MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Exclusive: Erik Paulson: The Comeback {Nov. 25, 2007}

PDG: Let’s start with your comeback fight against Jeff Ford at HDNets fight night. How did it feel to get back in the cage?
Erik: I felt great as I trained very hard for that fight. I trained off and on for about four months and then the last month was 100% intense. I worked a lot on conditioning and then once the fight was close I started cutting. I trained with my fight team at my gym in Orange County, California. At my gym there are world class fighters and also fighters that I have been training with for years. It is a great combination to train with as you can go in against the tougher guys and they try to bust you up and kick your ass and then I can also go to the other guys and work on my techniques and training.

PDG: Your fight only lasted a little under 2 minutes; where you hoping it lasted longer or was that good for a comeback fight?
Erik: To be honest I would have been fine if the fight lasted 30 seconds. It was a comeback fight and I wasn’t sure what Jeff was bringing as far his ground game. I knew he was a good striker and a couple of people that I talked to said he had good boxing skills and KO power. Jeff was in K-1 and you don’t get to fight there if you don’t have any skill. I wasn’t going to discount anything about him……people are always telling you this and that about a fighter. I like to surround myself with people that tell me like it is and what I can expect from my opponent. I don’t have a lot of people around me telling me BRO YOUR GONNA KICK HIS ASS….YOUR SO MUCH BETTER THAN HIM. It is a horrible thing to have over belief in yourself.

PDG: Tell me a little about the weight issues the night before your fight.
Erik: I was down to about 206 lbs after sitting in the sauna most of Friday night. Then after midnight Jeff informed me that he was not going make weight.

PDG: That had to piss you off a little bit.
Erik: At first I thought he was trying trick me. Fighters are always joking around like that. I had been sitting in that sauna trying to lose as much as possible and then I saw him and I was thinking to myself that he looks huge for 205 lbs. I kept asking him if he was going to make weight and Jeff kept telling me it was no problem. Then on Friday he told me that he was over trying to make weight and in an interview he said that he thought he could lose the weight but it just didn’t work out. I also found out he had been working on a movie with Eddie Murphy and thought that maybe that was the reason he hadn’t cut yet. I basically got the feeling that Jeff just wasn’t taking the fight seriously. On the other hand I wasn’t coming out of retirement to lose.

PDG: Was that it or are you planning on a few more fights?
Erik: I want to keep fighting and I actually was planning on a fight in early December in the Philippines for Josh Barnett’s team. They had an opening at the 205 slot for a card in Manila but things just didn’t work out that way. I was disappointed because it would have been a good rollover for me in regards to the time between my first fight and that one. I didn’t suffer any real injures in my fight with Jeff so I am ready to go now. I had a bit of an ankle sprain but even the day of the fight I went running, took a sauna, lifted some weights to get the blood flowing and swam about 10 laps in the pool.

PDG: Why comeback now?
Erik: Personal achievement. I am not into the publicity and all that. Training to fight keeps me healthy and it’s nice to show people that after 7 years of retirement I can still compete.

PDG: So will you be fighting for HDNet again?
Erik: Yes I have already talked with them about a possible fight in February.

PDG: Most mixed martial arts fans didn’t see that event. How was the event handled being as it was the first HDNet fight night?
Erik: It was great and Mark Cuban took really good care of everyone involved. The guy doesn’t go into business ventures to lose money and he has the cash in his bank account to back himself up. They signed Frank Trigg and Jason Miller to fight in the December event and I think it will end up being a very good promotion. Joe Silva from the UFC told me that I wasn’t marketable and Bodog backed out on a fight I was supposed to have with Bill Mahood so I have nothing negative to say about HDNet.

PDG: You talk about training and the fighters you train. Cub Swanson is one of them and he has a big fight coming up against Jens Pulver on December 12th for WEC. What is your outlook on his match-up?
Erik: Cub has been training his ass off and is now up in Big Bear training with guys like Joe Stevenson. I think he will be in great shape come fight time but I haven’t trained with Cub for about a month and a half. I call and check in on him though. I don’t have a lot of fighters his size at the gym so he likes to go up to Big Bear and train with those guys. It is great up there for the younger fighters; in addition to the high elevation you don’t have to worry about girlfriends, bills or the paparazzi. I have no problems with my fighters cross training. I want the best for them.

PDG: You are in Minnesota training Brock Lesnar right now. How is he doing with the transition from the WWE to the UFC?
Erik: He is completely over professional wrestling. Brock reminds me a lot of Josh Barnett and he has that look of a caged warrior in his eyes. He is a fighter and a competitor by nature and now it is about working on the submission training.

PDG: Were you surprised that he was matched up with Frank Mir for his first real MMA fight?
Erik: I can imagine that the UFC is paying Brock a good amount of $$$ and so why not put him in with a good fighter that I think he can beat. Not to take anything away from Frank as I think he is a stud. I just hope he comes to the cage well conditioned and everyone gets to see a great fight. If Frank underestimates Brock he will be in trouble. Even if Brock just uses his wrestling background he will be hard to deal with. He is 6’5’’ and 270 lbs and has hard punches. My shoulders have been sore all week and my thighs are killing me. I used the Fairtex leg protectors and let Brock kick me and let me tell you those pads are for light heavyweights not super heavyweights. To top it off he is training with the University of Minnesota coaches for his conditioning.

