Upcoming
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2011
12/9/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
11/18/11
Island Heat 3: Tha Comeback
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom,Waipahu)
11/11/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
11/5/11
Chozun-1
(Kickboxing)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower Market Place)
10/22/11
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
10/21/11
Destiny MMA
(MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower Market Place)
10/15/11
Up N Up
(MMA)
(Kodak Room, Waikiki Shell)
10/7/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/24/11
Aloha
State of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser HS)
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
( Palolo District Park Gym)
9/23/11
808 Battleground Presents: Unstoppable
(MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower Market Place)
9/3/11
Australian Fighting Championship 2
(MMA)
Melbourne Aquatic & Sports Complex, Melbourne, Australia)
9/2/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
8/27/11
Pro
Elite MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Toughman Hawaii
(Boxing, Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic)
Add to events calendar
8/20/11
POSTPONED
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Neal Blaisdell Center
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui)
8/13/11
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waterfront at Aloha Tower)
8/12/11
Up N Up: Waipahu Brawl
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
8/6/11
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
7/22/11
808 Battleground & X-1 World Events
Domination
(MMA)
(Waterfront at Aloha Tower)
Vendetta
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
7/16/11
2011 Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous Sparring, MMA (Controlled), and Submission Grappling)
(War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/8/11
Chozun 2
(Kickboxing)
(The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace, Honolulu)
Rener Gracie Seminar
O2 Martial Arts Academy
$65
7-9PM
7/1/11
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
6/25/11
Kauai Cage Fights
(MMA)
(Kilohana Estates)
6/17-19/11
Big Boys & MMA Hawaii Expo
Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/18-19/11
Hawaii
Triple Crown
“State Championships”
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/18/11
Destiny: Fury II
(MMA)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/17/11
UpNUp: On The Rise
(MMA)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)
6/10/11
Genesis “76 South Showdown Kickboxing”
(Kickboxing)
(Campbell H.S. Gym, Ewa Beach)
6/2-5/11
World
Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(California)
5/28/11
HUAWA Grappling Tournament 2011
Grappling Series II
(Submission grappling)
(Mililani H.S. Gym, Mililani)
Cancelled
Battleground 808
(MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower)
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/21/11
Scraplafest 3
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Island School, Puhi, Kauai, behind Kauai Commuity College)
5/20/11
Kauai Knockout Championship II: Mortal Combat
(MMA)
(Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall, Lihue)
5/14/11
Boxing Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Gym)
5/6/11
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
4/28/11
Destiny: Fury II
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/23/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Gladiators for God
(Amateur Muay Thai)
(Wet&Wild Water Park)
4/16/11
Hawaiian
Championship of BJJ
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
4/15/11
Destiny
& 808 Battleground presents "Supremacy"
(MMA)
(Aloha Tower Waterfront)
4/9/11
Fight Girls Hawaii
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/2/11
Toughman Hawaii
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Ctr)
3/24-27/11
Pan
American Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA)
3/26/11
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
HUAWA Grappling Tourney
(Sub Grappling)
(Mililani HS Gym)
3/12/11
X-1:
Dylan Clay vs Niko Vitale
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/11/11
Chozun 1: "the Reckoning"
(Kickboxing)
(The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace, Honolulu)
3/5/11
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
2/25/11
808
Battleground Presents
War of Warriors
(MMA)
(The Waterfront At Aloha Tower, Honolulu)
2/20/11
Pan
Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(California State University, Carson, CA )
2/19/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
2/5/11
Garden Island Cage Match 10: Mayhem at the Mansion 2
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kilohana Carriage House, Lihue, Kauai)
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/4/11
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
1/29/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Battle At The Barn
(MMA)
(Molokai H.S. Gym, Molokai)
1/8/11
Hawaii Toughman
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
|
|
October
2011 News Part 2
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi.
Kickboxing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ
Dean, & Chris Slavens!
Kids Classes are also
available!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from
the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
|
Want
to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
Click here for pricing and more
information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting!
|
O2
Martial Arts Academy
Your Complete Martial Arts School!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Shane Agena as well
as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA champions Kaleo Kwan
and PJ Dean as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens
provide incredibly detailed instruction of the sweet science.
To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima
classes (Filipino Knife & Stickfighting) who were directly
trained under the legendary Snookie Sanchez.
Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from
the ground up!
Experienced martial artist that wants to fine tune your skill?
Our school is for you!
If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in
a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is
the place for you!
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Follow O2 Martial Arts news via Twitter at:
http://www.twitter.com/O2MAA
Red
carpet premiere of Anderson Silva’s movie in Rio
Middleweight
champion of UFC, Anderson Silva stated once he doesn’t see
himself as a pop star. But it wasn’t what we saw this Wednesday
(12th), when the documentary “Like Water” debuted at
Cine Odeon, in Rio de Janeiro.
On
the holiday of the Brazilian patroness, Anderson showed up with
his five kids (Kaory, Gabriel, Kalyl, Kauana and Joao Vitor)
and his wife Dayane, with whom he’s been spending his life
since the age of 17, and he talked to many reporters and photographers
from many media outlets, who fight each other in front of Odeon
to get a picture or an interview with the biggest fighter of
all times.
Always
willing to help, the fighter talked to everybody with a big smile
on his face, and then was called in the stage to get side by
side with the director of the film, Pablo Croce, and was applauded
by the fans there. Rickson Gracie, Rodrigo Nogueira, Erick Silva,
Rogerio Camoes and the actor Antonio Pitanga were just some of
the celebrities who blend into as “anonymous” people
on the crowd. On the stage before the session started, Anderson
talked quickly about the film.
“The
film shows how Brazilian people do never give up. I guess you’ll
all see parts of yourselves in there. It’s about honor and
loyalty. I’m glad to help raising new heroes in the country”,
said Anderson, who then returned to his sit to watch the movie
with his friends, family and fans.
The
documentary shows the champions preparation for his title defense
against the American Chael Sonnen and starts exhibiting the controversy
performance of Anderson against Demian Maia, at UFC 112, which
happened in Abu Dhabi. The film talks about after that, and shows
Anderson being threatened by Dana White in case he fought that
way again, and it also shows his capacity of overcoming life
obstacles, even when under pressure and with a severe injury
on his ribs, winning in life and getting beautiful wins in MMA,
in Nogueira style. The film also shows the human side of the
champion, his problems with UFC, his relationship with his manager
Ed Soares, with his family and training partners.
With
a consistent narrative, the film brought the crowd into tears,
and then being applauded and chanted at by different people,
showing the sport is getting more popular here and also the champion,
who even without wanting it, has became a pop star. For those
who couldn’t be there to watch “Like Water”, a
movie that got the Tribeca’s Festival award, in New York,
there’s still time.
Source:
Tatame
|
Cris
Cyborg thinks Female MMA won’t die if they don’t join
the UFC
Strikeforce
has just announced a title fight between Cris Cyborg and Hiroko
Yamanaka for December 17th in San Diego, California, and TATAME
talked to the champion, who analyzed the bout, claimed to be
ready to fight after months negotiating with Strikeforce and
also commenting about the pressure of representing women, being
considered by many the best pound by pound of the world. “It’s
important to open some doors to female MMA, but I don’t
see it as a pressure. I guess it’s a great chance for me
to show my work”, said Cris, who also talked about a possible
stoppage of female MMA in UFC, in case Strikeforce is extinct.
“Everybody’s dream is that it keeps opened, but I guess
MMA won’t end if UFC doesn’t want us. Girls will keep
on fighting it”. Check it:
What
do you know about your opponent?
I
know she’s fought a lot (12 times), and I guess she won
most of the times via points. She has been defeated only once,
by a girl I’ve fought. I guess she’s a good opponent,
a good fight.
What
did you do on this time you didn’t know when and who you’d
fight against?
I
was training, but not that committed, but I tried to get better
and better on striking, Boxing, I fought World of Jiu-Jitsu…
Each day I look for something to inspire me, so I become better
and better. Now, for this fight, we’ll set a goal. Actually,
I’ll start my diet, so I can’t train like I was doing.
I’ll just get sharpened.
You
disputed for the first time World of Jiu-Jitsu and became the
champion. How do you see your evolution in that area?
I
was a lot focused on it with Andre Galvao. I’m training
for a year now and I believe I’ve evolved a lot. I’m
getting better and better. I have much to improve on my stand-up,
and on the ground too. It’s MMA, so we gotta be complete.
Do
you think about fighting World of Jiu-Jitsu again next year?
I
do. Next year I’ll train again. If I don’t have a bout
close to it. There’ll be World No Gi in November, but it’s
too close to my fight. I guess it’s important we keep competing.
Independent of the result, it’s a new experience we’re
having.
ADCC
promoted an edition of the tournament this year. Do you thought
about getting into this championship?
Actually,
I was supposed to fight there, but then I got injured. I was
training but got injured, but now I’m good and I’m
back. I couldn’t go, but next time, if I have the chance
and it’s not too close to my bout, I’ll be there for
sure.
It’ll
be your first fight since UFC purchased Strikeforce. What do
you think will be different?
I
guess that, if there’s something, it’s a better thing.
UFC is the biggest MMA event of all, so I’m happy about
this fight I’ll be doing in December. It’s a great
chance for me, I’ll show my work and put on a good show,
open the doors to women. The name’s changed, but it doesn’t
matter because I already used to take it seriously, I used to
pour my heart out to win. Now the boss has changed, but I’ll
keep doing what I used to do before.
Do
you feel any kind of pressure due to the fact you’re considered
by many as the best pound for pound of the world?
I’ve
been winning my fights and that’s the consequence of a hard
work done. It’s another important fight in my career, and
it’s important because I haven’t fought for like a
year now. It’s important to open some doors to female MMA,
but I don’t see it as a pressure. I guess it’s a great
chance for me to show my work.
People
talk about Strikeforce closes next year, especially now UFC is
taking the good athletes from it. What do you think they’ll
do about the female divisions?
I
guess female MMA won’t be extinct. I don’t know if
we’ll fight in UFC or not. Everybody’s dream is that
it keeps opened, but I guess MMA won’t end if UFC doesn’t
want us. Girls will keep on fighting it, training and then will
come up an event that will want to give us that chance. It’s
on the hands of God and the producers to keep on believing in
female MMA, my role is to do what I always do: put on a good
show, representing women and fight better and better each time.
But I believe that women are getting better and putting on good
shows.
Who
do you see as possible contenders to your title in Strikeforce?
The
girls will have to work hard. I’m ready to fight anyone,
and God determines what goes on in that octagon.
And
what about your husband, Evangelista Cyborg, after this fight?
What are the expectations about him?
Last
time, unfortunately, he didn’t get the win, but we kept
on training for the next time, but we still don’t know about
it. It’s undefined, we don’t know the date, but we
hold great expectations, we keep training and waiting for the
opportunity to present itself.
Do
you want to send a message to your fans?
I
wanted to send a hug to the guys at Chute Boxe team, to the guys
who send me messages on Twitter… I want to say I’m
really glad to be back in December and that I’ll be in Brazil
and I hope to meet you guys, to schedule a class and a seminar.
Source:
Tatame
|
Frankie
Edgar Asked to Motivate New York Jets Once Again
The struggling New York Jets meet their rivals the Miami Dolphins
on Monday night, and they have called upon on old good luck charm
to help motivate them after a disappointing 2-3 start.
UFC
lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will meet with Jets players
Sunday evening to help inspire them like he did last November
prior to a game against Houston. UFC officials confirmed the
visit with MMAFighting.com on Sunday.
This
marks the second time Edgar, a native of Toms River, N.J., has
been invited by the team to talk to the players. Jets head coach
Rex Ryan, a big MMA fan, invited Edgar to address the team on
the eve of a Week 11 meeting against the Texans in November 2010.
The Jets ended up beating the Texans 30-27 after scoring a touchdown
with just 10 seconds left in the game.
After
the comeback victory, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez credited
Edgar for motivating his teammates before the game.
"The
guy is barely taller than this podium, and this guy, he beats
BJ Penn in a UFC Championship bout," Sanchez said. "Everybody
counted him out. They wanted a rematch, and then he went back
and beat him even worse. Talk about a guy who's mentally tough,
physically tough. He came in and spoke to the team last night.
Perfect timing. Just talking about never giving up, being counted
out, playing until the end, fighting and believing in yourself,
believing in your team and the people around you. Those were
the only people telling him he could win the fight. Everybody
else counted him out. ... Perfect timing for Rex to bring somebody
in like that and give us a little extra inspiration. So it was
great for Frankie to come in."
Edgar's
story has become even more inspirational after coming back from
a disastrous first round against Gray Maynard at UFC 125 to force
a draw. Then, in a fight reminiscent of their Jan. 1 classic,
Edgar once again came back from the jaws of defeat to knockout
Maynard in the fourth round at last week's UFC 136 event in Houston.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
After
First UFC Win in Rematch With Leonard Garcia, Nam Phan Over Sting
of First Fight
After 10 months of answering questions about Leonard Garcia,
at least Nam Phan finally can change his response.
Phan
first fought Garcia last December at the TUF 12 Finale in Las
Vegas, a Fight of the Night-winning slugfest that saw him come
out on the short end of a split decision. Though Phan outstruck
Garcia in every round, according to Fight Metric, two judges
gave Garcia two rounds. The third agreed with most of the fans,
as well as the vast majority of MMA media – and gave all
three rounds to Phan.
After
UFC 136 a week ago in Houston, though, Phan finally got a little
closure – and his first UFC victory – with a unanimous
decision in another slugfest with Garcia in the rematch. He hopes
it's the one people will ask him about now.
"(The first loss) stung pretty bad," Phan told host
Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of "The MMA Hour."
"People were telling me, 'You got robbed!' over and over
again, reminding me. I tried not to dwell on it, but it took
awhile."
In
the rematch, Phan (17-9, 1-2 UFC) was mostly dominant –
leaving little doubt in the first two rounds. Though Garcia seemed
to hurt him in the third and had him backing up several times,
Phan still set a UFC record for most significant strikes landed
in a fight, according to FightMetric's tabulations.
Nam's
174 significant strikes landed in the 29-28 unanimous decision
win passed Chris Lytle in his win over Matt Serra at UFC 119.
Phan credited his boxing background, including four professional
fights, for his success in the standup game.
"It
isn't always about the power – it's about the high punch
count," Phan said. "My coach said 'You have to compete
in boxing to get good at striking.' I started training with him
in 2003, and started competing in amateur boxing, Golden Gloves,
and then I went to compete in professional boxing. I don't have
a passion for boxing. I don't love it like I love mixed martial
arts. I only did boxing to improve my mixed martial arts skills."
After
23 pro MMA fights, including a loss in the WEC and a pair of
losses in Strikeforce, Phan got a shot at the UFC on "The
Ultimate Fighter." And though he didn't make the finals,
he still got a crack at the promotion. And now he has a win after
starting with a pair of losses.
Though
the first loss to Garcia had the MMA world screaming robbery,
including UFC president Dana White, Phan still knew a third straight
loss could be problematic going into the Garcia rematch. But
he said he tried to put that out of his mind.
"I
wasn't even thinking about a two-fight losing streak or that
I might get cut," Phan said. "I was going in there
to have fun and to make this my best performance ever. This could
be my last pitch, and if I strike out I'm going home. So I've
gotta hit this ball out of the ballpark, man. I can't take the
UFC for granted and (I have to) realize I could get cut. I've
got to know I'm expendable."
Now
that Phan can breathe a small sigh of relief that he will be
sticking around in the UFC for a while, he can start thinking
about what might be next for him.
After
two Fight of the Night wins in his first three fights, he knows
the kind of opponent he's looking for next.
"Whoever
it is, I want that person to put (on) a good fight with me."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Rebney:
Only Anderson Silva Could Beat Hector Lombard
ATLANTIC
CITY, N.J. -- Since winning Bellator Fighting Championships’
inaugural middleweight tournament 28 months ago, Hector Lombard
has stood alone atop the promotion’s 185-pound division.
The
former Olympic judoka is a perfect 7-0 under the Bellator banner,
having gone the distance only once in a five-round defense of
his title. Some MMA fans and pundits have made it their jobs
to try and find a hole in the impenetrable; Lombard has been
so dominant that critiques have stretched to simply not knocking
out opponents fast enough.
Next
to try and dethrone the hard-hitting Cuban will be Alexander
Shlemenko or Vitor Vianna, both of whom notched impressive finishes
at Saturday’s Bellator 54 to advance to the finals of the
fifth-season middleweight tournament.
Vianna,
31, was hailed as a “freak” upon his signing by Bellator
CEO Bjorn Rebney, a competitor who “resembled an attack
dog in the cage.” But the Brazilian’s promotional debut
in the middleweight quarterfinals saw him take a tough split
decision over Sam Alvey, a result which left Rebney scratching
his head. What Vianna never mentioned to anyone prior to the
fight was that he could barely use his right hand.
“He’s
just such a soft-spoken, sweetheart kind of a guy that he never
brought up to us that his hand was bothering him, that his wife
had gone into surgery and spent 11 days sleeping in the hospital,”
Rebney told Sherdog.com on Saturday. “She had some thyroid
situation they thought could conceptually be cancerous. He didn’t
bother to tell us any of that. He was just a disheveled mess
who couldn’t use his right hand when he came into the fight.”
With
the personal and physical issues behind him, Vianna impressed
thoroughly on Saturday, scoring a decisive stoppage victory over
Bryan Baker in just 54 seconds. A spot in the middleweight final
now booked for Bellator 58, the Wand Fight Team representative
put any concerns Rebney had at ease.
“He
looked like the guy we wanted to sign,” the CEO said of
Vianna’s performance. “A lot of people had him listed
as the top 185-pound unsigned prospect in the world. That’s
why we signed him and that guy showed up tonight. It was beautiful
... I said, ‘Whatever it is you did over the last 30 days
to prep for this fight, do it again.’ Hope against hope
that’s the guy we’ll see.”
During
Saturday’s postfight press conference at the Boardwalk Hall
Ballroom, Vianna was reserved but confident as he looked forward
to his next bout.
“Now
I am focused for fighting the final next month,” Vianna
said. “I want to train very hard to be ready, because it’s
going to be a great war. I have a plan, but wait for next month.”
Shlemenko,
meanwhile, has been down this road before. The 27-year-old Russian
is the only man to take Lombard to that final bell, falling on
the wrong end of an October 2010 unanimous decision. He’s
been nearly as impressive as the champ, going 6-1 inside Bellator’s
circular cage with four stoppages. With back-to-back wins over
Brian Rogers and Zelg Galesic now under his belt, Shlemenko is
one bout away from his rematch.
“After
the quarterfinals, I said that my goal is to fight Hector again,”
Shlemenko said. “I do my best and I’ll do everything
possible in the finals to get the chance to fight Hector again.
If I were to fight again with Hector, it would be a completely
different fight, because I would be much more ready and I’d
have a good chance of beating him.”
Asked
why he chose to bring Shlemenko back for the fifth-season tournament,
Rebney praised the flashy striker as “dominant and exciting.”
“[He’s]
a great personality, this dour, aggressive Russian fighter that
just comes to fight,” Rebney added. “He looked better
against Hector Lombard, our champion, than anyone has looked.
No one has put on the kind of fight [Shlemenko did]. There was
no question about bringing him back.”
Shlemenko
and Vianna will lock horns Nov. 19 in Hollywood, Fla., the same
night on which Lombard will meet Trevor Prangley in a non-title
affair. The season’s tournament winner, Rebney believes,
will have earned a title shot and a challenge nearly unmatched
in all of MMA.
“We
have an incredibly dominant champion,” Rebney stated when
asked about finding opponents for Lombard. “It’s not
easy. I think, right now, when you look at Vitor Vianna and Alexander
Shlemenko, we could provide a good test for Hector Lombard. I
think he’s one of the best two middleweights on earth. I
think Hector is an absolute monster.
“I
think there’s one guy on earth right now that I would look
at and say to myself, ‘He could beat Hector.’ His name
is Anderson Silva. I don’t know that I would pick Anderson
to beat Hector, but it would be one heck of a fight. We’ll
see what happens with Alexander and Vitor, and one of those guys
is going to come out with a big win.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
Veteran Falcao Inks Deal With Bellator
Bellator Fighting Championships has signed Brazilian knockout
artist Maiquel Falcao to compete in its middleweight division.
Bellator
CEO Bjorn Rebney announced the news during Saturday’s Bellator
54 prelims on Spike.com. It’s currently unknown when Falcao
will debut for the promotion.
Known
for his knockout power and aggressiveness, Falcao has lost only
once since December 2008, falling by submission to Antonio Braga
Neto at Amazon Forrest Combat on Sept. 14. Prior to that loss,
the Chute Boxe product had won nine straight fights, highlighted
by one appearance in the UFC.
Falco
fought his first and only UFC fight to-date against Gerald Harris
roughly 11 months ago, taking home a unanimous nod over the American
at UFC 123. Though Falcao emerged victorious in this lone Octagon
appearance, the 30-year-old was reportedly released by the promotion
due to alleged legal issues in his homeland.
Of
Falcao’s 27 career wins, all but five have come by knockout.
A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, “Big Rig” has
earned three of his victories by submission, and has only been
taken the distance twice as a professional. Most recently, the
Brazilian earned a knockout win over Douglas del Rio on Oct.
8, finishing his countryman in just 75 seconds at Apocalypse
Fighting Championship.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Jose
Aldo open to fight Frankie Edgar: “If he moves down, no
problem”
Jose
Aldo successfully defended the featherweight title at UFC 136,
in Texas, United States, and took some time on his trip to New
York to talk to TATAME. On the chat, which you can read below,
the champion talked about the game plan used against Kenny Florian,
said he hoped to fight even tougher opponents in UFC and, among
other subjects, said he’d like to fight Frankie Edgar, current
lightweight champion. Check it:
What
are your thoughts about the fight? Did everything go like your
plans?
Everything
went just fine. We trained, we set a game plan and it worked
out. We went there and did a good fight. The important thing
is: we did a good job, the way Andre (Pederneiras) planned us
to do.
You
showed a more strategic side of you inside the octagon. Knowing
Kenny Florian would try to get you against the fence, was it
the game plan you had before entering the cage?
Yeah,
we had to work based on what we could tell from the outside.
I trained a lot, I was a lot focused and I wanted it pretty bad.
I wanted to play my game, but due to the fact Kenny is a strategic
guy, who fights well and takes his time to find your flaws, waiting
for me to make a mistake, I had to play carefully, punch him
when the time was right. Andre was always talking to me about
it, saying that if he hit me, I couldn’t lose it. With that
in mind, I tried to use the game plan set because I knew I’d
be screwed if I made any mistake.
The
first round was the only one on which Kenny Florian could play
his game, and it was the round you kicked him the most. Did you
stop kicking him that much so you didn’t give him any space
to catch you?
Yeah,
man… I wanted to kick him more. When it started, I kicked
him a few times, but then, when I dodged, he went to grab my
legs. From then on, I knew I had to play on his mistakes, take
my time so I wouldn’t make any mistakes as well. I wanted
to kick him and punched him more, to do much more than I did.
But it’s ok… I did a good fight and, thanks’ God,
it worked out.
Do
you believe your opponents will try to block your game like he
did?
I’m
the champion, so I’m a target. Everybody watches you, studies
you. Next time I’ll play it mor at ease and it’ll be
better.
Who
do you believe it’s the one on the line for your title?
Will it be Chad Mendes?
I
don’t know about it. I didn’t want to talk to Andre
nor anybody else. Now I’m just taking some vacancies, so
I’m not worried about that. I’m spending a few days
on the United States. Then I’ll go back to Brazil, I’ll
return to the trainings and, in the future, I’ll think about
it, but I haven’t thought it through. I’ll fight whoever
they tell me to.
Where
are you spending your vacations at?
New
York.
What
a good life, huh?
Oh
yeah (laughs). I worked pretty hard for three months, so I took
some time off to stay here. Another week and I’ll be back
to Brazil, to my normal life.
On
the press conference after the fight, Dana White said he wants
to see Frankie Edgar, lightweight champion, dropping to the featherweight
and fighting you. How would it be Aldo vs. Edgar?
Man,
I think it’s great. Frankie is the lightweight champion,
so, if he moves down, no problem. Just like Kenny did and others
are doing… To me it’s ok. I’ll always fight the
guys they point out for me to fight.
Do
you consider going the other way around, moving up, or this thing
about you having difficulties to cut weight is bullshit?
Move
up is bullshit. If someone’s deciding it someday, it’s
Pederneiras.
Source:
Tatame
|
Mailbag:
Guillard needs to refocus
It
would hardly be a surprise if Melvin Guillard were to win the
UFC lightweight championship in 2012 or 2013. He’s that
good. He’s fast, explosive and strong, and he’s a great
finisher. He’s got skills in striking, wrestling and jiu-jitsu.
But
Guillard won’t beat any top contenders without a serious
attitude adjustment. No lightweight was hotter than Guillard
coming into UFC 136, but after he was submitted by Joe Lauzon
in just 47 seconds Saturday, there were more than a few, “It
was just Melvin being Melvin” comments being made.
Melvin
Guillard was cocky before his match with Joe Lauzon. Then the
fight started.
Guillard
was a visible presence in the lobby of the Hilton Americas in
Houston on Friday evening, talking with fans, posing for pictures
and signing autographs. On the day of the fight, while Lauzon
was relaxing in his room, Guillard went over to the UFC Fan Expo
at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where he again mingled
with fans.
That
in and of itself wouldn’t be bad, but it’s very telling
after he told the New Orleans Times Picayune before the bout
“I know I will get a knockout,” and “With my jiu-jitsu,
judo, wrestling and boxing, I don’t think he presents a
problem to me.”
Guillard’s
ring entrance, in which he was hopping and dancing around on
the way to the cage, didn’t escape the notice of UFC president
Dana White.
“That
kid just doesn’t have the focus he needs,” White said
of Guillard.
The
submission was no fluke, either. Lauzon tagged Guillard in the
standup and hurt him, then submitted him quickly when Guillard
went down and he grabbed his back.
If
Guillard learns that taking his work seriously means all the
way up to fight time, he can still become a star. But if not,
he’s going to continually tease us with his talent before
ultimately losing.
It’s
all up to him.
MMA
musings
•
Rashad Evans is not ducking Jon Jones. Period. Nor was Jon Jones
ducking Evans earlier this year. Fighters don’t get to the
top of the sport, the level that Jones and Evans have reached,
by ducking opponents and being afraid.
•
I was very impressed by Aaron Simpson’s hands on Saturday
in his win over Eric “Red” Schafer, though before I’m
convinced, I want to see Simpson do it against someone with much
better standup than Schafer.
•
Do you think there is a chance UFC president Dana White said
he believes lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is the No. 2 pound-for-pound
fighter in the world in an attempt to light a fire under welterweight
champion Georges St. Pierre? St. Pierre, who defends his belt
at UFC 137 on Oct. 29 in Las Vegas against Carlos Condit, has
won 29 of a possible 30 rounds in his last six fights.
•
If Donald Cerrone gets past Dennis Siver at UFC 137, a great
match for early 2012 would be Cerrone against Lauzon.
•
Boxer Vic Darchinyan plans to compete in MMA some day in the
not-too-distant future, his manager, Elias Nassar, said via Twitter.
If Darchinyan moves forward, he could become a major force. His
father was a wrestling coach in the former Soviet Union.
Readers
always write
Sonnen’s
comments are ridiculous
I’m
writing about your column on Chael Sonnen after UFC 136, specifically
his comment about Anderson Silva and the 300 punches vs. the
eight-second choke. I have been a fan of MMA since the mid-90s
and saw Maurice Smith knock out Marcus Silveira. Please call
out Sonnen on his stupid analogy because his logic is ridiculous.
If Silva had done that in the “streets of West Linn, Oregon,”
he could have killed Sonnen because he wouldn’t have had
to stop when Chael cried uncle by tapping.
Christian
Swartz
Sonnen’s
exact quote at the post-fight news conference was, “In some
parallel universe, you can hit a man 300 times and he wraps his
legs around your head for eight seconds and they call him the
winner. On the streets of West Linn, Oregon, those are not the
rules.” But let’s be serious, Christian. You can’t
be falling for this. Can you? Come on. Recognize it for what
it is: He’s playing the pro wrestling heel, trying to get
as many folks as possible to A. recognize his name and B. root
for him to get slaughtered by Silva. The more people like you
he angers with those crazy comments he makes, the more pay-per-views
he sells. If you want to hurt him, ignore him and don’t
buy tickets to see him fight or watch him on pay-per-view. Sonnen
is no fool and knows exactly what he’s saying and what he’s
doing. And what he is doing, Christian, is manipulating you.
Silva
will be prepared for Sonnen’s wrestling next time
Chael
Sonnen is the obvious No. 1 contender in the middleweight division.
I understand that he dominated Anderson Silva in their last match
and would have won if Silva had been unable to catch him in a
triangle choke. But would it be logical to assume that an elite
fighter such as Silva would not fall prey to the same strategy/game
plan? If Silva improves on his already solid takedown defense
in a rematch with Sonnen, would that mean that there would be
no formula to stop him? Let us not forget that Silva took apart
Yushin Okami, who trained with Sonnen, at UFC 134 in Brazil.
Sophana
Sok
Los Angeles
Sophana,
Silva’s weakness as an MMA fighter is clearly against wrestlers.
Dan Henderson used his wrestling to give Silva all sorts of trouble
in the first round at UFC 83. And clearly, Sonnen was able to
manhandle Silva by using his wrestling in their match. Silva
might have gotten a little better, but he’s still going
to wind up on his back, I believe. He’ll have to be prepared
to fight from his back if and when he faces Sonnen again.
Media
needs to report on Sonnen’s suspension
I’m
getting very annoyed by the exclusion of Sonnen’s offense
when talking about his fight with Silva. The common statement
made is that Sonnen was 30 seconds away from winning the belt.
The reality is that had he won the fight, he would not have received
the belt from the UFC after the discovery that he was using performance-enhancing
drugs. I know the UFC may be glossing over this due to self-interest
(a worrisome move that includes the possibility of increased
abuse for big-name fighters), but MMA journalists have no excuse.
Please, let’s stop the love affair with a spiteful, petty
individual whose best idea is to treat his peers like scum, just
because his sensationalist remarks generate traffic.
Casey
Cannon
Buffalo, N.Y.
Casey,
I can’t speak for everyone else, but I can speak for myself.
In my pre-fight column on Chael, I wrote about his suspension.
And after Nate Marquardt was cut by the UFC in June, I wrote
a column discussing the problems with testosterone replacement
therapy, or TRT. But the bottom line here is, Sonnen fully served
the suspension and paid the fine he was given. Do baseball writers
write exhaustively about Alex Rodriguez’s steroid usage
every time the Yankees play? No. It’s a part of Sonnen’s
history, but only a part, and I believe most in the media dealt
with it appropriately last week.
Quoteworthy
“If
my name comes out of his mouth again, I will bury him where he
stands. And second off, tell Vitor to meet me in the hotel in
30 minutes because Daddy’s got a plane to catch and I’ve
summoned him to carry my luggage.” – UFC middleweight
contender Chael Sonnen, when asked at the UFC 136 post-fight
news conference Saturday in Houston to respond to comments Vitor
Belfort made challenging him to a fight.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
|
Greg
Jackson Steps Aside, Carlos Condit Turns to Coach Chris Luttrell
to Prepare for GSP
When
the announcement was made that Carlos Condit would get the opportunity
to face Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137 with the welterweight title
on the line, coach Greg Jackson immediately stepped out of the
picture.
Jackson
has worked with both Condit and St-Pierre for several years and
per his own rules, he won’t coach one teammate against another
in a fight.
That’s
where longtime Jackson’s coach and team member Chris Luttrell
enters the picture.
As
Carlos Condit explains himself, Luttrell is the man who took
over his head coaching duties when Jackson stepped to the side
to avoid the conflict of teammate vs. teammate.
“Not
a whole lot has changed. I have Chris Luttrell heading up my
camp instead of Greg Jackson. I’m still training with the
team, the same guys that were helping me get ready for B.J. are
helping me get ready for Georges. It’s been great,”
Condit told MMAWeekly Radio recently.
“I
feel great about Chris heading up my camp.”
So
who is Chris Luttrell exactly?
Well
he’s the man responsible for coach Greg Jackson and the
team’s striking guru Mike Winkeljohn meeting in the first
place.
“I
actually met Mike Winkeljohn first. Mike was the one that started
it all off. He was looking to get into some sort of mixed martial
arts close to 20 years ago and he sought me out. I wrestled in
high school and college and I kind of had a ground and pound
background,” Luttrell explained when speaking with MMAWeekly.com.
“I
started teaching at his karate gym. He was a Muay Thai guy and
owned a karate gym, and I started working for him. I then met
Greg Jackson’s top student at a judo club, and he said why
don’t we go and roll? I went in and met Greg and hit it
off with Greg, and I said, well Greg you need to meet Mike. So
I introduced those two and right away we kind of figured out
we wanted to do the MMA thing.”
From
there the Jackson/Winkeljohn team was formed and over the last
decade they’ve become one of the top gyms in the entire
sport.
For
all the longtime team members that have come out of the gym such
as Keith Jardine, Diego Sanchez, and Joey Villasenor, it was
Luttrell who was actually Jackson’s first black belt student
and fighter to come from the team.
For
every champion that’s been formed under Greg Jackson and
Mike Winkeljohn’s tutelage, Chris Luttrell has been there
every step of the way as well.
In
this particular situation, despite his fierce loyalty to the
team, Luttrell looked at the St-Pierre vs. Condit fight much
different than any other teammate vs. teammate scenario. Luttrell
watched first hand when the situation between Rashad Evans and
Jon Jones erupted and says it was painful to see those two go
from friends to bitter enemies.
