Upcoming
Events
Do you
want to list an event on Onzuka.com?
Contact
Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2011
November
Aloha State Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
August
State of Hawaii Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
March
Hawaiian Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
2/5/11
Garden Island Cage Match 10: Mayhem at the Mansion 2
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kilohana Carriage House, Lihue, Kauai)
1/8/11
Hawaii Toughman
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
2010
12/17/10
Destiny & 808 Battleground
All or Nothing - Champion vs Champion
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
12/3/10
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
11/27/10
Aloha
State BJJ Championships: Final Conflict
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
11/6/10
X-1 Island Pride
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Man Up & Stand Up Kickboxing Championship
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
10/30/10
6th Annual Clinton A.J. Shelton Memorial Match Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym, Honolulu)
10/29/10
808Battleground
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom, Honolulu)
10/23/10
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Radford H.S. Gym)
10/15-17/10
ETERNAL SUBMISSIONS: GI/NO-GI tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Kauai)
10/16/10
DESTINY: Undisputed
Beyer vs Manners II
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
10/2/10
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/11/10
X-1: Heroes
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
9/10/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/4/10
DESTINY:New Era
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
8/28/10
Big
Island Open
(BJJ)
(Hilo Armory, Hilo)
8/14/10
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
USA Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Lihue Convention Hall, Lihue, Kauai)
8/13/10
Battleground Challenge 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
8/7/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
8/6/10
Mad Skills
(Triple Threat/Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
7/24/10
The Quest for Champions 2010 Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling & Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
7/17/10
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Maui War Memorial, Wailuku, Maui)
Mad Skillz
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(99 Market Shopping Center, Mapunapuna)
7/9/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
7/3/10
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
6/26/10
Kauai Cage Match 9
(MMA)
(Kilohana, Gaylords Mansion, Kauai)
6/25-26/10
50th
State BJJ Championships
(BJJ)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/24/10
Quest for Champions
(Kumite/Grappling)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
6/19/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
6/18-19/10
Select
Combat
(Triple Threat)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/12/10
Destiny: Fury
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Center)
6/11-13/10
MMA Hawaii Expo
(Blaisdell Ballroom)
6/11-12/10
3rd
Annual Pacific Submission Championships
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/11/10
Legacy Combat MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/4/10
X-1:
Nations Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/3-6/10
World
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, University of California at Long Beach, Long Beach,
CA)
5/22/10
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waiphau Filcom Center)
5/15/10
Scrappla Fest 2
Relson Gracie KTI Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Island School, Kauai)
X-1 World Events
(MMA)
(Waipahu HS Gym)
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Evolution Training Center, Waipio Industrial Court #110)
5/1/10
Galaxy
MMA: Worlds Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/28/10
Chris Smith BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Hilo)
4/23/10
2010 Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
4/17/10
Hawaiian
Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser
H.S. Gym)
Strikeforce:
Shields vs Henderson
(CBS)
4/16/10
808 Battleground
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/8-11/10
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(University California Irvine, Irvine, CA)
4/3/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Amateur Boxing Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
3/27/10
DESTINY: No Ka Oi 2: Oahu vs Maui
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/20/10
X-1: Champions 2
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/20/10
Hawaiian Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
3/14/10
Hawaiian Kimono Combat
(BJJ)
(PCHS Gym)
3/10/10
Sera's Kajukenbo Tournament
(Kumite, Katas, Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/6/10
Destiny Fast N Furious
(MMA)
(Level 4 RHSC)
2/19/10
808 Battleground
(MMA)
(Filcom, Waipahu)
2/6/10
UpNUp 6: Unstoppable
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/5/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/30/10
Destiny
(Level 4,
Royal HI Shopping Ctr)
(MMA)
Quest for Champions
(Pankration/Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS)
1/23/10
Kauai Knockout Championship Total Domination
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Kauai War Memorial Convention Center, Lihue, Kauai)
1/17/10
X1: Showdown In Waipahu
(Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA)
(Waipahu H.S. Gym)
|
|
January
2011 News Part 2
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran & 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
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
|
Want
to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
Click here for pricing and more
information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting!
|
O2
Martial Arts Academy
Your Complete Martial Arts School!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Shane Agena as well
as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA champions Kaleo Kwan
and PJ Dean as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens
provide incredibly detailed instruction of the sweet science.
To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima
classes (Filipino Knife & Stickfighting) who were directly
trained under the legendary Snookie Sanchez.
Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from
the ground up!
Experienced martial artist that wants to fine tune your skill?
Our school is for you!
If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in
a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is
the place for you!
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Follow O2 Martial Arts news via Twitter at:
http://www.twitter.com/O2MAA
Rematch
on tap after inconclusive thriller
LAS
VEGAS – Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White
failed to attend the post-fight news conference Saturday at the
MGM Grand after a sensational lightweight title bout between
Frankie Edgar and No. 1 contender Gray Maynard ended in a draw.
White
had UFC vice president Craig Borsari stand in for him and announce
that World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Anthony
Pettis would get the next shot at Edgar’s championship.
When Borsari made the announcement, Maynard, sitting a few feet
to his left, visibly sagged.
It
wasn’t a good start to the New Year for Maynard, who may
be haunted for a long time by his failure to stop Edgar in the
first round when he knocked him down three times with punches
and took him to the mat two other times.
White,
though, changed his mind. In a telephone call to Yahoo! Sports
late Saturday, he said Maynard would indeed get the next shot
at Edgar’s belt when both are healthy enough to fight again.
“I
hate to talk about what we’re going to do with future fights
at a press conference when a card has just ended,” said
White, who personally scored the bout a draw. “I had the
whole Pettis thing with the belt on my mind and so I said, ‘Yeah,
Pettis gets the next shot.’ But then when I thought about
it more, how can I in good conscience not give that shot to Gray
Maynard? It’s a no-brainer. He came in there and he fought
his ass off and he deserves that rematch. That was a great fight
and they deserve to do it again.”
All
three judges scored the first round 10-8 for Maynard. But Marcos
Rosales gave the final four rounds to Edgar and had it 48-46
for the champion. Patricia Morse-Jarman scored it 47-47, giving
Rounds 2, 3 and 4 to Edgar and giving the fifth to Maynard. Glenn
Trowbridge scored it 48-46 for Maynard, giving the challenger
the odd rounds and Edgar the even rounds.
The
crowd of 12,688 didn’t like the call and neither did either
fighter.
“It
obviously doesn’t feel good,” Maynard said softly.
“I thought it was my fight. I thought I had the belt. I
worked my ass off for this. I don’t know. I guess it kind
of hurts.”
It
felt no better for Edgar, who came out in the second round remarkably
composed for a guy who was battered so badly in the first that
there were many who felt referee Yves Lavigne should have stopped
it.
Edgar
was bleeding from the nose and mouth and several times staggered
around the cage like a drunken man on his way home from a New
Year’s Eve party in that epic first round. But Edgar hardly
seemed worse for the wear in the second and he fought Maynard
on better-than-even terms the rest of the way.
Edgar
has been battling for respect despite entering the bout with
the title and a 13-1 record, which included back-to-back championship
match wins over the legendary B.J. Penn.
Maynard
knocked Edgar down three times and took him down twice in a stunningly
one-sided first round that was reminiscent of the performance
Cain Velasquez gave in October in lifting the heavyweight title
from Brock Lesnar.
“I
got hit with a big shot,” Edgar said of the Maynard left
hook that sent him tumbling backward. “He came out strong;
did a good job. I bounced back and I felt I won the last four
rounds. “
Maynard
went so hard in the first round trying for the finish that he
didn’t have much energy in the second. Maynard’s coach
Gil Martinez said he was surprised Lavigne let the fight continue,
though, he wasn’t criticizing the referee.
But
he noted that Phil Baroni was given considerably less leeway
when he was stopped in the first round of a middleweight fight
with Brad Tavares earlier in the card.
“I’ve
seen a lot of other fights stopped for a lot less than that,”
Martinez said. “It should have been stopped in the first
round. Frankie had no answers for anything that Gray was hitting
him with. Phil Baroni got stopped and he was only hit, what,
four or five times? Gray landed a good 50, 60 punches in that
round, maybe more.
“After
the first round, it was like running a sprint and then me coming
up and asking him to run a mile. He punched himself out and so
the second round, he kind of took it off. Then again, the third
and the fifth, we thought we had those rounds.”
Edgar’s
boxing was far sharper than Maynard’s after the first, as
he used ring movement and a sharp right hand to fight his way
back into the bout.
White
was incredulous, as were many in attendance, that Edgar was able
to survive the first, let alone continue. And when he seemingly
turned it around 180 degrees in the second, White’s respect
for Edgar only increased.
“Why
people doubt this kid I’ll never understand,” White
said. “I think he’ll get more respect for what he did
tonight, surviving that first round, than he did for two wins
over B.J. The size difference between them is amazing and Gray
couldn’t take him down (after the first). The kid is a tough,
tough kid and he deserves a lot more respect than he gets.”
They
both do, and White showed it to Maynard, as well, by giving him
the rematch. For a fight that fans were complaining about and
few supposedly wanted to see, the third one in the series is
going to be huge.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Latest
from UFC: trilogy schedule and belt up for grabs
According
to MMAFighting.com, the UFC has already set a date for the title
rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. Maynard is responsible
for the only loss on Edgar’s ledger and, in the rematch
at UFC 125, the bout ended in a draw. Now they are set to do
battle again, on May 28 at UFC 130 in Las Vegas.
Check
out the likely card:
Frankie
Edgar vs. Gray Maynard
Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson vs. Thiago Silva
Frank
Mir vs. Roy Nelson
Thiago
Alves vs. Rick Story
Travis
Browne vs. Stefan Struve
Sapo
replaces Falcão
Everything
was in place for Italy’s Alessio Sakara to take on Brazil’s
Maiquel Falcão. However, the Chute Boxe representative
ended up having to pull out due to injury and will be replaced
by his compatriot Rafael Sapo, a Vinícius Draculino student
currently training under Renzo Gracie. The fight will take place
March 3 at UFC on Versus 3. Check out the likely card:
Diego
Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann
C.B.
Dollaway vs. Mark Muñoz
Alessio
Sakara vs. Rafael Sapo
Brian
Bowles vs. Damacio Page
Thiago
Tavares vs. Shane Roller
Takeya
Mizugaki vs. Francisco Rivera
Igor
Pokrajac vs. Todd Brown
Rousimar
“Toquinho” vs. Alexandre “Cacareco”
Steve
Cantwell vs. Cyrille Diabaté
Matt
Brown vs. Matt Riddle
Erik
Koch vs. Cub Swanson
Rob
Kimmons vs. Dongi Yang
Nate
Diaz gets back in the saddle
After
dropping his UFC 125 fight to Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim, Nate
Diaz needs to win to keep his place in the promotion safe. His
chance at redemption will come April 30 in Canada at UFC 129.
His opponent will be local fighter Rory McDonald. Check out the
card:
St-Pierre
vs. Jake Shields
Randy
Couture vs. Lyoto Machida
Phil
Davis vs. Matt Hamill
Mark
Bocek vs. Ben Henderson
Claude
Patrick vs. Daniel Roberts
Nate
Diaz vs. Rory MacDonald
Brian
Foster vs. Sean Pierson
John
Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson
Pablo
Garza vs. Yves Jabouin
Ivan
Menjivar vs. Charlie Valencia
Jason
MacDonald vs. Ryan Jensen
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Spider:
“We’re a lot more than two guys going in there to throw
down”
Anderson
Silva would have faced Vitor Belfort in April 2010 but the “Phenomenon”
ended up having to drop out to treat an injury and the showdown
was postponed. At the time, the “Spider” spared no
scorn for his opponent in his declarations, a stance he maintained
against Vitor’s substitute, Demian Maia. He got the win
at UFC 112, but the until-then unquestionable idol made a bad
impression on fans for his attitude in the ring.
Then
came his showdown with the provocateur Chael Sonnen, and one
could already not the changes in the Spider’s speech, including
after his triumph. For the fight with Belfort, which will finally
take place at UFC 126, on February 5, Anderson seems to have
really changed some things. No, he really doesn’t have much
love in his heart for his opponent, but check out what he had
to say on the UFC website:
“Truth
is, the guys are seeking something that is really vague: the
belt. That’s a tiny thing when compared to what we can represent
as people. I’m not concerned with that. I’m concerned
with being a good example for the athletes coming into the mix,
growing, and watching my fights. That’s what I want to convey,
the message I want to convey as an athlete, and it is what inspires
me.”
“My
personal opinion is that a fight is a fight and he is just another
opponent, dangerous like all the rest. I’m going in there
to fight, as he is.”
“Of
course, it’s cool to end your career as champion, undefeated
or whatever. But in my sport that’s a bit vague, because
we can lose at any moment. That was already proven against Chael
(Sonnen). I’m normal and can get knocked out, submitted…
It’s like I say: I seek to do more than simply fight. I
look to send the message that we are all a lot more than that,
a lot more than two guys who get in there to throw down.”
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Cole
Miller: “Fighting Cowboy Would Be a Step Down from Matt
Wiman”
There’s
no doubt that Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has had only
one name on his mind since moving to the UFC recently. That’s
Cole Miller.
Following
his last win in the WEC, Cerrone called for a fight against Miller
because of a win the American Top Team fighter picked up over
his close friend and training partner Leonard Garcia in the UFC
back in 2007… and maybe a few words that were tossed around
afterwards.
While
both Miller and Cerrone are preparing for bouts against different
opponents in the next few weeks, the pair could be headed for
a showdown at some point in the near future. To hear Miller tell
it, he’s sick of hearing his name come out of Cerrone’s
mouth.
“I’m
just tired of this guy and his same old song,” Miller said
about Cerrone when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio. “Every time
I see this guy he just wants to talk about how he wants to fight
me, and beat my ass because I beat Leonard. Waah, waah, waah.”
Looking
back at the fight he had with Garcia, Miller points out that
he doesn’t even remember Cerrone, but he admits they’ve
had a few words since then.
“I
don’t even remember him being there,” Miller commented.
“I saw him I guess about a year later, and he expressed
to me that he wanted to fight me. So ever since, every time we
see each other, we kind of have a little bit of a verbal battle.”
Miller
isn’t sure why Cerrone picked him over anyone else that
he wanted to fight just because he beat Garcia, but he’s
certainly not backing down from the challenge.
“There
really isn’t a lot of people that beat Leonard, but there’s
several other people besides me, a couple of guys that have beat
him, and I don’t see him trying to call those guys out,
but whatever,” Miller said.
“This
guy, he’s a bully. He probably sees me as being the easiest
target or the easiest kill, so he can bring it on, come on.”
Miller
is currently closing up camp for his Jan. 22 UFC Fight for the
Troops 2 bout against Matt Wiman. If he’s successful, he’s
not really sure Cerrone deserves a shot at him, but if that’s
what the UFC wants, he’ll sign his name on the dotted line.
“I
don’t think he’s horrible or anything like that, I
really like his style as a fighter, but I think as far as the
level, that he would be a step down from Matt Wiman,” said
Miller.
“I’d
be happy to fight Cowboy whenever, at any weight, I don’t
care.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
Fight for the Troops 2: Will Campuzano Calls on Urijah Faber’s
Camp To Re-Tool
If
there’s been one thing that’s eluded UFC featherweight
Will Campuzano over the last couple of years, it’s been
consistency.
Caught
in a pattern of alternating wins and losses, Campuzano knows
what went wrong in the times he hasn’t come out on top.
“I’ve
had some tough opponents,” Campuzano told MMAWeekly.com.
“I fought Eddie Wineland and I think he had a lot of experience
on me. I fought another fight in Texas (against Steve Garcia)
and I won that, and then Nick (Pace) wasn’t really fighting,
he was kind of holding me down and I think I kind of gave him
the fight.
“I
beat him up, but I was too aggressive and trying to get the knockout
so bad that I wasn’t really so worried about jiu-jitsu defense.”
In
an effort to put things on the right path, Campuzano headed to
Sacramento, Calif.’s premier MMA gym in preparation for
his upcoming UFC return.
“For
this fight I came out here to Alpha Male and I think it’s
making me better all around,” he stated. “My striking,
my grappling, I’m improving as a fighter.
“I
think it will show (in my upcoming fights). Sometimes I’ve
gone out there with a lack of confidence, and being here has
definitely helped me gain a lot of confidence to go out there
and be aggressive.”
Aggression
may be the name of the game on Jan. 22 when Campuzano squares
off against Chris Cariaso at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 in Ft.
Hood, Texas.
“He’s
really action-oriented,” said Campuzano of Cariaso. “I
think we should get in there and mix it up and get it on.
“He’s
kind of small, so I think I should be able to pick him apart.
I think he shoots in once in a while, but I don’t think
he’ll be able to get me down.”
With
three losses in four Zuffa-owned properties fights, Campuzano’s
back may be to the wall against Cariaso, his future with the
company may be at stake, but he won’t let it affect how
he handles himself on fight night.
“I
don’t really worry about it,” admitted Campuzano. “I
think I’ll show up to fight, and that’s my main thing
going into a fight, I’m still going to go in there and try
to knock someone out.”
Having
made strides to improve his mental game to match his physical
abilities, Campuzano could begin the road to making his mark
in the UFC in 2011.
“I
want to thank Punishment and HeavyHands,” he concluded.
“The fans should definitely check out the show, UFC Fight
for the Troops 2 has an awesome card and they’ll be entertained.
“Thanks
to everyone that’s supported me and believed in me, I’m
going to get (things) together in 2011. I want to keep learning,
keep working and pick up some wins.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Challengers 14 Features Lyle Beerbohm vs. Pat Healy and Ryan
Couture
The
Strikeforce Challengers series has been a building block for
many up-and-coming fighters in the promotion. Lately, the headline
bouts on those cards have also served as a proving ground of
sorts for fighters believed to be ready to make the leap to contender
status.
Lyle
Beerbohm will get his chance to prove his worthiness as a lightweight
contender when he faces Pat Healy in the main event of Strikeforce
Challengers 14, which will take place at Cedar Park Center just
outside of Austin, Texas.
Joining
Beerbohm and Healy on the card will be Ryan Couture, who has
yet to receive an opponent.
MMAWeekly.com
sources confirmed the bouts first reported by MMAFighting.com.
Beerbohm
(16-0) counts veterans Duane “Bang” Ludwig and Vitor
“Shaolin” Ribeiro among his wins under the Strikeforce
banner. He won three bouts in 2010, including the Ribeiro bout
and two fights for a smaller promotion.
In
the main event at Strikeforce Challengers 14, Beerbohm gets the
opportunity to prove to promotion officials that he is ready
to step into the title picture in the lightweight division. Gilbert
Melendez currently heads Strikeforce’s 155-pound class,
holding the promotion’s title.
Healy
(23-16) is also a Strikeforce veteran, as well as a UFC veteran.
His last two bouts were for Strikeforce, winning the first with
a unanimous decision over Bryan Travers, but getting submitted
by former champion Josh Thomson last June.
This
is Healy’s chance to prove he should be given a second chance
to work his way up the lightweight ladder.
Couture
(1-0) made his professional debut at Strikeforce Challengers
10 with a win over Lucas Stark. He was scheduled to face Juan
Zapata at Strikeforce Challengers 12 last November, but had to
withdraw due to a staph infection. No opponent had been named
for him as of the time of publication.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Belfort:
“I’ll give it 100%, so he’d better be ready”
Currently
the most heavily-anticipated fight among fans, Anderson vs. Belfort
will headline the February 5 UFC 126 event in Las Vegas. And
the “Phenomenon” went back to talking about his upcoming
challenge, this time in an interview on the official UFC website:
“Fighting
for the belt makes no difference. You’re seeking the upper
echelon of the sport. What’s important is to stay focused
on training and on what you need to fulfill, your objective.
I came to Vegas for the structure. There’s greater investment
in the sport here. So many times in Brazil I’ve lacked training
partners. I feel Brazil is still far behind the USA as far as
that goes,” says Vitor, who doesn’t feel his time away
– since his last fight, in September 2009 – will hinder
him.
“Training
is the hardest part of a competition. For as long as I’ve
been away injured, I believe my training will overcome the down
time. I imagine that to be the source of athletes’ riches.”
And
as far as the fight itself goes, as everyone may imagine, the
action seems guaranteed.
I’m
going to give it my best, regardless of Anderson’s expectations.
I’m going to give it 100%, so he’d better be ready.”
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
|
José
Aldo in a peace mission in Haiti
Tomorrow
(12th), it’ll complete a year of the terrible earthwake
that desolated Haiti and killed, according to the number given
by the Haitian government, over 220 thousand people. Since the
tragedy, not much has changed and the country still needs the
outside support to keep the basic level of survivor. The city
of Manaus, represented by the Sport’s Municipal Secretary
(SEMDEJ), which is headed by Fabrício Lima, in partnership
with ONU, the Brazilian Army and the NGO Viva Rio will make,
on January 23rd, in Port Prince (Haiti), the Haitian Sport’s
Journey to Peace (Jornada Haitiana do Esporte pela Paz).
The
event will bring Haiti great named of the sport like the Stock
Car pilot Antonio Pizzonia, the triathlete Armando Barcellos,
the Judo fighter Flávio Canto, the Taekwondo athlete Natália
Falavigna and the soccer player Fred (Fluminense), who still
will confirm his presence. MMA couldn’t miss a noble cause
like this one and the athlete chosen to represent the modality
was José Aldo, featherweight champion of UFC, who accepted
the invitation immediately and will embark on January 20th for
his peace mission in Haiti.
Source:
Tatame |
|
Matyushenko
celebrates his 40th birthday in Rio and wants to fight Nogueira
again
Fighter
of UFC, the Russian Vladimir Matyushenko, chooses the Wonderful
City to celebrate his 40th birthday. The tough guy, who holds
a respectful professional record of 25 wins in 30 bouts, met
the Brazilian Tatiana Junqueira in Los Angeles and took the chance
to come to Brazil, where he stayed for a while in São
Lourenço, Minas Gerais and then celebrated his birthday
in Rio de Janeiro. Matyushenko spent the New Year’s Eve
in Copacabana, went to see the Christ, the Sugar Loaf, and the
main tourist attractions of the city. But what amazed the foreigner
was the Brazilian cuisine and people. “People treated me
so kindly, I’ve have so much fun. The food here is also
great, I’m heavier than I’ve ever been in my life (laughs).
I like açaí and Brazilian ‘cachaça’,
which is amazing (laughs)”, joked Vladimir, who analyzed
his career.
“I
was young, crazy, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I think
I’ve made the right decisions. MMA demands much of you and
I’d love to be younger now, but I think I still have some
years ahead of me. I’ll keep fighting as long I’m paid
to do it (laughs). For now I’m still healthy, young, 40
years old… I feel like I could run 10 miles per hour now.
So why wouldn’t I keep fighting?”, commented the tough
guy, who analyzed his win over the Brazilian Alexandre Cacareco.
“I
know he’s great in Jiu-Jitsu, but he tried to keep the fight
standing up… I’m stronger, so I grabbed him and he
chose to be on the bottom, a bad position… Even on the half
guard, I know he has a good half guard because he can do submissions
like kimura, omoplata… These are two of his best submissions,
but I knew it and I was prepared for it on our fight”, shoot.
Hosted,
along with his wife, on a friend’s house, in Leblon neighborhood,
Matyushenko turned 40 last Tuesday (4), on the best Russian style:
with good shots of Vodka and then went to an all-you-can-eat
buffet in Ipanema. The athlete launched to Los Angeles, where
he current lives, one day later (5), and promised to return to
Brazil, and also revealed that his next opponent on UFC can be
a guy we already know. “Maybe I’ll confront the winner
between Minotouro and Tito Ortiz. Last time Nogueira’s beaten
me, but I’ve beaten him once, so I want to fight him again.
It’d be a good thing for me to fight him, despite we’ve
become friends. I’ve met him at the airport when I was coming
to Brazil and I see him as a friend. I respect him, but I’d
like to confront him one more time”, concluded Matyushenko.
Source:
Tatame |
|
UFC
Fight For The Troops 2: Pat Barry Willing to Break Hands and
Feet
Pat
Barry is getting ready to fight a zombie. Well, not exactly.
Actually, he’s stepping up to fight Joey Beltran at UFC
Fight for the Troops 2 on Jan. 22.
Barry
spoke recently with MMA Weekly Radio and used the undead analogy
when talking about Beltran, describing his opponent as one that
walks forward like the fictional characters from the classic
horror films.
“He’s
a living zombie,” Barry said. “Everything you throw
is going to land on him, but he’s going to constantly walk
forward and, eventually, you’re going to get too tired of
hitting him in the face. And then, he’s going to catch you.
Just like any movie zombie. Not the 2008, ’09 and ’10
zombies that run really fast, but the traditional Night of the
Living Dead zombies that crawl towards you really slow. Yeah,
he’s like those.”
Barry,
coming off his loss to Croatia’s Mirko “Cro Cop”
Filipovic, talked about his fight with Beltran and joked about
how the match was fun idea before, but after breaking his hand
and foot against the Croatian kickboxer, he sees hitting Beltran
as something that might not be so enjoyable.
Apparently,
breaking body parts was a lesson learned for Pat Barry.
“Before
the Cro Cop fight, I would have thought absolutely, this could
be a very fun fight,” Barry explained. “But then I
realized that I’m capable of breaking my entire body trying
to hit somebody. Then, I started thinking maybe this fight won’t
be so fun.”
Against
Cro Cop, Barry clearly held the advantage in the stand-up department
for a majority of the fight, landing precise shots and knocking
down the former Pride FC star twice. It’s not a far-off
description to say he was trying to destroy Cro Cop’s head
in the process. Unfortunately, the plan backfired.
“I
just tried to make his head explode and it just didn’t work,”
said Barry. “My hand gave out before his face did”
Looking
ahead to his UFC Fight for the Troops bout, Barry has more clarity
on how he is suppose to approach an opponent. He sees Joey Beltran
as one who can take a decent amount of punishment, and utilizing
the same strategy against him that Barry did against his last
opponent may yield similar results from a physical aspect.
Part
of the job, though. You have to do what you have to do.
“If
I’m going to break my hand on Cro Cop’s face, then
both of my hands are going to come off in that match,” Barry
said. “They’ve got to. There is no way I can punch
him in the head and not break both of my hands and feet.”
Expect
another stand-up onslaught from Pat “HD” Barry come
Jan. 22. He and Joey Beltran will duke it out for the U.S. armed
forces in Fort Hood, Texas, on that night. If Beltran truly is
the zombie Barry says he is, it’s safe to say that this
fight will be as entertaining as AMC’s The Walking Dead.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
|
Igor
Gracie vs. John Salgado Added to Strikeforce Feb 12 Undercard
A
member of the Gracie family will fight on the upcoming Strikeforce
card in New Jersey as Igor Gracie has been tapped to face John
Salgado in an undercard bout for the Feb 12 show.
The
bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by Gracie’s manager
Ali Abdel-Aziz from Dominance MMA.
Gracie
(2-2) enters the fight in New Jersey after taking all of 2010
off. Working with the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City,
Gracie is not ready to come back and put the layoff behind him.
Facing
Gracie in New Jersey will be John Salgado (4-4-1) making his
Strikeforce debut. Salgado last fought local fighter Chris Liguori
in November 2010, losing by decision.
The
bout between Gracie and Salgado will be part of the undercard
for the featured bouts which will showcase all heavyweights,
including the start of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
|
John
Cholish vs. Marc Stevens Added to Strikeforce Feb 12 Undercard
Former
“Ultimate Fighter” competitor Marc Stevens will meet
Wall Street stockbroker and Team Renzo Gracie student John Cholish
in an undercard bout at the upcoming Strikeforce show going down
Feb 12 in New Jersey.
The
bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the match-up
on Friday. MMAJunkie.com first reported the fight.
Marc
Stevens (12-5) makes his first appearance since his time of the
“Ultimate Fighter” season 12, where he was coached
by Josh Koscheck during his stint on the show. Stevens was the
No. 1 overall pick by Koscheck, but fell short in both chances
during his time in the house.
Stevens
was submitted by Cody McKenzie and then Aaron Wilkinson on the
show, and now hopes to erase the memory of that when he comes
back in February.
John
Cholish (5-1) makes the move to Strikeforce after a successful
run in local shows primarily fighting in New Jersey. Cholish
trains under John Danaher at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New
York City.
Cholish
is a full-time stockbroker during the day, and trains at night
and believes he’s ready for the next step up in competition.
That will happen on Feb 12.
The
bout between Stevens and Cholish will be a part of the undercard
for the all heavyweight main card taking place in New Jersey
as the kick-off to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Rômulo
Barral back to the mat, in Vegas
Following
confirmation Kron Gracie is in, another top-tier black belt has
guaranteed his presence at the Fernando Paradeda-promoted Abu
Dhabi World Pro tryouts to take place January 29 at Las Vegas’s
Sports Center arena.
“I’m
impressed by how well sign-ups have been going, the event’s
going to go off! Now Rômulo Barral is in. His knee has
recovered and he’ll make his return to the mat at the Vegas
tryouts. A guarantee of good Jiu-Jitsu!” says Paradeda in
celebration.
Sign-ups
end January 27. However, anyone who signs up by the 18th will
receive a discouunt.
Paradeda
is also organizing the tryouts in Gramado, Brazil, which begin
March 19, and in San Diego (March 6), for which sign-ups are
open until February 1st. The three events produced by the black
belt boast a number of differences setting them apart from other
World Pro tryouts: they will also feature a No-Gi contest (worth
a trip to Abu Dhabi) and parallel events for kids and master-
and senior-category athletes. In all, from each tryout, thirteen
champions will earn all-expenses-paid trips to the main event,
in Abu Dhabi, not to mention the money prizes. In all, the rewards
from each tryout come to a total of 80 thousand dollars. The
events will also be broadcast live.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Thiago
Silva: “Jon Jones is a jerk”
Thiago
Silva got a perfect win over Brandon Vera, on the first edition
of UFC in 2011, and showed a different side of him: a strategic
guy. Known for his aggressiveness, the Brazilian adopted a smarter
posture and dominated the 15 minutes of fight, and told, on an
interview to TATAME, that he might keep this change for his bout
against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, scheduled for UFC
130.
“The
fans can always expect much aggressiveness coming from me, this
is something I’ll never change about myself, but it’ll
be aggressiveness and strategy altogether. The level here is
pretty high, we can get everything only with our hearts”,
tells the athlete of ATT, who explained the provocation during
the fight with Vera and commented the controversy “drumming”
on the last round, responding to the critics of the American
Jon Jones. “I see this guy as a jerk. Everybody’s a
professional fighter and all fights include provocations. Brandon
Vera said he’s break my legs, that I wasn’t on his
level. I don’t say things, I do”, said.
How
are things after the win?
Monday
I’ll return to my trainings… Thanks God, UFC gave me
a good opportunity, against Rampage, and I took two weeks off
so I could rest a bit and don’t get injured when I return.
I’m thrilled!
You
said, before Brandon Vera’s fight, that you wanted the knockout,
but you got the win anyway. What did you think of the fight?
I
was looking for the knockout, but he opened some space and practically
conceded me the takedowns. He did a great job defending himself,
it was hard for me to finish the fight. I’m not a good submitter,
but I tried to punch him hard. He’s tough, has a good defense,
but I dominated the fight.
Did
you get that “want some more” taste for not having
knocked him out?
You
always get it, right? But I fought cautiously. It was my first
fight after a year and we didn’t know how my back would
react. I had to be more tactic. The guys are used to see me differently,
but I’m 28 and I got 3 hernias. If I want to keep my career,
I have to adapt, and we’ll evolve little by little.
You
and Brandon Vera teased each other after the first round, and
he returned more aggressive on the following round and you gave
some little slaps on his back on the third round. It was all
provocation or did you tried to make him to make a mistake?
We
never do anything without a reason. What I did in there was to
take his focus away. The only provocation I did was when I slapped
him on his back, the others I did because my hands were aching
when I punched him because I broke my finger. So it would open
me the way to try a submission or something like it. The only
provocation was that one so he would lose his focus, and there’s
no other reason.
Jon
Jones criticized a lot your attitude, claiming that it wasn’t
respectful and that a martial artist shouldn’t do such thing…
What did you think of it?
This
guy is a jerk. Everybody’s a professional fighter and all
fights include provocations. Brandon Vera said he’s break
my legs, that I wasn’t on his level. I don’t say things,
I do. You get recognized when you do things. I’m a professional
fighter, but I can’t always please everybody. There’s
always somebody behind the computed with a plate filled with
French fries, ready to criticize you. I fight for the fans, for
the money and to put my name up there. Talking is too much easy,
nobody knows what goes on in your life, your trainings…
I think I did my job. Who likes it, likes it, but you can dislike
it if you want.
How
do you think Rampage’s game matches yours?
Our
games match because we both like to fight standing. He avoids
the ground game, doesn’t take the guys down, he wants to
exchange. It’ll be a great fight because it’ll have
a bit of everything.
What
kind of Thiago should we expect against Rampage: aggressive or
tactic?
The
fans can always expect much aggressiveness coming from me, this
is something I’ll never change about myself, but it’ll
be aggressiveness and strategy altogether. The level here is
pretty high, we can get everything only with our hearts, but
the aggressiveness will always be there.
Source:
Tatame
|
Thales
Leites trains with Anderson and hopes to fight in March
The
year of 2010 was a good one for Thales Leites. The tough guy
fought four times and all four finished with a submission. The
only unusual fact was that Thales was submitted for the first
time on his career, when he was “caught” on a rear
naked choke by the American Matt Horwich, on a belt dispute on
the event “War on the Mainland”, that happened in California.
Thales doesn’t like to give excuses for what happened, but
the fact was he wasn’t at his best.
“Unfortunately
it happened and we’ll make a good comeback, I wasn’t
at my best physically, I’ve had some difficulties to beat
the weight, but it ain’t an excuse, he made me play his
game, tired me up and when an athlete is not at his best, he
has to know how to control things, but it’s past now, I’ve
won a battle after that one”, said the tough guy, who returned
to the natural course of his career and closed the year with
a submission on the Sweden event Superior Challenge.
Returning
to the trainings slowly, the black belt had the great presence
of Delfim gym, where he trains: Anderson Silva, who’s training
with Pedro Rizzo and ended training with Thales, who even after
being defeated by “The Spider”, doesn’t care about
any rivalry with his co-worker.
“I
don’t see any problem training with Anderson because I have
a good relationship with all fighters, I don’t have any
problem with nobody and when Pedro asked me if there was a problem
on him bringing Anderson to train I said that there wasn’t
any. It was pretty nice, it’s always good to train with
new people, you can learn more. I’m negotiating with some
events and I think I might fight in March, I’d like it to
be earlier, but let’s see, soon we’ll know more about
my next fight”, commented Thales, who’s in the mood
for fighting in 2011.
“I
hope this year will be better than the year then has gone, I
hoped I won all fights I did last year, but I had that bad result.
But I’ve won four of the fights I did and I closed the year
with a win. In 2011 I want to do four or five fights and win
all of them, if I can do five, six, as many fights as possible,
I’ll do. I know it’s hard, but at least four fights
I’ll do this year”, concluded the black belt.
Source:
Tatame
|
Matt
Riddle Steps in to Face Matt Brown at UFC on Versus 3 in Kentucky
An
injury has forced Mark Scanlon off the upcoming UFC on Versus
3 card, and Matt Riddle has agreed to step in and face Matt Brown
in a welterweight bout on the Louisville, KY card.
The
fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the
match-up on Friday. MMA Scraps Radio first reported the replacement.
Matt
Riddle steps into the fight on March 3 coming off a “Fight
of the Night” performance against Sean Pierson at UFC 124
in December 2010.
Riddle
is a former cast member for the “Ultimate Fighter”
and since his time on the reality show, has gone 5-2 in the Octagon.
The
bout between Brown and Riddle will remain on the night’s
undercard set to go down at the KFC Yum Arena in Louisville,
KY.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
129 Gets Nate Diaz vs. Rory MacDonald On The Fight Card
Despite
stumbling his last time out, Nate Diaz isn’t ready to call
it quits as a UFC welterweight. Diaz will face Canadian Rory
MacDonald at UFC 129 on April 30 in Toronto. Diaz’s manager,
Cesar Gracie, confirmed the fight to MMAWeekly.com on Friday.
It was first reported by MMAFighting.com.
Diaz
(13-6) won Season 5 of “The Ultimate Fighter” as a
lightweight and made a solid run up the division, winning six
out of nine bouts.
After
losing to Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, and Gray Maynard in three
of his last four bouts at 155 pounds, Diaz decided to take a
trip up to the welterweight class to put his skills to the test
there.
He
was immediately successful, defeating Rory Markham in a catchweight
fight after Markham failed to the 170-pound limit, and then submitted
Marcus Davis, one of the toughest fighters in the class.
His
lone stumble since moving up was to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 125.
He lost a unanimous decision to the Korean fighter.
MacDonald
(10-1), still fairly new to the UFC, tore up the ranks in Canada.
He won his first 10 fights, finishing all 10 opponents, including
Mike Guymon in his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 20.
MacDonald
had a strong showing against Carlos Condit at UFC 115 last year
in Vancouver. The two won Fight of the Night honors, but Condit
got the victory. MacDonald performed well, getting the better
of Condit for the majority of the fight, but Condit turned the
tables to earn a TKO stoppage just seven seconds shy of the closing
bell.
