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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2011
November
Aloha State Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
7/1/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
June
MMA Expo
Blaisdell Expo Hall
State of Hawaii Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
5/28/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/14/11
Scraplafest 3
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Kauai)
4/23/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Gladiators for God
(Amateur Muay Thai)
(Wet&Wild Water Park)
4/16/11
Hawaiian Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
4/15/11
Battleground 808 MMA/Destiny
(MMA)
4/2/11
Toughman Hawaii
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
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)
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)
2010
12/17/10
Destiny & 808 Battleground
All or Nothing - Champion vs Champion
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
12/3/10
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
11/27/10
Aloha
State BJJ Championships: Final Conflict
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
11/6/10
X-1 Island Pride
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Man Up & Stand Up Kickboxing Championship
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
10/30/10
6th Annual Clinton A.J. Shelton Memorial Match Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym, Honolulu)
10/29/10
808Battleground
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom, Honolulu)
10/23/10
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Radford H.S. Gym)
10/15-17/10
ETERNAL SUBMISSIONS: GI/NO-GI tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Kauai)
10/16/10
DESTINY: Undisputed
Beyer vs Manners II
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
10/2/10
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/11/10
X-1: Heroes
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
9/10/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/4/10
DESTINY:New Era
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
8/28/10
Big
Island Open
(BJJ)
(Hilo Armory, Hilo)
8/14/10
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
USA Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Lihue Convention Hall, Lihue, Kauai)
8/13/10
Battleground Challenge 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
8/7/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
8/6/10
Mad Skills
(Triple Threat/Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
7/24/10
The Quest for Champions 2010 Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling & Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
7/17/10
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Maui War Memorial, Wailuku, Maui)
Mad Skillz
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(99 Market Shopping Center, Mapunapuna)
7/9/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
7/3/10
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
6/26/10
Kauai Cage Match 9
(MMA)
(Kilohana, Gaylords Mansion, Kauai)
6/25-26/10
50th
State BJJ Championships
(BJJ)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/24/10
Quest for Champions
(Kumite/Grappling)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
6/19/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
6/18-19/10
Select
Combat
(Triple Threat)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/12/10
Destiny: Fury
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Center)
6/11-13/10
MMA Hawaii Expo
(Blaisdell Ballroom)
6/11-12/10
3rd
Annual Pacific Submission Championships
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/11/10
Legacy Combat MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/4/10
X-1:
Nations Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/3-6/10
World
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, University of California at Long Beach, Long Beach,
CA)
5/22/10
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waiphau Filcom Center)
5/15/10
Scrappla Fest 2
Relson Gracie KTI Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Island School, Kauai)
X-1 World Events
(MMA)
(Waipahu HS Gym)
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Evolution Training Center, Waipio Industrial Court #110)
5/1/10
Galaxy
MMA: Worlds Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/28/10
Chris Smith BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Hilo)
4/23/10
2010 Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
4/17/10
Hawaiian
Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser
H.S. Gym)
Strikeforce:
Shields vs Henderson
(CBS)
4/16/10
808 Battleground
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/8-11/10
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(University California Irvine, Irvine, CA)
4/3/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Amateur Boxing Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
3/27/10
DESTINY: No Ka Oi 2: Oahu vs Maui
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/20/10
X-1: Champions 2
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/20/10
Hawaiian Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
3/14/10
Hawaiian Kimono Combat
(BJJ)
(PCHS Gym)
3/10/10
Sera's Kajukenbo Tournament
(Kumite, Katas, Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/6/10
Destiny Fast N Furious
(MMA)
(Level 4 RHSC)
2/19/10
808 Battleground
(MMA)
(Filcom, Waipahu)
2/6/10
UpNUp 6: Unstoppable
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/5/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/30/10
Destiny
(Level 4,
Royal HI Shopping Ctr)
(MMA)
Quest for Champions
(Pankration/Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS)
1/23/10
Kauai Knockout Championship Total Domination
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Kauai War Memorial Convention Center, Lihue, Kauai)
1/17/10
X1: Showdown In Waipahu
(Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA)
(Waipahu H.S. Gym)
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March
2011 News Part 2
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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
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Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
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Your Complete Martial Arts School!
Click here for pricing and more
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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!
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UFC
128 Results & Live Play-by-Play
Prudential
Center in Newark, N.J.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Raphael
Assuncao vs. Erik Koch
Round 1
Kevin Mulhall presides over the opening bout. Assuncao with lazy
kicks to start. Koch is trying to counter with his right cross
but can't land clean. Hard inside low kick by Assuncao. Koch
jabs and Assuncao charges in. Koch lands a right hook that destroys
the Brazilian. Assuncao is out cold on his back forcing Mulhall
to rescue him. Koch's brutal UFC debut ends at 2:32 of the first
round.
Constantinos
Philippou vs. Nick Catone
Round 1
Our referee for the 195 catchweight bout is Kevin MacDonald.
A tentative opening minute is filled with pawing and no significant
strikes. Catone glances with a jab and the boos start to rain
over the cage. A weak Catone shot leads to a clinch along the
fence. Short shots land inside for both and Catone separates.
Philippou cracks him with a right and Catone responds in kind.
More aimless feinting and booing. A Philippou right grazes and
Catone drives him to the mat. Catone cracks his foe, prompting
Philippou to elbow from the bottom. Catone smashes an elbow into
Philippous' head that rips his skin open at the bell. 10-9 Catone.
Round
2
Both men swing freely to open the second frame but nothing lands.
Catone bulls Philippou into the cage and lands a hard knee to
the guts. Philippou breaks away but Catone drills him with a
knee to the face on the exit. Low kick and a jab connect for
Catone. The Jersey Devil lobs a head kick that is blocked and
drives his foe into the fence again. The crowd boos and with
a minute left, Catone scores a single leg. He quickly gets to
half guard and gets mount for a moment. Philippou regains guard
and gets socked in the mouth. 10 9 Catone.
Round
3
A more comfortable Catone probes with his right before slamming
Philippou to the mat. Catone gets to side for a moment but Philippou
reclaims guard. Philippou looks exhausted on the bottom as Catone
drives his forearm into his jaw. He tries to use the fence to
wall walk but Catone sucks him back down. Catone lands a series
of heavy elbows and deftly takes mount. He hammers Philippou,
who is able to turn and scramble back to half guard. More Catone
elbows rain down until the horn. 10-9 and 30-27 for Catone.
Official
scores: 30-27 across the board for Catone, winner by unanimous
decision.
Joseph
Benavidez vs. Ian Loveland
Round 1
Kevin Mulhall is our referee for the bantamweight contest. Loveland
advances on Benavidez and backs him into the cage. Benavidez
punches his way free but gets stuffed on a shot. Loveland lands
a nice uppercut after another missed shot. Benavidez lands a
hard low kick then a right hand. He shoots and gets him down
for a second, but loveland is back up. Benavidez bullies his
way back in but can't get the takedown and reverts to swinging
wild punches that Loveland easily avoids. Benavidez gets busier
towards the end of the frame but can't land anything hard. Loveland
counters a low kick with a right cross as the round closes. Sherdog
scores the first round 10-9 for Loveland.
Round
2
Benavidez is met with a Loveland combination as round two gets
underway. He retreats and then darts back forward to hit a double.
Loveland locks up a kimura and uses it to free himself and get
back to his feet. Benavidez misses on a double and rolls but
Loveland pounces and nearly lands a huge hammerfist. Benavidez,
back on his feet, lands a nice one-two and then a hard left in
the midst of a four-punch flurry. Loveland rushes in but Benavidez
changes levels and plants him. He tries to get some ground-and-pound
going but Loveland lands the harder shots, cutting Benavidez
somewhere on the top of his head. Blood is trickling from his
hairline and Benavidez paws at it. Loveland is back up and slips
a head kick at the bell. Sherdog scores round two 10-9 for Benavidez.
Round
3
Benavidez opens the final round with a pair of nice push kicks
and right hand follows. He then locks up a single on Loveland,
who is only looking for right hand counters at this point. He
takes him to the mat and tries for a guillotine but Loveland
defends and gets back to his feet. Benavidez the hurts Loveland
with a right hand to the face. He pounces and tries to flurry.
Loveland gets back to his feet again and lands a right hand and
a knee. Benavidez tries to throw him but ends up on the ground
on the bottom at the horn. Sherdog scores the round 10-9 for
Benavidez.
Official
scores: 30-27 (twice) and 29-28 for Benavidez, winner by unanimous
decision.
Kurt
Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau
Round 1
Herb Dean is in charge of the first of two Facebook prelims.
Both men are just feeling each other out in the first minute.
The southpaw Tibau pops Pellegrino with a short left hand. A
moment later, the Brazilian rushes in and grabs at a single-leg.
Pellegrino defends and winds up with his back to the cage. They
split after a bit of dirty boxing and go back to feinting and
pawing. Pellegrino connects with a one-two and eats another left
from Tibau in return. The lightweights still look tentative with
two minutes left in the round. Now Pellegrino looks for takedown
and Tibau defends. Pellegrino gets muscled into the fence again
and tripped to the floor. He stands back up and shoots on Tibau,
but is stifled again. Pellegrino breaks free of Tibau’s
clinch and lands a right hand before the horn.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Pellegrino
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Tibau
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10
Round
2
Both fighters are letting their hands go a bit more in the opening
moments of the second frame, though neither is gaining an advantage.
Pellegrino raises his arms, Diaz style, to rile Tibau, to no
avail. They resume the slower pace of the first round. Tibau
gets through with a one-two; Pellegrino lobs an inside leg kick.
With just over three minutes on the clock, Pellegrino opens up
with a combination that stuns the Brazilian and takes Tibau to
the mat. Pellegrino landing shots from half-guard, looking to
pass as the hometown crowd explodes. Tibau is grabbing at Pellegrino’s
arms to slow the pace and Pellegrino lays a forearm across his
neck. Pellegrino still can’t pass, but is doing well to
hold Tibau on the floor. Tibau appears to be bleeding from the
mouth and near the eye, and it’s stained Pellegrino’s
bleached hair. Tibau finally breaks loose with 40 seconds on
the clock. He slugs Pellegrino with a one-two, but Tibau looks
to be slightly drained as the round expires.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Pellegrino
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Pellegrino
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pellegrino
Round
3
Tibau comes out swinging, the cut near his left eye seemingly
repaired for the time being. He contemplates a single-leg, but
doesn’t get far with it. Head kick from Tibau is blocked.
Pellegrino has the center of the cage, but isn’t throwing
through the first 90 seconds. He finally comes forward and gets
clipped by Tibau’s left hand. Pellegrino bleeding from the
nose now as Tibau pushes him into the fence. “Batman”
pushes out and they’re back to trading. Tibau is throwing
the same right-left hook combo over and over, but not finding
much success. Tibau zaps his man as Pellegrino comes in for a
takedown. Tibau stuffs and reverses, taking Pellegrino to the
floor and passing to side control. Pellegrino quickly works out
of the bad position and tries for a single-leg against the cage
with 90 seconds to go. Tibau racking up short left hands as Pellegrino
digs for the takedown. Pellegrino opts to let go and soon finds
himself on the receiving end of a Tibau single-leg. Tibau desperately
pounds from guard as the fight winds down. Pellegrino stands
and has his back taken, then rolls for a kneebar at the horn.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Tibau (29-28 Pellegrino)
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Tibau (29-28 Tibau)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Tibau (29-29 Draw)
Official
scores: One judge scores it 29-28 for Kurt Pellegrino. However,
the remaining two judges score it 29-28 in favor of Gleison Tibau,
the winner by split decision.
Ricardo
Almeida vs. Mike Pyle
Round 1
Kevin MacDonald is the referee for this welterweight contest.
Almeida moves awkwardly from side to side around Pyle, who stands
in the center of the cage. Slapping leg kicks from Almeida as
he feints the shot. Pyle feels the distance with his left jab,
but accidentally pokes Almeida in the eye. Almeida motions, but
the action does not stop. They tie up and Almeida looks for the
takedown. Pyle instead trips the Brazilian to the floor and walks
away. Back on the feet, Almeida has another shot stuffed and
gets spun into the fence. Short knees coming from Pyle, until
Almeida reverses the position and drives a few knees of his own.
Pyle shoves off, then gets driven to the mat, but jumps right
back up. Almeida connects with an overhand right that stumbles
Pyle, but the Xtreme Couture product recovers as Almeida clinches
up. They trade knees in the clinch with Pyle getting the better.
Pyle drives an uppercut into Almeida’s ribs and lands another
solid knee before the horn.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-10
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Pyle
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10
Round
2
Almeida scores with a turning side kick to Pyle’s gut, then
drags him to the floor. Pyle scoots up with his back to the fence
and the Brazilian does his best to pin him against the post.
The men jockey for position with over-unders and stall out. They
disengage and Pyle drives a knee into the body of Almeida. Two
minutes to go and boos start to come from the crowd as the welterweights
trade tentative strikes. Almeida initiates the clinch briefly,
but Pyle won’t stay there. Chopping outside leg kick from
Pyle prompts Almeida to shoot a double-leg. He drags Pyle to
the floor and Pyle immediately turns to his left and frames up
a kimura. Almeida extracts his arm and finishes the round on
top.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Almeida
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Almeida
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Almeida
Round
3
Leg kicks are exchanged in the early going of the final stanza.
Almeida repeatedly fakes a shot on Pyle in the first two minutes,
but doesn’t commit. Pyle is throwing combos to the head
and body, but not landing much flush. He scores with a kick to
the body and Almeida shoots, whereupon Pyle drives a knee into
his gut. Pyle slams Almeida to the canvas, but Almeida shoves
him right off. Pyle stands over him, slapping with leg kicks,
allowing Almeida to drive forward on a single-leg as he gets
back up. Almeida digging for the takedown with 90 seconds to
go, then fires a level elbow over the top. Pyle loops his right
arm over Almeida’s head for a guillotine, can’t get
it, and settles for a jumping knee as they separate. Another
knee lands and Almeida’s face is showing signs of wear in
the final minute. Almeida scores a takedown, but Pyle instantly
stands. Pyle finishes with a takedown of his own.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Pyle (29-29 Draw)
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Pyle (29-28 Pyle)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pyle (29-29 Draw)
Official
scores: The judges cageside have it 30-27 (twice) and 29-28,
all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Mike Pyle.
Anthony
Njokuani vs. Edson Barboza Jr.
Round 1
Keith Peterson is the referee for the first Spike TV prelim.
The lightweights come out whipping leg kicks at one another.
Barboza thumps one to Njokuani’s body, then clips him with
a right hand. Njokuani lands a left, but eats a brutal right
hand that makes him tilt. Barboza doesn’t pounce and Njokuani
survives. He slips a right from Barboza and lands a counter right
of his own. Njokuani lands a front kick; Barboza retaliates with
a punch that makes Njokuani check his mouthpiece. Njokuani is
pawing at his left eye, where Barboza has been landing stiff
jabs. Peterson steps in as if to pause the action, but then does
not. Njokuani sneaking some jabs through, gaining confidence
as the round wears on. Right hook connects for Njokuani, then
another before the bell.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Barboza
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Barboza
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Barboza
Round
2
Njokuani continues to flash his quick left hand in Barboza’s
face at the start of the second. Kicks to the body and head follow,
and it’s Njokuani taking the driver’s seat after a
rocky start. Turning side kick lands for Barboza, but Njokuani
catches a follow-up kick to the body and drives Barboza to the
floor. The Brazilian takes a few punches as he stands back up.
Njokuani drills his man with a hard spinning elbow. Barboza is
having trouble with the range and counters of Njokuani, and is
landing mostly leg kicks. Njokuani clinches and they trade knees
before splitting. Barboza ducks for a single-leg, lifts Njokuani
and slams him against the base of the fence. He flattens Njokuani
out with 10 seconds to go, but Njokuani stands just before the
end of the round.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
Round
3
The strikers are sniping at the start of the final round. Njokuani
looks loose as he counters Barboza’s punches lands inside
thigh kicks. Nice flurry from Barboza, but it doesn’t stun
Njokuani as it did in the opening frame. Njokuani leaps in with
a knee to the gut of Barboza. Jabs and kicks flowing from Barboza,
who looks to be in control with 90 seconds to go. Barboza isn’t
giving up though, pushing forward and landing turning side-kicks.
He catches a knee from Njokuani and finishes a takedown against
the fence with 20 seconds to go. Njokuani gets to his feet and
eats a massive spinning back-kick just before the horn. He stays
vertical, but on wobbly legs. Barboza raises his hands as though
he stole the fight with the kick, but it’s going to be a
close call.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-10 (29-29 Draw)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Barboza (29-28 Barboza)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-10 (29-29 Draw)
Official
scores: All three judges have it 29-28 in favor of the winner
by unanimous decision, Edson Barboza.
Luis
Artur Cane Jr. vs. Eliot Marshall
Round 1
Dan Miragliotta is the referee for the evening’s final preliminary
contest. The 205-pounders are swinging heavy leather early, Cane
getting the better of the exchanges as Marshall looks for an
opening to attempt a takedown. Cane drops the American with a
hard left hand and swarms all over Marshall. Cane lands a dozen
punches from the top as Marshall struggles to survive. After
a brief break, Cane goes back after it, slamming hammer fists
into Marshall’s head as Marshall tries to roll for a kneebar.
Marshall is no longer intelligently defending himself from Cane’s
assault, and Miragliotta steps in to halt the beating at 2:15
of the first round.
Mirko
“Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Brendan Schaub
Round 1
Schaub comes with a kick to the body and a few short uppercuts.
The younger righty ties up with the veteran and they exchange
thumping shots to the ribs. Referee Herb Dean splits them up
and issues Schaub a “hard warning” for strikes that
strayed to the back of Cro Cop’s head. Schaub brings Cro
Cop down and eats an upkick as he stands from the Croatian’s
guard. The American dives back in and Mirko closes up his guard,
tying up Schaub’s arm briefly to stifle the punches. It
doesn’t last long, as the “Hybrid” postures up
and slams right hands into Cro Cop’s face. Filipovic hits
the switch and scrambles to his feet, shoving Schaub into the
fence with a minute to go in the round. Schaub drives forward
and tries to trip Cro Cop down, but the striker hops backward
and stays up. Not much action in the clinch down the stretch.
Schaub lands a few knees to the gut and an uppercut before the
horn.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Schaub
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Schaub
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Schaub
Round
2
Cro Cop fires a left high kick that’s partially blocked
and Schaub takes him straight down. As Schaub stands, Mirko lands
an upkick to the face. Herb Dean stops the action and issues
Cro Cop a warning of his own, as Schaub’s knee was barely
touching the mat (while his hand grabbed the fence) when the
upkick landed. They resume and go back to the clinch. Schaub
bullies Cro Cop into the fence and tries to come over the top
with elbows. Cro Cop reverses and the heavyweights trade knees
up the gut. Schaub’s bleeding profusely from the nose as
they jockey for position along the perimeter. Herb Dean breaks
them up and deducts a point from Schaub for further strikes to
the back of Cro Cop’s head. Filipovic closes out the round
with more elbows from the clinch. Replays show it was one of
those strikes that cracked Schaub’s nose and cut him above
the left eye.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 9-9 (10-9 Schaub)
Chris Nelson scores the round 9-9 (10-9 Schaub)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Filipovic (10-10)
Round
3
Filipovic lands a low kick early in the final round and Schaub
needs a break to recover. Upon resuming, he plows Cro Cop to
the mat in the center of the cage. Filipovic ties up the right
arm of Schaub and scrambles up, only to be taken right back down.
Schaub works to pass, can’t and Cro Cop stands again. Two
minutes to go and it’s still looking like anyone’s
fight. Cro Cop initiates the clinch, but doesn’t do much
from the position. They tie up again, and break just as quickly.
Cro Cop stuffs a long shot from Schaub and tags him on the way
up. Suddenly, Schaub lands a winging right hand behind the ear
of Filipovic and the Croatian crumbles to the mat. Herb Dean
rushes in to save the helpless Pride vet from further punishment
at 3:44 of the third round.
Nate
Marquardt vs. Dan Miller
Round 1
Dan Miragliotta is back in the cage for this middleweight bout.
Marquardt rushes in behind a combination, stuffs a single-leg
from Miller and looks for a guillotine from the sprawl. It doesn’t
come and Miller continues to drive on the takedown attempt, finally
depositing Marquardt against the base of the fence. Miller can’t
flatten Marquardt and Marquardt gets to his feet. He slams Miller
down, but Miller grabs for his go-to guillotine choke on the
way. Marquardt turns into the hold and pops his head loose. Miller
ties up with rubber guard and they stall out along the fence.
Miragliotta stands them up with a minute left in the round. Marquardt
decks Miller with corkscrew right hand and then deposits him
back on the floor. Miller twists to his left, looking for a kimura
on Marquardt’s right arm, but he can’t get it. Marquardt
lands a few punches from the top at the horn.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Marquardt
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Marquardt
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Marquardt
Round
2
Marquardt connects with a combo, goes high with a left kick and
then slaps an inside thigh kick. Big right hand and a left high
kick from Marquardt, then a flying knee. Miller drives forward
and takes Marquardt down, then looks to take the Greg Jackson
fighter’s back as they stand. Marquardt is aware of this
and keeps his back glued to the fence as he works to his feet.
Two minutes left in the round. Marquardt is pumping his jab on
a tired-looking Miller before he decides to take the New Jersey
native down. Miller grabs another guillotine from guard and falls
back, but Marquardt again extracts his head. He finishes the
round on top.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Marquardt
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Marquardt
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Marquardt
Round
3
Miller gets an uppercut through and Marquardt answers with another
head kick. Marquardt scores with a leg kick and a one-two to
the now-bloodied face of Miller, who retaliates with a combo
and leg kick of his own. Marquardt tags his man with a solid
right and sprawls on a takedown with three minutes left in the
fight. Miller is slow to get up from the takedown attempt, allowing
Marquardt to spin around him. Rather than give up his back, Miller
falls to guard. He leans to his left and looks for an arm, but
Marquardt is smashing with elbows from top position. They scoot
into the fence and Miller grabs at the kimura again to no avail.
Marquardt grinds and punishes in the final minute, much to the
displeasure of the pro-Miller crowd. Miller throws up his legs,
hunting for an armbar or a triangle, but he runs out of time.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Marquardt (30-27 Marquardt)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Marquardt (30-27 Marquardt)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Marquardt (30-27 Marquardt)
Official
scores: It’s a clean sweep for Nate Marquardt with scores
of 30-27 from all three judges.
Jim
Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus
Round 1
Referee Kevin Mulhall is in the cage for this lightweight bout.
Big exchanges early from both men, with Miller landing punches
and Shalorus leg kicks. Chants of “U-S-A” start up
less than a minute into the bout. Miller ducks in with a stiff
left and Shalorus misses his winging counter punches. Shalorus
catches a kick from Miller and slugs him with a right hand. Shalorus
is throwing more punches, but Miller is landing the crisper,
cleaner strikes. Miller comes in with a leaping knee and gets
spun to the ground, but he stands right back up. Shalorus keeps
the leg kicks coming and Miller answers in kind. Left high kick
connects for Miller, but Shalorus doesn’t go down. Instead,
he stays up and continues slinging wild, looping punches in Miller’s
general direction. Miller scores with a punch and a follow-up
knee to the gut, then jumps guard with a guillotine. Shalorus’
head slips right out and the pair scoot around the mat, trading
short shots. Shalorus gets Miller against the fence and Mulhall
stands them up with 20 seconds left. Miller puts his shin on
Shalorus’ face again and dives for another guillotine at
the end of the round.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Miller
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Miller
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Miller
Round
2
Shalorus begins the round with a significant mouse under his
left eye. Back to the exchanges of the opening round until Shalorus
scores a takedown. Miller may have partially pulled guard there,
and he stands right back up. Now Miller takes Shalorus down,
instantly taking the back of the “Prince of Persia”
and locking up a tight body triangle. Miller complains that Shalorus
is grabbing his glove and Mulhall warns Shalorus. Still 2:30
left on the clock as Miller continues to work for the rear-naked
choke. Shalorus is looking to twist around and into Miller’s
guard, but Miller’s body lock is tight. Unable to slip his
arm under the chin, Miller opts for a palm-to-palm RNC attempt.
Shalorus grimaces but doesn’t tap. Miller goes for it again;
the hold is more of a neck crank than a choke, and Shalorus doesn’t
look like he’s going to tap to it. The round ends with Miller
firing off punches from back control.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Miller
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Miller
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Miller
Round
3
Shalorus throws the first dozen or so punches of the round, but
doesn’t appear to land any. Miller lands an accidental knee
to the groin of Shalorus and they pause momentarily. Shalorus
recovers quickly and goes back to lobbing bombs. Miller blasts
Shalorus with a left uppercut and drops him with a follow-up
knee. Shalorus is in bad trouble, turtling against the cage with
blood pouring onto the mat. Miller pounces and finishes the fight
with a dozen hard hammer fists. Mulhall steps in for the stoppage
at 2:15 of the third round, giving Shalorus his first loss and
Miller his seventh straight win.
Urijah
Faber vs. Eddie Wineland
Round 1
Keith Peterson is the referee for tonight’s co-main event.
The bantamweights tie up and Wineland shoves Faber into the fence.
Wineland controls with underhooks and looks to trip Faber to
the floor, but Faber stays up and drops for a shot of his own.
Wineland stuffs this and socks Faber on his way back up. Faber
charges forward again and brings Wineland down momentarily. Soon
back up to his feet, Wineland gets underhooks again and looks
for a takedown against the cage. He finally gets it about midway
through the round, but Faber stands quickly. Faber trying to
time Wineland’s right hand, lands a few counter rights before
shooting in. Wineland stuffs the shot once more and Faber goes
back to headhunting. Faber is scoring with single right hands
and gets Wineland to bite on a takedown fake before the horn.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Wineland
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-10
Round
2
Faber continuing to find his range in the first minute of the
second round, landing punches and making Wineland miss on his.
He floors Wineland with a takedown and postures up in full guard,
driving hard, short elbows down into Wineland’s face. Faber
picks his man up and drives him back into the mat. More elbows
from Faber on top as Wineland tries to tie up and stifle the
action. Faber stacks up again and pins Wineland’s throat
to the mat with his left hand while punching with his right.
Wineland tries to throw his legs up for a submission late, but
Faber is just too strong on top.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Faber
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Faber
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Faber
Round
3
It’s clinch work in the early going of the final frame.
Faber drills a few knees to the midsection of Wineland, who answers
with a slapping leg kick when they break. Faber gets a shot stuffed
and Wineland tries to take his back standing. It doesn’t
work and they go back to striking. Wineland sticks a left jab
in Faber’s face, and Faber socks him with a hard uppercut.
More punches follow, then a takedown from the “California
Kid” with 70 seconds on the clock. Faber lifts Wineland
and slams him down again. Wineland throwing his legs up again
and trying to avoid the elbows of Faber, but he can’t scoot
free before the fight ends.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Faber (29-28 Faber)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Faber (30-28 Faber)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Faber (30-28 Faber)
Official
scores: All three judges see it 29-28, giving Urijah Faber the
win in his UFC debut.
UFC
Light Heavyweight Championship
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Jon Jones
Round 1
Referee Herb Dean is the referee for tonight’s light heavyweight
championship bout. Should it go the distance, the judges at cageside
are Douglas Crosby, Cardo Urso and Dave Tirelli. The challenger
opens the bout with a leaping knee, then a spinning back-kick
that misses. The men clinch and Jones scores a trip takedown
with ease against the base of the cage. Rua stuffs Jones back
to open guard and looks to isolate the arms from the bottom.
Jones spins to Shogun’s right and tries to pass half-guard
while looking at a guillotine. Rua puts him back in full guard
and Jones mashes with elbows from the top as he tries again to
pass. Rua scoots free and stands, but eats a barrage of knees
and punches on the way up. The champ is dazed against the cage
as Jones backs up to give him space. Rua looks absolutely spent
coming forward with 90 seconds still to go in the opening round.
Jones corks Rua with more long punches, then a kick to the knee.
Shogun scores with a one-two of his own and takes Jones’
back staning, but Jones reverses and finishes the round in Rua’s
guard.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-9 Jones
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Jones
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Jones
Round
2
Jones whips a leg kick at Rua, then backs him up with a teep.
They tie up and Jones blasts him with a spinning elbow as they
split. Jones going high and low with his kicks, playing matador
to the tired-looking Rua. Now Shogun connects with a combination,
but Jones instantly ties up. Jones sticks a hand in Shogun’s
face to show the distance and backs up when the champion comes
forward. Superman punches, elbows and more low kicks from Jones.
Shogun throws a leg kick of his own and gets tripped down, winding
up with Jones postured up in his guard. Jones smothers Rua and
then drives an elbow into his face. Jones cracks Rua with more
elbows, then lays his forearm across the Brazilian’s throat.
The right side of Rua’s face looks battered and swollen
as the last minute of the second frame ticks down. Herb Dean
warns Jones not to elbow Rua’s neck. That’s where the
round ends.
TJ
De Santis scores the round 10-8 Jones
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Jones
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Jones
Round
3
Jones plants a one-two on Rua and misses with a head kick. Rua
takes the opportunity to duck inside, then dives for a leg lock.
Jones will have none of it and flattens Rua out, then works on
advancing past half-guard. Rua breathing heavy on the bottom
as Jones opens up with heavy punches and elbows. A series of
elbows causes Shogun to cover up. Jones tries to finish but Rua
turtles. Jones drives a nasty knee into the body. Rua stands
and wobbles backward into the cage. Jones stalks him, finds his
opening and drills him with a brutal left hook to the body. Another
knee lands on the way down and Herb Dean rescues Rua at 2:37
of the third round, making 23-year-old Jon Jones the youngest
champion in UFC history.
Source: Sherdog
|
Hey
UFC, Chris Leben Wants to Fight His Hero, Wanderlei Silva
by Erik
Fontanez
Chris Leben is itching to get back in the Octagon. The season-one
Ultimate Fighter cast member is coming off a loss to Brian Stann
at UFC 125: Resolution in January and has since been without
a fight to look forward to.
While
in limbo, Leben is patiently awaiting a call from the UFC offering
up his next foe within the eight-sided chained fence. In doing
so, he can only sit and consider who he would like face. For
Leben, that desired fight is MMA superstar Wanderlei Silva.
A
match-up with the former Pride 205-pound champion is the most
attractive contest to Leben at the moment. His manager, Gary
Ibarra, explained that his client is more than willing to take
on the task of fighting a legend of the sport.
“Chris
is eager to fight again after his loss to Brian Stann,”
Ibarra told MMAWeekly.com. “(He) would like to reiterate
his desire to compete against a legend of the sport and personal
hero of his in Wanderlei Silva.”
Although
a bout with Silva is the match-up Leben wants most, he understands
that the matchmaking is not up to him or anyone in his camp.
Ibarra added that they have all the confidence in the world in
Joe Silva’s matchmaking abilities, and if not Wanderlei
Silva, then the UFC will pit him against someone that will allow
he and Leben entertain the MMA faithful all around.
“We
have no doubt they will determine the proper match-up so Chris
can once again do what he does best, and that’s put on a
great show for MMA fans everywhere,” Ibarra said.
Leben
most recently took on Stann and fell to the former United States
Marine in the first round of their fight via TKO. The loss stopped
a three-fight win streak, which included an epic war against
Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin last July. The
fight went through three rounds of back and forth action before
Leben was able to lock in a triangle choke late in final five-minute
set. The bout earned Leben and Akiyama “Fight of the Night”
honors.
Easily
regarded as one of the most popular fighters in the history of
the sport, Silva has not fought since making his middleweight
debut against Michael Bisping in February of 2010 at UFC 110:
Nogueira vs. Velasquez. He was scheduled to face Akiyama at UFC
116, but broken ribs forced him out of the fight, and Leben stepped
in as his replacement. After defeating Akiyama, Leben openly
called out Silva in effort to bring the fight to fruition, but
no plans to actually make it happen have surfaced.
Since
both fighters are without an opponent for their next fight, a
Silva-Leben match-up makes sense, but it is all in the hands
of UFC brass.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Pan-American
Jiu-Jitsu championship Black Belt Line Up
Black
belt master light featherweight
Hiroyuki
Mizuno (Alliance)
Sung
Kang (Alliance)
Bruno
Maniaudet (American Top Team)
Luíz
Vicente (De La Riva)
Daniel
Alvarez (Nova União)
Featherweight
Cristiano
Oliveira (Gracie Barra)
Lightweight
Mark
Vives (BJJ Revolution)
Kazeka
Muniz (Gracie Barra)
Marcos
Barros (Gracie Barra)
Carlos
Lemos (Gracie Barra America)
Stephan
Luther (Gracie Humaitá)
Issac
Riggs (Léo Dalla)
Middleweight
Carlos
Frederico Rodriguez (Carlson Gracie)
Elizandro
Beda (CheckMat)
Francisco
Mendes (CheckMat)
Luiz
Carlos Chagas (Reação)
Rodrigo
Teixeira (Rickson)
José
Costa Junior (Ryan)
Medium
heavyweight
Eduardo
Braga (Alliance)
Ethan
Day (ATT)
Daniel
Wanderley (Carlson)
Marcello
Viktor (Cascão JJ)
Aldo
de Oliveira (Gracie Barra)
Nakapan
Phungephorn (Lloyd Irvin)
Marcelo
Meleiro (Nova União)
Heavyweight
Fernando
Di Pierro (Alliance)
Humberto
Borges (Alliance)
Walter
Fontes (Cascão)
Carlos
Alexandre (Emirates Team)
Fabio
Leopoldo (Gracie Barra Thousand Oaks)
John
William (Ribeiro JJ)
Gustavo
Katayose (Rilion)
Superheavyweight
Alessandro
Ferreira (Cia Paulista)
Cristiano
Kaminice (Gile Ribeiro)
Roberto
Tozi (Godói)
Anthony
Scales (Nova União)
Ranieri
Paiva (X3 Sports)
Ultraheavyweight
Don
Francis (Caíque JJ)
Fabiano
Monteiro (Carlson)
Diego
Monteiro (Competition)
Tyler
Bosard (GB Rio Grande Valley)
Rodrigo
Munduruca (Gracie Humaitá)
Phillip
Smith (Roberto Traven)
Marcos
Willian (Tozi)
Master
Absolute
Eduardo
Braga
Fernando
Di Pierro
Ethan
Day
Mark
Vives
Don
Francis Richard
Carlos
Frederico Rodriguez
Fabiano
Lima Monteiro da Silva
Marcello
Viktor C. Morais
Walter
Fontes Vital Jr
Elizandro
Leite Beda
Francisco
Ramos Mendes Neto
Alessandro
Ferreira da Silva
Diego
Antico Monteiro
Luíz
Vicente da Silva Júnior
Carlos
Alexandre C. Rodrigues
Cristiano
Alves Kaminice
Roberto
Tozi Ferreira Filho
Cristiano
Renato Q. Oliveira
Kazeka
Muniz
Tyler
Bosard
Fabio
Leopoldo e Silva Neto
Rodrigo
Munduruca
Stephan
Luther Goyne
Luiz
Carlos Chagas S. Junior
Nakapan
Phungephorn
Anthony
Scales
Daniel
V. Alvarez Jr.
Marcelo
Meleiro
John
William Walus
Rodrigo
Gonçalves Teixeira
Gustavo
de Oliveira Katayose
Phillip
Smith
Jose
Julio Costa Junior
Marcos
Willian Pereira
Ranieri
Paiva de Albuquerque
Pan
Ams Non-Brazilians likely to turn some heads in the black belt
division
Brandon
Mullins (Gracie Barra Texas) – roosterweight
Ryan
Christopher Hall (Fifty/50 BJJ) – featherweight
Justin
S. Rader (Lovatos BJJ) – featherweight
Christopher
Westfall (Nova União) – featherweight
Zak
Maxwell (Gracie Humaitá) – lightweight
Jonathan
Torres (Lloyd Irvin) – lightweight
Ian
McPherson (Alliance) – medium heavyweight
Benjamin
Ross Baxter (Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu) – medium heavyweight
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Brock
Lesnar says Junior Dos Santos is in his way, believes he will
again be UFC Heavyweight Champion
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
At the end of this month, Brock Lesnar will make his return to
UFC television in a big way as one of the coaches on the 13th
season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Junior Dos Santos. Though
many fans and writers questioned whether or not Lesnar would
stick with the sport following a crushing loss to Cain Velasquez
last October, Lesnar is making it clear that, despite the loss,
this is his calling.
"This
is who I am, this is who I've been my whole life and I finally
found myself [in fighting]," Lesnar said in a new video
promo for The Ultimate Fighter. "I was an amateur wrestler,
then I was a professional wrestler and then I tried out to be
a professional football player. I'm a professional ultimate fighter."
Lesnar,
along with his all-star team of coaches that includes Marty Morgan,
Erik Paulson, Greg Nelson and Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros,
took on the task of coaching seven welterweights throughout the
filming of the show, and for Lesnar the goal was to better everyone
on his team to the best of their abilities.
"A
lot of these kids they're here because they want a better life,"
Lesnar said. "They want to provide a better living for their
family. They want to be a fighter, just like me. We've got six,
seven weeks with these kids to try to get them to execute and
win fights, and they're not all going to win, that's the beauty
of it.
"My
guys and myself are committed to these young fighters. We want
to do whatever we can to polish these guys up, get them in the
Octagon and beat Team Dos Santos."
Now,
after the loss to Velasquez, Lesnar will step back into the cage
on June 11 to face Dos Santos in Vancouver, and a win gets him
another shot at the man who took his title. For Lesnar, that's
all he's focused on.
"I
just suffered a huge loss; that's fighting," he said. "That's
the name of the game, that's the world. As the world turns, people
win, people lose; get your ass back on the saddle and ride into
town again."
"This
guy's in my way, and that's the only thing I give a s*** about.
He's in my way to get my title back. I was, and I will be again,
the UFC Heavyweight Champion of the World."
Source:
MMA Torch
|
Latest
Bellator Signing, Blagoi Ivanov, Defeated Fedor in Sambo
PRESS RELEASE
Bellator
Fighting Championships on Tuesday announced the signing of undefeated
Bulgarian heavyweight and world-class Sambo competitor Blagoi
Ivanov.
Ivanov
won the 2008 Combat Sambo World Championships, notably defeating
Fedor Emelianenko in the semifinals, reportedly ending an eight-year
undefeated streak for Emelianenko in Combat Sambo. Ivanov has
also competed in Judo as a heavyweight national representative
for Bulgaria.
Since
transitioning to mixed martial arts, Ivanov has gone undefeated
with an impressive 8-0 professional record, including three (T)KO’s
and three submission victories.
