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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)
7/21/12
Sera's Kajukenbo Martial Arts Tournament
(Continuous Sparring, MMA (Controlled), and Sub. Grappling)
(War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/14/12
King of the Cage
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/16-17/12
State
of Hawaii BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Arena
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)
|
|
May
2012 News Part 3
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Brilliant
performances by Junior dos Santos, Cain Velasquez cap successful
all-heavyweight card
LAS
VEGAS – A day that began with one of his Octagon girls getting
arrested and one of his main event fighters for UFC 147 breaking
a hand couldn't have ended any better for UFC president Dana
White.
The
all-heavyweight main card at UFC 146 was a huge hit, with all
five fights ending in decisive fashion.
Junior
dos Santos punched his way one step closer to stardom, beating
down Frank Mir and stopping him in the second round to retain
the UFC heavyweight title before a loud crowd of 14,592 at the
MGM Grand Garden.
When
White awakened Saturday, he learned of the arrest of Octagon
girl Arianny Celeste on domestic violence charges. Then, he received
a call that Vitor Belfort broke a hand in training and won't
be able to fight Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147 next month.
But
dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, Roy Nelson, Stipe Miocic and Stefan
Struve each had impressive – and early – victories
on the first five-fight, all-heavyweight main card in UFC history
that put a smile back onto White's face.
And
later, it looked like White may have a chance to get one of his
big drawing cards back. Ex-champion Brock Lesnar, who retired
in December following a loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141,
attended Saturday's show. White was coy and said there is something
going on, hinting Lesnar might fight for the UFC again. He said
he planned to speak with Lesnar to discuss his intentions.
All
in all, what looked like it would be a disastrous day wound up
being one of his better ones.
"It
was great; it was a great night," White said. "All
of the fights, well, almost all of the fights were great. On
paper, this card looked awesome, and this card lived up to it."
But
making White's night even better was the brilliant performances
by both dos Santos and Velasquez, setting up a rematch between
the two later this year. Velasquez lost his title to dos Santos
on Nov. 12 when he was knocked out in 64 seconds, and he fought
Saturday as if he is determined to get the belt back.
"The
only reason I got into this sport was to be the champ,"
Velasquez said after destroying Silva with a ground-and-pound
finish at 3:36 of the first. "I just don't feel right right
now not having that [belt]."
To
get it, though, he'll have to defeat a guy who is looking increasingly
difficult to beat. Dos Santos fought brilliantly against Mir,
a two-time champion with a superb ground game. Mir only came
close to one takedown and spent much of the night eating hard
shots from the champion.
A
huge throng of Brazilian fans filled the MGM and roared at every
dos Santos move.
"I
heard them, and they really made me energized," he said.
UFC
heavyweight champions historically haven't had much success defending
their belts, but dos Santos had no problem dealing with Mir.
He put on a boxing clinic, using his speed, footwork, punching
accuracy and, yes, power, to throttle an elite-level fighter.
He
was beaming at the post-fight news conference because he knew
the significance of what he'd done.
"This
victory was very important for me and it was huge for my career,"
dos Santos said.
The
significance can't be lost on White, who confirmed there would
be a rematch between dos Santos and Velasquez for the belt later
this year. Given the beating dos Santos put on Mir and the bloody
mess that Velasquez made of Silva, that fight should be a massive
seller.
White
rarely commits on future plans at a post-fight news conference,
but this match was clear. The winner should come out as a big
star, something the UFC desperately needs given the exodus in
the last 18 months of big draws such as Lesnar, Chuck Liddell
and Randy Couture retiring and other top attractions such as
welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre sidelined for more than
a year with injury.
Dos
Santos has all the makings of a star. He's a heavyweight, and
people love heavyweights most of all. He has good punching power,
he smiles and he's charismatic. He's already a big attraction
in Brazil, and his profile will only continue to grow in the
U.S.
White
came away mightily impressed by his performance.
"He
has power, speed, good takedown defense," White said. "He's
got it all."
The
main card at UFC 146 pretty much had it all, as well. Struve
made it look easy to open the pay-per-view portion of the show
with a quick arm bar victory over Lavar Johnson. Then, in a battle
between two of the promotion's best young prospects, Miocic came
back in the second to pound out Shane Del Rosario.
Then,
it was Nelson's turn. Nelson cracked Dave Herman with a powerful
overhand right to win his bout in 51 seconds, then turned wiseacre
immediately afterward.
"My
plan was to wrestle, [but] my coaches had a different game plan,
which was 'Hit him in the face,'–" Nelson said. "I
guess it worked. Clearly, my hands have dynamite in them or small
rocks, or whatever. I have to congratulate Dave for stepping
up and fighting me. Everyone kept dropping out. I think it's
clear to everyone that the fans are here to see me and not the
UFC. Now I'm going to Carl's Jr. and getting a Western bacon
cheeseburger."
He
deserved one after that performance, but so did a lot of other
guys on the card. And with the news that Lesnar may be back and
Alistair Overeem set to return early next year, the division
figures to be compelling for a while.
"You
saw tonight why people love heavyweights," White said. "Those
were some great fights."
After
the news conference ended, White skipped out for a meeting with
Lesnar, his one-time big star whose return to professional wrestling
hasn't done much for the WWE's pay-per-view business.
All
in all, it could have been a horrendous day for White. The smile
on his face as he exited the news conference showed just how
much it improved.
It
was a very good night for him.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Reports
Say Octagon Girl Arianny Celeste Arrested In Las Vegas
UFC Octagon Girl Arianny Celeste was arrested in Las Vegas on
Saturday, according to reports. The reports said that Celeste,
whose real name is Arianny Lopez , was nabbed by authorities
on the charge of domestic battery. The 26-year-old ring card
girl was released from the Clarke County Detention Center on
a $3,000 bond later that ...
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Vitor
Belfort's Hand Surgery Spells Doom for UFC 147: Fan's View
UFC
147 was projected by MMA insiders to be one of the lowest-grossing
PPV cards in league history, and that was before the news that
Vitor Belfort had to bow out of the main event due to a broken
hand that will require surgery.
That
leaves Wanderlei Silva, a 35-year-old who has six losses in his
past nine UFC appearances, as the main draw expected to get fight
fans into the seats at Mineirinho Gymnasium in Belo Horizonte,
Brazil on June 23, and rack up PPV buys worldwide.
"The
Axe Murderer" is a true legend in the sport of MMA, but
he's been on the downside of his career for at least five years,
and he may be one knockout loss away from being forced into retirement.
I
wouldn't say he's a shell of his former self, as he's still quite
capable of putting on exciting fights. However, his days of being
a legitimate top ten contender are behind him.
Fightmatrix.com
currently ranks Silva as the No. 21 middleweight in the world,
and fighters ranging from Hector Lombard to Alan Belcher have
been rumored to take Belfort's place.
Essentially,
this means that the main event will feature a 35-year-old who
isn't even a top twenty fighter in his own division, against
a fighter who ranks towards the bottom of the top ten.
In
comparison, even the "free" UFC on Fuel events, have
headlining bouts with true title contenders.
Back
in February, No. 3-ranked Jake Ellenberger squared off against
Diego Sanchez, a legitimate top 15 contender, in a UFC on Fuel
bout that had major title implications.
UFC
147, on the other hand, will showcase Silva, who is a gatekeeper
at this point in his career, against a fighter who is still a
few victories away from a title shot. At this stage in the game,
you would expect every UFC event to have a main event that features
at least a No. 1 contender bout, if not a title on the line.
Fans
still love Silva because he puts on entertaining fights, and
it helps that UFC 147 will be held in his homeland of Brazil.
However,
he is perfect as a co-headliner at this point in his career.
His fight against Cung Le at UFC 139 served as an excellent appetizer
to the classic battle between Shogun and Dan Henderson.
The
UFC 147 card will definitely set the bar as the lowest-selling
PPV in UFC history, as the only other fight on the card that
features a major name in MMA is the tilt between Fabricio Werdum
and Mike Russow. I could see the winner of that scrap getting
Frank Mir next.
A
Mir versus Werdum matchup in the future would be a delightful
tilt between two of the best submission artists in the heavyweight
division, so that is the only UFC 147 match I have any interest
in.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Jason
'Mayhem' Miller on Fighting: 'I'm Done for Right Now'
May
28, 2012 - Jason "Mayhem" Miller said he would retire
from mixed martial arts if he lost to C.B. Dollaway at UFC 146.
He plans to live up to his word.
In
his first interview since losing a unanimous decision to Dollaway
on Saturday night, the controversial middleweight told MMAFighting.com's
Ariel Helwani on Monday that as of now, he's finished fighting.
"I
said I would, so I am," said Miller. "I'm done for
right now."
Thus
ends a relationship between Miller and the UFC which was an uneasy
fit from the get-go. For "Mayhem," mixed martial arts
has always been just one of a variety of things on his plate.
UFC boss Dana White wants his fighters to be all business, all
the time. It didn't make for the easiest marriage.
"I
don't have the need to super-impress one person in particular
and make them happy," Miller said. "I can focus on
making myself happy. I don't have the pressures of a commissioner
chasing me around with a piss cup. I don't have the pressures
of everybody verbally abusing me for everyone one of my missteps
via social media. I feel like a weight is lifted.
"Every
fighter gives the same answer when they say they're retired.
Pretty much every fighter says ‘I'm retired until I need
money.' I'm a pretty smart dude, I have other avenues open to
me."
As
soon as Miller lost in one-sided fashion to Dollaway -- on the
heels of a similar loss to Michael Bisping -- his UFC future
seemed tenuous. Before Miller even had a chance to announce his
retirement, White had stated at Saturday's post-fight press conference
the fighter was through with Zuffa, saying Miller was involved
in a backstage incident after the fight. White refused to elaborate
on the details.
For
his part, "Mayhem" said there was no incident backstage
after the bout. Rather, Miller said that as he was making his
way to the Octagon for the fight, he was interrupted by the UFC's
backstage director, Burt Watson. Miller claims Watson got on
his case for the gas mask Miller was wearing underneath a paper
bag-mask he had over his head.
"It
was my mask," Miller said. "Burt suddenly started yelling
about my mask. I had a gas mask for the troops underneath my
paper bag, and Burt started telling me right as I'm walking out
for the fight. I'm trying to get focused instead of arguing about
a paper bag. Maybe it was my fault for, I don't know, I thought
we had an understanding once I start walking out to the cage
that now I'm working, but obviously we're not on a playing field
of mutual respect.
"I
wish I would have heard about it before so it would be easier
to deal with. But here I am walking to the cage, and suddenly
I started getting yelled at. I'm like ‘what, I'm trying
to focus here.' Things don't always go the way you want. That's
life and you have to deal with it."
Miller
is taking the retirement/firing in stride, noting that he's been
fighting since he was a teenager and understanding that not everyone,
White included, gets his quirky personality.
"Sometimes
you rub people the wrong way," he said. "When you're
in charge of a multinational corporation and you kind of don't
like someone it's pretty easy to just swat me.
"Don't
cry for me, Argentina. I kinda knew what I was getting into when
I was 17. I'm not a young guy, not for this sport. I'm an old-ass
man, maybe I should look into that TRT, maybe that would help
me out.
"I've
been abusing myself for 12 years now. It's my job. I can't cry
about it. I knew over the years, this knee got hurt, that knee
got hurt, I've snapped my nose a million times, I cracked my
skull. I mean, c'mon. I knew what I was doing to myself. I don't
want to die without any scars. I want to live life, and I want
to have these adventures, and I want to be that old-ass man with
a million stories to tell, if I can make it to that old-ass man
status."
So
what's next? Miller is popular outside the Octagon, both from
his MTV show "Bully Beatdown" and his frequent appearances
on Sirius XM's Jason Ellis Show.
Miller
wouldn't give specifics, other than specifically ruling out a
return to "Bully Beatdown" and saying he'd like to
try his hand at MMA color commentary. Beyond that, his advice
to his fans is simply to stay tuned.
"I
feel a little bit freed, in a weird way," he said. "In
the strangest way I feel free. I know that sounds strange when
I devoted my entire life to fighting. I feel like life is unlocked
to a whole new set of adventures."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Matt
Serra Not Retired, but Already Focusing on the Future in Al Iaquinta
May
28, 2012 - Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra fought
one time every year in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. He competed
twice in 2010, but has not not entered the UFC Octagon since
September of that year. If there's a direction to his career
as a professional fighter, it's towards an exit.
But
that doesn't mean he's throwing in the towel on his own days
as a prize fighter. Not yet, anyway.
"I'm
going to say if I have to lean one way I'm definitely going to
say you're going to see me again," Serra told Ariel Helwani
Monday on The MMA Hour when asked if he plans to fight again
or retire.
Serra
can't be certain about fighting. He's too busy living the moment.
With the responsibilities of raising a family, operating a pair
of jiu-jitsu academies on Long Island, New York, and training
several UFC fighters, Serra's living life at warp speed. Even
if he wanted to train for a fight - especially in what could
be his final professional fight - he's hardly in a position to
do so.
Serra,
however, is ever the competitor. He simply can't let go of the
idea of not returning to action. But therein lies the rub: there
is no plan to return. No timetable, no opponent, no venue, nothing.
"I
really got no answers for you as far as when and who and all
that kind of stuff," Serra said. "I really think it's
so official just to say you're done. Because you never know how
you're going to feel the next day, you're never going to know
if something comes up and excites you. But right now I've got
my plate full."
At
the top of the list: waiting on the return of Al Iaquinta, Serra-trained
fighter who is the finals Friday night of this season of FX's
'The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale'. Iaquinta, Urijah Faber's
top pick, faces off against fellow teammate Michael Chiesa.
Talk
of Iaquinta is when Serra pivots emotionally. Where barely a
minute is spent discussing his uncertain future in fighting,
Serra beams with pride, confidence and a river of praise for
his student's burgeoning UFC career.
"It's
not about me. It's about these young kids coming up. Look at
Al. What is he, 25, 24 [years old]?," Serra asks. "He's
a young kid and I'm telling you. You gotta be impressed with
that kid. There's not one fight where you could say one guy he
face in [the TUF: Live competition] where you're 'alright, he's
got a gimme to the next round'. That guy fought some studs on
that show."
"Not
only did he get tough opponents," Serra continues, "but
he looked better each fight. The kid looked great."
Serra
is effusive with compliments for Iaquinta even if he admits he
wasn't sure if he did or didn't have the next great fighter when
the curious upstart began training with Ray Longo. Serra told
Helwani it's never really clear who is there when a wanna be
fighter walks in the door and asks to train.
Is
it the next great talent or the next guy to exit the premises
when the day is particularly rough? The only way to tell is how
they perform - or if they even keep coming back - as the days
and weeks pass. And between the test of TUF: Live as well as
the informal one of gym attendance, Iaquinta is passing with
flying colors.
"He's
tough as hell. He just doesn't give up," Serra contends.
"He'll be there every week just training. if something happens
and he gets caught he'll want to go again with the guy and learn."
In
fact, Serra suggests there's a UFC fighter (one he refuses to
name) Iaquinta sparred with and gave "fits" despite
the more seasoned talent finding the idea of sparring with an
unknown fighter a waste of time. Iaquinta, Serra contends, never
complains about the training environment or the challenges. He
only wants success and doesn't imagine it comes any other way
than by the sweat of his brow.
"He's
always been a great kid. He's a humble kid and I hope he gets
all the success in the world because he'll be able to handle
it," Serra continues.
When
it comes to his own future in fighting, Serra is certain about
very little. He doesn't want to close the door on his career,
but he wants little more than that. The winner of season four
of 'The Ultimate Fighter' doesn't even talk about his own future
in fighting with nearly the same enthusiasm he shares for those
he trains.
That
is truly the real litmus test that underscores how much Serra
has transitioned out of fighting. Fighters are selfish, both
by design and necessity. They spend inordinate amounts of time
mired in their own narcissism, self-focus and self-aggrandizement.
They ask for the attention of others no matter their physical
proximity.
These
days, Serra is giving that attention a lot more than he's asking
for it. And if the Renzo Gracie black belt is to be believed,
the MMA community and media will be as focused on the next generation
of fighters making their names at a jiu-jitsu gym in Long Island
as we all were on his.
"He's
one of those, man," Serra says of Iaquinta. "Those
guys are the best and they go the farthest."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Viewpoint:
Twice as Nice
Early
in the UFC 146 main event on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena in Las Vegas, Frank Mir shot for a single-leg takedown
on Junior dos Santos, his hopes of a third championship reign
in the promotion riding on his ability to get the fight into
his comfort zone.
The
champion, in a display of superior balance and agility, stood
firm and worked to yank his leg free, momentarily dragging Mir
across the canvas as the Las Vegas resident held on for dear
life. Once he escaped from the clutches of his opponent, “Cigano”
smiled and gave a decidedly Dikembe Mutombo-esque finger wag
to the challenger, as if to say, “Not this time.”
Mir’s
time never did come. Unable to get the bout to the canvas, the
former titleholder was outstruck and outclassed in falling to
dos Santos by second-round technical knockout.
“Knowing
what to do and being able to do it are two different things,”
said Mir, regarded as one of the best submission artists in the
promotion.
Mir
admittedly struggled with dos Santos’ footwork all night.
The Team Nogueira product did a masterful job of deciding when
to engage and when to move away, leaving Mir with precious few
openings to mount an assault of his own. It was not necessarily
surprising that “Cigano” did what he did to Mir --
in fact, it would not be a stretch to say most viewers expected
that result. Still, as Jamie Varner reminded us on the UFC 146
undercard, it only takes a moment for a fight to swing in favor
of the underdog.
Instead,
here is the man known as JDS, firmly perched atop the division
wearing an infectious life-is-good grin and wagging his finger
at anyone who dared to believe Mir stood a grappler’s chance
in hell of defeating him. Dos Santos’ title reign is in
its infancy, but it is common knowledge that UFC heavyweight
champions usually never grow up. While no big man has ever defended
the belt three times in the promotion, dos Santos contends he
is no mere flash in the pan.
Velasquez
was in prime form.
“I’m here to stay,” he said. “That’s
why I’m working so hard in my career. I’m very positive
and confident, and I’m here to stay.”
As
much as UFC President Dana White championed the depth of the
division following the wildly entertaining UFC 146 main card,
potential options for dos Santos opponents remain limited. Alistair
Overeem, who was originally scheduled to challenge dos Santos,
will not be eligible to apply for a fight license in Nevada until
Dec. 27. Assuming everything goes smoothly with the “Demolition
Man” -- which is never a safe assumption -- the former Strikeforce
heavyweight champion probably would not be ready to compete until
sometime in the spring of 2013.
Considering
White’s current disdain for Overeem, it could be longer
than that.
“I
don’t have to deal with people that I don’t want to
deal with,” White said on Saturday. “I don’t have
to deal with [Overeem]; [UFC CEO] Lorenzo [Fertitta] will. If
you have any Overeem questions, ask Lorenzo.”
Then
there is Daniel Cormier, who looked impressive in taking a five-round
verdict from former UFC champion Josh Barnett in the Strikeforce
heavyweight grand prix final on May 19. However, it does not
appear that Cormier will be stepping into an Octagon this year,
either, as Showtime will be expecting that Strikeforce fulfills
its contract and gives the network one more fight featuring the
American Kickboxing Academy standout.
When
asked about Cormier, White did not exactly give the Olympian
a ringing endorsement.
“He
will end up coming over to the UFC. I’d love to see the
guy go to 205,” White said. “The thing is he’s
a small heavyweight over here. He did work Barnett, but Barnett
fights once a year. It’s a whole different ballgame over
here.”
With
Overeem and Cormier out of the picture for the time being, Cain
Velasquez -- sorry, Mark Hunt fans -- is the most obvious No.
1 contender, despite his 64-second loss to dos Santos in November.
Some might cringe at the thought of giving Velasquez such a quick
rematch, but given the circumstances of their first meeting,
the fight makes sense.
Velasquez
was coming off more than a year-long layoff from shoulder surgery
after wresting the heavyweight crown from Brock Lesnar at UFC
121. He appeared to be tentative at the outset of the UFC on
Fox 1 showdown, a surefire recipe for disaster against the educated
hands of dos Santos. Contrast that with Velasquez’s effort
against Antonio Silva, where he wasted little time in making
the Octagon look like the set of a low-grade Hollywood slasher
flick.
Granted,
“Bigfoot” is not on the level of dos Santos, but he
has been hovering in and around the Top 10 for some time now.
The one-sided dominance by Velasquez at UFC 146 suggests he was
fighting much closer to his accustomed level. Like most rematches,
it is unlikely that a dos Santos-Velasquez sequel would resemble
the original. The guess here is that it would be much more compelling.
“I
would need to bring the fight more to him than I did before,”
Velasquez said. “I stayed too long on the outside, where
he is dangerous. He has those fast, heavy hands and that good
footwork.”
The
heavyweight division is undeniably deeper and more talented than
it has been at any time in the promotion’s history. That
the UFC was able to stock an entire pay-per-view card exclusively
with heavyweights is a testament to that. Making dos Santos square
off with Velasquez again is not an indictment of that depth.
Instead it is a recognition that, based on who is available,
these two men remain the class of the division. Not insignificantly,
White likes the fight.
After
the rematch, everyone just might be clamoring for Part 3.
Source: Sherdog |
Jason
‘Mayhem’ Miller Released from the UFC
Jason
‘Mayhem’ Miller’s time in the UFC has come to
an end.
The
always colorful and outspoken former host of MTV’s Bully
Beatdown has been released from the UFC following a loss to C.B.
Dollaway at UFC 146.
UFC
President Dana White confirmed the news on Saturday night when
speaking to reporters after the post fight press conference.
Miller’s
time in the UFC could only be described as an experiment gone
wrong.
The
one time Strikeforce fighter was brought over to the UFC after
essentially being banned from television following an incident
in which Miller was involved in a post fight melee following
Jake Shields win over Dan Henderson in 2010.
Miller
was basically banished from television after the occurrence,
but found new life when the UFC signed him to a new deal and
decided to put him on the Ultimate Fighter as a coach opposite
Michael Bisping.
While
the show was a success for Miller, the fight with Bisping after
the season ended was anything but a rousing affair. Bisping soundly
beat Miller and finished the former MTV host with strikes, and
following the fight UFC President Dana White contemplated releasing
him after is cardio failed him early on and his performance could
only be described as abhorrent.
White
decided to give Miller one more chance, and in the early going
of his fight against former Ultimate Fighter runner-up C.B. Dollaway
it looked like he might find success.
Unfortunately,
Dollaway wasn’t going to go away that fast and he ended
up winning a unanimous decision over Miller.
Then
according to White there was an ‘incident’ backstage
involving Miller, and while he wouldn’t elaborate it didn’t
help his cause at all because he was then cut from the roster
of the UFC.
White
stated that the backstage incident didn’t play into his
decision to cut Miller because he has already made up his mind
to release the middleweight competitor, but it certainly didn’t
help his cause.
Miller
has now competed in the UFC a total of three times and ended
his career there with an 0-3 record overall.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
146 Aftermath: Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez 2 In the
Works
At
UFC 146, Cain Velasquez entered the Octagon a man on a mission.
From the opening bell you could tell that just based on his demeanor
that he was going for the big first round finish.
Unfortunately
for Velasquez’s opponent Silva, he just happened to be the
wrong opponent at the wrong time because Velasquez seemed even
more motivated and hungry after losing the title to Junior Dos
Santos.
With
the impressive win, UFC President Dana White feels that another
fight against Dos Santos is next in the cards for Velasquez.
“I
think it’s a good idea, we like that fight”, UFC President
Dana White said at the post-fight press conference. “Cain
went undefeated for a long time, lost to Junior. I like the fight,
we’ll see what happens.”
For
Velasquez, not being champion doesn’t sit well with him.
It’s almost as if he feels naked without the heavyweight
title, but after the dominant win over Silva, Velasquez feels
great knowing that the title is within his grasp once again.
“It
feels great,” Velasquez said post-fight. “The only
reason why I got into this sport is to be the champ and I just
don’t feel right, right now without having it.”
A
date and venue has yet to be set for Cain Velasquez vs. Junior
Dos Santos 2, but stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com as more info becomes
available.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Dana
White: Brock Lesnar might want to come back
During
the UFC all-heavyweight main card at UFC 146 on Saturday night,
one of the promotion's best-known heavyweights was sitting in
crowd. Brock Lesnar, who recently retired from the UFC and went
back to a career in pro wrestling, was shown on camera. He was
just there as a fan ... right?
Well,
maybe. UFC president Dana White hinted there may have been more
to Brock Lesnar's attendance than a weekend trip to Las Vegas.
"He
texted me and said, 'I want to come to the fight, but keep it
quiet because I don't want to tell anybody,'" White said.
"He said, 'What are you doing tonight? ... I want to talk
face to face.'
"You
never know with him. He might want to come back. He might just
want to hang out."
Lesnar's
career in the UFC just had seven fights, but four of them had
a title on the line. He beat Randy Couture for the belt in his
fourth MMA bout, and appeared unbeatable after a title defense
against Frank Mir. A bout of diverticulitis slowed Lesnar, and
he lost to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem in his last two
MMA bouts.
After
walking away from MMA in December, Lesnar returned to WWE. His
most recent matches featured a loss to John Cena and then a win
over Triple H using a Kimura, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu moved he
learned as a fighter.
Though
he did lose his last two fights, Lesnar's talent cannot be denied.
He was an NCAA Division I champion, bringing wrestling skills
to the cage. He was also an unrelenting striker.
Though
it's been just months since he left the UFC, he would be returning
to a division that is stronger than ever. Junior dos Santos defended
his belt against Mir and Velasquez TKOed Antonio Silva at UFC
146. Daniel Cormier just won the Strikeforce heavyweight grand
prix and emerged as a contender for the UFC belt.
If
his face-to-face talk with White does lead to a return, Lesnar
won't get an easy fight. He will make the already-intriguing
heavyweight division more interesting.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
What
Would the UFC Be Like Without Dana White at the Helm? We May
Soon Find Out
What
would the UFC be like without company president Dana White around
on a day-to-day basis?
That’s
a question that has been often asked, but we have yet to experience…
although we may soon get a taste for what it would be like without
the UFC’s brash head honcho around.
White
has developed disorder called Meniere’s disease. It’s
a disorder of the inner ear that affects hearing and balance
to varying degrees, often times accompanied by extreme cases
of vertigo. That description probably doesn’t do the symptoms
justice.
“I
didn’t miss a fight for 11 years. I’ve had the flu,
I’ve had food poisoning, I’ve had everything. I’ve
never experienced anything like that in my life and I don’t
ever want to experience that again,” White said when explaining
the symptoms.
He
was initially slated to go in for surgery last week to help deal
with the disorder, but the doctors at the last minute instead
talked White into trying medication to deal with it instead.
But White now insists that he wants to have the surgery done,
as it has a better chance of staving off a recurrence.
The
greatest caveat to surgery? Doctors say White would be sidelined
for around a month or so. The procedure, according to White,
involves cutting nerve, and then he would have to undergo rehabilitation
than includes relearning to walk, picking up objects as simple
as a water bottle, and the like.
Although
White says he doesn’t have time to be out of the game for
a month, that he’d instead plan on a two-week return, it
would be the longest span of time that the UFC would be without
White out front.
White
is involved in all matters UFC, across the board, from the details
of fights to production to media and more.
He
says anybody can do what he does.
But
what would the UFC be like without Dana White standing front
and center on a day-to-day basis? We may soon find out.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Arona
wouldn’t accept fighting Wanderlei at UFC 147
The
possibility of a rematch with Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147 was
discarded by Ricardo Arona, on an interview with TATAME on Monday.
Despite liking the idea of fighting “The Axe Murderer”
again, he says he will not replace Vitor Belfort, injured, due
to the short time to get ready for the fight, scheduled to June
23rd.
“It
would be a good fight, but not now. I’m not prepared to
fight. I’m fine, moving forwards, but I’m not ready.
It’s not the time yet. The most important thing to me is
to be 100 percent. It’s bad doing things in case you are
not. I’ve overcame it before and now I’ll wait a little
longer so I’m 100 percent. I can’t do it in such short
time”.
According
to Ricardo, his personal goal is to return to the rings on the
middle of the year, but he will not have enough time to accomplish
it. The fact is that propositions keep coming to him.
“I
keep being invited to fight in Brazil but there are no international
propositions now. I can’t say yes to anything right now,
therefore I have no news”.
The
fighter, who last fought on September 2009, affirmed that he
has been reforming his gym in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro and it’s
close to an end.
“I’m
focused on finishing the work and then start training. I’m
finishing my project, which is the most important thing to me
now. I’m crazy to get it done”.
At
the age of 33, Ricardo Arona fought Wanderlei Silva two times,
both at Pride. On august 2005, he overcame Silva by points. Four
months later, his countryman paid back on a split decision.