With
St-Pierre and Condit however, Luttrell explains it’s not
even really that much of an issue.
“Georges
was coming in quite a bit back in the day, and then he started
coming to Albuquerque less and less as Carlos kind of came on
the team. So they never really trained together and developed
a close bond and a friendship like say Rashad and Jon did,”
Luttrell said.
With
Condit’s steady rise in the welterweight division and St-Pierre’s
continued dominance at the top, both fighter and teacher saw
an eventual clash coming to a head at some point, most likely
sooner rather than later.
“Myself
and Carlos had been working before this fight was announced,
you could kind of see the fight coming on the horizon,”
Luttrell stated. “Carlos has just been improving every fight
and Carlos is a finisher. He wants to finish everybody and he’s
been doing that. You kind of saw it coming so I grabbed him a
while back and I was like ‘you’re going to get a title
shot so let’s start working right now’ before it was
ever announced.”
Condit
explained the situation very similarly, and while the conversations
with coach Greg Jackson have been few during this fight camp,
he still expressed his gratitude as he headed into fight camp.
“This
is something we sort of saw coming. We had our ducks in a row
as far as who was going to train who, so it wasn’t a big
thing. Basically the only conversation regarding the subject
was me thanking Greg for getting me to this position, to challenge
for the title,” Condit commented.
Now
that the fight is just a couple of weeks away, Luttrell has started
to put the finishing touches onto Condit’s strategy, and
has prepared him for the battle ahead. Luttrell has actually
been working on and off with Condit for several years so it’s
something special to see him rise to this level and get a chance
to take home the most coveted title in the sport.
“What
excites me so much is I love Albuquerque fighters, I love home
grown fighters. Carlos is from here,” said Luttrell. “I
remember the first day he came in, when he came in with Tom Vaughn,
a former coach, and Tom was telling me ‘I’ve got this
kid and he’s just tough as nails, there’s no quit in
him.’ So I’ve been kind of training and rolling with
Carlos throughout his career.
“So
to see him grow and mature like this as a fighter and a person
is just a great feeling.”
It’s
no secret that Georges St-Pierre is an unbelievably tough fight
to game plan for, and his skill level is almost unmatched in
the sport, but Luttrell is looking forward to watching Condit
go and out try to figure out the puzzle that is GSP.
Champion
or no champion, teammate or no teammate, Luttrell is confident
however that at UFC 137 it will begin the reign of Carlos Condit
as the UFC welterweight king.
“Georges
is a legend in this sport, a wonderful person and a wonderful
champion,” said Luttrell. “It’s where you make
your mark in the sport is beating the top guy. What an opportunity.”
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Shane
Carwin to Undergo Back Surgery, Hopeful for 2012 Return to the
UFC
The last couple of years have been rough on former UFC interim
heavyweight champion Shane Carwin.
The
massive fighter from Colorado dealt with serious neck surgery
following a fight with Brock Lesnar in 2010, and now it appears
he will have to go back under the knife to repair damage in his
back.
Carwin
updated his status on his personal website over the weekend.
“I
have spent my entire fighting career dealing with injuries from
my football career. I have done my best to get through my training
and I have been blessed to get through my fights with relatively
little to no damage,” Carwin wrote.
“As
I ramped up my training for UFC 141, my body locked up during
training. It wasn’t like the Lesnar fight, but my back just
tightened up and I froze. I scheduled an MRI and the results
showed that my disc in my lower back is into the nerves . My
doctor gave me two options: retire and I could probably go on
for a few years without surgery or I could undergo surgery and
continue my career.”
The
competitor inside Carwin wouldn’t allow him to choose option
one, so he will undergo back surgery to repair the damage to
his back, and he’s hopeful for a return to the Octagon in
2012.
“I
am scheduling surgery and I hope to return to the Octagon by
spring or summer 2012,” said Carwin.
Carwin
last fought at UFC 131 where he lost a unanimous decision to
current heavyweight contender Junior Dos Santos.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Paul
Sass ready for “whoever the UFC tells me to fight”
Paul
Sass is on a great moment in UFC. The so far undefeated English
guy, who signed a contract with the organization in 2010 after
nine wins via submission in ten fights, being eight triangle
chokes, showed it’s been paying off.
The
athlete, who trains with Marcelo Brigadeiro in England, debuted
a year ago in UFC with a quick triangle choke over Mark Holst,
and returned to the cage at UFC on Versus 6, on the beginning
of the month, against Michael Johnson. Once again, a win by submission
on the first round.
“Yeah,
everything as planned, I wanted the submission”, told Sass
on an interview to TATAME, guaranteeing he wasn’t worried
about the year he had to take to heal some injuries. “I
was very focused in what I had to do in the fight. It was great,
specially getting the victory. The crowd liked my fight and I
am very happy about it”.
When
the fighters level raise, Paul won’t be able to impose his
sharpen ground game that easily, and he knows the difficulties
the future holds.
“Definitely
they will avoid the ground fight but I will keep working to get
submissions. Anyway I am improving my striking a lot at Kaobon.
We have loads of great strikers there and a very good coach”,
warns the English talent. And about his possible opponents, he
sends a message to UFC’s matchmaker Joe Silva: “Whoever
the UFC tells me to fight”.
Source:
Tatame
|
O’Neil
Surprises Davis, Palomino Spoils Berto’s Return at W-1 MMA
CORAL
GABLES, Fla. -- Heavily-favored Marcus Davis found himself up
against a true challenge for the first time since his UFC departure,
as former “Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 alum Chuck O’Neil
shocked his fellow Octagon veteran with a split decision victory
in the main event of Warrior-1 MMA 7 “Reloaded” Saturday
night at the BankUnited Center.
The
two New England natives exchanged opening rounds, in a hotly
contested bout that took place all over the cage. O'Neil was
able to use his reach to keep his distance on the smaller Bangor
native despite him being the more classically-trained boxer.
In
the third period, O'Neil took top position and blasted “The
Irish Hand Grenade” with a nasty elbow, cutting the notoriously
paper-skinned veteran. O’Neil maintained his dominant position
even after referee Jorge Alonso stopped the bout so doctors may
check the cut as blood began to spew.
The
damage done proved to be enough as Davis could get in no more
offense before the bell. Judges Mark Streisand and Jean Warring
scored the bout 29-28 for the Bridgewater, Mass., native, while
Hector Gomez saw it 29-28 for Davis. Sherdog.com saw the bout
29-28 O’Neil.
The
victory represents a signature win for O’Neil, now 9-4 in
his campaign. It was the first action for O’Neil since he
dropped a unanimous decision to fellow cast member Chris Cope
at the TUF 13 Finale in June. Davis falls to 20-9 with the loss.
After
an 18-month lay-off, James Edson Berto returned to against adopted
Miami hometown favorite, Luis Palomino in a lightweight contest.
From the opening frame, it was apparent that Berto’s time
off was of considerable hindrance, as he looked to have slowed
from prior performances, and was easily outstruck by the native
Peruvian.
Palomino
had little trouble with Berto.
The MMA Masters product controlled the bout from bell-to-bell,
effectively shutting out the returning Berto. The Bellator veteran
even badly hurting the “Tiger” with one of his own
favorite attacks, a flying knee, Berto would however live to
see the judge’s decision, but had little else to celebrate,
dropping scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for the victorious
Palomino.
15
pounds north of lightweight, Strikeforce veteran Nathan Coy dominated
Patrick Mikesz from bell-to-bell in a one-sided welterweight
affair.
Coy,
a former Team Quest rep now training out of American Top Team,
repeatedly took the Key West, Fla., native to the mat, badly
mashing his face up with hammerfists and elbows from the top
position. After 15 minutes, it was a no-brainer for the former
Oregon State wrestler, who earned a unanimous 30-27 decision
from judges Mark Streisand, Jean Warring, and Hector Gomez.
It
was a tough opening frame for Kim Couture, who found herself
considerably outclassed by kickboxing convert Suzie Montero in
their 135-pound contest.
As
Couture looked to wing punches, American Top Team's Montero --
who once fought Gina Carano in her muay Thai career -- used an
array of kicks coupled with crisp punches to dominate the opening
frame, even dropping Couture with a teep to the head. Couture
came out looking to wrestle in the second frame, but found little
success. The Las Vegas-based fighter then reverted back to looking
for the one-shot kill, finding herself outstruck for the remainder
of the bout.
Coral
Springs, Fla.,-based Montero took three 29-28 scorecards for
the unanimous decision victory, earning the first win of her
pro MMA career. With her third straight loss, the 35-year-old
Couture's pro mark now stands at 3-6.
Welterweights
Sabah Homasi and John Manley fought 15 closely-matched minutes,
with both men taking advantageous positions through different
points of the fight , showing off their positional dominance
and submission attempts. However, it was the Team Link product
Manley who was ultimately the more consummate grappler, as he
walked away with the nod as the judges unanimously scored the
bout 29-28 in his favor.
Lightweight
and local fan favorite Allen Arzeno put an end to Tom Waters’
night after being controlled for much of the first stanza. Arzeno
came out for blood in the second, crushing the Canadian with
a flying knee to the body and a sharp right cross. After additional
strikes on the ground, referee Jorge Ortiz had seen enough, calling
the bout at 3:12 of the second frame.
Montero
mopped up Couture.
Frank Carrillo got only a short night of work as he put out Joseph
Watson with a stiff uppercut as he came in for a takedown, just
37 seconds into their 180-pound contest. The MMA Masters product
left his foe from ATT splayed out with the lone punch and mercifully
walked away before referee Jorge Alonso could intervene.
It
was all smiles for Lake Wales, Fla., welterweight Kenny Moss
who cleanly outstruck American Top Team’s Bruno Reis de
Maria before setting up a submission victory in the second frame.
The stop came at 1:46 of round two when Moss got top position
and drove his shoulder into de Maria's throat, forcing the St.
Louis native to tap.
Giovanni
Brugnoni needed only 57 seconds to oust Melbourne, Fla.'s James
Wynn from the cage, as the American Top Team featherweight forced
a tap via guillotine in the very first period.
Evolution
MMA welterweight Michael Trujillo came out looking to impress,
absolutely leveling Orlando native Eric Raposo with an overhand
right and follow-up punches in just 57 seconds.
Debuting
welterweight Anthony Garavito thoroughly dominated Davaun McKoy
in the grappling department, cutting through the American Top
Team product’s guard and working his way into mount seemingly
at will. The Miami native eventually forced the tap via keylock
at 2:57 of the final frame.
Karate
specialist Denis Sejdievski in a bout between debuting lightweight
strikers. After a thrilling 15 minutes, Margate, Fla.'s Quinones
took home a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Source:
Sherdog
|
Jon
Jones Becoming Comfortable with his Role as UFC Champion
Entering
2011, Jon Jones was a fast-rising up-and-comer with a lot of
potential. Today, he’s the UFC light heavyweight champion
and a household name.
Becoming
famous is not easy. There are adjustments that have to be made.
But at 24 years old, having won the belt seven months ago, Jones
is starting to feel comfortable in the role of champ.
“I
feel as if I’m starting to be able to handle it pretty well
and balance it out pretty well,” said Jones about his new
found fame at a UFC 140 kick-off press conference on Wednesday.
“When
I joined this sport I always envisioned wanting to be the best
and trying to be the champion. So, I just tried to learn to,
like, carry myself in that type of light, as if it were already
so, even before it happened. Now that I’m here, I kind of
have this feeling that I’m right where I’m supposed
to be and right where I’ve worked to be, so I feel comfortable
with everything that is happening,” added the UFC light
heavyweight champion.
It’s
not hard to imagine the perks of being young with money and fame.
Jones confirmed the recent reports of him purchasing a new Bentley,
a car that often costs between one-quarter to one-half million
dollars.
“There’s
not really too many negatives that come a long with a dream coming
true. It’s just an awesome road really,” he said.
Being
world champion doesn’t just come with stacks of money, new
cars, and all the room service you can order, it also comes with
drawbacks. The spotlight is brighter and the criticisms are louder
when you’re a public figure.
“The
only negative that has happened is I need to be more careful
with the words that I say because of the way I get scrutinized
for any little thing that happens. That’s the only difference.
That’s something I’m learning to deal with and handle
even better in the future,” said Jones. “Outside of
that, I’m a pretty happy guy.”
Jones
made his professional mixed martial arts debut just over three
years ago. Clearly, inside and outside of the Octagon, Jon Jones
learns quick and adapts well.
Jones
will face Lyoto Machida on Dec. 10 at UFC 140. It will be his
second title defense.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Rankings:
The great Edgar debate
After
Frankie Edgar’s stirring knockout victory over Gray Maynard
in Houston at UFC 136, Dana White praised the lightweight champion
with a level of excitement the company boss usually only displays
after he’s stomped out a promotional rival.
“He’s
the Arturo Gatti of MMA,” White said at the post-fight news
conference. “I have so much respect for him. I’m going
to say it here tonight and I don’t care who disagrees, you’re
wrong and I’m right. … He’s the No. 2 pound-for-pound
fighter in the world.”
White
went on to argue, with some merit, that Edgar is small by the
current standards of the lightweight division and that if you’re
looking at the phrase “pound-for-pound” in a strict
sense, then Edgar’s size has to be taken into account.
But
the UFC boss’ words didn’t make an impression with
voters in the Yahoo! Sports poll, as for the third straight month,
Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre were unanimous choices
at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. Edgar, for his part, moved up
one spot to No. 4 after his win.
While
there is no denying the New Jersey native has as much heart as
anyone in the fight business, he still has a ways to go before
his résumé matches the three fighters ahead of
him.
At
No. 1, of course, is Silva, who has won 14 consecutive fights
and on Oct. 14 becomes the first fighter in UFC history to hit
his fifth anniversary as champion. St. Pierre, at No. 2, has
only lost once in the past seven years and has won 33 of his
past 35 rounds.
[Related:
Will Silva-Jones superfight happen? ]
Jon
Jones, at No. 3, has demolished high-level opposition in a way
that Edgar simply hasn’t. During the same time frame that
Edgar drew with Maynard, then had to rally to defeat the same
foe, Jones destroyed a pair of former light heavyweight champions
in Mauricio Rua and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the
first of which came just six weeks after Jones beat Ryan Bader.
That’s
not to say Edgar can’t develop into a top-two fighter. Anyone
with the moxie to survive Maynard’s brutal first-round assaults
in both of this year’s bouts and remain champion is clearly
a special breed. And if Edgar develops into a long-term champion
in what is widely regarded as the company’s deepest division,
his stock will continue to rise. But as of Oct. 2011, the fighters
ahead of him simply have stronger claims to their spots.
Edgar’s
victory also dropped Maynard out of the top 10. Maynard was tied
with Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez for ninth
last month, but ended up at 11 after his first career loss. In
his place is former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans,
who re-enters at No. 10.
10.
Rashad Evans
Points: 17
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Record: 16-1-1, 1 no-contest
Last month’s ranking: T-9
Most recent result: Def. Tito Ortiz, R2 TKO, Aug. 6
Analysis: At the rate things are going, Evans will meet Jones
sometime around UFC 250. The latest setback is Evans’ lingering
hand injury.
T-8.
Gilbert Melendez
Points: 37
Affiliation: Strikeforce (lightweight champion)
Weight class: Lightweight
Hometown: San Francisco
Record: 19-2 (won past five)
Last month’s ranking: Unranked
Most recent result: Def. Tatsuya Kawajiri, R1 TKO, April 9
Analysis: A win over Jorge Masvidal in his Dec. 17 Strikeforce
swan song should set up what promises to be one of 2012’s
best bouts: Edgar vs. Melendez.
T-8.
Jon Fitch
Points: 37
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Welterweight
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Record: 23-3-1, 1 no-contest (draw in previous fight)
Last month’s ranking: 8
Most recent result: Majority draw vs. B.J. Penn, Feb. 21
Analysis: Finally returns to the cage on Dec. 30, where he’ll
meet 11-1 Johny Hendricks.
7.
Cain Velasquez
Points: 77
Affiliation: UFC (heavyweight champion)
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Salinas, Calif.
Record: 9-0 (won past nine)
Last month’s ranking: 7
Most recent result: Def. Brock Lesnar, R1 TKO, Oct. 23
Analysis: Has more to gain, and more to lose, than any other
top 10 fighter when he headlines the first UFC on Fox event Nov.
12.
6.
Dominick Cruz
Points: 112
Affiliation: UFC (bantamweight champion)
Weight class: Bantamweight
Hometown: San Diego
Record: 18-1 (won past eight)
Last month’s ranking: 6
Most recent result: Def. Demetrious Johnson, unanimous decision,
Oct. 1
Analysis: Stayed put in the rankings after an impressive, but
by no means dominant, victory over undersized Demetrious Johnson.
5.
Jose Aldo
Points: 140
Affiliation: UFC (featherweight champion)
Weight class: Featherweight
Hometown: Rio de Janeiro
Record: 20-1 (won past 13)
Last month’s ranking: 4
Most recent result: def. Kenny Florian, unanimous decision, Oct.
8
Analysis: A methodical victory over Florian wasn’t enough
to stop his slow slide down the rankings.
4.
Frankie Edgar
Points: 152
Affiliation: UFC (lightweight champion)
Weight class: Lightweight
Hometown: Toms River, N.J.
Record: 14-1-1 (won past one)
Last month’s ranking: 5
Most recent result: Def. Gray Maynard, R4 KO, Oct. 8
Analysis: Edgar’s vote breakdown: 10 third-place ballots;
five fourths; four fifths; two sixths and a seventh.
3.
Jon Jones
Points: 160
Affiliation: UFC (light heavyweight champion)
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Endicott, N.Y.
Record: 14-1 (won previous five)
Last month’s ranking: 3
Most recent result: Def. Quinton Jackson, R4 submission, Sept.
24
Analysis: Will fight his third consecutive former light heavyweight
champion when he meets Lyoto Machida on Dec. 10.
2.
Georges St. Pierre
Points: 198
Affiliation: UFC (welterweight champion)
Weight class: Welterweight
Hometown: Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Record: 22-2 (won past nine)
Last month’s ranking: 2
Most recent result: Def. Jake Shields, unanimous decision, April
30
Analysis: Was White’s “Edgar is No. 2” rant designed
to light a fire under St. Pierre, who has fought conservatively
in recent years and is known to take criticism to heart?
1.
Anderson Silva
Points: 220 (22 first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC (middleweight champion)
Weight class: Middleweight
Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil
Record: 29-4 (won past 14)
Last month’s ranking: 1
Most recent result: Def. Yushin Okami, R2 TKO, Aug. 27
Analysis: Happy fifth anniversary to the champ, who likely has
another bout with Chael Sonnen on the way.
•
Votes for others: Gray Maynard 13; Mauricio Rua 9, Dan Henderson
8; Nick Diaz 7; Jake Shields 6; Junior Dos Santos 5; B.J. Penn
5; Chael Sonnen 4; Lyoto Machida 2.
This
month’s voting panel: Denny Burkholder, CBSSports.com; Elias
Cepeda, Fight! Magazine; Mike Chiappetta MMAFighting.com and
Fight! Magazine; Steve Cofield, Cagewriter and ESPN Radio 1100
Las Vegas; Neil Davidson The Canadian Press; Dave Doyle Yahoo!
Sports; CTV Sportsnet;Ben Fowlkes, SportsIllustrated.com and
MMAFighting.com; Josh Gross, ESPN.com; Ariel Helwani, Versus.com
and MMAFighting.com; Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports; Damon Martin,
MMAWeekly.com; Todd Martin, freelance; Franklin McNeil, ESPN.com;
Steven Marrocco, SportsIllustrated.com and MMAjunkie.com; Dave
Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports and The Wrestling Observer; John Morgan,
MMAjunkie.com; Ken Pishna, MMAWeekly.com; Michael David Smith,
MMAFighting.com; Mike Straka, Tapout TV; Dann Stupp, MMAjunkie.com
and The Dayton Daily News;Jeff Wagenheim, SI.com.
Scoring:
Ten points for a first-place vote, nine points for second, etc.,
down to one point for a 10th-place vote. Fighters under suspension
for use of performance-enhancing substances or abuse of drugs
are ineligible to be considered for the duration of their suspensions.
Fighters who have been inactive for more than 12 months are ineligible
for consideration until the completion of their next fight.
•
Upcoming matches for ranked fighters: No. 2 Georges St. Pierre
vs. Carlos Condit, Oct. 29; No. 7 Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos
Santos, Nov. 12.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Lyoto
Machida Banking that Technique Beats Athleticism Against Jon
Jones
Lyoto
“The Dragon” Machida was a bit surprised when he got
the call to headline UFC 140 in a title bout against Jon Jones,
but feels his technique can overcome the champion’s athleticism.
“It
really caught me by surprise, but I’m a guy that believes
that everything happens for a reason,” Machida said about
getting the title shot at a press conference promoting the UFC
140 event in Toronto on Wednesday.
Machida
was offered to step in on short notice for the injured Phil Davis
at UFC 133 on Aug. 6 in a rematch with Rashad Evans. He didn’t
accept the match and UFC president Dana White said it was because
Machida “wanted Anderson Silva money” to take the bout.
Some
felt Machida’s negotiating may have left him on the outs
with the UFC brass, but getting offered to fight for the title
at UFC 140 put that speculation to rest.
“This
is a business,” said the former light heavyweight titleholder.
“I don’t feel at all that the UFC had anything against
me about anything that happened and I knew my time would come.”
Jones
has skyrocketed through the 205-pound division, leaving bloodied
bodies in his wake to the title. Some of the names on his hit
list include: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson, Ryan Bader, Brandon Vera, and Vladimir Matyushenko,
just to name a few.
Machida
was asked what advantages he might have against Jones.
“It’s
hard to say,” said Machida. “Maybe my experience will
speak louder in this fight, but I’m not sure.”
Stylistically
the match up is intriguing. Jones has youth, athleticism, takedowns,
and a big reach advantage, but Machida is difficult to take down,
difficult to hit, and is a precision striker with an incredible
ratio of strikes landed versus strikes thrown inside the Octagon.
“I
guarantee that on Dec. 10 I’ll be very well prepared, and
I can overcome his athleticism with my technique,” stated
Machida.
He
will be the third former champion Jones will face in a row, and
the fight with be the fourth time he’s competed in 2011.
UFC
140 takes places place that the Air Canada Center in Toronto
on Dec. 10.
Source:
MMA Weekly
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Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker Talks Gilbert Melendez, Frankie Edgar, Gina Carano
and Showtime
SAN
DIEGO – Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker is hopeful that Strikeforce
will continue on Showtime, despite the departure of the man who
played a vital role in bringing mixed martial arts to the network,
Ken Hershman.
Coker,
however, is still carrying on with “business as usual”
and continues promoting Strikeforce, deflecting any thought of
his company facing the grim reaper when its contract with Showtime
expires early next year. So, for the time being, Strikeforce
continues to operate and is scheduled to hold an event in San
Diego on Dec. 17.
Headlining
the San Diego fight card will be lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez
defending his Strikeforce crown against No. 1 contender Jorge
Masvidal. In addition, Cris “Cyborg” Santos will make
her return to Strikeforce to defend her women’s featherweight
title against Hiroko Yamanaka. K.J. Noons will look to get on
the winning track in a fight with Billy Evangilista, and former
light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi will lock horns with
Ovince St. Preux.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Meet
GSP’s Secret Weapon: Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson
A
lot of competitors in the world of MMA believe they were destined
to be fighters from a very young age. But not very many started
living that dream at 12 years of age.
That’s
how early South Carolina native Stephen “Wonderboy”
Thompson started fighting in full-contact kickboxing tournaments.
Growing
up in a household where martial arts was king, Thompson, along
with his two brothers and two sisters, was instructed by their
father starting as young as three years old to learn karate.
From
there, Thompson’s love of striking took to new heights.
At 12 years of age, he was entering kickboxing tournaments, while
his friends were going on their first dates or trying out for
the junior high football team.
Somehow
he always knew he was going to be a professional fighter, even
before he knew how to drive a car.
“I
remember growing up, all my friends are like, ‘why don’t
you play football or come and wrestle for Hillcrest,’ which
is the high school I went to, and I’m like no I’m busy
doing my thing kicking butt,” Thompson told MMAWeekly Radio
recently.
Training
and learning martial arts was a way of life for the Thompson
family, but it was also a way to learn discipline. Unlike many
trouble makers in school, Thompson definitely had a background
that could have led him into fights and violence while inside
or outside of class, but a very stern warning from his dad let
him know that martial arts was to be respected, not feared.
At
the same time, however, Thompson learned how martial arts meant
defending yourself if the right moment called for it.
“My
dad always told me you never start a fight. If I hear you start
a fight, I’m beating your butt when you get home,”
said Thompson. “But if somebody ever starts a fight with
you and you don’t finish it, I’m beating your butt
when you get home.”
Thompson
grew up in a loving household like any kid his age. The only
difference was when other parents were talking about proms and
high school football games, the Thompsons were talking about
fighting.
“Our
entire family, that’s what we talked about at the kitchen
table, we talked about the fight game,” Thompson revealed.
“Who’s fighting tonight? Who’s fighting this weekend?
When I was younger it was either kickboxing or it was boxing,
and that’s what we did on the weekends as a family. We’d
watch fights together. Growing up that was just our lifestyle.”
Thompson
grew up idolizing famous kickboxers like Rick Roufus, but mostly
idolized his own father, who was a professional martial artist
in his own right. He also looked up to his older sister Lindsay,
who was actually a professional kickboxer as well, and the stage
was set for Thompson to carry on the family tradition.
Once
Thompson started kickboxing, he didn’t stop until he had
amassed a 57-0 record with more than 40 knockouts. He was one
of the fastest rising stars in the sport, and even earned a spot
in Chuck Norris’ World Combat League, where he would fight
alongside several other top fighters including future UFC heavyweight
Pat Barry.
It
was there that Thompson actually suffered a devastating knee
injury, literally shredding his ligaments and landing him on
the sidelines for three years. During that time, however, Thompson
had a revelation that if he wanted to continue on as a professional
fighter, he needed to make the move to the quick-rising sport
of MMA.
“I
had one kickboxing fight coming out of that injury, but from
then on I told myself that it was going to be nothing but MMA
from here on,” Thompson said.
It
was fate however that intervened to help Thompson make his mark
on MMA as a training partner for one of the best fighters in
the sport.
Thompson
had traveled to Montreal for a kickboxing match where he took
on a local fighter who happened to be a training partner of UFC
welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. St-Pierre’s trainer,
Firas Zahabi, happened to be in his corner and after Thompson
knocked out their protégé in the fourth round,
they realized that there was something special about this kid
from America.
Zahabi
stayed in contact with Thompson’s father after the fight
and then soon invited him to come train with the team at the
Tristar Gym. Thompson was so effective that he was soon receiving
calls to help fighters like Rashad Evans and Nate Marquardt get
ready for their fights as well.
It
took a while for it to sink in, but Thompson soon realized that
he was training and working with some of the elite fighters in
the sport, and they were seeking him out for his help.
“It’s
just an honor. It’s an honor to go up there and train with
those guys. It’s the best feeling in the world,” Thompson
stated.
Now
with a 5-0 professional MMA record of his own, Thompson just
got the call again to help St-Pierre with his latest endeavor.
GSP will face Carlos Condit on Oct. 29 at UFC 137, and as everyone
knows Condit is a dangerous striker with knockout power in both
hands, both feet, knees and elbows.
Something
Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson knows all too well.
“That’s
a good thing. Cause I’ve been doing stand-up for many years,
and I can watch people and kind of see how their stand-up is,
and kind of simulate how they’re going to fight. I would
think for this fight for Georges, I would guess I would kind
of have to be. Condit’s very tall and lanky for 170, very
good striker, and that’s just like me,” Thompson said.
Thompson
left for Montreal just a few days ago and will spend about 12
days working with St-Pierre as he gets ready for Condit. Ultimately,
he may just be the secret weapon that the Canadian needs to truly
know what’s coming for him when he faces the experienced
striker from New Mexico with the UFC welterweight title on the
line.
While
Thompson loves being an integral part of St-Pierre’s camp,
he also knows he’s getting better every day working with
one of the top fighters in the sport. With that said, Thompson
is willing to take things slow and easy to make sure he makes
the right decisions with his own fight career.
“We’re
always thinking about that and we don’t want to rush into
it. I want to make sure that I’m definitely ready,”
Thompson said.
Currently,
Thompson is negotiating with British promotion BAMMA to appear
on their upcoming card Dec. 10 in England. He’s hopeful
to land a multi-fight deal with the organization, get some experience
under his belt, and then he’s hopeful to one day receive
the call every fighter longs for.
“After
that, if I feel comfortable, then we’re going to make that
jump to the UFC,” said Thompson. “That’s definitely
where my mind is set, where I want to go in the future. That’s
where the big guns are, that’s where everyone wants to be.”
With
a track record and work ethic like he has, don’t be surprised
if Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is gracing the UFC
Octagon in the very near future.
Source:
MMA Weekly
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MMA
Top 10 Lightweights: Breaking Up the Bottleneck at the Top
Now that Frankie Edgar has finally beaten Gray Maynard, it's
time to break up the bottleneck at the top of the lightweight
division.
Unfortunately,
it's not clear that we're actually close to seeing that happen.
In
2010, the only lightweight title fights were Frankie Edgar vs.
B.J. Penn, and in 2011, the only lightweight title fights have
been Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard. Edgar will definitely fight
someone new in 2012, but who? We'll go over some of the options
as we run through the list of the Top 10 lightweights in MMA
below.
Top
10 Lightweights in MMA
(Editor's Note: The fighter's rankings the last time we ranked
the lightweights are in parentheses.)
1.
Frankie Edgar (1): UFC President Dana White says Edgar would
be even better at featherweight than he is at lightweight, but
I disagree. I think part of Edgar's greatness is his speed and
stamina, and both of those advantages over his lightweight opponents
would be diminished if he were fighting against faster opponents
at featherweight, and weakening himself the day before the fight
by cutting an additional 10 pounds. I think Edgar is fighting
right where he belongs.
2.
Gilbert Melendez (3): The Strikeforce lightweight champion would
have a good chance of beating Edgar, but he's not going to get
that chance just yet. Up next for Melendez is Jorge Masvidal
in December.
3.
Gray Maynard (2): Maynard will get a long layoff after getting
knocked out by Edgar, but when that layoff ends I'd like to see
him take on the loser of the upcoming fight between Clay Guida
and Ben Henderson, assuming the winner of that fight gets the
next crack at Edgar.
4.
Clay Guida (4): If he beats Ben Henderson at the upcoming UFC
on Fox event, he'd have to be considered the favorite to get
the next crack at Edgar. Guida is on a four-fight winning streak
and is one of the UFC's most popular lightweights, and it would
be hard for the UFC brass to turn down the possibility of a very
entertaining Edgar-Guida title fight.
5.
Anthony Pettis (5): Pettis is a lot of fun to watch, but I got
the sense during his UFC 136 victory over Jeremy Stephens that
he had decided to fight with a more cautious, deliberate style,
perhaps burned by his last fight, a unanimous decision loss to
Guida. What makes Pettis special is his unique, exciting style.
I hope he doesn't lose that.
6.
Ben Henderson (6): After losing his WEC title to Pettis, Henderson
has bounced back in a big way by beating Mark Bocek and Jim Miller
in the UFC. If he beats Guida to move to 3-0 in 2011, he'd likely
get a title shot in his first fight of 2012.
7.
Shinya Aoki (7): Aoki likes to stay active, and he's won six
fights since his loss to Melendez a year and a half ago. The
problem is that as long as he's fighting in Dream, there aren't
many big fights available to him. A Top 10 lightweight should
be fighting better opposition than Rob McCullough, whom Aoki
beat at Dream.17.
8.
Jim Miller (8): Miller had a title shot within his reach before
he lost to Henderson. His 20-3 career record is impressive, but
the three losses were to Edgar, Maynard and Henderson -- the
only three times he's fought truly elite competition.
9.
Eddie Alvarez (10): An injury forced Alvarez to delay his Bellator
lightweight title fight with Michael Chandler until November
19. Alvarez is Bellator's top fighter and biggest draw, and an
inexperienced prospect like Chandler probably won't give him
much of a challenge. There's talk of an Alvarez-Aoki rematch
in Bellator in 2012, which could be the biggest non-UFC fight
of the year.
10.
Dennis Siver (NR): With Melvin Guillard dropping out of the Top
10, Siver moves back in. Siver will attempt to run his winning
streak to five straight fights when he takes on Donald Cerrone
at UFC 137.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Notes:
Silva-Sonnen no sure Vegas bet
Chael
Sonnen’s challenge to Anderson Silva after beating Brian
Stann at UFC 136 was equal parts usual and unusual.
That
Sonnen, who came two minutes from a dominant middleweight title
victory over Silva last year and followed with a one-sided win
over a legitimate contender in Stann, would issue a challenge
for a title rematch is something to be expected.
But
Sonnen went beyond the norm, naming the time (Super Bowl weekend)
and adding “loser-leaves-town” stipulations, saying
if Silva lost, he would leave the middleweight division, and
if Sonnen lost, he would never fight in UFC again.
Sonnen’s
attention-getting demands caused a fight that already would have
a lot of interest to be taken to a new level. But in the big
picture, the Oregonian’s self-imposed stipulations are not
best for his long-term future.
The
UFC traditionally runs a pay-per-view show the night before the
Super Bowl in Las Vegas. It’s happened every year since
2004. While UFC has not yet asked the Nevada Athletic Commission
for a date on Feb. 4, 2012, UFC president Dana White has confirmed
they are planning on keeping the “Super Saturday” tradition
going for the ninth straight year.
