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2012
November
Aloha
State BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
10/20-21/12
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Radford H. S. Gym)
8/18/12
Warpath to Mayhem:
Rumble at the Resort
(MMA)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Lihue, Kauai)
August
King of the Mat
(Submission Grappling)
8/4/12
Maui Open
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina)
7/21/12
Sera's Kajukenbo Martial Arts Tournament
(Continuous Sparring, MMA (Controlled), and Sub. Grappling)
(War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
**CANCELLED**
7/14/12
King of the Cage
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/29/12
Vendetta 5
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
6/16-17/12
State
of Hawaii BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/16/12
Destiny
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/15/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
5/26/12
Toughman Hawaii Presents; King Of The Ring
(Boxing)
(Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium, Hilo)
5/19/12
Scrappler's Fest
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Island School, Lihue, Kauai)
The Quest For Champions
Martial Arts Tournament 2012
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling, Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
5/18/12
Vendetta 4
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
5/4/12
King of the Ring
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
Just Scrap XVI
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku)
4/28/12
Destiny
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower)
4/21/12
Amateur Boxing Event
Smoker Fundraiser
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
4/14/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom, Waipahu)
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
Warpath to Mayhem:
Rumble at the Resort
(MMA)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Lihue, Kauai)
Vendetta 3
(Kickboxing, 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)
|
|
July
2012 News Part 2
|
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O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
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well as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
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To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima
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Josh
Koscheck vs. Jake Ellenberger Tapped as UFC 151 Co-Main Event
by Damon
Martin
UFC 151 now has a co-main event and it features two top ten welterweights
looking to get back into the contender’s race.
Nebraska powerhouse Jake Ellenberger will return to action on
Sept 1 as he faces former NCAA champion Josh Koscheck in Las
Vegas.
UFC officials announced the new match-up on Wednesday.
With a title shot seemingly within his grasp, Jake Ellenberger
ran into the always tough Martin Kampmann for his last fight
at the Ultimate Fighter Live finale.
After almost finishing Kampmann in round one, the Dane battled
back and instead put Ellenberger down in the second stanza, handing
the Nebraska native only his second loss in the UFC.
Now more determined than ever to get back to the top of the division,
Ellenberger faces a fighter who has sat in the top ten of the
welterweight division for the last few years.
Josh Koscheck has come close on many occasions to being the top
dog at 170 pounds, but has never captured the strap. That’s
not to say, however, that Koscheck isn’t always one of the
top performers at welterweight where he holds wins over names
like Matt Hughes, Paul Daley and Diego Sanchez.
Recently, however, Koscheck lost a close decision to fellow NCAA
champion Johny Hendricks at UFC on Fox 3, and hopes to rebuild
with a win over Ellenberger in September.
Ellenberger vs. Koscheck will serve as the co-main event for
the upcoming UFC 151 show headlined by light heavyweight champion
Jon Jones as he defends his title against former Pride and Strikeforce
champion Dan Henderson.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
149 ‘Faber vs. Barao’ Preview
By Tristen
Critchfield
It
is perhaps the most snake-bitten card in a summer full of them
for mixed martial arts’ preeminent organization. To mention
every fighter who withdrew from UFC 149 would be both depressing
and counterproductive. Instead, it is better to focus on who
will be competing on Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome in
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, because the show must go on.
Of
chief interest is the interim bantamweight title clash between
Urijah Faber and Renan “Barao” Pegado. Faber has longed
for one more shot at Dominick Cruz since he lost to his bitter
rival last summer, but Pegado, with his impressive 18-fight winning
streak, makes for a formidable challenge in his own right. In
addition, former Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight
king Hector Lombard will make his long-awaited UFC debut against
Tim Boetsch. Plenty of hype surrounds the Cuban’s arrival,
and he will have to deliver against an opponent who is coming
off an improbable rally against Yushin Okami.
Here
is a closer look at UFC 149, with analysis and picks.
UFC
Interim Bantamweight Championship
Urijah
Faber (26-5, 2-1 UFC) vs. Renan “Barao” Pegado (28-1,
3-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: Even before Cruz tore his anterior-cruciate ligament,
“Barao” looked like the most likely challenger for
the bantamweight belt once Faber and “The Dominator”
concluded their trilogy. Cruz’s injury means the Brazilian’s
opportunity has arrived sooner than originally expected, but
nothing about his UFC tenure so far suggests that he will not
be ready for the challenge. In garnering victories against Cole
Escovedo, Brad Pickett and Scott Jorgensen, “Barao”
has showcased a diverse array of skills that should serve him
well in a potential five-round showdown with Faber.
Despite
his championship experience, oddsmakers have listed “The
California Kid” as a slight underdog, which is more of a
nod toward the Nova Uniao product’s enormous potential than
it is a slight toward Faber. The former WEC featherweight king
has proven himself to be a better fit at 135 pounds, where he
often holds a strength advantage against most of his opponents.
The Team Alpha Male founder made it look easy at UFC 139 against
Brian Bowles -- who, by most accounts, is a top-flight bantamweight
-- slamming his foe to the mat and rocking him on the feet en
route to a second-round submission victory.
Faber’s
speed and athleticism will be tested as he tries to get in tight
against “Barao,” who showed a good grasp of distance
in outpointing Jorgensen at UFC 143. The Brazilian used his kicks
to dictate range while stuffing each of Jorgensen’s seven
takedown attempts, turning the contest into an entirely striking-based
affair. Faber has fast hands and good power, as he demonstrated
in rocking Cruz on a couple of occasions at UFC 132, but he does
his best work with furious bursts of ground-and-pound. He will
not be able to outpoint “Barao” on the feet, as he
will find it difficult to navigate his adversary’s multi-faceted
standup. If Faber allows it, “Barao” will be content
to fight on the outside and pick him apart with leg kicks and
jabs while carefully choosing spots to ramp up the aggression.
Any
Faber opponent knows he wants to close the gap as quickly as
possible, but combating his explosive quickness is no simple
task. The Californian can secure a tie-up in the blink of an
eye, and the lack of a distinct reach advantage for “Barao”
means he will have less ground to cover to do so. The relentlessness
of Faber will eventually pay dividends as the bout reaches the
championship frames. At some point, “The California Kid”
will successfully execute his single-leg takedown and force “Barao”
to work as he throws rapid fire punches and elbows.
Faber
is accustomed to winning scrambles, but he will have to be wary
of leaving openings for “Barao” to put his wicked submission
game to work. The 25-year-old moves swiftly when he sees an opportunity,
and he is capable of putting brute force behind his chokes to
elicit a tapout. It will be interesting to see who gets the best
of the flurry of transitions and reversals that figure to ensue
on the canvas. Faber is adept at escaping bad positions on the
mat, and he is usually quick to turn the tables and force his
opponent to defend his submissions.
The
Pick: Faber must be persistent in forcing clinches and battering
“Barao” with punches and knees against the fence. If
he can drain Pegado’s cardio, the takedowns will come a
little easier in the latter portion of the fight. However, if
“Barao” is allowed to stay on his feet, Faber risks
losing a decision or getting caught and then submitted. In a
back-and-forth battle that features plenty of shifts of momentum,
Faber takes a narrow decision victory.
Middleweights
Hector
Lombard (31-2-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Tim Boetsch (15-4, 6-3 UFC)
The
Matchup: Lombard has all the ear-markings of stardom: a 25-fight
winning streak that includes titles in the Bellator Fighting
Championships and Cage Fighting Championship promotions, an impressive
YouTube collection of highlight-reel blowouts and a certain level
of craziness that makes each one of his fights a must-watch event.
With all that in his favor, there is the question of the caliber
of competition the Cuban has faced during his mixed martial arts
career. While one does not accumulate such an impressive resume
by accident, most of Lombard’s signature victories have
come against UFC journeyman rather than established stars.
Until
his recent Cinderella turn at UFC 144, Boetsch fit the journeyman
mold perfectly. However, after his improbable comeback win against
former No. 1 contender Yushin Okami in Japan, “The Barbarian”
is sitting pretty at 3-0 in the middleweight division, perhaps
a win or two from serious title contention. This has all the
makings of a fun slugfest. While Lombard is a black belt in both
judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he is also an explosive striker
with heavy hands who likes to control the center of the cage
in his fights. “Lightning” moves forward without fear
of repercussions, and he will quickly swarm when he senses his
opponent is hurt. This would seem to work in Boetsch’s favor,
because the AMC Pankration representative possesses accurate
power punches, as well as a strong Thai clinch, to handle attacks
in close quarters.
As
he demonstrated against Okami, Boetsch also knows how to fight
with a sense of urgency when he is behind; not everyone is as
confident to pull the trigger when they have been dominated over
the course of two rounds. With that said, Lombard seems to have
a counter for everything Boetsch does well. In tie-ups, the Olympic
judoka has a wide array of throws and trips, and his formidable
upper-body strength will make it difficult for Boetsch to push
him around the cage. He will also struggle to take down Lombard,
especially if he resorts to throwing one punch at a time instead
of using combinations to close the distance.
Since
moving to middleweight, Boetsch’s conditioning has improved
considerably, but Lombard has been to the championship rounds
and has proven that he can fight methodically when the situation
calls for a change of pace: witness his top-control oriented
performance in a five-round Bellator title defense against Alexander
Shlemenko in 2010. Boetsch would do well to control Lombard’s
head should he wind up on his back to limit the Cuban’s
vicious elbows and punches.
The
Pick: Lombard will look to set a rapid pace early, and Boetsch’s
recent tendency to start slowly could haunt him. The good news
for Boestch is that Lombard likes to do many of the same things
he is good at. The Cuban’s aggression will carry him here,
and he will get a TKO win late in round two.
Heavyweights
Shawn
Jordan (13-3, 1-0 UFC) vs. Cheick Kongo (17-7-2, 10-5-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was originally scheduled to
face Kongo, but the former Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight
titleholder’s arm had not fully healed since it was broken
by Frank Mir in December. Instead, the Frenchman gets Jordan,
a fullback and special teams player at Louisiana State University
who was part of national championship teams in 2003 and 2007.
“The
Savage” made his Octagon debut in impressive fashion, knocking
out strongman Oli Thompson in the second round of their UFC on
FX 2 encounter. While Kongo represents a serious step up in competition
from anything he has faced to date, Jordan has plenty of room
for growth. Most fighters who relocate to Jackson’s Mixed
Martial Arts make a significant leap once they get a few camps
under their belts, so it is reasonable to expect that Jordan
will show marked improvement from his last Octagon appearance.
Additionally, the Louisianan is a top-shelf athlete who once
bench pressed 600 pounds, can dunk a basketball and punctuates
his MMA victories with back flips.
Still,
there is no substitute for experience, and Kongo has plenty of
it, having faced the likes of Frank Mir, Mirko Filipovic, Cain
Velasquez and Travis Browne during his 16-fight UFC career. Kongo
has fallen short in bouts against top competition and will probably
never be a title contender, but he will be a good gauge of Jordan’s
standing in the promotion.
Jordan
has aggression to burn and a solid chin, but his biggest issue
will be navigating Kongo’s eight-inch reach advantage. The
Frenchman is a skilled kickboxer with powerful and accurate striking
who is not afraid to stand and bang. Jordan absorbed some decent
shots against the heavy-handed Lavar Johnson in a Strikeforce
Challengers bout in 2011, and he will have to be willing to do
the same here. Otherwise, Kongo can pick him apart with stinging
leg kicks and punching combinations on the outside.
Kongo
can be prone to the occasional strategic error, however, and
his upright stance will leave him open for takedowns from Jordan,
a two-time state champion wrestler in high school. That would
seem to be the best route for “The Savage,” who lacks
Kongo’s technique on the feet but generally does a good
job of stringing punches together. Jordan does not want to find
himself on his back, as Kongo throws heavy strikes inside his
opponent’s guard.
The
Pick: It is possible to imagine Kongo getting stuck against the
fence and eating some uppercuts from Jordan without an avenue
for escape. However, the Frenchman should be able to control
the range with his kickboxing and change levels for takedowns
once he begins to land consistently against Jordan. Kongo wins
by decision.
Welterweights
Brian
Ebersole (50-14-1, 4-0 UFC) vs. James Head (8-2, 1-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: Though he gets attention for his uniquely manicured
chest hair and flamboyant cartwheel kicks, Ebersole is a blue-collar
guy at his core. The Tiger Muay Thai-affiliated fighter gets
results with wrestling and active ground-and-pound. Most recently,
he put that formula to work effectively in earning a decision
against submission specialist T.J. Waldburger at UFC on FX 4.
As a fill-in for the injured Claude Patrick, “Bad Boy”
will look for his fifth straight victory in the Octagon -- and
11th overall -- against Head.
A
product of Lovato’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Head has split
a pair of bouts in the UFC, losing via submission to Nick Ring
in his promotional debut in 2011 before rebounding to choke out
Papy Abedi inside of a round at UFC on Fuel TV 2. The manner
in which Head lost to Ring is of particular concern, however,
as the Oklahoman was battered on the ground by his opponent in
the bout’s final two rounds. Ebersole, with his assortment
of punches, elbows, hammerfists and shoulder strikes from top
position, will no doubt be looking to capitalize on Head’s
so-so takedown defense.
Ebersole’s
most glaring weakness is his striking from range, but he compensates
with a solid chin and the ability to close the distance quickly
on his foes. Waldburger caught him with a short left hand early
in their encounter, and Head, a golden gloves boxer, will hope
to do the same as Ebersole moves forward to initiate the clinch.
Head throws solid combinations and will mix in the occasional
kick; the longer he can keep Ebersole at a safe range the better
his chances will become. He has a decent jiu-jitsu background,
as well, but considering that Ebersole has managed to escape
and defend submissions against the likes of Waldburger, Dennis
Hallman and Chris Lytle, he will not find much to fear in this
matchup.
The
Pick: Head needs to land something significant early to put Ebersole
on his heels. Otherwise, this is going to look like his the latter
portion matchup with Ring, only worse. Look for a steady diet
of clinch work, takedowns and ground-and-pound as Ebersole gets
a TKO stoppage or submission by round two.
Welterweights
Chris
Clements (11-4, 1-0 UFC) vs. Matt Riddle (6-3, 6-3 UFC)
The
Matchup: A bout that originally began as Thiago Alves versus
Yoshihiro Akiyama has gradually evolved into a showdown between
Clements and Riddle, with Siyar Bahadurzada withdrawing along
the way. It is a pairing that is typical of the injury-riddled
UFC 149 lineup, but what it lacks in star power it makes up for
in entertainment potential.
Much
of how the bout goes depends on Riddle’s approach. Considering
his wrestling background, most of “The Ultimate Fighter
7” alum’s opponents should be exposed to a steady diet
of top control and ground-and-pound. Of course, that is not always
the case. Riddle faced Henry Martinez, a natural lightweight,
in his last outing, but instead of using his size advantage,
“Deep Waters” elected to stand and trade with his opponent.
He got the worst of the exchanges for the majority of two rounds,
but a late flurry at the end of the second frame coupled with
some takedowns over the final five minutes carried Riddle to
a split-decision victory.
If
Riddle avoids any semblance of a game plan and simply throws
bombs against Clements, he could be in for a long night. The
Team Tompkins representative displayed a versatile striking arsenal
against Keith Wisniewski in his Octagon debut. “The Menace”
was able to get inside on his taller opponent and connect with
strong right hands, and he also displayed a creative side, throwing
spinning back fists and flashy kicks when the opportunity presented
itself. He also varies the levels of his attacks, mixing strikes
to the legs, head and body to keep his foes off balance. In addition,
the tae kwon do black belt has nasty elbows in close.
Riddle
should note that when Clements was taken down at UFC 145, he
surrendered position rather easily on the mat. Someone with Riddle’s
credentials and experience should be able to take advantage of
that, using his limited standup as a means to close distance.
The
Pick: There is always the possibility that we see Riddle winging
punches desperately in a slugfest with a more skilled striker.
If that happens, this bout becomes Clements’ to lose. However,
the guess here is that, in his 10th UFC appearance, Riddle eventually
uses his tools and grinds out a decision victory.
Middleweights
Court
McGee (14-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Nick Ring (12-1, 2-1 UFC): McGee suffered
the first loss of his Octagon career to Constantinos Philippou
in March, as the “The Ultimate Fighter 11” winner was
unable to force the grinding affair that he prefers. Ring will
need to utilize solid movement and angles so McGee cannot get
a hold of him. McGee lands just enough offense to get the narrow
decision nod.
Bantamweights
Roland
Delorme (8-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Francisco Rivera (8-2, 1-1 UFC): Delorme
was one half of one of the best rounds of the year at UFC on
Fox 3, where he submitted Nick Denis with just a second remaining
in the opening frame. His ability to keep cool through difficult
times will serve him well against Rivera, who has dangerous knockout
power. Delorme survives some heavy fire early and then rallies
to submit Rivera in round two.
Light
Heavyweights
Ryan
Jimmo (16-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Anthony Perosh (13-6, 3-3 UFC): A former
Maximum Fighting Championship 205-pound titleholder, Jimmo will
carry a 16-fight winning streak into his UFC debut. Perosh, meanwhile,
has stuck around longer than anyone initially expected him to
after he lost to Mirko Filipovic on short notice back in 2010,
beating Tom Blackledge, Cyrille Diabate and Nick Penner in his
second stint with the promotion. Perosh wins by decision.
Bantamweights
Bryan
Caraway (16-5, 1-0 UFC) vs. Mitch Gagnon (8-1, 0-0 UFC): Caraway
has gotten more attention for his role in girlfriend Miesha Tate’s
feud with Ronda Rousey than his own fighting career, but with
14 submission victories to his credit, the man has a dangerous
ground game. He will meet a like-minded adversary in Gagnon,
who has earned all eight of his career victories via tapout.
Caraway wins the chess match on the mat and forces his foe to
tap late in the first.
Featherweights
Antonio
Carvalho (13-5, 0-1 UFC) vs. Daniel Pineda (17-8, 2-1 UFC): After
two straight submission victories to begin his UFC career, Pineda
got to experience deeper waters at UFC 146, falling to former
WEC 145-pound king Mike Thomas Brown. Despite being overpowered
for much of the contest, Pineda still made a late push in the
final round. Carvalho faded down the stretch in falling to Felipe
Arantes at UFC 142, but he can make life difficult for Pineda
with his judo and grappling expertise. Pineda wins by decision.
Lightweights
Mitch
Clarke (9-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Anton Kuivanen (16-5, 0-1 UFC): Kuivanen
struggled to defend Justin Salas’ takedowns in losing his
UFC debut in February, while Clarke fell to John Cholish via
second-round TKO at UFC 140. Kuivanen likes to use kicks, particularly
to the body, but he was not able to land effectively versus Salas.
Clarke has fairly aggressive standup and active submissions from
his back. Clarke wins by submission in round three.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Horrible
atmosphere at CSAC. strained promoter relations
By Zach
Arnold
The
big story behind the scenes at the UFC on Fuel 4 event in San
Jose, California on Wednesday had less to do with what happened
in the cage and more about what is going on with the California
State Athletic Commission.
The
UFC show, which drew 4,250 (paid/comps) for a $163,000 gate,
was not what the Department of Consumer Affairs & CSAC wanted
to see given their revenue shortfalls & exploding costs.
At
the Wednesday show, numerous officials from DCA were on hand
with top CSAC officials (George Dodd, Sarah Waklee, Che Guevara)
and one source indicated to us that staff was overwhelmed with
paperwork issues. Remember, what makes the job so hard right
now for so many at the commission is that doctors & inspectors
still are doing paperwork to process fighter information as opposed
to having a computerized system. Throw in the fact that DCA &
Chairman John Frierson are limiting the number of inspectors
per show to three and what you have is a recipe for a higher
risk of liability at future shows, particularly MMA events. One
major aspect of cutting down staff for MMA shows is having inspectors
who can not only procure samples from fighters during drug tests
but also make sure that recreational drug usage (meth, cocaine)
isn’t happening while the show is taking place. It’s
impossible to monitor these kinds of activities when you have
so many people backstage at a show and you only have a couple
of inspectors.
What
makes the cuts in the number of inspectors per show even more
painful for promoters in California is that they are still paying
the full fee for inspectors and only getting half the service.
Again, the issue with the exploding inspector costs in California
isn’t about the number of inspectors. The issue has been
the fact that DCA approved budgets for CSAC where full-time state
employees were booked as inspectors, resulting in time-and-a-half
overtime pay rates plus benefits including airplane tickets,
Cadillac Escalade rental cars, and meal money. If you use six
inspectors who aren’t full-time state employees and don’t
get all the benefits, you would still pay less than you would
for using three inspectors at a show who are full-time state
employees.
The
atmosphere at the San Jose show for the administrators was not
good. The power brokers at DCA, who do not have any real experience
in the fight business nor do they understand the complex issues
about promoting boxing & MMA events, are now in ultra-bean
counter mode to try to investigate what is going on and why things
have gone as badly as they have. It’s a matter of dumb and
dumber working hand-in-hand.
Relations
between DCA & promoters is at an all-time low in the state
of California. On average, there are about 7 ~ 10 regulated boxing
& MMA shows taking place in the state per month. There are
just as many, if not significantly more, happening on tribal
land. If it wasn’t for the mid-sized & B-level national
boxing events coming to California, revenue for CSAC would be
completely dry. The MMA landscape for regulated shows on a large
level in California is rapidly declining.
So,
you would think that DCA would make sure that relations with
promoters would be better in order to create a less-stressful
environment to run shows in California. … And you would
be wrong about that. Ever since promoters stood up to DCA on
June 26th in their termination hearing for George Dodd as Executive
Director of CSAC, DCA has lashed back and played some political
games. First, there was the ambush June 30th 9 AM meeting in
Sacramento with less than 16 hours notice to the public. That
meeting was never legally classified as an emergency meeting
despite DCA claiming that it was. Second, DCA was scheduled to
have a stakeholders meeting with promoters in mid-July. It just
so happened that regular promoters in the state didn’t know
such a meeting was going to happen. Turns out, DCA isn’t
so bothered about notifying promoters or the public about it,
either.
On
Thursday at 4 PM PST, CSAC posted the agenda notification for
a Sunday 9 AM conference call for promoters. You read that right.
DCA is having a 9 AM Sunday date for a promoters meeting. Most
promoters who are busy with events are spending all day Thursday,
Friday, and Saturday night conducting business. Telling them
that they can attend a meeting at 9 AM on a Sunday morning is
absurd. Not only that, the number given in the agenda (605-715-4920)
is a South Dakota teleconference number. What, no 800 or 877
number for promoters?
You
don’t have to be a genius to sense that placing a stakeholders
meeting for promoters at 9 AM on a Sunday is DCA’s way of
not showing good faith in actually having an exchange of ideas
& information with promoters. It’s a show of hostility
by Sacramento. In talking with promoters about this Sunday 9
AM call, not one person I spoke with even knew about the meeting
or the information… which is kind of the point of DCA’s
behavior here.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
UFC
149: By the Odds
By Ben
Fowlkes
UFC 149 has seen its share of reshuffling, but we still have
some interesting match-ups and tantalizing betting lines to sort
through. Where should you put your money on Saturday night? Well,
probably in a bank, if you want to be responsible about it, but
that’s no fun. Instead, let’s take a look at some great
opportunities to get rich or cry trying.
Urijah
Faber (+160) vs. Renan Barao (-200)
Surprised
to see a permanent contender like Faber as an underdog, even
to "a monster" like Barao? You aren’t alone. As
my podcast co-host Chad Dundas declared upon hearing the juicy
line on Faber: "I take that walking away." Yeah, I’m
still not entirely sure what that means. What I do know is that
on one hand you’ve got Faber, whose only losses in the last
two years have come against Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz. On the
other hand you’ve got Barao, whose biggest win so far was
against Brad Pickett. True, Barao showed off some decent defensive
wrestling skills in his decision win over Scott Jorgensen, but
it’s going to take more than a good sprawl to get through
five rounds with Faber, who’s among the best in MMA when
it comes to mid-fight adjustments. Barao has finishing power,
and maybe even some Jose Aldo-inspired leg kicks to bother Faber
with, but Faber has tons of high-level experience and a deep
toolbox to draw from. And, at 33 years old, this could very well
be Faber’s last chance to fight his way into a (real) UFC
title bout. He has to win. As a young scamp of 25, Barao has
other options.
My
pick: Faber. The line is too good for me not to take a chance
on a crafty vet like "The California Kid." Even though
he’s rapidly approaching the point where he'll have to change
his nickname to "The California Middle-Aged Man."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Vinny
Magalhaes Draws Igor Pokrajac for Return Bout at UFC 152
It’s been more than three years since former Ultimate Fighter
finalist Vinny Magalhaes has stepped foot inside the UFC Octagon,
but he’s now ready to make his return.
The multi-time grappling champion has re-signed with the organization
after a very public falling out with his former employers at
M-1 Global and now has a date and an opponent for his return.
Magalhaes will face Croatian knockout artist Igor Pokrajac at
UFC 152 slated for Sept 22 in Toronto.
Sources close to the match-up confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that
verbal agreements are in place for the new fight. SportsNet.com
reporter Joe Ferraro first reported the contest.
Magalhaes unceremoniously exited the UFC after two losses including
his TUF 8 final fight against Ryan Bader, but then committed
himself to becoming a better mixed martial artist.
Since that time, Magalhaes has racked up a 7-1 record while also
capturing the M-1 Global light heavyweight strap that he infamously
sold on eBay after his long standing dispute with the European
promoter.
Now the former Abu Dhabi grappling champion will face a very
tough test in his return to the Octagon as he draws Igor Pokrajac
in September.
Pokrajac currently rides a three fight win streak into his UFC
152 bout with Magalhaes including victories over Fabio Maldonado
and Krzysztof Soszynski.
Now the Croatian fighter will face Magalhaes at UFC 152 with
hopes of picking up his fourth win in a row as he continues his
climb towards contender status in the light heavyweight division.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
5
lessons from Indiana Jones for Jiu-Jitsu players and a certain
UFC star alike
Marcelo
Dunlop
Harrison
Ford playing an archeologist in the last movie of the series:
the Hollywood star turns 70 today. Publicity photo.
Today,
Harrison Ford turns 70, but the aging star is likely fed up with
birthday wishes, being the crabby genius he is. This post isn’t
for him, though; it’s for our readers who learned to be
a bit less jellylike from the eternal Indiana Jones.
1.
MINIMUM FORCE, MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY
Indiana
Jones and Jiu-Jitsu always taught us that flashy moves don’t
get you anywhere; all they do is wear you out. The following,
from Raiders of the Lost Ark, is surely one of the best Hollywood
death scenes of all times. Skip to second 35 of the video. (Note
from author: we’re not asking anyone to go ballistic on
anybody. It’s just a movie. Thanks.)
2.
THERE’S ALWAYS TIME
It’s
one of the most entertaining action scenes of the whole series.
However, the simple sequence, from Indiana Jones and the Temple
of Doom, also stores some lessons. For example: there’s
always time. If the fight ain’t over, there’s still
a chance you can pull it off. If you like something, make time
for it. And if you’ve got something you value, there’s
always a breach for you to finagle getting it back. All that
in a scene about a hat? Well, we really like Indiana Jones. Rewatch
the classic scene at minute 1:10 of the following video.
3.
DON’T RISK IT IF YOU DON’T HAVE A FIRM GRIP
Still
in …Temple of Doom, Indiana wreaks havoc on the devils from
the enemy army when he cuts the ropes of the bridge. But not
before wrapping himself up in the bridge handrail, teaching you
that you need a good grip if you’re going to stick yourself
in a position of risk. The lesson here isn’t to get tied
up, but to have faith in your grips.
4.
YOU’VE GOT TO BE IN SHAPE ALL THE TIME
The
recurring scenes played by Harrison Ford ultimately teach us
that we never know when a giant boulder is going to suddenly
start rolling in our direction. Metaphorically, of course. Even
so, you need to always be in good physical shape so your head
will work right when the going gets rough, whatever that may
be. Ah, and the legs too, if that’s the case. Refresh your
memory with the scene below. It’s the opening scene from
the first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
5.
PICK A SOUNDTRACK ON PAR WITH YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS
It
doesn’t matter what you do, the soundtrack has to be worthy.
Would Indiana Jones be the revered hero he is without the following
theme music? We’ll never know.
Whatever
the situation may be, the following tip rings true, especially
for our friend Fabricio Werdum: if you truly dream of beating
Junior Cigano and becoming the heavyweight champion of the UFC,
forget about walking in to Michel Teló. The UFC and our
ears will thank you!
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Is
it fair to label MMA ‘a drug sport’ – yes/no?
By Zach
Arnold
Since
we last touched on the topic on June 1st when we talked about
the Testosterone Hall of Fame, we’ve had Rich Franklin go
wishy-washy in public about consideration of TRT usage. Larry
Pepe also broke news last Friday that Forrest Griffin is just
the latest UFC name to get a hall pass for testosterone usage,
thanks to Keith Kizer and the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Even
if you consider TRT to be an acceptable practice for MMA fighters,
you have to admit that fighters wouldn’t be inquiring about
TRT if it didn’t work in enhancing their performance &
increased strength. Keith Kizer can tell you that approving hall
passes for testosterone usage should not constitute the scarlet
letter treatment, but it’s hard to to make an argument to
the public that so many healthy-looking 20, 30, and 40 year olds
in the sport need testosterone in order to function as human
beings.
Today,
UFC issued a press release claiming that they will be developing
their own PED policy using the same law firm as the NFL. Of course,
the NFL & NFLPA are bickering back & forth about blood/HGH
testing right now. WWE’s drug testing policy was backed
by Dr. David Black, who was also involved in the NFL’s drug
testing policy. Suffice to say, I don’t think anyone would
put WWE’s policy on a pedestal. However, given that they
even think hall passes for testosterone are bad, they’re
a step up from various state athletic commissions.
And
then there’s BJ Penn, who has decided that if he and Rory
MacDonald are going to volunteer for drug testing from the Voluntary
Anti-Doping Association that VADA must delay releasing drug testing
results until the fighters get paid. You don’t say. The
point of VADA testing is to prevent a fighter, who is doping,
from actually getting in the cage while on a performance enhancer.
Of course, this also means that when a fighter tests positive
(Lamont Peterson for micro-dosing of testosterone pellets, Andre
Berto for nandrolone) it costs the state athletic commissions
& promoters money for canceling fights. Given Keith Kizer’s
dislike of Dr. Margaret Goodman, don’t expect Nevada to
warmly embrace VADA with 100% conviction given that all it takes
is one fighter getting busted and you can lose 6 figures in AC
revenue from the gate & TV/PPV taxes.
Here’s
a Twitter stink bomb from Victor Conte:
Let’s
be real. It seems that people were handing out info on how to
get a TUE for TRT at the recent MMA summit for fighters in Vegas.
So,
is it fair to label MMA as a drug sport right now and, if so,
what sport is it comparable to as far as the pecking order of
other drug sports?
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Coach
says Urijah Faber learned with the Jose Aldo fight
By Guilherme
Cruz
Urijah Faber was the best featherweight on the planet on his
WEC career, and he wants to reign again, now as a bantamweight
fighter in the UFC octagon. This Saturday, at UFC 149, he battles
Renan Barao for the interim title, and his BJJ coach, Fabio Prado,
sees no comparison between Barao and his teammate Jose Aldo,
who destroyed Faber with low kicks at WEC.
“We’ve studied that fight a lot, we saw what we did
wrong and everything that we could’ve changed,” Prado
told TATAME. “We know all Barao qualities, but we did a
great job for this fight based on our past fights”.Fabio
guaranteed he learned a few good lessons on Faber’s loss
to Aldo, and they won’t let that happen again.
“The lesson (we learned) is that you will always have someone
as good as or better than you in a fight style, but you can overcome
everything in a future fight,” he said, saying that Renan
could be a tougher opponent than Dominick Cruz. “Dominick
is a great athlete, but Barao is coming of big results, an intense
training and great wins, and that’s a reason why he’s
here, challenging Faber”.
