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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2011
12/9/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
11/11/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
November
Aloha
State Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
10/29/11
NAGA
Hawaii
10/7/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/2/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
8/20/11
POSTPONED
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Neal Blaisdell Center
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui)
8/12/11
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waterfront at Aloha Tower)
7/22/11
808 Battleground & X-1 World Events
Domination
(MMA)
(Waterfront at Aloha Tower)
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
7/16/11
2011 Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous Sparring, MMA (Controlled), and Submission Grappling)
(War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/8/11
Chozun 2
(Kickboxing)
(The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace, Honolulu)
Rener Gracie Seminar
O2 Martial Arts Academy
$65
7-9PM
7/1/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
6/25/11
Kauai Cage Fights
(MMA)
(Kilohana Estates)
6/17-19/11
Big Boys & MMA Hawaii Expo
Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/18-19/11
Hawaii Triple Crown
“State Championships”
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/18/11
Destiny: Fury II
(MMA)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/17/11
UpNUp: On The Rise
(MMA)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/10/11
Genesis “76 South Showdown Kickboxing”
(Kickboxing)
(Campbell H.S. Gym, Ewa Beach)
6/2-5/11
World
Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(California)
5/28/11
HUAWA Grappling Tournament 2011
Grappling Series II
(Submission grappling)
(Mililani H.S. Gym, Mililani)
Cancelled
Battleground 808
(MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower)
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/21/11
Scraplafest 3
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Island School, Puhi, Kauai, behind Kauai Commuity College)
5/20/11
Kauai Knockout Championship II: Mortal Combat
(MMA)
(Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall, Lihue)
5/14/11
Boxing Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Gym)
5/6/11
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
4/28/11
Destiny: Fury II
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
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)
|
|
August
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!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from
the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
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go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
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O2
Martial Arts Academy
Your Complete Martial Arts School!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Shane Agena as well
as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA champions Kaleo Kwan
and PJ Dean as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens
provide incredibly detailed instruction of the sweet science.
To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima
classes (Filipino Knife & Stickfighting) who were directly
trained under the legendary Snookie Sanchez.
Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from
the ground up!
Experienced martial artist that wants to fine tune your skill?
Our school is for you!
If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in
a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is
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Evans
far from ‘same old’ in thrashing Ortiz
PHILADELPHIA
– Jon Jones, the UFC’s brightest star, wasn’t
particularly impressed by the performance of his former friend
Rashad Evans on Saturday in a second-round technical knockout
win over Tito Ortiz in the main event of UFC 133 at the Wells
Fargo Center.
In
answer to a fan’s question about his impression of Evans,
Jones tweeted, “Same old stuff.”
Rashad Evans is ready for his shot at the UFC light heavyweight
title after stopping Tito Ortiz on Saturday.
If
it was the same old stuff from Evans, though, Jones is one of
the few who felt that way. Evans was quick, fast and aggressive
in dismantling Ortiz, stopping him with a perfectly placed knee
to the solar plexus. Referee Dan Miragliotta jumped in to halt
the bout at 4:48 of the second as Evans was raining punches down
on Ortiz, who was frozen by the knee and couldn’t get off
the canvas.
“If
it was the same old stuff, it’s exactly why he didn’t
want to fight me the first time,” Evans said. “Jon
knows what happened when we trained. He knows if I’m focused,
and I’m strong and I’m healthy, he knows he’s
got a fight on his hands. Jon’s a tough guy. Jon’s
a champion. But I know what Jon’s weak at. He knows what
I’m weak at. We’ll see who covers up first.”
Evans
showed few weaknesses on Saturday against Ortiz, who was an unlikely
challenger in the main event. Ortiz was 0-4-1 in his previous
five fights before he met Ryan Bader on July 2 in Las Vegas at
UFC 132, where he was fighting to keep his job. He saved his
job by choking out Bader, then saved the show at UFC 133 by accepting
the fight against Evans when Phil Davis had to pull out with
a knee injury.
He
wasn’t much of a match for Evans, though, who was faster
and quicker than he had been when he last fought in the UFC 14
months ago while at the same time also appearing stronger.
Ortiz
repeatedly said “Rashad was the better man tonight,”
at the post-fight news conference and UFC president Dana White
said he was blown away by how good Evans looked. He awarded each
men a $70,000 bonus for putting on the Fight of the Night.
“What
Jon Jones said about seeing the same old stuff from Rashad, I
got to tell you, I don’t know about the rest of you, but
I didn’t see the same old stuff tonight,” White said.
“I was very impressed with his performance, going to the
head, the body. You very rarely see guys going to the body in
MMA. He looked fantastic tonight.”
Evans
looked better because Ortiz actually looked good, as well. He
caught Evans in a guillotine choke early in the second round
and, for an instant at least, it seemed as if he’d duplicate
his effort last month when he choked out Bader.
“I
thought it was close for about a tenth of a second,” Ortiz
said.
But
Evans had practiced defending the move with jiu-jitsu master
Renzo Gracie, who advised him to put his head down and move his
shoulder into Ortiz. Evans managed the escape perfectly, putting
his head on the mat, burying his shoulder into Ortiz and then
pushing his knee out of the way.
It
wasn’t long after that until Evans planted his knee in the
middle of Ortiz’s chest and began the fight-ending sequence.
And
that sets the stage for a dramatic main event at UFC 135, when
Jones will defend his belt against Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson. Evans will get the winner and is eager for it to be
his one-time friend turned into bitter enemy.
Evans
had invited Jones into his camp at Greg Jackson’s gym in
Albuquerque, N.M., several years ago and the pair became fast
friends, as well as training partners. Jones frequently referred
to Evans as his mentor.
But
when Evans was injured about six weeks before he was to take
on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the UFC light heavyweight
title on March 29 in Newark, N.J., at UFC 129, the UFC gave the
bout to Jones.
Jones
took the bout, won the title and bad blood ensued between them.
Evans
is widely disliked by mixed martial arts fans for what is perceived
to be his cocky attitude, but he said he’s nothing compared
to Jones. He said he hopes Jones beats Jackson, so he has the
chance to teach Jones a bit of humility.
“I
would prefer to get it from Jones, because I would love to be
the first one to beat him, to really beat him,” Evans said.
“He’s so cocky. You think I’m cocky? He’s
for-real cocky. I’m on the camera, joking around cocky.
He’s like going-to-sleep, praising himself-type cocky. That’s
how cocky he is.
“I
would love to teach him a lesson. If he makes it past ‘Rampage,’
then I’ll get a chance to do that. Like I said, he has a
tough fight ahead of him. If ‘Rampage’ does the work,
then he could actually do something.”
It
was Evans who was able to do something – something big –
on Saturday. And while nearly everyone in MMA agrees that Jones
is almost a supernatural talent, few agreed with his assessment
of his old buddy’s performance on Saturday.
It
was hardly the same old stuff. Ortiz and Evans fought to a draw
at UFC 73 in 2007, a bout Ortiz would have won had referee John
McCarthy not docked him a point for grabbing the cage. But Ortiz
knew early that this was a different fighter he would be facing.
“At
the weigh-ins, I looked over and I said, ‘Holy [expletive],
he has abdominal muscles,’ ” Ortiz said. “He looked
in great shape. I knew he was in really great shape. You take
14 months and put them into two camps and you get a chance to
use your skills and sharpen up those tools over and over again,
he looked awesome.”
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
133 Results: Vitor Belfort is Back!
One
fight after losing to UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva
in a first-round knockout, Vitor Belfort turned the tables and
turned back the clock.
At
UFC 133 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday
night, Belfort stepped into the Octagon with Yoshihiro Akiyama,
but it was like he was 21 all over again fighting Wanderlei Silva.
Belfort
came out from the bell looking to take off Akiyama’s head,
and less than two minutes into the first round he did just that.
He
clipped Akiyama, sending him to the mat then quickly swarmed
him. Akiyama somehow got briefly back to his feet, but Belfort
sent him down again, this time unleashing a series of left hands
that put his Japanese foe out cold.
“I’m
back, I’m back,” yelled the Phenom after the fight.
“I
know everyone is struggling in this economy,” said Belfort,
offering words of encouragement for his fans. “I make my
own atmosphere. You make sure and make your atmosphere and live
for your dreams.”
Touching
on the loss to Silva earlier this year, Belfort proclaimed, “I
feel like if (Anderson) didn’t land the kick, that would
have happened to him.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
133 Results: Rashad Evans Finishes Tito Ortiz
It
had been fourteen months since former light heavyweight champion
Rashad Evans had competed when he stepped into the Octagon at
UFC 133 inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday
to rematch former titleholder Tito Ortiz, but you couldn’t
tell it by his performance.
He
did to Ortiz what Ortiz has done to so many throughout his career.
Evans let his hands go standing and utilized his wrestling to
put his opponent on his back and put him away from there.
The
two stood and traded shots through the first two minutes of action
before Ortiz shot in and secured a takedown. Evans worked his
way back to his feet and turned the pressure up with his striking.
They had a spirited exchange along the cage where Evans landed
several punches, but Ortiz answered with knees.
With
a minute remaining in the opening round, Evans elevated Ortiz
into the air and slammed him to the canvas. From there, he softened
Ortiz up with punches and elbows.
Evans
secured a double-leg takedown early in the second stanza and
Ortiz applied a guillotine choke. Evans fought his way out of
it and began to brutalize Ortiz with ground and pound. Ortiz
worked his way up to his knees, but it would be his undoing.
Evans delivered a knee to the midsection of Ortiz, causing him
to wilt to one side. Evans finished with several right hands,
forcing a stop to the fight.
“All
the hard work, all the trials and tribulations have paid off.
In life, you have setbacks; those are the things that test you
the most. When you’re in a valley, that’s when you’re
tested the most, not when you’re at your peak,” said
Evans following the fight.
Ortiz
made no excuses for the loss and was respectful in defeat.
“I
have to take my hat off to Rashad,” said Ortiz in his post-fight
interview. “He beat me at my best.”
With
the Ortiz bout behind him, Evans focused his attention to champion
Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson, who fight at UFC 135 in September
for Jones’ UFC light heavyweight title.
“Got
my first performance in. I want to get at Jon Jones; I want to
get that belt back. So whether (Jones) has it or Rampage has
it, I’m getting my belt back.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Nogueira
still wants to fight Rich Franklin: “Please, wait for me”
Rogerio
Nogueira would get into action next Saturday, in UFC 133, against
the former champion Rich Franklin, but an injury left him out
of the event’s card. Upset about leaving, the Brazilian
fighter talked to TATAME and explained the injury that put him
away from the battle.
“I’ve
injured my neck, unfortunately I couldn’t train anymore.
I couldn’t move, so I went to see the doctor and he thought
it was best if I postponed the fight”, tells Nogueira, revealing
how did it happen. “I was training with Feijao and he fit
me a triangle choke. I defended myself, but I got injured. Feijao
has a leg the size of a hippo (laughs)”.
With
no prediction of return, Rogerio makes a request.
“I
can’t wait to fight him… Please, Rich Franklin, wait
for me (laughs). Don’t let me with no opponent (laughs)”,
jokes the fighter, who didn’t consider fighting while injured.
“When I fought Sokoudjou (in Pride) I had a neck injury
and I was defeated, so I won’t risk it anymore”.
“It
was an exciting fight for me, it’d strike, trade punches…
I was disappointed, it was a big fight for me, but now I only
fight when I’m 100% good to go, and this injury was pretty
serious”, complements Nogueira, focused on recovering.
“I’m
working to strengthen my muscles, doing physiotherapy… I’ve
been working, doing two sessions a day. They say I’ll be
back next week, but then he’ll evaluate me again because
I’m still under a lot of pain… It kept me away from
the fight, but I’m doing the right treatment to comeback”.
Source:
Tatame
|
Belfort:
“Brazil, get ready, the UFC’s going to surpass soccer!”
Vitor
Belfort was overjoyed and upbeat at the post UFC 133 press conference
this Saturday in Philadelphia. He came out of his fight with
Yoshihiro Akiyama with the prize for best knockout and called
over his boss Dana White for a photo.
“I
just trained really hard. I’m ready, and I don’t know
who’s going to win but I want the winner of the fight between
Okami and Anderson. I want the belt, that’s my objective,
my future, and I’m not going to stop,” he said.
“Anderson
got me with that kick… What’s in the past is in the
past, I’m only looking to the future. He tried that kick
and now everyone tries it. I’m ready and I know what I want,”
he added.
The
Brazilian overcame Akiyama in just 1:52 minutes and admitted
he was dying for a win.
“I
got here hungry for it and that’s how I was in the gym too.
It was hard on my training partners because I was really focused,”
he declared.
“I
feel as though I’ve completed a mission. People confuse
dreams with desires. When I was a teenager I dreamed of being
the best in the world. I left my family and training partners
behind to move to Vegas. I’m here, and I stabilized my career.
I’m training really hard in Las Vegas. I know what I want,
I’m paying for it, I’m making sacrifices,” he
continued.
On
the August 27 UFC event in Brazil, the fighter is also really
confident it will be a success. To Belfort, MMA will surprise
everyone in the land where it was created.
“The
message I have for Brazil is, ‘Get ready! The UFC is coming
and these days its like the World Cup in Brazil: the people love
it. It’s the second time the event goes there and television
made way. It may seem like madness what I’m going to say,
but in three years the UFC will surpass soccer,” he said
in closing.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Fighters
Advance in Lightweight, Flyweight Grand Prixs at Pancrase
---
Pancrase put on one of the biggest cards of the year on Sunday
night - a mammoth 20- fight card that included the 2011 Lightweight
GP semifinals, a Pancrase bantamweight championship qualifier,
the Pancrase Flyweight Championship semifinals and the finals
of the "Neo Blood" rookie tournament in five weight
divisions.
Kazuki
Tokudome and Isao Kobayashi booked a meeting in December after
besting their respective opponents in the Lightweight GP, Shintaro
Ishiwatari devastated Motonobu Tezuka to get a date with bantamweight
ace Manabu Inoue, Mitsuhisa Sunabe and Hiroyuki Abe got their
tickets to the first Pancrase 120-pound championship fight and
US Navy serviceman Jon Shores capped off an impressive year with
a first round submission to claim the Featherweight Neo Blood
Rookie Tournament and Neo Blood MVP award.
Pancrase
2011 Lightweight GP
Paraestra Hachioji's Kazuki Tokudome (pictured right) soccer
kicked, stomped and pounded his way to a one-sided victory over
a patient Kota Okazawa to advance to the final of the 2011 Pancrase
Lightweight GP.
Okazawa
was outclassed in the striking and power department and so chose
to bide his time until a submission attempt presented itself
– coming close to a kimura in the first round and an armbar
in the second. Okazawa's rather passive approach to the fight
though cost him as the damage had become too much by the final
round. A painful stomp to the throat to close the second round
set the tone from the remainder of the fight as Tokudome threw
a constant volley of attacks, earning him a 10-8 final round
to take the fight with 30-26 on all three judge's cards.
In
a frustrating bout marred by injury, Isao Kobayashi out-struck
and out-grappled Tomoyoshi Iwamiya to move to the finals of the
2011 Pancrase Lightweight GP. The fight was even early, with
both men getting dropped by punches in the first round but a
knee injury sustained by Iwamiya midway through the fight had
his corner clutching the towel, ready to throw it in at any moment.
The
towel never came though as Kobayashi took the bout to the ground
where Iwamiya was able to muster the strength to defend, but
the seriousness of the injury became apparent with the final
bell as Iwamiya hobbled to his corner, his knee swollen and purple.
With his foe in no condition to fight for a significant portion
of the fight, Kobayashi easily took the unanimous decision.
With
tonight's results, Kazuki Tokudome and Isao Kobayashi will meet
in the finals of the Lightweight GP on December 3rd.
Pancrase
Bantamweight Championship Qualifier
In the thrilling fight of the night, a classic striker versus
grappler bout, hard-hitting Sengoku veteran Shintaro Ishiwatari
(pictured right) narrowly bested grappler Motonobu Tezuka by
split decision to book a date with bantamweight champion Manabu
Inoue.
Fifth-ranked
Tezuka clearly took round one, coming close with a head scissors
and controlling the pace of the bout, but as the fight progressed,
third-ranked Ishiwatari's aggression and power kicked into gear
and he was able to use his hands to shift the flow of the fight
in his favor. Tezuka never ceased his ground attacks though and
the bout was truly up for grabs as the final bell rang. Two judges
awarded Ishiwatari the win while one scored a draw with the "must"
decision going to Tezuka.
Only
hours after Dennis Hallman sports one of the worst excuses for
fight attire in MMA history, Grabaka showman Kei Yamamiya (pictured
right) responds with one of the best ever – a full Tigermask
pro-wrestling costume with tights and knee-high boots and mask
and cape for the entrance.
Yamamiya's
southpaw left hand and knees from the clinch proved far too good
for Ichiro Kanai as Yamamiya scored time and time again to the
face and body. One conservative judge managed to justify scoring
the bout a draw but the other two
Pancrase
Flyweight Championship Tournament Semi Finals
Former Super Flyweight champion Mitsuhisa Sunabe knew what he
had to do to get past the 5-foot tall Yoshihiro "Child"
Matsunaga – he had to use his 7.5-inch height advantage.
Matsunaga
had a winning gameplan in round one, staying close in the standup
and getting takedowns in to side control to negate the reach
difference but in the second round, Sunabe's taunting served
its purpose by suckering Matsunaga into the striking game.
The
two fighters, competing for a shot at the first Pancrase flyweight
strap, stood and traded for the remainder of the bout and unsurprisingly,
Sunabe's height advantage allowed him to score better with knees
and punches to get the decision and advance him to the flightweight
tournament final.
Former
Shooto title contender Hiroyuki Abe's (pictured below) relentless
armbar attempts paid off as he was awarded with a first round
submission win over Sengoku veteran Takuya Eizumi in the semifinals
of the tournament to decide the first Pancrase flyweight champ.
After getting the early takedown, Abe attempted four armbars
from mount, easily recovering his position after each failed
attempt, before getting the tap that saw him move to the tournament
final.
Pancrase
altered their weight classes earlier this year, changing the
125-lbs limit to "super flyweight" (formerly "flyweight")
and creating a new 120-lbs division (now called "flyweight").
Team
Tackler's Shinsho "Animal" Anzai did manage to TKO
the man formally known as "Kinniku Mantaro, The 59th Prince
of Planet Muscle", 7-time All-Japan Wrestling Champion Akihito
Tanaka, but the Pancrase ring was no help. Anzai landed a crush
overhand early in the bout, sending Tanaka tumbling out of the
ring and onto the entrance ramp where Anzai rained in potentially
fight-finishing hammer fists. Because the bout was now outside
of the ropes however, the fight was restarted and Tanaka was
able to recover enough to come close with a slick omo-plata and
rear naked choke. Anzai escaped the submissions after a significant
struggle though and get the win that evaded him earlier with
heavy hands stopping a turtled up Tanaka.
Sixth-ranked
super flyweight Seiji Ozuka scored the upset TKO victory over
first-ranked Isao Hirose with a devastating overhand right early
in round two. Ozuka and Hirose both landed a significant amount
a power shots in round one but the right hand proved the winning
blow against the southpaw, sending Hirose to the canvas where
he was pounded out for the somewhat early referee stoppage. Post
fight Ozuka made an enthusiastic request for a fight with reigning
super fly champ Kiyotaka Shimizu.
In
a battle of Sengoku veterans, Tatsuya So's relentless takedowns
and control should have been enough to get past Shoko Sato but
his lack of significant striking resulted in two of the judges
scoring a draw after two rounds. So was content with pushing
his opponent in the corner and maintaining position rather than
making any effort to stirke and so Sato's efforts to escape and
reverse were enough to draw the bout.
Paraestra
Hachioji's Yoshiaki "Bancho" Takahashi's cocky striking
and taunts led him to victory over 2009 Shooto Rookie champion
Koshi Matsumoto after two close rounds. Matsumoto's grappling
levelled the first stanza but Takahashi made his mark in the
second, dropping Matsumoto with punches to give him the edge
needed to get the judges approval.
Pancrase
"Neo Blood" Rookie Tournament Finals
Team Tackler's Shigeaki "Kusa MAX" Kusayanagi's calculated
torrent of punches, knees and kicks to the body devastated Tomotsu
Kitada in the final of the Welterweight Neo Blood Tournament,
culminating in a second round kick to the liver that floored
Kitada, followed by punches on the mat to bring in the referee.
Kusayanagi's defensive wrestling and power strikes, in particular
his kness from the clinch, were far too much for an overmatched
Kitada.
Paraestra
Chiba's Keiji Sakuta impressive tomoe nage throw into mount in
the final seconds of his bout with Paraestra Hachioji's Takatoshi
Matsumoto gave him the edge he needed to win the judges favor
in the final of the Lightweight Neo Blood Tournament. With both
men scoring on the feet, the bout was up for grabs going into
the final moment but the throw, which resulted in a very close
rear naked choke, turned the bout in Sakuta's favor with two
judges scoring a draw with the "must" vote for Sakuta
and the final judge scoring it 20-19 for the unanimous decision.
US
Navy serviceman Jon Shores capped off an impressive run in the
Featherweight Neo Blood Tournament, finishing Yoji Saito with
a rear naked choke late in round one. Saito took the fight to
the American early, securing the takedown in the opening seconds.
Shores was aggressive off his back however and after missing
with inverted armbar attempts from guard, swept into mount and
then secured the fight-finishing rear naked choke as Saito gave
up his back.
Shores,
who serves at the US Navy base in Yokosuka, was the only Neo
Blood winner to finish all three opponents and his performance
earned him the tournament 2011 Neo Blood MVP award.
Yuta
Numakura's path to victory in the 2011 Bantamweight Neo Blood
tournament was a tough fought one, taking two split decisions
and then winning a very close "must" decision over
Kenichi Tosa in the tournament final. After to competitive rounds
mostly fought in the clinch, two judges scored the bout a draw
but the "must decide" rules for scoring meant they
needed to announce a winner. Both agreed that a last minute takedown
and ground and pound effort from Numakura was enough to take
the unanimous decision.
In
the Neo Blood Super Flyweight GP final, Tokyo Yellowman's Yuki
Yasunaga narrowly wrestled his way to a decision victory over
Masakazu Utsugi. Yasunaka nullified Utsugi's distinct speed advantage
on the feet with well timed shots to turn the bout in his favor
after a rocky start.
Pancrase
Impressive Tour 8 - August 7 at Differ Ariake, Tokyo, Japan
Pancrase 2011 Lightweight GP Semi Finals
Kazuki Tokudome def. Kota Okazawa by Unanimous Decision
Isao Kobayashi def. Tomoyoshi Iwamiya by Unanimous Decision
Pancrase
Bantamweight Championship Qualifier
Shintaro Ishiwatari def. Motonobu Tezuka by Split Decision
Kei
Yamamiya def. Ichiro Kanai by Majority Decision.
Pancrase
Flyweight Championship Semi Finals
Mitsuhisa Sunabe def. Yoshihiro Matsunaga by Unanimous Decision
Hiroyuki Abe def. Takuya Eizumi by Submission (Armbar) –
Round 1, 4;19
Shinsho
"Animal" Anzai def. Akihito Tanaka by TKO (Punches)
– Round 1, 4:16
Seiji Ozuka def. Isao Hirose by TKO (Punches) – Round 2,
0:57
Tatsuya So vs. Shoko Sato – Majority Draw
Yoshiaki "Bancho" Takahashi def. Koshi Matsumoto by
Majority Decision
Neo
Blood Tournament Finals
Welterweight: Shigeaki "Kusa MAX" Kusayanag def. Tamotsu
Kitada by TKO (Punches) – Round 2, 0.54
Lightweight: Keiji Sakuta def. Takatoshi Matsumoto by Unanimous
Decision
Featherweight: Jon Shores def. Yoji Saito by Submission (Rear
Naked Choke) – Round 1, 4.43
Bantamweight: Yuta Numakura def. Kenichi Tosa by Unanimous Decision
Super Flyweight: Yuki Yasunaga def. Masakazu Utsugi by Unanimous
Decision
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
X-1
World Events/Destiny/808 Battleground Promotion
This Saturday, August
13, 2011
The Waterfront at Aloha Tower
Doors open at 6 pm, Fights start at 7 pm
|
This
Friday!
 |
UFC
133 Results: MacDonald Pounds Out Pyle In First Round
Rory MacDonald pounded out Mike Pyle in the first round at UFC
133 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday night.
The
22-year old Canadian standout fended off Pyle’s early takedown
attempts and finished him off on the ground with a series of
strikes.
MacDonald
postured up from inside Pyle’s guard and landed a left hook
that hurt the seasoned veteran. Pyle rolled in an attempt to
get out of danger but MacDonald continued to land punches and
elbows forcing the referee to call a stop to the fight just shy
of four minutes in the first round.
“I
was just trying to control his body, keep my weight over his,
stay away from his dangerous submissions and ground and pound,”
said MacDonald in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
“I
know I hit hard on the ground, so as soon as I felt that clean
impact, I knew it was time to finish,” he said of the technical
knockout win.
MacDonald
improved his record to 12-1 and plans to get back in the Octagon
as soon as possible.
“I
wish it would have gone a little longer because I could have
shown more things, but I’ll just fight again soon, keep
putting on great shows and keep evolving.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
133 Results: Constantinos Philippou Gets First Octagon Win, but
Not Pleased
Constantinos
Philippou was originally slated to face Rafael Natal on the preliminary
portion of Saturday night’s UFC 133 fight card at the Wells
Fargo Center in Philadelphia. That all changed when Alessio Sakara
had to withdraw due to an injury. UFC execs then pulled Philippou
up to the main card to fight Jorge Rivera.
It
was a no-brainer to take a slot on the main card, but it wasn’t
an easy fight, especially after Philippou lost his Octagon debut.
Though
both men are known for fireworks in their fists, the fight never
escalated to its potential. There were moments where both fighters
got their licks in, but the fisticuffs never exploded into a
knockout.
Philippou,
however, nearly scored an omo plata shoulder lock finish in round
two, but even though he had a deep lock, he didn’t seem
to know how to put on the finishing touches.
In
the end, Philippou did do enough in the judges’ eyes, at
least two of them, to score the split decision victory. The Cyprus
fighter didn’t appear too pleased with his first UFC victory.
“Wasn’t
my best performance. I’m happy I got the win, but the fight,
it wasn’t that good,” Philippou said before he left
the Octagon. “(The finish was) pretty close, but close is
not enough.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
133 Results: Brian Ebersole Takes Out Dennis Hallman
Brian
Ebersole extended his winning streak to nine on Saturday, grounding
and pounding Dennis Hallman to a first-round stoppage at UFC
133 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Hallman,
dressed in blue speedo-type trunks, immediately came out and
secured a takedown in the opening seconds of the fight. From
there, Hallman took Ebersole’s back and began looking for
a rear naked choke.
Ebersole
was able to turn to escape and gained top position where he brutalized
Hallman with punches and elbows.
The
end came at the 4:28 mark of the first round when a well-placed
elbowed caused Hallman to briefly go limp, forcing the referee
to stop the fight.
“I’m
amazingly happy (with my performance),” said Ebersole following
the technical knockout victory.
“I
came out in a bit of a daze and got taken down, but I’ve
been there with black belts before in this training camp,”
he said. “I was comfortable and once I got on top, I’m
the wrestler.”
Ebersole
lobbied Joe Rogan during his post-fight interview for an “all
UFC Fear Factor.” Rogan said he would put in a good word.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Will
Exciting Victory at UFC 133 Make a Difference to Rashad Evans'
Haters?
You can call Rashad Evans cocky. You can call him brash. But
after Saturday night, at least for a little while, you can't
call him boring.
In
a fight that admittedly seemed like it was his to lose at UFC
133, Evans put on an impressive performance, demolishing Tito
Ortiz for a second-round TKO win. The fight was everything that
Evans' detractors (and there are many) would have us believe
he's totally incapable of, which is to say it was exciting to
watch and it didn't go the distance.
What
I wonder now is, will any of that make a difference to the fans
who despise him?
I
realize I'm in the minority here, but I don't understand all
the hate for Evans. Sure, some of his fights aren't so thrilling,
but you could say the same about Georges St. Pierre and Randy
Couture, yet they both have large, passionate followings. Against
Ortiz, Evans finished a guy who hadn't been put away since 2006.
Shouldn't that count for something?
As
for the people who claim he's cocky, here's a nugget of info
that will blow your mind: every fighter is cocky. To varying
degrees, maybe, but if you get in the cage and fight for a living,
you have to have at least a little bit of a swagger. Some guys
hide it better than others, but they all have a fairly high opinion
of themselves, as they should.
Evans
is a guy who has been fighting the top light heavyweights for
years, and he's only lost once in his entire career. Doesn't
that warrant at least a little cockiness?
But
for most of the Evans haters, I suspect it's not really about
his fighting style or his attitude. They hate him because they
hate him. Their minds are mind up, their opinions already formed,
and there's not a lot he can do to change that at this point.
That's
not necessarily a bad thing, either. Because of the nature of
fight promotion, it helps to have villains as well as heroes.
People love having someone to hate, and the most ardent Evans
haters are probably least likely to ever miss one of his fights.
Whether people are tuning in to see you win or to see you get
beat up, all that matters is that they're watching.
Will
some of those people eventually come around on Evans, the way
some have on Ortiz lately? Maybe, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
For now, Evans is a marked man. It doesn't seem to matter to
people that, in person, he's actually a thoughtful, likable guy.
That's
because they're not hating Rashad Evans -- they're hating a version
of him. Maybe it's the version they know from snatches of TV
sound bytes, or maybe it's a version they made up in their own
heads. It hardly matters at this point, since they're not open
to any new information on the subject.
There's
really not much Evans can do about it, other than work with it
and keep stacking up the wins. A few more performances like the
one he put on against Ortiz, and even those who hate him will
have to respect him.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
133 Morning After: Tito, Fedor and Legacies
Tito Ortiz looks up in defeat after his UFC 133 loss to Rashad
Evans.On the last two Saturday nights, two of the best MMA fighters
of the last decade -- Fedor Emelianenko and Tito Ortiz -- have
suffered main-event losses. Fedor's loss to Dan Henderson had
a lot of people talking about his legacy last week, and Ortiz's
loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 133 will have a lot of people talking
about his legacy in the week ahead.
How
do Fedor and Tito compare, in terms of the way they'll be remembered
by MMA fans?
If
the question is simply which one of them was the better fighter,
the answer is easy: Fedor. But I think there's more to their
legacies than that, and as both Fedor and Ortiz enter the twilights
of their careers, I think Ortiz has bolstered his legacy by going
out with the biggest and best fights he could, while Fedor has
tarnished his legacy by refusing to fight in MMA's marquee promotion.
Ortiz
isn't all that good anymore: After losing to Evans on Saturday
night, Ortiz is 1-5-1 in his last seven fights. But the historical
record will show that even after a new generation of fighters
had surpassed Ortiz, he still welcomed the opportunity to test
himself against that new generation of fighters. Most of the
time he came up short, as he did against Evans, but there was
that one time he came out on top, against Ryan Bader at UFC 132,
and there was never any question that Ortiz was giving the fans
the fights they wanted.
Fedor,
on the other hand, has spent the last couple of years avoiding
the fights the fans wanted. Fedor was great, but we never got
to see his greatness in the UFC. That significantly affects his
legacy, even if you think he's the best MMA fighter ever.
