MMA News Thread

  • Wanna Join? New users you can now register lightning fast using your Facebook or Twitter accounts.
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#44
Exclusive interview with new EliteXC lightweight champion K.J. Noons

I was able to catch up with new EliteXC lightweight champion K.J. Noons on Tuesday afternoon. Iasked Noons about Saturday's controversial ending against in his fight against Nick Diaz and what's next for the newly crowned champion:

Sam Caplan: After you beat Nick Diaz, how did you celebrate?
K.J. Noons: I showered up and we went out to a Fudrucker's that my buddy owns in Corpus Christi. I had about 40 friends and family down there that drove from Houston and he re-opened up his restaraunt and (there was) an open bar. Open bar and food. It was kind of like a private party. It was fun.

Sam Caplan: You lived in Texas at one point, correct?
K.J. Noons: Yes, I went to high school out there. I graduated from a school in Houston. I lived there until I was about 21-years old and then I moved out to San Diego.


Sam Caplan: And you mentioned that you had 40 friends and family at the event?

K.J. Noons: At least.

Sam Caplan: Does that put any pressure on you or does it give you more motivation to go out there and put on a better performance?

K.J. Noons: If anything it gives me more motivation to put on a better performance. But I didn't see anyone before the fight. I knew my family was in the crowd but I was just focused to win.

Sam Caplan: Going into the fight were there specific things that you worked on with the belief certain aspects of Diaz's game could be exploited?

K.J. Noons: It pretty much went as planned for me. I didn't expect him to shoot that much, at first. I expected him to box more but my whole gameplan obviously wasn't going to be just standing. I knew I had to defend the shot and I did that. I knew sooner or later he'd get me down, and he did that also. I drilled a lot of things in what positions and how to get up and I executed that and got back up. I tried to keep it standing.

He's got a great clinch also. I kept circling and moving away from his clinch because that's also how he does a lot of his takedowns. I was able to execute and it was a great fight for me.

Sam Caplan: Your takedown defense against Edson Berto was good just as it was against Diaz. Are there specific drills you do to improve your sprawl?

K.J. Noons: Yes, there's a lot of drills that we do in the gym. We've got a good bunch of guys that used to wrestle in college and I do very well with them. They still think I have a lot to learn and a lot to get better at. I'm still a student and still learning and there's a lot of room for improvement.

Sam Caplan: You opened up Nick's face at least twice and possibly as many as three times. Towards the end of the round were you able to get a good look at his face and did you feel there was a chance it could get called?

K.J. Noons: I wasn't worried about it. I always knew it was a possibility because his face was cut up pretty bad. But as soon as it opened up it was more of a relief for me. I knew that there was a lot of blood and that there was no way he'd be able to submit me because I'd be even more slippery. Even the times I dropped him and he got hit hard with those shots, I wasn't looking to finish real hard because I was pacing myself to go five rounds of five minutes. I was getting ready for the next round. I wasn't going to use all of my gas in the first round.

Sam Caplan: You landed some good body shots. Was that something that was pre-meditated or something you decided to do as the fight unfolded?

K.J. Noons: Pre-meditated because I know he has great wind and he was ready to fight for five rounds at five minutes. I have great wind also but he has amazing wind, I guess you can say, and that would definitely level the playing field.

Sam Caplan: Diaz was visibly upset after it was announced that the fight had been stopped. Do you know if he directed any of the anger at you personally?

K.J. Noons: I don't know. I was just happy that all the training I had put in paid off. I saw it on TV when I came home... but... whatever.

Sam Caplan: Do you feel when he gave the middle finger that it was directed at you personally or do you feel he was just voicing his general frustration?

K.J. Noons: It was probably directed to me, to the judges, everybody, man. I don't know. It wasn't too classy a move I guess you could say, but whatever (laughs).

Sam Caplan: Going into the fight you were respectful to him and it seemed like there was a genuine degree of respect there on your part. Did his reaction after the fight change your respect level for him?

K.J. Noons: No. My respect level for him is as a fighter. That's (as a) fighter only. From a personal level, I couldn't care less.

Sam Caplan: There's been talk of a rematch down the line. Is that something you're interested in?

K.J. Noons: Whatever the fans want to see. If it's something that Gary (Shaw) wants to put together then I'd love to fight again. But as far as the fight, I felt it was pretty one-sided and if it were to go another round his face would have just split open even more. And that's a part of fighting -- is getting cut. They were clean shots and if you know anything about fighting, it was a good time to stop. And if it didn't (stop), I was ready to go another four rounds.

Sam Caplan: EliteXC sent out a post-fight press release and in it Nick Diaz was quoted as saying your punches weren't that hard. Do you have a reaction to that comment?

K.J. Noons: When you lose like that of course people are going to make excuses. I don't have to prove anything; look at the picture of his face, look at the tape. (Laughs) Know what I mean?

Sam Caplan: You mentioned that if Gary Shaw proposes a rematch with Diaz that you're open to it. I assume that you'd also like a rematch against Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett?

K.J. Noons: Yeah. I want to fight whoever the fans want to see me fight. If Gary (Shaw) wants to put him in front of me, I'm more than willing. I'm going to take a little vacation for a little bit and just rest. I've been training really hard and I want to start getting my boxing going here.