Source: Tatame
|
Jose
Aldo vs. Erik Koch Title Fight Rescheduled for UFC 153
By Mike
Chiappetta - Senior Writer
The postponed UFC featherweight championship fight between Jose
Aldo and challenger Erik Koch has been reset on the scheduled,
added to the upcoming UFC 153 event in Brazil.
The promotion confirmed the booking on Thursday.
The two were originally set to scrap at this weekend's UFC 149
until an undisclosed injury to Aldo forced him to withdraw from
the date.
The champion has won 14 straight fights dating back to 2006.
He first won the belt when it was still a WEC title, back in
2009, and has successfully defended it five times, most recently
knocking out Chad Mendes at January's UFC 142.
His next defense will also come in front of the same Rio fans,
as UFC 153 is set for the same host venue, the HSBC Arena.
Koch (13-1) comes into the bout on the strength of a four-fight
win streak, with consecutive victories over Jonathan Brookins,
Raphael Assuncao, Francisco Rivera and Bendy Casimir. Three of
those wins have come by finish.
The event, which takes place on October 13, will mark the promotion's
third visit to Rio in just over one year, and fourth overall
to Brazil in that time.
The other big fight so far announced for that card is the likely
octagon swan song of ex-light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson, who will face the surging UFC newcomer Glover Teixeira.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
149 Prelims: 5 Reasons to Watch
By Mike
Whitman
It
may be best known to sports fans as the home of the NHL’s
Flames, the CFL’s Stampeders and professional wrestling’s
Hart Family dungeon, but on Saturday, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
will host UFC 149 “Faber vs. Barao.”
Arguably
the most injury-ravaged Ultimate Fighting Championship event
of all-time, the show was initially expected to be headlined
by Jose Aldo’s featherweight title defense against Erik
Koch before “Scarface” was forced out with an injury.
As a result, the planned UFC 148 co-headliner between Urijah
Faber and Renan “Barao” Pegado will now serve as the
main event, as the two bantamweights vie for an interim title
belt we are told is vitally important and quite expensive.
Despite
altering its headliner -- along with virtually every other fight
on the bill -- UFC 149 has nonetheless brought some flavor to
the table. Prior to the pay-per-view broadcast, the undercard
will set the stage at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Here are five
reasons to tune into the FX network to catch the UFC 149 prelims:
What’s
the Big Deal?
Fans
of bald dudes with karate backgrounds, rejoice. Ryan Jimmo is
coming to the UFC.
A
former Maximum Fighting Championship light heavyweight titlist,
Jimmo has not lost since falling by technical knockout in his
2007 professional debut. Since that loss, “Big Deal”
has won 16 consecutive fights, rattling off four straight wins
in the MFC before stopping Dwayne Lewis to capture the Canadian
promotion’s 205-pound championship. Two successful title
defenses followed for the 30-year-old, who outpointed former
Bellator Fighting Championships and Strikeforce talent Zak Cummings
before doing the same to UFC veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
to close out 2011.
Jimmo’s
first and only experience in the Octagon came during his brief
stint on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8, as he dropped
a majority decision to future Strikeforce competitor Antwain
Britt in the qualifying round. As all fights on the reality show
are classified as exhibition bouts, the defeat did not affect
Jimmo’s otherwise perfect stretch. Can he erase the memory
of that hiccup and score a victory in his official UFC debut?
Hope
for ‘The Hippo’
Attempting
to prevent Jimmo from making a successful Octagon foray will
be Anthony Perosh, a nine-year professional who has finally been
given the opportunity to compete in the UFC at 205 pounds.
Known
for his ground game, the 40-year-old made two appearances as
a heavyweight for the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2006, falling
to Jeff Monson and Christian Wellisch before receiving his UFC
release. Perosh then returned to light heavyweight outside the
organization, racking up a 5-2 record before once again moving
up in weight to fill in for Ben Rothwell on short notice against
Mirko Filipovic at UFC 110.
Following
his technical knockout loss to “Cro Cop,” the Australian
began his light heavyweight run with the promotion one year later
at UFC 127, submitting Cage Rage vet Tom Blackledge with a rear-naked
choke and then doing the same to French striker Cyrille Diabate
in November. “The Hippo” most recently competed in
March, stopping promotional debutant Nick Penner with just one
second remaining in the first round of their UFC on FX 2 clash.
With
plenty of miles already showing on his fight odometer, can the
Aussie navigate Jimmo’s nimble standup attack and make a
run toward the light heavyweight division’s upper echelon?
Free
Refill
Rivera is back for more.
Just
two months removed from their last in-cage appearances, Roland
Delorme and Francisco Rivera are already back for more.
A
cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter 14,” Delorme has
done some serious work in his two UFC bouts thus far, submitting
game but undersized castmate Josh Ferguson in the season finale
before showing some serious heart in his most recent contest
against Nick Denis at UFC on Fox 3. After eating some serious
shots in the first few minutes of that contest, Delorme somehow
weathered the storm and managed to connect with a big left hook
of his own, driving his countryman backward before tripping him
to the mat and locking up a rear-naked choke to snatch a sweet
come-from-behind victory.
Rivera,
meanwhile, routinely dismantled Alex Soto in his return to the
Octagon, continually staggering the Mexican-American prospect
with his power punching attack on May 15 at UFC on Fuel TV 3
and erasing the memory of his ill-fated two-fight stint under
the Zuffa umbrella in 2011.
Regardless
of who comes out on top, do not be surprised if Delorme and Rivera
steal the “Fight of the Night” bonus from the boys
on the pay-per-view.
Caraway’s
Quest
Thought
of by many as one of the more talented competitors on Season
14 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Bryan Caraway did his
thing at the season finale in December after being eliminated
by eventual season winner Diego Brandao in the show’s semifinals.
The submission specialist rocked Dustin Neace with a hard left
hook in the first round of his official UFC debut and dominated
“The Beast” on the floor, taking his back in both the
first and second frames before finishing him with a rear-naked
choke.
Stepping
up to face Caraway will be promotional debutant Mitch Gagnon,
who has finished each of his wins by submission. Beaten just
once as a pro, the Canadian has never been finished and has earned
seven of his eight victories inside the first round.
After
a failed two-fight stint with the WEC and his loss to Brandao,
Caraway could now be on his way to establishing himself as a
legitimate UFC bantamweight contender. Can he get the job done
in his Octagon debut at 135 pounds and turn away the surging
newcomer?
McGee’s
Brass Ring
Court
McGee and Nick Ring have unfinished business.
The
winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11, McGee followed
an unorthodox path to the final. Initially, he was eliminated
by Ring via majority decision in the show’s preliminary
round but was picked to reenter the competition in the quarterfinals
after Rich Attonito broke his hand. Set to rematch Ring in the
Round of 8, McGee instead topped James Hammortree to advance
after Ring was forced to withdraw with a knee injury.
McGee
went on to submit Kris McCray in the season finale to earn his
six-figure UFC contract and followed that triumph with two more
wins in the Octagon. Following victories over Ryan Jensen and
Dongi Yang, however, the 27-year-old was handed the first loss
of his UFC career on March 3 by hard-punching Cyprus native Constantinos
Philippou.
Ring
also looks to rebound from his first UFC loss, as he dropped
a unanimous decision to contender Tim Boetsch at UFC 135 in 2011.
The Canadian had previously edged Riki Fukuda in a controversial
unanimous decision at UFC 127 before submitting James Head at
UFC 131.
Can
Ring repeat his feat in his hometown and best McGee under the
bright lights, or will “The Crusher” take back his
exhibition loss and resume his climb up the middleweight ladder?
Source
Sherdog
|
Richard
Schaefer of Golden Boy: UFC can learn some things from boxing
By Zach
Arnold
From
the crew at Fight Hub TV:
Looking
at UFC deal with Fox, do you study what they do and incorporate
it into your current business?
“I
think UFC has certainly been able to connect with the fans in
a very short period of time and sort of like captured that younger
audience, be it through their… they were one of the first
to embrace social media and so they’ve done a good job there.
But it’s interesting if you actually look at the PPV numbers,
the boxing PPV numbers are still substantially and when I say
substantially it’s not, you know, one or two times, I mean
multiples and multiples the size of a UFC PPV. So, yes, we can
learn certain things from UFC but I think UFC can learn certain
things from boxing. I do believe that the way to market an event
in boxing, particularly a Mayweather fight at that level, is
much better than what UFC does because we embrace our sponsors
in a way where we not only… where we really ask them to
activate and bring their platforms into play to promote the fighters
and the fights and I think the results speak for themselves.
I mean, Floyd Mayweather’s average PPV numbers are 1.5 million
homes and I think UFC’s biggest PPV ever, they say it was
a million but, you know, whether it’s true or not is a different
story. But just to show you, you know, everybody can learn from
everyone and that’s the beauty of that and I respect and
admire UFC and Dana White and I have a good relationship with
(them) as a matter of fact.”
Is
the reason their PPV numbers are lower is because they are giving
away big fights for free on Fox?
“No,
I don’t think so, you know, one really has nothing to do
with the other and I mean the PPV numbers were like before that,
before they were when they were on Spike they were the same so
it’s not like suddenly the PPV numbers dropped on the UFC.
I mean, that’s just not… You know, they have a certain
fan base which is willing to spend money and maybe it’s
too much. I personally think a PPV a month is too much. It’s
maybe OK when you are in the booming economy and everybody is
flush with cash but when you are in a recessionary environment
and people are looking for jobs, you have record unemployment
and people losing their homes and so on and then a sports property
whether it’s UFC or anyone else is doing every month a PPV,
I think that’s probably you know a bit too much and so…
but I think the fact that UFC is on Fox is terrific, it’s
terrific for their sport, terrific for the UFC fans, and as I
said you know I am working every day on getting boxing back on
free over-the-air network television.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Controversy,
Weight Cuts, and the Future: Legacy FC President Mick Maynard
Explains
by Mick
Hammond
This past Friday’s Legacy FC 12 was not without its share
of controversy. From multiple fighters dropping off the card
to the evening’s main event being changed shortly after
weigh-ins to the finish of the bout between Jay Hieron and Romario
Manoel de Silva, things couldn’t have possibly been more
unpredictable.
Still, with everything that happened, Legacy FC president Mick
Maynard is fairly pleased with how everything turned out.
“I’d actually lost seven fighters due to injury on
the fight card. Considering how many people we lost and how many
adjustments we had to make, I thought it was pretty good,”
said Maynard.
“The one main issue I guess you could say was the (televised)
main event. There was a bit of controversy there because the
referee stopped the bout (awarding the victory to Hieron), even
though it appears Romario didn’t tap. If you look at the
video, it looks like he gives the thumbs up, and once (the referee
made Hieron) release the choke, he looked shocked. That’s
kind of a bummer. You don’t want to see it end like that.”
The bout between Hieron and Manoel de Silva had only become the
evening’s main event the night before. At the weigh-ins,
the originally scheduled 125-pound title fight between Chad Robichaux
and Will Campuzano had to be scrapped due to doctor’s orders.
“It was a nightmare to be quiet honest,” said Maynard.
“Before the weigh-ins, I got a text from Chad saying he
was hurting and was at 127 pounds and couldn’t lose any
more weight because his kidneys could be shutting down.
“He was able to come over to the weigh-ins and was 127 pounds
like he thought. So the tough part was explaining to Will it
could no longer be a title fight. On the bright side, Will was
still going to fight at 127 pounds, but the doctor didn’t
want to approve Chad at the time, so I had to then call Will
and tell him the fight was off.”
Campuzano is scheduled to fight for the title on Legacy’s
next show on Aug. 17; Robichaux’s fate on the other hand
is up in the air.
“Chad is doing the charity stuff right now, so really don’t
know. I haven’t spoken to him about it,” Maynard told
MMAWeekly.com. “He may be thinking this stuff is for the
birds and doesn’t want to do this stuff to himself again.
I really won’t know until I’ve spoken to him.”
Looking to put the difficulties of their latest show behind them,
Maynard is now focused on the remainder of this year’s schedule
and beyond for Legacy FC.
“Our show coming up in August is our first pro show in Dallas,”
said Maynard. “It’s part of the Europa Health and Fitness
Expo, which gets a lot of people in there. They’re expecting
50,000-plus people to coming through there. It will be the first
time I believe there will be a MMA event televised live there
on AXS TV.
“After Aug. 17, we’re going to turn right back around
and do it Sept. 14 and then turn around do it again in November.
We still have quite a few more shows to go. That will make it
six for this year, and we’re hoping to do 10-12 next year
and try to expand into new cities.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Congratulations
to O2's Harmony Pacheco at Fargo!
O2
Martial Arts Academy and Kamehameha wrestling standout Harmony
Pacheco took 5th place in both the Cadet at 115lbs and Junior
at 117lbs divisions so she is a 2-time All American! She dominated
the majority of her opponents and showed incredible technique
as her O2 family watched a bunch of her matched on YouTube.
Congratulations
to Harmony!
|
Renan
Barão: From Humble Beginnings to the Cusp of Realizing
His Dream at UFC 149
Renan
Barao at UFC 138Renan Barão steps into the main event
of UFC 149 to face Urijah Faber in a battle that will declare
the interim UFC bantamweight champion. The battle for the belt,
however, is only but a symbol of a much deeper accomplishment
for Barão. Like many of his Brazilian compatriots, he
has had to fight through much more than a gym full of training
partners to get to the top.
When
he began training at Nova União, Barão slept on
a bed that was little more than a board laid across a stack of
bricks, going to bed early and sleeping in late just to shorten
the days so that he didn’t have to come up with money for
more than lunch.
Still
he trained. Still he put in the work in a quest to make something
of himself, rising up from his humble roots.
“My
grandmother, my mother and aunt are the people who took care
of me. I had a tough childhood,” Barão said in a
recent UFC interview. “My mom was too young. She couldn’t
really take care of me, so my aunt helped and my grandparents
raised me. They still care for me today.”
Though
the finances were meager, Barão had tremendous family
support and an upbringing that obviously instilled strong values
and work ethic deep within his core.
He’s
proven as much, amassing a professional record of 28-1-1, working
his way into the position he’s in now, fighting for a UFC
championship, despite little recognition.
“I’m
just not as well known by the American public,” said Barão.
“It’s not a problem. I’ll show everything I have
inside the Octagon.
“I
feel so happy to do this event. Every time I see myself on the
posters, I feel so proud to be able to be up there, showing you
guys my work, showing you guys who I am as a fighter.”
In
the midst of a 19-fight streak, it would be permissible for Barão
to be confident, if not cocky coming into the fight, especially
since his training partner, Jose Aldo, destroyed Faber in their
fight in the WEC.
But
that’s not Barão’s way.
Renan
Barao cracks Brad Pickett at UFC 138“He’s not a fighter
that I’m unfamiliar with and he’s excellent. I think
his strong points are his takedowns. I also think when he’s
on top in the top position he throws some nasty elbows that I’ll
have to watch out for. And definitely it’s an honor to be
fighting him.
“Obviously
we benefited from Aldo’s input. Aldo knows how Urijah fights
and he was able to help us devise our strategy going in to make
this camp, so thank God we had an excellent camp and we’re
very ready for this fight.”
Faber
doesn’t necessarily agree that training with Aldo is really
going to give Barão much of an advantage in their fight.
“Is
he going to bring Jose Aldo there to help fight me?” quipped
Faber.
But
the former WEC featherweight champion isn’t among those
in the dark about Barão’s skills. Faber knows what
he’s up against in the streaking Brazilian, claiming it’s
a much tougher fight than he faced in his original opponent,
UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
Regardless
of the comparisons to Cruz or Aldo, Barão is a fighter
that has earned his way on his own merits. He knows that it’s
going to take all the work he has put in over the years combined
with the specific efforts for this fight to reach his ultimate
goal of becoming a UFC champion, and that is something he doesn’t
take for granted.
“Obviously
it’s a dream. And the dream to fight for the title isn’t
a dream that I’ve had just now; it’s something I’ve
dreamt about for years. So I am thrilled to be having this opportunity.”
Barão
faces Faber for the interim UFC bantamweight championship in
the UFC 149 main event on Saturday night in Calgary.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Belfort
waits for UFC Rio 3 confirmation, wants Weidman or the winner
of Lombard-Boetsch
Vitor
Belfort revealed, days after UFC 147, that he’d be part
of the next UFC card in Brazil, planned for October, in Rio de
Janeiro. TATAME spoke with the “Phenom”, and he said
he wants a Top 10 win to get closer to a title shot.
“Or
(Chris) Weidman, or the winner of the Cuban (Hector Lombard)
vs. (Tim) Boetsch),” Vitor told TATAME, on his potential
opponents.
“I’m
waiting for my confirmation on the Rio card, see who’s gonna
be my opponent. Nobody send me anything yet. I believe I’ll
get an answer on that next week”.
Hector
Lombard makes his UFC debut this Saturday, putting his 25-fight
undefeated streak on the line.
“He’s
good, an Olympic athlete. He’s tough. Let’s wait, on
looking forward (his debut),” Belfort said, weighting on
Chris Weidman’s knockout win over Mark Muñoz, last
week.
“Muñoz
has no guard., he’s not a Jiu-Jitsu fighter. That’s
a wrestler vs. wrestler matchup, who got to the top position
would win. He was tagged, that’s it”.
Belfort
guaranteed he’s not worried with Weidman’s game on
a potential bout, guaranteeing he has the perfect answer for
the American’s takedowns and ground and pound.
“I
don’t care what he’s gonna do, I know what I’m
gonna do: go for the knockout or the submission”.
Source: Tatame
|
MMA
Top 10 Rankings: Can Anyone Dethrone Anderson Silva?
MMAWeekly
World Top 10 MMA RankingsThe updated MMAWeekly.com World MMA
Rankings were released on Wednesday, July 18. This system ranks
the Top 10 MMA fighters from across the world in each of the
seven most widely accepted men’s weight classes and the
Top 10 pound-for-pound women fighters.
Taken
into consideration are a fighter’s performance in addition
to win-loss record, head-to-head and common opponents, difficulty
of opponents, and numerous other factors in what is the most
comprehensive rankings system in the sport.
Fighters
who are currently serving drug-related suspensions are not eligible
for Top 10 consideration until they have fought one time after
the completion of their suspension.
Fighters
must also have competed within the past 12 months in order to
be eligible for Top 10 consideration unless they have a bout
scheduled within a reasonable time frame.
(Fighter’s
previous ranking is in parenthesis.)
Below
are the current MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings:
WOMEN’S
POUND-FOR-POUND (all weight classes)
1. Sarah Kaufman (1)
2. Ronda Rousey (2)
3. Miesha Tate (3)
4. Jessica Aguilar (4)
5. Megumi Fujii (5)
6. Marloes Coenen (6)
7. Tara LaRosa (7)
8. Rosi Sexton (8)
9. Alexis Davis (9)
10. Hiroko Yamanaka (10)
HEAVYWEIGHT
DIVISION (over 205 pounds)
1. Junior dos Santos (1)
2. Cain Velasquez (2)
3. Daniel Cormier (3)
4. Fabricio Werdum (4)
5. Frank Mir (5)
6. Josh Barnett (6)
7. Travis Browne (7)
8. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (8)
9. Stefan Struve (9)
10. Roy Nelson (10)
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)
1. Jon Jones (1)
2. Rashad Evans (2)
3. Dan Henderson (3)
4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (4)
5. Lyoto Machida (5)
6. Phil Davis (6)
7. Alexander Gustafsson (7)
8. Gegard Mousasi (8)
9. Ryan Bader (9)
10. Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (10)
MIDDLEWEIGHT
DIVISION (185-pound limit)
1. Anderson Silva (1)
2. Chael Sonnen (2)
3. Vitor Belfort (3)
4. Michael Bisping (4)
5. Chris Weidman (10)
6. Tim Boetsch (6)
7. Mark Munoz (5)
8. Brian Stann (7)
9. Alan Belcher (8)
10. Yushin Okami (9)
WELTERWEIGHT
DIVISION (170-pound limit)
1. Carlos Condit (1)
2. Johny Hendricks (2)
3. Martin Kampmann (3)
4. Jake Ellenberger (4)
5. Josh Koscheck (5)
6. Jake Shields (6)
7. Jon Fitch (7)
8. Diego Sanchez (8)
9. Rory MacDonald (9)
10. Ben Askren (10)
LIGHTWEIGHT
DIVISION (155-pound limit)
1. Benson Henderson (1)
2. Frankie Edgar (2)
3. Gilbert Melendez (3)
4. Gray Maynard (4)
5. Anthony Pettis (5)
6. Nate Diaz (6)
7. Michael Chandler (7)
8. Eddie Alvarez (8)
9. Clay Guida (9)
10. Jim Miller (10)
FEATHERWEIGHT
DIVISION (145 pound-limit)
1. Jose Aldo (1)
2. Chad Mendes (2)
3. Erik Koch (3)
4. Chan Sung Jung (4)
5. Ricardo Lamas (5)
6. Hatsu Hioki (6)
7. Dustin Poirier (7)
8. Pat Curran (8)
9. Patricio Freire (9)
10. Daniel Straus (10)
BANTAMWEIGHT
DIVISION (135 pounds or less)
1. Dominick Cruz (1)
2. Urijah Faber (2)
3. Renan Barao (3)
4. Michael McDonald (4)
5. Brian Bowles (5)
6. Brad Pickett (6)
7. Bibiano Fernandes (7)
8. Masakatsu Ueda (8)
9. Eduardo Dantas (9)
10. Eddie Wineland (10)
FLYWEIGHT
DIVISION (125 pounds or less)
1. Joseph Benavidez (1)
2. Demetrious Johnson (2)
3. Ian McCall (3)
4. Jussiero da Silva (4)
5. Yasuhiro Urushitani (5)
6. Shinichi “BJ” Kojima (6)
7. Darrell Montague (7)
8. Mamoru Yamaguchi (8)
9. John Dodson (9)
10. Louis Gaudinot (10)
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
on FX 5 Scrapped for Indianapolis, Moving to New Location for
Oct. 5
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship announced on Tuesday that UFC
on FX 5, originally slated for Sept. 7 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
in Indianapolis has been postponed.
Due
to a change in schedule, UFC on FX 5 will now be moved to Friday,
Oct. 5. A new venue and location was not revealed, but UFC officials
noted that a venue and location would be announced in the coming
days.
Bankers
Life Fieldhouse was unavailable to host the UFC event on Oct.
5, but UFC officials remain committed to bringing another event
to Indianapolis in the near future.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
on Fox 4 Features Four Main Card Bouts
UFC
on Fox 4 LogoThe first UFC on Fox event had just one bout, while
UFC on Fox 2 featured three, and then UFC on Fox 3 upped the
ante to four fights on Fox.
UFC
on Fox 4: Shogun vs. Vera is sticking with the UFC on Fox 3 formula,
featuring four fights on “Big Fox” on Aug. 4 in Los
Angeles.
The
four fights will, of course, include the main event showdown
between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Brandon Vera, as
well as Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader, Travis Browne vs. Ben Rothwell,
and Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner.
UFC
on Fox 4 also includes a six-bout undercard that will air on
Fuel TV.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Jon
Jones Most Concerned with Hendo’s H-Bomb
Dan
Henderson, a veteran of more than 15 years in the fight game,
possesses many tools and many weapons with which to score a victory.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is well aware of the
dangers that Hendo presents, but he’s as acutely aware as
anyone else of the one weapon that could quickly put an end to
his amazing title reign… the H-Bomb.
Asked
what he’s more wary of, Hendo’s wrestling or his striking,
Jones answered, “I think more of his striking, that H-Bomb.
It seems like a heat seeking missile. He just comes from all
different angles with that right hand.”
Jones
will surely do everything he can to avoid the H-Bomb when the
two meet in the UFC 151 main event in Denver, Colorado.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Strikeforce
Results: Lorenz Larkin Impresses in Middleweight Debut, Defeats
Robbie Lawler
Lorenz
Larkin made the drop from light heavyweight down to middleweight
at Saturday’s Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy in Portland,
Ore., and it proved to be a great decision.
Lawler
opened strong in the first round, coming out with an onslaught
of kicks and punches. He staggered Larkin early on in the fight,
but couldn’t find the finishing shots to put him down and
out, and that is where Larkin turned the corner.
After
surviving Lawler’s initial attack, Larkin started taking
control, utilizing his Thai clinch to soften Lawler up with knees
to the body and open him up for short uppercuts throughout the
remainder of the fight.
Larkin
used a knee to open a cut on the top of Lawler’s head in
the second round and never slowed down.
He
didn’t exactly throw caution to the wind, even when Lawler
did, but Larkin did keep the pressure on for the majority of
the fight, using his reach advantage to land power punches and
keep Lawler on his back foot.
In
the end, Larkin won a unanimous decision, all three judges scoring
the fight 30-27 in his favor.
“It
was hard. I’m tired of messing with those big guys at 205,
man,” Larkin said about the weight cut after the fight,
but he felt it was worth all the effort, feeling much more competitive
at 185 pounds.
“I’m
happy man. I stood up with Strikeforce’s most deadly striker.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Results: Roger Gracie Earns Unanimous Decision Over Keith Jardine
Roger
Gracie - StrikeforceBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Roger Gracie bloodied
and outgrappled UFC veteran Keith Jardine to a unanimous decision
victory at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy on Saturday night
in Portland, Ore.
Gracie
tripped Jardine to the canvas early in round one and ended up
in half guard. Jardine managed to get an underhook in and scrambled
to his feet only to be taken down again along the fence. From
there, the Brazilian managed to trap Jardine’s arm and land
heavy shots. At the end of the round, Gracie passed the half
guard into full mount and landed slicing elbows that cut Jardine
on the side of the face.
In
round two, Gracie put Jardine on his back again, but this time
the submission ace took Jardine’s back. Blood was pouring
from Jardine as Gracie tried to sink in the rear naked choke,
but Jardine was too slippery. In the dying seconds, Gracie went
for an arm triangle, but Jardine managed to escape.
Round
three was much better for Jardine. He stuffed much of Gracie’s
takedowns and started finding his rhythm with his hands. At one
point in the round, Jardine landed a nice uppercut, but didn’t
follow up at all. The round closed with Jardine swinging wide.
Gracie saw it coming from a mile away and easily got out of the
way.
The
three judges cage side scored the bout (29-27, 30-27, 30-26)
in favor of Roger Gracie.
Following
the win over Jardine, Gracie was successful in his Strikeforce
middleweight debut with an overall record of 3-1 in the organization.
“I
was able to do my game plan, but it was at one point it got too
slippery,” Gracie said post-fight. “His blood soaked
me all over. I couldn’t stay stable on top of him right
after that. I think it was the striking that kept me stable on
top of him. The third round I got quite tired, but I was able
to use my long reach to keep him away.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Middleweight Champ Luke Rockhold Wants ‘Closure’ with
‘Jacare’ Rematch
Luke
Rockhold defended his Strikeforce middleweight title for the
second time Saturday night in the main event of Strikeforce “Rockhold
vs. Kennedy” by outpointing Tim Kennedy at the Rose Garden
in Portland, Ore.
Rockhold
utilized his reach effectively throughout five rounds, using
his superior length to keep Kennedy on the end of his punching
range. However, though he managed to floor the Jackson’s
MMA representative in round four, Rockhold could not find a finish
against his durable opponent.
“Tim
Kennedy is a real tough dude. I think we could compete with anybody
out there in the top 10 and beat them,” Rockhold told Showtime
Sports following his performance. “He’s tough as nails.
I tried to put him away. I know I hit him once pretty good and
dropped him, but he recovers quick. It’s proven -- nobody
has been able to put him away.”
As
Rockhold pressed the action for most of the contest, Kennedy
looked to counterpunch while moving in and out of range. Despite
trading evenly with the ever-active champion in several exchanges,
Kennedy found himself unable to land a tide-turning blow that
might have changed the fight’s outcome.
“[Kennedy
has an] awkward striking style. He’s hard to read and he’s
backing up a lot, and it’s hard to reach him,” said
Rockhold. “He’s decent at countering, and you don’t
know if he’s going to wrestle or strike. I was a little
wary of both and, obviously, I got caught a few times.”
The
prevailing wisdom before the contest was that if Kennedy could
plant Rockhold on his back throughout the 25-minute affair, the
challenger might walk out with the belt. Kennedy’s success
in that department proved limited thanks to Rockhold’s concentrated
focus on improving his wrestling during training camp.
“[I
trained to] wrestle first. A lot of times, guys get on my legs
and I try striking. I try pogo-sticking on one leg and try to
hit them, which just gets me in trouble,” said Rockhold.
“This fight, it was wrestle first, strike second. That was
the major success of this fight. I wrestled hard, and wrestling
camps are always the worst, but wrestling is the biggest equalizer
in all of fighting.”
While
it is unclear exactly what currently lies ahead for Strikeforce’s
middleweight ace, the American Kickboxing Academy standout says
that he should have no shortage of willing challengers, one of
whom could be Ronaldo Souza, the man he outpointed to win the
belt back in September. Regardless of whom he faces, Rockhold
says he plans to hold onto his title for some time.
“[There
will be] many more [defenses] to come. I’m not giving it
up. I’ll be damned if anybody takes this belt from me,”
said Rockhold. “There are quite a few new middleweights
in the division now, like Lorenz Larkin and Roger Gracie, but
I think ‘Jacare’ is the most likely challenger, as
long as he wins [his August bout against Derek Brunson]. Our
fight needs closure, and I’d like to have a chance to finish
it.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Crunching
Numbers: Does Chael Sonnen Lose a Particular Way?
Jul
15, 2012 - What Chael Sonnen has accomplished in his professional
mixed martial arts career is nothing short of remarkable. Sonnen's
skill set is stifling with a clever retrofitting of his wrestling
base, but lacking most finishing components. Still, he's compiled
wins over some of MMA's best fighters in two weight classes.
Sonnen was something of a journeyman until a late resurgence
occurred due to both an unexpected boost in his capabilities
and ability to self-promote. Perhaps most impressively, he achieved
this stunning reversal of fortune in his thirties. For all of
Sonnen's shortcomings, part of his career story is never say
die, never quitting when given ample opportunity to do so.
Yet,
as a consequence of either self-doubt or absent-minded if reflexive
decisions, Sonnen has come up short in contests when they've
mattered most and when he arguably should never have lost. That
pattern isn't entirely consistent, but there appears to be a
semi-consistent theme in the way he loses. That is: he often
suddenly and unexpectedly finds himself in defeat after dominating
contests early against opponents who can't handle the best his
skills have to offer.
Let's
look at the record.
1.
UFC 148 vs. Anderson Silva - while there is some criticism of
Sonnen's lack of punishment in the first round of the fight,
I find those criticisms hollow. Silva landed not a single punch
in the first round while Sonnen poured on 76 of 86 strikes, secured
one takedown (and the only one needed) while passing to mount.
It was complete and total domination and he seemed to poised
to repeat his UFC 117 efforts, but without the submission at
the end.
In
the second round, however, Silva stuffed three of Sonnen's takedown
attempts. While we'll never know for sure, this appeared to rattle
Sonnen, prompting him to throw a low-percentage spinning backfist
that badly missed and planted him on the mat. Sonnen was then
stopped with strikes at 1:55 in the second.
2.
UFC 117 vs. Anderson Silva - the story on this one is all too
familiar. Sonnen controlled the complexion of the fight from
pillar to post with takedowns and landed 323 of 430 strikes over
four-plus rounds. Despite total domination of Silva in virtually
every dimension of the fight, he was submitted at 3:10 of the
fifth via triangle.
3.
WEC 31 vs. Paulo Filho - the first round of this fight was such
a beating, some observers nearly scored it 10-8 for Sonnen. Sonnen
landed 42 strikes out of 80 throw in the first frame, landed
two takedowns and was credited with both a submission attempt
and two guard passes.