The
fast rising 24-year-old is expected to make his U.S and Bellator
debut in 2011. Ivanov currently trains out of the TapouT Training
Center in Las Vegas and has recently spent time training with
the likes of Randy Couture, Roy Nelson, and Vitor Belfort. Ivanov
also recently spent time working his hands with former boxing
champion and uncle to Floyd Mayweather Jr., Jeff Mayweather.
“Blagoi
is a great signing for us at heavyweight,” said Bellator
Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He brings an incredible
Sambo background to the cage and is developing his hands with
some of the best in the business I’m very happy that he
and his management have decided to move his career forward under
the Bellator banner.”
Although
many changes will come with his newly minted Bellator contract,
Ivanov says that he is more than excited to get started.
“I
can’t wait to have the chance to show what I’m capable
of to all of the Bellator fans watching on MTV2 all across the
United States,” said Ivanov. “I’m already hard
at work preparing for my first fight with Bellator. My ultimate
goal is to fight Cole Konrad for the Bellator World Heavyweight
Championship. My mission is to become the Bellator Champion,
and that’s what I intend to do.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Murilo
'Ninja' Rua vs. Tom Watson to Headline BAMMA 6
By Ray
Hui
The well-traveled Murilo "Ninja" Rua, the older brother
of UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun,"
will head to the U.K. next to challenge British prospect Tom
Watson for the BAMMA middleweight belt at BAMMA 6.
BAMMA
announced Wednesday the main event for its May 21 card in London,
which follows up last month's outing featuring Strikeforce No.
1 welterweight contender Paul Daley scoring a first-round knockout
over DEEP champ Yuya Shirai.
Rua
(20-11-1) is coming off a loss to Roy Boughton at a W-1 event
in Canada last October, but prior to the Boughton fight, recorded
finishes against his last four opponents. Rua might be best known
for winning the first EliteXC middleweight title when he earned
a second-round stoppage over Joey Villasenor in June 2007.
Watson
(13-4) has only lost one fight in the last three years. He competed
last September at BAMMA 4 and defeated fighter-turned-reality
television star Alex Reid after five rounds. Two weeks before
the Reid fight, Watson made a trip to Canada and lost to Jesse
Taylor at MFC 26. Watson captured the BAMMA title with a win
over Matt Horwich in May 2010.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Would
you invest money into MMA in this business climate?
By Zach Arnold
Put
yourself in the situation of a money mark being recruited by
people in the MMA business to put up some cash, either for a
new start-up or for a ‘turn-key’ operation. Other than
murmurs about something happening with Pro Elite, the entire
industry is owned by Zuffa on a large scale. Bellator is on the
outside-looking-in on MTV2, somehow hoping beyond hope that they
catch a few breaks and that UFC breaks away from Spike TV. Showtime
is stuck, for better or for worse (depending on your point of
view), in a shotgun marriage with a new business partner that
has been trashing them for the past several years. Outside of
Zuffa & PRIDE & K-1 (in the past), nobody has a proven
long-term track record of making money in MMA. Are you willing
to pony up big cash to get into the sport?
BTW,
as Josh Gross pointed out on Wednesday: Rough day for ProElite,
Inc. stockholders out there. Shares fell $0.10 & lost over
half their value. Volume still high, just under 700k.
Jose
Mendoza: Mystery Strikeforce third bidder, early signs of sale,
and UFC purchase notes
Dana White says that Zuffa doesn’t have a monopoly in the
business — all it takes is someone with guts and big money.
Of course, it’s easy to say that when you have over 300+
fighters under contracts and none of them are classified as employees
with benefits. 10 years ago, Turner ditched World Championship
Wrestling and sold the assets to WWE. The wrestling business
has never been the same since then. TNA has tried and utterly
spent millions upon millions of dollars going nowhere. WWE has
declined as well and has been saved by international expansion,
but things aren’t looking terribly great domestically for
them on PPV.
UFC
is in the PPV business and a heavy portion of their viewer demographics
crosses over from the pro-wrestling field. They know what the
formula is to make money. For an outsider wanting to get in,
the barriers are now extremely high. A lot of money, a lot of
resources, and a need for office talent that understands the
business. It’s not something you learn in a textbook. And
yet, in many situations when new money marks come into the fold,
it’s always the sleazy retreads who should never have gainful
employment who somehow attract the marks in order to draw a few
paychecks before the next failure happens.
Jonathan
Snowden: Combating the UFC monopoly — tennis as a model
for organizing fighters
Jose Mendoza: Searching for a viable competitor, is it worth
the risk?
And that’s just the climate in the States. Try Japan. Sumo’s
falling apart. The wrestling scene has limited power now. K-1
has had financial difficulties. The yakuza problems still exist.
Now, the big Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear problems.
Want to be a promoter in Japan and spend a lot of money only
to have to cancel a show? Several promoters have had to deal
with that fate this week, including Dragon Gate which announced
a cancellation of their big March 20th event in Tokyo at Ryogoku
Kokugikan. All Japan has a show scheduled for the 21st at the
same building. Their show may get postponed as well. Between
the politics, resources, and crime, how will the Japanese scene
look in the future?
As
a reader, give me a scenario in which you can see an outsider
coming into the MMA landscape and being successful. Forget about
competing with UFC, I want a scenario in which you can see someone
making money for a sustained period of time and having somewhat
of an impact. How do you do it? Who do you need to align with?
Is the entry into MMA as poisonous at this point as the entry
is into professional wrestling? How do you convince television
executives who believe that only Zuffa knows how to promote the
business and no one else?
To
add further context to this discussion, check out our audio conference
call on this subject with myself and Jeff Thaler. Issues addressed
include: Has MMA jumped the shark? Will there be any anti-trust
issues down the road? Who will want to invest money in the sport?
Will Zuffa cash out in the near future?
Get
a head start and listen to our discussion (it’s 20 minutes
long), as I’ll try to transcribe parts of it this weekend.
It’s worthy of your time to download the conference call
and check out the discussion. I’d like to get your responses
to what was discussed on the audio.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
What
Happens to Women's MMA?
By E. Spencer Kyte
As promised yesterday, today's focus is on where Women's MMA
will go in the wake of Zuffa's acquisition of Strikeforce.
UFC
President Dana White has always maintained that is not interested
in bringing female fighters into the UFC. While Strikeforce has
provided a platform for Women's MMA over the last couple of years,
as EliteXC had done previous to that, there is growing concern
that if (when?) the newly-acquired brand ceases to exist, female
fighters will be left without a major organization to call home.
The
flat and honest answer is that yes, I believe talented female
fighters like my fellow Victoria native Sarah Kaufman (pictured
above) are going to be forced out of the spotlight and onto smaller,
regional shows. With White's position on female fighters in the
UFC not set to change until the distaff divisions can produce
more than a handful of compelling fights each year, fighters
like Kaufman, Cris Cyborg and Marloes Coenen are going to have
to return to their roots on the regional circuits in all likelihood.
Since
some are sure to wonder, I agree with White's stance at this
point, and I'm a fan and advocate for Women's MMA.
I
look at it this way: when seven of the ten women making up the
featherweight (135-145 lbs.) top ten have less than ten professional
bouts to their name, you're clearly lacking depth. The other
female divisions are a little better, but the fact remains that
there are only a handful of elite female fighters out there,
spread across four divisions. That means they're either fighting
each other all the time or taking a break to dominate a lesser
opponent in between; neither of those situations is particularly
attractive from a marketing and promotions standpoint.
That
being said, I think that situation can and will change when the
female ranks become deeper. White likes making money, and if
there is a demand for Women's MMA down the road, you can be sure
he'll revisit the topic at that time.
One
possibility that I can see happening is an organization like
Bellator or Shark Fights becoming the home base for Women's MMA
in the interim.
Last
year, Bellator showcased a number of female fighters in their
flyweight tournament, including then number-one pound-for-pound
fighter Megumi Fujii, while Tara LaRosa and Carina Damm met in
the co-main event of last weekend's Shark Fights event. Next
month, Kaufman is headlining a show here in Victoria with Armageddon
Fighting Championships, and Strikeforce still has a number of
months remaining on their contracts with Showtime, so the elite
female fighters in that company will continue to get opportunities
there.
With
the UFC clearly uninterested in forging ahead with female fighters
at this point, there is a clear opportunity for one of the smaller
organizations looking to establish themselves to take the ball
and run with it here, but it will take more than putting a couple
of shiny belts on the line and pushing three or four fighters
every six-to-eight months.
The
ironic thing to me is that while people have gotten very upset
with White and the UFC for not having interest in promoting Women's
MMA, Strikeforce is worse to me because they've done a half-assed
job with the talent they have under contract.
I'd
stipulate that the reason Kaufman is fighting at AFC 5 next month
is because she's tired of sitting on the sidelines waiting for
Strikeforce to find her an opponent and get her back in the cage.
When have you seen a former world champion in their prime go
five months without a fight when they're not injured? Marloes
Coenen finally just had her first fight since winning the title
from Kaufman in October, and poor Cyborg has been idle since
Jan Finney was plucked out of the ether and put before her as
a sacrifice back in June.
I
would understand the tension towards White and the UFC if Strikeforce
had two or three female fights on each card and as co-main or
main events on various Challengers series shows, but even they
can't muster up enough talent to find fights for the the few
recognizable names in the women's ranks.
As
White said throughout his interview with Ariel Helwani on Saturday,
it's "business as usual" with Strikeforce, and that
includes the female fighters under contract to the organization.
What
else happens is dependent on if another organization wants to
become the home for Women's MMA.
If
Bellator or Shark Fights or someone else steps up and brings
all the female talent in the sport under one roof, we could see
some good things happen. If not, female fighters will follow
their male counterparts in the trek through regional promotions
across North America and over to Japan, taking whatever fights
they can get, whenever they can get them.
Source:
The Province
|
Add
Nate Marquardt to the List of UFC Middleweights Wanting a Piece
of Michael Bisping
by Erik
Fontanez
Michael Bisping, through all the trash talk, spitting, and other
antics that have made him the MMA villain he is today, has indirectly
turned himself into one of the biggest draws in the UFC’s
middleweight division.
After
his TKO win over Jorge Rivera, the controversy weighed heavy
in media circles. Rivera’s camp went on record and described
Bisping’s actions as “deplorable” and “disrespectful.”
Assault charges are typically filed in similar situations.
The
character that Bisping advertises in the UFC has made him a “bad
guy” in the sport, equivalent to what you call a “heel”
in professional wrestling. The level of villainy he has reached
is that of Legion of Doom-type altitudes, spurring the need for
defenders of truth, justice and all that other stuff you hear
about in the DC Comic universe.
As
of right now, one fighter interested in being defender of justice
to Bisping’s protagonist ways is Nate “The Great”
Marquardt. The Jackson’s MMA fighter spoke with MMAWeekly
Radio and confirmed an interest in getting the opportunity to
shut the mouth of the brash British fighter.
“I
think Bisping has always been a loudmouth,” Marquardt said.
“Henderson taught him a lesson there for a little bit and
he was quieted down for about a month, then (he was) a loudmouth
again. It would be a pleasure to fight that guy and shut him
up for another month.”
Clearly,
Marquardt is not a fan of Bisping and his antics, but let us
not jump to the conclusion that he sees all of Bisping’s
actions as completely out of line. After watching the TUF alumnus’
fight against Rivera, Marquardt feels the “knee from down
under” was not as intentional as the rest of the MMA universe
thinks it was.
The
knee may have come while Bisping was under the impression that
a legitimate opening was there.
“I
don’t believe he meant to throw it illegally,” he said.
“Jorge had his hand on the ground and then he pulled his
hand up and he raised up. That’s when he threw the knee
and wasn’t thinking (Rivera’s) knees were on the ground
and that he’s still a grounded opponent. I don’t think
(Rivera) was the same after that, although Michael was already
winning the fight. But it was still competitive up until that
point.”
As
far as giving Bisping the benefit of the doubt, the talk about
the illegal knee is just about where it ends. Beyond that one
moment in the fight, Marquardt does not give the British fighter
any more slack. According to him, the actions Bisping displayed
do not represent those of a true martial artist.
“It’s
not what a martial artist or a sportsman should be doing,”
Marquardt explained. “It’s just not good for the sport.
It’s disrespectful, dishonorable.
“That
just shows the kind of person Michael Bisping is.”
Bisping
is currently without an opponent for his next fight. Marquardt
is set to fight Dan Miller this weekend at UFC 128 after original
opponent Yoshihiro Akiyama withdrew due to the tragedy in Japan.
If Marquardt is able to get past the New Jersey resident, he
could put himself in a slot to fight Bisping next.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Concussed:
The Elephant in the Room
by Jason
For
Jeff Joslin, the decision to retire in 2007 after numerous concussions
was not an easy one, until he remembered how it felt living with
the grueling effects of them, for weeks, months, and, with the
last one, a year and a half.
The
decision is perhaps the toughest of all for fighters, who can
play out the string inexorably, unlike their peers in the NFL
and NHL, competing as long as a promoter will have them. With
the inherent risks mixed martial artists meet in training, which
include recurring impacts to the head through kickboxing and
grappling, Joslin’s decision is one many fighters will undoubtedly
face.
In
Joslin’s case, a difficult decision made the rest of his
life workable again. He remembers one doctor’s words during
an exam after one of his later concussions, of which he had seven,
with increasingly long and harrowing recoveries.
“He
said if you didn’t have anything else to fall back on, you
might have to go back in the cage,” Joslin recalls.
In
Joslin’s case, his retirement led to a productive, happy
life after fighting. His story is not the crushingly tragic one
faced by numerous athletes who have sustained concussions and
the devastating fallout associated with head trauma. They range
from fatal tragedies -- Andre Waters, Chris Benoit, John Grimsley
and Dave Duerson -- to athletes battling with everyday mental
impairment. Joslin stands as a happy exemption.
Joslin’s
schedule keeps him busy: training, selling his video instructions,
doing color commentary for local shows and hosting a radio program
on MMA. The decision to walk away from competition was right
for him, he says, because the consequences of further injury
were too grave to risk.
His
story is a positive one, populated amongst the ranks of many
athletes whose stories played out differently, often with different
results. Given the emerging scientific data and public awareness
on the subject, it seems likely that head trauma in sports will
be the next hot-button issue to warrant change, both in practice
conditions and competition.
Founded
in 2008, the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic
Encephalopathy (CSTE) is trying to do so. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
(CTE), a progressive degenerative disease caused by concussions
and related head injuries, is the focus of its research. The
center has been obtaining pledges from former and current NFL
players to donate their brains for post-mortem analysis to collect
data on them regarding CTE.
CSTE
was co-founded by Dr. Robert Cantu and former Harvard University
college football player Chris Nowinski, who also wrestled for
World Wrestling Entertainment. Cantu, also a clinical professor
of neurosurgery at Boston University, wrote the first guidelines
on football players returning to action after concussions, and
has been studying the effects of head trauma on the brain for
more than 30 years.
Joslin
retired from MMA in his prime.
“This
young man made the right decision,” Cantu says of Joslin.
“Probably the most widely held misconception until recently
was that you had to be unconscious to have sustained a concussion.
More than 90 percent of concussions do not involve loss of consciousness.
Another misconception is that amnesia or loss of consciousness
correlates to the severity of the concussions. What correlates
best is how long the symptoms last.
“Number
one, you need to take all unnecessary head trauma out of it and
have far less head contact in practice,” he adds. “And
for illegitimate purposeful uses of the head, make it illegal
and call it. The rules are there, but they’re not enforced.
As a professional, it’s there for the blindside hit but
not enforced. I think by the fall [the NFL] will eliminate leaving
the feet to hit with your head. It’s baby steps.”
For
contact sports like MMA and boxing, changes can be enacted to
reduce risks, as well.
“The
big thing in boxing and MMA is to do a whole lot more work hitting
bags and mitts, not hitting people in the face or head. There’s
a huge amount of work that can be done that way,” Cantu
says. “In terms of head trauma, in MMA, as brutal as some
aspects of it are, it is less so than boxing. “
Cantu
admits that since hard data on actual brains is still an emerging
field -- something the center is literally doing on a case-by-case
basis with donated brains from players -- it could be a long
time before similar hard data emerges from boxing and MMA, especially
the latter, since it is a relatively new sport. The need for
study on the topic remains ever-pressing, especially with the
numbers of players involved risking it, particularly in football.
“It’s
a challenge to think that Pop Warner football is dropping their
tackling age to 5, which is insane, so there are challenges that
remain,” Cantu says. “We’ve got to change that
tackle football to flag football. Let the kids run around and
have fun and not get trauma to their heads. I’d probably
take the collisions out until they’re 14.”
Duerson’s
suicide on Feb. 17 was the latest tragic chapter. His successful
career included Super Bowl rings with the Chicago Bears and New
York Giants. According to the New York Times, Duerson, before
shooting himself in the heart, sent a text message that read
“Please, see that my brain is given to the NFL’s brain
bank.” Duerson’s request will be granted. The process
will study the brain for immuno stains from the protein, tau,
which is the indicator of CTE, Cantu said.
According
to an NFL study released in 2009, rates of Alzheimer’s or
other memory-related impairments in former players are several
times higher compared to overall rates. In players aged 50 and
older, 6.1 percent say they had been diagnosed with a dementia-related
condition, five times higher than the national rate. Players
in the 30-49 demographic had a rate of 1.9 percent, 19 times
that of the national rate.
The
study has not been peer-reviewed but correlates with extensive
research done on NFL players and head injuries. And while the
sports are different, head impacts and concussions are injuries
that have the same cumulative effects for MMA athletes. For participants
in contact sports, concussions remain something of a boogeyman,
a price of admission inevitably paid in varying degrees, with
a grim shortage of hard science and medical treatment for the
injury.
However,
as an injury far less specific than most and with exceptionally
high long-term health risks that far outweigh the impacts of
a blown-out knee or other injuries, concussions can happen often
with athletes not even knowing they have incurred one.
Enter
Nowinski. A former college football player who wrestled for three
years in the WWE, Nowinski suffered multiple concussions, including
four during his stint as a professional wrestler. He believes
awareness on head injuries, especially in contact sports, needs
to be treated like any other impairment.
“We
learn early on not to mess with neck injuries, and there are
pitch [limits] in Little League,” Nowinski says, “but
it has been shown that a concussion is different for everybody.
Some people are more susceptible. You dramatically reduce the
risk of long-term issues if you rest after concussions. Concussions
cause a chemical cascade in the brain, causing it to not function
very well for a period of time. “
“More
than 90 percent of concussions do not involve loss of consciousness.”--
Dr. Robert Cantu
Among
other reasons, the effects can seem minor at first, but the combination
of cumulative impacts and recurring episodes can have tragic
results.
From
HBO’s “Real Sports” segment on tragically affected
football players to the increasing awareness of how these injuries
affect hockey players, concussions in sports remain a prevalent
yet undiagnosed malady, and casualty list grows with each passing
month.
Given
the rigors of mixed martial arts training, MMA competitors have
to deal with it, too.
Like
their counterparts in hockey and football, the price of concussions
will be something mixed martial artists have to pay, as well.
For
Joslin, the decision to stop fighting after his UFC debut in
2006 was one made for his own well-being, and he has since built
a life around the sport in other capacities as a trainer and
coach. After his seventh concussion, which occurred in 2007,
the effects lasted 18 months -- like having a full-time hangover
all day, every day, he says. He decided to retire.
Joslin,
with a record of 5-3, fought Josh Koscheck in the UFC and Jon
Fitch in 2005 in Freedom Fight, a Canadian promotion, dropping
hard-fought decisions to both. A lifelong martial artist who
started in karate as a youth and studied jiu-jitsu, earning black
belts in both arts, he constructed his life around MMA. His history
with concussions altered his plans.
“It
was probably after my fifth one, and I felt sick for two weeks
and didn’t feel totally focused,” he says.
With
the next one, sustained after he took a knee to the head while
grappling, the recovery window increased considerably.
“I
felt the same symptoms for three months. I was fighting for the
King of the Cage welterweight title and had to pull out,”
Joslin says. “It’s one of the worst injuries possible.
Imagine the worst hangover you’ve ever had. You don’t
want to look at lights or talk to people. It was that every single
moment, and if I trained, it got worse.”
Joslin
eventually recovered, losing a decision to Koscheck in December
2006. In preparation for his second UFC bout, against Chris Lytle
in 2007, he sustained another concussion, his seventh. He suffered
its effects for more than a year.
“It
was the worst time of my life. I couldn’t train. I’d
just gotten to the UFC and was training for Lytle,” Joslin
says. “I was wrestling and just bumped my head. After my
sixth, I saw a doctor, and he said, ‘Wait until it gets
better.’ They say, ‘Are you sure you’re not just
sick?’ But unless you’ve felt it, you cannot explain
it.”
Joslin
researched the topic on his own, even attending a summit in London,
Ontario, Canada, where NHL players addressed the issue.
“One
[player], six years later, can’t even walk without feeling
sick,” Joslin says. “From the research I did on my
own post-concussion problems, it was my own choice to stop fighting.
It was my business and my family.”
Married
and with children, ages 12 and 7, Joslin has since adapted to
a life every bit as busy as his fighting career. He runs a gym
in Hamilton, Ontario, and offers an extensive video series on
training at his Website, www.jeffjoslinmma.com. He also was contacted
by UFC lightweight Spencer Fisher to help “The King”
with his jiu-jitsu for his bout against Curt Warburton in October.
Joslin,
like many athletes in contact sports, had also suffered concussions
along the way, with effects that seemed minor at first but increased
exponentially as the injuries in sparring, grappling and training
recurred. The first started in his early teens, with no effects.
For
athletes used to the cyclic rigors and relief of training, the
impacts of a concussion are mentally taxing, as well. They gain
weight because they cannot go to the gym and feel less and less
like the fine-tuned machine they were used to being.
“It
was definitely the worst time of my life -- for that year and
a half, having to come down off the high of fighting in the UFC
and doing well, being there and not being able to [train],”
Joslin says. “Plus, you get depressed when you have the
concussions. It was a bad time.”
Joslin
feels 100 percent these days, he says. Though his fighting career
ended after just eight matches, in the process he created a post-fighting
business for himself, training people and delivering quality
instruction on jiu-jitsu that simply did not exist in Canada,
or much of anywhere else, when he fell in love with it as a kid.
“I
can do everything, do jiu-jitsu and my head’s clearer than
ever. I feel totally back to normal. I’m just not pushing
it and not boxing,” Joslin says. “What I’ve also
been doing is my goal to be the best coach I can be. I’ve
been teaching since I was 17 and developed those skills, too.
“I
think when you’re younger you feel invincible. Concussions
are so subtle, and you don’t feel bad until after your fourth
or fifth.” -- Jeff Joslin
“I
really want to help the people around the world that don’t
have quality MMA instruction,” he adds. “It’s
18 workouts, 120 videos, all the basics. They can do it by themselves
and get a good start. I know when I started in Canada it took
me 14 years to get my black belt. It was a rougher road back
then. Then it became an obsession.”
Joslin,
who turns 36 in April, seems happy and content as a retired MMA
fighter, with more time available to spend with his family then
when he was training to compete. He counts himself as fortunate
in being able to make the transition.
“I
think when you’re younger you feel invincible. Concussions
are so subtle, and you don’t feel bad until after your fourth
or fifth. You just think you can jump back in there. It’s
not really an injury that’s obvious, especially at first,”
Joslin says. “I’ve received e-mails from people who
are dealing with the same situation. They are now where I was
in the one-and-a-half-year phase. They’re reaching out and
asking, ‘Will this get better?’”
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
128 Today!
Prudential
Center event, Newark, New Jersey
March 19, 2011
By Zach Arnold
Hawaii
Air Times:
UFC 128 (Channel 701) 4:00-7:00PM
Prelims on SPIKE (Channel 559) 6:00-7:00PM
Yes, the Prelims
are actually airing on Spike during the UFC. There is a replay
of the UFC at 7:00PM.
Dark
matches/Spike TV
Featherweights:
Joe Benavidez vs. Ian Loveland
Lightweights: Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau
Welterweights: Ricardo Almeida vs. Mike Pyle
Lightweights: Edson Mendes Jr. vs. Anthony Njokuani
Light Heavyweights: Luiz Cane vs. Eliot Marshall
Main card
Heavyweights:
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Brendan Schaub
Middleweights: Dan Miller vs. Nate Marquardt
Lightweights: Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus
Bantamweights: Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland
UFC Light Heavyweight title match: Mauricio Shogun vs. Jon Jones
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
128 Preview: The Main Card
by Jason
Probst
Nothing
compares to a title fight, especially one between a proven champion
and a dangerous challenger. UFC 128 brings that to the table,
pitting light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua against Jon Jones on Saturday at the Prudential Center in
Newark, N.J.
Once
the terror of Pride Fighting Championships, Rua’s UFC title
reign begins in challenging fashion against the hottest fighter
in the game. Jones’ march through the light heavyweight
ranks has been Tyson-esque.
In
the co-main event, WEC poster boy and former champion Urijah
Faber squares off against rugged ex-titleholder Eddie Wineland
at 135 pounds. A host of other interested matchups fill out the
UFC 128 lineup. Brace yourselves, folks, for the pressing business
at hand -- the breakdown and picks are here.
UFC
Light Heavyweight Championship
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Jon Jones
The
Matchup: There is no question in my mind that Jones will be a
world champ someday. The only question is whether or not it will
be after this fight.
Fresh
off a second-round dismantling of previously unbeaten Ryan Bader
at UFC 126, Jones has emerged as “the next big thing,”
rightfully tabbed as such because his spectacular career has
been defined by eye-popping moves. With an 84-inch reach, Jones
executes moves that would seem ridiculous and amateurish, except
for the fact that they work seamlessly.
Whether
one points to the spinning elbow he landed on Stephan Bonnar
at UFC 94 or weird choke variants he used to eventually subdue
Bader, Jones is equal parts physical specimen and entertainment.
He is eminently talented and watchable but has not had the kind
of gut-check fight one desperately wants to see a young phenom
endure in order to determine what he is like in a pinch.
Enter
Rua. The champion rebounded from a controversial decision loss
to Lyoto Machida at UFC 104 by cold-cocking “The Dragon”
in their rematch in May. Recovering from knee surgery, Rua will
enter his first title defense as an 8-to-5 underdog despite his
status as champion and position as one of the sport’s best
light heavyweights -- if not the best -- over the past five years.
This
fight resembles the first Georges St. Pierre-Matt Hughes match
at UFC 50, with a streaking young challenger -- like GSP at the
time, Jones is 23 -- against a proven, veteran champion.
If
there is a prototype to beat Rua, Jones may be it. His reach
and wrestling present all sorts of problems, because he can execute
at distances from which should not be able to operate. Those
distances throw off opponents, and that is exactly what Rua has
to go to work on. Shogun possesses some of the best kicks in
the game, and he will have to use them to soften up Jones, particularly
early, and make him feel the pressure of fighting in such a huge
match.
Jones’
best counter when Shogun kicks is a straight right hand. Tie-ups
are probably in the Brazilian’s favor, as he excels in the
clinch and doing damage with knees and punches. The big wild
card is Jones’ takedowns. He can shoot from long range –
witness the takedown he hit on Bader, which was launched from
far away, yet Jones hit it effortlessly – and working form
top position, he’ll have to be careful of Shogun’s
submissions, always an overlooked variable in his game due to
the violence he brings on the feet.
In
a knock-down, drag-out fight, Shogun is the pick, given his experience
with extended wars; the former Pride standout excels at this
kind of match. However, Jones’ range and wrestling edge
will be a big problem for Shogun. If Jones avoids getting caught
early and taken out by a Rua onslaught, he will be able to stay
long on the feet, landing strikes and trading even with kicks.
Eventually, his wrestling and strength will come into play, and
he will take down Rua.
Jones’
ability to execute submissions, along with striking from the
top, will force Shogun into a defensive mindset, and there, Shogun’s
response will make this an instant classic. By the second or
third round, he will mount an all-out assault to get rid of the
upstart challenger, which is when we will find out what Jones
is made of.
If
there is a gap in Jones’ game, Rua will exploit it. Jones
has not gone past three rounds, nor has he had his bell rung
with a big shot -- something Rua can definitely do. Any holes
in his armor will be readily taken advantage of, but he has not
shown any and just might be that good.
The
Pick: The guess here is that Jones is every bit as tough as he
is talented, and he will rally through a bad spot or two en route
to wearing down Shogun and eventually putting him on his back.
Jones’ wrestling and submission ability will be too much,
as he powers through a difficult fight to win via third-round
submission.
Bantamweights
Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland
The
Matchup: A fight away from a likely title shot against 135-pound
champion Dominick Cruz, Faber’s UFC debut comes in a great
matchup against a surging Wineland.
A
former WEC bantam champion, Wineland seemingly fell off the radar
before rededicating himself to training, and the results have
been impressive. He has put together four quality wins in a row
and sought to round out his ground game. He will need it against
Faber, who has made a career out of physically overwhelming foes
and being virtually impossible to control on the mat.
At
135 pounds, Faber will likely be the bully in virtually every
match. At featherweight, his athleticism and speed carried him
until he ran into the bigger Mike Thomas Brown and the magnificent
Jose Aldo. No one questions Faber’s gameness. In the Brown
rematch, he fought five rounds with a busted hand; against Aldo,
it was a blasted leg. In his first fight at 135, against Takeya
Mizugaki at WEC 52, “The California Kid” was his old
self, plying his advantages with typical ruthlessness. Working
from a tie-up to take Mizugaki’s back, Faber eventually
choked him stiff.
Wineland
scored a slam knockout against prospect Ken Stone in his last
fight at WEC 53 and has cited a renewed dedication to training
as impetus for his improvement. Faber’s standup is strong
enough to keep it on the feet, and he has shown a willingness
to mix it up in spots. That is not the best strategy here, as
it gives Wineland a chance to land a big shot, something for
which he has become known, so look for Faber to force a clinch
and take it to the ground.
Wineland
is confident he is as strong as Faber, and he will get the chance
to prove it. Faber’s top game and ground-and-pound consists
of punishing opponents while pushing the pace and forcing them
to work constantly. The key factor here is whether or not Wineland
can control Faber’s hands while on his back and work to
stand back up without giving up passes and positions. Faber will
press the pace and punish at every opportunity, and he will probably
have to keep working to deter Wineland from mounting offense.
The
Pick: This is a tougher fight for Faber than most people might
think. However, at 135, one has to wonder if there is anybody
outside of Cruz that can really fluster him. Even in the five-round
loss to Brown, he was virtually impossible to keep down and constantly
kept scrambling and trying attacks, even though the American
Top Team veteran was bigger and stronger. Faber is quick to close
on people, and his standup is competent enough to keep opponents
honest. He should be able to adapt, ply his attack and punish
Wineland on the ground and in clinches on the way to a second-round
submission.
Lightweights
Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus
The
Matchup: Lightweights collide in a head-strong matchup of aggressive
scrappers. Miller has been on a tear, winning six straight, and
with a record of 19-2, he has dropped decisions to Frankie Edgar
and Gray Maynard, an indicator of what it takes to beat him.
Shalorus
is a marvelously gifted wrestler with the ability to take down
anyone simply by willing a single-leg. The problem? He suffers
from a bad case of “strikeritis” -- the syndrome of
striking excessively when one could take it to the mat and win
in much easier fashion. Shalorus remains raw -- he only has nine
bouts -- but he is a physical marvel with considerable skills
given the short career he has had.
This
one comes down to tactics and execution. Miller is pinpoint-sharp
when it comes to both of these, showing a high level of conditioning
and intensity in addition to making smart choices. Shalorus has
a pretty stout chin and heavy hands but tends to wing punches
and dare people to trade. Few foes try to take him down, which
is exactly what Miller will attempt to do.
This
could be one helluva match if Shalorus can stymie Miller’s
takedowns attempts and force costly exchanges, but Miller is
probably a little too savvy and experienced at this point. He
has proven he belongs among the elite of the division and will
mix in strikes with tie-ups and takedowns to wear down Shalorus.
Shalorus
has also shown a penchant for tiring in the third round of his
last couple bouts and struggled down the stretch against veteran
Bart Palaszewski at WEC 53. Doing so against Miller is not a
prescription for success.
The
Pick: If he used his magnificent takedown ability more, Shalorus
could be a legit Top 10 contender, but he has thus far shown
more willingness to strike than he really needs to. Miller will
outthink and outwork him en route to a late surge that results
in a clear-cut decision win.
Middleweights
Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller
The
Matchup: Marquardt’s loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 122 denied
him a second match with champion Anderson Silva, but since nearly
everyone not named Chael Sonnen is outmuscled by the tough Okami
lately, it is not a big setback. Marquardt remains a well-rounded
fighter with stout striking and tons of experience.
Miller
is something of a poor man’s Jon Fitch, eminently well-conditioned
and hard-nosed with limited striking and a high work rate. His
style is based around being able to outwrestle the other guy.
If he can outwrestle and outwork an opponent, he normally wins,
because he has proven very durable, as well.
This
is a good matchup for Marquardt but by no means a lock. When
he is the stronger guy and comfortable standing, he is very tough
to beat.
Miller’s
standup will have to be improved off previous showings, as it
will be key to putting Marquardt on his back. Marquardt is too
tough to simply overwhelm physically, so Miller will have to
keep him honest by keeping his hands busy and Marquardt’s
mind occupied. Otherwise, the former middleweight King of Pancrase
will merely have to fend off low-percentage takedown and tie-up
attempts while countering and dictating the action.
The
Pick: Look for Marquardt to establish himself as the better striker,
along with the fact that he is still a top middleweight. After
getting stymied by Okami via decision in November, Marquardt
needs a showcase win. He will bang on the feet and, halfway through
the fight, take it to the mat, where he will control from top
position and take a one-sided decision win.
Heavyweights
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Brendan Schaub
The
Matchup: It was once every fighter’s nightmare in Japan
under the Pride Fighting Championships banner. Filipovic’s
left high kick was the deadliest weapon in the game in his heyday
and perhaps in the history of the sport. Since moving to the
UFC, it has become obvious he does not fight with the same fire
and work rate, instead saving his potent explosions in very specific
moments. In between those, he gets hit and outworked by opponents.
He has gone 4-4 in the UFC, with his peak, circa 2005, clearly
behind him and not coming back.
Schaub,
a rising heavyweight talent, has put together some notable wins.
At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 10 finalist took a big jump forward in his decision win
over former title contender Gabriel Gonzaga in his last bout
at UFC 121. Schaub showed a mix of confidence and good temperament
in adjusting to the flow of the fight and went the distance in
impressive fashion.
Filipovic
is in decline, and Schaub is on the ascent. It is as simple as
that. Cro Cop’s best chance is to make a brawl of it early
and force exchanges, where he can capitalize with a strong counterpunch
or his massive kicks. When he stands around, his confidence seems
to wane with each passing minute, especially as an opponent grows
more comfortable working against him.
Schaub
is a superb athlete and has a solid one-two, kicks and a very
good ground game. Filipovic rarely, if ever, shoots for takedowns
-- a tactical advantage that will allow Schaub to open up on
the feet.
Filipovic
has looked like a fighter that simply does not want to be in
the cage in his losses against Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo and
laconic even when he witness. Consider his fight with Anthony
Perosh at UFC 110, where Filipovic let it go much longer than
vintage Cro Cop ever would have. The 2005 version of Filipovic
would be a favorite against pretty much any heavyweight alive
today, but he has not adjusted well to the cage and the years
seem to have taken something out of the reflexes and killer approach
that once defined his game.
The
Pick: Schaub will open strong and peel the apple accordingly,
landing strikes and taking it to the ground if necessary, en
route to a second-round stoppage.
Source:
Sherdog
|
With
Jon Jones and Shogun Rua at the Forefront, UFC Takes Manhattan
By Mike
Chiappetta
NEW YORK -- With freshman verve, Jon Jones marched on to the
stage of Radio City Music Hall, in the City That Never Sleeps,
on the Great White Way, and declared himself ready to face one
of the most decorated light-heavyweights in the short history
of MMA.
This
is a town that prizes flash combined with substance, and the
23-year-old certainly looked and sounded the part. Dressed in
a blue suit, Jones played to the boisterous fans, waving them
on, taking a moment during the press conference to Tweet a picture
of the assembled crowd, even accepting the request of a US soldier
to walk him to the cage at UFC 128 on Saturday night.
In
typical Manhattan style, one local asked Jones to stand up, then
asked if he really thought he could beat champ Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua. That set off a chorus of screams from fans, split on their
loyalty to the main event fighters. Jones smiled and waited for
the crowd to quiet.
"Come
on, son," Jones shot back with a smile. "Absolutely."
It
was a New York moment for a New York kid, raised upstate in rural
Endicott but coming back to the city with the hope of making
his bones -- no pun intended -- in front of the skeptics. Despite
his opponent having more experience and a far more accomplished
resume, Jones is a slightly less than 2-to-1 favorite for the
main event, which takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark,
New Jersey.
Rua,
who was the PRIDE Grand Prix champion and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu
black belt well before Jones ever began his first day of training
for the sport, said Jones should be the favorite, and that their
styles would generate a more thrilling fight than the originally
proposed bout with Rashad Evans, who was forced out due to injury.
"Rashad
is a guy who likes to control the fight a little more, play it
more safe," Rua said through his interpreter and manager
Eduardo Alonso. "Jones is a more exciting fighter, he looks
to finish and brings a hard fight. That's the kind of fight I
like."
Jones
nodded in agreement, the showman tacitly acknowledging his duty
in entertaining the fans. That was the order of the long day
for Jones, who woke up at 5 am to do a morning show interview
and has media priorities throughout the day to go with his two
training sessions. But the possible heir to the light-heavyweight
throne was happy to do his part to continue the push to get MMA
regulated in the Empire State.
Yesterday,
UFC president Dana White and executive Lorenzo Fertitta visited
the state capital to lobby legislators, and the full-court press
continued with New York City Council majority leader Joe Rivera
firing up the Radio City crowd by promising to push the fight
for sanctioning, then the fighters in attendance made their final
statement with a photo atop the world-famous theater marquee.
Rua
coming as Jones' last obstacle on the way to a UFC title is somewhat
ironic, given that Rua was one of the key fighters that Jones
studied as he trained to become a pro in early 2008. Jones made
his MMA debut in April 2008, and a rise from fighting on local
shows to becoming world champion in less than three years seems
somewhat improbable. Yet that's exactly the story that he hopes
to write on Saturday.
It
would mark a parallel storyline to that of Rua, who similarly
rose to international MMA prominence as a 23-year-old when he
captured the PRIDE Grand Prix title with consecutive wins over
a murderer's row lineup consisting of Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem and Ricardo
Arona.