You
can be the best tennis player in the world, but if you choose
never to play at Wimbledon, something is missing from your legacy.
You can be the best sprinter in the world, but if you choose
never to run at the Olympics, something is missing from your
legacy. And you can be the best fighter in the world, but if
you choose never to fight in the Octagon, something is missing
from your legacy.
In
saying that, there's a danger of taking it too far, and recently
there's been some revisionist history about Emelianenko's competition
since he started fighting exclusively in the United States in
2008. It's not correct to say that Emelianenko signed with Affliction
because he was ducking the top heavyweights in the UFC. At the
time Fedor signed with Affliction, its heavyweight division was
comparable to the UFC's heavyweight division. The three opponents
Fedor signed on to fight in Affliction -- Tim Sylvia, Andrei
Arlovski and Josh Barnett -- were all considered Top 5 heavyweights
at the time.
But
when the Barnett fight was canceled and Affliction went bust,
that's when Fedor had his best chance to prove he was the best
in the world by fighting in the UFC, whose heavyweight division
had been revitalized. Instead, he chose to go to Strikeforce,
whose heavyweight division was weaker than the UFC's. Ortiz,
meanwhile, has been fighting inside the shark tank that is the
UFC's light heavyweight division.
During
Fedor's current three-fight losing streak, he's been compared
to other great athletes who kept going past their primes, like
Jerry Rice and Michael Jordan and Willie Mays. But there's a
fundamental difference between what Fedor has done over the last
couple of years and what Jerry Rice did on the Denver Broncos,
or Michael Jordan did on the Washington Wizards, or Willie Mays
did on the New York Mets: Rice, Jordan and Mays all kept going
past their primes because they desperately wanted to compete
at the highest level. Emelianenko, however, chose to avoid competing
at the highest level.
Ortiz
is more like Rice, Jordan and Mays, past his prime but still
putting himself out there against the best. Ortiz was soundly
beaten by Evans on Saturday night, but the mere fact that he
took the fight should bolster his legacy.
UFC
133 notes
-- When it comes to pure, pound-for-pound punching power, is
there anyone better than Vitor Belfort? Since moving down to
middleweight three years ago, Belfort is 4-1, with all four wins
coming by way of brutal knockout punches. (Of course, the loss
was also a brutal knockout, courtesy of Anderson Silva.)
--
On the first fight of the Facebook stream, the UFC's TV production
people did a really nice job of zooming in on Paul Bradley's
legs to show the effects of Rafael Natal's leg kicks: Bradley's
legs were red and swollen, and we got a great look at it.
--
There were several low blows during the preliminary fights, and
every time a fighter took a kick to the groin, Joe Rogan mentioned
Diamond MMA, which according to Rogan makes a better kind of
cup to protect fighters' junk. I hope Diamond MMA ships Rogan
a lifetime supply of cups for all publicity he gave them.
UFC
133 quotes
-- "I could have shown more things, but I'll just fight
again soon, keep putting on great shows and I'm going to keep
evolving."--Rory MacDonald after his first-round TKO victory
over Mike Pyle. One of the really impressive things about MacDonald,
a great-looking 22-year-old, is that he doesn't seem satisfied
with his own performances to date. He wants to keep getting better,
which has to be frightening for the rest of the welterweight
division.
--
"It wasn't my best performance. I'm happy I got the win,
but the fight wasn't that good." -- Constantinos Philippou,
not exactly celebrating his first UFC win.
--
Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan had this exchange during the Matt
Hamill-Alexander Gustafsson fight:
Goldberg: "Crowd chanting U-S-A for Matt Hamill."
Rogan: "Unfortunately he's deaf."
Goldberg: "Fair point."
Good
call
We usually only point out judges when they make bad calls, so
let's note that the one judge who gave Mike Brown a 10-8 first
round over Nam Phan made a very good call. That was a dominant
round for Brown, and it definitely deserved to be a 10-8 round.
Bad
call
What in the world was Dennis Hallman thinking when he decided
to wear Speedo-style shorts into the Octagon? Let's hope we never
see another fighter dressed like that again.
Stock
up
-- Brian Ebersole has more than 60 pro fights on his record,
and his stock has never been higher than it is right now, following
his first-round TKO victory over Dennis Hallman. UFC President
Dana White gave Ebersole a $70,000 bonus for beating Hallman,
which White called "A thanks for getting those horrifying
shorts off TV as soon as possible bonus." It took Ebersole
more than a decade to get to the UFC, and now he's 2-0 inside
the Octagon.
--
Brown's stock is up after he got back in the win column with
a unanimous decision victory over Nam Phan, halting a two-fight
losing streak. Still, he has a nasty habit of starting off like
gangbusters and then slowing down as the fight goes on: After
dominating the first round, he easily could have lost both the
second and the third. Brown has a good reputation for having
a good work ethic, but it appears that he needs to shake up his
training, because he runs out of steam too often.
Stock
down
Matt Hamill has now lost two fights in a row, and although there's
no shame in losing to either Alexander Gustafsson or Rampage
Jackson, what's worrisome for Hamill is that he's been unable
to take advantage of what used to be his biggest strength: His
wrestling. Hamill was never able to take Jackson down in his
unanimous decision loss at UFC 130, and he was unsuccessful on
all three of his takedown attempts against Gustafsson on Saturday
night.
Fight
I want to see next
Rashad Evans vs. Jon Jones or Rampage Jackson. Evans is long
overdue for another crack at the light heavyweight belt, and
he should finally get that shot against next month's Jones-Jackson
winner. Whether it's Evans vs. Jones or Evans vs. Jackson, that's
going to be a great fight.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Glover
wins another at Shooto Brazil
Another
chapter of Shooto Brazil went down this weekend, at the Nilson
Nelson gymnasium in Brazil’s capital of Brasília.
Following
back-to-back wins, former UFC fighter Antonio Samuray suffered
his first loss of the year. The striker did manage to impose
his game against Glover Teixeira early on in the bout. But Glover
quickly recovered, closed the distance and got the takedown.
On the ground Teixeira progressed to back mount, where he sunk
a rear-naked choke, thus ending the affair in the first round.
With
the win, Glover makes it to his 12th-straight win.
In
the flyweight title fight, Lincoln Sá beat André
Galo by technical knockout.)
Check
out the results:
Shooto
Brazil
Ginásio Nilson Nelson, Brasília, DF
August 5, 2011
Glover
Teixeira submitted Antonio Samuray via rear-naked choke in R1
Lincoln Sá defeated Andre Galo via technical knockout
in R2
Bete Tavares defeated Luciana Pereira via technical knockout
in R2
Bruno Macaco submitted Janailson Lima via armbar
Junior Beba submitted Santiago via guillotine in R1
Ismael Marmota submitted Thiago Fernandes via armbar in R1
Geraldo Ferro defeated Marcio Shekinah via judges’ decision
Peterson Chacal defeated Paulo Henrique via judges’ decision
Vinicius Boneco venceu Daniel Boliche via technical knockout
in R2
Diogo Osama defeated Leonardo Rocha via technical knockout in
R1
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
133 Prelims Live on Spike Results: Mendes Keeps Title Hopes Alive,
Gustafsson Upsets Hamill
In
two UFC 133 preliminary bouts on Spike TV, leading up to Saturday
night’s main card in Philadelphia, we saw a light heavyweight
upstart establish himself, and a featherweight contender maintain
his grip on a UFC title shot.
The
final fight before the UFC 133 main card opened with Matt Hamill
taking the center of the Octagon, landing some good power shots,
but those were countered by Alexander Gustafsson’s movement
and frequency.
Gustafsson,
however, stepped it up in round two, shucking off Hamill’s
takedown attempts and pressuring Hamill with strikes. With about
two minutes left in the round, Gustafsson dropped Hamill with
a left hand followed by two right uppercuts. He quickly followed
the former “Ultimate Fighter” to the mat, taking full
mount and bludgeoning Hamill to a TKO stoppage.
It
was a tremendous victory for the 24-year-old Swede.
“I’m
super happy man. I can’t believe it. I’m not super
pleased because I didn’t know what to do in the beginning.”
The
win puts his professional record at 12-1, including winning four
out of five bouts in the Octagon. Gustafsson is quickly becoming
a force to pay attention to in the UFC light heavyweight division.
Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya
Chad Mendes
Chad
Mendes
It
wasn’t the most fan friendly of fights, but No. 2 ranked
featherweight Chad Mendes kept his title aspirations alive with
a dominant performance over submission wizard Rani Yahya in Philadelphia.
Mendes
controlled the fight from the opening bell, keeping it on the
feet early, not allowing Yahya any chance of a submission attempt.
Mendes didn’t swing for the fences with his stand-up, but
he kept Yahya in check.
Later
in the fight, as they got sweaty and slippery, lessening the
chances of a successful submission, Mendes took Yahya down at
will. Once on the mat, Mendes maintained tight positioning, methodically
picking his moments for well-timed power shots.
Mendes
followed his game plan to a T, never giving Yahya a chance to
fight the fight in his world.
“I
knew I could stay solid enough to just throw some elbows and
do just enough,” Mendes said after walking away with a unanimous
decision victory.
UFC 133 Prelims Live on Spike TV Results:
Alexander
Gustafsson def. Matt Hamill by TKO (Strikes) at 3:24, R2
Chad Mendes def. Rani Yahya by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27,
30-27), R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
133 Prelims Live on Spike Results: Mendes Keeps Title Hopes Alive,
Gustafsson Upsets Hamill
In two UFC 133 preliminary bouts on Spike TV, leading up to Saturday
night’s main card in Philadelphia, we saw a light heavyweight
upstart establish himself, and a featherweight contender maintain
his grip on a UFC title shot.
Alexander Gustafsson
The
final fight before the UFC 133 main card opened with Matt Hamill
taking the center of the Octagon, landing some good power shots,
but those were countered by Alexander Gustafsson’s movement
and frequency.
Gustafsson,
however, stepped it up in round two, shucking off Hamill’s
takedown attempts and pressuring Hamill with strikes. With about
two minutes left in the round, Gustafsson dropped Hamill with
a left hand followed by two right uppercuts. He quickly followed
the former “Ultimate Fighter” to the mat, taking full
mount and bludgeoning Hamill to a TKO stoppage.
It
was a tremendous victory for the 24-year-old Swede.
“I’m
super happy man. I can’t believe it. I’m not super
pleased because I didn’t know what to do in the beginning.”
The
win puts his professional record at 12-1, including winning four
out of five bouts in the Octagon. Gustafsson is quickly becoming
a force to pay attention to in the UFC light heavyweight division.
Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya
It
wasn’t the most fan friendly of fights, but No. 2 ranked
featherweight Chad Mendes kept his title aspirations alive with
a dominant performance over submission wizard Rani Yahya in Philadelphia.
Mendes
controlled the fight from the opening bell, keeping it on the
feet early, not allowing Yahya any chance of a submission attempt.
Mendes didn’t swing for the fences with his stand-up, but
he kept Yahya in check.
Later
in the fight, as they got sweaty and slippery, lessening the
chances of a successful submission, Mendes took Yahya down at
will. Once on the mat, Mendes maintained tight positioning, methodically
picking his moments for well-timed power shots.
Mendes
followed his game plan to a T, never giving Yahya a chance to
fight the fight in his world.
“I
knew I could stay solid enough to just throw some elbows and
do just enough,” Mendes said after walking away with a unanimous
decision victory.
UFC 133 Prelims Live on Spike TV Results:
Alexander
Gustafsson def. Matt Hamill by TKO (Strikes) at 3:24, R2
Chad Mendes def. Rani Yahya by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27,
30-27), R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
One
Man’s View: A Developing Dilemma
Commentators
have a responsibility to place events in perspective, especially
in real-time as they unfold. When they execute this duty correctly,
it codifies exactly what many viewers may be thinking, putting
serious observations on the table that can be as interesting
as the action itself.
It
can be a spur-of-the-moment reaction that sends chills down one’s
spine, as well, like when George Foreman knocked out Michael
Moorer after getting his head bounced around for 10 rounds and
HBO’s Jim Lampley shouted, “It happened! It happened!”
It can also be an apropos observation to bring the near-future
to light; in that case, UFC color analyst Joe Rogan advanced
exactly what many of us were probably wondering on Saturday,
as Rory MacDonald put on yet another perfect performance at UFC
133 in Philadelphia.
In
the midst of MacDonald’s one-round battering of Mike Pyle,
Rogan opined that the 22-year-old may be better than champion
Georges St. Pierre was at the same stage in his career. It might
sound like a bit of hyperbole, until one lines up the people
MacDonald has beaten lately and compare them to GSP four fights
into his own UFC campaign.
It
is a valid question, and the fact that there is enough credible
evidence to ask it is precisely why Rogan was correct to do so.
It
is also an exciting proposition to contemplate, made ever-interesting
by the fact that MacDonald and GSP train together and, given
their mutual career trajectories, might not be able to avoid
a situation in which the public burns to see them collide in
the cage. MacDonald, who trains with St. Pierre at the Tristar
Gym in Montreal, told me the two will never fight one another,
as did their trainer, Firas Zahabi. The problem is the kid is
so damn good at this point I’m not sure there are a lot
of roadblocks en route to him being a lock for a title shot.
Given
GSP’s vice-like grip on the crown, their dual tracks may
parallel other friend and teammate combinations, raising difficult
questions for them and creating those that fan interest may force
the UFC to answer.
In
my May 30 column analyzing the welterweight ranks, I delved into
the existing chasm between New School and Old School contenders.
The New School welterweights are fighters who have never received
a UFC title shot, while the Old School 170-pounders are past
GSP challengers. How these two factions play out against one
another will go a long way toward determining who he fights.
The UFC is in the difficult position of promoting rematches,
GSP vs. Jon Fitch, and third matches, GSP vs. Penn and GSP vs.
Josh Koscheck, in which St. Pierre already won the first two
and, in both cases, dominated the second one so handily that
there was no question as to who was the superior fighter.
For
better or for worse, MacDonald has definitely joined the New
School faction, and he looks so good one can only wonder how
long he will be able to keep winning like this and not want his
shot at the gold. Matt Hughes was a good soldier during Pat Miletich’s
reign and stepped in to take the title immediately after his
mentor was dethroned by Carlos Newton. However, Miletich surrendered
the belt as age and the game rocketed ahead. GSP, even if upset
in the near future, is still very much in his prime. He could
have another Matt Serra Moment, but we have all seen how readily
he rebounded from the first one.
The
New School reps will essentially serve a sort of housecleaning
function if any of them can beat Old School guys who are not
currently marketable in rematches with the champion. It is a
tricky process of matchmaking; there are no givens, but that
is precisely the route the UFC has taken of late.
New
Schoolers Jake Ellenberger and Carlos Condit have been matched
with Jake Shields and Penn, respectively, in an effort to elevate
viable title contenders. The rub lies in the fact that the Old
School guys -- Shields, Penn and Fitch -- are exceptionally tough
nuts to crack. Throw in the powerful Anthony Johnson, who will
join the New School ranks if he can best Charlie Brenneman at
UFC Live 6, and we have quite a lineup of capable competitors.
Beating
any Old School rep will make Ellenberger, Condit and now MacDonald
immediately relevant and marketable as title challengers. That
is what Condit has in front of him, but he does not have to worry
about fighting a friend, even though he and GSP do part of their
training with guru Greg Jackson. Another touchy question: who
does Jackson corner in that fight if Condit bests Penn at UFC
137? Jackson must grow tired of such questions, but it is his
own fault given the talent he keeps building in Albuquerque,
N.M.
For
reasons I will not reiterate here, I do not think GSP will ever
move up to middleweight, and though he has plenty of interesting
challengers at 170 pounds, I cannot view any of them in either
the New School or Old School factions as likely to dethrone him
outside of catching lightning in a bottle.
The
UFC has handled situations like this with a business-first approach.
Jon Jones was plugged in to substitute against Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua at UFC 128 when then-buddy and Jackson’s Mixed Martial
Arts teammate Rashad Evans was injured, and the fallout made
for some strong copy and storylines. Evans has since moved to
a new camp, providing the kind of build-up to an eventual title
challenge that makes it interesting if Jones gets by Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson in his first defense at UFC 135.
In
the short-term, given that MacDonald just turned 22, time remains
on his side. If the UFC pairs him with an opponent against whom
he is a 4-to-1 favorite in his next bout -- say, a Brian Ebersole
or a veteran type that has a tough reputation but has not been
a Top 10 welterweight -- we will know the promotion is biding
its time with him. However, a deep-water match, such as one against
Fitch, could be very interesting. Virtually all of the UFC’s
Top 10 welterweights are slated for difficult bouts in the coming
months, except for Fitch. He could also be given the winner of
Diego Sanchez-Matt Hughes or Johnson-Brenneman or the loser of
Condit-Penn or Ellenberger-Shields.
There
is a luxury in matching a brilliantly talented, young fighter
this way. A loss is viewed as more of a learning experience than
a major setback, and it also creates a buffer on the talk of
him deserving a title shot against a friend he has stated he
will not fight. Fittingly, MacDonald recently changed his nickname
from “The Waterboy” to “Ares,” the Greek
god of war. Perhaps it is a sign of his growing comfort with
his emergence as a contender.
Whatever
the UFC does with MacDonald, if Rogan turned out to be anywhere
close to correct -- MacDonald as the next GSP, or even better
than the champion -- it will force a matchup that everyone in
the world wants, except, perhaps, for the two guys settling the
question.
Source: Sherdog
|
Bonuses:
Belfort, Evans, Ortiz Pocket $70,000 Apiece
Three
men took home post-fight bonuses following UFC 133, as Vitor
Belfort, Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz each netted an extra $70,000
for their efforts on Saturday night.
Belfort
(Pictured; file photo) walked away from the Wells Fargo Center
in Philadelphia with “Knockout of the Night” honors,
while Evans and Ortiz shared “Fight of the Night” for
their exciting light heavyweight rematch.
As
none of the evening’s 11 bouts ended with a tap out, no
“Submission of the Night” bonus was issued.
UFC
President Dana White announced during the event’s post-fight
press conference that welterweight Brian Ebersole would also
receive an extra $70,000 for his first-round stoppage of scantily
clad opponent Dennis Hallman -- in White’s words, “for
getting those horrifying shorts off of TV as soon as possible.”
The
34-year-old “Phenom” Belfort turned out the lights
of Yoshihiro Akiyama in the first round, clipping the judoka
with a straight left hand before finishing the job with a flurry
of punches. Though “Sexyama” attempted to recover,
Belfort’s offense was relentless, rendering the Japanese
star unconscious just 1:54 into their middleweight bout.
Evans
dominated his second encounter with Ortiz, landing sharp combinations
and slamming the former champion to the mat in the first frame.
The second stanza would bring more of the same, as “Suga”
grounded Ortiz and worked diligently from side control. Though
“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” escaped the position
to his knees, it would prove to be his undoing, as Evans crumpled
Ortiz with a knee to the body and finished the fight with punches
shortly thereafter.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC:
Belfort and Rashad knockout in UFC 133
The
edition number 133 of UFC heated up Philadelphia, on the United
States, with great bouts this Saturday (6th). A five-round rematch
started between the former champions Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz,
who had a draw in UFC 73, but it didn’t go any further than
the second round. Rashad showed an excellent shape and knocked
out the Bad Boy from Huntington Beach after opening the way with
tough knees on his opponent’s body. And the night had many
knockouts. On the five main events, only one went to the judges
score card, and the big highlight was Vitor Belfort, who redeemed
himself after a defeat to Anderson Silva, with a knockout on
the best Phenom style, putting Akiyama to sleep with less than
two minutes of fight. On the preliminary card, Rafael Sapo got
his first win in UFC as be defeated Paul Bradley, while Rani
Yahya was beat by the wrestler Chad Mendes, who remains undefeated
so far. Check below the best moments of the bouts that happened
in UFC 133.
Rashad
runs through Tito and asks for a title shot against Jones
If
Tito Ortiz had been sharpening his ground game with Ricardo Demente,
Rashad Evans showed a great performance on the froung after the
trainings with Sergio Babu. Rashad imposed his game since the
beginning of the fight and as better on the trade of punches,
getting an unbelievable takedown over Ortiz. On the floor, Evans
broke into Tito’s guard and applied a tough punishment,
but the Bad Boy survived and was saved by the bell.
On
the second round, Rashad kept the rhythm as he applied another
takedown over Tito, who got stuck on a guillotine choke which
almost got Ryan Bader submitted. Rashad was calm enough to escape
from it and, once again, broke Ortiz’s guard, who while
trying to stand-up, was hit by a hard knee on his body. Almost
knocked out, Rashad finished the job with a great combination
of punched on Tito’s side of the body, knocking him out
in the end of the second round. When the fight was over, the
winner sent a message for the light heavyweight champion and
former training partner, Jon Jones. “I ask him to give the
belt back to me”, poked.
Vitor
Belfort applies a phenomenal knockout over Akiyama
Adter
a loss to Anderson Silva, in UFC 126, Vitor Belfort returned
in UFC 133 doing what got him known as the Phenom, getting a
dedly knockout on the first round. The Brazilian started studying
the Japanese fighter, waiting for the right moment to punch him.
When Vitor finally punched the Japanese, he connected a powerful
hand and knocked down Akiyama. Vitor finished punishing Yoshihiro
Akiyama on the floor, putting him to sleep at 1min and 52 s of
the very first round.
On
the third bout of the main card, the middleweight veterans got
into action. Dennis Hallman and Brian Ebersole together have
fought 127 times, and put on a great show. The Australian fighter
knocked down Ebersole and spent half round trying to finish him
from his back. On one of the most impressive turnarounds, Brian
changed the scene and punished Dennis Hallman with violent elbows
until the referee interrupted him, on the end of the first round.
And the ninth win in a row came to Ebersole, his third in UFC.
The
middleweights Jorge Rivera and Constantinos Philippou had a very
busy fight, but Philippou won on a split decision of the judges
because he got closer to the submission and knockout. Constantinos
got the second consecutive win and left Rivera, who was last
defeated by Bisping, in a complicated situation in UFC.
On
the first fight of the main card, Rory MacDonald knocked out
Mike Pyle in less than four minutes of the first round. Working
inside Pyle’s guard, MacDonald found the victory way with
a left hand punch, which obligated Mike to turn his back on him
to defend himself. On his side, many punches were fit, obligating
the referee to interrupt the fight and call it MacDonald’s
victory.
Chad
beats Rani on a warm bout and remains undefeated
On
the last but one fight of the preliminary card, Rani Yahya couldn’t
use his Jiu-Jitsu skills into action against the undefeated Chad
Mendes. The American took Rani down all along, and Yahya couldn’t
get him in the clinch. During all the fight, Chad dominated better
time and distance, and had a tight game, taking Rani down and
controlled his hips, so that he wouldn’t get exposed to
the Brazilian’s ground game. Chad got few takedowns and
beat Rani up on a unanimous decision of the judges, conquering
his tenth win in a row. Now he might be the next on the line
for the title shot, against the Brazilian Jose Aldo.
Alexander
Gustafsson finished the preliminary card beautifully as he knocked
out Matt Hamil, after a good combination of coups that started
with both fighters standing up and were finished with punches
from the mount, at 3min and 34 seconds of the second round.
Sapo
defeats Bradley and gets his first win in UFC
On
the first preliminary bout, broadcasted live on UFC’s Facebok
page, the Brazilian Rafael Natal “Sapo” finally got
a win in UFC, after a draw and a loss on the event. Rafael and
Paul lBradley started the bout with much study, but within time
the Brazilian fighter let himself go applying tough kicks on
his opponent. Bradley brought danger with great combinations
of punches on the counterattack. The second round started really
busy, and the athletes started striking and Natal felt a punch
fit by Paul and went down with Paul working on finishing him
on the half guard.
The
fight restarted and Sapo kept punishing Bradley’s legs with
powerful low kicks. Despite Bradley offer much danger with straight
hands, the Brazilian athlete showed a great takedown defense,
blocking the wrestler’s game. On the third round, Sapo proved
to have great conditioning and imposed his strategy over his
opponent, who tried to take him down all the time, but couldn’t
actually do it. Rafael won on the decision of the judges and
stopped a sequence of five wins in a row of Paul Bradley.
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
UFC
133
Pennsylvania,
United States
Saturday,
August 6th of 2011
Main
card:
-
Rashad Evans knocked out Tito Ortiz at 4min48s of R2;
-
Vitor Belfort knocked out Yoshihiro Akiyama at 1min52s of R1;
-
Brian Ebersole knocked out Brian Hallman at 4min28s of R1
-
Costantinos Philippou defeated Jorge Rivera on a split decision
of the judges;
-
Rory MacDonald knocked out Mike Pyle at 3min54s of R1;
Preliminary
card:
-
Alexander Gustafsson knocked out Matt Hamil at 3min34s fo R2;
-
Chad Mendes defeated Rani Yahya on a unanimous decision of the
judges;
-
Ivan Menjivar ddefeatedu Nick Pace on a unanimous decision of
the judges;
-
Johny Hendricks defeated Mike Pierce on a split decision of the
judges;
-
Mike Brown defeated Nam Phan on a unanimous decision of the judges;
-
Rafael “Sapo” Natal defeated Paul Bradley on a unanimous
decision of the judges.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Rafa
eying second ADCC title: “I don’t like mixing training”
The
current champion of the ADCC under-66kg division and owner of
the world featherweight title in Jiu-Jitsu, Rafael Mendes doesn’t
want to hear about anyone usurping his throne. To this end, the
Ramon Lemos-produced fighter has been hard at it in training,
left his gi in the closet, and been pumping iron hardcore as
well. In a conversation with Carlos Ozório, the monster
from Atos team recounted how his preparations for the September
ADCC championship in England are going.
How
are your preparations for the ADCC in Nottingham going?
Ever
since I returned to Brazil after the Worlds in California I’ve
only been training without the gi; I don’t like mixing training
– if I’m going to compete without the gi I don’t
like training in the gi. I put in some serious training for the
Worlds, rested two weeks, during which time I taught class every
day in Canada. Then I quickly returned to my training routine.
I
already knew this year was going to be a marathon because I couldn’t
let myself lose the conditioning I’d achieved for the Worlds,
so I didn’t want to let my body relax completely. I didn’t
take much rest on purpose. In Brazil, my brother Guilherme and
I are putting together our ADCC training timetable, with the
positions and types of training to be done, so I’m still
in the planning stage right now.
What
will your training be like?
The
first two weeks here in Rio Claro were all about adapting to
No-Gi, so I trained with Gui, Frazatto, Leandro Brassaloto (another
Atos black belt) and two purple belts, my cousin Eduardo Mendes
and Jair Cofe. With their help I adapted quickly, also because
I like training No-Gi, and when you do something you really like
things flow naturally. This week Gui and I came to São
José dos Campos, to Calasans Camargo academy, and we’re
training with a good group. Gui has been leading training for
us, helping us technically, and Claudio Calasans helps me a lot
with the standup, correcting some aspects of my game. I feel
I’ve been evolving a lot. The training’s been great,
and we’re going to keep training with Calasans till the
day of the event, alternating between Rio Claro and São
José dos Campos.
How
has your standup game been coming along?
I
have a really open mind when it comes to training, and I look
to learn and absorb the best of what each training partner has
to offer. I’m always there asking questions and I feel that
helps me evolve ten times more quickly. I like training with
people who motivate me, who inspire me, and Calasans has got
that. I always really liked training with him. God willing we’ll
win the under-66kg and under-77kg divisions at ADCC 2011.
What
makes the ADCC different for competitors?
The
ADCC is one of the events I like competing at most, mainly for
the prestige of the organization. I like the fact the referees
aren’t competitors. I feel that’s a flaw in Jiu-Jitsu.
I appreciate the work the federation does, bringing events to
a different baseline, but I don’t understand why the referees
are athletes who still compete. I could be in a final and the
guy reffing is someone I beat in one of my previous matches,
or even the teacher of the guy I’m facing. I’ve got
nothing against the referees, nothing personal, nor do I have
a solution for it. It’s just some constructive criticism
that can help Jiu-Jitsu evolve as a sport.
How
does your game change when not in the gi?
Taking
off the gi and training for different rules following the Worlds
motivates me in a different way. I adapt to the no-gi game quickly.
The thing is to forget about grips and Jiu-Jitsu rules, to train
thinking only of the event. I’m practicing positions to
take my opponents by surprise, keeping my focus on trying to
get the finish. At the last ADCC, in 2009 in Barcelona, the only
match I didn’t get the finish in was the final against Cobrinha.
I know this year I’ll have to be even better. You also have
to have a full gas tank. After all, the last final lasted 40
minutes, so in the ADCC you have to be prepared for this kind
of situation. My conditioning coach, Thiago Mendes, has been
doing an excellent job with me and the gang at Atos. So far me,
Frazatto, André Galvão, Calasans, and Chris Cyborg
will be in it, but I think there’s still a chance some of
the other athletes will get called up. We’ll see.
Are
the ADCC rules more exciting in your view?
The
rule whereby the first half of the match doesn’t count for
points makes everything more dynamic, and it provides further
incentive to go for the tapout. I feel that makes for livelier
contests and more finishes.
What
are your plans post ADCC?
Gui
and I will do a seminar tour November in Australia. God opened
doors for us to make our way to new places, so we can’t
pass that up. Our lives have improved a lot through Jiu-Jitsu.
We were kids when we started making a living for ourselves through
a career in the sport, always seeking to evolve, and everything’s
turned out as best it could. We forsake a lot of things, and
now I promise to give my all at the ADCC, to compete determined
to win. To the fans, I ask everyone to keep up with our daily
lives through Facebook or our website, www.Mendesbrosfans.com.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Ortiz
No Match for Evans at UFC 133
by Brian
Knapp
A vicious and beautifully executed knee strike to the body crippled
Tito Ortiz and sent Rashad Evans to a second-round technical
knockout in the UFC 133 “Evans vs. Ortiz 2” headliner
on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The knee
and follow-up punches buried Ortiz 4:48 into round two.
Backed
by superior athleticism, speed and power, Evans outclassed Ortiz
for vast stretches of the fight -- a rematch of their July 2007
encounter at UFC 73 that ended in a draw. There was no doubt
about this one.
Evans
weathered a first-round takedown from Ortiz, worked back to his
feet and unleashed his hands, swarming the “Huntington Beach
Bad Boy” with punches against the cage. Many were blocked,
but the onslaught chipped away at Ortiz’s resolve. Evans
then executed a powerful slam, passed guard into side control
and set up shop with his ground-and-pound. Ortiz survived, but
he left the first round damaged and winded.
Ortiz
(16-9-1, 15-9-1 UFC) made a last-ditch attempt at an unlikely
victory 90 seconds into round two, when he cinched a guillotine
choke. However, he failed to corral Evans in full guard, and
the former champion freed himself with minimal effort, shifted
into top position and trapped the fading Ortiz in a mounted crucifix.
Elbows fell, as Ortiz bucked from the bottom. Later, with Ortiz
in a seated position against the cage, Evans delivered a devastating
knee to the sternum. Ortiz folded, the finish imminent. Referee
Dan Miragliotta stepped in seconds later.
“I
feel great,” said Evans, who fought for the first time in
more than a year. “I feel like all the trials and tribulations
have paid off. When you’re in the valley, you’re tested
the most, not when you’re at your peak.”