In
the second round, Sonnen was submitted via armbar at 4:55, but
not before he was turning in another strong round. Sonnen scored
on his only takedown effort and landed 46 of 67 attempted strikes.
4.
UFC 60 vs. Jeremy Horn - Sonnen thrashed Horn early with two
takedown attempts and 28 of 45 strikes thrown. Horn landed a
meager 4 of 5 punches attempted, but is credited with one submission
attempt. Sonnen was then submitted in just 1:17 in the second
round by a Horn armbar from the guard.
5.
UFC 55 vs. Renato Sobral - this fight is somewhat different than
his other losses in that he arguably lost the first round. However,
Sonnen still turned in an offensive striking effort commensurate
with other strong performances and far over what Sobral offered
him: Sonnen scored on 50 of 58 strikes thrown to Sobral's 13
of 18 (Sobral, however, did earn two takedowns). Sonnen was then
submitted at 1:20 via triangle in the second round.
There
are fairly notable exceptions to the tenor of these defeats.
Sonnen went the distance in 2004 against Keiichi Yamamiya, and
some have suggested he should've won that contest. He experienced
a physical issue from the outset that forced his corner to throw
in the towel against Terry Martin. He's also lost light heavyweight
fights early in his career to Forrest Griffin, Trevor Prangley
and Horn in fights where he hadn't really established dominance
before losing. It's also of note that Horn, Filho, Sobral and
Silva all submitted Sonnen from guard, meaning the particular
strengths of those opponents keyed in on particular weaknesses
of Sonnen.
What
should be noted, though, is examining how Sonnen loses to see
if there's a pattern isn't the full story. Examining how he wins
is just as important to the aforementioned story.
Outside
of totally over matched opposition in BodogFIGHT from from 2006
to 2007, Sonnen has never been much of a finisher in any portion
of his career that mattered. In fact, out of 8 fights under the
Zuffa banner dating back to his rematch with Prangley at UFC
Fight Night 4 in 2006, Sonnen has only finished one opponent:
Brian Stann at UFC 136 in October of 2011. All of Sonnen's other
7 Zuffa-affiliated wins are unanimous decisions.
What
does all this mean? Generally speaking and in the modern era
of his career, Sonnen doesn't really come from behind to win.
Either he starts strong and finishes the same way, or he doesn't.
He's never had to (or been able to, depending your perspective)
rally after being down two rounds heading into the third. It's
true he's dropped a round or two here or there, but those are
few and far between. That isn't to say he hasn't had tough fights.
He most certainly has and he's the only fighter in the UFC other
than Rich Franklin to earn a rematch with Anderson Silva.
Sonnen
is a fighter with a very finite if very effective skill set.
The notable problem with it is disruption - particularly although
not exclusively by guard players - can be achieved quickly and
without application of violence. Sonnen has historically succeeded
as a takedown, top control fighter, but that's also precisely
where he's had the most trouble. One need not 'soften up' Sonnen
to bring down his metaphorical guard. A loss can materialize
almost out of nowhere even when he is hurting and controlling
opposition with extreme prejudice. That kind of precariousness
can speak to his issues wrestling with self-doubt: where he's
supposed to be strong and often is, he is also most vulnerable.
Let
me be clear: I've not come to bury Sonnen. His career accomplishments
are extraordinary and deserving of high praise. But the story
of his loses are as relevant as the story of his wins. Most fighters
don't often lose in a particular way over time and when they
do it's a consequence of a biological issue (skin that cuts easily,
weak chin, etc.). Mental fortitude has played a role in Sonnen's
athletic achievement, but even Sonnen has admitted mental lapses
have played a determinative role in his defeats. They've also
done so in a way that is neither rare nor coincidental.
Sonnen's
story is strange. His quiet entry into the sport ultimately gave
way to a roaring surge. There are few commonalities that exist
in the various chapters of his career. How he won and lost are
two of them. Unlike a weak chin or literal thin skin, Sonnen's
highest highs and lowest lows speak to his identity as a person.
When Sonnen competes, we learn something about him. He may try
to camouflage it all with verbal bluster, but there he is for
all his good and bad.
That
isn't to say we know who Sonnen is, but we do know something.
The only way to learn more is if he keeps competing. Here's to
hoping he gets back on the horse. I'd like to see how this incredible
story ends.
All
quantitative data provided by FightMetric except where otherwise
noted.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
150 Fight Card Gains Ken Stone vs. Erik Perez
UFC
officials on Saturday announced a bantamweight showdown between
Ken Stone and Erik Perez has been added to the UFC 150 fight
card slated for Aug. 11 in Denver.
The
bout follows Friday’s announcement of Donald Cerrone vs.
Melvin Guillard in the Mile High City.
Stone
(11-3) is on a two-fight winning streak with victories over Donny
Walker and Dustin Pague. The American Top Team 135-pounder is
now 2-2 under the Zuffa banner after a rough go in his first
two fights for the company.
Things
won’t get easier for him in Perez, however. The 22-year-old
Jackson’s fighter is 11-4 in his professional career and
is on a streak of six consecutive victories. That includes a
victory over John Albert in his Octagon debut at The Ultimate
Fighter 15 Finale.
A
lightweight championship rematch between Benson Henderson and
Frankie Edgar headlines the UFC 150 fight card.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 4 Medical Suspensions: Munoz, Te Huna and Njokuani
Get 180 Days
The
UFC on Fuel TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman medical suspensions were
released to MMAWeekly.com on Thursday by the California State
Athletic Commission.
Main
event fighter Mark Munoz, as well as James Te Huna and Anthony
Njokuani received possible 180-day suspensions.
UFC on Fuel TV 4 Medical Suspensions
Mark
Munoz is suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days due
to TKO loss. He is also suspended 180 days for a left scalp laceration,
a right eyebrow laceration, and a possible mandible fracture
unless he is cleared by a physician.
James
Te Huna is suspended for 180 days due to a possible left elbow
fracture and left foot fracture unless cleared by a physician.
He is also suspended indefinitely and needs an MRI on or before
Sept. 11, 2012, to be cleared.
Joey
Beltran is suspended for 60 days due to two right orbital lacerations
and an upper right side lip laceration unless cleared by a physician.
Aaron
Simpson is suspended for 60 days due to a right eye laceration
unless cleared by a physician.
Kenny
Robertson is suspended for 60 days due to a right scalp laceration
unless cleared by a physician.
Anthony
Njokuani is suspended for 180 days due to a possible right hand
fracture unless cleared by a physician.
Josh
Ferguson is suspended for 60 days due to a right orbital laceration
unless cleared by a physician.
Andrew
Craig is suspended for 60 days due to a left eyebrow laceration
unless cleared by a physician.
Rafael
Natal is suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days due
to a knockout loss.
Issei
Tamura is suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days due
to a TKO loss.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Flyweight
Title Fight and Bisping vs. Stann Top UFC 152 Fight Card in Toronto
Michael
Bisping vs Brian Stann - UFC 152After the initially targeted
bout between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez couldn’t
get finalized for UFC 152, the Toronto fight card now has a headliner.
UFC
officials on Friday night announced that the first-ever UFC flyweight
championship fight between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson
will headline UFC 152, while a middleweight bout between Michael
Bisping and Brian Stann will serve as the co-main event.
The
already agreed upon fight between BJ Penn and Rory MacDonald
will now move down the card slightly, likely filling a role in
the middle of the pay-per-view.
Benavidez
and Johnson will finally square off after Johnson had to face
Ian McCall twice before finally earning the honors to step into
the Octagon and fight for the title. The scoring in his initial
bout with McCall was incorrectly tabulating, resulting in a draw.
He then won a unanimous decision in their rematch. Benavidez
bested Yasuhiro Urushitani to earn his crack at the inaugural
125-pound belt.
Bisping
and Stann were both forced out of their most recently scheduled
bouts, Bisping at UFC 149 and Stann at UFC on Fox 4, due to injury.
The two then both lobbied for and now have received the opportunity
to square off and will do so in the UFC 152 co-main event on
Sept. 22 in Toronto.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Results: Luke Rockhold Retains Strikeforce Middleweight Title
Luke
Rockhold - StrikeforceIn the main event of Strikeforce: Rockhold
vs. Kennedy in Portland, Ore., on Saturday night, middleweight
champion Luke Rockhold successfully defended the belt against
challenger Tim Kennedy.
For
much of the fight, Rockhold backed Kennedy up with strikes and
stuffed the majority of his takedowns en route to winning a unanimous
decision.
Round
one saw Rockhold hurt Kennedy with a right hand and then back
him into the fence, but couldn’t do much with the position.
From there, Kennedy was able to get away from the fence and scored
a takedown. Rockhold attempted a Kimura before moving to side
control, but neither could find any decisive offense.
Rockhold
scored with a front kick early in round two, while Kennedy looked
to shoot. Rockhold countered a Kennedy takedown attempt, and
took his back briefly. Returning to their feet, Rockhold was
able to pressure the former Green Beret with an array of head
and body kicks for the remainder of the round.
In
round three, Rockhold backed Kennedy up with strikes to the body
for much of the round. As the round wore on, Kennedy scored and
managed to take Rockhold’s back, but only momentarily.
The
champion devastated Kennedy in the fourth round when he landed
a hard right hook that dropped him. Rockhold swarmed, but Kennedy
threatened with a guillotine to get back to his feet. At the
end of the round, Kennedy tried to take Rockhold’s back,
but Rockhold countered and wound up in side control.
The
final round was all about Rockhold’s continued success in
counter grappling. Kennedy attempted several takedowns, but couldn’t
score any of them, while Rockhold managed to get a takedown of
his own.
All
three judges score the fight 49-46 in favor of Strikeforce middleweight
champion Luke Rockhold.
“Everything
I’ve gone through in life hasn’t been easy and it shows,”
Rockhold said post-fight. “In five-round wars, those suck,
but hard work pays off. I controlled the pace. I think I stopped
him most of the time, made him back up and I defended all takedowns
for the most part. I’ve finally gotten some takedowns of
my own.”
With
the win over Tim Kennedy, Rockhold now holds two successful title
defenses since dethroning then Strikeforce champion Ronaldo “Jacare”
Souza in 2011.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Rousey
wouldn’t trade MMA for the Olympics
Ronda
Rousey will defend the Strikeforce title on August 18th, against
Sarah Kaufman, and sees her future more and more attached to
MMA. The Judo expert, bronze medalist on the Olympic Games of
Beijing, in 2008, reveals not regretting to have traded the mats
for the rings.
I
learned to be happy one day and what I learned it that it’s
not like a fairy tale that you get your medal and you go home
and there are sunshine and lollypops. We return to the real life.
just kind of looked at my past experiences and what I knew that’d
be required of me to be the best in the world in Judo and I know
it’s not for me anymore. There’re no regrets”,
explains, revealing the reason for her not to be successful on
the mats.
“The
success is really a journey, it’s not a destination. I had
that problem with Judo, when I was so focused on the destination
that I didn’t care if I was miserable. I mean, I cared,
but I thought that was how I was supposed to be. I’m not
willing to be miserable for four years. I wouldn’t be sitting
around like ‘oh man, I wish I could go back four years so
I could be in there too’”.
The
Olympic Games are scheduled for London between July 27th and
August 12th, bringing many athletes to England. Being there once,
when the event was held in China, four years ago, Ronda avoids
comparisons between the Olympic medal and the Strikeforce belt.
“They’re
both equal, just different”, sums up. “The Olympic
medal I felt like it was more that I was coming to peace with
myself and getting some closure on my Judo career and everything
that just happened. I had an unconventional upbringing, so I
had to do Judo. At the end of the fight I would go like kiss
the mat and laugh. Everyone was like “that’s so weird.
Why is she doing that? It’s like middle-eastern thing”.
I just kinda knew that was the last time I would be there. I
was really like kissing goodbye. I just knew deep down it wasn’t
for me anymore”.
Source:
Tatame
|
4
or 5 Jiu-Jitsu basics we learned from Demian Maia
Demian
Maia’s quick win was one of the fights on the delayed broadcast
on network television in Brazil. UFC publicity photo.
For
the new MMA-fan universe, the only thing that mattered was whether
Demian Maia would manage to win at UFC 148, where he made his
welterweight debut against the game Dong Hyun Kim last weekend.
He
himself seemed to be acutely aware of that and felt likewise.
“Barring the title fight with Anderson [in 2010], this fight
at UFC 148 was the most important to me. I needed to show my
Jiu-Jitsu in the octagon; there was a lot at stake, and good
thing it ended quickly,” said Demian Maia at the post-event
press conference in Las Vegas.
GRACIEMAG.com
applauds the performance of Demian Maia, who gave his opponent
no wriggle room, managing the takedown and mount that resulted
in his lightning-quick victory. But win or no win, it doesn’t
in the least bit affect our appreciation for Demian, who is,
above all, a superb Jiu-Jitsu professor.
On
the pages of our magazine, spread throughout numerous issues,
the black belt from São Paulo taught at least four or
five useful details for basic Jiu-Jitsu. Details that work, whether
on the mat or in the octagon.
1. Private lessons and Jiu-Jitsu
If
you’ve been feeling like you’re stuck on a plateau,
private lessons can open your eyes to a whole world of minor
details capable of changing your game. If you’re higher
ranked, offer to help your teacher with his private lessons.
It’s an excellent way of learning, says Demian.
2. Passing half-guard
When
you’re on top looking to pass half-guard, seek to press
your opponent’s lower back against the ground. That way
he’ll be all the more vulnerable. Without his lower back
on the ground it’s easier for him to defend or surprise
you.
Another
minutiae that ends up helping him to not position himself sideways
and hinder your pass: stick your foot, the foot of the leg caught
in his half-guard, up against the opponent’s gluteal. That
way his half-guard is more perpendicular to the ground, which
means he can’t move much, and the laws of gravity will help
you in pressuring in attack, freeing your leg and surmounting
his guard.
3. Clocks in Jiu-Jitsu
When
attacking with a clock choke, it’s common for beginners
to telegraph that they’re going to grab the collar and try
for the finish. Don’t go trying to stick an open hand in,
as it’s easier for him to block you that way. The thing
is to be quick and stick balled-up fist in when he least expects
it. Once your fist passes under his chin, open your hand and
get a firm grip on the collar.
4. Armbar and adjustment
With
the armbar, remember to keep the opponent’s wrist flush
up against your chest. Furthermore, keep his thumb pointed upwards.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Jussier
da Silva Latest Addition to UFC Flyweights
As
soon as the UFC announced plans to launch its 125-pound flyweight
division, fighters came out of the woodwork to sign with the
world’s premier mixed martial arts promotion.
With
several of the world’s top 125-pounders already in the fold,
the latest addition is Jussier da Silva, according to da Silva
himself and his manager and trainer, Andre Pederneiras.
At
14-1, da Silva is a strong addition to the roster. The only blemish
on his record is a unanimous decision loss to UFC title contender
Ian McCall. That loss came early in 2011. Da Silva has since
righted the ship, winning five consecutive bouts.
A
member of Pederneiras’ Nova União fight team, da
Silva has a strong cast of teammates to help prepare him for
the jump to the Octagon. He trains alongside the likes of UFC
featherweight champion Jose Aldo and interim bantamweight title
contender Renan Barão.
There
has been no word yet as to when da Silva will make his UFC debut,
but with Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson slated to slug
it out for the first UFC flyweight title at UFC 152 in in September,
it wouldn’t be a stretch to think UFC officials might want
to include da Silva on the Toronto undercard.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Chris
Camozzi Signs New Four-Fight UFC Contract
Chris
Camozzi UFC on FoxChris Camozzi, who just landed on his hometown
UFC 150 fight card, also just signed a new four-fight contract
with the UFC.
“I
am excited to be around a for four more fights. The UFC is the
pinnacle of mixed martial arts and I am honored they want me
to be with them,” Camozzi told MMAWeekly.com.
“My
goal in the future is to push myself to be the most exciting
middleweight around. I am working every day to make that a possibility.”
Camozzi
(17-5) is coming off of back-to-back victories over Dustin Jacoby
and Nick Catone. He is currently slated to fight Buddy Roberts
as part of the undercard for UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II
on Aug. 11 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, where he lives and
trains.
Camozzi
made his way into the Octagon via the eleventh season of The
Ultimate Fighter. He won his bout to get into the fighter house,
but broke his jaw in the process, knocking him out of competition.
He
returned at that season’s finale, defeating James Hammortree,
en route to his current mark of 4-2 under the UFC banner.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
All
UFC 148 Drug Tests Clean; Chael Sonnen Granted TRT Exemption
Anderson
Silva and Chael Sonnen at UFC 148Every fighter on the UFC 148:
Silva vs. Sonnen II fight card was drug tested and all 22 fighters
returned negative results.
With
the focus on drug testing in sports becoming more and more intense,
the Nevada Athletic Commission chose to test ever fighter at
the UFC 148 event that took place last week at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Chael
Sonnen, who challenged UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva
in the main event, applied for and was granted a therapeutic
use exemption for his testosterone replacement therapy regimen,
according to the commission’s executive director Keith Kizer.
Silva
went on to win the main event, stopping Sonnen with a knee to
the chest followed by numerous punches that results in a TKO
finish.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Donald
Cerrone Draws Melvin Guillard on His Home Turf at UFC 150
The
UFC 150 fight card slated for Aug. 11 in Denver just got some
serious punching power.
UFC
officials on Friday announced that not only was Donald “Cowboy”
Cerrone granted a fight on his home turf, but he’ll also
face a fighter that packs the same power into his striking game
as he does, Melvin Guillard.
Cerrone
(18-4) has been begging for a bout at the Pepsi Center ever since
he earned a unanimous decision nod over Jeremy Stephens at UFC
on Fuel TV 3 back in May. He’s finally got it in his former
teammate.
Guillard
(30-10), who has left Greg Jackson’s camp in New Mexico
for the Blackzilians in Florida, is just one week removed from
his last fight, a victory over Fabricio Camoes at last week’s
UFC 148 in Las Vegas.
The
two will be part of the supporting cast for UFC 150, which features
UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson rematching Frankie
Edgar, the man he took the belt from.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
President Dana White Unhappy with TUF Brazil Cast at UFC 147
TUF
Brazil featured a slew of exciting bouts, but come the finale
at UFC 147, UFC president Dana White was baffled at the fights.
Many
of the prospects at featherweight and middleweight came from
humble beginnings, but once they got exposure, the fame started
to get to their heads according to White.
With
the show on network television in Brazil pulling in millions
of viewers, many of the fighters couldn’t walk anywhere
without getting mobbed. But come fight time, the results were
less than spectacular and White credits it to the TUF Brazil
cast not taking things seriously.
“The
problem with Brazil is that thing is pulling off NFL playoff
numbers on the biggest channel in the country,” White said
recently. “So what happens is, the week we go into the hotel
these guys are rock stars. They can’t go to their room,
they can’t go out to eat, and they’re getting mobbed
because they’re so famous.
“I
show up the day of the fight and these guys are dancing out and
going out and hanging out. You’re one fight away from not
being in the UFC, what the (expletive) are you dancing about?
This is no dancing matter, you need to get in there and you need
to fight. You need to go out there and prove that you deserve
that contract and be in the UFC.”
The
results weren’t pretty, as many of the fights from the TUF
Brazil cast were lackluster decisions.
Overall
though White was happy with the season, even if the performances
of several fighters that were in the house left a sour taste
in his mouth. And he believes that TUF Brazil middleweight winner
Cezar Ferreira is one fighter that didn’t let the fame get
to his head.
“I
love the guys in TUF Brazil, those guys fought their asses off
the entire season. The fights to get in the house were incredible,
the fights throughout the season were incredible, and then they
show up at the finale singing and dancing except for Vitor’s
kid (Cezar Ferreira).”
Only
time will tell how the TUF Brazil fighters fare over the long
haul. But if they get back to what made the series a success,
we could be seeing the emergence of a new wave of Brazilian stars.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Diego
Nunes joins Anderson Silva’s team for the Palaszeski fight
The
featherweight Diego Nunes decided to change rooms for his next
UFC fight. The athlete, who’s coming from a loss to Dennis
Siver, will train for the duel with Bart Palaszewski, at X-Gym.
“I
can guarantee that Diego Nunes is coming back more explosive.
I believe the guy won’t last until round three”, assured
Josuel Distak, X-Gym head-coach, in Recreio dos Bandeirantes,
Rio de Janeiro.
Distak
leads the trainings of guys like Anderson Silva, Ronaldo Jacare,
Rafael Feijao and Erick Silva at X-Gym, and assured Diego will
have the same success as his training partners.
“He’s
going to become a new fighter. He’s a talented kid who listens.
People will notice he’s changed. We’re starting to
work to push this loss ghost away and move on. His career’s
just beginning”.
The
fight between Diego Nunes and Bart Palaszewski happens on September
7th, at UFC on FX 5.
Source:
Tatame
|
Roger
Gracie subdues Jardine at Strikeforce, even if leaving it to
“the last minute”
The
Strikeforce promotion put on a memorable evening in Portland,
Oregon, thanks to the two title fights; a handful of ex-UFC fighters;
a win from Ryan Couture, the son of a legend; and the Gracie
on the card. In the audience, stars like MC Hammer brightened
up the night.
Roger
Gracie made his debut as a middleweight and demonstrated confidence,
after suffering a knockout at the hands of King Mo and bidding
farewell to the light heavyweight division. Having done a stint
training with Lyoto Machida at Black House in Los Angeles, Roger
displayed his newfound skill at slipping punches and safely closed
the distance on Keith Jardine to take him to the ground.
With
exception to the third round, Roger managed to wrestle his opponent
to the ground and masterfully control the former UFC fighter
throughout. Round one saw him mount and rain punches and elbows
down on Jardine’s face, opening up gashes in the process.
The Gracie looked set to bring a close to the bout in the final
seconds, but the bell cut short his attack.
In
the scond round, Roger got his chin out of harm’s way in
the nick of time and again drug Jardine down. There, the Gracie
saw his best shot at a decisive win, mounting, sinking his hooks,
then a figure-four around the waist, before mounting and launching
an arm-and-neck-choke assault. Again the bell sounded, and the
five minutes of the round were not enough to conclude the encounter.
In
the third and final round, with both fighters showing fatigue,
Roger only managed to keep Jardine at a distance with jabs and
push kicks, biding his time till the final bell.
“I’m
glad I got to put my game to practice. I took him to the ground
and controlled him but he was slippery from so much blood and
knew how to hang on. I kind of wore out in the third round, but
I think I left a few too many kilos to lose till the last minute,
and that resulted in my fatiguing at the end,” explained
Roger while still in the gray cage. “But I’m satisfied;
every time I step into the ring to represent Jiu-Jitsu and my
family makes me happy.”
When
it was all over, the score cards came in deeming the three-time
absolute world champion of Jiu-Jitsu the victor by unanimous
decision.
“It’s
a really important result for me, especially because I’m
coming off a knockout loss. Keith’s a tough guy who’s
beaten a lot of good guys before. I hope to tire less next time
around. I was affected some by the weight-cut. That’s the
biggest lesson for me in this fight—cutting weight properly
and smoothly. It was good that he got tired too, though,”
remarked Roger.
In
the rest of the card, former UFC star Nate Marquardt had his
work cut out for him in overcoming a game Tyron Woodley and his
mother, who cheered the fighter on from start to finish. Following
a three-round, back-and-forth standup firefight, the fourth frame
saw Marquardt land two elbows that unseated Woodley, and a hook
sealed the deal.
Now
in the evening’s main event, Luke Rockhold got the better
of Tim Kennedy for five rounds and took the unanimous decision.
Check out the complete results:
Strikeforce
Portland, Oregon, USA
July 14, 2012
Luke
Rockhold defeated Tim Kennedy via unanimous judges’ decision;
Nate Marquardt defeated Tyron Woodley via KO in R4;
Roger Gracie defeated Keith Jardine via unanimous decision;
Lorenz Larkin defeated Robbie Lawler via unanimous judges’
decision;
Jorge Masvidal defeated Justin Wilcox via split decision;
Pat Healy defeated Mizuto Hirota via unanimous decision;
Jordan Mein defeated Tyler Stinson via unanimous decision;
Jason High tapped out Nate Moore via guillotine in R1;
Ryan Couture defeated Joe Duarte via split decision.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Nate
Marquardt, Luke Rockhold big winners at Strikeforce
Strikeforce
crowned a new champion and held onto another during Strikeforce:
Rockhold vs. Kennedy on Saturday night in Portland.
Former
UFC contender Nate Marquardt won the vacant Strikeforce welterweight
championship with a knockout of Tyron Woodley. Marquardt controlled
the stand-up for the first two rounds and held off Woodley's
takedown attempts.
In
the third round, Woodley knocked Marquardt down, but couldn't
finish him immediately. While Woodley was still working on the
ground, the referee stood them up. Marquardt made his move in
the fourth, hitting Woodley with three upper cuts that knocked
Woodley out for the first time in his career.
[Related:
Strikeforce fighter Lorenz Larkin begs for money after win]
Luke
Rockhold held onto the Strikeforce middleweight belt with a grinding,
five-round decision. Rockhold held off Kennedy's submission attempts
and avoided being takedown. He also landed more strikes. According
to CompuStrike, Rockhold landed 34 power strikes while Kennedy
only landed 16.
The
judges saw it 49-46 on all three cards for Rockhold, moving his
record to 10-1.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
10
Things We Learned from Fedor Emelianenko's Alleged Contract
By Jonathan
Snowden
Salaries
and contract terms for top mixed martial arts fighters are a
closely guarded secret. The UFC, for example, keeps their contracts
completely under wraps. No one knows exactly how much top fighters
make—and that's just the way the promotion likes it.
With
that in mind, you can imagine the excitement of hardcore MMA
fans on the Underground, a popular message board, when a fighter
contract surfaced recently. Member "ShoeMoney," who
has shown an ability to access other confidential information,
claims to have got his hands on a 2008 contract between Russian
great Fedor Emelianenko and promoter M-1 Global.
I
can't vouch for certain that this leaked contract is authentic.
If it's fake, someone spent an awful lot of time translating
45 pages into Russian and English. My hunch, but it's only a
hunch, is that this is the real deal.
I
intend to treat it as such and explore some of the intricacies
of a high level fighter's promotional contract. Ready to dive
in?
Fedor
fought three times over the term of this contract. Because he
won each of those bouts, he was paid $2 million a fight. Combined
with his signing bonus of $1.5 million, he took home some major
cash for his trouble.
The
leaked contract states:
Global
and Fighter are party to a binding Letter of Intent dated September
25, 2007 (“LOI”) and Fighter has received the first
payment of $1,500,000, a signing bonus, as provided therein.
A
million reasons to win.
The
UFC pays fighters a win bonus, usually the same amount they make
to show up and fight. M-1 Global has something similar for Fedor.
He didn't earn a win bonus, but he did get paid more if he was
winning fights than he did if he was losing them. Fedor, in short,
had a million reasons to win each bout:
6.2.
Fighter Services/Bouts: In consideration for the Fighter Services
provided and rights granted by Fighter pursuant to this Agreement,
Global shall pay Contractor the following sums within two business
days after the conclusion of each respective Bout. 6.2.1. For
the first Bout, the sum of Two Million Dollars (U.S.$2,000,000.00).
6.2.2.
For each subsequent Bout: 6.2.2.1. If Fighter won the previous
Bout, the sum of Two Million Dollars (U.S.$2,000,000.00); or
6.2.2.2. If Fighter lost the previous Bout the sum of One Million
Dollars (U.S.$1,000,000.00).
Emelianenko
didn't have much control over who he fought. He was allowed to
reject one proposed opponent, but only one. After that he was
forced to choose between two proposed opponents. Matchmaking
was almost solely in the hands of his promoter, M-1 Global:
2.4.
Opponent(s): Fighter's opponent in each Bout shall be assigned
by Global, at Global's sole discretion, provided, however that
Fighter shall be entitled an opportunity to reject, in the exercise
of commercially reasonable judgment, the first proposed opponent.
Under such condition, Global shall then offer Fighter one additional
proposed opponent. If Fighter wants to reject any opponent, Fighter
must send Global written notice of such rejection within 48 hours
of receipt of written notice of the assignment by Global. Fighter
shall be obligated, however, to accept one of two opponents offered
by Global to Fighter for such Bout. Any opponent shall be selected
by Global in good faith negotiation with Manager. Global is obligated
to make every commercially reasonable effort to select opponents
that positively support the career of Fighter and will lead to
a respected bout within the industry.
You
don't drop a fight on Fedor Emelianenko at the last minute. He
needs time to get his life in order—at least 90 days. Sixty
of those days are for training. The rest, I guess, for eating
ice cream cones and packing:
2.3.1.
Understanding that Fighter has requested no less than 60 days
to prepare for any bout, Global will use its commercially reasonable
efforts to provide Contractor and Fighter no less than 90 days
prior notice of the scheduling and venue of a Bout. The date
and venue shall be as designated by Global in its sole discretion.
Everyone
wanted to see a bout between Fedor and then UFC champion Randy
Couture. It would have been huge for the UFC—and huge for
Fedor. Emelianenko would have taken home $5 million for the fight,
and another cool million if he'd won:
6.2.3.1.
For a Bout between Fighter and the UFC Champion [to whom Global
will maintain, during the Term hereof, a standing offer of Five
Million Dollars (U.S.$5,000,000.00) as a fee] Global shall provide
a purse for the winner of the Bout of an additional One Million
Dollars
This
contract is forever. Forever, ever. M-1 Global will be selling
TV rights to these bouts for as long as there are televisions:
4.4.
Telecast Video, Ownership: Contractor and Fighter agree and acknowledge
that Global shall be the sole owner of, and shall have perpetual
use and control of, all rights of whatever kind and character
in and to the Bouts including tangible and intangible rights
to all films, recordings, all forms of media, television production
and broadcast (including without limitation, cable, syndicated,
network and pay-perview), home video cassette distribution, theatrical
distribution, non-theatrical distribution, and any other audio/visual/electronic
or digital media, prints and copies of materials related to the
Bouts and Fighter Services ("Media"), and shall be
entitled to solely retain all proceeds derived from or arising
out of the exploitation of all Media and Fighter's participation
in the Bout(s).
M-1
Global would like to keep it classy, thank you very much. To
that end, they keep a firm control over the logos and sponsors
Fedor will wear into the cage. Want to get around their restrictions
with a temporary tattoo? They are one step ahead of you:
3.3.1.
Fighter covenants and agrees that no wording, symbols, pictures,
designs, names or other advertising or informational material
(i) for any beer, alcohol, beverage company, tobacco, casino
or gaming company, media company, (ii) of any sponsor in conflict
or competition with Global, or any of Global's sponsors; (iii)
of any sponsor causing injury to the reputation of Global or
Global's sponsors and/or their respective officers and owners;
or (iv) which has not been pre-approved in writing by Global
shall appear on the trunks, robe, shoes, regalia or any other
part of the costume or the body (including by use of temporary
or henna tattoos) of Fighter or any of Fighter's Affiliates during
or at any Bouts, Pre-Bout Events or Post-Bout Events.
It's
business class for one of the world's best fighters. After all,
that flight from Russia to the U.S. or Japan is no joke. But
for staff? It's back with the masses:
7.1.1.
Two (2) round-trip business class and four round-trip economy
class airline tickets from Fighter’s domicile to the location
of the Bout.
7.1.2.
Global shall pay for and provide a total of four (4) hotel rooms
for occupancy by Fighter and up to five (5) individuals of Contractor’s
designation. These may include, but are not limited to, Fighter’s
manager, agent, trainer, seconds, sparring partners, and other
persons associated with or connected with the Contractor for
the Bout.
Bungee
jumping is out. So is fencing. Any combat sport is a no-no except
his beloved Sambo. M-1 doesn't want Fedor participating in amateur
X-Games, so they've made it part of the contract. Fedor doesn't
look like a sky diver, but just in case, it's expressly prohibited:
8.3.
