Upcoming
Events
Do you
want to list an event on Onzuka.com?
Contact
Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2012
October
Aloha
State BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
6/16-17/12
State
of Hawaii BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Arena
5/19/12
Scrappler's Fest
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kauai)
4/14/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom, Waipahu)
April 7 or 14
Hawaiian
Open Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
3/29/12 - 4/1/12
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Irvine, CA)
3/3/12
Rumble at the Resort-Warpath to Mayhem
(MMA)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Lihue, Kauai)
Mad Skills
(Triple Threat)
(Waipahu Filcom, Waipahu)
Toughman Hawaii: Challengers
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic, Hilo)
2/11/12
Amateur Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/4/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
1/21/12
ProElite
MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/15/12
Polynesia
International BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(King Intermediate, Kaneohe)
1/7/12
Toughman Hawaii
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
|
|
February
2011 News Part 3
|
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
Strikeforce
Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio
Saturday, March 3, 2012
TV: Showtime
Dark
matches
Roger
Bowling vs. Brandon Saling
Ryan Couture vs. Conor Heun
Caros Fodor vs. Pat Healy
Sarah Kaufman vs. Alexis Davis
Main card
Scott
Smith vs. Lumumba Sayers
KJ Noons vs. Josh Thomson
Welterweights: Paul Daley vs. Kazuo Misaki
Middleweights: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Bristol Marunde
Women’s 135 pound title match: Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Meet
the TUF 15 Cast: Johnavan
Vistante
By Brian Knapp
Johnavan
Vistante
Record: 3-1
Vistante
made the 32-member cast with only four professional bouts under
his belt. The Hawaiian’s only loss came in a November 2010
decision to UFC veteran Bernardo Magalhaes. Training as part
of the Sit You Down team, Vistante has shrugged off his first
encounter with adversity and finished two straight opponents
since.
Source: Sherdog
|
New
Ultimate Fighter 15 Cast Revealed
The
cast for the new Ultimate Fighter has been revealed with the
show kicking off with 16 live fights on Friday, March 9 at 9pm
ET/PT.
The
show will air over 13 consecutive weeks starting on March 9,
culminating in a live finale on June 1 to crown the new Ultimate
Fighter winner.
Following
the initial week of the show, the Ultimate Fighter will then
move to its regular time of 10pm ET/PT on Friday nights on FX.
Here
is the full cast list for the debut episode airing March 9:
Akbarh
Arreloa, Chula Vista, Calif.
Al
Iaquinta, Wantagh, N.Y.
Ali
Maclean, Belfast, North Ireland
Andy
Ogle, Tynemouth, England
Austin
Lyons, Cordova, Tenn.
Brendan
Weafer, New York, N.Y.
Chris
Tickle, Bloomington, Ill.
Cody
Pfister, Amarillo, Texas
Cristiano
Marcello, Curitiba, Brazil
Chase
Hackett, Littleton, Colo.
Chris
Saunders, Long Beach, Calif.
Dakota
Cochrane, Omaha, Neb.
Daron
Cruickshank, Wayne, Mich.
Drew
Dober, Omaha, Neb.
Erin
Beach, San Diego, Calif.
James
Krause, Blue Springs, MO.
James
Vick, Fort Worth, Texas
Jared
Carlsten, Los Angeles, Calif.
Jeff
Smith, Mechanicsburg, Penn.
Jeremy
Larsen, Phoenix, Ariz.
Joe
Proctor, Pembroke, Mass.
John
Cofer, Hull, Ga.
Johnavan
Vistante, Pearl City, Hawaii
Jon
Tuck, Hagtna, Guam
Jordan
Rinaldi, Matthews, N.C.
Justin
Lawrence, Villa Ridge, Mo.
Mark
Glover, Liverpool, England
Michael
Chiesa, Spokane Valley, Wash.
Myles
Jury, San Diego, Calif.
Mike
Rio, Miami, Fla.
Sam
Sicilia, Spokane Valley, Wash.
Vinc
Pichel, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Several
notable fighters are listed on the show’s cast, maybe none
more than Myles Jury, who was actually a participant on the 13th
season of the reality show but suffered a serious knee injury
and had to drop out before he actually fought in the house. He
will now get a second chance on the new Ultimate Fighter.
The
fighters listed will battle first on the debut episode on March
9 to get entry into the Ultimate Fighter house. From there they
will be coached on a weekly basis by UFC bantamweight champion
Dominick Cruz and top contender and former WEC champion Urijah
Faber.
32
fighters total will compete on the debut episode with the remaining
16 left moving into the Ultimate Fighter house and vying for
a six-figure contract with the UFC.
“We’re
producing ground-breaking television with the Ultimate Fighter
Live and we can’t wait to kick this season off with FX.
It’s going to be can’t-miss TV. Dominick Cruz and Urijah
Faber are two amazing guys who also happen to be two of the best
fighters in the world. They genuinely dislike each other and
I expect this to make for the best season yet,” UFC President
Dana White stated.
Following
the show’s debut, the 13 week run of the Ultimate Fighter
will air live and then a second season of the show will debut
this summer. The new Ultimate Fighter on FX will air two seasons
annually as part of the new deal between the UFC and Fox.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
FX
Reveals 32-Man Cast for Upcoming Season of ‘The Ultimate
Fighter Live’
By Tristen
Critchfield
The
coaches and the fighters are in place -- now a little more than
a week remains until it’s officially time to get down to
business.
The
32-man cast for “The Ultimate Fighter Live” on FX was
announced by the network Monday. The show will kick off with
a two-and-a-half hour live premiere on March 9 at 9 p.m. ET.
The diverse group of lightweight fighters was narrowed down from
a field of 500 prospective entrants and includes competitors
from the U.S., England, Northern Ireland and Brazil.
The
15th season of “TUF” introduces a new format that features
live fights during the 13 consecutive weeks that the show airs.
Previous installments of the popular reality program were taped
months in advance over a six-week period. The show will conclude
with a three-hour live finale on June 1, where the winner earns
a six-figure contract with the UFC.
The
premiere begins with 16 live fights on March 9, and that night’s
winners will advance into “The Ultimate Fighter” house
and be divided into two teams of eight, to be coached by UFC
bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and former World Extreme
Cagefighting featherweight kingUrijah Faber.
Cruz
and Faber will square off in the UFC 148 main even on July 7
from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It will be the
third meeting between the two men: Cruz defeated “The California
Kid” via unanimous decision at UFC 132; Faber submitted
“The Dominator” with a guillotine choke at WEC 26 in
2007. Due to the live format of the show, at least part of their
fight camps will likely take place during taping.
“We’re
producing groundbreaking television with ‘The Ultimate Fighter
Live,’ and we can’t wait to kick this season off with
FX,”said UFC President Dana White in a release. “It’s
going to be can’t-miss TV. Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber
are two amazing guys who also happen to be two of the best fighters
in the world. They genuinely dislike each other, and I expect
this to make for the best season yet.”
As
per the UFC’s deal with Fox Sports Media Group, there will
be two 13-week seasons of “TUF Live” on FX for the
next seven years, with the second season in 2012 expected to
be televised sometime this summer.
The
Ultimate Fighter Live on FX cast:
Akbarh
Arreola -- Chula Vista , Calif.
Al Iaquinta -- Wantagh , N.Y.
Ali Maclean -- Belfast , North Ireland
Andy Ogle -- Tynemouth , England
Austin Lyons -- Cordova , Tenn.
Brendan Weafer -- New York , N.Y.
Chris Tickle -- Bloomington , Ill.
Cody Pfister -- Amarillo , Texas
Cristiano Marcello -- Curitiba , Brazil
Chase Hackett -- Littleton , Colo.
Chris Saunders -- Long Beach , Calif.
Dakota Cochrane -- Omaha , Neb.
Daron Cruickshank -- Wayne , Mich.
Drew Dober -- Omaha , Neb.
Erin Beach -- San Diego , Calif.
James Krause -- Blue Springs , Mo.
James Vick -- Fort Worth , Texas
Jared Carlsten -- Los Angeles , Calif.
Jeff Smith -- Mechanicsburg , Penn.
Jeremy Larsen -- Phoenix , Ariz.
Joe Proctor -- Pembroke , Mass.
John Cofer -- Hull , Ga.
Johnavan
Vistante -- Pearl City , Hawaii
Jon Tuck
-- Hagtna, Guam
Jordan Rinaldi -- Matthews, N.C.
Justin Lawrence -- Villa Ridge , Mo.
Mark Glover -- Liverpool , England
Michael Chiesa -- Spokane Valley , Wash.
Myles Jury -- San Diego , Calif.
Mike Rio -- Miami , Fla.
Sam Sicilia -- Spokane Valley , Wash.
Vinc Pichel -- Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Satoshi
Ishii books fight against Sokoudjou
By Zach
Arnold
That’s
the magic word, according to Nikkan Sports, which pegs the fight
happening on March 31st for AFC (Amazon Forest Combat) in Manaus.
The newspaper claims that Ishii wants to fight three or four
times this year.
This
news certainly conflicts with the Cyzo report that claimed that
Ishii suffered a brain edema against Fedor on NYE and was facing
a crisis in his MMA career. The irony here is that right after
the Fedor debacle, there had been talk of fighting on the 3/31
date. Then the Cyzo report came out and nobody knew what was
going on.
You’ll
have better odds trying to pick the right winners in upcoming
UFC fights than in trying to figure out what the hell is going
on in Ishii’s career.
Here’s
the latest edition of MMA Oddsbreakers with our friend Nick Kalikas
of BetonFighting. He’s joined by Damon Martin of MMA Weekly
and Frank Trigg to discuss these upcoming fights:
UFC
145 (4/21 Atlanta): Michael McDonald +155 vs. Miguel Torres -205
UFC on Fox 3 (5/5 New Jersey): Nate Diaz +190 vs. Jim Miller
-250, Lavar Johnson +200 vs. Pat Barry -260
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Jeremy
Stephens Replaces Yves Edwards, Faces Cowboy Cerrone at UFC on
Fuel 3
by Damon
Martin
An
injury has forced Yves Edwards out of UFC on Fuel 3 and in his
place Jeremy Stephens will step in to face Donald ‘Cowboy’
Cerrone on the May 15 card.
Sources
close to the fight confirmed the news to MMAWeekly.com on Monday.
MMAJunkie.com initially reported the switch.
Following
two wins in a row to kick off 2011, Jeremy Stephens came up short
in his next bid to get closer to the top of the lightweight division,
losing a decision to former WEC champion Anthony Pettis at UFC
136.
Stephens
now comes back to step in on short notice to face a very tough
task in Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.
Both
Stephens and Cerrone are known for their vicious, knockout power
so this could be an early candidate for Fight of the Night for
the UFC on Fuel 3 card coming up in May.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Image
matters: UFC business & media politics
By Zach
Arnold
Here’s
the fight card for UFC on Fuel tomorrow night. If you’re
looking for last-minute updates on odds for the card, check out
Nick Kalikas and Luca Fury.
Our
friend MMA Supremacy notes that last week, non-UFC programming
on Fuel TV averaged around 7,000 viewers. Not 700,000 viewers,
not 70,000 viewers… 7,000. So, what’s the over/under
for how many viewers UFC in Omaha draws on Wednesday night for
Fuel?
Kevin
Iole said that numbers for UFC 143 (Condit/Diaz) were lousy.
6,727 paid, 2,288 comps, 751 tickets unsold for a gate of $2.4M
USD. He claims casino bought the majority of event tickets. If
you had said to me four months ago that UFC Japan would have
blown the doors off of a Nick Diaz UFC main event, I would have
never believed you. So much for that.
Speaking
of UFC Japan, Issei Tamura of Krazy Bee will take on Tiequan
Zhang. MMA Planet in Japaense has a fascinating item on why Tamura
got picked over Keinosuke “Tattoo Man” Yoshinaga, the
young man who made his name in Akira Maeda’s Outsider promotion.
MMA Planet says that Zuffa passed over Yoshinaga because of the
amount of tattoos he has on his body and how it would be a bad
thing for the company’s image in attracting sponsorships
to have Yoshinaga in the UFC cage.
Yes,
tattoos happens to be ‘code’ in terms of image purposes
in Japan for youknowwhat.
It
reminds me of an old incident about a decade ago when NOAH wrestlers
came to the States and had their matches taped for Nippon TV.
One of the American referees working a match with the NOAH guys
had to put a white cover/sleeve over his tattoo on his arm because
of the image that the tattoo meant to the network suits. So,
Yoshinaga getting passed up because of his tattoos is nothing
new in terms of Japanese protocol.
Blow
up of the week
Dana
White went on Twitter in defense of why the Nick Diaz/marijuana
test story wasn’t reported ‘officially’ until
Keith Kizer made the declaration. Unwittingly, Dana made a remark
that would piss me off if I was Ariel Helwani:
“helwani
broke Diaz story but didn’t release it cause he was respectful
to Diaz and comm.”
How
does one ‘break’ a story by sitting on it? Remember
– Ariel works for Fuel TV now, so he’s part of the
Fox family of networks that has a business relationship with
the UFC. Dana was trying to stick up for Ariel but he did so
in a way that made Ariel look like was both ‘first’
and yet not willing to pull the trigger.
Naturally,
the heat started coming towards Ariel on Twitter and he brought
the hammer in response:
The
reason I didn’t report it when I had the info was because
Keith Kizer wouldn’t confirm the news with me and I didn’t
feel comfortable reporting news of such magnitude without his
confirmation. I like to have at least two sources confirm a story
before reporting, and when it has to do with a drug test failure,
it would be a big risk to report something without the commission’s
confirmation. I’m not looking to bat .500 here. I try to
get everything right every time out. Got any other journalism
tips for me while we’re at it?
It
was interesting to see the backlash against Front Row Brian for
leaking the Diaz story and how, for a 24 hour time period, the
other MMA writers that knew about it were cryptically quiet.
Of
course, the fallout from this led into Tomas Rios to discuss
why other writers didn’t leak the story (legal liability,
sources not going on record). His points are all valid except
for the fact that Dana was praising a writer for sitting on a
story as being ‘responsible,’ especially when a few
days later ESPN started airing UFC Undisputed 3 video game spots
telling fans that if they buy the video game now that they can
get the Contenders pack featuring Nick Diaz. Plus, given Ariel’s
relationship with Fuel, Dana’s remark put Ariel in an unnecessarily
tough spot here.
Speaking
of Twitter trouble, there have been several MMA writers/reporters/pundits
who have been blocked by the UFC Twitter account over the last
couple of weeks. Well, at least they are consistent with the
way they handle media relations, I suppose…
War
declaration of the week
Dentsu
is backing UFC for what is believed to be several years worth
of sold/backed shows in Japan. Right around the time Bushiroad
bought New Japan from Yukes, the new owner said that WWE &
UFC are his rivals. Well, UFC teaming up with Dentsu is heavy
artillery. WWE can also cause seasonal damage for New Japan.
A perfect example of this is coming up on 8/9 & 8/10 when
WWE will run Smackdown shows in Tokyo at Ryogoku Kokugikan, which
is home turf for New Japan. The timing of the move also is bad
news for New Japan, given that it’s right around the time
they run their biggest series of the year in the G-1 tournament.
It’s hard to imagine a generation ago that New Japan would
be having to deal with these kinds of roadblocks but now they
are.
Article
of the week
No
Disciplinary Sanction Warranted For Nick Diaz Under A Principled
Interpretation Of NAC 467.850
Jonathan
Tweedale, head honcho of the Vancouver athletic commission &
a man who has clashed with me over the issue of drug usage in
combat sports, has this rather fruitful defense in favor of Nick
Diaz in regards to whether or not he should be suspended in Nevada
for marijuana usage.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Bulgarian
Heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov in Serious Condition After Stabbing
By Tim
Leidecker
Undefeated
Bulgarian heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov is fighting for his life
at Pirogov Hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria, after being stabbed in
an early morning altercation Sunday.
According
to Bulgarian website Fighter.bg, the 25-year-old sambo world
champion was attending the after-party of boxing tournament Strandja
at Graf Ignatiev restaurant when a group of eight men armed with
guns and knives attacked Ivanov and his two friends. Ivanov was
reportedly stabbed below the armpit, with the blade of the knife
penetrating his heart.
The
Bellator-signed heavyweight was immediately rushed to the hospital,
where doctors performed a 6-hour emergency surgery. He is currently
on life support and, according to a source with knowledge of
the situation, the next 48 hours will be crucial for the young
Bulgarian’s survival.
Ivanov’s
friends suffered only minor wounds and were quickly discharged
from the hospital, according to a report from Novinite.com.
Sofia
Metropolitan Police have made several arrests of people who are
thought to be involved in the bloody melee.
Ivanov
rose to fame in November 2008 when he defeated former Pride heavyweight
champion Fedor Emelianenko in a sambo bout at the 2008 World
Sambo Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia. The stocky sambist
subsequently signed with Japanese promotion Sengoku and defeated
former Pride star Kazuyuki Fujita in his debut.
Most
recently, Ivanov stopped former UFC heavyweight championRicco
Rodriguez in Russia on Christmas Eve. He was scheduled to headline
Max Fight 27 in the Bulgarian capital on April 24 against another
American challenger.
Source
Sherdog
|
UFC
144: The Agony of Defeat
by Damon
Martin
“Far
better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs,
even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those
poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they
live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt
In
sports or any competition really, defeat is something than no
one truly handles well, nor should they.
Unlike
baseball or football where one loss doesn’t necessarily
mean the entire season is over, in MMA one loss can mean the
difference between a title shot or being forced to climb back
up the ladder. One loss can mean the end of your UFC career.
One loss feels like being shot to the stomach because for most
fighters after spending 2 or 3 months preparing for just one
moment, to have it go so wrong feels like the end of the world.
These
are the thoughts and quotes from the fighters who competed at
UFC 144 and came up short in their efforts for victory:
Frankie
Edgar:
“I
don’t want to take anything away from Ben. He did a great
job, but I do feel I won that fight. He came hard. I knew it
was going to be a tough fight, but I thought I did enough to
win those rounds. I’m not trying to shoot anybody out of
anything they deserve, but I had to do two immediate rematches,
so what’s right?”
Quinton
‘Rampage’ Jackson:
“I
know I’m getting to the end of my career cause I said I
don’t want to fight past 35, but honestly, before I hurt
my knee, you guys should have seen how I was training. I was
looking like a superstar, then I hurt my knee. Now I know what
I can do if I come in at 100 percent. I think I got a lot of
years and I’m ready to put on more shows. I heal up fast;
I’m like a werewolf. I wasn’t even supposed to fight
here. I heal up really fast. I’ll be back soon.”
Chieck
Kongo:
“He
caught me with a hard shot in the 1st round and that was that.
I’ll go back to training my overall skills.”
Yoshihiro
Akiyama:
“I
guess this is the level that I’m at right now. One of my
strategies was to guard against his take downs and find his weak
points. As far as whether I will continue to fight in the welterweight
division, I need some time to evaluate my options going forward.”
Bart
Palaszewski:
“I
couldn’t do what I wanted to do on the ground this fight.
The plan was to keep it on the feet and the one round we stayed
up he got beat up. I guess it’s back to the drawing board
to work on certain things and get better. He was the better man
tonight, if you’re going to fight like that.”
Joe
Lauzon:
“Obviously
it didn’t go well, I got kicked in the face. My game plan
was to go in there and take him to the ground, but nothing went
right. Next step is to go home, rest and recharge.”
Norifumi
‘Kid’ Yamamoto:
“I
wanted to avoid the ground but I ended up there. That was a basic
mistake, but it happed. I need to practice my overall skills
and keep getting better for the next time.”
Takeya
Mizugaki:
“I
feel like my victory was stolen. I was on the top position for
a long time and there was some good pounding. I can’t find
a reason why I lost the fight.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
144 Fighter Bonuses from Japan
by Jeff
Cain
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship handed out $65,000 bonuses for
in-Octagon performances at UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson at the
Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Saturday.
Anthony
Pettis, Vaughan Lee, Benson Henderson, and Frankie Edgar took
home the extra income.
Fight
of the Night honors went to the main event fighters, Frankie
Edgar and Benson Henderson. They fought a back-and-forth battle
for five rounds. Henderson used his kicks and takedown defense
to garner a unanimous decision victory and capture the UFC lightweight
championship.
The
Knockout of the Night award went to lightweight contender Anthony
Pettis for his 54-second highlight reel knockout of Joe Lauzon
to kick off the pay-per-view portion of the UFC 144 fight card.
Pettis faked low and went high, landing a high kick flush on
the jaw of Lauzon. Lauzon crashed to the canvas and the fight
was over.
The
Submission of the Night bonus was awarded to Englishman Vaughan
Lee. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto was a hero of Lee’s
heading into their UFC 144 match-up. Lee came back from some
early adversity to submit Yamamoto with an arm bar in the closing
minute of the first round.
A
total of $260,000 in bonus money was awarded following UFC 144:
Edgar vs. Henderson.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Viewpoint:
A Different Kind of Nostalgia
By Tristen
Critchfield
UFC
144 was all about nostalgia: a chance to look back on a time
when Pride Fighting Championships made Japan a thriving hub of
mixed martial arts.
There
was Quinton“Rampage” Jackson, eliciting what professional
wrestling enthusiasts would call a “cheap pop” by using
the old Pride theme as his walkout music. There was Mark Hunt,
blitzing Cheick Kongoin a little more than two minutes. There
was Takanori Gomi, mounting a riveting comeback to beat Eiji
Mitsuoka after absorbing a beating in the first round.