PDG: Anyone that knows you or Josh knows that you guys are good friends. Did it surprise you when he wasn’t involved in the upcoming M-1 debut New Years Eve with Fedor Emelianenko.
Erik: Not in the beginning. I know that the fight between Josh and Fedor would be a big money event but they need to have Fedor beat somebody first. I think M-1 is trying to establish itself by having him fight Hong Man Choi and then he’ll get a bigger name. Not that the Korean fighter isn’t good but he is no Josh Barnett. If Fedor and Josh fought on the first show and Fedor lost….M-1 would lose its superstar in the first event. They want to give Fedor someone he can probably beat up and have a great show for their first production. Kind of a David vs. Goliath deal.

PDG: Does Josh want that fight?
Erik: He has always been looking for that fight. I have never heard him say he wants another fight more than that one. I think that Josh just needs to fight as he hasn’t fought for almost ¾ of a year. The thing is though is he is training harder now than when he fighting regularly. Josh is training 4 to 5 days a week now.

PDG: How much are you training right now?
Erik: Sometimes twice a day with lots of conditioning because at the end of the day what matters is your tactics and conditioning.

PDG: What fighters that you are currently training should MMA fans keep an eye on?
Erik: Danny Suarez is one and he fought for the IFL. He was doing good, got a girlfriend, got his black belt and then got burned out on the IFL a little bit. Fighting every month at different weight classes can do that. Obviously Cub Swanson is someone to watch.

PDG: What upcoming training seminars do you have?
Erik: We currently are doing seminars in the USA and in Europe. Fans and prospective participants can find a full schedule of the seminars at www.erikpaulson.com. We also hold daily fight practices at my CSW gym in Fullerton, California and I encourage any fighters to show up and check out our program.

PDG: I appreciate your time as you probably need your rest before going back on the mat with Brock tomorrow.
Erik: Thanks for your time and the interview.

 

[killahoe666]

just wondering how u dont think serra deserves the title. he went out and beat the champ (GSP).

even if u dont think he as good as gsp or hughes or whoever else, he won the title fairly and is champion

yeh he did win it fair and square but what I mean by that is that the next top opponent he most likely faced he would most likely lose the title.

 

[UCDgreek]

yeh he did win it fair and square but what I mean by that is that the next top opponent he most likely faced he would most likely lose the title.

my bad. i understand now.
and dont think im sticking up for serra either cuz even i dont think hes that good. rather see GSP beat hsi ass in a rematch

 

[Shogun Locc]

World Victory Road Announces ‘Sengoku'

TOKYO, Nov. 27 -- Newly formed mixed martial arts promotional company World Victory Road Inc. officially announced its first show for the new event "Sengoku" will take place March 5, 2008 at the Yoyogi First National Gymnasium.

Naoya Kinoshita, CEO for WVR, introduced the name "Sengoku" saying that it was selected from the 10,211 fan submissions of the event name. The word Sengoku consists of two Chinese characters "Sen" and "Goku" with "Sen" literally translating into "Fight" and "Goku" into "Master."

The brand new name suits perfectly with the concept of the event, which Kinoshita described as "a place for masters of martial artists to show their spirit and pride to compete for the strongest in the world."

"We want the passion for MMA to return to Japan because this is where the sport began. We were looking for a name that symbolizes Japan," he added.

Other names that were taken into consideration of the new event were Bushido, Samurai, and Spirit.

Fighters who will be participating in the Sengoku show in March were in attendance. Among those were Hidehiko Yoshida (Pictures), Sanae Kikuta (Pictures), Makoto Takimoto (Pictures), and Ryo Kawamura (Pictures). All four fighters said they appreciated the offer from the new organization.

"I am glad to have this opportunity. I want to bring back the passion for MMA," said Yoshida. Kikuta followed by saying "GRABAKA has made sensations in various rings. We want to create another sensation at Sengoku."

Takimoto calmly insisted that he wishes to fight with enthusiasm for fans to enjoy. Kawamura, although he showed his appreciation for the offer, said he would like to concentrate on his scheduled fight at Pancrase on Dec. 22.

Fights for their first show will be announced at a later date. Kinoshita said negotiations are underway with other top class Japanese and foreign fighters.

No contracts will be exclusive with Sengoku, allowing fighters to compete in various organizations.

"I want the fighter to have many opportunities," Kinoshita commented. "We would like to have fighters who are fighting in other rings to fight at Sengoku. At the same token, we want to see Sengoku fighters to be able to compete in other places as well."

Sengoku promoters are planning to set up championship fights for each weight class in 2008. Television deals and sponsors are in the works but nothing was made public.

Sengoku will consist of a total of six weight classes:
Heavyweight (205 pounds and above)
Light Heavyweight (205 pounds)
Middleweight (183 pounds)
Welterweight (167 pounds)
Lightweight (149.9 pounds)
Featherweight (132 pounds)

"I understand 65 kg (143 pounds) or 70 kg (154 pounds) is the familiar" limit for lightweight, said Kinoshita. "I would like to see Japanese fighters flourish and to do so we needed to put a lot of insights in setting the proper weight class. Even though the lightweight division is currently set up at 68 kg, we are planning to add weight classes in the future. Therefore we may shift to the accustomed weight class."

