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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2013
November
Aloha
State Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
August
Maui
Open Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(tba)
June
State
of Hawaii Championship
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
6/6-9/13
World
BJJ Championships
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, University of California at Long Beach)
5/25-26/13
NAGA:
Pacific Grappling Championships
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Radford H.S. Gym)
4/13/13
Hawaiian
Open Championship
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
Eddie Bravo Black Belt Seminar
10AM-12PM
$50
@ O2 Martial Arts Academy
3/23/13
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
3/20-24/13
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(Irvine, CA)
3/20/13
David Kama Seminar
Rickson Gracie Black Belt
8-10PM
$50
@ O2 Martial Arts Academy
2/23/13
Got Skills
(MMA, Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/16/13
Mayhem At The Mansion
Kauai Cage Match 14
(MMA)
(Kilohana Carriage House, Lihue, Kauai)
Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym District Park Gym)
Uncle Frank Ordonez’s Birthday Tournament
(Palama Settlement Gym)
(Grappling, Sport-Pankration and Continuous sparring)
2/3/13
Diego Moraes Semainr
(BJJ)
(O2MAA)
2/2/13
World
Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship: Hawaii Trials
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(McKinley H.S. Gym)
2/1/13
IBJJF Referee Clinic
(O2MAA)
1/19/13
Destiny
Na Koa 2
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
1/12/13
Reuben "Cobrinha" Charles Seminar
4-7PM
(Ku Lokahi Wrestling Club)
|
|
March
2013 News Part 3
|
O2 Martial Arts Academy
provides 7 days a week training! Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu classes
taught by Black Belts Kaleo Hosaka and Chris & Mike Onzuka
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi.
Kickboxing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with PJ Dean &
Chris Slavens!
Wrestling program (Folk Style) taught by Cedric Yogi on Wednesdays
and Thursdays.
Kids Classes are also
available!
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here for info!
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the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
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Your Complete Martial Arts School!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Kaleo Hosaka as
well as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA competitor PJ Dean
as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens provide incredibly
detailed instruction of the sweet science.
To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima
classes (Filipino Knife & Stickfighting) who were directly
trained under the legendary Snookie Sanchez.
Our wrestling program is headed by Cedric Yogi who was previously
the head coach of the Pearl City High School Wrestling Team.
Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from
the ground up!
Experienced martial artist that wants to fine tune your skill?
Our school is for you!
Mix and match your classes so you can try all the martial arts
classes offered at O2!
If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in
a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is
the place for you!
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Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
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Hawaii
Boxing Team going to the 2013 U.S.A. National Championships
2012 National Silver Medalist Lisa Ha will lead the Hawaii Boxing
Team at the 2013 U.S.A. National Championships March 30-April
7th in Spokane, Washington. Haley Pasion was the 2011 National
Champion. Winners make the Official USA National Boxing Team
to International Competition for 2013. If you have any questions
email me at bkawano@aol.com
Thank You for Your Time and Support!!
Athletes:
108 lbs- Paul Kai LeBlanc (Unattached, Big Island)
123- Kalai McShane (Kawano Boxing Club)
141- Danson Rellez (Yeshua B.C. Big Island)
152-Patrick Torres (Yeshua B.C. Big Island)
201- John Asi (Unattached, Oahu)
Females: 106- Lisa Ha (Kawano B.C.)
125- Haley Pasion (Kawano B.C.)
17/18 year old division:
114lbs- Jaybrio Pe Benito (Old School B.C.)
165lbs - Jordan Panthen ( Boxfit808 B.C.)
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
DESTINY:NA
KOA III FIGHT CARD
-185LBS PRO WORLD MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
'MOLOKAI
COWBOY' SALE SPROAT (HAWAII) VS JARED TORGESON (WASHINGTON)
-145LBS
PRO WORLD FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE
RICKY
'REAL DEAL' WALLACE (HAWAII) VS RYAN MULVIHILL (WASHINGTON)
-155LBS
PRO WORLD LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE
KALEO
"LIGHTS OUT" KWAN VS GABE 'SOLO' SOLORIO (WASHINGTON)
-170LBS
PRO WELTERWEIGHT
JOEY
GOMEZ (BOSS MMA, HILO) VS RAY 'BRADDA BOY' COOPER III (TRIBE
OF JUDAH)
-170LBS
CHAD
OWENS (TEAM AKAMINE) VS JUNYAH TEVAGA (HUSTLE N THROW, MAUI)
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PRO FEATHERWEIGHT
MARK
TUPAS (808 TOP TEAM) VS JUSTIN WONG (HMC)
-135LBS
PRO BANTAMWEIGHT
BILL
TAKEUCHI (TRIBE OF JUDAH) VS TBA
-135LBS
TITLE
KAI
BOY KAMAKA III (808 FIGHT FACTORY) VS KEVIN NATIVIDAD (EIGHTSIXX
BJJ)
-125LBS
INTERIM TITLE
JAMES
BLAIR (TECHNICS MMAD) VS JOJO GUILLAME (FREELANCE)
-155LBS
TITLE
ROBBY
OSTOVICH (JESUS IS LORD) VS JOSE BAREIRA (UFS)
-155LBS
LAWRENCE
COLLINS (JESUS IS LORD) VS DEREK MAHI (TEAM AKAMINE)
-170LBS
TRESTON
REBALIZA (808 TOP TEAM) VS EDWIN GARCES (KAUAI)
-185LBS
MILLER
UALESI (ANIMAL HOUSE GYM) VS MARVELOUS TEVAGA (HUSTLE N THROW,
MAUI)
-145LBS
KEONI
SEGOVIA (FREELANCE) VS JASON RECAMARA (TEAM MIXED PLATE)
-125LBS
JARED
GONDA (TEAM MIXED PLATE) VS STU JONES
-145LBS
FRITZ
MCARDLE VS ISAIAH ADAMS
-HEAVYWEIGHT
REMY
MCCLAM (TEAK AKAMINE) VS KEVIN HERZOG (TEAM MIXED PLATE)
-135LBS
CALVIN
NAKAMOTO (TOP RANKIN) vs MIKE HARDY (freelance)
-140LBS
NADIA
HUMPHRIES (ANIMAL HOUSE GYM) VS KAUA KAHOKOKULA (HUSTLE N THROW,
MAUI)
FIGHT
CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE
FOR
MOST UP TO DATE CHANGES VISIT WWW.DESTINYMMA.NET
Jay
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DESTINY Entertainment, LLC
PO BOX 970262
Waipahu, HI 96797
Cell# (808) 368-5568
|
Source: Romolo Barros
|
Cris
“Cyborg” Santos:
“I Don’t Think I Need to Prove Anything”
by Jeff
Cain
When
Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos’ hand was raised following
her 16-second knockout of Hiroko Yamanaka in Strikeforce on Dec.
17, 2011, the Brazilian was on top of the world. She was the
undisputed women’s 145-pound champion. She ended the Gina
Carano era of women’s fighting and replaced it with pure
aggression and knockout finishes.
In
the days following the title defense, mandatory drug tests showed
Santos had tested positive for steroids. The fight with Yamanaka
was ruled a no contest and Santos was suspended from competition
for a year.
Santos
returns to the cage at Invicta FC 5 on April 5 against Fiona
Muxlow, who replaces injured original opponent Ediane Gomes,
in Cyborg’s first step toward reclaiming previous glory.
“I’m
very excited because one year without fighting and still training,
it’s very exciting. I want to be in the next big show, the
next show in Invicta,” Santos told MMAWeekly.com.
“I
think it is the biggest opportunity for me. It fights only the
girls, and I feel the girls are welcome.”
Santos
turned down an offer by the UFC to fight at 135 pounds. She’s
competed at 145 her entire career and to make 135 was just too
much weight to cut. The UFC doesn’t have a 145-pound women’s
division, so Santos inked a deal with the all-women’s promotion
of Invicta FC.
“Since
Strikeforce is gone and the UFC only has 135, they’re kind
of segregated to only one woman’s division. Invicta gives
an opportunity for five weight classes for other women to compete.
I think that’s where the highest women compete at is in
Invicta,” said Santos’ manager Tito Ortiz. “The
depth is really in Invicta. Until the UFC adds another weight
class, the depth is in Invicta.”
Muxlow
(6-2) is coming off of a loss to former Strikeforce champion
Marloes Coenen after having won three consecutive fights, so
she is also working on getting back on track. Muxlow, however,
hasn’t been on the sidelines for the past year, she fought
twice in the final three months of 2012.
With
her suspension over, her Invicta FC debut on the horizon, and
the UFC ordeal behind her, Santos doesn’t feel any added
pressure to perform.
“I
don’t think I need to prove anything for nobody because
I try to do my best and winning or losing is a consequence. I
try to do a nice fight. I try to do the best fight. If you win
or lose, it’s a consequence, but I want to put on a big
show. When people watch my fights I want it to be exciting,”
she said.
Santos says she isn’t changing the way she fights, and her
game plan is always the same, look to finish with a knockout.
“I
think this fight, I will try for the knockout all the time,”
said Santos. “I’m not going to change anything in my
plan to fight. My plan is all the time try for the knockout.”
Should
Santos defeat Muxlow, she’ll likely face Marloes Coenen
next for the Invicta featherweight championship. Santos already
holds a win over Coenen, but that was nearly three years ago,
and she feels they’re both different fighters now.
“I
think all the fights I have motivation because all the fights
are a new match. I think if I fight Marloes Coenen again, it
has been a long time since we fought. I think she’s better.
I’m very excited for the fights.”
Santos
is still widely regarded as the top 145-pound female fighter
on the planet. For any 145-pound female to be truly recognized
as the world champion, they’re going to have to beat Santos.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
162 GETS FRANKIE EDGAR-CHARLES OLIVEIRA, CUB SWANSON-DENNIS SIVER
BY MIKE
WHITMAN
Two
new featherweight pairings have been added to the UFC 162 fight
bill, as promotion officials Thursday revealed that Frankie Edgar
will face Charles Oliveira and Cub Swanson will meet Dennis Siver.
UFC
162 takes place July 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
and will see Anderson Silva defend his middleweight crown against
Chris Weidman in the main event. The evening’s main draw
airs live on pay-per-view and also features a pivotal featherweight
showdown pitting Chan Sung Jung against Ricardo Lamas.
Edgar,
31, has lost three straight fights against top-notch competition,
relinquishing his UFC lightweight title to Benson Henderson one
year ago before coming up short in his bid to recapture the belt
last August. Most recently, Edgar made his featherweight debut
against divisional ruler Jose Aldo, who topped Edgar in a hard-fought
unanimous decision last month at UFC 156.
Once
regarded as an elite lightweight prospect, Oliveira dropped to
145 pounds following a one-sided loss to Donald Cerrone in 2011.
Since making the cut to featherweight, “Do Bronx” has
gone 2-1, posting back-to-back wins over Eric Wisely and Jonathan
Brookins prior to suffering a first-round knockout to Swanson
this past September.
Swanson,
meanwhile, extended his winning streak to four fights following
his win over Oliveira, as the Jackson’s MMA product outpointed
replacement opponent Dustin Poirier at UFC on Fuel TV 7 after
Siver pulled out of the Feb. 16 booking. Swanson, 29, has not
lost since November 2011, when he was submitted by Lamas in his
Octagon debut.
Like
Oliveira, Siver also made the cut to featherweight following
a loss to Cerrone and has gone undefeated since, earning a solid
unanimous decision over Diego Nunes nearly one year ago before
dominating Nam Phan this past December at UFC on Fox 5.
Source: Sherdog
|
Mendes
brothers talk triumph at Pan 2013: ‘It is still possible
to be a professor and a champion’
In
the 2013 Pan, which ended last Sunday in Irvine, Calif., another
chapter was written in the Jiu-Jitsu saga for brothers Rafael
and Guilherme Mendes.
The
brothers, who used to close out the featherweight since they
were young, now fight in different weight divisions. At featherweight,
in a tough match decided by the referees, Rafael defeated Rubens
Cobrinha. During the fight, it was 2-2.
Rafa
talked about the conquest with GracieMag reporter Ivan Trindade:
“When
time was up, the only certainty I had was that I had given my
best in the fight,” ” said the younger Mendes. “I
tried to attack all the time to leave no doubt to the referees.
Cobrinha also fought very well, and thank God we did another
excellent final. And that’s it, a final with an opponent
with the level of Cobrinha will always be decided in detail.
This time he made no mistakes.”
Asked
about the sweep he suffered, and which drew the fight, Rafa said,
“Actually, I anticipated and threw myself down to defend
his attack. I study my opponents a lot, I see the struggles and
I knew Cobrinha makes a very good sweep when he holds the sleeve
between the legs of the opponent. When I saw that he was almost
able to do it, I threw myself down to try to counter-attack and
go to his back.”
Rafael
also spoke about the taste of winning in front of friends and
students in California.
“I
was very happy with the victory and the chance to prove to everyone
that, with discipline and focus, you can still be a professor,
engage with the students in the gym, train hard and be a champion,”
he said. “The year 2013 has been perfect. Our kids team
was champion in IBJJF Pan Kids, and after, Gui and I won the
Houston Open and the San Francisco Open, and now the Pan! The
training is in full swing for the Worlds and ADCC in Beijing.”
Guilherme
Mendes competed in light feather, where he won the final with
Laércio Fernandes with a score of 4-2. Gui spoke about
the difficulty of lowering his weight.
“The
diet is no longer a big deal,” said the black belt under
Ramon Lemos. “In each victory, I have even more reasons
to fight. The feeling is of accomplishment, and I feel all our
hard training is worthwhile. The gold rewards any suffering.
“All
the positions I had been honing were perfect. I will continue
the training and plan to be at my best in the Worlds. I want
to win my fourth black belt title, and I know it won’t be
easy!
“As
a team, we almost reached the top in adults. We lost (behind
Alliance) by just two points. We will arrive with the strongest
team for the World Championship, because our goal is first place.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
World
Series of Fighting suspends introduction of titles indefinitely
By Ariel
Helwani
One of the big talking points following last week's World Series
of Fighting 2 card was whether the upstart promotion should introduce
titles soon or hold off. The answer, according to Al Abdel-Aziz,
WSOF senior executive vice president, is the latter.
Abdel-Aziz
told MMAFighting.com Wednesday that the promotion has suspended
all plans to introduce titles indefinitely.
"Right
now, we're concerned with putting on fun fights for fans,"
he said. "In the process, for guys like Marlon Moraes, Justin
Gaethje, Josh Burkman, and many others, we will make sure that
when they get title shots they will have earned it. A title fight
has to mean something to the promotion."
Recently,
there was talk that the promotion would set up title fights in
its third or fourth event, but Abdel-Aziz said there are currently
no plans in place to do so. When asked if titles would be created
by the end of 2013, Abdel-Aziz, who also works as the organization's
matchmaker, reiterated that no timetable was in place.
At
WSOF 2 last weekend, both Burkman and middleweight Dave Branch
campaigned for title shots in their next respective fights.
WSOF
3, which will be headlined by Jon Fitch vs. Josh Burkman, will
take place June 14 in Las Vegas.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Alex
Davis remembers when a pair of shorts nearly cost Antonio Silva
a fight
by Alex
Davis
So
instead of just writing about serious subjects all the time,
I decided to share a story or two. And Antonio Silva fighting
for the UFC heavyweight title in May, I think it's a prime opportunity
to remember his first fights in Japan.
This
was 2006, and Antonio (Junior) was an undefeated prospect who
had debuted in Japan with an impressive TKO win over "The
Big Cat," Tom Erikson while fighting for K-1 Hero's. They
brought Junior back to fight Georgy Kaysinov later that year,
but the problems started right away.
First
off, K-1 would not give Junior a first-class ticket. I tried
to explain to them that we didn't need that seat because I was
seeking special privileges but because he is simply too big to
fit an economy seat. He's 6-foot-4, and this was back in the
days when he was competing as a super heavyweight. We were flying
from Rio de Janeiro to Paris and on to Tokyo, and one can only
imagine how Junior would feel after the nine hours from Rio to
Paris, not to mention another 10 hours to Tokyo – all in
an economy seat!
So
things go back and forth until finally K-1 agreed to give Junior
two economy seats. It wasn't want we wanted, but at least it
was an improvement. But what seemed like a fair solution caused
more complications: Every time the flight crew did the preflight
passenger count, they would come up with a number discrepancy
as there would be one less passenger then boarding passes! So
every time, the flight crew would recount the entire plane over
and over. Every single flight we were on, there would be an hourlong
delay until they could figure it out. I would try to grab a flight
attendant and explain why they were having the number difference,
but they would simply wave me off and say that they had it under
control. Apparently not.
After
all of that, we finally got to Japan and headed to the hotel
to start the process that every fighter goes through during fight
week. But with Murphy's law always over your shoulder, we quickly
came across a huge problem: The sponsor had sent shorts about
10 times smaller then Junior's size. The only thing we had with
us that would fit him were lycra shorts. I thought, 'Oh, well.
No biggie. He will just fight in lycra." But Junior would
have none! He would just scratch his big ears and his head and
repeatedly say, "I am not fighting in lycra!"
Oh,
boy. Fighters sometimes get caught up on seemingly small things
like this, but even the tiniest of details can turn out to be
a very important issue. So I got my Japanese partner and translator,
Hideo Takada, to call around Tokyo and look for shorts that would
fit him. But size 55 shorts in Japan? Yeah, right. None could
be found!
So
that went on for two days.
"Alex,
what about the shorts?"
"Junior,
there are none to be had! You will just have to fight in the
lycra."
"Urrrggghhh!
No, Alex, I will not use the lycra. I won't fight!"
And
it went on and on, just like that. I was at a loss. I was thinking
of every single possibility.
"Junior,
OK, how about a sumo skirt?" I asked. "Maybe we can
find one!"
All
of a sudden, the phone in my room rings. It was "JZ,"
Gesias Cavalcante, who was fighting on the same card.
"Alex,
hurry down to the lobby!" he said. "I found the shorts,
but please, come down, fast!"
So
I ran down, and as soon as I came out of the elevator, I found
JZ holding on to a pair of shorts, and a group of VERY excited
Japanese people were surrounding him. Some of them looked a little
angry – or at least confused. I asked JZ what had happened,
and he told me that he bumped into this guy holding the right
size shorts for Junior, and since he couldn’t explain in
Japanese that those shorts were a heaven-sent solution to a huge
problem, he just grabbed the shorts and held on to them!
JZ
figured it was better hang on to the shorts until someone could
come and explain our dilemma. He was not about to let those shorts
walk out and disappear somewhere in Tokyo, never to be found
again. And, of course, the Japanese perspective was probably,
"Hey! This Brazilian is trying to steal my shorts!"
So
I called Junior down, and it turns out he had sold the shorts
to this guy after his last fight, and the guy had come by looking
for Junior to autograph them! So we haggled, and finally they
settled on a plan. Junior gave him the too-small shorts, signed
a few different items, posed for a picture or two, and in exchange
he got the right-sized shorts!
So
much for those who say that a fighter does not need a manager!
I still had to get all the right patches sewn on those shorts,
which was another nightmare, entirely, but all is well that ends
well. Junior went on to fight and he beat Kaysinov by knockout.
Alex
Davis is a lifelong practitioner of martial arts and a former
Brazilian judo champion. A founding member of American Top Team,
Davis currently oversees the careers of a number of prominent
Brazilian fighters, including Edson Barboza, Luiz Cane, Rousimar
Palhares, Antonio Silva and Thiago Tavares, among others. Davis
is a frequent contributor to MMAjunkie.com, sharing his current
views on the sport built through his perspectives that date back
to the Brazilian roots of modern MMA.
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Veteran
fighter Rory Markham arrested on felony assault charge
By Dave
Doyle
Veteran fighter Rory Markham was arrested Wednesday on a felony
assault charge by the Davenport, Iowa police.
According
to Scott County (Iowa) public records, Markham, who turned 31
on Monday, was booked on one felony, willful injury count Wednesday
morning. He was held at Scott County Jail for more than three
hours before being released on $10,000 bond.
No
specific details on the incident are available as of this writing.
A police representative cited Iowa state confidentiality laws
in declining to give further information.
The
Miletich Martial Arts fighter has a 16-6 professional record.
He was a mainstay of the International Fight League and also
fought three times in the UFC. His most recent bout was a first-round
knockout loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 111 in 2010.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
WSOF:
Rolles Gracie talks brother Igor’s fight, condemns risky
maneuver
Last
Saturday, World Series of Fighting 2 took place in Atlantic City,
N. J. In the fourth fight of the night, black belt Igor Gracie
faced Rick Patishnock, and showed a good repertoire of Jiu-Jitsu
in the first round. The fighter had good chances to finish the
opponent, and remained on top most of the time.
However,
when trying to get rid of an attack back, the Patishnock ended
up playing forward and Gracie slammed his shoulder on the mat.
Unable to return for the second round, the judges declared the
TKO in favor of Patishnock.
GracieMag
reporter Marcelo Dunlop spoke with Igor’s brother, Rolles
Gracie, about the fight and the injury his sibling sustained.
Moreover, Rolles talked about his participation in WSOF. Check
out:
GracieMag:
The whole family embraced WSOF, since you and your brothers Igor
and Gregor have contracts with the organization. What did NBC
airing it do to make the event different?
Rolles
Gracie: I think WSOF came to add the sport. MMA needs more large
events, so athletes who make the show can benefit and compete
more. Monopoly is only good for one person or a group. We believe
in the proposals by WSOF in the U.S. and One FC in Asia, the
two promotions to which we are bound.
Igor
is always finishing his fights. How bad was Saturday’s result
in your view?
What
happened with Igor was a horrible. He was highly prepared and
unfortunately was injured during the fight. Completely dominated
the first round and was ready to continue doing so during the
whole fight if needed. I’m taking this opportunity to question
this movement of playing forward when the opponent is on his
back in order to hit him with his head on the floor. I think
this should be banned from the sport. Sometimes we need to see
this happen to someone close to actually observe the seriousness
of the business. We can not expect someone to move the neck or
have a shattered vertebra to finally ban this movement MMA.
What
have tests on Igor’s shoulder determined?
The
X-ray showed no fracture, so we’ll do an MRI to determine
the severity of the injury. Never seen Igor ask to go to the
hospital before, and it was not for lack of reasons. This time
the pain was too great.
How
are your workouts in New York? Many UFC beast coming to help
you?
I
have a bout scheduled for June 14, and now I will start pulling
in more help in training. New York always has a good crowd to
train with.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
vet Melvin Guillard and Blackzilians part ways (updated)
For the moment, Melvin Guillard is on his own.
A
rep for Authentic Sports Management today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com
(www.mmajunkie.com) that the management firm will continue to
represent the UFC lightweight, whose recent announcement of a
return to Jackson-Winkeljohn's MMA was rebuffed, but that Guillard
will no longer train at the company's Blackzilian camp.
It's
been a hard week for Guillard (30-12-2 MMA, 11-7 UFC), who is
1-4 in his past five octagon outings after a win streak of the
same length. "The Young Assassin" migrated to Florida
full-time this past year to join forces with ASM and the Blackzilians
MMA team, whose ranks include Rashad Evans, Anthony Johnson and
Michael Johnson, among others.
Previously,
Guillard split time between Jackson's MMA and Florida. He joined
up with the former in 2009.
However,
the Albuquerque, N.M.-based gym made it clear that the lightweight
isn't welcome back to the team. A team vote was unanimous that
Guillard not be allowed to rejoin the ranks of pro fighters.
It also was revealed that Guillard faced a pair of assault charges
from separate incidents in 2010.
ASM
head Glenn Robinson said he remains on good terms with Guillard.
"Melvin
called me up and Melvin said he felt it was time for him to go
back to Jackson's," Robinson told SI.com. "We only
want what's best for Melvin, so I spoke to the coaches, and they
agreed it was a good chance for him to make a change that he
probably needed. We support the decision.
"Wherever
he does end up, we're sure that Melvin will come out and have
some great fights. He's still an incredible athlete, and I think
the world will see still a lot of great things to come from him
– [he just won't be] trained by us."
Source: MMA Junkie
|
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Catching
Up with MMA Legend Don Frye Following His (Sort of) Rematch with
Yoshihiro Takayama
by Mick
Hammond
From
fighting to professional wrestling to making movies, there’s
not much MMA legend Don “The Predator” Frye hasn’t
been involved with over the last 20 years of his life, and he
shows no sign of slowing down.
Most
recently Frye returned to Japan to wrestle for All Japan Pro
Wrestling against Yoshihiro Takayama in something of a rematch
of their all-time classic MMA bout from Pride 21 in 2002. Along
with wrestling Frye has been making appearances in commercials
for Allstate Insurance touting their motorcycle coverage.
Frye
recently spoke to MMAWeekly.com from his home in Arizona where
he discussed facing his old nemesis, acting and what it’s
like to be back doing the things he loves after spending time
on the shelf with nagging injuries.
MMAWeekly.com:
Firstly, Don, you just got back from Japan where you stepped
back into the pro wrestling ring for the first time in a while.
What was that like after having been laid up with back issues
for the past couple years?
Don
Frye: It’s been so nice to do something like that, because
a couple of years ago I couldn’t even walk.
It
was pretty damn bad at one point. There was stenosis and then
they carved in there and I ended up getting a staph infection.
Then they had to whittle away three of the vertebra and the spinal
cord got nipped and that caused a hell of a headache – that
was like the worst hangover I ever had.
I
could walk 40 steps and then I’d have to sit down for 15
minutes, then I’d walk 40 steps and I’d sit down. I’d
spend 20 hours a day lying in bed staring at the ceiling and
the other four hours walking to the chair in the living room
and sit there. I couldn’t go out and work with my horse
or pick up my kids, it was a (expletive) experience.
Then
they fixed my back and I’m taking glucosamine chondroitin
to help speed up my recovery to where I’m fortunate enough
to do stuff like (wrestle in Japan).
MMAWeekly.com:
You teamed with Keiji Mutoh (alter ego of The Great Muta) to
defeat Takayama and former Pancrase fighter-turned-wrestler Masayuki
Kono. What was that experience like?
Don
Frye: I was happier than a pig in (expletive) to be able to go
back to Japan and work with Keiji Mutoh against Takayama and
Kono. We had a great match.
To
be back there and hear the crowd cheer is one of the best feelings
you can experience, it really is. You know you’ve done right
when you walk through the curtain and the smoke and the fans
cheer, you know you’ve done something right in life.
MMAWeekly.com:
What was it like working with Mutoh all these years after you
two were part of the multi-promotional BATT (Bad Ass Translate
Trading) stable in 2001-02?
Don
Frye: In his prime, he was the best wrestler in the world. And
now with all crippled up knees and 20 years into it, he’s
still one of the best, in the Top 5. It’s just a privilege
to watch the man work, but to be part of his work is something
that will go in my memory bank forever.
MMAWeekly.com:
What did you think of Kono?
Don
Frye: That guy’s got it together. He moves as good as (WWE
wrestlers) Edge and Christian do in their prime. He’s got
a long career ahead of him.
MMAWeekly.com:
Of course the big draw of the match was fans getting a chance
to see you in the ring again with Takayama. Tell us about squaring
off again with him this time in the wrestling ring.
Don
Frye: That was exciting. I was a little bit nervous because once
Takayama grabs hold of you or starts swinging that fist at you
or kicks at you with those legs the size of oak trees, you want
to make sure you come out of there alive.
Takayama
and I were only in there for about four minutes. The rest of
the time Kono and Mutoh carried the match. For those four minutes
I thought I was going to die; they need to remind me to breathe
next time.
MMAWeekly.com:
What is it like being part of an MMA bout with Takayama that
everyone in our sport has seen and still remember and is considered
one of the all-time classics?
Don
Frye: It’s a privilege, it really is a privilege. It got
like Fight of the Year two years in a row for that one. Everybody
loves that fight. Everybody who knows something about the fight
game or doesn’t know about the fight game has seen that
fight. It’s something nobody can ever take away from me.
MMAWeekly.com:
Looking back on it is there anything you still take from it all
these years later.
Don
Frye: What I take away from it is that it hurt.
MMAWeekly.com:
You also recently have been appearing in commercials for Allstate.
Tell us about that.
Don
Frye: I sure do enjoy it. But what else am I going to do with
myself? It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a lot of hard work
too and some people don’t realize it.
It’s
like when I was a fireman for years and you hang out all the
time and its 98-percent boredom and it’s two-percent running
like hell. It’s also the same thing as the fight game; you
train your ass off for two months and then you get in there and
try to get it over as fast as you can.
MMAWeekly.com:
Thanks for your time Don. Is there anything you’d like to
say in closing?
Don
Frye: I’m enjoying everything I do and I’m meeting
a lot of great people. A man’s got to work and if I wasn’t
working, I’d go insane. Thank God I know how to shoe horses,
I enjoy that that too. I’ll probably still be shoeing horses
in 20 years and chasing Mollie (Frye’s wife) around the
campfire.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
VICTORIES
OVER ‘KING MO,’ RACIST SKINHEADS LED EMANUEL NEWTON
TO BELLATOR 94 LHW TOURNEY FINAL
BY MIKE WHITMAN
While most Bellator tournament competitors are required to win
three bouts in as many months to earn a title shot, Emanuel Newton
will need to win a fourth fight on Thursday night when he collides
with Mikhail Zayats at Bellator 94.
Just
two weeks before the veteran faced the heavily favored Muhammed
Lawal in the Season 8 light heavyweight tournament semifinals,
“The Hardcore Kid” found himself fighting off a group
of racist skinheads while attending a concert to see one of his
favorite bands in south Orange County.
While
many skinheads do not subscribe to a racist ideology, these men
apparently did, and they were unhappy with Newton’s presence
at the venue.
“I
went to this show -- it wasn’t a hardcore show by any means,
but maybe some of the older guys would consider it to be hardcore.
Strife, in my opinion, was really the only true hardcore band
on this show,” Newton recently told Sherdog.com. “I
guess those skinheads kind of frequent that place. I haven’t
seen skinheads at a hardcore show since, like, 2001. I saw them,
and I was like, ‘Great,’ but there were also a lot
of hardcore kids who were there to see Strife, and we definitely
outnumbered the skinheads.”
Newton,
who is known for his love of hardcore music in addition to his
fighting abilities, said he began to dance during Strife’s
set when he was provoked.
“The
pit had just started, and I could really tell that they were
checking us out. I started circle-pitting, and a guy tried to
trip me,” said Newton. “I turned and looked, and I
knew it was a white power guy. One guy had ‘white power’
tattooed on the back of his head. I went over to my friends and
told them to keep their eyes open.”
What
happened next was sudden but not unexpected.
“After
I warned my boys, one of those guys came up and just blatantly
took a swing at me,” Newton recalled. “I saw it coming,
of course, so I slipped it and threw a punch that dropped him
and put him out. [His friends] then started jumping in. I think
one of them shot a double-leg on me, and I was up against the
stage. Then some white power girl came up and started swinging
at me. I just tucked my chin, put my head down and said, ‘Go
ahead and punch me in my forehead and the top of my head all
you want. You’re just going to have a broken hand in the
morning.’ “All my buddies jumped in, and they just
demolished the guys. I didn’t have to do anything more,
because all my boys either train MMA or they fight, too. So they
came in and just smashed the guys.”
After
Strife finished playing, Newton decided to avoid any further
entanglements and left the venue.
“Just
to let everybody know. In hardcore, there are no skinheads. They
don’t understand our dancing. They don’t understand
our way of life,” Newton said. “The majority of hardcore
kids are different races. There are a lot of [Hispanic fans],
especially in California. There are more black hardcore kids
all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still usually
the only black guy at the show, but there is no racism there.”
Two
weeks later, Newton landed another clean shot that put his opponent
on the mat -- only this time it was tournament favorite “King
Mo.” In Zayats, Newton faces another dangerous dark horse,
a challenge for which the fighter said he is well prepared thanks
to his time spent at Freddie Roach’s Wildcard Gym.
“Mikhail
is tough and brings a lot of things to the table, but so do I.
I think I’m a completely different fighter than I was in
the first fight of the tournament,” said Newton of his clash
with Zayats at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla. “My trainer’s
name is Arnold Chon. He’s a tae kwon do world champion,
and he’s been with Freddie [Roach] for a long time. When
I fought Mo, I was only with Arnold for like two-and-a-half weeks.
Now I’ve had another month with the man, so I’m definitely
even better than when I fought Mo.
“With
the training that I’ve put in, I think I’m going to
be more explosive. I don’t think his sambo is going to be
able to keep up with my Greco-Roman and my MMA-style of wrestling.
I’m just looking to push the pace and stay in his face.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Caio
Terra comments on tactical victory against Malfacine: ‘I
just didn’t let him restrain’
Junior
Samurai
Ending last Sunday, the IBJJF Pan 2013 also had plenty of excitement
among the skinny.
At
roosterweight, during a final decided by detail, the expert guard
player Caio Terra stunned five-time world champion Bruno Malfacine
2-0 with a sweep.
Caio
told GracieMag how his footwork confused Bruno.
“If
he was confused with my guard I’m surprised. Actually, I
think I just didn’t let him restrain me much, which made
it easier for me to get into good positions all the time,”
said Caio.
“The
most important thing to win was the training. My preparation
and my result was only proof that the training was done right.
I had an excellent camp for 10 days at my gym in San Jose, California,
with the help of several champions, like Leandro Lo, Rafael Formiga,
Marcus Antelante, Ben Baxter, Luiza Monteiro and others. We follow
a spreadsheet made by Itallo Villardo, who is the best physical
trainer for martial arts in my opinion,” he praised.
Caio
highlighted the tough semifinal against Fabbio Passos. “Our
semifinal was one of the most complicated in the Pan. It was
a tough fight and he surprised me. But in the end, the hard fight
only gave me strength to get even more focused to win the final,”
he concluded.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Dan
Hardy remains philosophical in face of 'wolf heart' diagnosis
By Dave
Doyle
For someone whose livelihood might be in jeopardy, Dan Hardy
sure seems to be taking things in stride.
The
popular UFC welterweight from Nottingham, England, was pulled
from his planned UFC on FOX 7 bout against Matt Brown in San
Jose, Calif. on April 20, after pre-fight testing done by the
California State Athletic Commission showed heart irregularities.
Hardy
tested for a condition known as Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome,
an abnormality colloquially referred to as "wolf heart."
The condition is essentially a misfire in the heart's transmission
of the electrical signals which regulate the heartbeat. A person
suffering from "wolf heart" can experience chest pain,
dizziness, palpitations and shortness of breath, among other
symptoms.
For
someone who isn't quite sure what's his next step, though, Hardy
sounds like a person who has accepted the reality of his situation.
Speaking recently to Bloody Elbow's Steph Daniels, Hardy said
"I've been thinking about it, and I don't want to think
for a second that I'm done fighting, because I still love training
and fighting. At the same time, I also feel that there are lots
of other things that I should be doing, things that I should
be concentrating on in different areas of my life."
The
test result came as a surprise to Hardy because he's experienced
few, if any, of the symptoms usually associated with the syndrome.
"California
requires extra testing, one of the tests being an EKG,"
Hardy told Bloody Elbow. "I have had an EKG one other time
before this one. I had taken a short notice fight while I was
training at ATT with Paul Daley in 2004, and one of the ATT guys
pulled out of their fight, and I stepped in to replace him. That
was when I fought Pat Healy. They did an EKG then because I had
an irregular heartbeat, but they cleared me to fight anyway.
That was the only time anything's really ever been noticed. Since
then, I've never had an EKG. I've never had any symptoms, either.
I'm in great shape. I'm in better shape than I've ever been in
my life, which is ironic.
"Looking
back, I've never had a single incident happen in my past that
would make me think there was anything out of the ordinary,"
he continued. "Not one thing. I do a lot of meditating and
a lot of breathing exercises, and I'm always very much aware
of my heartbeat. I feel like I have great control over it. I
can concentrate and slow it down pretty well. I've never felt
better, and I've never had an issue.
Hardy
admitted, given the American health care system's less-than-stellar
international reputation, that he's considered getting a second
opinion back home in England.
"Yeah,
I've thought about a second opinion," Hardy said. "It's
possible that I'll go back to the UK and maybe see a doctor or
two there. I'm always a little bit suspicious of the American
healthcare system, with it being a business, as opposed to being
a service. That's always in the back of my mind when I'm getting
this information. It is what it is, and yeah, I might go back
to the UK to see what they have to say, but to be honest, I'm
in a really good place right now, and I'm excited about what
comes next."
In
the meantime, Hardy's fight career is in limbo. Will other commission
states and provinces license a fighter with his condition? Would
the UFC allow Hardy on international events without athletic
commissions, in which the company performs commission functions?
Hardy told Bloody Elbow that to a degree, things are out of his
hands.
"In
the back of my mind, I've been thinking that if I did go ahead
and fight, and something happened, then that would be on the
sport. It's good that we've got this test in place, because we
don't want something like that happening in the sport. Not only
would it be a terrible thing, but it would do a lot of damage
in the public eye. I think maybe more states should require this
testing, as well. ...
"What
it comes down to, though, is what the UFC is going to have to
say on it. I certainly don't know where the UFC stands on using
me to fight in other states, because obviously now, this will
be on my medical record. I've got a wolf heart, and now everybody
knows it. ... Then you have to wonder if the UFC can use me on
shows in Europe or Australia, or things like that. Those are
also options to consider. I just know that, at this point, I'm
not going to have the surgery, because I don't think I really
need it. If, at any point, I start to feel like it might be necessary,
I'll start considering it. As of right now, I'm good, and I don't
want anybody messing with me."
Whether
he'll be able to continue fighting, though, Hardy says he's taken
the diagnosis as a cosmic sign to consider the bigger picture.
