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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2013
2/16/13
Mayhem At The Mansion
Kauai Cage Match 14
(MMA)
(Kilohana Carriage House, Lihue, Kauai)
Uncle Frank Ordonez’s Birthday Tournament
(Palama Settlement Gym)
(Grappling, Sport-Pankration and Continuous sparring)
2/2/13
World
Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship: Hawaii Trials
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(McKinley H.S. Gym)
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)
2012
12/8-9/12
8th Annual Clint Shelton Memorial Amateur Boxing Event
(Palolo District Park Gym)
(Amateur Boxing)
11/24/12
Aloha
State BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(McKimley H.S. Gym)
11/10-11/12
Eternal Submission Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Kauai)
11/10/12
Toughman Xtreme Fighting Championships
(Boxing, Kickboxing, XMA, MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
10/20-21/12
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Radford H. S. Gym)
10/20/12
King of the Cage: Mana
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
10/7/12
Worlds
Master Senior Championship
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, Long Beach, CA)
9/8/12
Destiny: Na Koa
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
9/1/12
Toughman Hawaii
(Boxing)
(Hilo Civic Ctr)
8/18/12
Warpath to Mayhem:
Rumble at the Resort
(MMA)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Lihue, Kauai)
August
King of the Mat
(Submission Grappling)
8/4/12
Maui Open
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina)
7/21/12
Sera's Kajukenbo Martial Arts Tournament
(Continuous Sparring, MMA (Controlled), and Sub. Grappling)
(War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
**CANCELLED**
7/14/12
King of the Cage
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/29/12
Vendetta 5
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
6/16-17/12
State
of Hawaii BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/16/12
Destiny
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/15/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
5/26/12
Toughman Hawaii Presents; King Of The Ring
(Boxing)
(Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium, Hilo)
5/19/12
Scrappler's Fest
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Island School, Lihue, Kauai)
The Quest For Champions
Martial Arts Tournament 2012
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling, Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
5/18/12
Vendetta 4
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
5/4/12
King of the Ring
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
Just Scrap XVI
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku)
4/28/12
Destiny
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower)
4/21/12
Amateur Boxing Event
Smoker Fundraiser
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
4/14/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom, Waipahu)
Hawaiian
Open Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
3/29/12 - 4/1/12
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Irvine, CA)
3/3/12
Warpath to Mayhem:
Rumble at the Resort
(MMA)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Lihue, Kauai)
Vendetta 3
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(Waipahu Filcom, Waipahu)
Toughman Hawaii: Challengers
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic, Hilo)
2/11/12
Amateur Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/4/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
1/21/12
ProElite
MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/15/12
Polynesia
International BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(King Intermediate, Kaneohe)
1/7/12
Toughman Hawaii
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
|
|
January
2013 News Part 2
|
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Kickboxing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with PJ Dean &
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O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Kaleo Hosaka as
well as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA competitor PJ Dean
as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens provide incredibly
detailed instruction of the sweet science.
To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima
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Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from
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After
a Year Filled with Tragedy, Chris Weidman Targets Anderson Silva’s
Belt in 2013
by
Ken Pishna
After
defeating Demian Maia and Mark Munoz in 2012, launching his name
into contention for UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s
title, Chris Weidman, on the surface, would appear to have had
a stellar year.
And
it was… in the Octagon.
But
outside of competition, 2012 turned out to be a rough year for
Weidman on a personal level.
Superstorm
Sandy hit the New Yorker hard, driving him and his family out
of their home.
“We
were out of my house for a while,” he told MMAWeekly.com
recently. “We just got back in two days before Christmas…
to the second floor; the first floor has no floors. We’re
just getting subflooring in; there are no doors on the first
floor. It’s still a mess, but it’s nice to be back
in our old house.”
Weidman
says it will still be another four or five months before his
house is fully repaired.
He
missed out on fighting Tim Boetsch at UFC 155 during the time
he’s been dealing with the storm’s aftermath. Weidman’s
withdrawal from the bout, however, was due to a shoulder injury,
not the storm itself. The timing just happened to coincide.
“I’m
better off that I didn’t fight Boetsch (due to injury) because
there’s been so much I’ve been dealing with,”
said Weidman of the storm and having to pull out of the fight
due to his shoulder.
The
storm coupled with the injury would already qualify 2012 as a
difficult year in nearly anyone’s book, but those incidents
were really just the cap on an already challenging year.
Looking
back on 2012, Weidman pinpointed his fight against Demian Maia
as the moment of which he was most proud. Hearing his reasons
why, however, really put perspective on the year that Weidman
endured.
“I
took the fight on 10 days notice and the next day my uncle dies.
Just doesn’t die, he fell on his face down stairs, smashed
his face, and I had to clean up his blood,” Weidman recounted,
his eyes welling. “I didn’t actually go to the funeral;
I went to the wake the next two days. I wasn’t really able
to train and on top of that I lose 32 pounds in that time frame.
“It
was just such a tough time, but I had to do it. One of the main
things that drove me was him and him passing and just what I
went through.
“For
me to go in there and not just find a way to (not) lose, but
to find a way to win, it might not have been pretty, but I literally
almost died cutting weight and with all that other stuff going
on… and Demian Maia’s a tough guy man.”
That,
for Weidman, was a pivotal point, not just in his year, but in
his career. Such moments etch a man’s character on his soul.
“I
was really proud of that. I got more criticism for that fight
than anything, but for me, that really taught me where I’m
at. It gave me the confidence moving into my Mark Munoz fight.”
Weidman
once again proved the naysayers wrong when he stormed Munoz,
knocking him out early in the second round of their fight.
For
all the adversity that Weidman faced in 2012, he has an amazing
perspective on his situation. He doesn’t dwell or contemplate
the negativity of his challenges, he instead is grateful…
yes, grateful… that he has it so good.
“There’s
always people a lot worse (off),” Weidman reflected. “I
got a lot to be grateful for. I got a great family and great
kids.”
That
is the mark of a champion, not just on the inside, but also on
the outside of the cage.
He
faces a monumental task in trying to wrest the belt from around
middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva’s waist, but as we all
saw, Weidman doesn’t back down from the seemingly insurmountable
task.
He
would gladly jump at the chance to prove he belongs in the Octagon
with Silva. In fact, his goal for 2013 is not just to put himself
in the position of challenging Silva, but of taking his belt
outright. He’ll start back on that path with whomever the
UFC next puts before him.
“I
want to make a big statement whoever I fight my next fight and
my goal is to get that belt in 2013, without a doubt.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Crunching
Numbers: Strikeforce’s Final Statistics
By Jordan
Breen
Many
blogs are content to pump out reams of content about Ronda Rousey’s
recent “say whatever-the-hell to get Twitter followers and
crossover attention” campaigns on both Georges St. Pierre
and the Sandy Hook tragedy. For as much as we love to trawl through
small-town American newspapers for bizarre stories tangentially
related to MMA, we at Sherdog.com also love to give you some
real mind candy.
Saturday
night came and went, and now Strikeforce has been put to pasture
in perfunctory fashion. However, with the final Strikeforce card
now in the books, the promotion's figurative record book has
been cemented. That means we get to peruse some interesting number-crunching
for historical and trivial purposes.
Both
FightMetric and MMA Decisions have lovely statistical arrays
for you to ogle and to contemplate whether they mean a damn thing.
Here’s a selection of some of my favorite numeric morsels
from both lovely lists:
--
Josh Thomson has the most Strikeforce fights, period? Truly shocking,
if only because his tally of 13 would be considerably higher
if he didn’t get injured before a half dozen Strikeforce
fights. Also, James Terry and Billy freakin’ Evangelista
are tied for third with 10? OK then.
--
Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson both spent over three hours
fighting in Strikeforce. They spent 75 minutes fighting each
other, specifically.
--
Cung Le had seven knockouts and 10 knockdowns. I think all of
those came against Sam Morgan.
And,
on that pure WTF tip, FightMetric wrote it better than I could:
“And
finally, from the bizarre coincidence file:
9.02
- Significant strikes landed per minute (SLpM) by Nick Diaz,
tops among fighters with at least five Strikeforce fights, and
also 209 backwards. Diaz’s current SLpM in UFC fights is
4.20. Seriously, it is.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Dana
White calls recent ear surgery a success
By Ariel
Helwani
Dana
White is already on the road to recovery a day after undergoing
extensive ear surgery.
The
UFC president told MMAFighting.com Wednesday that his ear surgery
went "great" and he was already flying home to Las
Vegas. White went under the knife at the House Ear Institute
in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
White
has been battling Ménière's disease for over a
year. According to MayoClinic.com, Ménière's disease
"is a disorder of the inner ear that causes spontaneous
episodes of vertigo — a sensation of a spinning motion —
along with fluctuating hearing loss, ringing in the ear, and
sometimes a feeling of fullness or pressure in your ear."
White
wrote via text message that he was "sore but that will go
away in a few days" following the surgery. He added that
he will not be flying to Brazil for UFC on FX 7 this weekend.
He hopes the surgery will cure the excruciating pain he has felt
as of late.
The
43-year-old White started to feel the effects of the disease
at the end of 2011, and it later forced him to miss his first
UFC event in 11 years when the disease prevented him from flying
to Fairfax, Va., for UFC on FUEL TV 3 in May.
"This
is a different procedure," he said in October of the surgery.
"They're going to try where they go in and cut the back
of my ear open and they go in through there. They insert a tube,
and it's supposed to give me a 70 percent chance of not having
an attack."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Jon
Jones Wishes Daniel Cormier Would Just Drop Weight Classes and
Stop Talking About It
by Damon
Martin
Over
the last two years, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones
has all but obliterated every top fighter in the 205lb division.
While
former Strikeforce and Pride champion Dan Henderson is still
waiting in the wings, Jones will next focus on his Ultimate Fighter
rival Chael Sonnen for his next fight in the Octagon.
But
there appears to be a new threat that could be looming in 2013
as former Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion Daniel
Cormier transitions to the promotion with a potential move down
to light heavyweight after his debut.
Cormier
will make his first appearance at UFC on Fox 7 when he faces
Frank Mir in the co-main event on the card, but after that he’s
already made his intentions known that he wants to face Jones
in the fall.
Jones
seems open to the idea of facing Cormier, but at this point he’s
tired of the talk and would rather just find out that he’s
actually dropping to 205lbs instead of hinting around at the
idea.
“You
know, the guy is a tremendous athlete and I wish he would just
do it and just stop talking about it,” Jones said about
Cormier dropping weight classes when speaking to UFC Tonight.
“I am open to fighting the best guys in the world.”
If
Cormier is successful in his fight against Frank Mir in April
and then decides to make the move to light heavyweight, a bout
against Jon Jones could be a big fight for the promotion in the
fall.
A
lot has to happen before then though so for now all the Jones
vs. Cormier fight talk is just that – talk.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Jacaré
Souza Joins UFC, Says He Feels ‘Butterflies’
Carlos
Arthur
2013
marks the completion of Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza’s
first decade as an MMA fighter, having made a spirited debut
back at the inaugural Jungle Fight show, in the Brazilian state
of Amazonas. And his 10-year anniversary present couldn’t
be more appropriate: a berth in the UFC, the biggest stage in
MMA.
On
Tuesday evening, UFC Tonight confirmed that “Jacaré”
Souza, Roger Gracie, Gegard Mousasi and a list of other Strikeforce
hires will be work their trade in the octagon in 2013.
Vacationing
in the North Brazilian city of Belém do Pará, Jacaré
spoke to GRACIEMAG.com about the UFC and his latest win, when
he tapped Ed Herman out via kimura at the Strikeforce finale
last Saturday.
“The
coolest part about the hold is that any white belt can do it,
the only difference being the years of training that went into
proper placement and adapting it to my physique,” the two-time
absolute champion of the world told GRACIEMAG.com in the following
interview.
GRACIEMAG.com:
You’re now an experienced fighter who is confident and has
a high-level MMA game. Will you nevertheless be feeling tense
when you walk out to the octagon?
RONALDO
JACARÉ: So far I haven’t felt any tension. Just joy.
Being in the world’s biggest MMA event is a major joy. Tension
I’ll only feel when I’m about to walk out to fight.
The butterflies I feel in my stomach on the way to the cage are
the same as I used to feel during my Jiu-Jitsu days. It’s
the same feeling. But as I like the adrenaline, I’m stoked!
A
decade in the sport, 21 MMA fights, 17 wins and 13 submission—what’s
changed in your Jiu-Jitsu since 2003?
It’s
changed a lot. It’s not easy to simply transport competition
Jiu-Jitsu to the MMA game. And that’s something I learned
over time. The guys defend really well, slip away, and sometimes
the fight gets tricky. The Gi Jiu-Jitsu game is really different
from the Jiu-Jitsu used in MMA. I’m in constant evolution,
and the only secret to winning is lots of training.
Where
do you feel you stand in the middleweight rankings now you’re
in the UFC? On our Facebook page folks are already asking to
see you up against the best—Weidman, Anderson…
Whoa,
I feel I’m down at the bottom of the division. I just arrived
on the scene now, and I have to move up step by step to make
it to the top ten in my weight class. I want to carve a place
out for myself little by little, and I’ll give my all to
do it. I feel I’m going through great evolution and will
make it.
Is
there anyone in the UFC you’d like to face? Is there anybody
in the UFC who inspires you?
I
don’t pick opponents. That’s the responsibility of
the UFC matchmakers now. I admire fighters who go on the attack.
I’m a fan of Minotauro, for example. Regardless of what
happens in a fight of his, win or lose, I’m his fan. He’s
a martial arts and Jiu-Jitsu icon, and it’s gratifying for
us Brazilians to have a guy like that representing us.
You
said you wanted to end your tenure at Strikeforce with a finish,
and you did. How did that feel?
Mission
accomplished, you know? I started my career at Strikeforce with
a finish, and Saturday I got a finish. It was an immense joy,
since Jiu-Jitsu came in with me and left with me. But still,
I haven’t shown all I’ve got yet. I always give it
my best; but I still haven’t shown everything I’ve
got yet.
What’s
the secret to getting a Kimura so tight like you did against
Ed Herman?
The
coolest part is that the Kimura is a move that I can do and that
a white belt can do, too. The only difference being that I practice
it, study it every day. Also, everyone is a different size, has
different strength. You have to work on it a lot to adapt it
to your body. You can compare the way all the Jiu-Jitsu fighters
in the world do it, and each fighter may do it slightly differently.
And it works for them all.
To
wrap up, Jaca, there are already GRACIEMAG readers calling for
you to fight Sonnen right off the bat and teach him to speak
kindly of Jiu-Jitsu.
Cool,
I’m grateful to the readers for thinking of me, but Demian
Maia’s already taken care of that, hasn’t he? He taught
him what the pressure of a triangle is like around the neck and
arm. Sonnen’s learned; let him be.
Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
January, 12, 2013
Tarec Saffiedine defeated Nate Marquardt via unanimous judges’
decision
Daniel Cormier defeated Dion Staring via TKO at 4:02 min
of R2
Josh Barnett subbed Nandor Guelmino via arm-and-neck choke
from mount at 2:11 min of R1
Gegard Mousasi choked out Mike Kyle at 4:09 min of R1
Ronaldo Jacaré subbed Ed Herman via Kimura lock at
4:38 min of R1
Ryan Couture defeated KJ Noons via split judges’ decision
Tim Kennedy tapped out Trevor Smith via guillotine at 1:36
min of R3
Pat Healy defeated Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous judges’
decision
Roger Gracie tapped out Anthony Smith at 3:16 min of R2
Adriano Martins defeated Jorge Gurgel via unanimous decision
Estevan Payan defeated Michael Bravo via TKO at 4:01 min
of R2
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
The
Ultimate Fighter Brazil Draws NFL-Type Numbers
by Jeff
Cain
The
Ultimate Fighter is heading into its seventeenth season in the
United States on a new night and in a new time slot, hoping to
regain the popularity it once had. Internationally, the series
is thriving.
UFC
president Dana White recently said in a keynote speech at NMX
2013 that The Ultimate Fighter Brazil is drawing NFL-type numbers.
“I
didn’t see Brazil coming and becoming as big as it has.
Their economy has taken off there. It’s one of the fourth
largest economies in the world now,” said White.
“Brazil
has been a rocket ship for us. We did a television deal down
there which is the equivalent of being on Fox, but with no competitors.
The ratings that we pull down there, just on the reality show,
are the equivalent of what the NFL does here on television.”
It’s
no surprise that The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC have seen success
in Brazil. Brazil has a long tradition of mixed martial arts
and its own brand of jiu-jitsu. The UFC’s roots are grounded
in Brazil, but the level of success has far exceeded expectations.
“As
far as the fights, when we do a live fight on free TV (in Brazil)
65 million people watch,” said the UFC president. “We’ve
been on TV down there for a couple years and we’re pulling
65 million viewers, pretty strong.”
The
Ultimate Fighter Brazil 2 is currently in production, featuring
welterweights. Brazilian legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and
Fabricio Werdum are slated to be the opposing coaches.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
MMA
Roundtable: Rampage's future, UFC on FX 7's best fights, ranking
Bellator's lightweights and more
By Luke
Thomas
In
this week's edition of the MMA Roundtable, Mike Chiappetta and
I wonder what on earth Rampage is going to do when his UFC run
is over, how to rank Bellator's best two lightweights, whether
Gilbert Melendez is deserving of an immediate title shot and
much more in this week's edition.
Of
importance, he's right and I'm wrong. Or maybe it's the exact
opposite. It might be. I've lost count. Either way, you read
and decide.
1.
Rampage Jackson reiterated on Tuesday that he's done with the
UFC after fighting Glover Teixeira. What are the chances he ends
up in Bellator? Is that a good match?
Chiappetta:
On Tuesday, Bellator's Bjorn Rebney seemed to leave the door
open to examining the possibility of bringing Jackson into the
fold, though he acknowledged it was something of a "square
peg, round hole" situation. There are some reasons to believe
the two sides could forge a relationship. First, Rebney and Spike
see Jackson as a major name who is capable of drawing eyeballs.
Second, Jackson has in the past spoken about possibly doing pro
wrestling and Spike can make that happen. Third, Jackson is interested
in boxing, and Bellator is more likely to allow him to do that
than the UFC ever would.
On
the flip side, with nearly 14 years of MMA behind Jackson, it's
unlikely he would want to enter into the Bellator tournament
system and fight three times in three months. And if he doesn't
want to do that, it's hard to see a match. In the end, I think
Jackson is much more likely to end up fighting special one-off
MMA fights in far-off places like Japan while dabbling in kickboxing.
Thomas:
I have to agree with Mike. If I'm a betting man, Rampage is going
to end up picking a deal that gives him flexibility and the time
to do what he wants to do. Fighting in Japan probably means relatively
good paychecks and getting them on a schedule he'd prefer. Of
all the possible outcomes, I see this as the most likely.
That
said, I wouldn't rule out a Bellator contract, especially if
they're able to get things moving with GLORY. Rampage has dabbled
in K-1 and it'd be a welcome alternative to the monotony of MMA
training. He also wouldn't necessarily have to worry about getting
a win while earning a check. That's hardly the worst of all worlds.
But
as Mike notes, is he really going to want to do the tournament?
Seems debatable at least. And if he isn't in the tourney, he
could fight at catchweights, which means heavyweights could meet
him somewhere in the middle. But does Rampage really want to
fight Rich Hale? I just don't know. What I do know is he probably
doesn't want to risk his future of gym fees and rap songs on
MySpace.
2.
Outside of the main event, which fight on the UFC on FX 7 fight
card do you find most intriguing?
Thomas:
There are actually a number of really good fights on this card,
at least as far as prospects or divisionally unique fighters
go. Edson Barboza returns, which is always worth a view. Nik
Lentz is going to try to keep the magic alive at featherweight
against featherweight stalwart Diego Nunes. Nunes dos a lot of
work in the Octagon, but it never seems focused. For a guy like
Lentz who has something of a new lease on life at 145 pounds,
it's the perfect kind of fight to see where he's really at in
his new weight class home.
For
my money, though, it's Ronny Markes vs. Andrew Craig. Middleweight
isn't MMA's most exciting division and I'm not curious about
this because I think either is on a collision course with Anderson
Silva. I like this fight because it's two well-matched, fairly
blue chip middleweight prospects who both need the kind of victory
they can earn on Saturday. There are lots of prospects on this
fight card, to be sure, but I would argue this is the best meeting
of two of the better ones who are at similar positions in their
career. One takes a fairly significant step forward (I suspect
Markes) with a win, but I suspect it's going to be hard fought
and entertaining. And when a bout is both of those things plus
meaningful, that's when the magic happens.
Chiappetta:
I'm hoping that Luke is right and that there turns out to be
a number of "really good" fights on this card, but
the match-ups outside of the main event aren't all that intriguing
to me. But with some of the UFC's recent cards and upcoming fight
announcements, that's just a minor complaint on my end.
I'm
going to go with the Barboza vs. Lucas Martins match-up as my
answer. Barboza is a pleasure to watch, particularly in the striking,
where his combination of gracefulness and power may be unparalleled
in his division. Barboza though, is coming off a knockout loss,
and will have to do it against an unbeaten Brazilian prospect
who came out of nowhere to have a huge 2012, fighting and winning
10 times during the calendar year. Amazingly, nine of those victories
were by finish, including seven KO's, a remarkable number for
a lightweight.
There
is almost no video of Martins' fights online, so it's hard to
know just how good he is. What we know is this: he has an impressive
record (12-0), he trains with Chute Boxe, and he has a strong
Muay Thai background. Match that up with what we know about Barboza
and it's easy to imagine that fireworks will ensue.
3.
Whether its Rick Hawn and Michael Chandler wins on Thursday night,
where would you rank the winner in the top 10 of MMA's lightweights?
Thomas:
I'd plant the winner firmly in the top 10, but outside of the
5.
The
upside for Chandler is huge. He has some pretty clear issues
to iron out in terms of improving his defense, but he's young
at 26 years old. He is an excellent MMA wrestler and very good
athlete. He also trains with a strong, world-class team. For
all of these reasons, we can expect him to improve in a meaningful
way over the next few years. For Hawn, it's a little less so.
He's got the skills and punishing power punching, but he's 34.
Time is not on his side.
The
question, though, is where we rank them and why. I can't place
either in the top 10 because they simply won't face enough of
the truly elite in the division to test where they are. Talent
aside, that matters most. But I am comfortable in placing them
in the top 10 because of their demonstrable skill, which I'm
confident will be on full display tomorrow night.
Ranking
fighters is guesswork and we can all be wrong about it, but Hawn
and Chandler are deserving of recognition even if they're a step
short of being the very best.
Chiappetta:
Perhaps I'm in the minority here but in my opinion, Chandler
has already cracked the lightweight top 10. His issue will be
further elevating himself given the superior status of the UFC's
lightweight roster. If he is seen as far and away the best Bellator
lightweight and most of his fights are considered lopsided match-ups,
he won't gain much from victory. He's a little bit more than
a 2-to-1 favorite over Hawn, a former U.S. judo Olympian with
heavy hands.
Hawn
is simply looking to wade into the top 10, after all, he's only
been a lightweight for all of three fights.
The
rankings are quite obviously, very subjective, and some people
solely base them upon who a fighter has or hasn't faced. In my
personal feeling, while compiling ratings at some point you have
to project that talent's skills against the other names of the
division, and I see Chandler as a potential top 3.
4.
Gilbert Melendez was awarded a title shot against Benson Henderson
in his Octagon debut. Is he worthy of that opportunity without
ever having fought in the UFC?
Chiappetta:
Yes, he is. The complaints of those who feel he isn't deserving
of the spot come from those who feel the UFC on FOX 6 bout between
Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone will yield a more worthy adversary
for Henderson.
More
specifically, the thought is that if Pettis wins, he should vault
to the No. 1 contender slot. But there is no overwhelmingly compelling
case for him. Sure, a win over Cerrone would be an impressive
victory, but it would only result in a modest three-fight win
streak, and make him 3-1 overall since coming over to the UFC.
The push for Pettis seems to be a lingering affect from the title
shot he was promised and that never materialized when he came
over from the WEC. At the time the WEC closed down, he was the
reigning champ and was supposed to fight for the UFC lightweight
belt, until an unexpected draw between Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard
necessitated a rematch. Instead of waiting it out, Pettis chose
to fight again, and lost. Since then he's done well, but it's
not too much to ask to win four in a row before getting to compete
for the belt.
The
funny part of the situation is that some people feel that Melendez
hasn't proven himself to be a worthy contender because he has
yet to fight in the UFC. That was the same criticism levied at
Pettis way back when, and as fighters like he and Ben Henderson
have proven, you don't have to have fought in the UFC to be world-class.
Melendez is 21-2 with a seven-fight win streak, and Henderson
will have his hands full with him.
Thomas:
Mike's logic is sound. I think for all the reasons he states,
Melendez is deserving. I don't even believe Melendez will beat
Henderson, but clearly recognize he's done enough to earn a title
shot. In fact, one could take a completely different approach
than the sound one Mike adopts here and arrive at the same position.
Namely, the fate of Strikeforce champions who crossover into
the UFC.
Now,
it's true that someone like Alistair Overeem had to take a fight
against Brock Lesnar first before getting a title shot. And Diaz
ended up having to fight Carlos Condit before anything was going
to happen for him. But as we know, Diaz was supposed to get Georges
St. Pierre first and before he decided to not attend pressers.
The point is this: there is clear precedent of Strikeforce fighters
who matriculate getting title shots or number-one contender fights
right away. Melendez is the Strikeforce lightweight champ, so
he certainly qualifies. He's also been consistently ranked in
the top 5 if not top 3 of the division for years. He's not the
biggest fan favorite in the world, but neither is Henderson.
The two need some exposure and given the timing and the location
of San Jose, it all works out. There should be no reason to question
Melendez's title opportunity.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Dan
Hardy-Matt Brown Welterweight Scrap Greenlit for UFC on Fox 7
in San Jose
By Mike
Whitman
The
UFC on Fox 7 dance card continues to develop, as promotion officials
announced Tuesday that Dan Hardy will square off with Matt Brown
at the April 20 event.
The
welterweight contest becomes the third bout to join the card,
which takes place at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. The bill
is topped by a lightweight title conflict between reigning UFC
king Benson Henderson and former Strikeforce titlist Gilbert
Melendez and will also feature a co-headlining heavyweight showdown
pitting Strikeforce grand prix winner Daniel Cormier against
ex-UFC champ Frank Mir.
Hardy,
30, has won back-to-back fights heading into his showdown with
Brown. The surge follows a four-fight skid for the hard-punching
Brit, who rebounded from the stretch by knocking out veteran
Duane Ludwig to kick off 2012. Most recently, “The Outlaw”
topped Amir Sadollah on Sept. 29, outpointing “The Ultimate
Fighter” Season 7 winner at UFC on Fuel TV 5.
Brown,
meanwhile, has won his last four fights, most recently knocking
out Mike Swick to close out 2012 at UFC on Fox 5. That triumph
followed victories over Chris Cope, Stephen Thompson and Luis
Ramos, as “The Immortal” returned to his winning ways
following a 1-4 stretch from March 2010 to November 2011. Brown,
32, has stopped 14 of his 16 career victims and has never been
knocked out in more than seven years as a pro.
Source
Sherdog
|
Rampage
Jackson May Follow Kimbo Slice into Boxing, “Let the UFC
Be My Past”
by Damon
Martin
The
days of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson being a UFC fighter
have almost come to an end.
The
former light heavyweight champion has spoken out several times
in the last year about leaving the promotion following the last
fight on his contract, which takes place at UFC on Fox 6 against
Brazilian Glover Teixeira.
Jackson
had been fairly quiet about the subject over the last couple
of months while he’s been in England training and preparing
for the fight, but on Tuesday during a media conference call
old wounds opened up.
“I
just want to get this last UFC fight out the way and then enjoy
myself as a free agent and see who’s interested in me,”
Jackson stated.
The
reasons behind Jackson’s displeasure with the UFC go deeper
than money or matchmaking, although he’s not seemingly happy
with either of those items when it comes to dealing with the
UFC.
To
Jackson it comes down to respect and the treatment of the fighters,
and he’s not a fan of how the UFC handles either one.
“I
feel like they’re getting rich off of all of us. We all
have surgeries and injuries and stuff like that. Some of these
guys can’t even afford to pay sparring partners and stuff
like that. Some guys fight for $10,000 or $20,000; that ain’t
right. I don’t want to be a part of this sport. I want to
go somewhere where they take care of their fighters and they
treat us like human beings. I’ve been fighting for a long
time and I’m standing up for myself,” said Jackson.
Recently
Jackson also found a new reason to find fault with the UFC when
he signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with Reebok and found
out that he would not be allowed to wear their gear in the Octagon
for his fight on Jan 26. The UFC holds a sponsorship and licensing
agreement with all fighters and potential sponsors, and whether
Reebok or Jackson conformed or attempted to conform to those
rules is unknown.
No
matter the reason, however, Jackson isn’t happy with the
decision.
“I
can say I have a new reason – I’m sponsored by Reebok
now and the UFC says I’m not allowed to wear Reebok in the
cage, when I see other fighters sponsored by Nike and stuff.
Why can’t I have Reebok? It’s just stupid stuff like
that,” Jackson said.
“It’s
not just about money, it’s about respect. I step in the
Octagon and I put my life on the line, and I try to be an exciting
fighter, and I just don’t feel appreciated by it. I’d
rather take a money cut to go to another show and feel appreciated.
It has nothing to do with money. Reebok’s still taking care
of me, they’re still sponsoring me, but the UFC said I can’t
wear Reebok while I’m fighting, which I think is illegal
as well.”
With
the fight against Teixeira fulfilling the current contract that
Jackson has with the promotion, it appears no matter what happens
next Saturday he will test free agency and won’t be returning
to the UFC unless something dramatic happens.
“They
offered a re-negotiated contract, but I didn’t like it,
I didn’t want it. I don’t want to renegotiate with
them. I think that the UFC don’t know how to treat their
athletes in my opinion. The fighters, I feel like we do a lot
for this sport; I just feel like we’re not taken care of
well enough,” said Jackson.
“No
matter what the outcome is on Jan. 26, I’m going to be happy
with everything. I trained very hard. I trained to destroy Glover.
I trained every aspect on the ground, wrestling, stand-up, everything.
I trained to destroy him and then leave the UFC on a positive
note and I’m going to go on with my life and let the UFC
be my past.”
As
far as what could be next for the former Pride fighter, Jackson
isn’t sure if it will be MMA, acting or something else that
peaks his interest. He hopes to remain in the fight game after
recent improvements in his health and training have left him
feeling somewhat reinvigorated.
“I’ve
got a few more years in me, my training camp is going really
well, and my knee is really strong now. I had some of the best
doctors taking care of me, and I did everything right this camp,
and I’m feeling really, really strong,” said Jackson
“My
next challenge if I go somewhere, I just want to be very exciting.
Maybe I want to try some boxing, see if I can do some boxing,
or do some kickboxing. My heart is in MMA, I like slamming people
and stuff like that. I’ve done jiu-jitsu tournaments, wrestling
tournaments, kickboxing fights, but I have never done boxing,
and I think that’s probably my biggest challenge to see
if I can go and be a pro boxer. Hell, Kimbo Slice he’s doing
pretty good, why can’t I?”