Jones
has never beaten any fighter of that caliber -- his best wins
have come over Ryan Bader, Brandon Vera and Stephan Bonnar --
yet the dominant fashion of victory that has threaded through
his fights has made believers of many that Jones could MMA's
2.0 model.
A
smiling, happy Jones has willingly come along for the ride, seemingly
aware of the pitfalls of believing the hype.
"I
don't look at it as distractions," he said. "I'm enjoying
the ride and being grateful of where I am today. It's a dream
come true. I'm enjoying the whole thing. I'm still training two
times a day even while I'm tweeting so much. It's just fun to
be here. I've meditated a lot on victory. I'm in tune with what's
going on and enjoying the ride."
In
contrast to Jones' happy-go-lucky style, Rua struck a more serious
tone, rarely smiling, but he couldn't contain himself at one
point of the proceedings when vocal fans began screaming his
nickname.
Not
to be outdone on the entertainment scale, Rua -- a native Brazilian
who usually speaks only in Portuguese -- saved his one English
answer for a question on how he prefers to finish the fight.
"Knockout,"
he said, to a loud ovation.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Jon
Jones: I can break 'Shogun' Rua
By Sergio
Non, USA TODAY
NEW
YORK -- Dismantling light-heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua simply requires the right style match-up, challenger Jon
Jones said Wednesday.
"I
think he can be broken, mentally and physically -- mainly mentally,"
Jones said. "That's also part of what I'm going to do to
him."
Jones
was speaking to a small group of journalists at New York's Radio
City Music Hall, immediately following the Ultimate Fighting
Championship's press conference to promote the UFC 128 show scheduled
for Saturday (10 p.m. ET, pay-per-view; 9 p.m. ET, Spike TV;
8 p.m. ET, online Facebook stream) in Newark, N.J. The 23-year-old
Jones will face Rua in the main event.
Rua
and Jones are Nos. 1 and 5 in the USA TODAY/SB Nation consensus
rankings for light heavyweights.
With
his combination of aggressive Muay Thai striking techniques and
black-belt level jiu-jitsu, Rua's kills far exceed those of Jones'
previous opponent, Ryan Bader, who is basically a wrestler with
a looping overhand right punch. When he first came to UFC in
2007, the promotion played up Rua's reputation as the best pound-for-pound
fighter in the world.
But
fighters who pressure Rua can force him to abandon his gameplan,
Jones said. He cited Rua's first two UFC fights as examples.
In
his September 2007 debut for UFC, Rua lost to Forrest Griffin,
who choked him into submission in the third round of a grueling
fight. Rua entered the bout uffering from a knee injury that
hurt his ability to train and reach the proper level of fitness.
He also cited his lack of familiarity with cage fighting; Pride
used a traditional boxing ring.
Rua's
second UFC fight, with Mark Coleman, also saw Rua slow down and
tire noticeably by the third round. Coleman tried to control
the bout early with takedowns, but he lacked the boxing technique
to keep up with Rua's striking and lost via technical knockout
in the third round.
Lack
of preparedness should not be used as an excuse, Jones said.
He pointed to the entourage accompanying Rua on Wednesday as
a strong support group.
"I
look around and I see about 60 guys with 'Shogun' here today,"
Jones said. "I doubt they would allow him to come to a fight
not ready. I think people that are in his face; people that take
him down and make him earn his way back to his feet; people that
ground and pound him hard; people that strike him back, stand
toe-to-toe with him -- those are the people that get him tired."
Few
light-heavyweights apply pressure better than Jones. All his
UFC opponents wound up on their backs at some point from a throw
or trip takedown, and once he has someone underneath him on the
mat, they usually don't escape. His last four victories ended
with a knockout, submission. In his only loss, Jones was disqualified
for using illegal strikes after opponent Matt Hamill indicated
he could no longer continue.
The
Griffin bout underscored Rua's vulnerability, Jones said. Griffin,
whose 6-foot-5 height and 225-plus pound frame come closest to
approximating Jones' physical dimensions, attacked Rua from the
start and did not give him room to launch his own attacks.
"It
was the style of fight he wasn't prepared for," Jones said.
"If he thinks Forrest Griffin was too big and all over him
and had a high pace, wait until he fights a 23-year-old with
one goal in his mind."
Source:
USA Today
|
Turning
Back the Clock
by Jason
Probst
He
seemed lost in the shuffle in mid-2009, but bantamweight Eddie
Wineland has rebuilt his career with four wins in a row. A revamped
approach to training, driven by a return to his old team and
his decision to embrace a new approach to grappling, has the
former WEC champion on a roll.
In
facing former featherweight king Urijah Faber at UFC 128 “Shogun
vs. Jones” on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark,
N.J., Wineland sees the opportunity of a lifetime to score an
upset that would resonate through the mixed martial arts world.
After
losing to Rani Yahya via rear-naked choke in April 2009, Wineland’s
67-second performance promoted tough questions, and he was determined
to answer them.
“The
team I first started training with in my career was Duneland
Vale Tudo. I strayed from them and started training with Miguel
Torres,” says Wineland. “The camps were good, and I
learned a lot, but my style wasn’t the same. I didn’t
have the same confidence I did with my old team, so after the
Yahya fight, I took a step back and went back to my old ways.”
Known
mostly to fans as a rugged brawler with a physically assertive
style, Wineland also added some tweaks to his grappling, adding
in sessions at New Breed Jiu-Jitsu to round out his game.
Since
the Yahya bout, where Wineland seemed out of sorts and was quickly
overwhelmed, he has rebuilt his prospects considerably. After
decision wins over Manny Tapia and George Roop, Wineland knocked
out Will Campuzano, earning him a match with once-beaten American
Top Team prospect Ken Stone at WEC 53. Wineland scored a devastating
victory, winning via monstrous slam a little more than two minutes
into the first round.
“The
difference now is all mental. My determination and composure
are better, and, right now, I’ve got the mindset that nobody
is gonna take me down,” Wineland says. “Nobody’s
gonna beat me to the punch. I didn’t have it to the extent
that I have it now. Nobody’s gonna beat me at anything.
I might lose the battles, but I’m gonna win the war.”
That
kind of mindset pretty much defines Faber’s approach, as
well, which is why Wineland looks forward to their fight. The
former WEC featherweight champion made his bones by outhustling
and overpowering numerous foes, including current UFC bantamweight
boss Dominick Cruz, whom Faber submitted in the first round in
2007. Since then, Cruz’s game has improved measurably, while
Faber lost two bouts to Mike Thomas Brown and a one-sided decision
to Jose Aldo, prompting the drop in weight. Thus far, Faber looked
impressive at 135, scoring an impressive first-round submission
against Takeya Mizugaki in November.
Strength-wise,
Wineland knows Faber figures to be a handful at the lower weight.
Still, he is not sold on that idea he cannot match up there.
“People
say Urijah is going to be big for the weight class. I’m
at 153 pounds right now, and I’m dead lifting 425,”
Wineland says. “There are not a lot of guys doing that.
I think he’s gonna make the weight just fine, but we don’t
know how he’s going to react in deep water.”
One
never knows, precisely because surprises and plot twists define
the fight game. Sometimes, it involves landing a big slam on
a guy like Stone, the talented upstart that was supposed to overwhelm
you. In other instances, it involves something going wrong, such
as when Wineland’s cauliflowered ear exploded in a 2007
title defense against Chase Beebe. Wineland pushed through the
mangled ear injury, leaking blood all over the cage, en route
to losing a five-round decision and his WEC belt.
“Before
that fight, my ear had blown up and was still in the soft stage
of cauliflower. I didn’t think to drain it and if it had
been drained, it wouldn’t have exploded,” Wineland
says. “I think it says a lot about my heart and determination.”
Wineland
was always an aggressive kid, but it was not until recently that
he thought he could make a living fighting.
“I
wrestled since I was 6, off and on, and then picked it up big
after high school. Then after high school I was lifting [weights],
and I got bored,” he says. “I’ve got a real mean
side to me and didn’t have anything to take my aggression
out on. A buddy of mine had been training since we were 16 and
said to come on in and check it out. I was fighting in small
shows, thinking I’ll never make a career out of it. Now,
I’ve got a very good opportunity. I grew up watching the
early UFCs with my dad, thinking these guys were crazy. It’s
a dream come true. And the next thing you know, they’re
a world champ. The UFC is the big stage.”
Mark
Vives, owner of New Breed Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Chicago, believes
the new Wineland fights smarter, not just harder.
“We
started helping him around the Tapia fight,” says Vives.
“The Eddie Wineland of yesterday is no longer the Eddie
Wineland of today. For the longest time, in the MMA world, he
made it as a one-trick pony. He was a scrapper with a wrestling
base. He’s added a couple things to the mix. His grappling
defense is getting better, and he’s a much smarter, more
patient fighter. Before, he was just brawling, but now, he’s
really starting to pick his shots. Urijah has weaknesses just
like anyone else.”
While
Faber’s standup game has improved considerably since his
early career, his biggest asset remains a blend of athleticism
and quickness on the ground. He can be impossible to keep in
bad positions and, at 135, figures to be his characteristic overpowering
self, if the Mizugaki fight showed any hints.
Faber
simply took Mizugaki’s back and willed himself into a rear-naked
choke. The Japanese fighter did not tap to the hold, leaving
him unconscious for several moments until he was revived. While
Faber’s undersized frame ran into problems against bigger
opponents in Brown and Aldo, at 135, it may well be that he is
the bully.
“Urijah’s
explosive and extremely strong,” says Vives. “Anyone
who fights him is always going to have a hard time to find the
right training partners than can mimic his explosiveness and
strength.”
At
times, Faber is akin to a cat thrown out of the window of a speeding
car that somehow lands on the hood.
“I
grew up watching the early UFCs with my dad, thinking these guys
were crazy. It’s a dream come true. ” -- Wineland on
his UFC debut
“And
not only is he on the hood, he’s searching for your neck,”
says Vives. “We’ve got to get Eddie ready for that
type of scramble.”
With
Faber’s drop to 135, the UFC’s bantamweight division
gets an ex-champion with a hard-earned reputation for excitement.
Reigning bantamweight boss Dominick Cruz remains at the top of
his game, and a rematch between the two could be around the corner
with another win by “The California Kid.”
For
Wineland, who wants his name in the conversation, it represents
the opportunity for which he has worked. Friends with Cruz, he
complimented the champion on his improved style in recent outings
in which Cruz used nifty footwork and dizzying standup approach
to be effective on the scorecards and baffling to opponents.
“Dominick’s
a great guy, and I’m pretty good friends with him,”
says Wineland. “That’s the big picture. I’d love
to fight Dominick, but I’m not looking past Faber. That’s
the fish on the plate right now. I’m taking it one fight
at a time. I think Faber’s conditioning is second to none,
but I don’t think he’s really pushed it at 135 for
a full 15-minute fight. You never know what can happen.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Strikeforce
Backer Wanted to Get Back to Hockey, Zuffa Seized The Opportunity
by Damon
Martin
The
deal sell Strikeforce to Zuffa seemed to happen almost overnight,
after the San Jose, Calif. based promotion had much improved
television ratings over its last few shows.
While
the actual purchase price of the organization is still unknown,
the reason why the sale became necessary is much clearer now.
Speaking
to the media on Monday, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker eluded to
the idea that financial backer Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment,
who owns a stake in the NHL’s San Jose Sharks as well as
the HP Pavilion in San Jose, was looking to get out of the MMA
business.
“This
is a historical day for mixed martial arts,” Coker stated.
“This is something that we thought long and hard about.
SVSE have been great partners, I think they wanted to get back
to their hockey business and expansion of sports business, which
is their core business.
“So
we had a long conversation and we decided to start looking into
different offers and that’s when we started talking to Lorenzo
(Fertitta).”
While
Strikeforce had different partners in the business, SVSE was
the major financial backer for the promotion. Coker made it clear
that there were no bad feelings between Strikeforce and SVSE,
but ultimately the relationship was coming to a close and he
wasn’t ready to get out of MMA business, while they clearly
were.
“I
think they had a really good time in this business, but like
I said, they want to get back to their core business,” said
Coker. “I wanted to continue in the mixed martial arts industry,
and so that’s where the two linked up a while back.”
Zuffa
capitalized on the situation and swooped in to scoop up the second
biggest MMA promotion in North America.
Now
Zuffa owns the two largest properties in the MMA world with the
UFC and Strikeforce. Both UFC president Dana White and CEO Lorenzo
Fertitta have stated that Strikeforce will remain a separate
entity and operate independently, but how long that lasts remains
to be seen.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Demian
Maia says Mark Muñoz won’t take him down at UFC 131
By Guilherme
Cruz
Demian
Maia will fight the “Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark
Muñoz on UFC 131, and the Brazilian spoke with TATAME
and analyzed the fight, scheduled for July 11th. “He’s
a good guy, he’s been growing a lot, he has many wins, and
in case I beat him, it’s a good step forwards on my career”,
said Demian.
The
biggest Philippine name on MMA, Muñoz conquest five wins
on his six last fights (the only loss was to Yushin Okami, on
a split decision), and is known for his efficient Wrestling and
a ground and pound. But Demian might face a different opponent
this time. “He’s good on his takedowns, but the guys
who fight me usually don’t try to take me down… He
usually don’t make a good sequence, but he hits hard, and
on the ground he has a powerful ground and pound game”,
compliments Demian.
With
two victories after wasting a title shot against Anderson Silva,
the black belt hopes that a win over Muñoz might bring
him closer to the top of the division again. “The winner
of this bout will be closer”, believes Demian, who’ll
fight another training partner of Anderson Silva. “I don’t
let it take my focus away because what has happened with Anderson’s
gone, I don’t have anything against him. Each one follows
your way”, guarantees the black belt, who defeated Mario
Miranda after losing to Silva at UFC 112.
BETS
FOR RUA VS. JONES
Before
tighten up the trainings for UFC 131, Demian will go to New Jersey
to teach a seminar, and to watch the bout between his friend
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Jon Jones this Saturday.
“I’ll be an excellent fight, and I believe Shogun will
knock him out”, bets the Brazilian, disagreeing of the ones
who believe the American is the favorite. “Shogun has much
more experience, he’s been through all of this. He (Jones)
is good, but you can’t compare him to Shogun, who was champion
of Pride, currently is Ultimate’s champion and has fought
stars all over the world… Jon Jones can be the champion,
but I believe he won’t become one now”, concludes.
Source:
Tatame
|
NJSACB
Assigns Referees, Judges for Saturday’s UFC 128
by Jordan
Breen
Saturday
night in Newark, N.J., it will be a heavily Northeastern affair
where officials are concerned.
Herb
Dean will be the third man in the Octagon at the Prudential Center
when Mauricio “Shogun” Rua defends his UFC light heavyweight
title against Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 128. The three
judges assigned to the bout are Douglas Crosby, Dave Tirelli
and Cardo Urso.
Counsel
to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board Nick Lembo confirmed
the assignments to Sherdog.com on Tuesday.
Apart
from California’s Dean -- who will also preside over bouts
between Brendan Schaub and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic,
and Gleison Tibau and Kurt Pellegrino -- the crop of five referees
and eight judges is comprised of Northeastern officials who have
cut their teeth in the state of New Jersey’s extensive amateur
and professional development system.
The
most notable appointment for the championship main event is that
of judge Douglas Crosby, who was one of the judges at the UFC’s
first ever sanctioned event in November 2000. New York’s
Crosby was at the center of last April’s controversial UFC
lightweight title bout between B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar in
Abu Dhabi, in which he scored the bout 50-45 for the victorious
challenger Edgar. Following the post-fight debate surrounding
the bout, Crosby infamously took to popular MMA forum The Underground
in an attempt to explain his scoring.
“Mr.
Crosby has been a professional MMA judge for over a decade in
New Jersey,” Lembo told Sherdog.com of the assignment. “He
has also worked in the same capacity in a multitude of other
jurisdictions for many years.
“Since
[Edgar-Penn 1], Douglas has worked several shows in our state
and elsewhere, both for the UFC (120 and 126) and other promotions
(WEC 50 and Strikeforce heavyweight tournament),” Lembo
added. “This agency is very comfortable with the assignment,
when assessing Douglas’ complete body of work during his
entire and extensive judging tenure.”
Below
are the refereeing and judging assignments for the full UFC 128
undercard:
Jon
Jones vs. Mauricio Rua -- Referee: Herb Dean, Judges: Douglas
Crosby, Cardo Urso, Dave Tirelli
Eddie
Wineland vs. Urijah Faber -- Referee: Keith Peterson, Judges:
Douglas Crosby, Romulo Bittencourt, Jon Bilyk
Kamal
Shalorus vs. Jim Miller -- Referee: Kevin Mulhall, Judges: Cardo
Urso, Jon Bilyk, Tony Tamburrino
Nate
Marquardt vs. Dan Miller -- Referee: Dan Miragliotta, Judges:
Douglas Crosby, Cardo Urso, Jon Bilyk
Brendan
Schaub vs. Mirko Filipovic -- Referee: Herb Dean, Judges: Romulo
Bittencourt, Dave Tirelli, Vincent Sinclair
Eliot
Marshall vs. Luis Cane -- Referee Dan Miragliotta, Judges: William
Mason, Vincent Sinclair, Tony Tamburrino
Anthony
Njokuani vs. Edson Barboza -- Referee: Keith Peterson, Judges:
Jon Bilyk, Dave Tirelli, Vincent Sinclair
Mike
Pyle vs. Ricardo Almeida -- Referee: Kevin MacDonald, Judges:
Tony Tamburrino, Douglas Crosby, Cardo Urso
Gleison
Tibau vs. Kurt Pellegrino -- Referee: Herb Dean, Judges: Douglas
Crosby, Cardo Urso, Tony Tamburrino
Ian
Loveland vs. Joseph Benavidez -- Referee: Kevin Mulhall, Judges:
William Mason, Romulo Bittencourt, Dave Tirelli
Raphael
Assuncao vs. Erik Koch -- Referee: Kevin Mulhall, Judges: William
Mason, Tony Tamburrino, Romulo Bittencourt
Nick
Catone vs. Constantinos Phillippou -- Referee: Kevin MacDonald,
Judges: Jon Bilyk, Tony Tamburrino, Vincent Sinclair
Source:
Sherdog
|
Don
Quijote ends relationship with Sengoku; Enterbrain ends publication
of kamipro
By Zach
Arnold
A
note on the official Sengoku web site labeled as an urgent report
claims that the promotion is at a serious crossroads and that
the organization is distressed. The note says that Don Quijote
has pulled all of their financial support from the company. Don
Quijote was backing the company fully, including office headquarters.
The note says that a lot of money was lost and that rather than
stay in the ball game, Don Quijote left and that the ‘heartless
mass media’ comments made about them didn’t help matters.
February
1st – Sengoku goes to war with Gong Kakutougi’s Manabu
Takashima
Sengoku’s note claims that Don Quijote will continue sponsoring
other MMA organizations but that everything is under further
review.
The
company’s note, bizarre in nature, says that if they cannot
find a sponsor to replace Don Quijote’s absence, then the
fans must prepare for the company to collapse.
Here
are the thoughts of Tony Loiseleur on the health of Japanese
MMA:
As
many of you have noticed, my story on the troubles & changes
in the Japan Shooto Assoc went up recently on Sherdog: http://bit.ly/eKiffT
There
are things I’d like to editorialize a bit on that I couldn’t
fit in or just wrote poorly about, though. First, despite the
petition and allegations, Taro Wakabayashi has not been wholly
detrimental to Shooto. He has done many great things there. Shooto’s
success is in raising guys frm amateur ranks to pro. Wakabayashi
developed & ran the world’s most comprehensive am system
in Shooto. Thus, he’s partly responsible for many of today’s
JMMA stars. It was a job he took so seriously, he overworked
his way to a stroke last October.
Second,
despite the lack of good news from JMMA recently, I didn’t
intend my piece to be a “more reasons why JMMA is doomed”-type
work. Mostly due to poor writing, I meant to report a recent
event (the petition) & its effects (vast structural change),
which I found intriguing. Third, re: the changes, what I personally
found intriguing was the idea of bringing the Unified Rules of
MMA and a cage to Shooto.
Third,
re: the changes, what I personally found intriguing was the idea
of bringing the Unified Rules of MMA and a cage to Shooto. Some
reaction to that has been negative in that bringing either would
be a loss of identity by UFC-ifying Shooto. I couldn’t disagree
more. While I feel a cage at Korakuen Hall may be a stretch,
the abolition of Shooto gloves, 5-rd title bouts, & unif.
rules weight divs are great. Thus, Shooto is reshaping its physical
pedagogy in a way that future fighters will be ready for entry
into promotions like the UFC. This will hopefully lead to advances
in training, weight-cutting, & gameplanning often commented
on.
To
sum up: Wakabayashi helped make & ran the most comprehensive
amateur system in the world. It’s why Shooto has produced
so many great fighters. That amateur system, together with the
intro of unified rules, can only help prep future JMMA fighters
for top level international competition. Thus, I think Shooto
& JMMA are far from finished. We’ll have much to look
forward to as fans in what I think will be a bright future ahead.
Sports
Navigator (Yahoo Japan) reports that Enterbrain will end publication
of kamipro magazine.
Thoughts
and best wishes to all those in Japan and in areas where earthquake/tsunami
damage has occurred.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Zuffa
Buys Strikeforce: Winners and Losers
By Raphael
Garcia
The
mixed martial arts community is still clamoring over Zuffa’s
purchase of Strikeforce. As the overall response continues to
pour in, this will be the topic that powers MMA talk radio and
press coverage for the next few weeks to months. Still, just
as the fighters and other promotion employees are left to speculate
their place in the promotion, the media will not have any concrete
answers until they develop. I have decided to look at a few individuals
who are big winners and losers after the purchase.
Winner
– Dana WhiteThis one is an easy one. Even through White
is the UFC President and not the outright owner, I believe that
he is the biggest winner of all from this deal. A few years ago,
FIGHT magazine did a story on the most powerful individuals in
the business of mixed martial arts. Dana White was a solid number
one on that list. After this deal, no one will ever have the
chance of catching him. Once everything is smoothed over, he
will have a laundry list of new toys to play with and pit against
one another. Dana White may have just claimed the position that
Don King and Bob Arum fought over for years.
Losers
– Free Agent FightersMonopolies have always hurt the talent
on the field. Look at other sports organizations for example.
If a college football player can’t make it in the National
Football League, where else can he play and make the same money?
What about a Major League Baseball player? The same thing is
now true for mixed martial artists. Dan Henderson and Jake Shields
are two big names who benefited from UFC and Strikeforce bidding
against each other for their services. Now, that won’t happen.
Their choices are now accept the offer from Zuffa or toil away
in obscurity in smaller promotions. Mixed martial artists were
already facing parity when it comes to paychecks, and Zuffa’s
purchase of Strikeforce just made the gap much wider.
Winner
– The FansThis is another easy choice. While MMA fans may
not reap the benefits of this purchase right out of the gate,
the long term bonuses will be there to enjoy. We may be looking
at a time in which a big name MMA event will occur every weekend
throughout the year. With all of the WEC and Strikeforce fighters
now under the Zuffa banner, that goal can be reached. Also, more
of those events can be made available on free television. Along
with this, more of these free events will potentially feature
household names that could not fit on Pay per View cards. Fans
may also get to witness fights between the biggest names in the
sport. Their excitement is well worth it.
Losers
– Women’s MMAWith names such as Cristiane Santos, Marloes
Coenen, and Miesha Tate, Strikeforce was on its way to developing
the women’s division. Other organizations such as Bellator
and Shark Fights have followed suit and put on great fights featuring
Tara LaRosa and Zoila Gurgel. Dana White has made his stance
against women’s MMA adamant so this places them at odds
with the Zuffa organization. Without Strikeforce as the major
platform, women fighters may be forced to smaller organizations
which mean smaller pay scales. The lack of coverage can also
hurt their overall earning potential.
Honorable
mentions:Winners: Joe Silva, Bellator, and upstart promoters
Losers: Those on Dana White’s Hate List, fighter management
teams
Source:
MMA Ratings
|
Melvin
Guillard Takes on Shane Roller in a Lightweight Bout at UFC 132
by Damon
Martin
UFC
132 hasn’t even been announced yet, much less having a date
or location, but fights are being made for the summer card. The
first being lightweight title contender Melvin Guillard taking
on former WEC title hopeful Shane Roller.
The
UFC announced the new bout on Monday.
“Both
of these guys are coming off of Knockout of the Night winning
performances,” said UFC president Dana White.
Guillard
is coming off possibly his biggest career win to date after knocking
out Evan Dunham in the main event of UFC Fight for the Troops
2 in January.
The
Team Jackson fighter is currently riding a four fight win streak,
and Guillard has made his intentions known that he wants to fight
for the UFC lightweight title in 2011. For now however, he’ll
face Roller at UFC 132.
Roller
gets his second fight in the UFC after knocking out Thiago Tavares
in his Octagon debut at UFC on Versus 3 in Louisville, Ky.
A
former NCAA All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State, Roller
was at one time on the cusp of battling for the WEC lightweight
title. If he can get past Guillard, he will get a lot closer
to a title shot in the UFC.
The
lightweights will face off at UFC 132, which as previously stated,
has yet to be formally announced by the promotion, although it
is widely expected to take place on July 2 at Mandalay Bay Events
Center in Las Vegas.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
There’s
never before been a Pan with so many world champions
Yes, the 2011 Pan will be the greatest Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu
tournament since 1995, the year the championship was created.
The
reason isn’t a record number of athletes to sign up, as
occurs year after year – a sign Jiu-Jitsu is netting more
and more white belts every year. (In 2010 the Pan brought in
around 2,800 athletes).
Looking
to the top of the pyramid, one will also notice the size of the
IBJJF Pan, especially this year’s.
This
year the California-based tournament promises to draw around
nine current black belt world champions. An absolute record.
Check
out the black belts who won the last World Championship, in 2010,
and now look good to appear at the 2011 Pan.
Bernardo
Faria (heavyweight)
Michael Langhi (lightweight)
Rafael Mendes (featherweight)
Bruno Malfacine (roosterweight)
Marcus Vinícius Almeida (brown belt absolute)
Luanna
Alzuguir (absolute)
Gabrielle Garcia (heavyweight)
Michelle Nicolini (medium heavyweight)
Hilllary Williams (middleweight)
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
The Toughman Hawaii Association Presents another night of non-stop
action April 2nd 2011, as the Tournament Of Champions continues,
winners of round one will meet up as all new comers will take
center stage and make their stat...ement in this ...outstanding
night of Stand up action.
Also the Toughman Hawaii association ad’s a twist with the
round one of the Tough Wahine Competition, some of the toughest
girl fighters will be making their way here from Oahu, and Maui
to take on some of the women of Big Island, I promise you won’t
want to miss this one, 2 of Hilo’s favorites will be The
Pruett sisters Ashley and Tiane trained by their father legendary
Trainer Tony( TKO) Pruett these girls are sure to rock the house,
also making their way over from the West side of the Island Lani
Pauhiva and Kapua Kahulamu will be here to show you what’s
happening on the Kona side of the Island. From Oahu Vee Vickers
and Kailin Carren will test the waters of the Big Island.
On the under card Kawika Paleikiko, Mathew Brigoli, Daniel Jayne,
Nick Carvalho, Trevor Liopoldino, Josh Jacobo, David Mc Kinney
, Robert Kamakai, Gary (the Beast) Gouveia, Isriel Lovelace,
Tyler Liopoldino, Bryan Silva, Shaun Robbins, Brandon Beck are
just some of the names you can expect to see.
On the Main Card:
Jon (Untamable) Barnard will take on Carlos( Mountain Boy) Rincon
Ikaika( Scarface) Martin vs. Ben (Da King) Santiago
Richard (Hit 2 Hard) Barnard vs. Chris( Red Bull) Willems
Shaison (Ruthless) Laipalo vs. Brandon(The Hitman) Torres
Keone ( Too Sharp) Rodrigues vs Elijah Manners
Conrado Martin vs. Reed Akashi
Lavelle Brown vs. Iron Kona Ke
In a special attraction 2 longtime Pro Boxing Veterans Dave (Mad
Dog) Motta will take on Hawaii’s Former Top Jr Welter weight
contender Donald( Dynamite) Gonzales Sr. In the Main Event of
the evening Oahu’s Champion 7 Titles Jonavan ( The Immortal
Warrior) Visante will be taking on one of Toughman Hawaii’s
Interim Light heavy Weight Champ Superstars Chris (The Maverick)Cisneros.
This will be a night you won’t soon forget!!!
Doors
open at 6:00pm show starts at 7:00pm
Tickets go on sale This Friday at CD WIZARD $20.00 FOR GENERAL
ADMISSION FOR RESERVE CAGESIDE SEATING CALL 808-960-4341
Source: Event Promoter
|
UFC
128 Tomorrow
Prudential
Center event, Newark, New Jersey
March 19, 2011
By Zach Arnold
Hawaii
Air Times:
UFC 128 (Channel 701) 4:00-7:00PM
Prelims on SPIKE (Channel 559) 6:00-7:00PM
Yes, the Prelims
are actually airing on Spike during the UFC. There is a replay
of the UFC at 7:00PM.
Dark
matches/Spike TV
Featherweights:
Joe Benavidez vs. Ian Loveland
Lightweights: Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau
Welterweights: Ricardo Almeida vs. Mike Pyle
Lightweights: Edson Mendes Jr. vs. Anthony Njokuani
Light Heavyweights: Luiz Cane vs. Eliot Marshall
Main card
Heavyweights:
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Brendan Schaub
Middleweights: Dan Miller vs. Nate Marquardt
Lightweights: Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus
Bantamweights: Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland
UFC Light Heavyweight title match: Mauricio Shogun vs. Jon Jones
Source: Fight Opinion
|
The
Making of Jon Jones
By Mike Chiappetta
Everything will work out as God plans it, he says to himself,
and walks ahead with faith and positivity. Suffer a setback?
Move forward. Facing adversity? Plow ahead. Fight a legend on
short notice for the world championship? You better believe it.
This
whole thing, after all, started with faith. Jon Jones was just
20 years old back in the winter of 2007, going into 2008, when
he found out he was about to be a father. Jones, the defending
junior college national 197-pound wrestling champion, decided
he was done with school. Now, he had to be a provider. That commitment
had to come before anything else.
Fighting
was the means to provide chosen for him, and in this belief,
he did not waver, even when reminded it took years to make big
money in MMA. "It will all work out," he often told
people. And so it was that on the day his girlfriend Jessie went
into labor with their first child, Leah, Jones was 250 miles
away, on the road to Atlantic City, New Jersey to fight. Faced
with the prospect of missing his child's birth, Jones contemplated
on the decision. Of course he wanted to be there, but the odds
of returning in time for the birth seemed remote, and his family
needed the money. The decision was made: he would stay and compete.
After
listening to his daughter's birth on the phone in his hotel room,
Jones went out and won his sixth fight in exactly three months.
It would turn out to be the most important of his noteworthy
run. Within two weeks, he would be signed to the UFC.
At
the time, Jones had been training in mixed martial arts for just
eight months and competing for just three, yet here he was signing
on to the world's biggest promotion. It wasn't supposed to work
this way. The sport is too layered, too complex.
He's
the type to practice [a move] once and then hit it in competition.
-- Ryan Ciotoli
His
first UFC opponent, Andre Gusmao, was actually the more hyped
prospect of the two when they met in August 2008.
"With
Jon the big question was, 'How can he be ready after competing
for three months?'" said Ryan Ciotoli, who trained and managed
Jones in the early part of his career. "This is modern-day
MMA. Maybe 10 years ago that was acceptable. In the modern era,
it's not only unheard of, it's dangerous. Everyone in the UFC
is pretty good at jiu-jitsu, wrestling and striking. Everyone
trains everything all the time. But I was confident. Jon was
confident."
To
the surprise of many, Jones won by unanimous decision, and was
on his way. Ciotoli, though, had unique insight into the rising
phenom. The two were from the same area, and wrestled at the
same high school -- Union-Endicott -- though years apart. He'd
followed his career through a high school state championship,
junior college run, and then recruited Jones to his Bombsquad
fight team when he heard he was finished with school.
From
the start, Jones' wrestling abilities could not be denied. He
could take down anyone at will and he rarely found himself on
his back. But unlike other wrestlers who stick to what they know,
Jones immersed himself in the other parts of MMA immediately.
Ciotoli
would often open his home to Jones, who he would regularly find
sitting at the computer, watching fights. Ciotoli was struck
that by the fact that Jones might one day be watching a legend
of the sport, and another time be watching a seemingly random
fighter he'd never heard of. Either way, he'd be just as intent,
analyzing the bout for something he could adopt into his own
arsenal.
"There
are a lot of guys who have to get in the gym and practice it
1,000 times before they use it," said Ciotoli, who also
helped guide fighters like Tamdan McCrory and Mike Massenzio
into the UFC. "He's the type to practice it once and then
hit it in competition. Everyone knows the spinning elbows and
creative things he's come up. He can see it once and do it in
a fight. He's the only one I've seen in MMA that can or will
do it. He's fearless."
It's
a common thread about Jones, even from the time of his boyhood.
Jones first tried wrestling in the 7th grade, alongside his brother
Arthur, who is now a 6-foot-3, 313-pound defensive tackle on
the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.
As
his then-coach Jack "JJ" Stanbro recalls it, Jones
was a "stick-thin, little goofy kid" with a mischievous
side but a good heart. While Jones is adamant that he's a terrible
athlete, unable to dribble a basketball or hit a baseball, it
was quickly apparent to Stanbro that there was something special
about him on the wrestling mats.
He
remembers that because of Jones' length -- his current 84.5 inch
reach is a UFC record -- opponents would try to attack him with
a Russian 2-on-1 move that isolates one arm in hopes of slowing
down speed and negating reach. To counter it, they showed Jones
a difficult technique that required a 360-degree spin. Jones
immediately mastered it and applied it in his matches.
The
Jones boys always liked to wrestle, following in the footsteps
of their dad, a Pentecostal pastor who himself wrestled in high
school and encouraged their interest. Jon's competitiveness and
athletic drive was at least partially born of his childhood.
He and brother Arthur, who was one year older and much heavier,
frequently broke into wrestling matches to settle arguments.
Arthur would go on to win two New York state wrestling championships
before focusing on football in college.
Stanbro,
who wrestled collegiately at Division I Clarion University alongside
eventual Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle, said both had limitless
potential, but while Arthur always seemed destined for the NFL,
Jon never showed an inclination to anything other than wrestling.
He
could've been a national champion, but now he's fighting for
a world championship instead.
-- Jack Stanbro
"Had
he stayed in college, he could've won the Division I nationals,"
he said. "That's a guess, but I think he would've won, had
he stayed in school. He could've been a national champion, but
now he's fighting for a world championship instead."
Jones
turned heads from the beginning of his pro career. In his first
match, which took place at a Holiday Inn in Boxborough, Massachusetts,
only about a minute into his fight with Brad Bernard, he used
a lateral drop to throw Bernard, landed in side control and finished
the fight with strikes. The whole thing lasted just 92 seconds.
A star was born.
"Quite
honestly, going into that event, I didn't know who he was as
he was making his pro debut," said Peter Czymbor, who did
play-by-play for the event, Full Force Untamed 20. "But
by the end of the night, there was only one thing everybody was
saying to you: 'Hey did you see him flip that guy?' It was the
most impressive move of that entire night. It was the only thing
people remembered."
Jones
quickly became a student of the game, focusing just as much on
often ignored transitions as flashy offense. He eventually started
training with Team Greg Jackson occasionally, then made the gym
his permanent home. During his time there, one of the biggest
changes he's made has been to his body. When Jones joined the
gym prior to his UFC 100 fight with Jake O'Brien, he weighed
220 pounds with 15 percent body fat. Working with strength and
conditioning coach Kelly Tekin, he has remade himself into a
more efficient fighting machine. Prior to his UFC 126 camp for
Ryan Bader, Jones weighed 222 pounds and had just eight percent
body fat, meaning his muscle mass increased by 18 pounds in less
than two years.
Tekin
says for that first camp, Jones came to him in "horrible"
shape.
"We
thought, 'Oh God, I don't even know if he can get ready in time,'"
Tekin said. "He'd never done any weight training and his
endurance was not real good."
For
that particular camp, Tekin concentrated mostly on conditioning,
but over the last 18 months or so, the pair worked hard to add
strength and power, focusing on his legs. Tekin tested Jones,
looking at his hips, shoulders and other body parts to see if
everything was firing properly, and then working to realign and
strengthen them. While the pair focused on physical drills, they
also went through visualization exercises together.
"He
has an awesome work attitude," she said. "He's very
humble and and puts everything into what he does. He wants it
to be 1000 percent right, and if it's not, he keeps working at
it or goes home, thinks about it and comes back and does it right."
After
defeating Brandon Vera via TKO due to elbow strikes -- blows
which broke three bones in Vera's face -- Jones credited his
hard-earned strength gains for allowing him to finish a durable
fighter.
Continued
work with Jackson, striking coach Mike Winkeljohn, Muay Thai
coach Phil Nurse and others has helped his standup game approach
the level of his wrestling. In his last fight, he landed a head
kick that dazed Bader in the first, then kept him off-balance
by repeatedly switching from southpaw to orthodox. According
to Compustrike, in his last three fights -- against his best
competition -- he's been hit only nine times by standing strikes.
Champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will certainly test him
in the category, even if oddsmakers and bettors have made Jones
the favorite.
Wrestling,
however, will always be his base. In his last fight, he wore
his black and orange "Tigers" high school wrestling
jacket on his walk to the cage, and had Stanbro in his corner.
He walked ahead, his theme song thumping 50 Cent's "God
Gave Me Style" over the arena speakers. The final words:
"God made me shine like the sun. Sometimes I feel like I'm
the one." He walked ahead, the son of a preacher, following
God's plan, accepting the path laid out for him.
For
the father, faith and sport were separate passions. For the son,
they are intertwined; the ingredients, he hopes, that make a
champion.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Barnett
on UFC-Strikeforce Deal: ‘I Just Want to be Part of That’
by Greg
Savage
When Josh Barnett saw news of the impending marriage of the UFC
and its closest competitor Saturday morning, the first thing
he did was glance at his calendar.
“I
had to double-check,” said the Strikeforce heavyweight.
“I was like, ‘I know it’s not April 1.’”
And
the deal is certainly not a joke. It will pair the world’s
top mixed martial arts promotion with the organization that held
the last significant collection of top-level MMA fighters not
already under their banner, and Barnett is hopeful he will be
part of that union.