Evans
(16-1-1, 11-1-1 UFC) made it clear he wants a crack at the winner
of the upcoming UFC 135 showdown between light heavyweight champion
Jon Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
“I
got my first performance in, and I want to get at Jon Jones,”
he said. “I want my belt back. Whether he has it or Rampage
has it, I’m getting my belt back.”
Ortiz,
who scored an improbable submission victory over Ryan Bader at
UFC 132 a little more than a month ago, offered no excuses in
defeat.
“I
tip my hat to Rashad,” said Ortiz, who has made more appearances
(25) inside the Octagon than any other fighter in history. “Good
luck in winning the world title. I put my ass on the line and
fought my ass off. He beat me at my best. I hope the fans got
their money’s worth.”
Belfort
Barrage Sinks Akiyama
The
man they call “The Phenom” was, in a word, phenomenal.
Former
light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort blitzed and finished
Yoshihiro Akiyama with his devastating hands in the co-main event,
as he left the judoka facedown and unconscious 1:52 into the
first round of their 185-pound bout. Akiyama, who has lost three
in a row, never had a chance against the overwhelming power and
speed the Brazilian brought to bear.
Belfort
(20-9, 9-5 UFC) moved in behind a straight left hand and clipped
the backpedaling Akiyama with a left hook to the temple. Akiyama
went down, and the Brazilian swarmed. He ripped into Akiyama
(13-4, 2 NC, 1-3 UFC) with vicious rights and lefts, one of which
turned out the lights.
Afterward,
Belfort turned his attention toward the winner of the forthcoming
UFC 134 matchup between middleweight king Anderson Silva and
Yushin Okami. Silva knocked out Belfort with a front kick at
UFC 126 in February.
“I
feel great,” Belfort said. “I feel like if [Silva]
hadn’t landed that kick, that’s what would have happened
to him. I want the winner [of Silva-Okami].”
Ebersole
Ground-and-Pound Finishes Hallman
Ebersole
absolutely smashed Hallman.Brian Ebersole, his chest hair again
shaved into the shape of an arrow, posted his ninth consecutive
win in decisive fashion, as he wrecked Dennis Hallman with brutal
ground-and-pound 4:28 into their featured welterweight matchup.
Hallman
secured an early takedown, immediately moved to his foe’s
back and worked for a rear-naked choke for more than two minutes.
His grappling work went unrewarded, as Ebersole (48-14-1, 1 NC,
2-0 UFC) shifted into top position and mauled Hallman from the
top. Elbows and punches softened “Superman,” who was
decked out in blue bikini bottom trunks. Hallman (50-14-2, 1
NC, 3-5 UFC) failed to control Ebersole’s posture and paid
the heaviest of prices as a result.
Another
monstrous elbow on the heels of a series of hammerfists and punches
knocked him unconscious for a brief moment, brought about the
stoppage and halted his modest two-fight winning streak.
“I’m
amazingly happy,” Ebersole said. “I came out in a bit
of daze and got taken down, but I’ve been there with black
belts before. Once I got on top, I’m the wrestler. He’s
got a great top game. I wasn’t sure about his bottom game.
I know he’s flexible, and he can get his legs up and threaten.”
Philippou
Outpoints Rivera, Takes Split Verdict
Ring
of Combat veteran Constantinos Philippou moved up on the UFC
133 lineup in place of the injured Alessio Sakara and made the
most of the opportunity, as he recorded his first Octagon victory
in a split decision over Jorge Rivera in a middleweight showcase.
All three judges scored it 29-28, two of them in favor of Philippou.
The
two men quickly engaged in a grueling clinch battle, as they
spent much of their time against the cage and on the ground.
Philippou (8-2, 1 NC, 1-1 UFC) delivered takedowns in the first
and third rounds, and he nearly stopped Rivera in the second.
There, he drove the well-traveled veteran to the mat with heavy
blows, wheeled to his back and attacked with punches from the
rear. Rivera withstood the barrage, as referee Mario Yamasaki
hovered above him, imploring the 39-year-old to return fire or
risk being stopped.
The
middleweights entered round three visibly fatigued. Rivera (19-9,
7-7 UFC) landed the cleaner strikes but failed to put his punches
together with conviction. He had Philippou pinned in a seated
position against the cage at one point but could not finish it,
as the Serra-Longo Fight Team representative returned to his
feet and went back to work. Rivera has lost back-to-back bouts
for the first time as a professional.
MacDonald
Buries Pyle in First
Once-beaten
Canadian prospect Rory MacDonald advanced another level on the
welterweight ladder, as he stopped respected veteran Mike Pyle
on first-round punches in a featured 170-pound matchup. Pyle’s
night came to an end 3:54 into round one.
Pyle
delivered a couple of takedowns but could not keep MacDonald
(12-1, 3-1 UFC) corralled on the ground, where his skills figured
to play better against a more athletic opponent. Having returned
to a standing position, MacDonald wobbled him with a left hook,
threatened with a standing guillotine choke and drove Pyle (21-8-1,
4-3 UFC) to the ground in retreat. A thunderous left hand set
off a torrent of ground-and-pound from the former King of the
Cage champion, as Pyle covered up in a feeble attempt to defend
himself. More punches and elbows brought forth the stoppage for
the 22-year-old MacDonald, who posted his second win in as many
appearances and has the look of a future champion.
“I’m
very happy,” MacDonald said. “I wish it would have
went a little longer so I could have shown more. I was just trying
to control his body and ground-and-pound. I knew I hit him hard
on the ground. As soon as I felt that clean impact, I knew it
was time to finish.”
Rafael Natal vs. Paul Bradley
Round 1
Referee Kevin Mulhall is in the cage to get the first fight of
the night underway. Bradley takes the center of the cage and
“Sapo” feints and swings as he dances around the perimeter.
A wild overhand right from Bradley grazes the Brazilian, but
then Natal comes forward, flicking inside leg kicks and pumping
his jab. Natal goes to the outside thigh with his kick and Bradley’s
legs are already showing damage, his nose bloodied. Bradley is
checking the kicks now and eating more jabs from Natal, who’s
really taken over midway through the opening frame. Single-leg
from Bradley is easily slipped by Natal, who moves from orthodox
to southpaw stance and back again before stuffing another takedown
attempt. Bradley catches a kick and tries for another takedown,
but still can’t get it. The leg kicks from Natal are just
vicious, causing Bradley to hop each time one is thrown. Bradley
puts a one-two on Natal just before the bell and doesn’t
follow up.
Mike
Fridley scores the round 10-9 Natal
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Natal
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Natal
Round
2
Bradley charges Natal into the fence and throws a bunch of punches
which stagger the Brazilian. The wrestler gives chase as Sapo
stumbles out of the corner, and Bradley finally gets his takedown.
He pins Natal on the base of the fence and lays on him from half-guard,
nearly passing to side control. After a minute, Natal grabs for
a leglock and Bradley is forced to bail, giving up the position.
Back on the feet, Natal resumes his steady diet of leg kicks
to Bradley’s badly damaged stems. Bradley doesn’t even
appear to be considering another takedown as Natal bangs him
with kicks and right-left straight punch combos. With just under
a minute remaining, Bradley catches a finger in the eye and referee
Mulhall halts the action. Bradley doesn’t take more than
20 seconds to recover and they get back to work. Bradley scores
another takedown with 15 ticks left, but doesn’t do anything
with it.
Mike
Fridley scores the round 10-9 Natal
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Natal
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bradley
Round
3
Bradley catches an early leg kick from Natal and tries to spin
him down, but only winds up eating a pair of knees from the Brazilian
for his troubles. More chopping inside leg kicks from Natal force
Bradley to dive for another shot, which comes nowhere close.
Spinning backfist misses for Natal and Bradley whiffs on another
single-leg try. Again, Bradley tries for the takedown, and again
Sapo punishes him with knees and punches. Bradley’s got
nothing left in his legs, making it really difficult for him
to execute single-legs. After eating a particularly hard one-two,
Bradley opts to clinch Natal into the fence and the Philly boo-birds
let themselves be heard. Bradley catches another finger to the
eye, but this one goes unnoticed. He gets a takedown, but can
only keep Natal on the floor for about 10 seconds before the
Brazilian is vertical and striking again. Bradley initiates the
clinch again, drawing another knee to the gut by Natal and more
jeers from the crowd.
Mike
Fridley scores the round 10-9 Natal (30-27 Natal)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Natal (30-27 Natal)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Natal (29-28 Natal)
Official
result: Judges Wilfredo Cintron and Cardo Urso score it 29-28,
while judge Kao has it 30-27, all in favor of the winner by unanimous
decision, Rafael “Sapo” Natal.
Mike
Thomas Brown vs. Nam Phan
Round 1
Brown immediately looks to come over the top with right hands,
and ducks in behind his strikes with a stuffed takedown attempt.
Phan’s mixing up his punches, but the first meaningful punch
comes from Brown, who socks the “Ultimate Fighter”
vet with a left hook. Now, Brown gets inside and scores the takedown,
and Phan gives up his back. One hook is in for Brown, who has
his right arm looped around the kneeling Phan’s waist while
his left hand repeatedly socks Phan in the side of the head.
The punches aren’t hard, but a few dozen shots go unanswered
by Phan, who’s just waiting for his chance to escape at
the base of the fence. With two minutes to go, Phan turns to
his side, his left arm still pinned beneath him. Brown’s
bloodied him with the short punches and they aren’t stopping.
Phan doesn’t seem in danger of being finished, but he also
doesn’t look to be going anywhere. From full mount, Brown
drills Phan with nasty horizontal elbows. Phan gets to his feet
in the waning seconds of the round, only to be dragged back down
before the horn.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-8 Brown
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Brown
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Brown
Round
2
Phan sprawls wide on a single-leg in the center of the cage and
Brown pushes him to the fence. Phan goes down to a knee, but
only briefly, as he slips out to the center. The Californian
is putting together some solid punches now, cracking Brown with
hooks to the face and body. Brown dives at another takedown and
is stuffed again. Halfway through the round, the American Top
Team fighter picks Phan’s ankle, but again they’re
back on their toes almost instantly. Brown just misses an overhand
right and Phan puts a thudding left hook on the former WEC champ’s
body, then one to the head. An uppercut lands for Phan, then
another left hook to the guts. Brown shoots with 40 seconds to
go, charging Phan into the fence, where he widens him base and
steps away from Brown.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Phan
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Phan
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Phan
Round
3
Phan opens the round with a sharp right hand over the top and
then lays another three-piece on Brown, who’s headhunting
with big rights of his own. It’s 40 seconds before Brown
tries for a takedown and gets Phan’s back standing. Phan
turns around and gets put on his posterior, but uses the cage
to pop back up. Standing kimura attempt from Phan on the right
arm of Brown causes the pair to split. Three minutes to go and
Phan’s corner is urging him to finish, as they did between
rounds. Brown shoots again and Phan tries for another kimura.
There’s even less there for Phan this time and he breaks
out, eating a left hook from Brown in the process. Phan misses
on a head kick and a tired-looking Brown charges forward. Phan
sprawls all over a single-leg and socks Brown with a few hammerfists.
Right hook, then a left hook from Phan seems to bother Brown,
who shoots once more with 90 seconds left. Phan stays up, muscled
into the fence by Brown, whose inactivity is drawing the ire
of the crowd. Brown takes Phan’s back standing, then shoots
low when Phan turns around, absorbing a couple elbows from his
knees.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Brown (29-27 Brown)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Phan (28-28 Draw)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Brown (29-27 Brown)
Official
result: It’s one scorecard of 29-27 and two 29-28s, all
in favor of Mike Thomas Brown, who picks up his first UFC win
by way of unanimous decision.
Johny
Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
Round 1
After exchanging shots early, Hendricks is first to clinch and
the wrestler stall out on the fence. They split and Pierce scores
with a leg kick while Hendricks grazes with an uppercut. Hendricks
lands some knees in the clinch in center cage, then chases Pierce
down with a single-leg. Pierce uses the fence to stand right
back up, and Hendricks takes his man’s back standing to
drive some knees to Pierce’s thigh. They disengage and Hendricks
comes forward with wild knees and punches, but it’s Pierce
who finds success with uppercuts in the clinch. Now Hendricks
gets his knees through, and follows up with a crisp left hook
before putting Pierce’s back on the cage. Pierce lands a
level elbow upon exit and has a head kick blocked. Another to
the body by Hendricks gets through before the horn.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Hendricks
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Hendricks
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hendricks
Round
2
Hendricks gets back to business, whipping Pierce with leg kicks
and quick right hands. Pierce tries to slow the action with a
clinch on the fence, but it doesn’t last long. Hendricks
shoots a far-out double and gets sprawled on, then put against
a cage post by Pierce. There’s not much going on aside from
a few short punches by Pierce to the body of Hendricks, so referee
Mario Yamasaki splits them up. Hendricks shoots and Pierce grabs
a front headlock; Hendricks puts his hand on the mat to prevent
any knees to his head. Pierce lets the headlock go and they’re
back to trading. Hendricks leaps in with a knee, but Pierce answers
with a one-two. Another knee from Hendricks causes Pierce to
clinch, and Hendricks follows up with a three-piece combo that
has Pierce covering. Pierce sprawls on a shot, but Hendricks
uses the position to knee Pierce’s thigh to the horn.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Pierce
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pierce
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Pierce
Round
3
Pierce immediately looks for a takedown and the welterweights
wind up clinched in the middle of the Octagon, trading elbows
and punches inside. Now it’s Hendricks who shoots, allowing
Pierce to grab another headlock. Again, Hendricks puts his hand
on the canvas, and again, Pierce lets the hold go. Hendricks
pumps his jab and Pierce wades inside for another takedown, but
it doesn’t come. A few solid punches from Hendricks land
before Pierce lifts him up and plants him on the floor. Pierce
works from Hendricks’ open guard, trying to blast with elbows,
but they’re not down long before ref Yamasaki warns of a
standup. Pierce lands a vertical elbow that’s not called
foul, but Yamasaki halts the action when Hendricks lands a glancing
upkick to the face of Pierce, who appeared to be standing. No
point is deducted and they get back to work. Hendricks has a
shot stuffed and lands a few knees to Pierce’s thigh before
the final horn in what will be a very close decision.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Pierce (29-28 Pierce)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pierce (29-28 Pierce)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hendricks (29-28 Hendricks)
Official
result: One judge at cageside has it 29-28 for Mike Pierce. However,
the remaining officials see it 29-28 for the winner by split
decision, Johny Hendricks.
Ivan
Menjivar vs. Nick Pace
Round 1
The bantamweights clinch up instantly, but nothing much happens
through the opening minute. When they split, it’s Menjivar
taking action with outside leg kicks and right crosses. Pace
tries to take the “Pride of El Salvador” down, can’t,
but does follow up with a crisp left hook. An errant inside leg
kick from Menjivar catches Pace low; it’s not long before
Pace is back in action. Pace ducks under a big right hand from
Menjivar and trips him to the ground. Menjivar uses butterfly
guard and drills elbows to the head of Pace, who passes to side
control. Menjivar gives up his back and stands up with Pace attached,
one hook in. Menjivar grabs the ankle and tries to shake Pace
loose, but the American is stuck on there. Pace tries a rear-naked
choke and it looks bad for a moment, but he can’t get the
hold under the chin. Menjivar shucks Pace off his back with 25
seconds to go and comes forward with punches, most of which miss
their mark.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Pace
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pace
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Pace
Round
2
Menjivar catches a kick from Pace and cracks his younger opponent
with a hard right hand. The Tristar Gym fighter fires off a bunch
of leg kicks and then walks the retreating Pace down. Snapping
front kick from Menjivar now, followed with a hard knee-punch
combination. He backs Pace up some more and whacks him with a
right hook on the cheek. An overhand right scores for Menjivar,
then another teep and a turning side kick. Pace is covering up,
back to the fence as Menjivar unloads with punches and knees
to the body. Still two minutes to go and Menjivar is taking over
this fight, whipping leg kicks inside and out. Pace is getting
worked, but he scores a takedown with 60 seconds left. He’s
in half-guard, but he’s pinning Menjivar’s right arm
down. Menjivar extracts the limb and rides the round out with
Pace in his guard.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Menjivar
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Menjivar
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Menjivar
Round
3
Pace is looking for a takedown early, but Menjivar is having
none of it, sprawling on the shots and cracking Pace with hard
right hands and one-twos. Now it’s Menjivar looking for
a trip that doesn’t come, so he goes back to leg-kicking
and standing just out of range of Pace’s punches. Menjivar
goes high with a right hand, to the body with a left, then catches
Pace low with another inside kick. Pace takes 30 seconds to get
well and they’re back at it with half a round to go. Menjivar
keeps the leg kicks coming, dancing outside of Pace’s range.
A feint to the body and a one-two up top from Menjivar. With
a minute left, Pace drills his man with a hard knee in the clinch
and Menjivar is backpedaling. Menjivar’s squinting, clearly
injured in the left eye, where he caught the knee. Pace gives
chase, hitting a step-in knee and winging more punches, but only
a few get through as Menjivar does a good job keeping alive as
the round winds down.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Menjivar (29-28 Menjivar)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Menjivar (29-28 Menjivar)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Pace (29-28 Pace)
Official
result: All three judges score it 29-28 for the winner by unanimous
decision, Ivan Menjivar.
Chad
Mendes vs. Rani Yahya
Round 1
The featherweights open up with much feinting and some clashing
leg kicks. Yahya shoots low for a double-leg, but doesn’t
get near the body of Mendes before he’s pushed away. Mendes
clips Yahya low with a kick and the Brazilian takes a minute
to regain his composure. When they restart, Mendes is whipping
leg kicks inside while Yahya seems to be just looking for his
chance to shoot or tie up. At the halfway mark, he does, and
Mendes simply walks backward to avoid the shot. They tie up and
Mendes shows his strength by tossing Yahya aside, then spins
him around with a leg kick. Yahya ducks inside and Mendes throws
him down again, just toying with the BJJ black belt now. Mendes
connects with a punch to the body, more leg kicks, and a flying
knee just before the round expires.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Round
2
Yahya tries to get inside with punches and Mendes takes him for
a ride. Open guard for Yahya, who shrimps and looks for an angle
only momentarily before Mendes stands back up. Mendes has his
hands by his side, standing out-of-range of all Yahya’s
strikes and easily shucking shots with the Brazilian chooses
to try. An overhand right lands for Mendes, then a left hand
to the body is followed by a takedown. Yahya digs his heel into
Mendes’ body a few times and Mendes gets back up. Back standing,
Yahya sneaks a left hook through, but fails on a diving single-leg
try. A straight right from Mendes snaps back Yahya’s head,
then another has Yahya wobbling. Yahya’s efforts to wade
inside with clinches are not working. Mendes grabs underhooks
and eats a short hook from Yahya, then lets him go.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Round
3
Mendes drives Yahya down, straight into open guard. Yahya’s
working on the right arm of Mendes while “Money” uses
his left to sock Yahya in the ribs. Mendes puts his hand over
Yahya’s mouth, forcing Yahya to squirm out. A pair of fast,
short elbows from Mendes has Yahya breathing with his mouth open.
Yahya is twisting and shrimping, looking for a submission, but
both men are covered in sweat and Mendes is keeping it tight
on the floor. Mendes stands back up with half a round to go,
but brings Yahya down again straight away. Yahya creeps his right
leg up and tries for an omoplata; it doesn’t come close,
as Mendes stands up drops back down into full guard. Mendes lets
the grappler back to his feet with a minute remaining. Yahya
catches Mendes coming in with a left hand and Mendes stumbles
a bit before regaining himself. Another takedown for Mendes with
20 seconds to go; he flips over the guard of Yahya and finishes
the fight with back control.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Mendes (30-27 Mendes)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mendes (30-27 Mendes)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mendes (30-27 Mendes)
Official
result: It’s a clean sweep for Chad Mendes, who stays unbeaten
with scores of 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Alexander
Gustafsson vs. Matt Hamill
Round 1
The much taller Gustafsson circles outside while Hamill takes
the center, missing on a pair of single-leg attempts. The second
one comes with a right hand from Gustafsson; Hamill answers with
a nice left jab to the mush. Gustafsson lands an outside leg
kick, socks Hamill with a pair of right hands and stuffs a shot.
Hamill connects with a left straight, then a right uppercut-left
straight combo. A left hook from Hamill bloodies the corner of
Gustafsson’s right eye. Hamill catches Gustafsson coming
in, zapping him with a right over the top, but Gustafsson lands
one of his own underneath. Neither man scoring big in the last
half-minute, as they trade punch-for-punch to finish a close
first round.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hamill
Round
2
Gustafsson shucks a shot from Hamill early in the second, zapping
the American with punches when he dips inside to clinch. Hamill’s
right eye is showing wear now as Gustafsson gets busy with high
kicks, then jogs the perimeter of the cage. Gustafsson switches
his stance repeatedly while Hamill stands almost still in the
middle. Not a lot of clean offense getting through for either
man, but Gustafsson has been more active through the first half
of the stanza. Gustafsson stuffs a single-leg and split’s
Hamill’s guard with a left hand. Hamill falls to his side
and Gustafsson pounces, slamming with elbows and hopping into
full mount. Right hands rain down on the bloodied Hamill, then
more elbows, then alternating lefts and rights which bounce Hamill’s
head off the canvas. Referee Dan Miragliotta has seen enough
and steps in for the save at 3:41 of round two.
Mike
Pyle vs. Rory MacDonald
Round 1
Pyle swipes with left hooks and tries to get inside for a takedown,
but wades back out. A right straight from MacDonald puts Pyle
on his rear, but the punch only seemed to graze as Pyle slipped.
Pyle dives into a takedown attempt and gets his head stuck in
a guillotine, quickly extracts it and holds onto MacDonald as
he stands back up. MacDonald gets driven back down, stands again,
and uncorks a right-left combo that stuns Pyle. MacDonald grabs
another guillotine, lets it go and chases Pyle down to the floor
into guard. MacDonald back out and kicks at the legs of Pyle,
which are already bearing marks from the strikes. Back down to
the guard of Pyle goes MacDonald. He catches Pyle with a left
hand. Pyle begins turning over and a right hand connects. Pyle
is in deep trouble as he turtles on his knees, MacDonald’s
right hand repeatedly crashing into Pyle’s temple. Kevin
Mulhall waves it off at 3:54; Pyle still appears wobbly as he
tries to stand while the official decision is read.
Jorge
Rivera vs. Constantinos Philippou
Round 1
The first offense of the bout comes from Rivera, who slaps Philippou
with inside thigh kicks until the New Yorker clinches up. He
brings “El Conquistador” to the floor and works from
Rivera’s open guard as Rivera scoots his back to the cage.
Philippou moves to half-guard, Rivera still controlling his right
arm. Rivera works back to his feet, absorbing punches on his
way up, but can’t get off the cage once he’s vertical.
Philippou’s not doing much with the position, so ref Mario
Yamasaki splits them up with about two minutes left. Ten seconds
later, they’re back in the same position and the crowd lets
them hear it. Rivera reverses and puts Philippou’s back
on the cage, scoring with a knee to the gut. Philippou breaks
off and jogs to the other side of the cage, but Rivera stays
patient, closes the gap and zaps him with a nice right hand.
Rivera clinches again, but Philippou is able to quickly disengage,
landing an uppercut on his way out. Philippou wades in with punches
and clinches again before the horn. The Philly fans do not like
this one so far.
Tony
Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Round
2
Philippou drops Rivera with a right hand early and it’s
looking bad for the Bostonian. Philippou pounds and pounds, referee
Yamasaki standing above and warning Rivera that he’ll stop
the fight if he doesn’t see something. Just when Yamasaki
seems on the verge of doing just that, Rivera comes alive and
reverses Philippou into the base of the cage. Now it’s Rivera
unloading with punches, but Philippou seems unfazed. Both men
are looking spent less than halfway into the second round as
they get back to their feet. Clinchwork on the cage with both
guys looking to dirty-box, Philippou scoring with intermittent
uppercuts. Yamasaki splits them up with two minutes left, to
the approval of the crowd. And then they clinch again. Rivera
trips Philippou down, but goes straight into an omoplata attempt.
Rivera’s right arm is in a bad spot, but Philippou is having
trouble finishing. He can’t, despite holding Rivera in the
position for a good 30 seconds, and Rivera escapes before the
end of the round.
Tony
Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Round
3
Rivera lands the better strikes in the opening minute of the
final round, stinging Philippou with punches and short strikes
in the clinch. Before long, Philippou brings him down. Rivera
throws up a triangle choke, but can’t close it and Philippou
shucks him off. Tired punches from Philippou on the floor as
Rivera scrambles up. They clinch on the fence, Philippou using
foot stomps until Yamasaki splits them up. Straight back to the
clinch they go, Philippou trying for a single-leg which Rivera
stymies. Guillotine attempt from Rivera doesn’t get far,
but does bring Philippou down to a knee. The veteran scores with
right hands and a knee to the body, but he’s running out
of time. Philippou is giving nothing in return from his knees.
He stands up with 30 seconds left and Yamasaki issues one last
restart order. Philippou lands a left hook, Rivera rattles off
a one-two, and the middleweights tumble to the ground at the
horn.
Tony
Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Rivera (29-28 Philippou)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Rivera (29-28 Philippou)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Rivera (29-28 Philippou)
Official
result: It’s a split verdict, with one judge submitting
a 29-28 scorecard for Jorge Rivera and the remaining two officials
rendering the same score for the first-time UFC winner, Constantinos
Philippou.
Dennis
Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole
Round 1
Hallman, wearing perhaps the smallest pair of trunks to grace
the Octagon since Joe Son, leaps onto Ebersole’s back within
seconds and locks up a body triangle. Ebersole rolls to escape
and can’t find his way out. Rear-naked choke attempt from
Hallman is getting close, but Ebersole’s staying alive by
controlling the wrists. The body triangle is released now, Hallman
on his back with hooks in, Ebersole atop him. Ebersole punches
over his shoulder and twists loose, but finds himself in a guillotine.
Hallman sits at the base of the fence, cranking the choke. Ebersole
postures up and escapes, then wails away with hammerfists and
elbows which stun “Superman.” Short staples are doing
further damage to Hallman, who’s just trying to stay alive
with Ebersole in his full guard. Ebersole stacks his man up and
dives in with one more elbow, and this one makes Hallman go limp.
Referee Kevin Mulhall rescues the dazed Hallman at 4:28 of the
first round.
Vitor
Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
Round 1
Mario Yamasaki is the third man in the cage for this evening’s
middleweight co-main event. Akiyama is moving backward early,
flicking out leg kicks as he does. Belfort tries for head kicks
as both men remain tentative in the first minute. Akiyama tries
a front kick, perhaps hoping to duplicate Anderson Silva’s
feat. A left hand from Belfort bounces off Akiyama’s temple
and the judoka goes down. Belfort goes wild, unleashing a brutal
series of left hands. Akiyama gets to his feet, only to be met
by another volley. He collapses again, face-first onto the canvas,
and this time he’s not getting up. The official time of
the devastating knockout is 1:52 of the first round.
Rashad
Evans vs. Tito Ortiz
Round 1
Dan Miragliotta has officiating duties for the 205-pound main
event. Evans crouches in his corner at the start of the first,
while Ortiz bounces up and down in his. Ortiz comes forward,
slapping with a leg kick and putting a left hook on Evans’
cheek. Evans answers with a low kick of his own, then matadors
Ortiz when the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” rushes with
punches. Right hand connects for Evans and the men clinch briefly,
neither gaining the advantage. Ortiz dives for a double-leg against
the fence and brings Evans down with two minutes down. Evans
stays on his knees, his back on the cage, sending short punches
to Ortiz’s head as Tito tries to pick the ankle. They stand,
Ortiz still holding a single, but he lets it go. They get into
a firefight on the fence and it’s Evans landing the better
shots. Right hooks, uppercuts, body blows all landing from Evans.
Ortiz is covering up, but not out of the fight. He clinches and
drills a knee to Evans’ body; Rashad answers with a level
elbow. Rashad throws Ortiz over his shoulder and plows him to
the ground, pounding away while Tito covers up. Ortiz’s
right side is to the fence with Evans in side control on his
left. Short right hands land for Evans and Ortiz rolls to guard.
Evans finishes out the round stacking Ortiz up and punching to
the head.
Tony
Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Evans
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Evans
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Evans
Round
2
They meet in the middle, Evans trying to get inside with left
hands, then backing out when Ortiz pushes in. Rashad misses with
a combo but gets inside on Ortiz, who grabs at a guillotine and
falls to guard. It looks tight and Ortiz is wrenching it with
all his might, but Evans has the angle to escape. The former
Spartan does just that and moves to side control, knee on Ortiz’s
belly, where Evans does damage with right hands. Rashad moves
into the mounted crucifix, Ortiz’s right arm trapped between
his legs, but can’t mount much offense before Ortiz gets
the limb loose. Ortiz is bucking, pushing off the cage with his
feet to try and escape, but he’s bloodied and Evans stays
heavy on top. Ortiz rolls out and grabs at an armbar which gives
the crowd a rise, but it’s not there. Evans stays on top
and stands, Ortiz still kneeling at the base of the fence. A
vicious knee to the solar plexus causes Ortiz to wilt, and that’s
all she wrote. Evans lands another six or eight right hands to
his fetal foe before referee Miragliotta realizes Ortiz isn’t
going anywhere and steps in to wave it off. The official time
is 4:48 of round two.
Source: Sherdog
|
Mike
Swick Withdraws from UFC 134 Due to Injury
“Ultimate
Fighter” original Mike Swick has been knocked out of his
return to the Octagon at UFC 134 with an injury.
“Mike
Swick’s long-awaited comeback to the Octagon will have to
wait a little longer after he was forced to withdraw from his
UFC 134 bout against Erick Silva due to injury. A replacement
opponent for the debuting Silva will be announced shortly,”
the UFC posted on its website on Thursday evening.
Swick
hasn’t fought since UFC 109 in February of 2010 when he
lost the second of back-to-back fights.
He
has been dealing with a mis-diagnosed ailment that has kept him
sidelined ever since. Swick had planned to return at UFC Fight
for the Troops 2 in January of this year, but his opponent, David
Mitchell, had to withdraw due to an injury, so Swick took some
more time to deal with his own health issues.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Brown
Not Worried About Release Ahead of Phan Bout
Mike
Thomas Brown has gone from the top of the featherweight division
to staring down the possibility of a third straight loss.
Heading
into his UFC 133 matchup Saturday against Nam Phan, though, he
sounds like a fighter who has already stopped his fall.
“It
was rough,” Brown said during a “Savage Dog Show”
interview on the Sherdog Radio Network. “I think it was
14 months where it all came crashing down. I was busy. In 14
months I fought six times, which is a lot at a world-class level.
I lost four of them. I had one [loss] in like five years or something.
I was doing well and then I hit this patch.”
It
started in November 2009 when he lost his WEC title to Jose Aldo.
He bounced back with a win over Anthony Morrison but then got
knocked out by Manny Gamburyan in April 2010. He came back with
another win before dropping two fights in one month to start
off 2011.
“The
first two [losses] were for different reasons,” Brown said.
