Upcoming
Events
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Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2011
12/9/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
11/11/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
November
Aloha
State Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
10/29/11
NAGA
Hawaii
10/7/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/2/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
8/20/11
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Neal Blaisdell Center
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui)
7/22/11
808 Battleground & X-1 World Events
Domination
(MMA)
(Waterfront at Aloha Tower)
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
7/16/11
2011 Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous Sparring, MMA (Controlled), and Submission Grappling)
(War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/8/11
Chozun 2
(Kickboxing)
(The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace, Honolulu)
Rener Gracie Seminar
O2 Martial Arts Academy
$65
7-9PM
7/1/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
6/25/11
Kauai Cage Fights
(MMA)
(Kilohana Estates)
6/17-19/11
Big Boys & MMA Hawaii Expo
Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/18-19/11
Hawaii Triple Crown
“State Championships”
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/18/11
Destiny: Fury II
(MMA)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/17/11
UpNUp: On The Rise
(MMA)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/10/11
Genesis “76 South Showdown Kickboxing”
(Kickboxing)
(Campbell H.S. Gym, Ewa Beach)
6/2-5/11
World
Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(California)
5/28/11
HUAWA Grappling Tournament 2011
Grappling Series II
(Submission grappling)
(Mililani H.S. Gym, Mililani)
Cancelled
Battleground 808
(MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower)
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/21/11
Scraplafest 3
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Island School, Puhi, Kauai, behind Kauai Commuity College)
5/20/11
Kauai Knockout Championship II: Mortal Combat
(MMA)
(Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall, Lihue)
5/14/11
Boxing Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Gym)
5/6/11
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
4/28/11
Destiny: Fury II
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/23/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Gladiators for God
(Amateur Muay Thai)
(Wet&Wild Water Park)
4/16/11
Hawaiian
Championship of BJJ
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
4/15/11
Destiny
& 808 Battleground presents "Supremacy"
(MMA)
(Aloha Tower Waterfront)
4/9/11
Fight Girls Hawaii
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/2/11
Toughman Hawaii
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Ctr)
3/24-27/11
Pan
American Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA)
3/26/11
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
HUAWA Grappling Tourney
(Sub Grappling)
(Mililani HS Gym)
3/12/11
X-1:
Dylan Clay vs Niko Vitale
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/11/11
Chozun 1: "the Reckoning"
(Kickboxing)
(The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace, Honolulu)
3/5/11
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
2/25/11
808
Battleground Presents
War of Warriors
(MMA)
(The Waterfront At Aloha Tower, Honolulu)
2/20/11
Pan
Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(California State University, Carson, CA )
2/19/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
2/5/11
Garden Island Cage Match 10: Mayhem at the Mansion 2
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kilohana Carriage House, Lihue, Kauai)
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/4/11
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
1/29/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Battle At The Barn
(MMA)
(Molokai H.S. Gym, Molokai)
1/8/11
Hawaii Toughman
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
|
|
July
2011 News Part 1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi.
Kickboxing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ
Dean, & Chris Slavens!
Kids Classes are also
available!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from
the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
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
808
Battleground & X-1 World Events
Domination
Mixed Martial Arts
at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower
Doors open at 5 pm, Fights start at 6 pm
$30 Pre-sale, $40 at the door
http://www.808battleground.com/
|
Aloha everyone,
Hope
all is well with everyone. Our 2011 Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
will be held on Saturday, July 16th at War Memorial Gym in Wailuku,
Maui. This year, in addition to 1st and 2nd place trophies for
each division, we will be awarding Team Champions trophies for
each of the three events (Continuous Sparring, MMA (Controlled),
and Submission Grappling). Attached is an event flier for your
reference and distribution. If you have any questions, e-mail
or call me at 205-9133. Mahalo,
Sigung
Trent Sera
Sera's Kajukenbo
|
UFC
Champion Dominick Cruz Wants to Clean Out Bantamweight Division
by Damon
Martin
For
Dominick Cruz, UFC 132 was his chance to show the world what
kind of fighter he really is.
Going
into the night, Cruz was a favorite among the sportsbooks in
his fight against Urijah Faber, but wasn’t getting many
cheers from the fans in attendance.
Facing
a fan favorite in Faber, Cruz received mostly boos from the Las
Vegas crowd, but by the end of the night, love him or hate him,
everyone in attendance had to respect his performance.
When
it was over, Cruz won a unanimous decision over his rival, and
while he points out that he and Faber probably won’t be
exchanging Christmas cards anytime soon, the bad blood can be
put to rest.
“I
think me and Faber are both very, very competitive human beings
and that’s a lot of the reason why things got blown up so
much,” Cruz explained when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio.
“It comes down to business, and going out there and doing
what we know we can do, and proving who is the bigger guy on
the block. This time around it was me, last time around it was
him, and it’s just all about going out there and doing a
job.
“Me
and Urjiah aren’t going to be best friends, but we don’t
hate each other. We don’t wish each other ill will. We are
just very competitive human beings.”
With
two fights in the books between Cruz and Faber, it would seem
logical at some point down the road that there could be a rubber
match between the fighters. The UFC’s reigning bantamweight
champion is happy to give Faber another shot if that’s what
the promotion wants.
“I’m
never going to shut down fights, I don’t choose fights I
never have,” said Cruz. “I’ve never chosen one
of my fights ever. So if that’s what the fans want, if that’s
what Dana (White) wants, I’m the champion and part of being
the champ is just taking the fights that are given to you. If
that’s what’s given to me, that’s what’s
given to me, let’s do it.”
While
Faber may earn another shot down the road, it’s assured
he won’t be the next fighter in line to get a shot at Cruz’s
belt.
That
distinction will likely fall in the path of either former champion
Brian Bowles or fighter-on-the-rise Demetrious Johnson, who recently
picked up a win over former 135-pound titleholder Miguel Torres.
One
fight that won’t be on Cruz’s agenda right now is a
fight against UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Following
his win on Saturday, Cruz said that if the money was right he’d
be more than happy to face the top fighter on the planet in the
next weight class up.
In
his mind right now however, Cruz wants to not only be known as
the best at 135 pounds, but he wants to clean out the division.
“Most
exciting is just to hold down this 135-pound weight class, to
be honest. I don’t think that I’ve done enough in this
weight class to start hopping around and do all this other stuff,”
said Cruz.
“I
think I need to defend my title a few more times. I want to make
a statement and control this weight class, and know that nobody
here can beat me. I want everybody to know that and understand
it.”
If
the title fights go accordingly, Cruz isn’t shut off to
the idea of moving up a weight class and trying his hand at featherweight
again, but it’s still a ways off.
“I
think one or two more title defenses would be awesome at 135
pounds,” Cruz stated. “That’s my ideal weight
class, but like I said, I go where the money’s at, and I
go where Dana wants me.”
As
far as his next title defense at bantamweight, whether it’s
Brian Bowles or Demetrious Johnson, it doesn’t matter much
to Cruz. His motto is line them up and he’ll knock them
down.
“I’m
here to give the fans a show, plain and simple,” Cruz said.
“That’s what it’s about and that’s what this
next match-up is going to be about as well.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Fickett-Kawajiri,
Prangley-Mizuno Set for July 16 Dream
by Mike
Whitman
Two
new bouts have been added to Dream “Fight for Japan: 2011
Japan Bantamweight Tournament Final,” as Drew Fickett will
replace an injured Willamy “Chiquerim” Freire against
Tatsuya Kawajiri at lightweight, while Trevor Prangley will meet
Tatsuya Mizuno in a light heavyweight affair.
Dream
officials announced the matchups Wednesday, revealing that Freire
has injured his right hand and will be unable to compete. Nine
fights are now official for the July 16 event, which will go
down at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo.
The
event will feature the final of Dream’s first bantamweight
tournament, as Masakazu Imanari squares off with Hideo Tokoro.
The promotion’s featherweight and light heavyweight titles
will also be on the line at the event when champs Hiroyuki Takaya
and Gegard Mousasi take on Kazuyuki Miyata and Hiroshi Izumi,
respectively.
A
UFC veteran, Fickett (Pictured, file photo) recently had a five-fight
winning streak snapped by fellow UFC castoff Brian Cobb. Fickett
signed with Canadian promotion Maximum Fighting Championship
in 2011 and debuted in impressive fashion, armbarring Matt Veach
in just 36 seconds. Four months later at MFC 30, Fickett would
start quickly once again, taking Cobb’s back early in round
one and looking to finish. However, Cobb proved resilient, escaping
the position and pounding Fickett out with punches to hand “The
Night Rider” his first loss since 2009.
Kawajiri
has won five of his last seven contests, though he has lost two
of his last three. After submitting quickly to Dream lightweight
king Shinya Aoki in July 2010, “Crusher” rebounded
from the loss by outpointing Josh Thomson on New Year’s
Eve. However, Kawajiri would again be finished quickly in his
first bout of 2011, as the 33-year-old was blasted by Gilbert
Melendez in April.
Prangley,
38, has gone 1-2-1 in his last four bouts, his lone victory in
that span coming via split decision against Keith Jardine in
September. That victory was sandwiched between defeats to Tim
Kennedy and, most recently, Roger Gracie. Prangley was dominated
by Gracie’s potent ground attack in January, as the Brazilian
took the South African’s back and sunk in a fight-ending
rear-naked choke.
A
former Dream light heavyweight title contender, Mizuno made waves
when he shockingly submitted Melvin Manhoef one year ago in the
semifinals of Dream's light heavyweight grand prix. Mizuno would
fall in the September final to eventual tournament champion Gegard
Mousasi, however, as the 30-year-old failed to capture the promotion’s
inaugural light heavyweight strap. Most recently, Mizuno was
knocked out by a Sergei Kharitonov knee in just 85 seconds on
Dec. 31.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Urijah
Faber considers adapting his fight style based on how MMA judges
score fights
By Zach
Arnold
Quotes from an interview he did on Tuesday with Bruce Buffer
for Sherdog.
Thoughts
on his UFC 132 fight against Dominick Cruz & how the judges
scored the fight
“I
felt like I won right after the fight, that was my initial feeling.
I think that’s because I didn’t really get hurt in
the fight and I feel like I hurt him a couple of times. But you
can’t really complain about a close fight, you know, it’s
up to discretion and although it feels like most people don’t
really, most people… don’t really, uhhh… don’t
really know what the judges are talking about. I mean, it feels
like these days the MMA judges are so off the rocker, like you
don’t really know what you’re trying to do out there,
you know. It’d be great if we had like some consistency
but Dominick fought a good fight, I fought a good fight, I tried
to go for the finish, I don’t really think about decisions
very much and I think I need to start being a little more cognizant
of that, you know.
“I
definitely feel like I could have been more of a person that
put on the appearance of winning the fight rather than trying
to finish the fight and I think that was the difference.”
Will
we see match #3 between Mr. Faber & Mr. Cruz?
“I’m
almost positive we’re going to have a rematch and I think
it needs to happen to find out who’s the boss. I don’t
feel like I was threatened at all. I feel like I could have done.
He probably feels like he could have done more. I mean, I think
it needs to happen. I don’t know if it will happen right
away because there are other guys who have earned shots like
Demetrious Johnson and Brian Bowles and even Joseph Benavidez
who’s been just killing guys. So I’m not like demanding
it but I know it’s going to happen. I’m not going to
get beat, uh, I’m going to keep coming for that belt and
it’s just a matter of time, so whether it’s right away
or if I have to win a couple or whatever the case, I’m ready
to go again and I think Dana (White), Lorenzo (Fertitta), and
everyone else wants that and I think it needs to happen.”
Will
Urijah Faber stay at Bantamweight?
“I
think so, you know, I’m getting more and more comfortable
at the weight. It’s my only third fight at the weight and
I’m getting a hold of my weight. The recovery process, knowing
how much I’m going to weigh after the weigh-ins, that’s
a big part of it, you know, because when I know what I go right
back up to, I can kind of stay at that weight for my whole training
camp instead of like, you know, breaking my body down and trying
to get lower and all that stuff and I feel incredible, man. I’m
getting better and better.
“That
fight this weekend has motivated me, made me want to get back
in the gym and work on some things and I really feel like I got
caught up in trying to knock Dominick out because, you know,
when you’re in a grudge match like that where there’s
animosity and there’s something to prove, it gets down to
the most brutal stuff and you want to try to knock the guy out.
So, I think I could have been a little bit smarter, especially
considering that it did go to the decision and taking that into
account. But I don’t want to lose that edge of just trying
to go for the kill.”
Matt
Erickson: Tito Ortiz makes $450,000USD at UFC 132, Urijah Faber
& Dominick Cruz make $72,000USD combined
Also mentioned in the interview with Bruce Buffer, Urijah says
that he is an avid reader of Napoleon Hill. He also asked Bruce
if he could record a phone message announcing Urijah as the new
UFC Bantamweight champion of the world so that he can listen
to the ‘call’ and put it into his mind so he can visualize
it to help with his training.
Team
Alpha Male “Fight for the Kids” golf tournament on
July 15th at Whitney Oaks Golf Club in Rocklin, California (near
Sacramento)
Check out his upcoming charity golf tournament.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Back
From Exile, Chael Sonnen to Return Against Brian Stann at UFC
136
By Mike
Chiappetta
Chael
Sonnen will finally end his 14-month exile from action when he
returns at October's UFC 136 to face Brian Stann.
UFC
president Dana White confirmed the fight's booking to MMA Fighting
on Wednesday night. It's possibility was originally reported
by Heavy.com.
Sonnen
has been on the shelf since his epic UFC 117 middleweight title
matchup with Anderson Silva in August 2010, in which he led for
four-and-a-half rounds until falling into a Silva triangle choke
late in the fifth.
Afterward,
Sonnen's urine sample came back with a high testosterone-to-estrogen
(T/E) level. In a subsequent hearing with the California state
athletic commission, Sonnen (25-11-1) argued that he had previously
divulged to them his testosterone replacement therapy to treat
hypogonadism. His one-year suspension was shortened to six months,
but the commission eventually ruled that he had misled them on
some elements of his testimony and placed him on indefinite suspension.
The UFC also froze his contract as he worked though legal problems
in his home state of Oregon.
Those
issues now behind him, Sonnen will move back into the forefront
of the UFC's middleweight division, though he will still need
to apply for a fighter's license in Texas, the host state of
UFC 136. A search of the state's combative sports license database
shows he is currently unlicensed in the state.
His
return will come against one of the hottest fighters in the division.
The 11-3 Stann is on a three-fight win streak, boasting finishes
of Jorge Santiago, Chris Leben and Mike Massenzio in the process.
UFC
136 will take place on October 8 in Houston. Though a main event
has yet to be announced, a featherweight title bout pitting champ
Jose Aldo against challenger Kenny Florian is a possibility for
the slot.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Bellator
Champion Ben Askren Has a Message for Nate Marquardt: ‘Bring
It’
by Damon
Martin
It
all started with Nate Marquardt discussing his hormone replacement
therapy and explaining why he was pulled from the UFC on Versus
4 card in Pittsburgh two weeks ago.
From
there, a storm of responses started from fighters both supporting
and decrying what Marquardt said about his low testosterone and
need for treatment to return to full health.
Former
UFC champion B.J. Penn voiced his disproval through Twitter,
and has largely been an opponent of all performance enhancing
drugs throughout his career. The other major name that took opposition
to Marquardt on that day was Bellator welterweight champion Ben
Askren.
The
former Olympian took to his Twitter account and addressed Marquardt
directly writing “you are a cheater, not once but frequently.
Stop cheating, come to Bellator and I will crush you.”
Speaking
further on the subject when appearing on MMAWeekly Radio, Askren
took Marquardt to task for his statement about needing testosterone
therapy. He believes the former UFC middleweight contender simply
isn’t telling the truth about the situation.
“I
think it’s pretty clear, he failed not one, but two tests.
I think it becomes very, very clear when his coach Trevor Wittman
is coming out and saying things that goes against what he’s
doing. If your coach ain’t got your back, who’s got
your back? I think it’s pretty clear to me as many excuses
as he makes that he was cheating and this is not the first time
he’s got caught,” Askren said.
“The
worst thing about it is that he just keeps lying. Own up to it,
be a man, take care of your responsibilities, you did wrong,
you’ve got to admit to it.”
The
other test that Askren is speaking about is a 2005 drug test
that Marquardt failed following his UFC debut fight against Ivan
Salaverry. The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Marquardt
for five months after he tested positive for banned substances.
Askren,
who was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team that has gone
through stringent drug testing throughout his collegiate and
Olympic career, has seen cheating go on at many MMA gyms all
over the world.
“It’s
pretty obvious. I’ve been around the block. I travel a lot
to gyms. I think cheating with performance enhancing drugs runs
rampant in the MMA world, and I’m okay with that, that’s
their decision,” Askren stated. “I wouldn’t do
it. I think there are long-term ramifications in your career,
and the fact that they’re choosing to take the easy way
out as opposed to training themselves naturally, that’s
also going to have an effect on them long-term, that they didn’t
do it themselves, that they had something helping them.”
The
former Missouri wrestler and NCAA All-American doesn’t even
mind so much that fighters are taking performance enhancing drugs
as much as they won’t own up to their mistakes when they
get busted.
“What
I have a real issue with is when someone gets caught, you’re
supposed to be a grown man. You’re supposed to be a man
and part of being a man is taking responsibility for your actions.
When you get caught and you just constantly lie, and lie, and
lie, it’s like come on dude, just own up, be a man,”
said Askren.
As
far as his beef with Nate Marquardt, Ben Askren has a very simple
solution to offer the former UFC fighter.
“Bring
it,” Askren said to Marquardt. “I want to be the best
in the world and the only way to be the best in the world is
to fight the people that are the best. Nate Marquardt, come on.
“He
can’t beat wrestlers. He can’t beat a good wrestler.
So I’ll take him down, I’ll wear him out, and hopefully
for the fans around the world I will submit him so they don’t
call me a blanket fighter.”
Whether
the fight actually happens or not remains to be seen, but Askren
doesn’t mind backing up his strong words in the cage, and
he’s left an open invite for Marquardt to come to Bellator
and challenge him.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Ortiz
blows UFC 132 paydays out of the water
Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
He
didn’t star in the main event, but he was by far the biggest
earner at UFC 132 last Saturday in Las Vegas. Besides picking
up the 75,000-dollar bonus for sinking the sightliest submission
of the night, Tito Ortiz pocketed a cool 450 grand, bringing
his total payday to 525 big ones! Next atop the big-money maker
list comes Wanderlei Silva, with 200,000 dollars, even after
having lost in just 27 seconds.
Check out the UFC 132 pay out:
Dominick
Cruz $40,000 + 75,000 (fight of the night)
Urijah Faber $32,000 + 75,000 (fight of the night)
Chris
Leben $92,000
Wanderlei Silva $200,000
Dennis
Siver $50,000
Matt Wiman $18,000
Tito
Ortiz $450,000 + 75,000 (submission of the night)
Ryan Bader $20,000
Carlos
Condit $68,000 + 75,000 (knockout of the night)
Dong Hyun Kim $41,000
Melvin
Guillard $64,000
Shane Roller $21,000
Rafael
dos Anjos $28,000
George Sotiropoulos $15,000
Brian
Bowles $34,000
Takeya Mizugaki $12,000
Aaron
Simpson $34,000
Brad Tavares $10,000
Anthony
Njokuani $16,000
Andre Winner $14,000
Jeff
Hougland $12,000
Donny Walker $6,000
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Mike
Schmitz: Matt Mitrione’s streak of success & why he’s
managed to make it work
By Mike
Schmitz
Year in and year out NFL dropouts attempt the leap of faith from
the gridiron to the octagon, but none have made that transition
as seamlessly as Matt Mitrione. In 2006 the former All-Big-10
defensive lineman and six-year NFL veteran hung up his cleats
to study the ins and outs how to fight at the professional level.
An injury plagued NFL career as a backup came to a screeching
halt after Mitrione struggled through countless foot surgeries
and had to call it quits.
But
after only two years as an MMA pro, Mitrione’s found his
place in the octagon having racked up five victories and four
knockouts in only five fights. The 265-pound Meathead is no longer
known as ‘the guy from Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter.’
He’s become much more than ‘the fighter how to fight
Kimbo Slice,’ or ‘the NFL injury dropout.’
Mitrione
has arrived as a UFC mainstay and the 32-year-old is progressing
like a young gun just bursting onto the scene. He fights with
poise beyond his experience, and proved that by defeating Christian
Morecraft via KO in UFC on Versus 4. He’s confident, charismatic,
and most importantly, competitive. Mitrione’s proven himself
against the likes of Morecraft, Joey Beltran, Tim Hague, Kimbo
Slice and Marcus Jones (former NFL player).
His
heavy hands, calm demeanor and undefeated record suggest that
he’s ready to ramp up his competition. But is Mitrione really
prepared to fight the top MMA pros?
“I
want to fight a top guy,” Mitrione recently said on The
MMA Hour radio program at MMAFighting.com. “I like and respect
Frank Mir. He and I are cool, and I think it would be a really
fun fight. (But) I made so many mistakes (against Morecraft).
I wonder if anyone else who fights feels the way I do after they
fight. If I would have made those mistakes against Cheick Kongo
or Frank Mir, I would’ve lost. It makes me wonder what the
right step is next. My hands, I can scrap with anybody. Technique
wise, ehh …”
Who
could Mitrione see in his next fight? Here are five possibilities:
Cheick
Kongo: With both Kongo and Mitrione coming off of impressive
wins, UFC fans around the country are thirsting for this matchup.
Although it does bring a lot of intrigue, Kongo is still a cut
above Meathead. Kongo’s fought 10 more UFC fights than Mitrione
and has years of experience on Meathead. Yes it would sell and
bring a lot of hype, but it’s not the right fight for Mitrione
moving forward.
Frank Mir: If Kongo is too much for Mitirone to handle, than
Mir definitely shouldn’t be his next opponent. After UFC
on Versus 4 fighter and analyst Stephan Bonnar said Mitrione
should meet Mir in his next fight. But the former UFC champion
is head and shoulders above the still raw Mitrione. He’s
arguably a top 10 heavyweight, while Mitrione is still wavering
between the second and third tier of heavyweight fighters. If
Mitrione wins another fight or two, I can see this matchup, but
not after only five fights.
Dave Herman: Pee-Wee appears to be the happy medium for Mitrione.
Herman is 21-2 at the professional level, but he’s still
new to UFC (only one fight) and is a bit untested. He also has
a wrestling background and could give Mitrione trouble on the
ground, which is something he really hasn’t seen yet. Mitrione
versus Herman is the ideal fight moving forward.
Stefan Struve: The 6-foot-11 Skyscraper is a definite possibility
for Mitrione. He’s more of a second-tier fighter but has
also taken on the likes of Junior Dos Santos (TKO loss in 2009).
He’s much more tested than Mitrione but fights the same
talent level as Mitrione. He defeated Morecraft (KO) at UFC 117
and is coming off of a loss to Travis Browne. Herman still seems
ideal, but Struve is a close second.
Roy Nelson: Big Country has lost two fights in a row, but both
came to JDS and Mir by unanimous decision. He defeated Struve
by TKO in UFC Fight Night 21 and is in need of a win. He proved
he couldn’t hang with Mir and JDS, but would be a good matchup
for a surging Mitrione. He’s a few years older than Mitrione
and brings power Mitrione hasn’t seen. Although it would
be a competitive fight, Mitrione needs someone younger and on
the rise rather than a declining Nelson.
Mitrione’s shown more than enough to defeat his most recent
opponents, but what needs to happen for him to make the jump
into the second tier of heavyweight contenders?
He’s
obviously full of power, but if he’s not connecting Meathead
is vulnerable. His defense is sub-par and his wrestling is nearly
non-existent. He has solid kickboxing skills from learning under
Duke Roufus and is quick on his feet for his size, but he needs
to learn how to fight on ground and improve his defense to become
more complete.
Once
Mitrione does that, the next step would be to challenge the likes
JDS or Cain Velasquez. At this point of his career, Mitrione
isn’t even close. He can hang with almost anyone on his
feet due to his heavy hands, but he isn’t as quick as JDS
or Velasquez and wouldn’t last long against the top-tier
heavyweights.
But
regardless of who Mitrione ends up facing in his next fight and
where he ranks among heavyweight fighters, it’s clear he’s
made his presence felt in not only UFC, but the sport of MMA.
Where he started out on The Ultimate Fighter and where he’s
at now is a pleasant surprise.
He’s
proven that the fighter-to-athlete route can lead to success.
Matt Mitrione is no longer a former NFL player who knows how
to fight, he’s become a full-fledged MMA fighter with a
bright future ahead of him. A slow and steady push will prove
to benefit him in the long-term. He has become a star in the
UFC and, given the current vacuum of stars in the company (due
to injuries, inactivity, too many shows), has positioned himself
to take advantage of the current Heavyweight landscape.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Demian
Maia expects to return at UFC 136
By Guilherme
Cruz
Demian
Maia’s win streak was broken by Mark Munõz at UFC
131, but he wants to return as soon as possible. Maia’s
manager Eduardo Alonso spoke with TATAME on Thursday, and revealed
that he expects to see his fighter back to the octagon at UFC
136, on October 8th.
“The
idea he to have him back at Houston’s card, but we’re
still finalizing the talks,” Alonso said, expecting a tough
opponent next. “The expectation is for a Top 10 opponent.
Demian is a great athlete and did a great fight against Mark
Muñoz., losing in the details. Unfortunately, every loss
is a step back, and only way to move forward again is fighting
a Top 10”.
Analyzing
the UFC middleweight division, Alonso believes Demian can be
back to the top of the ranks by the end of the year.
“We’re
seeing the rumors, fighting being confirmed, like Vitor against
Akiyama and Anderson vs Okami, so the division is busy. Anderson
stays reigning, but the challengers are coming up and down all
the time. Everything can change, a whole other picture by the
end of the year. To put Demian back to the mix, he has to fight
ranked opponents”.
Stay
tuned for more news on Demian Maia’s return to the cage.
Source:
Tatame
|
Opinion:
‘The Axe Murderer’ in Perspective
by Jason
Probst
When
it comes to chins and how they suddenly go south, former lightweight
boxing champion Sean O’Grady summed it up best: “It’s
like a cash register. You can stuff a lot of bills into it, but
once it’s full, it just doesn’t close anymore.”
In
Wanderlei Silva’s Pride Fighting Championships career, he
did more to inflict damage and frightful highlight-reel violence
than any fighter in the history of the game. Since being re-signed
by the UFC in 2007, he has gone 2-4. His loss to Chris Leben
at UFC 132 on Saturday in Las Vegas was a grim reminder of the
O’Grady observation.
Silva
was a great promotional acquisition for the UFC after a seven-year
absence, during which time he terrorized the light heavyweight
division and single-handedly built a template which virtually
every striking-based fighter in the game could not help but admire
and aspire to.
Silva
is also one of the most likeable guys in the game; there’s
no pleasure in seeing him continue to risk himself, especially
given his hard-charging style, in future fights.
Source
Sherdog
|
Quick
quote: Victor Conte on how steroids & testosterone can help
with endurance
By Zach
Arnold
Eddie Goldman recently talked about the usage of steroids in
the combat sports world with Dr. Margaret Goodman. He pointed
out that the conventional wisdom in boxing circles is that steroids
help increase power but hurt speed for fighters. (He brought
up Fernando Vargas vs. Oscar De La Hoya.)
In
response to the whole topic of steroids & testosterone usage
in the combat sports, Eddie received a note from the one and
only Victor Conte on the matter.
“Trainers
have told him that anabolic steroids help a fighter with power
but not with endurance. That’s not correct. They can also
help with endurance. As you know, steroids can increase red blood
cell production and significantly increase Hematrocit levels.
This has been the case with many professional bodybuilders that
I’ve worked with. I’ve seen Hematocrit levels between
54% & 59% in bodybuilders that were not using EPO. So, steroids
can help a fighter’s endurance by increasing their Hematocrit
levels.
“Steroids
help to promote anabolism, in part, by increasing cell volumnization
and this can create muscle tightness or a pump. Sprinters actually
run slower on steroids due to tightness compared to after they
come off and return to a normal water balance. My experience
is that a sprinter is about 2 meters faster over 100 meters once
they come off steroids compared to when they are actually on
steroids. A fighter would be slower when using steroids compared
to after they come off steroids. In the old days, drug coaches
used to use a 10 day taper period. However, most educated drug
coaches have their sprinters go off for two weeks before competition.
This is when the athletes run the fastest times.
“In
short, testosterone can increase Hematocrit levels and after
an adequate taper period can not only increase power and speed
but also improve a fighter’s endurance as well.”
SB
Nation: Nate Marquardt never applied for T.U.E. in Pennsylvania
In other news, Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann has been reportedly
booked by the UFC for an October show slated for Texas.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
With
No UFC Plans in Sight, BAMMA Looks to Take Their Show to Ireland
by Damon
Martin
It’s
been over two years since the UFC graced the shores of the Emerald
Isle, but with no current plans in place to return to Ireland,
another promotion is eyeing a show there instead.
Rising
British promotion BAMMA, whose next show will be BAMMA 7 in September
in England, are in talks to bring a show to Dublin, hopefully
sometime in the next 18 months.
BAMMA
Vice President Liam Fisher revealed the news when speaking with
MMAWeekly Radio.
“It’s
funny, we’ve planned our schedule for 2012 and we’re
working on 2013 as well at the moment. We want to be totally
far ahead, we want to make sure we get the exact dates and venues
that we want for our schedule, and the O2 in Dublin is definitely
one of the venues we’ve been speaking to,” Fisher stated
about the promotion’s intentions to land in Ireland.
Irish
fans have been clamoring for a major promotion to come back there
after the UFC put on a show in Northern Ireland in 2007 and Ireland
in 2009, but have not returned to either since.
UFC
president Dana White has talked about going back there many times,
but the busy schedule for the promotion hasn’t left a window
open to return to Ireland for a couple of years.
For
BAMMA it seems like the perfect destination to take their show
next door to Ireland and introduce fans to their brand of MMA.
Now it’s just a matter of locking down a date and time that
will work.
“It’s
all about finding the right date and fits with a TV schedule
that we can work with in the U.K. But Dublin is definitely on
our radar, and we have plans to do a show in Dublin,” Fisher
said.
While
no date has been set in stone just yet, Fisher says that they
are currently in talks with the arena and worst case scenario
they will be there by 2013, but are hoping to land there in 2012.
“Yeah
absolutely. If it’s not in 2012, it will definitely be 2013,
but we’re trying to work something out at the moment for
2012,” said Fisher.
“If
we can get the right date, we’ve been talking to the venue,
it’s a phenomenal venue. Ireland is a great place and a
great following for MMA, and we definitely want to do a show
there.”
BAMMA
7 will be the promotion’s next show taking place on Sept.
10 in Birmingham, England at the National Indoor Arena.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
MMA
Roundtable: Condit's Quandary, Tito's Future, July's Best Fights
& More
By Ben
Fowlkes
We're
not going to lie to you: it's a slow week in the MMA world. Maybe
it's also a much-needed break after Zuffa's breakneck pace of
the last several weeks.
But
as long as there's a lull in the action, we might as well take
the opportunity to calm down, sip some soothing chamomile tea,
and discuss the changing landscape around us like civilized human
beings. That's what Mike Chiappetta and I did recently. Everything
except for the chamomile. That stuff turns out to be pretty gross.
1.
If you're Bellator, do you rush to sign Nate Marquardt (assuming
Strikeforce toes the Zuffa line and steers clear of him), or
is he still damaged goods at the moment?
Chiappetta:
Rushing would probably be a bit overeager. Right now, Marquardt
is like the newly single hot girl at the junior high school dance.
All the boys are checking her out, waiting for just the right
moment to pounce, but not knowing quite when to proceed. If I'm
going to take this disturbing analogy even further, the girl
really wants to be back with her jerk boyfriend (UFC) even though
he's moved on, but being surrounded by girlfriends (management
team) is giving her some strength from rushing into anything
else. OK, at this point referring to Nate as a girl has gotten
really weird. That's my cue to turn it over to Ben.
But
before I do, I will say that I don't think Bellator should rush
in because Marquardt's going to take his time and see what's
out there. Marquardt's preference is probably to stay in the
Zuffa family, so he may give Strikeforce a chance to make an
offer before heading on the open market. At that point, Bellator
may be a great option for him, particularly if they do move on
to Spike in 2012 as our MMA Fighting sources have repeatedly
suggested.
Fowlkes:
Absolutely Bellator should rush in. To stick with your increasingly
troubling analogy, Mike, it's the best chance for them to date
out of their league, if only for a short time. Never underestimate
the power of the rebound, especially when your ex is out there
spreading negative information about you. Marquardt's vulnerable
right now, and Bellator could use him. Slick down that cowlick,
throw on some cologne from the bathroom vending machine, get
over there and throw out your best opening line, Bellator!
But
maybe the better question is, should Marquardt entertain these
advances? To that one, I have to say no. There's just no upside
to it right now. He still doesn't know how things will shake
out in the long run, and Bellator doesn't have enough good welterweights
(or middleweights) for him to fight. The thing to do now is wait
and let the emotional scars heal. Go see a movie with your friends,
then shop for fake diamond earrings at Claire's in the mall,
maybe see if there's a special on Justin Bieber posters -- that
is, if you have time before your mom comes to pick you, driving
right up to the door and honking the horn repeatedly just to
embarrass you.
Okay,
I apologize. This analogy, while creepy, is really tough to resist.
2.
If you're the UFC, what do you do with Tito Ortiz now? Is the
doomsday clock on his career reset completely, or could/should
he still be only one or two losses away from being cut?
Fowlkes:
It's easy to get swept up in the drama of seeing a fighter forcibly
remove his own head from the chopping block. It's the Pocahontas
story in a cage, only with a little bit more peroxide and sponsor
logos all over everyone's clothes. But one submission victory
does not a career revival make, so the pressure is still on Ortiz
to show that he still belongs here.
The
trouble is, who do you match him up against? He's said he wouldn't
mind fighting the winner of "Shogun" Rua and Forrest
Griffin, but if Griffin wins, do we really want to see Ortiz-Griffin
III? At the same time, with the money the UFC is paying him,
it hardly makes sense to give him any fight that's not a major
draw against a top opponent. I mean, no offense to "The
Janitor," but you can't fight guys like Vladimir Matyushenko
(another 205-pounder Ortiz has already done battle with) if you're
making a cool half-million.
I
think Ortiz is going to be fighting for survival at the top of
the food chain, and I'm not completely convinced that he can
make it there for long. One more loss, and his abnormally large
head could be right back on that chopping block.
Chiappetta:
Ortiz is in a tricky position. He's kind of like the high-paid
DH in baseball that still knocks one out of the park once in
a while but can't always catch up to high heat. Do you keep spending
money on an expensive veteran because he's good for the team,
or keep him on a short leash, ready to move a younger model into
his slot at the next sign of struggle?
There
is no question his physical gifts have been eroded by time and
injury, but clearly he's still capable of a surprise every now
and then. I think his win over Ryan Bader earned him at least
two more fights in the octagon. For the first one, how about
he takes on the winner of the upcoming Rich Franklin vs. Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira bout in August? Unless the winner comes out
with an injury that sends him to the sidelines, Ortiz wouldn't
have to wait long to get back in the cage, and he'd be fighting
a name that people have respect for. A win over either one of
those guys means something.
Other
potential possibilities? Brandon Vera or Stephan Bonnar are both
unattached to bouts right now. As Ben mentioned, because of Ortiz's
contract, he's got to fight a name. If he wins, then he'll have
no choice but to move into fights with younger, more dangerous
fighters.
3.
Which fight are you most looking forward to in July?
Chiappetta:
I'll say this: Other promotions certainly have the spotlight
to themselves the rest of this month. Some may feel like the
schedule's empty, but there are upcoming events from M-1, DREAM,
Bellator and two from Strikeforce. My copout pick is Dan Henderson
vs. Fedor Emelianenko, especially since I demanded it back in
a March column.
Also
worth noting though is that DREAM is back with its first true
major event since the tragic natural disasters in Japan (they
did host a charity event in May). In 2009, Marius Zaromskis and
Mach Sakurai had one of the most fun 4-minute stretches of the
year, and even though they've both fallen on some hard times
since, they're rematching on July 16. It will be nice to see
major MMA back in Japan, and this is the type of bout that should
help soothe some distressed minds, at least for a little while.
Fowlkes:
Wow. That is the copout answer to end all copout answers. The
unstated premise of the question is, 'Hey, there are very few
major fights this month, but which non-major one seems the most
interesting to you?' And then you're going to swoop in and pick
Fedor-Hendo, which just barely squeaks under the wire and into
July?
But
okay, you did call for that one a while back, so I'll let it
slide. As for me, I tried to talk myself into picking a fight
off the Bellator Summer Series or the next Dream event (anytime
Todd Duffee's involved, things do tend to get interesting), but
I can't do it. Obviously, the July 30 Strikeforce event is the
biggest deal left in July.
But
instead of copping all the way out, as you did, I'm going to
go with Marloes Coenen-Miesha Tate as my can't-miss fight of
the month. With the landscape for women's MMA as uncertain as
ever following the Zuffa purchase of Strikeforce, I'm betting
that these two women will feel the need to put on a show and
get Dana White's attention with the 135-pound Strikeforce title
bout. That kind of desperation, when tinged with the recklessness
that comes with not knowing whether you'll have a job in six
months, almost always results in something memorable.
And
if that one doesn't deliver, there's always Tim Kennedy and Robbie
Lawler.
4.
Carlos Condit seems to have done enough to deserve a title shot,
but he's got a long wait ahead of him before GSP and Nick Diaz
settle their score. Should he tempt fate by taking another fight,
or tempt the UFC's ire by sitting out and waiting his turn?
Fowlkes:
For starters, let's just admit that there is no right answer
to this question. If you take a fight in the meantime and lose
your contender status with a defeat (or suffer an injury that
sidelines you for too long), you look like an idiot who rolled
the dice one too many times. If you try and wait it out, you
end up going months without a paycheck while fans and pundits
question whether you're being overly cautious. There are so many
ways to lose in this situation, and so few ways to win.
But
for Condit, I think this is a relatively simple math problem.
GSP and Diaz won't fight until late October, which is a little
less than four months from now. And since GSP likes a good chunk
of time between title fights -- and since Diaz likes to complain
endlessly whenever he's asked to fight more often than once every
four months -- regardless of who wins Condit is looking at probably
8-10 months between fights.
For
a 27 year-old fighter still trying to make his money and his
name in this sport, that's too long. If the UFC can find him
a suitable opponent while he waits for the dust to clear, Condit
has to take it. And if he can't beat whoever the UFC puts in
front of him during that time, then maybe he wasn't ready for
either GSP or Diaz after all. Best to find that out before you
get the title shot, since it's a lot tougher to get a second
one of those.
Chiappetta:
Over the years, I've changed my position on situations like this.
I used to be of the belief that if you had a promised title shot,
you should wait for it. After all, that opportunity may not come
back around if you squander it. I changed my mind for one simple
reason: if you believe you're the best, you should be willing
to fight for it if you're healthy and able.
As
Ben pointed out, Condit is going to have a long wait to fight
GSP or Diaz. And let's also remember that Condit just came off
a nearly nine-month spread between fights, recovering from a
knee injury to knock out Dong Hyun Kim. If Condit were to sit
on the sidelines and wait for his title match, he may not fight
the GSP-Diaz winner until around February 2012 or so. That would
mean in the prime of his career (he's 27), Condit would only
have fought once in a 16-month stretch. That's never a good idea.
Because
Condit came out of his match healthy, you can add him right into
the same UFC 137 event that is hosting GSP-Diaz, adding some
intrigue to the night's proceedings. How about this for a co-main
event: Condit vs. BJ Penn. You think that wouldn't be exciting?
There are tertiary benefits to that idea, too. First, a win over
Penn helps Condit gain even more name recognition, helping to
build up his eventual title match. Second, just in case St-Pierre
or Diaz gets hurt in training, Condit can be moved into the main
event.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Fistic
Medicine: Marquardt and Testosterone
by Matt
Pitt
Another
elite mixed martial artist has fallen to the Catch-22 of steroid
use.
The
allure of male androgens for fighters is as undeniable as it
is understandable. Athletes can benefit from the additional strength
to be gained from supplementing their natural testosterone levels
with exogenous steroids. Fighters benefit particularly from increased
lean muscle mass, increased endurance, more rapid healing and,
crucially, aggression. Testosterone is the mother’s milk
of combat.
Anti-doping
boards are not unaware of the appeal of illicit steroid use.
Their diligence and increasing sophistication at detecting synthetic
steroids has driven athletes who wish to use steroids in two
directions: either towards undetectable designer steroids or
into the arms of laboratory-engineered testosterone. The benefits
for an athlete who chooses pharmaceutical-grade testosterone
are numerous, not least of which is the ability to trade the
skullduggery of the illicit drug market for the civility of a
doctor’s office and prescription pad.
Both
Chael Sonnen and Nate Marquardt freely admit they took this path,
supplementing their natural testosterone with pills and injections.
However, they both claim that their steroid use is legitimate
because they suffer from male hypogonadism -- the sole disease
for which testosterone replacement therapy is a well-established
therapy. And, in fact, they both almost certainly do.
Hypogonadism
is a condition in which the gonads -- ovaries in females and
testes in males -- fail to produce adequate amounts of sex hormones.
Clinically, hypogonadism is separated into prepubertal and late
onset. Pre-pubertal hypogonadism in males can be easily missed.
In the absence of informed and attentive parents and pediatricians,
these boys and young men fall behind their peers in growth, muscular
development, hair growth and all of the secondary sexual characteristics
associated with the transition from boyhood to manhood. It is
devastating.
Both
Marquardt and Sonnen claim to suffer the symptoms of late onset
gonadal failure: lethargy, fatigue, decreased sense of well-being,
reduced physical and mental activity, diminished libido, increased
sweating and depressive mood. They both report blood tests showing
sub-physiologic levels of testosterone. To date, neither fighter
has a clear diagnosis for the cause of their hypogonadism, and
this is the crux of the matter. While there are many causes for
hypogonadism, statistically -- in light of the fact that both
men are elite athletes in the prime of life, and that one of
them has already failed an athletic commission steroid test --
one must consider the possibility that their hypogonadism may
be caused by previous steroid use.
Sonnen
will likely return in October.
All
state athletic commissions allow testosterone replacement therapy
for hypogonadism. They require only that the fighter obtain permission
well in advance of competition and stay within certain dosing
parameters. Marquardt and Sonnen appear to have forgone those
requirements.
Marquardt
stated that he first realized there might be a problem with his
testosterone regimen when the New Jersey State Athletic Control
Board notified him of an “incompletion” in his TRT
therapeutic exemption documentation. The nature of the deficiency
is unclear, but the fact that the NJSACB required Marquardt to
go off treatment for six weeks and submit new endocrine tests
could suggest that some fundamental data regarding baseline hormone
levels was absent.
Once
Marquardt went off of the synthetic testosterone, he encountered
a scenario that would be hard for any man: wrestling the emotional
and physical strain of suddenly being testosterone-free. For
a combat fighter training for his next fight, it would be devastating.
