MMA News Thread

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Matt Brown vs. Anthony Johnson official for TUF 9 finale in June

A potentially exciting welterweight slugfest between Matt Brown (9-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and Anthony Johnson (7-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is now official for The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale.

First rumored in late March, the bout was made official during Wednesday's broadcast of "The Ultimate Fighter" in a segment entitled "Inside the Octagon brought to you by Burger King: Late Night News Your Way."

The TUF 9 finale is scheduled for June 20 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort.

The Brown vs. Johnson fight is expected to take place on the evening's main card, though the depth of talent at the event is expected to be far greater than previous "TUF" finales.

While Brown entered the UFC in 2008 with just a .500 career record, the "TUF 7" contestant has put together an impressive 3-1 record in the organization. All three of Brown's UFC wins have come via stoppage – including a dominating win over Pete Sell in March at UFC 96 – while his lone loss in the organization was a close split-decision loss to undefeated Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 88 in September 2008.

Currently riding a two-fight win streak, Johnson has earned all four of his UFC victories by knockout or TKO. Three of those wins came in the opening round.

Johnson had initially been rumored to face John Howard on the TUF 9 finale, though Howard elected not to take the bout. That move set off a war of words between the two fighters that appears to be leading toward a future showdown.

 

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TUF'S NOAH THOMAS HEADED TO BELLATOR

Like many other promotions, ESPN is heading to Chicago to host one of the initial offerings of its Bellator FC series to air on its affiliate Spanish-speaking station, ESPN Deportes.

One of the fighters Bellator hopes will help make its excursion to Chicago on May 15 a success is former “Ultimate Fighter 5” cast member Noah “The Red” Thomas.

It’s an opportunity that Thomas has been looking for since making his return to MMA last year after injuries cost him a year-and-a-half of action.

“My manager decided it would be a good move for us,” he told MMAWeeklty.com of joining Bellator. “We’re taking that step; getting me on some bigger shows against bigger name opponents.”

As it stands, Thomas’ deal with Bellator is limited to one fight, but he is confident he can extend that.

“Hopefully once they see me fight, they’ll want me back, because I come out strong and finish strong,” he stated.

It is currently unknown if Thomas’ fight with former Greg Jackson-trained fighter Eric Buck will be on the Bellator broadcast scheduled for Saturday, May 16. Again, Thomas feels the action provided in the fight will lead to the television exposure he is looking for.

“I’m going in there to make sure it is on TV,” he exclaimed. “The way you do that is be exciting – Buck’s an exciting fighter and so am I.

“We both like to push the pace and finish fights. We’re both going to swing for the fences, work our Gracie Jiu-Jitsu games and try to finish the fight.”

Should Bellator be successful on ESPN Deportes, the 135-pound division could be rewarded with a tournament in a subsequent season, making Thomas’ signing that much more important if he performs well and wins.

“I’m looking forward to seeing all the fans there,” he concluded. “Thanks to my gym Infinite Mixed Martial Arts Academy and my sponsors: Tapout, Jitz, Stroker Industries and PerformanceMMA.com.”

"I'd also like to wish my teammate Kate Martinez luck in her upcoming fight in Japan."

 

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SILVA VS. ST. PIERRE TO THE RESCUE?

One pay-per-view star fell on Saturday night, and UFC president Dana White made it so.

Chuck Liddell was, and is, money in the bank as the economy teeters and ticket prices are stagnant or moving downward.

But White insists it’s not about the money, regardless of what he could get from his friend. We’ve yet to hear from Liddell, but he’ll likely avoid an ocean of legal paperwork and take a non-fight job with the promotion.

That leaves a select few to pick up the slack as the guard continues to change in the promotion’s talent roster.

Anderson Silva was never considered a strong pay-per-view draw, and may never be one after his performances against Patrick Cote and Thales Leites.

Canadians, as well as others, put up $4.9 million for UFC 97, making it one of the top four gates in the promotion’s history. UFC 83, which featured GSP’s rematch with Matt Serra, grossed $5.1 million, number two to UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz 2 at $5.3 million.

It’s a little bit of flattery, but with those numbers, White calling Canada the “Mecca of MMA” isn’t that far off.