And
that’s where Sonnen could run into trouble, as his licensing
status in Nevada remains unresolved.
In
a complicated matter, Sonnen failed a steroid test after his
loss to Silva in Oakland, showing he had used testosterone prior
to the fight. Sonnen had admitted the use to the California commission,
claiming it was based on medical need. But he didn’t go
through proper procedure to clear such usage, and in a hearing
before the California board, said he had already been approved
personally by Keith Kizer, the NAC’s executive director.
That
claim helped get Sonnen’s suspension cut from one year to
six months. Problem was, Nevada never approved the testosterone
therapy and Kizer had never spoken to Sonnen. California suspended
Sonnen a second time based on what they believed to be dishonest
testimony in the initial hearing. The suspension, based on the
intent of the commission, would still be going today, but due
to a technicality, instead ended at the end of June.
The
suspension was still long enough to kill the UFC’s plans
for Sonnen and Michael Bisping to coach the current season of
“The Ultimate Fighter” reality show, because fighter
seconds have to be licensed in Nevada for the show, and Kizer
refused to license Sonnen.
In
fighting Stann, Sonnen became the third fighter in recent years
suspended and not relicensed in California, to hold their comeback
fight in Texas instead, a state that, unlike most major commission
states, doesn’t require fighters to first be cleared by
the commission in the state their infractions occurred. Texas
had already approved unlicensed boxer Antonio Margarito and MMA
heavyweight Josh Barnett in the past year, and did the same with
Sonnen.
So,
will the state of Nevada approve Sonnen for a potential big-money
Silva rematch? Kizer has adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
“Anyone
can apply for a 2012 license after Dec. 1,” he said. “There
has been no application filed for 2012. Medicals would have to
be done by Dec. 1, but there’s nothing on any fighter to
talk about yet.”
If
Sonnen has no issues in the aftermath of the Stann fight, his
Texas experience would likely help his case. There is precedent
for Nevada allowing suspended fighters back after going to fight
for a rogue commission. In 2002, Nevada wouldn’t license
Mike Tyson and other commissions backed the ruling. But Tennessee
agreed to license him and he fought twice in Memphis. Nevada
then re-licensed Tyson.
With
Sonnen, though, the issue is more complicated than that of Tyson,
Margarito and even Barnett. Sonnen has claimed medical need for
a testosterone exemption due to his own body producing low levels.
The practice is controversial, as the potential for abuse among
fighters is high.
Nevada
has been vigilant when it comes to testosterone use exemptions,
as only three MMA fighters have been approved.
“A
fighter couldn’t do it unless you get approval from the
commission, and he’s never applied for it,” said Kizer.
While
Sonnen mentioned a preferred date of Super Bowl weekend, the
Silva-Sonnen rematch, which White said he’d be stupid not
to put together, given the public’s interest, would probably
be better off in a location other than Nevada.
UFC
is making plans to run a 2012 stadium show in Brazil. A few weeks
ago, company officials met with Sao Paolo city officials about
running at Estadio Cicero Pompei de Toledo, a stadium that holds
67,428 for soccer. Given Sonnen’s comments about Brazil
over the years, and Silva being one of Brazil’s most popular
athletes – and their rivalry – there is no more natural
matchup for such a venue.
No
other main event has the potential to create a once-in-a-generation
atmosphere in the venue like Silva-Sonnen could. The only negative
would be security concerns for Sonnen’s safety. Sonnen didn’t
go to Brazil to be in training partner Yushin Okami’s corner
on Aug. 27 for his fight with Silva in Rio de Janeiro because
of threats made against him.
[Related:
Will Silva-Jones superfight happen? ]
Then
there are Sonnen’s self-imposed stipulations. At the end
of the day, fighting is still a business. If Silva agrees, he
would up interest in a second fight, but in the long run, they
don’t make business sense. If Silva wins, that would end
Sonnen’s career. Sonnen is now one of the company’s
top stars at a time when they are running so many shows they
need every star they can. If Sonnen wins, a trilogy fight would
be even bigger, given they would then each have a win, and Silva’s
title reign coming up on five years is the all-time longest in
history.
With
Sonnen age 34 and Silva 36, both hear the clock ticking on their
ability to garner the type of paychecks that come with headlining
huge pay-per-view events. To then make challenges that would
definitely hurt one, and possibly both, when it comes to future
earnings, doesn’t make sense.
Sonnen,
for his part, didn’t want to discuss his brash words at
UFC 136.
“Moving
forward at this point, [I’m] putting that night behind me,”
Sonnen said in an email to Yahoo! Sports.
Where
to rank Edgar? Controversy rages
After
Frankie Edgar defeated Gray Maynard to retain the lightweight
title in the UFC 136 main event, White declared that Edgar was
the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
While
the consensus seems to be that Anderson Silva is the best pound-for-pound
fighter in the sport followed by Georges St. Pierre, White’s
reasoning is that Edgar is the only champion who has routinely
beat fighters larger than himself.
Unlike
most fighters, who routinely cut 15 pounds – some more,
to make their weight class – Edgar cuts very little. He
wrestled in college at 141 pounds, but fights at 155. There are
fighters his size fighting two divisions below him at bantamweight.
Edgar
likely goes into the cage only a few pounds heavier than bantamweight
champion Dominick Cruz, and likely goes in lighter than featherweight
champion Jose Aldo Jr., both of whom cut a massive amount of
weight to make their division. It would be impressive for any
champion to consistently beat bigger men, but in the UFC lightweight
division, which has more depth than any division in the sport,
it’s even more so. No other champion is always fighting
against bigger men, and no champion continues to ignore the obvious
talk of moving down a weight class.
Some
have also taken White’s words as a slight against St. Pierre,
who cuts 15-20 pounds to make the 170-pound welterweight limit
but has been modern MMA’s most dominant champion. St. Pierre
has not only won nine fights in a row, but he’s never been
in trouble during any of those fights, and rarely even been in
a disadvantageous position. But he’s come under criticism
because his last four fights have gone the full five rounds.
Edgar,
on the other hand, was a split second from being done in the
first round in his last two fights with Maynard. Before finishing
Maynard in the fourth, he had also gone to a decision in seven
of his eight prior fights.
White’s
words, and the two fighters’ respective Saturday night performances,
led to Edgar and Aldo Jr. flip-flopping from their pre-fight
positions in the Yahoo! Sports’ pound-for-pound rankings,
with Edgar taking the No. 4 spot. Aldo Jr., who had been No.
3 most of the year, dropped to No. 4 last month due to UFC light
heavyweight champion Jon Jones’s meteoric rise, and fell
to No. 5 this month after going to a decision against Kenny Florian.
[Related:
What is Showtime’s MMA future? ]
Aldo
Jr., who had dominated everyone coming into 2011, lost the fifth
round to Mark Hominick on Apr. 30 in his prior fight, and the
first round to Florian. Even including Saturday’s performances,
where Edgar was more impressive in finishing a previously unbeaten
Maynard, Aldo Jr. has been the far more dominant fighter inside
the cage.
But
the question is how voters will weigh that against Aldo Jr. being
a big featherweight who has to nearly kill himself to make 145
pounds, and Edgar giving up 10-20 pounds a fight, and beating
B.J. Penn twice and Maynard once. As of now, the 22 voters have
voted in favor of Edgar over Aldo.
Former
MMA fighter suspected of murder
Joseph
Son, an early UFC fighter, is being investigated for the homicide
of a cellmate at Wasco State Prison near Bakersfield, Calif.,
where he is serving a life sentence for a brutal rape and torture
conviction.
Son,
40, was convicted earlier this year in a December 24, 1990, rape
case when he and another man allegedly dragged a 19-year-old
woman who was walking her dog into their car and repeatedly raped
her at gunpoint, before pushing her out of the car and yelling
“Merry Christmas.”
The
hideous case went unsolved for 18 years until Son had a DNA sample
taken after pleading guilty in 2008 to a felony vandalism charge.
The DNA matched a sample taken from the victim’s body, which
allowed the police to solve the case.
Son’s
cellmate, a 50-year-old sex offender, was found dead Monday with
trauma to the chest. The two were the only ones in the cell.
Son had been at the prison since Sept. 16.
Son,
who played “Random Task,” in the 1997 movie, “Austin
Powers: International Man of Mystery,” was probably the
most well-known fighter ever with an 0-4 record.
He
first appeared in UFC as the second of Kimo Leopoldo in his legendary
fight UFC 3 loss to Royce Gracie. But it was at UFC 4 on December
16, 1994, show in Tulsa, Okla., where Son had his role in one
of the most infamous moments in early mixed martial arts history,
as he fought Keith Hackney.
During
the fight, Son clamped a guillotine choke on Hackney, and Hackney
responded by throwing a series of hard punches directly to Son’s
groin. At that time, low blows were legal in UFC. When the brutal
clip aired on news show after news show, the moves were then
banned, but not before plenty of damage was done to the UFC’s
image.
Son
ended up a cult favorite in Japan. He had a gimmick where he
would fight wearing nothing but a thong in the carnival-like
PRIDE promotion, as well as in Japanese pro wrestling matches.
He lost all his matches quickly, but the gimmick got his fights
photos in a lot of newspapers and magazines at the time, earning
him a degree of notoriety.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Ken
Hershman Leaves Showtime and Takes Over as HBO Sports President
Showtime sports leader Ken Hershman has stepped down from the
cable network and will now accept a role as the president of
HBO Sports instead.
Variety
brought details about the deal on Thursday.
According
to several sources, Hershman stepped down in his role at Showtime
to accept a similar position at HBO Sports.
The
HBO job was opened up after longtime head Ross Greenburg left
the cable giant after issues arose when he struggled to secure
boxing pay-per-rights to the recent fight between pound-for-pound
king Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley.
Hershman
meanwhile had been at Showtime for almost two decades in some
role or another, and had taken over the sports division in 2003.
During
his tenure with Showtime, Hershman brought the cable network
several shows and promotions, but for MMA fans maybe nothing
bigger than his continue relationship with growing and promoting
mixed martial arts.
Hershman
championed getting MMA on Showtime and was involved in several
key deals including bringing Strikeforce to the cable network
just a couple of years ago.
The
exit of Hershman from Showtime does bring about many questions
regarding the network’s current negotiations with Zuffa
regarding Strikeforce. UFC President Dana White had recently
said that they hoped to have a decision made about the promotion’s
future within the next month, but meetings had been delayed recently.
Hershman’s
exit may explain part of those delays.
The
other side of this is Hershman’s continued support of MMA
could bring the sport to HBO, a network that has never featured
mixed martial arts as part of their programming.
There
are sure to be more details regarding Hershman’s arrival
at HBO as well as his potential replacement at Showtime surfacing
in the coming days.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Despite
Ken Hershman’s Exit, Scott Coker Hopeful Strikeforce Can
Continue on Showtime
The
departure of Ken Hershman from Showtime Sports makes an already
murky picture even cloudier for the future of MMA on the network.
During
Hershman’s tenure with the cable giant he championed mixed
martial arts as a viable product and helped sign deals with both
EliteXC and Strikeforce.
Now
that Hershman is gone, what exactly does that do for Strikeforce’s
immediate future on Showtime?
“To
me, it’s back to business as usual with Showtime because
there’s a lot of other people there that we dealt with that
love MMA,” Strikeforce official Scott Coker told MMAWeekly’s
Erik Fontanez on Thursday.
The
words “business as usual” have to be taken with a grain
of salt, however, because that same statement was echoed by UFC
president Dana White after Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC,
purchased Strikeforce earlier this year.
Since
that time business at Strikeforce has been anything but usual,
and with a slew of their mainstay stars now signed to deals in
the UFC, most wonder if the brand and promotion are going to
be viable at all beyond 2011.
Currently,
Strikeforce and Showtime are in negotiations to determine if
they will stay in business together beyond the current contract
that is rumored to run through March 2012.
Coker,
who founded Strikeforce several years ago, is hopeful the brand
will stay alive and that they can continue to do business with
Showtime.
“Hopefully
we’ll have an answer soon and Strikeforce will continue.
I’m hopeful because I know that both sides want to attempt
that,” Coker stated.
Nothing
has been determined yet regarding Strikeforce’s future with
Showtime, but a decision is expected to be made in the next few
weeks. Showtime is currently seeking a new head for their sports
division with Hershman’s exit to work for rival cable network
HBO, where he takes over as president.
Regardless
of Hershman’s exit, Coker was happy to work with him for
the time that they did, and he says the former Showtime executive
was instrumental in many of the deals that got MMA onto Showtime
as well as network television with CBS.
“I’m
thankful to Ken for putting MMA on Showtime, and CBS. He was
really the catalyst to make all that happen,” said Coker.
For
now, Strikeforce will focus on its upcoming Challengers show,
as well as their Melendez vs. Masvidal fight card coming up on
Dec. 17 in San Diego. Beyond that it appears nothing is set in
stone for Showtime or Strikeforce.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Champ Gilbert Melendez: ‘I’m Up There Pound-For-Pound
As Well’
SAN DIEGO – Gilbert Melendez has done a lot of work to get
the stellar reputation he has in the fight game. As one of the
few fighters outside of the UFC to get his name thrown into the
pound-for-pound discussion, Melendez continues to impress with
wins on his way to an inevitable spot on the UFC roster.
“I’m
proud of myself,” Melendez told MMAWeekly.com on Thursday.
“I’ve come a long way without the power of Zuffa behind
me. Now that I have the marketing machine of Zuffa and the approval
of them, things have… skyrocketed for me.”
But
before he can make his debut in the Octagon, Melendez will have
his hands full with Jorge Masvidal at a Strikeforce event on
Dec. 17 in San Diego. The Strikeforce lightweight champ knows
his challenger is dangerous and talks about those dangers in
the video below.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Henderson
going for the knockout against Shogun
Responsible
for sharpenning the hands of the striker Dan Henderson for over
three years, the Brazilian Gustavo Pugliese is confident about
the success of Strikeforce’s champion on his return to the
UFC, on November 19th, against Mauricio Shogun. And there’s
more: he’s hoping for the fourth KO in a row.
“Both
have the ability to finish it via knockout, but it’s a five
rounds bout, so we don’t have to rush into it”, analyzes
Gustavo, who leaded Henderson’s training to his recent wins
over Fedor Emelianenko, Rafael Feijao and Renato Babalu. “Of
course the goal is always the knockout. It’s what Dan is
up to, he’s always going for the knockout”.
On
an exclusive interview, which you check below, Pugliese talked
about Hendo’s wish of having a chance at UFC’s title,
whether it’s against Anderson or on the light heavyweight
division, and analyzed Shogun’s Boxing skills: “on
the tapes of Shogun’s last fights I noticed some flaws on
his Boxing game. “Shogun’s Boxing actually is not that
developed”.
What
are your expectations for this fight?
I’m
hoping it’s an explosive fight. Both have the ability to
finish it via knockout, but it’s a five rounds bout, so
we don’t have to rush into it. We don’t wanna get into
a situation where Dan is tired for not having got his coups right.
So, we’ll take our time during this fight.
Henderson
comes from great knockout. Is his game plan to go for the knockout
against Shogun?
Of
course the goal is always the knockout. It’s what Dan is
up to, he’s always going for the knockout, but we need to
know when to attack and when to counterattack.
What
is your work with Dan for this fight?
We
won’t change Hendo’s style, but we’re working
in some details that might surprise Shogun. It ain’t no
secret the way Henderson finishes his fights, so my job, along
with (Daniel) Woirin, will be to prepare him correctly to use
his strongest weapon, his right hand. It becomes dangerous when
we use the kicks and his left hands at a time, doing different
combinations. So we’ll make him confuse so he forgets about
his right hand completely. Obviously, Dan will use his Wrestling
when on the clinch, it’ll be important to use different
weapons to get Shogun tired.
How
do you see Shogun’s Boxing skills?
On
the tapes of Shogun’s last fights I noticed some flaws on
his Boxing game. Shogun’s Boxing actually is not that developed.
He only moves forward and tries to find the right angle ti punch
his opponents. Since he’s not much technical, he walks a
lot. Fighting a guy like Henderson, who knows when to counterattack,
it’ll be dangerous for Shogun. But he also has a heavy hand,
so we gotta be careful too.
Do
you consider this fight against Shogun tougher than the one against
Fedor was?
This
bout against Shogun might be more dangerous than the one against
Fedor, event because Shogun has an efficient Muay Thai for MMA.
Against Fedor we’re just waiting for him to come and punch
him. Shogun brings a great variety of coups on the stand-up game.
The only advantage is that Shogun is lighter. And for a five
round bout he can get tired faster. But the respect is the same.
He
ran through Griffin in UFC Rio. What are your thought about that
fight?
After
I saw his fight against Griffin, Shogun did what he should’ve
done on the first place, when he was defeated. Griffin only has
a greater reach. Despite being a former UFC champion, he’s
not technical and he has no KO power. He’s tough, but he’s
far from being something like Dan Henderson.
UFC
wondered about Anderson VS. Henderson. Is it on Dan’s plan
to fight Silva?
Anderson’s
always been in Dan’s plans. One of the reasons he left UFC
was that Anderson didn’t want to fight him. He wants the
rematch, but he’s not anxious about it. First, we gotta
go through Shogun. Then we’ll see what happens. It’ll
be hard for Anderson to get away from this rematch against Chael
Sonnen first, anyway.
In
case he bets Shogun, what would Henderson prefer: have a title
shot on the middle weight or on the light heavyweight division?
Henderson
proved to be competitive for having fought in three weight divisions.
But he’d prefer the light heavyweight, since he doesn’t
need to cut that much weight. The only fight he’d accept
at the middleweight division would be Anderson.
Source:
Tatame
|
UFC
holds meeting in Salvador, Brazil
According
to website ibahia.com, next Monday, October 17, the top dogs
at the UFC will be in Salvador, in the Brazilian state of Bahia,
for a meeting with Governor Jaques Wagner and state secretary
of sports Nilton Vasconcelos. Rumors have it that Salvador is
in the promotion’s sites to host the most famous MMA show
in the world.
There
are a few notable sons of the state on the UFC’s roster,
including the Nogueira brothers, Minotauro and Minotouro, as
well as Lyoto Machida, who was raised in Pará but born
in Salvador.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Gilbert
Melendez Still in Strikeforce, Defends Title Against Jorge Masvidal
by Damon
Martin
If
Gilbert Melendez is going to fight UFC champion Frankie Edgar,
he’s going to have to earn it with at least one more title
defense in Strikeforce.
As
announced by the promotion, Strikeforce will indeed keep its
lightweight champion as Melendez will face Jorge Masvidal on
Dec. 17 to headline the upcoming Strikeforce show in San Diego.
Over
the past couple of weeks, it has been discussed that Melendez
would make his way to the UFC and compete in its lightweight
division, possibly facing the winner of last weekend’s fight
between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.
Well
now it appears that Melendez is staying put in Strikeforce for
at least one more fight.
Following
UFC president Dana White’s announcement about Melendez joining
the promotion, Masvidal said that he was assured he would still
be fighting for the Strikeforce lightweight title in December.
“The
fight’s on,” Masvidal stated. “From what me and
my camp understand, the bout’s still on. I just signed bout
agreements like two weeks ago.”
Looks
like Masvidal was right all along.
The
fight between Melendez and Masvidal will headline the upcoming
Strikeforce card set for Dec. 17 from California with several
other fights also rumored for the card, including the return
of top women’s star Gina Carano.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Bellator
54: What to Watch For
by Brian
Knapp
The
setup was perfect from a Bellator Fighting Championships standpoint:
a compelling five-round title fight featuring one of the promotion’s
most coveted stars against one of its most promising talents,
all on a night when the UFC sits still.
Fate,
it seems, had other plans.
Bellator
lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez was slated to make the second
defense of his 155-pound crown against unbeaten challenger Michael
Chandler. One of the company’s centerpieces, the 27-year-old
Alvarez has won 12 of his past 13 fights, including seven in
a row. Chandler, an NCAA All-American wrestler at the University
of Missouri, kept his perfect professional record intact by winning
the Bellator Season 4 lightweight tournament. Unfortunately,
an undisclosed injury to the champion has put the Alvarez-Chandler
showdown on hold and left Bellator without a true headliner this
Saturday at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
The
show will still pack plenty of punch, with a pair of middleweight
tournament semifinals on tap, along with a non-title super fight
featuring the promotion’s bantamweight champion. Here is
what to watch for at Bellator 54:
Fun-Sized
Stakes
Zach
Makovsky remains one of MMA’s best-kept secrets. The Bellator
bantamweight champion will meet UFC veteran Ryan Roberts in a
three-round, non-title matchup. The 28-year-old Makovsky will
carry a seven-fight winning streak into the cage with him, having
stopped Chad Robichaux on third-round punches in his last outing
at Bellator 41 in April. Spawned by the Philadelphia Fight Factory,
the Makovsky game bears a striking resemblance to that of former
UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. A two-time gold medalist
at the FILA Grappling World Championships, the Atlanta native
wrestled collegiately at Drexel University and comes armed with
a potent top game.
Middleweight
Dark Horse
Some
view Bellator’s Season 5 middleweight tournament as a three-horse
race between Bryan Baker, Alexander Shlemenko and Vitor Vianna.
Brian Rogers wants to crash that party. A Strong Style Fight
Team product, the 27-year-old has rattled off seven consecutive
wins, all of them first-round finishes. Rogers secured his spot
in the semifinals with a first-round technical knockout against
Victor O’Donnell at Bellator 50 in September, as he dispatched
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 alum with a head kick
and follow-up punches in less than two minutes. Rogers has an
accomplished background in traditional sports, having played
inside linebacker at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio.
He left the program second on the school’s all-time tackles
list.
Stumbling
Block or Stepping Stone
Outside
of an unforeseen stumble, Rene Nazare seems a shoo-in for the
next Bellator tournament at 155 pounds. The Team Bombsquad representative
sports a perfect 10-0 mark and has finished five of his last
six foes inside one round. A decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt, Nazare has medaled in a number of high-profile competitions,
and his transition to mixed martial arts has been nothing short
of seamless. Nazare made another move up the lightweight ladder
in August, when he forced the cageside physician to call a halt
to his bout with Renzo Gracie protégé Juan Barrantes
at Bellator 48. The Brazilian made his promotional debut only
six months ago, as he earned a first-round technical knockout
against Luiz Azeredo -- the first man to defeat reigning UFC
middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Nazare will lock horns
with Jacob Kirwan, an undersized lightweight, in Atlantic City.
Psycho
II
Not
long ago, Karl Amoussou was viewed as one of the top prospects
in Europe. However, two losses and a draw in his last four appearances
have taken some of the shine off his star. The 25-year-old judo
black belt made his promotional debut at Bellator 45 in May,
and it did not go well. Amoussou wound up on the wrong side of
a split decision to the little-known Sam Alvey in a defeat that
cost him a chance to compete in Bellator’s Season 5 middleweight
tournament. Now 18 fights into his professional career, the Frenchman
still lacks a signature win. Undercut by inconsistency, Amoussou
has not won back-to-back fights in more than two years. He will
face Joey Kirwan, a Ring of Combat veteran on a three-fight winning
streak, in his second appearance inside the Bellator cage.
In
Need of M’Pumbu-Related Repairs
Tim
Carpenter reached the semifinals of the Bellator Season 4 light
heavyweight tournament and carried a perfect professional record
with him, until he ran into the hands of Christian M'Pumbu at
Bellator 42 in April. That encounter rendered Carpenter’s
considerable ground skills null and void and resulted in a first-round
technical knockout at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla.
M’Pumbu went on to win the tournament and become Bellator’s
first light heavyweight champion. At 31, Carpenter has time to
rebuild the momentum he lost in a flash, and the road back begins
with a matchup against Team Bombsquad’s Ryan Contaldi.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Dana
White: How can you not rank Frankie Edgar higher than GSP on
P4P list?
By Zach
Arnold
ARIEL
HELWANI:“So, at the press conference, you said Frankie Edgar
is now the #2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. You have
Canada up in arms now, they’re very upset because you just
dropped GSP down. Why do you think…”
DANA
WHITE:“How do you know Canada’s upset?”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Twitter. It’s a beautiful thing.”
DANA
WHITE:“They’re going crazy? I can’t wait to get
on Twitter.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“They are very upset.”
DANA
WHITE:“Listen… all you Canadians, I know you guys love
you some GSP and so do I, I love GSP, you know, I say it all
the time… I actually get mad when I’m up in Canada,
I’m like how is this guy not sponsored by every blue chip
company in Canada? He’s a great champion, he’s a great
ambassador for our sport, he’s a great ambassador for his
country, but if you really look at what the pound-for-pound means,
how do you not put Frankie Edgar in the #2 position? The guy
weighs 145 pounds, he’s fighting at 155 pounds, he’s
beat EVERYBODY and just knocked out Gray Maynard. He is the #2
pound-for-pound fighter in the world. No disrespect to Canada
or Georges St. Pierre. It is what it is.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“What do you think you’ll do with Frankie next?”
DANA
WHITE:“I don’t know. That’s up to Frankie, that’s
not really up to me. If I was running over at Frankie’s
place, he’d be fighting at 145 pounds.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Even thought he’s been doing so good?”
DANA
WHITE:“That’s why it’s so hard to really sit there
and say, Frankie, you should really do this. He beat BJ Penn
twice, he beat Gray Maynard and knocked him out when everybody
thought he had his number, and he’s beat everybody else
in the 155 pound division. When you watch this guy fight at 155
pounds, look how much bigger Gray Maynard was than him. He gets
hurt, he overcomes almost getting knocked out to knock out Gray
Maynard and I don’t know, I’d just love to see the
guy fight at 145 pounds.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“In terms of 155, though, who do you thing is next
for him?”
DANA
WHITE:“No clue. I’m not even thinking about that.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“What are the chances (Gilbert) Melendez is next
for him?”
DANA
WHITE:“I don’t know. I don’t even want to talk
about Strikeforce, I don’t even want to talk about it. That
whole thing’s still going on… and it’ll be sorted
out soon.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“So, no point asking you about the phone call that
you were talking about on Wednesday?”
DANA
WHITE:“Yeah, well, we had the phone call and, you know,
we’re, we’re, we’re pushed back another week.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Who pushed it back?”
DANA
WHITE:“I don’t want to even talk about it any more.
I’m done.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Did you meet with Melendez this weekend?”
DANA
WHITE:“I met with him (Saturday).”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“How did it go?”
DANA
WHITE:“Good! I mean, listen, this kid’s one of those
guys that he’s a great kid, he’s a great fighter, he’s
either going to come to the UFC or he’s going to fight in
Strike force (this) December. We’ll see what happens, though.
He’s… he’s a good kid, he knows what’s up,
and we’ll get this thing figured out.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
DREAM
Veteran Hong Man Choi Booked With Assaulting Female Customer
By Daniel
Herbertson
Seven-foot-two
K-1 World GP in Seoul Champion and DREAM "Super Hulk"
Hong Man Choi has been booked with assault following an October
8 altercation with a female customer at a bar he owns and operates
in Seoul, South Korea.
The
alleged assault occurred when a female customer refused to pay
a tab at Choi's bar which turned out to be more expensive than
she had anticipated. Following an argument, the female patron
claims that Choi punched her in the face.
Posting
on his blog on Wednesday, Choi vehemently denied punching the
woman, stating, "She verbally insulted me. I just could
not take it anymore. I just pushed her a little bit. I swear
that I never punched her.
Choi
continued, putting his (admittedly dormant) fighting career on
the line by writing, "If I am lying, I will quit my career
as a K-1 fighter."
The
charges against Choi do seem dubious as witnesses have stated
that the women pressing charges was heavily intoxicated, threw
a glass at Choi's head, kicked and punched the former K-1 star
and made derogatory comments about his parents. When the women
brought up Choi's family, witnesses stated that he pushed the
woman aside in an attempt to end the argument.
Korean
reports do not indicate if the charges being leveled against
Choi are civil or criminal, but the South Korean giant does intend
to take legal action against the female customer if she, "continues
lying about the incident."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Cage
Warriors to Introduce Mandatory Blood Testing
Cage
Warriors Fighting Championship on Tuesday announced that, going
forward, they will introduce mandatory blood testing for all
of their fighters.
“It
has been recommended for many years now that all individuals
who may potentially be exposed to blood in their profession,
such as doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers, as well
as police officers and firemen, should be tested for infections
like HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and also be vaccinated against Hep
B,” said Cage Warriors medical adviser Dr. Rashid.
“Full
contact sports are another important area where this should be
considered and this is why the British Boxing Board of Control,
as well as the UFC, introduced mandatory testing for all their
fighters.
“This
is a very simple and effective way of minimizing one of the risks
faced by individuals who take up full contact sports and I wholeheartedly
support the Cage Warriors team in their efforts to introduce
testing for their fighters.”
Cage
Warriors Director Graham Boylan added, “The Cage Warriors
team works for the sport. We want to bring everything that’s
missing to the UK. Since the takeover last year, we’ve put
in place our own in-house commission.
“Now
that our research has concluded, it is now mandatory to provide
your blood paperwork if you wish to fight on Cage Warriors Fighting
Championships. No proof of bloods, no fight. If every other promotion
in the UK also makes blood-work mandatory, we’re a step
closer to where we should be.
“If
you’re a professional fighter, you should refuse to fight
unless you see your opponent’s blood paperwork.
“Any
promotion out there that would like access to the information
we’ve gathered regarding how to go about getting fighters
tested, please contact us and we’ll gladly provide it. Cage
Warriors is here for the sport and the fighters.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
The
UFC’s expansion in numbers
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship just keeps growing and growing,
as the latest numbers make plainly clear. With the final event
of 2011, on December 30 in Las Vegas, the UFC will wrap up the
year with 27 live television broadcasts, as reported by Junior
Samurai. For 2012, UFC president Dana White has already announced
plans for 34 dates for the most famous MMA event on the planet.
Though the specific dates have yet to be confirmed, the plan
is to take the show to every continent in 2012. Expansion is
imminent and Brazil looks set to host four events. The big news
is the broadcasts on Fox TV network in the USA, the new flyweight
division looks to be a go, and a fight will feature every week
on reality show TUF.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Butt
patches & Malki Kawa: “I’m the very best at what
I do when it comes to the sponsor game.”
By Zach
Arnold
MIKE
STRAKA: “The thing about the business of MMA, you hear guys
like boxers making $30 million USD a fight and the fighters are
slowly creeping up to numbers, not $30 million dollars, but they’re
creeping up some numbers and particularly you got some guys that
are really high up there on the pay scale. How do you see the
next generation of fighters making a living in the industry?”
MALKI
KAWA:“Well, you know, it’s the same thing like any
industry. In the 70s, football players made this much. In the
80s, it went to there. In the 90s, it blew up. In the 2000s,
you know, you hear about mega-million contracts and I think with
fighting it’s the same thing. I mean, you know, hey, the
sport is 20 years old. By the time this sport is 30 years old,
40 years old, you’re going to be hearing about some mega-numbers
and getting fighters getting paid what you hear football players
and basketball players getting.”
MIKE
STRAKA: “Now, a lot of these guys, fans, will read about
their favorite fighters and a lot of blogs have it wrong, let’s
say… these fighters make more money in sponsorship dollars
than they do for their fight purses. Is that true?”
MALKI
KAWA:“You know, in some cases it’s true. In other cases,
it’s not. It just all really depends on the fighters. The
problem is that it’s like a puzzle, people won’t get
it. Where’s he fighting on the card? Who’s the fight?
Who’s his opponent? What’s the style of the match-up?
You know what I mean? Because, you know, the most expensive spot
on the shorts is either the crotch or the butt, right? So, if
you got a fighter who’s a stand-up guy fighting a wrestling,
his crotch and butt almost doesn’t mean anything because
chances are he ends up on his back. So, that gets factored in
some times. There’s a lot of little things here and there.”
MIKE
STRAKA: “So, what you’re saying, so let’s say…
Josh Koscheck is fighting Georges St. Pierre, I want the butt
patch?”
MALKI
KAWA:“Absolutely. As a sponsor, you want the butt patch.
And as a manager you need to explain and show the sponsor why
they’re going to pay more for the butt patch. Besides the
fact that it’s going to do a million PPVs and that’s
where all the exposure is, this is why you want to put this much
money on Georges or Koscheck because somewhere, somehow it looks
like it’s going to end up, you know, on the floor.”
MIKE
STRAKA: “Although in that fight, in that instance, they
stayed up. But, still, the butt patch is valuable if they’re
both standing up the whole time, too, right?”
MALKI
KAWA:“Absolutely, that’s the whole thing. So, that’s
why when people ask, OK, is it true this and that, yeah, you
know, some fighters make more money on sponsorships because,
um… and the truth is you really don’t know because
a lot of guys will have, you know, a certain… purse set
up and another one but the UFC always takes care of these guys.
They come up with extra checks and stuff and sometimes that does
end up making up. It’s just we don’t really get that
information until it’s your fight, so I know in my case
with my fighters a lot of them are making more money in their
purses, some of them are right there, and some sponsorships is
much more. But it’s a gradual curve that’s going up
all the time.”
MIKE
STRAKA: “Let’s talk about some of your clients and
particularly Jon Jones. A kid that’s 23 years old. When
he won the belt, the day he won the belt, he tackled a burglar
and he got national exposure, put on Jay Leno, I mean how do
you coach a kid who goes from relative obscurity to mainstream
attention?”