UFC
welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and challenger Jake Shields
headline UFC 129. Diaz vs. MacDonald will likely serve as part
of the preliminary portion of the fight card.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Rafael
“Sapo” Natal Replaces Injured Maiquel Falcao at UFC
on Versus 3
Another
change has been made to the upcoming UFC on Versus 3 fight card.
Maiquel Falcao has been forced off the card with an injury. Stepping
in to replace him against Alessio Sakara will be Renzo Gracie
student Rafael “Sapo” Natal.
The
change was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the
fight on Friday, with bout agreements issued for the new match-up.
Rafael
Natal makes his third appearance in the UFC, and hopes to notch
the first win under his belt as well.
Natal
fell short in his debut fight against Rich Attonito, and then
fell prey to a very rare draw in his next bout against Jesse
Bongfeldt at UFC 124 in December 2010.
Stepping
in as a replacement, Natal will look to get his first victory
when facing American Top Team fighter Alessio Sakara.
According
to sources, the bout will remain on the televised portion of
the UFC on Versus 3 broadcast.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Demian
Maia wants a spot on UFC Rio, in August
The year of 2010 ended with a good score for the Brazilian Demian
Maia. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt won three of his four
fights and suffered only one loss, which happened on a title
fight against the middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Demian
still doesn’t have any bout scheduled and the only certain
thing is that he’d really like to fight on UFC Rio, which
happens on August 27th at HSBC Arena, in Rio de Janeiro.
“I’m
waiting… I’d like to fight in Brazil in August, it’s
what I want the most, but there’s nothing confirmed. My
manager is talking to the guys there”, said Demian, excited
with the possibility of fighting again in Brazil after over four
years. “I can’t say much, I’ve fought MMA few
times in Brazil and for me it’d be, like the Americans say,
priceless”.
Despite
wanting to define his return to the cage, the Brazilian will
have to wait. “Everybody wants me to fight, but the division
is a little bit messed up, the matchmaking, but I can’t
complain. I’ve fought four times last year and the most
important thing is not to lose the rhythm. I won’t lack
fights. UFC has 260 athletes after its fusion with WEC, so it’ll
be crazy to match these fights to fill all cards”, concluded
Demian, on a chat with TATAME.
Source:
Tatame
|
What
do you love and hate about Jiu-Jitsu?
Ten
things you love about Jiu-Jitsu
10)
Finishing that guy ten years younger than you and that other
one forty-five pounds heavier at the academy.
9)
The inner peace from knowing Jiu-Jitsu is always with you, should
you need it as a last resort when some unexpected problem arises
in the streets.
8)
The fact your body had never been in such great shape before.
7)
Watching the UFC is a lot more fun now you really understand
the ground game.
6)
The fact your brain has never worked so well before – at
training, work, study…
5)
Discovering, with every training sessions, the most evident defects
of your own personality. Fighting to correct what you can and
better live with what you can’t change.
4)
The bosom friends made at the academy.
3)
Taking your old friends to train with you and seeing them as
stoked as you.
2)
Improving your diet, to feel well nourished and train well.
1)
Learning at least one valuable lesson per day on GRACIEMAG.com.
Seven
things you hate about Jiu-Jitsu
7)
Getting submitted time and again by that little pipsqueak at
the gym.
6)
Sweating to get the stink out of your gi when washing it.
5)
That little ache that never goes away.
4)
UFC fans who don’t understand Jiu-Jitsu and boo the good
fights.
3)
Missing training for a silly reason.
2)
That swollen ear.
1)
The need to exercise patience with your friends who don’t
agree that GRACIEMAG is the best magazine in the world, insisting
on Esquire, Time, The New Yorker, Surfer’s, etc., etc…
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Kron
Gracie and Jonathan Torres to face off in Arizona
GD
Jiu-Jitsu Events in association with the Arizona State Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Federation (AZSBJJF) is already busy getting ready
for the 6th Arizona Open. As has now become a tradition for the
event, the February 26 and 27 tournament will feature super matches
featuring big names from the gentle art, one match of which has
already been determined and promises excitement.
“We
have the return of Kron Gracie, who defeated Phillipe De La Monica
last year, at the 5th AZ Open, to compete against JT Torres,
the winner of the 2nd Southwest Classic Light absolute division
and the ticket to compete at the 2011 European JJ Championship
in Lisbon,” say Gustavo Dantas.
Last
year’s event reached max capacity, so don’t miss the
chance to compete alongside world class competitors. Click here
for more info http://strongvon.com/azopen6.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
After
Exiting Bellator, Ulysses Gomez Has His Eyes Set on Conquering
the Flyweight Division
Las
Vegas based fighter Ulysses Gomez figured out after only one
fight at 135 pounds that he wants to stick around the flyweight
division.
Gomez
was a participant in last year’s bantamweight tournament
with Bellator Fighting Championships, but after a win over Travis
Reddinger in September, he was unable to continue on after contracting
a staph infection.
Since
that time, Gomez has actually moved on from Bellator Fighting
Championships because as he learned from his one fight at bantamweight,
he wants to be at 125 pounds.
“The
thing with Bellator, they offered me to fight at 135, and that’s
not my natural weight class. I prefer to fight at 125, but I
was like it’s on TV, it’s a great show Bellator, and
it’s a lot of exposure. I fought, and I didn’t really
like the way I performed in the fight, I felt like I could have
done a lot better. Nothing against Travis, but I felt like I
should have beaten him more convincingly that I did,” Gomez
told MMAWeekly.com.
“I
felt more comfortable at 125, and we asked Bellator if they were
going to do a 125-pound division, and they were like ‘no’
and they gave me the option to get out of my contract.”
While
Gomez remains on good terms with Bellator and enjoyed his time
there, he knew that to continue his career on a successful path,
he needed to be at a weight class that suited him.
“I
don’t want to go out on national TV and put on another bad
fight,” Gomez intimated. “I think 125?s a better weight
class for me, so that’s kind of what they did for me.”
As
of now, Bellator has not made any kind of announcement of an
intention to do a 125-pound weight class, so Gomez will move
onto other opportunities.
The
first of those opportunities will come on Feb. 18 when he returns
to Tachi Palace Fights to defend the flyweight title he won there,
and now defends against Darrell Montague.
“It
was a cool experience fighting for Bellator, and I really appreciated
the chance they gave me. I like Tachi, they’ve always taken
care of me. I know everybody there, it just feels like I’m
coming back home,” Gomez explained.
As
the champion at Tachi Palace Fights, Gomez ranks near the top
for anyone discussing the flyweight division. As the 125-pound
fighters gain more recognition, he hopes to have more chances
to prove himself against the best in the world.
Of
course it can’t be ignored that the UFC also plans on housing
a flyweight division at some point in 2011, and if that happens,
Gomez might be on a short list of fighters to get the chance
to introduce the world to the 125-pound division.
“As
far as the future goes, my whole thing is take it one fight at
a time. There’s a fight in front of me right now, I’ve
got to get past him,” Gomez said. “If Bellator ever
does a 125-pound division, I’m all for it. If the UFC opens
it up, I’m down for the opportunity, but right now it’s
just about the fight that’s in front of me.”
Gomez
returns to action on Feb. 18 to face Montague in the co-main
event of the Tachi Palace Fights show in Lemoore, Calif.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Eyeing
UFC Return, John Gunderson Doesn’t Fight To Have A Cool
Facebook Page
“I
don’t think I’ve been angry for a fight in a few years.
I’m angry now, so we’ll see what happens.”
These
are the words of lightweight John “Quick Guns” Gunderson
after reading the comments made in a press release by his upcoming
Tachi Palace Fights opponent Dominique Robinson.
In
preview for their match-up on Feb. 18 in Lemoore, Calif., Robinson
had expressed superiority over his opponent, which Gunderson
is quick to retort.
“I
learned a long time ago to respect opponents, and having said
that, he’s said some things that are his opinion, but come
that night we’ll find what the truth is,” Gunderson
told MMAWeekly.com.
“I
laugh when he says he’s better than me in all aspects of
the game. I don’t think he’s better than me at anything,
and the only way to find out is on fight night.”
Gunderson
further refuted Robinson’s claims by saying, “He hasn’t
beaten anybody or really done anything with his career to make
his claims. I was a little upset when I saw that, but all it’s
going to do is make me train harder and my goal is to finish
him.”
While
he closed out last year with a win, Gunderson starts off a new
year where he hopes to rebound from a 2010 that saw him reach
his highest of highs only to have it quickly dissipate around
him.
“Even
with as many fights as I have, I learned so much last year,”
commented Gunderson. “I fought in the UFC, which was good
and a dream come true, but I went 1-2 and was released.
“I
trained with so many UFC guys like Evan Dunham, Gray Maynard,
Tyson Griffin, and Sam Stout, just to name a few, and I see what
it takes when you get to that level. It’s hard dedication
and you’ve got to perform, and that’s the kind of stuff
that can dictate the rest of your career.”
Gunderson
doesn’t look at his current situation with starry eyes.
He realizes the truth of where he’s at and what he needs
to do to get back to the top.
“(Defeating
Robinson) would be two wins in a row, but I don’t think
it’d be a big enough win, because he hasn’t beaten
anybody worth mentioning, so I think it will take a couple more
fights,” admitted Gunderson.
“I’ve
got a couple more fights kind of lined up in the year, so I think
with four wins – which is my goal – and I can make
an argument to be back.”
While
he’s not allowing himself to get derailed by unrealistic
expectations, Gunderson does know he has something working on
his behalf.
“Even
though I lost two fights in the UFC, no one finished me,”
he stated. “I wasn’t one of those guys who went in
there and got beat down.
“I’m
in no hurry, because being in the UFC is one thing and winning
is another. I want to make sure when I’m back in the UFC
I’m 100-percent ready. I want to make sure if I get a chance
to be back there that I’m winning there and not just fighting
there.”
Having
made mistakes in the past and taking the necessary steps to get
back on track, a truly fired up Gunderson looks to start of 2011
with a win to put him one step closer to a UFC return.
“I
want to thank Tapout, Shawn Tompkins and all my training partners
at Xtreme Couture, he said in closing.
“Come
watch the Tachi Palace Fights on Feb 18. There’s a lot of
great fights on the card, but our fight should be the most exciting.
I don’t fight to have a cool Facebook; I fight because this
is a sport that I love.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
After
Leaving UFC, Antonio McKee Defends Belt Against Drew Fickett
at MFC 28
Sometimes
the road through life takes unforeseen twists and turns. It did
in a big way this week.
Antonio McKee and Jacob Volkmann at UFC 125
Antonio
McKee and Jacob Volkmann at UFC 125
Antonio
McKee won the Maximum Fighting Championship lightweight title
by defeating Derrick Noble at MFC 20 in early 2009. He fought
two more times for the promotion before making the jump to prove
himself in the UFC.
Drew
Fickett was heading for the MFC in 2008, but a public falling
out between him and MFC president Mark Pavelich ended badly.
Fickett and Pavelich parted ways.
Now,
the turns of fate have both headed back to Canada to fight each
other, for Pavelich, at MFC 28.
Time
really must heal all wounds.
McKee
(25-4-2) got one shot in the Octagon. He lost a split decision
to Jacob Volkmann at UFC 125 and was sent packing.
McKee
will put his lightweight title on the line for the second time
on Feb. 25 when he returns to the MFC.
Fickett
(40-13) went on a 2-8 yearlong skid after his falling out with
Pavelich in 2008. He has since turned his career around, winning
four straight fights, including three fights in one night last
September, winning the Shine Fights Lightweight Grand Prix.
McKee
vs. Fickett will serve as the co-main event at MFC 28: Supremacy
at the River Cree Resort and Casino, just outside Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada. It will air live on HDNet Fights.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
126 Official with 11 Bouts
by Mike
Whitman
A
lightweight scrap between former WEC talent Donald Cerrone and
Brit Paul Kelly has been greenlit for UFC 126.
The
promotion made the matchup official on Thursday. The event, which
goes down Feb. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas,
is now once again complete with 11 signed bouts.
Kelly
was supposed to square off with Canadian striker Sam Stout at
the event, but Stout was forced to withdraw due to injury. Though
Cerrone had initially called out Cole Miller for his UFC debut,
“Cowboy” accepted the bout with Kelly when Stout went
down.
Cerrone
has won three of his last four bouts and comes fresh off a second-round
submission victory over former International Fight League talent
Chris Horodecki at WEC 53. Though the pair exchanged evenly while
standing in the first round, the second frame belong to “Cowboy.”
The
27-year-old locked up a triangle choke once the fight hit the
floor, and although Horodecki fought it off for quite some time,
eventually Cerrone found the correct squeeze. Prior to that triumph,
the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts product avenged a 2009
loss to Jamie Varner at WEC 51, using newfound wrestling skills
to dominate the former champion and earn a clear-cut unanimous
decision.
An
eight-time UFC veteran, Kelly holds a 5-3 record in the promotion
and has bested the likes of Matt Veach and countryman Paul Taylor
since he joined the big leagues. After fighting three times at
welterweight and earning a record of 2-1 inside the Octagon,
Kelly made the cut to lightweight in 2009. Since dropping to
155 pounds, the 26-year-old has defeated Veach and Rolando Delgado
while falling to Dennis Siver and Jacob Volkmann. Most recently,
Kelly earned a TKO victory over T.J. O'Brien at UFC 123 in November.
UFC
126 will be headlined by a middleweight title clash, as longtime
champion Anderson Silva defends his belt against a resurgent
Vitor Belfort. Also scheduled for Feb. 5 are two interesting
light heavyweight tilts as Forrest Griffin squares off with Rich
Franklin and Jon Jones meets Ryan Bader.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Strikeforce
Shifts Gears: Overeem’s Belt Safe, Tourney Fights Three
Rounds
by Ken
Pishna
Strikeforce, on a media conference call on Thursday, formalized
plans for its eight-man Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament.
Company
CEO Scott Coker, in an initial interview with MMAWeekly.com last
week, had hoped to make all bouts in the tournament five five-minute
rounds with heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem’s belt
at risk throughout the tournament.
“The
goal is to have Alistair put up his belt against Fabricio Werdum.
If Werdum wins, then he will have to put up the belt, but at
the end, you will have one champion,” Coker said.
That
was the goal, but Coker also said that they had to make sure
that their plans worked in conjunction with the state athletic
commissions that will oversee the multi-event tournament. The
various rounds of the tournament will be split amongst separate
events in various locations.
Of
chief concern to Strikeforce was the number of rounds for each
of the bouts if the title were at risk through the tournament.
“We’re
working with the athletic commissions because of the round issue,”
Coker told MMAWeekly.com. Most commissions deem title fights
five-round bouts; non-title fights are typically three rounds.
That
proved to be the point where Strikeforce shifted gears and decided
not to put Overeem’s title on the line in the Grand Prix.
“We
just didn’t feel like it would be fair for one fight to
be three rounds, one fight to be five rounds,” Coker said
on Thursday.
He
pointed out that, over the course of the tournament, Strikeforce
could end up working with as many as six different commissions.
“We
would have to have all those commissions on the same page and
we just couldn’t do it,” he added.
So
the tournament is set to be three five-minute rounds per fight
up until the final bout, which will be a five-round championship
fight.
If
any fight is ruled a draw, there will be a fourth judge that
will determine which fighter should continue on in the tournament.
As well, if a fighter cannot continue on in the tournament due
to injury or other circumstances, a five-person Strikeforce committee,
headed up by Strikeforce rules director Cory Schafer, will determine
a replacement from reserve bout winners and eliminated tournament
fighters.
The
winner of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix will be the
tournament champion and challenge Overeem for the Strikeforce
heavyweight title. If Overeem makes it through the tournament,
then his belt will be on the line in final with the winner declared
both the Strikeforce heavyweight champion and Grand Prix tournament
champion.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Dave
Meltzer: Scott Coker should kick out Josh Barnett of Strikeforce
tournament
By Zach
Arnold
There’s a lot of new layers being added to the Josh Barnett
situation with Strikeforce. He’s booked in their upcoming
Heavyweight tournament on the ‘easier’ side of the
bracket and should he perform as expected, he’ll make it
to the finals and have a legitimate shot of winning the promotion’s
Heavyweight tournament and becoming champion. In other words,
he is someone who Scott Coker views as a guy who he can build
his company around as the face of the promotion.
During
an in-person interview with Eddie Goldman in New York on Monday,
Mr. Coker strongly defended Josh Barnett’s tournament participation
and said that Strikeforce would handle the drug testing regarding
Josh’s fights. Eddie compared the commission-shopping situation
with that of one Antonio Margarito.
SCOTT
COKER: “Yeah, here’s my position and the company’s
position on this and, uh, this is something that we thought long
and hard about with Josh and, you know, him going through the
California State commission hearings and he’s got unfinished
business with them, right? But that’s between Josh and the
commission. My job is we are a fight company that just picked
up his contract and, uh, we sent him to California to get tested
six weeks ago. Tested clean, right? So, he’s tested clean.
I feel good about that and he’s been out of the fight business
for maybe… 18 months here in (North America).
“So
what I’m saying is he’s, how much has this guy already
suffered and lost out? He’s lost out on hundreds of thousands
of dollars because of, you know, situations in his past. So,
you know, to me we as a company are going to judge him from what
he does for us. Now, in saying that, we’re going to test
him before and after every fight and, you know, I believe that
he’s already moved on from that part of his past.”
EDDIE
GOLDMAN: “Meaning that the commissions or Strikeforce?”
SCOTT
COKER: “Strikeforce. So, if Josh tests positive again and
then, you know, then there’s going to be an issue, right?
But I want to judge him on his future and his present with the
company and not so much his past because, you know what? To tell
you the truth, like the situation in Vegas, I really don’t
even know what happened with that. I mean, you probably know
more than me. But, that was when he wasn’t working with
Strikeforce, wasn’t fighting for Strikeforce, and I’ve
reached out to about six commission states that will allow him
to fight in their state pending a clean test and we’re going
to move forward. he’s moved forward. I think everybody else
should move forward, too, and let the guy make a living.”
After
these comments were made, I noted that Josh Barnett’s participation
in a second tournament this year was made official. He will be
one of eight men involved in the upcoming year-long IGF title
tournament in Japan. Also involved in the tournament — Wakakirin.
Probability of someone getting hurt while facing that guy in
the ring? Decent. IGF tournament dates – 2/5 Fukuoka Int’l
Center, 4/28 JCB Hall, 7/10 JCB Hall (Tokyo), and 9/3 at Aichi
Prefectural Gym in Nagoya.
Then
came the big news that surprised everyone except me (apparently)
— Josh Barnett isn’t going to show up for the final
hearing in California regarding his future for getting licensed
in the state. Anyone who’s ever listened to interviews he’s
done on this site in the past (and they’re still available
for download) knows that he has never believed in athletic commissions
regulating Mixed Martial Arts. He’s been pretty consistent
in his stance on the matter. So, I’m not surprised that
he decided to no-show the final hearing because he’s long
had a fatalistic view about these kinds of issues. And, as you
saw up above with Scott Coker, he has a promoter who is more
than happy to promote him in friendly States or countries (ahem,
Japan, as I told Josh Gross last week).
All
of this leads us to Dave Meltzer’s comments yesterday on
the matter. Dave is someone who has known Scott Coker for many
years and knows the people at American Kickboxing Academy, the
lynch pins for the company’s matchmaking for a long time.
So, when Dave unloaded on Barnett and Strikeforce yesterday,
we took notice and transcribed what he said.
DAVE
MELTZER: “That really, I mean… I don’t know that
says about him, but um… I was shocked. I was absolutely
shocked because it’s basically throwing in the towel and
you’re almost making yourself… I don’t know. I
think that it really, you know if there was any doubts or any
way for him to clear his name, that ain’t the way to do
it.”
BRYAN
ALVAREZ: “No. It is a baffling situation, I won’t lie.”
DAVE
MELTZER: “You know the whole thing’s that happened
from start-to-finish makes you question everything because it’s
like every time, you know it’s been a year-plus, I mean
there has been hearing after hearing where something didn’t
happen, right, where once he doesn’t show up, you know last
time he doesn’t bring his lawyer and now he’s just
not going to be there at all when… You know, at this point,
if he doesn’t come I think it’s pretty clear they’re
not going to give him a license.”
BRYAN
ALVAREZ: “No.”
DAVE
MELTZER: “And if California doesn’t give him a license,
yeah, sure, you can go commission shop, but that makes Coker
and Strikeforce look bad for putting a guy in a tournament that,
um, no-showed a hearing, you know, to get reinstated after a
steroid test violation and also there’s going to be states
like, you know, Nevada and New Jersey, you know powerful states
where he’s not going to be able to fight. So, I almost you
know, honest to God if he doesn’t go, if I was the promoter,
no question, if I was the promoter in this situation, if I’m
Coker, I’m telling him, dude, you change your mind and you
get to that commission and you ask, I’m sorry I applied
late, get me on the docket. Because if you’re not on that
docket and they don’t approve you, I got to kick you out
of the tournament. You got to. Because you can’t go in there
and go, well, you know, what if Josh wins? We can’t have
the final in San Jose. We can’t have the finals in Jersey,
we can’t have the finals in Vegas.”
BRYAN
ALVAREZ: “Not only that, but what if Josh wins? You’ve
got to promoter-shop. If he wins, you have to promoter-shop for
three different shows and…”
DAVE
MELTZER: “I guess you could keep going to Texas, but then
it also looks, it looks bad. Don’t get me wrong, boxing
did the same thing with (Antonio) Margarito and they did, you
know, 1 million plus buys with Margarito and Pacquaio, so it’s
not like it’s something that hasn’t been done by boxing
and it’s not something unprecedented or anything like that.
But, I mean, I think it’s bad for the promotion and I think
it’s bad for all concerned and I don’t understand.
For himself, I think it looks bad because now it’s going
to be, you know, you ran away from a hearing. I mean, it’s
one thing, you know, he already has three positives. But running
away from the hearing, I mean people are going to go OK, you
know what evidence do they have on him? What is he hiding? You
know he’s not even going to show up and fight?
“I
don’t know, to me, I couldn’t put the guy in the tournament.
You know, and he’s not instrumental in the tournament. I
mean, if it was Werdum or it was Overeem or Fedor, one of those
big three, you know maybe you go and give leeway because they’re
so important to the tournament. Barnett is not, you know, yeah,
it’s nice and he was a star in PRIDE and some people remember
that, but he hasn’t don’t anything of major significance
in MMA in years anyway. I mean, he may very well be, you know,
he may very well be still a very good fighter, you know, you
don’t know until you see him against top competition. I
mean, what I’ve seen of him in his recent fights, I can
say, you know, he hasn’t looked great or anything like that.
The (Gilbert) Yvel fight he fight he dominated but didn’t
finish and then the Geronimo dos Santos, that was a guy who was
not top caliber by any means, you know he won the fight, but
that’s immaterial anyway.
“I
mean the thing is… Yeah, I was stunned when that I read.
I just that, you know, from that last hearing, you bring your
lawyer, you go in there, you act contrite.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Dana
White: Wanderlei Silva Likely to Face Brian Stann in Comeback
Fight
By Mike
Chiappetta
In the months since Wanderlei Silva went on the shelf recovering
from a knee injury and subsequent surgery, it seems like practically
every middleweight in the division has asked to face him in his
comeback fight.
Chael
Sonnen, Nate Marquardt, Alan Belcher and Chris Leben are all
among the names that have publically lobbied to face the MMA
legend. But it seems the most recent man to request Silva may
be the one to get the much-desired bout.
Brian
Stann is the most likely opponent for Silva upon his return,
UFC president Dana White told MMA Fighting.
Though
White couldn't offer a specific date for the bout, Silva is expected
to be ready to see octagon action in the spring.
Stann
(10-3) opened eyes in the middleweight division after a crushing
knockout win over Leben in the first round of their UFC 125 bout.
The victory made the former WEC light-heavyweight 2-0 as a 185-pounder.
Afterward, when asked who he wanted to face next, Stann prefaced
his answer by saying he had a deep respect for the man he hoped
to step in the cage with.
"I
think I'd like to fight Wanderlei [Silva] next," he said
then. "He's a guy that I've watched for years. Before I
ever put a glove on. He's amazing. He's as tough as they come,
as good as they come, and a multiple weight champion. I think
I'd like to fight him next, but I'll be prepared for anybody."
Silva's
return will come after a layoff of over one year as he recovered
from three broken ribs as well as a torn ACL. The 34-year-old
Silva (33-10-1, 1 no contest) last fought in February 2010, defeating
Michael Bisping by unanimous decision. Months later, he underwent
knee surgery.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Karate
Champ Joins Belfort in Final Preparations for Silva
by Marcelo
Alonso
South American karate champion Jayme Sandall arrived in Las Vegas
this week to assist Vitor Belfort in the final stages of training
for Belfort’s UFC middleweight title bout with champion
Anderson Silva on Feb. 5 at UFC 126.
As
a member of the Brazilian national karate team, Sandall has formed
a close relationship with the family of fellow Shotokan practitioner
and Silva training partner Lyoto Machida, particularly Lyoto’s
father, Yoshizo.
“Yoshizo
is our official head coach,” Sandall told Sherdog.com on
Monday. “Also, I’m very good good friends with all
of his sons. Actually, I’ve already faced all of them in
karate competitions, but that’s normal in karate and we’re
very good friends.”
Considered
one of the finest and most technical Brazilian karatekas, Sandall
previously imparted his skills to “The Phenom” prior
to Belfort’s return to the UFC against Rich Franklin in
September 2009. The game plan which Sandall helped draw up lead
to a first-round TKO victory for Belfort. Now, they seek to repeat
the feat against dominant champion Silva.
“We’re
going to create a technical and tactical work. Actually, we’ve
developed a series of karate movements to create a specific strategy
for this fight,” Sandall said. “Karate, once again,
will come to sharpen Vitor. He’s already in great shape,
and his striking and ground games are sharp. Now, we add the
timing and distance, both for offense and defense.”
Sandall
was eager to return to Vegas after a positive experience before
the Franklin bout, when he lived in Sin City with Belfort for
almost two months.
“Vitor
is such a humble person, very easy to work with. Furthermore,
he really is a phenom. Everything you show him, he learns and
adapts to his game so quickly. Working with him 24 hours a day
for such a long period of time in Vegas was a great professional
experience,” said Sandall, who went on to predict a war
between his sparring partner and Silva.
“Anderson
is one of the most talented and skilled fighters in MMA, and
he deserves all the respect, but Vitor is also such a special
and talented fighter. He’s so focused on getting the belt
right now. The fans can expect a historic battle.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
125 Draws Comparable Gate and Attendance To Last New Year’s
Event
The
Nevada State Athletic Commission on Thursday released the official
tally for the gate revenue and ticket sales for UFC 125, the
promotion’s New Year’s Day event.
Featuring
UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar drawing with challenger
Gray Maynard in the main event at the Grand Garden Arena in Las
Vegas, UFC 125 pulled in a total gate of $2,174,780.
UFC
125 total attendance officially sits at 12,874, according to
the NSAC numbers. That number is based on ticket sales of 6,978
with 5,896 comps. That is 1,077 tickets shy of a sellout.
UFC
108, the promotion’s first event of 2010 on Jan. 2, pulled
in comparable numbers. The gate was$1,969,670 with a total attendance
of 13,529. UFC 108 saw 5,314 tickets issued complimentary and
599 unsold.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Can
Strikeforce offer Dan Henderson enough fights to keep him around?
By Zach
Arnold
For reference, he will be fighting Feijao in the March-April
time frame for the promotion’s Light Heavyweight title.
RON
KRUCK: “Well, Dan, a spectacular way to end 2010 with your
knockout of Renato “Babalu” Sobral. How satisfying
was it to end the year with that type of win?”
DAN
HENDERSON: “Uh, well, I guess it’s pretty satisfying
and gratifying. It was something that obviously that I try to
do every fight but you never know until it’s done and I
knew I was capable of knocking him out. I knew he’d been
knocked out before and you know I guess also for him to really
call me out to want to fight me it made it even sweeter, I guess.”
RON
KRUCK: “Nice. Let’s talk about 2011. When do you expect
to fight again for Strikeforce and do you have an opponent?”
DAN
HENDERSON: “This next six months I should be pretty active.
I should probably have two fights before June, so my guess would
be early March so we’ll see. I plan on fighting early March
and training camp starting right at the first of the year and
I’m not going to be too far out of shape, which is good.
I’d rather have, you know, 2-3 fights back-to-back like
that and stay in good shape rather than my last two fights, I’ve
had 10 months in between, 9 months in between and you know it’s
just a little tougher to get back in shape if you’ve not
done anything for 4-5 months and I typically train when I’m
at home no matter what if I’ve got something coming up,
but it’s not the same. I’m usually in here (Team Quest)
trying to get my guys ready, roll with them a little bit, but
I’m not as intense as I am when I’m training for my
fight.”
RON
KRUCK: “If you do fight two more times, would that end your
Strikeforce commitment and if so, would you like to re-sign with
the promotion?”
DAN
HENDERSON: “Uh, yeah, I have two more fights on my Strikeforce
deal and yeah, I’d possibly would definitely re-sign with
Strikeforce. I’ve really been happy there and uh, you know,
but you never know how things work out. My goal is to make sure
I win these next two fights, you know, and possibly re-sign a
deal before the end of my deal, who knows? I’m not worried
about it. I know that I want to fight for 2-to-3 more years,
6-7 fights, maybe more even. 10 years ago I said I was only going
to fight for maybe one more year, so this is the truth and when
I had that press conference in PRIDE after I was done wrestling
I wanted to maybe only fight for one more year, that’s how
my body felt back then. I was really worn out from wrestling
and now I’ve really got a lot smarter way of training, I’m
getting older but I’m smarter about it with MMA and I’m
not competing really as much as I did when I wrestled.”
RON
KRUCK: “Dan, you are the only guy in major Mixed Martial
Arts promotions to hold titles simultaneously in two different
weight classes. You’ve gone back and forth here in the past
few years in fighting in two different weight classes. What should
we expect in 2011, do you have a preference on where you want
to fight?”
DAN
HENDERSON: “Uh, not too much you know. I had a little trouble
when I fought Jake Shields with my weight and injuries going
into that, so I got that all straightened out and, you know,
typically I don’t have too tough of a time making 185. Typically
I don’t mind that weight at all, but it is nicer to eat
all the way through training camp and not have to worry about
it and even if I’m the smaller guy, I never feel small.
Not mentally I don’t feel small. I feel my style’s
always been where I’m not lifting the guy’s weight
so much, I’m not picking him up with double-legs and slamming
him. I’m more hanging on. I’m making them carry my
weight a little more and a little more technical with things
control-wise, so really I don’t notice being smaller as
much. Some of these guys have the style of picking guys up or
carrying their weight a lot more, it’s definitely a feeling
your weight difference but I’ve never felt small in any
fight against heavyweights. I don’t think about it. I’m
out there to win. I got to do what it takes to win and if I don’t
want to be underneath a guy because he’s bigger I won’t
stay underneath him but it doesn’t mean I feel small. You
got to be smart with things and still with that being said, I’ll
probably stay at 205 for a little bit. My next fight will definitely
be at 205.”
RON
KRUCK: “Do you expect that next fight to be for the title
and you challenge Feijao?”
DAN
HENDERSON: “Uh, it’s a good possibility to have that
fight there. I mean that’s what was talked about before
my Babalu fight, the winner gets a title fight but nothing’s
confirmed and you know it’s just a matter of me waiting
and seeing. There’s some top guys, really tough guys at
205 now in Strikeforce so no matter what or who I’m fighting,
it’s going to be definitely be one of the top guys. And
that’s all I want, you know. Obviously I’d rather fight
for the title and be the top guy but, you know, I think there’s
some other interesting match-ups for me there as well if that’s
what it is and fights that I can get excited about.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Coker
Clarifies Rules, Structure of Strikeforce Heavyweight GP
by Chris
Nelson
Contrary to initial reports, Alistair Overeem’s Strikeforce
heavyweight title will not be on the line at any point during
the promotion’s upcoming heavyweight grand prix.
Since
the eight-man, single-elimination tournament was formally announced
in early January, word has circulated that Overeem’s title
would be up for grabs in each of the champion’s bouts. During
a Thursday media conference call, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker
clarified both the rules and structure of the tournament.
“The
winner of the final match will be crowned Strikeforce World Grand
Prix champion, and he’ll receive an opportunity to fight
for the Strikeforce heavyweight belt at that time,” Coker
explained. If Overeem were to come out on top, Coker said that
Strikeforce would look at having the reigning champ fight an
opponent whom he did not meet in the tournament.
Along
with Overeem, the bracket includes such notable heavyweights
as Fedor Emelianenko, Fabricio Werdum, Antonio Silva, Josh Barnett
and Andrei Arlovski. The tournament is set to begin on Feb. 12
at Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Silva,” which takes place
at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. The promotion is
still shopping for a location and date for the tournament’s
second round. Coker stated that “pending injuries, the semifinals
would be late June, July.”
While
it was initially thought that each tournament bout would consist
of five, five-minute rounds, all quarterfinal and semifinal matches
will be scheduled for the standard three five-minute periods.
Only the tournament final remains a five-round affair.
“We
just didn’t feel that it was fair for one person to fight
five rounds, one person to fight three rounds,” said Coker.
“There was debate about, well, should the final fight --
which is five rounds -- be a title fight? But then, what if Alistair
wasn’t there? It just became very confusing.”
In
the case that any of the tournament’s matches are ruled
a draw, Coker revealed that a fourth judge will be on hand to
score the bout independently and select a winner “based
on overall performance.” The rule is similar to that of
longtime official Nelson “Doc” Hamilton’s proposed
Martial Arts Specific Scoring system.
Of
course, with any tournament comes the possibility of a participant
being sidelined by injury. While a trio of reserve bouts has
been booked for the Feb. 12 event, Coker said that the selection
process for a replacement fighter, if needed, would be more involved
than a simple swap.
“If
a fighter qualifies to advance in the tournament but, for any
reason, cannot advance, we’re forming a five-person tournament
review committee who will select a fighter to advance in his
place,” said Coker. “This fighter will be chosen from
a pool of fighters that includes the previous opponent and the
winners of the reserve matches.”
Heading
the tournament review committee will be Strikeforce rules director
Cory Schafer. Names of the other tournament committee members
and further tournament rules are expected to be released shortly.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Jimmy
Smith: I’m 90% sure that I won’t be back with Bellator
By Zach
Arnold
Consider
this a head scratching moment for MMA fans. Jimmy Smith and Sean
Wheelock were really one of the better MMA commentating duos
out there. Always a honest and professional job. I enjoyed their
work immensely on the Bellator broadcasts. So, naturally, Jimmy
is now on the sidelines and rumored to be replaced by Neil Grove,
of all people.
During
a Monday night interview on Tapout radio, you can sense the confusion
and bewilderment from Jimmy in regards to why he hasn’t
heard from the Bellator office regarding his employment with
the company in 2011.
INTERVIEWER:
“What’s going on with Bellator? I mean instead of us
just asking questions in particular, why don’t you just
tell us what you got to say about Bellator basically?”
JIMMY
SMITH: “Well, it’s… it’s kind of strange,
I haven’t heard anything since early December. I want to
say like December 1st, maybe even the end of November. Pretty
much we had a, you know, we still have a contract through 2011
but they, the deal was they wanted me to sign an extension and,
you know, for various reasons I didn’t like the extension
and so I haven’t heard anything in, God, coming up on two
months now and, uh… so it’s, I find it highly unlikely
I’ll be coming back to Bellator. They’re getting ready
to start up I think next month, so looks like they’re going
in another direction so far in terms of commentary but I’m
still under contract, you never know how it’s going to go.
They could come back and start negotiation again but like I said
I haven’t heard anything in about two months so looks like
they’re going in another direction commentary-wise, so…
that’s the deal as far as I know it.”
INTERVIEWER:
“It looks like it or it is? Like, I mean have you received
confirmation from Bjorn or anybody?”
JIMMY
SMITH: “Nobody. Nothing. But they don’t have to, you
know, I haven’t received confirmation from anybody. But
I haven’t, you know, it’s just like negotiations about
the, um… extension were really short. Really short, and
it was, you know, I thought the deal we already had through 2011
was better and so I said, hey, why don’t we stick with the
contract we already have and that was it. That was it. I haven’t
heard anything in, like I said, almost two months now. So everybody
keeps telling me the same things. The reason I’m talking
about it at all is because, you know, a lot of people are now
calling me for interviews about Bellator and you know what’s
going and you know Mauro Ranallo called me last week and goes
kind of like, hey, what’s going on with Bellator, we want
to do an interview with you and I said, uh… can’t help
you, man. You know it’s like people assume that I’m
coming back next year and I would say right now I’m 90%
I’m not. So, it’s funny because you get these calls
about interviews and about Bellator coming up and I’m out
of it, I don’t, you know, so it’s… you know, it’s
an interesting, it’s a difficult situation but I’d
say 90% I’m not coming back. You know I still could back
and do something but 90% I’m not, which is weird.”
INTERVIEWER:
“Now does the pre-existing contract go through the season
of 2011? So are you still set to be paid even though if things
do fall through?”
JIMMY
SMITH: “No, what happens is they have the option to basically
decide whether or not I come back. It’s entirely up to them.
We have an agreement but it’s entirely up to Bellator at
this point as to whether or not I’ll be coming back, so…
um… you know it’s up to them…”
The
radio conversation took some interesting turns from there.