According
to his interview with Ariel Helwani on “The MMA Hour,”
at the end of that six-week period, Marquardt’s hormone
levels were such that he was deemed to be hypogonadal and a candidate
for TRT. The problem he then faced was that athletic commissions
monitor a T/E ratio to limit how much testosterone can be taken,
even for fighters who have received clearance to use synthetic
hormones.
When
the gonads produce testosterone, they also produce epitestosterone
-- a chemical in all respects identical to testosterone but for
a “cis”-hydroxyl group in place of testosterone’s
“trans”-hydroxyl. In both men and women, the ratio
of these two chemicals -- vital testosterone and biological waste
epitestosterone -- produced by the body and excreted in the urine
is 1:1. Taking synthetic testosterone increases that T/E ratio.
A
man whose testicular function is so diminished that he meets
criteria for TRT would also be faced with the difficulty of not
producing sufficient natural epitestosterone. For most men, this
would be of no importance -- epitestosterone plays no role on
male physiology -- but for a fighter, it would mean that he could
take only very small sub-physiologic doses of synthetic testosterone
without going over the accepted 6:1 T/E threshold.
This
is the Catch-22 of steroid use. Once a person has started taking
exogenous steroids, whether for legitimate reasons or not, it
is nearly impossible to stop.
It
is possible to coax testes that have been shut off by steroid
use back to life. The process is time consuming and expensive,
and it would never have returned Marquardt’s testosterone
to functional levels in time for his fight.
The
alternative Marquardt and his physician opted for was an injection
of testosterone, gambling that the testosterone would help him
train for the fight and drop to acceptable levels by fight day.
They were close; according to his agent, Marquardt’s levels
were within the acceptable range only 24 hours after weigh-ins.
Perhaps the weight cutting disturbed his metabolism. Or perhaps
his physician was unfamiliar with the nature of synthetic testosterone
clearance.
The
future is uncertain for Marquardt and Sonnen, but their present
is grim. Stripped of their careers, they have fallen by the wayside
of a sport rapidly ascending. Hopefully, their bodies and careers
will heal in time.
Matt
Pitt is a physician with degrees in biophysics and medicine.
He is board-certified in emergency medicine and has post-graduate
training in head injuries and multi-system trauma.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Charles
Oliveira Replaces Paul Taylor, Faces Donald ‘Cowboy’
Cerrone at UFC on Versus 5
by Damon
Martin
A change has been made to the upcoming UFC on Versus 5 fight
card. Charles Oliveira has replaced Paul Taylor and will face
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in Milwaukee.
Sources close to the match-up confirmed the bout to MMAWeekly.com
on Wednesday.
Oliveira steps in just two weeks after his fight with Nik Lentz
in Pittsburgh at UFC on Versus 4. The Brazilian was winning the
fight, but landed an illegal knee that eventually led to a night
ending rear naked choke.
Unfortunately, the referee never called the illegal knee and
the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission overturned the fight
and declared it a no contest.
Now Oliveira will get a chance to step in and face another ultra
dangerous opponent when he faces former WEC title contender Donald
“Cowboy” Cerrone.
Cerrone himself was a replacement after John Makdessi fell out
due to injury and now he gets an entirely new fight for the card
in Milwaukee.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Griffin
Overweight, but Expects to be Ready for Rua in Rio
by Marcelo
Alonso
Not long after his stunning win over Ryan Bader at UFC 132, Tito
Ortiz expressed interest in a rubber match with old rival and
fellow ex-light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin. However, the
“Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 winner has no time for
the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” at present, as Griffin
is fully focused on his impending rematch with Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro.
Griffin’s
recent visit to Brazil was short, but marked by a string of hilarious
quotes, including advice for Yushin Okami to do the exact opposite
of what Griffin did when the Japanese fighter challenges Anderson
Silva for the UFC middleweight title on the Aug. 27 card.
Along
with his dry wit, another feature of Griffin’s stuck out
during his trip: his clearly overweight silhouette, something
that has been bothering the fighter of late.
“I
definitely put on more weight than I would like,” Griffin
told Sherdog.com. “I need to cut weight and it won’t
be easy. I’ll have a lot of problems until the fight in
Brazil, but I’ve gotta do it. I don’t want to fight
at heavyweight, so I gotta cut that f--king weight.”
Griffin’s
worry over the weight-cut and potential reduction in stamina
is explained by his strategy to wear Rua down over the course
of their three-round fight.
“He’s
one of the best fighters ever,” Griffin said of his opponent,
who he submitted in September 2007. “He has a blitz style.
He goes forward. He’s dangerous. I gotta make him move backward
and let’s see what happens. I want to go hard for all 15
minutes of the fight.”
Accustomed
to competing before American crowds, the 32-year-old Griffin
believes he will have to overcome a number of other issues in
Brazil before he can beat Shogun once again.
“It’s
difficult to adjust yourself [to another country],” said
Griffin. “There’s the jetlag thing, and it’s difficult
to make weight since Brazil doesn’t have the distilled water
I use in the U.S. and the food I need to eat. It’s always
difficult to change your routine when you go to another country.
I feel stupid because I can’t communicate with people from
the hotels and can’t even say how I want my eggs. It’s
clearly a pain in the ass.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Cris
Cyborg: “Now I respect the Jiu-Jitsu gang more”
Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
She
had her last MMA outing in June 2010. Who’d have known the
down time from the cage would prompt Cristiane “Cyborg”
dos Santos to stick her neck out in another playing field? Her
experience at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, where she secured
a gold medal as a purple belt, didn’t serve only as wind
in the sails of a new stage in her career, it brought her new
prospects.
Interviewed by GRACIEMAG.com, Cris commented on her experience
in the gi, her hopes for the future – in our out of Strikeforce
–, and made a promise: “I’m going to keep putting
on a show.”
Check out what she had to say:
What was the process that led to your competing at the Jiu-Jitsu
World Championship like? Why did you decide to do it?
I took some time off from Thai boxing for awhile and spent a
month just training with (André) Galvão. He said
to me, “Shoot, why don’t you compete at the Worlds?”
I told him I didn’t know how to do Jiu-Jitsu properly, that
I only did No-Gi. But he insisted, said I had to participate,
and I agreed. I immersed myself in Jiu-Jitsu, trained in the
mornings and afternoons. I started training hard and put it in
my head that I had to do well at the event. I didn’t need
to win, just have good matches. I put to practice some of the
things I already knew how to do, the weapons I already had, like
takedowns; and thank God it all turned out alright.
What was it like dedicating yourself to Gi Jiu-Jitsu? Did you
learn anything that could also be useful in MMA?
I learned a lot of things, and it’s really tiring. I started
respecting the Jiu-Jitsu gang a lot more because it’s rough
training in the gi every day. I spend most of my time training
No-Gi and mixing it up with Thai boxing and MMA. But this time
I was immersed solely in Jiu-Jitsu; it was cool. I learned a
lot, which just makes you evolve. It motivated me, was really
great for me. Now I want to participate in more and more competitions.
I’ve gone without an MMA fight for some time now and competing
in other sports just gets me to evolve more. I love Thai boxing,
but I started liking Jiu-Jitsu a lot too. I want to become better
and better at it. It’s always an experience and everything
I learn will allow me to show more things in MMA.
You were in the last ADCC – were you invited to the next
one?Are paying Jiu-Jitsu tournaments an option now that you’re
having trouble getting MMA fights?
I might have an MMA fight coming up September in Singapore. That’s
still my priority, but I want to compete whenever I find time
for a competition. If I don’t get this fight in September
then I really want to compete at the ADCC.
So what’s your situation with Strikeforce now? You’re
the champion but admit that you’ve been negotiating with
other promotions. Will or won’t you be returning to Strikeforce?
I was trying to get my contract renewed but I think this whole
story about Strikeforce being bought out threw a wrench in things
and we didn’t reach an agreement. There was a clause saying
that if I held the belt I wouldn’t be able to fight anywhere
else for a year, even if the contract were over. It’s been
a year now. I want to continue fighting at Strikeforce; I feel
I’ve done a lot for the event, and we’re seeing what
can be done. They didn’t fire me, the contract just expired;
it’s sad. I’m still trying to come to terms with Strikeforce.
I really want to continue, but if it doesn’t work out I’ll
just keep training and fight wherever else something comes up.
I’ll try and grow within another event, the event could
also grow with me; I’m going to keep beating to the same
drum.
Is there anything else you’d like to say about that?
When the UFC bought up Strikeforce what motivated me was the
thought of having another two years there to show Dana White
that there’s a place in his event for women. I’m going
to forge ahead in the same battle, looking for knockouts and
a place in the sport for women. It could happen that I don’t
manage to get into a big event like the UFC, but I’m going
to try and open doors for the up-and-coming girls. I want to
thank my fans and the gang on Twitter who follow me and send
me inspirational messages and even those who are hard on me too.
I’m going to keep on training and won’t stop fighting.
I love what I do and I’ll keep putting on a show wherever
I may be.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Dana
White’s anger at Nate Marquardt is over incompetence, not
TRT usage
By Zach
Arnold
RON KRUCK:“The big news this week, of course, was Nate Marquardt
breaking his silence and admitting that Testosterone Replacement
Therapy, TRT, was the reason that he was suspended by the Pennsylvania
Athletic Commission. Now that you’ve heard his, his, um,
admittance of that, Dana, what is your reaction?”
DANA WHITE:“This is a tough one and it’s a tough one
for me because the laws in the state of Pennsylvania are you
can’t talk about a guy’s medicals and, you know me,
you know, I talk about everything, I let it all out there and
it is what it is. So, that’s why last week when this was
going onI basically what I said is he needs to man up and tell
everybody what’s going on and I think the testosterone therapy
thing, it’s real, people do do it, what it is is after guys,
when you get in your 40s and 50s, men’s testosterone starts
to go down so they bump it back up to the levels that they used
to be and there’s guy now that are younger doing it for
whatever their reasons are and, you know, it gets to the point
where… how much are you taking? You know, you’re supposed
to take this amount to get to the right levels. Guys are taking
too much and, as far as I’m concerned, that’s performance-enhancing.
Now you’re cheating.”
RON KRUCK:“This isn’t the first time that we’ve
heard about TRT involved with a Mixed Martial Artist. Is it a
problem within the sport right now?”
DANA WHITE:“Well, it hasn’t been a problem until the
main event, you know, got canceled the other day. But, yeah,
I could see where this could start to be a problem and that’s
why I want to let all these guys know, this won’t be tolerated.
This will not be tolerated and, it’s uh, if you’re
going in and you’re going to a reputable doctor and the
doctor is watching your levels and making sure you’re taking
the right amount, this thing should be a piece of cake. But when
you come in and fail your medicals because of testosterone therapy
or treatment or whatever the hell you want to call it? That’s
a problem, you know, and it’s not going to be tolerated
here.”
RON KRUCK:“Is it one of those things where you believe that
the athletic commissions need to come up with a universal standard,
at this point, that TRT is either a accepted process or not?”
DANA WHITE:“No, I think they have, it has nothing to do
with the athletic commission. I think the athletic commissions
have come out and said, yeah, we do do this, but you don’t
come in over the levels that you’re supposed to be! There’s
nothing wrong with somebody doing this testosterone therapy unless
you go too high and the commission doesn’t care. If you
come in and you’re over the level, you don’t fight,
you’re done. You know? And you won’t fight again until
your levels come back at a normal range. So, it has nothing to
do with the commission, it’s 100% on the fighter and their
doctors.”
RON KRUCK:“So, what should Nate Marquardt have done differently,
in your opinion?”
DANA WHITE:“Well, Nate Marquardt knew that he had to test
and he had to be at a normal level and he failed his medicals,
you know? That’s 100% Nate Marquardt and you can sit there
and you can say, you know, ‘I didn’t know.’ We’ve
heard that before, we’ve heard that from athletes before
saying, ‘I didn’t know, I’m not a doctor, I’m
not this, that.’ So you’re not going to get involved
in your own business, you, yourself, your physical well-being
and what’s going on with you that you can come in and, uh…
pass your medicals, basically, you know, you’re going to
leave that in the hands of somebody else and you’re not
going to know everything about it and be on top of it? I don’t
buy that. I don’t buy it.”
RON KRUCK:“Now that Nate has come out and said TRT was the
reason he was suspended, is there a chance that you might invite
him back into the UFC or is he finished?”
DANA WHITE:“No, he’s finished. As far as I’m concerned,
you know… He tested positive for steroids the first time
when he first got busted. I was there for him, I supported him.
So, listen, we make mistakes, you need to get out there, he did
all the right things. Then he comes back and pops high, New Jersey
puts him on suspension, and then he comes back and doesn’t
pass his medicals in Pennsylvania. I mean, you tell me, I mean
I know there’s people out there saying that I’m being
harsh. Do you think this guy deserves another chance?
“How about Rick Story? Rick Story, a kid who beat Thiago
Alves, right? This young, up-and-coming kid Rick Story, beats
Thiago Alves, takes a back-to-back fight, jumps right back into
the gym, doesn’t take any time off, to fight Nate Marquardt
because that’s a big name and that’s somebody he can
beat, right? So, Nate Marquardt does this to him, too, and does
this the day of the weigh-ins. Now Rick Story’s head’s
all messed up, he’s not fighting Nate Marquardt now, the
opponent’s been pulled out, he’s got to re-do all of
his interviews and shoot the show open again and all this other
stuff the day of the weigh-ins? I find it VERY, very hard to
feel that much sorrow for Nate Marquardt.”
Later on, Ron Kruck asks the following…
RON KRUCK:“Chael Sonnen, his suspension in California came
to an end. Your thoughts on that?”
DANA WHITE:“Should have been ended a month ago, they’re
a month late but better late than never. You know, we’ll
get him in there and get him fighting.
“And I actually got one for you and this is something nobody
asked me this today, but people are saying, ‘Well, what’s
the difference between Chael Sonnen and Nate Marquardt, that
he’s going to do this to Nate Marquardt…’ Chael
Sonnen got busted, paid his due, paid his fines, went through
all this other stuff, and… then came back and applied for
his license and now has a license. Nate Marquardt did that once
and then came back and then got popped again over in New Jersey
and had to come back at in the regular levels before he could
fight in Pennsylvania and then failed his medicals in Pennsylvania.
That’s the difference between Chael Sonnen and Nate Marquardt.”
RON KRUCK:“Great point. When should we expect Sonnen to
be back?”
DANA WHITE:“Any time, now, I mean as we soon as we can make
a fight for him, we’ll bring him back.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
The
Unsolicited Advisor: Three Ways to Tell if You Need an Immediate
Rematch
By Ben Fowlkes
The
sweat hadn't even dried on the canvas after last Saturday night's
UFC 132 main event bout between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber,
and already people were throwing around the R-word.
Rematch.
More
accurately, it was really the IR-words -- immediate rematch --
since very few people were arguing that Cruz and Faber should
meet again after an interval of several years.
The
weird thing is, they had just spent a furious 25 minutes together
in the cage, trying to determine who was the better man, so you'd
think that would have been enough. But hey, it was a close fight.
Cruz won the decision in a fight that was, admittedly, difficult
to score, but the mere fact that Faber stayed in it so competitively
seemed to be enough to make some people immediately cry out for
round six.
I
can understand the sentiment. Really, I do. I've understood it
ever since Don Frye stood in the middle of a bloody Pride ring
in Japan, his eyes swollen shut from Gilbert Yvel's blatant attempts
to remove his corneas with his thumbs, and uttered in that gravel
road voice of his, "Gilbert, we can do it again, brother."
Sadly,
they never did do it again, even though it was exactly the kind
of scenario that all but begs for an immediate rematch. And there
are plenty of those scenarios in MMA, occurring annually in organizations
both big and small. It just so happens that the most recent Cruz-Faber
fight was not such a scenario, and that's because it didn't meet
any of what I like to call the Immediate Rematch Criteria (IRC,
if you're nasty).
And
what are the IRC? I'm so glad you asked:
1.
The Bout Ends Under Controversial Circumstances
This
applies to the aforementioned Frye-Yvel debacle, where Yvel was
eventually disqualified after seven minutes of breaking every
rule he could think of. It's also applicable to the recent Nik
Lentz-Charles Oliveira fight, where an obviously illegal knee
clearly influenced the outcome. Basically, if something happens
in the fight that we can later argue should not have happened
-- or at least should not have been allowed -- you have yourself
a good candidate for a rematch.
Early
stoppage? Questionable application of the rules (or, in the case
of Lentz-Oliveira, no application at all)? Fan Man parachutes
in during the middle of a round and disrupts everything? No problem.
Rematch away. You deserve that much, at least.
2.
Nothing Gets Resolved
The
best recent example of this is the UFC lightweight title fight
between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. They also got 25 minutes
to assert their dominance over one another, but in the end the
judges ruled it a draw. There's only one thing to do there, and
it's do it again, brother. Ideally in a timely fashion, but whatever.
This
criteria also covers instances like the one we saw recently in
the JZ Cavalcante-Justin Wilcox bout in Strikeforce. That one
ended in a no contest after Cavalcante accidentally (as in, the
opposite of what Yvel did) poked Wilcox in the eye early in the
second round. They never got the chance to finish the fight,
so it makes sense to give them another shot at it once they can
both see well enough to distinguish shapes and color.
3.
It Was Just So Fun/Weird/Unbelievable, We've Got to See It Again
This
is the trickiest of all the criteria, but also the most commonly
used one. For instance, after Chael Sonnen surprised everyone
by beating up Anderson Silva for five rounds, only to get submitted
in the final minutes of the fight, it seemed so bizarre and yet
so thrilling that fans genuinely wanted to see it again. It's
like if Ke$ha threw out the first pitch at a baseball game, and
zinged a perfect 90 mph cut fastball right over the plate. Normally
we only allow one first pitch, no matter what happens, but in
that case even Mariano Rivera would want to come in from the
bullpen to see if she could do it again.
The
problem with giving in to this criteria is that you're just asking
to be disappointed. As with Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar,
the second time around is rarely as good as the first. And, as
with Cung Le and Scott Smith, the second fight usually results
in the guy who pulled off the improbable win in the first fight
getting the brutal beating he initially avoided.
In
other words, it would be like if Ke$ha's second first pitch attempt
went straight into the ground, Mariah Carey-style, and we all
had to go on with our lives despite having all sense of wonder
and mystery torn from them forever. It's kind of a bummer, is
what I'm getting at.
With
Cruz and Faber, yes, their second meeting was a memorable one.
It was also a very close fight, and an absolutely exhausting
one to watch. But the fight went down as scheduled, with nothing
weird happening and nothing stopping us from feeling like this
chapter could be closed. If they did it again (brother), it seems
totally likely that it would just result in five more very close,
very exciting rounds.
And
that's great. Really. But at a certain point, we all have to
move on with our lives. Even Ke$ha.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
JZ
Cavalcante Returns Against Lyle Beerbohm at Strikeforce: Fedor
vs. Henderson
It’s matchmaking day at the UFC and Strikeforce.
The latest announcement is a lightweight match-up between Gesias
‘JZ’ Cavalcante and Lyle Beerbohm who meet on the July
30 Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson card.
Strikeforce officials announced the new bout on Wednesday.
Cavalcante (15-4-1) has run into bad luck like nobody’s
business since coming razor close to being the No. 1 lightweight
in the world just a few years back.
Injuries plagued the Brazilian for a while then after getting
signed by Strikeforce he came up short in his fight against former
champion Josh Thomson last October. Most scored Cavalcante winning
the fight, but the judges went the other way, giving Thomson
the win.
Returning in June, Cavalcante faced Justin Wilcox in a pivotal
lightweight match-up, but an accidental eye poke forced the fight
to be stopped.
Now he hopes to return and erase all of the bad memories from
his past few fights and start fresh with his fight against Lyle
Beerbohm.
Beerbohm (15-2) started out his career with fifteen straight
victories, but has since lost his last two fights in a row.
The Washington fighter came up short by decision to Pat Healy
and then suffered a submission loss to jiu-jitsu ace and top
five ranked lightweight Shinya Aoki.
Beerbohm will hope to bounce back and escape losing three in
a row when he faces Cavalcante later this month.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Another
Brazilian in Sonnen’s crosshairs
Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Behind
the scenes last Saturday at UFC 132 in Las Vegas Chael Sonnen
expressed interest in facing Lyoto Machida. After testing positive
for banned substances and his subsequent suspension following
his August 2010 fight with Anderson Silva, Sonnen is now clear
to fight again.
According to England-based magazine Fighters Only, the bout between
Machida and Sonnen has been verbally agreed to and is planned
for UFC 136, to take place October 8 in Houston. Chael will be
fighting at light heavyweight, one up from his usual middleweight
division.
On
a side not, Sonnen taking on Brazilian fighters is nothing new,
nor are his verbal tirades against them. Of his five appearances
against Brazilians, the wrestler was tapped out in four, winning
one by decision, as detailed in the breakdown below:
Who
takes the W in the fight with Lyoto?
Sonnen
vs. Brazilians:
Renato
Babalu won via triangle at UFC 55
Paulo Filho won via armbar at WEC 31
Defeated Paulo Filho via unanimous decision at WEC 36
Demian Maia won via triangle at UFC 95
Anderson Silva won via armbar from triangle at UFC 117
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Confident
on the ground game, Tavares ready to go toe-to-toe with Fisher
By Eduardo
Ferreira
The
lightweight figher Thiago Tavares is set to fight in UFC Rio,
and, if it depends on his, the fans at HSBC Arena on August 27th
can expect a great show against Spencer Fisher. “I believe
my Jiu-Jitsu, I know my skills. If I have him with his back against
the floor, I’ll push it… Now, while striking I must
be careful because he’s a lefty, a dangerous striker”,
said Thiago, who’s coming from a defeat by knockout to Shane
Roller, after dominating most of the actions. “I’m
trying to evolve my strike, I’m evolving, but sometimes
you just lose, like it can happen to any great fighter”.
Check below the exclusive chat with the tough guy, who also analyzed
his weight division, talked about the critics made towards Jiu-Jitsu
athletes who start fighting MMA and complimented the new Pretorian
store, in Sao Paulo.
You’ll
be fighting in UFC Rio. How is your prep going?
I’m
here in Florianopolis training hard. I’ll well supported,
glad, and I have as my training partners names like Ricardo Tirloni,
Ivan Batman, Nazareno Malagarie, who’s in Bellator now.
I’ve always said they’d do it… The trainings are
good, and I guess you’ll see a Thiago that you’ve never
seen before in UFC Rio.
Are
you already setting your game plan for the bout?
He’s
a lefty. So, when you know you’ll be fighting a lefty, you
have to work on your strategy because it completely changes your
game, mostly while striking. On the floor, we know how to handle
it, I believe my Jiu-Jitsu, I know my skills. If I have him with
his back against the floor, I’ll push it… Now, while
striking I must be careful because he’s a lefty, a dangerous
striker. I’m working on it. It’s perfect, and it’ll
be even better.
You’re
a Jiu-Jitsu guy, have a great ground game, but enjoy striking,
and had good and bad moments doing it…. What Thiago will
we see up there this time?
What
people don’t usually get is that if I could have the fight
started with him in my guard, I’d accept that. The fight
doesn’t start with both fighters on the floor. I’m
obligated to strike with him in order to try to take him down.
If it depended on me, the fight would start with him inside my
guard, on top of me and I having my back against the floor. I
have no problems with that, I’d be fighting Jiu-Jitsu. The
thing is that it starts with the strike. I’m trying to evolve
my strike, you can be sure that, if it was up to me, I’d
start it on the floor, you can bet I would, on the guard, with
the guy hitting me, because there is where I know what I’m
capable of.
How
do you see your weight division currently?
It’s
too busy, there’re many great fighter. You have to know
how to move in there, do good fights and taking larger steps.
I’m trying to show my skills, showing what I’m capable
of doing, and you’ll see Thiago Tavares returning and winning
now. I had three good results, but unfortunately I lost that
last bout, but you can be sure I’ll be a better fighter
than I was back then, as I’ve always been. Despite the loss,
I was dominating all actions. I got punched and lost, but I was
dominating the fight and I’ll be even better than that next
time, and I wouldn’t change a thing. It all happens. I was
focused, confident, dominating the fight, but unfortunately it
happens. God will look after me in UFC Rio and he’ll come
as say: ‘go son, Thiago, it’s your time to win’.
Source:
Tatame
|
Dos
Anjos: I Need 2 or 3 Years to be a Top 5 Lightweight
by Marcelo
Alonso
Rafael
dos Anjos rejoined the ranks of the UFC’s top lightweights
at UFC 132 with a 59-second clubbing of George Sotiropoulos,
and the Brazilian credited his first knockout win to skills honed
far from home.
After
undergoing surgery to repair a broken jaw sustained in an August
2010 loss to Clay Guida, dos Anjos traveled to Singapore, where
he spent time developing his striking technique at Evolve MMA.
“I
underwent surgery in August, then recovered in Brazil and moved
to Singapore in October,” dos Anjos explained to Sherdog.com
after his July 2 win. “There, I worked hard to fix some
holes in my standup game and focused only on my muay Thai and
boxing. When I returned to Brazil, I kept working with my boxing
coach, Cesario Figueiredo, and it showed in the power of my punches.”
A
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Aldo “Caveirinha”
de Olivera, dos Anjos surprised fellow ground specialist Sotiropoulos
with his striking, but confessed that it wasn’t in his game
plan to score such a fast finish.
“I
didn’t expect to win that quickly,” dos Anjos admitted,
“but, as I said, I work on every martial art. I entered
the fight as I always do, feeling out my opponent, since my strategy
was to trade on the feet if I had the advantage. If it was a
case of him punching me, I would have tried to take him down
and pull guard. However, thank God, I knocked him out.”
Dos
Anjos had a rough start to his UFC career with back-to-back losses,
but had been on a three-fight win streak before running into
Guida. Even after his shining performance at UFC 132, the Roberto
“Gordo” Correa student doesn’t think he is ready
to enter the lightweight division’s top five this year.
“It’s
the most difficult division in MMA. I’m just getting back
from a tough time and I need to get my fight rhythm,” said
dos Anjos. “I’m doing my work, and I believe I’ll
fight again this year. For me, I need about two or three more
years to enter the top five.
“I’m
only 26 years old. You can see how different I was when I joined
the UFC, and how I’ve developed my game. I believe, in a
couple of years, I’ll be in top condition, stronger and
even more developed. Most of the champions are 29, 30 years old,
or even older, like Anderson Silva. Only phenoms like Jose Aldo
and Jon Jones are young champs.”
And
who does dos Anjos see as the top five UFC lightweights at current?
“Man,
that’s a question that I need to sit down, think hard and
write down on paper so I don’t forget anyone. For now, I
can say Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard are at the top, followed
by a bunch of guys seeking the belt, like Clay Guida, Melvin
Guillard and Dennis Siver. But I’m sure there are a lot
of good guys to list.”
Source
Sherdog
|
Dr.
Margaret Goodman: If the UFC & fighters don’t clean
up their sport, the US Government will step in
By Zach Arnold
When horse racing — yes, horse racing — is held up
as an example of a sport that recently has made better changes
for drug testing than your industry, that’s saying quite
a lot.
A
horse is a horse, of course, unless they’re an MMA fighter
taking horse drugs like boldenone and clenbuterol. Great for
your heart, I hear.
Dr.
Margaret Goodman appeared on Eddie Goldman’s radio show
last Friday with some interesting remarks about the landscape
of MMA’s drug culture and where things might be heading
in regards to potential Federal or independent oversight of regulation.
The
subject of Nate Marquradt and TRT came up. As you might expect,
TRT is now an increasingly popular loophole for fighters to exploit
for double-doping: take steroids, damage the endocrine system,
get testosterone, go to a commission and get a Therapeutic Use
Exemption (TUE), and off you go. Keith Kizer says Nevada has
protocols to weed out the steroid users from non-steroid users
in order to qualify for TRT, but color me skeptical.
Should
TUEs be allowed in MMA?
“The
answer is that, yes, Therapeutic (Use) Exemptions are important,
but it’s almost unnecessary for anyone to need that that
are top athletes. It just doesn’t make sense, those two
things just don’t go together and I think the problem is
it’s not a new area for MMA and for boxing and commissions
but it’s an area that’s not dealt with on the same
level that an organization like WADA deals with it or USADA in
the sense that if you’re going to allow TUEs you have to
understand when one is appropriate and, you know, it’s just
practicing cookbook medicine. You can’t just say, ‘okay,
if he’s got a low T level or his testosterone level is between
a certain range, then he’s not overusing it.’ You know
I was talking to someone that intimately worked with WADA for
a number of years and even was on a committee to assess this
kind of thing and they only have a handful of doctors that are
around the world that they believe are acceptable to really determine
if somebody needs a TUE for testosterone or drugs like that.
So, if WADA, you know, who you have to say holds this to the
highest standard in evaluation can’t find that many doctors
that are appropriate in determining whether or not someone really,
really needs the TUE, then this has to be handled to a much greater
degree in boxing and the MMA.
“And
the other issue is that nobody’s dealing with… let’s
say that these fighters are given a TUE for it and their levels,
let’s say Marquardt’s levels were within a normal range,
everyone is forgetting that even though his levels are down all
that time when he was using he continues to have a beneficial
effect from a Performance Enhancing Drug, so that can last months
after stopping usage. So, technically, we’re allowing certain
athletes to have PED advantage over their opponent and that is
just not right. It’s not fair to the fighter who probably
doesn’t need the drug in the first place and it certainly
isn’t fair to their opponent. And then, you know, you hate
to bring this issue into it but when there’s betting on
these fights, besides the most important safety aspect. So, you
know, if these kinds of exemptions are going to be allowed which
I think almost never should they be allowed as far as PEDs are
concerned, then it is important for commissions that are going
to say whether or not they’re going to allow this that they
have these athletes evaluated in the right manner. To say, okay,
we’re going to stop it for 8 weeks and then re-test him
and blah blah blah… some of these drugs can be out of somebody’s
system very quickly, you know, the half-life of how long a drug
stays in your system can be gone very quickly when you do a drug
test. But that does not mean that someone is not obtaining the
performance-enhancing effects from it.
“Look,
if they’re going to play the game, if commissions are going
to play the game and grant these TUEs, then they have to go that
extra mile to determine when it’s absolutely necessary.”
Shouldn’t
opponents of fighters getting TUEs be notified ahead of time
and have their own doctors analyze what is going on?
“The
dangers (of fighters abusing TUEs) are huge and how fair is that?
I mean, that is not fair and why should the opponent have to
(deal with) that risk? And, you know, I just think that the issue,
this is a great time to sit down and deal with it. Kudos go out
to Greg Sirb because, really, he’s the first one that has
really stepped up and said, wait a minute, this doesn’t
smell right. And, you know, that is fantastic and I think that,
you know, yes it’s great that the UFC supported that. I
would hope that they would support that more, but the issue is
they must have had some knowledge that he was, you know, Nate
was using beforehand obviously because of other fights. How long
was he given TUEs? And then you have to worry about with some
of these organizations and UFC is one of them where they go overseas,
where there is no commission overseeing things, so if they’re
handling whether or not a fighter gets a TUE, how often does
the opponent know that and how are they granting those? You know,
I guess the question was Marquardt using it during his fight
in Germany and who was overseeing that? So, I mean, and how many
other fighters are doing that? And then you deal with all the
other PEDs out there, who’s monitoring that or is it just
a free-for-all? And, so, unless there’s the light of day
brought on it by a commission like Pennsylvania, how often is
this skirting by and opponents are dealing with performance-enhanced
fighters? It’s just a bad around situation all around and
this would be a good time to deal with this.”
Getting
a license to fight is a privilege, not a right
“If
you’re going to do the drug testing, you do the drug testing
to the best of your ability and I believe, I really do believe
and I’m not sure about MMA athletes but I do believe there’s
many boxers out there that, like Floyd (Mayweather), that maybe
don’t want to be the spokesman for this because that’s
not their role, but I do believe that they want to prove that
they fight clean, they’re willing to step up to the plate
and I would hope that there’s other MMA athletes out there
that would speak out against this and speak out to the fact that
PED use is rampant. And, you know, yes everyone wants to say
that MMA is a safer sport on many different levels and, yes,
they don’t have the statistics of deaths and those types
of injuries, thank goodness, but this kind of problem could end
up being their Achilles’ heel if it’s not dealt with
appropriately. Because it’s just like I said, if you’re
not going to do the testing in the appropriate manner and determine
whether or not someone really needs a TUE to the fullest capabilities,
then I agree that it shouldn’t be allowed at all because
what are we trying to do? Are we trying to make somebody perform
at a level they’re not able to medically? Let’s say
if Marquardt or another fighter really does have this problem,
you know, what about all the harmful effects of giving the young
man these drugs? If you have a medical condition that precludes
you from competing in MMA or boxing, then you shouldn’t
be given drugs to try to make you fit into that role.”
The
next big drug focus for MMA – EPO usage & blood doping
in general
“What
we’re ignoring here is that there’s so many other substances
that are used as performance-enhancing agents besides testosterone
or anabolic steroids and often athletes use things in combination.
So, to say that an athlete is just purely using one single anabolic
steroid and not using all this other stuff like EPO for blood
doping or all these other things that are out there, I mean you
could give a litany of drugs, is silly and that they’re
probably using things in combination. And if you look at cycling,
which is probably considered the dirtiest sport out there still,
they’re using, you know, certain agents in addition to probably
using steroids but they’re using things like EPO all the
time and I do believe that EPO is very commonly used in MMA and
in boxing and that is a drug that definitely will improve your
endurance. You know, steroids, anabolic steroids will help them
in training considerably besides the actual idea of the power.
They will help every single athlete in training, especially in
a boxer, an MMA athlete where they’re getting injured all
the time. But EPO or blood doping methods are hugely important
in giving a performance-enhancing effect to an MMA athlete or
a boxer, so you know I think the problem is our testing is inadequate.
If we’re going to do the testing, it needs to be the done
right way. Yes, nothing is perfect, but the way the situation
is and the way commissions is handling it now is just not thoroughly
enough. It’s like trying to put lipstick on a pig, unfortunately,
and it still is a pig. I hate to use that analogy but it just
fits. So, if we’re going to deal with it, let’s deal
with it. Otherwise, don’t deal with it at all! Just stop
all this. Let everybody fight on whatever they want but I don’t
think that’s the mentality that we want, I don’t think
that’s fair, I don’t think it’s safe, it tarnishes
these great sports and so, yeah, now we got to deal with and
I think it’s easy to do but I think it needs to be done
in a right way instead of just everybody coming out and saying,
‘we’re doing WADA testing,’ when they’re
not doing WADA testing or ‘yes we care about it, we’re
teaching our athletes to stay away from steroids’ when they’re
looking the other way.”
Why
standards need to be stepped up now and independently examined
“Of
course, these TUEs are important and have to be used. But the
overall drug testing is so inadequate at this point, it needs
to go to unannounced drug testing, needs to have more expansive
lists of things that are tested for, depending on what is thought
to be used in boxing and MMA. The blood counts need to be evaluated
in fighters to make sure they’re not blood doping, these
needs to be done periodically for EPO to make sure there’s
no blood doping. So, there’s a whole host of things that
need to be done that aren’t being done and they’re
not hard to do and then it wouldn’t take all of this explanation
in the media every time somebody is thought to be guilty of using
something. We’d be nipping it in the bud in the beginning.
“The
bottom line is that this 100% can’t fall on commissions
are far as drug testing. This is where we get into a problem.
You know, a lot of commissions don’t have the manpower,
they don’t have the finances, they don’t have a lot
of the things that are needed to conduct appropriate, thorough
drug testing and that’s why ultimately this needed to be
handed over to other agencies and individuals to do it not only
independently but to do it the correct way. So, that’s the
bottom line.
“There
are athletes that will step up to the plate to volunteer themselves
for drug testing. I believe that commissions and this is something
that the ABC look should to help promote further education in
how drug testing can be performed and be done cost-effectively
but has to be in an unannounced, random way. It has to be free
of conflicts of interests and it needs to be done now.”
Who
will create an independent medical body to oversee drug testing
and what’s the incentive?
“I
think that its possible to create your own and obviously I’m
not really able to talk about it so much right now but I think
that this is something that, you know, I’ve been really
interested in. I know some other individuals are interested in
trying to create an independent organization that will allow
athletes to volunteer for testing. You know, it’s different
with Olympic sports where, you know, an athlete that knows that
they’re eligible to compete in the Olympics has to sign
up with WADA or USADA maybe like 18 months in advance and at
that point in time and you know we’ve got boxers that have
been subjected to that, Olympic boxers that are now professional
fighters out there doing well that have been through that probably
wouldn’t have a problem with it. But I think there needs
to be this groundswell of something like this starting on a case-by-case
basis to see that it isn’t that restrictive, that can be
done in a cost-effective way and it is the right way and it benefits
the athlete to demonstrate to the public that they’re clean
and I think it can be done.
“I
think it was done in horse racing, it’s being done more
in horse racing, it’s started on an individual level and
more and more racing commissions are adding unannounced drug
testing and expansive drug testing to their protocols. I think
that, you know, with MMA being so vocal and being so prominent
now as far as the media is concerned it’s going to be a
question that they’re going to have to answer or the Government
will step in. I know people have lobbyists preventing further
Government involved in MMA but the bottom line is the Government
is going to be asked to take a look at drug use like it has been
asked to take a look at drug use in horse racing recently. They’re
going to be asked to do this in MMA and just like I said earlier,
this may be end(ing) up (as) MMA’s Achilles’ heel.”
Why
fighters, not promoters and commissioners, can create momentum
for independent drug testing
“Well,
I just think that athletes themselves need to step up like Floyd
is doing and obviously Floyd’s in a different position,
he fights for big purses… but I think that individual athletes
can step up and volunteer for testing.
“So,
I think there’s fighters out there and I think it’s
just going to start on an individual basis and I think this will
help give a better image to boxing. I would hope that MMA athletes
would speak up as well because I don’t believe every MMA
athlete is dirty, of course, and I think there’s ones out
there that are willing to step up and prove that’s the case.
Like I said earlier, I don’t think that the commissions
as much as you would like it can (handle) the total responsibility
because it is an international sport, they don’t have that
much contact with the athletes and there’s so much variance
between commission and commission as far as the resources that
they have to have something like this done. Obviously, everybody
wants to throw everything at the promoters and tell them to step
up. But I think the athletes themselves, if they ask to have
it done, I think it can be done.”
Will
promoters dispose of non-main event level fighters who challenge
the status quo on drug testing?
“It’s
sad. I mean, you know, for the longest time one of the biggest
complaints that many people have with horse racing, especially
individuals that spend a lot of money owning horses and having
horses trained, is that one gets injured and they just throw
them away and move onto the next and, you know, you hate to see
that type of mentality, you know, if a UFC or MMA fighters of
one of these other organizations were to speak out (on drug usage)
that, you know, ‘yeah, well, there’s always a lot of
other talented ones that will keep their mouth shut.” I
would hope that wasn’t the case, but you know, time will
prove that.
“I
think that it’s great that fans get involved. I try to get
involved and I look at the things write and comment on, you know,
yea or nay or positive and negative and I think it’s great.
But I think that the fans may not realize how much influence
they do have and I’m not talking about just not buying a
fight or turning something off. But when fans contact commissions,
they contact the media, they write, they do all these things,
things do happen. So, I would think that the best thing that
can be is if people out there that love the sport want the sport
to be clean, want it to be a level playing field, that the more
that they contact commissions and write in, I believe that more
will be done.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
BAMMA
Signs New Distribution Deal, Aiming to Air In Half A Billion
Homes Within a Year
The
British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA), currently
the largest mixed martial arts organization in Europe, today
announced a new distribution deal with Content Media Corporation.
Starting
with immediate effect, Content Media will exclusively distribute
BAMMA’s live broadcasts and existing archive footage across
all platforms outside of the UK including TV and digital.
BAMMA
has seen a meteoric rise in popularity over the past 18 months.
The organization has held events at prestigious venues such as
Manchester’s MEN Arena, Wembley Arena and The National Indoor
Arena in Birmingham with TV viewing figures going as high as
835,000 for BAMMA 4, making it the most watched MMA show in UK
history.
According
to Liam Fisher, Head of Business Development for BAMMA, “We
are delighted to be working with such a strategic and successful
company as Content Media. With their experience, knowledge and
contacts, I have no doubt that we will be broadcasting into over
half a billion homes within a year.”
Greg
Phillips, President of Content Television added, “BAMMA
content is a fantastic showcase of one of the world’s fastest
growing sports and has great potential in the international marketplace.
These hugely entertaining events have already proven their appeal
with UK audiences giving us a solid starting point from which
to build BAMMA into a major worldwide brand.”
BAMMA
events are already highly anticipated by MMA fans worldwide and
broadcast live on the NBC Universal owned channel Syfy in the
UK.
This
new deal between Content Media and BAMMA will see the programming
portfolio launched in the international broadcast and digital
marketplace. Several high-octane MMA fight events are lined up
between now and the end of 2012.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Sherwood:
MMA Judging Not Adding Up
by Jeff
Sherwood
It’s
become increasingly rare that we can get through a major MMA
event without a questionable call from the judges. Show after
show, there are decisions that make you shake your head and say,
“Really? Did that just happen?”
If
that wasn’t bad enough, another bungle has been popping
up more and more frequently: the incorrect adding of scorecards.
Really?
There
are so many variables for fighters to consider as they compete
and train their hearts out, trying to make a living as mixed
martial artists. Not only do they have to worry about winning
a decision should a bout go the distance, but they have to win
excitingly. These days, it’s not enough to just walk into
the cage and get the job done. It’s a hard way to earn a
living, especially for those fighting on the local and regional
circuits, trying to claw their way into the big show. A fighter’s
future can rest in the hands of a single judge or referee --
a scary thought considering some of the officials I have seen
and talked to at smaller events.
May
27 in Rio Rancho, N.M., Joey Villasenor and Chris Camozzi battled
it out for 15 minutes in the middleweight headliner of Shark
Fights 15. Villasenor, an MMA veteran of more than 10 years,
entered the match on a two-fight skid, while Camozzi had recently
and surprisingly been released by the UFC after posting a 2-1
record inside the Octagon. Both needed to get back in the win
column, but both were denied because of poor addition skills.
After
three rounds between Villasenor and Camozzi, the judges’
scores were announced as 29-28, 28-29 and 29-29 -- a split draw.
But, shortly after the event, as the New Mexico Athletic Commission
reviewed the cards, officials noticed a potential adding problem
on the part of one judge.
On
July 12, the NMAC will hold a meeting to figure out what to do
when one of your judges cannot add up a scorecard. I’m really
crossing my fingers that the commission fixes this problem and
does what’s right. If two of the three scorecards were for
Camozzi as the NMAC has indicated, he needs to be awarded the
win. It’s that simple. Both fighters’ camps have spoken
of a rematch to settle the score, but if Camozzi had a victory
taken from him that night because of a clerical error, no rematch
is needed.
