Upcoming
Events
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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)
|
|
October
2012 News Part 3
|
O2 Martial Arts Academy
provides 7 days a week training! Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu classes
taught by Black Belts Kaleo Hosaka and Chris & Mike Onzuka
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi.
Kickboxing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with PJ Dean &
Chris Slavens!
We just started a
Wrestling program in May taught by Cedric Yogi.
Kids Classes are also
available!
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O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Kaleo Hosaka as
well as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA competitor PJ Dean
as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens provide incredibly
detailed instruction of the sweet science.
To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima
classes (Filipino Knife & Stickfighting) who were directly
trained under the legendary Snookie Sanchez.
Our wrestling program is headed by Cedric Yogi who was previously
the head coach of the Pearl City High School Wrestling Team.
Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from
the ground up!
Experienced martial artist that wants to fine tune your skill?
Our school is for you!
Mix and match your classes so you can try all the martial arts
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If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in
a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is
the place for you!
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10/31/12
Happy Halloween! |
O2
Closed Tonight!
Just
a reminder that O2 Martial Arts Academy night classes are closed
for Halloween so you can spend tonight with your family! Please
spread the word.
|
10
QUESTIONS FOR WANDERLEI SILVA
Wanderlei
Silva was highly anticipated by fans at UFC 153, but the former
Pride Fighting Championships 205-pound king was unable to make
it to the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro due to another commitment.
Nevertheless, “The Axe Murderer” did manage to watch
the action, calling the show “one of the best of the year.”
In
an exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, Silva discussed a number
of topics, including his impressions of the event and the performances
of countrymen Anderson Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, as
well as a second season of “TUF: Brazil” and when he
hopes to return to the UFC Octagon.
Sherdog.com:
What happened that prevented you from attending UFC 153? You
were highly anticipated by fans.
Silva: I'm going to Goiania on Oct. 26 and 27 for a business
event. Due to this, I couldn't go to Rio. [I would have stayed]
too long away from home.
Sherdog.com:
And what did you think of the event?
Silva: It was fantastic -- one of the best editions of the UFC
this year! There were exciting fights. Phil Davis and Jon Fitch
defeated their Brazilians opponents, but they deserved it and
fought well. And Anderson and Minotauro gave a great show. I
was thrilled!
Sherdog.com:
Did you see that Diego Brandao made his entrance with your music
theme? The crowd went wild. What did you think of the honor?
Silva: Yes, I am honored to serve as an example for the new generation.
We have the same fighting style, aggressive. Diego fought well,
faced a tough guy, but showed blood in the eye, good absorption
power and sharp takedowns. If he keeps fighting that way and
keeps the focus, he has every chance to be a future champion.
I wish all the luck in the world for him.
Sherdog.com:
And what did you think of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s victory,
with “Minotauro” once again winning in Brazil?
Silva: “Minotauro” is in one of the best phases of
his career. He knocked out [Brendan] Schaub, finished [Dave]
Herman and almost knocked out Frank Mir. I was in the arena [at
UFC 140]. I saw Mir falling flat on his face. But Rodrigo is
in a good phase and is surely one of the greatest Brazilian idols.
Sherdog.com:
And Anderson’s showing?
Silva: I think every sport has a guy who is different. Soccer
had Pele, Formula 1 had Ayrton Senna, and MMA has Anderson. He
is different, but it did not start now. He trained at a gym in
a small neighborhood in Curitiba and was very dedicated. You
don't make an Anderson Silva in one day. The lesson he leaves
is the self-dedication. He who trains like Anderson Silva has
many chances to be like him. Do not let success or the money
that comes with winning change your mind. He has been a UFC champion
for so long, and he still trains hard.
Sherdog.com:
Did you get nervous seeing Anderson dodging Stephan Bonnar’s
punches that way, when some blows connected?
Silva: The risk there was that he might be hit on the chin and
knocked out, but Anderson is a man secure in what he does; he's
on another level. He serves as an example for many people, for
young fighters like Jon Jones.”
Sherdog.com:
You were a coach on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil,”
which was a success. Who would you like to see as the coaches
of Season 2 of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil?”
Silva: I want to see Fabricio Werdum against Junior dos Santos,
or Mauricio Rua against Lyoto Machida. I think these four are
the most suitable to participate and will make a great program.
Sherdog.com:
Some fans on forums have floated the idea of Anderson Silva and
Michael Bisping as coaches, and Dana White spoke with Globo,
saying he would like a Brazilian coach and another foreigner,
but the network did not like the idea. What do you think?
Silva: Great. It would be nice, too. I had not thought of that!
And Anderson in that “TUF” role is more than deserved.
About the language problem, just [use a translator], as they
did with Dana.
Sherdog.com:
When do you want to fight again, and in what weight division?
Silva: I want to either fight a catchweight bout at 198 pounds
(93 kg) or at light heavyweight. At middleweight, I’m very
hungry (laughs). Right now, I'm doing weight training and some
shadow boxing. I'm kind of on vacation now, paying attention
to the family, but next year the Wand is back.
Sherdog.com:
Whom would you like to face when you return?
Silva: Actually, anyone they offer is good for me. I'll face
whomever the UFC wants.
Source:
Sherdog |
Miguel
Torres Looking for a Restart at World Series of Fighting
When
former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres returned to fighting
this past April after five months off, he experienced perhaps
the biggest setback in his career to date when he was knocked
out by Michael McDonald at UFC 145 and then subsequently released
by the promotion.
“Going back to November, it was a big blow,” said Torres.
“I went through a lot to get back into the UFC, got back
in and lost the fight. I didn’t follow the game plan and
went out there and got caught with a punch and I got (released)
again.
“The biggest thing for me to get back on track is to get
stable.”
Finding stability could come down to finding a longterm home,
like the one Torres had in the UFC and WEC. Should Torres’
new home in the World Series of Fighting live up to expectations,
he may just have the platform he needs to get back on track and
find success again.
“It’s an exciting feeling to start in a new league
and kind of have a homecoming fighting on the NBC Sports Network
(where the WEC was broadcasted on during the channel’s Versus
branding) and fight on a card with guys like Andrei Arlovski,”
said Torres.
While it’s a new home, don’t expect Torres to go about
doing things differently than before.
“I’ve been doing this for the past 13 years, so for
me it’s business as usual,” he said. “I’m
going to go out and fight the same way, whether it’s the
UFC or my back yard.
“I always dedicate myself 100-percent to my craft and my
opponent is going to see the best Miguel Torres that he can possibly
see.”
Torres’ first fight for the WSoF on Nov. 3 in Las Vegas
comes against Marlon Moraes, a fighter Torres has some familiarity
with.
“I’ve trained with him in Florida, so I know what to
expect out of him,” said Torres of Moraes. “I know
what he’s good at, I know what I’m good at, and the
most important thing is to go out there and fight my fight.
“I know I have to keep my distance, and when I do come in,
I have to come in hard. I’ve got to close the distance,
get him in the clinch and take him down to the ground. I know
that middle-range is going to be his. But I know what I’m
good at, and I know what I can do to give him a hard time.”
Torres told MMAWeekly.com that, at this stage in his career,
thinking about anything other than what’s in front of him
isn’t important, staying in the moment is.
“Just win,” said Torres of his goals. “All I’m
worried about is winning my fights.
“I don’t care who it is, who’s in front of me,
or what their name is. I’m not worried about that. The only
thing I’m worried about is going out there and taking my
opponents out.”
Source:
Yahoo Sports |
Introduction
of female fighters to UFC would be huge leap forward for women's
sports
In the flurry of interest that surrounds the possible move of
Ronda Rousey to the UFC, there has been one thing missed, and
that is this: the introduction of female fighters to the world's
biggest mixed martial arts promotion would be the biggest leap
forward for women's sports in nearly 20 years.
This
wouldn't be a side-by-side league, as the WNBA is to the NBA,
or its own tour, as the Women's Tennis Association is as compared
to the Association of Tennis Professionals. Instead, the women
would be competing on the exact same surface, and for the same
air time, as the men at the sport's highest levels.
It's
no small thing that a sport considered by its detractors to house
the largest population of meatheads this side of the Jersey shore
would prove itself to be the most inclusive.
Even
if it's been done before in other nationally televised promotions
like EliteXC, Bellator and Strikeforce, the move to the UFC will
signify that the women's game is ready for the brightest lights
MMA has to offer. That's a serious about-face for the UFC and
its president Dana White, who as recently as early 2012 was publicly
voicing doubts about the depth of the women's game.
To
be fair, it is a very real concern. While Rousey stands at the
vanguard of the women's division, the list of other top names
is not as long as it needs to be. Yet it is still an improved
lot from just a few years ago.
Partially
due to her own feud with Rousey and her own charisma, Miesha
Tate's star has risen sharply. Striker Sarah Kaufman remains
a top fighter. Brazilian terror Cris Cyborg soon returns to eligibility.
Former Olympic wrestling medalist Sara McMann is still unbeaten.
There is, at least, a very real nucleus to build upon.
But
the fight business is beyond all else a "star" business,
where the biggest names draw the lion's share of the money, and
Rousey has shown the ability to capture headlines and imaginations.
In a short amount of time, she's shown that her telegenic appearance,
brash personality and ferocious fight style are capable of enrapturing
a crowd.
In
less than one year of being "famous," Rousey has done
guest spots on TMZ and Conan. She's appeared on the cover of
ESPN The Magazine. That's as mainstream as mainstream gets. And
with all of the UFC's marketing and promotional prowess behind
her, Rousey is capable of filling an even bigger spotlight.
The
rest of the women have shown they are, too. It certainly helps
that the young MMA demographic has embraced the women's side
of the sport with open arms. From the first time women competed
on a nationally televised card, MMA fans, most of whom grew up
during the Title IX era of female sports participation, have
treated the women the same as the men. When a fight has been
a display of courage and technique, they have bathed the participants
in adulation. And when a fight has disappointed with inaction
and a lack of risk-taking, they have booed lustily.
In
short, they have been nothing but fair. They have given the women
a fair shake, and that's all that can be asked of them.
At
some point soon -- maybe it will take months, maybe a couple
of years -- White says he will pull the women to his octagon
as his next drawing card. That means the opportunity to potentially
make huge money for the few who can break through as headliners.
Many have mused about what a Rousey-Cyborg fight would look like
on pay-per-view, and with the proper buildup, there's no doubt
it would do a huge number, one that could potentially offer each
participant a seven-figure payday.
That
would be unprecedented in the world of combat sports, and would
immediately put both among the highest-paid female athletes in
the world.
As
of right now, these are only possibilities and conjecture. There
is no real timeframe for a move, as all of Zuffa's female fighters
are locked into the Strikeforce/Showtime deal. It's also possible
that White changes his mind. Or that Rousey fizzles out. Or that
something unexpected happens that scuttles the plan to bring
women to the UFC.
But
most of the time, when White wants something, he finds a way
to get it done. His force of will can and has moved immovable
objects. Rousey and the women's division are already within his
grasp as part of Zuffa. All he has to do is find a way to shift
them from a hexagon to an octagon. If and when he does that,
it will be the greatest opportunity women's sports has seen since
the WNBA was founded in 1996.
That
league has had mixed results. Only four of the original eight
teams remain. Television ratings are marginal, and the league
survives in part because the NBA continues to subsidize it, something
that may not be feasible long-term.
Women's
MMA has the chance to be different. In fighting, the biggest
stars basically subsidize the rest of the card. When fans plunk
down their $55 to watch on pay-per-view -- often due to the lure
of the main event -- it helps pay the salaries of the unknown
fighters walking the aisle in the first prelim. But instead of
the women being the ones on the prelims, just asking for a chance,
the situation could be completely reversed. Someday sooner than
we would have thought, the name on the marquee might read: "UFC:
Rousey vs. Cyborg." It would be the rare case in sports
where women who recently hoped just to stand alongside their
male counterparts rise above them.
Source:
MMA Fighting |
Cung
Le: Rich Franklin fight is biggest of my career
The Hollywood martial arts actor, former Strikeforce middleweight
champion credits his UFC run for extending his participation
in mixed martial arts. With a main event bout against Rich Franklin
just weeks away, Le says this is as big and good as it gets.
Cung Le has had a lot of high points in his athletic career.
He's won amateur wrestling titles, earned an absolute slew of
kickboxing titles and held a title in Strikeforce's middleweight
division. Despite all of that, Le believes the best is yet to
come.
Le
is scheduled to face former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin
at UFC on FUEL TV 6 in Macau, China on November 10th. It's something
of a surprising match-up. Franklin was openly lobbying for a
last run at a title at light heavyweight as recently as UFC 147,
but will now face Le at middleweight instead. And Le, age 40,
could quit fighting altogether while focusing solely on acting.
According
to the Vietnamese-American, he could leave MMA, but his UFC experience
has kept his competitive fire alive. He lost a fight to Wanderlei
SIlva in his UFC debut at UFC 139, but controlled most of the
contest prior to that. Le also followed up that commendable performance
with a win over Patrick Cote at UFC 148. In Le's mind, his fighting
career is still building after some thought he'd be retired by
now and on November 10th, it'll reach the highest point in his
fight career.
"A
lot of people thought after I fought Wanderlei [Silva] I was
going to be done," Le told Ariel Helwani on Monday's The
MMA Hour. "But look at me now: two fights into my contract
and I'm getting ready to fight the biggest fight of my life against
Rich Franklin. It doesn't get any better than this. It's like
a dream come true for me."
That
could be a surprising statement to some. Le fought a high-profile,
co-promoted bout by EliteXC and Strikeforce against then-Strikeforce
middleweight champion Frank Shamrock. The bout aired on Showtime
and took place in the hometown of both fighters: San Jose, California.
Le had hype, but plenty of doubters. He was also a fairly heavy
betting underdog.
Rather
than fold under the pressure, Le shined. In front of more than
16,000 mixed martial arts fans at the HP Pavilion, Le broke Shamrock's
arm with a thunderous kick, forcing the bout to be called to
a halt after the third round. He became the Strikeforce middleweight
champion in the process.
Le
admits that fight was important and still reserves the right
to change his mind about how big it is depending on the outcome,
but says there are too many factors that make this Franklin fight
special. "For me in my career right now fighting someone
like Rich as a main event - fighting Shamrock was the biggest
fight of my career at the time - but right now this is the biggest
fight of my career," he said.
To
the AKA-trained fighter, he can't overlook the fact that he's
never headlined a UFC show. He also recognizes he's never faced
a fighter this good before. And while things are going well in
his acting career (he has a role in the new movie 'The Man With
the Iron Fists'), this main event bout in China is the culmination
of not jus his late-career push, but everything he's done up
until now.
He
also couldn't pass up the opportunity to compete in China. Le
told Helwani he's only '80 percent' as he hasn't had proper time
to heal a foot injury. But the card taking place in China - where
Le has previously competed in kickboxing - made the idea of missing
the event a non-starter. "Definitely if this fight wasn't
in Macau, China, even if I was in a main event somewhere else,
I'd give myself the right amount of time so my foot could really
heal."
So
why go forward with it? For the honor of competing in a place
where Le feels it all began. "I feel like martial arts basically
started from China and my roots are the Chinese martial arts,"
he said.
This
is why Le got into MMA: the big fight, the big opponent, the
big stage. No one was really sure how long he'd be able to compete
in MMA between his acting career and his age. But here he is,
doing well and arguably better than ever. "This is why I
do it," he said. "I could just be doing movies, but
I love to compete. I love to train martial arts. This is what
I love to do. Here's my opportunity. To do it in China, it's
awesome."
Source:
MMA Fighting |
Tyrone
Spong says MMA motivated him to get back in the ring
It was boredom from his first love that made veteran kickboxer
Tyrone Spong decide to seriously pursue an MMA career.
"For
a long period I wasn't really that motivated with kickboxing,"
said the 27-year-old Dutch-Surinamese kickboxer. "K-1 was
going bad. I had accomplished so much in kickboxing … but
just lost the motivation a little bit.
"But
then I came here (U.S.) and helped Rashad Evans for his camp
and started training in other stuff like wrestling and jiu-jitsu.
Just going to the gym every day I got my motivation back, and
I said I'd give it a try. I liked it. I can stand with everyone.
I just need to work on my ground game. I like the challenge and
I want to do it."
Spong
makes his MMA debut Nov. 3 when he takes on Travis Bartlett in
a light heavyweight bout in the inaugural World Series of Fighting
event at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Initially
Spong was not scheduled to be part of the NBC Sports Network-televised
card, but officials confirmed this week he would be on TV.
"I
know I'm not the world's best MMA fighter, but I am one of the
world's best fighters. A lot people are going to tune in to watch
me fight. It makes sense," Spong said.
"A
fighter with status like me deserves to be on the main card I
believe, without being cocky or anything. End of day I don't
care, I just want to fight. If you get hit on television or off
television it's still going to hurt."
Spong
was considering making his debut with Titan Fighting Championship,
but WSOF president Ray Sefo came calling — again.
"The
contract with Titan was not done yet, this was better for me.
Both parties agreed it was better. And we just made a decision,"
said Spong, who said his contract is for a "couple fights."
"I
know the president of WSOF very well. He was the one who contacted
me first when I moved to the states. I didn't hear from him in
a long time so I didn't know if everything was happening with
the organization or if it was going to fall through. Then I heard
from him and he said everything is set up, and we still want
you."
Spong
admits he knows very little about his opponent, but says that
doesn't really factor in his normal training plans anyway.
"I
think he's talented. But like always I focus on myself, make
sure I'm ready, make sure I feel good," he said. "I'm
not planning to play anybody's game."
Spong
— who has a career kickboxing record of 68-6-1 and 1 no-contest
— says he's not giving up on kickboxing, but is "going
to dabble" in both sports in the future.
"As
for now I’m not going to make the switch completely,"
he said. "I make good money in kickboxing. Yeah we're pride
fighters; everyone talks about how we fight for honor and respect
and everything — yeah that's great. But you still have to
eat, take care of your kids.
"Kickboxing
gives me the opportunity to do both. To make good money in kickboxing
and to build up a record in MMA and get some experience in MMA.
Then we'll see what happens."
The
one thing Spong hasn't wrapped his mind around is way kickboxing
itself isn't better received in the U.S.
"I
think it's stupid, I really don't understand. It's something
about American culture. I haven't figured it out yet," Spong
said. "At all the UFC (events), you see the people, the
crowds, the audience they start booing when guys go to the ground,
when they wrestle a lot or do jiu-jitsu. But then they start
applauding and yelling a lot when they stand and strike and bang.
I don't know if it's the ring or the Octagon or the small gloves.
I don't know what it is.
"People
in the states like to see guys bang it out, but at the same time
kickboxing isn't that popular. Kickboxing is all about striking
and people standing and trading and banging it out. I don't understand."
But
he believes that if higher-profile kickboxers, like him, continue
to come and train and fight in America — then they can help
to change people's perspective.
"Maybe
it will become bigger in the future. I'm here now if other big
kickboxers move here and American people get to know us a little
more, then maybe it becomes bigger and more popular here,"
he said.
While
he hasn't even made his debut yet, Spong said he has heard other
MMA organizations are interested in him, but first off he wants
to focus on solidifying his skills.
"I
know for sure that some big organizations are going to start
knocking on my door. They want me already, but I still want to
have a little bit of a record and build up some experience,"
Spong said.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Josh
Koscheck Reveals Nick Diaz’s Camp Is Interested in Fight
Super Bowl Weekend
Sometimes
you ask and you shall receive….but not quite.
Just
a few days ago UFC welterweight Josh Koscheck posted his “wish
list” of potential opponents for his return to action in
2013.
Among
those names was former UFC title contender Nick Diaz, who will
be eligible to return from his commission mandated one-year suspension
early next year. Diaz was suspended for 12-months after testing
positive for marijuana for the second time in the state of Nevada.
It
seems Nick Diaz’s camp is also interested in the fight according
to the latest post from Koscheck on Twitter.
“I’d
like to fight before February, but Cesar (Gracie) is calling
for me (to) fight (Nick) Diaz in February Super Bowl weekend,”
wrote Koscheck late Sunday evening.
“What
you guys think? I am down! Don’t be scared homie.”
The
possibility of a Koscheck vs. Diaz fight might seem very enticing
to all parties, but unless something dramatic happens, it wouldn’t
take place on the proposed UFC 157 card for Super Bowl weekend.
The 2013 Super Bowl will be contested on Sunday, Feb 3 next year
and while it may seem like a matter of semantics, Diaz’s
suspension runs through Feb 4, 2013.
If
UFC 157 takes place Super Bowl weekend, that would slot fight
night as Feb 2, 2013.
Once
his suspension is lifted Diaz will still have to re-apply for
a fight license in whatever state he intends to fight in, and
while it’s not likely to be any kind of issue, he still
can’t do that until Feb 4, 2013 at the earliest.
The
only other solution would be for the Nevada State Athletic Commission
to make an exception in this case, or if the fight actually does
come to fruition move it to a later date once Diaz is off suspension.
It’s
unknown at this time if UFC officials are actually exploring
this option, or if Gracie, who acts at Diaz’s trainer and
manager, is just doing a little matchmaking on his own.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Jon
Jones Isn’t Randy Couture, but Chael Sonnen Gives Him His
Due… Sort Of
Chael
Sonnen has become the master of trash talk to build up fights,
but even he has had to give UFC light heavyweight champion Jon
Jones his due, calling him “the best fighter” he’s
ever seen… with a qualification, of course.
We’ve
seen enough of Sonnen’s shtick by now that it’s what
we’ve come to expect when the lights are on and the camera
is rolling. It is Chael Sonnen’s public persona; his “American
Gangster” character, if you will. But when the lights aren’t
shining in his eyes and the microphone isn’t in his face,
Sonnen’s true demeanor is in stark contrast to what most
people know from his public displays.
There’s
been some heat between Jones and Sonnen leading up to their selection
as The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 coaches with a showdown in
the Octagon in April 2013, but Sonnen’s “American Gangster”
stepped aside, if only briefly, during a recent TUF 17 media
call, opening the door for Sonnen to give Jones his due.
“I
think Jon Jones is the best fighter that I’ve ever seen,”
said Sonnen, with no zinger to follow. “If I was to compare
him to somebody, I mean, I would put Randy Couture above him,
but a lot of that is just out of respect. I don’t believe
he’s Randy Couture, but I believe he’s fantastic.
“He’s
got techniques; I don’t even know what they’re called.”
Many
people that are used to the “American Gangster” taking
on most of the public speaking gigs won’t buy that those
comments about Jones represent another side of Chael Sonnen shining
through, but it does.
The American Gangster, of course, is always lurking, not letting
Sonnen out of the shadows for long.
Perhaps
reminding Sonnen that the purpose of the call was to hype the
Jones vs. Sonnen pairing and build-up anticipation for The Ultimate
Fighter, the American Gangster eventually regained control of
the situation, not giving Jones too much credit.
“Yes,
good for Jon. You know, but look, he needs me and the bottom
line is, he doesn’t beat anybody until he beats me. Let’s
go down the line: he beat Bader, he beat Shogun, he beat –
who’s that glorified Hollywood extra – Rampage, Vitor.
I mean, what’s next? He’s going to fight Scott Ferrozzo?”
Sonnen
will never admit that he’s got dual personalities fighting
for control, and he’s not likely to continue heaping praise
on Jones. He’ll likely go the opposite direction, letting
Chael out just long enough to sucker Jones in and then give him
a full-on dose of the American Gangster.
But
hey, isn’t that why we’ve ended up with Jon Jones and
Chael Sonnen as TUF coaches with Jones’ championship on
the line to follow?
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Abu
Dhabis tryouts: DJ Jackson beats Roberto Cyborg and wins absolute
in NY
The
tryouts for the Abu Dhabi WPJJC, with their shorter match durations,
tend to be a perfect stage for the new generation to shine and
upset a lot of favorites.
At
the tryouts held this Saturday at Queens College in Flushing,
New York, the latest black belt to confirm this trend was Team
Lloyd Irvin-heavyweight DJ Jackson. Also known as “Kimura
Kid”, Jackson added another absolute to his CV, having taken
on and beaten the potent guard of Roberto “Cyborg”
Abreu.
DJ
also won the under-83 kg contest, outdoing Gracie Barra’s
Rodrigo Breves. Now, Cyborg took the heavyweight, over 92-kg,
title.
Another
star from the new generation to take the spotlight was Keenan
Cornelius, who outdid Roberto Tussa in the under-92 kg final.
In
the under-65 kg division, hometown hero Gianni Grippo took top
spot and secured his all-expenses-paid travel to Abu Dhabi next
year.
In
the under-74 kg division, Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes
took on Renan Borges in the final and won after passing guard
and getting the tapout. Tanquinho also won the lightweight absolute,
beating Francisco Sinistro on advantage points.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Fitch
relies on new ending Velasquez in Gypsy x 2: 'It will be very
different'
After meeting his first and only defeat so far, Cain Velasquez
to win the rematch with Junior dos Santos, December 29, the last
event of the year. Although not yet official confirmation, the
Ultimate own boss, Dana White has revealed that this is your
desire.
In
an interview with TATAME, Jon Fitch commented on the new duel
worth the heavyweight belt. According to the U.S. in the first
meeting between the two, Velasquez was not in his best physical
shape to be injured.