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
146: Dana White puts 70 grand to what people most like to see
It
was a lively evening in Las Vegas. Of the 12 fights on the card
at UFC 146 this Saturday, six ended with knockouts and three
in submissions. That being the case, UFC president Dana White
decided to contemplate what the public likes seeing most.
Two
fighters earned the prize for best knockout: Roy Nelson’s
swing for the fence on Dave Herman 51 seconds in; and Dan Hardy,
who himself got a first-round knockout, on Duane Ludwig.
And
two fighters benefited from the prize for best finish. On the
main card, Stefan Struve sunk a sterling armbar from guard on
Lavar Johnson, while Paul Sass took the bonus for his triangle
on Jacob Volkmann.
Now
“Fight of the Night” prize was awarded, perhaps because
every bout on the card was sublime. Was White unable to make
up his mind? Each bonus was worth an extra 70,000 dollars.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Dana
White: Despite Recent Arrest, Jon Jones Will Fight at UFC 151
Despite
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ a recent arrest
for suspicion of DWI, UFC president Dana White says that he will
still put his title on the line against Dan Henderson on Sept.
1 at UFC 151.
“It
won’t affect the date,” White told MMAWeekly.com on
Saturday night, “but how it will affect him in the fight,
we’ll see.”
“He’s
a good guy. He’s young. He made a mistake.”
Jones’s
incident, along with others, still don’t lead White to believe
that the UFC should institute a blanket code of conduct policy
similar to the NFL or other sports leagues. He is more of the
belief that each case should be handled on its own merits and
details.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UPDATED:
Anderson with a minor knee injury, won't cancel the Sonnen rematch
UFC
middleweight champion, Anderson Silva was honored by Brazilian
Taekwondo Confederation this Monday, but the day wasn’t
all about good news.
The
fighter revealed to the press that he got his knee injured on
a training session, and that he’s getting tested today to
see how serious it is. Despite that, the champion was not limping
during the ceremony, and seemed optimistic about the recovery.
Anderson
is scheduled to fight Chael Sonnen at UFC 148fot the middleweight
title.
The
injury would fall like a bomb in UFC hands, since they already
have to find a replacement for Vitor Belfort, who broke his hand
and is out of the UFC 147 main event, against Wanderlei Silva.
UPDATE:
Anderson Silva later tweeted that his knee is okay, he'll be
ready to fight Sonnen at July 7.
Source: Tatame |
5
rivals who’d make sense for Wanderlei Silva at UFC in Belo
Horizonte
Anyone
who thought Wanderlei Silva would sympathize with his old rival
Vitor Belfort, who broke his hand one month away from their big
fight on June 23 at UFC 147 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, doesn’t
read CHOKE or doesn’t know the back story behind their unfriendly
terms.
Via
Twitter @Wandfc rubbed salt in Vitor’s wound, accusing him
of being an amateur.
“If
it’s really broken then he’s an amateur. If he didn’t
break it, he chickened out. In either case it’s major disrespect
and lack of responsibility to the public,” Wand fired over
Twitter.
The
former Chute Boxe rep didn’t take kindly to Belfort’s
rebuttal that he could still take the fight with just one hand.
“With
one hand? You’re a jackass. We’re professionals. It
was way irresponsible not to be careful in training, a disrespect
to the fans. I’m REALLY bummed about all this. I was ready
to knock you out, but you have nowhere to run. This fight will
have to happen, you can run all you like…”
Wanderlei
didn’t buy Vitor’s assertion that the intensity at
which he was training was the culprit for the injury.
“Nobody
trains so hard to the point of hitting that hard; we use the
best equipment, gloves, gel, wraps. I think you just wussed out.
If you were so scared you shouldn’t have accepted the fight.
What happens to everyone who got set back by all this? Anyone
with real fans is concerned about them. I am, pardon my language,
PISSED about how much of an amateur you are. The main event at
the biggest show in the world and the guy pulls this on me. It’s
intolerable, isn’t it? There’s no excuse.”
Vitor
replied over Twitter with a calmer tone: “Emotional instability
reveals a person’s fears. I’m grateful for all the
kindness you all have had towards me. Confidence isn’t arrogance;
I remain confident and maintain my respect for my opponent, since
now my battle is with my injury. Remember one thing: everything
passes, and what remains are the choices we make. Don’t
be angry. Each to his own, but respect is an obligation everyone
has. I ask that God give him double what he wishes on me. I’m
out.”
Venom
aside, now the aftermath is left to the UFC to contend with as
well as the fans, many of whom already purchased tickets to watch
the rematch that has been in the making since the first time
the UFC touched down in Brazil, back in 1998, when Belfort served
Wand a swift knockout.
Is
there still time to save the show that started with Anderson
Silva vs. Chael Sonnen, making way for José Aldo, and
now ending up without Vitor Belfort?
Perhaps,
as there are 5 special opponents for Silva, if you want to know:
1. Wanderlei Silva vs Mark Hunt
Wand
and the ultraheavyweight Mark Hunt had a thrilling encounter
back on New Year’s 2005, when they did battle under the
banner of the now extinct Pride FC promotion. On the occasion
the Brazilian went from being predator to prey. To this day Wand
feels he got shortchanged in the judges’ decision, and a
rematch would likely get the fans going—but the New Zealander
is out with a knee injury.
2. Wanderlei Silva vs Ricardo Arona
There’s
been a grudge between them ever since they got into an argument
over breakfast in Japan, where Ricardo Arona was one of Wand’s
last five victims, having faced off in a tense and evenly-matched
affair at a Pride event that was also held on New Year’s,
but as the year turned forward to 2006. In the book “Filho
teu não foge à luta” by Fellipe Awi, Wanderlei
stoked the flames of rivalry even further: “Let’s just
say I wan’t too polite that day. When we’re young we
do things we wouldn’t do when we’re old, right?”
Arona
has been out of action and not been training, but that never
stopped him from fighting. The downside is that facing Wand was
a personal craving of his, one Ricardo got to quell on two occasions.
However, who knows, maybe a call straight to the UFC (not from
journalists) could awaken his fighting instinct–that is
if he’s still thinking about rekindling his career.
3. Wanderlei Silva vs Rich Franklin
Rich
and Wand faced off back in 2009 at UFC 99, and the “w”
went to the American. The former UFC champion is now set to take
on Cung Le at UFC 148. Might he agree to take a little fight
first, to get warmed up in the heat of the Brazilian crowd?
4. Wanderlei Silva vs Brian Stann
To
the broader Brazilian audience the opponent may carry little
appeal. To the hordes of pay-per-view purchasers and Wand himself
it would be quite a challenge. And better still, it’s a
matchup promising fireworks. A win would put Wand back in contention.
5. Wanderlei Silva vs Yushin Okami
A
Japanes fighter in the opposing corner would be a flashback to
the good old days of Pride FC, and it would also resound in the
Land of the Rising Sun. And after all, Okami is familiar to Brazilian
fans thanks to UFC Rio. Yoshihiro Akiyama would be another option,
but he’s out injured.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Vitor
Belfort Injured and Out of UFC 147
UFC
147 just can’t catch a break.
Well,
technically a break is what is going to stop the main event from
happening as Ultimate Fighter Brazil coach Vitor Belfort has
suffered a broken hand and is out of his main event fight against
Wanderlei Silva.
UFC
President Dana White confirmed the news following UFC 146 on
Saturday night.
UFC
147 has undergone several issues since being announced for June
23 in Brazil.
First
the event was supposed to take place at a soccer stadium in Rio
De Janeiro, but a United Nations conference forced the UFC to
vacate those plans and shift the card to a smaller arena and
move the main event between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen to
UFC 148 in Las Vegas instead.
Now,
the main event for what remains of UFC 147 has also been scrapped
with Belfort out of the fight with Silva.
White
confirmed they are actively seeking a replacement to step in
and face Silva on the June 23 card, but no announcement has been
made yet on who it will be.
Belfort
coached opposite Silva on the current season of the Ultimate
Fighter Brazil, which finishes up in the next few weeks as the
two final fights for the inaugural season will also take place
at UFC 147.
Unfortunately,
Belfort won’t be on the card now due to the broken hand.
Source: MMA Weekly |
MMA
Mind Power: Who Powered Up at UFC 146?
MMA
Mind PowerOn May 26, UFC delivered one of the best shows ever
televised in MMA history. Despite several changes to the fight
card, mostly due to Alistair Overeem’s drug test issues,
the UFC 146card looked good on paper and it certainly looked
even better in the cage. Some came out winners, some fell short!
Some will continue the rise, some will be back stronger, some
might have a harder time coming back emotionally and one in particular
will not come back at all (at least not in the UFC). In this
article we look at who, of the main and co-main event, gained
Mind Power, those who suffered from a Mind Power-Cut with confidence
drop, depression, frustration, etcetera, and we will also provide
practical advice and tips to get over that Power-Cut and get
the “electricity” back in the minds of the fallen.
Main
Event
Junior
dos Santos and Frank MirAs we predicted, Junior dos Santos got
the W and he did so in a dominating fashion. On our recent Mind
Power analysis article, we stated that Mir would enter the bout
with great confidence enhanced by having defeated dos Santos’
mentor twice before. This was clearly the case at the start of
the match and it remained the case until Mir tried to take dos
Santos down but failed. This was the point where, in our opinion,
the confidence levels started to shift. If the bout started with
a confidence level of 9/10 for dos Santos and 10/10 for Mir,
at that point the numbers would have changed to 10/10 for JDS
and 8/10 for Mir. From there the champ would establish the perfect
confidence height to 10 whilst Mir would lose one confidence-point
with every minute of the fight.
We
feel that when all was over, Junior dos Santos would have found
a new level of confidence, a higher measure than he never experienced
before. So, it is an obvious Mind Power Up for the champ.
However,
we do not feel that Mir would suffer any psychological repercussion
from this. He fought his fight and fell short not because of
a bad performance on his part, but because of dos Santos’
ability and proficiency. Mir was able to attribute dos Santos’
W to the footwork and ability to leap in and out; by doing so,
the challenger was able to contextualize the loss and learn what
needs to be done to improve. This is a fantastic antidote to
negative emotions which might affect an athlete after a loss.
In addition to this, Mir is a mentally solid athlete in nature,
which clearly helps too.
Junior
dos Santos: Mind Power-Up – Frank Mir: Mind Power-Up
Co-Main
Event
Cain
Velasquez and Antonio SilvaVelasquez needed this W, not to protect
his job of course, that is solid at this stage, but more to be
“in the mix.” We feel that Velasquez was on a line
to one side of which there was a possible title shot and on the
other side of the line there was slipping back to a position
where he would have had to fight two or even three times before
he could get the opportunity to win the belt. Cain did not only
win, but he walked over Silva at UFC 146 and his already solid
confidence, self-belief, and determination grew in a massive
way. Velasquez is the kind of athlete that performs particularly
well when he smells that the prey is close and this W took him
a lot closer to what he wants to be his next prey.
Silva
is a tough guy but after his loss to Cornier and this one against
Velasquez, he might have trouble finding the needed motivation,
determination, and fire to push forward. A read through The Art
of Winning Always, followed by a Goal Setting session, with some
work on Neuro Associations to finish, might be a great place
for him to start and, with the help of his camp, he can be back
in no time.
Cain
Velasquez: Mind Power-Up – Antonio Silva: Mind Power-Cut
Source: MMA Weekly |
Stephan
Bonnar and Forrest Griffin Coaching TUF? Dana White Not a Fan
Forrest
Griffin and Stephan BonnarDo you want to see Stephan Bonnar and
Forrest Griffin return to The Ultimate Fighter opposite each
other as coaches?
Stephan
Bonnar does.
One
small problem, he doesn’t exactly have the full support
of the UFC’s head honcho, Dana White.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Sera's
Kajukenbo Martial Arts Tournament
Our tournament will be on July 21, 2012 at the War Memorial Gym.
For the rules and divisions for each of the three events: Continuous
Sparring, MMA (Controlled), and Sub. Grappling email Trent Sera
at seraskajukenbo@yahoo.com.
If you have any questions you can e-mail me at seraskajukenbo@yahoo.com
or
call me at 205-9133.
Mahalo.
Trent Sera
Sera's Kajukenbo
|
UFC
146 RESULTS: ‘DOS SANTOS VS. MIR’ LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY
MGM Grand
Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
May 26, 2012
Mike
Thomas Brown vs. Daniel Pineda
Round 1
Brown circles counterclockwise around Pineda, testing the range
with kicks and jabs. Pineda leads off a combo with a superman
punch but can’t find Brown with the flurry. Brown comes
with a hard right hand, a body kick and another nice right over
the top. Pineda tags Brown with a double jab and an uppercut,
and the ATT product is momentarily on wobbly legs. Pineda tries
to capitalize but Brown rushes forward and moves Pineda across
the cage with a takedown. Pineda sweeps on top and Brown keeps
him at bay with butterfly guard. Pineda stands and Brown follows,
clasping onto one of Pineda’s legs and working for another
takedown. They split, but not before Brown socks Pineda with
another hard overhand right. Pineda chops at the lead leg of
Brown with a kick, has a right hand partially blocked and moves
out of the way of a Brown combo. Brown tries a front kick, gets
countered over the top. Pineda ducks a punch and tries to hustle
Brown to the floor, but Brown uses the momentum to toss Pineda
down. Brown lands on top in half-guard with half a minute left
but can’t mount any significant offense as Pineda ties up.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Brown
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Brown
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Brown
Round
2
It’s a firefight to begin the second, with Brown clipping
Pineda and then the “Pit” throwing bombs in the pocket.
Pineda hits a takedown seconds later but Brown grabs a front
headlock to slow the attack. Pineda stands up and gets dumped
on his head by Brown with a huge slam. Brown’s on top in
side control on Pineda’s left side now, but Pineda grabs
a leg and executes a beautiful sweep, lifting Brown’s legs
and placing him on his back. Pineda tries a north-south choke,
can’t get it and gets pinned against the fence. Brown starts
unloading with big uppercuts to the head and body, then stiff
knees. Just when it looks as if Pineda is beginning to wilt,
he starts throwing back and gets off the cage. Pineda uses side-kicks
to keep Brown at range now and Brown slips throwing a low kick.
Pineda tries to rush in but Brown catches him in a guillotine,
then puts Pineda on his back and takes top position. Brown is
landing some heavy punches on top but Pineda gives him a good
elbow before the end of the round that cuts the former WEC champ
open on the forehead.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Brown
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Brown
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Brown
Round
3
Brown pumps his jab, pulling up short as he tries to chase Pineda
down. Pineda lands a left hook, has a high kick blocked a moment
later. Brown gets into range and drops Pineda with a knee to
the body, then pounces and tries to pound it out. Pineda shrimps
and stays alive, keeping Brown in his half-guard until two minutes
into the round, when Brown pops out. Fifteen seconds later, Pineda
swivels his hips to regain full guard. Brown is keeping the offense
coming from on top, mashing with punches even as Pineda tries
to control and tie up. Brown is warned by ref Yves Lavigne to
mind his head position in the close quarters. In one quick move,
Pineda dips around the back and cinches up a body triangle to
secure Brown’s back. Pineda has a minute to work with as
he softens Brown up for a rear-naked choke. Brown is defending
well, keeping hold of one of Pineda’s wrists to fend off
any choke attempt. Brown spends the last 30 seconds covering
up, absorbing punches as he’s unable to get Pineda off his
back.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Pineda (29-28 Brown)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pineda (29-28 Brown)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Pineda (29-28 Brown)
Official
result: All three judges score the bout 29-28 for the winner
by unanimous decision, Mike Brown.
Kyle
Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira
Round 1
Teixeira is swinging heavy leather from the bell, walking inside
and bombing with hooking combos. Kingsbury tries to back him
up with a front kick, but Teixeira walks right through it and
drops the Californian with a nasty right uppercut. Kingsbury
turtles, eats some more punches, then puts his back on the mat
as Teixeira hops into full mount. Heavy on top, Teixeira thumps
the already red face of Kingsbury with further unanswered punches.
Teixeira gets an arm-triangle choke as Kingsbury tries to sit
up, hops off to the left side to finish. Kingsbury’s face
goes even redder and he taps out, then appears to go unconscious
just as Teixeira releases the hold. At 1:53 of the opening round,
Glover Teixeira collects a stellar submission win in his UFC
debut.
Jacob
Volkmann vs. Paul Sass
Round 1
Volkmann flicks out a low kick to start while Sass misses high.
They tie up and Sass shoves Volkmann into the fence, then pulls
guard. Volkmann lands on top in Sass’ half-guard with a
loose headlock under his right arm. Volkmann lets the head go
and Sass throws his legs up for a triangle, transitions to an
omoplata and loses it. Volkmann stands up, looks for an opening
and goes back into Sass’ guard. Sass is immediately thinking
triangle, inching up his right leg and looking to move up his
left. It doesn’t come, so Sass changes angles, throws his
left leg behind Volkmann’s head and cinches it up. He stretches
out Volkmann’s left arm and the American quickly taps out.
Sass picks up yet another submission victory at 1:54 of the first
round.
Dan
Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig
Round 1
There’s no touch of gloves as the welterweights meet in
the center of the cage, feeling one another out with quick jabs.
Hardy tries to come around the corner with a left jab and Ludwig
cuts him off with a straight punch. Ludwig tags Hardy with a
flurry and the Englishman clinches up, pushing Ludwig into the
cage. Ludwig scores with a trio of knees up the middle but can’t
free himself from the position. Hardy lets him go with just over
three minutes left in the round, exiting with a good one-two.
Ludwig puts a pair of straight punches on Hardy and “The
Outlaw” smiles. Hardy is getting beaten to the punch in
exchanges, so he ties up and puts Ludwig on the fence again.
Ludwig scores with more knees, this time emerging fro the position
much quicker. Hardy steps forward and drops Ludwig with a lead
left hook, then raises his hands to celebrate as Ludwig hits
the ground. Ludwig is still conscious, so Hardy has to curtail
his celebration in order to pounce. A couple well-placed elbows
turn out Ludwig’s lights and referee Josh Rosenthal steps
in to wave this one off. Dan Hardy snaps his four-fight losing
streak with a knockout at 3:51 of the first round.
Jason
“Mayhem” Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway
Round 1
Miller comes out dancing, switching stances back and forth, and
then taking the center of the cage. He quickly stuns Dollaway
with a left hand and grabs for a guillotine on the stunned “Doberman.”
Popping his head loose, Dollaway grabs Miller around the waist
and puts him on his back, albeit briefly. Miller stands with
Dollaway still on his back, kneeing at his thighs. Miller grabs
a headlock and gives Dollaway a noogie, takes a hard right hand
in return as Dollaway splits off. Dollaway lands a short left
hook on the temple and Miller’s legs buckle briefly, long
enough for Dollaway to pounce in the middle of the cage. Dollaway
drags Miller over to the fence, glued to Mayhem’s back.
Miller tries to roll free but Dollaway keeps the position and
lands punches under the armpit. Miller finally gets his back
to the fence with 90 seconds left in the round and tries to post
up. Dollaway keeps control of the legs and brings Miller back
to the canvas with Miller’s right arm trapped behind his
back. Dollaway gives up the arm in exchange for full mount. Miller
gives up his back again, then twists around and gets to his feet,
looking exhausted.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Dollaway
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Dollaway
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Dollaway
Round
2
Miller’s nose is reddened as the second round begins and
Dollaway is looking to compound the damage with jabs. Ducking
under a wild right hand, Dollaway drags Miller to the mat and
lets him back up. Miller catches Dollaway with an overhand right
and the Doberman is staggering around the cage, stumbling backward.
Miller chases him down and tries another guillotine, but again
Dollaway quickly extracts his head. It’s the same position
as last round now, with Dollaway wrapped around Miller’s
body, keeping him on the ground. Miller gets back to his feet
but can’t get away from Dollaway, who’s just holding
his opponent on the cage. Dollaway switches to a high single-leg
while Miller frames up a guillotine choke. Miller almost has
a 10-finger guillotine but it’s broken up as Dollaway dumps
him to the ground. Miller throws up his arms in frustration as
Dollaway holds him on the mat with 80 seconds left in the round.
Dollaway finally postures up to throw a couple shots, then goes
right back to flattening. Both men appear to throw illegal head-butts
in the last minute, and ref Lavigne verbally warns them.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Dollaway
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Dollaway
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Dollaway
Round
3
It’s only 30 seconds before Dollaway has Miller on the ground
again, grinding from top position while a clearly fatigued Miller
tries desperately to get out of the position. Dollaway gets the
back as Miller tries to stand and scores with more punches under
the armpit. Miller goes to his knees and Dollaway gets one hook
in. Miller nearly clambers to his feet midway through the round,
but Dollaway drags him right back down and keeps thumping away
with middling ground-and-pound. Miller is offering nothing back,
just flat on his belly, eating punches with Dollaway on his back.
The shots aren’t anything brutal, but Miller has now eaten
dozens in a row without giving anything back. A frustrated Miller
shrugs his arms when he hears the 10-second clapper, and the
Las Vegas fans boo at the final horn.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Dollaway (30-27 Dollaway)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Dollaway (30-26 Dollaway)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Dollaway (30-26 Dollaway)
Official
result: The judges score the bout 29-28, 30-26 and 29-28, all
for the winner by unanimous decision, C.B. Dollaway.
Edson
Barboza vs. Jamie Varner
Round 1
Barboza takes the center of the cage, missing with a knee up
the middle and scoring with a pair of chopping kicks to Varner’s
lead leg. Barboza goes inside with one, outside again, then up
high. Varner catches the head kick and rushes Barboza to the
ground at the base of the fence. From half-guard on Barboza’s
right side, Varner socks the Brazilian in the face with short
left hands as he works to pass. Barboza kicks the hips away and
scrambles to his feet, where he immediately resumes throwing
low kicks. Varner backs Barboza away with a right hook, then
lands a left hook to the body. Barboza keeps the leg kicks coming
and Varner lands another right hand. Barboza gets backed into
the fence and then dumped to the ground. Barboza wobbles to his
feet, still stunned from a flurry of ground-and-pound. Another
big right hand from Varner sends Barboza crashing down. The Brazilian
grabs hold of Varner’s left leg, but Varner just stays on
top, slamming Barboza with left-handed hammerfists. Barboza stops
responding, absorbing five or six clean shots, and referee Steve
Mazzagatti steps in to save him from any further punishment.
Jamie Varner hands Edson Barboza his first defeat in a stunning
upset at 3:23 of the opening round.
Diego
Brandao vs. Darren Elkins
Round 1
Elkins pumps a jab and Brandao misses with a murderous uppercut.
Elkins comes in to clinch but gets stuffed down to the ground
and nearly mounted. Elkins scrambles out from underneath and
hustles Brandao into the fence. Brandao uses a kimura to sweep
on top and throw strikes through the American’s open guard.
Elkins has a kimura of his own now but loses it as Brandao stands
up and backs away. On the feet again, Brandao sprawls all over
a shot, gets turned around by a grazing punch. Unfazed, Brandao
charges forward and drops Elkins with a flying knee. It’s
side control on Elkins’ left for Brandao, who mashes with
hard elbows as he looks to mount. Brandao gets mount briefly
but gets shoved off by Elkins, and the featherweights are back
on their feet again with two minutes to go. Elkins lands a straight
right, gets clipped behind the ear with a left hand. Brandao
gets him on the ground again and moves to side control. Elkins
grabs onto a leg and Brandao stands, then comes crashing back
in with a thunderous right hand. Elbows on top from Brandao now
with a minute to go; Elkins gives a couple hammerfists from his
back. Brandao is getting off some hard ground-and-pound but it’s
sporadic. He finishes the round on top.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-8 Brandao
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Brandao
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Brandao
Round
2
Elkins uses long punches to keep the shorter Brandao at bay,
and Brandao’s offensive output has slowed visibly from the
first round. Brandao slips on a front kick and winds up with
Elkins on top in Brandao’s butterfly guard. Nice elbows
by Brandao off his back, but Elkins is thumping with some solid
hands to the body and head as he keeps Brandao on the ground.
Half-guard now for Elkins, stuffed back to full guard where he
lands a series of hard right hands. Elkins throws knees to the
body of Brandao from half-guard and smothers on top, maybe looking
for an arm-triangle. Elkins gets to full mount and smashes Brandao
with a dozen or more unanswered punches. Brandao bucks him off
but can’t get off his back before the round ends.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Elkins
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Elkins
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Elkins
Round
3
Elkins keeps the long punches coming while Brandao looks to counter
with an uppercut. After 40 seconds, Elkins hits a single-leg
and Brandao puts him in full guard. Brandao shifts his hips and
throws his legs up, but Elkins is heavy on top, grinding away
with elbows. Elkins mixes punches and elbows from half-guard,
then hops into full mount midway through the final round. Brandao
regains half-guard but he’s trapped against the fence and
looks completely exhausted as he tries to get out from underneath.
Elkins briefly threatens with a one-armed guillotine on top but
Brandao powers out of it and back up to his feet. Brandao shoves
Elkins to the ground and winds up in the American’s guard.
Elkins ties up Brandao’s head to avoid and bombs from on
top, but Brandao postures up to land one right hand before the
horn.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Elkins (28-28 Draw)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Elkins (29-28 Elkins)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Elkins (29-28 Elkins)
Official
result: All three judges score the bout 29-28 for the winner
by unanimous decision, Darren Elkins.
Stefan
Struve vs. Lavar Johnson
Round 1
Johnson lands first with a big right hand to the body and follows
with an uppercut as he clinches Struve into the fence. Johnson
scoots the already bloodied “Skyscraper” along the
perimeter, but Struve has an underhook and he jumps guard. Struve
goes underneath with Johnson’s left arm in his grasps, and
Johnson taps before Struve can even go belly-down with the armbar.
Stefan Struve gets the submission win just 65 seconds into the
opening frame.
Stipe
Miocic vs. Shane del Rosario
Round 1
Miocic comes over the top with a right hand as del Rosario throws
a leg kick. Del Rosario pushes forward, slinging long punches,
but Miocic is just out of range. Del Rosario throws a left kick
to the body, then another, though the second one is caught by
Miocic. Another kick to the body from del Rosario, then a few
down low. Del Rosario is just pounding Miocic’s body with
kicks, but Miocic is doing well to keep his fists in del Rosario’s
face with combinations. A straight left hand backs Miocic up
and a left high kick nearly does worse. Miocic splits del Rosario’s
guard with a straight right, gets grazed by another left high
kick. Miocic strings together a couple strong combinations but
gets clipped with a counter-left in the pocket. Del Rosario clinches
and lands a knee up the middle, then a left hand before clinching.
Miocic turns him into the fence, throws a couple mild knees and
lets him out. Thirty seconds left and Miocic sticks a right hand
in del Rosario’s face, then takes one in return. Another
head kick slaps Miocic and he bodylocks, then slams del Rosario
to the ground. Miocic stands up and walks away with a couple
seconds left, and that’s how the frame ends.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 del Rosario
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 del Rosario
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 del Rosario
Round
2
Miocic walks del Rosario into the fence and has del Rosario on
the ground soon after. The Ohioan stands up from side control
to bash del Rosario with hammerfists, then goes back down to
del Rosario’s half-guard. Miocic is taking his time on top,
controlling del Rosario with a forearm across the throat as he
leans from left to right. More hammerfists from Miocic now and
del Rosario’s blood is staining the mat as he tries to buck
and roll. Del Rosario just can’t escape and Miocic begins
drilling him with hard forearms and elbows to the face. Del Rosario
is still conscious, but he’s not offering anything in return
and referee Yves Lavigne pulls Miocic off. Stipe Miocic stays
unbeaten with the TKO win at 3:14 of the second round.
Roy
Nelson vs. Dave Herman
Round 1
Herman pushes Nelson away with a couple front kicks and feints
a knee when Nelson looks like he’s about to shoot. Step-in
knee to the body from Herman, then more push kicks. Nelson lands
a single, massive overhand right behind on the cheek and Herman
goes down like he’s been shot. Nelson goes to follow up
with more punches, but referee Steve Mazzagatti is already stepping
in. Roy Nelson scores a crushing knockout just 51 seconds into
the bout.
Cain
Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva
Round 1
Silva gives Velasquez’s gloves a hard tap during final instructions,
but it’s Velasquez who catches a kick and hits a big takedown
in the center of the cage in the opening seconds of the bout.
Silva grazes with an upkick and Velasquez goes down to the Brazilian’s
half-guard, where he cuts Silva’s nose open with an elbow.
Silva is spraying blood all over the mat, trying to shake it
out of his eyes as Velasquez attacks with severe ground-and-pound.
Silva grabs for a leg but Velasquez slips his way out and stands.
