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2013
November
Aloha
State Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
August
Maui
Open Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(tba)
June
State
of Hawaii Championship
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
6/6-9/13
World
BJJ Championships
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, University of California at Long Beach)
6/8/13
King of the Cage
(MMA)
(Maui)
5/25-26/13
NAGA:
Pacific Grappling Championships
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Radford H.S. Gym)
4/13/13
Hawaiian
Open Championship
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
Denny Prokopos
Eddie Bravo Black Belt Seminar
9AM-11AM
$50
@ O2 Martial Arts Academy
3/23/13
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
3/20-24/13
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(Irvine, CA)
3/20/13
David Kama Seminar
Rickson Gracie Black Belt
8-10PM
$50
@ O2 Martial Arts Academy
2/23/13
Got Skills
(MMA, Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/16/13
Mayhem At The Mansion
Kauai Cage Match 14
(MMA)
(Kilohana Carriage House, Lihue, Kauai)
Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym District Park Gym)
Uncle Frank Ordonez’s Birthday Tournament
(Palama Settlement Gym)
(Grappling, Sport-Pankration and Continuous sparring)
2/3/13
Diego Moraes Semainr
(BJJ)
(O2MAA)
2/2/13
World
Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship: Hawaii Trials
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(McKinley H.S. Gym)
2/1/13
IBJJF Referee Clinic
(O2MAA)
1/19/13
Destiny
Na Koa 2
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
1/12/13
Reuben "Cobrinha" Charles Seminar
4-7PM
(Ku Lokahi Wrestling Club)
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April
2013 News Part 2
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Rashad
Evans Knows What He Needs to Do to Beat Dan Henderson at UFC
161
by Jeff
Cain
Former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Rashad Evans takes on
former Pride Champion Dan Henderson at UFC 161 on June 15, and
Evans knows what he has to do to win.
“With Dan Henderson, there’s no secret, the power of
Dan Henderson. He has a huge right hand, and he doesn’t
hide it. He goes right after you. He makes sure he lines it
up and he lets you know that he’s going to hit you with
that big right hand,” said Evans on a recent episode of
UFC Tonight on Fuel TV.
“But at the same time, he has great takedown defense. He
has a wrestling background, so he will get you on the ground
and do ground and pound.”
Evans is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in
his career. Henderson is coming of a loss to Lyoto Machida at
UFC 157. Both are in need of a win, especially if they want
to remain in the title talk conversation. Evans feels he knows
what he needs to do against the 42-year-old veteran.
“For me, what I need to do is what I always need to do and
that’s just fight my fight,” said Evans. “I need
to have my transitions from my punches to my takedowns, and they
have to be sharp. No lazy half shots, none of that pitty-pat
punching. I mean hard punches and hard takedowns.”
UFC 161 takes place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Canada and his headline by an interim UFC bantamweight championship
bout between titleholder Renan Barao and challenger Eddie Wineland.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Holly
Holm Retires from Boxing, Sets Sights on Full-Time MMA Career
By Trula Howe
Holly
Holm is set to hang up her boxing gloves next month.
Effective
May 11, immediately following her bout with “Merciless”
Mary McGee, Holm will be resigning from the sport of boxing --
where she is currently ranked No. 1 in the world -- and transitioning
full-time to the MMA.
Holm,
who is scheduled to be inducted into the New Mexico Boxing Hall
of Fame this summer, felt the need to choose between the two
sports in which she competed concurrently for the last two years.
“A
hard decision, but I need to keep that spark and passion, and
MMA is where it’s at for me now,” Holm said Tuesday.
A
longtime student of coach Mike Winkeljohn, Holm currently trains
at Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., and has studied
not only boxing throughout the last 11 years, but various forms
of martial arts -- her first being kickboxing, which she tried
just for fun. The 31-year-old has also trained in grappling,
Brazilian jiu-jitsu and muay Thai at the world-famous facility.
Her
foray into the sport of mixed martial arts, beginning with her
MMA debut in March 2011, has been notably successful, with a
record of 3-0, all of her wins by stoppage and her most recent
fight for Bellator MMA. Although she doesn’t have another
MMA bout lined up yet, Holm has said that there have been several
offers. Following her February bout, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney
said that he was impressed by Holm and would like to see her
fight again for the promotion.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Sacramento
sunset review for California State Athletic Commission this Monday
at the Capitol
By Zach
Arnold
The
quick and the dirty on what’s about to transpire.
This
Monday (between 10 AM and Noon) at the John L. Burton Hearing
Room (4203) at the state capitol in Sacramento, there will be
a Joint sunset review hearing for the California State Athletic
Commission. It will be led by the Senate Business, Professions
And Economic Development committee (powerful body in California’s
state senate) and also feature non-voting members from the Assembly
Business, Professions And Consumer Protection And Assembly Arts,
Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, And Internet Media committee.
It is expected that Andy Foster, the new Executive Officer for
CSAC, will be in attendance (along with others).
This
is largely going to be a dog-and-pony show for the political
press. SBP will not vote to sunset the commission. It will be
largely two hours of politicians bloviating about the woes of
CSAC and past members and how great the Department of Consumer
Affairs is. In other words, a bunch of hot air and no real substance.
So,
let me give the politicians & their staff members a heads
up about how to make their sunset review hearing interesting
& relevant. We know that the politicians are going to use
George Dodd, the former Executive Officer, as their straw-man
to beat up. However, there’s no reason for the politicians
to come up with a straw-man that doesn’t exist any more.
You already have a whipping boy in place at CSAC (via DCA) who
just happened to be a primary cause for all the turmoil at the
commission in the first place.
If
the politicians want to make their Monday hearing relevant, don’t
bother reading personal proclamations or spending time questioning
Andy Foster when he had nothing to do with the current state
of affairs. Instead, spend the two hour time frame calling up
Che Guevara to the Capitol. Put him at the table, make him swear
under oath, and grill him for two hours with all the numbers
and facts from the Bureau of State Audits about what has happened.
There’s one guy who still exists who created the mess that
CSAC is dealing with today and it is the Chief Athletic Inspector,
Che Guevara. He’s the guy who, according to BSA, booked
over 50% of inspectors from out-of-region to shows throughout
the state. It is Che Guevara who didn’t properly teach lead
athletic inspectors how to calculate box offices, costing California
hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue. It is Che Guevara
who has been disciplined in the past for his situational ethics.
If
you aren’t willing to put Che under the microscope for two
hours and ponder why DCA hasn’t fired him from his job,
then you’re simply wasting everyone’s time with the
Monday hearing.
The
sunset hearing will not be televised on The California Channel.
However, there will be live audio streaming from the hearing
and you can click on the link provided here to listen to it when
the Monday hearing takes place.
As
for Andy Foster, he is going to live up to his word in terms
of promising dramatic changes. Those changes are going to happen
shortly, as in a couple of months.
Expect
a new cast of athletic inspectors. If you’re currently an
athletic inspector, your job security may be very tenuous. If
the trend is your friend, then here are the following benchmarks
to pay attention to regarding job security:
A
background in security, law enforcement, or firefighting
Previous experience as a fighter or extensive martial arts training
Not a full-time state employee
Highly thought of in terms of qualifications by Big John McCarthy
and/or Jack Reiss
If you match at least two of these criteria benchmarks, you should
be OK. If you match more than two of the benchmarks, you’re
set. If you don’t match any of the benchmarks, your job
security is in real trouble. You’re an endangered species.
You won’t be working many shows, if any at all in the future.
While
I don’t know the full extent of who all the new inspectors
will be, I did find out some names and the backgrounds of the
individuals coming in. Expect a strong presence from the Los
Angles Police Department, especially their boxing league. The
names Rudy Barragan and Ivan Guillermo have been booked.
The
most experienced of the new CSAC inspectors getting booked is
Chris Crail. He’s worked over 100 shows as a CAMO inspector
and is a BJJ brown belt with extensive training in wrestling.
He will be a very good asset for the MMA shows in Southern California.
Should fit right into the mix without any problems. This is a
solid upgrade to the inspector corps.
Up
North, a man named Gene Fields is getting booked and the new,
hot name getting booked for shows is a man named Hanley Chan.
He’s a CAMO inspector who has a background in security.
He’s already starting to work shows and will work the upcoming
UFC event on April 20th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.
So,
yeah, a lot of changes are coming at a quick rate and I would
expect to hear a lot of noise from those who are about to get
pushed aside. The shift will be quite dramatic.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Kelvin
Gastelum nearly quit MMA before TUF 17, now targeting move to
170
By Shaun
Al-Shatti
The
past six months have been a wild, storybook ride for Kelvin Gastelum,
the youngest competitor in The Ultimate Fighter history who upset
his way from last pick to TUF 17 season champion. And like all
true underdog tales, this one almost never happened.
"I
was sitting in my office one day," Gastelum recollected
on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "And then I saw the
(TUF 17 tryouts) ad and I was like, ‘Hey, I guess I'm going
to go and tryout, see what happens.' Because before that I was
struggling. I was about ready to quit MMA for a while, and just
get another job because obviously I wasn't doing well financially.
"I
was like, man, if I don't make it, it's going to be a while until
I'm back in a cage somewhere. Luckily it worked out all in my
favor."
Gastelum's
story culminated on Saturday night with an impressive split decision
victory over Uriah Hall, perhaps the hyped prospect to ever emerge
from the series. Now Gastelum, still just 21 years old, finds
himself swamped with both photo and autograph requests on a daily
basis.
For
many, it's a shocking turn of events. Hall was the hyper-athletic
striker touted as a monster, the man expected to become a star
almost overnight. Yet Hall's performance at The Ultimate Fighter
17 Finale left much to be desired, and afterward UFC President
Dana White declared that the middleweight "mentally broke."
"People
are saying he didn't perform, and I guess I would have to agree,"
explained Gastelum. "Mostly because I was putting the pressure
on him and actually bringing the fight, which it what a lot of
the guys didn't do. Adam Cella was the guy that brought the fight
(on TUF 17) until he stayed stationary the last couple seconds
and got caught with that kick. Then the other guys were just
scared. I wasn't scared, I brought the fight to him.
"I
expected it to be a war, which it was, but I expected more flashy
stuff and for him to try and keep me away from him. He let me
implement my gameplan more than he did his, so obviously it worked
out in my favor."
After
such a whirlwind journey, no one would begrudge Gastelum if he
wanted to avoid the spotlight for a while. However the undefeated
prospect of out Yuma, AZ has bigger plans in store, including
a cut down to welterweight.
"I
haven't talked with Dana (White) or Joe (Silva) or anybody, but
yeah, that's what my next move is, or what I want it to be,"
Gastelum revealed. "I haven't really talked to anybody about
it yet.
"I
am [confident I can make 170.] All my fights have been at 185,
but I know that once I get the diet going and my work outs, I'll
be able to make 170 for sure."
Some
wonder why a fighter who just bulldozed his way through a grueling
middleweight tournament would elect to make such an immediate
and drastic change. Though for the 5-foot-9 Gastelum, there is
one simple reason.
"Uriah
felt real strong," Gastelum explained. "And I wasn't
able to control him like I wanted to and really finish the fight.
That was the first fight that I haven't finished in my career.
I'm not a point fighter. I go out there and I try to finish fights,
so that's the only thing. He felt really strong."
Hall
and Gastelum were friends on the show, and after the conclusion
of their fight, Hall pulled Gastelum aside to tell the perennial
underdog just how proud he was and how much Gastelum deserved
his success.
It's
been an emotional stretch for Gastelum, no question. With his
life now in a far better place then it was prior, Gastelum recommends
the TUF experience to any up-and-coming fighter. Personally,
he credits much of his own growth to coach Chael Sonnen, who
took Team Darkside under his wing and imparted a valuable mindset
to his young students. To no one's surprise, it was that mindset
that allowed Gastelum to pull off his final upset.
"For
me, I go into the fight thinking that's he's trying to take something
that I got," Gastelum finished. "I'm not going to let
him take something that I earned, obviously. That's my mentality
going into the fight. Obviously I like the guy and we had a great
friendship during the show, and we trained a lot together, but
for 15 minutes I've got to make myself believe that I hate him."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Glory
Sports Continues Partnership with CBS Sports Network
Glory
Sports International and CBS Sports Network have reached an agreement
to showcase action from the kickboxing league, beginning with
GLORY 7 event in Milan, Italy on Saturday, April 20.
The
CBS Sports Network telecast of the nine-bout GLORY 7 Milan kickboxing
event from Mediolanum Forum, headlined by a showdown between
world No. 1 ranked lightweight (154 pounds/70 kilograms) Giorgio
Petrosyan (75-1, 35 KOs) of Italy and fellow sensation Hafid
El Boustati (67-7-3, 18 KOs) of The Netherlands, will air at
1:00 a.m. ET/10:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 21 (Same day delay).
“We
look forward to expanding our relationship with CBS Sports Network,
a tremendous national sports television platform, and bringing
U.S. sports fans some of the hardest-hitting, world-class kickboxing
action featuring elite martial arts fighters from around the
world,” said GLORY Sports International CEO Andrew Whitaker.
GLORY
action on CBS Sports Network continues from Ariake Coliseum in
Tokyo, Japan with a one-night, eight-man, single-elimination
tournament in GLORY’s featherweight (143 pounds/65 kilograms)
division that airs Sunday, May 5 at 2:00 a.m. ET/11:00 p.m. PT
(Same day delay). In addition to the tournament, several Superfights,
including a heavyweight rematch between all-time great Jerome
Le Banner (73-21-2, 59 KOs) of France and Muay Thai champion
Koichi (26-8-1, 15 KOs) highlight the card.
Additional
CBS Sports Network telecast dates of GLORY events will be announced
soon.
GLORY
made its debut on CBS Sports Network from Tokyo on December 31,
2012 with GLORY 4 Tokyo, a one-night, 16-man ‘Grand Slam’
tournament loaded with an unprecedented lineup of the world’s
greatest heavyweight fighters.
CBS
Sports Network is in 48 million homes and available to 100 million
homes in the U.S.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Kron
Gracie vs. Shinya Aoki headlines Metamoris II
Kron
Gracie and MMA champion Shinya Aoki will face each other in a
no-gi match at Metamoris Pro Invitational II, scheduled to take
place in Los Angeles, according to a press release sent on Tuesday.
Gracie
and Aoki will be the featured bout on a card with BJJ and MMA
athletes competing in a no-gi format, which will happen on June
9 in Los Angeles.
“Someone
in a fight is always sharper,” said Metamoris founder Ralek
Gracie said in the release. “And now, the fighter who controls
the bout with technique, the fighter who shows more varied and
frequent submission acquisition, will get his hand raised.”
The
event will be the promotion’s second and will air on Pay-Per-View.
In addition to Gracie and Aoki, the event will host five more
fights, including matches between Braulio Estima and Rodolfo
Vieira, Andre Galvao and Rafael Lovato Jr., Roberto “Cyborg”
Abreu and Brendan Schaub, Mackenzie Dern and Michelle Nicolini,
and finally Bill “The Grill” Cooper vs. Ryan Hall.
The
Pay-Per-View will be available for $19.95, and will feature a
“multi-camera format to deliver all angles accompanied by
an experienced commentary team calling the action,” according
to the promotion’s founder. The broadcast begins at 4 p.m.
PT, and doors for the event open at 3 p.m. PT.
Tickets
will be available for purchase from April 22 through Ticketmaster.
Official
Card (subject to change):
Shinya
Aoki vs. Kron Gracie
Braulio Estima vs. Rodolfo Vieira
Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu vs. Brendan Schaub
Mackenzie Dern vs. Michelle Nicolini
Andre Galvao vs. Rafael Lovato Jr.
Bill “The Grill” Cooper vs. Ryan Hall
For more information go to www.metamoris.com.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Nothing
changes in Sacramento
By Zach
Arnold
Che
Guevara was in Sacramento… and nobody bothered to ask him
a question.
Last
week, I gave the politicians in Sacramento a very easy blueprint
on how to make Monday’s sunset review hearing for the California
State Athletic Commission relevant. Mainly, put the one guy who
is most responsible for the mess in California combat sports
under oath for two hours and grill him with data from the Bureau
of State Audits.
Naturally,
the politicians didn’t listen or do the right thing. They
wanted a dog-and-pony show for the press. Just one problem…
they killed the audio stream for the hearing that was posted
on the Senate Daily File web site. They chose to air audio from
another meeting at the Capitol instead of the sunset review.
That’s like sending out invitations for a birthday party
and forgetting to list the location of where the party is at
or what time you should be in attendance.
(The
California Channel, at the last minute, decided to pick up the
option to record the sunset hearing. You can download the large
MP4 video here to watch.)
So,
let me give you a quick summary of what happened. The toads on
the state Senate Business & Professions Committee voted against
sunsetting the California State Athletic Commission. That’s
the one good development. As for the two hour session, it was
a bunch of pols bloviating about “how could a state agency
become insolvent?” while praising the Department of Consumer
Affairs for hiring Andy Foster and hoping Andy is Superman to
clean up the mess that the bureaucrats have made.
Marc
Ratner (UFC), Roy Englebrecht (promoter), and a representative
from Bellator were in attendance. Unfortunately, the hearing
proved to be a waste of their time.
Oh,
did I mention Che Guevara was in Sacramento? He was right there
for the politicians to put under oath and grill. If the pols
wanted answers and wanted a fall guy, they had their chance.
They declined. They gave him a pass. They always do. That’s
how he continues to survive. Proof positive that failure always
gets rewarded in politics.
However,
as one door closes… another one opens up. Che’s past
history of being part of the wrecking crew that damaged the California
State Athletic Commission is about to catch up with him. The
first domino to fall? Bill Douglas. Douglas, the former Executive
Officer who DCA made sure was in place years ago, is heading
to trial on April 18th in Sacramento Superior Court. He apparently
is not going to accept a plea deal with prosecutors after being
charged with 7 misdemeanors for allegedly trying to sabotage
key members of the CSAC front office. Accepting a plea deal would
kill Douglas’ chance of getting back a job with the state
of California and any retirement pension. So, it’s a roll
of a dice for him.
Douglas
and Che were a tag team in the CSAC front office in 2009. What
will Douglas say about Che during his upcoming trial in regards
to their prior activities for key decisions that were made in
the office? How much new material will be revealed? Remember,
both individuals worked in tandem with DCA. They ran over many
good people while they were in power. Eventually, one of them
is going to reveal the skeletons in the closet — and my
guess is that Douglas is ready to roll over on Guevara right
about now.
And
that’s not good news for a guy who’s desperately trying
to protect an easy $60,000/year paycheck for being a paper pusher.
Back
to the sunset hearing that took place on Monday. Here’s
a useless press release from the office of Assemblyman Luis Alejo
about today’s proceedings:
Oversight
hearing discusses administrative and operational deficiencies
of California State Athletic Commission
(SACRAMENTO)
– Today, Assemblymember Luis Alejo (D-Salinas) participated
in an oversight hearing of the State Athletic Commission organized
by the Senate Business, Profession, and Economic Development,
the Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Protection and
the Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet
Media Committees.
Members
of the Committees discussed with representatives from the State
Athletic Commission and the Department of Consumers Affairs the
results of a recent State Audit, requested by Assemblyman Alejo,
which raised serious concerns with the financial management and
administrative operations of the California State Athletic Commission.
During the oversight hearing Alejo raised serious concerns with
the fact that the Chair of the Commission, Mr. Frierson, was
not present at the hearing to answer questions regarding his
involvement and responsibilities as Chairman of the Commission.
“Six
audits, three internal audits by the Department of Consumer Affairs
and three audits by the California State Auditor, over the past
6 years have highlighted the fact that the Commission has failed
on its responsibility to manage its financial and administrative
operations,” says Alejo. “The sunset review report
also shows the continued inability of the California State Athletic
Commission to carry out its statutory duties with serious flaws
and major improvements needed. It is worrisome that many of the
same problems go back to 2003 and persist a decade later.”
The
California State Athletic Commission is responsible for protecting
the health and safety of its licensees; boxers, kickboxers and
mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes. Through the years, the Commission
has become one of the largest combat sports sanctioning bodies
in the nation. The State Athletic Commission came under scrutiny
when the Commission announced its insolvency due to excessive
spending. Reports of financial problems and administrative wrongdoing
led Alejo to request the audit last July.
“The
State Audit report reveals that the Commission lacks a long-term
plan to deal with its financial crisis. It is unacceptable that
even after fiscal problems became public the Commission’s
board took 6 months to begin correcting the problem. Additionally,
it was revealed that the Commission has violated state law in
managing its Pension and Neurological Funds,” says Alejo.
The
Committees that participated in the hearing today will collect
all the information provided by the State Auditor, the State
Athletic Commission, the Department of Consumer Affairs and members
of the public and will begin drafting a bill to address the short-and
long-term issues with the California State Athletic Commission.
Notice
how the politicians are very careful not to go after the behemoth
known as the Department of Consumer Affairs, the agency that
basically controls the puppet strings?
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
World
Series of Fighting announces several bouts for June 14 card
By Dave
Doyle
The
World Series of Fighting's third promotional effort is shaping
up in short order.
The
company already announced the main event for the June 14 event
at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, as Jon Fitch
makes his WSOF debut against Josh Burkman. And Monday, MMAFighting.com
broke the news of kickboxing superstar Tyrone Spong's second
pro mixed martial arts bout, against 11-2 Angel DeAnda.
Tuesday,
the promotion announced the remaining two fights on the four-fight
NBC Sports Network main card and a pair of preliminary-card bouts.
In
a heavyweight bout, Rolles Gracie (8-1) will square off against
Dave Huckaba (21-4). And at lightweight, unbeaten Justin Gaethje
(8-0) meets Brian Cobb (20-7).
Fans
may best remember Gracie for his loss to Joey Beltran at UFC
109. But since his only career defeat, he's rattled off five
consecutive victories, all by submission. Huckaba, a 39-year-old
from Sacramento, has won nine of his past 10 fights.
Cobb
is considered one of the better lightweights outside the UFC.
The Baskersfield, Calif. fighter backed up his rep with a well-contested,
split-decision win over Ronys Torres at the first WSOF event,
which was his fifth win in his past six fights. Gaethje, a 24-year-old
fighter from Arizona, has stoppages in seven of his eight fights.
Two
preliminary bouts were announced as well. Battle-hardened veteran
John Gunderson (34-14) will meet Dan Lauzon (16-4), the younger
brother of UFC lightweight star Joe Lauzon, at lightweight. And
in a battle of unbeaten middleweights, Bulgarian Krasimir Mladenov
(8-0) squares off with Atlanta's Kenrdick Miree (5-0).
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Robert
Drysdale wins again, aims for shot in the UFC
Lilian
Caparroz
Robert
Drysdale is undefeated in MMA with six wins by submission. The
fighter’s goal is a career in the UFC and fighting the best.
Photo: Legacy FC/ Disclosed
Robert
Drysdale is a hot issue in MMA. The fighter, son of an American
father and a Brazilian mother, was born in America but raised
in Brazil. As an adult and with a black belt, he returned to
Las Vegas where he opened his own gym, Drysdale BJJ, and began
to help in the training of big UFC names, like Forrest Griffin,
Wanderlei Silva and Randy Couture, who encouraged him to start
in MMA.
After
becoming the ADCC 2007 absolute champion, Drysdale left the competitions
on the mats to join the world of cages, but like he says, Jiu-Jitsu
remained being more than a sport, it is a lifestyle for him.
Proof
of this is found in all his professional fights. The phenomenon
of the gentle art has won by submission in the first round every
fight. The last one happened Friday, April 12, at Legacy FC 19.
The light heavyweight faced D.J. Linderman, an experienced fighter
who has fought in events like Bellator and WSOF, and the Brazilian
won with a nice rear-naked choke.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Transgender
Fighter Fallon Fox to Make Televised Debut on AXS TV at CFA 11
By Mike
Whitman
Transgender
fighter Fallon Fox will make her televised debut on May 24, when
she squares off with Allanna Jones at CFA 11 live on AXS TV.
The
Championship Fighting Alliance event takes place at BankUnited
Center in Coral Gables, Fla., and the evening’s televised
main card kicks off at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
In
addition to the women’s 145-pound tournament semifinal between
Fox and Jones, the card will also see Strikeforce veterans Mike
Kyle and Valentijn Overeem collide in a heavyweight showdown.
Bellator alumni Luis Palomino and Alexis Vila will also compete
on the card, taking on Robert Washington and Czar Sklavos, respectively.
Fox,
37, advanced to the semifinals of CFA’s women’s tournament
by knocking out Ericka Newsome in just 39 seconds on March 2
at CFA 10. Born male, Fox underwent gender reassignment surgery
in 2006 and supplemented the procedure with years of hormone
therapy, a fact that was first reported last month, just days
after her victory over Newsome. The news prompted Florida to
investigate Fox’s license, but the fighter’s ability
to compete ultimately remained unaffected.
Jones,
meanwhile, took a split decision over Kelsey De Santis in the
tournament quarterfinals to advance in the CFA draw. The 26-year-old
began her pro career this past September and split her first
two bouts, debuting with a first-round knockout over Kathleen
Albany before submitting to a Randa Markos Thomas armbar on Nov.
17.
Source
Sherdog
|
Regarding
Fallon Fox, UFC ’suspends’ Meathead to protect their
sacred cows
By Zach
Arnold
Last
Sunday, the top doctors on the California State Athletic Commission
held a meeting in Sacramento. A topic at that meeting was Fallon
Fox and how to handle the situation going forward in the future
in terms of licensing & medical testing. Fox is scheduled
to fight Allanna Jones next and here is a recent interview with
Allanna about that upcoming fight in Florida.
Perhaps
this article (Fallon Fox and the culture of ignorance within
MMA) was a harbinger of things to come. Matt Hughes, the UFC’s
front man (a.k.a. “VP of talent relations”), had a…
unique way of address the Fox matter.
Matt
Hughes is company “management” now. He’s a face
for UFC ownership. He was not suspended for his remarks.
Joe
Rogan went full-tilt in a rant against Fox, a rant we transcribed
due to how… blunt it was in terms of vociferousness.
“You
can’t fight women. That’s fucking crazy. I don’t
know why she thinks that she’s going to be able to do that.
If you want to be a woman in the bedroom and you know you want
to play house and all of that other shit and you feel like you
have, your body is really a woman’s body trapped inside
a man’s frame and so you got a operation, that’s all
good in the hood. But you can’t fight chicks. Get the fuck
out of here. You’re out of your mind. You need to fight
men, you know? Period. You need to fight men your size because
you’re a man. You’re a man without a dick.”
Joe
Rogan is one of the most important faces to the general public
when it comes to UFC. He and Dana do the PPV sales pitches at
the end of FX shows. Rogan has been around the company forever.
When it came to his comments about Fallon Fox, he was not suspended.
UFC continues to parrot the “Rogan’s a comedian”
line to anyone who presses them on the issue. It’s apparently
worked, to a degree.
That
line of excuse will not work for fighter Matt Mitrione, however.
He’s a) a mid-card UFC fighter who needs UFC and not vice
versa and b) he doesn’t have the money to sue UFC in Las
Vegas court. So, instead, Mitrione will have his contract ’suspended’
by the UFC for remarks he made about Fallon Fox on Monday.
Let’s
compare what Mitrione said to what Rogan said in their two respective
sound bytes. Mitrione’s comments in brown and Rogan’s
comments in blue.
“Because
she’s not a he. He’s a he,” he said. “He’s
chromosomally a man. He had a gender change, not a sex change.
He’s still a man. He was a man for 31 years. Thirty-one
years. That’s a couple years younger than I am. He’s
a man. Six years of taking performance de-hancing drugs, you
think is going to change all that? That’s ridiculous.
“That
is a lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak,” he continued.
“And I mean that. Because you lied on your license to beat
up women. That’s disgusting. You should be embarrassed yourself.
And the fact that Florida licensed him because California licensed
him or whoever the hell did it, it’s an embarrassment to
us as fighters, as a sport, and we all should protest that. The
woman that’s fighting him, props to you. I hope you beat
his ass, and I hope he gets blackballed and never fights again,
because that’s disgusting and I’m appalled by that.”
“I’m
looking at a man with a dress, OK? And you don’t… you
can act as a woman, I will call you a ‘her,’ I will,
uh, call you ma’am. I’ll be respectful but you can’t
fight women when you have a man’s frame. PERIOD. Women aren’t
that wide, that generates to increased punching power. Women
don’t have that sort of muscle structure. I don’t know
what you’re doing, I don’t know, you mean obviously
if you’re transoperational it means you removed your testicles
so your body’s not producing testosterone any more. I don’t
know if you’re supplementing testosterone. If your body’s
not producing testosterone, why are your arms so big? What’s
going on here? There’s a lot of shit going on there and
you can’t fight women. No fucking way.”
“I’m
glad I could make fun of him a little bit because he’s obviously
got some mental issues and wants to beat up on women.”
“How
about some crazy dude who wants to beat the fuck out of chicks,
so he gets his dick chopped off? I mean, that’s not outside
the realm of possibility. There’s a lot of suicidal fucks
out there. There’s a lot of people that are like on the
edge anyway. Like getting your dick chopped off, you know you’re
going to pay attention to me? OK, I’ll chop my dick off,
I’ll be a girl for a while. There’s people out there
that are fucking crazy and you can’t let them fight girls.
You just can’t. So, if this chick fights on Indian land
I guess they could do whatever you want. I don’t see the
Nevada State Athletic Commission allowing a woman to fight a
man, though. … I don’t agree with the (Florida) athletic
commission letting this happen. I don’t know. I don’t
understand it. I don’t know why anybody would ever allow
it. When it comes to competitive athletics, that’s where
you got to draw the line.”
Smoogy
sums up the double-secret probation punishment on Mitrione:
I
can’t believe Mitrione broke the UFC’s secret rules.
Hopefully after a week in the Box of Punishment he’ll be
back to polluting main cards.
As
sports writer Beau Dure stated on Monday night:
I’m
sorry — I’m completely baffled by the UFC’s suspensions
and non-suspensions. Can’t event comment beyond that.
Look,
Dana White said far worse things about certain women than Mitrione
did about Fallon Fox. Where’s the consistency?
Matt
Mitrione is expendable and easy fodder for the UFC to gain cheap
PR points for making an example of. Joe Rogan remains a sacred
cow with UFC management and they will defend him no matter how
far he goes and they will continue to do so by using the “he’s
a comedian!” line. You can feel however you want to feel
about the comments these men made regarding Fallon Fox but I
would wisely advise you to not fall for the myth that the UFC
is pushing right now in regards to how their independent contractors
feel about transgender fighters. Proceed with caution.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
CFA
11 Airs on AXS TV, Includes Valentijn Overeem vs. Mike Kyle &
Fallon Fox vs. Allana Jones
Jorge
de la Noval, owner of Championship Fighting Alliance (CFA) on
Wednesday officially announced that his Miami-based MMA organization
has closed a deal with AXS TV and that his May 24 event “CFA
11” will be presented live on AXS TV as part of its Friday
Night Fights series. He also announced that heavyweights Valentijn
Overeem vs. Mike Kyle will headline the card at Miami’s
BankUnited Center and that the co-main event will feature Fallon
Fox vs. Allanna Jones as the co-main event in the women’s
145-pound championship semifinals.