Sam Caplan: Will your next fight be a boxing match or an MMA bout?

K.J. Noons: It will be a boxing match.

Sam Caplan: Any timetable?

K.J. Noons: I'm shooting for January. I'm just really ready to get my record up there and I want to fight non-stop boxing. I want to get as many fights as I can before my next MMA fight so I can build my record up. I'm going to be a real contender in boxing.

Sam Caplan: In an audio blog with the website JarryPark.com you mentioned last week that your first against Nick Diaz was the last fight on your EliteXC MMA contract. Is that correct?

K.J. Noons: It was, if I lost I would have been a free agent but my contract extended with the win. They aren't going to let me be a free agent with the title. I think a lot of people were counting on me losing but I won so my contract extends and I'm with Elite. I'm just glad I'm on top and came out with the win. I'm just thankful for the support and all the people that believed in me. I'm down here at City Boxing if you want to come on down here or hit me up on the website.

--

Sam Caplan
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#46
Friday’s Strikeforce Event Will Air Live on Yahoo! Sports

Strikeforce’s upcoming event will have a broadcast partner after all.

Company executives today announced that Friday’s “Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives” event will be streamed live on MMAjunkie.com’s content-partner site, Yahoo! Sports.

The broadcast is free of charge — but it’s only available to viewers who live beyond a 150-mile radius of San Jose, Calif. (Friday’s event takes place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.)

The televised portion of the event, which is presented by Bodog FIGHT, begins at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) will be covering Friday’s event and will have live, round-by-round updates of the main card and preliminary fights beginning at approximately 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

The Yahoo! Sports broadcast will include every fight of the night’s four-man middleweight tournament, which includes Trevor Prangley (16-4), Falaniko Vitale (24-7), Yuki Sasaki (21-13-1) and Jorge Santiago (14-7).

Tournament pairings will be announced during Thursday’s weigh-in event.

Other fights that will be televised include:

Paul Buentello (23-9) vs. Alistair Overeem (25-11) — for vacant world heavyweight title
Cung Le (4-0) vs. Sam Morgan (19-8)
Brian Schwartz (18-0) vs. Lemont Davis (8-4)
Tickets for the Strikeforce event are on sale at Ticketmaster, as well as at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070). Ticket prices range from $30 to $200.

* * * *

In our earlier story about Thursday’s Strikeforce weigh-ins, we didn’t have a time for the event.

However, Strikeforce Vice President Mike Afromowitz tells us the weigh-ins will begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT at The Grill in the HP Pavilion. The event is free and open to the public.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#47
Mike Swick Likely Fighting at UFC Fight Night 12

Just an hour ago MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported that UFC Fight Night 12 will take place Jan. 23. And we now appear to have our first addition to the card: “The Ultimate Fighter 1” cast member and former middleweight contender Mike Swick (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC).

Swick made the announcement this afternoon through a MySpace bulletin, saying he’ll “be fighting in January on Spike TV.” He said he’ll reveal his opponent’s name once a deal is in place.

It’ll be the 28-year-old’s first fight in nine months.

Swick, who trains out of the California-based American Kickboxing Academy, was supposed to headline September’s UFC Fight Night 11 event opposite rival Chris Leben. However, soon after we broke news of the tentative main event, Swick told MMAjunkie.com that Leben inexplicably backed out of the fight. Jonathan Goulet was then booked in Leben’s place, but Swick had to pull out of the fight with a rib injury.

It’s too soon to know if he’ll now headline UFC Fight Night 12.

The January fight could be Swick’s debut at 170 pounds. After dropping a unanimous-decision to Yushin Okami at UFC 69, Swick — one of the middleweight division’s top contenders — announced that he going to drop down to welterweight, which is one of the UFC’s deepest weigh classes (and is home to Swick’s training partners, Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch).
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#48
UFC Has Offered Randy Couture a Fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

UFC President Dana White has offered estranged UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture an upcoming fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.The UFC’s head honcho passed along the news yesterday afternoon during a UFC 78 conference call but said he’s yet to get an answer from Couture.

White, though, has mentioned the possible Couture-Nogueira fight for the past month — even while Couture and White feuded via dueling press conferences and media interviews. Couture, a 44-year-old UFC hall-of-famer, resigned from the UFC last month over issues with his pay and what he perceived to be a lack of respect from UFC executives.

(We didn’t necessarily consider the Couture-Nogueira fight to be news since White had previously mentioned it, but in light of the widespread coverage following yesterday’s media call, we figured we should mention it here on MMAjunkie.com.)

During an Oct. 30 press conference, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported:

Despite the current situation, White said that Couture will be offered the opportunity to return to the octagon in early 2008. After all, White said, you can’t resign from a contract.

“We’re going to offer Randy a fight with (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira) probably in February,” White said. “As far as I’m concerned, Randy Couture is our heavyweight champion right now.“

It appears the offer has now been made.

However, during yesterday’s call, White said that he will need a response soon. He said he plans to talk to Couture in the next couple days because he wants to have the fight either officially booked or declined this week.

Prior to the fighter’s resignation, the UFC had planned for Couture to return to the octagon at UFC 81 on SuperBowl weekend. Couture last competed at UFC 74 in August when he scored a third-round TKO of Gabriel Gonzaga. Couture broke his arm in the fight but was expected to be fully healed in time for the Feb. 2 event.