"I
think in the first fight, he did not show it. He had a serious
knee injury as well and was limited with what he could do, but
it was a struggle as important and impossible to miss. It was
important for the company, for the fans and for everyone. He
continued, even though it should not. He was against the advice
of everyone and technical team, but was not an option at the
time. It will be very different with him being able to show all
your tools. "
When
facing Junior dos Santos, all your opponents know that in striking
are disadvantaged, then immediately seek the falls. According
to Fitch, Velasquez did not achieve his goal due to injury.
"He
was hurt and thinking about his knee. He wanted to kick the legs
of Junior, but he was thinking: "I can not kick." His
head was thinking about what he could do so he was caught. Injuries
are part of your body that does not work and your head begins
to think the injury instead of doing what you should do. You
should be focused on the fight and not thinking of anything else,
as his girlfriend or something. When your head is not in the
fight, you become evil. "
Source:
Tatame
|
Bellator
78 Results: Zoila Gurgel Returns With Unanimous Decision Win
DAYTON
– It’s been more than a year since Bellator women’s
115lb champion Zoila Gurgel stepped inside the cage, but she
made the most of her return with a victory on Saturday night.
Gurgel
suffered a devastating knee injury that kept her out of action
for the last year-plus, but following surgery and recovery she
finally got back in action on Friday.
Facing
Gurgel in her return bout was late notice opponent Casey Noland,
and she certainly looked to give the champion everything she
could handle.
Noland
looked strong in the first round, controlling the pace of the
fight after Gurgel initially got a takedown. Noland looked for
an ankle lock, but after she lost the hold she ended up on top
of Gurgel for the majority of the round.
Gurgel battled back in the 2nd round when she got Noland to the
ground, and almost put the fight away with a kimura. Training
under her husband and black-belt jiu-jitsu instructor Jorge Gurgel,
Zoila Gurgel snatched the kimura and cranked the shoulder lock
with every bit of her power, but somehow Noland resisted and
eventually got out.
The
third round was another strong stanza for Gurgel who clocked
Noland with an elbow strike from inside the clinch that not only
rattled the California based fighter, but opened a nasty cut
over her eye. Gurgel took the fight to the ground before getting
back up out of Noland’s guard, where she kicked her legs
before the fight came to a close.
All
three judges scored the fight the same, 29-28 for Zoila Gurgel
who picks up her first win in the Bellator cage since 2011 as
she looks to move into her new 125lb division this year.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
|
Brian
Rogers Evolving Into New Animal That All Bellator Middleweights
Should Fear
As
Bellator approaches their next middleweight tournament, Brian
Rogers is ready to show a new kind of animal that all 185lb fighters
should fear.
Rogers
has been one punch or one kick away from making it to the tournament
finals each of the last two times he’s been in the tournament,
but things ultimately didn’t go his way.
As
explosive and dangerous as any striker at middleweight, Rogers’
aggressiveness and willingness to throw down with any opponent
has also come back to bite him in fights with Alexander Shlemenko
and Andreas Spang.
Now
the former school teacher is training full time, traveling to
work with top teams like Firas Zahabi and his students at Tristar
gym in Montreal, and it’s creating a whole new and more
dangerous version of Rogers.
“Being
full time definitely helped, but I tried to look at myself outside
the box and look at myself as a fan and as a coach, and evaluate
my performances on film, and be brutally honest with myself about
things. I took a look back and decided it would be best to go
full time, and just train, and it helped out in my preparation
just in my strength and conditioning with my skill, my technique
and everything else,” Rogers said after his win over Dominique
Steele at Bellator 78.
The
new, more controlled aggression allowed Rogers to absolutely
batter Steele over the full 15-minutes, but when the finish didn’t
come from some deadly combinations landed, the Ohio native didn’t
rush in to try to force things as he had done in past fights.
Instead, Rogers backed out, reset, and continued his assault
on Steele.
The
end was result was Rogers first unanimous decision win, and he
looks at that as progression in his game and proof that he can
go 15-minutes and be just as dominant as he does in a 2-minute
knockout.
“I
kind of thought that’s how it may go. It’s been kind
of a goal of mine to have a unanimous decision win. Not a split
decision, not sneak one out, just be in control for 15-minutes
and I think that’s what I was able to do tonight,”
said Rogers.
“It’s
a small notch on the belt for me, now next time I’ll try
to get 10-8 rounds on the way.”
Rogers
isn’t done evolving just yet either. The win over Steele
was a way to get back on track and show off some new tricks.
The
real evolution of Brian Rogers will show when he enters the next
Bellator middleweight tournament, and all of the 185lb fighters
have been served notice as of now that he’s back and more
dangerous than never before.
“I’ve
got a ground game that no one’s seen yet because they haven’t
put me there, and I haven’t needed to put them there,”
Rogers said.
“I’m
just excited to keep evolving and keep moving forward, kind of
a mentality switch overall.”
Source:
MMA Weekly |
SAYING
ALL THE RIGHT THINGS
A
Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts organization will hold an
event featuring former champions, potential stars and a host
of other recognizable names on Saturday, all in front of a cable
television audience on a prominent network.
Sounds
promising, right? World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo
seems to think so.
“Putting
this whole product together, I think we’ve done a lot of
learning along the way,” Sefo said during a pre-fight media
call. “We’re very confident, especially with all the
guys [on the card]. We’re thankful for the guys we have.
I’m very confident we’re going to do a great job. It’s
like stepping into the cage; there’s a bit of nerves, but
that’s what keeps you sharp.”
The
WSOF’s inaugural event takes place at the Planet Hollywood
Hotel and Casino in Sin City and boasts a lineup that includes
ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titlist Andrei
Arlovski, former UFC welterweight contender Anthony Johnson and
onetime World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight ruler Miguel
Torres, to name a few. The main card airs on the NBC Sports Network
-- the channel formerly known as Versus -- while the preliminary
card streams live on Sherdog.com.
All
the ingredients appear to be in place for a successful debut,
and the forecast grew even brighter when Strikeforce, the WSOF’s
competition for the date, canceled its Nov. 3 event after a series
of injuries decimated its own fight card. As a still-active fighter
himself, Sefo is not reveling in the misfortune of others, particularly
when the cancellation caused a number of his combat sports brethren
to lose a paycheck. However, the fact that his promotion is essentially
the only game in town on Saturday is not lost on the K-1 standout.
“We
want everybody to tune in. The ratings are something that is
really important to us,” he said. “With the card that
we have, I have no doubt in my mind that all of these guys are
going to come to perform.”
With
that said, Sefo is not interested in developing a rivalry with
the Zuffa, LLC brand. Instead, the WSOF figurehead wants the
company to be measured on its own merits. Anything more than
that would be premature.
“We’re
really happy with where we are today,” Sefo said. “We’re
not in competition with anybody; we’re in competition with
ourselves to be the best that we can be. It’s obvious the
UFC is the best at what they do, and they’ve done an amazing
job to be where they are. At the end of the day, without them
doing so well, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
Torres
wants to recapture past glory.
That happy-to-be-here vibe was evident throughout an Oct. 24
teleconference. The three most prominent names on the WSOF marquee
-- Arlovski, Johnson and Torres -- all have something to prove,
and each is looking forward to capitalizing on the opportunity
the upstart promotion provides.
“I’m
still young. I have energy. I want to be a champion again,”
said Arlovski, who faces International Fight League veteran Devin
Cole in the main event. “I want to climb back on top. This
is a great opportunity to prove to everyone that I’m not
done yet.”
More
than six years removed from the last time he stepped into the
Octagon as heavyweight champion, Arlovski is looking to build
upon a strong showing against Tim Sylvia at One FC 5 in August.
Though the bout was ultimately ruled a no contest, the Belarusian
appeared to have his longtime rival in peril before landing a
pair of illegal soccer kicks to his opponent’s head. One
Fighting Championship has since adopted Pride Fighting Championships
rules, which allow soccer kicks at all times.
“I
thought for some reason the referee gave me permission to [use
the] soccer kick,” Arlovski said. “What happened happened.
I’m not complaining about the result; it’s OK. I shut
many, many mouths that said Arlovski has a weak chin, a glass
chin. Sylvia landed a couple of good right hands and actually
hurt me at the end of the first round.”
Meanwhile,
the imposing Johnson is building momentum as a light heavyweight
after spending the majority of his UFC career at welterweight.
Well north of 200 pounds, “Rumble” often struggled
to make the 170-pound limit. His transition to middleweight was
no better, however, as the Blackzilians member missed weight
again prior to a UFC 142 showdown with Vitor Belfort. Johnson
was released by the promotion following a first-round submission
loss to “The Phenom.”
With
a pair of 205-pound victories already under his belt in 2012,
Johnson feels revitalized at his new weight class. His third
appearance at light heavyweight will come against Cage Warriors
Fighting Championship heavyweight king D.J. Linderman in the
WSOF decagon.
“I’ve
had my ups and downs, but I don’t take anything back,”
Johnson said. “It’s just a learning process. Fighting
at 205 has been a blessing. You never see me smiling the day
of weigh-ins. I’m usually mad at the world and don’t
want to talk to anybody. I just want to step on the scale and
just start eating, but now I’m more calm and relaxed. I
just go with the flow and make weight.”
Regardless
of how he performs in the coming months, a return to the UFC
is not likely to be in the immediate future for Johnson. The
Georgia native has signed an exclusive deal with WSOF, and he
is content with the decision.
“I
just think this is gonna be the next best thing around right
now, and I’m just glad to be a part of it,” he said.
“I think things [in my career] are really starting to kick
off like they should have a while ago, but things happen when
they’re supposed to happen. I’m not worried about anything,
and I’m just happy to be in the position where I am now.”
While
Torres was not part of the media call, the former WEC champion
expressed enthusiasm mirroring that of Arlovski and Johnson during
the promotion’s initial press conference in September. The
East Chicago, Ind., native has lost four of his last seven fights
while competing under the Zuffa umbrella. A win over Marlon Moraes
would set up a meeting with Tyson Nam, who upset Bellator Fighting
Championships bantamweight titleholder Eduardo Dantas via first-round
knockout at Shooto Brazil 33 in August.
“The
biggest thing for me is that it’s a new company, a new beginning,”
Torres said in September. “Being on NBC Sports is a huge
thing. Me and my manager and my trainer talked, and it was the
best decision for me to come here. I’m happy with the deal
we worked out.”
Sefo
hopes the debut event will only be the beginning of an extended
run in the MMA business. Eventually title belts, tournaments
and fight cards outside of Vegas will become part of the WSOF
equation, but those will have to wait. For now, the man known
as “Sugarfoot” is happy to be in his current position,
and he anticipates that the WSOF brand will continue to grow
and prosper in the coming year.
“We’re
taking one step at a time. You’ve got to crawl before you
walk,” he said. “Our goal is to try to be one of the
forces in the world of mixed martial arts.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Lea
Young: Women starting to push boundaries in male-dominated BJJ
scene
Kauai
Girl Brings Home Gold Medals in Women’s Jiu Jitsu
In a sport that is particularly dominated by men, women are starting
to push the boundaries and make their presence known on the mat.
One Kauai girl, Alexis Carvalho, a Relson Gracie Kauai Technical
Institute (KTI) Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blue belt, is doing just
that.
Coming from an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where
many grapplers find it difficult to travel to the mainland to
compete in larger tournaments, Carvalho’s drive to compete
has taken her to the largest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions
in North America. In September, Carvalho won two medals at the
International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federations (IBJJF) Masters
and Seniors World Championships, and just recently won another
two more gold medals at the NAGA Championships on Oahu. She is
also a former world champion silver medalist from last year’s
IBJJF World Championships of Jiu Jitsu.
In a competition where people from all over the world come to
compete, Carvalho won the gold medal for her Senior 1 division
at the IBJJF Masters and Seniors World Championships. Although
there was no one else in her weight category, she went on to
fight in the absolute weight division, which included winners
from the various weight divisions in her age category. Carvalho
earned a silver medal, having three matches where she won 9-0,
7-0, and then lost in the finals 0-0 by referees decision.
Just one month later, she was back on the mats competing again
at the NAGA Championships held annually on Oahu. She won both
her no-gi match (6-0) and gi match (2-0), earning another two
gold medals to add to her team’s collection of hardware
at their academy.
Carvalho,
a student under Pono Pananganan at KTI in Lihue, said that KTI
(and jiu jitsu) saved her life. She has been training for almost
four years and is one of KTI’s first females to be promoted
to blue belt. Through jiu jitsu, Carvalho says she has gained
a healthier lifestyle, more self-esteem, focus and perseverance,
but most of all she has been blessed to train with an amazing
group of people who she has come to know as her own family.
When she suffered the recent loss of her father in July, she
turned to her KTI family and jiu jitsu.
“No matter what you’re stressed or worried about, it
ceases to exist when you step through that door. We are more
than a team, we are a family. KTI helped me discover who I want
to become, things I need to work on. When I lost my dad, they
gave me strength and courage when I needed it most. Without them
I wouldn’t have gotten through these past few months.”
Her instructor, Relson Gracie brown belt Pono Pananganan, describes
Alexis as always laying it on the line and leaving everything
out on the mat. He says that anyone who meets Alexis out on the
street or in the grocery store would never guess that she is
such a fierce competitor, given her shy and humble nature. She
always jumps at the chance to compete and represent her fellow
KTI teammates and he is amazed and proud of her continued courage
and dedication.
Alexis is a true testament of the jiu jitsu athlete. Her attitude,
along with her love for the sport and her team, shows that she
is a true role model for other women who may be too intimidated
to train in a martial art. Not only did she bring multiple World
championship medals home to Kauai, she continues to proudly represent
Kauai in women’s jiu jitsu.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
World
Series of Fighting Promises “Stacked Card” Each and
Every Show
The
debut fight card for new promotion World Series of Fighting boasts
several UFC and Strikeforce veterans, as well as the MMA debut
of one of the most feared kickboxers in the world.
Five
main card fights will be shown on NBC Sports Network headed up
by former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski taking on
Strikeforce veteran Devin Cole. Kickboxing-star-turned-MMA-fighter
Tyrone Spong will also make his long awaited debut after spending
the last year-plus working with the Blackzilian camp in Florida.
The
undercard is also littered with recognizable names from the sport
including an intriguing welterweight match-up between Gerald
Harris and Josh Burkman.
It’s
rare that a first time promotion would not only try to stack
a televised card, but also an undercard that won’t be on
TV.
World
Series of Fighting Senior Vice President and matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz
says the idea is to give fans something they will always want
to watch, not just a few fights that make the main card.
“I’ve
been around the sport for a little while now. I fought for a
little bit, and managing guys, and coming from a great camp like
Renzo Gracie‘s and Greg Jackson, I understand the sport
a little bit. I kind of understand the dynamic of every fighter
and what every fighter brings to the table,” Abdel-Aziz
told MMAWeekly Radio.
“Guys
like Arlovski, Anthony Johnson, Tyrone Spong, Gregor Gracie,
and Miguel Torres, these are guys that are already household
names in America, and they all put on exciting fights. They each
have their own story, and I think fans want to see these guys
fight.”
The
first card out of the gate on Nov. 3 will obviously be important,
but it’s also setting the tone for the future of the promotion.
They don’t plan on slowing down with great shows each time
they put on an event, because anything less would be cheating
the fans out of watching the fighters they want to see.
“I’m
going to promise the fans, promise the media and promise everyone,
every fight I’m going to put together is going to be a stacked
card. That’s what the fans want to see; that’s what
the fans deserve to see,” Abdel-Aziz stated.
The
debut card will air on NBC Sports Network on Nov 3, but plans
are already in place for several shows in 2013. The plan is to
complete the first show and then begin strategizing for the second
card in January of next year.
Bantamweight
prospect Tyson Nam is already expected to be a part of the January
card, and more names will be announced in the coming weeks. Several
fighters from this first card could also be a part of the second
World Series of Fighting show, and they plan on building new
stars as well.
“There’s
going to be some announcements right after the card,” said
Abdel-Aziz. “There’s going to be some very exciting
match-ups for our January show.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Jon
Jones Isn’t Randy Couture, but Chael Sonnen Gives Him His
Due… Sort Of
Chael
Sonnen has become the master of trash talk to build up fights,
but even he has had to give UFC light heavyweight champion Jon
Jones his due, calling him “the best fighter” he’s
ever seen… with a qualification, of course.
We’ve
seen enough of Sonnen’s shtick by now that it’s what
we’ve come to expect when the lights are on and the camera
is rolling. It is Chael Sonnen’s public persona; his “American
Gangster” character, if you will. But when the lights aren’t
shining in his eyes and the microphone isn’t in his face,
Sonnen’s true demeanor is in stark contrast to what most
people know from his public displays.
There’s
been some heat between Jones and Sonnen leading up to their selection
as The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 coaches with a showdown in
the Octagon in April 2013, but Sonnen’s “American Gangster”
stepped aside, if only briefly, during a recent TUF 17 media
call, opening the door for Sonnen to give Jones his due.
“I
think Jon Jones is the best fighter that I’ve ever seen,”
said Sonnen, with no zinger to follow. “If I was to compare
him to somebody, I mean, I would put Randy Couture above him,
but a lot of that is just out of respect. I don’t believe
he’s Randy Couture, but I believe he’s fantastic.
“He’s
got techniques; I don’t even know what they’re called.”
Many
people that are used to the “American Gangster” taking
on most of the public speaking gigs won’t buy that those
comments about Jones represent another side of Chael Sonnen shining
through, but it does.
The American Gangster, of course, is always lurking, not letting
Sonnen out of the shadows for long.
Perhaps
reminding Sonnen that the purpose of the call was to hype the
Jones vs. Sonnen pairing and build-up anticipation for The Ultimate
Fighter, the American Gangster eventually regained control of
the situation, not giving Jones too much credit.
“Yes,
good for Jon. You know, but look, he needs me and the bottom
line is, he doesn’t beat anybody until he beats me. Let’s
go down the line: he beat Bader, he beat Shogun, he beat –
who’s that glorified Hollywood extra – Rampage, Vitor.
I mean, what’s next? He’s going to fight Scott Ferrozzo?”
Sonnen
will never admit that he’s got dual personalities fighting
for control, and he’s not likely to continue heaping praise
on Jones. He’ll likely go the opposite direction, letting
Chael out just long enough to sucker Jones in and then give him
a full-on dose of the American Gangster.
But
hey, isn’t that why we’ve ended up with Jon Jones and
Chael Sonnen as TUF coaches with Jones’ championship on
the line to follow?
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Jon
Jones admits now face Anderson Silva: 'It can happen'
The most anticipated showdown between MMA fans finally is close
to happening. Greatest fighter in UFC history, middleweight champion
Anderson Silva, who has never shown interest in facing the light
heavyweight champion, Jon Jones has shown more flexible to talk
about it.
In
Brazil the event invitation, High Rock Fight II, which took place
on Saturday (27), in Goiania, Jon Jones also stated that there
is a possibility of leaving the duel role, since the public will
not be satisfied until we see the two beasts facing each other.
In
an interview with "Mail Brasiliense," the American
said on the subject.
"I
really do not want to fight with Anderson, respect too. I do
not want to be the guy who beat Anderson and do not want to be
the guy who lost to him. Anderson is a great champion, I'm a
big champion. We both ... I do not know, I do not know ... For
the fans ... I'm not saying that the fight will not happen, can
happen. But it is something that I am not chasing. Being the
fighter more dominant light heavyweight and maintain dominance
for a while, so, yes, it is among my goals. I do not believe
that you need to fight with Anderson to be the best in the world.
I guess I just have to keep fighting to be the best of all, "said
the champion.
Source:
Tatame
|
Who
can stop Leandro Lo, the absolute No-Gi champion of Brazil?
The
current lightweight champion of the world in Gi Jiu-Jitsu, Leandro
Lo has just shown that beating him without the gi is an even
trickier task.
After
a festival of sweeps, passes and mounts at lightweight, beating
Kim Terra by 19 to 0 in the final, Leandro Lo tore into the absolute
division this Saturday at the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals at Rio
de Janeiro’s Tijuca Tennis Club.
First,
he outpaced Rafael Costa, proving that his guard is indeed indecipherable.
IN the semifinal he caught up with former training partner Filipe
Meirelles, who let Leandro go through.
At
the other end of the bracket, the only other weight group winner
in the absolute showed just why he’d won the superheavyweight
division. Mauro Celso of team Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte, first
went past courageous light featherweight Leandro Luiz of CheckMat,
before going on to beat Moisés Flores and then Manoel
Fernandes.
The
final started out with caution from both sides, with Leandro
waiting for his opponent to attack and get caught in one of his
traps, each more exciting than the last. So Mauro didn’t
want to hear about being stuck between Lo’s legs, and leapt
for a kneebar that brought the crowd to its feet. Although in
pain, Leandro managed to unravel the submission hold after a
few seconds.
Leandro
then started racking up the points by sweeping and then passing
guard and taking the back. Once it was all over: 12 to 2 for
Brazil’s new absolute king of No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu.
Talita
has a romp in the female division
Talita
Treta didn’t encounter much resistance in the female division.
The Ryan Gracie team black belt didn’t have any opponents
in the heavyweight division, so she showed up fresh for the absolute.
Her first match was an easy WO win. The final she won handily
against the featherweight Elizângela Meireles, who also
won her weight group without having to fight. Talita pressured
her way past guard in style, finishing up with an armbar.
In
the brown belt division, heavyweight champion Jackson Snatos
steered clear of Paulo Miyao’s berimbolo in the semfinal,
took down Rodrigo Aquiles in the final, and shed his fair share
of joyful tears for winning two golds on the day.
In
the purple belt absolute, the one of stunned everyone was Lucas
Daniel “Hulk” of Marcio Rodrigues team, passing João
Miyao’s guard in the final and winning by 3 to 0.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
New
Jersey Sentences MMA Trainer for Submitting False Medical Forms
Attorney
General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that a man who trains fighters
for Amateur Mixed Martial Arts contests in New Jersey was sentenced
on Friday for submitting false documents, including medical forms,
to the State Athletic Control Board so that his athletes could
fight without undergoing mandatory physical examinations and
medical tests.
Philip
Dunlap, 49, of Mahwah, a trainer who owns and operates a gym
called Advanced Fighting Systems, was sentenced to two years
of probation by Superior Court Judge James J. Guida in Bergen
County. He was also ordered to perform 100 hours of community
service and pay a $5,000 fine. Dunlap pleaded guilty before Superior
Court Judge Patrick J. Roma on Sept. 17 to tampering with public
records or information, a third-degree offense. There is a presumption
against any prison sentence for a third-degree crime in New Jersey
if a defendant has no prior criminal record. Dunlap had no prior
record. Deputy Attorney General Debra A. Conrad prosecuted the
case and handled the sentencing for the Division of Criminal
Justice Specialized Crimes Bureau.
In
pleading guilty, Dunlap admitted that, from 2007 through 2011,
he submitted false or forged documents, including medical forms
and consent to fight forms, to the State Athletic Control Board
(SACB), which regulates Amateur Mixed Martial Arts (AMMA). The
medical forms certified that a doctor had examined certain fighters
whom Dunlap trained and that they were medically cleared to participate
in AMMA contests. The consent to fight forms certified that the
fighters signed the form. An investigation by the SACB and the
Division of Criminal Justice revealed that the fighters did not
receive the physicals, the doctor did not sign the medical forms,
and the fighters did not sign the consent forms. After the SACB
discovered the fraud, it suspended the fighters from any AMMA
fights in New Jersey and referred the matter to the Division
of Criminal Justice.
“The
State Athletic Control Board’s main concern will always
be the health and safety of the combative sport competitor, and
the integrity of the contest,” said SACB Commissioner Aaron
Davis. “We are committed to working jointly with the Division
of Criminal Justice in stopping the fraudulent submission of
medical forms to the State of New Jersey. Every trainer investigated
and arrested for this type of crime enables us to further uphold
the integrity of the sport.”
The
fraudulent forms were initially uncovered by Deputy Attorney
General Nick Lembo, who is assigned to the State Athletic Control
Board. Detective Nicholas Olenick, Investigator Ruben Contreras,
Detective Christian Harden and Deputy Attorney General Conrad
investigated the case for the Division of Criminal Justice Specialized
Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Supervising Deputy Attorney
General Andrew M. Butchko, who is Chief of the Bureau.
AMMA
is a full contact sport that allows the use of both striking
and grappling techniques from a variety of other contact sports.
The State provides rules and regulations to the fighters, promoters
and trainers that must be followed in order to participate in
fights in New Jersey. Fighters train at various gyms with trainers.
The trainers, such as Dunlap, enter them into fights.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Josh
Barnett Agrees to Defend King of Pancrase Title Next Year
by AsianMMA.com
Top
10 heavyweight Josh Barnett will return to Pancrase next year
to defend his openweight King of Pancrase title. The Warmaster,
according to yahoo.co.jp, had a meeting with Pancrase CEO Masakazu
Sakai after Barnett’s recent professional wrestling match
with Shinichi Suzukawa at Inoki Genome Federation.
The
meeting seems to have been fruitful. Barnett has agreed to defend
his KOP title next year during the Pancrase 20th Anniversary
Tour, against any opponent Sakai wants to put in front him. Barnett
stated that he is a part of the Pancrase family and wants the
legendary organization and its fighters to reach new heights
of popularity.