Referee Josh Rosenthal wants the doctor to have a look at Silva,
and rightfully so. Bigfoot’s face is drenched in blood,
but he tells the doc he’s good to go after having his eyes
wiped clean. Rosenthal wants them back on the ground with Velasquez
in half-guard. He lands some punches when they resume but Silva
uses his legs to push the ex-champ away. Velasquez stands and
lowers a few times, bringing heavy punches with him to the ground.
Now he settles in half-guard on the right side of Silva, who
continues to shake his head in an effort to get the blood out
of his eyes. Silva tries to scramble to his feet, gets caught
turtling and takes some punches before rolling to his back. Velasquez
keeps the punishment coming, unloading with brutal left hands
from half-guard that have Silva rolling onto his side. Referee
Rosenthal has seen enough: he calls an end to the onslaught and
Cain Velasquez gets a grisly TKO win at 3:36 of the first round.
UFC
Heavyweight Championship
Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir
Round 1
Mir stalks outward from the center of the cage and ducks a right
hook from the champ to grab at a single-leg. Dos Santos defends
the takedown against the cage and denies an attempt by Mir to
pull guard. Mir grabs for a leg on the ground but dos Santos
pulls his limb free and lets his challenger back to his feet.
A jab goes for dos Santos, then another as he counters a leg
kick. A hook to the body by the champ and he steps out of the
way of a Mir high kick. Dos Santos tags Mir with a counter left
hook and dips out, comes back to land a punch to the body. Mir
slaps at the ribs of dos Santos with a couple body kicks; he
nearly knocks the champ off-base with a leg kick in one exchange
but instead eats another counter left. Dos Santos landing straight
punches and Mir outside leg kicks as they step hesitantly with
90 seconds left in the round. Mir puts a jab on dos Santos, who
answers with a straight shot to the breadbasket and a ripping
uppercut to the ribs. The heavyweights briefly look to clinch
up late but quickly break off. Dos Santos zaps Mir with a right
hook to the forehead late and Mir is in trouble, staggering along
the fence as the champ unleashes heavy combinations. Mir grabs
desperately for a single-leg and the champ just steps away.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 dos Santos
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 dos Santos
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 dos Santos
Round
2
It’s a slow start to round two, a bit of tentative striking
in the first 30 seconds until dos Santos drills Mir with a straight
right hand. Another sends Mir to the canvas, but dos Santos motions
him back up. Mir motions that he’s been poked in the eye
after one exchange, but ref Herb Dean says he didn’t see
it and the fight goes on. Dos Santos is dipping in and out with
single shots, straight punches and uppercuts. He scores a straight
right and moves his head out of the way of Mir’s counter.
Mir throws some leg kicks inside and out, though noticeably slower
than in the first round. A right hand on the cheek has Mir crashing
to the ground, turtling as dos Santos controls the waist and
pummels him with right hands. Dos Santos stands up and Mir just
rolls onto his side; when the Brazilian comes back to finish
the job, referee Herb Dean cuts him off. Junior dos Santos retains
his UFC heavyweight title with a TKO stoppage at 3:04 of the
second round.
Source: Sherdog
|
GONE
IN 60 SECONDS
By Brian
Knapp
So
much for the puncher’s chance.
Bellator
Fighting Championships heavyweight titleholder Cole Konrad submitted
Eric Prindle with a first-round kimura from half guard at Bellator
70 on Friday at the New Orleans Convention Center in New Orleans.
Beaten for the first time in nearly four years, Prindle (7-2,
3-1 Bellator) tapped out 60 seconds into round one.
“Just practice alone, you develop so much,” said the
unbeaten Konrad, a four-time NCAA All-American wrestler and two-time
national champion at the University of Minnesota. “I feel
real comfortable out here fighting. I keep getting better everywhere.
I think I have a pretty solid base with my wrestling, but I’ve
got to keep improving on my standup, on my submissions and on
my wrestling, too.”
Prindle
had no answer for the champion’s size, strength and technique.
He swung for the fences inside the first half minute but found
only air. It was an ominous development. Konrad (9-0, 7-0 Bellator)
ducked inside his punches, lured the hulking Arizonan into the
clinch and struck for a takedown with an outside trip. From there,
he settled into half guard, isolated Prindle’s left arm
and locked in the fight-ending kimura.
Hawn
Outduels Weedman, Eyes Champion Chandler
A
stiff left jab, a bundle of stout right hands and some sneaky
trips carried Rick Hawn to a unanimous decision over Brent Weedman
in the Bellator Season 6 lightweight tournament final. All three
cageside judges scored it for Hawn (14-1, 6-1 Bellator): 29-28,
30-27 and 30-27.
“It’s
indescribable,” Hawn said. “It’s been a long season.
It’s been hard.”
Hawn
attacked with his staples, the thudding right hand chief among
them. He worked his angles, countered effectively and largely
outworked Weedman (20-8-1, 6-3 Bellator) in the standup. The
35-year-old Olympian mixed in a third-round takedown for good
measure, racking up points from top position with short punches,
forearms and elbows.
“His
head is made of concrete,” Hawn said. “I was cracking
him good. I knew it was going to be a tough fight.”
The
victory, Hawn’s third straight since moving to 155 pounds,
qualifies the Tristar Gym representative for a shot at reigning
Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler.
“I’m
excited,” Hawn said. “I’m taking that belt.”
Nogueira
Smashes Nakamura, Advances to Final
Renovacao Fight Team standout Luis Alberto Nogueira stopped Hiroshi
Nakamura on third-round punches in the Bellator Season 6 bantamweight
tournament semifinals. Nogueira (14-2, 4-1 Bellator) finished
it 1:58 into round three.
Nogueira
turned the tide in the second round, where he battered Nakamura
(15-6-4, 1-1 Bellator) with his hands and left the Japanese veteran
with cuts over both eyes. Unable to put the fight on the floor
on his terms, the judo black belt looked lost against a far more
polished striker. Nogueira struck his opponent with a beautiful
straight right hand a little less than two minutes into the third
frame, followed him to the mat and brought the match to a conclusion
with a series of violent ground strikes.
“I
knew he was feeling my punches,” Nogueira said through his
translator. “I was waiting for the right moment to finish
the fight.”
The
win sends Nogueira into the final of the eight-man bantamweight
draw, where he will lock horns with fellow Brazilian Marcos Galvao.
“Galvao
is a warrior, just like I am,” he said. “It’s
going to be good for Bellator.”
Clementi
Guillotine Finishes Campos
UFC veteran Rich Clementi submitted Francisco Derek Campos with
a first-round guillotine choke in a lightweight showcase. Campos
(9-3, 0-1 Bellator) requested referee intervention 4:18 into
round one, becoming the 27th submission victim of Clementi’s
career.
Clementi
(43-21-1, 1-1 Bellator) struck for a takedown with roughly 90
seconds left in round one. Campos worked back to his feet but
fell into the guillotine while answering with a double-leg of
his own. Clementi locked down on the choke and waited for the
tapout.
“I
took him very, very serious,” Clementi said. “I’ve
been fighting for 14 years. If you think you can go all 14 years
without the ups and downs, you’re crazy.”
Matthews
Scores Spectacular KO
A.J. Matthews won for the sixth time in seven appearances, as
he wiped out “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 alum
Charlie Rader with a sensational second-round head kick in their
undercard duel at 170 pounds. Rader (16-6, 2-1 Bellator) met
his end 3:34 into round two in a scene that becomes an immediate
contender for “Knockout of the Year.”
Matthews
(6-1, 2-0 Bellator) landed the decisive blow while his opponent
was falling after being belted by a low kick. The 30-year-old
Rader had never before been knocked out.
Tiller
Kimura Submits Riggs
Kelvin
Tiller won for the fourth time in as many outings, as he submitted
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 alum Jeremiah Riggs
with a third-round kimura. Referee Myron Gaudet made the call
to free Riggs (7-7, 1-2 Bellator) from the hold 3:38 into round
three when the 29-year-old Mississippian cried out in pain.
Tiller
(4-1, 2-0 Bellator), who failed to make weight for the preliminary
middleweight bout, spent quite some time on the kimura before
finding his sweet spot for the finish.
Billstein
Choke Submits ‘Crazy Boy’
German prospect Jonas Billstein responded to the first losing
streak of his career in resounding fashion, as he submitted Mike
Seal with a first-round rear-naked choke in their undercard matchup
at 185 pounds. Seal (13-15-1, 0-1 Bellator) succumbed to the
choke 2:55 into round one.
Billstein
(10-2, 1-1 Bellator) scored with a takedown, moved to side control
and ultimately transitioned to Seal’s back. From there,
the finish was a formality. The 20-year-old cinched the choke
soon after and, with it, his first win on American soil.
Arcement
Outpoints Dufour at 135
Derek
Arcement made the most of the opportunity in his promotional
debut, as he captured a unanimous decision from fellow Louisianan
Blake Dufour in a preliminary bantamweight tilt.
A
Gold Dragon MMA representative, Arcement (2-2, 1-0 Bellator)
has put together back-to-back wins to even his record.
Dufour
(2-2, 0-1 Bellator), who cut his teeth inside the regional Prestige
Fights promotion, has come up short twice in his past three outings.
Source: Sherdog
|
THE
MOST DANGEROUS DIVISION IN SPORTS
By Ben
Fowlkes - Senior Writer
Here’s
a trivia question that feels particularly relevant heading into
UFC 146’s all-heavyweight main card -- and don’t cheat
by looking it up, either. You ready? Okay, here goes: who is
the last man to successfully defend the UFC heavyweight title
more than two consecutive times? Think hard. I’ll give you
a moment.
Answer:
nobody. It’s never been done. Not even Randy Couture, who
won the title three separate times, managed to defend it three
times in a row. He got close, thanks to successive wins over
Pedro Rizzo. Tim Sylvia also notched two in a row before he dropped
the belt for the second and (so far) final time. Brock Lesnar
tied that mark with wins over Frank Mir and Shane Carwin before
Cain Velasquez got to him. And Velasquez? He gave it up to Junior
dos Santos in his first attempt at a title defense.
Maybe
you want to write this off as proof of the unpredictability of
MMA in general, but stop right there. The fact is that no other
UFC title has proven as difficult to hold onto. All the other
established divisions (i.e. the ones that existed in the UFC
before the WEC merger) have at least one long-reigning champ
in their history. But not heavyweight. There it’s been a
game of musical chairs since the beginning. But why?
The easy answer is power. As AKA trainer Javier Mendez put it
when I spoke to him at Wednesday’s UFC 146 media workouts:
"The only thing I can think of for why the belt keeps switching
in the heavyweight division is: these guys punch like heavyweights."
Mendez
should know. Between Velasquez and Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand
Prix winner Daniel Cormier, his gym has a couple of the best
big men around. Watching those two go at it in sparring gives
him an accurate gauge of where each is at in his development,
Mendez said, but there are some inherent problems with pitting
two top heavyweights against one another week after week.
"They
get hurt all the time," Mendez said. "That’s the
problem. What people don’t know is that Daniel got knocked
out in sparring for his fight with Josh Barnett. He got knocked
out, got a concussion, the whole bit. We were worried the fight
wasn’t going to go through, but that’s part of the
territory."
According
to current champion dos Santos, it’s also something that
every heavyweight lives with, no matter what he’s done in
the past.
"Sometimes
you’ve got favorites for the fights, but it doesn’t
matter with heavyweights," he said, calling the 265-pound
class "the most dangerous division in sports."
"Because
when the punch land on your face or your body, you go down,"
he added. "It’s too much power involved."
Then
again, it’s not as if the other divisions are pillow-fighting
in there. There are plenty of big men throwing heavy leather
at light heavyweight, and yet it hasn’t stopped champions
like Jon Jones or Chuck Liddell before him from establishing
their dominance. So what gives?
At
a certain point, maybe you could have argued that the talent
pool was too shallow. Heavyweight was one of the UFC’s weaker
divisions for many years, and no one seemed able to hold the
top spot for very long. Some had too many flaws in their games.
Others were just unlucky, like Mir, whose title run was interrupted
by a motorcycle accident, or Lesnar, who spent a good chunk of
his career battling diverticulitis. Maybe this is the "most
dangerous division in sports" for more than one reason.
Even
with Velasquez there were whispers of injuries and distractions
heading into his first title defense on the UFC’s FOX debut.
Though don’t expect Velasquez to offer a theory on why the
heavyweight strap is so difficult to keep a grip on.
"For
me, I think it’s coincidence," he said. "There
isn’t a reason for it. I’m definitely a strong believer
that you’re in charge of your own destiny...that luck and
everything else has nothing to do with it. You’re in charge
of everything."
Everything,
that is, except what will happen to your equilibrium when the
large man standing across from you connects with a solid blow.
In a sport where everybody will eventually take a punch or two
-- and with only four ounces of leather to dampen heavyweight
power -- staying champ proves a lot harder than becoming champ.
Can dos Santos be the one to change all that? Can he establish
something resembling a dynasty in the heavyweight class, or at
least bring us a little consistency at the top? And if he can't,
is that necessarily a bad thing? Depends on your perspective,
perhaps. Maybe it also depends on whether you think it's sheer
power, bad luck, or just the nature of the division at work.
"If
you ask me if there’s any two guys who can dominate that
division over time, I don't know," said AKA coach Mendez.
"But if any of the guys [currently in the UFC] can do it,
it’s Junior and it’s Cain."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
PRESTIGIOUS
BRITISH UNIVERSITY CAMBRIDGE CHALLENGES RIVAL OXFORD TO MMA RIVALR
By Mike
Chiappetta - Senior Writer
The
learned halls of academia have helped populate the sport of mixed
martial arts at its highest levels, with notable champions like
Randy Couture, Dan Henderson and Frankie Edgar holding college
degrees. But rare is the professional fighter coming from one
of the world's top universities. Recently, Cornell graduate John
Cholish became the first Ivy Leaguer ever to fight in the UFC,
and so far, he's split his two octagon appearances.
Several
colleges across the U.S. have MMA club teams, but it's still
somewhat rare, which is what makes the news of the existence
of the UK's Cambridge University Mixed Martial Arts society so
surprising.
Founded
in 1209, Cambridge is considered by several educational reviews
to be the top university in the world, with notable graduates
including Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking.
And apparently, there is a group of students at Cambridge that
love MMA so much that they not only set up a team, but also have
challenged their rivals at the renowned University of Oxford
to an MMA rivalry.
In the U.S., this would be like the equivalent of Harvard fighting
Princeton in the cage, a surreal thought, but also, admittedly,
kind of cool. The UK version is also likely to stay a surreal
improbability, because according to a story in the Oxford Student
newspaper, there's one major problem with Cambridge calling out
its longtime rival: Oxford doesn't have an MMA team.
"I
am currently in the process of trying to find people from Oxford
University involved in MMA," Mathias Lidgren of the Cambridge
MMA club told the paper.
According
to the Cambridge Student Union Societies Directory, the CUMMA
club was founded in 2011 and is coached by unbeaten pro fighter
Luke Barnatt, who is 3-0 after beating Lee Johnson at BAMMA 9
in March. The team currently has 15 members, according to the
Cambridge News.
Oxford
though, has no such club, and apparently, none on the way, as
an OU sports official told the paper that they had not been approached
by anyone about setting up an MMA club.
One
thing we do know? Nothing is likely to spark its formation more
than a good old-fashioned college rivalry. Cambridge was actually
created after an academic rift at Oxford grew, and several teachers
and students moved 80 miles northeast to found the institution.
Since
then, the two have had an 800-year rivalry that's been represented
in athletics through a popular rowing race, rugby match, cricket
and even ice hockey. If the CUMMA club has their way, they'll
add some good old-fashioned fisticuffs to that menu.
Ohio State vs. Michigan in football, Duke vs. North Carolina
in basketball, and Cambridge vs. Oxford in MMA. We like the sound
of that.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
A
word of caution about the latest Siena poll on NY MMA legislation
By Zach
Arnold
On May 16th, Dr. Don Levy released information about the latest
Siena poll (poll summary | crosstabs) which asked voters about
MMA legislation in the state of New York. Here is how Dr. Levy
phrased the two poll questions in the 5/16 poll:
Q36. Legalizing mixed martial arts – or MMA – in New
York State. How much have you heard or read about it – a
great deal, some, not very much, nothing at all?
Results: A great deal (8%), some (17%), not very much (22%),
nothing at all (52%).
Q37. Do you support or oppose legalizing mixed martial arts –
or MMA – in New York State?
Results: Support (32%), Oppose (26%), Don’t have enough
information (38%), no opinion (4%).
If these results look wildly different than the results of polls
in past years from Siena, there’s a good reason. Let’s
review our April 13th item talking about a late March Siena poll
on this subject. 38% support, 52% oppose.
So, what changed?
The question that was asked.
Lastly, there is an issue being debated in Albany whether or
not New York should legalize mixed martial arts, known by some
as cage fighting or ultimate fighting. Supporters say it should
be legal in the state of New York. Mixed martial arts or MMA
is already legal in many states and if legal here in New York
would generate fan interest, direct revenues and would be an
engine of economic development. Opponents say MMA is dangerous,
even barbaric and we should not allow such a violent sport to
be practiced here in New York. Do you side with the supporters
of MMA or with the opponents?
The
more detailed of a question asked by those polled in NY, the
less likely they are to support MMA legislation. The more direct
the poll question, the more ambivalence there is about the subject.
You don’t go from a consistent 38% approve/52% disapprove
to a 32% approve/26% disapprove/38% not enough information unless
what is being asked has changed in tone.
In other words, the mood on the ground has not dramatically &
wildly changed this much in two months.
Here’s Dr. Don Levy giving us a hint of where he comes from
on the topic (hint: he’s a backer of MMA legislation in
New York):
Thirty-two percent of voters support legalizing mixed martial
arts (MMA) in New York State while 26 percent oppose and the
largest group, 38 percent, says they would require more information
before they could take a position. By an overwhelming margin,
62 to 9 percent, young voters are in favor while older New Yorkers
oppose MMA by 38 to 12 percent. Men support MMA while women currently
are split.
“Surprisingly,
only one in four voters say that they are following the MMA question
with some or a great deal of interest. In fact, of eight issues,
medical marijuana, fracking, minimum wage, synthetic marijuana,
small business tax cuts, campaign finance reform, legislative
pay raises and MMA, mixed martial arts scored lowest in the level
of public interest. Of those following the issue however, support
is high at fifty-six percent for and thirty-six percent opposed
while the vast majority that are not currently interested in
the question are split,” Levy notes.
That
pretty much reveals everything you need to know about what this
poll, as compared to the other Siena polls on the topic of MMA,
was about. You don’t use the word ’surprisingly’
to describe how unimportant NY MMA legislation is as a political
topic for citizens in the state when there are so many more important
political issues to care about. This is a bad case of tunnel-vision.
Compare the crosstabs of this 5/16 poll to the other Siena MMA
polls. Two months ago, women were 26% approve versus 60% disapprove
for MMA legislation. All of a sudden, those figures have changed
to 24% support, 27% oppose, 46% not enough info?
I understand the point that this poll was trying to make —
because a large chunk of New York citizens don’t know enough
about the subject, therefore they should be persuadable in the
future to be convinced to back MMA legislation in the state.
That’s the NY MMA fan point of view.
However, I can easily flip that argument around and tell you
that because the topic of MMA legislation in New York means so
little to citizens of the State that it means the following:
1) There is not a big grassroots campaign to get MMA legislation
passed in New York. The top-down UFC lobbyist strategy has utterly
failed to rally any sort of public fanfare or groundswell of
support.
2) There just isn’t enough people in the state who care
about MMA to make it a top political priority in their lives.
If anything, I think it’s a damning argument point to make
against UFC that, for all the cash they’ve burned in New
York, they have not been able to educate a large portion of state
residents and make the case directly to them. It’s an indictment
on their New York political strategy in a big way.
No matter how you frame the poll questions and no matter how
you try to present the poll data differently each time, the same
two points I made up above are the points I’ve been hammering
home about why Sheldon Silver has no political reason whatsoever
to cave to pro-NY MMA legislation backers. The voters in the
state don’t care about MMA legislation at all on a serious
level. There’s zero political price for Sheldon Silver to
pay for not getting an up-or-down vote on the Assembly floor
for such legislation. No matter how you slice the poll data,
the same trends exist and will continue to stay the same barring
a dramatic change in political strategy by MMA activists in the
state and also by the UFC.
A final word of (friendly) advice to Dr. Don Levy — please
be consistent in terms of the MMA-related questions you ask in
polls. Don’t set yourself up for accusations of push-polling
here.
I understand that those of you who back NY MMA legislation are
deeply passionate about the subject — and I respect that.
However, your job in making your dream a reality is about genuinely
stirring up emotion in the state electorate to back your political
aspirations. Focus more on that and give the politicians a reason
why backing your political aspirations will help keep their political
aspirations alive.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
The
Martial Chronicles: Before Fighting Was Ultimate It Was Super
by John
Nash
The
ballroom of the Holiday Inn in New Kensinton, Pennsylvania was
filled to capacity with fight fans who were more than pleased
with what was being demonstrated in the ring. Mike Murray, a
car salesmen from Vandergrift, Virginia and Dave Jones, a road
gang laborer from nearby North Huntingdon, were in the final
round of their match, the opening contest of the evening. It
had been a back-and-forth affair for most of its three rounds,
with a surprising amount of wrestling for two standup fighters:
Murray claimed a boxing background while Jones dabbled in karate
and kickboxing. As the clock wound down the fighters, along with
the spectators, were back on their feet. Jones was now turning
it up, unloading a series of vicious kicks and punches that went
unanswered from his dazed and damaged opponent. With only seconds
remaining in the fight Murray's corner threw in the towel, saving
him from any more punishment. The audience roared in approval.
Scenes
such of this can be found all across America on any given day
of the week, but what makes this particular contest noteworthy
isn't the results, the participants, or the fight itself, but
the date it took place. March 20th, 1980.
One
evening in late 1979 Mike Viola and Frank Caliguri were having
dinner together at a Denny's Restaurant when they came up with
an idea that not only changed their lives but came very close
to changing the history of mixed martial arts. The two men had
become friends and business partners thanks to their shared background
and interest in martial arts. Both held black belts in Shotokan
karate as well as owned and taught at their own schools: Caliguri's
Academy of Martial Arts and Viola's School of Shotokan Karate
(which also included boxing and kickboxing in the curriculum).
For the past few years they had been working together promoting
kickboxing events around Western Pennsylvania, and it was this
business they were discussing over hamburger and coca-cola when
the conversation turned towards the common misconceptions the
layman had about martial arts and what they were really interested
in seeing.
To
the patrons at the bars they visited to promote their shows there
was heard the common refrains: that karate or wrestling was a
fraud. That the fighters on the card where "bums" whom
their detractor could beat up. What was better? Karate, boxing,
or wrestling? Who would win if Mohammed Ali fought Bruce Lee?
How about either against Bruno Sanmartino? Could I do better
than those guys?
The
two were suddenly struck by an idea. What if we let the average
guy try his hand at fighting? To prove that he was as tough or
tougher than any of these so-called experts? And what if we let
them use whatever style they wanted? Wrestling, boxing, karate,
whatever. Finally, people could start to settle the age-old debates
of what worked best in a fight.
The
two knew they had come up with something special and shortly
thereafter they co-founded CV Productions (C or Caliguri and
V for Viola) with which to promote their new venture. With his
experience and familiarity with karate, kickboxing, boxing, Judo
and Japanese jujutsu Viola was chosen to write up the rules,
which he quickly did from his home, coming up with an eleven-page
book covering almost every aspect of the newly created sport.
Fights would take place over three 2-minute rounds during which
almost all techniques or styles of martial arts were permitted,
including ground fighting and judo/jujutsu or pro wrestling submission
holds. Rules were also instituted to cover weight classes, open
fingered safety gloves, headgear, ring side doctors, back stage
physicians, professional referees, judges scoring, fighter contracts
and the banning of certain attacks such as eye gouging and groin
strikes.
With
the debut of what they were calling a "Tough Man Contest"
booked for March of 1980 the two men began making the rounds
to local bars and gyms. They were in search of the "toughest
street fighters alive" to compete in what was being billed
as "Anything Goes - striking, throwing, grappling, punching,
kicking, ground fighting, and more". All participants were
also to be amateurs. Experienced boxers or martial artists above
green belt were banned from taking part.
Early
on it came to their attention that a Michigan promoter by the
name of Art Dore was already hosting amateur boxing events at
this time under the title "Toughman Contests." Viola
and Caliguri immediately changed the events name to that of the
"Tough Guy Contest" in order to avoid any confusion.
(Unfortunately, it didn't work as well as planned and this confusion
over names would eventually come back to haunt them.)
Word
of the event spread and the two were surprised to find themselves
being flooded with queries from interested parties. Where before
they would get 100 phone calls asking questions about an upcoming
kickboxing show, within the first week alone they got 1500 calls
concerning Toughguys. As Viola recalled years later, "They
were from Yonkers, NY. They were from Michigan, Florida. The
word got out and it just went totally out of control. We had
to actually hire secretaries. (Before that) we were nothing.
We were just mom-and-pop karate schools."
Besides
adding secretaries to their staff, Viola also left his job teaching
science at Allegheny High School in order to promote and organize
the event full time. Such was his confidence in its appeal.
The
first "Tough Guy Contest" show was a 3-day event, taking
place on the 20, 21, and 22 of March and consisting of two 8-man
tournaments to crown the "Toughest Guy" in the heavyweight
and lightweight divisions. The winners would also receive $1000
and the chance to participate in the as yet unscheduled state-wide
Tough Guys championships.
The
show, which had the tag-line "The Real Thing in the Ring",
was kicked off by the previously mentioned Jones/Murray contes.
The event, as described by the News Dispatch, sounded very familiar
to long time fans of MMA.
The
contestants "all wore contact karate gear and were permitted
to employ any style fighting within prescribed limits. The results
were spectacular. Some punched, some kicked, some grappled, but
all gave their best effort." A five-foot-six-inch, two hundred
forty pound truck driver wrestled his way to victory over a much
taller, two-hundred-pound mechanic that tried to box him. Two
fighters named "Mad Dog" and "Crazy Jack"
engaged in a wild, slugfest. Another fighter came out in a trench
coat beneath which he had concealed an array of weapons. He then
proceeded to slide various chains, billy clubs, and a tire iron
across the ring to his opponent, telling him "you'll need
this... you'll need this..." The ring girls, Margie, Mary
Kay, Kathy, and Gloria, became the objects of adulation amongst
the fans. And, after the fights, "once the bell rang, the
men would shake hands, pat each other on the back and embrace
each other."
"I've
never seen anything like it." said one spectator. "I'll
never go to another wrestling match if I can got one of these
instead."
The
event sold out all three consecutive nights. Tough Guys, or Super
Fights as they soon rechristened it, was a hit.
"It
was the birth of what many are calling a new sport" announced
the News-Dispatch. "A sport that blends elements of boxing,
wrestling, and brawling."
Viola
and Caliguri immediately began planning not only the next event,
but many more to follow. The idea now was to hold a series of
regional tournaments, eliminators, before concluding with a Tough
Guys finals.
Super
Fighter shows followed in quick succession: "the Battle
of the Brawlers" was held on April 18th at the Stanley Theater
in Pittsburgh, followed by an even more successful "Battle
of the Tough Guys" on May 2nd and 3rd which drew crowds
of 6,000 both nights to the Cambria Country War Memorial Arena
in Johnston, Pennsylvania.
Shortly
thereafter KDKA Television's Evening Magazine did an in-depth
report on the "Battle of the Brawlers", in which they
labeled it "organized, legalized, street fighting."
With
success following success the two now looked to expand by holding
their next show at the Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic
Center. As was usual the event, titled "Battle of the Superfighters"
consisted of two 8-man tournaments, one for lightweights and
one for heavyweights, spread out over several nights
The
show, which received extensive coverage in the Philadelphia papers,
wasn't as successful as their previous events, drawing only a
little more than a thousand per night, but it provided a couple
of very valuable answers. One, it proved that they could draw
outside of their Pittsburgh home base. Viola and Caliguri always
had faith that it would be embraced by the public, citing the
"realism factor" as its chief appeal (although one
spectator at the Convention Center gave a simpler reason, "you
can't see this many fights in any bar I know") They had
been proven correct again, and were now confident that Super
Fighters could be taken anywhere and find an audience. It was
time to take it to the next level.
The
other lesson learned that evening was provided by Len Pettigrew,
a former Eagle's defensive end, who took part in the heavyweight
tournament and ripped through the competition. Although technically
an amateur with no martial arts training to speak of, he was
too fast, too strong, and too athletic for his opponents. It
was now obvious that it would be impossible to keep the tournament
strictly for amateurs. Not only had past contestants expressed
interest in fighting again, but there was also a desire to see
the best in other sports - boxing, wrestling, judo, kickboxing
- try their hands in no holds barred competition. The only solution
would be to create a professional division.