UFC 81 takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Recent signee Brock Lesnar takes on Frank Mir at the event.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#49
Thursday’s Strikeforce Weigh-Ins Open to Public

“Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives” takes place Friday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Additionally, weigh-ins for the event take place Thursday, and the event is open to the public.

The weigh-ins take place within the HP Pavilion at The Grill, a 300-seat restaurant located on the Club level of the arena. A start time for the weigh-ins will be announced later this week.

A solid cast of MMA talent has been booked for the Strikeforce event and will be on hand to meet fans Thursday.

Famed kickboxer Cung Le (4-0) will look to continue an undefeated streak as he headlines the event against former UFC fighter Sam Morgan (18-8). Former UFC heavyweight contender Paul Buentello (23-9) takes on PRIDE veteran Alistair Overeem (25-11) for the Strikeforce vacant heavyweight title, and world light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth (8-4) takes on Anthony Ruiz (17-10). Additionally, Dennis “Superman” Hallman (37-12-2) takes on Sean Salmon (14-4) in a main-card bout.

Friday’s event also features the first-ever tournament sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission. The four-man middleweight tournament will feature veteran fighters Falaniko Vitale (24-7), Trevor Prangley (16-4), Jorge Santiago (14-7) and Yuki Sasaki (21-13-1).

Tournament pairings will be announced during Thursday’s weigh-in event.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#50
Filho's next opponent named

The WEC has finally found a suitable opponent for its new middleweight champion, Paulo Filho.

Matchmaker Scott Adams said that UFC veteran Chael Sonnen has signed to take on Filho in one of three title matches on a WEC card on Dec. 12 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

Sonnen, who has a 14-8-1 mixed martial arts record, was 1-2 in the UFC. He won a unanimous decision over Trevor Prangley at UFC Fight Night 4 on April 6, 2006, but lost via submissions to Babalu Sobral at UFC 55 and Jeremy Horn at UFC 60.

"Chael matches well with Paulo Filho, who is a tough guy for us to get opponents for," Adams said. "He was a Division I wrestler and he finished high in the Olympic Trials and I think he matches very, very well with Paulo. He's got a lot of wins against a lot of top guys, but this is really his kind of breakthrough chance, which I believe he realizes."

He'll make perhaps his biggest step when he takes on the highly regarded Filho, who is 15-0 in MMA and won the WEC title in his last outing when he stopped Joe Doerksen in the first round.
There are some who feel that it's Filho, and not his friend and countryman, Anderson Silva, who is truly the world's best middleweight.

We want to hear what you think. Do
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#51
MMA Madness Q&A: One-on-one with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua joined the UFC this summer after an illustrious career with PRIDE. His first match in the Octagon didn’t go as planned, however, as Rua succumbed to Forrest Griffin. MMA Madness’ Ben Zeidler caught up with Rua to see how he is doing. Here are highlights of the email interview.

MMA Madness: How is married life working out?

Rua: It's ok. I'm moving [to] a new home -- an apartment here in Curitiba. There are a lot of things to arrange but I think that [by] Christmas I will be in my new home. Now that I am recovering from the surgery and not training it is good to use my free time to [over]see everything about my new home.

MMA Madness: Can you tell us a little bit about the Forrest Griffin fight? Was he what you prepared for?

Rua: I don´t like to give excuses -- I lost and that's it, period. Nothing went right. I assume this -- the injury -- interfered in my training, in [especially] the kicks and [with running]. I had a lot of new things in my life: [a] wedding and a new home. But no problem, let´s move ahead. I don´t want to talk about the past, let´s see what is coming next. I'm very young and I know that I can get the UFC belt in the future. I will be back better than ever. All the fighters can follow [their] opponents, with the internet and the show on TV. We can see the skills of our opponents -- Forrest was very well trained [and] I respect that.

MMA Madness: How much did the hurt knee affect your ability to train and compete at your top level?

Rua: We are living a very professional moment in MMA [so] the difference between the fighters is very small. [It] was difficult to run and to kick with my injury and when you have some injury your confidence is not the same -- every time you are concern[ed] about it.

MMA Madness: Do you think that you would train differently if you ever got the chance to fight him again?

Rua: For sure, probably in the future we will fight again. Now I'm thinking [about] my [recovery and] go[ing] back to train[ing] and let's see what's happen in the future.

MMA Madness: Would you be interested in a rematch with Griffin in the future or are you looking ahead to Rampage Jackson?

Rua: I had the promise from UFC that with a victory against Forrest I would have a shot for the belt that actually is with Rampage. Unfortunately I lost [so it’s] necessary to review all the plans and I know that I will need to make a new journey for the belt.

MMA Madness: What's been happening with Rampage? He got beat up bad by you and by Wanderlei Silva in PRIDE and now he looks like a different fighter. Would you expect a fight with him to go the same way as it did before?

Rua: Life is funny, no? Quinton Jackson comes to UFC after three terrible defeats in PRIDE ([losing to] me [once] and Wanderlei twice). Now, he has the UFC belt. I think that he has more experience now. After the victory against Liddell he is very confident and [it] is difficult to guarantee that one fight will be the same [as] an old one -- every fight is totally different from [the] other.