Fighter recognizes that Fighter's participation in other sports
may impair or destroy his ability and skill as a mixed martial
arts contestant. Accordingly, Fighter agrees, from the date of
execution of this Agreement to the end of the Term, not to engage
in or participate in any other sport or activity involving a
substantial risk of personal injury, including but not limited
to automobile or motorcycle racing, flying in or piloting a private
aircraft, fencing, kickboxing, parachuting or skydiving, bungee
jumping, boxing, skiing, or ice hockey, and that, without the
express prior written consent of Global, Fighter will not engage
in or participate in any amateur, collegiate or professional
athletics sport.
This
MMA stuff can be dangerous. Although we haven't seen a death
in a UFC bout, there have been a handful of fatalities worldwide.
M-1 wants to be sure that Fedor and his heirs are ready for that
(unlikely) scenario:
9.2.
In consideration for the opportunity to participate in the Bouts,
and with full knowledge and complete assumption of all the risks,
Fighter, for himself, his heirs, assigns, executors and administrators
("Releasing Parties") hereby irrevocably agrees that
the Releasing Parties will not sue or claim against Global and
each of its respective parents, subsidiary entities, affiliates,
successors and assigns, and the respective directors, officers,
members, managers, employees, agents, contractors, partners,
shareholders and representatives, in their individual, personal
and representative capacities for each of the foregoing entities
("Released Parties") for any injury, illness, damage,
loss or harm to Fighter or Fighter's property, or Fighter's death,
howsoever caused, resulting or arising out of or in connection
with Fighter's preparation for, travel for, participation and
appearance in any Global promotional events, the Bouts, the Pre-Bout
Events and the Post-bout Events or any activities associated
therewith.
Source:
Caged In
|
UFC
147 Drug Tests Come Back Clean
The
UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin II drug test results are in and they
all came back clean.
All
22 fighters at UFC 147 were tested for both illegal recreational
drugs as well as performance enhancing drugs. The results were
negative for all 22 fighters, according to UFC vice president
of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner.
Since
UFC 147 took place at an international location without a regulatory
body, the UFC coordinated with an independent testing company
to provide for drug testing of its athletes.
Wanderlei
Silva and Rich Franklin headlined the event, which also included
the featherweight and middleweight finals of the inaugural season
of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Ed
Soares: Chael Sonnen’s a Good Guy, But He Crossed the Line
Anderson
Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, doesn’t dislike Chael Sonnen.
In fact, he thinks Sonnen is a good guy.
That
doesn’t mean Soares approved of Sonnen’s comments leading
up to UFC 148, however.
“I’ve
always thought Chael was a good guy,” Soares told the Sherdog
Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “I just
thought that he crossed the line. Chael is a good person. Chael,
when the cameras are off, he’s a good guy. He’s a solid
guy. I like Chael. I always have, but I’ll tell you, whether
he was just hyping [the fight] or not, there were times when
he would start pissing me off and I had nothing to do with it.”
Sonnen
leveled remarks at Silva’s wife, his country and more. For
sure he helped build a huge amount of anticipation for the bout,
but Soares believes Sonnen took the personal attacks too far.
“To
hear Chael talk about Anderson’s wife that way and talk
about Brazil … to talk about any nation and any other culture
that way, I don’t see the benefit for it,” Soares said.
“I really don’t see the benefit for it. I do think
he crossed the line. I don’t think Chael’s a bad person.
I think Chael was just trying to do what he could to try to promote
the fight and make this fight as big as possible, but I think
that he did cross the line. I’ll say it now and I’ve
said it before: No one ever paid attention to Chael Sonnen. No
one ever paid attention to him. Unfortunately his style of fighting’s
not exciting to watch. The only time people started paying attention
to him was when he started talking about Anderson. Once he struck
that nerve and saw that it worked, I think he just took it to
another level.”
Sonnen’s
comments seemed to strike a nerve with Silva. At the weigh-ins,
the champ hit the challenger with his shoulder during their faceoff.
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer
spoke with Silva’s camp about the incident, but according
to Soares, Silva will not be fined.
“Keith
Kizer had a talk with us after the fight,” Soares said.
“He pulled us to the side and kind of talked to Anderson
about what happened. Everybody that knows Anderson knows that
that was a little bit out of character. Sometimes emotions get
to people. I’m not saying I 100-percent agree with what
he did, but I mean, come on, man. People can’t forget that
the guy was talking about his wife, talking about his country,
talking about all that. At that point in time it’s like
two wrongs don’t make a right, but it happens. It’s
a fight.”
Of
course Silva won the rematch, stopping Sonnen via strikes 1:55
into the second round. Afterward both fighters seemed more cordial
with each other. Silva even invited Sonnen to his home for a
barbecue, which didn’t surprise Soares as much as it reinforced
his view that Silva had moved past Sonnen’s challenge with
class.
“I
think [Silva] just wears his heart on his sleeve,” Soares
said. “It’s done with. He beat him up twice. He submitted
him once. He TKO’d him the second time. Now what else does
Chael have to say?”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Werdum
feared for Anderson’s defeat: “I got worried”
By Guilherme
Cruz
Anderson
Silva knocked Chael Sonnen out last Saturday, at UFC 148, but
its beginning was not at all good for the Brazilian. The challenger
took the champ down on the first seconds of the fight and spent
the rest of the time punishing Silva with his ground and pound,
which made many fans worried about the situation. Among them,
there is Fabricio Werdum, who was watching the fight on one of
the first rows.
“I
thought it was like a replay of last fight. I guess not only
me, but the entire world thought that. I got worried”, said
the UFC heavyweight fighter, during his participation of the
show Planeta Nocaute, on Esporte Interativo (Brazilian channel).
“The guy was on top of him, took him down on the beginning
of the round and had a lot of time to spend there”.
Werdum
trusted on his friend’s superiority on the ground, but what
actually worried him were the American elbows, once any good
coup with that area of the body might change everything.
“What
scared me the most were his elbows because an elbow might change
everything in a fight. A big cut might force the doctor to stop
the contest”, explains the fighter, complimenting Anderson’s
performance on the following round. “Anderson did a good
job defending himself, used basic Jiu-Jitsu techniques thinking
the referee could ask them to stand-up. He held in there and
on the second round it was over for Sonnen”.
Source:
Tatame
|
Viewpoint:
Farewell to a Partnership
By Tristen
Critchfield
On
August 7, 2010, Chael Sonnen took Anderson Silva to the brink
of defeat.
As
a result, a battle-tested journeyman became a bona fide star,
and a gifted artist finally found a suitable foil. Nearly two
years later, after suspension, injury, insult and a change in
venue, the two rivals finally crossed paths again on Saturday
at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
In
the meantime, Sonnen became a larger-than-life figure thanks
to his outlandish professional wrestling routine. Silva, meanwhile,
helped contribute to the hype by promising that his opponent
would need extensive dental work after their rematch.
It
was all great theater, and it helped to generate the type of
mainstream interest the UFC had not seen since its centennial
event in 2009. In the end, the champion restored order by stopping
Sonnen via technical knockout in the second round, an anti-climactic
ending for those who were anticipating five-round drama along
the lines of their initial meeting. Really, though, was not what
Silva did to the self-proclaimed “Gangster from West Linn”
at UFC 148 what we all expected to happen when they first crossed
paths at UFC 117?
After
all, Sonnen was not even supposed to get past Nate Marquardt
in a No. 1 contender bout at UFC 109 six months earlier. The
Oregonian did that and then some, raising his, Silva’s and
the UFC’s profile along the way. It is hardly the scenario
one would have envisioned when Sonnen was submitted by Demian
Maia upon returning to mixed martial arts’ largest organization
at UFC 95.
At
the UFC 148 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White
gushed about the event’s box office success: “This
is absolutely, 100 percent, the biggest fight we’ve done
by far.”
Tito
Ortiz, one-half of the largest gate in Nevada history up until
now, sat just a few feet away as White estimated that the event
generated a live gate of $7 million -- approximately $1.6 million
more than Ortiz and Liddell helped make at UFC 66 in 2006. That
success can be attributed to the unlikeliest of partnerships.
At first glance, it is hard to think of Sonnen and Silva as partners,
but the reality is that neither could have risen to these heights
without the other.
Sonnen
brought out the best in Silva.
Thanks
to Sonnen, Silva has never been more marketable. By physically
and mentally testing the champion like no one else before him,
Sonnen made people forget Silva’s maddening efforts against
the likes of Maia and Thales Leites. Meanwhile, Sonnen became
the world’s clear-cut No. 2 middleweight, as well as a guy
who can sell pay-per-views on his own. Sonnen needed someone
to push, and Silva, in turn, needed someone to push him. The
dominant outcome rendered by “The Spider” in their
sequel secured his legacy.
Despite
the results, it is hard not to think the rest of us have missed
out an even bigger payoff: the most lucrative trilogy in Ultimate
Fighting Championship history. With two losses relegating Sonnen
to guest-of-honor status at Silva’s championship cookout,
the promotion has to find the next suitable challenge for the
sport’s pound-for-pound king, because he is not riding off
into the sunset just yet.
Why
would he? Silva was nasty at UFC 148, landing a knee to Sonnen’s
chest that was both borderline illegal and devastating. It was
just another example of how Sonnen was able to bring out the
edgier side of Silva, a positive for a fighter so talented he
often has had to combat boredom in the Octagon.
“I
love what I do -- every time I get ready for a fight, I enjoy
[it]. As long as I can perform mentally and physically, I’ll
fight,” Silva said at the post-fight press conference.
The
problem is not a lack of matchups that make sense for Silva.
Depending on how things play out, Mark Munoz, Hector Lombard,
Chris Weidman or Michael Bisping could all prove to be worthy
challengers in a matter of months. So could Rashad Evans, if
he elected to drop down a division. However, none of them can
generate the buzz that a third showdown with Sonnen would have.
When
asked whom he would like to face next, Silva mentioned none of
the above names. Instead, he half-jokingly expressed a desire
to fight his clone. Of course, the closest thing to that, at
least in terms of length, creativity and weight-class dominance,
is Jon Jones, and it has become obvious that neither man wants
that bout.
“I
guess Anderson said he had no interest in fighting me at tonight’s
press conference,” Jones tweeted. “I feel the same
way about him. Nothing but respect.”
Respect,
as Sonnen has taught us, is not the foundation of a memorable
rivalry, but even he knows when to give credit where credit is
due. While he never said it directly, the former University of
Oregon wrestler has to know that his time to antagonize Silva
has passed. Sonnen’s next chance at the middleweight belt
will come when Silva is no longer sitting atop the divisional
mountain.
“They
gave me the opportunity. Nobody owes me anything,” Sonnen
said after the bout. “He’s a true champion.”
If
not for an errant spinning back fist, perhaps we would be making
plans for Silva-Sonnen 3. There would be more months of trash
talk, hype and anticipation. Instead, it is time to close the
book on this rivalry for good.
The
most enduring image of Silva’s outing was a moment of reconciliation
shortly after his hand was raised. The champion put his arm around
his bitter adversary, burying the hatchet after the most emotionally
charged victory of his career. For all intents and purposes,
it felt like a moment of closure.
The
smart money says Silva has a few more impressive wins in him,
and that he will be sending out more barbecue invitations in
the not-so-distant future. It is also probably pretty safe to
say that none of those wins will be quite as memorable as this
one. Nobody brought out the best in Anderson Silva quite like
Chael Sonnen.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Ramon:
Its like I took all the weight of my back
Story by
Eduardo Ferreira, directly from Las Vegas
Anderson
Silva kept the middleweight belt as defeated Chael Sonnen, last
Saturday (7th), at UFC 148. One of the responsible for his good
performance was the Brazilian Ramon Lemos, his Jiu-Jitsu coach.
The trainer, who was at Spider’s corner, celebrated with
the victory conquered on the second round.
On
an interview with TATAME, Ramon said, after the fight, he took
a big bag of weight off his back and compared Anderson to great
soccer players.
“Anderson’s
gifted and when trained and perfected is impossible to have bad
results. It’s hard to find someone like Anderson Silva.
I guess that, if there were guys like Pele, Ronaldinho, Romario
in soccer, in MMA definitively Anderson is part of the history
of the sport and it’s unlikely we’ll see other guy
like him”.
How
was Anderson’s state of mind?
Anderson
didn’t take it personally. We had a goal. If we get angry
we stop thinking and don’t accomplish the goals set by ourselves.
In all of the days, all the 90 days, we’ve spent together,
he’s been saying “he’s going to be knocked out”.
The truth is that Anderson’s gifted and when trained and
perfected is impossible to have bad results. It’s hard to
find someone like Anderson Silva. I guess that, if there were
guys like Pele, Ronaldinho, Romario in soccer, in MMA definitively
Anderson is part of the history of the sport and it’s unlikely
we’ll see other guy like him.
On
the first round Sonnen came and took him down quickly. Were you
concerned?
I
had said it before: Chael Sonnen is predictable. On the stand-up
we knew he wouldn’t do it. We knew he would walk his guard
high. He has a high elbow guard and tried to suffocate us with
his takedowns. If I’m not wrong, Anderson moved the wrong
leg when taken down. He was supposed to take off the right leg
but did it with his left leg and his head was not on the right
place. We didn’t expect that he’d take him down that
fast, but we were prepared in case the fight went to the floor.
We trained a lot, including gi Jiu-Jitsu trainings. We blocked
his Jiu-Jitsu, and I kept giving him infos so that Anderson kept
his arm straight, move his hip and not let go with the leg. On
the second round, Feijao and I told Anderson to let go with his
arms. I usually say that the brilliant moment of the fight was
when the guy threw the rounded punch, Anderson dodges and the
guy felt. Anderson, cold as he is, goes for it and fits a knee.
Since he’s a wrestler, Chael Sonnen let his arm straight,
stood up and wanted to back him off. I guess he got tired from
the punches landed on him. It’s like I took all the weight
of my back. I’m very happy.
You
were Anderson’s coach on their first fight. What does this
new win proves?
As
I said on the UFC shootings, he hasn’t fought Anderson Silva
before. He didn’t. Anderson had to stay on the United States
because of his greencard, he didn’t have his team with him,
no one. I guess like a one third of his team came. He didn’t
do his conditioning trainings with Rogerio Camoes, whom I’m
fan of. I didn’t feel Anderson strong enough to fight. And
three weeks before the fight he injured his rib. He couldn’t
punch, he couldn’t defend the takedowns nor fight on the
ground. We worked a lot at Jiu-Jitsu and it paid off. The guy
is a big star. Now Anderson was ready, 100 percent. When he’s
100 percent is impossible to have other result.
Those
statements of Anderson were advertising?
We
haven’t talked about it, Anderson always surprises us. It
was a surprise for us. What I can say is that I’m spicing
this barbecue up (laughs).
What
lessons did you take from Sonnen accepting the invitation to
the barbecue? Does it prove it’s all about promoting the
fight?
I
guess if he wins, he stays in character. It doesn’t change
things. He would only find another guy to do it with. The danger
of being like that is that if the guy uses a substance and it
has an effect on him, he starts needing a higher dose. Let’s
imagine that everybody starts taking this substance. When everybody
gets used to this substance he’s gonna look worse than the
others. So what? What is he going to say? Which attitude will
he have? He creates a world that, if it all falls apart, you
will have to change your speech, fake you’re a nice guy
and in the fighting world you end up being known as a liar, a
clown. It’s like telecatch. The fighters have to be respected.
I know he wanted to fight and to win, but that’s it.
Was
Anderson psychologically prepared for a loss?
When
you’re an athlete, you win or lose. There’s no other
way. Anderson’s a champion and was never defeated in the
UFC, is the best in the world today, but he has lost before.
If you can’t accept a loss you have to go do something else,
because it’s part of the job. Now I don’t train to
be number two. I train to build number one guys. My Jiu-Jitsu
athletes, when they say they’re closing up the division
I say: “fight. I train no one to be number two”.
What’s
next for him? Is there a chance Anderson goes to a different
weight class?
No.
I guess Anderson’s not going to the light heavyweight division.
The middleweight is where he feels at home and he performs the
best. As his coach, if Anderson goes to the division above it
changes the way he fights, the way he moves and train. It’s
hard to have this experience. Anderson’s been in MMA for
a long time and we don’t need to experiment things. We already
know what works and what doesn’t work. He belongs in the
middleweight division.
Source:
Tatame
|
Anderson
Silva: 10 Memorable Moments
By Todd
Martin
It
is often hard to appreciate history while it is still happening.
Fans have become so accustomed to Anderson Silva’s dominance
that it is hard to remember the time when he did not tower over
the sport with highlight-reel knockouts and submissions. Silva’s
reign will eventually end, maybe as soon as this Saturday, when
he meets Chael Sonnen in the UFC 148 main event at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Silva
has crafted a legacy so inordinately successful that it will
likely grow even more impressive as time provides historical
context. These are the moments that stand out the most in Silva’s
storied career.
Undefeated
No More
Shooto
“To The Top 7” | Aug. 26, 2001 -- Osaka, Japan
When
Silva fought Hayato Sakurai in 2001, the undefeated Japanese
star was arguably the most highly regarded lighter weight fighter
in the sport. Mixing solid wrestling and submissions with a dangerous
standup game, Sakurai was a complete mixed martial artist at
a time when few others were. The Shooto middleweight champion
was prized by the UFC and Pride Fighting Championships organizations,
and ended up fighting for both. However, his reign as Shooto
champion ended abruptly in the late summer of 2001 against a
then relatively unknown Brazilian.
Silva
had only fought once in Japan prior to his golden opportunity
against Sakurai. His win over Tetsuji Kato was enough to earn
the shot, and Silva took advantage. Still, Sakurai proved to
be a difficult challenge for him. This did not prove to be a
spectacular and one-sided destruction like so many future fights.
Rather, Sakurai hung in the standup with Silva and scored a number
of takedowns over the course of the bout. Silva was active enough
off his back and landed enough shots in the standups to take
a unanimous decision. Sakurai’s long dominance in Japan
was over, and, following a car accident, he never again reached
the same heights.
This
was the fight that announced Silva’s presence on the world
stage. He never fought for Shooto again, instead vacating the
title and joining Pride. The credibility of the win over a fighter
the caliber of “Mach” Sakurai that paved the way for
Silva’s future stellar success, and he was just getting
started.
Silva flattened Carlos Newton.
The
Flying Knee
Pride
25 “Body Blow” | March 16, 2003 -- Yokohama, Japan
Few
weapons are more valuable to a striker in MMA than those which
prevent a grappler from closing the distance. The more hesitant
a wrestler or jiu-jitsu artist is to move in on a kickboxer,
the more likely the fight is to be fought on the striker’s
terms. Silva knows that better than anyone and has made a career
of knocking out opponents with precise counterstrikes when they
look to take him to the ground. Sunday morning quarterbacks will
often question why a fighter did not go for takedowns more aggressively
against a dynamic striker. The answer: fights like Silva-Carlos
Newton.
Newton
had a clear route to victory against Silva, as he needed to get
the then-Chute Boxe fighter to the ground. Newton’s jiu-jitsu
was his forte, and Silva’s strength was known to be in striking.
“The
Ronin” did get Silva to the ground early, but the fight
returned to the feet later in the first round. Newton looked
to take Silva back down, at which point disaster struck for the
former UFC welterweight champion. Silva went to the air at just
about the same moment Newton ducked for a takedown. His knee
collided violently with Newton’s head, and it was lights
out. A split second changed everything, and grapplers were put
on notice: shoot on “The Spider” at your own peril.
Danger
From Below
Pride
“Shockwave 2004” | December 31, 2004 -- Saitama, Japan
His
submission loss to Daiju Takase may have been more surprising
because of how lightly the 4-7-1 Kazushi Sakuraba protégé
was regarded, but the most memorable defeat of Silva’s career
came against the former Deep champion Ryo Chonan. Chonan pulled
out a come-from-behind submission win in the final two minutes
of his fight with Silva -- a strange complement to Silva’s
future come-from-behind submission win in the final two minutes
of his fight with Chael Sonnen. However, unlike the Silva-Sonnen
fight, which ended with a standard triangle armbar, Chonan executed
a submission that has rarely been pulled off, before or after.
The
Japanese fighter knew he needed to do something to pull off a
win over Silva at Pride “Shockwave 2004.” While the
fight was competitive, Silva had generally gotten the better
of the action and was likely to get a decision win in a matter
of moments. Chonan dove forward and scissored Silva’s legs.
Tripping Silva to the ground, Chonan cranked a heel hook and
forced the Brazilian to tap. It was a shocking conclusion to
the fight and the last true loss of Silva’s career.
An
Auspicious Debut
UFC
Fight Night 5 | June 28, 2006 -- Las Vegas
Few
fighters in UFC history have ever debuted as spectacularly as
Silva did in 2006. He was expected to be a contender in the middleweight
division, but his main event against Chris Leben was not considered
a gimme at the time. Leben had won five straight fights in the
UFC and sported a sparkling 15-1 record. Leben, known for his
iron chin and solid striking, vowed to take the fight to Silva.
It
was only a few seconds before the folly of that approach became
readily apparent. Leben charged forward swinging wild punches.
Almost all of them missed. Silva responded with pinpoint counterpunches.
Almost all of them connected. Not only did Silva land at will
right on Leben’s chin, but he connected with power. He dropped
Leben once and then floored him for good with a knee. At the
end of a 49-second massacre, Silva had connected with 85 percent
of his strikes, and Leben had connected with 13 percent of his.
Leben
was simply outclassed. That raised a troubling question: if Silva
could do that against a game UFC contender, what would he do
against the rest of the middleweight division? The answer soon
followed, and it was not good news for everyone else fighting
at 185 pounds.
The
Beginning of a New Era
UFC
64 “Unstoppable” | Oct. 14, 2006 -- Las Vegas
Rich
Franklin was twice a victim.
It
is easy to forget that before Silva arrived, Rich Franklin was
firmly planted as the king of the UFC middleweight division.
Only Frank Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, Pat Miletich and Matt Hughes
had more successful title defenses to that point in UFC history,
and Franklin had never been bested at 185 pounds.
Franklin’s
nearly 500-day title run came to an abrupt end at the hands of
Silva, thanks in part to a calamitous fight strategy. Franklin
admitted after the fight that he expected the clinch to be his
“sweet spot” against the master of the Thai plum. Sweet
spot it was not. Silva destroyed Franklin with knees from the
clinch before the fight was mercifully stopped three minutes
in. There was almost a feeling of pity for the longtime champion.
The
destruction that Silva wrought against Franklin was evident when
the two rematched for the title in Cincinnati the next year.
“Ace” does not have the best of poker faces. In his
most recent contest against Wanderlei Silva, he came out smiling
like he could not wait to fight. Against “The Spider”
in 2007, Franklin looked like he was coming out for a funeral.
The champion again finished Franklin with strikes and left no
doubt as to who was the better man.
Last
Best Hope Denied
UFC
82 “Pride of a Champion” | March 1, 2008 -- Columbus,
Ohio
While
Franklin reigned as the UFC’s middleweight champion, Dan
Henderson ruled Pride’s 185-pound division. Thus, when Silva
defeated Franklin twice, Henderson was left as the only man who
stood out as a particularly formidable challenge. Henderson’s
wrestling chops and stout chin were thought to present danger
for the Brazilian knockout artist.
Henderson
indeed looked threatening to Silva early, winning the first round.
However, Silva took over in the second. After dropping Henderson
with strikes, Silva dominated on the ground and secured the submission
with a rear-naked choke. The ground did not prove to be nearly
as hospitable for Henderson as many had figured.
In
less than two years, Silva had effectively cleaned out the 185-pound
division. In the coming years, he dabbled in fighting at light
heavyweight and took on underwhelming challengers for his middleweight
title. After the Henderson fight, it became harder and harder
to find anyone picking against “The Spider.”
Toying
Around
UFC
101 “Declaration” | Aug. 8, 2009 -- Philadelphia
Forrest
Griffin got absolutely clowned.
Forrest
Griffin was not supposed to look like an overmatched sparring
partner. The man was a former champion at the weight class above
Silva, with wins over the likes of Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Yet in Philadelphia,
Griffin looked like he did not belong in the cage with the Brazilian.
Silva showed his propensity to not just defeat opponents but
to thoroughly humiliate them.
After
a feeling-out process, Silva and Griffin picked up the pace towards
the middle of the first round of their bout. Griffin aggressively
attacked his foe with punches, but Silva bobbed his head and
ducked in and out as if they were coming in slow motion.
The
sequence almost looked choreographed. Silva then counterattacked,
with his strikes connecting solidly on Griffin’s chin. As
Griffin charged in, Silva lifted up his fist effortlessly and
dropped Griffin to the canvas. Griffin flailed wildly on the
canvas, and the fight was called off.
Griffin
was so devastated he literally ran from the cage to the back.
It was hard to blame him; few fighters have the ability to wound
an opponent’s pride like Silva.
Perseverance
UFC
117 “Silva vs. Sonnen” | Aug. 7, 2010 -- Oakland, Calif.
Some
fighters’ careers, like that of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira,
are defined by overcoming adversity. However, Silva, Nogueira’s
training partner and pupil, is not one of those fighters. Silva
dominates. It was thus unusual to see him controlled for the
majority of five rounds by Chael Sonnen. After talking an unprecedented
amount of trash, Sonnen backed it up by repeatedly taking down
Silva and punishing him with punches. “The Spider”
was not in control of the fight like he almost always is, but
it was in that moment of weakness that Silva showed the heart
of a champion.
As
Sonnen beat down Silva for nearly 25 minutes, the longtime champion
did not disconnect himself from the fight. He hung in and, in
the final stanza, finally saw an opening. He secured Sonnen’s
arm and quickly swung his hips and legs up for a triangle choke.
By the time Sonnen recognized his mistake, it was too late. Silva
locked in the triangle and yanked down on Sonnen’s arm.
The American had to tap. Silva had survived.
Silva-Sonnen
I was one of the most memorable fights and most impressive comebacks
in MMA history. It added to Silva’s legacy so much more
than other fights that he won with greater ease. Silva’s
ability to dole out punishment was not in doubt. Against Sonnen,
he showed he had world-class mental toughness, as well.
Out
of the Movies
UFC
126 “Silva vs. Belfort” | Feb. 5, 2011 -- Las Vegas
Steven
Seagal saw it happen.
Steven
Seagal is no stranger to making unorthodox martial arts techniques
look easy. It was thus appropriate that he was in Silva’s
corner when the champion knocked out Vitor Belfort with a front
kick right out of the movies at UFC 126.
Front
kicks are not new techniques in MMA, but they have rarely been
used to finish fights, even by advanced muay Thai specialists.
It is a lot easier to pull off on a movie set than against a
live opponent. However, Silva has always had an ability to execute
moves that other fighters struggle to master. Looking down, Silva
darted his leg straight up towards Belfort’s face, knocking
his fellow Brazilian loopy. The fight was over just seconds later,
and Silva had once again made the spectacular look standard.
Following
Silva-Belfort, the front kick began to be used more often. Most
notably, Silva’s training partner, Lyoto Machida, used a
leaping front kick to finish Randy Couture two months later at
UFC 129. Other fighters were watching and learning anew what
could work in a fight, 18 years after the first Ultimate Fighting
Championship event.
Triumphant
Return
UFC
134 “Silva vs. Okami” | Aug. 27, 2011 -- Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil
With
the Brazilian market rapidly becoming a hotbed for the UFC, today’s
elite Brazilian fighters will have plenty of opportunities to
perform in front of their home country in the coming years. Junior
dos Santos and Jose Aldo will be counted on to draw in live crowds
in the burgeoning South American power.
However,
Silva, now 37, saw his peak years as a fighter come at a time
when Brazil was not a frequent stop for upper-echelon MMA. That
made it all the more special when, at UFC 134, he had the opportunity
to perform in his native country for the first time since he
became an international superstar.
Returning
to fight in Brazil for the first time since 2003, Silva was presented
with a seemingly difficult stylistic matchup. Yushin Okami had
utilized excellent wrestling to win six of seven fights heading
into a showdown for the UFC middleweight title. Even so, Okami
seemed paralyzed by Silva’s dynamic striking ability. The
Japanese veteran never got his wrestling game going, and Silva
put an end to the fight with punches in the second round.
Afterwards,
it was time to celebrate in front of an ebullient crowd in Rio
de Janeiro. “The Spider” was home.
Source
Sherdog
|
Dan:
‘I like fighting guy who are a little bit cocky’
Story by
Evelyn Rodrigues, directly from Las Vegas
While
September 1st doesn’t come, Dan Henderson is watching all
UFC editions. The fighter, who’s confronting Jon Jones in
a couple of months, on the 151st edition of the show, affirmed,
on an interview with TATAME, he likes to fight guys who are a
little cocky.
“He
is what he is and I enjoy fighting guys like that, that are a
little bit cocky. It’s funny to put them in their place
(laughs)”.
You
fought great guys, like Shogun. Did these last fights proved
you still have a lot to do?
No.
I knew that going in. I’ll never go into a fight, accept
the fight if I think I can’t win, beat the guy up. That’s
never been an issue with me. It’s just a matter of making
sure my body is good physically and mentally. Things’ have
been well for me. I’m always at the train or with my wife.
What
do you think of this third time in the UFC?
It
is what it is. I feel like I’m doing always the same sport
just on different platforms. I just focus on who I’m fighting
at the time and could be in a ring or in a cage, on an octagon
or on a hexagon, it doesn’t matter.
What
is the biggest challenge Jon Jones presents to you? He had some
troubles lately. Do you think it will affect his performance?
I
don’t know. I couldn’t comment if they distract him
or not. I’m sure he’s a smart kid and he’s going
to train hard for any fight that he has. As far as the biggest
assets, his length, his goofiness, his elbows and I think he
continuous tries to get better. It’s up to me to make sure
I do what I do best.
There
was something you said about the fighter’s confidence, but
there’s something that goes beyond that. Do you think that’s
his case?
I
don’t know if I can export that. How do you guys see him?
He is what he is and I enjoy fighting guys like that, that are
a little bit cocky. It’s funny to put them in their place
(laughs).
Do
you think about a rematch with Anderson?
I’m
not waiting for anything. I’d probably cut weight for it,
but right now I’m not even thinking about it. If it never
happens, I’ll still live my life just fine. If the fans
want to see that, if there’s nobody else at 205lbs and they
want to see me fight, maybe I do that. But I’m not worried
about that right now. I’m worried about the other tall skinny
guy (laughs).
Tito
Ortiz joined the Hall of Fame lately. Does it make you think
about the way you fight and retiring?
I’m
not thinking that I’m going to stay around until they have
to kick me out.
Source:
Tatame
|
Chael
Sonnen Answers Rumors On a Potential Appeal, Retirement and Future
in the WWE
by Damon
Martin
Prior to UFC 148, Chael Sonnen was known as ‘The American
Gangsta’ but following his loss to champion Anderson Silva
they may have to change his name to the rumor killer.
Following a 2nd round TKO defeat at the hands of Silva, rumors
began circulating almost immediately concerning Sonnen with tales
of everything from his pending retirement to a new career blooming
as a professional wrestler destined for the WWE.
After the UFC on Fuel TV 4 weigh-ins were finished on Tuesday,
Sonnen sat down to answer to some of those rumors, and needless
to say most were shot down like a clay pigeon at a firing range.
First up was the question about the knee strike that Silva landed
on Sonnen in the 2nd round that served as the harbinger for the
end of the fight.
Sonnen maintains the same view now that he did on fight night,
and accuses Anderson Silva of no wrongdoing.
“The knee really hurt, all those shots really hurt, but
here’s the reality – we don’t do instant replay
in this sport and we shouldn’t. It comes down to a judgment
call,” Sonnen said. “Wherever the referee says the
knee landed officially, that’s where the knee landed. That’s
an excellent official as they all are, he made his call and that’s
the way it goes, and I will never complain or look back.”