"It's
taken me to get to this point, where I'm living with health as
a main priority," he said. "I am in the best shape
of my life, and everything is starting to fall into place. I
don't know ... maybe my journey through martial arts was to get
me to this stage, where I can approach whatever comes next. I'm
certainly feeling like it's a prod from the universe to kind
of reassess and look at where I'm at, because I know there are
a lot of things I want to do in my life as well, so this might
be a good sign to refocus and do something different, perhaps."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
As
crazy outside the cage as inside the cage for fighters
By Zach
Arnold
If you’ve read Brian J. D’Souza’s book, then you
know that his focus as an author is about the top fighters in
Mixed Martial Arts and how they are doing outside the cage in
terms of all the drama surrounding finances, trainers, and business
deals. Consider him as a more down-to-Earth and compassionate
version of Darren Rovell.
He recently did a 50-minute interview with Nate Wilcox of MMA
Nation and I would recommend that you check out the video. Most
of the questions build off of what Brian mentions in his book.
For example, the introduction is about the agents that Georges
St. Pierre has used in the past and why he has his current business
dealings set up the way they are.
Nate brings up trainer Victor Vargotsky, who used to work with
GSP but was shown the door.
NATE WILCOX: “When they talk about GSP, they talk Greg Jackson,
they talk Firas Zahabi the head coach at Tri-Star. They might
talk Phil Nurse. But one guy that gets overlooked a little bit
is Victor Vargotsky who was the kickboxing coach, coached the
Klitschkos back in the day. You credit him with rebuilding GSP
after the first Matt Hughes loss. What happened to Vargotsky?
How did he become a forgotten man in the GSP story?”
BRIAN
J. D’SOUZA: “OK, first of all, he only taught Vitali
and then from 15 to 19 when Vitali goes in the army, he’s
done with him. But Vitali did win these titles, these kickboxing
titles with Vargotsky.
“Why
he’s forgotten is the same way so many trainers are forgotten.
People are expendable in the fight game. Journalists are expendable,
never mind the trainers. The trainers, to stick with a fighter,
it is not just about whether or not they are good trainer. It’s
also do they fit into the management’s perspective? You
see this when you read up on Emmanuel Steward, how Don King promises
him Tyson or, you know, fighters get promised in part of a package?
In the MMA side, you know, Vargotsky after the Serra loss, after
Georges gets knocked out, he has harsh words. He makes Georges
feel bad and you cannot underestimate the pain of loss, how awful
it feels to have someone come to you and give it to you straight
and say, “you gave this guy your title on a silver platter.
You did nothing to prevent him from beating you.” It’s
a really painful moment. It doesn’t really matter if Vargotsky
was right or if he was a good trainer, he said the wrong thing
at the wrong time and… and on top of that, too, he’s
the guy who’s going to push, push, push Georges, you know?
Even when Georges is making millions.
“What
you really see in the Jake Shields fight, OK, and maybe you disagree,
Georges didn’t train as hard as he could have. He wasn’t
as sharp as he normally is in the striking. Jake Shields is as
good or very close to Georges in striking? I don’t think
so. Georges didn’t train or prepare properly. Vargotsky
would have pushed him. And the more money fighters make, the
more successful they are, the more people who are pliable…
I don’t want to say yes-man, I don’t like that word,
but people around him are pliable and they take their own way.”
Nate
and Brian transition to GSP to BJ Penn and how Penn developed
in the sport of MMA. They cover ground regarding BJ’s relationship
with Ralph Gracie and the ups-and-downs between Penn and Dana
White. The infamous spat between BJ and Dana over BJ’s autobiography
was brought up for elaboration.
NATE WILCOX: “I’ve read BJ’s autobiography…
Dana White was very pissed off about all that. What was the deal
with that? I mean, was BJ and his ghost writer, were they spewing
bullshit or was Dana just overreacting? What was the story there?”
BRIAN
J. D’SOUZA: “OK, first thing I want to tell you is,
I did contact Dave Weintraub, the writer for BJ Penn’s book
and I tried to get him to talk. I just want you to kind of know
that he wouldn’t say anything to me on the record. He did
not want me to tell you anything. We talked a little bit about
the controversy because I wanted to hear what happened. He had
a job at Exit 9 Films creating bonus material for the UFC DVDs
and the UFC put leverage to get this guy fired. The writer of
BJ Penn’s book gets fired, gets blacklisted from writing
for the UFC magazine, etc.
“Why
is the controversy there? In my opinion, this is just my opinion…
it’s part the financial details BJ reveals and part Dana
saw the book as a betrayal of spirit. Dana White sees himself
as the guy who puts money, invests into his fighters, promotes
them. He’s paying for these billboards to promote Georges
St. Pierre and Georges benefits by getting a cut of the PPV (buy
rates), OK? That’s how he sees it as the business him and
the Fertittas built. So, when BJ says, “oh, they make X
number of money but the contract might as well have been for
a dollar because they’re paying me a small amount,”
he only saw the bad side. He only saw like the numbers that weren’t
in his favor. BJ himself talked about the investment the UFC
made in him, the hotels they paid for, the airline tickets. So,
it’s kind of like that snap reaction like, “Oh my God,
this guy is talking shit, does he know what I did for him? Does
he know about the opponents I set up, how I built him up, etc.?”
BJ had no choice. He had to write the whole story, right?”
NATE
WILCOX: “Well, I guess he would have written a part of the
story, I mean Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes certainly didn’t
go into their business if they had any business difficulties
with the UFC in their autobiographies. But, yeah, I just thought
it was interesting that it seemed like the agreement between
the UFC and BJ, because they had to keep working together, was
just to throw Weintraub under the bus and move on. Lesson to
MMA journalists: be careful whose memoirs you ghost write if
you want to work in this business again.”
After
Penn got hammered by Rory MacDonald last December in Seattle,
the question regarding when Penn would retire quickly surfaced.
Will he be able to remain in the spotlight as a special attraction
fighter or will he quietly ride off into the sunset?
NATE WILCOX: “Do you think we’ve seen the end of BJ
Penn?”
BRIAN
J. D’SOUZA: “He’s got some kind of surgery for
his cataracts or something and apparently there is something
put into his eye. He probably can’t spar safely or he’s
taking a risk, he’ll be out a year or two while he’s
having this surgery done. Fighters don’t want to retire.
In the back of his mind, he’s looking at these new Lightweights
and he’s saying to himself, “I can kick every one of
their asses.” That’s the dialogue I think he’s
having in his head. You hear Larry Holmes say this all the time,
“the new Heavyweights ain’t shit, I can kick this guy’s
ass.” Larry Holmes comes back when he’s old to beat
up Butterbean and he does it. He does it. I wouldn’t count
a comeback like that out of BJ. So, within a couple of years
maybe, yeah, we’ll probably see it. I really believe it,
surgery or not.”
NATE
WILCOX: “BJ’s done pretty well for himself financially
in his MMA career. He’s also got some inherited wealth.
What’s your bet for the Joe Louis %, any chance, what’s
the odds BJ Penn ends up in the men’s room handing out mints?”
BRIAN
J. D’SOUZA: “Zero percent, zero percent, and the reason
this is is because his Dad is a smart man and his brothers are
smart men. BJ has his own web site. When you read BJ Penn’s
book, OK, I remember when I met Georges (St. Pierre) I started
talking about Larry Holmes but when I met Jon Jones I think I
mentioned BJ’s book and, “hey, have you read his book,
do you know what’s in there?” because BJ really is
a smart guy, OK? He has got some good net wealth. He even has
a deal with the UFC for the UFC gyms, so he’s making money
from them with the UFC gym in Hawaii and this came about after
Weintraub was thrown over the boat. So, you see, BJ’s not…
whatever you think of his fighting, he’s the winner in my
mind because I believe behind the scenes he’s done all the
right things. Zero percent chance he’s broke. *laughs*”
The
rest of the interview goes on to discuss the financial futures
of Anderson Silva, Mauricio Shogun, and Fedor. The angle they
choose to take is an interesting one — why do fighters still
romanticize opportunities to fight in Japan when there is so
much corruption there regarding payoffs?
Florida & California powers-that-be have decisions to make
regarding Fallon Fox
Over the weekend, Eddie Goldman put an interview with Fallon
Fox online for everyone to listen to. Highly recommend it. Eddie’s
show has had a very good string of guests lately. Fallon explains
the confusion regarding what the commissions are telling the
press versus what the paperwork says. More on that in a minute.
On Saturday, the promoter for the Miami-based CFA promotion announced
that Fallon Fox would fight in the women’s tournament final
on May 24th at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida.
Suffice to say, there will be plenty of media attention for the
bout. As to whether or not Florida is going to stop the fight
from happening, all indications are that the green light has
been given to let the fight proceed.
When Fallon fought in Florida, credentials from California’s
commission were used. Fallon claims medicals were submitted to
the Sacramento office when applying for a license. As proof of
this, Fallon put up a photo of the receipt received from Sacramento
regarding the receipt for paying $60 for a fighter’s license.
You can view the full receipt right here on Facebook. If you
look at the receipt, you will see that the person who signed
off on the receipt is someone named Christopher Raymond. Chris
is an SSA (Staff Services Analyst) at the Department of Consumer
Affairs and was basically brought in to help out with grunt work
in the Sacramento office. He is helping out with the auditing
of the show packages/envelopes that the lead athletic inspectors
are sending back to the Sacramento office after fight events.
Of course, if Che Guevara as Chief Athletic Inspector was doing
his job right in the first place, Chris probably wouldn’t
be in the position he is in right now.
So, as you can see in the photo, Christopher Raymond signed off
on the receipt. Take a look at the bottom right corner of the
receipt.
“I
understand that I must follow all of the rules and regulations
of the California State Athletic Commission. This card must be
presented at the time of the weigh in or event as proof of licensure.”
California, like most state commissions, will accept application
money. It’s non-refundable. However, from an administrative
stand point, processing an application doesn’t mean producing
an official license. However, DCA’s form gives the licensee
the impressions that, hey, I just got licensed.
Regarding how California’s commission will proceed with
this matter, it’s up in the air. On April 7th, Dr. Paul
Wallace & Dr. VanBuren Ross Lemons will head up a medical
advisory committee session with all the fight doctors in the
state to determine some sort of policy for transgender fighters.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Jon
Fitch vs. Josh Burkman Headlines World Series of Fighting 3 in
June
Former
UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch will make his World Series
of Fighting debut in the promotion’s third event against
Josh Burkman on June 14 in Las Vegas.
WSOF
president Ray Sefo made the announcement on Wednesday via Twitter.
Fitch
(24-5-1) was released by the UFC after a decision loss to Demian
Maia at UFC 156 on Feb. 2. He’s gone 1-2-1 in his last four
fights.
Burkman (25-9) was released by the UFC in 2008 after dropping
three fights in a row, but has gone 7-1 since leaving the organization.
He’s coming off a first round knockout of Aaron Simpson
at WSOF 2 on March 23.
The
fight is a rematch. The two first met at UFC Fight Night 4 in
2006. Fitch defeated Burkman that night by rear naked choke in
the closing seconds of the second round.
The
fight will headline the June 14 card, Sefo told MMAFighting.com.
Prior
to WSOF 2, Sefo revealed plans to implement title fights in the
start-up promotion. Burkman, the top 170-pound contender in WSOF,
recently said that Fitch didn’t deserve a title shot in
his first outing for the promotion, and he won’t get one.
The bout will be a non-title fight.
The
venue for the event has yet to be announced.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC's
Condit still up for rematch with MacDonald, wants to improve
wrestling
by Steven
Marrocco
If
he'd had two more rounds, Carlos Condit (28-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) might
have stolen Johny Hendricks' thunder at UFC 158.
He
didn't, however, and Condit is back to the drawing board following
a decision loss to the now-No 1. contender.
"I
need time," Condit told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).
"I don't necessarily need time off, but the last two fights,
wrestling has definitely made the difference. I need some time
to really, really focus on that, and get that aspect of my game
tightened up."
Hendricks
took down Condit at will for much of the three-round fight, which
served as his final hurdle before a title shot at welterweight
champ Georges St-Pierre. It is just the second time in Condit's
career that he's suffered back-to-back losses.
Where
his career goes next, Condit isn't sure. As he sat at the podium
at UFC 158's post-event press conference on March 16, he realized
he'd fought every fighter beside him.
Champ
Georges St-Pierre? Decision loss. Hendricks? Same. Jake Ellenberger?
Split-decision win.
Condit
could very easily be back in the cage with any of them, and anticipates
he will. He is a former WEC champion and UFC interim titleholder
who's carved out a place near the top of the 170-pound class,
and his losses and wins are against top-flight competition.
More
than that, Condit may have cemented himself as a fan favorite
for his gutsy performance late in the fight against Hendricks,
who faded in late in the fight just as Condit surged. If a fight
were won on applause, he might have taken the decision.
"I
have a feeling that my next year or two may be a lot of rematches,"
he said.
One
of those possible do-overs wasn't spoken for at UFC 158, but
should have been. Condit originally was scheduled to fight Rory
MacDonald, who was forced from the event with a neck and back
strain. When they first met at UFC 115, Condit struggled in early
rounds only to stage a late rally that won him a TKO in the waning
moments of the three-round fight.
The
depth of MacDonald's shame over the loss was made clear when
he called out Condit following a career-high win over B.J. Penn
at UFC on FOX 5. A rematch wasn't a linear career choice given
the fact that Condit had lost to St-Pierre two months prior,
but MacDonald seemed borderline obsessed with getting his comeuppance.
Condit
remains happy to give him the chance.
"He
really took the loss personal, so he's made the callout personal,"
Condit said. "But I think he'd be a great fight."
Although
MacDonald's health remains touch and go since another recent
tweak that pushed back his timetable for return, Condit said
he'd be happy to wait until August or September to accommodate
his former foe.
His
reasons for accepting the rematch remain the same as when he
first heard the callout.
"There
was some controversy on the stoppage," Condit said. "Also,
he's got a lot of hype on him. He's done really well since that
fight. He's a up-and-comer with a lot of hype around him, and
he called me out. I think we have unfinished business because
of that."
There's
another goal unfinished, too: winning the undisputed title. It
might be a while before he gets another chance at that belt,
but Condit isn't giving up.
"I've
already exceeded a lot of my own expectations, but I haven't
reached a goal that I set," he said. "So that's something
I'm working toward, but it's just one fight at a time."
For
more on the UFC's upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors
section of the site.
Source: MMA Junkie
|
MMA
Roundtable: Diaz's appeal, WSOF 2 reviews, best fights of '13
so far, and more
By Mike
Chiappetta
After Thursday night's Bellator 94 card, major MMA will pass
the quarter pole for 2013, with several excellent fights in the
books, a few controversies still smoldering, and a new kid on
the block still looking to establish itself.
In
this week's roundtable, my colleague Luke Thomas joins me to
discuss some of these topics, including Nick Diaz's intention
to file a complaint against the sanctioning body that regulated
UFC 158, the best UFC fights of the year thus far, the good and
bad of World Series of Fighting 2, and more.
1.
Does Nick Diaz really stand a chance of getting a rematch with
his current gambit against Quebec's athletic commission? If not,
is there any other value to this effort?
Thomas:
I sincerely doubt anything Diaz is requesting will come from
this. That isn't to suggest what he's stating lacks merit (more
on that in a moment), but simply the reality of what it would
take to force any power player's hand - be it UFC or the commission
itself - and the timeline of such a process makes any real progress
impossible. Besides, when the group you're griping about is ultimately
the one you need to act on your behalf, the legitimacy of your
complaint becomes irrelevant.
That
said, let's be clear about what Diaz is stating. Is part of his
claim unequivocally self-serving? Undoubtedly. He's trying to
earn a rematch or a monetary reward and perhaps more. But the
crux of the claim made by Diaz is that there was commission incompetence
or malfeasance or both in two key areas of regulation at UFC
158. He is challenging their fealty to and implementation of
their own regulations. He was told something that made positively
no sense by a UFC official who was ostensibly relaying a commission
rule. That rule exists nowhere in their own codified regulations.
They used such regulations to oversee UFC 158. That is a problem.
Period. When the watchdogs are playing fast and loose even with
what appears to be seemingly innocuous or modifiable rules, that
places the entire operation under rightful suspicion.
I
don't believe Diaz will earn a title shot or will take home 20
percent of GSP's purse when this is all said and done. But if
this puts the Quebec commission on notice as well as regulatory
bodies throughout North America, his efforts will have not been
a waste.
Chiappetta:
I'll go a bit further than Luke and guarantee he has absolutely
zero chance of an immediate rematch. After all, as far as we
know, he has zero proof that St-Pierre actually missed weight,
and his other complaint about improperly supervised drug testing
is almost certain to be struck down due to Luke's explanation
about the commission policing and then judging itself.
However,
as Luke also points out, Diaz does appear to have a legitimate
gripe when it comes to the weigh-in issues, with Quebec's Régie
des alcohols, des courses et des jeux sanctioning body acting
incongruous with their own rules and history.
The
commissions carry so much importance and weight that it makes
it difficult to check their power. What Diaz and company might
have done with a small video camera is just that. Rules need
to be clearly written, explained and enforced. One of the big
problems in MMA is that they can be slightly altered from one
place to the next, leaving both promoters and fighters in a situation
where they must hustle to ascertain the applicable information.
If Diaz's complaint results in increased transparency, at least
others that follow him will benefit from it. Unfortunately for
him, that's probably the best result he can hope for.
2.
With the first quarter of the UFC's 2013 schedule out of the
way, what was the promotion's best fight of the year so far?
Chiappetta:
You've got to hand it to the fighters; 2013 has been a bonanza
of action so far. In a short time, there are many excellent options
to choose from. Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann, Demetrious Johnson
vs. John Dodson, Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar, and most recently,
Johny Hendricks vs. Carlos Condit, just to name a few.
Those
are all worthy candidates but in a squeaker, I'll send my vote
to a couple of undercard fighters, Dennis Bermudez and Matt Grice,
who absolutely tore it up on the UFC 157 prelims. For 15 minutes,
the two featherweights fired heat-seeking missiles at each other.
Each was knocked down, and each landed upwards of 80 significant
strikes during the course of the three-rounder. Each refused
to surrender, making it to the final horn. The fight may not
have been a technical showcase, but it was a testament to courage
and perseverance. The efforts of both fighters illustrated the
best of MMA when it comes to raw desire. Bermudez and Grice,
still looking to establish roots in the UFC, put themselves out
there, focusing on offense first in an ability to finish. It's
always a fine line between aggression and danger, and just like
every other sport, there will always be a bias towards offense.
If
you wanted to argue about Silva's emotional knockout of Stann
in his return to Japan or Hendricks-Condit as the better fight,
I wouldn't object much, but what I do know is Bermudez and Grice
had more thrilling moments than any other UFC fight thus far.
Thomas:
I agree with Mike that 2013 hasn't just been a good year for
MMA and UFC, but significantly better than most of 2012. With
fewer injuries and the UFC finding its groove with FOX a bit,
there's a lot more to enjoy than there was just a year or two
ago.
To
be honest, though, while the overall quality of fights and match-ups
has been higher in 2013, there's nothing in particular that truly
stands out to me. John Dodson vs. Demetrious Johnson is probably
my candidate for best fight of the quarter followed by Jose Aldo
vs. Frankie Edgar. And don't get me wrong, there's very little
to complain about in either fight. Both are bouts with champions
trying to fend off truly capable challengers in high stakes,
stylistically interesting clashes. Still, as superb as they are,
they come a touch short of the threshold for spectacular that
I'd use to put them in the running for Fight of the Year.
Which
leads to my other point. Silva vs. Stann and Grice vs. Bermudez
were tons of fun, but I'd probably not include them in Fight
of the Year contention. I like slobber knocker brawls as much
as the next guy, but I have reservations about awarding accolades
like this to fights that emphasize courage more than skill. Those
are my subjective criteria. Others may have their own. And again,
I enjoyed the bout. I'm just saying after the first quarter of
UFC, there's been a lot to like for a lot of different reasons,
but nothing transcendent has happened just yet.
3.
WSOF's second show held some promise for the organization, but
also demonstrated they've got a long way to go. What grade would
you give it?
Thomas:
I'd give it a C+ or B-.
Let's
start with the positives. Upstarts Marlon Moraes and Justin Gaethje
put on the kind of performances that make further main card booking
a no-brainer. Creating stars from scratch is difficult and often
a slow process, but both fighters seemed primed for greater challenges
and exposure. Josh Burkman also seems to be in the zone and ready
to be a capable competitor in their burgeoning welterweight division.
Anthony Johnson is doing well enough, although there are diminishing
returns to playing with his weight. Last, but certainly not least,
the use of UFC and other well-known veterans created a fair amount
of online intrigue and traffic.
But
then there are the negatives. The organization badly lacks infrastructure
and regulatory know-how. Were it not for the Cage Fury Fighting
Championships' assistance, this show would likely have not taken
place. That is basically unforgivable. The television commentary
was fumbled, too. I'd also add that while their use of faded
and former MMA stars has some value, their over reliance means
a fairly noticeable lowering in the quality of their product.
Andrei Arlovski is simply not the fighter he once was. Big time
ditto for Aaron Simpson. I don't even know what Paulo Filho is
at this point.
All
of this is to say the show was ok, but not great. Only good in
parts. And their model of signing of aging, faded or cut UFC
fighters has serious liability not to mention little long-term
value. Some changes will need to be made.
Chiappetta:
Criticizing WSOF for issues in only their second show is a bit
unsporting, but they put themselves in the position of being
a big-league organization by signing with NBC Sports Network.
In doing that, they basically waived the startup period which
should have been spent building up the roster and fine-tuning
the production. Instead, they're flying by the seat of their
pants. That's pretty exciting and all, but it's also going to
lead to trouble.
For
example during last Saturday night's broadcast, you had fighters
asking for title shots when titles don't yet exist, you had color
commentator Bas Rutten mistakenly trying to set up lightweight
Gaethje with a welterweight, you had Jon Fitch brought into the
cage for no apparent reason, and you had issues with the mat
that nearly torpedoed the whole show. None of those things proved
disastrous -- although the last one came close -- but it's clear
evidence they're far from the well-oiled machine they surely
one day hope to be.
WSOF's
long-term challenge will be to build stars that the MMA fan base
doesn't view as UFC castoffs. Anthony Johnson does bring a certain
star quality with his crushing KO power, and so his ability to
beat a heavyweight can only help. Moraes and Gaethje looked impressive,
too, so there are some intriguing building blocks in place. Overall,
I think WSOF 2 is worth a C effort, which at least is passing.
4.
Christian Morecraft became the latest in a series of young fighters
to retire. Is this trend a major issue for MMA going forward?
Chiappetta:
It's certainly putting more of a focus on just how difficult
it is to be a professional athlete, let alone a fighter who likely
has to grind through years of grueling training just to sniff
the UFC. While the UFC understandably actively highlights the
number of millionaires they've created, there is usually little
thought given to the number of fighters who struggle to pay bills
while under the employ of that organization along with all the
others. That's changed in recent years, as more news outlets
give way to differing viewpoints of the sport.
In
most other sports, when you reach the big leagues, there is a
guaranteed minimum salary that translates to big bucks in the
real world, but that doesn't hold true for MMA. When someone
like Kyle Kingsbury is making a $12,000 payday after four years
in the organization, that's a problem that others will notice.
Brain
injuries are another potential cause of dissuading young athletes
from entering the fight world. The issue continues to be explored
by the scientific community and spotlighted by the sports media,
and as such, it can no longer be ignored. UFC fighter Nick Denis
recently cited the research as his reason for retiring.
Ultimately,
the sport's ranks will continue to be populated by the fighters
who feel this is their destiny and the dreamers who believe they
can make it to the big payday. The sport's popularity boom ensures
that the newcomers will be there in the coming years, but fighter
pay and safety will require added emphasis in ensuring that the
numbers don't dwindle.
Thomas:
I do not believe this to be a major issue, at least not yet.
It's certainly a sad reality of the sport. I don't think anyone
can deny that. Fighters who are capable of reaching the highest
level are having difficulty staying there and not necessarily
because they aren't winning as much as they should be. Some fighters
fall in the not so sweet spot of being good enough to be there,
but not good enough to go anywhere. It's absolutely regrettable.
But
I fail to see it currently as a major issue until it begins to
affect the talent pool in meaningful ways. Losing Cole Konrad
was problematic, but the majority of the young fighters who call
it quits early are not elite talent. In fact, they're likely
not making money for a reason, insofar as UFC economics go. More
often than not, they're good fighters, but not great. They're
almost never fighters who ever have or ever will contend for
a title. Losing them isn't ideal, but it isn't a sport-killer
either.
I
don't mean to sound cruel. I also don't think it's acceptable
to continuously lose fighters simply because they aren't elite.
The sport is healthiest when there's fighters at every level
and those who reach the pinnacle of the sport should be able
to eke out a living. All I am suggesting is until enough of them
leave and as a result take some of the very best with them, the
overall quality of the sport isn't necessarily impacted.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Former
Champ Brian Bowles Returns at UFC 160 Against George Roop
Former
WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles will return to the Octagon
at UFC 160 against fellow WEC alum George Roop.
UFC
officials announced the bout on Thursday.
Bowles
(10-2) captured the 135-pound title by knocking out then-champion
Miguel Torres in August 2009. He lost the belt in his first title
defense to current champion Dominick Cruz. Following the title
loss, Bowles defeated Damacio Page and Takeya Mizugaki before
facing Urijah Faber at UFC 139 in December 2011.
Faber
defeated Bowles by submission and Bowles has been out of action
ever since due to a broken hand suffered in the fight.
UFC 160, which takes place on May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena in Las Vegas, will be Bowles’ long-awaited return
to the Octagon.
Roop
(13-9-1) appeared on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter
as a lightweight. After going 1-2 following the show Roop was
cut by the UFC. He returned after a stint in the WEC as a featherweight,
having fought once as a bantamweight.
Roop
returned to the bantamweight division in his last outing against
Reuben Duran at UFC 158 on March 16, winning by unanimous decision.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Hayabusa
and GSP Apologize for Controversial Georges St-Pierre UFC 158
Attire (Update)
In
his most recent trip to the Octagon, Georges St-Pierre swirled
in controversy over his relationship with Nick Diaz. He knew
upon asking for that fight that trash talk and controversy would
ensue, but what he didn’t realize was that his attire on
the day of the fight would be a part of it.
St-Pierre,
as he often does, wore a traditional gi to the Octagon at UFC
158. Only this time, it was a specifically designed gi produced
by the popular fightwear company Hayabusa. The gi incorporated
the Japanese Rising Sun design.
As
Maggie Hendricks, writer for MMAWeekly.com official content partner
Yahoo! Sports, reported, the Rising Sun symbolism wasn’t
lost on fellow UFC fighter Chan Sung Jung, who wrote an open
letter on his Facebook page to St-Pierre pointing out that many
people, particularly in Asia, find the Rising Sun a highly offensive
symbol.
“For
Asians, this flag is a symbol of war crimes, much like the German
Hakenkreuzflagge. Did you know that? I hope not,” wrote
Jung.
“Just
like Nazis, the Japanese also committed atrocities under the
name of ‘Militarism’. You can easily learn what they’ve
done by googling (please do), although it’s only the tiny
tip of an enormous iceberg.”
As
Hendricks noted, “The Rising Sun flag was used by the Imperial
Japanese Army in World War II, and it was banned by the United
Nations in 1945.”
The
symbolism of the Rising Sun seems to have been lost on many of
us in the Western world, and it certainly was on Hayabusa, who
swiftly moved to rectify the situation. Hayabusa co-president
Craig Clement released a statement accepting responsibility for
the gi and apologizing to those who may have been offended by
it.
Hayabusa’s statement:
Since
Georges St-Pierre wore our walkout gi at UFC 158 we have received
attention surrounding the negative connotation of the rising
sun graphic used. The last thing we want is to offend or alienate
anyone with the choice of design on our products.
We at Hayabusa have the utmost respect for culture and history
and appreciate all of our customers worldwide. As such, we accept
full responsibility for this design and are taking all complaints
and comments very seriously.
The gi worn by GSP will not be brought to market. In addition,
we will be very conscious of this specific design element when
developing future communication materials and products.
Please accept our sincerest apology for any offense this has
caused. If you have any questions or comments regarding this
matter, please feel free to discuss it with us at
customerservice@hayabusafightwear.com. One of our representatives
will be happy to assist you.
St-Pierre, one of the most popular and well liked fighters in
UFC history, a short time later added his own apology.
“I’d
like to also personally apologize to anyone who was offended
by this,” St-Pierre wrote on Facebook. “I am very sorry,
that was never my intention.”
The
tone of Jung’s original Facebook letter to St-Pierre was
explanatory in tone. He held up St-Pierre as “the best welterweight
fighter in history,” and seemed more concerned with enlightening
St-Pierre and others as to what the Rising Sun’s symbolism
means to a large number of people.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WSOF
2 AVERAGES 210K VIEWERS, PEAKS WITH 332K ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK
BY MIKE
WHITMAN
The
World Series of Fighting’s sophomore event averaged 210,000
viewers during its broadcast on NBC Sports Network this past
Saturday.
WSOF
officials announced the figure on Wednesday, also revealing that
the two-and-a-half-hour broadcast peaked with 332,000 during
the evening’s heavyweight main event between Anthony Johnson
and Andrei Arlovski. “Rumble” took a hard-fought victory
over the former UFC heavyweight champion, flooring Arlovski at
the end of round one en route to earning a nod from the cage-side
judges. The broadcast, which went head-to-head with the NCAA
Basketball tournament on CBS, immediately followed a live preliminary
card stream on Sherdog.com.
While
the reported average represents only a slight increase from the
promotion’s debut effort last November, which earned 198,000
viewers, the show’s peak viewership is a large step up from
WSOF 1, which peaked with 228,000 viewers. Additionally, the
show’s immediate encore broadcast attracted 140,000 observers,
a sharp increase from the replay of WSOF 1, which netted just
80,000 viewers, though that replay aired the following night.
The
event, which took place at Revel Resort and Casino in Atlantic
City, N.J., also saw Marlon Moraes notch up an impressive first-round
knockout of fellow bantamweight Tyson Nam in the evening’s
co-main event. Additionally, welterweight Josh Burkman picked
up a violent knockout over fellow UFC veteran Aaron Simpson,
and David Branch dominated former WEC champion Paulo Filho.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
champ Benson Henderson gets to third round at 2013 Pan, says
‘whatever’ to critics
Erik Fontanez
IRVINE,
Calif. — UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson showed
promise early on, but fell short in the third round at the 2013
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship Tournament on Sunday.
Henderson
defeated his first two opponents in the adult brown belt middle
division, but was shut out in his third match with a score of
8-0.
“Eh,
it’s all good,” Henderson told GracieMag.com following
his final match at the University of California, Irvine’s
Bren Events Center. “I just love to compete and have fun.”
“Bendo,”
as Henderson has been called in the past, first defeated Romulo
Caiado Cavalcanti in the opening round, and followed that up
with a 5-2 win over Pedro Teixeira Alcantara in the second round.
Henderson’s
run through the tournament came to an end, however, when he met
Jaime Soares Canuto in the third round of the bracket. He was
swept by Canuto, who then immediately mounted Henderson to earn
six points. When time expired, Canuto had added two more points
to his tally for the 8-0 win.
“(In
the last match) I didn’t have fun,” Henderson said
when asked what went wrong in his third match.
The
UFC 155-pound champ took a break from training for his April
20 title defense against former Strikeforce champion Gilbert
Melendez to partake in the widely popular Jiu-Jitsu tournament.
He said that it was his way to find a release from all the MMA
training he does on a regular basis.
Henderson’s
head coach, John Crouch, said that although the tournament is
a break from the MMA cycle, it isn’t a lengthy vacation.
The two are still preparing regularly for the UFC on Fox 7 card
that takes place in four weeks.
“We
just did six rounds of hard MMA sparring yesterday,” Crouch
said, reiterating that his fighter entered the tournament as
something fun to do.
Leading
into the weekend, Henderson received some criticism for entering
the grappling tournament just four weeks from his UFC on Fox
fight. The chances of getting injured made for some online chatter
echoing surprise that the UFC would be okay with their lightweight
champ competing.
Henderson
said “whatever” to people with that opinion, adding
that he ended up feeling just fine after being done with the
competition.
“People
are critical of everything,” he said. “The fact is
I got done with the tournament and I can dance just fine. There
was no injury.”
Bendo
will have a busy schedule for the next couple of months. Once
he’s done fighting Melendez in April, he’ll likely
prepare for the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship that takes place
in Long Beach, Calif. at the end of May. When asked if he’ll
compete in the competition, Henderson responded, “I will
be there.”
If
he successfully defends his UFC title on Fox, Henderson will
wait out the winner of the Aug. 3 fight between featherweight
champion Jose Aldo and former WEC lightweight champion Anthony
Pettis.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Georges
St-Pierre fought Nick Diaz with an injured achilles; trainer
hopes he doesn't return for at least six months
By Ariel Helwani
Georges St-Pierre was not 100 percent when he fought -- and eventually
beat -- Nick Diaz at UFC 158 last weekend.
According
to St-Pierre's trainer Firas Zahabi, the UFC welterweight champion
suffered an achilles injury before the March 16 fight, and the
injury may have worsened during the five-round bout.
"I
was worried it would tear during the fight," Zahabi told
MMAFighting.com. "We had to cut his last sparring [session]
short due to his injury. He had a week to rest it and then the
fight."
The
news was first reported by TVA Sports.
Zahabi
said he believed the achilles injury was on the same right leg
St-Pierre had surgery on last year to repair a torn ACL, but
he didn't think the two injuries were related. He added that
he has yet to speak to St-Pierre about the ailment and has no
idea how long he'll be sidelined for.
However,
the Tristar Gym head coach wants St-Pierre take some time off,
considering the injury and that the Diaz fight was his second
in four months. In fact, Zahabi doesn't want him to return to
action for at least six months, if not more.
"He's
32 soon," he said. "He needs to respect that."
St-Pierre's
manager Rodolphe Beaulieu echoed Zahabi's sentiments, while confirming
that St-Pierre returned to training on Wednesday.
"He
wants to take a couple of months off because his two fights were
very close to each other," he said, "and he wants to
enjoy the summer. We haven't talked to the UFC yet, so we don't
know what their plans are for Georges yet."
Up
next for St-Pierre is Johny Hendricks, who told FUEL TV's "UFC
Tonight" on Tuesday that he was hoping the welterweight
title fight would take place in August, so he could fight at
least one more time in 2013.
St-Pierre's
camp, however, have other plans in mind.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Florida
allows young man with Down’s Syndrome & Rheumatoid Arthritis
to do MMA fights
By Zach
Arnold
If
you click the picture, you can view a video feature that ESPN
produced and aired on their Sunday night edition of Sportscenter.
The piece is about Garrett “G-Money” Holeve, a 23-year
old young man with Down’s Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis,
who is currently involved in amateur MMA fights in the state
of Florida. The amateur MMA fights involving Garrett are being
regulated by the International Sport Karate/Kickboxing Association
(ISKA), one of the many approved sanctioning bodies that Florida’s
beleaguered athletic commission allows to regulate bouts. Garrett
currently trains at American Top Team in Weston, Florida and
has many friends in Mixed Martial Arts, including Stephan Bonnar.
Perhaps I should remind you of my radio interview last week with
Sherdog about the state of affairs with Florida’s athletic
commission.
Garrett and his family have started a non-profit (Garrett’s
Fight) to raise money for special needs athletes, especially
those who want to be active in combat sports. Their goal is to
get MMA as an approved sport in the Special Olympics.
The Broward-Palm Beach New Times did a profile article on Garrett
last December. It’s well worth your time to read. One paragraph
from the article stuck out to me:
“For someone with Down syndrome, Garrett is extremely high
functioning. Still, his cognitive ability is roughly equivalent
to that of a 12-year-old’s. His reading and math skills
are at a third-grade level. He can’t tell if a cash­ier
gives him correct change after he buys a slice of pizza, his
mom says, and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to understand
this entire article.”
BBC News just published an article in the last 24 hours talking
about Down’s Syndrome being linked to brain protein loss.
MedPage Today just published preliminary results from a new brain
study regarding the effects of repeated blows to the head.
When you watch the ESPN feature on Garrett and his parents, it’s
really well-produced and very honest. Stuart Scott did the intro
and outro on Sportscenter. Tom Rinaldi, known in ESPN inner circles
as the guy you get to narrate a video to make people cry(ask
Mike Greenberg), did the voiceover on the feature. You couldn’t
find two bigger names at ESPN who will treat MMA with respect
than Stuart Scott & Tom Rinaldi.
When I watched the feature on Sportscenter, I was absolutely
conflicted. My heart said that this was a great story. My mind
said this story would cause major controversy and that there
was trouble on the way. I could sense immediately that the way
the story was presented, it would be the feel-good-story-of-the-year
reaction on social media. However, I also knew that the internal
reaction from those in the business — especially well-regarded
regulators — would be sheer horror.
After the Sunday night feature, I made several phone calls to
doctors, athletic inspectors, judges, and individuals with medical
knowledge who are involved in regulating combat sports. The reaction
from the people I contacted was unanimous and swift — they
were absolutely terrified. Not one person supported the idea
of allowing someone with Down’s Syndrome inside the ring
for amateur or pro MMA. One respected athletic inspector said
that allowing Garrett Holeve to fight in an MMA bout was exploitative,
no matter if the audience cheered and gave Holeve a standing
ovation after the fight. The concept of allowing someone with
Down’s Syndrome (limited cognitive ability & brain issues)
to take punches and get slammed drew a swiftly negative reaction
amongst the people I interviewed.
What also drew my attention (and the attention of others) was
that the epicenter of this feature was Florida. The fact that
Florida’s commission (via the ISKA) allowed this to happen
and that any doctor gave clearance for Garrett Holeve to fight.
As Garrett’s father, Mitch, noted in the ESPN feature, he’s
received negative feedback from people close to him who feel
he is putting his son in tremendous danger.
The general public’s reaction to the piece is what I thought
it would (touching). The reaction from those inside the business
has been largely sour. Should Florida tell the ISKA to stop further
sanctioning Garrett Holeve from fighting in the future? If Holeve
applies for a professional license to do MMA in Florida, should
Cynthia Hefren & Frank Gentile give him a license?