General rules for the event will be a mix between North America's Unified Rules and PRIDE as well as HERO'S regulations.

Fights will consist of three five-minute rounds except for championship bouts, which will be five rounds. Knees on the ground and stomping will be permitted while elbows and "soccer" kicks will not be allowed under any circumstances.

Kinoshita mentioned that the rules were made after discussions with Tomiaki Fukuda, president of the Japan Mixed Martial Arts Federation, and various fighters as to what should and should not be permitted to bring out the best of fighting.

Yoshida and Kikuta explained that a five-minute round suits them better than the 10-minute round once used by PRIDE because the fighters would not have to save stamina and fight tentatively in longer rounds.

Five Sengoku shows are scheduled for 2008. Dates and venues will be announced at later date.

 

[Shogun Locc]

LONDON CALLING: CAGE RAGE 2008, IFL & MORE

CAGE RAGE 25 – MARCH 1, 2008

Having spent the majority of 2007 building the stock value of Gary Turner to the U.K. fanbase, Cage Rage now pits him against his toughest challenge to date in London Shoot heavyweight Mustapha Al Turk.

Al Turk thoroughly dominated Mark Kerr despite having an injured ankle, and then went on to give reigning Cage Rage heavyweight champion Tengiz Tedoradze all he could take in an epic 15-minute battle at Cage Rage 22.

This match has several implications from a title perspective. Many were calling for a rematch of Tedoradze and Al Turk and, arguably, the winner of this bout should be in line for that shot. Besides, who else is there at the moment? James Thompson faces Tedoradze on Ultimate Force in December, James McSweeney isn’t ready yet, Buzz Berry has been out of the race and is currently ineligible, Mark Buchanan is out of the mix, Rob Broughton is recovering from injury, and Neil Grove? Grove would likely need to fight someone like Broughton before he gets a shot.

This event will also mark the return of Danny Batten to Cage Rage following a four-year absence from the promotion. He is signed, sealed and ready to fight Lee Remedios in what will surely be a war. The interesting thing about this fight is that the return of both Batten and Remedios adds massive weight to a featherweight division already stacked with Robbie Olivier, Masakazu Imanari, Ronnie Mann, Alex Owen, Brad Pickett, Jean Silva and numerous CRC Contenders fighters chomping at the bit.

Batten is arguably the U.K.’s number one featherweight and has been for years. As for Remedios – he is one of the truly tough, well rounded guys of a few years ago who stepped out of the sport in his prime. Fans will likely be glad to see him return in a match that has all the hallmarks of a classic.


ELITEXC AND FIGHTER SHARING

The full picture is starting to come clear on how ProElite plans to integrate fighters across its burgeoning network of shows. Essentially, fighters will be found and matched by individual promotions and be offered contracts specific to that promotion, but not limiting to.

This opens up avenues for fighter sharing between the ProElite brands, but it isn’t a free fighter exchange as each promotion will need to fund the purse of the contracted fighter.

Example in place: Murilo “Ninja” Rua is an EliteXC contracted fighter. Hypothetically, let’s assume he has two of his four contracted fights run already, so he signs to fight Xavier Foupa Pokam at Cage Rage. Cage Rage have to foot the bill for Rua to fight on their show, but my understanding of the situation is that the fight does not count as part of his contracted fights list, meaning EliteXC still has access to his services for the remainder of his contract. But because he is fighting within the network, the fighter sharing ethos works without damaging a fighters perceived value to a specific promotion.

This approach opens up opportunities for fighters to take new challenges and vie for belts in other promotions, as well as maintain an active fight career during times when a card is fully stacked in his ‘native’ promotion.


NEW CONTRACT OFFERINGS

Building on the fighter sharing ethos of above, two fighters we are all familiar with in the U.K. have been offered deals in the U.S., namely Jean Silva and Che Mills. For Silva, this offers a chance to get back into the mix with some recognized U.S. based talent and to start receiving the recognition he deserves as the exciting, ‘balls out’ fighter he is.

For Mills, this represents a major knock of opportunity. He has long been held in high regard as a tough, technical fighter and a contract putting him into the mix against international opposition will really elevate his stock. With Matt Ewin as champion and Mark Weir still putting on exciting fights, things are looking up for Range Fighting Systems.


JAPAN BECKONS FOR HARDY

Dan Hardy has had a fantastic run in 2007, putting in performances that must have caught the attention of the Ultimate Fighting Championship brass by now. He took out Willy Ni in Cage Warriors early in the year, then took Daigo Izshige out in impressive style, following on from that he solidified his place as the Dangerman in GCM Cage Force’s Welterweight Tournament by overpowering Hidetaka Monma to earn his place in the finals.

Hardy has been methodical in his approach to fighting this year, having shipped himself off to the U.S. in order to elevate his training to the next level, and it clearly shows in his performances. He is returning to Japan for his chance at tournament glory, and with it, no doubt, a queue of potential promotions vying for his signature.


THE IFL HITS MAINSTREAM TV

In a major step forward, the International Fight League has secured ITV4 broadcast services on a Saturday night in order to start running their “Battleground” programming. This move further shows the interest and support the IFL has in pushing forwards into new markets and should tie-in nicely with the British Bulldogs team run by Ian “The Machine” Freeman.