“I think Aldo was just -- man, he was a step ahead of me
on everything and kind of picked me apart, beat me up. With Manny,
I think I got caught. With those two, it was hard to tie them
together completely. Then the other two, I was trying to look
at what was going on and figure out what the problem was. Since
then I’ve made a ton of changes in my training and my camp.
I think it’s going to work out.”
One
change Brown has made is less sparring in favor of more strength
and conditioning. He had been sparring “all the time,”
which had its benefits but also wore down his body. Now he’s
feeling stronger and healthier, and he’s also had plenty
of time to do his homework on Phan.
“I
have a good understanding of what his game is,” Brown said.
“All of his fights seem pretty similar. He doesn’t
change a lot. He’s gotten better over the years at what
he does do, but it looks like always the same game plan. He comes
forward a lot. Nice jab, right hand, left hook to the body or
the head. Solid jiu-jitsu. Definitely a tough guy, a tough opponent.”
Phan
is capable of handing Brown his third straight loss, a mark that
often leads to a release from the UFC. Brown said he doesn’t
feel any pressure, however.
“I
don’t even feel it. It’s like, if it happens, it happens,”
he said. “I want to win the fight so bad regardless of that.
Every fight, I think nothing else besides winning. I’m crushed
every time that I lose no matter what. … Nothing else matters
except getting in there and putting the pedal to the floor and
trying to get the guy out of there as quick as you can, try to
hurt him before he hurts you. Everything else, to me, is just
small potatoes. Just background noise.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Scott
Coker on Golden Glory cuts: ‘There’s only so many TV
spots until the middle of next year’
By Zach Arnold
I
thought about transcribing the audio of the two interviews Mauro
Ranallo did with Martijn de Jong & Scott Coker yesterday
about what happened with Zuffa cutting Golden Glory fighters,
but I can largely summarize what was said in a few words. GG
said that Scott told them there might be an opening for Alistair
to fight in November, Scott says that he can’t get into
any details but that ‘I listen to a lot of things,’
and that was that. I will say that you should go out of your
way to listen to Scott talk and just how hard he was spinning.
The amount of ‘uhs’ and ‘you knows’ reminded
me of his interview sessions when he was promoting Strikeforce.
Once he sold SF to Zuffa, all of a sudden his interview style
changed quite a lit and he was a lot more direct, blunt in his
commentary on various issues.
The
bottom line is this. There are reports that Zuffa wanted to pay
Golden Glory fighters directly as opposed to paying the camp
the money. (Similar to how M-1 and others like Brazilian Top
Team operated in the past.) In the Japanese & world MMA landscape,
generally promoters will pay the teams and the teams handle the
fighter payouts. There was the legendary story of how Fedor was
aligned with RTT (Russian Top Team) and PRIDE had a contract
with RTT, which allowed the creation of the Red Devil fight team
and hence allowed Fedor to fight outside of the PRIDE ring for
New Year’s Eve 2003 for Antonio Inoki. So, I’m not
surprised at the moves that UFC made yesterday. The fight teams
know that they are operating with MMA’s version of Vince
McMahon, so adjust your business practices accordingly.
However,
last week I wrote an article that I thought was fairly obvious
in laying out a possible reason as to why things went helter
skelter between Zuffa and Golden Glory.
I
used the phrase ‘elephant in the room’ when describing
TRT in relation to Dan Henderson after his win last Saturday
over Fedor. Well, I’ll use the elephant phrase this time
around for Ishii in relation to Golden Glory. Golden Glory (and
Alistair Overeem, in particular) had huge plans for becoming
household names in Japan. They had signed a deal with talent
agency Yoshimoto and everything seemed on track. Then, Golden
Glory abruptly left the K-1 scene and Alistair headed to the
States. Golden Glory and Zuffa working together, naturally, seemed
like oil and water from the onset. So, it’s no surprise
to me that Golden Glory would be interested in getting back into
the Japanese scene in a big way. After all, they would likely
be the top matchmaker and talent client for Ishii should he be
able to get a K-1 revival going again. Alistair being able to
do MMA occasionally and kickbox most of the time is what he’s
always wanted to do in his career. You can’t change a leopard’s
spots and that’s always been the case with both Alistair
and Golden Glory.
Zuffa
is playing hardball here with Golden Glory and, when I first
heard the story, I didn’t blink. They are the monopoly play
right now in MMA on a large scale. The only way you do not acquiesce
to their deamnds is if you are promoting your own shows or if
you have a promoter to work with. The only promoter who possibly
down the line could have money or make the kinds of enticing
financial promises to convince Golden Glory to stay firm would
be Kazuyoshi Ishii (despite Alistair’s reported financial
problems with FEG). For Lorenzo Fertitta, cutting off Golden
Glory was rather painless for him. He knows that most UFC fans
and writers in the media will side with them and turn on the
fighters & Golden Glory, so what does he have to worry about?
Finally,
if it wasn’t already clear to begin with then it’s
clear now that Zuffa is not interested in promoting the ladies
on a full-time basis. It’s just not in the cards. At this
point, I think Miesha Tate holding up a ring card would have
a longer future under the Zuffa banner than her actually performing
as a fighter for them. Zuffa views women’s MMA the same
way Vince McMahon always viewed ‘legitimate’ women’s
pro-wrestlers — with a mixture of disgust, disdain, and
disinterest. As for where the landscape is headed for women’s
MMA, it’s all about Europe and Asia at this point. I would
suspect Europe will be the #1 destination, and that’s not
a bad thing. I’d rather see the market for women’s
MMA be smaller in exchange for the people involved in growing
it actually give a 100% effort in making things right & making
things better. UFC half-assing any sort of promotion for women’s
MMA will end up being like the way the NBA promotes the WNBA
— and that’s not a good comparison.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Dana
White Says UFC Will Consider Re-Signing Free Agent Dan Henderson
By Mike
Chiappetta
PHILADELPHIA
-- Fresh off his win over Fedor Emelianenko at last weekend's
Strikeforce/M-1 Fedor vs. Henderson event, Dan Henderson has
the good fortune of becoming a free agent.
Well,
maybe it's good fortune. Given the current MMA business landscape,
that remains to be seen. But Henderson is likely to get interest
and offers from several promotions in the coming days and weeks.
And one call he can expect is from the UFC.
Company
president Dana White confirmed that the organization would entertain
the possibility of bringing Henderson back for his third go-round.
He previously fought for the UFC in the 1990s, winning the UFC
17 middleweight tournament. He then fought exclusively for Japanese
promotions until returning to the UFC in 2007. He competed five
times, going 3-2, but signed with Strikeforce shortly after his
highlight-reel knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100.
"We'll
see what happens," White said. "Hendo and I have had
some history in dealing [together]. We'll see if we can figure
something out and get him back in the UFC."
Henderson's
four-fight deal with Strikeforce ran out after his win over Emelianenko,
despite the fact that he is currently the light-heavyweight champion.
His
money demands could prove an insurmountable object, as they were
the last time he negotiated with UFC. While he got a nice raise
out of Strikeforce, there isn't a competing organization to play
offers against now that both Strikeforce and UFC are owned by
the same company.
If
Henderson does ink a deal with UFC, he will be one of many recent
champs to depart Strikeforce or be otherwise unavailable to them.
First, welterweight champ Nick Diaz vacated the title to move
to UFC. Then heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem was cut. Meanwhile,
women's featherweight champ Cris Cyborg remains unsigned and
out of action, and just-defeated bantamweight champ Marloes Coenen
was cut.
What
this means for Strikeforce's long-term viability is anyone's
guess, but it won't be easy to replace so many headliners in
short order. White added that Zuffa co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta
is expected to travel to New York next week to meet with Showtime.
"What
we've said about Strikeforce is this thing's got to run like
a business," White said. "If we can run this thing
and this thing isn't losing a ton of money, then Strikeforce
will stay alive and be rebuilt. We'll see what happens."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Former
‘Ultimate Fighter’ 2 Winner Joe Stevenson Released
from the UFC
by Damon
Martin
Former
‘Ultimate Fighter’ season 2 champion Joe Stevenson
has been released from the promotion following his fourth loss
in a row.
Sources
close to the situation confirmed the release to MMAWeekly.com
on Thursday. MMAFighting.com first reported the news.
Following
his triumph as a welterweight during the 2nd season of the reality
show, Stevenson dropped down to lightweight and made it all the
way to a title shot in 2008, but fell short as he was submitted
by B.J. Penn in the championship bout.
Following
that fight, Stevenson went 3-2 in his next five fights facing
some stiff competition in the 155lb division.
Unfortunately,
Stevenson fell on harder times with 4 straight losses in the
Octagon including his last against Javier Vazquez after making
the move to the featherweight division.
Stevenson
exits the UFC with an 8-8 overall record in the promotion and
competing in three different weight classes along the way.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Following
Serious Eye Injury, Former Bellator Champion Soto Ready for Action
Former
Bellator featherweight champion Joe Soto will return to action
following a serious eye injury suffered in his bout against Joe
Warren in September 2010. Soto will take on Eddie Yagin tonight
on the Sherdog.com-broadcasted (8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT) Tachi
Palace Fights 10 card.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Andre
Galvao focused in ADCC: “MMA will have to wait”
By Erik
Engelhart
World
champion of Jiu-Jitsu, Andre Galvao decided to hold back his
MMA career, so that he could focus in Submission competitions.
Living on the United States, the tough guy fought the no gi tournament,
NYC Ultimate Absolute, and became its champions after four bouts.
The
next stop of the fights is ADCC and Galvao, who got the silver
medal in 2009, promised to pressure his opponents on the -88kg
division, which will have names like Pablo Popovitch, Claudio
Calasans, Romulo Barral e Rousimar Palhares fighting, among other
tough guys, and he analyzed the challenges on an exclusive interview
with TATAME.
“Man,
I’ll fight to win, I’m thirsty, I’ll go for it.
I’m trained, focused, motivated and I’ve been working
hard. I’ll do my best in ADCC. I’ll be 100% ready to
fight with no gi. You can hope I’ll pressure the guys”,
guaranteed Galvao, who is in no hurry to return to his MMA career.
“I’m
organizing my career and when everything’s settled, I’ll
really focus in my MMA fights. I don’t want to lose anymore
and I haven’t given up on my dream, I’m focused. With
Strikeforce’s purchase by Zuffa, I’l closer to UFC,
but now I’m only concerned about ADCC. MMA will have to
wait a little”, said.
Check
below the complete interview with the fighter:
How
was your conquest in NYC Ultimate Absolute (Submission tournament)?
Was it a like a preparation for ADCC?
Absolutely,
it was excellent. Thanks’ God, I did four fights on the
absolute dispute. My key was a tough one, I only fought tough
guys. I fought a South American guy and I submitted, then I fought
Braga Neto, I swept him on the extra time. After I fought Vinicius
Magalhaes on the third bout, on the semifinals. He’s been
submitting all of his opponents, he did it with (Marus) Buchecha,
then he submitted Daniel Simoes, then he fought me and I grabbed
his back with a minute left for the fight to end and I went to
the finals against Rustam Chsiev, who’s defeated names like
Robert Drysdale. The Russian guy was beating everyone up, he
was doing the blocking game, a really tough Wrestlilng, but thanks’
God I beat him on the decision of the judges. There was twenty
five minutes of fight and I won because I was more aggressive
and, thanks’ God, everything worked out.
How
are the trainings in America? Who’s helping you on this
prep for ADCC?
It’s
excellent, I have good trains here. Bruno Frazatto is helping
me a lot, there’s another tough guy, Ryan, the guys from
Atos who help me a lot. (Gilbert) Durinho is coming here on the
20th. he just fought, and I went there to watch his MMA debut.
Everything is good, I’m training hard. We’ve been doing
five ten-minute rounds, practically with no time to rest and
I’m focused in ADCC. Frazatto is already there and (Claudio)
Calasans is in Brazil and he’s fighting too, but here in
America there are great trainings.
On
ADCC’s last edition, in 2009, you were defeated on the finals
by Braulio Estima. Who do you think that could get in your way
this time?
There’re
many. My division only has tough guys. Pablo Popovitch, who went
up one weight division, since he was the -77kg champion in 2009
and absolutely is one of the toughest guys of the division. There’s
Rousimar Palhares, who’s fighting in UFC few days before,
but guaranteed to be in ADCC, and he’s another tough one.
There’s the champion of the American trials, who’s
a tough wrestler. I guess the -88kg division will be the most
interesting one this year.
What
can we hope of you on this historical ADCC?
Man,
I’ll fight to win, I’m thirsty, I’ll go for it.
I’m trained, focused, motivated and I’ve been working
hard. I’ll do my best in ADCC. In 2009 i was fighting MMA,
so I wasn’t that focused in ADCC, I didn’t have much
time to get ready for it, but this year I’ll be focused.
I’ll be 100% ready to fight with no gi. You can hope I’ll
pressure the guys.
And
what about your MMA career? Do you believe you rushed fighting
tough guys from the start, even with no experience on it?
I
started without really knowing much about MMA, but in a way I
don’t regret it, because I’ve only fought tough guys
and I got great wins. I started fighting really tough guys, and
maybe I should’ve worried about my professional record,
maybe I should’ve been more cautious. My first fight was
against Jeremiah Metcalf, a guy who had fought 15 times before
that. on my third bout I fought John Alessio, a veteran with
over 40 fights, including some in events like UFC and WEC. I
fought Luke Stewart, after being defeated in Japan on a controversy
result, because I thought I won it, but in Japan guys are kind
of weird. Then I fought Jorge Patino Macaco, a tough one, and
then I lost the last bout I went into. I really wasn’t prepared
for it, I made a mistake accepting it in such a short notice,
and unfortunately I was knocked out.
When
do you intend to fight MMA again?
You
can be sure I’ll fight MMA again, but I’ll take it
easy this time, I’ll be patience, I’m coming back to
my roots now, since I had left Jiu-Jitsu aside for a while. I’m
missing my MMA trainings in Rio, I miss my training partners
there: Anderson, Feijao, Distak, Rogerio, Ramon, who’s now
my training partner here, my friend. I still haven’t found
great coaches here in America, I’m looking for them, but
with God’s blessing I’ll fight MMA again. I’m
organizing my career and my gym and when everything’s settled,
I’ll really focus in my MMA fights. I don’t want to
lose anymore and I haven’t given up on my dream, I’m
focused.
Do
you intend to fight at X-Gym?
Well,
I’m here on the United States. I trained in X-Gym back there,
but I’m here now, so I don’t know man. Let’s see
if I’m fighting MMA in Brazil, or maybe on the weeks before
the fight I go to X-Gym and train for my MMA fights. With Strikeforce’s
purchase by Zuffa, I’l closer to UFC, but now I’m only
concerned about ADCC. MMA will have to wait a little.
Source:
Tatame
|
Bantamweight
World GP Set for DREAM.17
By Daniel
Herbertson
TOKYO,
Japan -- DREAM's second bantamweight tournament for the year
was finally made official as all four bouts for the opening round
of the DREAM Bantamweight World Grand Prix were announced on
Friday for DREAM.17.
Hot
of his DREAM Bantamweight Japan GP win, Hideo Tokoro will face
long-time WEC veteran Antonio Banuelos, former DREAM featherweight
ace Bibiano Fernandes takes on reigning Deep champ Takafumi Otsuka,
leg-lock master Masakazu Imanari squares off with former King
of the Cage champion Abel Cullum while Yusup Saadulaev and Rodolfo
Marques Diniz make their promotional debuts.
DREAM.17,
which is set to take place on Sept. 24, 2011 at the Saitama Super
Arena in Saitama, Japan, will be the first numbered event of
the year for the leading Japanese promoter and will take place
almost exactly one year after DREAM.16, which was held on Sept.
25, 2010 in Nagoya. The event is also set feature DREAM lightweight
champion Shinya Aoki taking on former WEC ace "Razor"
Rob McCullough in a non-title match and the featherweight debut
of Tatsuya Kawajiri.
The
full card and a breakdown of the Bantamweight GP participants
after the break.
Hideo
Tokoro's (30-23-1) penchant for highly entertaining bouts has
led to a record that is not entirely indicative of his true skill
level. His impressive Bantamweight Japan GP victory earlier this
year however showed a distinct change in attitude and was much
more cautiously fought. Tokoro holds victories over fellow tournament
participants Masakazu Imanari and Abel Callum.
Antonio
Banuelos (18-7) fought a record 14 time for the now-defunct World
Extreme Cagefighting and is coming into the bout on the heels
of his loss to a highly motivated Miguel Torres at UFC 126. Banuelos
holds notable wins over Scott Jorgensen, Kenji Osawa and Cole
Escovedo .
Former
DREAM featherweight champion Bibiano Fernandes (8-3) makes his
debut at bantamweight after losing his strap to Hiroyuki Takaya
on New Year's Eve 2010. Fernandes holds notable victories over
Masakazu Imanari, Joachim Hansen, Joe Warren and his DREAM Bantamweight
World GP opponent Takafumi Otsuka.
Takafumi
Otsuka (12-8-1) steps in for Kenji Osawa. Osawa qualified for
the World GP with his third place in the DREAM Bantamweight Japan
GP earlier this year. A shin injury sustained in training forced
Osawa out of the World GP. Otsuka, a former DEEP featherweight
champion and reigning DEEP bantamweight champion, has had problems
definitively winning fights as of late and has lost by split
or majority decision four times in the last two years. His recent
performance against Hiroshi "Iron" Nakamura however
was highly aggressive, although the finish did evade him.
Bibiano
Fernandes and Takafumi Otsuka first fought in 2009 in the DREAM
Featherweight GP. On that occasion, Fernandes turned in a dominating
wrestling-centric performance and handily took the decision.
Masakazu
Imanari (23-9-2), a former Cage Rage champion and two-division
DEEP champion, came up just short in the DREAM Japan Bantamweight
GP, losing a close decision to Hideo Tokoro in the tournament
final.
Abel
Cullum (18-5) a two-time King of the Cage champion, also competed
in the 2009 DREAM Featherweight GP but fell to Hideo Tokoro in
one of the most thrilling bouts of the year. Cullum fell short
in his last two bouts – five-round KOTC title matches against
Jimmie Rivera and Jared Papazian.
Yusup
Saadulaev (7-0-1), Russian-born and America-based, is still somewhat
untested having only fought on the regional circuit. Saadulaev
has a tendency to want to stand and trade however his real strength
is on the mat, with five of his seven wins coming via submission.
Rodolfo
Marques Diniz (12-1), a 27-year-old Nova Uniao product, fought
seven times in 2010 and notably won an eight-man one-night tournament.
DREAM.17
- September 24, 2011 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan
Shinya
Aoki vs. "Razor" Rob McCullough
Satoru Kitaoka vs. Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire
Caol Uno vs. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Joachim Hansen
Bantamweight
World GP Opening Round
Hideo Tokoro vs. Antonio Banuelos
Bibiano Fernandes vs. Takafumi Otsuka
Masakazu Imanari vs. Abel Cullum
Yusup Saadulaev vs. Rodolfo Marques Diniz
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Kawajiri
Drops to Featherweight, Faces ‘Hellboy’ at Dream 17
by Chris
Nelson
Following
failed bids for both the Dream and Strikeforce lightweight titles,
Tatsuya Kawajiri will make his featherweight debut in September
when he takes on Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen.
Dream
officials Thursday announced the addition of the matchup to the
promotion’s Sept. 24 card, Dream 17, which takes place at
Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Scheduled for three five-minute
rounds, the bout will be contested at the Dream featherweight
limit of 143 pounds.
The
men have squared off before, albeit briefly: in a 2006 Shooto
title bout, Kawajiri was awarded a disqualification victory after
catching an inadvertent kick in the groin from Hansen only eight
seconds into the first round.
Since
2009, the 33-year-old “Crusher” Kawajiri (Pictured;
file photo) has lost only twice in eight outings, but both defeats
came at the hands of world-ranked 155-pounders. In July 2010,
the former Shooto 154-pound world champion was submitted in less
than two minutes by an Achilles lock from Dream ace Shinya Aoki.
After
outpointing former Strikeforce champ Josh Thomson, Kawajiri came
up short in his April bid for the American belt, as he was knocked
out for only the second time in his 11-year career by Gilbert
Melendez. The T-Blood representative returned to action in July
and easily disposed of resurgent UFC veteran Drew Fickett.
Hansen,
32, has found success at 143 pounds following an up-and-down
run in Dream’s lightweight division. The Norwegian vet stunned
Aoki with a first-round knockout in 2008 to win the Japanese
promotion’s lightweight strap, but was tapped by the spindly
submission wiz in their rematch 14 months later.
Hellboy
fell to then-champ Bibiano Fernandes and now-champ Hiroyuki Takaya
in his first two featherweight outings, but subsequently submitted
both Hideo Tokoro and Sami Aziz. Most recently, Hansen notched
a split decision over Mitsuhiro Ishida in May.
Dream
17 will also feature the opening round of the organization’s
eight-man bantamweight title tournament, as well as a lightweight
tilt between Aoki and WEC vet “Razor” Rob McCullough.
Source
Sherdog
|
Odds
for #UFC 133 fights
(8/6 Philadelphia at Wells Fargo Center)
By Zach Arnold
Hawaii
Air Times:
Prelims 2PM Channel 559 SPIKE
Event 3-6PM Channel 701
Dark matches/Facebook
Middleweights: Rafael Natal vs. Paul Bradley
Featherweights: Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan
Welterweights: Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
Bantamweights: Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace
Featherweights: Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya
Light Heavyweights: Matt Hamill vs. Alexander Gustafsson
Main card
Welterweights: Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole
Welterweights: Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle
Welterweights: Jorge Rivera vs. Constantinos Philippou
Middleweights: Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
Light Heavyweights: Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz
Latest odds for UFC 133 fights
For informational purposes only.
Rashad Evans (-450, 9 to 2) vs. Tito Ortiz (+350)
Vitor Belfort (-300, 3 to 1) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (+250)
Johny Hendricks (-110) vs. Mike Pierce (-110)
Chad Mendes (-600, 6 to 1) vs. Rani Yahya (+400)
Rory MacDonald (-270, nearly 14 to 5) vs. Mike Pyle (+210)
Dennis Hallman (-120, 6 to 5) vs. Brian Ebersole (EV)
Alexander Gustafsson (-200, 2 to 1) vs. Matt Hamill (+170)
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
133 Preview: The Main Card
Evans vs.
Ortiz
by Jason Probst
It
should be called UFC 133 “Jinxed.” This weekend’s
pay-per-view event -- which features Rashad Evans-Tito Ortiz
2 as the headliner on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia
-- is the most injury- and dropout-plagued card in recent memory,
perhaps in the history of the sport.
Unless
your team bus was consumed in a sinkhole that swallowed everyone
but you, there is really no other comparison. Between entire
bouts disappearing, such as the previously scheduled co-headliner
pairing Antonio Rogerio Nogueira with Rich Franklin and the main
event shuffle that saw Phil Davis drop out and replaced by Ortiz
on a mere three weeks’ notice, UFC 133 is definitely a show
that Zuffa LLC brass will be glad to put behind them.
Would
it surprise anyone if UFC matchmaker Joe Silva stocks the arena
with licensed fighters of the last-minute variety, just in case
an unexpected zombie attack picks off a couple more guys? The
undercard was also riddled with injuries too extensive to elucidate
upon here.
Twists
and turns aside, the Evans-Ortiz rematch could provide some intrigue.
After
his huge win over Ryan Bader on July 2, Ortiz gave his lagging
career a much-needed boost. With a draw against Ortiz in their
first bout in 2007, Evans has an ideal opportunity to demonstrate
his maturation as a fighter, proving he deserves a title shot
at champion and former stablemate Jon Jones. Meanwhile, Ortiz
has a great chance to upset those plans and deliver a second
stunner in just over a month, which would send shockwaves through
the light heavyweight division.
Here
is a closer look at the event, with previews and picks.
Light
Heavyweights
Rashad Evans (15-1-1, 10-1-1 UFC) vs. Tito Ortiz (16-8-1, 15-8-1
UFC)
The
Matchup: Their first bout, waged at UFC 73, was a tense, back-and-forth
affair in which the then-unbeaten, rising contender Evans escaped
with a draw. The bout showed Evans that he could not physically
overpower top 205-pounders with his wrestling, as Ortiz’s
upper body strength and physicality gave him fits. He put Evans
on his back longer than at any previous point in his UFC career.
Since
then, the careers of the two men have gone in markedly different
directions. Evans has become a UFC champion -- then promptly
an ex-champion -- while showing improved standup and game planning.
Ortiz hit a career slide only recently reversed with his stunning
submission win over Bader at UFC 132. Given Evans’ mysterious
inability to land a title shot and the opponent switch from Davis
to Ortiz, one has to wonder how he will respond to what is virtually
a no-win situation, other than getting some modicum of revenge
for a bout fought four years ago.
Ortiz
has nothing to lose, and, with a win, he could parlay his huge
marketability into an improbable run at the 205-pound title.
It would be the comeback story of this year -- or any year --
if he could pull off a win here. He has the tools to do it if
Evans gets sucked into a grappling-heavy type of match.
Evans’
win over Quinton Jackson at UFC 114 -- the same Jackson now set
to challenge the now-healthy Jones in October -- was a perfect
example of how game planning wins fights. Jackson headhunted
while Evans picked his spots and hit a couple key takedowns to
win rounds, and the decision. Ortiz needs to land a big shot
in early -- as he did against Bader -- and steamroll Evans to
the mat, or he is going to get out-quicked, outpointed and possibly
knocked out.
Evans
has good power and timing on his strikes, and those will be key
to setting up a takedown. Events have to unfold almost perfectly
for Ortiz if he is to win.
The
Pick: Evans will be too elusive, variable and improved off their
first bout to be deterred. He walks away with a unanimous decision.
Middleweights
Vitor Belfort (19-9, 8-5 UFC) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-3, 2
NC, 1-2 UFC)
The
Matchup: In nearly two decades of MMA since UFC 1 shocked our
sensibilities, there has not been a single fighter to resemble
Belfort in terms of the body of work produced and the wildly
disparate results. When he is on his A game, he is as dangerous
a striker as there is in the sport, stringing together concussive
blows with blinding speed and numbing effect. Belfort’s
losses have a recurring tragic air to them, often with the whiff
of potential unrealized attached as an epilogue to why he came
up short.
Then
there is his last outing against middleweight champion Anderson
Silva at UFC 126. After a couple minutes of dancing and eyeing
each other, Belfort scored a flash takedown, missed a monster
punch that Silva slipped and was summarily dispatched with a
front kick that ended matters as quickly as they began to unfold.
Akiyama
is a decent opponent with moderate all-around skills in addition
to a strong judo base. He seems the perfect guy for Belfort to
rebound against.
At
185 pounds, Belfort is going to be exceptionally strong and difficult
to take down. With his range and hands, he can also decide when
they engage. In short, Akiyama is taking a knife to a gunfight.
There is the outside chance the judoka could circle, kill some
time, frustrate Belfort with counters and then hit a well-timed
takedown en route to running “The Phenom” out of gas
and maybe hitting a submission or grinding to a decision by repeating
this over several rounds. That scenario is doubtful at best.
The
Pick: Belfort by second-round knockout in a one-sided pounding.
Welterweights
Dennis Hallman (50-13-2, 1 NC, 3-4 UFC) vs. Brian Ebersole (47-14-1,
1 NC, 1-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: Call this one a veteran’s special. Both guys have
60-plus fights on their resumes and a boatload of experience
across multiple organizations. That is a hell of a lot of fights
for someone not named Travis Fulton or Jeremy Horn.
Ebersole’s
promotional debut was an impressive upset of Chris Lytle at UFC
127 in February, when he used his solid wrestling and some unorthodox
moves to completely dominate the bout, hurting the readily durable
Lytle a couple of times en route to a decision. Hallman, whose
conditioning has been a question mark in the past, seems to have
resolved that issue but has experienced mixed luck in recent
bouts, losing via last-second knockout to John Howard in a bout
he was winning before blowing out a faded Karo Parisyan.
Hallman’s
excellent submissions have always been his bread and butter,
and since both these welterweights have mediocre to moderate
standup, this one goes into the clinches and on the ground. Ebersole,
who has won eight in a row and 12 out of 13, has better wrestling
chops. Interestingly, despite more than 60 bouts in each of their
careers, Hallman has never lost by submission and Ebersole has
never been knocked out. Hallman is either going to catch a submission
or get KO’d going for it; if it goes the distance, Ebersole
may have the edge in takedowns and control.
The
Pick: Hallman by late submission.
Middleweights
Jorge Rivera (19-8, 7-6 UFC) vs. Constantinos Philippou (7-2,
1 NC, 0-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: A late substitution, Philippou meets the veteran Rivera,
who was originally slated to face American Top Team’s Alessio
Sakara for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Alas, a knee
injury put the Italian middleweight out of commission. Rivera,
now 39, finds himself in dire need of a win after his UFC 127
showdown with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner
Michael Bisping ended in defeat.
Philippou,
who has spent much of his career inside the Ring of Combat promotion,
has everything to gain by cashing in against a veteran with his
back to the wall. Part of the Serra-Longo Fight Team headed by
former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and striking coach
Ray Longo, Philippou has never been finished as a professional.
The
Pick: Philippou pulls the upstart move here and takes it, outhustling
Rivera with youth, speed and too many wrinkles. It ends with
a second-round knockout.
Welterweights
Rory MacDonald (11-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Mike Pyle (21-7-1, 4-2 UFC)
The
Matchup: Fast-rising welterweight contender MacDonald has been
making waves. His thrilling, last-second knockout loss to Carlos
Condit at UFC 115 was as impressive a performance as any 20 year-old
could be expected to give. The Canadian showed good tactical
smarts and a strong closing effort in earning a decision over
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 winner Nate Diaz in
his last outing. MacDonald, who has trained MMA since he was
14, transitions nicely between clinches and takedowns, strikes
and scrambles, and seems to have a natural instinct for the fight
game.
Pyle
is an interesting test, namely because the veteran potentially
has the wrestling and takedown game to stymie MacDonald, whose
standup will have to deter “Quicksand” from closing
the gap. An extended ground battle does not necessarily mean
MacDonald loses, but it does get Pyle over a huge tactical hurdle
and makes it a far more winnable fight for him.
If
there is one asset MacDonald may lack at this point, it is big-man
strength for a welterweight, that requisite horsepower to dominate
when technique and conditioning are a push. George St. Pierre
has it, as does Jon Fitch. Matt Hughes ruled the division in
his heyday with it. It is something MacDonald may grow into --
he just turned 22 -- and that is why Pyle is a meaningful opponent
at this point in his career.
Pyle’s
wrestle-smash of John Hathaway at UFC 120 was a sobering reminder
of what a hard-nosed veteran with good grappling chops can do
to a talented young fighter. Pyle’s standup is serviceable
but nowhere near MacDonald’s, who is getting better on the
feet with each fight. MacDonald’s task is simple: dictate
the range and keep Pyle at arm’s length while picking his
spots and, if taken down, scrambling up immediately. A grinding,
wrenching wrestling match is exactly what Pyle needs, and he
may be able to force it in spots.
The
Pick: This is where MacDonald’s proverbial rubber hits the
road, and he will have to bail himself out at some point. He
does just that, rallying in the third to win via knockout after
a tough back-and-forth bout.
UFC
133 Preview: The Prelims
Mendes
vs.Yahya
by Jason Probst
The
undercard provides a great opportunity for fighters to show they
do not belong there.