“Things
have changed,” said the former UFC champion, “This
is major and great things can come from it and I just want to
be a part of that, and the way I can best do that is be the best
fighter I can be.”
It
just might not be that easy.
There
is a massive hurdle standing in the way of a Barnett-UFC reunion
and that is the president of the company, Dana White.
Barnett
and White have had a contentious relationship -- if you can call
it that -- over the past nine years or so since Barnett, in quick
succession, became the organization’s youngest heavyweight
titlist by defeating Randy Couture in 2002; then reportedly made
it clear he wanted to be paid more than anyone was being paid
at that time and finally was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic
Commission for allegedly testing positive for anabolic steroids
in the Couture fight.
For
his part, Barnett states that no matter what has been said in
the past, he has respect for his former boss. He also hopes his
performance in the cage will go a long way in proving he belongs
on the sport’s biggest stage.
“I’m
not here to make this a personal vendetta or judgment with [Dana],
especially in terms of business,” said Barnett. “I
know what I’ve got to do and I know what his position is
in terms of being the president of the UFC, and that he has excelled
at. He’s done a great job.”
And
Barnett has a job in front of him that is first and foremost.
That is winning the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix.
“It
makes a difference with everything,” explained Barnett in
regards to winning the tournament. “There is not a single
thing in my life that winning this tournament will not make a
difference with.”
One
can’t help but think that it may be the only way for Barnett
to find his way back into the Octagon, and it may be a long shot
at that.
The
volleys of vitriol between White and Barnett have been some of
the most caustic dialogue ever recorded in the nascent sport’s
young life.
Barnett
admires his former boss.
Barnett
has, in the past, been a vocal critic of White and his company,
and the UFC boss -- as we have all become accustomed to -- has
fired back early and often. Barnett’s alleged three failed
commission administered drug tests have been an easy target for
the sharp-witted White.
Those
public repartees may be a thing of the past if Barnett is successful
in persuading his former archrival to allow him back into the
Octagon. It would not be the first time White has extinguished
a bitter feud. He and Tito Ortiz squashed a high-profile quarrel
that had them set to fight a televised boxing match.
Barnett
may or may not have been joking when he talked about getting
a shot at White in a professional style wresting match, but it
is clear as day that he is serious about getting back into the
UFC. Competing against the best fighters in the world is what
motivates him, and even a blind man can see that the UFC will
soon be the only game in town for a fighter of his caliber to
scratch the competitive itch that consumes him.
“If
he hates me, he hates me; but if he sees the value in what I
bring to the table as a fighter I think that will speak for itself,”
he said. “But you know what? I don’t hate Dana and
I do business, and I’ll go out there and do the absolute
best that I can do and if he happens to be my employer …
literally, if Dana White has an office that I have to write into
every day, because that’s the person I report to for my
business, well that’s what I’ll do.”
This
is an amazing sea change from the notoriously recalcitrant Barnett
and it doesn’t stop there. Perhaps reflecting on the uncertain
nature of MMA, especially so in recent years, he made a point
to commend the UFC for providing a stable platform for the sport
to grow upon in North America. He even went as far as to state
he may have erred in his handling of his divorce from the company.
“There
is a part of me that absolutely wishes that things between myself
and the UFC had worked out differently,” stated Barnett.
“I was 23, 24-years-old at the time and I took advice from
where I took it and I tried to do what I thought was the best
thing at the time, but this guy that is sitting here talking
to you now would tell that kid [that] he was a moron.
“But
even still, I got to see and experience a lot of amazing things
in my life even because of that. I could sit back and cry about
it and really think what a horrible way this turned out, but
my life has been really awesome. I’ve done a lot of awesome
things and I’ve been a part of amazing moments of time and
got to fight in amazing places and see amazing things and fight
amazing fighters and I would never trade that in. The thing is,
every step you take is forever. I’m going to do what I’ve
got to do and I’ll try to do the best I can to avoid mistakes
of the past and use those experiences to be better at everything
I try to do in life.”
“There
is not a single thing in my life that winning this tournament
will not make a difference with.” -- Barnett on Strikeforce's
GP.
With
all that said, Barnett, like so many others who have clashed
with White, see quite a bit of themselves in the supremely confident
UFC president.
“Dana
likes to go out there and crush, kill, pillage, whatever; and
let’s face it, that’s kind of my M.O.,” said Barnett
in an admiring tone. “As much as I may have ever had difficulty
with Dana at the end of the day there is a part of me that absolutely
vibes with what he is does.
“Whether
he wants to think about it or not, here and now, no bulls**t,
Dana White is pretty f--king metal and I am a metal dude …
we’ll at least have that sort of respect that can’t
be overlooked.”
We’ll
see.
Noting
his complete lack of control over the process of reconciling
with White and the UFC, Barnett was clear in outlining his best
chance of gaining any shred of influence in the matter.
“I
know the biggest thing that will affect my career, and that’s
going out there and winning this tournament. That’s the
biggest thing that I can actually make a difference in, that’s
something I actually have control over.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Overeem
and Werdum’s standup: “Smells like Napão vs.
Cro Cop to me”
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
After getting bought out by the UFC’s parent company, Strikeforce
remains very much on its feet, as does the roster of fighters
employed by the organization. In the continuation of the heavyweight
GP, Fabrício Werdum faces Alistair Overeem in June. The
matchup doubling as a rematch (Werdum submitted Overeem at Pride
FC in 2006) will pit an ADCC champion against a K-1 champion,
in a clash of styles.
However,
don’t be surprised if the Jiu-Jitsu black belt goes out
on a limb and tries for a knockout on Overeem. André Dida,
who helps with the Brazilian’s muay thai training alongside
Coach Rafael Cordeiro, guarantees it’s a possibility. An
MMA and K-1 fighter himself, Dida further comments on the greatest
dangers posed by Alistair:
How
can a Jiu-Jitsu specialist like Werdum hang standing with a K-1
champion?
As
I too am a K-1 Max athlete, I’m very familiar with how muay
thai fighters in MMA think. I suffer a lot with that when training
because muay thai movement, posture and the way of striking is
different from what you should do in MMA. I’d say that if
the muay thai representatives face an aggressive, attacking fighter,
the fight evens out. In MMA one punch can decide the whole thing,
so the chances are even for both.
What
are you guys doing to prepare Werdum for any surprises?
We’re
doing really specific work so he’ll not get surprised by
anything. It’s simple and easy work, because Overeem has
a lot of fights under his belt. He tends to approach in the same
way, and I’m sure not much is going to change this time
around. Werdum is also training a lot of wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu
is his main skill, so it will be easy to put together a strategy.
Look, this fight smells like Napão vs. Cro Cop to me.
When no one expected it, Napão got the knockout. Werdum
has heavy hands, hits hard, has good kicks and has great fighting
spirit, which lets him fight on even terms in MMA.
But
what is most dangerous about Overeem’s striking?
He’s
dangerous at long range. He’s a dangerous fighter, there’s
no way to deny it. He’s currently the champion of Strikeforce
and K-1, the biggest event in the world when it comes to striking.
The standup game is his cup of tea. But, like I said, if he puts
the pressure on and doesn’t let him get ready, (Werdum)
can surprise him. However, I feel he can make things hard at
medium range, and that’s precisely what we’re working
on to make sure doesn’t happen.
What
about you, Dida, when will you return to MMA?
God
willing, Strikeforce is the next event I should be fighting at.
But I believe it’ll only be a few months from now. I’m
teaching; I just finished moving, so I have to get my life in
order. When everything is stable, I’ll get back to being
a fighter.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Fighters
send their messages to tsunami victims in Japan
Known as one of the biggest barn of traditional martial arts
and also of MMA, the Japan has suffered, on the last week, and
continues to suffer, many damages due to the earthquakes and
tsunamis – leading to deaths, destroying cities and ending
the peace in Japan. With the whole world mobilized by the cause,
it couldn’t be any different when it comes to MMA fighters,
especially the ones who see Japan as an important part of their
careers.
Considering
this, athletes like Fedor Emelianenko, Bibiano Fernandes, Ray
Sefo, KJ Noons, Glauber Feitoza, King Mo, Gerard Mousasi, Josh
Thomson, among others, have sent their messages for those who
suffered from the last happenings cause by Mother Nature on the
Land of the Rising Sun. Check below the messages sent by the
athletes, via K-1, to the victims of the earthquakes in Japan:
Bibiano
Fernandes: For my fans in Japan and for all Japan, this tsunami
can take your house, your family and friends but it didn't take
your life. You can keep going, don't lose hope. This is only
a moment and after the storm will come a beautiful sun. Help
each other now in this
moment,
support and encourage each other, keep going. God bless all Japan
and give a lot of love inside your heart.
Ray
Sefo: It's heart breaking to see the Japanese people go through
what they're going through right now but my heart and prayers
goes out to the Japanese people!! I love you Japan stay strong!
KJ.
Noons: My prays and thoughts are with the Japanese people. I
wish all of you will be safe.
Fedor
Emelianenko: My deepest condolences go out to all those people
that have been affected by the tragic disaster in Japan. I pray
you’re given the strength, faith and courage to get through
this.
Jason
"Mayhem" Miller: My heart is with people having a hard
time. I know Japanese are mentally strong, never give up but
keep on fighting. After overcoming this tragedy, the great trait
of Japanese will be proven again for sure. OTSUKARESAMA!
Glauber
Feitosa: First of all my family and I are very shocked with the
devastating power of the earthquake and the tsunami. Most of
the highlights of my life were lived in Japan. I lived many years
in Japan and I know how Japanese people are disciplined and how
focused they manage to reach their goals. I'm much honored that
I had the chance to live in Japan. I'm sure Japan will be back
stronger than before. We all are grieving for the victims and
my best wishes for the people that have to rebuild their lives.
Osu!
Francisco
Filho: I am terribly sorry to hear about the earthquake and tsunami
that reached Japan. My condolences go to the families that are
suffering. Mother Nature has been severe to Japan and to Brazil
as well recently. I am sure the Japanese people, who are very
determined and disciplined, will fight hard to restore everything.
Nihon Gambatte kudasai!!
Tyrone
Spong: To all the Japanese fans, and others there, I would like
to show my respect, and also my support in these hard times.
As you know, after all hard times the sun will shine again. All
Japanese people are warriors, and I know it will not be easy,
but I know for sure that we and all of you will overcome this
tragedy. BEST WISHES AND SUPPORT FROM YOUR KING OF THE RING TYRONE
SPONG.
Ewerton
Teixeira: It was really sad news for me. I hope the Japanese
people keep the faith and mental strength needed to reconstruct
their lives.
James
Thompson: I can't imagine what it is like to live though something
like what the Japanese people have witnessed. Just know that
Japan and its people are in all our thoughts and prays.
Semmy
Schilt: In this way we want to express our feelings to all victims
and people of this enormous disaster in Japan. We hope everybody
has the strength and power to overdone this. Regards, Sem Schilt
and Dave Jonkers.
Sam
Greco: For all the people in Japan, your country played a major
part in my life and career. It was my second home. I was always
loved by the people there and now I truly feel your pain. Through
this devastating time, my heart goes out to everyone there. It’s
tragic what has happened, but unfortunately nothing could have
prevented it.
Cole
Escovedo: I'm deeply hurt that Japanese people met such a sudden,
horrible accident. When I visited Japan, I was so impressed with
the efforts Japanese people make to maintain the beauty of their
culture. I remember that Japanese people welcomed me, and I'm
disappointed in myself as I can't do anything for them now. I
hope the damage will be a minimum. I'm praying for the fans their
and families.
Paul
Daley: My prayers are with Japan. I'm sure that a strong minded
country like Japan can overcome this hardship and become even
stronger. I pray for all the victims and their families.
Josh
Barnett: The level of damage this earthquake caused has shown
just how helpless we are against Mother Nature. I hope my prayers
and thoughts will reach the people in Japan. I also hope cooperation
between Japan and America leads to every last person being rescued
and given the aid they need.
Marius
Zaromskis: I offer my sincere condolences to all the Japanese
people suffering from this disaster. I can't even imagine how
hard it is, but please be strong. My hopes are with you.
Josh
Thomson: I wanna send my prayers to the families battling rough
times right now in japan do to the earthquake and tsunami. There
is obviously nothing I can say that will ease the pain and suffering
of Japan. Japan should know my thoughts, best wishes an especially
my prayers are with the whole country of Japan. God Bless!
King
Mo: I was devastated when I saw the news reports. My love goes
out to all the victims’ families and all of Japan. I have
a special connection to Japan as I started my fighting there.
The world is with you. Be strong and together we will get through
anything.
Gegard
Mousasi: Like many people I saw the news on TV of the terrible
earthquake and tsunami. My thoughts and prayers are with the
Japanese people I can't imagine more devastating than losing
everything my condolences to the victims and their families.
Source:
Tatame
|
Eddie
Wineland Ready to Make Waves Against Urijah Faber at UFC 128
by Al Yu
Eddie
Wineland may not be a mainstream name, but that may change in
the near future. The Midwest fighter is set to fight Urijah Faber
in the co-main event of UFC 128. The result of this match could
have title implications in the bantamweight division.
“I
was full of joy,” said Wineland when he found out he was
fighting Faber. “That’s exactly what I wanted. I didn’t
ask for Urijah specifically, but I made it well aware that I
was in the hunt for the title and whatever will make me come
that much closer is the fight I wanted. That’s exactly who
they gave me and I’m grateful for it.”
Wineland
went undefeated in 2010, quietly compiling four wins in a row
with notable victories over Manny Tapia and George Roop. The
former WEC bantamweight champion looks to make a statement this
year.
“I
feel like it’s my time. I had my time before and unfortunately
I didn’t have a real good run at it. Right now I’m
on a tear. I’m really looking forward to it, the timing
is just right.”
Although
this will be the first time Wineland and Faber meet in the cage,
the two fighters have met many times in the past and he considers
the “California Kid” a friend.
“I
first met Urijah when I won the belt in 2006. I got a chance
to hang out with him. I thought he was a really cool dude. We’ve
been in touch; we talk here and there. When I see him at the
fights we hang out and have a good time. At the end of the day,
when we get in that cage, we’re not going to be buddies
for 15 minutes. One guy is going to win and one guy is going
to lose. I’m sure after the fight we’ll be better friends.”
In
addition to added pay-per-view exposure, the upcoming fight will
be Wineland’s UFC debut.
“It
is a special fight because it’s the UFC and the co-main
event. It’s what people dream of. I’m living the dream,
it’s so surreal, and I can’t wait.
“I’m
not out seeking fame. Fortunately that’s what comes with
the territory. You get your face on PPV television and people
start recognizing you. I’m there for the competition side
of it; I’m a fighter. I’ve always been a competitive
person.”
After
failing to recapture the WEC featherweight belt from Jose Aldo,
Faber dropped down to bantamweight to campaign for a title there.
Faber made his 135-pound debut against the always-tough Takeya
Mizugaki at WEC 52 and impressed the fans with a first-round
submission victory over his Japanese counterpart.
“His
hands have improved immensely. He’s obviously a wrestler
by base and his wrestling is stellar. His ground game is great;
he creates a lot of scrambles. He’s fast, he’s explosive,
and he’s a great fighter. It’s exactly what I’m
looking for. I’m looking for someone of that caliber.
“I
believe I possess the capabilities of beating Urijah,” added
Wineland. “I think I’m a dangerous wrestler. I might
not be the best wrestler, but I can wrestle with just about anybody.
I’m known for my hands, so my hands are very good. I hit
hard. I think I’ve got all the tools to beat Urijah. I want
what he wants and he wants what I want. I think it’s going
to be a fun fight.”
The
fourteenth season of The Ultimate Fighter, premiering this fall,
will feature featherweights and bantamweights. There has been
speculation that the coaches would be bantamweight champion Dominick
Cruz and Urijah Faber. A win over Faber could upset those plans
and put Wineland at the top of the list for potential coaches.
“I
wouldn’t be opposed to it in any way. I think it would be
a great experience. I think it would be a great way to expand
my skill set as well. I seem to learn more from teaching people
than being taught. I think it would be a great opportunity and
I wouldn’t pass it up.”
With
Cruz temporarily shelved, recovering from an injury, the winner
between Wineland and Faber could determine the champ’s next
contender.
“I
think that this fight is such a high profile fight that it should
determine the number one contender,” commented Wineland.
“Whether it will or not, I don’t know. It all comes
down to what Dana White and the head guys at UFC say.”
Eddie
Wineland has worked his way out of the Midwest circuit and into
the spotlight of the UFC. In a battle between former WEC champions,
Wineland looks to capitalize on arguably the biggest fight of
his career.
“I’m
here to make waves and I’m here to show everybody exactly
what I’m made of. Fighting Urijah Faber and beating Urijah
Faber is going to do just that. After this win, it’s going
to create a lot of waves; I think it’s going to put fear
in a lot of people’s eyes.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
NYC
politics heavyweight Rivera comes firmly in the UFC corner
The UFC landed in Manhattan, New York today for a press conference
to promote this weekend’s UFC 128 event down the road in
New Jersey.
UFC
president Dana White was flanked by Mauricio ‘Shogun’
Rua, Jon Jones, Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland as he helmed
the conference. He was also joined by New York City councilman
Joel Rivera, who kicked things off with an impassioned few words
about the legalisation of MMA in his city.
Most
of the comments from the fighters were much of a sameness, with
nothing fans haven’t heard from them before in recent days.
Instead it was Rivera, who in 2002 became the youngest NYC councilman
ever elected when he took office at age 22, who stole the show.
“We
know that MMA is a safe sport, safer than boxing football and
other pro sports that we love to watch in the arenas and in TV.
But a very old law, passed years ago, prohibits MMA from being
in New York State,” he told the assembled fans and media.
“That’s
why we are here today, to support our fighters and to support
Dana White. I want to commend Dana and the entire UFC team for
their commitment to an amazing sport.
“A
personal story: I grew up watching boxing. I watched WWF. Then
I watched when it turned into WWE. It motivated me to get into
the gym. It motivated me to get into martial arts. This is the
influence that MMA and the UFC has on the next generation of
leadership. That’s why I think it is important to bring
it to our great city and to Madison Square Garden where these
fighters deserve the opportunity to fight.
“We’ve
already heard the financial benefits to New York City: $11.5
million [per event] here in the city, potentially up to $23 million
to the state of New York each year. The indirect impact is going
to be signicant as well.
“You
will have jobs created on the local level - street vendors selling
UFC paraphernalia, shops selling UFC memorabilia for each fight
that comes into town. Restaurants packed with tourists coming
from all over the United States and all over the world to see
these elite combatants perform in their trade, that they’ve
dedicated their entire lives to.
“Most
of these individuals started out as young kids in the dojo, went
on to wrestle in high school, maybe division one wrestling in
college, or training for the Golden Gloves. Maybe they even went
on to the Olympics. And they decided that this, the UFC, is their
life and its time that the government [of this state] takes off
the shackles, rolls out the red carpet and allows the UFC into
New York City.
“I
will be the first one in line for a ticket because I want to
make sure I can hear Bruce Buffer say ‘Its time - for a
fight in New York City.’ I am in the mother of all Octagons
- its called politics. And I will continue to fight in city hall
and state government to ensure we can all see our favourite fighters
at Madison State Garden.”
MMA
is currently illegal in the state of New York thanks to antiquated
laws relating to prize fighting. The state legislature has resisted
efforts to legalise the sport in New York State, with local politician
Bob Reilly leading the way openly and the Unite Here union allegedly
doing so in more covert fashion (they have a labour dispute with
the Fertitta casinos in Las Vegas).
Source:
Fighters Only
|
Cases
of good judgment & bad judgment in MMA
By Zach
Arnold
There
are a few stories brewing that should be highlighted or at least
observed. Whether it’s good or bad judgment is up to you.
JUICY
SUITS: Ultimate Fighter Matt ‘The Law’ Lindland sued
for alleged stolen marijuana
Read
the story. I laughed at the fact that someone filing such a lawsuit
was ‘civil’ (pardon the pun). However, it does bring
into question the whole mess right now with Team Quest and all
the turmoil surrounding what’s left in Oregon. We know the
situation with “Mr. Hypogonadism” Chael “Mortgage
Fraud” Sonnen. Based on the fan reaction he is currently
receiving, it doesn’t look he will be all that punished
in the end for his transgressions. Sadly predictable. Which reminds
me of this Cageside Seats article talking about the media tying
themselves up in pretzels to justify a booking of Sonnen vs.
Michael Bisping. Professionally, I know the fight will draw big
numbers. Personally, I have no desire for it nor do I have any
more desire to withstand the behavior of either man in and out
of the cage. Just don’t expect me to have any sympathy for
Sonnen when no one has any for Josh Barnett. Both men, of course,
have licensing issues.
“UFC
129: St-Pierre vs. Shields,” future pay-per-views, to start
one hour earlier
This
is the big story today and so far the public reaction has been
unanimous in supporting the decision. Logistically, it will help
out the company in getting show production done faster after
events and it gives the media some extra time to meet deadlines.
For fans on the East Coast, it will be a pleasant surprise (especially
compared to late state times for boxing PPV events). The only
drawback, if you want to call it that, will be for UFC live events
in Vegas or on the West Coast where the start times will be even
earlier than usual. The flip-side is that people can just have
a late dinner after the show. All in all, this sounds like a
good decision.
Except
if you’re working for Bellator, of course, and find yourself
running against either Strikeforce or UFC all the time.
Speaking
of Bellator, they drew a reported 200,000 viewers on MTV2 for
their debut on the network last Saturday night. Strikeforce drew
a reported 412,000 viewers last Saturday for their Columbus,
Ohio event headlined by Dan Henderson.
I
think, all things considered, drawing 200,000 viewers on MTV2
is solid. Most people I know do not have access to MTV2 or have
to pay for it and the network on certain cable providers is in
Standard Definition rather than HD. On a personal level, SD or
HD programming differences don’t bother me, though the reaction
I saw from MMA fans about not getting their events in HD was
as if they were victims of a tragedy was amusing. If not being
in HD is going to piss off fans, then I would expect the numbers
to drop a bit. More concerning, to me, was the slow-pacing of
the show and the fights. I can’t see how anyone who is 10
or 12 years old, which is the demo that Bjorn Rebney keeps touting,
is going to want to watch this long-term. Bully Beatdown is a
much better produced show than what we saw with Bellator on Saturday
night. Nevertheless, I was surprised they hit 200,000 viewers.
I admit it.
As
for the Strikeforce number, I say you should reserve judgment
on the ratings number. Nick Diaz fighting on April 9th in San
Diego will tell us a lot. He, other than Fedor, is the promotion’s
#2 TV draw right now. (Gina Carano has been inactive, so who
knows how she will draw in her return.) If the show headlined
by Nick doesn’t draw well, then I think there will be legitimate
concern. It really feels like that the promotion is gearing up
to make June 18th in Dallas their next big ratings all-or-nothing
pop. They’ll have Gina Carano on along with the rest of
the first round of their HW GP ‘tournament.’ I realize
how ridiculous all of this sounds with the way they’ve handled
the ‘tournament’ and how it’s created a vacuum
for everyone to speculate about Fedor returning, so on and so
forth. For now, I would say to withhold some judgment on the
Showtime rating this past weekend. What I will say is that every
time you run one of these year-long gimmicks, like a ‘tournament,’
you completely suck the oxygen away from spot shows and other
events because the fans are assuming that the tournament shows
are the A-shows and everything else is on the B-level, no matter
how good the card is.
(A
perfect example of this was in PRIDE where the GP shows drew
big ratings but the Bushido cards, which had some great fights,
completely and totally tanked.)
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Gleison
Tibau says Kurt Pellegrino “will get himself in trouble”
if he takes him down
By Guilherme
Cruz
Gleison
Tibau will return to UFC’s cage this Saturday, in New Jersey,
against the American Kurt Pelegrino, and he’s victory hunger.
Coming from a bad result against the tough Jim Miller, the Brazilian
chatted with TATAME and guaranteed much aggressiveness on the
duel. “You can hope to see Gleison Tibau with a sharpen
technique and much more aggressive on the bout. You’ll all
notice it. And, obviously, I’ll be craving a win”,
guarantees the tough guy, sending a message for his opponent,
who has a sharp ground game, so he won’t try to use Jiu-Jitsu
against him. “He’s much skilled on the floor, but he’ll
get himself in trouble if he tries to do so, since it’s
the area I domain the most… He won’t beat me like that”,
warns. Check below the exclusive chat with the athlete, who,
among many subjects, commented the left of great names of ATT
team, like Gesias Cavalcante, Jorge Santiago, Antonio Silva and
Danillo Indio.
How
is your preparation for this fight like?
My
preparation was awesome. The focus of my training was the sharpening
of my technique and improving my conditioning. I’ve adjusted
few details, training the coups while standing, and new attack
strategies.
Kurt
Pellegrino is one of the toughest guys on the division, and he
has a pretty sharp ground game. Do you believe he’ll try
to avoid striking with you?
I
believe so, because he’s much skilled on the ground, but
he’ll get himself in trouble if he tries to do so, since
it’s the area I domain the most… He won’t beat
me like that.
Have
you trained especially the ground game? Who do you train with
at ATT?
Yes,
absolutely. Each day I adjust my ground game with the help of
excellent Jiu-Jitsu coaches, like Parrumpinha, Liborio, Conan
and all the guys at ATT.
You’re
on a good phase on UFC, but lost to Jim Miller. What went wrong
on the fight?
I
was prepared for that bout. I went for it, I wanted it bad, but
Jim launched some strong punches and my game plan was gone. It
has affected me a lot. If I wasn’t so prepared physically
I’d be knocked out quicker. However, I tried to remain calm
and returned to the duel. In its end I was completely recovered
and got on top of him, but there wasn’t enough time. Time
is precious on UFC…
What
the fans can expect from you in this fight?
You
can hope to see Gleison Tibau with a sharpen technique and much
more aggressive on the bout. You’ll all notice it. And,
obviously, I’ll be craving a win.
Many
strong names have left ATT last week. How did you take it?
Me
and the entire crew of ATT were surprised and sad with their
left. But they are my friends and they have their choices in
life. They’re winners and they’ll keep doing a great
job on the sport.
Are
you still on the team? Do you believe these changes affect the
quality of your trainings?
Yeah,
of course. ATT is a small group, extremely professional and it
gives us a great conditioning and good trainings. Nothing changes
our routine. I’m on the group for five years now.
Source:
Tatame
|
Mac
Danzig Faces Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in a Grudge Match
at UFC 131
by Damon
Martin
A
lightweight grudge match will take place at UFC 131 pitting former
“Ultimate Fighter” winner Mac Danzig against Donald
“Cowboy” Cerrone in Vancouver.
The
UFC announced the match-up on Monday.
“Donald
‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig have verbally
agreed to meet in what should be a non-stop action fight at UFC
131 in Vancouver,” said UFC president Dana White.
Cerrone
and Danzig have a bit of history with each other through Twitter
and a few interviews. When Cerrone was set to make his UFC debut,
he made several comments about wanting to fight Cole Miller in
the Octagon.
Danzig
chimed in about that on his Twitter account, saying, “So
all you have to do to secure a fight you haven’t earned
is wear a silly hat, call yourself ‘Cowboy’ and talk
trash? Seems strange.”
Cerrone
responded when appearing on MMAWeekly Radio prior to his Octagon
debut against Paul Kelly at UFC 126.
“First
of all, Danzig, you were on the chopping block and then you accidentally
knocked out my teammate, Joe Stevenson. Now you want to do exactly
what I did by calling Cole Miller out and you want to be a hypocrite.
Come on, bro!” Cerrone stated.
It
appears the UFC was paying attention to what the lightweights
had to say because now they will face each other at UFC 131 in
Vancouver.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC,
Strikeforce still separate, for now
Zuffa,
the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, made
its fourth purchase of a competing mixed martial arts promotion
in the last five years on Saturday when it completed a purchase
of Strikeforce from the San Jose, Calif.-based Silicon Valley
Sports & Entertainment.
In
time, the deal will create a super company in which all, or virtually
all, of the world’s elite fighters will compete in the same
league.
UFC
president Dana White said Strikeforce will continue to be run
as a separate company and be led by Scott Coker. MMA Fighting.com
first reported the deal on Saturday.
Since
2006, the UFC has purchased the Pride Fighting Championship,
the World Fighting Alliance and World Extreme Cagefighting. Zuffa
officials indicated at the time of the purchase of both Pride
and WEC that they’d be run as separate companies. Pride
never ran another show after Zuffa purchased it in early 2007,
while WEC did run as a separate company until it was merged into
the UFC late last year.
“I
know you have heard this from me before, but we have no intention
of making any changes,” White told Yahoo! Sports by telephone
from his Southern California home. “One thing we always
do is honor our contracts. Showtime has a contract with Strikeforce
and it will continue. They pull decent ratings. Showtime is happy
with Strikeforce and Strikeforce is happy with Showtime. We plan
to operate them as they are now, as a separate company from the
UFC.”
That
is largely because Zuffa doesn’t plan to interfere with
the contracts that Strikeforce has with its fighters. Fighters
currently under Strikeforce won’t be able to move to the
UFC, no matter how good they are, until their Strikeforce deals
expire.
However,
those who sign deals with Zuffa now and in the future could find
themselves shuttling between leagues. Eventually, when all of
the current Strikeforce contracts expire, all Zuffa-contracted
fighters will be free to float between leagues to create the
best matchups.
It
is conceivable at that point that Zuffa would shut down the Strikeforce
brand and fold it into the UFC, but White said he’s not
thinking that far ahead.
The
UFC had the deepest roster of talent of any MMA promotion prior
to the purchase, but Strikeforce had a number of elite fighters
on its roster as well, including welterweight champion Nick Diaz,
light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson, lightweight champion
Gilbert Melendez, heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem and heavyweight
contender Fedor Emelianenko.
With
the contracts it owns between the UFC and Strikeforce, Zuffa
probably now has 90 percent of the top 100 fighters in the world,
though White, typically, believes it’s higher.
“I’d
think we have 100 of the top 100,” he said.
White
said the UFC needed the fighters, which was Zuffa’s impetus
for the deal. He said it plans to increase the number of shows
it runs and said it’s conceivable it could, down the road,
have more than one show running in different countries on the
same night.
The
purchase also creates some fascinating subplots. White has repeatedly
hammered Showtime Sports general manager Ken Hershman and has
railed on Showtime announcers, particularly Gus Johnson, Mauro
Ranallo and Steven Quadros.
He’s
also had a very rocky relationship with officials at M-1 Global,
which have partnered with Strikeforce in its Showtime deal, as
well as fighters such as Henderson, Josh Barnett and Paul Daley.
White cut Daley last year after Daley sucker-punched Josh Koscheck
following a UFC match in Montreal, and said Daley would never
fight in the UFC again. But White said Saturday that Zuffa would
honor Daley’s contract with Strikeforce.
White,
though, said he liked Coker and would have no problem working
with him.
“If
you know me, you know you don’t have to wonder whether I
like someone or not,” White said. “I have never smashed
Scott. I have always said I respected him and liked him and he’s
going to continue to run the thing. He’s 100 percent in
control.
“When
we make decisions, we all get together as a team and make them
and now that team includes Scott. But he’s running Strikeforce.
Let’s be honest here: There are some people there, the Showtime
executives, M-1, Henderson, who aren’t big fans of mine.
But I don’t want them to be uncomfortable in their own league.
Strikeforce is Showtime’s league and they have a contract
with Strikeforce and we’ll let it run as it has.”
White
said the changes that would be made would be mostly behind the
scenes. He wouldn’t say if he would change Showtime’s
announcing teams, though he said, “Showtime controls the
production [for Strikeforce].”
“We’ll
make some back-of-house improvements so the fighters will notice
that things may run more smoothly, and the media may see a difference
in how we do things, but this is still going to be Strikeforce,”
White said.
The
appeal of the purchase, though, is that MMA fans are one step
closer to a super league that eliminates the issue of promotional
boundaries preventing fights.
White
for years tried to land Emelianenko, who has a business interest
in M-1, and desperately wanted to match him at one point with
then-UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and put the fight
in Cowboys Stadium. But Zuffa could not come to terms with M-1
and Emelianenko hasn’t fought in the UFC.
The
Japanese promotions are hemorrhaging money and the only other
significant MMA promotion in North America is Bellator.
That
means Zuffa soon will have the ability to make the best fights
in every weight class, though, to listen to White, don’t
expect to see Emelianenko in the Octagon anytime soon.
Zuffa
has chased Emelianenko for five years and thought it landed his
contract when it purchased Pride. But Emelianenko was a free
agent and fought with other promotions, including the now-defunct
Affliction and Strikeforce.
There
is a certain irony in the fact that now that White finally has
Emelianenko under contract, the Russian is coming off back-to-back
losses and has talked of retirement.
“I
don’t see any irony in that,” White said, chuckling.
“Even though Fedor is now under contract with Zuffa, I still
have a hard time imagining he’ll ever fight in the UFC.
We’ll see, but that’s my bet right now.”
There
are few fights, though, that can’t be made now. And that’s
the good thing.
“You
know me,” White said. “I’m as big a fan of this
as anybody and I love making the fights that everyone wants to
see. At the end of the day, it’s all about making great
fights and the fights the people want to see. That’s what
we’re doing.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
Mirrors NBA and NFL Rise to Mainstream With Strikeforce Purchase
Zuffa,
LLC has put themselves in a position to run the table.
Strikeforce,
the widely considered number-two MMA promotion on the planet,
was recently bought out by the UFC’s parent company. News
broke of the purchase on Saturday morning.
What
has began is a debate on whether or not Zuffa owning the majority
of the talent-heavy fight leagues is a good thing. Some look
at it as a monopoly in the making – which it is well on
its way to being – and some critics tend to frown upon there
being a big fish in a small pond.
But
what is so wrong with that?
What
most people who follow mixed martial arts can agree on is the
hunger to see the sport become as accepted by the mainstream
as the premier leagues of other sports, such as the NBA and NFL.
Zuffa’s acquisition of Strikeforce is another step towards
that direction.
By
purchasing their only remaining form of high caliber competition,
Zuffa has widened the gap between the UFC and any other promotion
that promotes themselves as being considered a professional league.
The only other fight company that comes close to the UFC now
is Bellator, and before the purchase of Strikeforce was announced,
they were a distant third place.
By
having two brands competing for the top spot in in mixed martial
arts, it made it difficult for the casual fan to identify MMA
since they were being pulled in more than one direction.
“Let’s
face the facts, Strikeforce is a brand that fans have come to
like,” UFC president Dana White told MMAFighting.com. “People
enjoy the fights that they are putting on.”
Now,
the UFC has all the selling power that Strikeforce’s brand
was carrying in 2011, and Zuffa will reap all the benefits from
the people enjoying those fights.
The
UFC president has made it clear that Strikeforce will continue
to operate as a completely separate entity, but if history has
taught us anything, the San Jose, Calif. based promotion will
not operate independently for long. Intentions to merge the WEC
with the UFC were denied for years, but that all changed in late
October when that merger became official.
Pride
was also intended to run as its own entity after Zuffa purchased
it in 2007. Obviously, that did not happen.
The
UFC’s parent company executed a move similar to what the
other major sports leagues did as they were growing and becoming
the main attractions they are today. The NBA, for example, had
major competition in the late 60s to mid 70s in the form of the
ABA or American Basketball Association. In August of 1976, the
NBA – which was considered the more prominent of the two
leagues – bought out and dismantled three of the seven ABA
teams and absorbed the Nets, Pacers, Spurs, and Nuggets. Since
then, the NBA continued to expand and ultimately became the top
destination for professional basketball to be played world wide.
Players like Moses Malone, Julius Erving, and George Gervin were
now part of the National Basketball Association, and would move
on to become Hall of Fame inductees.
By
eliminating their competition, the UFC has the potential to strengthen
its marketability with an even deeper talent pool headlined by
names like Emelianenko, Overeem, and Mousasi. This move mirrors
what the NBA did in the Summer of ’76, capitalizing on its
competition’s biggest assets.
The
NFL also dabbled in the absorption game when they consumed the
AFL in 1970. In doing so, the NFL kept its moniker and expanded
to 24 teams, becoming the elite professional football league
in United States. The USFL tried to give the NFL a run for its
money in the 80s, but they ultimately folded, opening up the
door for players such as Herschel Walker to move on to the NFL
and have stellar careers with more exposure.
Like
Walker’s move from the USFL to the NFL, talents like “Jacare”
Souza could move into a position where they get more publicity
and deeper divisions to show how dangerous they can be.
Another
perk stemming from Zuffa’s purchase is the addition of Strikeforce’s
video library. The UFC now has nearly all the footage of almost
all relevant fighters in mixed martial arts today. The growth
of their video vault gives the UFC all the more reason to, one
day, do what the NFL and NBA have done and launch a league dedicated
cable and/or internet channel. The NFL Network and NBA TV have
become jewels to their their leagues. The UFC has strengthened
their chance to have the same jewel and bring exposure on a 24-hour
basis.
The
UFC is following the same footsteps the NFL and NBA made when
they were working to become accepted by the mainstream. Now,
the NBA is garnering more top-ten highlight reels than it has
ever had, and the NFL has arguably surpassed Major League Baseball
as the most popular sport in North America. In climbing to these
positions of mainstream acceptance, both leagues have faced competition
and absorbed the opposition to the fullest extent of the word,
ultimately securing themselves as the premier organizations.
The
sport of MMA is young. It will continue to grow and likely get
to the point where “UFC” will be the letters you see
on the tab you click at your favorite sports website. You do,
after all, click on “NBA” and “NFL,” not
“basketball” and “football.”
These
leagues have dealt with their criticisms. The UFC is no different
and it will have its naysayers. It seems pretty clear that Zuffa’s
lucrative MMA promotion is on its way to being the NBA’s
and NFL’s equivalent. With the UFC heading towards monopoly
status, some begin to worry about the promotion having too much
power. When the other sports leagues grew large enough, athlete
unions formed to bring balance. As imminent as the UFC’s
hold on the MMA world is, perhaps the forming of a fighter union
is equally as imminent. And maybe, just maybe, necessary.
The
game has, indeed, changed. Is it for the better or for the worse?
Source: MMA Weekly |
Strikeforce
sale changes MMA landscape
The
announcement Saturday morning that Zuffa purchased the Strikeforce
promotion changes the entire face of the mixed martial arts industry.
The
deal, announced by UFC president Dana White in an interview with
Ariel Helwani on MMAfighting.com, was one that happened quickly,
according to White. He did not disclose the purchase price, nor
did he talk about the details that led to the purchase. He only
said that the deal went down quickly and was finalized this morning.