His
thoughts on why his partnership with Sean Wheelock worked so
well:
“Well,
the thing is that MMA, in the MMA community as a whole, um, can
be very critical. it can be a rough crowd, it really can be.
The fans in MMA really care about the sport and they are really
particular about what they see and hear and we got nothing but
positive feedback in 2010. I mean as tough as it can be to please
the crowd every week in MMA, I thought we got a lot of positive
feedback, a lot of the media, a lot of the fans really seemed
to like us and what we were doing and that’s a hard thing
to do. You know I mean there was an article on Sherdog about
really how bad MMA announcing can be. It was really, really critical
and really harsh and, you know, it’s hard to find a team
that can do well every week and the people respond to, especially
in MMA where the fans are really, really opinionated and I thought
we worked really well and the fans seemed to enjoy us. You know,
it’s not an easy thing to get.”
“The
space and the timing and allowing the other person talking and
you come back in is not easy to get, it’s a really difficult
thing to do because it’s me and Sean (Wheelock) in there
and we’ve been working together I think for three years
now and it’s that timing, it’s that idea of when to
talk and when he’s not going to talk, I don’t talk
over him, we don’t yell at the same time and stuff like
that, that’s not an easy thing to get. I mean, broadcasting
is a skill, it’s not easy to teach somebody how to do that.
You know what I mean? You kind of have to figure that and it’s
not easy to do and it’s not an easy thing to throw somebody
into. You know, you see a lot of promotions like they’ll
get a fighter and just throw them in there because they were
a great fighter and they got a lot of fan appeal that they’ll
be a good broadcaster and they’re not. It’s not easy
to do.”
As
for why Bellator isn’t showing interest in bringing him
back, he’s perplexed given his self-assessment on how he
did on television:
“With
the way 2010 ended with Bellator and everything, it didn’t
occur to me that there would be any problems. You know what I
mean? Everybody keeps asking that, oh what do you plan to do
and I was like, I didn’t plan to not be at Bellator in 2011.
That really didn’t occur to me until, you know, until the
negotiations bogged down. So it was, you know, when you say we’ll
what do you lined up? Well I have a lot of things in the offing
but, you know, this is a kind of shock to me as well, so it’s
about reorganizing everything. But I do have my gym, Sweet Science,
and that’s going really well so I asked them to keep me
busy in the mean time, for sure.”
“All
we heard in 2010 was how great we were. And I’m not tooting
my horn, I’m not saying I’m great, I’m not an
egomaniac person and it was from the production people, from
the people in the booth. The people in the truck that you never
see, looking at screens who have to work with people all the
time in TV, when they’re telling you ‘you made our
job a lot easier,’ ‘you’re the one part we didn’t
have to worry about.’ You’re the one thing, you know,
with all the stuff going on (with) promotion and you know a live
event and the screens and the music and the, you know, lights,
everything, when they go, ‘Jimmy, we don’t worry about
you, you’re the one thing we don’t worry about, we
go Jimmy do your thing and you’re going to do it and we
don’t have to worry about it.’ No, I never did it,
question myself, because not only did the fans appreciate what
we did but the people who actually make the show work and they’re
awesome at Bellator, the people who actually make the show work
really appreciated what we did and never hesitated to let me
know that and that, that I’ll take me with me if I never
work in TV again. You know what I mean?”
“As
far as the production value of Bellator, they have great people
working for them. They have great people doing the show themselves
— great editor, great video people, and they work really,
really hard. And as far as production value goes, I thought 2010
they were outstanding. They made up some changes in 2011, I’m
not speaking as to the future, I’m saying in 2010 their
production value, what you saw on your TV, was really, really
extraordinary and they deserve a lot of credit for putting that
together. The production people are outstanding at Bellator and
it’s not an easy thing to do week-after-week. I was gone
doing Bellator Tuesday through Friday every single week. I get
on a plane Tuesday morning, I fly out Friday morning and, you
know, doing that every week and getting on that grind and, you
know, I mean multiply the mistakes you can make in a show times
once a week times 22 weeks and the fat that they were spot on
production-wise every week is a real credit to those people.
It’s not an easy thing to do.”
During
the interview, he was asked to give his thoughts on Bellator’s
tournament format and on Cole Konrad winning last season’s
Heavyweight tournament:
“Well,
the thing is that the tournament format of Bellator, the tournament
format of these two guys fight, this guy moves on really ties
the hands of the show promotionally. Meaning, if somebody wins
they move on. The whole concept Bellator is that it’s impartial
and that it’s fair and that the winner moves on, the loser
doesn’t and that’s it. We’re not playing favorites
in terms of giving guys easy fights. It’s a tournament,
so the guys that moves on is the guy who wins and that’s
it. But because of that, it’s not like, this person had
a boring fight, let’s give them a few undercards and build
them up. It’s, hey, if you win, you move on, so how you
win, you know promotionally, really isn’t that important.
It doesn’t, you don’t have to have exciting fights
or we’ll relegate you to the undercard. Hey, if you win,
you win and you move on, so you kind of tie your hands when it
comes to stuff like that promotionally where people say, oh,
that’s a boring fight, but he won and he moves on. You know
what I mean? It’s the double-edged sword of having a tournament
format where the winner moves on and the loser doesn’t,
you know, is somebody might win in an ugly win, but hey a win’s
a win and they move on.
“So
in the case of the Heavyweight tournament, you know heavyweight
fights can be boring anyway. You know they tend to be the ones
where if two guys are out of shape, nothing’s worse than
a bad heavyweight fight, let me put it that way. You know what
I mean, like a bad heavyweight fight is really, really bad. We
saw that with, you know, Mirko Cro Cop vs. Frank Mir, we’ve
seen some really bad ones and when they’re bad, they’re
God-awful bad, but somebody wins and somebody moves on and that
fighter keeps going. So, yeah, it’s hard to deal with when
you have a weight class that isn’t, I think, doesn’t
inherently have, you know… it has potential to be boring
to lead to obviously a bad tournament and that’s what some
people thought.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Cut
Loose By UFC, Phil Baroni Signs Multi-Fight Deal With Titan Fighting
by Ken
Pishna
Try
as he might, Phil Baroni hasn’t been able to cut it in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. In two stints with the promotion,
he has amassed a record of 3-7 in his 10 trips to the Octagon.
Following
losses in his last two attempts in the UFC, losing by unanimous
decision to Amir Sadollah and TKO to Brad Tavares, Baroni was
handed his walking papers.
Baroni
has been fighting for more than a decade with a mediocre record
of 13-13.
Thirty-four
years old and looking to put his career on the right track, Baroni
has already signed with a new fight promotion, less than two
weeks following his UFC dismissal.
The
Titan Fighting Championship on Wednesday announced that it reached
a multi-fight agreement with Baroni.
“Since
Phil’s departure from the UFC, many fight fans have been
wondering what Phil’s next move would be. I am proud to
announce that Phil has signed a multi-fight deal with Titan and
will be featured during our March event,” Titan Fighting
CEO Joe Kelly stated.
“Phil
has a star quality to him that so few fighters have and win or
lose he has always fought with a true warrior’s mentality.”
Baroni
is scheduled to debut for Titan on its March 25 show in Kansas
City against an opponent yet to be determined.
“I’m
very happy and excited to re-start my career with Titan Fighting
in Kansas City,” said Baroni. “I have another chapter
to write and it starts March 25.”
The
timing didn’t quite work out to get Baroni onto Titan’s
next fight card, which takes place Jan. 28 in Kansas City, Kan.,
and is slated to air live on HDNet. The Jan. 28 fight card features
former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in the evening’s
main event.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
7
Questions for Royce Gracie
by Marcelo
Alonso
The UFC on Dec. 15 made official its plans to return to Brazil
for the first time in more than a decade. UFC President Dana
White highlighted hall of famer Royce Gracie, as the promotion
began its push for UFC “Rio” on Aug. 27 at the HSBC
Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In
this exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, given after the press
conference announcing the event, Gracie discusses a potential
return to the UFC, the evolution of the sport and the modern-day
fighters he respects most.
Sherdog.com:
What does the UFC’s return to Brazil mean for you, your
family and especially your father, who is not here to see it?
Gracie: Here was where it all began. Seventy-five years ago,
my father had created this kind of event find out the best fighter
and the best fighting style. For years, my family has proven
that Gracie jiu-jitsu is the best style of self-defense to defend
in the streets. We came out here for some time, went to America
and came back. We realize that the birthplace of the business
is here, the heart of where it all began. That’s why guys
are so damn excited to bring the event back here.
Sherdog.com:
Do you think the world today gives the Gracie family and your
father the recognition they deserve for the important role they
have played in MMA history?
Gracie: The staff of the UFC does completely, no doubt about
that, so they want to bring the event here. Without Gracie jiu-jitsu
and the Gracie family, there wouldn’t be the UFC. They know
of this connection, so they want to bring the event back here.
We talked yesterday, and they said my family was the reason they
are bringing it here: ‘What your father created and what
you did in the ring is the reason we’re bringing the event
back to Brazil.’ They are with a sport that is growing worldwide,
so they want to give back what they earned with our family.
Sherdog.com:
I know you’re touring the world giving seminars, but are
you still training?
Gracie: Always. I live of it. I’m at the same weight I was
at UFC 1, and this is 18 years later. I’m never overweight
or needing to lose weight. I’m always at 80 kilograms (176
pounds). It’s my normal weight, and I always fight at 78
kilograms (171.6 pounds) or 80 kilograms.
Sherdog.com:
How do you see MMA today compared with your time?
Gracie: Everyone else has to prepare. The athletes have to learn
to fight standing, ground fighting and jiu-jitsu. They have to
know how to deliver a strategy and form a strategy for fighting.
Being brave is not only about entering the ring to exchange punches.
Sherdog.com:
Within this new philosophy, who is your favorite fighter?
Gracie: The guys who are the best are the guys that can deliver
a strategy. It’s [Georges] St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, [Mauricio]
“Shogun” [Rua], Lyoto Machida, Cain Velasquez. These
are the guys who are always delivering a good strategy. B.J.
Penn is also another who knows how to use strategy.
Sherdog.com:
Can we expect Royce Gracie to fight in Brazil?
Gracie: We are negotiating (laughs).
Sherdog.com:
How old are you?
Gracie: I am 44 years old. My father fought his last fight at
53, so that wouldn’t be a problem.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Source: Ermin Fergerstrom
|
M-1
Global Expanding Relationship with Strikeforce in 2011, Working
on Showtime Deal
by Damon
Martin
As
Fedor Emelianenko prepares for his return to the Strikeforce
cage in February, his management company at M-1 Global are in
the planning stages for expansion into the United States as well,
via a potential new TV deal and further co-promotion.
M-1
Global has co-promoted shows with Strikeforce each time Fedor
has fought, but now it appears with the Russian’s new four-fight
deal, M-1 Global will also be expanding its work with the San
Jose, Calif.-based promotion.
According
to M-1 Global’s Vadim Finkestein, the company is planning
to co-promote shows with Strikeforce in the future even when
Fedor isn’t involved. They are also in the process of working
on new M-1 Global shows on their own for 2011.
“We’re
currently busy with a lot of our own shows for this year alone
in 2011. We’re planning on eight M-1 Challenge shows, plus
a lot of M-1 Selection shows in a lot of different countries,”
Finkelstein told MMAWeekly.com.
“Beyond
that, we do plan on doing some co-promotion as well, not just
when Fedor fights, but even probably not on the next show, but
the show after that, we’ll have some M-1 fighters on the
co-promoted show with Strikeforce as well.”
The
expansion is a first between M-1 Global and Strikeforce.
This
also leads to the current talks between M-1 Global and Showtime,
which Finkelstein says has been ongoing for sometime now. They
hope to seal a TV deal with the network at some point this year.
“It’s
something that’s separate, but something that we’ve
been discussing for a long time with Showtime, separate from
the M-1 Global participation on the Fedor shows,” Finkelstein
disclosed. “We have our product M-1 Challenge, which we’ve
been harvesting and developing for a couple years now, and Ken
Hershman himself flew to Russia and saw one of our shows, saw
some of the fighters that we have under our banner.
“It’s
something that’s been on parallel tracks, we’ve been
discussing for quite a while and, in fact, something that’s
not completely done in terms of having these M-1 Challenge shows
on Showtime, but it’s certainly something we’ve come
much closer to. Hopefully, we’ll be able to conclude that
separate business with Showtime.”
As
far as timelines when a deal could be finalized, Finkelstein
wouldn’t speculate, but he did allude to something happening
sooner rather than later.
“We’re
almost there,” he said.
The
next co-promoted show between M-1 Global and Strikeforce will
be the card headlined by Fedor Emelianenko on Feb. 12 in New
Jersey, which will be broadcast on Showtime.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
Heavyweight Champion Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
by Mike
Whitman
UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is currently undergoing
surgery on his right shoulder to repair a partially-torn rotator
cuff.
The
news was first reported by TMZ.com, and Sherdog.com has confirmed
the report with sources close to the fighter.
Velasquez
was last seen in the Octagon in October, dethroning the much
larger Brock Lesnar in the main event of UFC 121. After an early
bull rush from Lesnar, it became apparent that the American Kickboxing
Academy product was the much faster man. Velasquez landed hard
punches with great accuracy, bloodying the muscular champion
and earning the TKO victory late in the first period.
The
newly-crowned champion's celebration was short-lived, however.
According to a report from USA Today, Velasquez felt something
wrong with his shoulder later that night. After having the sore
spot examined, it was determined that the fighter had suffered
a torn rotator cuff.
It
is unknown exactly how long the 28-year-old will be on the shelf,
but the timetable for recovery has been estimated as six to eight
months.
Meanwhile,
the UFC has already made plans for the king's return, as previous
No. 1 contender Junior dos Santos will now coach opposite Lesnar
on the 13th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The coaches
will then square off at the end of the season to determine a
new No. 1 contender for Velasquez's title. Originally, the promotion
had planned for “Cigano” to face the champion at UFC
129 on April 30 in Toronto, but that fell through when the severity
of Velasquez's injury became apparent.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
126 fight card (2/5 in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Events Center)
By Zach
Arnold
Dark
matches/preliminaries
Welterweights:
Mike Pierce vs. Kenny Robertson
Light Heavyweights: Kyle Kingsbury vs. Ricardo Romero
Bantamweights: Kid Yamamoto vs. Demetrious Johnson
Lightweights: Paul Taylor vs. Gabe Ruediger
Featherweights: Chad Mendes vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Lightweights: Donald Cerrone vs. Paul Kelly
Main card
Bantamweights:
Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos
Light Heavyweights: Jon “Bones” Jones vs. Ryan Bader
Welterweights: Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha
Light Heavyweights: Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin
UFC Middleweight title match: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Dana
White Confirms Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III at UFC 130
By Mike
Chiappetta
The growing rivalry between UFC lightweight stars Frankie Edgar
and Gray Maynard will see its next chapter at UFC 130 in May,
when the two square off for the third time.
UFC
president Dana White confirmed to MMA Fighting that the lightweight
championship bout would take place on May 28 in Las Vegas.
Less
than two weeks ago, the two fought to a split draw at the MGM
Grand Garden Arena, the same venue that is likely to house them
in May. During that bout, the champion Edgar overcame a nightmare
10-8 first round before gamely battling his way back to a stalemate
on the judges' scorecards.
Both
fighters left the cage thinking they'd won, but one judge scored
it for Edgar 48-46, one scored it for Maynard 48-46, and the
third scored a 47-47 draw. The split draw allowed Edgar to retain
the belt, but left him with a feeling of dissatisfaction, and
on Thursday he told MMA Fighting he preferred a rematch with
Maynard over a possible match with WEC champion Anthony Pettis.
"I'm
looking forward to the rematch," he said. "I don't
want to walk away with anything that's undecisive. A draw is
up in the air. It's unfinished business."
Edgar
sustained a minor ankle injury and a broken nose in the fight,
but said he'd be ready to go whenever the UFC wants him.
"I
busted my nose some, but I bust my nose all the time so I'm not
too worried," he said.
Maynard
walked away from the fight without any serious injuries.
In
their first fight in April 2008, Maynard earned a unanimous decision
over Edgar, but Edgar eventually leapfrogged him in the rankings
and captured the belt from the legendary BJ Penn at UFC 112 in
April 2010.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Enter
the Hand Shop
by Cameron
Conaway
CATSKILL,
N.Y. -- The gym’s walls breathe history. The yellowed and
wrinkled newspaper clippings taped to every square inch tell
a story of pride, triumph and setback.
On
the surface, this gym looks no different than any other boxing
gym. The heavybags are lopsided and duct-taped. Boxers of various
skill levels and training intensities coalesce. This gym sounds
no different than any other boxing gym. An old beat-up radio
bangs out old beats. There are the three-minute buzzers and the
grunts and the background pitter-patter music of speedbags. The
gym smells no different than any other boxing gym -- the musty,
rustic smell of wet handwraps, worn-out leather and hardwood
floors that contain within them generations of sweat.
But
get to know the trainers and you will learn the idiosyncrasies
of the sweet science of boxing in a way few, if any gyms across
the nation can teach. Step closer to the walls and you will learn
these weathered clippings are not just stories; they are stories
about some of the best boxers the world has ever known, boxers
who called Cus D’Amato’s Boxing Gym home.
What’s
in a name? Nothing. Shakespeare’s Juliet would agree. What’s
behind a name? Everything.
We
MMA fans are used to watching our sport on pay-per-view. We order
UFC events from home, oftentimes splitting the cost with a group
of friends. We head out to Hooters or Applebee’s when they
carry a card. In fact, for UFC 121 “Lesnar vs. Velasquez”
on Oct. 23, an estimated 1,050,000 of us shelled out the $44.95
necessary to purchase the event. It’s almost 2011, and MMA
continues to boom. It seems on top of the world. Yet, nearly
20 years ago, a single man named Mike Tyson generated 200,000
more pay-per-view buys than UFC 121 for his fight against Donovan
“Razor” Ruddock.
When
young MMA fighters are asked how they became involved in the
sport, it has almost become a cliché that they bring up
the legendary heroics of Royce Gracie during his UFC reign from
1993-94. Many MMA fans see this as the beginning of the cultural
popularization of fighting. However, it was in 1985 that a 19-year-old
Tyson helped take fighting from being a niche spectator sport
to a mainstream media obsession. MMA fans cheer when a Randy
Couture or Frankie Edgar highlight makes it on ESPN SportsCenter’s
“Plays of the Week.” But Tyson highlights were shown
years before and on a regular basis. And they are still shown.
He was considered by most to be “the baddest man on the
planet.”
The
intention here is not to counter MMA’s recent success but
to set the framework and paint a larger picture of the fight
game than is usually discussed. As a little boy, some of my earliest
memories of fighting are of the crowds of adults that would gather
in the garage of my best friend’s father’s house to
watch Tyson fights. These adults would not show up until very
late at night, usually 30 minutes before Tyson’s bout was
to air. The undercard did not matter, as it involved regular
boxers boxing. Tyson was a phenomenon. People even wanted to
show up early to the fights just to catch the pre-fight-hype
training montage of Tyson bobbing and weaving and tenaciously
working the heavybags with blurring speed.
Those
training videos were shot in Cus D’Amato’s Boxing Gym.
In November, I was granted access to tour the gym, interview
the trainers and even get some one-on-one training.
For
many fight fans, their first introduction to combat sports came
not through Royce Gracie but through the sport of boxing -- be
it the days of Muhammad Ali or George Foreman or Tyson. So when
I found myself needing to pass through Catskill, N.Y., for a
business trip, my subconscious registered something long before
my conscious mind. “Catskill,” I thought to myself.
“I feel I know Catskill, even though I’ve never been
there.” A bit of research led me to the reason: Catskill
is the home to the world-renowned Cus D’Amato Boxing Gym.
It is where, at just 14 years old, Floyd Patterson trained to
then, at age 17, win the gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games.
Then, at the age of 21 and in the wake of Rocky Marciano’s
retirement, Patterson beat Archie Moore to become the youngest
man to win the world heavyweight championship; he later became
the first to regain it. He was the first Olympic gold medalist
to win a professional heavyweight title. Patterson was trained
by Cus D’Amato, a man who quickly became known as much for
his technical boxing knowledge as for his passion and generosity
and his willingness to become a father figure and positive role
model to the Catskill community youth who entered his gym.
“Floyd
Patterson was the first fighter in history to net a million-dollar
purse,” said Kevin Rooney, who won the 147-pound sub-novice
New York Golden Gloves championship at Madison Square Garden
in 1975 and then packed up his life to train under D’Amato.
He later became Tyson’s chief trainer (1985-88).
In
the initial thirty minutes of my interview with Rooney, I learned
that many firsts happened in this gym. I was astonished, especially
considering the conversation had yet to include Tyson’s
name. Mike Tyson entered the Cus D’Amato Boxing Gym in 1979.
He was a 13-year-old boy with very little, if any, familial support,
destined for the type of imprisoned or buried future so typical
for youth without any guidance in life.
“When
he came in here, he was already close to 200 pounds of pure muscle,”
said Rooney, “and this was before he had ever lifted a weight
in his life. What we did was take the genetics and add to it
what we believed was the best boxing techniques in the world.
On top of that, Cus served as Mike’s constant mentor. He
was Mike’s life coach. It was the perfect recipe for success.
“During
Mike’s first week here, Cus had him do some light sparring
with a veteran boxer just so Cus could see how Mike moved,”
Rooney added. “He knew the veteran boxer was good enough
to spar safely, to test anybody who entered the ring with him.
However, the vet put a good whooping on Mike for two rounds,
so much so that Cus immediately brought the sparring to an end.
The veteran had to put that kind of whooping on Mike because
Mike was relentless, coming forward, trapping, pressuring. The
guy felt Mike’s power early and knew this 13-year-old could
hurt him if he wasn’t careful.”
Rooney
stood up from the bench and reenacted the scene between D’Amato
and Tyson.
“That’s
enough, Mike,” Rooney said while waving his arms. “Good
work.”
Rooney
moved to a new position and raised the pitch of his voice.
“C’mon,”
he said, channeling Tyson, “give me one more round.”
“No,
Mike. You’re done for now. I’ve seen enough. Out.”
“Then,”
Rooney said dramatically, “as Mike got out of the ring,
Cus turned to everyone in the gym and, in a way so unlike his
usual self, pointed to Mike and announced to everybody: ‘There’s
the next heavyweight champion of the world!’”
What
Tyson loved was his ability to close the distance and explode
with devastation. His hands were held in front of his face at
nose level, rather than to the side as boxers were and still
are taught. He simultaneously slipped punches by moving from
side-to-side like a shark cutting through ocean waters, but he
also used the momentum of this side-to-side motion to generate
power for his punches. This style was efficiency at its finest,
a constant synergy of defense and offense. A short heavyweight
-- many reports say he was all of 5-foot-8 -- Tyson is the best
example in boxing history of how a shorter boxer can take out
a taller foe. The style he used is known as the “peek-a-boo”
style. It was developed by D’Amato and is still taught in
this gym.
D’Amato
was the Greg Jackson of his time.
“I’m
old school,” said Rooney, as we began what would become
a two-hour backroom interview. “I don’t have a cell
phone and I don’t have a computer. You don’t need that
stuff. When the answering machine first came out, I was OK with
that. I could listen to who called and choose to answer or not
answer, to call them back or not. Everything changes. You just
have to hope it’s changing for the better. I’m not
so sure all this new technology stuff is for the better.”
When
I asked Rooney about recent advances in strength and conditioning
methods, he responded with trademark bluntness.
“Yeah,
well, with boxing it comes down to a simple question: Do you
want to be a fighter?” he said. “It doesn’t matter
what routines somebody is following. It doesn’t matter if
they’re doing all the latest stuff. If, in the deepest core
of their heart, they do not want to be a fighter, they will not
be a fighter.
“I’m
old school for these reasons but also because every day I walk
into this gym, I think of one of my most powerful memories with
Cus,” Rooney added. “When he was dying in 1985, he
said to me, ‘You know, most people when they die, they’re
just forgotten.’ I said, ‘Cus, I’ll keep this
place alive. I’ll keep you alive.’ Every day I walk
into this gym I want to keep his spirit alive in here. I believe
in the peek-a-boo style. I look for fighters who I think can
best use this style. Look, Cus always made you feel safe in here.
I just want to continue what he started. My only regret is that
I didn’t record everything he ever said. The man was absolutely
brilliant.”
Rooney
went deep into the past, discussing details I had never heard
about Tyson’s rape trial, the events that occurred before
several of Tyson’s fights and even his thoughts about boxing
promoter Don King. He believes the rise of MMA might be a fad
and that boxing is and will always be here to stay.
“Boxing
just needs a dominant, exciting heavyweight that can move like
Mike. Once that happens, it’ll go mainstream again,”
Rooney said. “Right now, boxing has Manny Pacquiao. He’s
great, no doubt about it, but a great lightweight fighter simply
cannot capture and enthrall the media’s attention like a
great heavyweight fighter. We’re hoping in the next few
years that our gym will find and develop the next heavyweight
champion.”
Ernest
Westbrooke, the gym’s current assistant trainer, hopes to
give rise to such a fighter.
“I’m
new school,” Westbrooke said.
In
his early 50s, Wesbrooke has an infectious personality that seems
perfectly suited for television. His eyes light up when he talks.
He articulates each thought with his whole body. The guy could
have sold me a Shake Weight. The sweet science of boxing consumes
his every waking moment. He views his young fighter, Victor Kokonis,
the way I imagine D’Amato viewed Tyson.
Westbrooke
is new school in that he is a huge fan of mixed martial arts
and he is constantly trying to learn how technology can improve
a fighter’s motion and promotion. He has a cell phone and
a laptop and knows how to use all the social media sites. He
realizes times have changed and that there are now better, smarter
ways to train fighters than there once were. So how does he try
to blend modernity with legendary tradition?
“Look,
a loved one of mine was with us last week and is no more,”
Westbrooke said. “This gym will never change its name, nor
will it forget its roots, but our goal here is twofold. We want
to provide the youth of this city with a safe place so they can
stay out of trouble and learn strong life lessons, but we also
want to find and mold our next world champion.
“Change
isn’t something you have absolute control over,” he
added. “It happens, and if you aren’t up with the times,
you’ll be left behind the times. I see change not as something
that creates adversity but as something that builds diversity.
I’m a strong believer in the benefits of education. You
know, in boxing, people say, ‘Speed kills.’ But so
does knowledge. In the real world, knowledge kills.”
Fighters
travel to Gracie academies to touch up their guard position.
They travel to muay Thai schools to learn the subtleties of leg
kicks. Westbrooke is the best “hands coach” with whom
I have ever worked, and I highly recommend that MMA fighters
who are looking to improve their boxing skills pay him a visit.
He is incredibly knowledgeable about how to create, as he put
it, “thoroughly integrated fighters who can fight inside
and find angles but also maximize their reach when on the outside.”
His grasp of MMA allows him to tweak boxing techniques to accommodate
the demands of a fighter who needs to worry about stuffing takedowns
and defending knees.
Despite
the minor clashes Rooney and Westbrooke have because of their
polar views on certain subjects, they care deeply about each
other and know they need each other. Regardless of their differences,
one similarity will forever bind them -- they love Cus D’Amato
and this gym’s legacy, and they know what this gym can offer
the community. That said, they could be doing much better financially
and occasionally have fears that the gym may close down. Neither
trainer is paid for the work they do here, not the 30 hours per
week they spend training fighters, not the many trips they take
to get the fighters to tournaments.
Rooney
and Westbrooke want the gym, free to anyone under the age of
18, to stay alive and want what’s behind the name to always
remain. Cus D’Amato is alive and happy here and not just
by name.
Cameron
Conaway, NSCA-CPT, CMMACC, was the 2007-2009 Poet-in-Residence
at the University of Arizona’s MFA Creative Writing Program.
He is the author of “Caged: Memoir of a Cage-Fighting Poet,”
(forthcoming Fall 2011 from Tuttle Publishing) which has received
endorsements from UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock, BJJ legend
Saulo Ribeiro and writers Glen Cordoza and Dinty W. Moore. He’s
2-1 as a mixed martial artist. Visit www.CameronConaway.com for
more information.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Alistair
Overeem Will Only Fight in Strikeforce Until Grand Prix is Finished
by Damon
Martin
Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem will not only
be a participant in the upcoming Strikeforce Grand Prix, but
that will be his only commitment until the tournament is over.
According
to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker after the promotion allowed Overeem
to step away from MMA for the majority of 2010 to pursue his
dream to win the K-1 Grand Prix, in 2011 the Dutch destroyer
is focused only on one thing.
Winning
the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
“He
will be committed to this tournament,” Coker said on Thursday.
“In fact, last year he filmed that documentary “The
Reem”, basically it was the life and times of Alistair Overeem
leading to his K-1 Grand Prix final victory, and they’re
going to start shooting the road to the Strikeforce Grand Prix
Heavyweight title. They’re committed to this fight.”
Overeem
has only defended the Strikeforce title he won in 2007 one time,
a drubbing of Brett Rogers in May 2010. For the remainder of
the year, Overeem was focused on his kickboxing career, which
paid off as he closed out 2010 by winning the K-1 Grand Prix
tournament.
Now
that time has passed, and Coker says they’re on the same
page with Overeem to make sure Strikeforce is his commitment
this year.
“Last
year, just to be very clear, we have a contract with Alistair,
and he came to us and his manager is a very close friend and
he said ‘look we want to fight in the K-1, it’s important
to Alistair’ and so it happened and we were supporting of
it, but this year it’s very clear that they need to support
Strikeforce, and the participation in the tournament is going
to require up to three fights and they committed,” Coker
stated.
In
the past few years, Overeem has split time between MMA and kickboxing,
but at least for the duration of this tournament, which will
likely last at least through ¾ of 2011, the champion will
only be fighting in Strikeforce.
“There’s
no way that’s going to happen,” Coker said responding
to Overeem potentially fighting elsewhere during the tournament
timeframe. “This tournament’s going to be taxing on
these guys and there’s a lot on the line.”
Coker
also pointed to the significance of bringing Overeem along with
Fedor Emelianenko and others together for this history 8-man
tournament. Not since the days of Pride has a heavyweight tournament
been assembled, and they are proud to be the first ones to do
it.
“To
put these 8 guys together it’s a very special moment in
time,” Coker said. “These guys are still in their prime
and they all have their own history getting to this tournament,
but this tournament will clearly state who the best heavyweight
fighter in the world is.”
The
tournament kicks off on Feb 12 with two first round match-ups,
and Overeem is expected to face Fabricio Werdum in his first
bout for the Grand Prix in early April.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Lorenzo
Fertitta quotes on UFC’s international expansion plans in
2011
By Zach
Arnold
I
would encourage you to watch the video and give your support
to everyone in the MMA Fighting family. Given the rough business
circumstances with AOL Fanhouse, I think showing appreciation
for the hard work of those over at the site is a well-deserved
gesture.
That,
along with the fact that Ariel’s interview with Mr. Fertitta
is really, really good. (They spend the majority of it talking
about plans to get MMA legalized in New York in 2011.)
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Because you do deal with the worldwide expansion
on the UFC, Dana (White) mentioned in the press conference that
you’re opening offices in China and some other countries
overseas. He mentioned Japan. We haven’t heard that before.
What are your plans in Japan?”
LORENZO
FERTITTA; “You know, we’ve actually been on television
in Japan since we bought the company. We were distributed in
literally two countries in 2001, in the United States on DirecTV
and Dish and in Japan at the same time. Sense we took over the
company, we’ve developed a relationship with WOWOW, which
is a subscription TV network in Japan. It’s been a very
successful relationship. One of the things we always wanted to
do is figure out a way to go back to Japan and hold a live event.
Now that we’ve hired Mark Fischer who ran the NBA in China
and all over Asia for the last 10 years, very successful, he’s
made a lot of progress over just the last couple of months. Now,
we certainly don’t have anything in place, but the goal
would be to potentially have a live event in Asia by the end
of this year, so we’re working on that.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Are there any other new markets overseas? Dana
has hinted at Scotland. We have heard maybe you are going back
to Abu Dhabi, that’s not official yet. Any other new markets?
We get asked these questions, Ireland, all the time, that you
can talk about that the UFC will be holding an event in 2011?”
LORENZO
FERTITTA: “You know, really right now it’s just a matter
of prioritizing things and figure out, you know, the right timing
that makes sense to do these things. Scotland is a priority.
You know, we have a huge fan base. We’ve wanted to go there
for a number of years. The problem we’ve had so far is they
don’t really have the facilities that we would like to have
to go there. You know, typically we like to go in an arena like
The O2 where you can get 20,000 people there. My understanding
is that Scotland has a venue that is anywhere from 6-8,000 people.
Certainly we could do that but it’s not necessarily maximizing
the size of the event that it could potentially be. With that
said, we will make Scotland a priority and we will be there.
Beyond that, you know obviously we have a lot of focus right
now on brazil. We announced the fight in Rio. We’d like
to do something in Mexico in the near term. In addition to that,
you know, obviously Asia is really the big focus. You know whether
it be in China, whether it be in Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore,
we’re obviously we’ve talked about Japan, potentially
somewhere in Malaysia potentially so, you know, it’s a matter
of just trying of prioritize things and coming to work every
day trying to figure out what makes the most sense, so it’s
a big puzzle, to put it that way.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Sherdog
2010 Awards: The Complete List
Sherdog’s
Fighter of the Year
By Greg Savage
“It’s
just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat
people up.”
Those
are the words of a man many consider the greatest fighter of
all time, Muhammad Ali. They also provide an apt description
of UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, Sherdog’s “Fighter
of the Year” for 2010.
“I
am honored to be recognized for all the hard work I have put
in, but I still have a lot to learn,” Velasquez said. “I
want to get back to work as soon as possible. I’ve got a
job to do. I want to defend the belt for years to come.”
The
humble, hard-working technician was immediately tagged as a can’t-miss
prospect, destined to rule over the heavyweight division, when
he made the transition to mixed martial arts after wrapping up
an impressive collegiate wrestling career in 2006. He realized
those expectations in a thoroughly dominating performance over
Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in October. The massacre took just 4:12
to unfold, but it left an ineffaceable image seared into the
collective psyche of the MMA world.
Here
was a man who had put together all the aspects of the complex,
violent ballet that is mixed martial arts. He had done so upon
a base of amateur wrestling -- the sturdiest of foundations --
and had married those skills to a blue-collar work ethic. He
had found an environment wholly suited to nurturing and mentoring
him into a championship caliber fighter. And now he had reached
the pinnacle of his profession in the most spectacular of fashions,
laying waste to the latest “Baddest Man on the Planet.”
Velasquez,
at 28 years of age, had officially arrived.
His
rise to “Fighter of the Year” was cemented after he
dethroned Lesnar, but it began with a highlight-reel knockout
of former UFC and Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight titleholder
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in February.
The
UFC 110 fight was supposed to represent the first real test for
the blue-chip prospect, but it became apparent early in the opening
round that this was more akin to mob hit, with the new boss doing
the shooting. He pelted Nogueira early and often with hard, stinging
leg kicks and followed up with slick combinations that left the
Brazilian legend guessing. Then, a little more than two minutes
into the fight, Velasquez delivered a surgically placed right
hand that detonated any hopes for a Nogueira renaissance.
The
popular former champion melted to the floor, only to be rocked
back-and-forth from consciousness by five straight punches, all
before the referee could close the short distance and rescue
him. The heavyweight division was officially on notice.
Just
nine starts into his professional campaign, Velasquez has established
himself as the top heavyweight in the world. However, he remains
a relative MMA neophyte, loaded with untapped potential.
“Cain
is the best heavyweight in the world right now,” said Velasquez’s
head trainer, Javier Mendez, a former kickboxing champion and
proprietor of the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.
“He
still has to prove it in the cage, but he keeps getting better
every day. I know he is the best, but he has more work to do
before everyone realizes what I already know: he is the best
pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”
Even
though Velasquez has already reached the top of the UFC heavyweight
division, his coach can envision an even more lethal version
of the determined pugilist.
“I
would say he is at about 75 percent in his kickboxing, 50 percent
in his boxing, 75 percent in jiu-jitsu, and we all know he has
the wrestling down,” said Mendez. “There is plenty
of room for him to keep getting better, and he will get better.”
Another
Velasquez coach, Bob Cook, echoed Mendez’s sentiments. Always
known as an honest assessor of his own fighters’ talents,
Cook, a bit more cautiously, finds it easy to heap praise upon
his prize pupil.
“Cain
makes things very easy for us,” said Cook, a UFC veteran.
“If we don’t have him out doing [public relations]
work, he keeps a pretty regular schedule, from home to the gym
to his favorite taqueria and then does it all over again the
next day. He really is a simple guy who wants to be the best.
It is family, then fighting, and not a whole lot else.”
The
ability to cordon off all of the distractions and remain focused
on being the best in the world is a central characteristic of
most great athletes, and Velasquez seems to have it. With all
the commotion surrounding his bout with Lesnar, he remained clear
in his resolve and authored one of the more memorable moments
in MMA history. That performance capped a brilliant calendar
year for the UFC champion and gave fans and critics alike a glimpse
of what appears to be a storied career in the making.