Exit questions: a) Would ESPN have showed the ending to Garrett
Holeve’s fight if he got knocked out? b) if Holeve had gotten
injured during the fight they aired, would they have spiked the
feature because it wasn’t a heartwarming ending?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
162's Chris Weidman ready 'to put my money where my mouth is'
for new deal
by John
Morgan
After
months of lobbying for a shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson
Silva (33-4 MMA, 16-0 UFC), Chris Weidman (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC)
finally got his wish. And while some might view the contest as
a "big money" matchup, "The All American"
disagrees. He's not even asking for a new contract.
"I
think we're just going to keep the contract," Weidman told
MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "I'm definitely
OK with making what I was making. I think I was making $24,000
(to show) and $24,000 (as a win bonus). I want to do that because
then after I beat Anderson like I plan on doing, then obviously
the contract will jump up more than if I was to rip up the contract
now. I'm ready to put all my eggs in one basket and put my money
where my mouth is."
It's
a bold statement from the 28-year-old New Yorker. After all,
with just nine career bouts to his name, Weidman's critics have
wondered whether he's even deserving of a chance to step in the
cage with the sport's top pound-for-pound fighter. But Weidman
believes he's made each of those nine appearances count while
taking on the biggest challenges available at each step along
the way.
"People
say I don't have that many fights, which is true, but I've never
had an easy fight," Weidman said. "Even when I was
in Ring of Combat, we always wanted to get the best guys because
I wanted to get that experience. Guys like Uriah Hall, who's
coming up on 'The Ultimate Fighter,' I fought that guy in my
third fight.
"I
put myself in a lot of risky positions fighting good guys. I
could have fought 50 guys at this point and smoked every one
of them, and it would be against nobodies, which a lot of guys
do. But I always chose the toughest competition because I knew
that was going to make me the best I could be."
Casual
fans might struggle to see why Weidman belongs as the top contender
in the UFC's middleweight division. But with his five-fight UFC
win streak, not to mention recent losses by contenders such as
Alan Belcher, Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping, Hector Lombard
and others, things certainly worked out in Weidman's favor. Additionally,
hardcore fans point to Weidman's history as an NCAA Division
I All-American wrestler and Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission
Wrestling World Championship qualifier as reason he could prove
problematic for "The Spider."
Weidman
agrees, and it's why he's been so insistent that he's the man
to dethrone Silva after the longest title reign in UFC history.
"When
people hear that, it's almost like I'm talking smack," Weidman
said. "But I'm just confident, and I really believe I can
win the fight. I think it's a fight that people want to see.
"This
is a dream fight for me. Since I got into MMA, this is the guy
wanted to fight and really prove I could beat. I finally have
the opportunity to do that."
Weidman
has boldly promised Silva an instant rematch once he defeats
him, and he also reportedly told UFC President Dana White he
was all too happy to "f--- up" the company's long-rumored
plans to book superfights between the Brazilian superstar and
fellow UFC champions Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones – though
Weidman did want to make one clarification.
"I
don't curse," Weidman said. "I might have said something
like that, but definitely not a curse. I don't really curse that
much, just so everybody knows. That's just Dana. He throws F-bombs
out. I think that was more of him."
If
he's able to deliver on all of his claims – and make no
mistake, Weidman believes he's destined to do exactly that –
you can rest assured the UFC will look to deliver a new deal
that locks up Weidman under financially lucrative terms.
But
Weidman isn't asking for anything ahead of time. Winning will
be all the negotiating he needs.
"I
got into this fight game for one reason: to be champion,"
Weidman said. "I believe this is my time. The money is going
to come when I'm champion. It's not going to come before. I'm
not looking for a couple of extra grand. I'm looking to make
Anderson Silva money.
"I
want that belt. That's it. I know everything else comes with
that."
Weidman
meets Silva in the main event of UFC 162, which takes place July
6 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena. The night's main card
airs on pay-per-view.
Source: MMA Junkie
|
World
Series of Fighting Planning to Showcase Women’s MMA in the
Future
by Jeff
Cain
Women
fighting mixed martial arts grew out of a grass roots beginning
from the early days of Hook-N-Shoot and is now featured in the
biggest MMA promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Female
fights were prominently featured in the now defunct EliteXC and
Strikeforce. Bellator MMA features female fights along with a
wide range of regional promotions.
Invicta
FC showcases all-female fight cards and is the biggest women’s
specific fight promotion in the U.S.
Now,
World Series of Fighting plans to create a women’s division
sometime in the future.
“Eventually that is going to happen,” said WSOF president
Ray Sefo recently.
The
hold-up for WSOF featuring female fights is the lack of available
female talent not already signed to other organizations.
“My
biggest thing is we don’t have enough women talent that’s
available to start a division. Invicta has signed a lot of women
and they have a great women’s division. The UFC has women’s
fights now as well, so at some point that is going to happen
for us,” said Sefo. “But obviously it’s better
for us to acquire a little bit more talent and look at creating
a division.”
It
has been a long road for females to gain acceptance by the MMA
fan base, but they now headline fight cards and Ronda Rousey
was recently named a coach of the next season of The Ultimate
Fighter reality series.
WSOF
will be the next fight promotion for women to arrive.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
veteran Christian Morecraft says he's leaving the fight business
By Mike
Chiappetta
Christian Morecraft, a heavyweight who fought four times in the
UFC, is leaving the fight business, at least for now, with an
eye towards retirement.
In
making the announcement, Morecraft, who is just 26 years old,
posted a message on his Facebook page that voiced concern over
his future prospects past fighting, saying he's already had to
work a full-time job while competing.
"There's
plenty of ex-professional athletes out there who are lost, broke,
and jobless when competing is over, so with that being said trying
to find an easier way to make a living and most importantly be
happy ... I'm saying goodbye to the fight business for right
now. Nothing's set in stone because we all know that nothing
in life is, but for now I've got some other matters to take care
of. Thank you all for your support over the years. Thank you
and god bless everyone," his post said in part.
The
6-foot-6, 255-pounder began his career with six straight first-round
stoppages, leading to a UFC deal less than two years into his
professional career. But competing among the world's best, Morecraft
had his troubles, going 1-3 in four bouts over a 17-month span.
His
one win came against Sean McCorkle in March 2011, while he suffered
knockout losses to Stefan Struve, Matt Mitrione and Pat Barry.
The fight with Barry, which took place in Jan. 2012, was his
last, as he never fought thereafter.
Last
September, he was arrested and charged with four driving-related
offenses including operating a vehicle under the influence.
All
told, Morecraft's MMA career lasted just less than four years.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Antonio
Silva: “Testosterone Don’t Win the Fight”
by Ryan
McKinnell
UFC
heavyweight Alistair Overeem has become a lightning rod for controversy
of late with his ties to testosterone use and his propensity
for trash talking on the microphone.
Overeem
recently returned from a de facto nine-month suspension due to
a surprise drug test showing an elevated ratio of testosterone
to epitestosterone. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva knocked
Overeem out in the third round of their UFC 156 bout in early
February.
Silva
and fellow Brazilian Junior dos Santos recently made a media
stop in Las Vegas to promote their participation in the upcoming
UFC 160 in May. The topic of conversation eventually landed on
Overeem. Silva, of course, was fresh off the victory over the
Rheem, while dos Santos was originally slated to fight him at
UFC 160, but will instead fight Mark Hunt with the Dutch powerhouse
out due to injury.
Silva
and dos Santos’ opinions differ about whether or not Overeem,
who now has reportedly tested for very low levels of testosterone,
should be allowed to join the ranks of testosterone replacement
therapy (TRT) participants – a legal and widely used medical
therapy that has become popular with athletes, especially in
the sport of MMA – but they bond over their mutual dislike
for Overeem’s lack of respect when he opens his mouth.
“He
talk a lot. I think he needs to close his mouth and go to the
gym,” said a grinning Silva.
“He’s
a smart mouth. He loves the media. He loves to talk. I don’t
know why the media loves him so much, but you win the fight in
the cage, not outside (the) cage.”
Unlike
Silva, dos Santos and Overeem have never met in the cage despite
having been booked on two prior occasions. During their previous
lead ups, however, the pre-fight trash talk was running thick,
something uncharacteristic for the usually reserved dos Santos.
Unlike his countryman Silva, who says if Overeem does begin TRT
usage that it’s fine if approved by a doctor, “Cigano”
disagrees with the whole process.
“Yeah,
I’m gonna be angry,” he said about his thoughts on
TRT usage, specifically if Overeem were allowed a therapeutic
use exemption. “But if the doctor allows him, it’s
going to be my word against the doctor, and I lose.
“If
they’re going to allow him to use it, what are you going
to do? For sure I’m going to be angry. Because it happens,
this test that he did with his testosterone, yes? It was a low
level, right? You know why? Because he stops taking these things.
So then he did the test [laughs] and comes back to take the things.”
TRT,
or no TRT, one thing remains certain; using testosterone doesn’t
guarantee you a win, something Silva is quick to point out.
“Testosterone
don’t win the fight, (not) Chael Sonnen, (not) Overeem —
a lot of guys use testosterone and they don’t win the fight.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GSP's
ex-manager blasts Quebec commission, says illness maybe caused
weight miss
by Steven
Marrocco
Stephane
Patry has been in the MMA business for 14 years as a promoter
and manager. Montreal always has been his home base.
Patry
is well acquainted with the ruleset employed by the Regie des
alcools des courses et des jeux (Quebec's athletic commission)
and UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, whom he managed
from 2002 to 2007.
And
while Patry doesn't have any proof his former client did anything
wrong prior to a successful title defense against Nick Diaz at
UFC 158 earlier this month, he is certain the commission acted
improperly.
"This
commission has been bullying a lot of people around here for
several years," Patry told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
"They were never able to bully me, even though they tried,
because I know the rules by heart."
On
Tuesday, the Quebec commission attempted to explain why St-Pierre's
title challenger, Nick Diaz, was told by UFC official Michael
Mersch on the day of the weigh-ins that they would have an extra
hour to make weight and could weigh up to 170.9 pounds and still
be considered 170 pounds, as revealed by a recent video.
Weight
allowances are widely believed to be forbidden in title fights,
though the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts only outline commonly
accepted weight classes. In reality, weight restrictions are
put in place by promoters and enforced by athletic commissions,
which have varying rulesets.
"I
wish to inform you that, during UFC 158, no contestants exceeded
the weight determined in their contracts," a Quebec commission
official wrote in an email to MMAFighting.com. "Currently,
the Regie does take into consideration the maximum weight determined
by contract when it carries out the weigh-ins before a bout.
However, our regulation on combat sports does not take decimals
into account. Their consideration is a question of interpretation
likely to be debated between the two parties under contract."
Patry
called the explanation "complete bulls---" and said
the commission for years has counted decimals, to the point where
he's written into his bout agreements a one-pound allowance because
they would fine fighters 20 percent of their purse for being
two-tenths of a pound over. And there wouldn't be an hour to
get under the limit, he said, because the commission doesn't
allow extra time.
Missing,
though, are the contracts St-Pierre and Diaz signed to fight
each other at the March 16 pay-per-view event, so it's unclear
what exactly the fighters agreed to. (A Diaz rep said the contracted
weight was "170 pounds maximum.") Several fighters
who have competed at previous UFC events in Montreal have weighed
in a half-pound over the accepted weight limit without being
fined, which would reflect a widely accepted one-pound allowance
for non-title bouts.
Patry,
though, said the regulatory body picks and chooses the rules
it enforces.
"Their
rules in Quebec are the farthest thing from the Unified Rules,"
he said. "Technically in Quebec in MMA, if somebody gets
knocked down from a kick or a punch, the referee has to do an
eight-count. That's what the rule says. Obviously, they don't
apply that; there wouldn't be any MMA in Quebec. But they've
had 10 years to modify that.
"Now,
Bellator is trying to come to Quebec, but they can't because
they have a round cage, and yet, they approve the UFC's octagon
when their rulebook clearly states that the octagon cannot be
wider than 24 feet. The UFC's octagon is 32 feet. So they're
doing this exception to the UFC or any promotion that uses a
big cage. Why are they saying no to Bellator because it's a round
cage?
"They're
happy with the rules being the way they are because they use
that to go around the rules all the time. Every time there's
a story that pops up, they find a loophole in the rulebook to
explain their stupidity. But now, unfortunately for them, there's
no loophole that they can use to explain what happened. So instead
of apologizing, explaining that they f---ed up, they just lie
about it."
At
issue is the legitimacy of the title fight, which has been smeared
by the emergence of the video and a complaint lodged Tuesday
by Diaz adviser-turned-legal-rep Jonathan Tweedale, who said
the commission violated its own rules in favor of a "hometown"
fighter. Tweedale now believes Diaz should get an immediate rematch,
or St-Pierre should be stripped of the title if he refuses.
Multiple
attempts to reach Quebec commission officials for further clarification
of its statement were unsuccessful.
Patry
pointed to a May 2011 fight between boxers Bernard Hopkins and
Jean Pascal as an example of selective enforcement. Both fighters
came in heavy and were allowed two hours to make the contracted
weight.
"That
even is not part of their rules" Patry said. "In Quebec,
you have one chance to weigh-in. Not two, not three. One."
In
the video, Diaz's teammates wonder aloud why they're being told
about the commission's allowance so soon before the event's weigh-ins.
One says, "That's a loophole. A Canadian loophole."
What
they should have done right then, Patry said, is demanded a representative
be placed beside St-Pierre as he weighed in.
"Because
we'll never know the truth," he said. "The only people
who know the truth is Georges St-Pierre, who was on the scale
and saw the number; Firas Zahabi, who was right beside them;
Joe Rogan that was right behind them; and one of the commissioners.
Those are the only four people that know the truth, and it's
probably never going to come out."
Patry
called St-Pierre "a professional" who had never before
missed weight, and yet he was aware the fighter was ill the morning
of the weigh-ins.
"I
don't think he was dying, but he was sick," he said. "I'm
just talking out of my ass right now (but) maybe he wasn't able
to make weight because he was sick, and they wanted to make the
show."
The
UFC has deferred all questions about the weigh-in controversy
to the Quebec commission, which as of Tuesday, stopped answering
emails.
"It's
a very tricky situation," Patry said. "Let's say Diaz's
manager is right beside the scale, and St-Pierre is 170.6, and
the commission yells '170' like they did. I would move the sky
and the Earth to make sure I get a rematch. But they're never
going to be able to prove that because nobody was there besides
St-Pierre. The commission can say it was 170, UFC can say it
was 170, Georges can say he was 170, but Diaz will always have
a doubt in his mind because the commission just lied.
"It's
a sad story. I actually think it's a black eye to the sport.
This nonsense has to stop in Quebec. If I were the UFC, I would
tell the commission here, 'Get your act together because we're
not coming back until your rules are fair.'"
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Shinya
Aoki Intends to Capture Belt and Be One FC Champion for a Very
Long Time
Shinya
Aoki, upon signing with Asian fight promotion ONE FC, was immediately
expected to become a centerpiece of the organization. He is one
of the most popular fighters not only in Japan, but also in his
era of mixed martial arts.
Having
defeated Arnaud Lepont in his ONE FC debut, Aoki now heads into
ONE FC 8 on April 5 to challenge Kotetsu Boku for the lightweight
championship.
Prior
to the fight, however, Aoki took some time away from his training
to talk with MMAWeekly.com about ONE FC and his upcoming fight.
MMAWeekly.com:
How important was it for you to sign with One FC, especially
considering that the past few years have been very difficult
for mixed martial arts’ survival in Japan?
Shinya
Aoki: I decided to sign with ONE FC because I wanted to, not
because I had to. ONE FC is the largest mixed martial arts promotion
in Asia, and has the top fighters in Asia’s. I can compete
with the best fighters here at ONE FC that I might not have had
the opportunity to anymore in Japan. ONE FC is the future of
MMA, not just in Asia, but in the world.
MMAWeekly.com:
Although One FC keeps you fighting in Asia, the majority of your
career was spent fighting in Japan. Recently you have fought
in the U.S. and now in Singapore. What has it been like for you
to have to go outside of Japan to seek out big fights and big
opportunities?
Shinya
Aoki: The fans in Singapore have been great. I was really shocked
that there were so many people cheering for me the last time
I fought in Singapore, and when I submitted my opponent, the
entire arena went crazy. It was a moment that I would remember
for the rest of my life and I’m grateful that ONE FC gave
me this opportunity to fight in front of my fans.
MMAWeekly.com:
Most people consider you the favorite to defeat Kotetsu Boku
on April 5 to become the One FC lightweight champion. What type
of expectations do you place upon yourself for the fight?
Shinya
Aoki: I don’t think I’m the favorite because Kotetsu
is the champion. I place the same kind of expectations on myself
every fight. I fight not just for myself. I fight for my family,
for my teammates from the Evolve Fight Team, who have supported
me. I will go in there, and I will defeat Boku and become ONE
FC Lightweight champion.
MMAWeekly.com:
Although he hasn’t reached the level of fame or overall
accomplishments that you have, Boku has been fighting as long
as you have. What do you see as Boku’s greatest strengths
and greatest weaknesses?
Shinya
Aoki: I think Boku’s greatest strength was in his attitude.
He is very resilient and will not break down even if things are
not going his way. I think his weakness is that he will not be
as good as me in grappling and I would be able to take him down
and submit him.
MMAWeekly.com:
Is your goal simply to win the fight and become the One FC champion,
or do you have other things you wish to accomplish? What other
goals do you have for the fight with Boku?
Shinya
Aoki: I am going to be ONE FC champion for a very long time.
I want to clean out the entire Lightweight division in ONE FC.
I don’t care who they sign; I am going to beat all of them.
For
the fight with Boku, my goal is to finish the fight early. I
do not want to go to a judges’ decision.
MMAWeekly.com:
Since moving your camp to Evolve MMA, you have worked with a
wide array of the top fighters in the world. How has training
at Evolve changed the way you approach fighting and what aspects
Shinya Aoki: I have gotten a more diverse training at Evolve
MMA. I can now work with Muay Thai legends and wrestling coaches
and there are many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champions to train
with. I feel like my striking game has improved the most. I even
got my first victory by striking in my last fight. That is how
confident I am now.
MMAWeekly.com:
Dream was recently resurrected and you fought on the Dream NYE
card. If One FC and Dream continue to work together, would you
like to continue fighting on future Dream cards in Japan, and
what does it mean to you to still be able to fight in Japan?
Shinya
Aoki: I will always be proud to fight in front of my Japanese
fans and I will never turn my back on them. I hope ONE FC holds
an event in Japan so my fans there can watch me compete for the
biggest promotion in Asia.
MMAWeekly.com:
One FC on April 5 will be the first MMA event to be broadcast
live on ESPN Star Sports. How important is it to you to be part
of such a huge milestone for MMA in Asia?
Shinya
Aoki: It is such an important date. ONE FC will now be broadcast
live all over Asia on Star Sports and live stream around the
world and many new fans will understand what MMA is about. I
am in the main event and I would do my part and put on an amazing
show that would leave the viewers wanting more. ONE FC is only
beginning. We will become the biggest sport in the whole of Asia.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Diaz
Camp Cites Quebec Commission Irregularities, Suggests GSP Should
Fight at 170 or Vacate Belt
Even
when it’s all over, it’s not all over. At least that’s
the case with the UFC 158 main event between welterweight champion
Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz.
The
Diaz camp is accusing the Quebec commission of irregularities
in how it handled the UFC 158 weigh-ins and drug tests, and is
filing an official complaint.
A
video posted to BJPenn.com shows UFC Senior Vice President of
Business and Legal Affairs and Assistant General Counsel Michael
Mersh explaining to the Diaz camp, just prior to weigh-ins, that
St-Pierre and Diaz have an hour allowance, if needed, to make
weight if either one of them misses the mark, something that
was not available to the rest of the fight card.
Mersh
went on to explain that the Quebec commission, the Régie
des Alcools, des Courses et des Jeux, does not count decimals
when weighing the fighters, so that for their bout, either fighter
could weigh up to 170.9 pounds, but it would be recorded as 170
pounds, thus making weight.
This
is counter to most other commissions in North America.
Quebec
commission representative Joyce Tremblay confirmed such in an
email to MMAFighting, but also declared that none of the fighters
was in violation of the weights set for in their contract.
“I
wish to inform you that, during UFC 158, no contestants exceeded
the weight determined in their contracts,” said Tremblay.
“Currently, the Régie does take into consideration
the maximum weight determined by contract when it carries out
the weight-ins before a bout. However, our regulation on combat
sports does not take decimals into account. Their consideration
is a question of interpretation likely to be debated between
the two parties under contract.”
Jonathan
Tweedale, a representative of the Diaz camp, on Tuesday issued
a statement about the situation to MMAWeekly.com, accusing the
commission of not operating within the contractually agreed upon
parameters of the fight.
“The
Quebec Commission’s statement is a disappointing admission
that the March 16 event was not conducted under the rules applicable
to a UFC title fight – or under the rules the fighters contractually
agreed to, upon which rules Mr. Diaz was entitled to rely under
his bout agreement,” wrote Tweedale.
“The
contracted weight for this fight was 170 pounds. 170.9 is not
170, anywhere in the world, for a title fight,” he continued.
“There is no question what ‘170 pounds’ means,
in the bout agreement, as a matter of contractual interpretation.
Tweedale
goes on to point out that the proposed one-hour of added time
flaunts the commission’s own rules, citing section 77 of
the commission’s regulations that does not allow time for
a contestant to increase or decrease weight, and pointed out
the “Quebec Commission’s failure to supervise fighters’
provision of samples in connection with testing for Prohibited
Substances and Prohibited Methods.”
Tweedale
and Diaz’s camp fell short of accusing St-Pierre of missing
weight, instead targeting the Quebec commission’s application
or lack thereof of its own regulations and procedures and how
it may have affected the legality of the fight.
He
did note that an official complaint would be filed immediately
and declared that St-Pierre should either agree to fight Diaz
at 170 pounds or vacate the belt.
“In
the circumstances,” wrote Tweedale, “Mr. St-Pierre
remains legally and ethically obligated to fight Mr. Diaz at
170 pounds or else vacate the belt in favor of those prepared
to fight at welterweight.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Georges
St-Pierre Lands Villain Role in “Captain America: The Winter
Soldier”
Before
he faces top welterweight contender Johny Hendricks inside the
Octagon, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will take
on Captain America on the silver screen.
St-Pierre
has a squeaky clean image, but will play the bad guy in the upcoming
Marvel movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier as villain Batroc
the Leaper.
Latino
Review first reported the news on Monday.
The
role is perfectly suited for the Canadian mixed martial arts
superstar. Batroc , a former member of the French Foreign Legion
speaks both English and French. He is a physical specimen but
has no superhuman abilities. He’s well versed in hand-to-hand
combat and is an Olympic-level weightlifter whom has the ability
to leap great distances with his powerful legs.
Batroc
first appeared in Marvel comic books in 1966 as a mercenary,
master thief and smuggler.
Captain
America: The Winter Soldier is expected to hit theaters in April
2014 and is the sequel to the 2011 blockbuster Captain America:
The First Avenger.
St-Pierre
will star alongside Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L.
Jackson, Robert Redford and others.
St-Pierre
is coming off his eighth title defense, defeating Nick Diaz at
UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz on March 16. He is currently on vacation.
It has been reported that the champion suffered an Achilles injury
prior to the title fight with Nick Diaz, but Canadian UFC officials
reported on Tuesday that St-Pierre is “A-Ok” and has
already done some sprint training.
He
is scheduled to face No. 1 contender Johny Hendricks in his next
bout. The date and location of the title bout has yet to be announced.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
on Fuel TV 9 Fight Card Rumors & Start Times
UFC
on Fuel TV 9: UFC Sweden 2
Gustafsson vs. Mousasi
Date: April 6, 2013
Venue: Ericsson Globe Arena
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Main
Bouts (on Fuel TV):
-Alexander Gustafsson (15-1; #5 Light Heavyweight) vs. Gegard
Mousasi (33-3-2; #7 Light Heavyweight)
-Ross Pearson (14-6) vs. Ryan Couture (6-1)
-Matt Mitrione (5-2) vs. Phil DeFries (9-2)
-Brad Pickett (22-7) vs. Mike Easton (13-2)
-Diego Brandao (15-8) vs. Pablo Garza (12-3)
-Akira Corrasani (10-3) vs. Robbie Peralta (16-3)
Preliminary
Bouts (on Facebook):
-Reza Madadi (12-3) vs. Michael Johnson (12-7)
-Tor Troeng (15-4-1) vs. Adam Cella (4-0)
-Chris Spang (5-1) vs. Adlan Amagov (11-2-1)
-Marcus Brimage (6-1) vs. Conor McGregor (12-2)
-Benny Alloway (12-3) vs. Ryan LaFlare (7-0)
-Michael Kuiper (12-1) vs. Tom Lawlor (8-5)
-Papy Abedi (8-2) vs. Basem Yousef (8-1)
UFC
on Fuel TV 9 Tickets:
On sale Saturday, Feb. 9 to the general public
UFC
on Fuel TV 9 Start Times:
Preliminary Bouts on Facebook: 10:45 a.m. ET / 7:45 a.m. PT
Main Card on Fuel TV: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT
Source: MMA Weekly |
Clark
Gracie and the successful recipe for Pan: ‘I’m taking
it more seriously’
Black
belt Clark Gracie, 28, has already demonstrated the value of
his sharp guard since the No-Gi Worlds last year, when he lost
a close match against DJ Jackson in the final.
Earlier
this year, some missteps. But everything would become just stairs
to the top of Pan 2013. In Irvine, Calif. this past Sunday, the
son of Carley reached the biggest title of his career, in a middleweight
infested with superstars with many styles, from Leandro Lo to
Kayron, from DJ Jackson to Otavio Sousa.
In
the absolute, he had already shone and almost surprised Leo Nogueira.
The fight ended with Clark on the back of the super heavyweight
champion from Alliance.
“Having
the Gracie name on the birth certificate is not easy … The
guy has to kill a lion a day,” said Clark, shortly before
action in Irvine.
The
black belt born in California explained the reasons for his progress
this season:
“My
preparation has been better than ever. This year I’m taking
it more seriously, training with a coach, while training Jiu-Jitsu
stronger every day. Furthermore, I teach as well. I spend the
whole day on the mat and it helps at the last minute,” said
the versatile fighter. In the final of the Pan, Clark saw Marcelo
Lapela pull for his guard, but he was undeterred. He put pressure
to pass at the last minute and got the submission, an omoplata
choke.
“If
it was easy it wouldn’t be fun,” philosophized the
ace. “But that’s it, my goal is always try to submit
everyone. Sometimes we can do it, sometimes we can’t.”
On
Monday, professor Clark came back enshrined to his students at
the gym in La Jolla, Calif. With an eye on the ideas of family,
he not only teaches the techniques that work in competitions;
he also likes to teach many self-defense techniques, including
kicks and stand-up defenses.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Nick
Diaz's camp can cry foul play all it wants; he's not getting
a GSP rematch anytime soon
Filter
through all the threats of lawsuits and legal mumbo jumbo and
the motivation behind Nick Diaz's complaints about irregularities
at the UFC 158 weigh-in on March 15 in Montreal boils down to
one salient fact:
He wants a rematch.
Diaz did a magnificent job selling his fight against Georges
St-Pierre, a bout few experts gave him a chance to win. That
it became one of the top five best-selling UFC pay-per-views
in company history is, in large part, a testament to Diaz's work
in the weeks leading up to the fight.
He gave fans who should have known that St-Pierre's dominant
wrestling would control the fight reason to believe he might
win it.
St-Pierre fans turned out in droves, hoping to see their hero
give the brash and cocky anti-hero his comeuppance.
All of that was attributable to Diaz's media appearance before
the fights. He appeals to a different generation of fans that
the UFC doesn't often reach, and he brought them out in large
numbers.
But now, nearly two weeks since he was thrashed in the same manner
that Jon Fitch, Jake Shields, Josh Koscheck and so many other
St-Pierre victims were thrashed, Diaz is making noise about filing
a lawsuit against the Quebec commission.
At issue is whether the Quebec commission allowed St-Pierre to
weigh more than the UFC limit of 170 pounds for welterweight
title fights. A video surfaced of UFC executive Michael Mersch
telling Diaz prior to the weigh-in that the Quebec commission
wouldn't count the decimal on the digital scale.
In the video, Mersch tells Diaz, "The good news is, they
don't count the decimal. If you're at 170.2, it's 170. If you're
at 170.9, it's 170."
In an email to MMA Fighting, a representative for the Quebec
commission said that it is standard practice in Quebec to not
count the decimal in title fights. But Carlos Condit, who fought
St-Pierre in November in a title fight in Montreal, told reporters
he was never told that the decimal wouldn't be counted.
Stephane Patry, a promoter in Quebec and St-Pierre's ex-manager,
said on Twitter that the commission's standard practice has always
been to count the decimal.
The decimal has to be counted. There is no gray area. A commission
that is doing its job understands that 170 pounds for a title
fight means 170.0 or less.
That said, the Diaz argument is ludicrous. First, no one from
the Diaz team has proven that St-Pierre was actually 170.9. And
no one from the Diaz team stood near the scale to keep an eye
on the read-out, as would have been its right.
And if St-Pierre were 170.9, he could have taken his shorts off
and undoubtedly would have made 170.0. Hundreds of fighters who
have missed weight by a pound or less have been able to drop
their shorts, weigh-in in the nude and make the number.
But let's say that the Under Armour underwear that St-Pierre
was wearing to the weigh-in weighed less than the nine-tenths
of a pound he needed to make the weight. Say for the sake of
argument that they weighed sixth-tenths of a pound. That would
have meant that St-Pierre had an hour to lose four-tenths of
a pound.
Diaz attorney Jonathan Tweedale said doing so would have drained
St-Pierre to the point where it would have impacted his performance
in the fight.
While St-Pierre looked uncharacteristically gaunt at the final
news conference held the day before the weigh-in, it is almost
laughable to suggest that losing less than a half-pound in an
hour would have markedly weakened him for a fight that began
about 29 hours after the weigh-in.
"When you're cutting 20, 25 pounds, that last pound is a
bitch," Tweedale said. "Who knows if he could have
made it? I know this: Georges would have gassed in that fight
if he had tried to make weight. Nick said he couldn't believe
the power moves in the absence of any technique that Georges
was able to do in the fight. Would he have been able to do those
if he had been forced to sweat off the rest of the weight?"
Tweedale said he believes that the result of the fight should
be overturned and Diaz should be given an immediate rematch.
Quebec doesn't have the authority to order a rematch. It's the
UFC's title and the UFC's promotion and it is under no obligation
to put on a rematch. What's worse for Diaz is that UFC president
Dana White sees Tweedale's move for the stunt it is.
Reached via text message, White wrote, "If GSP weighed 170
or 170.9 doesn't change the fact that [Diaz] got dominated."
Taking this kind of action, coming off as crybabies, can't help
Diaz's image. He's always come across as the renegade tough guy,
willing to fight anyone anywhere at any time. He criticized St-Pierre
before the fight for St-Pierre's indifference toward a fight
with middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Diaz said he would
love to fight Silva.
Parse that statement. Diaz is saying he would have been OK to
fight Silva, who walks around at almost 230 pounds and would
have weighed well over 200 by the time the bell rang to start
the fight, but was upset that St-Pierre may have been –
and the operative phrase there is, may have been a half-pound
over – and thinks those extra ounces determined the outcome.
What this really amounts to is an over-zealous representative
trying to do the best he can for his client.
The Quebec commission's handling of this situation has been poor,
at best. The UFC should not agree to go back to Quebec until
it demonstrates that it can regulate a fight according to the
rules. The UFC should also make it practice at future weigh-ins
to have a camera focused on the scale to prevent the kind of
claim that Tweedale is making.
But Tweedale proved nothing and did nothing other than to get
some MMA media and fans stirred up.
His goal is to get his client a rematch that he clearly hasn't
earned.
Diaz remains a compelling figure in the sport, though, and he
could easily fight his way back into the title picture. If he
goes out and beats the likes of Condit and Rory MacDonald in
his next few outings, he'll get his second crack at St-Pierre.
And then he can make sure he has someone better monitor what's
going on at the scales.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
The
Rush To Hate GSP
By Raphael
Garcia
The
sports world can be a tough community to please, whether it's
the media who covers you, or the fans who spend money to watch
you perform. Staying conservative by running the football, going
for the layup instead of the slam dunk, or using wrestling to
win a fight can quickly draw the ire of fans looking for non-stop
action. Although it’s the athlete’s job to win within
the rules, that won’t always keep everyone happy. Case in
point: Georges St. Pierre, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s
welterweight champion who can’t seem to win over the critics.
“Rush”
is a two-time champion that has held the title during this second
reign for nearly five years. Since that time he’s put on
an impressive run that includes some of the greatest welterweights
in the sport. And yet, fans have slowly begun to turn on St.
Pierre, and not for what he says, or for behaving inappropriately
while away from competition. Instead, the hate is slowly growing
due to the fact that he wins his fights through strategies that,
though they may be the most effective, are very far from being
the most exciting.
St.
Pierre won the undisputed welterweight title in 2008 when he
stopped Matt Serra in the second round of their bout. From that
point he’s finished only one other competitor, B.J. Penn
when they faced off in 2009. Other than that, he’s fought
seven bouts for a total of 175 minutes of cage work. With nearly
three hours of continued fighting, fans point to him as one of
the most boring fighters in the sport. Instead of looking at
the competition that he is facing, St. Pierre is faced with continued
boos and beset with naysayers after each contest.
Looking
closer at GSP’s record since regaining the title back in
2008, St. Pierre has faced fighters that have a combined record
of 193 wins and 69 losses. Of those 69 total losses, they have
been finished a combined 27 times, which equates to a simple
39 percent. Delving even deeper into those numbers, only 12 of
those finishes have come within the Octagon. While fighting at
the highest level in MMA, the athletes that have faced against
GSP have been finished in only 17 percent of their total losses.
That alone shows how tough it is to finish a top-tier fighter
in this sport. Yet, as with many other aspects of professional
sports, that fact is often lost amidst the fans' expressions
of anger towards GSP's performances. Furthermore, in the nearly
five years since his title reign began, there have only been
24 finishes across all championship reigns, which shows you just
how difficult it is to secure a stoppage when two top fighters
do battle over the title of "best in the world."
Georges
St. Pierre is one of the most dominant fighters in UFC history.
He may not have the stoppages that some of his contemporaries
have enjoyed, but for five years, he has amassed an accumulation
of one-sided wins over the best opposition the world has had
to offer at 170 pounds. And while fans don’t have to enjoy
all of the fighters who compete, the way many have completely
disparaged St. Pierre’s accomplishments and status has been
misguided and unfair. Like him or not, there's something to be
said for excellence in execution, especially in sports, and no
one embodies that principle in MMA more than GSP.
Source: MMA Ratings
|
Three
UFC fighters fail drug tests
By Dave
Meltzer
There were three very different drug test failures that came
out over the past day among UFC fighters.
Lavar
Johnson (17-7) failed a test for testosterone use given by the
California State Athletic Commission from his Feb. 23 fight in
Anaheim, where he lost a three-round decision against Brendan
Schaub. Johnson, a muscular heavyweight slugger, has not yet
been suspended.
According
to UFC officials, Johnson had first tested for an elevated testosterone/epitestosterone
ratio when the usual urine test results came in last week. California
then administered a more expensive Carbon Isotope Ratio (CIR)
test on Johnson, which confirmed the first test results.
The
other two failures were in tests administered by the UFC itself.
Both were from the March 3 show at the Saitama Super Arena in
suburban Tokyo, Japan. The company tested all 22 fighters on
the card, with Alex Caceres testing positive for marijuana and
Riki Fukuda testing positive for three banned stimulants.
Caceres
(8-5, 1 no contest) had his victory over Kyung Ho Kang, which
he originally won via three-round decision, overturned and ruled
a no-contest. The UFC suspended Caceres, best known by his nickname
"Bruce Leroy," from his stint on The Ultimate Fighter
season 12, for six months. The suspension is retroactive to the
day of the fight. They also ordered Caceres to attend rehabilitation
classes. He must pass a drug test at the end of the suspension
before he will be allowed to fight again.
"I
accept full responsibility for my actions and the consequences
from those actions," Caceres said in a statement issued
by his management team. "I apologize to all that I have
disappointed, including the UFC, my family, coaches, training
partners and fans. I accept the sanctions from the UFC and I
look forward to completing the necessary steps to getting back
in the octagon following the suspension and assuring that this
never happens again."
It
is the current company protocol that any fighter who tests positive
for marijuana on a UFC-regulated show, which is generally the
shows outside the U.S. and Canada, will be suspended six months
and ordered to do rehab from an accredited facility, according
to the UFC Director of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner.
"We
believe in that (rehab), but what I'm pushing for is I don't
think penalties for marijuana should be as severe as those for
performance-enhancing drugs," said Ratner.
UFC
policy is a nine-month suspension for a first offense for performance-enhancing
drugs.
Fukuda
(19-7), tested positive for Phernylpropanolamine, Norpseudoephedrine
and Ephedrine, all stimulants, after his loss to Brad Tavares
on the same show.
Fukuda
had been released from his UFC contract after the loss to Tavares
left him with a 2-3 record in his two years with the organization.
He was not let go due to the rest result according to Ratner.
"From
what I gathered, it was more a coincidence," said Ratner,
regarding his release getting out on Tuesday and his suspension
being released the next day. "If he had passed his tests,
I don't think it would have mattered."
Fukuda's
positive test result will be reported to the Association of Boxing
Commissions, which will then make a decision regarding how long
before he would be allowed to fight for another organization.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
Q&A: ‘Jacare’ Souza discusses Vitor Belfort, Luke
Rockhold, Anderson Silva
Lilian
Caparroz
Ronaldo
“Jacare” Souza (pictured) talks with GracieMag.com
about his UFC future. Photo by Esther Lin.