By
the end of the night, however, it was the remnants of another
defunct promotion that had truly stolen the show. Former World
Extreme Cagefighting standouts Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson
provided memorable bookends to the seven-bout main card on Saturday
at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Pettis literally
kicked off the pay-per-view broadcast when he putJoe Lauzon
to sleep with a textbook shin-on-chin head kick in the first
round, and Henderson put an exclamation point on the show by
outpointing the seemingly indomitable Frankie Edgar to become
the UFC lightweight champion.
It
could not have been more fitting. On Dec. 16, 2010, those same
two men gave the WEC a dramatic sendoff, as Pettis captured the
nation’s attention with his “Matrix”-style kick
off the cage at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., to clinch
a hard-fought victory over Henderson.
Back
then, the long-term future of the WEC 155-pound species was uncertain,
as the promotion prepared to dissolve into its more successful
sibling. Bantamweights and featherweights were secure in knowing
they were breaking new ground inside the Octagon. Lightweights
had to address an inferiority complex: if they were indeed on
the same level as their Zuffa LLC counterparts, then why had
they not relocated to the UFC already?
These
questions were raised more by skeptical media and fans than the
fighters themselves. It was only fair. Before the NFL and AFL
merged in 1970, one league was believed to be far superior to
the other. Both leagues played football -- the NFL was just better
at it, or at least was supposed to be, until a few Super Bowls
changed that line of thinking.
Edgar
vs. Aldo would be a blockbuster bout.
In capturing lightweight gold, Henderson has earned the MMA equivalent
of a Lombardi Trophy -- in the sport’s most cutthroat division,
no less. To do it, he had to beat Edgar, who was perhaps one
victory away from securing some “Greatest of All-Time”accolades
in his weight class. Instead, thanks in large part to a perfectly
placed upkick from Henderson in the second round, it appears
that UFC President Dana White is attempting to nudge the Toms
River, N.J., native toward featherweight, where a showdown with
Jose Aldo would be sure to generate fireworks.
Meanwhile,
the new champion was quick to credit a former rival for the move
that seemingly turned the tide of a championship fight.
“I
have to thank [Donald] ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone for that,”
Henderson said in a post-fight interview. “He landed that
on me [at WEC 43], and I told him I was going to land it on somebody
because that hurt-- bad.”
Cerrone,
another WEC stalwart, had an impressive beginning to his own
UFC career, winning four of his first five fights in the promotion
last year. That “Smooth” remembers their WEC 43 battle
is not surprising, as it was one of the best fights of 2009.
Long before the WEC-UFC merger came to fruition, Cerrone was
adamant that the best of both organizations could compete equally
in the same arena.
When
Pettis defeated Henderson on that December night back in 2010,
it was with the understanding that he would receive a UFC title
shot against the winner of Edgar and Gray Maynard. A draw at
UFC 125 and subsequent injuries slowed the process, and Pettis
took a fight against Clay Guida in the interim. Guida’s
suffocating wrestling would put the title dreams of the Duke
Roufus protégé on hold, but “Showtime”
is to be commended for taking such a high-risk bout. It allowed
him to improve the holes in his game and to further appreciate
the opportunity he may receive, if White’s statement at
the UFC 144 post-fight press conference is to be believed.
“I
think he’s going to get it,” White said in regards
to a potential Pettis title shot.
Given
the ever-changing nature of MMA today, that hardly qualifies
as a concrete statement, but White is aware of the potential
drawing power of a Henderson-Pettis rematch. As of now, the top
video for the Pettis “Kick Heard ’Round the World”
has approximately 3.2 million hits on YouTube.
“I
was supposed to get a title shot last year,” Pettis said.
“We’ve got some unfinished business. Let’s take
care of it.”
There
is a decent case to be made for Edgar getting his own rematch.
Though FightMetric.com shows Henderson landed more significant
strikes than “The Answer” in every round but the first,
the fight was closely contested, and things could change in another
meeting. Still, a move to 145 pounds or a fresh match against
another contender would be more appealing than yet another rematch
involving Edgar. No matter what happens, the 30-year-old will
not be far removed from title consideration.
“It
doesn’t really matter to me ... whoever it is, I’m
OK with it,”Henderson said. “There is a long list of
guys: Nate [Diaz], Jim [Miller], Frankie, Anthony. Let’s
do every single one of them.”
It
is hard to ignore the symmetry that Henderson-Pettis 2 would
provide, however. Fans of the predominantly Wednesday and Sunday
night violence the WEC used to supply can certainly appreciate
it.
Another
school of thought says it is silly to divide fighters based on
their previous affiliations. After all, neither Henderson nor
Pettis sports WEC attire on his way to the Octagon. Now, they
are all employed by the UFC. Then again, both men entered the
promotion with a little more to prove, and they have delivered.
They are both part of the reason why the lightweight division
is considered to be as deep as it is.
UFC
144 was both a tribute to MMA’s history, as well as a demonstration
of its progress. Nothing reflects those ideals more than the
achievements of Pettis and Henderson, WEC stars of the past and
UFC stars of the present.
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
March & April event fight cards
By Zach
Arnold
**
Accuracy of dark matches vs. main card fights is up in the air
because card listings on UFC HP site, Sherdog, and other sites
vary. I use the terms for general usage to try to signify importance.
Nothing more, nothing less.
UFC
on FX 2
Allphones Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
March 2, 2012
TV: FX
Dark
matches
Heavyweights:
Oli Thompson vs. Shawn Jordan
Featherweights: Mackens Semerzier vs. Daniel Pineda
Welterweights: TJ Waldburger vs. Jake Hecht
Middleweights: Kyle Noke vs. Andrew Craig
Featherweights: Cole Miller vs. Steven Siler
Light Heavyweights: Anthony Perosh vs. Nick Penner
Light Heavyweights: James Te Huna vs. Aaron Rosa
Main card
Middleweights:
Court McGee vs. Constantinos Philippou
UFC Flyweight tournament: Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall
UFC Flyweight tournament: Joe Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
Welterweights: Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
144 MORNING AFTER: TIME FOR BEN HENDERSON VS. ANTHONY PETTIS
REMATCH
By Michael
David Smith
Anthony
Pettis and Ben Henderson already gave us one great fight. Now
they can give us another.
Follow
@MMAFighting on Twitter, and Like MMA Fighting on Facebook.
Feb
26, 2012 - When Anthony Pettis unveiled his famous "Showtime
Kick" to seal a victory over Ben Henderson for the World
Extreme Cagefighting lightweight title in 2010, we knew we had
witnessed a great fight.
As it turns out, the fight was even greater than we realized.
At
the time, we knew Pettis vs. Henderson was wildly entertaining,
but we didn't know just how good those two guys were. The WEC's
lightweight division was widely regarded as second-rate, and
few MMA fans thought the lightweights in the WEC could compete
at the upper levels of the UFC. Now we know better, as Henderson
just beat Frankie Edgar for the UFC lightweight belt at UFC 144,
and Pettis got the pay-per-view show started with a sensational
knockout of Joe Lauzon.
Now it's time to book a Henderson-Pettis rematch for the UFC
lightweight title.
Some
will say Pettis doesn't deserve a UFC lightweight title shot
because he was already declared the No. 1 contender once before,
and lost that status when he lost to Clay Guida. But Pettis got
a bad break when he didn't get the title shot that was promised
to him upon his entry to the UFC, and there's no better time
than now to rectify that.
UFC President Dana White said after Saturday night's fights that
he plans to give Pettis the first crack at Henderson's belt,
and I believe that's the right call. The first Pettis-Henderson
bout was sensational, and if we get 25 more minutes of that kind
of action, no fan will complain.
The
rapidly changing face of the UFC lightweight division could be
perilous for the promotion, as neither Henderson nor Pettis has
proven to be a pay-per-view draw. I'd love to see the UFC put
the Henderson-Pettis title fight on FOX in August, as a way to
give major exposure to its two young lightweights who have the
potential to develop into stars, but Henderson-Pettis 2 is a
fight that's certainly worthy of pay-per-view. This fight is
going to be great.
UFC
144 Notes
--
Memo to every fighter who ever falls behind two rounds to none:
What Tim Boetsch did at the start of the third round against
Yushin Okami is exactly what you're supposed to do. You're supposed
to go for broke and come out swinging. Too many fighters who
know they're down 2-0 at the start of the third round don't go
for a finish. Boetsch knew he had to finish the fight, and that's
exactly what he did.
-- Rampage Jackson looked as bad as he's ever looked against
Ryan Bader, and he hasn't really looked good in a fight since
he knocked out Wanderlei Silva in 2008. His wins since then were
decisions against Keith Jardine, Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill,
none of which was particularly impressive. Rampage says a knee
injury was to blame for his lackluster performance, but even
if he returns to 100 percent health, I don't think we're ever
going to see Rampage as a light heavyweight title contender again.
-- The UFC's one-minute introduction to its pay-per-view broadcast,
a tribute to martial arts in Japan, was great. Much, much better
than the longtime gladiator opening. I also like the way the
UFC is incorporating more statistics into its broadcast, but
it's important for Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg to remind viewers
that simply landing more strikes isn't the way to win a fight.
Effective striking is more important than high-volume striking.
--
A lot of people disagreed with the judges who gave Chris Cariaso
a unanimous decision victory over Takeya Mizugaki, but one thing
that must be said for Cariaso is that he's a prime candidate
to move down from bantamweight to flyweight, now that the UFC
has started up a 125-pound class. Cariaso was giving up four
inches of height to Mizugaki, and at flyweight he won't be at
such a disadvantage. If he does move down to 125, he's a fighter
worth keeping an eye on.
UFC 144 Quotes
--
"It's a dream come true. Being in the UFC is a dream come
true. Fighting in Japan, fighting one of my favorite fighters
of all time, Kid Yamamoto, a legend, I'm just the happiest person
in the world right now."--Vaughan Lee after beating Kid
Yamamoto.
-- "All I can say is I am disappointed. I really, really
wanted to win in Japan."--Kid Yamamoto after losing to Vaughan
Lee.
--
"I knew less than a knockout or finish would win that fight
for me. Yushin was beating me up for two rounds. But my heart
was in it, I knew I could take him out if I just stuck with what
I train to do. You see what happens if you do what you train
to do."--Tim Boetsch after his great comeback win.
--"You've
got to win this last round for sure. I think you won that round."--Gilbert
Melendez, telling Jake Shields in his corner that the fight was
tied heading into the third round. In reality, Shields had won
the first two rounds and would also win the third, but Melendez
did the right thing. It's better for a cornerman to tell a fighter
he needs to win the round than to tell him to coast.
Good Call
Although
it looked a little awkward, referee Marc Goddard handled it exactly
right when Yoshihiro Akiyama's mouthpiece came out against Jake
Shields. Goddard stepped between the fighters quickly and handed
Akiyama his mouthpiece back, but didn't take the time to rinse
the mouthpiece off, which could have given Akiyama an unfair
advantage by giving him extra time. Akiyama fumbled his mouthpiece
briefly and it took a few seconds longer to get the fight restarted,
but Goddard handled the situation appropriately.
Bad Call
It
only took referee Herb Dean a couple of minutes into the first
round of the first fight to make a bad call, standing up Issei
Tamura even though he had a dominant position and was hammering
Zhang Tiequan with punches on the ground. Dean's stand-up was
totally unnecessary and continued a rough run for Dean, who has
made far too many bad calls recently.
Stock Up
Riki
Fukuda returned to the Octagon after a year off following his
close decision loss to Nick Ring in his UFC debut, and he looked
great in beating Steve Cantwell. I love Fukuda's punching combinations,
the way he changes levels and mixes in uppercuts -- Cantwell
had no answer for it.
Stock Down
Zhang
Tiequan is the only Chinese fighter Zuffa has ever signed, and
the company carefully brought him along in the hopes that he
could win some fights and grow the promotion's presence in Asia.
But it just isn't happening. Zhang didn't look good at all in
his second-round knockout loss to Issei Tamura. If Zhang keeps
his job in the UFC it will solely be because of the importance
of the Chinese market, and not because Zhang is good enough.
He's not.
Fight
I Want to See Next
Anthony
Pettis vs. Ben Henderson. Let's do this.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Despite
Injury and Loss, Rampage Not Quitting
by Ken
Pishna
Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson has often said that he planned on
being finished fighting by the time he is 35 years old. Many
fans and pundits thought he might be done as soon as his UFC
144 bout with Ryan Bader was over.
The
latter surely isn’t happening, and the former is in doubt
now as well.
Despite
a serious knee injury that hampered his training for and his
performance against Bader, following the fight, Rampage sounded
as if he had found the fountain of youth to his career.
“I
know I’m getting to the end of my career cause I said I
don’t want to fight past 35, but honestly, before I hurt
my knee, you guys should have seen how I was training. I was
looking like a superstar, then I hurt my knee,” he commented
at the UFC 144 post-fight press conference.
“Now
I know what I can do if I come in at 100 percent. I think I got
a lot of years and I’m ready to put on more shows,”
he continued.
“I
heal up fast; I’m like a werewolf. I wasn’t even supposed
to fight here. I heal up really fast. I’ll be back soon.”
With
that, Rampage declared that not only is he not done fighting,
it sounds like he might be willing to grant himself an extension
beyond the 35-years-old deadline he set.
Rampage
has a long history fighting in Japan, being one of the mainstays
of the Pride organization for a number of years. He has another,
more personal, connection as well.
“My
kids are from Japan; my kids’ grandparents are from there,”
he said in the lead-up to the fight. So a knee injury wasn’t
going to stop him. It hindered him, but it didn’t stop him.
“I’m
not surprised that I lost the fight,” Rampage revealed.
“I tried to keep it secret. I injured my knee pretty bad
and my doctor told me not to fight. I didn’t need surgery
or nothing, but he just told me it wasn’t a good idea to
fight.”
He
never offered the injury up as an excuse. Rampage is a fighter,
that’s what he does, and he’s always seen fighting
through the injuries as part of the job.
This
time, it may or may not have cost him the fight. It surely didn’t
help matters against a former Ultimate Fighter winner that has
been making waves in the UFC light heavyweight division.
But
Rampage the fighter is born of the Japanese fight culture. And
in the Japanese fight culture, a fighter is often revered as
much for his heart in trying to overcome the odds, or perhaps
even more so, than for actually winning the fight.
“I
just wanted to put on an exciting fight. I’m just happy
to make it here and try to put on a show for the Japanese fans.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
As
the UFC turns: Nick Diaz, Eddie Alvarez, Shogun, & weed vs.
TRT
By Zach
Arnold
Nick
Diaz
This
bomb went off on Twitter earlier tonight:
@DiazBrothers209
“(Carlos) Condit accepts rematch after he was notified by
@danawhite @ufc about (marijuana) test result. Never intended
to rematch.”
In
other words, the Diaz camps says that Condit & Malki Kawa
were fronting about a rematch in order to make Nick Diaz look
bad…
Side
note: ESPN aired a new ad spot for the upcoming UFC Undisputed
3 video game. The pitch if you buy now?
“Receive
the contender’s pack featuring Nick Diaz”
Eddie
Alvarez
John
Joe Regan of Fighter’s Only dropped this item about Eddie’s
aspirations to head to the UFC. He’s supposed to fight Shinya
Aoki and I thought we would end up seeing a rematch between Eddie
and Michael Chandler… I guess it’s not meant to be?
The
bigger, and more appropriate, debate tonight that broke out on
Twitter in response to this story is whether or not Spike TV
will pull the plug on Bellator’s tournament format, the
champion’s clause, or how they will modify & codify
the booking to make sure that fighters don’t revolt to UFC
en masse.
It
was not a good political idea to want to put Eddie Alvarez into
a tournament after he lost his title to Mr. Chandler…
Shogun
bluntly speaks on UFC’s policy about agents
For
better or for worse, Mauricio Shogun spoke out about why he left
his manager (the well-respected Eduardo Alonso) and why the top
Brazilian fighters in UFC are dumping their current agents/managers.
Suffice to say, UFC probably wishes he hadn’t opened his
mouth because what he said to Sherdog dovetails perfectly into
the narrative that ESPN’s Outside the Lines program was
pushing about the supposed climate of fear UFC pushes.
Eduardo
is a very competent guy, but he doesn’t like this way of
operating; he prefers one person taking care of everything. Not
commanding everything, but overseeing everything. I don’t
agree, [I prefer] each guy in his area. I like him, I know he
likes me, but there was some conflict of ideas.
There
are some different people helping me with this part right now;
I’m still thinking. The UFC has made it clear that we don’t
need a manager; all negotiations are conducted by the athletes
themselves. A manager today is not like in the PRIDE days. At
that time, they had much more weight. I am in favor of a manager,
that’s not the reason that I separated from Eduardo. I want
to work with people nearby: Eduardo works in Sao Paulo and I’m
in Curitiba. But, this is not the only reason. There are others,
like I said.
The
UFC’s stance about guys not needing agents is not anything
new if you’ve followed what Dana White has said online for
a while now. What is new is that you have several top Brazilian
fighters all of a sudden abandoning their managers/agents after
UFC picks up major steam in Brazil w/ the help of uber-rich Eike
Batista. Amazing how fast attitudes are changing now that UFC
has found their dream money man in a dream money market to attract
major-league talent & run big shows at.
Everyone
has a right to proper & good representation. Unfortunately,
often times we see horrible representation for fighters and promoters
can easily take advantage of said reps or dismiss the fighter(s)
altogether. But let’s call a spade a spade here — if
Shogun and other top Brazilian fighters believe that they don’t
need a quality representative or agent/manager, then that’s
just plain stupid. It’s also incredibly dangerous and eliminates
any kind of leverage a fighter has in negotiations.
(Addendum:
As noted in the comments, I should have better stated that, yes,
Shogun says he has new management and isn’t going at it
alone here. However, if he’s stating out in the open that
UFC is telling the Brazilian fighters they don’t need representation,
my opinion is that there’s going to be several fighters
that take this recommendation to heart.)
People
act like good agents or managers grow on trees. That’s entirely
false. Good, quality representatives generally have a solid legal
background or a business background with strong legal connections
in order to protect the interests of their best clients. There’s
not a lot of strong agents currently in the MMA field. Remember
how there this grand hope that once UFC ‘exploded’
and made it big on Fox that we would see ‘real sports’
representatives start backing top fighters? Hasn’t happened,
has it?
Instead
of seeing an evolution of quality representation in the MMA game,
we’re seeing a devolution happening right in front of our
eyes. It’s quite remarkable to see just how many fighters
are getting easily played. Instead of aligning with agencies
like William Morris, CAA/Tom Condon, or Scott Boras, you have
fighters buying the spin that they don’t need an agent or
can get by fine with a relative.
Let’s
take a real world comparison of a top athlete that doesn’t
have an agent backing them: Ray Allen. First off, Ray Allen is
an incredibly smart man. He has money. He also has the backing
of the NBA union, a union that can give him legal & contract
advice at any time. Yes, he can negotiate his own deals, but
he’s also got a bedrock of support in case he needs it.
Ray also knows what the salaries of the other players in the
league are. In other words, he can always go into negotiations
from a point of leverage.
Very
few MMA fighters, at this point, can go into negotiations with
Zuffa from a high point of leverage without quality representation.
There is no union or fighter’s association. Because UFC
doesn’t disclose the full picture of what they exactly pay
fighters, most fighters have no idea what other top-level performers
are getting paid. Going in unarmed against Zuffa is fool’s
gold. However, apparently many more fighters lately (especially
the Brazilians) think they can match business wits with Lorenzo
Fertitta. Not going to happen.
Time
for the fighters to reconsider what they are doing.
Athletic
Commission drug testing panels
With
all the fallout from Nick Diaz failing another Nevada drug test
due to marijuana usage, two new angles to the drug testing issue
in MMA have arrived hot & heavy in new debate:
What
drugs should and shouldn’t be tested for by the Athletic
Commissions?
Shouldn’t the point of drug testing be to prevent fighters
who are doping from actually fighting in the first place instead
of after-the-fact punishment?
Dr. Margaret Goodman (search related articles here) has raised
these questions in the past when talking about her new Voluntary
Anti-Doping Association project in various media interviews.
Which
recreational drugs should and should not be tested by labs such
as Quest Diagnostics? Why do athletic commissions like Nevada’s
go for the current testing panel (a one-size-fits-all approach)
and not use a more realistic panel that is more appropriately
tailored for combat sports?
Here’s
what Dr. Goodman has said about what drugs should or should not
be tested for on this drug screening panels:
Marijuana
should be considered a illegal substance by commissions because
it slows the reflexes and reaction time of an athlete. Therefore,
it carries considerable danger in a combat sports fighter.
Note
that years ago, the NSAC changed the threshold for testing positive.
So, an athlete has to have considerable exposure for them to
test positive. That was done because so many were testing positive
with no recent use.
On
the last point, she speaks from experience & first-hand knowledge.
So many boxers & fighters were testing positive for past
marijuana usage that adjustments were made to the current policy
for THC.
The
truth is also that fighters are supposed to compete drug free.
Not all the substances tested for on these panels are actual
illegal substances, but prohibited for fighters because they
create an unfair advantage or disadvantage.
You
would be surprised how many commissions that test do not release
results. So, who knows who has tested positive in other states
with well-known athletic commissions. It isn’t that the
fighters are clean there, it is that there is no public reporting
or hearings.