There
are still a few challenges his coaches feel he will have to overcome
before he can be considered among the greats. Although Velasquez
had his chin and resolve tested in a 2009 bout against Cheick
Kongo, he has faced relatively little adversity in his fights
-- a fact his handlers know will change. Despite the fact that
they believe he will pass with flying colors, it remains to be
seen how he will react.
“If
you truly want to be considered to be great,” said Cook,
“you need to find a way to win when you have an off night.
Everyone experiences it sometime in their career, and to be able
to do what it takes to get past tough guys when things aren’t
going your way, that is one of the things the great fighters
can do.”
Sherdog’s
Story of the Year
By Mike Whitman
After
careful consideration, the staff of Sherdog.com has decided that
the outcry regarding the judging of mixed martial arts contests
in the past year was too great to ignore. As such, the contributing
editors have agreed that the cluster of questionable decisions,
and the ensuing public backlash, was 2010’s “Story
of the Year.”
The
first blip on the radar came at UFC 112 in April, when lightweight
kingpin B.J. Penn put his belt on the line in what was supposed
to be a routine title defense against Frankie Edgar. Instead,
the heavily-favored “Prodigy” found himself in a competitive
match where the speedy Edgar used superior movement to outlast
the longtime champion and earn a hard-fought unanimous decision
victory.
Most
fight fans and pundits agreed that the fight was a close one.
Ringside judge Douglas Crosby, however, was not a part of that
group: he scored the contest 50-45, a clean sweep for Edgar.
Two
weeks later, at WEC 48, promotional staple Leonard Garcia and
WEC newcomer Chan Sung Jung threw down in a wild, “Fight
of the Year”-candidate brawl. Though both men sustained
heavy damage, it was Jung who generally got the better of the
bout’s many exchanges. Statistic providers FightMetric and
CompuStrike both observed that the “Korean Zombie”
had landed more strikes with better accuracy than his opponent.
Somehow, two of the three officials cageside scored the bout
for Garcia.
The
month of September brought with it another pair of baffling verdicts.
At Bellator Fighting Championships 31, Zoila Frausto defeated
Jessica Aguilar in their semifinal of the promotion’s 115-pound
tournament. Though Aguilar continually pressed the action and
seemed to have won the fight handily, two of the Louisiana judges
scored the fight for Frausto.
At
UFC 119, former lightweight champion Sean Sherk outpointed rising
prospect Evan Dunham. Sherk looked to be in total control in
the early going, grounding his younger opponent and lacerating
him with patented “Muscle Shark” ground-and-pound.
In the final two frames, however, it was Dunham who battled back
and took control. The then-undefeated prospect used excellent
takedown defense to keep the fight standing and capitalized by
using his considerable reach advantage to punish Sherk, particularly
in the third period. Nonetheless, Sherk was declared the winner
by split decision.
UFC
123 in November continued the trend of controversial decisions,
as suffocating wrestler Nik Lentz defeated longtime UFC competitor
Tyson Griffin, while Quinton “Rampage” Jackson got
his hand raised against Lyoto Machida. While it was generally
agreed that the Machida-Jackson bout was a close one, “The
Dragon” scored a big takedown and landed the most meaningful
blows of the bout in the third period after two lackluster rounds
from both men. In the case of Griffin-Lentz, most viewed the
fight as a clear-cut victory for Griffin. Sherdog.com and MMAJunkie.com
each scored the fight 30-27, while MMAWeekly.com scored it 29-28,
all for Griffin.
One
of the final decisions of 2010 was also, arguably, the most controversial.
In a bout named Sherdog.com’s 2010 “Robbery of the
Year,” Leonard Garcia defeated Nam Phan by split decision
at “The Ultimate Fighter 12” finale. Both men fought
hard, but it was Phan who was more accurate with his strikes,
cutting through the windmill offense of Garcia with straight
punches and crisp kicks. According to CompuStrike, Phan out-landed
Garcia 122 to 66 in total strikes, and connected with 61 power
strikes to Garcia’s 39. Still, two of the three judges awarded
the fight to Garcia.
Following
that contest, UFC commentator Joe Rogan spoke live on air about
the state of judging in mixed martial arts, asserting that there
were a few good judges surrounded by “a bunch of incompetent
morons who know nothing about the sport.” Rogan pinpointed
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer
as the man turning a blind eye to a problem in dire need of fixing.
Kizer,
however, does not see it that way. According to the NSAC head,
at such a high level of competition, there are bound to be close
fights, and with those close fights come dissenting opinions.
Even Garcia-Phan -- which Kizer himself scored 30-27 in favor
of Phan -- may fall under this philosophy.
“It’s
not a problem that fans are so passionate in arguing for or against
a decision. In fact, I think that’s a good thing. But just
because some people get on a message board, that doesn’t
mean there’s an actual epidemic, either,” said Kizer.
“Several [members of the media] gave either the first or
third rounds to Leonard Garcia. I still don’t see that,
but I don't want to discount those [points of view].”
The
NSAC head isn’t the only one with an explanation for the
outcry over the decisions in 2010. Longtime judge and referee
Nelson “Doc” Hamilton -- who scored the Griffin-Lentz
and Garcia-Phan bouts in favor of Griffin and Garcia, respectively
-- believes much of the issue stems from the exposure that the
sport now receives.
“The
sport has grown so big, and we have so much more widespread coverage
than we used to have. [This includes] Yahoo, Sports Illustrated,
ESPN and the L.A. Times,” said Hamilton. “I think there
was always controversy in regard to judging certain fights. Even
10 years ago, [there were disagreements], it's just that there
was no light shined on it.”
Garcia (above) won two close bouts.
One
point on which both men agree is that much fan criticism comes
in the form of personal attacks, which only weakens the disgruntled
party’s argument. Also noted is the frequency with which
complaints are made, creating a “fan who cried wolf”
effect, according to Nick Lembo, chairman of the MMA Committee
for the Association of Boxing Commissioners and legal counsel
to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board.
“I
think that there is an issue with judging in the sport to a recognizable
degree,” Lembo told Sherdog.com. “However, I do not
agree that every so-called disputed decision is a blatant robbery.
I think that rampant complaints about every razor-close, arguable
fight weaken the argument for bouts where there is serious, legitimate
questioning and concern over the scoring.”
The
last and least-credible line of defense for the questionable
performance of judges is one mostly purported by fans: unreliable
decisions create more exciting fights, since fighters no longer
want to risk their bouts going to the scorecards.
Phan
has personally heard this reasoning dozens of times, particularly
in relation to his bout with Garcia, and he’s developed
a routine to deal with it.
“People
come up to me and say, ‘Nam, you shouldn’t have left
it in the hands of the judges, man,’” Phan told Sherdog.com
“You know what I do? I give them the most sarcastic look
and I say, ‘Wow, that’s such a great idea! In all my
10 years of fighting, why didn’t I think of that? Knock
him out or submit him... that’s genius!’”
While
it is clear that the system needs fixing -- if for no other reason
than so that fighters like Phan do not have to crack jokes after
losing fights they should have won -- the solution is somewhat
murkier. Should state athletic commissions “clean house”
and start anew, as Rogan suggested at the “TUF 12”
finale?
This
would prove difficult, at least in California, according to CSAC
Executive Officer George Dodd, who noted that he feels his state
employs some of the best judges in the sport. Dodd explained
the process for removing a license not as a slight toward judges
in California, but in hypothetical terms for educational purposes.
“When
you have a license, in order for the state to take your license
away, you’ve got to have cause. And it’s really hard
to prove cause for removing a license. Does one bad match make
you a bad judge? Where is that line?” Dodd asked. “I
don't think anyone has been able to establish [a standard where]
if a judge falls below a certain mark, then the commission is
going to remove [his or her] license and provide extra training
before the judge is put back in the system.”
But
in Nevada, said Kizer, the rules are a bit different.
“Everybody’s
license is a privilege [in Nevada]. It expires Dec. 31 every
year, and if you’re not worthy of a renewal, then you don’t
get renewed. There is no continuing investment in that license,”
said Kizer. “At the end of the year, sometimes we have to
say, ‘Thank you for your years of service. It’s nothing
personal, but we’re not renewing your license because you
don’t meet the standard anymore.’”
Perhaps
judges simply need more tools in order perform their duties at
the highest level. Technology is often a helpful means to that
end, and small video monitors that judges may use at their discretion
have been proposed so that officials can always have a good vantage
point on a fight. Concerns over the use of monitors are numerous,
however, as some feel that they may cause judges to ignore the
live action right before their eyes.
“Monitors
are a useful tool, but keep in mind that they will not always
be available at local, smaller MMA events,” said Lembo.
“There are times where your angle is not as good as the
monitor, but there are also times where watching something live
in front of you provides a better vantage point and feel for
the action.”
Another
point of view is that the system is at least partially to blame,
as the “10-point must” method of scoring was taken
directly from boxing and is therefore not the most effective
way to judge an MMA bout. Among the subscribers of this theory
is Hamilton, who has created an alternate system that he feels
is a more exact tool for scoring MMA.
“Mixed
Martial Arts Specific” scoring, or MMAS, has been erroneously
labeled by many as the “half-point system.” Though
it’s true that the method utilizes half-points for scoring
(10-9.5 for a marginal victory in a round, 10-9 for a clear-cut
round, etc.), the system is far more comprehensive than most
realize.
The
system seeks to redefine the judging criteria by valuing damage
first, followed by effective striking and grappling, which are
weighted equally. Cage or ring control is still a part of the
criteria, but would take a back seat to the aforementioned qualities.
The
referee’s role would also change under the MMAS system,
as the in-cage official would notify the judges of near-submissions
by raising his hand. There would also be a fourth judge sitting
ringside to independently tally technical scores based on knockdowns,
takedowns and dominant positions. In the case of a tie, these
objective scores would be used to decide a winner.
“I
didn’t just pull this out of my ear,” said Hamilton
“Everything that I’ve got in the MMAS system has been
used at some point by some other form of martial arts. All I
did was adapt it to MMA. The referee calling submissions? That's
not new. They did that in Shooto and Pancrase. I was a K-1 referee,
and that’s where I got the half-point system.”
“Aside
from boxing, can you name me another sport in which we have draws?
Particularly in martial arts, but even the major sports have
figured out ways to resolve ties. People don't want draws, period.”
MMAS
scoring will be tested in California amateur bouts in 2011, and
all judges training to preside over amateur contests will be
trained in MMAS. Fights will be scored under Hamilton’s
system as well as the 10-point must, and data will be gathered
to see just how MMAS scoring differs from the status quo when
verdicts are rendered.
While
Hamilton has many supporters for his system, including Rogan
and veteran referees John McCarthy and Herb Dean, the system
also has its detractors. Kizer believes that the addition of
half-points, referee “catches” and fourth judges may
create a new list of problems with which to deal. Lembo is more
optimistic regarding MMAS scoring, but says that the tool can
only be as effective as the individual who is using it.
“I
am very familiar with Doc’s system, and I think it’s
great to test it in an amateur program. We need to be open to
new ideas and ways to improve aspects of this very new sport,”
said Lembo. “I think that the focus right now needs to be
on utilizing judges who understand jiu-jitsu, muay Thai and wrestling,
as well as just boxing. Any scoring system is only as good as
the people we select to use as judges. In other words, you still
need the best trained people to properly apply whatever system
you choose to use.”
So,
how can the mixed martial arts community ensure that all judges
are properly trained in the complex, multifaceted sport of MMA?
One solution might be to require all judges to pass a training
course similar to McCarthy’s Certification of Officials
for Mixed Martial Arts National Development (C.O.M.M.A.N.D.)
program in California. For Lembo, however, nothing beats the
real thing.
“Training
programs are a tool, but they are not a cure-all. There is no
substitute for actual experience,” said Lembo. “In
any area, training course proficiency does not always equate
to proficiency under live situations. There is no substitute
for experience gained in commission regulated amateur MMA events.”
Perhaps,
then, a combination of testing and live experience, coupled with
thoughtful evaluation, might be the key to building a better
judging system. A big question surrounding the issue of testing
well-established judges is the respect, or lack thereof, that
comes with such an evaluation. Some veteran MMA judges who have
had their performances brought into question have scored over
100 bouts, and requiring them to take a test on rules and techniques
of a sport which they have watched since its regulation could
be construed as a slap in the face. Hamilton, for one, asserts
that he would take no offense at such a requirement.
“It
wouldn’t offend me at all. I don’t know everything,”
he said. “I think I know a lot, and I think I do pretty
well at what I do, but there is always something else to learn.
And I’m willing to learn it.”
A
comprehensive knowledge exam featuring both conventional written
questions and hands-on demonstrations inside a mat room could
serve as a compromise to satisfy fans subscribing to the “clean
house” philosophy, while simultaneously aiding state athletic
commission. Both Dodd and Kizer were open to the idea of a test,
if one could be created and administered, though they each reiterated
Lembo’s point regarding in-ring experience.
One
thing is certain: however and whenever judging reform comes about,
it is time for the MMA fanbase, media and commission to take
the issue seriously. There will always be professional disagreements
between these groups, but as the sport evolves, so too must those
who govern, cover and follow it. In allowing for new ideas and
compromise, perhaps a nationwide method might be determined to
produce a better-equipped and more prepared network of judges.
“The
most competent people in the world, as far as I’m concerned,
are the military. Those people have got it down. They train you,
they test you, they hold your feet to the fire. They know that
if somebody screws up, it could be somebody’s life,”
said Hamilton. “Here, it’s the same thing, but you’re
messing with somebody’s pocketbook if you’re a judge,
or, if you’re a referee, it’s somebody’s life.”
Sherdog’s
Knockout of the Year
By Brian Knapp
Robbie
Lawler could barely stand, but he had one good right hand left
in him.
Lawler,
the inside of his lead leg mangled by a series of vicious kicks,
unleashed an overhand right on the unsuspecting Melvin Manhoef
in a featured middleweight duel at Strikeforce “Miami”
on Jan. 30 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. Home to
the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers, the venue
had witnessed its share of memorable mixed martial arts violence
-- Seth Petruzelli on Kimbo Slice and Benji Radach on Murilo
“Ninja” Rua at EliteXC “Heat” in 2008 spring
to mind -- but nothing there had approached the Lawler-Manhoef
outcome in terms of intensity, drama and utter brutality.
A
shade more than three and a half minutes after the fight began,
Manhoef lay on his back, that unsettling fifth-dimension stare
etched across his face. He was the victim in Sherdog’s “Knockout
of the Year” for 2010.
“I
was thinking, ‘I have to finish him,’” Lawler
said. “I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to continue
fighting the way I was, so I just kept pushing and pushing and
was able to land a big shot.”
A
dozen leg kicks from the Dutchman had slammed into the inside
of Lawler’s right knee and thigh by the time it ended. At
times, it appeared as if the limb might fly right out of the
cage, so brutal were the impacts. Manhoef’s measured attack
caught the Lawler camp by surprise.
“We
actually expected a more aggressive Manhoef, but he chose to
keep great space and throw leg kicks,” said Matt Pena, Lawler’s
longtime boxing coach. “It was pretty amazing to see the
speed at which he was delivering such powerful shots.
“There
was a moment in the fight where Rob winced from twisting his
ankle, and I thought in my head for a split second, ‘How
is Rob gonna be able to plant and push off that leg?’”
Pena added. “We didn’t think Manhoef would take so
long to begin to open up with his hands. The first few times
that he did, I was pleading for Rob to punch off of the blocked
shots, but he didn’t have him quite timed yet and he didn’t
want to get careless.”
Lawler
knew an opportunity would present itself, if he could withstand
the punishment. He had studied Manhoef’s tendencies on film.
“I
always look at video for fights, and Rob did, too, for this particular
match,” Pena said. “The things that we noticed is how
vulnerable Melvin is when he thinks someone is about to go, or
when he thinks he’s at a superior striking advantage. He
gets overaggressive, overcommits and keeps his chin in the air.
When he got KO’d in the past, these were his habits, so
we knew if Rob caught him there that he could knock him out.”
Manhoef
followed just such a pattern against the former EliteXC middleweight
champion. After cracking Lawler with another inside leg kick,
he drew his guns and attacked. Figuring his foe was on his way
out, Manhoef pawed with a left jab and backed Lawler against
the cage. However, in his haste, the K-1 veteran let his guard
down as he prepped himself to throw what he undoubtedly believed
would be the finishing blows. Lawler capitalized, as he launched
a perfectly timed and placed overhand right that wobbled Manhoef
and dropped him where he stood.
“I
had one of the best seats in the house that night,” Pena
said. “When Robbie landed that punch, Manhoef’s neck
snapped around to where I saw his eyes as he was falling. I was
telling [UFC hall of famer and Lawler cornerman Matt] Hughes
that it was over as Melvin hit the ground.”
Manhoef
collapsed to his side, foggy as he fell, and Lawler uncorked
a devastating standing-to-ground left that rendered him unconscious.
Another blow dropped for good measure, as the referee dove into
save the defenseless Dutchman from further abuse. Quickly surrounded
by cage-side medical personnel, Manhoef did not emerge from his
slumber for several tense moments. The triumphant Lawler limped
around the cage gingerly, his handiwork at his feet.
“Rob
landing that punch definitely sent out a reminder that he, too,
is one of the premier power punching fighters in the sport,”
Pena said, “but I think it said more about his conditioning
and heart.”
Though
the outcome was to their liking, Pena admits not all went according
to plan.
“In
a perfect world, Rob would have gone out there, secured a takedown,
grinded Manhoef down to tire him and then knocked him out standing
or with some ground-and-pound,” he said. “There’s
a moment where you do see Rob look for a shot, but Manhoef kept
good space and made Rob feel vulnerable with trying to close
the distance. So, Rob made the adjustments and went to Plan B.”
According
to Pena, Manhoef himself added fuel to Lawler’s pre-fight
fire.
“Even
as all the fighters were meeting in the lobby to be shuttled
to the event, Manhoef spent 10 minutes mean mugging every member
in our camp, trying to intimidate us,” he said. “It’s
one thing to try to intimidate your opponent, but to have someone
try to intimidate our camp was something new to me. As tight
as we all are, I knew that when Robbie saw this going on, it
was gonna be a special night.”
Sherdog’s
Submission of the Year
By Jason Probst
A
definitive win compressed into a mere 69 seconds, Fabricio Werdum’s
triangle of Fedor Emelianenko on June 26 at the HP Pavilion in
San Jose, Calif., was a reminder that every fighter is beatable
when caught up, long enough, in the other guy’s world.
With
Emelianenko carrying into the bout the gold standard of career
consistency and the mantle of the world’s best heavyweight,
Werdum’s finisher resonated across the mixed martial arts
world, making it Sherdog’s “Submission of the Year”
for 2010.
Werdum’s
triangle did more than just snap Emelianenko’s 10-year unbeaten
streak. The submission made the most intimidating and overwhelming
fighter in the history of the game look thoroughly human.
“I’ve
been training that position since I was a white belt,” said
Werdum. “It’s a position I’m very comfortable
with.”
Werdum
added that switching back and forth from the triangle to the
arm bar, while a basic technique taught in early jiu-jitsu training,
is not something that is acquired overnight.
As
a former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and two-time Abu
Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships winner
in the heavyweight bracket, Werdum’s grappling credentials
are top-notch. And going into the bout, his preparation and revamped
diet had him weighing a trim 238 pounds, with his confidence
soaring.
“The
mental and physical preparation came together perfectly,”
said Richard Wilmer, Werdum’s manager. “Fabricio was
already convinced he won the fight as camp started.”
It
could not have played out any better for Werdum.
“I
put Fedor in trouble with my best weapon -- my triangle. I took
away his balance,” he said. “And when he went in my
guard, I knew I was going to win the fight.”
Werdum,
like most other top heavyweights, could practice for 10 years
and never generate the concussive power Emelianenko generates
when unleashing his fists. Outside of a select few heavyweights,
few will ever possess the combination of spatial awareness and
body control the Russian demonstrates in seemingly wild exchanges,
whether it is trading blows or hitting the mat to seize dominant
position.
Werdum
has basically trained his whole life for people to play the jiu-jitsu
game with him, which is why MMA remains the ultimate equalizer
and proving ground for combat athletes. He knew he could deliver
the upset if only the fight went into his pre-selected groove,
on his back, hunting for an opening, a limb, anything available.
It happened in the opening moments of the bout, off a sequence
that seemed like disaster was unfolding for the seemingly outmatched
Brazilian.
As
the two began the bout, Emelianenko crept forward, then unleashed
six punches, so fast that even on replay it was hard to tell
what landed clean and what missed. Werdum fell to his back, but
that was part of the plan, he explains. Get it down to the mat,
and lure Emelianenko into his world. Play his aggression against
him.
“I
used it as a setup to pull the fight to the ground,” Werdum
said. “With Fedor, you can’t start the fight with a
shoot. I felt the right hand come, and then I sat down. His right
punch didn’t hit me. Then I dropped and pulled him into
my game.”
Emelianenko
obliged, diving into Werdum’s guard and making the kind
of tiny error that differentiates between great submission artists
and everyone else. His left arm was deep in Werdum’s guard,
and the Brazilian pounced. Seizing the limb as Fedor attempted
to counter an obviously developing triangle-armbar setup, Werdum
held tight, rolling underneath the circling Russian to re-establish
the critical angle he needed.
“When
I feel Fedor was going to try and escape, when he posted up,
I could switch the submission to the arm. If he went to down,
I could work the triangle,” Werdum said. “I train,
so it works out that it puts him in trouble either way.”
After
dropping down to the canvas following Emelianenko’s opening-moments
salvo, Werdum, who insisted he was not hurt, felt a surge of
excitement as the former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder
powered ahead into his guard.
“I
just dropped down and pulled him into my game,” he said.
“A lot of guys fight with Fedor, and they try and exchange.
I wanted to put this into [a] jiu-jitsu [contest].”
At
that point, even casual fans knew Emelianenko was in serious
trouble. Finally, after the triangle was cinched deep, with Werdum
yanking down on his head and extending his arm to increase the
futility of the position, the great Russian tapped once in a
gesture that was understated and humble.
With
his penchant for rallying out of bad spots -- whether it was
being slammed on his head by Kevin Randleman, drilled into doing
the stanky-leg dance against Kazuyuki Fujita or bloodied and
thumped up by Brett Rogers -- Emelianenko’s prescription
in dealing with such rough spots was always the same, and it
was as inevitable as death and taxes.
He
simply stormed back and overwhelmed opponents. All the more reason
why the Werdum fight was equal parts sobering and stunning, as
Emelianenko, for once, never got a chance. Werdum found his opening
and pounced, sticking the knife in deep for the kill before Emelianenko
could formulate a response.
While
other Submission of the Year winners -- 2009 winner Toby Imada’s
reverse triangle over Jorge Masdival comes to mind -- have won
due to their exotic appeal, this was not one of those. It was
a reminder of what an unbeaten streak like Emelianenko’s
means in terms of consistency and execution on a fight-by-fight
basis. With a record of 32-1 entering the bout, Emelianenko’s
high-wire act stood on its own in terms of dodging the inevitable.
The fight was a prime example of how many ways there are to lose
in a sport where nobody can be the best at the multiple disciplines
involved.
Finally,
after years of steamrolling opponents and rallying through the
occasional dramatic rough spot with his trademark fury, the great
Emelianenko was beaten.
Sherdog’s
Fight of the Year
By Tony Loiseleur
Jorge
Santiago-Kazuo Misaki 2 -- Sherdog’s “Fight of the
Year” for 2010 -- was the kind of mixed martial arts contest
fans and pundits point to as an example of why they believe their
sport is the best in the world. Played out at Sengoku Raiden
Championship 14 on Aug. 22 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo,
it represents the kind of fight to which MMA supporters direct
their friends on YouTube.
Interestingly
enough, it was not the first time these two had engaged in such
a larger-than-life, marathon struggle. At Sengoku “No Ran
2009” in January 2009, Santiago and Misaki met to determine
who would become the fledgling promotion’s inaugural middleweight
champion. It was a tense five-rounder Misaki was winning on points
until a miraculous comeback in the final stanza saw the Brazilian
put him to sleep with a fight-ending choke to capture Sengoku’s
middleweight title.
A
little more than a year and a half later, they were at it again.
Few expected them to live up to their first encounter, and no
one thought they could surpass it. Santiago and Misaki not only
traded rounds but almost finished each other in every frame.
It was the kind of give-and-take struggle MMA fans so rarely
witness.
It
came as no surprise that the fight took a toll on its participants.
Misaki has no memory of the bout, outside of what he has seen
on video.
“I
was surprised at how the fight went. I thought, ‘Oh, wow,
I did that?’ and ‘Hey, I could have finished him there,’
even if I didn’t remember those moments myself,” he
said of his first review of the film. “On the one hand,
I think [this fight] was only possible because we’re both
very technically skilled fighters, but on the other, it was also
only possible because of our spirit and emotions behind this
fight. Both our first and second fights had great spirit in them.”
The
champion, however, saw their second encounter as an opportunity
to best what he felt was a poor performance in their first fight.
“I
definitely consider Misaki the toughest opponent I could have
faced in Japan,” Santiago said. “He proved that in
Pride when he was the [grand prix] champion. After our first
fight, when I fought him with a broken hand, I really wanted
to face him again and make an even more exciting fight. That’s
what happened.”
What
happened was what every promoter wants in his or her event. Though
World Victory Road President Toru Mukai was just as thrilled
as the fans to witness the bout unfold, he was not without reservations.
“It
was certainly a fantastic fight, one where both fighters could
be considered winners and showed true warrior spirit, but to
tell the truth, I wanted to stop it right in the middle,”
said Mukai, with a paternal chuckle. “I was afraid because
I thought that either one of these men could die in the ring
that night.”
Misaki’s
own cornermen shared those same concerns as the fight drew on.
“In
the history of combat sports -- no wait, in the history of all
sports -- this contest stands out. It was something you could
accurately call ‘mortal combat,’” said Pride veteran
Daiju Takase, who served as Misaki’s grappling coach during
the match. “Every time Kazuo was on the attack, I thought,
‘He can do this!’ But because I knew what his physical
condition was whenever he was under attack, I started praying.”
After
a competitive first round, Misaki stole the second period, nearly
choking out Santiago with a tight guillotine.
“In
that guillotine, I was really in trouble,” said the self-effacing
champion. “I think at other moments, too, he was on my back
and then trying to get the [arm triangle], and I was thinking,
‘S--t!’ In my mind, I felt I was behind. [During a
fight], some people will tell me ‘You’re even,’
or they’ll say, ‘You’re winning,’ but I always
think I’m behind.”
Santiago
rebounded in the third round with a high kick-right straight
combination, nearly stopping Misaki with punches on the ground
before being foiled by the ring ropes. The roller-coaster fight
then swung back in the challenger’s favor in the same frame,
as Misaki shocked Santiago with a left hook and followed up with
punches and knees to the head. Santiago, whether willfully or
instinctively, fell out of the ring, earning a severe rebuke
and red card from referee Yoshinori Umeki.
“If
it was in the cage,” said Takase, ever the outspoken critic,
“the fight would definitely have ended there.”
Fortunately
for the fans, it did not. With judges Masato Fukuda, Tenshin
Matsumoto and Ryogaku Wada carrying Misaki cards of 39-36, 38-36
and 38-36 into the fifth and final round, Santiago’s back
was to the wall. If he could not produce a 10-8 round for the
46-46 draw on judges Matsumoto and Wada’s scorecards and
hold out hope for the must-decision after the final bell, he
would likely lose the title.
“My
worst moment was when he knocked me down in the fourth round,”
Santiago said, “but my best moment was in the last minute
of the fifth, when I finished him.”
In
the fifth period, Santiago dug deep and produced more than a
10-8 round for the necessary draw. He rained brutal punches on
the challenger from top position for four and a half minutes,
until Misaki’s corner threw in the towel. Official time
was 4:31.
Whether
the bout would have resulted in a draw or not if Misaki had survived
to the final bell, his chances to pick up his first title since
being crowned the Pride 2006 welterweight grand prix winner were
high. To some onlookers, the corner stoppage was a source of
debate, but it was a decision none of the participants seem to
begrudge.
“Whether
I would have won if the towel wasn’t thrown in is not something
I think about, so I don’t feel any regrets over it,”
Misaki said. “Besides, cornermen have a responsibility to
protect their fighter. That’s why I’m able to be here
now, talking to you. For that, I’m very grateful to them.”
“From
the midway point, Kazuo couldn’t remember anything because
he was so exhausted. He was fighting completely on spirit alone,”
said Takase. “His striking coach threw in the towel. Misaki
would never tap, so it’s a bit unfortunate. I’m confident
he could have won, but protecting your fighter’s health
is of the utmost and proper consideration.”
With
two titanic and taxing encounters with the Brazilian in the books,
it would seem understandable if Misaki resigned himself to never
facing Santiago again. However, as is often seen in MMA, fighting
so fiercely and thoroughly with an opponent rarely breeds contempt
or resignation. Misaki appears convinced that he and Santiago
are bound by destiny and key to each other’s personal growth.
“As
a professional fighter, I think it was a great experience to
fight him, but aside from that, he’s also helped me grow
and change a lot, just in life. It doesn’t matter who won.
I’m very grateful for him and having had the chance to fight
him,” Misaki said solemnly. “I think we will probably
meet again because I don’t think that this fight was the
end of our story. Even though the towel was thrown in at the
end, I think there’s still one more drama to be played out
by the both of us. I think it’s our destiny to meet again.”
The
champion also thinks highly of Misaki and does not seem to mind
the prospect of a third encounter, if fans want it.
“He’s
a tiger, you know? He has that fire in his eyes and in his heart.
I do, too. We’re the same. We both feel like we’re
not going to just give a fight to anybody,” Santiago said.
“Like he was saying [at the press conference], the champion
of this bout is going to be the one who wants it more, who has
more will. I think if we always fight with that mindset, we’ll
always put on great shows.”
Until
the day of their third meeting comes, however, their second fight
will remain prominent in the hearts and minds of those who experienced
it firsthand.
“One
thing I’ll never forget is how gassed Kazuo was in the last
round, but he was still trying desperately to get out of mount,”
Takase said. “He couldn’t even breathe properly, yet
he was still in the fight. Even if he could have died in there,
he wouldn’t give up. It’s an example that I think,
more than just fighters, everyone should follow. Even recalling
it now, I’m moved by it.”
“It
was a magnificent fight, and I think it made the audience come
together as one,” Mukai said. “As far as MMA goes,
I think it’s one of the best fights ever.”
For
Misaki, it was a life-altering experience.
“I
don’t know if I’ll still be alive in 10 or 20 years.
If I am still alive, I think it would be because of fights like
these with Santiago,” he said. “That’s also why
I think it’s our destiny to face each other. Again, I’m
grateful for the chance to fight against someone like him, and
in 10 or 20 years, I’ll still think the same.”
Marcelo
Alonso contributed to this report.
Sherdog’s
Event of the Year
By Jeff Sherwood
WEC
53 “Henderson vs. Pettis” -- Sherdog’s “Event
of the Year for 2010” -- provided an amazing final chapter
for World Extreme Cagefighting on Dec. 16 in Glendale, Ariz.
The
city and site -- the Jobing.com Arena -- were determined by a
fan voting contest, Amp Energy’s “Hometown Throwdown,”
which was fitting for a product that, in recent years, had quickly
become the hardcore fan’s obsession. Personally, I was especially
excited, not only because it was another great WEC show but because
I was there for the first-ever WEC event nine and a half years
earlier.
On
paper, it was a great card that introduced a bevy of questions.
Will Brazilian prospects Renan “Barao” do Nascimento
Mota Pegado and Yuri Alcantara continue to live up to the hype?
Could Eddie Wineland and Brad Pickett continue their run of thrilling
fights? How would Ivan Menjivar look at 135 pounds? Was Jamie
Varner going to get back on the winning track and start another
run to the top? Was Tie Quan Zhang going to continue to be the
force behind Chinese MMA? Would a Donald Cerrone-Chris Horodecki
matchup provide fireworks? How was Dominick Cruz going to handle
Scott Jorgensen’s wrestling? How was 23-year-old Anthony
Pettis going to fare in a main event that most felt he was going
to lose?
Few
fight cards offer that many intriguing storylines. Virtually
none answer them with such thrilling competition.
It
was hard not to feel initially dismayed, seeing pockets of empty
seats inside the Jobing.com Arena. That is behavior more typical
of Las Vegas events, where high rollers and celebrities wander
in late. It was not fitting for a top-to-bottom fan-friendly
card like WEC 53. Those ticketholders who did not show up for
the opening bell received their just desserts: three knockouts,
two submissions and two exciting decisions marked one of the
most sensational undercards in recent memory.
It
is impossible to understand how truly top-to-bottom great WEC
53 was without seeing the preliminary bouts. Wineland’s
slam knockout of Ken Stone was as brutal as they come. To see
the impact and consequence live was jarring and, frankly, terrifying,
as Stone was motionless for 10 minutes. Danny Castillo and Alcantara
both turned in highlight-reel stoppages. Against Chris Cariaso,
“Barao” was so calm, methodical and technical in locking
up his rear-naked choke. However, Shane Roller outdid him with
his rugged choke-out of Varner in surprisingly quick fashion.
The
two fights that went the distance on the undercard were fantastic.
Daniel Downes’ comeback upset against Zhang showed you what
kind of heart the kid had, and Menjivar-Pickett was 15 minutes
of wild back-and-forth action. It was the kind of stuff that
people came to expect from WEC.
However,
the two title fights interested most people in WEC 53, and they
delivered, albeit in different ways.
Many
thought Jorgensen’s wrestling would give Cruz issues, but
the champion moved and struck his way to a dominating performance
over Jorgensen. Cruz won every single round behind his boxing
and his wrestling.
Fans,
writers and fighters all continue to discredit Cruz’s wrestling
-- he did not wrestle past high school -- even though “The
Dominator” puts better-credentialed wrestlers on the mat.
Cruz did whatever he wanted against Jorgensen and continued to
raise his stock and cement himself as the bantamweight division’s
star champion.
More
importantly, Cruz’s win set up a potential rematch with
Urijah Faber in 2011 -- a fight that could prove the biggest
in bantamweight history. Part of what made his domination of
Jorgensen special was wondering how he could stack up with “The
California Kid” four years after their first encounter.
Then,
in the final WEC fight ever, Pettis and Benson Henderson put
on something truly special.
Henderson,
an Arizona-based fighter, came out to one of the loudest ovations
in recent memory. The air was thick with pressure and excitement,
as fans were standing before the main event even began. The action
that followed ensured they would not return to their seats.
After
20 minutes of back-and-forth action -- including one of the year’s
best rounds, the seesaw fourth -- most onlookers had the bout
two rounds apiece, 38-38, giving the first and fourth to Henderson
and the second and third to Pettis. More importantly, two of
the judges -- Derek Zazueta and Tom Gabauer -- had the fight
scored that way, meaning it was up for grabs going into the last
round of WEC action ever.
With
90 seconds to go, the fight was there for the taking, waiting
for one fighter to seize the moment. That is exactly what Pettis
did, snatching victory in once-in-a-lifetime fashion, leaping
off of the fence like a scene out of “The Matrix” and
smashing Henderson with a flying kick to the head. The mind-blowing
last-minute offense sealed the fight for Pettis, who took a unanimous
decision and the WEC lightweight title.
No
matter what happened in the final frame, or the four rounds before
it, it is hard to remember anything other than what has become
known as “The Kick.”
Pettis
already enjoyed some celebrity before the fight due to his appearance
on MTV’s “World of Jenks,” which profiled him
prior to his March bout with Danny Castillo. However, “The
Kick” took it to another level. The highlight was plastered
all over ESPN and other sports outlets and drew massive praise
from the sports world, including the likes of Jim Rome. The moment
came in at No. 8 on ESPN Sportscenter’s “Plays of the
Year.”
Prior
to WEC 53, I watched a journalist interview both Henderson and
Pettis. They asked Henderson about how he felt he would match
up with the UFC’s lightweights after the UFC-WEC merger
but declined to ask Pettis the same question. It was a slight
that was widespread before the bout, as not many gave Pettis
a chance against Henderson, and virtually no one thought he had
any serious place among the UFC’s top 155-pounders.
Then,
in one instant, Pettis delivered one of the most exciting moments
in MMA history and broke out as an incomparably dynamic, emerging
star. In 2011, he will fight for the UFC lightweight title, but
it is hard to imagine, regardless of what greatness may await
him, that any moment will overshadow what he created in the last
minute of the last fight of the last WEC show ever.
On
entertainment value alone, top to bottom, WEC 53 ranks among
the best events of the year. It had high-level action and highlight-reel
stoppages, in addition to a “Fight of the Year” candidate
in the main event with a where-were-you-when moment in its conclusion.
However, it was not just exciting; it was symbolic and sentimental.
WEC 53 was not just excitement for excitement’s sake. It
was the final thrilling chapter to a book that could not have
ended any more fittingly.
Sherdog’s
Comeback Fighter of the Year
By Todd Martin
With
a minute left in his UFC 116 bout against Yoshihiro Akiyama,
Chris Leben fired desperate punches from his back. Knowing that
he faced a possible decision loss if the round expired, Leben
needed to do something to leave the fight with his hand raised.
In
a sudden movement, Leben wrapped his right leg around the Japanese
star’s head and secured a triangle choke. With less than
30 seconds left, Akiyama was forced to tap out and the live crowd
at the MGM Grand erupted. On one of the best night of fights
in UFC history, Leben stole the show. It completed a remarkable
turnaround for Sherdog’s 2010 Comeback Fighter of the Year.