MALKI
KAWA:“Well, you know, the thing is with him is he, before
I even met him, his biggest thing was to be humble, was to always
be down-to-earth and to never, ever come across as one of those
guys that’s too good for someone else. He’s done a
phenomenal job of that. You know, with anyone with success and
fame, things can start to change for you but it’s not him
that’s changing, it’s the things around him. People
are coming at him left and right. I mean, we just took him to
the bathroom, I had to walk him down to the bathroom. I got guys
in the stall trying to take pictures of him while he’s using
the bathroom. So, if he turns around an tells the guys, hey,
stop that, ‘oh, Jon’s a jerk!” And that’s
the problem where people don’t get it. Being a famous celebrity
athlete, some of them are good people and some of them are bad
people. That’s just before the fight. He’s a great
person and it doesn’t take a lot of coaching because he’s
very self-aware and very self-conscious of how he comes across
and what the perception of him is and that’s something he’s
constantly working on.”
MIKE
STRAKA: “Now, in your case you’re at home and you’re
wondering why this guy sounds so familiar and if you’re
on Twitter you’re going to know that Malki Kawa’s very
active on Twitter, but if you go back to one of the Ultimate
Fight nights where a big heavyweight fighter named Matt Mitrione
fired you on national television and by doing that he actually
made your career. But I want to find out what exactly happened?”
MALKI
KAWA:“He didn’t make my career.”
MIKE
STRAKA: “What exactly happened?”
MALKI
KAWA:“Um, you know what, it’s just a lot of miscommunication.
He had a lot of people in his life that were working with him
on some stuff and I’m the very best at what I do when it
comes to the sponsor game. You’ve experienced it with me,
you know very well how good I am at what I do and, um… you
know… a lot of external factors, things that were out of
my control, things that he had in place already before I got
there and, you know… Matt’s Matt and he decided to
handle it the way he handled it. I had three weeks notice and
basically it’s what it is. So, not to take any excuses,
it just didn’t work out. But as you see from that point
forward, I’ve pretty much picked up so many popular fighters,
marketable fighters, name fighters, Top 10 contenders, #1 contenders,
things of that nature. So, I’m not going to say Matt made
me because at the end of the day, you know, if one guy had something
bad to say I’m sure there would be another 30-40, but it’s
one guy. A lot of the guys I represent are very happy, they recommend
me to other fighters, that’s how I get a lot of fighters.
They just keep saying, “Go with Malki.” So, that being
said, you know… it’s just things that happened. Listen,
you get hired, you get fired. It’s the way the business
goes.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Minotouro
getting ready for Tito Ortiz, talks Lyoto Machida vs. Jon Jones
By Guilherme
Cruz
Rogerio
Nogueira needs a win on his return to UFC, on December, against
the former champion Tito Ortiz, after two consecutive losses.
As an incentive, the guy who fights out of Bahia will have his
twin brother, Rodrigo Nogueira, on the same card, against Frank
Mir. Training hard for 140, Rogerio talked to TATAME TV an analyzed
the trainings, the bout against Ortiz, commented on the rematch
between his brother and Mir and also talked about the duel between
Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida, comparing the styles of Jones and
Anderson Silva. Check it:
How
are the trainings for Tito Ortiz at UFC 140?
The
trainings are great, I’m a lot confident. I guess this night
will bring us a big day and a knockout. I’ll try to put
on a good fight because I didn’t do my best last time I
fought, but this time I’ll be much better trained. I know
all about the game Tito Ortiz plays, I was supposed to fight
him before, so I’ve been studying his game for almost a
year now.
Exactly.
You were supposed to fight him, but then it changed. You already
studied his game, so now is it just train for him?
Yeah,
it really changed. After I was supposed to fight Tito I went
to fight Phil Davis, so it changed a little, then came Rich Franklin
and other guys, but I kept looking at Tito Ortiz’s fights
because I knew he was a possible opponent to get on the line.
He’s experienced, he has being fighting in high level for
a while and he’s strong. But, honestly, I guess I’m
better than him both on stand-up and on the floor. At Boxing
I believe I know best how to measure the distance, ‘im a
little more aggressive and I have more punch power at striking.
He
wasn’t doing great, but then submitted Ryan Bader on the
first round, but loss to Rashad Evans next. How do you see his
phase I UFC?
Well,
it happens. I guess it’s normal in this weight division
and fighting in such a high level. He’s been doing a good
campaign, he has great guillotine chokes. He got that win by
chance, because he punched Bader and it caught him, he fell and
then he went for it. He’s a great champion, so he knows
how to finish a fight. If he has a chances, he’ll do it.
That’s what a champion does. That’s what happened on
that bout of Gray Maynard, that he couldn’t finish the fight,
and when Frankie Edgan could see the KO coming, he went for it
and finished him. That’s a characteristic of an experience
fighter, who knows how to do it. But, when Tito fought Rashad
Evans, Rashad proved he was prepared, because he was supposed
to fight for the title for a while now, so he proved he’s
much sharpen than him. So, when he made a mistake, Rashad finished
the fight.
You’re
not getting lucky on the match-ups, because you were supposed
to fight Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin, two strikers, who
then got injured, forcing the organization to replace them and
you end up fighting many wrestlers in a row. Now you’re
fighting another wrestler, Tito Ortiz. How do you see it?
Yeah,
they are really matching me up against wrestlers, and that’s
a good thing, it ain’t a bad thing because I’ve been
improving my takedown defenses and I guess you can tell I’m
getting better, because it’s been harder on guys to put
me against the fence. In UFC we used to fight on the center of
the cage, but it ain’t no excuses. The level is really high
now and I’m getting better and better to figure among the
tops.
You
brother’s fighting on the same night against Frank Mir.
What are your expectations for this rematch of his?
Rodrigo
is a lot motivates, he’s coming from a great win. Frank
Mir is much experienced, he’s a lefty, he’s a lot heavy.
He’s coming from great wins by submission and KO, like when
he fought Cro Cop. But Rodrigo on a Row after this win and coming
for it, after spending much time without fighting, I believe
he’ll prove why he’s considered to be one of the best
fighter of all times. I believe Rodrigo is better both on stand-up
and ground game than Mir.
What
lessons did you learn from their first bout?
I
guess Rodrigo was a little desperate, he went for it, trying
to finish the fight quickly on the first round. He was supposed
to scratch a little more, find the right distance to punch him,
not try to define it on the beginning. I believe he’s better
than Mir technically. Frank was an opportunist. When he punched,
he defended and counterattacked and defined the fight. So, that’s
the lesson. If Mir punches he, Rodrigo gotta take his time and
not try to go for it desperately. Rodrigo will be ready for it
now.
Jon
Jones, the champion of your division, will fight on the same
night you will against Lyoto. What do you think about this match-up?
It
was really quick, right? Jon Jones just defended his title and
will do it again now, so it proves he’s on a row and he
liked fighting (laughs). For Lyoto is a great chance. There’s
no one better than Lyoto to fight him. He’s coming from
a great KO. He has lost his belt, but he kept fighting with the
tops, so I guess he’s a good challenger for Jon Jones. He
know how to use the distance in his favor, it’ll be a different
game for Jon Jones. Let’s get him tested. It’ll be
a great fight and I’m guessing it’ll be a huge fight.
Many
people compare Jon Jones with Anderson Silva. What do you think
about that?
I
guess he likes playing like Anderson. He likes doing like the
bests. Anderson is the best, so he’s trying to do something
similar. I guess he’s always trying to bring something new,
like Anderson does, so you never know what he’s up to, a
kick or a punch… he’s being great. Since he’s
already done many different things I guess he was easier to predict
on this last bout he did. I believe Anderson is more creative
than him.
Send
a message to the fans who’ll root for you, Rodrigo and Lyoto
in UFC…
On
December 10th there’ll be three Brazilians fighting in UFC,
at UFC 140. Me, my brother and Lyoto Machida, who’s fighting
for the light heavyweight title. So I’m asking you to cheer
for Brazil, because I believe we’ll bring three beautiful
wins back home.
Source:
Tatame
|
Back
to basics: takeaways from UFC shifting PPV start times back to
10 PM EST
By Zach
Arnold
1.
Old habits die hard
There
seems to be mass panic right now about the low rating the UFC
136 prelims on Spike drew for ratings last weekend, given the
two fights on the card that hardcores were interested in. It’s
just proof that what excites the hardcores and the announcing
team isn’t always what draws. (Ask Bellator all about that
phenomena.) Sometimes, guys like Leonard Garcia move the needle
by bringing in 200,000 extra fans. Other times, a fight like
Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens isn’t sexy enough of
a battle for casuals to care about.
The
move to get prelims going on TV at 9 PM EST and PPV start backs
time to 10 PM EST is probably the right move, although I would
say that upping the start time still does not address the fact
that MMA will always be a niche sport, especially during the
Fall & Winter when you are competing against college football
& other live sporting events on television. For the hardcore
MMA fans who come from the pro-wrestling world, other sports
are not going to influence their decision to watch UFC shows.
However, casual sporting fans who may buy a Brock Lesnar PPV
are not going to be terribly moved to buy a UFC PPV headlined
by Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard if ABC is airing Nebraska vs.
Ohio State. You don’t often hear people discuss the impact
of CBS airing SEC Saturday evening games or ABC airing Big 12
games on Saturday nights, but if you got big schools like Alabama
vs. Florida playing a game at the same time as your PPV product,
you’re going to lose some buys.
(In
the case of college football on Saturday nights, you’re
dealing with live games on Fox Sports Net/Comcast Sportsnet,
occasionally Notre Dame on NBC, occasionally SEC on CBS, the
ABC evening game, plus games on ESPN, ESPN2, and the various
ABC-owned pay TV affiliates like Big East Network, SEC Network,
so on and so forth).
2.
UFC’s admission of being a “West Coast sport”
differentiates it from other US-based TV-backed sports
As
we’ve seen demonstrated with the other sports (especially
baseball playoffs), you can be dealing with media empires like
Fox Sports who are based in Los Angeles but know that what TV
executives care about the most is the East Coast television audience.
Going back to the college football TV situation in point one,
there’s a reason those games start at 5 PM PST — because
it’s 8 PM EST. Imagine them starting games at 11 PM EST
and you’d end up with an audience the size of Fresno State/Hawaii
games (not very big).
Outside
of big Las Vegas-based boxing PPVs, UFC is the one major sport
that embraces the West Coast over the East Coast. The fact that
UFC is willing to make such an admission when it comes to their
core PPV business says that the company still has a significant
amount of work to do in terms of winning over a bigger market
share back East. It’s tough to do that when your operations
are in Las Vegas and you built the core audience on the left
coast first.
I
wouldn’t say being a left coast product is damaging in any
way, but it is certainly a unique trait of the fight business
— a sector of sports that will always stay in the ‘niche’
category.
3.
Despite signing a deal with Fox Sports, PPV remains at the core
of the UFC business model
November
12th in Anaheim has been advertised during NFL games on Fox.
Dana White says that he’s paying Cain Velasquez & Junior
dos Santos “PPV money” to fight on the show. The indication
from those comments is that UFC is not making PPV-level money
for being on network television. Barter set-up? Fox Sports says
that ad slots sold out rapidly for the debut show and it should
serve as a good lead-in for the Manny Pacquiao fight on PPV later
that night.
(I
don’t know if the UFC fight will air live on all coasts,
though. If it airs delayed on the West Coast, that will be quite
the irony.)
There’s
no question that UFC made the right call in having Ari Emanuel
broker the network deal to help increase the company’s exposure
and actually attract some traditional sports fans. Will it help
UFC down the road in terms of building new stars and converting
them into PPV customers? That’s the calculation here by
Zuffa and it’s a wise one.
What
isn’t wise is the idea of making the UFC Japan show a Fox
broadcast. That Japan show itself is a dumb idea, but it’s
not my money and I don’t have an ego to stroke on that deal.
4.
The start time is not the main problem facing UFC with declining
PPV buys
When
you announce that you’re going to be running 34 shows a
year starting in 2012, that’s too many damn shows. People
respond by cherry-picking the shows they only care about. Ask
WWE how well that non-stop schedule has worked out for declining
PPV buys.
Even
for news junkies like us, 34 shows is simply too much to digest
and you forget a lot of things very quickly. Listen to Joe Rogan
and Mike Goldberg mix up facts & figures sometimes now on
television. If they are having trouble keeping up with previous
fights, then you can’t expect fans to use the mental energy
to try to keep up as well.
If
you run too many damn shows you’re going to wear out your
production teams and mistakes will be made. You’ll lose
track of previous fights. Booking could very well suffer because
of the sheer amount of workload placed on Joe Silva and Sean
Shelby. Injuries will impact which fights to book on which cards
and whether or not stars like Jon Jones should be rushed to fight,
thus potentially placing young stars in positions where their
careers could get short-circuited because they end up fighting
veterans they aren’t simply ready to fight at that time.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
My
First Fight: Rich Franklin
By Ben
Fowlkes
By
the time most fight fans so much as heard his name, Rich Franklin
was already somebody. He had a successful UFC debut with a first-round
TKO of Evan Tanner, then went on to shine at the very first Ultimate
Fighter Finale, where he knocked out Ken Shamrock on Spike TV
before claiming the UFC middleweight title in his next fight.
But
if you hopped in a time machine and told the Rich Franklin of
1993 -- then a senior at William Henry Harrison High School in
Ohio -- that this UFC stuff he was watching with his friends
would eventually become his career, he probably would have laughed
in your time-traveling face.
"I
had no aspirations of becoming a pro fighter or anything like
that," Franklin says now. "But I saw the first UFC
and I was immediately hooked."
Sure,
he did a little karate. He was even his sensei's star pupil,
and he felt pretty good about it. But in Franklin's mind, that
was as far as it went. He liked sports, and he also felt like
he should know how to defend himself. That's why, when he saw
the UFC for the first time in November of 1993, it was an eye-opener.
I
was like really? They were going to put me against this big guy?
He was at least 50 pounds heavier than me.
-- Rich Franklin"I remember thinking, if I ever get into
a fight on the street I'd better know how to fight on the ground,
because clearly some people know a lot more about it than others.
So I started doing jiu-jitsu."
Fortunately,
there was a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu chapter in Cincinnati. As a college
student studying to be a high school math teacher, Franklin began
learning the finer points of the ground game. One thing led to
another, and soon he added some kickboxing into his regimen.
It was fun, and that was enough. At least for a little while.
Then his friend, Josh Rafferty (later a contestant on the first
season of The Ultimate Fighter, put a simple question to Franklin.
"He
said to me, 'Look man, all you do is train, go to school, come
home, and train some more. You train all day, so why don't you
try one of these fights and see if the training you're doing
is actually paying off?' That's why I took my first fight."
But
this was still Ohio in 1998, so it's not as if there were major
MMA events taking place every weekend. What few there were in
the region weren't exactly advertised on TV, either. Franklin
and his friends had to ask around, but eventually they heard
a rumor that there were regular fights at a gym in Muncie, Indiana.
Franklin and Rafferty made the drive and sat through the entire
event, which ended with a 6'2", 260-pound self-described
"Meat Truck" by the name of Kerry Schall putting a
beating on some football player.
"I
looked at Josh at the end of the night and said, 'You know what?
I think I could do this. Let's give it a shot.' We saw a flyer
as we were leaving for another show about three months later
and we decided, okay, this is the one we'll train for."
The
good news was that training for an unregulated amateur fight
in a gym in Indiana in 1998 was that you did not need to worry
about cutting weight. You also didn't need to worry about seeing
a doctor or passing medicals. You simply called up the promoter
and told him you wanted a fight, and then you called him up two
weeks before the fight to reassure him that you weren't going
to back out. Then you showed up on fight night and waited your
turn.
The
bad news, Franklin soon realized, is that you had no idea who
you'd be fighting. This hit home as he was sitting in the audience
watching the night's first few fights and talking with Schall,
who he recognized from the previous event he'd attended.
"We
introduced ourselves and Kerry said, 'Oh, you're the guy I was
supposed to fight tonight, but I had to pull out because I'm
sick,'" Franklin recalls. "I was like, really? They
were going to put me against this big guy? He was at least 50
pounds heavier than me."
But
before he had too much of a chance to dwell on the implications
of this revelation, the announcer called his name and summoned
him to the cage. As Schall would delight in telling people years
later, after he and Franklin had become good friends, when Franklin
heard his own name he simply stood up, pulled off his tearaway
warm-up pants like a male stripper, and strolled into the cage,
ready to fight.
So
I just let it go, and the crowd -- all 200 of them or whatever
it was -- went from screaming and yelling to completely speechless.
-- Rich Franklin
The
other guy, as Franklin remembers it, was not quite as excited
about the whole deal.
"He
looked uneasy. As soon as we stepped in the cage, he looked like
he didn't really want to be there. I looked at his demeanor and
his posture and I was like, I got this one in the bag. He was
in something that he did not want to be in."
As
soon as the action started, Franklin realized why. His opponent
that night -- Franklin swears he was known only by the name 'Seymour'
("I guess he was like Madonna or something. He just had
the one name. He was Seymour.") -- didn't seem like he was
quite ready for an amateur fight against a man who had five years
of experience in both grappling and striking at a time when most
fighters still specialized in one at the expense of the other.
But
even though he quickly saw that his skills were ahead of Seymour's,
Franklin wasn't totally sure what to do about it.
"This
is how dumb I was: we come out and we're mixing it up, and I
end up taking him down. I'm kind of cross-mounted on him and
I have a submission, but I let it go and go to another submission,
and I have a shoulder lock almost completely locked out, but
then I thought, you know, I trained all these months, all these
years, for a 30-second fight? I'm going to let him up. So I just
let it go, and the crowd -- all 200 of them or whatever it was
-- went from screaming and yelling to completely speechless."
Franklin
released the submission and stood up. He indicated to Seymour
that he, too, should get up. This seemed to confuse everyone
-- especially Seymour -- and even Franklin soon had second thoughts.
"He
got up and we mixed it up on our feet some more, but it was clear
to me that I was just a step above this level of competition.
At that point, I started to feel a little bad. Like, why didn't
I just finish him when I knew I had him beat? This is kind of
a jerk thing to do."
So
Franklin handed out a tough dose of mercy in the form of a knee
to the gut. Seymour collapsed on the mat. The ref stepped in
and waved it off. A little over two minutes after it had started,
his first MMA fight was over. After the way it had gone, he wasn't
quite sure what to think about it.
"I
thought it would just be that one fight. Then a couple months
later somebody asked me about doing another one and I thought,
why not?"
Part
of his enthusiasm was just a consequence of being an ignorant
youth, he says. "Early in my fight career, I really thought
I was the baddest man on the planet. I was young and stupid."
I
was like, whoa, you can actually make money fighting? That's
where it first clicked.
-- Rich Franklin
But
it was also the fact that, for one reason or another, the high
school math teacher didn't fully appreciate the risks he was
taking.
"It
wasn't until my third amateur fight, where I kicked this guy
in the jaw and broke his jaw in like three places -- hurt him
pretty bad, actually -- that I finally took a step back and realized,
hey, that could have been me. These are the consequences of fighting,
and you never know who you're getting in the cage with. From
that point on, you start thinking about it a little more. The
reality of things starts weighing on you a little more."
Shortly
thereafter the local promoter pulled Franklin aside and politely
suggested he find a bigger organization to compete in, one with
fighters who might give him more resistance. That's when a different
promoter offered him a couple hundred dollars to fight in his
event, and a light bulb went off in Franklin's head.
"I
was like, whoa, you can actually make money fighting? That's
where it first clicked."
Gradually
the purses and the events got bigger, and in his fourth year
of teaching Franklin decided to give up his full-time job at
an Ohio high school in order to pursue fighting as a career.
"Before
that I'd make a thousand bucks here or there and have a little
extra money to buy Christmas gifts or something. But to do this
and really make money at it? That was a pretty wild idea. The
sport was only just then evolving to the point where people were
starting to make real money at it," he says now. "That
fourth year I took like three fights and I won and ended up quitting
my job. Seems like it all panned out pretty well."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
If
Nick Diaz Wins at UFC 137, Dana White is Prepared to Give Him
a Title Shot
There’s something to be said for personality in MMA.
Every
fighter has their own demeanor and attitude when it comes to
things like pre-fight media, interviews, and approach to dealing
with their opponents as show time gets closer and closer.
Nick
Diaz may be the most interesting character when it comes to personality
in MMA. Always brash and never apologetic, Diaz has made a habit
out of flipping off opponents and fans, talking trash inside
the cage during a fight, and even a few tirades when appearing
on media conference calls.
For
all the things that Diaz has done in the past, the one thing
he did recently by not showing up for a press conference was
cost himself a shot at the UFC welterweight title. But now Diaz
is set to appear on the same show, UFC 137, but will instead
face former champion B.J. Penn with a potential title shot on
the line.
UFC
president Dana White says that after several conversations with
Diaz that he now ‘gets it’ and he has no worry that
the Stockton, Calif., native will show up and do all the required
pre-fight work the UFC wants him to do.
Whether
he shows up and sits in a chair for 30 minutes and doesn’t
answer a single question, White just wants Diaz to show up and
be himself.
“I
don’t want him to not be Nick Diaz,” White said. “I
just need him to show up to stuff like that.”
Despite
past misgivings, White is also confident that if Diaz is successful
against Penn that he could very well get the next crack at the
UFC welterweight title against either Georges St-Pierre or Carlos
Condit.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UP
N UP - Stand Alone
TODAY
Waikiki
Shell, Honolulu, Hawaii
October 15, 2011
Main
Event
170 lbs Championship
Zane Kamaka vs Bubba Ka'ahanui
155
lbs Championship
Johnavan Vistante vs Nate Quinola
205
lbs Championship
Tasi Edwards vs Ilima Maiava
HW
Championship
Paea Paongo vs Doug Hiu
145
lbs Championship
Elijah Manners vs Tyler Kahihikolo
205
lbs
Vince Alama vs Shawn Desantos
145
lbs
Ikaika Tampos vs Dillon Fillekes
HW
Henri Berger vs Chris Barnard
170
lbs
Miller Ualesi vs L. John Borges
170
lbs
Chad Puha vs Lavelle Brown
HW
Dylan Rush vs Palmer Fuga
SHW
Grudge Match
Bryson Pang vs Alvin Kanehailua
125
lbs
Wesley Mossman vs Joey Balai
155
lbs
Arnold Ramos vs Aaron Terry
155
lbs
Shandon Augustus vs Joseph Enaena
205
lbs
Jacob Smith vs John Rosa
125
lbs
Alika Kumukoa vs Jared Gonda
125
lbs
Chante Stafford vs Butch Anderson
185
lbs
Tillis Sionesini vs TBA
170
lbs
Cody Andrade vs TBA
FIGHT CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE
|
Retirement
or Not, We Haven’t Seen the Last of Kenny Florian
by Jeff
Cain
Kenny Florian has competed for a UFC title three times in his
career and was defeated each time. After losing to featherweight
champion Jose Aldo at UFC 136 last Saturday, many are questioning,
what is next for Florian? Some have even suggested that he should
consider retirement.
Florian issued a statement via his management team at Authentic
Sports Management on Monday in response to questions that surround
his fighting future, but gave no indication about any career
decision.
“Everyone is asking what is next for me,” read the
statement. “The only response I can give right now is that
I’m going to take some time. I want to rest, spend some
time with my family and friends, and then evaluate all of my
options. I’ll speak with (UFC president Dana White), and
my manager, Glenn Robinson, and we will figure out my next move.
When I make that decision, my fans will be the first to know.
One way or another, you haven’t seen the last of Ken-Flo!”
“That’s up to Kenny,” said White about Florian’s
future following the UFC 136 post-fight press conference. “It’s
one of those things he needs to sit down and really figure out
on his own.
“He’s accomplished a lot in this sport; he really has.”
Florian (14-6) has come a long way since he made it to the finals
of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter as a middleweight
back in 2005. After losing to Diego Sanchez in the season’s
finale, Florian won two fights in the welterweight division before
dropping to the 155-pound weight class. In his second bout as
a lightweight, Florian was granted a title shot for the then-vacant
lightweight crown against former welterweight contender and much
more experienced Sean Sherk. He was defeated that night and many
questioned if it was too much too soon for Florian.
He regrouped, refocused, and rose through the division over the
course of the next two years, putting together a six-fight win
streak and earned a second opportunity at UFC gold. This time
he faced former two-division UFC champion B.J. Penn. Florian
would again come up short in a title fight, losing by submission.
Having lost twice in lightweight title bouts, Florian set out
to get back to contender status. In his next two outings, he
decisively defeated Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi. He then faced
Gray Maynard at UFC 118 in a No. 1 contenders bout. Maynard’s
wrestling proved too much and Florian lost a one-sided decision.
Following the loss to Maynard, White criticized Florian, suggesting
he doesn’t perform when on the biggest stage.
“I just think Kenny is one of those guys that chokes in
big fights,” said White.
Florian exited the lightweight division after the Maynard loss
in search of a big fight in the 145-pound weight class, perhaps
to prove White wrong.
In his featherweight debut, Florian took on rising star Diego
Nunes. Florian won a hard-fought unanimous decision and called
for a fight with titleholder Jose Aldo.
In his second fight as a featherweight, Florian was granted the
fight he requested. History was repeating itself. And much like
in his fight against Sherk, Florian was defeated by Aldo in a
one-sided decision.
The third time wasn’t a charm for the Bostonian. But does
that mean he should retire?
Ultimately any decision falls on Florian, and either way, he’s
left his mark on the sport.
Two things happened to Florian’s legacy at UFC 136. He lost
for the third time with the belt on the line, but he also joined
a short list of names that have competed for world titles in
two different weight classes. The list includes: Randy Couture,
B.J. Penn, Sean Sherk, Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson, Urijah Faber,
and Jens Pulver.
Whether Florian retires or tries to stage a run at a fourth title
shot, White isn’t worried about his future.
“The thing is he’s smart, he’s talented, he’s
got other options. He’s got other things going on outside
of fighting, too,” said White. Florian co-hosts MMA Live
on ESPN, and commentates regularly on UFC broadcasts.
“He’s a talented guy with a lot of options,” said
the UFC president. “I have nothing but respect for him and
Kenny Florian will be with us, no matter.”
While Florian’s statement on Monday didn’t shed light
on what he intends to do in the future, he was right about not
seeing the last of Florian… one way or another.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
By
the Numbers: UFC 136
by Brian
Knapp
Much
like hall of famers Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, Frankie
Edgar and Gray Maynard will be forever linked by their trilogy.
They sandwiched wins around a New Year’s Day draw. Edgar
brought some decisive finality to the rivalry and retained his
lightweight crown with an emotionally stirring fourth-round knockout
against “The Bully” in the UFC 136 headliner on Saturday
at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Beyond
the outcome rest the facts and figures. Here is a by-the-numbers
look at UFC 136 “Edgar vs. Maynard 3,” with statistics
provided by FightMetric:
58:54:
Total time Edgar and Maynard have spent engaged in battle inside
the Octagon.
11:
Takedowns Edgar attempted against Maynard in the rematch. None
were successful.
9:
Takedowns Maynard delivered against Edgar in their first encounter
at UFC Fight Night 13, six more than he secured in their second
and third fights combined.
1,996:
Days Maynard spent as an undefeated mixed martial artist.
13:
Consecutive victories for Jose Aldo since he suffered the lone
defeat of his career to Luciano Azevedo in 2005. The featherweight
champion captured a unanimous decision from “The Ultimate
Fighter” Season 1 finalist Kenny Florian in Houston, extending
his streak to 13.
15:
Significant strikes by which Aldo outlanded Florian over the
final three rounds. The Brazilian dynamo outstruck Florian 16-3
in the third round alone.
3:
Bids Florian has made to win UFC gold. All have failed.
17:
UFC appearances for Florian, tying him with the late Evan Tanner
for 13th on the all-time list, one behind Georges St. Pierre,
Rich Franklin, Frank Mir, Chris Leben and David “Tank”
Abbott.
241:
Weeks in between Chael Sonnen’s submission on Brian Stann
and the one that preceded it. The outspoken Team Quest representative
had not tapped out an opponent since he put away Tim McKenzie
with a brabo choke under the Bodog Fight banner in February 2007.
2:
Significant strikes Stann landed on Sonnen in his second-round
submission defeat, the lowest such total of his career.
6:
Joe Lauzon submissions inside the UFC after he coaxed a tapout
from Melvin Guillard with a first-round rear-naked choke -- more
than heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez (zero), light heavyweight
champion Jon Jones (three), middleweight champion Anderson Silva
(three), welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre (two) and lightweight
champion Edgar (one).
89:
Percentage of Guillard’s career losses that have come by
submission.
58:
Average number of significant strikes Nam Phan landed per round
in his unanimous decision victory over Leonard Garcia.
251:
Total strikes by which Garcia has been outlanded in his last
nine bouts -- three wins, five losses and a draw. In fact, the
Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts representative and former WEC
featherweight title contender has not outstruck an opponent since
he defeated Jens Pulver by first-round technical knockout on
Nov. 5, 2008, the same night Barack Obama was elected 44th President
of the United States.
66:
Total strikes by which Demian Maia, a decorated grappler, outlanded
Jorge Santiago, representing the third-largest disparity of his
UFC career. He outstruck Mario Miranda 104-29 at UFC 118 in August
2010 and Jason MacDonald 103-36 at UFC 87 in August 2008.
1,928:
Days since Jorge Santiago’s last -- and only -- victory
inside the Octagon, a first-round knockout against the late Justin
Levens at UFC Fight Night 5.
6:
Takedowns secured by Anthony Pettis in his split decision nod
over Jeremy Stephens, two more than in his previous seven appearances
combined.
36:
Percentage of significant strikes Stephens landed on Pettis,
the second-highest for any opponent who has gone the distance
with the former WEC champion. Bart Palaszewski landed at a 50-percent
clip in his split decision victory over Pettis at WEC 45.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Ed
Soares: Machida wanted to fight Dan Henderson, Anderson/Henderson
2 almost happened
By Zach
Arnold
ARIEL
HELWANI: “How did this (fight with Jon Jones) come about
(for Machida)?”
ED
SOARES: “Actually, (Wednesday) night, Dana called said and
said, ‘hey, Ed, don’t say anything, but is Lyoto (Machida)
willing to take a fight December 10th against Jon Jones for the
title? And I said, you know, yes, let me check with him, but
I’m going to tell you yes. I called Lyoto, he was at his
friend’s birthday party and I called his phone, it didn’t
pick up. And I called his wife’s phone and told her and
then she tell, ‘tell Lyoto! tell Lyoto!’ and I told
Lyoto and he said yes. Then, I called Dana back, told him, ‘hey,
he accepted,’ he goes, “OK, I’m going to send
you the bout agreement.’ I said, ’send it right now.’
HE sent it last night. I e-mailed it to Lyoto’s wife and
this morning when I woke up the signed bout agreement was in
my e-mail, I forwarded it to the UFC, and it was a done deal.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Was it your understanding that the first choice
was to Jon fight Rashad Evans and because Rashad wasn’t
healthy they then chose Lyoto?”
ED
SOARES: “I didn’t really know all the details that
was going on but I knew that they were trying to get Lyoto a
fight by the end of the year, you know… at first, you know,
we were really hoping to get that fight against (Dan) Henderson
on November 19th and then it ended up going to Shogun. But, you
know, once again that’s proof that everything happens for
a reason and we were really bummed about that and then this opportunity
came up. So, you know, it always seems to work out in the end.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “And did they talk to Lyoto about potentially fighting
Phil Davis on that date and then Phil couldn’t fight?”
ED
SOARES: “They never talked to us about that. As a matter
of fact, I found out about it when Dana announced it and I was
like, ‘really? they never mentioned it…’ But I
texted Dana right away and said, ‘hey, even though you guys
didn’t ask us, we accept.’ So, it was all good.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “A lot of people are wondering what Lyoto’s
relationship was with Dana after the whole story that he didn’t
choose to fight on August 6th. “The Anderson Silva money.”
Did the relationship get strained a little bit because of that?”
ED
SOARES: “No, I don’t think it got strained. I think,
you know, we have a good working relationship with Dana and it
wasn’t exactly said in the way it was put out in the media
that he wanted “Anderson Silva money,” but you know
sometimes it gets twisted around and it kind of appears that
way. Or things are put out… not the way that they were said.
There were reasons why he didn’t take the fight. But, no,
I think at the beginning, you know, Dana was probably a little
bit frustrated. But after I spoke with Dana, I spoke with Dana
right after it happened, I was in Vegas and had a meeting with
him and told him. I don’t think it affected anything, you
know, Dana… Lyoto is part of the UFC and we have a great
relationship with Dana, Dana has a good relationship with Lyoto,
and it’s all good.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Dana said (Wednesday) at the press conference
that Anderson Silva is suffering from bursitis in his shoulder.
How’s he feeling and how long do you expect him to be out
for?”
ED
SOARES: “I think we’ll see Anderson fight in the beginning
of next year.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Did they offer him the Dan Henderson fight? Dan
Henderson said at the press conference…”
ED
SOARES: “They offered us that fight right after he fought
(Yushin) Okami, they offered him the fight. His shoulder was
already hurt before the Okami fight and we said, ‘hey, let
us go check it out before we accept.’ And then we went,
in Brazil, we went to a doctor there in Sao Paulo and the doctor
said he’s going to need 4-to-6 weeks of rehab, thank God
he didn’t need surgery, but he had… he had a torn tendon,
I forgot he had one torn ligament or two torn ligaments and one
tendon or something like that, not torn but just stretched or
something and they said that he’s not going to have surgery
and that he’s going to need 4-to-6 weeks of rehab before
he starts of training again. So, that was good news but unfortunately
it was bad news that he wasn’t able to fight Henderson on
the 19th.”