At
UFC 133 “Evans vs. Ortiz 2” on Saturday at the Wells
Fargo Center in Philadelphia, perhaps the most-relevant bout
pairs the unbeaten Chad Mendes with submissions whiz Rani Yahya,
as “Money” continues to move toward a title shot against
featherweight boss Jose Aldo. Meanwhile, Matt Hamill hopes to
get back in the win column against emerging Swedish talent Alexander
Gustafsson at the injury-riddled event, which features four other
matches on the bottom portion of the card.
Here
is a closer look at the UFC 133 prelims -- Mendes-Yahya and Hamill-Gustafsson
will be telecast on Spike TV, the others streamed on Facebook
-- with analysis and picks.
Featherweights
Chad Mendes (10-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Rani Yahya (16-6, 1-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: Watching a fighter progress from the beginning of his
career to becoming a top contender is a fascinating process.
You literally watch the final product etch itself into being,
the formula solidifying into what one hopes is a complete fighter.
In 2009, Mendes was 2-0 and essentially a wrestler transitioning
into MMA. Since then, he has developed solid standup and rounded
out his game, connecting the dots and taking scalps in the process.
Tentatively
slated to be next in line for a title shot against UFC featherweight
champion Jose Aldo on this card, Mendes’ chance at the belt
was scrapped when the Brazilian was injured defending against
Mark Hominick in April. With Yahya as a replacement, this is
a good developmental-style bout through which Mendes can gain
further experience against a veteran contender.
Yahya’s
a wildly talented but erratic performer; he can chain together
submission attempts with seamless ease -- check the first round
of his fight with Chase Beebe at WEC 30, where he literally attempts
a dozen or so in a row. Yahya can also fall terribly short in
performances. Holes in his standup game resulted in a brutal
knockout loss to Joseph Benavidez, and he lost a decision to
the game but less-talented Takeya Mizugaki, who simply outworked
him.
Mendes
gets to dictate where the fight goes, which will be a key decision
point in the bout. He wields a solid right hand, especially when
used as a counter, and it transitions nicely into takedowns.
Yahya has excellent submissions, but it is hard to imagine him
subbing Mendes for a couple reasons: Team Alpha Male guys, in
general, have outstanding submission defense, and Mendes’
natural size and superior conditioning make it a remote possibility
past the first round.
The
Pick: Mendes needs a signature, slam-bang-style win to really
market himself as the next 145-pound title challenger. He will
beat up Yahya en route to a third-round stoppage in an increasingly
one-sided fight.
Light
Heavyweights
Matt Hamill (10-3, 9-3 UFC) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (11-1, 3-1
UFC)
The
Matchup: Hamill was neither impressive nor terrible in his clear-cut
decision loss to Quinton Jackson in May; he simply could not
match up well against a guy that simply bested in him in key
areas. It was a bad style matchup and perhaps an indicator that
“The Hammer” is going to have long-term problems breaking
into the elite level in the UFC’s stacked light heavyweight
division. With that said, Gustafsson is a better style matchup
for him.
A
lanky 205-pounder at 6-foot-5, the Swede is aggressive and willing
to risk himself to improve position or attempt submissions. Wrestlers
stay up late at night contemplating the possibilities of grabbing
a guy built like that.
Hamill’s
standup is along the lines of fellow power grappler Ryan Bader
-- heavy and conventional, with basic fundamentals devoid of
flash. He can definitely bang, as well as dictate where the fight
goes. Gustafsson has shown some pop in his early career, as well
as decent scrambling in some spots of his UFC bouts. Still, Hamill
should be able to neutralize him on the ground.
The
Pick: The fight trends toward Hamill the longer it goes. He will
do a moderate degree of damage standing and on the ground, while
riding that advantage to a third-round stoppage.
Bantamweights
Ivan Menjivar (22-8, 1-1 UFC) vs. Nick Pace (6-1, 1-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: Once one of the top lighter weight fighters in the world,
Menjivar scored a resounding technical knockout of Charlie Valencia
in April. With a crushing elbow delivered in the clinch, it was
the kind of instant-carnage highlight that turns heads. Pace,
an athletically gifted prospect, is coming off a successful Octagon
debut in submitting Will Campuzano at “The Ultimate Fighter
12” Finale in December; he dropped a decision at WEC 51
to Demetrious Johnson, now the No. 1 contender at 135 pounds.
Pace
has youth, speed and the upside of a young fighter looking to
pull off the most significant win of his career. Menjivar has
the nasty savvy of a proven veteran, and he has probably forgotten
more MMA than a lot of guys currently fighting know. This one
may come down to Menjivar’s ability to physically dominate
Pace and neutralize his speed and transitions between standing
and grappling.
One
has to think Menjivar is still a little too tough and wily to
lose to a gifted but inexperienced foe with a mere seven fights
under his belt. If not, we have a definite young talent to watch
in the featherweight division.
The
Pick: Menjivar by decision.
Welterweights
Johny Hendricks (10-1, 5-1 UFC) vs. Mike Pierce (12-3, 4-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: When two wrestling-based fighters collide, their core
skills can neutralize one another, resulting in a standup brawl,
i.e. Mark Munoz-Aaron Simpson at UFC 123. It can also go the
other way, devolving into a boring grapple-fest in which the
two cancel one another out and the guy who scores more takedowns
gets the decision. A lot depends on standup ability and the willingness
to risk themselves to inflict damage.
On
that score, Hendricks should be good to go. A two-time NCAA wrestling
champion at Oklahoma State University, he has become increasingly
comfortable on the feet. In addition, Pierce has become more
exciting in recent bouts, including finishes in his last two.
He may be a bit more developed now, but Hendricks could have
the better upside.
The
Pick: Look for some frenetic jockeying to dictate top position
on the ground by both of these welterweights. It seems doubtful
either man can dominate in a three-round grappling match, but
Hendricks should have the edge there and enough of one to take
a close decision.
Featherweights
Mike Thomas Brown (24-8, 0-3 UFC) vs. Nam Phan (16-8, 0-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: Brown’s flat performances of late are confusing,
striking little resemblance to the power-punching, uber-strong
powerhouse that once held the WEC belt and bested Urijah Faber
twice. It may be a result of overtraining. Phan returns to the
Octagon after his controversial decision loss to Leonard Garcia
at “The Ultimate Fighter 12” Finale in December, when
he showed excellent conditioning in a fast-paced, three-round
punch-fest.
This
bout really swings on whether Brown can reclaim his peak form
-- discounting the loss to Jose Aldo, who at his best beats any
145-pounder alive -- and implement his strong wrestling, big
right hands and solid submissions. Phan is quicker afoot, with
good punching, a stout chin and excellent movement.
The
Pick: This is a crossroads fight for Brown. The ex-champion will
survive some tough moments, getting buzzed on the feet a time
or two. Once he gets the takedown, he will take over, piling
up points with ground-and-pound and ultimately getting a close
decision.
Middleweights
Rafael Natal (12-3-1, 0-1-1 UFC) vs. Paul Bradley (18-2, 1 NC,
0-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: Bradley debuts in the UFC after an aborted run on Season
7 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” where he was forced to
leave the show after a contagious skin condition was revealed.
He has finished his last five opponents and took this fight on
short notice after Constantinos Philippou moved into a main card
bout against Jorge Rivera.
Natal
-- a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who trains with Renzo Gracie
-- has not yet tasted victory inside the Octagon, losing a decision
to Rich Attonito and settling for a draw with Jessie Bongfeldt
after opening strong in the first two rounds.
The
Pick: This is Bradley’s fight to lose. With an edge in wrestling
-- he was a two-time All-American at the University of Iowa --
he will be motivated and ready to hammer out a decision.
Source
Sherdog
|
UFC
Pres Dana White Says They Are Done with Team Golden Glory
by Ken
Pishna
First
it was Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem to get
the axe.
Shortly
thereafter former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion
Marloes Coenen, Valentijn Overeem (Alistair’s brother),
and UFC fighter John Oliv-Einemo followed.
The
common ingredient? They are all compatriots at Team Golden Glory.
The
lone Golden Glory fighter standing in a Zuffa promotion is Sergei
Kharitonov, who is currently in the midst of the Strikeforce
Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Seems
a little odd for it not to be a conflict between promotion execs
and the team management, and it’s not that odd. In fact,
that’s exactly what the situation boils down to.
“It’s
simple. If you look back throughout history, we haven’t
had any Golden Glory guys fight (for Zuffa) since Semmy Schilt.
The reason is we have very different business practices,”
explained UFC president Dana White on Thursday.
“The
bottom line is, the way that (Golden Glory) does business is
you have to pay them, not the fighters. We don’t work that
way. It’s not the way we do business. It’s not how
it works in the United States. You don’t pay the manager
and the manager pays the fighter. You pay the fighter and the
fighter pays the manager.”
So
why did it take up until now to release many of the team’s
fighters? Simple, it’s business.
“Those
deals were there and in place and obviously when Einemo fought
in the UFC, we did it our way. Which is the way it has to be
done. We refuse to do business any other way.”
For
Alistair Overeem, it boiled down to a breakdown in contract negotiations.
The other three fighters all lost their most recent fights, making
it a simple matter for Zuffa officials to get rid of them.
Kharitonov,
quite simply, is still around because he has a standing contract
and he hasn’t lost while under that contract. As long as
he remains a member of Golden Glory and that team’s management
does not change its business practices, the Russian heavyweight’s
days are numbered.
According
to White, should Kharitonov lose in the semifinal or final round
of the Grand Prix, he is done. Should he win the Grand Prix,
his current contract will be fulfilled, and again, he is done.
“The
reality is, we tried to work out some deals with these guys,
but they won’t do it.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Coach:
Coenen, Einemo, Overeem Released by Zuffa
by Chris
Nelson
Only
days after Strikeforce’s abrupt dismissal of heavyweight
champion Alistair Overeem, three of the Dutchman’s teammates
have also been ousted from the Zuffa ranks.
“I
am very disappointed to let you know that Marloes Coenen, John
Einemo and Valentijn Overeem have been cut from Strikeforce [and
the] UFC,” Golden Glory head coach Martijn de Jong wrote
Wednesday on his personal Twitter account.
Perhaps
the most shocking cut is Coenen, who lost her Strikeforce women’s
135-pound title to Miesha Tate last Saturday in Hoffman Estates,
Ill.
Widely
regarded as one of the world’s top female fighters, Coenen,
30, had compiled a 3-2 record in the Strikeforce cage since joining
the promotion in 2009, finishing Sarah Kaufman, Liz Carmouche
and Roxanne Modafferi by way of submission, while falling to
Tate and current 145-pound champ Cristiane “Cyborg.”
A 10-year veteran of the sport, Coenen holds an impressive 19-5
mark, with 14 wins via submission.
Heavyweight
grappler Einemo, meanwhile, was a surprising addition to the
UFC roster to begin with. The 35-year-old ADCC Submission Wrestling
World Championships titlist had not competed in MMA for more
than four years when he was signed by the company in March. Einemo’s
lone Octagon outing came at June’s UFC 131, where he came
up on the losing end of the “Fight of the Night” against
Dave Herman, who halted Einemo on second-round punches.
Valentijn
Overeem, the elder sibling of Alistair, defeated Ray Sefo in
his February Strikeforce debut to earn an alternate slot in the
company’s 2011 heavyweight world grand prix. However, in
his June bout on the undercard of his brother’s fight with
Fabricio Werdum, the 34-year-old Dutch “Python” tapped
out to punches from Chad Griggs after just two minutes.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Cain
Velasquez Set to Defend UFC Title vs. Junior dos Santos at UFC
139
By Mike
Chiappetta
PHILADELPHIA
-- The surgically repaired shoulder of UFC heavyweight champion
Cain Velasquez has fared well in workouts, and he is on track
for a UFC 139 title match with Junior dos Santos, a source with
knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting on Thursday.
The
bout has yet to be announced by the UFC, but is expected to be
made official shortly.
A
source with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting that
both fighters verbally agreed to the bout, which will take place
at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, the home city of
Velasquez's gym, American Kickboxing Academy.
Velasquez
was first injured during his UFC 121 championship victory over
Brock Lesnar, tearing his right rotator cuff, a setback that
was expected to take between 6-8 months to heal. After a long
layoff and rehabilitation, he recently ramped up his workouts
and is said to be progressing well.
In
the interim, No. 1 contender Dos Santos took a bout with Shane
Carwin, winning a convincing unanimous decision at UFC 131.
Barring
any unexpected setbacks, Velasquez will put his 9-0 record on
the line on November 19, essentially in his backyard.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Cruz
sharpens up Jiu-Jitsu for Demetrious in October
Dominick Cruz’s bantamweight belt is again under threat.
Rather than setting up a rematch with Urijah Faber, as urged
by a section of the fans, the promotion is pitting the champion
against Demetrious Johnson on October 1 – a beloved date
for Jiu-Jitsu fans, being the birthday of the late Grandmaster
Helio Gracie.
For
the title defense Cruz (19w, 1l) has been working on his Jiu-Jitsu
at Lloyd Irvin’s academy. “I feel I’m getting
better at Jiu-Jitsu with every day. It’s an extremely important
art in MMA,” remarked Dominick.
Demetrious
(10w, 1l) has won five of his past outings by submission and
is coming off a win over famed Carlson Gracie disciple Miguel
Torres. The fight is on the card for UFC on Versus 6, in Washington
DC.
UFC
On Versus 6
Washington DC, USA
October 1, 2011
Dominick
Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson
Stefan Struve vs. Pat Barry
Charlie Brenneman vs. Anthony Johnson
Matt Wiman vs. Mac Danzig
Paul Sass vs. Michael Johnson
Mike Easton vs. Jeff Hougland
Yves Edwards vs. Rafaello Oliveira
TJ Grant vs Shane Roller
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Mike
Schmitz: Pat Barry vs. Stefan Struve, a UFC fight where someone
truly will get KO’d
By Zach
Arnold
Although
he was on the losing end, stout heavyweight Pat Barry (6-3) may
never be part of a fight quite like his last bout against Cheick
Kongo at UFC on Versus 4. But if there’s one matchup with
the potential to rival UFC’s frontrunner for fight of the
year, it’s Barry’s upcoming matchup with Stefan “Skyscraper”
Struve (21-5). Two exciting fighters with completely different
sizes and skill-sets coming to blows make this a must-see matchup.
Gigantic
vs. vertically challenged, striking vs. submissions – grab
your popcorn, this one could end quickly. Standing at 5-foot-11,
Barry represents the shortest UFC heavyweight. He overcomes his
size and reach disadvantage with his lethal leg kicks developed
during his K-1 days.
Barry’s
knockout potential and larger-than-life personality has made
him one of UFC’s most popular fighters, despite his 3-3
record with the promotion. The 6-foot-11 Struve, on the other
hand, is by far the tallest fighter in the heavyweight ranks.
The 23-year-old Skyscraper makes his money on the ground, with
14 of his 21 total wins coming by way of submission. He’s
known for his submission prowess, but Struve (83-inch reach)
holds a dominant reach advantage over every fighter he faces,
especially the shorter Barry (74-inch reach).
Despite
their height discrepancies and differences in style, both fighters
are looking to bounce back from losses after Kongo stunned Barry
and UFC newcomer Travis Browne knocked out Struve in the first
round of UFC 130. Kongo stopped Barry cold with two right hands
after HD had the Frenchman all-but out. But although Barry let
a big win slip away, Struve was dominated from start to finish
by a less-experienced Browne who was fighting in only his second
UFC bout.
As
far as records are concerned, Barry is more so on the hot seat
because a loss would put HD at 1-3 in his last four fights. Although
Dana White called his performance against Kongo the best of his
career, he still needs to get back into the win column to back
up his popularity with performance. A loss certainly wouldn’t
force him out of the UFC due to his exciting fighting style and
likability, but a win is necessary if he wants to be a contender,
not just an entertainer.
The
Dutchman, on the other hand, is 5-3 at the UFC ranks but still
hasn’t shown he can hang with upper tier fighters thanks
to losses to Junior dos Santos and Roy Nelson, neither of which
left the first round. Before his last bout, Struve had his hand
raised in five of his last six fights. But in his losses, Struve’s
looked underwhelming considering his physical tools, letting
his opponents get inside of him rather than using his length
to his advantage.
This
is where Barry can capitalize. He holds a striking advantage
over the lanky Skyscraper, and if he can eliminate Struve’s
length by getting inside of him, this one could be over early.
But that’s not Barry’s only opportunity for stoppage.
Due to Struve’s massive height, Barry can use his tree trunk
leg power to chop down Struve with low leg kick after low leg
kick. His leg kicks are by far his biggest strength, and he has
a ton of room to operate given Struve’s height. If Barry
defeats Skyscraper, he’ll have overcome one of the most
bizarre matchups in UFC history, while getting back on track
in the win column. Struve could use a win to show he’s not
just a 6-foot-11 pushover who won’t reach his crazy potential.
While
both fighters could use a win, I’d give the nod to Barry
in this one. If he can avoid Struve’s ground game and reach
advantage, he should have his hand raised and avenge the Kongo
loss. Barry would then move back up to the Kongo, Matt Mitrione,
Nelson range. Whether Barry chops down Struve with his leg kicks
or Struve uses his superior reach to get to Barry, one thing
is certain – this will undoubtedly be the single most awkward
staredown ever.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
UFC
133: Yahya motivated to give Mendes his first loss
By Erik
Engelhart
After
debuting in the UFC with a perfect act, as he defeated the former
WEC champion Mike Brown, Rani Yahya will have a greater challenge,
next Saturday, at UFC 133. The BJJ black belt will fight Chad
Mendes, who has fought ten times and have never experienced the
bitter taste of a defeat. But it can be an extra motivational
tool for Rani.
“Chad
is a much tougher challenger than Mike Brown to me because he’s
rising and it tends to be a hard fight. The fact he still is
undefeated motivates me a lot because this is the first time
I’ll have a chance like that, to fight against someone who
has never been defeated before”, commented the BJJ black
belt, who wants to play focused on Chad’s flaws.
“My
preparation was complete, both the physical and the technical
part were well done. I did much specific training with takedown
defenses and many Wrestling practicing, because he has Wrestling
as his main modality. He has some flay on his game and we’re
going to find it out. I want to explore it as much as I can,
mainly on the floor, since Jiu-Jitsu is my best weapon, but I
can also explore my striking because I could see some difficulties
he has on his stand-up game”, analyzed.
Athlete
of Constrictor Team, the Brazilian has Jiu-Jitsu as it foundation
game, but he didn’t leave the striking aside, and he’s
been evolving a lot. Rani’s trained much Muay Thai, Boxing,
KickBoxing and even Karate, with the intention to make it easier
for him to try to use his clinching game. The fighter guaranteed
he’s in his best shape ever and that he doesn’t fear
the American’s wrestling game.
“You
can expect my best performance ever. We accepted this fight with
Chad Mendes, who’s so far undefeated, exactly because I’m
in my best shape and it’s time, because I had a good time
to get prepared and I’m in my best shape ever. If he takes
me down it’ll be a blessing, there won’t be any problems
because once we’re on the ground, I’m comfortable,
on the bottom and on top”, finished Rani.
Source:
Tatame
|
Palaszewski
on Griffin: It’s Going to Be a Rough Fight
Bart Palaszewski has struggled some against wrestlers, but when
the UFC offered him a matchup against Tyson Griffin, he took
it immediately.
“I’ve
been sitting for so long, I don’t care who it is,”
Palaszewski explained during a “Savage Dog Show” interview
on the Sherdog Radio Network. “I’m going to get in
there and get my hands up, put my chin down and get after it.
I don’t care. I just want to fight.”
Palaszewski
meets Griffin in a featherweight bout Oct. 29 at UFC 137. He
had been scheduled to make his UFC debut at UFC 130 but had to
pull out due to a severe inner-ear infection and a mild concussion.
The
nine-year veteran attributed the concussion to too much sparring.
He’ll be preparing differently for Griffin and the move
from 155 pounds to 145.
“I
don’t think I’m going to be doing as much live sparring
as I was doing,” Palaszewski said. “I was doing three
days a week of six [five-minute] rounds with big boys. Not trying
to -- they were hitting me in the head a lot. So I’m going
to have to taper off. I’ve got a lot of fights and I’ve
still got a lot of fights ahead of me. I don’t want to be
a bit punchy five years from now. I’ve got to train smart
now instead of hard, I guess.”
Palaszewski
took a full month off from training and went a total of 10 weeks
without sparring. In hindsight, he thinks he overdid it in his
last camp and has learned his lesson.
“We’re
just going to do one day a week of hard sparring,” Palaszewski
said. “Put in six or 10 rounds, and that’s that. I
don’t think three days a week or whatever people are doing
is necessary. Do one day and just do it right, do it hard, and
that’s it for the day. I think that’s the way to do
it. I don’t know if it’s the right thing or the wrong
thing. I’m going to give it a shot, see if it works and
go from there.”
In
Griffin he’ll be facing a game opponent. After an impressive
run at lightweight in the UFC, Griffin struggled and lost three
straight but then bounced back at featherweight by outpointing
Manny Gamburyan.
“His
slate’s kind of cleared in that sense,” Palaszewski
said. “He’s coming off a win against a guy that was
on top of the [145] weight class. I think it’s going to
be a good fight. It’s going to be a rough fight. He’s
a good wrestler and I always have problems with the wrestlers,
but I’ve been working a little bit. I want to test my wrestling
skills. You never know, I might be shooting doubles and taking
him down.”
Palaszewski
also pointed out Griffin’s willingness to trade on the feet.
He’ll keep that in mind, as a striking battle still seems
to capture his interest despite the improvements he’s made
to his wrestling.
“I
just like to brawl,” Palaszewski said. “I’m sure
we’ll slug it out, and if he gets hit and tries to take
me down, I’m going to stuff it and we’re going to keep
slugging.”
Source
Sherdog
|
Elephant
in the room: Dan Henderson’s win over Fedor builds momentum
for TRT usage/acceptance
By Zach
Arnold
I’m
not here to debate the usage of Testosterone Replacement Therapy
in MMA. My thoughts on the issue have long been loud & clear.
However, for anyone in the media to ignore the issue of TRT after
Dan Henderson’s over Fedor last Saturday night in Strikeforce
would be a mistake.
At
the crossroads: TRT acceptance & women’s MMA in America
A doctor’s skeptical opinion of TRT usage in fighting
Testerone Replacement Therapy doesn’t help you become an
automatic winner. If there was a TRT MMA Hall of Fame for the
Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Dan Henderson would be considered
by many fans to be in the ‘good’ category. (Nate Marquardt
& Chael Sonnen would respectively be in the ‘bad’
& ‘ugly’ categories.) Henderson is still a successful
fighter at a high level in his 40s. That is an anomaly in the
MMA business where plenty of young stars flame out in a few years
and fans debate on just how long top MMA names/legends can last
in the business (see: the 9-year rule).
When
I use terms like ‘momentous’ or ‘momentum’
for TRT usage/acceptance in MMA, I’m not referring to the
fans. I’m referring to administrators (regulars), fighters,
& promoters.
Keith
Kizer: PA/NJ AC’s & UFC ’stood up in favor of a
clean sport’ w/ Nate Marquardt
Steve Cofield & Larry Pape: Is Nate Marquardt telling the
truth about his medical interaction with the New Jersey ACB?
Whether you support the allowance of TRT by MMA fighters or not,
the truth is that it has the capability of altering the MMA landscape
in both good and bad ways. For fighters like Dan Henderson, TRT
has a positive impact because it allows older fighters to not
only hang around and not retire early but to also maintain physical
strength that simply would not happen if someone was not on Testosterone.
The longer someone is on TRT, the more experience they gain if
they are able to fight more frequently. This will most certainly
alter the way we look at veteran MMA fighters in the near future.
The
bad, of course, is that testosterone is, well… testosterone
and plenty of steroid users who have damaged their endocrine
systems now see a very easy loophole to exploit in order to stick
around a while longer as an active MMA fighter. TRT will also
give some hope to fighters who should actually retire due to
injuries, concussions/head trauma, and overall general body health.
Fighting is still a young man’s game and older fighters
accumulating brain injuries is not a good trend to see in this
sport.
Chael
Sonnen — because I got punished for TRT, expect many fighters
to hide their drug usage
Victor Conte on a new drug testing option soon for UFC &
boxing
TRT usage, just like steroid & other PED usage, does not
guarantee victory for any fighter. What it does do, however,
is leave the door open for some fighters who simply wouldn’t
be around the business today to be active. Whether you think
that’s a good or bad development, that’s up to you.
There
seemingly is an increasing amount of momentum to go all-in for
TRT acceptance. The landscape of the business as we know it is
going to be altered in a significant manner. Dan Henderson’s
victory over Fedor last Saturday was not only a victory for himself
but a victory for proponents of TRT usage in the sport. For us
in the media to ignore this big-picture development is rather
short-sighted.
YAHOO!
SPORTS’ Iole and Cofield talk Fedor’s future from Steve
Cofield on Vimeo.
Earlier
in this post, I wrote about brain trauma/concussions. Here’s
Steve Cofield & Kevin Iole from Cagewriter.com/Yahoo Sports
talking about why the referee stoppage in the Fedor/Henderson
fight was appropriate & why Dana White celebrates Fedor losing.
STEVE
COFIELD:“The fight itself, did you think the stoppage was
warranted?”
KEVIN
IOLE:“No question, 100%. Here’s the thing that I think
people forget. You know, the argument that people are making
in favor of allowing it to continue was that Fedor has great
recuperative powers and in fights in the past he’s come
back after being in a lot of trouble. The problem is that we’ve
learned more about the brain and concussions and injuries in
the last 10 years and so we understand that there’s something
called the Second Impact Syndrome and it’s potentially fatal.
It’s like your brain get wracked around inside your head
the first time and if you take another big shot immediately after
that, it potentially could be fatal and that’s what we don’t
want in this sport. And I’m not saying that Fedor was on
the verge of going but that’s what happens when you allow
fights to go on. You know, he went limp and whenever a guy goes
limp, he went face-first to the mat and he went limp, and Henderson
undoubtedly woke him back up with one of the ground-and-pound
shots that he hit him with. But you have to think of the fighter’s
safety and you can’t say, well, because Fedor is a great
fighter we’re going to allow him to take more shots because
the fight’s more important. Safety is safety and when the
fighter is out, the fight is over, period.”
STEVE
COFIELD:“Where does Fedor go from here?”
KEVIN
IOLE:“I tell you, if I’m advising Fedor and unless
he’s really in financial difficulty, I say retire because,
you know, he’s one of the great fighters in the early days
of Mixed Martial Arts, clearly not at that point right now. If
he’s in the Top 10, it’s right at the bottom of the
Top 10 and I have to think after losing three in a row to three
guys, none of whom would be in the Top 5 Heavyweights, I don’t
think anybody would consider Werdum or Henderson or Bigfoot Silva
Top 5, you know maybe Bigfoot Silva #5. You know, Fedor got beat
pretty handily by all three of those guys, so where is he as
a heavyweight right now? I just don’t see him beating the
top guys. Are you just going to hang around to fight and collect
paychecks?”
(later
on)
STEVE
COFIELD:“How do you think [Dana White] feels in this whole
thing? Yeah, I mean, is he really rooting against [Fedor]? Does
this kind of go to the argument that he had the last couple of
years and prove him right?”
KEVIN
IOLE:“Dana just, I think, is very frustrated by people who
will not give Anderson Silva credit. You know, he came out starting
in probably 2008, 2007, 2008 saying Anderson Silva’s the
best fighter in the world and he was looking at the guys Fedor
was fighting at that time, the Mark Colemans and the Mark Hunts
and those kinds of people and he’s comparing that to the
people that Anderson Silva was fighting. I think tit’s interesting,
Steve, that if you take 2001 through 2006 Fedor and then 2006
through 2011 Anderson Silva and there’s a lot of similarities.
They both fought all the top contenders, they both beat them
most of the time in dominating fashion. But, you know, Fedor
is living off that 2001-2006 run until now and that’s bothering
Dana who’s trying to promote the modern guys who are now
fighting the elite guys and I think that’s where his frustration
is from and he’s never shy about sharing his opinions, as
we know.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
UFC
President Dana White Cracks Open the Door to Dan Henderson’s
Octagon Return
by Erik
Fontanez
UFC
president Dana White is open to bringing Strikeforce light heavyweight
champion Dan Henderson back to the UFC.
Henderson,
who most recently defeated Fedor Emelianenko by first-round technical
knockout, fought the last fight of his contract with the win
last Saturday night in Chicago.
Shortly
after the UFC 133 pre-fight press conference, White commented
on the potential to bring Henderson to the UFC for a third go-around.
“We’ll
see what happens,” White said on Thursday in Philadelphia.
“‘Hendo and I have had some history in dealing. We’ll
see if we can figure something out and get him back in the UFC.”
Henderson
last fought in the UFC in 2009 when he made a highlight reel
knockout out of Michael Bisping at UFC 100. Shortly after that
fight, failed contract negotiations with UFC representatives
led to Henderson leaving the UFC and signing with industry’s
number-two, Strikeforce.
Earlier
this year, Zuffa LLC, the parent company of the UFC, bought Strikeforce
and Henderson returned to fighting with a Zuffa-owned contract,
but continued to compete on Strikeforce cards.
White
downplayed any idea that he was never interested in signing the
Team Quest fighter out of Temecula, Calif., giving the impression
that, in contract negotiations, sometimes you win some and sometimes
you lose some.
“It’s
not that I’ve never been interested in Henderson,”
White proclaimed. “Listen, you can come to deals with guys
and you can’t.”
Henderson
is currently on a three-fight win-streak after failing to make
his bid for the Strikeforce middleweight title with a loss to
then-champion Jake Shields in April of 2010. After returning
to light heavyweight with a knockout win over Renato “Babalu”
Sobral, “Hendo” made headlines with another knockout
win, this time over light heavyweight champion Rafael “Feijao”
Cavalcante. Henderson earned the gold and, shortly after, speculation
began to spin about a potential super-fight between he and former
Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.
The
bout came to fruition and on July 30. The two met, but not for
long. Henderson took out the heavyweight legend with a fierce
uppercut that sent him face-planting to the canvas in the first
round.
For
now, Henderson is on vacation, but negotiations with Zuffa about
a potential return to the Las Vegas-based fight promotion, or
at least Strikeforce, are sure to be on the horizon.
The
possible re-signing of Henderson comes on the same day White
announced that Zuffa would begin the process of cutting Fedor
Emelianenko from Strikeforce.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Tito
Ortiz Ready to Storm the Octagon, Rashad Evans at UFC 133
by Erik
Fontanez
UFC 133 main event fighter Tito Ortiz has been booed and depicted
as a villain in mixed martial arts for quite some time. But one
thing no one can take away from the fighter out of Huntington
Beach, Calif., is his pioneer status in the sport.
Since he was a young debuting fighter at UFC 13 way back in 1997,
the game has changed and grown past a point that anybody expected
it to reach. Segments on ESPN’s Sportscenter and Bud Light
commercials are a long way from the days of Cracker Jack box-size
venues and sanctioning in a handful of states.
Whether he’s been a villain or a hero, Ortiz has stuck through
the growth and still has a marketable name to headline a card.
He’ll make his return to fighting in the Tri-State area
this Saturday for the first time in 10 years and notices the
obvious changes in the sport as he prepares for his opponent,
number one contender Rashad Evans.