Put Silva against Georges St. Pierre in Canada – particularly Toronto, where White’s been assured that 60,000 seats is not crazy – that’s a gatebuster.

By their reactions Saturday night, it’s clear who will be the hero and who will be the heel.

“Maybe we could do that,” White pondered last Thursday. “I’d like to do it. We’ll see what happens.”

Silva's schedule is now free. St. Pierre, however, has a roadblock in his way, and White says it's a big one.

“Let’s see what happens with Thiago Alves,” he told reporters post-UFC 97. “I’m telling you guys, I think this is a huge, huge fight for Georges St. Pierre’s career. If he gets by Thiago Alves, I don’t know who at 170 beats him. Then you start looking for other ways for him to challenge himself.

“Is it taking on Anderson at 185 pounds? This kid gets by Thiago Alves the way he’s been getting through other people, I’ll throw him in there in the mix for the pound-for-pound. Right now, I got him at number two.”

St. Pierre entertained the idea of a coach spot against Silva at a Q & A session for UFC Fight Club members last Friday. He was cautiously optimistic.

"I would have to sit down and see what the opportunity is," he said. "How long I have for the fight. Because if I fight at 185, if I do it, I want to do it well. I want to put some extra muscle on me, some extra weight. I would have to go on a I would have to go on a diet for a couple extra weeks, and it would take me some extra time, but I'm always excited for a new challenge."

In an interview with MMAWeekly.com last October, St. Pierre was a little bolder.

“I’m not afraid of challenging nobody at 185, I’m very confident in myself,” he said of the superfight. “I think I can do pretty well. I think I’m a different fighter than all the guys who have fought him in the past. There’s only one way to find out.”

Like St. Pierre said then, the stars have to be in alignment for his second superfight in less than a year. He can be sure where Silva stands.

“That problem I’m sure is going to get dealt with a little bit later,” Silva said Thursday.

But it’s just the kind of match-up that will solidify new stars – and rescue old ones.

 

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THERE'S STILL GAS LEFT IN DAVE MENNE'S TANK

More than once has former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder Dave “The Warrior” Menne been counted out of the fight game.

After winning the title in 2001, Menne struggled in his successive UFC appearances, both initially after claiming the belt and during a brief return to the promotion in 2006.

Yet despite his ups and downs, he soldiered on. And after clearing up long-standing health problems, he appears poised to make a big time comeback, starting with his most recent win for ESPN Deportes’ new Bellator FC promotion this past Friday.

“It felt good,” said Menne of his win over Norman Paraisy in the first round of Bellator’s welterweight tournament. “I just got in there, first round, got my bearings back, fought through it and then pushed through the second and third, and finished it.

“There’s not much more to say. I knocked off some rust and kept myself going and took care of business.”

Healthy for the first time in years, he was able to overcome previous issues with stamina and looked solid in his first major outing back at 170 pounds.

“I actually felt stronger going into the third than I did the first,” he explained. “I felt like I had some of my timing back and I think the experience and keeping my frame of mind continually looking for openings (were the keys to victory).

“He was doing a good job at getting in controlling positions, while I was looking for opportunities. I think I eventually wore him out trying to hold onto positions by switching to different things.”

While Bellator has had to shuffle around some of its originally scheduled shows, all indications currently point to Menne’s second round fight taking place as planned.

“The bracket is set up that I’m theoretically supposed to fight Omar De La Cruz on (May) 15 in Chicago,” he said. “I’ll probably try to tweak a few things here and there, and come in bigger, better and stronger.

“I expect the next round to be that much more exciting and fruitful.”

Healthy, lighter and showing the form that once made him a champion, Menne could very well claim another accolade on his road back to the top.

“Thanks to RenovationSystems.com, RedRockFire.com, Full Tilt Poker, Tapout, JesusDidntTap.com, Cowboy Jack’s, World of Tae Kwon Do, and Circle of Discipline Boxing,” he closed out.

“Thanks to all the supporters and the fans who tune in and have been cheering for me.”

 

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Rotten grapple: Fedor Emelianenko to tussle with Shinya Aoki at M-1 Challenge (Updated)

Two champions from the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) will collide at M-1 Challenge on April 29 in Tokyo, Japan — despite being separated by four weight classes.

WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko will square off against WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki in a special-rules exhibition grappling match with a proposed time limit of five minutes — designed as more of a crowd pleaser than actual competition.

First reported by MMAFighting.com, Aoki confirmed the bout during a press conference earlier this morning.

Emelianenko and Aoki are both considered to be two of mixed martial arts finest grapplers, irrespective of weight class.

“The Last Emperor” earned a bronze medal in the Russian Judo Championship and has won gold in the Russian Combat Sambo Championship and placed first in the World Combat Sambo Championship in the heavyweight division and open-weight division.

“The Tobikan Judan” (master of flying submissions) is a black belt in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo and owns two All Japan Jiu-Jitsu championships, a Japan Open Jiu-Jitsu championship, a Budo Open championship, and an ADCC Japan championship.

While the idea of them actually fighting is silly, the exhibition grappling match should be seen for what it is: A chance to have two of Japan’s more popular stars roll around on the mat exchanging sub attempts.

 

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Andrei Arlovski's Boxing Debut Set for June 27

Golden Boy Promotions has signed Arlovski for a six-round fight on its June 27 show. No opponent has been determined.

"Andrei is going to be aggressive, using his strength and his reach advantage and his height," Roach said. "He's going to be aggressive and looking for a knockout."

"He spars with the best guys I can get for him over here and he holds his own with them.. I'd like to see him after his first pro fight and I think we'll have a better outlook for him at that point."

"He likes to box so much more than MMA... He likes the stand-up game. If boxing takes off for him I think he'll stay, but obviously if he gets a world title fight in MMA he probably would not turn that down."

 

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UFC VP of Operations Talks Credentials

MMA’s latest controversy has more or less pushed the UFC credential issue to the back burner, but I thought it worth while to post this interview conducted a few weeks ago by insidefighting.com with UFC VP of Operations Donna Marcolini.

A summary of the main points is below:

* Prior to UFC 88 in September of 2008, the UFC used a lanyard credential system to organize their backstage activities.
* The policy of most athletic commissions (including the NSAC) is to issue three cornermen credentials (title fight participants receive four) and then it is up to the fighter to choose whom he’ll assign those corner credentials. It can be a trainer, agent, or someone else.
* In addition to corner credentials the UFC also provided its fighters with two sets of four complimentary tickets (this is pretty standard within the industry and written into most fighter contracts). The fighters received one set of four tickets prior to the event to distribute as they please; and, then they received the second set following their fight if they wish to watch the event for the duration of the evening.
* During this period, the UFC would occassionally distribute an extra credential pass to a fighter out of courtesy. This was done to facilitate the meeting of a particular need or want of that fighter (e.g., the fighter needed his sponsorship banner that was left at a hotel room).
* At some point individuals began to abuse the UFC’s lanyard system by sharing their passes (i.e., an authorized person, with a pass, would switch places with a places with an unauthorized individual sitting in the stands).
* The UFC brought a halt to this abuse by switching to a wristband system and ceasing to distribute courtesy lanyards.

Payout Opinion:

It would appear as though the entire credential flap is really a non-issue: the old system was being abused and the UFC tightened the reigns accordingly. So, what’s all the fuss about?

Egos.

The UFC could have easily answered Loretta’s query, but that would have entailed at least an implicit recognition of Hunt and Sherdog as legimiate media. That refusal was all Hunt needed to write yet another story criticizing the UFC (oddly enough her only named contributor to the article was Ken Pavia, the same individual caught abusing the old credential system). In turn, Dana White retaliated with his profanity-laced tirade, not because the issue at hand was that big of a deal, but likely because of his frustrations with the MMA media, “internetland,” and, specifically, his prior history with Hunt and Sherdog.

 

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Ricardo Arona wants a chance at the UFC

Answering the statements of Dana White, in an interview to TATAME Magazine’s April issue
Ricardo Arona defended himself. After hearing the UFC president, Arona said that didn’t want to be offensive to the event. "Certainly Dana White thought I was criticizing him, that I was talking bad about his event, but it wasn’t. I didn’t want to belittle the athletes of the UFC, that wasn’t my intention", says Arona, asking for a chance to show his value in the octagon. "I never had a direct position from him, I wasn’t contacted by the Ultimate. Dana White could give me an opportunity to know if I’m good or not", finalized Arona.