Jackson
is very familiar with the former UFC heavyweight having coached
him during the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
Whether
he follows him into boxing remains to be seen, but Jackson seems
resolute in his decision to leave the UFC, and he believes it’s
going to be a mutual parting of the ways.
“Honestly,
I’m over it. I gave them time and time again to try and
keep me happy, and honestly I think the UFC is happy with me
leaving as well,” said Jackson.
“I
think it’s a mutual thing. I don’t think there’s
nothing they can do to keep me.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
DESTINY:
Na Koa II Today
Saturday,
January 19, 2013
DESTINY
MMA will start the New Year with a BIG BANG OF FIREWORKS. DESTINY:Na
Koa II will be held on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at the Neal
Blaisdell Arena with top fighters from Hawaii and around the
world.
NEWS
UPDATE: Undefeated DESTINY MMA Champion Dustin Kimura has been
signed by the UFC & will be making his debut in the big league
Feb 2nd in the under card of Aldo-Edgar & therefore will
not be headlining our event next week. This has been long over
due & on behalf of the entire DESTINY MMA Family we would
like to say congratulations Dustin. He has always been a loyal
hard worker & never hand picked any opponent we put in front
of him since he was an amateur. He worked his way up through
our amateur ranks capturing titles as an amateur & pro going
undefeated along the way & now at the highest level. We wish
Dustin the best & know he will be just as successful in the
UFC as he has been with us.
-155lbs
Pro World Lightweight Title
Johnavan “Immortal Warrior” Vistante Jr. (Team SYD/808
FF, Hawaii) vs Gabriel “Solo” Solorio (Washington)
-135lbs
Pro State Bantamweight Title
Russell Doane (808 Top Team, Hawaii) vs Omar Avelar (Washington)
-170lbs Pro Welterweight State Title
Ronald “Machine Gun” Jhun (808 Top Team, Hawaii) vs
Dave Courchaine (Washington)
-145lbs Pro Featherweight State Title
Toby “2quick” Misech (BOSS MMA, Hawaii) vs Ryan Mulvihill
(Washington)
-170lbs Pro
Ray “Bradda Boy” Cooper III (Hawaii) vs Adam Smith
(Washington)
-125lbs Women’s Amateur Title
Angie Perreira (HMC, Hawaii) vs JJ Aldrich (Colorado)
-145lbs Pro
Jaymes Schulte vs Spencer Higa (Team Akamine)
-170lbs Amateur Title Match
Sebastian Mariconda (808 TT, 808 FF, Team Ranes) vs Lawrence
Collins (Jesus Is Lord)
-145lbs Amateur Title Match
Edward Thommes (808 Top Team) vs Arnold Berdon (WOMMA)
-135lbs Amateur Title Match
Shane Bivens (808 Fight Factory) vs Kevin Natividad (EightSixx
BJJ)
-155lbs Amateur Title Match
Keoni Farm (Technics MMAD) vs Robby Ostovich (Jesus Is Lord)
-145lbs
Ryan Delacruz (808 Top Team) vs Nui Wheeler (Maile Soljahz/WBC)
-145lbs
Johnny Pecyna (808 Fight Factory) vs Dave Preciado (Team Akamine)
-155lbs
Jose Barreiro (UFS) vs Koa Ramelb (Jesus Is Lord)
-125lbs
Jayson Dumaoal (808 Top Team) vs Jared Gonda (Team Mixed Plate)
-155lbs
Micah Abreu (808 Fight Factory) vs Derek Mahi (Team Akamine)
-155lbs
Kainui Meyers (Novia Uniao Puna/Boss MMA) vs Justin Burgess (Jesus
Is Lord)
-140lbs
Bronson Mohika (808 Fight Factory) vs Adam Azimov
-155lbs
Sage Yoshida (HMC) vs Micah Ige (freelance)
-125lbs
Chaz Dunhour (808 Fight Factory) vs Bronson Chung (freelance)
-135lbs
Ricky Ing (HMC Team Chinaman) vs Kalani Saloricman (UCS)
-145lbs
Mark Reynon (808 Top Team) vs Erik Clarke (Team Mixed Plate)
-135lbs
Anu Sapla (808 Fight Factory) vs Chad Billiamosa (Top Rankin)
-210lbs
Albert Cambra (freelance) vs Jason Bray (Team Mixed Plate)
-170lbs
Thomas Perez (SOMMA) vs Anthony Curbelo (freelance)
-205lbs
Alex Pulotu-Steverson (Team Xtreme) vs TBA
-170lbs
Daymon Carr (Technics MMAD) vs TBA
-Heavyweight
Remmy McClam (Team Akamine) vs TBA
-125lbs
Jojo Gillaume vs TBA
|
Just
Scrap Today
Hilo Civic Center, Hilo, Hawaii
January 19, 2013
Heavyweight:
Chad Thomas vs. Doug Hiu
Superheavyweight:
Cabbage Correira vs. Deutsch Pu‘u
135
pounds: Van Oscar Penovaroff vs. Tony Rodrigues
170:
Joey Gomez vs. Kawika Martin
170:
Brandon Libao vs. Leo Sigra
130:
Kuulei Estabilio vs. Arlena Cook
Undercard
185:
Bobbi Manners vs. Justin Smith
125:
Russell Mizuguchi vs. Brennan Nash
160:
Alex Bacdad vs. Kenue Mudon
135:
Tyler Leopoldino vs. TBA
125:
Ikaika Rodriguez vs. Stu Jones
190:
Andrew Sanchis vs. Josh Sosa
|
UFC
on FX 7 Preview Bisping vs. Belfort
By Tristen
Critchfield
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Brazil to open its
2013 slate with a crucial middleweight showdown between a man
who once challenged for Anderson Silva’s 185-pound strap
and a man who badly wants the opportunity to do the same.
Vitor
Belfort knows just how swiftly the end can come against Silva,
as he fell victim to a front kick from the champion 3:25 into
their UFC 126 encounter. Meanwhile, Michael Bisping has been
knocking on the door of title contention for some time, and a
victory over “The Phenom” in his opponent’s homeland
would set up a marketable showdown between the outspoken Brit
and “The Spider.” Clearly, plenty will be on the line
when these two middleweights square off on Saturday at the Geraldo
Jose de Almeida State Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but it
is likely that Bisping has the most to lose in defeat.
In
addition to a tasty headliner, UFC on FX 7 includes the usual
assortment of Brazilian mainstays and prospects designed to keep
the home folks engaged for the duration. Here is a closer look
at the card, with analysis and picks:
Middleweights
Michael
Bisping (23-4, 13-4 UFC) vs. Vitor Belfort (21-10, 10-6 UFC)
The
Matchup: As the contenders continue to drop like flies, the middleweight
division grows more muddled by the month. An injury to Chris
Weidman and recent losses by Tim Boetsch and Alan Belcher have
left a shortage of fresh and interesting challengers for Silva,
the longtime 185-pound champion. Belfort has a chance to further
complicate things by knocking off Bisping; the Brit will likely
receive a title shot if he is victorious here, but Belfort, with
memories of his front-kick knockout loss to “The Spider”
at UFC 126 still fresh, would not be next in line.
Long
one of the UFC’s more underappreciated talents, Bisping
has compiled an impressive resume in the Octagon, as his 13 victories
tie him with Jon Fitch for 10th all-time in the promotion. “The
Count” has also garnered respect in defeat: a closer-than-expected
setback at the hands of Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2 did little
to hurt his standing. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season
3 winner has since rebounded by posting a unanimous verdict over
Brian Stann in September.
Belfort,
meanwhile, gave light heavyweight king Jon Jones the greatest
scare of his title reign to date, nearly submitting the champion
with an armbar from his back in the opening frame at UFC 152.
That would be the Brazilian’s one shining moment in the
bout, however, as he was ultimately worn down and submitted in
round four.
That
armbar, along with the rear-naked choke Belfort used to tap Anthony
Johnson at UFC 142, marked the first submissions the former 205-pound
champion had attempted since 2006, when he faced Dan Henderson
under the Pride Fighting Championships banner. Although it is
good to see Belfort, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, re-incorporating
that aspect of his arsenal, it is unlikely that he will defeat
Bisping by going the submission route. Instead, this contest
is likely to go one of two directions: a quick and explosive
finish by Belfort or an extended, five-round affair that showcases
Bisping’s defensive boxing, skilled movement and stellar
conditioning.
At
his best, Belfort explodes out of the gates with a purpose, as
he did in first-round stoppages of Rich Franklin and Yoshihiro
Akiyama during his second UFC tenure. Belfort’s hand speed
allows him to unload on opponents with blistering combinations;
if Bisping finds himself rubber-legged, as he briefly did in
the first round of his encounter with Stann, he might not have
an opportunity to recover. The downside of this approach is that
Belfort can fade in the latter stages of a bout, leaving someone
with the superior cardio of Bisping plenty of chances to land
accurate combinations in the championship frames.
If
Belfort, a southpaw, cannot create angles and opportunities to
lay hands on Bisping, his night will become increasingly more
frustrating. “The Count” is a sound defensive fighter
with a solid understanding of how to control the cage. He is
especially adept at racking up points on the feet while moving
in and out of danger, so Belfort needs to maintain his poise
if things do not go his way early. Recently, Bisping has shown
an ability to mix up his attacks by landing timely takedowns,
but Belfort should be strong enough to thwart most of his opponent’s
shots.
The
Pick: Belfort struggles when faced with the pressure of a relentless
wrestler, but Bisping will probably be on his bicycle for most
of this contest in hopes of avoiding the Brazilian’s dangerous
hands. Belfort will eventually find the opening he needs to land
a tide-turning strike -- perhaps a left hook -- and he will finish
the job with one of his patented flurries in the second round.
Middleweights
C.B.
Dollaway (12-4, 6-4 UFC) vs. Daniel Sarafian (7-2, 0-0 UFC)
The
Matchup: It is difficult to tell whether Dollaway’s UFC
146 victory over Jason Miller had more to do with his performance
or with the struggles of an underwhelming “Mayhem,”
who faltered badly in two recent Octagon appearances before being
released by the company. What is clear is that after a lengthy
layoff due to hip surgery, Dollaway will take the dominant victory,
regardless of Miller’s state.
Next
up for the Power MMA Team product is Sarafian, who is making
his Octagon debut after a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter:
Brazil.” Sarafian was knocked out of the reality show’s
finale by an arm injury, and he has not had an official professional
bout since June 2011. The 30-year-old Sao Paulo native has shown
a dangerous submission game thus far in his career, earning six
of his seven victories via tapout.
Sarafian
will want to control distance with his jab and leg kicks, but
if he can initiate the takedown, he will have a good chance at
earning a finish. The Brazilian is adept at advancing position
and has slick transitions on the mat. Meanwhile, Dollaway is
a competent grappler with dangerous chokes, but he tends to leave
himself exposed while pursuing submissions of his own.
An
NCAA All-American wrestler at Arizona State University, Dollaway’s
standup has remained limited as his UFC tenure has progressed.
“The Doberman” can be rocked on the feet, as evidenced
by recent knockout losses to Mark Munoz and Jared Hamman. Sarafian,
with a more diverse striking arsenal that includes various kicks
and flying knees, should have the advantage in exchanges.
Dollaway
will not waste much time trading with Sarafian. The American
will attempt to close the distance as soon as he can in order
to implement the same game plan -- takedowns and ground-and-pound
-- he employed with great success against Miller. It will be
paramount for Sarafian to sweep or reverse if he finds himself
beneath his foe.
The
Pick: Dollaway has been inconsistent since emerging from Season
7 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” and he will struggle to
impose his will on Sarafian, who wins via decision or late submission.
Heavyweights
Gabriel
Gonzaga (13-6, 8-5 UFC) vs. Ben Rothwell (32-8, 2-2 UFC)
The
Matchup: After gasping for air in a unanimous decision loss to
Mark Hunt at UFC 135, Rothwell looked like a new man in his last
outing, knocking out Brendan Schaub in 70 seconds in April. The
former International Fight League standout appeared to be in
much better shape than in previous Octagon appearances, and he
credited a revamped training regimen and lifestyle changes for
the improvement.
Gonzaga
returned to the promotion for the first time since October 2010
at UFC 142, where he submitted Ednaldo Oliveira with a rear-naked
choke in the opening frame. “Napao” quickly rose up
the heavyweight ranks after his stunning knockout of Mirko Filipovic
more than five years ago, but the Brazilian’s tendency to
abandon his grappling has proven to be his undoing against superior
opposition.
While
Rothwell took advantage of a careless Schaub with a counter left
hook, the Wisconsin native is generally a methodical competitor
who does his best work by bullying foes against the fence and
wearing them down on the mat. The 31-year-old has decent hands,
but his standup defense can be exposed; Schaub had him backpedaling
early after rocking him with an elbow at UFC 145.
Gonzaga
can do damage with hard leg kicks, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu
black belt would be wise to try and get his opponent to the canvas
instead of engaging in a standup brawl. Rothwell is a capable
grappler, but most of his submission victories have come from
top position, and he will not be able to control Gonzaga on the
mat. Conditioning could play a role if the bout does not end
early, as both Rothwell and Gonzaga have shown a tendency to
tire late in fights. Rothwell’s newfound conditioning could
prove to be the difference if he is able to avoid being submitted.
The
Pick: After a fairly spirited beginning, the contest slows to
a crawl, as Rothwell attempts to assert himself in tie-ups. The
American eventually wears Gonzaga down to earn a decision victory.
Lightweights
Thiago
Tavares (17-4-1, 7-4-1 UFC) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (18-0, 2-0
UFC)
The
Matchup: Nurmagomedov was fortunate to leave UFC 148 with his
unblemished record intact. Gleison Tibau was able to stuff the
Russian’s takedown attempts and counter effectively for
most of the bout, but, in the end, Nurmagomedov was rewarded
by the judges for his consistent aggression. That followed an
impressive debut effort in which he submitted World Extreme Cagefighting
veteran Kamal Shalorus with a rear-naked choke in the third round
at UFC on FX 1.
Just
24 years old, the Red Fury Fight Team representative appears
to have a bright future ahead of him if he continues to improve.
He faces a veteran performer in Tavares, who enters the bout
on a two-fight winning streak. The Brazilian defeated Sam Stout
via unanimous decision in his last outing at UFC 142; although
Tavares is known for his ground game, he held his own on the
feet with Stout for much of the contest.
Tavares
is a patient performer who relies on his conditioning to give
him the upper hand in struggles for positional control. The Ataque
Duplo product is persistent in clinches, where he gradually wears
on foes and gets the fight to the floor. Nurmagomedov presents
a significant challenge in this area, as he has successfully
defended all 10 takedowns attempted against him thus far in the
UFC.
Tavares
will need to mix up his attack by landing kicks along with his
overhand right. His striking is not of the world-beating variety,
but, as he demonstrated against Stout, it is a useful addition
to his arsenal. Nurmagomedov can set the tone by moving forward
and landing multi-punch combinations, and he is also capable
of catching Tavares with a solid counter as the grappling specialist
attempts to move into tie-up range. The key will be how his stamina
holds up after multiple draining tie-ups.
The
Pick: This is a closely matched fight that could swing on just
a few pivotal moments. Nurmagomedov has already proven that he
is willing to initiate the action, and he will land effective
combinations on the feet while defending enough of Tavares’
takedowns to come away with a narrow decision verdict.
Featherweights
Diego
Nunes (18-3, 3-2 UFC) vs. Nik Lentz (22-5-2, 6-2-1 UFC): The
world-ranked Nunes used an aggressive offensive attack to outduel
Bart Palaszewski at UFC on FX 5, flooring his opponent with right
hands several times. After back-to-back losses to Mark Bocek
and Evan Dunham, Lentz looked like a new man in his first bout
at 145 pounds, stopping Eiji Mitsuoka in the first round at UFC
150. The well-rounded Nunes holds off a hard-charging Lentz to
win via decision.
Featherweights
Godofredo
Castro (8-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Milton Vieira (13-7-2, 0-0-1 UFC):
Castro, a cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil,”
came up short against Rony Mariano Bezerra in the reality show’s
145-pound final at UFC 147. It was not an especially inspiring
effort, as Castro offered little offense and pulled guard on
several occasions. Viera, who claims to have invented the anaconda
choke, battled Felipe Arantes to a draw on that same card. Castro
utilizes his 6.5-inch reach advantage and holds his own in the
positional battles to take a decision.
Middleweights
Ronny
Markes (13-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Andrew Craig (8-0, 2-0 UFC): Markes
took a hard-fought split decision over Aaron Simpson in his middleweight
debut at UFC on Fuel TV 1. The Brazilian has solid wrestling,
ground-and-pound and good finishing instincts. Craig has done
better than expected in the Octagon, upsetting Kyle Noke in his
first appearance before rallying to knock out Rafael Natal with
a head kick in July. Markes wins by decision.
Lightweights
Edson
Barboza (10-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Lucas Martins (12-0, 0-0 UFC): Barboza
appeared to be on the fast track to a 155-pound title shot until
he lost to Jamie Varner in 2012’s biggest upset. Now, the
talented Brazilian will have to prove he can rebound from adversity
against Martins, a Chute Boxe member who fought a whopping 10
times last year. Despite the prolific schedule of the newcomer,
Barboza is the more seasoned pro with something to prove. Barboza
takes this by second-round technical knockout.
Featherweights
Iuri
Alcantara (28-4, 2-1 UFC) vs. Pedro Nobre (14-1-2, 0-0 UFC):
Alcantara had his 13-fight winning streak halted at UFC 147,
where he was unable to stay on his feet against Nova Uniao product
Hacran Dias. That disappointing effort aside, Alcantara is an
accurate striker with good submissions who should have better
luck staying upright and landing punches against promotional
debutante Nobre, a replacement opponent for George Roop. Alcantara
ends it by stoppage or submission in round three.
Light Heavyweights
Wagner
Prado (8-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Ildemar Alcantara (17-5, 0-0 UFC): Prado’s
ground game was exposed the second time around against Phil Davis,
as “Caldeiro” tapped out to an anaconda choke in round
two of their UFC 153 encounter. For his second Octagon challenge,
he gets Alcantara, who has won his last seven bouts, six of them
inside of a round. With neither combatant likely to waste much
time once the bell sounds, this one could be headed for a quick
finish. Alcantara is a natural middleweight, and he succumbs
to the power of Prado via knockout or technical knockout in the
opening frame.
Lightweights
Francisco
Trinaldo (11-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. C.J. Keith (8-1, 0-1): Trinaldo
was not able to consistently stop the takedowns of Gleison Tibau
in his last outing, but the “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil”
alumnus did throw a scare into the veteran by rocking him with
a left hand and nearly earning a submission. He should be able
to keep the bout upright against Keith and win via TKO stoppage
or decision.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Bellator
85 predictions
By Luke
Thomas
The
long-awaited Spike TV Bellator debut is upon us. The most pressing
questions are about what sort of competition Bellator will be
to UFC or what kinds of numbers they can grab as television ratings.
None of us really know and we'll have to find out. What we do
know is if nothing else, the first fight card should be a sensational
one as not one, but two titles are up for grabs.
Can
Chandler defend his belt against the power punching and strength
of Rick Hawn? Will Curran prove he is the best featherweight
in Bellator? I answer these questions and more with predictions'
for tomorrow's event.
What:
Bellator 85
When:
Thursday, the Spike TV-televised card begins at 10 p.m. Eastern
on Friday. However, Spike.com will carry the entire fight card
beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Where:
Bren Events Center, Irvine, Calif.
Michael
Chandler vs. Rick Hawn
I
have agonized over this one for so long. Some days I believe
the crisp punching power of Hawn will do Chandler in. Other days
I'm convinced the pressure Chandler's going to put on Hawn will
gas out the Olympic judoka. Then other days I just don't know
which way to go.
Some
of you readers get angry when I'm non-committal on a pick, but
it's hard to see how anyone can be confident about this. Chandler
should win and I'm picking him, but his over pursuit often causes
him to get hit a lot. While Hawn does a number of things wrong,
hitting opponents extremely hard is not one of them. I absolutely
expect Chandler to be hurt at various portions in this fight.
Ultimately,
though, the pressure he puts on opposition will be the difference
maker. Chandler is relentless in his attacks even if that leads
him into recklessness at times. Hawn's a sensational athlete,
but I do wonder what sort of cardio he can show after three or
four rounds of this.
It
should be noted where Eddie Alvarez fought fire with fire in
striking exchanges, Hawn is probably more willing to clinch.
He likes to catch opponents on the move from the outside rather
than plant the feet and fire at will. In other wrods, he'll still
hurt Chandler here, but not enough to put him away.
Pick:
Chandler
Renato
Sobral vs. Mikhail Zayats
Even
a Babalu on semi-sabbatical should beat Zayats. Sobral isn't
the Babalu of the UFC or even the Strikeforce days, but I don't
think he has to be. He's quite obviously battle-tested, hugely
experienced and has enough tactical skill to give almost any
kind of opponent a hard time. As I alluded to earlier, he is
older and probably can't take punishment like he once did, but
I'm not convinced Zayats is going to be the one dishing it out.
Most of Zayats' victories come courtesy submission over basically
helpless opposition. That's not Sobral, even an aging version
of himself.
Pick:
Sobral
Pat
Curran vs. Patricio Freire
Months
ago my initial inclination was to lean Pitbull, but I've since
changed. I do believe Curran will start slow, but I like him
overall. I think he'll defend the takedown enough, should it
even be necessary. And while I suspect he'll lose striking exchanges
early, I think over time he makes better adjustments while mixing
up strikes in combination attacks. And if he needs the takedown,
I wouldn't suggest that's out of the question either. It's a
close fight and a tough fight. A Pitbull victory should by no
means be surprising, but Curran's got the hot hand here.
Pick:
Curran
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Daniel
Cormier Gets His Wish and Faces Frank Mir at UFC on Fox 7 in
April
by Damon
Martin
Daniel
Cormier will receive his wish for his first UFC fight, as he
will face former heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC on Fox
7 on April 20 in San Jose, Calif.
Sources
close to the fight confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that the bout has
been agreed to by both competitors, and should be signed in the
coming days. Yahoo! Sports first reported the confirmation on
Tuesday. UFC officials later confirmed the reports.
Following
an undefeated run in Strikeforce, which included capturing the
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix title, Daniel Cormier capped
off his career with the promotion by defeating Dion Staring last
Saturday night.
Now
the former two-time Olympian will transfer to the UFC and look
to make his presence known right away as he faces a former heavyweight
champion in April.
Frank
Mir will look to get back to the top of the division by facing
Cormier after losing to Junior dos Santos in his last fight in
May 2012.
Mir
was scheduled to meet Cormier last November, but a training injury
forced him out of the fight. Now the former champion will welcome
one of the top fighters in the division to the UFC in April.
The
Cormier vs. Mir fight is expected to be the co-main event for
the card headed to San Jose on April 20 alongside the lightweight
title bout between champion Benson Henderson and former Strikeforce
titleholder Gilbert Melendez, which UFC officials also confirmed.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Saffiedine,
Mousasi and Huge List of Strikeforce Fighters Headed to the UFC
by Damon
Martin
The
list of Strikeforce fighters heading to the UFC is growing with
more names announced on Tuesday.
While
the list does not comprise every single fighter that could eventually
be brought over to compete in the Octagon, UFC Tonight revealed
a major list of former Strikeforce fighters heading to the UFC
later this year.
Daniel
Cormier will of course move to the UFC from the Strikeforce heavyweight
division when he faces Frank Mir at UFC on Fox 7 in April.
As
of yet, former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett has not
been confirmed for a return to the Octagon, but that doesn’t
mean the door is closed to him coming back.
In
the light heavyweight division, Gegard Mousasi and Gian Villante
are both headed to the UFC’s 205-pound division. Mousasi
is coming off a win over Mike Kyle at the final Strikeforce show
marking his return to action after a long absence due to injury.
At
middleweight, Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold will be headed
to the UFC along with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Tim Kennedy,
Roger Gracie and Lorenz Larkin.
New
Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine earned a contract in the
UFC with his win over Nate Marquardt, but both fighters will
be competing in the Octagon this year. In addition to those two
170-pound fighters, Roger Bowling, Jason High and Bobby Voelker
will head to the UFC.
The
Strikeforce lightweight division will provide the biggest influx
of fighters coming to the UFC with champion Gilbert Melendez
already set to face Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 7, as well
as former champion Josh Thomson coming back to the UFC for the
first time since 2004.
Also
headed to the Octagon will be Ryan Couture, K.J. Noons, Pat Healy,
Adriano Martins, and Kurt Holobaugh, who will actually drop to
145 pounds upon his arrival in the promotion.
There
could be more fighters added to the UFC from the Strikeforce
roster, but according to UFC Tonight that is the current list
as it stands.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
WPJJC
Trials: All Athletes are Welcome in San Diego, Miami, Hawaii
Ivan Trindade
Those
who want to compete at the 2013 World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Cup, in Abu
Dhabi, UAE, will have three chances to qualify for it and travel
with all expenses paid by the event.
San
Diego, Hawaii and Miami will be the next three legs of tryouts
for the main event.
The
San Diego leg is set for January 26-27; Hawaii, for February 2, Miami, for February
9-10.
The
final deadlines to sign up for each trial are:
San
Diego: January 22;
Hawaii:
January 29;
Miami:
February 5.
The
costs is:
Category
1: USD 120 Adults – Master – Senior
Category
2: USD 89 Kids – Teens – Juvenile
The
trials are open to all athletes at all levels of skill and experience.
All
kids and teens will have at least two matches, and all competitors
will get medals.
Visit
the events’ pages on Facebook.
San
Diego - WpjjcSanDiegoTrial
Hawaii
- WpjjcHawaiiTrial
Miami
- WpjjcMiami
Several
top athletes have already confirmed their presence at the trials,
such as Marcus “Bochecha” Almeida, Roberto “Tussa”
Alencar, Roberto “Cyborg” Alencar, Clark Gracie, Ryan
Beauregard, Rafael “Barata” Freitas.
Below
you will find which categories will grant the champion a travel
package to Abu Dhabi:
ADULT
MALES TRAVEL PACKAGES
Brown
and Black Belts (Combined)
1.
143lbs
2. 163lbs
3. 183lbs
4. 202lbs
5. Over 202lbs
Purple
Belts
6.
Light Absolute
7.
Heavy Absolute
Blue
Belts
8.
Light Absolute
9.
Heavy Absolute
White
Belts
10.
Open Weight Absolute
ADULT
FEMALES TRAVEL PACKAGES
Purple,
Brown and Black Belts (Combined)
11.
Light Absolute 139lbs
12.
Heavy Absolute Over 139lbs
White
and Blue Belts (Combined)
13.
Open Weight Absolute
The
San Diego, Hawaii and Miami WPJJC Trials are open to all athletes,
but the travel packages can only be reclaimed by competitors
who have a valid US work permit or by athletes from the following
countries:
•
United States
• Antigua
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Bermuda
• Canada
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Jamaica
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• St. Kitts & Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent & the Grenadines
• Trinidad & Tobago
For
further info, go to prosportsbjj.com.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Nick
Newell to Dana White: 'I want my equal opportunity'
By Luke
Thomas
Sports,
and particularly combat sports, have often offered the disabled
a chance to compete and prove their perceived limitations are
just that: imagined difficulties that ultimately do not affect
performance. That assumes, however, those in power allowed all
athletes an equal chance to compete on a proverbial level playing
field.
In
the case of Nick Newell, the XFC lightweight champion missing
a portion of his left arm after a congenital amputation as a
child, argues while some in the MMA industry have given him a
chance, many of the most important power players keep slamming
the door in his face.
And
as he continues to get better, he's beginning to wonder aloud:
how much longer is this going to continue?
Newell
is honest with himself. He knows his condition is rare and a
subject of curiosity, even among the well-intended. Even people
with an open mind take time to be influenced that he can do what
sounds impossible. It's even part of his identity.
"No
matter how much I accomplish in this sport, it's always going
to be something that gets brought up. I've come to terms with
that," he told Ariel Helwani Monday on The MMA Hour. "People
will always look at me as being the guy with one hand,"
he admitted.
But
just as quickly as he is to be candid about the reality behind
how he's perceived, he is pivoting to the changing dynamic of
going from a novelty to a respected, proven competitor. This
change has been happening slowly, but took a big leap when he
beat Eric Reynolds in December to capture the XFC lightweight
crown.
Reynolds,
a fighter with a professional record of 16-6, has lost to Eddie
Alvarez and Jorge Masvidal, but both fights went to the third
round. Newell, by contrast, put Reynolds away in a mere minute
and twenty-two seconds in the first round. "I feel like
people are starting to look at me more as a talented fighter.
I'm not just a guy who fights with hand. I'm a very talented
fighter that happens to have one hand," Newell argues.
Still,
as well as things are going in Florida with XFC, recent statements
made by UFC President Dana White reminded Newell there are still
hurdles to climb in overcoming the limitations others place on
him.
"As
much as I would like to be known and looked at for my fighting
skill, it will always be an issue like with the whole Dana White
interview. It's always going to be something that gets brought
up."
After
the pre-fight press conference for UFC 155 in December, White
threw cold water on the idea of ever giving a UFC contract to
a one-handed fighter despite Newell's obvious progress in the
sport. "Never, no," White said of the possibility.
"It's hard to fight here with two arms. It's tough. There's
guys that we bring in that are considered top guys on The Ultimate
Fighter that don't ever really pan out and make it. Will the
state of Nevada let him fight? Will the state of California let
him fight? Would some of these bigger athletic commissions let
him fight? Maybe he can get away with that in some of these other
states. I don't know, fighting with one arm is just craziness
to me."
In
Newell's mind, White has concerns about matters that aren't even
in play. "I've already been licensed in Nevada, so that's
not really an issue. At all," Newell said. "It kinda
disappoints me that someone that's such a powerful figure in
this sport feels that way or looks at me that way."
Newell
knows his major issue in proving his worth is his resume. He
needs to beat someone to answer the question of, well, who he
has defeated. Reynolds was a step in the right direction, but
not nearly enough. Yet, until he gets a chance to compete against
the UFC's finest, Newell wonders how he is going to be able to
demonstrate what he can do and some others think he can't.
"[The
UFC] is where you can test yourself against the best guys in
the world," he said. "I want to see where I stand among
the world's elite fighters and I feel like I've earned my shot.
Anyone else with my track record would be getting looked at,
but it's due to outside circumstances," he lamented.
"I
don't get discouraged too much about things like that. I'm not
going anywhere in this sport. I'm good. A lot of those guys in
the UFC, just because they're in the UFC doesn't mean they can
beat me. I think I match up really well with a lot of people
in there.
"[White]
wants to talk about how he wants to give people equal opportunity
- to women, to gay fighters and stuff like that. Well, I'd like
my equal opportunity as well."
While
the UFC has not dealt with many fighters with a wide range of
disabilities, they have promoted and, for a time, prominently
featured Matt Hamill, a fighter deaf since birth.