Big
thing were now in the works. Caliguri and Viola founded the World
Martial Arts Fighting Association (WMAFC) to sanction competitors
and rank fighters for what was to be a professional division
of Super Fighters. They also drafted documents to franchise the
league and began negotiating television contracts. Preparations
were made for a national Super Fighters tour in 1981. in which
they anticipated fifty such elimination events around the country,
with Phoenix, Louisville, Rochester, Boston, and Philadelphia
already being scheduled. The finales would be held in either
Atlantic City or Las Vegas, with the championship match being
broadcast live on network television and the winner awarded $100,000.
Attorney James Irwin was retained to negotiate the television
deal. Big-time (relatively speaking) sponsorship was now coming
in.
"Battle
of the Tough Guys is a legitimate sport and not just a passing
fad..." was the opinion given by Jim Isler of the News-Dispatch
following their October event. It seemed as if nothing could
stop Super Fighters from becoming the major sport that Caliguri
and Viola had been certain it was destined to be.
On
November 6, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission ordered
CV Productions to cancel that evening's show in Greensburg. If
they did not the PSAC threatened to have the police shut it down
for them. Caliguri and Viola chose to ignore this command, confident
that the Commission had no jurisdiction over their competitions.
The shows went on as planned that weekend but now they had attracted
the the attention of state officials. Not wishing to antagonize
the commission any further they refrained from more shows until
the matter could be sorted out. In the meantime they focused
on their big plans for the next year.
Disaster
struck in March of 1981, when 23-year-old Ronald Miller was killed
participating in a "Toughman" boxing competition in
Johnstown. The name had come back to haunt them. Even though
the event had no connection whatsoever to Super Fighters or CV
Productions, Inc. most were unable to distinguish this fact and
newspaper even mistakenly identified his death as having taken
place in a "Tough Guy" competition. Miller's death
and the outrage that followed led to the Pennsylvania Legislature
launching an investigation into all fighting events. After careful
consideration and considerable legal consultation,Viola and Caliguri
put a hold on promoting events while they waited out the storm.
But there would be no lull. In 1983, the Pennsylvania State Senate
passed a bill that specifically called for:
PROHIBITING
TOUGH GUY CONTESTS OR BATTLE OF THE BRAWLERS CONTESTS
It
would go on to define this to mean any competition in which individuals
"attempt to knock out their opponent by employing boxing,
wrestling, martial arts tactics or any combination thereof and
by using techniques including, but not limited to, punches, kicks,
and choking."
After
less than a year in activity and over 10 events held across the
state of Pennsylvania, Super Fighters was no more. It would be
over a decade before another promotion would try and bring an
"Anything Goes" fighting league to the United States.
They would succeed, giving birth to a new sport, while Mike Viola
and Frank Caliguri and their Super Fighters would be forgotten
having been too far ahead of their time.
IMAGES
"Tournabout
has a Ring to It" from June 13, 1980 Philadelphia Daily
News
"Dan
'Irish' O'Brien versus 'Outlaw' Wade Miller" from June 13,
1980 Philadelphia Journal
All
other images via CV Productions, Inc. Website
SOURCES
CV
Productions, Inc. Website
Battle
of Tough Guys Finals Scheduled." News-Dispatch: Apr 12,
1980
Blinbury,
Fran. "No Holds Barred as the Super Brawlers Take Over the
Civic Center." Philadelphia Journal: Jun 13, 1980, p 26
Blinbury,
Fran. "No Holds Barred as the Super Brawlers Take Over the
Civic Center." Philadelphia Journal: Jun 13, 1980, p 27
"Tough
Guy Bouts Fatal for Man, 23" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March
23, 1981
Senate
Bill No. 632 Session of 1983
Hartlep,
Bill. "MMA Trailblazers to be Honored at Caged Kumite Event."
Times Express: May 27, 2010
Kogut,
Paul. "Caliguri's MMA History Honored at Heinz." Times
Express: June 23, 2011
Werner,
Sam. "Roots Were Planted in New Kensington". Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette: June 24, 2011
Santa,
John. "Viola Honored as Mixed Martial Arts Innovator."
Daily News: July 4, 2011
Source:
Bloody Elbow
|
MORNING
REPORT: NOTES FROM A HEAVYWEIGHT DAY; ROY NELSON DEMOS SHAOLIN
KUNG-FU TRAINING
By Shaun
Al-Shatti - Staff Writer
The
routine of fight week is relatively set in stone by now. Wednesday
is open workouts. Thursday is the press conference. Friday is
weigh-ins. It's a slow build-up meant to crest on fight night,
and I have to say, it does a fantastic job, with just enough
crumbs trickling out of open workouts to get the anticipation
rolling.
Of
course, yesterday was no exception.
What
we learned:
1.)
Junior dos Santos believes he can compete with any professional
boxer with just three months training, including Vitali and Wladimir
Klitschko, the two longtime Ukrainian heavyweight titleholders.
Obviously, the odds on JDS topping the reigning world champs
are slim-to-none, but you've got to love the confidence. (Plus,
who here can honestly say they wouldn't love to see that just
to see it.)
2.) Cain Velasquez effectively shut down the idea of fighting
his AKA coach/training partner Daniel Cormier (saying, "There's
no point in taking it,") before cracking the door open just
a smidge if a belt was involved ("For the title? We'll talk
about it if that time comes.") Cormier is basically a top-5
guy now, his UFC debut is inevitable, and both he and Cain have
a ton of miles left in this sport. Expect this topic to be revisited.
3.) Frank Mir thought Nick Diaz was "in the clear"
before his regrettable hearing with the Nevada State Athletic
Commission earlier this week, and found the ruling of a one-year
suspension to be "very scary." Just another reminder
that the athletes involved in mixed martial arts are just as
disenchanted with the state commissions as fight fans.
(Even better, Roy Nelson's distrust in the system is so high
that at this point he's willing to fork over his own dime to
have his next opponent randomly tested.)
4.) The removal of Alistair Overeem left Bigfoot Silva completely
unmotivated to fight Cormier in the Strikeforce Grand Prix semi-finals.
And we know what happened there. The lesson in all of this? Never
underestimate a massive man who also happens to be an undefeated
former Olympian.
5.) Dave Herman, he of the positive marijuana test, was just
out "vacationing" in Amsterdam. (Love how he could
barely say it with a straight face. You keep doing what you're
doing Sasquatch/Pee-Wee/Bigger Country.)
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Support
Brian Stann’s Hire Heroes USA Through Facebook This Memorial
Day Weekend
On
this Memorial Day weekend where the United States pays tributes
to all military veterans, there’s an easy way to help support
them through UFC middleweight Brian Stann’s charity foundation.
Hire
Heroes USA is a non-profit organization that helps veterans find
jobs after they’ve left the military, and this weekend through
the Call of Duty Endowment there’s an easy way to contribute
that doesn’t cost you a dime.
Just
visit the Call of Duty Endowment Facebook page and share their
Memorial Day image and for each post, the Call of Duty Endowment
will donate $1 to the grant for Hire Heroes USA.
Fans
can contribute from Thursday through Friday, June 1 at 11:59pm
PT by sharing the image.
Last
year, the campaign raised $36,000 for Hire Heroes USA, and the
2012 campaign is setting a new goal of at least 50,000 “shares,”
translating to at least $50,000 raised for Hire Heroes USA.
The
grant awarded by the Call of Duty Endowment to HHUSA will allow
the organization to provide U.S. military veterans and their
spouses with transition assistance, job search assistance, and
job placement services. Proven services offered by HHUSA include
career workshops, job fairs and job boards, and one-on-one coaching
to match personal career interests and skills to the needs of
partnering companies.
“Memorial
Day is a national dedication to all of the brave soldiers who
have defended this country,
and we are thrilled the Call of Duty Endowment again chose us
to help honor the men and women of the Armed Forces,” said
UFC middleweight Brian Stann.
“The
contributions and awareness raised over the past two years through
this campaign have assisted us tremendously, contributing to
the sustained employment of more than 400 veterans and their
spouses. As a retired marine, I know firsthand how difficult
it can be to transition into the civilian workforce, and a campaign
that engages the public in raising support and awareness is pivotal
to solving the serious issue of veteran unemployment.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Keith
Kizer’s ready to drop the hammer on Nick Diaz
By Zach
Arnold
Today, Nick Diaz (via his attorney Ross Goodman) lost their injunction
hearing in a Las Vegas court room. Keith Kizer of the Nevada
State Athletic Commission says that the commission will hold
a hearing next Monday to give Diaz his suspension for a second
positive drug test in Nevada (marijuana). Kizer is preparing
to go for a full year suspension for Diaz.
Compare this sentencing desire to what the Nevada commission
gave Alistair Overeem on April 24th when he brought his mark
doctor to the hearing to talk about testosterone getting mixed
in with a dangerous ‘tetra mix’ shot that Overeem was
allegedly injecting himself with. Overeem got a nine month suspension
but timed to where he could conceivably fight on UFC’s NYE
weekend show.
Yes, there is something horribly wrong about a testosterone user
getting less of a punishment than someone getting caught with
marijuana. Kizer has hilariously tried to argue that marijuana
is ‘theoretically’ a performance-enhancing drug. It’s
not — and Kizer should have never gone down this road. However,
he is an obstinate man who has no problem with petty vendettas
which leads to, in our opinion, public attacks on character of
other individuals. Just ask Dr. Margaret Goodman. One thing we’ve
learned from all of Zuffa’s lawsuits in Las Vegas and what
happened here to Diaz along with Ken Shamrock losing in Nevada
court is that Nevada folks protect their own, don’t they?
Here’s a statement from Diaz’s attorney, Ross Goodman,
after Monday’s loss in Las Vegas court for an injunction.
*****
Nick Diaz Sets Precedent in District Court
At today’s hearing of Nick Diaz’s motion for a preliminary
injunction, District Court Judge Rob Bare clarified that the
NSAC, like all other administrative agencies in Nevada, is required
to comply with the law.
By failing to hold a final disciplinary hearing within 45 days
of suspending Mr. Diaz’s license, the NSAC violated Diaz’s
due process rights under NRS 233B. The Judge entirely rejected
the NSAC’s claim that it is entitled to suspend fighters
indefinitely pending a final hearing.
Judge Bare further held, as Ross C. Goodman argued, that if the
NSAC imposes a “temporary suspension” on a fighter,
the NSAC is legally required to hold a final disciplinary hearing
within 45 days.
If the NSAC had not committed to setting Diaz’s final disciplinary
hearing for Monday, May 21, 2012 – which the NSAC only agreed
to do the last business day before today’s hearing –
then, Judge Bare unequivocally and repeatedly stated, he would
have ordered the NSAC to do so within 7 to 10 days.
Likewise, Judge Bare clarified that all fighters are entitled
to the protection of the statutory 45 day time limit. The Judge
rejected the NSAC’s suggestion that fighters are required
attend the temporary suspension hearing in order to qualify for
such protection. He rejected the NSAC’s position that Diaz
lost the right to dispute the temporary suspension by electing
not to attend the February 22, 2012 temporary suspension hearing.
Mr. Diaz is pleased to have obtained a valuable precedent for
the benefit of all fighters licensed in Nevada.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Little
stability at heavyweight summit
By Josh
Gross | ESPN.com
UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos is unequivocal in
the belief that Saturday's title defense in Las Vegas against
Frank Mir will be his first of many.
History,
however, suggests otherwise.
"Anything
can really happen at any moment," said Cain Velasquez (9-1),
who dropped the title in his first defense last year after dos
Santos clocked him behind the ear.
Since
its inception in 1997, UFC's heavyweight strap, the promotion's
longest-running championship, has passed between fighters with
alarming regularity. Of the 15 men to grab hold of the title
(including interim belts) only four -- Randy Couture, Andrei
Arlovski, Tim Sylvia and Brock Lesnar -- have defended it more
than once.
Their best streak? Two straight.
"It's
always been a particularly volatile weight class," said
Couture, who retired last year as the only three-time heavyweight
champion in UFC history. "In MMA there are so many ways
to lose, and those guys are so big, it really only takes one
punch [to end a fight]. With a guy who is 230 pounds and up,
using 6-ounce gloves, it's easy to end your night."
Compared
to boxing, which features heavyweights like brothers Vitali and
Wladimir Klitschko sustaining prolonged runs at the top, Couture
suggests MMA's flip-a-coin reality is "good for fans and
good for the sport."
In Wladimir Klitschko, boxing has a dominant champion -- and
a familiar face atop the heavyweight ranks.
Couture, true to his word, favors Mir (16-5) to beat dos Santos
(14-1) in the UFC 146 main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena,
a sentiment that has gone unshared by oddsmakers and the general
public.
While the merry-go-round nature of UFC's heavyweight title is
undeniable, there are those who disagree with Couture's assessment.
Boxing
reached its greatest heights when the public embraced dominant
heavyweights facing difficult challenges.
Would
that not also be true of mixed martial arts?
Javier
Mendez, the respected trainer of Velasquez and Strikeforce heavyweight
grand prix victor Daniel Cormier, says yes.
"If
there was a heavyweight that could sustain it, I think it would
be great for the sport," he said.
In
Velasquez, Mendez thought he had a transformative Jon Jones-type
fighter. He wasn't alone. Couture also viewed the 29-year-old
Mexican-American, who knocked out Lesnar to claim the belt, as
someone who would plant himself atop the division. But all it
took was one heavy shot from dos Santos for Velasquez's title
run to end in less than 60 seconds.
"I
think heavyweight is the most dangerous division," dos Santos
said. "There's too much power involved. When you get punched
by a heavyweight, you are in trouble. That's why I think it's
so hard to keep the title."
“I
think heavyweight is the most dangerous division. There's too
much power involved. When you get punched by a heavyweight, you
are in trouble. That's why I think it's so hard to keep the title”
-- Junior dos Santos, on how one punch can change a fight at
heavyweight
There is also the promotion's heavyweight renaissance to consider.
During the middle part of the last decade, a period UFC president
Dana White bemoans for its lack of talent among the class, the
top heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, engineered a string of victories
that could be considered unimaginable in the Octagon.
The Russian deserves credit for winning, of course, but he was
also aided by beneficial matchmaking. There's no such respite
for today's crop of UFC contenders.
Eight
of the top 10 MMA heavyweights currently reside in the UFC, according
to ESPN.com's rankings. Zuffa, which owns and operates UFC and
Strikeforce, focused on rebuilding the division after lean years
when Sylvia and Arlovski went back and forth.
Said
Mir: "I do think it's as deep as it's ever been."
That
suggests more parity is on the way.
"Now
they're not just big guys," Couture said. "They can
move. They can wrestle. They can grapple and have good submission
skills. They're just well-rounded, good fighters.
Today's UFC heavyweights possess size, strength and athleticism.
"I get tired of the shoo-in, the guy you say 'Oh yeah, he's
going to win another one.' It's like the Anderson Silva deal.
You kind of get tired of it. At the end of the day, you know
the guy he's fighting isn't going to be able to touch him. I'm
way more intrigued in a very competitive fight where I can see
it going either way."
Silva's dominance propelled him to the top of the sport's pound-for-pound
rankings. With nine consecutive middleweight title defenses,
"The Spider" is widely considered the sport's finest
fighter. There is undeniable value in prolonged success.
Save
the heavyweight division, UFC has, for the first time really,
entered into an era of dominant champions.
Silva
stands alone. Following six consecutive welterweight defenses,
Georges St. Pierre is a close second. Jones stabilized the light
heavyweight division last year and has defended the title three
times. Jose Aldo has made featherweight his playground. And 135
pounds features the confounding puzzle that is Dominick Cruz.
Only
heavyweight and lightweight, where the newly crowned Benson Henderson
out-pointed Frankie Edgar last year, have yet to join the party.
Mir,
the 32-year-old challenger -- a two-time titleholder who relinquished
the belt each time sans a defense -- is of the opinion that a
similar fate awaits the Brazilian slugger.
And
history is on his side.
But
then again, dos Santos could be cut from a different cloth.
"I
really believe I can keep this belt for a long, long time,"
said the current titleholder. "My dream was to become champion
and now I'm champion. Now I want to break records. I want to
keep this belt for a long, long time and be part of the history
of the heavyweights."
Source: ESPN
|
Toughman
Hawaii Presents; King Of The Ring
Today
Edith Kanakaole
Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
May 26, 2012
|
Bellator
70 preview and predictions for 'Konrad vs Prindle' on May 25
in New Orleans
by Brian
Hemminger
Bellator
Fighting Championships will head to "The Bayou State"
this Friday night (May 25, 2012) at the Orleans Convention Center
in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The
main card will air live on MTV2 and Epix HD on fight night, beginning
at 8 p.m. ET.
Headlining
the main event will be a Bellator heavyweight title fight between
champion Cole Konrad and season five tournament winner Eric Prindle.
Prindle was handed the shot at the belt after his opponent Thiago
Santos, failed to make weight in the finals.
Also
on the card is a Bellator season six lightweight tournament final
fight between former top welterweights Rick Hawn and Brent Weedman,
who have both have tremendous success since making the drop to
155 pounds.
A
Bellator season six bantamweight tournament semifinal fight is
also on the cards as 135-ers Hiroshi Nakamura and Luis Nogueira
are set to square off. Lastly, Louisiana veteran Rich Clementi
will battle Derek Campos in a feature lightweight bout to open
up the main card.
Our
complete Bellator 70 preview and predictions are posted after
the jump:
265
lb. title: Cole Konrad (8-0) vs. Eric Prindle (7-1 1NC)
Cole
Konrad nearly had his entire MMA career in 2010, winning seven
fights and dominating everyone with his smothering top control.
After winning the season three Bellator heavyweight tournament
and claiming the title, he was left in no-man's land and only
fought once in 2011. He was champing at the bit to get another
fight and finally got one against former teammate Eric Prindle.
Eric
Prindle was a surprise winner of the Bellator season five heavyweight
tournament. After squeaking by Abe Wagner, he brutally knocked
out Ron Sparks in the semifinals and after three attempts at
having a clean fight against the favored Thiago Santos, he was
awarded the tournament title after "Big Monster" failed
to make weight. Now, finally healthy, Prindle is ready to challenge
for the strap.
The
most likely plan of attack for Konrad is to close the distance,
grab onto Prindle and dump him on the canvas. Prindle's saving
grace is if he can catch Konrad on the way in and knock him out
before he is taken down. If Prindle can't score a quick knockout,
he's going to be in some serious, serious trouble as Konrad is
significantly stronger on the mat.
Final
Prediction: Cole Konrad via submission in round one
155
lbs.: Rick Hawn (13-1) vs. Brent Weedman (20-7-1)
Rick
Hawn had a successful run in the welterweight division, advancing
to the finals and arguably winning the season four tournament
although he would come up short controversially against Jay Heiron.
After a slight knee injury, "Genghis" Hawn dropped
down to 155 pounds and he's been an absolute wrecking ball, knocking
out both Lloyd Woodard and Ricardo Tirloni to advance to the
tournament finals.
Brent
Weedman was an undersized welterweight but was consistently still
putting on extremely entertaining fights at 170 pounds. He also
decided to drop down to lightweight and has put on his best performances
inside the Bellator cage, all despite the distraction of the
birth of his first child.
Hawn
has a very aggressive, constant forward-moving style and he has
really learned to sit on his punches and throw with power. Weedman
will likely want to try to out-kickbox Hawn, working from the
outside similar to what Lyman Good attempted, although he's going
to need to turn up the aggression. The biggest thing Weedman
has to avoid is Hawn's powerful right hand. Weedman can take
a shot, but if it connects solidly, he could be in serious trouble.
Final
Prediction: Rick Hawn via decision
135
lbs.: Hiroshi Nakamura (15-5) vs. Luis Nogueira (13-2)
Hiroshi
Nakamura has been a successful Japanese fighter with a strong
grappling background. "Iron" Nakamura looked solid
in his Bellator debut, handling the likes of talented youngster
Rodrigo Lima by remaining in top control while avoiding the crafty
Brazilian's submissions to earn a decision victory and advance
to the semifinals.
Luis
Nogueira would have been the Cinderella man of the quarterfinals
if Travis Marx hadn't defeated Masakatsu Ueda as "Betao"
pushed season five bantamweight finalist and former Olympian
Alexis Vila to the limit, earning a decision against the powerful
Cuban.
Nakamura
will likely be working to score takedowns and remain on top.
Nogueira displayed terrific takedown defense against Vila in
the quarterfinals, but Nakamura is a better MMA grappler than
Vila was. It will be very difficult to keep Nakamura off him
whether it's on the ground or in the clinch. If he can thwart
"Iron's" attempts to close the distance, he can pull
it off.
Final
Prediction: Luis Nogueira via decision
155
lbs.: Rich Clementi (42-21-1) vs. Derek Campos (9-2)
Rich
Clementi is one of the most experienced lightweights on the planet.
"No Love" has been battling for nearly 13 years professionally
now, but his career has tapered off considerably since being
released by the UFC over three years ago, including a loss to
Carey Vanier at Bellator 28.
Derek
Campos has quietly built up a nice resume despite being just
24 years old, having fought veterans Adam Schindler and Diego
Brandao early in his career and having come out having won over
80 percent of his fights.
Clementi
has the experience edge, but he's definitely on the downside
of his career. He'll be a game opponent, but I feel Campos' youthful
exuberance will be too much for him.
Final
Prediction: Derek Campos via decision
So
what do you think, Maniacs?
Will
Konrad continue his undefeated run and steamroll through Prindle?
Who do you see winning the lightweight tournament?
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
146: BY THE ODDS
By Ben Fowlkes - Senior Writer
Yours
truly is in Las Vegas -- the beating heart of America’s
gambling-addicted body -- for UFC 146 on Saturday night, which
means I have no shortage of options for throwing my money away.
From horses I’ve never heard of to baseball teams I’ve
never cared about, there are odds on just about everything here.
But
when a bunch of heavyweights get together on a Saturday night,
how reliably do you trust your own ability to predict the outcomes?
If you feel like testing yourself and backing it up with cold
hard cash, these odds straight from the sportsbook provide the
perfect opportunity.
Junior
dos Santos (-550) vs. Frank Mir (+400)
If you stroll through the MGM Grand this week, you’ll notice
two things: 1) there’s some annoying construction going
on, so the lions are nowhere to be found, and 2) you can find
all sorts of fun prop bets on Saturday night’s main event.
For instance, the MGM sportsbook is currently offering 8/1 odds
on a Mir victory in either rounds two or three. And if you think
this one will go the distance, you can get +450 odds on that.
Meanwhile, the most likely outcome, according to the experts
at the MGM? That would be JDS in round one -- a scenario that’s
currently popping off at 5/7. As my grandfather likes to remind
me whenever he hears that I’m off to cover a fight in Vegas:
"They didn’t build those casinos off of people winning."
That is to say, the odds look like this for a reason. Mir has
a suspect chin, and dos Santos has beaten better wrestlers than
him in the very recent past. Even if you think Mir has the edge
on the mat, how capable is he of getting the fight there? As
we covered earlier, these are heavyweights we’re talking
about, so just about anything is possible. But if that’s
the attitude you’re bringing to this, you might be better
off investing in lottery tickets.
My pick: JDS. The odds are too long and the division too unpredictable
to make it worth the risk, but I can’t picture him losing
this fight no matter how hard I try.
Cain
Velasquez (-550) vs. Antonio Silva (+400)
Daniel
Cormier’s victory over "Bigfoot" explains a lot
about this line. If a smaller, quicker wrestler was able to demolish
Silva once, why wouldn’t the formula work a second time
around? Not only are Velasquez and Cormier physically similar,
they’re also teammates who have no doubt compared notes
on this match-up. Silva’s size and power are always a consideration
-- and, okay, he claims his heart really wasn’t in the Cormier
fight -- but it’s hard to imagine him catching Velasquez
in one spot long enough to do much to him.
My pick: Velasquez. I feel the same about this one as I do about
JDS-Mir. I like the favorite, but not quite that much. I’ll
sit this one out, maybe save my money for a couple hands of blackjack.
Roy
Nelson (-225) vs. Dave Herman (+175)
Is
Herman ready for this fight? We have no way of knowing, because
he won’t stop joking around long enough to give us a straight
answer on what it was like when he got the call. If you believe
his version of events, he woke up after a drinking binge and
agreed to fight "Big Country." I suspect this is not
completely accurate, but fine, let’s assume he’s as
ready as he’s ever been. Does it matter? Nelson has the
edge in power, and in quality of competition faced. He keeps
coming no matter what you hit him with, and he’s got to
be in something resembling a desperation mode after losing three
of his last four. Herman might be a better all-around athlete,
but I don’t like his chances to finish Nelson, who can take
it as well as he can dish it out.
My pick: Nelson. If he drops below -200, he might be worth the
risk. On the flip side, if Herman gets over +200, the same is
true for him.
Shane
del Rosario (+145) vs. Stipe Miocic (-165)
Normally,
I’d say del Rosario was a steal at these odds. And when
I say normally, I mean if he were not making his UFC debut after
more than a year out of action. It’s a question of risk
factors. The long injury layoff? That’s one risk factor.
The Octagon jitters? That’s another. Put them together and
you have a bad bet. The tough part is, I suspect that del Rosario
might legitimately be the better fighter. If he didn’t have
this stuff working against him, I’d like his chances to
beat Miocic, all other things being equal. But all things are
never equal, and so it is here.
My pick: Miocic. Could del Rosario rise above the risk factors?
Possibly. But I wouldn’t bet on it.
Stefan
Struve (even) vs. Lavar Johnson (-120)
Okay,
you’re thinking. So you’re just going to take all the
favorites? Not quite. I’m not sure why the MGM experts think
Johnson deserves the slight edge, especially when online bookmakers
mostly disagree. This fight pits Johnson, who had to jump back
into the gym right after his fight with Pat Barry in order to
take this short-notice opportunity, against a superior grappler
with the height and reach to keep him on the outside until he’s
frustrated enough to come charging in with reckless abandon.
If you ask me, that’s not a great idea for him. Struve knows
Johnson doesn’t want to be on the mat with him. He probably
also knows that Johnson is putting all his eggs in the knockout
basket, which only makes it easier for Struve to work out a winning
strategy. After all, he knew he was facing a powerful striker
back when he was still slated to fight Mark Hunt. Going from
Hunt to Johnson is actually a bit of a break.
My pick: Struve. The even odds aren’t going to change your
life, but it’s as good as you’re likely to get with
a pick this solid.
Quick
picks:
-
Dan Hardy (-130) over Duane Ludwig (+100). It’s not just
do-or-die for Hardy’s UFC contract. It’s do-or-go-down-as-a-cautionary-tale.
I don’t see him meeting that fate easily.
-
"Mayhem" Miller (-145) over C.B. Dollaway (+115). I
had to go to the internet to find this line, since the MGM lists
the odds as ‘TBA.' I base this pick entirely on the fact
that the sportsbook lists this fight as Jason Miller vs. C.B.
Dollawa. That’s all I need to know.
Craziest
Internet Prop Bet That Could Make You Rich: Dos Santos wins in
round three (+1075).
The
‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay: Dos Santos
+ Velasquez + Struve + Hardy
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
146 ‘Dos Santos vs. Mir’ Preview
By Tristen
Critchfield
Say
this for the Ultimate Fighting Championship: thanks to clever
marketing and the well-produced “Primetime” series,
it almost seems like Junior Santos-Frank Mir was the heavyweight
title tilt the promotion always wanted. Of course, we all know
better. However, just because Alistair Overeem is out of the
picture for now does not mean UFC 146 is not worth watching.
Mir
was the first man to knock out and submit dos Santos’ mentor,Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira, adding a revenge angle to the proceedings.
Then there is the lack of respect Mir has received since being
named the main-event replacement for Overeem; if the former heavyweight
king is not at least a little bit motivated by all the doubters,
then he is not human. At any rate, it figures to be a good test
of dos Santos’ restraint, because an over exuberant pursuit
of the finish against an accomplished grappler like Mir could
spell doom for the Brazilian.
After
more than a little reshuffling, the rest of the all-heavyweight
main card managed to survive Overeem’s transgressions. Those
with short attention spans take note: the odds of this being
a long, drawn out pay-per-view are slim and none.
Here
is a closer look at UFC 146 “Dos Santos vs. Mir,” with
analysis and picks:
Heavyweight
Championship
Junior
dos Santos (14-1, 8-0 UFC) vs. Frank Mir(16-5, 14-5 UFC)
The
Matchup: On paper, this appears to be a stylistic nightmare for
Mir, who has shown a tendency to get rocked by the division’s
heavy hitters during his UFC career. In terms of knockout proficiency,
dos Santos is about as good as it gets at heavyweight; only Roy
Nelsonand Shane Carwin have managed to go the distance with the
heavy-handed Brazilian, and they both absorbed plenty of punishment
for their efforts. Most recently, the durable Cain Velasquez
fell victim to a brutal overhand right and follow-up punches
from dos Santos at UFC on Fox 1 in November, relinquishing his
belt in just 64 seconds.