“We
are honored to be in business with AXS TV and look forward to
working with them to present ‘CFA 11’ live to MMA fans
across America on national television,” said de la Noval.
“The main event is a blockbuster heavyweight matchup between
Dutch fighting legend Valentijn Overeem and veteran of the UFC
and Strikeforce Mike Kyle.
“CFA
11” tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com starting
at $25.00 for general admission. Reserved seating is $35.00 (additional
taxes and fees apply).”
Valentijn
Overeem (30-27) is considered one of the most talented heavyweight
fighters in the world. Throughout his stellar career, he’s
competed in major fighting organizations including PRIDE, K-1,
Strikeforce, World Extreme Cagefighting, M-1 Global and is also
a former Pancrase Champion. The brother of UFC heavyweight Alistair
Overeem, Valentijn trains out of JACO Hybrid Training Center
with the Blackzilians in Boca Raton, Fla.
“I’m
training to knock my opponent out; this fight is not going to
be decided by the judges,” said Overeem. “I have among
the best strikers in the world, and the best wresters in the
world here at JACO Hybrid Training Center. Together, we are going
to beat Kyle and bring another win home to the Blackzillians.”
Mike
Kyle (19-9) is also a veteran of Strikeforce and is the former
King of the Cage champion at light heavyweight. He fought at
the highest level of MMA with the Ultimate Fighting Championship
from 2004-2005, and during that period defeated James Irvin at
UFC 51 with a first-round knockout.
“I
feel reborn and ready to fight, and I want to thank all of my
fans that have supported me through my career,” said Kyle.
“I think Valentijn Overeem is the perfect opponent to showcase
my skills and give the fans a great main event. On May 24, I’m
going to show everyone what kind of fighter I can be.”
In
the co-main event, Fallon Fox will take on Allanna Jones in the
CFA 145-pound women’s tournament semi-finals.
“I
am pleased to have Fallon Fox back in the CFA cage for this pivotal
fight against Allanna Jones,” said de la Noval. “The
winner of Fox vs. Jones will advance to the featherweight finals
and the chance to become the new CFA 145-pound champion.
This
is going to be an exciting fight between two incredible fighters
and that is what this sport, and this night is all about.”
“I
am extremely excited about my next fight with Allanna Jones,”
said Fox. “It will feel really good to step into the cage
again on May 24. I look forward to dealing with whatever Allanna
will throw my way. It should be an fun, action-packed night for
fans of MMA, Championship Fighting Alliance and everyone watching
on AXS TV.”
“I’m
thrilled to have this fight and this opportunity,” said
Jones. “This is just another fight, and just another opponent
for me. I am looking for the knockout and to make a statement
on AXS TV and to advance to the finals to win that 145-pound
CFA title.”
The
5’7” undefeated Fox (2-0) fights out of Midwest Training
Center in Chicago. Both of her professional wins have come by
first-round knockout. She is also undefeated as an amateur (3-0)
with all victories coming via submission. Fox’s last appearance
was at CFA 10 when she finished Ericka Newsome in CFA’s
first elimination bout for the 145-pound tournament championship.
The
5’4” Jones (2-1) fights out of Ionia, Michigan’s
American Muscle MMA training center. The 26-year-old Jones also
competed at CFA 10, defeating her opponent in a three-round split
decision. She has been competing since 2010 and has an amateur
record of 6-2.
Also
on the televised card on AXS TV, Friday May 24 is a lightweight
match-up between Luis Palmino (20-8) and Robert Washington (15-7).
Sean Soriano (7-0) and Elvin Brito (6-1) will fight for the CFA
Interim Featherweight title. Alexis Vila (11-3) will take on
Czar Sklavos (7-2) in a flyweight division match-up, and in the
show opener will be a middleweight match-up between Mike King
(5-0) and Oscar Delgado (6-2).
The
Florida State Boxing Commission has approved all bouts on CFA
11 and has licensed all athletes on the CFA 11 card, including
Fallon Fox, who is the first known transgender fighter to compete
in professional mixed martial arts. All bouts are live and subject
to change.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Gilbert
Melendez Fights Benson Henderson for More Than the UFC Title
by Jeff
Cain
UFC lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez says there’s
no added pressure to win heading into his UFC on Fox 7 title
bout with champion Benson Henderson, but the stakes are high
and what’s on the line is more than simply a title.
Melendez, the last Strikeforce lightweight titleholder, has lobbied
for years to get a shot in the UFC. Regarded as the best lightweight
to have never fought in the Octagon, Melendez has spent the last
seven years in Strikeforce. Contractual champion clauses kept
him from making his long awaited debut, until now.
Melendez has been ranked in the top five for years. In 2006,
Melendez first cracked the top five, when Henderson had only
one professional fight. The April 20 title fight is a champion
vs. champion match-up, but Melendez feels like the challenger.
“I feel like I am somewhat of a challenger and walking into
new territory. It’s a whole new organization, different
type stage. Ben Henderson is the champ in the UFC,” said
Melendez on a media conference call promoting the event.
Henderson, in his last fight, defeated Melendez’s friend
and long-time training partner Nate Diaz by unanimous decision.
Melendez cornered Diaz that night, and has been itching for
the opportunity to avenge his teammate’s loss.
“When your buddies fight you can’t help but get a little
emotional out there and passionate. You’re bummed for your
friend when he fights and if you can back your friend up you
will. At that point I was like give me the opportunity to avenge
my friend. Give me the opportunity to fight this dude. I can
do it,” he said. “That was kind of going through my
head, and I was just licking my chops hoping to get the opportunity,
and I did.”
Melendez trains out of the Cesar Gracie camp, as well as his
own gym, El Nino Sports, and the Fairtex Gym. Many of his Cesar
Gracie training partners have had UFC title fights and all of
them have come up short. A Cesar Gracie fighter has fought for
a UFC title on six different occasions, and were defeated all
six times.
Given the team’s title fight track record, Melendez would
like to be the one to bring home UFC gold.
“I hope to win the title for my team, but I really try not
to put too much pressure on myself. I go out there and fight
and fight my fight,” he said.
“I think it’s a great accomplishment for my whole team
just to even get title fights. Not many teams can say that.
Dave Terrell, Gil Castillo, Nick (Diaz), Jake (Shields), and
Nate (Diaz) have all had title fights. That’s great for
our team. If anything, it’s an accomplishment for our team.
But I’d love to be able to bring that title back to the
gym and share it with those guys.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
on Fox 7 Preview
By Tristen
Critchfield
Who
does not love a fight card with a distinct theme? For its seventh
appearance on Fox, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has put
together an event featuring eight bouts pitting Octagon veterans
against Strikeforce imports, including all four conflicts set
to appear on the main draw.
Gilbert
Melendez’s promotional debut is of significant interest,
as the former Strikeforce 155-pound king has long yearned to
prove himself against the best the UFC has to offer. He will
get that chance against reigning lightweight champion Benson
Henderson in the UFC on Fox 7 headliner. Additionally, Strikeforce
heavyweight grand prix winner Daniel Cormier locks horns with
former UFC heavyweight titlist Frank Mir in the co-main event.
Here
is a closer look at the UFC on Fox 7 card, with analysis and
picks:
UFC
Lightweight Championship
Benson
Henderson (18-2, 6-0 UFC) vs. Gilbert Melendez (21-2, 0-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: If two closely contested bouts with Frankie Edgar left
some question regarding Henderson’s long-term viability
as 155-pound king, “Smooth” emphatically erased those
doubts with a dominant performance against Nate Diaz at UFC on
Fox 5 in December. The champion slowed Diaz with leg kicks, overpowered
him in the clinch and even rocked the Stockton, Calif., native
with power punches on a couple of occasions. Henderson has compiled
an impressive resume in an ultra-competitive division, besting
Mark Bocek, Jim Miller, Clay Guida, Edgar (twice) and Diaz since
arriving from World Extreme Cagefighting.
Melendez
has long been recognized as one of the top lightweights and pound-for-pound
fighters in the world, and now the former Strikeforce champion
finally gets the opportunity he has desired for so long: to compete
against the UFC’s best. “El Nino” put together
a remarkable run in Strikeforce, winning his last seven fights;
he has not lost since dropping a unanimous decision to Josh Thomson
in 2008, and Melendez has since bested Thomson twice. Melendez
survived a closer-than-expected third bout with “The Punk”
in his most recent outing -- an effort that the Californian said
might have resulted from a lack of motivation. That should not
be a problem this time around.
These
two lightweights are built for five-round fights. Each of Henderson’s
three title bouts have gone the distance, while four of Melendez’s
last five appearances have required the entire 25 minutes. Much
of Melendez’s success is predicated upon his ability to
outpace his opponents, both on the feet and in scrambles and
transitions on the mat, but he will find it difficult to wear
down the well-conditioned Henderson in the championship frames.
Melendez’s
improvement in the striking department over the years will be
his best asset. He generally out-lands his foes at a greater
rate than Henderson, and he has proven himself capable of landing
multi-punch combinations in the pocket in recent bouts. However,
Henderson was able to keep Diaz -- a volume-based striker --
off-balance thanks to a steady diet of leg kicks and takedowns.
As a result, Diaz never got into a rhythm and was ultimately
out-landed by a lopsided margin.
While
Melendez has a solid jab, he is not as proficient a striker as
Diaz. However, he is a much better wrestler, and his ability
to follow punching combinations with takedown attempts could
sway the fight in his favor. Henderson’s athleticism and
upper-body strength make him difficult to hold down, and Melendez’s
willingness to initiate scrambles to improve position could result
in him giving up his back or being trapped in the champion’s
dangerous guillotine. Being nearly impossible to submit gives
Henderson a freedom to be aggressive with ground-and-pound and
submission attempts that few fighters are allowed.
Henderson
can negate Melendez’s attempts to set the pace with aggressive
striking by outmuscling him in the clinch and wearing him down
with dirty boxing and knees. Henderson’s ability to consistently
land kicks to the legs and body will also slow down the challenger
as the contest advances.
The
Pick: This appears to be an evenly matched fight, but Melendez
is not going to offer Henderson anything he has not seen already.
Unless “El Nino” can consistently utilize footwork
and movement to out-strike Henderson over five rounds, the champion’s
strength and athleticism will allow him to gain the upper hand
in wrestling, scrambles and tie-ups. Henderson retains his title
by decision.
Heavyweights
Frank
Mir (16-6, 14-6 UFC) vs. Daniel Cormier (11-0, 0-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: A cross-promotional showdown that was originally expected
to take place under the Strikeforce banner in November instead
gets a larger network television audience for Cormier’s
Octagon debut. Depending on future events, it could very well
be a one-and-done stint at heavyweight for the American Kickboxing
Academy product. Teammate Cain Velasquez still reigns in the
division, and Cormier could be tempted to test the waters at
205 pounds as a result, regardless of how he fares against Mir.
A
savvy veteran with a wealth of big-fight experience, Mir opted
to change things up for his current camp, spending a significant
amount of time training at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts.
Mir is an intelligent fighter on his own, and joining forces
with one of the sport’s most respected camps can only serve
to enhance his fight night strategy. However, the former heavyweight
champion’s weaknesses were on full display at UFC 146, where
he was left to dive desperately for Junior dos Santos’ legs
in hopes of avoiding lopsided exchanges on the feet. His efforts
proved futile, as dos Santos won via second-round technical knockout.
Mir
has improved his standup over the years, but his guard and crafty
submission game remain his strong suit. His ability to maintain
composure when dazed means he is never completely out of a fight,
especially when an overeager foe elects to follow him to the
mat in pursuit of a finish.
Considering
Mir’s tendency to get rocked by heavy-handed foes, Cormier
could elect to keep the majority of the bout standing, as he
has shown knockout power and an ability to get inside on rangier
opponents with quick combinations. Although Cormier is one of
the best wrestlers in the sport today, shooting for takedowns
figures to give Mir a better chance at an upset. The Las Vegas
resident is adept at taking advantage of the smallest of openings,
and he might even attempt to pull guard in hopes of luring Cormier
into his comfort zone. The prospect of Mir initiating a takedown
is unlikely, as Cormier can use his defensive wrestling to dictate
the location of the bout. In eight Strikeforce appearances, Cormier
was never taken down.
If
Mir attempts to force his way into tie-up range in hopes of executing
an outside trip, he risks being victimized by a highlight-reel
slam. Even if Mir is able to force some type of scramble on the
floor, there is no guarantee he will be able to catch Cormier
in a submission. In May, the former Oklahoma State University
wrestler defended himself well against Josh Barnett, another
renowned grappler.
The
Pick: Mir will be unable to take down Cormier, which will draw
him into dangerous exchanges. Eventually, a hook or uppercut
rocks Mir, and Cormier finishes the job with follow-up strikes
in the first or second round.
Lightweights
Nate
Diaz (16-8, 11-6 UFC) vs. Josh Thomson (19-5, 2-1 UFC)
The
Matchup: Although Thomson is a former Strikeforce champion, one
still must wonder how much more accomplished he could be had
his career not been plagued by so many injuries. At 34 years
old, “The Punk” still has plenty left in the tank,
as he demonstrated by pushing Gilbert Melendez in the championship
rounds of their third meeting in May. Even then, however, Thomson
was rumored to be nursing some type of injury heading into the
bout.
If
he makes it through his camp completely healthy, Thomson has
a solid chance to upset Diaz, who suffered a humbling loss to
Benson Henderson in a title fight at UFC on Fox 5. Known for
his volume punching, Diaz was out-landed 124 to 30 in significant
strikes by the champion in December. While Thomson is not going
to simply overpower Diaz in tie-ups as Henderson did, his combination
of fluid striking and underrated wrestling is enough to give
the Cesar Gracie pupil some problems.
Diaz
is at his best when he can bait his opponents into exchanges,
where he absorbs a strike or two to land multiple combinations
of his own. “The Ultimate Fighter 5” winner lands accurate
punches to the head and body and will be especially dangerous
if Thomson elects to stand in front of him. While Thomson will
have to navigate a five-inch reach disadvantage, his movement
and footwork should aide him in landing a varied striking attack.
Eventually, Thomson should use his jab and a variety of kicks
to set up a level changes and takedowns. Diaz’s active guard
often serves as a deterrent for adversaries who want to take
him to the canvas, but Thomson has never been submitted. In recent
bouts against Melendez and K.J. Noons, Thomson has done some
of his best work on the floor.
Both
fighters have solid gas tanks, so expect a plenty of back-and-forth
in the standup and on the mat. Diaz will have a slight edge in
exchanges, landing at a higher rate as Thomson attempts to find
ways to narrow the gap. Thomson could have success utilizing
the trip takedown he used in the later rounds against Melendez,
as Diaz’s takedown defense, at 46 percent, has never been
a strong suit.
The
Pick: Thomson will vary his strikes, mixing in kicks and knees
with his jab, and he will turn the momentum of a close bout with
a few key takedowns to capture a narrow decision victory. Of
course, if Thomson is injured, all bets are off.
Welterweights
Matt
Brown (16-11, 9-5 UFC) vs. Jordan Mein (27-8, 1-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: This is a perfect fight to begin the Fox broadcast,
as both Brown and Mein figure to bring plenty of offensive fireworks
to the Octagon. Mein, a replacement for Dan Hardy, became the
first person to finish the durable Dan Miller in his UFC debut
last month, stopping the AMA Fight Club representative with a
volley of punches to the head and body in the opening round at
UFC 158. Although he is just 23 years old, Mein already has wealth
of valuable experience with 35 professional fights under his
belt.
Brown,
meanwhile, capped a resurgent 2012 with his fourth victory in
as many tries, taking a second-round technical knockout victory
against Mike Swick at UFC on Fox 5. “The Immortal”
has had his share of ups and downs during his UFC tenure, but
he is rarely involved in a boring fight. “The Ultimate Fighter
7” alum is an aggressive striker, and he only seems to get
stronger if he can lure his opponent into a brawl. Brown has
dangerous power in his right hand and possesses a sturdy chin,
which serves him well in exchanges. The Ohio native is also effective
landing knees and elbows in the clinch. Mix in his capable ground-and-pound
from top position, and you have a fighter who is comfortable
landing offense from most anywhere.
He
has a willing dance partner in Mein, who sets the tone with an
accurate jab. The Canadian can temper his foe’s aggression
with counter hooks, and if the action moves to close quarters,
he is comfortable changing levels with his punches and working
the body. “Young Gun,” who will have a 2.5-inch reach
disadvantage, can attempt to curtail Brown’s forward movement
with kicks to the legs, body and head.
Neither
man has especially sound takedown defense. Mein has yet to land
a takedown in his four bouts examined by FightMetric.com, while
Brown has proven susceptible to a solid submission game. Mein
is the most proficient striker Brown has faced since Stephen
Thompson, but the Canadian Martial Arts Centre product is much
more dangerous than Thompson was on the ground.
Should
Brown decide that things are not going well on the feet, he must
be wary of Mein’s active submission game from his back,
as well as his ability to create space and return to his feet
with his butterfly guard. Mein also has solid submission defense,
which he showed by escaping a deep armbar early in his bout with
Miller.
The
Pick: This will be a barnburner anywhere the fight goes. Mein’s
standup is a little more polished and varied, however, and he
will not allow Brown to keep him on the canvas for any significant
period of time. Mein captures a decision in a “Fight of
the Night” candidate.
Featherweights
Chad
Mendes (13-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Darren Elkins (16-2, 6-1 UFC): Elkins
has emerged as one of the sport’s most underrated 145-pound
talents, notching five consecutive victories inside the Octagon,
including a first-round technical knockout of Antonio Carvalho
at UFC 158 -- his first finish during that streak. Elkins can
establish himself as a legitimate title threat with a victory
over Mendes, a former No. 1 contender himself. Mendes, after
a couple of first-round stoppages against overmatched opponents,
stifles Elkins’ wrestling and grinds out a decision triumph.
Middleweights
Lorenz
Larkin (13-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Francis Carmont (20-7, 4-0 UFC): Carmont
was probably fortunate to capture a split verdict against Tom
Lawlor in his most recent outing. “Limitless” should
employ a strategy similar to the one Muhammed Lawal utilized
against Larkin at Strikeforce “Rockhold vs. Jardine,”
which means punishing Larkin with takedowns and ground-and-pound.
Of course, that came at 205 pounds and was later overturned after
“King Mo” failed a post-fight drug screen. If Larkin
can keep his feet -- no simple task -- he can outgun Carmont
with a diverse striking arsenal. Carmont is capable of using
punches and kicks to close the distance, and he outwrestles Larkin
to take a narrow decision.
Lightweights
Myles
Jury (11-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Ramsey Nijem (7-2, 3-1 UFC): Jury authored
a surprisingly one-sided victory over Michael Johnson at UFC
155, grounding the Blackzilians member repeatedly and punishing
him with ground-and-pound. Nijem has reeled off three straight
wins since falling to Tony Ferguson at “The Ultimate Fighter
13” Finale. Nijem will pressure Jury and win the majority
of scrambles on the ground to earn a decision.
Flyweights
Joseph
Benavidez (17-3, 4-1 UFC) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (8-3, 2-0 UFC):
Benavidez reminded everyone that he is still one of the world’s
top flyweights by defeating Ian McCall at UFC 156; a win over
Uyenoyama could earned the Team Alpha Male member another shot
at Demetrious Johnson somewhere down the road. Uyenoyama is known
for his grappling acumen, but he will be hard-pressed to match
his opponent’s pace, both standing and on the floor. Benavidez
wins by TKO or submission in the second round.
Lightweights
Tim
Means (18-3-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Jorge Masvidal (23-7, 0-0 UFC): An
unfortunate sauna mishap forced Means out of a proposed meeting
with Abel Trujillo in December, but now the FIT NHB representative
gets what is potentially an even tougher matchup in Masvidal,
a well-traveled veteran who once challenged for the Strikeforce
title. “Gamebred” is a versatile adversary capable
of mixing his strikes and landing takedowns against the deceptively
powerful Means. Masvidal takes this by decision.
Bantamweights
T.J.
Dillashaw (7-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Hugo Viana (7-0, 2-0 UFC): Dillashaw
replaces the injured Francisco Rivera in this 135-pound tilt.
The Team Alpha Male product has earned three consecutive one-sided
victories over Issei Tamura, Walel Watson and Vaughan Lee in
his last three outings. After winning four of his previous six
fights by decision -- including his Octagon debut against John
Teixeira da Conceicao -- Viana showcased a powerful overhand
right in a first-round knockout of Rueben Duran at “The
Ultimate Fighter 16” Finale. Dillashaw grounds his adversary
repeatedly and wins via TKO or submission in round two.
Lightweights
Roger
Bowling (11-3, 0-0 UFC) vs. Anthony Njokuani (15-7, 2-3 UFC):
Perhaps best known for his trilogy with Bobby Voelker in Strikeforce,
Bowling places a premium on putting on exciting fights. He will
have to navigate the seven-inch reach advantage and kickboxing
skills of Njokuani while making the cut from 170 to 155 pounds.
Njokuani uses kicks to keep Bowling at a safe range before eventually
catching his foe as he attempts to close distance for a TKO victory
in the third round.
Middleweights
Yoel
Romero Palacio (4-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Clifford Starks (8-1, 1-1 UFC):
Palacio makes his UFC debut on the heels of a knockout loss to
Rafael Cavalcante in Strikeforce. It has been a year and a half
since the 35-year-old suffered that defeat. Starks, a former
wrestler at Arizona State University, was submitted by Ed Herman
in his last appearance at UFC 143. Starks mixes power punches
with takedowns to take a decision.
*
* *
TRACKING
TRISTEN 2013
Overall
Record: 78-47
Last Event (“The Ultimate Fighter 17” Finale): 8-4
Best Event (Strikeforce “Marquardt vs. Saffiedine): 9-2
Worst Event (UFC 156/UFC on Fuel TV 8): 5-6
Source:
Sherdog
|
Robert
Guerrero’s no good, very bad day in New York
By Zach
Arnold
The
good news for Robert Guerrero is that it appears his May 4th
fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas is still going
to happen. The bad news is that after that fight, he may get
the Plaxico Burress treatment from the state of New York and
spend time in jail after being arrested on gun charges at JFK
Airport.
He
had an unloaded gun in his possession while trying to board a
flight to Las Vegas. Bloviating Queens district attorney Richard
A. Brown was quoted as saying the following:
“I
hope that Mr. Guerrero fights better than he thinks. For anyone
who hasn’t gotten the message, let me be crystal clear:
You cannot bring an unlicensed weapon — loaded or unloaded
— into this county or this city. And if you do you will
be arrested and face felony charges.”
Guerrero
presented a locked gun box to a Delta Airlines ticket agent.
So, for his honesty (and idiocy), he got hammered. When you go
into the land of Michael Bloomberg, you kind of know what you
are getting into. Maybe if his name was David Gregory, he wouldn’t
have been arrested. The Washington D.C. way of gun law enforcement.
Instead, Rikers looks more like a possible temporary home for
The Ghost. Ask Lil Wayne about what kind of experience that is.
Just don’t drink the sizzurp.
As
Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated adroitly stated, “Robert
Guerrero chose the worst state to bring a gun to.” Kevin
Iole at Yahoo Sports states that he doesn’t think Guerrero
will spend a day in prison. I’d beg to differ on this one.
Guerrero’s fight with Floyd Mayweather makes him a more
visible name and for media-hungry prosecutors, it makes the boxer
a prime target for throwing the book at in order to make an example
out of someone. Keith Kizer, who worked in Nevada’s D.A.
office before heading to the athletic commission, is already
wavering about whether or not Guerrero will still fight Mayweather.
Guerrero’s
high-profile arrest is the latest in a string of gun-related
arrests at JFK amongst travelers, and the nature of who just
got arrested here will certainly bring in political groups like
the NRA to the mix in regards to the 2nd Amendment. Gun control
remains a hotly-contested political issue in the United States,
especially New York state with their new gun laws. California
is also poised to pass their own new gun laws as well.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Morning
Report: Kelvin Gastelum derails the Uriah Hall hype train; Women
dazzle once again
By Shaun
Al-Shatti
This past weekend gave us plenty of storylines to mull over,
whether we're talking about the startling rise of Kelvin Gastelum,
the dramatic fall of Uriah Hall, or the fact that Urijah Faber
is probably going to get another title shot at some point here
soon. (Because, seriously, who else deserves it more?) Yet even
days later, one takeaway in particular sticks with me.
While Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche got the ball rolling, Cat
Zingano and Miesha Tate blasted it out of the stratosphere on
Saturday night. Considering everything that was on the line --
second women's fight in UFC history, career-changing TUF coaching
slot, automatic title shot -- that fight was perhaps one of the
most exhilarating we've seen this year. The entire Mandalay Bay
Event Center awoke with a purpose once Zingano appeared on the
big screen, walking out to the Octagon with tears in her eyes.
Forget for a moment about the controversial stoppage. (For what
it's worth, I was cageside at that fight, and the sound of those
knees crushing into Tate's skull was thunderous. I have absolutely
no problem with a referee saving a fighter from herself, even
if it is Kim Winslow.) Those 13 minutes were everything they
needed to be, and more.
"They did it again," UFC President Dana White gushed
afterward. "People were texting me, people were on Twitter.
People who were in bars and restaurants, stuff like that, were
going crazy over that fight. It was an incredible fight.
"I love it, man. They're fantastic. And I love this division
we've got. This 135-pound division, like I said when we did this,
is very competitive."
Even disregarding that last bit of revisionist history, if there
was any doubt after UFC 157 that the ladies were here to stay,
it blew out the window this past weekend.
Mixed martial arts is now set to become the first non-Olympic
mainstream sport in North America to consistently feature women
on equal footing as men. And I, for one, am proud to see it.
"The women's fights don't suck," White finished with
a smirk.
Indeed, Dana. Indeed.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
TUF
17 Finale Fighter Salaries: Urijah Faber Tops $508,500 Payroll
The
Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale fighter salaries were released to
MMAWeekly.com on Monday by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
Urijah
Faber finish Scott Jorgensen in the TUF 17 Finale main event,
Kelvin Gastelum earned The Ultimate Fighter designation by upsetting
favorite Uriah Hall, and Cat Zingano earned a spot as a coach
on TUF 18 and a shot at UFC champion Ronda Rousey with her third-round
stoppage of Miesha Tate.
The
TUF 17 Finale took place Saturday, April 13, at the Mandalay
Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic
commissions, including the winners’ bonuses.
Although
mixed martial arts fighters do not have collective bargaining
or a union, the fighters’ salaries are still public record,
just as with every other major sport in the United States. Any
undisclosed bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but
does not disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically,
pay-per-view bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are
not included in the figures below.
TUF
17 Finale Fighter Salaries
Urijah
Faber: $110,000 (includes $55,000 win bonus)
def. Scott Jorgensen: $23,500
Kelvin
Gastelum: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Uriah Hall: $8,000
Cat
Zingano: $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus)
def. Miesha Tate: $28,000
Travis
Browne: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
def. Gabriel Gonzaga: $24,000
Bubba
McDaniel: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Gilbert Smith: $8,000
Josh
Samman: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Kevin Casey: $8,000
Luke
Barnatt: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Collin Hart: $8,000
Dylan
Andrews: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Jimmy Quinlan: $8,000
Clint
Hester: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Bristol Marunde: $8,000
Cole
Miller: $42,000 (includes $21,000 win bonus)
def. Bart Palaszewski: $15,000
Maximo
Blanco: $26,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus)
def. Sam Sicilia: $8,000
Daniel
Pineda: $26,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus)
def. Justin Lawrence: $8,000
TUF
17 Finale Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $508,500
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
The
excellent Jiu-Jitsu of Keenan Cornelius and Paulo Miyao
Luca Atalla
The moment of the double DQ in Abu Dhabi
The fan side of almost all of us applauded the attitude of the
referee to disqualify the two finalists of the brown belt adult
absolute in Abu Dhabi, during the WPJJC 2013.
This is because, deep down, we all wanted to watch an electrifying
fight, with comings and goings of these two great Jiu-Jitsu athletes.
It turns out that combats between two great fighters not always
translate into big fights.
Does anyone remember the moments before the fight between B.J.
Penn and Matt Serra in September 2002? Most of us awaited the
greatest ground combat in UFC history! And what we saw was a
battle fought standing up. I bet neither of these two champions
consider that episode in the list of their best moments.
This is just one example. Fabio Gurgel and Amaury Bitetti fought
countless times in the 1990s, and their contests were rarely
decided by more than two points. The most interesting thing is
that most people harshly criticized the technique of the winner
(usually Amaury), but the reason for the restrained fight was
the highest level techniques of both were equal, not by a lack
of technique like it was suggested.
Even one of the greatest submitters of the late 1990s, Nino Schembri,
found himself holding the fight during a match in which he opened
five points ahead of another submitting monster, Fernando Margarida,
in a fight held in São Paulo.
And even someone who is possibly the greatest submitter in the
history of Jiu-Jitsu competition, Roger Gracie, spent a good
amount of time “resting” in Marcus Buchecha’s
closed guard during the confrontation of the two in Metamoris,
simply because it was the most prudent thing to do at that moment.
We need to distinguish bravery from intelligence and strategy,
not encouraging an immoderate courage, bordering suicide.
Again, our frustration as fans watching Keenan Cornelius and
Paulo Miyao not coming to kill and die is easier to reflect a
perverse side of celebrating the disqualification of both.
But whether you agree or not with the attitude of the referee,
it is not fair to judge the Jiu-Jitsu of these two athletes by
the fight against one another, and use it to deconstruct the
technical qualities of both.
Leveled and monotonous fights are not a privilege of the current
generation; they always existed and will always exist. But if
you want to analyze the techniques and momentum of two of the
best brown belts today, it makes more sense to observe their
fights against other opponents.
You will then notice that Paulo Miyao impresses, taming monsters
far beyond his 61kg since he was a blue belt, and that the percentage
of submissions performed by Keenan Cornelius is as high as his
notable predecessors as “kings” of brown belt, such
as Ronaldo Jacare, Marcio Pe de Pano and Fernando Margarida.
I don’t even know Keenan and Paulo personally. But I admire
the Jiu-Jitsu they present far beyond what is perceived in the
confrontation between them.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Bob
Arum says Golden Boy/Showtime marriage is only strengthening
the opposition
By Zach
Arnold
When
HBO cut ties with Golden Boy and allowed GB to marry with Showtime,
I wrote an article stating that it’s now Golden Boy &
Showtime vs. HBO & The Field and that was Ken Hershman, the
former Showtime boss, is doing at HBO is no different than what
he was doing at his old perch. The only difference is that HBO
is HBO and Showtime is Showtime.
With
Tim Bradley vs. Ruslan Provodnikov (at the Home Depot Center
in Carson, CA) and Mike Alvarado vs. Brandon Rios II (in Las
Vegas) this past month, Top Rank has had a nice little streak
going here. Bob Arum has indicated that holding a fight with
Mike Alvarado headlining in Denver is not out of the question.
When
Kevin Iole asked Arum about the hot streak Top Rank is on, Bob
brought up the subject of the Golden Boy/Showtime marriage and
how The Field is basically having to work together to make the
fights that the fans want to see.