MMA Madness: I was talking to “Big” John McCarthy not too long ago, and he said that PRIDE and UFC were very different due to the ring size. He said that he noticed that you were having trouble getting to Forrest because of the different angles of the UFC cage. However, when I talked to your brother Murilo, he said that whether it's in a ring or a cage doesn't matter. Who do you agree with here?

Rua: Yes, in the cage the fight is more aggressive -- there [are] no corners to give a break, but I already fought in the cage [so it’s] no problem. My defeat doesn't have any thing [to do] with the cage or ring.

MMA Madness: Why do you think that PRIDE fighters are having such a tough time with UFC fighters?

Rua: [It] is just a coincidence. Just see Rampage -- he has the belt now. Do you think that he is having [a] tough time in UFC?

MMA Madness: Do you prefer fighting in PRIDE or UFC?

Rua: No preference.

MMA Madness: You've defeated most of the top 205-pounders. Which win was the biggest?

Rua: No one [is] the biggest, but there are some very important [wins] in my career. [My victory] against Minotauro [Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira] was very tough; [my win] against Rampage was very important in that moment; and for sure [my win] against [Ricardo] Arona when I won PRIDE Grand Prix.

MMA Madness: Where do you rank yourself among the 205-pounders?

Rua: I run to be the number one. I want to be with the tops and fight against them.

MMA Madness: Are there any fighters out there you'd like to fight?

Rua: No preference. I never choose opponents. Now that I lost, I can't think about [that]. I must fight and prove that I can have [the] UFC belt, no matter against whom.

MMA Madness: Would you fight Wanderlei if he had the belt?

Editor’s note: Shogun did not respond to this question.

MMA Madness: Who do you think will win the following fight: Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam?

Rua: Ninja for sure. He's training hard; he wants a lot the Cage Rage belt; [and] he deserves it.

MMA Madness: Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva?

Rua: Very tough fight. Both are very aggressive and [both are] strikers. I just know that this fight will finish before the second round.

MMA Madness: "Shogun" Rua vs. Forrest Griffin II?

Rua: I want to be back in better shape, well prepared, and I know that I can beat him.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#52
HDNet To Produce 24 Live Shows Per Year

Guy Metzger recently sat down with Percy Crawford of Fighthype.com to discuss a variety of topics. Here are some of the highlights from the second part of their conversation:
Metzger On HDNet Fights Goals For 2008 And Beyond:

Our goal is to produce 24 live shows a year. That's with us and HDNet Fights partners. We plan on having fresh TV because we're going to show part of the shows live and part of them taped. We will have fresh TV; around 4 of them a month. HDNet Fights and HDNet Fights Presents should have the highest employees of mixed martial arts athletes in the United States; which again is helping out the fighters.

Metzger On His Favorite Fighters To Watch:

It's so many of them. The list goes on. I always love watching Randy Couture because it just makes us old guys feel good. Always makes you think you could kick some ass again. I think I could get out of retirement and then I look at my wife and I think I would have to fight a 2 fight deal and one would be with her. I love Randy, and to be honest, I like Roger Huerta. I love watching him fight. I think he is so exciting and he loves what he's doing. I love Mayhem. I'm starting to get into some of these Korean fighters. I'm starting to get film on these guys from K-1 and hell, I can't even pronounce their freaking names, but some of these guys are coming out looking real tough. It's really turning this into an international sport. It was just Americans and Brazilians and every now and then a Japanese guy would come and get crushed, but now with the European's coming in and winning, Mexican fighters coming in and winning and Russians, it's really turning into an international sport.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#53
Nick Diaz Looking For A Good Plastic Surgeon

The Fight Network is reporting that Nick Diaz will seek the aid of a plastic surgeon to repair the scar tissue on his face. This comes after some very bad cuts forced a stoppage in his last bout with KJ Noons in Elite XC. Diaz has suffered some serious cuts in past fights, and former kickboxer Kit Cope (who cornered Diaz against Noons) said the accumulation of scar tissue is an issue Diaz needs to deal with if he is to continue as a pro fighter.

“He didn’t get hit with anything hard,” Cope said. “It’s just that he’s got some gnarly cuts. There were a couple of fights [in his past] where he got cut and then band aided it, you know … didn’t get any good stitches, so he’s got a lot of scar tissue. You breathe on the guy, and he gets cut.”

But here’s where things get interesting. The miracle-working doctor who will fix Diaz’s problem with scar tissue? Turns out it’s Las Vegas-based plastic surgeon Frank Stile, a friend of Cope’s who trains with the former kickboxing champion in his Las Vegas gym.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about plastic surgery beyond the fact that it tends to draw the doctors who want to get rich in a hurry. But is it even possible to make a person less susceptible to cuts when they have a build-up of scar tissue in their face? If so, this is pretty close to a revolution in MMA. Several notable fighters have struggled with this same problem (Pedro Rizzo being perhaps the most well-known example) and it usually only gets worse until it drives them out of the sport entirely.