As
daunting as it may be to face an opponent who has stopped 11
of his 14 victims inside of a round, Mir has a wealth of big-fight
experience upon which to draw. Long before “Cigano”
was crushing foes in the Octagon with his lead uppercut, Mir
was submittingTim Sylvia to capture the heavyweight championship
at UFC 48. The sport has evolved quite a bit since 2004, but
Mir’s one significant advantage in this fight remains the
same: his submission game.
Mir
earned another UFC title shot in brutal fashion against Nogueira.
Mir became the first person to submit Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
at UFC 140 with a gruesome kimura, and he was able to execute
the finish thanks to his uncanny composure.“Minotauro”
had wobbled the Las Vegas resident on the feet and was looking
to finish with a flurry of strikes and a choke on the mat. Somehow,
Mir maintained his senses enough to scramble out of danger and
lock in the fight-ending maneuver. This was not a case of a jiu-jitsu
practitioner playing possum, either; Mir was legitimately dazed.
His ability to maintain his faculties against dos Santos is key
to his survival, because it is only a matter of time before the
champion puts his chin to the test.
Dos
Santos has quick hands and understands how to use angles to evade
the strikes of his opposition. He is fluid and mobile on the
outside, judiciously using his jab until the right moment arrives
to collapse the pocket. When the time comes, both his uppercut
and counter left hook are game-changers. Mir’s standup has
improved over the years, but he is nowhere near “Cigano’s”
league in the striking department.
Mir
will have to be creative in figuring out ways to close the distance
against dos Santos, using well-timed combinations to set up takedowns.
In eight Octagon appearances, only Carwin andGabriel Gonzaga
have been able to get the Team Nogueira pupil to the ground,
and both did so with minimal results. Still, it is worth the
risk, if only to attempt to make the champion uncomfortable.
Mir can also attempt to drain dos Santos’ cardio in tie-ups,
as long as he is active from this position. Resting against the
fence will only result in Mir eating knees and uppercuts from
the Brazilian. Instead, Mir should look to work for an outside
trip, where he can attempt to implement his vaunted ground game.
A
more plausible scenario has Mir getting dropped and dos Santos
following into guard. It is as good a chance for an upset as
Mir has, because his guard is excellent and he has an ability
to capitalize on the smallest of openings. If dos Santos dives
in carelessly to finish the fight, Mir will have his moment.
The
Pick: Dos Santos learned from watching his mentor succumb to
the resourceful Mir, so do not expect a breakdown in strategy
from the champion. “Cigano” will pick apart Mir on
the outside early, stuff takedowns and eventually land the power
shots for which he is known. There will be no temporary lapse
in judgment, as dos Santos finishes the fight with strikes in
round two.
Heavyweights
Cain
Velasquez (9-1, 7-1 UFC) vs. Antonio Silva (16-3, 0-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: There is not really much to be learned from Velasquez’s
abbreviated appearance against Junior dos Santos at UFC on Fox
1 in November, unless one considers the mixed martial arts platitude
“anyone can get caught” to be astute analysis. It was
certainly a disappointing return to action for Velasquez, who
had been sidelined by a shoulder injury since he captured the
heavyweight title in October 2010. Despite his relative inactivity
over the past year-and-a-half, the fact remains that the former
Arizona State University wrestler is still one of the best heavyweights
in the sport today.
Silva,
who became Velasquez’s opponent when Frank Mir was elevated
to main-event status, makes his UFC debut on the heels of a surprising
knockout loss to Daniel Cormier in the Strikeforceheavyweight
grand prix. Cormier used his quickness to get inside on the massive
Brazilian and land combinations with accuracy and power. Velasquez’s
excellent agility and athleticism figure to give“Bigfoot”
fits, as well. The American Kickboxing Academy product mixes
his punches and kicks nicely and is extremely effective fighting
in close quarters. He seamlessly transitions from striking to
takedowns, and his ground-and-pound is as relentless as that
of any heavyweight.
Much
of Silva’s success depends on his sheer size. At 6-foot-4
and weighing upwards of 280 pounds on fight night, he can be
a load for anyone to handle. Silva is not especially athletic,
however, and he often closes the gap by pressing forward, clinching
and grinding his foes down from there. His bulk makes for withering
top pressure, which he displayed in earning the signature victory
of his career against Fedor Emelianenko. That is how the former
EliteXCheavyweight king would prefer to work against Velasquez:
land a couple shots on the feet and then get the fight to the
ground. He will find it to be a tall order against a man whose
work rate is legendary. When Velasquez has been taken down in
the past, he has quickly returned to his feet.
Meanwhile,
Silva will have to be wary of defending his opponent’s shots.
Velasquez, one of the best in the UFC in significant strikes
landed per minute as well as takedown accuracy, is no one-trick
pony. While Silva possesses underrated jiu-jitsu, Velasquez is
not the easiest mark. The former champion is adept at passing
guard in the middle of his takedowns, and his movement on the
mat will make it tough for Silva to regain the position.
The
Pick: This is harsh welcome to the Octagon for Silva, who will
find it difficult to get anything consistent going. Velasquez
will collapse the pocket and rock Silva in close before finishing
the fight with ground-and-pound in the opening frame.
Heavyweights
Stefan
Struve (23-5, 7-3 UFC) vs. Lavar Johnson (17-5, 2-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: As a last-minute injury replacement for Mark Hunt, Johnson
has the chance to significantly boost his stock in the UFC with
two wins in 21 days. Such a quick turnaround is extremely rare
at the highest levels of MMA these days, but those who can pull
it off stand to reap the benefits.
Chris
Leben beat Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama over the course
of a two-week span in 2010, raising his profile from popular
journeyman to main card attraction. Johnson’s talents were
on full display at UFC on Fox 3, where he knocked outPat Barry
in front of a national television audience; his flair for finishing
makes him an easy sell to bloodthirsty fight fans.
Meanwhile,
Struve has quietly fashioned a solid UFC career at just 24 years
old. While not quite a top-tier heavyweight, the 6-foot-11 Dutchman
has a penchant for come-from-behind magic and entertaining fights.
He struggled in the first round against Dave Hermanat UFC on
Fuel TV 1, allowing his opponent to move inside his considerable
reach and land several combinations. Struve rallied in the second
frame, however, buckling Herman with an uppercut before finishing
the contest with punches from mount.
Struve
blamed jet lag for his slow start in that bout, but he will have
to come out much more quickly against Johnson; a lackluster opening
round from “Skyscraper” here will result in him looking
up at the roof at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Johnson possesses a
powerful right hand and a deadly uppercut, both of which can
end a fight in a hurry. The Team Schrijber representative’s
three career losses have all come by way of brutal knockout,
and Johnson will no doubt be headhunting with that fact in mind.
The
34-year-old would like to back up Struve against the cage, where
he can unload a series of rapid-fire bombs, as he did in punishing
Barry with left hooks and right uppercuts before their May 5
bout was halted. Of course, it is no secret that Johnson’s
Achilles’ heel is grappling, as four of his five career
losses have come via tapout. Even Barry, who is not known for
his proficiency on the mat, had “Big” in trouble with
a keylock early on in their heavyweight clash. That bodes well
for Struve, who has averaged more than four submission attempts
per 15 minutes during his UFC tenure. He moves well on the mat,
transitioning from one dominant position to another while using
his long limbs to maintain control of his opponent.
The
Pick: Struve is still getting bigger and stronger and has yet
to fully grasp how to use his considerable reach to full capacity.
How much he has progressed in these areas will determine how
he fares against Johnson, who figures to take it to him early.
If Struve survives Johnson’s early onslaught, he can wear
him down, get the fight to the floor and work for a submission.
Look for Struve to get rocked early, but he will maintain his
composure long enough to expose Johnson’s flaws on the ground
and force his foe to tap out late in round one.
Heavyweights
Dave
Herman (21-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Roy Nelson(16-7, 3-3 UFC)
The
Matchup: Nelson ended his UFC 143 bout withFabricio Werdum a
bloody mess after the Brazilian battered him repeatedly with
knees to the face and body from the clinch. To his credit, “Big
Country” went the distance, a testament to his heart and
toughness even in the face of a serious beating. Nelson took
to social media recently to tease his fans that a move to light
heavyweight would be imminent if he received enough “Likes”
on his Facebook page. It is unclear as to whether “The Ultimate
Fighter 10” winner truly plans on dropping weight anytime
in the near future. For now, he remains an ample-bellied heavyweight
capable of absorbing massive amounts of punishment while still
coming forward.
Considering
that all three of his UFC losses have come to Top 10 opponents,
Nelson figures to have a more manageable task in Herman. The
Sengokuveteran started quickly in his last outing against Stefan
Struve but faded after a round and lost by second-round TKO.
Nelson has faced cardio issues before, as well, and whoever brings
the better gas tank into this matchup will have a significant
advantage.
Herman
has been known to get wild on the feet. His bag of tricks includes
exotic kicks and various other flying attacks. His risk-taking
approach leaves him susceptible to counters and takedowns, both
of which a savvy veteran like Nelson can capitalize on. The Las
Vegas resident is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who can dominate
a fight with suffocating top control. Though not a submission
machine, Nelson is excellent at passing guard and imposing his
will with a steady diet of punches from side control.
Herman
demonstrated an ability to escape from his back at UFC 131, where
he was able to twice get to his feet after being taken down by
2003 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships
gold medalist John Olav Einemo. At some point, he will have to
do the same against Nelson or risk losing rounds.
The
Pick: Nelson will move forward with one-two combinations in hopes
of initiating the clinch, from which he can execute trip takedowns.
Herman will have to make him pay with knees against the fence.
Considering it was something Junior dos Santos was unable to
accomplish, the chances of Herman knocking out Nelson are slim.
Meanwhile, Herman must also be wary of Nelson’s overhand
right, which can end a fight in the blink of an eye. Nelson wins
by decision.
Heavyweights
Stipe
Miocic (8-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Shane del Rosario (11-0, 0-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: A pair of unbeaten heavyweight prospects square off
here, as Miocic replaces an injured Gabriel Gonzaga to round
out the all-heavyweight main card.
Del
Rosario earned the signature victory of his career more than
a year ago, submitting current UFC talent Lavar Johnson with
an opening-round armbar at Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Silva.”
In addition to showing a good awareness of his opponent’s
weaknesses, del Rosario also impressed by surviving a barrage
of shots from the heavy-handed Johnson in the early going. The
Irvine, Calif., native has not competed since, as a herniated
disc suffered in a car accident forced him out of a June 18 showdown
withDaniel Cormier.
Miocic’s
knockout power was on display in his most recent bout, as he
knocked Philip De Fries from the ranks of the unbeaten in just
43 seconds at UFC on Fuel TV 1 in February. It was a spectacular
showing after a so-so debut with the promotion in which Miocic
took a lackluster decision from Joey Beltran using takedowns
and ground-and-pound.
Both
fighters have a knack for finishing. Miocic has stopped seven
of his eight victims, while none of del Rosario’s 11 opponents
have gone the distance. Del Rosario has a well-rounded skill
set that includes decent hands, as well as the ability to work
from the clinch and force takedowns.
Miocic,
who has wrestling and boxing experience, will have to sprawl
and defend del Rosario’s shots to allow him to take advantage
of the knockout power in his right hand. Del Rosario might have
slightly less power, but he will have an edge on the mat if he
can get it there. The Team Oyama product is more than capable
of advancing position and wearing down Miocic, eventually creating
an opening for a fight-ending submission.
The
Pick: Look for the two men to break even in exchanges, with del
Rosario gradually turning the tide with clinch work and a few
timely takedowns. Del Rosario remains unbeaten with a decision
or late submission triumph.
Source: Sherdog
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
President Dana White Avoids Surgery
by Damon
Martin
You
can’t keep a good man down.
That’s
the philosophy UFC President Dana White is using following his
news from just over a week ago that he was having surgery to
treat Meniere’s disease.
Well,
now according to UFC officials who confirmed with MMAWeekly.com
on Thursday, White avoided surgery and will instead treat the
condition with medication instead.
White
was prepped and ready for surgery in Los Angeles last week, but
a last minute change in treatment was suggested and now the UFC
President will instead take medication to help the issues caused
by the Meniere’s disease, which is essentially an inner
ear imbalance and extreme bouts of Vertigo.
UFC
officials confirmed that White is doing great and going with
medication instead to help avoid surgery.
The
UFC President missed his first event in 11 years when he had
to get ready for the potential surgery which caused him to miss
the UFC on Fuel show in Virginia last week headlined by ‘The
Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung against Dustin Poirier.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Antonio
Silva: ‘I rather fight him on the ground’
Antonio
“Bigfoot” Silva is ready to debut in the UFC, and know
his first challenge on the most famous cage in the world will
not be easy. Facing former champion Cain Velasquez, a heavy-handed
fighter who owns a sharp Wrestling, the Brazilian knows he needs
to be alert, but claims not to fear the ground game. “If
he wants to take me down, I’m not going to spend much energy
trying to hold him back. Let’s go to the ground and let’s
use our roots, which is Jiu-Jitsu, to try to submit him”,
warns the fighter, on the exclusive chat that you read below.
A
couple of days before the fight, how are the expectations?
My
expectations are great and the energy too. I’m crazy to
get this fight done. Get in that cage and have my UFC debut.
I’m feeling like if it was the first fight of my life. I
guess I’m starting it all over again, from nothing. It’s
a big opportunity on my personal and professional lives. Let’s
bring it. I’ll get in there with the right bigfoot (laughs),
and go for the win.
This
card was made and remade many times and you were matched up against
a former champion. How do you see this opportunity?
It
was wonderful. First I was fighting Roy Nelson, who’s a
great opponent and a tough guy too, whom fans love. I was at
home and my manager called me saying they might replace my opponent.
Half hour later he called me and said they really did and I asked
him who was it now and he said it was Cain Velasquez. “Awesome!
Get this contract and let’s sign this now”. He’s
well liked by the fans, a former champion, the second best in
the world, just lost to the current champion Junior dos Santos,
so it’s a big opportunity. I’ll grab it with all I’ve
got.
What
changes now you’re fighting Velasquez instead of Roy Nelson?
Well,
what changed is that I had to bring some wrestlers to help me
out because we all know Cain’s level at Wrestling is really
high, he’s pretty good. I brought a couple of guys, one
of which fought Cain Velasquez eight times when they were in
college and defeated him all eight times. I know: Wrestling is
Wrestling and MMA is a completely different thing, but, like
it or not, he knows his Wrestling game, his strength and taught
me many things I could do and avoid. My stand-up is the same
and also my Jiu-Jitsu. If I was fighting Roy Nelson, he’s
a BJJ black belt and he’s very good. I would also have to
be well trained. What changed was basically my Wrestling trainings.
Do
you want to keep actions on the stand-up?
I’m
comfortable on the stand-up. It’s not because I made a mistake
last time I’ll try to change or don’t believe in myself.
I know I can do it. I rather fight him on the ground. If he wants
to take me down, I’m not going to spend much energy trying
to hold him back. Of course I’ll try to defend it and apply
some coups, a knee or something. But, if he keeps pressuring
me to take me down, let’s do it. Let’s go to the ground
and let’s use our roots, which is Jiu-Jitsu, to try to submit
him.
The
fact he trains with Daniel Cormier is, in some way, an advantage
for him?
See,
i fought two AKA guys: Mike Kyle and Daniel Cormier. I guess
that he can get some tips from Mike Kyle, because I fought him
longer, it went to round two. Daniel, unfortunately for me and
happily for him, no, because I got punched at 30 seconds and
then I wasn’t myself anymore, I was playing it automatically.
They told me I fought three more minutes, but I wasn’t really
there.
What
were your thoughts about Cormier’s win over Josh Barnett?
I
was thrilled. But first I got scold. When it was over I said
“well, at least I loss to the champion”. My wife looked
at me and said: “no, you lost it to yourself. You didn’t
want to fight. You were not on a good state of mind. You lost
it to yourself”. And it’s true, but congratulations
to Cormier. I will never try to undermine him. He deserved it,
showed he can be a champion and I was really happy he won and
defeated Josh. Many people don’t like Josh. I don’t
like him personally, but he’s a hell of a fighter. Professionally,
he’s really good. I was glad he won and also I’d like
to say that Josh was a big man and took it and fought with a
broken hand. It was a nice show.
How
do you weigh now?
I
usually weight 282, 286lbs. Four weeks ago I weight 168lbs. I
did a good job with Mike Dolce. He kept my weight so I could
gain speed, work on my agility. I’m feeling fine, eating
a lot, losing weight, thank God. Now it’s just go for the
win.
In
case you win, you might have a chance at the title, which is
now held by your close friend and teammate Junior dos Santos.
How would it be like?
Well,
everybody’s asking me this and my only answer now is this:
I’m focused in Cain Velasquez. My game plan is focused on
him and I don’t usually look pass because there’s always
an ‘if’. And if I don’t beat him up? I want to
win. When I leave the cage you can ask me and I’ll give
you a straight answer, but now I’m only thinking about Cain
Velasquez.
Source:
Tatame
|
FRANK
MIR ON JUNIOR DOS SANTOS: 'I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO BREAK HIS
ARM'
By Dave
Doyle
As
the hours wind down toward Saturday's UFC 146 main event, Frank
Mir's mind games show no signs of abatement.
This time around, he wants UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos
Santos to know that it would truly be a terrible shame if Mir
was left with no choice but to snap his arm during their title
fight on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
"If
I grab his arm and he doesn't tap," said the former champion,
"It's going to make me a little obsessive. I don't want
to have to break his arm, but I want to win the fight."
This,
of course, isn't entirely idle talk coming from Mir. The Las
Vegas native is tied with Kenny Florian and Nate Diaz for the
most UFC submission wins in the Unified Rules era with eight.
Two of those involved fighters who let their arms snap rather
than tap out: First against Tim Sylvia to win the title at UFC
48, and then again in his most recent bout, when he broke the
arm of dos Santos' mentor, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, with a Kimura.
"I don't like the fact Nogueira didn't tap and got his arm
broken," said Mir. "I think he was sharp in the fight.
I think he would have made me look better if he had tapped and
gone on to win another fight in two or three months. You're only
as good as your competition. If he doesn't fight anymore, then
I beat a guy at the end of his career. If he goes and strings
out two or three more wins, how good do I look now?"
So
in Mir's perfect world, the best possible finish to UFC 146 would
be for dos Santos to simply submit and call it a night if Mir
traps him in an armbar.
"If
he does tap, he's 28 years old, he's a great athlete, he's going
to come back and do well," said Mir. "If he doesn't
tap when he feels the pressure, I mean, come on guys, it's been
10 years, if you don't know what's about to happen by now..."
Meanwhile,
for someone who claims he wasn't bothered by the comment, Mir
sure has a lot to say about dos Santos' now-infamous comment
that Mir "lacks heart." The former champ went on at
length during Wednesday's open workouts in his attempt to debunk
the notion.
"Dos
Santos is a nice guy," Mir said. "He doesn't talk trash.
Now he's the champ and here's people around him going ‘you've
got the fighting thing down. You've got to try to sell the fights
more, you've got to do the Brock [Lesnar] thing, get people interested,
so you can be a complete game player for the UFC.' He's not very
good at it. The first time he came out the door he fell on his
face.
"You
start calling out my heart? I got hit by a car, lost the title,
had some [expletive] fights, had my back against the wall. Dana
[White] will tell you himself he had a conversation with me,
he said he was going to let me go if I lost to [Antoni] Hardonk.
I beat Hardonk, I beat Lesnar, take on Nog for interim title,
I'm the first to knock him out. You look at my record, in my
last 10 fights, I'm 8-2. And you question my heart?"
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Velasquez
says Bigfoot is better than Mir
Story by Eduardo Ferreira, directly from Las Vegas
Cain
Velasquez would fight Frank Mir at UFC 146, event scheduled for
this Saturday, but after Alistair Overeem got positive drug test
results, Ultimate was obligated to chance practically all fights
of the card and so now the former champion confront Antonio “Bigfoot”
Silva.
After
this Wednesday open training in Las Vegas, Velasquez talked to
the press and said that, in his opinion, Bigfoot is better than
Mir.
“They’re
similar a little bit, but I think Silva is better all around.
He does more kicks than Mir does, he uses his hands on his feet,
food Jiu-Jitsu on the ground. I think Silva is more of a control
guy on the ground, so he’s good all around”, analyzes
the American.
“He
does everything good. He does kicks, punches, knees, on the ground
he’s good… I fought big guys. I fought big guys good
on the stand-up, I fought big guys who are good wrestlers and
on the ground, but a guy who has a combination of all of that,
I never seen before”, says.
Silva
is coming from a loss to Daniel Cormier, Velasquez’s training
partner, but Cain doesn’t see it as an advantage.
“You
know, he was just so dominating in this fight, it was so quick
that there’s something he wanted to tell me, but it was
so quick. I can’t really judge from that. I’m expecting
a different kind of fighter this Saturday”, concludes.
Check
below the complete card of UFC 146 and stay tuned on TATAME to
know more about the fighting show directly from Las Vegas, Nevada.
COMPLETE
CARD (it can be changed):
UFC
146
Las
Vegas, Nevada, United States
Saturday,
May 26th of 2012
Main
card:
-
Junior dos Santos VS. Frank Mir;
-
Cain Velasquez VS. Antonio Silva;
-
Dave Herman VS. Roy Nelson;
-
Shane Del Rosario VS. Stipe Miocic;
-
Lavar Johnson VS. Stefan Struve;
Preliminary
card:
-
Darren Elkins VS. Diego Brandao;
-
Edson Barboza VS. Jamie Varner;
-
Jason Miller VS. C.B. Dollaway;
-
Jacob Volkmann VS. Paul Sass;
-
Dan Hardy VS. Duane Ludwig;
-
Kyle Kingsbury VS. Glover Teixeira;
-
Mike Brown VS. Daniel Pineda.
Source:
Tatame
|
Bellator
70: What to Watch For
By Mike
Whitman
Have
we truly come to the end of Bellator Fighting Championships’
sixth season? Parting is such sweet sorrow.
Through
10 events thus far, the Chicago-based promotion has produced
more than a few memorable moments -- par for the course for Bellator.
After all, who could forget Thiago Santos’ inability to
make weight for his rematch with Eric Prindle in the Season 5
heavyweight tournament final after his toe-punt to the American’s
groin last fall resulted in a no contest?
Actually,
never mind. Forget about that one. However, David Rickels’
22-second knockout of Jordan Smith was pretty sick, as was Eddie
Alvarez’s beatdown of Shinya Aoki.Brian Rogers started his
middleweight tournament run with a highlight-reel knockout but
ended his season flat on his back, courtesy of an Andreas Spang
left hook. Lloyd Woodard shocked everybody by wrecking Patricky
Freire’s elbow with a kimura, and Eduardo Dantas made a
serious statement by choking Zach Makovsky unconscious to capture
the promotion’s bantamweight title.
Indeed,
Bellator’s sixth season has been a fun ride, and Bellator
70 on Friday at the New Orleans Convention Center should provide
a solid bookend to an entertaining string of events. Here is
what to watch for during Bellator’s season finale on MTV2,
best enjoyed while listening to Vitamin C’s “Graduation.”
‘The
Polar Bear’ Awakens from Hibernation
Remember
Cole Konrad?
Bellator’s
best heavyweight has not seen action since August, when he outpointed
former UFC title contender Paul Buentello in a non-title bout
at Bellator 48. Now, he will have to shake off the ring rust
and defend his heavyweight championship against the heavy-handed
Prindle.
While
“The Polar Bear” has worked diligently to improve his
striking, Konrad’s bread-and-butter will always be his wrestling.
A two-time NCAA champion at the University of Minnesota, Konrad
has used his potent takedowns and top control to go undefeated
through 10 professional contests.
As
he has done for the majority of his time in the cage, Konrad
should plant Prindle on his posterior and keep him there to ensure
victory. Will Konrad use his grappling superiority to overwhelm
his hard-hitting foe, or will his strides in the standup game
cause him to play dangerously in Prindle’s punching range?
Prindle’s
Power
No
one needs to tell you Prindle is a sizable underdog in this main
event.
Most
believe his only hope to win is to land one of those sledgehammer
shots on Konrad’s chin -- a daunting prospect considering
the champion’s dedication to improving his standing skills.
Though Prindle has displayed a surprising ability to scramble
when needed during his Bellator career, this will likely not
be the case against a wrestler as decorated as Konrad. The smart
money says that each time Prindle’s back hits the mat, a
little wind will be taken from his sails.
Still,
Prindle should not be counted out. As has been said many times
before, a puncher always has a chance. It also bears mentioning
that this is a five-round title fight, meaning Prindle has 25
minutes, not the usual 15, to land that one solid shot.
Final
Fight
Hawn
has savaged his Season 6 foes.
Too
often in mixed martial arts, dropping a weight class is viewed
as type of “fix all” for a struggling fighter, only
to find that the weight division was not the problem. This is
not the case for lightweight tournament finalists Rick Hawn andBrent
Weedman.
Formerly
competing at welterweight, both men decided to shed an additional
15 pounds and make a run at lightweight in Season 6. The move
paid off, as they have looked razor-sharp on their respective
paths to the tournament final.
A
former Olympic judoka, Hawn has primarily used his fists -- not
his grappling -- to advance in the Season 6 draw, knocking outRicardo
Tirloni and Woodard in impressive fashion. It has become clear
that 155 pounds is the ideal destination for the 35-year-old,
who appears to now be one of Bellator’s stronger competitors
at lightweight. Likewise, Weedman impressed in the quarterfinal
and semifinal rounds, quickly submitting J.J. Ambrosebefore taking
a split decision from skilled striker Thiago Michel Pereira Silva
last month.
Which
former welterweight will stake his claim as No. 1 contender for
Michael Chandler’s 155-pound title?
‘Concrete’
vs. ‘Iron’
‘Betao’
has been rock solid indeed.
Bellator’s
most recent bantamweight tournament may not be decided within
the confines of Season 6, but that does not mean Hiroshi Nakamura
and Luis Nogueira will not put on a show in their semifinal collision.
An
interesting factor in this bout is that neither man really set
the bar high in the quarterfinals. ‘Betao’ edged Alexis
Vilain a ho-hum standup affair, while “Iron” held Rodrigo
Lima on his back for much of their quarterfinal clash.
Odds
are Nakamura will find that “Betao” is not nearly as
easy to hold down as “Ratinho.” In that same vein,
Nogueira cannot simply rely on his standup in this contest, as
Nakamura will almost certainly keep him guessing as to whether
a punch or a takedown will come next.
Will
the Brazilian prove more effective with his strikes or can Nakamura
smother Nogueira and ride out another decision victory to earn
his spot in the final alongside Marcos Galvao?
Source
Sherdog
|
ROGER
HUERTA, GREGOR GRACIE SIGNED FOR UPCOMING ONE FC EVENT
By Mike
Chiappetta - Senior Writer
Fast-growing
Asian promotion One FC has added veterans Roger Huerta and Gregor
Gracie to their upcoming event on June 23, MMA Fighting has learned.
Their manager Ali Abdel Aziz of Dominance MMA confirmed the bookings.
Neither
fighter has yet to receive an opponent, he said.
Huerta
(21-6-1, 1 no contest) will be hoping to snap a three-fight losing
streak dating back to May 2010. Since then, the former UFC and
Bellator fighter has dropped fights to Pat Curran, Eddie Alvarez
and Jon "War Machine" Koppenhaver.
The match will mark his One FC debut.
Gracie,
meanwhile, will be competing in the organization for the second
time, having defeated Seok Mo Kim by unanimous decision last
September. That victory was his fourth straight overall, moving
him to 6-1 in his pro career.
One
FC's June 23 event will take place from Stadium Negara in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. Their last event drew 7,714 to a show in Kailing,
Singapore.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
With
a Win at UFC 146, Roy Nelson Might Have to Call Out Brock Lesnar
by Damon
Martin
The
recent announcement about Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal‘s
signing to both Bellator Fighting Championships and TNA Wrestling
was a landmark deal for a number of reasons.
Sure,
mixed martial arts and professional wrestling have brushed up
against each other from time to time. Current WWE superstar Brock
Lesnar left the organization and eventually rose to the heights
of MMA by becoming UFC heavyweight champion before eventually
making his way back to pro wrestling earlier this year.
Former
Strikeforce fighter Bobby Lashley had a successful career as
well in the WWE before moving over to MMA, as well.
But
never before in the United States has a fighter been signed simultaneously
to both a multi-fight contract in mixed martial arts, while also
actively pursuing a career in professional wrestling, and that’s
exactly what Lawal is doing.