Newell
has one fight left on his XFC contract, and believes he'll fulfill
that final obligation sometime in April. In assessing his options,
he is content to stay with XFC just as much as he is to test
the waters elsewhere. He obviously would appreciate a crack at
the UFC. And while Bellator has yet to express interest in his
services, Newell said he'd be honored to fight against the Rick
Hawn's and Michael Chandler's of the world.
More
than anything, though, Newell just wants a chance to prove his
mettle. And to get that, he needs the power players to honestly
assess his record of achievement, not what others believe is
missing.
So,
for now, he waits. Newell is going to continue banging the drum
for his case all the while. He maintains his happiness and light-hearted
attitude through self-confidence and awareness of his own worth.
The achievements of others who faced similar challenges in circumstances
conventional or otherwise also keep a smile on his face and help
him to know the barriers can be broken if you push hard enough.
"The
MLB gave a shot to Jim Abbott, he did great," Newell said.
"Even that chick on [ABC's] The Bachelor. They're giving
her a shot."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Want
to Eat Lunch with Rich Franklin? Now You Can (For $1,000)
By Jordan
Breen
Last
autumn, when it came to my attention that MMA icon and Google
Alerts necessitator Ken Shamrock was offering his time on the
telephone for $11.99 per minute, I thought it was a surreal sign
of the times. Not only had faded MMA stars accrued enough popularity
to be put on an expensive dial-an-athlete vanity line, but the
MMA landscape was such that this was actually an attractive proposition.
It’s
easy to mock Shamrock because of his often crotchety-and-crazy
public persona, but the MMA business isn’t what many think.
If your fighting days are done, your chances of transitioning
into being a successful trainer or gym owner are significantly
less than you think in a diluted market. An MMA t shirt company
isn’t going to cut it. A flagging Pancrase hasn’t resorted
to an openweight seniors circuit with the original palm-striking
rules (yet), so what is a Kenneth Wayne Shamrock to do?
In
the case of the recently retired Dan Severn, also a CallAChamp
“featured champ” (only $9.99 per minute!), there is
less to say, since “The Beast” has historically shown
us that he will do anything to tuck some more greenbacks under
his mustache.
However,
this isn’t about Ken Shamrock, rather one of his former
adversaries. I am delighted (if that’s what you call it)
to inform you that former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin
is now available for lunch.
Courtesy
of Thuzio, a company specializing in the coordination of fan
experiences, training seminars, motivational speaking events
and personal appearances of all kinds, you can now spend all
the personal time you want with “Ace,” providing you
have the coin. Sure, you could take a private with Franklin for
$600 an hour, but why not sit down for a cozy meal? That super-swank
Ethopian-Italian fusion joint you’ve been dying to try?
Now is your chance. Rich will (might?) love it.
Then
again, for a $1,000 rendezvous, couldn’t he at least pick
the place? Also, what sort of individuals are so intrigued or
pathological about a given athlete so as to pay such sums to
rub elbows and eat steak? If there was ever a Hollywood film
about a serial killer preying on famous athletes, services like
this would likely be an integral part of the plot.
These
sorts of offerings -- which I assure you won’t become a
rarity for MMA luminaries in their twilight -- are difficult
to reconcile. On one hand, if someone wanted to pay fat stacks
to have lunch with you and ask what it felt like to pulverize
Nate Quarry, why not accept? I wish someone thought a 10-minute
phone call with me was worth 120 bones. However, we all like
to imagine that MMA greats and champs ride off into the sunset
with some sense of security. They do not. Not every athlete gets
to play coach or get a couple car dealerships.
What
if you paid the $1,000, brought your son or daughter and simply
asked Franklin to help them with their math homework?
I
kid, I kid. I joke because it is simultaneously bizarre and brutal.
But, seriously: does it cost more for Jorge Gurgel to come to
brunch, or is there a rebate?
Source
Sherdog
|
MMA
Top 10 Rankings: Daniel Cormier Cements His Position Amongst
the Best of the Best
The
updated MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings were released on Wednesday,
Jan. 16. This system ranks the Top 10 MMA fighters from across
the world in each of the seven most widely accepted men’s
weight classes and the Top 10 pound-for-pound women fighters.
Taken
into consideration are a fighter’s performance in addition
to win-loss record, head-to-head and common opponents, difficulty
of opponents, and numerous other factors in what is the most
comprehensive rankings system in the sport.
Fighters
who are currently serving drug-related suspensions are not eligible
for Top 10 consideration until they have fought one time after
the completion of their suspension.
Fighters
must also have competed within the past 12 months in order to
be eligible for Top 10 consideration unless they have a bout
scheduled within a reasonable time frame.
Notes:
Dan Henderson, Brian Bowles, and Dominick Cruz are ineligible
for consideration because they haven’t fought in more than
a year. Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida have been removed from the
lightweight rankings due to their scheduled fights at featherweight,
while Diego Sanchez has been removed from welterweight consideration
due to his scheduled fight at lightweight.
(Fighter’s
previous ranking is in parenthesis.)
Below
are the current MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings:
WOMEN’S
POUND-FOR-POUND (all weight classes)
1. Ronda Rousey (1)
2. Miesha Tate (2)
3. Jessica Aguilar (3)
4. Sarah Kaufman (4)
5. Megumi Fujii (5)
6. Marloes Coenen (6)
7. Jessica Penne (7)
8. Alexis Davis (9)
9. Rosi Sexton (8)
10. Sara McMann (10)
HEAVYWEIGHT
DIVISION (over 205 pounds)
1. Cain Velasquez (1)
2. Junior dos Santos (2)
3. Daniel Cormier (3)
4. Fabricio Werdum (4)
5. Frank Mir (5)
6. Josh Barnett (6)
7. Stefan Struve (7)
8. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (8)
9. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (9)
10. Roy Nelson (10)
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)
1. Jon Jones (1)
2. Rashad Evans (2)
3. Lyoto Machida (3)
4. Phil Davis (4)
5. Alexander Gustafsson (5)
6. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (6)
7. Gegard Mousasi (7)
8. James Te Huna (8)
9. Ryan Bader (9)
10. Glover Teixeira (10)
MIDDLEWEIGHT
DIVISION (185-pound limit)
1. Anderson Silva (1)
2. Michael Bisping (2)
3. Vitor Belfort (3)
4. Chris Weidman (4)
5. Mark Munoz (5)
6. Brian Stann (6)
7. Costa Philippou (7)
8. Tim Boetsch (8)
9. Yushin Okami (9)
10. Hector Lombard (10)
WELTERWEIGHT
DIVISION (170-pound limit)
1. Georges St-Pierre (1)
2. Johny Hendricks (2)
3. Carlos Condit (3)
4. Martin Kampmann (4)
5. Jake Ellenberger (5)
6. Rory MacDonald (6)
7. Josh Koscheck (7)
8. Jon Fitch (8)
9. Mike Pierce (10)
10. Tarec Saffiedine (n/a)
LIGHTWEIGHT
DIVISION (155-pound limit)
1. Benson Henderson (1)
2. Gilbert Melendez (2)
3. Gray Maynard (3)
4. Anthony Pettis (4)
5. Nate Diaz (5)
6. Michael Chandler (6)
7. Eddie Alvarez (7)
8. Donald Cerrone (8)
9. Jim Miller (9)
10. Shinya Aoki (10)
FEATHERWEIGHT
DIVISION (145 pound-limit)
1. Jose Aldo (1)
2. Chad Mendes (2)
3. Erik Koch (3)
4. Chan Sung Jung (4)
5. Ricardo Lamas (5)
6. Hatsu Hioki (6)
7. Dustin Poirier (7)
8. Pat Curran (8)
9. Cub Swanson (9)
10. Daniel Straus (10)
BANTAMWEIGHT
DIVISION (135 pounds or less)
1. Renan Barão (1)
2. Michael McDonald (2)
3. Urijah Faber (3)
4. Eddie Wineland (4)
5. Bibiano Fernandes (5)
6. Brad Pickett (6)
7. Masakatsu Ueda (7)
8. Raphael Assuncao (8)
9. Mike Easton (9)
10. Erik Perez (10)
FLYWEIGHT
DIVISION (125 pounds or less)
1. Demetrious Johnson (1)
2. Joseph Benavidez (2)
3. John Dodson (3)
4. Ian McCall (4)
5. Jussier da Silva (5)
6. John Moraga (6)
7. Darrell Montague (7)
8. Shinichi “BJ” Kojima (8)
9. Louis Gaudinot (9)
10. John Lineker (10)
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
DESTINY:
Na Koa II Tomorrow
Saturday,
January 19, 2013
DESTINY
MMA will start the New Year with a BIG BANG OF FIREWORKS. DESTINY:Na
Koa II will be held on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at the Neal
Blaisdell Arena with top fighters from Hawaii and around the
world.
NEWS
UPDATE: Undefeated DESTINY MMA Champion Dustin Kimura has been
signed by the UFC & will be making his debut in the big league
Feb 2nd in the under card of Aldo-Edgar & therefore will
not be headlining our event next week. This has been long over
due & on behalf of the entire DESTINY MMA Family we would
like to say congratulations Dustin. He has always been a loyal
hard worker & never hand picked any opponent we put in front
of him since he was an amateur. He worked his way up through
our amateur ranks capturing titles as an amateur & pro going
undefeated along the way & now at the highest level. We wish
Dustin the best & know he will be just as successful in the
UFC as he has been with us.
-155lbs
Pro World Lightweight Title
Johnavan “Immortal Warrior” Vistante Jr. (Team SYD/808
FF, Hawaii) vs Gabriel “Solo” Solorio (Washington)
-135lbs
Pro State Bantamweight Title
Russell Doane (808 Top Team, Hawaii) vs Omar Avelar (Washington)
-170lbs Pro Welterweight State Title
Ronald “Machine Gun” Jhun (808 Top Team, Hawaii) vs
Dave Courchaine (Washington)
-145lbs Pro Featherweight State Title
Toby “2quick” Misech (BOSS MMA, Hawaii) vs Ryan Mulvihill
(Washington)
-170lbs Pro
Ray “Bradda Boy” Cooper III (Hawaii) vs Adam Smith
(Washington)
-125lbs Women’s Amateur Title
Angie Perreira (HMC, Hawaii) vs JJ Aldrich (Colorado)
-145lbs Pro
Jaymes Schulte vs Spencer Higa (Team Akamine)
-170lbs Amateur Title Match
Sebastian Mariconda (808 TT, 808 FF, Team Ranes) vs Lawrence
Collins (Jesus Is Lord)
-145lbs Amateur Title Match
Edward Thommes (808 Top Team) vs Arnold Berdon (WOMMA)
-135lbs Amateur Title Match
Shane Bivens (808 Fight Factory) vs Kevin Natividad (EightSixx
BJJ)
-155lbs Amateur Title Match
Keoni Farm (Technics MMAD) vs Robby Ostovich (Jesus Is Lord)
-145lbs
Ryan Delacruz (808 Top Team) vs Nui Wheeler (Maile Soljahz/WBC)
-145lbs
Johnny Pecyna (808 Fight Factory) vs Dave Preciado (Team Akamine)
-155lbs
Jose Barreiro (UFS) vs Koa Ramelb (Jesus Is Lord)
-125lbs
Jayson Dumaoal (808 Top Team) vs Jared Gonda (Team Mixed Plate)
-155lbs
Micah Abreu (808 Fight Factory) vs Derek Mahi (Team Akamine)
-155lbs
Kainui Meyers (Novia Uniao Puna/Boss MMA) vs Justin Burgess (Jesus
Is Lord)
-140lbs
Bronson Mohika (808 Fight Factory) vs Adam Azimov
-155lbs
Sage Yoshida (HMC) vs Micah Ige (freelance)
-125lbs
Chaz Dunhour (808 Fight Factory) vs Bronson Chung (freelance)
-135lbs
Ricky Ing (HMC Team Chinaman) vs Kalani Saloricman (UCS)
-145lbs
Mark Reynon (808 Top Team) vs Erik Clarke (Team Mixed Plate)
-135lbs
Anu Sapla (808 Fight Factory) vs Chad Billiamosa (Top Rankin)
-210lbs
Albert Cambra (freelance) vs Jason Bray (Team Mixed Plate)
-170lbs
Thomas Perez (SOMMA) vs Anthony Curbelo (freelance)
-205lbs
Alex Pulotu-Steverson (Team Xtreme) vs TBA
-170lbs
Daymon Carr (Technics MMAD) vs TBA
-Heavyweight
Remmy McClam (Team Akamine) vs TBA
-125lbs
Jojo Gillaume vs TBA
|
Just
Scrap Tomorrow
Hilo Civic Center, Hilo, Hawaii
January 19, 2013
Heavyweight:
Chad Thomas vs. Doug Hiu
Superheavyweight:
Cabbage Correira vs. Deutsch Pu‘u
135
pounds: Van Oscar Penovaroff vs. Tony Rodrigues
170:
Joey Gomez vs. Kawika Martin
170:
Brandon Libao vs. Leo Sigra
130:
Kuulei Estabilio vs. Arlena Cook
Undercard
185:
Bobbi Manners vs. Justin Smith
125:
Russell Mizuguchi vs. Brennan Nash
160:
Alex Bacdad vs. Kenue Mudon
135:
Tyler Leopoldino vs. TBA
125:
Ikaika Rodriguez vs. Stu Jones
190:
Andrew Sanchis vs. Josh Sosa
|
Anthony
Pettis – “No More Mr. Nice Guy, I’m Going to Get
My Title Shot”
by Damon
Martin
Anthony
Pettis had to hear the news like everyone else recently that
former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez would get the next
crack at Benson Henderson and the UFC lightweight title.
Since
defeating Henderson in the final WEC fight to close out 2010,
Pettis has been waiting for a shot at the belt, only to have
delays, rematches and now other opponents step in the way of
him receiving his long awaited crack at the title.
Now
just days away from his fight against Donald “Cowboy”
Cerrone at UFC on Fox 6 in Chicago, Pettis is done waiting around
for the title shot to be given to him. He’s ready to take
what’s his and it starts with his next fight.
“Me
and Duke (Roufus) just had this discussion last night. You hear
all the stories and I have friends texting me that Eddie Alvarez
is going to get a title shot, or (Gilbert Melendez) is going
to get a title shot. I mean, I’m to the point where I’ve
just got to prove it,” Pettis told MMAWeekly Radio recently.
“Line
them up and I’m going to knock them down until I get that
title shot. That’s the ultimate goal, but right now it’s
winning fights. I need to focus on this next opponent in front
of me and win these fights until they can’t deny me the
shot.”
Pettis
was supposed to get a shot at the UFC lightweight title when
he first got to the promotion after having beat Henderson in
the WEC, but when Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fought to a
draw, their rematch pushed him back in line.
The
former WEC champion then lost a close decision to Clay Guida
before he reeled off two more wins, including a head kick knockout
of Joe Lauzon at UFC 144. The stage seemed set for Pettis to
then get his crack at the title after Benson Henderson won the
belt on that same card, putting the two together for what most
thought was an inevitable rematch.
Unfortunately,
the UFC decided to give former champion Frankie Edgar an immediate
rematch so again Pettis went on the shelf awaiting his chance
to fight for the belt.
Now
Pettis will face Cerrone at UFC on Fox 6 while Henderson gears
up to face Melendez three months from now at UFC on Fox 7, and
again the former champion waits on the sidelines for the title
shot.
The
heart of the problem according to Pettis isn’t that a more
worthy contender is getting the shot. He believes the two fighters
that have faced the toughest competition over the last couple
of years are fighting at UFC on Fox 6.
“If
you look at all the guys you mentioned and the competition they’re
fighting, me and Cowboy are the guys that have been fighting
the hardest competition. I mean, we’re in the UFC with the
best of the best; we’re in the trenches,” said Pettis.
“You’ve
got the two best guys in the UFC. I feel like me and Cowboy are
right at the top, and the winner of this fight should be next
in line for a title shot.”
Traditionally,
Pettis has let his fighting style speak for itself and he leaves
trash talk and demands to other fighters. Now he’s ready
to tell the world that it’s his time and the title shot
should be his, but he’ll gladly back it up with his performance
at UFC on Fox 6.
“No
more Mr. Nice Guy. I sat there and tried to play that role, ‘oh
the title shot’s going to come I’m going to sit and
wait for it.’ I’m taking it this time. I’m going
for it. I’m going to take this title shot,” Pettis
stated.
“I’m
going to get my title shot; I’m going to get the respect
I deserve.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Viewpoint:
Sentimentality Rules
By Tristen
Critchfield
A
few hours before the Strikeforce grand finale began in Oklahoma
City on Saturday, I was asked why the media was so sappy and
sentimental when it came to eulogizing the California-based promotion.
After
all, Strikeforce had received its fair share of scorn from those
very same people over the years. Whether it was the infamous
Nashville brawl, cotton candy matchmaking that granted title
shots to the likes of Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos or
the seemingly never-ending heavyweight grand prix, Strikeforce
certainly had its fair share of flaws.
The
past year had to be especially maddening for those who punched
the clock in the hexagonal cage. While the matchmaking, particularly
on the undercards, improved after the Zuffa acquisition, even
Sean Shelby was handcuffed by a diminishing roster of talent.
Showtime and Ultimate Fighting Championship brass did not see
eye-to-eye on how the product should be presented, and the struggles
continued from there. Events were canceled, champions lobbied
for relocation and lesser-known fighters were shelved for extended
periods of time.
When
the news finally broke that Strikeforce would be shutting down
for good after its Jan. 12 event, it felt like the entire MMA
community breathed a collective sigh of relief. Everyone could
finally get on with their lives and the majority of the world’s
top mixed martial arts talent could finally merge into one big,
happy family.
The
event held at the Chesapeake Energy Center was little more than
Strikeforce’s way of playing out the string. Going against
a compelling NFL playoff lineup, the card had gradually morphed
from Strikeforce “Champions” to Strikeforce “The
Auditions,” with a series of lopsided matchups that made
transitioning to the UFC a mere formality for the most recognizable
names on the bill.
WEC
53 this was not, so why all the misty-eyed sentimentality for
an organization that had been running on fumes for some time?
In part, because it is human nature to look back on the past
with a kind of warm-hearted nostalgia. Even the bad things, like
the Jason “Mayhem” Miller-Diaz brothers melee that
cost Strikeforce a CBS deal, can be perceived as part of an upstart
promotion’s colorful history. Plus, the presence of Strikeforce
as a solid No. 2 promotion suggested a prosperous MMA landscape
where more than one organization could survive and thrive.
We
watched Strikeforce grow up before our eyes. When Scott Coker’s
brainchild began as a regional promotion in northern California,
he could not have possibly known what it would become; that it
would rise to prominence on the backs of marketable stars like
Frank Shamrock and Cung Le; that it would garner network and
premium television contracts; that it would house arguably the
greatest collection of heavyweight talent in the sport for a
brief period of time; that it would serve as a springboard for
women to make their own indelible marks in the cage. During a
post-fight interview with Sherdog.com, the Strikeforce CEO had
difficulty pinpointing a single moment that defined his company’s
legacy. Instead, it was a collaboration of events that made the
promotion successful.
“There
are so many [moments]. I would say the Shamrock fight with Cung
Le was probably the loudest arena I’ve entered in any MMA
fight, or boxing fight for that matter. There was just so much
electricity; it had that big, big prizefight feel. The [Gina]
Carano-[Cristiane] ‘Cyborg’ [Santos] fight was another
one. I think when Fedor [Emelianenko] got tapped for the first
time, no one expected that. I think everyone in the audience
was in shock,” Coker said.
Coker
continued to rattle off key moments, from the heavyweight tournament
to the Gilbert Melendez-Josh Thomson trilogy, like a proud parent
trying unsuccessfully to pick a favorite offspring. In the end,
Coker realized it was the journey that mattered, not the disappointing
final destination.
“It’s
an honor to watch these guys fight,” he said. “I’m
proud of what we accomplished. We had a great staff, but without
Showtime, we just would’ve stayed as a regional promotion.
I’m really thankful to them. They believed in us.”
More
than anything, Strikeforce was able to keep its head above water
for as long as it did because of one constant: the ability to
develop, grow and acquire quality talent. Melendez became one
of the world’s top pound-for-pound fighters in the promotion.
Nick Diaz, exiled from the UFC, watched his skills mature in
the hexagon. Daniel Cormier developed the clout to be able to
call out Frank Mir and Jon Jones in his final bout with the company.
It was not easy being held up to the lofty standards of its rival
-- and eventual big brother -- in Las Vegas, but Strikeforce
carried the burden well.
The
promotion had one final surprise before its demise, however,
and it came in Saturday’s headliner. By most any definition,
Tarec Saffiedine was a Strikeforce product, working his way up
from the Challengers circuit to bigger and more significant fights
as his career progressed. Even though he had earned his spot
as an up-and-coming prospect, the Belgian is by no means a household
name, and he entered his bout against recently crowned welterweight
champion Nate Marquardt as a considerable underdog.
Although
Marquardt had made his promotional debut in July with a victory
over Tyron Woodley, this had all the makings of a UFC vs. Strikeforce
showdown. The Coloradan made his name during a 14-bout stint
in the Octagon, consistently hovering around No. 1 contender
status in the UFC’s middleweight division. Strikeforce was
but a pit stop for the former King of Pancrase before he made
amends with UFC President Dana White and returned to ply his
trade in the world’s largest MMA organization.
For
Saffiedine, the future was far less certain. A win would most
certainly clear his path to greener pastures, but, as a not-so-well-known
commodity, a loss could potentially result in more dues paying.
For
five rounds, Saffiedine struck a resounding blow for his soon-to-be
defunct employer, leaving Marquardt’s lead leg looking like
it had been worked over by a super-sized meat tenderizer. Fittingly,
a Strikeforce guy would go down in history as the final Strikeforce
champion. Even with his place in the UFC -- where greater fame
and fortune awaits -- virtually assured, Saffiedine could not
help but get a little sentimental at the end of the night.
“I
guess [the belt] is mine now, but unfortunately, Strikeforce
is gone, and I’m really sad about that,” Saffiedine
told Showtime Sports. “It’s a great night for me, but
it’s a sad night at the same time.”
Most
of us can relate.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Organize
Your Own Jiu-Jitsu Drilling Class
Erin Herle
Sometimes
classes aren’t enough to refine your technique. A lot of
training can and will be done during scheduled classes at your
academy but in order to really do your homework and solidify
techniques, you must drill the moves repeatedly. Many athletes
run into problems when organizing drilling sessions becomes difficult.
Do you have partners? Do you have time? Do you have a location?
Do you have a routine?
Getting
started is the hardest part but with some guidance from Gianni
Grippo at Renzo Gracie Academy NYC, you can organize your own
Jiu-Jitsu drilling classes. Established after he returned from
winning his fifth world title at the Long Beach Pyramid in July
of 2011. As he reached the higher levels he knew he had a need
for focused, consistent and technical training. He filled the
need by gathering like-minded individuals at his academy and
organized his own classes.
Here
are some tips for how you can organize your own specific Jiu-Jitsu
training:
What
you need: Location, Like-Minded Individuals, Timer
Plan
a location
If
necessary, clear any permissions with your instructors or facility
owners. You may have to designate the mat time beforehand, ask
for space every time or if you’re lucky, you can block the
space and time for a regular basis. Should you be unable to gain
access to your school, consider buying mats and training at a
garage or home base. There are many options.
Find
interested candidates
Part
of running your own class is the benefit of choice. Choice for
where, when and especially who. If you have a certain standard
for who you want to train with, make your class entirely invitational.
You can add restrictions or you can make it an open class. Remember
that if you are a higher belt, you may spend a lot of your time
teaching than training should you allow lower belts or beginners.
Have
a lesson plan
If
you want to run your class similar to the way your instructor
organizes classes, it would be limiting your opportunity. Save
the type of training you do in class for just that — your
scheduled classes. Use these drilling classes to make sure you
are working on what you feel is lacking. Plan a lesson plan each
time that designates how much time is spent on each aspect. Remember,
you can warm-up, drill, spar, focus on submissions, competition
aspects and anything else.
Use
your time wisely
Designate
how much time will be spent on each type of training. Make sure
you spend a good amount of drilling and specific situation. The
lesson plan you write should have a set time or amount of reps
so that no time is wasted. Don’t take too many breaks and
when there are breaks, plan them ahead. Try to let everyone know
the lesson plan before the class starts, that way everyone knows
how to pace themselves and what to expect.
Be
consistent
Try
to set a date and time that works best for everyone. Start a
public or secret group on facebook purely for your members and
make sure communication is open. Make it a democracy, allowing
suggestions that way everyone can feel they are gaining something
of this type of opportunistic and unique training. If you want
to switch the schedule for who is running class, organize one-on-one
last minute drilling sessions, create a group calendar or anything
else to stay organized, these can all be accomplished through
facebook.
Most
importantly, know that you are in charge of your own training
regardless of how you see it. How much appreciation you have
for the art, how much energy you put forth in training, how much
dedication you place on the lifestyle, it is purely your own
doing. Create your own training atmosphere, start today.
Drilling
outside of class is like doing your homework. Working on technique,
situations, your weaknesses are all important and can be done
outside of class. We often don’t allow ourselves to play
with weaknesses when training in class and the time allotted
for technique is used for a new move, adding to the list of homework
assignments to engrain into your muscle memory.
If
you did not read part 1 of Gianni Grippo’s guide to starting
your own class, it includes what you need and how to go about
organizing one. You can read it here!
Now
that you have your training partners, the mats to train on and
a time to meet up let’s put the timer to use with some lesson
plan ideas.
Here
are some examples of drills/specific training situations to help
you run your class that Gianni Grippo has adjusted through trial
and error in his own competition classes at GMA Renzo Gracie
Academy NYC:
3-minute rounds of choice drilling
Every
person will pair with someone near their size if possible and
drill a move of their choice. SwitchStay with the same move and
if you choose to do more rounds with another move, keep them
similar. Extend the move into a counter defense move, a submission
into another submission and ultimately all bottom game or all
top game. It makes it easier to implement and gain many repetitions.
3-minute rounds of chosen drill
Dictating
the move to drill is a great way to have everyone secure a staple
move. This could be a very common move, counter, defense, motion,
etc. There are guard passes, guard recovery, positional moves
and defensive techniques that everyone must know so using this
time to implement these required moves into everyone’s game
is beneficial for all. Even if they aren’t fancy and are
sometimes even boring, making time for them is important.
5-minute situational sparring
Training
in a position and only that position is a good way to understand
the mechanics and leverage of a situation. Being in both top
and bottom side control allows both defense, maintenance and
offense to improve. Start with a position and state exactly how
everyone should start. If you are working on back mount should
the person have hooks and a seatbelt grip or should it start
from turtle and the person on bottom only needs to recover guard?
Focus on who needs to do what, the goal, the grips and rules.
When the timer starts, shake hands and roll normal speed within
the position and rules. Switch between positions with same partners
then switch partners for each round.
5-minute rounds of guard defense
The
person who plays guard must defend their guard while the person
on top tries to pass. The focus of this is guard recovery and
defense while the person on top can work their guard passing
without the threat of sweeps or submissions. Start with open
guard so that the guard player must take what the guard passer
gives. If the guard is passed, start over.
90-Second Losing Situation
Mostly
for competition-oriented people, this drill is important for
acting quickly yet smart. The person in guard is down on points
and must sweep or submit to win the match. With 90 seconds left
in a match it can create a type of adrenaline or hastiness that
will cause mistakes. With this drill focus on the application
of sweeps and submissions and acting quickly when it is most
important. The person on top can work the pass like normal but
you are forced to play smart and pay attention to your base.
If you are winning in a match, you should always keep working
instead of stalling but you don’t want to cost yourself
the match. Switch partners with this drill.
8-Minute Matches
Include
regular rolling into your routine like you would any other class
as it can be the best way to apply anything you’re currently
working. Also, more mat time is always a good thing. Try to work
on what you have drilled and focus on your weaknesses. Remember,
there is no ego in the gym and what happens in training stays
in training. Don’t be afraid to work on what you need to
work so that you can improve in all areas. If you compete, you’ll
be more prepared and have more to work with in your muscle memory.
Switch partners and have at least four rounds.
Submission-Only Match with 30-Minute Time Limit
You
can save this round for last or have multiple matches in one
session. These types of situations, especially when tired after
a training session, are great for focusing on finishing an opponent.
Focus on gaining dominant positions and attacking. This works
the defense and offense. The 30-minute time limit can and will
be reached but is a good stopping point should anyone go the
length.
Remember
that these drills are examples. The time limits, the numbers,
the details can all be manipulated but are a great jumping off
point. A good way to run these classes is to determine a lesson
plan before so you can state to everyone involved what the itinerary
will be for each class. A planner or designated notebook will
be efficient.
And
the most important tip for your drilling Jiu-Jitsu classes?
Enjoy
yourself!
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Bellator's
Bjorn Rebney uninterested in Josh Barnett, open to 'Rampage'
Jackson
By Dave
Doyle
HUNTINGTON
BEACH, Calif. -- Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney knows the score. In
2013, if a mixed martial artist wants to fight in North America
and make a living, the choices are either Zuffa or his company.
But
with scores of fighters, including several big names, likely
to hit the market after the demise of Strikeforce, Rebney has
made it clear he's not going to be the walking ATM so many of
his now-out-of-business predecessors once made themselves.
Speaking
to reporters at Tuesday's open workouts for Thursday's Spike
TV debut show in nearby Irvine, Rebney said Bellator has gotten
as far as it has through strict adherence to a business model,
which could spell bad news for former UFC champions like Josh
Barnett and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and their hopes
for one last, big contract.
"We've
never looked to get in a bidding war with someone if it didn't
make sense," Rebney said. "We've always, the business
model has been what's driven the decision making. We've never
been, ‘I bet if we did this and I bet if we did that we
can conceptually do this.' It was based on real models, Excel
spreadsheets and figuring out, how do we turn this into a profit
center for the company or at least a cash flow break even that
could build to something. That philosophy is not going to change."
Barnett,
the former UFC heavyweight champion, has played the contractual
game as well as any fighter in the business. But Barnett's deals
often haven't worked out so well for the promoters. On Saturday,
Barnett earned $260,000 for his main-card fight with Nandor Guelmino.
The show itself did a paid gate of $132,905.
Rebney
didn't get Bellator this far by paying a single fighter twice
as much money as the evening gate. So Barnett and Strikeforce
fighters who didn't sign UFC deals may need to look elsewhere.
"I
think you can count on the fact the guys who the UFC can monetize,
who are draws, they will sign quickly," Rebney said. "Then
the guys who haven't gotten there yet or who have had their day,
they're going to let go. And we'll look, just like we look when
a guy's contract comes up and see who conceptually we could sign,
if it makes sense in our format. Our format's tough. There's
no big getting to the end goal in our [tournament] format. There's
no ‘Kimbo Slice has a superfight', if you're not good enough
to compete you're going to get blown out in the first or second
round.
"Our
focus right now is the next three months, Rebney continued. "Everything
we're doing right now is focused on that. [Barnett] hasn't been
a topic of conversation in our meetings with the staff. Josh
is a great character and he's had some great fights, but its
not really on our radar."