Ronaldo
“Jacare” Souza, 33, has done well in Jiu-Jitsu, MMA
and ADCC, but another step was needed to feel professionally
fulfilled: to fight in the UFC.
Twice
the absolute world champion and former holder of the Strikeforce
middleweight title, Jacare arrives in the world’s largest
MMA organization full of morale. On May 18, in Jaragua do Sul,
Brazil, Souza faces the dangerous Costa Philippou, a winner of
five straight fights.
Coincidentally
(or not) on the same card is Luke Rockhold, who took the Strikeforce
title from Jacare in 2011 and kept it until the end of the franchise.
The Brazilian showed interest in Rockhold as his first UFC opponent,
but the American instead will face Vitor Belfort in the main
event.
Jacare
last fought in January 2013, when he submitted Ed Herman with
a kimura in the first round at Strikeforce event farewell
Happy
to not have long layoffs between fights, as it happened in Strikeforce,
Souza promises to lift the crowd on May 18. And the strategy
to beating Philippou is already drawn, as he revealed to GracieMag.com:
good old Jiu-Jitsu. Check out the exclusive interview below.
GRACIEMAG:
How is your head with your UFC debut getting closer?
RONALDO
JACARE: Always very good, very confident, good physically and
mentally relaxed. I now feel totally ready for this new challenge
in my career, and I think it will make a very good fight. I’m
confident in winning and I feel 100-percent prepared. It is a
new phase in my life and I’m facing a naturally, but with
great professionalism.
Do
you feel any pressure with fighting in Brazil?
I’m
pulling it on the positive side and liking the idea of fighting
in my country. It gives me a greater incentive because I know
the responsibility to represent Brazil and it just motivates
me in training, and encourages me to have more dedication. Overall
I’m more concentrated, focused and very calm because I trust
in my work, in my team, in my potential, and I will prove this
May 18 for all Brazilians.
What
was your reaction upon learning you would face Costa Philippou?
When
I entered the UFC, I knew it would not be a breeze. I’m
glad to have a fight with a guy who has five straight wins. It’s
a good way to get to the top fast. I got to the UFC and was put
in the top 10, ranking among the nine, and now they put me to
fight with the top five in the division. This means that they
are appreciating me, and I feel the need to show them that they
are right. I also feel the need to show to those who do not believe
in my work that they are wrong. I love those who doubt me! I
am a fighter capable of breaking my arm for a win …
What
is the strategy for this fight?
I’ll
lay down … and will do anything to finish. If I don’t
knock him down, he will get tired a lot. When he gets up, I put
him down again. We can not speak otherwise. I’ll look for
the ground game and he will try to fight standing. He will not
want to take me down and I do not want to trade with him all
the time. The game is this, the obvious.
And
how is your Jiu-Jitsu for this fight?
For
Jiu-Jitsu I’m working with Sylvio Behring and his team,
with several renowned black belts. On Wednesdays I wear my kimono
and come train. I’m emphasizing my wrestling training with
Adrian Jaoude, greatly improving my takedowns … Everyone
knows that I put it down, but now I’m trying to do this
more technically, and with more tranquility. But Jiu-Jitsu was
where it all began. My life as a fighter began with the gentle
art and became a lifestyle for me. I am very happy to have the
opportunity to always be a jiu-jiteiro!
Still
thinking about a rematch with Luke Rockhold?
Were
were supposed to have our rematch in Strikeforce, but didn’t.
I do not know for what reason — actually, I know the reason,
he was injured twice. This hampered our meeting …
How
do you think the bout between Vitor Belfort and Rockhold will
be?
I
think Vitor will try to keep the fight standing, Rockhold also,
perhaps seeking to overturn a bit with wrestling. Luke will want
to take the fight to the end. He’s a volume guy, which grows
as the rounds pass, and he kicks very well. But I think Vitor
has better striking.
For
you, what is the biggest difference between the UFC and Strikeforce?
Before
I had to scream that wanted to fight. Now I’m motivated
to know that I’m much more active. I think I was the only
guy in Strikeforce to face an UFC athlete, Ed Herman, who had
several good fights in the UFC. And I was lucky to finish it
in the first round and be better than him in the fight standing
and on the ground.
Is
there any possibility of someday facing Anderson Silva, the current
champion of the weight class?
I
think this is something that I should not even comment on. We
train together and we will not generate discomfort within the
team. The fact is that anyone who wants to get to the top will
have to go through me. I don’t know what Anderson’s
feeling is with competing in the UFC right now, if in a moment
he is retiring or not, but I wish all success to him before anything.
I would say I’m always rooting for him and if he needs my
help to fight with Chris Weidman, we are there!
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
State
auditor admits California’s athletic commission nearly got
death penalty… then suggests Che Guevara could take over
By Zach Arnold
Since we’ve covered the mess going on with lifer-since-Jimmy-Carter
Denise Brown and her Department of Consumer Affairs in relation
to how they’ve operated the California State Athletic Commission,
one point has been very clear — the commission was in trouble.
Real trouble.
Trouble as in getting sunsetted by California’s state senate,
which means the California Democratic Party. As in Darrell Steinberg
pulling the plug. Today’s headline in the Sacramento Bee
says it all:
Auditor says California athletic commission needs to change or
go
Let me translate that for you: “If we didn’t hire Andy
Foster, we would have shut the commission down.”
Let me also interpret for you what sunsetting would have meant.
It would have meant that DCA would be operating California combat
sports the way the DBPR operates Florida’s commission. In
other words, a train wreck. Nothing would have been fixed. The
only difference is that the numbers would have swept under the
rug. And you know who would have regulated California combat
sports? Che Guevara. Yeah, that guy. He’s still getting
paid $60,000 a year to be a paper pusher but he doesn’t
have the authority he once had. He’s just cashing a paycheck.
If the Bureau of State Audits was really serious about cleaning
house in Sacramento, they would tell the state Legislature to
fire Che Guevara’s sorry ass. But they won’t. So, instead,
they once again play for the quick media headlines.
From the Sacramento Bee:
The solvency plan commissioners have since adopted assumes a
35-percent cut in costs from the $1.83 million budgeted in 2011-12.
It may not be realistic.
“We
are concerned that many of the changes the plan outlines may
prove impractical and too drastic to sustain over time,”
the audit says.
The
commission’s operations are so upside-down that it probably
lost money regulating some events. It’s hard to know for
sure, because inspectors sometimes miscalculated the state’s
take or missed some calculations entirely, leaving the commission
vulnerable to “human error or fraud,” according to
the audit.
Who
was in charge of the athletic inspectors who couldn’t calculate
a box office? Che Guevara. Remember this article I wrote? Crystal
ball — CSAC audit will reveal up to 7-figures $ missing.
You didn’t need a state auditor to state the obvious if
you were reading Fight Opinion. The sad part? People in California
combat sports had to read this site to get their information
on what was really going on as opposed to trusting Sacramento
to tell them what was up. That’s pathetic.
The state auditor, in her report (which you can get the link
to later in this article), claims that 50% of the inspectors
booked for fight events weren’t local and were out-of-region
bookings. Guess who was responsible for that? Che Guevara.
Here’s my message to Darrell Steinberg, Lou Correa, and
the state Senate’s Business & Professions Committee.
Che Guevara should absolutely be terminated — for cause.
This is as slam dunk of a case as you can get. If the California
Legislature wants to make a statement to the public that they
want to clean house at the athletic commission, you fire Che
and you do it now. Simple as that. Fire his ass. And do it publicly,
too. Not on a Friday document dump. You fire him with the Sacramento
press corps paying attention to what you’re doing.
Do you really want to sacrifice political capital protecting
that guy? Cut your losses.
Unfortunately, that won’t happen. They also won’t fire
Doreathea Johnson, the legal nitwit at DCA that has had her fingers
in the proverbial cookie jar when it comes to the mess at DCA.
Hell no, they won’t do that. She just got an internal job
promotion by Governor Jerry Brown! What a nasty piece of work
she is.
Also, I got a problem with Bureau of State Auditor boss Elaine
Howle. A real big one.
This is the same woman who wrote a report late last year about
18 athletic inspectors who are also full-time state employees.
She singled these individuals out and claimed that they were
wrongly paid time-and-a-half for salary money. That’s a
completely false assertion by BSA. You can read more about that
right here: California’s audit scam.
So, what did BSA base this incorrect claim on? They based it
on a faulty & fraudulent legal opinion, not court ruling,
from Cal HR stating that athletic inspectors who are full-time
state employees should not be paid time-and-half. As a result
of Howle’s opinion bsaed on Cal HR’s memo, she singled
out 18 athletic inspectors. These athletic inspectors then received
letters of confiscation for money that was paid out to them in
2010. Not letters of confiscation, mind you, for years of back
pay. No, just for one year of money that was paid out. As a result
of this, Mohammad Noor (California’s top athletic inspector)
resigned. Noor also works for the state’s Department of
Finance. He’s an auditor. If there’s anyone who knows
the rules and actually does his job right, it’s this guy.
As a result of Howle’s faulty report, she claimed that 18
athletic inspectors cost California $120,000 in cash. We exposed
that claim for the lie that it is. As a result, when the Department
of Consumer Affairs started sending out letters of confiscation
to athletic inspectors, DCA started scrambling to try to confiscate
money. We exposed the fact that DCA was still “researching
the legal basis” for confiscating cash.
They’ll get whacked around in court if they press further.
The Bureau of State Auditor’s report on CSAC
You can read the document (released March 21st, 2013) right here:
CSAC’s Ongoing Administrative Struggles Call Its Future
Into Question (7 MB)
The 80-page filing has some incredible statements. For example,
in the letter to California’s Legislature, this bombshell
is dropped:
At that point, the commission attempted to resolve its financial
situation by developing a solvency plan outlining its cash?flow
situation and containing its proposed efforts to reduce its costs.
However, we are concerned that the plan is not practical and
that the commission lacks a comprehensive approach to ensuring
its financial stability in the long term. For example, the plan
proposes drastic cuts to expenses related to athletic inspectors’
(inspectors) wages and travel and effectively prevents the commission
from increasing its staffing level, which is likely unrealistic
given it has struggled to adequately perform its functions with
its current staffing level. Further, the plan eliminates funding
for training inspectors on how to properly regulate events, even
though state law requires that inspectors receive training within
six months of an event that they are scheduled to work. Because
of these and other concerns, we do not believe that the commission
can use the plan as a long?term solution to ensure its future
financial stability.
So,
who will the bureaucrats dump this problem onto? Andy Foster.
Instead of Denise Brown, Awet Kidane, dysfunctional Doreathea
Johnson, and Che Guevara taking the appropriate heat, the weight
will be placed on Andy Foster’s shoulders and the blame
will be pushed on former Executive Officer George Dodd. Of course.
That’s the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Bureau
of State Audits for you.
Howle then drops this paragraph in her letter to the politicians:
Moreover, the commission seems ill?prepared to accurately estimate
its costs and revenues because, until recently, it has consistently
failed to adequately track key components of its operations,
including the number of events that it regulates, the revenues
and expenditures associated with those events, the number of
inspectors assigned to each event, and the number of athletes
that it licenses. Finally, deficiencies in the commission’s
processes for collecting, recording, and reporting revenues from
events suggest that it lacks assurance that it has collected
and accounted for all of the revenues it is due.
You
couldn’t write a better summary for a termination (for cause)
of Che Guevara and yet the state won’t fire him. He continues
to be politically protected by forces within the Department of
Consumer Affairs and the California Democratic Party. It’s
totally and completely absurd.
The controversial Neurological Fund & Che Guevara
Message to Dr. Paul Wallace: remember all that event revenue
that was supposed to go to the Neurological fund to help out
the fighters? Elaine Howle has this greeting for you:
The commission also lacks assurance that it has consistently
protected the health, safety, and welfare of athletes as the
law requires. For example, in violation of state law, the commission
has at times failed to maintain supporting documentation demonstrating
that it ensured the safety of athlete’s gear and equipment.
State law also requires the commission to administer the Neurological
Examination Account (neurological account), which the Legislature
established in 1986 to pay for athletes’ neurological examinations
and the Boxers’ Pension Plan, which the Legislature established
to provide some financial security to retired boxers; however,
the commission has not effectively managed either of them. Specifically,
the commission has not used the neurological account to pay for
any neurological examinations since at least 1998 and, from fiscal
years 2002–03 through 2008–09, it failed to make any
pension payments to eligible boxers or their beneficiaries. The
current executive officer, who began working at the commission
in November 2012, has made noteworthy strides in addressing several
of the issues we discuss in this report.
So,
all the pressure is on Andy Foster to clean up the mess that
hundreds of people have contributed to making. And, yet, instead
of backing Andy Foster, Elaine Howles throws this gem out there:
However, if the commission is unable to correct its most significant
deficiencies within a reasonable time frame, we believe the Legislature
should consider transferring its responsibilities to Consumer
Affairs.
As
I stated earlier, let me translate what this means:
Che Guevera isn’t quitting his job. You’ll have to
fire him to remove him. However, DCA doesn’t want to fire
him because he’s a politically-protected species. It’s
his fault that the athletic inspectors couldn’t do their
job. We know what the facts are.
So, what does Elaine Howle do? She recommends that if Andy Foster
can’t fully clean up the mess made by others that CSAC should
be sunsetted. DCA runs CSAC and micromanages it with an iron
fist now. Giving the death penalty to CSAC means DCA runs California
combat sports with no meetings and no transparency. Who at DCA
would regulate California combat sports if CSAC was terminated?
Che Guevara.
What we would end up getting, if we played along with Elaine
Howle’s scenario, is California turning into Florida and
Che Guevara — the man who was most responsible (along with
Doreathea Johnson) for creating the mess we have today —
running California combat sports.
Howle’s recommendation of terminating CSAC and letting DCA
takeover is like a doctor telling a fat person that it’s
the grocery store’s fault for selling them the food they
ate, not the fat person actually eating so much food. DCA controls
CSAC. Terminating CSAC and letting DCA take over regulation in
secret does NOTHING to change what is going on right now.
Based on the last two reports about the California State Athletic
Commission, auditor Elaine Howle may be good at digging up facts
but she’s full of it when it comes to identifying the culprits
who created the mess and recommending who should be given responsibility
to make the appropriate changes. Howle is part of the problem,
not the solution. A political hack hiding behind the facade of
neutrality and numbers.
Want some advice, Elaine? How about stating the obvious —
that the California State Athletic Commission should be removed
from the Department of Consumer Affairs and operate as a self-sustaining
entity. You won’t say that because you don’t have the
guts to state the obvious solution. You seem more worried about
protecting DCA’s power and maintaining the status quo for
political hierarchy than actually admitting the unvarnished truth.
Che Guevara is laughing at everyone right now over what is happening.
Once the state turns on Andy Foster, guess who takes over regulation
of California combat sports? Yeah, that guy. Listen to my Sherdog
interview with Jordan Breen about the state of affairs in Florida.
That will give you a clue regarding the future of regulating
California combat sports if Che Guevara is allowed to take over
with no restrictions and full secrecy.
Memo to athletic inspectors: if CSAC gets sunsetted and Che takes
over regulation in private, it means all of you will be fired
and replaced by DCA-backed employees who will snoop around and
cause trouble at shows.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Bellator
Lightweight Finals Exhibit Its Lack of Depth
By Adam
Martin
Tonight
in Lewiston, Maine, the latest Bellator lightweight tournament
winner will be crowned when former WEC fighter Dave Jansen takes
on 21-year-old Polish footlock phenom Marcin Held in the main
event of Bellator 93. The winner of the fight will win the tournament
title, $100,000 in cash, and a chance to face Bellator lightweight
champion Michael Chandler later this year for the belt. It’s
a very solid fight, and both men are deserving of the chance
to fight in the finals, but it’s a fight that exhibits Bellator’s
lack of depth.
If
Jansen wins the fight against Held– and he’s currently
a -160 betting favorite to do so – he will be fresh meat
for Chandler, one of the top lightweight fighters in the world,
to feast on. The two have never fought each other before, and
considering Jansen’s wrestling pedigree, his experience
fighting in the WEC, and the recent surge he’s made in Bellator,
a fight against Chandler would no doubt be intriguing. In fact,
the champion has publicly mentioned that he’s rooting for
Jansen to win this fight.
But
if Held, who is currently a slight +120 underdog, is able to
pull off the upset against Jansen, then Chandler’s next
opponent will be the same man he submitted with an arm-triangle
choke just over two years ago at Bellator 36. Chandler has fought
five times since then, fighting increasingly difficult opposition
every single time out, so a rematch with Held is pretty much
exactly what it seems, and that’s a step back for Chandler.
Sure,
Held has improved. He was only 19 when he fought Chandler the
first time, and even though he’s still only 21, he’s
obviously filling into his frame, developing strength, and he
himself been looking better than ever, as he submitted longtime
UFC veteran Rich Clementi last November with a toe hold to make
it to the finals. That was an impressive win, and if he’s
able to latch one of his signature footlock submissions on Jansen,
fans will no doubt be intrigued at the possibility of him potentially
doing the same thing to Chandler in their rematch, although I
think it’s very doubtful that happens.
Regardless,
the fact of the matter is that Chandler is one of the top lightweight
fighters in the world today and he deserves to keep having his
skills tested against some of the game’s greatest. I mean,
he already beat Eddie Alvarez, and Alvarez has been a top-10
lightweight for the last five years, if not longer. Jansen and
Held, on the other hand? Both are solid fighters, no doubt, but
neither are going to set the world on fire.
Bellator’s
tournament format has taken them this far in their tenure and
it’s been the one big thing that’s separated them for
their competitors, but if you ask me, it’s instances like
this that show the tournament format isn’t going to work
for much longer. Rather, Bellator needs to continue to grow and
gain in popularity, and hope that the top free agent fighters
choose to sign with them so that fighters like Chandler get to
fight the high-level opponents they deserve to be fighting, and
not fighters they’ve already beaten decisively and without
controversy.
Source: MMA Ratings
|
Panic
attack delays Paulo Filho's arrival in New Jersey for World Series
of Fighting debut
By Ariel
Helwani o
The tumultuous career of Paulo Filho almost took another turn
for the worse this week.
According
to sources close to the Brazilian fighter, Filho, the former
WEC middleweight champion, suffered a panic attack on Tuesday,
just as he was getting set to fly to Atlantic City, N.J., for
his World Series of Fighting 2 bout against David Branch.
As
a result, Filho missed his flight, and at one point, WSOF officials
had to consider pulling him from the card. On Wednesday, though,
Filho confirmed that he was on a plane headed to New Jersey,
so as of Wednesday fight, the Filho vs. Branch fight is still
on.
The
34-year-old Filho (23-4-2) was once considered one of the best
middleweights in a world. However, since missing weight prior
to a WEC title fight against Chael Sonnen in 2008, he has dealt
with a litany of issues. Not only did he lose the bout in a bizarre,
out-of-character performance, he has since battled serious drug
and mental issues, not to mention visa issues.
While
he squandered an opportunity to fight for Bellator in 2010, the
WSOF opportunity will mark his first fight in North America since
the Sonnen fight five years ago.
WSOF
2, headlined by Andrei Arlovski vs. Anthony Johnson, will air
live on NBC Sports Network Saturday night.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
2008
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST HENRY CEJUDO RETURNS TO WFF CAGE FOR APRIL
19TH TITLE FIGHT VS. ANTHONY SESSION
55
days after his MMA debut 2008 Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo
(1-0) will compete again for Arizona's World Fighting Federation.
Cejudo will headline the promotion's Friday April 19th fight
card in Chandler, AZ. The 26 year old Cejudo will battle for
the vacant WFF bantamweight championship versus New Mexico fighter
Anthony Session (4-9).
The
Cejudo-Session title bout is scheduled for three five minute
rounds.
The
undercard of WFF 10 will be anchored by two other championship
bouts. In the co-main event the WFF lightweight title will be
up for grabs as Phoenix fighter Benny Madrid (6-0) takes on Jackson's
MMA fighter Dustin Center (3-3). Flyweight champion Matt Betzold
(3-3) will defend his belt against New Mexico's Gene Perez (3-5).
WFF
10 will be the promotion's first card held at Chandler's Wild
Horse Pass Casino.
Cejudo
impressed in his MMA debut back on March 2nd at WFF's Pascua
Yaqui Fights 4 in Tucson. The MMA rookie needed just 1:25 before
his opponent Michael Poe (0-5) was stopped with ground n' pound
in the first round. After the fight Cejudo repeated his intention,
barring injury, to maintain an active 2013 fight schedule of
six to eight bouts.
Also
signed to a non-exclusive promotional deal with California's
Gladiator Challenge promotion, Cejudo officially retired from
amateur wrestling in April 2012 before announcing his goal of
becoming a professional MMA fighter nine months later. The youngest
American to capture gold as a freestyle wrestler in the Olympics,
Cejudo has taken up shop at Scottsdale's Fight Ready gym for
his MMA training.
A
pro since 2007 Session has competed at several different weight
classes throughout his MMA career. The 26 year old Session currently
trains out of the famed Jackson's MMA gym in Albuquerque. Session
has dropped his previous three fights and last stepped into cage
in January for Colorado promotion Cage Wars.
Source: Ultimate MA
|
First
UFC Loss Behind Him, Junior dos Santos Focused on Mark Hunt and
Regaining Title
by Ryan
McKinnell
There’s
an old saying in fight sports that goes something to the effect
of: it’s not the wins in your career that define you; it’s
the losses.
For
former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, his dose of
MMA reality came at the hands of Cain Velasquez at UFC 155 in
December of last year. Since suffering his first defeat in the
vaunted Octagon, dos Santos has had time to reflect on the stinging
defeat to the Mexican-American bruiser, do some much needed soul
searching, and refocus on his ultimate objective.
“The
first four days after the fight was a depressing time,”
dos Santos said on Wednesday during a promotional stop in anticipation
for his upcoming fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 160 on May 25
in Las Vegas.
“It
was tough. I was really, really sad. Because the thing is, I
didn’t fight. I don’t care if the other guy is better
than me and he wins because he did very well and I performed
very well. But in that fight, I didn’t fight. Cain Velasquez
did very well, but I didn’t fight, so I was very sad. After
some time, I began to think about some things and I learned a
lot.”
“Cigano”
admits to re-watching that haunting fight over and over again,
trying to piece together just what went wrong.
”When
I watched the fight, I didn’t know I was out in the first
round. I don’t remember that punch,” he said when referring
to a Velasquez right hand that dropped him to the canvas with
just over a minute left in the opening frame.
After
that, it was all down hill according to the former champion.
“When
I watched the fight and saw that punch, (I realized) everything
changed after that. It was almost like automatic reactions after
that – just defending myself.”
The
thing is, he’s not wrong.
Up
until that punch from Velasquez, he was doing fairly well, especially
in Cain’s bread and butter area of wrestling, where dos
Santos had stuffed all six of his opening takedown attempts.
Velasquez
went on to batter dos Santos for 20 minutes in a fight that had
UFC president Dana White predicting post-fight that the battered
Brazilian would be taking some time off, because as White put
it, “You need to take some time off after a beating like
that.”
There’s
always a silver lining, however, and not unlike his throngs of
fans around the world, dos Santos was impressed with his ability
to persevere in the face of a crushing heavyweight bruiser like
Velasquez.
“I
think I learned a lot from that fight,” he stated. “I
always try to see the positive in everything. I was fighting
(hard) and I think I’m pretty tough doing that (lasting
five rounds), even if I got beat.”
Next
up, dos Santos turns his attention to the surging heavyweight
slugger out of New Zealand, former Pride and K-1 standout Mark
Hunt. A fan favorite, Hunt is currently riding a four-fight winning
streak and is on the verge of a heavyweight title shot, after
once being considered an afterthought from the Pride FC purchase
in 2007.
For
dos Santos – who was set to face Dutch striker Alistair
Overeem before he was forced out due to injury – the Hunt
fight is a bit more compelling in his eyes, as well as dangerous.
“I
think for sure it’s gonna change (training and preparation)
a little,” he stated. “The strategy will be a little
bit different because I think Mark Hunt is tougher than Alistair
Overeem.”
Overeem
and dos Santos have had a contentious relationship with PED accusations
flying and snarling taunts – something that is uncharacteristic
for the mostly jovial Brazilian. Although he may dislike Overeem,
he certainly wasn’t going to wait to fight him or stall
his career.
“To
tell you the truth, I don’t care about Alistair Overeem.
He’s a joker,” he said with a hint of disinterest.
“I couldn’t stay waiting for him. Who is he?
“He’s
not the champion. If he was the champion, it would be a pleasure
to wait for him. But he’s nobody in the division that I
should be waiting (for).”
When
pressed about his discontent, the usually upbeat Cigano shrugged
off any media fodder and said it was strictly about Overeem’s
propensity for disrespect.
“He
says so many things about me when he fought Bigfoot Silva. And
now he says a lot about Bigfoot Silva after he fought him,”
dos Santos explained. “It’s very hard to listen to
that. And people give him a lot of attention just because he
says those things. I don’t like to be disrespectful to anyone,
but in this case, he’s a joker.
“The main thing I don’t like is that he lies a lot.
He says a lot of ‘trash’ things. It makes me sad. You
have to show who you are inside the cage. You can’t win
it (by talking) outside the cage.”
Maybe
one day Overeem and dos Santos will finally hash it out in the
cage. In dos Santos’ mind, it doesn’t really seem to
matter.
He
talks openly about his appreciation for life and the opportunities
given him, he trains hard so the fight is easy, and it’s
now a fight-by-fight proposition for the former heavyweight champ.
Next
up is Mark Hunt, and after that it’s whoever has the heavyweight
belt. He informs me that no matter who has the gold, whether
it is Velasquez, Silva, or anyone in between, he’s only
concerned with getting his championship back.
“The
title is more important (than Velasquez rematch). The title is
the objective of everybody, I think; for sure it’s my objective.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Demian
Maia waiting for UFC 158 dust to settle before picking opponents
Lilian
Caparroz
Coming
off three consecutive wins since dropping to 170 pounds, Demian
Maia lives in a special phase in his career and personal life.
After celebrating the arrival of the first son, Lorenzo, Maia
kept an eye on stocks in Montreal to watch the competition.
In
the official UFC welterweight rankings, the Brazilian overtook
Nick Diaz, who dropped to sixth. Maia, however, has been surpassed
by Jake Ellenberger, who knocked out Nate Marquardt at UFC 158.
Maia
spoke with GracieMag.com following the welterweight showdowns
over the weekend.
“I
found UFC 158 to be a great event,” Maia said. “There
were important fights in my division even in the preliminaries,
and found it interesting to see Rick Story earning a win. On
the main card, Ellenberger had some great action and I thought
Condit’s fight with Hendricks was excellent, exciting and
deservedly the best of the night. (Georges) St-Pierre showed
that he remains the best in the division and gave little margin
for error, tactically did very well, as always, even with Nick
Diaz getting a few good moments in the third round.”
Maia
also addressed a possible match-up with Jake Ellenberger.
“It
is still too early to talk about the future,” he replied
when asked of the potential bout. “I think not only Ellenberger,
but several other athletes are well ranked and with no fight
scheduled yet, such as Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, Tarec Saffiedine
… and Rory McDonald, who was injured. It’s all very
recent and I think we need to let the dust to settle a little.
Eduardo (Alonso), my manager, is talking with them and would
rather wait a bit and let the scenario will adjust itself.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
The
curious media take on HBO cutting ties with Golden Boy
By Zach
Arnold
Golden
Boy will now only fight on Showtime and not HBO
By now, you know the story: HBO has elected to sever its relationship
with Golden Boy. After watching Golden Boy and shadowy adviser
Al Haymon strip the network of several of its top guys (Amir
Khan, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Danny Garcia and Andre
Berto among others) and move them across the street to rival
Showtime, HBO decided it had enough.
You
want ‘em, HBO said to Showtime. You got ‘em.
They
are putting almost all of their chips in with Bob Arum now and
hoping that Main Events, Lou DiBella and Gary Shaw can deliver
solid matchups as well.
HBO
ends Golden Boy relationship, passes on Adrien Broner (Boxing
Scene):
The announcement marked the crumbling of a once-powerful alliance
between HBO Sports and Golden Boy Promotions, a relationship
that was weakened when Showtime hired former Golden Boy attorney
Stephen Espinoza to run its sports division in November 2011.
Showtime now televises Golden Boy Promotions cards almost exclusively,
but Broner and Bernard Hopkins were the only high-profile Golden
Boy fighters whose fights were still broadcast by HBO.
The
split was coming for a while (Boxing Scene):
The tension between HBO and Golden Boy began in late 2011, when
former Golden Boy attorney Steven Espinoza replaced Ken Hershman
as the Vice President and General Manager of Showtime Sports.
Soon after Espinoza’s hire, Golden Boy started doing a voluminous
amount of business with Showtime. Hershman is now the current
President of HBO Sports.
The
turning point in the Golden Boy/HBO relationship took place in
September 2012. Golden Boy was looking to do a major card on
September 15th with WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo”
Alvarez. HBO refused to give Golden Boy the date. The network
would instead reserve the previously mentioned September date
for a pay-per-view event, which was headlined by Julio Cesar
Chavez Jr. vs. Sergio Martinez and promoted by Golden Boy’s
main rival, Top Rank.
So,
with all of this turmoil, there’s one question that hasn’t
really been asked yet about the future of HBO and boxing:
What is in Ken Hershman’s professional background that indicates
that he isn’t going to run HBO the same way he ran business
at Showtime?
The conventional wisdom is that because HBO is HBO and not Showtime
that therefore this will somehow change the way Ken Hershman
runs his boxing platform. I don’t see that happening at
all. What you got with Ken Hershman at Showtime is what you’re
going to see with Ken Hershman at HBO. Those who have dreams
that he’s going to change the way he does business are likely
going to be disappointed.
It’s like a new promoter bringing in a matchmaker from a
different promoter. The matchmaker isn’t going to change
their stripes. They’re going to book fights the way they’ve
always booked fights.
So, Hershman made his call and will be going with Top Rank, Dan
Goossen, Gary Shaw, Lou Dibella, and Main Events. He’s basically
taking The Field while Showtime is going with Golden Boy, who
has tried to signed everyone under the planet to a contract.
What exactly is so surprising about this development and why
would anything think that Mr. Hershman is going to behave differently
than he has in the past?
The only thing different this time around is that you may not
have Don King to kick around any longer.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
2013
NCAA Division I national wrestling championships preview
By Luke
Thomas
The most prestigious wrestling tournament in college kicks off
tomorrow from Des Moines, Iowa: the NCAA Division I national
wrestling championships. While it's not clear precisely who from
this crop will move onto coaching, freestyle wrestling or even
MMA, these are undoubtedly the candidates who will have the best
chances of success whichever athletic endeavor they pursue.
To
help break it all down, Intermat.com and BloodyElbow.com wrestling
writer (and former Division I wrestler himself) Mike Riordan
gives his assessment of each weight class, who are likeliest
to earn a national title, which team will emerge as the overall
winner, why Kyle Dake could become the greatest college athlete
of all-time and much more.
In
addition, I briefly caught up with two-time Olympian and former
Oklahoma State University Cowboy Daniel Cormier. The UFC heavyweight
explained to me three people to be on the lookout for at the
2013 national championships.
1.
Jesse Delgado of Illinois. "He's the no. 2 seed [at 125
pounds]. He beat Iowa's Matt McDonough two or three times this
year, an All-American. He's from right up the road here in California,
so I was able to watch him wrestle when he was in high school.
It's pretty good to see him doing so well."
2.
Kyven Gadson of Iowa State. "He's a sophomore, 197 pounds.
Big 12 champion, explosive, athletic and wrestles for [UFC veteran]
Kevin Jackson at Iowa State. He has a great style for the tournament
and just lost his father, who was a very accomplished wrestler,
too. He has some motivation. You never know what happens to a
guy when they suffer a loss like that just before a big competition.
Sometimes it actually puts them over the top."
3.
Alan Gelogaev of Oklahoma State. "For the first time since
Steve Mocco, Tommy Rowlands, Cain Velasquez, Cole Konrad; those
guys were all in the heavyweight division of the NCAA tournament.
We've got that again. With Tony Nelson [of Minnesota], Dom Bradley
[of Missouri], Jared Trice [of Central Michigan], all those guys.
But my guy to watch at heavyweight is Gelogaev. He's a Russian
kid. I'm telling you, man. He's explosive, has good throws. If
he can get these guys to wrestle him, he's going to be very dangerous."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Following
UFC 158 win, Rick Story has sight set on Jake Ellenberger
Erik Fontanez
Rick
Story (pictured) got back in the win column at UFC 158, and now
has his sights set on a rematch with Jake Ellenberger. Photo
by Jonathan Ferrey/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC
welterweight Rick Story wants to follow up his UFC 158 win with
a chance at fighting Jake Ellenberger, the fighter told GracieMag.com
recently.
A
match with Ellenberger, who also collected a win at UFC 158,
is the only fight for Story, he said, because it gives him the
best chance to get back into 170-pound title contention.
“I
want to fight Jake because right now he’s impressive,”
Story explained. “He’s one of the most impressive guys
in the welterweight division.
“With
a win against him, it’ll get me right back in for a title
shot.”
Story
and Ellenberger have met before. In 2008, the two squared off
at Sport Fight 23, a regional event in Portland, Ore., where
Story came out on top with a decision-win.
Although
the fight was decided by the judges, Story said he plans on finishing
every fight he has from now on. If Ellenberger is his next opponent,
the same goes for that contest.
Jake
Ellenberger reacts after knocking out Nate Marquardt in their
welterweight bout during UFC 158. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Zuffa
LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“I’ve
already beat Ellenberger, so why not do this again,” he
said. “He’s winning fights impressively, and I like
to think I’ve got my mind set to do the same thing every
fight from here on out. I’m sure it’s going to be another
barn burner.
“It
just feels too good to finish guys. So when I go out there, I’m
going for the kill … to finish the fight.”
Story
went on to add that he doesn’t know how Ellenberger feels
about a potential rematch with him, but “The Juggernaut”
recently told Bleacher Report’s Duane Finley that he has
his sights set on Johny Hendricks.
Ellenberger,
in fact, is so eager to beat Hendricks that the fighter said
he wants to don Hendricks’ teeth as a fashion accessory.
“I
want to wear Johny Hendricks’s teeth as a necklace,”
Ellenberger said.
UFC
President Dana White, however, confirmed last weekend that Hendricks
is next in line for a title shot, and will likely face champion
Georges St-Pierre in Las Vegas later this year. With GSP-Hendricks
seemingly booked, Ellenberger may very well be an option for
Story.
“It’s
going to be an exciting fight if it happens,” Story said.
“This is the only fight that makes sense to me.”
Other
than the comments from White saying St-Pierre and Hendricks are
set to face off, no other UFC 158 welterweights currently have
fights scheduled.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Three
UFC fighters fail drug tests
By Dave Meltzer
There were three very different drug test failures that came
out over the past day among UFC fighters.
Lavar
Johnson (17-7) failed a test for testosterone use given by the
California State Athletic Commission from his Feb. 23 fight in
Anaheim, where he lost a three-round decision against Brendan
Schaub. Johnson, a muscular heavyweight slugger, has not yet
been suspended.
According
to UFC officials, Johnson had first tested for an elevated testosterone/epitestosterone
ratio when the usual urine test results came in last week. California
then administered a more expensive Carbon Isotope Ratio (CIR)
test on Johnson, which confirmed the first test results.
The
other two failures were in tests administered by the UFC itself.
Both were from the March 3 show at the Saitama Super Arena in
suburban Tokyo, Japan. The company tested all 22 fighters on
the card, with Alex Caceres testing positive for marijuana and
Riki Fukuda testing positive for three banned stimulants.
Caceres
(8-5, 1 no contest) had his victory over Kyung Ho Kang, which
he originally won via three-round decision, overturned and ruled
a no-contest. The UFC suspended Caceres, best known by his nickname
"Bruce Leroy," from his stint on The Ultimate Fighter
season 12, for six months. The suspension is retroactive to the
day of the fight. They also ordered Caceres to attend rehabilitation
classes. He must pass a drug test at the end of the suspension
before he will be allowed to fight again.
"I
accept full responsibility for my actions and the consequences
from those actions," Caceres said in a statement issued
by his management team. "I apologize to all that I have
disappointed, including the UFC, my family, coaches, training
partners and fans. I accept the sanctions from the UFC and I
look forward to completing the necessary steps to getting back
in the octagon following the suspension and assuring that this
never happens again."
It
is the current company protocol that any fighter who tests positive
for marijuana on a UFC-regulated show, which is generally the
shows outside the U.S. and Canada, will be suspended six months
and ordered to do rehab from an accredited facility, according
to the UFC Director of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner.
"We
believe in that (rehab), but what I'm pushing for is I don't
think penalties for marijuana should be as severe as those for
performance-enhancing drugs," said Ratner.
UFC
policy is a nine-month suspension for a first offense for performance-enhancing
drugs.
Fukuda
(19-7), tested positive for Phernylpropanolamine, Norpseudoephedrine
and Ephedrine, all stimulants, after his loss to Brad Tavares
on the same show.
Fukuda
had been released from his UFC contract after the loss to Tavares
left him with a 2-3 record in his two years with the organization.
He was not let go due to the rest result according to Ratner.
"From
what I gathered, it was more a coincidence," said Ratner,
regarding his release getting out on Tuesday and his suspension
being released the next day. "If he had passed his tests,
I don't think it would have mattered."
Fukuda's
positive test result will be reported to the Association of Boxing
Commissions, which will then make a decision regarding how long
before he would be allowed to fight for another organization.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Keith
Kizer is now the target of political advocacy groups over Nevada’s
marijuana policy
By Zach
Arnold
Drug & licensing issues in Florida, Nevada, and California
creating total chaos
With everything that is happening in these three states for combat
sports, it turns out that most of what is really happening is
actually playing out in the media and has gotten out of control
for the regulatory bodies in question.