“Fans
want to see action and they want to see exciting fights. That’s
what the fans want to see. Now, some people who are involved
in boxing want to sign fighters and have them fight tomato cans
and have networks pay to show those fights and it goes on and
on and on. That’s not what the fans want. The fans want
Bradley & Provodnikov. Lou DiBella is going to be doing a
fight a little later this year with (Gennady) Golovkin against
(Matthew) Macklin. I’m a promoter, I love boxing… but
that fight I would pay to see! I mean, that’s going to be
a hell of a fight!”
Arum’s
announcement of Golovkin/Macklin came as news to the press in
the room. Golovkin defeated Nobuhiro Ishida over the weekend
in Monaco.
(Grantland:
Matthew Macklin vs. Sergio Martinez and the racial politics of
boxing)
“So,
I think that it’s not only us at Top Rank, I think that
other promoters who don’t have a sinecure from a particular
network also have that type of mentality. So, I think it’s
great, great news for boxing fans because we’re going to
give them competition. Goddamn, you see some of these games in
March Madness where in the last four seconds somebody sinks a
basket and wins the game and it’s like a nail-biter, right
till the end. Well, that’s why fans love to watch it. Fans
love to watch boxing if it’s exciting, if it’s competitive,
and not if it’s appearance fights.
“Now,
for years, we were fed a steady diet of this kid (Andre) Berto
with guys that nobody remembers their names. That cost millions
of dollars to one of the networks and what they did get from
it? [Nothing.] And what did their subscribers get? The finger!
(media laughs) And some guy who used to be in the music business
raped HBO and hoodwinked the public and that hopefully now is
over… except maybe (for) the network that gives out sinecures.
But they’re second, so who cares? Nobody watches them anyways.”
A
reporter then asked Arum about Oscar De La Hoya claiming that
he canceled his HBO subscription.
“Oscar
is absolutely, you know, one of the brainiest guys that I’ve
ever known and he probably did it while he was putting on those,
uh, kind of leggings. (media laughs) No, I really mean it, who
the hell is Oscar De La Hoya? He’s a moron!”
If
The Field continues to work together and remain united against
the Golden Boy/Showtime marriage, then one fight we may end up
seeing is Andre Ward vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. I suspect JCC
Jr. will consider fighting Ward on home turf in Oakland. Anywhere
but Nevada at this point. It will be interesting to see what
fights promoters like Lou DiBella, Gary Shaw, and Danny Goossen
are able to produce in tandem with Top Rank (Todd DuBoef, Carl
Moretti, & Brad Goodman) in the coming months. Next stop:
Macau (Venetian Casino & Resort), this coming weekend w/
Brian Viloria vs. Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Martinez vs.
Diego Magdaleno for HBO.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Referee
explains disqualifying Miyao and Keenan in WPJJC
Erin Herle
The two brown belt absolute finalists in WPJJC 2013 were disqualified
for lack of combativeness by referee Luciano Mendes
The fifth edition of the Abu Dhabi WPJJC was last weekend, but
it still echoes strongly in conversations at gyms and the GRACIEMAG
website.
Besides the big fight between champion Marcus Buchecha and Rodolfo
Vieira and the invincibility of Gabi Garcia, the brown belt absolute
final generated a strong repercussion.
Keenan Cornelius faced, once again, the light Paulo Miyao, until
the gold medal dispute ended in unusual ways. The referee of
the fight, black belt from Nova União Luciano Mendes opted
to disqualify both the athletes for lack of combativeness. Keenan
and Paulo had their legs tangled when it comes to the crunch.
Correct decision? Or hasty? Right or not? Leave your opinion.
But before commenting, please read Luciano’s explanation
for his decision to GRACIEMAG:
“Both finalists were passive and weren’t seeking for
points or submissions. With this, I am bound by the rule, after
every 20 seconds of inactivity, to punish them. The rule constantly
undergoes adjustments, as occurred recently. It is important
that all competitors read and do the courses run by the IBJJF,
all referees trained by the mentioned institution are able to
fulfill what is in our regulation. So my criterion was adopted
based on the existing rule, as usual,” says Luciano.
With the disqualification of both, the WPJJC organization opted
to raise Kaue Damasceno (Nova União), who then placed
third, to the absolute title, so the athlete pocketed the first
place prize offered. The decision turned out to generate more
controversy over the referee, accused on social networks to have
eliminated finalists, favoring his brown belt teammate.
Luciano rejected such criticism, noting that nothing in the rules
says that third place would be the new champion:
“Regarding the fact that the athlete placed third became
the champion, this decision was by the organization of the event
and it wasn’t my competence. On social networks, there are
many different opinions about the disqualification; everyone
is entitled to think what they want. I repeat: I only performed
what was written in the rule,” defends Luciano.
The referee now says he hopes the athletes become more familiarized
with the rules, so they won’t be taken by surprise anymore:
“Every athlete has to study the rule and adapt to the game.
Cases of lack of combativeness must always be punished strictly
and all referees are trained for that.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Darren
Elkins would like your attention, please
By Mike
Chiappetta
As a kid, Darren Elkins got a lot of attention he didn't want.
As an adult, he can't seem to gain the attention he deserves.
After five straight victories in the UFC's featherweight class,
Elkins still searches the division's rankings with no luck. His
name is nowhere to be found, despite being the only one in the
class beside champion Jose Aldo that can boast of such a lengthy
streak while fighting under the Zuffa banner.
While
he's been busy working over the division, he's seen others like
Clay Guida and Nik Lentz waltz in and immediately vault him on
the strength of one and two wins, respectively. He's not invisible,
but he certainly appears to be easy to overlook.
"I’m
a little bit low-key, I'm from Indiana, and I don't fight with
a huge camp," he told MMA Fighting. "I guess those
kinds of things play a factor."
Those
are things he doesn't necessarily want to change, but while they
remain relatively static, Elkins (16-2) does want his respect,
his platform and his opportunity. On Saturday, he finally gets
the visibility necessary to change perception when he faces his
highest-profile opponent, the former title challenger Chad Mendes
at UFC on FOX 7. It is in some ways, a make-or-break moment for
his fight career.
The
fight offer came out of the ether. Elkins had just finished up
his first stoppage in the division, beating Antonio Carvalho
by first-round TKO at UFC 158 when his camp was approached about
the bout. And when we say he had just finished, that's no exaggeration.
It was just minutes after his fight and Elkins had barely had
any time at all to celebrate before hearing of the UFC's offer.
His
immediate thought was to say yes, but because he had never been
in that position before, he felt he was still on an adrenaline
high and decided to wait a couple of days to assess his physical
condition. As it turns out, the 3-minute, 6-second fight left
him no worse for the wear. In the end, the opportunity to face
a highly ranked fighter trumped any concerns.
"In
this sport, the way I look at it, going off one fight and straight
into another one, you have to make quick assessments," he
said. "I'm in great condition, I don't have any injuries.
Taking a short-notice fight, it's the strategy you don't get
to work as much on. Obviously, Carvalho and Mendes are two different
styles of fighters. My last strategy isn't the same as this one.
So I don't have as much time to get into a game plan, but I feel
like I'm great shape, so I can mostly focus on my game plan."
When
Elkins was a kid, he didn't have the time to consider all the
variables of whether or not a fight was worth it. Elkins suffered
from a speech disorder in which he struggled to pronounce certain
letters and words. Because of it, he was an easy target for bullies
who picked on him relentlessly and often drove him to action.
Because he started wrestling at four years old, he often had
a better idea of how to end a fight than they did, and so he
often won, which in effect, stopped that particular antagonist.
The
fighting, though? That continued on, at least in some form. First,
there was wrestling, where Elkins was an Indiana high school
state champion at 140 pounds, and then, when wrestling ended
prematurely after two years of college, mixed martial arts wasn't
far behind.
Those
days of making snap judgments on fighting were supposed to be
far behind, too, at least after reaching the sport's top level,
but the potential rewards of beating Mendes (13-1) are just too
great.
"If
I beat Mendes, I should be next in line or one fight away from
a title shot. No doubt," he said. "I'm taking the fight
on short notice. This would be six in a row and I'd beat the
guy who had a shot at the title whose only loss is to Aldo."
With
just over one month from his last fight to this one, Elkins didn't
have the luxury of time to work on anything specific, but he
sees improvements coming in practice, with an emphasis over the
last two years on his hands.
That
work manifested itself in his bout with Carvalho. Though the
stoppage itself was contested, there is no debating that Elkins
had him in big trouble resulting from an overhand right behind
the ear that wobbled Carvalho, and a right cross on the chin
that dropped him. Elkins said that's the result of sparring work
and focus pads, and it's an element that he believes has changed
his game for the better. Given Mendes' career wrestling success,
that will be a key factor on Saturday. According to FightMetric,
during the nine fights Mendes has competed in during his WEC
and UFC days, he has completed 27 takedowns while none of his
opponents have ever been able to put him on the mat.
Mendes
also has one other built-in advantage, in that he is coached
by Duane "Bang" Ludwig, the same man who opposed Elkins
in his UFC debut. While that matchup took place in 2010 and ended
quickly after a fluke Ludwig injury, he still has the knowledge
of his preparation work. But Elkins says that all this time later,
he's a different fighter.
"I'm
pretty well-rounded everywhere," he said. "I'm getting
better everywhere. I’m definitely looking for finishes.
Each fight I'm improving. Each fight I want to be better than
I was the last fight. Every time I'm doing that, so I must be
doing something right."
Not
bad for a second-choice career. Elkins is also a Local 597 pipe-fitter,
a trade he chased after dropping out of college to support his
pregnant girlfriend Connie. The two were high school sweethearts
and are now married with two children. His union job allows him
to take off all the time he needs as long as he pays his dues,
making it the perfect complementary position for his more demanding
role as a professional mixed martial artist. The hope now is
that his union job is something to fall back on when he's done
with the fight game, a long time from now. After years of being
overlooked and under-appreciated, Saturday night could be a life-changer
for the quiet Midwest kid who has always been wanting for the
right kind of attention.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Plan
of Action
By Brian
Knapp
When
Ultimate Fighting Championship parent company Zuffa LLC acquired
rival promotion Strikeforce on March 12, 2011, few assets were
considered more valuable than undefeated heavyweight Daniel Cormier.
More
than two years after the purchase forever changed the professional
mixed martial arts landscape, Cormier will climb into the Octagon
for the first time on Saturday, when he meets former heavyweight
champion Frank Mir in the UFC on Fox 7 “Henderson vs. Melendez”
co-main event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Though the
34-year-old reflects on his Strikeforce tenure with an understandable
fondness, he has turned the page on that chapter of his career.
“I
don’t feel any pressure,” Cormier said during a pre-fight
media call for UFC on Fox 7. “I’m going to go out and
fight like I normally do. We’re all UFC fighters now. There’s
no weight on my shoulders to carry for the Strikeforce organization
or anything. I’m just going to go out and fight my fight
and let everything fall into place. I think if there’s pressure,
it’s being in the co-main event of a Fox card, and I’ve
dealt with that, so I don’t feel any pressure at all.”
In
Mir, Cormier confronts a seasoned Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
with recent victories over 2006 Pride Fighting Championships
open weight grand prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic,
onetime Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 winner Roy Nelson.
The 33-year-old Las Vegas native has remained on the sidelines
since May, when he succumbed to second-round punches from Junior
dos Santos at UFC 146.
Long
revered as one of the sport’s most gifted heavyweights,
Mir suffered a career-threatening leg injury in a September 2004
motorcycle accident. Plagued early in his career by an admitted
lack of commitment, he has proven vulnerable to strikers and
wrestlers -- all six of his losses have come by knockout or technical
knockout -- throughout his time in the UFC, leading to one-sided
thrashings from dos Santos, former World Wrestling Entertainment
superstar Brock Lesnar, Grudge Training Center brute Shane Carwin
and the enigmatic Brandon Vera..
Those
setbacks have done nothing to curb Mir’s confidence or his
willingness to share it in the form of pre-fight rhetoric and
hyperbolic threats of bodily harm. Cormier shrugs at such tactics.
“I’m
not going to fight with any emotion,” he said. “There’s
not anything Frank could ever say about me that’s going
to make me fight a fight that’s more dangerous. I’ve
stated time and time again that I think there’s only a select
few individuals who can take the beatings Frank has taken and
still continue to be the way he is.
“I’m
going to go out there and fight my fight,” Cormier added.
“I’m hoping it’s [his attempt at] promotion because
if that’s the way his mind works, it’s very disturbing.”
A
three-time collegiate All-American wrestler and two-time Olympian,
Cormier has made a seamless transition to mixed martial arts,
winning his first 11 fights, eight of them finishes, and capturing
titles inside the King of the Cage and Xtreme MMA promotions.
Cormier already owns wins over a pair of world-ranked heavyweights
-- Josh Barnett and Antonio Silva -- and two-time Abu Dhabi Combat
Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Jeff
Monson. He burst on the global scene in 2012, when, as an alternate,
he won the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix.
With
American Kickboxing Academy stablemate and longtime training
partner Cain Velasquez perched atop the UFC’s heavyweight
division, Cormier has hinted at a possible move to 205 pounds.
In January, after he stopped overmatched Dutchman Dion Staring
on second-round punches in his final appearance under the Strikeforce
banner, he took aim at UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Cormier has since focused his full attention on Mir, a man who
has never lost back-to-back bouts.
“I’ve
got such an important fight on my hands in this next one that
I’ve kind of stayed away from that thought process,”
he said. “I’m not really thinking about the 205-pound
division right now. I’ve said it time and time again that
I want to be a UFC champion, and if that means going down a weight
below, then I will do that. I have the toughest fight of my career
in front of me, and I can’t focus on that right now.”
“I’ve
said it time and time again that I want to be a UFC champion,
and if that means going down a weight below, then I will do that.”
-- Daniel Cormier, UFC heavyweight
Some question whether Cormier can meet the 205-pound threshold
for light heavyweights. The Lafayette, La., suffered kidney failure
during a weight cut in 2008, which led to his withdrawal from
the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Even so, Cormier insists he can
remake himself without much difficulty -- once he finishes his
business with Mir.
“For
me to have stated that I would consider it means I am confident
I can make the weight, but right now, my sole focus is on Frank,”
he said. “Once we get past Frank, then we can talk about
that other stuff.”
Source
Sherdog
|
TV
station report: Former Florida commission boss Tom Molloy arrested
for domestic battery
By Zach
Arnold
This
is Jami (Alise McClellan) Molloy, the woman working at Florida’s
DBPR (Department of Business & Professional Regulations).
She’s the wife of Tom Molloy, the former front man for Florida’s
athletic commission. They both work/worked together & met
at the DBPR. Thomas Edmund Molloy (born on 2/4/1955 in New York)
married Jami Alise McClellan (born on November 11th, 1986 in
Georgia) on July 7th, 2012 in Tallahassee, Florida.
Tom
Molloy, whose claim to fame in getting the Florida job was that
he lost to Tony Danza in a boxing match, ended up working alongside
Jami, lifer-since-1985-at-DBPR Christa Patterson, and others
to run Florida’s athletic commission into the ground. Remember,
it was a state audit that revealed that only one of 51 shows
for a calendar year actually had accounting records. Molloy was
fired, but DBPR continues to protect Jami Molloy & Christa
Patterson by keeping them on state payroll.
Since
Tom Molloy’s departure from the commission, nothing really
has changed. Frank Gentile, who was a Molloy favorite as a referee
in the state, is now the Assistant Executive Director. His wife,
Kathy, is the lead supervisor for major shows in the state. Their
son works as an athletic inspector.
After
Molloy got fired, there was all sorts of wild speculation as
to what he was up to — including rumor-spreading that he
was interested in getting a gig with Don King Productions in
South Florida. That’s a long ways away from Tallahassee.
So,
to put the rumors to rest, we know that Molloy is still in Tallahassee.
How do we know this? The folks at WCTV in Tallahassee put mugshots
online from arrests this past weekend in Leon County, Florida…
and guess who made an appearance?
Molloy
has been charged with one count of DOMV/BATTERY TOUCH OR STRIKE.
He was arrested on Saturday.
I’m
sure Frank Gentile will be happy to hear your feedback on this
Friday’s conference call at 10 AM EST at 1-888-670-3525
(passcode: 3051490078 then hit the # key).
Perhaps
this would be a good time to remind you that, if you haven’t
done so, you should listen to my interview with Jordan Breen
of Sherdog taped a couple of weeks ago regarding the current
state of affairs in Florida. The timing couldn’t be any
better.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Amateur
Fighter’s Death Sparks Call for Regulation by UFC Exec
by Jeff
Cain
Felix Nchikwo, fighting under the name Felix Pablo Elochukwu,
passed away following an April 5 unregulated mixed martial arts
bout in Port Huron, Mich.
The fight was stopped in the third round after Nchikwo failed
to properly defend himself. Shortly after the stoppage, Nchikwo
collapsed. He died the following day in the hospital.
Nchikwo trained out of Joslin’s Martial Arts in Ontario,
Canada.
UFC Canada’s Director of Operations Tom Wright stressed
the need for regulation following the tragic loss of Nchikwo.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and condolences go to
Pablo’s family. It was a tragic incident that happened,”
said Wright when asked about the death on April 10 during a UFC
161 press conference in Winnipeg.
“What we don’t know is whether or not there were any
pre-existing medical conditions that Pablo was suffering from,
and in a regulated environment we would have known that,”
he continued. “We also don’t know if the referees were
properly trained. We don’t know whether or not there were
the appropriate EMTs and ambulance and medical precautions in
place. We don’t even know if it was a fair fight as much
as that the two competitors were evenly balanced.
“Those are the kinds of things we would know had the sport
been regulated, if the event had been regulated. It speaks to
the importance of regulation in our sport, why it’s important
that we have the appropriate kind of rigor and standards from
medical care, from pre and post-fight medical testing to drug
testing to ensuring that the health and safety of these athletes
is always first and foremost. And in the case of an unregulated
event, you don’t know whether those things are in place
which is why we as an organization have always run to regulation.”
The passing of Nchikwo took place just days before Michigan’s
House of Representatives passed a bill that mandates the creation
of an advisory commission to oversee mixed martial arts. The
legislation still has to gain senate approval to become a law.
“When we started here in Canada, there were many provinces
that we weren’t (regulated). When we took over in the United
States there were only two states out of fifty that regulated
our sport. It’s important that we protect the health and
safety of our athletes. It’s important that our sport is
properly regulated, and I think if anything what the tragic events
of last Friday underscore the importance of that regulation,”
said Wright.
An autopsy was performed on Nchikwo and the full results will
take weeks, but a representative of the St. Clair County coroner’s
office told CBC News that there was “no evidence” that
Nchikwo’s death was caused by trauma suffered during the
fight.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TUF
17 Finale Gate and Attendance
The
Ultimate Fighter Season 17 Finale took place Saturday night at
the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, drawing an audience
of 5,549, producing gate revenues of $569,000.
The
UFC announced the attendance at gate at the TUF 17 Finale post-fight
press conference.
Those
numbers are rather unimpressive for an event at Mandalay Bay,
but that is largely because UFC events at the casino are typical
of the pay-per-view variety. They are fight cards loaded with
much more star power, and packing a bigger marketing punch.
Relative
to recent Ultimate Fighter finales, however, TUF 17’s numbers
dwarfed them.
TUF
16 drew an audience of 2,500 for a gate of $318,525, while TUF
15 – the ill-fated live season – recorded an attendance
of 1,628 for a gate of $195,250.
Former
WEC champion Urijah Faber submitted Scott Jorgensen in the fourth
round of their TUF 17 Finale main event showdown, Kelvin Gastelum
upset Uriah Hall in the TUF 17 final, and Cat Zingano finished
Miesha Tate for a slot as a TUF 18 coach and a shot at UFC women’s
bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TUF
17 Finale Fighter Bonuses: Zingano, Tate, Browne and Pineda Earn
an Extra $50,000
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship handed out $50,000 bonuses following
The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on Saturday. Cat Zingano, Miesha
Tate, Travis Browne, and Daniel Pineda took home the performance-based
incentives.
The
Fight of the Night award went to the second female fight featured
in the UFC between Cat Zingano and Miesha Tate. Tate came out
early landing strikes and securing takedowns. The momentum changed
late in the second round when Zingano gained top position on
the ground. All three judges had Tate winning the opening round
and two of the three judges scored her winning the second round.
Zingano came out in the third and decided to take Tate down.
She battered Tate with strikes, and as Tate worked her way back
to her feet, Zingano delivered two knees to Tate’s face
followed by an elbow forcing the referee to stop the action.
The
win earned Zingano a title shot against UFC women’s bantamweight
titleholder Ronda Rousey, as well as a coaching slot opposite
her on The Ultimate Fighter 18.
Knockout
of the Night honors went to heavyweight Travis Browne, who made
short work of one-time contender Gabriel Gonzaga. From the moment
the bell sounded signifying the start of the fight, Gonzaga tried
to get the fight to the ground. As he worked for a single-leg
takedown against the cage, Browne delivered a series of devastating
elbows that rendered Gonzaga unconscious.
The
Submission of the Night came in the first fight on the card.
Daniel Pineda quickly closed the distance and took Justin Lawrence
to the ground, isolated an arm and locked on a kimura that forced
Lawrence to tap out.
The
total bonus money awarded following The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale
totaled $200,000.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TUF
18 Moves to Fox Sports 1; Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano Set as
Coaches
Cat
Zingano on Saturday night earned The Ultimate Fighter 18 coaching
spot opposite UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey
with a third-round stoppage of Miesha Tate.
TUF
18, however, isn’t breaking ground solely with women coaches
and both male and female fighters in the house for the first
time, it’s also going to be the first season of the venerable
reality show to air on the upcoming Fox Sports 1 network.
“The
next season of the Ultimate Fighter is moving to Fox Sports 1,”
UFC president Dana White announced after Zingano’s victory.
“We’re going to be a big part of the programming and
we’re really excited about it.”
TUF
18 not only moves to Fox Sports 1, but also moves to a new time
slot on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET. The West Coast tape dealy in
the United States will also be a thing of the past with the show
airing at the same time across the country. The series will launch
at 10 p.m. ET on Sept. 4.
“Bringing
The Ultimate Fighter to FOX Sports 1 is like adding a big bat
to an exciting young lineup,” said Fox Sports president
Eric Shanks. “TUF has jump-started the careers of dozens
of fighters, many who have gone on to become UFC champions. It’s
going to be a welcomed addition to FOX Sports 1, and the perfect
anchor for our Wednesday prime time UFC block. We’re absolutely
thrilled to have it.”
At
launch, Fox Sports 1 will be available in over 90 million homes,
making it the biggest sports cable network launch in history,
and one of the largest network launches ever.
It
boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming
annually. In addition to TUF 18, over the course of the year
FS1’s Wednesday night UFC programming includes live fight
events; UFC Tonight, the weekly authority for UFC news and information;
and the best library programs.
The
Ultimate Fighter has already seen significant growth from its
first season on FX. The most recent season, TUF 17, was up 34
percent over season 16 and up 19 percent over season 15. Moving
to a sports centric network in FS1, the expectation is that TUF
18 will only improve upon the viewership growth it saw with season
17.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ronda
Rousey excited to coach TUF, warns women of making '$100,000'
reality TV mistake
LAS
VEGAS, N.V. -- UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey
knew she was going to be coaching on the next season of The Ultimate
Fighter. She just didn't know who would be joining her until
undefeated Cat Zingano roared to a vicious third-round TKO victory
over Miesha Tate at Saturday's The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.
"The
fight that I wanted the most was Cat, so I'm glad that we're
going to be fighting," Rousey said after the dust settled.
"On the show, you never know. I think I would've enjoyed
tormenting Miesha, where as Cat seems pretty cool.
"Regardless
of who I'm coaching against, it's a unique and historical situation,
which seems to be coming up a lot these days."
Rousey
always sees herself as the underdog, and was quick to point out
that Zingano, at 8-0, possesses a better record than her own
mark of 7-0. She referenced the fact that a battle of unbeaten
fighters rarely happens at a championship level in the UFC, and
because of that, she is just "happy to be a part of it."
As
for the show itself, Rousey isn't worried about her role as head
coach. The owner of an extensive history teaching judo, Rousey
has coached teens crossing over into the sport's senior class
for years, and she believes the process draws several parallels
to TUF with people "looking to move up to the next level."
Critics
are unsure what to expect with the advent of a co-ed cast, but
Rousey isn't sweating it, even if it means overseeing a team
comprised not only of prideful men, but also future female opponents.
"I'm
used to teaching guys that want to learn," said Rousey.
"I hope that the kind of guys that try out for this Ultimate
Fighter are the kind that are willing to learn from women and
are open minded, and don't give me a lot of trouble.
"As
for coaching future competition, it doesn't really bother me
at all. I feel like we need the rising tide to lift all the boats
pretty much right now. I want these girls to get as good as possible
and get as much exposure as possible, and if it ends up being
a detriment to me in the future, well, I have to just be that
much better of a competitor."
Rousey
intends to bring in a high-level staff to surround her, including
several of her own personal coaches. And while she was hesitant
to ruin any surprises, she's confident that her mother, champion
judoka Ann Maria Rousey DeMars, will make a cameo, as the show
"would be incomplete" without a few live-action mom-isms.
Hearing
Rousey speak about the opportunity, it's clear she's taking her
chance at history seriously. Many have publicly questioned whether
hormone-fueled decisions will cause the co-ed TUF season to erode
into an MMA-themed version of The Real World. Rousey admits it's
a possibility, but she also hopes to nip any excessive hijinks
in the bud.
"I
think the series itself has been going away from that kind of
attention-grabby, reality TV-esque kind of genre, and more into
just a documentary series on the toughest, most competitive tournament
in martial arts," Rousey explained. "I think that it's
going to be very similar in this season. At least [it will] on
my team, because I'm going to have to remind these girls that
these are the first impressions you're setting. It's the first
impression you're setting for women as MMA fighters, because
it's a lot of exposure that they're going to be getting.
"If
they're the chick that's screwing around in the house, for the
rest of their career they'll be known as the chick that was screwing
around in that house. Sponsors are going to be looking at that,
everybody's going to be looking at that. So if you think it's
worth $100,000, that lay, then go for it. But I'm just going
to remind them that there's going to be a lot of very permanent
consequences to how they carry themselves in house."
While
Rousey hopes the new experience is ultimately seen as a game-changer
for women's MMA, she knows the final verdict will rely primarily
on her fighters and their ability to exceed expectations.
"I'm
going to be expecting them to hold themselves as professionals,"
Rousey concluded. "I would expect them to be eating as professionals
and behaving as such. They're not going to be eating Ben &
Jerry's. They're not going to be chugging down a bunch of Jack
(Daniels). If they are, then I did a very poor job.
"I
think that people need to see that we're serious about this,
and we're not just a bunch of hoodlums."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Weidman
says planning to “make it look easy” when beating Silva
New
York native, Chris Weidman is more than confident in his abilities
to win the middleweight belt. Coming into his title fight against
the long-running champ Anderson Silva, he may not be favoring
in any betting odds, but in his mind it’s a chance to “shock
the world.”
“I’m
a huge fan of Anderson Silva. He’s one of my favorite fighters
to watch. Obviously he has 16 fights in a row with the UFC, defended
his belt, whatever it is. He does a great job, he is so confident.
He is beating most of guys before they even walk in the cage.
Once they get in the cage with them, he does such a great job
of making them feel like they do not belong in the cage with
him, like, ‘Are you joking me? You are not on my level.’
He makes them feel so uncomfortable that they just want to break.
He has them broken and then he can hit them with whatever he
wants and then he looks like a freaking God. I agree and I do
think he is the best of all time. He is pound-for-pound the best,
but I think I’m better. I think I can beat him. There’s
a lot of motivation for the fight. One of the biggest for me
is to prove all of those people that actually think I’m
going to get killed and see him as unbeatable. I can’t wait
to prove them wrong. I want to make it look easy out there. I
want to shock the world.”
The
“All-American’s” confidence is very high, due
to the fact that he is yet to taste defeat at 9-0. Taking out
the likes of Mark Munoz, Demian Maia, Tom Lawlor and new hopeful
Uriah Hall, he does currently have the second highest credentials
in the weight class. The two are set to face off at UFC 162 in
Las Vegas, NV on July 6.
Source: Caged Insider
|
TUF
17 Finale Results: Kelvin Gastelum Derails Urijah Hall to Claim
TUF Title
Kelvin
Gastelum has caused a major upset defeating Uriah Hall via a
split decision to claim the TUF 17 title on Saturday night at
the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Hall
came into the finale as the short-priced favorite on the back
of brutal finishes in the TUF house, but it was the 21-year-old
from Arizona who deservedly took the fight on the judges scorecards
(29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Gastelum
came out with the intent of pressuring Hall and had him backpedalling
early as he rocked Hall with a flurry of overhand shots before
securing the takedown. Hall returned to his feet late in the
round and looked more comfortable.
Hall
opened the second round firing off his jab as he looked to have
found his range, but Gastelum secured a takedown. Hall got the
reversal off his back, bringing the fight back to the feet before
tripping his teammate to the mat. Hall pulled off a suplex, but
it was Gastelum who worked Hall back against the cage in the
final seconds.
Coming
into the final frame the fight was locked at one round apiece
on all the scorecards. Gastelum took the initiative early, landing
the takedown before Hall sensationally reversed moving to the
top position, firing away with ground and pound. Hall had every
possible opportunity to finish his younger opponent, but Gastelum
returned to his feet before scoring with another takedown and
ground out the victory, earning a six-figure UFC contract.
“I
can’t put it into words,” an emotional Gastelum said
post-fight. “I knew he was a good striker and I was confident
in my striking. I worked a lot on it during camp, and you see
the results.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Renan
Barão and the training for UFC 161: ‘I don’t
give up on Jiu-Jitsu’
On
Wednesday afternoon, April 10, a press conference promoted the
start of ticket sales of UFC 161, which will be held on June
15, in Winnipeg, Canada.
With
the presence of Renan Barão, current holder of the interim
bantamweight title, and his opponent, Eddie Wineland, the UFC
champ spoke about the event, the city selection and fights for
this card. The Brazilian hasn’t escaped being asked about
Dominick Cruz, but focused on his next opponent.
“I
want the fight against Dominick Cruz to happen,” he said.
“It will be a big challenge, but I’m focused on Wineland.
UFC has done well choosing Eddie to challenge for this belt.
He’s a tough guy, and now he is my goal.”
Showing
how, as a great champion, he values Jiu-Jitsu within the Octagon,
Barão said his day always starts with the gentle art.
“I
wake up really early and start the training with Jiu-Jitsu,”
he explained. “It’s something that I don’t give
up. Then I go to boxing, Muay Thai, but the first preparation
of my day is Jiu-Jitsu.”
Alexis
Davis also attended the conference in Winnipeg. Her opponent,
Rosi Sexton, couldn’t be present. This will be the first
UFC women fight in Canada. The homegrown fighter was asked about
the case of transsexual Fallon Fox, who was allowed to compete
against women. Davis replied, but dodged.
“I
must not talk about it,” she said. “I would face her.