Barnett
won the openweight title way back in 2003 from Yuki Kondo. He
defended it twice the same year, against Kazuo Takahashi and
Semmy Schilt, before going on to represent the promotion in Pride
and around the world, but a whopping 10 years have now passed
since Barnett last defended the original King of Pancrase title.
The
New Global standard has been adopted as a sort of motto for Pancrase
since it found new owners. The amount of progress the organization
has made in a few months is really impressive. Luring Barnett
back into the Pancrase fold is just the latest example of that.
Barnett
hasn’t fought a mixed martial arts bout since May, when
he lost in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix final to Daniel
Cormier.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Bellator
77 Attracts 149,000 Viewers on MTV2
By Mike
Whitman
Bellator
Fighting Championships experienced a ratings decline this week
with Bellator 77, as the MTV2-broadcast event averaged 149,000
viewers on Friday night.
The
viewership figure, which Sherdog.com confirmed with an industry
source, represents a decrease from the 175,000 observers who
tuned in to catch Bellator 76 the week prior. The Viacom-owned
promotion has thus far promoted four shows during its ongoing
seventh season. The viewership high was set at 190,000 viewers
during the Sept. 28 season premiere, while week two’s Bellator
75 netted just 145,000 viewers.
Bellator
77 took place Oct. 19 at the Reading Theatre at the Sovereign
Center in Reading, Pa., and saw Rich Clementi, Dave Jansen, Marcin
Held and Ricardo Tirloni advance to the semifinals of the Season
7 lightweight tournament by topping Alexander Sarnavskiy, Magomed
Saadulaev, Murad Machaev and Rene Nazare, respectively.
The
evening’s undercard streamed live on Spike.com prior to
the main card broadcast on MTV2. The preliminary proceedings
were highlighted by Darrell Horcher’s 21-second knockout
of E.J. Brooks in the 155-pound tournament’s reserve bout.
Source:
Sherdog
|
What
UFC didn’t tell the public about Jeremy Stephens (who knew
what?)
By Zach
Arnold
When
Dana White made his public plea about trying to get Jeremy Stephens
out of a Minnesota jail cell for extradition to Iowa, it was
one of the more bizarre scenes in the history of White’s
tenure with the UFC. He was fighting on behalf of a guy who was
not even fighting on the main card of an FX show, a show that
drew lousy ratings. He was also sticking up for a guy in Stephens
who used the n-word when trash talking Floyd Mayweather on Twitter
in the past.
Judge
Moisan in Polk County, Iowa signed off on an Order of Protection
on October 12th against Jeremy Stephens, ordering him to stay
away from Shane & Jennifer Schreck on the following grounds:
On
the basis of the complaint or affidavit(s) submitted to the court
at the time of the defendant’s appearance, the court finds
there is probable cause that the Defendant committed the offense
of WILLFUL INJURY (SHANE SCHRECK0; ASSAULT CAUSING BODILY INJURY
(JENNIFER SCHRECK) and believes that the presence of the defendant
in the alleged victim’s residence poses a threat to the
safety of the alleged victim, persons residing with the alleged
victim, or members of the alleged victim’s immediate family.
The
State of Iowa also went after Stephens for an increase in his
bond. Read carefully and you will see why they were playing hardball
with Dana:
1.
The defendant was charged by complaint with Willful Injury and
Serious Assault on October 20, 2011. Bond was set at $20,000
cash and $1,000 cash, respectively, pending the service of the
arrest warrant.
2.
The Des Moines Police Department has been notified that the defendant
has been arrested on the warrant in the above-captioned case
in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
3.
The defendant is a professional mixed martial artist who travels
the country to participate in mixed martial arts competitions.
4.
The undersigned was contacted by attorney Matt Boles several
months ago about the above-captioned case, which would indicate
that the defendant is aware of the warrant. The defendant has
not turned himself in on these charges prior to being arrested
in Minneapolis.
5.
Considering the nature of the charges, the defendant’s inclinations
towards travel, and the length of time since the underlying incident
occurred, the State requests that the bond be increased to protect
the public and to insure the defendant’s presence at future
court hearings.
So,
now we know why Dana and company went silent about Stephens’
predicament a few days after making a fool out of himself at
the FX show in Minneapolis.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
With
eyes on WSOF debut, Andrei Arlovski says blood feud with Tim
Sylvia is finally over
By Mike
Chiappetta
As
Andrei Arlovski prepared to fight Tim Sylvia for in August, he
was blunt in his feelings for his longtime enemy, which had only
intensified with the passing of time.
"He
is a dick," he told MMA Fighting just days before the fight.
"Normally I respect my opponents, but I do not respect him."
Arlovski
went so far as to say that he was looking forward to kicking
Sylvia in the head, which is exactly what happened in their OneFC
match. Unfortunately for him, the bout's referee Yuji Shimada
had not yet given the OK to kick a downed opponent as mandated
by the promotion's rules, and instead of being credited with
a knockout win, his fight was ruled a no contest. The conclusion
was unsatisfying enough that the mutual rivals decided on the
spot that they should fight a fifth time.
Less
than two weeks from fighting Devin Cole in the World Series of
Fighting main event, however, Arlovski has changed his tune.
It took four fights, seven years and two continents, but there
lies some kind of truce between them. And surprisingly, where
there was once hate for Sylvia, there is now respect.
While
he hasn't completely ruled out the idea of another fight between
former UFC heavyweight champions, it will no longer be about
evening an old grudge.
"I
don't know about the story with Tim Sylvia, about the match,"
Arlovski said on Wednesday. "I don't know. If people want
to see it, maybe. But really like, no more bull---- between me
and Tim. We talked after the fight. He's the best guy. I wish
him all the best in his life and his MMA career."
If
that's a vast departure from the Arlovski of just a few months
ago, perhaps it's all by design, as Arlovski has been on a mission
to prove that at 33 years old, he isn't the over-the-hill commodity
some make him out to be.
Frankly
speaking, multiple matchups with Sylvia would do little to help
shake a perception that's been brewing since just after he left
the UFC in 2008. While Arlovski began his post-UFC tenure with
consecutive knockouts of respected fighters Ben Rothwell and
Roy Nelson, that was the end of the good times for a while. Starting
in January 2009, he lost four consecutive bouts, including three
by KO or TKO.
That
led to questions about his chin, his training, and his numbered
days as a force in the division.
While
he's since rebounded with wins over Travis Fulton and Ray Lopez,
and an otherwise strong performance against Sylvia, Arlovski
understands there are still questions to answer about what he
has left.
"This
is a great opportunity for me to prove to everyone and to myself
that I'm not done yet," he said.
In
Cole, he'll be facing a strong wrestler who has 10 of his 20
career wins by KO.
Like
Arlovski, Cole will enter the fight with a bit of a chip on his
shoulder. He was under contract with Strikeforce when the promotion
was bought by Zuffa, and though he won both of his fights in
2011, he wasn't retained when the division's heavyweights were
moved over to the UFC.
While
Arlovski will be trying to prove that he's still a heavyweight
name to reckon with, Cole is trying to prove that he can make
the next step, having never defeated someone with Arlovski's
name value.
For
Arlovski, a bout with Cole may not hold the personal importance
of a Sylvia fight, but even though it's behind him, he can't
deny the fourth fight in the series served its purpose.
"The
most important thing is that I shut many, many mouths who said
Arlovski had a weak chin, glass chin, this and that," he
said. "Tim Sylvia, he landed a couple good right hands,
and actually, he hurt me at the end of the first round and I
survived. And I'm very happy about that."
And
with that, the book on the Arlovski-Sylvia feud is over. For
now.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Can
Carlos Condit usurp GSP’s throne at UFC 154?
Vitor Freitas
After
18 months and two operated knees, GSP’s back in the UFC,
and right near home. UFC publicity photo.
This
coming 17th of November in Montreal, Canada, hometown hero Georges
Saint-Pierre will be returning to the octagon after a lengthy
leave of absence. His time on ice due to a string of knee injuries
now counts 18 months, and the Canadian champion will have his
work cut out for him right off the bat, as he faces Carlos Condit,
the owner of the interim welterweight belt.
During
the Quebecois fighter’s time away, Condit took his post
as interim champion after outpointing Nick Diaz at UFC 143, in
a decision that much of the audience felt should have gone the
other way.
The
Greg Jackson-trained American is worthy of his laurels, though.
A complete striker who loves knocking down anyone in his path,
the Jiu-Jitsu purple belt is a well-rounded fighter—and
he’s coming off five back-to-back wins.
Now,
GSP isn’t complaining about ring rust. At the first pre-event
press conference, the Gracie Barra Montreal black belt said he’s
in tip-top shape.
So
who’ve you got winning it, gentle reader? Decision, submission,
knockout—how will it end? Comment below and prove that GRACIEMAG.com
readers know most, when it comes to MMA and strategy.
UFC 154
Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada
November 17, 2012
Georges
St-Pierre vs Carlos Condit
Martin Kampmann vs Johny Hendricks
Rafael dos Anjos vs Mark Bocek
Patrick Côté vs Alessio Sakara
Nick Ring vs Costa Philippou
Under
card:
Mark Hominick vs Pablo Garza
Francis Carmont vs Tom Lawlor
Sam Stout vs John Makdessi
Rodrigo Damm vs Antonio Carvalho
Cyrille Diabate vs Chad Griggs
Stephen Thompson vs Besam Yousef
Ivan Menjivar vs Azamat Gashimov
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson Says Joe Silva’s Matchmaking
Is Why He’s Leaving the UFC
by Damon
Martin
It’s
no secret that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson plans on testing
free agency after he fulfills the final fight on his current
UFC contract.
Jackson
has been quite loud when speaking his displeasure with the organization
in several different areas, but according to his latest interview,
matchmaker Joe Silva is one of the biggest reasons why he’s
looking for greener pastures.
Following
an injury that kept him out of his last scheduled fight at UFC
153, Jackson expressed interest in fighting either Glover Teixeira
or old foe Forrest Griffin.
Jackson
lost the UFC light heavyweight title to Griffin at UFC 86 in
2008, and “Rampage” has wanted a rematch ever since.
When Griffin lost his original opponent at UFC 155 later this
year, Jackson immediately voiced his opinion to get the fight.
UFC
matchmaker Joe Silva opted to place former NCAA champion Phil
Davis in the slot instead, and Jackson was none too happy with
the decision.
“This
is why I’m leaving the UFC, I don’t understand what
Joe Silva’s doing. Joe Silva have a complex, something’s
wrong with him. The guy can’t match shoes, what kind of
matchmaker is this guy? What is he thinking? Give me Forrest,”
Jackson told Inside MMA.
“Everybody
wants that, that would sell, everybody wants to see me and Forrest
fight again.”
Jackson
criticized the matchmaking of the fight between Griffin and Davis,
and he believes the bout will be nothing short of a snoozer.
“That’s
going to be a boring fight, no disrespect to anybody, but that’s
going to be a boring fight. I’m sorry,” Jackson stated.
Jackson
admits he would love the chance to avenge the loss to Griffin,
but he’s not so sure the former light heavyweight champion
would actually face him even if Silva did offer the fight.
“Everybody
wants to see it but Forrest, because Forrest knows I beat him
the first time. He knows it, everybody knows it,” said Jackson.
As
of now, Jackson remains on the sidelines awaiting word from the
UFC on when or who he will fight next. Unless something changes,
Jackson will compete in that fight, and then enter free agency
where he plans to test the waters outside the UFC.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Florida
state audit accuses Tom Molloy’s commission of (criminal?)
negligence; Christa Patterson still employed at the commission?
By Zach
Arnold
Update
(6:45 PM EST): A source on background indicates that Christa
Patterson, the #2 person during Tom Molloy’s stint at the
Florida Boxing Commission, is still around at the commission
office. In other words, despite the OIG’s audit findings,
she still is hanging around (for now). Last week, The Florida
Department of Business and Professional Regulation claimed the
following in a press release:
Hefren
currently serves the Department as the Director of Auditing for
the Inspector General’s Office. Her appointment follows
the resignation of former Executive Director Thomas Molloy and
the reassignment of the Commission’s current assistant executive
director as a result of an ongoing audit by the Department’s
Inspector General. The audit was launched to evaluate and recommend
changes to the Commission’s business practices after the
2012 Legislative Session. A full report of the findings is expected
within the next 30 days.
Take
a look at Christa Patterson’s tax record:
A
Florida state worker since 1985. Looks like she has some tenure.
****
When
Tom Molloy left his post as the figure-head at the Florida boxing
commission, it was only his second worst boxing lowlight. His
first was losing to Tony Danza as a fighter.
However,
little did we know that things would get worse for him. This
comment gives you a clue:
Former
Florida Boxing Commission Executive Director, Tom Molloy is hiding
from a process server in Tallahassee with a WITNESS subpoena
for him. If you have seen Molloy between 10-19-12 & 11-5-12,
call in your anonymous tip to (850) 429-7431. All calls confidential.
You will not have to testify or identify yourself.
Melissa
And
now, the other shoe is about to drop on Molloy.
In
a preliminary report written by Florida’s Office of Inspector
General regarding their audit of the Florida State Boxing Commission
(which was ran by Tom Molloy until he left last week), several
charges with different degrees of seriousness (in terms of criminal
negligence) were made against Molloy’s commission in the
OIG report.
The
audit report starts out this way:
Commission
revenue is under-reported by promoters and not appropriately
reconciled by Commission staff, contributing to the Commission’s
current budget deficit.
Inadequate
controls over the licensure process of officials, resulting in
unlicensed activity.
Non-compliance
with state regulations regarding the protecting of personal and
confidential information, putting the Department at risk.
Procedures
not properly designed or effectively implemented, yielding improper
oversight of Commission activities.
Molloy’s
commission was budgeted $621,598 for Fiscal year 2011-2012 (four
full-time employees). The commission regulated 51 shows (25 boxing,
26 MMA events) and generated $364,982 in revenue. 51 shows for
a year in Florida sounds awfully low, given that the state has
10 different media markets and always was a hotbed of activity
for many years.
The
audit characterizes the commission’s deficit in this manner:
During
the fiscal year, the Commission expenses totaled $710,281, which
resulted in an account balance deficit of $295,266. The Commission
was provided with $200,000 in general revenue from the Legislature
in FY 2012-2013 to address this deficit. The Legislature further
directed the Department to streamline activities and create efficiencies
within the Boxing Commission.
The
audit report then broke down their findings in four categories,
all of which make Molloy look awful.
1.
Revenue collection and reconciliation.
We
found that revenue submitted by promoters is under-reported and
not appropriately reconciled by the Commission. This under-reported
avenue is likely a significant contributor to the Commission’s
current budget deficit.
Given
the 51 total events sanctioned by the Commission in FY 2011-2012
and the $1,800 permit fee, our office would expect at least $91,800
in life-event permit application fees in FY 2011-2012. However,
the Commission reported only $78,335 in permit fees. Audit testing
revealed that the Commission could not provide assurance that
permit application fees were paid for 6 of the 51 Commission-sanctioned
events in FY 2011-2012.
Further,
some fees — a required component of the application —
were not received until the date of the live event or even later.
Consequently, the live-event permit application was incomplete
and these events should not have been sanctioned by the Commission.
It
gets worse… much worse.
“Section
548.06, F.S., requires that promoters holding a match in Florida
file a post-event tax report including the number of tickets
sold, the amount of gross receipts, and any other facts the Commission
may require. Gross receipts include the amount paid for sale
or lease of broadcasting, television, or motion picture rights;
the amount received from the sale of souvenirs, programs, and
other concessions received by the promoter; and, the fact value
of all tickets sold and complimentary tickets issued, provided,
or given.”
At
the end of the 548.06 Florida Statute, here are the criminal
penalties listed on the books:
(6)(a)?Any
promoter who willfully makes a false and fraudulent report under
this section is guilty of perjury and, upon conviction, is subject
to punishment as provided by law. Such penalty shall be in addition
to any other penalties imposed by this chapter.
(b)?Any
promoter who willfully fails, neglects, or refuses to make a
report or to pay the taxes as prescribed or who refuses to allow
the commission to examine the books, papers, and records of any
promotion is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable
as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
This
is used in the audit as the set-up for the following…
A
post-event tax report was received by the Commission in only
30 of the 51 Commission-sanctioned events. It is unclear whether
any tax revenue was received for the 21 events without a post-event
tax report.
5
of 30 post-event tax reports received reported revenue received
from internet sales. We cannot provide assurance that this information
was accurately reported.
3
of 30 post-event tax reports received reported revenue from souvenirs,
programs, and concessions. The Commission indicated that they
rarely collect concession revenue even though they are statutorily
authorized to do so.
8
of the 30 post-event tax reports showed the number of complimentary
tickets issued was greater than the number of tickets sold.
1
of 30 post-event tax reports received was supported by a copy
of the ticket manifest to provide assurance of the accuracy of
the number of tickets sold. Commission staff did not reconcile
this information to the tax report. Audit testing revealed significant
under-reporting.
This
right here is huge. Only 30 of the 51 shows reportedly had a
post-tax report… and only 1 of those 30 shows had a ticket
manifest. This would mean that the other 50 shows that Florida
regulated had no lead inspectors producing a ticket manifest?
This is a holy @&$! moment that would make California’s
commission blush. At least they try to do a ticket manifest even
if few can actually do it in a proper fashion. The Florida state
audit insinuates that Molloy didn’t bother following the
statutes on the books.
6
of 30 post-event tax reports received reported reasonable amounts
for complimentary-tickets issued based upon the reported value
of tickets sold.
23
of 30 post-event tax reports received were not filed timely.
Authorized late filing penalties were not collected.
We
were only able to verify tax collections for tickets sales for
one event because only one post-event tax report included a ticket
manifest. This tax report reflected no internet or concessions
sales. Specifically, the promoter reported complimentary ticket
face values of $2 when the actual face value of the tickets ranged
from $40 to $175. The tax reported for comp tickets for this
event was only $612.50; properly calculated it should have been
$31,696.75. Consequently, the total amount of revenue that was
not accurately remitted to the Commission was over $31,000.
We
have a situation where the show report claims $612.50 in comp
tickets that had a face value of over $31,000. If the audit’s
claims are accurate & correct, then this is fraudulent accounting
at its worst. Florida’s tax payers should be furious.
2.
Licensing of officials at Commission-sanctioned events.
We
found that some of the officials assigned by the Commission are
not properly licensed. Using the official Single Licensing System
of the Department, LicenseEase, testing determined the following
for Fiscal Year 2011-2012 activities:
Three
judges used at sanctioned events were not on the licensed judge
list. These potentially unlicensed judges worked at 11 of 51
events.
One
referee used at sanctioned events was not on the licensed referee
list. This unlicensed referee worked at six of 51 events.
Two
timekeepers utilized by the Commission were not on the licensed
timekeeper list. These timekeepers worked at two events.
Seven
trailing judges worked at 8 Commission-sanctioned events throughout
the year and were not on the licensed trailing judge list.
3.
Security of personal and confidential information.
As
part of the application review and licensing process of participants,
the Commission receives medical information and other personal
and confidential information. Personal and confidential information
is exempt from public records requests by Florida statutes and
special protections are required by Admin Rule 71A-1.006, Florida
Administrative Code.
We
determined that personal and confidential information was not
properly safeguarded. Specifically, we reviewed selected OnBase
files, Commission master-event records known as ‘fight-folders,’
and Commission email to determine whether personal and confidential
information was adequately secured. OnBase documents, fight-folders,
and Commission email all included medical records and other personal
and confidential information.
Commission
staff reported that they focused on physical security of paper
medical records and were unaware of additional security criteria
related to electronic transactions and images in OnBase and email.
Commission forms require the submission of personal and confidential
information including medical information and social security
information for reasons that are unclear.
Ignorance
of the law is not a successful defense in a court room. Especially
when it comes to missing cash and mishandling of medical records.
4.
Adoption of recommendation made in previous internal audit reports.
In
June 2009, our office issued an audit report that cited deficiencies
with respect to Commission policies and procedures. Recommendations
included the creation and review of Commission policies and procedures
and the adoption of checklists and other control documents to
demonstrate compliance with Commission duties before, during,
and after the event.
We
found that Commission procedures were not properly designed or
effectively implemented. Although most of these policies and
procedures were revised by the Commission in August 2012, we
found they were inadequately designed because they did not address
all Commission processes and activities or identify specific
responsibilities of staff. In addition, we determined that the
Commission does not always follow the policies they do have.
As a result, we concluded that the controls to ensure the objectives
of the Commission are achieved are inadequate.
Even
with more detailed and complete policies and procedures, our
office has reservations as to whether the Commission can adequately
accomplish oversight of their processes.
Florida
sounds like a mini-version of California at this point. The difference
is that Tom Molloy is gone from Florida’s commission while
Che Guevara continues to gain political power in Sacramento.
If
you’re wondering who the enablers of Tom Molloy & Christa
Patterson were/are, it’s Ken Lawson & Tim Vaccaro at
the Florida DBPR. Take a look at their tax records:
Consider
them Florida’s version of Denise Brown & Awet Kidane
from DCA (California).
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Stephen
'Wonderboy' Thompson injures knee,
out of UFC 154
By Ariel
Helwani
The
UFC injury bug continues to rear its ugly head.
Welterweight
prospect Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson has pulled out
of his UFC 154 fight against Besam Yousef due to an injured knee,
MMAFighting.com confirmed with sources close to the fight. Thompson
recently suffered a torn meniscus in training. He will undergo
surgery on Monday and is expected to be out of action for eight
weeks.
Thompson
(6-1) suffered the first loss of his career at UFC 145 against
Matt Brown. He won his Octagon debut at UFC 143 when he knocked
out Dan Stittgen via a highlight-real head kick.
The
UFC has yet to confirm the injury, as well as announce who, if
anyone, will replace Thompson against Yousef.
UFC
154, headlined by Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit for the
undisputed UFC welterweight title, takes place Nov. 17 from the
Bell Centre in Montreal.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
David
Mitchell-Hyun Gyu Lim Completes 10-Fight UFC on Fuel TV 6 Bill
in Macau
By Mike
Whitman
Welterweights
David Mitchell and Hyun Gyu Lim will square off at UFC on Fuel
TV 6, completing the event’s 10-fight bill.
Lim
was initially expected to face unbeaten Marcelo Guimaraes at
the event before Guimares was forced to withdraw due to injury.
UFC on Fuel TV 6 is headlined by a middleweight showdown pitting
former a UFC champion Rich Franklin against ex- Strikeforce king
Cung Le and takes place Nov. 10 at CotaiArena in Cotai, Macau.
The show’s preliminary draw streams live on Facebook, while
the main card broadcast follows on Fuel TV.
Mitchell,
33, rides back-to-back defeats heading into his showdown with
Lim. “Daudi” last competed in August 2011, dropping
a one-sided unanimous decision to Paulo Thiago at UFC 134. Mitchell,
who began his career a perfect 11-0, was also defeated in his
Octagon foray by T.J. Waldburger in September 2010.
Lim,
meanwhile, makes his UFC debut on the strength of five consecutive
wins. The 27-year-old Korean previously competed under the M-1
Global banner but has more recently done his work in the Pacific
Xtreme Combat promotion, winning that organization’s welterweight
title on July 28 by submitting Ryan Bigler with a guillotine
choke.
Source
Sherdog
|
Carlos
Condit exclusive: “The ground game will be the key to victory
at UFC 154"
Nalty Junior
UFC
welterweight star Carlos Condit is almost ready for his November
17 showdown with Georges St-Pierre in Montreal, Canada. GRACIEMAG.com
had a quick chat with the Greg Jackson-trained fighter to find
out about the hard task at hand, what weapons he’ll be wielding
in combat, how training with Caio Terra has been going, and how
his ground game has been coming along—a chat about Jiu-Jitsu,
of course.
GRACIEMAG:
GSP has been away for nearly 18 months. So far, though, he’s
always managed to take his opponents down and control the fight.
How do you think you can beat the Canadian star in Montreal,
at UFC 154?
CARLOS
CONDIT: I have many weapons in my arsenal that I can use to beat
George. Even so, I know I have a tremendous task ahead of me.
And I will have to fight the best fight of my life, if I expect
to walk away with the undisputed title.
Fighters
often dream of or at least imagine how the fight will go in their
heads. How do you see this battle going?
I
see our next fight in November being very dynamic – with
all aspects of the sport being displayed: striking, wrestling,
Jiu-Jitsu. But the ground game will be the key to victory for
both GSP and myself.
How
is the Jiu-Jitsu training with Caio Terra going? Do you feel
the same pleasure training in Jiu-Jitsu as you do in striking?
I
think I do. It’s very tough to choose between them. I would
have to say I love training striking and grappling equally. The
BJJ training sessions with Caio have been exciting. He’s
a great Jiu-Jitsu competitor, one of my favorites to watch, and
he’s always teaching me some new moves so my Jiu-Jitsu will
always be fresh in the octagon.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Super
Fight League 6 Continues Free Friday Fights at 11:30 am ET
Indian
MMA promotion Super Fight League recently began a weekly fight
series, Friday Night Fights.
The
next edition, SFL 6, takes place on Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET/8:30
a.m. PT. The event streams live for free on the Super Fight League
YouTube channel.