If this doctor really can reduce Diaz’s scar tissue, that’s great news. Diaz is still young and he has so much talent it would be a shame to see his career ruined by cuts. I just hope that Kit Cope isn’t giving Diaz false hope. It’s not hard to imagine a scene in the dressing room back stage where Cope makes grandiose claims about what his friend the plastic surgeon can do — either to make Diaz feel better or make himself feel important — even if it turns out that the surgery is not as life-altering as he thinks.

Cope also used his post-fight mic time to talk some trash on Noons, claiming that were it not for Diaz’s unfortunate scar tissue, the bout would have ended a different way.

“KJ Noons – Karl – you’re not even in the same league,” Cope said. “You’re luckier than a dog with two peckers.”

First off, dog with two peckers. That’s lucky? I don’t get it. Is he implying that a dog with two peckers (which, presumably, are right next to one another) could have sex with two other dogs at once? I don’t think that would work. The word for that dog isn’t lucky, it’s mutant.

Second, yes, the fight was stopped because of the cuts, but Noons was taking it to Diaz something fierce. He may not have hit him with anything heavy, but he did hit him a lot and Diaz had trouble coming up with an answer for it. To say that Noons isn’t in the same league is just ridiculous. It’s the kind of thing that makes me further question the earlier claims about the plastic surgeon, since they came out of the same guy’s mouth.

Personally, I hope this guy can fix Nick Diaz’s face. But I still have to wonder how well plastic surgery is going to work for a guy who absorbs facial trauma as part of his job description. It seems like if this was such a proven fix, more fighters would be doing it.

And seriously, if this doctor is such a great plastic surgeon, maybe he should do something to help that poor dog with two peckers that Cope keeps talking about. It’s got to be just impossible to play fetch with that poor animal and not stare the entire time.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#54
WAMMA's Wish: To Unite MMA

NEW YORK, Nov. 14 -- A group of business and fight-sport veterans launched a sanctioning body on Wednesday that will try to enable cross-promotional bouts between top mixed martial artists.

The World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts will use a committee, currently comprised mostly of journalists, to rank 10 fighters in each weight division, recognize unified champions in each division and suggest matches that should happen regardless of fighters' promotional affiliation.

In explaining the need for WAMMA, President and CEO Dave Szady pointed to the multitude of promotions and champions in mixed martial arts. WAMMA, said Szady, will attempt to bring more credibility to the sport through inter-league competition and undisputed titleholders.

"We view ourselves as a supplement, not a threat, to all the promotional organizations and individuals who have brought MMA to where it is today," said Szady, a retired FBI assistant director.

WAMMA will not promote fights. Rather, the sanctioning body hopes its rankings will be embraced by fans, fighters and media to the point that when WAMMA suggests a match, promoters will make it.

That is when WAMMA, a for-profit corporation, would make money through the sponsors it brings to the table. A promotion would still host the fight, Szady explained, but WAMMA, for instance, could have a sponsor advertised on the ring canvas.

Szady also plans on world championship belts with a sponsor's name on it for each division. He offered a few hypothetical examples, saying the top two fighters in a weight class could meet for the WAMMA-Budweiser title, the WAMMA-Toyota title or the WAMMA-Hooter's title.

"For the record," joked WAMMA founding partner Bill Goldberg, "I'm already the WAMMA-Hooter's world champion."

Szady believes this sanctioning process appeals to promotions because it can create mega-fights that will make mega-bucks for everyone involved.

The key question, of course, is whether promotions will play ball -- with WAMMA and with each other.

"We have made contact with just about all the major promoters in the sport," Szady said. "Their response has been cordial. We are continuing to have ongoing discussions with them, and conclusions will be reached as we move this forward."

But the question of how promoters have been reacting to WAMMA kept coming up Wednesday at a news conference. Szady emphasized that, for the most part, promotions had given "positive" responses.

"Most of them have a wait-and-see attitude," he said.

International Fight League executives attended the news conference and were openly supportive of WAMMA, but they were also honest about its chances of success.

"It's a big task, but I think it's worth exploring," said IFL Commissioner Kurt Otto.

Jay Larkin, IFL chief operating officer, praised WAMMA's reasoning and its intentions. "Having said that," Larkin continued, "I want to address the elephant in the room that's not in the room."

He was talking about the UFC. The leading promoter in mixed martial arts, the company with the majority of the top fighters in the world, is hosting an event on Saturday in Newark, N.J. -- about 15 miles from Wednesday's WAMMA news conference in Manhattan.

Yet, Larkin pointed out, no one from the UFC had attended the conference.

"I cannot imagine a scenario that would encourage the UFC to participate in this," Larkin said, adding that the UFC's lack of involvement appeared to be a "fatal flaw" in WAMMA's plan.

Michael B. Lynch, WAMMA's executive vice president, said that refusing top fighters the chance to fight each other would be a "tremendous disservice," but Szady interrupted him to say he had met with UFC owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta III.

"They didn't bring the guards down and throw us out the door," Szady said jokingly before describing Lorenzo Fertitta as receptive, appreciative and polite. "The door was left open."

The WAMMA president reiterated that the immediate participation of all promoters was not necessary. "We're in this for the long haul," Szady said, explaining that his sanctioning body had the financial backing to persist even if the UFC did not participate for a couple of years.