“It’s a whole different new business completely,”
Ortiz said recently. “And I’m still at the top of my
game and I just can’t wait to go back to the East Coast
and fight for all my fans. And especially in Philly with something
that’s a story that I will fulfill it 100 percent and I’m
very, very excited. You know, Rashad’s a tough opponent;
the number one contender. I’m going to go and I’m going
to fight with all my heart and soul and do what I do. And that’s
entertain you and get my (hand raised).”
Ortiz’s career hasn’t come without any bumps in the
road. Most fighters create rivalries with other fighters, which
Ortiz has done, but he’s taken it to a whole other level.
His most popular and documented rivalry has been with his boss,
UFC president Dana White.
The two have been at each other’s throats for years, now.
Ortiz has even made a habit of making shirts dedicated to how
he feels about his employer, wearing them at weigh-ins as public
jabs at White.
The infamous “Dana is my b*tch” shirt was the hot fashion
for the summer season of 2008.
But like the sport has changed, so has Ortiz’s attitude
towards his boss. A positive attitude seems to be the best description
to illustrate Ortiz, nowadays. The reinforcement he gets from
the important sources in his life keep him focused on performing
well this weekend and away from dueling with the UFC’s head
man.
“I got my surgeries done and I kept my nose to the grindstone,”
he said. “I never doubted myself and I just want to show
people that with hard work and dedication you can achieve anything.
And I’ll continue doing it each and every day in training.
“And between me and Dana, we’re really, really good.
It’s been good. I’m very, very happy and they support
me in positive reinforcement and it’s just making me that
much better in the gym. And I love it. I survive on stuff like
this. I would’ve (died) for this when I was a kid, man,
and it’s just nice to have a positive reinforcement behind
you knowing that you’re going to do well and we go out to
perform at my highest performance.”
Regarding Ortiz’s UFC 133 opponent, the “Huntington
Beach Bad Boy” has met Rashad Evans once before. The two
first tangled at UFC 73: Stacked, fighting to a draw in the end.
Had it not been for Ortiz grabbing the fence as much as he did
in the second round, the scorecards would have showed him winning
the bout on points.
Obviously, Ortiz will aim to keep his fingers off the fence this
time, but it’s clear that he’s not facing the same
Rashad Evans he fought in 2007. Evans has since won and lost
the light heavyweight title and fought the most recent top contenders
in the 205-pound division. All of Evans’ attributes have
improved and Ortiz is well aware of that fact.
With the odds stacked against him at UFC 133, Ortiz is relying
on his positive attitude and heart to pull out the win.
“I know our first fight, that was such a long time ago,”
Ortiz recalled. “And I made the mistake by grabbing on the
fence, and I’m going to try to correct a lot of mistakes
that I did, and making sure that I don’t let Rashad get
in on me and just try to defend.
“My advantage will be heart, of course, 100 percent. He’s
fast; yes, I’ll give him that. His professional skills are
good; yes, I’ll give him that. His boxing skills have gotten
better, but I’m prepared. I’m prepared for anything
and everything. And I’m going to go in focused, mentally
positive, knowing that my (hand is) going to be raised. I’m
not going to explain what I think his strengths are, no reason
to. I just kind of did in, I guess, Layman’s terms for you
so you kind of understood. But when it comes to fight time I’ll
show you how much better I am.”
Just as he was in his match-up with Ryan Bader, Ortiz is the
underdog. But mixed martial arts is about as predictable as the
weather. Not even the best meteorologist can accurately read
the forecast 100 percent of the time, but one thing is for sure:
Tito Ortiz will storm into the Octagon at UFC 133 on Saturday,
Aug. 6, in Philadelphia.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
One
Man’s View: Fedor Not the Best Ever
by Jason
Probst
Now that it has become stone-cold clear that Fedor Emelianenko’s
time as a top heavyweight is irrevocably over, the next questions
emerge: how does one assess his legacy and where does it stand
in the context of the sport’s all-time greats?
You
could make the argument that Emelianenko was the most accomplished
mixed martial artist ever. During his run from 2001 to 2009,
which included a 28-fight unbeaten streak, he put together a
nine-year swath of dominance that is unlikely to be challenged,
unless UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva stays unbeaten
in the Octagon for the next two to three years.
Fedor’s
numbers remain an impressive testimony to his consistency and
brutal efficiency in dispatching whoever was put in front of
him, but, in looking back, he had more 8-to-1 underdogs with
which to toy than any UFC champion will ever defend against.
His legacy, like all sporting achievements, should be put into
perspective that includes the quality of competition faced. On
that score, I’m of the belief that he is the most accomplished
heavyweight to ever live, but that Silva’s overall legacy
is superior at this point due to his consistently facing the
top competition available.
In
the same way that Wilt Chamberlain’s 50.4 points a game
in 1961-62 defines him as the greatest single-season scorer in
history, the context in which he achieved this cannot be overlooked.
Chamberlain was not facing competition comparable to the level
of current players in the NBA, which is what makes his record
all but unassailable today.
Who
wins: Fedor in his prime, or Cain?
Labeling Fedor as the most accomplished heavyweight of all-time
is not the same as saying he is the best heavyweight who ever
lived. I’m not sure that even a prime Fedor would be considered
a betting favorite over Cain Velasquez or Junior dos Santos,
though he would hardly be much more than a slight underdog, if
such a thing were possible. Perhaps a phone call to odds guru
Joey Oddessa is in order.
Fedor
dominated and decimated the best of the Pride Fighting Championships
big men and ran roughshod in a slew of non-title bouts against
opponents that were of the precise quality one would expect in
a non-title foe. He created an aura of menace and consistent
intensity that in many ways defined the sport’s standard
of what a champion should be. However, today’s UFC matchmaking
model has little resemblance to the one that procured Fedor’s
challengers in Japan; the best contender is consistently put
forth for Silva, Georges St. Pierre and Velasquez, who, in his
first defense of the UFC
heavyweight crown, will take on the dangerous “Cigano.”
Another
idea to consider: Fedor competed across two eras, where a comparison
of the best of both reveals a considerable talent gap. The sport’s
athletes have improved markedly since the mid-2000s, so much
so that in watching events from five-plus years ago it seems
at times a different sport, given the limited skill sets glaringly
on display. Given the insane parity and dangerous power virtually
every heavyweight at the top of the game today possesses, no
heavyweight is putting together a ten-fight unbeaten streak as
champ, much less 28.
Other
thoughts to consider were explored in my piece “Chasing
Fedor,” written after the fallout of the UFC’s final
and failed attempt to sign Fedor in the summer of 2009. In it,
I delved into the UFC’s decision not to sign Fedor given
M-1 Global’s stiff demands -- a decision based on the premise
that one fighter is not worth the price that was asked for Fedor,
given the time and leverage the UFC had in building other attractions.
The UFC took a lot of grief for not closing the deal among some
fans and industry watchers, but does it look like anything but
a prescient decision now?
The
UFC did precisely the opposite, developing what is now a robust
heavyweight division; imagine if it had offered up the unprecedented
money and co-promotional rights for which Fedor’s team asked
and he had performed as poorly in the UFC as he has in his last
three bouts. That would have been a complete bomb of a deal for
everyone involved, except, of course, for M-1 Global.
With
that said, the man and the management/promotional people around
him should be separated in terms of analyzing the scope of his
career. Emelianenko has carried himself as a humble, eminently
likeable champion, one who has supplied fans with moments of
incredible drama. Even in his defeats to Antonio Silva and Dan
Henderson, there was a sense that he had emerged unbowed, if
badly banged-up.
Whether
it was being retired on his stool with a battered-shut eye against
“Bigfoot” Silva after two rounds or still rolling over
against Henderson after being smashed unconscious for a brief
moment, Fedor always left you with the sense that he had not
been completely broken, that he would keep fighting until absolutely
snuffed from consciousness. I hope his career ends here with
some semblance of that magic intact and no real-world demonstration
of what it would look like.
The
argument against Fedor being the best ever will pick up steam
over the next two to three years. The UFC now has the best lineup
of champions in recent memory, and Silva is well on his way to
already beating a better overall group of opponents than Fedor
did. Emelianenko’s run was amazing and will likely never
be matched, but the game’s a different animal these days,
something even the most hardcore defenders of his legacy are
finding out.
Source:
Sherdog
|
At
the crossroads: TRT acceptance & women’s MMA in America
By Zach
Arnold
The TRT discussion rages on. Earlier in the week, we talked about
some possible new drug testing options that Victor Conte and
others have suggested in order to increase the amount of dope
cheaters getting caught by athletic commissions. Fighters like
BJ Penn have come publicly against TRT usage in MMA. You can
throw in additional names like Ben Askren and some MMA writers
(wonder who?) into that category as well.
However, it appears that the tide is swinging the other way.
As Josh Gross wrote on ESPN Thursday, Dan Henderson (and many
other fighters/athletic commissioners) are looking to implement
widespread standardized protocols to allow Testosterone Replacement
Therapy usage by boxers & MMA fighters.
Tim Kennedy, in this recent MMAFighting.com interview with Ariel
Helwani, laid out why he has no sympathy with the sob stories
we have been hearing from fighters using TRT who want your public
sympathy.
ARIEL HELWANI:“In an article on our site written by Ben
Fowlkes, he interviewed you and you talked about TRT and how
that’s a big problem and how you’re against it. Interesting
comments considering the fact that Nate Marquardt is involved
in this story and he’s essentially a teammate of yours.
I mean, did you have to think twice about making those comments?
Did that create any rift between you guys? Just curious to get
your take on that.”
TIM KENNEDY:“I’m a big Nate Marquardt fan, you know,
he’s a teammate of mine and a training partner. But I’m
very clear, everything’s black and white to me, you know,
I don’t know if that’s the military in me but like
there’s right and wrong. I never get anywhere near the line
of what could be even gray, so you know the… like I said,
this sport is based on martial arts. Martial arts is based on
honor, integrity so when guys are out there doing any PEDs, it’s
just wrong. There shouldn’t be any question. We should be
going out there to fight as clean athletes, representing our
fans, the sport. So, there’s no rift. If he’s getting
ready with a fight, I’ll be with him in a second to help
him train. I’m only responsible for what I put into my body
and I know what that is.”
ARIEL HELWANI:“Medically cleared or not, you are against
TRT usage in this sport?”
TIM KENNEDY:“I don’t think it’s… it falls
into that gray area. It’s too hard to control, balancing
every month of…”
He’s exactly right. The most obnoxious development to come
out of the recent TRT debate in the media is the position of
fighters acting like they are victims of a medical condition
and that they need TRT to be ‘normal’ as a fighter.
Listen, I’m not a compassion-less person. If you need some
sort of drug to function as a normal human being in your every
day life, then that’s fine. However, if you need a drug
like testosterone in order to be ‘normal’ as a fighter,
sorry, but you lose. Watching fighters act as if it’s their
God given or constitutional right to have a license to fight
is absurd. When someone gets busted for multiple DUIs for prescription
drug abuse (or marijuana or other recreational drugs), the driver’s
license gets yanked. It’s a privilege, not a right to drive
a car — something that can be used as a hell of a weapon
to hurt & kill someone if the driver is impaired.
Same deal here in the fight game. I don’t want to hear the
sob stories from fighters saying they need TRT to fight and compete.
You know what? I’ll make you a deal. Let’s call this
my version of a standardized protocol. I’ll let you take
your TRT/HRT in exchange for you not having a fighter’s
license while using such medical ‘treatment.’ As Victor
Conte appropriately stated last week, the fight game is a ‘hurt
sport.’ Your job is to inflict punishment on the other person.
Why should athletic commissions allow testosterone usage but,
at the same time, go after fighters who test positive for steroids?
Furthermore, ask yourself this question — if you don’t
trust athletic commissions as it is to currently do their job
managing basic urine drug testing programs, why would you have
any sort of confidence in the same commissions regulating and
overseeing the usage of TRT by fighters? It’s ridiculous.
We are entering a very dangerous stage here with athletic commissions
considering the allowance of TRT by fighters. It makes the sport
look like a joke in the eyes of many observers and it makes the
regulators look like completely incompetent stooges for promoters
in the eyes of the medical community over the allowance of TRT
usage in such a competitive, cutthroat industry. There will be
a moment where someone gets seriously injured or killed in an
MMA fight and the minute it’s discovered by the mass media
or by the authorities that the person who inflicted the punishment
is doping (EPO, HGH, TRT, you name it), it is going to be a stain
that will be extremely hard to erase from the public’s consciousness.
On a separate side note, Tim talked about recently losing his
sponsor Ranger Up due to the infamous “Zuffa sponsorship
tax.” He claims that he has lost 80% of his sponsorship
money due to the decision.
The other hot topic de jour online heading into this weekend’s
Strikeforce event is the future of women’s MMA under the
Zuffa umbrella. I’m very bearish about whether or not the
ladies will have a place at the Zuffa table in a couple of years,
so right now is (in the eyes of female fighters) a make-or-break
period in regards to whether or not Zuffa will book female MMA
fights in the future.
This media session Marloes Coenen (@MarloesCoenen on Twitter)
did is excellent. She gave the right answers in regards to what
needs to be done and what needs to be proven in order for the
women to have any sort of shot with Zuffa. As I’ve advised
a couple of female fighters recently, Zuffa is unlikely going
to promote women’s MMA on a large scale. I suspect they
will promote the Flyweights (125 pounders) before they go all-in
on women’s MMA. Dana White doesn’t like women’s
MMA the same way Vince McMahon never liked/likes legitimate women’s
pro-wrestling (which is how the public has ended up with whatever
it is they for an excuse for women’s wrestling on TV every
Monday night.) More and more, it seems like Canada, Europe, and
Asia will be the places for the women to get booked and do so
on a stage where promoters will promote them 100% of the way
as opposed to half-assing it.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Fedor
Emelianenko Cut From Strikeforce Following Third Straight Loss
By Mike
Chiappetta
PHILADELPHIA
-- The "Last Emperor" has seen his last fight in Strikeforce.
Fedor
Emelianenko will be cut from the promotion following his loss
to Dan Henderson at last Saturday's Strikeforce/M-1 Fedor vs.
Henderson event.
UFC
president Dana White -- a co-owner of Strikeforce parent company
Zuffa LLC -- confirmed the news following the UFC 133 press conference
on Thursday.
"He's
being cut, yeah," White told the media. "Why? Do you
think we should keep him?"
The loss was the third straight for Emelianenko after an unbeaten
stretch that spanned nearly a decade.
His
loss to Henderson came at 4:12 of round one. Prior to that, he
had lost to Antonio Silva via TKO and Fabricio Werdum by submission.
"You
guys thought he was the pound-for-pound best in the world, but
I thought he was overrated for years," White said.
The
34-year-old Emelianenko (31-4, 1 no contest) said after the Henderson
fight that he would take some time to consider retirement upon
returning home to Russia, but if he chooses to return, it will
be under a new promoter.
Meanwhile,
Emelianenko remains contracted to Showtime, the premium cable
channel that broadcasts Strikeforce fights as well as M-1 cards.
It is possible he could continue to compete on Showtime under
the M-1 banner, but he won't do so again with Strikeforce co-promoting.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Fedor
Emelianenko Released by Strikeforce Following Third Loss in a
Row (UPDATED)
by Damon
Martin
Fedor Emelianenko‘s time under the Zuffa umbrella has come
to an end.
The former Pride champion and Russian legend has been released
from Strikeforce following his third loss in a row, the latest
coming by way of TKO to Dan Henderson this last weekend in Chicago.
UFC president Dana White on Thursday confirmed his release to
MMAWeekly.com.
“Yeah, he’s being cut,” White confirmed. “You
guys thought he was the pound-for-pound best in the world, I
said he was overrated for years.”
Emelianenko’s legendary undefeated run first came to a halt
when he faced Fabricio Werdum last year, and after clipping the
Brazilian early in the fight, he was submitted by triangle choke.
Bouncing back earlier this year, Emelianenko entered the Strikeforce
Heavyweight Grand Prix where he met Antonio “Bigfoot”
Silva and was simply overmatched by power and size. The fight
was stopped after the seond round as Emelianenko suffered huge
swelling in and around his eye.
The final nail in the coffin came at Strikeforce this weekend
when he lost to current light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson
in a special heavyweight attraction. Fedor dropped Henderson
with a good punch, but in the scramble to finish the fight, he
found himself on the bad end of a Henderson uppercut.
Emelianenko went limp, falling flat to the mat and referee Herb
Dean rushed in to stop the fight.
The loss resulted in three in a row for Emelianenko, who stated
following the fight that he was undecided what the future held
for him.
The future doesn’t hold Strikeforce for Emelianenko after
being released.
According to White, he believes Emelianenko’s contract was
up anyway, which paved the way for him not to come back to the
promotion.
“Yeah, I think so as far as I know,” White said about
Emelianenko’s contract.
White also stated he had no conversations at all with Emelianenko
or his camp, and has stayed out of the situation since Zuffa
purchased Strikeforce earlier this year.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
‘Ares’
on Stardom’s Road
by Jason
Probst
Three
fights into his UFC career, Rory MacDonald has emerged as one
of the best young talents in mixed martial arts.
He
has also experienced both ends of the competitive spectrum, losing
and winning in dramatic fashion in high-profile bouts. If there
is an enduring lesson to be learned from those bookended chapters
-- a technical knockout loss with seconds left to go in a thrilling
match against Carlos Condit and a decision win over Nate Diaz
-- it is that the kid from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada,
knows he always has more work to put in.
Just
22 years old, MacDonald has relocated to Montreal, where he sharpens
his game in daily sessions with, among others, UFC welterweight
champion Georges St. Pierre. While he seems young, MacDonald’s
journey is developing exactly how he envisioned at age 14, when
he started training in mixed martial arts. He turned professional
two years later.
Facing
Mike Pyle at UFC 133 “Evans vs. Ortiz 2” on Saturday
at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, MacDonald hopes to
build on his April 30 win over Diaz with another signature performance.
The decision over Diaz was cemented with MacDonald’s strong
closing effort, during which he surged late and slammed Diaz
to the ground with crowd-pleasing takedowns. Pyle offers a hard-nosed
wrestling style that provides yet another test.
“I
expect him to take me to the ground. I really don’t think
he’s got a chance standing,” MacDonald tells Sherdog.com.
“He is dangerous and I respect him in all areas, but I feel
like, if I was him, the smartest thing is to get it to the ground.”
Pyle,
winner of three straight UFC bouts, is an experienced veteran
who can shut down opponents by controlling them on the ground.
In MacDonald’s win over the tricky and durable Diaz, he
dictated the range and the pace of the bout before finishing
strong and sealing the decision. While Diaz has lost decisions
before, few have beaten him in such clear-cut fashion.
Firas
Zahabi -- who trains MacDonald and St. Pierre, among others,
at the Tristar Gym -- was pleased with what he saw against Diaz.
“I
felt we needed to polish his standup. He showed maturity,”
says Zahabi. “He did what we asked him to do, and he was
going out there to perform instead of getting himself into a
fight. He showed he can outthink his opponent.
“Rory’s
a guy with a lot of natural power,” he adds, “and we’ve
just been trying to focus that in the right direction. He was
always able to muscle people around early in his career, but
he’s at a level now where he’s going to have to be
more technical.”
MacDonald
has lived, breathed and obsessed about MMA since age 14, when
he started training at a local gym. He thought about the sport
constantly, and kids in school did not believe him when he told
them he wanted to be a professional fighter. Tempering that natural
fighter’s instinct can often be a challenge for trainers,
as there is a delicate balance between tweaking a guy’s
style and changing too much. If MacDonald’s measured performance
against Diaz was any indication, the formula is working.
Training
with St. Pierre is another great boost to living full-time in
Montreal. Like GSP, MacDonald uses the Tristar Gym as his base
while getting in various workouts at nearby facilities.
“He’s
very disciplined,” MacDonald says of St. Pierre. “It’s
his variety and commitment to training so hard. He’s a very
smart fighter and very strategic.”
With
fluid standup and natural athleticism, MacDonald gave welterweight
contender Condit all he could handle in a three-round war at
UFC 115 in June 2010. On the brink of a shocking upset win, MacDonald
tired in the final moments of the third round and was stopped
by a barrage of Condit strikes. Only seven seconds were left
on the clock.
“I
didn’t really have a game plan. I just wanted to go in there
and fight,” MacDonald recalls. “I have more variety
in my techniques now, and I just made a few technical errors
at the end. But that’s OK. It was an experience, and I learned
from it. I felt like I did good in the fight. I just didn’t
execute perfectly.”
After
relocating to Montreal from his native Kelowna, MacDonald, who
won the King of the Cage lightweight crown at 19, has settled
in nicely. When not training, he plays video games, shops and
works on making his new apartment feel like home. It has also
proven a little easier to focus because, although he is still
an emerging face in MMA, Montreal is a huge city compared to
Kelowna and he can move a little easier there without being recognized.
Not that he minds.
“I
get a little bit more attention [now],” MacDonald says.
“A lot more people come up to me, especially if I’m
back home.”
Following
Jon Jones’ ascent to the UFC light heavyweight title, the
prospect of fighting then-Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts teammate
Rashad Evans unleashed plenty of opinions on whether training
partners and friends should fight against one another. MacDonald
is still a few wins away from having to answer that question,
but as long as St. Pierre remains champion, it will be an opportunity
worth weighing.
“I
would never consider that,” says Zahabi. “I would never
allow it.”
MacDonald
feels the same way -- an easy enough answer, for the time being.
While Pyle looms, it is hard not to think of MacDonald eventually
fighting for the title. He could be a few years away from his
peak, performance-wise, and as it stands, he has already given
fans some breathtaking glances of his ability. In a division
starkly divided into and old and new guard of contenders, he
fits into a thriving mix that is sorting out itself in high-stakes
matchups galore.
Condit,
MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger are part of the fresh wave of
new talent; established veterans include former title challengers
Jon Fitch and Jake Shields, who battles Ellenberger Sept. 17
at UFC Fight Night 25. After destroying the previously unbeaten
Dong Hyun Kim on July 2, Condit finds himself slated to face
B.J. Penn at UFC 137, which features St. Pierre’s defense
against former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz. There are other
meaningful bouts on the horizon, as well, like Diego Sanchez-Matt
Hughes on Sept. 24 and Charlie Brenneman-Anthony Johnson on Oct.
1. MacDonald will not lack for compelling opponents win or lose
against Pyle.
MacDonald
offered his thoughts on Condit-Penn and St. Pierre-Diaz, two
matches that will go far in shaping the upcoming 170-pound title
picture. Condit-Penn likely will provide a challenger, while
St. Pierre-Diaz could have all sorts of ramifications. A Diaz
upset completely remakes the landscape; another GSP victory could
prompt more demand for the champion to move up to 185 pounds,
depending on how the bout with Diaz plays out. For his part,
GSP has expressed limited interest in moving to middleweight,
but he has been so dominant at welterweight in recent defenses
that another one-sided win does not elicit much interest in seeing
him further steamroll challengers.
“I
think that Georges and Diaz will go a lot like how the fight
with me and [Diaz’s] brother went,” MacDonald says.
“I think Georges has too much variety. He’s too smart
to get sucked into a fight like that. He’s got too many
techniques. He’s too dangerous.
“I
expect him to take me to the ground. I really don’t think
he’s got a chance standing.”-- Rory MacDonald, on Mike
Pyle
“[Condit-Penn] is a good fight,” he adds. “It’s
gonna be a really tough fight for Carlos, but it’s definitely
something he can win. The thing about Carlos is he’s a natural
fighter. He doesn’t stop. He has incredible heart, and if
B.J. can’t finish him, he’s gonna have a tough time
with Carlos’ pressure and will to win. It’s a tough
fight, and I wish the best for Carlos.”
MacDonald
seems genuinely excited at how his refined approach translated
into the win over Diaz at UFC 129, and he believes more thinking
and execution are vital to his continued progression.
“I
have more options now, more footwork, and get to circle around
more,” he says. “With everything, I have more attacks,
defensive options, all kinds of stuff. I’m thinking a lot
more in my fights and using the skills I know I have, rather
than just going in and fighting.”
Source
Sherdog
|
Corinthians
bolstered by Anderson and plans center for MMA
Marcelo
Dunlop
In
place of the gritty Carlos Tevez, the masterful Anderson Silva.
Yesterday, Corinthians Sport Club announced it has hired the
undefeated champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, an
athlete under the management of soccer superstar Ronaldo. Among
other marketing initiatives, Anderson will wear the Corinthians
soccer jersey at the August 27 UFC Rio show in Brazil.
Anderson has already been seen publicly sporting the jersey of
his beloved team – where he got his start in the martial
arts as a boy –, following his swift win over Vitor Belfort,
a self-proclaimed fan of team Flamengo, with which he dreams
of signing a similar contract.
The UFC middleweight champion and Corinthians have been courting
each other ever since signing a contract with Ronaldo’s
9ine agency. Due to a crisis involving Brazilian soccer fans
earlier in the year, Anderson was mentioned as a possible “solution”
to pacify the club’s fans.
Now in times of peace, MMA is back on the tips of everyone’s
tongues, but for a more serious reason. Parties close to Corinthians
and the fighter have already started talks of opening an MMA
and martial arts training center at the club, which Anderson
would oversee and use for his own training when in São
Paulo.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
What
role will Kazuyoshi Ishii’s new attempt to revive K-1 play
in Alistair Overeem’s career?
By Zach
Arnold
This is the video that set off a firestorm of reaction online
yesterday.
KENNY RICE:“Ron Kruck now we get ready to join him with
some news that has been breaking this week and it’s some
big about the big man that maybe used to be in Strikeforce, Ron.”
RON KRUCK:“That’s right, Kenny. More shocking news
concerning Strikeforce HW champion Alistair Overeem. Inside MMA
has learned that Overeem has received a cut letter and has been
released from the promotion.
“Sources close to the situation have told Inside MMA that
the company has exercised it right to eliminate his one remaining
fight on his contract, effective July 22nd. Overeem will fight
next in October in Russia for the promotion United Glory. No
word on who his opponent will be.
“Also, according to the source, Overeem has been dealing
with more serious injuries than originally reported, including
a broken toe and rib & elbow problems. Overeem fought through
the nagging injuries against Fabricio Werdum and was told that
he wouldn’t have to fight again until late Fall. The semi-finals
are scheduled to take place on September 10th in Cincinnati and
Overeem has stated that he needs more time to recover.
“Another issue that Strikeforce officials had regarding
Overeem’s participation in the tournament is he had only
one fight left on his current contract and he would have had
to fight twice to win the Grand Prix.
“Guys, the situation surround Alistair Overeem keeps getting
stranger. We will continue to follow this huge story. Back to
you.”
KENNY RICE:“All right, Ron, thank you. Good stuff and that
is surprising about Overeem & Zuffa but, you know, I think
that maybe he… … the last fight on the contract, I
mean, you know, they don’t mess around. They don’t
have to mess around.”
BAS RUTTEN:“No, they don’t, and apparently they didn’t
like what happened now. You know? They’re going to go, okay,
so what is it, a toe injury? Can’t fight with a toe? You
don’t know their way of thinking, but I’m pretty sure
I’m sure it had something to do with it. Some game has been
played there, I don’t know from whom or what.”
KENNY RICE:“What I think it shows as much as anything, for
anybody that’s had great success no matter where in the
world, it’s still the UFC. And if you come in now under
their umbrella Strikeforce or whatever, you better be prepared
to bring it.”
After this video was released, when Dana White stated that he
was not involved in discussions with Golden Glory over Overeem’s
status with Strikeforce. However, he claimed that Golden Glory
management contacted him and said that they wanted to work out
a deal.
There is one additional to throw into the mix that has not been
discussed heavily and that’s Dan Herbertson’s report
of K-1 brands being sold to Tokyo real estate operation Barbizon,
which has a lot of real estate in night life spots like Roppongi.
Given Kazuyoshi Ishii’s past track record and his notoriety
for the night life, I said the other day that I wouldn’t
give further comment on the story. However, with Golden Glory
being so active in Japanese circles for so many years, the development
of Alistair Overeem getting cut by the Zuffa family has to be
taken into further consideration in regards to Ishii attempting
a revival.
It was less than 8 months ago that Alistair Overeem was priming
the pump to make a major run in Japan. As Tony Loiseleur elaborately
detailed last year in this Sherdog article, Overeem was ready
to focus entirely on Japan while still being the Strikeforce
HW champion. He had just won the K-1 tournament in Tokyo at Ariake
Colosseum (broadcasted on Fuji TV). He was set to fight Todd
Duffee at K-1’s Dynamite event, an event that predictably
was a train wreck (I called it the anatomy of a public execution)
because of lack of major support from Tokyo Broadcasting System.
After destroying Duffee in mere seconds, Overeem had been ready
to go all-in with his attempt to become a true ace in the Japanese
fighting scene.
It all looked great for Alistair, as he was enjoying his Nikkan
Sports award. Two months later, Overeem was singing a different
tune about fighting in Japan.
All of a sudden, Japan was dead to him. How and why would such
a radical change of plans take place? Easy. He claimed he got
stiffed on his money for fighting at K-1’s Ariake Colosseum
event. As Ray Sefo and many other K-1 veterans have pointed out,
they all got stiffed and allegedly scammed out of a lot of money.
The fact that Sefo was able to make the comments that he did
in an interview with Tokyo Sports without any fear of repercussions
from K-1 told you everything you needed to know about how weak
K-1’s power was/is in Japan. Simon Rutz, of all people,
announced a promotional run for It’s Showtime in Japan.
Now, Dan Herbertson says that Barbizon is involved in K-1. The
real headline should be, “Ishii back in play.” He wanted
to get his company back and he did so. FEG, the corporate shell
used to run K-1 for many years, is saddled with debt and will
likely be abandoned. Good luck to the creditors in recovering
cash (in my opinion).
The fight business is littered with stories of big promoters
who have stiffed or underpaid fighters. Said parties get angry
at the promoters and then when work gets slim the old promoters
resurface and try to convince fighters to come back by using
something like… But, but, this time it will be different!
And, occasionally, the tactic works.
While everyone is focused on whether or not Alistair Overeem
is looking to get a UFC contract, keep one eye open on what’s
happening with Ishii attempting a comeback of sorts. As Dave
Walsh recently hinted, there are a lot of European players (potentially
Golden Glory) would would love to get things moving again in
Japan. Such a move would allow Overeem to get back to kickboxing
and do occasional MMA outside of the Zuffa landscape. The question
is whether or not Ishii would be able to kiss and make up financially
with Alistair before UFC makes a substantial money offer.
If Overeem does end up back in Japan fighting again, then the
closest you’ll ever see Alistair to fighting in a Zuffa
ring is if you use his character in the upcoming UFC Undisputed
3 video game. Here’s a video interview from FightHubTV.com
that proves this point.
Q:“In terms of the game modes, I know you’re featuring
a big feature which is the PRIDE mode, which a lot of UFC fans
and a lot of hardcore fans of MMA are waiting for. I want to
know about this PRIDE mode and what to look forward to.”