As
for "Rampage," Rebney indicated a fondness for the
former light heavyweight champion and wouldn't rule out the notion
of a potential signing if Jackson decides to test free agency
waters after the final fight of his UFC contract on Jan. 26.
But Rebney said the big question is whether Jackson has enough
left in the tank to make a go under Bellator's format.
"I
used to watch ‘Rampage' when he fought in Pride," Rebney
said. "That's a tough question. He's an awesome, awesome
fighter, and an incredible personality, and I've been a fan for
a lot of years. How he could conceptually fit within the format
and the structure we have? That is something where I would have
to get people smarter than I around the table and discuss. I
don't think he'd deny he's at the latter stages of his career.
He's suffered a lot of injuries but he's still a rock star at
a very high level, and we'll see what happens with his next fight.
But we'll still have to sit around and figure out where he fits.
He's exciting, he's entertaining, but, that would be one of those
square peg, round hole situations, but sometimes you can make
those work. It would depend on a lot of stuff. It would depend
on the legalities of where he is with the UFC. ... We'll see.
Who knows."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
As
Strikeforce Fizzles Out, So Do Its TV Ratings
Strikeforce
had intended to go out with a bang, but that bang fizzled to
a barely audible pop by the time injuries ravaged last Saturday
night’s fight card in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Strikeforce:
Marquardt vs. Saffiedine was originally dubbed the moniker “Champions.”
All three of the promotions current titleholders were supposed
to have fought on the card: Gilbert Melendez, Luke Rockhold,
and, at that time, Nate Marquardt, along with Heavyweight Grand
Prix champion Daniel Cormier.
When
Melendez and Rockhold both withdrew due to injury, and no major
names would step up to fight Cormier, Strikeforce officials revamped
the card to feature its welterweight championship between Nate
Marquardt and Tarec Saffiedine.
The
revamped card held the event together after the promotion’s
prior two events were scrapped due to injuries. It was enough
to keep the event intact, but not enough to deliver much by way
of TV ratings on Showtime.
Even
though it was a “freeview” weekend for Showtime, Strikeforce:
Marquardt vs. Saffiedine drew just 310,000 viewers for the final
event in the promotion’s history, according to MMAWeekly.com
industry sources.
To
put that in perspective, Rousey vs. Kaufman drew 529,000 viewers
to Strikeforce’s most recent previous effort on Showtime,
while Rockhold vs. Kennedy even drew better at 420,000 viewers.
There
were certain markets that only offered the Showtime freeview
weekend as part of its ancillary content, such as only on-demand
content, and did not offer the actual Showtime channels for viewing,
which limited the event’s reach.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
As
Strikeforce Fizzles Out, So Do Its TV Ratings
Strikeforce
had intended to go out with a bang, but that bang fizzled to
a barely audible pop by the time injuries ravaged last Saturday
night’s fight card in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Strikeforce:
Marquardt vs. Saffiedine was originally dubbed the moniker “Champions.”
All three of the promotions current titleholders were supposed
to have fought on the card: Gilbert Melendez, Luke Rockhold,
and, at that time, Nate Marquardt, along with Heavyweight Grand
Prix champion Daniel Cormier.
When
Melendez and Rockhold both withdrew due to injury, and no major
names would step up to fight Cormier, Strikeforce officials revamped
the card to feature its welterweight championship between Nate
Marquardt and Tarec Saffiedine.
The
revamped card held the event together after the promotion’s
prior two events were scrapped due to injuries. It was enough
to keep the event intact, but not enough to deliver much by way
of TV ratings on Showtime.
Even
though it was a “freeview” weekend for Showtime, Strikeforce:
Marquardt vs. Saffiedine drew just 310,000 viewers for the final
event in the promotion’s history, according to MMAWeekly.com
industry sources.
To
put that in perspective, Rousey vs. Kaufman drew 529,000 viewers
to Strikeforce’s most recent previous effort on Showtime,
while Rockhold vs. Kennedy even drew better at 420,000 viewers.
There
were certain markets that only offered the Showtime freeview
weekend as part of its ancillary content, such as only on-demand
content, and did not offer the actual Showtime channels for viewing,
which limited the event’s reach.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
'Babalu'
Sobral says Bellator's tournaments are tougher than one-nighters
By Dave
Doyle
HUNTINGTON
BEACH, Calif. -- Few fighters who competed in the one-night tournaments
of mixed martial arts' early days still compete on a major-league
level.
Fewer
still are going out of their way to enter new tournaments.
But
then, most fighters aren't Renato "Babalu" Sobral.
The
37-year old native of Rio de Janeiro broke into the sport the
old-school way, winning a pair of tournaments in his homeland.
As recently as 2003, he competed in a one-night tourney in Colorado,
decisioning Jeremy Horn in the final.
These
days, the Orange County transplant finds himself back in the
tournament business. He'll fight as many as three times over
the next couple months as part of Bellator's light heavyweight
tourney.
And
as he talked to reporters at Tuesday's open workouts in advance
of his first-round fight against Mikhail Zayats on Thursday in
nearby Irvine, he came to a surprising conclusion: "Babalu"
thinks Bellator's tourney format may be more difficult than the
tournaments of old.
"When
you go to war for one battle its one thing," said Sobral.
"But when you stay in war for a second war, that's what
makes the difference. ... In a tournament, in one night, you
you can throw all yourself into one night. Back in the days in
the [one-night] tournament, after the fight, you just put ice
on your face and your hands, then you go out and fight again."
So
while fighting a one-night tournament is a grind in and of itself,
once you're done, you can take a break from training for awhile.
Bellator's tourneys offer no such respite.
"You
have to be healthy for the next time," he said. "You
have to go to the gym and train again. You can't go home and
rest. You have to get up and train."
Despite
his wealth of experience, "Babalu" won't go so far
as to call himself the favorite in a tournament which includes
the likes of "King Mo" Lawal and Seth Petruzelli.
"In
this kind of thing, there isn't such a thing as a favorite,"
Sobral said. "You just have to be more intelligent and [being]
lucky counts too. You have to step out of the ring without getting
any injuries. It's sometimes luck. Even if you win."
Sobral's
been at this game since 1997. Officially, he has 46 fights under
his belt. But don't ask him to set a timetable on how much longer
he wants to fight.
"I'll
fight until my body can't handle it," Sobral said. "To
be 15 years fighting, you get hurt, you get injuries. Until I
can't move, I'm moving forward. My brain's good. I still know
my wife's number."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Teen
Charged with Domestic Battery Used ‘MMA-Style Moves’
(?!) on Mom, Sister
By Jordan
Breen
From
the Land O’Lakes Patch:
A
Land O’ Lakes teen faces domestic battery charges after
deputies say he used MMA-style moves on his mother and sister.
According
to a Pasco County complaint affidavit, the 16-year-old became
“physically abusive” toward his mother and sister after
his cellphone was taken away.
The
teen choked, kicked and performed MMA (mixed martial arts) moves
on his sister, then chased his mother and “placed her in
a physically restraining MMA move,” the report stated.
What,
pray tell, is an “MMA-style move?” Obviously, we all
know what the author is going for. We know that “mixed martial
arts” sizzles in the conscious of lazy, bleary-eyed readers
and their partial detachment from reality. It makes this accused
teen sound like an imposing monster and a human weapon.
However,
why must MMA bear the brunt of this? Why does judo get to be
“the gentle art” and MMA, in 2013, has to be human
cockfighting? Moreover, how on earth did a rear-naked choke --
or chokes in general -- become so emblematic of MMA? Sure, these
techniques have become associated with the sport through constant
TV and movie depictions, but I refuse to believe people didn’t
strangle other people in fights before MMA. Does no one instinctively
think of going for the throat in a fight?
It
is hard to imagine this story even being run without the tangential,
trying MMA connection. “Teen chokes mother in domestic dispute,”
morbid as it sounds, simply isn’t news. But, hey, rather
than run down real stories, just jazz it up with some of the
ol’ ultimate fighting and send it to print. The Land o Lakes
folks deserve better, dammit. Also, this is in Florida, for crying
out loud. There's legitimately crazy things to report. Everywhere.
Hop to it.
Source
Sherdog
|
Glory
Sports Keeping Dream Alive in 2013; Could Promote Kickboxing
on Spike TV
by AsianMMA.com
We
will see more of the DREAM promotion this year, according to
sources close to AsianMMA.com.
DREAM,
which is now officially owned and operated by GLORY, has plans
of hosting four more shows in 2013, not including the NYE show
that already occurred. In addition, the promotion plans to hold
10 kickboxing shows in the year 2013. No word as to whether
or not these will be in Japan, but based on the interest garnered
during the last event, it could certainly happen.
Real
Entertainment, the operating entity that owned the DREAM brand
went bankrupt in 2012 and sold the rights off to an entity belonging
to GSI (Glory Sports International). The exact details are sketchy,
as with any international business deal, especially related to
Japanese combat sports.
Following
the transfer of ownership to all intellectual property and rights
of the brand, GLORY put on a huge New Years Eve spectacle that
included a heavyweight kickboxing tournament, as well as a mixed
martial arts show.
GLORY
is close to locking up a deal with one of two brands, Spike TV
and CBSSports. According to sources close to AsianMMA, the New
Years Eve show was not a time buy and CBS paid GLORY to air their
content. For those that are unaware of what a time buy is, a
number of promotions that are trying to make it big will pay
a network to put their product on a big channel. Upon doing
so, they are then able to market their brand as being shown on
a certain network, thus using that as advertising power. GLORY,
however, did not do this.
Spike
TV executives were at Saitama Super Arena just weeks ago to watch
the event and met with executives from GLORY. A television deal
appears to be in the mix with GLORY, but nothing has been confirmed.
We do know that the K-1 brand is over with on SpikeTV, thus leaving
an entrance for the GLORY brand.
MMAWeekly.com
has also confirmed that the two sides are talking and that an
agreement could happen sooner rather than later. Any such agreement
would likely bring GLORY’S kickboxing efforts to Spike TV,
but not include DREAM, as the network is committed to Bellator
MMA for its mixed martial arts offerings.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
155 Gate and Attendance Confirmed by Nevada State Athletic Commission
The
official numbers are in for UFC 155: dos Santos vs. Velasquez
II.
The
original estimated live gate of $3,286,025 was confirmed by the
Nevada State Athletic Commission.
UFC
155’s official attendance was a little better than the initial
estimate, coming in at 13,561 versus the original 12,423.
Of
the 13,561 in attendance, 10,590 of those were paid, while 2,971
were complimentary or free. UFC 155 was a relative sellout, although
347 tickets were left on deck.
Cain
Velasquez recaptured the UFC heavyweight title from Junior dos
Santos at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at UFC 155, dominating him
for all five rounds of their title bout.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Vitor
Belfort Says UFC Title Shots Are a Political Matter
UFC
on FX 7 event is right round the corner, and the main event,
a middleweight tilt between Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping,
leaves fans with a question: Will the winner get a crack at the
champ, Anderson Silva?
In
an interview printed in Brazil’s O Dia newspaper, Belfort
said that, if he’s the one to win it, he doesn’t believe
he will get the shot.
“I
don’t know. There’s not much I can say about what qualifies
you for a shot at the title in the UFC,” he told the paper.
“It hasn’t been happening much by merit, but by politics.
I can’t answer you that. The one who can is Dana White.
I just do my job, which is to fight and win. My right is to train
and represent my country.”
The
35-year-old fighter also mentioned that he will be wearing a
mohawk hairdo into the octagon and speaks highly of the training
he has been doing and the shape he will be in for the fight.
He also said that he plans to remain active until he’s 40
years old.
“I’ve
never felt so good in my life,” he said. “There’s
the ‘years of the wolf’ (loose translation of ‘idade
do lobo,’ meaning between 40 and 50 years of age in Portuguese),
right? Well I’m in the years of the lion. [Bisping’s]
style is to talk with his mouth. I talk with my fists.”
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Bas
Rutten Undergoes Neck Surgery
Former
UFC heavyweight champion and King of Pancrase Bas Rutten on Monday
was awake in the hospital and recovering from neck surgery.
Rutten
underwent surgery in hopes of making space for some impinged
nerves in his neck.
The
condition had been causing weakness in Rutten’s right arm,
so much so that he said he could not do one five-pound curl.
In contrast, he said he could curl 50 pounds for at least 30
repetitions with the other arm.
Rutten
said prior to the operation that the procedure would “fuse
three discs together in my neck, which will make space for my
nerves that are caught right now, and then hopefully I will get
my strength back!”
The
procedure took place early Monday morning and seems to have went
well.
Rutten
was awake and commenting on Facebook and Twitter Monday afternoon,
writing, “OK, Im awake, will let you all know more when
I know more. Thanks for all the ‘Best wishes’, much
appreciated!”
Rutten
is currently a co-host of Inside MMA on AXS TV, and also recently
starred alongside Kevin James film “Here Goes the Boom.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Benson
Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez Likely for UFC on Fox 7
It
looks like a champion vs. champion fight may be headed to the
next major UFC on Fox show with UFC champion Benson Henderson
defending his title against Strikeforce lightweight king Gilbert
Melendez.
The
fight has been proposed for UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose, Calif.,
on April 20, although no bout agreements have been issued or
signed for the fight.
Sources
close to the contest confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that verbal agreements
are in place for the potential showdown with UFC officials currently
working to finalize a deal. MMAFighting.com first reported the
potential match-up on Monday.
UFC
on Fox 7 is currently set to take place at San Jose’s HP
Pavilion, an arena Strikeforce mainstay Gilbert Melendez is all
too familiar with.
Melendez
fought in and around San Jose for much of his career while competing
with Strikeforce, but now that the promotion is no more, he will
transfer to the UFC and it appears he will get a shot at the
lightweight title on day one in the promotion.
2012
ended up being a banner year for UFC lightweight champion Benson
Henderson, who captured the belt to kick off the year and ended
up defending it twice before signing a new eight-fight deal to
start 2013.
Now
Henderson looks to make a third consecutive title defense when
facing Melendez in what should be the headline fight for UFC
on Fox 7.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Marquardt vs. Saffiedine Fighter Salaries: Barnett, Mousasi and
Cormier Top Payroll
The
Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine fighter salaries were released
to MMAWeekly.com on Monday by the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission.
Tarec
Saffiedine made the most of the final Strikeforce event, upsetting
welterweight champion Nate Marquardt, likely solidifying a shot
at competing in the UFC Octagon in the process.
Strikeforce:
Marquardt vs. Saffiedine took place Saturday, January 12, at
the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.
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.
Strikeforce
Marquardt vs. Saffiedine Fighter Salaries
Tarec
Saffiedine: $39,000 (includes $19,500 win bonus)
def. Nate Marquardt: $40,000
Daniel
Cormier: $120,000 (includes $60,000 win bonus)
def. Dion Staring: $8,000
Josh
Barnett: $250,000 (no win bonus)
def. Nandor Guelmino: $12,000
Gegard
Mousasi: $175,000 (no win bonus)
def. Mike Kyle: $25,000
Ronaldo
Jacare Souza: $100,500 (includes $28,000 win bonus)
def. Ed Herman: $34,000
Ryan
Couture: $22,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus)
def. KJ Noons: $41,000
Tim
Kennedy: $80,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus)
def. Trevor Smith: $8,000
Pat
Healy: $42,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Kurt Holobaugh: $9,000
Roger
Gracie: $94,000 (includes $47,000 win bonus)
def. Anthony Smith: $10,000
Adriano
Martins: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Jorge Gurgel: $10,000
Estevan
Payan: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Michael Bravo: $6,000
Strikeforce
Marquardt vs. Saffiedine Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $1,153,500
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Michael
Bisping – “I Am Destined to Be World Champion”
For
the past nearly five years, Michael Bisping has come close on
a couple of occasions to finally reaching his goal of getting
a UFC middleweight title shot.
He
came up short in both of those fights, losing once to Dan Henderson
and, in the other, dropping a close decision to Chael Sonnen
in a fight he took on a week’s notice.
Now
Bisping has been declared the No. 1 contender in the middleweight
division by UFC president Dana White. All he has to do to get
that elusive title shot is to get past Vitor Belfort at UFC on
FX 7 on Jan. 19.
In
the past, Bisping has always come across as supremely confident,
and maybe at times even cocky with his belief in himself, but
looking back at those past fights he can honestly say it wasn’t
the right time to get a title shot and maybe that was the deciding
factor in both losses.
The
times have changed, however, and as he stands on the precipice
of his UFC dream coming true, Bisping is as ready as he’s
ever been.
“In
the past I’ve said I believed it, and I certainly talked
the talk, but I think if I searched deep inside my soul, maybe
I knew that I wasn’t ready or maybe didn’t fully expect
to win. Now I know I’m one of the best in the world. I’ve
been around this sport long enough. I’m very successful.
I’m full of confidence. My skill set is better than it’s
ever been, my athletic ability is better than it’s ever
been, and I’m certainly in my prime,” Bisping told
MMAWeekly Radio.
“I’m
destined to be world champion. I will be world champion one day.
You can guarantee that. I’m ready to take this title 100-percent.”
During
Bisping’s tenure in the UFC middleweight division, one man
has stood as king the entire time. Anderson Silva‘s reign
is nothing short of legendary, and he’s held the title with
an iron grip, destroying every middleweight that’s stepped
in front of him during his time as champion.
In
recent interviews, Silva has expressed interest in a fight with
Bisping, and the British born fighter takes that as an extreme
compliment. One he hopes to pay back by earning the shot to face
him in the Octagon later this year.
“It’s
like if you’re a boxer and Floyd Mayweather’s saying
‘that’s the guy I want to fight next.’ That’s
a huge compliment. It’s the same with Anderson Silva. He’s
saying they’ve got their eyes on me. He obviously recognizes
the talent, he recognizes the threat, he knows it’s a marketable
match-up. It’s a fight people are going to pay to see,”
said Bisping.
“It’s
very complimentary and it’s a testament to what I’ve
achieved and how hard I’ve worked in this sport.”
Silva
is currently sitting out and awaiting word on his next fight,
but if Bisping is successful this weekend in Brazil, the match-up
will almost be a lock in the next few months.
“Anderson
wants this fight as well; a lot of people will tune in to watch.
I believe I can give Anderson a run for his money, certainly
a much better fight than some of the other people have done lately,”
Bisping stated.
Bisping
isn’t looking too far ahead because as much as he wants
that title shot and a fight against Anderson Silva, it all goes
away if he can’t get past Vitor Belfort this weekend at
UFC on FX 7. All of the accolades and compliments are nice, but
Bisping wants a title shot, and to do that he knows he has to
earn it.
“I’ve
been after this for a long, long time,” said Bisping “But
I’ve got to beat Vitor first.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Results: Jacare Souza Dismantles Ed Herman with First Round Kimura
Jacare
Souza StrikeforceThe UFC middleweight division may have just
gained a serious contender after Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
dismantled Ed Herman to kick off the final Strikeforce card on
Saturday night.
As
a former Strikeforce champion, Jacare was already going to be
a highly touted fighter when he transitioned to the UFC, but
for his final fight with the promotion he got a bit of a measuring
stick by facing multi-time Octagon veteran Ed Herman.
Since
losing the strap to Luke Rockhold in 2011, Souza has been working
to improve his entire MMA game and it showed once again with
his latest performance.
Souza
was quick to the mat with a takedown early, and showed extreme
confidence in his hands going after Herman throughout the fight.
As
the round wore on, Jacare’s confidence grew and with Herman
against the cage he shot in again and scooped up the former Ultimate
Fighter finalist and dropped him square on the mat.
It
didn’t take long for the world champion jiu-jitsu practitioner
to get in the right position to lock up a kimura, and with his
leg over Herman’s head, the Colorado based fighter had nowhere
to go.
Jacare
wrenched up on the hold, twisting his opponent’s joints
in a direction they were not meant to go, and Herman had no choice
but to tap.
The
win marks Jacare’s third in a row and gives him plenty of
momentum as he looks to make his UFC debut later this year.
The
former Strikeforce champion should be considered one of the top
prospects coming in and could give anyone at 185lbs a run for
their money.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
|
Tarec
Saffiedine defeats Nate Marquardt to Capture SF Title
Don’t
count the underdog out. Tarec Saffiedine (14-3) has done what
most thought was very unlikely–he has taken out the newly
crowned champ Nate Marquardt in Strikeforce’s final fight,
before closing up shop in Oklahoma City.
It
was a five round stand-up war, as the Strikeforce Challenger
groomed talent used leg kicks to purple the leg of Marquardt
throughout. Marquardt did not look to get in his usual groove,
throwing many of his trademark kicks and elbow with a low landing
rate.
Official:
Tarec Saffiedine def. Nate Marquardt by unanimous decision (48-47,
49-46, 49-46)
The
Team Quest stand0ut has not only earned the Strikeforce title,
but continues an impressive four fight win-streak in his transition
into the big show (UFC). With wins over names such as Brock Larson,
Scott Smith, Roger Bowling and now Nate Marquardt, it will be
hard to deny the new champ a big fight in his debut.
Source:
Caged Insider |
|
Joey
Beltran denies injecting steroid, researching cause
Following
the UFC’s announcement of “The Mexicutioner” testing
positive for Nandrolone and receiving a nine month suspension,
Joey Beltran was quick to apologize to his friends and family.
Interestingly, Beltran denies ever injecting any kind of steroid,
such as Nandrolone during his apology.
“I
can say without a shadow of a doubt I did not inject Nandrolone
into my body. I am sorry to my family and friends for the shame
this brought to any of you. I promise soon the whole story will
be told and I will go through whatever is necessary to find the
reason for this positive test. I am at fault for taking a supplement
or perhaps combination of something that caused my test result.
My team and I will seek the truth. I am sorry once again and
truly apologize to the people that matter the most to me.”
– Via Twitter
The
story of unknowingly receiving performance-enhancers is not a
new one. We heard the same response from fighters such as “King
Mo” Lawal, Josh Barnett, and Cristiane “Cyborg”
Justino. Usually it comes to be explained that they took an over
the counter supplement that contained trace elements of PEDs.
Perhaps unlikely, but not impossible, as there has been supplements
caught with low levels of steroids in the past.
Source:
Caged Insider |
|
Alistair
Overeem's situation provides platform for commissions to set
strict PED precedent
LAS
VEGAS – There are a number of similarities between cyclist
Lance Armstrong and Alistair Overeem, the UFC heavyweight who
on Tuesday received a license to fight from the Nevada Athletic
Commission.
Both
men are world-class athletes who have been dogged throughout
their careers by rumors of performance-enhancing drug usage.
Both vehemently denied such claims.
In
October, the United States Anti-Doping Agency released a 164-page
report with two addendums totaling another 33 pages that detailed
Armstrong's usage. Armstrong, though, still hasn't admitted his
guilt, though there have been reports that he's considered doing
so.
Overeem
failed a surprise drug test by the Nevada commission in March
2012 on the morning of a news conference to announce a planned
fight with then-heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.
The
heavily muscular Overeem's testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio,
or his T/E ratio, was more than double Nevada's limit of 6-1
and more than triple the limit of the World Anti-Doping Agency's
standard of 4-1.
Keith
Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada commission who often
comes under attack from journalists and the public for not doing
more to stem the tide of PED usage, deserves a huge amount of
credit not only for ordering the random test that caught Overeem
but then for subsequently testing Overeem repeatedly during his
commission-imposed suspension.
In
an era when those seeking to circumvent drug testing are far
better funded than those trying to catch them, Kizer did yeoman's
work to ensure, as best as possible, that Overeem is clean.
Overeem
was testing himself throughout his nine-month suspension and
forwarding the results to Kizer and the commission. This is where
Kizer made a brilliant move, and showed his commitment to keeping
PEDs out of the fight game.
On
several occasions, shortly after Overeem had voluntarily submitted
a blood and urine sample to prove his innocence, Kizer ordered
him to submit to another test. An athlete who uses PEDs will
often use them right after he or she has passed a drug test.
The thinking is that they'll be clear for a while and can cheat
with impunity.
Kizer
knew that and ordered Overeem to be tested within a few days
of when Overeem had had himself tested.
Overeem
passed all of the tests, both the ones he did on his own and
those ordered by Kizer. He rightfully was given his license by
the commission on Tuesday via a unanimous vote, allowing him
to fight Antonio "Big Foot" Silva at UFC 156 on Feb.
2 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
The
real work, though, has just begun.
Unlike
in cycling, where the only harm of taking PEDs is to the long-term
health of the user, there can be dire consequences in a fight.
Whatever
the percentage of fighters who are using PEDs actually is –
several fighters over the year pegged the total as at least 50
percent – there is a reason they are using them.
It
allows them to train harder and recover more quickly from workouts.
It allows them to put on muscle mass they almost certainly would
not be able to do naturally and it allows them to move those
muscles more quickly.
All
in all, it makes them far more dangerous as fighters. More dangerous
fighters do more damage and score more knockouts. And fighters
who score more knockouts get bigger fights and make more money.
That's
why many of those who knowingly cheat choose to do so. Others
cheat because they suspect that many of their peers are cheating
and they want to attempt to even the playing field.
Overeem
will be tested rigorously by the Nevada commission for as long
as he fights in the state. Hopefully, other state athletic commissions
will do the same and put Overeem through a rigorous testing process
that includes unannounced tests.
At
Tuesday's hearing, Overeem admitted that his nine-month suspension
was fair, though he never admitted to cheating. He stuck to his
previous position that he relied on faulty advice from a doctor.
Perhaps
that's true, and given his record, he deserves the benefit of
the doubt.
[Also:
Donald Cerrone planning on going pro as a wakeboarder]
I'm
not going to call him a liar at this point. I'm going to believe
he made an unwitting error.
He's
not a cyclist, however. His job involves hurting his opponent.
And
so, because of that mistake, a precedent should be set. Overeem,
and every fighter who tests positive for PEDs in the future,
should have to do the same thing:
The
only way to lessen the possibility of a tragedy is to force those
who have been caught to be tested early, and often, at their
own expense.
Commissions
that consider licensing Overeem should require him to, at his
own expense, submit to a carbon isotope ratio test that would
be administered randomly during his training camp. The CIR test,
which is the only foolproof way to catch usage of synthetic testosterone,
is expensive, going for $450-$600 a test.
If
they can't afford to pay for the tests, then they don't fight
– a hefty price to pay, but safety dictates an abundance
of caution.
The
onus is on the fighter to know what is going into his body. If
he takes something that is a performance-enhancer, even unknowingly,
there needs to be long-term consequences.
If
they're allowed to fight again without additional testing and
a tragedy occurs, the consequences are going to be a lot more
dire than paying for a $600 CIR test.
Source:
Yahoo Sports |
Report:
Two Men Arrested for Alleged Rape of Fellow Lloyd Irvin Student
on New Year’s Eve
Two male students from Team Lloyd Irvin were recently arrested
for allegedly raping a female team member on New Year’s
Eve, according to a report from WJLA-TV.
Matthew
Maldonado, 26, and Nicholas Schultz, 21, reportedly bumped into
the 20-year-old victim at a club in Washington, D.C. According
to the report, the three know each other from their time training
at Lloyd Irvin’s Martial Arts Academy in Camp Springs, Md.
Maldonado
and Schultz then reportedly offered to escort the Fairfax, Va.,
woman to an instructor’s house so that she would not drive
under the influence of alcohol. Instead, they allegedly took
her to the parking garage of a church and allegedly raped her
repeatedly as she fell in and out of consciousness. The alleged
act was caught by surveillance cameras in the garage, according
to the report.
Team
Lloyd Irvinis one of the more famous MMA gyms nationwide, known
for its close link with Alliance MMA in San Diego, Calif., and
production of multiple top-tier talents. According to the team’s
official website, the gym is networked with more than a dozen
affiliated schools in the eastern United States.
Sherdog.com
was unable to immediately reach Irvin for comment on Friday,
but WJLA News reportedly acquired this statement from Irvin following
the alleged rape:
“We
are surprised and saddened by the report of this terrible attack.
Our prayers and thoughts are for the support of the victim …
It must be emphasized that the horrible act described in police
reports had nothing to do with our business or our employees.”
Source:
Sherdog |
TUF
Brazil: Fabio Gurgel Joins Fabricio Werdum’s Team as Jiu-Jitsu
Coach
A
two-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion and UFC heavyweight contender
Fabricio Werdum is bringing in the big guns to help his team
win the second season of the The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.
The
head coach opposite Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira announced
on Twitter that Fabio Gurgel, the captain of decorated Jiu-Jitsu
team Alliance and a four-time world champion, will be responsible
for his side’s grappling game.
“I’m
confirmed as a coach for TUF,” Gurgel confirmed to GRACIEMAG.com
on Thursday. “I’m returning to São Paulo right
now following an intensive 15-day Jiu-Jitsu marathon at [Rubens]
Cobrinha’s academy in Los Angeles. I think I already need
another vacation!”
Gurgel,
who turns 43 on Jan. 18, has his own combat commitment coming
up, when he locks horns with Zé Mario Sperry, 46, in a
masters super match at ADCC 2013.
The
Jiu-Jitsu coach for Nogueira’s team will be Everaldo Penco,
the black belt in charge of the Jiu-Jitsu program at Team Nogueira.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Strikeforce
Results: Daniel Cormier Dominates, Calls Out Frank Mir and Jon
Jones
Daniel
Cormier - Strikeforce Grand Prix ChampionSaturday night was Strikeforce’s
final event, and we may also have seen one of Daniel Cormier’s
final fights at heavyweight.
Cormier
has said he would consider a move to light heavyweight when he
steps over into the Octagon, especially now that his training
partner, Cain Velasquez, is the UFC heavyweight champion.
There
is the chance we’ll see Cormier take one or two more heavyweight
bouts while in transition, but after Saturday night’s domination
of little known Dion Staring at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine
in Oklahoma City, Okla., Cormier proved no matter what the weight
class, he is a fighter to be watching out for when he steps into
the Octagon later this year, as soon as April 20 on Fox.
Cormier
had to go into the second round to finish Staring, who stepped
up when almost no one else would after Frank Mir fell out of
the fight.
Cormier
continually took Staring to the mat, grinding away with a relentless
ground and pound attack. He wore Staring down, finally unloading
so many blows in the round two that referee John McCarthy stepped
in to stop it at the 4:02 mark.
After
the fight, however, was when things really heated up.
Speaking
with interview Pat Miletich, Cormier already has the remainder
of his 2013 mapped out… if other fighters are willing.
First
up, he called out former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir,
who, as mentioned, was Cormier’s original opponent for the
November Strikeforce event that was eventually cancelled.
“I
signed my contract, Frank Mir, you and me, let’s do it,”
said Cormier, indicating that he intends to fight April 20 at
UFC on Fox 7.
He
then has his sights set on light heavyweight.
“I’m
gonna let Jon (Jones) defend his belt on April 27 and then I’m
gonna kick his ass in the fall.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Daniel
Cormier's plan of calling out Frank Mir and Jon Jones calculated,
ambitious and bold
There
was little new to learn about Daniel Cormier's fighting ability
last night. Cormier, a gargantuan 20-to-1 favorite at fight time,
was supposed to blow away Dion Staring and he did. He took his
opponent down four times, passed guard five times, and eventually
out-landed Staring in total strikes 87-18 en route to a second-round
technical knockout in the Strikeforce company finale. As a performance,
it couldn't be graded anything other than an "A," except
by those who believe he should have been able to put away a 14-year
veteran even faster than he did.