 

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UFC 98's Frankie Edgar credits loss to Maynard for evolving his game

The mark of a great fighter isn't always found in victories. Many times it's how they respond to defeats.

UFC lightweight Frankie Edgar (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) that a 2008 decision loss to Gray Maynard helped steer him in the right direction.

"The biggest thing for me was after the Maynard fight [is that] before the Maynard fight I really didn't have a place to call home," Edgar said. "The Maynard loss definitely opened my eyes. I started training with Ricardo Almeida and the (Renzo) Gracie team. That's where I've been the past year, and I think it had helped me tremendously."

Despite his previously nomadic approach training, Edgar had already earned UFC victories over Spencer Fisher, Mark Bocek and Tyson Griffin before running into the undefeated Maynard.

Edgar believes his new camp will help him earn further success in the octagon.

"Obviously [Gracie's] family pretty much started this whole gig," Edgar said. "If you've ever been around Renzo, he has a magnetic personality. He's very laid-back. I don't think he has a lot of pressure on him. He just fights for the love of the sport, and I think that kind of rubs off on you."

Edgar took the first step toward rebuilding from the loss to Maynard with a July 2008 win over Hermes Franca. Edgar has been inactive since, but "The Answer" says it is with good reason.

"I was scheduled to fight Matt Wiman on Dec. 10, (2008)," Edgar said. "That would have been my third fight in 2008. But I hurt my knee, so I had to pull out of that one, unfortunately.

"The reason I haven't fought this year yet is because [the UFC] brought (Sean) Sherk up to the table in January and said, 'You have to wait until May.' Obviously I'm going to wait until May for the chance to fight Sherk. It's a no-brainer."

Edgar will fight Sherk at UFC 98 in May, and a win could easily catapult the New Jersey native to the top of the 155-pound class. It's a potentially pressure-packed situation, but Edgar says he's ready.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself (already)," Edgar said. "A lot of fighters put a lot of pressure on themselves at every fight."

So for Edgar, the loss to Maynard opened up his eyes. And on May 23, he's looking forward to displaying his newly evolved game.

"I think maybe (I'm) training smarter," Edgar said. "[The loss to Maynard] definitely opened my eyes in some ways of changing my game and being a little more focused, possibly. That's how it helped me. I'm sure every fighter takes a loss differently."

And if the opportunity ever comes up to avenge his first, and so far only, loss of his career?

"Right now I'd like to just worry about Sherk, get to the top, and obviously if Maynard is still doing what he's doing, he's going to be at the top as well," Edgar said. "I think if [Maynard] keeps going where he's going, and I go where I plan on going, I think we'll eventually have to meet up.

"That would be something that I'd like to see in the future, but I'm not dwelling on it because I think if you dwell on losses you're not really going to focus on what you have ahead of yourself."

 

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RIZZO VS. YVEL, SAPP VS. LASHLEY ON JUNE 27

Heavyweights Gilbert Yvel and Pedro Rizzo are signed to do battle on June 27 in Biloxi, Miss. Yvel's manager and trainer, John Lewis, told MMAWeekly.com the deal was signed Wednesday.

The two are the co-main event at a new show called "Unarmed Combat" that's to be held at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and broadcast on pay-per-view.

The event will be headlined by Bob Sapp vs. Bobby Lashley, with vets Chris Horodecki, Din Thomas, and of all people, Affliction promoter Tom Atencio.

The fight is Yvel's first since a shellacking at the hands of Josh Barnett at Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" in January. The Dutchman subsequently moved to Vegas from Amsterdam, where he is training full-time with Lewis.

Rizzo was himself stopped by Barnett via knockout last July at Affliction: "Banned."

 

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BOBBY LASHLEY SIGNS WITH MFC, DEBUTS MAY 15

One of the most dominating up-and-coming fighters in the world has signed on with the Maximum Fighting Championship.

Former WWE star Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley will step into the MFC ring on Friday, May 15 at MFC 21: Hard Knocks live from the River Cree Resort and Casino and airing live throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico on HDNet Fights.

A chiseled and imposing figure at six-foot-three and 265 pounds, Lashley is the premier heavyweight prospect in all of mixed martial arts.