(later
on)
ARIEL
HELWANI: “There are some who think that if Chael wins on
Saturday that a fight against Anderson in Brazil would sell out
a 50,000 or 100,000 seat stadium. I’m wondering… do
you think it would be smart from a security standpoint to have
Chael really come to Brazil to fight Anderson?”
ED
SOARES: “I don’t think the UFC or Chael would do that,
but who am I? I… the Brazilian people don’t care for
Chael too much, if you know what I mean. We’ll see what
happens. I’m sure if that was to happen, I’m sure they’ll
have increased security around Chael.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Do you think we’ve seen maybe the last of
Jose Aldo’s days of fighting at 145 are numbered because
he had so much trouble cutting weight and because there are some
big fights for him at 155 and if he gets by (Kenny) Florian there
aren’t as many big fights left for him at 145, do you think
we’ll eventually see him move up?”
ED
SOARES: “I think eventually we’ll see that but I think,
you know, Jose’s still, you know, this time to me it seemed
like he was making weight much easier than he has that I’ve
seen even against Urijah Faber. I don’t know. It just depends.
But I definitely think in the future we’re going to see
him at 155.”
ARIEL
HELWANI: “Why did Big Nog fight in Toronto? Because he wanted
to fight in Japan. He said he was only still 80% when we spoke
to him in August after his win over Brendan Schaub. Why did he
decide to come back so quickly?”
ED
SOARES: “Well, because it was an opportunity to fight Frank
Mir and he was going to fight with his brother on the card and
it was just, you know… Nog never turns down an opportunity
to fight, never turns down a challenge. So, I think he just wants
to avenge that loss and the sooner he can avenge that loss, in
his mind the better, probably.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Dana
White Calls Toronto UFC's 'Fight Capital of the World'
By Ariel
Helwani
The
UFC is returning to Toronto for UFC 140, headlined by Jon Jones
vs. Lyoto Machida, less than eight months after making its debut
in the market in April for the record-breaking UFC 129 event.
However,
this time around, the organization will be setting up shop at
the Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto
Raptors, not the cavernous Rogers Centre.
"We
felt that this was the right move our second time back here,"
UFC president Dana White said at a press conference in Toronto
on Wednesday.
UFC
129: St-Pierre vs. Shields set UFC and North American MMA records
with a 55,724 attendance and a $12.075 million gate ($11.5 million
Canadian).
White
was asked on Wednesday whether the UFC would consider holding
another mega-show at Rogers Centre, and considering how successful
the first one was, it's no surprise his answer was yes.
"We'll
do another massive fight here when we have the right fight,"
White said.
"Vegas
has always been known as the fight capital of the world, well
in our sport, Toronto is becoming well known for that. So, yes,
we'll do another major fight (in Toronto) and do it like we did
last time."
The
UFC president has often called Canada "the Mecca of MMA,"
and despite the promotion's packed schedule, this marks the second
year in a row that the UFC will visit the Great White North three
times in a calendar year. And plans are already in place to hold
an event in Montreal, site of four previous UFC events, in the
first quarter of 2012.
"This
is without a doubt the strongest market on the planet,"
White said.
UFC
140 tickets go on sale to the public on Saturday, Oct. 15, and
the arena is expected to be configured for approximately 20,000
fans. Ticket prices will range between $700 and $85.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Former
UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar Returns to WWE…Sort
Of
Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar got his first taste
of stardom when he appeared as a WWE professional wrestler for
several years. Lesnar was one of the company’s biggest stars
for quite some time before he walked away to pursue other interests,
one of which was becoming a professional mixed martial artist.
Now
with Lesnar set to return to the Octagon for the first time in
over a year when he faces former Strikeforce heavyweight champion
Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in December, the former Minnesota
Golden Gopher is returning to his pro wrestling roots as well.
Well…
sort of.
With
UFC president Dana White’s blessing, Lesnar will appear
in the new WWE: 12 video game being released by THQ.
It’s
the first time Lesnar has appeared in any kind of WWE programming
in several years, but he will be featured as a character in the
new video game release from the pro wrestling giant.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
ADCC
champ Vinny Magalhães gets set for stalwart sambo stylist
Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
It’s
been a good year for Vinny “Pezão” Magalhães.
With three MMA wins under his belt, the black belt went on to
take gold at this year’s ADCC, putting away Fabrício
Werdum in the over-99kg division. Magalhães’s next
challenge is an M-1 Global title defense against Mikhail Zayats.
“I
didn’t train specifically for the ADCC at all,” he
told the MMAJunkie website.
“I
have goals for my career, mostly from my MMA career, so I could
not put Abu Dhabi as a next goal. I just kept training MMA. Some
guys they bring like five or six black belts, and they do like
six to eight weeks of camp, just of Jiu-Jitsu. I could not afford
to do that,” he added.
Now
the black belt is getting ready to take on Zayats on October
14 in Phoenix.
“I
saw him fight a couple times. He’s more of a ground guy
too, but you never know with Sambo guys. They’re more ground
guys, but they like to strike. He’s a Combat Sambo world
champion so his style is similar to Fedor (Emelianenko),”
he said on the website’s radio program.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Tasty
gambling odds/lines for upcoming big #UFC fights @FightOdds
By Zach
Arnold
Our
friend Nick Kalikas continues to work hard at setting some good
lines for upcoming UFC fights. In the video embedded here, check
out the line he put on the Rick Story/Martin Kampmann fight (Story
-140, Kampmann +110) & the Brian Bowles/Urijah Faber fight
(Faber at -200). There’s lots of intriguing lines on upcoming
fights, including some biggies that we’ll take a look at
here right now.
For
informational & entertainment purposes only.
UFC
136 in Houston
Frankie
Edgar (-130, 13 to 10 favorite) vs. Gray Maynard (+110, 11 to
10 underdog)
The
line sounds right and, yet, I’m compelled to think that
Maynard should be considered here simply because of the damage
he did early on to Frankie in R1 of their last fight. It took
a mad comeback just to even things up after a five round battle.
The
line has stayed relatively stable, although money has been coming
in for Maynard.
Chael
Sonnen (-260, 13 to 5 favorite) vs. Brian Stann (+220, 2 to 1
underdog)
The
line has stayed the same since it was first made. I thought more
money would come in on Stann given the long layoff Sonnen has
had (even if he’ll be back to using TRT, right?).
The
line has remained steady throughout.
Jose
Aldo (-350, 7 to 2 favorite) vs. Kenny Florian (+300, 3 to 1
underdog)
Aldo
being a 3-to-1 favorite sounds about right. Don’t tell Luke
Thomas that, who absolutely loves Florian in this spot and thinks
Kenny is a big step up for Aldo in competition. That’s probably
accurate but look at Kenny’s history in title fights. He’s
simply not the same fighter in title bouts as he is in non-title
fights.
Since
the initial line was set, virtually all the money has gone on
Aldo here. The line on him went from -280 to -350. Florian’s
line jumped nearly +100.
Melvin
Guillard (-400, 4 to 1 favorite) vs. Joe Lauzon (+350, 7 to 2
underdog)
Melvin’s
win over Evan Dunham has done his wonders in terms of gaining
respect amongst the fans and bettors. He’s certainly more
athletic than Joe and has great coaching, but 3 to 1 sounds rather
large here.
The
line here has dramatically risen on both sides. Guillard is the
heavy favor amongst bettors. Lauzon’s line jumped nearly
+100 like Florian.
Anthony
Pettis (-300, 3 to 1 favorite) vs. Jeremy Stephens (+240, 12
to 5 underdog)
Even
though styles make fights, I’m surprised that bettors have
not had their confidence shaken in Mr. Pettis. He had a lousy
showing against Clay Guida last June (you’ll remember that
show as the one where Dana White was too busy fighting Bloodstain
Lane on Twitter to watch the fights unfolding in front of him).
The
one thing Stephens has going for him is that he’s fought
some very tough, respectable competition in the UFC and as we’re
seeing with guys being introduced into the Zuffa family from
other promotions, there is no substitute for having a long track
record against fighting real competition.
The
money has sharply gone on Pettis.
UFC
137 in Las Vegas
Georges
St. Pierre (-400, 4 to 1 favorite) vs. Carlos Condit (+350, 7
to 2 underdog)
In
other words, the same standard line we always see with St. Pierre
for his title fights. If you’re looking for a ray of sunshine
as to why Condit stands a chance, read what Jordan Breen said
here.
BJ
Penn (-130, 13 to 10 favorite) vs. Nick Diaz (EVEN)
I
am perplexed and befuddled by this line. BJ is only a -130 favorite?
Are people sleeping on this line or are there so many hardcore
Nick Diaz fans out there willing to put money on ‘their
guy’ (ala Fedor) that you end up with crazy lines like this?
I would not be shocked to see Penn up as a -200 favorite by fight
time. If not, then that means there’s a lot of fish out
there ready to get reeled in and you should love, love, love
that -130 line on a lot of levels.
Someone
please explain to me what Nick Diaz does better than BJ Penn
and just exactly the course in which he wins this fight. By decision?
How? Penn on top position is a win for BJ since US judges are
hesistant to award points to guys on their back (rightly or wrongly).
Striking-wise, Penn would love to drill Diaz with a few power
shots. In terms of experience and quality of opponents faced,
Penn blows Diaz out the water.
Matt
Mitrione (-130, 13 to 10 favorite) vs. Cheick Kongo (EVEN)
This,
right here, is a wild line. Do you put Mitrione in the same category
as Pat Barry in terms of offensive striking? I get it, Kongo
showed horrible defense against Barry in their Pittsburgh fight.
Plus, Mitrione has won a string of fights recently in highlight
fashion. However, he’s facing a guy that can easily knock
him out fast and do so in very devastating fashion. I’m
shocked that Kongo is not the favorite here and by a substantial
margin, say, by a 3 to 2 margin.
Mark
Munoz (-220, 11 to 5 favorite) vs. Chris Leben (+180, 9 to 5
underdog)
It
sounds about right?
Cain
Velasquez (-140, 7 to 5 favorite) vs. Junior dos Santos (+120,
6 to 5 underdog)
Wow,
there’s a lot of people not buying into Velasquez as the
man, yet. I think a lot of the concern here is about whether
or not he has full healed from the rotator cuff surgery. I can
definitely see some value here for Cain if you’re a big
believer in him as being the dominant ‘ace’ of the
UFC HW division for some time to come.
Mauricio
Shogun (-160, 8 to 5 favorite) vs. Dan Henderson (+130, 13 to
10 underdog)
A
dream fight for both hardcore and casual fans. A lot of people
are already excited to pick Henderson to win here and feel that
the money will come in on Shogun because of the ‘Forrest
Griffin effect’ as our buddy Luca Fury likes to say.
Alistair
Overeem (-140, 7 to 5 favorite) vs. Brock Lesnar (+120, 6 to
5 underdog)
That’s
a much tighter line than I expected. I thought the initial line
would be heavier in favor of Overeem.
Michael
Bisping (-200, 2 to 1 favorite) vs. Mayhem Miller (+160, 8 to
5 underdog)
Like
the Overeem line, I’m surprised that Bisping isn’t
a higher favorite here.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Junior
dos Santos’s new manager talks pressure, UFC on FOX spot
and Velasquez
By Guilherme
Cruz
Junior
“Cigano” dos Santos fights for the UFC title on November
12th, against the undisputed Cain Velasquez, and he bring some
news on his training camp. The coaches and training partners
are still the same, what changed is his manager. For the first
time talking about the work done with the heavyweight, Ana Claudia
Guedes, a new figure in the fighting business, talked about the
pressure of initiating the works exactly on the “golden
chance” of his career, on a title fight that will be broadcast
live on open TV on the United States, and also told us how this
partnership with the fighter works. “Me and Cigano are not
really part of this conventional model. There are areas of his
career he takes care himself”, explains Ana, who talked
about the duel against Velasquez. Check it:
How
did you get into the fighting business?
I
started with Dos Santos, at his call. I'm a fan of his and, occasionally
a student, for a long time. I've worked with many other people
in many projects, both on the legal side, with contracts, registers
and brands licensing and etc., as for the press office, public
relations.
Did
you know Junior before starting managing him?
I
met Cigano professionally, we didn't know each other as friends.
He looked for me because his friend told him about me, a guy
who was my client.
And
you accepted the invitation right away or did you feared getting
into this business?
It
wasn't like that. We've started working together a long time
ago. I'm an attorney in law, get it? He looked for me to clear
something out. Than came some contract issues, which I helped
him to get through and our professional relationship started
growing. I have great experience in intellectual properties and
entertainment rights, which involves image, sponsorship, licensing,
contracts and everything. I've worked for a TV channel, I've
worked with musicians, artists.
Dos
Santos was my first professional fighter, and this branch has
some peculiarities I learned as they came to us, and I'm still
learning. But the management part, the laws, the business, it's
something I have a great baggage at. As we worked together, it
was growing. Everything very natural, it was a natural evolution.
I get along with his team, they started trusting me because they
realized I'm competent, dedicated, ethic. These are things I
appreciate.
Did
you feel any kind of pressure for starting to work with Junior
on such an important moment, when he'll have a chance at the
title and it'll be UFC's debut on FOX, especially after he has
been working with other managers for a long time?
Well,
I must confess I'm under pressure, but it's not like that. I
feel the same pressure when a client trust in me. “You are
responsible for everything you captivate”. So that's the
way I see it. So, I see Junior, a person I really admire, for
whom I developed a great affection and respect to, and who's
in a moment of great opportunities, believing in me. My concern
is the only place I feel this kind of pressure like you said,
it comes from there: I don't want to let him down, I want to
be a good tool for him and do everything I can to make him be
cool for a good training camp. I want to filter any troubles
he and his crew might have.
And,
if I'm not mistaken, you are the first woman to become a manager
in MMA business. Is it any different?
I
don't know, especially because, as you know, I'm new at it, so
I still didn't have the chance to meet everybody. But my role
isn't exactly of a manager. I'm a lawyer, and adviser, I'm his
communication with the press... Sometimes I'm also his secretary
or his driver too (laughs)! Not kidding now, just so there won't
be any mistakes: when you thing about a 'manager' we think about
a traditional model. Me and Dos Santos are not really part of
this conventional model. There are areas of his career he takes
care himself, others I'm responsible for.
What
areas he's taking care of that usually were handled by his manager?
Someone
in his position, who's about to become a world champion on his
division, already has great opportunities with not much effort.
So he's filtering these opportunities, these invitations. He
gives it to me and I negotiate and get the contract ready for
him to sign.
And
how did you get this invitation of fighting at FOX for the first
time?
Dana
sent me the message, through my sister, asking me to call him.
We've spent all morning sending messages one to another. When
we finally spoke, he made the offer.
How
will it change Junior's career?
I
guess it's a huge step for UFC and for MMA. The way I see it,
Junior, just like Cain, were chosen as the ambassadors of UFC
to the American people. Many are watching MMA for the first time.
And UFC took the time to chose one my one who'll represent the
sport, represent the organization. Cigano, besides being much
talented, is an amazing human being. He very nice. Always, with
everybody. I've been with him during weeks he had many appointments,
one after the other, the whole day, many days in a row. Even
when he was a lot tired, even away from his family, far from
him gym, tired, irritated, I only see him treating people and
the fans well.
FOX
brought the chance of Junior becoming known by a new audience,
since he was only seen by people who bought the pay-per-view,
and athletes usually make some money from selling PPVs. There
was some kind of compensation on that matter?
It's
not like that. Each UFC fighter has a different contract, not
all make money from pay-per-view sales. Besides, I can affirm
it changes depending on the athlete and also depending of who
handled the negotiation. As for the specific Dos Santos' negotiations,
I can't really talk about it. It's a private subject, so I won't
comment on anything private about my clients.
And
about his bout against Velasquez, what are the expectations?
I'm
hoping for a great fight. Junior says he'll knock him out on
the second round. I wanted it to be on the first, because I get
a lot nervous (laughs). When Rodrigo (Nogueira) fought against
Brendan Schaub, in UFC Rio, I was so anxious... Thanks' God it
was quick! That's what I want against Cain: efficiency (laughs)!
Source:
Tatame
|
Sherdog.com's
Pound-for-Pound Top 10
On
Oct. 8, Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo each affirmed their places
among MMA’s finest, though in decidedly different fashions.
For
Edgar, it was another battle back from the brink of consciousness,
another display of superhuman grit and determination to hang
on to his UFC lightweight title. Despite once more being blasted
in the opening round by challenger Gray Maynard, Edgar took the
driver’s seat in rounds two through four, before eventually
handing Maynard his first defeat and first knockout.
Aldo’s
retention of his UFC featherweight strap came in a far less dramatic,
but no less decisive manner. While he couldn’t stop ex-lightweight
contender Kenny Florian in 25 minutes, Aldo proved who the better
man was, outworking the larger fighter even as Florian looked
to impose a slowed-down game plan.
Following
a two-week lull, MMA will be thrust into its most intense scheduling
of 2011, as a matter of seven weeks will see five of these pound-for-pound
entrants in action, as well as many more fighters on the cusp
of the sport's rarefied air.
1.
Anderson Silva (31-4)
The Spider spun another gem on Aug. 27, avenging his 2006 disqualification
loss to Yushin Okami in vicious fashion and leaving little doubt
as to who is the finest fighter operating in mixed martial arts
today. Before a raucous Rio de Janeiro crowd, the Brazilian champ
once again displayed the technical wizardry and violent, precise
striking which has allowed him to defend his UFC middleweight
title a record nine times while racking up a remarkable 14-0
mark inside the Octagon. Next on tap for Silva seems to be a
rematch with constant agitator Chael Sonnen, though exactly when
and where the bout will take place is yet unknown.
2.
Georges St. Pierre (22-2)
St. Pierre has been cleaning out the elites of the welterweight
division with startling, unprecedented efficiency. Over the last
four years, St. Pierre has dominated the most impressive schedule
of opponents in MMA, making other pound-for-pounders look ordinary.
However, as a result of his dominance as well his style, constantly
critiqued for its conservatism, onlookers demanded a new-look
opponent for GSP. Dana White complied with fans’ wishes,
signing former Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz to a new UFC contract,
but that matchup fell apart when Diaz failed to fulfill his promotional
duties. Instead, St. Pierre will meet another hard-hitting finisher,
Carlos Condit, at UFC 137 on Oct. 29.
3.
Jon Jones (14-1)
Making good on the hype bestowed upon him, 24-year-old “Bones”
retained his UFC 205-pound title and put on yet another impressive
display on Sept. 24, disposing of ex-champ Quinton Jackson via
fourth-round submission. Jones will face another stiff challenge
in his next defense, though not the one he thought: With ex-teammate
and top contender Rashad Evans sidelined due to injury, Jones
has been slotted against another former titleholder, Lyoto Machida,
for December’s UFC 140.
4.
Frankie Edgar (14-1-1)
The UFC’s lightweight champion concluded his trilogy with
Gray Maynard in dramatic fashion on Oct. 8, recovering heroically
from another first-round pummeling to knock out “The Bully”
in round four. With Maynard and B.J. Penn now firmly in his rear-view
mirror, New Jersey’s own Rocky Balboa can turn his attention
to a 155-pound division loaded with contenders, including Clay
Guida, Ben Henderson and, likely in 2012, Strikeforce champ Gilbert
Melendez. Regardless of who and where, Edgar has cemented himself
as a fixture of this list with enormous potential to grow his
pound-for-pound agenda given his place in the super-stacked lightweight
division.
5.
Jose Aldo (20-1)
While some pundits forecast that Kenny Florian’s size and
strength could prove too much for the young Brazilian, Aldo’s
Oct. 8 title defense went off largely without a hitch. The world’s
top featherweight worked in close quarters and long range to
outpoint the former lightweight contender across five rounds.
Aldo took out a perennial top 10 force at 155 pounds and two-time
UFC lightweight title challenger with a firm, dominant hand --
easily his most important MMA win to date. Next up for Aldo appears
to be undefeated collegiate wrestling convert Chad Mendes, though
there will be no shortage of contenders as the 145-pound ranks
continue to flourish in the Octagon, especially with many hardcore
fans already eyeing a bout with Japanese standout Hatsu Hioki.
6.
Jon Fitch (23-3-1, 1 NC)
The welterweight division’s other dominant wrestler is finally
back in business, having undergone shoulder surgery in May which
forced him from a planned rematch with B.J. Penn. Perennial contender
Fitch resumed training in September and now has a date for his
return: Dec. 30 in Las Vegas, where he will face fellow collegiate
wrestling standout Johny Hendricks. It's more of the same for
Fitch: with no realistic title rematch in sight for Fitch, the
AKA standout will simply take on tough, outstanding competition
in an elite weight class -- one of the true marks of a pound-for-pound
entrant.
7.
Dominick Cruz (19-1)
Cruz took a different approach to overcoming his latest obstacle,
but the result was the same. Rather than rely solely on his well-known
boxing tactics, “The Dominator” clinched, took down
and controlled Demetrious Johnson en route to yet another five-round
defense of his UFC bantamweight title. Cruz did not emerge unscathed,
however, suffering a hand injury which will require surgery.
Upon return, however, Cruz should find himself replete with challengers,
such as familiar faces Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles, as well
as the likes of emerging challengers like Brad Pickett, Renan
“Barao” and Nick Pace.
8.
Gilbert Melendez (19-2)
Melendez has looked absolutely sensational in taking out high-level
lightweights in recent memory, including the likes of Josh Thomson,
Shinya Aoki and, most recently, Tatsuya Kawajiri. Another dangerous
challenger, Jorge Masvidal, is lined up to vie for Melendez’s
Strikeforce title on Dec. 17. The only unknown is whether “El
Nino” will make the jump to the UFC before that fight can
take place. If and when Melendez does end up in the UFC, it could
give him not only a chance at UFC lightweight gold, but the chance
for a positively huge lightweight clash with Frankie Edgar that
would crown an undisputed lightweight ruler in the MMA landscape.
9.
Mauricio Rua (20-5)
Rua not only avenged a nagging loss at UFC 134, he did so viciously.
Showing flashes of his Pride-era brutality, the Brazilian took
out Forrest Griffin in Rio de Janeiro and took back the upset
dealt to him in his UFC debut. Now back on track for title contention,
Rua will next have to deal with the returning Dan Henderson in
the main event of UFC 139 on Nov. 19. The surging Henderson's
recent accomplishments wouldn't be out of place on this very
list with three divisions of success, and a W would represent
a particular outstanding feather in the cap for the Brazilian.
10.
Jake Shields (26-6-1)
Shields’ knockout loss at the hands (and knee) of Jake Ellenberger
in September was shocking for its speed and violence, but also
for its rarity. It had been more than 10 years since Shields
was finished in a fight, during which time he defeated such potent
punchers as Dan Henderson, Carlos Condit, Robbie Lawler and Paul
Daley. The next step remains unknown for Shields, who has now
lost back-to-back bouts for the first time in his career.
Source
Sherdog
|
Media,
fans fawn all over Keith Kizer’s favorite UFC high-profile
testosterone user
By Zach
Arnold
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Chael, it’s been a long road. It’s been
a long time between wins and a long time between fights. How
does it feel to finally get back on track, as you do your Jesse
the Body (Ventura) here?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“To be back on track, listen… I did the best
I can. These guys are tough guys. Brian Stann is no different.
He hit me hard in the body. Man, it hurt. I can still feel it.
You know, all these guys are tough. There’s really nothing
I can say. You know, you go do these matches, you do the best
you can — but I am not here to be one of the guys. I got
plenty of money and plenty of fame. I’m after 12 pounds
of gold and that’s it.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Did you expect to finish him? Is that how you envisioned
the fight to go down?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“No, I did not.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“So, what did you think of the way he fought you?
Because a lot of people throughout the week it seemed as so the
tide was turning in his favor. People were now saying, ‘You
know what? Brian Stann’s ready for Chael Sonnen and he might
finish him.’ And then obviously you did so well out there
and you finished him. What did you think of his performance?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“Well, you know, look, I think he does a fine job.
I can’t tell you a lot about those matches. I’m one
of those guys that has to go back and re-watch it. I don’t
fully know what happens, I got to go re-watch it. But I found
the submission and, you know, it worked out well. But I don’t
know about those matches and these guys, as much as I respect
them and appreciate them, I got one guy in my sights. I can’t
stand him. He keeps me up at night and I’m going to take
care of him Super Bowl weekend.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Just curious about ring rust. Did you feel a little
out of it in the early stages of the fight?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“You know, the preparation was a little bit weird.
I remember getting in there and there’s a feel to the Octagon
and I forgot it. I forgot the feel, I forgot the smell, I forgot
what it’s like to have those lights in your eyes and not
have all of your senses around you. So, you got to learn on the
go a little bit.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Perhaps one of the greatest post-fight interviews
in UFC history right there. Not just a great performance but
what you said to Joe Rogan after the fact was memorable stuff.
You put it out there. You told Anderson that you want to fight
him and not only do you want to fight him, but if you do lose
to him you will walk away from the UFC. If he loses, you want
him to leave the division. Why the division? Why not leave the
UFC? Why didn’t you want to get rid of the guy?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“Because he’s a coward and I don’t think
he’d accept and you got to play by a coward’s rules
sometimes. I’m trying to lure him into a fight, so I got
to stick that carrot out there, something that I think he’ll
do.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Do you think he’ll take the carrot?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“He ducked me for six years, I don’t see why
things will change now. If Joe Rogan hadn’t taken the microphone
out of my mouth, I would have told him, ‘Anderson Silva,
I want your answer right now. If you accept, I will wait until
Super Bowl weekend but if you reject, I will walk over there
and whip your ass right here, right now in Houston, Texas.’”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Is a part of you a little concerned? Dan Henderson
said that (Anderson) ducked him. Is a part of you concerned that
he won’t take the fight?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“Yeah, I don’t expect him to take the fight.
He’s a coward. I truly don’t expect him to take the
fight. This guy walks around, ‘I want the biggest fight.’
Well, there’s no bigger fight than our re-match, stupid.
‘Well, I want the toughest guys.’ Well, God never made
a tougher man than me and my name hasn’t come out of your
mouth once.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“The Loser Leaves Town match is a classic one. Why
are you so confident putting your career on the line?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“I don’t ever have confidence, buddy. I’m
a gambler, I let it ride. I don’t have confidence. That’s
what bullies do. Anderson’s a bully. He’s the one with
the confidence and picks on people he knows he can beat. I don’t
know if I can beat any of these guys and that’s why I walk
out there.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Did you see that video of him dancing and sing
with Justin Bieber?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“No, I didn’t, did he really?” I have seen
Anderson dance and, I will tell you, he’s got some pretty
good moves.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“You’re impressed?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“He’s a pretty good dancer, I will give him
that. I caught him at a club one time dancing and was like, you’re
a good pretty good dancer.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“You were at a club with Anderson Silva at the same
time?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“Well, he came to Portland, Oregon, my home town,
yeah. He can move a little bit.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“I remember you saying that if he ever came to your
home town that he’d get kicked out, that he’d get beat
up.”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“Well, he had to drop his pink t-shirts, crooked
hats & earrings off at the front desk like a club house,
that’s the only way I an assure his safe passage.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Now, you talk about Super Bowl weekend. Why that
date? Has the UFC told you that’s the date?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“I have my reasons.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“How about Brazil? Wouldn’t that be something?
I think they could do a 100,000-seat stadium (show), you vs.
Anderson in Brazil. Does that even interest you?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“No, that does, that really does. If they sell 100,000
tix, I hope they collect them all. I hope they put them in a
nice ball, turn them sideways, and shove them straight up their
ass. That’s what they can do with the Brazilian crowd. We’re
going to Las Vegas, Nevada, Super Bowl weekend, the biggest re-match
in the history of this damn business. Chael Sonnen, true champion,
versus Anderson Silva, the guy that wears 12 pounds of tin.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“And have they told you 100% that you are now the
#1 contender?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“We’ll see.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“And by the way, what was it like dealing with the
Texas commission considering some of the issues in the past?
Were they fair and kind to you?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“Well, you know, look, they don’t have to be
kind to me. They’ve got a job to do, they’re professionals.
They make the rules and I follow ‘em, the same as any commission
out there. I believe in commissions, I believe in rules, and
I believe they should be followed.”
ARIEL
HELWANI:“Has the Chael Sonnen era begun or is this just
the continuation of what you started in August of last year?”
CHAEL
SONNEN:“Undefeated and undisputed. I’d say we’ve
been at this a while.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Dana
White on Georges St-Pierre: ‘You Couldn’t Ask for a
Better Role Model’
by Damon
Martin
Once
upon a time, former NBA great Charles Barkley uttered the now
infamous phrase ‘I’m not a role model’.
The
rotund rebound machine went on to say that just because he dunks
a basketball doesn’t mean he should raise your kids.
Well,
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre may punch people
in the face for a living, but according to UFC President Dana
White, he’s a perfect role model and representative for
mixed martial arts.
St-Pierre’s
name came up as a result of White saying he believed UFC lightweight
champion Frankie Edgar was the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter
in the world, which would bump GSP back to No. 3.
White
defended St-Pierre as well however, but went onto say that the
Canadian’s other attributes make him the model for a great
athlete and representative for the sport of MMA.
“He’s
a professional, he’s always in shape, he does everything
he’s supposed to do, you couldn’t meet a nicer guy,”
said White.
“You
couldn’t ask for a better role model, you couldn’t
ask for a better representative of the sport.”
St-Pierre
has always stayed humble when subjects like being a role model
come up, but with another title fight looming in just a few weeks,
the famous Canadian will once again hit the main stage and a
lot of people will be watching him do it.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UP
N UP - Stand Alone
Tomorrow
Waikiki
Shell, Honolulu, Hawaii
October 15, 2011
Main
Event
170 lbs Championship
Zane Kamaka vs Bubba Ka'ahanui
155
lbs Championship
Johnavan Vistante vs Nate Quinola
205
lbs Championship
Tasi Edwards vs Ilima Maiava
HW
Championship
Paea Paongo vs Doug Hiu
145
lbs Championship
Elijah Manners vs Tyler Kahihikolo
205
lbs
Vince Alama vs Shawn Desantos
145
lbs
Ikaika Tampos vs Dillon Fillekes
HW
Henri Berger vs Chris Barnard
170
lbs
Miller Ualesi vs L. John Borges
170
lbs
Chad Puha vs Lavelle Brown
HW
Dylan Rush vs Palmer Fuga
SHW
Grudge Match
Bryson Pang vs Alvin Kanehailua
125
lbs
Wesley Mossman vs Joey Balai
155
lbs
Arnold Ramos vs Aaron Terry
155
lbs
Shandon Augustus vs Joseph Enaena
205
lbs
Jacob Smith vs John Rosa
125
lbs
Alika Kumukoa vs Jared Gonda
125
lbs
Chante Stafford vs Butch Anderson
185
lbs
Tillis Sionesini vs TBA
170
lbs
Cody Andrade vs TBA
FIGHT CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE
|
'Austin
Powers' actor allegedly kills sex offender in prison
An
"Austin Powers" actor convicted of torturing a woman
in Orange County is suspected of killing his cellmate in a Central
Valley prison, authorities said Tuesday.
Joseph Hyungmin Son, 40, allegedly killed his 50-year-old cellmate,
who was found dead Monday afternoon at Wasco State Prison Reception
Center in Kern County.
The cellmate was a parole violator who had been sentenced to
two years in prison for failing to register as a sex offender,
according to a prison report. A cause of death was pending.
Prison officials have named Son as the suspect, but officials
said charges against him will await the completion of the investigation.
Son, who played henchman Random Task in "Austin Powers:
International Man of Mystery," was also briefly a mixed
martial arts fighter who used the name Joe Son.
He had arrived at the prison reception center Sept. 16 after
having been convicted of torture and sentenced to life in prison
without parole in connection with the 1990 Christmas Eve rape
of a woman out walking her dog.
Prosecutors in the torture case said the woman was walking back
to her apartment alone with her dog after going to look at Christmas
lights with a relative and friend and was stopped by Son about
12:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve 1990.
Son asked her for directions and then, with another man, dragged
her to a car, threw her in the back and drove away.
Son and the other man told her they were driving to Compton,
pistol-whipped her and repeatedly threatened to kill her.
Son's cohort, Santiago Lopez Gaitan, 40, of San Antonio, raped
the woman, prosecutors said.
Afterward, Son threatened to kill the victim and counted the
bullets in the gun out loud as she pleaded for her life.
Son and Gaitan finally allowed the woman, identified only as
Jane Doe, to leave, naked and with her pants tied around her
eyes. The woman went to a nearby Huntington Beach home, where
the residents called police.
While physical evidence was gathered in the case from the sexual
assault, the case went cold. Son, however, was convicted in May
2008 of felony vandalism in an unrelated case and was forced
to give a DNA sample.
That sample was then linked to DNA collected in the 1990 case,
prosecutors said.
Gaitan pleaded guilty in January to kidnapping, sodomy, rape,
forcible oral copulation and forcible rape with a sentencing
enhancement for committing rape while armed with a firearm. He
was sentenced to 17 years and four months in state prison.
Source:
L.A. Now
|
Is
it Time to Hang Up the Gloves? Kenny Florian Issues Statement
on His Career
Kenny
Florian failed in his third attempt at a UFC title, losing a
unanimous decision to Jose Aldo at UFC 136 on Saturday night
in Houston.
The loss to Aldo follows his two attempts to garner lightweight
gold, dropping a decision to Sean Sherk in 2006 and getting choked
out by B.J. Penn in 2009.
Florian has only fought at the top of the heap since emerging
as a 185-pounder on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter
to now fighting the featherweight kingpin at 145 pounds.
So now the questions are coming fast and furious… what’s
left for Kenny Florian?