If
this sounds familiar to you, it might ring a bell because of
what happened with Nate Marquardt (search related articles here)
last year and the whole brouhaha over Testosterone Replacement
Therapy. Remember, he fought Dan Miller in New Jersey and then
his fight got halted in Pennsylvania. It led to Rick Story ending
up fighting Charlie Brenneman in Pittsburgh and we all saw what
happened there. The whole PA/NJ AC ‘what’s reported,
what isn’t reported’ debate was sharpened when our
friend Robert Joyner started asking questions around the time
news was floating that Nate was doing what he was doing, fought
in New Jersey, but then couldn’t fight in Pennsylvania.
As
to the other angle raised by the Nick Diaz suspension…
VADA
supports clean sport. Unannounced random testing is to make certain
fighters don’t go into a fight on drugs. It is important
to test after the fight as well, but it isn’t far to the
fighters and the fans as well as against fighter safety to have
fighters competing on illegal substances.
We’ve
reached a point where the drug testing issue in MMA is a gotcha
game rather than a health & safety debate. Whether you agree
or disagree that fighters shouldn’t be tested for marijuana
usage, the point is that Nick Diaz was able to fight Carlos Condit
and his punishment, while undoubtedly severe, is taking place
after the fight actually happened.
Victor
Conte calls combat sports ‘the hurt game.’ Well, if
we’re serious about not wanting fighters to beat each other
into oblivion while using steroids, growth hormone, testosterone,
and other drugs that impact physical punishment, why do we accept
after-the-fact drug testing as an adequate form of regulation
& sanctioning? If someone is juiced out of their mind and
ends up killing their opponent… but only gets caught after-the-fact
that they were juicing… it’s not going to bring back
the person who died.
Marijuana
vs. testosterone drug usage
On
Twitter this past Thursday night, I was asked why I think there
should be no allowance of Testosterone Replacement Therapy as
opposed to being open-minded about the current drug testing policy
for fighters using marijuana.
The
logic is pretty simple, in my opinion.
While
I lean towards not wanting fighters high as a kite while fighting
during an MMA bout, I’m still open to arguments that there
isn’t a dramatic enough impact on performance-enhancement
for fighters who are smoking weed. It doesn’t mean I’m
being two-faced at all; it just means I think the debate is not
an open-and-shut case.
Testosterone
usage, on the other hand, is a case I think should be open-and-closed.
I don’t believe Testosterone Replacement Therapy should
be allowed, under any circumstances, in combat sports. No TUEs
(Therapeutic Use Exemptions), nothing.
As
Dr. David Black famously said on 60 Minutes many years ago, testosterone
is the base chemical for steroids. If I don’t support steroid
usage in the first place, why would I support external application
of testosterone for active fighters (even if it’s in the
name of getting back to an acceptable T/E ratio e.g. 1:1)?
(Addendum:
I’d like to see the AC’s get rid of TRT acceptance
but use a grandfather clause for currently approved users who
eventually will fade away from the scene…)
Further
clarification of my stance on TRT usage: If you’re a fighter
and you need to use TRT for recovery in your daily life, fine,
go ahead. Just don’t expect me to be cheerleading for you
to have a fighter’s license and actively fight while you’re
using TRT.
The
most frustrating thing about the issue of TRT in MMA is that
once Chael Sonnen (related articles here) got suspended by California’s
commission over using testosterone, Big Pharma was in the process
of launching huge “Low T” drug campaigns. There wasn’t
a radio station that you could avoid in hopes of not hearing
a horrible ‘Ageless Male’ commercial hawking that their
product can boost your testosterone by 61%. The non-stop TV commercials
during football games (oh, the irony…) for Low T was nauseating.
It was as if Sonnen had timed his suspension perfectly to coincide
with Big Pharma. Suddenly, the issue got muddled for many fans
because of the onslaught of ‘male menopause’ crap and
how every guy should go grab them some testosterone from a doctor.
Most
men who do genuinely need testosterone are in their late 40s
or early 50s… not fighters in their 20s or early 30s. People
using TRT are doing so because their endocrine system isn’t
functioning. If you’re under the age of 40 and you’re
an athlete with low testosterone, two likely reasons for this
exist: past/current steroid usage or effects from weight cutting.
In
essence, you can be a steroid user, damage your endocrine system,
and get a prescription for TRT. It’s double dipping! This
doesn’t even take into account the amount of athletes who
are currently using gels, creams, or deer antler sprays that
produce growth hormone-like results.
I
was asked if I believe current fighters who have damaged endocrine
systems should be allowed to use TRT in accordance with permission
from athletic commissions. My answer: no.
What
if an athlete took steroids when they were in high school and
now want to be an MMA fighter but need testosterone? My answer:
too bad.
There’s
consequences for everything you do in life. It’s not your
God-given right to get an MMA license to fight.
The
natural reaction I get when I discuss my stance on TRT is that
I’m issuing a blanket response that ‘everyone in MMA
on TRT is a steroid user.’ Not true. I’m sure that
there are a few fighters who have legitimate needs to use testosterone.
I’m OK with them using testosterone… as long as they
aren’t an active fighter. However, I am not going to sit
here and be played like a fool on the issue of TRT. We know why
testosterone usage is a popular idea for fighters who are currently
doping.
Comparing
marijuana usage to testosterone usage is like comparing apples
to oranges.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
New
UFC Champ Benson Henderson Welcomes Frankie Edgar, Anthony Pettis
Rematches
By Mike
Whitman
Benson
Henderson captured the UFC lightweight title from Frankie Edgar
in the main event of UFC 144 on Saturday night, busting up the
former champion en route to a unanimous decision victory at Saitama
Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Though
Henderson (Pictured, file photo) may now reign over arguably
the toughest division in the promotion, the new champion is taking
the biggest win of his career in stride.
“It’s
pretty cool. I enjoy it. I’m pretty tired. I had to take
a lot of photos,” Henderson told Fox Sports following his
title-winning performance. “[It’s been] a journey.
I want to soak it up.”
Henderson’s
victory did not come easily, as the notoriously resilient champion
fought tooth-and-nail for 25 minutes in an effort to retain his
title. Edgar tried to set the pace in the early going, finding
a home for his jab. It was in round two, however, that the bout’s
momentum swung in favor of the challenger.
Following
an Edgar takedown, Henderson clipped the former champion with
a perfectly-timed upkick, damaging Edgar’s nose as he attempted
a haymaker. While the blow staggered Edgar, Henderson believes
that the tide truly turned in the next frame.
“I
wouldn’t say [I had him with the upkick],” Henderson
recalled.“I would say in the third round [I did]. I was
pumping my jab, and he flinched.”
Edgar
and Henderson continued to scrap tit-for-tat through the championship
rounds, but in the end, it was Henderson who had the gold strapped
around his waist.
While
Henderson now rules UFC lightweights, it was not so long ago
that a bevy of questions surrounded the Arizonan following his
WEC 53 loss to Anthony Pettis in December 2010. Four consecutive
victories and one UFC title later, Henderson appears to have
answered any doubters.
“I
don’t begrudge anybody their opinions. I heard a few people
[say], ‘Who is this Ben Henderson guy? Who does he think
he is? He’s not Top 10 in the world,’” Henderson
said. “Well, that was your opinion a year and a half ago,
even less than that. I’m not mad at you for your opinion,
but I think your opinion might be a little off.”
What
will come next for the new champion is currently unknown. While
many observers are pining for a rematch with Pettis -- the man
who dethroned Henderson as World Extreme Cagefighting champion--
other feel that Edgar is deserving of another shot at the belt.
As for Henderson, he welcomes either challenge.
“[Fighting
Pettis or Edgar], it doesn’t really matter to me. I want
to defend [my title] as many times as Anderson Silva defends
his, plus one,” said Henderson. “Whoever it is, I’m
OK with it. There is a long list of guys: Nate [Diaz], Jim [Miller],
Frankie, Anthony. Let’s do every single one of them.”
Source
Sherdog
|
Georges
St. Pierre talking with Showdown Joe of Rogers Sportsnet about
rehabbing his repaired ACL and the timetable for his comeback
Comment of the Day — On Nick Diaz
From Josh Campbell. A ‘what if…’ scenario:
What if Nick Diaz would have won the interim welterweight championship
fight at UFC 143 and then tested positive? Right now the discussion
of Nick and his inability to refrain from marijuana use is limited
to fans of MMA, bloggers and writers. But where would things
be if Nick had won? Nick would have been the first (interim)
champion, post “The Ultimate Fighter Season 1” to test
positive for prohibited substances. The situation also would
be coming to a head after the UFC on FOX deal and the second
big primetime show on FOX. I don’t want to delve into the
morality of usage by athletes, or whether marijuana actually
has performance enhancing effects. Many people have differing
perspectives on this. The only thing I can say is that it is
prohibited from showing up in an athlete’s urine in a pre-fight,
post-fight, or random screening.
I can only imagine the press this would have received. Somehow
TMZ only seems to cover the bad things or Dana White at a Snoop
Dogg concert. I remember their coverage of Rampage, Tito, and
a few other “scandalous” situations. I know this situation
would not get a pass, as it fits right into their sensationalist
style of journalism. How would ESPN address it? Given recent
friction between the promotion and the network over the fighter
pay piece on Outside The Lines, I would expect that it might
get a little more airtime with a negative slant. Maybe Deadspin
would have a headline along the vein of “UFC Champ Wins
Belt at UFC 143 and loses it at 420”. Who knows how many
syndicated sources would have picked up articles written by individuals
with an ax to grind against the UFC or MMA in general. Educated
people writing about something they are uneducated about can
be a dangerous voice to the public. The same public that we all
know only has a cursory knowledge of this sport. A sport striving
for acceptance, and one many pundits and people in the general
public still consider too brutal for mass consumption.
So, from the standpoint of bad press and a public relations fiasco,
it probably would have been a nightmare situation. But from a
sporting perspective, could it have had a positive result? Many
times Dana White has stated that the athletic commissions are
responsible for testing and enforcement and he defers that responsibility
to them. Given the recent small and reactionary shift in policy
to start testing newly signed fighters, would this occurrence
have spurred Zuffa Inc. to start a comprehensive testing program
that lives up to WADA standards? Would this have been the watershed
moment that leveled the playing field for fighters that cannot
afford pharmacological advisors as part of their training camp?
Unfortunately we will not know the answer to this.
However, given the rumored usage in the dark corners of MMA gyms
that we have heard rumblings about, it is likely that the moment
that many fans fear will happen is yet to come. It’s up
to Zuffa how they will respond to that. They have dodged a second
bullet here, after the near miss of Chael Sonnen losing to Anderson
Silva. Will they bury their head in the sand and point their
finger at the athletic commission, or will they step up and fund
a comprehensive testing plan? Time and circumstance will tell.
If he got busted for weed while fighting in Japan for DREAM,
he would have likely gotten three years probation at a minimum
from authorities. Shame still means something in Japan.
In the States? Marijuana usage is practically built-in as a love/hate
component for fans in regards to Nick. His fans love him because
he’s the same guy whether he makes $50,000 a fight or $500,000
a fight. With that said, I wrote online a couple of days ago
that a reliable insider indicated to me that UFC was strongly
considering all options on the table about implementing/upgrading
a drug testing program because they are losing the PR battle
over PED/recreational drug usage by fighters getting popped on
the Nevada IQ tests…
I suspect many more MMA fighters would fail drug tests if they
had to take random, unannounced drug tests like tennis players
such as Rafael Nadal have to.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Frankie
Edgar Not Dropping to 145lbs, Wants Immediate Rematch with Henderson
by Damon
Martin
When
Frankie Edgar first captured the UFC lightweight title from B.J.
Penn in April 2010, he won by unanimous decision.
Still
some felt Penn, who had widely been considered the top lightweight
in the sport and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on
the planet, deserved a rematch so UFC officials opted to give
him one more shot at Edgar.
Edgar
won that fight by an even wider margin to defend his lightweight
title.
Fast
forward to his two bouts with Gray Maynard in 2011, and while
few would argue after their UFC 125 bout ended in a draw that
a rematch should occur, Edgar stormed back in the next fight
and knocked Maynard out to truly define himself as the top lightweight
in the sport.
On
Saturday night at UFC 144, Frankie Edgar lost a close and somewhat
controversial decision to now champion Benson Henderson. Following
the fight, UFC President Dana White stated he believed Edgar
won, and the New Jersey native definitely agreed with him.
“I
don’t want to take anything away from Ben. He did a great
job, but I do feel I won that fight,” Edgar said after the
bout was over.
On
Sunday, Edgar’s manager Ali Abdel-Aziz says their objective
is clear and it’s pretty certain what they want.
“Frankie
deserves a rematch,” Abdel-Aziz told MMAWeekly.com. “We’re
going to ask for a rematch.
“I
talked to Lorenzo (Fertitta) and he believes Frankie scored 3
to 2, Dana White scored Frankie winning the fight.”
Another
issue that Abdel-Aziz had problems with after UFC 144 was over
was the amount of questions being thrown at Edgar about dropping
down to the featherweight division. Is Edgar the biggest fighter
at 155lbs? Absolutely not. But his manager believes he’s
proven he can hang with the best of the best at lightweight,
and one close controversial loss won’t force him to drop
to 145lbs.
“Frankie
in the future will go down to 145, but he’s not going to
go down now, he’s not. He’s not getting manhandled,
he’s not getting destroyed, he won the fight,” Abdel-Aziz
stated.
“Frankie’s
not the type of guy to lose and then just cower and move to 145.
This kid has so much heart and determination.”
The
UFC has yet to make an official decision regarding what will
happen next for Benson Henderson or Frankie Edgar, but after
several title defenses and two rematches of his own, it seems
like the now former champion has earned at least the argument
for another shot at regaining the belt.
Abdel-Aziz
will has requested a rematch for Edgar to face Benson Henderson
again. Will it happen? MMAWeekly.com will have more information
when it becomes available.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
144 Japan Quick Results
Main
Bouts (on Pay-Per-View):
-Benson Henderson def. Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision (49-46,
48-47, 49-46)
-Ryan Bader def. Quinton Jackson by unanimous decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)
-Mark Hunt def. Cheick Kongo by TKO at 2:11. R1
-Jake Shields def. Yoshihiro Akiyama by unanimous decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)
-Tim Boetsch def. Yushin Okami by TKO at :54, R3
-Hatsu Hioki def. Bart Palaszewski by unanimous decision (30-27,
29-28, 29-28)
-Anthony Pettis def. Joe Lauzon by KO at 1:21, R1
Preliminary
Bouts (on FX):
-Takanori Gomi def. Eiji Mitsuoka by TKO at 2:21, R2
-Vaughan Lee def. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto by submission
(arm bar) at 4:29, R1
-Riki Fukuda def. Steve Cantwell by unanimous decision (29-28,
30-27, 30-27)
-Chris Cariaso def. Takeya Mizugaki by unanimous decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary
Bout (on Facebook):
-Issei Tamura def. Tiequan Zhang by KO at :32, R2
Source:
MMA Weekly |
|
UFC
144 Results: Gomi, Lee, Fukuda Lead Prelim Charge in Japan
Takanori
Gomi UFC 125Takanori Gomi and Vaughan Lee led the winners on
the UFC 144 preliminary card Sunday morning in Japan. With three
finishes, one clear decision, and one controversial judges decision,
the prelims entertained the crowd at Saitama Super Arena and
those watching on FX.
Takanori
Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
Gomi
shined in his home country of Japan, coming back from near defeat
and getting the technical knockout over Mitsuoka in the last
prelim fight of the UFC 144 card.
Gomi,
who is known for the power in his hands, felt the power in Mitsuoka’s
hands in the first round. Mitsuoka landed several punches before
landing a right hand that dropped Gomi to the canvas. He mounted
Gomi and nearly got a triangle, but time in the round ran out.
Gomi
began a comeback early in the second round, pressuring Mitsuoka
and landing punches. Gomi continued the barrage on the ground
as Mitsuoka exposed his back. Gomi landed punch after punch before
the referee stepped in to stop the contest.
The
finish came at 2:21 of the second round.
Gomi,
the last Pride lightweight champion, addressed the Japanese fans
after collecting the win in front of his fellow countryman.
“The
‘Fireball Kid’ is back!” he proclaimed with enthusiasm.
Gomi
gets back on the winning track after two losses in a row. Mitsuoka
loses his UFC debut and first fight in three outings.
Norihumi
“Kid” Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee
Lee
defeated one of his heroes in Kid Yamamoto, securing the armbar
for the first-round submission win. Yamamoto landed a few right
hooks that wobbled his opponent, but Lee turned up the heat later,
landing a few strikes of his own.
Yamamoto
got the takedown, but Lee worked well from his back, transitioning
from a triangle to armbar. The submission was deep and Yamamoto
had no choice but to submit, as the finish came at 4:29 of round
one.
In
victory, Lee told Joe Rogan, “I’m just the happiest
person in the world right now.”
Yamamoto,
however, was far from happy after getting submitted in his home
country. “I’m disappointed,” he said. “I
really wanted to win in Japan.”
Riki
Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell
Fukuda
and Cantwell had a very close first round, but the Japanese fighter
dominated the next two rounds for the unanimous decision. Cantwell
appeared to slow down in the second round, absorbing punishment
on the feet. The third round proved no different, as Fukuda finished
out the fight scoring points from a standing position.
Judges
scored the contest 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27 in Fukuda’s favor.
Takeya
Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso
Mizugaki
and Cariaso went the distance in their prelim fight. Mizugaki
appeared to out-strike his opponent and get the edge in takedowns,
but the judges saw it in Cariaso’s favor. A chorus of boos
rang as the 29-28 unanimous decision was read to the Japanese
crowd.
Tiequan
Zhang vs. Issei Tamura
The
one and only Facebook fight of the preliminary card started the
evening with a thrilling knockout. Tamura threw an overhand-right,
landing it perfectly on Zhang’s chin in the second round.
The fight was stopped and Tamura was awarded the win just 32
seconds after the round began.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
UFC
144 Results: Anthony Pettis Calls for Title Shot After Nasty
Head Kick KO
If Anthony Pettis wanted to make a statement that he should be
the next fighter to compete for the UFC lightweight title, he
went a long way to proving that at UFC 144.
The
former WEC champion was supposed to earn a shot at the UFC belt
when he moved over to the promotion at the close of 2010, but
when Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard battled to a draw, he was
pushed out of the title picture at least temporarily.
With
his performance in Japan, Pettis may have vaulted right back
into that title picture.
Taking
on Joe Lauzon, who was fresh off a huge win over Melvin Guillard
at UFC 136, Pettis was taking on an experienced UFC veteran who
had shown well rounded skills quite a bit in his last couple
of fights.
Unfortunately
for Lauzon, he played with fire and got burned on Saturday night.
Pettis
came out in a southpaw stance to open the fight, and seemed to
throw Lauzon off his attack, while the Duke Roufus trained fighter
fired off kicks early in the opening round.
Lauzon
struggled to get out of the range of Pettis’ strikes, and
at that point it was just a matter of time before the former
WEC champion went for something big.
Pettis
launched a left high kick and Lauzon guessed that it was going
low.
He
was wrong.
“I
came out in southpaw stance, I saw him biting on the left hand
and I just set it up perfectly,” Pettis said about the kick.
Pettis’
shin landed flush across Lauzon’s chin, and it sent him
crashing to the mat. Pettis followed up with a few more punches,
but it was only because it took the referee a moment to swoop
in for the stoppage.
A
thunderous knockout to say the least and as Pettis climbed the
cage he shouted to the crowd ‘give me that belt!’.
It
would be hard to deny that Pettis has done his part to earn a
shot at the UFC lightweight title, especially making the kind
of statement he did on the same night where the 155lb belt will
be up for grabs.
“I
knew this is where I’m supposed to be at, I’m in the
UFC for a reason, I’m the best in the lightweight division.
I’m coming for that title shot,” Pettis stated.
Pettis
won the WEC lightweight title by defeating Benson Henderson in
the fight where he landed the infamous ‘Showtime’ kick.
Now Henderson is competing for the UFC title, and while Pettis
gives him credit for earning the shot, he’s ready for one
of his own.
“It’s
motivating. (Benson) Henderson did his thing, he had three great
fights, I’m ready to get my shot,” said Pettis. “Hopefully
whoever comes out tonight, I get the winner.”
Source:
MMA Weekly |
|
UFC
144 Results: Hatsu Hioki Establishes His Contender Status
Any
doubts that Hatsu Hioki wasn’t worthy of being ranked near
the top of the featherweight Top 10 rankings fell to the wayside
at UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson at Saitama Super Arena in Japan
on Saturday night.
Hioki’s
first trip to the UFC Octagon ended in a debated split decision
victory over George Roop. The Japanese fighter still had to go
the distance with Bart Palaszewski at UFC 144, but there wasn’t
anything controversial about it. Hioki walked out of the cage
with a unanimous decision.
From
the opening bell, Hioki more than held his own on the feet with
Palaszewski, who is known for being a solid kickboxer. Hioki
used a strong jab, mixing in some kicks, to move Palaszewski
around the cage until he could time his takedowns.
More
often than not, Hioki was successful with his takedowns, dominating
once they hit the mat. He nearly finished Palaszewski with an
armbar in the opening round, then dominated with a combination
of ground and pound and choke attempts from the back in round
three.