I train with men every day, but I can’t say when the body
changes. It’s a difficult question to answer”.
Here’s
the video of the press conference:
At
UFC 161, Barão makes his second title defense and can
become the category’s definitive champion if Cruz takes
much longer to return to action.
Also
scheduled for the event is a great rematch between former PRIDE
fighters, Rogério Nogueira and Shogun Rua.
Tickets
go on sale this Friday, April 12, through Ticketmaster.
See
the card below:
UFC 161
Winnipeg, Canada
June 15, 2013
Renan
Barão vs Eddie Wineland
Alexis Davis vs Rosi Sexton
Rashad Evans vs Dan Henderson
Rogério Minotouro vs Maurício Shogun
Jake Shields vs Tyron Woodley
Stipe Miocic vs Soa Palelei
Pat Barry vs Shawn Jordan
Sam Stout vs Isaac Vallie-Flagg
Sean Pierson vs TJ Waldburger
Ryan Jimmo vs Igor Pokrajac
Mitch Clarke vs John Maguire
Roland Delorme vs Edwin Figueroa
Dustin Pague vs Yves Jabouin
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Miesha
Tate refuses to submit to the public pressures of the UFC spotlight
LAS
VEGAS – The reaction to Miesha Tate's victory over Julie
Kedzie in August, her first bout since losing her title to Ronda
Rousey five months earlier, was unanimously positive.
Tate
submitted Kedzie with an arm bar following a rollicking fight
that left television viewers on Showtime Extreme, fans in the
Valley View Casino Center in San Diego and, significantly, UFC
president Dana White roaring their approval.
Miesha
Tate (right) says she wasn't herself in her win over Julie Kedzie.
(Getty Images)Tate, though, wasn't among those who were impressed.
According to her, she was in some sort of autopilot state. There
was little she was happy about, from being left off the main
card to the way she fought.
"I
talked to Dana right after and he was very impressed," Tate
said the other day as she was finishing preparations for her
bout Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center against Cat Zingano.
"I wasn't [impressed] though. I know it made for a great
fight. Julie Kedzie, she is one hell of a tough fighter. I didn't
feel, despite what people saw looking in, me, on the inside.
It didn't feel like it did for all my other fights.
"In
those, I felt excited, but here, I was kind of blank, bland.
It was more of just like being on autopilot. It's hard to explain.
It was almost like being in a twilight zone."
That
was the last time Tate appeared in the cage. Seven months later,
she's back, and sounds like a different person.
The
intense public spotlight that comes with being an elite, world-class
athlete in a high-profile sport was starting to take its toll.
She
was inundated with negativity or other unwanted attention on
social media. She felt the media often misunderstood what she
said or blatantly misquoted her.
It
all led her to conclude that she needed a step back.
"I
wanted time to regroup," Tate said. "I felt the passion
and fire I had felt for MMA had fizzled out a little bit by the
media and all of the other things that aren't as fun as fighting
is. They get in the way and it kind of can be overwhelming at
times. I just needed time to regroup.
"I
felt misconstrued by the media. Sometimes they have a way of
taking what I say and pulling just bits and pieces and twisting
it a little bit, I guess you could say. A lot of it is the fans.
I love my fans, but a lot of the fans, some fans, are pretty
outrageous in what they say. They don't stop to think that these
are real people they're talking to and about. They almost think
of us, I think, as a commodity."
Anyone
who has even a little bit of public name recognition has faced
a similar problem. While a majority of the public is friendly
and nice to deal with, there are plenty of Internet tough guys
who are rude, obnoxious and frequently outrageous.
It
can be maddening to deal with. The frustration over vile, nasty
comments to a rather innocuous baseball column he wrote for Sports
Illustrated prompted reporter Jeff Pearlman to track down two
of the men who commented. He then wrote an amusing column about
it for CNN.com.
Tate
has nearly 84,000 followers on Twitter and it got to be a bit
much for her. Dealing with the negativity, the hate and the obnoxious
behavior frequently left her mind numb and fatigued.
"It
can be overwhelming, I'm not going to lie," she said. "They
don't teach you how to deal with that stuff. The UFC is like,
'Hey, get on Twitter, be accessible, push yourself.' That's a
good thing to do, obviously. It's free, easy marketing.
"But
no one teaches you how to deal with all of the negativity. A
lot of people hang around on the Internet and watch your timeline
all day long. They want to live through you vicariously or, maybe,
they want to bring you down and get some kind of a reaction out
of you. It can be frustrating. It definitely can be overwhelming.
I just had to learn how to have fun with it again."
She's
about to get back into her comfort zone – in the Octagon
– when she meets Zingano on Saturday.
The
reward for the winner will be a stint as a coach opposite Rousey
on the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter" as well
as a title shot when the season ends.
Tate
can barely contain herself. She developed quite the rivalry with
Rousey prior to their Strikeforce bout in March 2012, and is
eager to get another crack at the UFC champion.
But
there is no coaching gig or rematch with Rousey without a win
over Zingano. And so Tate is eager to test herself once again.
"I
am so ready and everything all boils down to this fight,"
Tate said.
Hopefully
for her sake, a return to the spotlight won't coincide with a
return to the nastiness and mean-spiritedness that frequently
comes as a result of fame.
Tate
has often felt misunderstood by the media. If given the opportunity
to write a portrait of herself, the word Tate said she'd employ
is destiny.
"It's
my destiny," Tate said. "I really feel like everything
is leading to this moment in my life. It's the biggest opportunity
I've ever had and I feel so good about it. I know you can never
say you know you're going to win a fight because there's always
that chance that you won't. I never want to put my foot in my
mouth. But as sure as I can be, I know I'm going to win this
fight Saturday.
"It
means too much to me not to. I just believe I will. So, in my
mind, it's done. I'm going to go out there and do whatever it
takes to win the fight. That's exactly what is going to happen."
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Ronda
Rousey excited to coach TUF, warns women of making '$100,000'
reality TV mistake
LAS
VEGAS, N.V. -- UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey
knew she was going to be coaching on the next season of The Ultimate
Fighter. She just didn't know who would be joining her until
undefeated Cat Zingano roared to a vicious third-round TKO victory
over Miesha Tate at Saturday's The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.
"The
fight that I wanted the most was Cat, so I'm glad that we're
going to be fighting," Rousey said after the dust settled.
"On the show, you never know. I think I would've enjoyed
tormenting Miesha, where as Cat seems pretty cool.
"Regardless
of who I'm coaching against, it's a unique and historical situation,
which seems to be coming up a lot these days."
Rousey
always sees herself as the underdog, and was quick to point out
that Zingano, at 8-0, possesses a better record than her own
mark of 7-0. She referenced the fact that a battle of unbeaten
fighters rarely happens at a championship level in the UFC, and
because of that, she is just "happy to be a part of it."
As
for the show itself, Rousey isn't worried about her role as head
coach. The owner of an extensive history teaching judo, Rousey
has coached teens crossing over into the sport's senior class
for years, and she believes the process draws several parallels
to TUF with people "looking to move up to the next level."
Critics
are unsure what to expect with the advent of a co-ed cast, but
Rousey isn't sweating it, even if it means overseeing a team
comprised not only of prideful men, but also future female opponents.
"I'm
used to teaching guys that want to learn," said Rousey.
"I hope that the kind of guys that try out for this Ultimate
Fighter are the kind that are willing to learn from women and
are open minded, and don't give me a lot of trouble.
"As
for coaching future competition, it doesn't really bother me
at all. I feel like we need the rising tide to lift all the boats
pretty much right now. I want these girls to get as good as possible
and get as much exposure as possible, and if it ends up being
a detriment to me in the future, well, I have to just be that
much better of a competitor."
Rousey
intends to bring in a high-level staff to surround her, including
several of her own personal coaches. And while she was hesitant
to ruin any surprises, she's confident that her mother, champion
judoka Ann Maria Rousey DeMars, will make a cameo, as the show
"would be incomplete" without a few live-action mom-isms.
Hearing
Rousey speak about the opportunity, it's clear she's taking her
chance at history seriously. Many have publicly questioned whether
hormone-fueled decisions will cause the co-ed TUF season to erode
into an MMA-themed version of The Real World. Rousey admits it's
a possibility, but she also hopes to nip any excessive hijinks
in the bud.
"I
think the series itself has been going away from that kind of
attention-grabby, reality TV-esque kind of genre, and more into
just a documentary series on the toughest, most competitive tournament
in martial arts," Rousey explained. "I think that it's
going to be very similar in this season. At least [it will] on
my team, because I'm going to have to remind these girls that
these are the first impressions you're setting. It's the first
impression you're setting for women as MMA fighters, because
it's a lot of exposure that they're going to be getting.
"If
they're the chick that's screwing around in the house, for the
rest of their career they'll be known as the chick that was screwing
around in that house. Sponsors are going to be looking at that,
everybody's going to be looking at that. So if you think it's
worth $100,000, that lay, then go for it. But I'm just going
to remind them that there's going to be a lot of very permanent
consequences to how they carry themselves in house."
While
Rousey hopes the new experience is ultimately seen as a game-changer
for women's MMA, she knows the final verdict will rely primarily
on her fighters and their ability to exceed expectations.
"I'm
going to be expecting them to hold themselves as professionals,"
Rousey concluded. "I would expect them to be eating as professionals
and behaving as such. They're not going to be eating Ben &
Jerry's. They're not going to be chugging down a bunch of Jack
(Daniels). If they are, then I did a very poor job.
"I
think that people need to see that we're serious about this,
and we're not just a bunch of hoodlums."
Source: MMA Fighting |
TUF
17 Finale Results: Urijah Faber Finishes Scott Jorgensen in Four
Much
was made about the friendship between Urijah Faber and Scott
Jorgensen leading up to their fight at the TUF 17 Finale on Saturday
night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, but watching
the two men go at it, you’d never guess they were longtime
friends and sometime training partners.
Faber
was all over Jorgensen in the opening round, outpunching him
on the feet and outgrappling him on the mat. Faber spent much
of the round on Jorgensen’s back, softening him up with
punches to the head. And when he wasn’t on Jorgensen’s
back, he was trying to lock up his patented guillotine choke,
although he couldn’t land the finishing maneuver.
Faber
remained on the sharp end of their striking exchanges in round
two, but in round three, Jorgensen turned the tide, landing more
of his punches and hurting Faber with a hard elbow.
Faber
got back on his game in the fourth round, picking up the pace
on his striking, mixing in knees and takedown feints with his
punch combinations. And just past the midway point, Faber bull
rushed a takedown, took Jorgensen’s back in the ensuing
scramble, and locked on a body triangle and fight finishing rear
naked choke.
“We
were going back and forth, but it’s just incremental things
at the highest level and he made a small mistake and capitalized
on it,” said Faber after the fight, heaping nothing but
praise on his friend.
“I
had some close calls in there, but this guy knows my stuff man.”
It
was Faber’s second consecutive victory since failing to
capture the interim UFC bantamweight championship when he fought
current titleholder Renan Barão last summer.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
Ultimate Fighter 17 Season Awards: Andrews, Barnatt, Gastelum
and Hall Bank $25,000
TUF
17 Team Jones vs Team Sonnen Ultimate Fighter LogoThe Ultimate
Fighting Championship revealed The Ultimate Fighter 17: Team
Jones vs. Team Sonnen season awards on Saturday.
Fight
of the Season went to Dylan Andrews and Luke Barnatt’s quarterfinal
match-up. It was a back-and-forth fight going to a sudden victory
round. Andrews turned up the pressure and finished Barnatt by
technical knockout with a flurry of punches.
Submission
of the Season came in the semifinal round bout between eventual
winner Kelvin Gastelum and Josh Samman. Gastelum used his wrestling
to take Samman to the ground. From there, he controlled Samman,
took his back, and sunk in a rear naked choke advancing himself
to the finals.
Knockout
of the Season was no secret. During the elimination round, Uriah
Hall landed a spinning hook kick to the jaw of Adam Cella in
the closing seconds of the opening round resulting in one the
most brutal knockouts in The Ultimate Fighter history.
Andrews,
Barnatt, Gaselum and Hall banked $25,000 for their performances
during the reality show’s seventeenth season.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TUF
17 Finale Results: Travis Browne Scores Explosive KO Over Gabriel
Gonzaga
Travis
Browne (14-1-1) returned to winning ways in the UFC Octagon with
a 1:11 first-round knockout over Gabriel Gonzaga (14-7) on the
main card at the TUF 17 Finale from the Mandalay Bay Events Center
in Las Vegas.
Browne
missed with a high kick off the opening bell. Gonzaga pounced
pushing Browne up against the cage looking for the single leg
takedown, but Browne was able to connect with a series of elbows
to the head of Gonzaga, who hit the mat.
“I
gotta show these young bucks how to make their bonuses,”
Browne said. “He did exactly as I thought he would do, he
just did it a little bit quicker. He shot in off my left kick,
his head was there my elbow was straight. I’m a mixed martial
artist, I’m not a stand-up guy. Try and take me down.”
The
victory was Browne’s 14th of his career after coming off
a loss to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in his previous fight
at UFC on FX 5.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Fortunes
changed for five at TUF 17 Finale
The
Ultimate Fighter finals wasn't one of the company's high-profile
events of the calendar year, but there was no show this year
where so much was at stake for so many.
In
most of the undercard matches, guys were fighting for their jobs.
And in the top three matches, a win by the lesser known fighter,
as happened in two of those fights was going to make them an
instant star.
Saturday
night belonged to Kelvin Gastelum and Cat Zingano.
Gastelum,
in beating heavily favored Uriah Hall via split decision, had
the crowd chanting his name, sensing the upset as the fight came
down to the last minute and was still anyone's game.
Zingano
(8-0) had never even fought on national television previously.
Now, the first wife and mother to ever step foot
in the Octagon finds herself both as a coach of the next season
of Ultimate Fighter and with a main event slot and title shot
on pay-per-view awaiting her against Ronda Rousey before the
year is out.
Virtually
every loser on the show, with the probable exceptions of Scott
Jorgensen, Miesha Tate and Hall, are likely to be nervously hoping
not to hear from Joe Silva in the next week or two. In some cases,
they have to know better, as the numbers game doesn't look good
for Jimmy Quinlan, Kevin Casey and Gilbert Smith all from the
recently-completed TUF season who were finished in their fights
to remain on the roster.
Collin
Hart's only prayer is that he looked very good, losing a close
decision in an exciting fight, to Luke Barnatt. If this was a
year ago, that would be enough to save him. This year, the rules
are different.
Also
on the potential chop block is Justin Lawrence, who had looked
impressive in TUF season 15, but has now dropped two in a row.
Ditto for Sam Sicilia, who also lost his second straight. Sicilia's
fight with Maximo Blanco would have gotten fight-of-the-night
honors on a lot of shows, and at another point in time, that
would have saved him.
Bart
Palaszewski, a tough veteran has been on the national scene consistently
since 2006. He started as one of the top lightweights in the
IFL. From there he went to the WEC, where he scored a win over
Anthony Pettis, before going to UFC.
Palaszewski
and Cole Miller were both going into their fight with two-fight
losing streaks. Palaszewski was getting the better of it early,
but ended up choked out late in the first round. He was visibly
crushed, no doubt thinking he had lost a fight he could have
won, and more, that he didn't have to be a math major to figure
how bad he needed this win. Miller, in his post-match interview,
outright said that he knew going in with a loss that he would
be on the unemployment line.
As
far as Fortunes changing for Five, the one name where they didn't
change that much was the main event winner, Urijah Faber. Faber
came in considered the No. 3 bantamweight in the UFC, behind
champion Dominick Cruz and interim champ Renan Barao. He left
in the same position. When he lost to Barao on July 21, his fifth
straight title match loss, the feeling was that it was going
to be his last title shot for a long time. But with two straight
submission wins over top ten guys in the span of seven weeks,
he may be as little as one win away from another chance.
But looking at real career changers coming off the show:
CAT
ZINGANO - The aggressive 30-year-old went into the third round
looking like she needed a finish to reach her goal of coach and
title challenger, and after the fact, the judges scorecards confirmed
Tate ahead 20-18 on two of the three cards. But she had also
gotten a finish in all but one career fight. A series of hard
knees, coupled with an elbow strike, put Tate down and ref Kim
Winslow stopped it. Tate was furious. Tate was taking real punishment,
but was still shooting for a takedown when it was called.
Few
UFC fights had the kind of stakes this one had, literally the
ability to take someone who was a complete unknown to all but
the hardcores, and put her in a position where she could be a
superstar by the end of the year.
KELVIN
GASTELUM - Gastelum went from being the last person picked by
Team Sonnen, to the TUF season 17 champion. He had come into
the show with a 5-0 record, and won four fights in six weeks
while filming, including two submissions and a knockout.
But
most saw the 21-year-old bail bondsman as little more than Hall's
final victim.
The
crowd sensed that Gastelum was outgunned physically. But he wanted
it ten times as much, something they also sensed within a couple
of minutes.
The
crowd got behind him big, as soon as they saw he wasn't intimidated.
In the second round. When things weren't looking as good for
him, the crowd loudly chanted for him to come back. Gastelum
was bleeding from the right eye, and took a pounding on the ground
at times in both the second and third rounds. But a takedown
and ground and pound late in the third clinched him the fight.
Winning
the season no longer means instant stardom. Over the past several
years, several winners have faded to anonymity. Since 2008, only
three have had any measure of a memorable stint in UFC. Ryan
Bader (season eight) established himself as a top ten light heavyweight.
Roy Nelson (season ten), was pretty much a ringer coming in,
already was and still is a top ten heavyweight. John Dodson (season
14) got a flyweight title shot in a new division that lacked
depth.
But
Gastelum may have something that the Court McGees, Tony Fergusons
and Efrain Escuderos don't have, in the sense the crowd naturally
gravitated toward him in a way they do with few first-timers.
When Forrest Griffin won season one, nobody really expected he'd
ever be in the title hunt, but they took a liking to him just
the same. Gastelum may be a guy that fans just like to see fight
on the undercards feeling he'll always give it his all, similar
to the role Clay Guida once had.
MIESHA
TATE - Even though she lost, Tate's last three fights, a loss
to Ronda Rousey, a win over Julie Kedzie and Saturday's fight,
were all among the most exciting fights of the past 14 months.
Where
Tate (13-4) goes next is going to answer questions about the
women's division. It's no secret that looks play a huge part
in the marketability of female athletes, which right there greatly
enhances her ability to be a star if she can win the key fights
to put her in the spotlight. A win here was a career maker. The
excitement she brings in her fights, largely her ability to absorb
punishment and aggressive style, adds the second dimension in
the sense there is no question she's a real fighter and not a
pretty girl being marketed as one. But how many spots for women's
fights are there going to be?
In
the last few days, it appeared there was more talk about the
women's fight than the other two big fights on the show. Coming
out of it, the fight was the talk of the show.
There's
little doubt Rousey vs. Tate II is money, and because of how
exciting Saturday's fight was, Tate probably wasn't hurt from
a fan standpoint with the loss. But to get there, Tate needs
more than looks and the ability to have exciting fights.
URIAH
HALL - Hall (7-3) looked to walk into UFC as a superstar according
to those who were aware of what happened in the Ultimate Fighter
house. Once the show aired over the past three months, few were
arguing that point. Nobody had come off the show looking more
like a guy who would walk in and be a star from day one.
Instead, Hall largely gave away the first round and never got
fully untracked. Nobody comes out of Saturday's show with more
questions. How could the Uriah Hall who had those spectacular
knockouts not just lose, but come out with no sense of purpose
and lose to a guy who was clearly not at his physical level?
Whether
it's big fight jitters, believing the press, or training back
at home with its distractions as opposed to the TUF house where
the sport becomes your life, he needs to find the answers.
Hall,
even in losing, showed a few flashes of brilliance, particularly
in the second round. There's little question that he lost a fight
he should have won. But no matter how talented, the superstars
of the sport are the guys that rarely happens to.
TRAVIS
BROWNE - For whatever reason, Browne's name has been rarely talked
about as a serious heavyweight contender. But you're looking
at a guy with a 14-1-1 record, with 11 first-round finishes,
eight in less than 90 seconds.
In
addition, Browne's only loss, to Antonio "Bigfoot"
Silva, came only after he blew a hamstring early in the fight
and was out there on one leg.
It
was scary watching the 6-foot-6 1/2, 239-pound former college
basketball player knock Gabriel Gonzaga out. Browne connected
with quick and vicious elbows as Gonzaga had bulled him into
the fence to work for a takedown, which is usually a safe position.
Until you reach the top, in this sport you're generally only
as good as your last fight.
The
Silva fight made people forget Browne's undefeated record and
quick finishes. Watching him against Gonzaga, it was a quick
and devastating reminder.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Matches
to Make After TUF 17 Finale
Urijah
Faber has made a healthy living on the strike-scramble-and-submit
web he weaves, and Scott Jorgensen was the latest man to wander
into his traps.
Faber
submitted “Young Guns” with a rear-naked choke 3:16
into the fourth round of their “The Ultimate Fighter 17”
Finale main event on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center
in Las Vegas. Though much has been made of Faber’s recent
failures on center stage -- he has lost five straight title fights
to Mike Thomas Brown (twice), Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz and Renan
Barao -- the 33-year-old remains one of the sport’s premier
bantamweights and one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s
most trusted performers.
The
Team Alpha Male patriarch was in prime form against Jorgensen,
a longtime friend and former training partner. Faber stayed a
step ahead and answered an impressive third round from Jorgensen
with a how-to tutorial on seizing back control and finishing
chokes. Before Jorgensen knew it, Faber was attached, with his
hooks secured and the rear-naked cinched; once the blade of “The
California Kid’s” forearm slipped underneath the chin,
the fight was over.
Because
he has already stubbed his toe against Cruz and Barao, Faber
does not fit into the current title picture at 135 pounds --
unless an injury occurs. Still, his star power and track record
of sustained excellence makes him a valuable commodity for the
UFC, and Faber figures to partake in high-profile scraps for
at least another two or three years, if not longer.
Perhaps
a date with another world-ranked bantamweight in American Top
Team’s Brad Pickett should come next. The well-rounded 34-year-old
British export has won 13 of his past 16 bouts and recently took
care of business against Mike Easton, earning a split decision
over “The Hulk” at UFC on Fuel TV 9 on April 6 in Sweden.
In
the wake of “The Ultimate Fighter 17” Finale, here
are six other matches that ought to be made:
Kelvin
Gastelum vs. Ronny Markes-Derek Brunson winner: Gastelum sprang
the upset and completed his Cinderella run with a split decision
over favored former Ring of Combat champion Uriah Hall in “The
Ultimate Fighter” Season 17 middleweight final. There is
a lot to like about the tenacious 21-year-old Arizonan, who flew
under the radar despite a diverse skill set and serious drive
to succeed. Considering his age and lack of experience, Gastelum
will likely be brought along slowly by the UFC. Markes and Brunson
will lock horns at UFC on Fox 7 on April 20 in San Jose, Calif.
Cat
Zingano vs. Ronda Rousey: Zingano will coach opposite Rousey
on Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter” and, barring
injury, will challenge the undefeated judoka for her UFC women’s
bantamweight crown later this year. They are a combined 15-0,
with 14 finishes between them.
Scott
Jorgensen vs. Ivan Menjivar: Jorgensen fell short in his bid
to knock Faber from his lofty perch and advance his own position
within the 135-pound weight class. Even so, the man they call
“Young Guns” remains a formidable foe, with his quick,
powerful hands and proven wrestling pedigree. That Jorgensen
has now lost three of his past four bouts only enhances the danger
factor for the next opponent who climbs in the cage with him.
Menjivar, 30, met a similar fate against Faber at UFC 157 in
February, as he was submitted for the first time in more than
a decade.
Uriah
Hall vs. Lorenz Larkin-Francis Carmont loser: As is often the
case with promising but unproven young athletes, reality did
not line up with the hype surrounding Hall. The dazzling striker
was on the defensive for much of his match with Gastelum and
ultimately dropped a split decision to the hard-nosed 21-year-old
Arizonan. The setback may prove to be a blessing in disguise
for Hall, who can now shed some of the pressures of expectation
and focus on the important work of improving as a mixed martial
artist. He has all the tools, and his future remains bright.
Lorenz Larkin and Francis Carmont will toe the line against one
another as part of the UFC on Fox 7 lineup on April 20 in California.
Miesha
Tate vs. Liz Carmouche: A rematch with Rousey was within reach
for Tate, until Zingano’s knees collided with her face.
“Cupcake” stifled the undefeated newcomer with takedowns
and swarming punches for the better part of two rounds, only
to see her good work unravel. A series of knees and a standing
elbow on the already bloody Tate was all referee Kim Winslow
needed to see to call for the stoppage and send the former Strikeforce
champion back to the drawing board. Carmouche raised her profile
considerably with an admirable but unsuccessful outing against
Rousey in February.
Travis
Browne vs. Roy Nelson-Cheick Kongo winner: Browne has become
an intriguing figure within the heavyweight division and only
strengthened his standing with a violent technical knockout against
former title contender Gabriel Gonzaga. Pinned to the cage and
defending a takedown from the Brazilian, Browne unleashed a hellacious
barrage of elbows for the finish just 71 seconds into round one.
Nelson and Kongo -- a fighter with which Browne has some unfinished
business -- will collide at UFC 159 on April 27.
Source: Sherdog |
By
the Numbers: TUF 17 Finale
Two
different spellings -- two very different results. While Urijah
Faber continued to show why he is among the best bantamweights
in the world at “The Ultimate Fighter 17” Finale on
Saturday night, hyped prospect Uriah Hall demonstrated that he
is still a work in progress.
Faber
submitted Scott Jorgensen with a rear-naked choke 3:16 into the
fourth round of the evening’s headliner at the Mandalay
Bay Events Center in Las Vegas to remain a relevant figure in
the 135-pound title scene. Meanwhile Hall, regarded by many as
one of the most impressive competitors in “TUF” history,
faltered in dropping a split decision to the unheralded Kelvin
Gastelum in the reality show’s middleweight final.
It
was also another significant night for women’s MMA, as Cat
Zingano defeated Miesha Tate to become the next challenger to
reigning female bantamweight ruler Ronda Rousey. A night with
so many memorable moments comes with its share of interesting
figures. Here is a by-the-numbers look at the “TUF 17”
finale, with statistics courtesy of FightMetric.com.
93:
Significant strikes landed by Faber, the second highest in his
UFC and WEC career. Faber’s Zuffa high of 95 significant
strikes came in a five-round verdict over Jens Pulver at WEC
34.
9:
Victories via choke for Faber during his Zuffa tenure. Faber
submitted Jorgensen with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round
of their bantamweight bout.
7-0:
Record for Faber in non-title bouts since he began competing
for Zuffa in 2006. However, “The California Kid” has
lost his last five championship fights.
81:
Total strikes landed by both Uriah Hall and Kelvin Gastelum in
Gastelum’s split-decision triumph. However, Hall outlanded
Gastelum 44 to 31 in significant strikes, including 32 to 14
in rounds two and three combined.
3:
Takedowns landed by Gastelum, one more than Hall. Gastelum went
1 for 2 on takedown attempts in all three rounds.
2,926:
Days since Forrest Griffin and Diego Sanchez won the light heavyweight
and middleweight tournaments at the inaugural “Ultimate
Fighter” finale.
58:
Total strikes by which Cat Zingano outlanded Tate in the third
round of their bantamweight encounter. Zingano finished the fight
with knees and elbows 2:55 into the frame.
.830:
Significant striking accuracy for Zingano. The Colorado native
landed 35 of 42 significant strikes attempted.
9:
Combined guard passes for Tate (5) and Zingano (4) in their 135-pound
tilt. In a back-and-forth battle on the mat, Tate landed three
takedowns in seven attempts, while Zingano landed her one (and
only) takedown attempt.
7.8:
Average significant strikes landed by Travis Browne’s opponents
in the Jackson’s MMA product’s five UFC victories.
Gabriel Gonzaga landed one significant strike in a first round
TKO loss to “Hapa” on Saturday night.
6-6:
Record for Gonzaga since his spectacular head-kick knockout of
Mirko Filipovic at UFC 70.
16:
Career submission victories for Bubba McDaniel, who tapped Gilbert
Smith with a triangle armbar in the third round. Only once in
McDaniel’s 27 professional appearances has a fight gone
the distance – a 2011 victory over Eric Schambari.
2:
Submissions attempted by Kevin Casey in the first round of his
loss to Josh Samman. “King” appeared to have Samman
in danger with both a triangle choke and an armbar in round one,
but was unable to finish and lost via technical knockout in the
second frame.
21:
Significant strikes by which Samman outlanded a tiring Casey
in the second round. The Floridian sealed the victory with a
knee to the head from the clinch.
223:
Total combined strikes landed by Luke Barnatt and Collin Hart.
Barnatt landed 119 of 238 total strikes, outlanding his foe in
round two (46 to 29) and three (35 to 32) en route to earning
a unanimous verdict. Hart, meanwhile, landed 104 of 223 total
strikes and outlanded Barnatt 43 to 38 in the opening stanza.
10:
Takedowns successfully defended by Barnatt, who forced Hart to
trade with him for much of their middleweight bout. Hart went
1 for 5 on takedowns in round one, 0 for 2 in round two and 1
for 5 in round three.
45:
Significant strikes by which Clint Hester outlanded Bristol Marunde.
Hester, Jon Jones’s first pick on “TUF 17,” finished
Marunde with a vicious standing elbow 3:53 into round three.
Hester also landed 46 percent of his significant strikes overall
(66 of 143), while Marunde landed just 26 percent (21 of 81).
21:
Submissions attempted by Cole Miller in his UFC career, tying
him with Martin Kampmann for No. 8 all-time in the promotion.
His 21st attempt, a rear-naked choke, elicited a tapout from
Bart Palaszewski 4:23 into the first round of their featherweight
showdown. Miller’s last six victories in the Octagon have
come by way of submission.
100:
Finishing percentage for Daniel Pineda in 18 professional triumphs.
“The Pit” submitted Justin Lawrence with a first-round
kimura in the evening’s opening contest. All three of Pineda’s
UFC wins have come via submission in the opening frame.
Source: Sherdog |
TUF
17 Finale Results: Cat Zingano Mounts Comeback, Earns Shot at Ronda Rousey
Miesha Tate opened strong against Cat Zingano at the TUF 17 Finale
in Las Vegas on Saturday night, storming her from the opening
bell.
At
the end of the fight, however, it would be Zingano that stood
tall, not only winning the fight, but also earning a slot opposite
Ronda Rousey as coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 18, as well
as a title shot.
Tate
took control from the start, not letting the Zingano unleash
her usual early aggression. Tate scored the takedowns and outstruck
Zingano on the feet in round one.
Tate
again put Zingano on the mat in round two and had her in trouble
with a heel hook attempt. Zingano not only fought her way out
of danger, she turned the tide, reversing position and roughing
Tate up with ground and pound as the round closed.
That
set the stage for round three, where Zingano unleashed her strength,
taking Tate to the mat and unloading with elbows and punches.