“Bobby Lashley is a phenomenal athlete and a very impressive fighter who wants to make a big name for himself in mixed martial arts,” noted MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “He is a very exciting prospect and he will get a monumental opportunity to break into the spotlight at MFC 21.”

Lashley (2-0) won his debut fight with a 41-second TKO of Joshua Franklin in December 2008. He is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Jason Guida in March.

At Hard Knocks, Lashley will square off against Mike Cook (7-3) who is trained by legendary mixed martial arts persona Frank Shamrock.

“We are excited to partner with the MFC to feature the network debut of Bobby Lashley on HDNet,” said HDNet Fights CEO Andrew Simon. “Bobby’s size, name recognition and collegiate wrestling background make him an unbelievable prospect in the heavyweight division.”

Lashley had a successful amateur background in wrestling, twice winning the NAIA college championship and then winning pair of U.S. Armed Forces titles. The Junction City, Kansas, native propelled his amateur abilities into the professional wrestling ranks with the WWE. During a three-year run, Lashley won three championships with the WWE, appeared on numerous pay-per-view events, and held prestigious spots on the WWE programs RAW, Smackdown!, and ECW.

 

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Feijao-Hamman Added to Strikeforce

Touted Brazilian Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante will face fellow Pro Elite veteran Jared Hamman in a featured light heavyweight bout for Strikeforce “Lawler vs. Shields” on June 6 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

Representatives from both fighters’ camps confirmed the bout to Sherdog.com on Thursday.

The matchup replaces a previously announced tilt for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title between champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Feijao. Sobral withdrew from the bout last week to prepare for the birth of his second daughter in late May.

Sobral will defend his title against the winner of the June contender’s bout.

Cavalcante (7-1) notched three straight victories in EliteXC and was on his way to coronation as the promotion’s first 205-pound champion when the organization all but ceased operations last October.

A student under UFC and IFL staple Vladimir Matyushenko, Hamman (10-1) avenged his only blemish to Poai Suganuma with a firm TKO in 2:34 for ShoXC last August. Suganama had taken their first match by a controversial 15-second knockout.

The June 6 event will be headlined by a middleweight matchup between former EliteXC 185-pound champ Robbie Lawler and 170-pound kingpin Jake Shields.

Strikeforce “Shields vs. Lawler” airs live on Showtime at 10 p.m. EST.

 

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Injury forces Thiago Tavares out of TUF 9 Finale bout with Melvin Guillard

Controversial UFC lightweight slugger Melvin Guillard (21-7-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC) will be seeking a new opponent for his appearance at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale.

Brazilian submission ace Thiago Tavares (14-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) suffered a hyper-extended elbow in training and has been forced out of the bout.

The TUF 9 Finale is scheduled for June 20 at the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Tatame.com first reported the injury, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was able to confirm Tavares' status with sources close to the fighter.

Tavares had been looking to build on a unanimous-decision win over Manny Gamburyan at UFC 94 in January. The much-needed victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for the 24-year-old.

It is currently unknown when Tavares will return from the injury, but with the UFC currently booking cards as far out as September, it may be some time before the Brazilian is able to against step into the octagon.

Guillard was hoping to follow up an impressive 36-second TKO win over Dennis Siver at UFC 86 in July 2008. The win was "The Young Assassin's" second-straight win, a streak that included a decision win outside of the UFC.

It is currently unknown who the UFC will look to bring in to replace Tavares. With eight weeks remaining until the event, an immediate switch would still allow potential opponents ample time for a full training camp.

 

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After Dayton, Bellator headed to Corpus Christi, Chicago and Montreal in May

Following a Week 5 event in Dayton, Ohio, Bellator Fighting Championships will head to Corpus Christi, Chicago and Montreal for May shows.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney today confirmed the schedule during an interview with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

A May 29 show in Montreal marks the organization's first non-U.S. event.

That event will take place at the Bell Centre, which hosted "UFC 97: Redemption" this past weekend. The April 18 event set a North American MMA attendance record with 21,451 attendees. Bellator will head to the venue, which is also home to the NHL's Montreal Canadiens, for its Week 9 show.

After heading to Dayton for Week 5 a week from today, Bellator will head to Texas for a show just outside Corpus Christi, which hosted WEC 39 in March. That show took place at the American Bank Center, but Bellator will instead head to the Central Pavilion Arena, a 4,000-seat venue located in Robstown, Texas, for its Week 6 show on May 8.