SFL
ends the first month of Friday Night Fights by matching up two
of the organization’s top five ranked middleweights, in
former UFC star Xavier Foupa-Pokam and Brazilian sensation Claudio
Henrique Da Silva.
Frenchman
Foupa-Pokam is fighting for the second time in the SFL, after
a brutal TKO victory against Joey Guel in SFL 1. Da Silva is
looking to maintain his hugely impressive seven fight run of
destruction that has seen him both KO and submit opponents spectacularly.
In
the talented division of female flyweights, SFL showcases two
more of the very best around. Colleen “The Beautiful Disaster”
Schneider will face of against Egypt’s Aya Saeid Saber.
Schneider is another fighter making her second SFL appearance,
already having won her first fight on SFL 3 via TKO.
Super Fight League 6
Xavier
Foupa-Pokam vs. Claudio Henrique Da Silva
Colleen Schneider vs. Aya Saeid Saber
Abhijeet Petkar vs. Harish Solanki
Gurvinder Singh vs. Subrata Das
Sharath Babu vs. Kapil Kumar
Suresh Chavan vs. Motirul Rahaman
Love Chauhan vs. Mohit Tokas
You
can watch SFL 6 live at http://www.youtube.com/SFL on Friday
at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Want
a bigger gas tank for Jiu-Jitsu? Then read what Bibiano Fernandes
has to say
Vitor Freitas
Bibiano
Fernandes, a 32-year-old black belt, boasts a game of lightning-quick
transitions and major explosiveness. And now, after a sterling
career on the mats and 12 wins in 15 fights in MMA, “The
Flash” shares his performance secrets in GRACIEMAG #187.
In
the interview, Bibiano recollects how his nickname first surfaced,
in fighters’ favorite Jiu-Jitsu magazine.
GRACIEMAG.com
sifted through the FACE TO FACE section to bring you a couple
of the more enticing excerpts, in case you haven’t picked
up a copy at your local bookstore yet:
1. How to be a speedy fighter:
“I
think that speed in martial arts is part explosiveness, part
in your head. Before going in to fight I’d try and analyze
the whole fight in my head. That way, I think I was always a
step ahead of my opponent in thought. And that way you push the
pace in the fight. Even when I’d roll with a teammate in
training, I’d have two, three submission options in mind,”
says Bibiano.
2. How do you enhance your lung capacity?
“I
think that speed in martial arts is part explo When I started
training with Osvaldo Alves I’d do a lot of running on the
sand, sprints on the beach. We’d do a light run and then
do 20 under-20-second sprints. But want to know what the secret
to endurance is, boss? Let’s say you’re in the middle
of a roll at training and you start feeling fatigued. Your mind
says, “I’m done.” Well, that happens to everyone.
And what do you do? You stop or ask to stop. That’s wrong;
your body’s being blocked by your mind. The big secret is
to push on,” the Amazonas State native teaches, among other
ultra-useful odds and ends.
Want
more pointers on how to up your performance in training? Then
head to the nearest bookstore and get a copy!
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Source:
Romolo Barros
|
Bellator
Making Hard Push to Keep Eddie Alvarez
by Damon
Martin
When
Eddie Alvarez defeated Patricky “Pitbull” Freire at
Bellator 76 and officially entered free agency, most just penciled
in the former lightweight champion as a lock to end up with the
UFC.
On
the night of his victory, UFC President Dana White sent Alvarez
a message via Twitter saying “congrats bro, let’s talk”.
The
message from Bellator Fighting Championships back very well might
read “not so fast”.
According
to Alvarez’s manager, Glenn Robinson of Authentic Sports
Management, Bellator is pushing hard to keep their former champion
right where he is as they make their transition to Spike TV in
2013.
“Bjorn
and Eddie had a great conversation and had some great talks.
Bjorn has expressed interest in keeping Eddie, and talks have
gone really well, and that’s all I can really say at this
point,” Robinson told MMAWeekly.com this week.
The
last major free agent that Bellator had on its roster was former
middleweight champion Hector Lombard, who signed with the UFC
earlier this year. The American Top Team fighter was undefeated
during his time with Bellator as their 185lb champion, but once
his contract was up he left and moved over to the UFC.
Alvarez,
who has been with Bellator since their inception in 2009, has
been the face of the promotion and one of their biggest stars.
Bellator
CEO Bjorn Rebney knows that and he’s doing his best to make
sure Alvarez remains with the company for the foreseeable future.
“Talks
have gone really well with Bellator and Eddie just wants to fight
the best fighters he can, and get a contract he feels is fair,
but I can tell you Bjorn has gone out of his way to make Eddie
feel welcome and talks have gone well so far, so we’ll see
what the future brings,” said Robinson.
No
decision is likely to happen in the next few weeks as Bellator
continues to negotiate with Alvarez and his management team during
an exclusive contract period.
Whether
he signs somewhere tomorrow or in 3 months, Alvarez just wants
to make the best decision possible for his career.
“He
doesn’t want to sit out too long so we’d like to get
things wrapped up. At the end of the day, Bellator has a 90-day
negotiating period, so we’re finishing talks with them and
we have to see where things go with that,” Robinson stated.
“Yeah
he’d like to fight right away, but he doesn’t want
to rush to make a deal either, make a hasty deal because he’s
in a rush. He’s a very smart guy, and we’ve got to
take our time, take it one step at a time to get ultimately where
he needs to be.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
A
‘Young Gun’ Down Under
By Joe
Myers
Most
18-year-olds are worried about deciding where to go to college
or finding a job, not wondering when they are going to make their
debut on mixed martial arts’ biggest stages.
However,
Tyler Manawaroa is not your average 18-year-old. The Australian
welterweight, known as “Young Gun,” already holds an
8-0 professional MMA record with seven finishes -- three knockouts
and four submissions -- to his credit.
“He
has finished everyone he’s fought except for one guy, and
in that fight, every round was his,” said Rob Giuffrida,
who serves as Manawaroa’s coach at Integrated MMA in Brisbane,
Australia. “He needs bigger fights. We’ve done everything
we can to move up. He’s only 18 years old and we’ve
got guys who have been training for 10 years who struggle against
him.”
Giuffrida
likes the desire he sees in his understudy.
“He’s
very committed and trains and works hard,” he said. “Each
month, he gets much more dangerous and successful. Each fight,
he’s fought tougher guys and he’s carving through everyone.
He’s getting more mature and just needs an opportunity.”
Manawaroa
has an athletic background in rugby. He played the sport and
attended Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes a few days a week before
he started to work on striking and wrestling.
“I
just loved it,” said the 6-foot-1 Manawaroa, who has been
training exclusively for MMA for nearly four years. “I gave
up rugby and concentrated on MMA.”
His
professional debut came in May 2011, when he tapped out Andrew
Heatherington with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their
fight at an event in Hervey Bay, Queensland. Two more victories
followed before his 18th birthday in July 2011. After his third
win, Manawaroa took eight months off before returning in March
with another first-round, rear-naked choke submission, this one
on Matthew Frincu at a Nitro MMA show in Logan City, Queensland.
He has racked up four more wins since, most recently earning
a three-round unanimous decision over Eugene Bareman on a Warriors
Realm Fighting Championship card in August.
“He
needs bigger fights. We’ve done everything we can to move
up. He’s only 18 years old and we’ve got guys who have
been training for 10 years who struggle against him.”
--
Rob Giuffrida, Integrated MMA trainer
“Things
have been going pretty good,” said Manawaroa. “I’ve
won all my fights. Some of the fights have been pretty hard,
but I’m still moving forward. I’ve been less scared
to get in the cage before each fight, more confident before each
fight, and I really think that’s helped me.”
Manawaroa
trains at the same camp that UFC veteran Kyle Noke and Australian
MMA mainstay Adrian Pang call home.
“It’s
good,” Manawaroa said. “The coaches and other fighters
really look after me. They do give me the beatdown, though, and
don’t treat me any different due to my age. I definitely
learn a lot from the other guys. [Pang] teaches me a lot. I’m
always learning new stuff every day, every week.”
Giuffrida
claims he saw Manawaroa’s potential almost immediately and
admits he has had to continually push him due to his natural
talent.
“Tyler
came to me as a kid, and I have a class for teen-agers,”
said Giuffrida. “A bunch of them had been training for a
while. After the first class I had Tyler in there with them,
I knew I had to move him up because he had an aptitude for things,
and he would’ve hurt those kids; not on purpose, mind you,
but because he was so much more advanced. And we had some pretty
good guys in that class. Even as a beginner, he was a handful.
I took him to Brisbane to our main training center and he trained
with pros and he excelled. Now, he trains two or three times
a day and six or seven days a week.”
Manawaroa
recently attended the tryouts for the groundbreaking season of
“The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes,” which features
fighters from Australia and the United Kingdom. Though Manawaroa
was not cast, Giuffrida believes the experience was beneficial
for the 18-year-old.
“Tyler
didn’t make it through, which was disappointing, but I think
he got to the final few guys,” said Giuffrida. “Guys
went through that might have more of a personality for the show
but maybe didn’t have the skills Tyler has. Also, they might
not have taken him seriously due to his age.”
With
five wins already under his belt in 2012, Manawaroa wants to
take some time to train before he fights again. However, if a
promotion like Strikeforce or the Ultimate Fighting Championship
knocked on his door, Manawaroa would not hesitate to put his
name on the dotted line.
“There’s
nothing on the horizon right now,” he said. “I’m
taking a break right now. I’m taking a break for a couple
of months, [and] then I’ll get back into it. I’m ready
now. If they called me tomorrow, I’d love to do that, and
I know I could do well.”
Giuffrida
feels that Manawaroa does not have much more to prove in Australia
and should be fighting in a major promotion sooner rather than
later.
“He’s
beaten everybody in front of him and he trains hard every day,”
said Giuffrida. “There should be opportunities for guys
like him.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
Macao & UFC 154 Montreal cards
By Zach
Arnold
Event:
UFC Macao (11/10 CotaiArena at The Venetian)
TV: Fuel TV
Undercard
Welterweights:
Marcelo Guimaraes vs. Hyun Gyu Lim
Bantamweights: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Hougland
Middleweights: Riki Fukuda vs. Tom DeBlass
Flyweights: Yasuhiro Urushitani vs. John Lineker
Lightweights: Tiequan Zhang vs. Jon Tuck
Bantamweights: Alex Caceres vs. Kyung Ho Kang
Main
card
Lightweights:
Takanori Gomi (+175) vs. Mac Danzig (-220, 11 to 5 favorite)
Welterweights: Dong Hyun Kim (-220, 11 to 5 favorite) vs. Paulo
Thiago (+180)
Light Heavyweights: Thiago Silva (-300, 3 to 1 favorite) vs.
Stanislav Nedkov (+250)
Middleweights: Rich Franklin (-300, 3 to 1 favorite) vs. Cung
Le (+250)
Event:
UFC 154 (11/17 Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
TV: FX/PPV
Undercard
Featherweights:
Darren Elkins vs. Steven Siler
Welterweights: Stephen Thompson vs. Besam Yousef
Bantamweights: Ivan Menjivar vs. Azamat Gashimov
Featherweights: Antonio Carvalho vs. Rodrigo Damm
Lightweights: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Mark Bocek
Lightweights: Sam Stout vs. John Makdessi
Middleweights: Constantinos Philippou vs. Nick Ring
Middleweights: Patrick Cote vs. Alessio Sakara
Main
card
Featherweights:
Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza
Light Heavyweights: Cyrille Diabate vs. Chad Griggs
Middleweights: Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor
Welterweights: Martin Kampmann (+120) vs. Johny Hendricks (-140,
7 to 5 favorite)
UFC Welterweight title match: Georges St. Pierre (-360, 18 to
5 favorite) vs. Carlos Condit (+300)
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Megumi
Fujii close to retiring
By Ariel
Helwani
One
of the greatest female mixed martial artists has apparently reached
the end of her career.
Megumi
Fujii, long considered the top female MMA fighter in the world,
is leaning towards retirement, according to sources who spoke
on the condition of anonymity.
"Mega
Megu" is in talks to compete on DREAM's planned New Year's
Eve show, however, the promotion has yet to find her an "appropriate"
opponent. If they do, that will serve as her retirement fight.
If not, her current plan is to never fight again.
According
to those same sources, the 38-year-old Fujii seriously considered
retiring following her Bellator 69 loss to Jessice Aguilar in
May, however, she is now open to fighting one more time in her
native country of Japan before the end of the year.
Fujii
(25-2) started her career 22-0 before losing to Zoila Gurgel
at Bellator 34 in Oct. 2010.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
end-of-year festivities with Cigano vs. Velasquez and plenty
more
Junior
Cigano puts his belt up for grabs against Cain Velasquez this
December. UFC publicity photo.
December’s
always been the month for kicking back and making the most of
the end-of-the-year festivities. In the fight world, however,
it has been synonymous with major events ever since the days
of Pride FC.
In
keeping with tradition, the UFC has put together a marathon of
fistic delights for fight fans to relish, and the month of holiday
cheer can now be one of hard-core action as well. The party will
start warming up with the December 8 show in Seattle, Washington.
On the 15th, the promotion will pitch its tent in Australia,
before heading straight back across the ocean to Las Vegas, where
they have one event set for the 16th and another for the 30th,
when they close out the year in grand style with Cigano vs. Velasquez
Part Two.
Here’s
a breakdown of the coming attractions:
UFC on Fox 5, December 8
In
early December, the city of Seattle, Washington, will get treated
to Benson Henderson defending his lightweight title against the
equally talented Nate Diaz. The event will also feature a light
heavyweight tilt between Mauricio Shogun and rising star Alexander
Gustafsson just before the Henderson-Diaz main event. And if
that’s not enough excitement for UFC fans, BJ Penn will
have a stern test ahead of him, as he takes on stalwart Canadian
welterweight Rory MacDonald.
UFC on FX 5, December 15
The
Gold Coast, in Queensland, Australia, will get to host a card
somewhat less stellar; but what it lacks in star power it makes
up for in the promise of excitement. Submission whiz Rousimar
Palhares is healed up from injury and will square off with Cuban
middleweight judoka Hector Lombard in the co-main event. The
marquee fight will be a lightweight affair, with Jiu-Jitsu black
belt George Sotiropulos taking on Ross Pearson. Another Jiu-Jitsu
stylist in the show is Nova União representative Hacran
Dias, who will have his hands full against the game Chad Mendes.
The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale, December 16
Besides
getting a glimpse at the UFC’s next batch of promising upstarts,
MMA fans will be served a big helping of heavyweight action,
with TUF 16 coaches Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin going toe to
toe in what looks sure to be a bona fide barnburner. As the card
awaits definition of the finalists from the reality show, the
full card has not yet been released. The event will take place
Sunday the 16th, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC 155 – Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2, December 29th
Again
in Las Vegas, the promotion has a big night planned for the MGM
Grand Garden Arena the day before New Year’s Eve. Junior
Cigano will be defending his belt from Cain Velasquez, the very
man he took it from decisively with a first-round knockout a
year ago. And the highly touted Chris Weidman will lock horns
with the seasoned Tim Boetsch, as he steers a course to his coveted
showdown with the Spider. Another big name on the card is Gray
Maynard, a blue belt who has been doing his training at team
Nova União, and who will be taking on the Jiu-Jitsu-savvy
Joe Lauzon.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Dream
Rises from the Ashes, New Ownership Planning New Year’s
Eve Event
Dream
as it was is no longer. The promotion was formerly under the
ownership of Real Entertainment, which closed its doors earlier
this year. AsianMMA.com informed MMAWeekly.com that the New Year’s
Eve event and any future Dream plans will be organized under
new ownership, which will likely be revealed at Thursday’s
press conference in Japan.
The last time Dream, in any form, operated an event was New Year’s
Eve 2011. Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 featured
MMA, kickboxing, and puroresu (Japanese professional wrestling)
and was co-promoted by Dream, M-1 Global, and Inoke Genome Federation.
Glory
Sports International Resurrects Dream; Plans NYE Return and Several
Events in 2013
by AsianMMA.com
The
highly anticipated Dream press conference, announcing the promotion’s
return to active duty in Japan, has wrapped up and here’s
what AsianMMA.com took away from it.
-
As AsianMMA.com previously reported, Pierre Andurand and Glory
Sports International are bankrolling the show.
-
Bas Boon, the man behind the original Glory World Series kickboxing
events, helped orchestrate the whole deal to hold a New Year’s
Eve show.
-
Former K-1 and Dream owner FEG has no involvement at all with
the current iteration of Dream.
-
Glory hopes to hold 10 events in Japan next year, though officials
made no mention of how many will be MMA and how many will be
kickboxing.
-
Dream.18 New Year’s Eve Special will bring back the high
production value that Dream originally had under its past ownership.
-
Dream.18 aims to have 13 fights: 10 MMA and three kickboxing
bouts.
-
Boon said he would like to carry on the tradition of having a
kickboxer vs. mixed martial artist fight.
-
Satoru Kitaoka, Hiroyuki Takaya and Tatsuya Kawajiri are the
only confirmed fighters for Dream.18 thus far.
-
Like past Dream New Year’s Eve events, and Pride and K-1
before that, Dream.18 New Year’s Eve Special will be held
at the Saitama Super Arena.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Georgia’s
Andy Foster takes over paralyzed California State Athletic Commission,
but with a twist…
By Zach
Arnold
The
media headlines today (here and here) about former Georgia Athletic
Board boss Andy Foster taking over as the Executive Officer of
the California State Athletic Commission fail to address the
back story on how this move happened and what it means for California’s
combat sports scene.
Let’s
start off with an introduction of who Andy Foster is. From his
Georgia profile:
Director
Foster was appointed by Secretary of State Karen Handel in 2008
and was retained by Secretary of State Brian Kemp in 2010. Before
his appointment, Director Foster served the Commission as Head
Mixed Martial Arts Referee. Director Foster is a former mixed
martial artist with a professional record of 9-2 and an amateur
record of 8-0. Director Foster has also participated in amateur
boxing, amateur kickboxing, and amateur grappling. In addition,
Director Foster was a martial arts instructor between 2001 and
2008. Director Foster promoted five mixed martial arts bouts
and two professional boxing cards between 1999 and 2003. Director
Foster currently serves the Association of Boxing Commissions
as Chairman of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts Committee,
member of the Unified Rules of Professional Mixed Martial Arts
Committee, member of the Mixed Martial Arts Judging Committee,
member of the Mixed Martial Arts and Boxing Matchmaking Committee,
and as a member of Mixed martial Arts Training Committee. Director
Foster has a vast knowledge of combative sports regulation and
serves as Region 2 Director of the Association of Boxing Commissions.
Andy
is a former MMA fighter and is extremely active as a regulator.
Greg Savage profiled Andy’s appearance at the latest Association
of Boxing Commissions meeting this year in Tampa:
Another
point of concern for the ABC members in attendance was the future
appointment of George Dodd’s successor as executive director
of the CSAC. Pennsylvania Director Greg Sirb spoke up in open
session to lobby for a role, either directly or indirectly, for
the ABC in helping California choose a suitable replacement.
Sirb
called Dodd a “nice guy who was in over his head,”
and opined that he was not given the tools or budget to run a
successful operation. It was clear he was hoping for an experienced
regulator to take his place.
Georgia
Executive Director Andy Foster gave an impassioned presentation
imploring his colleagues to use the best officials at their disposal.
His Southern drawl in full effect, Foster hammered away at his
anonymous targets, both in attendance as well as in absentia
about the use of boxing officials to referee and judge MMA. New
Jersey Commission chief Aaron Davis voiced his support for Foster’s
comments.
Foster
also asked the assembled state commission representatives to
either regulate amateur MMA or ban it in their states. This drew
a rousing chorus of applause from a number of the members. It
is a hotly-contested issue but Foster and his supporters believe
that the health and welfare of amateur fighters is best served
by athletic commissions who have the safety of the athletes in
mind.
The
irony of ABC’s MMA man taking over the role as E.O. at CSAC
while Kirik Jenness is sending a deadbeat letter to Che Guevara
for the MMA LLC database is not lost on me.
On
paper, and in a vacuum, the announcement of Andy Foster taking
over as E.O. of CSAC is a really good move. If you were starting
the commission over with a clean slate, it’s exactly the
right move.
However,
there’s a twist to this story that may change your tune
about today’s announcement.
DCA
vs. CSAC civil war continues
While
there were four finalists for the interview round at the CSAC
meeting in Los Angeles to determine who the Commission body (John
Frierson, Gene Hernandez, Dr. VanBuren Ross Lemons, Chris Giza,
Dean Grafilo) would like to see as the next Executive Officer,
the truth is that the parasitic Department of Consumer Affairs
maintained control of the process in picking the next Executive
Officer.
Take
a look at section 18613 of the state’s Business & Professions
Code:
18613.
(a) (1) The commission shall appoint a person exempt from civil
service who shall be designated as an executive officer and who
shall exercise the powers and perform the duties delegated by
the commission and vested in him or her by this chapter. The
appointment of the executive officer is subject to the approval
of the Director of Consumer Affairs.
(2)
The commission may employ in accordance with Section 154 other
personnel as may be necessary for the administration of this
chapter.
154.
Any and all matters relating to employment, tenure or discipline
of employees of any board, agency or commission, shall be initiated
by said board, agency or commission, but all such actions shall,
before reference to the State Personnel Board, receive the approval
of the appointing power.
To
effect the purposes of Division 1 of this code and each agency
of the department, employment of all personnel shall be in accord
with Article XXIV of the Constitution, the law and rules and
regulations of the State Personnel Board. Each board, agency
or commission, shall select its employees from a list of eligibles
obtained by the appointing power from the State Personnel Board.
The person selected by the board, agency or commission to fill
any position or vacancy shall thereafter be reported by the board,
agency or commission, to the appointing power.
Did
this happen? No. What happened is that the Commission body interviewed
the four finalists, who were chosen by DCA in the first place,
and then DCA top brass (Denise Brown, Awet Kidane, legal dummy
Doreathea Johnson) made the decision as to who would be the next
Executive Officer.
Just
because Andy Foster (the right man) was picked does not mean
that CSAC itself is being respected in terms of authority. They
are eunuchs at this point because of the Department of Consumer
Affairs. Sacramento is ignoring all the laws and is continuing
the same kind of behavior that ran CSAC into the ground in the
first place.
Anyone
who thinks that Consumer Affairs is approaching the athletic
commission with a clean slate may want to think again.
DCA’s
planted pot in the interview round
You
remember Kathi Burns, the DCA lifer who magically applied for
the job of being George Dodd’s Assistant Executive Officer
only to end up taking over the duties as E.O. at CSAC when Dodd
got forced out? She had no interest in combat sports but was
given the job because it was a pay raise. Within a couple of
months, she was begging to get the hell out of the job and got
a transfer to the California Highway Patrol. The damage she did
at CSAC is in full effect today. Ask the fighters in Oxnard who
got stiffed on cash all about that.
When
the Department of Consumer Affairs did their final round of four
candidates for the Executive Officer job, they pulled the same
stunt here as they did when they had Kathi Burns as their spy
on George Dodd. Che Guevara, the dangerous Chief Athletic Inspector
in the Sacramento office, was the first pair of eyes for DCA
in spying on Dodd and making Dodd’s life miserable. Burns
was the second pair of eyes.
In
the final interview round, DCA inserted one of their low-level
employees into the interview process. His name is John Perry.
While he is a fan of MMA, he has no experience in the sport itself.
Take a look at this tax records:
As
you’ll notice, Perry is the perfect kind of plant for DCA.
DCA could move him to CSAC for a pay raise while being able to
control everything he does. Similar to what they did with Bill
Douglas when Armando Garcia got jettisoned out of Sacramento.
Even
though Perry did not get picked as Executive Officer at CSAC,
there are two completely plausible scenarios in which he now
can surface when it comes to the athletic commission.
1.
Play the Kathi Burns role.
It
would not surprise me at all to see DCA ‘offer’ Andy
Foster the services of John Perry as an Assistant Executive Officer.
This would give DCA another pair of eyes to spy on Foster and
keep him from being independent. Perry has been at various CSAC
meetings before as an analyst, so this is a possibility.
2.
Take over commission duties if CSAC gets sunset.
This
is the much bigger issue at play here.
A
source in the California Legislature has indicated to us that
results of the Joint Audit Committee’s audit of CSAC will
be released in March 2013. Around the same time, the state Senate’s
Business & Professions Committee will have a hearing as to
whether or not they will sunset the California State Athletic
Commission. Sunsetting means that the commission body would be
wiped out and that there would no longer be any sort of public
transparency. No more meetings, nothing. CSAC would dissolve
into a licensing agency for Consumer Affairs. People who you’ve
never heard of before in Sacramento office cubicles would be
making decisions about combat sports in California. Imagine having
20 or 30 different Che Guevaras running operations. That’s
how bad it would be.
This
is where Perry fits in perfectly. Since he’s already been
interviewed as a finalist for the Executive Officer job, he fits
the m.o. of DCA as the perfect candidate to take over their business
affairs should CSAC get sunset in March.
And
if CSAC gets sunset in March? Here’s the twist — it
means Andy Foster is out of a job.
Che
Guevara continues to build his power
It’s
one thing to be stupid. It’s another to be arrogant. It’s
a third thing to be a liar. If you happen to be a combination
of all three factors, it makes you a dangerous person. That is
Che Guevara in a nut shell.