I’m
left wondering how a judge who incorrectly added his or her own
score could not have immediately figured out the mistake. He
or she reportedly awarded two rounds to Camozzi, yet added it
up as a draw. I just don’t get it; it’s not as if a
scorecard involves some complicated calculus problem. Maybe when
we give these judges cageside monitors, we should be giving them
little calculators as well.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Rener
Gracie Seminar at O2 Martial Arts Academy
Friday,
July 8
Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $65
It's
on like Donkey Kong! Rener Gracie is booked for a seminar at
O2 Martial Arts Academy on Friday, July 8 from 7:00 pm to 9:00
pm. The price is $65. Rener is an incredible mix of a precise
technician and a detailed instructor. He is going to focus on
Triangles.
|
UFC
132 Prelims Fall to Second to NASCAR in the Race for Coveted
TV Ratings
The UFC 132 Prelims on Spike TV on Saturday night pulled in 1.2
million viewers. That’s slightly below the series’
average of 1.44 million per event.
The numbers were strong enough to keep Spike at No. 2 in the
race for the coveted advertiser demographics of Men 18-34 and
Men 18-49 on Basic Cable telvision. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
on TNT took top honors in those demographics with the Coke Zero
400.
The UFC 132 Prelims on Spike featured Melvin Guillard’s
crushing knockout of Shane Roller, and Rafael dos Anjos matching
him with his own first-round knockout of Aussie George Sotiropoulos.
The live prelims on Spike TV has been a staple of the network
over the past couple years, but may come to an end after 2011.
Spike TV and the UFC have been in negotiations, but are expected
to discontinue their broadcasting relationship when their current
contract runs out.
Although UFC president Dana White has said they are currently
in talks with “everybody” about a television deal,
most rumors are pointing to the UFC taking over a controlling
interest in the G4 network and moving a good deal of its programming,
including “The Ultimate Fighter,” to the network.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
One
Man’s View: Red Light for Cruz-Faber 3
by Jason
Probst
When
the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced late last year that
it was absorbing the WEC and its two additional weight classes,
it took on a few challenges in the process.
First,
it had the task of creating viable attractions out of small fighters
-- never an easy undertaking. Second, it had to make initial
matchups in the 135- and 145-pound divisions and showcase those
matchups as test cases to justify the expansion of existing weight
classes from five to seven.
Thus
far, it has gone very well. Dominick Cruz’s decision win
over Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena in Las Vegas did tremendous good for the division’s
immediate viability. While a boring fight could have relegated
bantamweight bouts to bottom-of-the-card status in the near future,
the 135-pounders received top billing at the event, and the Cruz-Faber
rematch made for an excellent showcase.
The
fight also had the effect of allowing Cruz to defend his belt
while establishing Faber as a likely future challenger. In a
match that was competitive and intensely contested, Faber could
have readily taken the title from Cruz’s capable hands with
a couple swings of momentum. That was a positive development
because the UFC’s 135-pound roster is already thin and will
take a significant hit when the 125-pound division arrives, poaching
two top bantamweights: Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson.
Branding
and marketing appeal do not happen overnight, and building these
around a fighter is a long-term process that occurs over multiple
appearances. A fighter’s body of work gives the public a
fair expectation of what to expect from him and therefore heavily
influences where he will be placed on a card. With Cruz’s
style in recent bouts trending toward one-sided decisions in
which opponents barely lay a hand on him, the Faber challenge
showed a far more exciting side to “The Dominator,”
as he was pushed down the stretch and ultimately responded with
a strong finishing round.
The
guess here is that Cruz-Faber 3 happens but with a defense for
Cruz in between, likely against Brian Bowles, who decisioned
Takeya Mizugaki on the UFC 132 undercard. Cruz’s timing
and technical acumen are top-notch, and he was as exciting as
he has looked in a long time, mainly because Faber was the only
guy with the goods to present the threat of danger.
According
to Probst, Bowles should get the next crack at the champion.
The
UFC will need time to revamp and build up to Cruz-Faber 3, and
here is my prescription for it: have Cruz grant Bowles a rematch,
which gives Bowles, 2-0 since he lost his title to the champion,
a chance at revenge. There’s your storyline right there.
It’s also the kind of match that could underscore why Cruz
is so difficult to fight, thereby creating demand for Faber again.
Meanwhile,
pit Faber against fellow former WEC star Miguel Torres. That
is an exciting fight, especially since Torres could be forced
to do battle with Faber on the ground, and his submission game
and tenacity would make it a must-watch event. It also serves
as the kind of style matchup in which the winner is going to
be exciting, thereby developing a natural challenger for Cruz.
It is also the kind of style matchup I think Faber wins nine
times out of 10, but, hey, you could have said that about Tito
Ortiz-Ryan Bader, right? That’s why they fight.
In
six months, rematch the winners of Cruz-Bowles and Faber-Torres.
No matter how the permutations shake it, it’s champion against
a former champion.
If
you get Cruz-Faber 3, you can also make Bowles-Torres 2 -- a
rematch of their first fight, which saw Bowles knock out Torres
and take his crown.
In
the process, the UFC will have time to bring along the younger
bantamweights and get them some key exposure, building their
profiles in the process. Renan “Barao” do Nascimento
Mota Pegado (26-1, 1 NC) is wildly talented and 3-0 in the WEC
and UFC. Brad Pickett and Michael MacDonald are exciting and
aggressive. There are also mid-level contenders like Scott Jorgenson
and Eddie Wineland, who faces Benavidez on Aug. 14. The bantamweight
division remains somewhat top-heavy, with two new UFC stars in
Cruz and Faber. A significant drop off exists after them in terms
of name recognition and marketability, but given some time to
stir the pot and let the goods simmer, it will fill out and develop
a deep roster of talent. None of these cogitations include future
signees and hot prospects not currently with the organization.
What
the bantamweight division sorely needed was a jumpstart, and
interesting future matchups people would want to see. Cruz-Faber
surely supplied these. Moving forward with proper care and handling,
the UFC bantamweights could earn some long-deserved limelight
for the little guys.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Belfort’s
working at being a “lion”
Carlos Eduardo Ozório
Following
his defeat at the hands of Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort will
next see action August 6 at UFC 133 in Philadelphia. There, Vitor
will take on Japan’s Yoshihiro Akiyama.
“I see him as being a durable guy with good takedowns. He’s
apparently very strong. I think that’s it. With four-ounce
gloves on man things get nasty, you have to keep on your toes.
You can’t blink when you’re in the ring. My job is
to act first, preempt him. I’ll be like a lion in the jungle,
ready to hunt. The moment I catch him, I’ve got him. I’m
doing all I can to be at my best. Wait and see, you all will
love it,” remarked Vitor in a recent GRACIEMAG.com interview.
Our readers are already aware that the “Phenom” has
Jiu-Jitsu at the top of his priority list for training, where
he counts on the held of world champion Gilbert Durinho. He isn’t
slouching on his striking, though.
“I work on my boxing with a great Mexican trainer, Gil Martinez.
He’s awesome. I’ve been doing Thai boxing with Ray
Sefo and, besides Durinho, Robert Drysdale often helps me with
my Jiu-Jitsu. Training’s going great, high level.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Steve
Cofield & Larry Pepe: Is Nate Marquardt telling the truth
about his medical interaction with the New Jersey ACB?
By Zach Arnold
Audio
courtesy of ESPN 1100 Las Vegas & Steve Cofield of Yahoo
Sports’ Cagewriter.com. Larry Pepe’s audio show archives
can be found here.
This interview took place a few hours after the Tuesday morning/afternoon
sit down that Nate Marquardt & his manager Lex McMahon did
with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com.
LARRY PEPE:“I had a couple of issues that raised some flags
for me. He’s say he’s been on (TRT) since August of
last year, which means he was on it for the (Rousimar) Palhares
fight, he was on it for obviously he was going to be on it when
he fought Rick Story, on it when he fought Dan Miller in New
Jersey, and then he had one other fight before the Miller fight
when he fought (Yushin) Okami but that was overseas and they
didn’t have a commission. The red flag for me was when he
said that he went to New Jersey to fight Dan Miller, presented
his paperwork to the commission to get his Therapeutic Use Exemption
and they weren’t completely pleased with the paperwork and
said that they would let him fight but that after the fight he
had to come off for like 8-to-10 weeks, do a series of blood
tests, have those tests look at by an endocrinologist and then
they would make a determination and that was one red flag for
me because it struck me as very odd that a commission get paperwork,
feel that it was insufficient, but then let the guy fight anyway.
That struck me as very, very strange.
STEVE COFIELD:“Well, that is bizarre, and I don’t believe
that for one second and then starts to move me towards Chael
Sonnen territory because really what California was mad at Sonnen,
uh, you know mad at him about more than anything was the inconsistency
with the reporting in saying that he had told Nevada told about
it and Keith Kizer and then Kizer came back and said I didn’t
know anything about this and that’s why California was angry.
The second part of the Marquardt thing that was bizarre to me
(on Tuesday) was he claims he was taking a pill form of this
TRT for those previous fights, he got off, and then… wait,
they’re monitoring something 6 weeks out, 3 weeks out he
changes from the pills to a straight injection and he claims
the injection may have been the reason that he was over the limit.
Why would you switch 3 weeks before a fight?”
LARRY PEPE:“Well, let me clarify a couple of things because
this is where it even gets a little stranger. He said that he
was taking two different pill forms of medication for what he
defined as an off-label use. What that means is that he was prescribed
something that was never intended to really have anything to
do with testosterone, that’s not what it’s a treatment
for and that’s why they call it’s an off-label use,
so that’s its own kind of weird category. But he said that
these two pills which he took one every other day and one three
days a week weren’t actually testosterone, what they are
is something that would encourage his body to produce more of
its own testosterone. Okay, fine. So he said he was on that coming
up to the New Jersey fight. Then he talked about the New Jersey
(ACB) telling him that they wanted him to talk nothing for this
8-10 week period afterwards which brought him, Steve, right up
to 3 weeks before the fight with Story which he ultimately couldn’t
qualify for and that’s when they put the injections in and
because the doctor said, you’re not going to get the benefit
fast enough in essence if we put you on the pills because I guess
that’s a more gentle manipulation and that’s your own
testosterone levels so it would take longer for them to come
up. So, they put him on the injections which you would think
knowing he has a fight coming up you’re going to monitor
that extremely closely in terms of your blood levels and he admitted
himself that he made a mistake by not monitoring it more closely
and letting several weeks go by and that’ when his levels
got out of whack and too high.”
STEVE COFIELD:“So, that’s on him, that’s on his
doctor. Now as far as the UFC goes… is that a fireable offense?
You know, it might be.”
LARRY PEPE:“It might be, you know, here’s the thing…
I’m kind on the fence as whether it’s fireable…
but it wouldn’t bother me at all if it was, say, a one year
suspension, you’re not getting any fights for a year, you’re
not going to make any money fighting with us for a year. Indefinite
seems like a lot but you have to keep in mind that this was an
issue that was within his control, it was an issue he was well
aware of for quite some time, he’d be on this since August
of last year, and he was the main event at a time let’s
not forget that the UFC is in the middle of negotiating and exploring
relationships with a number of different networks because their
Spike TV deal is coming up. It doesn’t look very good if
you’re negotiating with, you know, XXY network that your
main event just got blown up in a way that was completely avoidable
if the fighter acted more responsibly. It’s one thing if
we see an injury, can’t control that, everybody gets that.
But in this scenario, it was really all in Nate’s control
and Nate didn’t do the right thing and as a result the UFC,
while they ended up with what I thought was a great event, they
were really left with egg on their faces for all the advertising
and promotion they did, the event was called UFC (Live) on Versus
4, Marquardt vs. Story.”
STEVE COFIELD:“There have been other cases where guys have
come out and said, hey, I knowingly took steroids. They eventually
came back and I’ll give you the worse one… Thiago Silva
turned in false urine. So, I mean, see with Marquardt you’re
like, all right, was it really malicious or just stupid? And,
you know, I can understand, hey, fighters freak out sometimes
like Silva, hey, I got to take it, my back, but you made a decision,
you KNOWINGLY cheated and then you tried to defraud the system!
He’s going to be back.”
LARRY PEPE:“Yeah. I think, here’s the difference and,
you know, people can agree with this or not agree with this but
I think the differences in those other cases where we see guys
test positive, they test positive after the fight, the fight
goes on, nothing is hurt from a business standpoint and that
testing is in the hands of the commission, not in the hands of
the UFC. So, the UFC’s business interest is not hurt per
se. In this case? Their business interest is directly hurt because
their main event fighter, in a situation that was within his
control, did not do what he should have done to protect that
event and I think that’s why they got so upset.
“And Steve, I just want to go back to one thing real quick
which struck me as really odd as well… doesn’t it strike
you as odd that a commission, in this case New Jersey, is going
to tell a fighter we don’t want you to take the medical
treatment that you supposedly need by your doctor’s advise
because we want you to test. I mean, what’s the liability
with that? Would you ever tell a diabetic, we don’t want
you to take insulin for 8 weeks because we’re not sure you’re
diabetic?”
SMOKIN’ DAVE COKIN:“Has there been a response from
the New Jersey commission as to that accusation?”
LARRY PEPE:“That’s a great question, Dave, and I haven’t
seen anything. I called Nick Lembo twice earlier (Tuesday), I’m
sure he’s gotten about a 100 of those phone calls and I’m
anxious to talk to him because this whole interaction with New
Jersey seems to me to be really like at the crux at this whole
issue.”
STEVE COFIELD:“Hey, Larry, I don’t know what will happen,
but I just have a sneaky suspicion it’s going to look a
lot like (Chael) Sonnen and (Keith) Kizer, you know, where Kizer
says, hey, that’s not what went down.”
LARRY PEPE:“Yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me because it
really does strike me as odd, Steve. I just… you know, Nick
Lembo’s an intelligent guy, I’ve had him on the show,
he’s an attorney. Just from a liability standpoint, to tell
someone not to take medical treatment that they supposedly, and
I say supposedly because we don’t know anything for sure
right now, but that they supposedly need? Wow. Like, what if
he comes off that treatment and has a heart attack, God forbid,
you know? It also strikes me as odd that a commission’s
as respected as New Jersey would get that paperwork, define it
as insufficient, and say, yeah, you know what, go ahead and get
in the cage with Dan Miller and fight that fight and we’ll
sort that out afterwards.”
STEVE COFIELD:“Miller has a case! Hey, I want my win bonus!”
LARRY PEPE:“Absolutely, and Miller should file an appeal
to get it changed to a no contest this afternoon.”
STEVE COFIELD:“One last thing. Small mention of the way
UFC fighters handle their media stuff sometimes. Nate Marquardt
talked to one outlet (Tuesday). Now you hear us, he talked to
AOL, good show with Ariel Helwani, but his camp said one outlet,
that’s it. Huge mistake because a lot of the questions that
Larry has asked, that I would ask, that (Kevin) Iole, that ESPN.com,
that would get more clarification, you know, would clear things
up a little more. I think he’s thrown out a story here that
has a lot of unanswered questions and I’m not blaming the
interviewer because Ariel, you know, he’s got an hour with
it, he got to a lot of the stuff, but there’s, you know,
by yourself there’s only so much you can get to. I’m
telling you, that is not a good way to handle these things.”
LARRY PEPE:“No, it’s not, and it also speaks to the
issue of, you know, it raises that thing in your head like, all
right, if you’re really coming clean, you really have a
solid story, you really have nothing to hide, why not talk to
5 or 10 outlets? Because no interview is perfect, there’s
always going to be a question that I’m going to forget,
that you’re going to think of and vice versa, and to me
I think it’s a big P.R. mistake. It’s too controlled
and why do you have to be controlled if you’re prepared
to tell the whole story?”
**
Two great points directly/indirectly brought up in this interview
discussion.
a) What is the name of Nate Marquardt’s doctor who prescribed
the TRT?
b) Why is there not more media spotlight on Dr. Jeff Davidson,
who is UFC’s doctor to the fighters, in relation to this
matter given that Marquardt fought Okami in Germany and was supposedly
on TRT during that time period?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Fighter
of the Half-Year: Jon Jones
By Mike Chiappetta
After 2011, no one will ever again accuse Jon Jones of dreaming
too big or overreaching his record-breaking wingspan. Jones started
the year as a hot prospect in a February matchup against fellow
upstart Ryan Bader. At the time, Jones said that he always kept
one eye on the champion. In a sport where fighters routinely
espouse the concept of tunnel vision towards their next opponent,
the fighter's candid admission caused a bit of backlash from
a small group who accused him of an arrogant mindset. After Jones
won convincingly and earned a championship fight against Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua, another admission came. This one that
Jones had been signing autographs with "Champion 2011"
under his name.
While
Jones explained that he was simply trying to will his goal into
existence, some fans shook their heads and condemned him for
hubris. But like Bader, Rua proved hardly an obstacle for Jones
in attaining his long-held dream.
His
performance against Rua was nothing more than a revelation. From
the fight's opening bell until the time referee Herb Dean pulled
Jones off Rua at 2:37 of the third round, Jones thoroughly dominated
the action in a way that was so complete, it bordered on fantastical.
It was a destruction that was startling in its efficiency and
thoroughness. According to FightMetric, Jones out-struck Rua
102-11. He connected on 72 percent of his strikes. He was 3-for-3
in takedowns. He knocked Rua down once.
For
years, Shogun had been one of the top two or three light-heavyweights
in the world. Before the fight, Rua admitted that Jones' autograph
signings had struck him as disrespectful. He was healthy and
motivated, yet Jones obliterated him. By the end, Rua was crumpled
against the fence and beaten, an old warrior dazed by the sport's
latest model.
Judging
from Jones' recent past, it was no fluke.
Against
Bader, he was nearly as powerful, tapping him out with a second-round
guillotine choke in February. That bout had been touted as a
matchup of two of the sport's fastest-rising light-heavyweights,
yet by the time it was over, Jones left no doubt that he was
light years ahead of Bader. Most surprising to some is the way
he out-wrestled Bader, a former NCAA wrestling All-American.
Though Jones' rise through the ranks has been well documented,
few realized just how good his skills in the area were. On the
feet, he flashed increasing power, and his finishing instincts
have proven to be among the best in the sport.
Within
a few months, Jones had gone from promising prospect to awe-inspiring
champion, from rising star to in a league of his own. At 23 years,
243 days old, he also earned another history-making designation
as the youngest title-holder in UFC history.
Away
from the cage, he helped MMA's image with a series of charismatic
appearances on television, including a guest-starring spot on
The Tonight Show. He also signed a contract with K-Swiss. And
if that wasn't enough, on the afternoon of his his title win,
he helped thwart a robbery in Paterson, New Jersey. For his crimefighting
antics, ongoing efforts to raise the sport's profile, and most
importantly for his history-making win, Jon Jones is the best
fighter of the first half of 2011.
2.
Nick Diaz
Usually when a UFC welterweight makes a list like this, it's
Georges St-Pierre. But in this instance, it's GSP's next opponent,
the Californian Diaz, who is 2-0 in 2011. In January, he defended
his Strikeforce welterweight championship with a win over Evangelista
"Cyborg" Santos via submission. He followed that up
in April with an impressive TKO win over British striker Paul
Daley. Not long afterward, Diaz managed to convince Zuffa ownership
to let him out of his Strikeforce deal and face GSP. That's a
productive stretch of time.
3.
Brian Stann
The former U.S. Marine is 2-0, starting the year off with a knockout
of Chris Leben on New Year's Day, then following that up with
a TKO of Jorge Santiago at UFC 130. With the wins, Stann managed
to wedge himself into the short list of future contenders for
the UFC middleweight title.
4.
Patricio Pitbull
Few appreciate the grind necessary to win a Bellator season tournament,
but Freire marched through three fights in 64 days to earn a
rematch against Joe Warren scheduled for July 23. From March
19 to May 21, Freire stopped Georgi Karakhanyan and Wilson Reis
with punches, then earned a unanimous decision over Daniel Straus
to punch his ticket to a championship fight.
5.
Melvin Guillard
Few fighters in the world are fighting with the confidence Guillard
has exhibited over his last few fights. In January, the UFC lightweight
faced the highly touted Evan Dunham, but easily outstruck him
en route to a first-round TKO. Just days ago at UFC 132, he followed
it up with another first-round knockout, this time against Shane
Roller. The victory gives Guillard wins in five straight fights
and eight of his last nine overall.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Dan
Miller Steps in To Face Rousimar Palhares at UFC 134 in Brazil
by Damon
Martin
A switch has been made for the upcoming UFC 134 card in Brazil
as submission specialist Rousimar Palhares is now scheduled to
meet Dan Miller in a middleweight bout.
Originally, Palhares had been expected to meet fellow Brazilian
Alexandre ‘Cacareco’ Ferreira, but it appears a change
has been made with about 6 weeks to go until fight time.
The bout was announced by UFC officials on Wednesday.
Dan Miller (13-5) gets back in action for the first time since
losing a decision to Nate Marquardt at UFC 128.
A member of the AMA Fight Club team, Miller and his brother Jim
have been known to be the go to fighters for UFC matchmaker Joe
Silva to call on when somebody needs to step in for a fight,
and once again they pull through.
Prior to the loss to Marquardt, Miller had won his last two bouts
in a row and is 5-4 overall during his career with the UFC.
The bout between Palhares and Miller is expected to be on the
undercard for the show taking place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Wand
rubbishes retirement
Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Following
Wanderlei Silva’s defeat at the hands of Chris Leben at
UFC 132 last Saturday, promotional president Dana White was blunt:
“I think it’s the end of the line for Silva.”
Since returning to the UFC fold Wanderlei has not managed to
reproduce the performances that marked his tenure at Pride FC.
In six appearances he’s lost four, two of them coming by
quick knockout – one to Quinton Jackson in 3:21 minutes
and the other to Leben in just 27 seconds.
However, when addressing his impending retirement suggested by
White, Wanderlei made it clear the option does not figure in
his plans.
“I cried; I had all kinds of awful thoughts; and I’m
ashamed. Now I’m only thinking about one thing: I want revenge,”
he remarked over Twitter.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Opinion:
MMA & #UFC in New York: Good for Surety Bond Providers
By Zach
Arnold
Opinion piece submitted & written by JW Surety.
Sanctioned Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events are currently illegal
in New York. Many people from both political parties are working
very hard to change that fact and it has a lot of support, but
the bill was repeatedly stalled and eventually killed in the
State Assembly without ever coming up for a vote. Sanctioned
MMA events being allowed in New York would likely be a boon to
the local and state economies and the sureties industry.
Places where sanctioned MMA events are currently held require
surety bonds for promoters. For example, in Ohio promoters are
required to post two different surety bonds: The $20,000 Boxing,
Mixed Martial Arts and Tough Person Promoters Surety Bond and
a $2,500 tax bond that guarantees their payment of all taxes.
If New York were to allow MMA events you could bet that would
bring a whole lot of new money to the surety bond market.
New York would no doubt require bonds similar to those already
in place for similar combative sports such as boxing. These bonds
would probably be similar to those in states like Ohio, that
is to say $20,000. That amount is pretty much the same in most
states, although some states go at low as $10,000-$15,000.
For those unaware, surety bonds act as a sort of insurance policy,
guaranteeing that services will comply with specific regulations
and requirements. So in the case of MMA, a combative sports bond
guarantees that fight promoters will act in accordance with all
applicable state rules and laws.
Surety bonds protect the party requesting the bond financially
from failure of the party taking out the bond failing to abide
by the guidelines they are required to by law or contract or
court decision.
MMA promoters would no doubt bring events to New York, the largest
media market in America. New York offers the fledgling sports
everything it could want, a bright media spotlight, a huge population
with large amounts of disposable income, and giant arenas.
Perhaps I should change that last one to famous arenas. UFC (the
largest MMA organization) would love to host a pay-per-view event
at Madison Square Garden. It would raise the sport’s profile
around the country (and even the world) and gain it headlines
announcing it as having truly arrived. It has frequently been
referred to as the MMA’s Holy Grail.
Perhaps the craziest part of this entire ordeal is the massive
amounts that New York would rake in from tax revenues. The estimated
amounts seem to vary wildly, but what is known is that New York
plans to tax MMA events 8.5% of gross receipt from ticket sales
as opposed to only 3% for boxing. There would also be a much
more reasonable 3% tax on gross receipts from broadcasting rights.
MMA would be unfairly penalized in this tax code for no reason,
but it means that any large MMA event overwhelmingly favors the
state.
So, New York would be good for MMA and MMA would be good for
New York. What’s the hold up? Well, MMA in New York actually
passed the State Senate, but was held up in the State Assembly
by Speaker Sheldon Silver who claimed that it didn’t have
the support.
However, it actually passed the Assembly Committee on Tourism,
Arts, and Sports Development and the Codes Committee. It was
then killed by the Ways and Means Committee that excluded the
bill from the agenda. The real problem is that in the New York
legislature what Silver says goes. So until he either leaves
office or gets on board, no MMA bill will likely pass in New
York.
With the potential boon to New York’s surety companies and
the state’s economy as a whole, it’s time for MMA to
be welcomed to New York.
JW Surety Bonds is a family owned agency established in 2003,
located just outside of Philadelphia.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Vitor
Belfort training hard for Yoshihiro Akiyama... and Anderson Silva
By Guilherme
Cruz
Vitor
Belfort will return to UFC’s Cage on August 6th, against
the apanese Yoshihiro Akiyama, and he’s in his Best shape
for the bout. On a video published on his YouTube, Belfort shows
he’s sharpening his skills at Xtreme Couture, in Las Vegas,
and on an interview with TATAME, the ‘Phenom’ commented
on the trainings.
“I’m going back to my roots, working my techniques
with ‘Durinho’ (Gilbert Burns, BJJ world champion)
and I’ve remembered things I’ve learned from Carlson
(Gracie), things that many people don’t usually do, but
I had the chance to train with him. I’m glad”, said,
warning Akiyama he’ll be pretty fast by then. “Natural
gymnastic is making me pretty fast, fast in Boxing, fast with
my legs”.
And about his future in the UFC, Belfort hopes to have another
chance at the belt after beating up Akiyama. “I want to
fight the winner between Anderson and Okami,” said the former
champion, believing that he’ll fight Anderson again, since
he believes Okami doesn’t have a chance to defeat the Brazilian
at UFC Rio. “Anderson has many advantages over Okami. Each
bout is different, but I believe Anderson is much better I guess
Okami won’t bring any danger while striking and Anderson
has a good ground game”.
Source:
Tatame
|
Opinion:
An Old Dog Bites
by Jason
Probst
Tito Ortiz’s win over Ryan Bader at UFC 132 on Saturday
was not quite George Foreman knocking out Michael Moorer at 45
years old, but, like Foreman’s win, it will certainly inspire
older fighters, as well as fans that root for them.
The
former UFC light heavyweight champion’s first-round guillotine
choke submission was a massive performance by him, further cementing
his promotional mojo for the short term. And it raises the complex
question of what the UFC will do with its aging roster of ex-champions
who were once top promotional attractions but are now in the
twilight of their careers, no longer able to perform at the level
they once did.
As
the UFC’s core cadre of stars from the 2000-05 era ages,
the recurring question revolves around what the promotion should
do with aging talent on the downside. It’s one thing to
let a fighter go after he starts losing more than he wins but
another thing entirely when it’s a huge name and an ex-champion
that a rival promotion could swoop in and sign.
This
has been the case, in varying degrees, for former stars such
as Ortiz and Randy Couture, who have flirted with fights and
promotions outside the UFC in recent years, only to ultimately
be kept in the fold for various reasons. Ex-champions Matt Hughes
and Rich Franklin are also veering toward this zone, with increasingly
tough competition and accrued mileage working against them. Yet
Ortiz’s win shows how much a win can do for former titleholders,
who -- even in the most polarizing cases, such as Ortiz -- become
public favorites for which to root.
One
thing making the decision easier is a woefully different promotional
climate. The UFC no longer has once-relevant upstarts like Affliction,
the International Fight League and Strikeforce with which to
contend; there are no worries about whether or not they will
sign released talent. That may make previously hard decisions
much easier in the coming months and years, which makes a win
like Ortiz’s that much more meaningful.
Source
Sherdog
|
A
doctor’s skeptical opinion of TRT usage in fighting
By Zach
Arnold
Dr. Nickolas Tomasic is a urologist at Marina Del Ray hospital.
KENNY RICE: “Let’s get right to the expert here. Why
would a guy who’s in his 30s, who is in his athletic prime,
and who has two children with one on the way, have a problem
with any kind of testosterone, in your expert opinion (and I
know you don’t treat him or any other fighter)?”
DR. NICKOLAS TOMASIC: “In my opinion, the incidence of a
low testosterone level, hypogonadism condition in a world-class
athlete in his early 30s would be quite low. There could be other
factors involved, previous exposure to radiation, chemotherapy,
testicular injuries, those things would be quite, quite rare,
but also possible previous anabolic steroid use could be a factor
as well.”
BAS RUTTEN: “That’s what I was going at, the nandrolone
he was using five years ago when he got caught for it. Does that
have something to do with it, you think?”
DR. NICKOLAS TOMASIC: “Well, there’s no question that
repeated, excessive use of anabolic steroids can lead to testicular
atrophy and, I can’t say in his case at all, but that is
a factor that could be involved.”
KENNY RICE: “Doctor, as far as it would seem with when we
talk about steroids, when we talk about any kind of testosterone
that you would be taking out there to increase your level, as
far as giving an edge to an athlete which is always the presumption,
is that true?”
DR. NICKOLAS TOMASIC: “Yes, I do believe that excessive
testosterone levels could give a world-class athlete a competitive
edge. Muscle-building, conditioning, even the conditioning process
prior to a fight, that could be a real competitive edge.”
KENNY RICE:“Do you have a lot of young guys come in that
need testosterone to boost it, that are in their 30s?”
DR. NICKOLAS TOMASIC: “It’s rather, rather uncommon.”
After this comment, Matt Mitrione played the role of Meathead
to perfection by asking whether or not getting repeated hits
to the balls during training would cause low testosterone.
DR. NICKOLAS TOMASIC: “I’d say it would take a rather
severe testicular injury, actually rupturing the testicle, something
more dramatic than just common bruising that might occur.”
KENNY RICE: “Mark, let me ask you, and again, you know,
we don’t pick on (Nate) Marquardt in general, I mean you’ve
got Chael Sonnen out there that’s had the same problems,
we’ve had Josh Barnett for years, I mean not always identical,
we’ve had the legend Royce Gracie that was caught using
a substance you’re not supposed to use. As far as what you’ve
seen, as a man who promotes & runs an organization as successfully
as the MFC, I know there’s been a few times you’ve
had to deal with guys like that, is this becoming more prevalent
now, OK, we’re not on steroids but our testosterone level’s
low or we’re building it up.”
MARK PAVELICH: “Why do we consistently be scared to talk
about this out loud? Olympics talk about it out loud, everybody
else talks about it out loud, and now we’re sitting here
wondering why some guy at 30 years old, listen I’m not a
doctor, the doctor’s here, but I would imagine and my guess
would be earlier steroid use, that would be my assessment on
it. To fluctuate those levels and to do all these kind of weird
things that’s happening in our sport now. Listen, either
allow it or don’t allow it, I’m not here to judge either
way, but it seems like we’re trying to like always kind
of be scared to talk about (drug usage), and it’s prevalent
in our sport.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
He’s
Back! Chael Sonnen Returns to Face Brian Stann at UFC 136 in
Houston
by Damon
Martin
He’s back…
Chael Sonnen will return to the cage after more than a year away
from the sport when MMA’s resident bad boy will face Top
10 fighter and Marine veteran Brian Stann at UFC 136 in Houston.
Sources close to the match-up confirmed the bout to MMAWeekly.com
on Wednesday. Heavy.com first reported the booking.
Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) makes his return to action for the first
time since his loss to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva
last August. Sonnen controlled the fight for virtually every
second up until Silva pulled out a Hail Mary triangle choke to
get the win.
Since that time, Sonnen has been embroiled in controversy including
a suspension from the California State Athletic Commission and
being sentenced on Federal money laundering charges in Oregon.
Now the UFC’s professed “most interesting man in the
world” will get back to his real business, and that’s
in the cage.
Welcoming Sonnen back to the UFC will be Marine veteran Brian
Stann (11-3) who has rocketed into the top ten of the middleweight
division with back-to-back wins over Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago.
The former WEC light heavyweight champion dropped down to 185
pounds after a loss to Phil Davis in the UFC, and since that
time has gone undefeated at middleweight.
The winner of the fight between Sonnen and Stann will likely
be a prime candidate to fight for the UFC middleweight title
at some point down the road.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Dominick
Cruz and Urijah Faber Prove Little Guys Are Worthy of Big Hype
LAS VEGAS -- On paper, the rationale behind the UFC 132 lineup
seemed simple enough: get them to come for stars like Tito Ortiz
and Wanderlei Silva, and they'll stay for Dominick Cruz and Urijah
Faber.
No
matter what you think of that hypothesis in theory, after the
show that Cruz and Faber put on in Saturday night's main event
title bout, you have to admit that it worked perfectly in execution.
Perhaps
Cruz, who retained his UFC bantamweight title with a unanimous
decision win over Faber after five close rounds, put it best:
"We all train hard. We all work hard. Just because we're
little guys doesn't mean we can't scrap."
The
difference is that, after UFC 132, everyone knows it. And it's
about time.
Years
from now we'll probably look back on the slow, arduous rise of
MMA's little guys from the cable TV hinterlands of the WEC on
Versus to the main event of UFC pay-per-views and wonder why
it took so long for some of the sport's most consistently exciting
fighters to get the recognition they deserve.
Think
about how long they fought for a fraction of what bigger fighters
were getting. Better yet, think about how seldom they gassed
out, or showed up to a fight unprepared, or just failed to put
on a memorable performance.
But,
the conventional wisdom told us, people don't want to see midgets
in board shorts. They want the big guys. They want heavyweights
swinging haymakers at one another's chins until someone falls
down or just huffs and puffs to a full stop on his own volition.
Who cares about 135-pound dynamos who are as exciting in the
25th minute as they are in the first?
Judging
by the sound of Saturday night's crowd during the final seconds
of Cruz-Faber, however, the conventional wisdom once again turns
out to be woefully wrong.
As
UFC president Dana White put it, "No matter how big the
star power is on the undercard, these guys are fighting for the
title. They deserve the respect to be number one, and tonight
they went out and earned it. They've done it a million times
before, but tonight everybody really saw it. Tonight, here in
Las Vegas, tons of stars, a big 4th of July fight, and they went
out and showed the world what we already knew."
Of
course, here's where the cynic might wonder why, if White knew
it would turn out like this all along, he kept the little fellas
underpaid and under-appreciated in the WEC for so long, but that's
water under the cheaply constructed bridge now. The point is,
they're here now, and we should all be grateful for it.
For
25 minutes on Saturday night, Cruz and Faber gave us everything
we've come to expect from the lighter weight classes. The only
thing more impressive than the technique on display was the pace.
Those two fought like a couple of chihuahuas battling over the
last piece of bacon, and by the end even the spectators were
breathing hard.
At
the post-fight press conference, Cruz summed it up best: "It
feels like I was in a tornado and I was running into stuff --
dressers and what not, I don't know."
But
besides just the physical, these two also delivered the pre-fight
hype. They spent weeks taking verbal potshots at each other,
and fight week was one quotable quip after another between the
two familiar rivals.
Even
when it was all over and Faber gave Cruz his due as a worthy
champion, he couldn't quite bring himself to doff his cap completely.
When asked if the rivalry was now over and he was ready to acknowledge
Cruz as the alpha dog in the neighborhood, Faber paused.
"I
have to watch the fight again," he said.
After
the performance those two delivered, he may not be the only one.
Source: MMA Fighting |
For
Tito Ortiz, Long-Awaited Win Is Worth Its Weight In Gold
Tito Ortiz wins at UFC 132No writer can properly quantify the
emotion of a win. How happy are you? We often ask that of pro
athletes after a big success, hoping they do it for us. Sometimes
they're "thrilled" or "elated" or "excited"
but in reality, words don't do feelings justice when they've
put in week after week, month after month in hopes of reaching
a moment when they get to celebrate.
Losing
is even worse. Fighters are known to fall into bouts of depression
after suffering a defeat, locking themselves in darkened spaces,
only to relive their bad memories again and again. Imagine then,
how Tito Ortiz had suffered before last night. A proud former
champion, he had gone winless in five fights over four-and-a-half
years, been asked to retire by UFC brass, been forced to beg
for another chance.
Imagine
then what Tito Ortiz was feeling last night. He didn't just win
a fight; he won back his career. To steal a phrase from the president
(Obama, not White), he won the future. He walked into the octagon
for what was supposed to be the last time at UFC 132, counted
out by the oddsmakers, considered washed-up by the fans, and
yes, discounted by the media. Lose, and it was over. And let's
face it, after going winless for nearly five years, his career
obituary had been pre-written.
And
then on the way to his forced retirement, a surprise. Ortiz stunned
Ryan Bader, a borderline top 10 fighter who was considered by
many a younger, better version of him.
By
the time the fight began, money was pouring in on Bader, who
had gone off as a huge favorite, as high as -800 on some sports
books. The closest line you could find was about -500.
You
couldn't blame the doubters. It had been 1,726 days between wins
for Ortiz. One-thousand-seven-hundred and twenty-six days! When
he last won, it was October 10, 2006. Since then, the Los Angeles
Lakers won two NBA championships. Randy Couture unretired, won
the heavyweight championship, resigned, returned, fought six
more times, and retired again. Barry Bonds broke the all-time
baseball home run record.
In
sports, four-and-a-half years can be an eternity. It is for football
players; an average NFL career is just 3.5 years. Even in regular
life, it's a long time. During Ortiz's stretch, kids went into
college and graduated as adults with degrees.
Think
about failing for that long, and what that does to the psyche
of someone not used to it. It's easy to fold up shop and fade
away quietly, especially when you have money to fall back on,
and by all accounts, Ortiz does. When you're surrounded by nice
things, by a comfortable life, it's hard to make yourself uncomfortable
by putting in the extra time that helped you get there. Forrest
Griffin once told me, "The extraordinary becomes ordinary
pretty quickly." I suspect he's not any different than most
famous people with money in that belief. Life makes you adapt
to what's around you. That's especially true when things are
good, but it's also true in times of turmoil.
That's
why it would have been easy for Ortiz to keep losing. It wasn't
like he was getting blown out. Aside from a TKO loss to Chuck
Liddell, he fought Rashad Evans to a draw, went to decisions
with Griffin, Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill. But the injuries
seemed to rob him of his explosion and firepower. And we had
to wonder what exactly Ortiz could be if he couldn't be a bully?
Ortiz
caught Bader with an uppercut that floored him, then followed
him to the mat, where he has always had underrated submission
skills. He wasted no time in snatching Bader's neck when he left
it open. As he squeezed, you could see the determination on his
face; he held on to that neck like it was his career. And it
was. When he got Bader to tap, he ensured his return. There will
be at least one more payday, one more time in the spotlight.
Who
knows what to make of this win aside from that? Ortiz deserves
all the credit in the world for it, but at 36 years old and in
a division full of killers, it's hard to envision him putting
together any extended stretch of victories. But in some ways
that does not matter. Even in the midst of fading away, every
legend deserves one last moment of glory.
Once
upon a time, Ortiz was the most predictable fighter in the UFC.
Takedown, ground and pound, stoppage, celebration. Losing took
that away from him, and time seemed to steal everything else.
But it couldn't take this moment. We watch sports for the unexpected.
And long after we figured we could write the ending on his page
of history, Ortiz gave us a surprise worth its weight in gold.
For
a long time, Ortiz has attracted an audience due to what he said
as much as for how he performed. On Saturday night, the win was
its own statement. Afterward, he did his gravedigger routine.
It was the kind of post-fight show that used to be the norm a
few years ago. After so long between wins, it might have been
overkill, but after so long between wins, who could blame him?
He ran towards the octagon and jumped atop it, straddling the
fence as he let out a primal scream of exhilaration. Not a word
was necessary.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Knockout
Loss at UFC 132 Could Be 'End of the Road' for Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei SilvaLAS VEGAS -- One of MMA's most storied careers
began in Brazil nearly 15 years ago, but it may have ended in
one furious burst at the MGM Grand on Saturday night.
For
a decade and a half, Wanderlei Silva (33-11-1 1 NC) thrilled
fight fans with his hyper-aggressive, slugging style, but against
Chris Leben at UFC 132 he ended up on the receiving end of the
same type of brutal finish that he became famous for dishing
out in Japan's Pride organization not so long ago.
"People
knew that he and Leben were going to come out and they were going
to throw until somebody fell down, and it was Wanderlei tonight,"
UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight press conference.
"People love him so much because of the way he fights and
his style and the kind of person he is, but [it's] probably the
end of the road for Wanderlei."
Things
started off normally enough for Silva. As expected, he and Leben
met in the center of the cage and traded power punches right
off the bat.
Silva
unloaded on the season one 'Ultimate Fighter' competitor with
his characteristic wide, looping hooks, but after Leben knocked
him off-balance with a straight left, he then dropped Silva to
the mat with an uppercut in close and then finished him off at
the 0:27 mark with several more punishing left hands on the ground.
With
the loss, the 35-year-old Silva fell to 2-4 in his current UFC
run. The knockout was the fourth in eight fights for Silva, who
suffered only one TKO loss in the first ten years of his prolific
career.
And
though he said earlier this week that he hopes to fight for five
more years and get ten more fights under his belt before he retires,
White said the end may come much sooner for Silva, much like
it did for former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell,
who was essentially forced into retirement by White after a streak
of frightening knockout losses.
"I
think it's one of those ones where I'm going to have to sit down
and talk to him, kind of Chuck Liddell him into it," White
said. "The guy has nothing left to prove. He's a warrior.
People love him all over the world. I just don't want to see...that
happen to him anymore."
Few
fans do, but as recently as last February Silva looked sharp
in a decision win over Michael Bisping. He gave no indication
before the bout with Leben that he planned to retire if things
didn't go his way, so he may not react too kindly to White's
suggestion that he hang up the gloves.
Of
course, White has made similar statements about other aging legends
in the past, and they don't always go so gentle into that good
night just because the UFC boss thinks they should.
Liddell
practically begged for -- and received -- one more chance after
his knockout loss to "Shogun" Rua. White also had a
change of heart regarding Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic,
who he initially suggested would be done following a knockout
loss to Brendan Schaub. Lately, however, White seems to have
softened on that stance, and Filipovic will likely get at least
one more fight in the UFC.
It's
hard to tell exactly how seriously to take White's latest proclamation,
and Silva wasn't at the post-fight press conference to speak
for himself. But after a decorated career that's left him with
a passionate fan base and a highlight reel to match any other,
it's hard to see what Silva has left to prove as a fighter.
He
said earlier this week that he's no longer in it for the money,
and his legacy in the sport is beyond question -- even in the
mind of the man who may have sent him tumbling into retirement
on Saturday night.
"Wanderlei
Silva's my favorite fighter. He always has been," said Leben,
who added that he's "never been so scared" before a
fight as he was going into this one. "The man is a legend.