Scott
Coker, the CEO of Strikeforce, will remain in the same position,
according to White. Coker did not return phone or e-mail requests
for comment. Ken Hershman, the executive vice president of Showtime
Sports, which broadcasts Strikeforce, declined comment.
Strikeforce,
a San Jose-based promotion started by Coker to originally promote
kickboxing, turned to mixed martial arts in 2006 when Coker was
talked into giving the sport a chance by Frank Shamrock, the
company’s biggest draw in its early years. The company was
financially backed by Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment,
which owns both the HP Pavilion in San Jose and the NHL’s
San Jose Sharks. It had been known for the past year that the
company was looking for additional investor money.
Strikeforce
was the most successful regional promotion in the country, frequently
drawing more than 10,000 fans to events in San Jose. Two of its
three events this year on Showtime were two of Showtime’s
most-watched MMA events ever. After the folding of EliteXC, Strikeforce
became a national promotion, which led to frequent events all
over the country. It has already put on five events on Showtime
this year.
The
UFC has purchased several competing organizations in the past,
to get both key fighter contracts as well as videotape libraries.
The purchases range from the one-and-done World Fighting Alliance,
which led to getting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and
Lyoto Machida, to the highly publicized Pride Fighting Championship
purchase, which led to acquiring Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua and a valuable library, as well as World Extreme Cagefighting.
But
this, White said, will be different.
“It’s
going to be business as usual,” he said.
The
key is that Strikeforce and UFC will, at least for the time being,
be run as separate companies, with separate rosters and separate
shows. The Strikeforce events on the schedule and deal with Showtime
will continue.
White
said Coker will remain in charge of Strikeforce and he will be
given a budget, and that there will be no cross-promotional fights,
such as the potential blockbusters such as Fedor Emelianenko
vs. Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez vs. Alistair Overeem or Gilbert
Melendez vs. Frankie Edgar.
“When
I say business as usual, we don’t co-promote,” White
said in the interview. “Even when we own them, we don’t
co-promote. They have an office up in San Jose, business as usual,
Scott Coker will continue to run Strikeforce. Can we supplement
them and help them grow, help them internationally? Absolutely.”
It
should be noted that the same type of talk was done when the
Pride deal went down, and Pride ended up folding without ever
running another show. But this will be different. Pride was a
complete mess, a Japanese brand that, due to scandal, had lost
television rights. The inability for a foreign group to negotiate
a viable television deal is what killed Pride.
The
only visible first change would be that the upcoming major Strikeforce
events, such as April 8 in San Diego and June 18 in Dallas, will
now be advertised on UFC events. This will create something UFC
has attempted to avoid, the watering down of championships, since
it will be promoting champions in two different organizations
at the same time.
And
there will be no unification matches.
With
both the Dream and Sengoku promotions in Japan both hanging by
a thread, with neither group having announced a future date,
it means that at the major league level, the MMA business on
a worldwide level will be controlled by the same company.
White
said all contracts would be honored, including the one with M-1
Global, the Russian promotional organization that controls and
is part-owned by Emelianenko, as well as the deals with Frank
Shamrock and Josh Barnett, with whom White has verbally sparred
with in the past.
White
said that because he had so many enemies within Strikeforce due
to comments in the past, he probably would not attend the promotion’s
shows. But he did indicate others would likely attend, including
co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta or matchmaker Joe Silva.
“The
beauty in a business like this is there are … partners –
Frank, Lorenzo, myself, and Abu Dhabi,” said White. “Lorenzo
can go over there and deal with Showtime. I’m sure the last
thing Showtime wants is for me to show up at their footsteps.”
Frank
Fertitta III and brother Lorenzo Fertitta own 40.5 percent of
Zuffa, while Dana White owns nine percent and an arm of the Abu
Dhabi government owns 10 percent.
White
said that fighters will not go back-and-forth between groups,
similar to how UFC and WEC operated for years. However, when
talent contracts expire, if there are matches the public wants
to see, it’s inevitable that the rosters will be handled
with that in mind. But keep in mind, White said publicly that
the two companies will both try to sign talent they want.
In
addition, Strikeforce would likely wind up as a landing spot
for talent cut by the UFC. That way, the fighters have the potential
to remain in the public eye instead of going to a competing company,
whether that may be Bellator or another group that springs up.
The
elimination of Strikeforce as a rival promotion will also keep
fighter salaries from spiraling out of control, as fighters would
not be able to play one company against the other.
But
it is also inevitable that top talent will end up in another
organization a few years down the line, just as it was inevitable
that the WEC would at some point merge with the UFC. The last
thing White wants is for MMA to be like boxing, with multiple
championships that no longer mean anything to the public, and
fights that people want to see that aren’t taking place.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Officials
Confirm Several Bouts for UFC 131 in Vancouver
UFC
logoThe Ultimate Fighting Championship this week confirmed UFC
131 for June 11 in Vancouver. Former UFC heavyweight champion
Brock Lesnar will headline the card in a bout with fellow “Ultimate
Fighter Season 13? coach Junior Dos Santos.
The
UFC on Friday confirmed four previously reported, verbally agreed
to bouts for its return to Vancouver.
Mark
Munoz, fresh off of a win over C.B. Dollaway, takes on No. 4
ranked middleweight Demian Maia. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist
is coming off back-to-back wins over Mario Miranda and Kendall
Grove, trying to work his way back into title contention.
The
promotion also confirmed a light heavyweight battle between Australian
Anthony Perosh and Polish-born Canadian Krzysztof Soszynski,
another middleweight bout pitting TUF 11 winner Court McGee against
Jesse Bongfeldt, and Darren Elkins’ featherweight debut
against Michihiro Omigawa.
Several
other bouts have also been mentioned for UFC 131, including Kenny
Florian’s drop to featherweight to face Diego Nunes.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Reuben
Duran and Francisco Rivera Face Off at TUF 13 Finale Trying to
Score a UFC Victory
The
“Loser Leaves Town” match was a popular bout in professional
wrestling. It means a little more in the world of mixed martial
arts, where the outcome isn’t scripted.
It’s
the type of bout that Reuben Duran and Francisco Rivera may find
themselves in at “The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Finale”
on June 4 in Las Vegas.
Each
fighter is one bout in under the Zuffa umbrella, but each is
also coming off a loss.
Duran
fought little more than a week ago at UFC on Versus 3 in Louisville,
Ky. He took Takeya Mizugaki to the final bell, but dropped a
split decision to the tough Japanese fighter. The loss interrupted
a four-fight winning streak for the 7-3-1 King of the Cage veteran.
Rivera
entered WEC 52 with an unblemished record in five tries. Erik
Koch, one of the hottest featherweight prospects in the sport,
handed him his first taste of defeat. Koch took Rivera out by
TKO in the opening minutes of the first round, spoiling his big
time debut.
Both
fighters are searching for that all-important first win in the
Octagon, trying to keep a spot in the UFC featherweight division.
The
TUF 13 finale features the Season 13 finals, as well as former
WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis’ UFC debut, as he
takes on fan favorite Clay Guida.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Bellator
36 Results: Freire, Imada, Chandler and Woodard Advance
The
kickoff to Bellator’s fourth season lightweight tournament
started off with a bang on Saturday night with four fights taking
place, all of them resulting in finishes.
Former
WEC champion “Razor” Rob McCullough looked to fight
his way back to top status starting with Bellator 36, but his
plans crashed down at the hands of Patricky Freire.
Freire
entered the fight with a heavy heart after his longtime friend
and manager Ivan Canello passed away last week, but he would
have made him proud with his performance on Saturday. Freire
took McCullough down early in the first round and almost finished
the California based fighter with a rear naked choke.
Freire
dominated the entire round, but let McCullough slip back into
the fight in the second session. The young Brazilian put a stop
to that in the final round.
Cracking
McCullough with a huge shot, the former WEC champion crashed
to the mat and Freire followed up with a quick strike before
the referee rushed in for the save. Freire moves on, while it’s
back to the drawing board for McCullough.
Toby
Imada had to switch opponents at the last minute when Ferrid
Kheder failed to make weight, but the two-time Bellator tournament
veteran didn’t seem to mind. He submitted replacment fighter
Josh Shockley with a nasty armbar in the first round.
Imada
grabbed a hold of Shockley’s arm just moments into the fight.
He didn’t let got until Shockley screamed out in pain as
the fighters slammed to the mat together. The referee called
the fight due to verbal submission and Imada gets one step closer
to his ultimate goal of a second fight against Eddie Alvarez
for the Bellator lightweight title.
In
what had to be considered an early upset in the Bellator lightweight
tournament, Lloyd Woodard put Carey Vanier away by TKO in the
second round of their bout on Saturday night.
Woodard
spent the majority of the first round fending off takedown attempts
from Vanier, and doing a very good job along the way. It seemed
once he got comfortable defending the takedowns, Woodard found
his timing on the feet in the second round.
Catching
Vanier with a short left hook, Woodard dropped him and opened
up a blitzing attack. Vanier recovered momentarily until he was
dropped again. As he rolled to his side, Woodard continued the
barrage of strikes until the fight was stopped.
Woodard
now moves on to the semifinal round of the lightweight tournament
after the impressive showing against Vanier.
Heralded
prospect Michael Chandler battled his way out of early trouble
against Marcin Held to snatch a submission of his own, finishing
the fight in the first round.
Chandler,
a former All-American wrestler from Missouri, came into the bout
5-0 and an early favorite to make it to the finals of the Bellator
tournament. It almost came to a crashing halt when Held grabbed
hold of Chandler’s leg, sinking in a deep kneebar.
Chandler
continued to battle until he got free of the submission, then
continued his onslaught. He got on top of Held relentlessly pursuing
a head and arm choke. Chandler cinched up on the choke. Held
didn’t have a chance to tap out because he passed out.
Chandler
now moves on in the Bellator lightweight tournament and he promised
to continue his dark horse run towards the title.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Game
Changer: Zuffa and UFC Purchase Strikeforce
In
a move that will change the mixed martial arts industry forever,
Zuffa, parent company of the UFC, has purchased Strikeforce.
The
deal was announced by UFC President Dana White in an interview
with MMAFighting.com on Saturday.
“It’s
literally official right now,” White said in the interview
about purchasing the San Jose, Calif. based promotion. “We
literally just closed the deal.”
MMAWeekly.com
had been told by sources a couple weeks ago that Zuffa was talking
to their partners in Abu Dhabi at Flash Entertainment about funding
to purchase Strikeforce. Flash owns a percentage of Zuffa, and
the deal was likely marked by a financial undertow from both
Zuffa and their partners in the Middle East.
Zuffa
has made a move similar to this before when they purchased Pride
Fighting Championships in Japan and also buying World Extreme
Cagefighting a few years ago.
This
move, however, may end up proving to be the biggest deal of them
all, as Zuffa has now purchased the only other major MMA promotion
in North America, and by far their biggest competitor.
White
says the deal just came together recently, but emphasized the
point that the UFC and Strikeforce will continue to run as separate
entities.
“Let’s
face the facts, Strikeforce is a brand that fans have come to
like, that they do have a following, people enjoy the fights
that they are putting on,” White stated.
In
the deal, Zuffa will be the owner of the Strikeforce brand and
library of fights, but the contracts of all fighters remain under
the Strikeforce name and they will continue to operate “business
as usual.”
White
also confirmed that Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker will remain with
the company in the same role as before. He will lead the promotion
and have free reign to handle all fighter contracts and continue
signing new deals with fighters as well.
Fighters
will continue to fight under the Strikeforce banner, including
Fedor Emelianenko, whose management company M-1 Global has had
a volatile relationship with White and Zuffa for years. White
maintains that Emelianenko will remain in Strikeforce, and they
will honor all previous deals.
White
stated that fighters such as Paul Daley and Josh Barnett will
remain with Strikeforce and they will fulfill those contracts,
but did point out that Daley will still never fight in the UFC
again. What that means for his future beyond his current contract
remains to be seen.
The
women’s division in Strikeforce will also remain status
quo according to the UFC president. He stated time and time again
that everything running in the MMA promotion remains business
as usual.
Strikeforce
remains in a contract with Showtime for approximately two more
years. White says that his partners at Zuffa will deal with them
for any issues, as he has never held his tongue when talking
about the cable company.
Strikeforce
employees will remain “for now,” according to White,
but Zuffa will lend a hand wherever help is needed, including
any behind the scenes issues and production.
The
deal is a landmark change in MMA as Zuffa now owns the biggest
conglomerate in the fighting world. While White stated “business
as usual” several times in his interview, the business of
MMA is now changed forever.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Dan
Henderson: One Fight Left on Current Deal, but Open to Working
with Zuffa Again
The
announcement on Saturday that Zuffa, parent company of the UFC,
had purchased Strikeforce sent shockwaves throughout the MMA
industry. Perhaps no more intently than with the fighters currently
under contract to Strikeforce, who found out that they now have
a new boss.
Dan
Henderson, who just won the Strikeforce light heavyweight title
last Saturday night, was admittedly thrown back when he heard
the news that his old bosses at the UFC were taking over the
company he currently fights for.
“It’s
a little shocking. I had no idea,” Henderson told MMAWeekly.com
on Saturday. “I know there were rumors six months ago, but
I was pretty shocked. I don’t know what to feel about it.
I don’t necessarily think, it might not be the best thing
for the sport. But then again, you’re going to start being
able to see all these match-ups that everyone wants to see. Who
knows?”
Henderson
left the UFC after fighting for the promotion for a total of
five fights. Following his knockout of Michael Bisping in 2009,
Henderson entered free agency and opted to sign with Strikeforce.
Following
a hiccup in his first fight with the San Jose, Calif. based promotion,
Henderson bounced back with two wins in a row, knocking out Renato
“Babalu” Sobral before finishing Rafael “Feijao”
Cavalcante to win the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt.
Henderson
sounded optimistic about his future following his last win, but
he currently sits with only one fight left on his current Strikeforce
deal.
“I
had no plans of leaving, but I don’t know what this is going
to do those plans, but I have one fight left on my deal and we’ll
see what happens,” Henderson stated.
UFC
president Dana White stressed during Saturday’s announcement
that Strikeforce would continue running “business as usual”
and that CEO Scott Coker would remain in charge, able to make
decisions about fighter contracts.
Regardless
of any past dealings, Henderson is open to working with Zuffa
again if they want to keep him around.
“Of
course,” Henderson answered when prompted about fighting
for White and the UFC again. “I’ve never said anything
bad about them. I always appreciated everything they’ve
done for me and for the sport. It’s just I was paid more
money to go elsewhere, and that’s what I did. Dana’s
the type that needs to talk a little smack if he doesn’t
get his way, but I’ve got no hard feelings about anything.”
Simply
put though, Dan Henderson isn’t done fighting regardless
of the single fight left on his current deal. When asked if he
planned on fighting beyond one more fight, no matter what company
it’s for, Henderson said “right.”
The
current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion is presently enjoying
some down time following his win last weekend.
Source: MMA Weekly |
M-1
Global Says Fedor’s Contract With Showtime, Zuffa Buyout
Has No Effect
If
the MMA world is wondering what happens with M-1 Global and Fedor
Emelianenko now that Strikeforce has been purchased by Zuffa,
wonder no more.
UFC
president Dana White specifically pointed out in his interview
with MMAFighting.com that he would honor all contracts currently
in place with Strikeforce, including Fedor Emelianenko, the Russian’s
management team at M-1 Global has their own take on the situation.
M-1
Global’s Evgeni Kogan told MMAWeekly.com on Saturday that
Fedor is under contract with Showtime, and they look forward
to fulfilling that deal.
“Fedor’s
contract is with Showtime Networks Inc. and we’re excited
to be working with such a premium North American outlet,”
Kogan said.
M-1
Global, which also promotes events, recently signed a new TV
deal with Showtime as well. They debut on the network on March
25.
Kogan
pointed out that the new deal between Zuffa and Strikeforce effects
nothing in their own deal with Showtime.
“The
purchase of Strikeforce doesn’t affect M-1 at all,”
Kogan stated. “Our TV deal is with Showtime and we’re
happy. It’s business as usual for M-1 Global as we close
into our March 25 event.”
White
stated on Saturday that he believes Strikeforce’s current
deal with Showtime runs for approximately two more years. Regardless
of any other contracts in place, Zuffa remains committed to running
Strikeforce as a separate entity.
Strikeforce
has yet to comment about the deal to sell to Zuffa. MMAWeekly.com
reached Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz on Saturday,
but he stated that Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker is currently unavailable
for comment.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Rafael
Rebello “two steps away” from the UFC
Rafael
Rebello was one of the Brazilians who fought on WEC, but two
losses in three fights cost him his contract with the organization,
which months later would merged with the UFC. After a time off
to heal his broken hand, the American Top Team fighter returned
with all his power to the trainings, and the goal is simple:
join the UFC. “UFC’s asked me two wins outside the
event so that I can sign with them, and I’m cool to start
it all over again”, said the bantamweight to TATAME, wanting
to start a new journey to the success as fast as he can. “I
have a fight scheduled for May 13th, but I can fight in April
too”, finished the Brazilian.
Source: Tatame
|
Dos
Santos says he was “scared” to be a TUF coach
After
losing a title shot on the heavyweight division of UFC against
the champion Cain Velasquez, who got injured, Junior “Cigano”
dos Santos got pretty upset. But, sometime after the frustration,
the Brazilian was, once again, surprised, now on a good way,
as he was chosen to lead one of the teams of TUF 13. On the interview
below, the heavyweight talked about the shooting of UFC’s
reality show, analyzed the obstacle he had to overcome with the
English language and the fear he felt, evaluated the living with
Brock Lesnar, his next opponent, among many other subjects.
How
were TUF 13’s shootings? How was the challenge of speaking
English?
The
shootings were great, it was a great opportunity for me to get
recognized, but it was a challenge when it comes to speaking
English. As you’ve said, I don’t know much English,
I understand a little, exactly because of living on the United
States, but I don’t study it. It was tough for me, I was
pretty nervous at first. But after few days there, things began
to get better, and we found a way out. We have to figure it out,
after all I’m a Brazilian, right? We always find a way to
make things work.
How
do you think the fans will respond? How will it influence on
your image?
I
haven’t thought about it yet. I believe the thing about
this show is to make people know us a little better and I was
lucky to be on a season with a pretty polemic guy, known on the
fighting world, and that is Brock Lesnar, one guy people enjoy
watching. It’ll be good for me because then people will
get to know me better, because nowadays fighting is my whole
life and I want to fight until I can’t no longer do it,
and I want to be involved on it forever. For me it’s very
important to be recognized and to have people’s admiration.
I did my best. It was hard, but I tried to do a good job and
I believe the fans will like it.
Who
helped you when you had some communicational problems?
It
was hard, there were guys there to help me, but everything happened
so fast, we spent the whole day training, and when we weren’t
training, we were giving interviews and things for the show,
so we were shooting the whole day long, there were cameras anywhere
you looked, so a translator won’t be able to help you with
that. You have to find a way to make it work, there’s no
other way. I had the help of my manager, Ed Soares, Derek’s,
and they’ve helped me a little, but most of the time I had
to find a way to communicate with the guys, it’s a reality
show, it was real life. I couldn’t wait for someone to translate
things to me, I had to tell them things and be able to absorb
what they were saying to me, so it was hard, but we did it, thanks’
God.
Was
it harder than being inside the octagon?
It
was harder than being on the octagon, I was more anxious. It
was a different kind of feeling, but I was nervous. On the beginning
I didn’t know how to communicate, because it’s hard
if you don’t domain a language of a show on which everybody
speaks that language, so you’re obligated to speak it because
they can only speak English. It was a challenge that demanded
a lot from me. I was scared at first that I wouldn’t do
it. But, as I told you, after few days I’ve started to think
straight, do things right and then everything came naturally.
There were times on which I didn’t know how to express what
I wanted to say and there were times I didn’t understand
what they were saying me, but most of what has been said by me
or them, on the house, we understood, so it was good.
I’ve
talked to you a while ago, when you lost your title shot, and
you were a little upset, but things worked out just fine. After
so much trouble, was it a good thing for you to go to TUF’s
house?
I
believe so. I believe in God and Mary and I believe things that
come for us will bring us some good. I believe that it was one
of the things God has put in my life and now I’ve lost the
title shot, a good thing like this came along to me, and it was
actually necessary. Many say it’s better than the title.
I’m excited, I don’t really know how big it is yet,
but I’m excited and I’m happy to have accomplished
this goal, which was the most complicated of my entire life.
How
was this relationship you had with Brock Lesnar, your immediate
opponent?
Brock
Lesnar is pretty austere. He didn’t meet much, since he’s
a busy guy, a truth star. He lives on raid, so we didn’t
got in touch much, but the few I could tell about him was that
he’s a smart guy, serious and I could notice he’s a
nice guy.
Now
the show’s over, are you focused on your opponent? Are you
back to the hard trainings?
I’m
back in Salvador again, I’m training hard. Now I’ll
focus on Brock Lesnar, I’ll forger everything else and I’ll
focus on this bout because our next fight always is the most
important one for us. I’m preparing to get on June 11th
on my full best, developing all my potential on the octagon and
I’m sure I’ll bring another win home, with God’s
help.
Source: Tatame |
Sapp
and Marcão laid out in round one
In
the second-to-last fight, between Bob Sapp and Englishman of
Cypriot descent Stav “Crazy Bear” Economou, Sapp entered
the arena putting on a show all his own, singing and making faces.
The Brazilians in the stands were unwilling to miss a chance
to taunt him and shouted the name Minotauro.
Unlikely
that the shouting influenced the giant American, but the fact
is that Sapp disappointed yet again. Right at the start he took
a double-leg takedown and was punished from side-control before
the referee interrupted the fight at 1:45 minutes of the first
round.
In
the grand finale, Brazil’s Marcão Oliveira made his
entrance egged on by his students, but the sharp-shooting fist
of Russia’s Shamil Abdurahimov spoke louder. Shamil knocked
the Brazil out at 1:55 minutes of the first round. Fedor was
only just dethroned, at Strikeforce, and already there’s
another Russian taking over the East…
The
final of the ADFC GP in Abu Dhabi is underway. Check out the
results in real time from the event held in the open air at Sheikh
Zayed Tennis Club.
The
ADFC Round 3
Friday, March 11, 2011
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
GP
Final: Shamil Abdurahimov knocked out Marcos Oliveira at 1:55
min of round one
Stav Economou defeated Bob Sapp via technical knockout at 1:45
min of R1
Ali Mohamad knocked out Malik Omarov in R1
Titiana Van Polanen knocked out Outi Louhimo in R1
Seydina Seck knocked out Simeon Thorensen (strikes through guard)
in R1
Lee Weiczorek knocked out David Maile at 0.35 min of R1
Shamhan Kemrimov submitted Abbas Zahiri via armbar at 0.55 min
of R1
Beslan Isaev choked out Valentino Petrescu with a rear-naked
choke at 2:30 min of R2
Shane Omer defeated Nayeb Hezam via desistance at 1min of R2
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
128: Jon Jones’ Coach Says He Can Finish Shogun on the Feet
Throughout
Jon Jones’ young career as a fighter he’s faced some
tough tests along the way.
He
fought former “Ultimate Fighter” finalist Stephan Bonnar
in only his second career fight with the UFC, dominating the
bout. He then went on to bludgeon or submit every opponent he’s
faced since that time, finishing everyone on the list, outside
of a DQ loss to Matt Hamill in December of 2009.
Now
he gets not only his biggest test facing UFC light heavyweight
champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but he also faces the
best striker he’s ever competed against.
Jones
has fought some of the best grapplers in the UFC, but Rua brings
a whole new toolbox into the Octagon with him. Known for deadly
punches, knees, and kicks, the Brazilian champion will present
a new problem for the prodigal UFC fighter to figure out.
Jones’
striking coach, Mike Winkeljohn, respects what Shogun brings
to the table, but he’s also seen what his fighter is capable
of. If all the pieces fall together at UFC 128, he could see
Jones putting Shogun away on the feet.
“His
length, his speed, he’s hurting people now in the gym with
his stand-up, he’s not even having to wrestle. I think people
are going to be real impressed. Honestly, I think he can beat
Shogun standing up,” Winkeljohn told MMAWeekly Radio.
“Shogun’s
incredible and dangerous and there’s a lot of things we’re
going to have to worry about, but I think Jon could edge him
if he wanted to. I’m not saying that’s our gameplan
by any means.”
Jones
comes from a wrestling background and his throws and ground control
are his bread and butter, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t
have a few tricks up his sleeve.
Winkeljohn
has been working with Jones ever since he became a full-time
team member at Jackson/Winkeljohn in New Mexico. If the contest
stays standing, his striking coach is confident in Jones’
abilty to end the fight there.
“I
really would,” Winkeljohn answered when questioned if he
believes Jones could defeat Shogun in a fight on the feet. “If
Jon does the proper things and puts himself in the right place,
at the right time, I would definitely be really happy with what
he does.”
Winkeljohn
not only has confidence in what Jones is doing now, but what
he’s capable of doing in the future. At only 23 years of
age, Jones is already becoming one of the sport’s most popular
athletes. If he can become the UFC light heavyweight champion,
the sky’s the limit.
His
coach believes that when the book is closed on Jon Jones, he
won’t be the Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan of MMA. He’ll
be the Jon Jones that everyone else compares themselves to.
“I
believe Jon Jones is going to be the legend,” Winkeljohn
said. “It’s not going to be the Muhammad Ali of that
division, he’s just going to be the Jon Jones of that division.
Kids are going to want to be Jon Jones when they grow up.
“Jon
and I, this is something we talk about constantly, ‘who
do you want to be when you grow up?’ and I want those kids
to say Jon Jones.”
Jones
will close up camp this week before heading to New Jersey to
face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the main event of UFC
128.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Shogun
vs. Jones: “I’m ready for war!”
A
war is what fans to attend UFC 128 can expect. At the March 19
event in New Jersey, Maurício “Shogun” was set
to defend his light heavyweight belt against Rashad Evans, but
the challenger ended up pulling out and the Brazilian will now
have ahead of him one of the most promising athletes from the
new generation.
“Jon
Jones has the same characteristics as Rashad. He’s really
good at kickboxing and wrestling, so the two pretty much have
the same strengths. The only difference is body type, as Jones
is much taller. So I’ve had to change some of my sparring
partners, come up with some taller fighters,” says the current
champion in an interview with Paula Sack on the UFC Brazilian
website.
To
many Jones’s style is reminiscent of that of the current
greatest fighter in the world, Anderson Silva, as Shogun compares
and contrasts:
“He
started doing Anderson’s style more in his last fight, with
muay thai base. But he too is a tall guy with long arms and legs.”
And
what should Shogun have to watch out for most?
“I
feel it’s his takedowns. He fought some great wrestlers
and took them down easily. He has dangerous ground and pound,”
says the title holder, prepared for the challenge:
“I’m
ready for a war!” he says in closing.
Check
out what there is to look forward to in the fight:
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
A
family first at the World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Cup 2011
The World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship is the crucible in which
the top Jiu-Jitsu players are forged. The World Pro qualifiers
are held in the America’s, Asia, Europe and Africa drawing
the best competitors from each of these continents. Started in
2009 by Supreme Prince and Commander In Chief of the United Arab
Emirates National Army H. H. Sheik Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
the tournament sets out to determine the best of the best in
the sport.
This year marks Wellington “Megaton” Dias first journey
to the World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Cup. Megaton is well known as a fierce
competitor in the IBJJF arena, competing in the adult division
while many of his contemporaries have long left the mat. Megaton
is the only one to compete at every IBJJF World Championship
at the black belt level. This year Megaton dominated the World
Pro qualifier in Portugal taking first place and securing a spot
in the World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Cup. What really makes this truly
monumental are those who will be joining him.
Joining Megaton in Abu Dhabi for the World Pro Cup this year
will be Luciana Dias, his wife, and Mackenzie Dern, his daughter.
Both Luciana and Mackenzie secured a first place and qualified
for the World Pro Cup in the Montreal World Cup qualifier. This
truely sets the bar high for all the families of Jiu-Jitsu. A
new record has been achieved, an entire family qualifying for
the prestigious World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup.
Mackenzie Dern has been on a winning streak since receiving her
purple belt in 2009. She has won eight gold medals as a purple
belt, this includes metals earned at the 2010 Worlds. It is of
special note that Augusto Tanquinho Mendes is also going to Abu
Dhabi as a competitor. Augusto and Mackenzie are known to be
an item.
Luciana has also dominated her competition. She has medaled in
the IBJJF Pans over ten times. Adding to Luciana’s feat
is that she is also one of the oldest female competitors.
The World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup of 2011 has the makings
to be an outstanding exhibition of Jiu-Jitsu. With the addition
of Megaton, Luciana, and Mackenzie all securing first place positions
in the qualifiers their place in history has already been secured.
Time will tell if they bring home more positions in the record
books.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Jorge
Santiago “falling in love with the sport again” on
his return to the UFC
On
UFC’s cage, Jorge Santiago won one out off three bouts.
Since he left the event there were 11 wins and three belts earned.
And that’s the “reborn” Jorge we’ll see in
action on UFC 130, event that happens on May 28th, in Las Vegas,
United States. “I’m feeling young. I’m starting
it all over again, falling in love with the sport again, I’m
happier to train, reminding how I began… You’ll see
Jorge Santiago moving forwards, more aggressiveness, wanting
to play the game harder. I’ll play my game as I do on the
gym” guarantees the fighter, who gave an interview to TATAME
to comment on his expectations for the duel with the striker
Brian Stann, to analyze his weight class on UFC and to comment
his left of American Top Team.
How
does it feel to return to UFC being respected, since you were
a champion on Sengoku?
It
was pretty cool, I’m thrilled. I have to show my skills
here. I’m coming back, but I have my feet on the ground,
I’m training hard to make a good impression. I’m aware
of my position now, I’ll fight again like I was doing back
in Japan so I can be on a main card. I know it’s all worth
it when you go there and win a fight, so I’m training hard.
On May 28th I’ll go there and move a step forwards until
I reach the top.
What
do you think of Brian Stann, your immediate opponent?
What
he can bring me is an athletic fighter, his soldier mind, his
power. His striking game is good. He hasn’t proven he can
play anywhere. His fights are finished quickly, always standing,
so I believe I’ll bring a new game for him, because I can
fight anywhere. He’ll have to do it all with me. But, besides
that, he’s a great athlete, he’s strong and he has
a good mind. I also have it, and I can handle the fight anywhere
it goes.
Do
you believe the ground game is your best alternative on this
bout?
The
ground game clearly is what I have of more dangerous to bring
him, but I believe I’ll have to mix it all up. I still haven’t
seen him doing that, I have only seen him fighting standing up,
hitting his opponents hard. I believe I’ll mix everything
up and see what happens. I’ll have the chances, one way
or another.
What
do you think of your weight class? What challenges do you see
on your way?
There’re
great names coming up. They’re taking the best guys on MMA
and adding them to UFC’s cast. I’m thrilled. They’ve
put me to fight a guy who’s considered a guy who can be
one of the top contenders of the division. There’s no easy
fight there, there’s no other way.
Conan
Silveira confirmed yesterday to TATAME that you, Gesias and the
Villefort brothers left ATT. What made you mind?
I
don’t have much to say about it, I’m not feeling like
talking about it, but that’s truth, we left to prepare our
own trainings. We believe it’s best for our careers. Everybody
has a way to handle a gym, and we thought it was best for us
to leave the gym and train with each other that things will be
best for us.
Who
will you train with? Will you keep training with Bigfoot, who’s
already left?
I’ve
always trained with Bigfoot. After he left ATT, I went to his
camps, we did sparrings and I keep training with him. Now we’ll
train with each other more often. There’s Gesias, who’s
training with us, Danilo and Yuri… There’re people
that will keep training with us, and I can’t point out all
of their names now. The only sure thing is that our training
is good and that I’m focused. There won’t be a lack
of trainings, you can be sure of that…
What
the fans can expect of this “new” Jorge Santiago on
UFC?
I’m
feeling young. I’m starting it all over again, falling in
love with the sport again, I’m happier to train, reminding
how I began… You’ll see Jorge Santiago moving forwards,
more aggressiveness, wanting to play the game harder. I’ll
play my game as I do on the gym.
Source: Tatame
|
Court
McGee vs. Jesse Bongfeldt Agree to Meet at UFC 131
Court
McGee is set to make his return to the Octagon. He is scheduled
to take on Canadian fighter Jesse Bongfeldt at UFC 131 in Vancouver
on June 11.
MMAWeekly.com
sources confirmed the bout late Friday night. The organization
later confirmed agreements are in place for the fight with an
update on Twitter.
McGee
(13-1) will make his third appearance in the promotion and is
yet to taste defeat since winning the popular reality series.
The winner of “The Ultimate Fighter Season 12? was last
seen taking on Ryan Jensen at UFC 121 in Anaheim, Calif., winning
the bout via submission in the late stages of the third round.
Bongfeldt
(21-7-1) will make his second appearance in the Octagon after
fighting Rafael Natal to a draw at UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck
2. Although the result of his last fight was dead even, the fighter
out of Kenora, Ontario, Canada, will look to get a big win against
a fighter with some notoriety in McGee.
UFC
131 is scheduled to take place at the Rogers Arena.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Dan
Miller Replaces Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 128, Faces Marquardt
in New Jersey
Earlier
in the day on Friday UFC President Dana White had announced that
Yoshihiro Akiyama would still appear on the UFC 128 card in New
Jersey, but a few hours later that plan has changed.
Akiyama
has been forced off the UFC 128 fight card due to the tragic
earthquake felt in his home country of Japan.
In
to replace Akiyama will be New Jersey native Dan Miller, who
was slated to face Nick Catone on the card, and he will now take
on Nate Marquardt instead. White announced the change on UFC.com.
“New
Jersey native Dan Miller proves once again that he will fight
anyone, anywhere, any time by agreeing to step up from the prelims
to face Nate Marquardt,” said White. “Marquardt has
long been a top ten ranked middleweight and Miller jumped at
the opportunity to face him.”
The
fight between Miller and Marquardt will remain on the main card
of UFC 128, where he will fight alongside his brother Jim Miller
who faces Kamal Shalorus on the same night.
There’s
been no word if Nick Catone will remain on the card against a
new opponent or not.
Source: MMA Weekly |
In
the Wake of Massive Quake in Japan, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Family
Safe
In
the wake of the tragic earthquake that struck Japan late last
night, UFC president Dana White has updated fans on middleweight
Yoshihiro Akiyama, who was training in his home area for his
upcoming fight at UFC 128.
Akiyama,
who had trained part time in the United States for his past few
fights, stayed at home in Japan for his bout in New Jersey against
Nate Marquardt, due to his affiliation with Greg Jackson’s
team where the Japanese fighter had worked previously.
“Akiyama
and his family are safe,” White tweeted late on Friday afternoon.
“He will be there for UFC 128.”
The
earthquake which measured a 8.9 on the Richter scale has claimed
hundreds of lives thus far, with hundreds more displaced or missing
in the chaos of the situation.
Akiyama
will be making his fourth appearance in the UFC where he faces
Marquardt on the main card of UFC 128 in New Jersey next weekend.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Ferrid
Kheder Misses Weight at Bellator, Josh Shockley Replaces Him
in Lightweight Tourney
Josh
Shockley certainly got more than he bargained for at the Bellator
36 weigh-ins today when he was given a quarterfinal spot in the
Season 4 Bellator Lightweight Tournament, taking the place of
Ferrid Kheder who was unable to make weight.
Shockley,
who originally planned to fight on the undercard, now faces Bellator
veteran Toby Imada tomorrow night at Bellator 36 which takes
place at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, LA
and will air LIVE on MTV2. The Indiana-native brings an impressive
undefeated 6-0-1 professional record into his fight with ever
dangerous Toby Imada.
“We’ve
had high hopes for Josh since we signed him, this is a great
opportunity for him,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn
Rebney. “He really doesn’t have anything to lose and
that makes him a very dangerous fighter.”
FULL
WEIGH IN RESULTS BELOW:
MAIN
CARD:
Rob McCullough (155.8 lbs.) vs. Patricky Freire (155.2 lbs.)
@ 155 lbs.
Toby Imada (155.8 lbs.) vs. Josh Shockley (156 lbs.) @ 155 lbs.
Carey Vanier (155.2 lbs.) vs. Lloyd Woodard (155.4 lbs.) @ 155
lbs.
Marcin Held (155.2 lbs.) vs. Mike Chandler (156 lbs.) @ 155 lbs.
UNDERCARD:
Javone
Duhon (149.4 lbs.) vs. Booker Arthur (144.6 lbs.) @ 145 lbs.
Matt Hunt (150.2 lbs.) vs. Kevin Aguilar (145 lbs.) @ 145 lbs.
Kelly Leo (185.2 lbs.) vs. Chad Leonhardt (185.6 lbs.) @ 185
lbs.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Peinado
talks trainings on TUF 13 and Dos Santos’ Jiu-Jitsu
Black
belt from Alliance, Antonio Peinado was chosen to participare
of the thirteenth edition of TUF, leading the Jiu-Jitsu trainings
of Junior “Cigano” dos Santos’ team. Peinado was
happy with the invitation and told exclusively to TATAME how
the experience on the reality show of UFC was. Check below the
exclusive chat with the tough guy, affirming the TUF 13 will
be the best season ever, evaluated Cigano’s Jiu-Jitsu and
betted on a KO of the Brazilian over Brock Lesnar.
How
were the shootings of TUF 13? How was this experience for you?
Man,
the experience was pretty cool, the shootings were great and
I’m glad to have helped the Jiu-Jitsu trainings of his team...
I can tell you it was very useful.
How
do you evaluate the ground game of the team you leaded?
I
thought their ground game’s pretty cool, some already have
trained Jiu-Jitsu and others haven’t. and that’s all
I can tell you about it, otherwise I’ll have to pay a huge
fine (laughs).
Is
there a contract on which, in case you reveal something, you’ll
be charge?
Everybody
will have to pay, and I don’t want to pay their caches (laughs).
I don’t want anybody to help me pay it, I don’t want
to pay one bit (laughs)… It was awesome, the guys there
are good. You’re gonna love the reality show, it was perfect,
it’ll be the best season ever. You can hope for a great
show.
How
do you think it can help you to get more recognition in America?
Man,
I think it comes naturally. My recognition is enlarging because
of my trainings with Demian (Maia), helping dos Santos on his
Jiu-Jitsu trainings… When they call me up, I go there and
help them. I’m always competing, but this reality show is
much bigger than that, it’s not only good for Jiu-Jitsu
fans to know me, but the whole world is watching. To be a part
of a show like this is an opportunity only few have. The recognition
you get is big and thanks’ God I tried to take advantage
of everything I could. It’ll be great. Let’s wait to
find it all out.