That brought up the second question in the roundtable discussion
about the gossip surrounding Sonnen after the fight on Saturday
night. It had been rumored that someone from Sonnen’s camp
was going to file an appeal for the decision claiming that Silva’s
knee strike was thrown with the intent of landing to the head,
which is illegal when an opponent is on the ground.
Like the politician he was once upon a time, Sonnen shot down
another rumor while saying the only score he’d ever like
to settle with Silva is a potential rematch down the road.
“Let’s make sure we don’t call it illegal, once
again the referee’s judgment is what stands. I trust in
that and it works both ways. I’ve thrown knees before, the
referee makes his decision, that is the decision and we live
with it,” said Sonnen.
“We would never appeal it except with these (fists), if
we had a chance to re-do it that’s a different thing. But
we would never go and appeal the decision. The decision’s
the decision and part of competing is you’ve got to know
how to lose. It’s real easy to win, but you’ve got
to know how to lose, and sometimes you’ve got to man up,
swallow it, and walk out.”
The third rumor floating around after the fight came from another
coach, Neil Melanson, who stated he believed Sonnen might call
it a career after the second loss to Anderson Silva.
That was another swing and a miss as the rumor mill was then
0-3 against Sonnen during Fuel TV’s interview with the former
middleweight title contender.
“I don’t think any athlete should even begin to talk
like that or even think like that until you let about 30 days
go by. In anything in life you don’t want to make a decision
based on emotion, and you have very big highs and very big lows
in this sport, and you don’t want to make any drastic decisions,”
Sonnen stated.
“I also think that it’s an insult to the fans when
guys like to come out and say ‘I’m retired’ when
they really mean ‘I’ll see everybody in 18 months cause
I’m coming back’. I don’t want to do that. When
I get to that point in my career, I’ll make the statement
and I’ll never look back.”
The final rumor about Sonnen following the fight was that he
might soon make a transition from fighter to professional wrestler.
It’s no secret that Sonnen is a longtime pro wrestling fan,
and he’s even become close with several high profile names
from that industry including ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin
and current WWE superstar C.M. Punk.
With Sonnen’s ability to talk, sell a fight and his athleticism
he would surely be a welcomed addition to Vince McMahon’s
roster of talent, but again the former Oregon All-American said
no thank you to becoming a star in sports entertainment.
He’s still got some unfinished business in MMA to tend to
first.
“I tried to go to WWE, it’s in Vegas on the 16th of
this month, but I was leaving Vegas. I love to go to the WWE,
I get my popcorn, I cheer on C.M. Punk, but I go back to my promoter
Dana White at the end of the night,” Sonnen commented.
For all the brash comments Sonnen unleashed prior to UFC 148,
he sat humble on Tuesday night and offered up only truthful and
forthcoming answers. He didn’t believe the knee Anderson
Silva threw was illegal, he’s not appealing the loss, he’s
not retiring and he’s not going to the WWE.
The honesty he displayed however may gain him a newfound respect
amongst fans and colleagues alike.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
148 Salaries: Forrest Griffin ($275K), Tito Ortiz ($250K) Top
Disclosed Payroll
Forrest
Griffin and Tito Ortiz didn’t headline UFC 148, but the
light heavyweight veterans did earn the largest disclosed purses
from the July 7 event.
According
to figures released to Sherdog.com on Monday by the Nevada Athletic
Commission, Griffin took home $275,000 (including a $150,000
win bonus) for his co-main event victory over the retiring Ortiz,
who earned $250,000 in defeat.
UFC
middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who topped the 11-fight
bill last Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, banked
a flat $200,000 with no win bonus for his 10th consecutive title
defense, a second-round stoppage of Chael Sonnen ($50,000).
Other
high earners on the card included middleweight Cung Le ($150,000),
welterweight Demian Maia ($96,000) and lightweight Melvin Guillard
($72,000).
Note:
The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do
not include any performance-based or discretionary bonuses that
may be awarded to a fighter by the promotion. Additionally, the
reported figures do not reflect any deductions made by the commission
for taxes, insurance, etc., and do not include any sponsorship
money that a fighter may acquire for their performance.
UFC
148 Payouts:
Anderson
Silva: $200,000
(No win bonus)
Chael
Sonnen: $50,000
Forrest
Griffin: $275,000
(Includes $150,000 win bonus)
Tito
Ortiz: $250,000
Cung
Le: $150,000
(No win bonus)
Patrick
Cote: $21,000
Demian
Maia: $96,000
(Includes $48,000 win bonus)
Dong
Hyun Kim: $44,000
Chad
Mendes: $36,000
(Includes $18,000 win bonus)
Cody
McKenzie: $10,000
Mike
Easton: $20,000
(Includes $10,000 win bonus)
Ivan
Menjivar: $13,000
Melvin
Guillard: $72,000
(Includes $36,000 win bonus)
Fabricio
Camoes: $8,000
Khabib
Nurmagomedov: $20,000
(Includes $10,000 win bonus)
Gleison
Tibau: $31,000
Constantinos
Philippou: $32,000
(Includes $16,000 win bonus)
Riki
Fukuda: $28,000
Shane
Roller: $46,000
(Includes $23,000 win bonus)
John
Alessio: $10,000
Rafaello
Oliveira: $20,000
(Includes $10,000 win bonus)
Yoislandy
Izquierdo: $6,000
Source:
Sherdog
|
At
UFC Broadcast Table, Jon Anik and Kenny Florian Take Their Lumps
and Keep on Ticking
By Ben
Fowlkes - Senior Writer
The
woman at the UFC Fan Expo meant well, even if it didn’t
seem like it at first as she put her arm around UFC commentator
Jon Anik and leaned in for a little heart-to-heart.
"You
know, the first time I saw you I was like, who the [expletive]
is this guy and where are Rogan and Goldie?" she said, pausing
just a little too long to let the former ESPN host wonder whether
there was a follow-up sentence coming. "But now I think
you guys are great!"
By
‘you guys,’ she meant the UFC’s second broadcast
team, consisting of Anik on play-by-play duties and retired UFC
fighter Kenny Florian as the color commentator. They’re
the duo that the UFC has tapped now that it’s finally come
around to the conclusion that the longtime broadcast squad of
Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg might need a break every now and
then. With a breakneck UFC schedule in 2012, which sometimes
includes two events on different continents inside of one week,
it helps to have a second set of voices on the mic every now
and then, especially for events like Wednesday night’s UFC
on FUEL TV 4.
It’s
just that, for Anik and Florian, the transition has not been
without its challenges, and ardent fans of the Rogan and Goldberg
duo are only one of them.
For
starters, there’s the schedule. Anik thought he’d gotten
used to some long hours while working as an ESPN anchor and doing
drive-time sports talk radio in Boston. Then he took the job
with the UFC.
"It’s
crazy," he told MMA Fighting. "I thought I knew how
hard everyone at Zuffa works, but when you see it firsthand it’s
kind of insane. Let’s just say, they didn’t have to
send me a mass email to let me know I was working the Fourth
of July. I knew it."
It’s
not just the events, either. Anik also hosts the weekly UFC Ultimate
Insider show on FUEL TV, conducted interviews on the first live
season of The Ultimate Fighter, and emcees the occasional pre-fight
press conference. It’s a job that required moving his family
from their longtime home in the Northeast (Anik was born and
raised in Boston, and attended Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania,
where he created his own major in political journalism) and to
the scorching desert of Las Vegas, which turned out to be just
fine by Anik.
"Every
day I come home from work and jump in the pool," he said.
"Every day."
But
why would someone who always dreamed of working in broadcasting
leave a job at a sports juggernaut like ESPN? The answer, according
to Anik, has to do as much with his love of MMA as it does with
his passion for live TV.
As
the host of ESPN’s MMA Live, he became the network’s
go-to guy for MMA. He’d fallen in love with the sport after
covering an EliteXC event for a boxing radio show in Boston,
and "the minute I saw it my wheels started churning and
I knew that’s what I wanted to do." Hosting a weekly
MMA show for the worldwide leader seemed fine at first, he said,
but six months into the gig he knew he wanted to cover MMA full-time,
"and I knew that opportunity, for one reason or another,
wasn’t going to materialize at ESPN." If he stayed
there, he might never get the chance to call a live fight, or
do any play-by-play at all beyond a Rutgers football game.
"There’s
nothing like doing a live event," said Anik. "It’s
the lifeblood of sports television. For me, I wasn’t getting
enough of that at ESPN. I did a little bit of college football
at the end of my run, but I feel like I do my best work with
the live event. There’s nothing in sports broadcasting like
it. ...When the UFC first approached me, they said the most critical
part of the job would be calling fights. That was a huge selling
point for me."
But
when you take over some of the commentating duties from UFC broadcast
staples like Rogan and Goldberg, who are, according to Anik,
"an institution," there’s bound to be some rough
transitions, as Anik and Florian soon found out.
For
instance, there’s the Facebook group "Jon Anik and
Kenny Florian are Garbage," which has only four likes, but
still isn’t the kind of thing you want popping up when your
parents search for you on the Google. There’s also no shortage
of criticism on forums and web sites, not to mention the occasional
awkward in-person run-in, such as the one at the Expo.
"Honestly,
I thought it would be worse," said Florian, who had an entire
MMA career to get used to MMA fans and their eager use of the
internet to express their opinions. "I actually expected
a lot more criticism."
What
Florian didn’t expect, he said, was that the toughest part
of his new job would be learning how to criticize others. It
sounds easy enough to sit on the safe side of the fence and pick
apart those inside the cage, and for most people it might be.
But Florian knows what it’s like to be the guy who’s
getting his face sliced open while someone with a headset sits
a few feet away talking calmly about what he should be doing
differently, as if it were just that easy.
"I
know what it’s like to prepare for a fight," he said.
"I know what it’s like to go in to a fight and not
be able to do what you wanted to do. I know how hard they train.
Coming from that, it can be hard to [criticize]. I think I’m
more comfortable criticizing a fighter now, because I have been
there, but it’s something you just have to deal with. I
mean, what professional athlete doesn’t have to deal with
criticism? That’s part of the job."
Still,
that doesn’t mean that the fighters he talks about are always
so understanding. Florian first got a taste of that back when
he worked with Anik on MMA Live. After he criticized heavyweight
Josh Barnett for his performance in a 2009 bout with Gilbert
Yvel, Barnett took it personally.
"It
wasn’t even that harsh, but he went off and went on MMA.tv
and wrote this whole thing," Florian said. "I thought
that was kind of weird."
For
Anik, this job is the culmination of a lifelong goal. He and
Florian have now called over a hundred UFC fights, including
a few "dry runs" before they made their on-air debut
in January of 2012, and he feels as though the repetition of
it all is starting to pay off.
"You
get in a rhythm. We did three shows in four weeks in June, which
helps. We’re still a work in progress, but this is my dream
job," he said.
But
for Florian, who’s thankful to still be working in the sport
he loves even after officially retiring as a fighter, it’s
hard not to feel a little sting when he sits down at the broadcast
table and is reminded that, from now on, this is probably the
closest he’ll get to the Octagon.
Don’t
get him wrong, he loves his new job, he said. "But every
time I see a fight, every time I hear the music, every time I
do an interview or see a promo, there’s a competitor inside
who wants to fight. I don’t think that’s ever going
to go away."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Carlos
Condit: The UFC Has Not Offered Me a Fight with Hendricks or
Kampmann
By Jeremy
Botter
These
days, Carlos Condit finds himself between multiple rocks and
a hard place.
He's
the UFC interim welterweight champion, and he's tentatively penciled
in for a title vs. title bout with Georges St-Pierre on November
17. That's assuming St-Pierre's knee continues to heal properly,
of course, but all recent signs point to St-Pierre making the
date.
You'd
think fans would be excited about St-Pierre vs. Condit, but that
hasn't been the case. The only thing Condit hears these days
are complaints: Why isn't he fighting Johny Hendricks? Why isn't
he defending the belt against Martin Kampmann? Interim championships
are created so that a belt can be defended while the true champion
is out of action, so why is Condit sitting on the shelf until
St-Pierre comes back?
"The
bottom line is that the UFC has not offered me another fight.
I haven't been contacted, nor has my management been contacted
about fighting anybody else other than Georges St-Pierre,"
Condit told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview during
last week's UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas. "So Georges is the
guy I want. And if the UFC wants that fight, I'm content to wait
for him to be ready. If it's in November, of course."
What
happens if St-Pierre suffers a setback during the rehabilitation
of his knee?
"If
it's going to be longer, then I will entertain the idea of taking
another fight," Condit said. "As far as I know, Georges'
recovery is on track, and he's going to be ready to go November
17."
It's
not just the fans who have been upset at the idea of Condit sitting
on the sidelines. Fellow welterweight Hendricks wants a shot
at Condit, and he's got the record to back it up. Kampmann is
also in contention after wins over Rick Story, Thiago Alves and
Jake Ellenberger.
Condit
recently told the media that he was more interested in facing
Kampmann. This enraged Hendricks, who felt that his win over
Josh Koscheck—coupled with a four-fight winning streak—should
have been enough to earn him a crack at the belt.
But
Condit has very specific reasons for his interest in fighting
Kampmann.
"I
mean, he's had a good run recently. But his last fight was a
pretty close decision with Josh Koscheck. Kampmann, on the other
hand, finished Thiago Alves. He knocked out Jake Ellenberger,"
Condit said. "He's had a stellar run as of late. And it's
just a fight that I'd be more motivated for. And I think there
would be more hype for the fans. That's just the bottom line."
And
so, Condit patiently awaits the return of St-Pierre and the title
unification bout that just might be one of the UFC's most interesting
fights on the fall schedule.
Truth
be told, it's a fight that has intrigued Condit for years, mostly
because he thinks he might have the perfect style to give the
long-reigning welterweight champion some serious problems in
the cage.
"I
think I pose some problems for Georges that he maybe hasn't seen
in the past. I'm well-rounded. Some of the guys he's fought before
were relatively one-dimensional. I'm dangerous and I can finish
from a lot of different positions," Condit said. "And
I know that I have my hands full and it's a huge task. Georges
is one of the best guys that's ever stepped in the Octagon. That's
actually the main reason I want to fight him. I look for a challenge.
To be the best, you've gotta beat the best. And Georges St-Pierre
is the best."
Condit
will likely get his chance to prove that he's the best at UFC
154 in November. And with Hendricks and Kampmann scheduled to
meet on the same card—likely in the co-main event—the
UFC's welterweight division will finally start to gain some stability.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Chael
Sonnen and UFC 148: “A call from Renzo Gracie changed my
behavior”
At
a pre-UFC 148 open training session in Las Vegas, middleweight
title challenger Chael Sonnen sweat like a lion. When interviewed
by Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting shortly thereafter, though,
Chael was back to his calm self. Too calm, as the reporter himself
noted.
“I
got a call from Renzo Gracie, and when you get a call from a
Gracie, it’s kind of like getting a call from Randy Couture:
You don’t share your opinion, you listen, and you hang up.
And that’s it. … He wasn’t overly happy with me,
but let’s leave it at that,” says Sonnen in the interview.
The
challenger also addressed the moment the two looked about to
throw down for real at the pre-event press conference on Tuesday.
“To me he was trying to get disqualified to not have to
fight on Saturday. It was very hard to keep a straight face when
he was doing that…” said Sonnen, who has to shed around
ten kilos (22 lbs) by weigh-ins today.
In
the interview, Sonnen is also charmed to hear he had been spoken
kindly of by Mike Tyson, despite previously targetting the former
boxing world champion in his frequent diatribes.
What
did Renzo Gracie tell Chael Sonnen on the phone before UFC 148?
Back
in the days of the extinct IFL, Renzo already waved MMA's banner
in the USA. Photo: Publicity/Getty Images/GRACIEMAG archives
During
the pre-UFC 148 open training session, Chael Sonnen left reporter
Ariel Helwani all the more curious when he said Jiu-Jitsu legend
Renzo Gracie had called him on the phone and set him straight,
telling him, Chael, something that caused him to reflect and
change his ways.
But
what is it that Renzo told the challenger? GRACIEMAG.com went
after the answer:
“I
just told him that if he kept up that trash talking he would
be taking away from the greatness of the task that he had ahead
of him, he is fighting one of the best fighters of our generation,
and people would lose the chance to know the real Sonnen, a great
athlete who I saw young fighting hard back in the Japan days,
building his career as a fierce fighter, a career that ended
up turning him into one of the amazing people that populate our
great sport,” Renzo said.
“I
just asked him to behave with the greatness of a champion. Many
fighters dream of that opportunity, to fight the best and test
themselves in the toughest sport that existed. Be great, be bold,
be fair, and above all be honest. Some will love you, others
will hate you. But they will know who you really are. Fight this
fight in a way that will be unforgettable to those who had the
privilege to watch. I won’t miss a second of this great
match,”, the Gracie said in conclusion.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
DCA’s
new spin on illegal CSAC meeting doesn’t cut it
By Zach
Arnold
On
Saturday, we laid out our case to you with graphical evidence
just how the Department of Consumer Affairs‘ attempt at
an illegal meeting for the California State Athletic Commission
violated multiple laws. They violated laws regarding public notification,
classification of the meeting, and violating the Disabilities
Act.
The
article we wrote was based on the initial spin coming from DCA
legal that they had classified their Saturday 9 AM last-minute
CSAC meeting as a ’special’ meeting as opposed to a
standard public meeting. The problem with this spin is that in
the agenda document they posted online 16 hours before the meeting
took place, they cited Government codes in the public comment
section that classified the meeting as a standard affair. They
never listed the word ’special’ or ‘emergency’
in the document, which is not typical behavior for an agency
controlled by the DCA when such an unusual meeting is called.
They were arrogant and sloppy in their behavior of how they conducted
business. Our assertion is that anyone who challenges the results
of the meeting in court at a future date would win their court
case.
Thanks
to a great reader, here is the new spin from the Department of
Consumer Affairs on Monday:
Just
corresponded wtih Melissa Figueroa (Deputy Secretary, Communications
State and Consumer Services Agency). She said, and I quote: “It
was an emergency meeting, and the notice was posted Friday Afternoon.”
So,
now we’ve gone from DCA legal proclaiming it was a ’special’
meeting to an ‘emergency’ meeting. This sleight of
hand is a trick to bypass the notification rules that they have
to give the public & the media for advance notice. A standard
meeting requires 10-day advance notice. A special meeting requires
48 hours advance notice on the Internet and with news wires.
An emergency meeting does not require advance notice.
From
the Bagley-Keene Act that DCA legal signed off on for January
2012:
3.
Notice Requirements for an Emergency Meeting
An
emergency meeting may be held without complying with the 10-day
notice requirement in Section 11125 or the 48-hour notice requirement
in Section 11125.4. However, newspapers of general circulation,
television and radio stations that have requested notice of meetings
shall be notified of the emergency by telephone at least one
hour before the meeting. If telephone services are not functioning,
notice is deemed waived. The notice must be posted on the Internet
as soon as practicable after the decision to call an emergency
meeting has been made. However, newspapers, television and radio
must be notified as soon as possible after the meeting of the
fact of the meeting, its purpose, and any action taken. (§11125.5(c)).
4.
Specific Requirements for an Emergency Meeting The following
are required to be posted in a public place and on the Internet
for a minimum of 10 days, as soon as possible after the emergency
meeting:
*
Minutes of the meeting
* A list of persons notified, or attempted to be notified, of
the meeting
* Any action taken at the meeting
* The rollcall vote on action taken (§11125.5(d))
If
they had classified the last-minute hearing as an emergency hearing,
they would’ve had to label the agenda notification as such
and would have had to cite the state government codes for calling
an emergency meeting. They didn’t.
The
codes they cited for public comment at the meeting are [Government
Code Sections 11125, 11125.7(a)], which is the standard 10-day
non-special non-emergency meeting legal lingo that they use for
all agenda notifications.
As
for the minutes requirement, the CSAC hasn’t posted minutes
of a hearing since March 5th. And, on occasion, their minutes
documentation does not entirely & accurately reflect what
actually took place at the hearings.
There
is no list of people made available of who they tried to contact
to notify about their meeting. I have not found one individual,
in the media or in the fight business, who knows what happened
at the Saturday hearing. In fact, one source told me that there
were people in the Sacramento office on Friday who had no clue
that a Saturday hearing was even taking place. So much for serving
the stakeholders who bring revenue to California.
The
whole process stinks. The behavior of DCA here stinks. It’s
no wonder that nobody has any confidence whatsoever in their
decision-making ability to run a competent agency for regulation
of combat sports in California. They may get away with their
actions in the press, but they won’t in a court of law.
This is why their Saturday stunt should absolutely be exposed.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
The
Gracie show: Rolles, Gregor and Igor set to fight at One FC 5
By Guilherme
Cruz
For
the first time in all MMA history, three members of the Gracie
family will compete on the same night. At One FC 5, event scheduled
for August 31st, in the Philippines, Rolles, Igor and Gregor
are scheduled to get inside the ring.
“The
fight have been confirmed, they’re just looking for opponents.
My brothers and I will fight on the card,” Rolles told TATAME.
The
heavyweight made his debut at One FC with a first round TKO win
over Bob Sapp, and he’s excited to be part of a growing
organization.
“I’m
thrilled to fight at One FC once again. It’s a big organization,
it’s growing a lot and I believe in their idea and potential”.
Rolles
hasn’t fought since his triumph over Sapp, his sixth win
in seven MMA fights. Igor, a welterweight talent, will make his
debut at the show, looking for the sixth win of his short career
of seven bouts. Gregor, only one who fought more than once at
One FC, looks for redemption after a loss to Adam Shahir Kayoom,
at One FC 4.
Few
names are already confirmed on the card: Shinya Aoki, Bibiano
Fernandes and Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral.
Source:
Tatame
|
UFC
148 Prelims Reach New FX Ratings High with 1.8 Million Viewers
By Mike
Whitman
The
undercard special for UFC 148 averaged 1.8 million viewers on
FX, a new high for a live UFC broadcast on the Fox-owned cable
network.
Sherdog.com
confirmed the figure with an industry source Tuesday morning.
The viewership figure surpasses the previous high of 1.6 million
viewers set by the UFC 145 prelims in April.
UFC
148 took place Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The evening’s main card saw UFC middleweight champion Anderson
Silva defend his belt for the 10th time by stopping challenger
Chael Sonnen in the second round of their highly anticipated
rematch.
The
preliminary broadcast on FX contained four bouts, all of which
went the distance and resulted in unanimous decisions. Lightweight
Shane Roller used his superior wrestling to top former WEC and
UFC title challenger John Alessio, while middleweight Constantinos
Philippou survived a scary, accidental eye poke to outlast Riki
Fukuda. In two other lightweight bouts, Khabib Nurmagomedov kept
his perfect record intact by using his aggressive, windmilling
style to outpoint lightweight staple Gleison Tibau, and hard-hitting
Melvin Guillard bested Royler Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt Fabricio
Camoes to close out the FX broadcast.
Prior
to the televised offering, a lightweight contest between six-time
UFC vet Rafaello Oliveira and Floridian prospect Yoislandy Izquierdo
was streamed live on Facebook. Oliveira outpointed “Cuba”
to hand him his second straight Octagon defeat.
Source
Sherdog
|
DCA’s
illegal Saturday morning CSAC meeting
By Zach
Arnold
No
matter how hard the media spins DCA talking points about the
chaos surrounding their involvement in the financial affairs
of the California State Athletic Commission, understand that
we have been telling you the real insider story about what has
been going down. The only combat sports writer who has showed
any attempt to understand what is going on is Josh Gross of ESPN.
That’s it. That’s it. We should also give a shout out
to Mauro Ranallo for inviting us onto his radio platform to discuss
what has been going on in California.
We’ve
had readers ask me to create a digestible summary article about
the civil war between the Department of Consumer Affairs and
the CSAC. Because we’re agitated by the lazy & incompetent
nature of the writers who have written pro-DCA articles about
the dysfunction of the CSAC, we wrote an article just for beginners
and those who are confused by the situation. Thanks to the help
of Boxing Insider, we’ve produced the following:
LA
Times, combat sports media whitewash DCA’s hand in California
chaos
Consider
this article your baseline as to why things have played out the
way they have.
If
you need any further proof that our reporting and the events
that have recently transpired has Sacramento rattled, then I
am about to provide proof that will answer any doubts you might
have about our claims.
On
Tuesday afternoon at the CSAC meeting in El Monte, California,
the Department of Consumer Affairs had sent a dozen officials
including top staffers to terminate George Dodd’s career
as Executive Director of the CSAC. We’ve long exposed how
Dodd has been marginalized by the boorish advice from the DCA
in regards to what decisions should be made. We’ve outlined
how they use their legal department to manipulate recommendations
and pressure CSAC board members into doing what they want, as
opposed to allowing CSAC to hire their own outside legal counsel.
At
the Tuesday meeting, DCA failed to terminate Dodd’s career
thanks to 82-year old CSAC Chairman John Frierson standing up
to the Sacramento bullies and telling them NO to their termination
request. As an end result, the DCA dozen went back home to Sacramento
and had to tell their boss that they didn’t get the job
done. Of course, they managed to spend over $7,500 taxpayer dollars
in the process, but who’s counting?
Dodd’s
survival floored everyone back at DCA. Frierson’s rejection
of DCA’s strong-arming made them furious. As a result of
this outcome, DCA is extremely paranoid and desperate. They know
that the promoters, fighters, and referees on the ground understand
the game that they are playing with the CSAC. The majority of
the media won’t call it like it is, but the citizens &
taxpayers are ahead of the curve. This has DCA ready to pull
out all the stops. Remember, DCA illegally threatened George
Dodd in their insolvency letter that he would be held personally
liable for all CSAC debt. The fact they put this in print is
beyond stupid.
So,
no one should be surprised by what DCA pulled off on Friday…
even though we still are. On Friday afternoon, a bulletin was
posted on the CSAC web site of a June 30th hearing to go over
the delegation of supervision regarding budget affairs at CSAC.
At the Tuesday hearing, Dodd was censured and the CSAC board
members said that he would work with Chairman John Frierson and
Vice Chairman Eugene Hernandez to go over matters of supervision
regarding the finances. Sounds fine, right?
Consider
the following. June 30th is tomorrow. The Department of Consumer
Affairs set up a meeting less than five days after the El Monte
hearing. They announced a hearing to the public with less than
24 hours notice. This is entirely illegal. The only way DCA via
CSAC can call a hearing on such a quick basis is to label it
an emergency hearing. This hearing is not labeled as an emergency
hearing.
It’s
a violation of process on two levels. First, the law states that
the commission must give 10 days notice to the public before
a hearing takes place. DCA followed this protocol when they quietly
announced George Dodd’s job hearing on June 16th. 10 days
later, on June 26th, they tried to terminate his career. Now
you have DCA, with less than 24 hours notice, violating the law
considering that it’s a public hearing and it’s not
declared an emergency hearing. Second, the hearing violates the
Disabilities Act. At the bottom of every CSAC agenda document,
it states the following:
NOTICE:
The meeting is accessible to the physically disabled. A person
who needs disability-related accommodation or modification in
order to participate in the meeting may make a request by contacting
George Dodd at (916) 263-2195 or email george.dodd@dca.ca.gov
or sending a written request to George Dodd at the California
State Athletic Commission, 2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 2010,
Sacramento, CA 95815. Providing your request at least five (5)
days before the meeting will help ensure availability of the
requested accommodation. Requests for further information should
be directed to George Dodd at the same address and telephone
number.
Meetings
of the California State Athletic Commission are open to the public
except when specifically noticed otherwise in accordance with
the Open Meetings Act. The audience will be given appropriate
opportunities to comment on any issue presented.
By
booking this last-minute, illegal hearing, the Department of
Consumer Affairs is violating the rights of those who are disabled
and would like to participate in a public hearing. The fact that
DCA legal actually thinks they can get away with this is beyond
arrogant. Then again, they’ve had most of the media carrying
their water for so long that they always think they can get away
with pulling these kinds of stunts.
Consider
what Josh Gross wrote on Twitter tonight:
“DCA
announced this morning it was going to audit CSAC. Not sure if
this meeting is related. … A DCA rep informed me about it.”
Because
this hearing is illegal and it violates multiple laws, the outcome
of this hearing should be totally null and void. DCA believes
they can get away with their tactics, but they can’t if
someone calls their bluff — especially in court. It’s
also giving George Dodd more ammunition should he ever end up
filing a retaliation lawsuit against DCA. DCA is already facing
one retaliation lawsuit over CSAC matters. They should know better.
In
addition to holding an illegal hearing, there are multiple details
about this process that are crazy. First, the hearing is set
for 9 AM. 9 AM on a Saturday morning. They sure didn’t want
anyone to know about this, did they? Second, on the listing of
teleconference locations, they listed John Frierson’s home
address. This has to do with a provision of The Brown Act. More
on this later in the post.
Second,
Linda Forster’s name is no longer listed as being a member
of the CSAC board. She did, in fact, resign from the commission
on Wednesday. She did her best Captain Louis Renault act as to
stating her reasons for why she left the commission. She was
appointed to the CSAC one year ago, just like Brian Edwards was.
Both quit the board.
Which
leads us back to last Tuesday’s hearing in El Monte. Governor
Jerry Brown appointed a former SEIU representative, Dean Grafilo,
to take over the Edwards seat on the board. He participated at
the El Monte hearing despite the fact that he has not been approved
by the state Senate nor has he been sworn in as a member of the
commission. This means that until both things happen, his vote
should be voided at these hearings. How this is even being allowed
is only of benefit to DCA.
As
a result of this ambush hearing on Saturday morning, the agenda
(published late Friday afternoon) states the following:
Consideration
of Delegation Authority to the Chair and Vice-Chair to act on
behalf of the Commission with regard to budget issues.
There’s
one of two ways to look at this. Either DCA plays it straight
& narrow… or they continue playing their games and suddenly
start thinking about grabbing more power. The Brown Act comes
to mind. If you want to read the full text of The Brown Act,
click here. Why bring up The Brown Act? It has to do with rules
& procedures for open meetings in California, which can be
manipulated. Kind of like this ambush hearing tomorrow at 9 AM.
If you want an example of how The Brown Act can be violated,
read this story about residents in Chula Vista alleging a city
meeting violated the Act. It puts everything into an easy-to-understand
context for you.
Whether
John Frierson gave the OK for the Saturday meeting or if DCA
legal… assisted… in setting up the matter, the truth
is that this is a perfect example on display of how they have
been pulling the strings for so long. Anyone in the media who
continues to push the spin that the financial problems of the
CSAC are entirely the fault of George Dodd just is either lying,
ignorant, or misinformed. It’s not our job to defend George
Dodd, but it is our job to expose exactly what is going on behind
the scenes and why the state of affairs for California combat
sports is such a mess.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
UFC
ON FUEL TV 4 RESULTS:
LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY & UPDATES
H.P. Pavilion
in San Jose, Calif.
Raphael
Assuncao vs. Issei Tamura
Round
1
Referee Jason McCoy is the third man in the cage for this bantamweight
bout. Assuncao opens up with some hard outside low kicks as he
circles around the Shooto product. Assuncao gets clipped with
a right hand in an exchange and comes back grazing with a high
kick. The Brazilian stays busy with the low kicks but twice is
warned to keep the kicks legal by McCoy. Turning kick from Assuncao
connects to the body and he just misses up the middle with a
front kick. Assuncao ducks in behind a superman punch and puts
Tamura on the fence, can’t hold him there. Tamura coming
forward but Assuncao backs him off with a high kick, misses with
an overhand right. Tamura’s staying on the outside, not
giving much in terms of offense. He takes a kick to the midsection
that sends him backpedaling. Assuncao stuffs a takedown attempt
and controls Tamura’s head and arms as they hit the floor,
but Tamura shakes him off when Assuncao tries to take the back.