What he's done for the sport is absolutely amazing."
And
yet, even legends can't go on forever. Whether we've seen the
final chapter in Silva's story, only time will tell.
Source: MMA Fighting |
UFC
132 Fighter of the Night: Tito Ortiz Overcomes Impossible Odds
For
all the great performances at UFC 132, the one that sticks out
most has to be Tito Ortiz and his win over Ryan Bader.
Now,
the UFC does their part and awards bonuses to fighters for submission,
fight, or knockout of the night, but we’re going to take
it one step further and award Tito Ortiz with the “Fighter
of the Night.”
Upside:
recognition for overcoming impossible odds.
Downside:
no $75,000 bonus like the UFC awards (sorry, Tito).
What
Ortiz accomplished in Vegas on Saturday night was not only unexpected,
but it came when the MMA world and the organization he fights
for all but gave up on him. Many fan posts across Twitter and
Facebook read something along the lines, “I hope Bader retires
Tito.” The odds were stacked against the “Huntington
Beach Bad Boy” so much so that nearly every expert who covers
the sport of MMA predicted him to be decimated by a younger and
stronger Ryan Bader.
One
submission later, everyone is wrong – myself included.
Ortiz
won a fight for the first time in five years and he owes it to
a change in preparation. Specifically, Ortiz stayed close to
home, instead of going up to the mountains of Southern California
like he usually does.
“It’s
the rebirth of Tito Ortiz. I’m injury-free. I’m very,
very healthy. I had a good training camp,” Ortiz told UFC.com
shortly after his UFC 132 fight with Ryan Bader. “I did
it at home, I didn’t go up to Big Bear. It’s the first
time in 11 years I haven’t done it (in Big Bear). I think
being mentally focused really helped out a lot. I have a lot
of personal problems with my family and stuff and I really focused
on the positive.”
Jason
Parillo, who trained Ortiz leading into his UFC 132 bout with
Bader, provided the former UFC light heavyweight champion with
motivational tips and positive feedback while going through the
home-based training camp. The game of mixed martial arts is just
as mental as it is physical and the support he got from those
in his camp made it easier for Ortiz to focus on the end-goal.
Despite
the personal drama that Ortiz has gone through recently with
his family, one thing remained clear: winning at UFC 132 was
a high priority. Getting back on the winning track proved to
him that he can overcome obstacles – both personal and professional
– and still has potential to do damage, just as he did in
his heyday.
“I
think it all came down to my trainers,” Ortiz said. “I
got to give it to Jason Parillo. Every single day in camp –
we would go six days a week – every day in camp, he said,
‘Tito, believe in yourself.’
“You
got to understand, this game of MMA, it’s very mental, very,
very mental. Coming off of five loses in a row, a lot of personal
stuff kind of (dragged) me down, (made me) rebirth myself and
break me out of that egg and be the true champion I really am.”
It’s
things like these that give Ortiz the “Fighter of the Night”
award. He stepped up and knocked one out of the park when no
one expected him to, and did so in a night full of first-round
finishes.
Now
that Ortiz lives to fight another day with a Zuffa contract,
he wants to get back in the mix, immediately. With the impact
win in his back pocket, Ortiz is looking to right his wrongs
in the form of getting back at the ones he’s faced before.
Ortiz
wants rematches with both Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans.
“I
would like to fight Forrest again, I would like to fight Rashad
again. Those are the two guys,” he said. “I gave Dana
his opportunity to find someone to beat me and it didn’t
work. Bader was (expletive) out. So I think this was my chance
to get me shots at the guys that I thought I beat already.
“Give
me another chance at them.”
Honorable mention: Dominick Cruz
Urijah
Faber once took Dominick Cruz down to the mat, mounted him, and
slapped on a painful-looking guillotine choke that forced forced
Cruz to submit and lose his bid for the WEC featherweight title.
Oh,
how revenge can be sweet.
On
Saturday night, the stage was set for round-two, only this time
Cruz was the champion and Faber was the challenger. Also, the
match-up was at bantamweight and both fighters weighed in 10
pounds lighter than their last fight. Everything was different
from the previous time these two met, including the outcome,
as Cruz got back at Faber with a unanimous decision win.
“It
was fun to talk trash,” Cruz said during the UFC 132 post-fight
press conference. “Sometimes it’s easy to talk trash
about a guy like Urijah. But I have nothing for respect for the
guy.”
With
the win, Cruz can go on record and say he’s beaten every
man that’s ever stood in front of him in his professional
career.
Bragging
rights are always nice; almost as nice as “Fighter of the
Night Honorable Mention.”
Well,
maybe bragging rights are better.
In
any case, well done, gentlemen. Well done.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Renzo:
“To me this fight with Sperry was a present”
Our
GMA in New York Renzo Gracie was interviewed by journalist Ariel
Helwani for the “MMA Hour” program on MMAFighting.com.
As with in all the Gracie’s interviews, there was no lack
of brash statements, great stories and laid-back banter. Check
out a few excerpts:
Return
to fighting
“…
I have this grappling match with Zé Mario Sperry coming
up and it was a great present from Sheikh Tahnoon to call on
Zé for this superfight. In reality, it’s a way for
me to sharpen up my game for a return to MMA. It’s a great
chance to get in shape and get ready. For sure I’ll be back
in the UFC…”
“…
I’ll fight for free, anywhere, that’s how much I like
it. But the UFC pays me – how can I say no? That’s
the reality. But when I fight, it’s because I like doing
it. I love this sport so much…”
Renzo
vs. Royce
“…
I believe Royce will fight again. He’s my age, 44, and Randy
Couture fought until he was 47…”
“…
Really, the only person I wouldn’t fight is my mother! Anybody
else, no problem (laughs)! But a lot of people talk about Gracie
against Gracie… I wouldn’t like to fight him; we defend
the same principles, the same art, the same family…”
Royler
vs. Eddie Bravo at ADCC
“…
I spoke with Tahnoon just before coming here. He’s working
on it. I’m sure the match will happen…”
MMA
refereeing
“…
If your back is to the ground, you lose. That’s how they
think. Sometimes the guys is trying to end it the whole time,
going for a triangle or armbar… How do you score that? The
judges don’t know how to judge that. Not many of them specialize
in that, study Jiu-Jitsu or understand submissions. I could help.
I can do a clinic at my academy and show them about it…”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
MMA
in Small-Town USA? Hey, It’s the American Way
Dotted
throughout the country are a series of small towns. And while
they may seem nondescript to most people, they all have their
own intricacies and reason for being.
Still,
it may make someone wonder why anyone would start a mixed martial
arts gym in a small town, far from the bright lights of Las Vegas
and the big stage of the UFC, but that’s what Jack Montgomery
has done.
If
you don’t recognize his name, don’t feel bad. Jack
himself admits, “I’m not a huge name. I’ve gotten
a lot of good results with grappling tournaments and fights,
but even in my hometown I’m not a household name.”
So
why has Montgomery, a veteran of King of the Cage and Gladiator
Challenge, returned to Winnemucca (pronounced win-uh-muck-uh),
literally in the middle of nowhere in the Northern Nevadan desert,
to start his own gym, Fighters Pro Shop East?
“Basically
what it was, I got offered a job at the mines I couldn’t
turn down, and if I wanted a place to train, I had to open my
own place, because there’s nothing up here,” said Montgomery.
“As
much as I hate to admit it, I’ve always been sort of a better
coach. I’m a good competitor, but there still is that one
notch/level that seems to get me. I’m very patient, so I’m
a very good teacher.”
And
so it is that Montgomery has brought MMA to small town America,
but not without its share of concerns.
For
one, most people would think that being in a town with a population
of around 10,000 would make it difficult to get people in the
door, but not so according to Montgomery.
“I’m
really the only person here, so the size doesn’t really
hurt me too bad because I don’t really have any competition,”
he said. “If there were another gym or two, it would be
difficult.”
Montgomery
points out that it’s the industry that employs the majority
of the townspeople that creates his biggest obstacle.
“The
talent is easy to find; anywhere you live you’ll find talent,”
said Montgomery. “For this area, the only real difficulty
that I see is that it’s a mining community.
“Between
the weird days they work, the night schedules, the swing shifts,
day shifts changing all the time, it’s hard for them to
get acclimated and be consistent.”
Not
being a well known name in the sport has also presented its challenges
to establishing his gym.
“You
get a lot of guys in these small towns who try to open an MMA
gym who have no experience, so they give the whole town a bad
taste to the whole MMA experience,” said Montgomery. “I’ve
had to build and prove my creditability.”
Unlike
fighters in the upper echelons of the UFC and Strikeforce, Montgomery
is one of the majority of athletes who has to hold down a regular
job to provide for his family in addition to his duties of running
his own gym primarily by himself. This understandably comes with
its own stresses.
“Anyone
who has put an honest to God effort in this sport will know the
sacrifices and hardships it puts on a family,” he said.
“I’m sure anyone that’s been married and tried
to do this sport can probably confess to coming close to losing
their marriage a couple times because of the commitment level
it takes to do this.”
While
it may seem like light years away from the televised pageantry
of MMA’s biggest stage, what Montgomery and countless others
are trying to achieve in the homeland is no less important to
the continued growth and success of the sport.
“All
I say is give every gym a shot,” concluded Montgomery. “Just
because they’re in a small town or don’t have a top
name coach, doesn’t mean they don’t have a great program.
I’ve trained at a lot of small gyms that have great caliber
coaching.
“Go
out and give them a try, because anywhere there’s a good
instructor, you’re bound to learn something from it.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Congratulations
to O2 Martial Arts Academy's newest Blue, Purple, and Brown Belts
and Others!
O2MAA
had the pleasure of visiting Team Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu and sitting
in on Kaleo Auwae's formal award of his black belt certificate
in front of his students and family with Relson Gracie providing
the presentation. Relson Gracie Black Belts Todd Tanaka, Jeff
Furuta as well as the O2 team of Relson black belt instructors,
Shane Agena, Kaleo Hosaka, and Chris and Mike were in attendence.
Right
after we headed back to O2 to perform the black belt certificate
presentations to Kaleo Hosaka and Jeff Furuta and also held our
in school promotions as well.
Congratulations
to everyone that got promoted tonight especially Terence Matsuno
who was promoted to brown belt, Justin "Batman" Sato
who received his purple belt, and Elvin Bumanglag, Jubal Nabong,
and Andres Sepulveda who received their blue belts!
Chris
and Shane were also promoted to their first stripe and Mike was
promoted to his second stripe.
After
the congratulatory whippings for our new purple and black belts,
we were all treated to a great seminar by Relson.
|
Rener
Gracie Seminar at O2 Martial Arts Academy
This Friday,
July 8
Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $65
Tomorrow,
Wednesday, July 6
Rener Gracie Seminar at Team HK
Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $65
It's
on like Donkey Kong! Rener Gracie is booked for a seminar at
O2 Martial Arts Academy on Friday, July 8 from 7:00 pm to 9:00
pm. The price is $65. Rener is an incredible mix of a precise
technician and a detailed instructor. He is going to focus on
Triangles.
Don't miss it! Email us to let us know
you are coming!
We would highly recommend you make the other two seminars as
well at Relson Gracie HK (Wednesday) and Ronn Shiraki Academy
(Tuesday) for the Tri-Fecta of Seminars all teaching different
techniques to guarantee value for your hard earned money!
|
Three
Stars from UFC 132: Cruz/Faber, Ortiz and Condit
UFC
132 delivered on an amazing set of fights, which makes writing
this post even harder than usual. How do you pick out just three
stars from the best card of the year? Here are Cagewriter's picks.
Please post yours in the comments or on Facebook. There's little
chance for agreement after so many great performances.
No.
1 star -- Tie between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber: At the
end of their five-round, main-event bout, I didn't want it to
end. The two gave everything they had in the cage, giving a performance
that earned the bantamweight division a legion of new fans. Cruz
took the bout by landing more, but Faber had a claim on the win
by landing more power strikes. Though Demetrious Johnson or Brian
Bowles will likely serve as Cruz's next opponent, this fight
is begging for a rematch.
No.
2 star -- Tito Ortiz: With his job on the line, Ortiz snapped
his five-fight winless streak and showed that he does still belong
in the UFC. Perhaps his injuries were holding him back, or the
change in training camp really did make a difference in his preparation.
Whatever the reason, a re-energized Ortiz showed up in the Octagon
on Saturday night. This one reminded us of the legend who helped
build the UFC.
No.
3 star -- Carlos Condit: Yes, Chris Leben took out Wanderlei
Silva, but the Axe Murderer hadn't fought in 16 months. Likewise,
Melvin Guillard put on a show against Shane Roller, showing off
his speed and then knocking Roller out, but that was over a fighter
with two losses. Condit stands out for two reasons: One, he beat
a previously unbeaten fighter which set him up for a possible
welterweight title shot. Secondly, his flying knee-KO was so
good that he had the boss still talking about it the next day.
Dana White tweeted on Sunday afternoon, "@CarlosCondit still
blown away by ur performance last nite!!!!!"
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Ortiz,
Silva paved way for next generation
LAS
VEGAS – Tito Ortiz started down the path to Ultimate Fighting
Championship stardom a little more than 11 years ago in Japan
when he won the light heavyweight title by scoring a unanimous
decision victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 25.
On
Saturday, the past and the future collided, when Ortiz shared
the spotlight at a sensational UFC 132 card at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena with the promotion’s next-generation star,
bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
Cruz,
who retained his belt by defeating archrival Urijah Faber in
the main event in a fast-paced bout that was mixed martial arts
at its finest, was just 14 years old when Ortiz topped Silva
oh so many years ago.
Ortiz
became the sport’s biggest star and the face of the UFC
in the early part of the century, but then had hit such hard
times over the last nearly five years that he was literally fighting
for his job on Saturday.
Ortiz,
who was a 5-1 underdog, would have been cut had he not won. The
former champ, though, not only submitted Ryan Bader, but he won
a $75,000 bonus for the Submission of the Night when he caught
Bader in a guillotine choke after dropping him with a right hand.
It
was one of the high points of a sensational card that included
spectacular knockouts by Carlos Condit over Dong Hyun Kim, Melvin
Guillard over Shane Roller, Rafael dos Anjos over George Sotiropoulos
and Chris Leben over Silva, as well as a back-and-forth battle
between Cruz and Faber in a bout that was fought at a breakneck
pace.
But
while the Cruz-Faber grudge match, which Cruz won by scores of
50-45, 49-46 and 48-47, had the crowd of 12,947 roaring and frequently
on its feet, the story of the night was the fate of the UFC’s
two veteran stars.
Ortiz
saved his job with his stunning submission, though the beloved
Silva may have lost his when he was knocked out in just 27 seconds
by Leben.
Silva
was wobbled by the first clean shot that landed, a sign that
his once strong chin is betraying him. Leben followed with three
hard uppercuts, all of which landed on the button, and then finished
the fight on the ground.
Cruz
and Faber put on the flashy show, and earned their $75,000 bonuses
apiece for taking Fight of the Night. But the post-fight news
conference was dominated by the discussion of the fate of Ortiz
and Silva.
Ortiz
kept his job, but Silva appears headed for retirement after losing
for the sixth time in his last eight outings. He was so woozy
from Leben’s punches that he tried to pull guard on referee
Josh Rosenthal after Rosenthal pulled Leben off to save him.
UFC
president Dana White said he’ll talk with Silva, but suggested
that Silva’s days as an active fighter most likely are done.
“Tonight
was a [big] night for both of these guys, and tonight was a night
for both of those guys to win,” White said. “Everybody
knew that Tito had to win tonight to stay in the UFC. He did
it. Not only did he win the fight, he won the fight impressively,
dropping the younger, stronger guy who many people felt had better
hands, dropping Bader and then submitting him.
“As
far as Wanderlei goes, I say this all the time: You can sit and
break down fights and think this fight should go like this and
this fight should go like that. But people knew him and Leben
were going to come out and they were going to throw until somebody
fell down. That was Wanderlei tonight.”
Silva
has been one of the sport’s most popular fighters, both
in the UFC and in the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championship,
for his throw-caution-to-the-wind style and willingness to take
on all comers.
He
never backed down from a fight and was one of the most exciting
fighters in the sport for nearly a decade.
“People
love him so much because of the way he fights, and his style
and the type of person that he is,” White said. “But
it’s probably the end of the road for Wanderlei.”
It
seemed like Ortiz had come to the end of the road, as well. He
hadn’t won since defeating an aged Ken Shamrock in 2006.
In Bader, he was facing a young, confident guy who just five
months earlier was fighting Jon Jones for the right to fight
for the title.
There
has been no love lost between Ortiz and White for a long time
and just before Thursday’s prefight news conference, the
two were seen by reporters in a heated argument. Neither would
divulge what the dispute was about, other than White saying it
was “typical Dana and Tito [expletive],” but it was
just another sign that had Ortiz lost, his career would have
been over.
Ortiz,
who had been through neck and back surgeries that he said no
other athlete would have come back from, credited his health
with saving his job.
He
was a desperate fighter whose body didn’t betray him this
time.
“You
got to understand, I’m healthy now,” Ortiz said following
his first win in 57 months. “There’s no more excuses.
I really put my time into this camp. I went through two major
surgeries, which have been my downfall for the last six years.
I’ve been trying to do as much work as I can to get a win,
but I came up short, four, five times in a row. Split decisions,
draws, decision, decision, but I stayed competitive against top
guys in the world.
“I
think Ryan kind of didn’t respect me. And I let my hands
go.”
And
letting his hands go led to a win leaves him as the last man
standing among the UFC veterans who made up the core of the sport
in the earlier part of the century. Chuck Liddell retired earlier
this year. Randy Couture retired after being knocked out by Lyoto
Machida at UFC 129 and Silva’s retirement may be imminent
after his loss on Saturday.
The
sport, though, is in good hands as they exit, because guys like
Cruz and Faber are helping to lift it to new heights, both in
terms of the quality of their matches as well as the pace at
which they fight.
Cruz
seemed to control the bout with beautiful footwork, hard kicks,
a lot of punches and plenty of movement. He mixed in a few takedowns
– CompuStrike had him successful on six of 11 takedown attempts
– in a bout that was a perfect topper to a terrific card.
Young
fighters who fell in love with the sport after watching Ortiz,
Silva, Liddell and Couture are now at the top of it leading it
into the future.
“Yes,
I think we’ll be the next level,” Cruz said. “You
know, me and Urijah I think kind of set the bar for everything,
but for the 135ers especially. We were able to show everybody
in the world today that 135ers can headline a card, 145ers can
headline a card, and it will be exciting.
“We
can compete with heavyweights, 170-pounders, everybody. We all
train hard, we all work hard and just because we’re little
guys, it doesn’t mean we can’t scrap.”
Ortiz
and Silva once were among the best and they taught the youngsters
well.
Cruz
and Faber are the perfect guys to accept the torch and carry
MMA into a knockout- and submission-filled future.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
Targeting February 26, 2012, at Saitama Super Arena for Japan
Show
Just
last week, UFC president Dana White mentioned that the UFC would
be heading to Japan sooner rather than later.
Now
it appears the promotion has targeted a tentative date and venue.
According
to sources speaking to MMAWeekly.com on Sunday, UFC officials
are looking at a Feb. 26, 2012, date in Japan with the show currently
targeted for the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama.
While
the venue has been reserved by agencies working with Zuffa in
Japan, this is still just the preliminary location they are focusing
on for a return to Japan. Other venues and locations are being
looked at, but Saitama Super Arena is currently the most likely
landing spot.
White
predicted that the company would likely end up in Japan in 2011,
although our sources are indicating the early part of 2012 is
more realistic at this point.
“The
rumor is true, we’re going to come to Japan and probably
very soon,” White said last week.
UFC
executive vice president Mark Fischer, who was hired in 2010
to lead Zuffa’s charge into Asia, is currently working to
secure a finalized date and venue for the event.
Sources
have indicated that Fischer is in contact with several Japanese
promoters who have put on shows there before to help smooth the
way for a UFC produced card.
While
it’s unclear at this time whether or not Zuffa will actually
work with a promoter to put on the show or not, Fischer has been
in contact with at least a few as this process begins to bear
fruit.
The
UFC’s return to Japan is literally more than a decade in
the making. The promotion hasn’t traveled to the “Land
of the Rising Sun” since 2000.
White
has spoken candidly about the problems he’s had trying to
promote an event in Japan. But with the company expanding further
into Asia, a region it considers a major market for the future,
it’s a location they feel is a necessary part of the UFC’s
global efforts.
MMAWeekly.com
will have more information on the UFC Japan show when it becomes
available.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Rafael
dos Anjos celebrates KO win. Coach expects Top 5 opponent next
Rafael
dos Anjos got one of the most beautiful knockouts of UFC 132,
sending the Australian George Sotiropoulos to the floor after
less than a minute of fight, and he was all about partying in
Las Vegas.
On
the following day of his victory, the BJJ black belt chatted
exclusively with TATAME, and he was glad about his evolution
while striking. “The game plan was to explore the high and
low kicks, but when the fight started I felt like his hand was
not that heavy, then I got the guts to move forwards”, said
Rafael, who commented on his game plan and regretted Wanderlei
Silva’s loss to Chris Leben.
“It
was pretty tense in there… They’re both dangerous athletes,
they have heavy hands… Everybody believed that it could
be a quick bout, but unfortunately Leben got the win. We were
hoping Wanderlei would win, but he couldn’t”.
Coach
expects a Top 5 opponent next
Rafael
dos Anjos put on a hell of a show in UFC 132, making his coach
Roberto Gordo proud. “I was hoping for the win, but we didn’t
hope it’d happen that fast. The goal was to knock him out
or submit him, but we really didn’t expect him to beat the
guy up on the first minute of the fight”, said Gordo to
TATAME, still in Las Vegas. “The game plan was to strike
a little and than, if he needed to, take the guy down. But he
was supposed to strike first”.
Known
for his good ground game, Sotiropoulos had a hard time while
striking on his last fight in UFC, against Denis Siver, and Rafael
dos Anjos’ team learned many lessons from that bout. “We’ve
saw many of his bouts. The one against Denis Siver and Joe Lauzon’s,
mainly. We’ve watched his bout and analyzed his Boxing level.
We knew he was a tough guy, complete, had a good game, but we
hoped to get the chance to finish the fight”, explains Gordo,
highlighting Rafael’s evolution while striking.
“We’ve
been training for a little while, but since he started fighting
in UFC he focused on his strike and he’s evolved a lot.
It was not the first time he did a good job while striking. The
goal is to keep evolving, but without forgetting the ground game.
But it’s something he really likes to do, he’s satisfied.
Really, from then on, he’s changed a lot”. For the
future, the coach hopes a great opponent. “We want him to
fight one of the top 5 athletes of the division. Of course there’re
many people on this line, but it’s his wish. With this win,
the way it happened, we believe he’ll fight one of the top
5 guys next”.
Check
below an exclusive interview with Dos Anjos:
What
are your thoughts about the fight?
I
entered there to, first, win the rounds, but we always try to
get the KO or the submission, but I didn’t expect it’d
finish that fast. Thanks’ God I was happy and got the win
on the first round.
What
was the game plan?
We’ve
watched many of his fights and we realized he used few kicks,
he works with one leg forwards, so we tried to explore that leg.
I tried to take advantage of that, the fact that he only uses
his hands and not his legs too. The game plan was to explore
the high and low kicks, but when the fight started I felt like
his hand was not that heavy, then I got the guts to move forwards.
He
complained that the bout would have been interrupted too soon…
Well
(laughs)… He slept for about three minutes. The guy was
completely disability to fight. My punch really got him, he felt
and I was already on top of him. The referee did a good job stopping
that fight.
Your
win was the first knockout of the night, but then came Guillard,
Condit and Leben also got great wins later. Did you expect that
you’d earn the check for the best knockout of the evening?
Absolutely…
Four bouts had already occurred and there was no KO, but there
were others later. Condit’s was a beautiful one, really
nice, but we hoped for it. Unfortunately, it went to Carlos.
What
are your hopes for the future? Maybe a rematch against Clay Guida?
I’d
like that, but I guess it’s not likely they match we up.
I hadn’t fought for a long time, Guida won two or three
bouts, but I’d really like this rematch.
How
do you see your evolution since your bout with Guida?
This
time was good for me to learn much. I always try to improve the
areas on which I have flaws. I’m a Jiu-Jitsu guy so I have
huge flaws on my striking, but I’m getting better results
now.
Did
the guys from UFC compliment you for your win?
Sure,
I’ve got tones of compliments, mainly because I haven’t
fought for 10 months, I wasn’t on the right track, and I
got a beautiful knockout like that. I was at ease… Sotiropoulos
had never been knocked out before, and I did it.
Another
athlete who hasn’t fought for a long time was Wanderlei,
who was knocked out by Chris Leben. How were things backstage?
Were you on the same room that he was in?
I
just ran through him on the weighting, we weren’t on the
same room, it was pretty tense in there… They’re both
dangerous athletes, they have heavy hands… Everybody believed
that it could be a quick bout, but unfortunately Leben got the
win. We were hoping Wanderlei would win, but he couldn’t.
You’ve
witnesses Leben’s victory after the fight…
Yeah,
absolutely, he was pretty happy. Knocking out Wanderlei…
He celebrated a lot. And he deserved it, right?
There’re
many people wondering about Wanderlei’s future. As an athlete,
what do you imagine that can happen? Do you believe it’s
time for him to retire and rethink about his career?
It
depends on the guy, it’s hard to talk on his behalf. If
he’s feeling like he should fight more, if he can do good
on the trainings and on the fights, he should keep on doing it,
but if he gets to a point on which he actually can’t do
it, he really should stop.
Source: Tatame
|
Leonardo
Santos excited to fight for BAMMA title
The
day of September 10th promises to be unforgettable for the Brazilian
Leonardo Santos. That’s because it’s the day that the
athlete of Nova Uniao will have a chance at the title of the
lightweight division of BAMMA, in Birmingham, England, against
Rob Sinclair.
After
making a great impression after defeating Jason Ball on his debut
on the event, Leo is near to reach his greatest goal after leaving
his Jiu-Jitsu career aside: becoming a MMA champion.
“This
title shot is a crucial moment in MMA for me, because I can make
everything I’ve always wished for to come true. I’m
glad to have this chance. Many people criticize me for leaving
Jiu-Jitsu where I was the number one to become just another guy
in MMA. I worked really hard for earning this belt and I hope
I can get it”, said, on an interview with TATAME, analyzing
his opponent.
“I’ve
only watched on of his bouts, but for what I’ve seen, he’s
a great striker, but he’s not silly when it comes to the
ground game and he seems to heavy pretty heavy hands. He’s
a top guy. In order to be the champion of an event like BAMMA,
he must be a tough guy. It’s another challenge in my career
and it’ll only make me stronger. I have a lot to learn from
this fight”.
Actually,
Sinclair has his striking game as his strong point. A prove of
that is that he won his three last bouts by TKOs after launching
many hard coups upon his opponent. When askes about his game
plan to block his opponent’s game, Leo Santos said:
“I
have to punch him first, right (laughs)? I can’t make him
get bigger on this fight, my game plan is to hit him before he
hits me. But we’ll see what happens when it happens. I have
no doubts I’ll try to bring him into my game, which is the
ground game and let’s see who can block who. I came from
Jiu-Jitsu and I can never forget that. I can improve my Wrestling
or whatever, but I’ll always try to use my Jiu-Jitsu”.
Source: Tatame
|
Falling
Action: Best and Worst of UFC 132
At least one career was salvaged at UFC 132, while another may
have come to an end. Both contributed greatly to a memorable
night in Las Vegas, where two little guys showed just how badly
they wanted to go home with a hunk of leather and metal.
Now
that it's all over and we've got the obligatory 4th of July hot
dogs sizzling on the grill, let's take a minute to sort through
this weekend's biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.
Biggest
Winner: Tito Ortiz
If you'd asked me on Friday, I would have told you the "Huntington
Beach Bad Boy" would be retired by now. No matter what he
says, you know he must have considered that possibility as well
in some of his darker moments. But not only did he come out on
top in his must-win fight, he looked dominant in his submission
win over Ryan Bader. The last person Ortiz submitted was Yuki
Kondo. He did it back in 2000 and he did it with a neck crank,
both of which tell you a little something about how long Ortiz
has been in the game. Thanks to the win, Ortiz gets to stick
around a little while longer. Whether it's the beginning of a
genuine comeback or just a temporary stay of execution, only
time will tell.
Biggest
Loser: Wanderlei Silva
Another attempt to brawl results in another frightening knockout.
Silva has taken too many of these sorts of beatings lately, and
each one is harder to watch than the last. Some people will point
to last year's win over Michael Bisping as proof that he doesn't
need to retire, and sure, it does seem unfair to point to one
knockout loss to Leben as proof that the man is done. At the
same time, Silva's losses aren't like Ortiz's string of fairly
close decisions. He's getting knocked all the way out, and his
fighting style isn't evolving to protect his increasingly suspect
chin. After 15 years in the sport, Silva can walk away with his
head up whenever he feels like it. Let's just hope he feels like
before something happens to him that can't be undone.
Best
Removal of a Monkey from One's Own Back: Dominick Cruz
He said he was ready for questions about his submission loss
to Faber to stop for good, and with this win he'll finally get
his wish. You can argue the scoring, but I don't think you can
argue the outcome. Cruz simply did more than Faber, even if he
did get dropped a time or two. His speed and his well-rounded
attack is going to be a problem for anybody in the division,
and now that he's vanquished Faber he can move on to other challenges.
At least until Faber wins a couple and starts asking for a rubber
match. Then we can do this all over again.
Most
Vicious: (tie) Carlos Condit and Melvin Guillard
Remember back when the one thing we all knew about Greg Jackson's
fighters was that they played it too safe and never finished
fights? No, not ringing any bells? Maybe it's because that bit
of conventional wisdom just got kneed in its face until it was
utterly unrecognizable. These two Jackson camp fighters dispatched
their respective opponents with terrifying ferocity and efficiency
on Saturday night. I'm not sure what you do with either right
now, since both are probably worthy of title shots, and yet neither
is next in line in his division at the moment. Neither Condit
or Guillard seem like the type to wait around until things sort
themselves out, which is bad news for every other contender.
Chances are, the path to a title shot at both lightweight and
welterweight will run through these two.
Most
Impressive in Defeat: Urijah Faber
Personally, I scored it for Cruz (though I didn't give him every
round, as one judge did), but Faber made it damn close. He came
up with a better answer to Cruz's difficult style than anyone
else the UFC bantamweight champ has ever fought, and even if
he came up short in the end he still put on a fantastic show.
It's the fourth consecutive title fight that Faber has lost,
which puts him in a tough spot. As we saw on Saturday, he's still
one of the best fighters in the world at 135 pounds, but what
can you do with him at this point? The UFC can't just keep booking
Cruz-Faber over and over, and yet Faber is still far above gatekeeper
level. That's going to be a tough one for matchmaker Joe Silva
to figure out, but you know he'll come up with something. He
always does.
Least
Impressive in Victory: Aaron Simpson
He spent fifteen minutes trying to force Brad Tavares to mate
with a section of chain-link fencing, and while he got his hand
raised at the end, he didn't make many new fans. If there's anything
the UFC likes less than lay-and-pray, it's wall-and-stall. At
least get the guy to the mat before you suffocate any hope for
action out of the fight. Simpson didn't even do that. He clung
to Tavares as if he knew that victory would be his as long as
he could make sure nothing actually happened between the bells.
The real bummer is, he was right.
Best
Display of Angry, Shirtless Speed-Walking: Matt Wiman
I get it, he was upset. He thought he deserved the decision win
over Dennis Siver, and when he didn't get it his disappointment/rage
got the better of him. Maybe it was best for him to go find a
quiet place to be alone with his anger right then. But at the
same time, it's not like he was robbed by the judges. It was
an incredibly close fight and it could have easily gone either
way. When you're standing there waiting for the scores to be
announced after a fight like that, you have to know there's at
least a chance that you're not going to like what you hear. Not
that I necessarily blame him for taking off like a man who just
remembered that he left the stove on at home. Everyone hates
losing. And wearing shirts.
Most
Likely to Win More Bar Fights Than Championships: Chris Leben
He's never been the most technical of strikers, but more often
than not he gets the job done. Against Silva he proved that his
left hand is still as dangerous as ever, though that's true of
most fighters when their opponents zombie-walk right into it.
At this point in his career, Leben's appeal is pretty well solidified.
He won't win 'em all, but he will do his best to make sure that
somebody loses consciousness by the end of the night. There's
definitely a place for that on UFC cards, even if that place
is probably not in the main event most of the time. You're not
going to become a UFC champion throwing haymakers and eschewing
defense the way Leben does, but you can collect enough paychecks
to keep you in gummi bears for years to come. And really, what
else do you need in life?
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Up
N Up
August
12, 2011
Waipahu Filcom
Doors open at 5:30 pm, Fights start at 6:00 pm
 |
UFC
132 Draws Attendance and Gate Consistent to recent MGM Grand
Fights
UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber pulled in an announced attendance of
12,947 for gate receipts totaling $2.3 million, according to
UFC president Dana White. The event took place Saturday night
at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
UFC
bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz maintained a firm grasp on
his belt and threw a little water on the fire that had been brewing
between himself and Urijah Faber.
The
numbers for UFC 132 weren’t blockbuster, but they were in
line with what the UFC has been pulling at the MGM Grand lately.
UFC 125: Resolution, featuring Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard,
drew an attendance of 13,947 and a gate of $2.2 million. More
recently, UFC 130, featuring Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
vs. Matt Hamill, brought in 12,753 in attendance and $2.6 million
in gate receipts.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Lyoto
Machida: “If Sonnen really wants this fight, I’ll sign
it immediately”
Former UFC light heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida is waiting
for the definition of his next opponent, after a second-round
KO win over Hall of Famer Randy Couture, and the trash-talk master
Chael Sonnen decided to turn his weapons to the light heavyweight
division.
In
an interview to MMA Fighting, Sonnen said he’d like to move
up and fight Machida. And the Brazilian welcomed the bout. “I
think that’s great, I’m excited to do that. He’s
coming back now, wants to fight, and I really think it’s
a good fight for me. If Sonnen really wants this fight, I’ll
sign it immediately, no problem at all”, he said.
Check
below an exclusive interview with Lyoto, who also talked about
a potential bout against the champion Jon Jones, who’s now
set to fight Rampage Jackson. “I have to focus on my next
opponent, but I believe I can defeat him”.
How
is the training going after the impressive win over Couture?
We’re
training lightly now, we’ll only focus more when the UFC
defines my next opponent, then I’ll get my team together
to plan my work. I’m training Karate and BJJ every day,
staying on weigh, but in a light training.
Did
the win over Couture help you to get back to training with less
pressure, after two losses in a row?
It’s
always good to have peace at work. Thanks God I had plenty of
time to work for Couture, prepared myself at my best and that
resulted in my win over him, which gave me more peace to restart
my work.
Is
there any talks on where are you gonna fight again?
Nothing
yet, that’s the problem. All of the potential opponents
are set to fight, and I think I’ll just have to wait. Rampage
will fight Jon Jones, Franklin fights Minotouro, Phil Davis vs
Rashad, so I’ll have to wait for the definition of these
fights so start my training focused.
Chael
Sonnen told MMA Fighting that he’d like to move up and fight
you soon. What do you think about that?
I
think that’s great, I’m excited to do that. He’s
coming back now, wants to fight, and I really think it’s
a good fight for me. If Sonnen really wants this fight, I’ll
sign it immediately, no problem at all.
Many
people believe you have the perfect style to match Jon Jones.
Do you agree?
When
this fight was rumored, I was very focused on that, but I do
believe I have weapons to fight well against him, but that’s
not my problem yet. I believe in my game, in my training, but
I can’t stay thinking in this fight now, I have to focus
on my next opponent, but I believe I can defeat him.
Talking
about UFC 132, Wanderlei Silva lost to Chris Leben. Do you believe
it’s the end of the Axe Murderer’s career?
It’s
a tough situation to talk about, but Wanderlei has a lot of heart
a gas, which are very important. I don’t believe it’s
the end, if he wants to keep going he still has a lot of things
to do. He’s experienced, and still has time to fight. If
he believes it’s time to stop, that he won’t be able
to fight in high level again, it’s his decision, but that
is something that happens is any career and can be reversed.
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
in Saitama Super Arena treat for Pride fans
That
the UFC plans a return to Japan is old news. At the press conference
following the February UFC 126 show, promotional president Dana
White guaranteed they will be making a return to the Land of
the Rising Sun, which readers read about at the time on GRACIEMAG.com
and in GRACIEMAG magazine.
But
one question remained: when would the said return be? The earthquake
and subsequent tsunami that ravaged the country caused doubt
to the extent of Dana White suggesting at the time that the event
may not unfold this year.
According
to MMAWeekly.com, the UFC’s return to Japan is set for February
26, 2012, and the venue is likely to be the traditional Saitama
Super Arena, where for years fans delighted in the finest MMA
action around, but under the banner of Pride FC.
After
all, nothing more fitting than a good dose of nostalgia on bringing
the cream of the MMA crop back to Japan. And die-hard Pride fans
should relish it.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Sincere
White says, “It looks like the end of the road for Wanderlei”
The
king of the world during his days at Pride FC, it’s been
some years now that Wanderlei Silva has been riding a rocky road,
ever since he entered the UFC fray. He’s seen six losses
in his last eleven fights. On his return to the UFC, specifically,
he’s suffered four losses in six fights – well below
the kind of performance Wand fans were used to during the earlier
part of his career.
“People
love him a lot for the way he fights, his style and the person
he is. But, yes, it’s probably the end of the road for Wanderlei,”
the UFC president spelled the “Axe Murderer’s”
sentence.
White
made a similar declaration in the past, but referring to Chuck
Liddell, another big-time popular hero. Either way, it’s
bad news for Wand, who turns 35 years old on this day.
Indeed,
White even compared the case of Wand to that of Liddell. The
promotional kingpin feels Wanderlei has nothing more to prove.
The
Brazilian’s bane on the occasion, Chris Leben, was cordial
in what he had to say.
“Wanderlei
is my favorite fighter; I never imagined I’d beat him like
that. I expected to fight three rounds. I’ve never been
so shocked by a fight. Wanderlei’s a legend; what he did
for the sport is unbelievable,” he said.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
With
No Strikeforce Fight On Horizon, Gokhan Saki Desires Boxing Match
With David Haye
With
no idea as to when he’ll make his transition to mixed martial
arts, K-1 stand-out Gokhan Saki is now seeking a boxing fight
with David Haye.
Saki
made his desire to fight the heavyweight boxer via Twitter on
Sunday morning.
“I
really don’t [know] when my first MMA fight (is),”
Saki said on the popular social media site. “I want to fight
(David) Haye. Can someone [organize] this, please?
“I
love boxing, [too].”
Saki,
who gained a lot of attention for how well he performed in last
year’s K-1 World Grand Prix, has had a desire to transition
from K-1 kickboxing to MMA for some time, now. Shortly after
his K-1Grand Prix loss to eventual tournament winner and current
Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, Saki went
public with his hopes to fight in Strikeforce by the summer of
2011.
Unfortunately,
there has been no moving forward in the Saki-Strikeforce saga
since initial discussions took place.
“We
had a preliminary conversation with him, but there’s nothing
solid, nothing to announce,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker
told MMAWeekly.com. “I think we have a roster (where) we
have to fulfill all these agreements and make sure the right
fights are happening… But that guy is talented, and if he
really commits himself to the ground fight and learns how to
stop the take-down and learns how to do jiujitsu, he’s going
to be a threat because he could put a hurting on some people.
“But
he is talented, I really like him.”
Haye,
who just recently lost in his WBA heavyweight title defense to
Wladimir Klitschko yesterday in Hamburg, Germany, holds a 25-2
record in boxing and has recently contemplated his future in
the sport.
“My
cutoff date is in three months, which in boxing terms is not
a long time,” Haye told BBC Sports.
Although
Saki desires to fight the boxing heavyweight, he may not get
his chance if Haye chooses to walk away at or before his cutoff
date.
Realistically,
Haye would rather seek a rematch with Klitschko and Saki’s
MMA future seems like a stronger possibility. With Pro Elite
recently announcing their return to the MMA scene, Saki’s
MMA destinations have increased and fighting for ZUFFA is no
longer his only option.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
808
Battleground & X-1 World Events
Domination
Mixed Martial Arts
at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower
Doors open at 5 pm, Fights start at 6 pm
$30 Pre-sale, $40 at the door
http://www.808battleground.com/
|
UFC
132 Results
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
July 2, 2011
Jeff
Hougland vs. Donny Walker
Round 1
Referee Mario Yamasaki starts the contest. Hougland lands an
inside leg kick and follows with a jab. Hougland lands a body
kick and then shoots for a double. He completes the takedown
and is now standing over Walker and dropping shots to the body
and head. Walker is active off his back, preventing the pass
and landing several elbows. Stalemate now as both men jockey
for position. Hougland lands a pair of elbows and then stacks
Walker against the cage. With Walker seated against the cage,
Hougland snatches an arm-in guillotine, but he can't finish the
fight. The round ends with Hougland on top, but Walker is landing
elbows from the guard.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hougland
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Hougland
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Hougland
Round
2
The pair trade tentative strikes to start the second, but Hougland
is more active, landing multiple leg kicks. Hougland lands a
spinning back fist to the side of the head. Walker is really
looking for the big shot. Hougland shoots a takedown, but it's
stuffed. Hougland lands a nice outside leg kick and then a pair
of jabs. Walker is cut over his right eye. Hougland ties a head
kick, but it's blocked. Walker continues to press forward, whiffing
on a body kick and then a left hook. Hougland lands a looping
counter left hook, but it's answered by a leg kick from Walker.
Walker rushes in and takes an incidental knee to the groin. Yamasaki
calls for time, but restarts them quickly. Hougland continually
lands a well-timed jab and then tags Walker with a big shot coming
in that hurts him. Hougland tries another guillotine and jumps
into guard. Walker seems safe, however. Now Hougland switches
to a no-arm variation, and it looks close to being over. The
horn sounds, and we'll go to round three.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hougland
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-8 Hougland
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Hougland
Round
3
The fighters touch gloves to start. Hougland lands a right cross,
but walker answers with a lead-right hook. Walker clinches and
presses Hougland against the cage. Both men land knees before
Hougland shoots for a double. Walker sprawls, and Hougland pulls
guard. Hougland is trying a straight armbar from bottom. Walker
stacks him and drops Hougland on the back of his head. Hougland
now threatening with a triangle, but Walker squirts an arm through
Hougland's legs and escapes. Yamasaki stands them up after a
few seconds of inactivity. Walker lands a nice leg kick and then
a pair of right hands. Hougland tries a double, but Walker again
sprawls. Walker is setting up a D'arce from top control in Hougland's
half guard. Hougland sweeps from half and winds up in Walker's
guard. Both men are landing shots – Hougland with punches,
Walker with elbows off his back. Both men continue to throw as
the round expires.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Houghland (30-27 Houghland)
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Walker (29-27 Houghland)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Walker (29-27 Houghland)
Official
scores: 29-28 (twice) and 30-27 for Houghland, winner by unanimous
decision. Judges names are not announced.
