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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2013
2/16/12
Mayhem At The Mansion
Kauai Cage Match 14
(MMA)
(Kilohana Carriage House, Lihue, Kauai)
2012
12/7/12
Australian
Fighting Championship 4
(MMA)
(Melbourne, Australia)
12/1/12
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ)
(Lahaina Civic Center tentatively)
11/24/12
Aloha
State BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(McKimley H.S. Gym)
11/10-11/12
Eternal Submission Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Kauai)
11/10/12
Toughman Xtreme Fighting Championships
(Boxing, Kickboxing, XMA, MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
10/20-21/12
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Radford H. S. Gym)
10/20/12
King of the Cage: Mana
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
10/7/12
Worlds
Master Senior Championship
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, Long Beach, CA)
9/8/12
Destiny: Na Koa
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
9/1/12
Toughman Hawaii
(Boxing)
(Hilo Civic Ctr)
8/18/12
Warpath to Mayhem:
Rumble at the Resort
(MMA)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Lihue, Kauai)
August
King of the Mat
(Submission Grappling)
8/4/12
Maui Open
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina)
7/21/12
Sera's Kajukenbo Martial Arts Tournament
(Continuous Sparring, MMA (Controlled), and Sub. Grappling)
(War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
**CANCELLED**
7/14/12
King of the Cage
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/29/12
Vendetta 5
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
6/16-17/12
State
of Hawaii BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/16/12
Destiny
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/15/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
5/26/12
Toughman Hawaii Presents; King Of The Ring
(Boxing)
(Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium, Hilo)
5/19/12
Scrappler's Fest
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Island School, Lihue, Kauai)
The Quest For Champions
Martial Arts Tournament 2012
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling, Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
5/18/12
Vendetta 4
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
5/4/12
King of the Ring
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
Just Scrap XVI
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku)
4/28/12
Destiny
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower)
4/21/12
Amateur Boxing Event
Smoker Fundraiser
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
4/14/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom, Waipahu)
Hawaiian
Open Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
3/29/12 - 4/1/12
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Irvine, CA)
3/3/12
Warpath to Mayhem:
Rumble at the Resort
(MMA)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Lihue, Kauai)
Vendetta 3
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(Waipahu Filcom, Waipahu)
Toughman Hawaii: Challengers
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic, Hilo)
2/11/12
Amateur Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/4/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
1/21/12
ProElite
MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/15/12
Polynesia
International BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(King Intermediate, Kaneohe)
1/7/12
Toughman Hawaii
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
|
|
November
2012 News Part 2
|
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O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
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well as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
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To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima
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UFC
154 Gate and Attendance
A
total of 17,249 spectators packed the Bell Centre in Montreal
on Saturday to witness UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit with gate
receipts totally $3.14 million.
The
event featured the long awaited return of welterweight champion
Georges St-Pierre in a unification bout with interim titleholder
Carlos Condit in the main event. St-Pierre looked up to his
former form, earning a unanimous decision victory, but it wasn’t
an easy road. Condit landed a high kick to the side of St-Pierre’s
head in the third round, dropping the champion, but was unable
to capitalize on it.
Johny
Hendricks solidified his status as the top contender in the 170-pound
division with a 46-second knockout over Martin Kampmann in the
co-main event.
The
12-fight card featured two submissions, one knockout, one disqualification,
and eight decisions.
Full
UFC 154 Results:
Main
Card (on Pay-Per-View):
St-Pierre def. Carlos Condit by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46,
50-45)
-Johny Hendricks def. Martin Kampmann by KO at :46, R1
-Francis Carmont def. Tom Lawlor by split decision (29-28, 28-29,
29-28)
-Mark Bocek vs. Rafael dos Anjos def. Mark Bocek by unanimous
decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Pablo Garza def. Mark Hominick by unanimous decision (29-27,
30-26, 29-28)
Preliminary
Bouts (on FX):
-Patrick Cote def. Alessio Sakara by Disqualification (strikes
to the back of the head) at 1:26, R1
-Cyrille Diabate def. Chad Griggs by submission (rear naked choke)
at 2:24, R1
-John Makdessi def. Sam Stout by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28,
30-27)
-Antonio Carvalho def. Rodrigo Damm by split decision (29-28,
28-29, 29-28)
Preliminary
Bouts (on Facebook):
-Matt Riddle def. John Maguire by unanimous decision (30-27,
30-27, 29-28)
-Ivan Menjivar def. Azamat Gashimov by submission (arm bar) at
2:44, R1
-Steven Siler vs. Darren Elkins def. Steven Siler by unanimous
decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Cancelled
Due to Illness:
-Nick Ring (13-1) vs. Constantinos Philippou (11-2)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ronda
Rousey First UFC Women’s Champion; You Wanna Fight Her,
You Fight at 135
UFC
president Dana White recently made it official – with the
signing of former Strikeforce champion Ronda Rousey – that
women’s mixed martial arts has finally found a place in
the Octagon… at least, for now.
White
has also been quick to add that he feels there are enough quality
women’s fights to be made for the next couple of years,
but hasn’t laid concrete plans beyond that.
“We’re
kind of playing with it and we’ll see how this thing works
out,” he said following UFC 154 on Saturday night. “I
know this. Over the next couple of years, we’ve got fights
in the 135-pound division. Good fights.”
That
doesn’t mean that he’s not serious about the bringing
women into the Octagon.
He’s
very serious. He’s already declared Ronda Rousey “the
first ever women’s UFC champion.”
But
had you asked Dana White a year or so ago, he would have told
you that the women’s divisions just weren’t deep enough
with talent to have them fighting in the UFC.
He
still believes that to some extent, because the only division
he’s committed to right now is the women’s 135-pound
bantamweight division. It’s the women’s division with
the deepest talent pool to draw from, and with the brightest
star at the top.
As
such, Rousey will be afforded the same treatment as any other
UFC champion. White is expecting her to debut on a pay-per-view,
possibly even headlining.
“She’s
the champ,” remarked White. “Unless there’s a
weight division higher than her that the champ would be defending
the title, then yeah, she’d be the main event.”
He
still fell short of naming the woman that will be standing across
the Octagon from Rousey when she makes her UFC debut, but one
name that has quickly rocketed out of favor is Cris Cyborg.
Saying that it doesn’t seem the Cyborg really wants to fight
Rousey, White afforded no weight class or catchweight concessions
to try and make that fight happen, as much promotional potential
is it might have attached to it.
“I’m
bringing in the 135-pound division. That’s what I’m
doing,” said White, indicating that Cyborg would have to
make the 135-pound class if she wanted to fight Rousey.
That’s
not likely to happen, but for the UFC, Cyborg isn’t the
focal point, Rousey is.
“I
think that Ronda has the potential to be a big star,” said
White. “She’s already getting media that we’ve
never got before and she’s never even set foot in the UFC
yet.”
Rousey
is the one that the UFC is counting on to make a splash, the
one that they can easily promote to force that door open for
women. At the end of day, however, it will take a whole stable
of fighters like Miesha Tate, Liz Carmouche, Sarah Kaufman and
numerous others to establish roots in the Octagon that can’t
be easily torn up.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Dana
White Doesn’t Hate Stephan Bonnar for Taking Steroids, but
Doesn’t Want to Talk to Him
Stephan
Bonnar and Forrest Griffin are often credited as saviors of the
UFC for their epic tooth-and-nail battle on the finale of the
very first Ultimate Fighter season.
That
moment is forever etched in time as the make or break point for
the current iteration of the UFC.
To
say that Bonnar has a special place in UFC president Dana White’s
heart would be an understatement. White, more than anyone, has
constantly told the story of how Bonnar and Griffin’s fight
pulled the UFC back from the brink of extinction.
Which
is all the more reason why White was extremely disappointed when
he found out that Bonnar tested positive for steroids following
his UFC 153 headlining bout with Anderson Silva. That marked
the second time in Bonnar’s career that he had tested positive
for a steroid.
“I
haven’t talked to him since,” White told MMAWeekly.com
following UFC 154 on Saturday night in Montreal. “I don’t
hate him. I just don’t want to talk to him.”
The
fight with Silva was little more than a last gasp for Bonnar,
who had already been contemplating retirement. When Silva stepped
up and needed someone to fight, so that he could help save UFC
153 when the top end of the event fell apart, Bonnar saw an opportunity
of a lifetime and didn’t pass it up.
“It sucks. I think the thing that bums me out the most about
the Stephan Bonnar thing is that he didn’t tell me,”
added White.
“He
wasn’t planning on fighting. He said that he was practicing
to maybe do some pro wrestling and whatever the excuse is. I’ve
known Stephan for a long time. We have a great relationship.
Tell me.”
Without
a commission in place in Brazil to oversee UFC 153, the UFC regulated
itself, hiring an outside agency to conduct drug testing.
Bonnar
was handed down a 12-month suspension, but declared his retirement
prior to the drug test becoming public.
Dave
Herman also tested positive at UFC 153, but for marijuana, not
steroids. The UFC handed him a six-month suspension with the
added stipulation that he must participate in an approved rehabilitation
program, which White confirmed on Saturday night that Herman
agreed to.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MMA
PAPER TRAIL: RATINGS GAME
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship and its cable television partner
made bold choices and declarations in announcing plans for the
next season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which has struggled
mightily in ratings in its first two seasons on FX.
It
was announced the show will be moved off Fridays to another weekday,
and that Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen will serve as coaches for
the show’s 17th season, which premieres in January. In making
the announcement, FX fired a shot across the bow at Spike TV,
which will launch a competing MMA reality series when it begins
broadcasting Bellator Fighting Championship events the same month
“TUF 17” premieres.
The
current season of “TUF,” which wraps next month, has
set new viewership lows for the UFC’s trademark show. The
average audience for the Oct. 12 episode was only 624,000, appreciably
lower than the show ever dipped on Spike. UFC President Dana
White has pointed in the past to strong ratings for TUF 16 in
the desirable Male 18-34 demographic to mitigate gloom. For some
episodes this month, however, that case could not be made. The
Oct. 12 show was sixth among Males 18-34 on cable that night;
among viewers 18-49, the episode didn’t rank in the top
100 shows on cable.
One
of the most oft-cited reasons for the low numbers is TUF’s
Friday night timeslot, among the least desirable in television
for the UFC’s core demographic. FX, which like the rest
of the Fox family is in the first of a seven-year contract with
the UFC, has yet to commit to which night of the week the show
will move to, though Tuesday has been strongly rumored.
On
a media teleconference, FX Executive Vice President Chuck Saftler
said the network would be watching to see what night Spike schedules
Bellator before making a decision. Saftler said Spike should
“watch their ass,” referencing the UFC’s former
network partner using its rights to broadcast “TUF”
reruns and past UFC fights to counter-program “TUF”
on FX and create confusion. Spike, for instance, aired “Best
of The Ultimate Fighter” episodes that went against the
first FX season of TUF earlier this year. The verbal heat has
ramped up considerably in recent weeks between the UFC/Fox and
Spike. Dana White has taken to calling his former partner “Spuke
TV,” and saying they’re trying to take credit for being
architects of the UFC’s explosion in popularity when the
promotion had to buy time from Spike to air the first season
of “TUF.”
The
Jones-Sonnen announcement completely shifted attention away from
the spat between UFC brass and the light heavyweight champion
over the cancellation of UFC 151 in September, which prompted
the first attempt to book Sonnen against Jones. In settling the
issue with Jones prior to his Sept. 22 fight, White reportedly
agreed to never again publicly disparage Jones’ head coach,
Greg Jackson. White branded Jackson a “sport killer”
for swaying Jones to turn down Sonnen as a late replacement.
White
said Sonnen’s willingness to step up to save that show played
a key part in why he got the “TUF” coaching gig over
established, top contenders like Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida.
Henderson, who was slated to face Jones at UFC 151 before suffering
a knee injury, grumbled about the pick, but ended up agreeing
to be one of Sonnen’s assistant coaches on the show. The
Wrestling Observer reported the UFC had originally targeted Jones-Henderson
for its Super Bowl weekend pay-per-view, but that it was determined
Jones’ arm injury wouldn’t have healed in time. In
the interim, Quinton Jackson was offered a slot to coach “TUF”
against Sonnen, but turned down the fight. The decision led to
Sonnen being pulled from the UFC 155 card on Dec. 29, where he
was to face Forrest Griffin, who will instead face Phil Davis.
Jones
was initially opposed to fighting Sonnen, an unranked contender
at 205 pounds who is coming off a sound loss to Anderson Silva.
But Jones has also said he was not in favor of another fight
against Lyoto Machida, because their first fight at UFC 140 did
the lowest pay-per-view buys of any of his title defenses. The
fight Jones took instead of Sonnen, against Vitor Belfort at
UFC 152, is estimated to do slightly less buys than UFC 140.
Sonnen, meanwhile, is coming off an estimated 900,000 buys for
his rematch with Anderson Silva on Independence Day weekend.
“The
Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen” went into
production Oct. 29 and will air over 13 weeks in January. Jones
and Sonnen are penciled in to fight on April 27.
The
“TUF” franchise continues to hum along ingternationally.
The U.K. versus Australia edition of the show wraps next month,
and the second season for Brazilian television will go into production
in January. The UFC has designs on annual Australian versions
of “TUF” and, eventually, a New Zealand version. As
for Brazil, it was announced heavyweights Fabricio Werdum and
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -- known throughout Brazil for his appearance
on a “Dancing with the Stars”-type program -- will
coach on the show before facing off on a June 8, 2013 card in
Brazil. “TUF Brazil 2” will air on the Globo television
network in March. No announcements have been made regarding North
American broadcasts.
Source: Sherdog
|
Should GSP take Silva fight? Champion's next move will be his
most difficult one
MONTREAL -- Life is generally very good at the top. It is for
Georges St-Pierre, the UFC's multi-millionaire poster boy who
has blue-chip sponsors, a growing legacy and the adoration of
millions. If it's good to be the king, it's great to be GSP.
But things are about to get a wee bit more uncomfortable for
the UFC welterweight champion. Even before returning after 19
months away and with Carlos Condit standing in the way, talk
of a super fight with middleweight champion Anderson Silva began,
and it's only going to intensify after St-Pierre's stellar performance
at UFC 154.
St-Pierre
asked for and will receive a break following his gritty performance,
but a weighty decision lies in his near future. Namely, whether
he should accept or decline an offered mega-bout against middleweight
champion Anderson Silva.
This
is a possibility that has been pondered for years, ever since
St-Pierre began to solidify his hold on the welterweight division.
At the time, there were few perceived threats to Silva, leading
many to wonder how St-Pierre's unrivaled wrestling skills would
play out against him.
Now,
the landscape has changed and for the fight to happen, the UFC
would have to look past potential Silva matchups with Chris Weidman
or Michael Bisping, should either win their next bout. St-Pierre
also has a clear top contender in Johny Hendricks, who won in
smashing fashion at UFC 154 with a crushing knockout of Martin
Kampmann.
That
won't be hard to do considering the mind-boggling possibilities
around the proposed bout. On Saturday night, UFC president Dana
White publicly said the promotion's goal would be to draw 100,000
fans if the fight was held at the massive Cowboys Stadium in
Dallas, a venue that has been targeted by the company in the
past. Those staggering expectations require not just a super
fight but a super card, and so far, the timing has never been
right to line everything up correctly. The other time it was
looked at was when the UFC negotiated with Fedor Emelianenko
to fight Brock Lesnar.
This,
however, is a completely different situation, as the UFC has
both fighters under contract, and scheduled in sync. While a
bout generating the GDP of some small nations would likely require
contract renegotiations so each fighter could benefit from the
financial windfall, White doesn't expect that to be a major hurdle.
Instead,
nearly all the weight for the decision will ride on St-Pierre.
White obviously wants to promote the fight, Silva is on the record
as wanting it as his next match, and so the rest is up to GSP.
Though
he didn't shut the door on it, St-Pierre didn't exactly sound
very enthused about the prospect of fighting Silva, citing the
size differential between them. It's hard to blame him. All he
has to do is move up in weight to face MMA's all-time G.O.A.T.?
It's not the most favorable situation, even most proponents of
the matchup would admit.
"To
me it seems like Silva -- and this is going to sound bad -- but
it sounds like he's picking on Georges, just based on size,"
UFC middleweight Tom Lawlor said earlier this week. "Like
a bigger guy picking on a smaller guy rather than him and Jon
Jones are kind of comparable in size, more so at least than St-Pierre
and Silva. That's not a fight I personally want to see. I know
a lot of fans do just to see who would walk out with the win,
but I'm not one of them."
The
fact that as Lawlor notes, there seems to be a growing sentiment
that Silva might more appropriately match up with light-heavyweight
champ Jon Jones in a super fight, provides St-Pierre with some
ammunition to say no. But the fact is, most fans want to see
any champion vs. champion super fight, a rarity in the UFC, and
would be wildly enthused to see the pairing of the widely considered
Nos. 1 & 2 pound-for-pound best once the fight is signed.
The
flip side argument is that accepting the match would rub off
some of the criticism of St-Pierre as a calculated and risk-averse
athlete. His performance against Condit certainly lent itself
to that change. Agreeing to the fight with Silva might erase
it forever.
Moreover,
a win would almost certainly leap frog him over Silva in the
pound-for-pound greatest of all time debates. There's no question
that whoever puts an end to Silva's invincible air will benefit
from that in any historical argument. With St-Pierre's status
as the matchup's smaller man, well, it's almost doubly impressive.
After
19 months away, St-Pierre returned with fire and gusto, and a
smile on his face, saying he had fun again. Earlier this week,
his jiu-jitsu coach John Danaher said that in the gym, he saw
a young, fresh-faced kid instead of a weary champion who was
only worried about keeping his belt. St-Pierre convinced himself
that he was chasing Condit and not the other way around. The
challenge fueled him.
Against
Silva, he wouldn't have to pretend he was an underdog; he actually
would be one. After he gets his upcoming days of rest, perhaps
he'll see that there's no greater puzzle than the one Silva provides.
Yes, the size differential is daunting, but the greatest reward
requires the greatest risk. No matter what, the Quebecois is
going to face a worthy adversary, and he owes us nothing, but
if he wants to chase the ultimate challenge, St-Pierre vs. Silva
is not just the fight for now, it is a fight for all time.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Renan
Barao may defend interim bantamweight belt vs. Michael McDonald
MONTREAL -- Interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao may be
asked to defend that belt instead of taking on injured champ
Dominick Cruz, UFC president Dana White said after UFC 154.
White
made the revelation while discussing Carlos Condit's decision
to wait nine months and fight Georges St-Pierre instead of defending
his interim belt. White said the two situations were not comparable,
as the UFC had asked Condit to jump through hoops while pushing
him aside for Nick Diaz on one occasion.
"We
were talking about Barao defending his title now," White
said. "Whether he wants to wait or not, we're going to go
back to him soon probably here and have him defend it."
When
asked if McDonald would be the challenger, he said, "I think
so, yeah."
McDonald
is undefeated during his Zuffa tenure, winning all five of his
fights, including his last two by knockout. His last victory,
a 3-minute, 18-second KO of Miguel Torres, stamped him as a contender.
He's 15-1 overall, but has been recovering from a hand injury
since the Torres fight.
Barao
has one of the longest unbeaten streaks in MMA, going 30 consecutive
fights without a loss. He took a unanimous decision from Urijah
Faber in July to capture the interim belt.
Champion
Cruz is still shelved while rehabilitating a surgically repaired
torn ACL, with no set timetable for his return.
Source: MMA Fighting |
UFC
154 Fighter Bonuses: GSP and Carlos Condit Deliver Fight of the
Night
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship handed out $70,000 bonuses for
in-Octagon performances following UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit
at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada on Saturday. Georges
St-Pierre, Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks, and Ivan Menjivar
took home the bonus awards.
Fight
of the Night went to the main event fighters, Georges St-Pierre
and Carlos Condit. The two went the distance in a bloody battle
to unify the welterweight championship. St-Pierre controlled
Condit with his superior grappling to garner a unanimous decision.
Condit had his moment in the third round, when he landed a high
kick that dropped St-Pierre, but was unable to finish the champion.
The
Knockout of the Night award came in the co-main event between
Johny Hendricks and Martin Kampmann. Hendricks solidified his
status as the top contender in the welterweight division by dispatching
of Kampmann in just 46 seconds with a devastating left hand.
Submission of the Night honors went to Ivan Menjivar. ”The
Pride of El Salvador” secured an armbar victory over Azamat
Gashimov in preliminary action. The fight aired on Facebook.
The
Las Vegas based promotion awarded a total of $280,000 in bonuses
following UFC 154.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Anderson
Silva on GSP, “This is New Georges. This is New; I Like
It!”
UFC
middleweight Anderson Silva – the center of much speculation
surrounding a superfight involving Georges St-Pierre – was
Octagonside at UFC 154 at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Saturday
night to witness St-Pierre’s return to fighting after more
than a year and a half out of action.
He
liked what he saw.
“This
is new Georges. This is new; I like it,” said Silva in an
interview with Fuel TV following the fight.
St-Pierre
had to go the distance with Carlos Condit, but he fought through
being dropped by a head kick to dominate the fight, re-establishing
himself as the undisputed UFC welterweight champion.
With
all the talk of the superfight, many assumed it was a given if
St-Pierre won the fight. It may happen, but UFC president Dana
White already said that he’s going to give GSP a little
time to recuperate before broaching the subject with him. Fuel
TV, however, broached the subject with Silva on Saturday night,
and he was definitive in his response. He wants to fight Georges
St-Pierre… in his next fight.
“Yeah,
this is my plan, but it’s not my decision,” said Silva.
One area where he might differ from White, and one of the reasons
why the UFC president said the bout was far from a done deal,
is negotiations over factors such as timing.
White
indicated that he would like to see the fight happen at Cowboys
Stadium in Dallas, and as soon as May of 2013. Silva isn’t
quite so sure about that. He likes the location, but timing weighs
on his mind.
“No.
I need time for training. I need time for preparation for this
fight,” he responded when asked about a May timeframe.
The
questions about a superfight will continue to swirl until steps
are made toward each man’s next fight. The ball seems to
be in St-Pierre’s court, however, as Silva has lobbied for
the fight, and on Saturday night, confirmed once again, it is
the fight he wants.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
Granted Permission to Promote Alistair Overeem Fight, Not So
for Nick Diaz
It’s
not standard operating procedure that the Ultimate Fighting Championship
starts putting together a fight and promoting it before a fighter
under suspension returns and regains his license to compete.
That’s
exactly what is happening, however, with former Strikeforce,
Dream and K-1 champion Alistair Overeem.
Overeem
is expected to step in the Octagon with Antonio “Bigfoot”
Silva on Feb. 2 at UFC 156 in Las Vegas, little more than a month
after his current nine-month suspension is fulfilled.
Overeem
must still go before the Nevada Athletic Commission at it’s
monthly meeting in January to get approved for his license. That
will be early to mid-month, which is pushing it pretty close
for a fight that is slated for just a couple weeks later.
UFC
president Dana White on Saturday night acknowledged the special
circumstance, confirming to reporters following UFC 154, that
they asked for and received permission from the Nevada commission
to go ahead and start promotion Overeem for UFC 156.
“We
asked the commission, can we start setting up a fight for him,
but he’s still got to go before the commission (in January),”
explained White.
That’s
not to say that things couldn’t go awry. It’s highly
unlikely that the Nevada commission would approve of promoting
an Overeem bout if he wasn’t likely to regain his license
in the state, but it’s not guaranteed that he will automatically
be granted a license either.
“I
think Alistair has been doing the right thing as far as the commission
is concerned and doing all the things that he needs to do to
get back in their good graces,” said White. “It’s
looking positive and optimistic because he’s been doing
what he’s supposed to do.”
One
other fighter that could be eligible to come back from suspension
soon, as well, is Nick Diaz. He is currently serving a 12-month
suspension for a second marijuana offense in Nevada.
There had been some chatter on Twitter recently that Diaz and
Josh Koscheck agreeable to fighting each other on the UFC 156
fight card. The problem being, Diaz’s suspension runs through
Feb. 4 before he is eligible to reapply for his license in Nevada.
So
would the UFC be granted any sort of exception for Diaz to return?
“Nope,”
White put it bluntly, although he didn’t exactly say that
they had even asked permission to promote Diaz, nor did he indicate
they were working on a fight for him.
Diaz,
of course, has had a much more contentious relationship with,
well, just about everyone, but particularly with the Nevada Athletic
Commission. His licensure may not be as cut and dry as Overeem’s
is likely to be, plus, UFC 156 falls on Feb. 2, two full days
before the duration of Diaz’s suspension, making it a much
different scenario.
While
Diaz appears to be mired on the sidelines, however, expect to
see Alistair Overeem back in the Octagon at UFC 156 on Super
Bowl weekend.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
St-Pierre
gets the better of game Condit at UFC 154
And the answer is written: Georges St-Pierre proved he’s
still the best in the welterweight business in front of a packed
Bell Centre arena in Montreal, Canada, where UFC 154 unfolded
this Saturday.
Steven
Siler vs. Darren Elkins
In
the featherweight division, Darren Elkins controlled the action
in the first fight of the night and won by unanimous decision.
Elkins played from the top and was able to attack with a vicious
guillotine in round 1 and nearly pulled off a rear-naked choked
in round 2, but in round three he had to even survive a choke
attempt himself before getting things back under control before
handing the fight to the judges and winning via decision.
Elkins
goes for a guillotine attempt in round 1 during his bout at UFC
154, in Montreal, Canada
Ivan
Menjivar vs. Azamat Gashimov
This
fight lasted barely more than two minutes. Starting out from
his guard, El Salvadorean fighter Menjivar caught Azamat Gashimov
with a tight armbar to end the action.
Ivan
Menjivar extends Azamat Gashimov’s arm to win at UFC 154
Matt
Riddle vs. John Maguire
Keeping
the action on the feet for most of the fight, Riddle takes the
unanimous decision and despite all the cheering, he apologizes
for (a supposed) lack of action.
UFC
154: Matt Riddle excites the crown in between rounds.
Antonio
Carvalho vs. Rodrigo Damm
Without
any exciting exchanging over the three rounds, Antonio Carvalho
takes the fight by split decision. The edge was surely the leg
kicks Antonio was able to connect.
Sam
Stout vs. John Makdessi
And
the “Bull” John Makdessi makes the most of a string
of vicious jabs to edge out Stout via unanimous decision.
Cyrille
Diabate vs. Chad Griggs
And
the Frenchman Cyrille Diabate brought some 2 minutes and 24 seconds
of excitement to the Bell Centre, as landed an accurate straight
fist and, a few moments later, ended the bout with a tight choke
from the back.
Patrick
Cote vs. Alessio Sakara
The
last fight on the undercard ended in controversy, as Sakara dropped
Cote with some powerful elbows but finished the fight with strikes
to the back the head and was disqualified, throwing away what
seemed to be a quick win.
Mark
Hominick vs. Pablo Garza
After
imposing damaging ground and pound for the last two rounds, an
emotional Pablo Garza took the unanimous decision over Mark Hominick.
The even first round was one of the best of the night by that
point.
Pablo
Garza leans towards Mark Hominick on the way to winning at UFC
154.