On May 15, Bellator then heads to Chicago for its Week 7 show. That event takes place at the Aragon Ballroom, a historic Spanish-inspired venue that plays host to numerous Spanish-language shows and programs. The venue can accommodate approximately 4,500 spectators.

"We really wanted to take this thing all over, and so far, we've had a lot of success," said Rebney, who said ESPN executives are pleased with the organization's ratings on ESPN Deportes. "The fight cards are only going to get better as some of our tournaments come to a conclusion."

 

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BACK IN JAPAN, SHAOLIN WANTS TO CONQUER U.S.

Everyone stumbles. Everyone falls. Often at times, people will tend to remember the more negative aspects of life’s trials and tribulations, rather than the moments that really define someone. Those moments, which test a man’s vigor and character are the type of things that Vitor Ribeiro has had to overcome.

Once widely recognized as one of the top lightweights in the world, the Nova Uniao product has had some dramatic changes in his life occur just in the past year and a half alone. After suffering his first loss in a near three-year stretch, to Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante, Ribeiro had sustained an eye injury during the fight, which would later require retinal surgery.

Though the severity of the injury was made to be more than it was, due to the extensive layoff, the injury took only a few months to properly heal. “Three months, three months (for the injury to heal). After (the) three months, I start training, and after those three months I don’t stop more,” explained Shaolin exclusively to MMAWeekly.com.

After those three months, Ribeiro took the next year to hone his skills, and always remained ready to answer the call should a fight be arranged; however, nothing seemed to materialize until recently. “One year (I remained) training a lot. I almost fought against (Hayato) Sakurai last September. I almost fought last May, but things (didn’t) happen. But now my training is going well all through 2008, it's only because sometimes it's hard to (secure) a spot when the show is big, it’s a little bit busy.”

Now having settled back into the fighting world (after opening his own gym in downtown Manhattan in New York City, dubbed the “Vitor Shaolin: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu School for Modern Martial Arts,” which now hosts over 100 students since opening this past October) Vitor will look to build off the success of his last commanding performance over former Olympic wrestler Katsuhiko Nagata and his first under the Dream banner, after having debuted for K-1’s Hero's nearly two years ago.

“I never fought in Pride, but Murilo 'Ninja' (Rua) told me it’s almost like Pride, the production, the lights, the music and everything. I feel very happy, the show looks bigger than Hero's and all the fans remember me. All the main guys from K-1 come to me and treat me very well, so it kind of makes you feel comfortable to go fight, makes you feel like special to go and feel comfortable to give 100 percent.”

After beginning his professional career in the United States with the WFA, Shaolin has enjoyed a lot of success over seas, with wins over perennial Top 10 lightweights Tatsuya Kawajiri, Mitsuhiro Ishida and Dream lightweight champion Joachim Hansen. However, as large of a fan base he carries from Japan, generally the U.S. fans wouldn’t be able to recognize him off hand. Yet, since HDNet has begun broadcasting Dream events, Ribeiro is excited at the opportunity of exposing himself to the masses and gaining a larger fan base where it counts the most.

“That’s my goal right now. A big part of my life has been in Japan. I started fighting in the United States in the beginning, but later I moved to Japan. There I fought in Shooto and than (traveled to) England. Right now with my school here in New York, my goal is to bring fights here to the United States or with HDNet it can help me, to get the American guys to know me better.”

Now the inevitable question to be asked, sporting three more fights on his K-1 turned Dream contract and in light of a desire to build on a larger American fan base, could a potential trip to the UFC's Octagon be in the cards for the jiu-jitsu specialist?

“My first time in K-1 after a year and half, when I saw the main guys (K-1 promoters), everyone treated me so well, but for sure one day my contract is going to finish. We’re going to talk about renewing the contract, but lets see about (other) offers. Sometimes it’s hard to leave, (Dream is) a huge stage and (the promoters) treat you so well, why are you going to leave? So many tough fighters in my division in Japan too, so why are you going to leave?”

Though no opponent has been named for his next bout, “Shaolin” will look to continue his winning ways in order to prove the naysayers wrong, and affirm his spot once again among the elite of his division. Whether his future remains in Japan, or a return to the United States, one thing is certain… he’s back.