I sat down with Jordan Breen for an interview with Sherdog to
talk about what is going on in Florida and how it relates to
Texas, Nevada, and California for combat sports. If you are a
fight fan and you are wondering why the UFC isn’t hitting
Texas or Florida, two states with no income tax, then I would
strongly advise you to check out the Sherdog interview. There’s
some new information released during the interview.
Next up, we have California. Andy Foster, the new Executive Officer,
has his hands full. Dave Meltzer reported that Lavar Johnson
failed a drug test for testosterone (anabolic steroids) on the
UFC event in late February. California’s commission in the
past has always released a statement to the press about failed
drug tests. Whether or not California’s commission releases
a statement of not for this case, I’m not sure. What will
be of interest is if details of a suspension and a fine are revealed.
This is the first big test failure for a fighter since the new
Executive Officer has taken over the commission. It will be interesting
to see how he handles it.
Dave Meltzer adds:
UFC did not leak Johnson drug test story to me. CSAC reported
it first.
As
Jamie Penick (of MMA Torch) notes in the comments, MMA Junkie
requested the drug test results from CSAC for the show and got
the information.
Also noted in Dave Meltzer’s article is that Riki Fukuda
got cut from UFC and he failed a UFC drug test for the Saitama
Super Arena show due to banned stimulants. Alex Caceres tested
positive for marijuana metabolites. Incredibly, he has been suspended
for six months and has been ordered to go to rehab. Marc Ratner
is stating that any fighter who tests positive for marijuana
metabolites has to go to rehab.
This is insanity. This from a company that created the permissive
environment for their fighters on overseas shows to get permission
notes to use testosterone. So, testosterone is OK but prior usage
of marijuana before a fight happens is not OK. Thanks to UFC
running shows all over the country, we have athletic commissions
who feel the need to let fighters use testosterone (with a permission
note) while also suspending fighters for elevated levels of testosterone
if they don’t have a permission slip.
This mess should fall entirely on the UFC. They created it and
let the genie out of the bottle. Or, as I crudely stated the
other day, they created a situation where you can’t put
the shit back in the horse. Just ask Vitor Belfort all about
testosterone and his claims that UFC has known what has been
going on.
Speaking of awful commissions, Nevada is rightly mocked as one
of the dysfunctional commissions in the country — thanks
to Keith Kizer. Kizer’s commission fined Julio Cesar Chavez
Jr. $900,000 for testing positive for marijuana metabolites.
The same commission where Kizer’s friend, Dr. Tim Trainor,
gives out permission slips to MMA fighters to use testosterone.
This same commission encountered a case today where boxer Mickey
Bey failed a drug test due to having an elevated Testosterone/Epi-Testosterone
ratio of 30:1. His punishment? A three month suspension and a
$1,000 fine. Kevin Iole has every right to feel the way he does.
As
a result of Keith Kizer’s actions, he has now found himself
targeted by a political advocacy group with some real juice —
the Marijuana Policy Project. On Tuesday, MPP set up a billboard
in Las Vegas protesting the $900,000 fine that Julio Cesar Chavez
Jr. was slammed with by the Nevada State Athletic Commission
for testing positive for marijuana metabolites in a commission
drug test. MPP is now leading the charge with a petition to get
the $900,000 fine overturned and to raise awareness against Keith
Kizer’s actions.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has taken notice and a columnist
for the newspaper is supportive of MPP’s stance against
Kizer. An advocacy group like MPP is the kind of foe that Kizer
wants no part of — and him declining an interview with LVRJ
backs that up, given that Kizer will talk with anyone in the
press as long as they kiss his ass. Once a reporter or interviewer
asks any question that isn’t sycophantic (see: Mauro Ranallo),
Kizer squirms and freaks out.
Kizer has been the hunter for a while. Now he’s set himself
up, through the $900,000 fine to JCC Jr., to be the hunted by
some very determined political advocacy groups that aren’t
going to back down.
This is the state of affairs right now for state regulation of
combat sports. What will it take to change the behavior of the
bureaucrats? Target the people involved individually. Go through
tax records. Do criminal background checks. Investigate. Flush
out the cockroaches. Digging up dirt can have an impact —
and my work is proof positive of that (to a degree).
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Bellator
MMA 93 Results: Dave Jansen Wins Lightweight Tournament, Earns
Title Shot
by Jeff
Cain
Dave
Jansen captured the Bellator MMA Lightweight Tournament title
on Thursday, banking $100,000 and a shot at lightweight champion
Michael Chandler when he defeated Marcin Held.
It
was a back-and-forth fight with Held winning the opening round
and Jansen coming back to take the next two. Jansen defended
Held’s submission attempts while battering him with punches
and hammerfists. As the fight wore on, Held slowed and Jansen
took advantage while putting his submission defense on display.
“I’m
feeling total elation, relief, just gratitude, happiness, peace
and love. I get a little peace in my life now, for a week at
least,” said Jansen following the win.
In the co-main event Ryan Martinez knocked out Travis Wiuff in
just 19 seconds of their heavyweight fight. A left hook followed
by a combination dropped Wiuff and Martinez finished with a series
of right hands forcing referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and
stop the barrage.
In
welterweight action, the bout between UFC veteran Marcus Davis
and Waachiim Spiritwolf was ruled a no-contest after Davis landed
an unintentional knee to the groin of Spiritwolf rendering him
unable to continue. Spiritwolf was given the full five minute
allowance to recover. He was asked by the referee three times
whether he could continue, but Spiritwolf stayed on the canvas.
When
a fight is halted from an unintentional infraction, if the foul
happens before the completion of two rounds, the fight is ruled
a no-contest. If it were an intentional foul, Davis would have
been disqualified. If the knee had happened in the third round,
the judges’ scorecards would have been tallied and a winner
determined.
Bellator
MMA 93 Results:
-Dave
Jansen def. Marcin Held by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-28)
-Ryan Martinez def.Travis Wiuff by KO at 0:19, R1
-Marcus Davis vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf ruled no-contest (unintentional
illegal knee to the groin)
-Dave Vitkay def. Jesse Peterson by submission (guillotine choke)
at 0:18, R1
-Michael Page def. Ryan Sanders by KO at 0:10, R1
-Jason Butcher def. Jack Hermansson by submission (triangle choke)
at 2:24, R1
-Mike Mucitelli def. Brent Dillingham by submission (arm bar)
at 2:48, R1
-Joe Pacheco def. Pierry Pierre by submission (Americana) at
1:54, R1
-Vince Murdock def. John Raio by TKO at 4:01, R3
-John Lemke def. Jesse Erickson by TKO at 2:50, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
RELEASES RIKI FUKUDA, SUSPENDS ALEX CACERES FOR FAILED UFC ON
FUEL TV 8 DRUG TESTS
BY MIKE
WHITMAN
Ultimate
Fighting Championship middleweight Riki Fukuda has been released
from his UFC contract in the wake of a failed drug test at UFC
on Fuel TV 8.
According
to an official release, Fukuda tested positive for the banned
stimulants phenylpropanolamine, norpseudoephedrine and ephedrine.
Alex Caceres also failed his post-fight drug test at the March
3 event, testing positive for marijuana metabolites. Caceres
has been suspended for six months and has agreed to attend rehabilitation
classes. Upon completion of those classes, Caceres must pass
a drug test before he can receive clearance to compete again.
UFC
on Fuel TV 8 took place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan,
and was headlined by a light heavyweight confrontation between
Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann. All 22 fighters who competed
on the card were tested for banned substances, with all tests
coming back negative save for the aforementioned exceptions.
As Japan has no athletic commission, the UFC acted as its own
regulatory body and oversaw the testing.
Caceres
edged Kyung Ho Kang in a controversial split decision victory
on the UFC on Fuel TV 8 undercard. That result has now been changed
to a no-contest, according to the official release. Fukuda relinquished
a unanimous decision to Brad Tavares at the event and now exits
the promotion with an Octagon record of two wins against three
defeats.
Source: Sherdog
|
Fallon
Fox: Transgenders shouldn’t have to disclose medical history
to fight in women’s MMA
By Zach
Arnold
Jonathan
Solomon: Fallon Fox debate divides women’s MMA community
“I don’t believe that a transgender fighter should
have to disclose her personal medical history to other female
fighters before they fight. Simply for the reason that the medical
community and the scientific community has come to the consensus
that post-operative transsexual fighters who have been on hormone
replacement therapy and testosterone suppression, when they’re
going from male to female, don’t have or haven’t been
found to have any physiological advantages over other women.
So, why should we have to disclose our personal medical history?
There’s a lot of pain involved in having to disclose your
post-transgender history, a lot of things that you might not
want to disclose… so, I say no, I don’t think that
we should have to disclose our information.”
Related: The real questions not being asked in Fallon Fox/Florida
debacle
“I do believe that it may deter some fighters from fighting
me in the future. Some fighters have already said that they would
not want to fight me. I think that’s because they’re
scared, number one because I’m pretty good and, um, or they
might just have a bias or they just might be a hate-filled person
who doesn’t want to touch me or whatever but, um, I don’t
want to fight those people anyways because they’re scared
and what kind of fight would that be? I want to fight someone
who’s going to come after me aggressively and who wants
to fight me and I want a good fight. That’s what I’m
looking for in the future.”
Fight Medicine: A medical and scientific analysis of transgender
MMA fighters — do they have an advantage?
“You
know, I am using still, you know, I’m prescribed it but
at the same time I’m going to take more precautions. I’m
going to quit five weeks out. I guess three weeks wasn’t
enough and I’m pretty confident that should be enough to
keep it out of my system.”
“I think it effects everybody a little differently and it
doesn’t really slow me down, it just makes things normal,
you know? I’m really hyper, I’m high-paced and, you
know, just slows thing down and it also helps me with a bunch
of other ailments, so… You know, to me, it’s a miracle
plant, you know. To the Government, I guess it’s against
the law in some states or whatever but where I’m from in
Nevada, here, it’s legal. I’m a legal patient.”
JOE ROGAN: “I think it might actually enhance you. There’s
a lot of guys who like to do marijuana and do jiu-jitsu because
they say it enhances their feel and you could also argue that
marijuana helps you absorb pain, it helps you deal with pain.
It’s a pain reliever. So, you wouldn’t want anybody
to be fight on something that allows them to take more pain.”
MATT RIDDLE: “It doesn’t (help numb the pain) and I
also want to say that I don’t want to fight high, you know,
I’m not trying to smoke before I get into the cage, take
a bong ringside, you know I’m not trying to do that. I’m
trying to be able to use my medicine maybe two weeks prior to
a fight…”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Bellator
93's Ryan Martinez on new path after years spent behind bars
by Matt
Erickson
Ryan
Martinez has been locked inside a cage before. But it's a safe
assumption he prefers Bellator's version to what was previously
in his life.
Martinez
(8-2 MMA, 1-1 BFC) on Thursday fights Travis Wiuff (68-16 MMA,
4-1 BFC) in a heavyweight bout of Bellator 93's main card. He'll
do it with a clean slate after spending time battling drug addiction,
as well as time behind bars.
Bellator
93 takes place at Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine.
The main card, including Martinez vs. Wiuff, airs on Spike TV
following prelims on Spike.com.
Once
he got out of jail and started the next phase of his life, it
was MMA that helped set him free.
"Over
time, I've spent two years in jail, three and a half years in
prison and two years on parole," Martinez told MMAjunkie.com
(www.mmajunkie.com). "I basically wasted the whole 20s of
my life. It clicked with me when I was in the joint, because
I was in there running and lifting every day, so I tried to carry
on that mentality when I got out. I got a job as an iron worker
and consumed all my time working there and working out. MMA got
big in Colorado and a gym popped up where I was working out at,
and the first night I went in to train, it ended up being a lifelong
thing. I grew addicted to it."
And
Martinez knows something about addiction. He said he was addicted
to methamphetamines while also selling – which is what got
him locked up.
Martinez
had a promising future in wrestling. But his trip down the wrong
path started early.
"I
had full-ride scholarships to anywhere I wanted to go for wrestling,"
he said. "But after wrestling season, I started partying
too much and that led to me not finishing high school. I was
basically just running the streets and partying, and when I was
locked up it gave me a chance to reflect on all the bulls---.
I tried to reform myself and come out a better person rather
than come out, f--- up, and go back."
After
a move from Colorado to Las Vegas, Martinez is training with
UFC heavyweight Roy Nelson and Bellator light heavyweight Muhammed
"King Mo" Lawal at Jeff Mayweather's gym. The chance
to work with bigger fighters was one he couldn't pass up on,
and he believes that will help him turn the corner.
"I
need heavyweights who can punch me so I can react to fighters
of that weight," Martinez said. "That's why it was
the best decision of my career to move down to Vegas. I'm working
with some of the top guys in the weight class. Anyone who doesn't
think Roy Nelson is a top 10 heavyweight in the world is crazy,
because the dude's legit. 'King Mo' – his wrestling and
his striking, despite what happened against Emanuel Newton, is
f---ing legit, too. We've got a star heavyweight crew that's
always coming in, and I'm just going to use it to my benefit.
My standup, my ground, everything. Wherever the fight goes, I'll
be ready."
The
one thing that stands out is Martinez's experience – a little
more than two years and 10 fights – compared to Wiuff's
experience: 13 years and more than 80 fights.
It's
a fact that isn't lost on Martinez, who knows Wiuff can be dangerous,
but also knows a win over him could put him on the map.
"I
can't just name three or four of his top skills – I can
name like 10 or 12," Martinez said. "The only thing
I can say is that I hope I can put my hands on him more than
he puts his hands on me, and I hope I can take him down more
than he takes me down. If I can knock him out, I'm gonna try
and knock him out. If I can submit him, I'm gonna try and submit
him. But we're preparing for war here. So whatever happens, happens,
and I'm just going to give it 150 percent and get my hand raised
at the end of the night."
After
that, he has even bigger plans – plans he probably couldn't
have easily foreseen while he was incarcerated.
"Where
do I expect to be in a year or so? I'm going to be the Bellator
heavyweight world champ," Martinez said. "That's all
there is to it."
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Montreal
charity event deemed success with $6000 donation to GSP’s
foundation
Erin Herle
MONTREAL
— As if grappling in a hotel under a chandelier in what
looks like a wedding reception isn’t cool enough, the purpose
of Fight for Charity 2 was even better. Proceeds of the superfight
event in Canada all went to The Georges St-Pierre Foundation
for anti-bullying.
In
total, there were twelve matches varying from blue belt to black
belt, gi and no-gi, male and female. For each match the athletes
were announced by the Bruce Buffer-esque host, accompanied by
ring girls who walked the perimeter of the mat with a sign of
the athlete’s team logo, cheered on by rows of spectators
at every angle and greeted by their referee. The scoreboard was
fit with each athlete’s name so as not to be confused with
who was who.
Some
big names showed on the mat like black belt Bruno Fernandes,
owner of GMA Gracie Barra Montreal, and his opponent GFT black
belt Jake Mackenzie who was in town from Nova Scotia, Canada.
Garry Tonon drove seven hours from New York, arriving just minutes
before his gi match, fresh off his win at the ADCC Trials in
Ohio. Murilo Santana of Barbosa Jiu-Jitsu also joined in, fighting
a no-gi match against local Mark Colangelo, a black belt under
Renzo Gracie.
In
order to push for even more excitement during the event, a package
worth $1,000 was boasted for submission of the night. By the
end of all the matches there were four submissions to choose
from, however purple belt Alessandro Roman Camardo from Toronto
BJJ earned the trophy and package for his bow and arrow choke.
He received a prize pack of $400 cash, and $1000 in sponsor gifts
including a gi, trophy, gift certificates, custom mouthguard,
supplements and more. For everyone else at the event, a total
of $4000 in prizes were given by sponsors to be raffled off.
The
night was a success and even Ryron Gracie showed up to watch
the matches in the VIP section. Overall, the total proceeds came
to $6000 to be donated straight to charity. The tone of the night
was positive and a bond between all participants was built as
everyone came together for a cause. Despite the element of competition
present, wins or losses weren’t the concern, but rather
the efforts brought forth by everyone involved.
Thanks
to all of the athletes, sponsors, spectators and donations. The
next event will be a seminar featuring ten top black belts.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Early
pay-per-view numbers indicate UFC 158 will top 800,000 buys
By Dave
Meltzer
Saturday's UFC 158 may wind up being the biggest pay-per-view
event UFC's top draw, Georges St-Pierre, has done on his own
with preliminary indications that the show will top 800,000 buys.
The
show was expected to be the company's most successful show since
July's UFC 148 with Anderson Silva's return match with Chael
Sonnen. St-Pierre had done numbers in the 750,000 to 800,000
range in previous fights with B.J. Penn, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck
and Jake Shields, but this show is expected to finish slightly
ahead of those fights.
St-Pierre
vs. Thiago Alves was the co-headliner at UFC 100 in 2009, which
was by far the most successful event in company history, doing
an estimated 1.6 million buys. However, that number was drawn
on the combination of the number of the event, St-Pierre, and
a heavyweight title grudge match with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank
Mir.
The
difference maker is that the public found Nick Diaz to be St-Pierre's
most intriguing opponent to date, Diaz was coming off a loss
to Carlos Condit and a one-year suspension for a second marijuana
test failure in Nevada. But in playing up the grudge match aspect,
public interest in the match up was strong all week with near-record
numbers watching the press conference and the weigh-ins.
Diaz's
unpredictability made him a uniquely compelling opponent for
St-Pierre. Historically, personal issues, whether real of contrived,
involving the biggest stars are going to draw the biggest numbers.
In this case, it was a match the public had been primed for since
2011. The fight had fallen through twice, once when Diaz was
pulled over missing two press conferences, and a second time
when St-Pierre went down with a torn ACL. Diaz had spent years
as a headliner for rival promotions, Elite XC and then Strikeforce,
and headlined a number of nationally televised events and captured
the Strikeforce welterweight title.
As
it turned out, his no-showing the Wednesday public workout in
its own way focused more attention on the fight, as did his rambling
monologues at the press conference that appeared to get under
St-Pierre's skin. The feeling this would be a different St-Pierre
also helped sell the event, even though as soon as the fight
started, it was clear St-Pierre was fighting his usual best strategic
fight to win as opposed to fighting with emotion leading to a
wilder battle.
When
UFC acquired Strikeforce in early 2011, with Diaz as welterweight
champion riding an 11-fight win streak, a bout with St-Pierre
seemed an obvious major event. The loss, hiatus and delay in
making the fight didn't seem to cool off interest with the public,
which peaked in the final few days after Diaz took over the press
conference and stated he believed St-Pierre was using steroids.
An incident at a Las Vegas hotel in 2011 between the two was
played up, and the normally calm St-Pierre appeared to lose his
cool on several occasions.
Even
Diaz's assertions that the UFC and St-Pierre were selling "wolf
tickets," and warned the public not to fall for the hype,
created more talk, while UFC President Dana White defended the
legitimacy of the buildup.
The
success of the show is even more impressive since it was achieved
without a three-week Primetime series as Penn, Hardy, and Shields
had to build up their title challenges. The Ultimate Fighter
season with Koscheck and GSP had weekly tension between the coaches.
Diaz
presented a unique dichotomy, in the sense his ability to promote
a fight naturally ranks with the best, but his showing up to
do so ranked with the worst. His fight style, with the high punch
output usually makes for an entertaining fight, it's the idea
that you have no idea what he will do next at any time that is
his real calling card. But that has its flip side of promoting
fights, with his no-shows of press conferences and a number of
interview sessions, leaving the company with minimal usable footage
for television hype specials.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Nick
Diaz gets a top ESPN headline… for not apparently paying
his taxes
By Zach
Arnold
Nick
Diaz, after loss, says he doesn’t pay taxes, jail probable
Words can’t describe this short interview, so maybe some
quotes will.
“I could have had a better training camp.”
“Nobody had faith in me to win this fight. I think I could
have stopped the takedowns, I think I could have got the takedowns,
come to think of it.”
He talked a lot about “the Canada thing” screwing up
his sleep patterns and how he slept until 8 PM.
“I was just moving real slow.”
“I’d like a re-match, you know?”
Nick then went on to … blame?… Jeff Sherwood (Sherdog)
for taking some photos of him catching ‘fools’ in knee-bars.
Diaz says he thought he could show-off that submission roll in
his GSP fight, but no luck because apparently the world saw all
those Sherdog photos including GSP and fight strategy changed.
“I’m trying to retire, I’m trying to get out of
this gig.”
“I’m not hurt. He hits like a woman, you know? He has
a full-on range to separate and punch me but he hits like a girl
because he’s too scared to let go far enough to get a real
punch in because I’ll get up and he’ll have to fight
and move around.”
“He fought all those wrestlers and he was going to wrestle
them down. Once he takes them down, they don’t know what
to do. They just sit there, they don’t get up.”
“You could say I don’t want to retire if I get a re-match,
but if I don’t get a re-match who am I going to fight? I’m
not going to fight any of these guys out here. I’ve done
everything I’ve set out to do in fighting. I don’t
want to jump around with these new kids. I don’t think Georges
wants to fight Anderson Silva, I really don’t think he does.”
“Johny Hendricks is probably going to get worked (by GSP).”
“To be honest, this isn’t that upsetting to me.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
THE
DOGGY BAG: THE INFORMATION OVERLOAD EDITION
UF-Sea
Change
Everyone
answers to somebody, so we, the staff at Sherdog.com, have decided
to defer to our readers.
“The
Doggy Bag” gives you the opportunity to speak about what
is on your mind from time to time. Our reporters, columnists,
radio hosts and editors will chime in with their answers and
thoughts, so keep the emails coming.
UFC
on Fuel TV 8 in Saitama, Japan ignited many talking points. Wanderlei
Silva's dramatic knockout of Brian Stann thrilled MMA fans but
left them wondering if it was not a good moment for “The
Axe Murderer” to put down his weapon. Mark Hunt ripped off
his fourth straight UFC win, literally cracking Stefan Struve's
jaw and announcing himself as an improbable-but-viable heavyweight
contender. Meanwhile, the blame for Bryan Caraway's head-scratching
decision loss to Takeya Mizugaki was not placed on the judges
but on his girlfriend, Miesha Tate, for her cornering advice.
Fair or unfair, folks are wondering if having your significant
other in your corner for significant fights is the best plan.
However,
just as soon as onlookers started to digest these bits, the UFC
unloaded a deluge of information, from its new look on Fox Sports
1, title fights for Anderson Silva and Renan Barao, the injury
to Alistair Overeem and a battery of fights. It has been a week
of information overload, and true to form, this is where we sort
through it.
Also,
you cannot forget the obligatory Ronda Rousey email. You can
never have too many Ronda Rousey emails.
This
is maybe a hard question to answer but I want to ask anyway.
With the UFC announcing so many major fights this week while
still releasing so many fighters, do you think that the MMA landscape
could change drastically this year? Do you think that there will
be any new champions to start 2014 or high-profile releases like
Jon Fitch? I am reading MMA news and it is strange to see Fitch
in World Series of Fighting while Eddie Wineland fights for a
UFC title. I get a feeling like “something” is changing,
but I'm not sure what it is. -- Lasse from Finland
Jordan
Breen, administrative editor: I could probably answer such an
open-ended question a million different ways. The UFC is readying
a move to a new television platform, Bellator is gaining traction
on Spike TV and, as you mentioned, World Series of Fighting is
plucking some intriguing fighters but remains a promotional and
financial wild card. All three of these promotions could have
wild successes or painful failures by the time the year is up,
and that is to say nothing of the actual fights that occur.
The
term “landscape” in MMA is naturally a foggy one, so
let's explore the more concrete ideas you offered. First up,
new champions. Right now, the UFC has nine weight classes and
10 champions -- I remember you, Dominick Cruz! -- but they have
varying levels of stability. Demetrious Johnson will be returning
from injury, and whether or not he ends up getting penciled in
to face John Moraga again, the larger goal for the UFC is a rematch
with Joseph Benavidez. This is a fight that could perhaps tip
the apple cart on “Mighty Mouse,” even if the champ
will be a favorite to replicate his UFC 152 victory. Lightweight
champion Benson Henderson is always expected to face a murderer's
row at 155 pounds, a division that historically has produced
some eye-opening results in UFC title fights. However, the most
obvious weight range for change (now we're rhyming good) would
seem to be at 135 and 145 pounds.
UFC
bantamweight champion Cruz is coming off of back-to-back surgeries
on his left knee and refuses to offer a firm timetable on his
return, saying he wants to simply focus on recovery. Meanwhile,
Renan Barao on June 15 has the Wineland bout to which you alluded.
Since Cruz's last bout against Johnson, who was at that point
still a bantamweight, Barao is 4-0 in the UFC and improving his
game each time out. Wineland is a fearsome puncher, and given
the Brazilian's brush with mortality against Michael McDonald,
there are some elements of an upset present. Nonetheless, a Barao
submission or decision seems most likely. If Cruz is unable to
face Barao by winter, the promotion will at least think seriously
about stripping Cruz and promoting Barao to full champion status
as a matter of form. When fans haven't seen a particular fighter
in two years while constantly being exposed to the successes
of the “interim champ,” how much longer can you play
that game? Plus, it could allow Cruz to return to the Octagon
in a warm-up fight against someone other than Barao, giving him
the chance to test his knee in a combat environment that would
be perhaps be more appropriate.
Technically,
that's a “new” champ, but if that isn't enough of a
stir-up for you, the obvious candidate is in the featherweight
division. Jose Aldo is a pound-for-pound all-star, but Anthony
Pettis' striking dynamism, defensive savvy and sharp grappling
seem to suggest he's the best man for the job. Aldo will be a
righteous favorite against the Duke Roufus pupil, but stylistically,
Pettis has a better chance to prevail than anyone we've seen
so far. Given Aldo's injury issues in the past and their impact
on his camp and weight cuts, this is a feasible and potentially
thrilling upset.
If
that happened, does Pettis stay and defend the title, as UFC
President Dana White has publicly demanded of him? Does he get
the chance to fight at 155 simultaneously, as he has publicly
hoped for? If Aldo wins, is he moving right into a title shot
at 155 pounds? Any of these scenarios could possibly give us
a new 145-pound ace and some serious shakeup.
I'm
not sure that a new UFC champ or two really constitutes some
kind of sea change in MMA. However, the nature of what I just
described could offer that. Aldo moving up to 155 and conquering
it or Pettis competing in two divisions actively would mark that
kind of conceptual change in the UFC product. For years, Zuffa
sought to keep its stars and champs in a weight class until they
were simply caught at a competitive dead end, running a tidy,
predictable product in that way. Perhaps the “super fight
era” has been overblown since we haven't exactly gotten
to see Anderson Silva-Jon Jones yet, but we are seeing more loose,
creative matchmaking at every level in the UFC, which portends
intriguing things in the future. If the UFC can worm its way
through the loopholes in the Empire State to allow for a New
York event to happen late 2013, maybe we do get Jones-Silva or
something similar.
As
far as releasing fighters go, the UFC has always been relatively
savvy about who it releases and when. It worried about other
companies taking former champions or notable faces, matching
them up and confusing consumers. I am not so sure that Fitch-Gerald
Harris is going to trick folks into thinking it's a UFC bout
and I doubt the UFC is going to stop dropping too many top 5
talents just because of Fitch's unique, polarizing situation.
After all, if it was just going to start hacking away on high-priced,
recently defeated fighters that have already fought for titles,
Josh Koscheck would be joining Fitch on the WSOF 2 card, but
he's not.
All
of this being said, I don't think your gut feeling is without
warrant. Perhaps we won't remember 2013 as the “Year of
Landscape Change,” but there's no doubt that there is still
a change on the horizon. Anderson Silva is 37 and clearly winding
down his career; should he beat Chris Weidman at UFC 162, he
might end up with just a couple super fights before calling it
a day. Georges St. Pierre fights twice a year, has always been
adamant that he'll retire before he starts to deteriorate and
has loads of loot. Jones may clean out the 205-pound division
sooner rather than later. Quinton Jackson has left the promotion;
Matt Hughes has retired; and B.J. Penn is in a perpetual “Will
he ever fight again?” state. Other notable faces -- Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio Rua, to name a
few -- are in their twilight. Hell, even Bellator is starting
to have turnover in its season-in, season-out tournament competitors.
A guy like Marlon Sandro has fought 10 times in the last 20 months
and is clearly showing the wear-and-tear of that grind, all while
a whole new class of Russian badasses emerges.
I've
been typing a lot here, so let me summarize this: it's not about
who is going to knock off the champs or what upsets might happen
this year, nor is it about whether or not competitors could snap
up some talent the UFC doesn't want. The fact is that the superstars
of this sport, the fighting idols for whom people buy pay-per-views
and tickets and with whom they have a strong nostalgic connection
are coming to the end of the line. Maybe it's a year from now,
maybe it's two, but at some point in the near future, you're
going to be watching Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold fight for
the UFC middleweight title and you'll gasp for a moment and think,
“Holy smokes, Anderson Silva isn't UFC champion any more.
He's just the face of Burger King.”
Mark Hunt says he was "down" to fight Junior dos Santos.
UFC President Dana White says he turned it down. Who exactly
am I supposed to believe? I wanted Hunt to step in for Alistair
Overeem really badly, since dos Santos is one of the few top
heavyweights other than Overeem he could beat. Seeing Hunt fight
Cain Velasquez for the UFC title would be a blowout but probably
one of the craziest things to happen in MMA history. I can't
understand why more people aren't on Hunt's war wagon here. --
Josh from San Francisco
Mike
Whitman, news editor:I do not know whom you should believe, Josh.
I am not your spirit guide.
Regarding
Hunt’s war wagon, I could not disagree with you more. That
baby seems chock-full of folks just begging for the former K-1
World Grand Prix winner to get his shot at the big gold belt,
despite the fact that his four straight wins (pretty impressive)
have come against Chris Tuchscherer, Ben Rothwell, Cheick Kongo
and Stefan Struve (less impressive). That isn’t a diss against
any of those guys; I would just like to see Hunt take out somebody
near the top of the ladder before we start throwing around words
like “title shot.”
As
you mentioned, dos Santos is undoubtedly a much, much better
matchup for Hunt than someone like Velasquez, and with the the
rest of the top 10 currently tied up, this is a booking for which
a decent number of people seemed to be pulling. While it initially
seemed like those fans would be sorely disappointed, it now appears
that they might yet have their wish granted. Not long after Hunt
denied turning down the dos Santos bout, White tweeted that he
had spoken with “The Super Samoan” on the phone and
that the conversation had been “GREAT.”
Whether
that Tony-the-Tiger-esque descriptor means Hunt will slide in
for Overeem after all is anybody’s guess. However, given
that dos Santos-Overeem was pushed back to an ambiguous summer
date to allow Overeem to heal, I think there is at least a decent
shot we could see Hunt fill the bill sometime before then, provided
“Cigano” does not want to wait and Hunt is also not
suffering from an injury that would prevent him from fighting
sooner rather than later.
Bottom
line: I think you can rest easy, Josh. I have a feeling that
regardless of whom Hunt faces next, the fighter’s fans will
be heard loud and clear.
Wanderlei Silva is the fighter that got me into MMA. The first
time I saw him rolling his wrists in Pride and killing Kazushi
Sakuraba, I knew this was “my sport.” After he beat
Brian Stann like that in Japan, I would have loved to see him
hang up his gloves, but I know he is a fighter, like Chuck Liddell,
that will be forced to retire. What do you think the UFC will
do with him next and how long before UFC President Dana White
publicly calls for him to retire like he did with Liddell? --
Vance from Washington
Brian
Knapp, features editor:The older I get, the more passionate I
become about this subject. We all want our sports heroes to walk
off into the sunset in a blaze of glory, but, more often than
not, that has proven to be the road less traveled. For every
Barry Sanders who left at the height of his power, there are
10 Johnny Unitases who stretched themselves a little too far.
After
nearly 50 professional bouts dating back to MMA’s bare-knuckle
beginnings, Silva has earned the right to decide when he calls
it a career. Would I like to see him walk away now after he authored
such a riveting performance against Stann at the very site where
he built his name? Of course, but the only opinions that mean
anything here are those of “The Axe Murderer” and those
closest to him.
As
observers, we are right to fear for the long-term health of our
combat sports greats because we all know there are limits to
what the human body can withstand. The revelations which continue
to come forth regarding concussions and their consequences only
enhance those feelings. However, most of our sports heroes do
not leave when most feel they should, and it became clear from
Silva’s post-fight remarks at UFC on Fuel TV 8 that he intends
to fight again.
No
one 25 years from now wants to see a 60-year-old Silva in the
same deteriorated condition as some of his prizefighting predecessors,
with slurred speech and impaired motor skills. However, there
is a price to pay when you make a living with your fists, and
those who follow mixed martial arts should understand this better
than anyone. Until a doctor deems him unfit for competition,
athletic commissions refuse to sanction him or promoters decline
to sign him, the decision on when to retire belongs to Silva.
For better or worse, storybook endings are usually confined to
storybooks.
As
far as what might come next for him, I hope the UFC finds a way
to put him in the cage with a less heavy-handed foe, perhaps
a returning Forrest Griffin. In his last 11 appearances, Silva
has fought Stann, Rich Franklin (twice), Cung Le, Chris Leben,
Michael Bisping, Quinton Jackson, Keith Jardine, Chuck Liddell,
Dan Henderson and Mirko Filipovic. Those 10 men have combined
for 128 knockouts between them, so even with his 4-7 record,
maybe Silva has fared a little better in that stretch than we
realize.
Every forum is filled with people talking about who is going
to fight Ronda Rousey next or who will be her hardest test in
the UFC. I am surprised no one has really brought up Holly Holm.
She still seems far from Rousey's level right now, but even in
her Bellator squash fight, I was really impressed by her kicks.
She is already probably the best striker out there other than
Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, plus they could promote
the fight as an Olympic medalist against a real boxing world
champion. Why are more people not talking about this? -- Eric
from Miami
Tristen
Critchfield, associate editor: Before her lopsided victory over
Katie Merrill at Bellator 91, Holm had last competed professionally
in MMA on Sept. 9, 2011, when she finished off veteran foe Jan
Finney with a third-round kick to the body. At that time, Rousey
was building her name on the Strikeforce prospect circuit (she
would submit Julia Budd at Strikeforce Challengers 20 approximately
one month later).
Since
then, Holm chose to focus on her professional boxing career,
fighting three times at her preferred venue -- the Route 66 Casino
in Albuquerque, N.M -- before facing Merrill on Feb. 28. Meanwhile,
Rousey also competed three times but under a considerably brighter
spotlight than Holm: twice as a Strikeforce headliner and once
as one-half of the first-ever female main event on a UFC pay-per-view.
With
all that has happened since Holm last stepped into the cage,
it is not surprising that she has flown under the radar in MMA
circles. The UFC has only recently begun importing talent into
its women’s bantamweight division in earnest, and at the
moment, fantasy matchmakers have been focused on the likes of
Miesha Tate (again) or Sara McMann as potential Octagon opponents
for Rousey. However, the timing could not have been more perfect
for Holm to resume her dalliance with MMA, as her appearance
in the Bellator cage came less than a week after “Rowdy”
submitted Liz Carmouche in the historic UFC 157 headliner.
Interest
in women’s MMA is now at an all-time high, and as a result,
it is only now that Holm seems to be receiving some attention
as a potential Rousey adversary. Prior to Holm’s triumph
over Merrill at Bellator 91, Melissa Segura of Sports Illustrated
touched on the subject during an interview with the fighter and
her team at Jackson’s MMA. The wise response then from her
longtime trainer, Mike Winkeljohn, in regards to a potential
showdown with the Armbar Queen? “Not yet.”
In
terms of technical striking, there is probably no one under Zuffa
contract with the skill level of Holm, who is equally lethal
with both hands and feet. The flipside of the coin is that “The
Preacher’s Daughter” has yet to face opposition who
can take her down and hold her there. Still, the visibly smaller
Merrill was able to score a couple short-lived takedowns and
temporarily slow Holm’s rhythm with clinches. Yes, those
moments were fleeting at best, but even minor details are worth
examining if Holm’s destiny includes a date with an Olympic
judoka.
In
a perfect world, for MMA devotees at least, the road to Rousey
would begin for Holm with a two-fight or better stint in the
Invicta Fighting Championships, where thoughtful matchmaking
would be able to provide an accurate assessment of the world
champion boxer’s deficiencies. Assuming Holm passed those
tests, her transition to the UFC would be a windfall for the
promotion. Currently there are few women who can match Rousey
in terms of physical stature and athletic prowess. Holm is one
of them.
There
are no guarantees that Holm ever elects to go that route. Early
last week, the Albuquerque Journal reported that Holm will return
to the boxing ring on May 11 to face Mary McGee. After that,
expect the New Mexican to take some time off, as she is currently
going straight from one fight camp to another. When forecasting
Holm’s MMA potential, it is always important to remember
how lucrative it is for her to fight in her home state. Critics
will say that Holm is afraid to travel, but that simply is not
true. It just doesn’t make fiscal sense for Holm to go out
of state when she consistently sells out venues in the Land of
Enchantment. A trip to Kansas City for an Invicta bout could
very well result in a significant pay cut.
With
the proper seasoning and preparation, Holm could very well be
Rousey’s most significant test. Whether that happens remains
to be seen, but rushing such a matchup would be irresponsible
for all parties involved.
On a scale of Mark Coleman to Greg Jackson, where would you rank
Miesha Tate telling Bryan Caraway that he could "coast"
against Takeya Mizugaki? I have never seen a piece of corner
advice directly lead to a fighter losing like that before. Tate
is obviously a great fighter, but is there an issue when you
have a significant other in your corner? Even if they have fighting
experience, I wonder if their risk management and strategy wouldn't
be different from a coach or trainer who still has a close yet
different relationship with a fighter. -- Matt from Toledo
TJ
De Santis, Sherdog Radio Network program director: I have a few
rules in life. One of them is that you don’t mix business
with pleasure. I think that fits here, with Caraway’s decision
to have his girlfriend, Tate, in his corner at UFC on Fuel TV
8, but I don’t think that Tate is really the one to blame
for the loss.