The U.K. is a fiercely patriotic market. Our support levels for football, cricket and rugby are unparalleled (even when we do badly). Securing TV coverage will further add to support Freeman’s team receives in the promotion, let alone raise awareness of MMA in general in the U.K.

 

[Shogun Locc]

LEITES CONFIRMS UFC 81 BOUT WITH MARQUARDT

Nova Uniao middleweight standout Thales Leites confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that he will face Nate Marquardt on Feb. 2 at Ultimate Fighting Championship 81.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt says he signed the bout agreement a couple weeks ago. He currently has two fights left on his contract, including the upcoming bout.

“I think Nate is a great fighter,” commented Leites. “He’s very technical and is very experienced.”

He was originally scheduled to make his UFC debut against Marquardt on the undercard of Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter. Leites, however, was unable to make it to the U.S. due to complications in obtaining a visa.

“At this moment I think this will be the toughest fight of my career,” he commented.

Since losing his Octagon debut against Martin Kampmann, Leites has compiled three straight victories. He is coming off of a submission win over Ryan Jensen at UFC 74.

Marquardt, a seven-time former King of Pancrase, made his UFC debut at the inaugural Ultimate Fight Night in 2005. The Colorado resident built himself up to title contender status, winning four straight in the Octagon including wins over Ivan Salaverry, Joe Doerksen and Dean Lister. He challenged middleweight champion Anderson Silva in July, but succumbed to the dominant Brazilian via strikes in the opening round.

“I don’t think the loss will affect him. He is a professional and will come in 100% for this fight, physically and mentally,” said Leites.

Silva is quickly becoming one of the most dominating champions in the UFC today. Many potential contenders wait for their opportunity to challenge for his belt.

“It is up to the UFC,” said Leites of a shot at Silva. “I just want to do my job and win my fights. When they think that it is my time, I will be ready. I’m not worried about it; I’m happy to fight in the UFC and I want to take it step-by-step towards the title.”

For Thales, a win over Marquardt could very well place the Rio de Janeiro resident into title contention, but he remains humble as ever.

“I would like to thank all of my fans for the support. I will always do my best.”

The only bout that has been officially confirmed by the UFC for Feb. 2 is the likely main event between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir.

Bouts rumored for UFC 81, but not yet officially confirmed:
-Nathan Marquardt vs. Thales Leites
-Tyson Griffin vs. Gleison Tibau
-Alan Belcher vs. Ricardo Almeida
-David Heath vs. Andre Gusmao

 

[Shogun Locc]

Martial arts world grand coalition can be realized! FEG, DEEP has fought express!

Aoki vs Calvincanti

sakurai vs Hasegawa

With M-1 Global CEO Monte Cox, Fight Entertainment Group boss Sadaharu Tanigawa, former PRIDE general director Nobuhiko Takada (Pictures) and DEEP president Shigeru Saeki all on hand, the first two bouts for Dec. 31's Yarennoka! card were confirmed at a press conference Wednesday in Tokyo.

Working collaboratively with M-1 Global and now HERO'S parent company Fight Entertainment Group, the New Year's Eve card at Saitama Super Arena will see two time HERO'S 154-pound champion Gesias Calvancante (Pictures) take on Shooto world champion Shinya Aoki (Pictures), while current DEEP champion Hidehiko Hasegawa (Pictures) will take on Hayato "Mach" Sakurai.

Aoki hasn't seen MMA action since April, when he submitted Dutchman Brian Lo-a-Njoe in just 93 seconds at the final PRIDE card. Aoki also picked up an easy win under grappling rules, quickly dispatching Pedro Akira (Pictures) in 38 seconds as part of DEEP's inaugural DEEP-X grappling card in June.

Calvancanti has posted a 3-0 mark in 2007, and is coming off his second consecutive HERO'S 154-pound tournament win. The stalwart Brazilian smashed fellow countrymen Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro and Andre "Dida" Amade, each in the first round, en route to his second HERO'S crown.

The 32-year-old Sakurai knocked out Mac Danzig (Pictures) this past February, but has kept busy in recent months by opening a new Mach Dojo gym in Tokyo, and competing in the Shoot Boxing ring, where he took a unanimous decision victory over Scandinavian export Jani Lax (Pictures) in October.

Hasegawa rebounded from his crushing August defeat against Dong Hyun Kim (Pictures), fighting to a hotly competitive draw in his rematch with the South Korean standout to retain his DEEP title. Hasegawa is first scheduled for action on Dec. 2 against BJJ world champion Lucas Lepri in a grappling match at the DEEP-X card in Tokyo.

No contract weights, or rules for the announced bouts have been decided on by promoters.