Assuncao tries a few more kicks before the horn sounds.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Assuncao
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Assuncao
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Assuncao
Round
2
Assuncao gets tangled up after missing a spinning kick and Tamura
gets aggressive, rushes forward with punches. Assuncao backs
up and answers with a perfect left-hand counter that stumbles
the Japanese fighter. Assuncao smells blood and unloads on Tamura,
whose legs go wobbly as he backs into the fence. A few more punches
put Tamura on his knees and referee McCoy has seen enough. This
one is over, a TKO victory for Raphael Assuncao at 25 seconds
of round two.
Marcelo
Guimares vs. Daniel Stittgen
Round
1
Guimaraes finds the range with leg kicks before rushing in for
a double-leg. Good stuff from Stittgen, who puts his back on
the fence to defend the takedown attempt. Guimaraes changes to
a single-leg, back to a double, then a waistlock and a single
again. Stittgen uses Guimaraes’ momentum to put the Brazilian
on his back, but Guimaraes keeps rolling and drives on another
single-leg on the fence. Stittgen is peppering with punches inside
while both men throw ineffective knees low. Guimaraes won’t
let go of the single-leg, now with two minutes left in the opening
frame. Stittgen works overhooks as he’s pushed along the
fence by Guimaraes in a frustrating clinch, eventually causing
the American to yell out. Guimaraes is still grinding away with
body punches and knees when the horn sounds.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-10
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Guimaraes
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Guimaraes
Round
2
Stittgen flicks out a few body kicks before kicking the rear
leg out from beneath Guimaraes, who falls to the ground. The
Brazilian pops right back up and resumes the familiar position
from last round, pushing Stittgen into the cage. Stittgen breaks
loose 90 seconds into the round and zaps Guimaraes with a quick
flurry of punches. Stittgen comes forward with a leg kick and
Guimaraes charges to push Stittgen into the fence again. Stittgen
gets free and sprawls on a shot, then makes Guimaraes pay with
a few winging punches and leg kicks. Guimaraes lands a slapping
low kick and Stittgen gives him a hard one in return, then a
few more. Stittgen turns away another shot but gets bullied into
the cage once again. Guimaraes holds him there with minimal action
until ref Josh Rosenthal splits them up with 30 seconds left
in the round. Stittgen gets the better of the final exchange,
landing a few punches and a turning kick to Guimaraes’ side.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Stittgen
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Stittgen
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Stittgen
Round
3
Guimaraes lands an outside leg kick and a long left hand, then
keeps coming forward with kicks to the inside and outside of
Stittgen’s legs. Stittgen is looking for a big shot, loading
up his right hand and waiting to counter while mixing in leg
kicks, but Guimaraes isn’t giving him much opportunity.
Stittgen is keeping his distance by backing up and flashing kicks
to the legs and body, kicks that are looking a bit fresher than
Guimaraes’ at this point. They throw hands in the pocket
and Stittgen waves Guimaraes on, but instead the kicks resume.
Decent left hook from Stittgen and he backs Guimaraes away with
another right. Neither man is really pulling the trigger, and
with one minute left, Guimaraes rushes Stittgen into the fence.
Guimaraes is screaming and grunting, making animal noises as
he throws body punches and knees furiously for the last minute.
Stittgen can only watch as he’s pinned on the cage until
the horn.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Stittgen (30-28 Stittgen)
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Guimaraes (29-28 Guimaraes)
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Stittgen (29-28 Stittgen)
Official
result: All three scorecards read 29-28, one in favor of Daniel
Stittgen and two for the winner by split decision, Marcelo Guimaraes.
Rafael
Natal vs. Andrew Craig
Round
1
The middleweights waste no time before throwing heavy shots on
the feet. Natal comes first with a left hand but Craig keeps
coming forward, pawing with punches, attacking the legs and body
of Natal with kicks. Natal is moving constantly, switching up
his stance and dipping inside to attack Craig with punches which
have Craig’s left eye showing damage. Natal grins in the
southpaw stance as he leans over and taunts Craig to come forward.
Craig obliges and lunges forward with a right hand, and Natal
keeps countering. The American tries to run him down before the
bell, connecting with a solid left hand and a body kick.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Natal
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Natal
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Natal
Round
2
Natal is scoring with punches from the first exchange, and 45
seconds in, he catches Craig with a big left hand. It’s
all pressure from Natal, throwing punches as Craig backs into
the fence and tries to stay vertical. Craig finally loses his
balance as he comes off the cage and falls to his rear, and Natal
punishes him with more heavy shots. Somehow, Craig clambers to
his feet, survives another barrage of punches and nearly takes
Natal’s back. Natal turns around and unloads with more punches
that have Craig in deep trouble. Craig hits the ground, this
time at the base of the fence, and Natal mounts him and puts
Craig’s back on the cage. Natal gives up mount to try a
guillotine but Craig has hold of single-leg and uses the position
to put Natal’s back on the fence. Craig backs out of Natal’s
guard and referee Marcos Rosales orders the Brazilian up. The
middleweights jaw at one another as they exchange, drawing a
verbal warning from the ref. Craig is still coming forward, swinging
haymakers but Natal is picking him off with counters. Craig fakes
low and kicks high with his right leg, catching Natal with his
hands low and putting the Brazilian down with a shin to the head.
He pounces with two piston right hands, but Natal is already
out of it and referee Rosales jumps in. Wild knockout for Andrew
Craig at 4:52 of the second round.
Chris
Cariaso vs. Josh Ferguson
Round
1
Cariaso comes forward at the start, but Ferguson rushes in behind
some long punches to clinch him into the fence. Cariaso won’t
stay on the fence and turns him around, then snuffs out a single-leg.
A sweeping right hand connects for Ferguson and Cariaso replies
with a leg kick and a left. Ferguson hits the mat after a follow-up
right hand and Cariaso is all over it. Half-guard on Ferguson’s
left side for Cariaso, who keeps busy with punches until Ferguson
kicks him away. Cariaso ducks a punch and ties up, and Ferguson
puts him down with a double-leg on the fence. Ferguson is trying
a guillotine with his right arm but Cariaso is doing well to
shrimp underneath, and eventually explodes to his feet with 1:45
to go. Cariaso scores with a right hand in the clinch, shoves
Ferguson away and clips him with another right. Ferguson misses
a right high kick but catches Cariaso with a spinning heel to
the face. Cariaso doesn’t go down, instead lunging forward,
but Ferguson reverses him into the cage. Cariaso seems to have
recovered as he works for an outside trip, reverses to the outside
and lands some nice elbows over the top. Takedown goes for Cariaso
but there’s less than 30 seconds left and he finishes the
round trying to pass half-guard.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Cariaso
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Cariaso
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Cariaso
Round
2
Cariaso continues to find a home for his left hand at the start
of the second as he pushes forward on Ferguson and dips inside
with quick hands. Ferguson reverses the momentum momentarily
with a takedown, but Cariaso limp-legs away and socks Ferguson
a few times as he does. The scenario plays out again a minute
later, with Cariaso being taken down, but instantly reversing
and making Ferguson pay with hard shots. The wide punches of
Ferguson are being picked apart by the tighter punches of Cariaso,
who sprawls out on a takedown and widens his base against the
fence. Cariaso shoves Ferguson away, gets wrapped up again and
this time trips Ferguson to the ground with 20 seconds left.
Cariaso busts up the already damaged right eye of Ferguson with
a dozen hard elbows before the end of the round.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Cariaso
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Cariaso
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Cariaso
Round
3
Ferguson finds himself working off the ground, and then fending
off a choke from Cariaso. They scramble back to their feet and
Ferguson pushes inside to clinch again. Cariaso reverses him
into the cage and sweeps the leg to put Ferguson’s left
side flush on the fence. Left hands from Cariaso have Ferguson
turning onto his side in order to defend. Cariaso looks for another
brabo choke, can’t get it as Ferguson works back up to his
knees. Cariaso won’t let him up, punishes him with right
hands and then presses Ferguson onto the fence. Ferguson tries
a guillotine which Cariaso pops free of and they separate. Ferguson
tries to throw Cariaso down, but Cariaso stuffs it and works
to take Ferguson’s back. Ferguson reverses the position
and leaps on Cariaso’s back standing. Ferguson has a minute
to work for the rear-naked choke as Cariaso fends it off by controlling
Ferguson’s wrists. Ferguson keeps trying but falls off Cariaso’s
back just before the horn.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Cariaso (30-27 Cariaso)
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Cariaso (30-27 Cariaso)
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Cariaso (30-27 Cariaso)
Official
result: All three judges score the bout 30-27 for the winner
by unanimous decision, Chris Cariaso.
Damacio
Page vs. Alex Caceres
Round
1
Page starts quickly, chasing down Caceres with a head kick which
misses as “Bruce Leeroy” wheels away. Caceres lands
a few low kicks before being wrapped up and tripped to the ground,
where Page lands body shots and works to pass Caceres’ open
guard. Page stands, can’t shuck the legs and dives back
down anyway with punches for Caceres’ body and head. Caceres
creeps his leg up and Page stands again, dives down and Caceres
closes up guard. Caceres grabs hold of Page’s left arm and
swings his legs up again, but Page senses it and breaks the posture.
Hard punches from Page on top as the round hits the midway mark.
Page stays active but Caceres does too and eventually catches
Page with a triangle. The choke is high, so Page stays alive
even as Caceres rolls into mount. When Caceres peels off for
an armbar, he loses the position, and Page gets back on top.
Caceres slaps on another triangle just as the round ends.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Caceres
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Page
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Caceres
Round
2
Caceres catches his man with a kick to the body and left hand,
but Page keeps coming forward, wraps up and slams Caceres to
the ground in the middle of the cage. Page tries to unload with
some ground-and-pound from Caceres’ open guard, but leaves
himself wide open for Caceres to loop his leg around the neck.
Caceres cinches up another triangle choke and pulls down on Page’s
head, and this time there’s no escaping. Page taps out at
1:27 of round two, giving Alex Caceres the submission win.
Rafael
dos Anjos vs. Anthony Njokuani
Round
1
Dos Anjos flicks out a front kick and takes one to the body from
Njokuani before returning fire with a nasty low kick. The Brazilian
stuns Njokuani with a left hand on the fence and then drags him
down with a waistlock. Njokuani uses the fence to work back to
his feet and the lightweights resume trading leg kicks. The kicks
of dos Anjos are looking the harder as he chases down Njokuani
and mugs him against the fence with punches. Njokuani isn’t
throwing much and can’t find the range; when he does throw,
his rangy strikes are getting countered by the smaller man. Dos
Anjos closes the gap and knees inside as he pushes Njokuani on
the fence, and they close out the round on the feet.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 dos Anjos
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 dos Anjos
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 dos Anjos
Round
2
The lightweights trade leg kicks between punching exchanges,
Njokuani now pumping his jab while working angles on the outside.
Dos Anjos decides to bring the fight to the floor and drags Njokuani
down to the mat easily, but keeping him there isn’t as simple.
Njokuani stands back up, gets tossed down and dos Anjos tries
unsuccessfully to take the back. Another slam with about 2:00
left lands Njokuani a little closer to the center of the Octagon.
Again, Njokuani gets up, this time with dos Anjos glued to his
back. Dos Anjos botches a suplex and almost loses control, but
he gets Njokuani on the floor again with the next effort. Dos
Anjos has a loose guillotine from mount with 20 seconds remaining.
Njokuani turns onto his side and gets free before the end of
the round.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 dos Anjos
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 dos Anjos
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 dos Anjos
Round
3
Njokuani is the aggressor at the start of the last frame, walking
the backpedaling dos Anjos around the fence while throwing long
punches and teep kicks. Dos Anjos connects with a couple hard
lefts, but it’s Njokuani beginning to find a place for his
right hand. A nice jab from Njokuani is countered by a dos Anjos
combo, and the Brazilian puts Njokuani on the fence again soon
after. A wide sprawl from Njokuani keeps him on his feet, while
dos Anjos stays on the single-leg and lifts him into the air.
Great balance from Njokuani keeps him on his feet, but he only
manages a few punches before dos Anjos wraps him up and slams
him again. Dos Anjos works from Njokuani’s right to left,
leaning across in half-guard and framing up Njokuani’s left
arm. He lets the arm go and drives his elbow into Njokuani’s
face. Thirty seconds left and Njokuani regains full guard just
as the ground-and-pound from dos Anjos gets heavier. Back to
his feet goes Njokuani, just in time to hear the final horn.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 dos Anjos (30-27 dos Anjos)
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 dos Anjos (30-27 dos
Anjos)
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 dos Anjos (30-27 dos Anjos)
Official
result: The judges have it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, all for the
winner by unanimous decision, Rafael dos Anjos.
T.J.
Dillashaw vs. Vaughan Lee
Round
1
Dillashaw rushes Lee into the fence with punches but Lee backs
him off with a swiping right hand. Good uppercuts land inside
for Lee and Dillashaw nearly falls on a missed high kick. Dillashaw
ducks underneath a high kick from Lee and dumps him to the ground,
then stays glued to the Englishman’s back as they stand
up. Another takedown from Dillashaw and this time he leaps on
the back with both hooks in. Lee puts Dillashaw’s back on
the fence and tries to scrape him off, but Dillashaw is locked
in place. Dillashaw works for a rear-naked choke. He can’t
get it underneath the chin and instead squeezes a neck crank;
it’s tight enough to make Lee tap out at the 2:33 mark.
Karlos
Vemola vs. Francis Carmont
Round
1
Vemola goes right after a leg and takes about 40 seconds to put
Carmont on his back in the middle of the cage. Carmont keeps
Vemola in his half-guard until he can turn over and get back
to his feet, but Vemola catches him in a guillotine on the way
up. Carmont puts Vemola’s back on a cage post and then drags
him to the ground, Vemola holding onto what is now a loose headlock
the whole time. Carmont gives a thumbs-up, then pops his head
out and tries to sit up in Vemola’s guard. Vemola kicks
off the cage to turn over while Carmont stays heavy in side control.
Carmont steps into mount and cranks what looks like a tight keylock
on Vemola’s left arm. Vemola squirms underneath and rolls
with the hold to eventually squeak his arm loose. Vemola gets
to a knee, is briefly trapped in a headlock and escapes. Once
they’re back up, Carmont goes for another takedown but leaves
his neck exposed for another guillotine on the way down. Vemola
cranks the choke from full guard but loses his grip with 30 seconds
left in the round and Carmont finishes on top.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Carmont
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-10
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Carmont
Round
2
Vemola walks straight into a front kick but keeps moving forward
and shoves Carmont into the fence. Carmont denies the takedown
this time and tries a guillotine of his own; as he pulls guard
to crank the choke, Vemola goes over the top and winds up in
side control. They stand back up and while Vemola is looking
for a single-leg, Carmont seizes control of his right arm and
leg, rolling Vemola straight into a crucifix. From there, Carmont
locks up a rear-naked choke that has Vemola tapping in short
order. Ref Josh Rosenthal waves off the bout at 1:39 of round
two.
Aaron
Simpson vs. Kenny Robertson
Round
1
Simpson steps in with a right-handed uppercut and Robertson answers
by thumping him with a left hook. Robertson gets over-unders,
shoves Simpson into the fence and gets reversed. The welterweights
separate and get into a firefight, with Robertson getting the
better of the exchange in the pocket with a left hand and a knee
up the middle. Simpson lands, too, and now Robertson is cut on
the right side of his face along the hairline. Simpson scores
a takedown but Robertson gets up quickly and clips Simpson with
a left hand that has the Arizonan wrestler bleeding now. Simpson
takes underhooks, puts the action on the fence and throws knees
to the thighs. Robertson gets some space, ducks a punch and slugs
back, but Simpson ties him up again. Robertson reverses with
a headlock and changes levels for a single-leg with 1:15 left.
Double-leg and a knee up the middle now, but Simpson gets an
underhook and reverses to throw more knees to the thigh. Takedown
for Simpson lands him in back control. He can’t get his
hooks in, landing a couple right hands before Robertson stands
back up. Robertson lands a couple no-look elbows before being
taken down again, and he has to dodge a guillotine before the
round ends.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Simpson
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Simpson
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Simpson
Round
2
Simpson quickly closes the gap and latches onto a rear waistlock,
avoiding a kimura from Robertson as he works to keep control.
Robertson gets back to his feet for a second, whiffs on a spinning
back-fist and is taken down again. Back control for Simpson as
he softens Robertson up with punches and tries to secure the
position. Robertson gets hold of a single-leg and gets to his
feet by driving forward, but he immediately throws another spinning
shot and gets taken down. They wind up in an awkward position
with Simpson sitting atop Robertson in reverse while Robertson
tries for a toe hold. Simpson spins around and goes back to thumping
Robertson with hard right hands to the end of the round.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Simpson
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Simpson
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Simpson
Round
3
Simpson starts in the center of the cage, pumping his left hand
to Robertson’s face and midsection. He grabs the Thai plum,
can’t score anything and switches to clinching on the fence.
Robertson grabs for Simpson’s left arm again as he’s
pushed into the cage. Simpson muscles Robertson to the floor,
onto his knees, and Simpson works from the side. Simpson locks
up leg scissors on top but Robertson uses his hands to pry himself
out. Another takedown for Simpson with 2:00 to go all but seals
this one, as Robertson looks spent on the bottom. Simpson stays
on top, grinding away with elbows and punches before sitting
up and briefly framing up a kimura. Robertson takes his arm back,
so Simpson just keeps the punches coming to the end.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Simpson (30-27 Simpson)
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Simpson (30-27 Simpson)
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Simpson (30-27 Simpson)
Official
result: The scorecards read 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for the winner
by unanimous decision, Aaron Simpson.
James
Te Huna vs. Joey Beltran
Round
1
Beltran circles, trying to paw with punches, but Te Huna puts
a right hand over the top as he changes levels. Te Huna misses
with an uppercut, gets countered with a right hand from Beltran,
but continues to walk down the “Mexicutioner.” Quick
right hand from Te Huna and he shoves Beltran away. Another right
lands for Te Huna, then another and another. Te Huna has barely
had to unleash his left because the right is scoring at will.
Beltran finally slows the assault with a body kick but Te Huna
keeps coming forward. Te Huna lights up Beltran with a four-punch
combo, including a couple big uppercuts. Beltran stays on his
feet and keeps throwing punch after punch, but he’s just
getting mauled by Te Huna’s right hand. Ninety seconds left
and Beltran wraps up Te Huna on the fence. Beltran can’t
finish the takedown and eats a big right hand and a left hook
which drops him. Te Huna tries to pound him out with 25 seconds
left, stepping into full mount, but Beltran escapes out the back
door and stands up. Te Huna has him trapped against the fence
and keeps bashing away, nearing polishing Beltran off before
the horn.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-8 Te Huna
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-8 Te Huna
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-8 Te Huna
Round
2
Te Huna takes control of center cage again and presses out on
Beltran, who seems to have recovered but isn’t offering
much more than he did in the opening frame. The punches keep
coming from Te Huna, particularly brutish right hands to the
temple and body. Beltran snipes back with a couple jabs but is
taken down by Te Huna with about 3:00 left in the round. Beltran
elbows from underneath while Te Huna works to advance past the
Mexicutioner’s open guard. Referee Jason McCoy doesn’t
think there’s enough going on and stands them up with two
minutes to go. Beltran steps away from a single-leg attempt by
Te Huna, lands a leg kick and one to the body. Te Huna puts a
right hand on the body and left hook on Beltran’s cheek.
In the final second of the round, Beltran connects with a left
hand that buckles Te Huna’s legs, but it’s too late.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Te Huna
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Te Huna
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Te Huna
Round
3
Te Huna catches Beltran spinning on a kick and socks him with
a hard right hook, then a grazing uppercut. Beltran goes for
a single-leg on the fence, lets it go and pops Te Huna with a
couple elbows. He shuts down a single-leg from Te Huna and strings
together a nice combination, but the next takedown try from Te
Huna is successful. Beltran gets up only to be slung back down
by Te Huna, who grinds on the fence and goes for another takedown
on the bloodied Beltran. This one is rebuffed and Te Huna instead
opts to throw leg kicks, which leaves him open to a Beltran takedown.
Te Huna puts his back on the fence and stands. Elbow inside from
Beltran is answered with a left hand from Te Huna, and the 205-pounders
are still slinging leather when the fight ends.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Te Huna (30-26 Te Huna)
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Te Huna (30-26 Te
Huna)
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Te Huna (30-26 Te Huna)
Official
result: The judges see it 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27, all for the
winner by unanimous decision, James Te Huna.
Mark
Munoz vs. Chris Weidman
Round
1
Referee Josh Rosenthal is in charge of tonight’s middleweight
main event, with judges Steve Morrow, Dan Stell and Susan Thomas-Gitlan
scoring at cageside. Weidman takes the center of the cage and
misses with a front kick, then slaps with one high and finishes
a quick takedown just 40 seconds in. Weidman lands in side control
on Munoz’s right side while the “Filipino Wrecking
Machine” tries to turn over. Munoz scrambles up but gets
caught in a front headlock and eats a big knee before dropping
back down. Weidman seems to be thinking choke but Munoz pops
his head loose. It’s north-south position for Weidman now
and he drops a couple hard elbows on Munoz’s face. Weidman
keeps busy on top with punches and grabs for a guillotine when
Munoz leaves his neck out for a moment. Topside guillotine for
Weidman now with a minute remaining and Munoz slips his head
loose. Munoz scrambles to his feet but Weidman catches up to
him instantly and takes back control standing, finishing the
round with right hands and knees to Munoz’s thigh.
Jordan
Breen scores this round 10-9 Weidman
Tristen Critchfield scores this round 10-9 Weidman
Chris Nelson scores this round 10-9 Weidman
Round
2
Another instant takedown from Weidman lands him in side control
on Munoz’s right. Weidman frames up a brabo choke and Munoz
explodes to his feet. Weidman catches Munoz coming inside with
a beautiful standing elbow and Munoz hits the deck. Weidman follows
him down and brutalizes Munoz with a further 15 or 20 right hands
until referee Josh Rosenthal finally waves it off. Chris Weidman
moves to 5-0 in the UFC with a nasty knockout win at 1:37 of
round two.
Source: Sherdog
|
Chael
Sonnen Felt Anderson Silva Break in the First But He Got Destroyed
in the Second
by Damon
Martin
There are two sides to Chael Sonnen.
Everyone sees the brash, unapologetic mouthpiece that spouts
off rhymes and insults like it’s a bodily function. He fired
off more quips aimed at Anderson Silva than CNN does news bulletins
everyday.
But there is another side to Chael Sonnen and that is the true
mixed martial artist who respects the sport and the athletes
in it.
Sure, the louder more verbal version of Sonnen likes to blast
away and say he’s just a fighter and not a martial artist,
but when the gloves come off and the night is over, he can be
as respectful as anybody that walks through the doors of the
world famous Octagon.
Take for instance Saturday night at UFC 148.
Sonnen lost to his biggest rival ever in Anderson Silva. He lost
his shot at the UFC middleweight title. But while so many were
crying and hoping that Sonnen would call foul on Anderson Silva
for an alleged illegal knee or grabbing his shorts during the
fight, the former Oregon All-American wanted none of it.
Sonnen paid Silva his dues from the first question to the last
question, and never morphed into the character he’s developed
into over the last couple of years.
But there was even more to Chael Sonnen that night than just
what was revealed during the post fight press conference.
According to UFC President Dana White who spoke to the Jim Rome
Show on Tuesday, Sonnen let his guard down even more information
about just how much he respects Anderson Silva inside and outside
the cage, especially after their fight at UFC 148.
“Chael Sonnen, motivated, in great shape, injury free, couldn’t
have been better, and wanted that title so bad. Goes in that
first round, look at the way that happened, and this is what
Chael Sonnen said to me after the fight, he didn’t say it
at the press conference, but he said it to me,” White revealed.
“He said ‘I have so much respect for this guy, Dana.
I’ve been competing in combat sports since I was 7-years
old and in that first round when I was on top of him and I was
hitting him with those big elbows, I felt him break. I broke
him in that first round. He came back in the second round, and
destroyed me’. He said ‘I’ve never seen anybody
do that, ever.”
Silva has routinely made the impossible seem possible inside
the Octagon. Undefeated during his entire UFC career and now
riding an unprecedented 10 consecutive title defense streak,
Silva even made a believer out of Chael Sonnen on Saturday night.
Say what you will about the Chael Sonnen that seems to say the
craziest things to pick a fight, when it’s over he’s
a smart man that can admit when he’s wrong.
There’s another Chael Sonnen that now respects the hell
out of Anderson Silva after a second fight with the man routinely
referred to as the greatest mixed martial artist alive.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Beating
The Odds: UFC 148
By Yael
Grauer
Some
might have considered it a surprise to see Patrick Cote walk
into his UFC 148 “Silva vs. Sonnen 2” bout with Cung
Le as a -240 favorite -- compared to Le’s +190 odds -- on
Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
It
was Cote’s first Ultimate Fighting Championship appearance
since three straight losses resulted in his release from the
promotion. To his credit, Cote did win four consecutive fights
away from the Octagon following his unanimous decision defeat
to Tom Lawlor at UFC 121.
Le,
meanwhile, put forth an admirable effort in his promotional debut
at UFC 139 in November, when he engaged in an exciting back-and-forth
match with Wanderlei Silva that earned the two men “Fight
of the Night” honors. Le eventually succumbed to knees and
punches with just seconds left in the second stanza.
Heading
into his bout with Cote, the depth of the 40-year-old sanshou
specialist’s gas tank remained in question. However, Le
rose to the challenge.
Le
weathered the storm of Cote’s punches and managed to conserve
just enough energy to stay competitive throughout the bout, landing
his trademark kicks, a few counterpunches and even some takedowns
in the final round. Whether Le has a few more fights in him remains
anyone’s guess, but he beat the odds and spoiled Cote’s
return, all while securing his first win inside the Octagon.
Maia’s
170-pound debut was quick.
It did not take long for Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Demian
Maia, at +117 odds, to find success in his welterweight debut
against Dong Hyun Kim (-147), becoming only the second man to
do defeat the man they call “Stun Gun.” Carlos Condit
was the first, as he stopped Kim with a flying knee and follow-up
punches at UFC 132.
Maia
immediately shot for a takedown, eating some hammerfists in the
process. Still, he managed to take Kim’s back and transition
briefly to mount after landing a takedown. Suffering from an
apparent rib injury, Kim lost the bout just 47 seconds into the
round.
Yoislandy
Izquierdo’s dominance on the feet makes it easy to see why
he came into his bout with Rafaello Oliveira as a -205 favorite;
he used his southpaw stance to connect with straight lefts and
left body kicks. However, it was Oliveira’s ground game
that cemented the win for him despite his +165 odds.
“The
Tractor” landed takedowns each round, and though Izquierdo
showcased some skilled submission defense, he spent the majority
of the fight being controlled on the ground by the Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt, who won two out of three rounds on the
judges’ scorecards.
Undefeated
Russian prospect Khabib Nurmagomedov defied the odds -- he came
in as a +160 underdog -- in besting American Top Team’s
Gleison Tibau (-200) in a somewhat controversial unanimous decision.
Nurmagomedov
was relentless, though unsuccessful, with his takedown attempts.
The fight looks just about dead even based on FightMetric figures,
but perhaps the judges found Nurmagomedov more aggressive.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Book
review – Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling
By Zach
Arnold
Shooters:
The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling is a hell of a book
if you are looking for a conversational piece of literature to
launch a million different topical discussions from.
At
300 pages in length, the book is meticulously written and laid
out in a very easy-to-read presentation with a smooth flow from
era-to-era, topic-to-topic. I received a copy of the book from
ECW Press and was very glad that I had a chance to read the book
in its entirety. I should stress that this is not a book that
I would recommend skimming. It’s a book that is very detailed
and requires some focus in order to absorb the stories being
told. It’s the kind of book that immediately got me to grab
a pen and sheet of paper to write down some annotations for further
research & discussion.
Remember,
some of the angles touched upon in this book is not necessarily
for beginners. We reviewed Jake Shannon’s book on Catch
Wrestling a while back and thought he did a great job for an
introductory book to the topic. Shooters touches upon a lot of
detailed history about catch wrestling, including many newspaper
clippings talking about some sensitive & delicate subjects.
I thought Shooters did as good of a job covering a naturally
complicated topic by weaving in many stories, feuds, and pictures
together.
For
example, there’s a lot of discussion about characters such
as William Muldoon, John L. Sullivan (and his 44 round vomit-inducing
fight), Ed “Stranger” Lewis, Farmer Burns (and his
neck-hanging-from-a-noose exploits), Frank Gotch, and many others.
The historical documentation of the transfer of Catch-As-Catch-Can
wrestling from continent to continent is laid out. In discussing
Farmer Burns, the issue of ‘crossroading’ is explained
as far as traveling the circuit and working over people for cash.
There are profiles on individuals like Tom Jenkins (the man missing
his left eye), Dan MacLeod, “The Russian Lion” George
Hackenschmidt, Farmer Burns disciple Fred Beell, and promoter
Jack Curley. A lot of the history surrounding the Frank Gotch/George
Hackenschmidt bout from Comiskey Park in 1911 is covered, including
the angle regarding a man named Dr. Benjamin Roller and how seriously
he may or may not have hurt Hackenschmidt five days before the
Chicago bout. Throughout the discussion of Gotch and Hackenschmidt,
there’s a lot of frank talk about whether or not this time
period was entirely a work or how much of it was actual a real
display of combat. For example, were some of the fights so long
in duration because of gambling amongst members in the audience
who were prop-betting on how long certain individuals, like Joe
Stecher, could last in a fight? This was initiated by discussion
regarding a Stecher/Stranger Lewis fight that lasted several
hours.
There
is a section of the book dedicated to Mitsuyo Maeda & Rikidozan.
The Maeda chapter is interesting because of the angle that the
book takes — was everything that the Gracie family said
about Maeda in regards to what he did or didn’t learn from
them fake or real? How much of the history recounting Maeda’s
background is legitimate?
Admittedly,
my favorite part of the book are all of the stories about Ad
Santel & Lou Thesz. Despite the boring label attached to
Thesz, I’ve always found the history surrounding his business
dealings & philosophies about jobbing to be highly entertaining.
Shooters
also talks about the Gold Dust Trio, which were wrestlers who
acted as ‘policemen’ to help out promoters or to settle
disputes amongst promoters & wrestlers. “Tigerman”
John Pesek is a featured profile in the book. The profile includes
some attention on his exploits in New York where he allegedly
blinded his opponent by going after the eyes, resulting in a
banishment from the state. This transitioned into discussion
about Curley, promoting in the Northeast, and bouts that were
promoted at Fenway Park in Boston.
The
book section on Lou Thesz quickly leads into discussion about
the National Wrestling Alliance and when the TV age for professional
wrestling came into fruition with the DuMont Network.
The
part about why Verne Gagne was revered and coveted by promoters
is quite interesting given how we saw his career play out. For
most people under the age of 50, Verne Gagne was the crazy old
man who badly sang Wrestle Rock Rumble on ESPN and kept putting
himself & his son (Greg) over in matches no matter what the
circumstances were.
There
is some Danny Hodge talk in Shooters, primarily focused on why
he became such a big star in the Midwest and how his stardom
wouldn’t have been portable in other markets due to the
nature of his character and his physical attributes. The one
regret I have about this section of the book is that there isn’t
more discussion about Hiro Matsuda. I know that Matsuda was a
private man but he played such an incredible role as a ‘policeman’
for promoter Eddie Graham in Florida, along with training Hulk
Hogan & Lex Luger (what a bizarre combo of protégés
for a tough bastard like Hiro).
He
also fit into the free-wheeling lifestyle like a hand in a glove.
He was a ribber, playing jokes on his fellow wrestlers, mostly
involving his enormous grip strength. Hodge would go into the
locker room and rip off all the hot water handles in the showers,
leaving the boys to freeze. Fans who tried to get cute were also
in for a rude awakening. Hodge would offer to diffuse any tension
with a handshake. When the fan would try to impress him with
a hand-crushing grip, Hodge would turn up the pressure, driving
the man to his knees, literally making him beg for mercy with
a simple handshake.