He issued a statement via his management team at Authentic Sports
Management on Monday, addressing his career, but not exactly
providing a clear answer.
“First, I’d like to thank Jose Aldo for giving me the
opportunity to compete for the featherweight title last Saturday.
I gave the fight my all, but Jose won that night. I would also
like to thank the UFC, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta for their
continued support.
I am passionate about mixed martial arts, and I love being involved
in this sport. It is incredible to see how much MMA has grown
and that, today, there are millions of people who enjoy the UFC
as much as I do.
Second, everyone is asking what is next for me. The only response
I can give right now is that I’m going to take some time.
I want to rest, spend some time with my family and friends, and
then evaluate all of my options. I’ll speak with Dana, and
my manager, Glenn Robinson, and we will figure out my next move.
When I make that decision, my fans will be the first to know.
One way or another, you haven’t seen the last of Ken-Flo!”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Machida
Confident He Can Solve ‘Bones’ Riddle
by Marcelo
Alonso
Two
and a half years have passed since Lyoto Machida knocked out
Rashad Evans at UFC 98 and became the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s
light heavyweight titleholder. He defended the crown once against
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua before losing by knockout in
their rematch at UFC 113. Another defeat to Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson followed, leaving Machida in limbo.
A
highlight-reel knockout against hall of famer Randy Couture before
55,000 fans at UFC 129 put Machida back on track and back in
play at 205 pounds. Now, he awaits the most difficult test of
his career: a five-round title bout against reigning light heavyweight
king Jon Jones in the UFC 140 main event on Dec. 10 in Toronto.
The former champion believes he has the weapon he needs to dethrone
the man they call “Bones.”
“It’s
hard to say what the perfect style is to stop Jones,” Machida
told Sherdog.com. “I have a lot of trust in my skills against
any fighter. I won’t change what people have seen, and I’d
rather show them in the Octagon instead of talking about it beforehand.
Jones wasn’t my problem until the UFC booked the fight.
I’ll spend a lot of time studying him and find the best
way to stop him. I know he’s versatile, but I have my own
talents and know what it takes to win.”
Jones
has looked unstoppable.
Machida figures to be an underdog to Jones, who has yet to suffer
a legitimate defeat in his professional career. “The Dragon”
cares nothing for the odds.
“The
fight will be decided in the Octagon,” he said. “Let
him be the favorite. He’ll enter with the label of being
a prodigy, but I’ll be stronger because of that. Since I’m
the underdog, I will enter the fight even more motivated to show
that I deserve to be here and to show why they offered me the
chance.”
Age
has provided Machida with valuable seasoning.
“I’m
a complete man now that I’m 33. I’m not a 22- or 23-year-old
kid anymore,” he said. “What changed most for me was
my maturity and the experience I gained. It’s something
subtle that people don’t see easily, but you feel the change.
You acquire things you couldn’t even imagine.”
Machida
has already begun his training camp, which will include Yuri
Alcantara, Ildemar Alcantara and K-1 fighter Anderson “Braddock”
Silva. Glover Teixeira will likely not be involved full-time,
as he plans to travel to the Netherlands with Pedro Rizzo; there,
they will train with Peter Aerts in advance of Rizzo’s forthcoming
bout with two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia. Nevertheless,
Machida does hope to secure the services of UFC middleweight
boss Anderson Silva, a former teammate at Black House. The two
share managers in Ed Soares and Jorge “Joinha” Guimaraes,
and Silva matches up nicely with Jones physical features.
“We
told Ed and Joinha that we would want to bring in Anderson to
help,” Machida said, “but I can’t count on that
because he has so many obligations, and I respect that. He’s
the biggest name in MMA. I would love to have him beside me for
this camp and he will be welcomed if he joins us, but I don’t
want to count on him and not have it happen.”
Machida
thinks he can drag Jones into the later rounds.
“I
can get Jones to the fifth round,” he said. “I believe
in myself, in what I’m doing and in my teammates.”
When
Machida steps in the cage against Jones, nearly eight months
will have passed since he flattened Couture. The layoff seems
of little concern.
“I’ve
seen athletes that returned from an even longer period of inactivity
and had success,” Machida said. “I’ve been away
from the Octagon for less than seven months, and I’ve been
training. I won’t have trouble getting back in there.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Two
big weekend takeaways: Point fighting in the UFC & Bellator’s
lifeline to Spike
By Zach
Arnold
1. Why is there growing disillusionment amongst fans who see
a lot of UFC champions as ‘point fighters’ first?
MMA is a sport and a business where fans can be very emotional
and impulsive in the opinions they make about fighters. Praise
can be fleeting while negative reputations often remain painfully
ingrained. One of the worst insults a fan can level against a
fighter is labeling them as a ‘point fighter.’ Dominick
Cruz is finding that out right now.
It was unfortunate that he and Demetrious Johnson found themselves
in the uncomfortable position of being on Versus without any
sort of TV advertising to help promote their fight. They also
competed against some major sporting events (MLB playoffs, big
football games) and so the deck was stacked against them.
Nonetheless, they put on a classic 5-round fight that I and others
online thoroughly enjoyed. The problem? A lot of MMA fans, as
compared to other UFC events, were not online and the reaction
from those types of fans when they resurfaced online on Monday
was one of bitterness against “Dominick the Decisioner’
as opposed to the hyper-competitive fast-paced chess match we
saw on Saturday night.
It reminded me of what Rampage Jackson said to Bas Rutten a couple
of weeks ago in his HDNet interview where he brought up a Japanese
interviewer saying that the UFC version of Rampage is totally
different than the PRIDE version. The message? The PRIDE version
of Rampage didn’t care about wins or losses but rather fighting,
smart or dumb, with hyper aggression and pure heart and a killer
instinct. Is it an over-romanticization of Rampage’s career?
Yeah, it is.
However, there is plenty of sentiment amongst hardcore MMA fans
that UFC is a passionless, cookie-cutter, corporately watered-down
MMA product compared to what PRIDE and other MMA organizations
were/are like. You’ll never eliminate that viewpoint amongst
a healthy sector of fans. That’s just how it goes.
I bring that up as context in regards to what we’re seeing
now with UFC champions like Dominick Cruz, Frankie Edgar, and
Georges St. Pierre. Even though Dominick did nearly finish off
Demetrious during their D.C. fight (how DJ got out of that predicament
I’ll never know) and St. Pierre nearly finished off Dan
Hardy, there’s still a visceral and emotional reaction amongst
hardcores that guys who become champions in MMA suddenly succumb
to pressure of winning-first and heart-second.
It’s a very fine line. For instance, hardcore fans online
voice support for those who give it their all but they don’t
want you to be too stupid while featuring his trait (like Pat
Barry did when he got caught with the triangle by Stefan Struve).
And, yet, when Frankie Edgar outworks BJ Penn and goes the distance
or makes a furious comeback against Gray Maynard, the reaction
generally goes something like this:
“Great fight, but… (insert criticism here).”
While a superstar like St. Pierre, who has his own mega-fan base
can withstand this criticism to a certain degree, fighters who
haven’t made enough of a impression early on (like a Frankie
Edgar or Dominick Cruz) risk falling into a trap where no matter
how hard or how smart they fight, they are going to be plagued
with the “yeah, but…” syndrome that can define
their fighting reputation and legacy if they don’t manage
to feverishly finish fights off in impressive fashion.
Take for instance the viewpoint of Eric Del Fierro, the trainer
of Dominick Cruz. He was talking to Mauro Ranallo on Monday about
what the game plan was for the fight against Demetrious Johnson.
“The mouse trap was wrestling. … The game plan was
to wrestle. … People still doubt [Dominick's] wrestling
ability and he’s taken down almost everybody he’s fought.”
He successfully executed the game plan. Eric did his job as trainer.
However, you can do your job and do it well… but still not
manage to please the paying customers. It’s a conundrum
that fighters and promoters face right now in regards to how
soft the fan support may be for them down the road if they quickly
gain, fairly or unfairly, a reputation that they’re a ‘point
fighter.’
Matt Hume, who is about as diplomatic as anybody in MMA, framed
the issue this way when he was asked about fans booing during
periods of the Cruz/Johnson fight:
“You don’t just take off the players off the chess
table that you don’t like to make the game go faster.”
As for the ad-nauseum argument that if only the fans going to
the shows (the ones that are booing) were more educated about
the sport and learned about the actual techniques being implemented
during the fights…
“I don’t think it’s necessarily an issue of educating
the fans.”
2. The year 2013 can’t arrive fast enough for Bellator &
Spike TV. When it arrives, the marriage will be immediately consummated.
The flip side of this, of course, is that UFC will be ready to
go after Bellator with guns a blazin’ because they’ll
suddenly become ‘real competition.’ That Ken Pavia
lawsuit for ‘trade secrets’ will likely be used as
a PR weapon to bludgeon Bellator as ‘not being good guys’
over and over in the media.
None of that will matter, however, to fight fans who are desperate
to see a competitor to Zuffa. You know the formula and what kind
of desire there is for a product ‘that isn’t Zuffa.’
Over the last month, Bellator has put on some really good fights
and the shows have been entertaining. Problematically for Bellator,
the last two weeks also featured UFC shows and some very high-profile
college football games. I mention college football because it’s
a sport where there is heavy gambling and big TV viewership.
Given that UFC is a sport also heavily motivated by gambling,
I wondered what kind of impact it would have on Bellator on Saturday
nights. When you’re running against UFC on PPV or Versus
and you have huge games like Nebraska/Wisconsin and Alabama/Florida
on TV, those are marquee games.
We know MMA is not a primary sport for sports fans… but
it is a primary sport for fans who aren’t big fans of other
sports in general. (I get heat for saying this often but my experience
with our audience is just that.)
So, if you’re a sports fan and you have to pick between
a big SEC game versus a fight like Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious
Johnson, more often than not as a traditional sports fan you’re
watching the football game.
Bellator is in this very awkward position right now where, for
the next year, they are having to proverbially stay above water
until they get a life preserver from Spike in January of 2013.
Spike will be motivated to help push Bellator to make things
work. Despite TNA being a train-wreck of a operation, their show
still attracts over a million TV viewers a week. Bellator is
thankfully not TNA in terms of incompetence and I suspect Spike’s
help will be significantly more beneficial to them than it has
been for TNA.
How important is it for Bellator to a) move to Spike and b) get
off of Saturday nights? Let Jordan Breen lay it out for you.
“First let me say that it doesn’t matter what day it
is as long as it’s not Saturday. When they moved onto MTV2
with Saturday nights, the one e-mail I kept getting from MMA
fans over and over and over and over again is, ‘man, I really
like Bellator, I’m interested in their fighters but I just
don’t have the time. On a Saturday night if I’m watching
MMA, it’s going to be the UFC. I got a wife, I got kids,
or I got a girlfriend or I got school or I got a job… people
want MMA to be a hobby first. … Most fans want fights to
be an exciting thing that they do on the weekend that they can
rock to. They don’t want it to be homework, they don’t
want it to be a chore. They don’t want to feel like, ‘man,
I have to see the Bellator, time for me to get on Youtube or
time for me to go download something like that.’ It’s
not supposed to be an undertaking to enjoy sports and, yet, because
there’s so much MMA (programming) I think that’s how
a lot of hardcore MMA fans feel. So, just getting off of Saturday
night no matter what other of the six days of the week they moved
to I think would be great.
“Thursdays for TNA, I still think Thursday’s the best
day. TNA I know they’re basically it’s… they’re
kind of in Spike’s hands. People in the pro-wrestling world
feel like if Spike TV turned their back on TNA, TNA might be
down the tubes and so if they wanted to move TNA to a different
night I wouldn’t be surprised because Thursday night is
really the ideal night. Wednesday, Thursday both work well but
I do think you probably want something a bit later in the week
where people are a bit more willing to stay up late, rock the
sports, just chill out in front of the TV. Thursdays are always
tough because it’s a big TV night in general and you’ll
have the fact that periodically there will be some NFL games
or whatever but it’s still so much vastly better than Saturday
night. Plain and simple, Saturday night, Bellator just gets washed
over and overwhelmed, which stinks.”
“Friday I don’t think is great. I think we’ve
seen, you know, from HDNet for instance hardcore fans maybe will
rock on a Friday night but it’s going to be hit or miss
and that’s one of the things that hurts Bellator now is
being on MTV it’s just totally scattershot. Some nights
they can trick enough MTV2 watchers into being (viewers) but
it’s not a consistent audience which is why one week Bellator
will do like 450,000 people and then the next week it’ll
do 200,000. There’s a basement of hardcore fans that will
watch regardless but there’s not too many people that are,
you know, transient kind of TV watchers being converted to Bellator
and being able to stack up in a better night I think goes a long,
long way to being able to do that.
“Which dovetails with the other question, what would be
ideal for the ratings (if Bellator went on Spike). If they can
go on Spike and be early on in the 600,000-700,000 range and
eventually try to build towards a million viewers for an episode,
I think that would be a huge boon for them, a huge boon. So,
I think that’s kind of what we’re looking at. We saw
The Ultimate Fighter, the basement number for The Ultimate Fighter
was just over a million viewers. So, if Bellator after maybe
a season can start cultivating just under a million people watching
their shows on Spike with proper support from a network that
cares about MMA and will be kind of extra inspired to make the
product work since they’ll be trying to stick it to the
UFC for leaving them, that I would think would represent a pretty
successful outcome for Bellator.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Jon
Jones Knows His Long Road to Rashad Evans Goes Through Lyoto
Machida
By Mike
Chiappetta
Jon
Jones makes it clear he still wants Rashad Evans, and we know
Evans still wants him. But the road to each other has been filled
with potholes and detours, and the waiting game continues, though
neither is ever very far from the other's view.
With
the specter of Evans hanging over the proceedings, the UFC on
Wednesday officially announced UFC 140 and its main event of
champion Jones against challenger Lyoto Machida.
The
surprise main event was originally released by UFC president
Dana White last week, after Evans' follow-up doctor visit determined
he would need more time to rest his injured fight hand. Of course,
the new pairing -- cemented by Jones, Machida and White at Toronto's
Air Canada Centre -- promises a vastly different dynamic both
in and out of the cage, with no past history between the men.
For Jones, who had been expecting the long-awaited grudge bout,
that's not necessarily a bad thing.
"I
would prefer each fight to be a little more respectful. It is
martial arts. But I'm OK with the other side of it, too. I understand
there are two different fan bases. Some people like more of that
warrior spirit, discipline and honor, and other people like more
of the cage fighter, I'm-gonna-knock-you-out type stuff. So I'm
getting more comfortable with both of them, and it is what it
is."
That
said, Jones (14-1) was clearly disappointed his chance at Evans
was scuttled, even if he does have great respect for Machida,
who is also a former UFC light heavyweight champion.
Jones
said he fully realizes that just because Evans will not be standing
in front of him on December 10, there won't be any less to lose
if he should fall to defeat. As such, he doesn't expect motivation
to be an issue, even with this fight coming so close on the heels
of his successful September 24 title defense against Quinton
"Rampage" Jackson.
"I
realize what I could lose in the fight that's in front of me,
so when it comes to the question of getting up for the fight,
it's definitely not an issue," he said. "And as far
as getting up for the Rashad Evans fight, after all the drama
of last year or so, it's a fight I absolutely cannot lose. I'm
actually taught to think that no fight is a big fight. Don't
fight the legend, just fight his body and see what happens.
'With
Rashad, I'm really trying to teach myself, 'This is not a big
fight, Jon. It's not a big fight, Jon,'" he continued. "But
it's a huge fight to me right now. I wouldn't want to lose either
one of them. So as far as getting up for fights, I'm up."
If
Jones is to look past Machida, it could end up as a grave mistake.
Despite losing two of his last three, Machida (17-2) is still
a complex fighter with knockout power and a strong all-around
game. Jones acknowledged that he's "never competed against
anyone like him," and said he would spend time studying
and learning Machida's tendencies.
Machida,
as usual a man of few words, admitted that the initial offer
to fight Jones took him by surprise, and that he believes his
experience will "speak louder in this fight." Machida
did reveal one interesting nugget though, saying that UFC middleweight
champion Anderson Silva has already called him about working
with him in preparation for the fight.
"I
guarantee on December 10, I will very well prepared, and I can
overcome his athleticism with my technique," Machida said.
If
Jones emerges successful in the fight, he will have won four
fights in 10 months, and run through a gauntlet of three former
champions in the process. He's also gone from relative obscurity
to fame in that time, a transition that has been known to affect
many.
For
Jones though, everything feels just about right.
"When
I joined the sport, I always envisioned wanting to be the best,
and trying to be the champion. So I tried to carry myself and
think in that type of life, as if it was already so, even before
it happened. So now that I'm here, I have this feeling as if
I'm right where I'm supposed to be, and right where I worked
to be, so I feel comfortable with everything that's happened."
UFC
140 will mark a quick return to Toronto for the promotion, which
put on its landmark UFC 129 show in April, drawing over 55,000
fans and a gate surpassing $11 million at the Rogers Centre.
The Air Canada Centre is a more traditional sports arena that
seats just shy of 20,000 fans in its maximum seating configurations.
In his remarks during the press conference, UFC president White
called Toronto "without a doubt, the strongest market on
the planet." In Jones, the promotion will be showcasing
one of the strongest fighters on the planet, even if he comes
with an unexpected opponent.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
136 Medical Suspensions: Gray Maynard Receives Lengthiest Suspension
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Houston on Saturday
night for UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard 3 at the Toyota Center.
Frankie Edgar continued to cement his standing as the UFC lightweight
champion and one of the top fighters in the world with a hard-fought,
fourth-round knockout of Gray Maynard to cap off their trilogy
of fights.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on Monday released
the medical suspensions for UFC 136, which included a standard
10-day suspension for most fighters, while a handful received
lengthier time on the sidelines.
UFC 136 Medical Suspensions:
Gray Maynard – Suspended until Dec. 8
Frankie Edgar – Suspended until Nov. 23
Leonard Garcia – Suspended until Nov. 23
Mike Massenzio – Suspended until Nov. 23
Eric Schafer – Suspended until Nov. 8
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Anderson
Silva already brushing up Jiu-Jitsu for Sonnen
In
beating Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 back in August 2010, Anderson
Silva had to rely on his Jiu-Jitsu to save his skin, pulling
off a last ditch armbar from the triangle with just 1:50 minutes
left on the clock. Having dispatched Brian Stann with a submission
hold last Saturday, Sonnen took the opportunity to call out the
“Spider” for a rematch while still in the octagon.
Furthermore, according to Sonnen, he is the de facto champion
of the UFC’s middleweight division and Anderson’s belt
is nothing more than a worthless piece of metal.
Regardless of Sonnen’s taunting, Silva knows the gentle
art may turn out to be a decisive weapon when he and Chael meet.
As their fight looks likely to be confirmed, Silva has already
taken to training for it, in the gi.
Erick Silva, a fighter on the UFC roster and member of Team Nogueira,
posted a photo over Twitter (@ErickSilvaMMA) this Tuesday. The
black belt appears alongside Anderson Silva, Sylvio Behring and
another friend after a session training in the gi.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Chael
Sonnen: “They found me guilty for taking a legal substance
(testosterone)”
By Zach
Arnold
It was an interview featuring two participants (Chael Sonnen
and Mauro Ranallo) that you knew, at some point, would devolve
into who knows what. It inevitably reached that point of absurdity…
and more.
Sonnen immediately said that he would be ‘defending his
Middleweight championship’ against Brian Stann on Saturday
night in Houston. When asked about what weight he’s at now
and if he’ll be able to make the cut, he described it as
a ‘painful, struggling challenging week for (making) weight.’
When asked why he hasn’t been publicly trash-talking Brian
Stann, he quipped back with this response:
CHAEL SONNEN:“Look, I don’t try to get under someone’s
skin. I don’t talk trash. I hear that said about myself
but I don’t do that. I’m the most respectful guy in
the sport. The difference is I’ve got a different opinion
of what respect is. A lot of guys think it’s to be fake.
A lot of guys think it’s respectful to bow to your face
and stick a knife in your back when you turn around. I will tell
you to your face that when you turn I’m going to put a knife
in your back and then I’ll do it.
“I think he’s great, you know, I was in the WEC with
him, traveled the road(s) with him, we were in different weight
classes. He was the king of his division, I was the king of mine
and frankly he was pretty green back then. He was pretty new
to the sport and he still won the championship. So, all these
years removed, it’s been a lot of fun to watch him do well.
There’s not a lot of good guys in the locker room in this
business, there’s a bunch of dirt bags. But he’s one
of the good guys, so he’s all right with me.
MAURO RANALLO:“Who do you think is the biggest dirt bag
in the sport right now?”
CHAEL SONNEN:“That’s my business, brother, that’s
my business. Time will work itself out and he and I will meet,
but for now I’ll keep that to myself. I’ve got Brian
Stann in my sights.”
MAURO RANALLO:“Well, would it be Anderson Silva, who you
actually begrudgingly gave some props to regarding his performance
against Yushin Okami someone who you helped prepare. Are you
beginning to soften on The Spider?”
CHAEL SONNEN:“No, absolutely not.”
MAURO RANALLO:“And do you see that as being the next target
after you get past Brian Stann?”
CHAEL SONNEN:“Well, I already know who the next target is.
My opponent is set, the date is set, and the venue is set. But
before we get to anything to of that, I have to take care of
business in Houston on Saturday night.”
Sonnen stated that he had changed up his management & training
team in preparation for Saturday’s fight. He’s now
training out of Scott McQuary’s facility in Tualatin, Oregon
with coach Clayton Hires. He described the state of Team Quest
as “a big revolving door … I think the rain gets to
(people) a little bit in Portland.”
As for what kind of game plan the 2.5-to-1 favorite will implement
against Stann…
“What’s a game plan? What does that mean? You got a
bunch of guys with their 8th grade educations and their gold
teeth sitting around trying to break down a fight. Listen, it’s
a fist fight in a steel cage in Texas on Saturday night. There
is nothing more simplistic in life than that. I don’t exactly
need a plan. I walk out there when the guy in the shark suit
gets out of my way and the referee with the dreadlocks says ‘get
it on,’ I get it on.”
Revisiting history vs. revisionist history
The issue of Sonnen coming off his suspension for TRT (testosterone
replacement therapy) was brought up. This was clearly not something
he wanted to harp on at-length but decided to make his case and
try to get it out of the way. I don’t think that worked
out so well during this interview. Mauro asked him about the
suspension and if he would fight in California again after issues
relating to ‘elevated testosterone’ levels.
“First off, shame on you for putting out a false report.
Not only did I not have elevated testosterone (levels), I was
never even accused of that. The state of California never even
accused me of that. Josh Gross went on ESPN and falsely reported
that. I was never even up against those charges. I took testosterone
and testosterone is 100% legal and shame on you as a member of
the media for not coming out and not blasting the commission
for that. I took testosterone, I offer no apology.
Testosterone is not a banned substance in any of the 46 states
that govern MMA or the two provinces in Canada. It is completely
legal. They banned me for taking a legal substance and I never
took an elevated amount, ever. I was never even accused of that
other than by Josh Gross who got it on ESPN and by then it was
all over the wire.
“They don’t know their own rules. I’m not trying
to be condescending, I’m not trying to do any of those things
but it’s that frustrating. They brought me in for taking
testosterone. I had to explain to them that it’s not against
their rules. They said, ‘hey, you took testosterone,’
and I said, “I sure did.’ I said, ‘look on page
three of your own rule book, testosterone is legal.’ There’s
very few things that are legal, you know, it’s a very sensitive
list. Caffeine, for example, is illegal. Aspirin’s illegal,
so it’s very sensitive. Testosterone is one of the few things
that’s legal. So, they turn to page three and say, oh my
goodness, he did take a legal substance, what do we do now?
So, they changed the argument. Right on the spot, they changed
the argument to a disclosure issue. And that wasn’t what
I was brought there for but of course I was ready for that and
I had disclosed it. I disclosed it four different ways, three
of which I could prove in writing and I submitted that. So, they
changed the argument on me again and they just continue to do
that and ultimately they said, all right, let’s just split
the difference. We wanted to suspend you for a year, how about
we just do six months? Well, there’s no such things. I break
a rule, I serve a year, that’s it. If I didn’t break
up a rule, you apologize and I get up and leave now. Of course,
name one government agency that’s ever going to admit fault.
So, they stick me with a six month suspension and now here, a
year later, I’m on a radio show with a guy that still thinks
I have elevated testosterone. I was never even accused of that.
Josh Gross made it up.”
Sonnen further elaborated on the paperwork process in California
and wanted to stress how each state handles drug & medical
testing issues differently.
“When I got to Nevada, there’s an actual process. There’s
a process of disclosure and you will receive a form and when
you’re done you fold it up and stick in your wallet and
you can pull it out and go, “look, I’m approved,”
and you can hold it up just like you would a license. California
doesn’t that have process. California uses the word ‘disclose.’
That’s it. So, now you’re left with your own ability
to try to figure out what ‘disclose’ means. So, we
disclosed it, we told them in an e-mail.
Then we went back and re-disclosed it, told them face-to-face.
Then we went back and re-disclosed it and wrote it all down.
So when we get to the hearing they look at it and go, ‘well,
we don’t like this, this is too broad.’ And I’m
sitting there going, well, I tend to agree, I tend to agree that
it’s a little bit broad. But it’s your rule, either
way. You came up with the rule, I followed your rule. You don’t
now get to punish me because you think you misappropriately wrote
your rule. But that’s a really relevant fact and the point
that I’m trying to make there isn’t this ‘poor
me, they abused me.’ That’s fine, I can live with that.
“What I’m getting at is that each state is different.
Look into the rules of that state. Don’t carry anything
with you from state to state. If you were told something in New
Jersey, don’t carry that with you to Oregon. Go to Oregon
and start from scratch.”
Sonnen said that the cries over testosterone usage in MMA as
compared to fighters using other drugs is a symptom of a double-standard
at work.
“Testosterone’s really funny. Testosterone (usage)
is this big ‘hey, look at this hand, so you don’t see
what this hand is doing.’ Testosterone isn’t the best
of the substances that are legal, it just seems to be the one
that everyone’s focusing on which is fine, keep the focus
there and they’re going to continue to miss the other great
substances… you know, again, that are legal. Nobody needs
to apologize for taking something legal. That’s just a competitive
edge, we’re always trying to figure out, you know, what
you need to manipulate, your proteins… You’ll hear
guys talk about proteins to carbohydrates to electrolytes to
IGF levels, you’ll hear all these things… that’s
competitive edge, you’ve got to find out for you where your
levels are best at. So, if a guy’s taking something’s
that legal, then that’s the end of it. If it’s illegal,
then you’ve got problems and you should be banned and I’ve
been in full support of that. I’ve never taken anything
illegal and that’s it. They found me guilty for taking a
legal substance.”
Sonnen admitted during the interview, albeit briefly and stopping
himself before completely elaborating, that he cleared house
and changed up his management team because of the way certain
things were handled.
Disgust with Brazilian fighters & PRIDE’s legacy
As for whether or not Chael Sonnen will go to Brazil and fight,
he says he’s up for the challenge and that he has a time
share there he vacations at ‘twice a year.’ He had
less kind things to say about Brazilian fighters, however. In
response to Vitor Belfort calling out Chael…
“What do you want me to do, respond to a chicken who never
shows up to fight? You want me to take this clown seriously?
I don’t think he would show up to save his life and I think
that’s wise.”
When Wanderlei’s name was brought up, this is the point
when the interview devolved into a mess over whether PRIDE fights
were fixed and manipulated. Sonnen challenged Ranallo to truthfully
state how legitimate PRIDE was as an organization in-the-ring.
Ranallo fired back and said that during the glory years of PRIDE
that the company promoted a sport that was raw & violent
and said ‘maybe too much so’ for Chael to like. Sonnen
was having none of it.
“How do you do that? Do you keep your fingers crossed when
you answer that?”
“I don’t see you answering my question, I see you diverting
my question.”
“Why can Wanderlei (Silva) win 22 straight in Japan and
he can’t win 2 over here (in the UFC)?”
Sonnen said that defending PRIDE is “a level of ridiculous
that I’m not willing to go to.” Kind of like trying
to defend his testimony to the California State Athletic Commission
about his testosterone usage, too.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Vitor
Vianna expects to fight Shemenko on Bellator's tournament final
By Guilherme
Cruz
Only
Brazilian called in for the middleweight tournament of Bellator,
Vitor Vianna is excited for the semifinals, which happen next
Saturday, October 15th. Before launching to the United Stated,
the tough guy talked to TATAME about his opponent, another tough
guy, Bryan Baker, analyzed the other semifinals and also commented
on his expectations for the bout between Wanderlei Silva, whom
he trains with in Las Vegas, and Cung Le.
What do you know about your opponent?
He can fight on his feet and on the floor... He plays it cooler
than my previous opponent, so I'll be able to develop my skills
better this time.
How was your prep for the semifinals?
I came from Espirito Santo (Brazil) two months ago because my
wife has gone through a surgery, so I started training MMA with
Kvera, Boxing with Adailton Santos and Muay Thai with Daniel
Mendes. People don't really know it, but there a really strong
team here and I'm ready to go.
Is it much different from the trainings you were doing back on
the United States?
In Las Vegas, at Wand Fight Team, there was a high quality training.
Wanderlei made me a warrior, taught me many things. There's also
a big structure back there, and besides that many bodies to train
with, over 300 students... Here in Espirito Santo I had a great
surprise. The trainings are amazing, both in Jiu-Jitsu and striking.
From here came out names like Marcelo Guimaraes, Erick Silva,
Rodrigo Damm, Lucio Aurelio, Lucio Linhares, Jonatas Novaes,
Jamelao... I did my best on the trainings and let's do it.
Who do you think will win the other semifinals, Brian Rogers
or Alexander Shlemenko?
Shemenko will get it for his larger experience.
Do you think about a possible fight against him on the finale
of the tournament?
I only think about my next fight, on the 15th, but if it happens
I'd use my Jiu-Jitsu skills to beat him up.
After the semifinals, will you stay in America to train with
Wand or will you return to Brazil?
I plan to go and have a training camp with Wanderlei for his
bout against Cung Le. I'm 100% Wanderlei Silva, I'm just here
in Brazil because my wife had to come here for a surgery. I'll
ba back in Las Vegas soon.
What are your thoughts about Wanderlei vs. Cung Le?
We gotta respect him, but I guess it's a good fight because he's
good in all areas. Wand has great Jiu-Jitsu and ground and pound
games, which can be a good weapon for him not to make any mistakes
on this fight. He can knock Le out, but I guess the easiest way
is working where he's opponent is worst, and that's a good way
for us to go.
Do you believe this rough path may play against him on his fight?
Wanderlei carries much responsibility because of everything he's
done. It must be hard being the best in the world for 10 years
and then starting to lose.
Source:
Tatame
|
The
Turning Point: Edgar vs. Maynard 3
by Chris
Nelson
The
state of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard’s faces hardly told
the story of their third encounter as the men sat on the dais
for Saturday’s post-fight press conference.
Aside
from a small scrape and a sullen demeanor, Maynard did not really
seem as though he’d just lost a fight. Edgar, last to arrive
at the proceedings due to a medical exam, looked like he was
getting an early jump on his Halloween costume. The left side
of the New Jerseyan’s pate was badly swollen -- cheek puffed
out, eye barely open -- while his right side remained unblemished.
To someone who had not watched UFC 136, the only giveaway that
Edgar won would have been the shiny lightweight title belt perched
behind his nameplate.
When
fights turn, they generally do so because of an action taken,
but a fight can also change course as a result of something left
undone. Such was the case in Houston on Saturday, when, despite
inflicting remarkable damage on the champion in the opening round,
Maynard appeared to let victory slip right through his hands.
Two
minutes and 20 seconds into the bout, Maynard began his assault
in earnest with a vicious lead right uppercut. Clearly dazed,
Edgar stumbled backward as “The Bully” gave chase,
duplicating the punch and finishing with a knee up the middle.
Maynard swung with ill intent, lead uppercuts and left hooks,
until a right hand sent the champion tumbling to the mat. Maynard
looked to pounce as Edgar clung desperately to a single-leg,
and then kept headhunting on the feet.
With
60 seconds left in the first round, Edgar was streaming blood
from his nose, a situation which only worsened when Maynard dropped
him with a knee. The challenger threw the kitchen sink at Edgar
in an attempt to finish, but just as in their January meeting,
Edgar absorbed all the punishment his foe could dish out and
kept coming.
“I
did hit him with a knee. I hit him with a right. I think I hit
him with a hook. I mean, what else? If there was a bat there,
I would’ve probably hit him with that, too,” Maynard
said during the post-fight press conference, turning toward UFC
boss Dana White to deadpan, “Where do you keep the bats
in the cage?”
Foreign
objects may not have been necessary if Maynard had only maintained
his level of offense in subsequent rounds. Instead, the Xtreme
Couture Mixed Martial Arts fighter seemed to grow more tentative
as the fight wore on, allowing Edgar to regain his composure,
find a rhythm on the feet and eventually score a highlight-reel
fourth-round knockout. According to FightMetric.com, Maynard
connected with 33 of 73 attempted strikes in the first round;
over the remaining 13-plus minutes, he landed only 19 of 107.
“Maybe,
yeah, I should have finished him in the second. I don’t
know,” said an exasperated Maynard, who denied that hand
or knee injuries had any factor in his diminished work rate.
“I was trying to pick a shot. When he moves, he does a good
job with that. I kind of tried to load up [on punches] a little
bit instead of flowing.”
The
deciding factors in Saturday’s fight were the resilience
and skill of Frankie Edgar, though it was Gray Maynard’s
inability to maintain momentum which shifted the fight in the
champ’s direction. Maynard took his foot off the gas in
round two -- not the worst idea after you’ve handily won
the first of five scheduled rounds -- he just forgot to push
the pedal back down.