For more information on Vitor Ribeiro and his new gym please visit his website at www.vitorshaolin.tv

 

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Kyle Dietz signs with WEC, meets Charlie Valencia at WEC 41 in June

A bout between recent signee Kyle Dietz (5-0) and veteran Charlie Valencia (10-5) will take place in June at World Extreme Cagefighting's "WEC 41: Brown vs. Faber II" event.

Deitz's manager, Nate Brodnax of MMAAgents.com, today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) verbal commitments are in place and that bout agreements are in the process of being finalized.

WEC 41 takes place June 7 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif.

The show, including the night's main event between UFC featherweight champ Mike Brown and former title-holder Urijah Faber, airs live on Versus.

The Dietz vs. Valencia fight will likely end up on the night's un-aired preliminary card.

Dietz, who will make his WEC debut after recently signing a six-fight deal with the organization, enters the WEC with an undefeated record since turning pro in October 2006. Fighting primarily for EXtreme Challenge, the Iowa native recently moved from Pat Miletich's gym to a new facility opened by UFC veteran Spencer Fisher. After posting a unanimous-decision win in his pro debut, Dietz has since posted four consecutive first-round stoppages, all in less than two minutes.

He now meets longtime WEC fighter Valencia, who will make his seventh WEC appearance. Valencia is 3-3 in the organization. After back-to-back losses to Yoshiro Maeda and Dominick Cruz in 2008, he started off his 2009 campaign in successful fashion with a unanimous-decision win over Seth Dikun at January's WEC 38 event.

 

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Bellator sets lineup for Week 5 show in Dayton; Alvarez and Masvidal booked

Bellator Fighting Championships today announced the full lineup for its Week 5 show at Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio.

The event takes place May 1 and airs the following day on ESPN Deportes.

Featured bouts include the organization's lightweight tournament semifinal fights, which feature notables Eddie Alvarez and Jorge Masvidal.

Alvarez (16-2) takes on fellow semifinalist Eric Reynolds (11-1), and Masvidal (17-3) meets Toby Imada (21-11). Tournament favorites Alvarez and Masvidal have already begun the trash-talking in anticipation of a future meeting.

"Dayton fans will get a chance to witness some of the best lightweight fighters from across the globe in these world championship bouts," stated Bellator Fighting Championships CEO Bjorn Rebney. "At Bellator [all] tournament [fighters have] their own destiny in their hands, and at the Hara Arena, two fighters will get the chance to advance to the Bellator Fighting Championships finals."

In addition to their regular per-fight pay, each Bellator tournament winner (in four different weight classes) receives a $100,000 bonus.

Featured non-tournament bouts for the Dayton event include the likes of EliteXC veteran and former Indiana University wrestler Dave Herman and UFC veterans Sherman Pendergarst and Dan Evensen.

The full line-up includes:

Tournament bouts:

* 155 – Toby Imada (21-11) vs. Jorge Masvidal (17-3)
* 155 – Eric Reynolds (11-1) vs. Eddie Alvarez (16-2)

Non-Tournament bouts:

* 155 – Frank Carabello (3-0) vs. Waylon Lowe (3-2)
* 170 – Justin Edwards (1-0) vs. John Troyer (8-2)
* 117 – Tammy Schneider (3-6) vs. Jessica Pene (5-0)
* 145 – Pete Dominguez (9-3) vs. Matt Jaggers (11-4)
* Heavyweight – Dan Evensen (10-4) vs. Raoul Romero (3-1)
* Heavyweight – Sherman Pendergarst (11-12) vs. Joey Beltran (5-3)
* Heavyweight – Josh Barnes (5-1) vs. Dave Herman (14-1)

 

[Shogun Locc]

FLORIAN BELIEVES SHERK TOOK HIM TO NEXT LEVEL

Big fight experience seems to make all the difference in the world when it comes to competing for a title in the UFC. When Kenny Florian steps into his fight against B.J. Penn on Aug. 8, he will draw upon his last chance to compete for the lightweight title to help him prepare, while having the knowledge that he can go five rounds with the very best in the world.