Andre
Winner vs. Anthony Njokuani
Round 1
Referee Yves Lavigne kicks off this lightweight contest. Njokuani
leads with an inside leg kick, but Winner responds with a hard
one-two that is blocked. Both men gauge distance with front kicks.
Njokuani digs a left hook to the ribs. Winner leads with a left
hook, but Njokuani responds with another leg kick before trying
a spinning elbow. Winner tries a lead uppercut. Njokuani counters
with a knee and a pair of leg kicks and follows with a knee to
the ribs from the clinch. Njokuani lands a sweet counter uppercut
to the jaw. Winner rushes for ward, then whiffs on a high kick.
Njokuani circles to his right and lands another leg kick and
then goes upstairs. Winner blocks the head kick and charges forward
with a hook that is countered with a body punch. Njokuani counters
with another uppercut. Njokuani lands a leg kick and then a teep
to the gut. Njokuani lands a jab and then another front kick.
Njokuani lands a pair of knees to the face and follows up with
a murderous flurry. Punches, knees come from everywhere, but
Winner is somehow still alive. Winner is out on his feet. Referee
Yves Lavigne is looking hard at this one. Winner somehow survives
another burst and is taken down with a trip. He bounces back
to his feet as the horn sounds.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-8 Njokuani
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-8 Njokuani
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Njokuani
Round
2
Incredibly, Winner comes out aggressive to start round two. Njokuani
stays on the outside, gauging distance. Winner leads with a left
hook. Njokuani responds with a high kick. Both shots are mostly
blocked. Deliberate pace through the first minute until Njokuani
lands a hard overhand right that knocks Winner into the cage.
More knees from Njokuani to Winner's ribs and face. Winner escapes
to the center of the cage. Winner secures a body lock and executes
a hip toss, but Winner bounces back to his feet again. The men
exchange knees in the clinch against the cage until Lavigne restarts
them in the center. Both men land punches, then Winner lands
a lead left hook. Njokuani lands an outside leg kick, then an
inside variation. Another inside leg kick from Njokuani followed
by a high kick that is blocked. Winner whiffs with that lead
left hook. Njokuani lands a body kick. Winner misses on a right
hand lead. Njokuani tries another spinning elbow, but hits nothing
but air. Jab from Njokuani, then a flurry of kicks that push
Winner out of punching distance.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
Round
3
Njokuani lands another inside leg kick to start the third. Winner
blocks a high kick and tries one of his own. Winner leads with
an uppercut and follows with a body jab. Njokuani lands a nice
right hook to the jaw. Winner lands a nice body jab. The Brit
tries an uppercut, but it's blocked. Winner just misses on a
head kick. Njokuani fires a four-strike combination and then
lands a hard leg kick to the lead thigh. Left hook to the ribs
from Njokuani and then a lead-leg body kick. Winner is trying
to get on the inside, but Njokuani continues to frustrate him
on the outside. Another leg kick from Njokuani. And another.
Njokuani tries a takedown, but it's stuffed. Winner lands a left
hook from the clinch, but Njokuani responds with a combination
before circling away from the fence. Njokuani switches briefly
to southpaw and seems content to ride out the decision. Scratch
that. Njokuani lands a left hook and then a body kick. Winner
is still game and looking for a big shot, but it's not there.
The horn sounds to end the bout.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Njokuani (30-26 Njokuani)
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Njokuani (30-26 Njokuani)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Njokuani (30-26 Njokuani)
Official
scores: 30-26 (twice) and 30-27 for the winner by unanimous decision,
Njokuani.
Brad
Tavares vs. Aaron Simpson
Round 1
Josh Rosenthal starts the middleweight bout. Tavares lands a
body kick as Simpson clinches and hunts for a takedown. Knees
to the thigh courtesy of Simpson. Tavares is hanging onto an
overhook and defending the takedown successfully thus far. Simpson
elevates Tavares briefly, but he can't quite get him up for a
slam or trip. More knees from the clinch from Simpson. The crowd
boos the clinch work. Tavares defends another trip attempt. Midway
through the round, and Simpson is still pounding Tavares against
the cage. Rosenthal restarts them due to inactivity. Tavares
lands a nice right straight, but Simpson eats it and fires a
leg kick before bulling forward to clinch against the cage again.
Simpson whirls Tavares around again, but Tavares uses his whizzer
to defend, ending up back in the clinch against the cage. Both
men trade shots as the round expires.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Simpson
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Simpson
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Simpson
Round
2
Simpson lands a leg kick, but Tavares counters with a heavy right
hand. Tavares pops Simpson coming in and drops him momentarily.
Simpson springs back to his feet and manages to secure a body
lock that he turns into a waist-cinch. Tavares turns into his
foe to prevent full back control and the fighters are back in
the over-under clinch once again. Both men jockey for position
while Rosenthal asks them to increase their work rate. Tavares
is now digging for a double-leg, but Simpson defends well before
landing a nice pair of knees from the Thai plum. Tavares tries
again, and this time he executes the takedown, elevating Simpson
and slamming him hard. Simpson springs back to his feet immediately,
however, and pins Simpson against the cage. Now Simpson tries
for a guillotine with Tavares seated against the cage. Tavares
escapes the choke and works his way out of a front headlock before
recovering to the Greco clinch. Tavares defends a takedown as
the round expires.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-10
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Simpson
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Round
3
Simpson whiffs on a huge right hand before closing the gap and
clinching again. They separate. Tavares lands a counter combination
as Simpson charges forward. Tavares defends another takedown
attempt with a whizzer. Back in the clinch, Simpson continues
to work with short punches. Simpson gets a body lock and tries
to drag Tavares down, but Tavares' base is still stout. Even
so, it's Simpson dictating everything so far this round. Simpson
finally gets his takedown, but Tavares stands up. Simpson trips
him down, but Tavares again stands. Simpson is relentless, grinding
his foe down with this constant pressure. Simpson tries another
double, but Tavares again defends well. Rosenthal separates the
men. Simpson lands a nice overhand right and transitions into
an outside trip to score the takedown. Tavares escapes to his
feet and tries another takedown that's stuffed. The fighters
are still scrapping as the horn sounds.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Simpson (30-28 Simpson)
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Simpson (30-27 Simpson)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Simpson (30-28 Simpson)
Official
scores: 30-27s across the board for Aaron Simpson, winner by
unanimous decision.
Brian
Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Round 1
Mario Yamasaki starts the bantamweight bout. Both men tentative
to start. Bowles tosses out a jab, and Mizugaki tries an overhand
right before landing an outside leg kick. Bowles circles to his
left and fires a jab, but Mizugaki cracks him with a right hand
for his efforts. Mizugaki blocks an uppercut and lands another
right before finding a home for another leg kick. Another leg
kick from the Japanese fighter. Bowles lands a jab and Mizugaki
whiffs on another overhand. Bowles still sticking his jab out
there, but Mizugaki is still looking to counter. Bowles lands
a glancing jab. Bowles still circling left. Mizugaki times him
with a right hand and catches Bowles coming in. Bowles lands
a right of his own, but there's little power behind it. Both
men launch a three punch combo, and the American lands his best
punch of the fight so far. Bowles clinches up and now presses
Mizugaki against the cage. Bowles now cinches up a body lock
and begins to knee the ribs. Yamasaki breaks them with 10 seconds
left in the frame.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mizugaki
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-10
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mizugaki
Round
2
Both men tentative again to start the second before Mizugaki
initiates the action with a right cross and then a leg kick.
Bowles lands a pair of stiff jabs and then a right hand. Bowles'
movement has picked up, and he lands another jab. Bowles lands
a one-two, but Mizugaki counters with a jab. Body jab by Bowles.
Mizugaki lands a sharp right hand on the counter. Mizugaki lands
another right hand before eating a Bowles jab. Hard leg kick
from Mizugaki. Nice counter right hand from Bowles. Mizugaki
fires back with a right, but Bowles seems unfazed. Bowles catches
an outside leg kick and cracks Mizugaki with a right straight.
Bowles jumps on his foe and takes his back. Bowles now cinches
a body triangle and is searching for a rear-naked choke. Mizugaki
defends well, but Bowles is trying to soften him up with punches
from the back. Mizugaki wants to turn Bowles, but the triangle
keeps him in place. Bowles is trying hard to finish with the
rear-naked, but Mizugaki is still calm as the horn sounds.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bowles
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Bowles
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bowles
Round
3
Bowles may have broken his hand once again in round two. Mizugaki
tries a left hook to start the frame, but Bowles smothers him
and presses his foe against the cage. Mizugaki lands a high knee
to Bowles' face from the Greco clinch. Bowles lands short knees
to Mizugaki's legs. Mizugaki catches a knee and fires a combination
to escape the position. Bowles shoots a double and completes
it in a big way. Suddenly, Bowles again has Mizugaki's back,
this time from a standing position. Bowles clings to Mizugaki's
back like like a monkey as he thinks about a rear-naked choke.
Mizugaki is calm with wrist control, but Bowles is still on his
back. Mizugaki tries to land short blows to Bowles' face, and
the crowd boos the stalemate. Yamasaki separates them with 50
seconds remaining. Mizugaki is pressing forward and lands a combination.
Bowles lands a right hand, but it looked uncomfortable. Bowles
is on his bike as the round expires.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bowles (29-28 Bowles)
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Bowles (30-28 Bowles)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bowles (29-28 Bowles)
Official
scores: 30-27 (twice) and 29-28 for Bowles, winner by unanimous
decision.
Rafael
dos Anjos vs. George Sotiropoulos
Round 1
Referee Yves Lavigne signals the start of the Spike TV card.
Sotiropoulos presses immediately. Dos Anjos fires a combination,
but he's countered by a Sots combination. The Aussie lands a
light outside leg kick, and Dos Anjos retaliates with a hard
one. The pair exchange looping hooks, and the Brazilian's clips
Sotiropoulos on the chin. The Aussie collapses, his skull bouncing
off the canvas. Lavigne steps in to stop the contest at only
59 seconds of the first frame, saving Sotiropoulos from further
punishment.
Melvin
Guillard vs. Shane Roller
Round 1
Josh Rosenthal starts the lightweight contest. Guillard tries
a pair of flying knees to begin and follows up with a left hook
and a right hand. Guillard is on his toes and looks very comfortable.
Guillard lands a hard leg kick and follows with a combination.
Guillard lands a nice body kick as Roller rushes in, but it looks
like Roller was poked in the eye in the process. Roller is fine,
and the bout continues. Roller checks a leg kick, but gets clipped
with a punch to the body. Roller lands a nice left hook as both
men throw. Guillard did not enjoy that, and he circles out. Roller
now presses forward but gets caught with an uppercut, left hook
combo that drops him. He struggles to his feet but gets blasted
with another straight shot to the chops that puts him back on
the mat. There is no escape this time, as Guillard pounds him
into unconsciousness. The end comes at 2:12 of the first frame,
as Josh Rosenthal declares Guillard the winner by knockout.
Carlos
Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Round 1
Kim gets in close and slams Condit to the mat authoritatively.
However, Condit quickly pins Kim's arm, and sweeps to full mount,
and tries to lock up a guillotine. Kim peels Condit's hands,
and they resume standing. Low kick lands for Condit. Neither
guy locating hard strikes. Condit flicks a front kick, and then
explodes with a furious flying right knee that wrecks Kim. Kim
falls to his seat, and "The Natural Born Killer" is
all over him, taking mount and punching away, wracking Kim's
head from side to side. Steve Mazzagatti rescues the shattered
Kim at 2:58 of the first round. Incredible knockout.
Tito
Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader
Round 1
Both men start with an active jab. Bader lands an overhand right
that stumbles Ortiz briefly. Dueling low kicks whiff for each
man. Ortiz rushes with a two-piece, but Bader circles away. Low
kick for Bader. Both men trade turns pumping their hands and
landing a low kick. Ortiz jumps in with a right hook that crushes
Bader, folding his legs over one another. Ortiz smells blood,
and attacks with punches. Bader fights to a single-leg attempt,
but Ortiz locks up a guillotine and jumps guard. It's deep, and
Ortiz strains hard to finish the choke. Bader tries to wriggle
free, but is caught, and feebly taps. A jubilant Ortiz leaps
to his feet, instantly recreating his famous "Gravedigger"
routine with gusto. The end comes just 1:56 into the first round.
Incredible win for Tito Ortiz.
Matt
Wiman vs. Dennis Siver
Round 1
Hard low kick by Siver lands, and his overhand follow whizzes
by Wiman. Wiman low kicks. Siver launches a one-two that snaps
Wiman's head, and "Handsome" shoots a double, which
Siver soundly defends. Hard right for Wiman, and they swing away
wildly. Very aggressive fight from both through the first minute.
Low kick for Siver lands, a Wiman head kick sails wide. Hard
low kick for Siver. Inside low kick for Wiman, double roundhouse
kick by Siver, and more intense swinging. Very rugged, offensive
fight. Wiman grabs a waistlock and throws Siver to the mat. Siver
gets back up to his feet, as Wiman tries to pull him back down
with a single-leg takedown. Wiman drops down, tries to take the
back, and Siver thwarts him. The Russian-born German is showing
off great takedown defense. Siver tries to sneak a guillotine
in on Wiman, and Wiman breaks Siver's grip. They break, and a
Siver combination is blocked on the way out. Hard outside low
kick by Siver lands. Swinging right hook by Siver misses Wiman,
but he changes levels and puts Wiman on the mat. Siver tries
to pass, but Wiman shuts him down. The German stands, pounding
briefly before Wiman regains his feet. Wiman quickly attempts
a single-leg, but Siver shuts him down again. Heavy combination
punching from Siver, and Wiman shoots another double, finally
getting Siver on the mat with under 15 seconds to go. Wiman gets
into guard and punches at the bell.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Siver
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Siver
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Siver
Round
2
Wiman attacks Siver's legs with another double, and Siver sprawls
along the fence. Wiman switches to a single, and Siver stands.
Wiman continues to drive Siver into the fence, prompting boos
from the crowd. Siver threatens a guillotine, Wiman pulls out
and shoots in a single again. Wiman switches to a double, gets
his head low, and turns Siver over to finish the workmanlike
takedown. Wiman lands a short elbow that cuts Siver's forehead
open. Another hard elbow for Wiman lands. Three heavy right elbows
follow. Wiman continues to drill Siver with elbows, slashing
his face wide open. Siver is pouring blood. Wiman with a torrent
of hammerfist that force Siver to cover up. Five elbows for Wiman
smash into Siver's brow. Wiman tries for two double axehandles,
but Siver blocks them. The horn ends a firm Wiman round.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Wiman
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Wiman
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Wiman
Round
3
Inside low kick lands for Wiman, and Siver throws a slow one-two
that Wiman blocks. Wiman catches a Siver push kick, bulling him
into the fence and shooting another single. Siver splits his
legs along the fence, and Wiman tries to step over his leg, but
the German escapes to his feet. Left high kick is blocked by
Siver. He attempts to follow with his trademark spinning back
kick, but Wiman sidesteps it. The lightweights trade low kicks.
Wiman stumbles Siver with a low kick, and touches him with a
long Superman punch. Siver kicks, and Wiman tries to land a kneetap,
but Siver avoids, and fights Wiman's advance off with powerful
hooks. Wiman continues forward, and ducks under a left hook to
shoot another single. Siver punches away on Wiman's head, and
tries to break his grip. Siver forces Wiman back to the feet,
and turns him into the fence. Wiman grabs a guillotine, and pulls
guard. Siver escapes, but Wiman sucks him into an omoplata. Siver.
Pulls his arm out, and Wiman gets back to his feet. Siver kicks,
and Wiman catches his leg again, tripping him to the mat. Siver
kicks him away, and turns him over, standing up. Wiman attacks
again, and Siver kicks his leg out, forcing him into a takedown.
Wiman drives for it and Siver pounds away until the horn. Fun
fight.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Wiman (29-28 Wiman)
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Siver (29-28 Siver)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Siver (29-28 Siver)
Official
scores: All three judges score the bout 29-28 for the winner
by unanimous decision, Dennis Siver.
Wanderlei
Silva vs. Chris Leben
Round 1
Leben kicks, and Silva glances him with a right hand counter.
Silva attacks with a flurry of hooks. Leben throws a left hook
that tags and stumbles Silva. Leben goes to attack, but Silva
clinches. "The Crippler" responds with a torrent of
left uppercuts. Silva goes down on his face. Leben attacks and
punches away until referee Josh Rosenthal dives in to save Silva.
The Brazilian continues to fight the referee Rosenthal for several
seconds before coming to his senses. The official time of the
fight is 27 seconds.
UFC
Bantamweight Championship
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber
Round 1
Cruz's right hand lead snaps Faber's head back. Both men moving
actively, darting in and out. Cruz lands another right, and Faber
looks for the takedown. He tries to spin Cruz around to take
his back, but Cruz shakes him off. Low kick for Faber lands.
Cruz responds with a one-two and a kick of his own. Kicks from
Cruz are absorbed on the arms and body of Faber. Cruz continues
to shuck and jive, throwing low and high kicks. Cruz continues
to dance in and out. Hard low kick for the champion lands, but
Faber decks him right a right that drops him for a moment, as
the crowd roars. Cruz jumps back to his feet, and the fight continues
at its frenetic pace. They flurry, and Faber lands a right on
the exit. Faber jumps into the pocket, and Cruz smacks him with
a heavy uppercut. Cruz dances in, ducks a Faber hook, and lands
one of his own. Double jab and a hard low kick for Cruz. Faber
drives Cruz into the fence in pursuit of a takedown. Cruz knees
Faber to the head and gets an underhook. Faber breaks and flurries,
and Cruz blocks it. More punches exchanged, each landing hard
rights, and Faber lands a hard knee to boot. Cruz throws a flying
knee which glances, and Faber and he spill to the mat in an attempted
hip throw at the end of an exciting round.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-10
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-10
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Round
2
Cruz continues to be active with kicks, but can't land clean
on Faber through the first minute. A "Faber, Faber"
chant breaks out. Two kicks for Faber glance. Left hook and a
right cross land clean for Cruz. Cut kick for Cruz lands under
Faber's attempted check. Inside low kick for Cruz land, and Faber
lands a right. He responds with another hard right that finds
its mark on the champ. Stiff jab from the ever-dancing Cruz.
Cruz darting in and out with feints, but Faber simply backs away.
Flailing three-punch combo lands for Cruz. Faber attempts a single,
and Cruz glances with a pair of countering hooks. Head kick blocked
by Faber, but Cruz throws an outside low kick on the other side
that lands firm. Another jab lands for Cruz, and his swiping
right tags Faber. Faber responds with a right of his own that
stumbles Cruz. Cruz feints, Faber throws a right hook, and Cruz
immediately changes levels and double-legs him. However, Faber
quickly works back to his feet with 15 seconds to fight. Double
outside low kicks are followed by three hooks that land for Dominick
Cruz, ending another great round.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Faber
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Cruz
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cruz
Round
3
Slapping low kick for Faber lands, but Cruz lands a clean right-handed
lead in response. Cruz dives in with another right that misses
its mark. Galloping body kick for Cruz lands. Cruz attempts another
kneetap, but Faber blocks it, and the champion lands a series
of short rights rather than trying to finish the takedown. Combinations
for both guys sail wide. Cruz is walking down Faber more intently
now with his dancing, and nails him with a three-punch combo.
Two more low kicks. Cruz's volume is starting to define the fight.
Faber swipes with a body shot. Cruz swings and Faber ducks under,
taking him to the mat. Cruz sweeps and initiates the scramble,
but Faber attempts to take his back. Cruz rolls through and gets
to side control before they both stand up in a sensational scramble.
Stiff jab from Cruz connects. Faber kicks to the body, Cruz catches
it, but can't land a hard punch. A Cruz head kick is blocked,
but his right-handed follow smacks Faber. Solid right hook for
Faber lands, and Cruz responds with a left before shooting a
double. Faber stuffs the takedown, and they clinch along the
cage. Cruz tries for the single, but Faber stuffs it again. They
clinch until the horn.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Cruz
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Cruz
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cruz
Round
4
Cruz lands a quick combination to start the championship rounds.
A left hook followed by two right hooks jack Faber's jaw. Cruz
sidesteps a Faber right, but steps right onto a hard low kick.
A heavy Faber right hand smacks Cruz, and drops him to the mat
for a moment. As Faber steps in to attack, Cruz tries for a takedown,
but Faber shuts him down. Feint and a single-leg attempt for
Faber. Cruz shuts him down, but "The California Kid"
lands a stiff uppercut on the break. Lunging body hooks for Cruz
land. Two more Cruz punches glance Faber, and the champion adds
a knee. Both men are slowed, but continuing to fight with aggression.
Cruz attempts another kneetap, but Faber pancakes him. When Cruz
tries to reshoot, Faber shucks him off. Great takedown defense
by Faber. Left hook to the body and a right hook over the top
land for Faber as Cruz backs up and plays defense for a moment.
Faber kicks inside, and Cruz steps inside, landing a knee to
the head. Cruz changes levels again looking for a late takedown,
but Faber stuffs him. Cruz gets double underhooks and grinds
Faber into the fence until the bell.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-10
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-10
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cruz
Round
5
A heavy Cruz rocks Faber. The champion looks to leap in with
an attack, but Faber flurries in response. Heavy action to start
the fifth and final round. Cruz fakes a jab and shoots, getting
Faber to the mat. However, Faber scrambles back to his feet,
and Cruz hangs on with a rear waistlock. They separate. Cruz
doubles Faber to the mat again, but the former WEC featherweight
champ quickly leaps back to his feet. Faber kicks to the body,
and the kick is caught, but Cruz can't capitalize. Cruz lands
another double-leg, but Faber slickly sits out and slides back
to his feet, another display of brilliant defensive wrestling.
Cruz attempts a foot sweep, but Faber again scrambles and remains
standing, as Cruz rams him into the fence. Faber breaks Cruz's
grip, and the champion steps away with under two minutes to fight.
Hard inside low kick by Cruz. Faber responds with a tired head
kick but can't land. One minute left, and Cruz digs to the body.
Faber swings hook counters, but can't land. Cruz hits two consecutive
knee taps, but Faber keeps his hips low and defends both expertly.
Faber breaks free with 20 seconds to fight. Front kick by Faber
allows Cruz to shoot again, but he can't get the takedown before
the bell.
Mike
Whitman scores the round 10-9 Cruz (49-48 Cruz)
Tomasz Marciniak scores the round 10-9 Cruz (50-47 Cruz)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cruz (50-46 Cruz)
Official
scores: Sal D'Amato sees it 50-45, Patricia Morse-Jarman reckons
49-46, and Glenn Trowbridge has it 48-47 for the winner by unanimous
decision and still the UFC bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Alger:
The validity of MMA
Tyson Alger
Heading out last week to the Mixed Martial Arts event Mayhem
at the Mansion, I didn’t have very high expectations. MMA
is a relatively new sport that has rapidly become popular across
the country.
That being said, the only other event I’ve been to was in
a small town and was poorly put together. The refereeing was
terrible and the event seemed more like legalized street brawling
than an actual sport. So it was with that memory that I set out
to cover last week’s bout. To my surprise and satisfaction,
the Mayhem at the Mansion was an incredibly well run event. The
packed house was loud and energetic. The ring, centered in the
middle of the crowd, was illuminated like a crown jewel and the
events that took place inside were the cherry on top.
It was entertaining. It was fun. Most importantly, it was a legitimate
sporting event.
The reason why I get at this is that the day after, there was
a comment on our story questioning the validity of the sport.
“Two guys rolling around on the floor with each other?”
a commenter posted, raising to question the manliness of the
sport.
Well, I can tell you firsthand, what these guys do in that cage
is one of the most skilled and — if you will — masculine
things I’ve ever seen. I’ve had a couple quarrels in
my life, thought I did alright, but I can tell you that I wouldn’t
step foot near that cage with any one of those fighters from
last Saturday. I’m not just talking about the heavyweights;
the tiny 125 pound guys would wipe the floor with me.
The reason for this is because they are good at their sport.
Anyone who thinks that MMA is just a bunch of idiots getting
in a ring and slugging it out is dead wrong. These guys are skilled.
They’re trained. They’re well-oiled machines that not
only let fists fly like pistons, but they have the smarts and
patience to know when to take a guy to the floor, when to slow
down and when to attack.
There are a lot of misconceptions flying around about this sport.
From the streetbrawling view that I once had to the ignorant“rolling
on the floor” comment. The only way for the sport to rid
itself of these views is to keep putting on classy events such
as the Mayhem at the Mansion. If people like Mayhem promoter
Vance Pascua continue to put on quality events such as last week’s,
it will only be a matter of time before MMA takes over Kaua‘i.
Source:
The Garden Island
|
ProElite
Plans Aug. 27 Return in Hawaii
by Mike
Whitman
ProElite
Inc. -- the former parent company of EliteXC -- will hold its
first event since 2008 when it puts on a to-be-named show on
Aug. 27 in Honolulu. No participants have been announced for
the event, though it is expected to emanate from the Neal S.
Blaisdell Center, the site of multiple past EliteXC and Rumble
on the Rock events.
ProElite
is now owned by Stratus Media Group, the California-based entertainment
company that had interest in purchasing Strikeforce prior to
the UFC’s acquisition of the promotion. ProElite has also
hired former Strikeforce matchmaker Rich Chou, as well as onetime
SuperBrawl and Icon Sport owner T. Jay Thompson, who will serve
as vice president of fight operations.
Formed
in 2006 in partnership with Showtime Networks, ProElite began
promoting EliteXC events the next year. The promotion quickly
gained momentum, broadcasting its events on Showtime and eventually
CBS. EliteXC still holds the greatest viewership figure in MMA
history, as EliteXC “Primetime” earned an average of
4.3 million viewers for its CBS broadcast. Headlined by a heavyweight
affair that saw Internet backyard brawler Kevin Ferguson -- better
known as “Kimbo Slice” -- knock out Pride veteran James
Thompson, the broadcast peaked with 6.51 million viewers.
However,
less than six months after the record-breaking broadcast, EliteXC
folded. After holding a second show on CBS that averaged 2.6
million viewers, the promotion once again placed Ferguson in
the main event for a third broadcast on CBS. Ferguson was to
take on MMA pioneer Ken Shamrock in the headliner, but Shamrock
suffered a cut the day of the show and was forced to withdraw.
Natural light heavyweight Seth Petruzelli stepped up to face
slice in Shamrock’s stead and upset the hulking Floridian
with a 14-second knockout.
After
the bout, Petruzelli insinuated that he had been compensated
to stand with Ferguson, whose ground game was a known weakness.
Though “The Silverback” later amended his statement,
the Florida State Boxing Commission launched an investigation
of EliteXC. Though the commission found no wrongdoing, the damage
to the promotion’s reputation proved irreversible. This,
coupled with the promotion’s serious debts, caused EliteXC
to close its doors in October 2008.
Source
Sherdog
|
After
Spike TV Counter-Programming Tactics, UFC Pres Says, “I
Owe You One”
by Ken
Pishna
All
is fair in love and war… and television contract negotiations,
evidently.
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s current agreement with
Spike TV – the network it has called its basic cable home
since the launch of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2005
– is nearing its end.
Mixed
martial arts has become much more popular since that time, and
the UFC, once teetering on the brink of extinction, has grown
into a highly profitable company. That’s code for, there
are many more broadcasting options now than there were six years
ago, and the UFC is considering them all.
Spike
and the UFC have been in negotiations, but as UFC president Dana
White says, they are constantly “negotiating with everybody.”
With that in mind, the negotiations with Spike recently ran into
some turbulence when the network counter-programmed a live telecast
of UFC on Versus 4 on the Versus network with previously recorded
UFC programming.
“Negotiating
is never fun,” White said after Thursday’s UFC 132
pre-fight press conference. “Negotiating is always, uh,
even though you’re negotiating in good faith and stuff,
you still get some kicks to the balls here and there.
“Plus,
the Wall Street Journal came out and said all the things they
said about our negotiations, so I see Spike’s side. That’s
what I would do too, and you guys know I would do that.”
White
was referring to a Wall Street Journal report earlier this month
that stated the UFC was “in talks to buy control of NBCUniversal’s
struggling G4 gaming network.” Speculation was that the
UFC would then move “The Ultimate Fighter” reality
series onto the G4 network, leaving Spike to consider other MMA
programming options, such as Bellator Fighting Championships.
“What
the Wall Street Journal put out and what people are saying, none
of that is true,” said White. “People are out there
speculating on what is going on. We have no deal with anybody.”
White
doesn’t disagree with Spike’s counterprogramming tactics,
but that doesn’t mean that their shot across his company’s
bow will be ignored.
“I
would do the same thing that they just did… (but) I owe
you one Spike.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Boxing
PR: Kimbo Slice to make boxing debut on August 13th for Gary
Shaw
By Zach
Arnold
Press release
LEGENDARY
BACKYARD BRAWLER KIMBO SLICE TO MAKE BOXING PRO DEBUT AUGUST
13
Forget
the kicking and wrestling, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson
will soon be where he should have been all along… busting
heads in a boxing ring.
On
Saturday, August 13, legendary street brawler Kimbo Slice will
make his long-awaited professional boxing debut in the four-round
main event of a Gary Shaw Productions and Tony Holden Promotions
boxing extravaganza at Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma.
Slice
became the Internet’s first street-certified action hero
by smashing down a series of opponents in brutal backyard fist
fights. The announcement is good news for fight fans, as he will
surely administer a much-needed shot of adrenaline into the American
heavyweight scene.
“Kimbo
was always meant to be in the ring,” said Jared Shaw, Team
Kimbo Promotional Advisor. “He’s one of the hardest
punchers in the world and on August 13, his journey to becoming
America’s heavyweight begins. The first stop will be Oklahoma
in what will become the Kimbo Slice Express.”
Longtime
friend and manager, Mike Imber, said that Slice has been training
for his debut with his longtime boxing coach Randy Khatami and
also spent some time in top-rated contender Alfredo Angulo’s
camp, working with trainer Clemente Medina.
“He’s
completely focused on his boxing career and excited to showcase
his talents inside the squared circle,” continued Shaw.
“Kimbo Slice is hungry and when that man wants his bread,
he’s scary.”
Slice
rose to worldwide prominence via the Internet and viral videos
of a series of unlicensed street fights, each of which garnered
millions of views. As a mixed martial artist, he competed for
the EliteXC and UFC organizations and appeared on CBS, PPV and
Showtime Network, going 4-2 against some of the world’s
best competition. Slice drew record numbers of viewers to Spike,
the Ultimate Fighter and in each of his network and cable bouts.
“Even
in his losses, Kimbo brought a level of excitement that few fighters
can generate,” said his promoter, Gary Shaw. “He is
a genuine personality with unbelievable strength and character
and we’re excited about his prospects in boxing. The minute
he steps in the ring, he’ll be one of the most recognizable
and talked-about fighters in the sport and his fans around the
world will once again feel the excitement.”
“Kimbo’s
been waiting for this and now it’s time,” added Imber.
Opponents
and other matches on the card will be announced shortly. Tickets
for the professional boxing debut of Kimbo Slice are priced at
$38, $48 and $68 and will be available July 5 through www.buffalorun.com.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Junior
dos Santos splits with managers Ed Soares and Jorge Guimarães
By Guilherme
Cruz and Marcelo Barone
Junior
“Cigano” dos Santos announced, on his official Twitter
profile, that he will no longer be managed by Jorge Guimarães
and Ed Moraes – who also take or took care of the career
of names like Anderson Silva, Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira, Lyoto
Machida, Jose Aldo Junior and Rogerio Minotouro Nogueira, among
others.
Dos
Santos’ Boxing coach, Luis Carlos Dorea confirmed on a chat
with TATAME the replacement. “Cigano has other plans now,
another way of thinking. Ed and Joinha helped him a lot, the
friendship hasn’t ended, but it was the right moment to
do it”, said Dorea, guaranteeing that it was a peaceful
moment of closure. “He’s young, but he has a good head.
He’s setting a great structure”.
TATAME
called Ed Soares, who talked about the end of the partnership,
but hasn’t told the reason that brought Junior to make this
decision. “There was not much talking, that was it. He’s
the captain of his own boat, we’re just there to help him
guide it the right way… If the guy wants to go another direction,
who am I to tell him otherwise? I was his manager, not his father”,
tells Soares, on the chat that you can read here below.
Dos
Santos has announced you are no longer his managers. Is it true?
It’s all fine, he made his choice and it’ll be the
best for his career. There was not much talking, that was it.
He’s the captain of his own boat, we’re just there
to help him guide it the right way. We’ve done a great job,
bringing him to the place he is now in a little over two years,
but it’s a matter of opinion. He wants to go a different
way. If that’s how he fells, God bless him on his journey.
Did
he tell you why?
To tell you the truth, he hasn’t said why. I asked him,
but he wasn’t much specific. The only thing he told me was
that the decision has been made. What am I supposed to say? If
the guy wants to go another direction, who am I to tell him otherwise?
I was his manager, not his father.
Were
you upset?
Of course I’m a little sad about his decision… We worked
together and did a great job. He was feeling like it was the
beginning, so that’s life. It’s not the first time
it happens on the fighting business and neither will be the last.
He’ll follow his way and we’ll follow yours. I’m
upset, Joinha is upset… I don’t know if he is, but
he was the one who made the call. Now it’s up to us to move
on.
Were
you surprised by his decision?
It wasn’t a complete surprise to me. To be pretty honest,
for everything we see on the fighting world, it’s hard to
get caught by surprise. It wasn’t an argument or anything
like that. It was all ok. If the guy doesn’t want to work
with us, how can I force him to do it? It won’t be a good
relationship. The work we did together was successful. We did
was we were supposed to do, he did his job on the octagon, and
it took us to gather a great team to help him to get there. Let’s
see what happens now. I hope it all works out just fine for him.
I’m sad, I’d be lying if I told you otherwise, but
I don’t wish people bad things.
Where
do you see your relationship with him going?
I remember knowing Junior before representing him. I met him
in England, he was lost in the airport. He came and talked to
me because he has seen me on the TV show “Passando a Guarda”.
He was there because he went to help Crocota. I called him, we
were going to the same hotel, and then we started being friends.
Then, after I saw him fighting back in Brazil, I remember him
as a “kid”, of 21, 22 years. He’s always been
a super nice person, good, but when you start to grow old, start
being successful, sometimes your way of seeing things changes
a but, which is normal, and not in a bad way. I’ll try to
give you an example in Portuguese, that I don’t know if
will express exactly what I want to say. I thought the glass
was half full, but he thought it was half empty. None of us was
lying. I still don’t know why it happened, but right now
it doesn’t really matter. The choice was made, and I accepted
it. God bless you.
Will
you remain friends afterwards?
Of course, I won’t treat him badly, we were a part of his
life and I won’t forget it, and I hope he doesn’t either.
Good luck, Gob blesses you. I don’t wish bad things for
him, I want to see him being successful, because it’ll only
confirm that what we first thought about Cigano was right. He
wasn’t our first champion, and he won’t be the last.
That’s life, so let’s move on. I’m sad, of course,
but that’s the way it is, it’s not always happiness.
Source:
Tatame
|
Roger
to fight MMA in September but may miss ADCC
Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
With
four submission wins in MMA, the undefeated Roger Gracie was
set to face Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal at the July 30
Strikeforce show. However, the same injury that pulled him from
this year’s Jiu-Jitsu World Championship caused the fight
to be rescheduled.
Now Roger and King Mo are scheduled to go at it on September
10, as reported on the website MMAJunkie.
The
MMA bout may or may not interfere with the Gracie’s plans
in the ADCC, an event he was already confirmed to take part in.
The grappling championship is scheduled to take place in England
on the 24th and 25th of the very month.
Furthermore,
the showdown between Ronaldo Jacaré and Luke Rockhold
is scheduled for the same Strikeforce event, while Jacaré
is scheduled to face Bráulio Estima in the ADCC superfight.
So
both will have to put in a full fledged training marathon and
keep their fingers crossed that no injuries should arise during
their MMA commitments. Nothing can’t be done when it comes
to the two monsters of Jiu-Jitsu!
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Brett
Rogers Arrested for Alleged Assault, Released From Strikeforce
By Ray
Hui
Recent
Strikeforce Heavyweight GP entrant Brett Rogers was arrested
and jailed Wednesday for allegedly assaulting his wife and has
since been released from Strikeforce.
According
to FOX 9 News in Minnesota, Rogers and his wife had a domestic
argument that escalated into Rogers allegedly punching his wife
in her head repeatedly as well as choking her unconscious. Rogers
is claiming his wife punched him and he retaliated.
Away
from the hand of justice, consequences were swift for Rogers.
On Thursday afternoon, UFC president Dana White, a co-owner of
Strikeforce parent company Zuffa LLC, confirmed that he has been
"cut immediately" from his contract.
Rogers
has been charged with three felonies - assault in the third degree,
domestic assault by strangulation and pattern of stalking conduct.
Rogers was also charged with the misdemeanor endangerment of
a child since his daughter was around and tried to intervene
during the altercation.
Bail
was set at $100,000 and Rogers made a court appearance Thursday
with a second one slated for Friday.
Rogers,
30, is best known for his 22-second knockout upset over Andrei
Arlovski that earned him a shot at Fedor Emelianenko months later
at a Strikeforce event in November 2009. The victory over Arlovski
improved Rogers' record to 10-0, but would turn out to be his
last significant win. After the loss to Fedor, Rogers fell to
Alistair Overeem via TKO, picked up an unimpressive decision
win in a tune-up over Reuben Villareal and most recently, lost
to Josh Barnett via submission in the opening round of the Strikeforce
Heavyweight GP.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Relationship
with Dana White Won’t Stop Tito Ortiz From Being Inducted
into the UFC Hall of Fame
by Damon
Martin
Personal
feelings will not impair Tito Ortiz from getting a spot in the
UFC Hall of Fame, this according to UFC President Dana White.
The
tumultuous relationship between Ortiz and White has played out
over the years like a soap opera, with a back and forth war of
words, disparaging t-shirts being made, and even a proposed boxing
match between employer and employee.
Ortiz
and White were able to bury the hatchet when the former light
heavyweight champion re-signed with the promotion in 2009, but
it’s not to say they’ve become best friends since then
either.
Regardless
of their relationship, Ortiz’s history with the UFC can’t
be denied. A former light heavyweight champion will multiple
title defenses, as well as being the face of the UFC for several
years will more than likely land him in the UFC Hall of Fame
at some point.
“I’m
sure he will be,” White answered when asked if Ortiz would
get the recognition. “Him being in the Hall of Fame has
nothing to do with our relationship.”
During
his time with the UFC, Ortiz has gone 14-8-1 including his stint
at the 205lb champion.
The
‘Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ may have a faster path to
the UFC Hall of Fame if he’s not successful this weekend
during his fight with Ryan Bader at UFC 132. If Ortiz doesn’t
win, it will be the last time he walks into the UFC Octagon.
“He
absolutely has to get this win to continue on,” White stated.
Ortiz
comes into the bout with Bader having not won a fight since a
2006 TKO victory over Ken Shamrock. Since that time, he’s
gone 0-4-1 with the draw coming against Rashad Evans in 2007.
His
Hall of Fame credentials are clear however and any misgivings
with the UFC’s boss won’t hinder Tito Ortiz from being
celebrated as one of the promotion’s best ever.
Frank
Shamrock, well that’s another story entirely.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
In
Rio, district attorney suspicious of UFC’s success
Marcelo
Dunlop
A frequent theme in 2011, the UFC again made the pages of today’s
newspaper in Brazil. This time, though, it wasn’t in the
sports section. This Wednesday, columnist Ancelmo Gois broke
word in “O Globo” daily newspaper that District Attorney
Cláudia Condack opened an inquiry into the organizers
of UFC Rio 134 after the tickets sold out over the internet in
just 74 minutes.
The
DA had suspicions the event set for August 27th didn’t release
the number of tickets promised to the public.
Buying
tickets for events (especially sporting events) in Rio de Janeiro
is pandemonium, and it’s a great idea for the DA to always
investigate, to make sure the portion of tickets allotted to
tourist agencies is fair, to verify that the bank offering pre-sale
tickets followed the proper procedures.
It
is, however, worth taking a look back at recent numbers promotional
president Dana White achieved with his show. April’s UFC
129 in Toronto drew more than 55,000 fans to the Rogers Centre
and saw 12 million dollars worth of tickets evaporate in 40 minutes.
It would be interesting to query Canadian authorities as to whether
they noticed anything fishy going on around there, or if they
just accepted the main culprit in the case of the “disappearing”
tickets was the show’s success and the public demand so
great it drives pay-per-view sales through the roof and nets
Dana White Twitter followers in the millions.
In
Rio, the HSBC Arena truly was the best option – better,
bigger and more modern, with a larger capacity than the Maracanãzinho
(which is off limits because the Maracanã stadium next
door is being renovated anyways) and the Miécimo gymnasiums.
Internet sales, in a city overrun with scalpers and line cutters,
may not be the ideal way of getting tickets out there, but it
did seem to be the most efficient method in this case.
Now
if there’s any doubt in anyone’s mind as to the success
the UFC enjoys in Rio, they can have a chat with Christian Ramos,
37, or Izaura Wang, fans prepared to shell out 2,000 dollars
to watch an UFC event – travel, tickets and board included,
whether in Boston, New Jersey or Toronto.
The
two lucked out, but not really: Christian couldn’t manage
to buy his way into UFC Rio via the internet, nor UFC 129 in
Toronto, and ended up pleading for tickets at a premium.
“It’s
stressful, but the energy of the event makes up for it,”
he says. “The growth of MMA can transform Brazil. We need
a sport that teaches people at a young age to have respect, humility,
dedication, discipline, to work hard, and one that can be practiced
by people of all social stratas, weights and ages,” adds
Izaura, a fan since UFC 1 who even wrote a samba for the UFC.
Now
if anyone still has any doubt as to the care and respect fans
have for the UFC, they can speak with Mika Halinen, a 26-year-old
Canadian. On the eve of the show in Toronto, Mika strolled through
the UFC fair harboring no hopes of watching GSP, José
Aldo, Randy Couture or Lyoto Machida. Until Josh Koscheck wandered
by him, noticed he was wearing a Dethrone T-shirt, Josh’s
sponsor, and stuck two courtesy tickets in his hand.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Steve
Cofield & Larry Pepe: Is Nate Marquardt telling the truth
about his medical interaction with the New Jersey ACB?
By Zach
Arnold
Audio courtesy of ESPN 1100 Las Vegas & Steve Cofield of
Yahoo Sports’ Cagewriter.com. Larry Pepe’s audio show
archives can be found here.
This
interview took place a few hours after the Tuesday morning/afternoon
sit down that Nate Marquardt & his manager Lex McMahon did
with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com.