They returned to their feet, but Zingano was in kill mode, unleashing
four consecutive knees to the face that had Tate dazed and backed
into the fence. One well-placed elbow sent Tate drifting to the
canvas, the referee rushing in to stop the fight.
Zingano
couldn’t have been more proud, starting MMA as a mother
looking to shed some post-baby weight to fighting her way into
the UFC.
“To
be honest, I looked up to Miesha since I started this sport.
I was scared to death of her, but I had no time to show it,”
admitted Zingano after the fight.
“This
is a dream come true. Everything that’s happened in my life
has led me to this day.”
Zingano’s
dream is nowhere near complete, however, as she now has the TUF
18 coaching slot and a shot at the UFC women’s bantamweight
championship belt currently wrapped around Rousey’s waist.
“I
can’t wait. Me and her, we’re both gonna rumble,”
Zingano said of Rousey. “It’s gonna come down to heart,
it’s gonna come down to technique, it’s gonna come
down to speed. I can’t wait for that fight.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
2013
WPJJC: champions claim their gold at the black belt division
Marcos
Souza celebrates the title at the 2013 WPJJC, in Abu Dhabi /
Photo: Erin Herle
The
2013 WPJJC has defined all its black belt champions.
As
it seems, all favorites confirmed expectations and got their
gold medals.
Here
is the results of all the weights, male and female.
Black
belt finals:
-64kg
Thiago Marques tapped out Samuel Hertzog with a triangle.
-70kg
Augusto Tanquinho Mendes defeated Rubens Charles Maciel 2-0 with
a sweep.
-76kg
Leandro Lo defeated Lucas Lepri 1-0 on advantages.
-82kg
Marcos Souza defetated Victor Estima 2-0 with a takedown.
-88kg
Romulo Barral got injured and had to give the win to Andre Galvão.
-94kg
Rodolfo Vieira tapped out Pedro Peres with a bow and arrow choke
-100kg
Antonio Braga Neto defeated Jose Junior 2-0 with a sweep.
+100kg
Rodrigo Cavaca outscored Marcus Almeida Buchecha 7-0 in a friendly
match.
Female
purple/brown/black finals:
-60kg
Michelle Nicolini defeated Mackenzie Dern 2-0 with a sweep.
-66kg
Beatriz Mesquita defetaed Luanna Alzuguir vs. 4-0 with 2 sweeps.
-72kg
Caroline de Lazzer Fernanda Mazzelli 3-0 on advantages.
+72kg
Gabrielle Garcia tapped out Tammy Griego with a choke.
Come
back to Graciemag.com and read a full article on the finals and
an exclusive photo gallery.
The
2013 WPJJC continues this Saturday, April 13, with the open class
divisions.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
Women’s Champ Ronda Rousey Believes Fallox Fox Has Unfair
Advantage
It
seems nearly everyone inside – and outside – the mixed
martial arts world has weighed in on the Fallon Fox transgender
issue.
Fox
was a man for the first three decades of her life, but then underwent
surgical procedures and other treatments to become a transgendered
woman. The controversy erupted over whether or not that gives
Fox an unfair advantage since she now competes against women
in MMA bouts.
Fox
has secured finishes in winning all three of her MMA bouts. She
won her first fight by submission, the next two by knockout.
Many
people talking about the issue have gone off the deep end, ranting
and raving about Fox, but UFC women’s bantamweight champion
Ronda Rousey held back on giving her opinion until she educated
herself on the issue to some degree.
Rousey
came to the conclusion that Fox undergoing the transgender procedure
in her adult years gives her an unfair advantage when it comes
to fight time.
“In
Fallon Fox’s case, she went through puberty as a man. Though
I do believe her identity is that of a woman, at this point in
her life, it’s just not scientifically possible to make
her body exactly equal to that of a woman,” explained Rousey
in a recent interview with Inside MMA on AXS TV.
“Transgender
fighters should be taken on a case-by-case basis, and if you
already developed through puberty as a man, you shouldn’t
be allowed to fight as a woman.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TUF
17 Finale Quick Results
TUF
17 Finale Live Results Home Page
Main
Bouts (on FX):
-Urijah Faber def. Scott Jorgensen by submission (rear naked
choke) at 3:16, R4
-TUF 17 Final: Kelvin Gastelum def. Uriah Hall by split decision
(29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
-Cat Zingano def. Miesha Tate by TKO at 2:55, R3
-Travis Browne def. Gabriel Gonzaga by KO at 1:11, R1
-Bubba McDaniel def. Gilbert Smith by submission (triangle choke/arm
bar) at 2:39, R3
Preliminary
Bouts (on Fuel TV):
-Josh Samman def. Kevin Casey by TKO at 2:17, R2
-Luke Barnatt def. Collin Hart by unanimous decision (29-28,
29-28, 30-27)
-Dylan Andrews def. Jimmy Quinlan by TKO at 3:22, R1
-Clint Hester def. Bristol Marunde by TKO at 3:53, R3
Preliminary
Bouts (on Facebook):
-Cole Miller def. Bart Palaszewski by submission (rear naked
choke) at 4:23, R1
-Maximo Blanco def. Sam Sicilia by unanimous decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)
-Daniel Pineda def. Justin Lawrence by submission (kimura) at
1:35, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Jiu-Jitsu
Expo will be November 9 and 10 in Long Beach
The
second edition of the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo is confirmed with
new date.
It
will be on November 9 and 10, in Long Beach, California. The
city’s Convention Center will host the show, which promises
to bring the biggest stars of the sport and of MMA in free seminars,
superfights, exhibitions, autograph sessions and BJJ Awards,
with the election of the best of the sport today.
Professor
Renzo Gracie, promoter of the event, held the first tournament
round in May, 2011. Gracie says the new edition will have a much
larger space and even more surprises for Jiu-Jitsu fans.
“We
changed the date, originally scheduled for October, so it won’t
conflict with the ADCC 2013 in Beijing”, says Renzo. “I’m
particularly excited for the event this year. We will have an
Open championship once again, and a GP for the black belts, which
will be explosive.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Miesha
Tate refuses to submit to the public pressures of the UFC spotlight
LAS
VEGAS – The reaction to Miesha Tate's victory over Julie
Kedzie in August, her first bout since losing her title to Ronda
Rousey five months earlier, was unanimously positive.
Tate
submitted Kedzie with an arm bar following a rollicking fight
that left television viewers on Showtime Extreme, fans in the
Valley View Casino Center in San Diego and, significantly, UFC
president Dana White roaring their approval.
Miesha
Tate (right) says she wasn't herself in her win over Julie Kedzie.
(Getty Images)Tate, though, wasn't among those who were impressed.
According to her, she was in some sort of autopilot state. There
was little she was happy about, from being left off the main
card to the way she fought.
"I
talked to Dana right after and he was very impressed," Tate
said the other day as she was finishing preparations for her
bout Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center against Cat Zingano.
"I wasn't [impressed] though. I know it made for a great
fight. Julie Kedzie, she is one hell of a tough fighter. I didn't
feel, despite what people saw looking in, me, on the inside.
It didn't feel like it did for all my other fights.
"In
those, I felt excited, but here, I was kind of blank, bland.
It was more of just like being on autopilot. It's hard to explain.
It was almost like being in a twilight zone."
That
was the last time Tate appeared in the cage. Seven months later,
she's back, and sounds like a different person.
The
intense public spotlight that comes with being an elite, world-class
athlete in a high-profile sport was starting to take its toll.
She
was inundated with negativity or other unwanted attention on
social media. She felt the media often misunderstood what she
said or blatantly misquoted her.
It
all led her to conclude that she needed a step back.
"I
wanted time to regroup," Tate said. "I felt the passion
and fire I had felt for MMA had fizzled out a little bit by the
media and all of the other things that aren't as fun as fighting
is. They get in the way and it kind of can be overwhelming at
times. I just needed time to regroup.
"I
felt misconstrued by the media. Sometimes they have a way of
taking what I say and pulling just bits and pieces and twisting
it a little bit, I guess you could say. A lot of it is the fans.
I love my fans, but a lot of the fans, some fans, are pretty
outrageous in what they say. They don't stop to think that these
are real people they're talking to and about. They almost think
of us, I think, as a commodity."
Anyone
who has even a little bit of public name recognition has faced
a similar problem. While a majority of the public is friendly
and nice to deal with, there are plenty of Internet tough guys
who are rude, obnoxious and frequently outrageous.
It
can be maddening to deal with. The frustration over vile, nasty
comments to a rather innocuous baseball column he wrote for Sports
Illustrated prompted reporter Jeff Pearlman to track down two
of the men who commented. He then wrote an amusing column about
it for CNN.com.
Tate
has nearly 84,000 followers on Twitter and it got to be a bit
much for her. Dealing with the negativity, the hate and the obnoxious
behavior frequently left her mind numb and fatigued.
"It
can be overwhelming, I'm not going to lie," she said. "They
don't teach you how to deal with that stuff. The UFC is like,
'Hey, get on Twitter, be accessible, push yourself.' That's a
good thing to do, obviously. It's free, easy marketing.
"But
no one teaches you how to deal with all of the negativity. A
lot of people hang around on the Internet and watch your timeline
all day long. They want to live through you vicariously or, maybe,
they want to bring you down and get some kind of a reaction out
of you. It can be frustrating. It definitely can be overwhelming.
I just had to learn how to have fun with it again."
She's
about to get back into her comfort zone – in the Octagon
– when she meets Zingano on Saturday.
The
reward for the winner will be a stint as a coach opposite Rousey
on the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter" as well
as a title shot when the season ends.
Tate
can barely contain herself. She developed quite the rivalry with
Rousey prior to their Strikeforce bout in March 2012, and is
eager to get another crack at the UFC champion.
But
there is no coaching gig or rematch with Rousey without a win
over Zingano. And so Tate is eager to test herself once again.
"I
am so ready and everything all boils down to this fight,"
Tate said.
Hopefully
for her sake, a return to the spotlight won't coincide with a
return to the nastiness and mean-spiritedness that frequently
comes as a result of fame.
Tate
has often felt misunderstood by the media. If given the opportunity
to write a portrait of herself, the word Tate said she'd employ
is destiny.
"It's
my destiny," Tate said. "I really feel like everything
is leading to this moment in my life. It's the biggest opportunity
I've ever had and I feel so good about it. I know you can never
say you know you're going to win a fight because there's always
that chance that you won't. I never want to put my foot in my
mouth. But as sure as I can be, I know I'm going to win this
fight Saturday.
"It
means too much to me not to. I just believe I will. So, in my
mind, it's done. I'm going to go out there and do whatever it
takes to win the fight. That's exactly what is going to happen."
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Miesha
Tate furious at referee Kim Winslow for stoppage against Cat
Zingano
LAS
VEGAS, N.V. -- There was plenty at stake for Miesha Tate and
Cat Zingano at Saturday's finale of The Ultimate Fighter 17.
In
just the second women's bout in UFC history, the victor would
receive an automatic title shot and coaching role opposite UFC
bantamweight women's champion Ronda Rousey on the upcoming co-ed
season of The Ultimate Fighter. With such career changing rewards
on the line, Tate and Zingano engaged in a furious, back and
forth battle that ignited the crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events
Center and ultimately earned ‘Fight of the Night' honors.
Tate
entered the third frame ahead on two judges' scorecards -- both
Glenn Trowbridge and Patricia Morse Jarman scored it 20-18 in
favor of the former Strikeforce champion -- however Zingano stormed
back, blasting Tate with a series of knees to the head that forced
referee Kim Winslow to intervene with just two minutes remaining.
Even
in her bloodied and battered state, Tate immediately protested
the stoppage. She later echoed those sentiments when asked if
she believed Winslow stepped in too soon.
"I
do," Tate bluntly responded. "But I just know how I
felt inside the cage. I haven't had a chance to actually go back
and watch it, but [Winslow] came in and told me before we left
the locker room that, ‘If I warn you to move, all I need
to know is that you want to stay in the fight.' And I felt that
I did that. I got from the bottom, up. I got kneed a few times
on the way, tried to shoot another shot, and the fight was stopped.
I didn't feel like I was out of the fight."
Adding
to Tate's frustration was a tweet she received from a fan following
the decision. Within the tweet, the fan enclosed a screenshot
that appeared to show Tate's fingertips on the ground as Zingano
smashed a knee into her temple. If the screenshot proved correct,
Zingano's knee strike would technically be illegal under the
Unified Rules, as Tate would qualify as a downed opponent.
"It
all happened so fast in the fight, I don't really recall. I don't
consciously think it was illegal," an exasperated Tate said
when asked about the knee, before turning her thoughts back to
Winslow's stoppage.
"I'd
like to see it but I don't think it's going to change the result.
You know what I mean? I'm pissed to say the least. I'm definitely
not happy. And, I mean, f--k, I still feel like I was in the
fight. I don't, for one second, feel like it should have been
stopped. But I'm a fighter. I wanted to keep fighting.
"[Winslow]
told me, ‘Show me something.' I don't know what you want.
You know, I sat up, I shot a double, I got back to my feet. I
took some damage because of that, because I was trying to listen
to the referee, and she f--king stopped the fight. What do you
want, you know?"
For
her part, Zingano didn't remember the knee in question, but held
no doubts about Winslow's stoppage.
"I
wish we could show me the fight before we do any [interviews],
because I really go in there, and it's kind of like, I remember
little bits and pieces of the fight, but I don't have a whole
sequence of things that happen, at all," Zingano said.
"I
don't feel like whatever we're talking about is what won me the
fight. I think that I won. I think that I went and I kneed her.
I think that her face shows it. I think (there's) no doubt in
my mind that was my fight. I came back and I finished strong,
and I don't have any excuses for how I did tonight."
As
for UFC President Dana White, the Zuffa boss was borderline ecstatic
about the excitement the women once again brought into the Octagon.
Though he erred on the side of Zingano when it came to the issue
of the stoppage.
When
asked if he had any problem with it, White stated plainly, "None,
whatsoever."
"Let
me tell you what, Miesha Tate is tough as hell," he explained.
"She ate some nasty knees. What'd she eat, five or six,
seven knees before they stopped that fight? It was time to stop
that fight.
"You
know me. If I didn't think the refs did a good job, I'd tell
you. They did a good job tonight. Not 100-percent, but they did
a job considering the bad situations tonight, when people were
in bad situations, they did a good job to stop the fights."
Source: MMA Fighting |
Legacy
FC 19 Results: Will Campuzano Retains Flyweight Championship
Will
Campuzano at WEC 46Legacy FC 19 took place on Friday night at
the Allen Event Center in Dallas.
Legacy
FC flyweight champion Will Campuzano headlined the card, making
a successful defense of his belt by defeating Allan Nascimento.
It was no easy task, however, as it took Campuzano the full five
rounds to get it done.
Bellator
veteran Georgi Karakhanyan also had to go the distance in his
co-main event bout with UFC veteran Din Thomas. Karakhanyan came
out on top, like Campuzano, scoring a unanimous decision from
the judges.
Submission
ace Robert Drysdale lived up to his billing, taking out D.J.
Linderman by rear naked choke less than two minutes into their
feature fight.
Legacy FC 19 Results
Main
Bouts:
-Will Campuzano def. Allan Nascimento by Unanimous Decision,
R5
-Georgi Karakhanyan def. Din Thomas by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Robert Drysdale def. D.J. Linderman by Submission (Rear Naked
Choke) at 1:48, R1
-Matt Hobar def. Nelson Salas by Unanimous Decision, R3
-George Pacurariu def. Steven Peterson by KO (Punch) at 3:42,
R1
-Rey Trujillo def. Chris Jones by KO (Punches) at 3:59, R1
-Kevin Aguilar def. Hunter Tucker by Submission (Armbar) at 2:24,
R1
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Brad Mitchell def. David Armas by Split Decision, R3
-Evan Thompson def. Angelus McFarlane by Unanimous Decision,
R3
-Abdullah Lawal def. Jabari Abduhl-Shakur by Unanimous Decision,
R3
-Vernon Lewis def. James Hall by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 5:00,
R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
2013
NAGA PACIFIC GRAPPLING CHAMPIONSHIP
The North American Grappling Association (NAGA) is the world’s
largest mixed grappling tournament circuit with over 170,000
competitors worldwide. On Saturday & Sunday, May 25 &
26, 2013, NAGA comes to Honolulu, Hawaii for its 1st annual NAGA
South Pacific Grappling Championship No-Gi & Gi tournament.
NAGA is inviting teams from Japan, Guam and other countries to
make it Hawaii's largest grappling tournament of all time! Come
as an individual or as a team to compete. You do not have to
live in Hawaii to participate in this event. This event is nationally
RANKED!
DOWNLOAD EVENT FLYER/REGISTRATION FORM
PRE-REGISTER
ONLINE HERE or download the registration form, print it out and
mail it in to the address on the form along with your check.
1
Division = $80; 2 Divisions = $100. Spectator passes are $10.
The price goes up to $15 after the pre-registration deadline.
For family rates, download the event flyer/registration form,
or click the Pre-Register Online link. Pre-registration closes
at 5PM on Friday, May 17.
For
weight classes, age category, and skill level information click
the DIVISIONS tab above.
For
weigh-in and registration location and times click the DIVISIONS
tab above.
TWO DAY TOURNAMENT: ADULTS ON SATURDAY / CHILDREN/TEENS ON SUNDAY
Due to the large amount of competitors that this NAGA tournament
attracts, this event will have 12 competition rings and will
take place over two days. All adults (both gi and no-gi) will
compete on Saturday. All children 13 yrs. & under and teens
14-17 years old (gi & no-gi) will compete on Sunday. The
2 day tournament format makes both days end much earlier than
a one day tournament.
100 CHAMPIONSHIP BELTS AWARDED
NAGA is very pleased to be awarding 100 CHAMPIONSHIP BELTS to
all its Children, Teen, Adult, Masters, Directors and Executive
Expert Division Winners.
SAMURAI SWORDS TO CHILDREN & TEENS WINNERS
NAGA is awarding custom engraved SAMURAI SWORDS to all non-expert
Children & Teen 1st place winners. Medals will be awarded
to all 2nd & 3rd place winners along with non-expert Adult
division winners. Adult competitors who place 1st-3rd will have
the opportunity to obtain a samurai sword at the NAGA T-shirt
booth for a nominal fee. For having the courage to compete, all
children and teens who do not place 1st through 3rd will take
home an award.
TEAM
CHAMPIONSHIP CUPS AWARDED
NAGA awards customized championship cups to the tournament team
champions. A cup can be won in: Adult Overall, Adult No-Gi, Adult
Gi, and Children & Teens Overall. We are also awarding an
overall Individual Team award. This will be awarded to a team/school
with a single location that scores the most team points. Please
make sure your team registers under the same team name.
CHAMPION GI PATCH
All Children, Teens & Adults who place 1st in any NAGA Gi
Division (White Belt through Black Belt) will receive a NAGA
Champion Gi patch. These patches are not sold, only earned by
the best Gi competitors.
GET YOUR GRAPPLING GEAR AT THE EVENT
NAGA is bringing a truckload of grappling gear (Board shorts,
gi bags, rash guards, t-shirts, hats, gi hoodies, patches, skull
caps, stickers, dog tags, etc.) in children and adults sizes,
for males and females. Check out the huge selection of gear and
apparel at the NAGA event.
NAGA ON THE WEB
NAGA has established a presence online through our website and
social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. We
are expanding the material that is offered on these sites outside
of the NAGA website. If you use any of these sites, please join
us and be kept up to date with the latest NAGA news.
- Get the monthly NAGA email by filling out this form. If you
have already competed in NAGA you do not need to fill this out:
http://www.nagafighter.com/index.php?module=joinpage
- "Like" NAGA on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nagafighter. You will be notified
of the latest NAGA news and events.
- Follow NAGA on Twitter: http://twitter.com/naga_fighter or @NAGA_FIGHTER.
We will start to tweet what divisions are coming up at tournaments
to help you as a competitor or fan stay informed.
- Our YouTube page is: http://www.youtube.com/user/nagagrappling Submit links to YouTube
videos of you competing in NAGA to youtube@nagafighter.com so
that we can share your video with the rest of the NAGA community.
NATIONALLY RANKED EVENT
All NAGA events are part of the nationwide ranking system entitled
RANKED. Our goal is to determine who the best grapplers in the
country are for various age, gender, and skill levels. This tournament
will be nationally ranked so do not miss your opportunity to
gain points towards a true national title. More details can be
found at www.nationallyranked.com.
SANDBAGGERS BEWARE
NAGA works diligently to prevent "sandbagging", or
the practice of fighting down skill levels to ensure one takes
home an award. NAGA has been working with RANKED to track all
fighters and ranked grappling events to produce true "national
standings." A by-product of these standings is our knowledge
of who has competed and at which level. Front door personnel
will use RANKED data to determine whether or not individuals
who have fought in past events belong in a higher skill level
(i.e. placed 1st at a prior NAGA event).
|
Hector
Lombard Preparing to Drop to the Welterweight Division
by Jeff
Cain
UFC
middleweight Hector Lombard is planning to drop to the 170-pound
division.
The
news was reported during a recent episode of UFC Tonight on Fuel
TV.
The
former Bellator MMA middleweight titleholder has fought three
times in the UFC, going 2-1 in those outings.
He
made his highly anticipated UFC debut in July 2012 against Tim
Boetsch. He was riding a 20-fight winning streak and carried
with him lofty expectations. The streak and much of the hype
came to a halt when Boetsch defeated him by split decision.
He
bounced back in December 2012 with a first-round knockout of
Rousimar Palhares.
Lombard
(38-4-1 with one no contest) walks around at 205 pounds and feels
middleweight may not be the best division for him to compete
in. He’s sought out the assistance of renowned nutritionist
Mike Dolce to aid in his weight cut.
Lombard
last fought on March 3, losing a split decision to Yushin Okam
on the UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann fight card. He suffered
a broken nose in the loss and will undergo corrective surgery
to repair the damage.
After
he recovers from surgery, Lombard will focus cutting down to
the welterweight division.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Alexander
Gustaffson camp requests Lyoto Machida or UFC injury fill-in
by Steven
Marrocco
Taken
out of a key fight due to injury, Alexander Gustafsson (15-1
MMA, 7-1 UFC) would like to fill the gap if the UFC later finds
itself in a similar jam.
Gustafsson
trainer Eric Delfierro today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com)
that the Swedish light-heavyweight recently made two requests
to UFC matchmakers: be an injury replacement for the division's
next title fight, or face ex-champ Lyoto Machida.
Of
course, since Lyoto Machida is the No. 1 contender, he might
wind up doing that anyway if the winner of an upcoming title
bout between champ Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen is hurt or takes
an extended break. Jones and Sonnen headline UFC 159 later this
month.
Machida,
who outpointed Dan Henderson to secure a title shot, recently
told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) that he'd
rather stay active than wait for the opportunity.
Delfierro
said Gustafsson is on vacation for at least another week following
a disappointment in his native country. Scheduled to fight ex-Strikeforce
champ Gegard Mousasi at UFC on FUEL TV 9 this past Saturday,
he sustained a cut above his left eye in training, which prompted
the Swedish Mixed Martial Arts Federation to nix his participation
in the fight.
UFC
President Dana White criticized the commission's decision, releasing
a photo shot by MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan
that made the cut appear less severe than one shot immediately
after the injury, which showed a bright red gash in a bad area
above Gustafsson's eye.
"Worst
decision I have EVER seen to pull fight," White wrote.
Gustafsson,
26, was expected to secure a title shot if victorious over Mousasi,
who wound up dominating Gustafsson's training partner, Ilir Latifi.
"The
Mauler" has won six straight inside the octagon.
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
Gilbert
Melendez:
UFC on Fox 7 is My Chance to Prove I Am No. 1
By Mike
Whitman
As
Strikeforce lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez has consistently
found himself listed among the world’s best at 155 pounds.
While
that type of recognition is clearly well-deserved, Melendez is
not satisfied with his current status as the division’s
second-ranked talent. On April 20, the Californian will attempt
to prove that he has no equal at 155 pounds, when “El Nino”
takes on UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the main
event of UFC on Fox 7 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Though
Melendez will walk into the cage as Strikeforce’s final
lightweight champion, the 30-year-old appears cognizant that
his belt is now only a keepsake. It is Henderson’s title
on the line, and Melendez readily admits that he must now play
the role of challenger.
“Champion
versus champion is a neat thing for me, but I feel like in this
case that Benson is the champ, and I’m coming into a new
organization,” Melendez said Wednesday during a media conference
call. “I fought the Dream champ and the Shooto champ --
I’ve fought a lot of different champs under different rules,
so this is a neat opportunity for me. I’m definitely prepared.
For a long time, I’ve been trying to prove that I am No.
1, and this is my opportunity. I’m [going to try] to take
advantage of it.”
This
will not be the first time a member of the Cesar Gracie Fight
Team tangles with Henderson, who outpointed Nate Diaz in his
UFC on Fox 5 title defense back in December -- a performance
which Melendez witnessed in person.
“Of
course I would love to avenge my friend and represent for my
team. I got to see firsthand what Benson is all about. I would
love to get that [win] for myself and for my teammate,”
said Melendez. “When your buddy is fighting, you can’t
help but get a little emotional and a little passionate. If you
can back your friend up, you will.”
Melendez
represents just the latest of title contenders to come from the
vaunted Cesar Gracie camp. Nick and Nate Diaz both challenged
UFC champions in recent months, and Jake Shields took a crack
at Georges St. Pierre in 2011. Years earlier, David Terrell and
Gil Castillo tried to capture UFC gold three times between the
two of them. In spite of the undeniable talent of the challengers,
each attempt was unsuccessful, a fact that Melendez said has
not added any extra pressure to his upcoming title try.
“I
hope to win the title for my team, but I really try not to put
too much pressure on myself. I just go out there to fight my
fight,” said Melendez. “I think it’s a great accomplishment
for my whole team to even get title fights. Not many teams can
say that. If anything, it’s an accomplishment for our team,
but I would like to be able bring that title back to the gym
and share it with those guys.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
159's Alan Belcher warns Bisping: 'I haven't felt like this in
forever'
by Matt
Erickson
Alan
Belcher sees Michael Bisping, and he knows what he wants. Of
course, in order to have a chance at it, it's Bisping he has
to go through.
Belcher
(18-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) meets Bisping (23-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) in the
co-main event of UFC 159 later this month. And though both middleweights
are coming off losses, a win for either would keep them right
in the thick of things at 185 pounds.
The
fight with Bisping is one Belcher has had his eyes on for a long
time. Now that it's finally on the horizon, the 28-year-old vet
said he's more prepared for this fight than any other. And he's
got a bone to pick with the Brit for perhaps not taking him as
a serious threat in the past.
"Let
me go on the record as saying I haven't tried to sell the fight
at all – everything between me and Bisping is organic,"
Belcher told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "It's
all derived from the years I've been trying to fight him and
trying to get what he has. He's always just kind of shoved me
off like I don't deserve to be in there with him. So now is my
chance to prove it."
Belcher
is coming off a loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 155 this past December.
The unanimous decision setback snapped a four-fight streak of
stoppages that included an upset of Rousimar Palhares 11 months
ago at UFC on FOX 3. A few weeks later, Bisping was knocked out
by Vitor Belfort in Brazil.
But
what Belcher has his eye on is the level of fortune and glory
Bisping has been able to achieve in the UFC since winning Season
3 of "The Ultimate Fighter" way back in June 2006 –
before Belcher even had made his way to the promotion.
"The
dude makes more money than most people in the UFC," Belcher
said of Bisping, whose five losses have been to a virtual who's-who
of MMA – Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Chael
Sonnen and Belfort. "He's one of the top-paid fighters.
He has the UFC behind him – the big contract. I don't know
about the big fan base, but he's been promoted to his country
and he always gets opportunities to be the main event and make
those big paydays. And I want the chance."
To
get that, Belcher said he's been more motivated for this fight
than anything in a long time. After an eye injury kept him out
of the game for more than a year, the Mississippi native came
back and picked up wins over Jason MacDonald and Palhares to
extend his streak to four.
Against
Bisping, he's prepared for a battle – but he also has the
confidence that he could take him out quickly.
"It's
going to be a tough, grinding fight if I don't just run over
him – because I feel like my mind's in this fight,"
Belcher said. "I haven't felt like this in forever. Back
before I had that eye injury, I was starting to get on a roll
and I've just been trying to come back from that ever since.
I questioned myself if I really, really wanted to do it and make
a run at it. So now it's good.
"I
don't really have a choice. I just want to win this fight. I
don't care about a title shot. I want to win this fight really
bad."
A
second straight loss probably wouldn't get Belcher a pink slip.
But it certainly would drop him well back into the pack and outside
of title contention. Bisping is facing a similar problem –
a loss for him not only would be his second straight, but it
would give him a 1-3 mark in his past four fights.
So
as Belcher said, he doesn't have a choice. Not if he wants that
level of fame and payday Bisping has. And not if he wants an
eventual run at a title fight.
"It's
funny how things work sometimes," he said. "I needed
a wake-up call (with the Okami loss). This isn't an easy sport.
I needed to be reminded of what hard work is really about and
how hard you have to push yourself. ... My mind's going to be
in this one. Win, lose or draw, I'm preparing myself like a mad
man. I'm confident.
"I
haven't put in all this work to go back to the bottom and work
my way back up. That's not going to happen. I'm going to win
this fight and continue to be one of the best in the world for
the rest of my career."
UFC
159 takes place April 27 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The main card, including Belcher vs. Bisping, airs on pay-per-view
following prelims on FX and Facebook.
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
Daniel
Cormier calls Frank Mir 'disturbing,' isn't thinking about Jon
Jones
By Dave
Doyle
As
his UFC on Fox co-feature bout with Daniel Cormier approaches,
Frank Mir is launching into his usual routine about snapping
limbs. The former UFC heavyweight champion's talk isn't all schtick,
of course, as Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira can attest.
But
if Mir is hoping to get into the head of the former Olympic wrestler
and Strikeforce grand prix tournament champion, it doesn't seem
to be working. In a Tuesday media teleconference promoting the
April 20 event in San Jose, Calif., Cormier shrugged off Mir's
mind games.
"Doesn't
matter to me," Cormier said. "I'm going to go out there
and fight my fight and hoping its promotion, because if that's
the way his mind works, that's disturbing."
Cormier
went on to explain that he's not about to be goaded into fighting
out of pure emotion.
"Well,
you know, I'm not really big on fighting with emotion,"
Cormier said. "I'm not going to fight with any emotion,
there's nothing Frank can say about me that's going to make me
fight a fight that's more dangerous. I really don't know, I've
stated time and time again that there's only a select few individuals
who have taken the beatings Frank has taken and all this stuff
and still continue to be the way he is."
Cormier,
of course, is a training partner and friend of the current UFC
heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez. Cormier has previously
stated he'll go down to light heavyweight in order to get a title
shot if that's what it takes, but he says as of now, thoughts
of Jon Jones' gold are on hold.