“[I
feel] overwhelmed,” Leben commented after the fight. “It’s
been a long road and a somewhat bumpy one for me. This is just
huge. My career and my life are in better places than they have
ever been.”
Leben’s
long and bumpy road to that point played out dramatically in
front of the public eye.
Forrest
Griffin and Stephan Bonnar have consistently received effusive
praise for the role they played popularizing MMA on the first
season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” But while Griffin
and Bonnar turned heads with their exciting battle at the TUF
finale, it was the feud between Chris Leben and Josh Koscheck
that dominated the first TUF season and sent ratings on an upward
trajectory.
The
Ultimate Fighter presented Leben as a complex and flawed human
being. He was depicted as a hothead who liked to drink and infamously
urinated on the bed of another fighter. But in the show’s
most dramatic moments he was reduced to tears as Bobby Southworth
and Koscheck maliciously exploited his emotional vulnerabilities.
Leben didn’t win the Ultimate Fighter, but he emerged as
one of the show’s biggest stars.
Following
his tenure on the show, Leben won five fights in a row and established
himself as a contender for the UFC middleweight title. A 49-second
destruction at the hands of Anderson Silva quickly changed that.
Subsequent losses to Kalib Starnes and Jason MacDonald pushed
him to the middle of the back.
Things
would only get worse for Leben when in April of 2008 he was arrested
for allegedly violating his probation on a previous DUI. Leben
was sentenced to 35 days in jail. He lost his next bout to Michael
Bisping and allegedly tested positive for Stanozolol, an anabolic
steroid, following the fight. After serving a nine-month suspension,
Leben lost his return fight via submission to Jake Rosholt. Going
into 2010, Leben appeared to be one loss away from being cut
by the UFC.
A
losing streak in MMA can be devastating to the career of a fighter.
Many fans perceive fighters to be only as good as their last
performance. Legends are quickly dismissed and great fighters
written off. Leben had to deal not only with the criticism and
scrutiny that comes from losing, but also past problems with
alcohol and the stigma of cheating. His career appeared to be
in a downward spiral.
There
was no shortage of obstacles for Leben to overcome, but 2010
would be a year of redemption.
The
year started inconspicuously with a decision win over the lightly
regarded Jay Silva. For the first time in his UFC career, Leben’s
bout wasn’t broadcast on television. That win set up a more
high profile bout with the undefeated Aaron Simpson. Leben was
a heavy underdog against the wrestling standout with big punching
power.
Simpson
demonstrated his wrestling skill by taking Leben down multiple
times in the first round of their bout. But by the second round
Simpson appeared to be fading. Leben started landing his punches.
As a dazed Simpson staggered across the ring to avoid additional
punishment, the referee stopped the bout. Leben won knockout
of the night honors and returned home for what he figured would
be a period of rest and relaxation.
Leben’s
plans were quickly foiled. Joe Silva called him up the next day.
Wanderlei Silva had to pull out of a semi-main event bout against
Yoshihiro Akiyama. A short notice replacement was needed. Leben
agreed to take the fight. It would be his second fight in just
two weeks and he was again a solid underdog.
Taking
two fights so close together might be viewed as a disadvantage
by some. However, prior to the fight with Akiyama, Leben pointed
to that as a positive.
“It’s
really quite a blessing because the hardest part about fighting
is getting throughout training camp without injury,” Leben
said. “I made it out of my last fight luckily with a couple
bumps and bruises but no injuries. For me to look at that fight
as a hard sparring day and my real fight is in two weeks, I truly
feel better than I ever have in my entire life.”
The
year 2010 was filled with classic fights. But few packed the
excitement of the spectacular contest between Leben and Akiyama.
They traded heavy strikes on their feet and scrambled for submissions
on the ground. At the beginning of the third round Leben stood
to his feet and raised his hands in the air to encourage the
already boisterous audience.
All
three judges had the fight scored 19-19 at that point. The third
round would decide the fight. Akiyama took Leben down and maintained
top position. Leben was active from his back but judges often
give the benefit of the doubt to the man on top. There was only
one way for Leben to guarantee himself victory and he pulled
it off by stopping the fight with the late triangle.
When
the year started, Chris Leben was a forgotten fighter. At the
year’s conclusion, he found himself once again a contender
in the middleweight division. He earned himself a semi-main event
position in 2011’s first card and was mentioned as a potential
coach for the Ultimate Fighter. It was a remarkable turnaround
for a fighter who has had a particularly tempestuous career.
“I’m
working hard in and out of the cage,” Leben said prior to
his UFC 125 bout with Brian Stann. “Anyone that’s around
me knows I’m a far different person than I was five years
ago.”
Success
in MMA, as in life, can often be fleeting. An arrest on suspicion
of DUI in October demonstrated that Leben’s past demons
have not entirely disappeared. Leben’s high profile bout
with Stann went on as planned but the episode reopened questions
about Leben’s behavior outside the Octagon.
Inside
the cage, Leben’s 2011 started off as the polar opposite
of his 2010. He demonstrated typical heart and determination
trying to fight through an onslaught of offense from the underdog,
but succumbed to punches late in the first round. The attention
shifted to Stann as a new potential contender at 185 pounds while
Leben found himself again looking to recover and rebound.
Past
triumphs can quickly fade from the memory following a first-round
knockout loss. But for a fighter who had fallen so far, 2010
represented a remarkable comeback for Chris Leben.
Sherdog’s
Beatdown of the Year
By Chris Nelson
Webster’s
Dictionary defines the word “beatdown” as ... well,
it’s not in the dictionary, but a beatdown in mixed martial
arts is not tough to spot.
Rare
is the sort of prolonged pummeling that makes spectators fear
deeply for one -- and only one -- of the participants’ well-being.
It is the kind of drubbing that leaves even the most desensitized
fight fan wincing and wondering, “Why was that allowed to
happen?”
While
qualifying a beatdown is fairly simple, quantifying one in proportion
to another can get tricky. Does one favor the brutish, first-round
lumping that Cain Velasquez dealt Brock Lesnar in their meeting
at UFC 121, or Jose Aldo’s 25-minute dissection of Urijah
Faber at WEC 48?
Sherdog’s
“Beatdown of the Year” for 2010 falls somewhere between
those two extremes, somehow making it more extreme than either.
Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos’ fight with Jan Finney
ended quickly enough to fit on a single YouTube video and yet
seemed to stretch out endlessly as it took place. In short, it
was exactly the kind of event one might expect to see when a
fighter nicknamed “Cyborg” runs up against one dubbed
“Cuddles.”
To
fully elucidate the brutality, a bit of background:
In
August 2009, after showing promising bursts of violence in her
first three bouts stateside, the 24-year-old Santos took on poster
girl Gina Carano for the first-ever Strikeforce women’s
145-pound championship. Cyborg confirmed her spot as one of the
world’s best female fighters by decimating the superstar
with a beating so sound that, 16 months later, the previously
undefeated Carano has yet to return to MMA.
In
January, the newly-minted champion made her first title defense
against veteran Marloes Coenen. The Dutchwoman held an experience
edge of five years and 10 fights over the Brazilian, but it made
little difference. Santos bullied her challenger for 13 minutes
before finishing Coenen with punches in the third frame. The
defeat prompted Coenen to drop to 135 pounds, where she captured
a Strikeforce title of her own nine months later.
As
Santos laid waste to opponents in Strikeforce, Finney was experiencing
something of a mid-career resurgence on the Midwest circuit.
A
personal trainer and self-described MMA hobbyist, the Ohioan
entered 2009 with a record of 4-7, having won just one of her
previous six outings. Following a pair of technical knockout
wins over neophyte opponents, Finney joined Oklahoma-based Freestyle
Cage Fighting’s 135-pound grand prix, the winner of which
was promised a Strikeforce contract.
After
earning decisions over Lizbeth Carreiro and Adrienna Jenkins
to reach the tournament final, Finney withdrew from her rematch
with fellow finalist Shayna Baszler. She had received the call-up
from Strikeforce and would fill in for former opponent Erin Toughill
against Santos.
When
the June 26 title fight was announced, some bookmakers placed
Cyborg as high as a -2500 favorite to beat Finney, an almost
unprecedented line for an MMA fight. In comparison, lines for
that evening’s main event put Fedor Emelianenko around -600
to defeat Fabricio Werdum.
In
retrospect, -2500 might have been a bit conservative. As the
match began inside the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., Finney
met Santos in the center of the cage, began tentatively flicking
out her left jab and then laid a right cross on the cheek of
the champion. The punch connected exactly five seconds into the
first round; it was to be Finney’s cleanest offense of the
fight.
Rather
than stand toe-to-toe throwing haymakers, the Chute Boxe-trained
Cyborg clinched with Finney, muscling her challenger into the
fence and going to work with knees to the body. When the fighters
disengaged, Santos clipped Finney with a left hand that sent
the underdog to her knees, where she wobbled forward and looked
for a takedown. It did not come, and, as Finney got back to her
feet, Santos cracked her with a knee to the face that looked
as though it would have knocked out most other fighters, male
or female.
One
minute into the fight, Finney already looked to be in serious
trouble, her face flushed red, a cut beneath her left eye from
the knee strike.
Cyborg
went back to the clinch, tenderizing her opponent’s midsection
with more knees. She stepped back and launched a volley of vicious
punches that put Finney on her rear. Clinging desperately to
Santos’ right leg, Finney ate more punches and hammerfists;
referee Kim Winslow warned Santos for punching the back of Finney’s
head. The challenger found momentary respite as she rolled into
guard, trying to create breathing room with upkicks, but Winslow
soon motioned her back to her feet.
Finney
was upright for approximately four seconds before another half-dozen
punches from Santos sent her back to her knees. When Finney rolled
to guard this time, Santos gave her no quarter, shucking the
challenger’s legs and wailing away. Finney turtled, and
an overzealous Cyborg again let her punches stray to the illegal
zone. Winslow appropriately deducted a point, though anyone watching
knew that it was moot.
Action
resumed, as did the clinching and Santos’ phone booth abuse.
More gut-wrenching knees and close-quarter punches prompted Finney
to step back and wing some shots of her own, but Santos marched
forward, unfazed. A left jab snapped Finney’s head back,
her blonde bob shaking. Another sent her to the canvas once again
with 60 seconds still to go in the opening round. Lying at the
base of the cage, Finney pushed away Santos with an upkick.
“Do
you want her up?” Winslow asked the champion.
Rather
than responding verbally, Santos lurched forward three steps
and sought to finish her challenger where she lay. Cyborg threw
a single punch that grazed the back of Finney’s head, though
only because she was diving for cover. As Finney covered up in
the fetal position, Santos glanced up at Winslow, seemingly asking
the official to halt the action. But no stoppage came, and Finney
rode out the final 30 seconds of the round on the mat, eating
more unanswered punches.
After
some examination from the cage-side physician, Finney was cleared
to enter the second round, which she started same as the first,
with her landing a single right hand to the champion’s face.
This time, however, she took several punches in return from Santos,
who now seemed to move with a justified sense of invincibility.
A stiff Santos jab sent Finney shooting on her knees, where she
stayed as Cyborg teed off with more punches. Winslow stood nearby,
closely watching the punishment and repeatedly instructing Finney
to fight back.
Cyborg
passed to Finney’s left and rained thunderous blows from
the knee-on-belly position. As Santos stood to stack her challenger,
Finney grabbed at a desperation heel hook. Santos easily stepped
out of the submission, prompting Winslow to issue her final stand-up
order of the night.
Somehow
still able to stand, Finney lobbed punches at Cyborg, who answered
with corking right hooks to her already-swollen left eye. The
fighters clinched and stalled; as they were restarted, Finney
continued to press forward, before being socked by a pair of
crisp left jabs.
Santos
smelled blood, fired off more punches and then laced her hands
around the back of Finney’s neck. Cyborg drove her right
knee sharply into Finney’s stomach, and the challenger collapsed
to the mat, prompting Winslow to wave off the match at 2:56 of
the second round. After all the battering she had taken above
the neck, it was a single, vicious knee that finally ended Finney’s
nightmare.
The
numbers from CompuStrike detail the dominance of Cyborg’s
performance: Santos scored six clean knockdowns to Finney’s
zero, landing more than six times as many total strikes (141
to 23). Still, statistics cannot explain everything. On June
26, it took Santos’ unrelenting brutality and killer instinct,
combined with Finney’s granite chin and oversized heart,
to produce the most sensational beatdown of the year.
Sherdog’s
Upset of the Year
By Jason Probst
It
did not look like the hotel room of a guy preparing to face the
“Baddest Man on the Planet,” one who had ruled the
heavyweight division for seven years.
But
in the days and hours leading into his showdown with Fedor Emelianenko
in Strikeforce on June 26 in San Jose, Calif., Fabricio Werdum
hardly played the part of a nerves-frayed underdog as he killed
off the final hours. Playing a soccer game on his beloved Xbox
-- a pastime at which Werdum is quite good, according to his
manager, Richard Wilner -- the Brazilian took on all comers.
“Fabricio
had a huge entourage of lifetime friends who came in on their
own dime, from Spain and Brazil, and his sister came in from
London,” said Wilner. “He doesn’t go into isolation
before a fight. I almost go into isolation as a manager. In Fabricio’s
room, three mattresses were on the floor to give more seating.
He’d be playing soccer games and beating everyone. He loves
having family and friends around. It’s just who he is as
a person.”
It
was not supposed to happen this way -- the most impressive win
streak in MMA history being snuffed out in 69 seconds. That is
precisely why Werdum’s submission of Emelianenko -- Sherdog’s
“Upset of the Year” for 2010 -- sent shockwaves across
the world, as the longtime heavyweight king, at last, looked
human.
“Mentally,
I was in a great place for the fight,” said Werdum, who
went off as a 10-1 underdog at fight time. “I trained a
lot. I did a good job getting ready in the gym. In the future,
if we have a rematch, I think I’ll do the same thing to
him that I did the first time.”
Going
into his showdown with the Russian, Werdum was perceived as cannon
fodder being served up amidst much larger battles taking place.
With
ongoing wrangling between Strikeforce, Fedor’s M-1 handlers
and the occasional media feeding frenzy hinting at a possible
UFC signing of the game’s biggest prize, it was almost an
afterthought that Werdum would politely and dutifully play his
role in serving up another highlight-reel win for “The Last
Emperor.”
Somebody
forgot to tell Werdum.
On
the heels of a businesslike submission of Mike Kyle, the two-time
Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion felt better than he had in
years, thanks to coming in at an exceptionally light 228 pounds.
Often weighing in the 240 range or higher, Werdum’s quickness
was noticeably improved coming into the Kyle bout, and he scaled
238 for the Fedor bout.
“We
were 120 percent convinced we were going to win the fight, because
the mental and physical preparation came [together] perfectly,”
Wilner said. “Fabricio was already convinced he won the
fight as camp started. The victory in and of itself was not a
surprise, but, to be perfectly honest, I think everyone but Fabricio
was surprised it was so fast. Nutrition was a big part of it.
Unlike years past where he weighed in [heavier], he’s more
fluid, faster and more flexible when he’s lighter. It’s
a better weight for him.”
In
the opening moments of the bout, the script seemingly played
out as almost everyone expected. Style-wise, Werdum seemed a
perfectly reasonable facsimile of Emelianenko rival Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira, the former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder
whose submission prowess and toughness only subjected him to
extended beatings as the Russian simply overpowered him.
Emelianenko
opened with his trademark stalking style, inching forward, with
Werdum yielding slightly, wary of the inevitable storm of blows.
At 25 seconds in, Emelianenko exploded, unleashing a six-punch
combination as Werdum missed his own return combination and fell
to the ground.
Emelianenko
pounced, and, then, as suddenly as it began, the momentum shifted
wildly in Werdum’s direction as he gripped Russian’s
right arm, signaling the beginning of the end. In the game of
MMA, even the great ones like Emelianenko will find themselves
outmatched in the endless minutia of positions, angles and tactics;
it is up to the other guy to exploit it, and Werdum did just
that.
“The
triangle is a position I’ve trained for a long time. I have
long legs, and it’s a technique I can use,” Werdum
said. “People always try to exchange with Fedor, so for
this fight, I used it as a setup to pull the fight to the ground.
I felt his right hand come and then sat. It didn’t hit me.
Then I could drop and pull him into my game.”
Moments
later, after sinking the triangle, Werdum coaxed what will go
down as the most memorable tapout in the sport’s history,
signaling an end to a phenomenal streak. What ensued signified
much more than the first definitive defeat of Emelianenko’s
career -- a controversial cut stoppage in 2000 was his first,
since avenged over Tsuyoshi Kosaka. Werdum’s triangle submission
resonated on multiple levels, its aftereffects touching virtually
everyone involved.
Werdum’s
career, seemingly lost in the roster of Strikeforce contenders,
suddenly catapulted. Emelianenko’s tortuous dance with Strikeforce
and, occasionally, the UFC, took a wildly different turn, as
his M-1 representatives suddenly found themselves with a significantly
diminished negotiating hand, no
longer in possession of the game’s biggest free-agent prize.
Strikeforce,
freed from the endless process of trying to secure Emelianenko’s
services in long-term fashion, switched away from that headache-inducing
pursuit to focus on other weight classes and developing talent.
Whatever the UFC offered Fedor during the last round of failed
negotiations is something only the parties intimately involved
know, but whatever it was, any future number will be nowhere
close to it.
Perhaps
most importantly, Werdum’s win signaled a passing of the
torch, of sorts, at least in the psychic sense -- long limited
to the hardcore fans on account of his mercurial promotional
affiliations and preference for overseas bookings, Emelianenko
nonetheless remained the unquestioned best in the heavyweight
division. His defeat signified, at least, some room for other
names in the conversation.
Contacted
through representatives, Fedor offered a simple take on the bout.
“I
made a mistake. I rushed to try and end the fight early, and
Fabricio took advantage,” he said. “I am human like
everyone else. I hope to fight Fabricio again, and, if it is
God’s will, I will win the next fight.”
While
other upset wins in 2010 were noteworthy feats, namely 8-1 long
shot Frankie Edgar’s decision over B.J. Penn in their April
bout -- Edgar repeated the trick as a mere 3-1 underdog in the
August rematch -- Werdum’s victory surpasses that one clearly
for several reasons.
First,
it was a definitive triumph, unlike the decision some felt should
have gone to Penn in the United Arab Emirates. Second, while
Penn is clearly the greatest lightweight in the history of the
sport, his consistency and commitment have been much-chronicled
question marks. Emelianenko’s remain the gold standard.
That is why Werdum’s win was “Upset of the Year”
for 2010 and, perhaps, the decade.
Sherdog’s
Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
By Chris Nelson
It
is hard to imagine any fighter having a better year, both inside
and outside of the cage, than Anthony Pettis had in 2010.
As
the calendar turned, Pettis was coming off the first loss of
his career, still a relative unknown in the 155-pound ranks of
World Extreme Cagefighting. Twelve months later, the man they
call “Showtime” -- Sherdog’s “Breakthrough
Fighter of the Year” for 2010 -- is a burgeoning superstar
on his way into the UFC with a guaranteed shot at MMA’s
most prestigious lightweight title.
But
first things first: “The Kick.” Everyone wants to talk
about the kick.
On
Dec. 16 in Glendale, Ariz., in the final fight of the final WEC
show before the promotion was folded into the UFC, Pettis challenged
lightweight champion Benson Henderson. That fact alone was hard
for the 23-year-old Milwaukeean to wrap his head around.
“Even
just fighting Ben Henderson, for me, was an honor,” Pettis
tells Sherdog.com. “I’ve seen him fight so many times,
and I know his walk-out. When I was in the cage and I heard his
music coming out, I was, like, ‘Man, I’m really about
to fight Ben Henderson.’”
And
fight Ben Henderson he did. For 24 minutes, the pair battled
tooth-and-nail, each man coming close to finishing the other
at multiple points during the thrilling, seesaw title bout. But
with 60 seconds left on the clock, the outcome still hung very
much in the balance.
That
is when it happened.
Stalking
his enemy, Pettis fired off a right high kick. Henderson absorbed
the shot with his arm and leaned wearily against the cage before
circling off to his right. Pettis leaned in, shuffled forward
and then launched himself off the cage into the air with his
right foot, before swinging the same appendage around to smack
Henderson square across the face. The champion fell over like
a sawed tree and spent the final minute of the fight clinging
to consciousness as Pettis bombarded him with punches.
“We
did it in tae kwon do demos. Obviously, I’d never did it
to a moving object before, but we would jump off of someone’s
back and break a board,” says Pettis, who adapted the move
for the cage in practice with trainer Duke Roufus. “I don’t
even think [Duke] thought I would throw that kick in a title
fight, in the last minute. I guess it was just a clutch kick,
man.”
Far
beyond clutch, the “Showtime” kick cemented Pettis’
place as the final WEC lightweight champion. In the blink of
an eye, the off-the-wall maneuver had changed Pettis’ life
and, perhaps, even MMA itself.
“Everyone
in the world who saw that fight witnessed the evolution of fight
sport right there,” says UFC heavyweight Patrick Barry,
Pettis’ training partner and close friend. “Now that
it happened, there are guys out there -- and women who fight,
also, -- who’ve always had these ideas in mind, and it really
happened. And now they’re like, ‘Oh, s--t! It really
worked.’”
Footage
of Pettis’ spectacular kick landed everywhere from ESPN’s
Sportscenter to CNN. The UFC posted a 24-second snippet to its
official YouTube channel; in less than two weeks, it was viewed
nearly two million times. That does not count the hundreds of
thousands of views a myriad of unofficial uploads garnered, a
few of which have come from the kicker himself.
“I
watch it every day,” Pettis says. “Someone made a YouTube
video of it, like in slow-mo, and I wake up and watch it. It
just puts a smile on my face every time.”
Before
he could sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor, however,
Pettis had to put in some serious work.
His
year began with a March bout against fellow up-and-comer Danny
Castillo at WEC 47. Three months earlier, Pettis had dropped
a razor-thin split decision to Bart Palaszewski, and although
it was his first defeat after a 9-0 career start, Pettis was
realistic about what back-to-back losses can mean for a fighter
in a Zuffa LLC-run organization. Determined to stay right where
he was, Pettis crushed Castillo with a head kick in the first
round, earning himself “Knockout of the Night” honors
and a tape-delayed spot on the live Versus broadcast.
Seven
weeks later, Pettis was back inside the blue cage, having stepped
up on short notice to face Alex Karalexis at WEC 48, in place
of an injured Zachary Micklewright. In a prelim that aired live
on Spike TV, Pettis assaulted Karalexis with kicks before submitting
the UFC veteran with a triangle choke in the second frame.
Pettis’
first main-card slot came in August, when he met Shane Roller
in the co-main event of WEC 50. In one of the year’s most
exciting WEC scraps, Pettis showed skills on both the feet and
the floor, out-striking Roller, as well as scoring multiple takedowns
on the three-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler from
Oklahoma State. After winning the opening two periods, Pettis
found himself snared in a dramatic, late guillotine attempt;
he managed to reverse and slap a triangle choke on Roller, submitting
his opponent with less than 10 seconds on the clock.
While
Pettis would not fight again until his meeting with Henderson,
one of the most significant events of his year was about to take
place.
On
Sept. 27, MTV broadcast an episode of its documentary series
“World of Jenks,” in which documentarian Andrew Jenks
lived with and filmed Pettis in the lead-up to his fight against
Castillo. The result was a stirring half-hour of television that
told Pettis’ story -- his dedication to martial arts and
his struggle to make good following the tragic murder of his
father in 2003 -- to a theretofore unaware audience.
“I
honestly didn’t think my life was that inspiring,”
confides Pettis, who saw a groundswell of support from new fans
on social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter when the
episode aired. “Honestly, after the ‘World of Jenks’
show ... I thought that was the highlight. I thought that, pretty
much, that was the most feedback I’d get. But, I mean, after
this kick, this tops that, for sure.”
Now,
according to Barry, he can hardly leave the house without being
recognized.
“I
walk around Milwaukee every day, all day, at night, and no one
knows who I am,” Barry says. “But Anthony? Can’t
go anywhere. People know him, not all over just Milwaukee, all
over America, man. All over the world, people know this guy.”
When
Showtime took some well-earned downtime following his title win,
Pettis began to fully grasp how widespread his celebrity was
becoming.
“I
just went on vacation in the Bahamas, and the locals there were
recognizing me,” says Pettis. “I was on a cruise and
we got off the ship, and the first guy I walked past, he recognizes
me. He’s like, ‘You’re the guy that did the kick
off the wall!’”
Right
now, countless people know Pettis as “the guy that did the
kick of the wall,” but the way Barry tells it, the world
has only seen the tip of the Showtime iceberg, just a shred of
what this ever-evolving young man can do.
“Let’s
say the kick never happened. That entire fight, beginning to
end, was art,” says Barry. “I’m not saying this
because he’s my teammate. This guy gives me the chills.
He’s the kind of guy that makes me think, ‘I need to
get out of this sport as quick as possible, because they got
people growing up doing this s--t now? I need to get out while
I still can before something like this happens to me.’ This
is an entire different species of fighter.”
Sherdog’s
Round of the Year
By Jordan Breen
Sherdog.com’s
“Round of the Year” for 2010 did not take place where
one would expect.
The
most scintillating back-and-forth did not inhabit a plush Las
Vegas venue on The Strip or an attractive, newly minted multi-sport
arena in a major U.S. city. It did not play out before tens of
thousands of eyes at the beloved Saitama Super Arena or before
mere thousands of eyes in the cozy, hallowed halls of iconic
Korakuen Hall.
Instead,
it somehow seems bizarrely fitting that over 2,300 miles away
from Canada’s fight capital of Montreal, on June 20, two
Canadians -- Mark Hominick and Yves Jabouin -- would pace and
palpitate the hearts of a crowd in the Great White North’s
most mocked major city.
WEC
49 taking place in Edmonton was a slight surprise from jump street.
In spite of Edmonton’s strong grassroots MMA promotions,
such as the Maximum Fighting Championship and The Fight Club,
as well as Zuffa’s explicit love for Canada and its MMA
fans, it hardly seemed like a desired location. The city, oft-labeled
“Deadmonton” by Canadians, is typically viewed as the
ugly little sister of nearby Calgary. Its history is a harrowing
one. An emerging oil city in the 1960s and 1970s, construction
boomed as it built high-rises, condos and sports arenas. Then,
the oil boom of 1982 struck. Workers left, population growth
screeched to a halt, and fancy, new office buildings were left
vacant, like a ghost metropolis.
The
city was left with just one thing: sports. However, 1982 was
the last of five straight Grey Cups for the Canadian Football
League’s Edmonton Eskimos; they would win just twice more
in the next two decades. In 1988 came the Coup de Grâce,
as beloved hockey icon Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton
Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. Though the Oilers would go on
to another Stanley Cup win in 1990, in the minds of most Canadians
outside the city, this single act marks a turning point in which
Edmonton completely morphed into a depressing tale of a city
crushed in chrysalis, with millions of jilted lovers wondering
when Wayne would come back and make everything OK again.
Though
these imaginations are obviously hyperbolic, few would expect
Edmonton’s Rexall Place, a nearly 40-year-old arena -- a
fossil by the current standards of sports venues -- to play host
to MMA greatness. Yet, the second round served up by Hominick
and Jabouin was a thrill-a-second, 201 of them to be exact, regardless
of Rexall’s rep as Deadmonton’s dump.
The
opening round of Hominick-Jabouin was impressive in its own right,
as Jabouin landed a bevy of hard low kicks, while Hominick slowly
got his clean right crosses and lefts to the body stewing. However,
the second stanza simply took the action to another level.
The
dynamic was similar, as Hominick pumped his jab and landed right
crosses, while Jabouin landed sharp low kicks. However, the pace
was extraordinary, as both men threw with a volume and tempo
that made it seem like they were in a video game. When Hominick
dug into Jabouin with his left hook to the liver, Jabouin cracked
him with a spinning back fist. When Hominick landed two left
hooks to the body, Jabouin returned to kicks to the guts. It
was a vivid illustration of tit-for-tat, blow-for-blow. However,
the visual was not the only sensory impression; the audio of
the hard cracks and smacks of bone and flesh were audible throughout
the arena, renowned for its loudness.
Hominick
then showed off the kind of handiwork imparted on him by longtime
trainer Shawn Tompkins, as he smacked Jabouin with a right cross
and faked a left hook up top. The speed of Hominick’s feint
caused Jabouin to shell up, and Hominick dipped his shoulder
and smashed his hook into the tip of Jabouin’s liver. Jabouin
crumpled into the fence, and Hominick pounced, pelting him with
punches while referee Vern Gorman looked in closely.
The
left to the body is prizefighting’s unique poison, leaving
the victim sentient but usually paralyzed. And yet, under fire,
a wounded “Tiger” somehow got back to his feet against
the cage. He tried to fight back, abating Hominick’s attack
with a hard spinning elbow. However, the maneuver simply allowed
Hominick to momentarily take his back and deliver more punishment.
Jabouin
fought back to his feet. Wobbly and desperate, he launched a
sweeping left uppercut. Hominick easily avoided the uppercut
but did not see the follow-up right hook coming.
Jabouin’s
right collided with Hominick’s face with shocking impact,
dropping the Ontarian to the canvas and turning up the decibel
level of the Rexall Place even louder, as it seemed he might
be moments away from a tremendous comeback.
Jabouin
dove into Hominick’s guard with sweeping punches, looking
to close the show, but Hominick gained wrist control and threatened
with an armbar to stem Jabouin’s offense. Suddenly, when
it looked like the frenetic pace might lull momentarily, Hominick
dug under Jabouin’s thigh and pulled off a textbook pendulum
sweep, just as smoothly as you would see in an instructional.
“The
Machine” took full mount and did not look back. Hominick
smashed Jabouin to the head, all while maintaining his stand-up
sensibilities, landing crushing rights and lefts into the sternum
of Jabouin while perched on top of him. The body blows from mount
seems to take the last bit of starch out of Jabouin, who could
simply no longer keep up with the torrid pace and offense of
Hominick. Hominick punched and punched and punched until Gorman
had seen enough, halting the bout at 3:21 of the frame.
Typically,
great rounds are built solely on rollercoaster violence and the
sheer awe that so much action could be packed into a five-minute
period. Yet, Hominick and Jabouin needed just over half a round
to stage this year’s finest. To be sure, it had the sudden,
shocking swings in action, the near-stoppages that typically
mark great rounds. However, what really set it apart from its
contemporaries was the tempo and technique of the action delivered.
In
just 201 seconds, Hominick and Jabouin threw 124 strikes. That’s
37 strikes per minute; April’s wild slugfest between Leonard
Garcia and Chan Sung Jung averaged about 26.8 strikes per minute.
And yet, Hominick-Jabouin was, technically speaking, the exact
opposite of Garcia-Jung. There was no rapacious headhunting or
blind windmilling of punches. Every Jabouin low kick and spinning
back fist, every Hominick right cross and left hook to the body,
was thrown true and proper but with a staggering rapidity.
Hominick
and Jabouin might have been two Canadian fighters in front of
a Canadian audience, but that night in Edmonton, they seemed
more like Italian conductors, and their tempo was nothing less
than prestissimo, prestissimo con fuoco.
As
for Edmonton, five days later, its Oilers selected Taylor Hall
first overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Hall has joined a
cast of fellow scintillating youngsters in Edmonton. Despite
still being on a bottom-five team, they are starting to amaze
on the ice and giving Edmontonians hope for a future where thrills
at Rexall Place -- thrills like the kind Hominick and Jabouin
produced -- are more commonplace, especially in the month of
June, when Lord Stanley’s Cup is awarded.
Sherdog’s
Robbery of the Year
By Tristen Critchfield
“This
man just fought his heart out, and he’s not a judge”
-- UFC color analyst Joe Rogan
Leonard
Garcia fights with an unparalleled sense of urgency each time
he steps into the cage, but his trademark style (read: throwing
big looping punches at every opportunity, cardio and accuracy
be damned) seems to confound mixed martial arts judges.
In
2010 alone, all three of his fights featured scorecards that
raised eyebrows in the MMA community. His split decision triumph
over Chan Sung Jung at WEC 48 drew boos when it was announced.
While few would dispute the fact that Mark Hominick got the best
of Garcia at WEC 51, one judge curiously saw the fight 29-28
in favor of the Lubbock, Texas, native, making their bout a closer-than-expected
split verdict.
The
most egregious scoring error, however, might have come at “The
Ultimate Fighter 12” Finale in December, when, to the surprise
of Garcia, his corner and virtually everyone else in attendance
at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, the “Bad Boy”
was awarded an early Christmas gift against Nam Phan.
The
unsatisfying resolution was par for the course in 2010. Fights
like B.J. Penn-Frankie Edgar 1, Sean Sherk-Evan Dunham and Quinton
Jackson-Lyoto Machida have transformed the adage “don’t
leave it in the hands of the judges” into gospel.
In
the minds of many, Garcia-Phan was simply the icing on the cake.
The backlash following Garcia’s controversial split decision
win included a cascade of bulls--t chants from the fans in the
immediate aftermath, a flood of hate mail directed at the Nevada
State Athletic Commission and some vitriol from Rogan on the
MMA Underground forum.
Such
an overwhelming negative reaction helps make the first-ever televised
featherweight bout in UFC history Sherdog.com’s “Robbery
of the Year” for 2010.
“After
every card, there’s usually someone complaining about someone
getting robbed -- the Machida-Jackson fight that happened a few
weeks before this fight. It happened with [Randy] Couture and
[Brandon] Vera [at UFC 105]. It happened with a lot of fights,”
said NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer. “To me, it just
shows really good, competitive matches being made. Not that the
judges don’t make mistakes; of course they do. It’s
amazing how every other fight’s a robbery, according to
some fan or another.”
The
judges who oversaw the action for Garcia-Phan were Adelaide Byrd,
Tony Weeks and Junichiro Kamijo. Two of the three would see a
very different fight than the majority of viewers.
The
first round began with Garcia firing away in typical fashion,
looking for a finish with powerful hooks and overhands. In what
would be a recurring theme, most of the Texan’s efforts
whiffed or glanced off Phan’s gloves and arms.
“That’s
like a style for rock throwing. It’s not like a punching
style. It’s so strange,” Rogan quipped.
The
Vietnamese-American was more efficient in the opening frame,
landing effective body shots and combinations while pressing
forward. Garcia fatigued quickly and moved backward instead of
circling in the round’s later stages, something trainer
Greg Jackson pointed out in the corner once the bell sounded.
What looked like a 10-9 round for Phan was given to Garcia by
Byrd and Weeks.
According
to Garcia, the weeks leading up to the fight provided enough
uncertainty to affect the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts product’s
training. As the airing of Season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter”
was coming to a close, Garcia agreed to face Tyler Toner at the
finale. Toner, who trains at Denver’s Grudge Training Center,
was moved to a bout against Ian Loveland on just a week-and-a-half’s
notice. Garcia, meanwhile, looked to be without an opponent.
“We
weren’t getting ready for anything. We thought we weren’t
going to fight until February,” he said. “They called
me six days before Thanksgiving and told me, ‘No, you’re
definitely fighting. We just can’t tell you who it’s
against.’ It was kind of a crazy situation. Going into a
big card like the UFC not knowing who you’re gonna fight
is something you’re not used to. It definitely weighed on
me a little bit.”
The
lack of conditioning, as Garcia himself would admit, continued
affect him, as well.
Early
in second round, Garcia pressed forward, landing punches, leg
kicks and even scoring a rare double-leg takedown. Once Phan
returned to his feet, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season
12 semi-finalist took over, connecting with an uppercut that
had Garcia reeling against the fence. Phan continued to batter
his opponent with punches before flooring Garcia with a spectacular
side kick to the ribcage. From there, the karate black belt attempted
to lock in a rear-naked choke, but Garcia survived as the round
expired.
Coming
in, Garcia had only been finished once in 21 professional appearances,
and Phan’s inability to do so in his most dominant round
eventually proved to be his undoing.
“You
can’t get careless,” Phan said. “I shouldn’t
have left it in the hands of the judges. It’s a lot harder
to finish someone than you think. I hit him with some good shots.”
The
bout’s final round was also its closest. An exhausted Garcia
continued to swing away. A cut opened up on Phan’s head
early, but the Sengoku veteran said Garcia rarely landed anything
significant.
“That
was from him hitting me, hitting my glove and my knuckles hitting
my head. That caused a cut,” he said.
Garcia
also attempted another takedown, something he would later credit
for swaying the scorecards in his favor. Phan, though slightly
less aggressive than in earlier rounds, continued to mount a
solid offense using jabs and body shots. As time expired, the
reactions of the fighters were a study in contrasts: Garcia,
looking weary, headed to his corner with eyes downcast, while
Phan, looking fresh, raised his arms in what he assumed was inevitable
triumph.
Those
who watched that night already know Phan’s cruel reality.
Byrd and Weeks scored the bout 29-28 for Garcia, while Kamijo
scored it 30-27 for Phan. After the head-scratching scores were
announced, Phan turned toward his coaches with arms spread and
palms up in an expression of utter disbelief.
“I
don’t see how Leonard beat me any of the rounds,” Phan
said. “I watched it again, and it was like he threw a lot,
but [even] cosmetically [when] you throw a lot of punches, you’ve
still got to hit the guy.”