As
a post-fight self-promoter, Cormier did even better, attempting
to chart his own course for 2013 by calling his shot with two
major matchups in separate divisions. First, he said he would
like to fight Frank Mir at the rumored UFC on FOX 7 show in San
Jose, California, and after that, he wants to make the drop to
light-heavyweight to fight divisional champion Jon Jones.
Whoa.
If
Cormier's desire was to stoke the fires of fans and plant a seed
in the minds of the UFC brass, check and check. It was a master
class in promotion. We see call-outs all the time, but who calls
out two guys in one night? It was a plan audacious, brilliant
and downright ballsy.
"No,
nothing's been signed," he acknowledged a short time later
in the Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine post-fight press
conference. "This is just what I said in my ideal universe,
that's what would happen as this year goes on. It could not happen,
but if it doesn't, I'll just keep plugging away."
You
can't blame the guy for trying. In fact, we should probably credit
him for it. Too often, we see fighters waste the few precious
seconds of microphone time they get after winning, a moment when
the whole mixed martial arts world is watching them at once.
You can understand their desire to thank their coaches and teammates,
but it's a time that is much better spent building interest in
what is next. Few of them do, even when prompted to address what
opponent they might prefer to see in their immediate future.
When
it came to last night's crop of Strikeforce winners, most could
not even say if they would be heading to the UFC, let alone who
they wanted to fight next, but Cormier bucked that pattern, plotting
his path as his first order of post-fight business. In addressing
a question about his opponent Staring, Cormier credited his toughness
but quickly shifted gears to Mir, challenging the former UFC
heavyweight champion to a bout. Seconds later, it was Jones in
his targets.
"I'm
going to let Jon defend his belt April 27th, and I'm going to
kick his ass in the fall," he said.
Regardless
of exactly who is next, Cormier appears ready to make the jump
to the UFC's octagon. The 33-year-old is a perfect 11-0, but
it's not just the record as much as it is the dominance of his
wins that has made him a standout. Over his last five Strikeforce
fights, which include wins over decorated veterans Josh Barnett,
Antonio Silva and Jeff Monson, Cormier has out-landed those opponents
468-194, a ratio of almost 2.5-to-1. He also scored 11 takedowns
without being taken down a single time. Cormier said after last
night's win that it was his goal to win in every aspect of the
fight, and that's something he has accomplished repeatedly in
his career.
But
last night, he also had a secondary goal of jumpstarting his
UFC career with his words. It is perhaps a byproduct of his age
and intelligence that motivated Cormier to offer his comments
and attempt to set events into motion.
"Now
that [Strikeforce] is over, I'm going to head over to the UFC
and hopefully be more busy, more active," he said. "I
mean, I'm old. I'm 33 years old and I just started so I've got
to get busy and take advantage of my athletic prime."
2012
was mostly a year of frustration for Cormier, who fought once,
had a fight canceled and spent two separate parts of the year
nursing a broken hand back to health. With his 34th birthday
looming in March, he's not content to let 2013 play out, instead
choosing to take control of his destiny and at least ask for
what he wants. Time and again, we've seen the UFC bosses reward
vocal fighters who take such action.
In
asking for two major names at once, the bold heavyweight may
get neither, but at least the decision-makers know his ambition,
at least the fans can grasp the depths of his drive. Either way,
Daniel Cormier is coming, and Mir and Jones are officially put
on notice.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
|
Rousimar
Palhares Responds to Failed Drugs Test: ‘I Never Meant to
Cheat’
After
we reported here on GRACIEMAG.com that Rousimar Palhares had
been flagged for elevated testosterone after his fight at UFC
on FX 6, the athlete addressed the issue publicly by way of a
press release.
“I’ve
always been very careful about my diet and concerned about not
ever using anything that could harm my body or my performance
in the octagon. And this time was no different,” he said.
“I never meant to cheat. I’ve had nearly 30 fights
in my career, a good portion of them in the UFC. I’ve been
through numerous surprise tests, and nothing’s ever gone
wrong. Furthermore, I knew I was going to be subjected to testing
after fighting in Australia because that’s the standard
in the UFC. I have a clear conscience but accept the punishment.
The rules exist for everyone to follow.”
Another
to weigh in on the case was the fighter’s master, Murilo
Bustamante. The head of Brazilian Top Team feels his student
never meant to break the UFC’s rules but did make sure to
admonish his disciple.
“Rousimar
is one of the most disciplined guys when it comes to diet, physical
conditioning and anything involving his profession there is,”
Bustamante said. “But if he got flagged for something, it’s
because he got sloppy at some point. So this case has to serve
as an example to all other fighters. Everyone has to be double
careful about what they put in their bodies. The testing is becoming
more and more rigorous, and that’s why everyone has to be
more and more careful about the food they eat and supplements
they take.”
Toquinho
will have to go nine months without fighting. The suspension
imposed by the UFC is retroactive dating from Dec. 14, and the
fighter will only be allowed to fight again once further testing
comes back clean after his suspension is up.
Joey
Beltran also had a positive test following UFC on FX 6. The Team
Alliance fighter’s results showed traces of nandrolone,
and he, like Palhares, will serve a nine-month suspension retroactive
to Dec. 14.
Source:
Gracie Magazine |
Strikeforce
Results: Josh Barnett Wins And Tells Heavyweight “Cowards”
to Run and Hide
Josh
Barnett StrikeforceJosh Barnett walked into Strikeforce as one
of the heaviest favorites on the card against relative unknown
Nandor Guelmino, and he treated him as such.
For
weeks leading up to the fight, Barnett has been dealing with
the flu and just couldn’t seem to shake it, saying after
the fight was over that he only got in about 2 days of really
solid training for his whole camp.
But
in classic Barnett form, he wasn’t looking to make excuses
and he certainly didn’t show any signs of illness in the
cage.
“You
don’t sit around, bitching and complaining and throwing
excuses around. You get in there and either you die like a man
or you leave your opponent dead, and you stand victorious,”
said Barnett.
Well,
Barnett’s post fight speech may have lasted longer than
his fight because he just walked through Guelmino in the brief
time they spent together in the cage.
Barnett
charged across the cage and took Guelmino to the ground, but
actually missed on his first submission attempt when he went
for an ankle lock in the opening moments.
Obviously
Barnett wasn’t deterred because just seconds later he had
Guelmino back on the mat again, this time in the mount and it
didn’t long for the “Warmaster” to go to work.
A
confused and panicked Guelmino put up an arm to either block
Barnett or just give him the submission because in one fluid
motion, the former UFC champion locked up a head and arm choke
and the tap out came almost as quickly as the hold was applied.
“I
fight to entertain the crowd. I bring death so you guys can all
cheer. Are you not entertained?” Barnett shouted after picking
up the quick submission win.
The
more interesting part of the fight came afterwards when Barnett
was posed with the million-dollar question of the evening –
will he end up in the UFC after tonight?
“So
you’re asking me if I’m going to go over to the UFC
like every other schmuck-jabroni reporter has been asking me
this whole time. Am I going to go to the UFC? I have no idea
where I’m going to end up at this point. But you know what
there are a lot of heavyweights out there in the world, sacked
away in their little organizations, and all I’ve got to
say to them is run cowards!” said Barnett.
“You
can hide behind any fence you want, any ring in the world, but
eventually I will find you, and I will take your head.”
Barnett
would be a good addition to the UFC heavyweight division, but
it remains to be seen if he will end up there or in another promotion
after Strikeforce shutters its doors.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
With
Fights Still Left on UFC Contract, Javier ‘Showtime’
Vazquez Officially Announces Retirement
After
13 years, 21 fights and a wealth of memorable experience, Javier
Vazquez is officially calling it a career.
The
former World Extreme Cagefighting talent made the announcement
on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Rewind” show on
Sunday evening. The decision comes with bouts still remaining
on Vazquez’s current UFC deal, though the fighter known
as “Showtime” has not stepped into the Octagon since
defeating Joe Stevenson at UFC Live 4 on June 26, 2011.
“I
don’t see a need nor a want to fight anymore,” Vazquez
said. “I feel like whether you like me or you hate me, people
respect me. I do have fights left on my contract, but I just
don’t want to do it. I didn’t want to be that guy that
everyone is begging to retire. I did everything in my career
on my terms.”
Vazquez
retires from mixed martial arts with a 16-5 professional record,
with three of those defeats – Alberto Crane, L.C. Davis
and Deividas Taurosevicius -- coming via split decision. Now
35 years old, the Pomona, Calif., native knows that had those
narrow losses gone his way, his resume could have been even more
impressive. Still, Vazquez has no regrets about the way things
turned out, and he made the decision to leave the sport behind
not long after scoring a unanimous verdict over Stevenson in
his Octagon debut more than a year and a half ago.
“When
I got back to the locker room after the Stevenson fight, I just
knew I had nothing left. I had nothing left to prove. I knew
my knee and my body had definitely had enough,” Vazquez
said. “I didn’t want to do it. I just didn’t want
to do it anymore. The fear of stepping into the cage is just
the fear I didn’t want to experience anymore.
“I
felt that technically it was the best I had ever been, mentally
the best I’d ever been. Physically I’d had better days,
but I was making it work. I’d modified my game and made
adjustments in my style so that the injuries were almost hidden,”
he continued. “I just don’t want to fight anymore.
I (wanted) to officially announce my retirement. I knew, I just
didn’t know how to say it and when to say it. I had nothing
left to give anymore. I had nothing physically left to give.”
The
course of Vazquez’s career was drastically altered at a
King of the Cage event in 2003. It was there that the fighter
blew out his knee in the first round of a lightweight title defense
against Crane, and it was there that Vazquez decided to keep
pushing through the pain, despite the long-term affect it might
have on his health and career. However, Vazquez knew he had a
UFC deal on the table, and with that in mind, quitting on a fight
was not an option.
“In
the middle of a fight you don’t really realize what the
consequences will be 10 years later – or 20 or 30. The only
thing I was thinking was, you have a UFC contract at home. You
have to get through this fight,” he said. “Sometimes
I just think I should have stopped. Where would my career have
been if I had quit after the first round and had a full rehab
and eventually rematched [Crane] and beat him, just kind of saved
myself?”
A
potential bout against Hermes Franca at UFC 42 fell by the wayside,
and after Vazquez won a fight against Robert Emerson in November
2003, he injured his knee again – this time during a training
session. What resulted was more than a three-year hiatus from
MMA for Vasquez, who chose to focus entirely on grappling during
that period.
“My
knee never really felt the same after that second surgery. I
just didn’t really understand the extent of the damage at
the time,” Vazquez said.
Despite
competing on a less-than-100-percent knee, Vazquez made his return
to the cage in 2007. Eventually, “Showtime” found a
home with the WEC, where he would earn arguably the signature
victory of his career against Jens Pulver in 2010. It was a pivotal
win for Vazquez, one he describes as “probably the most
important moment of my life.”
In
the next phase of his life, Vazquez hopes to pass on his knowledge
to others, and he has a very clear vision of how this will take
place.
“I
am building my future. I knew what I wanted to do post-fighting.
I’ve been planning and preparing myself for this moment
the last five or six years,” he said. “I’m developing
my curriculum and developing my academy. It’s a tremendous
project. I probably have somewhere around six hundred pages written.
I started writing last October. I’m just done with the first
draft of the curriculum.” Vazquez’s body might have
suffered through the wear-and-tear of a demanding career, but
he believes he still has plenty to offer.
“Mentally
I have a lot to give. All my experience, all my knowledge, all
my technique—I’m very passionate about passing on my
knowledge. I’d like to work with some of the women in MMA
because I feel that some of the technique is lacking. I want
to work with people I feel I’m gonna have a huge impact
on technically,” he said.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Matches
to make post final Strikeforce: The Main Card
Ronaldo
Souza vs. Costa Philippou
Philippou
said he was not ready for a title shot, but with a win over Tim
Boetsch he will be fighting nothing but contenders. Souza is
an impressive type of fighter who came from only one discipline,
but has slowly been adding more things to his arsenal. All fighters
want to fight for the title someday, and if it comes three months
or three years from now you take it when it comes. Let Souza
test how good Philippou is and vice versa.
Gegard
Mousasi vs. winner of Glover Teixeira vs. Quinton Jackson
Mousasi
said he feels like he has something to prove in the UFC, but
at 27 years old with a 33-3 record he has already proven a lot.
Many people consider Teixeira the next big thing at 205, but
Mousasi could also be a real contender to the light-heavyweight
or middleweight title. If Teixeira gets past Jackson or Jackson
beats Teixeira and stays in the UFC then they could prove to
be a stern test for Mousasi in his first UFC fight.
Josh
Barnett vs. Frank Mir
Barnett
is still a top level heavyweight, but he may be getting toward
the end of his career. The same thing goes for Mir, and while
Cormier may be calling for a fight against Mir it does not make
sense. If Barnett is true in saying he can beat every fighter
in the UFC why not take out the heavyweight that has been there
the longest? This match would be great for longtime fans of MMA
as well.
Daniel
Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson
Cormier
seems intent on moving down to 205 since his teammate has the
heavyweight title, and so it makes no sense for him to fight
Mir, despite their unfinished business. Cormier has a lot of
tools that could frustrate current champion Jon Jones, but Cormier
is not at the front of the line for a title shot. Both him and
Gustafsson need a fight while the rest of the division sorts
itself out. Gustafsson would be a great first fight for Cormier
at light-heavyweight.
Nate
Marquardt vs. winner of Che Mills vs. Matthew Riddle
Marquardt
has proven he is a good fighter, but he always seems to fail
when the bouts mean the most. Whether it is Saffiedine, Okami,
or Sonnen he has not lived up to his potential in those fights.
Now as he goes back to the UFC, he will have to work his way
up the ladder instead of coming into the octagon as a contender.
Riddle and Mills are on the edge of being contenders with a win
over each other. So whoever wins, let them test themselves against
a true veteran in Marquardt.
Tarec
Saffiedine vs. Mike Pyle
Saffiedine
proved he has great standup and takedown defense in his win over
Marquardt, but the problem is there is still questions about
whether he can defend takedowns from a top level wrestler. Pyle
is currently 6-1 in the octagon, and he could prove to be the
type of test Saffiedine needs in his debut. Matching these two
up can only mean fireworks for the fans.
Source:
Caged Insider
|
What’s
Next for the Best of the Best in Strikeforce?
Daniel
Cormier StrikeforceStrikeforce officially came to an end on Saturday
night and while it was a bittersweet moment saying goodbye to
the biggest regional promotion in MMA history, there were also
some major pieces missing from the puzzle.
Strikeforce
lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and middleweight champion
Luke Rockhold weren’t able to fight due to injury, turning
a card once called “Strikeforce: Champions” into just
another run of the mill outing.
Ronda
Rousey, who made her name and fame in Strikeforce, was signed
away to the UFC long before this show ever made it to Showtime.
As a matter of fact, not a single women’s fight took place
on the final Strikeforce show, which was disappointing considering
how much they supported the ladies over the last several years
while promotions like the UFC considered them untouchable.
The
fighters that did show up for the final Strikeforce card did
deliver however including a main event upset that really capped
off the show and reminded everyone what made the San Jose based
production great over the years.
Now
that Strikeforce is officially done, the doors are now open for
many of their fighters to end up in the UFC and face the best
of the best over there. While the end of Strikeforce technically
came in 2011 when they were purchased by rival organization Zuffa,
Saturday night’s fights felt more like guys moving onto
the next stage of their careers instead of a grand finale saying
goodbye.
So
now that they have said goodbye, what’s next for the best
and brightest on Strikeforce’s final roster? Here are a
few ideas:
Strikeforce
heavyweight Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier:
It
seems simple enough for Cormier, who mowed down 20 to 1 underdog
Dion Staring as expected on Saturday. He wants former UFC champion
Frank Mir for his debut fight, so he’ll likely get Frank
Mir for his first fight in the Octagon.
Of
course Mir is coming off a loss and Cormier is probably one fight
away from challenging for a title in the UFC, but still it’s
an intriguing match-up and a great way to introduce the former
two-time Olympian to a whole new batch of fans.
In
a perfect world however if Cormier is really making a move down
to light heavyweight to avoid facing his friend and teammate
Cain Velasquez, then doing it now would be a good start to his
UFC career. Cormier taking on either Phil Davis or Alexander
Gustafsson would go a long way in establishing him as a top ten
light heavyweight, and eventual challenger to champion Jon Jones.
Strikeforce
lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez
Melendez
will likely come in on day one and face UFC lightweight champion
Benson Henderson. It’s a fight Melendez wants, Henderson
wants, and the UFC has already said they are on board for later
this year. In reality with Melendez having sat out since May
2012, and now coming back from a severely damaged shoulder, it
would seem more fitting for him to get a “warm-up”
bout in the Octagon before getting a title shot.
Melendez
facing former title contender Gray Maynard sounds like a great
fight to headline an upcoming UFC on FX card, or even a main
card fight on the upcoming UFC on Fox show landing in San Jose.
It’s
not that Melendez doesn’t deserve a shot at Henderson. Far
from it actually. But we’ve all heard those stories about
first time Octagon jitters, and when you add to that a long layoff
due to injury, it might not be a bad idea for Melendez to dip
his toe in the Octagon waters before jumping in head first. Chances
are however he’s going to be swimming in the deep end on
day one.
Strikeforce
middleweight champion Luke Rockhold:
Rockhold
didn’t do himself any favors by sitting out the final Strikeforce
card on Saturday night. With an injured wrist that wouldn’t
allow him to face Lorenz Larkin, he will now come to the UFC
with a lot less momentum that he would have coming off a win
in January.
It’s
likely the man Rockhold beat for the belt in 2011, Ronaldo “Jacare”
Souza who defeated UFC mainstay Ed Herman on Saturday, will probably
come in with a bit more hype than the champion.
That
said Rockhold is still a very talented middleweight, but he has
to prove himself at the top levels of the UFC. Wins over Tim
Kennedy and Keith Jardine won’t curry him much favor when
dealing with the top 185lbers in the world.
For
his first fight in the UFC, Rockhold drawing recent top ten fighter
Costas Philippou would make the most sense. It’s a chance
for Rockhold to fight an established UFC middleweight, and Philippou
will be available when he’s healthy and ready to make his
Octagon debut.
Strikeforce
welterweight champion Tarec Saffiedine
In
the biggest upset on Saturday, Tarec Saffiedine showed everyone
why you have the fights in the first place when he unseeded Nate
Marquardt as champion before both head to the UFC later this
year.
Saffiedine
is a crafty veteran with nasty kicks (as observed by Marquardt’s
mangled leg) and underrated wrestling (he’s been working
with Team Quest for four years now).
He
likely won’t come into the UFC with the same kind of hype
that Marquardt would have with a victory because he already had
name value before the fight ever happened. Still, Saffiedine
deserves a top ten level fight after dismantling a fighter most
believed would be top five on his first day back in the UFC.
With
most of the UFC’s top welterweights already locked up in
fights, Saffiedine would likely draw one of two fighters for
his debut – Mike Pierce or Martin Kampmann. In terms of
value, Saffiedine vs. Kampmann sure sounds like a lot of fun.
Yes, Kampmann is coming off a loss and typically UFC matchmaker
Joe Silva hates matching up a fighter coming off a win with one
coming off a loss, but for style points, this one has fireworks
written all over it.
Nate
Marquardt
If
he would have won Saturday night, Marquardt would have come to
the UFC with a ton of hype around him. Unfortunately he ended
up losing in a fairly one-sided fight to Tarec Saffiedine, so
now it’s about rebuilding.
Marquardt
still have a lot of name value coming in and that’s why
he should be the one to draw Mike Pierce. Again this is the opposite
of what the UFC typically does when matchmaking fighters, but
it would be a chance for Pierce to face a well known name, which
sometimes carries as much weight as beating a top ten opponent,
and Marquardt would have a chance to prove himself in the shark
tank of the UFC welterweight division.
The
Best of the Rest:
Ronaldo
“Jacare” Souza probably comes in day one in the UFC
with more intrigue than champion Luke Rockhold, and with his
appeal in his home country of Brazil, he’ll be an even bigger
star over time. Jacare vs. Jake Shields sounds like an intriguing
fight, or maybe Chris Weidman if he’s willing to wait until
the New Yorker heals up from shoulder surgery.
Josh
Barnett may not even end up in the UFC, but if he does, there’s
something special about a potential match-up against Roy Nelson.
Both have a love of professional wrestling, which could make
the promos leading into the fight quite fantastic. Barnett is
a ground wizard but Nelson is no slouch in that department, which
could make the fight that much more interesting.
Gegard
Mousasi re-introduced himself to the light heavyweight division
with a dominant win over Mike Kyle on Saturday, and now poises
himself for a run at the best in the UFC’s 205lb division.
A fight pitting Mousasi against either Glover Teixeira (assuming
he gets past Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC on Fox
6) or James Te Huna would be a good introduction for the former
Strikeforce and Dream champion.
Pat
Healy deserved a lot better in his final Strikeforce fight than
to be shelved to the prelims after originally headlining the
card in a scheduled bout against champion Gilbert Melendez. His
“welcome to the UFC” present should be a legit lightweight
challenger to see where he stacks up in the division. Pat Healy
vs. Jim Miller just sounds like the kind of fight both would
get up for.
Last
but not least we know they are coming but how about setting up
some women’s fights to compliment the UFC 157 main event
pitting Ronda Rousey against Liz Carmouche? Miesha Tate, Sarah
Kaufman, and a laundry list of women’s fighters are waiting
for the call to make their Octagon debuts so let’s start
seeing some fights get made.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Tarec
Saffiedine Batters Nate Marquardt to Win in Final Strikeforce
Fight Ever
Strikeforce
officially came to a close on Saturday night, and it really was
a storybook ending with one of the fighters who had been with
the promotion for the past three years walking away with the
title in the organization’s final fight ever.
It
was four years ago that a 22-year old kid from Belgium moved
to the United States with a dream of becoming a champion, and
Tarec Saffiedine saw those dreams become reality as he battered
and bested Nate Marquardt to win the last ever Strikeforce title.
Training
at Team Quest since arriving in the States, Saffiedine first
came to Strikeforce as part of their developmental series called
Strikeforce Challengers before working his way to the main cards
on Showtime more than a year and a half later.
So
with Strikeforce on its way out, Saffiedine got the title shot
he had longed for as he faced former UFC middleweight contender
Nate Marquardt in the main event on Saturday night.
Coming
into the fight, Saffiedine was a decided underdog, but he certainly
didn’t perform that way and came after Marquardt with sheer
determination from the opening bell.
A
kickboxer by trade, Saffiedine showed off his skills as he cracked
Marquardt early with a quick strike that dropped the former UFC
contender, setting the stage for what was about to happen for
the entire 25-minute fight.
Saffiedine
unloaded a barrage of leg kicks on Marquardt that made his leg
as many different colors as on a painter’s palette. Time
and time again, Saffiedine swung his leg, blasting Marquardt’s
unguarded thigh and with each one landed the Colorado native
slowed down just a little bit more.
“I’ve
been training so hard, for so long, and my kicks are one of my
best weapons. I trained them a lot in training, so that was kind
of the game plan,” Saffiedine said about the leg kicks.
As
the rounds wore on, Marquardt’s cardio started to backfire
as well and with his mouth gaped open begging for oxygen, his
last ditch effort to head to the UFC later this year on a win
faded away.
Saffiedine
only gained strength when seeing Marquardt fading, and continued
to attack his leg with kick after kick until it was a bruised
and beaten mess.
The
final horn sounded and Tarec Saffiedine knew that he had just
captured the gold he longed for so long to hold.
“It’s
unbelievable. I can’t imagine I’m wearing the belt
right now, it’s unreal,” Saffiedine said after winning
the unanimous decision. “I want to thank Strikeforce for
being by my side for so long.”
Just
a few days ago, Tarec Saffiedine wasn’t even sure he’d
be in the UFC after tonight, but with his win over Nate Marquardt
in impressive fashion he’s punched his ticket and given
himself a lot of momentum as he heads into the welterweight division
later this year.
There’s
also a cloud of disappointment overhead for Nate Marquardt, who
was talked about all week as a legitimate contender at 170lbs
with conversations already putting him in the race for a title
shot once he arrived in the UFC. Now with this loss, Marquardt
will need to regroup and recover before trying to find his footing
in one of the toughest weight classes in the UFC.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
MMA
Awards: Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, Rafael Cordeiro, Cesar Gracie
Win
The
World MMA Awards, widely regarded as being the Oscars of MMA,
was held Friday night in Las Vegas. On the occasion, Jon Jones
and Ronda Rousey received trophies for being elected the best
fighters of the year.
“Best
Coach” honors went to the Brazilian Rafael Cordeiro for
the work he has been doing at his Los Angeles academy Kings MMA,
beating head coach of Team Nova União Dedé Pederneiras,
who was also in the running.
The
prize for “Best Submission” went to Frank Mir for his
arm-splitting keylock on Rodrigo Minotauro in December 2011.
Brazil’s
Edson Barboza was credited with having performed the “Best
Knockout,” for the spinning kick that put Terry Etim’s
lights out while still on his feet at UFC Rio 2. Cesar Gracie’s
academy was honored with the prize for best MMA Gym of the Year.
“Revelation
of the Year” honors went to UFC middleweight Chris Weidman,
who edged out Renan Barão.
Here’s
a list of the award winners:
Best
Fighter: Jon Jones (UFC)
Best Female Fighter: Ronda Rousey (Strikeforce/UFC)
Revelation of the Year: Chris Weidman (UFC)
Best Fight: Jamie Varner vs Joe Lauzon
Best Knockout: Edson Barboza (vs. Terry Etim at UFC Rio 2)
Best Submission: Frank Mir (vs. Rodrigo Minotauro at UFC 140)
Best Coach: Rafael Cordeiro
Best Team: Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Best Referee: Herb Dean
Businessman of the Year: Dana White
Personality of the Year: Joe Rogan
Best Casual-Wear Brand: Bad Boy
Best Technical-Clothing Brand: Clinch Gear
Best Equipment: Pretorian
Best Promotion: UFC
Media Outlet of the Year: Sherdog.com
Journalist of the Year: Ariel Helwani
Source:
Gracie Magazine |
Five
thoughts on Strikeforce: Marquardt Vs. Saffiedine
FAN
COMMENTARY | Tarec Saffiedine beat Nate Marquardt via unanimous
decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) to win the Strikeforce welterweight
title on Saturday. Saffiedine's victory capped off an exciting
final Strikeforce event.
Here
are five thoughts on the main card:
Jacare
Souza is a star
There
have been plenty of complaints over the years concerning the
depth of the UFC middleweight division. Fortunately, it appears
that fighters such as Tim Kennedy, Luke Rockhold, and Jacare
Souza will enter the UFC as contenders that could eventually
face Anderson Silva.
Souza,
in particular, appears to be one of the few people who could
give Silva some problems. He's nowhere near as accurate as Silva
with his striking, but he's an extremely powerful fighter who
should be able to give the champion problems both standing and
on the ground. I'm not saying that Souza will beat Silva, but
he would definitely be a fresh challenger for the "Spider."
If anything, his dominating victory over a quality opponent like
Ed Herman should vault Souza into contender status once he crosses
over to the UFC.
Gegard
Mousasi may have been out for a year, but you couldn't tell by
his performance against Mike Kyle. It took Mousasi all of about
three minutes to get Kyle to the ground, and once he did, it
was game over. His relentless top game was simply too much for
Kyle, who was submitted via rear-naked choke at 4:09 of the first
round.
Mousasi
appears to be on his way to the UFC light heavyweight division,
which makes sense. The 205-pound weight class was once the crown
jewel of the UFC, but those days are long gone. Jon Jones has
nearly cleaned out the division, and it's in need of new blood.
That
said, I think Mousasi might be better off in the middleweight
division. He's a well-rounded fighter, but he's also very lean
for a light heavyweight. I'm not sure he'd be able to compete
with fighters like Rashad Evans and Jon Jones at 205. After all,
he's the same guy who got mauled by the heavier Muhammed Lawal
nearly two years ago. I'm not sure that he has the body mass
to defend against another wrestler with Lawal's size.
The
UFC should sign Josh Barnett
Nandor
Guelmino had no business being in the cage with Josh Barnett.
Let's go ahead and acknowledge that now. Barnett is still one
of the best heavyweights in the world, and there was never really
a question of how their fight would end. Yet even with the easy
victory, Barnett proved that he's still fun to watch. His best
years are behind him, but he still has enough left in his tank
to compete with many of the UFC's best heavyweights. Personally,
I'd love to see Barnett face off with Frank Mir or Roy Nelson.
Hopefully, Zuffa and Barnett find a way to get a contract done
soon.
There
isn't much to say about Daniel Cormier that hasn't already been
said. Most people thought that he would maul Dion Staring on
Saturday night. The only thing that surprised me was how long
Staring lasted in the fight. I think that says more about Staring's
toughness than anything that Cormier did wrong.
With
the dominant victory, you have to think that the sky is the limit
for Cormier in the UFC. The only question is whether or not he'll
remain at heavyweight. Given his size and strength, Cormier would
be a beast at 205.
Tarec
Saffiedine upsets Nate Marquardt
This
was the upset of the night. Tarec Saffiedine entered this fight
as a relative unknown who worked his way up the Strikeforce ladder.
Meanwhile, Marquardt was preparing to make his return to the
UFC. Well, what a difference five rounds made for both fighters.
Saffiedine
was the clear aggressor from the moment the opening bell rang.
His brutal leg kicks and strong clinch game kept Marquardt off
his game for all five rounds in what became a dominant victory.
I'm
sure Marquardt will get another chance in the UFC, but his hopes
of earning a title shot against Georges St. Pierre are gone.
Meanwhile, the UFC welterweight division has a new fighter to
keep an eye on. Saffiedine may not have been a household name
yet, but there's little doubt that the MMA world knows who he
is now.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Fortunes
changed for five at final Strikeforce event
Fighting
in a lame duck show, the last Strikeforce event, would make it
appear the stakes wouldn't be as high as most shows. In reality,
for most on Saturday, the consequences of losing were higher.
Every time there is a major show, almost everyone is affected
not just in their pocketbook, but in their career trajectory
based on how they performed and whether they won or lost.
But
Saturday night's Strikeforce final event in Oklahoma City had
much higher stakes than most. On the surface, the value of a
championship that will never be defended again as the main event,
or appearing on a lame duck show may not seem that important.
But there was a feeling, said directly to some and hinted at
to others, that the theme of the show was if you win, you get
a shot in the UFC. If you lose, unless you are a big name, then
probably not.
The
card was filled with matches that seemed easy to predict going
in, and most went as expected. There were two surprises, Tarec
Saffiedine beating Nate Marquardt to win the Strikeforce welterweight
title and a Ryan Couture decision win over K.J. Noons. The latter
was thought by many, if not most, to be the result of a bad decision.
Almost
everyone on the show is going to wind up with their career paths
taking a major turn. The winners wind up in UFC, where they will
likely get more regular fights, and have the opportunity to make
more money. Many of the losers are going to have not just changes
in career trajectory, but may have to find a new career home.