A:“Well, PRIDE is going to be sick, right? I mean it’s,
you know, Japanese rule sets. So, you have access to different
moves that you don’t have in the UFC. Foot stomps, soccer
kicks, knees to the heads of downed opponents, so what’s
really cool is the PRIDE mode is going to offer all these new
game play opportunities for people and I mean really allowing
you to kind of unleash, you know, kind of the brutal combat that
the Undisputed franchise is known for. We’re going to have
a lot of, we’re not getting into the roster too much, but
a lot of historical PRIDE fighters and then younger versions
of current UFC fighters with their stats at their PRIDE level.
Then, on top of that, you can also take UFC guys into PRIDE style
matches and take PRIDE guys into UFC matches, so it’s a
really cool feature that we’re kind of allowing you to pit
the present against the past in our game and I think the fans
are going to be better for it. And, on top of that, it just looks
amazing.”
Q:“Is there a good amount of the guys from PRIDE making
a, I guess I don’t want to say comeback, but that will be
appearing in this UFC Undisputed 3?”
A:“Yeah, I think you can say that, you know, we’re
fan of the sport and the genre and, you know, the best information
you’re going to find is on community.ufcundisputed.com,
our community site, those are the people we brought in to focus
test this game over the past year. That’s where we’re
going to be releasing a lot of really cool information so, you
know, you’ll have to wait and see but we’re definitely
aiming to make this the best PRIDE experience possible.”
Q:“Well, you have the entrances because I know PRIDE was
known for a few things. One, the entrances, especially Akihiro
Gono and his entrances, Rampage and his entrances. Is that something
being incorporated in the game?”
A:“Absolutely, entrances have been added to the game this
year, both in the UFC and PRIDE mode. Players will actually be
able to customize their entrances for their created fighters.
So, again, you know it’s one of those things that a little
bit more time to development. People wanted WEC, they wanted
PRIDE, they wanted entrances. Hey, you know, check those boxes,
we’ve been able to put them in.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
After
His Exit From the Big Stage, How Will MMA Remember Fedor Emelianenko?
By Ben
Fowlkes
Fedor Emelianenko doesn't have to go home to Stary Oskol, but
he can't stay in Zuffa. After three straight losses in Strikeforce,
the man who once demanded the sun and the stars in order to sign
with the UFC now can't even hang on in the company's second-tier
organization.
Unlike
the surprising decision to drop several promising Golden Glory
fighters with one big slash of the ax, this is one we should
have seen coming.
But
now that the man who was once the world's greatest heavyweight
has been given his walking papers, what does it mean for his
immediate future? And decades from now, when we sit our grandchildren
on our robotic knees in front of our holographic fireplaces,
how will the firing of Fedor color the story of his legacy?
The
answer to the first question ought to be simple. With the doors
of the two biggest MMA organizations now closed to him, and with
the numbers suddenly piling up in the loss category, now might
be the time for Fedor to seek out the retired life that he's
been eyeing for a while now.
I
say it ought to be that simple, but that doesn't mean it will
be.
There's
only thing that Fedor's M-1 Global management team likes better
than using him as their walking billboard, and it's touting their
credentials as fight promoters. It's not at all hard to imagine
Fedor getting talked into one or two more can-crushing contests
in some half-full arena somewhere, and -- who knows? -- maybe
now that Alistair Overeem doesn't have much going on, the Golden
Glory and M-1 Global beef could be set aside in the name of making
the only available fight that might matter for either of them.
But
that still leaves us with the bigger question of legacy. After
dominating the Japanese scene and then crumbling shortly after
coming to the U.S., will Fedor's glory days still seem so glorious
when we look back on them after his story is finished?
The
answer to that question will depend largely on how fans remember
Pride. Back when it was still alive and kicking, the Japanese
organization was a viable rival to the UFC. Sure, it had its
problems (not to mention the occasional doubts about legitimacy),
but to many fans those seemed more like endearing quirks. I might
not want to show a clip of some poor schlub getting headstomped
if I were trying to make my case for MMA as a whole, but I'll
still throw in the 2005 Grand Prix DVD if I'm home alone and
feeling nostalgic.
But
Fedor's greatest accomplishments across the Pacific were wins
over the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic, both of whom seemed a lot more beatable
within a few years of coming to the UFC. The generous fan will
chalk that up to the ravages of age, but not every MMA fan is
so generous.
As
a contrast, look at the legacy of Wanderlei Silva. He made his
name in Pride, and hasn't done much of note in the UFC. Even
so, fans still regard him as a hero from a bygone age, and that's
without a winning streak to match Fedor's.
So
what's the difference? For starters, Silva's reputation was built
more on style than on dominance. He won a lot of big fights against
a lot of big fighters, but even his losses were something to
see. He brought the excitement and the intensity every time,
and that's something you can't take away from him even if you
chip away at the quality of his opponents. We know now that beating
Yuki Kondo isn't the pinnacle of athletic achievement, but so
what? Wanderlei is beloved for being Wanderlei, and that won't
change no matter how many times he gets knocked out.
Fedor,
on the other hand, was all about perfection. He went a decade
without losing, which not only made up for his lack of a personality,
but made it into a part of a larger mystery. If people begin
to lose their sense of awe at his wins in Japan, or even his
wins in the U.S. (face it, beating Sylvia, Arlovski, and Rogers
doesn't mean what it used to) then his string of losses in Strikeforce
might seem like more than just a natural decline.
What's
easy to forget, however, is that at a time when Pride had the
world's best heavyweights, Fedor was the best among them. Back
when the UFC heavyweight division was the Sylvia-Arlovski show
over and over again, Fedor was running through the best competition
of his day.
And
really, isn't that what should matter most -- a fighter's performance
in his prime against the best of his time? By that metric, Fedor
is still one of the best to ever do it, regardless of whether
you think the heavyweights of 2005 could hang with the big boys
of today.
The
biggest problem for Fedor's legacy isn't his performances, but
his management. By keeping him out of the UFC and then, even
after signing with Strikeforce, dodging Alistair Overeem, M-1
Global gave legs to the argument that Fedor was ducking top competition.
They tried to make Fedor a promotion unto himself, and in the
process they kept him out of the fights fans really wanted to
see.
That's
the worst part. As Fedor fades away, it's hard not to wonder
what he might (or might not) have been capable of back when he
was at his most capable. Just because he loses a few fights in
his mid-thirties, that doesn't mean he wasn't one of the sport's
great ones. Few fighting careers end on high notes, after all.
That part is nothing new.
What
will hurt Fedor more than anything is that, when the time came
to choose between forging a legacy and cutting a deal that would
let him splash the words 'M-1 Global' all over the cage, he chose
the deal. Or at least, he chose the people who chose the deal
on his behalf. He wanted it his way, and that meant more to him
than how he'd be remembered. Now that he's gone, at least from
MMA's biggest stages, don't be surprised if that's a part of
what people remember.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Anderson
Silva Lands Nike, Corinthians Sponsorship Deals
by Chris
Nelson
When Anderson Silva enters the cage to defend his UFC middleweight
title Aug. 27 in Rio de Janeiro, he will do so as the first Brazilian
mixed martial artist to be sponsored by Nike.
The
36-year-old Silva, who meets Japan’s Yushin Okami later
this month in the main event of UFC 134, recently closed a sponsorship
agreement with the sports apparel mega-brand. Nike Brazil Director
of Sports Marketing Luis Alexandre confirmed the deal to UOL.com.br
Tuesday; exact terms were not disclosed.
The
news comes days after a cryptic video of Silva appeared online,
sparking rumors of the transaction. The 90-second clip featured
Silva staring menacingly at a camera, as he would an opponent,
dressed in a red t-shirt with a prominent Nike “swoosh”
logo.
With
the deal, Silva joins the likes of Yoshihiro Akiyama, Caol Uno
and Kazuyuki Miyata as MMA fighters who have been backed by Nike.
Boxing champ Manny Pacquiao also numbers among the company’s
athletes, while ex-UFC heavyweight Kevin “Kimbo Slice”
Ferguson was featured in a series of Nike viral ads alongside
NFL running back LaDainian Tomlinson in 2008.
Nike
is not the only major sponsor “The Spider” has added
to his portfolio of late.
Last
week, the Brazilian branch of fast-food giant Burger King announced
Silva as one of its new promotional faces. On Monday, officials
from Brazilian soccer team Sport Club Corinthians Paulista --
also sponsored by Nike -- announced a multi-tiered marketing
initiative in which the pound-for-pound great will be prominently
featured. Silva, a well-known Corinthians booster, will don the
club’s jersey during his entrance at UFC 134 and will lend
his name to a new MMA facility to be constructed by the team
in his hometown of Sao Paulo.
All
three of Silva’s recent sponsorship deals were brokered
by 9ine, the upstart sports marketing firm with whom Silva joined
forces in January. The founder of 9ine, recently retired soccer
great Ronaldo, was himself a longtime Nike spokesman who finished
his career playing for Corinthians.
Source
Sherdog
|
Tim
Kennedy on Robbie Lawler’s fight strategy: “That’s
a dumb way to fight”
By Zach
Arnold
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Tim, earlier in the week you were telling us you
expected this fight to go all over the place and it kind of did.
What did you think of the fight and how it played out?”
TIM KENNEDY:“Robbie is so athletic. He’s fast, he’s
explosive, you know, I said he’s an amazing wrestler. He
was really defensive and tentative the whole fight which made
it kind of frustrating, you know, for me to get in he was just
waiting to counter and he has a chin, too. I blasted him a couple
of times. There were some crazy-ass scrambles, you know, I don’t
even know where they went or how we ended up in some of the positions
that we did. It was like I was on a bloody slippery slide in
that second round. So, yeah, it was all over the place.”
ARIEL HELWANI:“How surprising was that? Especially in the
third round, I thought he would kind of go for broke and he didn’t.”
TIM KENNEDY:“Yeah! He was doing the same thing, it was just
that tentative, counter, just waiting for me to come in. You
know, that’s a dumb way to fight… not to Robbie, just
you know it’s like… it was my fight to lose. He knew
I was two rounds ahead, I knew I was two rounds ahead, so I don’t
know… yeah, I thought he’d be coming forward. I was
waiting for it, I was waiting to just blast my way in, but he
was just tentative the whole time.”
ARIEL HELWANI:“Obviously, it takes two to tango. Is it a
little disappointing, I know you got the win, but that it wasn’t
a very exciting one and maybe a dominant one on your part in
terms of finishing him?”
TIM KENNEDY:“Absolutely, I’m real frustrated right
now. I know my coach is like, ‘hey, great job! you did exactly
what we wanted you to.’ But I didn’t do what I wanted
to. I want to go out there and finish fights. I hate going to
decision. Fans hate me going to decisions, so, yeah, I’m
pretty bummed right now. Disappointed, frustrated. I know there’s,
I had some vets in the crowd that I really wanted to go out there
and go for it but I’ll just work harder next time.”
ARIEL HELWANI:“Any serious injuries, though?”
TIM KENNEDY:“No, it’s but a flesh wound, it’s
but a flesh wound. Nah, it’s just cuts, I’ll go back
there and get cleaned up, I’ll be good to go.”
ARIEL HELWANI:“What would you like to do next? Is there
someone in particular you’d like to fight?”
TIM KENNEDY:“I want the title, whoever [the champion] is.
I got 25 minutes with Jacare. I don’t want 25 more minutes,
I want 5 more minutes with him. I just want the title.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Chad
Mendes ‘Up There’ But Not Guaranteed a Title Shot With
a Win at UFC 133
by Damon
Martin
Chad Mendes may be considered the top contender in the UFC’s
featherweight division, but a win at UFC 133 doesn’t necessarily
guarantee him a title shot.
When asked by reporters following UFC 133's press conference,
UFC President Dana White deferred to matchmaker Joe Silva, who
stated Mendes is near the top of the division, but wouldn’t
solidify if he was next in line with a win.
“Chad’s right up there,” said UFC matchmaker Joe
Silva. “He’s in the mix”
White chuckled after Silva’s ‘in the mix’ comment
as he is known for saying the same thing when asked to pinpoint
contenders in different weight classes.
Mendes has stated that if he’s successful on Saturday night
that he would ask the UFC for a title shot, but as of right now
nothing is set in stone.
The UFC featherweight title will next be defended at UFC 136
when champion Jose Aldo faces former lightweight title contender
Kenny Florian.
Mendes faces submission specialist Rani Yahya at UFC 133 in Philadelphia
this weekend.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Tate
grinds her way to women’s 135-pound title, finishing with
a side choke
Tate
grinds her way to women’s 135-pound title, finishing with
a side choke. Miesha Tate wrestled with the boys in high school,
so there's little mystery to her game. She wanted to get Marloes
Coenen down, and down often.
After
spending 10-plus minutes on her back, a warn down Coenen found
herself in a nasty arm-triangle choke in the middle of the fourth
round. Referee John McCarthy called a stop to things at 3:03
of the round giving the Strikeforce women's bantamweight title
to Tate.
At
just 24 years old, Tate (12-2) may be the future of the division,
but the women's 135 class has another young lady in her mid-20's.
Sarah Kaufman, 25, beat Tate back in 2009 on a Strikeforce Challengers
card and will probably get the next crack at the title holder.
Tate's
explained that her experience with the boys in high school was
the genesis of this title run.
"It
made me tough. It's a big, huge reason why I'm here today,"
said Tate, who wrestled in Olympia, Washington. "That toughness
got me through that fight. Marloes is no joke."
Her
recent path to the cage was far from easy.
"I
had a good start to my training camp, a rough finish. That's
what makes the heart of a champion, it's tough times. Tough times
only make you tougher," said Tate.
Coenen
(19-5) is a very solid fighter with good striking and submission
skills, but her stiffness on the feet and lack of side-to-side
movement killed her chance of defending takedowns. She was too
often a sitting duck for Tate, who was good on 5-of-6 takedown
attempts.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Champ
Overeem released from Strikeforce
HOFFMAN
ESTATES, Ill. – Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair
Overeem was released from his contract shortly after a business
dispute which led to him being replaced in the heavyweight Grand
Prix tournament.
The
report was first made on Friday night by Ron Kruk on HDNet’s
“Inside MMA,” and states that the release actually
occurred on July 22.
Neither
Dana White, nor Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker have confirmed the
reports, but others close to the situation did confirm the release
to Yahoo! Sports.
Problems
between the two sides started when Overeem’s management,
Golden Glory, and Overeem himself would not agree for him to
fight on Sept. 10 against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in
the semifinals of the tournament. Overeem had said that he did
not have time for a complete training camp and asked that the
fight be delayed a few weeks. Showtime, which broadcasts all
Strikeforce events, did not have an open date for October with
its extensive commitments to boxing.
But
others have said Overeem’s management was considering that
date if certain unnamed demands were met, which led to Zuffa
officials being upset when Overeem went public with the story
and blamed his pulling out on the injury.
Overeem
(35-11, 1 no contest) had one fight remaining on his contract,
which had he taken the fight and beaten Silva, would have given
him tremendous leverage in negotiating a new deal. Golden Glory
was believed to be attempting to negotiate a new deal that would
have included moving to UFC and getting pay-per-view cuts, which
was a political landmine for Zuffa. The parent company has long
stated that it didn’t want to move any new Strikeforce fighters
to UFC due to the deal with Showtime, and also due to that deal,
wanted to keep the rosters exclusive to each brand.
Overeem
has been heavyweight champion in Strikeforce since November 16,
2007, when he defeated Paul Buentello, in San Jose, Calif., to
become the company’s first champion. But in the nearly four
years with the title, he only defended it once, and only fought
twice for the promotion. During that period, he had made himself
one of the top heavyweight stars in both MMA and kickboxing with
matches in Japan, and hadn’t lose in his last 12 fights.
The
6-foot-5, 260-pounder from the Netherlands also won the heavyweight
championship for the struggling Dream promotion in Japan on New
Year’s Eve, and a few weeks earlier, captured the K-1 World
Grand Prix in Tokyo, the highest-profile heavyweight kickboxing
event in the world.
When
the Grand Prix tournament started, he and Fedor Emelianenko were
considered the two favorites, and were expected to meet in the
semifinals until Silva upset Emelianenko in the first round.
Because of his size, and his success against a string of unranked
fighters in Japan, some thought Overeem was the top heavyweight
in the game. But his performance against Fabricio Werdum, even
though he won, took a lot of the luster away.
While
Overeem was first told the semifinals would likely be in October
right after he won a decision over Werdum on June 18 in Dallas,
he was later told the semifinals would be held on Sept. 10. At
that point he asked for a delay, claiming he fought Werdum with
a broken toe and that he needed time to rest before having a
full training camp.
Zuffa
inherited the Strikeforce contracts in the purchase of the company
in March. Unlike UFC, which insists on exclusive contracts, Strikeforce
signed deals that allowed fighters to take fights elsewhere.
Still, Zuffa insisted on honoring all existing contracts.
In
the past week, Overeem’s name surfaced with the promotion
United Glory, which is rumored for an October show in Moscow,
Russia, involving another fighter in the Grand Prix, Sergei Kharitonov.
Kharitonov is scheduled to face Josh Barnett at the Sept. 10
show at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, which now also includes
Silva facing an alternate, two-time U.S. Olympic wrestler Daniel
Cormier.
Overeem’s
release is said to have been related to an impasse between Zuffa
and Golden Glory. Golden Glory was believed to be looking for
terms to a new deal that would’ve been different from what
Zuffa affords its fighters to this point, including the ability
to seek fights outside the promotion. With Strikeforce being
purchased by Zuffa, fighters have fewer alternatives to get the
type of money, and more, the negotiating power and leverage,
that the biggest stars and management have gotten in the past.
Overeem
is not the only fighter in this type of situation. Emelianenko,
whose Strikeforce contract expires with his fight against Dan
Henderson on Saturday night, is also facing fewer options and
even with a win, one would question whether Zuffa would be willing
to pay the $1.5 million per fight as well as a co-promotional
deal that M-1 Global negotiated in the current Strikeforce deal.
Problems
with Zuffa and Golden Glory do not end with just Overeem. Kharitonov
and current Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Marloes
Coenen also come from the Golden Glory stable.
While
Barnett would be favored against Kharitonov, an upset could lead
to more potential problems should Kharitonov decide to take the
Moscow fight a few weeks later. It could potentially risk him
not being ready for the finals, which at this point doesn’t
have a date.
Kruk
reported that Overeem not only had a broken toe, but also had
a broken rib and an elbow injury, causing him to pull out of
the fight. Some are skeptical of the severity of the injuries,
noting that the nature of the negotiations, and not any injuries,
caused the deal to fall apart.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Titanic
Tyron Woodley Avoids Paul Daley Iceberg, No Boats Sink at Strikeforce
Prior
to winning his Strikeforce & M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson
fight over Paul Daley, Tryon Woodley listened to his opponent
make parallels between them and the tale of the Titanic, the
legendary luxury ship which lies at the bottom of the Atlantic
Ocean.
You
see, 99 years ago, the Titanic made its maiden voyage and scrapped
up against a giant iceberg, sinking the newly-built ship to its
doom. Daley said that, in his fight with Woodley, he would be
the iceberg to Woodley’s Titanic and sink any hopes of the
up-and-coming welterweight rising to the top.
Well,
looks like the Titanic made it from port to port in this story.
“I
verged to the left and avoided the iceberg,” Woodley told
Showtime Sports shortly after the win. “I knew it was going
to be a tough fight; I knew I was going to have to train hard.
“I
knew I had to be slick and get inside of him, he’s strong
guy. I couldn’t get frustrated when I didn’t take him
down and (I had) to keep going for him. So that’s what I
did.”
For
the first half of the fight, Daley was keeping the bout where
he knew he would have the best chances – on the feet. Unfortunately
for him, Woodley closed enough distance and pressured the British
fighter to where he was unable to establish a fluid offense.
Never really getting off to a good start, Daley was out-struck
while standing and eventually gave up a takedown, en route to
fending off strikes from within his guard.
Woodley
was either hot enough to melt the iceberg or traveled at a rate
of speed so great that the Titanic smashed right through the
iceberg on its way to the shores of victory.
And
on those shores lies the idea Woodley has put himself in a position
to fight for the welterweight title vacated by Nick Diaz earlier
this year, so he could challenge UFC champion Georges St-Pierre
at UFC 137 in October.
It’s
quite possible that Woodley fights Tarec Saffiedine in a rematch
of their bout at Strikeforce Challengers from January of this
year. In that contest, Woodley and Saffiedine fought to a three-round
decision with the American wrestler getting the nod in their
main event. The fight was competitive, to say the least, and
a second scrap between the 170-pound fighters seems like the
right move going forward.
Woodley
– who remains undefeated following his Strikeforce win on
Saturday night – is all about getting a shot a the belt.
He absolutely welcomes the opportunity.
“Title
next, let’s do it.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Excitement,
Controversy, Uncertainty: Where Does Dan Henderson Go Post-Fedor?
Already
people are calling it one of the most action packed rounds in
recent MMA memory.
The
fight between main eventers Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson
at Saturday night’s Strikeforce & M-1 Global: Fedor
vs. Henderson event in suburban Chicago may not have been short,
but it sure didn’t lack for excitement.
And
of course, there was a dash of controversy thrown in.
The
action was ferocious from the opening bell, Henderson landing
his patented left hook and Fedor giving it all right back, eventually
rushing Henderson, connecting with a few punches, and putting
him on the mat.
Fedor
followed Henderson down to finish, but he scrambled out and took
Fedor’s back, sneaking in an uppercut that put Fedor face
first on the canvas.
Henderson
kept going and it took a moment for referee Herb Dean to call
a stop to the fight at 4:12 of the first round.
Clear-cut
right? Not completely.
As
Henderson followed with more punches to the apparently KO’d
Fedor, “The Last Emperor” turned to his back, presumably
to try and mount some sort of defense.
To
be honest, it looked like a warranted stoppage to most, but Fedor
and Henderson had different takes on the stoppage… although
both men believed as you expect they might.
“I
think it was early,” Fedor said about the stoppage. “I
don’t want to say anything bad about the referee, but it
seems to be that it was early.”
“I
felt great about the stoppage,” retorted Henderson in a
post-fight interview. “I felt that had the ref not stepped
in, I would’ve definitely not moved off the top of him and
probably knocked him unconscious.”
While
Henderson of course felt the stoppage was appropriate, even with
his reputation for a savage left hand, it wasn’t how he
envisioned the fight unfolding.
“I
thought I was gonna fight a three-round war with him. Obviously
I would like to have caught him like I did, but I felt he was
gonna be hard to knock out. He’s a veteran. If he gets hurt
he’s gonna be able to recover like he did the first flurry
of the fight,” Henderson commented.
“He
was able to come back a little bit and he landed a couple punches
after that.”
Fedor’s
punches never knocked Henderson “silly,” but they got
his attention.
“I
ain’t gonna lie, they were hard. They hurt. He gave me stitches.
But he didn’t hit me in the right spot I guess.”
They
did, however, flip Henderson’s switch, putting him into
finishing mode. As mentioned, after he went down, Henderson became
as dangerous as ever, sneaking the uppercut in from behind Fedor,
finding that “right spot.”
As
much as people want to talk about whether or not Fedor will retire
following his third consecutive loss, there is also the question
of what’s next for Henderson.
The
heavyweight non-title fight with Fedor was the last on the Strikeforce
light heavyweight champion’s contract. Even though he’s
a champ without a contract, usually a position of power, no one
wants to see the champ walk away; Henderson is also one of the
promotion’s highest paid fighters.
It’s
not clear just how much negotiating leverage he has.
Strikeforce
was recently purchased by Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC.
And if nothing else, they’ve already shown that a belt doesn’t
mean a fighter’s name appears in permanent ink on the roster.
Nick
Diaz was moved over to the UFC to challenge its welterweight
champion, Georges St-Pierre, at UFC 137 in October. On the opposite
end of the spectrum, Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair
Overeem was released from his contract for undisclosed reasons
following some controversy over why he is out of the company’s
Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Henderson
and his camp will eventually figure out the lay of the land with
the new bosses, but for now, he’s going to enjoy toppling
a fighter that he considers himself a fan of.
“I’d
like to defend my belt in Strikeforce,” he said. “But
it’s all up to Strikeforce, and now Zuffa, the new owners.
We’ll see what happens, but I’m just going to enjoy
this victory for a while.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Cerrone
expects the fight of the night against Oliveira: “Gameplans
are awesome, but I'm here to fight”
Donald
Cerrone is known for putting on great shows, but on his last
bout, against the Brazilian Vagner Rocha, he was exactly the
opposite. To chance this image, UFC decided to put him against
another exciting fighter, Charles do Bronx’s, on a bout
that will happen on August 14th.
Excited
about the fight, Cerrone gave an exclusive interview to TATAME,
where he commented on the expectations for the bout against Charles.
“I like the way he fights, he likes to push the pace as
do I. I see us fighting on our feet for sure”, said Donald,
promising to go for it. “Game plans are awesome, but I’m
here to fight”.
Read
below the exclusive chat with the “Cowboy”, who commented
on his wish to have a chance at the UFC title, claiming he’s
more mature after three defeats on title fights in WEC, evaluated
the work with his coach, Greg Jackson, and defended him from
the labels of ‘boring’. “Greg is an awesome coach
and amazing leader. He is crucial for my fights”.
How
are the training to fight Oliveira at UFC Live?
Training
is great, I am in amazing shape. My brothers at Jacksons MMA
are pushing me everyday. It helps that Leonard Garcia is fighting
the same night.
What
do you think about his style?
I
like the way he fights, he likes to push the pace as do I. I
see us fighting on our feet for sure.
He’s
very explosive in striking and has a good ground game. Do you
think this will match better with your game compared to your
last fight?
Yeah,
I think our styles will light it up and compliment each other
well.
How
much is Rocha’s fault that the fight wasn’t exciting?
He
was dangerous but one dimensional, it was a contrast of styles
more than anyone’s fault.
Can
the fans expect an exciting Cerrone against Oliveira now?
Hell
yeah, fight of the night for sure.
He
was in an amazing win streak, but lost to Jim Miller then had
a NC with Nik Lentz. Do you think he’ll come pressured to
this fight?
Not
anymore than usual, he’s a tough kid and he’s far up
on the ladder. I’m excited to prove myself against one of
the UFC’s elite.
How
important is this fight for your plans to the future? Do you
believe a win over him puts you closer to a title shot?
Every
win is closer to the belt, I’m young and hungry to keep
fighting and improving. A win here as always would be huge for
the career.
Your
only losses came on title fights. What would you do different
to come out with the win next?
Mental
preparation is crucial. I wasn’t prepared and that was it...
How
important is to train with Greg Jackson or your fights? How good
is he?
Greg
is an awesome coach and amazing leader. He is crucial for my
fights, it’s hard to explain how good of a coach he truly
is. But those of us who know, know.
A
lot of fans criticize Greg for “boring” fighters, but
guys like you, Guillard and Jones are exactly the opposite. Do
you think it’s unfair?
It’s
fucking bullshit to criticize him and completely unmerited....
We all lay it out on the line everytime. Fights aren’t always
two guys throwing down toe to toe, sometimes it is style battles.
Does
he talk a lot with you about the importance o sticking to the
strategy in a fight?
Yeah,
but anyone who knows me and Leonard knows that we just got out
and throw down (laughs). Gameplans are awesome, but I’m
here to fight.
And
how do you see the case of fighting teammates, especially in
cases like you and Leonard or Guillard, who train under Greg
Jackson? Would you accept a fight against a teammate?
I’ve
always said I’m fine with fighting teammates, I love my
team and my coaches but my career comes first. We are professionals
and this is our job.
Source: Tatame
|
Brazilian
MMA Confederation formed
This
week the “Confederação Brasileira de Mixed
Martial Arts” (Brazilian MMA Confederation), the CBMMA/BR.
Two-time
absolute world champion of Jiu-Jitsu Amaury Bitetti will serve
as president and doctor and businessman Fernando Chacur, as vice-president,
while director of Rio de Janeiro’s lawyers association,
Rio Wanderley Rebello Filho, will be the legal counsel. The Confederation
statute has already been published in the Rio de Janeiro law
diary.
“We
hope everyone will support us! Join us! We, together, will fight
for the growth of organized, disciplined, professional and supervised
MMA in Brazil,” says Bitetti.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Emelianenko’s
star dims after third straight loss
HOFFMAN
ESTATES, ILL. – During Fedor Emelianenko’s long run
as the top fighter in mixed martial arts, it was joked that he
was some sort of a cyborg robot who couldn’t be beaten.
And part of his mystique was that the few times he was hurt seriously,
it was like a switch went off and the guy who had hurt him was
caught in a submission seemingly seconds later.
On
Saturday night at the Sears Centre Arena, Fedor got Fedor’d
by Dan Henderson in losing his third fight in a row. The losing
streak follows an incredible run in which he went undefeated
in his prior 28 fights over a nine-year period.
When
the the Russian’s first-round TKO loss was over, it hearkened
back to some of the most memorable moments of his heyday. Such
as the night in 2004 when he was suplexed on the top of his head
by Kevin Randleman, only to submit Randleman with a Kimura seconds
later. Or the night in 2003 when Kazuyuki Fujita connected with
a haymaker and put him on rubber legs, and quicker than you could
say his name three times, Fujita was submitted to a choke.
And
it was just as clear those magic Fedor moments were a long time
ago in a rapidly changing and evolving sport.
Even
though Emelianeko (31-4, 1 no contest) and Henderson (28-8) put
on one of the best fights in Strikeforce history before a crowd
of 8,311, the traditional roles of a Fedor fight were reversed.
Emelianenko knocked Henderson down and pounded on him late in
the first round, seemingly seconds from finishing the fight.
But Henderson snuck out the back door and landed an uppercut
to Emelianenko’s jaw. Emelianenko flattened out, and with
Henderson’s next punch, his body seemed to go momentarily
limp.
Henderson
threw a few more punches as ref Herb Dean dove in to stop the
fight at the 4:12 mark of the first round.
“I’m
not a machine, I’m not a robot,” said Emelianenko through
his interpreter. “There are good moments and there are bad
moments, and that’s what’s happened recently.”
Emelianenko,
who is known for never complaining, said he felt the stoppage
was early. The rule of thumb in MMA is when a guy goes limp,
the ref stops it. Often the fighter himself, who recovers, has
no awareness of the fact he went unconscious and came back. Emelianenko
was starting to recover when the bout was waved off.
“It
seems to me, yes, objectively, I was ready to continue fighting,
so yes,” said Emelianenko through an interpreter about whether
he thought the stoppage was premature.
“You
know, you’d have to ask Herb Dean about it,” said Henderson,
who called the win by far the biggest moment of his MMA career.
“For me, I was focused on hitting Fedor and I know he dropped
pretty good and I got on top to hit him some more. I got bumped
to the side while I was punching him. I didn’t know it was
Herb pushing me. I think he stepped in when Fedor fell the first
time. I’m sure there s a lot of people who will agree or
disagree. I thought it was a pretty good stoppage. I wasn’t
going anywhere. I think it would have been done pretty quickly
anyway.”
While
Emelianenko is among the most loved and respected fighters in
the world by his fan base and is clearly game and still an exciting
fighter, he is no longer a top-tier heavyweight.
When
he lost to Fabricio Werdum in the first round by submission in
June 2010, his first clean-cut career loss, some saw it as a
fluke. When he lost to Antonio Silva in February, it was dismissed
as just the reality of giving up 50 pounds.
But
here, he was finished in the first round by a light heavyweight
who was weeks before his 41st birthday, and one who was guzzling
water before weigh-ins to bloat himself past 206 pounds so the
commission would sanction this as a heavyweight fight.