"We understand that this is a very huge undertaking," Goldberg added. "We understand that going up against an 800-pound elephant -- a la Dana White and the UFC -- is going to take a bit of time. There's no question about it. But we have no ulterior motive. We are in it for the fighter and we are in it for the fan."

Pat Miletich (Pictures), who is also representing WAMMA, has butted heads with UFC President Dana White before. However, Miletich said that the super-fights WAMMA wants to sanction would make promoters like White more money.

"Bob Arum and Don King are not buddies, but they work together because they know they're going to make money together," Miletich said. "That's what this is about."

WAMMA also plans on influencing standards for referees and judges as well as the safety standards for fighters, but perhaps most integral to its success will be its monthly rankings.

Sam Caplan, editor of ProElite.com and FiveOuncesOfPain.com, will chair the rankings committee. He is joined by Nelson Hamilton, Todd Martin, Mauro Ranallo, Michael Woods, Oliver Copp, Alex Marvez, Ann Marie Lynch and Jeroen Winters.

Asked if this committee will be compensated, Lynch, WAMMA's executive vice president, said that Caplan would be compensated for performing managerial duties as the chair.

"No one's getting paid for their opinion," Lynch said.

WAMMA acknowledged that rankings are somewhat subjective, but said an effort will be made to keep them as objective as possible. Additionally, Lynch said that WAMMA administers the rankings but will not influence them. He described the system as independent and transparent, though WAMMA does not plan on publishing each committee member's individual rankings.

The first rankings are expected Dec. 15. WAMMA hopes to sanction cross-promotional bouts by the first or second quarter of 2008 and eventually to sanction up to 25 world championship fights a year.

If successful, similar sanctioning bodies could proliferate. Szady said the UFC asked him about such a development.

"What we're hoping to do is get out there in front of this, as fast as we can, with the most reputable people in the world to rank the fighters and with a sanctioning body that's recognized by the promoters as the sanctioning body," Szady said.

Two WAMMA partners -- Fred Levin, an attorney who represented Roy Jones, Jr., and Kay Stephenson, a former NFL coach -- tried to create a similar umbrella organization for boxing several years ago.

"In the boxing world, things were so entrenched that it was very difficult to get this done," Miletich said, noting that mixed martial arts is also splintered, though perhaps the sport is not as deep-rooted in its ways as boxing. "Coming together with WAMMA -- that one sanctioning body that can help unify all of this -- makes perfect sense to me. To be honest with you, there's no need for another sanctioning body after this happens."
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#55
Buentello: Revamped and Ready for Overeem

For heavyweight contender Paul Buentello (Pictures), punching people in the face has always been fairly easy.

He has vaunted power, especially in his right hand, and he's scored a modest share of highlight-reel knockouts along the way. But after studying how he fights and after rigorous training regimens with one of the toughest teams in mixed martial arts, Buentello was delivered a nasty dose of reality: He didn't know how to punch.

Granted, Buentello knows quite enough to get this far in his professional fighting career, but "The Head Hunter" was humbled in preparation for his Strikeforce heavyweight title fight against Alistair Overeem (Pictures). While explaining his crash course in forcing fists into another man's face, Buentello made it sound as if he never knew he had hands at the ends of his arms.

"To be quite honest, I still don't even know how to punch right," Buentello told Sherdog.com. "I'm still missing some key elements of how to fight. I feel that I haven't reached my plateau yet; I'm still learning. But I am still learning stuff like how to properly use my elbows and I'm still learning how to properly throw a left hook."

Buentello recently joined forces with trainer Greg Jackson in New Mexico. After several brutal workouts, the 33-year-old former UFC heavyweight title challenger's eyes opened wide. He had never known just how much he didn't know.

"I have my power and speed, but I'm still growing in every aspect of my game, especially with my wrestling," he said. "I never knew just how difficult proper wrestling is because there are just so many moves and counters. My game is always to keep the fight standing, and the more I know on the ground, the better I'll be in getting the fight back up to my feet. I'm not going to all of a sudden shoot in for a double-leg and try a gogoplata, though, because if I did I'd probably lose 10,000 fans, if I even have that many fans."

Joking aside, Buentello realizes the importance of his upcoming battle with Overeem, and he has forced himself through a gauntlet of grueling preparation. As any seasoned veteran or hungry contender should know, it's the exhausting physicality of weeks of hard work that pave the way toward success in the cage.

"I feel real good," Buentello remarked about his training. "I mean, I got the usual bumps and bruises and stuff like that, but if you don't have any bumps or bruises, then that means you aren't training hard enough. I've done my training a little bit different this time, as I've gone down to Albuquerque to Jackson's MMA. I've been helping Rashad Evans (Pictures) prepare for his fight and I've been able to get in some great altitude training. It feels like I just have this endless supply of air. It's unreal, man, and I just keep being shown new things."

Jackson was not shy about Buentello's development.

"He's very impressive; he's a great athlete with incredibly quick hands," Jackson said. "He's a smart fighter and has been a huge asset for us in getting our team ready for the fights, and hopefully the training will show in both his fight against Overeem and in Rashad's against Michael Bisping (Pictures). He's a student of the game who is constantly improving. I think the Paul Buentello (Pictures) that you're going to see is going to be much different than previous Paul Buentello (Pictures)s that you've seen in years' past because he just keeps evolving."