Rafael
dos Anjos vs. Mark Bocek
In
what could be considered his best performance ever, Rafael Dos
Anjos dominated Bocek to earn the unanimous decision. The Brazilian
stopped all takedown attempts from the skilled opponent and got
the best of him in all aspects of the bout: endurance, grappling,
takedowns and striking.
Rafael
dos Anjos displayed off-the-curve athleticism in his victory
over Bocek on UFC 154.
Francis
Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor
Although
nothing really determinant happened during the match, Tom Lawlor
did get most of the takedowns and submission attempts, which
wasn’t enough to convince the judges he was the best man
in the octagon at that point in the night, and thus Francis Carmont
was handed the split decision.
Martin
Kampmann vs. Johny Hendricks
Kampmann’s
back landed on the canvas heavy like a cement bag a fraction
of second after Hendricks’s left fist slammed into the Danish
bruiser’s face. Certainly not the fight of the night, as
the UFC president had predicted, but it was definitely the KO
of the night.
Johny
Hendricks’s left hand rears its head again, against Kampmann
at UFC 154
Georges
St.-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit
“The
things we don’t see are the most dangerous things, and I
never saw that kick”, said the champion, complimenting Carlos
Condit’s on his efforts from the third round. But, atthe
end of the day, the Canadian Georges St-Pierre was the one wearing
the belt once again after a fifth round was over. He earned the
unanimous decision displaying accurate takedowns, great ground
and pound, and lots of pressure. To Condit’s credit, he
displayed true gameness, a skilled guard, and bright moments,
specially the third-round kick and a good punch in the fourth
but that all fell short against a champion with a lion’s
heart.
GSP
is interviewed by Joe Rogan after arguably his toughest fight
ever.
UFC
154
Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada
November 17, 2012
Georges
Saint-Pierre defeated Carlos Condit via unanimous judges’
decision;
Johny Hendricks knocked out Martin Kampmann at 45 seconds of
R1;
Francis Carmont defeated Tom Lawlor via split decision;
Rafael dos Anjos defeated Mark Bocek via unanimous decision;
Pablo Garza defeated Mark Hominick via unanimous decision.
Under
card
Patrick
Cote defeated Alessio Sakara via disqualification (strikes to
back of head) at 1:26 min of R1;
Cyrille Diabate subbed Chad Griggs via rear-naked choke at 2:24
min of R1;
John Makdessi defeated Sam Stout via unanimous decision;
Antonio Carvalho defeated Rodrigo Damm via split decision;
Matthew Riddle defeated John Maguire via unanimous decision;
Ivan Menjivar subbed Azamat Gashimov via armbar at 2:44 min of
R1;
Darren Elkins defeated Steven Stiler via unanimous decision.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Georges
St-Pierre's long-awaited return proves rousing success; attention
turns to Silva superfight
MONTREAL
– One only needed to listen to the ear-splitting roar of
the crowd at the Bell Centre on Saturday to understand how badly
the UFC missed welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre for the
past 18 months.
The sport's biggest star had been sidelined with two separate
knee injuries, one of which put his career in jeopardy. In his
absence, the UFC's smooth path to mainstream acceptance suddenly
became very bumpy.
But as St-Pierre skipped down the aisle to the cage for his title
bout with Carlos Condit in the main event of UFC 154, it was
clear that all was right within the UFC universe once again.
St-Pierre went out and was a better version of himself than he
had been before his ACL tear, using his wrestling to control
Carlos Condit and win a unanimous decision before a crowd of
17,249. The win put him firmly back into the pound-for-pound
conversation and gave UFC president Dana White a series of big-fight
options.
Middleweight champion Anderson Silva sat watching at ringside,
a reminder of the superfight that so many fans want to see. But
in the co-main event, Johny Hendricks made a very loud and very
authoritative statement for a welterweight title shot against
St-Pierre with a 46-second knockout of Martin Kampmann.
The crowd's only disappointment after the main event was when
St-Pierre failed to call out Silva. He said he'd need a vacation
and take time to think about it.
To the shock and near-horror of the pro-St-Pierre crowd, Condit
nearly finished the bout when he landed a kick to the head in
the third round and landed some shots on the ground.
St-Pierre survived, though, and went on to a dominant win. Judges
had it 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46.
He was in no mood to consider Silva, or any other fight after
it was over. His head was swollen and misshapen, his face was
covered with welts and he had stitches to close cuts on his nose
and below his left eye.
"Before I put some ice on it, my head was shaped like a
football, an American football," St-Pierre said.
[UFC 154 results: GSP shows little ring rust in dominant win
over Carlos Condit]
The drama of the moment was lost when St-Pierre failed to demand
a fight with Silva. At the post-fight news conference, he spent
considerable time talking about the size difference between them.
Silva suggested before the fight that he would be agreeable to
coming down to 177 to meet St-Pierre. St-Pierre, though, didn't
welcome the Silva talk before the fight and he wasn't too thrilled
with it afterward.
"I just came back and I was fighting Carlos Condit and everybody
was asking me about Anderson Silva," St-Pierre said. "This
is disrespectful to me and disrespectful to my opponent. I have
to give more attention to the challenger that I have. The guy
is the best in the world and I needed to focus on that opponent
and not think about the next step.
"Right now, I just finished my fight, and the same answer,
I'm going to say. I need to recompose and think about it. I got
hit a lot on the head. I need a break. The thing is, we fight
at 177 and I show up at 185. He's maybe 205, 210. I don't know
how big he is, maybe he's even 225, 230. He's a big guy."
His return was emotional and he said he was committed to being
as good as he could be. He had received plenty of criticism after
failing to finish his previous four fights. All of them were
decisions in primarily low-risk, low-drama fights.
On Saturday, he again used his wrestling to control the bout,
taking Condit down repeatedly and busting him open early. This
time, though, rather than simply pin Condit for long stretches,
St-Pierre went after him, looking for the finish.
It's not in his nature to go wild, but he fought with more passion
than he had in some time.
"I don't care about the critics and what they say,"
St-Pierre said. "I gave everything I had tonight. I am who
I am. I use my body the best that I can. I don't have the knockout
power of a Rampage Jackson or the athletic ability of a Jon Jones
or the athletic ability of an Anderson Silva or the wrestling
of a Chael Sonnen. But I use my body, the tools that I have,
the best that I can and it's why I win fights."
Georges
St-Pierre fights Carlos Condit at UFC 154. (Courtesy Tracy Lee
for Y! Sports)
He was brilliant against a very willing and courageous challenger.
Condit would likely have beaten most welterweights in the world
with the way he fought on Saturday, but it wasn't good enough
against St-Pierre.
Condit incorporated a lot of kicks into his plan, which nearly
worked when he clipped St-Pierre in the head in the third. But
throwing kicks at a fighter with St-Pierre's wrestling skills
is a risk and St-Pierre took advantage of it several times Saturday.
"Honestly, I felt whether I kicked or whether I didn't,
he was probably going to take me down, so I might as well have
kicked," Condit said. "And, you know, I almost closed
it out with one of them. It was more the timing of the kicks
than anything. Game planning for Georges, we were working on
timing. If he's shooting in and we kick and catch him with it,
well, then, you never know."
There's going to be plenty of speculation over the next few weeks
about whether White will be able to make Silva-St-Pierre. It
would undoubtedly be the biggest fight in UFC history and likely
would crush all gate and pay-per-view marks.
Silva said he wants the fight and flew to Montreal from Brazil
to discuss it with White.
Before the bout, he was already beginning to hype the theoretical
match ever so slightly.
"Georges has good jiu-jitsu, good grappling and good stand-up,"
Silva said. "But I have more time in the Octagon."
It would be an incredible spectacle, though Hendricks suddenly
made himself a viable contender with his destruction of Kampmann.
In his last three bouts, he's knocked Jon Fitch out in 12 seconds,
beaten Josh Koscheck and knocked out Kampmann in 46 seconds.
"I'm a wrestler and I can knock people out," Hendricks
said, beaming. "That's pretty sweet."
Even though the majority of the card was substandard, the night
turned out sweetly for the UFC.
It has a massive task ahead if it wants to put together a St-Pierre-Silva
meeting. A St-Pierre-Hendricks fight is suddenly way more appealing.
And Condit acquitted himself so well, he'll remain at or near
the top of the division, poised for big fights.
White was in no hurry to force St-Pierre to make a choice.
"He was off 18 months and he'd just been in a war,"
White said of St-Pierre. "You could tell in that fifth round,
he was hurt and he was tired. When a fighter comes back after
that long of a layoff and after that type of surgery he had,
he [needs time]. He probably feels like he got hit by a bus.
I'm not even going to talk to him about it for a couple of weeks."
But White wore still wore a smile most of Saturday, a sure sign
that his biggest star was finally back.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
WRESTLING
PROVES IT IS ALIVE AND WELL AT THE NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC
WASHINGTON,
D.C. -- Walking through the halls of Bender Arena, I was in shock.
There was a mob of people outside the venue an hour and a half
before the doors even opened.
I
had done research on past events; in most articles, the storyline
was typical: “Look at all these great wrestlers with no
one to watch them.” Attendance hadn’t always been stellar
at past events, and seeing as how I was relative novice when
it came to attending collegiate wrestling matches, I expected
a similar turnout at the 2012 NWCA Classic at American University
in Washington, D.C.
I
had my story written before I walked through the door. But I
was in for a surprise.
Before
the event began, as the crowd watched a montage of Jeff Blatnick’s
career on the jumbo-tron and observed a moment of silence in
remembrance of his passing, I realized that while some of wrestling’s
greats may be gone, the sport is still going as strong as ever.
Even with MMA poaching some of its top talent, as University
of Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy tells me, “there’s
no question that MMA and wrestling enhance each other.”
But
why would an athlete, when faced with choosing between wrestling
-- which pays almost nothing even at the highest level -- and
professional MMA, choose to wrestle? We see fighters like Canadian
prospect Rory MacDonald, who began simply as a mixed martial
artist instead of coming into MMA with a background in a specific
discipline. In the modern age of MMA, why wrestle?
“I
think it’s ignorant to think that MMA can survive without
wrestling. Wrestling can survive without MMA. They should feed
off each other,” McCoy elaborates. “MMA gives wrestlers
a viable option if they don’t want to go into coaching or
the Olympics, and it’s an easy transition for them. Wrestling
prepares your MMA champions. I want to see wrestlers be successful
in MMA. I’m a supporter of it.”
But
why did this event fill with 3,376 people, while other NWCA Classics
failed to draw? The same reason why MMA matches between all-time
greats draws more viewers than, say, Pat Barry versus Cheick
Kongo.
“You
may not get one versus two every match, but you will get [wrestlers]
in the top five. That’s what makes it huge,” McCoy
said. “The hype was the super-match between David Taylor,
who is an NCAA champion, and Kyle Dake, who is a three-time NCAA
champion at three different weight classes. That’s what
a lot of people came here to see.”
The
D.C. area had never had a wrestling event of this size or scope
before, yet the crowd was raucous as Penn State Nittany Lion
Nico Megaludis opened the night with a victory over Illinois’
Jesse Delgado. The Penn State fans had trekked five-plus hours
to the nation's capital, and their voices were heard loudly as
they chanted their traditional “We are Penn State,”
call and response. Currently headed by former four-time NCAA
champion and Olympic freestyle gold medalist Cael Sanderson,
the Penn State wrestling program has a long and storied history
littered with national champions like UFC light heavyweight Phil
Davis.
The
upstart program at the University of Maryland does not have that
same long and storied tradition of winning. However, even at
Maryland, wrestling fandom grows. As Josh Asper, a senior All-American
for the Terrapins, walked onto the mat to take on Jordan Blanton
of Illinois, chants of “Asper-ator” permeated the space
surrounding one particularly dedicated fan. A lawyer in the local
D.C. area, this fan attends every match of Asper’s.
As
Dake and Taylor faced off in the center of the mat, the cheers
rivaled any MMA match I had been to. This loud and fervent fan
base was getting their version of Georges St. Pierre versus Anderson
Silva. As the two wrestlers exchanged takedown attempts and ankle
picks over the course of a nine-minute, six-period long match,
the crowd went wild. Victorious, Dake took in the cheers of the
crowd who had traveled from various points in the country to
see this match. While walking around Bender Arena, I talked to
fans from California who had traveled 3000 miles just to attend
the event.
The
sport is alive and well. Though an innovator like Jeff Blatnick
may have passed on, his efforts to develop a partnership between
wrestling and MMA are not forgotten in either community.
“Ironically
enough, all the Division I head coaches were together at a coaching
summit. [Cornell University head coach] Rob Koll came to me and
had a text that Jeff Blatnick had passed. By the end of the meeting,
it was confirmed,” McCoy said. “It’s ironic that
all the Division I coaches were together, because that’s
who Jeff Blatnick was to the sport. He announced the NCAA tournament.
He announced the Olympic Trials. He announced the Olympics. He
was a huge part of wrestling. Being from New York, he was an
inspiration after the fact that we had a New York guy who won
a gold medal. He paved the way. Truly, he will never be replaced.”
As
the night closed, Dake, Asper and Taylor were all mobbed by a
group of children looking for their autographs. Though tired,
sweaty, and probably bogged down with missed classwork, they
stayed and signed every autograph asked of them.
So
why would anyone choose this over MMA?
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Source:
Romolo Barros
|
Georges
St-Pierre Not Distracted by Anderson Silva (UFC 154 Media Scrum)
by Damon
Martin
Everyone
is talking about the potential superfight between Georges St-Pierre
and Anderson Silva, but as always, GSP stays focused on the task
at hand.
“It
don’t take nothing of my focus. I don’t care about
that. (Anderson) can do whatever he wants,” declared St-Pierre
at Thursday UFC 154 open workouts in a scrum with the media.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Potential
Georges St. Pierre-Anderson Silva Super Fight Casts Shadow on
UFC 154 Main Event
By Brian
Knapp
Ultimate
Fighting Championship President Dana White wants the fight. Middleweight
champion Anderson Silva seems to want the fight. Now, if they
could only get Georges St. Pierre to cooperate.
St.
Pierre will return from a lengthy injury-induced layoff to defend
his welterweight crown against interim titleholder Carlos Condit
in the UFC 154 main event on Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
The 31-year-old Canadian last fought in April 2011, when he defeated
Jake Shields by unanimous decision. Soon after, a serious knee
injury and resulting surgery stalled his career.
While
many consider the St. Pierre-Condit unification bout a blockbuster
in its own right, White has designs on a far more ambitious pairing,
one featuring St. Pierre and Silva in a pound-for-pound super
fight between UFC champions. The UFC boss expects the Brazilian
to be in attendance to watch St. Pierre in Montreal.
“There’s
no doubt Anderson Silva is there to cheer Georges St. Pierre
on,” White said during a pre-fight media call. “He
wants him to win this fight, and he wants to fight him after.
The fight has to happen, people.”
White
already has mapped out three potential locales for the Silva-St.
Pierre super fight: Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the
Rogers Centre in Toronto or a soccer stadium in Brazil. Cowboys
Stadium may be the most intriguing of the three. Home to the
NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, it seats 80,000 fans for football
games but can be reconfigured to hold more than 100,000. It drew
50,994 to a boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey
in March 2010 and could conceivably draw far more to a UFC event
featuring St. Pierre and Silva.
“We’ve
been talking to the Cowboys guys for a while,” White said.
“Whenever we want to do an event there, they’re ready
for it.”
St.
Pierre, who has remained non-committal on the idea of facing
Silva, has kept his focus on the man in front of him.
“I
don't care about Anderson Silva; he can do whatever he wants,”
he said. “I’m focusing on Carlos Condit, and that’s
all that matters for me.”
Though
the St. Pierre-Silva discussion leaves him as something of a
forgotten man, Condit understands the interest behind a potential
showdown between two of the sport’s most accomplished fighters.
“Yeah,
a GSP-Anderson fight intrigues me,” he said. “They’re
the two best fighters to step into the Octagon. You want to see
who’s the best, but first thing’s first. I have to
do my thing. It’s definitely motivating. I like playing
the role of spoiler.
“There’s
a lot of people in the sport and media that are overlooking me
and are looking forward to a super fight between Georges and
Anderson,” Condit added. “I’m looking to get in
there and do my thing and hopefully change [their] plans.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
on FOX 6 official for Chicago with flyweight title bout, 'Rampage'-Teixeira
co-main
by Matt
Erickson
The
UFC returns for another mid-winter fight card in the Windy City
in January, and tickets for the event go on sale later this month.
"UFC
on FOX: Johnson vs. Dodson" is official for Chicago's United
Center on Jan. 26. The main event features the first flyweight
title defense of Demetrious Johnson (16-2-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) against
top contender John Dodson (14-5 MMA, 3-0 UFC).
UFC
officials on Thursday announced the card, with tickets for the
event on sale to the general public Nov. 30 with pre-sale dates
on Nov. 28 and Nov. 29.
"Chicago
is a great fight town and we’re excited to come back to
the United Center on Jan. 26," UFC President Dana White
stated. "This will be our first big event on FOX for 2013,
and we've lined up an incredible card, including the flyweight
title fight."
Also
on the main card is a light heavyweight bout between former champion
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (32-10 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and
Glover Teixeira (19-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in the co-feature slot and
a lightweight contenders fight between former WEC champ Anthony
Pettis (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Donald Cerrone (19-4 MMA, 6-1
UFC).
The
UFC last was in Chicago for UFC on FOX 2 at the United Center
this past January. Then, as with this time around for UFC on
FOX 6, the event takes place in the NFL's off week between the
conference championship games and the Super Bowl.
Sources
close to the event on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com)
that the main card on FOX will feature four fights – though
the fourth has not yet been announced. The main card will air
live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
But
the UFC has some local Chicago options to pick from if it so
chooses.
Featherweights
Erik Koch (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Ricardo Lamas (12-2 MMA, 3-0
UFC), who lives and trains in the suburbs, meet in what could
be a No. 1 contenders fight. Chicago area native Clay Guida (29-13
MMA, 9-7 UFC) will make his featherweight debut after a long
run at lightweight when he meets Hatsu Hioki (26-5-2 MMA, 2-1
UFC). And Mike Russow (15-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC), a Chicago police officer,
and Shawn Jordan (13-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will clash at heavyweight.
Tickets
for the event are priced between $40 and $250, plus fees, and
will be available at Ticketmaster locations as well as the United
Center box office.
The
latest UFC on FOX 6 card now includes:
Champion
Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson - for flyweight title
Quinton Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira
Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis
Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas
Clay Guida vs. Hatsu Hioki
Shawn Jordan vs. Mike Russow
T.J. Grant vs. Matt Wiman
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
FX
official: The Ultimate Fighter moving to Wednesday 'unlikely'
By Dave
Meltzer
Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE
Officials
at FX say an announcement will be made in the next two or three
weeks of the new time slot for the show.
Officials
from FX are denying an official decision that 'The Ultimate Fighter'
(TUF) reality show will be moving to Wednesday in early 2013,
and have gone as far as to say it not likely to happen that way.
The
story of the move to Wednesday was first broken on The Fight
Network, a Canadian television channel which covers boxing, MMA
and pro wrestling. In an interview with Malki Kawa, the manager
of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Kawa contended Wednesday
would be the home of the upcoming season featuring Jones opposite
Chael Sonnen. The season will begin airing on FX in January,
and lead to a scheduled title fight between the two on April
27 in Newark, N.J. UFC President Dana White confirmed to MMAFighting.com
the Wednesday move.
However,
FX officials say not so fast.
"FX
has not announced the official date or night that the next installment
of TUF will air, however, it is highly unlikely it will air Wednesday
nights," wrote Dominic Pagone, the Vice President of Media
Relations of FX in a message to MMAFighting.com. "The official
announcement will be coming in the next two or three weeks."
Before
making the move to FX earlier this year, Ultimate Fighter had
built up a steady audience that usually hovered between 1.2 million
and 1.6 million viewers in a Wednesday night time 10 p.m. time
slot on Spike TV. This current season, airing on Friday nights
at 10 p.m. on the significantly higher rated FX, the show has
ranged between 624,000 and 1.06 million viewers.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Matt
Mitrione Steps into TUF 16 Finale Main Event Opposite Roy Nelson
by Ken
Pishna
Just
24 hours after announcing the Shane Carwin blew out his knee
and had to withdraw from his Ultimate Fighter Finale headlining
bout with Roy Nelson, UFC officials have a new foe in place for
Nelson.
The
TUF 16 head coach will now square off with a former castmate
of his from when he was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter:
The Heavyweights, Matt Mitrione.
Carwin
and Nelson coached opposite each other during the TUF 16 season,
while Nelson and Mitrione were actually on the same Team Rashad
Evans during the TUF 10 season.
Nelson
(17-7), in his most recent action, is coming off of a victory
over Dave Herman at UFC 146. That victory put him above the .500
mark during his UFC tenure, advancing his record to 4-3 in Octagon.
Mitrione
(5-1), meanwhile, hasn’t fought in more than a year. His
last bout was a loss to Cheick Kongo at UFC 137 in October 2011.
He
was already slated to square off with Phil DeFries at UFC 155
on Dec. 29, but answered the call when the UFC needed a new main
event for the TUF 16 Finale. DeFries is awaiting a new opponent,
but is expected to remain on the UFC 155 fight card.
Mitrione,
a former professional football player, has spent his entire professional
MMA career in the Octagon, winning his first five bouts prior
to the Kongo loss.
The
Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale is slated for Dec. 15 at the Hard
Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Doctor
involved in Ryan Gracie’s death sentenced to community service
Five
years later, the psychiatrist Sabino Ferreira de Farias was condemned
for his involvement in the death of Ryan Gracie, a Jiu-Jitsu
and MMA hero from the days of now-defunct Japanese promotion
Pride FC. On December 15, 2007, Ryan was found dead in a cell
at the 91st District Police Department, in São Paulo City’s
West Side.
Sabino,
who at the time admitted to prescribing the fighter a cocktail
containing six different drugs, was given a sentence of one year
and four months of community service, as well as a fine of 250
Brazilian minimum monthly salaries (2007 value) to be paid to
the victim’s (Ryan Gracie’s) dependents.
According
to the law, Sabino can still appeal in freedom.
Flavia
Gracie, the fighter’s sister, commented on the case in an
open letter to the press:
“Fortunately,
after more than five years and a daily struggle to prove the
culpability of this irresponsible hack who calls himself a doctor,
we have reached the end of a major battle. (…) ‘Doctor’
Sabino was condemned for manslaughter, negligence, imprudence
and malpractice. He will perform community service. I realize
it is a very light sentence given how he has taken a life. But
we feel victorious for having proved him an irresponsible person.
We thus hope to prevent him from committing further crimes or
devastating the lives of other families.”
Flavio
said that now the fight is to keep him from practicing his profession
as a psychiatrist.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Jon
Fitch vs. Demian Maia set for UFC 156
By Dave
Doyle
Mark Nolan
Another
fight of divisional consequence has been added to UFC 156 on
Feb. 2.
Jon
Fitch will fight Demian Maia in a welterweight showdown at the
Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on the evening before
the Super Bowl.
The
bout features two veterans looking to build on recent momentum.
Maia (17-4) has won both of his fights since dropping down from
middleweight: First a quick win over Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 148
after Kim suffered a fluke injury; then an impressive neck-crank
submission win over Rick Story at UFC 153.
Fitch
(24-4-1, 1 no-contest), meanwhile, is looking to return to the
form which had him ranked in most pound-for-pound polls as recently
as two years ago. After enduring an injury-ravaged year and a
half, Fitch turned in one of the most impressive performances
of his career at UFC 153, as he submitted up-and-coming star
Erick Silva with a Fight of the Night-winning unanimous decision.
UFC
officials announced the bout on Thursday.
UFC
156 features several bouts of significance in their divisions:
Jose Aldo Jr. defends the featherweight title against Frankie
Edgar; light heavyweights Rashad Evans and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
meet up; and heavyweight Alistair Overeem is expected to face
Antonio Silva, if Overeem is cleared by the Nevada Athletic Commission
when his suspension ends.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Darren
Towler Injured, Tomasz Czerwinski Meets Neil Grove for Interim
HW Title at UCMMA 31
By Mike
Whitman
Darren
Towler has suffered an injury and will be unable to defend his
Ultimate Challenge MMA heavyweight title against Neil Grove at
UCMMA 31.
Promotion
officials announced the news on Thursday, revealing that Towler
“ripped his shoulder muscle” and could be out until
2013. Stepping in to replace Towler will be interim Cage Fighters
Championship titlist Tomasz Czerwinski, who now meets Grove for
the interim UCMMA belt on Dec. 1 at The Troxy in London.
“I
am totally gutted to have drop out of such a big fight on a big
stage. I love to fight [for] UCMMA, and I was looking forward
to defending my silverware and bringing the win home [for] Christmas,”
Towler said in the official release. “I would like to apologize
to Neil Grove, and I hope we can get the fight on again in the
New Year. Of course, I want to apologize to [UCMMA promoter]
Dave O’Donnell and to all the people that bought tickets
to come and watch me fight.”
In
Czerwinski, Grove faces a 10-fight pro who owns three of his
four victories by way of knockout. The Polish heavyweight has
already competed five times under the UCMMA banner, posting a
2-3 promotional record. Czerwinski recently snapped a three-fight
skid in July, when he stopped the previously unbeaten Kevin Camp
in just 85 seconds to win the interim CFC heavyweight belt.
“I
am so excited to step [in] and take on a former UFC, Bellator
and Cage Rage star, but this fight is no exception,” Czerwinski
said. “Grove is getting knocked out just like any other
opponent of mine.”
Source
Sherdog
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 6: Franklin vs. Le Medical Suspensions; Both Main
Eventers Face 6 Months
The
UFC on Fuel TV 6 medical suspensions were released by the Ultimate
Fighting Championship on Thursday. There was no sanctioning commission
for the event, which took place on Nov. 10 at the Cotai Arena
in Macau, China, so the suspensions were submitted by the UFC
to the Association of Boxing Commissions database maintained
by Mixed Martial Arts LLC.
Several
fighters received possible six-month suspensions, including both
main event fighter, Cung Le and Rich Franklin.
UFC on Fuel TV 6: Franklin vs. Le Medical Suspensions
Cung
Le: 30 days no contest, 21 days no contact
Cung Le: 180 days or negative x-ray of right elbow
Rich
Franklin: 45 days no contest, 30 days no contact
Rich Franklin: 180 days or ortho clearance of left thumb
Thiago
Silva: 30 days no contest, 21 days no contact
Thiago Silva: 180 days or negative x-ray of right hand
Stanislav
Nedkov: 30 days no contest, 21 days no contact
Paulo
Thiago: 30 days no contest, 21 days no contact
Takanori
Gomi: 30 days no contest, 21 days no contact
Mac
Danzig: 30 days no contest, 21 days no contact
Mac Danzig: 180 days or negative x-ray of left thumb and left
elbow
Jon
Tuck: 30 days no contest, 21 days no contact
Jon Tuck: 180 days or negative urinalysis and normal renal ultrasound
Jon Tuck: Indefinite; must have MRI of right shoulder
Tiequan
Zhang: 180 days or orthopedic clearance of left thumb
Tiequan Zhang: Indefinite; must have ENT clearance of nasal fracture
Jeff
Houghland: 60 days no contest, 45 days no contact
Motonobu
Tezuka: 30 days no contest, 21 days no contact
Yasuhiro
Urushitani: 45 days no contest, 30 days no contact
Tom
DeBlass: 30 days no contest, 21 days no contact
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
BJ
Penn Serious About His UFC Comeback with Stacked Team of Training
Partners
No
one has ever questioned that B.J. Penn wants to go down in the
annals of UFC history as one of the best fighters of all time,
but there have been moments when his motivation to train and
prepare have come into doubt.