Roy
Nelson, who is fighting this weekend at UFC 146, is a close friend
of Lawal’s and also a huge pro wrestling fan himself. He
believes this is a huge deal for fighters because it shows that
you can compete in MMA and still keep your interests alive in
other areas as well.
“I’m
actually ecstatic. It couldn’t have happened to a better
man,” Nelson told MMAWeekly Radio. “I think it opens
a lot of doors for a lot of different fighters, and it actually
opens up a lot of fighter’s eyes that there’s other
ways to make a living, that you can actually do both sports.
“It’s
like it’s okay to be a Deion Sanders playing football and
baseball, or like a Bo Jackson playing football and baseball.
It’s good that athletes can do that.”
There
has always been a fair amount of resistance, however, from a
great many MMA fans who don’t want pro wrestling to even
touch the sport of mixed martial arts. Because of pro wrestling’s
pre-determined outcomes, some MMA fans don’t ever want the
lines to be blurred between real fighters and workers in “sports
entertainment.”
Nelson
argues that there is no line to blur and if you can’t tell
the difference between MMA and pro wrestling, then there’s
something seriously wrong with you.
“Does
it blur the line? If you’re a (expletive). Have you seen
baseball? Have you seen softball? That’s a lot closer than
MMA and wrestling. If you’re confused about baseball and
softball then you might want to go to one of those special teachers
and go yeah I’m diagnosed as a (expletive),” Nelson
stated.
Throughout
his own fighting career, Nelson has always dabbled with the idea
of doing professional wrestling at some point. A huge fan of
the old days of the WWE and other promotions, Nelson’s colorful
personality and no holds barred attitude would seem like a natural
fit in the world of pro wrestling.
This
Saturday he faces Dave “Pee Wee” Herman at UFC 146,
but with a win he might just try to follow his good friend King
Mo into the wrestling world, you never know.
“After
I beat Pee Wee, I might just have to call out Brock Lesnar,”
said Nelson. “I might just have to go to WWE because I might
just have to call him out, go to WWE, and whoop his ass.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Toughman
Hawaii Presents; King Of The Ring
Tomorrow
Edith Kanakaole
Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
May 26, 2012
|
UFC
146 PREDICTIONS
By Luke Thomas - Senior Editor
Whether
it's an homage to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix or not,
the all-heavyweight main card for UFC 146 is upon us. The card
has been rearranged due to injuries. Literally every single fight
on the main card has been changed, but the end result is still
a quite enjoyable card with some decent star power and high stakes.
Not to mention - and this isn't getting much press - the FX and
Facebook preliminary portions of the card are rather excellent.
Can Frank Mir win another heavyweight title? Will Velasquez get
back to his winning ways after his last setback? What's really
left for Roy Nelson at age 35?
I'll attempt to answer these questions with these predictions
about UFC 146.
What:
UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir
Where:
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
When:
Saturday, the Facebook preliminary starts at 6:45 p.m. Eastern,
the four-fight FX card starts at 8 and the five fight pay-per-view
card starts at 10.
Predictions
on the five pay-per-view heavyweight fights below.
Junior
dos Santos vs. Frank Mir
Of
all the fights on the card, this might be the most difficult
to call for an upset. Dos Santos is the favorite here for a very
clear reason and as much as I respect Mir's career, I don't see
how he gets out of this one smashed to pieces. The champion's
striking is just as crisp as Mir's, but the differential in hand
speed could not be greater. I suspect Mir's going to get tagged
and have difficulty rebounding. Yes, he did so against Nogueira,
but only because the Brazilian tried to sit in to a guillotine.
Dos Santos will do no such thing. And while I don't buy JDS'
contention Mir lacks 'courage' when he gets hit, it is true Mir
has shown some issues collecting himself.
Pick:
Junior dos Santos
Cain
Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva
Everything Silva is good at, Velasquez is better. Silva has underrated
wrestling (especially as a level-changer), but it doesn't stack
up to Velasquez's. Silva has polished combinations, but so does
Velasquez and the AKA-product is both a better endurance and
explosive athlete than Silva. Silva might have better technical
jiu-jitsu, but does anyone really believe he's going to be able
to hold Velasquez down? Listen, at heavyweight, anything can
happen. Silva could land one shot that puts Velasquez down and
can do so early. Nothing should ever truly surprise anyone in
this weight class. But skills win fights and that means Silva
is going to have a hard time plying his trade.
Pick:
Cain Velasquez
Shane del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic
A very close fight and a pick for either is absolutely justified.
I'm going to lean a little more towards Miocic, though. They're
both possessive of commensurate skill sets, although del Rosario
is a little more well-rounded. The problem, however, is his layoff.
That includes not just getting back on the horse for a fight
camp, but regaining quality of life basics after being hit by
a drunk driver. The length of time off is one thing, but the
time off spent simply bringing his body back to par is worrisome
for me.
Pick:
Stipe Miocic
Dave
Herman vs. Roy Nelson
If Junior dos Santos can't knock Roy Nelson out, I have a hard
time seeing how Herman will fare any better. Nelson's also never
been submitted in his fairly extensive MMA career. That leaves
Herman the duty to win by decision, something I also take issue
with given his gas tank and focus issues. It's not as if Nelson
has the most ironed-out game plans heading into bouts and rigidly
sticks to them, but he has a general sense of what works for
him and doesn't. Herman seems all too willing to play by his
opponent's rules and while he's gotten away with it at lower
levels of the professional game, that's going to be a much more
difficult way to win in the UFC.
Pick:
Roy Nelson
Lavar
Johnson vs. Stefan Struve
I'm going with the upset here. Now, before I explain why, let's
be serious. Struve is perfectly capable of submitting Johnson,
who despite having two exciting performances in the Octagon has
glaring weaknesses on the ground. Struve is more than capable
of taking advantage of that. Yet, despite his declarations he's
changed for the better, Struve still doesn't use his length well.
He's got no real jab to speak of and is too willing to brawl.
Johnson's going to march directly into his face and exchange
with him. That's a recipe for an upset.
Pick:
Lavar Johnson
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Bellator
70 Weigh-In Results: Heavyweight Title, Lightweight Tourney Finals
Set
The
Bellator 70 weigh-ins have been completed from New Orleans, Louisiana
in preparation for Bellator’s Friday night event at Harrah’s
New Orleans, which features the Bellator Heavyweight Title Fight
between Champion Cole Konrad and Eric Prindle.
Also,
a highly-anticipated Bellator Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament
Semifinal fight will take place as Luis Nogueira will square
off against Hiroshi Nakamura while Rich Clementi will meet Derek
Campos in a lightweight contest. Additionally, the Bellator Season
6 Lightweight Tournament will be decided as Rick Hawn takes on
Brent Weedman. Both men showed the other vast amounts of respect
ahead of their fight on Friday night.
“I’m
looking forward to fireworks,” said Weedman. “This
is the toughest opponent I’ve had in my career. We’re
going to put on a show for the fans in New Orleans.”
The
usually quiet Hawn echoed his opponent and responded: “It’s
going to be a great fight. He’s an extremely tough opponent
and I’m looking forward to putting on a show tomorrow night.”
Bellator
70 will be broadcast LIVE on Friday, May 25 at 8:00 pm ET/7:00
pm CT on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. The undercard
will begin at 7:00 pm ET/ 6:00 pm CT and will be streamed live
on MMAWeekly.com.
The
full results for Bellator 70 are below:
MAIN
CARD:
Heavyweight
World Title Fight: Cole Konrad (265.2lbs) vs. Eric Prindle (265lbs)
Lightweight
Tournament Final Fight: Rick Hawn (156lbs) vs. Brent Weedman
(156lbs)
Bantamweight
Tournament Semifinal Fight: Luis Nogueira (135.8lbs) vs. Hiroshi
Nakamura (135.8lbs)
Catchweight
Feature Fight (157 lbs): Rich Clementi (157.2lbs) vs. Derek Campos
(154.8lbs)*
PRELIMINARY
CARD:
Catchweight
Feature Fight (173 lbs): Josh Shockley (170.8lbs) vs. Keith Schneider
(173.6lbs)*
Welterweight
Feature Fight: Charlie Rader (171lbs) vs. A.J. Matthews (170.8lbs)
Catchweight
Feature Fight (156 lbs): Kyle Bradley (156.8lbs) vs. John Harris
(155.8lbs)*
Bantamweight
Feature Fight: Blake Dufour (136lbs) vs. Derek Arcement (136lbs)
Catchweight
Feature Fight (189 lbs): Jeremiah Riggs (185.2lbs) vs. Kelvin
Tiller (190.8lbs)*
*Each
fighter that missed weight will forfeit a portion of his purse.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
146 Prelims: 5 Reasons to Watch
By Mike
Whitman
The
heavyweights may have secured the spotlight on Saturday, but
the UFC 146 undercard should provide a hearty appetizer to a
pay-per-view made up exclusively of big men. Taking place at
the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the prelims air live
on FX and Facebook.
Here
are five reasons to care about the preliminary proceedings:
Miller’s
Crossing
Jason
Miller’s UFC career has not been the most successful of
ventures thus far.
“Mayhem”
debuted with the promotion as a welterweight back in 2005, falling
to future divisional kingpin Georges St. Pierre before embarking
on a successful career as a middleweight. After stints in Icon
Sport, Strikeforceand Dream, Miller returned to the UFC as a
coach on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14.
Opposed
by Michael Bisping during his time on the long-running reality
series, Miller was dominated by the Brit at the season finale,
succumbing to third-round strikes in December.
Miller
must now contend with C.B. Dollaway, a former Arizona State University
wrestling standout looking to avoid his third consecutive loss.
Odds are good that one of these two men will receive his walking
papers after this bout. Can the Californian channel his inner
“Mayhem” and snatch his first Octagon victory, or will
“The Doberman” right his ship and get back in the win
column?
Barboza’s
Bombs
I’ve
got two words for you. No, not those words, nerds. The words
to which I was referring are “wheel kick.” If you missed
Edson Barboza’s jaw-dropping knockout of Terry Etim at UFC
142, then you need to make a quick trip to the land of YouTube.
Now
that we are all on the same page, it goes without saying that
Barboza is one of the UFC’s hottest prospects in a division
already stacked with talent. Undefeated through 10 professional
bouts and just 26 years old, Barboza has racked up four consecutive
Octagon wins since debuting with the Las Vegas-based promotion
in November 2010.
Originally
expected to face well-rounded southpaw Evan Dunham, Barboza,
as the result of an injury to the Oregonian, will instead lock
horns with former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Jamie Varner.
Competing on the local scene, Varner has racked up a 3-1 record
since exiting the WEC in late 2010.
Will
Barboza take care of business and unleash the hailstorm of violence
many expect, or will Varner show that his best days are not behind
him by closing the distance and roughing up Barboza on the floor?
Bang,
Bang
One
would be hard-pressed to find a pair of welterweights more willing
to throw down than Duane Ludwigand Dan Hardy.
Both
guys hit hard, and both guys know it. While Ludwig has gone 2-1
since returning to 170 pounds after a ghastly ankle injury ended
his lightweight stint, Hardy has fared far worse in the record
book of late. “The Outlaw” has gone winless in each
of his last four outings, falling to St. Pierre, Carlos Condit,
Anthony Johnson and Chris Lytle.
Holding
a combined 21 knockouts between them, the men seem tailor-made
to stand in front of each other and chop away until someone falls.
Now, does that not sound like fun?
Changing
of the Guard
Remember
Mike Thomas Brown, the monster?
Brown
does, and the former WEC champion is looking to return to the
form that guided him to two well-deserved victories over Urijah
Faber. The American Top Team representative has performed inconsistently
since making his UFC debut last year, dropping decisions toDiego
Nunes and Rani Yahya to kick off his Octagon career.
Brown
told me after those bouts that he had experienced fatigue must
faster than normal -- a perplexing and somewhat unsettling development
for the man who went five hard rounds with Faber in 2009. After
seeing a physician, Brown apparently discovered the source of
the mystery fatigue, and it showed in his unanimous decision
victory over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 semifinalistNam
Phanat UFC 133 in August.
Standing
across from the 36-year-old next will be Daniel Pineda, a former
Legacy Fighting Championship titlist riding a seven-fight winning
streak. Pineda has been a wrecking ball through two Octagon appearances,
finishing Pat Schilling with a rear-naked choke in January before
doing the same to Mackens Semerzier with a triangle-armbar on
March 3.
This
bout could represent a changing of the guard, or it could demonstrate
that Brown still has plenty of gas left in his tank. Regardless
of the outcome, I expect this battle of hard-nosed featherweights
to be worth your time.
Coming to America
Glover
Teixeira is finally here.
Widely
regarded as one of the top 205-pound talents outside of the Zuffa
LLC umbrella, Teixeira has made his return to the United States
after battling visa issues for what seems like an eternity. The
32-year-old Brazilian has not lost in more than seven years and
enters his inaugural UFC appearance with a reputation for producing
violence in the cage. In nearly 10 years as a professional, Teixeira
has gone the distance just three times, knocking out 11 of his
17 career victims along the way.
Welcoming
Teixeira to the Octagon will be Kyle Kingsbury, a resilient and
athletic light heavyweight looking to rebound from his November
defeat to Stephan Bonnar at UFC 139. Can Kingsbury find a way
to triumph over Teixeira’s power punching attack, as he
did against another hard-hitting Brazilian in Fabio Maldonado
last spring? Or will Teixeira impress in his long-awaiting UFC
debut and find himself a winner by knockout?
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
champion Jon Jones arrested
By Josh
Gross | ESPN.com
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested early Saturday
morning in Binghamton, N.Y., on suspicion of drunken driving.
"I
can confirm that Jon Jones was arrested early this morning on
suspicion of DUI," Jones' manager, Malki Kawa, said in a
statement.
"While
the facts of this situation are still being gathered and situated,
First Round Management fully supports Jon and we are asking for
fans and media to respect the privacy of Jon and his family during
this time."
According
to a representative for the Binghamton Police Department, Jones,
24, was arrested at 5:02 a.m. ET after crashing his Bentley.
Jones'
blood-alcohol level won't be known until Monday, according to
the BPD representative.
Jones,
who hit a utility pole, was released to family members and will
need to appear in city court at a future date, which hasn't been
determined.
Jones
and his passengers were uninjured.
TMZ
first reported the arrest.
After
making his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2008, Jones
(16-1) skyrocketed to the highest level of the sport, winning
the UFC title at 205 pounds last year by stopping Mauricio Rua.
The
native of upstate New York has defended the title three times
since, most recently a five-round unanimous decision on pay-per-view
against Rashad Evans.
Jones'
next defense is scheduled for Sept. 1 against Dan Henderson.
Source: ESPN
|
Alex
Caceres vs. Damacio Page, Njokuani vs. Dos Anjos Confirmed for
UFC on Fuel 4
Former
Ultimate Fighter competitor Alex Caceres will look to bounce
back from a loss as he faces WEC veteran Damacio Page at UFC
on Fuel 4 in July.
UFC
officials confirmed the fight on Thursday.
Since
exiting TUF 12, Caceres has yet to find his true footing in the
UFC going 1-3 through his first four fights so a win in July
might be crucial to his long term future in the Octagon.
Caceres
has looked stronger since dropping down to 135lbs, but when he
returns at UFC on Fuel 4 it might be win or go home.
The
same could be said for his opponent Damacio Page as he looks
to rebound from three losses in a row between the WEC and UFC.
Page
has dealt with a series of injuries over the last couple of years
that have kept him out of consistent fights, but now that he’s
healthy he’s looking to get back into the deep end of the
UFC’s bantamweight division.
Caceres
vs. Page will be on the undercard of the UFC on Fuel 4 show taking
place on July 11 in San Jose.
Also
confirmed for the July 11 card is a previously reported bout
between Anthony Njokuani and Rafael Dos Anjos, who steps in after
Paul Taylor dropped out due to injury.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Dos
Santos: ‘He doesn’t have the heart to escape and recover
from that’
Story by
Eduard Ferreira
Junior “Cigano” dos Santos tries to defend his title
for this first time this Saturday, in Las Vegas, Nevada, against
Frank Mir. Showing a lot of confidence, the heavyweight talked
to the press and, among other subjects, explained why he doesn’t
consider Frank Mir to be a real man. Check it below:
How does it feel having this title defense?
It’s a big thing for me. Actually I’m working hard
every day to live those things and I think when you’re recognized
is because of what you’re working for.
You said some things to Frank Mir, questioning his manhood. We’ve
never seen you talk bad about somebody before. Is that something
new for you?
No, I wasn’t saying bad things about him, I was just saying
what my opinion was. In Brazil, we say ‘he’s not a
man’. I have nothing personal against him, I don’t
even know him, but I was saying when he was living a bad situation
on the fight he doesn’t have the heart to escape and recover
from that situation. That’s why I said that. Otherwise,
he’s good when he’s living a good moment in the fight.
What about this Breno kid? Are you his sponsor?
No. I’m close to all kids in our gym in Brazil. We’re
a family there. When I watch him training, I think he wants to
be a fighter one day too. So, when I was a kid, I used to watch
Judo classes and I was wondering I could be one of them someday.
I think it’s the same for him. He’s just a very funny
kid, very nice and lives close to the gym. This opportunity is
going to be unforgettable for him.
This explains why a kid in that kind of poverty wants to do it.
I think he really likes it. I was talking to him about the trip,
how was it on the flight and things like that. Everything is
new to him and his mom and his brother. It’s good for them.
Not just for him, but for them too. He’s really enjoying
it. He likes to play all the time and you can see it on the training.
He plays with all the fighters. He’s a good kid.
As you can see here, the crowd is very excited about you.
I’m happy because people like me. It’s good for me.
That’s what I want: I want to be recognized because I work
hard every day for that. In Brazil the sport is living a very
good moment, but here, especially in Vegas, people come to watch
the fight and I hope people root for me. I know Las Vegas is
Frank Mir’s hometown, but for sure there’s going to
be a lot of people rooting for me too.
It seems that it’s hard to keep the heavyweight title. Many
people earn it but then lose.
Our division is the most dangerous division in the sport because
when the punch lands on your face or your body, you go down.
It’s too much power involved and I think it’s very
hard. Sometimes you got favorites for the fight, but it doesn’t
matter on the heavyweight because we’re very powerful fighters
(laughs).
You said you wanted this fight for a long time. When did you
start thinking like that?
I always think the best for me. My dream was to become the champion
and now I’m the champion, thank God for that. When you achieve
your dream, they usually get bigger. Now I got bigger dreams
and I want to hold this belt for a long time and be the heavyweight
champion, be part of the history of the heavyweight division.
Frank Mir is a big name, a former UFC champion. Are you happy
to fight a big guy like him?
Yeah. I don’t care about who’s going to be my opponent.
I just wanna fight and defend my belt. Frank Mir is a really
dangerous opponent because he’s really good on the ground
and he got pretty good striking skills. It’s going to be
a good challenge for me. I don’t care who’s gonna be
my opponent, but I hope they are fighting like me: clean. I’m
clean and I hope my opponents are clean too.
Do you believe you’ll get more recognized in case if you
defeat him, since he’s got an entire legacy?
I don’t think about those things. I just wanna win. I don’t
care about my opponent, like I said. He’s a huge fighter,
he has a really good career. Alistair Overeem had a really good
career too, so if I fought Alistair Overeem it would be really
good for me too, a good test for my stand-up skills. Now the
challenge is Frank Mir and I’m ready to beat him.
Do you think there’s a lot of demand on champions? Velasquez
seemed to be happy not having to deal with all that. How is it
going for you?
It’s the hard part.
Source:
Tatame
|
Strikeforce:
Barnett vs. Cormier Sells 2,804 Tickets, Just Over $225K Live
Gate
The
numbers are back for the last Strikeforce show in San Jose and
the overall attendance and gate figures don’t seem encouraging
for the once thriving promotion.
According
to the California State Athletic Commission, Strikeforce: Barnett
vs. Cormier drew in a crowd of 5,413 with 2,804 tickets being
sold.
The
final gate pulled in $226,005 for the Saturday night event held
at the HP Pavilion in San Jose headlined by the finals of the
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix between Josh Barnett and eventual
winner Daniel Cormier.
With
the numbers released of 2,804 tickets being sold, and that means
the other 2,609 tickets were comped tickets.
The
reason why these numbers might seem so startling is because of
Strikeforce’s past history at the HP Pavilion in San Jose,
which essentially served as their home for many years prior to
being bought out by Zuffa.
In
June 2010 for the event featuring former heavyweight king Fedor
Emelianenko against Fabricio Werdum, the attendance was 11,757
with a reported gate of $1,066,739.
Later
that year in Oct 2010 for the event headlined by Nick Diaz vs.
K.J. Noons 2 drew in a crowd of 7,559 and a gate of $528,446.50.
In
early 2011, when Nick Diaz returned to San Jose to face Evangelista
‘Cyborg’ Santos the attendance came in at 8,817 with
a gate of $533,214.50.
Obviously
the latest numbers returned for the Strikeforce in San Jose are
much lower than past efforts for the promotion at the HP Pavilion.
When
the UFC held their first event at the HP Pavilion for UFC 139
in Nov. 2011, the card pulled in an attendance of 13,832 with
a live gate of $1,268,600.
The
UFC will actually land in San Jose in July for the UFC on Fuel
4 card, so it will be interesting to see if the numbers rebound
when they return to the city for the first time since their initial
show their last November.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
|
Quest
for Champions 2012 Tournament Results
SPORT PANKRATION DIVISION
(Boys/Girls 4-5yrs)
1. Connor Furuta(Gracie Uptown/Kempo Unlimited)
2. Kameron Arizumi(Kempo Unlimited)
3. Dariyn Kuwana(Gracie Uptown)
(Boys/Girls 6-7yrs) - Bracket A
1. Blayne Shiraki(Kempo Unlimited)
2. Adrian Lee(United MMA)
3. Deulan McMillan(Ordonez Kajukenbo)
(Boys/Girls 6-7yrs) - Bracket B
1. Willan McMillan(Ordonez Kajukenbo)
2. Kalei Kekumano(United MMA)
3. Jameson Shiraki(Kempo Unlimited)
(Boys/Girls 8-9yrs)
1. Brooklyn Yano(Kempo Unlimited)
2. Kaylie Vicens(Kempo Unlimited)
3. Victoria Lee(United MMA)
(Boys/Girls 10-11yrs) - Bracket A
1. Trent Shiraki(Kempo Unlimited)
2. Luciano Vinci(Gracie Waikiki)
3. Chance Umi(Kempo Unlimted)
(Boys/Girls 10-11yrs) - Bracket B
1. Jonah Yano(Kempo Unlimited)
2. Kaeo Kekumano(United MMA)
3. Logan Tactacan(Kempo Unlimited)
(Boys/Girls 12-13yrs) - Bracket A
1. Christian Lee(United MMA)
2. Angus Mersberg(Kempo Unlimited)
(Boys/Girls 12-13yrs) - Bracket B
1. Nainoa Dung(Da Hui)
2. Brad Johnson(Currachao)
(Girls 12-13yrs)
1. Kacie Sakamaki(Kempo Unlimited)
2. Bailey Lum(Longman Jiujitsu)
3. Kiara Vicens(Kempo Unlimited)
(Boys/Girls 14-15yrs)
1. Angela Lee(United MMA)
2. Pomaikai Yamaguchi(Kempo Unlimited)
(Boys/girls 16-17yrs)
1. Colby Schoniwitz(United MMA)
2. Ryan Galon(36 Chambers)
3. John Groff(Ordonez Kajukenbo)
(Adult Novice 18yrs -162lbs)
1. Thomas Perez(SOMMA)
2. Larson Abilla(Kempo Unlimited)
3. Chase Sakai(Fitness Unlimited)
(Adult Intermediate -142lbs)
1. Cody Lasconia(Backyard)
2. Rodney Kahao(SOMMA)
(Adult Intermediate -182lbs)
1. Jeremy Nitta(Mad Tiger)
2. Allan Fang(Kempo Unlimited)
(Adult Intermediate -202lbs)
1. Stuart Kamimoto(Kempo Unlimited)
2. Danny Mabalot(HMC Wahiawa)
3. Shaun Henderson(Mad Tiger)
(Adult Advanced -162lbs)
1. Jahrin Lino(Kempo Unlimited)
2. Shavaire Griggs(SOMMA)
SUBMISSION GRAPPLING DIVISION
(Boys/Girls 6-7yrs)
1. Dustin Watanabe(Gracie Uptown)
2. Treson Israel(Gracie Waikiki)
3. Ty Clark(Gracie Waikiki)
(Boys/Girls 8-9yrs)
1. Kacey Yamane(Gracie Uptown)
2. Sofia Mishima(Kempo Unlimited)
3. Isis Kelly(Gracie Waikiki)
(Boys/Girls 10-11yrs)
1. Makana Tapia(Gracie Kteam)
2. Blake Furuta(Gracie Uptown)
3. Pontus Thiravong(Gracie Uptown)
(Boys/Girls 10-11yrs)
1. Kason Nitahara(Gracie Waikiki)
2. Zachary Kaina(Gracie Waikiki)
3. Hunter Jardin(Gracie Waikiki)
(Boys/Girls 12-13yrs) - Bracket A
1. Christian Lee(United MMA)
2. Kekoa Kekumano(United MMA)
3. Brad Johnston(Gracie Waikiki)
(Boys/Girls 12-13yrs) - Bracket B
1. Pomai Yamaguchi(kempo Unlimited)
2. Bailey Lum(Longman Jiujitsu)
3. Kyla Nitahara(Gracie Waikiki)
(Boys/Girls 13-14yrs)
1. Angela Lee(United MMA)
2. Pomaikai Yamaguchi(Kempo Unlimited)
(Boys/Girls) 14-15yrs)
1. Christian Natividad(86 BJJ)
2. Panfi Talamantes(United MMA)
3. Alber Enos(Gracie Waikiki)
(Adult Novice -142lbs)
1. Kanoa Ano(86 BJJ/Nova Uniao)
2. Blaise Atabay(Mad Tiger)
3. Mark Hayashi(Gracie Uptown)
(Adult Novice -145lbs)
1. Travis Ano(86 BJJ)
2. Ross Miyasato(Gracie Uptown)
3. Bryson Higa(Freelance)
(Adult Novice -190lbs)
1. Joey Shimabuku(Freelance)
2. John Flores(Ordonez kajukenbo)
(Adult Intermediate -190lbs)
1. Jeremy Nitta(Mad Tiger)
2. Makana Toledo(St. Louis Wrestling)
3. Paul Wright(Freelance)
(Adult Intermediate -190lbs)
1. KJ kama(Trilogy)
2. Eddy Hume(SOMMA)
(Adult Intermediate - 220lbs)
1. Bill Callen(The Mace/Quantico)
2. Stuart Kamimoto(Kempo Unlimited)
3. Wailele McMillan(Ordonez kajukenbo)
(Adult Advanced -160lbs)
1. Alika Dayton(Gracie RSA)
2. Jay Oliveira(Gracie RSA
3. KJ Kama(Trilogy)
CONTINUOUS SPARRING DIVISION
(Boys/Girls 6-7yrs) - Bracket A
1. Tanohu Naputi(Advanced Kempo)
2. Davis Mendonsa(Advanced Kempo)
3. Jameson Shiraki(Kempo Unlimited)
(Boys/Girls 6-7yrs) - Bracket B
1. Blayne Shiraki(kempo Unlimited)
2. Kameron Arizumi(Kempo Unlimited)
3. Noah Kanahele(Advanced Kempo)
(Boys/Girls 8-9yrs)
1. Masen Cook(Oahu Taekwondo)
2. James Parel(Advanced Kempo)
3. Brookly Yano(Kempo Unlimited)
(Boys/Girls 10-11yrs) - Bracket A
1. Zachary Raquedan(Advanced kempo)
2. Chance Umi(Kempo Unlimited)
3. Trent Shiraki(Kempo Unlimited)
(Boys/Girls 10-11yrs) - Bracket B
1. Logan Tactacan(Kempo Unlimited)
2. Pontus Thiravong(Gracie Uptown)
(Boys/Girls 12-13yrs) - Bracket A
1. Jonah yano(Kempo Unlimited)
2. Xavier Pelgado(Mad Tiger)
(Boys/Girls 12-13yrs) - Bracket B
1. Bailey Lum(Longman Jiujitsu)
2. Shelzey Watanabe(Takeuchi self-defense)
3. Kevin Williams(Mad Tiger)
(Adult Intermediate -162lbs)
1. Jr. Espiritu(Kempo Unlimited)
2. Cody Lasconia(Backyard)
3. Lixing Ye(Kempo Unlimited)
(Adult Open Division)
1. Wailele McMillan(Ordonez Kajukenbo)
2. Anthony Marker(SOMMA)
Source: Tommy Lam
|
Junior
dos Santos fulfills the dream of a poor 9-year-old Brazilian
boy by taking him to UFC 146
LAS
VEGAS – Opulence surrounds Junior dos Santos in his suite
on a top floor of the largest casino in the gambling capital
of the world. His luxurious digs at the MGM Grand are symbolic
of the startling transformation he's made in his life.