This
is a man who perjured himself over the Antonio Margarito illegal
hand-wraps scandal. He got a job promotion for his incompetence.
He was put in a position to teach other inspectors how to sport
illegal hand-wraps & skinned gloves… and naturally,
the inspectors he has ‘trained’ can’t do the job
right. This is also a man whose office has instructed inspectors
to manipulate fighter paperwork because the Sacramento office
inexplicably loses medical records all the time. Where are these
records going?
This
is a man who has cost the state of California up to 7 figures
because he and the inspectors he is supposed to train can’t
manage a box office at a show.
These
are conditions ripe for job termination. Instead, if you are
Che Guevara, you continue to gain political power. Unless Che
Guevara is fired immediately, no one can plausibly argue that
the Department of Consumer Affairs is starting CSAC over with
a clean slate by appointing Andy Foster to the job. In fact,
DCA has continued to build Guevara’s political power structure
even more in the front office once Kathi Burns left the commission.
Until
Che Guevara is fired, Andy Foster will unfortunately have to
be this guy’s part-time babysitter. He will have to spend
his energy cleaning up this guy’s messes. He will also have
to spend his energy watching his back because of Che Guevara’s
behavior in the office and on the ground at shows. If Che Guevara
is fired, Andy Foster may have a chance of doing some good things.
If Che Guevara is not fired, Andy Foster’s tenure in California
will end on a sour note.
Andy
Foster is a good man taking a huge risk by making the move from
Georgia to California. The pay increase is not significant enough
to justify making the downgrade of moving from Atlanta to Sacramento.
In addition to the increase in cost-of-living, Andy’s about
to get swamped with about four times the show work and about
100 times the political & managerial headaches of dealing
with Denise Brown and company in Sacramento.
He’s
a brave man for taking the job. The task ahead is an enormous
challenge.
The
ghost of Bill Douglas
I
mentioned Bill Douglas’ name here earlier. Remember him?
He was the guy charged with 7 misdemeanors for allegedly trying
to sabotage George Dodd and the CSAC front office.
A
plea deal is in the works and the next court date is on November
20th. Bottom line, his days of state employment are over.
The
track record of how former Executive Officers in California see
their careers end is rather ugly.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
World
Series of Fighting expects sellout in debut show
By Mike
Chiappetta
The
card is set, the cage is designed and the marketing for the World
Series of Fighting debut is ongoing. Now, the promotion just
needs the fans to show up.
According
to WSOF president Ray Sefo, they will.
Tickets
for the event are moving quickly, he said on a Wednesday conference
call, and by the time the event kicks off on the night of Nov.
3, he expects a sellout.
"The
tickets are going great at the moment thanks to the hard work
of our team and our partners, so we're very pleased with the
way things are moving right now," he said.
The
host venue, PH Live at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
in Las Vegas, is configured to hold about 7,000 fans, and WSOF
spokesman Jim Hunter said that number is about what the promotion
will be expecting.
If
they're right, that would be considered a very strong number
for a non-UFC show.
At
least in the major MMA world, WSOF will get the night to itself
as a previously scheduled Strikeforce card has been canceled.
That has left the promotion with hope and excitement that a show
that features familiar names like Andrei Arlovski, Anthony Johnson
and Miguel Torres will draw.
"This
has taken us almost two years to put together," Sefo said.
"Just like anything, when you start something, obviously
you want to start slow. We've overcome some bumps along the way
and I think those bumps have become a blessing in disguise. We
were able to sit back and reflect on what needed to change and
so on. When things started falling in to place, I think the stars
were aligned for us to have the guys we have. The team and myself
feel very blessed to have the card that we have because at the
end of the day, nothing is possible without these guys."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Bellator
78: What to Watch For
By Mike
Whitman
Bellator
Fighting Championships rolls on with its seventh season on Friday,
when Bellator 78 emanates from the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio.
Several notable faces are slated to appear on the MTV2-broadcast
main draw, which showcases the semifinals of Bellator’s
ongoing welterweight tournament.
Here
is what to watch for at Bellator 78:
‘Spartan’ vs. ‘Whitemare’
Color
me surprised if somebody does not hit the canvas in this one.
Aggression
will be the name of the game when Andrey Koreshkov collides with
Marius Zaromskis. Neither man showed an interest in pacing himself
in the quarterfinals, and I expect the same will hold true when
they lock horns in the semis. Also, if you like spinning back
fists, you should probably shine up your dancing shoes.
Koreshkov
was viewed by many as the tournament favorite heading into this
competition and justifiably so. The Russian holds dynamite in
both hands and possess the nerve to pull the trigger from just
about anywhere. With that said, his level of fatigue in the third
round of his Bellator 74 meeting with Jordan Smith should cause
his supporters concern, especially when “Spartan” is
facing an opponent like Zaromskis.
The
32-year-old Lithuanian striker put forth the best performance
of his Bellator career in his quarterfinal matchup with Nordine
Taleb, dropping the former Ring of Combat champion twice en route
to snatching a hard-fought unanimous decision to advance to the
semis.
The
ex-Dream champion should look to take advantage of Koreshkov’s
tendency to hold his guard fairly low, a habit that could result
in a bout of unconsciousness for the Russian. Likewise, Zaromskis
has been known to leave himself quite open in the past when pressing
the attack. Math was not my strong suit in school, but I reckon
these factors add up to a forthcoming knockout of some kind.
Good Enough
If
Lyman Good ends up winning this thing, I am absolutely going
to run out of puns.
There
is no doubt that the former welterweight king looked razor-sharp
against Jim Wallhead in the quarterfinals, using his snappy jab
and physical superiority to consistently beat the Brit to the
punch and tire him out in the clinch.
Now,
Good has been paired with RusFighters product Michail Tsarev,
who tapped Tim Welch in the tournament’s first round. There
is no disguising what is plain to see: “The Lonely Wolf”
will be thoroughly outmatched athletically, as is the case for
just about everybody paired with the “Cyborg.” Luckily
for the Russian product, athleticism is not what got him here.
Rather, his aggression, submission acumen and resilience must
continue to deliver if he hopes to best the former champion.
Can
Tsarev drag Good to the mat or catch him with a submission during
a scramble, or will the New Yorker take one step closer to reclaiming
his throne?
Return of ‘The Predator’
It
takes heart to get back in the cage after suffering the kind
of knockout that Brian Rogers sustained at the hands of Andreas
Spang at Bellator 66.
After
hurting Spang in both the first and second rounds, Rogers appeared
to be in control of their Season 6 middleweight tournament semifinal
until Spang changed all that with one perfectly placed left hook
that put Rogers on his back and left him wide open for a fight-ending
Hulk smash.
Despite
that bout’s result, fans should not forget Rogers’
prior resume. The man was a knockout machine, recording eight
KOs in nine career victories. Recall his brutal finishes of Victor
O’Donnell and Vitor Vianna, as well as his seriously entertaining
bout with Alexander Shlemenko, the man whom I now regard as Bellator’s
best middleweight.
Can
“The Predator” return to his winning ways against promotional
debutant Dominique Steele?
Steady Straus
Season
6 featherweight tournament winner Daniel Straus has presumably
taken a fight with Alvin Robinson to stay warm while he waits
for his title shot to pan out, but is it a smart move?
Granted,
regardless of his performance, Straus should receive a crack
at the belt after Season 4 winner Patricio Freire, who will ideally
cash in his title shot sometime before Armageddon kills us all.
Straus
should certainly be favored heading into this bout with Robinson,
who won the Aggression MMA featherweight title 13 months ago
in his most recent fight to date. With that said, Bellator definitely
could have given Straus an easier tune-up fight than Robinson,
who fought Kenny Florian, Jorge Gurgel, Mark Bocek and Nate Diaz
during his 1-3 stint with the UFC from 2007 to 2008.
Will
Straus come out sharp, looking to send a message to Curran and
Freire, or will he suffer a letdown after his Season 6 tournament
win?
Source
Sherdog
|
Jeff
Blatnick dies at age 55
By Zach
Arnold
Remembering
gold medalist and former UFC commissioner Jeff Blatnick:
Nick
Lembo: Jeff should be remembered as one of the most important
figures in the growth and formation of MMA in this country. He
was the Chair of the MMAC, a key drafter of the proposed unified
rules, an outstanding judge, and trainer to new officials.
He
was also a dear personal friend and a man of loyalty, integrity
and kindness.
Mike
Goldberg:
Very
sad day..Jeff Blatnick was my 1st UFC broadcast partner, 1st
mentor, & to this day I still called him partner I’m
crushed..RIP JEFF
Cael
Sanderson:
R.I.P.
Olympic Champion Jeff Blatnick “You learn to win by learning
to lose. That is.. you aren’t afraid to lose!!”-JB
Josh
Gross:
Sad
day. Jeff Blatnick was one of most sincere people I’ve ever
met, especially in MMA. His wisdom will be missed.
Robert
Joyner:
greatest
trick the Zuffa Myth ever pulled was to convince the world Blatnick
didn’t exist…Jeff gave both shape & form to the
sport of MMA
Jim
Genia:
Jeff
would judge a show in NJ and drive back to upstate NY overnight
to coach wrestling in the morning. “Dedicated” barely
describes it.
Jeff
was the sport’s first face of legitimacy. Nowadays, Zuffa
has Marc Ratner meet w/ legislators but back in the day it was
Jeff Blatnick.
Jeff
Blatnick worked tirelessly to try to get MMA sanctioned in NY.
Even met with Bob Reilly and offered to let him regulate amateur
MMA.
Jim
shadowed Jeff last year while he was working as a judge at a
show. Todd Martin also has a great article on Jeff’s impact
on the early days of MMA.
Dave
Meltzer: Whenever you hear the term mixed martial arts, you should
think of Jeff Blatnick
He
and current UFC matchmaker Joe Silva worked together on the first
UFC rule book, and on the original judging criteria. He was also
the television announcer, a role he had since UFC IV in 1995.
At
the time, I was a UFC judge.
The
show, held in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, La., was over
and we were in Bourbon Street in New Orleans, with Silva and
my future wife, and ran into Jeff. He said to me, “Don’t
refer to the sport as No Holds Barred anymore, it’s mixed
martial arts.”
Loretta
Hunt at SI:
Lembo
said Blatnick was also charged with teaching shadow judges, who
worked their way up through the state’s amateur MMA program.
Blatnick also conducted judging and wrestling seminars for new
officials, said Lembo.
“The
New Jersey State Athletic Control Board has lost its anchor Judge,
the world has lost a man of honor and integrity, and I have lost
a dear friend who I cannot replace,” Lembo said.
In
his 2012 memoirs, iconic MMA referee (Big John) McCarthy acknowledged
Blatnick as one of the unsung heroes of the MMA movement.
“Jeff,
you came into our sport with an open mind and was always willing
to help,” McCarthy wrote. “You did more than most people
realize, and you will always be someone I respect and am proud
to call my friend.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Carla
Esparza “Can’t Wait” to Face Ayaka Hamasaki for
Invicta Strawweight Title
by Damon
Martin
Invicta
4 is expected to take place in January 2013 with at least a couple
of new titles being introduced, and one of the championship fights
is now confirmed.
Carla
Esparza, winner of three fights in a row including her last two
in Invicta, will face Japanese fighter and Jewels champion Ayaka
Hamasaki in January.
The
promotion will crown its first ever strawweight (115lbs) champion
at Invicta 4, and Esparza was more than excited to get the call
saying she would be fighting for the belt.
“This
is something I’ve been waiting for, I feel like I’ve
been improving, and I feel like I’ve been waiting for this
pretty much since I started my fight career. My feeling was I
can’t wait. I can’t wait to show the world, and I can’t
wait to have that belt around my waist,” Esparza told MMAWeekly
Radio on Wednesday.
Fighting
for the inaugural Invicta strawweight title is an honor, but
just as much as she appreciates the shot, Esparza is especially
excited to face a fighter with the talent of Ayaka Hamasaki.
Hamasaki
has gone 8-0 as a pro with 4 wins by submission and one by TKO
en route to capturing the Jewels title prior to her win over
Lacey Schuckman in her Invicta debut.
Esparza
is ready not only to become the first ever 115lb Invicta champion,
but she knows it will be no easy test to get through a fighter
like Hamasaki.
“She’s
beaten some of the top girls in the world and she’s great,
and if I do go in the underdog, more power to me, more to prove.
If that is the case, I plan on proving people wrong,” said
Esparza.
“It
means so much more that you have the belt and you had to go through
so much to earn it.”
Invicta
FC 4 is expected to take place in January 2013, although no date
has been announced yet by the promotion. They are expected to
have at least one more title fight on the upcoming card to kick
off the New Year.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Alistair
Overeem’s Priority Is to Get Licensed and Then Fight ASAP,
Title Shot or Not
by Damon
Martin
When
2012 ends, Alistair Overeem will have gone an entire calendar
year without a fight.
The
Dutch striking machine made a successful UFC debut in December
2011 with a dominant knockout victory over former heavyweight
champion Brock Lesnar.
Unfortunately
for Overeem his shot at the UFC heavyweight title ended before
it began when he tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone
at a pre-fight drug test administered by the Nevada State Athletic
Commission at a press conference prior to his bout against Junior
dos Santos at UFC 146.
Overeem
was removed from the fight, and was effectively suspended until
Dec. 27, 2012, when he can re-apply for a fight license in the
state of Nevada.
Recently,
however, Overeem’s name came up when UFC president Dana
White declared that he would be the No. 1 contender in the division
the day he returned and would likely face the winner of the upcoming
fight at UFC 155 between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.
For
his part, Overeem has stayed quiet regarding the news that he
would be fighting for the belt after his suspension is lifted,
but his manager has a different view on the news altogether.
“Right
now, he’s not even licensed, so the UFC’s hands are
tied. The UFC can’t book him a fight until he gets licensed.
So right now it’s all talk,” said Overeem’s manager
Glenn Robinson of Authentic Sports Management when speaking to
MMAWeekly.com.
Assuming
Overeem is able to get a fight license in Nevada as soon as the
Dec. 27 date passes, there’s still no guarantee he would
get to compete for the belt right away. UFC 155 still has to
happen, and dos Santos and Velasquez have to face off one more
time.
There
are no guarantees that either fighter will come away without
a scratch that would likely push back another title bout further
into 2013.
“Based
upon when he gets licensed and it also depends on if the winner
of dos Santos and Cain fight comes out unscathed. What if the
winner comes out and has an injury and doesn’t want to fight
for eight months? So there’s a lot of ‘what ifs,’
so right now we’re just focusing on getting licensed, and
once we get licensed then we’ll figure out who we’re
going to fight,” Robinson stated.
Generally,
UFC champions don’t typically turn around and fight again
in only a three or four month range, but it has happened in the
past.
Overeem’s
goal is to get licensed and make things right with the commission,
and then book a fight as soon as possible. If that’s a title
fight, so be it, but Overeem just wants to get back to business.
“We’d
still rather jump in and get a fight, so we’ll see what
happens,” said Robinson.
“He
would like to fight as soon as possible after he gets licensed.
We’re appreciative that Dana (White) and Lorenzo (Fertitta)
want him to fight for the title, and we’re thankful for
that, but right now the focused is to get licensed.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Viewpoint:
Worn-Out Welcome
By Tristen
Critchfield
Ever
since Stephan Bonnar, Forrest Griffin and the rest of “The
Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 gang helped the Ultimate Fighting
Championship go from a floundering curiosity to legitimate, money-making
operation, the promotion has done everything in its power to
keep the staggering franchise afloat.
By
installing Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen as coaches for the upcoming
season, the UFC is attempting to do for the reality series in
2013 what Griffin-Bonnar I did for it back in 2005. For all the
talk of ratings home runs, the program has been remarkably consistent
in its ability to attract less than one million viewers to FX
on a weekly basis -- figures that hardly indicate Ruthian levels
of brilliance.
There
is no question that the marquee pairing of Jones and Sonnen will
increase interest in the show, but this is no more than a temporary
solution, like slapping the world’s shiniest band-aid on
a hemorrhaging bullet wound and hoping for the best. Even if
ratings return to a level where weekly damage control is no longer
necessary, how will “The Ultimate Fighter” proceed
once Jones and Sonnen have left the building? More importantly,
does it really matter if the show ever returns to its previous
levels of success?
UFC
President Dana White, as well as a legion of Fox network employees,
will tell you that it does matter, and they have the seven-year
contract to prove it. During a recent conference call, FX executive
Chuck Saftler promised that “The Ultimate Fighter”
would be leaving its unpopular Friday night slot come next year
before adding that former UFC partner Spike TV “should watch
their ass.”
Again,
while leaving Friday nights is the prudent move, it will not
permanently cure what ails the show. Earlier this summer, I offered
a few thoughts of my own on how to improve “The Ultimate
Fighter” brand following the conclusion of Season 15. Upon
further consideration, however, it is time to acknowledge that
that the series has hit a wall. Will that prevent White and his
minions from stubbornly pushing against the barrier in hopes
of yet another major breakthrough? Of course not, nor should
it, with selling the sport being their job and all.
However,
White’s insistence upon shoving multiple iterations of “TUF”
down our collective throats each year will only lead to further
indifference. Having conducted a rather informal survey among
people in my life who occasionally watch MMA and MMA-related
programming, I found that very few of the take-it-or-leave-it
crowd is tuning in to watch Season 16 on Friday nights. When
I complained about the same tired cast of cookie-cutter characters
and juvenile antics that have been a staple of the program for
years, I received blank stares -- not mutual outrage -- in response.
Some had been avoiding the show for a while, and others were
not even aware that it was on.
“You’re
not missing much,” was all I could offer in reply.
The
truth is, after blazing a trail for modern MMA as we know it,
“The Ultimate Fighter” has gone the way of the WNBA.
How, you ask, is a women’s professional basketball league
related to taped programming involving prospective UFC fighters?
The answer is simple: both cater to a small niche audience within
their respective sports while barely making a dent in the mainstream
conscience, and they continue to exist under the considerable
umbrellas of their big brother organizations, the NBA for the
WNBA, the UFC for “The Ultimate Fighter.” Neither,
despite protests to the contrary, is going away anytime soon.
Not
long ago, the WNBA launched a marketing campaign revolving around
the phrase “Basketball is Basketball.” The idea was
that if you were a fan of the game, it would make no difference
whether it was Kobe Bryant or Candace Parker on the hardwood.
Of course, the logic was flawed because not all basketball is
created equal, as anyone who has spent the weekend playing at
a local rec center or church can attest.
While
the UFC has yet to offer up a “Fighting is Fighting”
catchphrase, the same principle applies to a company that insists
on selling “The Ultimate Fighter” as a vehicle to consistently
produce Octagon-caliber talent. Anyone with a discerning eye
can see the show has devolved into a glorified regional promotion
with semi-scripted segments. And if fighting is truly fighting,
then devoted fans have plenty of other means -- YouTube, free
streams, etcetera -- by which to fulfill their weekly violence
quota. These days, the show simply does not offer the type of
product it once did; “TUF” alums are often lucky to
advance past preliminary card status, and declining ratings reflect
that.
It
is important to realize that once all the big talk about ratings
trends subsides, Jones and Sonnen will only briefly resuscitate
the series. After that, the show must soldier onward, all while
attempting to avoid a WNBA-like existence in relative obscurity.
It almost seems unfair, considering the role “The Ultimate
Fighter” has played in the UFC’s rise to prominence.
Fighting,
as a standalone entity, does not have a shelf life. Reality shows
do. Like an aging fighter, “TUF” just does not know
when to call it a career.
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
President Dana White “Committed” to Bringing Women’s
MMA to the Octagon
UFC
president Dana White was at one time one of the most-staunch
opponent’s of bringing women’s MMA to the Octagon.
For
the longest time, he said that the talent pool in the various
weight divisions on the women’s side of the sport just weren’t
deep enough to start promoting women’s MMA in the Octagon.
The
times they are a changing.
White
has publicly softened his stance on the matter in recent months,
particularly with the emergence of Strikeforce bantamweight champion
Ronda Rousey and the star power that has followed.
“I
don’t think I’ve been too shy about what I think about
Ronda Rousey, and not only did she look impressive (against Sarah
Kaufman), but her numbers killed it on Showtime, too. Ronda Rousey
is a star,” White said during a recent fan chat for Metro
PCS.
“I
don’t know how many of you have Showtime Extreme, but the
fight with Miesha Tate (against Julie Kedzie) was awesome, and
I am warming up to women’s MMA.”
“Warming
up” may be an understatement.
White
now seems dead set on women’s MMA making its way into the
Octagon. It now appears to be simply a matter of when, not if.
White
on Tuesday told SI.com’s Melissa Segura that a women’s
division in the UFC is “absolutely going to happen.”
That
doesn’t mean that adding women to the UFC roster is going
to happen overnight. Even adding the men’s flyweight division
took more than a year to be instituted after White’s initial
declaration that it was coming.
The
UFC would be hard pressed to institute a women’s division
without Rousey, but she is currently under contract to Strikeforce
– the UFC’s sister company – and locked in for
three more fights.
Strikeforce,
of course, has traveled a rocky road recently. There has been
and still is strong speculation that the promotion’s days
are numbered despite an intended January 2013 event.
Following
back-to-back cancellations of Strikeforce’s two most recent
events, a contract with promotion won’t mean much if everything
finally unravels and Strikeforce calls it a day.
All
of the ifs, ands, and buts mean little. The real focal point
is the shift in thinking.
As
White told SI.com, “The point is I’m committed to this.”
So
women’s MMA is coming to an Octagon near you, it’s
just a matter of who and when.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Florida’s
3-fighter bouts & new Gary Shaw-friendly hybrid MMA proposal
By Zach
Arnold
Tom
Molloy’s stint as Executive Director of Florida’s Boxing
Commission turned out to be quite a rocky affair. He’s fired
now, but the circumstances surrounding his firing have not been
publicly disclosed. What is public knowledge, however, is that
there was a state investigation into the finances of the commission.
Molloy’s
controversial track record as the Executive Director of Florida’s
combat scene was extensive. One of the benchmarks of Molloy’s
tenure was sanctioning a ’sport’ called San Do, which
is basically three fighters battling each other at once. The
experiment started in January 2011 in Miami by Paul Domenech
of MMA Global Solutions, Inc. Domenech claimed that he got San
Do sanctioned in both Virginia & Florida and that San Do
would overtake the popularity of standard MMA. Here is video
evidence of San Do in action. At the time of San Do getting pushed,
here’s how Domenech marketed the concept:
We
have patented this sport. We own the concept of multiple opponents
fighting outright. The fights are three rounds, three minutes
each. The shorter fight forces the pace of the fight to accelerate
to a fever pitch. Fighters have less time to impress the judges
and show dominance. The fights are judged on a 10 point must
system like boxing, basically a 10 for the most dominant, 9 for
the next and 8 for the least dominant fighter. With three fighters,
the fight is full contact stand up fighting until one opponent
is eliminated due to KO or TKO. Then with 2 fighters the fight
moves to full MMA rules including the ground game. This method
insures a fast paced fight so there is no extended ground fighting
absorbing the entire fight.
San
Do FIGHTING SURFACE: The WAR ZONE is a specially designed fighting
platform unlike any other fighting surface used today. It is
a 12 sided shallow pit with 40 degree slanting walls. It contains
the fighters but does not restrict viewing.
Why
Cage your fighters in and not give the paying fans a clear view?
The War Zone is a neutral Playing field that does not favor the
standup fighter or the grappler. For striking it is a great movement
surface, fast with some spring and super traction. For grappling
the traction is great for shooting. For throwing the spring loaded
floor cushions the hard falls but does not suck you down in the
mat. The lack of walls or ropes keeps the action flowing. When
there are no walls to pin your opponent the game is quicker because
there is no hanging on hoping for an opening. The twelve side
panels are great for sponsors. Logos are visible in EVERY SHOT!
It
turns out, however, that San Do sanctioning under Molloy would
not be the most flamboyant proposal yet to come.
Michael
Gattuso of Global Fighting Solutions Inc. in Cape Coral, Florida
along with World Striking Challenge COO Wayne Bermudez &
South Florida marketing hustler extraordinaire Whilly Bermudez
petitioned the Florida Boxing Commission at Molloy’s last
meeting on October 11th to consider sanctioning a hybrid MMA
sport called Mixed Striking Arts.
On
the cover sheet given to FBC for MSA, here is how Whilly Bermudez
is described:
(Chief
Executive Officer) is an American marketing entrepreneur and
philanthropist who is affectionately known as “the WB.”
Few are innovative enough to see potential where there is little,
and that is the creative ability of Whilly Bermudez. A relentless
pursuit to create and expand ideas to their limits is what it’s
all about for him. Whilly is one of the best-known marketers
in South Florida and one of the most recognize names in the industry.
As
an example of his philanthropy, he is the founder of Ignite Social
Hope, a global movement set in motion to help heal and inspire
others in the world through the broadcast of inspirational posts
and updates via social media. It’s a simple belief that
if we come together and utilize our social media presence to
encourage and motivate daily, we can shape our world.
Wayne
Bermudez is listed as creating “the official World Striking
Challenge glove” called the Evo.