Some may wind up with Bellator, but with the landscape of solid
paydays for fighters outside of the major leagues getting tougher,
some may have major life changes to think about.
But
as far as our usual look at five whose situation changed, we'll
look at people who are likely staying in the sport:
TAREC
SAFFIEDINE - It was a surprise, but it made a nice final Strikeforce
story that an underdog who came through the ranks of the Strikeforce
Challengers series shows ended up capturing the title in the
final main event. While Saffiedine (14-3) will never defend the
title, he will forever be the answer to trivia questions as the
winner of the final Strikeforce fight and its last new champion.
But more importantly, the win would seem to insure that the Belgian-born
fighter's career path continues upward. Saffiedine compiled a
7-1 record in Strikeforce, only losing to Tyron Woodley, when
he had trouble with the wrestling game. But against Nate Marquardt,
his takedown defense showed significant improvement after all
his work with Dan Henderson. As the fight stayed on its feet,
his blistering low kick attack left Marquardt's left leg looking
like a bloody rare steak. It's a deep welterweight division he's
entering, and it's hard to say how he'll do. But at least he's
entering it, which was far from a given.
NATE
MARQUARDT - Nobody's stock went down more on Saturday than Marquardt,
who days earlier was being asked questions about a potential
title fight with Georges St-Pierre, and people speculated on
how quickly he'd be able to get it. Cutting from middleweight,
where Marquardt had been a solid top 10 fighter in the weight
class for about a dozen years, moving down looked like the right
move when he had his best performance. It was when he knocked
out previously unbeaten Tyron Woodley to capture the vacant title
on July 14.
Now
32-11-2, it's not just that he lost to Saffiedine, but in a five-round
fight, he came out flat and fought sluggish even before his leg
was destroyed. He now has to first prove this night was not indicative
that, at almost 34, his days as a highly-ranked fighter are over
regardless of the weight class. As for the St-Pierre fight, with
so many strong contenders waiting, his name won't even be in
discussions for a long time.
DANIEL
CORMIER - Cormier (11-0), even more than Marquardt, was the fighter
coming out of this show that was most talked about regarding
a future UFC title shot. The only question was whether that would
be as a heavyweight, the division he won the Strikeforce Grand
Prix in or light heavyweight. After teammate and training partner
Cain Velasquez won the heavyweight title from Junior Dos Santos
on Dec. 29, Cormier would not answer questions that night regarding
whether he would move down.
Previously,
he had talked about the probability of it if Velasquez won the
title. Velasquez saying he would not fight Cormier seemed to
answer the question. Cormier had done a number of interviews
late last year talking about wanting to fight light heavyweight
champion Jon Jones. And Dana White seemed to have the answer
when, after UFC 155 was over, he only brought up the idea of
Cormier facing Jones provided Jones retains his title on April
27 against Chael Sonnen.
Cormier
showed up at 230 pounds, the lightest fighting weight of his
career, and a weight that a lot of light heavyweight stars cut
from. But if that wasn't enough of a hint, after winning, Cormier
said he first wanted to fight Frank Mir first on April 20 in
San Jose, his current home town and the date of a UFC FOX special,
and then was looking at coming after Jones.
Cormier,
who placed fourth in the 2004 Olympics at 211.5 pounds in freestyle
wrestling, is, when it comes to credentials, the best heavyweight
wrestler in this sport. Jones, on the other hand, has been able
to overpower every opponent in wrestling thus far in his career
if he has needed to. But there are questions.
The
first is Cormier mentally being able to get to 205. At the 2008
Olympics, in trying to cut to 211.5 pounds, his kidneys shut
down and he wound up in the hospital, ending his career in that
sport and it was more than a year before he started in his new
sport. That was reason he came into MMA as a heavyweight. But
he was also 248 pounds walking around at the time, and cutting
to 211.5. Now he's 230 and if he concentrates on his diet he
can probably drop weight from there. But unlike most, physically
he can't risk a drastic weight cut.
Another
are his hands, which he's broken a couple of times in his career.
He was never in trouble against Dion Staring, but he was being
much more careful when it came to throwing punches. Staring lasted
until late in the second round in a fight most expected Cormier
to win quickly.
Cormier
is new in the sport, having started training a little over three
years ago. Because of that, most don't realize he's also almost
34 and most of his wrestling contemporaries have already retired.
Because of that, it's important to avoid injuries and face Jones
as quickly as possible.
K.J.
NOONS - After losing via split decision to Ryan Couture in a
fight that many had him winning all three rounds in, Noons (11-6)
is not a lock to get into UFC. What he has going for him is that
Dana White, both publicly and privately, thought he was robbed.
But with so many studs in the UFC lightweight division, and the
company trying to limit additions, there are no guarantees. Having
the best fight of the show helps him. Having a name from being
in some big fights in Strikeforce, plus holding wins over Nick
Diaz and Yves Edwards, is a plus. At times, it's better for a
career to lose exciting than win boring. Noons better hope those
making the big decisions think this is one of those times.
KURT
HOLOBAUGH - Holobaugh (9-1), was a late addition to the show,
an unknown fighter best known for the story about how he fought
and won on his wedding day. As a late replacement, he couldn't
stop the wrestling game of Pat Healy and lost a decision. But
he didn't get tired, and showed some crisp stand-up when he was
able to stay upright. Holobaugh, like Noons, has been fighting
at lightweight. He may be better off if he can make featherweight,
where there is less depth and a far shorter line to the top.
But even if he doesn't get picked up, based on his performance
here, he should be strong on the Bellator radar.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Working
Class Fitness: Why You Shouldn’t Be Doing Push-Ups
Working
Class Fitness LogoI’m going to make a statement that many
people won’t like hearing… especially trainers.
The
vast majority of people who prescribe or design bodyweight workouts
for other people totally screw it up. Like bad.
As
in horrible.
Why?
Because there is absolutely no way possible to design a bodyweight
program that will have the same effect on everyone, regardless
of what the program was designed to do. This is because everyone
has different abilities. So what makes a trainer think that the
same push-up workout would be good for everybody?
Tell
you what, how about I digress for a minute and give you an example
that makes a little more sense.
Let’s
say the cool peeps that run MMAWeekly.com asked me to put together
an exclusive program for the readers of this site that would
help them increase their Bench Press 1RM (1 rep max… in
other words, the heaviest amount of weight you can lift in the
Bench Press for 1 rep).
Then,
let’s say I come out and say that the best way to get stronger
in the Bench Press is to do a warm-up set of 135 pounds for 10
reps, then a set of 5 reps with 185 pounds, then 6 sets of 4
reps with 225 pounds.
Now
sets and reps aside (I just used those as an example – they’re
not really pertinent here), would it be a good program to give
people? Hell no, it wouldn’t!
Why
not?
Because
who is to say that everyone reading could do 6 sets of 4 reps
with 225 pounds? There might be guys reading that can only Bench
Press 245 pounds… meaning this workout would be impossible
to pull off with all the sets and reps of a weight so heavy compared
to their 1RM.
Other
guys might only be able to Bench Press 200 pounds… making
the workout impossible on any level.
But
on the flip side, there might be some monsters that can Bench
Press 400+ pounds, and this workout would be entirely too easy.
See
what I mean?
That’s
why you never see weight training workouts with actual numbers
(how much you should lift) assigned. Sure, you’ll see sets
and reps. And you’ll many times see a percentage of your
1RM prescribed; that way the program can be altered specifically
to a guy and his own personal capabilities.
But
you’d never see someone tell you how much weight to put
on the bar. That would be crazy, right?
Well,
tell me how bodyweight training is any different?
5
sets of 20 Push-ups is going to be different to that 15-year-old
kid who’s skinny and never worked out a day in his life
than it is to the solid middleweight who’s been an athlete
and working out for most of his life than it will for the elite
powerlifter who can Bench 600+ in competition, but weighs 330
pounds.
Just
like telling everyone to Bench Press 225 pounds isn’t a
good idea, telling everyone to do the same sets and reps of a
particular bodyweight exercise is just as poor of an idea.
With
a weight training program, you can prescribe exercises, but it’s
up to the individual lifting to put the right amount of weight
on the bar for the given sets and reps (which are defined by
the goal one wants to achieve).
Well,
bodyweight training has to be attacked from the opposite direction.
The sets and reps will remain the same (because again, they’re
dictated by the goal). However, this time, the weight can’t
be changed as you’re using your body. So instead, you have
to pick the appropriate exercise.
Some
guys might have to do 5 sets of 20 regular Push-ups. Other guys
5 sets of 20 Push-ups with their feet on a bench. Or other guys
5 sets of 20 Push-ups from their knees. And other guys still,
5 sets of Handstand Push-ups.
See
how that works?
Approach
bodyweight training from this perspective, and you’ll be
getting a lot more out of it.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
It’s
Gonna Get Ugly: Eddie Alvarez and Bellator Sparring Over “Matching”
UFC Offer
by Ken
Pishna
It’s
been no secret over the past couple months that the UFC was targeting
top lightweight fighter Eddie Alvarez once he fulfilled his contract
with Bellator Fighting Championships.
The
UFC went after and signed Alvarez’s fellow former Bellator
champion Hector Lombard in 2012, but that situation was cut-and-dry
compared with where things are headed in regards to Alvarez severing
ties and making his way to the Octagon.
Alvarez
completed all the bouts on his Bellator contract with his last
trip to the cage, but now finds himself mired in the legal entanglement
of contracts and matching rights.
The
UFC has offered Alvarez a contract, but due to Bellator’s
right to offer a matching contract to retain him, there’s
no clear finish line ahead.
Although
most people expected Alvarez to jump to the UFC as soon as he
signed with the MMA juggernaut, thinking there was no way that
Bellator could match a UFC contract term for term, Bellator is
trying to argue that they can and will match the UFC’s offer.
UFC
president Dana White indicated the situation was on a downward
spiral following UFC 155 in Las Vegas, when he confirmed to the
media, including MMAWeekly.com, that he was trying to sign Eddie
Alvarez, but that he expected the situation was “gonna get
ugly” before we all find out just where Alvarez ends up
fighting.
The
UFC’s offer included many facets that it wouldn’t immediately
seem that Bellator could match, according to details of the offer
uncovered by Sports Illustrated. MMAWeekly.com also independently
acquired an reviewed the complaint.
The
UFC intends to put Alvarez on pay-per-view, including a pay-per-view
bonus. They also intend to put him on at least one network televised
event on Fox. These are two of the key sticking points that most
feel that Bellator can’t match, but they say they can.
“Ed
went out and got an offer from the UFC, and we took a look at
that offer, reviewed it for about eight days, and decided to
match it dollar for dollar, deal point for deal point, term for
term,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney told MMAWeekly Radio on
Monday.
“We
matched every single element of it, word for word.”
Matching
dollar for dollar is the easy part, but for a promotion that
hasn’t ever operated a pay-per-view compared to one that
has run more than 100 pay-per-view events, it would seem difficult
to equate the bonus money that Alvarez might receive for a pay-per-view
to being a match.
Saying
that Bellator could match the UFC’s offer of a guaranteed
fight on Fox’s broadcast network television channel versus
a bout on basic cable channel Spike TV is also another bone of
contention.
Following
Alvarez’s refusal to sign Bellator’s “matching”
offer because he and his team didn’t feel it truly did match
the UFC’s contract, Bellator filed a lawsuit against it’s
former champion and he in turn filed a countersuit.
Fans
and pundits alike can argue the merits of the terms and the matching
offer to no end, but in the end, it is the courts that will likely
decide Alvarez’s fate. And as White stated, “it’s
gonna get ugly” before the dust settles and we learn where
Alvarez will next ply his trade.
Key
points of Eddie Alvarez’s UFC offer:
•
Eight-fight contract. Show purse and win bonus start at $70,000
each, adding an addition $5,000 to each if Alvarez wins his bouts.
So if Alverez were to win his first seven fights, the eighth
would pay $105,000 to show and $105,000 to win.
•
Intent that Alvarez’s first UFC bout would be a UFC lightweight
title shot with the bout taking place before the end of March
2013.
•
Pay-per-view bonus starting at $1.00 for any PPV buys between
200,000 and 400,000 per event, increasing to $2.00 for any PPV
buys between 400,000 and 600,000 per event, and climbing to $2.50
per buy over 600,000 per event.
•
Guarantees one bout on Fox.
•
Guarantees a minimum of three appearances as a commentator for
other UFC events that he is not fighting on.
•
$250,000 signing bonus. (Payable in installments of $85,000 following
each of his first two fight and $80,000 following his third fight.)
Key
points of difference in Eddie Alvarez’s Bellator matching
offer:
•
A fight on Spike TV vs. UFC’s offer of a fight on Fox.
•
Spike TV produced behind-the-scenes special on Alvarez, which
includes a $25,000 payment to Alvarez.
•
A coaching position on the second season of Bellator’s new
reality TV series, which includes a $100,000 payment to Alvarez.
The coaching position requires that Alvarez first must win back
the Bellator lightweight championship.
•
A guest-host position on Spike TV’s “Road to the Championship”
show.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Smartest
Guy at the Bar: Strikeforce ‘Marquardt vs. Saffiedine Edition
By RJ Clifford
When
the “Smartest Guy at the Bar” series started dropping
knowledge with the hope that the information would win somebody
free drinks at their local watering hole, Strikeforce events
seemed like inevitable additions to the usual pay-per-view experience.
Sometimes
things do not go according to plan in MMA, as it appears Oklahoma
City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena will host Strikeforce’s
63rd and final show on Saturday, the promotion following the
International Fight League, Pride Fighting Championships, Affliction
and the white buffalo into extinction. Ironically, the final
Strikeforce broadcast falls in line with Showtime’s free
preview weekend, giving viewers a chance to sample a fight promotion
they can never watch again. Somewhere, Strikeforce founder Scott
Coker is shuddering on the back nine. The man has had a lot of
time on his hands lately.
How
We Got Here: The promotion’s swan song was supposed to deliver
a fight card worthy of Fourth of July fireworks, but injuries
turned this celebration into little more than snakes and sparklers
on your driveway. Originally dubbed Strikeforce “Champions,”
the show was to feature four title fights on the main card. In
the end, only Nate Marquardt’s welterweight strap will be
up for grabs, as he takes on Team Quest’s Tarec Saffiedine.
Journeyman-turned-contender Pat Healy was finally going to get
his due in a title bout against 155-pound champion Gilbert Melendez,
until “El Nino” was bitten by the injury bug. Luke
Rockhold was set to defend his middleweight championship against
Lorenz Larkin, but the oft-injured American Kickboxing Academy
standout was forced to bow out yet again. Strikeforce heavyweight
grand prix finalists Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett will get,
well, let’s just call them opponents..
Say
What: Injuries have become a polarizing topic with some of those
on the current Strikeforce roster. With the Ultimate Fighting
Championship set to absorb Strikeforce the way Google engulfs
startup tech companies, many fighters chose to sit on their hands,
rather than glove them up. Waiting for a call from the UFC, it
seems, is a far better option than sticking around on a sinking
ship. Tim Kennedy, who will lock horns with Trevor Smith at the
event, does not share those sentiments and called into question
the legitimacy of some of the injuries. “Well, I don’t
know. Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. It’s pathetic
and convenient for every single marquee fighter in all of Strikeforce
-- that we all know to be going over to the UFC -- are pulling
out of their fights two weeks before the final card. It’s
like, ‘Are you guys fighters or are you just a bunch of
little vaginas?’” Kennedy told BloodyElbow.com.
Magic
Number: 147: the number of days between Strikeforce events. The
last time the six-sided cage made an appearance was Aug. 18 in
San Diego.
After
Ronda Rousey got “Rowdy” with Sarah Kaufman’s
arm, the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion found itself on a roller
coaster bound for nowhere. Twice Strikeforce attempted to put
on another show in 2012 and twice it failed, first on Sept. 29
and again on Nov. 3.
We
Got There Eventually: The Strikeforce roster became a sort of
purgatory for fighters dropped by the UFC for one reason or another
-- a place to earn a paycheck and maybe, just maybe, the opportunity
to rejoin UFC again. Perhaps no fighter has stood on the outside
looking in based solely on the wrath of UFC President Dana White
longer than Barnett, who last fought in the Octagon more than
a decade ago at UFC 36. The catch wrestling specialist has done
just fine without the UFC for the last 10 years, but the MMA
landscape is quite different now. Even though he lost every round
to Cormier on two judges’ scorecards in May, the UFC needs
talented heavyweights. Good big men are hard to come by ... Marquardt
will likely become a beneficiary of luck, timing and the fact
that Zuffa’s working relationship with Showtime simply could
not be salvaged. “The Great” was cut in wake of UFC
on Versus 4, where he was supposed to face Rick Story in the
headliner. Due to elevated testosterone levels, Marquardt did
not meet the necessary medical qualifications at the 11th hour
and was pulled from the card and dropped from the promotion.
Hell
hath no fury like White when he has a main event dropout on his
hands. Luckily for the former middleweight King of Pancrase,
the UFC boss seems to be in a forgiving mood. Win or lose against
Saffiedine, Marquardt will likely get to hear Bruce Buffer call
his name again inside the Octagon.
Useless
Fact: Ed Herman will become the first and last active UFC fighter
to compete in the Strikeforce cage when he battles former Strikeforce
middleweight champion Ronaldo Souza. The UFC flirted with the
idea of bringing over choice pieces of its roster for Strikeforce
champions unable to get homegrown competition. Melendez has been
twiddling his thumbs waiting for a noteworthy challenger, while
Zuffa had designs on bringing over Frank Mir to face Cormier
before a knee injury forced him to withdraw from a scheduled
Nov. 3 bout. In the end, the UFC was asking its fighters to compete
inside a smaller promotion in front of fewer fans with no pay-per-view
cut in a fight that would not advance their run at UFC gold.
Not difficult to turn down such a request.
Not
All Doom and Gloom: History will be made in Oklahoma City, as
one of MMA’s most successful promotions turns its final
page. Every fighter on the card should take some level of pride
for his role in the process. The demise of Strikeforce was a
forgone conclusion the moment Zuffa purchased the company. That
does not erase the memories The Little Promotion That Could delivered
for us. It provided fighters like Nick Diaz, Jason Miller and
Dan Henderson an avenue through which to revitalize their careers.
One of the sport’s fiercest rivalries played out between
Melendez and Josh Thomson in a Strikeforce-exclusive trilogy.
The promotion also brought about the end of Fedor Emelianenko’s
storied career and gave us tournaments, in-cage brawls and Frank
Shamrock’s braces. In short, Strikeforce’s role in
the development of modern MMA cannot be ignored. Now comes the
fun part. Strikeforce’s best and brightest will make their
way into the UFC’s Octagon, much like their World Extreme
Cagefighting counterparts before them, and deliver the crossover
matchups about which fans have dreamed. Is Melendez the best
lightweight in the world? Can Rockhold compete with top-tier
middleweights? In what weight class will Cormier ply his trade?
The answers are forthcoming.
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
January & February 2013 fight cards
By Zach
Arnold
Date:
January 19th
Venue: Ibirapuera Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil
TV: FX
Light
Heavyweights: Roger Hollett vs. Wagner Prado
Featherweights: George Roop vs. Yuri Alcantara
Featherweights: Nik Lentz vs. Diego Nunes
Lightweights: Edson Barboza vs. Lucas Martins
Middleweights: Ronny Markes vs. Andrew Craig
Featherweights: Godofredo Castro vs. Milton Vieira
Lightweights: Thiago Tavares vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Heavyweights: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell
Middleweights: Daniel Sarafian vs. CB Dollaway
Middleweights: Michael Bisping vs. Vitor Belfort
Date:
January 26th
Venue: United Center in Chicago, Illinois
TV: FOX broadcast network
Middleweights:
Michael Kuiper vs. Caio Magalhaes
Middleweights: Rafael Natal vs. Magnus Cedenblad
Welterweights: Pascal Krauss vs. Mike Stumpf
Heavyweights: Mike Russow vs. Shawn Jordan
Welterweights: Simeon Thoresen vs. David Mitchell
Light Heavyweights: Ryan Bader vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Hatsu Hioki vs. Clay Guida
Lightweights: Matt Wiman vs. TJ Grant
Featherweights: Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas
Lightweights: Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis
Light Heavyweights: Glover Teixeira vs. Rampage Jackson
UFC Flyweight title match: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson
Date:
February 2nd
Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: FX/PPV
Lightweights:
Jacob Volkmann vs. Bobby Green
Bantamweights: Francisco Rivera vs. Edwin Figueroa
Welterweights: Tyron Woodley vs. Jay Hieron
Lightweights: Gleison Tibau vs. Evan Dunham
Flyweights: Joe Benavidez vs. Ian McCall
Welterweights: Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia
Heavyweights: Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva
Light Heavywights: Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
UFC Featherweight title match: Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
Date:
February 16th
Venue: Wembley Arena in London, England
TV: Fuel TV
Flyweights:
Phil Harris vs. Ulysses Gomez
Bantamweights: Vaughan Lee vs. Motonobu Tezuka
Middleweights: Tom Watson vs. Stanislav Nedkov
Featherweights: Josh Grispi vs. Andy Ogle
Lightweights: Danny Castillo vs. Paul Sass
Lightweights: Terry Etim vs. Renee Forte
Welterweights: Che Mills vs. Matt Riddle
Light Heavyweights: James Te Huna vs. Ryan Jimmo
Welterweights: Gunnar Nelson vs. Justin Edwards
Light Heavyweights: Cyrille Diabate vs. Jimi Manuwa
Featherweights: Dennis Siver vs. Cub Swanson
Bantamweights: Renan Barao vs. Michael MacDonald
Date:
February 23rd
Venue: Anaheim Pond (Honda Center) in Anaheim, California
TV: FX/PPV
Welterweights:
Jon Manley vs. Neil Magny
Welterweights: Kenny Robertson vs. Brock Jardine
Lightweights: Sam Stout vs. Caros Fodor
Featherweights: Dennis Bermudez vs. Matt Grice
Court McGee vs. Josh Neer
Heavyweights: Brendan Schaub vs. Lavar Johnson
Lightweights: Michael Chiesa vs. Anton Kuivanen
Featherweights: Chad Mendes vs. Manny Gamburyan
Bantamweights: Ivan Menjivar vs. Urijah Faber
Welterweights: Josh Koscheck vs. Robbie Lawler
Light Heavyweights: Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida
UFC women’s title (135 pounds): Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
MMA
Roundtable: Strikeforce's legacy, UFC 157, and more
By Dave
Doyle
Invicta
returned last weekend. Strikeforce is about to make its curtain
call. Bellator is preparing for its Spike TV debut. Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson is getting ready what he's calling his final UFC fight.
The UFC is preparing for its women's MMA debut.
As
you can see, we're all about beginnings and endings here at the
start of 2013. So let's get started with another edition of the
MMA Roundtable. My colleague Mike Chiappetta and I look at the
end of Strikeforce from multiple perspectives, UFC 157 ticket
sales, and which upcoming fights we're looking forward to watching.
1)
With the last Strikeforce event just days away, what is the organization's
legacy?
Chiappetta:
From beginning to end, the life span of Strikeforce as an MMA-only
promotion lasted less than seven years, but what an impact they
made. Think about all the memories they gave us, from Frank Shamrock
vs. Cung Le to Gina Carano vs. Cris Cyborg to the CBS brawl to
watching Fedor Emelianenko's historic win streak evaporate, they
were many.
More
than anything, Strikeforce should be remembered as a legitimate
and credible alternative for fighters and fans during a time
when the UFC was consolidating its power. Strikeforce made bold
steps with signings of bona fide stars like Emelianenko, Dan
Henderson, Alistair Overeem, Nick Diaz and more. Company president
Scott Coker also had a deft touch in spotting talent before it
exploded, as evidenced by the way he cultivated names like Gilbert
Melendez, Daniel Cormier, and Ronda Rousey.
The
existence of Strikeforce and the competition it provided forced
the UFC to up its game. Dana White and company pride themselves
on being the best at what they do, but that designation is essentially
meaningless if they're the only one at what they do. From a respectful
yet competitive distance, Strikeforce challenged, pushed and
prodded the UFC, and made the MMA world better for it.
Doyle:
I can't disagree with anything Mike said here. Scott Coker provided
a model for smart mixed martial arts promotion. Other companies
burned through millions of dollars with no real rhyme or reason.
Coker understood he had an exceptional talent base in Northern
California and gave local fans what they wanted. Frank Shamrock
and Cung Le were already established drawing cards. Coker's cards
also gave the likes of Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson chances
to hone their games under a bigger spotlight that they might
have gotten.
Eventually,
Strikeforce got caught up in bigger forces than they could control.
They either had to stay a San Jose-centered "little company
that could" or they had to make the jump up with the big
boys. While they couldn't make it work in the long run, they
provided fans with plenty of memories along the way. If nothing
else, Coker and Co. will never go through life wondering "what
if." They gave it their best shot. The fact Strikeforce
got as much mileage out of its brand as it did is a testament
to their promotional acumen.
But
while Strikeforce provided a model for how the little guy could
succeed, I'm not sure lessons learned in 2006 necessarily apply
to today's MMA world. There are few, if any, Frank Shamrocks
out there, legends of the sport who can fill a major arena and
still has gas left in the tank. Nor are there entire region's
worth of burgeoning talent which haven't already been snapped
up by the UFC or Bellator. So while Strikeforce showed how it
could be done years ago, it will probably go down more as a historical
chapter than a model going forward.
2)
What fighter from the Strikeforce roster do you think is best
equipped for success in the UFC?
Chiappetta:
I'll skip the obvious answer of Ronda Rousey since she already
signed a UFC contract and is scheduled for a fight. Instead,
I'll go with the runner-up obvious answer of Daniel Cormier.
In watching him fight, Cormier seems to have an excellent blend
of power, striking technique, wrestling proficiency and ground
skills, traits that can take him far in the UFC. The only question
is in which division he'll ultimately end up. After his teammate
Cain Velasquez recaptured the heavyweight title, it seems that
Cormier is destined to move to light-heavyweight, where he'll
be at a gigantic reach disadvantage if he matches up against
champ Jon Jones. But there are some concerns about whether Cormier
can actually make the weight.
If
he can safely get down to 205, he is a legitimate threat and
a surefire contender. If he can't, the same holds true of his
heavyweight prospects. If he does stay in his longtime divisional
home, there is simply no championship as an endgame as long as
Velasquez is holding the belt, and it would be a shame not to
see that tussle play out.
Doyle:
If Rousey's the obvious answer, and Cormier is the next in line,
then I'm going to go ahead and say I'm looking forward to seeing
what Nate Marquardt can accomplish. Marquardt has been there
before. He knows what it takes to succeed on the elite level.
He's been through it all. Now, add in the fact he looks like
a fighter with a new lease on life at welterweight, and you assume
he's going to treat a return to the UFC like the last, best chance
that it is and will fight with an appropriate level of urgency.
Put that all together and you've got someone worth following.
3.
Word came out last week that UFC 157 ticket sales are off to
something of a slow start. Is this a surprise, and do you expect
things to pick up?
Doyle:
I'm not too surprised. UFC 157 is being held in Southern California.
On any given winter night, if you're looking to run a sports
event, you're potentially going up against the Lakers, Clippers,
Kings, Ducks, and USC and/or UCLA basketball. You're also running
against an array of music and other entertainment options that
only New York can match.
The
UFC's always had a bit of trouble drawing big paid crowds in
SoCal. Not only are there all the other entertainment options
in town, but, if you're an MMA fan, UFC events in Las Vegas are
an easy trip. So unlike when the UFC hits other cities, where
it might be the only time big-league MMA is anywhere within hundreds
of miles of your town all year long, if you live in the Los Angeles
area, you've got your chance to pick and choose which events
you want to go to over the course of the year. Which means you
might decide on a weekend trip to Vegas which includes an Anderson
Silva fight over a card in your backyard.
That
said, my gut feeling is that UFC 157 will be a late bloomer of
a ticket seller. Once the ball really gets rolling with with
the PR push for this show, I think the SoCal MMA fan who is on
the fence will take a closer look and see that the card also
has Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida and Urijah Faber vs. Ivan
Menjivar, and will end up buying tickets the week of the fight.
Chiappetta:
First of all, I'm going to go against the grain and say that
ticket sales aren't all that bad. At the time MMA Fighting's
Dave Meltzer reported numbers last week, about 5,000 tickets
had been sold for a card that was nearly eight weeks away. Tickets
went on sale right as the holidays were ending, at a time when
many people were spending heavily on Christmas gifts and New
Year's celebrations. It's the time of year when discretionary
cash is at its lowest.
On
top of that, with the injuries woes that rattled 2012's fight
schedule, there could be some wariness in the market about buying
tickets too early, or the willingness to wait and see how things
shake out before taking the plunge. Throw in the fact that Ronda
Rousey's opponent Liz Carmouche is a total unknown to mainstream
sports fans and even many regular fight fans, and you have a
recipe for slow sales. But the UFC has an ace up its sleeve in
the form of Rousey's crossover fame. The feeling is that she
will make appearances on major shows and have mentions in mainstream
publications that will get the word out and spark more widespread
interest, thereby triggering late sales.
As
Dave notes, Southern California is a hellish market to navigate.
Consider that in Nov. 2011, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos
managed to draw just 9,864 paid tickets to Anaheim's Honda Center,
failing to sell out a highly marketed event that featured the
UFC heavyweight championship as a main event. If Rousey and Carmouche
come close to reaching that number, it has to be seen as a live
gate home run.
4.
Which fight in the month of January are you most looking forward
to seeing?
Doyle:
It's easy to look ahead to upcoming months and see Jose Aldo
Jr. vs. Frankie Edgar next month, the welterweight tripleheader
in March, etc., and forget there's a sneaky good slate of fights
on the docket this month.
I'm
looking forward to the Bellator title doubleheader on Jan. 17
and to the Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping fight two nights
later. Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis at UFC on FOX 6 promises
fireworks, too.
But
if I have to pick just one, I'm actually looking forward to Quinton
"Rampage" Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira in Chicago on
Jan. 26 in its own weird way. My gut feeling is that we'll see
Teixeira's star turn on national television. But what if? What
if a year away has left "Rampage" motivated for one
last memorable moment, a la Tito Ortiz's win over Ryan Bader?
Yeah, Jackson has looked past his prime in his last several fights.
But if nothing else, he deserves credit for taking a fight a
whole lot of other light heavyweight don't seem to want, and
hey, you never know when they lock the Octagon gate, which is
the beauty of the sport.
Chiappetta:
There's certainly no shortage of quality fights in January, and
since there are no rules at the old roundtable, I'm taking the
liberty of picking two fights.
While
I too am intrigued by Jackson's possible UFC finale -- and with
all due apologies to Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson, another
stellar bout -- I'm most looking forward to the Donald Cerrone
vs. Anthony Pettis fight on the same UFC on FOX 6 card. First
of all, their skill sets match up in a way that makes the bout
a guaranteed action thriller and potential show stealer. Secondly,
the two have been trading barbs in the media for an eternity,
which should ratchet up the bout's drama even further.