“There’s
lots of room for me to improve more, so I’ll try to improve
more,” said Hioki after the fight, but added, “I think
I truly showed what I’ve trained for a long time.”
Currently
sitting No. 3 in the MMAWeekly.com World Top 10 MMA Rankings,
it shouldn’t be long before Hioki is stepping into the Octagon
for a shot at UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
|
UFC
144 Results: Tim Boetsch Completes Extraordinary Comeback
Down
two rounds to none, Tim Boetsch defeated Yushin Okami with a
technical knockout in their main card bout at UFC 144 in Japan.
Boetsch
struck his Japanese opponent until he was no longer able to defend
himself for the third-round win.
Okami
established his jab early in the first round. He out-struck Boetsch
and landed a mixture of effective strikes, rocking his opponent
on more than one occasion. Boetsch attempted one takedown, but
Okami defended it easily and earned the round, 10-9.
The
second round had more of the same from Okami keeping the edge
on the feet. A takedown halfway through the round gave Boetsch
a brief opportunity for a guillotine choke, but Okami persevered.
The round finished with Okami in full-mount and Boetsch with
a bloody nose.
Things
swiftly changed in the third round, however, as Boetsch landed
a headkick that sent Okami backpedaling. Boetsch continued coming
forward and threw punches in bunches, landing several uppercuts.
Okami eventually fell to the ground and Boetsch finished him
there.
The
finish came at :54 of the third round.
“I
knew nothing less than a knockout or finish would win that fight
for me,” Boetsch said following the win. “He was beating
me up for two rounds, but my heart was in it. I knew I could
take him out.”
With
the win, Boetsch improves to 15-4 and is undefeated since dropping
down to the middleweight division from light heavyweight. Okami
loses his second in a row, dropping his record to 26-7.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
|
UFC
144 Results: Mark Hunt is No Longer the Unwanted Man
You
don’t want me, too bad.
At
least that’s what Mark Hunt said when Zuffa tried to buy
him out of his Pride contract when the company also took over
the Japanese fight promotion a few years back.
Once
stepping into the cage with a 5-7 record, Hunt has now turned
things around. After a fantastic performance against Cheick Kongo
at UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson in Japan on Saturday night.
Following
a little back and forth, and despite Kongo’s eight-inch
reach advantage, Hunt nailed the French fighter with a right
hand, staggering him, and then swarmed. Kongo unleashed a flurry
of punches, finishing Kongo barely after the fight had gotten
started.
“I’m
the former K-1 world champion so, yeah, I did (think I had a
striking advantage),” Hunt told UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan
after the fight.
Hunt
has now rebounded from a six-fight losing skid that had UFC officials
saying, please, don’t step in the Octagon, to now riding
a three-fight victory train, winning over UFC president Dana
White, and quite possibly a lot of fans along the way.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
The
Quest For Champions Martial Arts Tournament 2012
Featuring:
Sport-Pankration * Submission Grappling * Continuous Sparring
Saturday, May 19, 2012
St. Louis High School Gym
9:00am
For more Information, please contact Kempo Unlimited Hawaii
kunltd@hotmail.com or 808-778-3601
Source:
Tommy Lam
|
Jon
Jones, Rashad Evans Reignite Rivalry as UFC 145 Buildup Begins
Feb
16, 2012 - The first time Rashad Evans marched into Atlanta,
he was a sizable underdog trying to make a legacy for himself.
Next time he does, he'll again be a sizable underdog, this time
trying to seal a legacy as a two-time UFC light-heavyweight champion.
Nearly
a year after the long-simmering grudge between Evans and Jones
began, there's finally an end game, UFC 145 in April. But until
then, expect salvos to be fired and returned. A full two months
before the two meet in the cage, they met at a spot overlooking
downtown Atlanta, with Evans reasserting his belief that his
previous work with Jones would give him the advantage in their
matchup, and the champion admitting that the broken friendship
and personal feelings would play a motivational role in his training.
"I
think that my opponent will be in my head this fight," he
said. "And I want him in my head because I realize when
people are in my head, it brings out the best in me, and that’s
what I’m prepared to show."
The
24-year-old has seen his star rise over the last year following
a brilliant stretch that saw him win four times in 2011, including
three finishes over former UFC champions.
But
it was a question of whether Jones could finish Evans within
one round that led to the most animated exchange between the
two fighters. It started innocently enough from Jones.
"I’m
going to be cliche and say I’m going to go out there with
great intentions and train really hard and just have fun,"
he said. "I realize when I have fun great things happen.
Magical things happen."
But
as he finished his thought, Evans interjected, saying "What
do you really think, though?"
"You
remember what I told you," Jones said.
"I
remember what you told me, but I remember you didn’t mean
it," Evans said.
Some
rowdy fans in the crowd yelled out, asking Evans what Jones said,
and Evans mimicked Jones nervously saying, "Rashad, I’m
going to be the first one to finish you in the first round…,"
stuttering his way throughout the less-than-flattering imitation.
That
brought laughs from the audience, and even got a chuckle from
UFC president Dana White. Jones portrayed the hint of a smile,
but wasn't quite so amused.
"I
remember being here and Rampage was doing the same thing, so
…," Jones said, letting his words trail off and throwing
his hands up, letting the memory of his fourth-round submission
win over Jackson finish his thought.
The
easy rapport the two shared mostly replaced by acrimony, the
two did share a couple of lighter moments throughout. But most
of the time, it was a case of one answering a question, and the
other rebutting the answer as though they were debating.
Jones
smiled throughout the 30-minute press conference, although the
two didn't look each other in the eye during a post-event staredown
photo opportunity or share a handshake at its conclusion. Evans
was clearly the crowd favorite of the two, with one fan routinely
yelling out support to the point where Evans adopted him as his
"hype man."
That's
been par for the course for Jones, who has watched his popularity
rating increase right alongside his list of detractors, one of
MMA's most beloved and hated at the same time. That's a typical
symptom of the overnight superstar, and that's certainly what
Jones has become, winning the title in what is traditionally
MMA's most competitive division within three years of taking
up the sport. But even with all the proclamations about Jones
as MMA's present and future, Evans wouldn't give in, anointing
himself a "spoiler" on April 21.
"There’s
been so many people like him that’s been ‘the one,’"
he said. "But that’s the secret: there is no ‘one.’
Anybody can lose any given day, and he’s going to find that
out."
The
back and forth about who knows more about the other from their
days training together has been discussed ad nauseam, and will
continue to be rehashed for another two months until they're
finally standing across the cage from each other. Then we'll
get our answer.
But
for now, we're left with the same thing we've had for the last
year, loaded words going back and forth, just setting the stage
for what's to come. As for what might be afterward, well, the
two opened a window on that when a fan innocently asked if the
two would be able share a smile or handshake after going five
hard rounds in April.
It
was as if they didn't even hear the question.
"This
fight won't go five rounds," Evans said.
"Mark
his words," Jones said.
And
so it goes, a blood feud in need of a conclusion, a money rivalry
to end in the place where for Evans, it all really began.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Dana
White: Waiting Game Continues for Dan Henderson
Feb
16, 2012 - After beating Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in an
all-time classic last November, 41-year-old legend Dan Henderson
turned down a proposed bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira to
watch how events would unfold in January's UFC on FOX show.
If
Rashad Evans had been upset by Phil Davis, Henderson would have
been thrust into a title fight with UFC light heavyweight champion
Jon Jones. And even if Evans had won but Chael Sonnen had lost
his fight on the same night, Henderson might have received a
chance at a rematch with middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.
Neither
of those scenarios transpired, however, as both Evans and Sonnen
won, setting up their own respective title shots. That has left
Henderson in a kind of championship purgatory, with no obvious
short-term move, according to Dana White."He doesn't want
to fight Machida," White said following last night's UFC
on FUEL event. "He doesn't want to wait. He's going to have
to wait. Who does he want to fight? I don't know what to do with
Dan. Dan's either going to have to wait for Jones or wait for
Silva. Or fight somebody else."
If
that sounds like a lot of hand-wringing and uncertainty, you
should have seen the look on White's face, his eyes scanning
around the room as if searching for an answer.
A
look at the UFC's top 205-pounders puts the issue in focus. Jones
and Evans are set for April. A Rua rematch wouldn't make sense.
He's apparently not interested in fighting either Machida or
Nogueira. And as for the middleweight division, he's only interested
in fighting Silva.
Perhaps
one possibility could be the winner of UFC 144's Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson vs. Ryan Bader fight. More specifically, a rematch with
Jackson might make some sense, and in a recent interview with
ESPN, Henderson said he would "entertain" that possibility,
seeing it as a big fight.
If
Jackson loses though, the pickings will be slim, and Hendo's
wait will most likely persist into the summertime. He's said
he'd be willing to compete as a heavyweight, but the UFC is likely
to resist that offer. His best bet then would be the Jones-Evans
winner, who -- barring injury -- would likely be available around
August, the same month that Henderson turns 42.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Matches
to Make After UFC on Fuel
Jake
Ellenberger did his part. He beat Diego Sanchez, and he kept
his name in the conversation.
Ellenberger
withstood a late surge from the Jackson’s Mixed Martial
Arts export and rode a strong first two rounds to a unanimous
decision over Sanchez in the UFC on Fuel “Ellenberger vs.
Sanchez” headliner on Wednesday at the Omaha Civic Auditorium
in Omaha, Neb. The 26-year-old Nebraskan has rattled off six
consecutive victories since his split decision defeat to current
interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit in 2009.
A
rapidly intensifying force at 170 pounds, Ellenberger’s
immediate fate seems tied to the health and recovery of Georges
St. Pierre, the longtime welterweight king who underwent reconstructive
knee surgery in December. Should St. Pierre’s rehabilitation
go according to plan, he figures to face Condit in a unification
bout later this year. If not, then Ellenberger becomes the viable
alternative.
Let
us assume St. Pierre recovers as expected and moves forward with
his showdown against Condit. That leaves Ellenberger without
a satisfactory adversary, though plenty of viable options are
available. Pairing him with the winner of the Martin Kampmann-Thiago
Alves main event at UFC on FX 2 in March makes plenty of sense,
as it would supply “The Juggernaut” with either a perennial
Top 10 foe in Kampmann or a resurgent former title contender
in Alves.
Cardio
remains the only real question mark surrounding Ellenberger,
and it surfaced again late in his encounter with Sanchez. No
matter which route the UFC elects to go with him, it should come
attached to a five-round fight.
Here
are six other matchups we want to see made in wake of UFC on
Fuel TV 1:
Stefan
Struve vs. Mike Russow: Struve has become a consummate finish-or-be-finished
heavyweight, as only one of his 10 UFC bouts has brought the
judges into play. His height, reach and advanced submission game
have made him a stern challenge of middle-tier big men, and,
as he showed in his second-round technical knockout against the
talented but enigmatic Dave Herman, he can summon deceptive punching
power when necessary. Russow has won 11 fights in a row, four
of them in the UFC. He was willing to oblige 2003 Abu Dhabi Combat
Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist John
Olav Einemo with an extended ground battle at UFC on Fox 2 and
figures to do the same in a hypothetical bout with the 6-foot-11
Struve.
Sanchez
lost the first two rounds.
Diego Sanchez vs. Mike Pierce: If Sanchez had been given five
rounds with which to work against Ellenberger, his fate might
have been different. He had the Nebraskan in real danger in the
third round, as he took his back during a scramble and threatened
with ground-and-pound and rear-naked chokes. Ellenberger survived,
but one can only speculate as to what drama rounds four and five
could have held. The defeat did nothing to diminish Sanchez’s
place as a viable part of the 170-pound division, with his unlimited
gas tank, relentless resilience and heavy top game. Pierce lost
a hotly contested split decision to Josh Koscheck at UFC 143
and undoubtedly wants another crack at big name. Sanchez fits
the mold.
T.J.
Dillashaw vs. Ivan Menjivar: In his first appearance since his
failed bid to win Season 14 of “The Ultimate Fighter,”
Dillashaw dominated the game but overmatched Walel Watson, outlanding
him according to FightMetric figures by a staggering 154-19 count
in total strikes.
He
may only have half a dozen professional fights under his belt,
but Dillashaw, like many of his Team Alpha Male stablemates,
wields a polished all-around game, complete with superb athletic
ability. He has emerged as an intriguing prospect at 135 pounds.
On the other side of the experience spectrum sits Menjivar, a
supremely entertaining 29-year-old El Salvador native. He weathered
John Albert’s early onslaught in an immediate “Round
of the Year” contender, submitting the Dennis Hallman protégé
with a rear-naked choke. Could the stars now align for a Dillashaw-Menjivar
duel?
Stipe
Miocic vs. Gabriel Gonzaga: So far, Miocic has lived up to the
hype. The undefeated 29-year-old weathered a few thudding right
hands from Philip De Fries and put away the Englishman in 43
seconds, as he returned fire and buried him under a volley of
straight rights of his own. Prospect tend to move quickly in
a division void of quality depth, so Miocic could soon find himself
in bouts with real meaning. After all, Golden Gloves champions
with college wrestling pedigrees do not come along every day,
especially as heavyweights. Gonzaga, a former UFC title contender,
made a triumphant return to the Octagon with a first-round submission
against Ednaldo Oliveira at UFC 142 and would provide a worthy
test for Miocic as he looks to continue his climb.
Ronny
Markes vs. Constantinos Philippou-Court McGee winner: At 23,
Markes has nowhere to go but up, with youth, talent and drive
on his side. The once-beaten Brazilian extended his winning streak
to six fights and cemented his spot on the UFC roster with a
hard-fought split decision victory over Aaron Simpson, a decorated
amateur wrestler with a powerful right hand. The UFC needs to
cultivate its young middleweights, as the division stands to
lose its centerpiece, longtime champion and pound-for-pound great
Anderson Silva, sometime in the next few years. In that spirit,
Markes should be brought along at a pace he can absorb. Philippou
and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 winner McGee will
tangle at UFC on FX 2 next month. Throw Markes the winner.
Jonathan
Brookins vs. Jim Hettes: Brookins pieced together a brief but
flawless performance against Vagner Rocha, as he stuffed a takedown
attempt from the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace, moved into a dominant
position and scored a brutal knockout with a series of violent
ground strikes. It lasted just 92 seconds. Hettes was equally
impressive in his last outing, as he captured a one-sided unanimous
decision from Nam Phan at UFC 141 in December. With the two featherweights
at relatively similar stages of their development, perhaps the
time to pit them against one another has arrived.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Rumor:
Chandella Powell fired for past erotic movies
Seems
like the UFC rings girls are getting themselves into a lot of
hot water lately. Cage Potato reported that UFC ring girl Chandella
Powell may have been fired from the UFC after failure to disclose
the fact she had been in several soft-core porn videos and movies
under the alias “Mariah Ashton.”
Many
noticed that she did not appear at Wednesday’s UFC on Fuel
TV event and wondered what the reasoning was, this may be it.
Cage Potato also noted that Powell has been ignoring her Twitter
since last Saturday. Although her profile is still up on the
UFC website, this may be the end of days for Miss Powell.
Source:
Caged Insider
|
With
Goodridge's admission, is CTE coming to MMA?
UFC president Dana White believes MMA is safer than boxing and
kickboxing. He'll go even further than that when it comes to
the safety of fighters under contract with the UFC.
"It's
the safest sport in the world when you know you've got two healthy
athletes stepping into the octagon to compete against one another,"
White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
But
at the same time, he knows MMA is not exactly safe. And nowhere
could its potential danger be clearer than with UFC veteran Gary
Goodridge's belief that he suffers from "early onset"
chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, according to a recent
diagnosis.
"We
have a 20-year history now in the UFC and mixed martial arts
where you don't see as much head damage as you do in these other
sports," White said. "But this isn't kickball."
Chronic
traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative disease of the brain
caused by repetitive head trauma. It's most commonly found in
athletes who participate in contact sports such as football,
hockey and boxing. Until now, MMA has avoided the high-profile
cases of CTE seen in its big-league counterparts.
Goodridge
retired from fighting in late 2010 after seven consecutive losses
in various MMA promotions domestic and abroad. His career spanned
14 years and included 46 MMA fights. He also fought 38 kickboxing
matches and hadn't won a kickboxing fight in four years when
he hung up his gloves.
As
a striking specialist, Goodridge, who made his octagon debut
at 27 when he fought at UFC 8, lost 23 fights by way of KO or
TKO and took countless shots to the head. Now 46 and living in
Barrie, Ontario, Canada, he takes a variety of medications to
treat his condition.
"My
mother says she sees the difference," Goodridge said of
his treatment. "I can't tell the difference, but people
close to me can tell if I'm taking my pills or I've missed some.
I think I slur my words when I don't take them."
Goodridge
entirely blames his condition on the time he spent in kickboxing,
where shots to the head were far more frequent.
"I
never got anything from MMA, other than a lot of money,"
he said. "It was definitely the kickboxing because that's
where all the knockouts came. The whole thing about K-1 when
I was in Japan was knockouts. I guarantee you people that were
there that fought more than six times, we all got brain injury.
Every one of them has got what I got. The reason why the company
liked me is because every time I fought, there was a knockout."
CTE
hard to detect
Dr.
Robert Cantu, the co-director of the Center for the Study of
Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University's School of Medicine,
serves on the medical advisory board for the Massachusetts State
Athletic Commission and frequently serves as a ringside physician
for boxing and MMA fights in his home state. He is skeptical
of Goodridge's diagnosis.
"We
have a very high index of suspicion of individuals who may ultimately,
when they die, be proven to have CTE," Cantu said. "But
right now, it's not possible to be certain in somebody who is
alive. Because the clinical patterns for CTE very closely overlap
two other widely known dementias – Alzheimer's (disease)
and frontotemporal dementia – and you really can't, just
based on the cognitive difficulties, the emotional difficulties,
be certain what you're dealing with. No way to know when he's
alive."
Cantu
said the Center has examined football players who thought they
had CTE but turned out to have frontotemporal dementia, which
primarily involves the degeneration of the part of the brain
responsible for short-term memory and attention.
The
nature of brain trauma continues to invite scientific attention.
The UFC has encouraged fighters to participate in a long-term
study on brain health currently underway at Las Vegas' Cleveland
Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Researchers are seeking
600 fighters to study changes in the brain over a four-year span
and hope to reduce the incidence of diseases such as CTE and
dementia pugilistica, according to the "Las Vegas Review-Journal."
In exchange for their participation, fighters get free MRIs that
enable them to be licensed to compete in Nevada. So far, 170
have signed up.
But
for veterans whose careers have already ended, the damage may
be harder to track.
Price
of competition
As
part of his role as UFC president, White said it's his job to
make sure fighters quit before they endanger their health. In
2010, he very publicly retired former champ and UFC Hall of Famer
Chuck Liddell, one of the sports biggest stars and heaviest hitters
before a string of bad knockout losses. He bristles at promoters
who employ past-their-prime fighters and fail to care for medical
needs arising from fights.
"A
lot of other companies in the past – actually, I'm going
to say every company in the past, all of them – don't do
the medical things that we do," White said. "We go
above and beyond. We know exactly what's going on with our fighters
before, during and after a fight.
"These
guys get CAT scans, MRIs, all the stuff. Think that [expletive]
is cheap? It's very expensive. But we do it. All these other
companies in the past didn't do any of this [expletive] because
it's very expensive. We do. We know exactly where our guys are."
While
the UFC provides fight-night insurance that covers potential
injuries suffered during a fight, as well as accident insurance
for injuries sustained outside the cage, fighters are responsible
for the cost of medical tests needed to be licensed. Although
the UFC frequently pays for additional treatment and diagnostic
care, the majority of the UFC's rank and file go out of pocket
for such things as MRIs and bloodwork.
White
often touts the UFC's safety record during its 19 years in business,
and that means saying no to some who don't want to quit. Despite
the fact that Liddell was still a prime draw at the time of his
slide, White put his foot down.
"When
we get to the point where I think a guy has been knocked out
too much, unfortunately, I'm the guy that's going to tell you
to retire," he said. "Because sometimes people are
too tough for their own good, or unfortunately, there's a lot
of people who haven't done the right things with their money,
and they need to stay in the sport. But that's not my problem.
I'm not going to watch you get hurt in the UFC, or later on after
you're done. I'm not going to make a dollar of that money."
Unfortunately,
though, by the time a fighter has suffered several knockouts,
it may be too late. While it's believed there are several contributing
factors to the cause of CTE, there aren't yet reliable measures
of predicting who will and won't suffer from the disease. Scientists
agree, however, that losing consciousness isn't a prerequisite.
"The
underlying causal concept of CTE is repetitive seemingly innocuous
impacts to the head, meaning impacts that wouldn't cause immediate
incapacitation," said Dr. Bennet Omalu, who first discovered
the disease and named it thereafter. "These are impacts
you wouldn't pay attention to. Over time, it's cumulative in
a multiplicative fashion."
Ten
years ago, Omalu, a forensic pathologist and neuropathlogist,
examined the brains of several former football players who had
prematurely died, and he discovered brain trauma that caused
the type of decay frequently seen in people with Alzheimer's
disease. Prior to their deaths, the players had displayed violent
personality changes that left them unable to live a normal life.
Several had committed suicide.
Omalu
believes dementia pugilistica, a degenerative brain disease named
after the boxers in which it was found, is merely a general term
for CTE that came from a time when less was known about the brain.