Here
is the Bermudez family description of their new sport:
Mixed
Striking Arts (MSA) is a new fighting sport we would like to
introduce to the MMA world. MSA will be categorized in its own
division and will be recognized as its own sport. Mixed martial
arts is a simmering cocktail of realism, an adrenaline injection
and improvised movement ever to be found in a legal fight. It
has all but pushed boxing into obscurity and MMA’s already
large following continues to increase at a pace that other mainstream
sports can only dream of seeing. Spectators and participants
alike feel the rush preceding the delivery of the next blow.
While
not a tame sport, it nonetheless requires strength, agility and
quick reaction times that are not common to all. In an unbelievably
short period of time, MMA supplanted boxing in popularity but
could just as quickly be eclipsed by another variation of the
sport. When the audience and combatants alike begin to feel less
adrenaline with the constant down time (BJJ/wrestling), the market
is receptive to new concepts. Now is such a time.
Mixed
Striking Arts will take advantage of this opportunity and introduce
its unique method of fighting along with a glove specifically
designed for this method of fighting and bring it to market with
the support of many well-known individuals.
MSA
will introduce the first sport to use a set of rules in which
it will allow all stand-up striking arts to compete within one
ring. MSA is a multidisciplinary striking sport will entail a
combination of Muay Thai, western boxing, karate, kickboxing
and other striking disciplines with no ground fighting allowed.
MSA means unarmed combat involving the use, subject to any applicable
limitations set forth in MSA rules and other regulations of the
applicable Commission, with a combination of techniques from
different disciplines of the martial arts, including without
limitation: kicking and striking.
MSA’s
vision is to design and produce 100% pure striking live action.
MSA incorporates every striking discipline within one ring. MSA
was created to distinguish the sport from the rest of the combat
sports and become a sport of its own. By selecting the best fighters
that will adapt to the challenging concept and strive to defeat
their opponents while they remain standing.
MSA
is a pure striking event with NO takedowns or submissions allowed.
The Mixed Striking Arts will be (5) three minute rounds of intense
heart pounding action with no interruptions. It will be the first
to use a set of traditional and non-traditional rules in which
it will allow all striking arts to compete within one ring. MSA
is a fast pace/high impact live striking event.
MSA
claims that they would use a safer ‘closed thumb’ 7
ounce glove. Here’s the sales pitch that MSA made to the
Florida commission as to why it’s better and safer than
MMA:
The
only other rule change will be to make it a foul when an opponent
does a takedown. The only takedowns allowed will be a judo throw
and sweeps. Upon a legal takedown, the referee is to stand the
opponent back up and to continue fighting. So as you can see
it is a very minimal change. The risk factor is not any different
than the sports mentioned above other than somewhat safer. This
sport will not have fighters possibly breaking an elbow, leg,
ankle, wrist or arm due to a submission. The risk of brain damage
by not getting no flow of blood to the brain, or suffocation,
due to a choke. MSA will be safer than MMA. The striking allowed
is currently being done in all sports mentioned, and is not any
more dangerous than what already exists today. The safety standards
will still be in effect to always protect the safety of the fighters
and the sport.
Maybe
MSA can make a deal with Kimbo & Gary Shaw’s people…
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Who’s
going to steal the show at the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals this
Saturday?
Marcelo
Dunlop
This
27th, a Saturday, Rio de Janeiro’s Tijuca Tennis Club will
host the finest of No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu, as current and future stars
take to the mats for the IBJJF Brazilian No-Gi Nationals.
Among
the favorites to take top spot in the lighter weight classes
are the likes of Cicero Costha product Leandro Lo, GFTeam’s
Theodoro Canal and CheckMat’s Kim Terra.
At
super heavyweight, the favorite is the UFC fighter Caio Magalhães,
a team Nova União representative. Now at ultraheavyweight,
Bruno Matias of CheckMat is the man to beat.
At
middleweight, another candidate for absolute gold, Murilo Santana
of Barbosa JJ, who’s always dangerous without the gi, will
have to get past Vinicius Marinho at weight. At featherweight
there’s Herbert Burns of Durinho Association, Leandro Escobar
of Soul Fighters and Richard Flood of GFTeam.
At
medium heavyweight there’s GFTeam’s Victor Bomfim and
Alliance’s Rogel Monsalve, along with other solid names.
The
female contest will feature stars like Talita Nogueira of Ryan
Gracie academy, Elizangela Meireles of Gavião JJ and Maria
do Carmo of De La Riva.
Now,
the brown belt division will be serving up some truly promising
talent, like light-featherweight Paulo Henrique Miyao of Cicero
Costha’s team; Alliance’s lightweight duo Victor Genovesi
and Rodrigo Aquiles; and UAE team’s Faisal Fahad Al Ketbi,
a hero back in his native Abu Dhabi.
So,
who do you feel will steal the show in Tijuca? Who will GRACIEMAG.com
be talking most about this weekend?
Let
us know who your favorites are in the comments field below.
To
check the competitor list, visit the CBJJ website by clicking
here.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Andy
Foster named California State Athletic Commission executive director
By Dave
Doyle
America's
busiest combat sports state has a new commission head.
On
Tuesday, a California Department of Consumer Affairs press release
stated that Andy Foster was named California State Athletic Commission
executive director. Foster will begin his new job Nov. 7.
"I'm
very excited to be coming to California," Foster stated.
"It has a rich boxing and MMA presence with the largest
number of shows in the nation, and I look forward to ensuring
a regulatory environment that is consistent and fair based upon
contestant safety, public protection, and economic growth."
Foster
assumes the position after spending four years running the Georgia
Athletic and Entertainment Commission. According to the release,
Georgia increased revenue by 70 percent and upped the number
of regulated fighting events by 40 percent under Foster's watch.
"We
are hoping he can do in California what he did in Georgia in
terms of increasing both revenue and the number of shows,"
stated CSAC chairman John Frierson.
Foster
will look to stabilize a commission which has been through a
tumultuous 2012. Former executive director George Dodd resigned
on July 31 after the DCA, which oversees CSAC, claimed the commission
was insolvent and ordered an audit of commission finances.
With
a longtime combat sports background, Foster is a former MMA fighter
with a pro record of 9-2.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Sherdog’s
Top 10: Matches That Were Never Made
By Tristen
Critchfield
Over
the years, one of the main selling points of mixed martial arts
has been its ability to deliver the fights people want to see.
Whether or not you agree with the methods of UFC President Dana
White, it is hard to argue with his track record of delivering
big-ticket bouts. Without question, 2012 has been a challenging
year for the sport, with many pivotal matchups falling by the
wayside due to injuries and withdrawals. The good news: many
of those bouts -- i.e. Jose Aldo-Frankie Edgar, Jon Jones-Dan
Henderson, Glover Teixeira-Quinton Jackson, etcetera -- still
have plenty of time to materialize.
As
with any sport, however, MMA still has its share of “What
if?” matchups, bouts that, for some reason or another, did
not happen and probably never will. What if M-1 Global and White
had been able to agree to terms? What if Wanderlei Silva fought
in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in his prime? What if “The
Spider” stepped into the Octagon as a welterweight? What
if Sean Gannon got a sanctioned bout with Kimbo Sli ... just
seeing if you were still paying attention.
For
every great fight that actually happened, there is always another
that fell through the cracks. As voted on by a 10-person panel
of Sherdog.com staff, here are our choices for the “Top
10 Matches That Were Never Made,” and, no, Dave Bautista-Rashid
Evans did not make the cut. Let the arguments begin.
1. Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko
Four
years ago, with Couture finally inked to a new three-fight deal
after a lengthy contract dispute, White spouted his usual lines
of bravado about the promotion’s potential acquisition of
Emelianenko, who was then regarded by many as the world’s
pound-for-pound best mixed martial artist.
At
the time, the stoic Russian was still gainfully employed by Affliction,
an apparel company that had thrown its hat into the MMA game.
While the fledgling organization had managed to stockpile a considerable
stable of talent, particularly at heavyweight, it was also hemorrhaging
money. According to White, Emelianenko’s entry into the
Zuffa family was a foregone conclusion. After all, Couture had
re-upped with the Las Vegas-based company under the assumption
that his desired showdown with the former Pride Fighting Championships
titleholder would be delivered.
“These
guys are dying on the vine,” White said, pointing to Affliction
during a 2008 conference call. “They’ll be gone in
a couple of months anyway and then Fedor will have to come here.
Listen, you’re not under contract if the company isn’t
in business anymore. We’ll figure it out.”
White
was right about one thing: Affliction’s time was limited.
However, “The Last Emperor,” despite raising his stock
to an all-time high with first-round victories over former UFC
champions Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski while fighting for the
short-lived promotion, would never set foot inside an Octagon.
White was never able to see eye-to-eye with M-1 Global, Emelianenko’s
management team.
“He
got offered a [expletive] assload of money,” White said
in June 2009. “A ton of money, everything he wanted. He
can go fight in sambo every [expletive] Thursday night if he
wants to. He can do everything he wanted to. We showed them nothing
but respect.”
Instead,
Emelianenko went to Strikeforce and eventually suffered a string
of losses that resulted in his release -- after the company was
under Zuffa ownership, no less. Couture, who had relinquished
his title to Brock Lesnar in November 2008, competed once more
at heavyweight -- aside from his freakshow bout with James Toney
-- before returning to 205 pounds. He retired in 2011, while
Emelianenko called it a career earlier this year.
“I
wish [I could have fought Emelianenko] when we were both kind
of at our peak; if it would have happened it would have been
something special,” Couture told The Score. “The cards
didn’t just come out that way.”
2.
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Rickson Gracie
Sakuraba
earned the moniker of “The Gracie Hunter” for a reason.
With victories over Royler Gracie, Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie
and Ryan Gracie to his credit, the Japanese star managed to be
a most consistent thorn in the side of MMA’s first family.
While Sakuraba’s run through the Gracies more than a decade
ago was certainly impressive, one name is conspicuous by its
absence.
Now
53 years old, Rickson has not competed in the MMA arena since
2000. The Brazilian retired with a perfect 11-0 record -- in
fights officially documented by Sherdog.com, at least -- with
all of his triumphs coming by way of submission. Although he
was competing some 13 years before Royce made his celebrated
debut, Rickson was passed over to fight at UFC 1 in part because
he had a more imposing physical appearance than Royce. Selling
Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the masses would be easier for the Gracie
family if an ordinary-looking fighter could emerge from the tournament.
Rickson
has claimed to have more than 400 fights to his credit, and while
that assertion has been disputed, it was generally accepted that
he was the Gracie family’s foremost practitioner of BJJ.
This was not lost on Japanese fight promoters, who offered Rickson
obscene amounts of money to square off with Sakuraba.
However,
any talk of such a showdown subsided when Rickson encountered
tragedy in his personal life. In December 2000, his son Rockson
was found dead in a New York hotel room, and the fighter officially
retired from the sport. Not even a godfather offer from Pride
was enough to bring him back.
“That
fight would have been the biggest payout of all times,”Rickson
told Gracie Magazine in 2010. ”They offered me five million
dollars; it would have put me on easy street. He beat a number
of Gracies, and it would have been a good fight for me, perhaps
the best fight. He really was a thorn in the side of all the
Gracies.”
3.
Ken Shamrock vs. Frank Shamrock
The
story of the Shamrock Brothers had all the beginnings of a heartwarming
tale. After difficult childhoods, Ken and Frank were taken in
by Bob Shamrock, who would eventually legally adopt both. As
Ken made a name for himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
Frank attended many of his brother’s bouts and eventually
began training under his older brother at The Lion’s Den.
With Ken as his mentor, Frank naturally transitioned from submission
wrestling to mixed martial arts.
Somewhere
along the line, a rift developed between the adopted siblings.
According to Frank, it arose due to a difference in training
philosophies.
“There
came a time when I really felt like what we were doing and what
we were training in was not the best way,” Frank said in
an interview with CBSSportsline.com. “It was an old idea,
you know, it was old business. I voiced my concern about that
and basically I was told to do what I was told. And eventually
we came down to Ken telling me, ‘You don’t have what
it takes, you're not going to be a world champion and I want
you to run my gyms for the rest of your life.’ So that to
me was, especially since he was my mentor, it was devastating
to me. And I realized at that point that Ken either didn’t
believe in me or didn’t want me to be who I thought I could
be, and I had to leave.”
Ken
has claimed the feud developed because Frank mistreated their
father. No matter whom you believe, the tension between the two
brothers would have made for one heck of a fight.
“If
he were to walk in front of my gym right now, I would beat his
ass,” Ken said during an interview on Sherdog.com’s
“Beatdown” show in 2009. “Whether it’s going
to happen other than that, I have no idea because I’m not
in charge of that. I’m willing to beat his ass. I’ll
make this loud and clear. I will beat his ass. I don’t need
a contract.”
Alas,
a bout between the two brothers, both of whom were decorated
champions in MMA’s formative years, never transpired, though
it is not difficult to imagine the 48-year-old Ken and the 39-year-old
Frank going at it somewhere, somehow today.
4.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett
In
its brief existence, the Affliction promotion acquired a boatload
of big-name heavyweight talent, enough to rival any mixed martial
arts organization at that time. The crown jewel of the roster,
of course, was Emelianenko, who earned victories over Tim Sylvia
and Andrei Arlovski as headliner of the promotion’s first
two events.
While
those two matchups generated their fair share of interest, neither
was as highly anticipated as the proposed meeting between Emelianenko
and Barnett at Affliction “Trilogy” on Aug. 1 2009.
At the time, Emelianenko and Barnett were arguably the top two
heavyweights in the world. Unfortunately, Barnett failed a pre-fight
drug test, and the California State Athletic Commission denied
“The Warmaster” a license, resulting in the cancellation
of the bout. As a result, the entire card was scrapped, and Affliction
went under shortly thereafter. In typical fashion, Emelianenko
took the news of the lost fight in stride.
“Josh
is a great, strong fighter. I’ve always followed his fights
and liked him as a competitor and as a person. I was very prepared,
totally ready for a good, hard fight,” he told Sherdog.com.
“But what can you do? I am disappointed, though I’m
glad that after all I don’t have to fight a friend.”
There
were other opportunities for the fight to occur. In 2010, rumors
of a Barnett-Emelianenko matchup in Dream -- where Barnett could
still compete as he fought his positive drug test -- tantalized,
but never came to fruition. In 2011, Strikeforce’s heavyweight
grand prix offered the potential of a final featuring the two
former Pride standouts, but Emelianenko was upset by Antonio
Silva in the tournament’s first round.
While
the fight could certainly generate its fair share of interest
even today, the Russian closed the curtain on his career in June.
Some things just are not meant to be.
5.
Wanderlei Silva vs. Chuck Liddell
OK,
so these two legendary brawlers did actually lock horns at UFC
79, but we would argue that the long-awaited confrontation arrived
three years too late. In 2003, the Pride middleweight grand prix
featured a star-studded field of Silva, Liddell, Alistair Overeem,
Quinton Jackson, Murilo Bustamante, Kazushi Sakuraba, Kiyoshi
Tamura and Hidehiko Yoshida. Though “The Iceman” was
under contract at the time, UFC President Dana White allowed
him to enter to tournament, presumably to set the stage for a
showdown with “The Axe Murderer.”
Silva
fulfilled his end of the bargain by defeating Sakuraba and Yoshida
to make it to the finals but Liddell suffered a technical knockout
defeat at the hands of Jackson, the same man who would take his
UFC light heavyweight crown nearly four years later. Liddell
did not lose again until his rematch with “Rampage,”
however, and, in the interim, he became one of the UFC’s
most popular champions.
Meanwhile,
Silva continued to eviscerate the majority of the competition
in Pride and was still regarded as the promotion’s most
feared 205-pounder as Liddell’s UFC 62 title defense against
Renato “Babalu” Sobral approached. After the American
dispatched Sobral in less than two minutes, Liddell and Silva
stood face-to-face in the Octagon. However, a Silva knockout
loss to Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at Pride “Final
Conflict Absolute” put a halt -- at least temporarily --
to plans of the proposed super fight.
By
the time Liddell and Silva finally met on Dec. 29, 2007 in Las
Vegas, neither man was regarded as the top light heavyweight
in the world. That did not prevent the battle-tested veterans
from putting on a show, as both strikers gave fans a small glimpse
of what might have been. In what would be the last victory of
his career, Liddell got the best of Silva after three rollicking
frames. Not surprisingly, the bout captured “Fight of the
Night” honors. Those who had been waiting for the day “The
Iceman” and “The Axe Murderer” would collide would
not have expected anything less.
6.
Frank Shamrock vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Shamrock’s
greatness is sometimes undervalued, partly because it is overshadowed
by the longstanding beef with his brother and partly because
he did much of his best work during the UFC’s darkest days.
Make no mistake, a fight between Shamrock, who had a memorable
two-year reign as UFC champion from 1997 to 1999, and Sakuraba,
who was arguably the greatest MMA talent to ever come out of
Japan, would have been epic in both fighters’ heydays.
There
is little doubt that Shamrock would have taken great pleasure
in succeeding where his older brother failed. In 2005, Ken Shamrock
fell to Sakuraba via controversial technical knockout stoppage.
Frank, of course, saw nothing wrong with the ruling.
“If
you’re sleeping with your head through the second rope,
you’re in a bad way,” Frank said during an interview
with Sherdog.com. “He got clocked. He went down. According
to the rules, he was no longer defending himself and that’s
the end of the fight.”
It
would have been interesting to see how a well-rounded Frank could
have handled the quick single-leg and gas tank of Sakuraba, particularly
in their prime years from 1997-2000. Shamrock always felt that
Sakuraba was a kindred spirit in the fight game.
“Well,
we had the same teacher. We have the same lineage. My thing at
my height of learning was that I really wanted to kind of find
my style of fighting and develop it,” Shamrock told FiveOuncesofPain.com
in 2010. “He was the only other guy that had the same lineage
of teachers and training and experience that I did. I felt like
we were destined to meet; we just never did.”
7.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar
After
Lesnar stopped Randy Couture with a series of hammerfists at
UFC 91, a bout between the former World Wrestling Entertainment
superstar and Emelianenko instantly became the next big thing
on the MMA horizon. By the time Lesnar decimated Frank Mir at
UFC 100 to establish his place as a bona fide pay-per-view giant,
Emelianenko-Lesnar had the potential to be the biggest fight
in the history of the sport, at least in terms of gate and buy-rate
figures.
While
Lesnar was coming off impressive wins against Mir and Couture,
Emelianenko had further added to his mystique with triumphs over
former UFC rulers Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski under the Affliction
banner. The two heavyweights could not have appeared more different
to the outside observer. Lesnar was the brash professional wrestler
who received a title shot after just two Octagon appearances,
while Emelianenko was the all-time great looking to further cement
his legacy on MMA’s biggest stage.
Before
Lesnar was weakened by battles with diverticulitis and Emelianenko
lost some of his luster in the Strikeforce cage, this was going
to be the UFC’s next blockbuster hit. Who would have been
the favorite in such a titanic clash? Prominent oddsmaker Joey
Odessa opened the betting lines for the proposed bout in 2009
with “The Last Emperor” as a -240 favorite.
“Whether
I get a chance to fight Lesnar in the future or not, that fight
will be about me taking advantage of those weaknesses,”
Emelianenko said. “Any opponent that he has in the future,
for them to prevail would be for them to take advantage and capitalize
on mistakes that he makes. Like every fighter, he’s certainly
prone to them and I see that.”
The
speculation turned out to be all for naught, however, when the
UFC failed in multiple attempts to lure Emelianenko to the promotion.
To make the match happen today, Lesnar would have to leave the
WWE and Emelianenko would have to be coaxed out of retirement.
You can bet that if their names showed up on a fight poster tomorrow,
more than a few people would still be interested.
8.
Anderson Silva vs. Matt Hughes
On
Aug. 7, 2010, Chael Sonnen proved that constant pressure coupled
with dominant wrestling could bother the seemingly unbeatable
Silva. For four-plus rounds, the Oregonian dominated the middleweight
champion with ground-and-pound, only to have victory snatched
from his clutches in the bout’s final frame courtesy of
a triangle armbar from “The Spider.” While others had
abbreviated moments of success against Silva in his 11 prior
Octagon appearances, no one had so thoroughly controlled the
Brazilian for as long as Sonnen did.
Even
after Silva handily dispatched Sonnen in their rematch this past
July, wrestling is generally recognized as the pound-for-pound
king’s one Achilles’ heel. Is it possible that Silva’s
deficiencies could have been exposed years before he exploded
onto the UFC scene with a 49-second knockout of Chris Leben in
2006? It all depends on what you thought of Hughes in his prime.
The
Team Miletich product and “The Spider” were scheduled
to lock horns at UFC 36 in Las Vegas. Hughes had captured the
welterweight strap with a second-round slam KO of Carlos Newton
at UFC 34 and was just beginning to establish himself as one
of the most dominant 170-pound champions in the promotion’s
history. Silva, who was then Shooto’s welterweight ruler,
was a more slender version of the fearsome striker he is today.
Silva
instead signed with Pride Fighting Championships, where he suffered
the last two legitimate setbacks of his career. His UFC debut
would not come until four years later. Meanwhile, Hughes won
11 of his 12 Octagon bouts during a similar timeframe. Silva
has grown in both size and stature since then, while Hughes has
not competed since UFC 135. While Silva would be the clear-cut
favorite in the post-“Ultimate Fighter” era, a meeting
between the two stars might have been far more interesting a
decade ago.
9.
Tito Ortiz vs. Dana White
In
the confines of the Octagon, White would have offered little
resistance against Ortiz. After all, Ortiz is a former UFC light
heavyweight champion, while White is merely a promoter of the
largest mixed martial arts organization in the world. Change
the setting to a boxing ring, however, and the UFC president’s
odds are not nearly as long.
At
least that was the thought behind a stipulation in Ortiz’s
contract in 2006 that called for a three-round boxing match between
the fighter and his boss. White, who had a background as an amateur
boxer, reportedly got the better of “The Huntington Beach
Bad Boy” in sparring sessions when the two men trained together
earlier in Ortiz’s career.
Of
course, Ortiz’s pugilistic skills were never tested, as
the bout eventually fell through. Spike TV even aired a special
program on the exhibition, though it was heavily slanted in favor
of White.
“The
special was all about Dana White, flying around in Lear jets,”
Ortiz told Yahoo! Sports’ Dave Meltzer in 2008. “We
agreed to do a 50/50 split on revenues, but then he would never
sign a bout agreement. I did all my medicals, just like a regular
fight. Then they made it look like he was standing there at the
weigh-ins and I didn’t show up.”
The
two men would continue to verbally spar for the next few years,
with Ortiz’s tenure seemingly always hanging in the balance.
Despite facing a murderer’s row of opponents, the Californian
managed to keep sticking around. Eventually, White’s stance
on the longtime star softened, and, this summer, Ortiz was welcomed
into the UFC Hall of Fame prior to his final bout at UFC 148.
It was not the first time an employee wanted to fight his boss,
or vice versa, and it certainly will not be the last.
“I
wasn’t supposed to be where I am today. I had three choices:
[death], prison or where I am right now,” Ortiz said during
a UFC 148 press conference. “I think I’ve made some
great decisions, and some great things have been given to me.
Thanks to Dana [White], Lorenzo and Frank [Fertitta] and the
UFC. I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it weren’t
for these things.”
Consider
the hatchet buried.
10.
Randy Couture vs. Wanderlei Silva
When
it comes to hypothetical matchups between former 205-pound champions
in the UFC and Pride Fighting Championships, a prime Chuck Liddell
versus a prime Silva remains the prettiest girl at the ball.
However, a pairing of Couture and “The Axe Murderer”
would have made for a pretty nice consolation prize.
While
faded versions of Liddell and Silva finally got their chance
to trade blows in 2007, the Brazilian and “The Natural”
never did get an opportunity to meet in the cage. The idea of
this fight is no mere whim of fantasy matchmaking, however. Following
a technical knockout victory over Vitor Belfort at UFC 49, Couture
summoned the Pride standout into the Octagon.
“Maybe
we can get this together and step in this Octagon and unify these
titles. What do you say, Wanderlei?” Couture asked.
“It’s
a great honor, and he’s ready to fight [Couture] whenever
he wants to,” Silva replied through an interpreter.
That
night would be as close as the two champions would get to squaring
off in the Octagon. Couture and Liddell signed on to do a little
reality show known as “The Ultimate Fighter,” which
kept Couture out of action until April 2005, when he relinquished
his strap to “The Iceman.” Despite constant speculation
as to when Silva would make his UFC debut, the Brazilian would
not join -- or fight for -- the company until three years after
Couture called him out.
Honorable
Mentions: Urijah Faber vs. Kid Yamamoto, Faber vs. Miguel Torres,
Royce Gracie vs. Mark Kerr, Tito Ortiz vs. Kevin Randleman, Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua vs. Wanderlei Silva, Rumina Sato vs. Jens
Pulver.
Source
Sherdog
|
Florida
appoints state auditor as interim executive director of boxing
commission
By Zach
Arnold
Jason
Floyd: New director focused on business process, collecting revenues
Vacarro
explained that previous director (Molloy) expertise was in the
field and that they want to executive director to be more concerned
with the administration part of the job.