He
also took matches that others might consider an indignity and
turned them into a challenge. One night, Hodge and (Cowboy Bill)
Watts ended up booked to wrestle a real live bear. A staple of
the southern wrestling scene, matches with a bear could leave
you permanently scarred if you weren’t careful. Watts had
a plan for an easy night with the bear, then a match to send
the crowd home. Hodge, in turn, wanted to see if he could actually
beat the bear.
“Danny
was so strong and agile that he was making the bear nervous,”
wrote Watts. “The bear came to the center of the ring, stood
up, and came forward to wrestle, just like a human on two legs.
Danny got behind the bear, put a scissors hold on and squeezed
hard. The bear squealed and was getting scared and angry.”
There
is also plenty of talk about Billy Riley and the Snake Pit Gym
in Wigan, which naturally lead to a transition to talk about
Karl Gotch & Billy Robinson. Included in this discussion
is the infamous Billy Robinson/Peter Maivia fight story and what
was real versus what wasn’t as far as details are concerned.
The timeline of how Gotch was shunned by American promoters in
order to become “The God of Wrestling” in Japan is
also outlined. Gotch was not a fan of the defensive nature of
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
“Karl
could be very rude,” says Malenko. “His social skills
were not the best. For somebody who had been in the limelight
like he had, he was somewhat socially inept. He felt awkward
around people to begin with. And if you were a person who was
anything less than respectful and understanding of his skill
level, you didn’t stand a chance with him. You probably
wouldn’t even end up on the mat with him — or if you
did you’d end up leaving quickly of your own accord. Or
on a stretcher. He did not suffer fools gladly.”
“Karl
used to go over to [pro wrestler Boris] Malenko’s and some
poor pro wrestler that wanted to learn to shoot would ask Karl
to show some holds,” Gotch protege Tom Puckett wrote. “At
that point he would run through about 250 submissions in about
10 minutes, then get up and say, ‘So now you got it?’
The poor bastard would then say, ‘Yeah I think so’
to which Gotch would go, ‘No you don’t, you’ve
seen it.’”
Gotch’s
philosophy created a very aggressive brand of submission fighter.
He didn’t believe in defensive positions like the guard,
describing the jiu-jitsu artists who used it as ‘old whores
waiting for a customer.’ Students of Gotch’s, instead,
continued to attack until the match was over.
Then
there’s the book section on Judo Gene LeBell, including
the funny story about his encounter/altercation with Steven Seagal.
There are sections about Bad News Allen (Coage), Antonio Inoki,
Jack Brisco, the start of the first UWF in the early 80s after
an Inoki money scandal with New Japan, and Pancrase. The Pancrase
section focuses a lot about how many of the bouts were works,
what was real, and Bas Rutten’s thoughts about RINGS, Masakatsu
Funaki, and Minoru Suzuki.
When
UWF International started after the demise of the second UWF,
the group recruited big names like Danny Hodge and Lou Thesz
to give the promoter their stamp of approval and give some legitimacy
to their championship title.
Thesz
was just one of the wrestling legends the group used to bolster
their legitimacy. Billy Robinson and Danny Hodge, both noted
shooters themselves, were UWF-Inter commissioners and their names
still carried great weight in Japanese wrestling. It was important
to the promotion, despite doing what were obviously worked matches,
to present a legitimate face to the public.
“Anybody
they used in their promotion was a shooter,” UWF-Inter wrestler
Mark Fleming said. “Iron Sheik, he was a shooter even though
he was old and beat up. Gary Albright. Dan Severn. Dennis Koslowski,
an Olympic silver medalist. Billy Robinson, who they brought
over to help train us. We had to go to that dojo every day man,
and we trained there five hours a day… Lou said, ‘Go
out there, pummel with them, tie them up and throw them.’
He said, ‘Hurt the sons of bitches. Hurt them, man.’
I’d go out there and throw them but them guys were good.
They were smaller but tough guys. And very dedicated.”
There
are book sections on the roots of both UFC & PRIDE. If you’re
a lifelong fan, you know most of the material. If you are a newer
MMA fan, then it’s a requisite for you to read. There’s
even a chapter on Kazushi Sakuraba, talking about his childhood
fandom of Tiger Mask. The part of Shooters that made me laugh
quite a bit is the juxtaposition of the chapters about UWF-Inter,
PRIDE, and UFC. These chapters focused on the details of how
seriously wrestlers took their craft and made sure to protect
one another. The next chapter in the book? Brawl for All, the
insane debacle that WWE pushed where Jim Ross thought “Dr.
Death” Steve Williams would beat up the other wrestlers
in shoots. Instead, Bart Gunn (Mike Barton) beat him up and then
Gunn proceeded to get walloped by Eric “Butterbean”
Esch. It was as big of a train wreck as you could possibly imagine.
The
book closes out with chapters on Kurt Angle & Brock Lesnar.
With Angle, I always think more about ‘what could have been’
as opposed to what he’s actually accomplished. The same
with Brock Lesnar, although Brock actually did real fights as
opposed to how much Kurt has talked over the years about wanting
to do a real fight. Shooters closes out with a chapter about
the future of shooters in pro-wrestling.
Overall,
the book is a must-have if you are a hardcore fight fan or if
you are a student of history. I don’t know how much appeal
it has for casual fans of pro-wrestling or fighting in general,
but the layout is such that it’s the kind of book that you
want to read and have internet access handy in case you want
to look up a reference real quick. There is an eBook version
for free from ECW Press if you provide proof of purchase of the
dead tree version.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
In
Defeat and Amid Controversy, Chael Sonnen Shows Championship
Character
By Mike
Chiappetta - Senior Writer
In the office of his Oregon home, Chael Sonnen has a framed WEC
title belt, which you may recall, he never actually won. In 2008,
Sonnen was supposed to fight Paulo Filho for the middleweight
championship, but Filho missed weight, robbing the bout of its
title fight designation. Sonnen went on to win, and later, in
a magnanimous gesture, Filho mailed the belt to Sonnen.
It
was one of two heartbreaks in which Sonnen would come painfully
close to winning a major championship, the other coming in 2010,
when he famously dominated the indomitable Anderson Silva for
four-and-a-half rounds before succumbing to a submission. After
losing to Silva at last weekend's UFC 148, he may never get another
crack at the big prize.
Afterward,
Sonnen appeared gutted. After anticipating the rematch for nearly
two years, the fight lasted all of seven minutes. One moment
he was doing everything he wanted, the next he was covering up
as Silva unloaded his pent-up aggression.
In
truth, beating Sonnen for a second time doesn't do much for Silva's
legacy. Silva had already beaten Sonnen on the day that Sonnen
had produced the performance of his life, so he had more to lose
than to gain this time around. But it did something for Sonnen.
In defeat -- even in controversy -- he showed a championship
character and grace that perhaps we didn't know he could muster.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you that Sonnen is some saint.
Obviously, he's had his issues following the rules in his athletic
career and in life. But after spending the last 22 months talking
trash, bending the facts and sometimes creating his own alternate
reality, he was as humble and respectful in defeat as anyone
we've ever seen. Even when his supporters objected the loss,
saying Silva had tried to grease himself, illegally grabbed Sonnen's
trunks, and threw a borderline illegal kick, Sonnen would not
take the easy way out. He wouldn't offer any excuse.
"You've
got to know how to lose," he said Tuesday night on FUEL
TV. "It's real easy to win, but you've got to know how to
lose. Sometimes you've got to man up, swallow it, and walk out."
When
his coach Scott McQuarry reportedly considered an appeal based
on the knee strike in the fight's final moments, Sonnen overruled
him, a decision that paralleled his comments shortly after the
fight, when he said that he would defer to the referee's judgment,
and anyway, he didn't care about the legality of the knee since
he could see it coming,
The
decision not to appeal the fight is the right one, and it's one
that Sonnen should be commended for, along with the rest of his
actions during fight week. In the last days leading up to the
fight, it was the champion saying outrageous things, acting out
at the weigh-ins, and stretching the rules up to and sometimes
beyond their limit.
Sonnen
though, was largely the picture of professionalism, eloquent
with his words and unwavering in his acceptance of the outcome
even in the face of some debate. At a time when others would
be crying foul, the guy with the biggest mouth in the sport shook
the champion's hand and never looked back.
"It's
pass or fail," he said after the fight. "You either
get it done or you don't. I was handed a lot of compliments after
the first fight. I'm going, 'Geez guys, that's nice but did you
see who won?' I didn't win the fight. It's pass or fail. That's
it. He's just a regular guy. He's another guy. We weigh the same
thing. And he finds a way to win, and I admire it."
Martin
Luther King Jr. once said that "the ultimate measure of
a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience,
but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
In perhaps his worst professional moment, Sonnen was the biggest
man in the room, and that's something that shouldn't be forgotten.
It
was interesting that during the press conference, he seemed to
indicate that he would at least consider retirement. At 35 years
old, he is still performing well, but as UFC president Dana White
indicated, he's now got to move to the back of the middleweight
pack, and Sonnen has said that he could not participate in MMA
if his goal was not to be the champion.
He's
likely to take some time to consider his options, but a backup
career awaits as an analyst, as he's already doing a strong job
in the role for FUEL.
If
things had just gone a little better for him on any one of three
nights, he might have lived his dream of becoming a champion.
As it is, he'll have to settle for that framed WEC title belt
as well as the memories of five-and-a-half dominant rounds against
the best fighter the UFC has ever seen.
After
years of going virtually unnoticed, Sonnen needed his mouth to
get himself into the spotlight, and from there on, he always
seemed to know what to do with it. Most especially, he knew when
it was time to shut it. Sonnen may not have earned gold, but
in the toughest days of his career, he illustrated championship
character.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Report:
UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen 2 Draws 19 Million Viewers in Brazil
by Damon
Martin
The estimations heading into UFC 148 were that the rematch between
Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen could produce some of the biggest
numbers in the promotion’s history.
Those numbers included live gate and attendance as well as pay-per-view
buys and ratings.
It appears that Brazil was listening because they returned the
biggest numbers yet for a UFC pay-per-view airing in the South
American country.
According to a report from Veja Magazine as well as Tatame in
Brazil, the UFC 148 card, which actually aired on a 30-minute
tape delay on Globo TV pulled in 19 million viewers.
The fight was aired via tape delay due to a contractual agreement
that Globo TV had with the UFC. These numbers only reflect the
ratings of the tape delayed free broadcast.
This shatters the record for the last UFC pay-per-view in Brazil
which was UFC 147 just last month with those numbers reaching
between 10 and 15 million viewers.
No U.S. pay-per-view estimates are released by the UFC, but President
Dana White stated prior to the show that he expected UFC 148
to break the one million buys mark.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
148: “Anderson Silva’s got better Jiu-Jitsu; he always
trains in the gi”
Marcelo
Dunlop
“If the UFC 148 main event goes to the ground, Anderson’s
prepared for it again this time around.
The coach overseeing his training in that department, Ramon Lemos,
did an excellent job. I checked out his training session with
Pedro Rizzo and Rafael Feijão on Tuesday. Anderson’s
running on all cylinders. If it goes to the ground, he’ll
have the upper hand, like he did in the first fight.”
The aforementioned opinion is that of Jorge “Joinha”
Guimarães, Ed Soares’s partner in managing Anderson
Silva’s career and a commentator for UFC events on Brazil’s
Combate channel.
“Anderson never neglects training Jiu-Jitsu. He even tends
to wear the gi, which is something a lot of MMA fighters don’t
do. His ground game is up to speed, yes, but I feel he’s
better than Sonnen in all aspects of the game.”
Joinha is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt and will be doing the commentating
for UFC 148 broadcast on Combate channel.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Mendes
brothers talk training with BJ Penn, his UFC return against MacDonald
By Guilherme
Cruz
The
brothers Rafael and Guilherme Mendes, who together have six world
titles at the black belt of Jiu-Jitsu, hosted UFC former champion
BJ Penn on the opening of their new gym Art of Jiu-Jitsu in Costa
Mesa, California.
“We’re friends of BJ for a while. We met him through
our friend and sponsor Pat Tenore, founder of RVCA. We saw him
in Hawaii last December and when he heard we were opening this
new gym, he said he would be here”, say the brothers.
Despite leading Art of Jiu-Jitsu in America, both fighters assure
to still represent Atos Jiu-Jitsu, Ramon Lemos and Andre Galvao’s
team. “Our gym is called Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy, but our
banner is Atos’s. We are still strong on the team”.
On the opening, they trained with Penn, first not-Brazilian to
ever win a World of Jiu-Jitsu at the black belt, and they got
impressed by the Hawaiian’s talent.
“There’s always a reason people win World of Jiu-Jitsu,
we all know how hard it is and all the hard work it demands.
BJ besides being flexible is also open-minded and likes to learn”,
compliment. “It was excellent training with him, we traded
much information and I’m sure we’ll train again together
soon”.
In MMA, BJ showed great skills at striking, with seven wins by
knockout. Having submitted four UFC opponents, the former number
one of the light and welterweight division never left aside the
gentle art and the Mendes brothers believe he would successful
in case he tried to fight again at World of Jiu-Jitsu.
“I’m sure he would be successful, we told him that”,
reveal. “If he comes to train with us he can win many Worlds
(laughs). It will be the first not-Brazilian to win two world
titles”.
Now the Hawaiian’s focus is to come back to the UFC on September
22nd, against Rory MacDonald. Wanting a good return after winning
only one out of his five last fights, Penn has all the support
of the Brazilian brothers.
“We count on his win, absolutely. And we hope to help him
a lot at Jiu-Jitsu so he gets a win by submission”.
Source: Tatame
|
Tito
Ortiz, Dana White Unhappy With Forrest Griffin's Postfight Antics
By Dave
Doyle
LAS
VEGAS -- Strange outbursts from Forrest Griffin when he's unhappy
after a fight are nothing new.
The
former UFC light heavyweight champion abruptly left Joe Rogan's
postfight interview after being finished by Keith Jardine at
UFC 66. Griffin also bolted from the Octagon and ran out of the
arena after losing to Anderson Silva at UFC 101 in Philadelphia.
Saturday
night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, though, Griffin topped himself.
He stormed out of the Octagon immediately after his bout with
Tito Ortiz was finished, only to have Dana White chase him down
and order him back to the cage. Then Griffin inexplicably began
interviewing Ortiz after the bout.
Two
hours later, at the post-fight press conference, Ortiz made it
clear that has was unhappy that Griffin robbed him of one final
interview with Rogan.
"I
was [expletive]," Ortiz said. "I've been in this sport
a lot longer. You have to understand, 15 years ago, May 3, 1997,
Joe Rogan was the first person to interview me, and I told him,
I'm going to make a mark in this sport. It was my first fight.
I said, just you wait. I'm going to make my mark in this sport.
I helped build this sport to be what it is to this day.
"For
Forrest to step in and do what he did, after running?" Ortiz
paused for awhile to let the words sink in. "I can't complain
about anything, as I said, I wish Joe Rogan got to interview
me."
As
fate had it, Griffin, a late arrival for the press conference,
strolled across the podium right as Ortiz delivered his rant.
Griffin wasted no time unequivocally apologizing for his actions.
"I
sincerely apologize, said Griffin. "I don't know what I
was thinking. I sincerely apologize, I'm sorry."
UFC
boss Dana White, who has seen both fighters through their various
career ups and downs, didn't hold back with his thoughts on Griffin's
antics. "He drives me crazy, this guy" White said.
"It's professional suicide, the things that he does. People
love Forrest Griffin, OK? So I ran after him. I don't have to
tell you guys, everyone in this room knows exactly what I said.
So he turned around, and he ran back into the ring.
"I
saw him the back and I said, 'What are you doing, whats wrong
with you, are you mental?' Next time you're depressed about winning
the fight, go back in the back and be depressed."
When
prompted, Griffin, who won the trilogy fight via unanimous decision,
made an honest attempt to explain what was going through his
head after the fight.
"I
wasn't too pleased with my performance," Griffin said. "I
put big emphasis on finishing, felt like I had an opportunity
to finish it in a very close fight. I left it in judges' hands.
With my takedown in the third, I thought I had opportunity to
make it at least a more lopsided fight and I couldn't capitalize
on that and I was frustrated."
White,
though, wasn't buying it. "It's Tito's last fight,"
he said. "If Tito won his fight, stand there, get your hand
raised or Tito's hand raised. If your plugging for Joe Rogan's
[expletive] job, it isn't going to happen. Leave the microphone
alone until Joe comes over and talks to you.
"I
love Forrest Griffin, always have. He's a great guy but he gets
a little kooky sometimes."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
A
Linear History: UFC Middleweight Championship
By Mike
Fridley and Brian Knapp
Only
five men have held the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s
middleweight crown since it was brought into existence more than
a decade ago.
Dave
Menne was the first to wear the title, having defeated Gil Castillo
by unanimous decision at UFC 33 on Sept. 28, 2001 in Las Vegas.
Murilo Bustamante, Evan Tanner and Rich Franklin followed in
his footsteps, as the championship changed hands three times
in the next five years. Then, on Oct. 14, 2006, a certain Brazilian
introduced the words “Thai plum” to the mainstream
lexicon and put an historic stranglehold on the division.
Anderson
Silva has successfully defended the middleweight belt a record
10 times since he took it from Franklin at UFC 64. His reign
has now surpassed the 2,000-day mark, unheard of in a sport where
champions come and go with shocking regularity. Since Silva captured
the 185-pound title, there have been at least two different champions
in each of the four other traditional UFC weight classes: welterweight
(2), lightweight (3), heavyweight (5) and light heavyweight (6).
Source
Sherdog
|
UFC
148: Silva vs. Sonnen 2 Medical Suspensions
Following
an action filled night at UFC 148 several fighters ended up on
the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s medical suspension
list including main event fighter Chael Sonnen and Forrest Griffin
There were no long term suspensions handed down on Monday, but
several fighters will need a doctor’s clearance before getting
back in action.
Here are the full suspensions for UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen 2
Chael Sonnen suspended until 8/7/12, no contact until 7/29/12
for nasal laceration
Forrest Griffin suspended until 8/22/12, no contact until 8/7/12.
Must have a CT scan or a panarex of jaw, if positive must be
cleared by doctor or suspension runs until 10/6/12
Cung Le suspended until 8/7/12, no contact until 7/29/12. Must
have x-ray of right knee and right foot. If positive must be
cleared by doctor or suspension runs until 10/6/12
Patrick Cote suspended until 8/7/12, no contact until 7/29/12
for scalp laceration
Dong Hyun Kim suspended until 8/22/12, no contact until 8/7/12
Cody McKenzie suspended until 8/22/12, no contact until 8/7/12
Ivan Menjivar must have x-ray or MRI on left knee. If positive
then must be cleared by doctor or suspension runs until 10/6/12
Fabricio Camoes suspended until 8/7/12, no contact until 7/29/12
Gleison Tibau suspended until 8/7/12, no contact until 7/29/12
due to right eye laceration
Khabib Nurmagomedov must have yearly follow up MRA to compare
to 2012 MRA that’s due on 1/10/13.
Costa Philippou suspended until 8/7/12, no contact until 7/30/12.
Must have left eye cleared by ophthalmologist or suspension until
10/6/12.
Rafaello Oliveira suspended until 8/7/12, no contact until 7/29/12
due to scalp laceration
Source: MMA Weekly
|
How
the California State Athletic Commission fought the Department
of Consumer Affairs’ power grab
By Zach Arnold
John
Frierson proved me wrong. He proved the Department of Consumer
Affairs wrong. He proved everyone wrong.
The
82-year old Chairman of the California State Athletic Commission
faced intense pressure from officials of the Department of Consumer
Affairs to terminate George Dodd as Executive Director. Frierson,
along with Dr. VanBuren Ross Lemons and the rest of the commission
members, stood up to some of the most powerful forces at DCA
in order to save George Dodd’s job. While the focus of the
story will be on Dodd and how effective/ineffective he will be
as Executive Director given the politics right now in Sacramento,
the truth is that the civil war between the DCA & CSAC is
very real and very raw. In DCA minds, the CSAC has been their
puppet for a long time. They were never prepared to face any
sort of backlash, let alone board members who they approve/disapprove
showing some spine and standing up against DCA’s rubber-stamping
mentality.
John
Frierson led the charge in El Monte against the DCA. Whether
George Dodd survives in a few months or not, Tuesday’s rejection
of DCA’s termination request for George Dodd was a shocker
to the Sacramento office. DCA sent their big guns to get Dodd
removed from power. What happened on Tuesday was the equivalent
of a mob boss sending the family to take out someone, only to
have the family come back home and tell him that they didn’t
get the job done. The family can plead for time and a retrenchment
of strategy, but in a results-oriented business you either get
the job done or you don’t.
DCA
didn’t get the job done. John Frierson stood up to DCA.
Members of the California combat sports community stood up in
support of Dodd, not just to back him but to also send Sacramento
a message that DCA has screwed up things long enough in the state
and made it that much harder to run events in California.
How
George Dodd even survived Tuesday’s hearing is a remarkable
accomplishment.
On
the road to termination
Last
Thursday, elements in Sacramento wanted the word spread that
George Dodd had cleaned out his desk and had handed off assignments
to others. Anti-Dodd forces, pro-Dodd forces, and even Dodd himself
knew he was finished as Executive Director. Whether it be a DCA
firing squad or forced resignation, his career was going to be
finished.
On
Friday, we reported that Dodd was out as Executive Director.
Not one person denied this report. However, a split emerged in
regards to whether or not Dodd resigned in order to get severance
or if he was going to put up a fight on Tuesday in El Monte,
California for his due process hearing. Everyone in Sacramento
was under the assumption that Dodd wouldn’t put up a fight
and that he would resign. After all, the DCA practically hinted
that fraud of taxpayer funds was happening. So, Dodd was surely
responsible for these transgressions that DCA claimed, right?
How
can someone be so right and yet so wrong? Everyone, including
me, started asking ourselves this question.
Dodd
was at the Staples Center boxing event last Saturday which featured
Victor Ortiz vs. Josesito Lopez. Jimmy Lennon Jr. announced Dodd
as the Executive Director. This raised some eyebrows, The day
after the Staples fight, a promoter invited Dodd to attend his
show. The promoter had been asking George to come see his event
so that eventually he could be recommended for a license to promote
regulated shows in California. Dodd, in the end, declined to
go to the show because he didn’t want to do so while having
it labeled as appearing on official commission business. After
all, he was ready to get terminated on Tuesday by DCA. This is
the same DCA that threatened him in the infamous insolvency letter
for personal liability of all CSAC debt, which was an
absolutely illegal threat to make. How the legal department at
DCA even thought that this was remotely a good idea is beyond
me. It reeked of amateurism & vindictiveness.
What
George Dodd didn’t know during his final days before the
El Monte hearing is that a groundswell of support was starting
to build for him. Maybe the support for George was and is more
about supporting someone in a proxy war against DCA, but the
support nevertheless started developing. It was real. Jack Reiss,
the referee for the Ortiz/Lopez fight, was at the El Monte hearing
on Tuesday. Several promoters and officials from Golden Boy,
All-Star Boxing, and Goossen-Tutor appeared at the termination
hearing to stand up for Dodd.
From
DCA’s perspective, this was never supposed to happen. It
was never supposed to happen because they didn’t plan for
it. They treated Dodd as persona non grata after the June 4th
San Diego hearing. DCA was not interested in having others help
or support Dodd’s career after the commission went broke.
They wanted him isolated and feeling screwed. Dodd’s enemies
were gleeful that his exit was near and that it would happen
in an embarrassingly high-profile manner.
However,
another development from the June 4th San Diego hearing would
soon come into play. Anita Scuri, DCA legal counsel for decades,
was leaving Consumer Affairs. This left Doreathea Johnson, another
three decade-plus lifer at DCA legal, on her own. Soon, DCA would
have to find a fresh face to replace Scuri at legal. They choose
poorly.
As
the Tuesday hearing in El Monte approached, a lot of power brokers
in California combat sports started taking sides in the DCA/CSAC
civil war. Do we want to see DCA disband the CSAC and take all
regulation into private with no transparency or do we defend
Dodd in hopes of keeping the CSAC alive so there’s a little
bit of transparency?
What
DCA never anticipated is that promoters, fights, fans, and media
who are notorious for covering their bases politically to kiss
the right rings suddenly decided that right now was the time
to take a stand against the huge, powerful bureaucratic behemoth.
How
DCA uses their legal department to control CSAC decision making
Throughout
the many years in which the Department of Consumer Affairs has
exerted pressure on the CSAC for decision making, the most prominent
avenue in which they’ve accomplished this task is by controlling
the legal advice for the commission. If DCA legal says you should
do something, you are supposed to follow orders.
What
has always made this process curious is that in the Business
and Professions Code (154), the commission is allowed to hire
their own legal counsel and be independent of DCA’s legal
team.
Any
and all matters relating to employment, tenure or discipline
of employees of any board, agency or commission, shall be initiated
by said board, agency or commission, but all such actions shall,
before reference to the State Personnel Board, receive the approval
of the appointing power.
To
effect the purposes of Division 1 of this code and each agency
of the department, employment of all personnel shall be in accord
with Article XXIV of the Constitution, the law and rules and
regulations of the State Personnel Board. Each board, agency
or commission, shall select its employees from a list of eligibles
obtained by the appointing power from the State Personnel Board.
The person selected by the board, agency or commission to fill
any position or vacancy shall thereafter be reported by the board,
agency or commission, to the appointing power.
Instead
of hiring their own legal counsel, CSAC has ended up taking orders
from DCA legal on what decisions to make. Anita Scuri & Doreathea
Johnson have been lynchpins in this process. Karen Chappelle,
the controversial California Deputy AG in Los Angeles, is brought
in whenever a fighter fails a drug test and she essentially acts
as a prosecutor as far as advising the commission on what the
punishment should be for the fighter in question. It’s all
a strange practice from the outside-looking-in and even stranger
if you are on the inside. Why isn’t the commission allowed
to have their own legal counsel that is independent and free
of conflicts?
This
is how DCA has managed to obtain power for such a long time.
They tell members on the commission board what they should do
for making decisions based on the ‘advice’ of DCA legal,
which is the equivalent of a bunch of government lifers pulling
the puppet strings. Dorethea Johnson is a perfect example, and
one that we’ll focus on here because she had a role to play
at the Tuesday hearing in El Monte, California.
Here’s
how DCA describes her track record:
“Doreathea
Johnson, Deputy Director, Legal Affairs Division – Doreathea
was appointed in 2000 and reappointed in 2004. She directs the
activities of the Department’s Legal Affairs Division and
advises the Director, the Department’s executive staff,
and the staff and executive officers of DCA’s regulatory
entities.”
Here’s
how her track record is classified at a Black Sacramento lawyer’s
association:
Doreathea
Johnson, Deputy Director, Legal Affairs and Chief Counsel for
the Department of Consumer Affairs. Appointed in 2000 and reappointed
in 2006, directs the activities of the Department’s Legal
Division and advises the director, the department’s executive
staff and the staff and executive officers of the constituent
boards, commissions and bureaus comprising of more than 42 regulatory
agencies within the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Ms.
Johnson, in addition to managing the three units within the Legal
Division, including the Administrative Unit, Legal Services Unit
and Legal Office, participates as a member of the Executive Team,
advising and active involvement on complex legal, legislative,
personnel contract and program issues, including presentation
of testimony before the Legislature.
A
graduate of the University of California’s Hastings College
of Law, Ms. Johnson is a long-term public employee with over
30 years of legal experience. Prior to her appointment as Chief
Counsel, Ms. Johnson practiced as Senior Tax Counsel with the
California Employment Development Department and as an Administrative
Law Judge for the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.
She has served as Judge Pro Tem of the Small Claims Court and
Traffic Court of the Sacramento County Superior Courts, since
1990.
She
is an active member in a number of professional organizations;
including the State Bar Conference of Delegates, where she served
as a board member. She served as a member of the State Bar’s
Judicial Nominee Evaluation’s (JNE) Commission and currently
serves on the County Bar’s Judicial Evaluation Committee.
She is also a member of the California Association of Black Lawyers,
serving as a board member and former Vice President; Sacramento
County Bar Association and a member of Women Lawyers of Sacramento
and past President of the Wiley Manual Bar Association.
Ms.
Johnson is also active in community-based organizations; she
is a member and past President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
Inc., Eta Gamma Omega Chapter, and a board member of the National
Coalition of 100 Black Women-Sacramento Chapter.
DCA
legal has often advised and/or ordered many of the decisions
made by the California State Athletic Commission. By using their
legal department, DCA has manipulated CSAC decision making for
a very long time. This is why DCA never anticipated that anyone
would stand up to them, especially on an issue regarding a political
figure like George Dodd. He was the DCA’s hand-picked choice
for Executive Director three years ago.
How
CSAC smacked DCA around in El Monte
When
I talked about DCA being all-in on terminating George Dodd as
Executive Director, I wasn’t kidding. On Tuesday, an estimated
dozen officials — including Doreathea Johnson, budget analyst
Brian Skewis, and deputy director Awet Kidane were sent with
various bean counters to the CSAC meeting in El Monte. Stopping
short of sending Denise Brown, the head honcho of DCA, this was
the equivalent of DCA sending in their top guns to get the job
done.
The
irony & hypocrisy of DCA sending 12 officials to Southern
California for a job termination hearing of George Dodd, a man
accused of budget malfeasance with taxpayer dollars, is staggering.
A DCA source indicated that the round-trip airplane tickets cost
taxpayers an estimated $7,500. I guess they don’t like to
fly Southwest Airlines. In addition, Cadillac Escalades were
rented for the day. For rented Escalades to show up in the parking
lot of the Bureau of Automotive Repair in El Monte, California
was one of those truly iconic DCA moments. A hell of a statement
made by DCA as far as how little they regard using taxpayer money.
And they were there to see the job termination of a man they
accused of misappropriating the usage of taxpayer money!
For
George Dodd, DCA calling 11126 (the code of due process) was
the equivalent of a pink slip. Only John Frierson, VanBuren Ross
Lemons, and the other members of the CSAC board could save him.
Going into the job termination hearing, there wasn’t one
person who would have bet you any sort of cash that Dodd would
end up having his job saved, even if it was a temporary stay
of execution.
As
the hearing in El Monte was getting ready to start, there was
only one member of the media at the session — Josh Gross
of ESPN. A person was videotaping the hearing but there was no
live webcast online to watch.
While
Doreathea Johnson & Awet Kidane were ready for the public
comment to be over quickly, other members of DCA were sitting
in the back of the room. Backbenchers. In the front of the room
were attorneys not affiliated with DCA who had yellow legal pads,
taking notes. Judges, referees, promoters, and officials started
filing into the room to defend George Dodd. This immediately
caught DCA officials off guard. The paranoia started to set in.
The folks in attendance defending Dodd understood exactly what
the stakes were should DCA take over full control of the California
combat sports scene. It would be a political nightmare for anyone
not part of the Sacramento clan.
DCA
did not send Doreathea Johnson, Awet Kidane, Brian Skewis, and
the rest of their staff to observe Dodd getting a reprieve. They
were sent to be the judge, jury, and executioner of George Dodd’s
tenure as Executive Director. However, DCA was haunted by a ghost
in the room — the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior
Court by inspector Dwayne “Woody” Woodard based on
claims of retaliation & age discrimination. The fact that
Mr. Woodard went this route & opened the door for deposition
of key players in DCA has rattled elements in Sacramento &
Los Angeles. If Woodard could do this to DCA, what could George
Dodd do given the threats DCA made to him — in print, no
less! The prospects of deposition are frightening for DCA power
brokers on two levels. First, it could very well mean that different
people give different versions of stories under deposition. Second,
such deposition (transcripts) could be made public eventually.
The prospects of the civil war being revealed for all to see
between the DCA & CSAC is all too real now. It would open
the doors for the state’s top political writers to sink
their teeth into covering the conflict. It is a worst-case scenario
for DCA.