Returning
from a short-lived retirement to face Rory MacDonald at UFC on
Fox 5 on Dec. 8 in Seattle, however, Penn appears to be at the
top of his game, even in the training room.
At
least, if the training partners he’s hired for this fight
are any indication, it appears that Penn couldn’t be any
more serious about his Octagon comeback.
A
report on Tuesday night’s edition of UFC Tonight revealed
that Penn has been working with a number of top welterweights,
including UFC fighter Jay Hieron, Strikeforce welterweights Tarec
Saffiedine and Tryon Woodley, as well as Strikeforce lightweight
title contender Pat Healy and former Strikeforce champion Josh
Thomson, and, if that wasn’t enough, he’s also working
with current Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren.
That’s
some serious firepower and a strong indicator that Penn isn’t
slacking on his preparation for MacDonald. Of course, the fact
that MacDonald is a training partner of Penn’s nemesis,
Georges St-Pierre, likely adds a little extra flame to the motivational
fire.
B.J.
Penn and Rory MacDonald square off as part of the UFC on Fox
5 main card that airs Dec. 8 from Seattle on Fox.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Martin
Kampmann perfectly willing to be chin-checked at UFC 154
by Dann
Stupp and Steven Marrocco
MONTREAL
– Martin Kampmann's earned a reputation as a fighter who's
willing to eat a punch to dish one out.
Check
out any of his post-fight photos, and you'll see a bruised and
bloodied fighter who wins more often than not.
So,
as he puts together his final preparations for Saturday's potential
title-eliminator with fellow contender Johny Hendricks, he fully
expects to eat a few more heavy shots. And he once again expects
to be victorious.
"I
can eat a good shot, and I've proven that a lot in my fights,"
Kampmann said today. "Of course, I'm not planning to get
hit, but it's a fight, and I'm sure I'll get hit eventually.
I'm not worried about it. I'll dish it right back."
Kampmann
(20-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) and Hendricks (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) meet in
the pay-per-view co-headliner of Saturday's UFC 154 event at
Montreal's Bell Centre. The bout, which follows FX and Facebook
prelims, precedes the night's PPV headliner between welterweight
champion Georges St-Pierre and interim titleholder Carlos Condit.
Kampmann
and Hendricks initially were told the winner would get a title
shot. But if he gets by Condit on Saturday, St-Pierre likely
will fight middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a blockbuster
May stadium show, which would put the welterweight division on
hold.
While
a Condit victory could spoil the superfight and actually lead
the Kampmann-Hendricks winner to an immediate title shot, Kampmann
would rather see the champion win.
"I
already have a win over Condit, and GSP is considered the all-time
best welterweight, so that's who I want to beat," he said.
"I want to beat the best."
But
up first is former training partner Hendricks, who previously
trained with Kampmann in Las Vegas before he relocated to Texas.
When they trained together, Hendricks was still a largely unknown
WEC fighter, but he helped Kampmann supplement his kickboxing
game with a solid wrestling base.
However,
he doesn't agree that Hendricks "taught me how to wrestle,"
as he's alleged.
"I
think it's a pretty big overstatement," Kampmann said. "I
could wrestle before, but he definitely showed me some good moves.
He's a good wrestler and two-time (NCAA Division I) American
champion. Of course I learned some good things from him, but
I could wrestle before that."
Kampmann,
of course, knows Hendricks' best avenue to victory is probably
with those wrestling skills. But Kampmann is no longer the striking
neophyte he was once was, so he knows he must be ready to have
his chin tested.
"I
think he's still raw, but he's gotten a lot quicker and a lot
better," Kampmann said of Hendricks. "But most of all
he's just a heavy-handed hitter. But of course he's improved
everywhere. His wrestling was his biggest strength, and it still
is, but he's got heavy hands to back it up, and he's got a pretty
solid jiu-jitsu game too."
While
most fans and media members have dubbed their fight a tossup,
the oddsmakers give a slight edge to Hendricks. Of course, that's
nothing new for Kampmann, who's been tapped the underdog in six
of his past seven fights.
"I
don't worry too much about the odds," he said. "In
my mind, I'm always the favorite. But it's good to know people
are making money off me."
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
Mark
Hominick on UFC 154 fight: 'My back's against the wall, no question'
By Mike
Chiappetta
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
MONTREAL
-- April 30, 2011 is mostly remembered as the biggest event in
UFC history, a mega-show that filled a cavernous stadium and
announced that mixed martial arts was here to stay. As UFC 154
approaches, the night is also recalled as the last time Georges
St-Pierre was able to ply his trade, as he's spent most of the
time since then recovering from major knee injuries.
But
what's forgotten about that night is that its last great action
moment wasn't authored by main-event participant St-Pierre. Even
he has criticized his own performance in victory, saying "my
last fight was my worst fight." Instead, it was featherweight
Mark Hominick who electrified the Rogers Centre with a stirring
fifth-round comeback against champion Jose Aldo.
After
getting throttled for most of the proceeding four rounds, Hominick
took the featherweight king to the mat and unleashed hell over
the last few minutes. Though he wasn't able to finish and fell
in a decision, his spirited comeback marked him as one to watch
for a potential rematch.
Unfortunately,
it would be the last positive he'd experience in his fighting
career for some time. Less than four months later, Hominick lost
his trainer and close friend Shawn Tompkins when the coach tragically
died of a heart attack at age 37.
Fighting
with a heavy heart in his next time out, Hominick was stunningly
knocked out in just seven seconds against Chan Sung Jung. And
then, this past April, he was upset in a controversial and close
split decision against Eddie Yagin.
From
there to here in a flash, Hominick finds himself in the throes
of a three-fight losing streak and in must-win territory against
the tall, rangy Pablo Garza.
Unlike
countryman St-Pierre, who says he lost some of his love of the
sport and had to reignite his passion, Hominick doesn't attribute
his struggles to anything of the sort. Instead, it's simple circumstance
and performance. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
"I've
always stayed motivated," he told MMA Fighting. "I've
never gotten in a rut, even losing three fights in a row. I'm
still motivated and I'm still hungry. That's the biggest thing.
I don't feel the desperation. I treat every fight like I want
to win, and this fight's no different."
That
said, Hominick certainly understands that his job could be at
stake, saying, "my back's against the wall, no question."
It's simply not something he focuses on, and, he says, it's not
something he even thought much about until he started doing media
rounds for the fight and interviewers continually brought it
up.
"My
goal is to compete in the UFC against the best guys in the division,"
he said. "That’s the only place I want to compete.
I want to fight the best in the world and this is where it's
at."
In
Garza, he'll be facing an opponent also in need of a win, as
he's lost two straight heading into the matchup.
The
physical pairing could not be more different than his last one.
Garza is a lanky 6-foot-1, a full eight inches taller than the
stocky Yagin. Hominick, who as always would prefer a fight that
remains upright, would still need to find a way inside against
that reach, but says his fight history has him well prepared
for what he will face.
"It’s
quite a contrast," he said. "The thing is, having a
10-year career, I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. I’ve
fought guys who are 6-foot-2 and guys who are 5-foot-4, so it’s
nice to have that experience where you’re not getting thrown
to the wolves and you’re not comfortable in that setting.
And my track record is unbeaten against guys who are over 6-foot."
Also
comforting to Hominick is the setting, a familiar place in which
he's competed in over a dozen times in his pro MMA career.
When
he makes the long walk to the octagon, he'll have over 20,000
fans behind him, pushing him to end that losing streak. His back
may be against the wall, but a whole city stands besides him.
"This
is almost like a nostalgia feeling," he said. "This
is where I started my career 10 years ago. I was a Canadian champion
based in Montreal. It’s nice to come back home and restart
my career where it all began."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Should
Georges St-Pierre Win at UFC 154, Dana White Targeting May for
Anderson Silva vs. GSP
by Ken
Pishna
The
talk of a superfight between UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson
Silva and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has hit a fever
pitch in the days leading up to St-Pierre’s unification
bout with interim champion Carlos Condit at UFC 154 on Saturday.
Much
of the attention this week, however, has been focused on Silva’s
comments that he is considering taking a year off and not fighting
again until late 2013.
Citing
a focus on some non-fighting business, including making a movie
with Lyoto Machida and opening a new gym in Los Angeles, Silva
recently told Tatame.com, “I think we just come back at
the end of next year. I’m with my personal projects underway.”
St-Pierre,
of course, has to defeat Condit before any superfight can happen,
but even if he does, Silva’s comments sounded alarm bells
for many fans that have been calling for the Silva vs. St-Pierre
fight.
One
person that isn’t buying Silva’s posturing, however,
is UFC president Dana White. He was a guest on ESPN’s Sportscenter
on Thursday, saying he was unsure why Silva says the things he
does.
St-Pierre,
for his part, is obviously focused on the fight with Condit and
not willing to talk much of a potential bout with Silva.
White,
however, was adamant that if Georges St-Pierre wins on Saturday
night, the fight with Anderson Silva will happen.
“(Silva)
always comes out and says this stuff. I don’t know why he
does it or why he says the things he says,” White remarked.
“I guarantee you, he will be there Saturday. If Georges
St-Pierre wins, those two will fight and it’ll probably
be in May.”
That
was the first time that White put any sort of target on when
the fight might happen, but he has talked at length about where
such a superfight could take place, and he revisited the subject
on Thursday.
“Anderson
Silva will be there this Saturday watching, and if (St-Pierre)
wins, it’ll be a huge fight for us,” White commented.
“It’ll probably be the biggest fight in UFC history;
definitely be the biggest gate. We’ve had big gates pretty
much everywhere we’ve gone, but this one would be either
a soccer stadium down in Brazil, Dallas Texas Stadium, or we’d
do Toronto again.”
Cowboys
Stadium in Dallas is the prime target. The UFC has long wanted
to hold an event there, and so have stadium officials. With a
capacity upwards of 100,000, however, it would take a special
fight to make Cowboys Stadium a viable proposition.
White
believes Silva vs. St-Pierre is just such a fight and would love
to use it as the bout that tests the upper limits of the UFC’s
drawing power.
“We’re
curious to see what we could do,” he said. “We’ve
been wanting to bring a fight (to Cowboys Stadium) for a long
time. This fight would be the fight to do it. Hopefully we’d
sell it out.”
Saturday
will be the tipping point, but until Georges St-Pierre and Carlos
Condit square off at UFC 154, the superfight that could be remains
sitting out on the fringe, waiting to come to fruition.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Fabio
Gurgel comments on training with Tererê in São Paulo
Marcelo
Dunlop
This
Friday, Alliance São Paulo hosted a special guest for
No-Gi training.
Team
leader Fabio Gurgel spoke with GRACIEMAG.com about catching up
with Fernando Tererê again.
“Tererê
has been training at Alliance Rio with [Alexandre Paiva] Gigi
regularly, and he’s been in contact with us over the last
few years while undergoing the recovery process. Now he’s
showing results. He’s doing fine and will soon open his
own academy in Rio to do what he knows best,” said Gurgel.
“It
was really great to have him on the mat again and get to roll
with one of the best that has ever been through here. I’m
hoping it will happen more and more, and that Tererê wins
this battle of his once and for all. I saw the GRACIEMAG Facebook
page getting all kinds of hits with our photo. The kid really
is beloved,” said Professor Gurgel in praise.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Fight
Path: Team BombSquad offered Dez Green a second chance and new
career
by Kyle
Nagel
Dez
Green was finishing up his studies at the University at Buffalo,
though no longer a member of the wrestling team, when a friend
called with an offer.
The
friend was taking part in a small amateur MMA show that weekend.
The organizers needed another fighter, and the friend knew Green
was a skilled wrestler at Buffalo before several failed marijuana
drug tests ended his career.
But
the friends knew how well Green performed in competitions, and
he thought MMA could be a good fit for him.
"I
said, 'Sure, I want it,'" Green told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
"I won in the first round, and I had never had any training.
Right after people were asking where I trained or what gym I
was with, and I didn't have one."
After
landing with Team BombSquad following that first fight, Green
has built a successful resume. At 5-0, after a 3-0 amateur career,
Green next takes on Brandon Fleming (2-1) in a 150-pound New
England Fights bout on Saturday with the chance to stay undefeated.
Beyond
staying unbeaten, Green is hoping to both back up his decision
to enter MMA and advance to a higher level. He moved from Buffalo
to Ithaca, N.Y., to be closer to Team BombSquad. To balance his
training needs with helping to support his daughter, he works
mostly 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. shifts at Target outside of training.
Still,
he trains at least twice a day, or as much as three times a day
if a fight is coming up. The former lacrosse player has taken
to MMA's man-on-man setup, which also drew him to wrestling in
high school and led him to Buffalo.
Now
the 23-year-old is advancing in a new career, and it has all
happened quickly.
"If
I keep doing well, after this fight, it could be the call I've
been waiting for," Green said. "I just have to be as
committed as I can."
Gifted
from the start
The
way Green tells it, he was a pretty good wrestler before he ever
had any practice at it.
To
underline that point, Green mentions that when a friend first
asked him to participate in a summer wrestling tournament before
high school, he thought to himself, "Like WWF? They have
that in high school?"
They
didn't, of course, but Green was looking for another opportunity.
He had played football, basketball and lacrosse throughout his
youth, but his smaller size made those more difficult by high
school. He had been raised by a mother who worked in the school
cafeteria and a father who worked for an airline to be active
and adaptable.
So
when a friend asked him to try a summer wrestling tournament,
he agreed.
"I
won the tournament," he said. "I was just being physical
like I had done in football, and I liked that about wrestling."
So
he joined the high school wrestling team in Henrietta, N.Y.,
near Rochester. After a successful high school career, he thought
about taking some time off to enjoy life with his brother and
his friends. But he saw his brother get into some trouble when
he left sports as a high school student, and he kept getting
calls from Buffalo.
Finally,
he decided to wrestle for Buffalo. After redshirting his first
year on campus, he became a skilled member of the team and ranked
in some individual national polls. As a sophomore, though, he
failed the first of three drug tests, which led to his leaving
the team.
He
promised his mother he would finish his degree in health and
human services, so he remained on campus. Until a friend offered
him a short-notice, no-training amateur MMA opportunity.
Things
happen quickly
Once
Green impressed in his amateur debut, he decided he wanted to
try MMA as a career and went looking for the right place to train.
A
friend knew some people in California, and he thought it would
be a nice place to go live and train. But, it was awfully far
away.
Then
another friend pointed him toward Ithaca. He made a connection
with Team BombSquad owner, operator and head trainer Ryan Ciotoli,
who invited Green to come train at the facility for a week or
two to give it a try. Then before long, Ciotoli called back with
an opportunity to take a fight.
"They
just kept calling me with fights," he said. "I just
kept taking them."
After
going 3-0 as an amateur, Green turned pro. He moved from Buffalo
to Ithaca following his second pro fight to commit himself more
to the team. He had finished his degree, and he found the Target
job with strange hours so he wouldn't interrupt his training.
In
August, Green took on Ryan Peterson at a Cage Fury Fighting Championships
show with his first chance to fully commit to preparing for a
fight, and he won by split decision. In September, with even
more commitment, he topped Matt DiMarcantonio by unanimous decision
at Gladius Fights 1.
"I
feel I can take anybody down," Green said. "I just
need to work on my standup and other things to get better. But
I feel I can do a lot."
He
hopes to show that on Saturday. Originally, Green was going to
have his first title fight in the show, but some changes led
to a different opponent. He said he was disappointed he wouldn't
be fighting for a title, but he hopes even bigger opportunities
will come soon.
"I
think I need to get my wins up, and I want to keep moving up,"
he said. "So that starts this weekend."
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Bellator
books first 2013 show for Thursday as television poker game between
Spike and FX continues
By Dave
Meltzer
With
both FX and Spike TV trying to be counter-punchers when it comes
to MMA and the television schedule in January, Bellator gave
the first indication of tentative plans by booking its first
show of the year on a Thursday night in Atlantic City, N.J.
The
poker game regarding MMA television going on between FX and Spike
TV continued Thursday as Bellator booked its first live event
for 2013 on a Thursday night.
In
a story first reported by MMAjunkie.com, Bellator has reserved
a Jan. 10, 2013, date in Atlantic City, N.J., a Thursday night,
for what would be the first Bellator event on Spike.
Nick
Lembo, the Counsel for the New Jersey Athletic Control Board,
confirmed the date to MMAfighting.com, noting the show will take
place at the 4,500-seat Adrian Phillips Ballroom as part of Boardwalk
Hall. It's an arena HBO has used for boxing events, but it is
not the larger Boardwalk Hall that UFC used years ago.
Officials
at Spike TV, however, said no final decision has been made.
"We
are still deciding a few options, still looking at staying on
Fridays or moving to the old TUF slot on Wednesdays," said
an official with Spike TV, who noted Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney
is scouting venues for the new season.
Officials
from Bellator have not commented on the story.
The
game going on is that neither FX nor Spike want to be the one
to officially announce what night their MMA programming will
be airing starting in January. Both figure it is more effective
to be the counter puncher. Most likely, Spike wants to air Bellator
on a night without UFC competition programming. FX hasn't directly
said so, but there have been indications they are looking at
airing MMA programming head-to-head with Spike. It's a retribution
game since Spike put on old UFC programming head-to-head with
key FX and FOX events this past year when Spike had the rights
to air UFC footage from its MMA library. The feeling from the
FX side is that Spike confused the marketplace and somewhat hurt
the debut of the new The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season earlier
this year.
If
Bellator moves to Thursday, it would likely air from 10 p.m.
ET to after midnight, since Spike airs TNA Impact Wrestling from
8-10 p.m. ET live on Thursdays. However, the Atlantic City show
is scheduled at this point for the first fight to go into the
cage at 6:30 p.m., which would be awfully early for a television
shoot that would start at 10 p.m. ET. Start time could easily
change, however.
Professional
wrestling is one of the Spike's highest-rated shows and theoretically
would be the strongest potential lead-in programming for MMA.
Spike put UFC on the map in 2005 by airing the show immediately
after WWE's Monday Night Raw, a popular pro wrestling show. Impact
is not in the same ballpark as Raw when it comes to ratings,
though, averaging 1.24 million viewers on average over the past
four weeks.
During
the spring, there are a lot of viable options for the shows,
but the key is both sides would want to establish a regular night
going forward. The game changes in the fall due to NFL programming,
which has proven to take a large bite out of MMA audiences head-to-head.
If
one wants to avoid the NFL juggernaut in the fall, the strongest
options are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. However, FX has its hottest
show, "Sons of Anarchy," on Tuesdays. Both companies
are currently running on Fridays, doing lower ratings than either
has done in the past.
There
is no NFL on Saturdays in fall most weeks, although there is
college football. Bellator was previously having to compete against
both UFC pay-per-views and major live events most Saturdays last
fall as well as HBO Boxing. However, ratings declined with the
move to Friday.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
154 ‘St. Pierre vs. Condit’ Statistical Matchup Analysis
By Reed
Kuhn
Incumbent
champion Georges St. Pierre takes on interim titleholder Carlos
Condit in the UFC 154 main event on Saturday at the Bell Centre
in Montreal, and trainer Greg Jackson will not be in either corner.
It will be a matchup between deserving, respectful professionals,
an intense fight full of questions. Is St. Pierre fully recovered
from his knee injury, back in his legendary condition and ready
to reign over the UFC welterweights? Or is Condit’s finishing
instinct the perfect foil for St. Pierre’s ring rust and
tentative knee? Will the undisputed belt remain in Canada or
return to the United States?
Let
us break down the matchup:
The
elephant in the room here is St. Pierre’s long layoff due
to a torn anterior-cruciate ligament. The resulting year-long
delay led to the creation of an interim belt and Condit’s
return to championship status. St. Pierre’s rehabilitation
has been well documented and certainly appears to have been extensive
and successful, but there is no doubt about it ... nearly 19
months on the sideline is a long time away from the Octagon.
Two words: ring rust.
If
we assume for a moment that St. Pierre is at full health, full
speed and ready to enter the cage at full shine, then the rest
of the tale of the tape becomes less interesting. GSP is slightly
older than Condit, but not by much and still within the range
of peak physical performance. Though St. Pierre is shorter, he
has a long reach for his size, and while both fighters are natural
right-handers, GSP is more likely to switch his stance depending
on his fight plan. This is kind of a wash, with no big advantage
indicators here.
Experientially,
the fighters look similar. Both have competed professionally
since 2002. Though Condit has actually racked up more total fights
and is coming off a more reasonable layoff, his UFC-caliber experience
is far more limited. However, while St. Pierre has been facing
elite talent in the UFC for many years, Condit’s abdication
of the WEC title and move to the Octagon warranted a series of
solid opponents, as well. Condit’s wins over Jake Ellenberger,
Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy, Dong Hyun Kim and Nick Diaz boost
his pedigree, with his only loss being a split decision to Martin
Kampmann in his UFC debut.
The
biggest difference on paper will certainly draw knowing eye rolls:
finishing rate. Condit’s finishing prowess stands at 80
percent, which far exceeds the average for welterweights, as
well as GSP’s own figure. Condit was a submission machine
in the WEC and has since balanced his attack with three impressive
finishes by strikes in the UFC. His body is lean and rangy, great
for sinking chokes and maintaining stamina. GSP, on the other
hand, has been more of a grinder, with most of his wins coming
by way of decision. This trend has only increased since the start
of his second reign as champion.
All
told, we see a close matchup on paper going into the fight, with
the biggest uncertainty centering on St. Pierre’s aggression
and five-round conditioning after the injury and layoff.
How
do they stack up once inside the Octagon? Let us move on to the
performance statistics.
Finally,
we see some real differences in striking performance metrics.
St. Pierre has been an outstanding technical striker in his UFC
career. His jab and power head striking accuracy are way above
the welterweight average, and his defense may be the best in
the division. This trend carries into the clinch, as well, where
GSP has been above average on both offense and defense. Contrast
that with Condit, who has an average jab, below average power
striking accuracy and a defense straddling the average. As with
GSP, Condit’s trends remain true in the clinch as in a standing,
distance position.
It
is no surprise that a champion like St. Pierre would be an efficient
and effective fighter. Overall, St. Pierre has gotten the better
of opponents in striking in nearly all metrics. He is the all-time
UFC leader in significant strikes landed and also ranks third
among active UFC fighters in terms of fewest significant strikes
absorbed per minute. That requires accuracy, control and position
dominance, along with evasiveness and good defense. St. Pierre
has done all those at a very high level for a very long time.
There
are only two places where Condit has excelled relative to St.
Pierre. The first is his pace of striking. While GSP only slightly
outpaces opponents in terms of volume of standup striking attempts,
Condit’s output is generally 50 percent more than his opponents.
Remember, it is often volume that wins rounds with the judges,
not landed strikes. As we saw in the Diaz fight, Condit has learned
to keep distance and control exchanges, often using combinations
before retreating and repeating the cycle. Furthermore, Condit
throws a higher mix of power strikes than GSP. He will need both
these advantages of extra volume and the higher power mix if
he is going to get the better of St. Pierre at a distance. Condit’s
height will benefit him here. Regardless of reach, the taller
fighter can use his legs to control range, so look to see if
“The Natural Born Killer” comes out early using his
legs.
Lastly,
when it comes to knockdown power, both fighters have it and both
have gotten the better of opponents despite having been rocked
a couple times. Neither fighter is old enough to be a significant
concussion risk. If the two choose to stand and trade, GSP has
strong technical advantages and the ability to work a stiff jab,
as he did against Josh Koscheck. Condit can only succeed if he
can execute a disciplined strike and fade game that controls
the pace and range of the exchanges. With that said, they also
have five full rounds to look for the right opening. Both may
look for the occasional head kick after some pacifying jabs,
which are dangerous in any weight class and have been effective
for each fighter.
Since
these two probably will not stand and trade for 25 minutes, let
us check the grappling stats.
Once
again, we see incumbent champion GSP with some record-breaking
performance statistics when it comes to takedowns. Not only does
he attempt them at a high rate, nearly twice per round, but he
lands a UFC-leading 77 percent percent of his attempts. The combination
of those two trends puts St. Pierre atop the all-time UFC record
list for takedowns landed at 68. On defense, St. Pierre again
excels, and his 88 percent takedown defense rate is second among
active UFC fighters behind Gleison Tibau.
That
bodes well for GSP to control the position of this fight. Condit’s
takedowns are better than his defense, but he has not as good
as his opponent in either category. If either fighter tries to
take this fight to the ground, St. Pierre will likely have control.
Once
on the ground, “Rush” has been aggressive in advancing
position, and he outpaces opponents in striking by a better than
4-to-1 margin. While Condit is no slouch and has certainly excelled
on the ground, he has not kept that kind of pace. One wild card
factor is that Condit does have a history of submissions and
attempts them at a higher rate than his opponent, who has been
caught before. While GSP certainly has the ability to decide
when and where to take this down, he will have to be careful
defending Condit’s submissions. While GSP’s normally
dominant stamina remains in question here, the threat of submissions
being locked in will decline with each round, making ground-and-pound
more effective.
The Final Word
St.
Pierre stands at a -350 favorite against underdog Condit at +265.
The implied probability of these odds are basically that GSP
has a 78 percent chance of winning and unifying the belt. This
betting line actually makes St. Pierre a little more of a favorite
than he has averaged in his UFC career. Oddsmakers have been
pretty good at assessing GSP over the years, with the lone exception
being the historic upset loss to Matt Serra in 2007. Condit on
the other hand, is no stranger to the underdog role. Since joining
the UFC, Condit has been even or an underdog in all but one matchup.
Given that he has won several fights already in the Octagon as
an underdog, perhaps he has been undervalued as a fighter. His
finishing instinct certainly makes him competitive in any fight,
and he has also come from behind to win bouts. Condit remains
a threat.
The
numbers show that GSP has solid fundamental advantages in striking,
takedowns and ground control, but they also show that Condit
has a chance to stay on the outside to use his range and combinations.
If Condit gets taken down, he can be dangerous with submissions,
but GSP is more likely to control the action. Condit is opportunistic,
while St. Pierre is technical and methodical. What do the numbers
tell you?
Next
month, we will wrap up the year with a close look at the heavyweight
championship matchup between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez
at UFC 155.
Note:
Raw data for the analysis was provided by, and in partnership
with FightMetric. All analysis was performed by Reed Kuhn. Reed
Kuhn, Fightnomics, FightMetric and Sherdog.com assume no responsibility
for bets placed on fights, financial or otherwise.
Source
Sherdog
|
Can
the UFC Stem the Tide of Injuries or Is It Simply the Cost of
Business in Combat Sports?
by Ken
Pishna
At
one time, training injuries in mixed martial arts was just one
of those things that happens from time to time. Now, however,
it’s become a problem that derails big business and clouds
fan perception and trust.