"Well
you know, I've got such an important fight on my hands with this
next one that I really have kind of strayed away from that thought
process," Cormier said of a drop to light heavyweight. "I'm
not really thinking the about the 205-pound weight class right
now. I've stated time and time again that I want to be the UFC
champion, if that means going a weight below, then I'll do that,
but I have the toughest fight of my career in two weeks in front
of me."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
One
FC 9 Marks Promotion’s Return to the Philippines in May
with Dual Title Bouts
Press Release
ONE
Fighting Championship, in association with Universal Reality
Combat Championship (URCC), returns to the fight capital of Asia
on Friday, 31 May, with the highly anticipated first title defense
of hometown hero ONE FC Featherweight World Champion Honorio
“The Rock” Banario.
Banario
will put it all on the line when he takes on Japanese submission
specialist Koji Oishi. Plus, pound-for-pound king Bibiano “The
Flash” Fernandes returns to the famed ONE FC cage when he
squares off against Japanese MMA sensation Koetsu Okazaki for
the ONE FC Bantamweight Interim Title.
All
the action will take place at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia
Arena in what is expected to be the greatest fight card ever
compiled in ONE FC history. After selling out arenas throughout
Asia it is finally time for ONE FC to return to the Philippines.
CEO
of ONE Fighting Championship Victor Cui stated, “ONE FC
will be back in the fight capital of Asia on 31 May with a stacked
fight card that is sure to get the adrenaline pumping for the
passionate Filipino fight fans. This event could possibly be
the largest in ONE FC’s history and features the top names
in MMA, headlined by ONE FC Featherweight World Champion Honorio
Banario. Of course, having one of the greatest fighters on earth
fighting on this card in Manila is sure to be a special night
for MMA. Bibiano Fernandes always brings his best when he steps
into the cage. Close to 20,000 fans will pack out the SM Mall
of Asia Arena to witness the greatest sporting spectacle in the
world.”
Tickets
for ONE FC: RISE TO POWER will launch in Casino Filipino branches
across the Philippines starting on 19 April 2013.
Fans
from around the world can witness the action online via live
streaming at www.onefc.livesport.tv. The first two undercard
fights are available for viewing free-of-charge and the main
card fights will be available for purchase at just US$9.99.
ONE
FC Featherweight Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario
is one of the top Mixed Martial Artists in the world today. He
is a member of the legendary Team Lakay where he trains alongside
fellow ONE FC fighters Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon under
head coach Mark Sangiao. Banario comes from a Wushu background,
an ancient Chinese martial art whose practitioners are recognizable
by a diverse range of striking techniques. Despite his striking
credentials, five of Banario’s eight wins were by submission,
proving how versatile he really is. Banario captured the ONE
FC crown when he defied all odds by defeating his fellow countryman
Eric Kelly at ONE FC: RETURN OF WARRIORS via TKO. Banario will
be looking to hold onto his title when he battles the ever so
tough submission specialist from Japan, Koji Oishi.
Koji
Oishi is a 35 year-old Japanese mixed martial arts veteran and
former Lightweight King of Pancrase. He comes from a wrestling
and karate background and is renowned for leaving everything
on the line in brawls against some of the best in the business,
including Chris Lytle, Carlos Condit and both of the Diaz brothers.
ONE
FC Bantamweight World Champion Soo Chul Kim is currently undergoing
shoulder surgery and will be out of action for an indefinite
period of time. Therefore, ONE FC officials have decided that
an interim ONE FC Bantamweight World Championship title will
be introduced until Kim is ready to make a comeback.
Bibiano
“The Flash” Fernandes is undeniably one of the best
fighters in the world today. His never-ending gas tank, explosive
take-downs and lighting fast strikes have garnered him a huge
fan base amongst Asian and international fans alike. Fernandes
made his ONE FC debut in August 2012 at ONE FC: PRIDE OF A NATION
where he defeated journeyman Gustavo Falciroli via unanimous
decision. A veteran who has fought countless Japanese fighters,
Fernandes will have his toughest test yet when he battles Japanese
sensation Koetsu Okazaki.
Okazaki
is the latest top Japanese fighter to sign for ONE FC and is
one of the most experienced fighters in the entire bantamweight
division. He is a tenacious competitor known to never back down
from any opponent. Okazaki specializes in submissions but he
is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone if that is what it
takes to get the win. Okazaki knows that a win over Fernandes
will get him the global recognition that he deserves and the
ONE FC Bantamweight Interim Title wrapped around his waist.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Jake
Ellenberger-Rory MacDonald Booked for UFC on Fox 8 in Seattle
By Mike
Whitman
Highly
regarded welterweights Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald will
collide when the UFC returns to Seattle for UFC on Fox 8.
The
July 27 event takes place at KeyArena and will also see Melvin
Guillard face Mac Danzig in a lightweight duel. The evening’s
main card airs live on Fox’s flagship network, while the
prelims will be broadcast immediately prior on FX and Facebook.
Canadian newspaper The Province initially reported the pairing,
and UFC officials confirmed it shortly thereafter.
Ellenberger,
28, has won eight of his last nine fights, with only a 2012 defeat
to Martin Kampmann marring his record in that span. “The
Juggernaut” rides back-to-back victories heading into his
showdown with MacDonald, kicking off 2013 with a March 16 knockout
of former Strikeforce champion Nate Marquardt at UFC 158.
MacDonald,
meanwhile, has tasted defeat just once, succumbing to a third-round
rally from Carlos Condit in 2010. Following that setback, the
23-year-old Canadian posted four straight wins, besting Nate
Diaz, Mike Pyle, Che Mills and B.J. Penn. “Ares” was
then booked in a rematch with Condit at UFC 158 but was forced
to withdraw from that contest due to injury.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Demetrious
Johnson on track to return at UFC on FOX 8
By Ariel
Helwani
It's
still looking good for Demetrious Johnson to return to action
at UFC on FOX 8 on July 27, however, the question still remains
whether the promotion will book him on that card.
Johnson
told MMAFighting.com that he now has full range of motion in
his surgically-repaired shoulder (see photo above for proof).
His doctor also recently cleared him to shadowbox, but he still
can't hit pads or mitts because that would put too much stress
on his shoulder right now. "Mighty Mouse" has started
to do other exercises, though, such as squatting and leg presses.
The
UFC flyweight champion underwent successful surgery last month
to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Following
his surgery, Johnson, 26, told MMAFighting.com that his goal
was to fight on the Seattle card because he lives just outside
of the area in Kirkland, WA. Plus, his wife is due to give birth
to the couple's first child on July 16, so he would like to be
close to home.
The
UFC knows of his plan, but they have yet to tell him when he
will fight next. He said he still believes he will return to
action against John Moraga, the opponent he was supposed to face
this weekend before he pulled out of the fight due to his injured
shoulder, but that has yet to be confirmed, as well.
Johnson,
who last fought in January, is scheduled to meet with his doctor
in three weeks to evaluate his progress once again.
Below
is another picture of Johnson, sent exclusively to MMAFighting.com,
at his doctor's office showing off his improvement.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Barao,
Wineland expect title unification bout with Cruz following UFC
161
Renan
Barao (30-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Eddie Wineland (20-8-1 MMA, 2-2
UFC) are focused on each other, but they both expect to meet
champ Dominick Cruz down the road.
"I'm
looking at this fight first, Barao said at a news conference
in support of UFC 161, which he headlines opposite Wineland on
June 15 at MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. "After
that, (I'm) definitely (looking) to Dominick."
"[Barao]
is a tough opponent, and given that I beat him, (I should get
the title shot)," Wineland added. "I think it all depends
on [Cruz's] doctors. If he's not healthy to compete, he's not
healthy to compete."
According
to his coach, Cruz, who this past December underwent a second
reconstructive surgery for a torn ACL, is getting healthier.
Eric Delfierro today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that
the champion was cleared on Monday to begin "more advanced
training." However, he is still unable to wrestle, and the
team has not set a target date for his return.
The
poster for UFC 161 advertises the bantamweight headliner as a
world bantamweight championship as opposed to an interim title
bout, which hints at potential a change in Cruz's status as the
undisputed champ.
UFC
President Dana White recently told MMAjunkie.com he would meet
the champ to discuss his future. He admitted the knee injury,
which has kept Cruz out of action for more than a year, has held
up the division. Barao's fight with Wineland is the second defense
of his interim strap.
"[Cruz
is] our champ, he's our guy, and he needs time," White told
MMAjunkie.com this past month in Montreal. "But we're getting
to the point now where we really need to make a decision."
Delfierro
said the meeting hasn't taken place, but stressed that Cruz had
not been stripped of his title. He anticipated the two would
talk in two to three weeks.
Wineland,
who was the first to hold the WEC title before the promotion
was purchased by UFC parent Zuffa, enjoys back-to-back wins following
a two-fight skid that endangered his job with the UFC. Barao
has lost just once in eight years and 32 fights.
It
appears that while both want to fight Cruz, neither wants to
wait too long for the chance.
"Getting
past [Barao], I would want to [be] inactive, so whatever the
UFC decides is supposed to be is supposed to be," Wineland
said. "I don't want to sit on the sidelines."
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
Alexander
Gustafsson Eager to Fight, Wants Title Shot or Top Contender
Bout
by Jeff
Cain
Fight
ready and cut healing, UFC light heavyweight contender Alexander
Gustafsson hopes to be back in action as soon as possible.
Gustafsson’s
manager, Manos Terzitane, told UFC Tonight that the 26-year-old
Swede is a week or two away from being cleared to fight.
Once
cleared from the cut that forced him out of the UFC on Fuel TV
9 main event against Gegard Mousasi, Gustafsson is willing to
step in on short notice if a light heavyweight falls out of a
scheduled bout.
Gustafsson
is eyeing a title shot with the winner between champion Jon Jones
and Chael Sonnen, who fight on April 27. If he’s unable
to get a title shot, Gustafsson would like to face Lyoto Machida
in a number-one contender fight.
Gustafsson
(15-1) is on a six-fight winning streak and hasn’t lost
since April 2010. He last fought on Dec. 8, defeating former
light heavyweight titleholder Maricio “Shogun” Rua
by unanimous decision.
The
UFC has been informed of Gustafsson’s willingness to accept
a short notice fight and his intentions of getting a title shot.
For now, Gustafsson waits, but he doesn’t want to wait long.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Today
Source: Romolo Barros
|
Denny
Prokopos Seminar at O2
Today
Saturday,
April 13
Time: 9:00 - 11:00 am
Cost: $50
Seminar at O2 Martial Arts Academy
98-019 Kamehameha Hwy, #208A
Aiea, HI 96701
484-2324
Eddie Bravo's first black belt, Denny Prokopos has been tearing
it up on the tournament scene and also has MMA experience. He
has been called by Eddie Bravo as the foremost authority on the
rubber guard. He will show us the rubber guard as well as the
latest cutting edge techniques he has been working on in order
to prepare for an upcoming Grappling Super Fight.
Don't miss this opportunity to expand your game with revolutionary
techniques! If you plan on coming, please jump on Facebook and
confirm your attendance on Michael Onzuka's created event.
|
Will
the Student Become the Master? Scott Jorgensen Okay Fighting
Mentor Urijah Faber
by Ryan
McKinnell
In
Scott Jorgensen’s seven years as a professional mixed martial
artist, he’s seen plenty of highs and lows. With 14 career
wins, four Fight of the Night awards to his credit, and a one-time
title challenge against bantamweight kingpin Dominick Cruz, “Young
Guns” has become a main card staple amongst the UFC 135-pound
ranks.
And
whom does he have to thank for that?
In
large part, it’s the same man who is next in line to punch
him in the face – former mentor Urijah Faber.
Faber,
who has become the face of MMA’s lighter weight classes,
has been a role model for countless fighters over the last decade.
With his cleft chin, pearly white smile, and thrilling fighting
style, he’s defined a generation of sub-six-foot scrappers
and laid the blueprint for future fighters to follow in divisions
that have been notoriously difficult to promote.
In
Jorgensen’s case, not only was he an admirer of Faber, but
also credits him for being the person who convinced him to pursue
a career in professional fist fighting.
“Urijah
was two years ahead of me in college. So he was done with college
and I was just finishing up, and he was already fighting. I’ve
been a big fan of MMA since I was a little kid,” recounted
Jorgensen during a recent media tour in support of their Ultimate
Fighter 17 Finale main event showdown on Saturday in Las Vegas.
“I
used to warm up with a Team Punishment long sleeve t-shirt and
a Robbie Lawler t-shirt that Jens (Pulver) had given me. So I
loved MMA and (Faber) is fighting… the one I remember, we
were in Reno at the Reno Tournament of Champions and he was talking
about it.
“He
had his own shirt, so I’m like, ‘That’s so cool!’
And he said, ‘You should try it. You’ll love it. You’ll
make some money.’ So I tried it and I absolutely fell in
love with it. I had opportunities to move to the Olympic training
center (and) stick with wrestling, but I just fell in love with
MMA because it came at so much of a less stressful environment.”
You
heard that correctly; the former three-time PAC 10 champion actually
found fighting in a cage with a highly trained martial artist
less stressful than the daily grind of collegiate wrestling.
“Towards
the end of college, the pressure you feel on you – like
at the NCAA tournament – just daily, weekly, practice, it’s
a lot to bear,” said the 30-year-old.
“I
was on scholarship, so I felt like I have to do this. I have
to do it well. I have to keep my scholarship. I have to pay for
my education,” recounted Jorgensen. “MMA, I choose
to do it. I had a great job before this that I could go back
to, but I want to do this. Fighting is just so much less stressful
and that’s how (Faber) got me into it.
“I
tried it. I fell in love with it. Essentially he introduced me
to our managers. I even think my first Showtime fight, he got
wind of it first, called me and asked me if I wanted it. And
that was how I got into the WEC.”
Soon
after the WEC/UFC buyout in late 2006, Jorgensen went to Sacramento,
Calif., to train with Faber at Team Alpha Male. Jorgensen was
a staple at the Nor Cal gym and slowly became a de facto member.
“For
forever, I don’t know how long it was, but everyone thought
I was a part of Team Alpha Male in the beginning,” Jorgensen
remembered. “That’s because I was out there a lot and
I had so much to learn from Urijah.”
As
things tend to do in combat gyms, however, it got a tad crowded
– especially at a gym like Alpha Male, where they specialize
in the lighter weight classes. Members of the team with longer
tenure began turning pro, and it was obvious that the time had
come for the “Young Gun“ to start looking for his own
camp.
“Then
Joseph (Benavidez) got into the WEC,” he said.
“He
was my weight, so out of courtesy and to not make things awkward
for our team, so to speak, MMA Inc. (the management company that
represents both Faber and Jorgensen), I stayed at home and trained
elsewhere. Through the years we’ve been friends, had sparring
sessions, and been cool.”
Despite
their history, Jorgensen is quick to point out that he has a
fiancée, a subpar 3-3 record in his last six fights, and
come fight time, this is about securing his future, all friendship
aside.
“When
we step in the cage, that’s the only thing that matters
– those 25 minutes and how we handle ourselves,” said
Jorgensen.
“I’m
not worried about Urijah and what he’s going to do. I don’t
care. I’m going to take care of my business and do what
I do, and make him worry about what I’m doing.”
Jorgensen
reiterates that even if there were any reluctance to fight his
former mentor, picking and choosing his opponents has never been
a popular practice for him.
“I’ve
never picked my opponents,” he exclaimed.
“Never
once has (Sean Shelby, UFC matchmaker) called and said, ‘Hey,
you’ve got this (fight). Will you take it, or do you want
somebody different?’ It’s not that way with me. Tell
me to fight ’em; I’ll fight ’em. This time it
happens to be me and Urijah getting after it.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Bibiano
Fernandes-Koetsu Okazaki Booked for One FC 9
By Mike
Fridley
Dream
bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes will meet Koetsu Okazaki
with the One Fighting Championship interim 135-pound title on
the line at One FC 9 “Rise to Power” on May 31 in Manila,
Philippines.
The
promotion also announced that Honorio Banario will defend his
One FC featherweight strap against UFC veteran Koji Oishi on
the card, which will take place at SM Mall of Asia Arena. The
venue seats 20,000 spectators.
Fernandes
and Okazaki will get a crack at the interim title after it was
learned that One FC bantamweight ace Soo Chul Kim will undergo
shoulder surgery and will be out of action for an indefinite
period of time.
“Bibiano
Fernandes always brings his best when he steps into the cage,”
stated One FC CEO Victor Cui in a press release.
One
FC 9’s main draw will air live via Internet PPV (www.onefc.livesport.tv)
for $9.99, and its undercard will stream live and free on Sherdog.com.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Gilbert
Melendez seeks revenge for Nate Diaz's loss to Benson Henderson
By Dave
Doyle
Gilbert
Melendez knows when he steps into the Octagon at the HP Pavilion
in San Jose, Calif. on April 20, he represents his camp's last,
best chance.
Melendez,
the final Strikeforce lightweight champion, meets UFC titleholder
Benson Henderson in the main event of UFC on FOX 7. He'll become
the fourth Cesar Gracie Fight Team member to get a UFC title
shot in the past two years. His teammates, Jake Shields, Nate
Diaz, and Nick Diaz, have gone 0-3.
So
Melendez will enter the Octagon looking for redemption, both
for his team, and specifically for Nate Diaz, who lost a unanimous
decision to Henderson in December.
"Of
course, I'd love to avenge my friend," Melendez said during
a Tuesday media teleconference. "I'd love to get revenge
for my team, and yeah, you know, I got to see firsthand what
Benson's all about, front row. Of course I would love to bring
that belt back to my teammates."
The
30-year old Melendez (21-2) carries a seven-fight win streak
into the bout. The two-time Strikeforce champion's name is almost
synonymous with the company, as he carries the record for most
Strikeforce wins (10) and successful title defenses (6).
He's
long believed himself to be the world's top lightweight, and
is glad to finally have the chance to prove it. But while it's
easy to frame the fight as a sort of unification bout, Melendez
feels he's squarely in the challenger's role.
"Champion
vs. champion is a neat thing for me, but I feel like in this
case, Benson's the champ and I'm coming into the Octagon in a
new organization," Melendez said. "I fought the Dream
champ, I fought the Shooto champ, I fought a lot of different
champs. It's a neat opportunity for me, I'm definitely prepared,
and I'm looking forward opportunity. For a long time I've been
trying to prove I'm number one, and this is my opportunity, so
I want to take advantage of it."
Henderson,
for his part, says that even if Melendez isn't the biggest name
fighter out there, he's well aware of his challenger's accomplishments.
"I'm
not looking past Gilbert," Henderson (18-2) said. "He
might not have the biggest name, there might be bigger fights
and blah blah blah out there, but I know how tough Gil is. He
was the Strikeforce champ and he was rated the top two, top three,
for a long time, for a reason. I'm not looking past him at all,
not even close."
In
addition to Henderson's win over Nate Diaz, Shields lost a unanimous
decision to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129 in Toronto, and Nick
Diaz was decisioned by GSP at last month's UFC 158 in Montreal.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
champ Georges St-Pierre releases autobiography, plans 'Captain
America' slot
UFC
welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has a date with Johny
Hendricks looming, but for now, his focus will be in a few decidedly
different places.
St-Pierre's
autobiography, "The Way of the Fight," is now available
in his native Canada and is scheduled for an April 23 release
in the U.S.
Additionally,
EW.com recently confirmed previous reports that St-Pierre has
been cast as villain Batroc the Leaper in the upcoming film "Captain
America: The Winter Soldier."
In
St-Pierre's autobiography, the UFC champ promises to share "the
lessons he learned on his way to the top," including "how
he overcame bullying and injury to become an internationally
celebrated athlete and champion." St-Pierre began writing
the book suring his extended time off to recover from ACL surgery.
Canadian
outlets are already carrying the title. It can be pre-ordered
ahead of its U.S. release at numerous online retailers, including
Amazon.com, which is offering the book for $18.99.
"Captain
America: The Winter Soldier," which is based on a Marvel
Comic and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures,
hits theaters in April 2014. Production began Monday, though
it's not expected to keep St-Pierre on the sidelines for an extended
time.
St-Pierre's
character in "Captain America," Batroc The Leaper,
first appeared in comic books in 1966. The mercenary is a master
of savate, a French form of kickboxing.
St-Pierre
(24-2 MMA, 18-2 UFC) is next scheduled to fight top contender
Hendricks (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), who earned his shot with a recent
decision win over onetime title challenger Carlos Condit. However,
a date hasn't been set for their title fight.
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
2013
WPJJC: What the training mats represent in Abu Dhabi
Erin Herle
As
I sat on the training mats in the Armed Forces Officers Club
in Abu Dhabi, UAE I witnessed an experience that may have been
subtle to some. The red and blue mixed mats laid down in the
oddly shaped polygon room with padded walls and pillars and a
ceiling of triangle-shaped mirrors was just enough for the group
of athletes in town for the 2013 World Professional Jiu-Jitsu
Championship this week. From white belt to black belt, the interactions
and comfortable environment creates a bond. All the way in Abu
Dhabi with people from all over the world, it doesn’t matter
how foreign the world is outside of the mats because the Jiu-Jitsu
community and the presence of mats can make any athlete feel
like home. What I witnessed were a few things that brought out
the strongest qualities of the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle:
Dedication
A
trip to Abu Dhabi grants a tourist experiences that can fill
a scrapbook of memories from mosques to oases to islands. For
the athletes preparing for the tournament, however, they will
be found within the Armed Forces Officers Club and on the mats
either drilling or rolling. From morning to night, the mats are
filled with people seeking to maintain their level of Jiu-Jitsu
and constantly better themselves. Their dedication to the art
is astounding as the only breaks they take are to eat or sleep.
People like the Miyao brothers continue to drill with one another
while adding in rolls with other people from time to time. Even
scoping out their opponents is a way to constantly be focusing
on their goals on the mats. Keenan Cornelius seeks out partners
from any affiliation and any belt to continue his work towards
yet another double gold. People like Roberto Cyborg Abreu, Victor
Estima, Gabi Garcia, Luiza Monteiro and many many others would
rather spend their time on the mats inside the moist and often
crowded training room than seek any other enjoyment outside of
it. Dedication is obvious here.
Camaraderie
Politics
don’t matter as much as personal relationships
The
numerous pairs you will see on the mat area would surprise you,
but only after a few times. The patches on the back of your gi
no longer matter in Abu Dhabi because everyone trains with everyone.
On Wednesday morning I saw crowds of Nova Uniao, Fight Sports,
Gracie Barra, Atos and others well-represented in the room but
each mingling with other athletes. Gabi Garcia was training with
Luiza Monteiro and then finding her training partners, even with
Mackenzie Dern who she competed against at the Pans just weeks
ago. Jiu-Jitsu brings people together and being so far from home,
the politics suddenly drift away and the divide dissolves. Camaraderie
is strong in Abu Dhabi and given that Jiu-Jitsu takes two, any
person can fill those shoes.
True
champions
Between
the perseverance, will to win and perhaps the distance from home,
the training mats in Abu Dhabi bring out the best. It’s
easy to tell who is a true champion on the mat not by knowing
someone’s previous titles or the stripes on a person’s
belt or how tall they walk. It’s a level of true love that
shows on these mats as even the best seek out anyone to roll
with them just so they can continue to expand their knowledge.
Throwing the ego aside and even the element of competition in
a way, the most respected are those that put in their time on
the mat no matter what. Forget the politics and treat that mats
like your home. From early morning to late at night, these athletes
can be found picking partners to roll and drill, staying on the
mats like a fish in the water, a turtle in its shell.
Abu
Dhabi hosts not only a prestigious tournament with opportunities
found nowhere else, but it also brings together the most worthy
opponents together to bond while living the true Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
Joins the Fight to Save Olympic Wrestling, Calls on Bellator
and Viacom for Cooperation
by Jeff
Cain
When
the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted in February to
cut wrestling from the Olympic Games starting in 2020, the decision
sent shock waves not only through the wrestling community, but
throughout the sports world; perhaps none more so than the mixed
martial arts community.
Wrestling
is a core component to mixed martial arts. Several Olympic wrestlers
have made their way into MMA, including Daniel Cormier, Matt
Lindland, Dan Henderson, Randy Couture, Sarah McMann, among others.
2000 Olympic Games gold medalist Rulon Gardner has one professional
MMA bout on his resume as well.
“This
is a process of renewing and renovating the program for the Olympics,”
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said at the time the decision was made.
“In the view of the executive board, this was the best program
for the Olympic Games in 2020. It’s not a case of what’s
wrong with wrestling, it is what’s right with the 25 core
sports.”
Wrestling
is on a short-list of eight sports that can argue its case for
inclusion in the Games, so there’s still hope for wrestling
in the Olympics. The UFC is joining the fight to save wrestling.
The other sports positioning for inclusion are baseball/softball,
karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and
wushu.
“I’ve
met with a lot of top guys in wrestling. I met with them last
Tuesday, and the UFC is joining the fight to help save Olympic
wrestling,” said UFC president Dana White on Tuesday.
“Not
just Olympic wrestling. Colleges are dropping wrestling right
now. High schools have been dropping wrestling for a long time.
Myself, I have personally funded tons of wrestling programs and
the UFC has funded tons of wrestling programs for high school
kids,” said White.
“I
can’t be the guy to try and run out and save wrestling,”
said White during the UFC on Fuel TV 7 press conference on Feb.
13.
One
man can’t save wrestling, but a collective effort potentially
can.
“It’s
in the discussion phase. These guys are going out and fighting
the fight. I think what I can do, and not just me and the UFC,
but I think other companies like Bellator, too – Viacom
owns Bellator, and I think Viacom would be probably interested
in fighting the fight too,” said White on Tuesday’s
UFC on Fox 7 media conference call.
Ultimately
wrestling’s Olympic future rests with the IOC, but there’s
still time to convince them that they made a mistake, and still
time to get the oldest sport in the world back in the 2020 Games.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Bellator
Introduces 4-Man Tournaments in 3 Weight Divisions for 2013 Summer
Series
By Mike
Whitman
Bellator
MMA is adopting a four-man tournament structure for its upcoming
2013 Summer Series.
According
to a Wednesday press release, the Viacom-owned organization will
hold tournaments in the heavyweight, light heavyweight and bantamweight
divisions this summer live on Spike TV.
“We
are always striving to enhance every aspect of the Bellator formula
for our fighters and fans,” Bellator CEO and Chairman Bjorn
Rebney said in the release. “Our champions consistently
defending their titles against world class challengers who’ve
earned their title shots creates a win-win for those two crucial
groups. Three stacked four-man tournaments over our Summer Series
on Spike is another great step in our growth and evolution.”
Bellator
has traditionally used an eight-man tournament to crown title
challengers, a format to which the promotion will return this
fall in Season 9. No dates or tournament participants have been
announced for the upcoming Summer Series, which has previously
consisted of three events held from June to August in both 2011
and 2012.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Mousasi
vs. Latifi leads Fuel to biggest non-prime time audience in history
By Dave
Meltzer
Even
with a complete unknown in the main event, ratings for Saturday
afternoon's UFC on Fuel 9 seem to indicate more and more fan
familiarity with the station.
The
show, headlined by former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi's
UFC debut, facing late replacement Ilir Latifi, averaged 236,000
viewers for the three-hour telecast. It was the fourth most-watched
program in the station's history, and the largest ever for a
non-prime time broadcast.
It
should be noted that all four of those shows have been UFC broadcasts
that have aired over the last three months. The previous live
show, airing in prime time with a stronger marquee card from
Japan and headlined by Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann on March
2, averaged 485,000 viewers and blew away all station records.
The pre-fight show for Silva vs. Stann did 250,000 viewers. Also
finishing ahead of Saturday's show were prelims from a Jan. 19
FX show from Brazil, that did 255,000 viewers. Fuel is currently
available in 37 million homes, a number that hasn't varied significantly
since UFC started on the station.
What
made this number impressive is the show aired starting at 2 p.m.
on the East Coast and 11 a.m. on the West Coast. During those
hours, Fuel was the highest rated ad-supported cable station
in the Male 18-34 and Male 18-49 demographic, something unheard
of for the station. In Males 18-49, it was the second-highest
rated show in station history.
Also
notable is a major shift in viewership habits when it comes to
live vs. prime time.
Historically,
when UFC would run afternoon shows from Europe, they would draw
higher numbers on tape in prime time for replay showings than
live. That has changed of late. On Saturday, the 7 p.m. Eastern
time slot did 98,000 viewers and the third airing, for West Coast
prime time, did 92,000 viewers, meaning 426,000 total viewers.
The three airings also led Fuel to its second most-watched day
in its history, trailing only March 2.
Viewership
was up 20 percent from the 197,000 viewers for the first UFC
show from Stockholm, on April 14, 2012, in a similar time slot
at the same time of the year. With Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago
Silva as the main event, that was a stronger marquee match to
the public. The most recent live UFC show out of prime time,
on Feb. 16, from London, England, headlined by interim bantamweight
champion Renan Barao retaining the title over Michael McDonald,
did 195,000 viewers. The non-prime time record had been 215,000
viewers on March 15 for the Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz weigh-ins.
While
Mousasi has some name from Strikeforce, Latifi was a complete
unknown, who took the fight four days ahead of time after Gustafsson
was not allowed to fight, due to a head cut suffered days earlier.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Former
UFC champ Pat Miletich considering U.S. Senate run
Pat
Miletich, a former UFC champion who turned to broadcasting after
his MMA retirement in 2008, is reportedly considering a run for
the U.S. Senate.
Miletich
discussed the possibility with the Quad-City Times.
"A
lot of people are fed up with a lot of things that are happening
in the country," he told the newspaper. "I'm not a
fan of the left, socialist mentality at all."
Miletich,
who said he'd run as a Republican or independent, first tweeted
the possibility this past week. The tweet followed news that
Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, said he is running for
the seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.
"Bruce
Braley cannot win that seat," Miletich wrote.
A
Senate run would obviously impact Miletich's current work. The
47-year-old Iowan, who went 29-7-2 with four UFC title defenses
during a successful 13-year fighting career, also has trained
some of the biggest names in the sport at Miletich Martial Arts.
Lately, he's called fights for Strikeforce on Showtime, as well
as a variety of organizations on AXS TV (formerly HDNet). He's
also done work with ESPN.
He's
reportedly considered a run in politics for the past few years.
Miletich
wouldn't be the first MMA notable to run for office in his home
state. Upcoming UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen, as well as
recently retired UFC vet Chris Lytle, both staged campaigns for
state office that ultimately fell short.
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
Fallon
Fox Responds to Matt Mitrione’s Comments
by Jeff
Cain
Transgender
fighter Fallon Fox was the subject of an insult laden tirade
by UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione during an episode of The MMA
Hour on Monday.
Fox
responded to Mitrione’s comments via her facebook page on
Tuesday.
“Matt
Mitrione went well beyond disagreeing with the medical experts
who say I should be able to compete as a woman, and personally
attacked me as a fighter, as a woman, and as a human being,”
she wrote. “His comments do not reflect the spirit of our
sport, where most competitors uphold values like respect and
dignity.”
Mitrione
was promptly suspended by the UFC for his remarks for violating
the company’s recently implemented code of conduct policy.
Last
week, Florida officials closed an investigation into Fox’s
licensing application, allowing Fox to compete at her next scheduled
bout for Championship Fighting Alliance on May 24.
Fox
has been the center of controversy for several weeks while her
licensing application was being reviewed after she failed to
disclose that she was born a male. Her next opponent is scheduled
to be 2-1 fighter Allana Jones.