There
is bias everywhere in this world. Sometimes it works in your
favor; other times it bites you in the rear end. The people that
prepare a mixed martial artist have an investment in the bout
and more often than not view what takes place over the course
of five minutes in a slanted fashion. Magnify that a hundredfold
when it’s your significant other.
If
Caraway was honestly comfortable with the notion that the fight
was in the bag after two rounds, I am not sure what I can tell
him and what Tate told him certainly didn't matter in the end.
I had the bout 19-19 after ten minutes, as did many people who
were watching. This decision was one of four split decisions
on at the event. At this moment in MMA, you probably need at
least a 10-8 round to feel you can “coast” comfortably.
With only 15 minutes allotted in MMA for non-title affairs, I
don’t think you can ever take a round off in a three round
affair.
If
Caraway really did take the final frame off, he did this to himself
despite what any cornerman -- or woman -- said to him.
If
you’re competing, you need to really take a step back and
look at who you bring to the cage with you as your seconds. I
am making sure the chief second is the person with whom I have
put my game plan together. This person must be observant to changes
that need to be made in between rounds and someone who can speak
clearly and directly through the haze that sets in on most fighters
mid-battle. The last person I am going to bring is a cheerleader,
someone who loves me unconditionally, thinks the world of me
and feels that no matter what I am a winner.
Optimism
in life is great, but in a close fight, I’ll take the pessimistic
strategist who is willing to give me advice in between rounds.
However, even if Tate's cornering wasn't the soundest, she isn't
to blame for Caraway's loss. Caraway could've realized the stakes
and chose to fight. Instead, he opted to “coast” until
he crashed.
Source: Sherdog
|
Dan
Hardy Out, Jordan Mein In Against Matt Brown at UFC on Fox 7
by Ken
Pishna
Dan
Hardy is out of his UFC on Fox 7 bout with Matt Brown.
The
UFC matchmaking team moved swiftly to line up a replacement.
Jordan Mein has already agreed to step in and take Hardy’s
place on April 20 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
UFC
officials announced Hardy’s injury and his replacement late
Thursday night.
Mein (27-8) is making a quick turn, having just defeated Dan
Miller at UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz this past weekend. It is
no wonder the 23-year-old fighter already has 35 bouts to his
credit so early in his career.
The
win over Miller marked Mein’s Octagon debut, and agreeing
to such a quick return with Hardy falling off the card will surely
endear him to his bosses.
Riding
a three-fight winning streak, Mein faces no easy task in Brown.
While
Mein has more professional bouts to his credit, Brown (16-11)
has fought the last half of his career fighting under the white-hot
lights of the UFC. He’s used to the pressures of fighting
on the MMA world’s largest stage, riding a streak of four
consecutive victories into the fight.
UFC
lightweight champion Benson Henderson squares off with Strikeforce
titleholder Gilbert Melendez in the UFC on Fox 7 main event.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
All
Bets Aside, Michael Bisping Plans Statement Making Knockout of
Alan Belcher at UFC 159
by Jeff
Cain
UFC
middleweight Michael Bisping looks to redeem himself against
Alan Belcher at UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen after suffering two
loses in his last three fights.
Bisping
(23-5) feels he’s a better fighter than Belcher (18-7),
and plans to prove that on April 27 at the Prudential Center
in Newark, N.J.
“I
never underestimate an opponent, but I truly believe I’m
the better fighter. I’ve got the better skill set in all
areas. I think I’m just a tougher person,” said Bisping
during a recent edition of UFC Tonight on Fuel TV.
“If
we were plucked off the street with no martial arts training
I would bury this guy each and every time. I truly believe I’m
going to win this fight. I’m still going to train accordingly.
I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I win
the fight, but I’m in a different league and I need to prove
it,” he added.
Bisping
isn’t just looking for a win against Belcher at UFC 159,
he’s looking to make a statement by knocking out the Roufusport
trained fighter.
“A
lot of people have been talking about how I haven’t knocked
anyone out,” said Bisping. “So I’m going to try
and do that.”
In
his last fight, Bisping was defeated by Vitor Belfort by technical
knockout and feels he needs to prove he is one of the best 185-pound
fighters in the world.
“My
last fight didn’t go to plan. I proclaimed to be one of
the best in the world and obviously losing by a kick to the head
in the second round, it doesn’t go hand in hand with being
one of the best, so I’m going to go out there and get redemption
for my last performance. I want to put a statement on it. I want
to prove I’m one of the best in the middleweight division
and to do that I have to take him out and take him out in style,”
said Bisping.
The smack talk between Bisping and Belcher has heated up in recent
weeks. Belcher offered up a bet involving tattoos. He said if
British-born Bisping could knock him out in the first round that
he would get the British flag tattooed on his chest. If Belcher
defeats Bisping, Bisping would have to get inked with the same
Johnny Cash tattoo that Belcher sports on his left arm.
Belcher
later upped the ante with the help of professional football player
and friend Wallace Gilberry, who offered up his Rolls Royce Phantom
to Bisping if he is able to defeat Belcher. New, the car sells
for upwards of $500,000.
Bisping
responded to the wagers.
“He’s
trying to generate hype for the fight. He’s trying to promote
himself and I’m all for that. Good for him. He’s talked
about a tattoo bet. He’s talked about, he sat in the back
of a Rolls Royce Phantom acting like the big man because he’s
got a rich friend and this and that. That’s not what I’m
about, showing off. For me, I’m focusing on the fight,”
said Bisping.
“How
about this, I challenge you to a fight on April 27. The winner
takes all the pride and glory. You take your tattoos, you take
your phantom and stick them where the sun doesn’t shine.
But I will see you April 27, and I will beat you and that’s
all that matters to me.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ALEKSANDER
EMELIANENKO COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT, SIGNS CONTRACT WITH PROFC
BY TIM
LEIDECKER
Just
three months after deciding to hang up his gloves for good, former
Pride veteran Aleksander Emelianenko has done an about-face and
announced that he wants to resume his 10-year professional fighting
career for Russian organization ProFC.
“I
have spent the last few months in an Orthodox monastery on Mount
Athos in Greece and had many conversations with the elders and
priests there,” the 31-year-old stated in a release on the
promotion’s website. “I communicated a lot with Elijah,
the confessor of our Metropolitan, and he gave me the advice
and the blessings to return to the sport. I have since signed
a long-term contract [with ProFC] and soon, tentatively in the
summer, you will see my debut inside their cage.”
With
his retirement just lasting a quarter of a year, Emelianenko
beats out English knockout artist Paul Daley for the quickest
return to action after walking away. In 2008, the controversial
Brit had a four-month stint during which he considered himself
retired. Emelianenko last competed at M-1 Challenge 35 on Nov.
15, falling to Jeff Monson via second-round submission.
Now
that the younger of the two Emelianenko brothers will return
to action, questions arise about a possible comeback of one of
the sport’s most successful and beloved icons in his brother,
Fedor Emelianenko. In a recent television interview with Russian
channel RT Sports News, the 36-year-old “Last Emperor”
continued to remain true to his stance when he claimed that,
“Only if God tells me to come back, [I will come out of
retirement].”
Source: Sherdog
|
'UFC
on FX 8: Belfort vs. Rockhold' official for Brazil in May with
13 fights
The
four-fight main card for the UFC's next show in Brazil now is
official.
UFC
on FX 8 takes place May 18 at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul.
The event's main card airs on FX following prelims on FUEL TV
and Facebook. The main event is a middleweight bout between Vitor
Belfort (22-10 MMA, 11-6 UFC) and final Strikeforce 185-pound
champion Luke Rockhold (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC).
UFC
officials recently made official the 13-fight card, which will
be the promotion's seventh in Brazil since returning to the country
in August 2011.
Belfort
returns to Brazil following his second-round knockout of Michael
Bisping at UFC on FX 7 in January. After that win, he called
out light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Instead, he'll get
Rockhold, who has won nine straight, including two defenses of
the Strikeforce middleweight title before moving to the UFC with
the merger of the two promotions. He most recently fought in
July, taking a unanimous decision from Tim Kennedy.
Rounding
out the main card on FX are middleweight bouts between Constantinos
Philippou (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Ronaldo Souza (17-3 MMA, 0-0
UFC), plus C.B. Dollaway (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) vs. Cezar Ferreira
(5-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), and a lightweight bout between Rafael dos
Anjos (18-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and Evan Dunham (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC).
FUEL
TV gets a six-fight preliminary card that features previously
reported bouts between Hacran Dias (21-1-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and
Manny Gamburyan (12-7 MMA, 3-5 UFC) at featherweight; Mike Rio
(9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC)
at lightweight; featherweights Yuri Alcantara (27-4 MMA, 2-1
UFC) and Marcos Vinicius (20-4-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC); welterweights
Lance Benoist (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) vs. Paulo Thiago (14-5 MMA,
4-5 UFC); Azamat Gashimov (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vs. John Lineker
(20-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at flyweight; and a light heavyweight bout
featuring Roger Hollett (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vs. Fabio Maldonado
(18-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC).
Prior
to the televised prelims on FUEL TV, the UFC will stream three
other prelims on Facebook. John Cholish (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets
Gleison Tibau (26-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC) at lightweight; Chris Cariaso
(14-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) takes on Jussier Formiga (14-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
at flyweight; and lightweights Jeremy Larsen (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
and Lucas Martins (12-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will open the card.
The
full UFC on FX 8 lineup includes:
MAIN
CARD (FX, 9 p.m. ET)
Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold
Constantinos Philippou vs. Ronaldo Souza
C.B. Dollaway vs. Cezar Ferreira
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Evan Dunham
PRELIMINARY CARD (FUEL TV, 6 p.m. ET)
Hacran Dias vs. Manvel Gamburyan
Mike Rio vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Yuri Alcantara vs. Marcos Vinícius
Lance Benoist vs. Paulo Thiago
Azamat Gashimov vs. John Lineker
Roger Hollet vs. Fabio Maldonado
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 4:30 p.m. ET)
John Cholish vs. Gleison Tibau
Chris Cariaso vs. Jussier Formiga
Jeremy Larsen vs. Lucas Martins
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Mario
Reis and Pan 2013: ‘I need to control the urge to go for
the submission all the time’
Contributor:
Junior Samurai
Being
part of the Alliance team for two years, three-time world champion
(2003/04) Mario Reis will join another big event for the eagle
team, the IBJJF Pan. “I’m feeling very well for this
Pan. I started my preparation with my students in Porto Alegre,
and one month before the competition I came to Los Angeles to
prepare myself with my partner, friend and great professor, Rubens
Cobrinha.” said Reis in chat with GracieMag.com.
“To
get to this Pan well prepared, I think my great quality is an
offensive Jiu-Jitsu, always eyeing the submission, but I must
also know how to play with the rules. I need to control my emotions,
and also the willingness to try to submit all the time, because
sometimes the boldness and ambition can do harm within ten minutes
of fight. Be more strategic at times is also important,”
he added.
As
for the featherweight, one of the busiest of the tournament,
Reis declared, “I think the featherweight category is always
very dangerous, full of great champions and newcomers. It has
always been a division in which the athletes are very technical,
fast and strong. It’s always very nice to see.”
The
athlete praised the novelty of the drug test in the black belt.
“It’s a very big step in Jiu-Jitsu, as it will even
the fights more and also make the result fairer. And the main
thing: it will help to preserve the athletes’ health. Of
course the physical fitness and strength are important in competitions
today, but Jiu-Jitsu will always be the gentle art,” he
concluded.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Lavar
Johnson Receives Nine-Month Suspension; UFC Drops Him
The
California State Athletic Commission earlier this week confirmed
that Lavar Johnson’s drug test result following UFC 157:
Rousey vs. Carmouche returned results for an elevated ratio of
testosterone to epitestosterone.
Johnson
received a nine-month suspension from the CSAC and was subsequently
released from his contract by the UFC, according to MMAWeekly.com
sources confirming an earlier report by MMAJunkie.com.
Going
2-2 during his UFC run, and just 2-4 over his last six fights,
made Johnson an expendable fighter on a bloated roster that UFC
president Dana White has said is being aggressively pruned.
Johnson
lost a three-round unanimous decision to Brendan Schaub at UFC
157, when he was unable to stop Schuab’s relentless takedown
attack.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Bjorn
Rebney on King Mo's loss, pursuing Rampage and Barnett, Dana
White's trash talk and more
By Mike Chiappetta
There was a quick break in the Bellator schedule last week, the
first during their premiere season on Spike. There was no rest
for company CEO Bjorn Rebney, who flew to Louisiana to check
in on the tapings of the soon-to-be-launched Bellator reality
show. In between criss-crossing the country, scouting the world
for talent and preparing for the next wave of weekly shows, which
begins Thursday with Bellator 93 in Lewiston, Maine, Rebney spoke
to MMA Fighting about a whole host of topics, including the move
to Spike, King Mo’s loss, pursuing Josh Barnett, Dana White’s
trash talk and more.
Chiappetta:
The season started off with two exciting title fights and the
ratings were strong with an average of 938,000 viewers and a
peak of 1.2 million. Would you classify that night as a home
run?
Rebney: It’s not really my nature to classify stuff as a
home run. I don’t know. I think it was a solid start. I’m
hesitant. My goals and what I’m looking for is far off in
the distance. I’m always kind of hesitant to say it was
a home run. It was a solid event, good fights, sold-out arena,
good numbers. But it was just a start on Spike. I thought it
was a good start but still an awful lot of work to be done. There
were problems with the show, issues with the format, things that
I could see that needed improvement.
Chiappetta:
I’m sure you’re more critical than most about that.
How has the season progressed as you’ve continued the transition
to Spike?
Rebney: I think the most important thing is that the fights have
been remarkably good. You can create amazing feature pieces and
perfect the show from a production standpoint, you can tweak
and change things and promote it. But If the fights aren’t
spectacular? The fights and fighters are the fuel for the entire
machine. If there’s one thing I’m most happy, there’s
been amazing fights and performances. The tournament format has
rung true, with competition being the driving force of Bellator,
not how well you speak and talking your way into the things.
It’s all about the competition, and the competition’s
been amazing. That’s the driving force of what’s been
great. The rest of the elements that flow from that, that’s
just a ton of work that we work on week in and week out.
Chiappetta:
A couple of weeks ago, you unveiled an app that complements the
viewing experience. How has the reception been?
Rebney: Jon Slusser and his team at Spike worked so hard and
long to create an app that wasn’t just the best in MMA,
but competitive with the best apps in all of sports. They did
an amazing job. It was never about being the best in MMA, but
competing with the best on the face of the earth in the sports
arena. That’s the kind of stuff that working with the team
with Viacom and Spike, we’re able to do. I’m very happy
with the way it works and functions, and I’m most happy
with the way consumers and fans have responded to it. A lot of
people are utilizing it to be our fourth judge, to learn about
our fighters, to vote, to chime in, and to get much more substantive
information about what’s going on in our fights.
Chiappetta:
Ultimately, what grade would you give yourself for the first
half of the season on Spike?
Rebney: Boy, that’s a tough one. I’m always my harshest
critic and our harshest critic. I always temper that with trying
to motivate the people who work with me. They work incredibly
hard. Our ops team, production, PR. I’m probably the worst
guy to give a grade. It would be lower than you probably anticipate
based on how driven I am to make it better. I don't know. I’d
leave the grading to others. I’d say the fights have been
amazing. When a show gets over, I review the DVD minute by minute,
second by second. I have 7-8 other senior executives who do the
same thing. We exchange notes and have several meetings and review
all facets of the event. I think production’s getting tighter.
We’ve made intentional changes to get to fights quicker.
It seems to have generated positive fan response. We’re
evolving and growing. There are still a lot of things that we
can still change and make better.
Chiappetta:
Is Michael Chandler becoming the face of Bellator?
Rebney: I think what Michael Chandler has accomplished is representative
of all that Bellator is. I think that what Pat Curran has accomplished
is representative of all that Bellator is, too. I think that
unknown fighters that 2-3 years ago, guys with no recognition
in the space, if they have the talent and ability to be the very
best in the world, can utilize the format and structure and partnership
with Spike to become recognized as not only the best in the world,
but expand their brand and become well-known faces.
What
Michael has done with Bellator and working in partnership with
us, going from a guy nobody knew two years ago to a guy widely
recognized as one of the greatest lightweights in the world and
becoming a crossover personality, I think those are the kind
of growth opportunities that exist for for fighters here. We’re
built on promoting and marketing fighters not because I’m
Mother Teresa, but because if you track the growth of every other
sports organizations, they’re built on the backs of huge
personalities and big athletes. Guys like Chandler and Curran
are able to take opportunities and develop them and become prolific
names. I think he’s surely one of them. I’ve said many
times, I would take Michael Chandler vs. any lightweight on earth.
Chiappetta:
One of your other well-known fighters "King Mo" Lawal
won his first-round match but was upset by Emanuel Newton in
the 2nd round. What are your plans with him going forward?
Rebney: We rebuild him in a huge way. We put him back in, get
him busy as quickly as humanly possible and we rebuild him. The
magic of MMA is that anything can happen on any given day. I’m
sitting in my hotel room late at night after Mo’s fight
and I’m watching SportsCenter, and the No. 6 moment of the
day was the highlight of Emanuel Newton, this guy many people
had never heard of, executing a spinning backfist that hit Mo
right on the button. That moment is what we are all about. We’re
not going to take King Mo or Chandler or Curran or anybody else
and feed them cans to get them to the promised land. You have
to win the toughest tourney in sports to get to earn your shot
at a title. If you get through, you’ve absolutely earned
it.
The
reality is, when this tournament was set up, people were talking
about King Mo meeting Babalu in the finals. Those are the moments
that speak to how good Bellator is. We’re going to build
Mo back. I talk to him constantly. We’re planning the strategy.
He’ll have to go through same gauntlet to get there. If
he gets through, he’ll earn that shot at the title, but
he’s not going to leapfrog over anyone. He’s not going
to get in by any way other than earning it, and that’s what
makes us different from the competition.
Chiappetta:
So will the next light-heavyweight tournament with him be in
the Summer Series?
Rebney: We’re working through it as we speak. We may be
able to make it happen in the summer, but worst case is the fall.
Chiappetta:
Bellator’s reality show, FightMaster MMA is taping. What
can you tell us about what you’ve seen so far?
Rebney: It’s a totally different dynamic. The fights have
been spectacularly competitive, at a very, very high level and
competitive. The storytelling I’ve seen, the in-depth dive
into who they are is vintage Bertram Van Munster. One of the
reality shows I watch is the Amazing Race because it’s a
cool competition and you get invested into the people. That’s
what I’m seeing that they captured with our fighters in
New Orleans. It’s a
very different type of show than the show I’ve been executive
producing for five years. What I’ve seen has the makings
of something really special. The personalities are there, the
fighters are there, and there’s been some really great fights.
Chiappetta:
Is there an air date for the premiere yet?
Rebney: It’s still being decided by Spike. The vision is
to do it in summer but the day and date hasn’t been finalized.
Chiappetta:
Your No. 1 featherweight contender Daniel Straus has had a rough
stretch with an injury that knocked him out of the title fight,
and then an arrest on drugs and traffic charges. Have you had
a chance to speak with him.
Rebney: I’ve spoken with Daniel twice. I spoke to him the
moment he got out and made bail. I know it’s a unique position
in this industry to take, but I’ve known Daniel a lot of
years. He’s been awesome for the organization. He stepped
up and stood up every time we asked. He’s been a total pro
and also a very good guy, very responsive and adult. One of the
better guys to work with. He worked awfully hard to get the shot
at the title. I spoke to him right after he made bail. His words
to me were, ‘I was absolutely in the wrong place at the
wrong time. I should not have been with the people I was with.
I believe very firmly that I’ll be exonerated and be able
to move forward with career.’
I’ve
got his back. My hope against hope is he does get exonerated
and he can resume his career. He was training at American Top
Team with some great fighters, broke his hand, and this unfortunate
situation came up. I’m sure more of the facts will come
clear in next month or so, but I have a lot of belief and trust
in Daniel Straus. My hope is it gets cleared up, and he’s
able to resume a successful career. If unfortunately he’s
not and it doesn't go in that direction, we’ll be there
to support him when he gets out.
Chiappetta:
Have you had any talks with "Rampage Jackson yet?
Rebney: We bounce. There are always open lines of communication
with us and a whole series of fighters. There’s no pending
agreement of any kind. There’s no substantive direction.
Our circles are too small. The reality is you’re always
going to bump into the Rampages and Josh Barnetts. You’re
going to bump into a lot of people here in Southern California.
Chiappetta:
You didn’t make a run at Jon Fitch, and I know you have
already talked about that a bit, but I wanted to ask if his style,
which let’s be honest, is not considered fan-friendly, was
part of the consideration?
Rebney: We haven't really made substantive moves on guys that
have been part of the recent UFC cuts. It’s just not our
focus. There’s a lot of guys who have potential to be vintage
Bellator guys, follow in the Eduardo Dantas, Pat Curran, type
of road. That’s where our focus is. We have a lot of fighters
under contract. We don't want to have a situation like UFC, where
you have to cut 150 guys or whatever they’re cutting. My
focus and the team’s focus is let’s continue to find
the guys we can build into stars under this banner. We do a rankings
system of 1-10 across the divisions of guys we’re looking
at recruiting from across the globe. We’re focused on those
guys. It wasn’t so much about not wanting Fitch as it was
that there was a series of guys we believe we can build up to
be top guys in those weight classes, and that’s where our
focus is going to remain.
Chiappetta:
So that list is always going to consider or value prospects ahead
of veterans?
Rebney: I think there’s always the caveat of there will
be some guys where you say, ‘Wow, he may have been cut too
early.’ Or guys like Josh Barnett, where you have to respect
he’s still a top 10 heavyweight. Other than that, it’s
mostly about guys we have found across the globe, whether in
the UK or Russia or the Middle East or Brazil, etc. These are
guys who can conceptually win a tournament and maybe even challenge
for a world title. They’ll be our guys and our stars. They’re
not coming off 2-3 losses in another organization. That’s
kind of where our focus has always been.
Chiappetta:
That’s twice you’ve mentioned Josh Barnett without
me mentioning him. We both know heavyweight is the toughest division
to fill out. Is he on the wish list?
Rebney: I don't know if I would classify Josh as being on the
wish list but he’s sure on the radar. I’ve known him
now for years. Like I said, the Southern Cali market is not huge,
but it’s a mecca for MMA. He’s a talented fighter.
He’s not one of those names that wore out his stay. He’s
still got gas in the tank but I have no way of knowing if we
can end up putting together a deal or not. I just know that anytime
there’s a heavyweight that’s a legit top 10, you take
a look.
Chiappetta:
You mentioned the UFC cuts. Spike’s Kevin Kay is on record
with The New York Times saying "we don’t want to be
picking up rejects from the UFC." Is there any wiggle room
in looking at those fighters?
Rebney: Oh, sure. You’ve seen it, there’s not a hard
and fast rule. We signed Mo out of Strikeforce. We signed Ben
Saunders. We’ve signed guys before. Every once in a while
you’ll see a guy bounce in. But our format is one to look
from within. That’s the mainstay of what we do. But there
will be guys who come around. We’ll see a guy who may have
lost but has wicked talent. We’ll make a signing like that.
It’s not the focus of what we do. There’s other organizations
that come and go and their focal point was signing guys that
used to be with another organization. That’s a model that
has proven itself repeatedly to be very unsuccessful.
Chiappetta:
In the New York Times feature that I just mentioned, Dana White
was quoted as saying the idea of Bellator competing with the
UFC is like saying the local high school football team is going
up against the NFL. What’s your reaction to that?
Rebney: "I don't mean to sound Pollyanna about it but I
don't pay a lot of attention to the comments. I spend 19 hours
a day signing great fighters, putting on better shows, producing
a great TV product and creating a great live experience. We’re
working on three straight sellouts. We’re putting a lot
of butts in seats, a lot of people are coming out to fights.
That’s where my focus remains. Comments from anyone are
like water off a duck’s back. We’ll keep focusing on
putting on a spectacular product and great shows, and let the
results speak for themselves.
Chiappetta:
UFC content will be moving again, with the formation of the new
FOX Sports 1, so their fans are going to be re-routed again.
Is your newfound stability an advantage?
Rebney: It’s a tough one to follow. I live in the industry
day in and out. I don't clearly understand the difference between
FSN and Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2, and what’s happening
with Speed and FUEL, and who changes to what. It’s confusing
and was hard to figure out when it was just FX, FUEL and FOX.
I don’t really understand it. It’s been difficult to
track up to this point and I don’t know that it’s going
to get any easier. There’s a lot of options for consumers.
We’re going to be on one place at the same time on the same
channel for more than half the year. We’re going to be on
Thursday nights on Spike, the home of MMA.
Chiappetta:
What is going on with your women’s division?
Rebney: We have Jessica Aguilar fighting in Florida, then Jessica
Eye in Atlantic City. We’ve got fights lined up. We’re
keeping our ladies busy, and trying to get our arms wrapped around
if and when we can get a tournament together at 125. We don’t
have a specific plan just yet.
Chiappetta:
Is there any movement on a possible settlement with Eddie Alvarez?
Rebney: Not really. We try to keep the door open to have communication
and we have had some talks. My hope remains that we’ll be
able to get it settled. We have had talks. It’s tough to
tell. I’m hopeful it gets settled but we’re in the
process of talking and I just don't know that it will. Our attorneys
have been instructed to try to work through it and get a settlement
worked out so we can get it behind us.
Chiappetta:
Is it your understanding that he is more open to a settlement
now?
Rebney: The tone of the talks have been more positive than they
were in the past. My hope is that we can keep them going in a
positive direction and maybe get this thing worked out. It’s
hard to gauge because obviously, we have two different positions.
But I think the tone has been positive. We’ll see. My fingers
are crossed.
Chiappetta:
If it does happen, will he come in and get a rematch with Michael
Chandler?
Rebney: That is a very viable and very realistic option. We’d
have to see how everything works out in terms of a settlement
but that’s obviously a fight we’d love to see. I know
it’s a fight that a lot of fans would love to see. It’s
surely a very realistic, substantive option.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
exec Marc Ratner asks NSAC to take softer stance on marijuana
use
by John
Morgan
LAS
VEGAS – If UFC exec Marc Ratner has his way, fighters testing
positive for marijuana following bouts in Nevada would be treated
very differently than those who are busted for using performance-enhancing
drugs.
During
Thursday's meeting of the Nevada State Athletic Commission's
Steroid and Drug Testing Advisory Panel, Ratner asked that the
commission evaluate how it handles fighters who test positive
for marijuana.
"Society
is changing," Ratner said. "It's a different world
now than when I was on the commission. States are legalizing
marijuana, and it's becoming more and more of a problem with
fighters testing positive (for marijuana) and the metabolites."
Ratner,
a former NSAC executive director, now serves as the UFC's Vice
President of Regulatory Affairs. His comments at Thursday's meeting
were given during the public comment portion of the agenda.
In
2012, the NSAC suspended welterweight Nick Diaz for one year
when his post-UFC 143 drug test was positive for marijuana metabolites.
The failed test was Diaz's second such result in Nevada after
also testing positive for marijuana metabolites in 2007.
More
recently, the NSAC suspended boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for
nine months and fined him $900,000, which represented 30 percent
of his $3 million purse for a September 2012 fight with Sergio
Martinez.
Ratner
suggested the NSAC needs to reconsider its position on such cases.
"Right
now, I just cannot believe that a performance-enhancing drug
and marijuana can be treated the same," Ratner said. "It
just doesn't make sense to the world anymore, and it's something
that I think has to be brought up."
NSAC
Steroid and Drug Testing Advisory Panel member Dr. James Nave
seemed to agree with Ratner's comments and recommended the board
schedule a future meeting to address the issue.
"I
remember when President (Bill) Clinton was president," Nave
said. "Someone asked him if marijuana should be legal, and
he said, 'Absolutely not. If it was, my brother would be dead.'
That's not been that long ago, and look how fast society has
changed on that.
"Although
when you're an old man like me, you don't like society to change
as fast as it should, the bottom line is if you're a smart old
man, which I hope I am, you realize society is changing, and
you better get your mindset around that. ... The bottom line
is, I think that that's a big issue. It's an [issue] that we
need to have our mind set on."
The
UFC often acts as its own regulating body when competing in foreign
territories lacking an official sanctioning organization. Such
was the case earlier this month at UFC on FUEL TV 8 in Japan,
where Alex Caceres tested positive for marijuana metabolites
following his decision win over Kyung Ho Kang.
Following
his positive test, UFC officials suspended Caceres for six months
and required him to attend drug rehabilitation classes.
The
NSAC's Steroid and Drug Testing Advisory Panel is tentatively
scheduled to meet again in approximately 30 days. However, an
official agenda has not yet been scheduled and there is no guarantee
the panel will address marijuana use among combat-sports athletes
at that time.
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Rookie
black belt tests training philosophy of Marcelo Garcia in the
Pan 2013
Erin Herle
Newly
graduated to black belt, featherweight Thomas Lisboa is another
beginner who wants to make noise in Irvine, Calif. during the
2013 IBJJF Pan American Championship.
The
Alliance athlete is confident, mainly because of having the luxury
help of one of the biggest stars of the gentle art, middleweight
Marcelo Garcia.
“Pan
is the second most important tournament of the Jiu-Jitsu season,
and I’m in New York training with Marcelo Garcia,”
said Lisboa. ”I feel prepared, and every day I learn something
new. I train twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.
I left a bit of the physical preparation aside to experience
the training philosophy of Marcelinho: put all energy into training
Jiu-Jitsu. I’m training with and without the gi from Monday
to Friday.”
“My
Jiu-Jitsu is what I learned from my professor Gurgel and my friends
from the gym. I try to be complete, playing bottom and on top.
I’m trying to improve my base, my guard passes, but the
defects show up even where we feel comfortable,” he explained.
“That’s
the fun of Jiu-Jitsu. The important thing is to have an open
mind to learn and correct. For example, my brother is a purple
belt and he always shows me something new. I think it’s
like that. But as a black belt if you make a mistake you’re
done. It is my goal in this Pan: fight forward without missing.
It will be an honor to fight with many big names: Laercio, Gui
Mendes, Gabriel Wilcox,” he concluded.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
GEORGES
ST. PIERRE PREDICTS KNOCKOUT WIN FOR TRAINING PARTNER BRANDON
THATCH AT RFA 7
BY MIKE
WHITMAN
RFA
7 headliner Brandon Thatch recently received quite an endorsement.
According
to an official Resurrection Fighting Alliance release, UFC champion
Georges St. Pierre believes his training partner will perform
in a big way when he meets unbeaten Roufusport product Mike Rhodes
on Friday night at the 1stBank Center in Denver.
“[Thatch]
is going to win by knockout. He’s going to surprise a lot
of people tomorrow night,” St. Pierre said in the release.
“I believe Brandon Thatch could be in the UFC right now,
and I’m pretty sure he’s going to prove it to everyone
in his fight tomorrow night.”
Beaten
just once in nine pro outings, Thatch rides a seven-fight winning
streak into his showdown with Rhodes, who recently stepped in
for an injured Leandro Silva. RFA 7 airs live on AXS TV and also
features a co-headlining attraction between Chidi Njokuani and
Jeremy Kimball.
Normally
a member of the Grudge Training Center, Thatch was initially
brought into Montreal’s Tristar camp to help St. Pierre
prepare for his Nov. 17 title defense against Carlos Condit.
St. Pierre then called upon Thatch once again to aid him ahead
of his recent outpointing of former Strikeforce king Nick Diaz
at UFC 158.
“I
brought [Thatch] into my training camp, because I needed a guy
who had a similar style [to Condit]. Plus he can switch [stances]
and was one of the best strikers I could work with,” said
St. Pierre. “He returned to Montreal and helped me prepare
for Nick Diaz, and it was good, because we worked really well
together.”
Though
Thatch was called upon for the purpose of aiding St. Pierre prepare
for his bouts, the UFC welterweight king said the prospect also
benefited from those trips to Quebec.
“Brandon
was working a lot on his ground and wrestling in this camp. He
got so much better, and he’s a fast learner. Sometimes he
was taking me down,” said St. Pierre. “Brandon and
I are close friends now, and I love training with him. He brought
a lot to my camp, and I hope I have brought the same to him for
his fight tomorrow night.”
Source: Sherdog
|
RFA
7's Mirsad Bektic: ‘Not Doing This to See How Far I Can
Go; I’m Going to be a UFC Champion’
by Mick
Hammond
Following
a successful 4-0 start in the amateur ranks, featherweight prospect
Mirsad Bektic changed teams and has taken his game to a whole
other level, winning his first five pro fights in convincing
fashion.
“I
moved down (to Coconut Creek) to American Top Team full time
and it’s just been like a humbling experience being with
the quality of coaches and teammates I have around me,”
he said.
“It’s
literally like living my dream and I’m just becoming a whole
different fighter and more complete every day.”
When
asked if he feels like he’s performing up to his standards,
Bektic responded, “Some fights yes, some fights no. In all
my fights I’ve learned and taken something from each of
them.”
Perhaps
no fight has been more productive for him than when he went the
distance in his last fight this past November at RFA 5 against
Doug Jenkins.
“When
the full 15 minutes were done, I wasn’t feeling any different
than I had in other fights,” said Bektic. “I always
know I’m in great shape, so going three rounds gave me a
lot more experience in how to handle myself and control myself.
I definitely matured.”
Bektic’s
performance against Jenkins was enough for the RFA to invite
him to fight at RFA 7 on Friday in Denver against local up-and-comer
Nick Macias in a feature bout on AXS TV.
“He’s
fought tough guys like Tyler Toner and stuff, and he’s gone
to decisions more than I have. So he has more ring time than
I have, but I feel if I go out there and perform the way I do
in the gym, I’m going to get my hand raised,” said
Bektic.
“I
think I have a skillset to fight this fight wherever it goes.
Whether it’s stand-up or grappling – I believe my grappling
is pretty underrated – I believe I can take advantage in
this fight wherever it goes.”
Having
previously lived in neighboring state Nebraska prior to moving
to Florida to train with the ATT, Bektic feels he’ll be
prepared to fight at the mile high altitude of Denver.
“When I was living in Nebraska and was an amateur I had
a fight in Colorado and I wasn’t in as near as good of shape
as I am now, and I think I handled it really well, so I believe
if I show up in shape and show up ready. It shouldn’t be
a problem,” Bektic told MMAWeekly.com
Already
a fighter on the radar of many people, Bektic feels that the
pressure to live up to the expectations is always there, but
is not as prominent as that which he puts on himself to achieve
his own lofty expectations.
“Moving
(to Florida) and doing this full time, I’m not doing it
to see how far I can go or see what I can do or unsure of what’s
going on, I’m in it because I know where I’ve come
from and where I am going,” he said. “I see the end
result at the end of the road and I believe I’m going to
be a UFC champion, so I guess the pressure is always there.
“Every
fight is as important as important as my first fight. I push
myself because that’s what I expect out of myself, so I
just go out there and perform.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DESTINY:NA
KOA III FIGHT CARD
-185LBS PRO WORLD MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
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KALEO
"LIGHTS OUT" KWAN VS GABE 'SOLO' SOLORIO (WASHINGTON)
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CHAD
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BOY KAMAKA III (808 FIGHT FACTORY) VS KEVIN NATIVIDAD (EIGHTSIXX
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BLAIR (TECHNICS MMAD) VS JOJO GUILLAME (FREELANCE)
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FRITZ
MCARDLE VS ISAIAH ADAMS
-HEAVYWEIGHT
REMY
MCCLAM (TEAK AKAMINE) VS KEVIN HERZOG (TEAM MIXED PLATE)
-135LBS
CALVIN
NAKAMOTO (TOP RANKIN) vs MIKE HARDY (freelance)
-140LBS
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HUMPHRIES (ANIMAL HOUSE GYM) VS KAUA KAHOKOKULA (HUSTLE N THROW,
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Nine
Weeks In, Are the TUF 17 TV Ratings Headed for a Big Finish?
Are
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen TV ratings headed
for a big finish?
We’ll
have to wait for the next three weeks of TV ratings returns to
find out, but week nine definitely took a turn to the upside.
Episode
nine drew 1.3 million viewers, according to TVbytheNumbers.com.
That matches the second-best mark of the season, which was set
in week two. Only the season premier, at 1.51 million viewers,
set a stronger mark.
TUF
17 has three weeks to go before the finale, but we’re now
into the home stretch with quarterfinal and semifinal bouts on
tap, so a strong return in TV ratings wouldn’t be unexpected.
TUF
17 TV Ratings:
Week
1: 1.51 million viewers
Week 2: 1.30 million viewers
Week 3: 1.20 million viewers
Week 4: 1.25 million viewers
Week 5: 1.13 million viewers
Week 6: 1.14 million viewers
Week 7: 1.26 million viewers
Week 8: 1.12 million viewers
Week 9: 1.30 million viewers
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Bantamweight
Prospect Kyoji Horiguchi Captures Gold, Caol Uno Wins at Shooto
‘2nd Round 2013’
By Dean
Marchand
TOKYO
-- Korakuen Hall roared on Saturday night as young prospect Kyoji
Horiguchi sunk in a fight-ending rear-naked choke on Hiromasa
Ogikubo to capture the Shooto 132-pound world title.
It
was clear from the onset of the bout that defending champion
Ogikubo wanted nothing to do with Horiguchi’s vaunted punching
power, anxiously shooting for a takedown in the opening seconds.
Horiguchi saw the shot coming and managed to stay on top, pounding
on Ogikubo from open guard before getting overzealous and having
his position reversed. The champ quickly took mount and attacked
Horiguchi, but soon found himself standing up again. Post-fight,
Horiguchi expressed little concern about the dangerous position,
saying “I felt like if I stayed calm, I’d be ok in
that situation.”