On
the opposite side of referee Herb Dean, Garcia let out a yell,
recognizing that fortune had smiled upon him.
“I
wasn’t happy with my performance. Nobody likes to win a
fight like that. It was a bittersweet thing, and it felt like
I had a lot of questions to answer,” he said.
A
few feet to Garcia’s left, Jackson momentarily looked as
shocked as Phan.
“Some
people thought that Leonard was more aggressive the first and
third rounds, but I wanted Leonard to do more to win the fight,”
Jackson said.
Ultimately,
swinging for the fences proved to be the right strategy, and
one Garcia plans on continuing to utilize.
“I’ve
worked my style into a judge-favoring position. It makes sense
to me not to ever sit back, not to ever wait on the guy to do
something. I always try to push forward, and I always try to
finish the fight with punches,” Garcia said.
For
most everyone else, the logic of those sitting cage-side does
not seem so clear.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Many
UFC wheels in motion for Lesnar & dos Santos on The Ultimate
Fighter
By Zach
Arnold
There’s a lot to look at when it comes to the concept of
Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos as coaches on the next season
of The Ultimate Fighter.
The
immediate reaction to this is that Lesnar will somehow be a terrible
coach. The problem with that theory is that when you look at
the coaching staff Brock will likely bring with him on the show,
it’s going to be a great staff. Marty Morgan, Erik Paulson,
and Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros. These are trainers
who command respect and deserve it. I have no doubt that the
fighters on the show, whatever level they will be coming in at
(the show is all Welterweights this season), will learn plenty
and get better. The same for the team of coaches Junior will
bring into the mix.
I
think UFC being able to deliver Brock Lesnar for The Ultimate
Fighter will certainly put the pressure on Spike TV to pony up
big bucks for a new deal with the UFC. After all, Lesnar and
dos Santos are going to draw very high ratings. Will they match
the ratings that Rampage and Rashad did with Kimbo? I don’t
know, but it will be close.
What
makes this situation interesting is that the fight they are building
up towards will happen in June in Vancouver. Brock’s history
in the UFC is that he draws enormous PPV buys but is not necessarily
a strong live house attraction. Given that UFC does well in Canada,
the live house portion won’t be such an issue. The more
intriguing issue is how hated Lesnar will be in Canada given
his very public comments about how much he hates their health
care system. Believe me, this will be echoed ad nauseum leading
up to the fight.
There
may be some irony here as well with this fight taking place in
Vancouver. Vancouver is where Chuck Liddell has his last fight
and got sent into retirement by Rich Franklin. Could dos Santos
do the same thing to Brock?
Dave
Meltzer sees all upside and no downside to Brock & dos Santos
as coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter:
“He’s
going and it wasn’t easy negotiations but, um, at the end
of the day like we said Brock’s a businessman and I think
they were able to convince that doing this…
“There’s
a lot of upsides for everyone, I mean this is like a no-lose
situation for all concerned. I’m amazed at any negativity
towards this because it’s, you know, obviously it was the
optimum decision which is the question is they could actually
could pull off getting Brock to do the show, that was always
the problem. But with 13 weeks of television or 12 weeks or whatever
it turns out to be with Brock and Dos Santos, Dos Santos is going
to end up being a very well-liked guy and a much bigger star
for a fight with Brock than if they had just done the fight cold
and, you know, Brock gets TV. It’s going to be airing the
same time his book comes out, which we had pointed out was a
perfect thing for him doing this season of Ultimate Fighter.
You know, the June 11th date is a tough one and again because
of the traveling as far as like the book promotion, I don’t
know what the details are on that because the people involved
like really just found out, so… we’ll probably more
on that in a day or two.
“But,
you know, as far as um, you know, he’s going to be on TV
every week. The show’s going to get good ratings. It builds
up a fight. The fight with Junior, with that 13 week build-up,
may do a hell of a number. I could see, you know it’s hard
to throw out a number right now. It ain’t going to do, I
can’t imagine it doing less than 750,000 and you know I
mean if there’s the right conflict and things like that
because we’re talking about a season of Ultimate Fighter
that’s going to be doing I would think bigger ratings than
this last season and, you know, you got Brock who’s a draw
going you know in a match where the winner gets the title and
the other thing is that you know originally Brock was told that
he would need two wins, which is another key thing, he would
need two wins to get the championship match and now he only needs
one and that basically was not thrown in there as a way to get
him to take the fight, that is just how things, you know, people
will talk about favoritism and it has nothing to do with that.
It has to do with the fact that Cain Velasquez got hurt and Junior
dos Santos could have sat and said, I’ll wait for my title
shot. Junior did not want to do that and the only logical fight
would be, I guess you could say Carwin would have been a logical
fight but Brock’s more logical than Carwin since Brock beat
Carwin and um… and again with Carwin coming back from the
back injury, although you I don’t know how much he would
have been able to coach because again the coaching starts in
a couple of weeks, so Carwin couldn’t have done the show.
But the point is is that like it’s, as far as the match
goes, it’s the you know it’s the logical match to make
for a number one contendership and whoever wins is the rightful
number one contender. dos Santos is going to be either a huge,
I would think that a combination of doing this show and beating
Brock will lead to dos Santos and Cain being a much, much bigger
fight than it would have been elsewise. If Lesnar wins, Lesnar
and Cain you know coming off of this show, I can’t see it
doing less than 1.2 million buys and that’s probably a low
estimate.
“So,
I just see the whole thing as a positive unless somebody gets
hurt or something silly happens that screws it all up, but on
paper it’s awesome.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
UFC
Stands By Jacob Volkmann After Controversial Comments
by Damon
Martin
The
comments that UFC lightweight Jacob Volkmann made recently about
President Barack Obama have now landed the Minnesota fighter
on administrative leave from his job as an assistant head coach
of the wrestling program at White Bear Lake High School.
Volkmann,
who was also visited by Secret Service agents for his comments,
was informed of the school’s decision to place him on leave
while they research further into the issue, and decide what his
fate will ultimately be.
“They
put me on administrative leave they called it,” Volkmann
told MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday. “They said I was representing
the school in a bad way, and during the interview I mentioned
the President is an idiot. They were a little upset about that.
“They’re
actually reviewing it and they’ve got a case on it. They’re
doing a report on it. No timeframe, she said she was going to
give me a call, she had to talk to the superintedent first and
she had to talk to the school board.”
When
Volkmann made the comment, he admits he never imagined it would
put him in the national spotlight the way that it has. He appeared
on the Fox Business Network earlier this week, and will have
a crew from Inside Edition coming out to film with him on Thursday.
Whether
anyone agrees with his statements or not, Volkmann like all Americans
falls under the First Amendment which protects the right to Free
Speech, and he believes that everyone is overreacting to what
he said.
“There’s
too many people that are too sensitive out there, that’s
what the deal is. You can’t joke around about politics.
I guess you’re definitely not supposed to have an opinion
about certain policies that effect you,” Volkmann said.
“Last
I checked we’re not in the Soviet Union.”
While
one set of employers were angry enough with Volkmann to suspend
him, another employer namely the UFC has no problem with anything
he’s done to this point.
“I talked to Monte (Cox) and Monte talked to the UFC and
Joe Silva, and he said they’re not upset about it. They’re
with me on this one,” Volkmann commented.
Volkmann
doesn’t plan on walking away from the situation with the
school or backing down from his comments about the President’s
policies. If anything this has fueled him to speak out more.
“I’m
a little irritated with the school thing, but I’m not going
to let it go,” Volkmann said. “I’m going to keep
on the issue. It’s not even really the issue with getting
my job back, I think there’s certain members of the school
board that’s upset that I’m against the policies of
the President.”
Volkmann
will film with Inside Edition on Thursday and then wait to hear
from the White Bear Lake school board about his administrative
leave.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Fedor
Compares Strikeforce Grand Prix to Pride: “It’s Just
as Good, If Not Better”
by Damon
Martin
It started on April 25, 2004.
The
Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix. At the time, it was widely considered
one of the best gatherings of heavyweight talent in the MMA world,
if not the greatest. The eventual winner was former No. 1 heavyweight
Fedor Emelianenko, who will also be a participant in the upcoming
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix kicking off Feb. 12 in New
Jersey.
Emelianenko
is the only participant in the upcoming Strikeforce tournament
who was also a part of the Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix over
six years ago.
Despite
the legendary field of 16 heavyweights in that tournament, Emelianenko
believes Strikeforce may have surpassed it with the crop of eight
fighters they have kicking off their own Heavyweight Grand Prix
in 2011.
“I
believe that this tournament has assembled enough quality fighters
and some of the strongest and most interesting heavyweight fighters
in the world. So I think that in no way is this tournament any
less than the ones I competed for with Pride,” said Emelianenko.
“I
believe it’s just as good, if not better.”
Strong
words from the fighter who would gain his fame and prestige from
his time in the once great Japanese organization, but he feels
like the talent amassed by Strikeforce rivals or surpasses that
of the Pride days.
There
is no denying the tournament is filled with Top 10 fighters or
Top 10 level talent from top to bottom. Beyond Emelianenko, the
man who defeated him last year, Fabricio Werdum, as well as Strikeforce
heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, make up three-fourths
of one side of the bracket.
On
the other side, perennial Top 10 fighter Josh Barnett sits in
the tournament as well as several fighters that have been ranked
among the best in the last few years, including former UFC heavyweight
champion Andrei Arlovski.
The
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix will kick off in February
with the first round match-ups between Emelianenko and Antonio
“Bigfoot” Silva as well as Andrei Arlovski against
Sergei Kharitonov.
While
his Pride days are long behind him, the mental preparation and
toughness that Fedor endured to get through the past Grand Prix
tournament can’t be ignored, but while he feels experience
is always important, it’s not going to get him through to
the finals.
“I
don’t think that the years I spent in Pride can give me
any type of advantage or dictate how I will perform in this tournament,”
said Emelianenko. “Certainly experience in this tournament
is something that is valuable. Nevertheless, I have to train
very hard for this fight and we’ll see what happens.”
The
tournament’s opening round fights will take place on Feb.
12 and then another event sometime in early April. Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker said that the semifinal rounds will likely then
take place in June or July, with the finals happening after that,
although no timelines have been set.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
The
Iceman: A Retrospective
Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com
The mohawk. The mustache. The backpedaling, screaming celebrations.
The
head kick. The wall walk. The overhand right.
Randy
Couture. Tito Ortiz. Wanderlei Silva.
A
fighter’s fighter. A UFC champion. An MMA icon.
There
are near endless ways for someone to remember Chuck Liddell.
His 12-year career is among MMA’s finest, as Liddell fought
and beat a veritable who’s who of the sport’s star-studded
light heavyweight division. Along the way, he turned in some
of the game’s most indelible memories, whether they were
triumphant wins, crushing defeats or classic battles. He became
MMA’s first true superstar in North America, his rise inextricable
and intimately intertwined with the rapid rise of the UFC and
MMA on the whole.
On
Dec. 29, “The Iceman” finally called it a career, hanging
up his four-ouncers and preparing to settle into a role as Zuffa
LLC’s executive vice president of business development.
As the 205-pound legend turns over a new leaf to the corporate
world, Sherdog.com staff members and contributors weigh in on
their most vivid memories, reflections and appraisals of Liddell’s
trials, triumphs and importance to MMA.
Jordan
Breen: UFC 43, just days after my 16th birthday, was my first
live UFC experience. The event was bizarre enough, between the
Frank Mir-Wes Sims debacle and Matt Lindland knocking himself
out. That was before the epically awful video intro Chuck got
courtesy of the late Charles “Mask” Lewis. The video
and subsequent Vanilla Ice metal remix left me in shock, a sense
that continued as I watched an afterthought underdog Randy Couture
dominate “The Iceman.” That night, I wondered if Liddell
might settle into a bridesmaid role, a Top 10 fighter who just
couldn’t get over the hump. If someone had showed me a vision
of the future -- ESPN The Magazine, “Entourage,” “Good
Morning Texas” and all the rest -- I’m not sure I would’ve
believed it. For me, the adversity Liddell faced en route to
becoming MMA’s first crossover superstar made it much sweeter
to watch.
Wojek
Rysiewski: Chuck had a remarkable role in elevating UFC’s
popularity in the U.S and will be undoubtedly remembered as one
of the legends of the sport. However, as a European, I always
viewed his accomplishments from a Pride-UFC rivalry perspective,
with Wanderlei Silva being his ultimate foe. Each of their wins
increased my hunger for this dream light heavyweight matchup.
Even though the fight finally happened when they were both past
their primes, I will never forget the moment they entered the
Octagon and Chuck gave the last highlight performance of his
career.
Jeff
Sherwood: Chuck was a people’s champion for his willingness
to fight and be there for the fans. Just look at his early fights.
Between fighting in the UFC, a 30-minute bareknuckle brawl with
Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons and taking bouts in small promotions
like Neutral Grounds, he proved that he just wanted to fight.
Money was not the goal then, or ever, for Chuck. I think that’s
why the fans fell in love with him. For me, part of it was influenced
by what I saw in Friant, Calif., in 2000, before he fought Steve
Heath. Watching Liddell run up and down the mountains in the
110-degree heat at the Table Mountain Casino to make weight was
impressive enough. The next night, he turned in one of the most
brutal head kick knockouts I’ve ever seen; to this day,
it’s still one of the worst I’ve witnessed. It was
a crazy scene, as Heath's wife tried to get into the cage to
make sure her man was alright. Chuck deserves to be called a
legend of the sport and deserves all the kickbacks he gets in
retirement.
Chris
Nelson: I never had a Mohawk, painted my nails or wheeled around
backward with my shirt off, arms splayed. Liddell’s image
in his prime was diametrically opposed to my own tastes as a
young man. Nonetheless, I can vividly recall watching his second
fight against Randy Couture with my younger brother and a bunch
of his friends. Their visceral, ecstatic reaction to The Iceman’s
win gave me my first true notion of what was to come for MMA
and just how crucial Liddell would be to the sport’s explosion.
My respect for Liddell grew to such an extent that I found myself
saddened when, in recent years, he would make headlines with
a speech-slurring talk show appearance or find himself on the
receiving end of a brutal knockout. Thank you, Chuck, and enjoy
your time behind the desk; you earned it.
Mike
Whitman: For me, UFC 52 marked the ultimate performance for The
Iceman. In 2005, Liddell’s Mohawked followers made me want
to smash things. Though I was in the minority, I was confident
that Randy Couture would once again put a fist in Liddell’s
face before hoisting him above his head and slamming Liddell
through the mat.
As
Chuck sidestepped a charging “Captain America,” the
action started to slow down in my mind. I could see the inevitable
coming. It was perfect -- a laser beam of a right hand that smashed
into Couture’s jawline, buckling his knees and causing my
own jaw to nearly unhinge. After that fight, I damn sure appreciated
his greatness every time he stepped in the cage. What a fighter,
and what a career.
Guilherme
Pinheiro: Looking back at Chuck’s career inevitably takes
me back to my college years, when I was just another law student
at University of Sao Paulo. I was just a fan, with no intention
of being involved in any way with MMA back then. I still remember
awaiting UFC 47 and can still recall the exact moment when one
of my buddies called me to go to a party that day. I said yes
but quickly remembered that Chuck was fighting that night. Because
I was afraid my friends would mock me if I told them the real
reason of why I would skip the party, I came up with an excuse
so I could stay home and watch the fight. That’s what Chuck
Liddell is to me, the kind of fighter that would keep you home
on a Saturday night just to watch him fight.
Traci
Ratzloff: I remember the awkward feeling when Liddell KO’d
Couture, not once but twice: bittersweet because The Natural
was taken down, especially with the questionable pinky, but exciting
that Liddell was the one to actually KO the All-American hero.
Also, I can’t help but recall the first Ortiz fight. The
bout was so long in the making that it almost felt like good
versus evil. Sorry, Tito. Remember all of Tito’s trash talking
that led up to the fight? Both of these athletes will forever
be remembered as two of the best characters ever pitted against
each other in this sport. Chuck, we will miss the excitement
and athleticism you brought to the cage. Few create the sense
of anticipation you did.
Tracey
Lesetar: Everyone remembers the first MMA fight they watched.
More likely, the true MMA fan remembers that feeling in their
fingertips when they saw their first really, really good finish
-- a spectacular blitzkrieg of fists and descending body weight
-- and realized they had an appetite for more. For me, Chuck
Liddell takes the honors on this one. Shortly after graduating
college, I found myself in some nameless Maryland bar with some
cronies I now rarely keep in touch with, watching UFC 40. When
I saw The Iceman land that staggering left kick on Renato Sobral’s
head that night in 2002 to finish him in the first round, my
light bulb went off. It was like seeing Santa Claus for the first
time. Liddell did two things for me. Once I had enough money
together and had my own apartment one month after UFC 40, I signed
up for my first martial arts class and have not stopped since.
And Chuck Liddell made me a loving and respectful fan of MMA.
There are few longstanding icons in this young sport, but Chuck
was one I always idolized. Thanks for the awakening.
Joseph
Myers: The record will state that Chuck Liddell lost five of
the final six fights of his career, including his last three
by knockout. That isn’t the Chuck Liddell I’ll remember.
I’ll remember the fighter who ran roughshod over the UFC’s
205-pound division, produced highlight-reel knockout after highlight-reel
knockout and helped usher in the modern era of mixed martial
arts. All good things must come to an end, but for me, The Iceman
will always remain frozen at the top of his game.
Tristen
Critchfield: By the time I interviewed Rashad Evans prior to
his date with Chuck Liddell at UFC 88, even the sports media
blowhard-types stuck in boxing’s golden era had to acknowledge
the exploits of The Iceman, thanks in large part to his stint
as a coach on “The Ultimate Fighter” and an ESPN The
Magazine cover. The soft-spoken Jackson’s MMA product spoke
of beating Liddell in his dreams, and striking coach Mike Winkeljohn
pointed out Liddell’s flaws as a counterpuncher, but it
still seemed unlikely that the UFC icon would falter against
Evans, who, at that point, might have been best known for drawing
the ire of Matt Hughes with his hot dogging on the second season
of TUF. I watched the fight at your typical UFC household gathering:
a mix of casual and serious fans who had all pitched in for the
cause of watching some violence in a social setting. The fact
that Evans’ shocking knockout of an MMA legend drew a collective
gasp from that particular audience was as much a testament to
Liddell’s status as an icon in the sport as it was to his
opponent’s display of skill.
J.R.
Riddell: Liddell became one of the first truly recognizable faces
of MMA and was readily identified by fans, casual observers and
even many would-be followers who had not yet experienced the
joy of MMA. Perhaps one of his biggest contributions to the sport
was to demonstrate that an MMA athlete can become iconic and
recognizable even to those not indoctrinated in MMA. In many
ways, Liddell served as an ambassador of the sport and surely
ushered in a host of new fans each time he appeared on a pay-per-view.
Of course his signature Mohawk and goatee went a long way to
establishing himself as a standout. And who can think of a Liddell
knockout without picturing his iconic and primal pose celebrating
his triumph over yet another opponent? That pose will forever
be immortalized as a piece of MMA iconography.
Matt
Pitt: I had never heard of Chuck Liddell before being dragged
to the Saitama Super Arena for a friend’s bachelor party
in 2003. I wasn’t an MMA fan and had no interest in becoming
one, but every fight that night was incredible. For the first
three minutes of their fight, Alistair Overeem beat Liddell around
the ring with punches and kicks. Suddenly, Chuck just exploded
in a flurry of punches, dropping the bigger fighter. I’ll
never forget Liddell’s bloody triumphant snarl as he stood
over Overeem. It will always be the face of MMA for me.
Ryan
O’Leary: On my first day of college, I stood alongside Chuck
Liddell as the Cal Poly wrestling coach welcomed new recruits.
To see Chuck’s rise from those pre-Mohawk days as a gritty
wrestler to becoming the face of “ultimate fighting”
has been unimaginable. The emerging sport was fortunate to have
a guy like Chuck to carry the MMA torch forward, because he was
a real fighter; not a technician or gifted athlete but a fighter.
It’s ironic that his persona carries with it fame, girls
and money, because he would just as well have fought in a Taco
Bell parking lot for free with nobody watching. He kept his roots
in San Luis Obispo, with many of the same college and wrestling
buddies at his side to this day. Chuck’s uniqueness goes
well beyond devastating right hands and head kicks. Cheers to
Chuck.
Greg
Savage: Chuck Liddell is one of the few fighters whose career
has spanned the entire 12-plus years I’ve covered MMA. I
remember sitting backstage with the future UFC champ back in
the late 1990s at a small show in California and was surprised
to find him as personable and intelligent as he was. Chuck was
a fixture in California, and being able to talk to him was a
great learning experience for a fairly green journalist just
getting into the sport. Despite becoming the first true MMA crossover
star from MMA, that affable disposition never changed. Then there
was the in-ring killer. The first time I saw him fight live was
July 18, 2000, and it is still one of the most brutal knockouts
I have ever seen. The Iceman crushed Steve Heath with a right
hand that froze him and then launched across the cage with a
huge head kick that left Heath unconscious for minutes. Years
later, Jeff Sherwood and I presented him with the 2006 Sherdog.com
“Fighter of the Year” award. He joked with us that
he would be the light heavyweight version of “Tank”
Abbott -- the old slugger who has a huge puncher’s chance,
even though everyone expects him to lose -- and that he would
have to be dragged out of the cage kicking and screaming. I know
this was probably the hardest decision Chuck has ever had to
make, but, in the end, he made the right choice.
Brian
Knapp: It might come off as a bit cliché, but Liddell’s
fight with Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79 will remain my enduring
memory of The Iceman. There was such a buildup for that particular
bout, and, somehow, they lived up to and exceeded those expectations,
even though both of them had clearly seen their better days,
diminished by their years in the cage and ring. It told you everything
you needed to know about them and why they were so revered by
fans, promoters and fellow martial artists. In a career filled
with great moments, Liddell’s victory over “The Axe
Murderer” is the one that sticks out for me. What I wouldn’t
give for rounds four and five.
Todd
Martin: The first time I attended a live UFC show was UFC 39
at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. I was still a college student,
and I arrived early to see if I could meet any fighters before
the show started. I saw Chuck Liddell standing by himself at
a relatively busy bar having a drink, and I went over and chatted
with him briefly. I always remember that encounter when I think
of Chuck Liddell, because to me, Liddell’s story is identical
to the story of the rise of the UFC. Here was the No. 1 contender
to the UFC’s most prestigious title, and, at the venue of
a UFC event, he was able to have a drink by himself. A few short
years later, he couldn’t go out in public without being
mobbed. Liddell and the UFC have come a long way.
Rodolfo
Ramon: Chuck Liddell is an ambassador to the sport. Although
quite amusing and comical, his sense of humor was evident when
he competed in the reality competition show “Dancing with
the Stars.” Despite coming up short, the knockout artist’s
presence on the show helped introduce the sport to those who
were not aware of MMA or had misconceptions about it. His moves
on the dance floor helped promote MMA on primetime national television,
and it let others know that the sport is not as violent as many
assume it is. I am sure Liddell’s new role will be a great
benefit for the sport and him.
Jack
Encarnacao: The night Chuck Liddell re-matched Tito Ortiz, I
remember how much more full the parking lot was outside of the
Boston-area bar-and-arcade where I watched many UFC pay-per-views.
It was the only time I had trouble finding a parking space at
one of these things. UFC 66 had brought out much more than the
standard motley crew of Tapout wearers. Despite the main event’s
limited relevance -- Ortiz, don’t forget, had earned the
title shot by beating Ken Shamrock twice -- it felt of a higher
magnitude. I knew Liddell was catching on culturally but not
to this degree. As Liddell stalked a wounded Ortiz around the
mat, punching him like a mother trying to catch and spank a rambunctious
child, the crowd’s full-throated roars told me exactly what
it was they came to see. UFC 66 was the first UFC event to break
the one million buy mark on pay-per-view. You could feel why
in the air, even on the other end of the country in a screening
area next to the laser tag room -- that guy with the Mohawk.
l's fight were must-see TV.
Luca
Fury: I’ll remember Chuck Liddell as MMA’s first big
mainstream superstar. I remember first realizing this when I
noticed my friends -- who weren’t even so much as casual
MMA fans -- bringing up his name. I would try to make them fans
of MMA, and when I had asked them if they’d like to come
over to watch an upcoming UFC event, they would always ask if
The Iceman was fighting. If Chuck was slated for the event, they
wouldn’t miss it; if Chuck was not on the card, however,
they couldn’t care less. They didn’t want to see a
sporting event. They didn’t care about the spectacle of
violence that comes with MMA. All they cared about was whether
they were going to see Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell.
Rodney
Dean: The first time I ever laid eyes on Chuck was while watching
some reality TV show set in a casino. They were taking one of
the “whales” to a UFC event, and he really wanted to
see Chuck. I thought, “What’s so special about this
goofy-looking guy?” Well, he knocked out Vernon “Tiger”
White that night, and many others followed suit.
Funny
thing is, after he beat Tito for the second time, I remember
actually being bored with how good he was. Seven wins in a row,
and it never seemed like it would end. Hard to believe that was
only a few years ago.
Cameron
Conaway: I’ll always remember the time when I walked in
the classroom to begin teaching a lesson on poetry and saw three
of my students now had Mohawks. I asked why, and they said because
of Chuck Liddell. I knew then that he had completely pushed MMA
into the mainstream.
Mike
Sloan: One time, Slayer came here to the Orleans Arena in Las
Vegas, with Lamb of God and Children of Bodom. Chuck was borderline
devastated because his camp, in particular John Lewis, didn’t
want him getting into any shenanigans during preparation for
his rematch with “Babalu” and forbade him from going
to the show. Naturally, before Slayer came on, the big screen
was looping awesome race crashes, explosions and Liddell highlight
footage. But nothing tops the time when Slayer played at the
House of Blues, not long after Liddell’s loss to Randy Couture
in 2003. A fan ran up to Chuck, shook his hand and shouted, “Dude!
Randy! I’m a huge fan! I’m so glad you kicked Chuck
Lie-Dell’s ass! I won so much money off you! Thank you!”
All Chuck could do was stand there with a stunned, bemused look
on his face and say, “Hey, no problem, man. Thanks.”
Absolutely classic.
Marcelo
Alonso: As a Brazilian, I’ve got interesting memories of
“Homem de Gelo.” Liddell faced six Brazilians -- some
of the country’s greatest ever -- and beat four of them:
Jose Landi-Jons, Murilo Bustamante, Renato Sobral and Wanderlei
Silva. His only loss was to Mauricio Rua at UFC 97. I’ve
always been fascinated by Liddell, one of most aggressive and
exciting fighters I’ve ever seen. My fascination started
in August 1998, when he came to Brazil to face “Pele”
under vale tudo rules. Pele was already considered the biggest
local star in Brazil. In that 30-minute bloody fight, Chuck showed
his cold nerves and clearly beat Pele in front of all his fans.
I knew that a special fighter was being born in front of my eyes.
Scott
Holmes: You never forget your first. Mine was UFC 22. Paul Jones
was about to run through some wiry Mohawked dope who got predictably
tapped out by Jeremy Horn in his debut. My hero’s wife,
Susan, gave me a team T-shirt and a credential. “Want to
be in Paul’s corner?” she asked. I felt like a Gracie
walking with my hands on the shoulders of the champ. I saw my
hero stumble back, angry at the eyebrow-sized cut on his forehead.
What just happened? I hated Chuck, but, in the end, it didn’t
matter. I couldn’t deny him. Hate turned to adoration, and,
the fact is, he made my hero bigger -- Mighty Paul Jones, the
man who fought the great Chuck Liddell.
Rob
King: In 2004, I met Jeff Sherwood for the first time, and we
went to supper at the local pizza parlor with Jeff’s son,
Preston. The whole time, Preston would not stop talking about
how his favorite fighter was Chuck Liddell and how he was so
proud to have a Mohawk just like Chuck. This was coming from
a 4-year-old. As MMA was just starting to hit its growth spurt,
I think this was the moment when I realized that The Iceman was
going to be the first true mainstream MMA fighter in the United
States.
TJ
De Santis: I remember interviewing Chuck for the first time.
I didn’t know a ton about him on a personal level, but I
figured it would be an easy interview based on the facts of his
fight career. To my surprise, I struggled making the interview
entertaining because he was dry. He had no emotion and no signs
he was really interested in talking to me. At one points, I asked,
“Is everything OK? Do you need me to call you back and do
this later?” He responded with “Why?” Chuck will
be remembered for his knockouts, post-fight victory roars and
his Mohawked and tattooed head, but I’ll always remember
him for just being incredibly mellow outside of the cage. In
a time of “Pitbulls,” “Hurricanes” and other
wannabe-intimidating nicknames, few names will ever be as appropriate
as The Iceman.
Lutfi
Sariahmed: I was in college sitting on my couch with my roommate
and his girlfriend when a replay of the first Liddell-Ortiz bout
came on FSN. I watched, spending the next five minutes just shaking
my head and saying nothing more than “Wow” over and
over, recalling their feud leading into the fight. The girlfriend
scolded me for what she perceived to be my gawking at the ring
girls when in fact I had been floored by the performance of The
Iceman. Liddell embodied “cool” throughout his career,
and when mainstream media jumped on board the MMA train, it focused
its bright lights on the main event at UFC 71 between Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson and Liddell. Rampage won, but the
coverage of the bout that followed proved what people already
knew deep down inside. Liddell was the reason that people were
now watching.
Keith
Mills: Chuck Liddell earned my reverence on Sept. 20, 2002, the
night of the Ring of Fury weigh-ins in Boston. Liddell and UFC
President Dana White were guests at the show, so they made a
press party at a local bar to push UFC 40 two months later. Dana
spoke to the press about advising Chuck to sit out until a title
fight with Tito Ortiz could be arranged, but Chuck refused, saying
he wanted to risk it all to stay active and didn’t want
to “sit on the shelf.” Chuck defeated Renato Sobral
at UFC 40, but when an interim title was created in 2003 to try
to force Tito’s hand, Chuck lost to Randy Couture and had
to wait almost two more years for his title shot. The fact that
Chuck risked his contender status to stay active forever more
makes me equate Liddell with “solid brass balls.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Scott
Coker: Showtime has been great for the sport
By Zach
Arnold
From
The Fight Show on The Score yesterday:
INTERVIEWER:
“Let’s first talk about the Heavyweight tournament.
It’s been announced. Some great match-ups. Can you talk
to us about the process to put this together?”
SCOTT
COKER: “Boy, I tell you, it was pretty challenging as you
could expect. I mean, you’re dealing with eight different
personalities, eight different managers, eight different wants
& needs. But, BUT, the most important piece I feel was the
extension to Fedor because we couldn’t have Fedor come into
the tournament unless we had more fights with him. To have him
through the tournament and, you know, that took a long time,
was quite a process. Frustrating for them, I’m sure frustrating
for us, frustrating for the fans because he hasn’t been
fighting. But now that we’re through that, you know, to
have Fedor actually fight in the tournament along with Alistair
(Overeem) and (Fabricio) Werdum and Josh, I mean it’s just
going to be an unbelievable tournament and I’m so happy
this all worked out and it’s unfolding nicely and, you know,
we’re in the New York region for the first time, in New
Jersey at the Izod Center. It’s going to be fun to watch.
That’s all I got to say.”
INTERVIEWER:
“And, of course, Alistair Overeem is going to be in this
tournament. He will be defending his title throughout the tournament,
kind of like the Super Six World Boxing Classic but, uh, I mean
there’s a lot of debate about this, should he have been
defending his title, should he not have been. To me, it seems
academic, I mean if he didn’t we’d be waiting for a
very long time before he did defend this title. Is that your
thought process as well?”
SCOTT
COKER: “Well, here’s the thing, as you know in Japan
there’s always, you know, the tournament champion and then
there’s like the champion, the Heavyweight champion in K-1.
So, to me, you know, if Alistair chose not to do it, I would
have been disappointed but, you know, he wanted to fight in this
tournament and that’s the beauty of it is that everybody
wanted to fight in the tournament. Fedor wanted in. It wasn’t
like we had to go ask them twice. It was like, hey, we’re
having this tournament, we would like you to compete. It’s
going to be all these guys that are just killers, and not one
of them said no. Everybody said I want in, even Alistair said.
Alistair went to me when I was in DREAM in Japan over the weekend,
on New Year’s Eve. He said to me, ‘Scott, I want in.
But I want to fight Fabricio Werdum. I want to avenge that loss
and I want to knock him out.’ And I said, all right, let’s
put it together. … So, there we go.”
INTERVIEWER:
“And that’s exactly what’s happening. And do you
think that this tournament will possibly lead to Strikeforce
hosting a PPV in 2011?”
SCOTT
COKER: “You know, I tell you, that’s a good question
and you know my response is this — look, we’re on Showtime.
They’ve been a great media partner for us, a great television
partner, they’ve been, you know, they’re just great
for the sport and for our brand and you know they allow us to
put all these great fights together and you know the first two
rounds, which are the quarter-finals are going to be on Showtime
and we’ll take it from there.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Brian
Stann on tap for Wanderlei Silva
By Sergio
Non
The
Crippler proved to be a stepping stone to The Ax Murderer in
the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Brian
"All-American" Stann's next opponent probably will
be Wanderlei "The Ax Murderer" Silva, UFC President
Dana White told MMA Fighting. Stann is coming off a win over
fellow middleweight Chris "The Crippler" Leben on Jan.
1 at UFC 125.
A
number of fighters have been calling out Silva over the past
year, including Leben, Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama
and Chael Sonnen. Although he has just a 2-5 record in his last
seven bouts, Silva remains a huge name in mixed martial arts
because of his nearly six-year reign as Pride Fighting Championships'
205-pound titleholder.
He
dropped to the 185-pound division in 2009 after dropping four
of his last five bouts at 205, including three knockout losses.
He is 1-1 as a UFC middleweight, with his last fight being a
decision win over Michael Bisping last February.
Silva
withdrew from a July fight with Akiyama after suffering broken
ribs and an injured knee in training.
Judges'
scorecards might be superfluous for a Silva-Stann fight. Both
fighters want nothing but knockouts, though Stann lately has
developed a more complex kickboxing style that calls for more
footwork and use of angles to avoid being a stationary target.
That could present problems for Silva, who has spent most of
his career as a wild Muay Thai attacker who will swarm ahead
with winging hooks the moment he senses an opening.
Source:
USA Today
|
Strikeforce
Considered Herschel Walker vs. Don Frye or Mark Coleman
By Ariel
Helwani
We're 15 days away from Herschel Walker's second pro MMA fight,
and it's safe to say that there is a considerable less amount
of buzz heading into the sequel.
Part
of that has to do with the mammoth shadow cast over the Jan.
29 Strikeforce event by the upcoming heavyweight grand prix,
and the other part is most of us feel like we've seen this movie
before: Herschel Walker vs. unknown fighter X. Been there done
that. As you may recall, Walker defeated the unknown Greg Nagy
last January, and many are expecting him to do the same against
Scott Carson when they meet in San Jose, Calif.
And
while pundits and fans criticized Strikeforce for the matchmaking
when this fight was first announced, which was originally supposed
to take place in December before Walker suffered a cut under
his eye in training, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said on Monday's
episode of The MMA Hour, that the organization originally had
some big plans for the former Heisman Trophy winner.
"We
were talking about [Walker] actually fighting Don Frye at one
point or Mark Coleman. And I talked to the AKA guys, and they
were like, 'You know what? We're almost there but we're not there.'
"It
would be fun, but I talked to Javier [Mendez] and Bob [Cook],
and they said, 'Look, we're close, and in another eight months
or year, we could do that. But right now, this is where he's
at, this is what we want to do and this is the type of opponent
that we would like to fight.'"
Regardless
of his opponent, Coker refused to agree that there is less interest
in seeing Walker fight again.
"When
you think about Herschel Walker, and you know, some of the MMA
fans like it, some of them have their own opinions, but at the
end of the day, this guy is a national hero to this country and
probably one of the greatest athletes of the century, as far
as I'm concerned. When you have Herschel fighting on the card,
every major sports media wants to cover him."
When
asked on the same episode about his future in MMA following this
upcoming bout, Walker hinted at the possibility of hanging his
gloves up after the Carson fight to help grow the sport.
"I
really wanted to get into my training real heavily and I was
doing well and I said I'd like to be more of a force and patriot
in a sense that I'd like to speak out for the fighters and I
want to put a good fight this fight here and then maybe become
an ambassador for the sport," said Walker.
So
if you tune in to see Walker vs. Carson, you might be able to
say you saw Walker's final MMA fight. Or it could just be another
tune up before he faces the Fryes and Colemans of the MMA world.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
Working To Include Canada in Fight For The Troops Efforts
by Ken
Pishna
It
took until April 2008 for the Ultimate Fighting Championship
to finally make its way north of the border. But once the UFC
made its splash in Canada, the ripple effect has only intensified.
The
promotion broke the North American mixed martial arts attendance
record in Canada, opened a central office there in Toronto, and
has had discussions about doing an all-Canadian version of its
popular reality show, “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Aside
from the business aspect of moving into Canada, the UFC also
wants to stretch its charitable efforts there.
Since
2006, the UFC has been promoting events on military bases, in
part as a thank you to the men and women that serve their country,
but also to help raise money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
The
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is a non-profit organization that
supports the men and women of the armed forces and their families.