Source
Sherdog
|
Is
the state of MMA’s heavyweight division lacking in quality?
By Zach
Arnold
I’ve been going through various pre-UFC 136 interviews,
looking for something entertaining or informative (regarding
fight strategy and technique). The well is dry, sad to say. You
can’t expect much discussion of MMA technical fight analysis
from participants until after their fight is over with…
So, we’re left with a few topics surfacing outside of this
weekend’s show. I could have ripped into Dana White about
UFC Japan 2012 but that’s like shooting fish in a barrel.
Let’s move onto a more interesting topic – the heavyweight
picture in the UFC. November & December features two of the
most high-profile heavyweight fights in the history of the sport
with Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem
vs. Brock Lesnar. Outside of those individuals (alongside with
Josh Barnett & Daniel Cormier), the current heavyweight picture
is lackluster in comparison to other weight classes.
On his Tuesday radio show, Jordan Breen was asked about whether
or not we would be stuck with a Velasquez/JDS trilogy feud due
to them being head-and-shoulders above the rest of the heavyweights
in MMA.
“Well, first of all, I think the major part is it’s
not just other sports competing for athletes it’s that the
athletes that other sports compete for are heavyweights. Football
teams aren’t looking for dudes Jose Aldo’s size. Basketball
teams aren’t looking for Ian McCall, you know? There’s
no reason for them. So, it’s heavyweights by-and-large being
taken by the other major sports, so that’s part of it.
“But I also think one maybe… I think in some ways,
let’s not mince words, heavyweight’s a horrible division
especially compared to MMA’s great divisions but I actually
think in some ways it’s not as bad as people think. And
the reason I say that is, take the Brett Rogers/Eddie Sanchez
fight as an example… I think what ends up happening is a
vicious cycle where most divisions guys are being released from
the UFC are falling from grace and promotions go, hey, we can
get this guy on the come back track, we can use him for two or
three fights, people will buy tickets, whatever. We see tons
and tons of this on the regional circuit and the ability to do
it well tends to be one of the things that sets good regional
promotions from fly-by-nights or failures. Unfortunately, one
thing that happens is heavyweights also get released but heavyweights
are at a premium. So, if the heavyweight’s released from
the UFC, something’s up. Either that guy’s no good
or he has serious issues, like a Todd Duffee. If there’s
just a guy who’s like a talented heavyweight and maybe lost
one or two fights, the UFC’s not cutting that guy. He’s
sticking around. (Pat Barry.)
“So, I think what ends up happening is the guys who get
jettisoned from the UFC or Strikeforce or whatever prominent
position they’re in, there’s this assumed parity that,
‘oh yeah, you know, having Eddie Sanchez and Brett Rogers
fight is the same thing, it comes from the same place as having
Matt Horwich & Jake Rosholt.’ And maybe it comes from
the same place, but we’re talking about different qualifies
and caliber of athletes. So, I think one thing that ends up happening
is that these heavyweights who have a bit of a name or have some
exposure, they get cut because they’re no good and then
unlike other divisions where if you’re picking up UFC castoff
Lightweights, hell, maybe you can put together a Fight of the
Year over 25 minutes and have it on HDNet, maybe that’s
a thing you can do. You will never do it with heavyweights, not
in a million years. Not using guys like Sanchez and Rogers than
have been cut from the UFC.
“So, I think that’s a thing that also happens. I think
the heavyweight division ends up looking worse because a lot
of the guys that get recycled are guys that we just know aren’t
good.”
Given that Showtime is about to make a decision regarding Strikeforce
and where the network stands regarding their future in the MMA
business, it seems pretty clear that we will get an infusion
of heavyweight talent in 2012.
“The one thing I would say is that it only ever takes one
of two guys. It only takes one other Cain (Velasquez) or one
other JDS to put on a new spin. If we’re saying, oh, there’s
only two great heavyweights in MMA right now and they’re
JDS and Cain Velasquez, I think that is a fine stance to take
but what if another Cain Velasquez comes along? Then we’re
talking about three guys, one more and we’re talking about
four guys and then you start to have a bit more of a division.
So, one thing that I think gets underrated in MMA is how quickly
one or two guys can really offer a new breath of life to a division.
“And on top of that, I mean there’s talented guys that
we’ve seen before that aren’t necessarily focused on
MMA. Like Justin Wren is a good up-and-coming heavyweight who
eventually will be in the UFC and win fights but for now he’s
doing a mission for God and focusing on those things, so that’s
not his priority and focus. So I do think it’s going to
get better, I don’t think we’ll be stuck in a holding
pattern where it’s Velasquez and Cigano fighting one another
over and over. But… it’s not… the idea of heavyweight
being the punching bag division is never going to change because
of MMA’s real successes is being able to take athletes that
are great athletes but don’t necessarily fit into other
sports. That’s why you get great fighters at 155, at 170.
These guys don’t have a lot of athletic opportunities in
too many other places, so they gravitate towards MMA. So, I mean,
those divisions always are going to be the real heart of MMA
and heavyweight’s always going to kind to suck but I think
the way we think about the MMA division probably could be changed
if like regional promoters weren’t so willing to just put
on trash guys who happen to have a bit of a name.
“I mean, Andrei Arlovski’s a good example… At
one point in time it would have made sense to use Andrei Arlovski
when he wanted to stand and knock guys out. He doesn’t want
to do that any more. I mean, that fight with Ray Lopez was disgraceful
and the Travis Fulton fight is going to be a joke and it’s
going to be depressing to watch… and yet those are the kinds
that fights that we’re treated to over and over again.”
Outside of the four guys mentioned earlier for upcoming big UFC
fights, how would rank the heavyweight division 5-10?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
136 Prelims on Spike Hit TV Ratings Low for the Series
As
the UFC’s time on Spike TV winds down, so are its TV ratings
on the network. At least that was the case on Saturday night.
There have been 22 episodes of UFC Prelims Live on Spike, but
none rated lower than the UFC 136 Prelims from Houston. The prelim
bouts on Saturday night pulled in an average audience of 1.0
million viewers.
That’s more than a third less audience than tuned in for
the last prelims broadcast on Spike. The UFC 135 prelims pulled
in an average of 1.6 million viewers.
Saturday night’s prelims featured former WEC lightweight
champion Anthony Pettis winning a split decision over Jeremy
Stephens and Demian Maia continuing his stay as a top contender
in the middleweight division with a decision win over former
Sengoku champion Jorge Santiago.
The UFC Prelims Live have averaged 1.42 million viewers per episode
over the course of its 22 showings on Spike.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
NAGA
Hawaii
Radford High School
Saturday, October 22, 2011
WEIGH-IN OPTIONS
FOR COMPETITORS
NAGA
will be offering all competitors the option of registering and
weighing-in the night BEFORE the tournament! On Friday, weigh-ins
and registration will start at 6:00 PM and continue until 8:00
at the venue (directions are below). The Friday weigh-in will
be open to all competitors regardless if you pre-registered or
not. Adults please have a photo ID on hand when weighing-in.
If you are not able to weigh-in on Friday, you can still weigh-in
on Saturday prior to your division start time. Doors open at
8 AM Saturday and weigh-in is open throughout the day.
SATURDAY
DIVISION SCHEDULE (Doors open 8 AM)
KIDS
& TEENS (17yrs & under) NO-GI & GI COMPETITON - Doors
open 8 AM
10
AM - All children & teens must be weighed in and be ready
to compete by 10 AM Sharp.
ADULT
NO-GI & GI COMPETITON (times are just estimates)
All
Women's, Executives & Directors Divisions start at approximately
12 Noon
All
Adult & Master Novice Divisions start at approximately 1
PM
NAGA
has a new method for bracketing the Adult & Masters No-Gi
& Gi Divisions. The intent is to have all divisions take
place as quickly as possible utilizing all rings at once. The
divisions will be bracketed by skill level in the following order:
-
Men's & Master's No-Gi Novice (Estimated Start Time is 1
PM)
-
Men's and Master's No-Gi Beginner (Estimated Start Time is 1:30
PM)
-
Men's & Master's No-Gi Intermediate (Estimated Start Time
2 PM)
-
Men's & Master's No-Gi Advanced (Estimated Start Time is
2:30 PM)
-
Men's & Master's White Belt (Estimated Start Time is 3 PM)
-
Men's & Master's Blue Belt (Estimated Start Time is 4 PM)
-
Men's and Master's Gi Purple, Brown, Black Belt (Starts after
the Blue Belt Divisions end)
IMPORTANT:
It is difficult to estimate the start time for each division.
As a general rule, get there early and be prepared to stay late.
There are NO REFUNDS given for those who have to leave early.
2011 NAGA
HAWAII GRAPPLING CHAMPIONSHIP
The North American Grappling Association (NAGA) is the world's
largest grappling tournament circuit with over 120,000 competitors
worldwide. On Saturday, October 22, 2011 NAGA returns to Honolulu
for our 11th annual Hawaii Grappling Championship No-Gi &
Gi tournament. This is by far the largest grappling tournament
held in Hawaii, last year we had over 800 competitors. The benefit
of a large event like NAGA is that you have plenty of competition
regardless of your age, skill, and gender. Come as an individual
or as a team to compete. You do not have to be on a team to participate
in this event. This event is nationally RANKED!
DOWNLOAD EVENT FLYER/REGISTRATION FORM
PRE-REGISTER ONLINE HERE or download the registration
form, print it out and mail it in to the address on the form
along with your check.
100
CHAMPIONSHIP BELTS AWARDED
NAGA is the only grappling tournament in the world to award 100
CHAMPIONSHIP BELTS to all its Children, Teen, Adult, Masters,
Directors and Executive Expert Division Winners.
SAMURAI
SWORDS TO KIDS & TEENS WINNERS
NAGA will be awarding custom engraved SAMURAI SWORDS to all non-expert
Kids & Teen 1st place winners! Octagon medals will be awarded
to all 2nd & 3rd place winners along with non-expert Adult
division winners. Adult competitors who place 1st and win a gold
medal will have the opportunity to obtain a samurai sword at
the NAGA T-shirt booth for a nominal fee. All children/teens
will take home a medal even if they do not place 1st through
3rd for having the courage to compete.
6
SPECTACULAR CHAMPIONSHIP CUP TEAM AWARDS
All 6 of our top teams (Adult Gi, No-Gi & Children 17 yrs.
& under) will receive a custom made CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM CUP.
Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase the talent that
your academy possesses.
FREE
NAGA FIGHTER DOG TAGS TO ALL COMPETITORS
NAGA will be giving away FREE NAGA FIGHTER Dog Tags to every
NAGA Competitor. The Dog Tags are part of the NAGA promotional
giveaway to thank all of our competitors for attending the event.
SAVE
MONEY ON FIGHT GEAR
NAGA is bringing a load of gear (board shorts, rash guards, t-shirts,
hats, etc.) in children and adults sizes that you can purchase
at the NAGA event before you compete. We have gear and apparel
for everyone. Check out the huge selection at the NAGA Hawaii
T-shirt booth at the event
NATIONALLY
RANKED EVENT
All NAGA events are part of the nationwide ranking system entitled
RANKED. Our goal is to determine who the best grapplers in the
country are for various age, gender, and skill levels. This tournament
will be nationally ranked so do not miss your opportunity to
gain points towards a true national title. More details can be
found at www.nationallyranked.com.
SANDBAGGERS
BEWARE
NAGA works diligently to prevent "sandbagging", or
the practice of fighting down skill levels to ensure one takes
home an award. NAGA has been working with RANKED to track all
fighters and ranked grappling events to produce true "national
standings." A by-product of these standings is our knowledge
of who has competed and at which level. Front door personnel
will use RANKED data to determine whether or not individuals
who have fought in past events belong in a higher skill level
(i.e. placed 1st at a prior NAGA event).
MEN'S NO-GI EXPERIENCE LEVELS
WEIGHT
CLASSES
____
MEN'S NOVICE Under 6 months experience, no wrestlers
____
MEN'S BEGINNER 6 months to 2 years experience
____
MEN'S INTERMEDIATE 2 years to 5 years experience
____
MEN'S EXPERT 5 years experience & above
All Expert winners take home a Championship Belt, if multiple
Expert
Divisions are won by a competitor, only 1 belt will be awarded
Bantam
Weight (129.9 lbs. & Under)
Fly
Weight (130 lbs. to 139.9 lbs.)
Feather
Weight (140 lbs. to 149.9 lbs.)
Light
Weight (150 lbs. to 159.9 lbs.)
Welter
Weight (160 lbs. to 169.9 lbs.)
Middle
Weight (170 lbs. to 179.9 lbs.)
Light
Heavy Weight (180 lbs. to 189.9 lbs.)
Cruiser
Weight (190 lbs. to 199.9 lbs.)
Heavy
Weight (200 lbs. to 224.9 lbs.)
Super
Heavy Weight (225 lbs. & Above)
MEN'S
GI DVISIONS (WHITE & BLUE BELTS)
____
MEN'S WHITE BELT (Use the weight divisions to the right)
____
MEN'S BLUE BELT (Use the weight divisions to the right)
MEN'S
GI PURPLE, BROWN & BLACK BELT DIVISIONS = CHAMPIONSHIP BELTS
FOR ALL 1ST PLACE WINNERS
PURPLE
BELT
___ Lt Wt. (154.9 lbs. & Under)
____ Middle Wt. (155 to 174.9)
____ Cruiser (175 to 199.9)
____ Super Heavy (200 +)
BROWN
BELT
___ Lt Wt. (154.9 lbs. & Under)
____ Middle Wt. (155 to 174.9)
____ Cruiser (175 to 199.9)
____ Super Heavy (200 +)
BLACK
BELT
___ Lt Wt. (154.9 lbs. & Under)
____ Middle Wt. (155 to 174.9)
____ Cruiser (175 to 199.9)
____ Super Heavy (200 +)
MEN'S
MASTER GI & NO-GI GRAPPLING DIVISIONS:
MEN'S
MASTERS DIVISIONS (Ages 30 yrs & above)
WEIGHT
CLASSES for MASTERS
______
MASTER'S NOVICE (Under 6 months experience)
______
MASTER'S BEGINNER (6 months to 2 yrs exp.)
______
MASTER'S INTERMEDIATE (2-5 years exp.)
______
MASTER'S EXPERT (5 years +) 4 weight classes
Masters
Novice/Beginner & Intermediate divisions use the same 10
weight classes as the No-Gi Divisions above. Masters Expert uses
the 4 weight classes below. (Expert wins Champ. Belt)
MASTERS
EXPERT
___ Lt Wt. (154.9 lbs. & Under)
____ Middle (155 to 174.9)
____ Cruiser (175 to 199.9)
____ Super HW (200 +)
MEN'S
DIRECTOR'S (40 yrs +) & EXECUTIVE (50 yrs +) GRAPPLING DIVISIONS:
MEN'S
DIRECTORS & EXECUTIVES SKILL LEVEL
CHECK
ONE:
WEIGHT
CLASSES & AGE GROUP
____
NOVICE Under 6 months exp. no wrestlers
____
BEGINNER 6 months to 2 yrs experience
____
INTERMEDIATE 2 to 5 years experience
____
EXPERT 5 years experience & above
________Directors
(Ages 40 to 49 years old)
________Executives
(Age 50 yrs & Above)
Directors
& Executives will be broken up into weight classes at the
event to ensure fair competition.
WOMEN'S
GI & NO-GI GRAPPLING DIVISIONS:
WOMEN'S
DIVISIONS - SKILL LEVELS
WEIGHT
CLASSES:
_____
WOMEN'S NOVICE/WHITE (Under 6 months exp)
_____
WOMEN'S BEGINNER/WHITE (Under 6 month to 2 yr)
_____
WOMEN'S INTERMEDIATE/BLUE (2-5 years exp.)
_____
WOMEN'S EXPERT (5 years +) ____ MASTER'S
Expert winners receive Championship Belt 30 Years +
____
Fly Weight (119.9 lbs & Under)
____
Light Weight (120 to 134.9 lbs.)
____
Middle Weight (135 to 159.9 lbs.)
____
Light Heavy Wt (160 lbs. & Above)
We reserve the right to combine the above weight classes depending
on the turnout.
CHILDREN'S
NO-GI & GI GRAPPLING DIVISIONS (13 years of age & under):
CHILDREN'S
EXPERIENCE LEVELS
KIDS
NOVICE = 6 months experience or less
____ KIDS NOVICE NO-GI (without submissions)
____ KIDS NOVICE GI (without submissions)
No wrestlers in the Novice or Beginner Divisions,
Novice GI is for White Belts Only!
KIDS
BEGINNER = Less than 1 year exp.
____ KIDS BEGINNER NO-GI (with submissions)
____ KIDS BEGINNER GI (with submissions)
KIDS
INTERMEDIATE = Less than 2 years exp.
____ KIDS INTERMEDIATE NO-GI (w/ subs)
____ KIDS INTERMEDIATE GI (with subs)
KIDS
EXPERT = More than 2 years experience
____ KIDS EXPERT NO-GI (with submissions)
____ KIDS EXPERT GI (with submissions)
Please
circle your child's age:
4
or 5 years old
6
or 7 years old
8
or 9 years old
10
or 11 years old
12
& 13 years old
Whenever
possible your child will be matched up with someone their same
age, however please understand they may have to compete with
others slightly older.
If
there are 2 or more girls in a division, we will create a separate
division for those girls.
______
49.9 lbs. & Under
______ 50 lbs. to 59.9 lbs.
______ 60 lbs. to 69.9 lbs.
______ 70 lbs. to 79.9 lbs.
______ 80 lbs. to 89.9 lbs.
______ 90 lbs. to 99.9 lbs.
______ 100 lbs. to 114.9 lbs.
______ 115 lbs. to 129.9 lbs.
______ 130 lbs. to 149.9 lbs.
______ 150 lbs. to 179.9 lbs.
All children 13 and under that weigh over 180 lbs. will need
to compete with the teens.
All
Expert winners take home a Championship Belt, if multiple Expert
Divisions are won by a competitor, only 1 Belt will be awarded
TEEN'S
NO-GI & GI GRAPPLING DIVISIONS (14 to 15) and (16 to 17)
years of age:
TEEN'S
EXPERIENCE LEVELS
TENTATIVE
WEIGHT CLASSES
AGE
& GENDER
TEENS
NOVICE = < 6 months experience
____ TEENS NOVICE NO-GI
____ TEENS NOVICE GI
Teens Novice is for White Belts only!!!
TEENS BEGINNER = < 1 yr experience
____ TEENS BEGINNER NO-GI
____ TEENS BEGINNER GI
No Wrestlers allowed in Novice or Beginner
TEENS
INTERMEDIATE = < 2 yrs exp.
____ TEENS INTERMEDIATE NO-GI
____ TEENS INTERMEDIATE GI
TEENS
EXPERT= 2 yrs exp. +
____
TEENS EXPERT NO-GI
____ TEENS EXPERT GI
______
Fly Weight (99.9 lb & Under)
______ Bantam Weight (100 to 109.9 lbs.)
______ Feather Weight (110 to 119.9 lbs.)
______ Light Weight (120 to 129.9 lbs.)
______ Welter Weight (130 to 139.9 lbs.)
______ Middle Weight (140 to 149.9 lbs.)
______ Light Heavy Wt. (150 to 159.9 lbs.)
______ Cruiser Weight (160 to 179.9 lbs.)
______ Heavy Weight (180 to 199.9 lbs.)
______ Super Heavy Weight (200 lbs. +)
Please
note - We reserve the right to either subdivide or combine the
above weight and age classes the day of the event depending on
the turnout. Submissions are allowed in all teen divisions
____
14 to 15 Years old
____
16 to 17 Years old
We
will separate girls from boys when there are 2 or more girls
in a specific skill level & weigh class.
All
Expert winners take home a Championship Belt, if multiple Expert
Divisions are won by a competitor, only 1 Belt will be awarded
|
Destiny:
Past Present Future
Aloha Tower Waterfront, Honolulu, Hawaii
October 21st, 2011
-Lightweight Championship-
Max 'Lil Evil' Holloway (Gods Army) vs Kaleo 'Lights Out' Kwan
(O2 MAA)
-Featherweight Championship-
Dustin Kimura (Gracie Technics) vs TBA (mainland opponent)
-155lbs Pro Match
Kyle Rideau (Faito Tamashii Combat Club, California) vs Herman
Santiago (ICG)
-Female Championship-
Kailin
Curran (Animal House/O2 MAA) vs Yarnisha Lyons (Fort Hood Texas Fight Team)
-Amateur Featherweight Championship-
Toby Misech (BOSS MMA) vs Zack Rapal (Fighters Union)
-135lbs Pro Match
Ian Delacuesta (Fitness Ranes Fight Team) vs Richard 'Hit 2 Hard'
Barnard
-Amateur Lightweight Championship-
Lowen Tynanes (Team Tynanes) vs Deven Taylor (UCS)
-145lbs
Pro Match
Jay Bolos
(O2 MAA)
vs Jesse Thorton (Fort Hood Texas Fight Team)-
-Amateur Bantamweight Championship-
Kelii Palencia (HMC) vs Zach Close (Sunset Beach BJJ)-
-Amateur Heavyweight Championship-
Kevin Herzog (Team Mixed Plate) vs Olo Faamau
-Amateur Welterweight Championship-
Justin
Konia (HMC/O2 MAA)
vs Lynden Patritio (Fighters Union)
-Amateur 125lbs Championship
-Michael Nakagawa (Team Alpha Male/Gracie Technics) vs Skyler
Close (Sunset Beach Jiu-Jitsu)
-Amateur Middleweight Championship-
Charles Hazlewood (Combat 50) vs Jon Ferrell
-Amateur Light Heavyweight Championship-
Kevin Agui (Animal House) vs Alex Pulotu Steverson (Team Xtreme)
-185lbs
Jacob Smith (UKA) vs Neale Johnson (SOMMA)
-145lbs
Ryne Yoshimura (HMC) vs Jason Recamara (808 Alliance)
-135lbs
Randy Rivera (HMC) vs Isamu Lopez (Hilo)
-145lbs
Colin Mackenzie (Gods Army) vs TBA
-170lbs
Lawrence Mathias (Animal House) vs Steve Farmer (UCS)
-135lbs
Jared Iha (No Remorse) vs Drake Fujimoto (Relson Gracie Academy)
-160lbs
Sage Yoshida (HMC) vs Micah Ige (Team Xtreme)
-170lbs
Sebastion Mariconda (HMC) vs TBA
-155lbs
Jaymes Shultes (SOMMA) vs Daniel Ige (Sunset Beach BJJ)
-145lbs
Landon Yoshimura (HMC) vs TBA-
-170lbs (Kickboxing grudge match)
Rob Joseph (Gods Army) vs Micah Abreu (UKA)
-145lbs (Pankration)
Clem Holloway (Gods Army) vs Kevin Stevens (Combat 50)
-145lbs (Pankration)
Rowel Tano vs TBA
-145lbs (Pankration)
Frankie Tano vs TBA
-125lbs (Pankration)
Joey Schipper (UCS) vs TBA
-135lbs (Pankration)
Keanu Rowland-Manners vs TBA
FIGHT CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source:
Event Promoter
|
UP
N UP- Stand Alone
Waikiki
Shell, Honolulu, Hawaii
October 15, 2011
Main
Event
170 lbs Championship
Zane Kamaka vs Bubba Ka'ahanui
155
lbs Championship
Johnavan Vistante vs Nate Quinola
205
lbs Championship
Tasi Edwards vs Ilima Maiava
HW
Championship
Paea Paongo vs Doug Hiu
145
lbs Championship
Elijah Manners vs Tyler Kahihikolo
205
lbs
Vince Alama vs Shawn Desantos
145
lbs
Ikaika Tampos vs Dillon Fillekes
HW
Henri Berger vs Chris Barnard
170
lbs
Miller Ualesi vs L. John Borges
170
lbs
Chad Puha vs Lavelle Brown
HW
Dylan Rush vs Palmer Fuga
SHW
Grudge Match
Bryson Pang vs Alvin Kanehailua
125
lbs
Wesley Mossman vs Joey Balai
155
lbs
Arnold Ramos vs Aaron Terry
155
lbs
Shandon Augustus vs Joseph Enaena
205
lbs
Jacob Smith vs John Rosa
125
lbs
Alika Kumukoa vs Jared Gonda
125
lbs
Chante Stafford vs Butch Anderson
185
lbs
Tillis Sionesini vs TBA
170
lbs
Cody Andrade vs TBA
FIGHT CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE
|
Aldo
ups the ante against Florian
Jose
Aldo Jr. has been considered the top featherweight fighter in
the world for nearly two years, since his World Extreme Cagefighting
title win over Mike Brown, a title that morphed into a UFC championship
at the start of 2011.
But
he knows that Saturday night, when he defends his title against
Kenny Florian at the Toyota Center in Houston, back home in Brazil
more eyes will be on him than ever before.
“A
lot has changed since UFC Rio [on Aug. 27],” Aldo said through
translator Derek Lee. “There’s a lot more respect for
the fighters and [I] always felt that would happen after the
UFC went to Brazil. Soccer is always going to be No. 1 in Brazil.
It’s in their culture. But MMA is right up there as No.
2 and it’s grown a lot.”
Aldo
said he always knew that fighters would be recognized in his
homeland for their accomplishments, but until Aug. 27 he was
never sure if it would happen during his career.
“[I’ve]
been doing more appearances, been recognized more, it’s
definitely changed,” he said. “[I] couldn’t imagine
it, but was always thinking the best, looking at the future and
hoping for the best. I didn’t know if it would be [my] generation
or the next generation of fighters.”
While
UFC Rio helped Aldo’s popularity back home, he also believes
his UFC 136 bout with Florian (15-5) is a key to his popularity
growth in North America, as Florian been an established name
in the UFC for six years.
“Your
popularity definitely goes up when you fight a big name like
Florian,” he said. “Maybe a lot of the fans rooting
for Kenny will have love for me after the fight, but I’m
not really thinking about that.
Either
way, name recognition is still a novelty for Aldo. When he left
home as a teenager to go to Rio de Janeiro, he had no money.
He lived in the gym, cleaning the mats at night after everyone
finished training as his “rent.” His food often consisted
of handouts from older fighters.
That
MMA upbringing helped fuel a run of 12 straight victories that
has propelled Aldo into the No. 4 spot in the Yahoo! Sports Top
10. What’s most scary about Aldo Jr.’s run is that
he’s been bothered for much of it by a herniated disc in
his neck, which got so bad earlier this year that he delayed
fights.
In
his lone fight this year, winning a decision over Mark Hominick
at UFC 129 in Toronto, Aldo looked human. Though he won the first
four rounds, in the fifth, Hominick took him down and gave him
a beating. It was the first time he solidly lost a round since
he started fighting in North America.
“It’s
hard to know when you’re 100 percent,” Aldo said. “[I’m]
not thinking about it. [I] don’t feel any of the pain during
the fight, only in training before the fight. But [I] did a few
months of physical therapy, rehabbing the neck, getting it back
to where it should be.”
Based
on that fifth round, the key to Saturday’s fight seems to
be whether Florian can take Aldo down. Florian’s game plan
seems to come down to being able to stay with him, if not get
the better of him standing due to being a physically bigger guy
with longer reach, and even more, whether he can take him down.
“[I’ve]
definitely fought taller guys before, even guys with a longer
reach than Kenny,” he said.
From
a statistical standpoint, Florian, who comes into the fight as
a 7-to-2 underdog, has lost every fight in his UFC career where
he was unable to take his opponent down: bouts with Diego Sanchez,
Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn and Gray Maynard. Florian is well aware
of that, putting more effort over the last year into his wrestling
training than every other aspect of his game. But from a statistical
standpoint, Aldo Jr. is No. 1 all-time in WEC/UFC history by
defending 93 percent of the takedowns attempted against him,
according to Fightmetric.com.
If
Florian he can get Aldo Jr. down, can get his back? Florian’s
statistics on passing to get the back are among the best in UFC
history. Aldo Jr. has never been threatened from that position.
It
was just last weekend that bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz
moved into the four successful title defense category, one reserved
for the elite names historically like Anderson Silva, Georges
St. Pierre, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Pat Miletich,
Frank Shamrock and Urijah Faber. And just like Aldo Jr. was the
youngest champion in history at 23 years and two months, now,
one month past his 25th birthday, he would be the fastest to
reach this new level.
But
recently, a video surfaced documenting what Aldo Jr. did to make
weight at UFC 129. This is in addition to a gaunt-looking Aldo
appearing as if he was going to pass out on stage during a meeting
of all seven UFC champions on the day before the fight. It all
raises the question of how long Aldo will be able to make 145
pounds, and the toll making it takes on his body. Whether it
was the neck injury, being under the weather at the time, or
difficulty making weight, he did not look like the same fighter
in the later rounds with Hominick.
“That’s
something all fighters go through,” he said. “If they
did videos of other fighters, you’d see all that suffering.
But it was a hard video to watch. It’s what [I] go through
and it’s what [I’ve] been doing since the jiu jitsu
days.”
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Rankings:
Jones edges Aldo for third
Jon
Jones has long been considered the biggest threat to break up
Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre’s duopoly over the
top two spots in the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound poll.
At
this point, you don’t need me to go into all the reasons
why, as the UFC light heavyweight champion’s status as “The
Chosen One” has received more hype than anything this side
of “Moneyball.”
But
what might come as a bit of surprise is how fast Jones has gotten
himself into position to knock on the Big Two’s door. Jones’
dominant victory over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson on
Sept. 24, on the heels of a similar destruction of Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua, has made it clear Jones could be in for the sort of championship
run that at some point stops being called a “reign”
and transitions to an “era.”
Silva
and St. Pierre’s lock on the top spots remain secure for
now, as for the second straight month they were unanimous picks
among the 21 voters for first and second, respectively. But Jones’
win over “Rampage” nudged him into the No. 3 spot,
with 153 points, one ahead of UFC featherweight champion Jose
Aldo.
The
breakdown: Jones had 12 third-place votes; five fourths; two
fifths and two sixths. Aldo received eight thirds, 10 fourths
and three fifths (if you’re curious, the other third-place
vote went to UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar).
Does
Aldo deserve to be bumped down to fourth? I personally voted
Aldo third and Jones fourth, as I feel the two boast similar
all-around skill sets, and that Aldo, by spending so much time
in the WEC, didn’t have the benefit of the UFC spotlight
to showcase his abilities until recently. And it doesn’t
help that Aldo wasn’t able to put away Mark Hominick in
his most recent fight. Either way, two things are clear: One
is that Jones is steadily pushing his way toward No. 1; the other
is that Aldo, with a title defense on Oct. 8 against Kenny Florian,
can demonstrate whether he belongs in the conversation with Silva,
St. Pierre and Jones.
This
month’s voting panel: Denny Burkholder, CBSSports.com; Elias
Cepeda, Fight! Magazine; Mike Chiappetta MMAFighting.com and
Fight! Magazine; Steve Cofield, Cagewriter and ESPN Radio 1100
Las Vegas; Neil Davidson The Canadian Press; Dave Doyle Yahoo!
Sports; CTV Sportsnet;Ben Fowlkes, SportsIllustrated.com and
MMAFighting.com; Josh Gross, ESPN.com; Ariel Helwani, Versus.com
and MMAFighting.com; Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports; Damon Martin,
MMAWeekly.com; Todd Martin, freelance; Franklin McNeil, ESPN.com;
Brad McCray, freelance; Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports and The Wrestling
Observer; John Morgan, MMAjunkie.com; Ken Pishna, MMAWeekly.com;
Michael David Smith, MMAFighting.com; Mike Straka, Tapout TV;
Dann Stupp, MMAjunkie.com and The Dayton Daily News;Jeff Wagenheim,
SI.com.
Scoring:
Ten points for a first-place vote, nine points for second, etc.,
down to one point for a 10th-place vote. Fighters who are under
suspension for use of performance-enhancing substances or abuse
of drugs are ineligible to be considered for the duration of
their suspensions. Fighters who have been inactive for more than
12 months are ineligible for consideration until the completion
of their next fight.
Photo
Maynard
T-9.
Gray Maynard
Points: 37
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: lightweight
Hometown: Las Vegas
Record: 10-0-1, 1 no-contest (draw in previous fight)
Last month’s ranking:T-9
Most recent result: vs. Frankie Edgar, majority draw, Jan. 1
The
Edge ElementRanked behind Frankie Edgar despite a win and a draw
in their two bouts. Will the third time be the charm?
Photo
Melendez
T-9.
Gilbert Melendez
Points: 37
Affiliation: Strikeforce (lightweight champion)
Weight class: lightweight
Hometown: San Francisco
Record: 19-2 (won past five)
Last month’s ranking:T- 9
Most recent result: def. Tatsuya Kawajiri, R1 TKO, April 9
The
Edge ElementStrikeforce’s last remaining relevant men’s
star is expected to defend his title against Jorge Masvidal on
Dec. 17.< br>
Photo
Fitch
8.
Jon Fitch
Points: 37
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: welterweight
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Record: 23-3-1, 1 no-contest (draw in previous fight)
Last month’s ranking: 8
Most recent result: majority draw vs. B.J. Penn, Feb. 21
The
Edge Element Finally returns to the cage on Dec. 30, where he’ll
meet 11-1 Johny Hendricks.
Photo
Velasquez
7.
Cain Velasquez
Points: 70
Affiliation: UFC (heavyweight champion)
Weight class: heavyweight
Hometown: Salinas, Calif.