How
do you think this fight between Junior and Brock Lesnar will
be like? What do you think it’s the way for Cigano to beat
him?
I
think Cigano knows the way, I think you all know it too. Cigano
will knock him out, I’m sure of it. Cigano’s a monster,
he’s a strong guy, he’s well trained and he has no
addictions. He does not play the athlete type only during the
competitions, he’s a full-time athlete. That’s what
makes him different.
How’s
Cigano’s Jiu-Jitsu?
Many
people questioned it, people came to me and asked what I thought
about his Jiu-Jitsu skills, because they believed he couldn’t
play it good, something like it, but everybody’s mistaken.
He didn’t have the time to show his Jiu-Jitsu because nobody
has taken him down, the bouts are finished before that, with
knockout. If he’s taken down, he’ll show a good ground
game, he’ll use his Jiu-Jitsu to move forwards, evolving…
I’m not saying that because he trains with me, it’s
because he has a good training back in Bahia with Yuri, who’s
his coach. He also trains with Rodrigo, Rogerio, Demian, he’s
surrounded by high level athletes on this modality, champions
of the fig art. I’m sure that, if the fight takes place
on the floor, he’ll be fine. He can beat up a guy on the
floor, but I believe he’ll win with a knockout, because
his hand is too dangerous. That’s the worst there is out
there, it’s too heavy.
Source: Tatame
|
Find
out who in San Diego secured a spot at ADCC 2011
Not
even the threat of a tragic tsunami held back the submission-grappling
beats yesterday in San Diego. After the arena where the North
American East Coast tryouts for the 2011 ADCC were to be held
was turned into an emergency center, the organizers acted quickly
in moving the event to the ballroom of Four Point Sheraton hotel,
according to Kid Peligro.
The
big name of the event, according to Peligro, was lightweight
Jeff Glover (Paragon). Besides the Ricardo Franjinha student,
four more men and two women secured berths at the 2011 ADCC,
to take ploace in England.
Glover
won the under-65kg division after submitting all his opponents.
In the under-77kg division, Enrico Coco beat Jason Manly on points
in the final.
JJ
Holmes won the under-88kg division upon beating Don Ortega, while
James Puopolo won the under-99kg one, with Jared Rosholt taking
the heaviest weight group, the over-99 kg one.
Ion
the lightweight female division, Cathilee Albert beat Kiri Liao
in the final, while in the over-65 kg division, Penny Thomas
secured her place in yet another ADCC, finishing her adversary
in the final.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Sérgio
Moraes and first-rate team in Gramado
This
Monday marked the deadline to sign up for the World Pro tryouts
in Gramado, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, the
last chance for South American athletes to earn all-expenses-paid
trips to the main event.
And
a spectacle is guaranteed for the competition area of the José
Francisco Perini Municipal Sports Center. After confirming aces
like Denson Pé de Chumbo, Luiz “Big Mac”, Eduardo
Santoro and Alexandre de Souza among others, now another bevvy
of beasts has signed up.
At
black belt, there’s Sérgio Moraes, Antonio Peinado,
Erik Wanderlei, Léo Nogueira, Charles Cachoeira, José
Carlos and Isaque Paiva among others.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Shark
Fights 14 Results: Villefort Dominates, LaRosa Submits Damm
After
his unceremonious exit from the UFC following only one fight,
Danillo Villefort has been on a mission to prove that he belongs
among the best middleweights in the world, and he took another
step by dominating Matt Horwich during Shark Fights 14 on Friday
night.
Villefort,
who recently exited American Top Team as well, showed no signs
of slowing down, as he punished the durable Horwich on both the
feet and on the mat.
Give
credit to Horwich who is known as one of the toughest fighters
in the sport, and he did his best to stick around, but he was
simply outmatched by the stronger and more technical fighter
in Villefort.
The
win marks Villefort’s fourth in a row and he should easily
get noticed by the UFC now if they are looking to add onto their
185lb roster.
A
late replacement co-main event still brought the action with
former top pound-for-pound women’s star Tara LaRosa taking
out Carina Damm by inverted heel hook in the second round of
their match-up.
LaRosa
found herself in a bad spot early on after catching a shot from
Damm, and then finding herself mounted by the Brazilian. Damm
tried her best to put LaRosa away, but couldn’t finish and
the fight moved onto the 2nd round.
Unfortunately
for Damm the 2nd round didn’t last very long.
After
going for a leg lock of her own, Damm was soon on the wrong end
of an inverted heel hook courtesy of Tara LaRosa, and after wrenching
up on the hold, Damm had no choice but to submit or watch her
knee go bye-bye.
The
win puts LaRosa in line for a 125lb title shot if and when Shark
Fights decides to initiate a championship belt in that division.
FULL
RESULTS FOR SHARK FIGHTS 14:
Televised Bouts:
Danillo Villefort def. Matt Horwich via Unanimous Decision
Tara LaRosa def. Carina Damm via Inverted Heal Hook :28 Rd. 2
Mike Bronzoulis def. Lucas Lopez via Unanimous Decision
Eric Davila def. Alex Cisne via TKO 1:03 Rd. 3
Gabe Vasquez def. Layne Hernandez via Front Guillotine Choke
1:29 Rd. 3
Joseph Sandoval def. Sean Shakour via Unanimous Decision
Non-televised
Bouts:
Quaint Kempf def. Donnie Frye via Rear Naked Choke 2:48 Rd. 1
Derek Cansino def. Larry Garcia via Unanimous Decision
Ryan Benoit def. Matt Espinoza via TKO 1:14 Rd. 2
Matt Dodgen def. Gino Davila via Unanimous Decision
Mark Martinez def. Jonathan Valencia via Front Naked Choke :23
Rd. 1
Cesar Rodriguez Jr. def. Tommy Gomez via Arm Bar :34 Rd. 1
Matt Hobar def. Jeremy Gauna via Rear Naked Choke 2:16 Rd. 1
Source: MMA Weekly |
Murilo
Bustamante seminar
University of Hawaii, Studio 4 (Athletic Complex)
Saturday, March 19, 2011
12 am to 3 pm
gi and no gi seminar
Cost: $70
Source: Event Promoter
|
Vendetta Mad Skills
Saturday March 26
Waipahu Filcom Center
Doors open at 6:00
ROBBIE
OSTAVICH 155 ARNOLD RAMOS
WESLEY
MOSSMAN 125 DONOVAN CALLURUDA
VINNIE
FOWLER 185 ALBERT
NAPOLEION
CHAD
PUHA 165 EDDIE MANU
LAITA
200 AARON PUAHALA
TERRENCE
TAANOA 230 MATT
STEVEN
TAANOA 230 BEN BOYCE
DENNIS
MONTIRA 125 JAN QUIMOYOG
KEPPA
165 TYLER KENEMURI
JACOB
CARTER 45 DIESEL VISTANTE
JONAH
60 STANFORD
LORENZO
MATTHIAS 170-175 LAWRENCE COLLINS
ROB
BAKER 140 NEVADA HARRISON
SAM
SNIFFEN 140 JOSH
FARR
EVAN
QUIZON 125 JAMIN TABUYA
MAURICE
150 LANCE BELL
KALVIN
BAGOYO 130 ANU LUSI
TUIMAUAUA
210 KANOI KAHIKINA
TONY
LASSITT 185 CHRIS KAHELE
MATT
STONE 200 JON TEXEIRA
TOFI
MIKA 150 ANTHONY RIVERA
KAIMI
PAKELE 165 WALTER WALKER
NALU
H. 145 PRESTON S.
All
matches & participants may be subject to change
Source: Event Promoter
|
If
Georges St. Pierre Doesn't Want Anderson Silva Fight, Should
We?
By Michael
David Smith
It's got to be tough being Georges St. Pierre right now. He's
trying to get ready to fight a guy who's on a 15-fight winning
streak, winning titles in two weight classes in three promotions
along the way. And everyone is acting like the task ahead of
him is so easy that he should already be thinking about his next
fight.
St.
Pierre just wants to put his laser-like focus on Jake Shields,
whom he'll fight at UFC 129 next month. But everyone is talking
about a future fight with Anderson Silva, as if Shields is just
a little diversion on the way to the superfight we all really
want.
That's
true of MMA fans and media, but it also goes all the way to the
top: UFC President Dana White has frequently mentioned that a
St. Pierre-Silva fight could be next, and UFC co-owner Lorenzo
Fertitta told Mike Straka that GSP vs. Silva is his dream fight.
It seems that everyone wants that fight -- except St. Pierre
himself.
St.
Pierre is telling everyone who will listen that he's not thinking
about Silva, he's thinking about Shields. He said it at a press
conference in Toronto last month. He told Ariel Helwani last
week that he hasn't even started thinking about whether it's
realistic to move up to fight Silva at middleweight. He told
Steve Cofield this week that he views moving up to middleweight
as "a complete change of my life."
One
of the things that makes St. Pierre special as an athlete is
that he demands the best of himself: St. Pierre isn't going to
move up from 170 pounds to 185 pounds unless he can add 15 pounds
of lean muscle to his body without losing any speed. Welterweight
is the best division for St. Pierre's body, and he's not going
to change weight classes without dramatically changing his body.
That would take a long time.
Another
thing that makes St. Pierre special as an athlete is that his
singular focus is winning the fight ahead of him. Look, it's
fine for all of us to talk about how St. Pierre should whip Shields
and then move on to Silva. I'd be shocked if Shields wins, you'd
be shocked if Shields wins, we'd all be shocked if Shields wins.
But St. Pierre doesn't think along those lines. He thinks Shields
is his toughest challenge to date, and he doesn't want to be
distracted by talk of a future fight with Silva.
And
even if St. Pierre does beat Shields, and after he beats Shields
he's willing to move up in weight, does it make sense for a Silva-GSP
fight to come next? According to St. Pierre, it would take several
months for him to build up his body to the point where he thinks
he's in peak form at 185 pounds. That would mean Silva would
be waiting around a long, long time. Does it really make sense
for the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, who's coming
off one of the most spectacular knockouts in MMA history, to
sit on the sidelines so he can wait to fight someone who's lukewarm
about fighting him?
It's
especially questionable to have Silva waiting around because
there are perfectly good opponents for Silva who will be ready
far sooner than St. Pierre. The UFC declared Yushin Okami the
No. 1 middleweight contender four months ago. Whenever Chael
Sonnen is cleared to return from his suspension, a rematch with
Silva would be a huge middleweight bout. And if the UFC is looking
to do a champion vs. champion superfight, Silva against the Jon
Jones-Shogun Rua winner would be a spectacular option.
So
maybe it's time to heed St. Pierre's advice and slow down all
the talk about GSP vs. Silva. If St. Pierre doesn't want it,
why should the rest of us?
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Four
Fighters Leave American Top Team Amidst Apparent Contract Dispute
by Damon
Martin
Four of the top fighters from American Top Team have split with
the Florida based program and are now training independently
for their upcoming fights.
Danillo
Villefort first broke the news when appearing on MMAWeekly Radio
prior to his fight in Shark Fights 14 against Matt Horwich.
“No,”
Villefort answered when asked if he was still with American Top
Team. “Now I’m just working with JZ (Cavalcante), Jorge
(Santiago) and my brother Yuri (Villefort).”
Sources
have indicated to MMAWeekly.com that contract issues were at
the heart of the fighters leaving American Top Team, but no further
details have been released at this time.
Representatives
from ATT did post on the Underground Forum, simply stating that
the fighters left the gym on their own accord, and were not kicked
out as some rumors had originally stated.
“Just
saw the thread about JZ, Jorge and the Villefort brothers leaving
ATT and the questions that arose. To be clear, these four made
the decision to leave ATT. They were not asked to leave. They
requested a meeting with team management, advised that they wanted
to train elsewhere, and requested that ATT release them from
their agreements. We accommodated their request. Any rumors regarding
them being kicked off of the team are untrue. We wish them the
best of luck in the future.”
All
four fighters who left the gym had been mainstays of American
Top Team for several years. This also adds onto Strikeforce heavyweight
Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva who split with ATT last year
as well.
While
Villefort is training for his main event fight in Shark Fights
14 this weekend, Santiago is preparing for his return to the
UFC in May in a bout against Brian Stann. As of now Cavalcante
and Yuri Villefort have not scheduled their next fights.
Villefort
did state that the foursome will continue to work together in
Florida for the time being, but no word has come yet if they
will form a new team starting in the Sunshine state or work with
new trainers.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Inside
Shooto’s Scandal, Legacy and Future
by Tony
Loiseleur
A
petition to reveal the organization's finances has shaken up
the world of Shooto.
Since
its inception in 1985, Shooto has provided a comprehensive and
sporting account of mixed martial arts. However, that reputation
and legacy are now part of a heated backroom debate encircling
the world of Shooto.
Recently,
former Shooto world champion Noboru Asahi has led the charge
in shaking up the Shooto regime. A recent petition from Asahi
-- signed and supported by various Shooto fighters and gym leaders
-- inquires into the financial operations of the Japanese Shooto
Association, the International Shooto Commission and the role
of one of its principal members, Taro Wakabayashi, in those affairs.
According to Asahi, the necessity of this petition arose over
concerns of Wakabayashi’s unofficial autocratic control
over the association and its non-public finances.
With
a multi-tiered amateur and professional system in place, both
in Japan and worldwide, Shooto has long prided itself on building
fighters from the ground up. It is a sentiment inherent in the
two kanji characters that comprise the Shooto name itself, meaning
“learn combat.”
Its
overseers, fighters and fans view Shooto not as a promotion but
as its own sport. Shooto is thus governed by regional associations
and an overseeing international commission comprised of Shooto
pioneers and officials who operate its amateur circuit, license
amateur and professional fighters and cooperate with independent
promoters to hold sanctioned Shooto events. Its goal is to provide
professional transparency in the name of sport.
The
driven and opinionated Asahi has rallied support to bring major
changes to Shooto and its governing body. Leader of the Tokyo
Yellow Mans gym and trainer of both UFC alum Yoshiyuki Yoshida
and Shooto veteran Hiroshi Nakamura, Asahi has been an active
proponent in Japan’s Shooto community despite not being
an official part of it for the past seven years.
Asahi
was removed from the Japanese Shooto Association (JSA) in August
2003, owing to what he claims were his strong opinions that Shooto
needed to co-promote with fellow grassroots promotions such as
Pancrase and Deep; Shooto had a longstanding rivalry with the
former until 2009, due to its origins in professional wrestling
and questions about the legitimacy of some of Pancrase’s
early bouts. Until recently, the JSA maintained that any licensed
Shootor who competed in Pancrase would have his licensed revoked,
while Pancrase forced competitors who trained out of official
Shooto facilities to use pseudonyms for their gyms in official
Pancrase press material.
Familiar
with Shooto politics, Asahi has now stepped forward to challenge
Wakabayashi and investigate Shooto’s balance books.
“I’ve
been outside of the association for almost eight years, but I’m
standing up now because others in Shooto have been coming to
me for years, telling me about problems and asking for help,”
he said. “They tell me that I’m the only one who can
talk to Wakabayashi about this.”
The
petition’s chief allegation is financial fraud on Wakabayashi’s
part. Until January, Wakabayashi’s official position in
the Shooto Association was as “chairman for the spread of
the [Shooto] amateur system.” It is not an executive position
by design, nor a position designed to handle Shooto’s finances.
However, Shooto gym leaders that have participated in association
meetings distinguish Wakabayashi as being in charge of all facets
of Shooto’s operations, including the management of Shooto’s
money.
“In
attempting to justify the conversion of association funds into
private property, Wakabayashi shut out the voices of those around
him,” claimed Shooting Gym Hakkei’s Yoshihiko Watanabe.
“We have requested, mainly through Asahi, that Wakabayashi
explain these matters to us, but Wakabayashi has remained silent
from beginning to end. We’ve thus dismissed him from the
association.”
In
1992, a 27-year-old Wakabayashi left his job at Japanese advertising
company Dentsu Tec to become a staff member of Akira Maeda’s
Rings Fighting Network and, later, K-1 in its infancy. In 1994,
he entered the world of Shooto as a matchmaker and went on to
become the driving force behind its comprehensive amateur system,
as well as serving as a referee and a judge.
Sherdog.com’s
requests for comment from Wakabayashi have gone unanswered, as
have attempts by Shooto’s officials to contact him. However,
one of his close friends, Shooto legend and former 154-pound
world champion Yuki Nakai, has continued to speak on his behalf.
“First
of all, the assumption that Wakabayashi was diverting funds for
his personal use is still currently unproven,” Nakai said.
According
to Nakai, based upon consultation with Japan’s national
tax office, the Japanese Shooto Association is not a formal and
legally recognized corporate body by the Japanese government.
As a result, it has no legally recognized bylaws or corporate
statutes, thus leaving financial liability and rights to its
nominal leader. By default, that leader for the past decade has
been Wakabayashi, his title as amateur Shooto chief notwithstanding.
Thus,
whether or not Wakabayashi appropriated funds from Shooto earnings,
Nakai says the national tax office is only concerned with the
proper reporting of revenue such that it can collect its taxes,
regardless of who claims that revenue.
“The
national tax office requires whoever received money to report
their business earnings within the next five years. There’s
a possibility this may have already been done,” says Nakai.
Though
the law is unconcerned with where the money goes so long as it
collects its taxes, the notion that Wakabayashi may have mishandled
Shooto’s funds remains a point of contention for the Shooto
community. Further, if Wakabayashi could legally mask Shooto’s
financial activity unchallenged it also highlights another controversial
matter: what is alleged to be his complete authority over what
is, in theory, a community enterprise. This point was a hot topic
amongst Japan’s tight-knit community of Shootors in the
Kanto region.
Kanto
is home to several prefectures and the capital city of Tokyo,
where much of Japanese government, industry and modern culture
are focused, MMA included. The petition thus reflects a heavy
Kanto-based contingent of Shootors and gym leaders, such as Norifumi
"Kid" Yamamoto, Takanori Gomi, Hayato "Mach"
Sakurai, Shinichi "B.J." Kojima, Shuichiro Katsumura
and “Wicky” Akiyo Nishiura.
Perhaps
most profound, the petition also holds the signature of Shooto’s
greatest icon and resident hero, Rumina Sato. Another famous
Shootor, former Shooto 168-pound world champion Sakurai, was
outspoken in his opinion of the Wakabayashi-era Shooto association.
“The
association members were awful, and they were unable to clearly
show how the money flowed. It was also terrible that the association
head [Wakabayashi] used the money without clearly showing how
or why he did it,” said Sakurai.
“When
Shooto parted ways with Satoru Sayama, veteran Shootors created
a new system with Wakabayashi as its chief planner,” said
another former Shooto world champion, Gutsman gym leader Naoki
Sakurada. “As the Shooto association grew, however, it never
developed official protocols and Wakabayashi managed Shooto with
complete authority for almost 10 years. A community of discontented
Shooto members grew as a result.”
In
compiling signatures for the petition, Asahi traveled throughout
Japan from August to December 2010. Collecting signatures in
the Kanto region from a discontented Shooto community was simple
enough, but while he found many outside that agreed with the
petition, collecting their signatures was far more difficult.
“It
was difficult for people outside of the Kanto region to sign
because it’s harder for them to realize what’s going
on here. They’re not always well-informed living outside
of Kanto,” Asahi explains. “Some people outside of
Kanto told me they believe in what we’re doing here, but
that they didn’t want to sign for fear of getting in trouble.
For many of them, Wakabayashi is like god.”
Flanked
by Sato and Watanabe on Dec. 23, Asahi and company personally
presented the petition to open Shooto’s finances to Wakabayashi
at the East Japan Amateur Shooto Opening Tournament in Tokyo.
A video posted to YouTube by a spectator documents the event
and shows Wakabayashi responding to Asahi with a middle finger.
The subsequent fallout may have resulted in Wakabayashi being
removed from his position and relieved of duty on Dec. 28.
While
information regarding Shooto’s finances over the years was
not made available even after Wakabayashi’s removal, Asahi
and company were able to discover how much money the association
bank account contained in a Jan. 10 emergency association meeting.
A
fan-shot video captured the Dec. 23 confrontation between Asahi
and Wakabayashi.“The only people who can check the association
bank account are Wakabayashi and Nakai. The account is under
Wakabayashi’s name as ‘Taro Wakabayashi: Shooto Association.’
At the last association meeting, when we asked Nakai how much
money we have, he told us 200,000 yen (approximately $2,400).
This was just after the East Japan Amateur Tournament, which
should have brought in an additional 500,000 yen (approximately
$6,000),” said Asahi.
As
co-founder and co-owner of Japan’s most prolific chain of
Brazilian jiu-jitsu schools, Paraestra, Asahi claims Nakai and
Wakabayashi’s long-term affiliation as business partners
enables Nakai access to Wakabayashi’s business documents
-- documents that Asahi and company have been pushing to be made
public. Once Nakai divulged the amount of money in Shooto’s
account, Asahi and the petitioners were taken aback, as the total
was far less than they had expected.
“By
our estimates, Shooto should profit at least 2,000,000 yen ($24,000)
a year. There’s a lot of money that cannot be accounted
for since a lot of it comes in as cash. Where did it all go?”
Asahi asked.
In
the wake of Wakabayashi’s dismissal, then-Association president
Nakai apologized to the Shooto community for not having examined
Wakabayashi’s actions more closely, offering his resignation
at the Jan. 10 meeting. Though showing a willingness to help,
Nakai also relinquished responsibility to Asahi and company for
further investigation into Shooto’s finances. However, according
to Asahi, Nakai is not helping the investigation as much as he
could.
“We
told him that we were going to the national tax office to inquire
further, and he strangely responds, ‘Thank you very much,’”
said Asahi, incredulous. “I don’t understand why. The
point is for him to help us because he’s the only other
person besides Wakabayashi that can. After we heard this, Watanabe
and I asked each other, ‘What can we possibly do now?’”
“It
is the opinion of one of the attorneys [Wakabayashi] consulted
that, as far as the association [legally] stands at the moment,
there is no compelling reason to open up its records to a third
party. It’s perhaps better to look toward the law for some
kind of resolution,” said Nakai.
While
there is no pressure outside of the Shooto community compelling
Wakabayashi to turn over his records, responsibility will fall
to Paraestra and Nakai at the next association meeting, according
to Asahi. Should Nakai unwilling or unable to produce those records,
however, there is not much else the community can do, outside
of removing or blocking all Paraestra personnel from the association.
Unless the national tax office intervenes with its own investigation,
the association’s financial history may never be known.
“Nobody
knows where the money went, and nobody is saying anything. Wakabayashi
isn’t standing up for himself, and the tax office has no
idea [about it] because no one is sure if he paid taxes,”
said Enson Inoue, another former Shooto world champion.
In
the midst of this turmoil, the JSA has had its cabinet dissolved,
making way for a newly elected association to take effect in
April. According to Asahi, the creation of the new association
will serve as the first time members will be voted in by the
Shooto community, rather than arbitrarily selected and appointed
by Wakabayashi.
“Transparency
is the most important thing to the people that signed this petition,”
said Asahi. “I’ve seen and been involved in other sports,
and transparency and accurate accounting are absolutely integral
to operation. If everything remains as vague as it has been over
the years, Shooto cannot survive. We’re doing this for the
benefit of Shooto’s future.”
It
is a sentiment and goal with which Nakai agrees.
“Bringing
transparency to the operation, taxation and financial reporting
of the association is a natural and right thing to do. Even though
we do not collect participation fees from the official Shooto
gyms, we still collect participation fees from amateur Shooto
applicants, and thus have betrayed their collective trust. There
really is no excuse for that,” said Nakai. “I think
we were all too involved in the operation of Shooto as a sport.
Last June, when I was asked to become the association president,
I thought it would be the perfect chance to finally achieve these
goals, but just as we were about to make progress, these issues
came up.”
In
spite of the allegations, Wakabayashi is a difficult figure for
many in the Shooto community because of his overwhelming success
in fostering Shooto’s much-celebrated amateur system across
all 47 Japanese prefectures and beyond.
“Even
though his title was simply chairman for the spread of the amateur
system, he almost single-handedly managed the operation and business
affairs of amateur Shooto,” Nakai said.
Traveling
365 days a year to every corner of Japan to coordinate amateur
tournaments, Wakabayashi was a one-man army that mobilized generations
of young Japanese to pursue amateur Shooto in the hopes of one
day becoming licensed professional fighters and, eventually,
stars in the world’s largest promotions. Last October, the
45-year-old workaholic Wakabayashi, exhausted and overburdened,
suffered a stroke. Wakabayashi was temporarily relieved of refereeing
and coordinating responsibilities in order to undergo rehabilitation,
which continues to this day. The stroke may have been a sign
that, despite his best intentions, the days of Wakabayashi’s
hand paving Shooto’s path alone were over. No longer could
his health take it, nor could those in the Shooto community.
“We
believe that Wakabayashi’s actions count as criminal activity.
However, we haven’t thoroughly pursued the matter to its
end because we feel some forgiveness for him,” said Watanabe.
Regardless
of his fate, Wakabayashi contributed a great deal to cementing
the foundation of one of Japan’s most important MMA institutions,
one which has survived the cycles of prosper and debt that have
toppled so many promotions. It is not a fact lost upon his contemporaries.
In
addition to voting in a new association for April, Asahi and
the current provisional association are taking this opportunity
to further evolve Shooto and guarantee its place in MMA for years
to come.
“We’ve
come to a point where we must rethink our organizational structure
and procedures. I think this is a chance to grow further and
to receive recognition from the legal and social worlds,”
said Sakurada.
“From
now on, I believe that the association and Shooto must look to
raise fighters toward the goal of competing with UFC and world-ranked
fighters,” said Watanabe. “These past few years, it
has been Wakabayashi and those who followed him that have dictated
how the sport of Shooto is conducted. The result is that Shooto
has become isolated from world trends, becoming a Japan-only
kind of combat sport.”
Noboru
Asahi traveled Japan for five months collecting Shootors' signatures.One
of the primary targets in Shooto’s look to the future is
its rule set, a constant bone of contention within the Shooto
community. For example, it was not until 2009 that pro Shooto
abolished its knockdown count, seen as a particularly archaic
bit of legislation. The provisional association -- currently
comprised of Asahi, Watanabe, Sakurada, Alive’s Yochi Suzuki,
K’z Factory’s Kazuhiro Kusayanagi, Chokushinkai’s
Junji Ikoma, Paraestra’s Takashi Ochi and Purebred Omiya’s
Hisao Ikeda -- is looking to gather different MMA rule sets from
around the globe for evaluation as the next evolution in Shooto’s
rules.
In
a Jan. 30 blog post on the official Shooto News blog, temporary
Association president Yoichi Suzuki outlined some coming changes
for the Association.
In
particular, there will be an expanded role for official Shooto
gym leaders as Association members, as well as eligibility to
be voted into the offices of Association president, vice president,
and auditor for two-year terms. The goal is to ensure official
Shooto gyms will have a voice in the conduct of Shooto and its
Association.
In
the realm of amateur Shooto, the operation of the various amateur
tournaments will proceed as they have in previous years, but
registration fees will be coordinated by the new Association
board to be voted in at the end of March, and handled initially
by regional amateur event promoters for the months prior.
Hayato
Sakurai is personally campaigning to reform the amateur system
by adding a greater range of competitive classes to its current
dual class amateur and professional ranks, which feature two
levels of amateur competition, classes D and C, and two levels
of pro competition, classes B and A. Further, “Mach”
hopes to see the banning of headgear, as well as the application
of Vaseline for cut prevention -- a practice still largely unemployed
in Japan -- and the allowance of ground-and-pound in all bouts.
Asahi’s
own proposal is one that will significantly change the look and
feel of Shooto while preserving its intent, if ratified and approved
by the new association.
“I
want to introduce the Unified Rules of MMA and a cage to Shooto.
I’m only one man, but now my voice can finally be heard
and we can discuss it,” Asahi said with a grin. “Japan
is fairly isolated, so we don’t realize how behind we are.
I’m someone that has always said that we need to use the
unified rules and a cage because we’re behind. Until now,
the only person to understand this was Watanabe because we both
have had fighters [Yoshida and Takeya Mizugaki] in Zuffa promotions.
We’ve seen how they perform there, but no one else has that
same experience.”
Asahi
posits that adopting the unified rules will help further a global
standard of MMA, as well as answer the desire of many young Japanese
fighters to acquire cage experience in preparation for someday
fighting in the UFC -- a promotion Asahi compares to Major League
Baseball in relation to Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
“If
they go abroad and lose, it’s for a reason. How can we survive
in a system we’re not brought up in? Japanese people today
don’t understand that the UFC is the best league in the
world now. We need to catch up. All the best fighters are there,
and they’re getting paid,” Asahi said, citing recent
UFC acquisitions like Yamamoto and Michihiro Omigawa as evidence
that Japan’s best are going stateside rather than sticking
around in their homeland.
The
hope is for future changes to secure Shooto’s place in Japanese
MMA’s future now, while Japanese MMA is seeing much turmoil.
It is fitting that leading Shooto promoter Sustain has titled
its 2011 event series “Shootor’s Legacy.”
“We
may not be able to make a promotion here that can compete with
the UFC anymore, but we can at least make great fighters that
can compete there successfully,” said a hopeful Asahi. “It
doesn’t really work the other way around. You don’t
see [Alex Rodriguez] coming from the MLB to play in Japanese
baseball. The best are in the UFC now, so why not create our
best fighters here and send them over to the United States? Someday,
we’ll have an MMA version of Ichiro [Suzuki] or [soccer
player Shinji] Kagawa.”
Interpretation
assistance by Mizuka Koike and Go Yamamoto.
Source: Sherdog
|
Valente
Brothers negotiate Jiu-Jitsu reality show in the USA
Under the title “The brothers who teach FBI agents”,
our GMAs the Valente brothers were featured in “Veja Rio”
magazine during the Brazilian carnaval festivities.
“They
could have followed in the footsteps of their father, plastic
surgeon Pedro Valente, a former municipal and state secretary
of health. However, Pedro, 35, Guilherme, 30, and Joaquim, 23,
opted to ply a different trade, in the United States. They head
the Miami-based Valente Brothers, a Jiu-Jitsu academy with 700
students and five branches in other American cities,” says
the article in one of the most-read magazines in the city of
Rio de Janeiro.
“Among
their students are FBI agents and local police, to whom they
teach for free. Receiving their Jiu-Jitsu background from Hélio
Gracie (1913-2009), the patriarch of a clan that is a martial
arts brand, the black belt brothers follow the lessons of the
master to the tee. ‘Our slant is towards self-defense, rather
than focusing on competition,’ says Guilherme. With their
rising popularity, the trio is negotiating with a TV network
to shoot a reality show on day-to-day events in and out of the
academy.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
My
First Fight: Rashad Evans
By Ben
Fowlkes
When Rashad Evans showed up to his very first MMA training session,
he was pretty sure one of two things was going to happen: either
he was going to learn to fight, or he was going to get robbed
at gunpoint.
He
was really hoping for the former, but from the looks of the alleged
gym a stranger had just driven him to, the latter seemed more
likely.
"It
looked like a set-up," Evans says, looking back. "I
looked at the building and was like, this sh-t cannot have a
credible gym in there."
It
was the kind of moment that one arrives at after making a series
of decisions that seem reasonable enough in the moment, but when
looked back upon as a whole start to seem profoundly dumb.
It
began, as such things often do, with some guy in a bar. Evans
had just graduated from Michigan State, where he was a stand-out
wrestler, and had been trying to get a job as a police officer.
In the meantime he was working nights as a security guard in
a hospital and taking the occasional bouncing gig when special
events at local bars sparked the need for a little extra muscle.
Not surprisingly, during one such bar detail a fight broke out.
After the troublemakers had been escorted out with a little help
from Evans, one of the patrons referred to the move he had just
witnessed as a rear naked choke.
It was a bad part of town, and I walked in there like, well,
I'm about to get robbed.
-- Rashad Evans on his first MMA gym
"At the time, I was following the UFC and Pride," Evans
says. "I was actually a big fan of 'Rampage' [Jackson] and
I had followed it from the beginning, so I knew the terminology.
But at the time it was still kind of underground, so I heard
that and I was like, 'Hey what do you know about NHB?'"
The
guy knew more than Evans, as it turned out, because he told the
future UFC light heavyweight champ about a gym in nearby Lansing.
When Evans expressed interest in checking it out, the man offered
to pick him up and drive him to a training session there.
"I
was thinking it would be this martial arts gym with all this
discipline and stuff. It was this dilapidated, wore-down warehouse
underneath a bridge in Lansing, Michigan, next to these nasty
railroad tracks that nobody even used anymore. It was a bad part
of town, and I walked in there like, well, I'm about to get robbed."
He
followed his new friend up a rickety staircase, the smell getting
thicker and mustier as they ascended. He could hear the unmistakable
sounds of men yelling, punctuated every so often by the ringing
of a bell.
"Then
we got in there and the room was funky as all hell. There was
blood and booger smear on the wall. It was like a nine-by-twelve-foot
room, just really small, and these guys were rolling around like
crazy, taking turns and rotating in on each other, just beating
the hell out of each other. It was like a real life 'Fight Club.'"
Whatever
it was, it was a long way from the Spartans wrestling room. There
were no windows, and the poor ventilation and insulation made
for uncomfortable sessions in the winter time, when the condensation
from the heat on all the bodies would drench the walls and ceilings.
"It
was this awful little room, but we got some good work in that
room," Evans says.
After
about six months of MMA training, Evans got talked into making
his debut at a one-night, four-man tournament in November of
2003 for the local "Danger Zone" promotion in Angola,
Indiana.
Officially,
it's still listed as his amateur debut, with his first pro bout
coming the following April, but as Evans can tell you now, there
weren't exactly amateur ranks in Angola back in 2003. It was
just that the pro bouts paid so little that you might as well
have been fighting for free.
"I
knew the stakes were a little higher than wrestling, but I was
still in that mode so it felt a little bit like another wrestling
match to me. But I knew the stakes were higher since we'd been
beating the hell out of each other and I knew you could get caught
with a punch at any time. I just didn't want to get embarrassed."
His
first fight was against a guy named Kris Calmese. Evans still
doesn't know what martial arts discipline he was trained in,
or whether he was trained in any at all.
"He
didn't really know what to do. I just wrestled him down, slammed
him a couple of times, and he tried running out of the ring,
so I grabbed him and pulled him back in and he ended up tapping.
...It was kind of weak."
Even
though the first fight of the night didn't prove to be much of
a challenge, Evans found himself surprisingly winded when it
was all over. It wasn't until later that he realized why.
I got $200, and I was happy. That was a lot of money to me then.
-- Rashad Evans on his first paycheck
"It was this ring in the middle of this Bingo hall, and
everyone was smoking cigarettes. I mean, everyone. And you're
so high up all the smoke just rises into the ring. I was pretty
much breathing smoke the whole time. I remember throwing punches
and thinking, oh my God, I trained hard but I'm out of shape.
I didn't realize I probably couldn't breathe because of all the
damn smoke in there."
His
second and final fight that night was supposed to be the big
one. Evans was taking on George Crawford, who had been victorious
in Danger Zone's previous event that September.
"George
was supposed to be pretty good," Evans says. "He had
won the tournament before. The guys who did the tournament, that
was all his friends. The guy who was putting the tournament together
was his uncle or something. He was supposed to win it all."
When
it came to overall skills, Evans didn't have a lot of diversity
in his game to fall back on. He'd punched and been punched enough
by then to know that exchanging on the feet was dangerous for
a guy without a lot of striking experience, so instead he put
his wrestling skills to work against Crawford once things started
getting hectic on the feet.
"We
went at it and exchanged a little bit, then I picked him up and
slammed him and then picked him up and slammed him again. One
of the times I slammed him, his ribbed popped out when we hit
the ground. He just started tapping immediately."
Evans
had expected his pro debut to be a little tougher, but he didn't
mind going home with two wins in one night, regardless of how
he got them. He even got a meager payday for his work that night.
"I
got $200, and I was happy. That was a lot of money to me then,"
he says. "I knew I'd keep doing it. It just felt like something
very fun to do, because I was still active and still wanted to
be an athlete. It was a good outlet. Afterwards, I just felt
very, very peaceful. I had an outlet to get that aggression out.
But I felt like I'd never, ever make enough money to make a living
at this."
Evans
would go on to win five straight fights the next year before
being selected to compete on season two of 'The Ultimate Fighter.'
There was only one problem: at 5'11" and just a little over
220 pounds, Evans wasn't much of a heavyweight.
"I
ate mashed potatoes every single night, trying to get as big
as I possibly could," he says. "There was no way I
was going to pass that up."
Say
what you will about the merits of mashed potatoes as a training
diet, but Evans went on to win the finale as a heavyweight before
dropping down to 205 pounds and eventually becoming the UFC light
heavyweight champion. As for the fear that he'd never make enough
money to live on as a fighter, well, let's just say those concerns
have subsided too.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Japanese
MMA: Primary Sponsor Pulls Out, Sengoku Headed For Oblivion
by Ken
Pishna
Japanese fight promotion Sengoku Raiden Championship is all but
finished.
SRC
on Friday issued a press release stating that it’s primary
sponsor, Don Quijote, has pulled all financial backing from the
company. This completely cripples the fight promotion unless
a last-minute savior appears… which isn’t likely.
SRC
and Dream both stepped in, trying to seize an opportunity, when
the UFC’s parent company purchased Pride in 2007 and was
unable to forge a working business model in Japan, shutting down
the venerable fight promotion.
Dream
has garnered much media attention lately as well, primarily for
delayed or non-payment of fighters, as well as struggling television
ratings and live draws.
Officials
at Don Quijote finally tired of the ever-growing pool of red
ink and ceased funding Sengoku.
Neither
Sengoku nor Dream has been able to gain any traction since Pride
folded. The market appears to have dried up in Japan, even though
the UFC continues to say it has its sights set on the Land of
the Rising Sun, possibly running a live event in Japan later
this year.
Sengoku’s
statement indicated that Don Quijote would continue to back Pancrase
and Shooto, but did not say to what the extent.
Several
notable fighters – such as Josh Barnett, Antonio Silva,
Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, and others – fought
under the Sengoku banner during its two-and-half-year run.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MMA
Diet: Pre-Workout
by Cameron
Conaway
The
term “pre-workout” is a common phrase, but far too
vague to adequately describe the complexity. We hear of pre-workout
drinks and pre-workout meals, pre-workout bars, and pre-workout
supplements. What we don’t hear much about is, well, what
type of workout? The type of workout influences the type of pre-workout
nutritional demands.