LARRY
PEPE:“I had a couple of issues that raised some flags for
me. He’s say he’s been on (TRT) since August of last
year, which means he was on it for the (Rousimar) Palhares fight,
he was on it for obviously he was going to be on it when he fought
Rick Story, on it when he fought Dan Miller in New Jersey, and
then he had one other fight before the Miller fight when he fought
(Yushin) Okami but that was overseas and they didn’t have
a commission. The red flag for me was when he said that he went
to New Jersey to fight Dan Miller, presented his paperwork to
the commission to get his Therapeutic Use Exemption and they
weren’t completely pleased with the paperwork and said that
they would let him fight but that after the fight he had to come
off for like 8-to-10 weeks, do a series of blood tests, have
those tests look at by an endocrinologist and then they would
make a determination and that was one red flag for me because
it struck me as very odd that a commission get paperwork, feel
that it was insufficient, but then let the guy fight anyway.
That struck me as very, very strange.
STEVE
COFIELD:“Well, that is bizarre, and I don’t believe
that for one second and then starts to move me towards Chael
Sonnen territory because really what California was mad at Sonnen,
uh, you know mad at him about more than anything was the inconsistency
with the reporting in saying that he had told Nevada told about
it and Keith Kizer and then Kizer came back and said I didn’t
know anything about this and that’s why California was angry.
The second part of the Marquardt thing that was bizarre to me
(on Tuesday) was he claims he was taking a pill form of this
TRT for those previous fights, he got off, and then… wait,
they’re monitoring something 6 weeks out, 3 weeks out he
changes from the pills to a straight injection and he claims
the injection may have been the reason that he was over the limit.
Why would you switch 3 weeks before a fight?”
LARRY
PEPE:“Well, let me clarify a couple of things because this
is where it even gets a little stranger. He said that he was
taking two different pill forms of medication for what he defined
as an off-label use. What that means is that he was prescribed
something that was never intended to really have anything to
do with testosterone, that’s not what it’s a treatment
for and that’s why they call it’s an off-label use,
so that’s its own kind of weird category. But he said that
these two pills which he took one every other day and one three
days a week weren’t actually testosterone, what they are
is something that would encourage his body to produce more of
its own testosterone. Okay, fine. So he said he was on that coming
up to the New Jersey fight. Then he talked about the New Jersey
(ACB) telling him that they wanted him to talk nothing for this
8-10 week period afterwards which brought him, Steve, right up
to 3 weeks before the fight with Story which he ultimately couldn’t
qualify for and that’s when they put the injections in and
because the doctor said, you’re not going to get the benefit
fast enough in essence if we put you on the pills because I guess
that’s a more gentle manipulation and that’s your own
testosterone levels so it would take longer for them to come
up. So, they put him on the injections which you would think
knowing he has a fight coming up you’re going to monitor
that extremely closely in terms of your blood levels and he admitted
himself that he made a mistake by not monitoring it more closely
and letting several weeks go by and that’ when his levels
got out of whack and too high.”
STEVE
COFIELD:“So, that’s on him, that’s on his doctor.
Now as far as the UFC goes… is that a fireable offense?
You know, it might be.”
LARRY
PEPE:“It might be, you know, here’s the thing…
I’m kind on the fence as whether it’s fireable…
but it wouldn’t bother me at all if it was, say, a one year
suspension, you’re not getting any fights for a year, you’re
not going to make any money fighting with us for a year. Indefinite
seems like a lot but you have to keep in mind that this was an
issue that was within his control, it was an issue he was well
aware of for quite some time, he’d be on this since August
of last year, and he was the main event at a time let’s
not forget that the UFC is in the middle of negotiating and exploring
relationships with a number of different networks because their
Spike TV deal is coming up. It doesn’t look very good if
you’re negotiating with, you know, XXY network that your
main event just got blown up in a way that was completely avoidable
if the fighter acted more responsibly. It’s one thing if
we see an injury, can’t control that, everybody gets that.
But in this scenario, it was really all in Nate’s control
and Nate didn’t do the right thing and as a result the UFC,
while they ended up with what I thought was a great event, they
were really left with egg on their faces for all the advertising
and promotion they did, the event was called UFC (Live) on Versus
4, Marquardt vs. Story.”
STEVE
COFIELD:“There have been other cases where guys have come
out and said, hey, I knowingly took steroids. They eventually
came back and I’ll give you the worse one… Thiago Silva
turned in false urine. So, I mean, see with Marquardt you’re
like, all right, was it really malicious or just stupid? And,
you know, I can understand, hey, fighters freak out sometimes
like Silva, hey, I got to take it, my back, but you made a decision,
you KNOWINGLY cheated and then you tried to defraud the system!
He’s going to be back.”
LARRY
PEPE:“Yeah. I think, here’s the difference and, you
know, people can agree with this or not agree with this but I
think the differences in those other cases where we see guys
test positive, they test positive after the fight, the fight
goes on, nothing is hurt from a business standpoint and that
testing is in the hands of the commission, not in the hands of
the UFC. So, the UFC’s business interest is not hurt per
se. In this case? Their business interest is directly hurt because
their main event fighter, in a situation that was within his
control, did not do what he should have done to protect that
event and I think that’s why they got so upset.
“And
Steve, I just want to go back to one thing real quick which struck
me as really odd as well… doesn’t it strike you as
odd that a commission, in this case New Jersey, is going to tell
a fighter we don’t want you to take the medical treatment
that you supposedly need by your doctor’s advise because
we want you to test. I mean, what’s the liability with that?
Would you ever tell a diabetic, we don’t want you to take
insulin for 8 weeks because we’re not sure you’re diabetic?”
SMOKIN’
DAVE COKIN:“Has there been a response from the New Jersey
commission as to that accusation?”
LARRY
PEPE:“That’s a great question, Dave, and I haven’t
seen anything. I called Nick Lembo twice earlier (Tuesday), I’m
sure he’s gotten about a 100 of those phone calls and I’m
anxious to talk to him because this whole interaction with New
Jersey seems to me to be really like at the crux at this whole
issue.”
STEVE
COFIELD:“Hey, Larry, I don’t know what will happen,
but I just have a sneaky suspicion it’s going to look a
lot like (Chael) Sonnen and (Keith) Kizer, you know, where Kizer
says, hey, that’s not what went down.”
LARRY
PEPE:“Yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me because it really
does strike me as odd, Steve. I just… you know, Nick Lembo’s
an intelligent guy, I’ve had him on the show, he’s
an attorney. Just from a liability standpoint, to tell someone
not to take medical treatment that they supposedly, and I say
supposedly because we don’t know anything for sure right
now, but that they supposedly need? Wow. Like, what if he comes
off that treatment and has a heart attack, God forbid, you know?
It also strikes me as odd that a commission’s as respected
as New Jersey would get that paperwork, define it as insufficient,
and say, yeah, you know what, go ahead and get in the cage with
Dan Miller and fight that fight and we’ll sort that out
afterwards.”
STEVE
COFIELD:“Miller has a case! Hey, I want my win bonus!”
LARRY
PEPE:“Absolutely, and Miller should file an appeal to get
it changed to a no contest this afternoon.”
STEVE
COFIELD:“One last thing. Small mention of the way UFC fighters
handle their media stuff sometimes. Nate Marquardt talked to
one outlet (Tuesday). Now you hear us, he talked to AOL, good
show with Ariel Helwani, but his camp said one outlet, that’s
it. Huge mistake because a lot of the questions that Larry has
asked, that I would ask, that (Kevin) Iole, that ESPN.com, that
would get more clarification, you know, would clear things up
a little more. I think he’s thrown out a story here that
has a lot of unanswered questions and I’m not blaming the
interviewer because Ariel, you know, he’s got an hour with
it, he got to a lot of the stuff, but there’s, you know,
by yourself there’s only so much you can get to. I’m
telling you, that is not a good way to handle these things.”
LARRY
PEPE:“No, it’s not, and it also speaks to the issue
of, you know, it raises that thing in your head like, all right,
if you’re really coming clean, you really have a solid story,
you really have nothing to hide, why not talk to 5 or 10 outlets?
Because no interview is perfect, there’s always going to
be a question that I’m going to forget, that you’re
going to think of and vice versa, and to me I think it’s
a big P.R. mistake. It’s too controlled and why do you have
to be controlled if you’re prepared to tell the whole story?”
Two
great points directly/indirectly brought up in this interview
discussion.
a)
What is the name of Nate Marquardt’s doctor who prescribed
the TRT?
b)
Why is there not more media spotlight on Dr. Jeff Davidson, who
is UFC’s doctor to the fighters, in relation to this matter
given that Marquardt fought Okami in Germany and was supposedly
on TRT during that time period?
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Brett
Rogers Arrested and Charged with Domestic Violence; Released
from Strikeforce
Strikeforce
heavyweight Brett Rogers has been arrested and charged with assault
in the third degree, domestic assault by strangulation, and pattern
of stalking conduct after assaulting his wife in their Minnesota
home on Wednesday.
UFC
president Dana White, following the UFC 132 pre-fight press conference,
confirmed that Brett Rogers has been released from his contract
with Strikeforce after being arrested and charged.
“Brett
Rogers was cut immediately, he’s done,” White said.
A
report from MyFoxTwinCities.com states that Rogers was arrested
after he reportedly punched his wife repeatedly, strangled her,
and she lost a tooth and had a golf ball sized wound on her face.
Apparently
his wife blacked out from the strangulation and their daughters
were in the home and tried to separate the two from fighting,
which resulted in Rogers also being charged with a gross misdemeanor
for child endangerment.
The
other three charges levied on Rogers are felonies in Dakota County,
Minnesota.
Rogers
stated when arrested that he had been drinking before the argument
that led to the arrest broke out.
According
to the police report, Rogers’ children tried to keep their
parents from fighting after witnessing their father push their
mother. Their elder daughter stated that Rogers had struck her
mother in the past, and also struck the children as well.
Bail
was set at $100,000 with conditions and he is set to appear back
in court on Friday.
(UPDATED
on June 30 at 5:15 p.m. ET to note that Strikeforce terminated
Rogers’ contract.)
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC’s
chaotic week in Pittsburgh shows how volatile the company’s
business can be
By Zach
Arnold
Miguel Torres screen captured what would be the image of the
night. More on this later.
The
chaos for UFC’s Pittsburgh event for Versus television was
remarkable in terms of what a roller coaster ride it was psychologically
for the organization. Heading into Sunday’s event, there
was very little interest in the main card and the Rick Story/Nate
Marquardt fight was one where most people were kind of curious,
but not enthusiastic.
Then
the hit the fan and Nate Marquardt got suspended indefinitely
by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. Consequently,
he got fired by the UFC and Dana White put a 12-second cell phone
clip online confirming the firing. A lot of things came into
play to make this wicked brew, including the fact that UFC right
now is in negotiations with multiple television outlets to get
a new TV deal. Nate Marquardt has never been a big TV ratings
draw, but he is still a ‘name’ and anything embarrassing
from him was going to amplify the internal pressure that Zuffa
is feeling right about now. That became evident during this interview
Dana did for the Versus pre-fight television show.
TODD
HARRIS:“Inside ConSol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
along with the President of the UFC, Dana White. Dana, you’ve
had a very busy 48 hours. Can you take us through the timeline,
maybe in the last 28 hours of what you knew and how it all came
about?”
DANA
WHITE:“Yeah, I found out, I actually found out on Thursday
and, uh… All I have to say is, honestly, from what I saw
here this evening and the way things have been handled so far,
the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission is the best commission in
the United States. Seriously, the way that these guys handle
things and the way things have been done during the fight, before
the fight, etc. etc. The thing that’s going on with Nate
Marquardt, heh, Pennsylvania laws are unfortunate that the commission
can’t come out and announce medical records or medical situations
with fighters but I think it’s pretty clear to the fans
and everybody else that I’m pretty disgusted with Nate Marquardt.
He’s been cut from the UFC He won’t fight in the UFC
ever again. So… you got to follow these guidelines with
the health and blah blah blah blah blah blah. Bottom line is,
what Nate Marquardt did is bad enough to be cut from the UFC.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Dana, are you able to shed any light as to what
he did?”
“He
didn’t pass his medicals, you know what I mean? It’s
the way it has to be said here because of the laws and the health
and this and all this stuff, you guys know me, you know how I
operate. Before anything was said, he’s cut, he’s done
with the UFC, I’m disgusted with him and he has no business
fighting in the UFC.”
STEPHAN
BONNAR:“Now, Dana, I know you and Nate have had kind of
a rocky relationship in the past, maybe not as decorated as you
and Tito’s beef but nonetheless…”
DANA
WHITE:“Not really! Not really. You know, Nate Marquardt,
I would say the exact opposite. Nate Marquardt’s done some
things and I’m one of these guys that gives everybody a
second chance. We all make mistakes.”
STEPHAN
BONNAR:“Well, I was looking at this as the straw that broke
the camel’s back based on his past.”
DANA
WHITE:“No, listen, we all make mistakes, people make mistakes,
we’re human beings, it’s going to happen. You know,
it’s how you handle it and Nate Marquardt’s a nice
guy, I mean he’s a nice guy, he’s a sweetheart, he
always says the right thing and is a nice guy but, you know…
being nice and acting nice and doing the right thing are two
different things.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Dana, this is obviously a sport and things have
happened in the past, not only in MMA but in every sport. Why
did you feel the need to fire him? Why did you think this was
bad enough that he should be fired?”
DANA
WHITE:“Well, this is one of those situations where because
of the laws in the state of Pennsylvania, Nate Marquardt’s
going to have to man up and tell the world why he didn’t
pass his medicals. He’s going to have to man up and come
out and tell the world why he didn’t pass and when he does
that I think everybody will understand why he was cut from the
UFC.”
STEPHAN
BONNAR:“Now, if he does do that, wouldn’t you give
him another chance? I know you’ve said in the past before
about fighters never fighting again and you’ve let them
fight, can he redeem himself in this situation?”
DANA
WHITE:“I don’t know. You guys see, you know, when Nate
Marquardt decides to come out and talk to everybody, you know,
if he does or if he doesn’t, whatever happens. I know there’s
all these things out there about me where I can be too, whatever,
if you really look at how I’ve treated people and treated
fighters over the last 10 years, I give a lot of guys chance
and I know that everybody makes mistakes and Nate Marquardt has
been one of those guys. So for me to come out and say he’s
not going to fight in the UFC any more, it’s got to be pretty
serious. It’s not because ‘oh, Nate and I had some
problems’ or, you know… Otherwise, if that was the
way I felt about Nate Marquardt, would he be headlining a show
on Versus? Would he be in the position that he’s in the,
you know, Welterweight or Middleweight division? No. I’ve
had a good working relationship with Nate Marquardt.”
With
interest so high in regards to what the mysterious circumstances
of Nate’s firing from the UFC, there has been a big vacuum
created in the media space. Since Nate’s camp has not handled
the situation well at all from a public relations-perspective,
it gave Dana White & Greg Sirb (Charles Jay-approved commissioner
for Pennsylvania) the chance to take the lead and frame the issue
the way they did.
Unfortunately,
the vacuum also has created a scenario that I try to avoid at
all costs in regards to media coverage. As an MMA writer, you
can’t publicly say, “Well, I know what the real story
is but I can’t tell it to you.” The defense for such
a stance is based on legalities, which is entirely plausible.
With that said, you got to make the effort to not come across
to readers as if you know something they don’t and look
as if you’re taunting readers & that somehow because
of your ‘disciplined’ silence that you are remarkable
or special. You’re not.
In
regards to when Nate Marquardt’s camp will speak, the initial
rumor is that the matter will be publicly addressed on Tuesday.
As far as why it hasn’t been addressed earlier on, perhaps
Nate’s camp got legal advice to shut up until the situation
and timing is right. You never know with these matters. What
works for PR sometimes doesn’t work for legal issues.
Here’s
Greg Sirb commenting on the matter at hand.
TODD
HARRIS:“Glad to be joined now by Greg Sirb, he is the Executive
Director of the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission and, sir, you’ve
had a very busy 48 hours. Can you take us through the timeline
in the last 24 hours and what has transpired with Nate Marquardt?”
GREG
SIRB:“We knew there was an issue with Nate. We tried to
give Nate as much time as possible to satisfy our medical requirements.
It got down the 24th hour, about 3 o’clock on Friday, he
didn’t satisfy them. The fight had to be pulled.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“How long, Greg, did you know that there was an
issue here?”
GREG
SIRB:“We knew for some time. I think everybody was under
the assumption that he was going to be able to qualify and then,
you know, that may be a mistake on our part and everybody’s
part. We shouldn’t assumed it. We tried as the commission,
we had both our medical doctors had ring side at the weigh ins,
waiting for the results. We really tried to give him some leeway
on that. It just didn’t happen.”
STEPHAN
BONNAR:“Now, Greg, as of now Nate is suspended, correct?”
GREG
SIRB:“Correct, Nate is on indefinite suspension.”
STEPHAN
BONNAR:“And indefinite, what does that mean? What does he
have to do to get reinstated? When would he be eligible to get
reinstated? Say, if he could meet the requirements next week,
could he be taken off?”
GREG
SIRB:“If he can meet the requirements next week, we’ll
take him off. It’s up to Nate right now. He has got to show
us, the medical issue that’s out there, he’s got to
show us that it’s been solved. If my doctors say yes to
that report, we’ll take him off suspension.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Greg, what exactly is the medical issue?”
GREG
SIRB:“Well, I can’t go into that, unfortunately with
the laws of Pennsylvania. It’s an issue that’s held
under the privacy act. Nate’s fully aware of it and has
known about this for quite some time.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Is that something that pertains to Pennsylvania?
Because we know in the past with California, they will announce
why a guy’s suspended. Why in Pennsylvania are you not able
to announce that?”
GREG
SIRB:“Our HIPAA laws are a little bit stringent here in
Pennsylvania, that we don’t go into those situations and
on a personal level, for the commission, we try not, we don’t
want to embarrass any fighter. The fighter knows what he’s
doing, he got taken off the card, he lost a lot of money and
he’s been, you know, he’s having trouble with it.”
STEPHAN
BONNAR:“Now, Greg, when you usually get suspended you get
fined as well. Is there going to be a fine that goes along with
this suspension?”
GREG
SIRB: “You know, that’s a good question and my commission
is looking at that and, I’ll be honest with you, we’re
not in the business to pile on and Nate’s out quite a sum
of money for this fight. At this time, we’ll probably say
no.”
I
strongly encourage you to watch the video for Sirb’s tone
& demeanor when asked about whether or not Marquardt will
get fined.
So,
with Marquardt pulled off the Versus card, Cheick Kongo vs. Pat
Barry was moved to the main event slot and Rick Story was given
Charlie Brenneman on extremely short notice for the semi-main
event.
Story
was in a no-win situation and, well, it lived up to his nickname
of “Horror” all right. Brenneman wrestled him to a
unanimous 29-28 decision and derailed what looked to be a meteoric
rise to the top of the Welterweight division. On top of that,
Brenneman was considered by the fans to be a local guy and they
cheered the hell out of him. Where do both men fight now in the
minds of Joe Silva & Dana White in regards to their internal
rankings? You can’t treat the situation as if the fight
didn’t happen and leave Story where he is pegged at in the
matchmaking before the fight.
TINA
DIXON:“It was a crazy week for you, Charlie. A lot of back-and-forth
on-the-card, off-the-card. Knowing now that you just won this
fight, how would you sum up what you’re feeling?”
CHARLIE
BRENNEMAN:“Amazing. I’m pretty sure my life has peaked
at 30 years old and I’m completely fine with that.”
TINA
DIXON:“You still got a lot more years to go!”
CHARLIE
BRENNEMAN:“I do, but nothing’s going to top tonight.
I almost guarantee it.”
TINA
DIXON:“Now, the first two rounds seemed to be yours but
that third round, there were a couple of moments where he was
taking charge. How did you get out of that?”
CHARLIE
BRENNEMAN:“You know, that’s personally my fault. I’m
a work-in-progress. I knew those positions, I could hold my position,
I knew it was going to eat up time, I knew he was going to get
tired doing it. A couple of times I almost waited too long to
get some of those locks got tight.”
TINA
DIXON:“How much of this was heart, being in your home state?”
CHARLIE
BRENNEMAN:“Man, when that song by P. Diddy came on, I knew
it was on.”
TINA
DIXON:“Congratulations, enjoy this.”
CHARLIE
BRENNEMAN:“Thank you very much. You bet your ass I’m
going to enjoy it. Thank you.”
You
had to feel for Rick Story and how things played out. As for
how Dana White felt after the outcome of that fight, I’m
sure he threw his hands up in the air.
And
then, within the time span of a few minutes, Cheick Kongo and
Pat Barry decided to have a fight with the most incredible finish
you will ever see in Mixed Martial Arts (thanks in part to some
flawed techniques on display.) The fight produced a remarkable
finish where Barry decked Kongo with a looping right, then hit
Kongo again to the ground, only for Kongo to groggily bounce
back up and, with his back against the cage, hit Barry’s
guard enough to get a second crack to deliver a pure, nasty uppercut
that dropped Barry and had his eyes rolling back while his right
leg was bent underneath him on the ground. It was such a spectacular
finish that everyone had largely forgotten about Story’s
loss.
On
the Versus post-fight television show, Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson continued his bullying of Ariel Helwani. He also stated
that Kongo had taken a long break from MMA because he was recovering
from a spinal infection. Stephan Bonnar somehow managed to compare
Kongo/Barry to a Muhammad Ali fight.
David
Williams: Matt Mitrione joins an illustrious list after win over
Morecraft
Speaking
of hyperbole, that was what pretty much everyone was engaged
in after Matt Mitrione took care of business with Christian Morecraft.
Matt should have realistically finished off Morecraft faster
than he did, but he got the job done in the end. His stamina
wasn’t too hot, however, and as you can see in this post-fight
video, Meathead knows it.
TINA
DIXON:“Congratulations, Matt. Let’s talk about that
first round. You looked so calm & relaxed. You had him almost
twice there. Take us through it.”
MATT
MITRIONE:“You know, I saw that when I dropped him he was
still pretty awake, wasn’t as out of it as I wanted him
to before I’m comfortable enough jumping on him. And the
second time I dropped him, I kind of felt like, ‘Ah, I might
as well give it a shot,’ because it looked like he was a
little bit dazed. You know, honestly, it was just, I’m still
green, I should have handled it a little bit better. I should
have taken a different angle and come over the top of him, I
probably could have finished it. But you know what I mean, I
definitely made enough mistakes to keep ‘em back in the
lab, you know.”
TINA
DIXON:“5-0 now in the Octagon here at UFC fights, all televised.
What does that say about your fighting?”
MATT
MITRIONE:“I think that means people want to see me lose
or win, one of the two. I’m flattered, I don’t know
how many people can say that all their fights have been televised,
I’m fortunate and I appreciate it. I’m really flattered
that it’s been that way.”
Stephan
Bonnar was proposing Meathead fight someone like Frank Mir or
Cheick Kongo. Ariel stepped in and said that there was no need
to rush Mitrione in terms of stepping up to better competition
until he improves. Bonnar accused Ariel of engaging in boxing-like
matchmaking. Todd Harris said that though Mir would beat Mitrione
that the fight should happen. Thankfully, the name Dave Herman
was mentioned as a possible next opponent.
All
in all, a lackluster uneventful card turned out to be a fascinatingly
drama-filled show both in and out of the cage. I enjoy the Versus
telecasts better than the Spike TV broadcasts because they are
live on all coasts and there are cleaner, subtle changes in the
production that just make it a better viewing experience. With
that said, the demographics that Versus draws for viewers is
not helpful in attracting the standard audience that UFC draws
on Spike TV, which has much strong demographics willing to support
and watch UFC programming. Spike TV did, in fact, counter-program
the Versus telecast by airing Nate Marquardt fights. That was
charitable, wasn’t it?
As
for the image of the night that Miguel Torres captured on television,
it was a cage side camera shot of Arianny Celeste, Chandella
Powell, and Brittney Palmer right as Cheick Kongo finished off
Pat Barry. Arianny had her arms near her face, then started smilng,
clapping, and jumping up and down. Chandella & Brittney had
priceless reactions on their face, with their arms and hands
covering while maintaining a stunned look mixed with shock &
incredulousness (I made a new word there). It was awesome.
Also
amusing: the camera crew catching Bruce Buffer cracking jokes
and socializing while Matt Brown & John Howard were fighting
right in front of him.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
The
big transcript: Nate Marquardt’s interview with Ariel Helwani
By Zach
Arnold
The following is a transcript of the first 36 minutes of last
Tuesday’s interview that Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com
conducted with Nate Marquardt and his manager, Lex McMahon. The
first 36 minutes of the interview cover all of the pertinent
medical issues at stake. You can listen to the full hour-long
interview by clicking right here.
If
this transcript is used for legal purposes, it is highly recommended
that the text of this transcript be double-checked for 100% accuracy.
Any minor errors done in this transcript should be alerted to
me for correction.
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Obviously, like I said, it’s been a very tough
stretch for you and I think because we haven’t heard from
you, let’s work backwards and let’s ask the question
that everyone wants to know right off the top. Why weren’t
you medically cleared to fight?”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“I was not medically cleared to fight because
of the situation that basically I’ve been dealing with since
August of last year. Last year, in August, I was feeling sluggish,
I was feeling horrible, I was uh my memory had gone out the window,
I was irritable, and uh I knew something was wrong, I felt like
I was over-training when that wasn’t the case so… I
went to my doctor and he ran a bunch of tests and basically,
uh, came back and said that I had low testosterone. He recommended
for me to go on Hormone Replacement Therapy and, uh, so immediately
I took that information and went to the UFC and basically talked
with the people there that know about that, that handle that
situation, and figured out what was the plan and at that point
I went on treatment. I was on treatment all the way through,
uh, to the end of the year to the first of this year, uh, you
know it was monitored and everything and… so I got the fight
with Dan Miller, in New Jersey. We applied for the Therapeutic
Use Exemption from New Jersey. They came back and said we’re
going to grant you the, we’re going to let you fight this
fight, but um… basically we want to make sure that you need
this treatment, your doctor submitted some paperwork that seemed
incomplete, so we want you to do these tests after the fight,
we want you want to go off treatment for 8 weeks, then we want
you to take 3 blood tests, then we want an endocrinologist to
review those blood tests and basically see if you need to be
on treatment. So, you know, I followed all the guidelines that
they told me, I went off treatment for 8 weeks, I took the 3
blood tests, uh… I, uh, you know, once the blood tests,
one the results came back, the endocrinologist reviewed and wrote
out a letter that basically said that, you know, I had low testosterone
and that I was a candidate for Hormone Replacement Therapy and,
um, and so he recommended me to go back on treatment. At that
point, I went back to my doctor and, um, and he decided that
I should go back on treatment, obviously, and at this point I
was 3 weeks out from my fight that I was supposed to have with
Rick Story. 3 weeks out and… so, he basically said that
I needed to go on a more aggressive treatment because of the
proximity to the fight because it was so close.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Who’s he?”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“My doctor.”
LEX
MCMAHON:“His primary care physician. He had two doctors
that recommended that Nate resume or begin HRT, one was an endocrinologist
which he was required to go and see by the New Jersey ACB. The
second doctor was his primary care physician who had been involved
in the treatment process from the onset, he was the one that
initiated it and then once the endocrinologist had recommended
it, he supported that recommendation and initiated treatment.”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“So, again, three weeks out, um… I got the
recommendation. My doctor decided to put me on a new treatment
that was more aggressive because it was so close to my fight
he said that it wouldn’t get basically it wouldn’t
help me, it wouldn’t make me feel better by the time of
my fight unless he did a more unless agreement and, uh, so I
was on the treatment for two weeks and I took a blood test and,
uh, which is normal throughout the treatment you had to take
blood tests to make sure you’re within normal ranges and
that test came back high and, at that point, my doctor said,
well, you need to go off treatment and, uh, you know, let’s
hope your down to normal levels by your fight. And, you know,
obviously that was, you know, I was pretty much panicked at that
point.”
LEX
MARQUARDT:“But it’s important to note that as soon
as Nate was recommended to come off treatment, he did come off
treatment and did not take any subsequent treatment even to this
day and that will be important as he kind of lays out the chronology
of the levels where they were at a high point and as they decreased
up until our most recent announcement when we found last night
(for testing).”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“So, yeah, I mean, you know… we knew that
I had to be within range and, uh, you know, obviously I should
have requested a testing earlier, you know, but that’s one
of the biggest mistakes I made was not, not, you know, requesting
blood tests earlier from my doctor. So, when we took the blood
test after two weeks of treatment, it was high, so the week of
the fight, uh, I requested several tests. Each test showed that
the levels were going down and the last test or not the last
test but I took a test on weigh-in day and it was still above
the range that the athletic commission was going to let me fight…”
LEX
MCMAHON:“But in close proximity and had been trending down
significantly throughout the week.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Okay.”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“And obviously, you know, I wasn’t at that
point I was told that I didn’t get to fight and that, um,
you know, that I was put on suspension. The day of the fight,
uh, I woke up, went and took another test, uh, that test came
back well within ranges, um, as I did another test yesterday
with one of the doctors from the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission.
I did another test with him and it had gone down even more, so…
and, uh… you know, I mean, uh… ”
LEX
MCMAHON:“What’s important to note is that throughout
this process, it’s not like Nate did something and didn’t
communicate. It’s actually exactly the opposite. Throughout
the process, Nate was aware of what his requirements here, he
proactively communicated to the appropriate, uh, bodies what
he was doing, you know, before he was asked for test data where
he was in terms of meeting the compliance with the New Jersey
ACB, we were providing information to those bodies. So, Nate
was hiding nothing. This is a young man that made every effort
to comply. He got caught in a difficult situation in terms of
the timing and a new treatment being suggested by his health
care provider. When he found out that the tests were high after
that point, we ran out of time. And it’s very unfortunate.”
Indefinite
suspension lifted?
NATE
MARQUARDT:“And we talked to Greg Sirb, who’s the Executive
Director of the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission. He basically
said at this point it looks like I’ve met all requirements
for my suspension to be lifted.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“You talked to him (Monday)?”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“(Tuesday).”
LEX
MCMAHON:“We’ve spoken with him throughout this process.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Right. So, you talked to him on (Tuesday) and he
said that you have met the requirements because your levels are
now within that range that’s acceptable to fight?”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“Correct.”
LEX
MCMAHON:“And what I think is really significant, Ariel,
is to understand the time frame that we’re talking about
here. Saturday, this past Saturday…”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Right.”
LEX
MCMAHON:“Nate was notified that he would be placed under
suspension… Just over 72 hours later, he’s told that
it appears that he’s met all of the requirements to be removed
from suspension. The, uh… that actually occurred prior to
us getting the actual notification in written format from the
Pennsylvania Athletic Commission. So, that’s how fast this
has moved. If he were hiding something, if there was anything
untoward going on here, there’s no way that the commission
would be making that statement.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“So, as of right now, you are no longer suspended?”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“Well, the, we talked to Greg Sirb and said that’s
what it looks like, they’re going to have a board meeting
sometime this week with the doctors and whoever else (on) the
athletic commission and they’re going to rule and he said
at this point that’s what it appears.”
When
the TRT program started
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Now, there’s obviously a lot to digest here
and the casual MMA fan might not know what a lot of these things
mean. So, I just want to now take a step back and start, you
say that this started in August, correct, of last year?”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“Correct, yes.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Why did you have low testosterone? I hear about
this a lot in sports, obviously, why did your doctor say that
your testosterone was low and that you needed to go and do this
treatment?”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“Well, first, I had the symptoms and…”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“You were sluggish?”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“Sluggish and memory and irritable and all that
stuff. ‘Why’ is, you know, one of the questions I wanted
an answer to because I want to fix it and so we did all kinds
of other tests, back to last year, all the way through this year.
We did an MRI, a brain scan to make sure my pituitary was functioning
correctly or at least like wasn’t traumatized from a concussion
or something, that I didn’t have a tumor. We’ve, uh,
you know, we’ve ran all kind of blood tests to see to make
sure my other hormones are working correctly, uh, and um, you
know, we’ve ran tests to see if I have Mono. The endocrinologist
I saw, uh, told me it could be a Mono-like virus that’s
causing this that could run its course and, you know, so that’s
why one of the reasons, you know, I Need to go back to him a
couple of times a year and see if, you know, if there’s
something that I can go off treatment, basically.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“So, as of right now, you do not know exactly why,
you don’t know if it’s because you are a fighter and,
like you said, I know James Toney had a situation where they
said his pituitary gland was messed up and he had to go on it,
but there have been fighters who have tested for high testosterone
and we don’t really know why do they do. Is that something
that you did yourself earlier in your life? You know, guys who
have not… have been suspended, who have not been (licensed)
because of their testosterone levels being too high. But we don’t
know why this happens? Why does this happen to a person? Because…”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“You’re saying, why do you have low testosterone?”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“How does it happen?”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“It can be any number of things. It can be genetic.
It can be, um, like I said, you might, maybe you have something
wrong with your testicles, you can have something wrong with
your pituitary, you can have something wrong there’s even
something before your pituitary gland that tells your pituitary
to make the LH, which tells your testicles to produce testosterone.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Okay. Yeah, I know.”
LEX
MCMAHON:“Nate’s not a doctor.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Exactly!”
LEX
MCMAHON:“It’s not his responsibility to know why, it’s
his responsibility to understand, hey, I’m not feeling right…”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Right.”
LEX
MCMAHON:“I need to go communicate that to my doctor, who
is a trained health care provider, and trust them with suggesting
the proper protocol. If that protocol is something that is…
will have an impact on my profession as a professional fighter,
I need to communicate that to those who are in power, responsible
for knowing, the commissions, the promotion, and Nate did that.”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“I went to the UFC and the commissions the whole
process. But like I said, you know, it’s not my job, I’m
not a doctor, but at the same time I have to take responsibility
for, you know, I was the one fighting, I’m the one holding
together a card, I’m the one on the main event, my doctor
wasn’t fighting. I’m the one fighting and… I messed
up. There’s things that I should have done that, you know,
that I had oversight over and for whatever reason… I have
to take responsibility for it, you know.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Absolutely.”
LEX
MCMAHON:“Here’s the thing… Nate acknowledges that
while there was a medical situation, he was addressing that situation,
he was communicating everything the way he should be. At the
end of the day, as he just articulated, it’s his responsibility
to understand that he has a different level of responsibility
to communicate to the promotion, to the commission, to take,
uh, responsibility for his own actions and health care. So, he
does have a doctor who’s trained and supposed to be providing
for him, but for instance, we’ve gone back and looked at
this, Nate could have suggested to his doctor, hey, I’ve
got a fight coming up, let’s not wait two weeks, we just
resumed treatment, please test me immediately and I think that’s
part of where the problems occur. You know, and Nate and our
camp take full responsibility for that. At no point, I mean this
is a good young man, he is one of the best fighters in the world,
but he is also one of the best people, universally, everybody
in the fight game that has found out and has contacted me, there’s
not been one negative comment, it’s been ‘please give
Nate our love, please let him know we support him.’ You
know, when you get to know him, this is a man who, you know,
he has a wife, two daughters, third child on the way… He’s
a good guy.”
NATE
MARQUARDT:“You know, I had them at the fight, I would never
knowingly jeopardize my ability to support them.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Right.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Nik
Lentz and Charles Oliveira Likely Headed for a Rematch to Settle
‘No Contest’
by Ken
Pishna
Charles
Oliveira and Nik Lentz are on the path to a second showdown.
The
two squared off at UFC on Versus 4 on Sunday night in Pittsburgh
with Oliveira coming out on the winning end with a second-round
submission.
The
two were going all-out, with Oliveira getting the better of Lentz,
both in striking and on the mat, but Lentz never giving an inch,
continuing to give Oliveira everything he had.
The
end, and the controversy, came about in the second round when
Oliveira escaped a Lentz guillotine, and back on his feet, cracked
Lentz with a knee to the face. Oliveira went down to the mat
with him and finished the fight with a rear naked choke.
The
only problem with the finish was that Lentz had a knee on the
mat when Oliveira drove his knee into Lentz’s face, making
the strike illegal. Referee Chip Snider didn’t notice that
Lentz was down at the time and allowed the fight to continue
to the finish.
The
Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission on Wednesday, following
a review of the fight, opted to change the ruling to a “no
contest.”
UFC
president Dana White on Thursday said that the two are “probably”
headed for a rematch.
“It
would be a fun one, but (Lentz) is busted up. You can’t
say it’s from the illegal knee, but that was a good fight.
They were going at it before that.”
The
“busted up” that he is referring to is a reported broken
orbital socket, which likely came from the knee to the face.
Lentz
won’t be able to fight for some time due to the injury,
but when he’s healed up the two will likely square off again.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
Planning an Event for Japan in 2011
by Damon
Martin
It’s
been more than a decade since the UFC made a trip to Japan, but
it appears the wait for them to go back is over.
On
Thursday, UFC President Dana White revealed plans that will see
the promotion go to the Land of the Rising Sun in 2011.
“The
rumor is true, we’re going to come to Japan and probably
very soon,” White said. “This year.”
The
UFC hasn’t gone to Japan for an event since 2000 with a
card headlined by Tito Ortiz taking on Wanderlei Silva, which
was UFC 25.
More
than 100 events later, the UFC will be heading back to Japan.
There
were more than a few concerns raised about an event being held
there after massive earthquakes rocked Japan earlier this year,
and at the time White sounded as if the promotion wouldn’t
go there for quite some time.
Now
he seems ready to forge ahead and bring the UFC back to Japan.
The
promotion currently houses several top fighters from Japan, that
much like the show coming up in Brazil, could feature many of
them on the show. Fighters such as Yushin Okami, Takanori Gomi,
as well as recently signed featherweight star Hatsu Hioki could
all be a big draw fighting in their home country.
White
didn’t reveal a timeline for when they hope to go to Japan,
but did say it would be before the close of 2011.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Dana
White Says UFC Likely Headed to Japan Some Time This Year
By Ben
Fowlkes
LAS
VEGAS -- UFC president Dana White responded to rumors that the
organization might be headed to Japan soon by telling reporters
on Thursday afternoon that "the rumors are true."
"We're
going to come to Japan, and probably very soon," said White,
who added that he expected it to happen "this year."
It's
the most optimistic the UFC frontman has sounded about a Japanese
event in a very long time. Previously, whenever the subject came
up, White blamed organized crime elements in Japan for keeping
the UFC out.
But
after Thursday's UFC 132 pre-fight press conference in Japan,
White sounded a confident tone about getting a Japanese event
done in 2011, and said the organization is also very close to
branching out with a new installment of The Ultimate Fighter,
possibly in Brazil.
"We're already working on it. If that's not the first place,
it'll probably be the second. We've got three or four places
dialed in right now for it," White said, adding that the
Philippines was expected to be the next reality show expansion,
"but I've been saying that for six months, so we'll see
what happens."
When
asked what the hold-up was, White pointed to the organization's
rapid growth and non-stop events schedule, saying that there
just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done at
once. Even when he was taking a mini-vacation in Maine earlier
this week with his family, he said, the phone "never gets
turned off."
"We're
so big and reaching out so far, it's just keeping all this s--t
together is crazy. We're working on so many different things
and trying to get all these deals done. If you look at it right
now, our television deal is up, we just went through all our
pay-per-view deals, we're expanding into all these different
countries, plus we still run the regular business that we always
ran. ...It's crazy."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Dana
White: Pennsylvania Athletic Commission Is the Best in the Business
There
are many times the fighters in MMA have to leave their careers
in the hands of judges, referees and athletic commissions.
After
the UFC’s second trip to the state of Pennsylvania, Dana
White believes he’s seen the best of the best.
“The
reason I called the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission the best
commission in the country, and they are, by far, by leaps and
bounds the best athletic commission in the country,” White
said on Thursday.
The
Pennsylvania Athletic Commission was kept plenty busy during
the UFC’s trip to Pittsburgh last weekend. Between Nate
Marquardt’s medicals to approving Charlie Brenneman to fill
in on the card all the way to a missed call by a referee that
resulted in an overturned decision, White thinks that Greg Sirb
and his team in Pennsylvania are the best there is.
White
says it all comes down to making good decisions and when mistakes
are made, being willing to fix those mistakes such as what happened
in the fight with Nik Lentz and Charles Oliveira
“I
like the fact that they will acknowledge that they made a mistake
like in the fight with (Nik) Lentz,” said White. “They’re
like this is the call that the guy made, let us go back and review
the tapes and they could have reviewed it that night, but they
didn’t. They said let’s go back, we’ll sit down,
we’ll review it, they reviewed it, and it came out on Monday
and they made it a no contest. You know how huge that is? Human
beings, whether judges or referees, or whatever it is, human
beings, we’re going to make mistakes. We all do.
“It’s
the ability to say we made a mistake, but we’re going to
come in now and do the right thing and fix it. We’re not
just going to destroy everything this guy’s worked for cause
we don’t want to admit we make mistakes.”
Now,
if the state brings in referee Herb Dean to work the fights as
well, the UFC might just make Pennsylvania their new home.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
One
Man’s View: Official Folly
by Jason
Probst
Dear
Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission: your referees are not
up to snuff.
Spurious
commentary and irritating chatter are not in a referee’s
job description, but you would not have known it on Sunday. Referee
Chip Snider, bursting with all kinds of information, would not
shut up during the fights to which he was assigned. Overall,
the UFC Live 4 event had a level of refereeing that looked like
something from 2005 instead of the evolved officiating we expect
today.
A
referee has a specific set of responsibilities, and these include
verbal warnings to remind fighters of the rules, as well as the
occasional reminder to pick up the action during an exceptionally
slow fight or to warn of an impending standup. The latter two
responsibilities are often where a referee shows how much he
or she knows or does not know about MMA -- the ebb and flow of
a fight are entirely up to a referee’s discretion in terms
of whether that makes palatable action. For the most part, inexperienced
refs tend to be excessively involved.
In
addition to constantly badgering Tyson Griffin and Manny Gamburyan
during their bout, Snider failed to open his mouth during the
one opportunity he had to enforce the rules, as he let Charles
“do Bronx” Oliveira get away with booming illegal knee
on a clearly downed Nik Lentz. It was so blatant, the crowd booed
immediately, but Snider apparently missed it, even though he
was positioned to call it for the foul that it was.
Referees
make mistakes, but when they make mistakes and follow that with
the kind of showing Snider had in Griffin-Gamburyan, it becomes
obvious the Pennsylvania commission has some work to do in telling
refs why they are in the cage. It is not to badger and harass
fighters every few seconds, nor offer informal commentary, both
of which Snider did incessantly through the three-round bout.
Here
are some examples, with my observations, where appropriate:
•
In the first round, as the duo are tied up against the cage ...
Snider: Let’s throw some leather!
Me: Are takedowns OK, too?
•
At the beginning of the second round ...
Snider: Come on! Let’s do it again.
Me: No kidding. They’re going to fight beyond a round? A
genius observation, sir.
•
With 4:35 left in the second round ...
Snider: Come on boys. Let’s get it going. Let’s get
some action.
•
Later in the second round, when Gamburyan lands a punch ...
Snider: There you go. That’s what I want to see. Come on.