From
here, the logical question for both fighters is what happens
next. This was the final fight of both Henderson’s and Emelianenko’s
Strikeforce contracts. Privately, Zuffa officials felt Strikeforce
greatly overpaid for both of them when making each respective
deal.
But
Henderson likely turned himself back into one of the biggest
names in the sport with the win, and he also has the Strikeforce
light heavyweight title. With the company already losing welterweight
champion Nick Diaz to the UFC, and having just cut heavyweight
champion Alistair Overeem, from a perception standpoint, losing
another champion would leave fans with little confidence in the
promotion going forward.
Emelianenko
is another story. UFC president Dana White was not even at the
show, but it had to burn him to see M-1 Global banners [the promotion
that Emelianenko is managed by and has an ownership stake in]
all over a show that his company was financing. Live in the building,
ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr., on several occasions read what
sounded like a public service announcement extolling the virtues
of the M-1 company. Hearing that at a Zuffa production was even
more surreal than Emelianenko dying by the sword he lived by.
Emelianenko
gave his usual answer about continuing his career, talking about
it being in God’s hands, but when pressed, Emelianenko said
being a top athlete is something he’s been his entire life.
He was among Russia’s best in both judo and sambo before
entering MMA in 2000, and would not like to give it up now. “My
entire adult life and young life, all I’ve known is training
and fighting and competing, that’s something I’d very
much love to continue doing and I still enjoy it, I’d still
like for it to be a a large part of my life,” he said. “But
today, in first place is my faith, then my family, that’s
what I live for. My job is behind those two things. What’s
most important to me is to see my girls because I miss them and
would like to be with them.”
The
question becomes where he would fight next. Even though he’s
still popular, it’s questionable whether a fighter who costs
$1.5 million or more per fight and no longer can be seen as being
in the championship picture would be retained. Emelianenko clearly
still has a lot of popularity, but it’s also questionable
whether he’s ever been cost-effective for a U.S. promotion
when he did have the aura of being the top heavyweight in the
sport. Now, it’s an even bigger question. While a fight
with Brock Lesnar in 2012 would probably do major pay-per-view
business, although nothing compared to 18 months ago, there are
reasons the fight wouldn’t be made, and there’s nobody
else left to match Emelianenko with in a headline position that
would have that kind of appeal.
When
he came out for his fight with Henderson, the reaction was very
much among the fans that they were seeing the Babe Ruth of their
sport. And when it was over, they felt the same way, only it
felt like seeing the Babe in one of his final at-bats.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Scott
Coker: Fedor vs. Henderson 'Probably' Best Fight in Strikeforce
History
HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. – On paper, Strikeforce CEO Scott
Coker knew he had history sitting right in front of him. And
after Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson on Saturday night, his
suspicions were confirmed.
Leading
up to the superfight between legends Fedor Emelianenko and Dan
Henderson, Coker said he couldn't say without question the fight
was the best Strikeforce had ever put together until after the
final bell at Sears Centre Arena outside Chicago. After all,
a dud of a main event without any fireworks would have just meant
great potential, but a missed opportunity.
But
after Henderson staged a remarkable comeback and essentially
knocked out Fedor from his knees, Coker was finally prepared
to say Fedor-Henderson goes to the front of the pack for best
fight in the promotion's history.
"If
you look at that fight, I think it stands right up there,"
Coker told MMA Fighting at the post-fight press conference. "If
you look back at the history of Strikeforce, which is relatively
a newer company, I think the ones that stand out in my mind are,
in our early days, Frank Shamrock fighting Cung Le – that
was an unbelievable matchup. And Nick Diaz fighting Paul Daley
this year – unbelievable fight.
"And
tonight, I think this one probably tops those two. So arguably
one of the best fights in the history of our company."
Diaz
and Daley fought in April for Diaz's welterweight title. After
Daley lit his opponent up and had him on the ropes, Diaz mounted
a comeback for the ages, getting a stoppage from strikes with
just three seconds left in the first round. Le stopped Shamrock
in March 2008, battering his right arm with kicks until it was
broken, to win the middleweight title.
With
such lofty expectations of Fedor (31-4, 1-3 Strikeforce) and
Henderson (28-8, 3-1 Strikeforce) going into the fight, Coker
knew there was a chance – albeit a small one – the
fight might not live up to all it was being marketed as: a "clash
of the titans" and "once in a lifetime" fight.
"It
definitely lived up to the billing, so my hat's off to Fedor
and Hendo," Coker said. "And my question is, is there
anything Dan Henderson can't do? I want to know, because this
guy is unbelievable."
After
the fight, Fedor called referee Herb Dean's stoppage into question,
saying he believed he could have continued. But Henderson said
even if it came early, it was only a matter of seconds before
it would have been stopped because he wasn't going anywhere from
the top position he was using to rain down strikes. And Coker,
too, said he agreed with the stoppage.
"It
looked like when (Henderson) hit him with that uppercut, it flattened
Fedor out," Coker said. "I felt that his legs did go,
and he was hurt – he was injured. So therefore, I think
the referee did the correct thing. He watched carefully to see
what the response was, and at that time Dan was doing what Dan
does. Thirty seconds earlier, it was Fedor doing that to Dan.
But I think it was the correct stoppage."
Henderson,
Strikeforce's light heavyweight champion, believes the win was
perhaps the biggest of his career, a career that includes Pride
wins over Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort, memorable knockouts
of Michael Bisping and Renato "Babalu" Sobral, and
his light heavyweight title win over Rafael "Feijao"
Cavalcante in March.
"I'd
put it right up on top," Henderson said. "I admire
Fedor as a fighter, and he's very dangerous. This means a lot
more to me than some of the victories that I've had, personally.
But I'm a huge fan of his, and I hope that he continues."
The
fight was the last on the contracts for both Henderson and Fedor.
And while there were instantly questions about a possible retirement
looming for Fedor, who now has three straight losses after nearly
10 years without a defeat, Coker said he hopes both will be back
in the promotion.
"As
far as fighting in Strikeforce, I hope we have them both back,"
he said.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
One
Man’s View: Fedor Not the Best Ever
Who
is the greatest of all time: Fedor Emelianenko or Anderson Silva?
Tell us below.
Now
that it has become stone-cold clear that Fedor Emelianenko’s
time as a top heavyweight is irrevocably over, the next questions
emerge: how does one assess his legacy and where does it stand
in the context of the sport’s all-time greats?
You
could make the argument that Emelianenko was the most accomplished
mixed martial artist ever. During his run from 2001 to 2009,
which included a 28-fight unbeaten streak, he put together a
nine-year swath of dominance that is unlikely to be challenged,
unless UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva stays unbeaten
in the Octagon for the next two to three years.
Fedor’s
numbers remain an impressive testimony to his consistency and
brutal efficiency in dispatching whoever was put in front of
him, but, in looking back, he had more 8-to-1 underdogs with
which to toy than any UFC champion will ever defend against.
His legacy, like all sporting achievements, should be put into
perspective that includes the quality of competition faced. On
that score, I’m of the belief that he is the most accomplished
heavyweight to ever live, but that Silva’s overall legacy
is superior at this point due to his consistently facing the
top competition available.
In
the same way that Wilt Chamberlain’s 50.4 points a game
in 1961-62 defines him as the greatest single-season scorer in
history, the context in which he achieved this cannot be overlooked.
Chamberlain was not facing the best competition, which is what
makes his record all but unassailable today.
Who
wins: Fedor in his prime, or Cain?
Labeling Fedor as the most accomplished heavyweight of all-time
is not the same as saying he is the best heavyweight who ever
lived. I’m not sure that even a prime Fedor would be considered
a betting favorite over Cain Velasquez or Junior dos Santos,
though he would hardly be much more than a slight underdog, if
such a thing were possible. Perhaps a phone call to odds guru
Joey Oddessa is in order.
Fedor
dominated and decimated the best of the Pride Fighting Championships
big men and ran roughshod in a slew of non-title bouts against
opponents that were of the precise quality one would expect in
a non-title foe. He created an aura of menace and consistent
intensity that in many ways defined the sport’s standard
of what a champion should be. However, today’s UFC matchmaking
model has little resemblance to the one that procured Fedor’s
challengers in Japan; the best contender is consistently put
forth for Silva, Georges St. Pierre and Velasquez, who, in his
first defense of the UFC heavyweight crown, will take on the
dangerous “Cigano.”
Another
idea to consider: Fedor competed across two eras, where a comparison
of the best of both reveals a considerable talent gap. The sport’s
athletes have improved markedly since the mid-2000s, so much
so that in watching events from five-plus years ago it seems
at times a different sport, given the limited skill sets glaringly
on display. Given the insane parity and dangerous power virtually
every heavyweight at the top of the game today possesses, no
heavyweight is putting together a ten-fight unbeaten streak as
champ, much less 28.
Other
thoughts to consider were explored in my piece “Chasing
Fedor,” written after the fallout of the UFC’s final
and failed attempt to sign Fedor in the summer of 2009. In it,
I delved into the UFC’s decision not to sign Fedor given
M-1 Global’s stiff demands -- a decision based on the premise
that one fighter is not worth the price that was asked for Fedor,
given the time and leverage the UFC had in building other attractions.
The UFC took a lot of grief for not closing the deal among some
fans and industry watchers, but does it look like anything but
a prescient decision now?
The
UFC did precisely the opposite, developing what is now a robust
heavyweight division; imagine if it had offered up the unprecedented
money and co-promotional rights for which Fedor’s team asked
and he had performed as poorly in the UFC as he has in his last
three bouts. That would have been a complete bomb of a deal for
everyone involved, except, of course, for M-1 Global, which pretty
much defines its history with every other promotion unfortunate
enough to get involved with it.
With
that said, the man and the management/promotional people around
him should be separated in terms of analyzing the scope of his
career. Emelianenko has carried himself as a humble, eminently
likeable champion, one who has supplied fans with moments of
incredible drama. Even in his defeats to Antonio Silva and Dan
Henderson, there was a sense that he had emerged unbowed, if
badly banged-up.
Whether
it was being retired on his stool with a battered-shut eye against
“Bigfoot” Silva after two rounds, or still rolling
over against Henderson after being smashed unconscious, Fedor
always left you with the sense that he had not been completely
broken, that he would keep fighting until absolutely snuffed
from consciousness. I hope his career ends here with some semblance
of that magic intact and no real-world demonstration of what
it would look like.
The
argument against Fedor being the best ever will pick up steam
over the next two to three years. The UFC now has the best lineup
of champions in recent memory, and Silva is well on his way to
already beating a better overall group of opponents than Fedor
did. Emelianenko’s run was amazing and will likely never
be matched, but the game’s a different animal these days,
something even the most hardcore defenders of his legacy are
finding out.
Source: Sherdog
|
Strikeforce:
Henderson stops Fedor in first round rally
Dan
Henderson became champion in two weight divisions back in Pride
and returned to the highest spot of the light heavyweight division
in Strikeforce at the age of 40. Hungry for challenges, the American
accepted to go up to the heavyweight division and fight the legend
Fedor Emelianenko and it didn’t let the fans down.
With
an overpower beginning, Fedor went for it and got Henderson dizzy,
who then responded with a tough left-handed punch. The Russian
guy staggered and moved backwards, while he still was hit by
tough striking coups. Henderson controlled actions in the clinch,
pressing Fedor against the grid, and the fight was very busy
on its last minute.
Emelianenko
got away from the clinch and moved forwards trying to finish
Dan, knocking him down. When it seemed that the Russian legend
would knockout the light heavyweight champion of the organization,
Henderson proved why he’s one of the toughest fighters even
– one who has never been knocked out.
In
an interesting turnaround, Dan Henderson grabbed Fedor Emelianenko’s
back and, with a single punch, knocked Fedor out. The American
kept on punishing his opponent, who was barely awake with a good
sequence of punches, but the referee Herb Dean decided it was
good enough.
On
the interview after the fight, Henderson complimented Fedor a
lot for his victorious career, and said he would love to have
the chance to fight him again. The Russian has also spoken, saying
he didn’t agree with the referee’s intermission, dodging
from a possible retirement: “it’ll be God’s call”.
MIESHA
TATE PUTS ON A GREAT SHOW AND WINS THE BELT
One
of the goddesses of female MMA on the United States, the beautiful
Miesha Tate is the newest Strikeforce champion. The American,
who has fought the tough Marloes Coenen on the co-main event
of the evening, had to work a lot to get the win. On the second
round, Coenen almost submit her with a hand-triangle choke, but
Tate escaped from it and, on the fourth round, she fit a katagatami
and won. Her first title defense will be against Sarah Kauffman.
CAVALCANTE
SUBMITS, BUT WINS BY DECISION
Gesias
Cavalcante suffered with the lack of luck on the last times,
where he had canceled bouts, injured opponents and other things,
but he won his first fight in Strikeforce. The lightweight, who
dueled with Bobby Green, won on a split decision of the judges,
and the road that lead him there was not easy. Besides two tied
rounds, Gesias fit a rear naked choke on the second round and
his opponent tapped out, but the referee, Herb Dean, didn’t
see it. The replay clearly showed he has given up and the fans
booed, but the Brazilian’s triumph came in the end.
TYLER
BLASTS PAMPLONS IN 15 SECONDS
Eduardo
Pamplona debuted in Strikeforce with a quick knockout, but on
his return to the cage, a month later, it was all done even quicker.
His opponent, Tyler Stinson, had an overpowering start, fitting
a sequence of coups that brought the Brazilian dizzy. Right after
that, Tyler fit another powerful right-handed punch which brought
Pamplona down, already knocked out. When it was over, only 15
seconds had passed.
Strikeforce
Illinois,
United States
Saturday,
July 30th of 2011
Main
card:
-
Dan Henderson knocked out Fedor Emelianenko at 4min12s of R1;
-
Miesha Tate submitted Marloes Coenen with a katagatami at 3min03s
of R4;
-
Tim Kennedy beat Robbie Lawler on a unanimous decision of the
judges;
-
Tyron Woodley beat Paul Daley on a unanimous decision of the
judges;
-
Tarec Saffiedine beat Scott Smith on a unanimous decision of
the judges;
Preliminary
card:
-
Gesias Cavalcante beat Bobby Green on a split decision of the
judges;
-
Tyler Stinson knocked out Eduardo Pamplona at 15s of R1;
-
Alexis Davis beat Julie Kedzie on a unanimous decision of the
judges;
-
Derek Brunson submitted Lumumba Sayers with a rear naked choke
at 4min33s of R1;
-
Gabriel Salinas-Jones submitted Bryan Humes with a hand-triangle
choke at 1min19s of R3.
Source: Tatame
|
Strikeforce
Results: Miesha Tate Submits Marloes Coenen to Capture Title
Miesha
Tate had to wait for her Strikeforce women’s bantamweight
title shot, but made the most of it, submitting Marloes Coenen
to obtain the women’s 135-pound title at Strikeforce &
M-1: Fedor vs. Henderson the Sears Centre outside of Chicago
on Saturday.
Tate
earned her shot at the title by winning the one-night Strikeforce
Women’s Welterweight Tournament. The weight class was recently
re-categorized as bantamweight. She was scheduled to face Coenen
for the title in March but had to withdraw due to a knee injury
suffered in training.
They
don’t call her “Takedown” Tate for nothing. She
drew on her wrestling ability to constantly pressure the champion
throughout the fight.
In
the opening round, Tate quickly closed the distance and got to
the clinch position. Coenen separated only to be clinched again.
Tate secured a single-leg takedown, but Coenen applied a guillotine
choke. Tate escaped and advanced to side control. She maintained
control throughout the rest of the round, but was unable to inflict
any damage.
Tate
utilized the same strategy to start the second round by immediately
clinching. The champion obtained a takedown and took Tate’s
back and spent the rest of the round softening up the challenger
with punches while looking to secure a rear naked choke.
Coenen
began to open up her striking in the third stanza, landing several
leg kicks. Tate caught one of them, though, and pushed forward
for the takedown. After being unable to advance the position,
referee “Big” John McCarthy stood the fighters up.
Tate quickly got Coenen back to the canvas. Coenen swept Tate
in the closing seconds but likely lost the round.
They
stood and struck for the first minute of the fourth round before
Tate shot for and obtained a takedown where she advanced to side
control. Tate changed sides, locking on an arm-triangle choke
forcing Coenen to tap out to become the new Strikeforce women’s
welterweight titleholder.
“Marloes
is no joke. I had a good start to my training camp. A rough finish,
but that’s what makes the heart of a champion right there,
tough times. Tough times really make you tougher,” said
the new champion following the fight.
The
win was the first time Coenen had been submitted in her career
and Tate said she couldn’t have asked for anything better.
“Most
of her wins are by submission. She’s never been submitted.
That’s what I came here to do tonight,” she said.
Tate
will face former titleholder Sarah Kaufman in her first title
defense in a rematch, hoping to avenge one of her two previous
loses.
“That’s
the best thing I could ask for, the second best thing. You know,
a chance to avenge a loss.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Amidst
Strikeforce Title Talk, Tim Kennedy’s Focus Never Waivers
from His True Passion
“I’m
not joking, it is why I fight. If I didn’t think I could
represent the military and the military community the way that
I do and the way that I have, I’d be done fighting.”
Those
were the words of Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy on a recent
edition of MMAWeekly Radio.
That
is the weight that he carried on his shoulders into Saturday
night’s fight against Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce &
M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson in suburban Chicago. And it’s
a weight he gladly shoulders while everyone else points to shiny
gold belts.
Kennedy
handles the pressure well. He stuck with his game plane, outpointing
Lawler over the course of their three-round fight, taking home
a unanimous decision. His focus never wavers.
Questions,
of course, centered heavily on title talk after the fight.
“I’m
gonna be working out on Monday. I’m gonna be getting ready
for a fight. I’m gonna be very interested in the fight on
Sept. 10 against Luke Rockhold and (Strikeforce middleweight
champion) Jacare,” he answered politely in a Showtime Sports
post-fight interview.
But
the emotion doesn’t emanate from his eyes when he talks
about titles. That’s reserved for another topic, his brothers
in arms.
It
came pouring out of Kennedy, a member of the Special Forces in
the U.S. Army, in the cage after the fight. Getting a hug from
his buddy Mike Schlitz, an Army veteran that lost both arms in
an IED blast in Iraq.
“I
love fighting. You guys come out here and watch me fight,”
a highly emotional Kennedy told the crowd, then pointed to Schlitz.
“Who cares about me, these are the guys that need all the
recognition. These are the guys that sacrifice everything!”
He
continued in his post-fight interview with Showtime, “I
don’t do this for the money; we don’t make enough.
I love the fans and everything, but I do it for the guys that
are overseas. I love those guys, I wish I was there right now.”
Kennedy
had to pause to collect himself, on the verge of letting his
emotions run wild.
“Every
time I’m in that cage, I wish I was with them. But I’m
here right now, so I’m just gonna keep on fighting until
I get back overseas.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
|
|
|
Strikeforce
Results: Dan Henderson TKOs Fedor Emelianenko in First Round;
Russian Claims Early Stoppage
Dan
Henderson defeated Fedor Emelianenko by knockout in the first
round of their Strikeforce & M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson
main event on Saturday night in suburban Chicago.
The
former Pride 185-pound and 205-pound champ took out the former
Pride heavyweight champion with strikes and scored the technical
knockout.
Fedor
and Henderson started out scrapping with an intention to hurt
each other. A left hand by Henderson connected and opened up
a cut on Fedor’s face and the two scrambled into a clinch
on the fence. A short while later, the two separated and and
Fedor turned on the firepower, pressuring the smaller fighter.
Henderson went down from the flurry and Fedor followed him to
finish him off, but Henderson slipped away from harm and got
Fedor’s back. It was this moment that Henderson hit the
Russian heavyweight with an uppercut from behind.
“The
Last Emperor” fell face-first to the canvas and seemed unresponsive.
At that time, Henderson landed three more strikes and referee
Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight at 4:12 of the opening
round.
An
ecstatic Henderson ran around the cage and sat atop the fence,
raising his hands in victory to the cheer of the Illinois fans.
“I’ve
been a huge fan of Fedor’s forever,” Henderson said
following the first round knockout. “I respect him so much
as a fighter (for) what he has done for the sport. For me, that’s
a huge accomplishment.
“As
a fan of Fedor’s, I hope he keeps fighting.”
The
win was also the last fight on Dan Henderson’s Strikeforce
contract. Going forward, the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion
would like to defend the belt he earned, but knows his future
lies in the hands of the people who write the checks.
“I’d
like to defend my belt in Strikeforce,” he said. “But
it’s all up to Strikeforce, and now Zuffa, the new owners.
We’ll see what happens, but I’m just going to enjoy
this victory for a while.”
Following
the loss, one might argue that the stoppage was premature, since
a split-second before the fight was called, Emelianenko turned
to fight off his back. The defeated fighter shared this opinion.
“I
think it was early,” Emelianenko said about the stoppage.
“I don’t want to say anything bad about the referee,
but it seems to be that it was early.”
Following
his previous loss to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, Fedor
had made mention of retirement. With another loss under his belt,
he was asked if retirement was something he would consider now.
The
heavyweight advised that it is not up to him, as he said, “it’s
God’s will.”
Henderson
gets his third straight win and will await contract negotiations
to determine what his next move is. Fedor, who was once considered
the world’s best mixed martial artist, drops his third straight
fight and the world awaits his decision on if he’ll ever
fight again.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Results: Tarec Saffiedine Dominates Scott Smith in Main Card
Opener
Tarec Saffiedine out-pointed Scott Smith for three consecutive
rounds and took home a unanimous decision at Strikeforce &
M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson.
Saffiedine
stayed sharp and gave Smith little chance to compete, getting
the nod with scores of 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27.
Saffiedine
and Smith stared out with Smith backing his opponent up early.
Saffiedine, however, did well with landing some low kicks to
soften Smith’s lead leg. Later, he did well and stayed busy
in the clinch against the cage, landing a head kick a short while
later. Saffiedine worked some good high and low combos in the
final minute, closing out the round with the edge on points.
Round
two began with Saffiedine continuing the punch and kick combinations,
landing another head kick within the opening minute. Later, he
landed a right hand that wobbled Smith, but wasn’t able
to finish with the following flurry which included a flying knee.
Saffiedine continued to pressure and put the fight on the ground
where he controlled his opponent’s back. Smith was able
slip out of that position and return to the feet, but the round
closed out with Tarec Saffiedine getting the obvious edge, landing
shot after shot on Scott Smith.
The
final round had Saffiedine continuing the punishment and Smith
looked like he couldn’t engage much. From jabs, inside and
outside low kicks, Smith ate a arsenal of Saffiedine’s strikes
with little to answer with and was bloodied in the face. The
fight went the distance and Saffiedine took the unanimous decision.
Saffiedine
did well to put himself back in the mix for the Strikeforce welterweight
title with the win, getting back on the winning track after his
loss to Tyron Woodley. Scott Smith’s gets his third consecutive
defeat and has dropped four of his last five fights.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Results: Tyron Woodley Remains Undefeated with Win Over Daley;
Title Shot Next?
Tyron
Woodley remained undefeated on Saturday with a unanimous decision
win over top ten ranked Paul Daley at Strikeforce & M-1 Global:
Fedor vs. Henderson, just outside of Chicago.
On
paper, it was a contrasting match up of wrestler vs. striker
and the wrestler came out of top, but it wasn’t easy.
The
hard hitting Daley defended the first two takedown attempts by
Woodley in the first round. Woodley’s threat of the takedown
allowed him to dictate the striking, though, out-punching Daley
through the first five minutes.
Woodley
secured a takedown in the early going of the second round but
was unable to do significant damage and referee “Big”
John McCarthy stood the fight up in the closing seconds of the
round. Daley ended the round on top landing punches, but Woodley
maintained top position for most of the round doing enough to
take it on the judges’ scorecards.
Daley
came out aggressive in the final stanza, but was put on his back
in the first minute. Woodley quickly advanced to Daley’s
half guard and began to land elbows. Daley worked his way back
to full guard and eventually back to his feet with two minutes
on the clock. Woodley immediately tried to get the fight back
to the ground but Daley defended and started landing punches
and knees.
In
the closing seconds of the bout, Daley attempted an oma plata
as a last-ditch effort to end the fight, but to no avail. Woodley
obtained top position and that’s how the fight ended. The
judges rendered a 29-28 score for Woodley on all three scorecards.
It
was back to back loses for Daley but he displayed a much improved
ground game. He stuffed eight of Woodley’s takedown attempts,
was able to scramble back to his feet once and took little damage
while on his back.
Following
the fight, Woodley attributed his wrestling ability for the win.
“It
definitely turned out to be successful. I had to draw deep, though,”
said Woodley in his post-fight interview.
“He
was definitely prepared for me to do a lot of takedowns, so I
had to mix it up with strikes. When I did it well, I took him
down. When I didn’t, I got stuffed.”
For
Woodley, the win likely puts him in line to compete for the vacant
Strikeforce welterweight title. Nick Diaz vacated the crown to
take on Georges St-Pierre for the UFC title at UFC 137 in October.
“Next
fight, let’s do it for the world title.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
‘Minotauro’
Nogueira “super motivated” to beat Schaub at UFC Rio
Rodrigo
Nogueira is training hard for his bout against Brendan Schaub
in UFC Rio, and the countdown for his debut in Brazil is getting
to an end. TATAME TV visited the training center of the heavyweight
fighter in Rio de Janeiro and chatted with the tough guy that,
with a broken teeth – a mark of his tough preparation for
the fight -, showed much confidence. “There’s that
pressure of fighting at home and representing the Brazilian people,
and it’ll be almost my 40th bout… I’m super motivated”,
tells Rodrigo, who was glad to have Antonio Bigfoot Silva to
help him on the trainings.
How
is your final preparation for UFC Rio?
The
prep is great, I’m having the support of my friends here,
thanks’ God, like Pedro Rizzo, Anderson (Silva), Bigfoot,
who came here and is helping me on this final phase of the trainings
and he’ll do a camp for his fight here and he’s helping
on my camp too, so he’s getting back his conditioning and
he’ll be prepared and so will I, and he’s helping me
on that matter. There’s also Junior (dos Santos), Rafael
Feijao, who’s my training partner and helped me a lot. The
expectations are high. There’s that pressure of fighting
at home and representing the Brazilian people, and it’ll
be almost my 40th bout… I’m super motivated.
How
is the feeling of fighting, for the first time, in Brazil?
It’ll
be my first fight here, so I’m excited about it, I’m
really motivated. Four months ago I was using crutches to help
me walk, and now being here training with high level athletes
proves I overcame many obstacles, we did a hard and strong work
with the physiotherapist Angela Cortez, and the team is really
strong for UFC Rio. Me, Anderson Silva and Erick Silva will fight
hard.
You
already has great trainings with Feijao, Jacare, Junior dos Santos,
Anderson, and now you also have Antonio Silva, a huge, strong
and technical guy training with you. How does it help you to
train?
To
me, Bigfoot coming here was great because he’s a guy who
has a big team a big support at Imperial Athletic. He came here
invited by me, he helped me a lot and I’ve helped him on
the beginning of his career and now called him in to help me
out here and he came, really liked it here and actually decided
to do his camp here in Rio. So it was really good for me. I also
asked for De La Riva’s help on this camp to help me in Jiu-Jitsu,
Amaury Bitetti, who’s always worked with me. There’s
also Ramon Lemos helping me, so I gathered many people to help
me to get prepared for this bout, and Big Foot coming here was
really important because he’s a big and strong guy, like
the guy I’m fighting and I guess it was really important.
You
saw him growing and now he’s on the semifinals of Strikeforce
GP and has already defeated Fedor…
Bigfoot
has all the tools to become Strikeforce GP champion. I believe
he’ll become the champion of the tournament and also of
the event. He has always been a top guy because he’s a big
guy, agile, thin… He’s not a heavy or really muscle
guy, he’s just big, he has good takedowns, he has a good
ground game, he has good Boxing skills, he has a perfect Wrestling,
he’s practically a international level wrestler. He trains
his takedowns a lot, he’s explosive, he has great conditioning,
he has a good head too, when the fight comes he becomes even
bigger. He’s not a lion on the gym, he’s a lion on
the fights (laughs)
Now
you won’t let him leave your gym, right?
(laughs)
We’re treating him right. He’s on a flat in front of
the beach, he has all the structure and he’s doing fine.
I believe we’re setting good trains for him and thanks’
God him and the Pitbull brothers, who came to the guy a while
back, also had all our support while fighting in Bellator. So,
all the guys who come here to train also get the whole structure
they need, like trainings, press assessor, we really take care
of the guy, we pay attention to his supplementation, physiotherapy…
So I guess we’re one of the only gyms in Brazil that provides
all the structure that one needs and deserves.
What
would you say to the fans that’ll support all 13 Brazilians
who’ll fight in UFC Rio?
The
Brazilians of our gym will do their best and I believe the others
will too, so I want you to go to the gym and support us. If you
didn’t have the chance to get your ticket, watch it on TV,
since it’ll be broadcasted by RedeTV and SporTV, stay tuned
on the web, stay tuned on TATAME because we’re doing our
best to represent Brazil and we’ll be there. Now UFC came
to Brazil and it came to stay. Let’s make the sponsors believe
that Brazil really is a fighting country and the country of the
martial arts.
Source: Tatame |
ProElite
August 27 Fight Card Rumors
Powered
by Xyience LogoProElite Return
Date: August 27, 2011
Venue: Neil S. Blaisdell Arena
Location: Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
ProElite
leaks partial card for August return
ProElite, Inc. announced a press conference yesterday, scheduled
for Friday, July 29th in Honolulu, to reveal the matchups on
the upcoming August fight card. However, the poster above which
was recently released on their site offers a few spoilers.
The
poster reveals “The Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski fighting
someone with a last name of “Lopez”, Kendall Grove
fighting Joe Riggs, and confirms the debut of MMA debut of Reagan
Penn. Conor Heun has been speculated to be on the card, but is
not confirmed on this poster. “I am confident that MMA fans
will not be disappointed with the matchups, which will be announced
later this week. It’s exciting to have the MMA community
on the edge of their seats awaiting the next ProElite news,”
stated Paul Feller, President and CEO of Stratus. “I am
confident that MMA fans will not be disappointed with the matchups,
which will be announced later this week.”
T.Jay
Thompson, head of Fight Operations said, “This is just the
start of ProElite’s return to a dominant player in the industry.”
“We look forward to regaining the support of the MMA global
audience.”
The
August 27th fight marks the third time ProElite has staged an
MMA event in Hawaii.
Tickets can now be purchased at the Blaisdell Arena box office,
or online at ticketmaster.com. Reserved seats are $28, $40, $65,
and $90; Cage side seats are priced at $150 and $200. Info via
Fight Nerd fan Jeff Youngs.
Main
Card (On Pay-Per-View):
-Andrei Arlovski (15-9) vs. Ray Lopez (5-2)
-Kendall Grove (12-9) vs. Joe Riggs (34-13)
-Drew McFedries (9-6) vs. Kala Hose (7-5)
-Raquel Pa’aluhi (3-1) vs. Sara McMann (2-0)
-Mark Ellis (0-0) vs. Jake Huen (1-0)
-Reagan Penn (0-0) vs. TBA
Source: MMA Weekly
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