With
the UFC’s growing presence in Canada, company president
Dana White was asked during a media call promotion UFC Fight
for the Troops 2 if there were any plans to take its efforts
to support troops to the Great White North.
Canada
has long been an ally to the United States in its military efforts.
The UFC also has a number of Canadian fighters on its roster
and tremendous Canadian fan support.
“We’re
working on it right now. What we’re trying to do is we’re
going to try to air (UFC Fight for the Troops 2) up in Canada,
too, and make it more of a tribute to the troops up there,”
White answered, but added that it’s not as easy as just
putting on an event.
Logistics,
including military security efforts, have to be taken into consideration,
as do the concerns of any charitable efforts.
“You
know, trying to coordinate things like this and any type of charity
stuff like this, it’s a lot of work. And it’s very
tricky. But we are working to try to air this in Canada and to
make it a tribute to the Canadian troops (as well).”
White
fell short of any guarantees for future UFC Fight for the Troops
events on Canadian military bases, but seeing as the promotion
has already amped up its Canadian schedule to at least three
pay-per-view events per year, it wouldn’t be a stretch to
see such efforts in the future.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Fistic
Medicine: Roxy’s Case
by Matt
It
was the chills that let Roxanne Modafferi know she had a problem.
Most fighters have abdominal cramping and loose, irregular stools
in the first few hours after their post weigh-in meal, but the
chills were something new for her.
Two
hours later, she was on her knees, racked by chilling convulsions,
crawling from her bed to the bathroom for the third time in 40
minutes. The abdominal cramping was getting worse. She felt nauseous,
and there was a woman with a penchant for punishing submissions
waiting to hurt her.
Athletes
who re-feed following weight cutting commonly experience something
known as “dumping syndrome.” The abrupt introduction
of carbohydrate-rich food into the intestinal lumen creates an
osmotic gradient that draws water across the mucosal membrane,
leading to loose, irregular stools. Fighters experience loose
stool, bloating and abdominal cramping. Usually these symptoms
are short-lived: a fighter who carefully re-hydrates with electrolytes
and is cautious in transitioning from a low carbohydrate/low
sodium/ low fat diet to a more normal diet should be asymptomatic
within 12 hours of weigh-ins.
But
for Modafferi, her GI symptoms were steadily getting worse, not
better. This was not a re-feeding issue; this was illness.
For
unknown reasons, elite athletes are at somewhat higher risk for
infection. The relationship between athletic exertion and infectious
risk is “J” shaped: while moderate exercise reduces
the risk of infection, very heavy exertion paradoxically pushes
athletes’ immune systems past the point of optimization.
To combat the risk of infection, many top athletes practice a
form of reverse quarantine prior to competition. Closed training
camps reduce a competitor’s pool of first- and second-degree
“communicable contacts” from theoretical thousands
to just a handful. The reason many Olympic athletes skip the
opening ceremonies is that the health risk posed by being in
close contact with thousands of new potential viral exposures
a few days before competition is simply too great. When forced
out of protective isolation by the demands of sponsors and promoters,
athletes often wear surgical masks, tap elbows in lieu of shaking
hands and do whatever they can to avoid being sabotaged by a
last-minute illness.
Modafferi
stated that for the entire week prior to her Sengoku “Soul
of Fight” bout against Hitomi “Girlfight Monster”
Akano on Dec. 30 she had been irritated by nagging viral upper
respiratory infection symptoms -- nasal congestion, scratchy
throat, etc. She made sure to get plenty of sleep, lightened
her training load and was careful not to endanger herself further
with aggressive weight cutting techniques. Quite rightly, she
was not overly concerned. A beautiful 1997 study by Wesiner et
al looked at the effect of a common rhinovirus infection on athletic
performance. Surprisingly, the study showed that in athletes
who had been deliberately infected with the common cold there
was no decrease in performance. Even though infected subjects
felt worse than uninfected controls, objective measures of performance
showed no decrease in performance at two-, five- and eight-minute
intervals.
What
has been shown to impair athletes, and what Modafferi suddenly
found herself in steadily growing peril of developing, is dehydration.
As loose stools progressed to frank diarrhea, her total body
volume of water dropped.
Even
low levels of dehydration have profound physiologic consequences.
A fluid deficit of as little as two percent Total Body Weight
(TBW) -- approximately one liter for Modafferi -- results in
increased perceived effort and has been shown to reduce performance
by as much as 20 percent. Cardiovascular performance, strength,
reaction time, judgment, concentration and decision making are
all affected. For fighters, dehydration increases the risk of
brain injury.
Severe
diarrhea, in Modafferi’s case probably caused by some form
of food bacterial poisoning, can rob the body of as much as eight
milliliters/kilogram/hour of fluid. A night of severe diarrhea
can leave a fighter seriously depleted; perhaps a four- to five-percent
TBW fluid deficit. The most direct treatment for this degree
of severe dehydration is oral re-hydration with electrolyte solutions.
The most notorious killer in the world -- infectious diarrhea
-- can be effectively combatted with a treatment as simple as
a few grams of Sodium, Potassium and glucose in clean water.
Unfortunately for Modafferi, oral rehydration was made impossible
by vomiting, and, even after the vomiting eased, nausea that
impeded her ability to take in fluids.
When
the miserable night ended, Modafferi saw her doctor and was immediately
sent to the hospital. Doctors diagnosed her with severe dehydration
and started anti-diarrheals and IV therapy with normal saline
-- fluid with the same salt composition as blood plasma. Because
of time restraints, she received 800 milliliters before being
rushed to the arena. That’s too little fluid.
The
diarrhea persisted. She developed fevers. As her immune system
fought the infection, cytokines and prostaglandins poured into
her system, releasing debilitating waves of whole body trembling
and bone chilling cold.
Promoters
and Modafferi’s coach encouraged her -- and she is not a
fighter prone to bowing to adversity -- but the mind cannot drive
the body beyond its physical limits. In pre-fight warm-ups, she
was lightheaded and unstable on her feet. Dizziness, weakness,
persistent vomiting and constant shaking left her huddled in
the locker room. Any competent ringside physician would have
recognized a compromised fighter unable to properly defend herself.
It would have been a violation of the most basic ethics of medicine
to let her fight.
In
her blog, Modafferi described the misery of walking to the ring
knowing she would not be able to perform for the fans cheering
her name. A moment after her entrance into the ring, the physician
on duty followed her, arms waving over his head, and the fight
was over before it began. There were tears in the fighter’s
eyes. There probably still are.
“I
really, really hope I get the chance to fight Hitomi Akano someday,”
she wrote, “and I am super, super disappointed my body failed
me this time.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Scott
Coker: It’s time for everybody to move on from focusing
on Josh Barnett’s past
By Zach
Arnold
Last
Wednesday, Scott Coker had a very interesting radio interview
with Jack Encarnacao and TJ De Santis that I wanted to focus
on here briefly. Rather than rush through the interview, I wanted
to listen to it and see if there were any items of note to discuss.
During
the interview, Mr. Coker claimed that Strikeforce has the best
heavyweights in the world and that the upcoming tournament will
prove it. When it came time to talk about Brett Rogers vs. Josh
Barnett, he said that ‘one punch changes everything in MMA.’
It was similar in tone to what his tone was before the Fabricio
Werdum/Fedor fight, eerily enough. When asked about whether or
not Alistair Overeem will put the Strikeforce heavyweight title
on the line for each tournament bout he’s involved in, Mr.
Coker said that there are issues right now regarding uniformity
in round and rules structure for the tournament fights. In other
words, title fights are five rounds under the Unified rules and
most non-title fights are three rounds. Jordan Breen, a proponent
of five-round non-title bouts, has noted in the past that a promoter
at any time can petition a commission (such as Nevada’s)
to get a five round non-title fight sanctioned. Mr. Coker said
that when he presented the idea of all the tournament fights
being five rounds, he received push back from various athletic
commissions on the matter. The big question now is how to have
Alistair Overeem in the tournament if his fights are for the
title and are five rounds long while everyone else is fighting
in three round fights. Mr. Coker stated that his goal is for
the tournament winner to be the Strikeforce Heavyweight champion.
He also noted that he would like the Josh Barnett/Brett Rogers
fight on the same card alongside the Overeem/Werdum fight.
During
the Sherdog radio interview on Wednesday, Mr. Coker made his
case in the court of public opinion about Josh Barnett’s
participation in the upcoming Heavyweight tournament:
JACK
ENCARNACAO: “Scott, without venues locked down or even all
the licensing in place for the Barnett and Overeem fights, why
announce the tournament already if you’re not 100%? You
might be 90% sure that you can get Barnett and Overeem in the
cage in March or as part of this tournament, especially Barnett.”
SCOTT
COKER: “Well, no, we never said that he’s fighting
in March. I’m not sure where you got that, but… you
know, Barnett has his issues in California, guys, we all know
it. We’ve all been through that dance and he’s got
to go back and deal with it some more. But, you know, to me,
here’s a guy that has been, uh, out of the cage or, you
know, out of the ring for, in North America, for a year and a
half and, you know, I feel like he’s paid his time, he’s
paid his dues, let the guy make a living. You know and his history
before Strikeforce is his past and, you know, we’re going
to judge him on what he does now and six weeks ago he went to
(the) California (state athletic commission) in Sacramento in
the offices and, you know, he tested clean for all, you know,
all their battery of tests that they ran on him and he’s
not on suspension, so why can’t he fight? And, you know,
some commissions still feel like, you know, we want to wait until
he gets through the process in California but, you know, there
are commissions out there saying, ‘Look, you know, have
him come in, let him take the test, and if he’s clean then
we’ll let him fight.’ So, you know, we’re going
to work with those commissions that are welcoming him and us
but Josh, guys, Josh is going to be part of this tournament and
we’re going to move on and I think Josh has moved on and
I think everybody should move on as well.”
Mr.
Barnett will have his hearing next month in California, just
after Strikeforce’s January 29th event in San Jose at the
HP Pavilion.
When
asked about how long Fedor will be under the Strikeforce banner,
Mr. Coker noted that he felt confident that Fedor would be fighting
for them for at least the next two years. He said that TV ratings
and box office numbers prove that any time Fedor fights, ‘it’s
a special occasion.’
Mr.
Coker addressed criticism from fans and writers who feel that
the Heavyweight tournament could fall apart. “There’s
a lot of fickle fans out there. But, you know, to me, hey, sit
back and enjoy it. The fans don’t have to do anything. Just
order Showtime, sit back, and watch some great fights.”
He went on to talk about ‘the keyboard warriors’ online.
He finished his statement by saying that the tournament is going
to be great for the sport.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
UFC
Touts $23 Million Stimulus in MMA Legalization Effort in New
York
by Ken
Pishna
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship and others have knocked down the
walls in 44 of the 50 United States. Of the remaining six, New
York stands high above the others, casting its shadow over the
sports legalization.
The
UFC on Thursday held a press conference in New York, combining
its efforts with those of the historical Madison Square Garden
to prompt legislators in the state to relent, and make mixed
martial arts legal in the state.
“It’s
time to bring the fastest growing sport in the world to New York
and Madison Square Garden,” UFC president Dana White said.
“We already know that New York is filled with UFC fans who
want to see live UFC events in their home state. With the economic
benefits that UFC would bring to New York, it’s time for
UFC to do Madison Square Garden.”
“UFC
and its passionate fans have a home here at Madison Square Garden,
and we look forward to welcoming them as soon as the sport is
regulated in New York. We have no doubt that UFC would be enormously
popular at The Garden and a great addition to our lineup of world
class sports and entertainment events,” added Scott O’Neil,
president of Madison Square Garden Sports.
With
most political issues, especially in these times of a depressed
economy, money is a focal point. The UFC is not ignorant of that
fact, and based much of its presentation on Thursday on pointing
out the economic impact that it, along with other mixed martial
arts promotions, would have once allowed to operate in New York.
“We’ve
done similar economic studies in major cities such as Boston,
Las Vegas, and Philadelphia, and each showed the substantial
positive impact hosting a UFC event has on the local economy,”
company CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said. “This study shows that
by regulating MMA, New York can reap the economic benefits statewide.”
The
study, compiled by HR&A Advisors, purports the UFC alone
would stimulate roughly $16 million in economic activity in the
state. That is based on the UFC’s announced intentions to
operate one event at Madison Square Garden in New York City and
another in Buffalo.
The
study also found that other MMA operators would likely add another
$6.7 million in economic stimulus to the state.
The
study indicates that the UFC alone would generate gross ticket
sales of $5.2 million at Madison Square Garden based on an attendance
of 17,000, as well as $1.5 million in ticket sales at the HSBC
Arena in Buffalo based on 16,000 in attendance.
Those
are big numbers for any state, even one the size of New York,
with economic woes continuing across the country and throughout
the world.
“By
bringing UFC events to New York, the state will see a positive
financial impact,” White said. “The arenas will get
to host major UFC events and local hotels, restaurants, and other
businesses will attract new customers. They’ll look forward
to the times we bring UFC to New York.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Assemblyman
Dean Murray Speaks Out In Support of UFC’s Efforts for MMA
Sanctioning in New York
by Damon
Martin
The
UFC’s push to get the sport regulated in New York State
has a supporter in freshman Republican Assemblyman Dean Murray
from the state’s 3rd district.
Murray
appeared at Madison Square Garden alongside UFC president Dana
White and owner Lorenzo Fertitta to speak to the media about
the sport getting regulated there, and the tremendous financial
addition to the state.
Representing
areas such as Bellport, Farmingville, and Medford, Murray is
working to get mixed martial arts approved in the state. He chalks
it up to taking away a choice from New Yorkers to not be able
to see the sport in their home area.
“The
fact of the matter is this is another example of New York being
a ‘nanny’ state,” Assemblyman Murray stated. “We
have to stop doing that. We have to give the choice. How many
cable TV stations do you have? How many radio stations do you
have? You have choices. By us not legalizing this it’s removing
that option of all these literally millions of fans in New York
State having the option to see their hometown heroes fight.”
The
financial boom for the state could also be a huge help. Estimates
have over $23 million being added to the state a year with MMA
events being held there, and more could be added as the number
of events increases.
“In
this economic climate, we don’t need more tax increases,
we need a chance to raise revenue. This is a wonderful chance,”
he added.
Murray
has already taken the first steps to gain sanctioning for MMA
in New York. He included mixed martial arts in the budget sent
to Governor Andrew Cuomo for approval.
Cuomo
just went into office on Jan. 1, and will review the budget and
then submit it to the Assembly for approval. While it’s
not a lock one way or the other, even if it is approved in the
budget, Murray says it will be a lot easier if the Governor has
added MMA to his budget.
“I’ve
actually contacted the Governor’s office and asked him to
include this in the Governor’s budget this year. So we’re
going to wait and see if it is included in the budget. If it’s
not, I’m hoping that we’ll bring it to the floor for
a vote,” Murray commented.
“If
it’s in the budget, it has a much better shot of staying
in the budget.”
Cuomo
was one of several politicians Zuffa contributed to during last
year’s election season. The Las Vegas based promotion pumped
upwards of $75,000 towards his campaign, but the new Governor
has never publicly stated his support or disapproval of mixed
martial arts.
The
real hurdle that Murray may face is in the form of Assemblyman
Bob Reilly, who has been a very strong opponent against MMA in
the state of New York. Reilly was re-elected in November, and
will serve alongside Murray in the new Assembly this year.
“I
do know him, we’ve just met. I got in last year in a special
election, so I’ve been in there just coming up on about
a year now. We’ve met in passing, haven’t spoken about
this particular issue, but I have a funny feeling we will be
speaking,” Murray intimated.
Reilly
has never mixed his words when talking about MMA. In a past interview
with MMAWeekly.com, Reilly put his foot down that he had no desire
to see the sport be sanctioned in New York.
“I
think that (MMA) basically is a glorification of violence, but
it certainly promotes violence,” Reilly told MMAWeekly.com
in a 2009 interview. “In itself, I think it’s a very
brutal sport that creates, obviously, physical harm to the participants,
and I don’t think there’s any other sport who’s
purpose is to harm your opponent. But we know that in mixed martial
arts, that, in fact, is one of the purposes.”
It
remains to be seen if Reilly will be able to push his campaign
further when the issue comes up again in the Assembly, or if
Murray and his supporters will sway the vote. The message is
clear, however, that the UFC isn’t backing down from coming
to New York, and they are committed to making it happen in 2011.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Report:
Couture-Machida ‘Done Deal’ for UFC 129
by Mike
Whitman
A
rumored light heavyweight showdown between former champions Randy
Couture and Lyoto Machida is reportedly all but official.
UFC
President Dana White today told MMAFighting.com that the proposed
scrap was a “done deal” for UFC 129, which takes place
April 30 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Headlining the show
is a welterweight title bout between longtime champion Georges
St. Pierre and challenger Jake Shields.
A
five-time UFC champion, Couture has competed at both heavyweight
and 205 pounds in his professional career. The man known as “Captain
America” is currently riding a three-fight win streak, having
earned victories over Brandon Vera, Mark Coleman and James Toney.
Couture
sparked talk of his retirement in December by writing on Twitter
that it was “time to move on,” but rumors of the Machida
matchup surfaced shortly thereafter. Couture retired after losing
for a second time to Chuck Liddell in 2006, but was lured back
one year later by a shot at then-heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.
After taking the belt with a unanimous decision over Sylvia,
Couture defended the title successfully against Gabriel Gonzaga
at UFC 74 before being dethroned by Brock Lesnar at UFC 91.
Machida
won his first 16 professional contests, including an 8-0 stint
inside the Octagon. “The Dragon” then knocked out Rashad
Evans in the second round of their light heavyweight title fight
at UFC 98 to capture the belt.
Six
months later, Machida would successfully defend his title for
the first time by edging out Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
in a controversial unanimous decision. It would be “Shogun”
who got the better of the rematch, however, as the former Chute
Boxe standout delivered a devastating first-round knockout to
the previously unbeaten Machida and ripped the title away. Machida’s
comeback fight was a disappointing one, as he was outpointed
by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the main event of UFC
123.
Source:
Sherdog
|
WEC
Lightweight Champ, UFC Contender Anthony Pettis To Receive Proclamation
in Milwaukee
Anthony
Pettis made 2010 his year.
Pettis
won four out of four fights last year, earning Knockout of the
Night honors against Danny Castillo, Submission of the Night
honors against Shane Roller, and Fight of the Night honors and
the final WEC lightweight championship against Ben Henderson.
The
win over Henderson also came with a shot at the winner of the
UFC 125 showdown between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar
and challenger Gray Maynard. Only… nobody won.
Maynard
had Edgar on the brink in the opening round, but the champ dug
deep and fought his way back to a Fight of the Night draw. The
result scored Edgar and Maynard $60,000 bonuses and a return
engagement, likely at UFC 130 in May, but it also sidelined Pettis’
shot at the title.
Instead
of waiting in the wings, UFC president Dana White confirmed that
Pettis is in talks to possibly face Clay Guida sometime this
spring.
Pettis
has taken it all in stride, not wasting time wallowing over the
delay in a title shot.
The
UFC on Wednesday announced an addition to the 23-year-old’s
accolades. Pettis will receive an official proclamation from
his hometown of Milwaukee on Thursday. The city’s mayor,
Tom Barrett, will present Pettis with the proclamation.
“This
is an amazing feeling,” Pettis said. “It’s been
a crazy year. I’ve won a world title, been featured on MTV
and SportsCenter and threw out the first pitch at the Milwaukee
Brewers game. I never imagined myself being in this position.
I’m really thankful that Mayor Tom Barrett and the city
of Milwaukee have chosen to honor me. Milwaukee means so much
to me and I’m proud to represent it every time I compete.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Five
fights to help you beat the winter blues
It's
that time of year. The time when the holidays are over, the credit
card bills are filling your mailbox and the snow has turned from
a pretty white blanket to gray slush. What will help you through
the long winter? People pummeling each other, of course! Here
are five to savor before the vernal equinox on March 20.
Jan.
29, Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg -- Ronaldo "Jacare"
Souza vs. Robbie Lawler: Brawler vs. grappler. Striking vs. submissions.
Gritty vs. smooth. This match-up for the Strikeforce middleweight
belt matches up different styles of MMA: the heavy hands of Lawler
agains the submission genius of Souza. Though Jacare has showed
improved stand-up in his last two fights
Feb.
5, UFC 126 -- Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos: After constantly
bringing exciting fights to the WEC, Torres and Banuelos will
bring the bantamweight brand to the UFC. There is about 0.0005%
chance that this fight will not be exciting. Not to mention,
does an epic mustache win out over an epic mullet? We'll find
out.
Feb.
12, Strikeforce and M-1 Global -- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio
Silva: So many questions will be answered in this bout in New
Jersey. How will Fedor rebound from his loss to Fabricio Werdum?
Will the long layoff affect him? What will be Fedor's answer
to Silva's size? Will the Russian guy who got away from Chrissie
Moltisanti and Paulie "Walnuts" be there to cheer on
Fedor?
Mar.
5, Strikeforce -- Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum: He's
made history fighting everywhere but Strikeforce, but will he
Overeem able to get past the Fedor-slayer to get through the
first round of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament, defending
his belt along the way?
Mar.
19, UFC 128 -- Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani: My legs hurt
just thinking about this bout. Barboza won his UFC debut by piling
up leg kicks on Mike Lullo. Njokuani has elbows and head kicks
that can end fights. Don't expect this bout to last long or to
be boring.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson vs. Thiago Silva Agreed To For UFC
130
Contrary
to an escalating war of words, and the wishful thinking of James
Toney, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s next fight
isn’t likely to be against the aging heavyweight boxing
champion.
MMAWeekly.com
sources have confirmed that Jackson and fellow Top 10 light heavyweight
Thiago Silva have verbally agreed to fight at UFC 130 on May
28 in Las Vegas. MMAJunkie.com first reported the bout’s
likelihood.
The
banter between Jackson and Toney has hit a fever pitch. But after
Toney was summarily dispatched by UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture
in the boxer’s first MMA fight, UFC president Dana White
said Toney was one and done in the UFC. He has stuck by his word.
Rampage
(31-8) will instead try to make his way back into the title picture.
“Thanks
to all my fans for the support on my next fight,” the former
UFC light heavyweight champion Tweeted on Saturday night. “You
have my word that I will train my ass off. I’m still on
the road to get my belt back.”
Rampage
lost the belt to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 in July of 2008. After
putting back-to-back wins together following that fight, he dropped
a unanimous decision loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 114 midyear
2010. That victory propelled Evans into a title fight against
champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Rampage
is coming off of a split decision victory over another former
champion, Lyoto Machida, at UFC 123 late last year. Adding a
win over a fighter the caliber of Silva to that inches him that
much closer to the belt that he covets.
Silva
(15-2) has alternated wins and losses in his last four bouts
after racking up 13 straight victories to start his career. The
American Top Team fighter rearranged Brand Vera’s face and
sent him out of the UFC with a dominant unanimous decision win
on Jan. 1 at UFC 125.
Slipping
only against Machida and Evans, Silva is looking to Jackson to
get his momentum back and make his own run at the UFC light heavyweight
title.
For
all the latest MMA news, go to MMAWeekly.com
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Sherdog’s
2010 All-Violence Team
Violence
gets a bum rap.
Treated
as a hideous, aberrant beast run amok, it is the scourge of humanity.
Assuredly, on any piece of ground on this entire globe, you could
never ask someone “Do you like violence?” and get a
sincere, affirmative “Yes” without suspicion of that
person being a sociopath. There are desk calendars and motivational
posters littered with quotes by everyone from Gandhi to Chomsky,
characterizing violence as the inhumane refuge of the thoughtless
brute, championing a world where the politic of contemplation
always triumphs in some cosmic sense over the politic of confrontation.
These
people know nothing about true, beautiful violence, because they
are not mixed martial arts fans.
MMA
offers the best kind of violence possible. Principally, it’s
mutually agreed upon; there are typically no innocent bystanders
hurt in its fury. However, just as crucially, the sheer depth
of techniques available in MMA -- a standard cross or a leaping
roundhouse kick off the cage, a snappy guillotine or a flying
scissor heel hook -- offers us a true sense of spellbound wonder.
It gives us a glimpse of what is athletically possible for one
to achieve in combat against another, as well as a stark look
into what one’s body can withstand.
Unfortunately,
MMA fans, for all their bluster, are a timid bunch. The controversial,
politically charged history of MMA created a climate in which
the sport’s violence needed to be deemphasized in discourse.
In the face of political opposition, the MMA public likes to
simply boast of how “skilled” its athletes are and
of the sport’s respect and discipline. However, those skills
are violent skills. Discipline and respect are necessary functions
of its brutal core. People have convinced themselves that, because
MMA is not the gladiatorial fight-to-the-death its decriers imagined,
it is not violent at all. It is violent, passionately and brilliantly
so.
I
have watched MMA for going on 12 years, and I am still consistently
blown away by the brilliant ways in which high-level fighters
can ideate and actualize physical harm against one another. I
know I am not unique in my feeling, only in my outspokenness.
I know others feel this way, because it is the same fire that
was stoked so extravagantly by Anthony Pettis’ mind-blowing
kick on Benson Henderson a few weeks ago. That kick caused the
MMA world to collectively embrace and celebrate the fundamental
difference between this sport and any other.
Thus,
I am inspired to reclaim violence for the better. We are entirely
too timid and bashful as fans. We applaud a vicious knockout
or submission, but act as though the sheer physical risk and
toll involved play no part in our thrill. It is all the more
absurd in this current era of MMA, an era in which the level
of offense has come so far from the sport’s earliest days.
And
so, this is the first All-Violence Team, and this is its simple
mandate.
What
MMA fighters offer the kind of scintillating, highlight reel
offense that we so crave? Who produces knockouts and submissions
that catch our breath and captivate us, though we never dare
say, “How [expletive] awesome was that?” too lustily,
for fear of being labeled barbarians.
The
All-Violence Team behaves in a similar way to other sports all-star
teams. Every weight class, from flyweight to heavyweight, is
represented, with each weight class having a first, second and
third team. The fighter who demonstrated the most shining examples
of violence in competition during the calendar year is considered
All-Violence First Team.
Does
this list glamorize the most lamentable part of the sport, by
championing those who can hurt other athletes in shocking ways?
Perhaps, but I would argue that it shows a reverence and appreciation
for the scope of MMA’s techniques. Furthermore, recognizing
their potentially harmful consequences only reaffirms how truly
valiant MMA’s athletes can be.
One
might also think this concept would disproportionately reward
strikers, discredit the ground game and help cement the notion
that people only want to see toe-to-toe action in the cage. However,
the greatness in MMA violence comes from the fact that it happens
everywhere. A fighter in hot pursuit of a flying submission or
viciously elbowing his opponent into submission from full mount
is just as valid of an exemplar of MMA’s extraordinary violence
as the one-hitter quitter on the feet.
The
All-Violence team does not necessarily reward great fighters,
though there is crossover. Some of MMA’s pound-for-pound
elite are brutal in their execution. Others simply are not potent
offensive fighters. Structurally, it is most similar to the NBA’s
All-Defensive Team or John Madden’s long-running All-Madden
Team, which honored players who exhibited the kinds of idiosyncratic
skill and toughness Madden beloved. This list rewards a specific
kind of skillset that, regardless of a fighter’s overall
accomplishment, signals his successful appeal to a specific truth
about MMA that we all love, whether we admit it or not.
Poet
Ezra Pound once famously wrote, “The modern artist must
live by craft and violence. His gods are violent gods. Those
artists, so called, whose work does not show this strife, are
uninteresting.” Where others miss the point, Pound understood.
It should come as no surprise that he was, in fact, a real fight
fan.
2010 All-Violence First Team
•
Heavyweight: Cain Velasquez
• Light Heavyweight: Jon Jones
• Middleweight: Hector Lombard
• Welterweight: Chris Lytle
• Lightweight: Anthony Pettis
• Featherweight: Marlon Sandro
• Bantamweight: Eddie Wineland
• Flyweight: Mamoru Yamaguchi
Heavyweight:
Velasquez succinctly smashed two elite heavyweights to win the
UFC title. He fought just 6:32 total and scored three knockdowns.
Crushing on the feet and on the ground, it seems almost unfathomable
-- after looking at how he treated Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and
Brock Lesnar -- that many thought Velasquez was a weak offensive
fighter after his June 2009 bout with Cheick Kongo.
Light
Heavyweight: Jones is the runaway winner at 205 pounds. Among
UFC fighters who won at least two fights during 2010, he did
it the fastest, with an average of 2:36 in the cage per fight.
His spectacular array of offense alone was enough to get him
on the list, but his elbows, both for their speed (against Vladimir
Matyushenko at UFC Live 2) and power (against Brandon Vera at
UFC Live 1), cement his First Team status, heads and shoulders
above his contemporaries in a division that did not feature a
ton of high-level violence in 2010.
Middleweight:
Lombard stopped three of his five 2010 foes and battered the
other two who went the distance. His six-second knockout of Jay
Silva and 38-second KO of Herbert Goodman were among the year’s
most brutal. Even when he fails to secure a first-round stoppage,
Lombard throws with ill intent until the final bell, on the feet
or on the ground. Lombard is a fighter whose sensibilities are
almost entirely in line with the spirit of the All-Violence list.
Welterweight:
Lytle is MMA’s blood-and-guts warrior for a reason and poster
boy for this list. Incredibly, he did it in 2010 without a knockout.
His slick-and-nasty submission wins over Brian Foster and Matt
Brown -- especially the kneebar on Foster at UFC 110 -- were
tailor-made for this team. He finished the year by clubbing former
welterweight champion Matt Serra in a fight that, according to
FightMetric, saw Lytle land 153 significant strikes (think power
punches in boxing) -- an all-time UFC record.
Lightweight:
Pettis is the refutation of violence as thoughtless and brutish.
A thoughtful, slick tactician in the cage, he finished three
of his four foes in 2010, including a brutal head kick stoppage
of Danny Castillo at WEC 47 in March. Still, it was his nick-of-time,
off-the-wall head kick on Benson Henderson to earn the WEC lightweight
title that crystalized him as a true purveyor of MMA-style highlight
reel violence.
Featherweight:
Sandro is not as well-known as his teammate and pound-for-pound
star, Jose Aldo, but, at times, he is even more violent. In 2010,
Sandro put both Tomonari Kanomata and Masanori Kanehara -- two
quality featherweights -- on stretchers. It took him only a combined
47 seconds. His right uppercut is one of the most ferocious punches
in MMA and single-handedly -- no pun intended -- landed him in
this spot.
Bantamweight:
With the division’s two most sensational stoppages of the
year, Wineland is an easy choice as 135-pound representative.
In June, he put away Will Campuzano with a crushing punch to
the guts in a thrillingly violent affair at WEC 49. He followed
up in December by slamming Ken Stone through the floor in one
of the year’s most arresting moments. No bantamweight was
even close to Wineland’s violent streak in 2010.
Flyweight:
The flyweight division is developing faster than ever, and one
can only hope future flyweights are cut from the same cloth as
Yamaguchi. He delivered three stoppages in 2010, and all of them
were suitably violent. He essentially KO’d Frank Baca with
a wicked standing elbow before choking him out, mashed Greg Guzman
with a torrent of elbows and kicked off Fumihiro Kitahara’s
block. The unexpected throws, the head kicks, the elbows -- Yamaguchi’s
offense is true V.
2010 All-Violence Second Team
•
Heavyweight: Alistair Overeem
• Light Heavyweight: Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante
• Middleweight: Robbie Lawler
• Welterweight: Brian Foster
• Lightweight: Maximo Blanco
• Featherweight: Jose Aldo
• Bantamweight: Joseph Benavidez
• Flyweight: Darrell Montague
Heavyweight:
Overeem’s greatest achievement in 2010 was his K-1 World
Grand Prix win, but his two MMA bouts showed some serious violence,
too. He was in MMA action for just 239 seconds in 2010, but according
to FightMetric, he landed 44 significant strikes anyway and absorbed
only three. That means he landed more than 11 significant strikes
per minute and absorbed just 0.753 per minute. His plus-minus
(10.297) was the highest FightMetric tracked all year, ahead
of Cung Le (7.246), Cain Velasquez (6.433), Shane Carwin (5.580)
and Junior dos Santos (5.334). Basically, “The Reem”
kills an opponent while remaining unscathed.
Light
Heavyweight: It was a light year for violence at 205 pounds,
Jon Jones aside, but Cavalcante reaffirmed why people were excited
about him as a prospect. Against Antwain Britt, he was stunned
and swung for the fences, scoring a comeback in thrilling fashion.
In his August title capture against Muhammed “King Mo”
Lawal, he showed more precision and technique in his violent
game to earn the win.
Middleweight:
Lawler, one of MMA’s most fearsome punchers, may do one
specific thing better than anyone else in MMA: no one can drop
a fighter with a punch and follow it immediately after with a
laser-guided, diving bomb to the chin that seals the deal. Both
of Lawler’s victims in 2010, Melvin Manhoef and Matt Lindland,
can attest to it. Little flairs like that, in addition to his
power, certify Lawler in the violence department.
Welterweight:
Foster may never be a serious title contender in the UFC, but
in every facet of MMA, he is cutthroat in his pursuit of violence.
All three of Foster’s 2010 bouts, even his February loss
to Chris Lytle, are a testament to the kind of violence this
list espouses. Whether it is on the feet or on the ground, by
knockout or submission, someone is getting hurt. Among UFC fighters
who won at least two fights during 2010, Foster holds the third-fastest
average fight time (3:20) behind only Jon Jones (2:36) and Cain
Velasquez (3:16).
Lightweight:
Those of you who have not seen Blanco before need to get to YouTube
as fast as you can. A heaven-sent combination of a Tasmanian
devil and TNT, he is an absolute storm in the ring, from the
first punch until the last brutal kick. Blanco has emerged as
perhaps the foremost rejection of the idea that high-level wrestlers
make for boring MMA fighters. When he is in kill mode, his ferocity
and bloodlust simply have no parallel in MMA. The last 10 seconds
of his October bout with Kiuma Kunoku are what violence is all
about.
Featherweight:
With Anderson Silva’s turn for the taciturn, Aldo is MMA’s
principal pound-for-pounder in terms of violence. No super-elite
fighter mixes beating great opposition with the gruesome style
points of Aldo. Sometimes, it is like the grind of sandpaper,
as his 25-minute near-amputation of Urijah Faber’s leg in
April. Sometimes, it is a shotgun blast to the face, like his
September win over Manny Gamburyan. It is hard to imagine Aldo
not racking up All-Violence status for years to come.
Bantamweight:
Benavidez may not seem as ferocious as some of his contemporaries
on this list, but in a division lacking in violence in 2010,
his campaign stands out. The second round of his March win over
Miguel Torres was as grotesque as any scene of the year, from
the elbow that unzipped Torres’ forehead to the crushing
guillotine that ended it. In November, on short notice no less,
he guillotined another Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in Wagnney
Fabiano. Between Torres’ cavernous cut and high-level neck
wringing, Benavidez belongs here.
Flyweight:
When Montague won his June 2008 debut against Dillion Croushorn
with a brutal spinning back fist, it was a sign of what was to
come. One of the 125-pound division’s most exciting up-and-comers,
Montague’s striking skills are both flashy and fearsome.
He showed a bit of both in 2010, as he stopped veteran Jeremy
Bolt with a nasty roundhouse kick to the guts in May and then
smashed Luis Gonzalez with his hands in September.
2010 All-Violence Third Team
•
Heavyweight: Junior dos Santos
• Light Heavyweight: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
• Middleweight: Alexander Shlemenko
• Welterweight: Paul Daley
• Lightweight: Edson Mendes Barboza Jr.
• Featherweight: Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos
• Bantamweight: Michael McDonald
• Flyweight: Mitsuhisa Sunabe
Heavyweight:
In 2010, dos Santos solidified himself as the UFC’s top
heavyweight contender on the back of his violence. He polished
off Gilbert Yvel and Gabriel Gonzaga in the first round, but
his most crushing performance was in his lone decision win against
Roy Nelson in August. By FightMetric’s effectiveness score,
dos Santos posted a 610 against Nelson. For context, Georges
St. Pierre dominated Dan Hardy for 25 minutes at UFC 111 and
only scored a 553.
Light
Heavyweight: Owing to his dreadfully injury-prone knees, “Shogun”
only fought once in 2010. Fortunately, there may not have been
a more sterling performance at 205 pounds all year. Rua took
a fighter renowned for his evasive, unhittable style in Lyoto
Machida and left him as a corpse on the mat. His brutal finish
from full mount to wrest the UFC light heavyweight title tickled
all of our violence-loving organs like few other incidents in
2010.
Middleweight:
Shlemenko is another fighter whose outings highlight our love
for violence. In 2010, he was 5-1 with four stoppages. Among
them were a nasty spinning back fist on Jean Francois Lenogue
and an eviscerating knee to the body of Sean Salmon. Violence
just seems to encircle Shlemenko, who was the other man in the
Bellator cage when Jared Hess blew out his knee in freakish,
stomach-turning fashion.
Welterweight:
Daley’s 2010 campaign will likely be remembered for the
not-so-lovely kind of violence, due to his May sucker punch against
Josh Koscheck at UFC 113. However, Daley still blew away three
opponents with wow-level stoppages, collapsing Dustin Hazelett,
elbowing Daniel Acacio so hard that he literally thought his
skull had been crushed and knocking out the sturdy Scott Smith
in jaw-dropping fashion. After all, he is nicknamed “Semtex.”