Me: Who asked what tactics you want to see?
•
With 3:10 left, Gamburyan misses a shot ...
Snider: That a way. Keep doing that. Keep fighting like that.
Me: Are you Gamburyan’s father?
Late
in the second round, after the two re-engaged following a break
for a marginal blow by Griffin, they walked toward one another.
About three seconds after they had gotten in range, Snider snapped:
“Come on. More action!” You can deal with this when
you are sitting in front of a clueless fan in the rows behind
you. It is another thing entirely when it is the person in charge
of the rules. He or she should know better.
Useless
prattle from a referee is bad on multiple levels, and in outlier
MMA states -- meaning not in Nevada or California -- it is a
growing problem.
First,
it creates a distracting soundtrack for the viewer. Second, since
the referee has huge influence on a bout, it is a subtle implication
that he or she wants certain things to happen, and when that
goes beyond a simple, well-deserved “let’s pick it
up,” the referee is delving into territory where he or she
does not belong. If two fighters want to circle each other and
have a feeling-out process, that is entirely their right.
This
is not a Toughman competition with one-minute rounds and a crowd
comprised of clueless, hard-to-please Philistines, demanding
home-run swings and egregious violence by the truckload. It is
called mixed martial arts. If people are going to get their panties
in a bunch because fighters actually spend a minute or more on
the ground, too bad -- they can move on to another sport.
If
a fighter needs 30 seconds or more to circle and adjust to dial
in a strike, pass guard, set up clinch or a shot, who the hell
is the referee to demand he step it up? The audience was not
booing Griffin-Gamburyan, and while I applaud refs who do not
respond immediately to crowd disfavor by forcing standups, it
is especially discomfiting to see a referee that is fussier than
the crowd. Talk about a Bizarro universe.
Snider’s
commentary was bush league and bad for the sport. Fighters have
enough to deal with when fans deride them for being “boring,”
even though that is often what wins. Often, out-of-shape Monday-morning
quarterbacks dissect game plans they themselves could not execute
against a Girl Scout.
When
the ref is hassling fighters, that is 10 kinds of stupid, and
there is no excuse for it. The referee is not there to provide
editorial content on what he wants to see, nor constantly ride
guys. He is there to enforce the rules and keep the audience
from seeing fights that put them to sleep.
If
Snider had called the illegal knee on Lentz in the previous fight,
perhaps this would not bother me so much, but he did miss the
one call he needed to make and offered plenty of observations
nobody needed to hear.
Further
along on that note, referee Mark Matheny, usually a competent
official, was overly zealous with standups in two bouts: Matt
Mitrione’s knockout of Christian Morecraft and Charlie Brenneman’s
decision over Rick Story. In both cases, the standup negatively
affected the losing fighter’s effort.
In
the second round of Mitrione-Morecraft, with Mitrione picking
apart Morecraft on the feet, Morecraft secured a much-needed
takedown with 1:59 left, dumping Mitrione on his back next to
the cage. Ten seconds later, Matheny warned them he would restart
them on their feet if he did not see action. After 40 seconds
on the ground, and with Morecraft finally starting to punch --
he landed six consecutive shots while Mitrione clutched the back
of his head -- Matheny stood them up. That was precisely when
Morecraft was starting to work. Mitrione, back on his feet and
clearly the better standup fighter, proceeded to drill Morecraft
senseless moments later.
In
the co-main event, Brenneman dominated the wrestling through
the first two rounds, but in the third, finally tiring, he found
himself turtled up, with Story trying to take his back and working
on an arm. The two men hung there, locked in a classic jiu-jitsu
position of one man vying to improve his position to sink in
a submission and the other doggedly resisting it.
That
apparently did not register with Matheny. With 3:30 left in the
final round and Story in the most advantageous position he had
seen, Matheny interjected: “Come on, show me something better
than this.” And then, he stood them up. Well, Story might
have shown Matheny something -- one is called an armbar, the
other is a kimura -- but he never got the chance.
Both
standups were especially galling given the context of the style
matchup of the fighters involved. Morecraft needed a rough, grinding-style
ground fight, and Story clearly needed a submission or knockout
to win. Neither of those registered.
Pennsylvania
needs additional training for its referees, and, perhaps, a Night
of the Long Knives on its existing list of those cleared to work
big shows. It can also go ahead and not do anything, which ensures
we will be filing an updated version of this column next time
a televised show is held there. You can’t fix stupid.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Watch
Bustamante, Pé de Pano, Glover and Ronys live
Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Set
to take place July 20 at Rio de Janeiro’s Via Show venue,
Clube da Luta will feature Murilo Bustamante’s return to
MMA and a star-studded card, with Márcio “Pé
de Pano” Cruz taking on Glover Teixeira, Luis Besouro faceing
Delson Heleno “Pé de Chumbo”, Luciano Azevedo
mixing it up with Ronys Torres, not to mention a welterweight
GP.
In
the hopes of getting the action to fight lovers everywhere, the
organizers, Alexandre Salim and Roberto “Gordo” Corrêa,
have announced the show will be broadcast on the On Line Fight
Channel. Sales are already underway and those who buy in earlier
pay less.
Check
out the card:
Clube
da Luta
Via Show, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
July 20, 2011
Superfights
Delson Pé de Chumbo vs. Luis Besouro (RFT)
Murilo Bustamante vs. Chirai Yuya (campeão do Deep)
Ronys Torres vs. Luciano Azevedo
Glover Teixeira vs. Marcio Pé de Pano
Diego Braga vs. Toninho Fúria
Eduardo Kiko vs. Junior de Oliveira
Under-77kg
GP
Daniel Acácio vs. Zé Trator
Hernani Perpetuo vs. Edilberto Crocotá
Reserve
bout
Claudionor Fontinele vs. Viscardi Andrade
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Amaury
Bitetti helping ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira’s ground
game for UFC Rio
By Marcelo
Barone
There’s
nothing better than a two-time absolute world champion to sharpen
your ground game. Owner of this title, the veteran Amaury Bitetti
has been helping on the Jiu-Jitsu trainings of Antonio Rodrigo
“Minotauro” Nogueira for his bout against Brendan Schaub,
in August 27th, when there’ll be UFC Rio. On an exclusive
chat with TATAME’s crew, the BJJ black belt told us how
is going on the work he’s been doing with the heavyweight
fighter.
“He
came from many injuries, but it’s all good now. We’re
here just to correct some things about his game that weren’t
that perfect, fixing it so that he doesn’t loses positions,
in case the bout goes to the ground, so that it won’t come
up again. He’s fast and on a good weight for training and
don’t letting his opponent escape from the positions he
fits”, said Bitetti, who then said:
“The
truth is that the fight starts with both athletes standing up.
He has to sharpen his Boxing, be fast and strong so that he makes
the guy feel the weight of his hand and he can get closer to
him. Nogueira will be tough, punch hard, because he also trains
it with (Luis Carlos) Dorea, and there’s also (Josuel) Distak,
who is great on Boxing too. If they start grabbing each other,
that’s Jiu-Jitsu, and then it’ll be dominated and even
if he can’t take his opponent down, he’ll be able to
try to sweep, go to his back, own the advantage, don’t miss
the mount and beat him up, always looking for the submission”.
Amaury,
who’s currently the producer of Bitetti Combat, analyzed
Nogueira’s bout against Schaub, former football player,
and the first fight of the Brazilian after a long period when
he didn’t fought due to the surgeries he has to go through.
“I
hope it’s a tough bout. His opponent will try to take him
down because he’s good in Wrestling, but Minotauro is doing
just fine, surrounded by good sparring at X-Gym. There also Anderson
(Silva), (Rafael) Feijao and (Ronaldo) Jacare there to help him.
Rodrigo has everything that it takes to win this bout and, with
two more wins, maybe he can get a chance at the title. It’s
now or never. So he has to focus, only think about this guy (Schaub),
go through this phase and then start thinking about the belt.
Let’s wait and see if he gets there and really do it, do
a good turn up. Let’s help him to make it happens”,
said.
Bitetti
Combat back in October
The
last edition of Bitetti Combat was a success. And the promoter
of the event, Amaury Bitetti, already plans another edition of
the fighting show, since the last event happened in June 18th,
at Botafogo Futebol e Regatas’ Gym. According to the organizer,
the next edition will happen in October, but there’s no
date set yet, but he warns he’ll fill up the gym once again.
“There
were only good bouts. It’s a shame many people got injury
and had to leave its card, but we got lucky and got great replacements,
like Indio, Serra, Marmota… I hope the next events are as
good as this one was, with many bouts on the same night. We’ll
set the weights of the divisions and let’s see what we can
do. We’re trying to renew our contract with Botafogo, because
it’s an excellent space and on a great spot of the city.
If it was full, now it’ll be even more, it’ll look
like the gym is small (laughs)”, concludes.
Source:
Tatame
|
Three
Strikes and You’re Out: Dana White Says He’s Done with
Nate Marquardt
by Damon
Martin
The
saga now simply known as “Nate-Gate,” surrounding Nate
Marquardt’s removal from UFC on Versus 4 and his subsequent
firing by UFC president Dana White, has not only cost him a job,
but now he’s been black-balled by the organization.
With
fans outpouring for Marquardt to get a second chance after he
revealed the nature of the hormone replacement therapy that boosted
his testosterone to unacceptable levels by athletic commission
standards, White took the time to expand on why he will not be
back in the UFC again.
He
explained that bringing Marquardt back wouldn’t simply be
a second chance, it’s more like three strikes and you’re
out.
“To
me this is his fourth chance; this would be a fourth chance,”
White told MMAWeekly.com on Thursday. “He tested positive
before, then apparently he was on suspension with New Jersey
because his levels were high, then he comes into (Pittsburgh)
and he doesn’t pass his medicals. Now you tell me is that
fourth chance or is that a second chance? Sounds like a fourth
chance to me.”
The
previous positive test that White spoke about stems from a UFC
fight in 2005 when, after a win over Ivan Salaverry, Marquardt
tested positive for nandrolone metabolite, an anabolic steroid.
Marquardt
categorically denied the charges, saying that the substance came
from an over-the-counter supplement, but was suspended for five
months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
White
admits that Marquardt is well liked among fight fans and by everyone
inside the UFC, but it doesn’t mask the fact that he did
something wrong and he deserved to be punished for it.
“Nate’s
a nice guy, he’s a real sweet, nice, humble guy, but the
facts are the facts,” said White. “It’s easier
to go after a guy like Josh Barnett, you know what I mean? He’s
just callous and rude and a dick, so it’s easier when he
does it to just go, you know what? (Expletive) Josh Barnett.
The difference is Nate’s such a sweet, nice guy with the
same results.”
White
also points to the timeline for when he was notified about Marquardt’s
standing with the commission that led to his eventual firing.
The UFC president says that employees within Zuffa who deal with
medicals were notified about Marquardt’s situation, but
he was never personally involved in the dealings until two days
before weigh-ins for the UFC on Versus 4 event.
“I
literally didn’t know that till Thursday, but the people
in my organization did. The people who handle the medicals and
things like that. I was pretty upset about it when I found out
about it on Thursday. If I would have known earlier, I would
have made sure it was taken care of differently,” White
stated.
Whether
the outcry and pleads for Marquardt to be reinstated are loud
or soft, White was emphatic in saying that he has fought his
last fight in the UFC.
“Nate’s
done,” said White. “I’m done with Nate.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
132 Today
Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV
7/2/11
By Zach Arnold
Hawaii
Air times:
Preliminaries 2:00-3:00PM Channel 559 SPIKE
Event 3:00-6:00PM Channel 701
Dark matches/preliminary fights
Middleweights: Brad Tavares vs. Aaron Simpson
Bantamweights: Brian Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Lightweights: George Sotiropoulos vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Lightweights: Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller
Lightweights: Andre Winner vs. Anthony Njokuani
Main card
Lightweights: Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman
Welterweights: Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Light Heavyweights: Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader
Welterweights: Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben
UFC Bantamweight title match: Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
132 Preview: The Main Card
by Jason
Probst
Revenge
on his mind, Dominick Cruz is confident he will keep his UFC
bantamweight title, besting rival Urijah Faber in the UFC 132
headliner on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The bout will serve as a rematch of their 2007 encounter at 145
pounds, which Faber won via submission.
In
the co-main event, Brazilian legend Wanderlei Silva takes on
Chris Leben in what seems to be a can’t-miss fight. Also
on the main draw, former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz
squares off with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner
Ryan Bader.
Let
us take a closer look at the card.
UFC
Bantamweight Championship
Dominick Cruz (17-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Urijah Faber (25-4, 1-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: If he were a light heavyweight, people would be talking
about the dawn of the “Cruz era.” Alas, he is not,
which means he will just have to keep stringing together dominating
performances -- exactly what Cruz seems wired to do. With a vexing
standup style that is one of the most technical and baffling
in the game, Cruz blends in movement, feints and creative combinations
to constantly keep opponents guessing. Backed with solid takedown
defense, wrestling and stamina, he is MMA’s version of Phil
Niekro, a baffling knuckleballer who leaves people guessing and
embarrassed.
The
bantamweight boss has his hands full in this rematch with Faber,
the former featherweight champion who submitted him in a title
bout in 2007. Both fighters have improved since then, with Faber
dropping down to 135 pounds. The battle of tactics, the ebb and
flow of the action and where the fight takes place will define
this rematch, with Cruz looking to get into his standup groove
and Faber trying to score effectively on the feet before imposing
the takedown-and-blast-’em style that has been one of the
game’s best in recent years.
If
there is any clue to beating Cruz in his one-sided performances
lately, it is that opponents cannot give him room to move forward
and should forget about headhunting, at least early in the bout.
Cruz is virtually impossible to time when given two steps to
move in and uncork strikes. Faber will be well-served to aim
low with counter kicks and punch at Cruz’s chest -- essentially
disrupting his centerline and balance -- when the champion approaches.
It is also paramount that Faber cut off the cage, instead of
following Cruz; that will help him initiate clinches.
It
is doubtful Cruz has the power to stop Faber, and “The California
Kid” is one of the game’s best at escaping bad positions
on the ground. Still, it will also be extremely difficult for
him to catch Cruz; while Faber’s drop to 135 has yielded
two wins, this is an extremely tough opponent for him given the
style matchup.
While
Faber was not as overpowering as some thought would be in outpointing
Eddie Wineland at UFC 128 in March, his strength advantage and
durability give him more room to make mistakes than most Cruz
foes, which are usually bottled up after a round or two and cannot
seem to find him. Creating scrambles and fighting in close will
be to Faber’s advantage, and his quickness on the feet will
have to translate into effective counters, enough to keep from
being badly outpointed. Over five rounds, Faber has an exceptionally
difficult task in front of him, but if he can back up Cruz and
force him against the cage, he brings the fight into his world.
Cruz has proven an outstanding wrestler and great at popping
back to his feet, so Faber will have to score multiple takedowns
to win this rematch. He also has to slow down Cruz with leg kicks
early, in an attempt to suck the champion into a dog-eat-dog
fight.
This
is a great fight and a wonderful way to define the top level
of the UFC’s bantamweight division. Expect a highly tactical
game of cat and mouse in the early rounds, with Cruz landing
more as Faber finds his range and presses the action. At the
end of the day, Faber may well be too strong for Cruz, especially
in clinches and from top position.
This
could also be a difficult fight to score. Cruz’s two decision
wins over Joseph Benavidez were technically fascinating affairs,
but, at times, they seemed so fast and fluid that they could
not really get into a mutual groove and were instead relegated
to scrambling, punching and getting out of the way, often all
at the same time.
The
Pick: Faber will absorb punishment early but eventually suck
Cruz down into a cardio-intensive, grappling-heavy fight over
the final half of it, taking a late knockout to win the title
in a grueling affair. However, if he stands around and waits
for the perfect counter, he is going to get picked apart and
taken down off Cruz’s patented move -- a brilliantly timed
knee-tap maneuver that he hits with shocking precision. Faber
will have just enough to pull it out here, in what should be
a classic fight.
Middleweights
Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1, 1 NC, 3-5 UFC) vs. Chris Leben (25-7,
11-6 UFC)
The
Matchup: This pairing of aggressive sluggers is the kind of fight
one would feel confident inviting anyone to watch, up to and
including your pacifist, hippie grandfather. Why? Because it
has everything makes MMA violent and fun.
Silva,
once the terror of the Pride Fighting Championships light heavyweight
division, has since dropped down in weight. Fighting at 195 pounds
at UFC 99 in June 2009, he lost a close decision to former middleweight
king Rich Franklin. In February 2010, he pulled out a decision
against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Michael
Bisping as a middleweight, flurrying strong in the bout’s
final seconds to take the nod.
Either
way, Silva has not looked his old self since returning to the
UFC, which is probably a combination of age, countless wars in
the gym and in fights and the weight cut at his advanced age
of 34. Leben is a reliable plugger who had a great 2010 -- he
put together three wins, including upsets of Aaron Simpson and
Yoshiro Akiyama. However, he was dismantled by Brian Stann on
New Year’s Day in a one-round stoppage loss.
This
is a hit-and-be-hit fight, and there are no mysteries about who
wants to land the big bomb first. Both of them do. With grappling
likely to be limited in this one, standup tactics are pivotal.
A roundhouse-style swinger, Silva is a quicker puncher than Leben.
As such, Leben’s powerful straight left will be vital to
getting the Brazilian’s respect early. Leben also has shown
improved kicks in recent fights, and those will serve him well,
as Silva never shoots for takedowns.
This
fight will come down to some intense exchanges by two aggressive
fighters, both of whom have had careers with plenty of wars,
the possible effects of which have shown in recent bouts. Silva
has not been able to show the sustained offensive aggression
he had in his Pride days, but he is still a tough and fiercely
competitive fighter. Coming off a 17-month layoff from knee surgery,
this is a must-win for him.
The
Pick: Look for some big bombs in the opening round, as both men
are hurt, with Silva using two-handed flurries and his speed
advantage to stun Leben. As it goes into the second, Leben will
be game but ultimately too hittable; Silva by second-round technical
knockout.
Light
Heavyweights
Tito Ortiz (15-8-1, 14-8-1 UFC) vs. Ryan Bader (12-1, 5-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: Just shy of a decade ago, many wondered what Ortiz would
be like if he had viable standup and a knockout punch. He did
not really need those tools during his UFC title reign, as the
level of competition in the sport was relatively limited compared
to today’s athletes. Bader is pretty much the kind of fighter
Ortiz would have been, with better wrestling credentials, to
boot.
Ortiz’s
performances in recent fights have shown the accrued mileage
of a long career and intense training, with injuries galore hampering
his ability to do what he once did. Bader, coming off February’s
one-sided submission loss to current champion Jon Jones, remains
a carbon copy of what Ortiz used to be, with a powerful pair
of hands and fresher wheels.
Considering
Ortiz’s three-fight losing streak and long-running feud
with UFC President Dana White, this looks like an obvious piece
of don’t-let-the-door-hit-you-in-the-ass matchmaking. Ortiz
would love to spoil this exit party with an upset, which is where
the appeal is found. Love him or hate him, people will always
watch Ortiz fight.
Bader’s
thunderous right hand and upper-body strength are his keys here.
Ortiz rarely nails the overpowering double-leg takedowns he executed
seamlessly in his younger days, and Bader is too strong for that.
Ortiz’s best chance will be in clinches, where he was a
ton of experience and is excellent working off the cage. Plus,
that will negate Bader’s superior boxing.
The
Pick: One has to like Bader here. Expect a fight similar to the
Ortiz-Matt Hamill fight at UFC 121, except with the “Huntington
Beach Bad Boy” probably eating a few more punches and Bader
unleashing some more ground-and-pound; Bader by clear-cut decision.
Welterweights
Carlos Condit (26-5, 3-1 UFC) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (14-0-1, 1 NC,
5-0, 1 NC UFC)
The
Matchup: If someone was going to invent a fighter with zero standup
to beat Condit, Kim would be pretty close to it. The Korean grinds
out wins on tie-ups, pressure, takedowns and persistence. His
latest performance was a yawn-inducing decision over “The
Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 winner Nate Diaz at UFC 125 on
New Year’s Day.
Condit’s
aggressive standup flows nicely from his 6-foot-2 frame, as he
uncorks knees, high kicks and punches. The former WEC champion
also has a solid defensive guard. His biggest weakness remains
his lack of takedown defense and upper-body strength against
larger guys, but his offensive potential, both standing and on
the mat, is considerable. If Condit’s to move up and be
considered a Top 5 welterweight, he has to have an impressive
showing here.
This
matchup features a straight grappler against striker/submission
fighter, and Condit has his work cut out for him. He will have
to use kicks intelligently, while wrestling himself free from
clinches, where the judoka is excellent at tossing opponents
to the mat. Kim is a big welterweight himself, at 6-foot, and
is not likely to get submitted, as he shut down Diaz’s guard
while on top. One suspects this fight could engender some strong
debate about what exactly constitutes “scoring” in
a bout, with Condit landing a few clean blows per round while
getting taken down and parked upon for much of them, with little
effective damage from Kim.
Either
way, the guess here is that this is a bad style matchup for Condit,
who will have to score a Dan Hardy-style knockout -- which would
be huge, considering Kim is unbeaten -- or suffer over three
rounds of toss, squash and hold.
The
Pick: Kim by close decision.
Lightweights
Matt Wiman (13-5, 7-3 UFC) vs. Dennis Siver (18-7, 7-4 UFC)
The
Matchup: A resurgent Wiman was impressive in his last performance,
as he outpointed American Top Team’s Cole Miller at UFC
“Fight for the Troops 2” in January. Meanwhile, Siver
posted his third consecutive victory in an upset George Sotiropoulos
at UFC 127. In this one, Siver’s dynamic standup and excellent
kicking match up against Wiman, who will need to get the fight
down -- and likely keep it there -- to win.
Siver’s
takedown defense and timing of his strikes were splendid against
Sotiropoulos, as he picked apart the Aussie and dictated the
entire fight. Wiman has to close the distance, as Siver has an
excellent chin, as well as solid upper-body strength that serves
him well in tie-ups, where he will also explode with knees. Wiman’s
pretty durable himself, and while he may be able to score a takedown
or two, one has to wonder if he can hold Siver on the mat long
enough to counter the blows he will take standing.
The
Pick: Siver by unanimous decision.
Source
Sherdog
|
If
UFC Tells Tito Ortiz to Hang Up Gloves After UFC 132, He’ll
Call it a Career
by Damon
Martin
It was a dark day for former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito
Ortiz when he walked into the UFC offices after his loss to Matt
Hamill in October 2010.
Once known as the most dominant 205-pound fighter on the planet,
Ortiz was in the midst of a three-fight losing streak, and was
without a victory since 2006. While the numbers don’t lie,
Ortiz kept every fight close and wasn’t finished in those
three recent losses, but still hadn’t found the right formula
to win.
Despite his record, however, Ortiz knew that he had fought his
heart out and he felt that a company he supported for years could
never let him walk away without at least one more chance.
He thought wrong.
“It really came down to them coming to me and saying ‘we
think it’s time for you to retire,’ and I was pretty
much speechless for the first couple minutes. I was like, are
you serious right now?” Ortiz told MMAWeekly Radio.
The shock hit Ortiz like a jolt of lightning. At the time, the
UFC saying they thought he should retire didn’t push him
to get back in the gym and prove them wrong. It actually had
the exact opposite effect.
“To tell you the truth, 100 percent, it kind of deflated
me a little bit. I wasn’t motivated. It took me a little
bit. Three months ago I wasn’t motivated,” Ortiz admitted.
“After they told me that, it was just hard for me to get
in the gym. Then all of a sudden my fans who follow me on Twitter
and on my website Punishment.com and motivate me and push me,
and the trainers I have now, Jason Parilla and Mike Giovanni,
have motivated me to become a better fight now, to get that hunger
back, to get that motivation back to go and fight my heart out.”
Ortiz spoke candidly with the UFC and president Dana White about
the fights he has been involved in and what he still had to offer
the sport he has been a part of for so many years.
“You guys have me competing against the best guys in the
world, look at my last four fights. Yes, I haven’t had a
win since 2006, but let’s go back in history,” Ortiz
said. “I fought Rashad Evans to a draw and I thought I ended
up winning the fight, if it wasn’t for me, they said I held
onto the fence for a second time when my fingers just scraped
across the fence, they took a point away or I would have won
that fight. He goes on to win the light heavyweight world title.
“I fight (Lyoto) Machida. Once again, a fight I probably
could have gone either way if I would have kept the triangle
and he would have been choked out or unconscious, it was a mistake
I made. He goes on to win the light heavyweight world title.
“I fight Forrest Griffin after having back surgery. Most
athletes don’t come back after having surgery that major,
and it was supposed to be against Mark Coleman. It was supposed
to be a warm-up fight, and it was against Forrest Griffin who
is the former world champion. I thought I beat him in a two to
one round decision, but they gave it to him in a split decision.
I thought I won the fight. Dana said he thought I won the fight.
“Then all of a sudden I have to have neck surgery, and I
get neck surgery on top of my back surgery, and they want me
to fight Matt Hamill. He’s a tough, tough wrestler, a tough
guy who’s having a 5-0 record at the time of his last five
fights.
“I’m fighting the top guys in the world and I pretty
much had to tell them, why are you asking me to retire? I’m
not getting knocked out unconscious. I’m not getting submitted.
I’m not getting dominated, but I’m fighting the top
guys that you want me to fight against, but now you guys are
trying to retire me? I mean was this a negotiating tactic? I
don’t know. I don’t know the facts, so I’ll take
a big pay cut, and I’ll compete against anybody you guys
want me to.”
Once the contract negotiation passed and Ortiz convinced the
UFC to give him one more shot, and 22 stitches kept him out of
a scheduled fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in March,
the promotion then offered to put him in the Octagon with former
“Ultimate Fighter” winner Ryan Bader.
It didn’t really matter to Ortiz who he faced, he just wanted
to fight one of the best in the world to prove himself and Bader
fit the bill.
Ortiz is looking at this fight as make or break for his career,
and he doesn’t intend on Ryan Bader being the fighter that
retires the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” from MMA.
“Of course, for my fight career, for everything I put into
it, I’m going to put everything on the line. Hopefully,
Bader thinks that I’m going to be a pushover cause he’s
in a big, lot of trouble,” Ortiz stated.
Ortiz is candid when he speaks about his future, because he is
looking at his fight career now as UFC or bust. Once upon a time
when Ortiz was in contract negotiations with the UFC, he flirted
with other promotions like Strikeforce and Pride, but ultimately
he stuck around to the organization where he started.
If things don’t go his way at UFC 132, the Octagon will
be where Tito Ortiz lays his career down because there is nowhere
else he’d ever consider fighting.
“I can’t make decisions for my future, only Dana can,
only the UFC can. There’s nowhere else for me to go. There’s
no more Strikeforce. There’s no more Pride. There’s
no more WEC. Everything’s been bought by the UFC, and they’re
doing a great job of promoting one of the best brands in the
world and that’s the Ultimate Fighting Championship,”
Ortiz stated.
“I’ve been fighting for the UFC since day one, since
my career began back in 1997, and I don’t plan on going
anywhere else. If Dana thinks it’s time for me to bounce,
and go somewhere else or hang up my gloves, I don’t feel
like it, but if they feel like it, I have no choice. There isn’t
much of a choice I can do, besides fight my ass off on Saturday
night and get my hand raised to let everyone know that I’m
not going anywhere.”
Ortiz will look to prove that very point when he faces Ryan Bader
at UFC 132 this Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Silva
Looking for 'Fight of the Year' with Leben at UFC 132
by Mike
Whitman
Wanderlei
Silva has been out of action for over 16 months, and it's no
surprise that “The Axe Murderer” plans on returning
to the Octagon in style.
On
Saturday, the former Pride Fighting Championships 205-pound king
will lock horns with another well-known slugger in Chris Leben
in the co-main event of UFC 132. If Silva has his way, both he
and his opponent will walk away from the MGM Grand Garden Arena
in Las Vegas with something extra on July 2: a nomination for
‘Fight of the Year.’
“This
fight is really important to me. I’ve been out, and this
has been a hard year for me. That why I’ve trained so hard.
I’m a competitive guy. I like to be in the Octagon and fight.
A lot of guys stand in front of me for a few minutes and then
run,” said Silva during the UFC 132 conference call.
“But
I think my opponent is really going to come to fight. I think
we're going to put on a great show. I asked for this fight, because
we can make one of the best fights of the year – maybe the
best fight of the year. I want the check for “'Fight of
the Night.'”
In
Leben, Silva sees a knockout puncher with a similar in-cage demeanor
to his own. As evidenced by the Brazilian's request to fight
“The Crippler” in his comeback bout, Silva hopes the
pair can put on an exciting bout for his fans, on whom he has
relied while recovering from knee surgery this past year.
“I
talked to the boss, and I asked if I could fight Chris Leben.
I said that I had been watching his fights, and he punches very
well. He's a tough guy. I like his style. He fights like me,”
said Silva. “I had a really tough year with the injury.
But I’ve had unbelievable support from my fans. My fans
send me messages everyday, and I really want to give them a good
show. I want to show the real and the best Wanderlei Silva.”
In
preparation for his bout with Leben, Silva has reunited with
former Chute Boxe mentor Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA in Huntington
Beach, Calif., a decision that the Brazilian believes has left
him prepared for anything.
“We
have a great camp there. I trained with “Babalu” [Renato
Sobral], [Fabricio] Werdum and “Shogun” [Mauricio Rua].
Man, it's so tough,” said Silva. “They kick my ass
every day, but it makes me stronger, you know? I’m ready
for everything in this next fight -- standup, ground, takedowns.
Also, my cardio is really good right now. It was the best camp
of my life.”
Looking
toward the future, Silva, 34, asserts that although he still
has title aspirations, he must first take care of the man looking
to spoil his return to the cage.
“Of
course I want to try to fight for the belt, but I’ve got
a fight with a great fighter right now, and I need to focus on
him before talking about [the future].”
Source:
Sherdog
|
After
15 Years, Wanderlei Silva Still Trying to Give Fans What They
Want
By Ben
Fowlkes
LAS VEGAS -- Wanderlei Silva made his way into the MGM Grand
ballroom and went straight to working the ropeline like an experienced
politician during Wednesday afternoon's UFC 132 open workouts.
The Brazilian slugger has been around long enough by now that
he knows what the fans want, and it isn't to see him hit some
pads.
Workouts?
Sure, it's a nice photo op. But really they want to shake his
hand, maybe get an autograph, but mostly they want to see him.
They want to feel like they have something of him that they can
take home, because no one knows how much longer this ride is
going to last.
If
you ask Silva, he'll tell you he wants another five years in
the sport, maybe ten more fights total.
"That's
my plan," he said. "I don't know what's God's plan."
Silva
will turn 35 years old the day after his fight with Chris Leben
at UFC 132. Almost 15 of those years have been spent in the fight
game, from bare-knuckle Vale Tudo bouts in Brazilian nightclubs
to the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo to his current home in the
UFC. It's been a long ride for Silva, and with the way he fights,
it's also been a rough one.
Despite
one recent surgery to repair his injured knee and another to
remove some of the copious scar tissue from his face, Silva said
he's still feeling healthy a decade and a half into his fight
career. He has "regular pains," but nothing serious.
Still,
he's suffered progressively frightening knockout losses in three
of his last seven bouts, and he's won only two fights in that
same span. He might not have come to the end of the road, but
he ought to be able to see it from where he's standing now.
But
Wanderlei is Wanderlei, and there are expectations that come
with that. Fans expect him to brawl. They expect him to fight
like there is no greater shame in life than taking a backward
step. They expect him to give them a knockout -- his own or someone
else's, it doesn't particularly matter.
This
comes with a price, but it's one he's used to paying by now.
It would be smart to fight a little safer, for the sake of his
health and longevity, if nothing else, but as he put it: "We
are not machines. We have a lot of things inside."
In
other words, there's what would be smart for you to do, and then
there's what it is in you to do.
And
it's not as if his coaches haven't tried to get him to take it
easy in there, Silva said. It's just that, well, he's been doing
it this way for a little while now. Even he doesn't seem to know
whether he's capable of changing.
"After
the fight, I don't know what's happened to me," he said.
"I feel crazy. I want to kill the guy. A lot of times my
coach says, 'Calm, calm!' That's his instruction for me: 'Calm!
Calm! Calm!'"
At
the same time, Wanderlei didn't get to be Wanderlei by staying
calm. Just like the UFC didn't match him up with fellow slugger
Chris Leben because it wanted to see him fight smart and safe.
The
fans want what they want, and Silva has always known just how
to give it to him. But in giving it to him, he may also be giving
up those last few years he hopes to squeeze into an already overflowing
body of work.
The
question is, can he keep being the same old Wanderlei, and still
stick around as the years and the beatings pile up?
"That's
a good question," Silva said with a wry smile. "I'll
try."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Leben
Excited to Face 'Hero' Silva at UFC 132
by Mike
Whitman
Chris
Leben's style of fighting is a rarity at the highest level of
MMA.
A
quintessential slugger, the Oregon native will often take several
shots just to land one of his trademark bombs. Known as one of
the most exciting if not consistent fighters in the UFC's middleweight
division, Leben will face Wanderlei Silva in the co-main event
of UFC 132 on July 2.
It
was about nine years ago that “The Crippler” claims
he first desired to climb in the cage with Silva. In fact, the
Brazilian served as one of Leben's sources of inspiration as
a developing fighter.
“Honestly,
I’m so excited to fight Wanderlei Silva. He's one of my
heroes. Believe it or not, when I first started fighting, I’d
go get bootleg Pride videos and watch him and try to emulate
some of the things that he did,” said Leben during the UFC
132 conference call. “To be a legend, you've got to beat
a legend. I’m so stoked. The passing of the torch is kind
of what I’m hoping for.”
Though
Leben openly expresses the excitement he feels from facing an
icon like “The Axe Murder,” the southpaw is equally
open regarding his reservations about fighting an opponent as
infamous as the traditionally violent Silva.
“[Silva]
is an animal, you know? There's nothing more motivating than
the fear of a coma,” said Leben. “I’m focusing
a lot harder on my diet, and when I’m in the gym, I’m
in the gym 110 percent. I’m putting everything in, and I
want to go out and win this fight. But regardless if I win, lose
or draw, I want to put on a fantastic show for the fans. I might
be a little worried, but I’m going to get in there and do
what I do. We look our fears in the eye and then we conquer them.”
In
spite of his admitted trepidation with respect to his opponent,
Leben is by no means satisfied with simply showing up to the
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Leben has used his power
and toughness to overcome seemingly more skilled opponents in
the past, and the fighter believes that Saturday will prove to
be no exception.
“I
have fought guys in the past who I thought were better fighters
than me, and truth be told, I ended up winning those fights.
Looking back at my career, I’ve won a lot of fights that
I should have lost on paper, and that's just grit,” said
Leben. “I want to be known as a top guy. If you're fighting
Chris Leben, you need to be careful, because you know he's coming
to fight.”
Leben
recently had a three-fight winning streak snapped in January
when he was knocked out by Brian Stann at UFC 125, a loss that
“The Crippler” says he took especially hard.
“A
loss is never good. I had to go to counseling about that damn
loss,” said Leben. “But the bottom line is that you've
got to get back on the horse. I’ve been around for a while
to the point that a loss isn't going to make me perform badly
in my next fight. I don't lose all my belief in myself or anything
like that. I look back and I go, 'Well, I messed up. OK, what
worked in that fight? What worked in my camp? What didn't work?'
After I analyze that, I change a few things, and that's what
I’ve done.”
After
coming in heavy and undergoing a difficult weight cut prior to
his loss to Stann, Leben was openly critical of his actions.
According to the fighter, he's now monitoring his diet much more
closely, a fact that complies with his purported evolution as
a mixed martial artist.
“The
way I look at it is that this sport is a continual learning curve.
I’ve never stopped learning, and that's not just with the
skills that we learn, but also with our life outside of fighting,”
said Leben. “Everything we go through, I’m constantly
trying to tweak and change and find out how I can get another
two percent out of myself.”
Despite
his continual development, Leben has taken some serious punishment
in his nearly 10 years as a pro. However, although the fighter
has put quite a few miles on his body, he claims that there is
still plenty of tread on his tires and will continue to fight
for the foreseeable future, regardless of his outcome against
Silva.
“There
are so many benefits that go along with what we do that I don't
see myself throwing in the towel. The fact of the matter is that
I’ve still got some things I want to accomplish in this
sport. I’m not retiring any time soon.”
Source
Sherdog
|
For
Condit, Silence Still Golden
by Tristen
Critchfield
ALBUQUERQUE,
N.M. -- By landing a hard left hook to former title contender
Dan Hardy’s face at UFC 120 in October, Carlos Condit was
able to finally hear what had eluded him in the weeks leading
up to his co-main event bout with the cocksure British striker:
beautiful silence.
Well,
almost.
“I
knocked out the hometown boy,” Condit tells Sherdog.com.
“It was silent, except for my dad, my wife and my best friend,
who were in the crowd. You can hear it on the video; you can
hear my wife just screaming like crazy, because she was probably
about the only one.”
The
other 17,000-plus fans at the O2 Arena in London were in a state
of collective shock after the knockout. Hardy, a former No. 1
contender, had done little to hide his disregard for Condit’s
abilities prior to their welterweight showdown. By the time Hardy
had gathered himself enough to apologize to those in attendance,
it was clear that doubting Condit had been a mistake.
It
was the second time in 2010 that the Jackson’s Mixed Martial
Arts representative had done the improbable in an opponent’s
backyard; the first being his come-from-behind technical knockout
of Canadian Rory MacDonald at UFC 115 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Condit
has never been afraid of the moment. At age 15, when he first
became serious about fighting, the native New Mexican sparred
with grown men while learning under Greg Jackson black belt Tom
Vaughn.
“[These
were] guys in their early 20s and 30s who were very well-versed
fighters, and I could hang in there with them. Nobody could have
foreseen how huge the sport would become, but when it came to
just standing there and fighting with somebody, I knew that was
something I could do,” Condit says.
He
has done it well ever since, from winning his first professional
bout when he was 18 years old and capturing the World Extreme
Cagefighting welterweight belt at 23 to becoming one of the top
contenders for the UFC strap at his current age of 27.
At
UFC 132 “Cruz vs. Faber 2” on Saturday in Las Vegas,
“The Natural Born Killer” faces a similar rising talent
in undefeated Korean Dong Hyun Kim, a fourth degree black belt
in judo with an unbeaten mark in the UFC. The “Stun Gun”
owns wins over Jason Tan, Matt Brown, T.J. Grant, “The Ultimate
Fighter” Season 7 winner Amir Sadollah and “The Ultimate
Fighter” Season 5 winner Nate Diaz during that time but
lacks a signature victory to rival Condit’s.
Kim
is an undefeated prospect.
“Lately,
I definitely think that I’ve been fighting tougher guys,”
Condit says. “Kim came into the UFC without a huge name,
so they gave him fights to build himself up; whereas I had already
made a name for myself, so right out the gate, I was fighting
top-notch opponents.”
Kim
figures to employ an attack that will keep Condit on his back
for the majority of their encounter. Condit is aware of the difficulties
that his opponent presents.
“It
is a tough matchup for me, but I love a challenge. I think that
I have the tools to come out on top,” Condit says. “We
have some great wrestlers in here [at Jackson’s]. We have
some guys that have some really good throws and we have guys
with great jiu-jitsu and ground games. I definitely think we’ll
be prepared.
“I’m
sure I’m bound to be taken down in this fight,” he
adds. “The question is can he dictate the fight with his
takedowns? Am I gonna be able to get back up and implement my
game, [or] be able to attack off my back, which is something
that I have in my arsenal?”
Condit
believes the winner of the bout should have a say in the welterweight
title picture very soon. Current champion Georges St. Pierre
will face Nick Diaz in October, but St. Pierre has already beaten
many of the top contenders in the division. Condit is part of
a new batch of challengers -- along with fighters like MacDonald
and Jake Ellenberger, to name a few -- that could inject some
life into the weight class.
“I
have a lot of experience, and I’m constantly improving my
game, but, yeah, there are definitely some really tough guys
that are going to be making a case for themselves to get title
shots soon,” Condit says.
For
the former WEC champion, getting that shot would likely mean
going through a Jackson’s MMA teammate in St. Pierre. While
such a scenario is not Condit’s first choice, he recognizes
that it is the nature of the business.
“I’m
not going to sit here and say that it wouldn’t be a difficult
thing to fight a teammate, but on the other hand, we’re
all trying to be the best in the world,” he says. “I
think that I would fight anybody who had the belt.”
“It
is a tough matchup for me, but I love a challenge. I think that
I have the tools to come out on top. ” -- Carlos Condit,
on Kim
It
has been more than eight months since Condit flashed his Zia
mouthpiece -- a tribute to his home state -- in triumph after
stunning Hardy in London. A knee injury forced him out of a proposed
fight with Chris Lytle at UFC 127 in February, but Condit claims
to be 100 percent healthy after rehabilitation work at the Southwest
Sports Institute.
“I
dislocated my kneecap. Luckily, I didn’t have any torn ligaments
or anything,” he says. “It was very disappointing.
I was feeling great going into that fight. I didn’t take
any time off after the Hardy fight. I think that I’ve regrouped
and recuperated, and I’m ready to continue my run.”
A
win over Kim at UFC 132 would go a long way toward extending
that hot streak and elevating Condit’s status in the division.
“I
think it puts me in a good position to either get a title shot
or a fight for [the right to be considered the] No. 1 contender,”
he says.
That
is the kind of talk Condit would not mind hearing a little more
often.
Source
Sherdog
|
Chris
Leben's Biggest Problem in Last Loss? Too Much Candy
By Ben
Fowlkes
LAS
VEGAS -- As Chris Leben pointed out this week, his fight with
Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132 will be his 18th UFC bout. But that
doesn't mean he's not still a work in progress, learning as he
goes.
Take,
for instance, his loss to Brian Stann at UFC 125. Stann knocked
him out in the first round, but Leben didn't exactly help his
own cause before the fight, he told reporters on Wednesday.
"I
ate a bunch of candy, dude. I'm not lying," said Leben,
who, of course, also stressed that he didn't want to take anything
away from Stann's victory.
"I
didn't eat sugar for like two months. Then after I made weight
I went and bought gummy bears and chocolate and ice cream, and
I ate that. My body hadn't had sugar, so I was backstage puking,
sh---ing and puking when I was on-deck for that fight. That's
not a lie; that's the truth. And Brian Stann fought an amazing
fight, but hindsight's 20/20. No gummy bears for me this fight."
That's
right: candy.
Leben,
a nine-year veteran of MMA with over 30 pro fights, was undone
by the highly questionable decision to feast on sweets right
before fighting another human being in a cage for money.
But hey, at least now he knows not to do it again. Not that that's
a lesson many fighters have to learn the hard way, but still.
At
30 years old, there aren't many secrets about Leben's game. He
comes forward, throws one looping bomb after another, and tries
to bait every opponent into a street fight. Against Silva, the
baiting process ought to be the easiest part, or at least that's
what most people are expecting.