Over
the past year, the UFC alone has lost “something like seven
out of 11 main events” due to injury, according to UFC president
Dana White, who was a guest on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Thursday
morning.
The
UFC even cancelled its first event due to injury under the Zuffa
regime, when Dan Henderson injured his knee and had to withdraw
from his UFC 151 main event challenge of light heavyweight champion
Jon Jones. The promotion tried to hold the event together, but
decided to pull the plug without a suitable replacement for the
main event.
Dan
Henderson isn’t the only fight to take a seat on the sidelines.
As White mentioned, several of the promotion’s top fighters,
from Georges St-Pierre to Dominick Cruz to Frankie Edgar to Jose
Aldo and several others, have been bitten by the injury bug.
Just
this week, Shane Carwin dropped out of his TUF Finale main event
bout due to a blown out knee, Gray Maynard had to withdraw from
his UFC 155 bout, and Eddie Yagin’s UFC on Fox 5 fight was
derailed when he was hospitalized.
White
knows all too well that injuries have become a problem; he’s
just not sure what to do about it. The UFC, of course, does its
best to have replacements waiting in the wings, ready to step
in and keep fights together, and is fairly successful in its
attempts to do so, but White thinks there’s got to be something
more that can be done.
“This
is one of those sports; it’s very intense and just keeps
evolving. If you look back in the day of Chuck Liddell and Randy
Couture and these guys, those were the toughest guys in the gym,”
explained White in his SportsCenter interview. “Now these
gyms are packed with all the best fighters in the world.
“Something
needs to change. I don’t know what the answer is to this
question, or how we fix all the injuries, but we need to come
up with something soon.”
In
a sports league like the NFL or the NBA, it’s a little easier
to put systems and rules in place to try and avert unnecessary
injuries. And let’s face it, the point of most sports isn’t
to inflict damage on your opponent, at least not in the same
literal sense that a combat sport necessitates.
Couple
that with the fact that fighters are basically independent contractors
that are in charge of their own training and preparation. Whether
they train in a conservative manner or push themselves into dangerous
realms is largely up to them.
So
what can the UFC do to slow the staggering number of injuries?
Is there anything they can do or is it just the cost of doing
business in combat sports?
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
154 ‘St. Pierre vs. Condit’ Preview
By Tristen
Critchfield
Judgment
day has arrived. When Georges St. Pierre, who makes his return
to the Octagon following an 18-month absence, faces off with
Carlos Condit in the UFC 154 main event on Saturday at the Bell
Centre in Montreal, he will have serious questions to answer.
Will
“Rush” return to his previous form after surgery to
repair a torn knee ligament? Even if he does, has an ever-improving
division passed him by? Of course, St. Pierre can put all the
doubts to rest by toppling interim welterweight king Condit.
If St. Pierre does indeed reclaim his place as the top 170-pounder
in the world, he will have no shortage of willing challengers.
In fact, St. Pierre needs to look no further than the co-main
event, which pits Johny Hendricks against Martin Kampmann in
a battle of legitimate welterweight contenders. An impressive
showing by either man could make him the next title challenger.
Here
is a closer look at UFC 154 “St. Pierre vs. Condit,”
with analysis and picks:
UFC Welterweight Championship
Georges
St. Pierre (22-2, 16-2 UFC) vs. Carlos Condit (28-5, 5-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: It has been more than a year-and-a-half since St. Pierre
successfully defended his 170-pound title at UFC 129 against
Jake Shields. Long regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound
fighters in the sport today -- and perhaps the best welterweight
of all time -- St. Pierre must now prove to the world that he
can return to peak form following surgery for a torn anterior-cruciate
ligament in his knee. Many athletes suffering similar injuries
are able to return to active competition yet never fully resemble
their former selves.
Modern
medicine and rehabilitation have improved to the point where
a blown-out knee no longer spells the beginning of the end for
an alpha dog performer. St. Pierre can look at the case of NFL
running back Adrian Peterson. The Minnesota Vikings star tore
his ACL last December but returned to action in time for the
start of the 2012 season; so far, he is among the leading rushers
in the league. If anyone in the fight game can emulate Peterson’s
comeback, it is St. Pierre.
Condit,
meanwhile, captured the interim crown with a brilliant tactical
performance against former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz at
UFC 143. Although Diaz fans might disagree, “The Natural
Born Killer” clearly won the fight. He used kicks of various
levels, worked the body with punches and was creative with various
spinning and flying attacks throughout the five-round contest.
Most importantly, he utilized movement and angles to perfection,
never allowing Diaz to tee off with his trademark high-volume
boxing. While some were disappointed with Condit’s approach
to the fight with Diaz, it is his keen sense of awareness inside
the cage that will help determine if he is to maintain his standing
atop the welterweight division.
While
Diaz’s style was tailor-made for Condit, St. Pierre has
the skill set necessary to neutralize the New Mexican’s
diverse striking arsenal. Condit rarely had to worry about the
threat of the takedown from Diaz, but “Rush” will look
to plant him on his back at every opportunity. Do not expect
a repeat of St. Pierre’s victory over Shields, where the
champion kept the fight standing for 25 minutes and battered
his opponent with jabs, body kicks and overhand rights. Condit
represents a far more dangerous adversary than Shields on the
feet, but his lanky frame sometimes leaves him susceptible to
being overpowered. This is problematic against St. Pierre, whose
explosive takedowns are about as good as they get in MMA. Of
course, all bets are off if the Canadian has lost a step after
surgery.
Assuming
the champion is the GSP of old, Condit must do everything in
his power to escape when taken down. The Jackson’s Mixed
Martial Arts product has an active guard and is more than capable
of landing strikes from his back, but St. Pierre tends to smother
his opposition once he achieves dominant position.
St.
Pierre will work diligently to advance, but his ground-and-pound
is effective from mount or in guard, and his grappling is underrated,
as well. Condit showed he could sweep and return to his feet
against Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 132, but St. Pierre is an entirely
different animal. The constant threat of the takedown could potentially
limit some of Condit’s diverse kicks, but he must be willing
to take chances in order to stay upright. Despite the risk involved,
Condit needs to attack St. Pierre’s legs with kicks, both
to maintain distance and to slow his opponent’s shot. Once
a rhythm is established and St. Pierre is concerned about defending
Condit’s toolbox of attacks, then the WEC veteran can begin
to open up.
St.Pierre
is no slouch on the feet, and his accurate jab allows him to
set up his shots when necessary. Condit, despite his track record
for finishing fights -- he has 26 finishes in 28 victories --
is a cerebral fighter who understands the need to stick to a
game plan. Here, however, that involves doing serious damage
early to plant a seed of doubt in St. Pierre’s head. The
challenger has never faced an opponent who is as good at imposing
his will on others as St. Pierre, so it will take the perfect
storm to pull an upset.
The
Pick: Condit will be game, and he will give St. Pierre his most
significant test in some time. However, a steady diet of takedowns
and ground-and-pound will ultimately carry St. Pierre to a decision.
Welterweights
Martin
Kampmann (20-5, 11-4 UFC) vs. Johny Hendricks (13-1, 8-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: Since 2010, Kampmann has crafted a resume as impressive
as anyone in the UFC’s welterweight division. He has defeated
grapplers (Paulo Thiago), wrestlers (Rick Story, Jacob Volkmann),
strikers (Thiago Alves) and up-and-comers (Jake Ellenberger).
Factor in a couple of controversial losses to Jake Shields and
Diego Sanchez and you could make a reasonable case for “The
Hitman” to be 7-0 since his first-round technical knockout
defeat to Paul Daley at UFC 103.
Toughness
and resiliency have characterized the Dane’s most recent
efforts, as he rallied from the brink of defeat against both
Alves and Ellenberger. Alves battered Kampmann for the better
part of two rounds, only to fall victim to a guillotine choke
in the final frame at UFC on FX 2; Ellenberger dropped him with
a left hook in round one at “The Ultimate Fighter 15”
Finale before Kampmann rallied to finish the fight in the second
stanza. Well-rounded and opportunistic, Kampmann is an easy out
for no one, and if he receives a 170-pound title shot with one
more victory, it will be well deserved.
Hendricks
has a familiarity with Kampmann that goes beyond film study.
The two men trained together previously, and Hendricks often
worked with his future foe on his wrestling. A two-time NCAA
national champion at Oklahoma State University, Hendricks’
credentials in this area will surpass most anyone he faces in
the Octagon; Kampmann is no exception. A Team Takedown representative,
Hendricks has proved his mettle against some of the division’s
toughest wrestlers, with triumphs over Mike Pierce, Jon Fitch
and Josh Koscheck in his last three outings.
However,
Hendricks has yet to face anyone with as diverse a repertoire
as Kampmann. The Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts product attacks
outside with crisp and technical kickboxing, inside with short
power punches and knees and from his back with an active submission
game. Such versatility is part of the reason why Kampmann is
almost never out of a fight. Get careless on the feet and he
connects with a flurry; take a breather on the canvas and he
is cinching a choke. One major concern for Kampmann is that he
sometimes needs to eat a few shots to really get going. While
Hendricks is not a fluid all-around striker, his powerful left
hook might not give the usually durable Kampmann an opportunity
to recover.
The
Pick: Hendricks should be the bully, setting up shots with power
punches and landing dirty boxing and knees in tie-ups. Kampmann’s
takedown defense has historically been solid, but Hendricks is
a level above most of the opponents he has faced. Kampmann will
struggle to stay on the outside, as Hendricks keeps the pressure
on and earns a three-round verdict.
Middleweights
Francis
Carmont (19-7, 3-0 UFC) vs. Tom Lawlor (8-4, 4-3 UFC)
The
Matchup: With each victory, Carmont continues to distance himself
from the “guy who trains with GSP” label to legitimate
middleweight talent. The Tristar Gym export has beaten Chris
Camozzi, Magnus Cedenblad and Karlos Vemola during his Octagon
tenure and carries an eight-fight winning streak into his showdown
with Lawlor.
If
one becomes a title contender based on menacing physical appearance
alone, then Carmont fits the bill. However, he is prone to spurts
of sloppiness, and that could come back to haunt him against
“The Ultimate Fighter 8” alum. Lawlor has solid hands,
as he displayed in landing a straight left-right hook combination
that floored Jason MacDonald in his most recent bout at UFC on
Fuel TV 3. While Lawlor has a reputation as a solid wrestler,
he may very well struggle to control the powerful Carmont on
the mat and in tie-ups.
The
Frenchman favors an approach not totally unlike his more famous
training partner, as he looks to set the tone through a steady
diet of takedowns and ground-and-pound. Carmont’s ability
to mix punches and kicks will determine whether he is able to
close the gap on Lawlor, who sets a frenetic pace and can keep
his foe guessing with various punching combinations. His understanding
of movement and angles should pay off against Carmont, who will
be difficult to take down and can land punishing knees in the
clinch.
Carmont
possesses decent grappling and a good finishing instinct when
it come submissions, but he could find himself in a world of
trouble if he has a lapse similar to the one he had versus Cedenblad,
when he briefly allowed the Swede to take his back. Lawlor is
the type of fighter who could take advantage of such a situation
in a scramble on the mat.
The
Pick: Lawlor always comes to fight, but he will gradually find
himself overpowered by Carmont, who wins via third-round submission.
Middleweights
Nick
Ring (13-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Constantinos Philippou (11-2, 4-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: Ring sports an impressive overall record, but “The
Ultimate Fighter 11” cast member has lived something of
a charmed live inside the Octagon. In his promotional debut,
Ring was out-grappled and taken down repeatedly by Riki Fukuda
but somehow managed to get the nod from the judges at UFC 127.
Most recently, “The Promise” took a unanimous verdict
over Court McGee at UFC 149, despite being out-landed by 40 significant
strikes in the middleweight contest.
Philippou,
meanwhile, has won four straight with the promotion, earning
a unanimous decision over Fukuda at UFC 148 in his last outing.
A former professional boxer, the Ring of Combat veteran relies
primarily on his quick and powerful hands. Though all but one
of his UFC bouts have gone the distance, Philippou showed a glimpse
of his dangerous power at UFC 140, when he knocked out Jared
Hamman in the first round.
Ring
has some boxing experience, as well, but he also has a background
in kickboxing and muay Thai, so he will need to incorporate his
accurate kicks to keep Philippou off balance. The Serra-Longo
Fight Team representative’s crafty footwork and crisp punching
combinations could cause problems for Ring, who absorbed more
than his share of punishment on the feet against McGee, a man
not generally known for his striking.
If
Ring finds himself losing on the feet, it is unlikely that he
will be able to shift gears and get the fight to the canvas,
where he could put his solid jiu-jitsu and submission skills
to work. Fukuda and McGee went a combined 0-for-16 on takedowns
against Philippou, while Ring was denied on each of his seven
attempts by McGee in July.
The
Pick: Ring will have to move constantly to avoid getting peppered
with combinations, as Phillippou has a good understanding of
how to control the cage. Ring is an accurate striker, but Phillipou
has a little more zip behind his offerings and will eventually
put away the Canadian with a solid hook or cross en route to
a second-round stoppage.
Featherweights
Mark
Hominick (20-11, 3-3 UFC) vs. Pablo Garza (11-3, 2-2 UFC)
The
Matchup: It has been a precipitous fall from No. 1 contender’s
status for Hominick, who enters his bout with Garza on a three-fight
skid. While “The Machine” garnered plenty of accolades
for his resilient effort against reigning featherweight king
Jose Aldo at UFC 129, his last two outings have been perplexing.
Normally
known as one of the most technical strikers in the sport, lapses
against Chan Sung Jung (an errant left hook) and Eddie Yagin
(two rounds of brawling) have Hominick in his current position.
The Team Tompkins protégé is once again a considerable
favorite, as he was in his last two fights, but recent history
dictates that there are no cakewalks for Hominick anymore.
Garza
made a memorable impression in his UFC debut, knocking out Fredson
Paixao with a spectacular flying knee at “The Ultimate Fighter
12” Finale. The North Dakotan has lost two of three since,
falling to Dustin Poirer and Dennis Bermudez in his last two
appearances.
Despite
a five-inch reach disadvantage against the 6-foot-1 Garza, Hominick
should be able rack up the points on the feet using crisp punches
and kicks. Hominick faced similar odds against George Roop in
a 2011 bout, and he was able to navigate distance effectively
enough to score a first-round TKO. Considering that Garza has
offered little in the way of standup since the Paixao finish,
Hominick should be able to weave in and out of striking range
without too much difficultly. Garza’s lanky frame also presents
a large and inviting target for leg kicks, something Hominick
should employ early and often to wear down his opponent.
Garza
does not present a takedown threat, as he is more likely to pull
guard in hopes of attempting a submission. Since he will not
have to worry about Garza shooting, Hominick will be able to
unveil his full offensive arsenal.
The
Pick: This is a good opportunity for Hominick to get back on
the winning track. Unless he gets careless and goes to the floor
with Garza, the Canadian will control this bout with his kickboxing.
Hominick wins by decision.
Middleweights
Patrick
Cote (17-8, 4-8 UFC) vs. Alessio Sakara (15-9, 6-6 UFC): Something
has to give here. Cote has not won a UFC bout since June 5, 2008,
while Sakara’s last Octagon triumph came against James Irvin
in 2010. Cote was never able to get going against Cung Le at
UFC 148, but he has enough power in his right hand to test Sakara’s
questionable chin. Cote wins by knockout or technical knockout
in round two.
Light Heavyweights
Cyrille
Diabate (18-8-1, 3-3 UFC) vs. Chad Griggs (11-2, 0-1 UFC): To
make his 205-pound debut successful, Griggs must close the distance
against the rangy Diabate. “The Snake” is lacking in
defensive grappling, however, and if “The Gravedigger”
can achieve dominant position, he will be able to assert his
will through ground-and-pound. Griggs wins by TKO in round three.
Lightweights
Rafael
dos Anjos (17-6, 6-4 UFC) vs. Mark Bocek (11-4, 7-4 UFC): A Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt, dos Anjos combines slick grappling with
surprising knockout power. Bocek is more one dimensional, but
he will struggle to dominate battles of positioning on the ground
against his opponent. Dos Anjos does more damage on the feet
and earns a unanimous decision.
Lightweights
Sam
Stout (18-7-1, 7-6 UFC) vs. John Makdessi (9-2, 2-2 UFC): Stout’s
kickboxing skills are well known, but the talented striker showed
a new facet to his game by scoring multiple takedowns on Spencer
Fisher at UFC on FX 4 in June. The creative Makdessi has struggled
of late, falling to Anthony Njokuani and Dennis Hallman in his
last two bouts. He will get more opportunities to land something
out-of-the-ordinary here, but Stout will connect with more volume
and accuracy to capture a decision.
Featherweights
Rodrigo
Damm (10-5, 1-0 UFC) vs. Antonio Carvalho (14-5, 1-1 UFC): Damm
enjoyed a successful Octagon debut, choking out Anistavio Medeiros
de Figueiredo in the first round at UFC 147. Prior to that win,
however, Damm had been finished in four of his previous five
outings while competing for Strikeforce and Sengoku. Carvalho,
who has earned 10 of his 14 career victories by knockout or submission,
used crisp boxing to score an impressive knockout of Daniel Pineda
at UFC 149. Carvalho wins by second-round TKO.
Bantamweights
Ivan
Menjivar (24-9, 3-1 UFC) vs. Azamat Gashimov (7-1, 0-0 UFC):
Gashimov is making a significant leap here, as only two of his
first eight professional opponents have victories to their credit.
Menjivar, a savvy, aggressive veteran, might be a little too
seasoned for Gashimov at this point. “The Pride of El Salvador”
wins via first-round submission.
Featherweights
Steven
Siler (21-9, 3-0 UFC) vs. Darren Elkins (14-2, 4-1 UFC): Since
his stint on Season 14 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Siler
has emerged as an entertaining performer with a high-volume striking
attack backed by a solid submission game. Like Siler, Elkins
has won three fights in a row, most recently outpointing the
explosive Diego Brandao at UFC 146. Siler lands the better combinations,
is active on the floor and takes a three-round verdict.
Welterweights
John
Maguire (18-4, 2-1 UFC) vs. Matt Riddle (6-3, 6-3 UFC): Maguire
steps in for Besam Yousef to challenge Riddle, whose suspension
for a positive marijuana test following UFC 149 recently came
to an end. Maguire has a crafty ground game, but Riddle might
be a little too big and powerful for the Englishman. Riddle wins
by decision.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Super
Fight League Returns with Another Edition of Friday Fight Nights
and Get Social Contest
Super
Fight League (SFL) is back with another in its weekly series,
Friday Fight Nights. This week SFL 9 is showcasing some of MMA’s
up-and-coming talent from India and abroad.
The
fight card will pave the way for the upcoming SFL Night of Champions
where SFL will hand out seven championship belts. SFL Friday
Fight Nights airs live on Neo Prime and streams Live on on www.YouTube.com/SFL
and MMAWeekly.com on Friday, Nov. 16, at 10:30 a.m. ET / 7:30
a.m. PT.
SFL
9 follows an exciting night of finishes which made up SFL 8.
Only the main event went the distance on a show where John Troyer
climbed his way up the middleweight rankings and Manoj Chuhan
gained his second win in a month. Catch up on all the action
at the SFL YouTube channel: www.YouTube.com/SFL.
Raj
Kundra, Chairman of Super Fight League said, “We are committed
to a weekly fight series. An essential part of developing the
sport of MMA inside India is giving the young up and coming athletes
a real platform to showcase their talents and gain experience.
Much like the UFC did for the sport in America during the early
90?s, we are developing our talent and our shows and are proud
to be able to put on a consistent and quality show every week.”
SFL 9: Showcasing new MMA talent from India & Abroad
Dan
Isaac, COO of SFL said, “The up and coming Indian fighters
are very aggressive in the Ozone and exciting to watch. This
week watch out for Santosh Kumar [bout # 1] and Satender Bankura
[bout # 4]. We audition fighters from Mon – Wed every week
at the SFL headquarters. India’s got Talent!”
Headlined
by Afghani MMA Champion Baz Muhammad Mobarez taking on stand
up striker Egyptian Amr Wahman, SFL 9 delivers seven exciting
bouts drawing from a fast growing stable of domestic and International
talent. Wahman is fighting again after SFL 4; where he suffered
a first round TKO against crowd favourite Kultar Singh Gill.
One of Egypt’s most seasoned kickboxers, Wahman is looking
for redemption whist the confident Baz Mobarez is set on victory
and looking to make his mark on the global stage.
SFL
9 also presents two of India’s most highly regarded Middleweight
prospects: debutants Satendar Bankura versus Rajbir Singh. Bhabajeet
Chowdhury returns for more action following an unforgettable
debut on SFL 4, beating Charanjeet Singh with a spinning back-kick
that has been tagged as a contender for knockout of the year.
Trying to stop Chowdhury will be Jamshed Khan.
Another
fan favorite on the card is Indian flyweight sensation Gurleen
Kaur (0-1), a finalist on the SFL Challengers TV show. Kaur is
looking to prove she is still one of India’s top fighters
by going for her first win since losing in the SFL Challengers
final against Manjit Kolekar. Trying to make a name for herself
by beating the highly touted Kaur will be debutant Monika, a
fighter with a Wushu background.
SFL Get Social Contest
This
week Super Fight League has an amazing new competition for fans.
The Get Social Contest has been set up by SFL in partnership
with Google to encourage fans to interact with each other and
ourselves (from fighters to the organization’s senior staff)
to help spread the word about the world’s fastest growing
MMA organization. Simply by sending a few tweets you could win
a brand new Google Nexus 7 tablet, whilst there are also a host
of runner up prizes for those taking part. For more information
see www.superfightleague.com.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Coach
Danaher: GSP went from 60-year-old man to old self in eight weeks
for UFC 154
by Steven
Marrocco
MONTREAL
– For a man who thinks deeply through life's every aspect
– or for a guy with a master's in philosophy, as John Danaher
is – the fight camp of Georges St-Pierre (22-2 MMA, 16-2
UFC) has posed several interesting problems.
Danaher,
St-Pierre's jiu-jitsu coach of nearly a decade, never had to
contend with serious injuries while training the welterweight
fighter, as he was forced to do when a torn ACL preceded St-Pierre's
title unification bout with Carlos Condit (28-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC)
at UFC 154.
Nor
did Danaher have to bring St-Pierre's skills up to par so quickly.
Just eight weeks separated the end of the fighter's rehabilitation
from the fight that headlines Saturday's pay-per-view event at
Montreal's Bell Centre.
What's
more, the matchup presented "a strange character" of
an opponent in Condit, with more complexity than previous matchups.
And there were no tune-up fights to smooth these transitions.
"Between
the nature of mixed martial arts itself and the unique elements
of this fight camp, of course, uncertainty is rampant,"
Danaher told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Whether
it was Danaher, longtime coach Firas Zahabi or any number of
specialists invited into help St-Pierre for his first fight in
19 months, the camp appears to have been a success. During a
media scrum broken into French- and English-language sections,
a smiling champ spoke today of his "new fire" for fighting.
St-Pierre said he wasn't overtraining anymore and felt more refreshed
than ever coming into a fight camp.
He
also espoused the benefits of the James-Lange theory, which links
reactions in the autonomous nervous system with emotions, rather
than emotions causing such reactions.
Danaher
couldn't answer whether the positive changes in St-Pierre's process
would have happened had he not been injured training for Nick
Diaz at UFC 143, but the setback forced the camp to change its
approach.
"I
think we're starting to go toward the idea of peaking Georges
later in the fight camp so that we don't bring him to a peak,
and hold him for extended periods of time, where there's a danger
of burnout," Danaher said.
However,
the coach admitted this camp was perhaps more difficult than
any other in St-Pierre's career.
The
fighter Danaher met in December 2011, immediately following corrective
surgery, had less athleticism than "a 60-year-old man."
When the two began training for Condit in September, things weren't
much better. Physical limitations forced St-Pierre to begin training
on the mat exclusively from the bottom position to save his knees.
"You're
talking about an elite combat athlete that hasn't done any combat
sport for one year," Danaher said. "Nothing other than
physical rehabilitation, which, of course, doesn't count as combat
training. So he started fight camp at the lowest point he's ever
really been at in his career."
The
first four weeks, Danaher said, were "a rough patch."
But at the end of the eight-week camp, he was performing like
the welterweight champion who's dominated his division for five
years.
What
saved St-Pierre?
The
coach believes it wasn't St-Pierre's body that had adjusted.
It was his mind.
"One
of the biggest misconceptions of Georges in MMA circles is they
attribute most of his success to his physical attributes,"
Danaher said. "They see athleticism or athletic ability
as the basis of his success.
"In
fact, that is not the case. Georges is a good athlete. He's certainly
above average. But if you put him in a comprehensive physical
testing amongst other elite athletes in football, hockey or basketball,
he would be average at best.
"He's
not some crazy uber-athlete that people think (he is). He's fast,
but not extraordinarily fast. He's strong, but not extraordinarily
strong. He's flexible in some ways, and shockingly inflexible
in others. He's a good athlete, but he's not stunningly good.
The basis of his success is technical prowess gained over time
with a combination of determination and hard work."
Danaher,
a Renzo Gracie-trained black-belt in jiu-jitsu, said Condit is
unique because he's only been submitted three times in a 33-fight
career. The product of Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn scores
"incredibly few" takedowns yet has spent more than
50 percent of his time in top position while on the octagon mat.
He's a fighter who can follow a strict game plan or "fight
from total chaos."
On
Saturday night, Danaher believes Condit will choose the latter.
"He
knows Georges is a rhythm-based fighter, and he fights with a
broken rhythm," Danaher said. "He'll be stronger if
the fight is a messy, scrappy, hard-nosed fight, which tests
the physical resilience and conditioning of both athletes. He's
a guy who's never been out-conditioned in a fight. He's coming
up against an athlete that hasn't been in a fight for over a
year. So I believe his thing will be to create chaos, create
exhaustion, and then his intent will be to either knock or submit
an exhausted Georges St-Pierre."
With
so many challenges ahead on Saturday, the grappling coach has
found himself thinking about the cutthroat nature of being champion
in the UFC.
"In
most sports, they draw someone back from an injury," Danaher
said. "In this sport, it's straight to the dogs. Of course,
I would love to have two tune-up fights. But in this sport, it's
not happening. Unfortunately, the fight camp sparring is the
only tune-up he's going to get."
For
his part, St-Pierre took questions of his preparedness in stride.
He's fought the toughest men the welterweight division has had
to offer for more than five years. He might never have had to
fight them under such circumstances, but publicly, he didn't
show any signs of stress.
And
if he did, he wouldn't be following James-Lang.
"It
means, 'I'm scared, I'm nervous, I can't wait,' but I act like
it's all good, and I'm all good," St-Pierre said. "My
body will dictate my mind."
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
Johny
Hendricks, once Martin Kampmann's punching bag, ready to strike
back
By Mike
Chiappetta
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
MONTREAL
-- It's clear from listening to Johny Hendricks that he doesn't
exactly treasure his three-and-a-half years spent in the Las
Vegas desert. While the time in the gym helped mold him into
a welterweight contender, the entirety of the experience was
far from pleasant.
It
was a time when he'd spend 6-7 hour days in the gym, and come
home too exhausted to do anything other than sit on his couch
and watch television. On one occasion, when he actually ventured
outside in an attempt to meet his neighbors as a southern gentleman
might do, he had a door slammed in his face. And then there was
the end of his affiliation with Xtreme Couture.