Lightweight:
Barboza’s competition in 2010 was mediocre, including his
UFC debut against late replacement Mike Lullo. However, MMA’s
deepest weight class did not have a great deal of elite-level
violence during the last 12 months, and Barboza’s exploits
had serious style points. He stopped two opponents -- Lullo and
Marcelo Giudici -- with low kicks, which is perhaps the All-Violence
equivalent of a four-touchdown performance from a quarterback.
However, his one-punch knockout of Jose Figueroa in March was
easily among the year’s most picturesque finishes. Barboza’s
violence has swag for days, as the kids say.
Featherweight:
A woman? Yes, a woman. So overwhelming is Santos’ violence,
she can treat elite fighters like they are average fighters.
Yes, her throttling of an overmatched Jan Finney was gruesome
to watch, given the size and skill disparity, but “Cyborg”
also crushed skilled veteran Marloes Coenen in January. Coenen
then promptly showed her elite skills, cutting to 135 pounds
and taking the Strikeforce crown off of then-unbeaten Sarah Kaufman.
In the post-Gina Carano climate, Santos’ violence is the
biggest reason fans are being magnetized to women’s MMA.
Bantamweight:
McDonald, who turned 20 on New Year’s Day, has never seen
the scorecards in his MMA career -- and with good reason. In
2010, he punched out WEC veterans Manny Tapia and Cole Escovedo
and, in the latter’s case, rather badly. In his big-show
debut, he smoothly took home tough Clint Godfrey’s arm in
less than three minutes at WEC 52. It may not seem necessarily
eye-popping, but McDonald’s violence is both exciting and
efficient.
Flyweight:
One of the flyweight division’s most exciting sluggers,
Sunabe diversified his portfolio last year. Though his two fantastic
matchups with rival Kiyotaka Shimizu were most memorable, the
greatest single moment of any Sunabe bout in 2010 was when he
slammed super-skilled Shooto regular Noboru Tahara through the
floor for the knockout win in September.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
130 Memorial Weekend Show Targeted for Edgar vs. Maynard 3
The
trilogy of fights between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard may
come to a conclusion during UFC 130 set for May 28 in Las Vegas.
Sources
close to the negotiations explained to MMAWeekly.com that the
end of May appears to be the target day for the bout, but nothing
is set in stone at this point, as a few factors are still in
play.
The
biggest of those issues is the health of both fighters. They
both expect to be healthy and ready for the May 28 timeline,
but it still has to be determined before bout agreements would
be issued.
Edgar
suffered a broken nose in the bout, but he mentioned May as a
possible landing date for the fight when speaking with MMAWeekly
Radio last week.
“I’m
trying to do it right where my body gets sufficient enough rest,
and mentally I’m all there, but I’m good,” Edgar
said. “We’ll see what the UFC wants, make sure my nose
is all healed up, maybe May, something like that.”
Maynard
came out of the fight without any serious injuries, which points
to the May 28 date as the leading candidate to land the UFC lightweight
title fight.
The
Memorial Day weekend card has had several rumored additions over
the last week, and a fight between Edgar and Maynard would be
the main event for the show. UFC 130 has yet to be officially
announced, but the Ultimate Fighting Championship traditionally
promotes on Memorial weekend at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in
Las Vegas.
Edgar
and Maynard battled to a five round draw just over a week ago
at UFC 125 in Las Vegas. The lightweights went back and forth
in a classic that will surely be nominated for “Fight of
the Year” when 2011 closes, but the draw left the door open
for a third and final match between the two.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Pat
Barry Talks Transition Between K-1 and MMA, Feels Alistair Overeem
Is Unstoppable
In
combat sports, there is always an argument of which style is
better. Bruce Lee made his case for Jeet Kun Do back in the late
60s and early to mid 70s. The Gracie family continues to make
their point with their system of jiu-jitsu.
Today,
mixed martial arts gives us the opportunity to watch many styles
compete with each other in one cage or ring (depending on the
league). What has become clear is that, no matter the style,
an overall mix of disciplines is what tends to be the most efficient
arsenal in the sport.
Alistair Overeem and Mark Hunt at Dream 5
Those
who focus too much on one thing end up on the losing side of
a given match-up.
This
argument seems to present itself when K-1 fighters transition
over to mixed martial arts. Essentially, the issue stems from
fighters coming from K-1, a league known for it’s standing
form of combat, having trouble adjusting to the addition of ground
combat and the dangers it presents in mixed martial arts.
One
fighter who has seen this firsthand is UFC heavyweight Pat Barry.
Barry, or “HD” as he is commonly known, has participated
in both sports, experiencing the difference between each and
the transition from one to the other.
There
is no doubt, K-1 has some of the best stand-up fighters in the
world. The assumption is that having the kind of experience K-1
gives will put a fighter a level up on his competition when on
the feet in MMA. Barry, however, believes his training in MMA
raised his level of striking and made him a better kickboxer
as a result.
“I
think that my striking ability is what helped me to get better,
to do well in MMA,” Barry said on MMAWeekly Radio. “My
striking ability is what helped me grow and helped me do the
things I was capable of doing in MMA. At the same time, training
in MMA has made my striking 10 times better. By doing two-and-a-half
years of wrestling, jiu-jitsu and just MMA striking, I’m
confident that I’m a much better kickboxer now than I was
when I was just kickboxing.”
For
every critic that says K-1 fighters can’t transition into
MMA, there is another making the case for opposing that argument.
Barry is one of those opposing it. He seems to believe that anyone
can transition into MMA, even if they come from one specific
discipline.
Tae
Kwon Do, Muay Thai, karate, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling experts
can enter the sport of mixed martial arts and find moderate to
great success, according to “HD.”
“It’s
happening,” he said about fighters from other disciplines
being successful in MMA. “For anyone to think that a kickboxer
cannot make the transition over to MMA is ridiculous.”
And
what about the other way around?
“For
anyone to think that an MMA guy cannot make the transition over
into kickboxing is ridiculous,” he exclaimed. “Anybody
can do anything nowadays, especially guys like Anthony Pettis.
That’s like saying, ‘Anthony Pettis could not have
a kickboxing match and do well.’ That’s ridicuouls.
Dude is phenomenal.
“Guys
are so good nowadays, the sport is so evolved that I think anybody
can do any of it. It just depends on what you’re training
for.”
One
mixed martial artist that has had the utmost success in K-1 is
Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. Recently,
Overeem competed in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Japan. In
that tournament, he did what no other mixed martial artist has
done, and won the heavyweight bracket. Not only did he win, but
he did it in record time.
This
is the best example of applying MMA striking to a K-1 rules tournament
and finding great success in doing so.
When
reflecting on Overeem and his success in both sports, Barry talked
about the Dutch fighter and how he is an unstoppable force.
“The
dude is a monster. That’s what I think,” he said. “Not
only is he humongous, (but) he’s extremely experienced.
That’s what makes him the most dangerous. Not just the size,
but he has so much experience in MMA and in kickboxing, and he’s
a Dutch trained kickboxer. I was in Amsterdam for five years.
I know what the Dutch train like out there. The dude is a monster.
I don’t know how anyone is going to stop him any time soon.
“He
doesn’t seem to get tired. All he needs to do is hit you
one time. He’s fast, he’s athletic, and he’s strong
as hell. He’s everything you need all in one body.”
In
the K-1 tournament, Overeem fought a kickboxer that showed some
definite ferocity in Gohkan Saki. Barry says he never misses
a K-1 fight on TV, and he witnessed Saki’s performance in
the tournament. He believes the Saki-Ghita tournament fight was
one of the best kickboxing matches he has seen in the last decade.
Unfortunately for Saki, he lost to Overeem in the second round
of the bracket, breaking his arm in the process.
Since
the loss, Saki has gone on Twitter and talked about his plan
to transition to MMA. Specifically, the Turkish kickboxer made
note that he plans on talking to Strikeforce sometime this year
in an effort to fight for the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion
in the summer.
Barry,
who is clearly adamant about fighters finding success in a transition
between sports, talked about Saki and feels he’ll do well,
but he had some reservation in saying so. He believes Saki will
have to get out of his kickboxing frame of mind.
“As
long as he doesn’t rely solely on his kickboxing ability,”
Barry commented on Saki’s potential in MMA. “The reason
I say that is because I was out there in Amsterdam. I know what
the Dutch are like and they believe that their kickboxing is
the greatest in the world. And it is. It’s up there in the
top best of all time, but I see them also transition into MMA
and they get in there and still strike the way they would in
a kickboxing match.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Jon
Jones Watches Randy Couture In Contemplating UFC Heavyweight
Fights
Jon
Jones is a rising star in the world of MMA, but at only 23 years
of age, he still has room to grow, both literally and figuratively,
into the part.
A
few months back, the New York native teased a that his future
may lie in the heavyweight division, but now with a new diet
in place Jones believes that any move to a bigger weight class
will be only for the right fight and not a permanent move.
Jones
spoke with MMAWeekly Radio about his new diet that has him feeling
better than ever as he prepares for his Feb. 5 showdown against
Ryan Bader at UFC 126.
“Right
now I’m weighing 218 (pounds). I have a great diet and I’m
realizing the weight cut really isn’t that bad,” said
Jones. “This fight is the first fight where I really, really
stuck to my diet and I haven’t been cheating. So I feel
great, I feel really agile, I feel really excited to be honest
with you right now.”
Growing
up with two brothers who are just as big if not bigger than Jones,
even at six-feet-four-inches tall, he’s felt the brunt of
being the smaller guy before.
“When
I’m off and out of training I do get up to almost 230, and
I’ve been a smaller heavyweight my whole life growing up
and wrestling my brother who was ranked No. 1 in the nation as
a heavyweight wrestler, and I’ve always been pushing around
the bigger guys, so fighting heavyweight definitely doesn’t
threaten me,” he admitted.
During
his downtime, Jones mentioned that it’s McDonald’s
that usually gets the best of him, but right now his diet is
working wonders and he’s ready for any challenge that lies
ahead at 205 pounds, not heavyweight.
If
Jones does decide to take a fight at heavyweight, it will be
because the right situation presents itself. He looks towards
a UFC Hall of Famer for how he wants to guide his own career.
“I
kind of like how Randy (Couture) has done it all throughout his
MMA career,” Jones said. “With the right fight, I would
definitely take a fight at heavyweight, but my dreams and my
goals are all at the light heavyweight division, and I don’t
want anything to get twisted saying I want to fight Cain (Velasquez)
or any of the top heavyweights. If there was a cool fight stylistically
for me at heavyweight, I’d give something to the fans and
fight at a bigger weight.”
UFC
middleweight champion Anderson Silva has taken the road to a
higher weight class for challenges like facing former titleholder
Forrest Griffin, but is a natural middleweight. Jones believes
he’s in the same boat.
“Exactly,
that’s what I’m aiming for,” Jones mentioned when
Anderson Silva’s brief move to light heavyweight happened.
Jones’
future plans remain at light heavyweight where, with a win over
Ryan Bader at UFC 126, he’ll inch closer to the top of the
division and, by the end of 2011, could be the top contender
at 205 pounds.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Confident Josh Barnett Will Fight in Grand Prix, Just Not In
California
Strikeforce has taken a risk, adding Josh Barnett to its upcoming
Heavyweight Grand Prix. But it is a calculated risk.
Barnett
hasn’t fought in the United States in two years, when he
defeated Gilbert Yvel at Affliction: Day of Reckoning. He was
slated to fight Fedor Emelianenko in a heavyweight superfight
later that year, but failed a drug test while trying to gain
his license in the state.
After
numerous delays and false starts, Barnett is still winding his
way through the licensing process in California, trying to gain
licensure. He was though to finally be at the end of the process,
turning in a clean drug test in California last month, but stalled
out again when the questioning at an athletic commission hearing
took a more legal turn than he was prepared for.
Despite
all that, Strikeforce announced him as a participant in its eight-man,
multi-event heavyweight tournament that also includes heavyweight
champion Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Fedor Emelianenko,
Brett Rogers, Andrei Arlovski, Sergei Kharitonov, and Antonio
Silva.
While
California is still up in the air, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker
is confident that Barnett will be able to fight in other states.
This may limit the locals for events Barnett takes part in, but
it will allow Strikeforce to field what it feels is its eight
best heavyweights in a tournament format.
“The
thing with Josh is, this guy has an issue with California. I
totally understand, he’s gotta go through it. But the guy
hasn’t fought in North America for (two years), and he’s
not even on suspension,” said Coker. “Is he gonna get
licensed in California? I think that’s between Josh, his
attorney, and California State.
“But
with saying that, we’ve reach out to several athletic commissions,
four now, (and believe he’ll be allowed to fight).”
Coker,
in explaining recent events, sounded almost as frustrated by
the situation as Barnett… almost.
“Six
weeks ago, he went to the California State Athletic Commission
offices in Sacramento. He took the test and he came out clean,”
he explained. “So, to me, let the guy make a living.”
Despite
its home base being in San Jose, Calif., Strikeforce isn’t
worried if Barnett can’t fight there. Coker is confident
that Barnett will be able to play out the tournament elsewhere.
“He
will definitely not be fighting in California,” he stated.
“But other commissions are welcoming him to come, providing
another clean test, which he will provide. He’s gonna fight.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Alistair
Overeem Risks Belt In Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix
Many fans were surprised when Strikeforce officially announced
its first Heavyweight Grand Prix.
They
might be more surprised to find out that this tournament won’t
narrow down the contenders to Alistair Overeem’s heavyweight
belt. Overeem, in fact, will participate in the tournament, his
belt on the line.
“It’ll
be four nights over a period of eight months, then we’ll
have one champion,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told MMAWeekly.com.
“The
goal is to have Alistair put up his belt against Fabricio Werdum.
If Werdum wins, then he will have to put up the belt, but at
the end, you will have one champion.”
That
is the goal, but it’s not yet a done deal. Strikeforce still
has to work out the details with the athletic commissions in
the states where it plans to hold Grand Prix bouts.
“We’re
working with the athletic commissions because of the round issue,”
said Coker. Most commissions deem title fights five-round bouts;
non-title fights are typically three rounds.
When
Overeem puts his belt up, it would be a five-round bout. To make
the tournament format fair to all eight fighters, plus the alternates,
Strikeforce would like to make all tournament bouts five rounds.
That is going to take some cooperation from athletic commissions,
something that doesn’t always happen between fight promotions
and state agencies.
So
why even put Overeem in the tournament in the first place? He’s
already your champion. It’s already proven difficult to
schedule him for fights. And now you complicate the format of
your tournament by having to work out issues like the number
of rounds with the athletic commissions.
The
answer is simple.
“Alistair
wanted to be in the tournament,” said Coker. “He asked
me in Japan when I was there for Dream, after he knocked out
(Todd) Duffee. He said, ‘Scott, I want to fight Fabricio
Werdum. I’m gonna avenge all the people that beat me early
in my career and he’s at the top of my list.’”
That’s
it, end of story. Overeem simply wants to fight Werdum.
Overeem
obviously ups the ante on the tournament. His belt will be on
the line when he faces Werdum, and continue on through the tournament
with or without him. Whoever wins any bout the belt is involved
in will be the champion and progress through the brackets, one
champion emerging when the finals are said and done.
It
promises to be a solid slate of fights if Strikeforce can keep
all its competitors intact. The first two quarterfinals are slated
for Feb. 12 in New Jersey, where Fedor Emelianenko will face
Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Andrei Arlovski squares
off with Sergei Kharitonov. The other quarterfinalists –
Overeem and Werdum and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers – will
meet at an undetermined event in April.
The
semifinal bouts will take place at a later event, and then the
final on yet one more event in about eight months, wrapping up
the Grand Prix.
“I’ve
been saying for the last six months, Strikeforce has the best
heavyweight division in the world now, why not let these guys
go fight each other,” Coker mused.
“It’s
gonna be a great time not only for fight fans, but for mixed
martial arts as an industry.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Bráulio
goes under a surgery, but will dispute ADCC and World Jiu-Jitsu
Bráulio
Estima lived one of the best moments of his career on the last
couple of years. In 2009, Bráulio won the weight and absolute
disputes of ADCC, conquered for the second time in a row the
European weight and absolute championship and won two world titles
of Jiu-Jitsu on the heavy weight division. This year, Bráulio
had set some goals, like trying to reach the fifth triumph on
World of Jiu-Jitsu and win a super fight against Ronaldo Jacaré
on ADCC. But before that, Bráulio will go under a surgery,
which will leave him off the European.
“I’ll
have to do a fusion on my neck. It’s a simple surgery, it’s
only to strengthen and prevent any other accident coming due
to a stronger impact, but I have two months only for training.
But because of that the European is off my schedule. The third
title will have to wait until 2012”, jokes Estima, who hopes
to be back for World Pro of Abu Dhabi. “It’ll all depend
on my recovery. If I’m ok, I’ll fight World Pro”.
But
is mistaken the one who thinks that the surgery will make Bráulio
stop. “The expectations for this year are to work a lot,
take this time of recovering from the surgery to take care of
my gym. I’m opening a new gym with two floors downtown in
Birmingham (England), with a fitness zone and a circuit of MMA,
Thai Boxing and, of course, the below floor will be dedicated
exclusively to Jiu-Jitsu (laughs). But I intend to fight the
greatest championships of the world this year”, told Estima,
who is excited about fighting Ronaldo Jacaré o ADCC. “I’m
on a super fight with Jacaré and that motivates me a lot,
because he’s an icon of the sport and I’ve gained much
experience since 2005, when we fought for the last time. It’ll
be awesome”.
The
only frustration of Bráulio in 2010 was the cancelation
of Shine, where the black belt would do his MMA debut. Even though,
Bráulio doesn’t allow things like this to let him
down and hopes to make his debut in 2011. “You can bet I
think about fighting MMA this year, that’s one of the reasons
why I’m doing this surgery. I’m thinking about MMA.
I’ve trained yesterday with Georges St. Pierre and he complimented
me a lot, so that inspires me”, concluded the tough guy.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Minotouro
analyzes what he got wrong and right and gets ready for Tito
Rogério
Minotouro is getting ready to face Tito Ortiz in a bout that
may decide the fighters’ futures in the Ultimate Fighting
Championship. For that reason and much more, the likely main
event at UFC Fight Night 24 on March 26 in Seattle promises plenty
of excitement.
Check
out what Minotouro had to say to GRACIEMAG.com, addressing his
training and the flaws that showed through in his last appearance,
among other things:
What
do you need to watch out for most with Tito?
He
has really good ground and pound and always looks to get to that
position. He’s good at hitting from there, knows how to
use his elbows, so it’s something I have to be careful about.
I’m training to avoid that and defend myself by playing
guard, should I end up on bottom. So I’m doing a lot of
takedown defenses, playing from the bottom, not to mention working
on my boxing.
Is
it true that in your last outing (loss to Ryan Bader) you didn’t
train quite the way you would have liked to?
Truth
is, the crew wasn’t here to help me prepare for my last
fight. A lot of them were traveling, for example, and I had a
hurt rib. So I really wasn’t able to train the way I’d
have liked to. Now I’m better and I managed to get the crew
together.
Who
is helping you train?
Cigano
gets here today, I’m also training with Feijão, with
Anderson, and the whole gang at the training center. And for
my ground game I’ve also been working with Ronaldo Jacaré,
who knows a great deal about it. It’s all about training
hard, that way things will be easier come fight time. I try to
put myself in the discomfort zone a lot to be able to withstand
any pressure during the fight and still look for the finish.
You
and Tito are coming off losses. Does that add any extra weight
to the bout?
It’s
a really important fight. The situation is all the more delicate
because I’m coming off a loss. I don’t want to lose
and I’m confident. I’m working and I feel the result
will depend on everything I do up until then. There’s no
secret to it and I’m conscious of the responsibility. I’m
going to put in an effort and I’m more focused than ever
before.
Anderson’s
quick, strong, and very focused” Minotouro
You
said you were training with Anderson. How is he doing in the
lead-up to his fight with Belfort?
Anderson’s
doing well. He’s quick, strong, and very concentrated. He’ll
be in good shape for this fight.
Source: Tatame
|
Nate
Quarry’s World Domination Starts With American Cage Fighter
UFC
middleweight Nate Quarry is ready to take over the world.
Well,
maybe not literally, but he’s expanding his reach beyond
the cage to explore new avenues in the television world, as well
as clothing lines, comic books and even a film screenplay.
The
multi-talented cast member of the inaugural season of “The
Ultimate Fighter” is ready to debut his new-found talent
as an on-air personality starting this Sunday night at 10 p.m.
PT on Comcast Sports Net for “American Cage Fighter.”
“I’m
just trying to take over the world one step at a time,”
Quarry joked when speaking with MMAWeekly Radio. “I’m
in studio now, we’re filming our first few episodes of American
Cage Fighter. We’re really going behind the scenes to see
what’s in a fighter’s heart and their mind, and really
back beyond the cage. Beyond what you normally see with the bright
lights, we want to know what motivates these fighters, what’s
going on behind them.”
The
show will reach 15 million potential viewers and goes behind
the scenes more than any MMA news show before, with Quarry at
the helm, playing interviewer instead of interviewee.
“I’m
sitting down and interviewing guys one on one, just so we can
get a feel for what their motivation is in the fight game,”
he said.
Quarry
hopes the show reaches a new audience with MMA fans and casual
sports fans alike, as they delve deeper into the fighter’s
lives out of the cage. During the first few episodes of the show,
Quarry and co-host Tamara “Miss RaRa” Suguitan will
speak to fighters like Urijah Faber, Joseph Benavidez, Jake Shields,
Tito Ortiz, and others from around the sport.
The
former Team Quest fighter is also busy at work on his new clothing
line called Zombie Cage Fighter. Quarry says since he’s
the kind of unstoppable fighter that just always moves forward
and never dies, the zombie persona fit him perfectly.
“It’s
something I first announced on G4 on ‘Attack of the Show’
and everybody seemed to love it,” Quarry explained. “Since
then I’ve expanded it, I’m really close to having a
screenplay done now, we’re working on the comic book, launched
the t-shirts.”
Quarry,
who is an admitted comic book junkie, has his hand in all facets
of the new business. He also believes that fans in the MMA world
are looking for something different, and not the same old, same
old when it comes to the branding around the fight game.
“I
think we’ve reached a point in the fight culture where people
are getting a little tired of trying to look like a bad ass 24/7
with the skull t-shirts,” said Quarry. “They want to
go back to having a little bit of fun, cause really we’re
out living our dreams.”
He
points to his own first season of “The Ultimate Fighter”
when it was just a group of guys looking for their shot, when
nothing was guaranteed. It’s that spirit he wants to instill
with his clothing brand and comic books.
Quarry
has stated he’s unsure what the future holds for him in
regards to his fight career, but it’s likely that “Rock”
won’t be stepping away from the MMA world any time soon.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Tiequan
Zhang vs. Jason Reinhardt Late Addition to UFC 127 Card in Australia
A late addition to the upcoming UFC 127 card in Australia has
been confirmed as Tiequan Zhang will make his Octagon debut against
Jason Reinhardt.
The
fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the
negotiations on Saturday, with bout agreements issued to both
competitors for the February contest.
Zhang
(12-1) was the first ever Chinese born fighter to sign in the
WEC, and he will now transition to be the first ever in the UFC.
Going 1-1 during his brief stint with the WEC, Zhang will look
to bounce back from his first career loss when he was defeated
by Danny Downes in December at WEC 53.
Jason
Reinhardt (20-1) makes his first appearance in the UFC Octagon
since a 2007 loss to Joe Lauzon at UFC 78.
Reinhardt
has been largely out of active competition for the past 3 years,
and will have a tough test awaiting him upon his return.
The
bout between Zhang and Reinhardt will be an untelevised undercard
bout for the UFC 127 card in Australia.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Royler
receives Helio Gracie trophy
Four-time
world champion Royler Gracie is still sticking his neck out in
competition. GRACIEMAG.com has done a number of articles commenting
on the unlikely but strong relationship between Jiu-Jitsu and
surfing practitioners. The same goes for the “Fight Surf”
television series, to air on Brazil’s Combate channel and
tell some of the story.
The
last episode of the program takes place at one of Rio de Janeiro’s
surf temples, Prainha beach. That’s where Black belt Surf
Challenge took place, and Royler was one of the highlights.
“I
received the Helio Gracie trophy, for having surfed the best
wave of the competition,” the black belts tells GRACIEMAG.com.
“I
took third in the competition. Léo Leite (not the one
from Alliance) took first, followed by Marcos Brasa. Rogério
from Infight took fourth,” he adds.
The
event also featured the participation of other surfer black belts,
like Roberto Gordo, Rafael Gordinho, Paulo Zulu, Renan Pitangui,
and Malibu, among others.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Showtime
Officials Instrumental in Getting Fedor Emelianenko Inked to
New Strikeforce Deal
It
was a long process, but as of last week Fedor Emelianenko and
his management team at M-1 Global finally inked a new deal to
keep the Russian in Strikeforce for the foreseeable future.
Since
Emelianenko’s loss to Fabricio Werdum in 2010, the former
Pride champion has been on the sidelines waiting for a new deal
to get done. Following the Werdum fight, Fedor had only one fight
remaining on his Strikeforce contract and the two sides had been
working ever since to negotiate a new contract.
When
all was said and done, Emelianenko was locked up with Strikeforce
for a total of four more fights, and according to his manager
Vadim Finkelstein, it was Showtime officials who stepped in to
help broker the final deal.
“It
just all came together where everyone was satisfied with what
needed to happen, and what needed to be worked out to get the
deal done,” Finkelstein told MMAWeekly.com. “A lot
of the credit goes to Ken Hershman from Showtime for stepping
in and working with all the parties, and making sure all the
parties needs from our side and from Strikeforce’s side
were met.
“We
all kind of came to a point where we reached an understanding,
and Hershman was able to bring everybody together.”
Hershman,
who is an executive vice president at Showtime, has worked closely
with Strikeforce since bringing the promotion to the network.
His input was apparently invaluable in the deal to bring Fedor
back to Strikeforce.
The
new deal will stretch over four total fights, which would cover
Emelianenko’s full term in the upcoming Strikeforce Heavyweight
Grand Prix, assuming he makes it to the finals. Beyond that,
Finkelstein sounded confident that a relationship between Emelianenko
and Strikeforce could continue to grow in the future.
For
now the former top heavyweight is secluded in the mountains of
Russia preparing for his Feb. 12 showdown in the first round
of the Grand Prix against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Fabrício
Werdum: "I have the weapons to win this GP”
This
week Strikeforce has officially announced a heavyweight GP which
promises to mix things on MMA’s market. Chosen to participate
of the GP, Fabrício Werdum is training hard and motivated
to conquest this tournament. Recovered from the injury that put
him off the rings for six months, the world champion of Jiu-Jitsu
and champion of ADCC is sharpen his conditioning to get 100%
o February 12th, when he’ll face Alistair Overeem on the
first phase of the GP. “I’ll finish him again, you
can bet on it”, promises Werdum, who might confront, on
the second step of the tournament, the Russian Fedor Emelianenko,
a guy he has submitted last year. Despite cheering for Big Foot,
the Brazilian who currently lives on the United States wants
to give the Russian a rematch. “To Fedor I’ll concede
this rematch happily, because I like him and he deserves this
rematch”, said Werdum, on the exclusive interview that you
check below.
How
are the trainings going? Are you 100% recovered from your injury?
From
the injury I’m totally recovered, but I still ain’t
on my best physically. I’m training enough to get it back.
Everyday I go to Huntington Beach to train with Rafael (Cordeiro).
I train with him from 11am to 1pm every Monday, Wednesday and
Friday, I have a special training with Jason Miller and Mark
Muñoz. We do a sparring and train Wrestling with Muñoz.
You’ll
face Alistair Overeem, a guy you’ve submitted in Pride,
in 2006, on the fisrt round of the tournament. What are your
expectations for this fight?
The
expectations are as high as they can get. Being trained I can
fight anyone. I’ve changed my mind. Before I entered there
thinking about my opponent, now I get there thinking of me, how
I’ll get to him and what I can do. We both evolved a lot.
Overeem evolved a lot on the floor and he’s stronger and
more experienced. When we fought in 2006, I pretend to do it
for a while, fooled him a bit (laughs). Now I’m training
a lot my bang but it still isn’t good for me to bang with
him. The guy has just won K-1, so I’ll try to go for the
ground, even because he was training his bang a lot and he didn’t
have enough time to improve his ground game for this fight with
me.
Will
this be your game plan?
The
fight will be very tactic, it’ll be like the one of 2006
and I’ll catch him again, you can bet on it. I’ll beat
him with my game plan and smartness. The longer it gets, the
better it is for be because he has a background that proves he’s
not resistant. I’ll tire him up, bring him to the ground
and finish the fight.
On
the same side of the key Strikeforce matched Fedor Emelianenko
and Antônio Big Foot, two guys you’ve beaten. What
is your bet for this fight?
Fedor
is hungry for a win, because he has just lost to me and he wants
to win again. But I’ve talked to Big Foot and he also wants
to win pretty bad. Between two heavyweights, anything can happen,
there’s o favorite. Big Foot is very tough, can handle much
and has heavy hands.
Technically,
your side of the key is stronger, is where the favorites are.
Why do you think that Strikeforce matched the fights this way?
I
believe they did it that way so that they can sell many pay-per-view
subscriptions on the semifinals and on the finale. They’re
betting I’ll beat Overeem and that Fedor beats Big Foot,
because they know everybody wants that rematch. So, they want
to guarantee a good semifinal so that they sell it out and they’re
betting on it. Who doesn’t want to watch a rematch like
this one?
On
the other side of the key there’s Sergei Kharitonov against
Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett facing Brett Rogers. How do
you think these fights with end like?
Kharitonov
wins, because he’ll go for it the entire time. Arlovski
is good when he’s attacking, but when he’s attacked
he backs up and I bet the Russian will beat him. On the bout
between Barnett and Rogers I’m 100% Barnett because once
he put Rogers on the ground, he’ll turn him into a turtle
(laughs).
Both
Kharitoov and Arlovski has beaten you. Do you think about fighting
them again?
What
I think about is a rematch with Fedor. I wouldn’t like to
give Overeem this rematch, I’m just fighting because the
event matched this fight. To Fedor I’ll give this rematch
happily, because I like him and he deserves this rematch. But
first I have to think about how I’ll beat Overeem so that
rematch can happen.
You’ve
fought on the greatest MMA events of the world, but you’ve
never conquered a belt. How are you facing this opportunity?
It’d
be a dream come true wining this GP. I’ve fought only one
GP, which was Pride’s, in 2006, when I beat Overeem on the
first phase and then lost to Minotauro on the second one. Back
than I lacked experience, but today, being trained and more experienced,
I have the weapons to win this GP.
Source: Tatame
|
Daniel
Roberts Announces He’ll Face Claude Patrick at UFC 129 in
Toronto
It
appears Daniel Roberts will get the chance to fight alongside
his teammate Jake Shields at UFC 129, as he is set to face Claude
Patrick in a welterweight bout on the Toronto card.
Roberts
made the announcement via his personal Twitter page late Friday
night.
“I
fight Claude Patrick at UFC 129,” Roberts wrote.
Roberts
(12-1) didn’t waste any time getting a new fight after submitting
Greg Soto at UFC 125 just last weekend. It was Roberts second
submission victory in a row, and third win overall in the UFC.
Training
in California alongside Shields and Strikeforce lightweight champion
Gilbert Melendez, as well as Nick and Nate Diaz, Roberts has
continued to show improvement in each fight. He’ll look
to show that again when he returns in late April.
Fighting
in his hometown of Toronto will be Claude Patrick (13-1), returning
to action after a dominant performance over former “Ultimate
Fighter” winner James Wilks at UFC 120 in England.
It
was Patrick’s second fight and second win in the UFC. Now
he gets the chance to fight in his hometown for UFC 129.
While
the event has been announced by the UFC, no bouts have been confirmed
as televised or otherwise except for the main event between champion
Georges St-Pierre and top contender Jake Shields.
(UPDATED
at 9:15 a.m. on Jan. 9, 2001 to note this is a welterweight contest.)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Tyron
Woodley Grinds Out Win at Strikeforce Challengers 13; Eyes Diaz
and Cyborg
As
often happens when two top fighters hit the cage, Strikeforce
Challengers 13 main eventers Tyron Woodley and Tarec Saffiedine
went the distance in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday night.
The
two started off the fight clinching, trading some dirty boxing
punches, and a flurry of knees, setting the modus operandi for
the rest of the fight, although not at the same pace as the explosive
opening moments.
Saffiedine,
one of the better strikers in Strikeforce’s welterweight
class, couldn’t get off with the combination he needed.
He did a good job stuffing many of Woodley’s takedown attempts,
but Woodley was relentless, continually pressing Saffiedine to
the fence, trading knees.
It
was Woodley, however, for the majority of the fight that was
able to impose his pace, forcing Saffiedine to react, while he
remained on the offensive. It was the most exciting strategy,
but it earned Woodley the nod of all three judges.
“Tarec’s
a very tough guy. I endured; I pressed him. I think I kept the
pressure on him, stopped him from doing a lot of striking,”
Woodley assessed, adding, “I did a good job tonight.”
Improving
his record to a spotless 8-0, should graduate Woodley from the
Challengers Series to a full time player on the Strikeforce’s
main cards on Showtime.
He’s
definitely moved into the coveted space reserved for title contenders.
Woodley
wouldn’t pick the winner of the upcoming Nick Diaz and Evangelista
“Cyborg” Santos welterweight title fight at Strikeforce’s
Jan. 29 fight card, but he knows it’s a fight that could
have some bearing on his near future.
“I’ll
definitely be watching it.”
Seven
weeks, three fights, nine rounds, three victories.
It’s
been a whirlwind holiday season for Ovince St. Preux, but he
has turned it all into his fortunes, winning his third straight
unanimous decision with a victory over Ron “Abongo”
Humphrey on Friday night.
Try
as he might, Humphrey couldn’t get his game going against
St. Preux, who took Humphrey down for the better part of their
15-minute battle, grinding out a decision.
Humphrey
showed flashes, nearly securing a kneebar in the opening round
before St. Preux turned the tide, locking on an arm triangle
choke. Humphrey also started strong in round two, unleashing
some solid punches and following with knees to the head, but
St. Preux fired right back and continued his takedown and ground
and pound assault, maintaining control for the waning minutes.
St.
Preux went into 2010 with a 3-3 record. Now, as 2011 gets underway,
he has won seven straight fights, upping his record to 10-3,
moving into the upper echelon of the Strikeforce light heavyweight
division.
Rising
Strikeforce heavyweight Daniel Cormier continued his evolution
at Strikeforce Challengers 13, locking up a unanimous decision
win over International Fight League veteran Devin Cole.
Cormier
utilized his Olympic wrestling skills to stymie just about anything
Cole tried to get going. When Cole tried to strike, Cormier would
duck under and tie him up, using short uppercuts and body shots
to wear on him. Other times he would clinch and trip or throw
Cole to the mat.
He
did this all three rounds, easily controlling the pace of the
fight, dominating the former IFLer.
“He
fought well, fought hard. I’m a little disappointed. I don’t
think we expect a performance like that at AKA. I feel like I
let them down,” said Cormier after the fight, despite upping
his undefeated record to 7-0 as a professional.
With
the Strikeforce women’s 145-pound division being rather
thin at the moment, any solid performance comes with an immediate
elevation in contender status. Brazilian Amanda Nunes certainly
managed to elevate her status, using little time on the clock
to do so.
Nunes
came out firing, landing a couple solid right hands before dropping
Julia Budd with a straight left hand in the opening moments of
their fight. Nunes immediately followed Budd to the mat, finishing
her off at the 14-second mark with a flurry of hammerfists.
“She
wants to make many more fights in America to get more known in
America,” said her translator in Nunes’ post-fight
interview. “Cyborg is her final goal, the time will come.”
Now
5-1 in her professional MMA career, Nunes isn’t quite ready
for Cyborg, but with five-straight victories, it might not be
long before she’s contending.
An
Olympic Judoka, Dr. Rhadi Ferguson has made a solid transition
to the cage with his training at American Top Team. He added
to his unblemished record on Friday night, overcoming a strong
start by John Richard, submitting the late substitution 2:00
into the second round with a kneebar.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Brian
Foster vs. Sean Pierson Face Off in Toronto at UFC 129
Brian
Foster will be stepping into Sean Pierson’s hometown when
the two welterweights meet at UFC 129 in Toronto on April 30.
The pair have agreed to meet on the upcoming card.
Sources
close to the negotiations confirmed the fight to MMAWeekly.com
on Friday. MMAJunkie.com initially reported the bout.
Foster
(15-5) has had his ups and downs in the UFC, but seemingly hit
his stride with his recent fights. Foster has finished his last
two opponents, getting by Forrest Petz by TKO and then submitting
Matt Brown at UFC 123 in November 2010.
The
HIT Squad product has consistently been one of the most exciting
fighters in the UFC, and has never gone to a decision in his
career.
Former
Toronto police officer Sean Pierson (11-4) will bring his hometown
with him when he fights at UFC 129. The Canadian made his Octagon
debut at UFC 124 in Montreal, where he picked up a unanimous
decision win over Matt Riddle.
Foster
and Pierson are expected to be part of the undercard for the
show set to go down on April 30 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
|