Since co-founding an institute dedicated to the study of brain
injury, Omalu has examined the brains of two MMA fighters, one
of whom died after a fight outside of competition and the other
who committed suicide. (He declined to name the fighters citing
an agreement with their families.) Although he did not find the
telltale signs of the disease, he said their brains exhibited
"early changes of brain damage – white-matter damage
– which is what repetitive trauma to your head essentially
causes."
The
damage, he noted, was not extensive enough that it had caused
irreversible trauma. But had the fighters continued to compete,
he believes they would have been candidates for CTE.
"What
I'm saying is that mixed martial arts belongs to the high-risk
group of CTE," Omalu said. "I would consider mixed
martial arts just like I would boxing."
Risk
to MMA fighters
That
opinion is not shared by all experts familiar with the disease.
Cantu believes that a fighter's style is the most reliable determinant
of whether he or she develops CTE later in life. In the case
of boxers, he sees a clear correlation between brawlers and technicians
who avoid punishment.
"Those
people who wound up with CTE were those who mostly had the highest
number of fights and mostly were the individuals who were the
sluggers that took a punch or two to try to deliver their own
punch," he said. "Over the course of the fight, they
would take quite a bit of trauma compared to ... a Floyd Mayweather-type
fighter.
"I
think you're going to find the same thing in mixed martial arts.
The person coming up with the highest risk for CTE is going to
be somebody who is primarily known as a striker, somebody who
took quite a bit of trauma, somebody who stayed in the sport
probably well past their prime, and I think you'll see some of
those people probably show the mental decline, the recent memory
failures, the lack of impulse control and depression that are
the hallmarks of CTE."
But
Cantu also believes that overall incidences of CTE in MMA will
be lower in the long term than those of other combat sports,
primarily because of the grappling that's so deeply ingrained
in it. There's frequently less time for damage to occur, as well.
"[MMA
competitors] fight a much shorter fight, and many of them are
not primarily strikers," he said. "So the amount of
head blows is much reduced in mixed martial arts as compared
to, say, boxing."
Outside-the-cage
dangers
The
great unknown, of course, is what happens outside the cage. While
most reputable trainers keep tabs on fighters who take serious
hits in the gym, few are trained in the type of diagnostic exams
that have become prevalent in football and hockey since the emergence
of CTE as a public health issue. In 1995, the California State
Athletic Commission instituted a rule that required licensed
gyms to report fighters who had been knocked out or injured during
training sessions. But it has never been enforced, and a proposal
last year to send inspectors to gyms, in part, to encourage owners
to submit monthly reports about injuries such as concussions
wasn't put into place because it would have required an increase
in the fee for a gym license. Even if it had been, the accuracy
of the reports would be questionable.
"Frankly,
most gyms would submit a piece a paper that said no one was injured,"
said Kathi Burns, CSAC's assistant executive officer. "We
don't have the funding to enforce it."
That
leaves the burden on the fighter to report injuries when he or
she fills out a medical-history questionnaire that's used by
doctors who conduct by ore-bout physicals. But for professionals
with a vested interest in competing, they can't be relied upon
to disclose whether or an injury has occurred prior to a fight.
"I
estimate that 99 percent of the time, the answer's always no,"
Burns said.
And
while treating the lacerations and broken bones that often result
from fight night is a routine process using the best medical
technology available, the possible long-term consequences of
head trauma can't be fully evaluated. A fighter who loses consciousness
or takes repeated head shots in a sanctioned bout is medically
suspended by the attending athletic commission, in theory, to
allow time for recovery. Many fighters, however, ignore the suspensions
and return to the gym immediately after they fight.
How
long it takes to recover, and what the cutoff in trauma is for
permanent damage? It's not yet known. But answers are on the
way, Omalu said.
"It's
going to become a major medical/legal issue," he said. "I
think it will gradually emerge once we begin to pay attention
to it because like in football ... the players leave the sport.
They wander into oblivion. Nobody knows about them. Nobody cares
about them. So once you encourage [fighters] to step up, they
will begin to step up, just like in football.
"Ten
years ago, no retired football player would come out and admit
that he's having memory problems because of the machismo culture.
But if you notice now, people are beginning to admit they have
problems. I think the same thing applies to mixed martial arts."
Goodridge
is the first to say he has CTE. His days as a UFC fighter are
long over, and his time in the ring and cage exists only in his
memory. One day, those will fade. He said he has no regrets about
fighting as long as he did. He's now dedicated to passing on
his knowledge to the next generation of fighters, living as happy
a life as possible.
Although
sometimes just by opening his mouth, he passes on knowledge of
the price you may pay for taking years of punishment.
"I
wouldn't say MMA is the safest sport in the world," he said.
"But I wouldn't say it's a bad one. MMA, sure, you're going
to get a brain concussion. But (when) you get knocked down, you're
done. You don't get an eight-count and get back up. MMA had nothing
to do with my problem."
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
Dennis
Bermudez vs. Pablo Garza slotted for UFC on FOX 3
Featherweights Dennis Bermudez (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and Pablo Garza
(11-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) hope to reverse recent slides when they meet
at UFC on FOX 3.
Officials
today announced the fight, which is expected to be part of the
event's preliminary card.
UFC
on FOX 3 takes place May 5 at IZOD Center in East Rutherford,
N.J. The event's preliminary card airs on FUEL TV while the main
card airs live on FOX.
Bermudez
saw a successful run on "The Ultimate Fighter 14" end
in disappointment when he was submitted by Diego Brandao in the
reality show's finale this past December. His professional skid,
however, stretches to three fights, two of which took place before
he set foot on the set of "TUF."
Another
loss in the big show could mean a trip back to the minors for
the New York resident, who earned a seven-fight win streak before
his reversal of fortune.
Garza
is only one fight in the red among a trio of UFC appearances,
but no less eager to get back in the win column. Most recently,
he was submitted by red-hot prospect Dustin Poirer at UFC on
FOX, which muted spectacular wins over Yves Jabouin (by flying
triangle) and Fredson Paixão (by flying knee).
Garza
was unbeaten until his first fight under the Zuffa banner when
he was submitted by Zhang Tiequan in the now-defunct WEC.
The
latest UFC on FOX 3 card now includes:
Nate
Diaz vs. Jim Miller
Johny Hendricks vs. Josh Koscheck
Alan Belcher vs. Rousimar Palhares
Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson
John Hathaway vs. Pascal Krauss
John Dodson vs. Darren Uyenoyama
Johnny Bedford vs. Nick Denis
Danny Castillo vs. John Cholish
Dennis Bermudez vs. Pablo Garza
Mike Massenzio vs. Karlos Vemola
Louis Gaudinot vs. John Lineker
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 1: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger Gate and Attendance Numbers
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday night released the
gate and attendance figures for UFC on Fuel TV 1: Sanchez vs.
Ellenberger.
6,283
spectators attended the organization’s second trip to the
Omaha Civic Auditorium in Nebraska on Wednesday, garnering $405,895
in gate receipts.
Omaha’s
own Jake Ellenberger defeated Diego Sanchez in the main event
by unanimous decision establishing himself as a top contender
in the UFC’s welterweight division.
The
nine-fight card was the Las Vegas-based fight promotion’s
debut on Fuel TV.
The
numbers were down from the first UFC event held in Omaha in September
of 2008. 9,103 fans attended UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Neer,
bringing in $700,000 at the gate.
UFC
on Fuel TV 1: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger full results:
Main
Card (on Fuel TV):
-Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez by Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28), R3
-Stefan Struve def. Dave Herman by TKO (Strikes) at 3:52, R2
-Ronny Markes def. Aaron Simpson by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29,
29-28), R3
-Stipe Miocic def. Phil De Fries by TKO (Strikes) at 0:43, R1
-T.J. Dillashaw def. Walel Watson by Unanimous Decision (30-25,
30-25, 30-26), R3
-Ivan Menjivar def. John Albert by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
3:45, R1
Preliminary
Bouts (on Facebook):
-Jonathan Brookins def. Vagner Rocha by KO (Punches) at 1:32,
R1
-Buddy Roberts vs. Sean Loeffler - CANCELED DUE TO INJURY
-Justin Salas def. Anton Kuivanen by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 29-27), R3
-Tim Means def. Bernardo Magalhaes by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-26, 30-26), R3
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Will
Carlos Condit Wait For GSP? Dana White Thinks He Should
Georges
St-Pierre and Carlos ConditUFC president Dana White always wants
to put on the best fights possible at any given time.
Jake
Ellenberger has rolled through several of the top fighters in
the welterweight division, most recently defeating Diego Sanchez
at UFC on Fuel TV 1 on Wednesday night. Carlos Condit recently
defeated Nick Diaz to become the interim UFC welterweight champion,
with current titleholder Georges St-Pierre on the sidelines until
at least October or November.
Ellenberger’s
only loss in the Octagon was of the split decision variety, losing
to Condit. So a rematch would only make sense, right?
Not
so fast.
“(Ellenberger)
has looked fantastic. He’s on a roll,” White said in
his post-fight interview with Fuel TV. “(But) if I’m
Carlos Condit and the (Nick) Diaz match is available, I take
the Diaz match. If not, I probably sit around and I wait for
GSP.”
The
Diaz rematch is not available. Diaz tested positive for marijuana
metabolites following the fight with Condit, so he is more than
likely to be on the sidelines even longer than GSP. Diaz has
even commented that he might hang up his gloves for good.
“(Condit)
knows if he beats GSP, he’s gonna end up facing Ellenberger
again (anyway),” said White, before adding, “we also
have on the May 5 card on Fox, we have (Josh) Koscheck fighting
(Johny) Hendricks.”
That
makes things interesting as well. Regardless of who wins the
Fox fight, it opens the door to a couple different scenarios.
The
winner between Koscheck and Hendricks could end up as the next
opponent for Ellenberger, the winner of that fight hanging out
for Condit and St-Pierre to happen. Or maybe Condit gets tired
of sitting on the sidelines, deciding he’d rather take his
chances and fight again, remaining sharp for when St-Pierre does
return.
The
former is a very real scenario for Condit. Yes, he wants to unite
the title with St-Pierre, but he is also a fighter that feeds
off consistency and remaining active.
“He
didn’t want to wait if he could have fought Diaz,”
declared White. “Carlos might be sitting around, three months
from now, he might have a different opinion.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Ronda
Rousey, She Can’t Concieve What I’ve Had to Overcome
“There’s
no way she can conceive the amount of pain, sacrifice, bravery,
and seemingly insurmountable obstacles I’ve had to overcome
to make it to this point.”
In
just a few weeks I’m going to be fighting Miesha Tate for
the Strikeforce women’s 135lbs world championship title.
It’s a match that she’s resisted since the very beginning,
but has snowballed into women’s MMA’s most anticipated
fight since Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg set ratings records for
Showtime a few years ago. It began with me defeating Julia Budd
this past November in an admittedly brutal fashion, followed
by me asking for the first shot at Miesha since she won her belt
from Marloes Coenen. Miesha immediately protested, and as a result
we had a now infamous debate on Ariel Helwani’s show. She
was obviously less prepared for the debate than I was, as I treated
the debate like a fight in itself. I saw the potential and importance
of this opportunity, and looked up every article I could find
arguing her point of view. I then wrote a counter argument to
every single point they made and took turns with my friends playing
both myself and her in “practice arguments.” By the
time we were on the show she sounded uneducated and unprepared
in comparison, conflicting herself and falling speechless on
several occasions. Several months later while doing a round table
press conference with her, Scott Coker, and myself, (part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPvF9mNXo7w —- and part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxbzC-29Eso&feature=relmfu
) I swear I could hear an echo in the room as she completely
abandoned most of her original stances o the subject and adopted
mine. The only thing she hasn’t conceded on was the fact
that she doesn’t think I’m a “worthy” opponent
and don’t deserve to fight her. If that is the case, I encourage
her and her fans to put their money where their mouths are. Because
at the moment I’m favored almost 4-1 in the Vegas odds,
and I would like for my friends to actually make a decent profit
for once off of one of my wins. Funny isn’t it? That a challenger
who isn’t deserving of a title shot is so heavily favored
over the champion….
Though
she’s argued that I’m less experienced than her, not
able to deal with pressure, and likely to mentally break after
the first minute… there’s no way she can conceive the
amount of pain, sacrifice, bravery, and seemingly insurmountable
obstacles I’ve had to overcome to make it to this point.
I
was literally born fighting. The umbilical cord was wrapped around
my neck and my face was blue, everyone was scared that I died.
Obviously I didn’t, but there was some damage done. I was
far behind my sisters and other children my age in speech, and
could not speak coherently till I was around 6. No one ever told
me there was anything wrong with me, my Mom and Dad refused to
let me feel abnormal. I just remember being frustrated all the
time, because I knew in my head what I wanted to say, but for
some reason no one could ever understand me; my words came out
as gibberish. My father most of all told everyone: “Ronnie
is a sleeper. Just you watch, she’s gonna show everyone
and be the best of them one day.” He would always tell me
that I was destined for greatness. At the time I was swimming
competitively and he would constantly tell me I was going to
win the Olympics and be the best in the world someday.
Unfortunately my Dad died when I was 8 years old, and it was
the most painful thing my family has ever been through…
Swimming
was something me and my dad would do together, and after his
death I quickly lost my motivation to swim. Though I never lost
the need to honor him and fulfill every expectation he had of
me.
Several
years later we moved to Los Angeles, my mother remarried, and
things got better. My mother was the first American to ever win
the world championships in judo, something she never talked about
much when I was a kid. But she used to train at Tenri Judo in
East LA during her prime in the 80?s, so when we moved back to
LA she went to visit her old teammates who had then opened up
clubs of their own.
I
took to judo right away and it soon replaced swimming as my number
one passion. Swimming was very one-dimensional in comparison.
You could do the breaststroke one way and the butterfly one way,
but, once you’d mastered those skills, there was little
room for creativity. Judo, on the other hand, really encouraged
creativity and individual flair. It allowed me to create my own
style and personality and play around with the textbook. You
could try things out, improvise a little and think outside the
box. There were just so many different things to learn and pick
up on, and that really excited me. I didn’t feel I could
necessarily learn how to become a better swimmer – you simply
practice and practice until you hopefully one day became one.
Judo was very much a learning process for me, though. It was
something I could play with and make my own.
Mom
was against me doing judo at first, she felt people would expect
too much from me given who she was and what she had achieved
in the same sport. It was actually her team-mates, who were my
coaches at the time, who persuaded her to let me do it. In all
honesty, I didn’t feel any additional pressure because of
the fact my mother was previously involved in the sport. If anything,
I’m the one that puts pressure on myself when it comes to
goal-setting. I don’t feel right unless there is some element
of pressure. Some people crack under it, but I’ve always
thrived. Six years after starting out, I made my first Olympic
team. Maybe it was genetics, destiny, or both, but I really had
a knack for it.
The
whole reason I focused on judo to begin with was so that I could
one day reach the Olympic Games and win a gold medal. That was
literally my sole aim from day one, and nothing else crossed
my mind from that point. I wasn’t interested in being involved
in judo to become a mere also-ran. Even after my very first practice,
I remember thinking to myself, ‘Yep, this is definitely
going to work out – I’m going to win the Olympics’.
It was all or nothing for me, and that same attitude carried
over after transitioning to MMA.
Some
people like to call me cocky or arrogant, but I just think “How
dare you assume I should think less of myself? The problem isn’t
me thinking I can achieve any goal I set for myself, the problem
is you projecting your own self doubt onto me.”
My
current goals are to revive women’s MMA and solidify its
place in the sport. The first step to achieving that goal is
to beat Miesha Tate in impressive fashion on March 3rd. And there
isn’t a goddamn thing that can stop me.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Carlo
Prater back to lightweight division, expects to fight at UFC
Sao Paulo
Carlo
Prater’s debut in the UFC was not exactly like he was expecting
it to be. Although he had won the bout, the result came via the
disqualification of Erick Silva, punished for throwing coups
on his opponent’s back of the head, and he still considers
Silva as the “moral winner”. Exactly one month after
the bout between them, Prater has put it behind, and revealed
dropping to the lightweight division is his next step.
“I
haven’t fought on the welterweight division since 2008.
I’ve been fighting as a lightweight until I got the UFC
invitation. Next time, and until my contract with UFC expires,
I’ll fight on the light division. It makes great difference.
I don’t dedicate myself a lot on cutting weight, I don’t
lose strength, I feel more comfortable actually”, said the
guys who fights out of Sao Paulo, analyzing his new division.
“To
me it’s one of the most disputed divisions at this point.
It’s a really tough division, there are many skilled people,
dynamic, and I guess I bring some news to this class”.
According
to Prater, his next appearance could be at UFC SP, on June 16,
still with no location set after Pacaembu’s veto. “My
manager said I should do my camp thinking about this card. It’s
still very superficial, but he said they’ll probably want
me in this card. I’m doing well, training again and getting
prepared to fight in May, June or July”.
Source:
Tatame
|
Machida,
Jackson or wait: What to do with Dan Henderson?
Dan
Henderson appears to be a man with a world of options. Comfortable
at both light heavyweight and middleweight, his winning streak
and credentials in both Strikeforce and the UFC qualify him for
a title shot. After his epic bout with Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua, Henderson said he wanted to try for a title at whatever
weight is first.
Unfortunately
for Henderson, the light heavyweight belt will be contested in
April, and the middleweight belt is up for grabs in June. He
is involved in neither fight. The UFC's solution was to offer
him Lyoto Machida, a former champ who most recently lost to Jon
Jones in December.
"He
doesn't want to fight Machida," [UFC president Dana] White
said following Wednesday's UFC on FUEL event. "He doesn't
want to wait. He's going to have to wait. Who does he want to
fight? I don't know what to do with Dan. Dan's either going to
have to wait for Jones or wait for Silva. Or fight somebody else."
Except,
Henderson says he was never offered that bout. Via his Twitter
account, Henderson disputed White's words.
Was
never offered Machida. And even though he has lost 3 out of his
last 4, I'm sure it would be entertaining.
Who
to believe between the two? Though, as Henderson says, a bout
with Machida could be interesting for fans to watch, it doesn't
make any sense for Henderson. Dating back to when he held the
belt, Machida has losses to Rua, Quinton Jackson, and Jones.
His one win was over a retiring Randy Couture.
A
win over Machida would get Henderson no closer to the title shot.
MMA Fighting's Mike Chiappetta suggests that Henderson takes
on the winner of next week's bout between Ryan Bader and Jackson.
Though a win over Jackson would avenge a loss on Henderson's
record, it could also jeopardize a chance to win a belt off of
Silva or Jones.
As
much as it pain Henderson to sit idle, his best bet is to wait.
What would you do in Henderson's shoes?
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Morning
Report: Anderson Silva Talks Old Age, Jon Jones Verbally Spars
With Rashad Evans
Feb
17, 2012 - It's strange to think how much time has passed since
Anderson Silva first introduced himself to western audiences
with a glorified mercy killing of Chris Leben at UFC Ultimate
Fight Night 5. None could have predicted the artistry that took
place in the cage that night, just as none could have foreseen
the run of brillance, and sometimes absurdity, that would follow
over the next six years.
But
that time has passed, and at 36 years old, Silva's professional
mortality is quickly becoming a reality. Check out what "The
Spider" had to on the subject, along with who he'd prefer
to face in a career-ending superfight on today's Morning Report.
Star-divide
5
MUST-READ STORIES TO START YOUR DAY
Anderson
Silva would like to fight Georges St-Pierre, but not Jon Jones.
Silva was surprisingly honest when asked about his advancing
age, Chael Sonnen, and which superfight remains a possibility.
Dana
White says all main events to be five rounds after Ellenberger
vs. Sanchez. White announced a change in policy after UFC on
FUEL's main event left fans wanting more.
UFC
145 press conference video. Jon Jones and Rashad Evans kicked
off their UFC 145 promotional tour with the official pre-fight
presser in Atlanta, Georgia.
Jon
Jones and Rashad Evans reignite rivalry. The two former friends
lost themselves trading barbs on Thursday afternoon, but both
men eventually agreed on one thing -- their title tilt won't
last five rounds.
Waiting
game continues for Dan Henderson. Dana White discussed the future
of Dan Henderson and his strange spot in championship purgatory.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Injured
Akira Corassani Withdraws from UFC on Fuel 2 Bout with Jason
Young
Hard-hitting
featherweight Akira Corassani has suffered an injury and will
be unable to compete against Jason Young as originally expected
at UFC on Fuel 2.
The
promotion recently issued a press release to members of the Swedish
media, revealing that Young will meet a to-be-announced replacement
at the April 14 event, which marks the UFC’s inaugural trip
to Sweden.
Headlined
by a light heavyweight confrontation between top Swedish prospect
Alexander Gustafsson and former Pride Fighting Championships
star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, UFC on Fuel 2 takes place at the
Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm.
A
cast member of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14, Corassani
has seen his UFC debut delayed twice to date. After falling to
Dennis Bermudez in the show’s semifinal round, Corassani
was expected to face Steven Siler at the live finale on Dec.
3 before suffering an injury. The 29-year-old’s last in-cage
appearance came one year ago, when he was knocked out in the
second round by Paul Reed.
Known
for his technical and accurate standup attack, Young is still
searching for his first UFC victory. After debuting with a hard-fought
decision loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 131, “Shotgun”
was again outpointed five months later, this time by Michihiro
Omigawa at November’s UFC 138. The Brit owns half of his
career wins by decision and has never been knocked out.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Jake
Ellenberger survives against Diego Sanchez at UFC on Fuel TV
1; was it enough to earn a title shot?