Talking to MMAWeekly Radio, Florian said that despite losing to Sean Sherk in 2006 during his first opportunity to wrestle the 155-pound title away from the champion, he knows that fight was what brought him to this point.

"That fight, it helped me for the last six fights, tremendously," he said. "But I guess if there's one thing for this specific fight that's going to help me, it's knowing I can go five (five-minute rounds)."

In the fight with Sherk, Florian battled one of the toughest cardio machines in the entire sport of mixed martial arts, and that experience will only help him as he heads into camp for his second shot at the lightweight gold.

"I did five rounds with Sean Sherk at a pretty good pace and I wasn't doing any strength and conditioning back then. I really felt like I could have done another three hard ones if I needed to," commented Florian. "Now I feel like I just got a new engine and a new gas tank."

Following the fight against Sherk, he ramped up his training, added a strength and conditioning coach, a new nutrition plan, and the results have been astounding. Florian has won his last six fights in a row, with five finishes coming by way of submission or TKO.

"I feel like I can do five ten-times harder rounds and a lot more output, a lot stronger, a lot smarter, a lot more experience, and a completely different fighter skill wise too," Florian stated.

At the end of the day, he understands that the loss to Sherk was a learning experience, and he knows what it did for his future in the UFC's lightweight division.

"That was just a tremendous fight for me for my career for me to take it to the next level," he said in closing.

The next level will take Florian to Philadelphia on Aug. 8 to challenge UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn in the main event of UFC 101.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Big Fight! Kawajiri Vs. J.Z. Announced

The rumored fight between Tatsuya Kawajiri and J.Z.Calvan was officially announced at a press conference at the DEEP Official Gym for DREAM.9 today.

Update: DREAM EP Sasahara revealed the current plan for the DREAM Lightweight title at the press conference. Joachim Hansen will face Shinya Aoki for the title at DREAM.10. The winner of that fight will then defend the belt against the winner of Kawajiri vs. J.Z. on NYE.

HEIWA DREAM.9 Featherweight GP 2009 2nd Round
Date: May 26th, 2009
Place: Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan

Lightweight Fight:
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. J.Z.Calvan

2nd Generation DREAM Middleweight Title Fight:
Ronaldo Jacare vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller

Featherweight GP Quarterfinal Fights:
Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto vs. Joe Warren
Masakazu Imanari vs. Bibiano Fernandes
Yoshiro Maeda vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Abel Cullum vs. Hideo Tokoro

Possible Fights:
Gegard Mousasi vs. Sokoudjou
Paulo Filho vs. TBA

 

[Shogun Locc]

Xtreme Fighting Championships makes HDNet debut on Saturday

The popular Tampa-based Xtreme Fighting Championships makes its broadcast debut on HDNet on Saturday for "XFC 8: Regional Conflict."

The show, which includes a featherweight title fight between military veterans Bruce Connors (6-0) and Jarrod Card (9-2-1), takes place at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.

The night's main card airs live on HDNet beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

The XFC dominated the Florida market with its remarkable grassroots-marketing efforts and affordable ticket prices. The organization drew a staggering 10,000 fans per show for its first six events before it made its Tennessee debut in February with XFC 7, which also took place in Knoxville, with approximately 4,000 to 5,000 fans.

(XFC President John Prisco detailed his promotion's rise to prominence in MMAjunkie.com's special series, "The Anatomy of an MMA Show.")

Former World Wrestling Entertainment star and rising MMA heavyweight prospect Bobby Lashley will be a special guest at the event and will do an interview with HDNet during the broadcast. Although XFC officials are tight-lipped about the possibility, numerous sources close to Lashley have told MMAjunkie.com that the fighter could fight for the organization later this year.

Although the card may lack some mainstream names, XFC usually produces good match-ups that deliver quality fights.

In addition to Conors vs. Card, one such fight on the XFC card is John Mahlow (12-9) vs. Rafaello Oliveria (7-1). Oliveira, a B.J. Penn training partner who owns a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, earns a lightweight title shot if he gets by Mahlow.

Additionally, in a fight sure to be a hit with Tennessee fans, former University of Tennessee football player Ovince St. Preux (2-2) takes on Ombey Mobley, who makes his MMA pro debut. CT Turner (6-3) also meets Gerardo Gallegos (1-0) in a main-card bout.