Ogikubo
quickly dropped for another takedown attempt which Horiguchi
stuffed, throwing more punches as Ogikubo turtled to defend before
getting back to his feet. In the final seconds of the round,
Ogikubo was able to score a takedown, but made little progress
before the bell cut him short.
Round
two started out much the same as the opening frame, with Ogikubo
shooting anxiously and being stuffed. Horiguchi put the champion
on his knees and pounded him with hard punches.
“I
knew my shots were hurting him,” said Horiguchi. “He
was turning his head to try and make me hit the back of his head,
and I thought that was a pretty cheap move.”
Ogikubo
weathered the storm of hammer-fists and returned to his feet,
where he immediately shot for another failed takedown. This time,
Horiguchi whipped around to the back, sunk in his hooks and finished
with the choke. At the 1:35 mark, Ogikubo tapped and the new
champion stood, smiling, as spectators screamed his name in unison.
The
win is the fourth consecutive for the 22 year-old, who has brought
himself some attention as a hot prospect with his powerful finishing
abilities. When asked what his next step might be, Horiguchi
said, “Of course, I’m aiming for the UFC, but I haven’t
thought about what I’ll do next yet.”
Yusuke
Yachi, a training partner of Horiguchi’s at Team Krazy Bee,
successfully defended his Shooto Pacific Rim 143-pound title
with a unanimous decision win over Sengoku veteran Yuji Hoshino.
Yachi
used his lanky frame to pepper Hoshino with lunging punches and
hard kicks to the body over the course of the three-round fight.
Hoshino landed shots of his own, but Yachi’s speed and constant
use of feints was too much for the former Cage Force champion.
Hoshino’s lone moment of dominance came in the second round;
after slipping during a high-kick attempt, Hoshino quickly scrambled
and took Yachi to the ground with a double-leg takedown. Hoshino
quickly passed to side control, but was stopped there by the
bell. In the end, judge Hiroyuki Kanno scored the fight 30-28
for Yachi, while judges Tanaka and Suzuki saw it closer at 29-28,
still giving the unanimous decision to defending champion Yachi.
Shooto
pioneer and UFC vet Caol Uno earned an easy win over late replacement
Kyu Hwa Kim in their 143-pound bout, forcing the Korean to tap
late in the opening round to a rear-naked choke. Uno used his
veteran wrestling skills to take the inexperienced Korean to
the ground and gain advantageous positions before attempting
submissions, looking for a “Kadowaki Special” choke
before settling for a normal, hooks-in rear-naked choke. Referee
Toshiharu Suzuki called a stop to the fight after Kim tapped
at 4:09 of the first round. The win is only the third in the
last 10 fights for Uno, who admitted to be in the twilight of
his career but claimed, “I’ve still got a little left
in me.”
Former
bantamweight King of Pancrase Manabu Inoue fell to Shooto up-and-comer
Kenji Yamamoto by unanimous decision in their 132-pound bout.
Yamamoto spent the first two rounds defending Inoue’s seemingly
endless takedown attempts, putting the U.W.F. Snakepit product
on his back multiple times, but failing to do much damage. In
the third round, the flow of the fight changed completely and
both fighters decided to slug it out for the remaining five minutes.
Yamamoto got the better of the wild exchanges and came close
to finishing Inoue with a tight guillotine attempt. After 15
minutes, judges Kanno and Suzuki scored the fight 30-27, and
judge Tanaka scored it 29-28, all in favor of Yamamoto.
Former
champion Hideki Kadowaki returned the Shooto ring, albeit briefly,
only to find himself on the receiving end of a 49-second knockout
at the hands of Hiroshige Tanaka. The two fighters got into a
wild exchange early and Kadowaki ate a hard hook that put him
on wobbly legs. Tanaka chased the Wajyutsu Keishukai grappler
around the ring before finally landing the KO punch in center
ring. Kadowaki was out before he hit the ground, and referee
Suzuki dove in to stop the fight only 49 seconds into round one.
Another
Krazy Bee prospect, Masatsugu Sakaki, survived a close guillotine
attempt from Kenichiro Togashi in round one, going on to win
a close fight by split decision after three frames. Sakaki used
strong takedown defense and superior striking to earn scores
of 29-28 from judges Tanaka and Suzuki, while judge Kanno alone
saw it 29-28 for Togashi.
At
167 pounds, Yoichiro Sato got the better of his striking exchanges
with Kenta Takagi over the course of their two-round fight, earning
a split decision win with 20-18 scorecards from judges Kanno
and Suzuki, though judge Tanaka scored the bout 20-19 in favor
of Takagi.
Shooto
2010 rookie tournament winner Yusaku Inoue scored a flying-knee
KO over 19-year-old Korean Dae Song Park only 48 seconds into
their fight, while Fumihiko Kawamura earned a unanimous decision
win over Yoshikazu Fujiishi to start the night
Source:
Sherdog
|
Mackenzie
Dern ready to face teammates: “It’s my job”
Vitor Freitas
Jiu-Jitsu
world champion from blue to brown belt, Mackenzie Dern, 19, is
taming her anxiety for her second IBJJF tournament as a black
belt. The star of Gracie Humaita has confirmed for the featherweight
bracket, the most crowded and contested category among women
at Pan 2013, which takes place on March 20 through 24. In an
interview with GracieMag.com, Dern spoke of her preparation,
the will to fight back with Luiza Monteiro and even commented
on the possible duels with teammates. Check it out.
GracieMag:
What is your expectation to fight at the Pan as a black belt?
MACKENZIE
DERN: I’m feeling good. In my head, the Pan is a warm-up
for the Worlds. I still have a lot of training to do until the
end of May, but we’ll see! I will try for first place. I’m
training in Arizona at my father Megaton’s gym with the
guys from here. I didn’t do a camp for the Pan, only my
physical training and my regular practice here. If I got where
I am today, it was with their help, so I’m always confident
when training with them. I also had the opportunity to have my
friend and great fighter Angelica Galvão during a weekend
here, which helped me a lot!
We
will see a Mackenzie more concerned with the scoreboard, now
as a black belt?
No,
I always want to go for the submission! I have nothing to lose
in my first year as a black belt, so if I am supposed to lose,
I’d rather lose knowing that I tried everything I could.
I’ll try to be one step ahead in fights. I know it still
lack a bit for me to be a mature black belt. I’m gaining
experience, but I still lack maturity in comparison to all these
black belts. What I find amazing is how people still learn a
lot after the black belt. I’m evolving, and the crowd can
expect good fights.
Irvine
is already your home since you fought a lot of Pans there. That
helps, right?
I
think it will always be; what changes is the head. At black belt,
you can’t have a bad head or get stuck in the fight. You
need to chase away the fear and apply the best positions. And
do not make mistakes! I’m not doing anything different than
I usually do. I’m training, correcting, learning, progressing,
doing my physical preparation like I did in other belts. My dad
always says that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it (laughs).
You
will try the absolute too, as usual. What do you expect to find
in the open with teammates such as Bia Mesquita and Carol Lebre.
Will there be a fight?
I’ll
always fight! I can easily fight and leave what happens on the
mat there. This is my job and I have to be professional. The
important thing is getting the points for our team, Gracie Humaita.
The ideal outcome for the team would be if we meet only in the
final. Bia and Carol are very technical and each has their own
game, then they would be tough fights for me. We trained together
quite a lot in the past, so we know each other’s games.
They both (like many black belts today) are very talented. You
can expect great fights, even among us.
How
do you assess the featherweight and a possible rematch with Luiza
Monteiro?
My
category is the fullest in female black belt. There are five
girls in it, all tough ones. Now imagine how it will be the draw
for the World Championship? Only big names! I see this new meeting
with Luiza as a hard and good for the audience. Unlike the Copa
Podio, now it will be ten minutes. She is a very cool and hard
girl, who also makes beautiful fights. It will always be a pleasure
to fight with her.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
160's 'Bigfoot' Silva: Velasquez a 'professional,' but Overeem
'a joke'
by Matt
Erickson
Nearly
seven weeks after his upset of Alistair Overeem, Antonio "Bigfoot"
Silva still has him on his mind.
But
what he's thinking about most is how his next fight is going
to be different in its buildup than the Overeem fight was.
There
was more than a little bit of talk before Silva fought Overeem
at UFC 156 in February. There was talk during the fight, too.
But Silva got the last word in. After Overeem dominated the first
two rounds, Silva landed punch after punch early in the third
round to drop the former top heavyweight contender in an upset.
"He
talked a little too much, and he got what he deserved,"
Silva on Wednesday told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).
With
that knockout, as well as his win over Travis Browne this past
October, Silva (18-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) earned a title shot against
Cain Velasquez (11-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in May at UFC 160. That fight
will be a rematch a year in the making – after Velasquez
left Silva a bloody mess at UFC 146.
But
Silva knows preparing for Velasquez this time will be different
than preparing for Overeem, at least from a mental standpoint.
"I
think Cain Velasquez is a real professional," Silva said.
"Overeem, he's nothing more than a joke. It's going to be
good, because my motivation is going to come from my desire to
win the belt and be the champion, not from wanting to prove myself
to a specific opponent."
Silva
said for this fight against elite-level wrestler Velasquez, he's
working with Olympian Steve Mocco at American Top Team, as well
as UFC heavyweight Shawn Jordan. Mocco also helped him prepare
for Velasquez the first time around.
But
most of all, "Bigfoot" believes the result from the
pair's first fight, which got Velasquez his shot at Junior Dos
Santos in December and the belt back around his waist, will have
no bearing on the rematch.
"It's
going to be a really different fight, and I'm going to take this
belt back to Brazil," he said. "I'm 1,000 percent confident
for this fight, and I'm feeling really prepared. I think he really
deserved the win that night. That was his night, and he did a
good job. He has a great trainer, a great team and implemented
the right strategy. The level we fight at, whoever makes the
least mistakes wins the fight."
Silva
likely will need a mistake-free night to capture the heavyweight
title. The early odds are more than 6-to-1 in Velasquez's favor.
Source: MMA Junkie
|
'Cyborg'
Santos has new Invicta opponent after injury dropout
By Dave
Doyle
Former Strikeforce featherweight champion Cristiane 'Cyborg'
Santos has a new opponent for her first fight in 16 months.
Santos
(10-1, 1 no-contest) was originally slated to meet Ediane Gomes
at Invicta 5 on April 5 in Kansas City. But the promotion announced
Gomes had to pull out of the fight due to a rib injury suffered
in training.
Instead,
Santos will face Australian Fiona Muxlow. Muxlow, a native of
Townsville, Queensland, is 6-2 in her MMA career. In her most
recent fight, she was submitted by women's MMA pioneer Marloes
Coenen on Dream's New Year's Eve card in Japan.
Muxlow
was originally slated to make her Invicta debut against Julia
Budd on April 5. As of this writing, Invicta is looking for a
new opponent for Budd.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Bellator
Clears Paul Daley to Head DFC 4 in Dubai
UFC
and Bellator veteran Paul Daley, currently unable to fight in
the United States, is headed to Dubai to headline DFC 4 on May
10 against One FC veteran Rodrigo “Ximbica” Ribeiro.
Daley
is under contract with Bellator, but has been unable to fight
for them in the U.S. recently due to issues regarded to his visa
status, which he expects a decision on in April. The troubles
with his visa kept Daley out of the Bellator Season 8 welterweight
tournament.
Bellator
has granted him permission to pursue opportunities such as the
Dubai Fighting Championship while the issue is sorted.
“Bellator
Fighting Championship have given me official clearance,”
said Daley in an official statement. “I’m happy to
represent them, and promise another knockout victory, en route
to my return to the USA based promotion televised on SpikeTV.”
Daley (31-12-2) is on a two-fight winning streak, since his Strikeforce
exit following a loss to Kazuo Misaki last spring. Ribeiro (9-10)
is on a two-fight skid, having lost back-to-back bouts to Phil
Baroni and Rustam Khabilov under the One FC banner.
Other
announced DFC 4 bouts include Mounir Lazzez vs. Tony Michielsen
and Nilson Lopez vs. Hubert Geven.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Johnson,
Arlovski, World Series of Fighting respond to Dana White's criticism
by Steven
Marrocco
World
Series of Fighting 2 headliners and the promotion's CEO say a
fighter should determine his or her own destiny. If they want
to fight at a weight different than what they're known for, they
should be able to do so.
In
the case of Anthony Johnson (14-4), that means he should be able
to fight heavyweight Andrei Arlovski (19-9), and the bout's legitimacy
shouldn't be in question.
"Anthony
is his own man and can fight at whatever weight he wants to fight
at," WSOF CEO Ray Sefo told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
"If he wants to fight at 205, great. If he wants to fight
at heavyweight, great. Who are we to say where he fights at?"
WSOF
2 takes place Saturday at Revel Atlantic City in Atlantic City,
N.J. The event's main-card airs live on NBC Sports Network following
prelims on Sherdog.com.
One
influencer already has given his say: UFC President Dana White,
who this past weekend said the WSOF 2 headliner wasn't a legitimate
bout because Johnson was a welterweight under his promotion's
banner. Johnson hasn't fought at 170 pounds in more than a year,
moving from middleweight to light-heavyweight, and for the Arlovski
bout, to heavyweight.
"What
Dana said was his own opinion," Johnson said. "It didn't
really bother me. But to me, this is a legitimate fight. I have
no hard feelings toward Dana for whatever he said. I don't even
think it was meant in a harmful way toward me or Arlovski. It
was just his opinion.
"But
I don't know why he said welterweight, when I haven't fought
welterweight in over a year. I mean, get with the program, you
know what I mean? I fight at 205. I'm fighting heavyweight for
this fight. Stop living in the past, when I used to fight at
170. This is totally different. People change, and some people
change for the better, and that's what happened to me. So let's
not even talk about 170. Let's talk about 205 and heavyweight."
Arlovski,
whom White praised at the same time he said the fight wouldn't
spur a UFC return, backed Johnson's desire to fight at a heavier
weight.
"It
doesn't matter what weight he wants to fight; it matters what
he's going to bring to the table," Arlovski said. "He
trained hard for this fight. It might be an easy fight, or it
might be the hardest fight in my MMA career.
"It
doesn't really matter, and everybody has their own opinion. I'll
bring something to the table, and Anthony will bring something
to the table, and we'll see who was right and who was wrong.
It's only about the fight."
Although
Sefo disagreed with White's assessment of Johnson's choice, he
differentiated it from fans who disparaged fighters' performances.
"What
gets me the most is if you've never been in that cage and experienced
what it's like, if you've never experienced training camp, what
these guys go through and the sacrifices they have to put in
to be ready for the 23rd, if you've never known what that feels
like, then you shouldn't really be disrespecting any of these
guys," he said. "It makes me really upset.
"I
get it – if you want to criticize something, OK, fine, whatever.
But it's one thing to give an opinion – it's another to
disrespect. And it really burns a fire underneath me when people
who have never been in that cage or ring disrespect the fighters.
But at this point, it's just a matter of educating them and saying,
'Listen, maybe go to a gym and experience what it's like for
a couple weeks,' and then you'll understand what these guys go
through."
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Tanquinho
analyzes featherweights as the group of death: ‘It kept
me awake’
Augusto
Tanquinho is one of dozens of stars confirmed for the Pan 2013,
to be held from March 20 to 24, in Irvine, Calif. There are so
many tough ones enrolled that some black belt categories are
being called “the group of death,” especially the middleweight
and featherweight. In the 70kg featherweight with gi division,
Tanquinho will compete with the myths Rubens Cobrinha, Rafael
Mendes, Mario Reis and even against his father-in-law, the experienced
Wellington Megaton. There’s also Isque Paiva, Kim Terra,
Osvaldo Moizinho, Italo Lins, Ed Ramos, Samir Chantre. The Soul
Fighters professor spoke about what he waits for in this fight.
Check it out:
GracieMag:
How will you get to the Pan 2013?
AUGUSTO
TANQUINHO: I’m doing excellent physical preparation and
training hard twice a day. I am confident. I still need to lose
weight, but I’m training hard. My ultimate goal is WPJJC
Abu Dhabi in April and the World Championship in May. Pan is
actually an excellent test for me to correct some errors and
arrive at my best in the Worlds. Featherweight is filled with
tough guys, there won’t be easy fights in any rounds, but
I’m focused on my first opponent, the scale (laughs).
What
mistakes are you already correcting? What is your strongest aspect
for this event in Irvine?
It’s
hard to talk about qualities and shortcomings. I think my strong
side today is to have a versatile game that allows me to fight
on top or under the same way. I have a lot of shortcomings during
the fights, and a major one, which I must always fight against,
is to talk to the referee. But I’m much better in this aspect.
Because I know the rules well, sometimes I would notice an error
in my combats and speak to the referee immediately, with the
intention of making him remember and correct it. Today I’m
not talking anymore; I just go in and fight. If they make a mistake
or not, I just have to find a way to win by fighting.
The
IBJJF will perform drug tests in Pan and it should do it in other
big events. What did you think about it?
I
think it’s cool to make the sport evolve, but I have some
criticisms. We should keep in mind that Jiu-Jitsu is still an
amateur sport. We still don’t have someone who tells us
which supplements we can take or not. The athletes themselves
have to visit a website only available in English and research
substance by substance within each supplement he take so he won’t
get a positive result. Anyway, in other sports with drug testing
athletes have doctors and physiologists working for them, while
we have to do everything on our own. Now, the funny thing is
that several athletes who were always giving interviews asking
for the drug test now didn’t even enroll.
How
is the rivalry with Leandro Lo now that you fought back in the
final of the Arizona Open…
I’m
not thinking about Lo, after all we are in different categories
in the Pan. Since I won’t fight the absolute, we are not
facing each other in Irvine. We fought recently in Arizona in
different categories, we got to the absolute final and fought.
Now I’m going to featherweight and he will fight in at middleweight,
so I don’t need to think about him. The featherweight already
has too many aces keeping me awake (laughs)…
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
CFL
STANDOUT WR CHAD
OWENS SET
TO TRY HAND AT MMA
BY TRISTEN
CRITCHFIELD
Once
upon a time, nobody knew two-sport dominance like Bo Jackson,
who was a star in both the National Football League and Major
League Baseball during a storied athletic career.
Chad
Owens will probably never achieve the legendary status of Jackson,
but the Toronto Argonauts standout is attempting a pretty noteworthy
dual feat in his own right. Owens, who set a Canadian Football
League record with 3,863 total yards last season, will make his
MMA debut on April 6 at Destiny’s “Na Koa III”
at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. According to the
promotion’s website, Owens will square off with fellow MMA
newcomer Junyah Tevaga.
Owens
was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 2012 as Toronto
captured the Grey Cup; it was his third straight season of 3,000
or more total yards. Despite his outstanding resume, the former
University of Hawaii football standout felt the need to test
himself in another arena.
"I
wanted to get into something new. A new challenge. Something
to keep me hungry,” Owens told Hawaii News Now. “I
always wanted to get into it sometime and this offseason I thought
would be the perfect time."
Toronto
is scheduled to play its first preseason game against Winnipeg
on June 12. The Toronto Star reports that the 5-foot-8, 180-pound
Owens is not violating the terms of his contract with the Argonauts
by competing in an MMA bout.
According
to Hawaii News Now, Owens has been working extensively with “The
Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 competitor Scott Junk. Owens’
work ethic has impressed the 13-fight veteran.
“He
shows up gives 110-percent and at the end of the day, when it's
all over, there's a puddle on the floor where Chad was training.
Chad puts in work." Junk said. "If you had to market
him and compare him to somebody, he's like Rashad Evans. He's
really explosive and really smooth and he's relaxed but he's
powerful."
No
matter how impressive Owens might be in training, you can bet
the Argonauts coaching staff will be in holding their breath
come April 6.
Source: Sherdog
|
After
Near Retirement, Marcus Davis Continues Latest Chapter of His
Career at Bellator 93
by Mick
Hammond
Following
his release from the UFC in January of 2011, welterweight veteran
Marcus “Irish Hand Grenade” Davis seemed to have gotten
things back on track by winning four of his next five fights.
Then longstanding health issues forced him out of the game for
a year.
His
health issues were so bad that for a brief while, Davis considered
retirement.
“After
my fight in (October 2011) with Chuck O’Neil I had to take
some serious time off because I was having a lot of physical
problems again,” said Davis. “I had to go into physical
therapy because of my impingement and my bursitis syndrome I
have in my right shoulder.
“Pretty
much at that point I said I was done because my body wasn’t
letting me fight, it’s not letting me perform.”
Thankfully
with help from his doctor, Davis was able to get healthy again
and was looking so good, he was asked to step in for Karo Parisyan
against fellow former UFC fighter David Bielkheden at Superior
Challenge 8 this past October.
“I
went out there and had one of the easiest weight cuts I ever
had and did exactly everything I wanted to do and dominated that
fight,” said Davis. “I dropped him twice in the first,
once every round and beat him up on the ground a lot.
“I
still had some aches and pains here and there, but nothing serious.
I went from not being able to hit a focus pad or a bag to having
no pain in my hands or feet. Everything changed.”
After
his good showing in October, Davis will get a chance to bring
his career full circle in many ways, when he faces Waachiim Spiritwolf
Thursday night at Bellator 93 live on Spike TV.
“With
this happening, I feel like a whole new chance for me,”
Davis told MMAWeekly.com. “It’s a brand new chapter
and to be able to do it in Bellator and on Spike TV – where
I had my true breakout start – it’s just really fitting
to be in the twilight of my career here.”
Marcus Davis Embraces Life as a Welterweight After Scary Weight
Cutting Experience
When it comes to the match-up itself, Davis feels he will outclass
Spiritwolf at every aspect of the fight.
“This
is the way I look at it, as far as skills go, I’ve got him
beat,” said Davis. “I’m a better striker, more
refined, have way more experience and have fought and beat better
opponents. He’s a strong wrestler, but it’s still crude
and it’s based on holding a guy on the ground and being
heavy and being strong, that’s not really my game, which
is to use technique, so I’ve got him beat there.
“I
plan to move, out-strike him, make him make mistakes, take advantage
of those mistakes and capitalize on them and tap him or knock
him out.”
Back
healthier for the first time in years, Davis is looking forward
to enjoying the time left he has in the sport and enjoy the ride.
“I’m
going to take it fight-by-fight, listen to my body, listen to
my family and I’m going to see where it takes me,”
he said. “Right now I’m going to live in the moment
and I’m going to focus on what’s right in front of
me by fighting in Bellator on my home network of Spike TV in
my home state against a really tough guy and showcase my skills.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
|
3/22/13
Happy Birthday to Us! |
Source: Romolo Barros
|
Johny
Hendricks Reports Hand is Not Broken, Now Awaiting Showdown with
Georges St-Pierre
by Bleacher
Report
Courtesy
of Damon Martin and official MMAWeekly.com content partner Bleacher
Report.
Georges
St-Pierre is a wanted man and the fighter who is hunting for
his title looks to be at full health after a slight scare following
his fight in Montreal last weekend.
Johny
Hendricks feared that he possibly broke his hand in the first
round when he was facing former UFC interim champion Carlos Condit
at UFC 158.
After
the fight, Hendricks remarked that he would likely head to the
doctor on Monday, but that nothing would stop him from his ultimate
goal of facing Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title
later this year.
“There’s
always ways to work around it, so I will. Nothing’s going
to hold me back,” said Hendricks at the UFC 158 post fight
press conference.
Luckily
for Hendricks once he returned home from the fight, the swelling
in his hand had gone down dramatically so he delayed the doctor’s
visit another day. By Tuesday morning, the swelling had gone
down even more and the final determination was no broken hand
and no need to visit the doctor.
In
addition to Hendricks’ own Twitter message, representatives
from his management at Team Takedown confirmed the good news
to Bleacher Report on Tuesday, as well and sending along a picture
of his hand two days after the swelling had gone down.
“The
swelling had gone down a lot yesterday when he woke up,”
the statement read. “Today it looks and feels even better
so he didn’t feel it was necessary to go to the doctor.
It’s feeling much better”
It now looks like Hendricks will be able to avoid any time off
to deal with a hand injury and get back into training right away
to begin preparation for his eventual showdown with St-Pierre
later this year.
As
far as a timeline goes for the fight to happen, that remains
unknown at this time.
Following
his win over Nick Diaz at UFC 158, St-Pierre remarked about the
long training camp and how he hasn’t had much rest since
returning from his knee surgery last year. St-Pierre’s immediate
plans included a vacation far away from Montreal to allow his
mind and body time to recover.
There
will be no rest for the weary, however, now that Hendricks has
a healthy hand and a goal in mind of taking out St-Pierre and
capturing the UFC welterweight title by year’s end.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WORLD
SERIES OF FIGHTING 2 PREVIEW: Arlovski vs. Johnson
BY TRISTEN
CRITCHFIELD
Andrei
Arlovski sports 17 finishes among his 19 victories. | Photo:
Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
With
one event in the books, the World Series of Fighting looks to
move onward and upward in 2013. It looks promising thus far:
Ray Sefo’s organization inked a three-year deal with the
NBC Sports Network earlier this year and has been busy acquiring
a stable of well-known talent, most notably former Ultimate Fighting
Championship welterweight contender Jon Fitch.
World
Series of Fighting 2 on Saturday will attempt to build on the
narrative of its inaugural offering by pitting the winners of
its main and co-main events against one another, as Andrei Arlovski
meets Anthony Johnson at the Revel Resort and Casino in Atlantic
City, N.J. The card also features an intriguing bantamweight
clash between up-and-coming talents Marlon Moraes and Tyson Nam.
Here
is a closer look at the WSOF 2 “Arlovski vs. Johnson”
card, with analysis and picks:
Heavyweights
Andrei
Arlovski (19-9, 1-0 WSOF) vs. Anthony Johnson (14-4, 1-0 WSOF)
Johnson
has won four straight.
The Matchup: Two of the World Series of Fighting’s most
prominent acquisitions -- and biggest winners from WSOF 1 --
square off here, with Johnson’s transition from massive
welterweight to heavyweight finally complete.
“Rumble”
demonstrated that his knockout power carried over to 205 pounds
just fine at WSOF 1, surviving an apparent eye poke from D.J.
Linderman to score a first-round knockout over the former Cage
Warriors Fighting Championship heavyweight king. It was Johnson’s
third straight victory at light heavyweight, and it has to be
a confidence boost knowing he was able to knock out an opponent
who had previously competed at heavyweight. Johnson was often
depleted from trying to make 170- and 185-pound limits earlier
in his career. The Blackzilians member has said he has cut from
as much as 220 pounds in the past, so it will be interesting
to see how he performs without having to endure any type of cut
whatsoever.
Meanwhile,
Arlovski has come a long way since contemplating retirement following
a knockout loss to Sergei Kharitonov at Strikeforce “Fedor
vs. Silva” in February 2011. “The Pit Bull” is
unbeaten in five bouts since then, including a first-round stoppage
of Devin Cole in the WSOF 1 headliner. Cole was no match for
Arlovski in the standup, as the Belarusian landed crisp punches
throughout the short-lived affair before sending his foe to the
canvas with a straight right hand. Arlovski sealed the victory
with a series of follow-up hammerfists on the ground.
Arlovski,
who once flirted with a professional boxing career, is a good
athlete who understands how to use movement and angles in his
striking. He is more technical than most heavyweights, but even
during his current run, Arlovski has sometimes been hesitant
to pull the trigger. When he fights assertively, Arlovski is
capable of landing solid combinations and occasionally flashes
the knockout power that once made him a UFC heavyweight champion.
In his most recent outing, the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts
product scored a unanimous decision over Mike Hayes at Fight
Nights “Battle of Moscow 9.”
Despite
his resurgence, devastating knockout losses to the likes of Kharitonov,
Brett Rogers and Fedor Emelianenko mean Arlovski will continue
to be dogged by questions about his chin for the remainder of
his career. Although he is not a natural heavyweight, Johnson
might be able to test Arlovski in this area more than his previous
five opponents.
Arlovski’s
usual speed advantage figures to be negated by Johnson, a talented
if inconsistent athlete. The 29-year-old has finished 10 of his
14 victories by knockout or technical knockout and will attack
with power punches and head kicks. Against smaller opponents,
“Rumble” was also able to land takedowns and work ground-and-pound.
It might be difficult for Johnson to use that approach here.
Although Arlovski is not a huge heavyweight, his sambo background
usually gives him the ability to keep his fights standing. The
Belarusian mixed in a few takedowns in his win over Hayes, so
do not be surprised if he attempts to do the same against Johnson.
The
Pick: Arlovski might not be what he once was, but he is a significant
step up from Linderman. Johnson has the power to finish the “The
Pit Bull” if he lands something significant, but Arlovski
is the more technical striker and has received something of a
bum rap for his past knockout losses to heavy-handed foes. Arlovski
takes this by technical knockout in round two or three.
Bantamweights
Tyson
Nam (12-4, 0-0 WSOF) vs. Marlon Moraes (9-4-1, 1-0 WSOF)
The
Matchup: This is the type of matchup that can bolster a fledgling
promotion’s reputation. While WSOF certainly relies on its
fair share of big-name castoffs from larger companies, Nam and
Moraes are intriguing talents who have only just begun to make
names for themselves.
The
unheralded Nam was signed and then shelved for months by Bellator
MMA. Upon his release, the Sports Lab representative squared
off with the Chicago-based promotion’s 135-pound champion,
Eduardo Dantas, at Shooto 33 in Brazil in past August and scored
one of the year’s biggest upsets, knocking out “Dudu”
with a counter right hand 1:36 into the opening round. Dantas
deserves some blame for taking a lackadaisical approach, as he
left himself open for such an ending by rushing forward carelessly
with flying knees. However, Nam deserves credit for capitalizing
on the opening, especially since one-punch knockout power is
not always easy to find in the bantamweight division.
After
gaining some much need publicity with the win, Nam was involved
in a bitter contract dispute with Bellator before the organization
declined to match WSOF’s second offer to the Oregon-based
fighter. Moraes achieved his signature win at the WSOF’s
debut event in November, using speed and a multi-faceted striking
arsenal to earn a split verdict against former World Extreme
Cagefighting ruler Miguel Torres. The 24-year-old Florida resident
has spent extensive time training with Frankie Edgar recently,
which should only further his development.
While
Nam is a good counterpuncher with solid power, Moraes -- who
took his first MMA bout at age 18 -- appears to be the more diverse
overall striker. The former Brazilian muay Thai champion has
a varied array of kicks and uses his jab well to control range.
He also works the body well, changing levels with his strikes
when needed. If the fight hits the mat, Moraes is a Brazilian
jiu-jitsu brown belt who has at times displayed a crafty submission
game. This will be Nam’s first bout in eight months, and
prior to facing Dantas, he had not fought since Oct. 1, 2011;
ring rust could be a factor, especially since his encounter with
the Bellator champion was so brief.
The
Pick: Moraes will respect Nam’s power, using whipping leg
kicks and his jab to keep his foe at bay. If Moraes elects to
push the tempo and be the aggressor, he must be wary of Nam’s
powerful counters. Moraes wins by decision.
Welterweights
Aaron
Simpson (12-4, 0-0 WSOF) vs. Josh Burkman (24-9, 1-0 WSOF)
The
Matchup: Despite a solid 7-4 record with the UFC, Simpson was
not offered a contract by the promotion following his loss to
Mike Pierce in July. “The A-Train” instead inked a
four-fight deal with the WSOF and will square off with fellow
Octagon veteran Burkman in his debut.
Burkman
has won six of seven bouts since his last Octagon appearance
in 2008. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 2 alumnus claims
he has rededicated himself to the sport, and the approach seems
to be paying dividends. “The People’s Warrior”
used superior striking and a couple well-placed takedowns to
top Gerald Harris at WSOF 1. Burkman had some success fighting
on the outside against Harris and attacking with kicks to the
legs and body. He will need to employ a similar approach against
Simpson, an All-American wrestler at Arizona State University.
Simpson
has solid power in his right hand, which he demonstrated in wobbling
the durable Pierce in the opening frame of their UFC on Fuel
TV 4 matchup, but, overall, his standup is still mostly a means
to close the distance. The Power MMA Team representative is effective
in close quarters with dirty boxing, and is comfortable controlling
the action in the clinch. Simpson’s wrestling is versatile:
he can get an opponent to the canvas with trips, single- and
double-legs and slams.
Burkman
tends to favor a grinding style, as well, but he will struggle
to dictate the tempo of the fight against a wrestler as decorated
as Simpson. Instead, the Team Quest representative must use his
kicks judiciously to slow Simpson’s shot and throw punches
in combination to keep the Arizonan off balance. Trying to match
Simpson’s strength is a losing proposition.
The
Pick: Simpson will not finish Burkman, but by imposing his will
in tie-ups and through a heavy top game, he takes a decision.
Middleweights
David
Branch (11-3, 1-0 WSOF) vs. Paulo Filho (23-4-2, 0-0 WSOF)
The
Matchup: Considering his checkered history in recent years, Filho
has to be the wildcard of the event. A 2006 Pride Fighting Championships
welterweight grand prix finalist, Filho owns victories against
the likes of Ikuhisa Minowa, Murilo Rua, Yuki Kondo, Ryo Chonan,
Kazuo Misaki, Chael Sonnen and Melvin Manhoef during a career
that began in 2000.
Filho’s
decline began during a second meeting with Sonnen at WEC 36,
as he failed to make weight and appeared uninspired in losing
a unanimous decision. Since then, “Ely” has battled
substance abuse issues and has contemplated retirement. The Brazilian
is just 4-3-2 since 2010 and was last seen earning a 47-second
technical knockout over a faded Rua in September.
Branch,
a four-time UFC competitor, has won three of four bouts since
his last Octagon appearance, most recently taking a unanimous
verdict over Dustin Jacoby at WSOF 1. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu
black belt consistently landed straight punches while displaying
solid takedown defense in the victory. Branch is generally conservative
offensively, throwing the occasional punch or kick when the opportunity
presents itself. He prefers to get the fight to the mat, but
despite his pedigree, he does not always capitalize as he should
when achieving dominant position. The Renzo Gracie pupil is also
willing to pull guard and hunt for submissions from his back,
but this strategy can also backfire if the cageside judges award
points for top control.
If
Filho is as wild in his striking as he was against Rua, Branch
should be able to capitalize by changing levels for takedowns.
Filho is a black belt in both judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but
much of his ability to win battles for positioning on the mat
depends on his sometimes spotty conditioning.
The
Pick: Branch has been known to elicit a few boos for his lack
of action from time to time, but he is the safer pick here. He
wins by decision.
Lightweights
Gesias
Cavalcante (17-6-1, 1-0 WSOF) vs. Justin Gaethje (7-0, 0-0 WSOF)
The
Matchup: A two-time winner of K-1 Hero’s lightweight grand
prix, Cavalcante was once regarded as one of the top 155-pound
talents in the world for his work in Japan. Injuries and time
have taken their toll on the 29-year-old Brazilian, who has just
three victories in his last 10 outings.
“JZ”
was impressive in his WSOF debut, however, as he submitted T.J.
O’Brien with a heel hook in 63 seconds in November. Though
not as athletic as he was during his heyday, Cavalcante can still
be a frightening blend of powerful striking and submission skill
when he is on his game.
Gaethje
was busy during the latter part of 2012, notching three victories
under the Rage in the Cage promotion in a little less than three
months. During that time, the Grudge Training Center product
moved up in weight to capture the RITC 170-pound title with a
second-round submission of Sam Young in September. This is a
chance for Gaethje, who is unbeaten in 13 MMA bouts (seven professional,
six amateur), to make a significant leap in his career.
Cavalcante
transitions well between the striking and grappling aspects of
the sport, but he can be bothered by a relentless opponent. The
Blackzilians member faded over the final two rounds of a loss
to Isaac Vallie-Flagg in May, perhaps worn down by his foe’s
constant pressure and versatile offense. Gaethje is a wrestler
by trade who likes to throw bombs on the feet. While he tends
to keep his hands alarmingly low during exchanges, the Arizona
native has demonstrated an ability to throw punches in combination
-- always an encouraging sign for someone without a standup background.
Of
course, Gaethje can always rely on his wrestling as a fallback,
and he has already shown a penchant for devastating slams. His
ability to neutralize Cavalcante’s takedowns and stay out
of compromising positions on the ground will be crucial.
The
Pick: There is always the unknown factor as to how a prospect
will adjust to a seasoned adversary, but coming from a solid
camp should alleviate those problems. Still, Cavalcante is savvy
enough to take advantage of miscues that Gaethje’s previous
opponents did not. “JZ” takes it by knockout or technical
knockout in round one.
Middleweights
Danillo
Villefort (13-4, 0-0 WSOF) vs. Kris McCray (8-4, 0-0 WSOF): Villefort
has been out of action for 17 months since a unanimous decision
loss to Nate James at Strikeforce Challengers 18. An alumnus
of “The Ultimate Fighter 11,” McCray has won three
of four since his release from the UFC. Villefort wins by submission
in round two.
Welterweights
Igor
Gracie (5-3, 0-0 WSOF) vs. Richard Patishnock (4-1, 0-0 WSOF):
After a solid start in the opening frame, Gracie faded badly
against Jung Hwan Cha at One Fighting Championship 5, as he appeared
exhausted while eating punches from underneath the crucifix position
en route to a second-round TKO defeat. He should find the going
more favorable against Patishnock, who has yet to beat an opponent
with a winning record. Gracie takes this by first-round submission.
Featherweights
Waylon
Lowe (13-4, 0-0 WSOF) vs. Cameron Dollar (11-4, 0-0 WSOF): Lowe,
who competed as a lightweight in the UFC, has won three straight
fights by knockout or technical knockout since exiting the promotion
in 2011. Meanwhile, Dollar has been active since his stint on
“The Ultimate Fighter 9,” posting a 7-2 record after
his loss to Jason Dent at the Season 9 finale. Lowe wins by decision.