Yarennoka!
Date: 31/12-2007
Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

Fights:
Shinya Aoki vs. J.Z. Calvancanti
Hayato Sakurai vs. Hidehiko Hasegawa

Participants:
Emelianenko Fedor
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Tatsuya Kawajiri
Kazuo Misaki
Joachim Hansen
Luiz Azeredo
Ricardo Arona
Gilbert Melendez

Rumored Participants:
Aleksander Emelianenko
Roman Zentsov
Mark Hunt
http://www.yarennoka.com/

 

[Shogun Locc]

Life after MMA for Dan Henderson
Sherdog.com recently sat down with UFC middleweight challenger Dan Henderson (Pictures), who spoke briefly about his plans in the sport after he hangs up the gloves.
http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1345

 

[Shogun Locc]

Latest Official Fight Card For WEC On Versus 12/12

The following is the latest OFFICIAL fight card for the December 12th scheduled WEC show, featuring three title fights in one night:

-Urijah Faber (c) vs. Jeff Curran (WEC FW Title)
-Paulo Filho (c) vs. Chael Sonnen (WEC MW Title)
-Doug Marshall (c) vs. Ariel Gandulla (WEC LHW Title)
-Jens Pulver vs. Cub Swanson

Fights that are NOT yet confirmed, but are expected to be officially announced in the near future include:

-Chance Farrar vs. Micah Miller
-Charlie Valencia vs. Dominick Cruz
-Brian Bowles vs. Marcos Galvao
-Todd Moore vs. Luis Sapo
-Eric Schambari vs. Bryan Baker

 

[Shogun Locc]

‘Kid' Yamamoto Added to ‘Dynamite!!'

Fight Entertainment Group, the parent company of K-1 and HERO'S, has officially added another star to its Dec. 31 K-1 Premium 2007 Dynamite!! card at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka.

Japanese superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto (Pictures) will square off with grappling-turned-MMA stalwart Rani Yahya (Pictures), FEG announced Thursday at a news conference in Tokyo.

FEG President Sadaharu Tanigawa thanked World Extreme Cagefighting executive Scott Adams for allowing the promotion to book Yahya, who is still under contract with the Zuffa-owned WEC.

Following an unsuccessful bid to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling, Yamamoto returned to MMA action in September. Fighting at a 139-pound catchweight against BJJ world champion Bibiano Fernandes (Pictures), Yamamoto took a tougher-than-expected unanimous decision after three rounds.

The 23-year-old Yahya also saw action in September, when he cut to 135 pounds to face WEC champion Chase Beebe (Pictures). Although the ADCC 2007 champion was a pre-fight favorite and was dominant through the first round, Yahya faded and dropped a unanimous decision in a 25-minute ground battle.

FEG did not announce a contract weight for the bout, but it is anticipated that the fight will be contested at 143 pounds.

 

[Shogun Locc]

JACKSON SAYS GSP WILL BE READY FOR WAR

When it was announced that Georges St-Pierre would step up on short notice to battle Matt Hughes for the interim welterweight title on Dec. 29, Greg Jackson, St-Pierre’s coach and trainer, kicked into overdrive to make sure his fighter would be ready for the task at hand, a five-round title fight with possibly the most dominant champion in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

To prepare for the upcoming bout, Jackson will focus on getting his fighter ready in a short amount of time without sacrificing any of the components needed to fight someone like Hughes.

“We’ve just got to make sure we really focus on that conditioning and make sure Georges can go all five rounds,” said Jackson. “We’re expecting a good five-round war. We speed up the process a little bit and make sure he can peak at the right time.”

With weight cutting always being a major concern for most fighters, St-Pierre admitted during a UFC conference call on Monday that the only thing he needed to watch was what he was eating. Jackson feels confident the weight cut won’t be a problem.

“We just have to make sure that Georges does everything right,” he stated. “Eats right, cuts right and he’s done it before and shouldn’t have a big deal with it.”

On the upside of taking a fight on short notice is the fact that St-Pierre never really takes himself out of fight shape and also works consistently with the other fighters at Jackson’s camp in New Mexico.

“Georges is always training. He’s always trying to improve himself and get better,” Jackson said. “He comes down to New Mexico a lot, even when he really doesn’t have to, to help out the guys and kind of get himself on the cutting edge.

“I think that’s one of the advantages of having a team that really cares about each other. Those guys are constantly coming back and helping each other.”

The fight between St-Pierre and Hughes will be the third bout in a series that has seen each fighter get a win, and Jackson understands the threat the former welterweight champion poses.

“I think Matt Hughes is going to be really hungry to avenge his loss,” he said. “I think he’s not going to play the stand-up nearly as much as he’s done in the past. I think he’s going to try to get Georges on his back, put him up against the fence and keep him down.”

As far as St-Pierre’s game plan going into the fight with Hughes, Jackson has already demonstrated his ability to dissect a bout for each of his fighters, as he’s proven in past fights such as St-Pierre versus Josh Koscheck and Keith Jardine winning over Chuck Liddell.

“I figured we were going to fight Hughes sooner or later, so I don’t know if it’s the perfect game plan, but it’s the plan we’ll use and hopefully we’ll be successful with it,” he stated.

In the end, St-Pierre will work tirelessly over the next four weeks to prepare himself for the bout with Hughes and Jackson understands the test that faces his fighter in just a month.

“It’s going to be a matter of proper preparation,” said the highly sought after trainer. “I don’t think he’s looking past Matt Hughes at all. Quite the contrary, we’re really excited. Matt’s in great shape, I’m sure, from training so hard to fight Serra, so we’re expecting a five-round war and we’re going to make sure that we’re not expecting to knock him out. We’re not expecting to tap him out. If that happens, hey that’s great, we’re expecting to be in a great war.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

LEONARD GARCIA IS WEC'S LATEST 145-POUNDER

With the growing popularity of the lighter weight classes, more and more fighters are starting to find the division that they excel in. The newest addition to that list will be Leonard Garcia, who is expected to drop to 145 pounds and move from the Ultimate Fighting Championship to compete in World Extreme Cagefighting’s featherweight division, as confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by his coach and trainer, Greg Jackson.