Record: 9-0 (won past nine)
Last month’s ranking: 7
Most recent result: def. Brock Lesnar, R1 TKO, Oct. 23
The
Edge ElementHow many different ways is the pressure on Velasquez
on Nov. 12? He’s been out nearly a year with a shoulder
injury; he’s making his first title defense; he’s meeting
the heavyweight division’s best boxer in Junior dos Santos;
and it is the UFC’s debut on live network television. If
Velasquez passes this test, it’s hard to see what else could
faze him.
Photo
Cruz
6.
Dominick Cruz
Points: 107
Affiliation: UFC (bantamweight champion)
Weight class: bantamweight
Hometown: San Diego
Record: 17-1 (won past seven)
Last month’s ranking: 6
Most recent result: def. Urijah Faber, unanimous decision, July
2
The
Edge Element Faces a key test on Saturday against the underrated
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
Photo
Edgar
5.
Frankie Edgar
Points: 115
Affiliation: UFC (lightweight champion)
Weight class: lightweight
Hometown: Toms River, N.J.
Record: 13-1-1 (draw in previous fight)
Last month’s ranking: 5
Most recent result: split draw vs. Gray Maynard, Jan. 1
The
Edge ElementCan prove he merits a top-five ranking once and for
all with a win over his nemesis Maynard.
Photo
Aldo
4.
Jose Aldo
Points: 152
Affiliation: UFC (featherweight champion)
Weight class: featherweight
Hometown: Rio de Janeiro
Record: 18-1 (won past 11)
Last month’s ranking: 3
Most recent result: def. Mark Hominick, unanimous decision, April
30
The
Edge ElementWas his inability to finish Hominick an aberration,
or truly the end of the spell in which he ran over the competition?
We’ll know soon.
Photo
Jones
3.
Jon Jones
Points: 153
Affiliation: UFC (light heavyweight champion)
Weight class: light heavyweight
Hometown: Endicott, N.Y.
Record: 14-1 (won previous five)
Last month’s ranking: 4
Most recent result: def. Quinton Jackson, R4 submission, Sept.
24
The
Edge ElementWhile he’s not likely to take a top-two spot
until someone ahead of him stumbles, Jones isn’t far off.
Photo
St. Pierre
2.
Georges St. Pierre
Points: 189
Affiliation: UFC (welterweight champion)
Weight class: welterweight
Hometown: Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Record: 22-2 (won past nine)
Last month’s ranking: 2
Most recent result: def. Jake Shields, unanimous decision, April
30
The
Edge ElementDon’t sleep on St. Pierre’s new Oct. 29
opponent, Carlos Condit, who has made a career out of surprising
opponents who have overlooked him.
Photo
Silva
1.
Anderson Silva
Points: 210 (21 first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC (middleweight champion)
Weight class: middleweight
Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil
Record: 29-4 (won past 14)
Last month’s ranking: 1
Most recent result: def. Yushin Okami, R2 TKO, Aug. 27
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Rashad
Evans Won’t Sit and Wait, But Title Picture Gets Muddied
in the Meantime
Two
times in a row now with a title shot just within his grasp, Evans
has suffered injuries that have put on on the sidelines and out
of the championship contender status he earned.
The
latest forced Evans to turn down a fight with former teammate
and current rival Jon Jones at UFC 140 in December.
According
to UFC President Dana White, Evans wants to stay busy and will
look to take another fight when his injured hand is healed and
ready to go.
White
also admits that the light heavyweight title picture starts to
get a little muddy because nothing is guaranteed who’s next
after Lyoto Machida gets his shot in Dec.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Saunders,
Lima Secured Spots in Welterweight Finals at Bellator 53
CHICAGO
— There were eight at the start but after Bellator 53 in
Miami, Okla., just two men remain in the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight
Tournament. Ben “Killa B” Saunders and Douglas Lima
will advance to the welterweight finals after finishing each
of their opponents in front of a sold out crowd inside the Buffalo
Run Casino Resort.
“Our
Welterweights were simply electric tonight” said Bellator
Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Lima looked spectacular
on his feet against a top, top tier striker in Chris Lozano and
Ben Saunders on the ground was spectacular. Top to bottom this
was an incredible show, and our Welterweight Finals should be
something very special.”
Saunders
scored an impressive victory with a dominating performance on
the ground against veteran Luis Santos, a fighter with over 50
career wins. Santos succeeded in taking the fight to the mat
but Saunders dictated the pace of the fight from his back with
arm locks and a stiff underhook. In the third and final round,
Saunders found himself in top position on the mat for the first
time in the fight. He advanced to half guard and finished the
fight by keylock to secure victory and his spot in the Welterweight
Finals later this season.
“The
Assassin” Chris Lozano was dealt just the second loss of
his young career at the hands “The Phenom” Douglas
Lima. More than half of Lozano’s wins inside the cage have
come via knockout, and it was evident by Lozano’s willingness
to stand and trade with Lima. It backfired however in the second
round as Lima caught Lozano coming in with a perfectly timed
right cross following a failed left hook by Lozano. Lima knocked
“The Assassin” out cold to advance to the finals of
the Bellator Welterweight Tournament.
Josh
Burns and Thiago Santos were fighting for a reserve spot in Bellator’s
Heavyweight Tournament as semifinalist Mike Hayes, who knocked
off Neil Grove at Bellator 52, may be under a 60-day suspension
and unable to compete due to a broken orbital from his fight
against Grove. Santos was on task from the beginning in his fight
with Burns as he systematically pressured him against the cage,
took him down, softened him up with numerous strikes and finished
the fight by rear naked choke after Burns gave up his back. With
the victory, Santos may join fellow heavyweights Ron Sparks,
Blagoi Ivanov and Eric Prindle in the semifinals of the Heavyweight
Tournament.
In
a Season 6 Featherweight Tournament Qualifier fight, Ronnie “Kid
Ninja” Mann defeated Kenny Foster in impressive fashion.
Foster managed to take “Kid Ninja” to the ground twice
in the first round, but Mann proved just as dangerous from his
back as he’s shown to be on his feet. He constantly worked
for submissions until he caught his opponent in a triangle choke
near the end of the opening round and forced Foster to tap. Mann
dedicated the fight to the memory of his coach Shawn Thompkins
who passed away on Aug. 14. Thompkins was a respected member
of the MMA community and was also the coach of Bellator veteran
Chris Horodecki.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Dana
White: Rampage Can Box When His (UFC) Contract is Up
UFC
president Dana White has no problem with former light heavyweight
champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson boxing… he’s
just not gonna do it on White’s watch.
“He’s
under contract. He’s not boxing until… I mean, if he
wants to box when his contract is up, that’s up to him.”
Rampage
has mentioned recently that he’d like to box because he
thinks that boxers won’t run from him on the feet and he’ll
finally get the stand-up wars he’s looking for. White insists
that won’t happen with the way that most boxers approach
the game these days, but he also thinks there’s much more
to it than that. He thinks it’s a case of a misconception
about the money being thrown around. White says that boxing promoter’s
like Bob Arum pay fighters as little as $600, something he’s
never done since taking over the UFC.
“Rampage
thought that the movie business was the answer to all his (expletive)
dreams. That didn’t work out too good. The pay over there
wasn’t what he thought it was. The pay over here was a lot
better; a lot better.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Gilbert
Melendez: The UFC Belt Is Best Belt, and I Want It
Gilbert MelendezStrikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez
sat down with UFC President Dana White recently and put it out
there that he'd love to get a crack at the UFC lightweight title.
"I
just wanted to discuss my future with the organization,"
Melendez said Monday on The MMA Hour. "It looks like I have
a good future. ... I just expressed that I want to fight the
best."
Although
Melendez described himself as a loyal Strikeforce fighter who
still has four fights left on his contract, he made no secret
of the fact that his ultimate goal in the sport is to be the
champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
"The
UFC title is the best belt," he said. "I want that
belt and I want it as soon as possible."
Melendez
said he believes he matches up well with UFC lightweight champion
Frankie Edgar and has done enough that he deserves the next shot
at Edgar's belt.
"I'm
definitely impressed by Frankie. He's an amazing fighter. He's
great," Melendez said. "I honestly feel like I'm the
No. 1 contender and I feel like I'm ready for the title shot
now."
The
UFC has already brought in Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair
Overeem and Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz, and
Melendez is hoping he's next. Melendez stressed, however, that
he's not allowing the possibility of fighting in the UFC distract
him from his planned December 17 Strikeforce fight with Jorge
Masvidal.
"I've
been focusing on Jorge Masvidal," Melendez said. "He's
the first guy in line. I think he's the No. 1 contender, as of
now, in Strikeforce, and as of now I have to focus on that guy.
He's real tough. But it's hard not to get excited when you hear
all these rumors."
Melendez
had nothing but positive things to say about Strikeforce, but
he has been frustrated at times that the general public recognizes
only UFC fighters as the best in the world.
"The
most frustrating thing is the recognition," Melendez said.
"A lot of people don't recognize me as a great fighter because
I haven't beaten any UFC guys."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Sonnen
dares Silva to win or go home
HOUSTON
– It is difficult to say which was more stunning at UFC
136: The way middleweight Chael Sonnen so easily handled Brian
Stann before submitting him in the second round Saturday at the
Toyota Center, or Sonnen’s offer to middleweight champion
Anderson Silva to have a “loser leaves town match”
early next year.
The
colorful Sonnen was at his trash-talking best after destroying
Stann, submitting him with an arm triangle at 3:51 of the second
round. Sonnen, fighting for the first time since being submitted
by Silva in the waning seconds of a title fight 14 months ago
at UFC 117, repeatedly took Stann down and pounded on him on
the ground.
But
the real fireworks began in the cage after the fight and continued
in the post-fight news conference, where Sonnen tore Silva apart
verbally.
Chael
Sonnen got his hand raised after beating Brian Stann, but that
turned out to be just his opening act at UFC 136.
After
Stann submitted, Sonnen eyed Silva, who was sitting Octagonside.
He grabbed the microphone from interviewer Joe Rogan and, speaking
directly to Silva, said, “I beat you, you leave the division.
You beat me, I leave the UFC forever.”
Silva
arched his eyebrows as the crowd went wild.
At
the post-fight news conference, Sonnen had the room in stitches
as he bashed Silva repeatedly.
UFC
president Dana White got in on the act, too. Asked if he’d
put Silva-Sonnen II in the champion’s native Brazil, White
demurred.
“I
want to get Chael out of there alive,” White said, referring
to the ongoing trashing of Brazil and its people Sonnen has been
doing.
White
said he wasn’t certain he’d make the fight next, though
he seemed to be leaning that way. He said he wanted to talk to
Silva, and he admitted there is a possibility it could happen
on the night before the Super Bowl in February in Las Vegas.
Sonnen
said he was pleased with the victory, but said beating Stann
isn’t what he wanted to be doing on Saturday. He clearly
had his mind on the champion.
“I’m
definitely happy and it’s a big relief and a process to
go through,” Sonnen said. “But look: That’s not
the match I was after. I got plenty of money. I got plenty of
fame. I’m after 12 pounds of gold, and as far as I’m
concerned, that belt is worth nothing more than a piece of tin
when it’s around his waist. I am the true middleweight champion.”
That
“piece of tin” is a belt Sonnen nearly won. At UFC
117, he was dominating Silva like no one had since Silva joined
the UFC in 2006. He repeatedly took the champion down and pounded
him on the ground.
Sonnen
won the first four rounds by a wide margin and was winning the
fifth and en route to one of the biggest upsets in UFC history
when Silva slid his legs around Sonnen’s neck and forced
a tap with a triangle choke.
For
all his trash talk, Sonnen is a fierce competitor, a former Olympic
wrestling alternate, and wants the rematch badly to prove his
performance the first time was no fluke.
“It
was spur of the moment,” he insisted of his decision in
the cage to call out Silva. “I saw him sitting in the crowd.
We’ve got unfinished business. They’re talking about
somebody else coming in there. This is me and him. And, frankly,
it’s me then him.
“In
some parallel universe, you can hit a man 300 times and he wraps
his legs around your head for eight seconds and they call him
the winner. On the streets of West Linn, Oregon, those are not
the rules. I am the middleweight champion. I defended my championship
tonight for the first time and I am willing to give Anderson
a shot at the true belt, the linear belt, the people’s belt,
from the best damn middleweight there’s ever been.”
Silva
didn’t attend the post-fight news conference, though he’s
made no secret of his desire to face Sonnen again. White said
he’ll have to consider the possibilities, though he conceded
a rematch would be big.
Given
Silva’s interest, it probably will occur.
“Some
of the stuff he’s said has gotten Anderson pretty fired
up and wanting to do this fight,” White said. “You
go out there and debate whether if Dan Henderson beats [Mauricio]
‘Shogun’ [Rua at UFC 139 next month] or dah dah dah,
but I think people and Anderson probably want this fight.”
Sonnen
clearly wants it.
“As
far as Anderson goes, we’re playing for keeps this time,
because I’ve had it with this guy,” Sonnen said. “He’s
probably had it with me, so let’s just figure this thing
out once and for all. You heard what I said and my word is good,
and I meant it. A deal is a deal and I didn’t see him stand
up and accept the challenge.
“If
the [shoe] had been on the other foot, I’d have come over
that [shoe] and shoved that microphone up his [expletive], if
he would have said that to me. You saw what he did. He sat there.
And you know what? It was a good move.”
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Aldo,
Edgar still at the top; Sonnen calls out Silva
While
the two title fights headlining UFC 136 last night in Houston
were the main focus, Chael Sonnen made a splash of his own with
his win, quick to issue another challenge to Anderson Silva right
after.
Frankie
Edgar vs. Gray Maynard
In
the main event of the evening, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard
had a thrilling match, which Frankie came from behind to win
in spectacular fashion. In the opening round the champion took
some heavy shots, was wisibly wobbled by an upper cut but hung
on. The second and third round saw Frankie get the better of
the action, and in the fourth he came up with the knockout after
landing a right hook that grounded his opponent, following up
with strikes on the ground. Still, the Frankie vs. Maynard trilogy
remains without a winner, as they share one win apiece and a
draw between them.
José
Aldo vs. Kenny Florian
José
Aldo left nothing to chance in defending his UFC title for a
second time, against Kenny Florian. After an evenly-matched first
round, Aldo went on to land strikes with frequency and even make
it to mount twice. With his leg battered from stinging leg kicks,
Florian relied on clinching against the fencing to make things
hard on Aldo, who with the unanimous decision win brings his
winning streak to 13 and defends his featherweight title for
the second time.
Chael
Sonnen vs Brian Stann
Sonnen
– who’d have guessed? – used the Jiu-Jitsu he
speaks so negatively about to good effect, taking Brian Stann
down at will and moving to back mount and mount a number of times.
The end came in round two, when Sonnen landed an arm triangle
choke for the tapout. After his arm was raised he was quick to
speak evil of Anderson Silva and make a promise he’ll hope
he won’t have to keep: to quit the UFC if Anderson Silva
should beat him again.
Leonard
Garcia vs. Nam Phan
Both
needed wins at all costs, having come off porr results. But it
was the smaller Nam Phan who peppered Garcia with strikes and
even landing a knockdown. While Garcia did launch a rally-back
flurry of strikes in the third round, it wasn’t enough,
as Phan was rightly given the unanimous nod. Garcia, who lost
his second in a row, was applauded for his efforts, as he exited
the cage.
Check
out the complete results:
UFC
136
Toyota Center
October 8, 2011
Frankie
Edgar defeated Gray Maynard by TKO at 3:54 minutes of R4
José Aldo defeated Kenny Florian via unanimous decision
Chael Sonnen submitted Brian Stann via arm-triangle at 3:51 min
of R2
Nam Pan defeated Leonard Garcia via unanimous decision
Joe Lauzon submitted Melvin Guillard via rear-naked choke at
0.47 min of R1
Demian Maia defeated Jorge Santiago via unanimous decision
Anthony Pettis defeated Jeremy Stephens via split decision
Stipe Miocic defeated Joey Beltran via unanimous decision
Darren Elkins defeated Tiequan Zhang via unanimous decision
Aaron Simpson defeated Eric Schafer via unanimous decision
Mike Massenzio defeated via unanimous decision
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
136 pays out 75K best-of bonuses
Best
knockout went to Frankie Edgar, for his historic come-from-behind
win against Gray Maynard, after nearly being knocked out in the
opening round. Now submission of the night honors went to Joe
Lauzon, for the rear-naked choke that snapped Melvin Guillard’s
winning streak. The fight that had the crowd most excited, Nam
Phan taking a unanimous decision over Leonard Garcia, was the
best of the night.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
136 Bonuses: Edgar Grabs An Extra $75,000
Frankie
Edgar, Joe Lauzon, Nam Phan, and Leonard Garcia were awarded
$75,000 bonus checks for in-Octagon performances at UFC 136 in
Houston on Saturday.
Knockout
of the Night honors went to the lightweight champion, Frankie
Edgar, for his fourth-round technical knockout of Gray Maynard
in the main event. Maynard had Edgar in major trouble in the
first round but Edgar came back in the second and finished in
the fourth and took home an extra $75,000 for his efforts
Nam
Phan and Leonard Garcia bagged Fight of the Night honors for
their three-round war. Phan utilized his technical striking through
the first two rounds to get up on the scorecards. Garcia came
back in the final round setting a blistering pace. He landed
a left hook that sent Phan to the canvas but was unable to finish.
The rematch lived up to the hype and this time the judges got
the scorecards right declaring Phan the winner by unanimous decision.
Joe
Lauzon pulled the upset over Melvin Guillard to take home the
Submission of the Night bonus money. Lauzon landed a left hand
that stunned Guillard early. It was another left hand that made
Guillard try to get the fight to the ground. Lauzon took his
back and sunk in the rear naked choke forcing Guillard to tap
out.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
136 Aftermath: If Offered, Nam Phan Welcomes Third Fight with
Leonard Garcia
On
Saturday night, UFC featherweight Nam Phan (17-9) was able to
even the score with Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia with a
unanimous decision victory in another thrilling fight.
In
the first meeting between the two featherweights, Nam and a lot
of pundits felt he was robbed of a decision and had no clue how
the fight could’ve been scored in Garcia’s favor.
At
UFC 136, Phan was able to capture the first two rounds of the
rematch by landing crisper punches and devastating body shots.
In the third round, Garcia managed to stun Phan with a left hook,
but could not capitalize on the opening and Phan scored with
a takedown and at the end of the fight the two men would fight
rock ‘em sock ‘em robot style.
“I
felt like I won the first fight,” Phan said at the post-fight
presser.
“I
did my best to try and finish this fight. But Leonard, with all
things considered, [is] a real tough guy. I would say he’s
very difficult to finish.”
After
going 1-1 against the brawler Garcia, Phan is open to fighting
him a third time. He feels – in his view, after winning
both fights – the fans were so pumped by the UFC 136 bout
that it’s hard to turn down the potential opportunity to
excite the crowd like that again.
“I’d
like to put this rivalry behind us, but if the UFC wants to make
the fight I’m all for it,” Phan said.
Now
with Garcia behind him for the time being, Phan will go home
to Garden Grove, Calif. with another Fight of the Night bonus
and has erased any doubt in the minds of fans and pundits who
doubted his performance the first meeting.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Dana
White: Floyd Mayweather Gets Licensed in Nevada, No Reason Chael
Sonnen Shouldn’t
A rematch between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and
top contender Chael Sonnen is all but a done deal after Saturday
night.
Sonnen
immediately called for a second fight with Silva after dispatching
of Brian Stann at UFC 136, and even said he hoped to get the
bout on Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas.
The
only issue is that Sonnen has had some issues in the past dealing
with state commissions, most notably in Nevada and California.
While
he doesn’t get directly involved in commission dealings,
UFC President Dana White says he sees no reason at all why Sonnen
shouldn’t get licensed in the state of Nevada.
As
a matter of fact, Nevada licenses boxer Floyd Mayweather, who
is currently undergoing several pending legal issues, and White
believes Sonnen should have no trouble facing the same commission.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
136 Attendance and Gate Figures
UFC
136: Edgar vs. Maynard III drew 16,164 in attendance and garnered
2.23 million dollars in gate sales.
It
was a sold out crowd at the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday
for UFC 136. The event, featuring two title bouts, logged in
as the fourth largest for the venue with a 2.23 million dollar
gate.
In
the main event, Frankie Edgar defeated Gray Maynard by technical
knockout in the fourth round after coming back from nearly being
finished in the first. It was an exciting end to the grudge match
trilogy.
Featherweight
champion Jose Aldo defended his belt against Kenny Florian in
the co-main event of the evening. Florian out wrestled Aldo to
take the first round and then Aldo took over the fight with his
devastating leg kicks and hand speed. Aldo was unable to finish
but won a clear-cut unanimous decision.
UFC
136 Full Results:
Main
Bouts (On Pay-Per-View):
-Frankie Edgar def. Gray Maynard by TKO at 3:54, R4
-Jose Aldo def. Kenny Florian by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46,
49-46)
-Chael Sonnen def. Brian Stann by submission (arm triangle choke)
at 3:51, R2
-Joe Lauzon def. Melvin Guillard by submission (rear naked choke)
at :47, R1
-Nam Phan def. Leonard Garcia by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-28)
Preliminary
Bouts (On Spike TV):
-Demian Maia def. Jorge Santiago by unanimous decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)
-Anthony Pettis def. Jeremy Stephens by split decision (29-28,
28-29, 29-28)
Preliminary
Bouts (On Facebook):
-Stipe Miocic def. Joey Beltran by unanimous decision (29-28,
30-27, 29-28)
-Darren Elkins def. Tiequan Zhang by unanimous decision (30-27,
30-26, 30-27)
-Aaron Simpson def. Eric Schafer by unanimous decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)
-Mike Massenzio def. Steve Cantwell by unanimous decision (29-28,
30-27, 29-28)
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
136: Frankie Edgar Staying at Lightweight; White Proclaims Him
Pound-For-Pound No. 2
At
UFC 136, UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar successfully
defended his belt against the much larger Gray Maynard in their
all-important third fight.
The
much smaller Edgar was able to withstand another disaster in
the third meeting and came back in the fourth round to score
a TKO victory over Maynard.
Edgar
is happy to be fighting at 155 pounds in the UFC, despite being
undersized, and feels that with the growth of the sport and existence
of the UFC lightweight division, he’s here to stay and has
no intention of moving down to featherweight at this point in
time.
“When
I first got into the sport, the UFC didn’t have a 155-pound
division,” Edgar said at the post-fight presser.
“I
would fight at local shows and I would just fight at (1)55. I
got here at (1)55 and now I’m the champion. It’s definitely
a nice option to go down to 145 in the future, but I’m comfortable
right now. I’m the champion, I don’t see any reason
to go anywhere.”
With
impressive victories over the likes of elite fighters such as
Gray Maynard and B.J. Penn, there is certainly no reason to move
down in weight anytime soon and Dana White believes, with the
knockout victory over Maynard, Edgar has put himself at no. 2
pound-for-pound right behind Anderson Silva.
“He’s
the no. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, period,”
Dana White said at the post-fight press conference.
“The
only thing that keeps him from being no. 1 is that Anderson Silva
has not been beaten since 2006 and since he’s been in the
UFC, most of the time he’s been champion. If you really
look at what pound-for-pound means, there’s no way you can
deny that Frankie Edgar is no. 2. The guy weighs 145 pounds and
he’s beating guys at 155 pounds.
“Tonight
he beat a guy who had him out of it, and he was done in the first
round. He beat a guy… many people thought had his number
and he knocked him out tonight. I’m telling you, man, I’ve
never seen any [expletive] like that in my life. What he did
tonight was amazing and he’s the no. 2 pound-for-pound fighter
in the world.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
136 Aftermath: Chael Sonnen is After Anderson Silva’s Gold,
Feels He’s True Middleweight Champ
Chael
Sonnen, as many mixed martial arts fans know by now, has a lot
to say when it comes to fighting. And when it comes to fighting
the UFC middleweight champion, it seems that Sonnen has an endless
array of one-liners and essays about Anderson Silva.
UFC
136 proved no different.
As
soon as he punched his clock and finished business with Brian
Stann in Houston, Sonnen ignored interview questions about his
win and focused all of his attention, once again, on Silva. According
to Sonnen, the champ “absolutely sucks” and Team Quest
fighter is willing to put his UFC career on the line in a rematch
with the 185-pound king.
Sonnen
claims he’s a man of his word and will follow through with
stepping away from the UFC if Silva beats him in their second
meeting.
“As
far as Anderson goes, we’re playing for keeps this time.
I’ve had it with this guy and he’s probably had it
with me. So, let’s just figure this thing out once and for
all,” Sonnen said in a the post-fight press conference.
“My
word is good and I meant it, a deal is a deal. I didn’t
see him stand up and accept the challenge. (If) the role would
have been on the other foot, I would’ve come over…
and shoved that microphone up his ass… But you saw what
he did; he just sat there and it was a good move.”
During
his in-Octagon interview with Joe Rogan, Sonnen also said his
rematch with Silva would come on Super Bowl weekend, which would
land it in early February. UFC president Dana White is yet to
announce the fight officially, but agrees that fans, and the
champion, want the Silva-Sonnen rematch to happen next.
“I
think some of the stuff [Sonnen] said has got Anderson pretty
fired up,” White said. “I think that the people and
Anderson probably wanted this Chael Sonnen fight.”
As
for Sonnen, he’s not enamored with the limelight, paychecks,
and recognition he gets from being Anderson Silva’s arch
nemesis. He’s more concerned with only one thing; he wants
the title around his waist.
An
interesting note about that title, by the way: Sonnen believes
he already earned it. In fact, the vocal middleweight feels that
he is indeed the 185-pound champ.
“I
got plenty of money, I got plenty of fame. I’m after 12
pounds of gold,” Sonnen said. “And as far as I’m
concerned, that belt is worth nothing more than a piece of tin
when it’s around [Silva’s} waist. I am the true middleweight
champion.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Demian
Maia talks win over Santiago, Sonnen’s BJJ: “He’s
training Jiu-Jitsu, it’s obvious”
Demian
Maia shut down the pressure and won again in UFC, dominating
another Brazilian, Jorge Santiago, via points. On the following
day of his triumph, the BJJ black belt talked to TATAME and analyzed
his win and, among other subjects, talked about meeting Chael
Sonnen on the backstage and the evolution of the polemic athlete
at the BJJ area. “He’s training Jiu-Jitsu, it’s
obvious. He went for his back, tried to fit a punch not only
to hit him, but to grab him”, compliments Demian, who has
submitted Sonnen before, also commenting on a possible rematch
between Chael and Anderson Silva. Check it:
Did
everything go like you were planning it to? What was your game
plan?
Yeah,
it did... The strategy was to bring home the win. My idea was
to take him down safely, because he used a lot his knees, and
make it work on the floor, evolve within the positions. I’ll
always try to find my way out on the ground, but with no rush.
He
hit you with a knee when you tried to take him down. Did it get
you?
I
don’t remember it… I was training a lot the counterattacks
to that knee of his.
Did
you feel any pressure due to the fact you loss on your last bout,
or do you believe the pressure was on Santiago, who had returned
to UFC with a loss?
I
wasn’t worried about him, I was worried about me, of course.
Sure I was under pressure, even because I had done a tight fight
against a tough opponent.
What’s
next?
Actually,
who’s working on that is my manager Eduardo (Alonso). I
want to rest a while because it was a lot of pressure. He’s
a tough guy who is a former Sengoku champion and did the best
fight of the year last year… I had to beat him.
I’ve
heard you and Sonnen were on the same locker. How was it like?
Yeah,
we did... I met him many times before and it wasn’t any
different, he was respectful. I have no troubles with him. I
know it’s all a marketing plan, he’s trying to sell
his fights. Each one of us was warming-up, with our minds on
our bouts.
And
he applied a submission. What are your thoughts about his Jiu-Jitsu
skills?
He’s
training Jiu-Jitsu, it’s obvious. He went for his back,
tried to fit a punch not only to hit him, but to grab him, and
got him.
There
was a joke about you training together and he said he would like
that...
It
was a joke, it ain’t serious (laughs). We fight on the same
division, we could fight each other, so there’s no reason
why. He’s a really tough guy, a guy to be defeated on this
weight division. He likes talking a lot, but he’s tough.
Anyone in this division would have a tough fight against him.
The
next on the line can be Anderson... How do you see this rematch?
I
guess Anderson would be harder to submit on the ground than Stann,
because Anderson trains with experts, but Chael doesn’t
depend on the submission, he can work on the ground and pound.
He’ll be training his takedown defenses so he doesn’t
get in trouble like it happened to him before.
Source:
Tatame
|
Lyoto
confident against Jones: “Nobody is invincible”
Eight
months after knocking out Randy Couture, the Karate fighter Lyoto
Machida will return to Ultimate’s cage on a title fight
against the tough Jon Jones, and talked about the duel on an
exclusive interview given to TATAME. “Jon Jones is much
versatile and knows a lot of techniques, but we play a similar
game. Stamina and game plan are things that could define this
bout’s outcome. Nobody is invincible”, shoot the former
champion, who revealed to be surprised by the invitation, analyzing
also his opponent’s game and his recently victories over
Rampage and Shogun. Check it:
How
did you hear you’d be having a title shot against Jon Jones?
I
was at a birthday party last night and I heard I’d be fighting
Jon Jones. I accepted immediately, I couldn’t announce it
at the time, though. Ed and Joinha told me to hold the information
and it was complicated, I had to stop talking at all (laughs).
In the morning I want to give a class and, when I came back,
the contract was there for me to sign it. It was a reason for
me to be happy, because that’s why we enter these battles
for.
You’ve
spent a long time off waiting for you bout to come…
I
don’t upset because I’m not fighting, but I wanted
to know when I would so I could do other tasks, because I’m
a real pro. I try not to make room for any mistakes. I can lose
to anyone, but I can’t lose to myself. I demand a prediction
of when I’m fighting so I can prepare myself the best possible
way, I want to be at my best when I’m fighting.
This
title shot went against the rumor about UFC getting upset when
you asked for a "Anderson Silva money” so you’d
accept fighting Rashad at the last minute, right?
Yeah…
What was going on was that I didn’t have an opponent set,
a momentum thing. I’ve always known the positive side of
it, I looked for the right road to follow, always doing it right.
I didn’t injury anybody, I didn’t steal from anybody,
so I don’t have to be worried about it. I’ll do my
job and keep training. My life ain’t about money and fame,
it’s always been training, since I was an amateur. I’ve
always waited for this moment to come to me again.
What
are your expectations while coming into this bout against Jon
Jones, who has been evolving a lot?
It’ll
be a strategic bout, he’s a guy who studies his opponents
and so do I. Our team is a lot focused and anything can happen.
Many
fans always said, and you once said yourself, you saw your game
as a good match-up to Jon Jones’. What would you do against
him?
It’s
hard, he’s is much versatile and knows a lot of techniques,
but we play a similar game. He kicks, I kick, he punches and
goes to the ground, I can defend myself and take him down too.
Stamina and game plan are things that could define this bout’s
outcome. Nobody is invincible. We’re training for the best,
looking for enlarging our body and mind and that’s what
I’m gonna do.
What
lessons did you learn from his three bouts this year, submitting
Bader, beating Shogun and dominating Rampage?
Of
course we read his game, we know he always bring some news, but
I want to bring him some news too. It’s hard to say. I study
his game, but I’ve never seen him with a problem my problem
even because so far he wasn’t my opponent. Now he’s
my opponent, it’s set in stone. From this moment on the
study will reinforced, and the dedication too. I used to look
at his qualities, analyzed them, but I was always focused in
my fights, which was a duel with Couture, Rampage. He’s
a lot versatile, but I believe a lot in my work and my style.
I was practically born training, since I was four years old.
Are
you 100% physically? Will you do your training camp in Belem?
I’m
already 100%. I used to go to the United States for a different
training camp, but I’ve canceled it all with the fight announcement.
I’ll focus my camp here and I’ll look for sparring
who can come here and will be tough as Jon Jones.
Many
compare Jones to Anderson Silva, and Anderson is a friend of
yours, you’ve trained together. Do you consider inviting
him to help you out?
Of
course, I listen a lot to what Anderson has to say, I analyze
what he tells me, but I can charge him something because he’s
highly committed. I get it. I have to do my part.
Source:
Tatame
|
José
Aldo got hints from BJ Penn’s fight with Florian
José
Aldo successfully defended his UFC belt for the second time last
night, in Houston, bringing his winning streak to 13. Just after
the five-round fight with Kenny Florian at UFC 136 last night
in Houston, Aldo admitted he had an idea his opponent would make
it hard for him to finish, as Florian stiffled him with the clinch.
“It
was more or less what I’d expected, Kenny being the strategist
he is. He’s a great fighter, has fought in a bunch of divisions.
I knew he was waiting for me to make a mistake, so I tried containing
my excitement. I’ll be better at the next one,” said
Aldo.
On
his strategy for facing Kenny, who made things hard on him in
the opening round up against the fencing, Aldo said he got keys
from BJ Penn’s fight with Florian.
“I
knew he’d put me up against the fencing and I’m really
good at defending from there. I expected it and defended and
threw strikes accordingly.
In
the break between each round, Aldo’s coach, Dedé
Pederneiras, implored the fighter to kick, to further punish
Florian’s already battered leg, but the champion decided
not to risk it, as a question of strategy.
“He
was looking to go for the takedown when I’d kick. Any thing
I’d do and he’d shoot in on my legs, so I restrained
myself in kicking. I could have landed a bunch but kept calm
to be sure of the win,” he said in closing.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Island
Heat 3: Tha Comeback
Waipahu Filcom,Waipahu, Hawaii
November 18, 2011
|
|