According
to him, things began to fell apart as he improved and the gym's
other welterweight fighters began to realize he could one day
be a future opponent.
For
an athlete raised in the wrestling world used to competing against
those he trained alongside of, it seemed a bit curious, but Hendricks
understood. It soon became clear his time there was up, and even
though he'd once been the punching bag of the gym's fighters,
Hendricks could take his forward progress with him to his next
stop. As it turned out, that was Texas, a place where he is much
more comfortable.
At
least for a few more days though, he'll occasionally flash back
to Las Vegas, when he was training alongside his UFC 154 opponent
Martin Kampmann.
"That
was a learning curve," he said on Thursday. "I got
beat on by everybody. I don’t know which one beat me worse,
you know what I’m saying? It’s just a learning curve.
[Martin] got his good shots in but then at the end, I started
getting mine, and that was the most fun part about it. I started
developing and once I started getting that taste of development
they were like, 'Hey, we might have to fight you one day. We
have to sort of start separating our ties.'"
This
is where the facts fall into dispute.
Kampmann
disagrees with the timeline and rationale. As he recalls it,
at the time, Hendricks was competing in the WEC while he was
already established in the UFC.
"It
was a beneficial training relationship and he helped me with
my wrestling, I was helping him with his standup and now we’re
fighting each other," Kampmann said.
Hendricks
believes that once he reached a certain level, he was "bumped
to the back," and that none of the gym's key fighters wanted
to train with him, necessitating a move.
Another
disagreement stems from their days together on the wrestling
mats, with Hendricks, the four-time NCAA All-American, saying
he "taught" Kampmann how to wrestle. Not so, says the
Danish fighter.
"I
think that’s a pretty big overstatement, pushing the issue,"
he said. "I could wrestle before. He definitely showed me
some good moves. He’s a good wrestler, a two-time American
champ. Of course I learned some good wrestling from him but I
knew how to wrestle before that as well."
While
each man has his own version of history, they'll also each have
the opportunity to make some new, irrefutable history on Saturday
as the winner could go on to become the welterweight division's
No. 1 contender. At best, the winner will fight for a belt. At
worst, he gets bragging rights.
Both
acknowledge that their interactions a few years ago have no bearing
on what could happen during UFC 154's co-main event. Kampmann
says Hendricks has made leaps forward with his striking, saying
he's "gotten a lot slicker and a lot better," while
noting the danger of his power, and Hendricks praises Kampmann's
technical proficiency.
It's
interesting to note that Kampmann has been the betting underdog
in six of his last seven fights, and that holds true against
his old training partner, likely because of the feeling that
Kampmann may not be able to absorb Hendricks' power.
Hendricks
certainly plans to put that theory to the test, saying Kampmann's
recent durability has some limit.
"Let
me hit him one time," he said. "I can’t wait to
put my left hand right on his chin and let’s see where it
goes from there. All I want to do is hit him one time. If he
handles it, awesome, we’ll fight. If he doesn’t, guess
what? It’s over. That’s my mind frame right now. I
just want to hit him as hard as I can one time and see what happens."
The
former punching bag is ready to punch back. Meanwhile, "the
Hitman" insists he's ready for whatever may come from, even
from an ex-training partner hellbent on proving he's the better
man.
"I
can eat a good shot and I’ve proved that a lot in my fights,"
he said. "Of course I don’t plan on getting hit but
it’s a fight. I’m sure I’m going to get hit eventually.
I can eat a good shot. I’m not worried and I’ll dish
it right back."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Shane
Carwin Off TUF 16 Finale with Knee Injury
by Ken
Pishna
The
hits just keep on coming, as The Ultimate Fighter Finale main
eventer and TUF 16 head coach Shane Carwin has blown out his
knee.
UFC
president Dana White tweeted the news on Wednesday afternoon.
“WOW!!
It never ends Carwin blew his knee out. Looking for a new opponent
for Roy on the TUF Finale on FX,” White posted.
Carwin’s
knee had come into question a few weeks ago, when he missed a
promotional trip to England, but it was considered minor and
he expected his knee to be good to go at fight time on Dec. 15.
This
latest injury, however, is knocking him out of the fight, leaving
the UFC, during one of its most injury plagued years ever, to
search for a new opponent for Carwin’s coaching nemesis
on TUF, Roy Nelson.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
The
10 can’t-miss UFC fights of 2013
UFC
president Dana White has been openly talking about an explosive
2013 for the UFC, and if that happening comes down to the fights
confirmed for the year, he looks likely to make good on his word.
As the end of the year approaches, GRACIEMAG.com has put together
a list of the 10 match-ups promising to rattle the foundations
of MMA.
1. Lyoto Machida vs. Dan Henderson – UFC 156
A
former champion of the light heavyweight division, Brazilian
karate stylist Lyoto Machida will have his hands full come February
2, when he takes on tough-as-nails Dan Henderson. Lyoto is coming
off a concussive knockout victory over Ryan Bader. The winner
of this fight will go on to face the divisional champion, Jon
Jones—or Chael Sonnen, should the underdog manage to outdo
the favorite in the TUF finale. Hendo is riding five back-to-back
wins, though he hasn’t fought since November 2011, when
he faced Mauricio Shogun in one of the greatest fights of his
career.
2. José Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar – UFC 156
The
match-up scheduled for February was going to happen at the UFC’s
third visit to Rio de Janeiro; however, champion José
Aldo fell off his motorbike and couldn’t make it because
of an injured foot. The featherweight from the Brazilian State
of Amazonas will put his belt up for grabs for a fourth time,
now against former lightweight top dog Frankie Edgar. For both
athletes being of the most explosive of varieties, Aldo-Edgar
promises fireworks in the octagon. The Brazilian hasn’t
tasted defeat in 14 fights. Now, Edgar dropped to featherweight
just because he’s small, having only lost to the lightweight
champion Ben Henderson (on two occasions). Guaranteed war!
3. Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping – UFC São Paulo
After
moving up a weight class and facing Jon Jones, Vitor Belfort
returns to the middleweight division he came from, to face Michael
Bisping on January 19, in São Paulo, Brazil. The winner
likely will take on Chris Weidman to determine who gets the next
crack at Anderson Silva, since the champ has decided to take
some R & R and only return at the end of 2013. In other words,
the champ will be watching who qualifies as his challenger from
box seats. Can Belfort manage his rematch?
4. Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen – TUF 17 Finale
Jon
Jones the phenom doesn’t know what it really is to lose,
having dispatched all his opponents without much difficulty.
Jones is now having to go through what Anderson Silva put up
with, having Chael Sonnen and his tongue as an opponent. The
two are on coaching duty for TUF 17, and will face off at the
April 27 grand finale of the reality show, with the light heavyweight
belt on the line. Will Sonnen be able to make his encounter with
Jones last? Could he have what it takes to take the champion
down? We’ll just have to wait to find out.
5. Glover Teixeira vs. Quinton Jackson – UFC on Fox 6
Chael
Sonnen has been saying that Ronda Rousey can take out Rampage.
Now Glover knows it won’t be quite so easy. The fight, set
for January 26 in Chicago, is a promising one. Glover, Chuck
Liddell’s main sparring partner when he was still a fighter,
only has two losses on his ledger, and has a game as well-rounded
as it is dangerous. The American star is coming off back-to-back
losses.
6. Rogério Minotouro vs. Rashad Evans – UFC 156
After
a slow 2012, Rogério Minotouro has a date set for his
return to the cage. The light heavyweight will take on Rashad
Evans on February 2, 2013, in Las Vegas. Minotouro feels this
will be his greatest test in the UFC. The Brazilian hasn’t
fought since knocking out the now retired Tito Ortiz. Rashad,
who has been training with Vitor Belfort, is running on all cylinders.
Who takes it?
7. Rodrigo Minotauro vs. Fabricio Werdum – TUF Brazil 2
The
two heavyweight stars have faced off once before but under a
different banner: at Pride FC. The rematch is set for the TUF
Brazil 2 final, to be held at a city yet to be named. Minotauro
managed to rediscover his submission game at UFC Rio, while Werdum
is riding back-to-back wins and has shown major evolution in
the standup department. Jiu-Jitsu fans won’t want to miss
this one!
8. Demetrius Johnson vs. John Dodson – UFC on Fox 6
The
flyweight showdown will be the marquee fight next January in
Chicago. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will defend
his belt for the first time since outpointing Joseph Benavidez
at UFC 152 last September. The game John Dodson, who took out
Brazil’ Jussier Formiga in earning his challenger status,
is gunning for the title.
9. Clay Guida vs. Hatsu Hioki – UFC on Fox 6
Clay
Guida lost his last two outings, but he’s looking to make
a new start in a new division in 2013. His opponent, Hioki, once
held as the second-best featherweight on the planet, is coming
off a loss and wants to show his stuff. The fight is guaranteed
excitement.
10. Ronda Rousey’s debut
Ronda
Rousey (6w, 0l) will make her promotional debut in 2013, but
the date and opponent have yet to be confirmed. Some of her main
rivals and colleagues at Strikeforce should also be absorbed
by the UFC, it is expected. Such is the case with, for example,
her bantamweight rival Miesha Tate, who herself broke the news
via her Twitter account. Miesha is the second female fighter
confirmed to join the UFC’s ranks. The same may also go
for Brazilian knockout artist Cris Cyborg. Will we be seeing
this war come through the works?
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Bellator
81 weigh-in results: Lightweight-tourney fighters on weight
All
fighters competing at Friday's Bellator 81 today successfully
made weight for the show.
The
fighters hit the scale in preparation for the event at Ryan Center
in Kingston, R.I.
Season
7 lightweight-semifinal-tournament fighters Rich Clementi, Marcin
Held, Dave Jansen and Ricardo Tirloni all weighed 156 pounds.
Friday's
event, which also includes a Marlon Sandro (145.5) vs. Dustin
Neace (146) featherweight main-card bouts, airs on MTV2 following
prelims on Spike.com.
The
full Bellator 81 weigh-in results included:
MAIN
CARD (MTV2)
Rich
Clementi (156) vs. Marcin Held (156) - lightweight-tourney semifinal
Dave Jansen (156) vs. Ricardo Tirloni (156) - lightweight-tourney
semifinal
Dustin Neace (146) vs. Marlon Sandro (145.5)
Jonas Billstein (185) vs. Perry Filkins (185)
PRELIMINARY
CARD (Spike.com)
Robbie
LeRoux (135) vs. Ruben Rey (136)
Paul Barrow (155) vs. Matt Bessette (150)
Sam McCoy (185) vs. Brennan Ward (184.5)
Matt Uhde (209.5) vs. Mike Mucitelli (209.5) - 210-pound catchweight
Dan Cramer (185.5) vs. Joe Lamoureux (185)
Andrew Calandrelli (156) vs. Eric Brown (155)
Murad Machaev (165) vs. Lorawnt-T Nelson (165) - 165-pound catchweight
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
After
return from own major knee injuries, Patrick Cote offers words
of warning for GSP
By Mike
Chiappetta
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
MONTREAL
-- Few people understand the path that Georges St-Pierre has
traveled like Patrick Cote. Like, GSP, the UFC middleweight shredded
his ACL and meniscus and needed the ligaments surgically reconstructed.
Like the champ, Cote went through the lengthy, rigorous and painful
rehabilitation process. Like the world-ranked pound-for-pound
welterweight, Cote was on the shelf for 19 months and heard the
same words of warning about what his first fight back would be
like.
He
didn't believe them.
It
was a mistake. Despite all the mental and physical preparation
that went into the effort to return, Cote still found himself
overwhelmed by the first few minutes back in the cage, something
that came as a shock to a savvy veteran who'd been involved in
fight sports for a decade.
Even
though he'd heard all the stories about ring rust, it was a phenomenon
he didn't believe in until he experienced it first-hand.
"You
always think you’re over that," he said on Wednesday.
"In training you feel great. You feel 100 percent, you’re
ready to go. [You think] It happens to everybody else except
me. When the bell rings, you receive the first kick with no shin
guard, you receive the first punch with four-ounce gloves instead
of 16, and that’s the real thing. Now you try to adjust.
'Next time I’m going to avoid that, move ahead.' Bang. Next
one, next one. After one minute, you receive 10 punches and didn’t
land one. But the longer the fight goes, you adjust."
Cote,
who will face Alessio Sakara at Saturday's UFC 154, said the
most dangerous stretch for St-Pierre will come in the opening
minutes, when the action moves faster than he's experienced for
well over a year.
It's
a phenomenon that many fighters believe in and others deny --
usually until they undergo an in-cage epiphany.
Why
does this happen? In Cote's estimation, you can be mentally sharp
and physically back to 100 percent, but that's as much as you
can control. The rest must simply be experienced. While you can
spar hundreds of rounds in preparation, the reality of the training
room is that your teammates aren't trying to hurt you, they're
trying to prepare you. Once you get in the cage, the fighters
standing opposite you has a very different goal and a very different
timetable for achieving his mission.
Cote,
who memorably injured his knee in a title match against Anderson
Silva, eventually lost his return match against Alan Belcher,
and though he doesn't fully attribute the defeat to ring rust,
he acknowledges that the slow start was difficult to overcome.
"When
I came back at UFC 113, the first minute was fast, really fast,"
he said. "It’s going to happen. Georges’ instinct
is going to come back and he’s going to try to take Condit
down, which I think he’s going to be able to do. But if
I was Condit, for the first two minutes of the first round, I’d
put pressure -- a lot of pressure -- and make a brawl and be
careful about the takedown. But if the fight goes longer -- the
second or third, or longer than that, I think Georges is going
to win."
Cote,
who is quite friendly with his fellow Quebecois, also knows the
reverse is possible. Condit, he admits, is a championship-level
fighter with the skills to end St-Pierre's illustrious reign,
and if he comes with an early barrage while GSP is still adapting
to the fight's speed, St-Pierre could find himself another victim
of the silent killer, ring rust.
"Condit
is no joke," he said. "Everyone’s talking about
Georges and [Anderson] Silva or something like that. Let me tell
you something: Condit can spoil that. He can. He can shock 23,000
people only with one punch. But I think Georges is more technical
and probably the wrestling is going to make the difference in
this fight."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Bellator
81: What to Watch For
By Mike
Whitman
Bellator
Fighting Championships will once again invade your television
screens on Friday, as the promotion’s seventh season rolls
into the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I. Bellator 81 may take place
in the smallest state in the Union, but this card could nonetheless
deliver some big thrills, serving to piece together the final
for the promotion’s ongoing lightweight tournament.
Here
is what to watch for during the MTV2 broadcast:
Held Up
Marcin
Held’s quarterfinal bout with Murad Machaev probably did
not go the way the young Pole envisioned.
Though
Held was clearly the larger man that night, he still had to fight
tooth and nail for every inch against his game opponent, who
clawed his way back into the fight during the second round of
their Bellator 77 collision by stuffing Held’s takedown
attempts and winging wild punches that landed just often enough
to put the decision in doubt.
Round
three was another competitive stanza, with both fighters looking
exhausted during the final five minutes. In the end, Held managed
to convince the cageside judges that he won the fight, but this
was not the type of performance I was expecting from the prospect.
Fans
of the Polish submission specialist should worry about his continual
lack of cardio in the cage, as well as his inability to consistently
take the fight to the floor without diving on a leg lock, Masakazu
Imanari-style. This would be less of a problem if the 20-year-old
had shown more improvement in his standup technique, but that
was not the case. Held needs to up his game -- and quick -- or
I think he is in for a rude awakening against Rich Clementi.
Clementi’s Claim
While
Held looked tentative during most of his quarterfinal contest,
Clementi took charge of his bout from the beginning, likely realizing
he would need a hot start in order to stifle highly touted prospect
Alexander Sarnavskiy.
“No
Love” saw an opening early in the first frame and jumped
on it -- literally. The American monkey-climbed his way onto
the overaggressive Russian’s back and sucked away much of
his wind while threatening with rear-naked choke attempts.
Clementi
hit the “replay” button in round two, putting the undefeated
youngster on his back before once again sinking his hooks and
spending much of the round fishing for another rear-naked choke.
Though Sarnavskiy rallied to end the second round and carried
his momentum into the third as the American began to fade, the
damage had already been done, resulting in Clementi advancing
to the semifinals and Sarnavskiy swallowing a bitter first defeat.
Can
Clementi repeat the same trick against another promising but
raw talent in Held?
Justice for Jansen
What
a performance by Dave Jansen.
It
did not look good for the American during the first round of
his Bellator 77 clash with Magomed Saadulaev, as the stocky Russian
continually threatened to take Jansen’s back during the
first five minutes. In response, Jansen tried several times to
lock up a guillotine choke on his bearded opponent, but each
attempt proved futile.
In
round two, Jansen began to turn the tide, pumping a stiff jab
into Saadulaev’s mug while sprawling on all of his takedown
attempts. As the Dagestan native became wearier, Jansen appeared
to grow stronger, finishing the frame with a flurry of jackhammer
ground-and-pound to both the dome and the guts.
Running
on fumes, Saadulaev had little to offer in round three, diving
on a desperation takedown attempt and leaving his neck exposed.
Jansen seized the opportunity and locked up that guillotine,
squeezing for all he was worth and ending the fight.
I
think that performance makes Jansen the favorite to win this
whole thing. With that said, “The Fugitive” surely
knows his path to a title shot will get no easier in the semis.
Teetering on Tirloni
I
still do not quite know how to feel about Ricardo Tirloni, but
I think we will all have a good idea of where he actually stands
after his meeting with Jansen.
Tirloni’s
career on paper is an impressive one thus far, with his only
losses coming to future UFC champion Benson Henderson and Rick
Hawn, Bellator’s current No. 1 contender. Even so, it is
tough to get a feel for exactly how high Tirloni’s ceiling
extends, and his quarterfinal appearance against Rene Nazare
did little to clear up the issue.
Yes,
Tirloni showed great intestinal fortitude in turning a near knockout
loss into a sweet brabo choke submission win, but it is not his
heart, resilience or even his manhood that I am questioning.
When that dude loses, he goes out on his shield. What is more
concerning to me are the openings that Tirloni presents when
he gets excited, both standing and on the ground. This can certainly
work to his advantage, and, indeed, that quality has netted him
nearly all of his victories by knockout or submission, but as
we have seen against top competition, the approach can also backfire.
If
Tirloni could keep his chin tucked a little more and hold his
hands a bit higher, I would not worry so much. I think the same
is true for his ground game. I would love to see the Brazilian
take his time and really set up a strategy that would play to
his well-roundedness and aggression, instead of exclusively relying
on those aspects of his game to carry him to victory.
Can
Tirloni get past Jansen? If he can, I think he will soon find
himself next in line for a crack at the lightweight title.
Source
Sherdog
|
Bellator
81: What to Watch For
By Mike
Whitman
Bellator
Fighting Championships will once again invade your television
screens on Friday, as the promotion’s seventh season rolls
into the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I. Bellator 81 may take place
in the smallest state in the Union, but this card could nonetheless
deliver some big thrills, serving to piece together the final
for the promotion’s ongoing lightweight tournament.
Here
is what to watch for during the MTV2 broadcast:
Held Up
Marcin
Held’s quarterfinal bout with Murad Machaev probably did
not go the way the young Pole envisioned.
Though
Held was clearly the larger man that night, he still had to fight
tooth and nail for every inch against his game opponent, who
clawed his way back into the fight during the second round of
their Bellator 77 collision by stuffing Held’s takedown
attempts and winging wild punches that landed just often enough
to put the decision in doubt.
Round
three was another competitive stanza, with both fighters looking
exhausted during the final five minutes. In the end, Held managed
to convince the cageside judges that he won the fight, but this
was not the type of performance I was expecting from the prospect.
Fans
of the Polish submission specialist should worry about his continual
lack of cardio in the cage, as well as his inability to consistently
take the fight to the floor without diving on a leg lock, Masakazu
Imanari-style. This would be less of a problem if the 20-year-old
had shown more improvement in his standup technique, but that
was not the case. Held needs to up his game -- and quick -- or
I think he is in for a rude awakening against Rich Clementi.
Clementi’s Claim
While
Held looked tentative during most of his quarterfinal contest,
Clementi took charge of his bout from the beginning, likely realizing
he would need a hot start in order to stifle highly touted prospect
Alexander Sarnavskiy.
“No
Love” saw an opening early in the first frame and jumped
on it -- literally. The American monkey-climbed his way onto
the overaggressive Russian’s back and sucked away much of
his wind while threatening with rear-naked choke attempts.
Clementi
hit the “replay” button in round two, putting the undefeated
youngster on his back before once again sinking his hooks and
spending much of the round fishing for another rear-naked choke.
Though Sarnavskiy rallied to end the second round and carried
his momentum into the third as the American began to fade, the
damage had already been done, resulting in Clementi advancing
to the semifinals and Sarnavskiy swallowing a bitter first defeat.
Can
Clementi repeat the same trick against another promising but
raw talent in Held?
Justice for Jansen
What
a performance by Dave Jansen.
It
did not look good for the American during the first round of
his Bellator 77 clash with Magomed Saadulaev, as the stocky Russian
continually threatened to take Jansen’s back during the
first five minutes. In response, Jansen tried several times to
lock up a guillotine choke on his bearded opponent, but each
attempt proved futile.
In
round two, Jansen began to turn the tide, pumping a stiff jab
into Saadulaev’s mug while sprawling on all of his takedown
attempts. As the Dagestan native became wearier, Jansen appeared
to grow stronger, finishing the frame with a flurry of jackhammer
ground-and-pound to both the dome and the guts.
Running
on fumes, Saadulaev had little to offer in round three, diving
on a desperation takedown attempt and leaving his neck exposed.
Jansen seized the opportunity and locked up that guillotine,
squeezing for all he was worth and ending the fight.
I
think that performance makes Jansen the favorite to win this
whole thing. With that said, “The Fugitive” surely
knows his path to a title shot will get no easier in the semis.
Teetering on Tirloni
I
still do not quite know how to feel about Ricardo Tirloni, but
I think we will all have a good idea of where he actually stands
after his meeting with Jansen.
Tirloni’s
career on paper is an impressive one thus far, with his only
losses coming to future UFC champion Benson Henderson and Rick
Hawn, Bellator’s current No. 1 contender. Even so, it is
tough to get a feel for exactly how high Tirloni’s ceiling
extends, and his quarterfinal appearance against
Rene Nazare did little to clear up the issue.
Yes,
Tirloni showed great intestinal fortitude in turning a near knockout
loss into a sweet brabo choke submission win, but it is not his
heart, resilience or even his manhood that I am questioning.
When that dude loses, he goes out on his shield. What is more
concerning to me are the openings that Tirloni presents when
he gets excited, both standing and on the ground. This can certainly
work to his advantage, and, indeed, that quality has netted him
nearly all of his victories by knockout or submission, but as
we have seen against top competition, the approach can also backfire.
If
Tirloni could keep his chin tucked a little more and hold his
hands a bit higher, I would not worry so much. I think the same
is true for his ground game. I would love to see the Brazilian
take his time and really set up a strategy that would play to
his well-roundedness and aggression, instead of exclusively relying
on those aspects of his game to carry him to victory.
Can
Tirloni get past Jansen? If he can, I think he will soon find
himself next in line for a crack at the lightweight title.
Source
Sherdog
|
Ronda
Rousey Officially Moving to the UFC; Strikeforce Will Fold After
January Event
Just
a few years ago, UFC president Dana White said he never envisioned
women’s fighting ever happening in the Octagon, but now
everything has officially changed forever.
Strikeforce
women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has signed with
the UFC effective immediately and will begin competing for the
promotion in 2013.
In
addition to Rousey and the women’s division moving to the
UFC, the entire promotion of Strikeforce will wrap up production
and fold following its show in January.
The original report about both Rousey and Strikeforce came via
TMZ.com, but additional sources have confirmed Rousey’s
signing with the UFC to MMAWeekly.com. In addition, MMAFighting.com
has also confirmed that Strikeforce will indeed close its doors
after January, with many fighters then transferring over to the
UFC.
Neither
Showtime or Zuffa officials have commented on the deals, but
the targeted Jan. 12 show for Strikeforce in Oklahoma City is
expected to be the promotion’s swan song. Strikeforce has
been teetering on the brink of extinction for months ever since
two separate shows were cancelled for the promotion between September
and November. Now it appears that they will put on one final
“mega show” in January before calling it a day.
As
far as Rousey’s UFC deal, sources indicated to MMAWeekly.com
as far back as mid-October that the Strikeforce bantamweight
champion was likely headed to the Octagon, but it was just a
matter of time before the deal got announced.
Negotiations
obviously concluded and now Rousey will become the first woman
ever to compete in the UFC.
No
date has been determined for Rousey’s first fight in the
Octagon, but it will likely be in early 2013. The name that has
been floated most recently for her first opponent is fellow Strikeforce
competitor Liz Carmouche, but nothing has been offered or signed
at this point.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
MATCHES
TO MAKE AFTER UFC ON FUEL TV 6
It
could be argued that Cung Le the mixed martial artist has spent
more time as a sideshow than a proven commodity; his entertaining
style was offset by his lack of complete commitment to the sport
as a budding film career drew his attention away from the cage.
That
perception may have forever changed on Saturday, when he knocked
out former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder
Rich Franklin in the UFC on Fuel TV 6 main event at the CotaiArena
in Macau, China. With “Ace” on the attack, Le countered
a leg kick with a crippling right hook that sent the unconscious
Franklin crashing to the canvas 2:17 into the first round.
It
was a defining moment for the likable Le, who touched down in
the UFC late last year after a successful stint in Strikeforce
that included a memorable rivalry with Frank Shamrock and a brief
reign as middleweight champion. A technical knockout loss to
Wanderlei Silva in his promotional debut at UFC 139 had plenty
questioning his place inside the Octagon. Did he belong? The
question was answered in resounding fashion when Le’s clenched
right fist connected with Franklin’s exposed jaw.
Still,
at 40, Le comes with a limited shelf life, so the UFC will need
to move quickly if it wants to capitalize on his upward trajectory.
The Sanshou stylist does not figure to pose a serious threat
to top-tier middleweights, but he could be quite the handful
for the rest of the fighters who populate the 185-pound division.
Former
Bellator Fighting Championships titleholder Hector Lombard will
answer the bell against leg lock connoisseur Rousimar Palhares
at UFC on FX 6 in December, the winner emerging as a logical
next opponent for Le. Lombard had his 20-fight winning streak
snapped against Tim Boetsch at UFC 149 in July, while Palhares
finds himself on the rebound following a humbling defeat to Alan
Belcher.
In
the wake of UFC on Fuel TV 6 “Franklin vs. Le,” here
are five other matchups that need to be made:
Rich
Franklin vs. Tim Kennedy: After 37 professional appearances,
20 of them inside the UFC, Franklin may have a date with retirement.
What else does he have left to accomplish? Let us assume for
discussion’s sake that the 38-year-old trudges onward with
his career. Few matchups make sense for a fighter of his stature,
though Zuffa brass could conceivably use him to introduce some
Strikeforce talent set to join the fold. Kennedy twice fought
for the middleweight crown in Strikeforce and figures to bolster
the UFC’s 185-pound ranks when he arrives.