For
Leben, the fight with Silva is a chance to take on a personal
hero, as well as a bit of an MMA role model.
"When
I first starting fighting, I was watching Wanderlei and, in some
ways, attempting to emulate some of the stuff that he did,"
Leben said. "The guy's been in dozens of legendary wars.
You can't go into 7-11 without seeing him next to the little
Xyience things. He's everywhere."
At
the same time, even with a win over the aging Silva, Leben isn't
likely to be a title contender any time soon -- though UFC president
Dana White did say that the winner would likely be "in the
mix," for what that's worth.
But
Leben seems to realize his own limitations, and has instead set
his sights on being one of the most exciting fighters rather
than winning at all costs. The belt, he said, is just a "superficial
object." Etching your name in people's minds as a fan favorite
isn't something you can touch, but it does seem like a more attainable
goal for Leben.
"There's
somebody that's not in the UFC that's better than me that can
beat me right now," Leben said. "I guarantee that.
There's a lot of people in this world. Where I'm at in my career,
I just want to have epic fights. I want to have fights that go
down in the history books. I want to put on a show. I want people
to think, hey, Chris Leben's on this card, I'm buying that pay-per-view."
If
that's his goal, he seems to be most of the way there already.
Leben has rarely been in a boring UFC fight, and the few he has
had were almost universally his opponent's doing rather than
his. If things with Silva even live up to half of the hype, he
should have another slugfest to add to his highlight clip very
soon.
And
later, when it's over? Now that's the type to break out the candy
and celebrate. At least now he knows.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Man
Up & Stand Up Tonight
Waipahu Filipino Community Center (Filcom)
Waipahu, Hawaii
Friday, July 1, 2011
Event starts at 6PM
|
UFC
132 Tomorrow
Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV
7/2/11
By Zach Arnold
Hawaii
Air times:
Preliminaries 2:00-3:00PM Channel 559 SPIKE
Event 3:00-6:00PM Channel 701
Dark matches/preliminary fights
Middleweights: Brad Tavares vs. Aaron Simpson
Bantamweights: Brian Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Lightweights: George Sotiropoulos vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Lightweights: Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller
Lightweights: Andre Winner vs. Anthony Njokuani
Main card
Lightweights: Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman
Welterweights: Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Light Heavyweights: Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader
Welterweights: Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben
UFC Bantamweight title match: Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
132 Preview: The Prelims
by Jason Probst
Three
lightweight bouts are on the undercard, so the UFC 132 “Cruz
vs. Faber 2” prelims on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena in Las Vegas should help shake out the 155-pound division.
With
the red-hot Melvin Guillard taking on former WEC stalwart and
three-time NCAA All-American wrestler Shane Roller, fireworks
figure to fly. Throw in George Sotiropoulos-Rafael dos Anjos
and Anthony Njokuani-Andre Winner, and it becomes a pretty stout
preliminary lineup. Also scheduled are a pair of bantamweight
fights and a middleweight clash pitting Aaron Simpson against
the unbeaten Brad Tavares.
Let
us have a closer look.
Lightweights
Melvin Guillard (27-8-2, 1 NC, 9-4 UFC) vs. Shane Roller (10-3,
1-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: Often entering fights to the much-hackneyed “really
serious this time” tagline, Guillard is the most physically
talented lightweight in the UFC. Nobody can match his combination
of high-level wrestling and punishing standup; mental mistakes
and lack of focus have been his biggest problems.
With
destructive strikes and solid wrestling, Guillard is a handful
for anyone, particularly foes that are forced to stand and trade
with him. His numbing stoppage of Evan Dunham at UFC “Fight
for the Troops 2” in January was the best performance of
his career and once again tempted fans to contemplate what a
focused Guillard could do in the stacked UFC lightweight division.
Roller
is coming off a gutsy comeback knockout win over Thiago Tavares
in a fight where he was being picked apart and seemingly en route
to a bad beating at UFC Live 3. To his credit, the three-time
NCAA All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University kept
plugging away, driving home an out-of-nowhere right hand to win
the fight.
Roller’s
standup remains pretty raw, as he often holds his hands in bad
positions while in striking range. Technique-wise, Guillard is
a textbook striker. Roller has to get this fight to the ground,
and he will need to cross one hell of a dangerous moat to do
it. Guillard’s upper-body strength and balance make him
exceptionally spry and difficult to put on the mat, and he excels
in punishing opponents trying to transition from one stuffed
takedown attempt into another.
The
Pick: There is the possibility that Roller could score a few
takedowns and ride them out to a decision, but Guillard’s
got too many chances to land a fight-changing bomb, and he will
do just that after Roller gets discouraged and roughed up early;
Guillard by third-round knockout.
Lightweights
Rafael dos Anjos (14-5, 3-3 UFC) vs. George Sotiropoulos (14-3,
7-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: Two skilled lightweights meet here, both in need of
a win to prove they belong. Sotiropoulos, riding a 7-0 UFC record
into his last appearance and flirting with top contender status,
was summarily shut down and spanked by Dennis Siver at UFC 127
in February. In the decision loss, the Aussie could not engage
in clinches or get off effective takedown attempts in what was
a surprising drop-off from previous performances.
Dos
Anjos returns after a loss to Clay Guida at UFC 117 in August
snapped a three-fight winning streak. This will likely be a grappling-heavy
fight unless somebody catches a hot one early and decides to
brawl. Sotiropoulos has surely worked on closing the distance,
as well as using his length in standup, and Dos Anjos does not
figure to have the range and radar Siver did in denying him those
tools.
While
Dos Anjos is the bigger one-shot hitter, Sotiropoulos should
be able to jab and kick enough to initiate a clinch, wherein
he can take the fight down and grind on the Brazilian from top
position. Looking at Sotiropoulos’ seven UFC wins, only
one of those opponents -- Joe Lauzon -- remains active on the
UFC’s lightweight roster. For Sotiropoulos to compete at
the next level, he has to be able to strike more effectively
and improve on his takedowns; his jiu-jitsu is top notch if he
can get the fight where he wants it.
The
Pick: Sotiropoulos by third-round submission.
Bantamweights
Brian Bowles (9-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (14-5-2, 1-0
UFC)
The
Matchup: Former WEC bantamweight champion Bowles continues down
the comeback trail against Japanese veteran Mizugaki.
This
is a definite measuring stick-style matchup for Bowles, whose
wrestling and power punching will be put to the test against
a guy who does nothing great but is just plain tough as nails,
no matter where the fight goes. When Urijah Faber put Mizugaki
to sleep with a crushing rear-naked choke in November, it was
the closest thing one could imagine to someone getting his head
ripped off. Mizugaki opted to go to sleep instead, showing the
kind of toughness he did in a five-round war with former WEC
titleholder Miguel Torres in April 2009.
Bowles’
stout right hand and superior quickness have to come into play
here, with him executing effectively. Extended clinches on the
cage and tiring, cardio-heavy battles of position and transition
on the mat favor Mizugaki, who seems to get stronger as the fight
wears on.
When
they are standing, Bowles needs to zip in and out, landing while
he moves and changes angles. The occasional leg kick will work,
as well, as Mizugaki tends to wade forward, heavy on his feet.
The Japanese standout will look to make it a down-and-dirty battle,
but Bowles is the better athlete and he will have to fight like
it.
The
Pick: Bowles by close decision.
Middleweights
Brad Tavares (7-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Aaron Simpson (9-2, 4-2 UFC)
The
Matchup: Call it wrestler versus talented brawler, but whatever
it is, Tavares-Simpson is a clear-cut case of two guys wanting
to do different things and butting heads in the process of deciding
who gets his way. Simpson, an excellent wrestler with developing
hands, will look to take this to the mat and push out a win,
either by accumulated ground- and-pound or decision.
Tavares
showed resilience and calm in dispatching Phil Baroni at UFC
125 on New Year’s Day. Like every other fighter from Hawaii,
he is a tough nut to crack, willing to trade and pretty much
fearless in going punch-for-punch.
On
a technical level, Simpson has more advantages, but Tavares can
hit hard and seems to have the conditioning to do it all night
long. If Tavares wants to win, he has to discourage Simpson early
by stuffing takedowns and getting off first with strikes, instead
of waiting to counter. Simpson, like most elite wrestlers making
the transition to MMA, relies on an in-close, dirty boxing-style
approach rather than trying to strike too much from range. It
allows him to transition into clinches and takedowns while doing
damage and keeping foes off-balance.
This
fight could have some wild momentum swings on the feet, but Simpson
has an ace card -- great wrestling -- to negate bad situations.
He may get rocked a time or two, but he has gotten more comfortable
with striking and being hit since his loss to Chris Leben at
“The Ultimate Fighter 11” Finale last summer.
The
Pick: Simpson will trade in spots and hit takedowns, enough to
wear Tavares out and pile up points en route to a unanimous decision.
Lightweights
Andre Winner (11-5-1, 2-3 UFC) vs. Anthony Njokuani (13-5, 1
NC, 0-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: A standup stylist’s special unfolds here, as Winner
and Njokuani collide. An exciting fighter in the WEC, Njokuani
was 4-3 inside the promotion. He lost a close decision in his
UFC debut to the talented Edson Mendes Barboza Jr. at UFC 128
in March, showing excellent timing and an ability to counter
the dangerous Brazilian consistently. Winner has had mixed results
since reaching the final of “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 9 and losing to Ross Pearson.
Getting
out-grappled by Nik Lentz is understandable, but losing via rear-naked
choke after being out-grappled by kickboxer Dennis Siver is another
matter entirely. Like most British MMA fighters, Winner deals
with a wrestling deficit in virtually every fight.
Winner
has some decent strikes and speed, but Njokuani is more explosive
and diverse in his attacks. He also has the option to take it
down to the ground, where he can operate effectively with ground-and-pound
and positional improvements.
The
Pick: Njokuani by second-round knockout.
Bantamweights
Jeff Hougland (9-4, 0-0 UFC) vs. Donny Walker (15-6, 0-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: With the smallest roster of competitors, the UFC’s
135-pound division is probably the easiest class for a debuting
fighter to make some noise. Hougland and Walker, who turned professional
in 2002 and 2004, respectively, are fairly experienced veterans
looking for a breakout win in their debut on the big stage.
On
film, this one looks like a tossup, with Hougland having a slight
edge in takedown ability and Walker possessing cleaner standup.
Hougland fights like the kind of guy who relies on toughness
to take him where physical ability will not, so it will be up
to Walker to keep it technical.
The
Pick: Hougland by second-round KO.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Cruz:
‘Everything is Different’ for Faber Rematch
by Mike
Whitman
Four
years ago, Dominick Cruz left his neck exposed and paid for it
dearly. On Saturday, he will finally have a chance at redemption
-- a chance to avenge the lone loss on an otherwise perfect record.
Headlining
UFC 132 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the UFC’s
reigning bantamweight champion will once again lock horns with
Urijah Faber. The two met for the first time in March 2007. Back
then, it was Faber who held the gold as the WEC featherweight
king, and “The California Kid” took care of business
in impressive fashion, choking out Cruz (Pictured; file photo)
with a guillotine choke just 98 seconds into the contest.
Much
has changed for Cruz since then. He has won eight straight fights,
dropped to 135-pounds and captured the UFC title in the process.
According to Cruz, when he locks up with Faber for a second time,
he will not resemble the man who was beaten in 2007.
“You
can look at my fights and the difference in my [skills] since
I fought [Faber]. My scrambling and my wrestling [have improved],
and my body is changing,” Cruz said during a pre-fight conference
call. “It’s been four years, you know? Everything is
different for this fight. He’s fighting a completely different
person. I’m in a lot better place now. I’ve got a lot
more knowledge about how the fight game works.”
Though
much has been made of the bad blood leading up to their July
2 confrontation, Cruz says personal feelings for his opponent
usually do not play a factor in his preparation or performance.
In fact, the two may even squash their differences after the
bout, though there are no guarantees from either party on that
front.
“I
do a pretty good job of not making it emotional. Once I get in
a fight, I fight just as hard against somebody I don’t like
as I do against somebody I have no problem with. Once I get in
there, it’s not a big deal. I just go in there and do my
job and beat the crap out of whoever is in the cage with me,”
said Cruz. “You kind of get in the moment when you’re
in a fight. You learn a lot about each other. We’ll see
how the fight goes. After the fight, we’ll see how we look;
we’ll see if we can walk and talk, and I’ll take it
in stride.”
Cruz’s
clash with Faber marks the UFC’s first-ever bantamweight
title main event, a distinction that provides the champion with
a sense of pride. However, although he will make his Octagon
debut in a pressure-packed headliner, “The Dominator”
asserts that his pre-fight routine will not change.
“Of
course, it’s more exciting to headline a card like this.
Not only am I on a card with guys who I grew up watching, but
I’ve also been given the opportunity to be in the [UFC’s]
first bantamweight title fight,” said Cruz. “It’s
definitely something I’m excited for, but, really, it’s
the exact same ritual that I’d go through in the WEC. There’s
just a little bit more incentive at the end; that’s all.”
According
to Cruz, his two most recent battles inside the smaller, now-defunct
cage of the WEC have prepared him for any Octagon jitters he
may feel against Faber at UFC 132. He took on Faber’s teammate,
Joseph Benavidez, and most recently Scott Jorgensen, edging Benavidez
and cruising to a victory over Jorgensen after both fights went
the 25-minute time limit.
“I
do a lot of mental preparation to be ready for my fights, and
I’m confident in my mental preparation for this fight. I’ve
had the best fate possible,” said Cruz. “I fought two
events for the WEC, and I went the distance in both. There’s
no better way to prepare for this fight than the two fights I
just had. I’m confident that I’m not going to be shell-shocked
when I get out there, and my body is going to do what it’s
trained to do.”
In
his next bout, however, Cruz will have a larger canvas on which
to paint. Known for his fast footwork and stifling movement in
the cage, many have argued that the champion will be even tougher
to catch in the 30-foot Octagon, which measures a full five feet
greater in diameter than the WEC’s 25-foot cage. Cruz agrees
with that sentiment, asserting that the larger playing field
favors his style of fighting.
“Yeah,
[more space] is definitely [an advantage]. I think a lot of people’s
game plan is to get me up against the cage and try to head me
off. That’s what my training partners are doing to simulate
what the other guy is trying to do to me,” said Cruz. “But
at the same time, I am very offensive. Just because it’s
a big cage doesn’t mean I’m going to be running the
whole time. I’m looking to go in there and let everything
hang out and do everything I can to get that finish as soon as
possible.”
Just
as both fighters have changed since their last meeting, so too
has the bantamweight division. For the first time, two 135-pound
competitors now have their names at the top of a UFC bill, a
mere fantasy during Cruz’s first clash with Faber. Now 10
pounds lighter and riding an eight-fight winning streak, Cruz
believes he has found his sweet spot at the top of the bantamweight
ranks.
“The
division has exploded. I think both the [bantamweight and featherweight]
divisions carry a lot more recognition than they did even a year
ago, and it’s exciting. It means a lot to be able to represent
the weight class,” said Cruz. “I’m cutting a lot
more weight to make 135 pounds, but it’s a sacrifice that
gets me into fight mode. I feel like that’s why [bantamweight]
is such a good fit for me. When I cut that weight, I feel like
I sacrifice that last little bit just to go in there and get
that [win].”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Promoter
Says Kimbo Slice Has a Mean Streak That America Hasn’t Seen
Since Mike Tyson
Kimbo
Slice’s long awaited boxing debut will finally happen on
Aug. 13 in Miami, Oklahoma, as the one-time street fighter turns
to the sweet science.
Under Gary Shaw Productions and Tony Holden Promotions, Slice
will make his professional debut in a four-round main event fight
at the Buffalo Run Casino.
After making his name in street fight videos that gained millions
of views on YouTube, Slice took a shot at mixed martial arts
with varied results. Following his exit from the UFC last year,
Slice took some time off to spend with family, film a movie,
and let his body recover from years of athletic competition,
but now he’s ready to get back in the ring.
“As I was last speaking to you guys when I was positioning
Ray Edwards, I had known that Kimbo’s interest level had
gone up back into boxing. What we didn’t tell anyone is
that he had always continued training, not full-time training
for a fight, but over the year he was training the intricacies
and the nuances of the fight game and of the boxing game,”
Jared Shaw, promotional advisor to Team Kimbo Slice, told MMAWeekly.com
on Wednesday.
Slice will make his boxing debut, and Shaw, who also worked with
the fighter during his time as a mixed martial artist when he
was under the EliteXC banner, believes he has a big future in
the sport as a heavyweight.
“I think Kimbo Slice has a load of potential. Obviously,
he’s no spring chicken, but he is a hungry, hungry fighter
with a mean streak that America hasn’t seen since Mike Tyson,”
Shaw stated.
“The reality is this man wants his bread, and everybody
who stands across from him in the ring, is in the way of the
Kimbo Slice express.”
While no opponent has been named as of yet, the event will go
down on Aug. 13 and ticket sales for the event begin July 5.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
If
UFC lobbying for NY MMA legislation on economic & safety
grounds is futile, what’s left to lobby?
By Zach
Arnold
Update: NY lawmakers OK Niagara Falls tightrope walk
A tale of two markets, with Toronto media discussing the financial
impact of UFC 129 at the Sky Dome (Rogers Centre) for the Ontario
region while legislation for MMA in the state of New York stalls
like a flooded car engine.
(New York isn’t only the trouble-making market right now
for the UFC. We’ll discuss Vancouver’s issues at the
end of this post.)
Justin Klein, who has his ear to the ground in regards to what
is happening in New York politics for Mixed Martial Arts, reported
yesterday that efforts for MMA legislation in 2011 were finished.
Read his article for the quote that Assemblyman Sheldon Silver’s
deputy, Herman Farrell, had to say about MMA. When the #1 and
#2 power brokers in the New York state Assembly are against legalizing
MMA, you can see how troublesome this is for the UFC in their
lobbying efforts.
Justin made an appearance on Josh Gross’ ESPN radio show
to discuss the fallout from the MMA bill stalling in the New
York state Assembly. There are other major political bills stalling
in New York as well, including a bill regarding legalizing same-sex
marriage. As Justin put it, the MMA bill in terms of importance
compared to gay marriage & rent control bills, is “really
a pimple on an elephant’s ass.”
Despite the bill stalling in the Assembly, have UFC’s lobbyists
made a positive impact on advancing the chances of the legislation
getting passed in the future?
“I think that this year additional media attention, you
know, some mainstream outlets were covering it a little bit more.
You also had this Coalition (to Legalize MMA in NY) and you also,
again, had some people up in Albany pushing a little harder that
raises the awareness about the issue. But the unfortunate thing
about New York politics is that unless you can get the leaders
of the majority conference and, you know, in this case it’s
as high as it goes, the Assembly Speaker Silver & his #2
basically Herman Farrell, unless you can get them to sort of
let it go, we have a real problem here. I do think increased
media exposure helps but at the same time I think it was last
week that Siena put out another poll where, you know, 55% of
New Yorkers were opposed to legalizing Mixed Martial Arts and
I get into a number of reasons why I think the poll was skewed,
but I don’t think that helps. So, you know, I think that
you just have to make this issue bigger and bigger and keep pushing
it. But, ultimately, I think education is key. The fact that
Herman Farrell made that, you know, unfortunate statement about
sticks and metal balls with spikes, I think it’s naive but
I think there’s a positive there if you look at it at 10,000
feet because it shows he probably really doesn’t understand
how much safety, you know, the safety aspects of the sport have
changed and how highly and heavily regulated the sport would
be. Certainly, as it became legal, the New York State Athletic
Commission would be in charge with the regulatory process. So,
in leaves at least some room in my mind for a chance to educate
these people more and there it turns to the lobbyists and lobbying
effort. Hopefully they can get in front of these influential
people because I do think the votes are there to pass this thing,
I just think it’s a matter of getting it to the floor and
educating them more about the sport and everything that’s
involved on the medical testing side and things of that nature.”
So far, the efforts to get MMA passed on the grounds of creating
a positive social & cultural impact for the state have failed
miserably. Now, what about the economic argument that Dana White
and the lobbyists for the UFC have been trying to push? Money
talks, BS walks, right? Well, not if the money is small in comparison
to the state’s budget deficit. $23M in potential revenue
versus a $9B deficit? “Those numbers are really not that
compelling,” Mr. Klein stated.
“In terms of the positives, they’re really the only
ones as far as I know that are spending money in any sort of
lobbying effort and I think that, look at this year, I mean I
think this year alone I mean I do think the Coalition (to Legalize
MMA in NY) helped, I do think, you know, having Assemblyman Dean
Murray up there certainly up there helped, but you know the votes
are getting stronger. It was 42-18 it passed the Senate this
year and, you know, last year I don’t have the exact number,
maybe it was 32-26, you know, it was much closer and it passed
that of the Tourism committee overwhelmingly and it passed out
of the Codes committee. So, I do think they are having an effect
up there.
“I think that in my view the one thing and I still hold
this opinion, I don’t think focusing on money is really
the answer because it doesn’t get you that far. It sets
you up for the opposition like (Bob) Reilly to say, ‘well,
if it’s about money, then there’s a lot of things we
can legalize that I don’t agree with’ and things like
that and also, it’s not a lot of money. $23M USD seems like
a lot to me, certainly, you know, and to you and to other individual
people but to a state that’s running a $9B USD deficit,
it’s not that much money. So, I’d like there to be
more focus on the education, you know, I’d like to see them
use some of that money to put on a day up in Albany with people
like Nick Lembo from the State ACB in New Jersey who’s been
following this sport and on the forefront of making this a safe
sport, get them up there. Get Dr. Sherry Wulkan up there, the
chief ringside physician in New Jersey who’s also a New
Yorker, get her up there talking about the medical stuff and
the things she’s seen. I mean, I do think there is room
for that, getting the right people up there and maybe you’ll
get someone like Herman Farrell to come along and actually come
to a table and listen to a doctor from New York talk about the
work she’s doing in New Jersey and her knowledge of the
medical requirements, how stringent the testing is, and her view
of the safety of the sport. Or get a good neurosurgeon, you know,
there is one Hopkins study out there. Continue to do research,
continue to push medical research. I think all of that stuff
will help.
“But I firmly believe education is key. I know people like
to throw numbers around and it’s really easy for legislators
to throw numbers around because that’s what they want to
hear, but I do think if you can make this out in people’s
mind as a sport that’s a lot safer, significantly vastly
different than what it was in the 90s and highly regulated &
safe, I think it become less of an issue of ‘this sport
is still human cockfighting’ or whatever they choose to
call it at this point. So, I think there can be more of an effort
there in promoting the educational aspect of it and, you know,
I’m certainly happy to help as best as I can in that regard
and I tried to do that. I went up to Albany and met with some
legislators and talked about the sport in my view and my view
of what the New York State Athletic Commission will do once it’s
legalized in terms of regulating it, you know, they’re a
great athletic commission we have in New York state, highly qualified.”
It’s now been established that the cultural, safety, &
economic arguments that the lobbyists are making aren’t
working to sway the political leaders who are keeping the bills
tabled to prevent a vote from happening in the Assembly. During
his ESPN radio interview, Mr. Klein brought up a perfect example
of what is happening in New York thanks to the vacuum created
by the state not legalizing MMA: underground MMA fights.
“These underground fights are happening, any way. And, look,
two guys could be fighting in vastly different weight classes.
If you get concussed one day, you could be fighting the next
day and it’s happening any way. So, while legalizing [MMA],
you know, [underground fights] could still go on, some of it
is going to come above board because you’re not going to
have this incentive for these promoters who are running these
underground shows to continue to do it, you know, outside the
reach and view of law enforcement and the athletic commissions.
“I’ve talked to Nick Lembo about this, New Jersey has
a policy, they don’t want fighters coming into the state
who fight in these unregulated bouts. They spend their time and
their effort and their resources, you know, trying to keep track
of what’s going on in New York to make sure they’re
not letting people come into the state who are at risk.”
Throughout the interview and after the interview, Josh kept saying
that something bigger is at play in regards to why the Assembly
leaders keep tabling the MMA legislation and preventing a vote
from occurring. He doesn’t believe that it’s necessarily
union power that’s at the heart of this. So, what’s
the motive? Again, if you believe that UFC’s lobbyists have
failed to persuade Sheldon Silver & Herman Farrell in regards
to cultural/social, safety, & economic reasons, then what
angle is there left to lobby?
Credit should be given to Eddie Goldman for coming up with two
big motives as to why Silver & Farrell (and Reilly &
co.) are not enthusiastic about allowing a vote for MMA legislation.
First, look at who owns UFC and who largely controls the sport.
It’s Zuffa, it’s the Fertittas, it’s a casino
family. You can’t expect that to play well in New York politics.
It’s one thing if the Fertittas were a player in MMA, but
they are the dominant player in the sport. It sounds like a silly
nuance, but for the older New York politicians you can’t
deny that there’s something at play here in regards to the
Fertittas being involved here. Second, the current MMA legislation
does not address The Ali Act in regards to contracts. Would the
legislation be allowed to the Assembly floor for a vote if the
bill applied the Ali Act standards to MMA contracts? Perhaps
it would. However, is that a risk that Zuffa would be willing
to take?
I truly think that there are a lot of reasons to be skeptical
that the state Assembly leadership will allow any sort of MMA
legislation to go to the floor for a vote in the years to come.
This seems destined to be a quagmire with no sort of definitive
ending in sight.
Kind of like Vancouver politics and the media’s treatment
of the UFC there. Last week, we talked about the Vancouver riots
of 1994 & 2011 on the site and anyone with half a brain could
figure out that politicians & media types would try to somehow
blame the UFC for the riots happening. Of course, there is absolutely
no connection, whatsoever. Remember when there was a hate crime
after the first UFC event and there was an attempt to blame the
UFC for producing such a rowdy crowd? Before the second Vancouver
event, there were demands for UFC to pay for extra police protection.
Of course, there wasn’t a riot after the UFC 131 event.
So, time to cue up the blame game in British Columbia as far
as who or what is to blame for the Vancouver 2011 riot. Guess
who’s getting the blame?
What is so fascinating about the commentary & articles is
that the politicians & media want to lump hockey & MMA
together as the culprits for the destruction of civilization.
Hockey fans online, in return, are denouncing the criticism but
then turning fire against MMA and MMA fans online. I understand
why hockey fans are defensive, but it’s a strange &
curious tactic to use to try to influence people on your side
to play the blame game and point towards the MMA fans as somehow
being the culprit for the riots.
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of common sense on display
these days.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
132: Urijah Faber Says Dominick ‘The Decision-ater’
Cruz Doesn’t Have the Killer Instinct
by Damon
Martin
News flash: Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz don’t like each
other very much.
Okay, well maybe it’s not the biggest surprise in the world
after all because, but as UFC bantamweight champion Dominick
Cruz gets ready to face old rival Urjiah Faber this weekend at
UFC 132, it’s just about the only thing people can talk
about.
The heat between Faber and Cruz started before their first fight
in 2007 in the WEC, when the event poster didn’t feature
Cruz even though he was fighting for the featherweight belt that
night. To respond to the snub, Cruz started signing over Faber’s
face on the poster with each autograph and thus a rivalry was
born.
While that may seem like a minor affair, that one little pebble
of trouble rocketed quickly down the mountainside and became
the avalanche of discord between the two today.
Former featherweight champion Urijah Faber promises he’s
not saying things simply to get under Cruz’s skin, but he
can’t deny that it does make him smile when he does.
“The bottom line, I’m just calling it how it is. I
feel like he’s kind of motivated by having negativity, but
I don’t think it will bother him either way. The bottom
line is we don’t really like each other. That always makes
for a great fight,” Faber said in an interview with MMAWeekly
Radio.
“I’m pretty entertained by the way he reacts to stuff
because I’ve actually had some conversations with him and
he’s just got a chip on his shoulder and it’s kind
of funny. If I’m going to be around somebody I don’t
like, I might as well have fun with it.”
Even if Faber doesn’t think the verbal sparring will affect
Cruz come fight night, it hasn’t hurt to lay on a few more
barbs to try and stick it to the usually calm and collected UFC
champion.
Taking him off his game for even a second could be the difference
between victory and defeat, something Cruz experienced when he
fought Faber the first time.
Making a crucial mistake when wrestling Faber to the mat, Cruz
left his head in a bad position and soon found himself on the
wrong end of a guillotine choke. Cruz didn’t even make it
to the two-minute mark in his first fight with Faber, and the
“California Kid” says that gives him a crucial edge
that some past opponents haven’t had.
“The bottom line is Dominick Cruz beat Brian Bowles to get
the belt, he defended the title against Joseph (Benavidez), and
he defended the title against Scott Jorgensen all by decisions.
Joseph won the stand-up portion in my opinion, and was beat by
takedowns. The one thing I can take away from that first fight
is that Dominick’s definitely beatable. I’ve experienced
that firsthand,” Faber stated.
“I’ve definitely fought better guys than him.”
One of Faber’s favorite jokes to play on Cruz is to point
out his multiple decision wins over his career. Six out of Cruz’s
last seven wins have come via decision with his one TKO coming
by way of injury. Brian Bowles was unable to continue when he
broke his hand during their bout in 2010.
Faber doesn’t believe that Cruz has the right mental makeup
to get the job done and finish an opponent, but it is something
he’s happy to do on Saturday night.
“I’m going to go for the finish. I don’t think
that he doesn’t have the tools to finish, I just don’t
think he has the mindset to finish,” Faber said about Cruz.
You have to go in there and trying to fight for the finish, and
I feel like he’s in there kind of like an Olympic-style
boxer, scores his points and stuff like that, and is satisfied
with what he does.
“I think he’s lacking the killer instinct. That’s
something I have.”
Faber even created a nickname for the champion.
“‘The Decision-ater,’ that’s right. Definitely
not the ‘Dominator,’” Faber joked.
Beyond any of the words exchange before the fight or the hype
as the days run out before UFC 132, Faber feels he has the skill
set to not only give Cruz a run for his money, but also to take
his gold.
“The one thing he has to worry about is that he’s facing
me,” Faber said. “I do have that win over him, and
I have a style that’s different than anyone else he’s
fought, and I’m not a guy he’s bigger than necessarily,
and it’s going to be a bad match-up for him.”
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Chris
Leben Calls on Old Teammate Mike Dolce To Guide His Weight Cut
for UFC 132
by Damon
Martin
Chris Leben learned a few valuable lessons from his last fight
against Brian Stann.
Leben openly admitted that he went into the fight with the wrong
mindset, feeling a bit over confident when facing Stann, and
his weight-cut and post-fight eating habits backfired on him.
Leben put the onus back on himself for making the mistakes he
made, especially when it came to his diet for the Stann fight.
“That’s my fault,” Leben said about his health
for the fight. “I cut a bunch of weight and then I went
out and ate a bunch of candy after I made weight. Probably not
the best idea.”
To remedy the situation for his upcoming fight at UFC 132 against
Wanderlei Silva, Leben called on an old friend from his days
training at Team Quest in Oregon to insure he would not fall
into the same traps as last time.
“Chris and I, we’ve been friends since the Team Quest
days back in ’05, we’ve been friends, we’ve been
teammates, all that good stuff. I helped him out back then when
we were at Team Quest together for a few fights and whatnot,”
Mike Dolce told MMAWeekly.com after getting the call to help
Leben for his weight cut.
“He reached out to through Twitter and email a few months
ago and it was kind of hard to communicate because I was with
Thiago (Alves) and things like that, and then Greg Thompson,
his head coach, he reached out to me last week and we started
talking, and talking about his weight cut the last time and it
just kind of came together that way.”
While Dolce wasn’t with Leben for his entire training camp
like he works with so many athletes, one of the sport’s
top nutritionists and trainers came in for the last week to help
his old friend make sure he not only made weight, but felt better
than ever after it was over.
Thompson was also a teammate with Dolce at Team Quest, and when
the band got back together they were able to dissect exactly
what went wrong the last time and how they had to change things
to make sure it didn’t happen again.
“His weight’s pretty good, but he had a lot of trouble
with that last fight. Greg and Chris wanted to make sure they
didn’t have any of those issues this time. He’s just
in the best shape of his life. They pulled me in to set up his
food, his meal planning, the structure that stays into the weight
cut, which we’re starting to do that now, and the post-fight
rehydration, which is really the most important time,” Dolce
explained.
“We discussed what happened, what went wrong last time,
and that’s when I described what it has to be for a world-class
performance to be unveiled, which Chris is about to do. That
is the crucial time, the rehydration. Most guys lose the fight
on the scale, not because the weight cut is so hard, but because
they don’t know how to refuel the body afterwards, and get
all the systems back up and running for the fight time.”
Dolce’s work has been on display several times, dealing
with fighters like Thiago Alves, Michael Bisping, and Mike Pyle.
Working with Chris Leben over the last several days, Dolce says
he has the former “Ultimate Fighter” eating up to six
meals a day, but he’s watching the pounds fall off each
morning and is currently weighing in the mid-190s, and could
easily make weight today if the fight was happening tomorrow.
It’s a proven formula that works and Dolce is confident
his plan will pay off for Leben on Friday at the weigh-ins and
then again on Saturday during the fight.
“I don’t do anything special other than allow the fighter
to compete at their best possible ability. That’s all within
the heart, the mind, and the skill set of Chris Leben,”
Dolce said.
“I’m very confident he will be in the absolute best
shape, best condition of his career, when he steps into that
cage. He’ll be firing on all cylinders.”
Dolce will be with Leben for the rest of the week as he makes
his cut down to 185 pounds and he’ll see it through Saturday
night when he steps in to face Wanderlei Silva in the co-main
event for UFC 132.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Thanks
to His Hype Man, Motivation Never a Problem for UFC Champ Dominick
Cruz
By Ben
Fowlkes
LAS
VEGAS -- Before you ever see one of Dominick Cruz's workouts,
you hear it.
More
to the point, you hear Mike Easton, who is a little like MMA's
version of the magical talking mirror in "Snow White."
Only instead of telling you who's the fairest in the kingdom,
Easton tells Cruz -- and anyone else within earshot -- who the
baddest 135-pound man in the entire world is.
Better
yet, Cruz never even has to ask in order to get the answer he
wants to hear.
"Yeah,
that's right!" Easton shouted as Cruz shadow-boxed himself
into a sweat inside the MGM Grand on Wednesday afternoon. "He
can't take you down! He ain't faster than you! He ain't ready
for this!"
The
way Cruz floats across the mat during these sessions, you can
hardly tell if he's listening. But Easton -- a short, stocky
bulldog of a man who looks a little like a fire hydrant that
someone slapped a t-shirt on -- knows that he is. He also knows
the value of what he provides the champ during the tough times.
"I'm his hype man," Easton explained. "Also his
training partner, but his hype man too. Just like how Muhammad
Ali always had somebody talking to him, that's what it is. You
always need somebody in your corner that's going to talk you
up. It makes you feel good."
It
also, according to Cruz, makes you feel not quite so horrible
during the necessary evil of the weight cut. That's why as he
works to slim down to 135 pounds to defend his UFC bantamweight
title against Urijah Faber at UFC 132 this Saturday night, he
likes to have Easton right there, reminding him that this particular
pain is only temporary.
"When
you feel the weakest is when you're cutting weight," said
Cruz. "It's very important to have someone in your ear,
telling you how strong you are when you're feeling the weakest."
But
even though it looks like the easiest job in any champion's entourage,
it takes more than a big mouth to be a good hype man. You don't
just walk in off the street, tell a guy how great he is, then
get a free plane ticket to Vegas out of it.
First,
you have to make your hype mean something. And the best way to
do that, according to both Cruz and Easton, is to have a personal
role in beating down the champ before you build him up. That's
where Easton -- who is 10-1 as a pro himself -- really excels,
said Cruz.
"Mike
Easton's my hype man, but on top of that, he's a sick fighter.
The reason he can be my hype man is because I have respect for
his fighting abilities. He understands the game. He understands
what it takes to win."
A
good hype man can even help you off the mats. As Cruz prepared
to defend his WEC title against Scott Jorgensen last winter,
it was Easton who stood off to the side during Cruz's pre-fight
interviews and added a little emphasis behind each one of his
answers.
Was
Jorgensen ready for Cruz's speed and rhythm? Cruz shrugged at
first. No, probably not, he told reporters.
"That's
right he's not!" Easton shouted out from behind the media
scrum. The effect it had on Cruz was visible and immediate.
Had
Jorgensen really figured out his style, or was he just talking
himself into thinking so? This time Cruz fired right back. Of
course he was talking himself into it, said the champ.
"Yeah,
he is!" shouted Easton. "He's got no idea!"
Suddenly,
everyone in the room was feeling motivated. You could almost
see reporters looking at one another and thinking, where can
I get one of these hype men? Does he do parties?
But
to hear Easton tell it, having a motivator in your corner isn't
just a nice little perk -- it's downright necessary.
"You
remind somebody what's going on in their life, what all the blood,
sweat and tears are for," he said. "You do that, you'll
have them ready to bite the back of a chair. I learned it from
my father, actually. He's the same way. That's my hype man."
And
even though Cruz gives no outward indication that he's enjoying
it, he's come to rely on it, he said.
"The
point of it is that, a lot of it, you're not even paying attention
to it. But it's still there. It's still entering your subconscious.
You can never overdo that. There's times when I'm focused on
other things and not really paying attention to it, but it's
still getting in there and jumbling around a little bit before
it leaves."
Maybe
the most amazing thing is that, no matter how much he hears the
constant barrage of positivity coming out of Easton's mouth --
and, oh yes, it is constant and it is loud -- he never gets sick
of it. He never feels like telling his hype man to take five
and just sit quietly for a little while.
"I
think everybody around me probably wants to say that sometimes,"
said Cruz. "That's without a doubt. But they're not the
ones going in there and fighting. Until they are, they're going
to have to deal with Mike Easton yelling."
Which
is just fine by Easton. Whatever he can do to get the champ in
fighting mode, he said, it's his pleasure. Even he has to shout
himself hoarse before the weekend is over.
"That's
my brother. My brother from another mother. He helps me out,
so I help him out. He knows I can talk to him, so that's what
I do. That's my job. That, and to beat the sh-t out of him."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Fedor’s
slayer Bigfoot slated for ADCC
Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Jiu-Jitsu
black belt Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is better known
for his achievements in MMA, even beating the legendary Fedor
Emelianenko in his last outing. But the fighter has a wealth
of grappling experience as well.
“I started Jiu-Jitsu when I was 17 and won a lot of tournaments
in the Brazilian Northeast. I remember how with little over a
month of training I took part in my first competition, had three
matches and won,” Bigfoot tells GRACIEMAG.com.
Pezão is getting ready to take on another fighter at the
top of the MMA food chain, Alistair Overeen, in the Strikeforce
heavyweight GP semifinals. But come September the Brazilian will
be in England to face the wizards of the ground game, having
confirmed via Twitter (@BigfootSilva) that he was invited to
take part in the ADCC.
“Gang, I was invited and will be at the ADCC in September.
You can expect good matches for sure,” he tweeted (in Portuguese).
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Want
to see UFC fights with no time limits & no judges in 2011?
By Zach
Arnold
I bet some of you out there who hate the current state of MMA
judging might be sympathetic to Rorion Gracie’s attitude
right about now.
KENNY RICE:“Well, you hadn’t seen it all until 1993.
What was this Ultimate Fighting Championship all about? Why were
these guys going in here giving up 50, 75 pounds and beating
guys and what was this Brazilian JOO-JITSU? What? What was going
on? That was what people were saying back in 1993. Now, of course,
MMA has become a way of life thanks to the UFC and it’s
been the fastest-growing sport in the past decade and the man
who got it all started is right here to my right. When you look
back at it all, when everything got started, Rorion, did you
think, ‘Wow, this sport’s going to really get this
big?’
RORION GRACIE:“You know, it never surprised me it got that
big because when I came to the United States in 1978 with the
objective of establishing Jiu-Jitsu here, I was very confident
that the techniques are so proficient, they’re so good that
the world would not let them go by unnoticed. So, it doesn’t
surprise me a bit that eventually everybody embraced the concept
as I hoped they would.”
KENNY RICE:“Do you ever sit back and go, you know, if I
could have worked out a business plan differently, I could have
maybe still had a piece of this action here?”
RORION GRACIE:“Uh, actually, you know, it’s interesting
that you’re talking about that. When I originally developed
the concept of the UFC along with my friend Art Davie, the idea
was to create an educational platform where the people could
watch the fights and understand what works and what does not
work and that’s why it was so surprising to all when Royce,
a little skinny guy, goes in there and like you said gives up
50, 60, 70 pounds and he’s able to overcome his much bigger,
stronger opponents. It caused an impact to where people said,
“Wow, the little guy can do well.’ That was the objective
of showcasing Jiu-Jitsu in those circumstances.
“Of course, eventually, everybody learns this stuff, they
see how effective the technique is and that eventually helped
level the playing field. So, after UFC 4 when Royce was squeezed
by Dan Severn, the big huge giant that we had there, we had a
2 hour PPV window for the transmission of the event and the live
show went for 2 hours, 3 minutes which means at 2 hours exactly
the PPV transmission was interrupted, causing the biggest mishap
in PPV history. My partners at the time then decided we should
put time limits on the fights and by implementing time limits,
as I told them, they’re going to kill the concept of the
show because now the fights can use the time limit to determine
a better way to use the rules, as you say, to take advantage
of that. Because, until that point, there was no time limit,
no judges, no points. Two guys walk in, one guy walks out. And
you let them do whatever they want, that was the beauty of the
original concept. Once they started putting time limits, if you
get to the end of the fight and there’s no winners, you’re
going to need judges to determine who wins and that would be
a little risky business and that’s why I decided eventually
to walk away because I felt the whole idea of letting judges
determine who would win would take a little bit away from the
reality of the fight. I’m sure very glad that UFC has grown
as big as it is, as like you said, a major revolution in terms
of fighting. I’m always going to be the father of the child…”
Source: Fight Opinion
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Rener
Gracie Seminar at O2 Martial Arts Academy
Friday,
July 8
Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $65
It's
on like Donkey Kong! Rener Gracie is booked for a seminar at
O2 Martial Arts Academy on Friday, July 8 from 7:00 pm to 9:00
pm. The price is $65. Rener is an incredible mix of a precise
technician and a detailed instructor. He is going to focus on
Triangles.
Don't miss it! Email us to let us know
you are coming!
We would highly recommend you make the other two seminars as
well at Relson Gracie HK (Wednesday) and Ronn Shiraki Academy
(Tuesday) for the Tri-Fecta of Seminars all teaching different
techniques to guarantee value for your hard earned money!
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Aloha everyone,
Hope
all is well with everyone. Our 2011 Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
will be held on Saturday, July 16th at War Memorial Gym in Wailuku,
Maui. This year, in addition to 1st and 2nd place trophies for
each division, we will be awarding Team Champions trophies for
each of the three events (Continuous Sparring, MMA (Controlled),
and Submission Grappling). Attached is an event flier for your
reference and distribution. If you have any questions, e-mail
or call me at 205-9133. Mahalo,
Sigung
Trent Sera
Sera's Kajukenbo
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