Just
when Jake Ellenberger could see himself signing a contract to
fight for the UFC interim welterweight title, along came a relentless
Diego Sanchez in the final minutes of what was previously a one-sided
fight.
Ellenberger
survived an absolute onslaught down the stretch to gain a unanimous
decision victory, 29-28 on all three cards, in the main event
of the UFC's first main card on Fuel TV.
Georges
St-Pierre's status for the remainder for the rest of 2012 is
very up in the air. The promotion looks like it wants interim
champ Carlos Condit to fight at least one more time before he
could possibly get GSP. Ellenberger (27-5, 6-1 UFC) is in the
mix, but one has to wonder if he did enough against a guy who
many feel is on the downside of his career.
At
minus-350, Ellenberger entered the fight as a sizable favorite,
but Sanchez wouldn't give in.
The
Nebraska native was schooling Sanchez on the feet. The former
"Ultimate Fighter 1" champ looked tired by the middle
of the second round and was whiffing on most of his shots. All
that while eating jabs and counterpunches. A hard punch in the
first appeared to have broken Sanchez's nose, but he kept coming.
"Diego's
known for that. He's the toughest guy I've ever fought. No matter
what, he's in there every minute of the fight. It's a great test
for me. It's an honor to fight him," Ellenberger told UFC
announcer Jon Anik.
By
the middle of the third round, Ellenberger had outstruck Sanchez
85-32. He was cruising but then mysteriously hit the wall and
stopped using his right hand.
Sanchez
tries to finish Ellenberger in the final minute (Getty)With just
over two minutes left, Sanchez caught Ellenberger with a left
body kick that forced the hunter to become the hunted. Sanchez
landed a straight left that jarred Ellenberger. That's when the
underdog decided it was go time.
He
landed a left to the body which convinced Ellenberger to go for
a takedown. He got it with 1:30 left, but Sanchez refused to
stay down and got right back up where he scrambled to work hip
control. Ellenberger was exhausted so Sanchez jumped on his back
and got a hook in. He tried to get a choke on two occasions in
between getting off 29 shots. There were still 34 seconds left
and Sanchez actually flattened out Ellenberger for a few seconds.
Sanchez again tried to get his arm in there for a choke, but
Ellenberger had just enough presence of mind to keep his chin
tucked.
"That's
a tough position. I was tired, but I'm just trying to fight through.
I've been there a million times. You just gotta stay in it mentally,"
said Ellenberger.
Sanchez,
30, explained after the fight that he battled an ankle injury
three weeks before the event but didn't want to pull out of this
televised fight.
"Jake's
incredibly tough. I was hitting him with some hard shots. I thought
he was going to go out. I thought he was going to give me the
back. I was just trying to get the stoppage. but it didn't go
my way this time," said Sanchez.
Sanchez
(23-5, 12-5 UFC) finished the fight with a huge lump on his nose
and deep vertical cut on his eyebrow. He absorbed three huge
elbows in the second round that could've finished a lot of fighters
in the welterweight division, but that's not what Sanchez does.
Stefan
Struve got off to a slow start, but once he heated up Dave Herman
was in big trouble.
The
tallest fighter in the UFC began putting his strikes together
in the second round. A left hook, inside kick-uppercut combination
dropped Herman to his back where Struve mounted him and got off
52 unanswered shots before referee Josh Rosenthal stopped things
at the 3:52 mark of the second to give the 23-year-old Struve
his seventh victory in the UFC.
Herman
(21-3, 1-1 UFC) is either crazy or fearless. Those aren't always
good qualities when you reached the highest levels of fighting.
He's super athletic at 6-foot-4, 235, but Herman simply made
it too easy for the 6-foot-11 to reach him on the feet.
Herman
won the first round with a varied striking game and good head
movement. But he got too comfortable at the end of the round.
His corner told him to standing right in front of Struve (23-5,
7-3 UFC), but he didn't he listen and continued to do so in the
second.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Dana
White Says All Main Events Will Be Five Rounds From Now On
“We
blew it.”
It
was as simple as that according to UFC president Dana White,
who said after an exciting three-round war between Jake Ellenberger
and Diego Sanchez, that it should have been a five-round fight.
The
UFC changed the policy on non-title main events in 2011 so all
of them would be five rounds.
That
was until the new deal with Fox was struck and the main events
for the shows on FX and Fuel would fall under the old rules of
a three-round main event.
The
first UFC on FX main event between Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard
was also scheduled as a three-round fight, but it didn’t
make it out of the first.
What
resulted on Wednesday night between Jake Ellenberger and Diego
Sanchez was a back-and-forth battle that could have absolutely
gone on longer than the 15 minutes allotted. After Ellenberger
took the first two rounds, Sanchez came storming back in the
third, taking his opponent’s back and firing away with big
shots trying to get the finish. The fight ended before Sanchez
could put Ellenberger away, but there’s no denying the swing
in momentum.
Unfortunately
the end of the third round was also the end of the fight.
White
now says after learning from this mistake that all future main
events will be five rounds, regardless of being on FX, Fuel,
Fox, or pay-per-view.
The
next scheduled show on FX is on March 3 with the main event pitting
Thiago Alves against Martin Kampmann, but with bout agreements
already in place and the fight being only two weeks away, it
will remain a three-round fight.
White
also stated that the upcoming UFC on Fuel TV 2 main event between
Alexander Gustafsson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira would remain
a three-round fight, again because bout agreements have already
been issued and signed for that fight.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Diego
Sanchez Overcame Obstacles; Continues to Seek ‘Super Big
Fights’
UFC
welterweight Diego Sanchez may have lost the battle on Wednesday
night at UFC on Fuel TV 1 in Omaha, Neb., but he hasn’t
lost the war. Head held high, he was rather upbeat following
his latest fight.
Even
though Jake Ellenberger took the unanimous nod from the judges
– and Sanchez doesn’t begrudge him that – the
New Mexican felt he performed well, despite having to overcome
a severely sprained ankle just three weeks ago.
“It
was a great challenge and a great effort. I had a lot of obstacles
to overcome, coming into this fight,” Sanchez stated on
the UFC on Fuel TV post-fight show.
“I
pulled out of the Matt Hughes fight for my broken hand. I got
a family to take care of. I refused… I wasn’t pulling
out of the fight. I did what I could do. I came into the fight
and went to battle.”
Following
the event, UFC president Dana White declared that all main event
fights – not counting previously contracted three-rounders
– whether or not they are for a title, would be five rounds.
Sanchez
only wishes that White had made such a declaration before this
fight, which was a three-round, non-title affair.
“I
wish the fight would have been five rounds. I think I had some
momentum if there would have been going into the fourth. I went
for the stoppage; I should have went for the choke.”
Sanchez,
who trains under coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn in
Albuquerque, N.M., said that the ankle was no excuse for the
losing the fight. It didn’t really bother him during the
bout, but it severely limited his ability to train the way he’s
accustomed to.
He
couldn’t do much of the cardio training he likes to do leading
up to a fight. He couldn’t run, sprint, or jump rope as
he normally does.
“I
just had to basically work around the injury and do what I could
do to prepare,” he said. “I came in with the best possible
Sanchez that I could be and I came close to getting it there
in the end.”
As
for what is next, Sanchez didn’t have a specific answer,
although most fighters don’t typically no what’s next
immediately following a fight anyway, unless of course they have
just won a No. 1 contender’s bout.
Sanchez
has moved from 185 pounds down to 170 pounds down to 155 pounds
and then back up to 170 pounds in his career. So it’s not
unrealistic to ask if he would consider dropping back to lightweight.
He
didn’t rule it out, but Sanchez’s plans aren’t
tied so much to a weight class as they once were when he was
hunting belts.
“I’m
gonna take the fights that propel me to the biggest stage, get
these main events, super big fights,” he responded. “155
is never out of the question.
“I’m
gonna talk to my coaches, talk to my manager, and talk to Joe
Silva, Dana White, and see what fight we can put together. But
more than likely, I’ll probably be staying at welterweight.”
Sanchez
and Ellenberger’s efforts earned them the Fight of the Night
honors at the UFC’s inaugural live event on Fuel TV. So
as long as he keeps putting performances like that together,
it’s unlikely that fans will care what weight class he fights
in.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Aaron
Simpson Considering Move to Welterweight
Aaron
Simpson suffered his third career loss at UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez
vs. Ellenberger on Wednesday. The split decision loss to the
much bigger Ronny Markes has the “A-Train” contemplating
a move to the welterweight division.
Simpson
had Markes in trouble in the first round after landing an uppercut
that sent Markes off balance and backpedaling. It looked as if
he was on the verge of finishing, but Markes was able to recover
and win the next two rounds on two of the judges’ scorecards.
“I
thought I could have finished him in that first round, but he’s
tough,” said Simpson during the post-show on Fuel TV. “I
had him out there for a little bit I think. You can’t count
on the ref jumping in, you’ve got to take him out all the
way and I didn’t do that.”
The
size and strength difference was noticeable throughout the fight.
Simpson, who doesn’t cut much weight to make the middleweight
limit of 185 pounds, is considering dropping a weight class to
not give up that amount of size to an opponent again.
“He’s
a big dude. I probably weighed 192, 191 in that fight and he
probably weighed 215 or 220, he’s big,” said Simpson.
“I just don’t cut for this weight class. I look at
a guy like Frankie Edgar, thinking I can do the same thing, but
I’m dealing with a lot of size.
“Maybe
it means a move down to 170, I don’t know. Right now it
hurts to lose.”
It
may have been the disappointment talking, but Simpson’s
either going to have to add some mass to better compete against
the bigger end of the 185-pound division or cut down to 170,
where he’ll be an average sized welterweight.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Diego
Sanchez Contemplates Lightweight Return
Well
at least a defined weight class that is. The former ‘Ultimate
Fighter’ winner is currently debating a possible move back
down to lightweight after his latest fight at 170lbs against
Jake Ellenberger.
The
problem that Sanchez runs into is the same one that haunts former
UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin. He’s not quite
big enough for one weight class and it’s a rough cut to
get down to the next lower weight class.
“There’s
always a chance of me going back to 155. I have one loss at that
weight class,” Sanchez said after his loss to Ellenberger
on Wednesday night. “I’m wish-washy whether I’m
going to stay at 70 or 55 because it’s real hard for me
to stay at 70. I have to be able to lift weights a lot, like
I really have to be able to lift weights a lot.
“I’m
stuck in between both of the weight classes. It has its ups and
downs. At 70 and 55, I have to cut more weight at 55, at 70 I
have to lift more weights.”
Sanchez
made his initial move down to 155lbs in 2009 and stayed there
for a total of three fights. The New Mexico native picked up
wins over Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida, before losing in his
bid to capture the UFC lightweight title in a fight against then
champion B.J. Penn.
Following
the loss to Penn, Sanchez opted to go back up to welterweight
where he has spent the majority of his fighting career.
He’s
gone 2-2 since moving back to 170lbs, but he’s not closing
the door on a return to 155lbs if things work out the right way.
In
his ideal world, Sanchez says he wishes there were just more
weight classes for fighters like himself who are basically in
between divisions.
“I
wish it was a 155, 165 and 175 honestly,” Sanchez stated.
As
far as UFC President Dana White is concerned, he doesn’t
care what weight class Sanchez competes at. He’s just a
fan of the former ‘Ultimate Fighter’ season 1 champion
no matter what division he chooses to compete in.
“The
kid’s a stud. He brings it every time. Tell me the last
Diego Sanchez fight that sucked. If the kid wants to fight at
55, 45, 25; he can fight wherever he wants to,” White said.
“He’s professional. He shows up on weight. Always does
the right thing. I love Diego Sanchez.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Jay
Silva Chokes Out Kendall Grove; John Gunderson Taps Justin Buchholz
at SCC 4
LAS
VEGAS -- “Jiu-jitsu, baby!” screamed an exuberant Jay
Silva immediately following his shocking submission win over
the always-dangerous Kendall Grove in the main event of Superior
Cage Combat 4 at the Orleans Arena on Thursday night.
The
win came 1:52 into the second round, and it marked the first
time anybody has submitted Grove in his entire career. After
hurting the lanky Hawaiian with a flurry of punches, Silva locked
on a perfect arm triangle from the side and put Grove to sleep.
Silva
didn’t just walk right through his much taller opponent;
he had some difficulty in dealing with Grove’s long reach
and quick hands. Grove landed several thudding kicks to Silva’s
leg and his jab and hooks were causing his opponent some grief.
Still, the Huntington Beach, Calif.-based fighter was resilient
and wanted to stand and bang with Grove whenever he could.
He
got his wish in the second, and it paid dividends as an errant
right hand landed on Grove’s temple, buckling his legs.
“Da Spyder” tried to regroup and hide the fact that
he was hurt, but his rubbery legs betrayed him and he eventually
crumbled to the canvas. Silva (8-5) pounced and doled out a vicious
attack, but Grove (14-10) was able to survive and pull guard.
However, Silva scrambled out and latched on the choke, ending
the fight when Grove was rendered unconscious.
Gunderson
stopped Buchholz.
In the co-main event, John Gunderson battled through adversity
and snatched the vacant Superior Cage Combat lightweight crown
away from Justin Buchholz with an impressive submission win.
Both UFC veterans, Gunderson and Buchholz electrified the crowd
with an entertaining battle. Buchholz seized control of the bout
early with takedowns and submission attempts, but the crafty
Team Tompkins fighter was able to escape them all.
Buchholz
appeared to be winning the duel both standing and on the ground,
but Gunderson never lost his focus and continued to plug away
at the slippery and speedy Team Alpha Male fighter. In the third
round, Buchholz scored another takedown and began raining strikes
down on Gunderson, who had to turtle up defensively.
Needing
to regroup or possibly be stopped, Gunderson scrambled out. When
Buchholz tried to continue the moderate onslaught, Gunderson
trapped his arm and locked in a deep kimura. Buchholz (12-7)
rolled out of the dangerous position, but his efforts to scramble
out were thwarted by Gunderson’s glue-like grip.
Gunderson
simply rolled with his opponent and secured the lock, forcing
Buchholz to tap. The official time of the submission came at
2:35 of the third, making Gunderson the first ever champion at
155 pounds for the SCC promotion.
“I
just want to cry,” an elated and emotional Gunderson (33-12-2)
said afterward. “I’ve had so many fights, man. This
is unbelievable. Buchholz is a badass fighter who comes from
a badass team.
“I
was going to break it, I didn’t care,” he added, fighting
back his tears. “I wanted this win so bad. I didn’t
care if I broke it. This is for Shawn (Tompkins).”
Yager
outlasted Davis Jr.
“TUF” Season 11 veteran Jamie Yager outlasted Danny
Davis Jr. in a spirited welterweight match and won a close, but
well-deserved unanimous decision. Each man give as good as he
got, but Yager’s stinging leg kicks and forceful takedowns
were the deciding factor in having his hand raised at the fight’s
conclusion.
Official
scores were 30-27 on all three of the judges’ scorecards
in favor of the outspoken Pasadena, Calif., resident, now 6-2.
Yager fought at welterweight for the first time after having
competed at 185. Davis, from Drysdale BJJ in Las Vegas, fell
to 6-6-1.
Paulo
Goncalves Silva won a workmanlike three-round unanimous decision
over California’s Dominique Robinson (17-5-2). The lightweight
battle was uneventful, but the Brazilian was just a pinch better
in all areas. All three judges scored the contest 29-28, allowing
“Bananada” to improve to 17-7.
Highly-touted
featherweight prospect Brandon Bender had to pull out every trick
in his bag to dispatch of the tough Marlin Weikel (9-3). After
several failed guillotine chokes and various other submission
attempts left him nearly depleted of energy, Bender appeared
to be trailing on the cards when he suckered the Medford, Ore.,
fighter into a triangle late in the third and forced the tap.
Bender,
from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., improved to 9-0 with the win,
which came at 2:29 of the final round.
Harris
blasted Hamilton.
Heavyweight Walter Harris (4-1) handed Jackson’s MMA’s
Anthony Hamilton his first professional loss via first-round
TKO. A right hand staggered the taller Hamilton (6-1) and Harris,
from Homewood, Ala., followed it up with a series of punches
until the Albuquerque fighter collapsed in a heap. Referee Steve
Mazzagatti had to jump in and stop the assault at the 1:17 mark.
Xtreme
Couture featherweight prospect Jimmy Jones (4-1) opened the night
with a hard-fought third-round submission victory over Brazilian
Joao Victor (2-1). In a fight that was as evenly contested as
they come, Jones was able to lock on a rear-naked choke and force
the tapout at 3:29 of the stanza.
The
anticipated middleweight showdown between former UFC fighters
Jesse Taylor and Terry Martin was scratched because Martin was
not cleared medically by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Taylor
was still given both his show and win money.
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 1 Results: Struve Finishes Herman
Stefan
StruveStefan Struve snapped Dave Herman’s three-fight win
streak on Wednesday, winning by technical knockout, but it wasn’t
looking great in the opening round.
Herman
was the aggressor in the first round landing leg kicks early.
Herman backed Struve up despite the seven-inch reach advantage
for Struve.
Struve
picked up the pace in the second frame, securing an early takedown.
He briefly took Herman’s back before Herman escaped and
got back to his feet. Struve began to mix in combinations and
had Herman on his heels.
Struve
landed an uppercut that knocked Herman down. He quickly mounted
Herman and unleashed punches in bunches. Herman was unable to
intelligently defend himself and referee Josh Rosenthal was forced
to intervene.
“The
first round wasn’t fireworks like you guys are used to,”
said Struve following the bout.
He
cited fatigue for the first round performance due to only sleeping
four to five hours a night all week. “My energy was a little
low,” he said.
“I
think I put him on his butt with that,” stated Struve about
the uppercut that knocked Herman down. “I’ve been working
hard on my balance and everything and the ground and pound. He
was trying to escape but he took too many.”
The
win over Herman marks two wins in a row for the 23-year old Dutchman.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 1 Results: A Grand Homecoming for Jake Ellenberger
The
Omaha, Neb. native headed up the UFC on Fuel 1 card on Wednesday
night and pulled out a unanimous decision victory over Diego
Sanchez.
But
he didn’t get there without a true fight on his hands.
Ellenberger,
who has worked extensively over the past couple of years at Mark
Munoz’s Reign Training Center as well as training under
legendary coach Rafael Cordeiro, showed off once again his powerful
striking game and fearless demeanor in the cage.
It’s
a rare moment that anyone puts Diego Sanchez on his heels, but
Ellenberger crashed forward with big punches in each of the first
two rounds. The power in his punches backed Sanchez off, and
Ellenberger’s confidence grew with each minute that ticked
away on the clock.
Sanchez
walked to the corner at the end of the first five minutes with
a cut on the bridge of his nose that may have actually indicated
he had broken it during some of his fiery exchanges with Ellenberger.
Towards
the end of round 2, Ellenberger wrapped up a quick double leg
takedown and began blasting away with powerful punches and elbows.
Like a powder keg exploding, Ellenberger just unloaded with strikes
knowing that the round was almost over, and with the final horn
sounding, he had to know he was up 2-0 on the scorecards.
But
just because Diego Sanchez is down two rounds to none does not
mean he’s out of the fight.
The
former ‘Ultimate Fighter’ winner pressed forward during
the final five minutes, and with the time ticking away, Sanchez
got Ellenberger to the ground and look to take his back.
Sanchez
dropped hammers on Ellenberger, trying to put him away, but the
crafty veteran moved, wiggled and squeezed through the bad positions
to keep from being finished. It was no easy task to get through
the full 15 minutes with Diego Sanchez, but when the bout was
over Jake Ellenberger had done enough to get the win.
“That
was a tough position, I was tired, I had to fight through. You’ve
just got to stay in there mentally,” Ellenberger described
after the fight.
“Diego’s
known for that, he’s the toughest guy I ever fought, but
he’s a true warrior. No matter what he’s in there every
minute of the fight. It’s an honor to fight him, it really
is.”
The
win could position Ellenberger for a rematch with new UFC interim
welterweight champion Carlos Condit, who also happens to be the
only fighter who has a win over him in the Octagon. Condit defeated
Ellenberger by split decision in his UFC debut in 2009.
While
nothing has been determined whether Condit will defend the title
against someone like Ellenberger or wait for Georges St-Pierre
to return later this year, the main event winner on Wednesday
was just happy to perform in front of his hometown crowd.
“Omaha
I love you guys,” Ellenberger said.
For
his part, Diego Sanchez was as excited as ever after a three
round war with Ellenberger. He promised to deliver an exciting
fight, and he came through like FedEx with a ‘Fight of the
Year’ performance.
“All I’ve got to say was that enough of a dogfight
for you?” Sanchez asked of the Omaha crowd. “Jake got
two rounds, I thought main events were going to be five? I’m
ready for some more.”
Sanchez
did reveal that he severely sprained his ankle just three weeks
out from the fight, but after breaking his hand prior to his
scheduled bout with Matt Hughes at UFC 135 last September, he
wasn’t about to miss another fight in the Octagon.
“I
couldn’t pull out of another fight,” Sanchez said.
“I did everything I could.”
Ellenberger
will now wait to see what the UFC wants to do with him next.
He could very well face Carlos Condit later this year with the
UFC interim welterweight title on the line, or possibly get the
winner in the upcoming UFC on FX bout between Thiago Alves and
Martin Kampmann.