Buentello is hoping to not only have his fistic attacks evolve inside the cage Friday, but he's also looking to extend his impressive four-fight winning streak. After Buentello was caught cold a mere 15 seconds into his world title fight against then-UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (Pictures), he has been on a tear, delivering four consecutive knockouts.

Still, Buentello can't seem to escape the murky shadows of that heartbreaking loss to Arlovski, even though none of his fights since have gone the distance.

"It always comes up," Buentello said with a sigh. "Once a week I hear something about Arlovski or somebody tells a running joke about that fight. The first month after that fight it was a pretty sour note because I didn't get to go out there and perform. But now, it's really only a running joke to me because [Arlovski] knows and I know that [a rematch] wouldn't be the same fight. I got caught and I have to live with that, but everybody still has to make their comments about it."

Fans tend to remember fighters more for dreadful results than consecutive knockout wins. The same fate has befallen Buentello, but he takes it in stride and understands that usually ignorance is bliss.

"Everybody seems to base their opinions on me just on that fight, and if you do, then I guess you're not really a true fan of the sport or of me if you don't know me based on my full body of work," Buentello replied. "I may not be the greatest fighter in history with this great record, but everybody knows that when I step into that cage, it'll be a war until the end. If I wind up being dropped or taken out, then that's what happens. But back to the Arlovski fight, it used to bug me all the time, but it doesn't anymore. I'm only as good as my last fight, and that fight is well behind me now. People who truly understand the sport of MMA will understand and hopefully visualize me with my great wins as well. I'm looking forward to continuing that against Alistair, too."

Considering how poorly Overeem has looked as of late, a Buentello triumph appears to be an easy pick. But Buentello and those around him understand that it would be foolhardy to excuse the dangerous Overeem as some sort of meager steppingstone, even if the Dutch fighter has dropped five out of his last seven contests and three via knockout or stoppage.

"Sometimes that is when a fighter is the most dangerous -- when he's got his back against the wall," Jackson said. "I think we're going to win. I don't know how, exactly, but as long as he stays aggressive yet careful, Paul will do just fine. But because at this stage in his career, with basically nothing to lose, Alistair will be deadly."

While Overeem's best days might be behind him, his style and his track record suggest that his battle with Buentello will be marvelous. Like Jackson said, this could be the perfect fight for the Team Golden Glory member to come back in spectacular fashion.

"Alistair is a very credible and worthy opponent to fight for our title and so is Paul," stated Scott Coker, Strikeforce's promoter. "When we had the opportunity to put this fight together, we jumped at it. It's going to be the classic striker-versus-striker type of fight."

"Paul is the kind of guy who can literally fight anyone," Coker added. "Even if he was to fight someone like a Fedor or a ‘Cro Cop,' if he lands that right hand of his, they're going down. If Paul hits Alistair on the chin, we can see some break dancing. Alistair can strike, too, and his knees are very powerful. Also, if he wants to bring the fight to the ground, his guillotine chokes are very dangerous as well. It's a great fight and it should live up to expectations."

Living up to those expectations shouldn't be too much of a problem for Buentello, who revealed that he has never felt better going into a fight. He expects to continue his dominant ways and eventually get back in against the crème de le crème of the heavyweight spectrum. Before he can do that, though, he understands the importance of getting past Overeem regardless of how the fighter from Holland is viewed these days.

"I personally haven't heard anything to the extreme that I should blow right through Alistair," Buentello said. "But the common thing that I do always hear is that he always gasses. I don't put anything into that because he is a great fighter. He's coming all the way over here to fight, and it's for a world title. He agreed to the five-round fight so he'll be totally in shape, and I expect him to show up and be prepared 110 percent. He better be, and all I have to say to the people who will watch the fight is don't blink."
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#56
MMANews.com Exclusive Pre-UFC 78 Interview w/ Ryo Chonan

MMANews.com: How has the transition been coming to the U.S., to fight here and train here?

Ryo Chonan: The level of MMA has come a long way in America. The training here has really helped me.

MMANews.com: You have been training at Team Quest I have heard. Who have you been training with at Team Quest? How have they helped you?

Ryo Chonan: I've been training with Dan Henderson, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Sokoudjou, and the rest of Team Quest. Being around a team this strong has helped me improve a lot.

MMANews.com: Is your training for the UFC different then your past training for PRIDE? Seems like an important thing to know as not everyone, such as Mirko CroCop have made an easy transition?

Ryo Chonan: Yes. I've been working on how to use the cage and elbows effectively in a fight.

MMANews.com: What are your thoughts on your opponent, Karo Parisyan?

Ryo Chonan: He's a tough fighter.

MMANews.com: How have you been preparing specifically to fight Karo?

Ryo Chonan: I plan to be active during the fight and move constantly so he can't hold me down.

MMANews.com: How many fights will you be in the UFC?

Ryo Chonan: I have a three fight contract.

MMANews.com: What do you miss the most about Japan while in the U.S.?

Ryo Chonan: Nothing. I have a lot of good friends here in the U.S.

MMANews.com: What color will your hair be for this fight?

Ryo Chonan: Red.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#57
SOKOUDJOU SIGNS WITH THE UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Thursday announced that signing of sought after light heavyweight Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. He will make his Octagon debut on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas against undefeated fighter Lyoto Machida.