Fox
is 2-0 in her mixed martial arts career and is coming off a 39-second
knockout of Ericka Newsome on March 2.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Tomorrow
Source: Romolo Barros
|
Denny
Prokopos Seminar at O2
Today
Saturday,
April 13
Time: 9:00 - 11:00 am
Cost: $50
Seminar at O2 Martial Arts Academy
98-019 Kamehameha Hwy, #208A
Aiea, HI 96701
484-2324
Eddie Bravo's first black belt, Denny Prokopos has been tearing
it up on the tournament scene and also has MMA experience. He
has been called by Eddie Bravo as the foremost authority on the
rubber guard. He will show us the rubber guard as well as the
latest cutting edge techniques he has been working on in order
to prepare for an upcoming Grappling Super Fight.
Don't miss this opportunity to expand your game with revolutionary
techniques! If you plan on coming, please jump on Facebook and
confirm your attendance on Michael Onzuka's created event.
|
UFC
Boss Lauds N.Y. Assembly for Introducing MMA Bill, but Will Speaker
Bring it to a Vote?
Press Release
Lorenzo
Fertitta, The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Chairman &
CEO, applauded the introduction of legislation – A.6506
– in the New York State Assembly to authorize the New York
State Athletic Commission to add Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to
the list of contact sports that may hold matches and exhibitions
in New York. Fertitta thanked Assembly Majority Leader Joseph
Morelle for his leadership on the issue.
“The
UFC thanks Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle for introducing
the bill and garnering the support of more than 60 cosponsors
so far. We are optimistic that with his support, guidance and
leadership, this will be the year that professional MMA is legalized
in New York,” Fertitta said. “We know that MMA will
help bring jobs, revenues and economic development to New York
and will allow our fans to see the fastest growing sport in the
nation in arenas close to their homes.
“New
York State has millions of UFC and MMA fans. More New Yorkers
view UFC events on pay-per-view than residents of any other state.
New York is home to one UFC champion and scores of other highly
ranked UFC and MMA fighters,” Fertitta said. “As we
commemorate the 20th anniversary of the UFC later this year,
we know our New York fans would love to celebrate with us with
the most exciting fight card in our history at Madison Square
Garden this fall. Then we want to hit other venues across upstate.
“All
it will take to make New York the 49th state to legalize MMA
is for the Speaker to allow the bill to come to the floor of
the Assembly for a vote – we are very confident it will
have far more than the 76 votes needed for passage – and
for the Governor to sign it into law,” Fertitta said.
A.6506
is ‘same as’ S.2755, which passed the Senate last month
by a vote of 47-15. In addition to Morelle, the prime sponsor,
there are 63 co-sponsors and multi sponsors from every region
of the state, including 49 Democrats and 15 Republicans.
“This
is a popular sport, one that is legal in 48 other states and
which holds the promise of very real economic benefits for New
York. Given the popular demand, I believe this is a question
that should be reconsidered,” said Morelle (D-Irondequoit).
“I appreciate the issues that have been raised with respect
to MMA. The fact is we can set rules for the game, as other states
do, and we should also acknowledge that contact sports are not
new to New York, where boxing and football are an accepted part
of the culture.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Sherdog’s
Top 10: Might Have Beens
By Tristen
Critchfield
Potential
can be the most damning word in all of professional sports. If
someone says you have it, then obviously you have not yet fulfilled
it, and if you lack it, well, you might as well start looking
for another line of work. Potential has been known to give second,
third and fourth chances and create unreasonable expectations.
In reality, we never truly know if someone has maximized his
or her potential; that answer resides within the individual.
However,
there are plenty of instances in which we can speculate. Bo Jackson
was one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, and
nobody can deny that he accomplished plenty as a professional
football and baseball player. Still, what if Jackson’s career
had not been cut short due to injury? Or what if he had chosen
to focus his energies entirely on one sport? Not even Bo knows
for sure, but those certainly are a couple of tantalizing “What
ifs?”
Mixed
martial arts has also had its share of fighters, who, for various
reasons, never reached the heights we hoped they would. This
does not mean they were not accomplished, because each of the
following did great things for at least a short period of time.
However, they, like the aforementioned Jackson, left us yearning
for just a little more.
As
selected by a panel of Sherdog.com staff, here is our Top 10
“Might Have Beens.” It is a list brimming with potential:
10.
Rulon Gardner
They
say there is no better foundation for mixed martial arts success
than a wrestling background. With that in mind, it is easy to
understand why the notion of Gardner becoming an MMA convert
was once such a tantalizing prospect. Gardner captured the gold
medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Olympic Games. Making
the triumph even more impressive was the fact that Gardner had
to get through Russian legend Aleksandr Karelin, a three-time
gold medalist who was undefeated in 13 years of international
competition, to get there.
Gardner’s
dalliance with MMA was brief: he defeated judo specialist Hidehiko
Yoshida via unanimous decision at Pride “Shockwave 2004”
in what would be his first and last appearance in the sport.
As it turned out, MMA just was not Gardner’s cup of tea.
“For
me, it was a different transition,” Gardner told Ariel Helwani
during an interview on The MMA Hour. “I’ve never really
gotten into striking and hitting and hurting. I remember being
in that fight and looking across [at Hidehiko] Yoshida -- he’s
a very skilled, talented striker and ultimately his submissions
and his ability to be able to throw is second to none -- but
as I was hitting him, I’m like, ‘This isn’t fun.
This isn’t why I became an athlete.’
While
Gardner did not have a natural proclivity for MMA, that did not
stop Pride Fighting Championships officials from dangling a lucrative
carrot in front of the Olympian. Gardner said he was offered
in the neighborhood of $1 million to step in the ring with promotional
heavyweight ruler Fedor Emelianenko, but even that obscene dollar
amount could not get the Wyoming native to change his mind.
“They
loved the idea of me going against Fedor. You have sambo, you
have wrestling, you have two of the classic styles of wrestling,”
Gardner told Helwani. “They wanted us to go at it. I just
said, ‘You know, I have better aspirations right now I want
to get into.’”
9.
Brock Lesnar
The
catchphrase “Here Comes the Pain,” which once flashed
across the big screen prior to Lesnar’s entrances during
his time as a sports entertainment superstar, would eventually
turn out to be an apt description of his MMA demise. The hulking
former University of Minnesota wrestler transitioned from choreographed
destruction to caged combat well enough at first, winning the
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown in just his
fourth professional bout.
Not
everyone appreciated Lesnar’s meteoric rise, as he was viewed
by many as an outsider who had not truly earned his lofty status.
Still, his heel demeanor and frightening blend of size and athleticism
were a boon to the company. Every Lesnar pay-per-view was an
event, and after his victory over Frank Mir at UFC 100, there
was arguably no bigger star in the promotion. However, that would
be the last time the Team Death Clutch product would be at his
peak.
A
bout with diverticulitis shelved the then-champion for a year,
nearly taking his life and forcing him to change his diet and
approach. Lesnar was successful in his return to action against
Shane Carwin at UFC 116, but he hardly looked like a dominant
force in escaping a harrowing first round against the Grudge
Training Center export. He relinquished the title to Cain Velasquez
some three months later and then, the debilitating disease came
calling once more, taking a foot of his colon in the process.
While
the skilled feet and knees of Alistair Overeem certainly had
something to do with it, Lesnar appeared to be but a shell of
himself when he finally returned to the Octagon after another
lengthy hiatus. After the Dutchman dispatched Lesnar with a liver
kick to become the division’s new No. 1 contender at UFC
141, the onetime heel elected to call it a career.
“I’ve
had a really difficult couple of years with my disease,”
Lesnar said. “I’m going to officially say that tonight
is the last night you will see me in the Octagon.
8.
Roger Huerta
It
was not supposed to be like this, not for a former Sports Illustrated
cover boy who was expected to give the Ultimate Fighting Championship
the appeal it desired within the boxing-minded Mexican market.
Huerta was 28 years old this past summer when Zorobabel Moreira
put “El Matador” to sleep with a vicious soccer kick
behind the ear at One Fighting Championship 4 “Destiny of
Warriors.” Instead of recovering from his fourth consecutive
defeat -- three of which came by knockout -- Huerta, in his athletic
prime, should be competing for titles in the Octagon by now.
“I
am looking at this as the first stepping stone toward getting
back to where I was before,” Huerta said prior to facing
Moreira. “[This fight is] an iceberg, and I need to break
through. I can’t save anything for the swim back. I’m
going all out.”
His
rise was plenty promising indeed. Huerta began his UFC tenure
with six consecutive victories. His bout with Leonard Garcia
landed him on the cover of SI and a back-and-forth battle with
Clay Guida -- his last win with the promotion -- was one of 2007’s
best fights. After back-to-back decision losses to Kenny Florian
and Gray Maynard, Huerta turned down a five-fight contract with
the Las Vegas-based organization to pursue a career in acting.
“The
opportunity I’m being approached with in another industry
is pretty awesome. Who’s 26 years old and has done a movie?”
Huerta said before his bout with Maynard.
With
appearances in “Tekken” and “Circle of Pain”
to his credit, Huerta returned to the cage for Bellator MMA in
April 2010 but has yet to recapture his previous form, beating
Roger Hinton before embarking on his current skid. Maybe an extended
version of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx is to blame.
7.
Paulo Filho
Depending
on who you ask, there was once a time when a case could have
been made for Filho as the world’s No. 2 middleweight, behind
only the incomparable Anderson Silva. Beginning with his professional
debut on July 24, 2000 until Dec. 12, 2007, when he submitted
future Silva nemesis Chael Sonnen with an armbar in the second
round, Filho compiled a 16-0 record while competing for organizations
such as Pancrase, Deep, Pride and the World Extreme Cagefighting.
Filho’s
triumph over Sonnen at WEC 31 was somewhat controversial -- Sonnen
screamed but never tapped out -- and the two were slated for
a rematch at WEC 36. That is where Filho’s slide, which
continues to this day, officially began. The Brazilian showed
up four pounds overweight and the bout was changed to a non-title
affair. “Ely” was uncharacteristically listless during
the fight, dropping a unanimous verdict to Sonnen. The performance
did him no favors when the promotion’s 185-pound division
was absorbed by the UFC.
“He
deserved to lose,” Filho’s father told Sherdog.com
after the November 2008 bout. “Fortunately, he gave his
belt to Sonnen after the fight. I hope that this first loss can
wake him up, because I always tell him when things start wrong,
they finish wrong.”
Soon,
however, questions about Filho’s commitment to the sport
were no longer his greatest concern. Over the next few years,
the black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu battled substance
abuse issues and briefly contemplated retirement. Several proposed
bouts fell through, and when Filho did compete, he did not resemble
the man who once reached the final of the 2006 Pride welterweight
grand prix.
The
Brazilian Top Team member, now 34 years old, recently returned
to the cage at the World Series of Fighting 2 against David Branch.
Filho did not reach New Jersey without issue, however, as a panic
attack forced him to miss his first flight. It might have been
better if he had not shown up at all; Filho offered little resistance
as Branch pounded out a lopsided decision triumph.
6.
Mark Kerr
An
NCAA national champion wrestler at Syracuse University in 1992,
Kerr crafted a pretty decent MMA legacy for himself in a short
amount of time. During his 1997 professional debut, he fought
three times in one night, capturing the World Vale Tudo Championship
in Brazil. Kerr continued to excel in the tournament format in
the Ultimate Fighting Championship, winning heavyweight brackets
at both UFC 14 and UFC 15, with the notorious “Just Bleed”
guy making an appearance in the audience prior to his 17-second
knockout of Mark Stott.
“The
Smashing Machine” then moved on to the greener pastures
of the Pride Fighting Championships, where he would remain unbeaten
through his next six bouts. With his imposing physique and penchant
for quick finishes, Kerr was regarded as one of the top heavyweights
in the world through that period.
Outward
appearances can be deceiving, however, and Kerr, as it was later
revealed in the HBO documentary “The Smashing Machine,”
was a mess internally. Kerr used painkillers to help him deal
with his fears, which longtime training partner Mark Coleman
acknowledged during an interview with Heavy.com.
“He
had a lot of issues, and he never really did enjoy fighting.
It was something he did for the money. We were quite different
in that way. I enjoyed fighting. I looked forward to it,”
Coleman said. “Mark, and I don't want to use a harsh word,
was pretty scared. Every time a fight came around, he was pretty
scared. He was intimidated by the whole situation and that is
probably what led to him using pain killers.”
After
going unbeaten in his first 13 professional bouts, Kerr would
lose 11 of his final 14 outings before hanging it up.
5.
Lee Murray
Before
examining the abbreviated fighting career of the man known as
“Lightning,” it is important to understand that Murray
never reached his potential as a mixed martial artist because
he held his bank account in much higher esteem than the law.
In
February 2006, Murray reportedly masterminded a robbery of approximately
$92 million from a Securitas Depot in Tonbridge, England. He
was sentenced to 10 years in a Moroccan jail in June 2010, and
that term was extended to 25 years some five months later. Murray’s
story has been romanticized repeatedly, most famously in Sports
Illustrated, and a movie adaption of the fighter-turned-bank-robber’s
life has reportedly been in the works for some time now.
Murray
has several fights of note on his resume, including a three-round
unanimous decision defeat at the hands of future UFC titlist
Anderson Silva in what turned out to be his final bout at Cage
Rage 8 “Knights of the Octagon” on Sept. 11, 2004.
“The Spider” was nowhere near the peak of his powers
at the time, but it is worth mentioning that none of the Brazilian’s
next 11 victims saw the judges’ scorecards against him.
In compiling an 8-2-1 record, Murray finished all eight of his
victories by knockout or submission and earned triumphs against
Jose Landi-Jons and Jorge Rivera, whom he submitted inside of
a round in his lone UFC appearance.
In
an interview with MiddleEasy.com, which allegedly took place
in his jail cell in 2011, Murray claimed to have the tools to
beat Silva if they ever met again, saying the 185-pound champion
feared him. Whether one trusts the legitimacy of the interview
or not, Murray’s legend only grew because of it.
Murray’s
most talked-about fight did not come within the confines of the
cage, however. Following UFC 38, Murray purports to have knocked
out Tito Ortiz in a back alley street fight outside of a nightclub
in London. Unfortunately for Murray, his story, at far as it
relates to his fighting career, does not appear headed for a
Hollywood ending.
4.
Karo Parisyan
Years
before Ronda Rousey regaled the world with tales of her mother
waking her up with armbars instead of Cheerios, a young Parisyan
was introduced to judo by his father in order to combat laziness.
It was a battle “The Heat” never really won. According
to Neil Melanson, who spent some time with Parisyan at Xtreme
Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas, the Armenian fighter
was often able to get by on sheer talent alone.
“Karo
is the most talented person I’ve ever met in my entire life,”
Melanson told Sherdog.com in 2012. “What he could do without
training at all was amazing. If people saw the kind of life that
he lived and then watched his performances, you’d be like,
‘Are you serious?’ Here’s a guy that probably
only ate cake the week of the fight, and after weigh-ins he’d
have a few cigarettes. That’s the type of guy Karo was.”
For
a while, that approach worked. He honed his skills under Gokor
Chivichyan and Gene LeBell and eventually become one of the top
welterweight prospects in the UFC, losing a unanimous decision
to Georges St. Pierre in his second appearance before earning
victories against the likes of Nick Diaz, Chris Lytle, Matt Serra
and Nick Thompson. Overall, Parisyan was 9-2 with the promotion
and perhaps a few wins away from a title shot before things took
a turn for the worse, as anxiety issues and a reliance on painkillers
derailed a once-promising career.
The
California resident would pull out of bouts against Yoshiyuki
Yoshida at UFC 88 and against Dustin Hazelett at UFC 106. He
also tested positive for painkillers following a split verdict
over Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94. The second withdrawal, brought
about by anxiety attacks, prompted UFC President Dana White to
announce that Parisyan would never again fight for his organization.
One
fight later, Parisyan was back, if only temporarily, as a first-round
technical knockout defeat to Dennis Hallman proved to be his
final chance in the Octagon. Still only 30 years old, Parisyan
has not given up the dream just yet, though he lost his Bellator
MMA debut in decisive fashion to Rick Hawn on April 4.
3.
David Terrell
To
the casual observer, Terrell came from seemingly out of nowhere,
beating respected veteran Matt Lindland in his UFC debut at age
26 before challenging the late Evan Tanner for the vacant middleweight
crown in his very next bout. The reality was that Terrell had
been fighting off the grid for quite some time before he burst
upon the scene in the Octagon.
An
accomplished high school wrestler, Terrell accumulated a 54-5
record as a senior while competing at 160 pounds. Once that ended,
Terrell sought out Cesar Gracie, and he absorbed the trainer’s
jiu-jitsu teachings like a sponge.
“As
for weaknesses at the time, I really didn’t see any weaknesses,”
Gracie told Sherdog.com in 2011. “He didn’t know the
art of jiu-jitsu at the time, but you could tell David could
do something.”
Terrell,
who became Gracie’s first black belt, began fighting illegally
on the underground circuit at the age of 19, usually for free.
By the time the Californian began to earn some recognition for
himself -- he his professional debut against then 33-fight veteran
Vernon White -- he had paid his dues.
Almost
as quickly as he arrived, Terrell was gone. Distracted by personal
issues in his showdown with Tanner, “The Soul Assassin”
admittedly gave up in the middle of the bout. Haunted by the
loss, Terrell spent the better part of a year in seclusion. He
would return to submit Scott Smith with a rear-naked choke at
UFC 59, but that would be it. These days, Terrell is happy running
his gym, the Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance, and playing the role
of family man. That does not mean he has not contemplated what
might have been.
“I
knew I could have been a world champion. It sucks. I just gave
up [against Tanner] and just laid there. I beat myself, and for
me to beat myself like that, it will probably always haunt me,”
Terrell said.
2.
Rickson Gracie
Gracie
went 11-0 in documented mixed martial arts bouts from April 25,
1980 to May 26, 2000, defeating each of his victims by way of
submission. According to the man himself, Gracie was undefeated
in more than 400 jiu-jitsu, freestyle wrestling, sambo and no-holds
barred matches, though that figure is not universally accepted.
What is known is that the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt was
not significantly tested in officially recorded bouts.
Although
he debuted 14 years earlier, Gracie truly began to make a name
for himself by dominating the tournament in the Vale Tudo Japan
Open in 1994. However, the field -- Yoshiniri Nishi, David Levicki
and Bud Smith -- was woefully overmatched against the Brazilian,
who was generally regarded as the Gracie family’s foremost
practitioner of BJJ.
In
fact, he was touted by his UFC tournament champion brother, Royce
Gracie, as the greatest Gracie of all. He would continue to build
his legend in the Far East by besting a pair of beloved Japanese
professional wrestlers -- Yoji Anjo behind closed doors at his
academy in Los Angeles and Nobuhiko Takada at the inaugural Pride
Fighting Championships event in 1997. Gracie had a rematch with
Takada under the Pride banner a year later, and he once again
prevailed in decisive fashion.
While
no one can dispute Gracie’s grappling credentials and his
contributions to the sport, one still has to wonder how he would
have fared against some of his more accomplished contemporaries.
Most famously, Gracie claims to have turned down $5 million to
face Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba in Pride. Over time, Gracie
has been criticized in some circles for valuing his unblemished
record -- whether it be 11-0 or 400-0 -- over facing worthwhile
competition in a more public arena.
1.
Phillip Miller
Rare
is the fighter who exits mixed martial arts on his own terms,
still at the top of his game. Rarer still is one who retires
without ever having tasted defeat, because the sport has a way
of humbling even the most accomplished of athletes. Such is the
case of Miller, who went unbeaten in 16 professional fights during
a three-year span from 2000 to 2003, earning notable victories
against the likes of Jake Shields and Mark Weir.
However,
it would be inaccurate to say Miller was not humbled in the combat
arena. As he administered a brutal, three-round beating to Moacir
Oliveira in what would turn out to be his final professional
bout, Miller began to contemplate what it would feel like to
be on the receiving end of a similar thrashing. Stick around
long enough, and it would inevitably happen. Miller ultimately
chose long-term health and well-being over wearing out his welcome.
“I
was just hammering on that guy for three rounds,” Miller
told Sherdog.com in 2009. “At the end of that fight he couldn’t
even stand. As soon as he left the ring, he was just puking.
… And I was just like, ‘You know what? I would have
done the same thing if I was in his position.’ You know
when you’ve got the personality that you’re just not
going to quit.”
MMA
had not yet become the lucrative endeavor it is now, but the
two-time UFC veteran was on the verge of a breakthrough until
a potential fight with Phil Baroni was scrapped due to money-related
issues. Miller then chose to leave the Las Vegas-based promotion
and had the eye-opening bout with Oliveira shortly thereafter,
which prompted him to choose a career in law enforcement with
the Los Angeles Police Department. Miller quit while he was ahead
because, deep down, he knew would not quit if he was behind,
even by a little bit.
“I’d
never want to quit on a loss. I mean, I couldn’t,”
Miller said. “Even if I lost a fight, I would have to come
back and fight again. And then one wouldn’t do it. Then
I’d be stuck in the cycle again. You can’t just go
out on a loss.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Jon
Jones: Chael Sonnen is in the 'promote fight' business, I’m
in the 'remain champion' business
By Shaun
Al-Shatti
ALBUQUERQUE,
N.M. -- Jon Jones spent over a month isolated in Las Vegas filming
The Ultimate Fighter 17. In that time, daily interactions with
Chael Sonnen became the norm.
Sonnen
was largely brought in as an antagonist, a role he filled perfectly
opposite Anderson Silva. Yet even Jones was surprised -- and,
admittedly, a little confused -- at the man that showed up every
day for taping.
Not
only was Sonnen approachable and friendly, he was genuinely likeable.
In the end, the dynamic between the two coaches couldn't have
been further from expectations.
Of
course Sonnen is back to his antics now, cutting pro wrestling
style promos on UFC Tonight and issuing daily, often hostile,
countdowns on his Twitter account. But after having seen the
other side, Jones isn't impressed.
"Chael's
[mouth] doesn't bother me at all," the UFC light heavyweight
champion assured MMAFighting.com. "I think if I was to take
it personal, if I wasn't to understand it, it would bother me.
But I have a pretty clear understanding of who Chael is, what
he's accomplished, and my understanding kind of takes the power
away from his words and his persona.
"You
can see that the talk has picked up a little bit. But Chael is
in the ‘promote fight' business. I guess that's how he got
in this situation in the first place. I'm in the ‘remain
champion' business. So, I'm excited. I'm excited to go out there
and do what I do best, and that's win championships."
Despite
the pair's time together, Jones isn't blind. He understood from
day one what this match-up entailed.
Sonnen,
the ultimate marketing machine, received an instant title shot
in a completely different division, just months after crumbling
to a Silva second-round TKO.
"It's
definitely safe to say this is one of those fights that's for
the fans," Jones freely admitted. "Chael doesn't have
the greatest record, but he has a huge following. He's a statement
maker, and people like to see him compete."
Chael
is in the 'promote fight' business. That's how he got in this
situation in the first place. I'm in the 'remain champion' business.
Jones takes Sonnen's words with a grain of salt these days. Though
one aspect of Sonnen's character, his usage of testosterone replacement
therapy (TRT), has always struck a nerve with the champion.
UFC
President Dana White recently flip-flopped on the controversial
subject, announcing a stricter drug testing policy for known
users of TRT. Jones, not surprisingly, was pleased to hear it.
"I
think it's a gigantic step in the right direction," Jones
exclaimed after learning of the UFC's new stance. "The use
of performance enhancing drugs, I think it's ridiculous in sports.
I don't think it's fair. I don't think it's right. And I'm glad
that we're finally starting to do something about it."
With
TUF 17 nearing its conclusion, Jones now looks back fondly on
his time spent coaching seven budding middleweights on their
road to the UFC. The experience was something wholly new for
Jones. Still just 24 years old, he admits it was tough to be
hurled so far out of his comfort zone.
The
uncompromising filming schedule and merciless editing of reality
television has left more than a few fighters frustrated by their
presentation in the past. Though Jones, luckily, is happy with
how this season turned out.
"I
think I was portrayed great on the show," he said. "I
was just being myself and that's what came off on the camera.
They let us know from day one, if you're cool, that's what's
going to come off on the camera. If you're a crybaby, that's
what's going to come off on the camera. If you're being a jerk,
then that's what's going to come off on the camera. So we were
just ourselves and everyone saw us for how we were."
Fueled
by improved production values, a more serious tone and an all-star
coaching cast, ratings for The Ultimate Fighter 17 rebounded
dramatically from past seasons, likely saving a once failing
franchise. Though one additional factor came as a welcome surprise:
the fights, for the most part, were both competitive and entertaining.
Bucking
a recent trend, all 14 contestants are now scheduled to fight
at least once in the UFC -- a gift from White for the cast's
exceptional showing. Jones has no doubts that more than a few
of the 14 will seize their opportunity and eventually become
fixtures of the Octagon. But when asked which cast member stuck
out the most to him, Jones didn't hesitate.
"Uriah
Hall," he quickly responded. "I think everyone's interested
to see what he's going to do in his UFC career. Kelvin Gastelum,
he's another one who just kept surprising people. He's a great
fighter, great competitor, and he's going to have a long successful
career as well.
"All
the guys, really. All the guys had a ton of potential. I think
this was the most competitive season ever filmed, and I say that
for a reason."
Ultimately
Jones views the past seven months as a positive experience; one
he would absolutely do again if asked. But now, as UFC 159 promos
begin populating the airwaves, and April 27 approaches on the
calendar, Jones' mindset is shifting.
Most
expect Jones to win handily. Las Vegas oddsmakers have listed
him as high as a 10-to-1 favorite. But anything can happen once
those cage doors slam shut. Jones, a man who made the leap from
rookie to world champion in less than four years' time, knows
that better than most.
"I
never feel overconfident. I'm definitely not complacent,"
Jones vowed. "I'm aware of defeat. I lose at something every
day in practice. That keeps me on my toes to not have that happen
come fight night.
"I
understand who he is, both his gentleman side, and him being
Chael the promoter. I feel like I have a pretty good understanding
of both sides of him. I'm ready to beat him up."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Amateur
MMA fighter dies following unregulated event in Michigan
by Steven
Marrocco
Another
tragedy has occurred following an amateur MMA event, this time
in Michigan.
Felix
Pablo Elochukwu collapsed shortly after competing at an unregulated
event on Friday in Port Huron and died Saturday at an area hospital.
He was 35.
An
autopsy was conducted on Sunday, and results will be available
later this month, a rep for the St. Claire County (Mich.) Medical
Examiner told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Elochukwu,
who was born in Nigeria but lived in Ontario, Canada, was competing
in his first bout. He fought at heavyweight and was a decorated
grappler on the local circuit, according to a report on Sportsnet.ca.
After
fighting an opponent mostly on the mat for two rounds, Elochukwu
reportedly was mounted in the third and took several strikes
before the referee stopped the bout. He appeared fine immediately
afterward, but deteriorated after leaving the cage and fell from
a chair. A paramedic on site assisted him, and an ambulance was
called.
Neither
Elochukwu nor his opponent were required to undergo medical checks
prior to the bout, according to Sportsnet.
Amateur
MMA is unregulated in Michigan, which means safety measures are
left to promotions such as Amateur Fighting Club, which held
the event at an American Legion building. But this past year,
the Association of Boxing Commissions advised its member commissions
not to license fighters from the state and not recognize event
results from events held there. It cited overall concerns about
the regulation of both professional and amateur sports due to
existing laws that left the state powerless to address fundamental
healthy and safety issues.
Bills
aimed at regulating amateur MMA awaits a vote in Michigan's house
of representatives. A previous bill stalled out in this past
year's legislative session, according to a report from MLive.com.
"Legislators
did not opt to regulate amateur events, so they have no reporting
duty or responsibility to this agency, nor does the agency have
any oversight or authority over those events," said Barrington
Carr, director for the enforcement division of Michigan's Department
of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, which oversees the state's
athletic commission. "There are some current initiatives
to try to bring [amateur MMA] into the regulations.
"If
legisation [is] passed, we'd certainly be happy to enforce those
laws."
The
AFC issued a statement the night following the event.
"Last
night's event, April 6th, we lost a member of our MMA family
and we would like to take this time to honor him," it read.
"This is a tragic turn of events. We will keep his family
and friends in our prayers and we ask you to do the same. May
God be with them in this devastating time of loss. To us, this
tragedy will not end today. He will remain in our hearts and
on our minds. Further information will be posted at a later time."
In
the past 15 months, three MMA fighters have died following amateur
bouts, two of which were at unregulated events.
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
36
reasons why Jiu-Jitsu is such a good shield for women
Royce
Gracie, a symbol of Jiu-Jitsu efficiency as an art of defense,
during a visit to the Valente brothers in Miami. Photo: Disclosed
You’ve
certainly heard that Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most complete self
defense systems that are useful for women, senior and children.
But
how does this work in practice?
The
grandmasters Carlos and Helio Gracie developed a program of 36
basic lessons, involving about a hundred Jiu-Jitsu techniques.
From the repetition of such movements, the student prepares his
or her subconscious to react by pure reflex to a variety of attacks
by angry people.
Valente
brothers, professors at Gracie Miami, faithful to the method,
show in this video how the techniques work and how they fit well
to women.
Go
to a Jiu-Jitsu gym and ask for a sample class. And don’t
forget to take women you love with you.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Undefeated
in Seven Pro Fights, Sergio Pettis Anxious to Join His Brother
in the UFC
by Mick
Hammond
Last
month’s RFA show was supposed to be a coming out for Roufusport
featherweight Sergio “Phenom” Pettis, but an injury
to his opponent forced him off the card.
Thankfully,
Pettis was able to get onto the NAFC card the following week
and showed no signs of a letdown as he defeated Josh Robinson
via unanimous decision, raising his record to 7-0.
“It
was really tough mentally,” said Pettis. “I was trying
to prepare for one opponent and then that unfortunately didn’t
go through due to injury, but I was able to get a new opponent
(in another show) the week after so I was really thankful for
that.
“(Robinson)
was pretty tough. He took a lot of hits. I hit him with a lot
of pretty cool stuff like a spinning elbow that Jon Jones throws
a lot, and I kicked him so many times that my legs are still
store from kicking him. I wasn’t able to finish the guy,
which sucks, but he was a really tough guy that kept coming forward.”
Even
though he’s won all his fights, Pettis told MMAWeekly.com
that it’s only just lately that he’s starting to come
into himself as a fighter.
“I’ve
learned a lot from my first fight to where I am now,” he
said. “I didn’t have much of an amateur career, so
I was learning as I was winning and started to feel a lot more
comfortable and was able to throw some stuff that I normally
do in the gym.
“At
the beginning I could throw stuff, but I didn’t have much
confidence behind what I was throwing. But now I’m more
confident in the cage and used to performing in front of a crowd,
I’m able to throw that extra meanness into my game and make
everything count.”
Another
big reason why Pettis has been able to progress quickly is because
he’s able to use his brother, UFC star Anthony Pettis, as
a guide to going about things the right way in his career.