Garcia made a huge impact in his Octagon debut, putting on a “fight of the year” performance with Roger Huerta. Even in defeat, he garnered praise from fans and critics who saw the talent in the young fighter.

Going 1-1 in the UFC since that time, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor Cole Miller, it’s now time for Garcia to fight at a more natural weight for him, which will be 145 pounds.

“Leonard (Garcia) is such a great fighter and a strong guy, but he walks around at like three pounds over weight,” said Jackson about his fighter’s move to featherweight. “He had to eat the morning of the weigh-ins the last time. We’ve got to bring him down a weight class where he’s going to be more effective.”

It was after the fight with Miller that Jackson and Garcia decided it would be the best move for his career.

“We talked after his last fight and 145 is where he’s going to be,” Jackson stated. “I’m really looking forward to proving ourselves in that division in the WEC.”

Garcia should only serve to bolster the ranks of the WEC’s ever-growing featherweight division. The promotion will see its champion, Urijah Faber defend his title against Jeff Curran at the company’s next show on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas. At that same event, former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver will also join the WEC’s 145-pounders when he faces title contender Cub Swanson.

 

[Shogun Locc]

JAMIE VARNER BELIEVES HE'S UNDERESTIMATED

“Razor” Rob McCullough may have played more than a small part in bringing Jamie Varner to this point in his career.

The 23-year-old Varner is scheduled to face McCullough for the World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight championship in early February. It’s the first title shot in his career. He feels a win will satiate a desire to achieve that went unfulfilled after an injury cut his wrestling career short.

“I didn’t get to achieve all my goals in wrestling,” he says. “I was an All-American, but I never got to be a champion. I’m still pretty young, so the fact that I get a title shot and have a chance to be a world champion at age 23, that’s a pretty big accomplishment.”

When he was 18, Varner made a pilgrimage to Huntington Beach to meet the fighters of Team Punishment. The camp was at its apex; at the time, Tito Ortiz was seemingly unbeatable. He met McCullough, who had just begun his career in MMA after making a name in kickboxing.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Varner says. “Going there and watching all these big fighters I’d heard of. (Razor) was a cool guy. I was like ‘oh (expletive), you’re Razor Rob.’”

Varner rolled with as many people as he could before heading back to Arizona. A year later he was fighting in Rage in the Cage, Arizona’s most well known MMA promotion. His work there led to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he contested Hermes Franca for three rounds before being caught in an armbar. After besting Jason Gilliam at UFC 70, he made the jump to the Zuffa-run WEC, defeating Sherron Leggett by TKO. He was offered the title shot earlier this month.

“It’s crazy, because I looked up to this guy before, and now here I am having to fight him,” he says.

It won’t stop him from taking away McCullough’s belt, though. Varner feels particularly confident about his hands.

“Everybody that’s seen me fight knows that I have great wrestling technique,” he says. “But the one thing that people haven’t seen … I grew up boxing way before I ever started wrestling. I’m really confident in my boxing; I’ve just never had a chance to show it.”

McCullough told MMAWeekly.com that one of his chief concerns was Varner’s shot. Varner believes that will be the champ’s downfall.

“I’m glad that he’s worried about my wrestling, because that’s going to set up my big shots for my big punches,” he says. “I can use my punches to set up my takedowns, and my takedowns to set up my punches. He’s going to be constantly playing defense and worrying about what I’m doing. I don’t see how he’s going to be able to mount an offense without being worried about being taken down.”

At 23 and 13-3, Varner is two years and two fights shy of McCullough’s experience in MMA. He’s come a long way from the 18-year-old dreamer who walked into the Huntington Beach gym that summer.

“As far as my toughest opponent, he isn’t,” Varner said. “It would mean a lot to beat him, but it’s a bigger accomplishment having that WEC belt around my waist. I know he’s a tough guy and he knocks a lot of people out, but every time he gets into a tough fight he loses. I have the ability to decide where this fight goes. I don’t think that’s something he can look past.”

 

[UCDgreek]

Latest Official Fight Card For WEC On Versus 12/12

The following is the latest OFFICIAL fight card for the December 12th scheduled WEC show, featuring three title fights in one night:

-Urijah Faber (c) vs. Jeff Curran (WEC FW Title)
-Paulo Filho (c) vs. Chael Sonnen (WEC MW Title)
-Doug Marshall (c) vs. Ariel Gandulla (WEC LHW Title)
-Jens Pulver vs. Cub Swanson

Fights that are NOT yet confirmed, but are expected to be officially announced in the near future include:

-Chance Farrar vs. Micah Miller
-Charlie Valencia vs. Dominick Cruz
-Brian Bowles vs. Marcos Galvao
-Todd Moore vs. Luis Sapo
-Eric Schambari vs. Bryan Baker

fucking great card and me with no damn showtime. looks like im gonna have to avoid results and download the next day

 

[King Spadez]

fucking great card and me with no damn showtime. looks like im gonna have to avoid results and download the next day

This is going to be on the verses channel. EliteXC is showtime.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Houston Alexander Speaks About His Loss To Silva And His Future In The UFC

PDG: So let’s talk about your last fight.
Houston: It was a bad day, a very bad day.