The
UFC heavyweight champion grew up in humble circumstances in Cacador,
a small town in southern Brazil, unaware of the riches that lay
beyond the city's limits.
Now,
more than a decade later, another poor Brazilian child has left
his destitute surroundings for the bright lights of Las Vegas.
Nine-year-old Breno Luis Ferreira de Carvalho arrived at McCarran
International Airport on Wednesday with his mother, Simone, and
his older brother, Pedro Gabriel, and checked into his own room
at the MGM.
They
are guests of dos Santos, the star of the show Saturday who will
defend his title against Frank Mir at UFC 146 at the MGM Grand
Garden.
Dos
Santos befriended Ferreira at his gym in Salvador, Brazil, and
granted his wish to watch the fight with Mir at cageside. The
experience has been overwhelming for Ferreira.
"It's
just so exciting being here," Ferreira said Wednesday upon
his arrival. "Even to get to sit on an airplane was like
a dream. I could see all things out of the window, big buildings
and we were really high above them, flying like a dream. But
I'm here to help Cigano [dos Santos' nickname] defend his title."
Dos
Santos sees a lot of himself in Ferreira. As a boy, dos Santos
was not particularly athletic and never gave a hint of what he'd
become. When kids in the neighborhood would choose sides for
a game of soccer or basketball, they'd pick dos Santos first
because he was bigger than most.
"After
they saw me play once, though," he said, chuckling at the
memory," that changed. Then I was always [picked] last.
… I was never any good at games, at [sports]."
Though
he wasn't athletic, he was inquisitive. Dos Santos would wander
into a dojo and pepper the judokas with questions about their
sport. His mind was on overdrive, and he was filled with a curiosity
that could not be sated.
His
childhood memories were fresh this week as he prepared in the
northeastern Brazilian city of Salvador to face Mir, a two-time
former champion. Dos Santos, 27, trained with several other professionals
at coach Luiz Carlos Dorea's Champions Gym in Salvador, and a
ragtag group of local children hung out with them.
That
in and of itself isn't unusual, because for more than two decades
Dorea has kept the doors of his gym open free of charge. Dorea
is a noted boxing and MMA trainer in Brazil, but his full-time
job is as a crime investigator for the civil police.
He's
worked on cases ranging from petty theft to rape and murder.
The
one common denominator among the crimes, Dorea said, is drug
usage. Salvador is Brazil's third-largest city, behind Sao Paulo
and Rio de Janeiro. And though there is great wealth in Salvador,
so, too, is there extreme poverty.
The
gym is near one of the favelas, or shantytowns, a crime-ridden
area in which few residents have a realistic hope of escaping.
Dorea allows free access to his gym as a way to give kids an
alternative to using and selling drugs.
One
child in particular caught dos Santos' attention. Breno Ferreira
has been as regular as the sunrise at the gym for a year. When
school ends, Ferreira appears.
Unlike
most of those who wander in to watch, Ferreira is not intimidated
by the adults. He asks questions, plenty of them, and always
wants to be involved in what they are doing.
"When
I thought of it, I said to myself, 'He reminds me of myself when
I was his age,' " dos Santos said. "I was quieter,
and he's definitely not quiet. He likes to talk a lot, but he
has the same curiosity I had. 'Why do you do this? Why do you
do that?' He loves to watch us spar and he wants to try it, too.
Every day, though, he is there and talking and asking questions."
Unlike
a young dos Santos, Ferreira is getting the chance to live out
his dream.
Ferreira
blurted out toward the end of a training session that he'd like
to travel with dos Santos to Las Vegas for the fight.
Cameras
for "UFC Primetime," the preview show for the dos Santos-Mir
fight, were rolling as Ferreira begged dos Santos to take him.
When the affable champion didn't object, plans were made to bring
Ferreira, along with his brother and mother.
The
family is so poor they not only didn't have the required travel
documents, they didn't own luggage. They live in a tiny apartment
that measures about 16 feet by 23 feet, covered by a thin corrugated
metal roof.
When
the decision was made to bring them along, someone had to find
them. No one knew for sure where they lived.
Sophia
Ribeiro, a producer for the TV show, went into the favela with
a bodyguard, carrying a photo of Breno Ferreira.
"It
is an extremely dangerous area," she said. "There is
so much crime there, and you could never go there without a bodyguard."
It's
not unusual to see children, some not much older than Breno,
carrying weapons. It is, Dorea said, all part of the drug trade.
Dorea
hopes that the success of local fighters such as dos Santos and
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will motivate neighborhood children
to avoid drugs.
Ferreira,
though, doesn't have a concept of the world outside the favela.
He didn't grasp the concept of a television camera. When he spoke
in Portuguese to Ezra Edelman, the American producer for the
TV show, he was puzzled when Edelman didn't answer.
Edelman
doesn't speak Portuguese and didn't understand him, but Ferreira
wasn't aware languages other than Portuguese existed.
"[Ferreira]
asked me, 'Hey, why won't this guy talk to me?' " dos Santos
said. "I explained about the language and he was very confused.
He said, 'Why? What are they doing here?' "
As
usual, dos Santos was unfailingly polite and explained to Ferreira
the preview show and his circumstances and why he would be leaving
town for a while.
Edelman,
who hadn't met dos Santos prior to working on the Primetime show,
said he was amazed not only by the champion's popularity in Brazil
and in the U.S., but by his humanity.
"People
gravitate toward him," Edelman said. "You can't imagine
his celebrity. It takes him way longer to get where he's going
than it should, but the thing that impressed me was how easygoing
and patient he was.
"He
talked with everyone. He signed autographs. He treated all of
them like it was a thrill for him to be meeting them."
Dos
Santos is still adjusting to his own celebrity. In Los Angeles,
he met actor Wes Bentley, the star of the movie "The Hunger
Games" and was shocked when Bentley wanted his autograph
and asked dos Santos to pose for a picture.
It's
that easygoing nature that led dos Santos to agree to have Ferreira
and his family travel to Las Vegas. The bout is important for
dos Santos. Mir is a two-time champion who in December broke
the arm of Nogueira, dos Santos' mentor, with a Kimura shoulder
lock.
The
bout is the first defense of his heavyweight title and is expected
to be a big seller on pay-per-view. The UFC has given dos Santos
a heavy workload to handle pitching the fight.
He
knew what he was up against before he left Brazil, and the easy
answer, maybe the smart answer, would have been to leave Ferreira
at home.
That's
not how dos Santos operates.
"This
is a good kid who needs a break," he said. "He had
a dream. Why not do it if we can?"
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Four
New UFC on Fox 4 Bouts; Mike Swick Returns
Mike Swick at UFC Fight Night 12The UFC on Fox 4 fight card got
a big boost on Tuesday with UFC officials confirming verbal agreements
are in place for four new bouts for the Aug. 4 event in Los Angeles.
Inaugural
Ultimate Fighter alum Mike Swick (14-4) will be seeing his first
action in the Octagon in more than two-and-a-half years, having
sat on the sideline with injuries and a serious health condition.
He’ll square off with fellow TUF alum in Season 9’s
DaMarques Johnson (15-10).
Josh
Grispi (14-3) will also be making his return after more than
a year out of action. He’ll be looking to bounce back from
back-to-back losses when he steps in the Octagon with Pablo Garza.
Garza (13-3) is also coming off of two consecutive defeats after
winning his first two UFC bouts.
In
the featherweight division, Nam Phan (17-10) takes on Cole Miller
(18-6), while Manny Gamburyan (11-7) faces Michihiro Omigawa
(13-11-1).
UFC
middleweight contender Brian Stann welcomes former Bellator champion
Hector Lombard to the Octagon in the UFC on Fox 4 main event
at the Staples Center.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Cristiano
Marcello Meets Sam Sicilia at Ultimate Fighter Live Finale
While
the Ultimate Fighter Live finale is still over a week away, some
of the other competitors on the show are starting to find out
their match-ups for the June 1 card already.
Former
Chute Boxe coach Cristiano Marcello will face Sam Sicilia on
the season finale show on June 1 in Las Vegas.
Marcello’s
manager Nima Safapour from Alchemist Management announced the
fight via Twitter on Wednesday.
A
favorite heading into the show, Crisiano Marcello didn’t
get a chance to ease into the competition as he faced Team Cruz
top pick Justin Lawrence for his first fight after making it
into the house.
Unfortunately,
the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt wasn’t able to topple
Lawrence, and he lost by TKO, but now gets the chance to fight
again this time on the TUF Live Finale.
At
10-0 heading into the show, Sam Sicilia had one of the most impressive
records early on and was looking to advance after being Team
Cruz’s second overall pick, but ran into a tough opponent
in Chris Saunders during his time in the house.
A
razor close decision ended with Sicilia on the losing end, but
much like his opponent on June 1, he’ll have another shot
at redemption.
Marcello
vs. Sicilia will take place on the June 1 Ultimate Fighter Live
finale card along with several other competitors from the show
as well as the main event pitting Jake Ellenberger against Martin
Kampmann in a five round showdown in the welterweight division.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
on FX 5 Lands in Indianapolis on Sept 7
Almost exactly two years after the UFC ventured to Indianapolis
for the first time, the promotion will return there in September.
As
announced on Wednesday, UFC on FX 5 will head to the Bankers
Life Fieldhouse on Sept 7 as first reported on IndyStar.com.
The
UFC’s last trip to Indianapolis took place in Sept 2010
for UFC 119 headlined by current heavyweight contender Frank
Mir against former Pride star Mirko CroCop in the main event.
While
no fights have been announced for the upcoming card, tickets
are expected to go on sale on July 20 for the upcoming September
show.
The
next two UFC on FX shows both take place in June with UFC on
FX 3 landing in Florida on June 8, while UFC on FX 4 takes place
on June 22 in Atlantic City, NJ.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Frank
Mir points out advantages over Dos Santos
Frank
Mir will be the first challenger at Junior dos Santos’s
title, on a bout scheduled for next Saturday, in Las Vegas, United
States. Confident, Mir guarantees he has some advantages over
the Brazilian besides his Jiu-Jitsu skills, besides talking about
his career. Check it below:
How
does it feel, in comparison to your past experiences, continuing
to grow?
As
the sport grows, you have more obligations each time. I guess
you’re looking for something special for me to say, but
a fight is a fight. I’ve never had a fight where I could
look pass a guy.
Is
it any difference at all because of the way this fight came about?
Was there any frustration?
No.
Zero. Obviously, I always think about the sport first. I was
in good enough shape for fighting Dos Santos on such an important
card.
Does
it mean a lot to you doing this fight?
It’s
a thought I didn’t think about. When my wife brings it up,
I nod. It’s pretty cool, but it’s one of those things:
winning the fight. Forfeit isn’t on my mind. Everything
afterwards will be things I’ll think about on Sunday.
So
many things happened to you in your life, not only in the octagon.
Is it gratifying?
In
ten, 11 years now I read I shouldn’t be in the UFC, but
I have more wins than any heavyweight, most submissions, I won
many fighters now. If I don’t need the bar, what kind of
career is this?
It
seemed that you knew you were fighting even before it was officially
announced. Having that extra time helped you?
It
did. I was fighting Velasquez before, so I was preparing because
it was an arduous fight. I was doing my cardio and preparing
for a 5-round fight. He has one of the most dangerous weapons
on his toolbox, and the fact he has a motor and never stops going.
On the heavyweight it’s very rare. Second, once I realized
the title fight was at the same night as mine, I knew I’d
be the most likely to step up to fight if someone got injured.
Let’s face it: both guys are heavy-handed, strong guys,
powerful and strike a lot. Those practices could be dangerous.
Those cuts, twisted angles, knees. I don’t pay attention
to fights like people do, I pay attention to statistics speaking.
Most time they start a card it’s not the same card that
is actually done, so I just wanna be on the best position possible.
At
this point you face practically all situations possible on a
fighter career. In this point of your career, is it easier to
slide to it?
Absolutely,
I’ve been here and done this before. I’m prepared to
all the things. We train fighting every day. The fact Dos Santos
has been on the ring for the past few years for only two minutes
is not gonna hurt him because he trains all the time. I think
the advantage of my part is that I’m used to this, I’ve
been around and I know how to define it, what to do, how to redirect
my energy and there’s no distraction leading up to the fight.
A lot of fighters, when you hear them afterwards, are distracted.
They don’t cope with this as well as I do. Looking back
at my history, I think it’s one advantage I have over Dos
Santos is that this is not new to me. I didn’t grow up not
around the spotlight. Born and raised in Vegas, so I’m used
to being in front of cameras and being in the UFC for almost
11 years.
On
the countdown show, Junior dos Santos seemed to doubt your manhood.
Do you think something was lost on the translation or did you
take that seriously?
I
didn’t take it seriously. Dos Santos is a nice guy. We’ve
all seen him talking on the last couple of years and he never
talks trash. Now he’s trying to because he’s a champ.
People around him say he has to do the Brock thing. People are
more interested and want him to play it for the UFC, but he’s
not really good at it. The first swing out the door hit his face.
I got hit by a car, lost the title, had some shitty fights, stayed
back against the wall, Dana talked to me and said he would let
me go if I didn’t impress. Follow that I submitted Brock
Lesnar, Antonio Nogueira, was the first time to knock him out.
I’m fighting him for the title. I guess I’m stupid,
I don’t know where did it come from.
He’s
coming back from an injury. Do you think it might give you some
advantage?
It
really depends. I can’t think too much. I had several knee
surgeries. Once I was skipping around at the hospital and said
my dad I was ok. My meniscus tear and for about three weeks I
didn’t train. Forrest Griffin came to me, took me down and
I was thinking I couldn’t get my knee on the ground. I got
my knee down and I thought it was over. It was three weeks before
I could train, so you never know. Same surgery. If he’s
walking around, he’s good. If he starts limping, it’s
blood on the water.
What
a successful title defense means? You need to accomplish it before
you walk away?
No.
I’m very happy with who I am because if you look at the
titles and the accomplishments, it’s kinda shallow. It’s
nice to put those certificates on the wall, but at the end of
the day, if you improve, you feel good about the quality of work
that you’re putting out, then you have a happy life, you
improve. Not everybody gets it. They work and they receive. So
far as what I have to do on the sport, I never thought about
becoming the most winning heavyweight of all time. One fight
after another, one foot after the other.
The
longer it goes against Dos Santos the better it is for you?
Yes.
People may think it’s a weird statement since I don’t
have a great cardio, but the reason I say that is that all Dos
Santos’s knockouts happened on the first round. He’s
a speed puncher. He gains his power because he moves so fast.
Speed goes away. You can watch the guys at 125 pounds. They are
not as quick on the fifth round as they were on the first. You
slow down and if he loses some speed, he’s not a large guy.
Check
below the complete card of UFC 146 and stay tuned on TATAME to
know more about the fighting show directly from Las Vegas, Nevada.
COMPLETE
CARD (it can be changed):
UFC
146
Las
Vegas, Nevada, United States
Saturday,
May 26th of 2012
Main
card:
-
Junior dos Santos VS. Frank Mir;
-
Cain Velasquez VS. Antonio Silva;
-
Dave Herman VS. Roy Nelson;
-
Shane Del Rosario VS. Stipe Miocic;
-
Lavar Johnson VS. Stefan Struve;
Preliminary
card:
-
Darren Elkins VS. Diego Brandao;
-
Edson Barboza VS. Jamie Varner;
-
Jason Miller VS. C.B. Dollaway;
-
Jacob Volkmann VS. Paul Sass;
-
Dan Hardy VS. Duane Ludwig;
-
Kyle Kingsbury VS. Glover Teixeira;
-
Mike Brown VS. Daniel Pineda.
Source: Tatame
|
Strikeforce
Grand Prix Day After: An Underappreciated Classic
May
20, 2012 - SAN JOSE -- Let's get one thing out of the way at
the top: From a strict business perspective, the Strikeforce
Heavyweight Grand Prix was the equivalent of "Tap Across
America," the ill-fated tour from the movie "This is
Spinal Tap."
In
the mythical rock show, Spinal Tap started with full houses and
ended with the band billed second to a puppet show at a hotel.
The Grand Prix started with a turnout of 11,000 in New Jersey
and drew Showtime's biggest-ever MMA audience. Then the crowds
shrunk each time out. Last night, as the tourney concluded at
the HP Pavilion, the entire upper deck was sectioned off, in
addition to reserving one end of the building and much of the
floor space for Showtime's excessive stage production.
Those
who try to spin the tournament as a business success are deluding
themselves.
But
if you can separate the action in the cage from the histrionics
outside, in time, much like that favorite band of yours that
never broke big, the tournament could wind up viewed as an under-appreciated
classic.
Nearly
every Grand Prix bout offered something compelling. Antonio Silva's
beatdown of Fedor Emelianenko was a stirring affair, as fans
hoped for a patented Fedor comeback which never materialized.
Andrei Arlovski gave a glimmer of his old self before Sergei
Kharitonov knocked him into next week. Josh Barnett's wins over
Brett Rogers and Kharitonov showed he still had considerable
ground skills. Daniel Cormier's knockout of Silva is still seared
into the brains of everyone who saw it. There was only one out-and-out
stinker, Alistair Overeem's win over Fabricio Werdum.
Then
there was Saturday night's magnificent final between Cormier
and Barnett. This bout was everything you could hope for in a
tournament championship match: An up-and-coming name against
a grizzled veteran. Twenty-five minutes of mixed martial arts
at its highest level. Cormier justifying his buzz with a transcendent
performance. Barnett earning the respect of even his most ardent
detractors by gutting his way through several scenarios which
would have mentally broken a lesser competitor. And oh yeah,
both guys doing it with broken hands suffered early in the fight,
but fighting with such spirit that neither injury was apparent.
This
was a fight which belonged in a packed stadium in Japan, like
the great tournaments that inspired the idea of the Grand Prix,
not one contested in front of an intimate gathering.
In
the end, the Grand Prix was Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker's
vision, his baby, and for better or worse, he pulled it off.
So we'll let him have the last word.
"When
we put this tourney together, if you look at the quality of the
guys on the roster, we had champions from UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce,
Pro Elite," said Coker. "These guys were all champions.
If you look at this group, for Daniel to come into the tournament
and win it, it's something to be proud of."
Strikeforce
Grand Prix Notes
*Let's
slow the "Cormier should get the next UFC title shot after
Junior dos Santos-Frank Mir" talk just a bit. For one thing,
Barnett's long win streak was straight out of the Fedor/M-1 playbook,
littered with the likes of Pedro Rizzo, Gilbert Yvel, Mighty
Mo, and Geronimo dos Santos. For another, Cormier has yet to
face a fighter with dos Santos' boxing skill or Mir's level of
jiu-jitsu. And if Cain Velasquez beats Silva as impressively
as Cormier did, can you really argue Cormier deserves the shot
ahead of his campmate, a former champ whose only loss is to dos
Santos? Cormier has proven himself in the top mix at 265 pounds,
but at the very least let's see how next weekend's fights pan
out before armchair booking Cormier into a UFC title shot.
*There's
a tendency in the mixed martial arts media to give free passes
to fighters who give good quotes. Blind eyes are turned to everything
from drug-test failures to mortgage fraud, so long as the interview
is entertaining. This tendency applies to Barnett, who's undeniably
funny and engaging. So I'll go ahead say what you won't likely
hear from anyone else, which is that Zuffa dodged a bullet by
having Barnett lose resoundingly. Barnett's a two-time steroid
cheat who has never come clean about his indiscretions. He single-handedly
sunk the third Affliction card and caused delays to the Grand
Prix. Is Barnett an ultra-tough fighter? Yes. Is he charismatic?
Yes. But Zuffa has enough headaches to deal with right now without
having a fighter with Barnett's baggage emerge as Grand Prix
champion.
Strikeforce
Grand Prix Quotes
"Yeah,
sure, whatever." -- Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert
Melendez, clearly enthused about the idea of a fourth fight with
Josh Thomson.
"Now
matter how bad things get, eventually the sun is going to shine.
If you just keep it at, pursuing your goals, eventually good
things happen to decent people. For a person who is set on his
goals, good things happen. Everyone deals with adversity. It's
how you bounce back from it." -- Cormier, reflecting on
getting through a series of tragedies in his personal life.
Stock
up
Rafael
Cavalcante: There's avenging losses, and then there's what "Feijao"
did to Mike Kyle on Saturday night. The Team Nogueira fighter
needed less than a minute to demolish Kyle, as Cavalcante leveled
him with a vicious knee and then finished the job with a sweet
guillotine choke. Coker indicated in the post-fight press conference
that Cavalcante, a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion,
would likely meet Gegard Mousasi for the vacant crown.
Stock
down
Gilbert
Melendez: Last night's fight with Josh Thomson was Exhibit A
in why keeping "El Nino" in Strikeforce is a bad idea.
It was going to be next-to-impossible for Melendez to come out
of the trilogy fight looking good. Not only do these guys have
the familiarity with one another you'd expect from a duo who
already fought 10 rounds, but they also trained together for
more than two years. There were no secrets left, no new weaknesses
to exploit. The only way Melendez could have looked good against
a competent opponent who knew him so well was with a flash knockout,
which didn't happen. The shrill calls for a fourth bout from
Showtime types were more the sound of desperation than anything
fans want to see.
Fight
I want to see next
Cormier
vs. Velasquez. Sure, I'll go ahead and stir this pot. You know
whatever goes down inside the walls of the American Kickboxing
Academy whenever these two bulls lock horns is likely as entertaining
as any main event you're plunking down $50 to see. AKA fighters
are so loyal to each other that Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch won't
fight each other even now, after Koscheck left the camp in a
bitter split. So the chances of Cormier-Velasquez happening any
time soon is slim. But we can still dream, can't we?
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Josh
Thomson Felt He Was a 49-47 Winner Over Gilbert Melendez
May
20, 2012 - SAN JOSE -- The majority opinion in the HP Pavilion
press room after Saturday night's Strikeforce event was Gilbert
Melendez won the first three rounds of his lightweight championship
fight against Josh Thomson, with the challenger taking the last
two rounds.
Thomson,
who lost the bout on a split decision (Melendez took two of three
48-47 scores), didn't see it that way.
At
the post-fight press conference, Thomson said that if he was
the one filling out a scorecard, it would have gone 49-47 in
his favor. In his view, the first five minutes were a draw, Melendez
won round two, and Thomson won the final three rounds.
"I
fight like the first round was a 10-10 round," said Thomson.
"I should have went out and got it. It's my fault I left
it in the judges hands. The third was a close round too, I thought
I won that one, and then the fourth and the fifth. But, you know,
whatever."
Thomson's
best shot at winning came during the fourth round, when he got
Melendez in several rear-naked chokes. But he wasn't able to
get the job done, as Melendez fended off the submission attempts
as time ran out in the round.
"The
first one was probably close," said Thomson. "The rest
of them, I was just trying to reach his chin. He's hard to submit.
I trained with him for two-and-a-half years, I maybe subbed him
two times that entire time. He's a tough man, he's almost impossible
to finish. ... He's one of the greatest mentally strong fighters
out there, that's what makes him so great."
Thus
ends a trilogy that began with Thomson taking Melendez's title
in a 2008 upset and continued the following year with Melendez
winning the rematch. As far as Strikeforce's Scott Coker is concerned,
Melendez-Thomson belongs among the great fight trilogies.
"I
personally can watch this fight every month," Coker said.
"It's going to go down in history as one of the great [trilogies]
in the history of mixed martial arts. It reminds me of one of
those great battles, let's say ‘Sugar' Ray Leonard vs. Thomas
Hearns or Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard. These guys have the
chemistry to bring it. They both brought their A game tonight,
it was an amazing fight, I'm proud of both of them."
While
Thomson wasn't happy with the judges' scoring, the American Kickboxing
Academy fighter still saw the bright side of fighting in front
of his home fans.
"I
started fighting in '98 for, like, $100," said Thomson.
"With what I'm getting paid now, I mean of course I love
it. I don't want to get a real job ever."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
BJ
Penn says he’s not interested in Josh Koscheck fight
Just
when you thought it was time for BJ to return to the octagon,
he sticks to his word and continues to stay retired. Josh Koscheck
announced on Twitter that he had been offered a fight against
BJ Penn, and had accepted. The next logical step would be for
his opponent, BJ Penn to accept the fight. Unfortunately that
did not happen. Instead, Penn turns down the fight and trash
talks at the same time.
“@joshkoscheck
I know it costs a lot of money to live that lavish lifestyle,
big house, fast cars & you need big fights but sorry I’m
not coming back anytime soon!”
So,
as much as fans, fellow fighters, and Dana White himself want
BJ to return it does not look like it will happen anytime soon.
He already has turned down a shot at Gilbert Melendez’s
belt, and now the offered bout against Koscheck. It is not sure
what it will take to lure BJ back to the sport, but at this point
maybe it is time to take time off from the sport. He only has
one win in his last five fights, and being in the fight game
for a long time wears on a person. Maybe he will find that hunger
to fight again, maybe he won’t. Either way, as White puts
it, the UFC is not somewhere you want to be if you’re unsure
if you are ready or not.
Source: Caged Insider
|
Coker:
'Feijao' vs. Mousasi likely for vacant Strikeforce light-heavyweight
title
Following an ACL injury he recently revealed to MMAjunkie.com
Radio Gegard Mousasi won't be back in the cage anytime soon.
And
that's just fine with his likely next opponent, who's expected
to fight Mousasi for Strikeforce's vacant light-heavyweight title.
Following
a grueling training camp, Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante
(12-3 MMA, 5-2 SF) – who made quick work of Mike Kyle at
Saturday's Strikeforce event – is looking for a little rest
and relaxation before his tentative title fight with Mousasi
(32-3-1 MMA, 3-1-1 SF), a fellow ex-champ.
Cavalcante
stunned Kyle with a knee and ultimately tapped him out with a
guillotine choke just 33 seconds into their Showtime-televised
main-card fight, which was part of "Strikeforce: Heavyweight
Grand Prix Final" at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. It
was revenge for Cavalcante, who suffered a second-round knockout
loss to Kyle three years ago at "Strikeforce: Lawler vs.
Shields" in his promotional debit.
"It
feels good," Cavalcante said. "I'm back on track."
Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker concurred. And though many fans felt Cavalcante
vs. Kyle II should have earned the winner a shot at the belt
(one Dan Henderson vacated with his move to the UFC in late 2011),
Coker said the belt soon will be on the line again.
"I
think the likely candidate you'll see in the future at some point
(for Cavalcante) is Gegard Mousasi," Coker said of the recovering
fighter, who's 4-0-1 since losing the belt to Muhammed "King
Mo" Lawal in 2010. "When that fight happens happens,
I'm not sure – or if it all – but I think it's a natural
progression for 'Feijao.'"
Since
that Kyle loss back in 2009, "Feijao" is 5-1. It included
winning the Strikeforce belt from Lawal, though he surrendered
the belt to Henderson in his next outing.
Through
it all, and especially after the first Kyle fight, Cavalcante
said he learned what he needs to do to win. Granted, the four-month
camp was exhausting, and he hopes to get a nice long rest as
Mousasi recovers, but he said it set him up for success.
"In
my first fight with [Kyle], I spent like three months here in
the United States," Cavalcante said. "It was alright
training, but it was far from my coaches and from my team. These
things make a difference.
"This
win for sure isn't about me. It's about my coaches. It's about
the support they give me."
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Strikeforce
Barnett vs. Cormier Results: Melendez Takes Split Decision, Wins
the Trilogy
Gilbert
Melendez vs. Josh Thomson - Strikeforce Barnett vs. CormierAfter
15 rounds, the trilogy between Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson
is over. The war, however, may not have been settled at Strikeforce:
Barnett vs. Cormier on Saturday night in San Jose, Calif.
Melendez
won a narrow split decision in the rubber match between the two
Bay Area friends, although many in attendance at the HP Pavilion
booed the decision.
Melendez
was faster out of the gate, taking the center of the cage, cutting
off the majority of Thomson’s movement. He continually pressured
Thomson throughout the fight, sticking his jab in Thomson’s
face and landing some good body shots, especially early on. He
also mixed in several takedowns, putting Thomson on his back
early in the fight.
Gilbert
Melendez vs. Josh Thomson at Strikeforce Barnett vs. CormierBut
every time Melendez got Thomson to the mat, he would pop almost
immediately back to his feet. Though he couldn’t get his
patented ground and pound assault in action with Thomson, Melendez
did catch him on the way back to his feet with punches and knees
several times in the bout.
Just
when it looked like Melendez might dominate his way to a decision,
Thomson kicked into gear.