Number
1a) on my list is the Bellator lightweight title fight between
Michael Chandler and Rick Hawn. These are two super aggressive,
well-rounded, power-punching 155-pounders who are top caliber
talents.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Gegard
Mousasi Wants to Show He is One of the Top Three Light Heavyweights
in the World
by Damon
Martin
It’s
scary to think that through more than 30 professional wins, Gegard
Mousasi hasn’t even tapped into his real potential yet.
Despite
picking up wins over some of the world’s best at both middleweight
and light heavyweight, Mousasi is the first to admit that in
the past he’s not been as serious about his training as
he should have been.
But
in the last year, with no fights on the horizon and healing up
from various injuries, Mousasi has found a new fire lit inside
of him, and he’s hoping to unleash it at Strikeforce: Marquardt
vs. Saffiedine this weekend when he faces Mike Kyle.
“It
was difficult, but it was also good because I was not motivated,
and now I have that drive again. I really want to show everybody
what I can do. That’s a plus point and I’m focusing
on that,” Mousasi told MMAWeekly Radio about the time off
he’s had lately.
“The
training I’m doing now, I’m a lot more professional
and I really had a good training camp. I had good trainers, good
sparring partners, so everything fell in place. It wasn’t
like clowning around a lot so it gave me good motivation to show
what I can really do.”
When
he’s on point, Mousasi remains one of the most dangerous
fighters in the world at 205 pounds, and if his training really
was less than the best before now, he could become an even bigger
threat when he moves to the UFC.
With
Strikeforce closing its doors after Saturday night’s event,
Mousasi now has a goal of debuting in the Octagon later this
year and showing the world what he can do when fully prepared
and motivated.
The
only way to ensure a trip to the UFC, however, is to beat Mike
Kyle this weekend.
“The
main focus is actually this fight because you never know because
you have to perform and I have to win. After that, I think going
to the UFC is the plan, and after talking to my management it
should be a done deal. First I have a fight with Strikeforce
and that’s the most important thing,” said Mousasi.
It’s
hard not to anticipate some of the potential match-ups for Mousasi
in the UFC, and even he loves to hear fans theorizing and plotting
out fights for him. There is a lot of talent in the UFC and Mousasi
is ready to face all of them.
“I’m
glad the fans are excited about the fights, especially stand-up
fighters like Shogun (Rua), (Lyoto) Machida, or (Alexander) Gustafsson,
I think those are fights that are going to be exciting,”
Mousasi stated.
It’s
not enough though for Mousasi to just be another face in the
crowd or an exciting fighter who goes through the ebb and flow
of victories and defeats. No, Mousasi wants to be defined as
a top contender and eventually a challenger to Jon Jones and
the UFC light heavyweight title.
“That’s
my goal to show that I am in the top five or the top three (in
the world),” Mousasi stated.
“I
feel like I have the potential and with the right training and
the right mentality I can do it, and I feel that way right now.
January 12 is the date I will show it.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Alistair
Overeem ‘Back on Track,’ Approved for License to Fight
‘Bigfoot’ Silva at UFC 156
Erik Fontanez
Following
a suspension for elevated levels of testosterone, Alistair Overeem
was granted a license to fight on Tuesday, paving the way for
his UFC 156 fight with “Bigfoot” Silva.
After
a nine-month suspension, UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem appeared
in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday and
was granted a license to fight.
The
five-person panel voted unanimously to grant the hulking heavyweight
a license, which allows for Overeem to face Antonio “Bigfoot”
Silva in their scheduled bout in Las Vegas at UFC 156 on Feb.
2.
“I’m
ready to get my life back on track,” Overeem said during
the hearing.
During
Overeem’s suspension, the fighter provided the NSAC with
five drug tests, all of which he administered himself, according
to NSAC executive director Keith Kizer. The results of those
tests came back negative. Additionally, the governing body subjected
the fighter to two tests of their own. Both those tests came
back negative, as well.
Overeem
was originally suspended in April following a surprise drug test
in March that showed elevated levels of testosterone. The commission
allows for athletes to have a testosterone-to-epitestosterone
ratio of 6:1, but Overeem’s test showed the fighter had
a ratio of 14:1.
In
the weeks that followed being suspended, Overeem appeared before
the commission and explained that his positive test stemmed from
an anti-inflammatory injection administered by a doctor named
Hector Molina. The treatment, Overeem said, produced the elevated
testosterone levels without his knowledge. The commission, however,
denied the fighter licensure at the time and informed him he
could not reapply for nine months.
With
the license now secure, the Overeem-Silva fight has a green light,
and the winner will likely be next in line for a shot at newly-crowned
heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Updated
UFC Japan 2013 fight card: Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann main
event
By
Zach Arnold
As
reported by Gong Kakutougi magazine today:
Wanderlei
Silva vs. Brian Stann
Middleweights: Hector Lombard vs. Yushin Okami
Featherweights: Rani Yahya vs. Mizuto Hirota
Stefan Struve vs. Mark Hunt
Diego Sanchez vs. Takanori Gomi
Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Dong Hyun-Kim
Brad Tavares vs. Riki Fukuda
Bryan Caraway vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Cristiano Marcello vs. Kazuki Tokudome
Alex Caceres vs. Kyung Ho Kang
Marcelo Guimaraes vs. Hyun Gyu Lim
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
With
final show approaching, Scott Coker looks at the Strikeforce
era
By Dave
Meltzer
The
longtime No. 2 promotion in the U.S., sold in 2011 to Zuffa,
closes its doors with Saturday's night's show in Oklahoma City
headlined by welterweight champion Nate Marquardt defending his
title against Tarec Saffiedine.
After
Saturday night, the Strikeforce brand, started by Scott Coker
in 1992 to promote kickboxing events on ESPN2, which evolved
into an MMA promotion in 2006, will be no more.
A
long journey that started with regional events in San Jose, Calif.,
ends in Oklahoma City at the Chesapeake Energy Center for a Showtime
event headlined by Nate Marquardt defending the Strikeforce welterweight
title against Tarec Saffiedine, and Daniel Cormier facing Dion
Staring. After the show, all the major Strikeforce names will
start debuting on UFC shows.
As
will Coker, who told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour on Monday
what he's planning on doing after the lights are turned out on
the brand.
"I
wake up and head home, and watch the NFL playoff game,"
he said. "I do have a contract with Zuffa which I intend
to honor and so do they. We're going to work together on the
duties and responsibilities. Ariel, honesty, I'll probably fly
to Las Vegas in the next ten days or so and we'll probably work
it out. But my effort is trying to have a great show on Saturday
night."
Strikeforce
closes down approximately two years after Coker's original business
partners, Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment (SVSE), who
own both the HP Pavilion in San Jose, as well as the San Jose
Sharks NHL franchise, sold complete ownership to Lorenzo Fertitta
and Zuffa, the owners of the UFC.
The
company was kept alive as a separate entity to continue the existing
contract with Showtime. The deal as well as Strikeforce nearly
ended in late 2011 when UFC and Showtime reached an agreement.
The terms called for a one-year contract with Showtime having
options to continue it for another year. Even though ratings
remained strong, Showtime decided against renewing the deal after
pulling out of broadcasting two straight shows in the fall when
injuries led to lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and then
middleweight champion Luke Rockhold pulling out of scheduled
main event title defenses.
"We've
never had that kind of a situation unfold in the past, but it
unfolded the way it did," Coker said. "We've been waiting
and waiting. They put together an amazing fight card, from top
to bottom. It's unbelievable. We'd like to have Gilbert and Luke
there, but they're injured."
The
company was built from the start around Melendez and rival Josh
Thomson, who had the best series of fights in company history
trading the lightweight title, and the two big drawing cards,
Frank Shamrock, and Cung Le. All four were on the first show,
on March 10, 2006, which sold out the Pavilion with 18,265 fans
and set what at the time was a North American attendance record
for the sport.
"The
first four pillars, Frank, Cung, Gil and Josh, they were the
building blocks of our organization. I'll be grateful forever
for those guys for putting their hearts out and fighting their
asses off. Because without those four guys, I don't think we'd
have been able to build this company into what it was."
Yet,
Coker points to the March 29, 2008, show when Shamrock fought
Le in what was promoted as "The Battle of San Jose,"
with the two local fighting icons who were former training partners
as the high point of the company.
"I
can judge it by the response in the building, that (the high
point) was the Shamrock and Cung Le fight. We sold the venue
half to Cung fans and half to Frank fans. It was so electric
and so loud you couldn't hear anything. Most thought that Cung
was going to get his butt whipped by Frank, and it was going
to be no fight and no contest. I remember talking to Javier Mendez
and he said, `Cung has a shot. Is he going to win? Well, he has
a shot.' I was just looking for a fair match-up and a great main
event. It was the most electrifying night, the most electrifying
fight in the HP Pavilion, which I think is the greatest place
to watch mixed martial arts in the United States."
Coker
started promoting local kickboxing events in the 1980s, back
in the days when the Professional Karate Association (PKA) had
weekly live shows on a fledgling start up station called ESPN.
As ESPN graduated to higher profile sports, kickboxing events
taped in San Jose became filler taped programming for ESPN 2.
In 2005, when mixed martial arts was about to be legalized in
California, Coker petitioned the athletic commission to allow
him to have the first show, which was originally scheduled for
the summer of 2005.
He
had been friends with Shamrock, who moved to San Jose in 1997.
Shamrock started his own fight team, and Coker talked him into
coming out of retirement for the promotion.
"He
said okay, and we identified Cesar Gracie as his opponent."
The
fight only lasted 20 seconds with Shamrock winning by knockout.
"Cesar
got caught with a right hand and the fight was over, but that
can happen for any event."
As
with any promotion that runs 63 events, there were good and bad
shows, successes and failures.
Coker
noted you can't build around one or two people because to survive
long-term you have to be building the next stars, and the stars
after that.
"We've
been good star builders, look at Daniel Cormier, Ronda Rousey,
Luke Rockhold. We had Cung Le and even Javier Mendez (now one
of the best known trainers in MMA) in the 90s, and before that,
we had Francis Farley, before that, 'Bad' Brad Hefton from ESPN.
You always had to have that main event. If you want to be a sustainable
business, you better be a good star builder. You can then supplement
your own stars with bring in a few stars in here and there."
The
original success of Strikeforce was a lot about being in the
right place at the right time. MMA had just gotten on TV. Le
was a local star dating back to his San Shou fights in the 90s,
and Shamrock was one of the best fighters ever when it came to
promoting his own fights. With the AKA team and Cesar Gracie's
team, the area had a number of quality fighters. Several first
made their names on early Strikeforce shows, and went elsewhere,
like Cain Velasquez, Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida, Nate Diaz and
Gina Carano.
When
Pro Elite, which had contracts with Showtime and CBS, was about
to fold, Strikeforce purchased its assets, including contracts
with more than 50 fighters, and began promoting nationally.
Unfortunately,
Strikeforce's second show on CBS, from Nashville, was Coker's
low point with the brand.
"The
one black eye that I regret is the situation after the fight,
the Nashville situation with Mayhem Miller and the Diaz Boys,"
he said about a brawl, which started when Miller challenged Jake
Shields, who had just beaten Dan Henderson to retain his middleweight
title. The words escalated and several of Shields' teammates,
which included both Diaz Brothers and Melendez, attacked Miller.
The promotion never got another show on CBS after the incident.
"Here
we are on the Tiffany network and something like that happens
and it wasn't a good thing. I was embarrassed by that. We made
sure nothing ever happened like that or even got close again.
We set ground rules prohibiting people from getting into the
cage. We weren't about to let that happen again."
As
far as what the future hold for Coker, nothing is certain long-term,
but he's now going to be able to be a fan and watch fights without
the pressure of worrying about all the things that could go wrong.
"It's
actually 27 years of promoting, 21 years of Strikeforce. It's
okay to sit back and watch some of these shows and not have to
do it myself," he said. "I had a great time watching
Cain Velasquez's fight on my iPad while I was traveling over
the holidays. I don't have to be at every fight. I'm a martial
artists fanatic and will continue to support martial arts and
contribute to martial arts. It's something I believe in, and
it's not going to stop."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
After
Surviving in Strikeforce, K.J. Noons Hopes for Move to UFC
Strikeforce’s
struggles have also been K.J. Noons’ struggles.
The
promotion hosts its final event Saturday, and after his bout
against Ryan Couture, Noons will be ready to move on.
“I’m
just excited if anything and also excited to hopefully move to
the UFC and just really get more fights,” Noons told the
Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “I
fought [last] in March. Strikeforce, this year, really didn’t
keep me consistent, and that’s probably not their fault
due to shows cancelled and the demise or the kind of fizzling
out, but that really sucks for someone like me who makes his
living off fighting.”
Noons
fought four times in 2010, including three times for Strikeforce.
In 2011, though, he competed twice and then last year just once.
“It’s
more surviving,” Noons answered when asked if fighting once
a year was enough to make a living. “It puts you in a really
sad situation, especially if you have a family. It’s no
fun. I know the guys over at the UFC, they definitely get their
three fights in a year. That’s never a problem with all
the shows they have. Hopefully I get to move over to that side
and get more fights.”
Noons’
bout Saturday could give him the opportunity to impress the UFC
brass. He’s one of the best strikers in the lightweight
division, but he’s also lost three of his last four. Against
Couture, he needs a win.
“I’ve
watched some tape on him,” Noons said. “I think he’s
a good fighter, a good wrestler, good all around, real lengthy,
good up-and-comer, just a really good fighter. It’s going
to be a great fight. He has good strategies coming into the fight,
and I think he’s a game opponent.”
Couture
is the 30-year-old son of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture. He
enters the fight with a 5-1 record, which means he’ll be
giving up a fair amount of experience to Noons, who will also
be the superior striker. The fight could come down to Noons’
ability to stay on his feet and let his hands go -- the same
situation he’d likely find himself in in the UFC.
“I
have to be a better all-around fighter to compete at the top
level,” Noons said. “I just have to prepare for that
kind of stuff. If I can do that, I don’t see myself having
a problem moving on with my career, staying in the game and also
still being one of the most exciting fighters to watch.”
Source
Sherdog
|
Bellator’s
Spike launch & its meaning for California’s 2013 business
climate
By Zach
Arnold
When
Bellator Sport Worldwide LLC has their Spike TV card on January
17th in Irvine, California at the Bren Events Center, there will
be a lot of important eyeballs in state politics paying close
attention to how well the event does.
Bellator’s
2013 event scheduling calendar makes it clear that California
will be a geographical cornerstone for the company, which is
news that Sacramento is happy to hear. It means a second MMA
player besides the UFC for revenue for a state athletic commission
that Andy Foster is trying to rebuild in a big way.
The
January 17th show will be important symbolism on multiple levels.
On a regulatory level, expect to see some big names working the
show (such as Big John McCarthy and Gene LeBell). LeBell, who
has not been booked often by Che Guevara, will see a significant
increase in profile under Andy Foster’s watch. That’s
a good thing. New blood on the judging, officiating, and inspecting
level is coming. One promoter, on background, claims that there
will be an emphasis in the future to book officials who have
actual in-ring fighting experience. The philosophical change
will certainly be different than business as usual.
The
Bellator 1/17 main card looks like this:
Michael
Chandler vs. Rick Hawn
Renato Babalu vs. Mikhail Zayats
Pat Curran vs. Patricio Pitbull
Seth Petruzelli vs. Jacob Noe
Emanuel Newton vs. Atanas Djambazov
The
success of the Bellator shows in 2013 is a big deal for CSAC.
When it comes to revenue from big boxing & MMA events, the
revenue is capped at $100,000 per show for the commission. So,
CSAC has a real interest in seeing mid-sized promoters do well
in the state. The UFC show on 2/23 in Anaheim (Ronda Rousey vs.
Liz Carmouche) is drawing lukewarm business. One Sacramento source
says that the numbers UFC is doing for their show advance are
to be expected because of a few reasons: 1) California remains
a boxing-first, MMA-second state in terms of fan preference;
2) there’s a lot of MMA shows in California which means
that you can sell a fair amount of tickets but not draw as big
of gates because your price point has to be lower; 3) the majority
of the activity is in Southern California, meaning that the Northern
California shows often get second-tier fights as opposed to the
major money bouts.
What
happens behind-the-scenes at the Bellator show on a CSAC level
will give everyone an indication of where things are heading
for 2013 politically… and the politics are hot-and-heavy
right now in Sacramento.
Picking
sides
Multiple
sources report that Che Guevara has been on a 30-day leave since
last December. These same sources indicate that much of the booking
sheets for January & February events are ‘incomplete’
and have many gaps for booking assignments. However, some regular
names do appear on the booking sheets. One name that is drawing
fire in certain CSAC quarters is the name of Rose Saavedra, a
person who works in the office of Dr. Richard Gluckman. Dr. Gluckman
is considered a one-stop-shop doctor for fighters looking to
get medical tests done so that they can be cleared to fight in
the state. The complaints being voiced about Saavedra getting
booked as a show inspector has to do with potential conflict-of-interest
issues since the inspectors are in charge of the health &
safety of fighters. If a person close to a well-known doctor
who is doing the medical testing of fighters is acting an inspector,
you can understand why there is some scrutiny & concern being
voiced.
The
future of Che Guevara remains the key question for California
combat sports in 2013. Up until now, he has been well-protected
and insulated in Sacramento at the Department of Consumer Affairs.
This is a man who got his job after DCA chased out Dean Lohuis
in a disgusting manner. It was Che Guevara, not Dean Lohuis,
who screwed up on the illegal hand-wraps that Antonio Margarito
got caught having before his 2009 Staples Center fight against
Shane Mosley. And, yet, DCA & the AG’s office (Karen
Chappelle) put Che in a position to become the Chief Athletic
Inspector. One tool used by DCA against Lohuis in order to establish
a power structure of Che Guevara & Bill Douglas was the usage
of their internal DOI (Department of Investigation). DOI is DCA’s
group of wannabe police officers who don’t legally have
the same powers as a typical policeman. However, they are the
ones who frequently confiscate computer equipment whenever they
want to investigate or pressure someone. DCA is loaded with investigators
making over $70,000 a year. They’re stooges. Henchmen. Call
them whatever you want.
We
mention DOI because multiple sources with knowledge of CSAC affairs
has indicated to us that DCA is using DOI to conduct an ass-covering
general investigation regarding the way business is being conducted
with CSAC. Given DOI’s past behavior and their tactics with
individuals like Dean Lohuis, it is interesting to note that
individuals who have been questioned by DOI or will be questioned
by DOI are advised to have a lawyer present in order to prevent
DOI’s Barney Fifes from pulling any stunts which have a
whiff of police power.
In
the past, we have asked the question as to why so many big wigs
in CADEM (the California Democratic Party) are so interested
in what is happening with CSAC. It just makes no sense. The state
is drowning in billions of dollars of debt and yet CSAC remains
a sacred cow to them politically in terms of control & manipulation.
While we still don’t have a clear answer as to what the
$ motives are, what we are finding out through various document
dumps is that the names of individuals involved is extensive
& deep in Governor Jerry Brown’s political circle.
According
to a September 20th, 2012 letter sent by former CSAC member Mike
Munoz to Governor Brown’s office, Munoz spelled out how
he and others were not re-appointed to CSAC because they didn’t
vote to fire George Dodd at the infamous El Monte, California
meeting last June. Munoz named Nettie Sabelhaus as Governor Brown’s
political fixer that told him to fire Dodd if he wanted the California
state Senate (turf of Darrell Steinberg) to confirm his CSAC
appointment. Munoz didn’t vote to fire Dodd and as a result
was jettisoned out of CSAC, along with politician-wannabe Linda
Forster and Mark Burnett lawyer Brian Edwards.
Nettie
Sabelhaus is an important name to surface. She worked for Darrell
Steinberg’s Rules committee at the Capitol. Jerry Brown
appointed Sacramento lifer Denise Brown to the top of Consumer
Affairs. In order to protect Brown’s appointment at DCA,
she had to get confirmed in the state Senate. Getting George
Dodd, DCA’s whipping boy, out of CSAC was a way to ensure
confirmation. Steinberg and Gov. Brown do not always see eye-to-eye,
but Brown having a lifetime California fixer like Sabelhaus (who
is close to Steinberg) was a way for him to protect Denise Brown
and allow DB to appoint her own person to CSAC. In the past,
I’ve remarked that you don’t survive Sacramento politics
like Denise Brown has since the days of Jimmy Carter unless you
are ruthless and know how to have the right connections. We now
know the names of who was involved on DCA’s side of the
civil war against CSAC.
What
about the sunset?
There
are some important names in the CADEM power circle who are interested
in sunsetting CSAC. However, the safe money appears to be that
the Senate’s Business & Professions committee will grant
CSAC a continuance since Denise Brown got her man (Andy Foster)
appointed.
What
makes this scenario fascinating is that there will be some whipping
boys at the public hearings. Someone will be scapegoated and
excoriated. Will it be Che Guevara? One Capitol source indicates
to us that the April hearing will more or less be a cover to
push the fraudulent findings from the Bureau of State Audits
which claimed that the state never had to pay full-time state
employees time-and-a-half pay when working as athletic inspectors.
That, of course, is false. The state has to pay full-time state
employees time-and-a-half because it’s the law. They can
come up with their own legal interpretations and memos, but it
doesn’t change the fact that they’re too lazy to change
the laws and get into a political fight with unions in the state.
We mention this situation because a source with knowledge of
union affairs has indicated to us that both Federal and state
union leaders are now aware of the BSA’s fraudulent findings
and are considering putting up a fight on behalf of the inspectors.
The
real issue with CSAC’s budget blowing up had to do with
the way Che Guevara booked his closest friends & political
allies, giving certain individuals inspector gigs where they
traveled more than 50 miles to a show. That results in a $18
meal voucher and a hotel room for each show worked. Plus there
are the inspectors who want to be featured prominently on television
as if they are big stars. Throw in the stories about wet bars
for Lemoore shows and DCA management renting Cadillac Escalades
to go to a commission meeting and you can pretty much see why
things became a total fiasco.
So,
you have the exorbitant travel costs. Throw in the fact that
most of the inspectors Che favored couldn’t do a box office
correctly and you ended up with Sacramento losing up to 7-figures
over the last few years in missing revenue.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
World
Series of Fighting Institutes Bonus Program; Rewards Debut Card
Fighters
by Damon
Martin
Every
fighter likes getting a little something extra when their performance
stood out on a card, and much like the UFC has instituted in
their promotion, World Series of Fighting has decided to institute
a bonus program as well.
Following
a successful debut show in 2012, the fledgling promotion decided
to kick off 2013 by rewarding those that stood out on their first
card.
A
“Knockout of the Night” bonus went to Anthony Johnson,
while the “Submission of the Night” award was handed
to JZ Cavalcante for his performance over T.J. O’Brien.
The
promotion also handed out two “Performance of the Night”
checks to Marlon Moraes, for his upset victory over former WEC
champion Miguel Torres, as well as Tyrone Spong, who made a successful
MMA debut with a knockout over Travis Bartlett.
World
Series of Fighting officials Ray Sefo and Ali Abdel-Aziz decided
that the fighters on the debut show deserved bonuses after putting
on a great night of fights, and hope to continue with the bonus
program on future shows as well.
The
next World Series of Fighting card will take place in early 2013
with an announcement coming in the next few weeks regarding scheduling
and location as well as fighters expecting to appear on the show.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
 |
Strikeforce
‘Marquardt vs. Saffiedine’ Preview
By Tristen
Critchfield
Strikeforce
bids farewell on Saturday with an 11-bout lineup from the Chesapeake
Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. The 63rd and final event held
by the California-based promotion features a welterweight title
bout between champion Nate Marquardt and Belgian challenger Tarec
Saffiedine and allows several more prominent fighters -- Daniel
Cormier, Josh Barnett, Gegard Mousasi and Ronaldo Souza among
them -- to showcase their talents one last time before an expected
exodus to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
For
a while, it appeared as an Aug. 18, 2012 show would serve as
the Strikeforce swan song, as events scheduled for Sept. 29 and
Nov. 3 were unceremoniously canceled. Fortunately, Strikeforce
receives a more dignified goodbye as the first major event of
the calendar year, so dry your eyes, fight fans. It was a good
run while it lasted.
Here
is a closer look at the Strikeforce “Marquardt vs. Saffiedine”
show, with analysis and picks:
Strikeforce Welterweight Championship
Nate
Marquardt (32-10-2, 1-0 SF) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (13-3, 5-1 SF)
Saffiedine
has never been finished.
The
Matchup: To the victor go the spoils of being the answer to a
trivia question, as either Marquardt or Saffiedine will be forever
immortalized as the final 170-pound champion in the promotion’s
history. More importantly, the winner can use the bout as a springboard
to more meaningful bouts in the Octagon once the transition to
the UFC is complete.
Marquardt’s
debut in the hexagon turned out to be a more-thrilling-than-expected
triumph over Tyron Woodley in July. In that bout, the Grudge
Training Center representative demonstrated good composure in
weathering an early storm from the All-American wrestler before
putting his considerable power on display and eventually finishing
the fight in the fourth round. Long one of the UFC’s top
contenders at 185 pounds, Marquardt should be an immediate person
of interest at welterweight in the Las Vegas-based promotion’s
improving welterweight division, assuming he takes care of business
here.
Meanwhile,
Saffiedine has enjoyed a respectable run through the soon-to-be
defunct promotion, compiling a 5-1 record with wins over James
Terry, Nate Moore, Scott Smith, Tyler Stinson and Roger Bowling.
His only setback came when his diverse striking arsenal was short-circuited
by the pressure and wrestling of Woodley at Strikeforce Challengers
13.
None
of those victories will adequately prepare the Belgian fighter
for the well-traveled Marquardt, a former middleweight King of
Pancrase and onetime UFC title contender. The Coloradan is no
stranger to the bright lights of a main event, and bouts with
the likes of Anderson Silva, Martin Kampmann, Demian Maia, Chael
Sonnen and Yushin Okami -- to name a few -- have given him a
wealth of experience inside the cage.
In
recent years, Marquardt has struggled against dominant wrestlers
such as Sonnen and Okami, but he was, for the most part, able
to thwart the takedown game of Woodley in his most recent outing.
He is stronger and most likely a better wrestler than Saffiedine,
who prefers to keep the majority of his contests on the feet.
Marquardt, an able counterpuncher, will need to figure out his
opponent’s timing and respond in turn. Saffiedine can be
a difficult puzzle to solve at times, thanks to his ability to
switch stances and land a versatile arsenal of punches, kicks,
knees and elbows in various combinations. Saffiedine is also
a cerebral fighter capable of making adjustments on the fly based
on the skill set and game plan of his opponent.
While
Saffiedine is generally the more accurate striker and lands with
greater volume, he rarely finishes fights on the feet; just one
of his 13 career victories has come via knockout. Instead, the
Team Quest member utilizes speed, movement and angles to rack
up points, and he maintains a good sense of when to transition
to the various different elements of MMA. However, despite being
a durable competitor who has not been finished in 16 fights,
Saffiedine has yet to face anyone who combines power and well-rounded
skills like Marquardt, who has earned five of his last six wins
by knockout or technical knockout. “The Great” can
land solid combinations once he gets in a rhythm, but he is also
more likely than Saffiedine to change levels and force the fight
to the floor.
The
Pick: Marquardt has more options and experience, and while Saffiedine
might be able to hang around if he picks his spots carefully,
he will eventually get caught. Marquardt wins by TKO in the third
round.
Heavyweights
Daniel
Cormier (10-0, 7-0 SF) vs. Dion Staring (28-7, 0-0 SF)
The
Matchup: Following Cain Velasquez’s five-round dissection
of Junior dos Santos at UFC 155, talk immediately turned to who
would give the champion his most difficult test in 2013. Cormier,
thanks to his relentless wrestling and solid punching power,
was one of the names most frequently mentioned in that discussion.
However, as one of the main staples of the vaunted American Kickboxing
Academy gym, Cormier maintains a close relationship with Velasquez,
and the two have vowed not to fight one another.
That
creates an interesting scenario as the 33-year-old crosses over
to the UFC. Cormier, as proven by his run through the Strikeforce
heavyweight grand prix, is more than worthy of immediate title
consideration at heavyweight, but as long as his teammate has
the belt, his path to the top is blocked. Another intriguing
option has the 2008 United States Olympic wrestling team captain
dropping to 205 pounds in hopes of an eventual title shot there.
At any rate, Cormier figures to be a key person to watch this
year, as his arrival in the UFC -- no matter the weight class
he chooses -- could drastically affect that division’s landscape.
First,
there is the formality of fulfilling his Strikeforce contract,
which Cormier will do with a head-scratcher of a matchup against
Combat Sports Academy Holland product Staring. There appears
to be little to gain for Cormier here: a loss would be catastrophic,
a decision win would raise eyebrows and a blowout victory would
be perceived as business as usual. The latter remains the most
desirable option, and Cormier should have plenty of motivation
to compete after a nearly eight-month layoff.
The
34-year-old Staring has won nine of his last 10 bouts, though
none of those victories are especially notable. “The Soldier”
does have a few interesting fights on his resume, however, including
a third-round submission loss to UFC light heavyweight Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira in 2009, a stoppage win over UFC featherweight
talent Akira Corassani in 2007 and a decision setback to two-time
Octagon competitor Denis Stojnic in 2006. Additionally, Staring
is 0-2 in a pair of meetings with former Bellator Fighting Championships
heavyweight tournament semifinalist Damian Grabowski.
In
order to bolster his training for his showdown with Cormier,
Staring has set up camp with the Blackzilians team in Florida.
A former soldier in the Dutch army, Staring could easily compete
at 205 pounds, but he will not be facing a massive heavyweight
in Cormier. What Cormier lacks in size, he makes up for in sheer
skill. Against Barnett, the American Kickboxing Academy wrestling
coach showed improved standup, punishing “The Warmaster”
with hooks, uppercuts, kicks and knees.
Additionally,
the former Oklahoma State University Cowboy has solid submission
defense to go along with his sparkling grappling credentials.
That leaves Staring with little room for error. An errant kick
will find the Dutchman quickly planted on his back, where he
is prone to surrendering position. If he chooses, Cormier could
use his defensive wrestling to keep this one standing and test
Staring’s chin.
The
Pick: Cormier can either pound Staring into submission on the
ground or knock him out standing. If it does not happen in the
first round, look for Cormier to finish the job early in the
second.
Heavyweights
Josh
Barnett (31-6, 2-1 SF) vs. Nandor Guelmino (11-3-1, 0-0 SF)
The
Matchup: Barnett deserves high praise for lasting five rounds
against Daniel Cormier in May. Five-round bouts are a rarity
in heavyweight MMA, and the fact that Barnett did so against
one of the sport’s top big men while battling through a
broken left hand makes his effort -- even in defeat -- all the
more impressive.
Like
Cormier, Barnett must fulfill his Strikeforce and Showtime obligations
before he can move on to the next phase of his career. While
it is not clear if Barnett will receive a warm welcome back into
the UFC fold, a dominant performance certainly would not hurt
his chances.
The
37-year-old Guelmino carries a seven-fight winning streak into
his meeting with Barnett. A tae kwon do specialist, Guelmino
has finished nine of his 11 victories by way of knockout or submission.