PDG: Did you have any problems going into the fight?
Houston: No, I actually didn’t follow the game plan we had going into the fight, and it was a bad day. There’s no other way to describe it.

PDG: What was your game plan?
Houston: Our game plan was to beat Thiago Silva to a pulp [laughs]. That was the game plan, but it got sideswiped.

PDG: Did you watch the fight afterwards?
Houston: I watched it, and I didn’t seem like the same person. So that’s how I know it was a bad day.

PDG: So, do you have any plans to change your training in the future, for the next time you fight a similar opponent?
Houston: The training regimen won’t change. I think that was what was different for this fight, because the first two fights weren’t like that, it is the sudden level of notoriety. I had to learn to manage my time, and deal with the media, and everything else that came with the increased hype.

PDG: You already seem like a busy guy with a lot to balance, being a single father (of six children), working as a D.J., training, and everything else.
Houston: And I do a pretty good job of doing all of that, minus all the extra media attention and the cameras in your face, which is one of the things we’re going to change. Any time you’re doing fifty interviews in a month that’s a lot of interviews. Before the fight, the actual interviews were taking away from my training but you cannot complain about the attention and the media is just doing its job.

PDG: So are you taking a little time off right now to recover and be with your family?
Houston: No, no time off at all, we got back in the gym the next day. Nothing changes; this is still my job and what I have to do, so I was right back in the gym the next day. A loss is a loss and there’s no excuse for it. I got right back in the gym the next day and we are working on correcting the problem. We know what we have to do.

PDG: You know Thiago said that you were the real winner, because you’re the one raising six kids by yourself, and you gave a kidney to your daughter.
Houston: I didn’t know that, but you know; we’re good friends. What happens in the ring stays in the ring and we were good friends before the fight happened and we’ll continue to be good friends after. If you’re a professional you should be able to separate things like that.
PDG: So, about your training, you are one of the most jacked guys in the UFC and we want to know how you do it. Do you have any special diet plan you follow?
Houston: There’s a nutrition company called 8-Ball Nutrition, a locally based nutrition company, but you can find their stuff worldwide. And with all the training that I do, you’ve got to put the nutrition back in your body. I just started using them back in April.

PDG: And before that?
Houston: I have a rule: I’m never going to diet. I eat a lot of chicken, a lot of pasta - just eating right.

PDG: No diet – that’s impressive. You have an amazingly muscular body.
Houston: Well, it helps to work out three to four times a day.

PDG: So tell me about your workouts.
Houston: The day starts about 5:30 in the morning; I get to the gym about 6. We do a lot of conditioning, loosing up, simple stuff in the morning like a lot of sparring, stretching, and endurance stuff. Then after about an hour and a half of light conditioning I’ll take the kids to school. Then I go back to the gym at about 10 and work out for another hour and a half, do some light lifting, sparring, techniques, a little bit of everything.

PDG: What’s “light” lifting for a guy your size?
Houston: Well, it varies. You don’t have to use a lot of weight. We do a lot of reps. I’ll take a twenty-five pound bar and do a lot of reps with it. It all depends; when I’m not fighting I’ll lift heavy.

PDG: So when you are fighting, do you do a lot of circuit training?
Houston: I do a lot of circuit training, a lot of dumbbells, a lot of pushups, sit-ups, general stuff. There’s no big secret, just a lot of pushups and sit-ups in different forms, a little bit of everything.

PDG: So do you have any unorthodox or fun training you do to break up the routine?
Houston: I throw tires up the hills – heavy diesel tires up the hills. A lot of people will throw them in parking lots but we like to throw them up hills. The bigger tires, the tractor tires, we flip. We do a lot of sprinting too, a lot of vertical jumping, and a lot of stuff to strengthen the legs. It’s actually a lot of basic stuff that anybody who’s training should be doing, besides throwing the tires, or hammering tires.

PDG: For a big fighter you have very accurate, but still powerful punches. Where did you learn boxing?
Houston: The coach I have is Mick Doyle. Mick Doyle is a world champion kick boxing and Muay Thai champion. He’s one of the best in the business.

PDG: Are you training Brazilian jiu-jitsu at all?
Houston: Actually I have been training jiu-jitsu with Bob Shermer, who’s one of the best jiu-jitsu guys in the world. Just for some reason during this bad, bad period I was in the ring I totally just spaced off all of what I’ve learned during those three months. It’s not like I don’t know any jiu-jitsu, because I actually do and I’m actually really good at it. But at that particular moment there was nothing, and I was not myself, so that’s why I was having a bad day, because I wasn’t my bad self. I’ve had harder fights in the gym then what I did in the ring that day.

PDG: So when your kids get out of school, do they do any training with you? Or do you play sports with them?
Houston: Sometimes I do a little training with them. Matter of fact they just started wrestling practice with me. A lot of the activities I do I try to do with those guys – whether it be football or whatever – but this year it just so happens they started wrestling this year so I’ll be grappling with those guys. They participate in Little League, and I’m actually a coach for that.

PDG: Have any of your kids expressed interest in wanting to follow in your footsteps and be an MMA fighter when they grow up?
Houston: Well, they like wrestling – the WWE – and I’m still trying to compete with that [laughs]. The Undertaker in particular is on a way higher level than dad right now.
I try to do a lot of things with these guys, because that’s more important than even losing a fight. The bottom line is, even when I have a bad day I still have to come home and take care of children. So even though I might have had a bad day in front of millions of people, I still get to come home to six kids that don’t care about that. I’m humble when I get home and pick up the shoes and clothes.