Press
release
Tallahassee,
Fla. – The Florida Department of Business and Professional
Regulation today announced the appointment of Cynthia Hefren
as the Interim Executive Director of the Florida State Boxing
Commission. Additionally, the staff of the State Boxing Commission
will begin implementing improvements to its service to the industry
and the state, with a plan to automate license renewals and increase
standards of accountability for post-event tax collection.
“Protecting
the integrity of our service to Florida’s taxpayers as well
as the safety of those involved in regulated boxing and mixed
martial arts events is a top priority for our Department,”
said Ken Lawson, Secretary of the Department of Business and
Professional Regulation. “I am confident in Cynthia’s
commitment to excellence, and I am proud to have her in a leadership
position with the Florida State Boxing Commission.”
Hefren
currently serves the Department as the Director of Auditing for
the Inspector General’s Office. Her appointment follows
the resignation of former Executive Director Thomas Molloy and
the reassignment of the Commission’s current assistant executive
director as a result of an ongoing audit by the Department’s
Inspector General. The audit was launched to evaluate and recommend
changes to the Commission’s business practices after the
2012 Legislative Session. A full report of the findings is expected
within the next 30 days.
The
Florida State Boxing Commission is charged with providing customer-focused
services related to the boxing and mixed martial arts industries
in Florida to protect the health and welfare of boxers and other
participants and to maintain the integrity of the sport. It is
administratively housed within the Florida Department of Business
and Professional Regulation.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Josh
Koscheck Won’t Return Until 2013; Targets Diaz, Maia, Ellenberger
or MacDonald
by Damon
Martin
Josh
Koscheck was hoping to fight one more time in 2012, but it looks
like he will be waiting until the New Year to return to action.
The
former Ultimate Fighter season one competitor has been out of
action since May when he lost a close, split decision to Johny
Hendricks at UFC on Fox 3.
He
was expected to return in September to face Jake Ellenberger
at UFC 151, but an injury sidelined Koscheck and pushed him out
of the fight.
Now
that he’s healthy again, Koscheck was hoping to get scheduled
for a fight as soon as possible, but according to the fighter’s
latest message via Twitter, he’s going to have to wait until
2013.
“Doesn’t
look like the UFC has a fight for me until 2013. So I’ll
just train and get better,” Koscheck wrote on Tuesday.
When
he does come back, there are a few names on his wish list for
opponents, but Koscheck has never been too much in the business
of hand picking who he will fight.
“I’d
like to fight Nick (Diaz), Demian Maia, Jake Ellenberger, Rory
MacDonald, any of those guys will do it,” said Koscheck.
The
former NCAA champion wrestler has even offered to venture back
up to middleweight, something he’s done multiple times in
the past when talking about stepping up when the UFC needed him.
“They
know I’ll fight anyone,” Koscheck wrote. “I even
said I’d fight at 185 if needed.”
It
remains to be seen who Koscheck will face, but many of the names
on his list would be available for fights in 2013 with the exception
of Rory MacDonald who fights at UFC on Fox 5 on Dec. 5 against
B.J. Penn.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Shane
Nelson Looks to Reshape His Career with Featherweight Debut at
MFC 35
Former
UFC fighter “Sugar” Shane Nelson admits that, sometimes,
bad decision making has derailed his career.
Following
a stint on The Ultimate Fighter that was less than exemplary,
Nelson had managed to start rebuilding his career when a loss
in Japan in February against Takasuke Kume halted his momentum.
“I
shouldn’t have even taken that fight. I didn’t know
what I was getting into,” said Nelson. “The guy putting
on the show was actually the head trainer of the guy I fought,
so it was kind of a conflict of interest and not too professional
how they ran that show.”
Prior
to the loss to Kume, Nelson had won three fights in a row following
his release from the UFC in 2009.
“After
the UFC, I took a year off and went back to training jiu-jitsu
and got back to basics; back to having fun training and not having
to train for a fight; and just got my hunger back,” said
Nelson.
“After
I left the UFC, I was kind of depressed and didn’t know
what I wanted to do, but once I fought that first fight and won,
and saw that my game had improved from my year off, I got some
more wins and put together a good streak.”
Nelson
will have an opportunity to rebound on Oct. 26 for the Maximum
Fighting Championship at MFC 35 against Graham Spencer live on
AXS TV.
“Of
course, I think at some point in the fight I’ll be on my
back because he looks like he’s pretty relentless and will
keep shooting until he gets me there, so my job will be to not
let him hold me there,” said Nelson. “I’ll try
to work a couple submissions and if that doesn’t work, I’ll
try to get back to my feet.
“For
this fight I just made sure that I’ll be in shape to defend
takedowns as much as I can. And if he does take me down, make
him pay, and rough him up on the feet and make it into a fight
where it’s not a clinch-fighting game. I’m looking
to be aggressive and hit him more times than he hits me.”
Nelson
told MMAWeekly.com that he looks at this fight as a chance to
start the next phase of his career.
“For
sure, this is a fresh start at 145 pounds,” said Nelson.
“If the UFC would have had a 145-pound division (at the
time), I would have been in it, but they didn’t, and to
me the reason I lost those fights were because I was the smaller
guy. It wasn’t because I was out-classed. They were just
bigger guys who were able to control where the fight went.
“To
me that’s way in the past. I was kind of younger and dumber.
I have family now and stuff. That was the old me, and I’m
trying to move forward. I try to be humble now. I learned my
lesson about putting too much pressure on myself because I was
talking smack. When you don’t perform after that or lose,
it bites you in the ass.”
Nelson
concluded, “Graham’s a tough guy; he’s got a good
record and has beaten some notable guys, so I think this will
be a good win for my first 145, especially if I can get a stoppage.
I’m just going in head-first and we’ll see what happens.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
MMA
Manager Glenn Robinson Builds His Roster Around Family, Not Fame
It’s
not easy to get Glenn Robinson to open up and talk about what
he’s accomplished in MMA.
The
owner and head of Authentic Sports Management, one of the top
management groups in MMA, doesn’t do a lot of interviews,
and he’s very tight lipped when asked details about what
he’s done to build one of the most successful stables of
fighters in the sport.
Robinson
founded Authentic Sports Management and immediately began adding
a roster of fighters that including former UFC light heavyweight
champion Rashad Evans, as well as names like Jorge Santiago and
Danillo Villefort.
Since
2010 when he founded the company, Robinson has added a laundry
list of names to his client list, as well as purchasing Jaco
clothing, and helping to found the Jaco Training Center which
serves as home to the Blackzilian camp of fighters.
In
a world of management where fighters sometimes move around like
checkers on a board, Robinson has maintained a loyalty with his
fighters, and they to him, like few have been able to ever do
in MMA.
“I
never really looked at it as trying to conquer the world or conquer
MMA, I always just looked at it as work to try and take care
of the guys,” Robinson told MMAWeekly.com. “So my goal
was just to make sure we have a great group of guys that were
really striving to accomplish great things.”
Robinson
has now been nominated for “Best Management Nationwide”
in his home state as part of the Florida MMA awards, but as much
as anybody would like to win, and as much as he’s happy
to be nominated, getting a gold trophy isn’t what motivates
him.
Robinson’s
motivation comes from helping his fighters become better competitors,
and better, more successful people.
“I’m
not perfect but I just do my best to listen to their needs and
try to help them reach their goals, so I try not to let a day
pass where I have not done something for everybody on the team
in some way, shape or form,” said Robinson.
Whenever
MMA management is brought up, there are several names that would
be considered among the best in the business. One name that will
likely live in history as the best ever is Midwestern based manager
Monte Cox, who over the years built one of the most impressive
roster of fighters the sport has ever known.
Cox
managed champions and top contenders, but built his team around
trust and treated them like family. Robinson has adapted that
same philosophy all too well.
“It really is about family. When a fighter no longer feels
like family, that’s probably when you’ll see a parting
of the ways,” Robinson stated.
The
Florida MMA Awards are special because they take aim at the best
of the best from Robinson’s home state, and he’s not
above admitting he’d like to win, but he’s already
victorious in so many other ways that this would just be like
the cherry on top.
“I’m
very thankful that I was thought of, and someone thought to nominate
me. It feels good to know the work you’re doing is appreciated,”
said Robinson.
“I’ll
be happier when my guys keep winning, and seeing Michael Johnson
knock out Danny Castillo to me meant everything. Seeing Eddie
Alvarez knock out Patricky (Pitbull) in Bellator, I had such
a rough week that week and that made my whole week good. So every
time I see my guys succeed, or even when they don’t succeed
and I’m there to help them through it, I feel good about
what I’m doing. It makes me feel like the mission is being
accomplished.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Brock
Lesnar “Never Coming Back” to Fighting
Despite
being retired for almost a year already, former UFC heavyweight
champion Brock Lesnar‘s name still gets mentioned almost
as often as anybody in the division.
When
he was in the UFC, Lesnar was one of the biggest draws the company
has ever known, and his climb to the top of the heavyweight division
was nothing short of incredibly impressive.
But
following a loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in December 2011,
Lesnar called it a career, and decided to go back to his old
job as a professional wrestler at the WWE.
The
rumors of a Lesnar return have been around ever since that time
however, but UFC President Dana White put all of those to bed
with an interview he did speaking to the Dave & Mahoney Morning
Show in Las Vegas.
“He’s
done,” said White. “Called me a couple days ago he’s
never coming back.”
Lesnar
attended a UFC event several months ago, and White stated that
he had a terrible meeting with the former heavyweight champ,
and didn’t expect him to return at any time in the future.
Still, the prospect of Lesnar returning was exciting, and prior
to their phone conversation this week, White revealed that the
former Minnesota wrestling champion was contemplating a comeback.
Unfortunately,
his body just wouldn’t allow it.
“He
said his body, he can wrestle but he can’t fight. He was
contemplating coming back,” White stated.
The
last couple of years for Lesnar were particularly rough after
he contracted diverticulitis and battled the disease through
surgeries, and multiple periods of recovery. Lesnar’s weight
shifted from the massive size he carried during his days in the
Octagon, to a much smaller version that first appeared on WWE
television earlier this year.
While
his wrestling schedule has been reduced dramatically from what
he used to do when working for Vince McMahon’s company,
Lesnar is still able to spend much of his time at home with his
family, which was his primary goal even when fighting for the
UFC.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Michael
Johnson Meets Myles Jury at UFC 155
Fresh
off his knockout of Danny Castillo at UFC on FX 5, Michael Johnson
will fight for a 4th time in 2012 when he faces Ultimate Fighter
veteran Myles Jury at UFC 155.
Sources
close to the fight confirmed the bout to MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday.
ESPN.com first reported the match-up via Twitter.
Michael
Johnson has had a very successful 2012 campaign thus far going
3-0 with wins over Shane Roller, Tony Ferguson and the afore
mentioned knockout over Danny Castillo.
Now
the Blackzilian fighter will try to move to 4-0 facing a fellow
TUF veteran in December.
Myles Jury is a rare case of a fighter that competed on the Ultimate
Fighter twice. His first run was derailed after an injury pushed
him off the show. He returned for the 15th installment of the
reality show during the Ultimate Fighter Live earlier this year
on FX.
Following
the reality show, Jury dispatched of former housemate Chris Saunders
by submission in the first round, and now looks to pick up a
second win in the UFC in December.
The
two lightweights will meet at UFC 155, although their placement
on the card has not been determined yet.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Former
UFC Commentator Jeff Blatnick Passes Away at Age 55
Former
Olympic gold medalist and UFC commentator Jeff Blatnick passed
away on Wednesday following complications after having heart
surgery.
Blatnick
was 55 years of age at the time of his passing.
A
gold medalist in wrestling in 1984, Blatnick was one of the first
Americans to ever capture the gold in the Greco-Roman category.
In
1994, Blatnick joined the UFC as a color commentator and advisor,
where he continued to work for the next 7 years. His last show
with the promotion was UFC 32 in June, 2001.
Blatnick
helped develop some of the unified rules of MMA still used in
competition today, and eventually he became a licensed judge
and referee with the New Jersey State Athletic Commission.
A
staple of the wrestling community as well, Blatnick worked closely
with young athletes, and coached at the high school level up
until his passing on Wednesday.
Blatnick
is survived by his wife and two children.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Rashad
Evans vs. Rogerio Nogeuira Verbally Agreed for UFC Super Bowl
Weekend PPV
Rashad
Evans may have had Lyoto Machida in mind as an ideal opponent
for his return to the Octagon, but he will instead square off
with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
MMAWeekly.com
sources confirmed that Evans vs. Nogueira has been verbally agreed
to and is being targeted for the UFC’s Super Bowl weekend
pay-per-view on Feb. 2, 2013. The bout was first reported by
Brazilian news site SporTV.
Evans
(17-2-1) hasn’t set foot in the Octagon since he lost to
current UFC light heavyweight champion and former teammate Jon
Jones at UFC 145 in April.
Evans
knows that he’ll have to fight his way back into a position
to challenge for the belt again, but his intention is to remain
in the 205-pound division.
“I
want to be at light heavyweight because there is unfinished business.
I can’t go down unless something really beckons for my calling.
I like to fight at 205 and I have done fairly well there,”
Evans told UFC Tonight recently, citing his desire to avenge
a loss to Machida.
Nogueira
(20-5) enters the fight with a win over UFC Hall of Famer Tito
Ortiz at UFC 140 in December of last year. He had planned to
get back in the Octagon at UFC on Fuel TV 2 in April, but has
been on the sidelines nursing a knee injury.
The
Super Bowl weekend event is likely to be dubbed UFC 157, but
promotion officials have yet to verify its numbering.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
Planning Four or Five Events in Canada in 2013; Possibly Launching
TUF Canada
It’s
no secret that Canada has quickly become one of the focal points
of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s business strategy
over the past few years.
The
company has a base of operations in Canada, headed up by director
Tom Wright.
It
appears that the UFC intends to take things a step further in
2013, expanding the number of events North of the U.S. border
and quite possibly launching a Canadian version of The Ultimate
Fighter.
“We’re
not that far away from announcing our full 2013 schedule,”
Wright told Joe Ferraro recently on UFC Central Radio on Sportsnet
590 in Toronto. “I can tell you that there’s going
to be at least four events in Canada.
Wright
verified that two of the events will be in Montreal and Toronto,
which is no surprise, as the two cities have previously been
announced as being tent pole locations for the UFC for the next
couple of years.
Although
the UFC has also operated in both Vancouver and Calgary for past
events, don’t be surprised if there are a couple unexpected
cities on the docket for 2013.
“There’s going to be at least two cities that may surprise
a few people when we come out with our schedule and right now
we’re looking at an additional three,” revealed Wright.
“So a total of five events in Canada for 2014.”
Canadian
fans across the country have been clamoring for the UFC to come
to their various hometowns for some time. It looks like there
will be at least a few that get their wish.
Wright
also indicated that one of the events could be a TUF Canada Finale,
which wouldn’t be too surprisingly.
Every
time he’s been asked recently about TUF’s international
expansion, UFC president Dana White has mentioned India and Canada
as the two regions that will next open up to the franchise.
As
the U.S. seems to be leveling off, the UFC appears to be amping
up its efforts globally, and it looks like Canada is going to
be a major benefactor.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Even
Bruce Willis knows fights end up on the ground
Ask
a Gracie why Jiu-Jitsu is the most effective set of self-defense
techniques in existence. The answer will invariably include:
“Well, 90% of all fights end with two people rolling on
the ground, whether they want to or not.”
Over
the years, this observation has become all the more apparent,
as evidenced by early UFC events and recent action flicks—where
there’s always a smattering of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to add
realism to the scenes.
Such
is the case with action-movie star from way back Bruce Willis
in the movie “RED” (2010), where he has one of the
most brutal and realistic fight scenes of his career, combining
sambo and Jiu-Jitsu techniques, and culminating in an armbar
ending.
What
do you say, want to learn to finish Bruce Willis style and sharpen
up your ground game so you won’t have to get hurt in real
life?
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Rich
Franklin Explains Why He is the UFC's “Company Man”
If
there was a list of fighters in the UFC under the Zuffa era that
the company would always stand behind no matter what, a few names
would surely be etched into eternity.
Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar would quickly get added after
their fight helped launch the UFC to a whole new stratosphere
during The Ultimate Fighter season 1 finale. Former UFC light
heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell will always be remembered
for his title reign, and as the face of the company when they
finally hit the big time. Matt Hughes would likely gain the same
kind of favor for his performances inside the Octagon and sticking
by the UFC no matter what.
If there was another name that would surely be added to that
list, it would be former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin.
On more than a few occasions, Franklin has stepped up when the
company needed him.
Short notice, replacing a main event, and long travel. These
are all scenarios that Franklin has been faced with over the
course of his UFC career, but each time he's been willing to
say yes when so many others have said no.
It's earned Franklin the label “company man” by a great
many fans, journalists and even fellow fighters, but he doesn't
take it as a slight. Franklin is more than happy to be the UFC's
“company man.”
“I don't mind that that term is used. You know what, I'm
a team player, I've always been a team player, and I always want
to do what's best,” Franklin told MMAWeekly Radio.
Franklin made his UFC debut all the way back in 2003, and in
those days the promotion wasn't even making money, much less
putting on multi-million-dollar shows. Now they are one of the
most profitable companies in the world with a huge staff of employees,
but Franklin remembers the days very well when he could name
every person receiving a paycheck from the UFC.
“Here's the thing, when I started fighting for the UFC,
when I got hired on with them, there were 12 people in the office
there. Now there are like 100, I don't even know how many there
are honestly, but there are a lot. The last time I went to a
Vegas show, I walked into the office that was set up in the MGM,
and I was doing the commentating on New Year's Eve, and when
I walked into the office, I didn't know anybody in the office.
I stood there looking around like looking for somebody I knew,
and I didn't recognize one face and nobody recognized me. The
workers looked at me and said, ‘Can I help you?' and I was
like, ‘Where's Burt (Watson)?'” Franklin joked.
“When you start working for a company in that kind of environment,
then naturally you view yourself as a team, and so I'm going
to do what's good for the team.”
There's only been one occasion when Franklin has had to turn
down a fight and that was in 2011 when his original opponent,
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, suffered an injury prior to UFC 133.
The UFC offered him Alexander Gustafsson as a replacement, but
Franklin opted to make the smarter business decision to turn
that one down with only two weeks until fight time.
Outside of that one moment, whenever UFC president Dana White
or matchmaker Joe Silva has called, Franklin just always says
yes. Has it always been the best decision for his career?
Well, Franklin admits when he took his 2009 fight against Vitor
Belfort, he was “mentally drained” and probably should
have said thanks, but no thanks. Still, Franklin has no regrets
for any of the times he's stepped up when the UFC needed him.
“That's the way I started. I started at a time when the
UFC started building itself, and I feel like I've been incremental
in that building process. So I'm willing to do what's good for
the team, basically,” said Franklin.
During his UFC tenure, Franklin has twice fought in Ireland,
he's competed in Germany, and he even stepped up on short notice
to fight Wanderlei Silva in a rematch (Franklin won the first
fight) in his home country of Brazil. Franklin replaced Tito
Ortiz in a fight against Chuck Liddell, but also managed to step
up and fill in for Ortiz in the final weeks of taping The Ultimate
Fighter reality show.
And when the UFC came calling to ask Franklin to travel all the
way to China to face Cung Le at UFC on Fuel TV 6, take a wild
guess what the former math teacher from Cincinnati said?
“I'd never turn down a fight with the UFC, and that's not
to say it's the smartest thing to do for my career. My career
has just unfolded the way that it has and I'm happy with all
that kind of stuff,” said Franklin.
“I'm happy being the company man for the UFC.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
TO
SECURE TITLE SHOT, MARTIN KAMPMANN PLANS TO KNOCK OUT JOHNY HENDRICKS
AT UFC 154
If
Martin Kampmann gets by Johny Hendricks at UFC 154 on Nov. 17,
he believes he’ll deserve a shot at the UFC welterweight
title. Certainly he’ll have a good case for getting the
opportunity.
“If
I win this fight, I am the No. 1 contender,” Kampmann told
the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “No
doubt. Nobody’s got the same resume I do in the UFC in the
welterweight division. I’ve beaten the best guys. There’s
no other welterweight that’s coming on the same streak that
I have.”
Kampmann
has won three straight since dropping controversial decisions
to Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez. This year he has finished
both Thiago Alves and Jake Ellenberger.
“There’s
other guys coming up with a bunch of hype behind them, but really
who have they fought? They haven’t fought anybody tough,”
Kampmann said. “They haven’t fought anybody good, but
they’re getting the hype train behind them. Look at the
guys I’ve fought and compare that to anybody in the welterweight
division. I’ve fought some of the best guys in the division.”
Hendricks
has too. He’s won four straight, including a knockout of
Jon Fitch and a split decision over Josh Koscheck. Kampmann is
more than familiar with him -- they used to train together.
“He
used to help me out with my wrestling, so I know him pretty well,”
Kampmann said. “I was helping him out with his standup.
We trained together, and I feel I’m the better striker.
I’m definitely much slicker than he is, but he’s improved
a lot, just like my wrestling has improved a lot. I’ve been
taking guys down that have better wrestling credentials than
me.”
In
Kampmann’s view, Hendricks has the best wrestling resume
in the UFC. He was a two-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma St. University,
but he also packs power in his hands.
“I
feel definitely I would have the advantage in the standup, but
he’s still got heavy hands that I’ve got to respect
and watch out for,” Kampmann said. “I’m going
to stay out of danger. I usually do, but I usually do get punched
a little bit. It’s a fight -- I’m going to get punched,
but I can eat a shot and I can dish it back out.”
Of
course, even if Kampmann beats Hendricks, there’s always
a chance he might not get an immediate title shot. Georges St.
Pierre could beat Carlos Condit at UFC 154 and put the division
on hold to fight Anderson Silva, or Condit could beat St. Pierre
and set up a rematch. Regardless, Kampmann has a plan to get
himself a crack at the belt.
“I
want to put it in my own hands,” he said, “and the
way I’m going to put it in my own hands is by knocking out
Johny Hendricks.”
Source: Sherdog |
Dustin
Poirier Faces Jonathan Brookins, New Flyweight Bout on Deck for
TUF 16 Finale
Two
new bouts have been added to the upcoming Ultimate Fighter 16
Finale show in Las Vegas including a former show winner and a
former top featherweight contender.
Bouncing
back from a loss to Chan Sung Jung in his last fight, Dustin
Poirier returns in December to face former Ultimate Fighter winner
Jonathan Brookins.
Poirier
recently joined the Florida based American Top Team to up his
training, and he hopes the results show when he faces Brookins
at the TUF 16 finale in December.
Also
added to the upcoming card are flyweights Tim Elliott and Jared
Papazian, with each looking to get his first win in the UFC.
Elliott lost in his debut bout against current top flyweight
contender John Dodson, but kept the fight very close all the
way to the end.
Both
fights are added to the TUF 16 Finale fight card, but there has
been no formal announcement by UFC officials where the bouts
will land on the card.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Mike
Easton vs. T.J. Dillashaw Added to UFC on Fox 5 Fight Card
Mike
Easton will look to keep his UFC record unblemished when he returns
in December to face former Ultimate Fighter finalist T.J. Dillashaw
at UFC on Fox 5.
The
new bout was added over the weekend by UFC officials with verbal
agreements in place from the 135-pound participants.
Since
debuting in the UFC, Mike Easton has kept a perfect record winning
his first three fights in a row. In his last fight, Easton defeated
veteran Ivan Menjivar by decision at UFC 149 in July.
Facing
Easton in Seattle will be Team Alpha Male fighter T.J. Dillashaw.
While Dillashaw came up short in his bid to be The Ultimate Fighter
season 14 winner, he’s looked very impressive since that
time. Dillashaw has won his last two fights in dominant fashion,
and now he’ll look to add Mike Easton’s name to his
resume.
Easton
and Dillashaw are the latest addition to the UFC on Fox 5 fight
card taking place on Dec. 8 from Seattle’s Key Arena.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Calgary
Commish Confirms Matt Riddle and Francisco Rivera Suspensions,
Overturns Results
Matt
Riddle and Francisco Rivera each walked away from UFC 149 on
July 21 in Calgary with impressive victories under their belts.
Riddle
scored the UFC 149 Submission of the Night bonus for his third-round
arm triangle choke finish of Chris Clements, while Rivera knocked
out Roland Delorme near the end of round one of their bout.
The
Calgary Combative Sports Commission on Saturday confirmed to
MMAWeekly.com that both Riddle and Rivera returned “positive
test results for a banned substance while participating in the
UFC 149 in Calgary.” The commission did not identify the
substances.
Each
fighter was suspended for 90 days effective from the date of
the offense, July 21.
“It
was the Commission’s decision to amendment the results of
both bouts these individuals participated in to No Contest because
of the positive test results and those amendments have been filed
accordingly,” read a commission statement provided to MMAWeekly.com.
The
No Contest designation cancelled out what would have been back-to-back
victories for Riddle, and nullified what would have been a four-fight
winning streak for Rivera.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Nick
Diaz Will Get Top Contender Not GSP/Condit Winner When He Returns
in 2013
When
Nick Diaz is eligible to re-apply for a fight license in February
2013, a top fight in the UFC welterweight division will be awaiting
him, but it won’t be a title fight.
Diaz
lost his last bout by unanimous decision to current UFC interim
welterweight champion Carlos Condit. He was then suspended by
the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for
marijuana following the bout.