Brian
Edwards, who was appointed less than a year ago to the CSAC,
saw the writing on the wall and wanted no part of the civil war.
He wanted no part of the political games from DCA. If a sharp
mind like him wanted nothing to do with this mess, you can only
imagine that others with good reputations are staying on the
sidelines.
Everyone,
including Dodd, knew the fix was in on Tuesday. DCA already had
their new hand-picked choice ready to take over as interim CSAC
Executive Director. How DCA thought they could argue to the commission
members with a straight face that their new choice for Executive
Director should be rubber-stamped, given the fact that they’re
arguing that their previous rubber-stamped appointee (George
Dodd) should have his job terminated was quite a logical contortion
act. The reason DCA thought they could get away with this is
because they’ve gotten their way for so long in terms of
controlling the decision making process. It was only natural
for DCA and everybody else in the room, including Dodd, to think
that nothing out of the ordinary was going to happen.
Then,
the meeting started. Public comment was opened. John Frierson
set time limits for three minutes per guest for public comment.
Even with a three minute time limit, DCA officials in the audience
were not happy with what said by the participants in the room.
A groundswell of support for Dodd was on display for everyone
to see on the record. The tide completely turned against DCA.
This was not what DCA bargained for. Sacramento didn’t send
a dozen officials to El Monte to get any other result than the
termination of
George Dodd’s career.
Immediately,
DCA wondered who was orchestrating the events taking place in
the room. Who was the wire-puller who brought all these people
in to defend Dodd? Why weren’t these promoters afraid of
DCA? Why did they take a political stand against the almighty
agency? The support for Dodd couldn’t have possibly been
organic, could it? After all, why would someone in public comment
talk about DCA being guilty of micromanagement?
There
was a turning point at the El Monte hearing that changed the
game. The story of the insolvency letter. The insolvency letter,
which was sent to the members of the CSAC on May 31st, outlined
a claim that on May 23rd there was a meeting between DCA &
Dodd about the financial state of CSAC. Dodd was illegally threatened
with personal liability of CSAC debt. The letter made Dodd look
like an incompetent idiot & total cad for not telling the
commission members about what was going on.
Instead
of letting the insolvency letter speak for itself, an official
from DCA made a startling remark. They told the commission that
DCA had 18 meetings with Dodd over the commission’s finances.
18 different meetings. What DCA was hoping to do with this remark
was make Dodd out to be a completely irresponsible Executive
Director. See, we warned him all these times what was about to
happen… but, no, he didn’t listen to us. We know what
is best. That is what DCA thought the commissioners would takeaway
from this remark.
Once
the session for public comment was ended, a closed session occurred.
A member of DCA suggested, instructed, and told the CSAC board
members that George Dodd should be terminated as Executive Director.
DCA applied intense pressure to get this done.
And
how did John Frierson react? He uttered the one word that nobody
ever tells DCA – “NO.”
No…
as in, no, we’re not terminating Dodd on your behalf. No,
we’re not doing your dirty work here. No, we’re not
going to allow you to intimidate us. No, you made this mess and
we’re not going to let you get away with dispatching your
hand-picked choice for another hand-picked choice. No, you are
the ones who flew a dozen people in from Sacramento and rented
out Escalades on the taxpayer’s dime. This is your problem.
George Dodd may have made mistakes, but nothing’s going
to change if you put in a new figurehead as Executive Director.
You are the ones who approved the budget baselines. You signed
off on everything. You instructed people to follow your orders
by using the tagline of DCA legal to get things done. This mess
happened on your watch. It was happening before George Dodd came
into power and it’s happening while George Dodd is in power.
DCA’s
remark, in which they claimed they had 18 different meetings
with George Dodd over the commission’s finances, blew up
in their face. It destroyed their argument that the budgeting
problems were simply Dodd’s fault. Their own admission shot
down the angle being put forth that Dodd was acting as a lone
wolf. How can someone act like a lone wolf when DCA legal is
telling him what decisions to make, which employees to use, and
where to use them in the office or at events? How can DCA claim
that Dodd is the only one responsible for the commission being
broke when they admitted to having 18 different meetings with
the man?
It’s
hard for DCA to plausibly make this claim when John Frierson
can look out in the room and point out a dozen DCA officials
flown in from Sacramento on round-trip airplane tickets and traveling
around the state in rented Escalades.
John
Frierson, VanBuren Ross Lemons, and the other CSAC board members
saw through DCA’s charade. They stood up to DCA and told
them NO. DCA was not prepared for this. They never expected to
have a worst case scenario where their minions, their puppets
started to fight back. It was a loss of face for the DCA officials
who flew down from Sacramento to get Dodd terminated and ended
up not getting the job done.
I
can only imagine what the reaction was when these officials came
back to Sacramento and gave their bosses the news that Dodd survived.
After
the closed session, it was revealed that Dodd would be censured
by the commission and that, for a 90 day period, he would work
with the DCA under supervision to fix the budget problems. This
decision immediately put both DCA & Dodd into unique political
positions. Both will try to figure out how to survive each other,
how to avoid lawsuits from each other, and how to actually get
business done in an environment where there’s every reason
to believe that there will be paralysis by analysis for every
decision made.
Telling
the DCA that they have to work with Dodd to fix the commission’s
budget is deliciously entertaining.
When
the proceedings were over, Dodd hugged some people in the audience
and shook hands. He survived a completely rigged process that
no one, not even himself, believed he could have survived. Nobody
pushes the DCA around. If Darrell Steinberg in the state Senate
is careful about his dealings with DCA, you can only imagine
how much political power they can exert on weaker politicians
and government lifers.
While
Dodd was relieved about the DCA kangaroo court proceedings shockingly
going his way, the paranoia levels amongst the DCA officials
ratcheted up significantly. What the hell just happened to us?
How did we screw up this job termination process? Why did the
public stand up for a guy that we portrayed as incompetent and
not suitable for the job of Executive Director of the California
State Athletic Commission? Why did John Frierson and the rest
of the CSAC not follow our orders like good little soldiers?
Why did this story get so public and why are these commoners
standing up to us?
People
in Sacramento will start turning on each other in a big way.
With the lawsuit filed by Dwayne Woodard, the botched job termination
of George Dodd, and CSAC Chairman John Frierson defying Sacramento’s
orders, key players in the Department of Consumer Affairs will
be living in political fear of each other.
“You
screwed up!”
“No,
it’s your fault!”
In
the short-term, George Dodd’s job security as Executive
Director is not long for this world. He knows it, the anti-Dodd
and pro-Dodd forces know it as well. Everyone understands what
is about to play out here.
In
the big picture, DCA got humiliated by citizens who have significantly
less power than them. The only person DCA is accountable to is
Governor Jerry Brown. For DCA’s coup d’etat of George
Dodd, a relatively powerless politician in the grand scheme of
California politics, to fail so spectacularly means that heads
will roll. Some people will pay a heavy political price. Others
will try to save their jobs by convincing DCA bosses that they
need to retrench and come up with a new strategy. There’s
only one problem with this line ofthinking — we’re
too far down the road now. The public is starting to take an
interest in this story. The civil war between the Department
of Consumer Affairs and the California State Athletic Commission
is very real. Jobs are on the line. The health of California
combat sports is at stake. All of the promoters, referees, judges,
and inspectors who showed up in El Monte, California on Tuesday
(June 26th, 2012) understand this as well as anybody. DCA made
the mistake that all bureaucracies make. They underestimated
the intelligence & understanding that taxpayers and citizens
have for what is going on in regards to their activities. A little
education & activism goes a long way.
Given
the track record of the Department of Consumer Affairs over the
last five years with the CSAC, it’s impossible to put the
genie back in the bottle. Some of DCA’s tactics & behavior
have been exposed publicly. However, there are plenty of incidents,
stories, and decisions that have yet to be exposed for public
consumption. DCA knows this. They are worried about this process.
They have every right to be concerned. DCA understands the value
of a public scandal and how quickly government lifers can lose
their jobs. The
DCA nursing board scandal a few years ago was proof positive
of how fast a government lifer can get ousted from their job
once there’s some sunlight.
And,
yet, despite all of the fear & loathing in Sacramento, they
are also prideful politicians who love to exert the full brunt
of their power on others who aren’t subservient to their
orders. This is why John Frierson, the 82-year old Chairman of
the CSAC, standing up to the DCA is such an interesting &
incredible situation. Frierson can match up his political track
record with any government lifer at DCA.
“You’ve
been around since Jimmy Carter? I was around when Richard Nixon
was President!”
DCA
has to be cautious with how they handle any attacks on John Frierson.
He’s known Governor Brown for four decades. He’s politically
connected throughout the CADEM political machine. He is close
with Curren Price Jr., a star in the state Senate who is quickly
growing political power. He is close to Karen Bass, the former
Assembly Speaker who is now in the US House of Representatives.
He’s a member of the New Frontier
Democratic Club in Los Angeles. This is a badge of honor for
him.
So,
what can DCA do to an 82-year old who has seen it all in politics?
If they go after him hard, he can portray their attacks on him
as a witch hunt. If they try a smear campaign in the media &
behind the scenes to make him out as a crazy, out of control
senior citizen, it will backfire. They may know some of the skeletons
in his closet but he also knows the skeletons in their closet,
too. After all, he’s been on the athletic commission for
over a decade. That is unheard of. You have to have multiple
political appointments in order to serve as long as he has at
CSAC. Somebody clearly saw enough political value in keeping
him around in power.
Which
is why officials at the Department of Consumer Affairs are completely
fit to be tied. John Frierson stood up to them. John Frierson
stood up for George Dodd. John Frierson made a decision that
went against conventional wisdom 99.8% of the time. Even if George
Dodd is a goner in three months as Executive Director, John Frierson
& VanBuren Ross Lemons temporarily saved the man’s career
by saying the one word that the Department of Consumer Affairs
never expects people lower on their totem pole to ever tell them:
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Griffin
explains why ‘escaped’ after the end of the fight
The
scene of Forrest Griffin running away after being defeated by
Anderson Silva, at UFC 101, happened again this Saturday. The
American left the cage after three rounds against Tito Ortiz,
even before the official announcement, and only returned to the
octagon after Dana White told him to. At the end, he was declared
as the winner on the judges’ score card.
“I
wasn’t happy about my performance”, explains Griffin,
at the UFC 148 post-fight press conference, in Las Vegas. “The
idea was to submit and I thought I could’ve been submitted,
but I left it to the judges to decide. I thought I could’ve
gotten a more clear opportunity. I waited. I heard his corner
screaming there were 20 seconds left before I could do anything”.
Source:
Tatame
|
End
of career “closes up” Ortiz x Dana
Tito
Ortiz and Dana White had some misunderstandings during Tito’s
15 years on the organization, but it is all in the past now the
“Bad Boy” has hung his gloves. Defeated on a controversy
decision of the judges against Forrest Griffin, Tito left behind
the times he and the boss could not get to an agreement.
“I’m
human, I make mistakes. I’m no longer the Bad Boy. I believe
everything Dana did for me had a good reason behind it. Well,
it’s been 15 years since he went to my apartment and ask
me to let he manages me. He took the best off me”, thanks
the now former fighter.
“He
said some things that hurt me, I’ve always fought for what
I believe in, like Dana told me to. I guess it was a problem
to be. I’m here for the UFC. When Dana said I was one of
the fighters trying to hurt the UFC, it hurt me. I never tried
to do such thing. I gave my best for the sport because I wanted
to fight in the UFC”, explains.
Bothered
by the questions, Dana White make a joke and made journalists
laugh when comparing Ortiz’s statements to Oprah’s
show, and Tito says he finished the career with his head up:
“No regrets. It is what it is. I did my job and I’m
thankful for everything UFC’s done for me”.
“Tito
absolutely deserves to be at Hall of Fame. The problems we had
are part of the sport, and it helps us to shape UFC like it is
today. You can’t deny it, it’s an absolute truth. Time
heals all wounds”, says Dana White.
Source:
Tatame
|
UFC
148 Results: Prelims Produce All Decisions
The UFC 148 prelims featured several tough fighters, but no finishes
as all five fights went to decisions.
Melvin
Guillard vs. Fabricio Camoes
Prior
to UFC 148, Melvin Guillard said his fight with Fabricio Camoes
was a ‘must win’ and so instead of head hunting or
getting in bad positions, the former Ultimate Fighter alum fought
a smart, tactical strategy.
Over
his past two losses, Guillard admits that he has gone into panic
mode when the fights have hit the ground, but facing another
high level ground fighter like Camoes, he showed patience and
poise to get out of bad spots.
As
Guillard reversed positions on the ground he unloaded some nasty
ground and pound, and he also controlled the action on the feet.
Guillard
walks away with a much needed win as he works further with his
new coaches and team at the Blackzilians, and continues his path
back into the toughest part of the UFC’s lightweight division.
Gleison
Tibau vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Undefeated
prospect Khabib Nurmagomedov was able to keep his unscathed record
in tact as he pressed the pace for the better part of 15-minutes
to win a unanimous decision over veteran Gleison Tibau.
While
no one will likely go back at look at this fight as an exciting
bout with unparalleled excitement, Nurmagomedov put on a workman’s
like performance as he pushed Tibau against the cage and tried
for more big strikes throughout the fight.
The
judges gave him 30-27 scores across the board to move him to
2-0 thus far in the UFC.
Costa
Philippou vs. Riki Fukuda
It
was a rough night for Costa Philippou who had to deal with a
nasty eye poke and numerous shots to the groin courtesy of Riki
Fukuda, but the healing process will be a lot easier to deal
with because he still came away with a win.
Philippou
used his superior striking and takedown defense to stuff Fukuda
at every turn, who just could not get the fight to the ground
for all his effort through 15-minutes.
During
a brief exchange in the final round, Philippou was caught right
in the eye by Fukuda’s fingers and could literally be heard
screaming in agony. After a few moments however he was able to
regain his sight and the rage filled the Matt Serra trained fighter
as he came out firing after the break.
Philippou
picked up the win by unanimous decision as he now moves to 4-1
in the UFC with four straight victories.
John
Alessio vs. Shane Roller
It
was do or die for Shane Roller heading into UFC 148 with three
straight losses haunting his record as he faced John Alessio
on Saturday night.
The
former All-American wrestler used his grappling skills to put
Alessio down time and time again in the fight as he looked to
take his opponent’s back and improve positions. Alessio
did manage a nice knockdown to end round 1 and started round
2 with a big flurry, but that’s about all the offense he
could muster.
Shane
Roller moves back into the win column with a much needed victory,
while John Alession remains winless in the UFC after first making
his Octagon debut back in 2000.
Rafaello
Oliveira vs. Yoislandy Izquierdo
It
was a fight where one fighter wanted it on the feet and one wanted
it on the ground.
Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu black belt Rafaello Oliveira was ultimately the victor
however as he repeatedly took Cuban born Yoislandy Izquierdo
to the mat. While his techniques on the ground seemed repetitive
as he continuously looked for side control and an Americana lock,
Oliveira still controlled the bulk of the bout.
The
judges agreed and gave Oliveira the nod by unanimous decision.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Demian:
‘I feel much stronger in this division’
Demian
Maia’s welterweight debut in the UFC, this Saturday, at
UFC 148, was a big one. The Brazilian defeated South Korean Dong
Hyum Kim, via TKO, as he took his opponent down, breaking his
rib in less than a minute of bout.
On
an interview with TATAME, the Jiu-Jitsu black belt affirmed he
would submit his opponent, going back to his roots.
“The
trainings were really tough. I was really training for that.
Unfortunately, he got injured. If he hasn’t got hurt I’d
go for his back. I guess I’d be able to submit him”.
Check
below the complete inrerview:
How
important that you trained Jiu-Jitsu again?
You
know, I kinda focused at Grappling and that’s why I tried
to go for the clinch on the beginning. I tried to go for his
backs and he didn’t want to go to the floor. I went for
his back like I did on practice. I took him down and my plan
was to get to his back and choke him. I guess I squeezed him
so hard I broke his rib.
Is
it weird for you, since you got the win but could not show your
best skills?
It’s
never easy. Actually, the trainings were really tough. I was
really training for that. Unfortunately, he got injured. If he
hasn’t got hurt I’d go for his back. I guess I’d
be able to submit him.
There
were many legends on the walk-out with you, like Leonardo Vieira.
How much did you train Jiu-Jitsu for this fight?
A
lot. Mainly with Leonardo. Wagner was my coach, but Leonardo
was my coach in 1998, 1999. We used to live together, we were
roommates who lived at the gym. He was the best man at my wedding
and I brought him to train with me again. He’s phenomenal,
he won many times in Jiu-Jitsu and at ADCC. It’s amazing.
He was very important to me and also his support.
Your
fight with Mark Munoz was really good, but you could not use
your Jiu-Jitsu and had to strike. Was the point of all this to
avoid that kind of thing from happening again?
When
you get into a fight you don’t think much. You do what you
trained to do. My trainings were more focused on Grappling, so
when I got in there I wanted to grapple. The times I trained
a lot of Boxing happened that, it’s no big secret, because
you do what you trained for. It’s impossible to train a
lot of Boxing and wanting to do Jiu-Jitsu.
How
was it like fighting in Las Vegas in front of many Brazilians?
It
was awesome. The Brazilian press, I saw Cigano and Wanderlei,
who were both my trainings partners and still are. They’ve
helped me out a lot, they’ve taught me a lot. I know Cigano
since his second fight in the UFC, we’ve trained a lot together
in Bahia, with coach Dorea. I’m very happy.
Welterweight
division is very competitive. Do you eye somebody?
There’re
many good fighters. I don’t have anyone in mind, I just
fight.
Are
you cool knowing you own the best Jiu-Jitsu skills in the division?
Yes,
but there’re also great wrestlers and wrestlers know how
to block Jiu-Jitsu, like my opponent today, who was a great Judo
guy. He had good defenses. It’s not easy, but I feel much
stronger in this division.
If
you get like two or three more wins maybe you get a title shot,
right?
I
don’t like commenting on that. It only brings back luck
(laughs).
Source:
Tatame
|
Melvin
Guillard Defeats Fabricio Camoes: Immediate UFC 148 Fan Reaction
The
final fight of the UFC 148 fight card on FX featured a fight
in the lightweight division. Melvin "Young Assassin"
Guillard took to the Octagon for the 17th time in his professional
career. He was 29-10 in his career coming into the fight, while
the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert, Fabricio Camoes came into the
fight with a 14-6 record. Guillard had lost two straight via
first round submissions, while Camoes won his UFC debut against
Tommy Hayden at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller.
First
Round
To
open the fight, Camoes went straight at Guillard and tried playing
into the Young Assassin's game plan. Camoes eventually went for
a takedown and landed it, but Guillard got right back to his
feet. As the fight continued, Guillard landed a takedown of his
own, showing he wasn't afraid of the ground game of Camoes. Camoes
then controlled Guillard and reversed the position and got into
full mount. He dropped countless elbows and strikes but the Young
Assassin fought out and got the fight back to the feet. Camoes
lost his balance at the end of the round and Guillard finished
the round in top position, throwing punches of his own.
My
scorecard: Camoes, 10-9
Second
Round
The
round saw a lot of non-action from both fighters. Camoes continued
to stand in front of Guillard, but he never got caught. He also
continued to go for takedowns, but Guillard showed great improvement
in his takedown defense. With about 80 seconds left, Camoes got
a takedown, but was unable to get in a great offensive position.
Guillard reversed the position and finished the round on top,
much like the first round.
My
scorecard: Guillard, 10-9
Third
Round
The
final round was another uneventful round by both fighters. Guillard
did exactly what he needed to do to avoid the strikes from Camoes,
but didn't exactly turn the offense up. Neither fighter took
many chances in the round and seemed content with where the fight
was going. With about 30 seconds left, Camoes went for a submission
on Guillard's leg, but the Young Assassin did a great job of
not allowing Camoes to use both hands and saved the fight.
My
scorecard: Guillard, 10-9 and overall 29-28. I wouldn't be shocked
to see a 30-27 call for Guillard. It was a decent showing after
two lackluster performances.
Official
Decision: Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3) for Melvin Guillard
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 5 adds three more bouts
The
UFC is adding some local talent to the upcoming Nottingham card.
They have signed middleweight prospect Tom Watson and undefeated
light-heavyweight Jimi Manuwa for the card, and two rising British
welterweight prospects will go to battle when John Maguire takes
on John Hathaway. These additions will give some clear cut prospects
to their divisions.
John
Maguire taking on John Hathaway could give the welterweight division
its’ brightest candidates since Dan Hardy challenged for
the title. You may remember Maguire as the fighter who professes
to be a practitioner of “gypsy jiu-jitsu.” John Hathaway
proved himself to be a contender with wins over Rick Story and
Diego Sanchez, but a loss to Mike Pyle set him back.
Tom
Watson has shown to be an absolute beast in the middleweight
division. After starting his career at 4-3, he has went 11-1
in his last 12 bouts and even retired Murilo Rua last year. In
this fight, he takes on Brad Tavares, who is 3-1 in the organization.
If Watson can look impressive against Tavares, he may have a
bright future in the octagon.
Jimi
Manuwa turned down a UFC contract last year, but the lure of
fighting in England turned out to be the ticket for him to sign.
He’s undefeated through his 11 fight career, and has also
finished all of his opponents. In this first fight in the octagon,
he will take on another undefeated prospect in Stanislav Nedkov
who has only fought in the UFC once due to Visa and opponent
issues.
Source:
Caged Insider
|
Pascal
Krauss Welcomes Grappling Wiz Gunnar Nelson to Octagon at UFC
on Fuel TV 5
After
suffering the first loss of his professional MMA career in May,
German welterweight Pascal Krauss will make his return to the
Octagon in September to take on Icelandic newcomer Gunnar Nelson.
Krauss
confirmed Saturday that the bout will be part of UFC on Fuel
TV 5 “Struve vs. Miocic,” which takes place Sept. 29
at Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England.
The
bout will mark Krauss’ third outing for the American promotion,
and his first fight in the U.K. since May 2010, when he won the
Cage Warriors Fighting Championship welterweight title in Birmingham,
England. The 25-year-old former German junior boxing champion
was last seen returning from a 17-month injury layoff against
Englishman John Hathaway. The “Hitman” made the most
of the young German’s ring rust, out-boxing and out-wrestling
“Panzer” en route to a unanimous decision.
Nelson,
23, has mainly focused on grappling competition in recent years,
winning the Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Championship with and without
the gi in 2009, as well as taking fourth place in the absolute
category of the 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship.
In the latter competition, Nelson surprised many by defeating
the much heavier former UFC heavyweight contender Jeff Monson.
In
February, Nelson made his return to MMA, submitting Ukrainian
sambist Alexander Butenko in the first round of their main event
fight at Cage Contender 12 in Dublin.
“I
am well aware that Nelson isn’t just one of the top prospects,
but also one of the top up-and-coming black belts competing in
MMA,” Krauss told Sherdog.com. “I have trained with
many outstanding grapplers myself, like Dean Lister and Ben Askren,
though, and fighting in the UFC is not a jiu-jitsu competition,
so I’m really looking forward to welcoming Gunnar to the
Octagon!”
Source:
Sherdog
|
|
Chael
Sonnen Admires Champion Anderson Silva, Brazilian Fans after
UFC 148 Loss
The
Chael Sonnen who taunted Anderson Silva for the better part of
two years has left the building, at least for the time being.
Previously
channeling the role of unapologetic antagonist in the lead-up
to his rematch with the middleweight champion at UFC 148, Sonnen
finally gave “The Spider” his due after falling by
technical knockout in Saturday night's main event at the MGM
Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Sonnen
had previously taken Silva to the brink of defeat in 2010 before
he was submitted with a last-minute triangle choke at UFC 117.
Sonnen appeared to once again be on the right track in the first
round of the rematch, immediately taking Silva to the mat and
gradually passing to half-guard. The Oregonian eventually slipped
into mount, the dominant position in which he would end the frame.
Despite
the fortuitous start, however, Sonnen would not escape the second
round. After pressing Silva against the cage early, Sonnen whiffed
on a spinning backfist that took him off balance and left him
seated against the cage. With no hesitation, Silva planted a
devastating knee directly into Sonnen's chest. Though the former
Oregon Duck would manage to regain his vertical base, Silva sent
him back to the mat shortly thereafter with a flurry of punches
and continued to drop bombs until referee Yves Lavigne halted
the bout.
Despite
acquitting himself well in both meetings with Silva before making
critical errors, Sonnen says he does not take any consolation
from putting the champion in more trouble than anyone else has
in Silva's six-year UFC career.
“It's
pass or fail when you're in [the Octagon],” Sonnen said
at the post-fight press conference. “You either get it done,
or you don't. I was handed a lot of compliments after the first
fight, and I'm going, 'Jeez, that's nice, but did you see who
won the fight? I didn't win.' [Silva is] just a another regular
guy. We weigh the same thing, and he finds a way to win. I admire
it.”
Though
some fans took offense to Sonnen's use of pro-wrestling inspired
promos to hype Saturday's rematch, the results are tough to deny,
as the UFC reportedly set a new live gate record in the United
States. Though Sonnen stoked the coals of contempt from some
fans for his words leading up to the contest, the middleweight
appeared to bury the hatchet with Silva after the bout.
“That's
the way you deal with combat,” Sonnen said of the post-fight
handshake he shared with Silva. “You always leave it in
the cage or on the mat. Those are the rules, and I follow them.
That was great that he [shook my hand]. It was very nice of him.”
In
addition to speaking highly of his opponent, Sonnen also applauded
the dedication and support shown toward the champion by his fans
in Brazil.
“The
Brazilian fans have it down right. They back their guy. America
is the only country in the world where we don't do that, and
that's fine, but I really admire the Brazilian fans,” said
Sonnen. “That includes when I'm getting booed on the way
in. I should be getting booed when I'm taking on their guy.”
While
it is unclear exactly where this loss leaves Sonnen, the middleweight
contender says that he will always be gunning for another crack
at winning the title.
“I
really believe that if you're going to be in this company and
take up a spot, then you've got to be chasing a championship,”
said Sonnen. “There are plenty of young guys who could come
in and get their opportunity. I got my chance, and then I got
it again. I'm not going to ask for anything. I'm grateful for
it, but I will not hang around for one day to blend in. It's
either to be the world champ or I'll move on and do something
else.”
Source:
Sherdog |
UFC
148 Results: Demian Maia Becomes Reborn At Welterweight
Decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Demian Maia wasted no
time in dispatching welterweight contender Dong Hyun Kim in the
first round at UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II.
Maia
immediately rushed for the takedown on Kim and was able to secure
Kim’s back. From there, Maia would then kick the leg out
to bring Kim down, mounted him and was stopped after a few hard
shots. Just after referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the fight, Kim
held his ribs and was writhing in agony.
The
official time of the stoppage was 47 seconds in the first round
and Maia was awarded a TKO victory.
With
the victory over Kim, Maia started to look back like his old
self again with his successful welterweight debut.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
148 Results: Cung Le Gets First UFC Win, Retirement on the Horizon?
For
the last couple of years Cung Le has wanted nothing more than
to fight in the UFC, but more than anything he wanted a win.
On
Saturday night it was a dream come true.
A
lifetime martial artist, Le had battled all over the world in
all kinds of different events, and even became Strikeforce middleweight
champion, but as he approached 40 years of age all he wanted
was to fight in the UFC.
Facing
Le at UFC 148 was Canadian slugger Patrick Cote, who was taking
the fight on short notice, but after a long campaign to get back
into the UFC. Four wins in a row earned Cote a shot back in the
UFC, but he had a tough test ahead of him in Cung Le.
The
book on Cung Le is that he loves his kicks and he uses them well,
but against Cote he was able to show off his hands and a number
of takedowns.
From
his San Shou background, Le employs some very solid throws and
takedowns, but just hasn’t used them much in his MMA fights.
He decided to show it off against Cote.
Throughout
the 15-minute bout, Le was quicker to the punch and kept the
distance against Cote and was out of the way when the powerful
punch lunged forward with strikes.
When
the fight was over Le had done the most damage, landed the most
strikes and handled the most takedowns. The decision was elementary
and the judges did well and handed the fight and the win to Cung
Le.
“I
feel great, a little tired, I was going to do a backflip but
I didn’t have any energy,” Le said after his first
win in the UFC. “He came and pushed it, he’s got such
a hard head I hurt my foot on it.”
Now
at 40-years of age, Le has a major film coming out later this
year and more film roles coming soon, but after the exhilaration
of his first UFC win even he admits it’s going to be hard
to walk away from the UFC now.
“One
goal reached another goal will come,” Le stated about his
possible retirement. “I’m going to go back to the drawing
boards, and I’ll let you guys know. I loved it, that was
very exciting, and I’m an adrenaline junkie so I’m
not sure if I can give it up yet.”
Le
will now heal up and make the decision if there is at least one
more fight left in his body.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
148 Results: Chad Mendes Money With KO Body Punch
Chad
Mendes was looking for the perfect way to bounce back from the
first loss of his career, and he sure found it at UFC 148.
The
Team Alpha Male fighter was returning from a loss to UFC featherweight
champion Jose Aldo earlier this year, and he wanted to make a
statement as he faced former Ultimate Fighter competitor Cody
McKenzie.
Well,
it only took one punch for Mendes to make that statement.
As
McKenzie came in with a low kick, the former Cal Poly All-American
wrestler caught the leg and fired down the middle with a vicious
punch straight to the body.
The
punch landed square in McKenzie’s gut and he dropped to
the mat, and Mendes said after the fight it was something he
was planning for and it worked to perfection.
“We
know that was something that was going to work against Cody,
we were hoping anyways, and it was something we were working
on in our camp, so it feels awesome to get in here again,”
said Mendes.
“He’s
got a long body and we took advantage of it.”
The
win gets Mendes back on track after a tough loss to Aldo earlier
this year and puts a big finish on his resume after several decision
victories peppered his career prior to the loss to Aldo.
Source:
MMA Weekly
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Sonnen
accepts invitation to barbecue
Anderson
Silva surprised all MMA fans as he invited Chael Sonnen for a
barbecue at his place, on a provocative way, after defeating
him by TKO at UFC 148. And, at the post-fight press conference,
the American got excited about it.
“I’m
starving and I could eat a Brazilian barbecue, but only if it’s
medium rare”, answered the American, who provoked Anderson
before the fight saying he would break into his house and, after
spanking the Brazilian’s wife on the butt cheek, and would
force her to cook a steak for him.
“Let’s
show Brazilian people are polite and let’s give him a round
of applauses”, said Anderson, hugging Sonnen and asking
for the fans’ support. And he also poked his rival at the
end: “if you want to, we can have a barbecue at my place,
feel free to show up”.
On
the post-fight press conference, Chael still claimed to be motivated
to fight in the UFC.
“I
don’t need vacations. Not at all. I like to work. Waking
up early and going to bed late. It’s sad, but it’s
not my first loss. In this sport you have a 50 percent chance
of failuring. You have to man-up when things go wrong”,
undermines.
“I
guess that if you’re in this organization you gotta run
for the title. You’re not here just to fight. I had my chance
and I had it again. I won’t ask them again but I’m
not staying here trying to blend. Or I’m the champion or
let’s move on”.
Impressed
by Sonnen’s talent on promoting the fight, a reporter asked
him if there was a possibility of leaving MMA for stand-up comedy.
Kindly, the fighter rejected: “I’ll always be on the
sport, whether it’s on the octagon or watching it as a fan,
but no comedy for me”.
Sonnen
compliments Brazilian fans in Vegas
Chael
Sonnen was fighting at home against Anderson Silva, but the screams
that came from the fans at MGM Grand Garden Arena were not in
English. The Brazilians dominated the singing at the United States,
impressing the challenger at Spider’s title.
“The
Brazilians did a great job supporting him. I love the Brazilian
people, even when they boo me when I walked out there. It’s
how it’s supposed to be”, said the American, criticizing
his countrymen, that take sides easily. “The United States
is the only place on earth it doesn’t happen”.
Source:
Tatame
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