PDG: How much longer is your current UFC contract?
Houston: I have two fights left, and hopefully we’re going to win these next two and hopefully still be in contention for a title shot. Make no mistake – the overall goal is to win the belt.

PDG: Is there anyone in particular you want to fight on your way to the title?
Houston: I’m not real particular about whom I fight. Whoever they have me in the ring with next, whether he’s a top ten guy or the bottom of the list I’m ready to fight.

PDG: Anything else you’d like to say?
Houston: I always work hard, I’m a blue-collar type guy, and a no excuse type guy so if I lose, I lose, and if I win, I win; it’s all the same. Tell the fans I appreciate the support. My coaches – Mick Doyle, Willie Stuart, Curly Alexander, and Bob Shermer. And my family, friends, and the UFC fans. My sponsors – they know who they are.

 

[UCDgreek]

This is going to be on the verses channel. EliteXC is showtime.

damn, dont have versus either.
how can i have a satellite with like 200 channels but no versus.

 

[W0RM_Da_C0N]

hell yeah imma be watching that shit... featherweights pimpin!

 

[Shogun Locc]

HEATH HERRING RE-EVALUATING CAREER
In his last fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Heath Herring had Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira closer to a knockout loss than he has ever faced. But after recovering and controlling the remainder of the fight, the former Pride champion defeated Herring for the third time in as many meetings.

Herring then decided to take some much-needed time off.

During 2007, he fought three times in the span of seven months. After the Nogueira fight, he decided to refocus and reevaluate his current training situation as well as spend time with his family through the holidays.

While his downtime has also included training, Herring will also sharpen his commentating skills early in December as he works for Platinum Fighting Productions calling the action for its first event, which is taking place overseas.

“I’ve just been taking some time off, hanging out with the family a little bit and actually flying out to the Philippines. I’m commentating out there at this fight in Manila in December,” he said to MMAWeekly.com. “There’s a lot of good fighters on that card, which should actually be a pretty good event.”

The card will feature teams coached by Josh Barnett and Gokar Chivichyan.

Because of the busy schedule Herring faced for the first part of the year, the former Pride stand-out spoke about the importance of having time off after being extremely busy to start 2007.

“For a lot of fighters, especially the newer guys who are new to the sport, that occurs a lot actually,” said Herring about training and fighting too much. “They train sometimes up to six times a week, and they’re just not getting that down time, that rest that their bodies really, really need.”

Herring has been working on finding a new full-time home for his training camps and it seems like the Texan has now made that call.

“I’m actually in the process of that right now,” he said about his new training camp. “I’m training a lot at Couture’s, Xtreme Couture’s gym, working with a lot of those guys down there and it’s seeming to be a pretty good fit. I think that I found a new home and I’m dealing with Marc Laimon’s over there for the ground fighting and all that. I think I’m starting to get a camp put together right now.”

After his time in the Philippines, Herring said he would return home to his new team and start focusing on 2008. He hopes to return by March or April and work his way back to the top of the heavyweight division.

 

[Shogun Locc]

CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST UFC'S DIN THOMAS

It was announced on Friday that prosecutors in Florida dropped charges against Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Din Thomas after he was arrested in October and charged with organizing illegal fights.

MMAWeekly.com spoke to Thomas after the news broke that the charges were dropped and he explained the story of how his arrest came to be.

“I had a ‘smoker’ utilizing all my guys, all my students. If you don’t know what a smoker is, it’s basically just, even lower than, way lower than even an amateur event,” he explained. “It’s an opportunity where you invite your friends and family to come out and these guys get to perform in front of a crowd. So that’s basically what we do. This was the second time I’ve ever done this.

“So we had a smoker and the police came … there were police there, not on duty, but just there watching. Apparently somebody tipped them off that there were illegal fights going on … about six of them came. Four of them just kind of sat up and watched the whole thing and I kind of dealt with the other two for the rest of the time. They left and were like, ‘have a nice night.’ They stayed and watched everybody leave.”

Thomas continued, “About a week and a half later, the guys called me like, ‘we’re going to arrest you for what you did’ and I was like, ‘what, this is crazy!’ So then they came and got me. Next thing I know it was all over the newspaper, illegal fights are going on.”

Assistant State Attorney Jeff Hendricks spoke to the Palm Beach Post and reported that the state’s attorney’s office decided not to file any formal charges after a formal investigation.

The state of Florida currently doesn’t have a set of laws in place for amateur events for mixed martial arts and this is something Thomas feels is necessary for not only his students, but also anyone looking to propel to the professional level in the sport.

“There need to be amateur events. There’s no amateur events, only pro,” he stated. “So you have guys who want to fight that ain’t ready for the pro level yet … they cant’ fight amateur. We drive to Louisiana every couple months just so my guys can get amateur experience. Now it’s to the point where I want to throw my own events. I’m trying to get the laws changed in Florida and I’m going to see what I can do.”

With the weight of a long legal fight now behind him, Thomas can once again concentrate on getting healthy and finishing the rehab on his surgically repaired knee. He hopes to return to the UFC sometime in the first part of 2008.