Lightweights
Chris
Wade (5-0, 0-0 WSOF) vs. Ozzy Dugulubgov (3-1, 0-0 WSOF): In
a bout that demonstrates that the WSOF in hoping to develop some
prospects on its undercards, Long Island, N.Y., native Wade squares
off with Hackensack, N.J.’s Dugulubgov. None of Dugulubgov’s
four professional bouts have gone the distance, while Wade has
seen the judges’ scorecards four times. Dugulubgov takes
this by TKO in round one.
Featherweights
Alexandre
Pimentel (12-0, 0-0 WSOF) vs. Rick Glenn (12-2-1, 0-0 WSOF):
Pimentel is a veteran of the Brazil-based Jungle Fight promotion
and a decorated grappler with six submission victories to his
credit. Glenn, a member of the Roufusport team, has finished
four of his last five fights with strikes. Pimentel walks away
with a decision.
Source: Sherdog
|
Ed
Soares and his refreshingly honest goals with Resurrection Fighting
Alliance
by Ben
Fowlkes
Noted
MMA manager Ed Soares had a surprising answer this week when
I asked him what, exactly, he was hoping to accomplish as president
of Resurrection Fighting Alliance – a relatively young MMA
promotion that holds its seventh event this Friday night in Denver
(AXS TV, 10 p.m. ET).
"My
vision for this is, I want to build a developmental league for
guys who want to move up into the UFC," Soares told MMAjunkie.com
(www.mmajunkie.com). "That's what my goal is."
Sounds
reasonable, right? Realistic, even. And, honestly, that's what
was so surprising about it. One thing I've learned from talking
to MMA promoters who are not named Dana White is that the quickest
way to tick them off is to refer to their organization as "local"
or "regional" or "small-time." All that will
get you is a lecture about how many fights they've promoted in
how many states, complete with ambitious assertions about how
their fighters stack up against those in the UFC. Some will tell
you they're in business to compete with the UFC. Others will
merely imply it.
But
Soares – who manages fighters such as Anderson Silva and
Lyoto Machida, just to name a couple – isn't one of those,
and that's probably a good thing. If nothing else, having such
relatively modest goals as an MMA promoter means you're more
likely to accomplish them. Becoming a developmental league for
the UFC is something that several MMA promotions have achieved
to one extent or another, regardless of whether they meant to.
But at the same time, setting out with that aim in mind puts
Soares and RFA in kind of a tough spot.
Think
about it: If things go according to plan for Soares, he will
lose all the fighters he spends time and energy and money to
build up. His best-case scenario involves his best employees
leaving for greener pastures. Isn't that a problem for a fight
promoter looking to build from one event to the next?
According
to Soares, it all depends on how you look at it.
"I
don't really look at it like I'm losing them," he said.
"If they go off to the UFC, to me, I still look at like,
hey, that was an RFA fighter that fights in there. Hopefully
he'll become super successful in the UFC and that will give more
credibility to our event. ... We're not trying to tie up fighters.
We're not trying to keep them from advancing their careers. We're
really, truly here as a developmental league to try to bring
guys up. And also, when guys get cut from the UFC and they want
to test to see where they're at in the game, it's a place where
guys who are veterans can test themselves against the guys who
are coming up to see if they really have it still or if maybe
they should think about doing something else for a living."
Maybe
what it comes down to is a question of expectations. If you're
a promoter of relatively small, regional events, you have a choice
to make. You can either knowingly and willingly become a stepping
stone for fighters hoping to make it to the big time, or you
can end up becoming one against your will. There doesn't seem
to be a viable third option, at least for the moment.
That's
why, Soares claimed, if his fighters get an offer to fight in
the UFC, regardless of their contract situation with RFA, "I
let him go, man. That, to me, would be a success. That's our
goal. We want the guys who want to fight in the UFC."
So
what's in it for RFA? For one, the opportunity to make some money
promoting potential future stars before they have the leverage
to demand big paychecks. Soares, who said he owns "a good
piece" of RFA, has a broadcast deal with AXS TV and hopes
to hold eight to 10 events in 2013, in cities such as Denver,
Milwaukee and Los Angeles.
"Obviously,
our show has to be profitable," Soares said, but it also
has to keep costs reasonable.
After
all, if you plan on eventually giving up your best talent, you
probably aren't telling yourself that you'll be zipping around
on your own private jet any time soon and challenging the UFC
for pay-per-view buys. Maybe that has to be your take on it if
you're not one of the big shows in this business. You can either
know your limitations, or be repeatedly reminded of them. Given
those options, Soares might have the right idea.
Source: MMA Junkie
|
2013
Pan: day 1 filled with white belt stories
Ivan Trindade
2013
Pan Day 1 was all about the white belts
The
2013 Pan kicked off this wednesday for a first time ever IBJJF
5-days event.
The
action on the 12 mats began 4:00PM and went on non-stop until
after 10PM.
The
day was completely devoted to the white belt divisions, male
and female, adult, master and seniors.
Among
the hundreds of competitors, GracieMag brought some inspirational
ones to light.
The
story of Orin Yellowman, from Flagstaff, Arizona, is worth telling.
He was born without most of his fingers, both on his feet and
hands. Nevertheless, on August 2012, he decided to train Jiu-Jitsu.
After some comings and goings, Orin decided to dedicate himself
and has been training hard for the last two months. He is already
a white belt three stripes.
Even
so, just training was not a tuff enough challenge. So he decided
to compete. The 2013 Pan was his first ever competition. As any
other debutant, the result was not as important as living the
experience. Everyday is more clear that Helio Gracie was right
when he said that Jiu-Jitsu was not designed for the strong,
tall, tuff guy, but for everybody else.
Or
the story of Jeff Mata.
Mata
lost his sight five years ago, due to a retina detachment. Today,
the master middleweight white belt competed at the 2013 Pan.
He had three fights and won two, one by submission. This was
his first ever IBJJF competition and he left with one promise:
“You gonna still see a lot of me”. No doubts about
that.
Among
women, the wife of a world champion caught our attention.
Margareth
Abreu had one of the most noisy fans this wednesday. The white
belt from Brazil is the wife of Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu,
black belt leader of GMA member team Fight Sports. In three fights
with one submission, she won the adult middleweight division.
The
triumph was even more special because after training Jiu-Jitsu
for only six months, Margareth tore her ACL knee ligament and
had to stay off the mats for a whole year. The comeback was merely
one month ago. The victory was celebrated with a well deserved
kiss, as the picture shows.
The
complete results for the adult white belt you find at GracieMag’s
Google+ page.
The
coverage continues this Thursday.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Cris
Cyborg’s Original Invicta FC 5 Opponent Out with Injury;
Fiona Muxlow Steps In
Invicta
Fighting Championships officials on Tuesday revealed that Ediane
Gomes sustained a rig injury in training that forced her out
of a planned Invicta FC 5 bout with former Strikeforce champion
Cris “Cyborg” Santos.
The
two were to be one of the featured bouts on the April 5 fight
card in Kansas City.
Invicta moved swiftly, however, shuffling the Invicta FC 5 main
card. They pulled Fiona Muxlow from her featherweight bout with
Julia Budd to fight Cyborg. Invicta will announce a new opponent
for Budd shortly.
Cyborg
became a key signing for Invicta when, upon returning from a
yearlong suspension after testing positive for steroids, she
was unable to come to terms with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
She
will instead fight for Invicta, making her first appearance in
the cage at Invicta FC 5, just under a year and a half since
her last fight.
Known
for her aggression and knockout power, Cyborg (10-1 with 1 no
contest) now looks to her fight with Muxlow as the first step
towards redemption following a trying 14-month absence.
Fighting
out of Australia, Muxlow (6-2) is on her own quest for redemption.
She had a three-fight winning streak halted by Marloes Coenen
– another former Strikeforce champion – at Dream 18
on New Year’s Eve.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Despite
35 pro fights, UFC's 23-year-old Jordan Mein not stressed about
burnout
by Steven
Marrocco
Acupuncture
and ice are the only post-fight recuperative measures Canadian
Jordan Mein is taking after his fight this past Saturday at UFC
158.
"I'm
already back to training, just doing nothing too crazy,"
he told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "You've
got to rest your body, but I'm just doing some repping and more
ground stuff and a little bit of weights. I'm healthy, so I want
to fight right away."
You'd
think Mein (27-8 MMA, 1-0 UFC) would need an X-ray or an MRI
after his opponent, Dan Miller (14-7 MMA, 6-6 UFC), extended
an armbar in the first round of their March 16 preliminary-card
fight. He was in prime position to tap, or suffer damage his
elbow.
Mein,
though, started yoga during his training camp for the fight,
so he felt a little more flexible than usual when Miller torqued
his limb.
"It
will make me stronger, as well," he said.
But
there was also something much more important at play when he
dodged the submission attempt and rallied to win a first-round
TKO win, which was his first inside the octagon. Mein has more
than 10 years of experience, which, at 23 years old, gives him
the kind of combat wherewithal that people who start MMA late
in life simply don't have.
For
fans watching his career blossom from Strikeforce prospect to
UFC up-and-comer, the question now is how far he can go in the
UFC's welterweight division. If a fighter peaks at 30 years old,
he should be some kind of monster in seven years.
Mein,
as earlier reported, has a whiteboard filled with 170-pound fighters
in the UFC. After this past Saturday, he put a smiley face next
to Miller's name.
"Everybody
on the board I want to get a shot (at)," he said. "I
know there's so many guys, it's not possible. But I've got to
keep my eye on everybody and watch video on everybody so you
know what's up and coming."
So,
Mein shows no signs of slowing down. But can maintain this momentum
after putting so many miles on his body early in life, and is
he due for burnout after doing the same thing for so long? Is
his career destined to end before his third decade of life?
"It
definitely could mean that," he said. "I see myself
fighting late in my 30s, but obviously, I can't tell. So that
is a possibility."
But
in the present, he can't see losing his fire.
"This
is just what I've wanted to do, and this is what makes me feel
the best," Mein said. "But I've never thought about
slowing down, and it's worked out."
Mein
admits he enjoyed hanging out with friends far more than going
to school while growing up in Lethbridge, Alberta. But what excited
him more than anything else was martial arts, which his father,
Lee, practiced and put to use as an MMA fighter.
The
singular focus of that pursuit rubbed off on Mein. While Jordan
was still a teenager, he lost a pro fight and decided that he
would never again try to balance school, work and training.
"There
was nothing that really caught my eye more than martial arts,
and I've been such a big fan of all styles of martial arts and
entertainment," he said. "It feels the most right over
everything."
Perhaps
more importantly, Jordan didn't feel pressured to excel by his
family.
"I
never felt it was something that I had to do," he said.
"I think that's probably a big reason that I'm still loving
it so much. He was always a coach and a father but never pressured
me into anything."
Still,
the pressure that comes from fighting on the world's biggest
stage is something new to Mein. And it's bound to get more intense
as he makes his way up the welterweight ladder. That can rob
a fighter of his passion as love for the craft becomes intertwined
with business concerns.
Mein
combats burnout by taking time off after fights. But it isn't
long before he feels the urge to get back in the gym.
"I
love training, and it's a big addiction for me, so I keep at
it," he said.
For
others considering his path, Mein doesn't advocate a measured
approach. Those who love the sport as much as he does should
pursue it with the same intensity.
The
benefits are evident.
"I
would say compete as much as you can," he said. "For
me, it's who I am and I'm really thankful for that. I've gotten
to travel around the world because of it. I would say compete
lots, and get out of your comfort zone. That's what I did."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Legacy
Fighting Championship Signs UFC veteran Damacio Page to Multi-Fight
Deal
By Mike
Whitman
The
Legacy Fighting Championship has signed former UFC bantamweight
Damacio Page to a multi-fight deal.
Sherdog.com
Friday confirmed the signing with LFC promoter Mick Maynard,
who said that Page is expected to debut for the Texas-based promotion
on May 31 at LFC 20 against a to-be-named opponent, though the
booking is not set in stone.
Page,
30, rides four straight submission losses into his LFC debut.
“The Angel of Death” picked up three wins in his first
four World Extreme Cagefighting appearances before exiting the
promotion with a defeat to future UFC 125-pound champion Demetrious
Johnson in November 2010. Page then kicked off his Octagon career
with a trio of setbacks, falling to Brian Bowles and Brad Pickett
before tapping to an Alex Caceres triangle choke last July at
UFC on Fuel TV 4.
LFC
20 takes place in Corpus Christi, Texas, and is headlined by
a bantamweight confrontation between UFC veteran Junior Assuncao
and local talent Chris Pecero. Additionally, onetime Octagon
competitor Antonio Banuelos will locks horns with Jimmy Flick
in a flyweight co-feature during the show’s AXS TV-broadcast
main draw.
Source
Sherdog
|
Otavio
Sousa and the middleweight war at the Pan: ‘The homework
has been done’
Contributor:
Junior Samurai
World
champion Otavio Sousa lives in a curious situation. Despite being
the world’s best at middleweight, he is not the clear favorite
for the gold at the Pan 2013 from March 20 to 24 in Irvine, Calif.
The reason why? The almost unbelievable amount of tough competition
that ended up falling in the toughest division this year –
names like Leandro Lo, Kayron Gracie, DJ Jackson, Clark Gracie,
Rafael Formiga, Vitor Henrique, Lucas Rocha, Marcelo Mafra etc…
etc …
The
Brazilian black belt under professor Ze Radiola (GB Pernambuco)
chatted with GracieMag.com and revealed his plans to win, despite
the respectful obstacles.
GracieMag:
How is training going with all your friends gathered at Gracie
Barra?
OTAVIO
SOUSA: They’re perfect, now what I need to do is to control
the urge to fight soon. My professor, Ze Radiola, my friends
and training partners from Recife are almost all here with me
in California. With that, I’m correcting mistakes every
day, and people are giving me good strength. I’ve been training
hard for a long time and now I’m 100 percent. I wanted to
thank everyone who took part of my training, all guys who train
at Romulo Barral’s gym, my students at GB Headquarters,
and lastly all personnel from Gracie Barra.
What
is your plan to return with the gold medal around your neck?
As
always, middleweight is one of the most competitive, full of
big names and with athletes coming from brown belt. Definitely
there will only be great fights, and I will give my best. Now
my game is quite sharp and tight and I see myself more mature,
too. The mind is much better than some time ago, and I feel more
confidant.
How
does this mental aspect work during competitions, Otavio?
In
my way of seeing Jiu-Jitsu, the mind is everything in the fight.
If your mind is well on the day of the competition, and you have
done your homework every day, the chance of you getting along
is great. So I think I have those weapons to become champion
at the Pan. The homework was done and the mind is great.
Did
you learn from the defeats to Kron Gracie (Metamoris) and to
your teammate Rominho (IBJJF Pro League) at the end of last season?
Every
defeat only makes the athlete even stronger, at least in my case,
because I hate losing. When this happens I start to train harder
than ever not to lose again. No doubt they are both great athletes,
both Rominho and Kron are very tough. These combats only made
me even stronger for the 2013 season.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz Medical Suspensions; Nate Marquardt Out
60 Days
The
Régie des alcools des courses et des jeux, the sanctioning
body that oversees events in Montreal, on Wednesday released
the UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz medical suspensions.
The
event took place Saturday, March 16, at the Bell Centre in Montreal,
where UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre retained his
belt with a five-round unanimous decision victory over Nick Diaz.
Every
fighter on the card received at least seven to 28-day rest period,
but none received more than a 60-day suspension, which went to
Nate Marquardt after suffering a vicious first-round knockout.
UFC
158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz Medical Suspensions
Georges
St-Pierre: 28-day suspension
Nick Diaz: 28-day suspension
Johny Hendricks: 14-day suspension
Carlos Condit: 14-day suspension
Jake Ellenberger: 7-day suspension
Nate Marquardt: 60-day medical suspension
Chris Camozzi: 14-day suspension
Nick Ring: 14-day suspension
Mike Ricci: 14-day suspension
Colin Fletcher: 14-day suspension
Patrick Cote: 14-day suspension
Bobby Voelker: 14-day suspension
Darren Elkins: 7-day suspension
Antonio Carvalho: 30-day medical suspension
Jordan Mein: 7-day suspension
Dan Miller: 30-day medical suspension
John Makdessi: 14-day suspension
Daron Cruickshank: 45-day medical suspension
Rick Story: 7-day suspension
Quinn Mulhern: 30-day medical suspension
T.J. Dillashaw: 7-day suspension
Issei Tamura: 45-day medical suspension
George Roop: 14-day suspension
Reuben Duran: 45-day medical suspension
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Georges
St-Pierre Denies to Steroid Allegations
by Jeff
Cain
Leading
up to their UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz showdown, Nick Diaz made
allegations on a Canadian sports talk radio show that UFC welterweight
champion Georges St-Pierre was on “plenty of steroids.”
St-Pierre
strongly denied those allegations during the UFC 158 post-fight
press conference following Saturday’s event in Montreal.
“I’ve
never took steroids in my life. I’m for Olympic testing
in my sport. I’m up to do the tests, the Olympic tests.
I have no problem with that. I’m not a cheater. I never
cheat in my sport,” said St-Pierre.
UFC
president Dana White refuted the allegations following the UFC
158 pre-fight press conference.
“The
guy has fought a million times in title fights, and mostly guys
in title fights are the ones who get tested. He’s never
tested positive for anything,” said White. ”Never been
busted for anything.”
The
UFC welterweight titleholder isn’t only for more rigorous
drug testing, he opposes the use of testosterone replacement
therapy used by many fighters.
“I’m
against TRT. I’m against all this, and if you want my opinion,
you can test me anytime, not problem. I’m for the testing,
anti-doping. I think it should be more regulated,” he stated
without hesitation.
St-Pierre,
always looking for the positive, took the steroid allegations
as a compliment.
“For
me, I take that as a compliment. You think I’m a good athlete,
so in his mind he says, ‘he needs to be on steroids because
he’s athletic.’ For me, I take that as a compliment.
It boosts my confidence by saying that.”
St-Pierre
defeated Diaz by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC
158. It was his eighth title defense.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Top
5 Forum Threads of the Week
By Jeff
Sherwood
When
the Ultimate Fighting Championship unveiled Chris Weidman as
the next challenger for Anderson Silva’s middleweight crown,
some questioned whether or not he was worthy of such a big-ticket
matchup with the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighter. Georges
St. Pierre was not one of them.
The
undefeated Weidman will meet “The Spider” in the UFC
162 main event on July 6 in Las Vegas. St. Pierre believes Weidman
will dethrone Silva and finish him in the process.
Silva,
who turns 38 next month, has won all 16 of his fights inside
the Octagon and has held the middleweight title captive since
he ripped through Rich Franklin at UFC 64 in October 2006. He
last appeared at UFC 153 in October, when he moved up to 205
pounds and blew away Stephan Bonnar at the HSBC Arena in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil. Silva has finished 15 of his last 17 opponents.
Spawned
by the Serra-Longo Fight Team, Weidman trains under former UFC
welterweight champion Matt Serra and striking guru Ray Longo.
The 28-year-old last fought at UFC on Fuel TV 4 in July, when
he wiped out Mark Munoz with a savage standing elbow and follow-up
punches at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Weidman was a
four-time All-American wrestler in college.
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC
163 in Rio: Anthony Pettis will prepare for Jose Aldo in Brazil
Pettis
defeated Cerrone in the lightweight and now goes for the featherweight
belt. Photo: Al Bello/Zuffa LCC via Getty Images
Former
WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will prepare for his
fight against UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in Rio de
Janeiro, GracieMag.com confirmed recently.
Pettis
will begin training at Gracie Ilha with Diego and Daniel Moraes,
starting on April 17.
Aldo
comes from a win over the former lightweight champion Frankie
Edgar. Immediately following the February fight in Las Vegas,
Pettis called UFC president Dana White, asking to face the Brazilian.
After
some initial reluctancy, Aldo accepted the fight. And if Aldo
gets by Pettis, he gets a lightweight title bout with the winner
of Benson Henderson and Gilbert Melendez.
Aldo
recently revealed that he would like to make his next title defense
in Manaus, his hometown. However, like they did at UFC 142, the
UFC will seek hosting the event at the HSBC Arena in Barra da
Tijuca.
The
organization will likely confirm UFC 163 in Rio soon.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Darren
Elkins steps in to face Chad Mendes at UFC on FOX 7
By Mike
Chiappetta
Less than three days after stretching his win streak to a division-best
five straight UFC victories, Darren Elkins has his next assignment,
and it's the test he's been waiting for.
Elkins
has accepted a slot opposite former featherweight top contender
Chad Mendes at UFC on FOX 7, the promotion confirmed on Tuesday.
Elkins
(16-2) will be stepping in for Clay Guida, who was forced to
withdraw from the bout last week after suffering an injury. The
Indiana-based fighter defeated Antonio Carvalho via first-round
TKO at least weekend's UFC 158. Elkins' other divisional wins
have come against Steven Siler, Diego Brandao, Tiequan Zhang,
and Michihiro Omigawa. Despite, his success, he's yet to crack
the top 10 in the UFC's divisional rankings.
He
will be the third straight short-notice opponent for Mendes,
who scored knockouts over the first two, Cody McKenzie and Yaotzin
Meza.
Mendes
(13-1) has his only career loss against division champion Jose
Aldo.
UFC
on FOX 7 is set for the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
It features a UFC lightweight championship main event with Benson
Henderson attempting to defend the UFC belt against the last
Strikeforce champion, Gilbert Melendez.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
French
MMA commission joins International Mixed Martial Arts Federation
France
is the latest country to join the International Mixed Martial
Arts Federation, IMMAF officials today announced.
The
country's national federation that represents MMA, Commission
National de Mixed Martial Arts (CNMMA), is a nonprofit that launched
in 2009 to support MMA's development in the European country.
However,
the sport currently is banned in France.
"The
CNMMA has made progress in the political arena in the last year,
and we are confident that the IMMAF membership will encourage
the political leaders as well as the French sports community
to evaluate and welcome MMA in the near future," IMMAF board
member Bertrand Amoussou stated. "I truly believe that MMA
will soon play an important role in the martial arts family here
in France."
The
IMMAF, which also welcomed Brazil's national MMA commission (Comissao
Atletica Brasileira de MMA) to its group earlier this year, is
a nonprofit body aimed at furthering MMA around the globe. It
launched in early 2012 and quickly welcomed the U.S., Austria,
Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Nepal
and the U.K., among others.
The
IMMAF has support from the UFC, and UFC Vice President of Regulatory
Affairs Marc Ratner chairs the organization's technical committee.
The
UFC has expressed interest in hosting a show in France once MMA
is permitted. French fighters such as Cheick Kongo and Cyrille
Diabate currently compete for the organization.
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Nick
Diaz and Georges St-Pierre Mind Games Reached “Uncomfortable”
Levels
by Jeff
Cain
The
mind games between welterweight challenger Nick Diaz and champion
Georges St-Pierre reached “uncomfortable” levels leading
up to the UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz main event, according to
St-Pierre.
Diaz
had been calling for a fight with St-Pierre for years. He accused
the champion of not really being injured and being scared to
take the fight, while St-Pierre rehabbed his knee from an ACL
injury.
On
a media conference call leading up to the event, Diaz attacked
St-Pierre’s character. He called the champion pampered.
Diaz went on a sports talk radio show and accused St-Pierre of
being on steroids. The two had to be separated during the weigh-ins,
but the mind games reached another level backstage just prior
to walking out to the Octagon.
“Just
before the fight I was in the locker room. They sent some guy
over to check my hand wrap. It was going back and forth. They
were yelling in my locker room. Everything was about head games.
It was crazy. It’s the first time someone played a lot of
head games like this with me,” said St-Pierre during the
post-fight press conference.
UFC
president Dana White explained what occurred with the hand wraps.
“So what happened was, Jake Shields was the one who sat
in on the hand wrap. After they wrapped (St-Pierre’s) hands,
Shields said, ‘cool, see you later,’ and then they
came back later and said they wanted another guy to look at the
hand wrap. The commission said, ‘you already did the hand
wraps. He’s gloved up. It’s over.’ So then they
started to freak out, but everything was taken care of,”
said White.
“What
I think happened with the whole hand wrap thing, it’s one
of the oldest tricks in the book in boxing. It was part of the
whole plan to mess with GSP,” said White following the post-fight
press conference.
“As
soon as the fight was over, the hand wraps were cut off and put
in a bag and given to the commission,” revealed White. The
commission has both fighters’ hand wraps and will investigate
them at the request of either camp.
St-Pierre
is happy to get the rivalry with Diaz behind him.
“It
was a tough fight for me. I just wanted to get rid of it. It
was tough. It was very demanding, very stressful,” said
the champion. “Some people play head games with me before,
but that level it was quite uncomfortable. It was something else.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Felipe
Preguiça and the black belt at Pan 2013: ‘There is
no room for errors’
Vitor Freitas
Felipe
“Preguiça” Pena (left), here with his coach
Romulo Barral, was one of the biggest names of the 2012 Worlds,
having won at weight and taken runner-up in the absolute at brown
belt
Heavyweight
Felipe “Preguiça” Pena had a great performance
in previous belts and now tries to put his name at the top of
the black belts. He’ll look to hook his first title as a
black belt at Pan, which goes on between March 20 and 24, in
Irvine, Calif. Preguiça, star of the competent team of
Gracie Barra, has a difficult mission until the gold. He is in
the light heavyweight category beside Tarsis Humphreys, André
Galvão, Abmar Barbosa and Guto Campos. The Brazilian athlete
talked to GracieMag.com and detailed his plans to win the Pan,
spoke about Rominho Barral, pointed a possible opponent that
can beat Keenan Cornelius and more. Read on!
GracieMag:
How is your preparation for the black belt premiere in IBJJF
Pan?
FELIPE
PREGUIÇA: The trainings are the best possible. I’ve
trained hard and I am very happy and excited to fight among these
big names in my category. I’m eager to win. Nobody likes
to lose, but I learned a lot from every defeat and I will be
better in the coming combats. It has made me stronger.
Do
you plan to do something new in the tournament?
Man,
I try to stick to my game plan all the time and not fall into
the strong game of the other athletes. I learned that as a black
belt there is no room for errors. I love modern Jiu-Jitsu and
different positions and I’m always training that. If the
opportunity arises I will definitely try to apply these positions.
You
and Rominho are in the same category. What will you do if you
reach the final or semifinal facing each other?
Rominho
always helped me in everything I needed and I am eternally grateful
to him for everything he did. He became a brother to me and if
we meet in a final we won’t intend to fight. I don’t
know yet who would take the gold because there is a long way
before we get there. But regardless of who takes the gold, closing
a tournament of this size will be a joy and huge satisfaction
for me.
How
do you see your category?
I
think it’s one of the toughest categories and will certainly
have several exciting fights for the crowd. I fit in that category
as a rookie and I like that feeling. I’ll do my best to
win every fight.
Who
do you see at brown belt that could beat Keenan Cornelius?
Man,
Keenan has a very versatile and modern game. I love watching
his fights. I think Jackson Souza would make an interesting fight
with him.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz event sets two records on FUEL
By Dave
Meltzer
UFC set two records with UFC 158 coverage. FUEL TV's broadcasting
of the weigh-in live was the sixth most-watched show in network
history. It also set a new mark for the most-watched post-fight
show after a pay-per-view event.
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All the signs surrounding UFC when it comes to viewership of
programming were strong with one record destroyed, and well above
usual numbers on all other programming after Saturday's UFC 158.
The
unpredictability of Nick Diaz was likely the cause for the weigh-ins,
airing on Friday at 4 p.m. ET, doing a 0.47 rating and 215,000
viewers. Even though it aired out of prime time during normal
working hours to an audience that is mostly males 18 to 49, it
ended up as the sixth-most watched program in the history of
the FUEL Network. The number beat the vast majority of live UFC
fight event also aired live on the channel. With replays of the
weigh-in airing in prime time, it helped FUEL to its fifth-most-watched
day in network history.
The
previous record for a UFC weigh-ins show on Fuel was 132,000
viewers, set for the weigh-ins of UFC on FOX 2 on January 27,
2012. That show headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis and
Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping.
The
prelims on Saturday night on FX, headlined by Patrick Cote vs.
Bobby Voelker, did a 1.03 rating and 1,579,000 viewers. The number
tied for third highest in the fifteen month history of the UFC-FX
relationship, behind only UFC 156 and UFC 148, and even with
UFC 145.
The
show also did strong numbers in the key demographics, with a
1.45 in males 18 to 49 and 1.38 in males 18 to 34. The post-fight
coverage at 1 a.m., right after the pay-per-view ended, did 125,000
viewers on FUEL. It was the record for most viewers of a post-game
show after a pay-per-view card. There were two FUEL shows that
did more viewers for the post-game show, but that has the inherent
advantage of having the audience already there going directly
from the main event to the post-fight on the same station. The
old pay-per-view record post-fight show record was held by the
Cain Velasquez heavyweight title win over Junior dos Santos at
UFC 155, which did 96,000 viewers.
In
addition, UFC sources reported the press conference on Thursday
was viewed over the Internet by more people than any press conference
in UFC history with the exception of UFC 148, an event headlined
by the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.
Because
of the presence of Georges St-Pierre, who has been the company's
biggest pay-per-view draw since the retirement of Brock Lesnar,
the pay-per-view numbers were expected to be the largestest since
the 925,000 orders for UFC 148.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Georges
St. Pierre Keeps Stranglehold on Welterweight Title, Denies Nick
Diaz at UFC 158
By Brian
Knapp
Talk
only gets you so far once the cage door closes.
Georges
St. Pierre grounded and controlled Nick Diaz at will, as he cruised
to a unanimous decision and retained his Ultimate Fighting Championship
welterweight crown in the UFC 158 headliner on Saturday at the
raucous Bell Centre in Montreal. All three cageside judges scored
it 50-45 for St. Pierre (24-2, 18-2 UFC), who tied hall of famer
Matt Hughes for first on the all-time list with his 18th victory
inside the Octagon.
“I
didn’t want to fight in boxing range with him because he’s
the best boxer in MMA, and his jiu-jitsu is amazing,” said
St. Pierre, who has held the UFC’s 170-pound title captive
for nearly five years. “He has a very unusual scrambling
style that I don’t usually see. I don’t have training
partners like that. It’s very hard to fight a guy like him.
When you fight a guy like this, it’s almost impossible to
get ready for that.”
St.
Pierre struck for takedowns in all five rounds, neutralizing
the Diaz guard with his stifling top game and well-timed ground-and-pound.
The champion held his own on the feet, as well, tagging Diaz
with his jarring jab and various other techniques, from leg kicks
to Superman punches.
Diaz
(26-9, 7-6 UFC) did his best work in the third round, where a
burst of punches bloodied St. Pierre’s nose and briefly
put him on his heels. In the end, as many predicted, the Cesar
Gracie protégé simply could not stay upright long
enough to make any meaningful headway.
“I
don’t want to make excuses, but I feel like I came out here
a little flat,” Diaz said. “I want to thank Georges
for giving me the credit I think I deserve. I want to thank Canada,
because there are just a lot of mixed martial arts fans out here,
and people weren’t spitting on me when I came out or anything.
“I
don’t know how he knew what I was going to do,” he
added. “I thought that was kind of funny.”
St.
Pierre still has never lost a decision, now a perfect 11-0 in
fights that reach the judges. Diaz, 29, sounded like a man who
was contemplating retirement.
“I
think I’m going to have to figure out whether I want to
keep doing this,” he said. “To be honest, I really
don’t think I’ve got anymore. I think I’m done
with mixed martial arts. I want to help my team, and I’m
tired of getting banged up like this. I’ve been thinking
this through for a while now, and I’ve been wanting to get
out of this thing for long enough.”
Hendricks
Takedowns Overwhelm Condit
In
the co-main event, Johny Hendricks cemented his place as the
No. 1 contender in the welterweight division with a unanimous
decision over former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Carlos
Condit. Hendricks (15-1, 10-1 UFC) swept the scorecards by matching
29-28 marks.
“Carlos
is tougher than hell,” he said. “He fought one great
fight. I said we were coming out here to steal the show, and
we did it. I’ve seen this guy hit by some tough dudes, and
I wasn’t going to try to put him out. I tried to fight hard
and get a win.”
A
four-time All-American wrestler and two-time national champion
at Oklahoma State University, Hendricks stymied the “Natural
Born Killer” with his takedowns, a total of 12 of them by
the bout’s conclusion. He also unleashed his crushing left
hand in sporadic bursts, but Condit was up to the challenge.
Condit
(28-7, 5-3 UFC) never stopped his pursuit, as he was undeterred
by his opponent’s strategy. The 28-year-old Jackson’s
Mixed Martial Arts export went after the man they call “Bigg
Rigg” with flying knees, head kicks and clubbing right hands,
one of which bloodied Hendricks’ nose in the third round.
Unfortunately for Condit, he had no answer for the bearded Oklahoman’s
takedown-heavy attack.
“Johny
is awesome,” Condit said. “He fought a really smart
fight, and he was able to take it with the takedowns. The game
plan was to keep him moving backwards. He’s great when he’s
moving forward, but when you put him on his heels, he’s
not as effective. I used that, but I wasn’t able to stop
the takedowns, and that ultimately lost me the fight.”
Heavy-Handed
Ellenberger Levels Marquardt
Reign
MMA’s Jake Ellenberger wiped out onetime Strikeforce champion
Nate Marquardt with a brutal two-punch combination and follow-up
ground strikes in the first round of their pivotal welterweight
scrap. Marquardt (32-12-2, 10-5 UFC) met his end 3:00 into round
one, finished for the first time in nearly six years.
Marquardt
leaned on leg kicks and was effective with them in the opening
stages of the fight. However, Ellenberger (29-6, 9-2 UFC) closed
the distance, trapped the former middleweight King of Pancrase
against the cage and let loose with a left and then a right.
Marquardt folded where he stood, and Ellenberger closed it out
with one last right hand to the side of the head.
“It’s
hard to explain the emotions right now,” said Ellenberger,
a winner in eight of his past nine bouts. “I’ve worked
so hard and sacrificed so much to get where I’m at, but
this makes it all worth it. Adversity really shows you how bad
you really want it. I want the world championship more than anything
in my life. I’ve been focusing on my speed and getting better
every fight.”
Camozzi
Streak Reaches Four in Split Verdict
Chris
Camozzi posted his fourth straight victory, as he earned a split
decision over fellow “Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 alum
Nick Ring in a featured middleweight encounter. All three cageside
judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with Camozzi (19-5,
6-2 UFC).
Ring
(13-2, 3-2 UFC) employed a death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach,
as he pecked away at his foe with a sharp jab and a steady stream
of kicks to the leg and body. However, the 34-year-old Bellator
MMA veteran could not maintain the pace he needed. Camozzi turned
the corner in the second round, where he whacked Ring with a
thudding knee, and then turned up the heat in the third. There,
he peppered Ring with stiff jabs and left crosses, leaving a
positive final impression with the judges.
Ricci
Outpoints Fellow ‘Ultimate Fighter’ Finalist Fletcher
Takedowns
and effective ground-and-pound carried Tristar Gym representative
Mike Ricci to a unanimous verdict over Colin Fletcher in a lightweight
showcase. All three cageside judges arrived at the same ruling:
30-27 for Ricci (8-3, 1-1 UFC).
A
Firas Zahabi protégé, Ricci never allowed Fletcher
(8-3, 0-2 UFC) to find his comfort zone. The 26-year-old Canadian
turned the tide with a strong second round, as he scored with
a takedown and left Fletcher’s right eye badly damaged with
some well-placed ground strikes. Ricci punctuated his first Octagon
victory in round three, where he delivered another takedown,
moved to the Englishman’s back and threatened him with a
rear-naked choke and an armbar.
Source
Sherdog
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Tyrone
Spong Ready for Remy Bonjasky, Eyes Pro Boxing Debut Alongside
MMA Career
by Jeff
Cain
Some
athletes are just born to fight, and Tyrone Spong is one of them.
Spong
takes on kickboxing legend Remy Bonjasky on March 23 at Glory
5: London in a kickboxing match in the main event at London’s
Excel Arena.
Spong
and Bonjasky have parallels. They were both born in Suriname,
both moved to the Netherlands at the age of five, and both excelled
at kickboxing.
“I
respect Remy a lot. He’s a legend in the sport. I’m
just looking forward to fighting him. I like challenges, and
I see him as a big challenge,” Spong told MMAWeekly.com.
Spong
and Bonjaski know each other and are friends, but sometimes in
the fight game, you have to fight your friends.
“I
know Remy, and we talk, but this is work. This is business. We
both chose this job. This is part of the job. You’ve got
to fight people you know,” said Spong.
“He’s
a very intelligent fighter. I think his strongest weapons are
his legs, so I’ve got to make sure I’m aware of his
kicks and his knees. That’s it,” said Spong about the
match-up with Bonjasky.
“He
has to be aware of everything.”
Spong
made the transition from kickboxing to MMA at World Series of
Fighting 1 in November 2012. He plans to continue to bounce back
and forth between kickboxing and MMA.
“This
is how I’m going to do it for now. I’m going to build
up my experience in MMA, and at the same time fight my kickboxing
fights and make some good money in my kickboxing fights. We are
fighters. We have to pay the bills and everything. That gives
me the best of both worlds because at the same time I’m
making some good money and I can build up my experience in MMA,”
said Spong.
Training
for a kickboxing fight isn’t the same as preparing for a
MMA match, but Spong doesn’t have an issue with switching
up his training depending on what type of fight he has scheduled
next.
“For me, it’s not a big issue because I just fight.
It goes very natural, very automatic. I don’t have a problem
with it,” he said.
Spong
trains out of the Blackzilians camp in Florida along with Rashad
Evans, Alistair Overeem, Vitor Belfort, among a growing list
of others.
“This
is my home camp. I do all my preparation here,” said Spong.
With
an establish kickboxing career and a building MMA career, Spong
plans to add professional boxer to his combat sports resume soon.
“Yes
sir. As a matter of fact, I’m working on it right now. I’m
training with one of the best boxing coaches in the world, Pedro
Diaz. We’ll see what happens. I’m blessed with the
talent and gifted with it, so why not?”
Source: MMA Weekly
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