Because
it was his second infraction for the same substance, Diaz was
handed a one-year suspension by the commission. The suspension
runs through Feb. 4, 2013.
The
UFC’s welterweight division will move on in Diaz’s
absence, most notably on Nov. 17 at UFC 154 when Georges St-Pierre
returns to action to face Carlos Condit to unify the welterweight
title.
Also
on that card, Martin Kampmann meets Johny Hendricks in what is
presumably a No. 1 contender’s fight with the winner getting
the next crack at either St-Pierre or Condit.
While
the reigning UFC champion still has to get through Condit before
anything else can happen, St-Pierre has had a long standing feud
with Diaz over the last two years, and a fight between the two
rivals could be one of the most requested fights in UFC history.
UFC
president Dana White is well aware that many fans are still clamoring
for a St-Pierre vs. Diaz showdown, but it won’t be the fight
welcoming the Stockton bad boy back to the cage even if GSP defeats
Condit.
“When
Diaz gets off suspension, he’ll have a fight against one
of the top guys at 170 pounds, and then we’ll see what happens,”
White said this week.
“I
agree, a lot of people want to see that fight.”
Diaz’s
camp has pushed for a fight against pound-for-pound king Anderson
Silva, although there’s not much chance that bout actually
comes to fruition.
What’s
more likely is Diaz returns in early 2013 and faces any number
of top eligible welterweight contenders currently without a fight.
Names would include Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, or Jake Ellenberger,
but right now Diaz still has to wait for the suspension he’s
currently under to be lifted and then he can book his next fight.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Technical
recognizes errors Toquinho, but rebate critical Lombard
Rousimar Palhares back in the cage of the UFC on December 14,
in Australia, and will have a tough challenge ahead. The Cuban
judoka Hector Lombard, who owns a knockout power that made havoc
in Bellator, wants to give a comeback after the disappointing
debut against Tim Boetsch, and "struggle" has begun.
In
an exclusive interview will TATAME, Lombard said that Brazilians
often "lost" in the middle of the fight , and that
would be a point in his favor.
"It
seems he loses his head quickly, but I train everything to feel
comfortable in any situation of the fight," said Cuban.
Coach
Miner at Brazilian Top Team, Murilo Bustamante said the statements
of the opponent of his pupil.
"It's
hard to say (he loses concentration). The Toquinho has faced
situations where I was almost off and managed to turn and win
(against Dan Miller). The fight was still considered the best
of the night, "rebate former UFC champion, to SporTV, recognizing
that there are things to be improved in the game athlete, especially
in the psychological aspect.
"Toquinho
already made mistakes yes, some distraction and ingenuity. Against
Nate (Marquardt), he stopped to complain because he thought the
guy had Vaseline on his leg. Against Belcher, he got tired and
also made some technical errors ".
Source: Tatame |
Heading
into UFC 154 Georges St-Pierre Fight, Carlos Condit is on the
Precipice of Greatness
UFC
interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit knows exactly what
he’s stepping into when he squares off with returning titleholder
Georges St-Pierre at UFC 154 on Nov. 17 in Montreal. He’s
stepping into a fight with greatness.
But
as the saying goes, to be the man, you’ve got to beat the
man.
That’s
exactly what Condit wants to do, not shying away from his Jackson/Winkeljohn
teammate.
“He’s
the best in the world. He’s one of the best the sport has
ever seen,” Condit readily admitted in a recent UFC interview.
Also
the former WEC welterweight champion, Condit has been nothing
short of stellar in his UFC tenure. After losing a narrow split
decision to Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut – his only
defeat since 2006 – Condit earned his way into the title
unification bout with St-Pierre by winning five consecutive fights.
His
victims form an impressive list: Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald,
Dan Hardy, Dong Hyun Kim, and Nick Diaz.
As
he said, however, St-Pierre has been at the top of the sport
for a long time and is widely regarded as one of the top two
or three pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
“It’s
a huge fight with a lot of buzz surrounding it,” said Condit,
before adding, “Those are the kinds of fights that I want
to be in.”
And
who wouldn’t want to be in such a fight? If he loses to
St-Pierre, it will be heartbreaking, but there would be no shame
in it. If, on the other hand, he defeats St-Pierre, Condit etches
his name in history not only for defeating one of the greats,
but also as one of the most accomplished fighters in the world
himself.
“I’m
a different fighter each time I come out. Mentally, I’m
in a good place.”
Not
a bad position to find himself in as he heads into a bout that
can be the tipping point of taking a career from impressive to
epic.
“I’m
on the precipice of achieving my life goal. I want to fight the
best Georges and beat that guy.”
Carlos
Condit and Geroges St-Pierre square off in the UFC 154 main event
on Nov. 17 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Mike
Easton vs. T.J. Dillashaw Added to UFC on Fox 5 Fight Card
Mike
Easton will look to keep his UFC record unblemished when he returns
in December to face former Ultimate Fighter finalist T.J. Dillashaw
at UFC on Fox 5.
The
new bout was added over the weekend by UFC officials with verbal
agreements in place from the 135-pound participants.
Since
debuting in the UFC, Mike Easton has kept a perfect record winning
his first three fights in a row. In his last fight, Easton defeated
veteran Ivan Menjivar by decision at UFC 149 in July.
Facing
Easton in Seattle will be Team Alpha Male fighter T.J. Dillashaw.
Easton
and Dillashaw are the latest addition to the UFC on Fox 5 fight
card taking place on Dec. 8 from Seattle’s Key Arena.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Jones-Sonnen
may be a financial windfall, but it denigrates the UFC light
heavyweight belt
Chael
Sonnen was on the phone, a hopeful sound in his voice.
"Please," he asked, "please, please tell me that
I'm fighting Jones. Please."
When the answer was yes, that he would indeed be coaching opposite
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones on the 17th season of
"The Ultimate Fighter" and then fighting him in a pay-per-view
bout on April 27, Sonnen unleashed a long, sustained roar.
Jon
Jones talks to the media after his UFC 152 win over Vitor Belfort.
(UFC)
"Oh thank you," he said, as he cheered his own good
fortune. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And let me call
you back. I've got to call my Mom and tell her."
And with that, what should be one of the biggest pay-per-view
cards in UFC history, first reported by the Los Angeles Times,
officially kicked off.
You don't have to like it. I sure don't. I'd much rather have
seen Jones fight middleweight champion Anderson Silva in his
next bout in a match that would have pitted far and away the
two best fighters in the world. The reality, though, is that
there are 800,000 or so out there, maybe even a million, who
will pay the $50 the UFC asks to see Jones and Sonnen fight.
The match came about, UFC president Dana White said, because
of yet another injury. The company has been plagued by major,
long-term injuries to its biggest stars and top fighters throughout
2012.
This time, it was an injury to Jones himself that led to the
coaching stint on TUF and the fight with Sonnen being made.
Jones injured his right arm when he was arm barred by Vitor Belfort
in the first round of his Sept. 22 title defense at UFC 152 in
Toronto. Doctors told White that Jones couldn't fight again until
April.
White said Tuesday the plan had been for Jones to defend the
belt against Dan Henderson at the company's annual Super Bowl
weekend card in February in Las Vegas. Henderson was injured
in August, which forced the cancelation of UFC 151 when Jones
declined to face Sonnen with just eight days notice. As a result,
that put Jones onto the UFC 152 card against Belfort.
Now, with Jones unable to go until April and thus, not available
to fight Henderson on Feb. 2, White had to adjust. The irony
of the situation is that if Jones had taken the fight against
Sonnen at UFC 151 when it was offered, he likely wouldn't have
injured his arm and wouldn't be hurt now.
"This wasn't where I was going," White said. "But
when this happened and Jones was going to be out for so long,
it made sense. I understand completely [about Sonnen not having
won a fight at light heavyweight], but it's a fight people want
to see."
The UFC is in the business of making fights people want to see.
People want to see the fight because of Sonnen's incessant trash
talking and the way Sonnen has tweaked Jones publicly, particularly
on Twitter.
Sonnen trashed Silva and wound up getting two fights against
the man most consider the greatest mixed martial arts fighter
of all-time. Those fights, and particularly his performance at
UFC 117 in 2010, helped make Sonnen one of the company's five
biggest pay-per-view stars.
White said at the postfight news conference at UFC 152 that Jones,
Sonnen, Silva, welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and former
light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans are its biggest pay-per-view
attractions.
Putting two of them together is almost a slam-dunk megafight.
That, though, doesn't make it right.
Sonnen was knocked out in devastating fashion by Silva in the
second round at UFC 148. That dropped him to 0-2 in his two bouts
with Silva. Whether or not he won five of the seven rounds against
Silva, he didn't win the fights. He lost.
One of the things that White and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta did
in taking control of the company in 2001 was to try to structure
the titles in a way that they meant something.
There has been a path to a championship that is transparent and
understandable. No one was given title shots just because of
their name or who their manager happened to be, as has been the
case far too long in boxing.
Chael
Sonnen shakes Anderson Silva's hand after his loss at UFC 148.
(UFC)
By adhering to that rule as strictly as possible, White and Fertitta
gave the UFC title belts meaning. Not many boxing fans care much
for the WBO, the WBA, the IBF or the WBC. Very few can name all
of their champions or their top contenders.
In the UFC, with some exceptions, it's clear. One must win his
way to a title shot.
Sonnen, though, is getting a title shot simply because he's outspoken
and because there is no better self-promoter in the sport.
He didn't earn this shot. He was given it. And that demeans the
belt.
It will, though, make Jones, Sonnen and the UFC a lot of money
and figures to immeasurably help the ratings on TUF. The reality
series created by White and Fertitta, and that helped turn the
UFC into a multibillion dollar business, has been listing recently.
Ratings are down and interest seems to be waning.
White, though, insisted he was not asked by Fox officials to
put Jones and Sonnen on the show and that it wasn't done as a
means to boost ratings. He said the show is doing what it is
supposed to do.
"That's what the word is, that TUF needs the help?"
White asked in response to a question whether the decision was
driven by a desire to give the show a boost. "People love
to speculate and talk [expletive], but the truth of it is, they
don't know what the [expletive] they're talking about. I have
all the answers. The Internet does not. We built this company
and we know what we're doing. That had nothing to do with it."
White also said having Jones and Sonnen coach on "The Ultimate
Fighter," did nothing to interfere in a potential Jones-Silva
superfight. He said Jones-Silva "was never going to happen
that soon," and said Silva will face St-Pierre long before
he fights Jones.
Thus, White was able to put Jones and Sonnen on TUF, where the
exposure on FX each week will undoubtedly make the pay-per-view
bigger.
It's hard to argue with the business logic of the decision, but
from a purely sporting angle, it sucks.
A guy who did nothing to qualify for a title shot is getting
one for no reason other than that he's quick with a quip.
The UFC bills itself "as real as it gets," but this
time, it's nothing but a fairy tale.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Chris
Weidman Says Anderson Silva is Dodging Him; Does it Mean GSP
Superfight is Coming?
Chris
Weidman, widely regarded as the top contender in the UFC middleweight
division, is fighting in December, but it won’t be against
185-pound champion Anderson Silva… and it doesn’t look
like that fight is coming down the pike anytime soon.
Despite
sporting a 9-0 record and defeating Demian Maia and Mark Munoz
back-to-back, Weidman still finds himself on the outside looking
in on a title shot. Instead of challenging the champ, he steps
into the Octagon at UFC 155 in December to face rising contender
Tim Boetsch.
Weidman
is one of those guys that has stepped up whenever asked, fighting
anyone the UFC throws in front of him, but the fact that Silva
doesn’t currently want to fight him and the UFC isn’t
making a push for the bout either has definitely elevated the
New Yorker’s level of frustration.
“It
sucks. I took a lot of risks in my career to get to the point
where I’m the No. 1 contender,” Weidman said in a UFC
Tonight interview recently. “Then for the champion –
who is the man, I have nothing bad to say about him – kind
of dodging me a little bit. It’s tough.”
Weidman
isn’t a trash talker and won’t disrespect Silva as
a fighter, but he’s been pushed to the point where he can
hardly deny that it seems like the champ is avoiding him.
“It
seems like that at this point,” Weidman replied when asked
outright if he thought Silva was ducking him.
Silva
is openly avoiding a fight with Weidman, but whether or not that
constitutes “ducking” him is in the semantics of the
situation.
Silva’s
legend has grown to epic proportions over the past couple of
years. He’s coming off of back-to-back dominating performances
over Chael Sonnen and Stephan Bonnar, the latter a one-off 205-pound
fight to help keep UFC 153 intact.
To
hear Silva’s side of the story, at 37 years of age, he is
merely looking for the biggest fights he can get as his career
enters its twilight years.
“I
don’t have any intention of fighting (Weidman),” Silva
declared after decimating Bonnar. “I think he still has
a lot to do in the UFC. I am 37 years old; he’s a kid that
is starting.
“Obviously,
this might happen, but I have two fights on my contract and I
think one of them will be with St-Pierre and I don’t really
have any intention of fighting with (Weidman) because I’m
not a fool. I’m already an oldie, you know?”
Silva’s
words echoed those of his manager, Ed Soares, who pointed to
the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that exists for a superfight
between Silva and UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre,
who are widely regarded as the No. 1 and No. 2 pound-for-pound
top fighters in the world.
“A
superfight like that I think is going to be the biggest fight,”
Soares said on MMAWeekly Radio. “I think a lot of fans want
to watch it and I think it will be a highlight for both of their
careers. I think that the superfight is definitely a big challenge,
fighting someone like Georges St-Pierre.”
UFC
president Dana White says that Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre
is still “just talk, it’s not reality.” And until
bout agreements are signed, that is true, but the undertones
are there for the fight to be just over the horizon.
The
UFC has been itching to do an event at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas,
but it would take just the right fight to make it happen.
“We
are definitely planning on doing a big fight there,” said
White this week. “As soon as we can make that big fight
where we feel like we could sell close to a 100,000 or 100,000
tickets.”
St-Pierre
first has to face Carlos Condit at UFC 154 on Nov. 17. He’s
also indicated that there are still challenges for him at welterweight
first, but a fight of the magnitude of Silva vs. GSP doesn’t
come along but once in a lifetime. The opportunity that exists
if St-Pierre defeats Condit could slip away in an instant if
he doesn’t pounce on it.
How
things play out hinges on St-Pierre vs. Condit… but no pressure
Georges.
If
Condit wins the fight, the perspective changes on several fronts.
The superfight disappears and the prospect of Weidman finally
getting his title shot resurfaces, as long as he gets past Boetsch.
The UFC 154 No. 1 welterweight contender fight between Johny
Hendricks and Martin Kampmann maintains its significance.
While
everyone wants answers now, the next step towards clarity won’t
come until Nov. 17 in Montreal.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Bellator
Lightweight Tournament Semifinal Pairings Set for Bellator 81
in November
Bellator
81 will host the semifinal round of the Season 7 Lightweight
Tournament on Nov. 17 at the Ryan Center in Kingston, Rhode Island.
The
semifinalists earned their spots on Friday night at Bellator
77.
UFC
veteran Rich Clementi topped previously undefeated Russian prospect
Alexander Sarnavskiy in a three-round split decision.
Marcin
Held moved on with a unanimous decision victory over Murad Machaev,
another previously unbeaten Russian that had his American debut
spoiled on Friday night.
Ricardo
Tirloni earned his spot with a impressive D’Arce choke finish
of Rene Nazare.
The
Bellator 81 semifinal pairings were announced following Friday
night’s bouts, as follows:
Rich
Clementi vs. Marcin Held
Dave Jansen vs. Ricardo Tirloni
Current
Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler next faces Rick
Hawn, likely on one of the first Bellator events to take place
when the promotion moves over to Spike TV in January 2013.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Calgary
Commish Confirms Matt Riddle and Francisco Rivera Suspensions,
Overturns Results
Matt
Riddle and Francisco Rivera each walked away from UFC 149 on
July 21 in Calgary with impressive victories under their belts.
Riddle
scored the UFC 149 Submission of the Night bonus for his third-round
arm triangle choke finish of Chris Clements, while Rivera knocked
out Roland Delorme near the end of round one of their bout.
The
Calgary Combative Sports Commission on Saturday confirmed to
MMAWeekly.com that both Riddle and Rivera returned “positive
test results for a banned substance while participating in the
UFC 149 in Calgary.” The commission did not identify the
substances.
Each
fighter was suspended for 90 days effective from the date of
the offense, July 21.
“It
was the Commission’s decision to amendment the results of
both bouts these individuals participated in to No Contest because
of the positive test results and those amendments have been filed
accordingly,” read a commission statement provided to MMAWeekly.com.
The
No Contest designation cancelled out what would have been back-to-back
victories for Riddle, and nullified what would have been a four-fight
winning streak for Rivera.
Source: MMA Weekly |
St.
Pierre Braulio calls as reinforcement in training to return to
the UFC
The Canadian Georges St. Pierre will be back in the cage of the
UFC in November, against Carlos Condit, unifying the welterweight
belts. In preparation for the fight, he will have the help of
a Brazilian: Braulio Estima.
Weight
and absolute champion of 2009 and winner of the ADCC super fight
of the ADCC 2011, Braulio recently won his MMA debut, and already
"switched figurines" with GSP in London, England, in
high-level training in the gym of Roger Gracie.
"The
GSP has been some time to London to train with Roger and train
together. He learned that I'm training MMA and I made a fight
recently and, as we are the same weight, he contacted me asking
me to help him train for this fight against Carlos Condit, "said
Braulio, told TATAME revealing that Canada will spend a week
at sharpening the floor of the welterweight champion of the UFC.
Source: Tatame
|
Nick
Diaz Will Get Top Contender Not GSP/Condit Winner When He Returns
in 2013
When
Nick Diaz is eligible to re-apply for a fight license in February
2013, a top fight in the UFC welterweight division will be awaiting
him, but it won't be a title fight.
Diaz lost his last bout by unanimous decision to current UFC
interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit. He was then suspended
by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive
for marijuana following the bout.
Because it was his second infraction for the same substance,
Diaz was handed a one-year suspension by the commission. The
suspension runs through Feb. 4, 2013.
The UFC's welterweight division will move on in Diaz's absence,
most notably on Nov. 17 at UFC 154 when Georges St-Pierre returns
to action to face Carlos Condit to unify the welterweight title.
Also on that card, Martin Kampmann meets Johny Hendricks in what
is presumably a No. 1 contender's fight with the winner getting
the next crack at either St-Pierre or Condit.
While the reigning UFC champion still has to get through Condit
before anything else can happen, St-Pierre has had a long standing
feud with Diaz over the last two years, and a fight between the
two rivals could be one of the most requested fights in UFC history.
UFC president Dana White is well aware that many fans are still
clamoring for a St-Pierre vs. Diaz showdown, but it won't be
the fight welcoming the Stockton bad boy back to the cage even
if GSP defeats Condit.
“When Diaz gets off suspension, he'll have a fight against
one of the top guys at 170 pounds, and then we'll see what happens,”
White said this week.
“I agree, a lot of people want to see that fight.”
Diaz's camp has pushed for a fight against pound-for-pound king
Anderson Silva, although there's not much chance that bout actually
comes to fruition.
What's more likely is Diaz returns in early 2013 and faces any
number of top eligible welterweight contenders currently without
a fight. Names would include Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, or Jake
Ellenberger, but right now Diaz still has to wait for the suspension
he's currently under to be lifted and then he can book his next
fight.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
XTREME
COUTURE COACH NEIL MELANSON FAVORS PHYSICAL STYLE, BUT THERE’S
A METHOD BEHIND IT
A
student of Gene LeBell and Gokor Chivichyan, he received his
black belt from Karo Parisyan and has trained fighters such as
Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort and Gray Maynard. In August, he
joined the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Rewind” show
to discuss his background, his philosophy as a trainer and much
more.
Melanson
on catch wrestling: “I consider myself a catch guy, but
when I really look at what catch guys really are, I’m probably
a poor representation of one. I think I care about catch, but
guys like Billy [Robinson], of that generation, they’re
fading away. Billy told me that when he was training at the Snake
Pit, you weren’t allowed to tap until your instructor told
you to. If you think of that mentality of being caught in an
armbar or a leg lock and if you tap you’re kicked out of
the gym -- you had to wait until your coach told you it was OK
to tap -- think of that mentality and what kind of animals these
guys were, how great they must have been to be in that kind of
environment and succeed and be the best. [Compare that] to a
lot of our gym mentalities now, where some guys tap at things
before they’re even gone because they’re just accepting
defeat. It’s just a total different mindset. It’s really
dwindled, and it’s unfortunate because it’s a nice
piece of history.”
On
why he ended up training with Gokor: “I’d go to jiu-jitsu
gyms with the best attitude in the world to try to go there and
learn. But when it came down to sparring, all I knew was these
leg locks and neck locks, and people were kicking me out of the
gym. They just didn’t want me around. They thought I was
trying to be hurtful by going for leg locks. It was considered
very dirty. I remember that’s what pushed me to Gokor and
Hayastan because there wasn’t a lot of places I could go
that fit that style of grappling. Gokor, he is the king of leg
locks. You can say what you want about him, but when it comes
to leg locks, no one’s even close.
“Now
I’m starting to see how much leg locks are taking off in
the grappling world. The Brazilians have gotten a hold of it,
and they’re finally coming to terms with it. They’re
taking it and doing good things with it. I go to tournaments
here with my team and I see a lot of leg locks. It’s kind
of a cool thing, but I can’t help but kind of grunt a little
bit at how I used to try to do leg locks at these places and
all these people told me to go to hell.”
On
using operant and classical conditioning principles to train
fighters: “I trained Vitor Belfort for about a year and
I spent a lot of time on his guard. I just kind of figured because
his striking’s so good, that if someone took him down, that
I wanted him to be able to submit, sweep or take the back pretty
aggressively and be able to mix all three of them up, a nice
chain wrestling-type style of grappling. He picked it up. He
was easy to teach because he has so much talent and ability,
but after about a year or so of training -- I used to make him
spar with me and I know he didn’t really like it because
I had to condition him to respond. Sometimes I would stick him
and sometimes I would back off. It just depended on if he was
doing what I needed him to do.
“After
a year or so he went back to Brazil and he came back. I said,
‘Are we going to train?’ He said, ‘You know, Neil.
I really liked training with you. I learned a lot, but your style
is too aggressive for me.’ I understood what he was saying.
It was criticism, but it wasn’t being mean or anything like
that. It was constructive. I understood that he didn’t like
the fact that during the sparring sessions, I would kind of make
things very physical. I’d make him hit me hard or I’d
stick him sometimes and put some pressure on him. It just didn’t
work for him. Mentally, he just didn’t like it. I realized
my style is not going to work for all athletes. …
“Guys
like Randy that are just dirty, tough mentality, where they’re
not afraid to go in dark waters, I can really kind of train those
guys very easily. I have it down to a science. But there’s
these other guys, guys like Vitor, these very clean fighters.
They’re very perfect-type fighters that I had to learn how
to eventually back off a little bit because I realized that even
though I wasn’t trying to -- I was trying to build them
up -- I was actually probably breaking some of them. … But
the reality is that it was all via science. There was a method
to the madness.”
On
changing speeds as a teaching tool: “When [sparring with
a student], I’m giving a little back and they’re giving
a little back, and all of a sudden they make that mistake and
I change speeds. Instead of giving a little back, I just go,
whether I slap on a triangle real aggressive or if I go to a
kimura, I might grab it aggressively, but I would never do any
damage and I never have. I have no reputation for that whatsoever.
… That would be a failure on my side. But I think it’s
because I’m a big guy and I am strong and when I do that,
I’m sure it feels a little weird. I remember when I first
started the sport when guys were changing speeds on me and stuff,
it was a little scary. It took some getting used to, and a lot
of these pro fighters, believe it or not, there’s a lot
of pro fighters that are just prima donnas. I’m not insulting
-- I’m not saying Vitor is, but I’m saying there are.
There’s some athletes out there that believe that it’s
all about confidence and you’ve just got to train and you
should have a bunch of knuckleheads you beat the crap out of,
and as long as you’re beating them up, you feel good about
yourself, and you go fight.”
On
having Behcet’s, a rare disease: “I went blind in both
eyes for a little bit of time, but I’m permanently blind
in my left eye. Even a couple of years ago it triggered pretty
bad and I’m now deaf in my right ear. … It gives me
a lot of problems. I think the hardest part is that I try to
hide it as much as I can because I love what I do and I don’t
want to be treated too different. And I’m a big, strong
guy, so when people look at me, they don’t think ‘sick,’
but anyone that knows me personally realizes that when I’m
not at the gym, I’m home in bed. I’m resting. I’m
taking it easy. I don’t go out at night. I’m a real
simple person because for me grappling is everything. If I’m
going to be healthy, I want to be on the mat grappling.”
On
having the second toe on his left foot amputated: “To me
it was a no-brainer. It was broken badly. They told me that I
would have to have surgery to have it corrected and that I would
probably be off the mat for about six months to let it heal properly
because they’d have to fuse it with all these pins in it.
Six months off the mat to me is like torture. I’d hate to
have to do that. I love training and I have a lot of people that
count on me, from students to professional athletes. That would
affect a lot of people besides just myself. So it was a no-brainer.
I just had it removed.”
Source: Sherdog |
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