The Austrian captured the Southern Europe-based World Free Fight
Challenge promotion’s heavyweight crown in October with
a decision over Emil Zahariev in a bout in which Guelmino relied
heavily on a his left jab and right low kick to keep his opponent
at bay.
“The
Hun” will have to do his best to create space against Barnett,
one of the game’s top submission specialists. “The
Warmaster” uses underrated striking and athleticism to close
the distance and force tie-ups and takedowns. Barnett is durable
enough to walk through heavy fire to force the action to the
mat, and once there, he is adept at softening his adversary with
punches and elbows while working for a fight-ending submission.
Barnett
is suffocating from top position, so it is paramount that Guelmino
keep the fight upright for as long as he can. A Pride Fighting
Championships veteran, Barnett is as cerebral as they come inside
the cage, and he will not wait long to make it his type of fight.
In the unlikely event Barnett is taken down, he is more active
and dangerous from his back than most heavyweights.
Cormier’s
wrestling was able to dictate the location of his fight with
Barnett, and his standup was too dynamic for “The Warmaster”
to handle. Guelmino’s takedown defense leaves something
to be desired, however, and Barnett’s pressure will likely
be too much to overcome.
The
Pick: Barnett will not waste much time, as he initiates a tie-up
and dumps Guelmino to the floor. From there, he will methodically
pound his way to a dominant position before submitting Guelmino
in the opening frame.
Middleweights
Ronaldo
Souza (16-3, 6-1 SF) vs. Ed Herman (20-8, 0-0 SF)
The
Matchup: “Jacare” is on the short list of Strikeforce
fighters who will generate the most interest upon his Octagon
debut. Those curious as to how he would fare against a UFC middleweight
will not have to wait to find out, as the Brazilian squares off
with the lone crossover on the card -- “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 3 finalist Ed Herman.
Herman
appeared to have had his three-fight winning streak halted by
Jake Shields at UFC 150, but the bout was later ruled a no contest
when it was determined that Shields tested positive for a banned
substance. Still, it is worth noting that Herman’s ability
to secure top control and land heavy ground-and-pound was limited
in a bout against a world-class grappler such as Shields. In
Souza, a five-time world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, “Short
Fuse” will face yet another formidable task.
Souza
is not just a grappler. The X-Gym product’s hands are a
rapidly improving facet of his game, as evidenced by the counter
right hook that floored Derek Brunson in his most recent outing
at Strikeforce “Rousey vs. Kaufman.” It was the first
knockout finish of Souza’s 20-fight professional career,
but the victory could be a sign of things to come for the former
185-pound champion, who defeated Tim Kennedy in 2010 by attacking
almost entirely on the feet.
Herman’s
standup is limited, and he uses his striking primarily to get
into tie-up range. In clinches, Herman will look to land his
powerful uppercut or force the fight to the floor, where he can
work to advance position for submissions or punches and elbows.
Souza’s judo background will make it difficult to successfully
implement such an approach. As soon as Herman is off-balance
or unaware, “Jacare” will toss or trip him to the canvas.
While
Herman is a game and usually durable performer, his movements
are often mechanical and he will struggle to find openings against
an athlete as talented as Souza. The Brazilian’s speed and
power will be too much for the UFC veteran standing, and there
is little reason to think he can thwart the takedown and submission
game of the decorated grappler on the mat. Herman’s best
chance lies in landing a big shot in the clinch, because he will
not be able to return to his feet on a consistent basis after
being taken down.
The
Pick: Souza should be able to win this fight no matter where
it is contested, but Herman is resourceful enough to at least
survive a few precarious situations. Souza takes it by decision.
Light
Heavyweights
Gegard
Mousasi (32-3-2, 3-1-1 SF) vs. Mike Kyle (19-8-1, 3-3-1 SF)
The
Matchup: It has been more than a year since Mousasi, one of the
sport’s most talented light heavyweights not currently in
the UFC, last stepped inside the cage. He will square off with
Kyle in a bout that has seemingly been in the works forever:
the pair has been scheduled to meet on three different occasions.
Despite
his gaudy record, Mousasi is just entering his prime at 27 years
old, and the former Strikeforce and Dream light heavyweight titlist
has all the physical tools necessary to make an impact in the
Octagon when the time comes. Still, “The Dreamcatcher”
remains prone to moments of inconsistency, whether it be fading
in the third round of what was largely a dominant effort against
Ovince St. Preux or his head-scratching draw with Keith Jardine,
which came as the result of an illegal Mousasi upkick.
Kyle,
a former King of the Cage heavyweight champion, began his Strikeforce
stint taking on larger fighters such as Fabricio Werdum and Antonio
Silva. Kyle is better suited for 205 pounds, though he was overwhelmed
by Rafael Cavalcante at Strikeforce “Barnett vs. Cormier.”
That bout was later ruled a no contest when Cavalcante tested
positive for a banned substance.
Kyle’s
straightforward, brawling style could prove to be his undoing
against Mousasi. The American Kickboxing Academy product likes
to move forward while landing jabs and straight punches, and
he possesses solid power in his right hand. However, he will
struggle to find his range against Mousasi’s smooth kickboxing.
The Red Devil International export avoids absorbing damage on
the feet thanks to his understanding of how to use movement and
angles. Mousasi’s technical skill should allow him to cut
off the cage and punish Kyle with an accurate and varied striking
arsenal.
Beating
Mousasi in a prolonged standup battle is unlikely, so Kyle must
use combinations to set up takedown attempts. While his submission
game is sound, Mousasi’s defensive wrestling is his greatest
weakness, as even St. Preux and Jardine experienced success getting
him to the floor. Mousasi maintains his composure well in tight
spots, however, and is more than capable of catching an overeager
Kyle in an armbar or triangle choke from his back.
The
Pick: It is too much to expect Kyle to consistently execute a
rinse-and-repeat game plan with takedowns and wrestling. Mousasi
catches him with a precise counter and finishes the fight in
round two.
Lightweights
Pat
Healy (28-16, 6-1 SF) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (8-0, 0-0 SF): Healy
might have been the biggest loser in the Strikeforce demise,
as he went from a marquee championship bout with Gilbert Melendez
to a spot on the undercard against a journeyman. If anything
is working in Holobaugh’s favor, it is that his most recent
victory came over Ronnie Rogers, a fighter who shares Healy’s
moniker of “Bam Bam.” Healy will get the best of the
tie-ups, scrambles and transitions, and his grinding style will
gradually wear on Holobaugh en route to a late submission or
decision victory.
Middleweights
Roger
Gracie (5-1, 3-1 SF) vs. Anthony Smith (17-8, 2-1 SF): Smith
has won nine of his last 10 fights after submitting Lumumba Sayers
with a triangle choke at Strikeforce “Rousey vs. Kaufman”
in August. Smith is comfortable on his back, but he will be facing
a far more competent grappler in Gracie, who dominated UFC veteran
Keith Jardine for three rounds in his 185-pound debut. Gracie,
a 10-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, will be able to
strike for takedowns when Smith gets too wild on his feet. From
there, the Brazilian will be able to work his magic and win by
submission in round two.
Middleweights
Tim
Kennedy (14-4, 5-2 SF) vs. Trevor Smith (10-2, 2-1 SF): Though
his efforts to capture Strikeforce’s 185-pound strap have
fallen short, Kennedy is not a whole lot of fun for anyone to
face. The U.S. Army Green Beret is tough and tenacious, and he
has only been bested by superior athletes thus far in his Strikeforce
career. Once a light heavyweight, Smith made the cut to middleweight
after a 65-second loss to Gian Villante. The former All-American
wrestler at Iowa State University will not give in easily, but
Kennedy mixes striking, takedowns and clinch work effectively
enough to earn a decision.
Lightweights
Ryan
Couture (5-1, 5-1 SF) vs. K.J. Noons (11-5, 3-3 SF): Though he
does nothing spectacular, Couture keeps finding ways to win.
The 30-year-old son of UFC legend Randy Couture relies on conditioning,
wrestling and solid strategy to get the job done, but he faces
a stern test in Noons, one of the best pure boxers in MMA today.
If Noons gets comfortable in the pocket, he could have Couture
reeling with a few well-placed combinations. Couture can frustrate
Noons by planting him on his back and keeping him there. Noons
keeps Couture off-balance by using feints and angles before countering
for a second-round knockout victory.
Lightweights
Adriano
Martins (23-6, 0-0 SF) vs. Jorge Gurgel (14-8, 2-3 SF): Gurgel
is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with 10 submission victories
to his credit, but the UFC veteran does not shy away from a slugfest.
Martins, the Jungle Fight lightweight champion, enters this bout
having won 10 of his last 11 bouts. Like Gurgel, Martins is a
jiu-jitsu black belt, but he is also good at controlling range
with quick low quicks, and he has shown a nice finishing instinct
with power punches in his career to date. Martins will be able
to negate Gurgel’s submission game while keeping his foe
at a distance with strikes to win via decision.
Lightweights
Estevan
Payan (13-3, 1-0 SF) vs. Mike Bravo (7-3, 0-0 SF): Payan showed
a stout jab and an ability to land solid combinations in his
Strikeforce debut -- a decision victory over Alonzo Martinez
last January. Bravo, who has dispatched all seven of his opponents
by knockout or technical knockout, seems like he would be willing
to oblige the Arizona Combat Sports product in a standup battle.
Payan wins by TKO in round two.
Source
Sherdog
|
Zach
Makovsky: Bellator Release Was “Blessing in Disguise”
with Move to Flyweight Division
by Damon
Martin
It’s
easy to say that former Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky
was a little shocked when he received word after his last fight
that he was being released from the promotion.
Granted,
Makovsky had lost two fights in a row, but one of them was when
he dropped the title to current champion Eduardo Dantas, and
the second was a split decision loss to Anthony Leone, but still
it seemed somewhat odd that a former champion was dropped only
one fight after holding the title.
“I
was surprised. I didn’t think they would release me,”
Makovsky told MMAWeekly.com. “Right after the fight Bjorn
(Rebney) came back to my locker room and said ‘don’t
worry about it, we’re going to get through this, things
happen,’ and then there was nothing really spoken to me
at the press conference or anything afterwards until I got my
release.
“So
it was really a surprise; I didn’t really see it coming.”
Whatever
the reason was behind the organization releasing Makovsky, he
is now looking at it as a positive step for his career because
he is now planning a move to a whole new weight class, and it
happens to be one that Bellator doesn’t currently promote.
“It’s
kind of the natural evolution of the sport. I think the last
three guys I fought all walk around between 160 and 165, and
I walk around a little bit under 145, so it’s somewhat of
a significant difference. People get better at cutting weight,
people using IV’s after weigh-ins and all that kind of stuff
now. I wrestled my whole life and cut weight my whole life, so
I never really wanted to cut too much anymore, but time’s
are changing so I think it’s the right move,” Makovsky
stated confirming his move to 125 pounds.
“That
weight class is opening up. The UFC has a flyweight division
and all the lighter weight classes are getting more popular.
I think it’s a good time to do it.”
Add
to that Bellator’s lack of a flyweight division and Makovsky’s
release will give him the time to drop weight, and make a run
at 125 pounds and hopefully a slot in the UFC.
“They
don’t have a flyweight division and I think that’s
the best move for me, so I think it was actually a blessing in
disguise. I had four more fights on my contract, and if you go
back in a tournament you have to sign a new tournament contract,
and if you end up winning your contract gets extended, so if
you want to make a move it gets really hard to get out of your
contract,” Makovsky explained.
“I
think if I was looking to make a move to 125 pounds, this was
really the best thing.”
The
plan now for Makovsky is to start getting his diet in line as
he works to make a test cut down to 125 pounds, and he’d
like to get back in action in early spring 2013, and then hopefully
catch the attention of UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.
“I
think it’s a very good time to get in (the UFC),” said
Makovsky. “So that’s what I’m hoping for.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Dana
White gives Sherdog media credentials while Loretta Hunt & Josh Gross continue to live
in his head rent-free
By Zach Arnold
I
wasn’t sure what to expect in this 25 minute interview.
There’s really not a lot of talk about the upcoming PPV
this weekend. It just doesn’t have the buzz like the St.
Pierre/Condit fight had last month.
Dana
claimed that he didn’t know the severity of Cain’s
ACL injury before the first fight with JDS, but indicated that
fighters can fight with a blown-out ACL.
When
Testosterone Todd Duffee was mentioned, Dana White went into
“we treat fighters better than any other promotion ever
has” mode. He addressed boxing promoters like Golden Boy
“copying” the UFC.
“We
pay guys money that we don’t owe them. We’re doing
something right over here. … They’re all starting to
copy us now.”
Dana
stated that big fights will remain on PPV and that the PPV revenue
avenue will live on. Regarding all the injuries in the top fights
that hurt PPV buys this year…
“Was
it a horrendous year? No. It was still a good year for us, but
it could have been a lot better. … I think we delivered
great events all year except for Calgary. … The fight(s)
might not stay together but you know we’re going to put
together great fights and put on a great show.”
Regarding
the future of the UFC/Fox 7-year TV contract: “We couldn’t
work together better. … They’re young, smart, aggressive
guys.”
When
asked about the death of Strikeforce, Dana seemed very relieved
about the mess ending. He refused to elaborate on why the relationship
with Showtime fell apart, other than to say that “it wasn’t
meant to be.”
“I
have a lot of respect for all the [fighters] over there who have
put up with all the that’s gone on over the last year.
“A
lot of guys were hurt by this deal.”
When
asked about Showtime sticking around in MMA in the future…
“Who knows? Who gives a Who cares?”
The
greatest part of the interview, however, comes at the 14:30 time
mark when Ariel Helwani asks Dana White about the MMA media and
what he thinks about the quality of the reporting. Dana announced
that he’s giving Sherdog their media credentials. No more
Loretta Hunt or Josh Gross? No problem, according to Dana.
Words
cannot describe Dana’s tone of voice and emotion when he
started ranting about how ‘dirty’ Loretta Hunt &
Josh Gross are as writers. It’s clear that those two live
in the guy’s head rent-free. He’s still obsessed with
Loretta about the fact that he got in trouble over using nasty
language in that Youtube rant of his. You can read the transcript
text of it right here.
“I
think she’s a horrible reporter.”
The
charm offensive didn’t stop there.
“I
just think that they’re bad people. … Those two I’ll
never forgive or forget.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Chat
Wrap: Eddie Alvarez's UFC-Bellator situation, Strikeforce's end
and more
By Luke
Thomas
Who
is right in the Eddie Alvarez situation? Is it UFC, for giving
him such a generous amount plus offering bonuses like pay-per-view
points and the intention of an immediate title shot? Or is it
Bellator for saying the only thing guaranteed in the UFC contract
- and therefore, the only thing they're required to match - is
cash?
Think
of it this way. Bellator turned UFC fighter Hector Lombard makes
a ton in cash, but also have pay-per-view points. Yet, in what
will be three fights under the Zuffa banner, he's only fought
once on pay-per-view. And had he headlined against Brian Stann
at UFC on Fox 4 as intended, it could be that all three of his
fights were on free television. Bellator has a point when they
say nothing is guaranteed, so what is there to match?
Yet,
it doesn't take many pay-per-view appearances to make a buck.
Even on a low-buyrate event, Alvarez could arguably draw an extra
$30,000 or perhaps far more. That's not a huge sum of money,
but it isn't insignificant either.
So
join me today to discuss all of this and more. In terms of today's
chat, anything is up for discussion, but I will lead with this
and it all kicks off at 1 p.m. ET. Oh yeah, and we'll get into
the Strikeforce stuff, too.
As
is customary, I'll post the video window here as the event draws
near and I'll answer any questions you may have if you post them
in the comments section below.
If
you want to join me on Google+ and let everyone see your face,
now you can. Go to today's livechat Google + page. If you're
interested, join the service and leave a comment on this post
on our Google+ page. Once you do, I can invite you through to
the chat. Just want to participate in the comments? No problem.
Participate however you feel most comfortable.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Controversial
or Not, Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen Set for UFC 159 in New Jersey
by Ken
Pishna
We’ve
known for several months now that UFC light heavyweight champion
Jon Jones would next put his belt on the line against Chael Sonnen
following the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.
UFC
officials on Wednesday, however, confirmed that Jones vs. Sonnen
would headline UFC 159 on April 27. The event also marks the
promotion’s return to the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The
two will first head up Season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter.
Jones
and Sonnen will coach opposite each other when TUF on FX kicks
off in its new Tuesday night timeslot on Jan. 22 with a two-hour
premiere.
The
decision to give Sonnen a shot at Jones’ belt once the season
is over hasn’t come with some controversy, however.
Sonnen
has fought in the light heavyweight division before, but spent
the past several years fighting his way to the top of the 185-pound
division. He challenged UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva
twice, but came up short both times.
When
he steps into the Octagon with Jones on April 27, it will be
his first fight back at light heavyweight, leaving some fans
and pundits questioning whether or not he deserves a title shot
straight out of the gate.
UFC
president Dana White made it very clear from the beginning, though,
that Sonnen got the gig by stepping up when the promotion came
calling.
And
regardless of the how, the who, when and where are now set. Jon
Jones will defend his belt against Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 on
April 27 in Newark, N.J.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Rousimar
Palhares Latest Star Added to ADCC 2013 Lineup
Vitor Freitas
This
year, the world’s premier submission-wrestling event, the
ADCC, will be returning to Brazil exactly one decade after its
maiden voyage to the South American nation, when ADCC 2003 was
held at São Paulo’s Ibirapuera arena.
No
official announcement has been made as to the location or lineup
for ADCC 2013 yet, but speculation has it that it will again
take place in São Paulo, in November.
Now,
the organization’s website is already offering clues as
to the degree of excitement that will be on offer, with the announcement
of the first official invitee: Rousimar “Toquinho”
Palhares, a UFC middleweight.
Toquinho,
who has lost his last two MMA fights in the UFC, shone on the
mats of the last ADCC event, held in England. The BTT’s
submission powerhouse made good use of his takedown skills and
heelhooks in overcoming Rafael Lovato, David Avellan and others,
on his way to the under-88 kg divisional final.
Tryouts
for the event are underway in a number of countries, and the
Brazilian qualifying leg will take place in Rio de Janeiro in
May.
Stay
tuned to GRACIEMAG.com. We’ll be announcing the names of
the participants as they are confirmed.
Supermatch:
André
Galvão vs. Bráulio Estima
Master
supermatch:
Zé
Mario Sperry vs. Fabio Gurgel
Female:
-
60kg: Kyra Gracie
+
60kg: Gabi Garcia
Male:
-
66kg: Rafael Mendes
-
77kg: Marcelo Garcia
-
88kg: André Galvão, Rousimar Toquinho
-
99kg: Dean Lister
+
99kg: Vinny Magalhães
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Dana
White changes the focus on MMA drug testing to marijuana usage
By Zach
Arnold
Give
Kevin Iole credit for asking Dana White the right questions when
it comes to the issue of drug testing in Mixed Martial Arts.
I’ve been begging for more members of the media to get smartened
up on what’s real and what’s not regarding Dana’s
claims about being ‘regulated by the Government,’ which
is preposterous spin that Baghdad Bob would be proud of.
So,
naturally, Kevin Iole is getting trashed on social media for
pressing Dana appropriately when it comes to the issue of drug
usage in MMA.
Dana
White fearful that increased drug testing would result in widespread
positive marijuana tests
That’s
the headline of Kevin’s article on Yahoo talking about White’s
comments today. In many respects, the headline writer did Dana
a huge favor and fell into Dana’s smart trick by moving
the goalposts on the subject. Rather than talking about rampant
testosterone usage, Dana is getting away with framing the issue
now as a marijuana vs. PED drug usage situation. It’s masterful,
on paper, because low-information news consumers (like the ones
UFC is targeting with Ronda Rousey’s media stunts &
remarks) will go into ‘marijuana should be legal!’
default mode instead of actually examining the real drug usage
problems in the sport.
The
problem for Dana is that when you actually listen to him try
to spin his talking points about drug usage in MMA, he sounds
like a fool who is ready to get exposed at any second.
Start
at the 10 minute time mark of the embedded video.
“Government
is involved in this sport but not other sports.”
Dana
then rants and raves about going after veteran/retired athletes
for past drug usage instead of busting the current athletes,
which he blames on the strength of player unions.
“Don’t
go after the old guys. … Everybody knew what they doing
in the 80s. … Go after the guys that are playing now.”
“It’s
all a crock of . You either get serious and go after it or just
shut up about it and leave it alone.”
Kevin
Iole brought up Victor Conte’s name and Dana went off in
a volcanic eruption.
“
Victor Conte. The guy’s a lying, two-faced piece of . I
can’t stand that guy. You’re the biggest cheater in
the history of the sports world and now because you can’t
make a living cheating any more, you want to flip to the other
side and start calling people out, pointing fingers. … Victor
Conte is a two-faced piece of . I don’t care what his position
is. I don’t care about him. Now he’s trying to flip
the script so he can make a living on the other side.”
“We’re
regulated by the government!”
“[MMA
drug testing procedures are] better than anybody’s else.”
“But
it’s better in baseball and football? Oh my God. You think
they randomly test? You think they’re going to test some
of their big star players? But if that’s want people want
to believe…”
Interestingly,
when Kevin Iole mentioned Dr. Margaret Goodman’s name…
Dana wanted no part in talking about her.
The
problem for Dana, as you’ll hear in the video, is that he’s
talking about 80% of MMA fighters using marijuana and yet he’s
let Nick Diaz blow in the wind and suspended Thiago Silva for
six months after a positive test for marijuana metabolites. So,
the UFC spin on marijuana doesn’t jive there.
Of
course, when you have Che Guevera in California booking a ‘marijuana
doctor’ for shows…
The
spin on “government regulation” is laughable, especially
in Nevada where Keith Kizer relies upon non-endocrinologist Dr.
Timothy Trainor to reportedly issue the hall passes for testosterone
usage. UFC uses Dr. Jeff Davidson for overseas shows where no
commission is regulating them and we know that numerous fighters
on past UFC overseas shows have had testosterone hall passes.
For
the life of me, I don’t know why Dana White continues to
talk about the drug testing issue. He should plead the Fifth
every single time a drug testing question comes up and advise
the press to go talk to Marc Ratner instead. He would save himself
a lot of grief.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
A
Refreshing Look at the ‘TUF 17’ Cast
By Jordan
Breen
When
a new cast of "The Ultimate Fighter" is announced now,
most people quickly scan their eyes over the list of names, oculars
glazing and rolling, barely able to keep interest over the cavalcade
of lukewarm prospects that now inhabit the show. Well, if for
some reason you want to feel a greater kinship (or fight knowledge)
of this year's particular crop, BloodyElbow.com's Zombie Prophet
has assembled a mammoth playlist for you.
Nearly
150 Youtube elements, from fights to highlights, make it into
the massive TUF 17 playlist which you can check out here.
There
is something to be said for the very construction of the playlist,
as well. Mr. Zombie Prophet clearly has a sense of humor to boot,
kickstarting the video extravaganza with cast member Kevin Casey's
exploits. Better still, those exploits include some of "King"
Casey's infamous rapping. Casey, who would be the early favorite
for "Guy You Would Least Want to be on a Reality Show With"
if anyone still cared about TUF, owes whatever fame he has to
any combination of the following: promoting himself to BJJ black
belt after growing frustrated with his belt progression under
Rickson Gracie, spitting in the face of Marc Laimon getting crushed
by an aged Matt Lindland in Strikeforce.
Also,
he is close personal friends with Spencer Pratt. Sometimes these
blog things just write themselves. I should do them more often.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Review:
Brian J. D’Souza’s “Pound for Pound” MMA
book is top-class reading
By Zach
Arnold
In
2012, MMA fans were spoiled with some really, really great books.
For 2013, there’s already a candidate for book-of-the-year
that deserves your attention.
Brian
J. D’Souza’s new book, Pound for Pound: The Modern
Gladiators, is a fantastic read. Yes, it is lengthy (over 350
pages), but there’s just no other way someone could write
the kind of subject material that he did without using a long-form
writing style. When I say that this book is incredibly well-sourced
and detailed, I’m not kidding around. And, yet, the book
is a surprisingly easy read for those who have short attention
spans… which means it has a lot of appeal for the MMA fan
in your life.
The
book’s introduction gives you a clue as to what is in store
for the reader should they stick all the way through.
MMA
fighters often find themselves on the short end of the stick
in financial matters, most often being woefully underpaid or
ruthlessly exploited. Their desire to win and prove themselves
works against them as they risk their health and ease of body
for executives and an audience that is all too eager to move
on on the next big name. Not every fighter reaches pound-for-pound
status, but whether limited by internal or external factors,
there’s something unique about each story.
“The
mystique of watching a spectacle where either participant can
be severely damaged makes it compelling right up to the end.
Yet the audience can get up and walk away when the fight is over,
while the people who performed as the main attraction are entrenched
in an all-consuming lifestyle that they have sacrificed nearly
everything for.
“Most
MMA fighters wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The
book is divided in sections, with each section about a famous
fighter — Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn, Anderson Silva, and
Mauricio Shogun. Although the sections are longer than a typical
short story, the sections are an easy read. If you’re concerned
that a book that focuses on the industry’s business practices
is a negative read, think again. Brian does a great job of analyzing
the hardships that each major MMA superstar has gone through
in order to reach their goals. He doesn’t sugercoat their
struggles behind-the-scenes or in the gym, but he does share
a great appreciation & respect. What makes Brian’s writings
about each fighter unique is that he tells you facts and stories
about each fighter that you may have known but forgotten or never
had heard before. Rather than a boring summary of fight facts
from each bout the superstar has been in, the reader has the
chance to see — from a training & business perspective
— what the fighters have had to go through in order to make
their money in the business. There’s plenty of talk about
agents, past and present, and how fighters found themselves vastly
underpaid or not making the cash they thought they deserved because
of questionable or bad business practices. It’s as honest
of a look as you can get at what really goes on behind-the-scenes
in a business where a climate of fear & secrecy dominates.
I
think the book’s overall greatest strength is the ability
to talk about MMA’s past history and frame it in the context
of where that history has led to us today in terms of the matches
that we see happening in the ring/cage and why certain fighters
were able to make the kind of money they have while others suffered
in the process. If you are a new MMA fan, a casual MMA, or a
hardcore MMA fan that doesn’t hang out on MMA web sites
or social media, the book will really open some eyes to the history
of PRIDE and how PRIDE’s existence and eventual death forever
changed the landscape of the business. The sections on Anderson
Silva & Mauricio Shogun really hammer home just how wild
& crazy the scene was when they started making names for
themselves in the business.
The
best section covering a fighter in the book is easily the last
section, which is on Fedor. By far the best written English-language
book in terms of covering Fedor’s background, his career
in MMA, and all of the key players that went in-and-out of his
professional & personal life. It’s outstanding reading
and will keep you entertained the whole way through. The section
especially shines in detailing just what went down in the New
Year’s Eve 2003 wars between K-1, PRIDE, and Antonio Inoki.
Our friend Dan Herbertson did an amazing job for Spike TV with
his interview series featuring Miro Mijatovic, the man behind
the boom periods in Japan for the careers of both Fedor &
Mirko Cro Cop. However, Brian J. D’Souza ups the ante by
giving never-before-accounted details on what happened the weeks
before and weeks after the 2003 NYE wars that forever changed
the landscape of Mixed Martial Arts. It’s the best summary
that I’ve ever seen written on the topic. I could personally
write a War & Peace length novel on NYE 2003 and Japanese
MMA, but Brian manages to share stories about that time period
that no one else has read before. These stories are laid out
in an easy-to-understand format, which is outstanding work by
the author because whenever I try to talk about Fedor’s
career and the politics of it, it’s not an easy story to
tell.
“I
want to get Kawamata and cut his balls off!” screamed Sakakibara.
“They
sent around a couple of guys to my house and scared my wife in
the middle of the night,” said Mijatovic. “She called
me and told me what had happened and I was furious.”
Many
people are dismissive of mixed martial arts as a form of sport
or entertainment; the violence appears gratuitous and sickening.
But ask someone if they would maim or kill in defense of their
family or other loved ones? There is no contest; the desire to
protect those closest to us is a hardwired animal instinct.
“I
stormed into a meeting room and told Ishizaka (PRIDE’s shadow
owner) that if he ever sent somebody to my house again, then
he could expect to find me standing in his bedroom early one
morning when he woke up,” said Mijatovic.
If
you’re a big-time Fedor fan, I would highly advise you to
jump on the Brian J. D’Souza bandwagon and grab a copy of
his new book. There are some unique stories about the training
methods Fedor used to prepare for his biggest fights and how
the training cage he used was… in a laughable state of disrepair.
The training environment in Stary Oskol was not the training
environment at a place like American Kickboxing Academy.
One
aspect of the book that I can’t stress enough is that the
book does not carry a cynical anti-fighter, anti-business tone.
It just tells you what the business is really like, good and
bad. The book’s conclusion tells the truth about today’s
MMA environment:
“There
are many unresolved issues within MMA that require immediate
attention from parties with the power to force compliance from
promotions. Anyone else who tries to speak up — fighters,
the MMA media, sponsors and other stakeholders — can be
silence with threats or coerced with rewards.
“As
for the crooked promoters, the organized-crime groups, the dishonest
managers and agents and all the other vermin that populate the
industry, although they rarely realize it until it is too late,
they have built castles of sand. Sooner or later, the tide will
turn.
“Until
the time when a semblance of fairness comes to MMA, the pound-for-pound
fighters, along with all the other men and women reaching for
that title, will be doing what they have always tried to do;
push through the shadows and perform. Fighting not for financial
rewards or popularity, but for the love of a cruel sport. A love
that is rarely reciprocated.
Pick
up a copy of Brian’s book and give me your feedback on the
book as soon as you read a copy. I easily think the book will
hold up throughout 2013 as a contender for MMA book of the year.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
UFC
156 Fight Card Rumors
UFC
156 Super Bowl Weekend
Date: February 2, 2013
Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Main
Card (on Pay-Per-View):
-Jose Aldo (21-1; #1 Featherweight) vs. Frankie Edgar (14-3-1)
-Rashad Evans (17-2-1; #2 Light Heavyweight) vs. Antonio Rogerio
Nogueira (20-5)
-Alistair Overeem (36-11) vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
(17-4; #9 Heavyweight)
-Jon Fitch (24-4-1; #6 Welterweight) vs. Demian Maia (17-4)
-Joseph Benavidez (16-3; #2 Flyweight) vs. Ian McCall (11-3-1;
#4 Flyweight)
Preliminary
Card:
-Gleison Tibau (26-8) vs. Evan Dunham (13-3)
-Jacob Volkmann (15-3) vs. Bobby Green (19-5)
-Edwin Figueroa (9-1) vs. Francisco Rivera (8-2)
-Jay Hieron (23-6) vs. Tyron Woodley (10-1)
-Yves Edwards (42-18-1) vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg (13-3-1)
-Chico Camus (12-3) vs. Dustin Kimura (9-0)
UFC
156 Start Times:
Preliminary Bouts on Facebook: TBA
Preliminary Bouts on FX: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Main Card on Pay-Per-View: 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m PT
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
|