Thomson
put Melendez on the mat with a tricky trip takedown late in round
four. Melendez gave up his back while trying to escape, and Thomson
took full advantage, jumping on Melendez’s back and locking
on body triangle. Thomson sunk the rear naked choke, but couldn’t
slip his elbow under the champion’s chin. Thompson road
out the round on Melendez’s back, but couldn’t find
the finish.
Gilbert
Melendez vs. Josh Thomson at Strikeforce Barnett vs. CormierThe
fifth round was another good one for Thomson as his striking
was more fluid and quicker than it seemed earlier in the fight,
and he scored the trip takedown again. This time he couldn’t
dominate as he did at the end of round four. Once he got Melendez
to his back, Thomson primarily held him down, while Melendez
fired off a flurry of punches from his back until the final bell.
The
judges scorecards read 48-47 across the board, two of them in
Melendez’s favor, one for Thomson, keeping the Strikeforce
belt around Melendez’s waist.
“We
know each other real well. It’s a battle of the bay. He’s
a tough guy,” said Melendez after the fight, although he
didn’t side with those booing him.
“I
thought I won most of the rounds. I know he took me down in the
fourth round. I thought I had control. I just started cup-caking
it out there. It wasn’t my best performance.”
Thomson,
however, didn’t side with Melendez’s detractors either.
“He’s
one of the best fighters, if not the best in the world,”
he said. Adding, “He fought a great fight. Tonight wasn’t
my night; the judges gave it to him.”
The
frustration of being the Strikeforce champion, where the majority
of fight fans and many pundits say that Melendez can’t prove
his position as one of the top lightweight fighters on the planet,
appears to be wearing on Melendez.
He
admitted that he had a difficult time getting motivated for the
fight when he has everything to lose with little to gain fighting
opponents like Thomson.
“It’s
just not as motivating. I have everything to lose; he’s
got everything to gain,” Melendez stated. “I’m
in a lose-lose situation with Josh. Even though I won, I lost.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
on Fuel 4 Officially Headed to San Jose on July 11, Tickets on
Sale May 24
On
the heels of the finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand
Prix taking place in San Jose, the UFC will return to the host
city of UFC 139 as they bring UFC on Fuel 4 on Wednesday, July
11.
San
Jose’s HP Pavilion will serves as the host venue for a night
of fights that will air on Fuel TV, headlined by a five round
bout in the middleweight division as Mark Munoz takes on Chris
Weidman.
Munoz,
who is returning from elbow surgery, will look to get back on
the title path as he faces another top notch wrestler looking
to get a shot at the UFC middleweight belt.
Chris
Weidman, an undefeated prospect who trains under former UFC champion
Matt Serra, has been a fast riser in the UFC’s middleweight
division since debuting in 2011.
Now
the two former collegiate wrestlers will face off in a five round
main event that could serve as a title eliminator fight in the
UFC’s 185lb weight class.
Several
other fights have also been confirmed for the upcoming card on
July 11 including:
•
Light heavyweight bout: Brandon Vera vs. James Te Huna
• Welterweight bout: San Jose’s Jon Fitch vs. Aaron
Simpson
• Middleweight bout: Karlos Vemola vs. Francis Carmont
• Bantamweight bout: Sacramento’s TJ Dillashaw vs.
Vaughan Lee
• Lightweight bout: Paul Taylor vs. Anthony Njokuani
Tickets
go on sale for the show on Thursday, May 24
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Nate
Marquardt vs. Tyron Woodley Official for Strikeforce Title in
July
Strikeforce
will finally crown a new welterweight champion come July 14 as
Tyron Woodley faces former UFC fighter Nate Marquardt.
MMAWeekly.com
first reported the title fight earlier in May, and on Saturday
night Strikeforce officials confirmed the bout for the upcoming
show in Portland, Ore.
Woodley
comes into the fight with an undefeated record and a pedigree
in wrestling from the University of Missouri.
He
will face his stiffest test as he squares off with former UFC
middleweight title contender Nate Marquardt with the vacant Strikeforce
welterweight title on the line.
This
will be Marquardt’s first fight at 170lbs after he was originally
supposed to debut last year in the UFC in his new weight class,
but a drug testing issue cost him a fight and his job at the
time in the UFC.
Marquardt
had undergone testosterone replacement therapy, but his testosterone
levels were outside the guidelines of the Pennsylvania State
Athletic Commission and thus he was removed from his fight. Subsequently,
the UFC released Marquardt for the infraction.
Now
signed to Strikeforce instead, Marquardt will get another shot
under the Zuffa umbrella as he faces Tyron Woodley in July with
the welterweight title on the line.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Barnett vs. Cormier Results: Chris Spang Lands the Knockout Knees
Chris
Spang vs Nah Shon Burrell at StrikeforceFollowing a loss his
last time in the cage, it didn’t take long for Chris Spang
to get back to his winning ways at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier
at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday night.
Spang
started off a little slow against Nah-Shon Burrell, but after
about a minute of searching for his timing, he found it. Spang
dropped Burrell to his backside with a left hook to the jaw.
Burrell
immediately returned to his feet, but when he did, Spang clinched
and started launching knees to his head and face. When Burrell
slipped out of the clinch and got upright, Spang unloaded with
punches, clinched, and started up with the knees again.
This
went on for a few moments, until Spang landed enough knees from
the clinch that Burrell just fell to the mat, the referee stepping
in to wave off the fight.
The
victory improved Spang’s record to 5-1, while Burrell fell
to 8-2, closing the door on a six-fight winning streak.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Barnett vs Cormier Results: Feijao Exacts Revenge on Mike Kyle
‘Revenge
is a dish best served cold’
~ Old Klingon proverb
Cold.
Detached.
Those
are the ways that revenge is supposed to happen so emotion doesn’t
get involved, and it seemed that was the way former Strikeforce
light heavyweight champion Rafael ‘Feijao’ Cavalcante
was going to attack and finish Mike Kyle, a man that defeated
him in 2009.
A
rematch 3 years in the making and the Brazilian certainly did
his part to erase his TKO loss to Kyle as he put him away in
emphatic fashion in just over 30 seconds.
As
soon as the fight started, Feijao was on the attack and after
missing with an overhand right, he followed with a big knee as
Kyle was ducking to avoid the punch and it landed flush on the
jaw.
With
Kyle in survival mode doing everything he could to avoid the
barrage of strikes, he didn’t see the guillotine choke coming
from the former champion.
Feijao
locked on the guillotine choke with Kyle still standing, and
try as he could, the American Kickboxing Academy fighter could
not shake him off. A few moments later Kyle jumped to the mat
to try and loosen the hold, but it was to no avail.
The
choke only tightened around his neck and Kyle was forced to tap
out giving Feijao the victory.
Now
with two wins in a row since losing the Strikeforce 205lb title
to Dan Henderson in 2011, Feijao is committed to regaining the
strap, hopefully later this year.
“If Strikeforce give me a chance I want the belt,”
said Cavalcante after the win.
A
most likely candidate to face Feijao would be fellow former champion
Gegard Mousasi later this year when he recovers from injury.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Dos
Santos don’t want to revenge Nogueira when fighitng Mir
Having
his opponent replaced forced Junior “Cigano” dos Santos
to change some things on his trainings, but it didn’t shake
the UFC heavyweight champion’s confidence. Whether it’s
Alistair Overeer or Frank Mir his challenger on May 26th, in
Las Vegas, the Brazilian believes the belt won’t leave Bahia,
where he lives in.
With
no extra motivation for facing Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s
executioner, Dos Santos doesn’t want to get into polemics
and works hard eyeing his conditioning. With sharp Jiu-Jitsu
skills, the champ claims to be ready for any part of the battle
and believes the pressure now is smaller than when he was the
challenger at Cain Velasquez’s belt, whom he took it from,
last year.
“Each
fight brings us new experiences, you get there more prepared
than in the last one. When I fought Cain Velasquez it was pretty
hard because I had some last minute happenings on my training
camp and it was the first bout to be broadcasted by Globo (in
Brazil) and FOX in America. And, even so things turned out just
fine, I stick to my game plan and got the win. It brought me
a little more experience and confidence. I’m facing this
like a regular fight and always believing our next fight is the
most important fight of my life. With that in mind, I’ll
get there prepared”.
Check
below the complete interview:
How
is your prep for Frank Mir?
My
preparation is great. I had a great training camp, I had the
support of high level athletes and I’m feeling very prepared
to defend my title successfully.
What
changed since Overeem was replaced by Mir?
Since
I had my opponent replaced, I’m focusing more on my ground
trainings now and I also did many Wrestling trainings. On the
stand-up trainings I used left-handed sparrings to get used to
it.
What
are your thoughts about Overeem’s excused for being caught
on the drug test? Was his punishment enough?
I
can only speak for myself. I’m in no place to speak about
other people. I thought it was not nice to have so many changes
on this fighting card because I guess it affected all fighters
at UFC 146. I guess it’s not a good thing for the sport
either, because MMA suffers many prejudices, and a doping case
or even suspect of doping calls people’s attention not in
a good way and it’s bad for all athletes like me, who believe
in hard work and make all efforts required to get good results
with no extra help.
Do
you want to fight him someday?
I’ve
never picked out opponents and I never will. If UFC pair we up
again, it’ll be a great fight for the fans.
Overeem
probably would want to stand-up and Mir might take you to the
floor. What is your game plan now?
I’m
a MMA fighter, so I’m ready to fight anywhere it goes. Mir
seems to be confident about his stand-up too. But yeah, I guess
he wants to take me down. I’m going there to get this win
and bring the title back to Brazil. If it goes to the ground,
let’s fight on the ground.
Mir
defeated your friend and teacher Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Does
it bring something special when you get on that cage against
him?
No,
it doesn’t affect me. What I think about is successfully
defending my belt and remain as the heavyweight champion. To
do that, I need to be calm, focused and follow the game plan.
This
is your first title defense. Is the pressure bigger now than
when you were the contender to Velasquez’s title?
I
don’t think so. Each fight brings us new experiences, you
get there more prepared than in the last one. When I fought Cain
Velasquez it was pretty hard because I had some last minute happenings
on my training camp and it was the first bout to be broadcasted
by Globo (in Brazil) and FOX in America. And, even so things
turned out just fine, I stick to my game plan and got the win.
It brought me a little more experience and confidence. I’m
facing this like a regular fight and always believing our next
fight is the most important fight of my life. With that in mind,
I’ll get there prepared.
What
did you do different this time from when you were preparing for
Velasquez?
I
trained as hard as I did for Velasquez. What changed is the way
I see my opponent and the game plan we came up with.
Your
friend Antonio Silva is fighting Velasquez. What are your expectations?
It’s
going to be an excellent fight. It’s a shame I won’t
be able to watch it because I’ll be warming up for my fight.
But it’s going to be a great battle between two big guys.
I’m rooting for Bigfoot, of course, because he’s a
friend and team partner.
In
case Bigfoot wins, he might be the top contender to your title.
Would you fight him for the title?
One
step at a time. Right now I’m focused on Frank Mir. After
it’s over I’ll think about it.
Source: Tatame
|
Daniel
Cormier Delivers Thorough, Defining Win Against Wily Veteran
Josh Barnett
An
emotional Daniel Cormier thought back on the trials and tribulations
of 33 years - a lot of heartbreaks and near misses - shortly
after the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix championship belt
was strapped around his waist for the first time on Saturday
night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Cormier
(10-0), with barely a year of MMA experience, wasn't even considered
for the eight slots in the Strikeforce Grand Prix when it started
15 months ago. But he entered as an alternate in the semifinals
when Alistair Overeem was released by the promotion and surprising
upset the massive Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. He followed
that up with a clear-cut unanimous decision win in a five-round
battle against Josh Barnett that saw him win on scores of 49-46,
50-45 and 50-45.
"It's
kind of hard when you think of everyone we've lost in our lives,"
he recalled, referring to the death of his father, his first
daughter, and one of his best friends. "We've all been through
adversity. But for all the negative things that have happened
in my life, it all prepared me for this moment. It made me stronger
as a person.
"Everything
is finally turning around, not just in my professional life but
in my personal life. I've got two young kids, a great girlfriend.
My family life is perfect. Everything is on the up and up. All
the negatives - my dad getting killed, losing my daughter, my
roommate dying in a plane crash, all that prepared me for the
good times. This teaches you, no matter how bad things get, the
sun is always going to shine. If you try and live life the right
way … good things happen to decent people if you stayed
settled in on your goals. Everyone deals with adversity. It's
just how you bounce back from it."
It
was a defining win, and closure at long last to a tournament
that felt like it was moving at a snail's pace in a sport that
was changing by the minute. The finals, initially scheduled for
the end of 2011, were delayed until Saturday because Cormier
had twice suffered a broken hand. The first time was in the Silva
fight on Sept. 10 in Cincinnati. The second time was in training
in January.
When
the tournament was first formulated as the brainchild of Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker in late 2010, it was all about getting the best
heavyweights outside of the Ultimate Fighting Championship together.
The star of the tournament, Fedor Emelianenko, was still considered
by many as the best heavyweight in the world, and the tournament
was built in hopes of a potential showdown between him and Strikeforce
heavyweight champion Overeem. Emelianenko lost in the first round
to Silva. At the same time, Cormier had seven wins under his
belt, but had never fought anyone of any significance. With his
Olympic wrestling pedigree, he was thought to have potential
in the sport, but many questioned if the 5-foot-10 fighter wouldn't
have been better off trying to make it in the light heavyweight
division.
Four
years ago, Cormier's sports career went from the ultimate high
to the lowest of lows. He was named captain of the U.S. Olympic
wrestling team and was expected to medal, after losing the bronze
medal match in 2004.
Then,
at the worst of times, his body turned on him. In trying to cut
from his normal 240 or so pounds to his wrestling weight of 211.5
pounds, his kidneys shut down and he found himself in a hospital
bed at the time he expected to be winning a medal.
Cormier
had to overcome adversity once last time against Barnett, as
he broke his right hand throwing a punch. But he kept it secret,
even from his corner. Little did he know that Barnett (31-6),
who coming into the fight hadn't lost since 2006, had broken
his left hand in the first round as well.
"I
broke the crap out of my hand in the first round on Daniel's
head," Barnett said right after the fight. "It's killing
me. I wouldn't tell the doctor between rounds. There was no way
I was going to stop fighting. Every time I had a minute I thought
I could win this fight. He's a great athlete and I always thought
he'd be a hell of an opponent."
Based
on the agreement going into the fight, Cormier will fight one
last time in Strikeforce, against an opponent to be named later.
He will then switch over to the UFC, as Strikeforce drops its
heavyweight division.
However
that fight, and a subsequent UFC debut, are going to have to
be delayed as Cormier said that he was going to undergo surgery
on his right hand due to the frequent breaks.
"I
think this time I'm going to have surgery on it and have it fixed,"
Cormier said. "I don't want it to be a recurring problem.
So I'll probably get surgery. Usually it heals faster with surgery
and my hand healed kind of odd. This break is not as bad as the
first time. The first time I could barely even move it. This
was kind of like the break in January."
Still,
Cormier said he'd like to fight twice before the end of the year,
with the second being a UFC debut.
While
widely assumed that both men were going to transition to the
UFC after the tournament, Barnett said in the days leading up
to the tournament final that he wasn't sure what would happen,
win or lose. Barnett was UFC champion in 2002, beating Randy
Couture, but was stripped of the title after failing a steroid
test. He then had a contract dispute with UFC, and feelings with
him and UFC President Dana White have been heated for years.
Barnett
made a career for himself in Japan as a combination MMA fighter
and pro wrestler, and it seemed almost a sure thing he'd never
fight in UFC again.
But
the changing MMA landscape, with Japanese MMA becoming financially
destitute, and Zuffa buying Strikeforce, may have left Barnett
without any other viable option.
The
more experienced Barnett couldn't find too many holes in Cormier's
resolute defense Saturday night as the younger fighter's game
plan seemed to revolve around using his quicker hands and reflexes
to counterstrike. When the Grand Prix tournament started, Cormier
had only been fighting a little more than a year. Barnett, although
being only one year older than Cormier, started his career in
1997.
But
it was Cormier's impressive learning curve that made the difference.
Not only was he comfortable as a kickboxer, despite giving up
substantial height and reach, but when he got tired in spots
and wanted to take it to the ground, his defense was such that
Barnett, a submission master, was never able to get him in serious
trouble.
"I
followed our game plan," Cormier said. "Josh fought
tough. He fought hard. He was in my face the whole time. I couldn't
believe with the shots I landed that he was able to stay up.
I think I broke my hand in the first round. I stopped throwing
it, and then started again in the fifth round."
Barnett
had stated before the fight about how takedowns in mixed martial
arts were very different then in a wrestling match and that he
was going to take down the Olympian. But he never came close
to doing so.
Both
men showed tremendous conditioning as heavyweights in going five
largely fast-paced rounds. Both were bloodied, with Barnett's
face by far showing worse for the wear. But he was at no point
out of the fight, and only in serious danger once during the
third round.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Legendary
MMA Photographer Susumu Nagao Discusses Exhibition at World Jiu-Jitsu
Expo
May
20, 2012 - MMA photography pioneer Susumu Nagao - who has shot
some of the most important and historic events in MMA history
- spoke to MMA Fighting's own photographer Esther Lin about an
exhibition of his work at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach,
California. Nagao discusses how he got interested in MMA through
Shooto and professional wrestling, his early impressions of Royce
Gracie during the first UFC events, the stories behind some of
his most famous photos, PRIDE's spectacle and how much he misses
it now, the special relationship he had with Carlson Gracie despite
a language barrier and so much more.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
BREAKING:
UFC Champion Jon Jones Arrested on Suspicion of DUI
UFC
light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested in the early
hours of Saturday morning on suspicion of DUI. TMZ first reported
the incident, which was later confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by Jones’
manager, Malki Kawa.
The
initial report from TMZ, citing undisclosed law enforcement sources,
alleged that “Jones was involved in an accident at around
5 a.m. in Binghamton, N.Y.” Jones reportedly totaled his
car when he crashed into a pole, and was arrested on the scene
for suspicion of DUI.
He
was taken into custody, but later released when his mother paid
his bail.
“I
can confirm that Jon Jones was arrested early this morning on
suspicion of DUI,” Kawa said in a statement to MMAWeekly.com.
“While the facts of this situation are still being gathered
and situated, First Round Management fully supports Jon and we
are asking for fans and media to respect the privacy of Jon and
his family during this time.”
When
contacted by MMAWeekly.com for comment, UFC president Dana White,
who had to go in for surgery earlier this week and missed his
first live UFC event in 11 years, simply stated, “It hasn’t
been my week, has it?”
Jones
is coming off of a win over Rashad Evans at UFC 145 in April,
and is slated to next defend his belt against Dan Henderson at
UFC 151 on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas.
Jones,
obviously, was not available for comment.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Barnett vs. Cormier Quick Results
Main
Card (on Showtime):
-Daniel Cormier def. Josh Barnett by unanimous decision (49-46,
50-45, 50-45)
-Gilbert Melendez def. Josh Thomson by split decision (48-47,
47-48, 48-47)
-Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante def. Mike Kyle by submission
(guillotine choke) at :33, R1
-Chris Spang def. Nah-Shon Burrell by KO at 1:35, R1
Preliminary
Card (on Showtime Extreme):
-Isaac Vallie-Flagg def. Cesias “JZ” Cavalcante by
split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
-Carlos Augusto “Guto” Inocente Filho def. Virgil Zwicker
by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
-Gian Villante def. Derrick Mehmen by unanimous decision (29-28,
30-27, 30-27)
-Quinn Mulhern def. Yuri Villefort by split decision (30-27,
28-29, 29-28)
-Bobby Green def. James Terry by split decision (28-29, 29-28,
29-28)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ivan
Menjivar Draws Mike Easton After Renan Barão Promoted
to UFC Title Fight
Mike
EastonIvan Menjivar’s original UFC 148 opponent, Renan Barão,
has been promoted to the interim bantamweight championship bout
with Urijah Faber. So now, Menjivar will square off with Mike
Easton, according to UFC officials.
Barão
on Friday was called in to fight Faber for the interim strap
when UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was put on the sidelines
for the next several months after blowing out his knee.
Menjivar
(24-8), who has won all three of his UFC bouts, likely would
have put himself in a title-challenging situation with a win
over Barão, but may be doing the same thing if he gets
past Easton.
Easton
has an impressive 12-1 record with back-to-back wins since entering
the UFC Octagon. He is also the former UWC bantamweight champion,
having defeated the likes of former WEC champ Chase Beebe and
Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson.
UFC
middleweight champion Anderson Silva faces Chael Sonnen in the
UFC 148 main event on July 7 in Las Vegas, while Faber vs. Barão
will serve as the co-main event.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Renan
Barão likely to fight Urijah Faber for UFC’s interim
title
UFC
will announce this Friday Urijah Faber’s opponent for the
bantamweight interim title to be disputed on July 7th, at UFC
148.
Sources
told TATAME that Brazilian standout Renan Barão, along
with Michael McDonald and Ivan Menjivar, will meet with the UFC
today to define the future of the 135lbs division, with champion
Dominick Cruz injured.
Dave
Meltzer later reporter that McDonald is injured, making Barão
almost a done deal for the fight.
Renan
is on a 29-win streak with five wins putting his UFC and WEC
records together, not forgetting to mention three submission
wins. An aspect on his favor to be considered is Faber expressing
his wish of fighting the Brazilian on his Twitter account.
Source: Tatame
|
Trilogy
Fight Goes to Champ Gilbert Melendez, But Josh Thomson Pushes
Him to the Limit Again
After
75 minutes of nonstop action over three fights dating back four
years, nothing has been settled between Strikeforce lightweight
champion Gilbert Melendez and the fighter his career may be most
associated with, former training partner Josh Thomson.
The
two Bay Area residents threw down for the third time on Saturday
night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, with Melendez retaining
his title via split decision in what can very reasonably be argued
the most exciting trilogy in the modern history of the sport.
"I
could personally watch these two fight every month," said
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker after a battle that will likely be
a strong candidate of the 2012 fight of the year. "They
put on a great fight that will go down in the history books.
It reminded me of Leonard-Hearns or Edgar-Maynard."
Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez both though they had won Saturday's
fight. (USPW)
Melendez
(21-2) won by scores of 48-47, 47-48 and 48-47 in a match that,
if anything, was even closer than the scores indicated. Melendez
solidly won the second round, while Thomson (19-5, 1 no contest)
clearly won rounds four and five. Melendez appeared to squeak
by and win the first round, and the third round even closer.
The
crowd booed the decision heavily, probably because the final
two rounds were freshest in their minds.
"I
think the first round was 10-10," Thomson said. "It's
my fault … I left it in the judges' hands. The third round
was close. I thought I won the third, fourth and fifth rounds.
Whatever, that happens."
"Josh
is a tough guy," said Melendez, who felt he was put in a
no-win situation in defending his title against Thomson. "I
think I could have performed better. Even if you win, you lose,
unless you finish or win in spectacular fashion. In San Jose
(where Thomson grew up and still lives), they're going to boo
me."
The
crowd was probably half backing Melendez at first, but became
pro-Thomson as he came from behind and had Melendez's back, working
for a choke, in the fourth round. That was the closest either
man came to finishing.
"I
didn't think they were close," said Thomson about the submission
attempts. "The very first attempt was probably the closest.
I trained with Gilbert for two-and-a-half years. I subbed him
maybe once in practice the entire time. He's a tough guy. He's
almost impossible to finish. His biggest attribute is mental.
He's one of the most mentally strong fighters out there. That's
what makes him so great."
But
when Melendez was asked about if he wanted a fourth match to
try to end the series with a more clear-cut conclusion, his answer
was simple: "No."
The
last time the two met was on December 19, 2009, and Melendez
regained the title that he still owns with a clear decision win
- yet it was among the best fights ever in U.S. MMA. When it
was over, Melendez was asked about a third fight before he even
had time to celebrate. He wasn't negative about it, but made
it clear he wasn't looking forward to it. He said at the time
it was because of just how tough a fight it was, and how a third
match figured to be the same.
"(I'm)
happy to go out there and put on a show for the fans," said
Melendez after the fight Saturday. "Josh was huffing and
puffing worse than I was and I could've capitalized better than
I did. I just wasn't letting go like I should've out there. I
don't have any interest in fighting Josh again. This was the
end of the trilogy and it was supposed to settle it. Maybe if
they offered me double or triple the purse I would consider it,
but otherwise, it's on to the next one."
Thomson
didn't agree.
"I
definitely was not huffing and puffing worse than him,"
Thomson countered. "And I wouldn't want to fight me a fourth
time either if I was him. Tonight, I was out to prove that I'm
still a top contender and that my last fight was a once-in-a-lifetime
misstep and it won't happen again."
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Auto
Racer Jeffrey Earnhardt, Grandson of Dale Earnhardt, Excited
to Make MMA Debut
May
20, 2012 - Jeffrey Earnhardt belongs to auto racing. The grandson
of legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, he has been working
his way towards the sport's major league circuit for years. At
22 years old, that's a goal he's still chasing. It's in his blood.
But he's been infected.
Like
many young athletes, Earnhardt has fallen in love with mixed
martial arts, first as a fan, and now as a practitioner. And
on Tuesday, Earnhardt will become a two-sport athlete when he
makes his MMA debut at an event called Fight Lab 25 in Charlotte,
North Carolina.
The
bantamweight bout, which will be contested under amateur status,
came about organically, after Earnhardt decided to pick up MMA
as a way to get in optimal shape.
In
many ways, it is a story similar to many others we've heard before.
He had wrestled for a couple years in high school, and after
some time off, eased his way into jiu-jitsu classes. That seemed
fun enough, and before he knew it, he was adding boxing training
to his schedule.
That
went well, too, to the point that the people around him were
quick to let him know that he was good. Perhaps even good enough
to take things to the next level and compete.
"I
personally was really enjoying the training until we talked about
it, and one thing led to another, and we decided we'd try an
amateur fight," he told MMA Fighting. "So here we are
today."
Like
many, Earnhardt first got into MMA as a spectator as the UFC
grew its business in the mid-2000s. But by that time, he already
knew what he wanted to do for a living, racing on the local scene
from the time of his early teenage years.
At
the time, he had never had a thought about training. It was only
when his two roommates -- both college wrestlers -- decided to
try it out that he decided to tag along. Ironically, Earnhardt
is the one taking it the furthest, as neither of them has yet
to fight.
Unlike
most others who sign up for that first fight, Earnhardt has no
illusions about a bigtime MMA career. From the beginning, this
has been mostly a side project for him that complements his main
job.
He
is candid about where MMA ranks on his personal hierarchy, and
even if the dropoff isn't far from racing, it's still at No.
2. This is mostly about being ready for the big races, with his
next being the NASCAR Nationwide Daytona Subway Jalapeno 250
on July 6.
"I've
never been in this kind of shape in my entire life, and that
includes back when I was wrestling in high school," he said.
"It's real intense, it's a lot of fun. I've really enjoyed
it ever since I started. I like being fit and prepared for these
races, especially in the summer when it's really hot out. It's
definitely going to come in handy."
That
doesn't mean he's not taking his fight seriously, preparing with
his team at Renegade Fighting Systems in Charlotte. He also has
a scouting report on his opponent, Chris Faison, as one of his
training partners -- David Worrell -- previously fought with
and beat him.
"It's
kind of an advantage to have a little insight from working with
him," said Earnhardt, whose fight will be available for
purchase on his website. "Those things will help me in my
fight. These guys are preparing me extremely well for the fight,
and I'm going to go out and do the best I can. Whatever I come
out with is what I got."
Earnhardt
doesn't draw many parallels between auto racing and MMA except
for the extreme competition level and the mental focus needed
to win.
Around
the track, word of his foray into a second sport has gotten around.
So far, the reaction has been mixed. Some think he's crazy to
take the risk of fighting; others are impressed at his courage
to do so. Because the two sports have similar demographics, he
thinks there will be some crossover in terms of interest surrounding
his fight, and maybe even some mainstream sports observers watching,
and he has a message he'd like to get out.
"A
lot of people don't see race car athletes as true athletes,"
he said. "They don't think we're capable of doing anything
other than sitting in a car and driving in a circle. A lot of
people don't understand the reality of it. This is an opportunity
to prove to people that race car drivers are athletes. It's a
lot harder than people realize. Hopefully this MMA fight will
help people realize that, and that we can hold our own as athletes."
And
if he does help people learn that, and he does so by winning,
is there any chance that Earnhardt scraps racing, or makes MMA
his primary sport? For now, he's shut the book on that possibility.
Like his famous grandfather, he plans to make his name in a car,
even if it takes him on an occasional side route from track to
cage.
"Racing
is my priority," he said. "I'm going to keep pushing
in that. I love MMA, but it's only going to be in my spare time.
They're both a lot of fun, but I'm definitely keeping my day
job."
Source: MMA Fighting
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