it is.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “You seem to be experiencing some mixed emotions
right now.”
RASHAD
EVANS: “Yeah, I’m happy for the dude, he went out there
and he fought well, you know I’m happy for him that he looked
phenomenal. But at the same time, he’s got that strap so
now I got to go and get it.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Were you pulling for Shogun so that you wouldn’t
be in this situation?”
RASHAD
EVANS: “No, I knew I was going to fight him, no matter if
he lost tonight or not. I was going to fight him.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “What did you think of his performance?”
RASHAD
EVANS: “Phenomenal, great performance.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Did you expect him to dominate the fight that
easily?”
RASHAD
EVANS: “Yes I did. From the minute they called that he was
going to fight him, I knew that he was going to destroy him.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “And when you’re watching that are you thinking
of how you will fight him now? Or you haven’t really…”
RASHAD
EVANS: “I already know how to fight him, I train with him!”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Right. What do you think you’re going to
do? Will you train with Jackson’s or stay at Grudge, do
you know?”
RASHAD
EVANS: “I’m done with Jackson’s.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “You’re done? How come?”
RASHAD
EVANS: “I’m done.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “You feel as though they betrayed you?”
RASHAD
EVANS: “I’m done. I’m done with Jackson’s.”
¦Ben
Fowlkes: UFC Wastes No Time Pitting Jones Against Evans, With
Good Reason
¦Bloody Elbow: Rashad Evans a +375 underdog for the fight
against Bones Jones
¦Yahoo Sports: Is Jon Jones the first true UFC crossover
sports superstar?
After those comments, there was this interview with Greg Jackson.
He was asked about Jon Jones winning the Light Heavyweight title
and the impending match between Jones and Evans.
“It’s
a bittersweet moment for me because, you know, Rashad’s
got to fight [Jon Jones] next and I love Rashad like a brother.
I love Jon like a brother, so I’m extremely happy for Jon,
you know, he showed what he can do. But, yeah, it’s bittersweet.”
He
was even less thrilled when he saw Jones and Evans face off in
the cage.
“I
couldn’t even be in the cage, you know what I mean? I’m
not going to corner anybody for that fight. The coaches will
have to figure it out on their own, but I love Rashad and I love
Jon and I hope after they fight we can be one big happy family
again because, for me, it’s all about the love and I won’t
have anything to do with the two of them fighting.”
And
it got worse from there when Rashad’s comments about being
finished with Jackson’s was relayed.
“Well,
you know, I’m hoping that it’s just emotion talking
and that won’t be the case because we love him to death
and I love him to death.
“There’s
a lot of things that are said that I hope aren’t meant.
“You
know, again… I don’t, how can I say it? I’m a
veteran of a lot of situations and so I’m not going to be
like tearing my hair out or anything like that. I’m hoping
that, like my heart and my optimism, every great fighter even
though I’m not in there fighting you know I do put in a
lot of hours, has to be an optimist at heart so I’m an optimist
that it’s all going to work out.
“I
mean, how would you feel if your brother was going to fight your
brother, you know what I mean? If everybody was like, ‘who’s
going to win that fight?!?! Your one brother or your other brother?’
You’d be like, I don’t really want to see them fight,
so that’s just me, though, you know. The UFC wants what
it wants and the fans want what they want and, you know, I’m
happily being an unimportant person, so that’s just my opinion.
“Yeah,
I can’t win that one, so I’m not going to play.
“I’ll
need all the bright side that I can get.”
UFC
is more than happy to pour gasoline on this fire.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Dana
White Supports Overtime to Take Draws Out of the UFC
By Michael David Smith
The UFC has already had two pay-per-view main events end in draws
this year, with neither fighter getting his hand raised in the
Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard fight at UFC 125, or the B.J. Penn
vs. Jon Fitch fight at UFC 127.
UFC
President Dana White wasn't satisfied with those decisions, and
he'd like to do something about it: Add overtime to UFC fights.
Talking
to Stephan Bonnar on The Ultimate Fighter Aftermath, White was
asked whether he would favor an overtime round for fights that
end in draws, just as the fights on The Ultimate Fighter have.
White said he thinks that's a good idea.
"I
hate draws," White said. "I think it's just such a
waste of everybody's time and energy. It's something that I would
definitely explore."
The
big question is whether state athletic commissions would be open
to allowing overtime. The Nevada State Athletic Commission sanctions
the exhibition fights in The Ultimate Fighter, so that commission
apparently doesn't have any principled objection to adding an
extra round. But Ultimate Fighter overtime rounds come after
the fighters have fought only two five-minute rounds. It would
be a lot more taxing on the fighters to add an overtime round
after a 25-minute war like Edgar vs. Maynard. A three-minute
overtime round might make more sense.
There
would still be issues left to address with an overtime round,
like what would happen if one fighter wins the overtime round
10-9 but has a point deducted for committing a foul. Draws might
be unavoidable in some situations, just as no contests are unavoidable
in some situations.
But
reducing the number of draws in MMA is a worthy goal. Two of
this year's first major events had unsatisfying conclusions,
and if overtime reduces such unsatisfying conclusions, it's a
good thing. White should continue to explore adding overtime
to the UFC.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Carlos
Condit Would Fight Teammate Diego Sanchez Under the Right Circumstances
by Damon
Martin
As the time rapidly approaches when former teammates Jon Jones
and Rashad Evans will square off for the UFC light heavyweight
championship, the question about other top fighters training
out of the Team Jackson camp facing one another continue to swirl.
One
pairing that could be on a collision course one day is former
WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit and his teammate Diego
Sanchez.
Condit
is currently ranked in the Top 10 in the welterweight division,
and with Sanchez’s recent win over Martin Kampmann, he isn’t
trailing too far behind either.
Beyond
just being teammates, Condit believes the hardest part of fighting
someone you work with is figuring out how you’d train for
each other.
“As
far as teammates fighting each other, some different things arise
like who’s going to train where for the fight? Are you guys
still going to be at the same gym? Are you going to come in,
in the morning? Is the other guy going to come in at night? It’s
all something to be considered,” Condit said recently.
Condit
is readying for a return to action after a knee injury forced
him out of his scheduled fight at UFC 127 against Chris Lytle.
While no date for his return has been set, Condit is likely to
end up on one of the summer cards, possibly in June or July.
He
returned home to New Mexico to train with Team Jackson, and Sanchez
went back to his original camp as well after spending several
years working in and around California.
While
the pair of welterweights haven’t been asked to fight yet,
Condit believes that if the right situation came about, he’d
fight Sanchez, but not just for giggles.
“As
far as fighting Diego, me and him are teammates and training
partners. If it was a title fight, like a very, very big fight,
we could put friendship and everything aside, and go scrap. But
unless it’s something like that, we’d probably try
to avoid it,” Condit stated.
Right
now, both Condit and Sanchez are awaiting opponents, but they
don’t seem to be in the position where the UFC would have
to see them fight each other. But if both continue their climb
towards the top of the division, it’s something that may
happen sooner rather than later.
Source: MMA Weekly
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