Thiago Silva vs. Jimi Manuwa: Silva outlasted previously unbeaten
Bulgarian Stanislav Nedkov, securing a fight-ending arm-triangle
choke in the third round of their co-main event. Even in victory,
his first in more than three years, the Brazilian looked nothing
like the man who once struck fear in his opponents. Manuwa entered
the Octagon with plenty of hype and lived up to his billing at
UFC on Fuel TV 5 in September, demolishing Kyle Kingsbury over
the course of two rounds. He has finished all 12 of his foes,
nine of them inside one round.
Dong
Hyun Kim vs. Rory MacDonald-B.J. Penn winner: Kim wants a rematch
with 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships
gold medalist Demian Maia, the man who defeated him by injury-related
technical knockout at UFC 147. No one would argue with a settle-the-score
sequel between the two, but after his one-sided trouncing of
Paulo Thiago, perhaps Kim should aim a little higher on the 170-pound
totem pole. MacDonald, whom many view as an heir apparent to
longtime welterweight king Georges St. Pierre, will collide with
a former two-division champion in Penn at UFC on Fox 5 next month
in Seattle.
John
Lineker vs. Darren Uyenoyama: The flyweight division has yet
to plant deep roots in the UFC, as the promotion works to incorporate
its 125-pounders. Lineker has engaged in memorable battles in
each of his first two appearances inside the Octagon, pairing
a granite chin with an aggressive, crowd-pleasing style. Just
22 years old, the Brazilian has rattled off 14 victories in his
past 15 fights. Uyenoyama continues to fly under the radar despite
a string of three consecutive wins that include a unanimous verdict
over Japanese star Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto. The 33-year-old
submitted Phil Harris with a second-round rear-naked choke at
UFC on FX 5 in October.
Takeya
Mizugaki vs. Mike Easton-Bryan Caraway winner: Mizugaki has alternated
between wins and losses in his last 10 outings but remains a
difficult proposition for anyone at 135 pounds. The 28-year-old
former WEC title contender had no problem dispatching Jeff Hougland
by unanimous decision, as he consolidated repeated takedowns
with heavy ground-and-pound and airtight submission defense.
Easton and Caraway will do battle on Dec. 8 in Seattle; the two
bantamweights having combined for 11 straight wins between them.
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
on Fuel 6 Results: Thiago Silva Puts Stanislav Nedkov Away
It’s
been three long years since Thiago Silva tasted victory inside
the Octagon, but he finally got back on track in China with a
submission win over Stanislav Nedkov.
Silva
has faced quite a few ups and downs over the last couple of years
including a suspension after submitting a tampered drug test
for his fight against Brandon Vera in 2011, and then coming back
more than a year later only to be defeated by Alexander Gustafsson.
In
the midst of this, Silva left his long time camp at American
Top Team and traveled in state to begin working with the Blackzilian
team recently.
The
results paid off thus far with Silva now back on the winning
track.
It wasn’t an easy go however as Silva had a tough match-up
with Nedkov, who was willing to go toe-to-toe with the Brazilian,
giving him more than his fair share of punishment in the early
part of the fight.
Silva
wasn’t going to be deterred and he came straight forward
as well, but his power shots seemed to just do more damage. It
almost came back to bite him in the second round with Nedkov
landing a crushing overhand right that put Silva on his back.
Silva survived as the round came to an end, and he had a new
attack in mind for round three.
For
all the knockouts that Silva has to his credit however, it was
his underutilized ground game that came into play after he put
Nedkov on his back, and transitioned to a head and arm choke.
Silva
moved his body to the side of Nedkov’s to lock up the hold,
and a few moments later the tap came, signaling the end of the
bout.
Thiago
Silva gets a much needed victory after a tumultuous few years
in the UFC, while also getting the only finish up to that point
on the entire UFC on Fuel TV card. Throughout his career, Silva
has feasted on fighters outside of the top ten, but struggled
when facing the best fighters at 205lbs.
Now
the question remains with his new team in tow, can Thiago Silva
find a way to get over the top ten hump he’s suffered in
the last few years?
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Bellator
80 Results: Joe Warren Returns Strong; Volkov and Martinez Move
on in Tourneys
Prior
to Friday night, former Bellator champion Joe Warren would have
certainly liked to forget his last two performances inside the
Bellator cage.
The
former Olympic hopeful had lost back-to-back fights with both
ended by vicious knockout, and following the losses there were
questions on whether Warren would even return to competition.
He
did return at Bellator 80 and ended up putting on a dominant
performance in victory over Owen Evinger. While no one will be
looking for replays on this fight, Warren did a great job of
applying his wrestling to keep Evinger off balance, and controlled
the fight throughout all 15-minutes.
Warren
stated after the fight that he was hopeful to get into the next
Bellator bantamweight tournament kicking of on Spike TV in 2013.
Alexander
Volkov punched his ticket to the Bellator heavyweight tournament
finals with a TKO victory over former UFC fighter Vinicius Queiroz.
An
early stand-up after being stuck on the ground, allowed Volkov
to fire back with strikes, and he connected hard and often until
Quieroz could handle no more.
Volkov
now faces Richard Hale in the heavyweight tournament finals.
The Bellator featherweight tournament finals are also now set
as Utah fighter Rad Martinez moved on to face Shahbulat Shamhalaev
after picking up a win over former WEC and IFL fighter Wagnney
Fabiano.
Bellator
80 Full Results below:
Main
Card
Joe
Warren def. Owen Evinger by unanimous decision (30-27 on all
cards)
Alexander Volkov def. Vinicius Queiroz by KO at 4:59, R2
Rad Martinez def. Wagnney Fabiano by unanimous decision (30-27,
29-28, 29-28)
Brett Cooper def. Darryl Cobb by unanimous decision (30-27 on
all cards)
Preliminary
Card:
Brandon
Girtz def. Mitchel Quinones by unanimous decision (29-28 on all
cards)
Cristiano Souza def. Robert Otani by KO at 2:46, R1
Cosmo Alexandre def. Josh Quayhagen by unanimous decision (30-27
on all cards)
Shannon Slack def. Sky Moiseichik by unanimous decision (30-27
on all cards)
Joe Vedepo def. Mike Bernhard by submission at 3:26, R1
Ryan DeRocher def. Taylor Krahl by KO at 20 seconds, R1
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
After
seizing opportunity, Constantinos Philippou now just one win
away from contender status
No
matter who they are fighting or how long the odds are, a professional
fighter will rarely admit weakness or uncertainty.
But when Constantinos "Costas" Philippou walked to
the cage at UFC 128 to make his official UFC debut, he was certain
of only one thing: He would lose.
A few months before, Philippou had been picked to appear on "The
Ultimate Fighter," the UFC's reality series. But Philippou
was submitted by Joseph Henle in the qualifying round and thus
didn't earn a spot in the house during Season 11.
He went back to fight in the Atlantic City, N.J.,-based Ring
of Combat, where he was racking up wins, if not attention.
A few days before UFC 128 on March 19, 2011, Philippou was offered
a spot on the card in Newark, N.J., against Nick Catone. Yoshiro
Akiyama pulled out of his fight with Nate Marquardt because of
the devastating earthquake in Japan. UFC officials moved Dan
Miller from his fight against Catone into a more high-profile
match with Marquardt, leaving Catone in need of an opponent.
Philippou trains in Long Island, N.Y., as part of the Serra-Longo
fight team, and was available, so it seemed to make sense.
He much rather would have had an entire camp to prepare, but
he was in no position to be particular at that point. He said
yes, even though he wasn't exactly filled with confidence.
"I took the fight on five days notice and I knew I was going
to lose the fight," Philippou said. "My goal going
into that fight was to lose by decision. I wasn't in shape. I
thought if I lost by decision and not by submission or knockout,
I could go back to the gym, get into shape and maybe do something.
But I [accepted the fight] because it was my chance to get into
the UFC."
[Also: UFC veteran Rich Franklin watches MMA evolve before his
own eyes]
He did, in fact, lose by decision, as the judges gave all three
rounds to Catone.
He won, but barely, in his next outing, squeaking out a victory
over Jorge Rivera. But in his next three fights, he was impressive,
knocking out Jared Hamman and scoring decisions over Court McGee
and Riki Fukuda.
He's now won four in a row, and is, almost improbably, becoming
a contender. A four-fight UFC winning streak is significant,
even if Philippou hasn't engaged with any of the middleweight
division's elite just yet.
He fights Nick Ring on Nov. 17 on the main card of UFC 154 at
the Bell Centre in Montreal with an opportunity to be regarded
as a title contender.
"I don't know about that," he said, laughing nervously.
"That's something I don't think about, at least not now.
Winning four fights in a row, yes, I'm proud of that. It's an
accomplishment. But I have a lot of work ahead of me. I don't
think that way, anyway. I'm the kind of guy who is more worried
about what is going on now."
Nick
Catone takes down Costantinos Philippou during their fight at
UFC 128. (AP)
Philippou lives in the New York borough of Queens, and thus was
able to mostly escape the ravages of Superstorm Sandy. His home
was without power for a while and the gym was without it for
days.
But despite his upcoming fight, Philippou said he was fortunate.
He didn't sustain any damage and was able to continue to train
on a pretty much regular basis.
"We lost power at the gym, so we [compensated] by training
during the day," Philippou said. "My coaches were all
by my side. They made everything possible. They showed up on
my schedule, even though they'd lost power. The storm didn't
really impact my training because of them and what they were
willing to do.
"We're a close team to begin with. We're like a big family
over there. Everybody pitched in to help each other the best
way they could."
That work could pay off in a big way should he defeat Ring in
Montreal. It's hard to deny a major fight to someone with a five-fight
winning streak.
Philippou isn't the type to get ahead of himself, though. He's
thankful he's even in the UFC.
He turned pro as a boxer and went 3-0 before leaving the sport
after a falling out with a coach. He turned to MMA and was putting
together an impressive resume, even if it wasn't particularly
fulfilling.
"Being in the UFC changed my life, honestly," he said.
"I'm getting paid to fight now. I was able to buy my own
house. That's a dream come true for me. I never would have been
able to do that were it not for the UFC.
"I fought on the small shows, and yeah, I was a professional,
but you're making a couple of hundred dollars. I did it because
I loved fighting. Getting that call from the UFC to fight changed
everything for me."
As much as things changed by one call, they'll change that much
more with an impressive win over Ring.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Dan
Henderson Told He’s Fighting Lyoto Machida at UFC 156 on
Super Bowl Weekend
Dan
Henderson is currently on the mend from a knee injury, but he’ll
likely be fighting Lyoto Machida at UFC 156 on Super Bowl weekend…
at least, that’s what he’s told.
“I
was told that it should be Super Bowl weekend, Feb. 2,”
Henderson said on Thursday night’s edition of MMA Uncensored
Live on Spike TV.
No
formal announcement is yet forthcoming from the UFC, although
company president Dana White has been saying for the past month
or so that Henderson would probably face Machida next.
Henderson
was originally slated to challenge UFC light heavyweight champion
Jon Jones for the belt at UFC 151 in early September, but suffered
the knee injury while training. He fell out of the bout and the
event subsequently fell apart, leading to the cancellation of
UFC 151 altogether.
Lyoto Machida Will ‘Probably’ Face Dan Henderson in
His Next Fight
Lyoto Machida Willing if Dan Henderson is Next
Henderson returned to training about a week or so ago, so an
official announcement about the bout with Machida is likely being
held up due to UFC officials waiting to make sure his knee will
be good to go.
Featherweight
champion Jose Aldo puts his belt on the line against newly minted
145-pounder Frankie Edgar in the UFC 156 main event on Feb. 2
in Las Vegas, while Rashad Evans and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
square off in a feature bout.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
Returns to Japan in March 2013
The
UFC continues to expand globally but returning to a new market
is as important as going there in the first place.
They
will do just that come March 3, 2013 when the return to the “Land
of the Rising Sun” in Japan for a show set to land at the
Saitama Super Arena.
According to the UFC’s head of operations in Asia Mark Fischer
speaking at the UFC on Fuel TV 6 post fight press conference,
plans are in place for the promotion to return to Japan early
next year.
The
date of March 3 falls on a Sunday in Japan, but because of time
differences, that would allow for the show to air in the United
States at a regular time slot.
There
was no announcement regarding the type of show that the event
would be, but due to the Saturday night time slot and all of
the UFC on Fox cards already announced, it would appear this
show will serve most likely as UFC 157.
The
UFC last landed in Japan for UFC 144 in which Benson Henderson
defeated Frankie Edgar for the UFC lightweight title.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Dong
Hyun Kim Gunning for Rematch with Demian Maia
Dong
Hyun Kim picked up his seventh win in the Octagon on Saturday,
but it was this one that was most impressive.
The
Korean has been criticized in the past during many victories
for a slow, methodical style that mostly ends up with him on
top of an opponent, controlling the fight on the ground.
While
his fight against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Paulo Thiago did
hit the mat quite often, he did anything but just lay there and
control the action. From a rear naked choke attempt to a D’Arce
choke to his “Donkey Kong” style punches in the final
round, Kim was aggressive and dominant in a whole new way.
Kim
has been quoted in the past as saying that traveling long distances,
like his normal trip from Korea to the United States, is a draining
excursion and between the time difference and the long trip,
he’s never able to get back to 100-percent before fighting.
But
with his fight against Thiago in China, which is not far from
Kim’s native Korea, the results showed in his performances
was less travel and no jet lag can do for a fighter.
“It was a complete difference, the time difference between
the United States and Asia, fighting here is just the difference
between night and day,” Kim said when speaking to Fuel TV
after the fight.
Now
with a newly minted dominant win on his record, Kim already has
his eyes set on what opponent he wants next, and it’s the
same person he fought prior to Saturday in China.
Kim
is gunning for a rematch against Demian Maia, after their first
fight ended when the Brazilian went for a takedown, and once
on the ground Kim was already out of the fight after suffering
a rib injury. On his record however, the fight counts as a loss
even though Kim and Maia barely engaged during the brief 47 seconds
the fight lasted.
Now
Kim is ready for another chance to go after Maia in the Octagon.
“Demian
Maia,” Kim responded when asked who he wanted to fight next.
“I want Demian Maia.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 6 Fighter Bonuses: Cung Le Caps Event with Stunning
Knockout of the Night
On Saturday with UFC on Fuel TV 6: Franklin vs. Le. The night’s
main event produced a stunning finish and led the UFC on Fuel
TV 6 fighter bonuses, which netted the winners $40,000 each.
Rich
Franklin and Cung Le spent the opening moments trying to find
their range, but as soon Cung Le found his, it was all over.
Little
more than two minutes into the first round, Franklin threw a
left kick that Cung Le countered with impeccable timing, crushing
Franklin’s jaw. The lights immediately went out, Franklin’s
body went limp, and he crashed face first to the canvas.
Cung
Le not only got the victory, but also the UFC on Fuel TV 6 Knockout
of the Night.
Submission
of the Night was an easy choice. Just like Cung Le’s knockout
being the sole finish of its kind on the night, Thiago Silva’s
arm-triangle finish of Stanislov Nedkov was the sole submission
finish.
Silva was being pushed around through the opening two rounds.
He tried to fight Nedkov off of him, trying to punch and kick
his way out, but found it difficult.
Nedkov
seemed to hit a wall in round three, however, and Silva immediately
took advantage, putting him on the mat and deftly working for
an arm-triangle choke for the tap and the Submission of the Night.
Many
people expected fireworks out of former Pride champion Takanori
Gomi and former Ultimate Fighter winner Mac Danzig, and the two
lived up to expectations. Although they didn’t provide for
an exciting finish, they battled toe-to-toe for all three round,
the momentum swinging back and forth like a pendulum.
Gomi
took the split decision in the end, but each man went home with
an extra $40,000 for earning Fight of the Night honors.
The
UFC handed out disclosed UFC on Fuel TV 6 post-fight bonuses
totaling $160,000.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Ronda
Rousey businessman denies agreement with the UFC: 'Nothing has
changed'
The MMA world was taken by surprise last week with a report from
TMZ claiming that Ronda Rousey, Strikeforce champion, became
the first woman to sign a contract with the UFC. The site MMA
Fighting confirmed the rumors with their sources, realizing even
that Strikeforce would make its last edition in January 2013.
However, nothing is official yet.
Entrepreneur
of the beautiful fighter, Darin Harvey told Sports Illustrated
that the news is not true. "At the moment, nothing has changed,"
merely tell the manager.
On
Friday, our team spoke briefly with Rousey, who tried to deny
the rumors .
"I
did not sign anything until now. Of course I would like to fight
in the UFC, but I know as much as you know, "said the fighter
to TATAME in Las Vegas.
Dana
White, UFC president, has not traveled to China for the event
last Saturday, and has not yet ruled on the matter. He is this
week's press conference UFC 154 in Montreal, Canada, when should
review hiring Ronda.
Minutes
after the news being released by the press throughout the world,
Dana posted a smile on his Twitter.
Source:
Tatame |
Ronda
Rousey flying high after move to UFC
NELLIS
AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. – Ronda Rousey walked off an F-16 fighter
jet after a wild one-hour ride over the Las Vegas desert and
immediately bounced on her toes and threw a combination of punches
in the air.
Clearly, the Strikeforce bantamweight champion was exhilarated
by her ride with the Thunderbirds, though she wasn't so thrilled
to talk about whether her next mixed martial arts fight will
be in the UFC.
Still wearing her Air Force jump suit, Rousey did what she called
her "I-don't-know-anything dance" when she was asked
whether she was aware of reports that Strikeforce would fold
early next year and that she'd be in the UFC.
"Seriously?" she said when asked about the reports.
"If anything were going to be released, do you think they'd
do it through me on your iPhone in this hangar?"
The questions about her fight future were the only downers for
the burgeoning superstar during a busy morning in Southern Nevada.
She rode from Nellis to Creech Air Force base in a $30 million
fighter plane piloted by Capt. Michael Fisher.
During a weekend in which an air show was going on, Rousey got
the opportunity to experience some of what the combat pilots
feel. She didn't get nearly the g-force that they do, though
she was begging for it.
Air Force personnel at the base raved about her composure. Rousey
said she was never fearful.
"It's really, really hard to describe, actually," Rousey
said. "The thing I remember the most when we were pulling
all of the Gs, you could feel all of the fluid in your body pulling
down. It was a bad day to have a runny nose, let me tell you
that.
"I wasn't scared. I knew they had very qualified people
helping and making sure everything [went all right]. I'm sure
it's more dangerous for me driving to Vegas in my Honda than
it was flying upside down with this guy [Fisher]."
Her favorite parts were when Fisher rolled the plane and when
it turned 90 degrees and fired directly up in the air.
Brig. Gen. Charlie "Tuna" Moore raved about Rousey.
"I wouldn't doubt if she landed [the jet]," he said.
"She's a very impressive young lady."
Moore said the Air Force benefits whenever a celebrity rides
along with the Thunderbirds, because it brings exposure to what
the military is doing.
Moore, who piloted an F-16 during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan,
said many airmen are UFC fans and said were excited by Rousey's
appearance. He called himself a big fan and said he got into
the sport after once seeing UFC welterweight champion Georges
St-Pierre.
As great as it was for Rousey, though, it was nothing like a
fight.
"It's different [than a fight]," she said. "When
I go into a fight, I know it's a really high risk situation.
My mind thinks differently. I felt totally safe doing this."
Source:
Yahoo Sports |
UFC
VS. STRIKEFORCE: 10 CROSSOVER MATCHUPS
The
idea of the crossover fight has long proven seductive for the
mixed martial arts fan, as countless minutes have been devoted
to discussing such matters around the proverbial water cooler.
Never was that kind of banter more prevalent than when the Pride
Fighting Championships-Ultimate Fighting Championship rivalry
was at its height.
When
UFC parent company Zuffa purchased Pride in 2007, some fantasy
matchups became realities, most notably the title unification
bout between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Dan Henderson
at UFC 75 and the long-sought Chuck Liddell-Wanderlei Silva showdown
at UFC 79. However, contract disputes kept a number of Pride
stars, including Fedor Emelianenko, from planting their flags
inside the Octagon.
With
the news this week that Strikeforce will merge with the UFC after
holding one final event on Jan. 12, armchair crossover matchmakers
have sprung into action yet again. Here are 10 potential Strikeforce
vs. UFC matchups that could get the blood pumping:
Gilbert
Melendez vs. Benson Henderson: No man figures to benefit more
from the UFC-Strikeforce merger than Melendez, a perennial Top
10 lightweight who has been a big fish in a small pond for years.
On a seven-fight winning streak, the Strikeforce lightweight
champion will put his title on the line against the rugged and
experienced Pat Healy on Jan. 12 before finally touching down
in the Octagon. Henderson will defend the UFC’s 155-pound
crown on Dec. 8, when he toes the line against “The Ultimate
Fighter” Season 5 winner and longtime Melendez teammate
Nate Diaz.
Luke
Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman: They are clearly the top two young
middleweights in the sport. Based at the American Kickboxing
Academy in San Jose, Calif., Rockhold will defend his Strikeforce
championship against the undefeated Lorenz Larkin before relocating
to the UFC. The 28-year-old has won nine consecutive fights,
finishing seven of them inside one round. The unbeaten Weidman
has been nothing short of sensational since joining the UFC in
March 2011. Five consecutive wins have followed, placing the
Serra-Longo Fight Team thoroughbred on the fast track to stardom.
Weidman will collide with Tim Boetsch at UFC 155 on Dec. 29.
Brian
Stann vs. Tim Kennedy: No one in MMA carries the torch of the
United States military quite like these two. Stann, a decorated
Marine who was awarded the Silver Star, has emerged as one of
the world’s top middleweights since moving down from 205
pounds in 2010. The 32-year-old former WEC champion owns key
wins against Chris Leben, Jorge Santiago and Alessio Sakara.
A proud member of the Army Special Forces, Kennedy has twice
fought for promotional gold in Strikeforce. The 33-year-old has
posted 14 wins in his last 17 appearances.
Josh
Barnett vs. Frank Mir: They entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship
less than a year apart more than a decade ago, but their paths
have never crossed inside the cage. Barnett and Mir have since
captured and lost UFC gold, leaving fans to wonder what a matchup
between them might look like. Perhaps the answer to that question
could come soon. Mir withdrew from a Nov. 3 appearance in Strikeforce
with an injury, and Barnett has not competed since May.
Ronaldo
Souza vs. Rousimar Palhares: For many, these two Brazilians rank
1-2 on a list of the sport’s most feared submission grappler.
Souza enhanced his profile in Strikeforce, pairing middleweight
gold with multiple Brazilian jiu-jitsu world championships. The
32-year-old “Jacare” has won six of his last seven
fights, finishing four opponents in that span. The gifted but
volatile Palhares has injured more than one foe with his vast
assortment of leg locks. “Toquinho” will tackle former
Bellator Fighting Championships titleholder Hector Lombard at
UFC on FX 6 on Dec. 14.
Dan
Cormier will offer a considerable boost to the UFC heavyweight
roster.
Daniel Cormier vs. Alistair Overeem: Cormier emerged as a Top
5 heavyweight in May, when he won the Strikeforce heavyweight
grand prix. However, some may forget that Cormier entered the
tournament as a replacement for Overeem, who bowed out of the
draw following his unanimous decision victory over Fabricio Werdum
in June 2011. Cormier will make his final Strikeforce appearance
on Jan. 12, when he locks horns with Dion Staring in Oklahoma
City. Overeem is currently serving a Nevada Athletic Commission-imposed
suspension for suspected use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Nate
Marquardt vs. Nick Diaz: The once-disgraced Marquardt has enjoyed
a resurgence under the Strikeforce banner, capturing the promotion’s
welterweight championship with a riveting fourth-round knockout
against Tyron Woodley in July. His path to the 170-pound title
was cleared in part by Diaz, who vacated the championship when
he returned to the UFC. Marquardt will defend the belt against
Team Quest’s Tarec Saffiedine on Jan. 12. Diaz will be eligible
for reinstatement from a year-long suspension in February.
Robbie
Lawler vs. Chris Leben: Mirror images of one another, they have
carved out their respective niches through a willingness to brawl,
oftentimes to their detriment. Lawler has hit the skids of late,
with five defeats in his last eight outings. However, his 16
knockouts -- 11 of them inside one round -- remain a testament
to his brutal punching power. Leben will return from a year-long
absence on Dec. 29, when he confronts Karlos Vemola at UFC 155
in Las Vegas.
Gegard
Mousasi vs. Mauricio Rua: One of the forgotten pieces of the
Strikeforce puzzle, the 27-year-old Mousasi has not fought since
he took a unanimous decision from Ovince St. Preux 11 months
ago. The well-rounded former Dream and Strikeforce champion has
tasted defeat only once in his past 22 bouts. Rua will try to
clear a major hurdle on Dec. 8, when he squares off with surging
Swede Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on Fox 5 in Seattle. Still
viewed as one of the world’s premier 205-pound fighters,
the 2006 Pride middleweight grand prix winner has not won back-to-back
bouts in nearly four years.
Josh
Thomson vs. Anthony Pettis: The oft-injured Thomson’s days
as an elite lightweight may be over, but few can surpass him
in terms of providing consistent entertainment value. “The
Punk” remains one of only two men to defeat Melendez and
pushed the Cesar Gracie protégé to the limit in
their rubber match in May, losing a split decision. Thomson holds
a 2-1 mark in the UFC but has not competed inside the Octagon
since 2004. One of MMA’s most dynamic fighters, Pettis will
be back in the cage on Jan. 26, when he battles Donald Cerrone
at UFC on Fox 6.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Cung
Le Unsure About His Future: “I Know My Clock Is Ticking”
Once
upon a time, Cung Le said his dream was just to get the chance
to compete inside the UFC Octagon.
Now
with a 2-1 record including Saturday’s one-punch knockout
of former middleweight champion Rich Franklin, Le has done more
than just “compete” – he’s winning fights
in a big way.
“It’s
like a dream, I feel like I’m in a dream right now,”
Le said to Fuel TV after the knockout victory.
Explaining
the set up for Franklin’s inevitable doom, Le says it all
came down to timing, and knowing what his opponent was looking
for and how to land the perfect counter strike.
“I
just saw him timing my kicks, so I waited for him to punch, I
threw that overhand right and got lucky and caught him,”
said Le.
As
modest as can be, Le says “lucky punch” when in reality
it was a well timed, devastating right hand with so much torque
that it left Franklin laying face down on the mat wondering what
just happened.
The knockout almost assuredly guarantees Le another fight inside
the Octagon if he wants one, but now that becomes the biggest
question of all…does Cung Le want to keep on fighting?
“I
love to do martial arts, I love to compete, and if I can do it
as long as I live I’d do it, but I know my clock is ticking,
so I’m doing my best,” Le stated.
“I
definitely want to take a little vacation before I start up training
again, let my body heal up, my foot completely heal.”
At
40 years of age, Le has a successful martial arts career as well
as a growing acting career that most recently saw him land a
major role in the film “The Man With the Iron Fists”.
Will
Le be coaxed back into the cage again or has he thrown his final
punch in the UFC?