Either
way, Jake Ellenberger has proven he belongs among the best of
the best at 170lbs in the UFC.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Jake
Ellenberger: ‘I’d Love To Get a Rematch with Carlos
Condit’
If Jake Ellenberger got his wish, his next fight would be a rematch
with Carlos Condit for the UFC interim welterweight title.
Fresh
off his win in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV 1 on Wednesday
night over Condit’s teammate Diego Sanchez, Ellenberger
said in an ideal world his next fight would be against the new
champion.
Obviously
nothing has been determined yet, but Ellenberger would love the
shot if the UFC gave it to him.
“Obviously,
I’d love to get a rematch with Condit,” said Ellenberger
following the fights on Fuel TV. “That’s my goal right
now obviously to win the world title, but I’ve got some
things to work on right now, so we’ll see where it goes
from here.”
Ellenberger
and Condit met in 2009 at UFC Fight Night 19. The end result
was Carlos Condit pulling out a split decision victory in a hard
fought battle with the UFC newcomer.
Now
almost 3 years later, Ellenberger says he’s learned a lot
and knows how he’d fight Condit differently.
“Just
control the range, the distance, my Muay Thai coach Master Rafael
Cordeiro, he’s an amazing coach, worked a lot on foot speed
and always being offensive, controlling the distance and range.
I keep learning each fight,” Ellenberger stated.
Currently,
all signs are pointing towards Condit sitting and waiting for
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who returns later
this year after reconstructive knee surgery.
Ellenberger
will happily accept a rematch with Condit if it’s offered
however.
“If
it was up to me, it would be Carlos,” Ellenberger said.
Now
it’s up to the UFC to decide if Ellenberger gets the first
crack at Condit’s newly minted title, or if he’ll have
to fight another opponent most likely this summer.
Only
time will tell.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Jorge
Santiago: “2011 was a nightmare”
Jorge
Santiago could not do as good as he expected on his second time
in the UFC, being fired after two losses and sees the beginning
of this new year as a fresh start on his career.
“I’m
strong, my head’s good. 2011 was a nightmare for me…
I couldn’t have a good performance, I had many issues because
I changes gyms, personal things… I’m not undermining
the guys who beat me up, but I know I’m capable of defeating
them all”, regrets the middleweight fighter while talking
to TATAME.
Weeks
after being cut off the UFC, Santiago signed a contract with
Titan FC, and his debut is scheduled for March 2, on the main
event against another Brazilian, Leonardo Pecanha. “I really
want to kick this year off with a nice win against Pecanha, who
is a really tough guys. I’m really excited about it”,
warns.
Former
Sengoku champion, Santiago makes it clear his goal is to return
to the UFC, and knows it only depends on himself.
“I’ve
talked to Joe Silva (UFC matchmaker) and he told me to fight
twice and get good wins, showing I’m good to go, and then
I can talk to them again”, reveals. “UFC is like that:
you are not scoring, you have to get in the line again. To assure
your sport in there you must win… My priority is do good
fights and win. There’s no other way, if you wanna get good
wins and people to know you, you gotta be in the UFC”.
Source:
Tatame
|
Keith
Kizer Says Herb Dean's Reasoning Was Sound on UFC 143 Point Deductions
Feb
17, 2012 - Referee Herb Dean was widely criticized after UFC
143 for two decisions he made in two separate fights: His decision
to deduct two points from Alex "Bruce Leroy" Caceres
after his second low blow of one fight, and his decision not
to deduct any points from Josh Koscheck for an eye poke after
being warned.
But
the man who oversees Dean and the other referees in Nevada has
no problem with Dean's calls.
Nevada
State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer told
MMAFighting.com that he asked Dean why he took two points --
rather than one point -- away from Caceres for kicking Edwin
Figueroa in the groin, and Kizer was satisfied that Dean had
made a well-reasoned decision under the rules of MMA.
"That's
something I asked him about afterward," Kizer said. "We
went through that at the post-fight meeting for UFC 143 and he
explained himself from that point of view. It was a situation
where [Caceres] had done it, [Dean] gave him a hard warning,
the low blow wasn't just an accident -- it was gross negligence,
to use a legal term. Sometimes accidental fouls happen, but he
thought the fighter was being very negligent or very sloppy,
so he gave him a very hard warning and then very soon afterward
he did it again. This was a straight-on kick where the fighter
had a lot of control over it, he kicked him very hard, the guy
was very hurt, you could hear the kick, you could see his reaction
when he landed the kick so you could see he was really hurt.
The kick was one he could very easily control and the fighter
didn't seem to care."
From
Kizer's perspective, the most important thing is that Dean had
a clear rationale for taking two points away, which was that
Caceres's kick appeared to be either intentional or at the very
least in complete disregard of the prior warning, and that Figueroa
was hurt by it.
"What
I liked from that was Herb's thinking process makes sense,"
Kizer said. "It caused injury -- I didn't know if it was
intentional but it was as near as it could be without being intentional
-- either willful disregard or reckless disregard of the rules
and the warning."
Kizer
said he routinely talks to referees after fights to find out
what their rationale was for decisions they made in the cage,
and the most important thing to Kizer is that the referees show
they had a logical thought process, based on the rules of the
sport, for what they did.
"It's
the same with a referee when I ask, 'Why'd you stop a fight or
why didn't you stop a fight?' I want them to be able to explain
themselves in a way that makes sense," Kizer said. "If
Herb had only taken one point away I wouldn't have had a problem
with that, either. If he hadn't even taken one point that's a
situation where I would have said, 'Why didn't you take a point
away?' The wrong answer would have been to ignore it, but the
right answer could have been either one point or two points.
Herb asked, How much damage was done? A lot. Was this something
he could have controlled? Yes, it was a straight on kick. Had
I given him a warning? Yes, and he didn't seem to care."
Kizer
acknowledged that deducting two points in a three-round fight
is an incredibly costly penalty, especially to Caceres in that
fight: Caceres lost by split decision, with the two judges who
ruled against him scoring it 28-27. If Dean had only deducted
one point the fight would have been a draw, and if Dean hadn't
deducted any points Caceres would have won by unanimous decision.
But Kizer stressed that while it is rare, the rules allow for
a two-point deduction.
"If
you want to take two points away you can as a ref, you have that
discretion. It's very rarely used -- I think it was only Herb's
second time ever," Kizer said.
As
for not taking a point away from Koscheck, Kizer said that didn't
strike him as a bad call.
"I
didn't ask him about that," Kizer said. "That wasn't
something where I thought to myself, 'What's Herb doing?' Never
in that round did I think Herb should take a point away."
Seeing
Dean deduct two points in one fight for a foul following a warning,
and then not deduct any points in another fight for a foul following
a warning seemed inconsistent, but Kizer said each fight needs
to be refereed independently, and refs aren't in the business
of basing a point deduction in one fight on a decision they made
in a previous fight.
"I
don't think that if a ref takes a point away in one fight he
has to do it in another," Kizer said. "That's not the
case."
So
while some fans didn't like Dean's work in either fight, the
man who functions as Dean's boss when he's working in Nevada
thinks Dean was right on.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
$50,000
Fighter Bonuses at UFC on Fuel TV 1
Diego
Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger UFC on Fuel TV 1The Ultimate Fighting
Championship returned to the Omaha Civic Center in Omaha, Neb.,
on Wednesday night for UFC on Fuel TV 1: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger.
There
were several solid performances to choose from when UFC officials
awarded $50,000 “of the Night” post-fight bonuses,
but there were four fighters that got the nod, going home a little
happier and little heavier in the wallet.
Ivan
Menjivar and John Albert put on an early contender for Fight
of the Night, but the UFC on Fuel TV 1 main eventers went home
with the honors.
Jake
Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez went toe-to-toe over the course
of their three-round fight, Ellenberger edging ahead early. But
just as it appeared Ellenberger might just run away with the
fight, Sanchez hit the gas pedal in the waning moments.
He
turned up the heat on Ellenberger in the final minutes, grounding
and pounding him into the mat. Somehow though, Ellenberger, teetering
on the edge of being finished, turned the tide again in the final
seconds of the fight, which ended in a flurry of fists before
a throng of excited fans.
Both
fighters go home with bonuses, but Ellenberger also got the unanimous
nod from the judges.
There
were several contenders for Knockout of the Night, including
impressive finishes by Stefan Struve and Jonathan Brookins, but
neither could usurp Stipe Miocic for the honors.
While
Phil De Fries came out swinging wild, looking for the knockout
on Miocic, the Ohioan of Croatian descent had the answer. He
went straight up the pike, quickly putting De Fries on the mat
and finishing with a flurry in just 43 seconds.
While
there were several options for Fight of the Night and Knockout
of the Night, there was only one option for Submission of the
Night. Although John Albert went after several submissions of
his own in the three minutes and 45 seconds that his fight lasted,
it was opponent Ivan Menjivar that was successful.
Menjivar
survived Albert’s early onslaught – including an Omo
Plata, arm bar, and heel hook attempts – to eventually take
Albert’s back and finish him with a rear naked choke. Menjivar
takes home the victory and an additional $50,000.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Viewpoint:
It Takes Five to Tango
The
good news is that UFC President Dana White has already acknowledged
the mistake.
“We
blew it tonight. It should have been a five-round fight,”
White said at the outset of the UFC on Fuel TV 1 post-fight press
conference on Wednesday.
The
bad news is that while three rounds of Diego Sanchez-Jake Ellenberger
deservedly received “Fight of the Night” honors, five
rounds of Sanchez-Ellenberger would have had “Fight of the
Year” potential.
For
10 minutes, Ellenberger controlled the pace of the welterweight
bout, countering effectively when Sanchez moved forward. Perhaps
wary of Ellenberger’s power, as well as his own 4-for-31
success rate on takedowns in his previous three fights, the Jackson’s
Mixed Martial Arts product remained content to keep the action
on the feet.
To
his credit, Sanchez survived several powerful shots during that
time, including a counter right hand that dropped him in the
opening stanza. By round three, “The Juggernaut” appeared
to fatigue, and Sanchez capitalized by raining down punches from
back mount before Ellenberger finally escaped from the precarious
position with seconds remaining in the fight.
Ellenberger
demonstrated that he is a strong welterweight with heavy hands,
good knees and a solid wrestling base. Sanchez displayed the
same indomitable will and iron chin that has allowed him to hang
tough in so many difficult fights over the years. In short, after
three rounds, both Ellenberger and Sanchez are who we thought
they were. Two championship frames would have allowed the world
to see something more, perhaps something special and career-defining.
“The
fight was changing,” Sanchez’s striking coach, Mike
Winkeljohn, told Sherdog.com on Thursday. “Four rounds was
all we would have needed -- one more [round].I think Diego would
have finished him. I think Jake was getting gassed, and Diego
has tremendous cardio.”
Perhaps,
but an alternate scenario that has Ellenberger weathering the
storm of “The Dream” for two more frames would have
been the type of trial-by-fire from which No. 1 contenders are
forged. As it was, the Nebraskan did what he was supposed to
do within the parameters of a three-round fight. Sanchez, even
with the emotion of that final flurry still fresh in his mind,
had to agree.
“The
decision was correct,” the Albuquerque, N.M., native said.
“He won two rounds; I won the other round. That’s a
real good reason why main event fights like that, when you get
two guys with so much heart that are willing to put it all on
the line, need to be five-round fights ... I felt that I was
finally getting my momentum, and, going into the fourth round,
I think that I would have had the advantage.”
If
White had not taken action so swiftly, this would still be the
topic du jour. Instead, with the exception of the upcoming Thiago
Alves-Martin Kampmann and Alexander Gustafsson-Antonio Rogerio
Nogueira tilts, all future main events on Fuel TV and FX are
expected to be 25-minute affairs.
Instead,
it is the future of the tumultuous welterweight division that
remains in question. The final moments of Wednesday’s headliner
created enough of a “What if?” groundswell that it
is difficult to crown Ellenberger as a clear-cut No. 1 contender,
especially since it appears that interim champion Carlos Condit
might be willing to wait until Georges St. Pierre returns to
full health. Even if Condit decides to take a fight this summer,
Ellenberger is not the only worthy opponent. In fact, if Johny
Hendricks were to beat Josh Koscheck on May 5, the 28-year-old
Oklahoman would have an equal -- if not stronger -- claim to
the top contender’s spot.
Ellenberger
currently owns a six-fight unbeaten streak with signature wins
over Jake Shields and Sanchez. If Hendricks takes care of business
in a few months -- by no means a given -- then he will have won
eight of nine in the UFC, with notable victories against Fitch
and Koscheck, a pair of Top 10 welterweights.
It
is easy to point to Ellenberger’s UFC debut, where he lost
a contentious split decision to Condit, and anoint him as the
top challenger for the interim belt. That logic is flawed, however,
since both men have evolved considerably over the past two-plus
years. At the moment, Condit’s diverse striking and top-notch
conditioning would give him a slight edge over Ellenberger in
a five-round contest.
This
is a moot point since White and even Ellenberger seem to think
that the “Natural Born Killer” will not be stepping
into the Octagon anytime soon.
“If
I were him, I would wait for GSP,” Ellenberger said on Wednesday.
“That’s just my honest opinion. It’s up to him
if he wants to fight again, so we’ll see where it goes.”
Either
way, Ellenberger has time to see what Hendricks, his up-and-coming
welterweight counterpart, does in his UFC on Fox 3 showcase.
A win by the former Oklahoma State University wrestler would
further muddle the welterweight picture.
While
it is unclear exactly what lies ahead for Ellenberger, one thing
is certain: his next test should come in a five-round fight.
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
on Fuel 1 Nets 217,000 Viewers; Spike TV Counters with 678,000
UFC on Fuel TV 1 earned an average of 217,000 viewers for its
three-hour Wednesday night broadcast on the Fox-owned cable station.
Sherdog.com
confirmed the viewership figure Friday morning with an industry
source, who also revealed that Spike TV earned 694,000 and 661,000
average viewers during repeat broadcasts of “The Ultimate
Fighter” Season 13 finale and “UFC Unleashed,”
resulting in an overall average of approximately 678,000 observers.
Headlined
by an exciting three-round welterweight clash between Jake Ellenberger
and Diego Sanchez, UFC on Fuel 1 took place at the Omaha Civic
Auditorium in Omaha, Neb. “The Juggernaut” emerged
victorious in the main event, holding off a late charge from
Sanchez to earn a unanimous decision.
Broadcast
during a free preview weekend for Fuel TV, the event also saw
heavyweight Stefan Struve overcome a slow start to knock out
Dave Herman in the second round of their co-headlining attraction.
Additionally, prospect Stipe Miocic and veteran Ivan Menjivar
both earned bonus-worthy finishes at the event, stopping Philip
De Fries and John Albert, respectively.
“TUF
14” finalist T.J. Dillashaw also impressed at the Feb. 15
event, pounding on a game but overmatched Walel Watson en route
to a unanimous nod. Rounding out the main draw was a hard-fought
middleweight contest that saw Ronny Markes edge Aaron Simpson
in a split decision.
Fuel
TV’s 217,000 average viewers marks a new high for a live
fight broadcast on the channel. Currently available in roughly
36 million homes, Fuel TV previously attracted 148,000 and 144,000
viewers during preliminary card broadcasts for UFC on FX 1 and
UFC on Fox 2, respectively.
Longtime
broadcast partners with Spike TV, the UFC parted ways with the
cable station last year in favor of signing a seven-year broadcast
deal with Fox Networks. Spike TV is expected to become the eventual
home of Bellator Fighting Championships, which is currently broadcast
on fellow Viacom properties MTV2 and Epix. Spike TV is available
in approximately 100 million homes nationwide.
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 1 Results: Miocic Delivers a Knockout, Remains Undefeated
Heavyweights
Philip De Fries and Stipe Miocic entered the UFC Octagon at UFC
on Fuel TV 1: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger undefeated, Miocic left
with his unbeaten record intact.
It
was the second fight in the UFC for both fighters, each coming
off decision wins in their debuts. On paper it looked like the
classic stylistic match up of striker against grappler. Seven
of De Fries eight wins had been by submission while Miocic had
finished five of his previous seven bouts by knockout.
De
Fries didn’t look like a grappler in the early going, landing
two hard right hands that had Miocic seemingly hurt. Miocic returned
fire, landing a right hand of his own. De Fries retreated but
Miocic went in pursuit, landing another right hand. De Fries
wilted to the canvas and Miocic followed with strikes forcing
the referee to stop the fight.
“I’ve
got to keep my hands up,” said Miocic about getting hit
by De Fries.
“I
hit him. I saw him wobble a little bit. I said, okay, and went
for it and kept going, “ he said about the knockout win.
It
was Miocic’s first finish in the UFC.
When
asked who he wants to fight next, Miocic responded, “I don’t
know. I’m ready to go back and get better and wait for the
call.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 1 Results: Ronny Markes Eeks Out a Split Decision
Over Aaron Simpson
It
was a close fight and the judges saw it the same, but debuting
middleweight Ronny Markes did enough to pull out a split decision
win over Aaron Simpson.
The
Brazilian member of Team Nova Uniao showed off some confidence
in his strikes early on, popping Simpson with a couple of good
combinations.
Staying
on his feel almost cost him however when Simpson leapt forward
with a sledgehammer uppercut that sent Markes crashing to the
mat.
The
former Arizona State wrestler followed up with quick punches
and hammer fists trying bring the fight to a close, but Markes’
defense was enough to stay out of trouble and recover.
The
second round saw Markes bounce back with good work from inside
the clinch, and even manage a takedown against the former All-American
wrestler.
The
pace slowed at moments as the fight wore on, especially in the
third round where Markes looked for the clinch against the cage
while Simpson defended. The end of the fight may have truly came
when Markes landed a late takedown on Simpson, and it was probably
just enough to earn him the final round.
Two
judges scored the fight 29-28 for Markes, while the third gave
the bout 29-28 to Aaron Simpson.
A
huge fighter for 185lbs, Markes now moves to 2-0 in the UFC and
he hopes to make his next appearance in June when the promotion
visits his home country of Brazil.
“Joe
Silva give me the opportunity to fight at the UFC in Brazil,”
said Markes in closing.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
on FUEL Ratings: Debut Event Draws Record-Setting 217,000 Viewers
Feb
17, 2012 - The UFC's debut event on FUEL TV, UFC on FUEL, averaged
217,000 viewers over the length of the three-hour broadcast,
setting a new live-event ratings record for the fledgling network.
Wednesday's
numbers mark a 46-percent increase from FUEL TV's previous ratings
record of 148,000 viewers, earned by January's UFC on FX 1 preliminary
card. UFC on Fox 2's live preliminary card averaged 144,000 viewers.
The
massive leap in ratings can likely be attributed to several factors,
but most notable among them is fact that the event took place
during a FUEL TV free-preview week for numerous cable subscribers.
Ratings
peaked as 315,000 viewers tuned in to witness 26-year-old Jake
Ellenberger force his name into title contention with a wild
unanimous decision victory over Diego Sanchez. Beyond the headlining
bout, four vicious stoppages lined the network broadcast, including
Jonathan Brookins knockout win over Vagner Rocha which initially
aired on Facebook.
"We
fully expected the UFC was going to deliver FUEL TV extraordinary
ratings, and now we're seeing it," said network Executive
Vice President and General Manager George Greenberg. "We
are beyond ecstatic about the audience and the impact the UFC
is having on our network's growth thus far. The sky's the limit
on where this network can go from here."
Meanwhile,
Spike TV continued their counter-programming crusade to successful
results, drawing 694,000 viewers for a replay of The Ultimate
Fighter 13 Finale and 661,000 for a Diego Sanchez-themed episode
of UFC Unleashed.
Spike
TV is currently available in roughly 99 million homes around
the United States, while FUEL TV's total rests closer to 35 million.
Though recent trends have seen that number continue to climb
since the Fox-family network switched to a UFC-centric programming
schedule.
"If
you want to compare (FUEL TV) to a platform like Spike three
times our size, I can't help that," Greenberg recently said.
"But I can tell you, If you look at the FOX ratings and
last FX ratings for the fight, and you look at what it's done
to this place percentage-wise, we are absolutely killing it."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
on Fuel 1 Prelim Results: Brookins is a Knockout, Loeffler Scratches
UFC
on FUEL TV 1 posterThe Ultimate Fighting Championship’s
first UFC on Fuel TV event, featuring Diego Sanchez and Jake
Ellenberger in the main event, kicked off with a four-fight preliminary
card, streaming live on Facebook.
The
prelims ended up being one bout short, however, due to a last
minute cancellation, while the three fights that did go on as
planned in Omaha, Neb., delivered with some solid debuts and
a knockout finish.
The
final fight of the UFC on Fuel TV 1 Facebook preliminary bouts
was over almost as quickly as it started.
The
Ultimate Fighter Season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins ate some
shots early from Vagner Rocha, but once he got his mojo on, the
American made quick work of his Brazilian counterpart.
A
little over a minute into the fight, Rocha shot for a takedown,
but Brookins powered a reverse, putting Rocha on his back. Brookins
immediately began bludgeoning Rocha with right hands, putting
him out cold.
“That’s
just the way it goes some times,” said Brookins after the
fight. “It could have been either one of us.”
Not
calling anyone out, Brookins toed the party line, saying he’ll
fight whomever UFC matchmaker Joe Silva puts in front of him.
All he knows is that he’s not going to stand pat, knockout
win or not.