For
example, a BJJ player about to drill stack defense from the spider
guard for two hours will not want a large meal. The food will
get pushed around and the athlete may eventually vomit, or, at
the least, the discomfort will result in the focus not being
on technique. Of course, we have the athletes like Herschel Walker
who can eat one meal per day and seemingly break all the established
rules for nutrition and exercise. Some top MMA strength and conditioning
coaches like Mike Mahler suggest doing HOC (High Octane Cardio)
on an empty stomach. So, we are left with conflicting information
and an endless amount of conflicting research. Where do we go
from here? Enter the journal.
Only
after we begin to track how we feel, what type of workout we
are doing and what our results are will we begin to piece together
all of this information. We’ve got some research that says
never to workout on an empty stomach, we have other research
that says there are certainly positives. Now that we are armed
with options, we must get inside ourselves and come up with an
individualized approach. Whether fitness is part of your career
or is simply a part of your lifestyle, checking in with yourself
and recognizing what works will help you sustain a longer-term
(and smarter) commitment to your body. Some questions to begin
asking:
(1)
How do I feel (during and after) when doing light/medium/intense
cardio on an empty stomach? Do I feel exhilarated? Do I feel
rundown and weak? After a few months do I notice my body is getting
leaner or storing extra fat?
(2)
What time can I / do I workout? Can this schedule change? If
I could choose the optimal time for me what would it be?
(3)
What pre-cardio meals seem to sit best with me? What pre-MMA-training
meal? What pre-lifting meal?
(4)
Does coffee or tea provide a good pre-exercise boost for me?
(Studies are showing that caffeine, aside from the stimulant
aspect, can actually lessen the “burn” feeling that
comes from higher rep exercise.)
(5)
Am I functionally fixed? Is it a mental battle to have breakfast
or not? Am I making decisions based on mental comfort or based
on bodily comfort?
(6)
If I workout in the morning, what time do I go to bed and what
time is my last meal? (I don’t recommend fasting for more
than eight hours and then working out without a small meal.)
Scottie
Pippen of the Chicago Bulls liked to have steak and potatoes
before games. Cyclists and marathon runners “carb-up”
days ahead of time by piling massive amounts of complex grains
into their systems in order to have steady fuel for their performance.
How do you train? Was it that you need?
Men’s
Health has several links, including this one, that will allow
you to make healthy and healthier breakfast choices: http://www.menshealth.com/jumpstartyourday/breakfast-slideshow.php
Also,
the Mayo Clinic has consistently solid advice regarding breakfast
and every other meal during the day: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/NU00197
As
Ben Franklin said, “It is the first responsibility of every
citizen to question authority.” This can be applied to other,
but also to ourselves. We are our own authority. Question and
critique and analyze your workouts and the foods you eat beforehand.
It’s quite the holistic approach, but it’ll get you
in the right direction.
Post-workout
nutrition is an area where we can be more specific. We don’t
need to worry as much about upset stomachs, workout types, whether
to eat or not, etc. Stay tuned for that article.
Source: Sherdog
|
Jones,
Rua Agree on One Thing: The Other Guy Should Be the Favorite
By Ben
Fowlkes
Depending on which sportsbook you consult, Jon Jones is probably
somewhere in the neighborhood of a 2-1 favorite in his fight
with UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua at UFC 128.
Whether
that's due to Rua's long injury layoff or Jones' dynamic blend
of skills – or, most likely, some comination of the two
– it doesn't seem to matter to the two combatants. While
they disagree on what the outcome of the fight will be next Saturday
night, they both seem convinced that they deserve to be thought
of as the underdog.
"The
fact that I'm the favorite, I think that's baloney," Jones
said on Wednesday's media call. "I think the reason that
I'm the favorite is oddsmakers are very smart and they probably
think I'm going to lose. I think it's a smart strategy on the
oddsmakers' part by making me the favorite. So the fact that
I'm the favorite actually means that they think I'm going to
lose. That's the way I'm looking at it. I feel as if I'm the
underdog. Shogun's beaten lots of big names."
You
might think that Rua, who knocked out Lyoto Machida last May
to claim the 205-pound belt, would be a little annoyed to see
himself listed as the underdog against a 23-year-old with less
than three years experience as a professional. Not so, said Rua,
who remarked that he completely understood why oddsmakers might
be siding with the younger fighter.
"I
actually understand that people think he's the favorite for the
fight because he has been winning all his fights easily,"
Rua said via a translator. "I certainly think he is rightfully
the favorite for the fight. I understand why people think that
and how they view that, and I truly consider myself the underdog."
Of
course, just because each fighter considers himself the underdog
doesn't mean he expects to lose. Calling the other guy the favorite
is a way of taking the pressure off one's own shoulders and hoisting
it on to one's opponent's.
But
while Jones said he "got a little bit of a headache"
the first time he sat down to study tape of Rua in preparation
for the fight, he doesn't seem to have any doubts about his own
abilities, regardless of whether he agrees with the betting line.
"Now
is just my time to go out there and just literally take what
belongs to me," said Jones. "I feel it's my belt and
I want it and I want to hang on to it and I want to start with
Shogun."
Not
that he's expecting it to be walk in the park, mind you –
injury layoff or not. Jones described Rua as "a legend,"
and said he was "excited to be pushed for the first time
– if I'm pushed, who knows."
Whether
that sounds like a man who thinks he deserves to be called an
underdog is arguable, but one thing he's not doing, Jones said,
is planning on getting an easy road to the title in Rua's first
fight back after knee surgery.
"I'm
not looking at Shogun as being easy despite his knee injuries
and his time off. I know he's a beast. I think with fighters
either you're a wolf or you're a sheep. There are a lot of UFC
fighters who are sheep, but I know Shogun's a wolf. I believe
that I'm a wolf as well, and that's what you guys are going to
see."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
MFC
29 Takes Shape With Two Title Bouts and Drew Fickett vs. Hermes
Franca
by Mick
Hammond
Maximum Fighting Championship recently announced several fights
for its upcoming MFC 29: Conquer on April 8.
Newly
crowned light heavyweight champion Ryan Jimmo (14-1) – who
just won the belt on Feb. 25 – makes a quick return for
his first defense. He will face Emanuel Newton (14-6-1) in the
co-main event of the evening.
The two fought once before, about a year and a half ago, at MFC
23. Jimmo won that bout via unanimous decision.
MFC
welterweight champion Douglas Lima (17-4) will also defend his
belt on the card in the other half of the co-main event. He takes
on UFC veteran Terry Martin (21-8).
This
will also mark Lima’s first title defense. He won the belt
in his last fight, against Jesse Juarez at MFC 27. Lima is on
a five-fight winning streak. Martin has won three-straight, all
three victories in 2010, after a three-fight skid left him searching
for answers.
Another
bout with a fair amount of draw is one between two more UFC veterans.
Following a rough couple of years, Drew Fickett (41-13) has amassed
his own five-fight winning streak, including his promotional
debut at MFC 28, where he submitted Matt Veach. He faces Hermes
Franca (20-11), who recently got back on the winning track after
a dreadful stretch of 1-6-1.
MFC
29 is the promotion’s first venture into Ontario. It will
take place as part of a joint promotion with S.L. Feldman &
Associates at The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Jason
DeLucia: Where is He Now?
by Jason Probst
It
was all Steven Seagal’s fault. With a challenge in Black
Belt magazine, circa 1992, the movie star had offered to take
on anyone willing to fight him. It was exactly what Jason DeLucia
was looking for, and the kid from Bellingham, Mass., did not
hesitate.
“As
a result of the challenge, it was answered in Black Belt by Bill
Wallace and a few others,” DeLucia says. “He said anyone
that wants to fight, come to my dojo and fight to the death,
so I drove to [Los Angeles]. It took three and a half days with
a friend of mine.
“I
went to his dojo in West Hollywood. He wasn’t there, and
his instructor wanted to answer the challenge for him,”
he adds. “I said, ‘He put it in a magazine.’ I
was just a kid and had no idea, so I just said I’m gonna
come every day and night, and I sat, watched and waited for six
or seven months.”
Running
out of money and with the chance of the challenge materializing
diminishing, DeLucia started to lose hope he would get his chance
at stardom.
“I
drove across country to do it, which was galling,” he says.
While
on his vision quest to make Seagal fight him, he came across
another fight offer from a gym located in nearby Torrance, run
by the Gracies from Brazil.
“The
offer was more on the books, very politely, in Black Belt,”
he says. “I called up and talked to Rorion Gracie and he
said, ‘Yes, we actually do this.’”
Known
as “The Gracie Challenge,” the offer had long been
a staple in Brazil’s martial arts circles, where the creators
of Brazilian jiu-jitsu had been issuing it since the 1920s. In
the wake of that long-standing challenge, the Gracies had achieved
stardom in Brazil, defeating a long list of various martial representatives
in such matches. And with the exception of judo legend Masahiko
Kimura’s 1951 win over Helio Gracie, during which the much
larger Kimura broke Gracie’s arm prior to the towel being
thrown in, as Gracie would not tap, they always won.
Steven
Seagal influenced DeLucia. In the United States, however, the
Gracies were unknown, so the challenge represented the kind of
marketing designed to change that, unleashing what would become
the “Gracies in Action” video tapes and, later, the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
DeLucia
set a date with Rorian Gracie two weeks later to meet his brother,
Royce Gracie, at the Torrance dojo and fight. The agreed-upon
rules were no hair pulling and no eye gouging. Gracie won the
battle handily, taking down DeLucia, trapping him in a topside
triangle choke and striking him repeatedly prior to his verbal
submission. It was a revelation for DeLucia, and he wanted to
learn more.
“His
right hand had duct tape around it. He punched me in the head
and ripped the skin off my face. I just wanted a rematch,”
he says said. “I knew if I got a rematch and changed strategy,
I’d just need some time to prepare for it. I said, ‘I
want to come back and do it again.’ [Rorion] said, ‘We’re
doing this thing called the UFC.’ I’d only been out
in L.A. for seven months and had already gone home. I had to
think about, for about 30 seconds.”
Spawned
on Nov, 12, 1993 in Denver, UFC 1 was the seminal event that
would forever resonate in the minds of martial artists and combat
sports enthusiasts. DeLucia, invited as an alternate, was on-hand
hoping to get a chance to fight.
“We
waited in the wings, and then they said, ‘You’re working
tonight,’” says DeLucia, who submitted Trent Jenkins
in his Octagon debut. “I hold the first rear-naked choke
win in UFC history.”
Royce
went on to win the eight-man tournament with three wins, including
a submission of savate fighter Gerard Gordeau.
“It
was pretty scary,” DeLucia says. “It was like ‘Enter
the Dragon.’ Gerard Gordeau had done this kind of thing
a billion times. His foot and hand were broken and about the
size of a catcher’s mitt, and it was impressive knowing
he was going to go out there and fight again.”
“He
was so much more ingrained in the ground game than I thought”
-- DeLucia on rival Royce Gracie
DeLucia
was not slotted for the main card because he was not a champion
and lacked a big name, but with a win under his belt, he was
lined up nicely to compete in the UFC 2 tournament, also held
in the Mile High City.
“In
my first fight, I had a long fight with Scott Baker. I only got
to Denver about three days before,” he says. “I was
actually laying in a stretcher [afterward] trying to gasp.”
DeLucia
had clearly evolved as a fighter, finishing Baker with strikes
from a mounted triangle position, just as Royce had finished
him at the challenge match in Torrance. His second bout with
Gracie loomed.
“I
wanted to surprise him at his own game, so I thought if I could
put him down, I could take him out,” says DeLucia, who lost
via armbar. “He was so much more ingrained in the ground
game than I thought.”
After
a meeting with Ken Shamrock and Bob Shamrock at the event --
Bob was scouting for Pancrase talent -- DeLucia was offered the
chance to fight in Japan.
“[Bob]
really liked me, and, right after UFC 2, he said, ‘Are you
gonna do this?” DeLucia says. “Ken took me to his house,
and I lived there to train for my first [Pancrase] fight. I stayed
at the Lion’s Den a year straight.”
The
Lion’s Den tryouts -- which essentially were a grueling
regimen of calisthenics and hard-core sparring for prospective
initiates -- were the stuff of legend. Men were broken by them,
with only gamest candidates passed through.
“It
was way worse than it is now, because you can’t do that
kind of thing anymore,” DeLucia says. “It should never
exist again, but, at that time, it was necessary. You were nearly
fighting to the death in the dojo.”
What
ensued was an extended career, mostly on the Japanese circuit,
with DeLucia fighting a who’s who. Ranging from three fights
with Bas Rutten, two wins over Ikuhisa Minowa and a victory over
Matt Hume, DeLucia kept busy in the Land of the Rising Sun, compiling
a career record of 33-21-1.
“I
started going once a month. I had my birthday two days in a row,
two years in a row. The most foreboding of them was a guy named
Bob Stines. He hit me in a way that I never wanted to be hit
like that again,” DeLucia says. “Ian Freeman fought
him and beat him, and Ian concurred. Punching from the neck down
was legal. We didn’t wear a mouthpiece or cups. When I fought
Hume, I got kicked four times in the groin, and I still didn’t
wear a cup afterwards.
“I
was happiest to be over there, in the motherland of the art I
had been studying longest,” he adds. “I still teach
Aikido. That’s why Steven Seagal’s effect on me was
so big.”
Retired
since 2006, DeLucia remains involved with the fight game, as
a co-producer for a fight style called “Hybrid Fighting.”
With events slated for March 19 in Manchester, N.H., and the
New England Open June 3-4, a modified form of competitive MMA
will be on tap, with DeLucia seeing the kind of combat he feels
is closer to the intended spirit of the traditional martial arts.
He also teaches Aiki Kenpo and MMA at his school in Walpole,
Mass., and has a personal Website, www.jasondelucia.com.
“We
made it do a few things, first one of which is to give more kudos
to throwing,” he says. “You’ve only got 10 seconds
on the ground or 15 if you’re in transition. We designed
it with the Olympics in mind.”
DeLucia,
who turns 42 in July, has mixed feelings when it comes to the
martial artists who populate the sport in which he was a pioneer.
“I
love Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson, Fedor [Emelianenko],
Randy Couture,” he says. “I don’t like a certain
generation of fighters and the things they do...You weren’t
being disrespectful and urinating in people’s beds.”
DeLucia
also has his eyes on the UFC’s return to Brazil in August.
“It
should never exist again, but, at that time, it was necessary.
You were nearly fighting to the death in the dojo.”
-- DeLucia on the early days of MMA
“I
think a great way to retire me is to have me fight Royce,”
he says, half-kidding. “They show him kicking my butt every
day. Wouldn’t that be a nice way to retire?”
DeLucia,
long-steeped in the traditional martial arts, feels that for
MMA to come full circle, the original Pancrase model could be
a better fit.
“There
are things I would do to make [mainstream MMA] more of a sport
-- like ground-and-pound, I don’t like, care nor respect
it,” he says. “It’s a situation that’s unnecessary,
but, over time, you start to realize it’s technically degrading.
“When
you have a guy down in a position that’s just comprised
of smashing his brain stem, it’s not healthy,” DeLucia
adds. “You have to respect guys like Mark Coleman and Randy
Couture, and anybody that’s as good a wrestler as them should
be able to just do a submission. I’d rather see it go back
into what Pancrase was. Let everything be legal [except that]."
Source: Sherdog
|
X-1:
CHAMPIONS III Today
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
March 12, 2011
MAIN CARD:
185lb X1 World Title: Niko Vitale vs Dylan Clay (Colorado)
155lb X1 World Title: Harris Sarmiento vs Max Holloway
145lb X1 World Title: Ricky Wallace vs Eben Kaneshiro (Kauai)
135lb X1 World Title: Russel Doane vs Van Oscar Penovaroff (Kona)
UNDERCARD:
185lb X1 State Title: Collin Mansanas vs Sale Sproa t(Molokai)
145lb X1 State Title: Dustin Kimura vs Kurrent Cockett (Maui)
170lb X1 State Title: Zane Kamaka vs Jordan Kekino (Maui)
135lb Womens State Title: Raquel Paaluhi vs Nicole Johnson (Cali)
HW X1 State Title: Lolohea Mahe (Maui) vs Puka Bell (Hilo)
155lb X1 State Title: Steven Saito vs Will Shutt (Iowa)
HW X1 Amateur Title: Paea Paongo vs Kala Koa (Maui)
Source: Event Promoter
|
UFC
130: Edgar vs. Maynard III Main Card Announced, Tickets on Sale
March 17
The third time’s the charm.
Well,
that’s what the UFC is hoping for as they have officially
announced the main card for UFC 130 set for May 30 in Las Vegas
with Frankie Edgar defending his lightweight title against Gray
Maynard in their trilogy battle to settle the score once and
for all.
Edgar
and Maynard met on New Year’s Day and after an epic five
round battle, the fight was scored a draw and so now they will
meet at UFC 130 to finish the bout.
“The
last time Gray and Frankie fought, they put on one of the best
fights of the year,” UFC President Dana White said. “It
was the draw no one really complained about. I think a lot of
people saw in that fight that Frankie Edgar is the real deal.
This is the third and last time these two will come together
and the stakes have never been higher.”
Also
announced for the main card at UFC 130 is a lightweight heavyweight
match-up between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt
Hamill. It was a revolving door of potential opponents for Jackson
after Thiago Silva was yanked from the card after a possible
positive drug test result from his last fight. Hamill stepped
up and also steps into the co-main event of the night.
Former
UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will meet “Ultimate Fighter”
season 10 winner Roy “Big Country” Nelson in a bout
on the main card at UFC 130 as well. The two grappling experts
have met in previous competition while in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
competition, but now they will face off in the UFC.
The
final bouts closing out the main card for UFC 130 include Stefan
Struve meeting Travis Browne in a heavyweight bout, and a middleweight
showdown with Brian Stann facing off against the returning Jorge
Santiago.
Tickets
for the event go on sale March 19 to the general public, and
on March 17 to UFC Fight Club members.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Mending
‘Minotauro’
by Marcelo Alonso
Following
years of wear and tear, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira needs time to
heal.
The
accumulation of punishment absorbed over a decorated 40-fight
career finally caught up to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Away
from the cage for nearly a year, “Minotauro” has undergone
two surgeries -- one on his hip and a reconstructive procedure
on his knee -- since he succumbed to punches against Cain Velasquez
in the UFC 110 main event on Feb. 20 in Sydney, Australia. The
34-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt plans to endure a
third surgery this month and targets May as a potential return
to training.
“I
was injured for the past three years, but I insisted on competing,”
Nogueira told Sherdog.com. “When I moved to the UFC, I felt
these injuries, and I wasn’t putting together good performances.
MMA is a combination of punching, takedowns and the ground game,
but I wasn’t able to fight well. I could box and do the
ground, but I lost the correct timing in the transition from
one to the other.”
Surgery
became a necessity, as his body figuratively tapped out.
“I
had to have the knee opened up and the [anterior-]cruciate ligament
reconstructed in August,” Nogueira said. “After that,
I had hip surgery at the end of the year, and I’ll have
a third surgery in February in order to be 100 percent. That
surgery will be on the other side of the hip. That kept me from
doing jiu-jitsu and wrestling positions.”
Nogueira
hopes to be healed and ready to compete at UFC “Rio”
in August, as the promotion makes its long-awaited return to
his homeland. Startling as it may sound, he has never competed
in a professional MMA bout on Brazilian soil.
“I
should be back to training in May,” Nogueira said. “Depending
on my performance in training, I’ll be considering my future
fights. It also depends on the UFC. I’m actually having
these surgeries to be able to fight at UFC ‘Rio.’ This
is my goal. My dream is to fight at UFC ‘Rio.’”
Nogueira
has long been a crowd favorite, his spirit and zest for competition
allowing him to cross all cultural lines. He has been finished
only twice in 40 outings, despite encounters with former Pride
Fighting Championships heavyweight titleholder Fedor Emelianenko,
two-time Olympian Dan Henderson, 2006 Pride open weight grand
prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and one-time
UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett. The exposure he received
under the Pride Fighting Championships banner between 2001 and
2006 did wonders for his global profile.
“There
are a lot of people who follow the history of MMA,” Nogueira
said. “There was a time when the center of the sport was
in Japan. Even for Americans, the sport hadn’t yet had that
boom. The events of Pride echoed everywhere. If you go to Australia,
you’ll see that many people like us. Even among the Americans,
there are many people who like us.”
Minotauro
aims for an August return.
Many point to his victories over “Cro Cop” at Pride
“Final Conflict 2003” and the enormous Bob Sapp at
Pride “Shockwave” as defining moments in his career.
Nogueira
submitted Sapp with a second-round armbar at Tokyo National Stadium
on Aug. 28, 2002. The match showcased exactly how much punishment
he could endure.
“I
think it was having to face a guy that nobody wanted to face,”
Nogueira said. “Fedor couldn’t face him; Cro Cop didn’t
want to fight him. The guy was a feared guy. Nobody knew him,
but they knew he was pure explosion. He was a 170-kilogram black
man, and I had to prepare a strategy to deal with a guy who wasn’t
losing to anybody. He could hurt me, and I knew it. It was like
when you fight with a white belt on the first day of practice.
You know you’ll win, but he can explode and hurt you. He
had a notion of the ground game and wasn’t completely secular.
“He
was very strong, and it was really a very difficult fight,”
he added. “It was complicated to devise a strategy against
him. Overall, the pressure was too much, because it was in a
stadium in front of 108,000 people. It was something very different
for me. I had fought [Sanae] Kikuta 15 days before and should
have stayed in Japan for those 15 days, but I wanted to go home,
so I went to Brazil and returned to Japan in 15 days. I felt
the difference of the time zones, and I wasn’t 100 percent.”
Nogueira
finished Cro Cop with an armbar, as well, on Nov. 9, 2003, at
the Tokyo Dome. Again, he showcased his amazing resilience.
“Cro
Cop was a guy who wasn’t losing to anyone, and Fedor had
passed on fighting against him twice -- once because he was hurt
and the other because he would not,” he said. “Because
of this, they took the belt from him and made an interim belt.
That was a great fight and very difficult. He was in top form
and hadn’t lost to anyone. I faced fighters at the height
their games, when they were most feared, because they hadn’t
lost to anyone. When I sat on the ropes in between the first
and second rounds and looked at the other side, and his coaches
were all celebrating and thinking he’d knock me out, I realized
I had a chance.
“I
had trained with an American boxing trainer who told me to run
to the right side of him, because the guy is a lefty,” Nogueira
added. “I realized I was running the wrong way, to the good
side of his leg. We had trained so long. I was supposed to go
back and try to hit him on the counterattack. He was faster than
me, so every time he landed a punch, I couldn’t hit the
counterstrike. I picked up the double-leg just in time. I took
a jab and went to his legs. I struck at the right time when he
stretched out his arm. For me, it was the most exciting fight.”
“There
was a time when the center of the sport was in Japan. Even for
Americans, the sport hadn’t yet had that boom. The events
of Pride echoed everywhere.”
-- "Minotauro" on Pride FC.
Nogueira
joined the UFC in July 2007. Results have been mixed. Wins over
Heath Herring and Tim Sylvia were offset by losses to Velasquez
and Frank Mir.
Perhaps
his most enduring performance in the Octagon came at UFC 102,
when he outboxed and out-grappled UFC hall of Famer Randy Couture.
“It
was a defining moment, because I was coming off a loss and people
doubted me a lot,” Nogueira said. “Besides all that,
I was fighting in Couture’s hometown, and that influenced
the pressure. I really was a bit tense. In Pride, I was a little
more relaxed. When I fought in Japan, even against a Japanese
fighter, I felt that 50 percent of the audience was mine. In
the U.S., I rarely have this confidence that the audience will
cheer for me, because, most of the time, you’re fighting
an American.
“Against
Couture, to be honest, I was nervous before, but when I stepped
inside [the cage], I thought I wouldn’t lose,” he added.
“I knew that his game didn’t mesh with mine. I was
well-trained in striking, and if he took me to the ground, he
would eventually lose. I’m better than him on the ground.
I know that American wrestler style of ground-and-pound and how
to do well in that sort of fight.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Eddie
Alvarez: 'Any Night, I Have the Ability to Beat Anyone in the
World'
By Mike
Chiappetta
No matter which publication you favor, you don't have to look
too far down the lightweight rankings before you find the name
of Eddie Alvarez. With a record of 21-2, and wins in 11 of his
last 12 fights, he is by far the most highly ranked fighter in
any division on the Bellator roster.
The
across-the-board respect for his impressive resume is a long
overdue development for the 27-year-old Philadelphian, whose
quest for widespread acclaim -- done completely outside the UFC
machine -- has been a slow burn.
Alvarez
has done it with an in-cage work ethic worthy of his city's blue-collar
roots. Philly has always been a notorious fight town, home to
boxing greats like Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston and Bernard Hopkins,
but with no new pugilists coming to the forefront, Alvarez has
essentially filled the void, watching his popularity grow over
the last few years. Now, with the promotion's arrival on MTV2,
Alvarez may see his profile and reputation expand even further.
Ask
Alvarez about it though, and he'll tell you that he simply can't
be bothered contemplating things like fame and public interest.
"In
my mind, with the things going on around me, I ask myself the
same question: What can I control in my life right now?"
he told MMA Fighting in a recent interview. "What am I able
to do as far as making improvements in my career? The answer
is to continually improve my training, be diligent and work hard.
All those other things will fall into place. What's in front
of me right now is one practice at a time, getting better, improvement.
Everything else falls into place. That's been my formula from
the beginning. It wasn't to be No. 1 in the world or to remain
the champion for so long. It was to fight for a living. That
was my only goal. I got to that goal by staying focused on what
was in front of me and improving every day."
By
now, he's evolved into a very complete fighter, capable of trading
strikes, going takedown-for-takedown, or going to the ground
with anyone in the division. And we mean anyone.
Among
the fighters with whom Alvarez regularly trains is UFC lightweight
champion Frankie Edgar. Alvarez and Edgar -- who lives in Toms
River, New Jersey -- are separated by just about 70 miles, and
the two usually meet up once or twice a week. On Tuesdays, they
often meet at Ricardo Almeida's gym in Hamilton, New Jersey,
while on Saturdays, Alvarez's Philadelphia Fight Factory home
base gym is the spot.
"We
trade secrets, push each other, go after each other," he
said. "It's like iron sharpens iron. We push each other,
make each other better. It makes for a good relationship as we
make each other better."
Though
many MMA fans and viewers rank Edgar as the world's No. 1 lightweight,
Alvarez says there is nothing more than a friendly rivalry among
the two.
"We
say that me & Frankie are both No. 1 in the world,"
Alvarez said. "There's no conflict of interest. We have
different goals. Frankie wants to be No. 1 in his promotion,
the UFC. I want to be No. 1 in the world outside of the UFC.
No. 1 out of all the other promotions. So we have no conflicting
goals. We're taking ourselves and separating ourselves from the
pack. You're going to have a whole lot of 155-pounders at one
level, and we're pushing each other to separate ourselves from
the rest of them. As long as I'm not in UFC and going for the
gold, and he's not outside of the UFC, there's no conflict of
interest at all."
Ask
Alvarez if the two friends would fight for the title of No. 1,
though, and he smiles as the thought. It's almost like he's thinking,
"We're both fighters, aren't we?"
"I
wouldn't have a problem fighting Frankie, and I don't think Frankie
would have a problem fighting me," he said. "We fight
each other every week, make each other better every week. If
it came down to it and Dana [White] said, 'Frankie we need you
to fight this guy', do I think Frankie would do it? I think Frankie
would be for it and I'd be for it as long as the money was there.
But I'm never going to say, 'Frankie, I want your spot, I want
your job.' And I hope he never says that to me. There's a ton
of other guys out there for me to prove myself against."
Next
up for Alvarez though, is a young fighter who doesn't find himself
close to a top 10 ranking. Pat Curran won a shot at Alvarez's
Bellator championship after winning the 2010 lightweight tournament.
The two will face off at Bellator 39 on April 2.
Curran
is a scrappy 23-year-old who earned headlines after upsetting
Roger Huerta in a unanimous decision last May. But even with
his 12-3 record, some question whether he's ready for a fighter
of Alvarez's caliber. Alvarez is not one of the doubters. He
says that he's more nervous to fight a lesser known fighter than
one with worldwide renown.
"Pat
poses a lot of threats," he said. "He's young, he's
hungry. This is going to be the best condition he's ever been.
It better be. He hasn't got the respect of the fans yet, so that
fire is still burning. You've got to watch for guys like that.
He's talented. He has good fighting instincts. He has the ability
to become a champion. Do I think he's ready? I don't think he's
ready for what we're about to get into. I don't think there's
enough time for him to get ready for what's about to happen on
April 2. I'm more prepared than I'm ever going to be for the
opponent I'm going to go after. If anything, I train harder for
guys like this who aren't well known than I do for other guys."
You
can tell it's not lip service, as Alvarez continues on, explaining
how obsessed he becomes with preparing to vanquish someone who's
coming to steal something more valuable than just his title.
"When
I think about it, the anxiety in me increases, and when that
happens, I can't stand still, I can't get out of the gym,"
he said. "I'm up early, I'm home late. My anxiety increases
because I can't have a guy that is not well known take my name,
take my spot. It sounds weird. People think you don't have to
be worried about this guy. No, on the contrary, you better be
f------ worried for this guy because this is the guy who can
completely erase you from the rankings and take your name in
the blink of an eye and in one fight. That fire's there. That
fear is there like it's never been against guys like this."
Alvarez
does it all hoping, knowing, that something bigger awaits him.
Before he had his date with Curran set, he spent time lobbying
for a fight with Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.
It was a fight that he wanted, Melendez wanted, and Bellator
CEO Bjorn Rebney wanted. But Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker was
less than enthused, and it never evolved into anything more than
just chatter.
Now
that Bellator has a larger platform in MTV2, it seems like the
idea could be revisited, and that's something that would still
interest Alvarez.
"To
be honest with you, I think in my heart, Gilbert wanted that
fight to happen," he said. "I mess around and say,
'He knew his promoter wasn't going to let him fight me.' But
the God's honest truth is Gilbert has more belief in himself
than his promoter does. That's my take on it. Gilbert has all
the belief in the world in himself. Does he think he can beat
me? I don't know. I think he has ifs, but his promoter has more
doubts or he would've made the fight a long time ago, like my
promoter wanted to.
Regardless
of what opponents the future holds, Alvarez will continue to
work at his craft and live up to his reputation as one of the
division's best finishers (he's stopped opponents in 19 of his
21 wins). Rankings are for the fans and media, he says. Fighters
figure things out in a more practical, decisive manner. Alvarez
is objective enough to say that he can't rank himself at No.
1 (he says that somewhere in the top four is about right), but
he's also brash enough to insist that those questioning whether
he can get there are a bit misguided.
"Rankings
are based off your last couple opponents in the last couple years,
so there's no way I can say I'm the No. 1 in the world because
my opposition hasn't shown so," he said. "But, do I
think I can beat anyone in the world on any given day? Absolutely.
Given the right opponent, any night, I have the ability to beat
anyone in the world. Believe that. Don't second guess that."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Assuncao-Koch
Official; UFC 128 Bill Complete with 12 Bouts
A rumored matchup between UFC newcomers Raphael Assuncao and
Erik Koch was made official by the promotion on Wednesday, completing
the 12-fight card for UFC 128 “Shogun vs. Jones.”
Both
ex-WEC featherweights were left without bouts in February when
their respective opponents withdrew due to injuries. Assuncao
(Pictured) was originally slated to meet Manny Gamburyan (back
injury) at UFC 128, while Koch had been matched against Cub Swanson
(tooth infection) for UFC Live 3 on March 3.
Assuncao-Koch
will take place on the non-broadcast preliminary portion of the
card, which goes down March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark,
N.J. The show’s other two dark matches feature former WEC
bantamweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez against Team Quest
“Barn Owl” Ian Loveland in a 135-pound affair, and
New Jersey natives Dan Miller and Nick Catone squaring off at
middleweight.
The
UFC will once again transmit a pair of prelims via its Facebook
page, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Scheduled for the free stream --
which fans must “like” the promotion in order to access
-- are a lightweight tilt between New Jersey’s Kurt Pellegrino
and Gleison Tibau, and a welterweight contest pitting New Jersey-based
Brazilian Ricardo Almeida against Xtreme Couture vet Mike Pyle.
At
9 p.m. ET, a further two preliminary bouts will be broadcast
live in North America on Spike TV. Exciting lightweight strikers
Edson Barboza and Anthony Njokuani will lead off the latest “UFC
Prelims Live” special, followed by a battle of 205-pounders
Luis Cane and Eliot Marshall.
Finally,
at 10 p.m. ET, the pay-per-view card will feature five fights,
topped by a light heavyweight title bout between champion Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua and short-notice challenger Jon Jones.
Former WEC champions Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland will square
off at 135-pounds, while Dan’s lightweight brother, Jim
Miller, takes on Iranian-born wrestler Kamal Shalorus. A middleweight
scrap between Japanese import Yoshihiro Akiyama and former contender
Nate Marquardt, and a heavyweight match pairing former Pride
star Mirko Filipovic with once-beaten prospect Brendan Schaub
round out the bill.
Source: Sherdog
|
Antonio
Silva May Pursue Japan With Strikeforce Grand Prix Delay
by Damon
Martin
The second round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix won’t
kick off until June, but the biggest winner in the tournament
thus far has to be Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, whose two-round
destruction of Fedor Emelianenko made the once great champion
look human.
As
Silva waits to find out who he’ll face next – between
Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem or Fabricio
Werdum – he’s got one thing on his side that either
of them will have to worry about… confidence.
“The
main thing about the tournament is that it gives Bigfoot confidence,”
Silva’s manager, Alex Davis, told MMAWeekly Radio. “Let
me intercede on one thing. People are saying now ‘oh we
don’t think Fedor lost the fight’ and I say great,
let’s give Fedor a rematch.
“You
know what’s going to happen in the rematch? It’s going
to happen worse. Because now this was the biggest fight to date
for Bigfoot, and now he knows in his heart what he can do. Now
it’s going to be a problem for the other guys. This guy
now is confident.”
That
confidence also breeds the desire to stay active and that’s
where the problem begins.
Strikeforce
delayed the final two quarterfinal bouts for the Grand Prix until
June, which means Silva and fellow quarterfinal winner Sergei
Kharitonov are going to be forced to the sidelines for the better
part of six months, at least, waiting for their opponents to
be determined and the semifinal event.
“I
understand if this is Strikeforce because they want more time
to promote it or advertise it or possibly put it on CBS or something,
some variable we don’t know about. I can’t respond
to that from their end,” Davis explained.
“For
us, it sucks because, think about it, if the tournament happens
on the 18th of June, the earliest you’re going to get to
the semifinals is going to be late September, early October.
That means Antonio stays without fighting for seven or eight
months and it just doesn’t work like that. I need to keep
this guy in motion, I need to keep him fighting, that’s
how he pays his bills. Not only that, but to keep this momentum
in his fighting career, I can’t just stop it in the middle.”
The
answer to keeping Silva’s momentum going may be taking a
fight in the interim, while they wait for the other quarterfinal
bouts to play out. That could mean a trip to Japan for Bigfoot.
“The
only other option I have is to try to get a fight in Japan for
him. Of course, he’s in the tournament, so we’ve got
to talk to Strikeforce and respect their view too, but for us
that would be the best scenario,” Davis said. “He could
go to Japan, fight somebody in Japan, maybe in June or July,
keep himself motivated, keep himself going, pay his bills, and
then come back ready for the tournament.”
The
other winner from the quarterfinal round of the tournament, Sergei
Kharitonov, has also expressed an interest in taking another
fight, while he waits for the Grand Prix to pick up again.
Strikeforce
hasn’t given any indication if they’ll give permission
to either fighter to participate in a fight outside of the tournament,
but it appears Silva is serious about pursuing the option.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
4-Fight
Main Card Set for April 9 Strikeforce in San Diego
by Mike
Whitman
A rumored lightweight matchup between Shinya Aoki and Lyle Beerbohm
(Pictured) has been greenlit for Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley,”
which goes down April 9 at the Valley View Casino Center in San
Diego.
The
bout, made official by the promotion on Wednesday, joins three
previously announced bouts on the Showtime-televised main card,
including the headlining Strikeforce welterweight title fight
between champion Nick Diaz and challenger Paul Daley.
Co-headlining
the show will be Gilbert Melendez, who defends his Strikeforce
lightweight belt against Japanese “Crusher” Tatsuya
Kawajiri. Also scheduled for the event is a showdown between
Dream light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and King of the
Cage 205-pound titleholder Mike Kyle.
Nicknamed
“Fancy Pants” for his colorful, homemade fight wear,
Beerbohm enters the Aoki bout fresh off the first defeat of his
career. Previously unbeaten in 15 professional contests, the
32-year-old was bested by Pat Healy in a razor-thin unanimous
decision at Strikeforce Challengers 14 on Feb. 18.
A
Washington native, Beerbohm began his pro career in 2007 after
serving jail time on drug-related charges. The lightweight has
excelled as a mixed martial artist, making his Strikeforce debut
in 2008 and since earning a 3-1 record in the promotion. A veteran
of the defunct EliteXC organization, Beerbohm has finished all
but two of his career victims by knockout or submission.
Like
Beerbohm, Dream lightweight champ Aoki is famous for sporting
some of the most colorful ring attire in the sport. The 27-year-old
ground wizard holds black belts in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and
judo, and owns over half of his 26 career victories by submission.