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Thiago
Silva Happy that Move to Blackzilians Showed in His UFC on Fuel
TV 6 Fight
Sometimes
a change of scenery and tactics is necessary for a fighter to
get the jumpstart that his career needs. Such was the case for
Thiago Silva.
Silva
for years was a member of American Top Team, but after going
1-2 with an additional no contest on his resume, he felt he needed
to shift gears. So he packed up his bags and move over to the
Blackzilians camp that features the likes of Rashad Evans, Alistair
Overeem, Melvin Guillard and numerous other top names.
A
loss to Alexander Gustafsson prompted the move and it has worked
well because through his first fight with the team, the results
have been flawless.
Silva
scored a third-round submission finish of previously undefeated
Bulgarian Stanislov Nedkov at UFC on Fuel TV 6 on Saturday in
Macao, China.
“It
was a hard fight. Nedkov is a tough fighter,” said Silva
during Fuel TV’s post-fight show. “The second round,
he got me with a good punch, but I’m a tough guy and I’m
here to do my job. I never give up.”
And
he didn’t give up. Despite dropping to the canvas in round
two, courtesy of a Nedkov overhand right, Silva took full advantage
of an opportunity in the third round to turn the tide back to
his favor.
Something
about Nedkov was different in round three, like he just deflated
before our very eyes. Silva noticed and that was all he needed.
“I
saw his face,” said Silva in his post-fight interview. “He
just changed his face, so I decided to shoot his legs and put
him down. I just used the right opportunity.”
Moments after planting Nedkov on the mat, Silva finished him
off with an arm-triangle choke that forced the Bulgarian to tap.
“Since
I moved to the Blackzilians, I’m having good training, good
coach, good teammates; so that’s the result.”
As
far as what’s next, Silva doesn’t yet know, and doesn’t
really care to call out a specific fighter. With his renewed
training, the one thing he is sure about is that he wants to
build off of this victory and take another step up in competition
and step towards an eventual crack at the title.
Silva
knows that he’s not next in line, or perhaps even considered
among “the mix” just yet, but like most fighters, the
title is his ultimate goal.
“I
want to fight with the best fighters in my division,” said
Silva. “Doesn’t matter who it’s going to be. I
want to fight the tough guys and I want to be a champion one
day. I want the title and I’m working hard for this.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
on Fuel TV 6 Draws Strong Gate and Attendance for Fuel TV-Based
Event
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship made its China debut on Saturday
with UFC on Fuel TV 6: Franklin vs. Le, drawing a strong gate
and attendance.
UFC
on Fuel TV 6 took place at the Cotai Arena in Macao, drawing
8,415 fans for a live gate of approximately $1.3 million. Those
numbers are strong enough for second best out of the promotion’s
six Fuel TV events thus far.
The only Fuel TV event to do better was UFC on Fuel TV 2 in Sweden,
which featured Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago Silva. That event
drew pay-per-view like numbers of 15,428 in attendance and $2.23
million at the gate.
UFC
on Fuel TV 6 featured many Asian fighters for the promotion’s
first foray into China, with Vietnamese born Cung Le providing
a stunning capper to the night. He floored former UFC middleweight
champion Rich Franklin with one powerful right hand to the jaw,
that left the crowd stunned.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Georges
St.-Pierre’s recovery, and Condit’s training with Caio
Terra
The
UFC released part two of the promo video for the promotion’s
154th event, to be headlined by welterweight champion GSP and
interim title-holder Carlos Condit next Saturday, the 17th.
The
video was a big hit during the broadcast from Macau, and now
you get to see the whole thing, including the Canadian welterweight’s
workout routine, and the challenger’s Jiu-Jitsu training
with Caio Terra (at minute 12).
The
minidocumentary also spotlights GSP working on his Jiu-Jitsu
in Canada with black belt John Danaher, the respected gentle-art
professor from Renzo Gracie’s New York academy (starting
after minute 16).
What’s
your take on the scenes? To you, who takes the definitive welterweight
belt next Saturday?
UFC
154
Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada
November 17, 2012
Georges
St.-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit
Martin Kampmann vs. Johny Hendricks
Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor
Nick Ring vs. Costa Philippou
Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza
Preliminary
Card (FX broadcast)
Patrick
Côté vs. Alessio Sakara
Cyrille Diabate vs. Chad Griggs
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Mark Bocek
Sam Stout vs. John Makdessi
Undercard
(broadcast on Facebook)
Rodrigo
Damm vs. Antonio Carvalho
Matthew Riddle vs. John Maguire
Ivan Menjivar vs. Azamat Gashimov
Steven Siler vs. Darren Elkins
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Wand
and Jones praises bet on Oscar win Lamb of MMA
Rafael Cordeiro competes for an Oscar in the category of MMA
disputed by coaches. The leader of Kings MMA, indicated among
the best academies, is the commander of renowned athletes like
Wanderlei Silva. The fighter, who lives in Las Vegas, knows the
coach for many years and ensures that Lamb has large share in
the success of his career.
In
an interview with tatami, the "Mad Dog" tore praise
for captain and believes he will unseat competitors: Greg Jackson,
Dede Pederneiras, Cesar Gracie and Javier Mendez.
"I
think he is the only one that is showing up in all directions,
the quality of his service, which is complete. Regardless of
victory or defeat, every year the teacher is recognized as a
great coach, is among the top three for many consecutive years.
This year I'm finally feeling that he will win. It is more than
deserved. Everyone who trains with him reaches their maximum
potential. "
Last
month, Wanderlei was alongside Rafael Cordeiro, Fabricio Werdum
and watching Jon Jones High Rock Festival event. Living with
the UFC champion was cause for praise from Wand.
"We
spent quality time together. In a meeting room at Rafael, with
Werdum and Jon Jones, said he was not here to be champions because
we have not received one in our group for this or that, but because
we won as a person. It is a nice guy, big guy, super polite with
fans, with us. We made a great friendship, "said Silva,
who crashed to mention the possible duel between" Bones
"and Anderson Silva.
"He
said he likes Anderson, who admires him, which is an idol for
him, but just remember the compliments. Do not remember if he
said he would fight with Anderson or not. "
Source:
Tatame |
Cung
Le delivers dramatic knockout in first UFC card on Chinese soil
UFC
middleweight Cung Le is an action-film star who has a featured
role alongside Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu in a movie released
earlier this month called, "The Man with the Iron Fists."
And on Saturday in the main event of the UFC's first card on
Chinese soil, Le fought like a guy with an iron fist.
The former Strikeforce champion countered a kick from Rich Franklin,
landing an overhand right to the cheek that sent Franklin tumbling
face first to the canvas and knocked him out cold.
Le didn't have to do another thing as referee Marc Godard dove
in to stop it at 2:17 of the first round.
"I'm just grateful," Le said in the cage at the Cotai
Arena in Macao, China, after one of the most dramatic knockouts
of the year. "I don't know what to say. Lucky punch."
Franklin was an overwhelming favorite, in part because there
was plenty of questions about the health of Le's right foot.
He suffered a significant bone bruise during a win over Patrick
Cote at UFC 148 in July and suggested that he would be at only
70 percent of full health when he faced Franklin.
He endured the unusual procedure of bloodletting for weeks prior
to the fight, having about 50 holes poked into his foot. Blood
was then withdrawn from the area in an effort to promote healing.
Le depends on his kicks, and without the ability to kick hard
and often against a high-level opponent such as Franklin, he
seemed outmatched.
Franklin was kicking at Le, a frequent tactic fighters use when
facing an opponent known for kicks.
The ex-UFC middleweight champion tried one too many, though,
and it cost him in a big way.
Franklin whipped a kick with his left leg that hit Le above the
knee. Franklin drew back his right hand as if he were going to
fire it at Le, but Le came with his own right. Le's was quicker
and landed on the button.
Franklin was out as soon as he was hit and did a face-first fall
to the canvas.
"He was loading up and looking for me to kick [so he could]
attack me with punches," Le said. "I came in, I waited
for him to punch and I came in with the overhand right and caught
him. Thank you, Lord."
Thiago Silva was nearly knocked out in similar fashion by Stanislav
Nedkov when he took a Nedkov right to the head in the second
round. Silva collapsed in a heap, but managed to survive.
That was the bad news for the previously unbeaten Nedkov, who
seemed to lose his conditioning in the third round. Silva took
advantage and submitted him with an arm triangle at 1:45.
Dong Hyun Kim might have been the most impressive fighter of
the night. He out-grappled Paulo Thiago for all five minutes
of all three rounds and won a unanimous decision by scores of
30-27 twice and 30-26.
Le
floored Franklin with an overhead right at 2:17 of the first
round. (Getty Images)
Takanori Gomi won a split decision over Mac Danzig in a back-and-forth
lightweight fight. Judges had it 29-28 twice for Gomi and 29-28
for Danzig.
In an impressive overall effort from both men, Jon Tuck was a
little better than Tiequan Zhang in all areas and pulled out
a unanimous decision. Judges had it 29-28 twice and 30-27.
The first round was back-and-forth with each trading submission
attempts. But Tuck nearly forced Zhang to tap late in the first
with a rear naked. They traded blows in the second, but Tuck
again was close to landing a rear naked choke.
In the opener of the show, broadcast in the U.S. on Fuel TV,
Takeya Mizugaki was dominant, out-striking Jeff Hougland on the
feet and on the ground en route to a wide unanimous decision.
Scores were 30-27 twice and 30-25."
Winners on the preliminary card were Alex Caceres by split decision
over Motonobu Tezuka (30-27 twice, 28-29); John Lineker by unanimous
decision over Yasuhiro Urushitani (29-28 twice and 30-27), and
Riki Fukuda by unanimous decision over Tom DeBlass (29-28 twice
and 30-27).
Source:
Yahoo Sports |
 |
Glory
Combines Dream 18 and Heavyweight Grand Slam into Historic New
Year’s Eve Event
Following
Glory Sports International’s (GSI) recent announcement that
it would be producing the annual DREAM MMA event at Saitama Super
Arena on New Year’s Eve, the company has announced that
it will merge its GLORY 4 Tokyo Heavyweight Grand Slam championship
kickboxing event with DREAM 18 to create one mega-night of world-class
professional martial arts fighting on Dec. 31, 2012.
The
GLORY 4 Tokyo Heavyweight Grand Slam event was originally scheduled
to take place on Dec. 2 at Makuhari Messe. After a thorough exploration
process, however, GSI concluded that it would be possible to
combine the two shows, creating the largest possible impact for
re-launching the Japanese martial arts fight scene with an event
of unprecedented magnitude.
“As
a company, we want to create the most spectacular martial arts
show Japan has ever seen. After taking over DREAM 18, it just
made natural sense to look at the opportunity to revive the traditional
New Year’s Eve date and create a mega-show,” Pierre
Andurand, Chairman of GSI, commented.
“We
looked at the pros and cons and it was clear that a combined
show is the way to go. We are extremely proud and excited to
deliver this mega-show to the Japanese fans and to the world
at large.”
Marcus
Luer, Managing Director of GSI, remarked, “We are confident
that the fans will see our intentions to create the best possible
show ever and, once they see the details of the New Year’s
Eve show, they will be blown away by the caliber of fighters
and fights we have lined up that night.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused to the fans who
have bought tickets for Dec. 2, but we are certain they will
be happy with what we will create on Dec. 31. We will provide
fans who have bought tickets for GLORY 4 Tokyo with a full refund,
which can be easily obtained at the outlets where they bought
the tickets. At the same time, those same outlets will also sell
the new tickets for the Dec. 31 show.”
The
event – “GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo –
New Year’s Eve Special” – will commence at 4 p.m.
Tokyo time on Dec. 31 and roll through to a midnight grand finale.
DREAM 18 will see an amazing line up of top Japanese and international
MMA superstars.
GLORY
4 Tokyo will feature the best heavyweight kickboxers in the world
battling it out in a16-man, single-elimination tournament. The
winner of the one-night tournament will be crowned the GLORY
Heavyweight Grand Slam Champion and receive a grand prize of
US $400,000 – the biggest prize in the sport.
Among
the superstar fighters that have accepted a place in the invitation-only
line-up are Semmy Schilt, Daniel Ghita, Remy Bonjasky, Gokhan
Saki, Peter Aerts and Errol Zimmerman. Sixteen world-class fighters
will enter, but only one can emerge victorious in what is the
toughest tournament the fighting world has ever seen.
Broadcast
details of the event at Saitama Super Arena will be announced
shortly.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Fuel
TV on Monday Launches a Week Long Celebration of the Return of
Georges St-Pierre
Georges
St-Pierre is back after more than a year and a half outside of
the Octagon. He’ll square off with Carlos Condit to unify
the UFC welterweight title at UFC 154 on Nov. 17 in Montreal.
FUEL
TV is celebrating in a big way. Starting Monday, Nov. 12, FUEL
TV kicks off GSP WEEK, consisting of more than 34 hours of programs,
promos and interstitials highlighting UFC welterweight champion
Georges St-Pierre, leading up to his return to the Octagon on
Saturday, Nov. 17 at UFC 154: ST-PIERRE VS. CONDIT.
All
week long, FUEL TV premieres special episodes of UFC ROUNDTABLE,
UFC PRIMETIME, UFC COUNTDOWN, UFC ULTIMATE INSIDER and UFC TONIGHT
with more extensive coverage around the Champion than any television
network has ever delivered. FUEL TV also re-airs TRAINING DAY:
INSIDE THE TRISTAR GYM, a one-hour special that provides never-before-granted
access to St-Pierre’s gym as he and his team go through
their daily training regime. Also watch for UFC RELOADED [UFC
79] featuring GSP’s epic victory over legend Matt Hughes.
GSP
Week heats up on the eve of the UFC 154 with the live UFC 154
WEIGH-IN SHOW ON FUEL TV on Friday, November 16 (4:00 PM ET)
and culminates with the live UFC 154 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV
Saturday evening immediately following the Pay-Per-View (approximately
1:00 AM ET).
Below
is a list of GSP WEEK programs on FUEL TV:
Monday,
November 12 (10:30 PM ET)
UFC ROUNDTABLE: WELTERWEIGHTS – PART 1
Host Jay Glazer sits down and gets intimate with the UFC’s
greatest welterweight fighters including current champion Georges
St-Pierre, former champions BJ Penn and Matt Serra, and Renzo
Gracie. The four former rivals reveal their greatest moments
in the UFC, dealing with pre-fight nerves, and highlight their
individual bests in the UFC. Penn and Gracie relive the intimate
memories of what it was like facing each other down. St-Pierre
recalls his most successful and even his most humbling moments
in the Octagon.
Tuesday,
November 13 (10:00 PM ET)
UFC TONIGHT
Hosts Todd Harris and Kenny Florian preview for UFC 154: ST-PIERRE
vs. CONDIT, with all the official news, views and action before
the welterweights face off for the title.
Tuesday,
November 13 (10:30PM ET)
UFC PRIMETIME: UFC 154 – PART 2
In the second installment, follow GSP as he returns from his
career-threatening injury to face interim champion Carlos Condit
in a showdown for the undisputed welterweight title. Get an all-access
look at two of the UFC’s biggest stars as they prepare for
the championship fight.
This special features exclusive interviews from the fighters,
their respective training camps and expert analysis on the match-up.
Thursday,
November 15 (11:00PM ET)
UFC ROUNDTABLE: WELTERWEIGHTS – PART 2
In this second installment of the welterweight’s Roundtable,
Host Jay Glazer sits down and gets personal with the UFC’s
top welterweight fighters including current champion Georges
St-Pierre, former champions BJ Penn and Matt Serra and Renzo
Gracie. The five discuss topics such as their greatest moments
in the Octagon, super-fights, dream match-ups and which of the
mixed martial arts is the most dominant on the feet and on the
ground.
Thursday,
November 15 (11:30 PM ET)
UFC ULTIMATE INSIDER [BEST OF GEORGES ST-PIERRE]
Take an exclusive look at Georges St-Pierre’s ten-month
rehab from ACL surgery, with updates from his doctors, trainers,
and GSP himself. Then get an insider’s account of his intensive
recovery and the internal battles that he faced in his journey
to reclaim sole ownership of the 170 pound title. Plus, St-Pierre
is mic’d up at UFC 143 as Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz battle
for the interim welterweight belt. See GSP’s live reaction
to the epic fight and hear his exclusive commentary about his
next opponent, as he watches Condit claim the top spot in the
division. Then, Host Jon Anik travels to Montreal for an exclusive
interview with a fully recovered GSP. The welterweight champ
discusses the struggles he overcame in his rehab and why his
future is brighter than his past.
Friday,
November 16 (4:00PM ET)
UFC 154 WEIGH-IN ON FUEL TV
Watch the all the fighters of UFC 154 including champion Georges
St-Pierre, Carlos Condit, Martin Kampmann, Johny Hendricks and
others weigh-in and face-off live before a night of epic battles
inside the Octagon.
Saturday,
November 17 (7:30 PM ET)
UFC PRIMETIME: UFC 154 – Part 3
In this third installment, follow GSP as he returns from his
career threatening injury to face interim champion Carlos Condit
in a showdown for the undisputed welterweight title. Get an all-access
look at two of the UFC’s biggest stars as they prepare for
the championship fight.
Saturday,
November 17 (1:00 AM ET)
UFC 154 POSTFIGHT SHOW FUEL TV
Jay Glazer and today’s top MMA analysts recap the night’s
bouts, serve up exclusive fighter interviews, and talk about
‘what’s next’ for the winners and losers after
the big fight.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Only
Rich Franklin can answer the obvious question coming off his
first-round KO loss
When a 38-year-old former world champion loses by a one-punch
knockout to an opponent he was almost universally expected to
beat, the question has to be asked if it's time to leave the
cage. But as recent history has shown, the answer isn't nearly
so simple.
When you're a 38-year-old former world champion and less than
36 hours ago was knocked out with one punch just 2:17 into a
fight by someone you were almost universally expected to beat,
there is an obvious next question that Rich Franklin needs to
ask himself.
Is
this the end of the road?
Franklin
(29-7, 1 no contest) has been asked that question a lot of late,
even though it had been three years since he had been finished
in a fight, and even though he was coming off a fight of the
night performance in a win against Wanderlei Silva in his previous
fight.
The
question was not so much because of performance in the cage as
much as his age, and more, the reality of having most of his
contemporaries as well as a number of fighters younger than he
is, recently ending their career.
It's
also something he talked about shortly before his loss to Cung
Le on Saturday in Macau in UFC's debut in the main event of UFC's
debut in the People's Republic of China.
"Yeah,
I realize I'm on borrowed time at this point," he said.
"I'm 38 years old. I remember when I started being asked
these questions about a year-and-a-half ago. It really hits you
hard at first, but I'm used it now. I never thought about it
with (Stephan) Bonnar retiring. I didn't look at it like that.
But Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and I were the
people who were part of the UFC before it exploded na they're
now all gone. I'm the last of the Mohicans."
It's
easy to say that the fighter should decide, but in most cases,
fighters are going to go on for too long. It's often the damage
at the end of their careers when they are older and their bodies
can't absorb a blow as well that leads to problems later in life.
Yet there is quite the lure to continue, both in terms of fame,
money and familiarity. A fighter when making that call is in
most cases going to make a lot less money, the fame can be fleeting,
plus there's walking away from the life training in the gym with
your crew that you've lived much of your adult life.
But
in the case of Franklin, it really is something only he can give
a good answer to at this point.
Two
other longtime stars, Jon Fitch and Jake Shields, were coming
off similar stunning one-punch knockouts, even quicker than Franklin's
loss. While they are a few years younger than Franklin, both
were still well into their 30s with a lot of mileage on their
bodies. They were two veterans who in many ways were like Franklin,
they hadn't lost in their weight class to anyone but Georges
St-Pierre, until getting blown out in such fashion. Fitch came
back in his next fight with arguably the most inspired performance
of his entire career, beating Erick Silva last month in Rio de
Janeiro. Shields, moving up a weight class, also defeated Ed
Herman in his comeback in August, although his win was overturned
by a drug test failure. But in hindsight, with similar losses
to Franklin, both proved that it was hardly the end of the line.
While
Le magnanimously chalked up his win to a lucky punch, a better
description would be that he took advantage of a strategic mistake
by Franklin. Franklin, during the short fight, had his hands
down and left his head right in front of Le after throwing kicks.
Le saw the pattern, waited for the opening, fired one of the
most devastating punches of his career and Franklin was out like
a light.
This
particular ending was simply a stylistic flaw that can be corrected
with training, compounded with an almost perfect punch. And things
happen in MMA. This isn't a pattern with Franklin. Aside from
Vitor Belfort three years ago where a blow to the back of the
head led to him being finished, and Anderson Silva, the consensus
greatest MMA fighter on Planet Earth, Franklin hadn't been finished
in a fight in nine years. And most of his fights for the last
seven years have been main events, mostly against top-tier competition.
Only
he can adequately determine whether his training is slipping
and he's having trouble recuperating from blows as compared to
his youth. He's intelligent, and in speaking with him days ago,
there wasn't the slightest of those warning signs that you get
with some aging fighters when you converse with them.
Still,
at weigh-ins the day before, there were a lot of people surprised
when they saw Franklin on the screen about 20 minutes before
he was weighing in. Following one water-depleted fighter after
another stepping on the scale, Franklin still stood out. His
face looked drawn. His body looked almost frail. Even though
he was champion at 185, and among the best in history at that
weight, he always had his struggles to make it. And even before
the fight, he recognized as he was now older, it may be more
difficult. He looked like a guy who had drained his body badly
while cutting and often guys like that don't perform well the
next day. The problem is that physically, he is too small at
205 pounds. At his age, 185 pounds looks like a real chore to
make.
Still,
rehydrated, as he got into the cage and looked like a different
person. He looked in physically tremendous condition, far more
than his two-years-older foe. And he was moving well, not appearing
slow in the least, let alone shot. Whether the cut would have
hurt him in the later rounds is a question that went unanswered.
I'd
have been far more concerned with a long-term mauling where he
wasn't competitive than the quick loss he took.
But
there is another factor, and that is, what are his goals? Even
if Franklin physically feels good and finances aren't a concern,
if his sticking around was to try and get one more title fight,
this was a huge detour. With so many prospective contenders out
there, he's going to need a series of wins. That's going to take
some time, which, even if Saturday was a fluke, he may not have
a lot of.
If
his goal is to continue to fight because it's his living and
he feels he is still good at it, with UFC running so many shows
and having a limited amount of main eventers, he'll certainly
have another shot, probably against a name fighter in a relatively
big fight. And if, like Fitch and Shields, he shows that the
quick loss wasn't indicative of a physical decline as much as
the realities of a sport, then there's no reason to rush him
out of the cage. Deep down, even today, he probably has a good
idea which one it is. Hopefully he makes the decision accordingly.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Cornelius
vs Sousa? Lloyd Irvin says Ok, offers $5,000
Jackson
Sousa says he is ready to face Cornelius
Soon
after the recent Brazilian No-Gi Nationals, a few weeks ago,
GRACIEMAG.com published an exclusive interview with the brown
belt absolute champion, Jackson Sousa.
Among
other things, Sousa said that he was open for a match up with
brown belt sensation, Keenan Cornelius, from Team Lloyd Irvin.
Today,
after Keenan having once again ruled the division last weekend
at the Worlds No-Gi, Master Llyd Irvin himself posted the following
message on Facebook, saying that Sousa would be a good opponent
for Cornelius:
“I
think we have found an opponent for Keenan. This isn’t a
tournament, this is one super fight to test out this new format,
both of these guys seem to have what it takes for this format.
No Time limit Submission only match in the Gi, and then No Time
Limit Submission Only match No Gi. Winner gets $2500 for each
division. I will fly Jackson and a coach from Brazil to do the
match. Does anyone know how to contact Jackson. We love his style
and this will be a killer experience. Do you guys like this match
up? FYI I’m not getting into the tournament business, I
have no interest in doing tournaments, this is just something
fun I’m willing to do with my own money to give a great
opportunity to two killers like Keenan and Jackson and take it
back to the old school rules. Royce Gracie vs Wallid style. What
do you think? I’m down to do this befor the year is over
if possible.”
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Future
Looks Cloudy for MMA in Georgia; Fighter Rory Singer Points to
Secretary of State’s Apathy
For
MMA fans and promoters planning for live fights in the state
of Georgia, your 2013 may be looking a lot emptier.
Georgia
Secretary of State Brian P. Kemp last week announced a temporary
replacement for executive director Andy Foster, and named Secretary
Steve Lindsey. At Monday’s board meeting, however, the athletic
board concluded that Mr. Lindsey was not able to approve matches
in the absence of Foster.
Georgia
Athletic Commission Vice Chairman Rick Thompson voiced his concerns
and firmly believes that Lindsey is not qualified to approve
matches.
“I
think we’re in an unfortunate situation,” Vice Chairman
Thompson said.
“I
think we need to figure out whose going to do matchmaking before
we do any events, because it’s unfair to any of the promoters
and any of the fighters to approve a permit and then not approve
the matches or have to cancel the show because no one is matchmaking.
“I
think we need to have that conversation before we start talking
about any kind of permit. It’s not something I want to do
in the state of Georgia, but one of the things that is our responsibility
as commissioners is to protect the fighters and to protect the
spectators. And unfortunately if we don’t have a qualified
person making the matches, then I don’t know how we move
forward.”
The
Secretary of State declined to comment on the board meeting and
stated how he will not respond to the commissions actions or
inactions.
Former
executive director Andy Foster was present at the board meeting
on Monday, and before leaving for his new post in California,
he helped approve matches through the remainder of 2012. Foster
recommended to the board that George K. Allen should be his replacement
and is more than qualified to fill his shoes.
“The
problem with someone who’s not a state employee is that
the commission does not direct them officially,” Vice Chairman
Thompson responded. I’ve known George Allen for a while,
and I agree with (Foster), he’s more than capable, but with
the situation we’re in, I don’t believe we can delegate
that kind of authority.
“Hopefully,
I’m making myself very clear that this commissioner does
not want to approve any matches until such time there is a qualified
individual to operate the day-to-day-functions,” Thompson
continued. “The complexity of bureaucracy that we’re
talking about, having (Mr. Lindsey) work with other people. I
appreciate (Mr. Lindsey’s) willingness to do that and I
appreciate Mr. Allen’s willingness to do that. This all
could be resolved very quickly by an appointment of a qualified
individual, but my intention is to vote no on any matches because
we as commissioners appointed by the governor have a certain
level of responsibility to carry out the mission to protect the
fighters and the public.”
Commissioner
J.J. Biello believes that the Secretary of State will not appoint
a permanent replacement for Andy Foster at this time, and that
if the board can’t reach more of a compromise, MMA will
be shut down in the state in 2013.
“If
the board is worried about a permanent solution, there’s
not going to be one for a while,” Commissioner Biello responded.
Either we shut it down, because we’re not going to force
the Secretary of State to make an appointment when he’s
not ready and that’s all there is to it, or we can try to
come up with some kind of compromise, which I’m trying to
do.”
TUF
3 veteran and HardCore Gym owner Rory Singer showed up to the
board meeting and expressed his frustration. He believes that
no matter how the commission tries to spin it, there’s a
clear bureaucratic failure here and that MMA’s future in
Georgia looks cloudy.