“It’s
back to the drawing board for me, man; I’ve still got a
ton to learn.”
Sean Loeffler Ankle at UFC on Fuel TV 1Buddy Roberts vs. Sean
Loeffler
The
fight between Buddy Roberts and Sean Loeffler was cancelled,
quite literally, at the last minute, when Loeffler suffered an
ankle injury while warming up at the venue. The fight was to
be the Octagon debut for both fighters.
Anton Kuivanen vs. Justin Salas
It
was a close fight, but in the night’s second fight, Justin
Salas, fighting out of the same Grudge Training Center as Shane
Carwin, Brendan Schaub, Nate Marquardt, and several other UFC
veterans, scored the victory.
Making
his UFC debut, Salas said, “It’s like a dream. This
is where I want to be in the UFC.”
It
wasn’t easy, however, as he and Anton Kuivanen went toe-to-toe
the entire fight. But while Kuivanen tried to maintain the center
of the Octagon, looking to outstrike his opponent, Salas used
good movement to stay away from Kuivanen’s power, utilizing
his own, while adding several takedowns to the mix.
In
the end, Salas earned a unanimous nod from the judges.
“He’s
a tough physical guy,” said Salas after the fight, “but
once I get my flow baby, I’ll keep going all day long.”
Tim Means vs. Bernardo Magalhaes
Tim
“Dirty Bird” Means, a product of the same camp that
interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit started with
at FIT NHB, made an impressive UFC debut in Omaha, defeating
Brazilian fighter Bernardo Magalhaes.
Means
took it to Magalhaes the entire fight, using a five-inch height
differential to keep Magalhaes at arms length the entire fight.
Fending off all of the Brazilian’s takedown attempts, Means
peppered him with punch combinations and flurries of knees to
easily earn a unanimous decision.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Y!
Sports rankings: Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans is a top-10 match
to savor
The
bitter personal feud between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon
Jones and his protégé and former training partner,
ex-champion Rashad Evans, likely will dominate the talk prior
to their title fight on April 21 at UFC 145 in Atlanta.
What
will be overlooked is the fact that it might be the only bout
in 2012 between fighters who are each ranked in the Yahoo! Sports
Top 10.
UFC
middleweight champion Anderson Silva tops the pound-for-pound
list yet again, garnering 21 of the 22 first-place votes from
the panel of mixed martial arts journalists. All seven UFC champions
made the list, and all but heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos
appeared on all 22 ballots. The new heavyweight king, who defends
his belt against former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem
on May 26 at UFC 146, appeared on 21 of the 22 ballots
Jones,
who got the only first-place vote that didn’t go to Silva,
came in second place. He’ll defend his crown against Evans,
who moved into the top 10 in a tie for eighth place after a one-sided
decision victory over Phil Davis on Jan. 28 in the main event
of UFC on Fox 2 in Chicago.
There
are two other potential bouts that could be between top-10 fighters
that may happen later in the year. Light heavyweight Dan Henderson
is ranked 10th, and he likely will challenge the Jones-Evans
winner later in 2012. If Henderson remains in the top 10, it’s
likely that fight would pit top-10 fighters against each other.
Further
down the line could be a welterweight title match between champion
Georges St. Pierre, who is No. 3, and interim champion Carlos
Condit. Condit missed out on the top 10, but came in at 11th
and the possibility exists that he could squeeze into the bottom
half of the top 10 by the time he fights St. Pierre late this
year.
Beyond
that, though, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of hope for
matches involving top-10 fighters against each other unless Zuffa,
the company that owns both the UFC and Strikeforce, moves Strikeforce
lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez into the UFC, or one of
the ranked fighters moves to a different weight class.
The
most likely fighter to change classes would be No. 4 Jose Aldo
Jr., the UFC featherweight champion who is clearly big enough
to move to lightweight. If Aldo chooses to move up, he’d
instantly get a lightweight title shot against the winner of
the UFC 145 match between champion Frankie Edgar, who is No.
5, and challenger Benson Henderson.
However,
it is far from certain that Aldo will move up.
Thus,
when Jones and Evans finally do meet in the cage, enjoy it, because
it might be the last match involving two of the top-10 fighters
in the world for quite a while.
With
that, let’s move on to take a look at how the latest voting
shaped up:
10.
Dan Henderson
Points: 36
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Record: 29-8
Last outing: W5 Mauricio Rua, Nov. 19
Previous ranking: 10
Up next:Nothing scheduled
T8.
Rashad Evans
Points: 41
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Record: 22-1-1
Last outing: W5 Phil Davis, Jan. 28
Previous ranking: NR
Up next:Title challenge vs. No. 2 Jon Jones at UFC 145, April
21
T8.
Gilbert Melendez
Points: 41
Affiliation: Strikeforce (lightweight champion)
Weight class: Lightweight
Record: 20-2
Last outing: W5 Jorge Masvidal, Dec. 17
Previous ranking: 8
Up next:Nothing scheduled
7.
Junior dos Santos
Points: 75
Affiliation: UFC (heavyweight champion)
Weight class: Heavyweight
Record: 14-1
Last outing:TKO1 Cain Velasquez, Nov. 12
Previous ranking: 7
Up next:Title defense vs. Alistair Overeem at UFC 146, May 26
6.
Dominick Cruz
Points: 110
Affiliation: UFC (bantamweight champion)
Weight class: Bantamweight
Record: 18-1
Last outing: W5 Demetrious Johnson, Oct. 1
Previous ranking: 6
Up next:Title defense vs. Urijah Faber at UFC 148, July 7
5.
Frankie Edgar
Points: 140
Affiliation: UFC (lightweight champion)
Weight class: Lightweight
Record: 14-1-1
Last outing: TKO4 Gray Maynard, Oct. 8
Previous ranking: 5
Up next:Title defense vs. Benson Henderson at UFC 144, Feb. 25
4.
Jose Aldo
Points: 144
Affiliation: UFC (featherweight champion)
Weight class: Featherweight
Record: 21-1
Last outing: TKO1 Chad Mendes, Jan. 14
Previous ranking: 4
Up next:Nothing scheduled
3.
Georges St. Pierre
Points: 175
Affiliation: UFC (welterweight champion)
Weight class: Welterweight
Record: 22-2
Last outing: W5 Jake Shields, April 30
Previous ranking: 3
Up next:Out with injury; nothing scheduled
2.
Jon Jones
Points: 191 (1 of 22 first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC (light heavyweight champion)
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Record: 15-1
Last outing: Submission 2 Lyoto Machida, Dec. 10
Previous ranking: 2
Up next:Title defense vs. No. 8 Rashad Evans at UFC 145, April
21
1.
Anderson Silva
Points: 219 (21 of 22 first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC (middleweight champion)
Weight class: Middleweight
Record: 31-4
Last outing: TKO2 Yushin Okami, Aug. 27
Previous ranking: 1
Up next:Title defense vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 147, June 16
Others
receiving votes: Carlos Condit, 18; Gray Maynard, 7; Nick Diaz,
6; Benson Henderson, 2; Joseph Benavidez, 1; Urijah Faber, 1;
Cain Velasquez, 1.
Voting
panel:Denny Burkholder, CBSSports.com; Elias Cepeda, Fight! Magazine;
Mike Chiappetta, MMA Fighting and Fight! Magazine; Steve Cofield,
Cagewriter; Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press; Dave Doyle, freelance;
Joe Ferraro, Rogers Sportsnet; Ben Fowlkes, MMA Fighting; Josh
Gross, ESPN.com; Ariel Helwani, MMA Fighting; Kevin Iole, Yahoo!
Sports; Damon Martin, MMA Weekly; Todd Martin, freelance; Steven
Marrocco, MMA Junkie; Franklin McNeil, ESPN.com; Dave Meltzer,
The Wrestling Observer; John Morgan, MMA Junkie; Ken Pishna,
MMA Weekly; Michael David Smith, MMA Fighting; Mike Straka, Spike
TV and Sirius/XM; Dann Stupp, MMA Junkie; Jeff Wagenheim, SI.com.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 1 Results: Menjivar Secures Early Submission Win
Bantamweights
Ivan Menjivar and John Albert kicked off the UFC on Fuel 1: Sanchez
vs. Ellenberger television broadcast with an exciting, back-and-forth
four minutes of action.
Menjivar,
a veteran who has nearly four-times the amount of experience
as Albert, prevailed with a submission at the 3:45 mark of the
first round.
The
two wasted little time exchanging strikes at the sound of the
opening bell. Menjivar secured a takedown. Albert worked for
a submission attempt and Menjivar made him pay with hammer fists.
Albert worked his way to his feet and punished Menjivar with
punches and knees.
Albert
went for a guillotine choke and pulled guard. Menjivar escaped,
took Albert’s back and sunk in a rear naked choke forcing
Albert to tap out.
While taking knees to the head against the cage, Menjivar thought
about what mixed martial arts legend Kazushi Sakuraba would do
faced with the same adversity to get him through the barrage.
“He’s
strong. He’s in the UFC and he’s dangerous,” said
Menjivar about his opponent following the fight.
With
the win, Menjivar improved his record to 24-8 and extended his
winning streak to three in a row.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 1 Results: Dillashaw Dominates Watson
The
‘Ultimate Fighter’ season 14 finale didn’t go
so well for T.J. Dillashaw, so he decided to take it out on Walel
Watson at UFC on Fuel instead.
The
Team Alpha Male fighter said before heading to Omaha for his
fight with Watson that he learned a valuable lesson in his loss
to former housemate John Dodson and he wouldn’t make those
mistakes again.
He
certainly did not on Wednesday night.
Almost
as soon as the fight started, Dillashaw moved aggressively inside
on his 5’11? opponent and slammed him to the mat. From there
it was a grappling clinic courtesy of the former Cal State Fullerton
wrestler.
Again
and again, Dillashaw took Watson’s back and looked for the
rear naked choke, although his opponent’s defense was just
enough to stave off the submission.
“I
definitely stuck to the plan, he’s got a super long reach,
had to take advantage of my wrestling pedigree. Sorry I didn’t
finish it, he’s got long arms to fight off that rear naked
choke. I was trying and trying,” Dillashaw said.
The
second round was almost a carbon copy except this time Dillashaw
opted for punches and elbows to blast away at Watson. The wiggly
Watson stayed busy enough to keep referee Josh Rosenthal from
stopping the fight, but Dillashaw stayed diligent in his attack.
Dropping
the first two rounds for sure, Watson didn’t just give up
in the third however. With Dillashaw again looking for the takedown,
Watson jumped into a triangle choke to pull the fight to the
mat.
When
the triangle choke didn’t catch hold, Watson transitioned
from omo plata and then to a knee bar. Unfortunately despite
his best efforts, Dillashaw was able to get free and eventually
move back into a dominant position on top where he rained down
blows as the fight came to a close.
The
striking numbers were simply staggering, but a true reflection
of how this fight went down. Dillashaw landed an amazing 172
strikes while Watson fired and landed only 12 for the entire
fifteen-minute bout.
The
win puts Dillashaw back on the path he started when he first
entered the 14th season of the ‘Ultimate Fighter’.
“I
put that fight behind me and continue to go forward,” Dillashaw
stated. “Use all these fights as a stepping stone to get
to where I want to be and that’s a championship, baby.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Junior
dos Santos says MMA organizations could pay “a lot better”
in Brazil
A
UFC champion’s life is based on glamour, fame and money,
right? Yes, it is, but they have to work really hard to reach
the top of the world. On an exclusive interview conceded to TATAME,
Junior dos Santos told us about some of his fighting stories
and revealed he has fought for least than a minimum wage (at
XFC, in 2007). “I’ve fought for a R$ 300 (US$ 600)
purse, but the winner would get a R$ 1000 bonus for the victory.
Thank God I won two fights and earned R$ 2300”, remembers
the heavyweight fighter. Check below the quick chat with the
champ:
How
do you evaluate the growth of MMA in Brazil?
Thank
God MMA is going through a special moment, and that’s excellent
mainly for us, fighters, and for everybody who work with the
sport. TUF coming to Brazil will also create many opportunities
for fighters who dream about fighting in the UFC. Now the kids
don’t dream about becoming soccer players, they all wanna
become MMA fighters. I’m really happy it is happening with
the sport. UFC releasing this game here in Sao Paulo is cool,
especially being hosted at Pretorian, which is a branch that
embraced the sport and has been helping many Brazilian athletes.
It feels like home.
Do
you believe Brazil is ready to see MMA grow even more?
I’m
sure it is, people just gotta believe it more. It doesn’t
matter how much we talk about it on the news, it doesn’t
matter it’s getting big, there are still few managers who
really believe it. It may not seem like that, but there’s
still prejudice towards MMA as a violent sport. The sport needs
this aggressiveness. I can guarantee you there’s no such
thing because the athletes are really well prepared to be in
there and they know what is going on. We have to take the leap
and make the entrepreneurs really look at the sport so they believe
in us. I know it’s better, but it could do a lot better.
How
do you see the worship of Brazilian fighters in terms of the
purses they get?
Thank
God it’s better now, but it has to do a lot better. I’ve
fought for a R$ 300 purse, but the winner would get a R$ 1000
bonus for the victory. Thank God I won two fights and earned
R$ 2300. The conditions are still bad in Brazil. I have many
friends who fight for R$ 500, which is nothing compared to what
he had to invest to get prepared for that fight.
It’s
outrageous for such a magnificent sport which demands much dedication.
MMA is not for everyone. A fighter must have blood in his eyes,
and it has to be worship. You see many times at soccer a non-expressive
player winning great amount of money and they don’t bring
anything good to Brazil. Many are seen as drunk and set bad examples,
while a fighter raises the Brazilian image, goes through hard
times and has to do other things in order to survive. It’s
a shame.
But
things are changing, thanks to the moment that Anderson Silva,
Jose Aldo and I’m living in the sport. We gotta recognize
and thank Anderson Silva for all he’s done for the sport,
for all the doors he opened. Anderson is the best pound for pound
fighter in the world and nobody can deny it.
Source:
Tatame
|
Jake
Ellenberger Holds Off Late Diego Sanchez Charge to Take Decision
at UFC on Fuel 1
Jake Ellenberger took one step closer to a shot at the welterweight
title on Wednesday night, gutting out a unanimous decision win
over Diego Sanchez in the main event of UFC on Fuel “Ellenberger
vs. Sanchez” at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Neb.
Sanchez
and Ellenberger traded relatively evenly to start, but Ellenberger
drew first blood toward the end of the opening stanza, landing
a hard knee and then a counter jab, hook combination that knocked
the original “Ultimate Fighter” winner on his hindquarters.
Sanchez
attempted to mix up his attack in the second frame by throwing
a variety of kicks, but Ellenberger answered by using a stiff
jab to keep ”The Dream” at bay. Though the Jackson’s
Mixed Martial Arts representative landed a pair of hard right
hooks midway through the period, Ellenberger finished the round
by executing a perfectly timed double-leg takedown and crisp
elbows from Sanchez’s guard.
Ellenberger
continued to use an excellent counter attack in the third stanza,
pumping a sharp jab into his opponent’s bloodied mug. Sanchez
eventually pushed through the attacks, however, landing some
clean shots of his own and taking the Nebraskan’s back.
Firing with everything he had left in the tank, Sanchez pounded
away at the hometown favorite in an effort to finish, but could
not force the stoppage as the round expired.
“Diego
is known for that, man. He’s the toughest guy I’ve
fought. No matter what happens, he’s in there until the
end. It’s an honor to fight him,” Ellenberger told
UFC commentator Jon Anik in his post-fight interview. “That
was a tough position, and I was tired, but I just tried to fight
through it. I’ve been there a million times, but you have
to stay in there mentally. He’s a warrior.”
Struve
Rallies Once Again
Stefan
Struve got back on track with another come-from-behind victory
in his co-headlining heavyweight attraction, earning a second-round
technical knockout over Sengoku veteran Dave Herman.
Herman
overcame his distinct reach disadvantage in round one, stepping
inside of Struve’s long-range arsenal to deliver crisp shots
to the head and body of “Skyscraper.”
“The
first round, it wasn’t fireworks like you guys are used
to when I fight,” Struve explained after the bout. “I
think jet lag caught up with me a bit this week. I slept about
four of five hours every night, so my energy was a little low.”
The
Dutchman managed to briefly turn the tables in round two however,
executing a body-lock takedown and landing in full mount. Though
little would come of the position after a slick escape from Herman,
Struve began to find his flow in the standup after the exchange.
The
Dutchman landed a hard body kick and several moments later connected
with a stiff uppercut that buckled the American’s knees.
Struve pounced and again transitioned to mount, this time finishing
the job with punches at 3:52 of round two.
“I
can still get 10 times better. I’m turning 24 [years old]
this Saturday,” said Struve. “I hope you guys enjoy
watching me fight for years to come. I love you guys.”
Markes
Shines in Middleweight Debut
Brazilian
middleweight talent Ronny Markes edged former Arizona State University
wrestling standout Aaron Simpson in a hard-fought bout, walking
away with a split decision victory in his 185-pound debut.
Though
Markes was floored by a dynamite right uppercut in the first
frame, he rebounded to make the final two rounds competitive,
going toe-to-toe in the wrestling department with the American
and emerging with the hard-fought win.
“It
took a lot of determination to come here and put on a show for
you guys,” Markes said. “[UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva,
give me the opportunity to fight in Brazil.”
Miocic
Remains Undefeated
Heavyweight
up-and-comer Stipe Miocic improved his career record to a perfect
8-0 by blasting the formerly unbeaten Philip De Fries in just
43 seconds of the first round.
Though
the Brit came out swinging for the fences and stunned Miocic
early, the former Golden Gloves champion turned the tide by cracking
De Fries with a hard right straight. From there it was academic,
as Miocic pursued his wounded prey to the cage wall and dropped
him with another right before finishing the job with punches
on the floor.
Dillashaw
Controls Watson
Top
prospect T.J. Dillashaw dominated Walel Watson in their bantamweight
confrontation, earning a unanimous decision with scores of 30-25
(twice) and 30-26.
Dillashaw
wasted no time in taking it to his lanky foe, firing a “Superman”
punch down the tube before dumping “The Gazelle” with
a double-leg takedown. The Team Alpha Male product quickly took
Watson’s back and repeatedly attempted to finish the fight
with a rear-naked choke.
Though
Watson survived the disastrous round, Dillashaw repeated his
performance in the second frame, popping his rangy opponent with
straight right, snapping him down to the canvas with a single-leg
takedown and unleashing another unanswered hailstorm of offense.
While Watson managed to make the third round more competitive
with a flying triangle attempt, Dillashaw ended the bout on top,
dropping massive elbows until the final horn.
“It
felt good to come out here and show my wrestling to all you Nebraska
fans,” Dillashaw said. “I stuck to the plan. He definitely
had the reach advantage, so I had to use my wrestling pedigree.
I’m sorry I didn’t finish it, but he’s got those
long arms to fend off the rear-naked choke. I was trying. He’s
a tough guy.”
Menjivar
Survives Shaky Start
The
Fuel TV broadcast opened with an exciting bantamweight tilt between
11-year veteran Ivan Menjivar and “Ultimate Fighter”
Season 14 alumnus John Albert. Though “Prince” appeared
to get the better of the striking early, Menjivar quickly countered
with a crisp hip toss and landed in Albert’s guard, dropping
ground-and-pound as his younger opponent actively threatened
with submissions from his back. Though Albert would escape to
his feet and flurry, “The Pride of El Salvador” weathered
the storm, taking Albert’s back and finishing the fight
in 3:45 with a rear-naked choke.
“In
my head, I was thinking about [Kazushi] Sakuraba the whole fight.
I was thinking, ‘What he would do in this moment?”
Menjivar said after the back-and-forth bout. “I know experience
is important, but it’s a fight. He’s strong, and he’s
in the UFC. He’s at that level, and he’s dangerous.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Kauai
cage match #12
Rumble at the Resort-Warpath to Mayhem
March 3, 2012
Kauai Beach Resort
Aloha All,
Tickets
are now on sale for Kauai cage match #12, Rumble at the Resort-Warpath
to Mayhem, March 3, 2012, Kauai Beach Resort!
We
are again breaking new ground on Kauai as this is the first ever
MMA event inside a Resort ! We have come a long way since 2005
starting MMA on Kauai and not being welcomed with open arms with
the public to now being able to host an event inside a Resort
shows the tremendous steps we have taken here on Kauai with our
promotion.
Come
and see the new up and coming fighters as they battle their way
to Mayhem at the Mansion at the end of the year!
Tickets
now available at:
Kauai Harley- Puhi
Deli and Bread- Kukui Grove
Pono Market-Kapaa
Wongs-Hanapepe
Baby Blutique- VIP
Doors open at 5:30pm
Weigh
ins will be on March 2, 2012-Kukui Grove Shopping Center- 5:30pm
Official
after Party will be at Tiano's in Lihue
For
reserve VIP seating call 808-245-5888
Mahalo
and see you all on March 3rd!!! |
Toughman
Hawaii
March 3,
2012
Hilo Civic
Source:
Wally Carvallho |
Scrappler's
Fest is Set for May 19!
Kauai's premier BJJ and Submission Grappling tournament has secured
a date for its next event.
Scrappler's Fest
Kauai
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Start preparing your team and start saving up for the trip to
compete against Kauai's best grapplers from Kauai Technical Institute
(KTI), Powerhouse, Longman, New Breed, Kamole, amongst others.
|
|