Aoki
has won six of his last seven bouts, not counting his most recent
mixed-rules bout against kickboxing talent Yuichiro Nagashima
on New Year’s Eve. After avoiding Nagashima for the first
portion of the bout, which was contested under K-1 rules, Aoki
was shockingly knocked while attempting a takedown at the start
of the fight’s MMA round. The last true MMA loss on the
record of the “Tobikan Judan” came at the hands of
the aforementioned Melendez nearly one year ago, in Aoki’s
first appearance in the Strikeforce cage.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
let the fans choose the fighters for UFC Rio card
UFC
will return to Brazil on August 27th, and you can help Joe Silva
and the promoters to set up the card of your dreams for HSBC
Arena, in Rio de Janeiro. In the UFC official website in Brazil,
you can choose 12 Brazilian fighters you’d like to watch
on the show. Check toe options below and click here to vote:
Bantamweight:
Diego
Nunes - Caxias do Sul (RS)
Rany
Yahya - Brasília (DF)
Renan
Barão - Rio Grande do Norte (RN)
Featherweight:
José
Aldo - Manaus (AM)
Raphael
Assumpção - Fortaleza (CE)
Lightweight:
Charles
"Do Bronx" Oliveira - São Paulo (SP)
Edson
Barboza - Nova Friburgo (RJ)
Gleison
Tibau - Tibau (RN)
Rafael
dos Anjos - Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Thiago
Tavares - Florianópolis (SC)
Yuri
Alcântara - Ilha de Marajó (PA)
Welterweight:
Carlos
Eduardo "Tá Danado" Rocha - Cabedelo (PB)
Paulo
Thiago - Brasília (DF)
Renzo
Gracie - Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Thiago
"Pitbull" Alves - Fortaleza (CE)
Middleweight:
Alexandre
Ferreira "Cacareco" - Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Anderson
Silva - São Paulo (SP)
Demian
Maia - São Paulo (SP)
Jorge
Santiago - Angra dos Reis (RJ)
Mário
Miranda - Niterói (RJ)
Rafael
"Sapo" Natal - Belo Horizonte (MG)
Rousimar
"Toquinho" Palhares - Dores do Indaiá (MG)
Thiago
Silva - São Paulo (SP)
Vitor
Belfort - Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Wanderlei
Silva - Curitiba (PR
Light
Heavyweight:
Fabio
Maldonado - Sorocaba (SP)
Luiz
"Banha" Cané - São Paulo (SP)
Lyoto
Machida - Salvador (BA)
Maiquel
Falcão - Pelotas (RS)
Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua - Curitiba (PR)
Rogério
"Minotouro" - Salvador (BA)
Heavyweight:
Junior
"Cigano" dos Santos - Caçador (SC)
Rodrigo
"Minotauro" - Salvador (BA)
Source: Tatame
|
Steven
Seagal: “Not even Anderson is unbeatable”
by Marcelo
Dunlop
Riding
the wake of the front kick of the year, Playboy magazine in Brazil
drummed up the article “Who can beat Anderson Silva,”
and interviewed actor doubling as MMA coach Steven Seagal.
“There’s
no one better than Anderson Silva in the UFC,” said the
actor, selling refrigerators to eskimos in the March issue of
Brazilian Playboy. “He can beat anyone in his division.
But of course, no one is unbeatable.”
The
kick the Spider used against Vitor Belfort in his last fight
was the talking point of the interview, and according to Seagal
he’s used it in fights on numerous occasions: “My opponents
never got up.”
Now
Vitor Belfort, who discovered the power of Silva’s kick
in the worst way possible, told the magazine he still harbors
hopes of being champion again. “I want to fight once or
twice and then go for the belt,” said Belfort, in the magazine
featuring Michelly from the Big Brother Brazil 11 reality show
on the cover.
And
the soap opera of who Anderson’s next opponent will be continues.
In a recent interview. GSP stated that fighting Silva is not
his number-one priority.
“I’m
not afraid of anyone in the world. If it happens, it will be
at the right time, as I believe he weighs about 18 kilos (40
lbs) more than me, and in three months I won’t be able to
gain that and go and fight. To move up a division I’d have
to talk to my sponsors and trainers. It would be a total change
in my life. Would I want to take the risk? Maybe. Would it be
a cool challenge? Maybe, maybe not. But first I have to face
Jake Shields. And I feel Anderson should face Yushin Okami,”
said GSP, the welterweight champion featured on the cover of
the last issue of GRACIEMAG.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Urijah
Faber, Eddie Wineland Trying to Focus on Fight, UFC Title
By Matt
Erickson
Ten days before their co-main event bout at UFC 128, bantamweights
Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland said Wednesday they only have
one thing on their minds – a win, then a title shot.
Though
all the pieces would appear to be in place for the winner of
the fight to possibly get a coaching spot on this fall's 14th
season of "The Ultimate Fighter," both Faber and Wineland,
making their UFC debuts, said they can't think about that now.
"I
don't know what (the UFC's) criteria is for that – they
seem to change it up a lot," Faber (24-4, 9-3 WEC) said
on a media conference call. "And I haven't heard anything
at all. I feel like this (fight) is a shot to get a title shot,
which is most important to me. The reality show thing would be
great, but my focus is getting that belt."
The
UFC announced earlier this month that Season 14 of the popular
Spike TV reality competition will feather bantamweights and featherweights.
A tryout for the show will take place on March 21 in Newark,
two days after UFC 128.
The
other coaching spot, if indeed the Faber-Wineland winner was
given one, would go to current bantamweight champion Dominick
Cruz. Cruz had hand surgery earlier this year, putting him on
the shelf for a while.
Wineland
(18-6-1, 5-2 WEC), the WEC's first bantamweight champion in the
pre-Zuffa era, finds himself under a big spotlight for the first
time in his career. Though Faber has headlined many WEC cards,
just one of Wineland's last five WEC bouts before the merger
with the UFC was part of a main card. Still, the full-time firefighter
has put together a four-fight winning streak and back-to-back
Knockout of the Night bonuses going into his fight with Faber,
the former featherweight champ.
"I
want what he wants, and he wants what I want, and what we both
want is that belt," Wineland said. "If the TUF 14 coach
position arises in the midst of it, then so be it – I'd
be happy to do it. Whatever's going to come from it, I don't
know. But right now, my focus is on Urijah and then that belt."
The
UFC has not yet made any official comments about whom the coaches
might be – likely waiting for the dust to settle with the
Faber-Wineland fight, as well other title contenders in the mix
like former champ Miguel Torres, who fights next at UFC 130 in
May, and Joseph Benavidez, who fights on UFC 128's preliminary
card.
Faber
said being a coach on the show would be a double-edged sword
since he wouldn't be able to fight while taping the show or while
it airs. Taping for the 14th season is expected to begin this
summer, with a season premiere episode happening in early fall.
Traditionally, the opposing coaches fight on a pay-per-view at
the conclusion of the season, which for Season 14 could be the
promotion's year-end show, possibly on New Year's Eve.
"I
would love to coach on the show – (but) I think that would
put me out until about December," Faber said. "It would
be a trade-off, of course, but it's a great marketing tool and
I think it would be an awesome experience. It just kind of depends
on what those guys are thinking, because I have zero say in it
– other than, even if I didn't want to do it I'd be doing
it anyway. But I'd love to do it. It would be awesome."
Source: MMA Fighting
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Soszynski
Recovering from Surgeries, Eyeing UFC 131 Spot
After
having surgery on both knees in January to repair meniscus tears,
Krzysztof Soszynski is hoping to return in June.
The
UFC light heavyweight was seen walking without a limp at the
L.A. Fitness Expo just a week after the surgeries.
“I
guess my pain tolerance is pretty high,” Soszynski said
with a laugh during a Sherdog Radio Network interview conducted
at the January fitness event. “From what I’ve been
told by my doctors after the surgeries, I should be on my feet
right away. It’s the best way to get back right off the
bat. The very next day I was already walking around the house
and moving a little bit. They had me on crutches for about a
day or so, 24 hours, but after that I was able to start moving
around. I was back in the gym three days later, helping out some
of my teammates.”
Soszynski
said he has talked with the UFC about returning June 11 at UFC
131 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
“I
feel that’s enough time for me to rehab and get back into
the cage,” he explained. “As far as opponents, I’ve
always been wanting to fight Stephan Bonnar for the third time.
I think the first fights have been great and I think that if
we step into the cage again together, it will be one for the
ages. Also guys like Forrest Griffin, [Vladimir] Matyushenko,
a guy like Matt Hamill -- I would love to step into the cage
with those guys and see if I belong in the upper echelon of the
top 10.”
Soszynski
also said that he has about seven months remaining on his current
UFC contract. He is 5-2 since participating on the eighth season
of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
“I’m
really looking forward to hopefully signing with the UFC on my
second contract and having some security for my family,”
Soszynski said. “We all do this because we love it. We also
want to provide security for our family. … So far, with
the way I fight and the exciting fights I’ve had, I don’t
think Joe Silva will be coming for me and giving me the pink
slip anytime soon. But all it takes with the UFC is that one
bad fight, and you might be out.”
In
the meantime, Soszynski plans on rehabbing wisely and enjoying
his time off.
“Last
year was a grueling year for me,” he said. “I had three
wars. Two with Stephan Bonnar and a three-rounder with Goran
Reljic, all three really tough fights. I’ve been fortunate
enough to win a couple of bonuses as well. … It really helps
me out to be able to kind of sit back a little bit, heal my body
first and most importantly before I jump at the chance to fight
right away. I’m not a young guy. I’m 33 years old.
My body’s not the 25-year-old machine it was back in the
day when I was able to go through anything and everything. I’m
going to take my time. I’m going to heal 100 percent before
I do any crazy physical activities.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Jay
Hieron Using Bellator Tournament To Show Everyone He’s Back
by Mick
Hammond
Even after being out of MMA for a year, when Jay Hieron made
his return this past Saturday at Bellator 35, he felt like he
had never left.
“It
felt great,” exclaimed Hieron. “I went through a rough
year last year, but I got back in there and felt like I hadn’t
lost a step, it was just right back to business.”
While
Hieron feels like he hadn’t missed a beat, he told MMAWeekly.com
that the time off wasn’t easy.
“I’m
human,” he said. “I got down for a bit because when
you can’t really make a living from your job doing something
you love and it’s taken away from you and you’re not
working, it’s rough.
“I
had a lot of emotion, but throughout the whole time I stayed
in the gym and kept working hard and stayed positive knowing
it would turn around.”
Unable
to get in the cage, Hieron spent the time working on his game.
“That’s
definitely one thing I can say is that in the time off I had
a chance to step back and push the reset button on everything
and get all my skills sharper,” he stated.
“When
you’re training for a fight you really don’t have a
chance to learn new techniques and try new things because you’re
always on that grind.”
While
Hieron was successful against Anthony Lapsley, defeating him
via rear naked choke halfway through the first round, the fight
is not without dispute.
“A
lot of people are saying it was a controversial stoppage, but
it is what it is,” commented Hieron. “Regardless, another
30 seconds, another minute, he would have been out of there.
“He
would have been unconscious for sure. It was getting tighter
and I’m a fighter, not a ref, but from my standpoint, he
was going out.”
Considered
one of the top welterweights in the world prior to his year off,
many feel this season’s welterweight tournament is Hieron’s
to win or lose, but he doesn’t see it that way.
“That’s
not me saying that, that’s the media and everybody else’s
predictions,” he stated. “I don’t pay attention
to that or listen to that. I’m just another guy in the tournament
trying to make my mark, trying to move forward and basically
just fight one fight at a time.
“I’m
not looking past anybody. My next fight is Brent Weedman and
that’s all I’m looking forward to right now.”
Hieron’s
outlook is nothing new to him, as it’s the one he’s
had his entire career, top ranking or not.
“I’m
a guy who doesn’t look too far past my next fight,”
he said. “That’s how you slip on banana peels. I’m
definitely focused and I’m one fight at a time.
“People
keep asking about (Ben) Askren and all these other guys that
are in it; they’re not even on my radar right now. I’ve
got one guy on my radar and that’s Brent.”
Having
continued where he left off, it could very well be Hieron’s
time again to shine in 2011.
“I’d
like to get a shout-out for my team Xtreme Couture and all my
sponsors,” he concluded. “All my fans, follow me on
Twitter @jayhieron. I appreciate you guys supporting me.
“I
was off the radar for a minute, and this is a nice little way
to return. MTV2 and Bellator’s a great showcase for my talent.
It’s time to let everybody know that I’m back.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Mixed
Martial Arts World Hit by Disastrous Earthquake in Japan
A tragic earthquake measuring 8.9 in magnitude hit off the coast
of Japan Friday afternoon (overnight in the United States), the
ramifications of which continue at the time of this writing.
Aftershocks
are ongoing and Tsunami waves are ramping up. Flooding is rampant
across Japan, wiping out cities, farmlands, cars, bridges, and
buildings. There are Tsunami warnings and alerts spreading throughout
the Pacific from Russia to Hawaii to the coastline of North America
down to Australia and too many countries to mention.
There are obviously much more important issues to worry about
at a time like this than sports, but considering the MMAWeekly.com
is a mixed martial arts news site, and there were several MMA
events scheduled for Japan this weekend, we felt compelled to
update fans on the situation as best we can.
Jewels,
Shooto, Pancrase, Heat, and Tribelate all had events scheduled
in the coming days. It is quite difficult to communicate back
and forth with Japan at the moment, but our friends over at MMA-Japan.com
have done a tremendous job in utilizing their deep contacts in
the country to find out the latest status of events.
While
common sense would indicate that all events will eventually be
cancelled, thus far, MMA-Japan.com has confirmed that both Jewels
and Pancrase have cancelled their events.
CNN
is reporting that the extent of the disaster varies widely across
the country, which could be the reason why all the events mentioned
weren’t immediately cancelled.
Shortly
after 1:00 a.m. PT on Friday, MMA-Japan.com added that “Shooto
tweeted they are going forward as planned with their weigh ins
and will go forward with plans as set.”
Japanese
fighter Yoshihiro Akiyama is slated to fight Nate Marquardt at
UFC 128 on March 19 in Newark, N.J. Akiyama had trained recently
with Greg Jackson’s camp in Albuquerque, N.M., but because
of Marquardt’s longtime status with the team, Akiyama was
not able to train there for this fight. He was believed to be
training in Japan.
We
were unable to find out whether or not Akiyama was in Japan at
the time of the earthquake or if he had already left for the
United States.
MMAWeekly.com
will do our best to keep tabs on the situation as it effects
the mixed martial arts world, but also keep an eye on our friends
over at MMA-Japan.com. They always do a tremendous job updating
the scene in Japan.
On
a more personal side, our hearts go out to those in Japan and
other areas that are enduring this disaster as it unfolds.
Source: MMA Weekly
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Chozun
1 Hawaii presents the upcoming "the Reckoning" Championship
Kickboxing match!
Today!
The match will be held at The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace
on Friday, March 11,2011. Doors open at 6:00 PM and Fight starts
7:30 PM.
Tickets
are available now at the Honolulu Box Office at www.honoluluboxoffice.com or call (808) 550-8457.
Tickets in Advance $20, At the Door $25, and VIP (1st two rows)
$40.
Come
ready to watch, cheer, and support these incredible fighters!
Flyer attached.
Interested
fighters may contact Bob Smith at Smithtkd1@yahoo.com. Interested vendors
may contact the venue Waterfront ventures at staff@waterfrontaloha.com
Source: Event Promoter
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X-1:
CHAMPIONS III Tomorrow
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
March 12, 2011
MAIN CARD:
185lb X1 World Title: Niko Vitale vs Dylan Clay (Colorado)
155lb X1 World Title: Harris Sarmiento vs Max Holloway
145lb X1 World Title: Ricky Wallace vs Eben Kaneshiro (Kauai)
135lb X1 World Title: Russel Doane vs Van Oscar Penovaroff (Kona)
UNDERCARD:
185lb X1 State Title: Collin Mansanas vs Sale Sproa t(Molokai)
145lb X1 State Title: Dustin Kimura vs Kurrent Cockett (Maui)
170lb X1 State Title: Zane Kamaka vs Jordan Kekino (Maui)
135lb Womens State Title: Raquel Paaluhi vs Nicole Johnson (Cali)
HW X1 State Title: Lolohea Mahe (Maui) vs Puka Bell (Hilo)
155lb X1 State Title: Steven Saito vs Will Shutt (Iowa)
HW X1 Amateur Title: Paea Paongo vs Kala Koa (Maui)
Source: Event Promoter
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Jon
Jones Done Answering Questions About Rashad Evans, Focus Remains
on Shogun
by Damon
Martin
Everyone
knows UFC President Dana White’s opinion on teammates fighting
one another. Several coaches have also weighed in on the subject.
As
Jon Jones prepares for his UFC 128 title fight against champion
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, he can’t escape questions
about an eventual fight with his friend and training partner
Rashad Evans.
Even
with the title fight just over a week away, Jones still finds
himself answering the question about an inevitable time when
he may be faced with the choice of facing Evans in the Octagon.
While
Jones and Evans have both maintained in the past that they would
not fight, recently it seems their stance may have softened.
Even still, the young fighter from New York is tired of the questions
and wants everyone to know he only has one thing on his mind
right now… Maurcio “Shogun” Rua.
“I
want to make clear to all the reporters, I absolutely hate when
people mention Rashad Evans, especially throughout this training
camp,” Jones said on Wednesday. “He’s a friend
of mine, but I’m fighting Mauricio ‘Shogun,’ one
of the best fighters that’s been around for a long time,
and so people need don’t need to be mentioning Rashad Evans
right now.”
Jones
spent a lot of time with Evans as he prepared to face Rua before
a knee injury befell him and forced him out of the fight. Now
with Jones taking the slot, everyone seems to want to know if
he wins, will he face Evans next?
Well,
simply put, Jon Jones is done talking about it.
“I
think it’s ludicrous. Rashad is not in my mind, he’s
not in my being, he has absolutely zero to do with my heart,
and who I am right now. Right now it’s me vs. Jon Jones,
and right now I’m beating all the weakness out of myself,
I’m beating all the give-up out of myself, I’m beating
the lack of cardio, I’m beating the lack of confidence.
Any sign of weakness that’s in my heart right now, I’m
getting rid of it. The fact that people are bringing up Rashad
Evans is ignorant,” Jones stated.
“Rashad
Evans has nothing to do with Shogun, and for me right now I won’t
even answer a question about Rashad.”
If
Jones is victorious next Saturday night, the questions will undoubtedly
come flying at him non-stop, but he’s not talking about
it until UFC 128 is over.
Jones
and Evans may not want to address the situation, but one of their
coaches will step in and say the pair should fight if the light
heavyweight title is on the line.
Trevor
Wittman, who coaches at the Grudge Training Center, has worked
with both Evans and Jones in the past. He’s quick to admit
he believes the two training partners should square off if the
belt is up for grabs.
“I’ve
had the talk with Rashad. I haven’t had the talk with Greg
(Jackson) yet, which I think I should, but you have a guy who’s
a young guy coming into the game in Jon Jones, who came and was
able to jump out there and actually take that title shot that
Rashad was supposed to have cause of his knee injury. To me,
I’m not going to sit there and take one guy should do what,
and one guy should do what, but the thing is, I want the best
not only for the fighters, I want the best for the fans,”
Wittman said.
“When
you’re fighting for a world title, and this is just me,
Greg can think differently than me, some of the fighters on the
team can think differently than me, but I am one of those guys
out there that if something’s on the line, this is just
business. It’s not hard feelings.”
Wittman
believes the pair of teammates will eventually be faced with
this very scenario, so he’s voicing his opinion that they
should face each other and give the fans the fight they want
to see.
“If
Jon Jones goes out there and beats Shogun, I am in complete 100-percent
belief that Rashad should fight Jon Jones and get that belt back.
(Rashad)’s at the peak of his career and it’s only
going to be a downward slide from this point out. I feel he should
go out there and lay it out on the table, not only for himself,
but for the fans,” Wittman said.
Only
time will tell if Evans and Jones will ever face off, but the
top contender in the light heavyweight title picture will not
address the subject any further until his fight with Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua is done next weekend.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Warren
Draws ‘Louro’ for Non-Title Fight at Bellator 41
by Chris
Nelson
Joe
Warren may be eying an Olympic bid at the 2012 London Games,
but the self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet”
is not putting his MMA career aside just yet.
Bellator
Fighting Championships’ 145-pound titleholder will return
to action against Ring of Combat featherweight champ Marcos “Louro”
Galvao on April 16 in a 137-pound catchweight affair at Bellator
41, a source with knowledge of the matchup informed Sherdog.com
on Tuesday. No venue has been announced for the event, which
will air live on MTV2.
Warren,
34, is an accomplished Greco-Roman wrestler on the international
stage and won gold in the 132-pound division of the 2006 FILA
Wrestling World Championships. His bid at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
was cut short when he tested positive for THC at the 2007 U.S.
team trials, but Warren has been vocal in his desire to take
part in the 2012 games.
Since
transitioning to MMA in March 2009, the former Michigan Wolverine
has compiled a ledger of 6-1; his only loss came in his third
fight, when he was armbarred by former Dream champ Bibiano Fernandes.
Warren took decisions over Eric Marriott, Georgi Karakhanyan
and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire to win Bellator’s
second-season featherweight tournament in spring 2010. Last September,
he disposed of Joe Soto with a stunning second-round knockout
to become Bellator’s undisputed top featherweight.
A
product of Rio de Janeiro’s famed Nova Uniao camp, Galvao
has competed under the banners of such organizations as Shooto
and World Extreme Cagefighting. The 29-year-old was released
from the latter promotion in March 2009 following a brutal knockout
loss at the hands of Damacio Page at WEC 39. Since returning
from a 14-month layoff last May, “Louro” has won three
straight, most recently besting Ryan Vaccaro in December to claim
the ROC 145-pound title.
Source: Sherdog
|
U.S.
Army renames combatives championship after Pedro Lacerda
The
following news bulletin by Vince Little was posted on the U.S.
Army website, explaining the new name for the combatives tournament:
FORT
BENNING, Ga. – The team championship at the U.S. Army Combatives
Tournament was renamed the Lacerda Cup in tribute to a Ranger
and former champion who passed away earlier this year.
SSG Pedro Lacerda of the 75th Ranger Regiment died May 29 as
a result of complications from a spontaneous brain aneurysm.
The 30-year-old Ranger Assessment and Selection Program instructor
with the Regimental Special Troops Battalion at Fort Benning
had been leading a squad-sized element of RASP students through
physical training a day earlier when he collapsed.Lacerda claimed
the welterweight title at the 2009 All-Army Combatives Championship.
This past spring, he was part of the first Army team to compete
at the Pan American Jiu Jitsu Championships in Irvine, Calif.,
where he won his opening match. Lacerda appeared in the same
event prior to joining the Army, capturing gold in 1998, 1999
and 2002.
Post
leaders said he was influential in the development of the 75th
Ranger Regiment and Army combatives program.
“He
had been instrumental in training the Army Rangers (and) he himself
had deployed to combat several times,” said MG Michael Ferriter,
the Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning commanding
general. “He was a young, inspirational leader. And it was
only right to showcase the excellence of the team trophy in his
honor.”
Lacerda
enlisted in November 2005 and completed one station unit training,
Airborne School and the Ranger Indoctrination Program at Fort
Benning. He deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Feijão
on loss to Henderson: “Unfortunately, that punch landed”
By Guilherme
Cruz
Nothing
went like Rafael Feijão planned on his bout against Dan
Henderson, on Strikeforce. On the beginning of the fight, the
Brazilian almost knock his opponent out, but Henderson turned
it up, tighten the bout and, on the third round, writing his
13th victory over Brazilians with a knockout. Back to Brazil
without Strikeforce’s belt on his waist, Rafael chatted
with TATAME and commented the loss to the American and revealed
that Strikeforce hasn’t offer him the bout with Roger Gracie,
talked about his future on the event and the possibility of Fedor
Emelianenko changing to the light heavyweight division to fight
Henderson.
What
went wrong with your plan?
That
punch was what went wrong, that’s to begin with. I was doing
fine on the bout. I was taken down unnecessarily, and it’s
pretty hard to take me down. He set a good game plan and fought
well. He’s a clever guy, he knows how to fight, he’s
experienced, and I thought my good conditioning would make a
difference, and I was feeling fine, and I’d move forwards
on the fourth round, but he’s dangerous… Unfortunately,
that punch landed, but I was following my game plan, trying to
work on the medium and long distance, avoiding to be on a danger
zone. He uses his mind a lot when he’s fighting. The first
coup that he launched on me was that, and you saw what happened,
right? I can’t say anything.
On
the first round you almost knock him down with that powerful
right-handed punch, taking Henderson down, and he’s known
for his almost unbreakable chin. You could have finished things
there, couldn’t you?
I
see it for the good side. It was a knockdown, but he was right
there, I could see in his eyes, he knew what was going on, and
that why I didn’t try to finish it right there, I didn’t
want to tire me up for nothing. I wanted to tire him up a little
more because of his age and my good conditioning… I was
using it in my favor, letting it go.
Were
you expecting him to hold you on the grid, using the clinch to
beat you down with his right-handed swing punch?
I
did. That grid fight, for me was good. It’s a situation
on which I feel comfortable. It was better for me than for him…
I knew he’d try that swing punch, but he changed. On that
moment he launched the swing punch was the exact moment I tried
to hit him too, so he used his swing punch inside my rounded
punch… That’s why it caught me.
What
did you learned from it?
I
liked my conditioning trainings a lot, I felt great physically,
above all. I followed my game plan. What I learned from it is
what I’ve always known: MMA with gloves is a b… If
the guys punched you on the right spot, it can get you over with.
Our profession is like that, ungrateful. You can prepare yourself
for three, three and a half months and it can all slip into your
fingers in like three seconds. You have to learn a little from
it. We try to defend ourselves from the coups, don’t be
hit. From the moment you start to get hurt, it doesn’t worth
it anymore, independently of how much money you make. The important
thing is to get there, don’t get hurt, preserve yourself
as an athlete…
Dan
Henderson got 13 of his 27 wins against Brazilians, with only
five losses against Brazilians. Would you like a rematch?
Absolutely.
The world spins round and round. He was there, i was doing fine,
my game plan was good, but that’s how it goes... Each fight
is unique, you are only exposed if you’re up there, it’s
50-50. There’s no favoritism, favoritism ends in two seconds,
when a wrist matched a chin. I believe I can beat him and we’ll
meet each other soon, you can bet on it.
What
do you expect to happen for you on the event? Are you considering
training to regain the belt?
I
was never that focused on the belt. You know that… My focus
is always the next fight, my trainings, my next opponent…
My focus it that. The belt, for me, is a consequence, it’s
the award you earn after a successful fight. My thoughts about
what happened is the same, because I never thought about the
belt as a burden. “I’m defending the belt…”.
That’s not what matters to me, what matters is what I learn
from it, and that is something nobody can take away from me.
MMARating
reported that is saying something about you fighting Roger Gracie.
Did someone talked to you about that?
No.
I know nothing about it, actually I’m not worried about
it right now. It’s a time I’ll take to rest a while,
to be near my family, that lives in Cuiaba and I’m always
far from them. It’s a moment for me to see what I’ve
done wrong, fix it and then prepare myself again. There’ll
be a moment, later, when my opponent’s set, that we’ll
be able to talk about it.
People
are commenting about Henderson defending his belt against the
winner between Gerard Mousasi and Mike Kyle, but there’s
also the possibility of Fedor changing to the light heavyweight
division and have a title shot. There’re rumors claiming
that Fedor’s manager has denied it, but that’s still
a possibility. How do you see this change of weight class and
a possible title shot for Fedor?
I
believe it’ll be a great fight. Fedor’s a tough athlete,
that’s what he’s shown on the last years, but MMA is
a sport that it’s evolution is pretty fast, so you can’t
stop, you can’t spend a long time without fighting otherwise
you’ll lose your timing. I believe it’ll be great,
it’ll be a tough fight. Both athletes are tough and experienced,
it’ll be interesting.
Source: Tatame
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Down
Side to WEC's Downfall: Joseph Benavidez Gets Buried
By Michael
David Smith
When the UFC announced that it was absorbing its little brother
promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting, most mixed martial arts
fans saw that as a good thing: The WEC had great fighters, and
moving them into the UFC would mean increased exposure for those
fighters.
It
isn't working out that way for Joseph Benavidez.
Benavidez,
who's recognized by most MMA observers as the second- or third-best
bantamweight in the world, won't have his UFC debut shown on
television. The fight between Benavidez and Ian Loveland at UFC
128 next week won't be on the pay-per-view broadcast, won't be
on the Spike TV broadcast, and won't even be on the live Facebook
stream prior to the broadcast. And that stinks.
Benavidez
is one of the best fighters in the world (I have him in my Top
10 pound-for-pound rankings, although I admit that most people
think I overrate him), and MMA fans should get to see him fight.
But we won't, because on a stacked card like UFC 128, there's
just not space on the TV broadcast for him. If you want to see
Benavidez fight live, you'd better buy a ticket to the Prudential
Center.
Back
when Benavidez was fighting in the WEC, he always got on TV:
Every one of his seven WEC fights was shown live on Versus. If
you're a Benavidez fan, it's hard to see why you should be happy
about the WEC-UFC merger.
Benavidez
is trying to keep a positive attitude about it, writing on Twitter
that he'd take his status on the un-aired preliminary card as
motivation to finish Loveland in the first round, as quick fights
with exciting finishes usually end up on the pay-per-view broadcast.
For a fighter, that's the right attitude to have.
But
fans who will have to cross their fingers and hope the UFC can
find space on the TV broadcast for Benavidez vs. Loveland may
feel some WEC nostalgia next Saturday night.
Source: MMA Fighting
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Report:
Lindland Sued Over Medical Marijuana Plants
UFC and Strikeforce veteran Matt Lindland has been sued for the
alleged theft of six medical marijuana plants, according to a
report from an Oregon newspaper.
The
Willamette Week wrote Monday that Gonzalo Aldana Gamboa filed
a suit in Multnomah County Circuit Court on March 3 accusing
Lindland of stealing the plants. The suit alleges that Gamboa
was granted permission to grow the plants on Lindland’s
property in Eagle Creek, Ore., last October under the Oregon
Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP). However, Gamboa claims that
Lindland would not allow him to collect the marijuana when Gamboa
returned in November.
The
OMMP is a state registry program which processes applications
for medical marijuana identification cards, as well as registering
“grow sites.” According to the suit, Gamboa registered
the growth and harvest of the six plants with the state in October.
He is reportedly seeking $122,880, the estimated street value
of the lost marijuana.
Lindland,
40, is a 2000 Sydney Olympics silver medalist in Greco-Roman
wrestling and an 11-year veteran of MMA who has competed for
such promotions as the UFC, the International Fight League and,
most recently, Strikeforce.
“The
Law” last entered the cage on Dec. 4, when he was knocked
out in 50 seconds by fellow UFC vet Robbie Lawler. Lindland was
slated to meet Mamed Khalidov at KSW 15 in Warsaw on March 19,
but withdrew from the bout in late February after reportedly
suffering a hand injury in training.
Source: Sherdog
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Let
the ADCC 2011 tryouts begin
This
year the traditional ADCC will be in England, and tryouts for
the beloved submission wrestling tournament are beginning the
world over.
On
the coming 12th of March, in San Diego, California, there are
the North American tryouts, exclusively for American and Canadian
athletes.
The
tournament will take place at the National Guard Armory, on Mesa
College Drive, San Diego, and begin at 9 am. For further information,
www.adccna.com.
Any
questions can be addressed by writing the organizer at emilionovoa@aol.com.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Jon
Jones: 'I Absolutely Hate When People Mention Rashad Evans'
By Ben
Fowlkes
A few months ago Jon Jones and Rashad Evans would have both sworn
up and down that they'd never fight each other, and that they
wanted only the best for one another even as the two teammates
both chased UFC light heavyweight gold.
But
with Jones' title shot at UFC 128 against champion Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua just around the corner, those days are now but a distant
memory.
While
Jones described Evans as a friend on Wednesday's UFC media call,
he also insisted that won't be thinking at all about his teammate
at the Jackson squad when he takes on Rua in Newark, New Jersey
next Saturday night. Even if he got the title shot only after
an injury knocked Evans out of the main event, Jones was in no
mood to discuss the fighter he's described in previous interviews
as a mentor and a big brother.
"With
all due respect to you as a reporter – and I want to make
it clear to all the other reporters – but I absolutely hate
when people mention Rashad Evans, especially throughout this
training camp," Jones said when asked about the recent change
of heart both men have had with regards to meeting in the cage
at some point in the future.
"He's
a friend of mine, but I'm fighting Mauricio "Shogun",
one of the best fighters that's been around for a long time,
and for people to even be mentioning Rashad Evans right now,
I think it's ludicrous," Jones continued. "Rashad is
not in my mind, he's not in my being. He has absolutely zero
to do with my heart and who I am right now. Right now it's me
versus Jon Jones, and I'm beating all the weakness out of myself,
beating all the give-up out of myself, I'm beating the lack of
cardio, I'm beating the lack of confidence – any sign of
weakness that's in my heart, I'm getting rid of it. The fact
that people are bringing [up] Rashad, it almost angers me. This
guy has nothing to do with Shogun, and I think from here on out
I won't even answer a question about Rashad."
If
you're noticing a change in Jones' tone when it comes to his
teammate, you're not alone.
As
recently as two months ago Jones told MMA Fighting that he and
Evans "have to be happy for each other and we have to always
be pulling for one another," adding that he would wait his
turn or consider a move up in weight if Evans became the 205-pound
champ.
But
in an interview aired on Versus last week, Jones appeared to
have changed his mind on a potential fight with Evans, remarking
that if it was the fight the UFC wanted to make, "I guess
that's what would have to happen." Upon hearing that, Evans
said on ESPN's 'MMA Live' that since he was "no punk,"
he'd have no choice but to accept that offer as well.
And
just like that, a never turned into a maybe.
Only
now that Jones is preparing for the fight of a lifetime against
Rua, he's understandably sounding a little irked by questions
that take him on the same detour away from the task at hand.
Even
if it was Evans' misfortune that resulted in Jones getting his
moment to shine, the 23-year-old phenom doesn't sound as though
he's losing much sleep over what's to become of his teammate.
"Rashad's
my friend, he's my boy, but I definitely won't be thinking about
Rashad at all throughout this fight," said Jones. "If
anyone I'll be bringing with me, it's God. I'll be bringing God
with me and the faces and images of all my training partners
and my coaches. I'll draw from all of them. You know, there's
a quote that says you're only as good as the people you're around,
and Rashad being one of them, but I have a lot of people outside
of him who I can draw energy and power from, and they'll all
be with me."
Source: MMA Fighting
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If
Bisping-Sonnen Is Not Made, Bisping-Munoz Should Be
by Jason
Probst
Those
familiar with the above byline know the smile that will appear
on this writer’s face if Michael Bisping is next paired
with Chael Sonnen. The reason: it could be one of the all-time
best fights in terms of pure trash talk potential.
Bisping
is an eminently marketable cash cow in the U.K. and a polarizing
figure, particularly after his postfight tirade at UFC 127, where
he went ballistic on Jorge Rivera and spit through the cage,
allegedly at Rivera’s corner. Throw in the blatantly illegal
knee Bisping landed and you’ve got a heel that the public,
at least stateside, is dying to see taken out.
Sonnen,
awaiting sentencing March 28 after pleading guilty to money laundering
in January, is expected to receive probation. He has already
gone to work on Bisping in an interview with Fighters Only magazine,
alleging that Bisping will be forced to fight him next.
Sonnen’s
six-month suspension from the California State Athletic Commission,
triggered by elevated testosterone levels due to testosterone
replacement therapy, ended March 3. He will next need to deal
with getting relicensed, an adventure unto itself.
If
Bisping-Sonnen is not made, Bisping needs someone at an equally
high level of competition. Enter Mark Munoz.
The
“Filipino Wrecking Machine” was sharp and devastating
in a 54-second stoppage of C.B. Dollaway at UFC Live 3. Munoz
has an aggressive style, excellent wrestling and heavy hands,
and he would go right after Bisping -- a strategy that the Brit’s
recent opponents have been largely unable to execute.
Fans
do not want to see Bisping against someone who might beat him
via submission, or a stale decision. They want to see him against
someone who will bring truckloads of violence. Munoz would provide
that, as well as a nice test of Bisping’s ability to deal
with the next level of competition -- something “The Count”
is overdue for, at least in the context of his current three-fight
win streak.
Source: Sherdog
|
So
Far, Jorge Gurgel Living Up To New Year’s Resolution
by Mick
Hammond
After a couple years of inconsistency, Strikeforce lightweight
Jorge Gurgel may have finally turned the corner with his 44-second
submission victory over Billy Vaughn this past Saturday in Columbus,
Ohio.
“I
was pretty much just so shocked,” Gurgel told MMAWeekly.com.
“I haven’t had a quick finish in a long time.
“I
felt a little unsatisfied feeling, which is wrong of me for training
so hard and it ending so quickly, but actually I learned a good
lesson – that’s how a fight actually should be.”
Gurgel
had gotten away from his superior grappling skills in favor of
slugfests over his past few fights and it has cost him. He feels
he has learned from those mistakes and that people will see the
type of fighter he should be.
“My
perspective completely changed after my last August fight (against
K.J. Noons),” admitted Gurgel. “I learned I have to
go in there and take it from my opponent. I train harder this
way, I’m more focused this way, and I want to go out there
and finish people.
“The
whole entire (strategy now is to) get in, get out, and win with
taking no damage.”
Gurgel
was able to apply his newfound strategy perfectly against the
usually punch-happy Vaughn this past Saturday.
“Before
I could give him a chance to throw a punch I guess I missed the
right hand and we tied up,” said Gurgel. “He stayed
on me and he wouldn’t let me off whatsoever, so I did just
a little lift check into a guillotine and that’s all she
wrote.”
So
far, a promise Gurgel made to himself at the beginning of the
year is holding true.
“My
wife and I made New Year’s resolutions and one of mine was
to become a smart fighter and to win fights however I had to,”
he commented. “I want to put a (winning) streak together.
“I’m
following everything to the T. I’m prepared, I’m healthy,
and I’m doing circuit training to become more explosive.
I’m going to keep pushing (myself), keep myself in shape,
and wait for Strikeforce to call.”
Speaking
of Gurgel’s wife, Bellator women’s 115-pound champion
Zoila Frausto (now Zoila Gurgel), she won her first fight of
the year on the same night he did by earning a unanimous decision
over Karina Hallinan in Lemoore, Calif.
“She
is the true champion of this family,” exclaimed Gurgel.
“She’s an amazing athlete, and she was the one who
had to break camp and leave all of us and get a brand new cornerman
the day of the fight. Not many people do that, especially being
a world champion.
“She
had to get used to Mark Dellagrotte and Paul Bowers, who had
never worked with her before this camp. But she went out there,
and from what I heard, it was a one-sided beating.”
Having
gotten back on the winning track and made the changes needed
to be consistently successful; Gurgel’s best years may just
be ahead of him.
“I
want to thank my school, students, and my wife for all their
love and support,” he said in closing. “Thanks (as
well) to Billy at Ayash Inc., UltimateWrestler.com, Mark Briscoe,
and Mike Ferguson at Powerstation.
“My
fans follow my every step and so I don’t have to tell them
to keep their eyes open. I just have to tell them thank you and
I appreciate them from the bottom of my heart and they mean the
world to me with their support.”
Source: MMA Weekly
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