“Sokoudjou is an explosive athlete with heavy hands and great judo who is coming off huge back-to-back knockout wins over two top ten guys in Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira,” said UFC president Dana White. “Bringing him in just makes the stacked 205-pound division even stronger, and there are endless great match-ups for him here in the UFC.”

Sokoudjou had been the subject of much speculation as he was reportedly a signature away from consummating a deal with ProElite, Inc. several months ago. More recently, his representatives had been in deep negotiations with K-1 and had expected him to be headed to Japan.

With Sokoudjou’s big knockout wins and Machida’s 11-0 record (including three UFC bouts), the UFC 79 bout is not without title implications. It is quite likely that the winner will catapult themselves to the head of the line in the light heavyweight division.

Said Machida of the fight, “I know Sokoudjou doesn’t have a lot of fights, but the fights he’s had are big, and he has beaten some very big names in this sport. I think this is going to be a great fight, and I am looking forward to winning this fight, and to moving on and fighting for the UFC title.”
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#58
UFC forces Clay Guida to cancel ProElite.com chat

According to ProElite.com, the website was informed early this morning by the agent for UFC lightweight fighter Clay Guida that the UFC had decided not to allow Guida to participate in a previously scheduled chat that was to take place this afternoon on the ProElite.com forums.

ProElite.com is a sibling company to EliteXC but operates as a separate, independent company.

It's very interesting that the UFC would take this approach with a fighter such as Guida, who would stand to gain from the publicity generated from the interaction with fans.

The UFC has a strict media policy, something that I've learned the hard way. When attempting to apply for media credentials for UFC 78, I was advised by a UFC official that my application would be denied due to my ProElite.com affiliation.


The UFC's concern was that coverage of UFC 78 might appear on a site that they classify as a "competitor." It's one that I can understand to some extent, although there's a big difference between ProElite.com and EliteXC.com.
Whether I think the rules are fair doesn't matter. Rules are rules and I was willing to follow them out of respect for the UFC. Assurances were made that no UFC 78 coverage from me would appear on ProElite.com and that the coverage would be limited only to CBSSports.com. That really didn't seem to matter to the UFC. As such, I feel as though I am being subjected to punitive actions by the UFC simply because I accepted an employment offer from a website they consider a rival.

I knew that being denied access to the UFC was a possibility when considering whether or not to accept an offer from ProElite.com. However, the fact that I'm not being judged by my work in the industry and judged simply because of an affiliation is disconcerting. It would be great to at least get a chance to cover the UFC and for them to evaluate whether my coverage was fair and balanced before taking prohibitive actions.

The irony in this is that if I had been granted credentials that no coverage of UFC 78 from me would have appeared on my ProElite.com blog. But since I will be watching it at home this weekend it means I won't be bound to any media restrictions, and as a result my coverage will be appearing on the site.

I'm not the only victim here as UFC has adopted a stance that I consider to be anti-blog. While promotion such as the IFL have embraced the blogosphere, the UFC doesn't seem to have a strong appreciation for the changing face of journalism... one they couldn't stop from changing even if they try.

There are also concerns that the UFC's grip on the media could be tightening.

The UFC held a seminar for its contracted fighters last week in Las Vegas. The fighters were educated on numerous issues, one of which included media relations, according to several sites. It's been reported that fighters were instructed to be more careful when it came to what sites they communicated with.

It'll be interesting to find out exactly what was said during those meetings.

--

Sam Caplan
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#59
M-1 Global to debut on New Year's Eve in Japan with Fedor in the main event?

The below message appears on the website Mixfight.ru, which is an official website (although perhaps not thee official site) that announces that the new M-1 Global promotion will hold its first show on Dec. 31 and will feature PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko:

The first M-1 Global event will take place in Japan, Saitama Super Arena on December, 31!

No one other than four times Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko will fight in the main event.

The whole situation is confusing for two reasons:


1) While Mixfight.ru is affiliated with M-1, it's not the official, official website for M-1 Global. Is this a case of a webmaster jumping the gun or is this legit?
2) These rumors surface several weeks ago. At the time, I contacted M-1 Global president and CEO Monte Cox, who informed me that while they looked into the possibility of having Fedor fight on Dec. 31 in Japan that the timing simply wasn't going to work out. If timing was an issue several weeks ago then it's surely not an asset at this stage.

Stay tuned.

--

Sam Caplan
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
40
#60
Kimbo Set To Return To The Cage In February, May Face Tank Abbott

Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson said that he will likely fight again at EliteXC's next event, which takes place in February. Kimbo made the announcement today on Fight Network Radio.

The MMA world is all abuzz with talk of Kimbo after the infamous former underground street brawler disposed of Bo Cantrell by TKO last Saturday in just 19 seconds.

Kimbo, a former University of Miami football player turned bodyguard, got his start fighting in the streets for cash. Some of his street fights were recorded and broadcasted over the internet where they were wildly popular. It was through this popularity that Kimbo earned an exhibition fight with former boxer Ray Mercer; a fight that Kimbo won in the first round due to rear naked choke.

It was on the strength of that performance coupled with his enormous underground popularity that led to his EliteXC contract and the opportunity to train with legendary mma fighter Bas Rutten.