“My
brother Anthony helps me a lot out with that,” said Pettis.
“He’s been through it all; coming from the bottom and
now he’s at the top; the stuff that happens in between and
what to look out for. He’s helping pave my career and has
helped me out a lot.”
With
his brother as an example, it’s no surprise that Pettis’
goal for this year is to join him on the biggest stage of MMA.
“My
goal has been to get into the UFC by the time I’m 20, so
I want to be in the UFC this year or by at least the time I’m
21,” he said. “Fight after fight I just want to have
a good record, a clean record and just compete with the top contenders
at 125 pounds.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Gunnar
Nelson Out of UFC 160 with Knee Injury
By Mike
Fridley
Gunnar
Nelson has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 160 clash against
Mike Pyle after suffering a knee injury in training, Sherdog.com
has learned.
Sherdog.com
Nordic correspondent Ryan O’Leary (MMAViking.com) confirmed
the news with the Nelson camp Wednesday morning.
“Yes,
unfortunately this is true,” stated Haraldur Nelson, father
and manager to the 24-year-old prospect.
“Gunnar
hurt [his] knee last week and an imaging yesterday showed that
he has to have surgery.”
Nelson
(11-0-1, 2-0 UFC) is a decorated welterweight grappler that has
showed loads of potential in both his Octagon debut against DaMarques
Johnson and his follow-up effort versus previously-ranked middleweight
Jorge Santiago. The Icelandic star was listed as an early odds-on
favorite against Pyle, a veteran of over 30 professional mixed
martial arts contests.
As
a result of Nelson's injury, the UFC has announced that Pyle
will now battle Rick Story on the Memorial Day Weekend card.
UFC
160 is scheduled for May 25 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden
Arena. A timetable for the fighter’s return or the surgery
date have not been addressed.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Frank
Mir says Daniel Cormier has a 'false sense of security,' promises
to take one of his limbs home
By Shaun
Al-Shatti
ALBUQUERQUE,
N.M. -- Frank Mir heard Daniel Cormier call him out in front
of the world. Mir listened as Cormier plotted his course to the
top, a grand plan culminating with a tour at light heavyweight
to take Jon Jones' belt.
Those
guarantees that a 33-year-old, two-time UFC champion would be
too old, too broken down to defeat a 34-year-old newcomer? Yeah,
Mir heard them too. So please excuse Mir if he thinks the former
Olympian is getting a bit ahead of himself.
"He's
new to the game, even though he's older than I am," Mir
explained to MMAFighting.com. "He doesn't really know how
to market himself that well yet. I think he's still working on
it. I think the smart thing is, he's doing things that will make
people bring up his name in that aspect. The fact that he brought
up Jon Jones makes him more relevant. It sure isn't on his accolades
of what he's done inside the Octagon."
Mir
has never been one to mince words, so his brusqueness in the
face of public slights isn't all that surprising. But Cormier
asked for this, and he got his wish.
The
two heavyweights were initially slated to headline an ill-fated
Strikeforce event in November of 2012, until a late injury led
to the event's cancellation. Cormier ultimately fought unheralded
Dion Staring two months later. An easy win sealed his UFC fate,
and afterward Cormier hand-picked Mir for his Octagon debut at
UFC on FOX 7.
"I
think he's smart, or at least has smart people around him,"
Mir coolly said of Cormier's request. "[He has] nothing
to lose. He goes out and fights somebody else that's lower ranked,
and he comes out and loses, he loses a lot of stock. He goes
out against me, changes levels, takes a shot. I guillotine him
and choke him out in, let's say, 40 seconds. Does it really take
anything away from his stock? No. He can still stand up and go,
‘Well guys, I got submitted by Mir, [joined] the laundry
list of people that have been submitted by him. I'm going to
go to light heavyweight.' And he still has all the same momentum
he had when he first started. All his fans will be able to just
remark on the fact that, ‘Well, you know, Mir caught him.
He stepped in right off the bat. That's Mir, you know? Mir catches
a lot of people.' So he can actually lose and not lose anything.
'The
fact that [Cormier] brought up Jon Jones makes him more relevant.
It sure isn't on his accolades of what he's done inside the Octagon.'
"Where as, let's say he fights Todd Duffee, who's very capable
of knocking his teeth down his throat, but Todd Duffee doesn't
have the same notoriety that I do. He's 2-1 in the UFC, so it's
more of a dangerous fight."
Mir
makes an interesting point, and although he appears unbothered
by being perceived as a stepping stone, it's clear he's put some
thought into it.
This
isn't the first time Mir has been overlooked. For a man still
grinding through his early thirties, Mir has navigated a career
filled with an unnatural number of impressive ups and cruel downs.
It's afforded him a sense of calm in the face of pressure. In
his head, Mir understands exactly what Cormier is angling towards.
"It's
name recognition. It's like Stephan Bonnar stepping in against
Anderson Silva," he explained. "Who doesn't take the
fight? The lowest ranked guy will take the fight instantly. The
only person who has anything to lose is Anderson, because if
he loses to somebody, he loses stock.
"I
think he has kind of a false sense of security [after] fighting
against Josh [Barnett]. You know, he feels like, ‘Well,
Josh caught me and couldn't finish me.' Barnett's a great grappler,
but he's not known for smashing people's limbs off. If I catch
something, and it's close, I put people in the hospital. How
many bones has Barnett broken? How many people has he put in
the hospital?"
This
isn't to say Mir is taking Cormier lightly. Far from it, actually.
In need of a change after losing handily to Junior dos Santos,
Mir uprooted himself to the sunbaked deserts of Albuquerque,
N.M., where he's taken a liking to Greg Jackson's world renowned
facilities.
Here
at Jackson's, home of UFC champions, contenders and prospects
alike, Mir is in a different world.
"It's
high level competition here at all times," he marveled.
"That's what I told my wife. If I'm feeling good, then I'm
proud to have a good day. Techniques work. Because I can see
that when I'm having an off moment or I make a mistake, it isn't
like other gyms where I can kind of go through the motions, still
succeed and be victorious. Here, if I'm not 100 percent, I go
home with a lot of bumps and bruises."
Jackson
and his partner in crime, Mike Winklejohn, are known as a master
strategists. But for Mir, the gameplan this time around is simple:
Don't get outpointed with takedowns. Most of all, make sure ground
and pound is a poor choice for Cormier.
"Take
him out of his element," Mir said in closing. "If he's
able to control the pace with his wrestling, and smother, control,
it'll be a drawn out fight. If it's a fight with lots of exchanges
and lots of chaos, I think that isn't where he'll do well. Anybody
at heavyweight can hope for a knockout. But I hunt them down
and see them. And as far as submissions go, if he makes a mistake,
then I'll take one of his limbs home."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
boss White says Dan Hardy will be seeking second opinion on heart
condition
by Matt
Erickson and Steven Marrocco
UFC
President Dana White is holding out hope that Dan Hardy might
have one more option left on the table.
The
UFC welterweight recently was pulled from a fight against Matt
Brown on the UFC on FOX 7 card, which takes place next week at
HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., due to a heart condition known
as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
Hardy
(25-10 MMA, 6-4 UFC) essentially had a pair of options: He could
have heart surgery to correct the ailment or, very likely, retire
from fighting, given that the difficulty in getting licensed
would be greatly increased with the condition.
But
on Tuesday, White said he and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta have been
in contact with Hardy, and that the fighter soon will be getting
another opinion.
"Lorenzo
and I called him last week," White said during a media call
in support of UFC on FOX 7. "He's got some personal stuff
going on right now with his family. But we're going to send him
to the best heart surgeon in the country out in Los Angeles when
he's ready. We're going to get him a second opinion and get him
checked out."
The
UFC pulled Hardy from UFC on FOX 7 when an electrocardiography
(EKG) exam revealed markers of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome,
a rare heart disorder that sends extra electricity through the
heart upon its second beat. In mild cases, it causes a rapid
heart beat and heart palpitations, but in extreme cases can cause
cardiac arrest.
Hardy
maintains he hasn't suffered any symptoms of the syndrome.
Though
the California State Athletic Commission did not deny Hardy a
license for the fight – the UFC pulled him from the card
prior to that process – Executive Officer Andy Foster said
the commission wouldn't automatically deny him if he applied
in the future.
"We'll
look at his medicals, and if he passes with our doctors, we'll
issue him a license," Foster recently told MMAjunkie.com
(www.mmajunkie.com).
Hardy's
manager, Wad Alameddine, on Tuesday told MMAjunkie.com he, too,
is hopeful that another opinion for Hardy could yield different
results.
"I'm
pleased he's had this conversation with Dana and Lorenzo, and
a second opinion is definitely something we talked about –
or even a third opinion, depending on how the second one goes,"
Alameddine said. "But what's been really positive for me
is the number of fans (that have shown their support). A cardiologist
was reading about Dan in USA TODAY and got in touch and said
if there was anything he could do to help, they had the best
specialists.
"It's
been really good to see how much people care about Dan. We're
not rushing into anything at the moment. We're just seeing what
happens, what other facts we can gather, and it looks like he's
done what he wanted to do in getting a second opinion."
If
Hardy gets that second opinion, or third, and it comes back the
same, he already knows he may be out of luck if he wants to fight
again in the UFC.
"I
would expect the UFC to say that the surgery is required in order
for me to continue fighting for them," he recently told
MMAjunkie.com. But surgery for him appears to be off the table.
"I've
been in the trenches, and I've never had any problems,"
he said. "I don't see any reason why [the UFC] wouldn't
use me, but obviously, the decision is out of my hands."
So
he likely will be hoping for a positive result when he does get
that second opinion.
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
Rashad
Evans Not Worried About Job if He Loses to Dan Henderson, but
Needs to Perform
by Jeff
Cain
Following
the UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche pre-fight press conference
on Feb. 21, UFC president Dana White said the UFC roster has
100 fighters too many. Multiple fighters have been released by
the organization this year, including top ten ranked welterweight
Jon Fitch.
Some
fighters, rightfully so, are concerned about their job security
in the UFC, but former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Rashad
Evans, back-to-back fights for the first time in his career,
isn’t among them.
Evans
faces Dan Henderson at UFC 161, and while confident he’ll
win, he’s not worried about being cut if he happens to lose.
“I’m
not worried about losing my job. I’ve put in a lot of good
fights in the UFC and I’m confident that I’m not going
to lose my next fight, but there is a bit of pressure as an athlete.
You need to perform,” said Evans on a recent episode of
UFC Tonight on Fuel TV.
“You
do wear a little bit of pressure knowing the UFC; they’ve
been getting rid of people like that (snapping his fingers).
But at the same time, I’m not worried about getting cut
if I lose my fight. I don’t even like talking about this.
I’m not going to lose my fight, but if I lose I’m not
going to be like, I’m not going to worry about getting nixed,”
he added.
UFC
161: Barao vs. Wineland takes place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada, on June 15. An interim bantamweight title bout
between interim titleholder Renan Barao and challenger Eddie
Wineland headlines the fight card.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
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Rashad
Evans Not Worried About Job if He Loses to Dan Henderson, but
Needs to Perform
Rashad
EvansFollowing the UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche pre-fight press
conference on Feb. 21, UFC president Dana White said the UFC
roster has 100 fighters too many. Multiple fighters have been
released by the organization this year, including top ten ranked
welterweight Jon Fitch.
Some
fighters, rightfully so, are concerned about their job security
in the UFC, but former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Rashad
Evans, back-to-back fights for the first time in his career,
isn’t among them.
Evans
faces Dan Henderson at UFC 161, and while confident he’ll
win, he’s not worried about being cut if he happens to lose.
“I’m
not worried about losing my job. I’ve put in a lot of good
fights in the UFC and I’m confident that I’m not going
to lose my next fight, but there is a bit of pressure as an athlete.
You need to perform,” said Evans on a recent episode of
UFC Tonight on Fuel TV.
“You
do wear a little bit of pressure knowing the UFC; they’ve
been getting rid of people like that (snapping his fingers).
But at the same time, I’m not worried about getting cut
if I lose my fight. I don’t even like talking about this.
I’m not going to lose my fight, but if I lose I’m not
going to be like, I’m not going to worry about getting nixed,”
he added.
UFC
161: Barao vs. Wineland takes place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada, on June 15. An interim bantamweight title bout
between interim titleholder Renan Barao and challenger Eddie
Wineland headlines the fight card.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Urijah
Faber's value in UFC extends beyond his still-formidable abilities
in the Octagon
LAS
VEGAS – Prior to his rematch victory over Ivan Menjivar
at UFC 157 in February, the tide seemed to be turning against
Urijah Faber.
The
former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion, once
the unquestioned star of mixed martial arts' lighter weight classes,
seemed to have lost his appeal. He wasn't in the same kind of
furious demand from the media that he regularly had been.
Urijah
Faber is savvy when it comes to the UFC's hype game. He went
into the bout having lost two of his last three, and had lost
his last five title bouts. There was speculation he'd be cut
if he were beaten by Menjivar.
But
during a five-minute interview with Kenny Florian and Dominick
Cruz on Tuesday on Fuel TV's UFC Tonight show, Faber proved why
he's still a key part of the organization.
Faber
fights his friend, Scott Jorgensen, on Saturday in the main event
of The Ultimate Fighter Finale at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
He
appeared on Fuel to hype the bout, where he was interviewed by
Cruz, his long-time nemesis and archrival.
Cruz
is the UFC's bantamweight champion, but hasn't fought since Oct.
1, 2011, as a result of two severe knee injuries. He's split
a pair of fights with Faber, and the two definitely don't care
for each other.
Cruz
could barely contain his contempt for Faber as he did the interview
live via Skype. Florian, perhaps sensing he might be able to
get an explosive comment, jumped in and asked Faber if he thought
Cruz deserved to continue to hold the belt despite his lengthy
absence.
Faber,
though, handled the situation with class and gave a master class
on how to handle a difficult media moment. He didn't take the
opportunity to take a cheap shot at his foe and gave a thoughtful,
passionate answer.
"I
do, man," Faber said. "Now, Dominick and I don't necessarily
get along, but I can respect the guy has earned what he has.
The bottom line is, you can take the belt away, but everybody's
still going to want to see him come back and fight the top guys.
You don't want see guys at the top of the food chain fighting
guys at the bottom.
"That's
called a mismatch and they do that in boxing. They don't do that
in MMA. Dom, keep the belt. Shine it. Take care of it. Put it
next to your pillow. You have to get through [interim champ Renan]
Barao first, who's very tough. That's going to be a good matchup.
But then I'm looking to get back in there [with you] and have
a go at it myself."
The
easy answer would have been to say Cruz deserved to be stripped.
That would have given Faber a more direct path to the title than
if Cruz keeps it, especially considering it's still unclear when
Cruz will be healthy enough to return. It's not inconceivable
that he could miss most of 2013.
Faber,
though, showed why he became one of the most popular fighters
in the world. He was gracious, humble and funny, all at the same
time.
Cruz,
though, upped the ante when, through gritted teeth, he asked
Faber who was a better fighter, himself or Barao. Faber split
two fights with Cruz and was routed by Barao.
Again,
Faber's answer, plus his follow-up to Cruz's response, was almost
perfect.
"I
got to say that's a tough one to call," Faber said, smiling,
as Cruz listened with a stern look on his face. "The more
dangerous fighter, obviously, is Barao, with deadly finishes
and stuff like that. You have a real elusivity that's pretty
rare. I would say it's going to come down to matchups.
"Who's
going to win the fight? You guys are both really good. He's more
dangerous. You're better at getting decisions, so if it goes
to a decision, I give you the edge. If it's a finish, I give
him the edge."
That
answer didn't sit well with Cruz, who took it very personally.
"OK,"
Cruz began, "Let's just say I'm not fast, I'm not strong,
I'm not athletic. I can't fight well at all. So I've been out-thinking
people to win four world titles I guess is what you're trying
to tell me."
Faber's
response was to laugh and he gave another perfect response. He
got that the public would eat up the repartee between them, so
he didn't back away from it.
But
he also noted that Cruz's dislike of him colored the way Cruz
responded to his answer.
"Dominick,
it sounds like that chip is still on your shoulder," Faber
said. "I didn't say any of that stuff."
Watching
it made one wonder how it was less than two months ago that there
were more than a few who speculated that Faber had reached the
end of the line.
Though
he's 0-5 in his last five title fights, he's routinely been in
excellent matchups and only his loss to Barao was not compelling.
He is engaging and accessible and knows how to push his bouts.
He's
closing in on his 34th birthday and his time at the top or near
the top of the bantamweight heap may be winding down.
That
time, though, is definitely not here yet. Expect Faber to put
on one of the night's most entertaining bouts when he meets Jorgensen
on Saturday, and look for him to give the hard sell to his next
one immediately afterward.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Will
the Student Become the Master? Scott Jorgensen Okay Fighting
Mentor Urijah Faber
In
Scott Jorgensen’s seven years as a professional mixed martial
artist, he’s seen plenty of highs and lows. With 14 career
wins, four Fight of the Night awards to his credit, and a one-time
title challenge against bantamweight kingpin Dominick Cruz, “Young
Guns” has become a main card staple amongst the UFC 135-pound
ranks.
And
whom does he have to thank for that?
In
large part, it’s the same man who is next in line to punch
him in the face – former mentor Urijah Faber.
Faber,
who has become the face of MMA’s lighter weight classes,
has been a role model for countless fighters over the last decade.
With his cleft chin, pearly white smile, and thrilling fighting
style, he’s defined a generation of sub-six-foot scrappers
and laid the blueprint for future fighters to follow in divisions
that have been notoriously difficult to promote.
In
Jorgensen’s case, not only was he an admirer of Faber, but
also credits him for being the person who convinced him to pursue
a career in professional fist fighting.
“Urijah
was two years ahead of me in college. So he was done with college
and I was just finishing up, and he was already fighting. I’ve
been a big fan of MMA since I was a little kid,” recounted
Jorgensen during a recent media tour in support of their Ultimate
Fighter 17 Finale main event showdown on Saturday in Las Vegas.
“I
used to warm up with a Team Punishment long sleeve t-shirt and
a Robbie Lawler t-shirt that Jens (Pulver) had given me. So I
loved MMA and (Faber) is fighting… the one I remember, we
were in Reno at the Reno Tournament of Champions and he was talking
about it.
“He
had his own shirt, so I’m like, ‘That’s so cool!’
And he said, ‘You should try it. You’ll love it. You’ll
make some money.’ So I tried it and I absolutely fell in
love with it. I had opportunities to move to the Olympic training
center (and) stick with wrestling, but I just fell in love with
MMA because it came at so much of a less stressful environment.”
You
heard that correctly; the former three-time PAC 10 champion actually
found fighting in a cage with a highly trained martial artist
less stressful than the daily grind of collegiate wrestling.
“Towards
the end of college, the pressure you feel on you – like
at the NCAA tournament – just daily, weekly, practice, it’s
a lot to bear,” said the 30-year-old.
“I
was on scholarship, so I felt like I have to do this. I have
to do it well. I have to keep my scholarship. I have to pay for
my education,” recounted Jorgensen. “MMA, I choose
to do it. I had a great job before this that I could go back
to, but I want to do this. Fighting is just so much less stressful
and that’s how (Faber) got me into it.
“I
tried it. I fell in love with it. Essentially he introduced me
to our managers. I even think my first Showtime fight, he got
wind of it first, called me and asked me if I wanted it. And
that was how I got into the WEC.”
Soon
after the WEC/UFC buyout in late 2006, Jorgensen went to Sacramento,
Calif., to train with Faber at Team Alpha Male. Jorgensen was
a staple at the Nor Cal gym and slowly became a de facto member.
“For
forever, I don’t know how long it was, but everyone thought
I was a part of Team Alpha Male in the beginning,” Jorgensen
remembered. “That’s because I was out there a lot and
I had so much to learn from Urijah.”
As
things tend to do in combat gyms, however, it got a tad crowded
– especially at a gym like Alpha Male, where they specialize
in the lighter weight classes. Members of the team with longer
tenure began turning pro, and it was obvious that the time had
come for the “Young Gun“ to start looking for his own
camp.
“Then
Joseph (Benavidez) got into the WEC,” he said.
“He
was my weight, so out of courtesy and to not make things awkward
for our team, so to speak, MMA Inc. (the management company that
represents both Faber and Jorgensen), I stayed at home and trained
elsewhere. Through the years we’ve been friends, had sparring
sessions, and been cool.”
Despite
their history, Jorgensen is quick to point out that he has a
fiancée, a subpar 3-3 record in his last six fights, and
come fight time, this is about securing his future, all friendship
aside.
“When
we step in the cage, that’s the only thing that matters
– those 25 minutes and how we handle ourselves,” said
Jorgensen.
“I’m
not worried about Urijah and what he’s going to do. I don’t
care. I’m going to take care of my business and do what
I do, and make him worry about what I’m doing.”
Jorgensen
reiterates that even if there were any reluctance to fight his
former mentor, picking and choosing his opponents has never been
a popular practice for him.
“I’ve
never picked my opponents,” he exclaimed.
“Never
once has (Sean Shelby, UFC matchmaker) called and said, ‘Hey,
you’ve got this (fight). Will you take it, or do you want
somebody different?’ It’s not that way with me. Tell
me to fight ’em; I’ll fight ’em. This time it
happens to be me and Urijah getting after it.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
12-Second
Flying Armbar Catapults Rose Namajunas into the Spotlight
For
Invicta FC 115-pound fighter Rose Namajunas, taking chances has
worked out well this year.
Firstly,
her decision to turn pro by joining Invicta FC earlier this year
– following a strong 4-0 start to her amateur career –
worked out with back-to-back wins in the promotion.
“My
skill level has definitely jumped up since I turned pro, but
you can face a really skilled amateur fighter with not too many
fights or really skilled pro fighter with a lot of fights and
anyone can win. So it can be difficult to gauge when the right
time to turn pro is,” said Namajunas.
“It’s
just one of those things where you’ve got to take a chance
and for me it’s worked out pretty well.”
Perhaps
an even bigger chance has yielded even bigger rewards as Namajunas
put on one of the standout performances of this past Friday’s
Invicta FC 5 event when she submitted Kathina Catron in just
12 seconds via flying armbar.
“It’s
really thrilling to not only get Submission of the Night, but
end it in such spectacular fashion,” she said. “It
only took 12 seconds and it’s like the fifth fastest submission
(overall) in MMA, let alone the fastest women’s submission
is overwhelming.
“It’s
something I knew was in my bag of tricks, but I definitely took
a risk in it and took a chance going for it, but it worked out,
and I still can’t believe it actually happened.”
On
a card stacked with some of the top women fighters in the world,
for Namajunas to stand out is a huge thing for her young career.
Invicta FC 5 included the highly anticipated promotional debut
of former Strikeforce champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos.
“It’s
definitely a big reward for me,” said Namajunas. “Cyborg
(Justino), the Barb Honchak vs. Vanessa Porto fight, and then
the Jessica Penne vs. ‘Karate Hottie’ (Michelle Waterson)
title fight were all big fights, and along with Leslie Smith
vs. Sarah Kaufman were all big names on the card and to be able
to only be 2-0 and be such a young prospect in this sport and
be able to break through that and be able to shine amongst all
those other great names is surreal and unbelievable.
“I
know what I’m capable of and I just had to believe in myself
and it worked.”
Now
that she’s put herself on the map, Namajunas told MMAWeekly.com
that, after some time off, she’s ready for whatever challenge
is put in front of her next.
“First
thing’s first, I want to heal up my ankle that I sprained
a few weeks before the fight, and then really whoever they want
to give me,” she said. “There’s a few names they’re
tossing around, but there’s so many girls at 115, even the
ones that aren’t in Invicta yet.
“I’m
not a matchmaker, so I’m not the best at knowing who the
next challenge is for me, so it’s really just whatever Invicta
has in mind for me.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
on Fuel TV 9 Marks Second Best Live Fight TV Ratings in Fuel
TV History
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship with UFC on Fuel TV 9: Mousasi
vs. Latifi continued to lift Fuel TV up in the TV ratings race.
The
event didn’t reach the heights of UFC on Fuel TV 8, which
featured Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann and set a record of
485,000 viewers, but Gegard Mousasi headlining with last-minute
replacement Ilir Latifi drew the second largest audience of any
live UFC fight on Fuel TV. UFC on Fuel TV 9 drew 236,000 viewers
during its midday timeslot of 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
A
re-air of the fight at 7 p.m. ET delivered an additional 98,000
viewers, while a late-night encore brought another 92,000 viewers.
Altogether, UFC on Fuel TV 9 aired three times on Saturday, delivering
a combined 426,000 viewers.
UFC
on Fuel TV 9 continued the UFC’s strong draw in its key
advertising demographics of Men 18-49 and Men 18-34. The event
was the number-one rated ad-supported cable program in both demographics
on Saturday, according to Nielsen Media Research and confirmed
by Fuel TV officials.
UFC
on Fuel TV 9 marked the promotion’s second trip to Stockholm,
and an increase in viewership year-over-year. UFC on Fuel TV
2: Gustafsson vs. Silva, which took place on April 14, 2012,
averaged 197,000 viewers, about 20 percent less than Gustafsson
vs. Latifi.
Fuel
TV averaged 79,000 viewers on Saturday, April 6, making it the
second-most watched day in network history behind the record
set on March 2, 2013 (131,000 viewers), the day that featured
the record-setting Silva vs. Stann.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
hopes new code of conduct will help educate fighters like Matt
Mitrione on decisions they make
LAS
VEGAS – A torrent of mixed martial arts fans rushed to Matt
Mitrione's defense after the embattled UFC heavyweight ripped
into transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox on Monday, saying she
had an unfair advantage competing against women.
Mitrione's
unprovoked, vitriolic attack on Fox's "The MMA Hour"
went largely unchallenged in the media despite the nature of
his comments being so overtly obtuse.
"He's
chromosomally a man," Mitrione said. "He had a gender
change, not a sex change. He's still a man. He was a man for
31 years. Thirty-one years. That's a couple years younger than
I am. He's a man. Six years of taking performance de-hancing
drugs, you think is going to change all that? That's ridiculous.
That is a lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak."
His
comments came Monday, a day before the UFC publicly released
its official Fighter Code of Conduct exclusively to Yahoo! Sports,
and proved beyond doubt why such a document is so desperately
needed.
Mitrione
is entitled to his opinion, and there are many people who have
rallied in support of his comments. Significantly, there are
many doctors who share his concern that Fox has an unfair advantage
competing against women who were born women.
But
even if his comments were made in jest, they were outrageous
and offensive and deserving of some sort of punishment.
On
Monday, the UFC quickly denounced Mitrione's words and announced
his indefinite suspension. It doesn't mean he'll be cut, or suspended
long-term, or even fined, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta told Yahoo!
Sports. But the UFC will review the incident and, at the very
least, try to educate Mitrione about why his comments were harmful.
Matt
Mitrione looks on before a fight. (Getty)The UFC was aided in
the development of its code of conduct, which was based upon
similar codes used in the NFL, Major League Baseball and NHL,
by the powerful Washington D.C. law firm Covington & Burling.
Its
aim, correctly, is not to punish, but to educate and prevent
embarrassments.
"We're
not a bunch of police officers and we're not sitting around all
day trying to figure out ways to catch guys," UFC COO Ike
Lawrence Epstein said. "We're trying to run a business and
these things can get in the way of that. And look, there are
two sides to that.
"Matt
Mitrione, he's got a career, sponsors, things to take care of.
We want to do what is right for the company, but if there is
an opportunity to educate, to help him move on from this in a
way that makes sense, we want to do that. We're not police officers
here. We're trying, hopefully, to push guys in the right direction
and make sure they're being respectful and not being disrespectful
to any race, gender, etc."
The
UFC has been plagued by a series of thoughtless comments in social
media over the last few years that were meant as jokes but which
came off as anything but. Rape is a horrible, violent crime and
is nothing to make light of, but there have been instances recently
where a fighter joked about it.
By
publicly releasing the standard of conduct it expects from its
fighters, the UFC has taken a strong step toward reducing the
flippant comments that create a media sensation and which slow
the business of arranging and promoting fights.
Among
the things it covers is usage of performance enhancing drugs,
criminal offenses, unlawful possession of a gun or other weapon,
violent, threatening or harassing behavior; conduct that presents
danger to the safety of another; intimidation; and any conduct
that undermines the UFC.
Fertitta
deserves credit for taking a stand against performance-enhancing
drugs and saying he'd put his money behind efforts to limit PED
usage by his fighters.
He
endorsed a proposal made by boxing promoter Bob Arum, who supports
random, unannounced testing of fighters, but wants it done under
the auspices of the athletic commission where a fight is being
held. Arum said he'd pay for the testing if the fighters agreed
to it and the commission would direct it.
Most,
if not all, state athletic commissions have small budgets and
can't do much random testing. But Fertitta said he'd fund testing
if states let him know they'd do it under terms similar to what
Arum proposed.
"I'd
write the check today," he said. "And not just testing
for PEDs, but I'd do it for anything that improves the health,
safety and well-being of our fighters."
[Also:
UFC suspends Matt Mitrione indefinitely after rant against Fallon
Fox]
He
decried the recent trend of fighters applying for, and receiving,
therapeutic use exemptions for testosterone replacement therapy
(TRT).
Fertitta
said, "I don't like it," but said he would "defer
to the lawyers" on whether to ban its use in the UFC. He
said he wasn't sure if saying that an outright ban of someone
who has never used PEDs but who needs testosterone because of
an illness would be legal.
Fallon
Fox: Matt Mitrione's comments 'do not reflect the spirit of our
sport.' (MMAWeekly)But he did say he believes exemptions are
being granted far too liberally.
"If
a guy gets to be 37, 38, and he's starting to struggle and say,
'I don't feel like I did 10 years ago,' maybe it's time for him
to start thinking about making a tough decision," Fertitta
said. "Testosterone replacement is not designed for someone
who is 38 to take and feel like he's 28 again. That's not the
point of it."
The
UFC's code of conduct is a good first step, but the key to its
success is whether the company is vigilant in enforcing it and
educating the athletes about their mistakes.
Mitrione,
Fertitta said, was more than free to express an opinion about
whether it is fair for a woman who used to be a man to fight
women in sanctioned, professional bouts.
It's
more about the offensive nature of his comments that landed him
into trouble. Things that are jokes among the guys on the street
corner don't go over quite as well when they're made in front
of thousands, or millions, of witnesses.
"Whatever
your thoughts are on the whole transgender issue, I've listened
to [Mitrione's comments on 'MMA Hour'] and in my opinion, it
came off as a bit mean-spirited, and is something I think warranted
review," Fertitta said. "Obviously, this is not the
easiest issue and a lot of people are questioning both sides
of this thing. A fair debate and discussion of the issue should
be allowed.
"But
when you call her disgusting, and Buffalo Bill, that's another
matter. It warrants review. I think it's the same thing the NFL
would look at and the same thing that any professional organization
that is at the level we're at would at least take a look at."
Hopefully,
the upshot of the code of conduct's implementation is far less
tasteless jokes, far less PED usage and far more enlightened
behavior.
Things
aren't going to be done perfectly, but it's a giant move in the
right direction.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
|