“I
don’t think half these people would be here unless someone
said, ‘hey listen this is coming under attack’,”
Singer said. “It’s not coming under attack maliciously,
but the appointment of someone who can’t do his job by someone
who gave someone power that won’t recognize it is obscene.
What we’re saying here is we’re going to do this card,
but we’re really not going to do this card because we all
know that this card can’t happen because it’s not going
to stay this way.
“How
are we not saying that MMA, right now, is over?” Singer
continued. “Whether it’s an interim thing or whether
it’s a long-lasting thing, for the time being, everything
that has been tabled here states that mixed martial arts has
no future until somebody comes into power who actually knows
what they are doing. Unfortunately, Mr. Lindsey has been put
in a situation where he’s not that man.
“The
man who appointed him wants nothing to do with MMA and boxing
in the state of Georgia, therefore putting someone in that position
that he’s going to ignore. I see that as obscene; it’s
mind-boggling. It makes my brain hurt to just sit here and have
this conversation with a group of intelligent men and women who
don’t see this for what it is. It is a man who does not
care about the sport, wanting it to go away, because it’s
one less thing that he has to deal with. It’s unacceptable
for all that we have grown over the past 10 years.”
At
this time, the only compromise was that the commission has approved
events until the end of 2012. The board decided not to approve
any of the matches for the early part of 2013. Unless a compromise
is reached or a permanent replacement for Foster is found at
the next board meeting in December, Georgia will be without MMA
next year.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Daniel
Cormier Faces Dion Staring; Melendez vs Healy on Tap for Strikeforce
January
by Damon
Martin
Daniel
Cormier has his final fight set for Strikeforce while lightweight
champion Gilbert Melendez looks to defend his belt again in January.
Strikeforce
heavyweight Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier has been waiting
for a while to fulfill his final fight commitment to the promotion,
but after their recent Nov 3 card was cancelled he was shuffled
to their next show in 2013.
Now
the former Olympian is set to return in Janaury to face veteran
fighter Dion Staring.
Staring
has won his last six fights in a row, and now faces Cormier on
Jan 12 as part of the last ever heavyweight fight in the promotion.
Originally, Cormier was slated to face former UFC heavyweight
champion Frank Mir in November, but an injury forced him out
of the bout.
There’s
been no reason given for the new match-up, but Cormier will now
faces Staring instead.
In
addition to Cormier’s fight, Strikeforce lightweight champion
Gilbert Melendez will put his title on the line against top contender
Pat Healy.
Melendez
and Healy were set to do battle in September, but the champion
suffered an injury forcing him off the card, and the entire show
was eventually cancelled.
Now
with his body healed, Melendez is ready to get back to work as
he faces a very tough challenge from Team Quest fighter Pat Healy.
Sources
close to the fighters confirmed both contests to MMAWeekly.com
on Thursday. MMAJunkie.com first reported the match-ups.
The
new Strikeforce Jan 12 card now stands with three title fights
including the middleweight, welterweight and lightweight belts
being up for grabs as well as Cormier’s final fight in the
promotion.
More
bouts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Wrestling
Proves It Is Alive and Well at the NWCA All-Star Classic
By Sam
Genovese
WASHINGTON,
D.C. -- Walking through the halls of Bender Arena, I was in shock.
There was a mob of people outside the venue an hour and a half
before the doors even opened.
I
had done research on past events; in most articles, the storyline
was typical: “Look at all these great wrestlers with no
one to watch them.” Attendance hadn’t always been stellar
at past events, and seeing as how I was relative novice when
it came to attending collegiate wrestling matches, I expected
a similar turnout at the 2012 NWCA Classic at American University
in Washington, D.C.
I
had my story written before I walked through the door. But I
was in for a surprise.
Before
the event began, as the crowd watched a montage of Jeff Blatnick’s
career on the jumbo-tron and observed a moment of silence in
remembrance of his passing, I realized that while some of wrestling’s
greats may be gone, the sport is still going as strong as ever.
Even with MMA poaching some of its top talent, as University
of Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy tells me, “there’s
no question that MMA and wrestling enhance each other.”
But
why would an athlete, when faced with choosing between wrestling
-- which pays almost nothing even at the highest level -- and
professional MMA, choose to wrestle? We see fighters like Canadian
prospect Rory MacDonald, who began simply as a mixed martial
artist instead of coming into MMA with a background in a specific
discipline. In the modern age of MMA, why wrestle?
“I
think it’s ignorant to think that MMA can survive without
wrestling. Wrestling can survive without MMA. They should feed
off each other,” McCoy elaborates. “MMA gives wrestlers
a viable option if they don’t want to go into coaching or
the Olympics, and it’s an easy transition for them. Wrestling
prepares your MMA champions. I want to see wrestlers be successful
in MMA. I’m a supporter of it.”
But
why did this event fill with 3,376 people, while other NWCA Classics
failed to draw? The same reason why MMA matches between all-time
greats draws more viewers than, say, Pat Barry versus Cheick
Kongo.
“You
may not get one versus two every match, but you will get [wrestlers]
in the top five. That’s what makes it huge,” McCoy
said. “The hype was the super-match between David Taylor,
who is an NCAA champion, and Kyle Dake, who is a three-time NCAA
champion at three different weight classes. That’s what
a lot of people came here to see.”
The
D.C. area had never had a wrestling event of this size or scope
before, yet the crowd was raucous as Penn State Nittany Lion
Nico Megaludis opened the night with a victory over Illinois’
Jesse Delgado. The Penn State fans had trekked five-plus hours
to the nation's capital, and their voices were heard loudly as
they chanted their traditional “We are Penn State,”
call and response. Currently headed by former four-time NCAA
champion and Olympic freestyle gold medalist Cael Sanderson,
the Penn State wrestling program has a long and storied history
littered with national champions like UFC light heavyweight Phil
Davis.
The
upstart program at the University of Maryland does not have that
same long and storied tradition of winning. However, even at
Maryland, wrestling fandom grows. As Josh Asper, a senior All-American
for the Terrapins, walked onto the mat to take on Jordan Blanton
of Illinois, chants of “Asper-ator” permeated the space
surrounding one particularly dedicated fan. A lawyer in the local
D.C. area, this fan attends every match of Asper’s.
As
Dake and Taylor faced off in the center of the mat, the cheers
rivaled any MMA match I had been to. This loud and fervent fan
base was getting their version of Georges St. Pierre versus Anderson
Silva. As the two wrestlers exchanged takedown attempts and ankle
picks over the course of a nine-minute, six-period long match,
the crowd went wild. Victorious, Dake took in the cheers of the
crowd who had traveled from various points in the country to
see this match. While walking around Bender Arena, I talked to
fans from California who had traveled 3000 miles just to attend
the event.
The
sport is alive and well. Though an innovator like Jeff Blatnick
may have passed on, his efforts to develop a partnership between
wrestling and MMA are not forgotten in either community.
“Ironically
enough, all the Division I head coaches were together at a coaching
summit. [Cornell University head coach] Rob Koll came to me and
had a text that Jeff Blatnick had passed. By the end of the meeting,
it was confirmed,” McCoy said. “It’s ironic that
all the Division I coaches were together, because that’s
who Jeff Blatnick was to the sport. He announced the NCAA tournament.
He announced the Olympic Trials. He announced the Olympics. He
was a huge part of wrestling. Being from New York, he was an
inspiration after the fact that we had a New York guy who won
a gold medal. He paved the way. Truly, he will never be replaced.”
As
the night closed, Dake, Asper and Taylor were all mobbed by a
group of children looking for their autographs. Though tired,
sweaty, and probably bogged down with missed classwork, they
stayed and signed every autograph asked of them.
So
why would anyone choose this over MMA?
Source:
Sherdog
|
Former
Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight champion Miesha Tate says she's
added to the UFC roster
By Mookie Alexander
Jayne
Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE
With
news coming in today that Strikeforce is closing operations after
January 2013, former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight champion
Miesha Tate announced that she has joined current champion Ronda
Rousey as the first female fighters in UFC history.
More
news coming in following reports that Strikeforce is shutting
down operations after January 2013. Earlier today it was confirmed
that Ronda Rousey would become the first female fighter on the
UFC roster, and joining her is Miesha Tate, who gleefully announced
this on Twitter.
So
Stoked to be fighting for the @ufc it's been a dream of mine
for along time! SO happy it's finally come true:-D
—
Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) November 9, 2012
Tate
last fought in August in an incredible war with Julie Kedzie
on the preliminary card of Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman, with
Tate emerging the victor with a dramatic 3rd round armbar with
just 1:32 left in the fight. She is also the only one to take
Ronda Rousey past even the one-minute mark of a fight, and that's
not me exaggerating. Ultimately she had her arm taken by Rousey,
but it remains the only competitive battle for Rousey in her
MMA career.
Expect
more confirmations from Strikeforce's women's roster in particular
as the UFC tries to fill out their latest weight class. Bloody
Elbow will provide plenty of coverage and updates over the coming
days as the fun has only just started.
Source:
Bloody Elbow
|
UFC
on FUEL 6: Hyun Gyu Lim 'medically unfit' to compete, bout against
David Mitchell scrapped
By Anton
Tabuena
Top
Korean prospect, Hyun Gyu Lim has been pulled off the UFC: Macao
card after being deemed 'medically unfit' to compete by UFC doctors,
his bout against David Mitchell has since been scrapped.
MACAO,
CHINA -- The highly anticipated UFC debut of Korean Top Team
product, Hyun Gyu Lim has been scrapped after the UFC doctors
have deemed him 'medically unfit' to compete. David Mitchell,
who is already coming in on relatively short notice for this
fight, was left without an opponent forcing officials to scrap
the bout.
The
UFC has since released an official statement about it, also mentioning
that Mitchell will be getting paid:
After
being examined by doctors it was determined that Hyun Gyu Lim
was medically unfit to participate in tomorrow's event and as
a precaution, his UFC Macao bout has been canceled. His opponent,
David Mitchell, will be paid his show money.
No
details were announced, but MMAFighting.com has learned from
multiple sources that the medical issue is stemming from a rough
weight cut by the Korean. Lim, who stands at 6-foot-2, is massive
for a welterweight, and unfortunately the cut eventually led
to the cancellation of his UFC debut.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Owen
Evinger Realizes the Opportunity Joe Warren Represents at Bellator
80
by Mick
Hammond
Following
a 6-0 start to his career, Bellator bantamweight Owen Evinger
has struggled this past year, losing three of his last four fights.
According
to Evinger, among the factors that have caused his recent rough
patch is the fact that he is still balancing trying to be a fighter
with the responsibilities of life outside the cage.
“I
have two kids and I have to provide for them first and foremost,”
Evinger said. “Fighting is not my full-time job, plus I’m
a football and wrestling coach, so that’s taken up a lot
of my time this last year. I think that is part to do with why
I’ve had a bad year this past year.”
Evinger
will have the chance to end his year on a good note this Friday
in Hollywood, Fla., when he takes on former Bellator featherweight
champion Joe Warren.
While
both fighters are coming into Friday with losses, Evinger knows
he’s seen as the one with an uphill climb against Warren.
“Going
into this fight, everybody’s saying I’m the underdog
and how I’m just going to be a highlight reel for him, but
that’s not how I’m looking at it,” said Evinger.
“I know I’m a good fighter and this is going to be
a tough fight.
“A
lot of the time, I’m usually the underdog, so it doesn’t
bother me. I just go out there and do my thing and give it 100
percent.”
With
Warren’s wrestling background, the course is clear for Evinger,
stay on his feet and off his back.
“I’m
a decent wrestler, but I’m not a World Champion-level wrestler
like Joe is, so I’m obviously going to try to stay away
from the ground,” said Evinger.
“Even
if he does take me to the ground, he’s kind of a lay-and-pray
guy. He really doesn’t try to pass guard or go for submissions;
he just looks to grind a guy out for 15 minutes. I have decent
jiu-jitsu, so I have a good chance of tapping him out.”
Evinger
told MMAWeekly.com that a win over Warren could go a long way
in setting up for a big year in 2013.
“I’m
hoping that if it goes how I think and I win, Bellator or somebody
will give me another chance at a big fight,” he said. “That’s
kind of been my problem in the past, I never really got opportunities
like Joe Warren or some other name guys do.
“The
bigger the fight, the bigger the motivation is for me.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Got
insomnia? The cure may be in Jiu-Jitsu, diet and philosophy
Marcelo
Dunlop
Haven’t
been able to get a good night’s rest? You may be lacking
Jiu-Jitsu in your life.
Insomnia’s
one of those opponents you can spend every waking moment pondering
a way to beat, but you just can’t find a way to do it.
How
do you rein it in? How do you overcome it and thus assure yourself
energy and concentration the next day?
Many
a genius has taken on the issue. Among them, Carlos Gracie and
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. To Grandmaster Gracie
the simplest solution was good old passion fruit juice.
“For
cases of insomnia or nervous system malfunction, mix five or
six passion fruits with water or coconut water only, making between
one and three glasses. Avoid coffee and black tea,” he wrote.
The fruit drink should replace a meal.
The
master also understood that mind and body must be in synch to
summon sleep.
That’s
about the way Nietzsche’s philosophy went, with his commandments
for overcoming insomnia, in a piece recently unearthed by actress
and script writer Priscilla Rozenbaum, in the weekly magazine
in Brazil’s “O Globo” newspaper. Here it goes:
1)
To get a good night’s rest, you need to keep awake all day.
2)
Ten times a day must thou overcome thyself; for that brings weariness
– and with it sleep.
3)
Ten times a day must thou reconcile with thyself; for overcoming
is bitter – and badly sleep the unreconciled.
4)
Ten truths must thou uncover each day; otherwise thy soul will
be hungry and seek truth during the night.
5)
Ten times must thou laugh each day; ten spells of cheer will
keep thy stomach from disturbing thee during the night.
6)
One must have all the virtues to get a good night’s rest.
But forget not to put the virtues to sleep before thou; for virtues
can be quite quarrelsome.
7)
One must make peace with one’s demons and the demons of
others, too; otherwise they will torment you during the night.
8)
Thou shalt not covet the wife (or husband) of others.
9)
Thou shalt not sin against chastity.
10)
Thou shalt not eat heavy foods before sleeping.
Hmm…
Seek the truth, laugh, be virtuous, don’t eat heavy foots,
make peace with yourself…
Could
the German master have done Jiu-Jitsu?
Comment
on what you made of the lessons, and sweet dreams!
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Holst,
Turner eye wins in farewell to Wreck MMA
James Brydon
On
Friday night in Gatineau, Que., local promotion Wreck MMA will
hold its 10th show and fourth straight at Casino du Lac-Leamy.
But it will also be the end of an era and a bit of sad night
for a couple of Ottawa-based teammates in particular.
That’s
because Wreck MMA: Final Stand will be the last event for the
organization run by Nick Castiglia, which has been the primary
home of competition for Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts fighters
Mark Holst and Randy Turner.
"It’s
bittersweet," said Turner, who will make the first -- and
apparently, only -- defence of his new bantamweight belt against
American B.J. Ferguson in the night’s main event.
"They’re
a great organization to fight with, they’re very professional,
they treat the athletes extremely well. It’s sad to see
them go."
Holst,
who will fight fellow Ottawa fighter Nabil Khatib in the co-main
event, agreed with his teammate’s sentiment, but he acknowledged
that running the fight promotion has been a stress for Castiglia
over the past three years since he started it.
While
neither Turner nor Holst has yet to land a deal with another
promotion going forward -- each said he is taking things one
fight at a time -- there are plenty of future options for them.
The
27-year-old Holst (10-4) has gotten interest from European-based
Cage Warriors, which he fought for in his last fight overseas
in Amman, Jordan, which he called a great experience.
Meanwhile
Turner (6-2) has fought for the Ontario-based Score Fighting
Series and Freedom Fight and could look to return there. But
the 34-year-old isn’t even concerned about himself; he believes
that the loss of Wreck MMA will actually be tougher for some
of the younger guys at their gym.
"The
guys that haven’t even fought yet, that are looking to test
the waters with professional MMA, those guys are the ones it’s
going to be difficult to fight on other
cards,
because they are local talent," Turner said.
Holst
may have the easier time finding good opportunities elsewhere,
having already gotten some name value thanks to a short stint
with the UFC, even if he did go 0-2 against John Gunderson and
Paul Sass in 2010.
He
was released by the top organization after those two losses and
then decided to retire from professional fighting at just 25,
saying at the time that he wanted to focus on coaching at OAMA.
His
final fight was set to be his return with Wreck MMA in January
2011, in which he beat Markhaile Wedderburn by rear naked choke.
However, it would be no more than a year before he found himself
wanting to strap on the gloves again.
"I
just missed a lot of it," Holst said. "I was coaching
a lot of my teammates, sitting on the corner stool. It was fun
and all, but I kind of got the itch to get back in there, seeing
all my teammates do really good, and I got the bug back."
Holst,
who defeated Stephane Lamarche in April at Wreck MMA: Road to
Glory in his first fight out of retirement, said he has changed
his approach and this time around it won’t be just about
getting to the UFC.
"I
had a long time to think about a lot of stuff and why I would
fight. I’m on a different perspective now,” Holst said.
“In a lot of my past fights I put a lot of pressure (on
myself) and was very, very nervous during the whole fight camp
and the actual fight. So I told myself if I’m going to make
a career out of this, I have to make sure I have fun with it.
Not really care about the outcome, just put on a good show, do
my best and whatever happens, happens."
Holst
said he’s back in it for the long haul, so there’s
no need to be singularly focused on the "prize" of
the Octagon.
"Before
I was all about, ‘make it to the UFC, make it to the UFC’
and I finally made it,
and
then I pretty much choked. I didn’t have a good performance
at all,” Holst said.
“Definitely
I’d be more than happy to give it (another) shot and go
back in the UFC, but it’s not on my radar now. I just want
to get more experience, more fights and be patient with it this
time. I only have 14 fights under my belt, so I’m still
a beginner in the sport."
Friday
night, Holst meets Rockland, Ont.’s Khatib, of nearby Team
Bushido, in what has been a long-anticipated rematch, at least
to some. The two fought previously at the very first Wreck MMA
show in December 2009 at the Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau
-- it's funny how it all comes full circle -- with Holst winning
by first-round rear naked choke.
But
the result was questionable in the eyes of his opponent, and
that was the impetus for setting up this final second meeting.
“Ever
since (I beat him) he’s been contesting it and saying he
didn’t tap,” Holst said. “And Ottawa’s a
small city and our gyms are probably 15 minutes drive from each
other so I hear all the smack talk that he’s saying. He
says there’s no bad blood, but I don’t understand why
he has to take away my win by saying all that talk ... for years
and years he’s been poking at the bear and asking me for
a rematch; well if he wants it that bad and he won’t let
it drop, I’ll grant him his wish.”
Added
a confident Holst: “It will be a more decisive win this
time.”
Turner,
whose day job is as a soldier where his rank is sergeant, was
also on that first Wreck MMA show three years ago -- which was
a "Fight for the Troops" event in support of the Canadian
Armed Forces. While he had only been training mixed martial arts
for a couple years at the time and didn’t feel like he was
necessarily ready to make his pro debut, he really wanted to
be a part of that special event, and his coaches and teammates
encouraged him, believing he was prepared to make the jump.
"I
felt like I could have used a little more time but at the same
time I wanted to get in there and try it out," Turner said.
“The timing couldn’t have been better and I was really
honoured to be a part of that show."
Turner
ended up losing by decision to Hamilton’s Josh Hill, but
he has gone 6-1 since, including his championship win over Eric
Perez at the last Wreck MMA event in April.
It
has been an especially good time for his fight career because
he hasn’t had to go overseas for over a year. He said juggling
the two careers is tough, but certainly much easier when he’s
at home all the time.
Wreck
MMA has always had a good connection with the military, having
held other events in support of the troops, including a couple
in Afghanistan. While that mantle will have to be taken up by
another organization, Turner hopes he can help it go out with
a bang on Friday -- not to mention go down as its last 135-pound
champion with a win over Ferguson.
It
could be sweet ending to the Wreck MMA reign for two OAMA teammates.
But it will still be bittersweet.
Source:
Sportsnet.ca
|
Fabricio
Werdum surprised at ‘TUF Brazil 2' coaching selection
Shaun Al-Shatti
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
After
a pair of Brazilian legends, Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva,
helped catapult the debuting Brazilian version of The Ultimate
Fighter to monstrous countrywide ratings, UFC heavyweight contender
Fabricio Werdum never expected to follow in their footsteps.
Yet
despite the laundry list of Brazilian stars who call the UFC
home, Werdum now finds himself coaching opposite another legend,
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, on the show's second season.
"It
was a surprise for me," Werdum admitted through a translator
on Thursday's media conference call. "When I was in Brazil
people were mentioning I might be the coach on The Ultimate Fighter.
I didn't think I was as known in Brazil as Nogueira and Shogun
[Rua] and Lyoto [Machida], so I really didn't believe that it
was going to happen."
For
Werdum, the shock of the announcement has yet to wear off, especially
since he and Nogueira have clashed once before in the quarterfinals
of PRIDE's 2006 openweight grand prix. Werdum was still a newcomer
to mixed martial arts back then, and not surprisingly, he dropped
a unanimous decision to the former PRIDE heavyweight champion.
"It's
obviously a great honor for me to fight Nogueira and to have
a chance to fight him again after seven years," Werdum explained.
"I think that I've evolved a lot of my game. Back then I
was pretty much just a jiu-jitsu fighter.
"It's
changed a lot. Within the past few fights in the UFC I've been
able to show that I have knockout power. I am able to put on
‘Fight of the Night.'"
Like
many of his Brazilian countrymen, Werdum's reverence towards
Nogueira is unmistakable, even in spite of the pair's bloody
past.
"I've
definitely always looked up to Nogueira to this day," said
Werdum. "His ability to overcome things and all the adversity
from his injuries and everything else, to be able to come back
into the game.
"Even
back then I would tell my friends that I wanted to reach that
level."
The
latest injury Werdum speaks of is also the one that nearly crippled
Nogueira's career last year, when Frank Mir cranked on a deep
kimura until Nogueira's right arm visibly and gruesomely shattered.
The slow crawl to recovery was an often torturous 10-month process,
but after submitting Dave Herman via armbar in a successful UFC
153 homecoming, Nogueira finally feels comfortable proclaiming
himself "back."
"That
fight, for sure, was a challenge for me," Nogueira reflected.
"It was really big amount of damage I had in my last fight
before that one. I broke my arm and put in a plate, 16 screws
in my arm. And now I had to prove to myself, to go back into
the cage and fight, fight in Brazil for the people.
"It
was a big challenge and a big step."
And
it couldn't have come sooner. At the weathered age of 36, with
more than a decade of unforgiving battles behind him, the rumblings
have already begun calling for "Minotauro's" retirement.
He's
not done yet, that much is sure. Nogueira would like to end his
career his career with one last run at the belt. But given the
current state of the UFC heavyweight ladder, he's not willing
to pursue that option at the cost of a dear friendship
"[There's]
no chance I'd fight Junior dos Santos," Nogueira vowed.
"He's my friend, he's my partner in training. I saw this
guy train since he [started].
"I've
been seeing each step, he's getting a lot better. He's got the
title. If there's any chance any day he [doesn't] have the title
anymore, sure, I'd love to fight for the belt in the heavyweight
division."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
‘Minotauro’
Nogueira Stresses Importance of ‘TUF: Brazil’ Rematch
with Fabricio Werdum
By Mike
Whitman
UFC
officials recently announced that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and
Fabricio Werdum will coach the second season of “The Ultimate
Fighter: Brazil,” after which the heavyweights will toss
aside their clipboards and strap on their gloves for a rematch
that Nogueira says he is already eagerly anticipating.
“I’m
very happy to fight Fabricio Werdum,” Nogueira said during
a media conference call on Thursday. “He’s a very high-level
opponent, and I’m pretty sure we’re going to make a
really good fight.”
Nogueira
and Werdum previously met in the quarterfinals of Pride’s
2006 open-weight grand prix, with “Minotauro” emerging
victorious via unanimous decision. Six years after their initial
showdown, Nogueira says that another victory over Werdum could
propel him toward a return to the heavyweight division’s
upper echelon.
“This
next fight is going to be very important for me, because each
fight that you win or lose is either one step forward or one
step back,” said Nogueira. “I want to be between those
guys in the Top-5.”
Nogueira
recently returned to competition after spending 10 months on
the shelf with a broken arm courtesy of Frank Mir at UFC 140.
The former Pride champion stepped up on short notice to face
Dave Herman three weeks ago at UFC 153, submitting his younger
foe with a second-round armbar in front of a raucous crowd in
Rio de Janeiro.
“This
fight against Herman, for sure, was a challenge for me, because
I just got back from my injury. They put 16 screws in my arm,”
said Nogueira. “Coming back and fighting in Brazil was a
big challenge and a big step. It was very important to me. I’m
back again, and I want to fight the best guys.”
Should
Nogueira get past Werdum, who is currently ranked fourth in the
world, the veteran’s stock would surely rise. However, even
if the 36-year-old continues to post big wins, his path to the
title would still be impeded by his friend and training partner
Junior dos Santos, who currently sits atop the heavyweight mountain.
While Nogueira is still adamant that he would not challenge his
teammate for the belt, the veteran says he would jump at the
chance to fight for the championship under any other circumstance.
“I
have no [desire] to fight Junior dos Santos. He’s my friend,
and he’s my training partner. I saw this guy train since
he was a purple belt,” said Nogueira. “But if there
is ever a chance or a day when he does not have the title anymore,
for sure, I would love to fight for the belt. That’s the
goal of everyone in the heavyweight division.”
Source
Sherdog
|
Ronda
Rousey Officially Moving to the UFC; Strikeforce Will Fold After
January Event
by Damon
Martin
Just
a few years ago, UFC president Dana White said he never envisioned
women’s fighting ever happening in the Octagon, but now
everything has officially changed forever.
Strikeforce
women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has signed with
the UFC effective immediately and will begin competing for the
promotion in 2013.
In
addition to Rousey and the women’s division moving to the
UFC, the entire promotion of Strikeforce will wrap up production
and fold following its show in January.
The
original report about both Rousey and Strikeforce came via TMZ.com,
but additional sources have confirmed Rousey’s signing with
the UFC to MMAWeekly.com. In addition, MMAFighting.com has also
confirmed that Strikeforce will indeed close its doors after
January, with many fighters then transferring over to the UFC.
Neither
Showtime or Zuffa officials have commented on the deals, but
the targeted Jan. 12 show for Strikeforce in Oklahoma City is
expected to be the promotion’s swan song. Strikeforce has
been teetering on the brink of extinction for months ever since
two separate shows were cancelled for the promotion between September
and November. Now it appears that they will put on one final
“mega show” in January before calling it a day.
As
far as Rousey’s UFC deal, sources indicated to MMAWeekly.com
as far back as mid-October that the Strikeforce bantamweight
champion was likely headed to the Octagon, but it was just a
matter of time before the deal got announced.
Negotiations
obviously concluded and now Rousey will become the first woman
ever to compete in the UFC.
No
date has been determined for Rousey’s first fight in the
Octagon, but it will likely be in early 2013. The name that has
been floated most recently for her first opponent is fellow Strikeforce
competitor Liz Carmouche, but nothing has been offered or signed
at this point.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Source:
Romolo Barros
|
|